Chinese New Year

Chapter 527: You're really good at playing (for the leader, the rural pervert)

In the afternoon, Shao Xun went into the residence and took a nap.

Unfortunately, the bed was new, not an antique from the Cao Wei period. And there was something missing from the bed...

"Is there anything in this city..." Shao Xun asked when he was awakened by Cai Cheng.

Cai Cheng understood immediately that it had been three months since the expedition and Lord Chen wanted to relax.

"I will go and bring the families of the criminal officials here." Cai Cheng said.

"Forget it. I don't like such vulgar women." Shao Xun stood up and put on his clothes, saying, "Shi Le's concubines will be rewarded to meritorious soldiers. If any of the surrendered officials have made great contributions, they can also be rewarded."

Cai Cheng responded, and after a moment of silence, he suddenly said, "Shi Le's wife Liu is on the ice well platform. If you capture her, send her to your room."

"Who is Liu's background?" Shao Xun asked.

"The daughter of the Jie chieftain."

When Shao Xun heard this, his interest was half gone, and he said, "Give it to the meritorious officials."

Cai Cheng responded again, and then said: "I heard that Liu often gave advice to Shi Le, just like an internal minister, and knew many of Shi Le's secrets. You may want to interrogate her carefully."

Shao Xun still had no interest, quickly put on his clothes, and asked casually: "That's all?"

"Liu has a very strong temper and I'm afraid she won't give in easily." Cai Cheng said again.

Shao Xun stopped what he was doing and uttered a "hmm".

What Cai Cheng said before was all bullshit to him. It only made him interested, but not that much.

But "fierce temper" and "refusal to give in" suddenly hit the spot for him, and his interest suddenly increased.

"If you can capture Liu, don't give him the reward yet," Shao Xun ordered.

"Yes, sir." Cai Cheng replied, secretly delighted.

The two of them walked one after the other through the small door and went straight into the hearing room.

Zhang Bin was still sitting inside, reading a book. When he saw Shao Xun coming, he stood up and saluted.

"Mengsun, please sit down." Shao Xun also sat down and began to review the official documents.

After a while, Yu Chen came over with some people.

"The guilty general Tao Bao (Zhi Xiong/Cheng Xia/Xu Guang...) pays homage to Mr. Chen." A dozen people in a large circle knelt on the ground together.

"Everyone, get up." Shao Xun held up his hands.

Led by the personal soldiers, everyone knelt down not far away.

"General Tao also made contributions when the city was captured." Shao Xun looked at Tao Bao and asked with a smile: "Are you willing to make new contributions now?"

"I wish." Tao Bao bowed again and said loudly.

Shao Xun laughed heartily.

Unlike Zhang Bin, Tao Bao was very straightforward and said directly that he had surrendered and wanted to improve.

"Now there is something that if you can accomplish, you can still be the prefect." Shao Xun said.

"Please give the order, sir. I will not refuse even if I have to go through fire and water." Tao Bao raised his head with a firm face.

Shao Xun glanced at Zhang Bin, and seeing that he had put down the book, he retracted his gaze and said to Tao Bao, "You still have 5,000 county soldiers under your command. The weapons will be returned to you and you will still be in charge. Enter Tongjue Garden and attack Santai. I don't care what means you use, whether it's a violent attack or persuading us to surrender, just recover it as soon as possible."

This is the only enemy stronghold in Yecheng. It would be embarrassing if we don’t take it down.

The Tuntian Army had been attacking for several days but had made little progress.

In order to avoid casualties, it is better to let the surrendered soldiers do this job. It is very good for our own people to fight against each other.

Tao Bao was stunned for a moment, then quickly reacted and said, "Yes, sir."

"General Zhi will also lead a thousand surrendered soldiers to join the attack. Military Officer Cheng can supervise the supply of food and grass." Shao Xun also mentioned the names of Zhi Xiong and Cheng Xia.

"Yes, sir." The two agreed, not knowing whether they were willing or not.

But Shao Xun didn't care what they thought. What had been done was done. How could they turn back?
Tao Bao, Zhi Xiong and Cheng Xia led the troops to attack Santai. Everyone had a part to play, and the target was Shi Le's wife. No matter whether Liu was dead or alive, there would be more to come. The three of them could not think of getting away - even if Da Hu did not mind, they had to consider other people's opinions.

For some things, once you take the first step, there is no turning back.

"General Liu." Shao Xun looked at General Weiyuan Liu Da and said, "We captured more than a thousand cavalrymen a few days ago. Go and persuade them. If they can work for me, you can be the deputy commander of the Yicong Army. How about that?"

"Thank you, Mr. Chen, for your cultivation." Liu Da was overjoyed.

There were approximately 1,500 captured cavalrymen, half of whom were Jie people, and the rest were mostly various Hu people.

According to the promise made in advance, he must not harm them, but Shao Xun was reluctant to let them go.

Something like cavalry requires more than just horses, you also need people.

Moreover, riding skills cannot be mastered in one or two years, but require long-term training. And this kind of training means the wear and tear of horses, just like a sharpshooter needs to feed himself with bullets.

That's the cost.

If there are ready-made ones, of course they will be used, although they don't have the loyalty that they have trained themselves. But after careful consideration, the cost is still much lower, and the level is also sufficient.

The Xiongnu had various traditional festivals, such as sheep riding competitions for children and autumn and winter hunting competitions for adults. These social traditions all subtly mentioned two points: horsemanship and archery.

These two things are precisely what cannot be mastered within a few years. Recruiting a bunch of laymen would cost too much to train.

The Silver Spear Army liked to recruit newcomers and train them in archery from scratch, and Shao Xun knew too well how much that cost.

The Silver Spear Army and the Black Shadow Army are enough, it is better to use the ready-made troops for other troops.

"After you have sorted things out, you can take some time to persuade your sister." Shao Xun added, "I wish for peace between the barbarians and the Chinese. As long as you don't make trouble, obey me, and work for me, nothing will happen. Those who have made contributions in the war can also become officials. Do you understand?"

"I understand." Liu Da said repeatedly.

Zhang Bin raised his eyelids and glanced at Shao Xun.

At this moment, his impression of this man became more profound: rational, sober, and a bit scheming. Moreover, his scheming style was different.

Everything is laid out on the table, telling you clearly what I am going to do. Do you want to listen?

If you don't listen, you will probably suffer the consequences, not only in the future, but even now.

After hearing this, I had to go all the way to the end. It was difficult to struggle. No matter how reluctant I was, I had to work for him.

But he is not harsh to others. On the contrary, he is clear about rewards and punishments. If you listen to him, you are likely to become rich.

Zhang Bin added another point in his mind: He is good at using his great power to pressure others, and he has a broad mind and no prejudice.

"Shangdang..." Shao Xun tapped the table with his index finger and said, "You can send someone to contact them secretly. This matter is very important and we have to do it with all our heart. If you have any conditions, you can put them forward and let me know."

These words were said to Liu Da, and he had no objection, although it was not known whether he was sincere or forced by the situation.

"How can I ask you to do something without reward?" Shao Xun turned to look at Cai Cheng and ordered: "Clean up the Qili. I heard that Xiahou Miaocai's Protector General's Mansion is still intact, so you can recruit surrendered people to renovate it and give it to General Liu after it is completed. Well, with a new home, how can you not have household items? Send someone to Guangchengze to ask - ask Princess Xiangcheng to borrow some utensils, and give them to General Liu as a reward."

"Yes." Cai Cheng agreed.

When Liu Da heard this, he felt somewhat touched.

His house was in Jiyangli. It was not big and the decoration was very ordinary. After all, they had occupied Yecheng for only a few years and their family background was not rich. They did not have the foundation of the old nobles in Luoyang.

As for Princess Xiangcheng, even he knew this person. She was the most favored daughter of Emperor Wu, with a dowry ten times that of other princesses, and a luxurious and elegant life. Even a son of an aristocratic family like Wang Dun was shocked and made a fool of himself.

Could the things in her house be bad?

Without making any contribution, he was given an official position, a house and expenses. Liu Da was impressed by his magnanimity and bearing. He thought it was much better than that stingy guy Shi Le.

"My lord, your kindness is so great that I cannot repay you even if I were to die." Liu Da squeezed out a few tears and sobbed.

"What do you mean by shattered to pieces? Don't say such unlucky words anymore." Shao Xun waved his hand and said, "I still want to share wealth and honor with you. When we accomplish our great cause in the future, wouldn't it be wonderful to drink with what we did today?"

Liu Da wiped his tears and said, "I am willing to die for you, sir."

Shao Xun laughed and said, "Go and reorganize the troops quickly. If you can't do it, I won't drink with you anymore."

Liu Da quickly got up and left, full of energy - at least that's what it seemed on the surface.

Zhang Bin looked at Shao Xun again.

Liu Da was lucky enough to become the horse bone that was worth a fortune.

Moreover, he was the son of the chief of the Jie people in Shangdang. His father was still alive, and he and Liu Ye'na's father and brother each led a group of Jie people. After the old chief died, the tribe was divided into three and given to the three brothers to lead.

Zhang Bin was a smart man, and he saw Shao Xun's far-reaching intentions at a glance. At the same time, he sighed, saying that Mr. Chen would not come to Hebei.

He obviously wanted to attack Bingzhou from Henan and attack Shangdang from the two directions of Taihangxing and Baixing.

Shangdang is so important that it can be regarded as the southern gateway of Bingzhou.

The mountains are continuous, with only two passages leading deep into the interior.

This road is not easy to travel on, and it is even difficult to fit square tracks in some dangerous places, so it is too easy to defend.

If Xiaguan City is repaired and its defenses are improved, then it will be extremely difficult to attack Shangdang from Henan. I don't know how many lives will be lost and how much money and grain will be consumed.

This was a competition with Shi Le and Liu Cong for the control of the Hu people in Shangdang.

Thinking of this, Zhang Bin couldn't help but look at Shao Xun again.

You really can't give this guy a chance, he's too good at seizing these opportunities.

Once they find a gap, they will drill into it, going deeper and deeper. They have many tricks and are quite good at playing, which will make you roll your eyes in the end.

This time, Da Hu lost more than just the army of Yecheng.

If Liu Cong continued to gather troops slowly, who knows what would become of Hebei.

After Shao Xun finished talking to Liu Da, he talked to several other people one by one, comforted them, and asked them to leave.

After seeing their backs disappear, Shao Xun called Cai Cheng again and asked, "Is Tian Hui's nephew still at home?"

"In Chen County." Cai Cheng replied.

Tian Hui's nephew Tian Gui worked as a servant in the palace. He was recruited into the palace before Tian Hui's death and was just doing the job for fun.

Tian Hui is an old acquaintance of Shao Xun.

When the Xuchang armory was robbed, Tian Hui, the governor of Xuchang and the chief clerk of Sima Hu, the King of Fanyang, simply ran away.

This person had been following Sima Hu to suppress the rebellion in Hebei. After Sima Hu's death, there was no news about him.

The next time I heard about it, I found out that he had become a beggar general, and was later attacked and killed by Shi Le, and his people surrendered.

"Have Madam Lu write a letter and have Tian Gui take it to Hebei." Shao Xun ordered: "Also summon Chen Wu, Chen Chuan, and Wang Ping, the beggars, to come to Yecheng. Even if they can't come, they must send their trusted sons and nephews. Also ask the Right Guard General Li Yun to send someone to come."

These people were all born as beggars and were summoned to Henan by Sima Yue.

Historically, after they failed, some of them sneaked back to Guangzong and continued to work as beggars, which shows that they had considerable connections and a network of relationships in the local area.

The next step is to unite the beggars’ army in Guangzong.

This force must be used well, as it is crucial to stabilizing Hebei.

"When the time comes, please ask Mr. Yu to accompany me and give more praise to the painting." Shao Xun looked at Yu Chen again and said.

"Okay." Yu Chen responded calmly.

The son-in-law has made it clear that he will be in charge of Hebei. All matters, big and small, such as encouraging people to engage in agriculture and sericulture, winning over scholars, reorganizing surrendered soldiers, and appointing and dismissing officials, will be entrusted to him.

Zhang Bin turned his head and looked out the window.

It seems that a new person who shares the same interests and is equally talented and ambitious has come to the Prime Minister's Office where Cao Mengde once governed the country.

I'm afraid Da Hu won't be able to gain a foothold in Hebei.

(End of this chapter)