Chinese New Year

Chapter 489 Handover
After Shao and Liang had their discussion, they returned to their camps.

At this time, the soldiers of both sides were still arrayed in the field, several hundred steps apart. However, the atmosphere was no longer tense, but they sat on the ground, waiting for their superiors' orders.

If your superior orders you to fight, then you fight.

In comparison, the soldiers from Xuchang were still looking forward to the fight, because they felt that they could compete with these Guanxi soldiers, and with the support of the silver spear soldiers, the possibility of winning a big victory was very high.

To put it bluntly, I want to make progress too much.

The Silver Spear and Black Jade armies did not have such a strong desire to fight. Because these Guanxi people looked miserable, there was not much oil to be squeezed out of their bodies, and there was no gain from defeating them.

Furthermore, the Nanyang nobles support Lord Chen. After winning the battle, we can't rob (send) or plunder (donate) them, right?

Simply put, they are recruits, and there is not much room for improvement. Without financial incentives, they will not be willing to actively seek battle.

As for the Guanxi people on the opposite side, they had just been gathered from the fields seven days ago, received weapons, entered the camp for training, and then went out of the city to form a battle line.

It is true that they are soldiers from other families, but soldiers from other families are actually farmers, just farmers on the military register. Compared with the war, they are now more concerned about their own lives.

As for the will to fight, they were somewhat willing to do so, because they were not sure if they would be strangled by the Yuzhou soldiers who came from afar and the Nanyang nobles if they were defeated this time.

It feels a bit like defending one's homeland, but when seeing the strict military formation on the opposite side, one feels a little scared.

The longer the confrontation lasts, the more morale will be lost.

Fortunately, we don’t have to fight now and everyone is very satisfied, although there are still many uncertainties in future life.

Shao Xun did not enter the city, but continued to stay in the camp outside the city to meet with local people from Nanyang, while Liang Fen returned to the city.

"Mingsir." Yan Ding had just finished comforting the soldiers when he hurried into Liang's mansion to inquire about the progress of the matter.

Chief Secretary Fu Xuan was showing Liang Fen a series of bamboo slips, which listed the location of each fortress, the number of households and fields.

"What's the matter?" Liang Fen asked casually without even raising her eyelids.

His eyes were fixed on the bamboo slips, and he was mumbling something. If you listened carefully, it seemed that he was roughly calculating the amount of land owned by the households in each fortress.

"My lord, you were talking to Shao Xun, but I don't know--" Yan Ding asked anxiously.

"Taiwanese minister." Liang Fen finally raised her head, looked at him, and said, "Didn't you see everything?"

"What do you mean, sir?" Yan Ding was puzzled.

"The two armies are arrayed in the field, and I dare not give the order to fight."

"It's right not to fight in the field. Now that the army has withdrawn, we can use the strong city to resist." Yan Ding said hurriedly: "There are hundreds of thousands of hu of food and grass, enough to support a year. Shao Xun can't stay here for a year. As long as he withdraws, the chess game will be alive."

"Let me ask you, if Shao Xun gathers the young men from the noble families in Nanyang, assembles tens of thousands of people, and sends people to various forts to pass on the order, ordering them to send the young men to Wan to attack this city together, what will you do?" Liang Fen asked in return.

After saying this, without waiting for Yan Ding to answer, he continued, "If the fort refuses to obey, we must take it down even if it costs us some manpower, and then force men, women, old and young to come and fill the trenches. How many forts can hold out? In the end, won't it still be Guanxi people fighting Guanxi people?"

"There is still a chance." Yan Ding said anxiously: "As long as Shao Xun can be driven away, all this will be worth it."

"My position is not worth exchanging for the lives of so many people," Liang Fen said.

"Alas! Isn't this bullying an honest man?" Yan Ding stamped his feet and said, "Shao Xun is shameless, while Ming Gong is respectable. In the end, the shameless man bullies the respectable man. Alas."

"It is said that Western Buddhists are possessed by demons. Your Excellency, you are possessed by a demon." Liang Fen put down the bamboo slips in his hand and said seriously.

Yan Ding's face turned pale, and he said, "I am also thinking about you. In this chaotic world, how can you protect yourself without soldiers? If you give up your military power and serve as an official in the court, even a commoner can capture you. You are a person of such status, how can you bear such humiliation?"

Liang Fen's expression eased a little, and she said, "Tai Chen, you have been working for me for many years, and I don't want to treat you unfairly."

Jingzhou has one governor and two commanders-in-chief. The Governor of Jingzhou has his seat in Jiangling; the commander-in-chief of the military forces north of Mianyang is stationed in Wancheng, and his seat is in Wan; the commander-in-chief of the military forces of Jingzhou is stationed in Xiangyang, and his seat is in Xiangyang.

Mian River is the same as Han River, and Mianyang North is the area north of Han River.

In his early years, the Mianbei Governor-General was in charge of the seven counties in northern Jingzhou, and he still is in charge of the seven counties now, but there have been major changes.

During the reign of the previous emperor, Weixing (formerly Xicheng County), Xincheng (formerly Fangling County), and Shangyong County in Northern Jingzhou were ceded to Liangzhou. Therefore, these three counties were no longer under the jurisdiction of Liangzhou, and were outside the jurisdiction of the governor of Mianyangbei.

The only counties that can be truly controlled now are Nanyang, Shunyang, Xinye and Yiyang, plus Sui State, which only has two counties separated from Yiyang.

If Liang Fen wants to arrange an official position for Yan Ding, he can only find a way in these five places.

Yan Ding could certainly think of it, but to be honest, what good position could it be? It can't be given to the governors of Shunyang, Nanyang, Xinye, and Yiyang, right? Lord Liang was a military official, and formally he couldn't interfere in civil affairs, so it was impossible to appoint a governor. Besides, these counties already had people - all of them were Shao Xun's men. So, with a bitter face, he kept persuading: "Ming Gong, think twice, once you give up your military power, you will have nothing."

Liang Fen looked at him again, somewhat disappointed.

Fu Xuanze looked at Yan Ding expressionlessly, and after exchanging glances with Liang Fen, he suddenly said, "When I entered the mansion just now, I passed by the military camp and vaguely heard a commotion. It seemed to be General Yan's troops."

Yan Ding suddenly raised his head and looked at Fu Xuan.

Fu Xuan did not seem to notice the anger in Yan Ding's eyes, and only said: "Since you have decided to enter the court, you should seal the treasury, dismiss the soldiers, and wait for the newcomers to avoid giving people a chance to criticize you."

"If Shihong hadn't reminded me, I would have almost forgotten about this." Liang Fen sighed.

"Don't worry, my lord. I have already sent people to do these things." Fu Xuan said, "But dismissing the soldiers is a big deal, so I still need your order."

"Hmm..." Liang Fen pondered for a moment and glanced at Yan Ding.

"My lord, I will pass the order now." Yan Ding said loudly.

"Please be patient, my minister. Sit down first and talk to me." Liang Fen waved her hand, took out a pen and paper, and finished the conversation in one go.

Fu Xuan picked up the military order with the ink still wet on it, saluted and left.

Yan Ding sat down dejectedly, looking anxious.

Liang Fen glanced at him and said, "I left home at a young age, and I actually miss the days of hunting in An Ding."

Yan Ding was puzzled and felt a little emotional, so he didn't say anything.

"In the clear and crisp autumn, when the grass in the mountains turns yellow, I take a dozen good friends with me and rush into the mountains. Where there are big trees and roe deer, there are lush grass and there are deer and roe deer." When talking about these things, Liang Fen's face showed infinite nostalgia.

After that, he picked up a pen on the table and said, "This pen was given to me by an old friend. It was made directly from the tail of a yellow sheep. Back then, I often rushed into the river where the grass was lush. When the wind blew the grass, the yellow sheep were startled and ran away in groups. Haha, in order to hunt yellow sheep, I often chased them for a whole day and night. Thinking about it now, I feel very emotional."

"What a pity! The good times have passed and will never come back." Liang Fen walked to Yan Ding's side, patted his shoulder gently, and said, "Tai Chen, I know you have great ambitions since you were young and have a strong desire for success. It's not that I don't remember our old friendship, but the time has passed. Wancheng is a dead end and there is no chance of survival."

"My lord, I..." Yan Ding stammered.

"Listen to me." Liang Fen patted his shoulder again and continued, "Tens of thousands of refugees from Guanxi will suffer countless casualties if there is unrest. In this case, I am not loyal to my family, I am not loyal to my country, and I am not kind to the people. I was born as a minister of Jin, so I should be consistent. However, when the world is in chaos, I should also obey the will of heaven and the harmony of people. Therefore, I do not want to cause more casualties and will resign and return home."

"You are younger than me, and have great ambitions. But when you toss and turn at night, have you ever asked yourself, can your power stop the riots? Can your virtue save lives? If not, how can you be guiltless if you suddenly mobilize your teachers and students, call them to war, punish them in the wilderness, and ruin the lives of the people?"

"Let's leave this world to those who have the ability."

Liang Fen sighed and sat back behind the desk.

The guards looked at the door twice and then retreated.

Yan Ding was speechless and looked grim.

While the two were talking, Fu Xuan had already arrived at various military camps to announce the orders.

Six thousand soldiers of the Silver Spear Left Camp lined up in neat rows and entered Wancheng from the north gate.

The streets were filled with the sound of orderly footsteps and the clanging of armor plates.

The sunlight shines down, the weapons and armor are dazzling, and the murderous aura rises to the sky.

Under such deterrence, the more than 10,000 Wancheng defenders appeared to be very peaceful. They left the barracks in an orderly manner, dispersed and returned to their homes.

Before leaving, each of them received a bushel of millet, and they felt better and looked very relaxed when they left - not having to fight for their lives and getting an "appearance fee" was the best outcome for them.

As for what will happen in the future, to be honest, I am a little worried, but what can I do? The higher-ups have given up, and it will be difficult for them to fight hard.

The only thing that caused some unrest was the three thousand troops brought by Yan Ding.

These people made a lot of noise for a while, asking loudly where the guard (Yan Ding) was. For a moment, the crowd was in an uproar and was about to cause chaos.

It was not until the Silver Spear Army attacked in large numbers and surrounded their barracks, and Liang Fen sent someone to deliver Yan Ding's handwritten letter, that they calmed down, packed up their equipment, left the city and returned to their own fortress.

By the evening, except for the 500 personal soldiers of the Liang Mansion, the tens of thousands of troops were all dismissed. The Silver Spear Army controlled all the key points in the city and officially took up duty.

In Wancheng, the handover was relatively peaceful.

(End of this chapter)