Chinese New Year

Chapter 486 Great Deed? (Added for Alliance Leader Xiao Cai who wanted to sleep)

A house is looming among the water and woods.

After entering the gate, you will see lush vegetation, and rows of medicinal herbs, fruits and vegetables, which are dazzling to the eyes.

The visitor did not stop.

He was seen walking hurriedly with a frown on his face, as if he was undecided, but with a hint of fierceness on his face, he did not look like a good person.

There were many servants in the house who were familiar with him. When they saw him, they immediately bowed and saluted.

The visitor did not return the greeting and went straight inside.

When he passed the rockery, he paused for a moment.

This is a huge stone, which has a majestic look after being carved by craftsmen. The whole is hidden among flowers and trees, facing the lake and the stream, with a natural and pure beauty.

There was a glimmer of greed in the eyes of the visitor.

He needed this kind of house, a house that showed off his status. He needed it whether he wanted to enjoy the scenery, practice cultivation, hold literary gatherings, or give lectures.

After quietly retracting his gaze, he continued to walk forward, and soon met the Shogunate's Chief Secretary Fu Xuan.

He was stunned for a moment and cupped his hands.

Fu Xuan nodded to him and left.

The person who came continued to move forward, and Fu Xuan suddenly frowned, with a worried look on his face.

"Is the angel still there?" the visitor suddenly asked.

Fu Xuan paused and said, "After announcing the decree, I have arrived at the inn to rest."

"What does Lord Liang mean?"

"It is not clear what it means."

The visitor nodded, said no more, walked through a small door, and entered the garden.

In a corner of the garden, there was a desk, behind which sat Liang Fen, the general who was in charge of the military forces of Mianyang and northern Taiwan and stationed in Wancheng.

He really likes working in the garden.

When he got tired of reading paperwork, he would get up and water the flowers and plants. It was said that this could nourish his mind and prevent arrogance and impatience.

The visitor scoffed at this.

In this era of great contention, we should be courageous and diligent, and keep our spirits high. How can we be so decadent and insolent?
There were several people standing beside the table, talking to Liang Fen. The newcomer did not speak, but stood aside, waiting quietly.

"The Liu family sent people to cultivate the fields in Gualijin, but they didn't take care of them. I went to ask, but they said 'it depends on the weather'. These dozens of hectares of good land are fertile, but the Liu family is unable to cultivate them, but they won't give them up. My lord, why don't you -"

"Forget it." Liang Fen waved her hand and said, "Since it's already been planted, don't take it away by force. I asked for the land to save people. The people in Guanxi need to be saved, and the people in Nanyang also need to be saved. Why should I favor one over the other?"

The visitor who was listening on the side secretly curled his lips.

You are showing your kindness to the people of Nanyang, but will they accept your kindness? You still don't understand who your roots are.

"Guarijin is not feasible, so we should find another place to settle down." Liang Fen asked again, "How much grain is left in the warehouse?"

"Less than 600,000 hu."

Liang Fen stroked his beard and frowned, then said after a moment: "Send an army to escort them to Sui State. After Du Tao, Sui State has been extremely empty, so it is a good place to settle them."

"Where is King Sui?"

"I can't worry about that. Let's settle them down first." Liang Fen said expressionlessly, "There are more than 800 families in this group, and they came all the way from Liangzhou. Since they didn't surrender to Shu, I think they are loyal to the court. Give them more food, grass, and farm tools and settle them down well."

"As ordered."

The visitor glanced at Liang Fen and thought to himself that this was the demeanor of the governor of Mianbei who was in charge of the killing of seven counties. So what if it was the King of Sui? He blocked my way and pushed it away with all his strength.

As for the group of Liangzhou people, he also knew that most of them were Liangzhou officials, military generals and their families, who fled in panic with their servants and followers.

Since Yang Hu and Yang Nandi started the rebellion in Liangzhou, the local people have been in trouble. Many people fled to Weixing County and then came to Nanyang. Because the road was very difficult to travel and there were few supplies along the way, many people died and were injured along the way, and few people could reach Nanyang safely.

To be honest, these refugees are not from Guanxi. It would be more appropriate to say that they are from Hanzhong.

To be honest, it was really difficult to travel east from Hanzhong, over mountains and across ridges, and then along the Mian River to Weixing and Nanyang. The army would get lost and starve to death if they were not careful, not to mention the civilians.

But the visitors had little interest in these people. They were not of the same kind as the refugees from Guanxi, and they were not of the same mind. It was too much for Lord Liang to treat them so well.

"My lord, the various ethnic groups in Nanyang have jointly reported that refugees from the west are robbing and looting on the roads, and are bandits everywhere. We are unbearable with them. Please send troops to kill them." Another person stepped forward to report.

"Growing up in a foreign land, penniless, it is inevitable that you will become a bandit." Liang Fen sighed, "Now we should be lenient in punishment and reduce taxes, and not commit too many crimes of killing. Go and tell them that I am looking for land for the refugees, and after they have land, they will naturally stop stealing. If you can't wait, release the mountains, forests and swamps they control, and allow the refugees to collect firewood, graze and fish, and let them get through this period first. It is always the most difficult when you first arrive, just get through it."

"Yes."

"Wang Dun and Wang Chuzhong are leading their troops westward, and we ask Xiangyang and Wancheng to provide us with some military equipment and food supplies."

"It's all for the court's business. You can take some from the armory and granary as appropriate and send them to Wang Dun's camp."

"As ordered."

"Mingsir, Yang Dan has become even more disobedient since returning from Luoyang. Perhaps he can be replaced?"

"Yang Pengzu is a good fighter and has made many achievements. So who does he belong to? You guys should not focus on these details all day long. Anyone with talent can be employed. I have no prejudice against factions."

"Yes." "Mingsir..."

After dealing with one thing after another, the staff slowly dispersed.

"Mr. Tai, please sit down and have a drink with me." Liang Fen stood up and sat in front of another desk.

The person who came was Yan Ding. Hearing the words, he walked over and sat opposite Liang Fen.

"I'm really old and useless." Liang Fen said with a wry smile: "If I had known that coming to Nanyang would be so tiring, I would have stayed in the court and become an honorable official."

Yan Ding thought it was not good, and tried to persuade him, "Why do you say you are old? You work on official documents from morning till night. You inspect military camps and forts for hundreds of miles without stopping. Although you are in the tent, you are in control of the military strategy thousands of miles away. Thousands of Nanyang warriors went down the Yangtze River and killed Du Tao, who was thrown into disarray. If you are old, I really don't know what to do with myself."

Liang Fen laughed, picked up the wine glass and drank it all in one gulp.

"Where is Shao Xun?" he asked.

Yan Ding was refreshed and said, "We have passed Gualijin and are almost at Wancheng. I have ordered all the strong men in the forts to gather and station at the foot of the city. When will you come to the camp to announce the order?"

"Taiwanese minister——"

"I am here."

Liang Fen gave him a deep look and said, "I'm sorry to have kept you here under my command."

Yan Ding was startled at first, then his face turned pale, and he said anxiously: "Mingsong, you have misunderstood. If it weren't for you, I would still be a commander of a fort in Mi County, unknown. You really have saved me."

Liang Fen poured herself a glass of wine and said, "I heard that Shao Xun has built Fangtou North City?"

"Yes. The north and south cities have been built. There are some flatterers in the court who even wrote a song called "Cheng Fang Tou" and sang it." Yan Ding replied.

Liang Fen smiled a little and said, "I have heard of this as well. There is a line in it: 'Shepherding cattle and sheep during the day and catching prey at night, often going to the new city a hundred miles away'. I heard that this is Taibai's original words?"

"Yes."

Liang Fen sighed and said, "Shao Taibai's style often reminds me of the heroes in Guanzhong. This man doesn't look like a kid from Guandong. Judging from his actions, he is more like a tyrant in the border area where the Hu and Han people live together."

"Scholars who have been influenced by Hu Feng?" Yan Ding asked.

"This is a very clever statement." Liang Fen clapped her hands and laughed.

They are all scholars, but their styles vary greatly due to their different regions.

People like Yuan Yan, the governor of Hongnong, were decisive in killing people, but could also put aside their shame. He fawned and coaxed Liu Cong into a frenzy at a banquet, and then suddenly turned against him and attacked the camp at night.

Even if the Guandong warriors could pretend to surrender, they could not do it to the extent of Yuan Yan, and they would not personally lead their servants and soldiers to fight in the battlefield like him.

In Liangzhou, which is a little further away, the scholars rode their horses and shot arrows with extraordinary might. Some of them even drank blood and ate raw meat, which was very close to the Hu people.

But if you move to Jiangnan, the style of painting changes again.

In the mountain villa, there is a quiet and elegant atmosphere with wine cups and flowing water. Scholars read books, practice calligraphy, play chess and paint.

There are also talented men and beautiful women, with delicate emotions and gentle styles, whose love stories are enough to make people cry.

The scholars in the Central Plains are probably somewhere in between the two.

He is not as elegant and ethereal as the scholars in the south of the Yangtze River, nor as rough and brave as the scholars in the border areas.

Shao Xun is more like a frontier tyrant who grew up in the Central Plains.

"After Fangtou built the city, Shao Xun might launch an external attack." Liang Fen picked up the wine glass, then put it down again, with a hint of worry between her brows.

"Maybe he is here to attack Nanyang." Yan Ding reminded, "He has brought all the troops that can fight."

"Why are the officials so sure?"

"Nanyang supports Yuzhou from behind. If we raise troops from here, we can reach Xuchang in 400 miles. Shao Xun's base is in Yingchuan, Chenjun, Xincai, Nandun, Xiangcheng and other places, which are too close to Nanyang. If there is a disturbance, the rear will be unstable and we will be unable to move north or east. How can we not be anxious?"

"According to what the minister said, what should I do?"

"Return the imperial edict. This must be a forged edict. We must not follow it." Yan Ding tried his best to persuade him, "If Shao Xun comes, he will defend the city. I have summoned tens of thousands of elite soldiers. Nanyang City is high and the moat is deep. Shao Xun can't take it even if he dies of exhaustion. He can't stay under the city for a long time. When Shi Le hears about it, he will definitely lead his army across the river and attack Henan. Even Liu Cong may send troops to help and seize Shao Xun's base in Henan. In this situation, he has no choice but to withdraw his troops and return to support. "

"Are you still going to lead the army in pursuit and attack Xiangcheng?"

"It doesn't matter whether we attack or not." Yan Ding said excitedly, "If Xiangcheng is hard to take, we can still attack Runan. Or, we can simply wipe out the forces that Shao Xun has planted in Nanyang and force the tribes to submit."

Liang Fen remained silent for a long time.

Yan Ding stopped talking.

"What good will this do to the people of Nanyang?" Liang Fen sighed. "The conflict between the natives and the Hakkas has only just been suppressed. If it rises again, the casualties will be more than a hundred thousand."

Yan Ding was speechless.

I had understood it before, and now I confirmed it once again: Lord Liang was actually caring about the native and Hakka people in Nanyang instead of focusing on the great cause.

"My lord, Shao Xun is planning to usurp the throne!" Yan Ding said without thinking.

Liang Fen's expression changed.

"As a relative of the emperor, can you be spared?" Yan Ding said, "When Shao Xun suppressed Wang Ru's rebellion, there was a lot of killing. He is from Guandong and has always hated the people of Guanxi. If you are not spared, then the more than 60,000 people of Guanxi in Mianyangbei will not be spared either."

"You are too kind." Liang Fen held out her hand to stop Yan Ding from speaking. After thinking for a while, she said, "Tomorrow you will follow me out of the city, and then send someone to deliver a letter to Shao Xun's camp, telling him that I want to meet him at the bank of the Yu River."

(End of this chapter)