Chinese New Year

Chapter 607 Various Means
The sound of orderly footsteps rang out in the wilderness.

After a long time, thousands of infantrymen formed up their battle array and stood at attention with guns in hand.

The two thousand cavalrymen from each family also rode out on their horses and looked at this side from afar.

They can mount their horses and fight at any time to support their own infantry in the distance.

There were many camps in the wilderness. No, they were not camps at all, but just groups of tents.

There were no trenches, no walls, no barracks, no horse traps...

There were just some vehicles and some chevaux de frise placed roughly outside the tent group.

But there is no need to laugh at them.

Just a moment ago, he was still at home farming and herding. How high can you expect his military quality to be? Not to mention that the soldiers were of poor quality, the officers were not much better either.

However, they have lived in the border area for a long time, where the Han and Hu people live together, so they are brave enough to fight and compete.

In simple terms, compared to the people in the interior, they are more brave and aggressive, and more willing to fight, but their military literacy is poor. If both sides are peasant soldiers, they have the upper hand, but if the opponent is a veteran warrior, then they are not good enough.

At this moment, the soldiers were gathered together, laughing and joking.

They were of different heights, weights and bodies, their uniforms and weapons were varied, and even their ages were different - in fact, armies of this level were very common in every dynasty.

The officers also folded their arms, whispering to each other and laughing loudly.

A team of horse-drawn carriages drove out of the west gate of Jicheng, loaded with cloth, copper coins and various objects.

The laughter suddenly stopped, and everyone subconsciously stood up straight, looking at the wealth brought in with greedy eyes.

Rewards are coming! This was the thought that came to their minds.

On the other side, more than a dozen nobles, tribal chieftains, and refugee leaders came forward and saluted in unison: "Sima You."

You Tong returned the salute and observed the expressions of these leaders.

Fortunately, he didn't show any anger or dissatisfaction, so this is something to talk about.

"I'm sure you've all heard about what happened yesterday." You Tong said, "Wang Jun has been unjust and has been bullying the people for more than ten years. When he was destroyed, all the elders applauded."

After saying this, he paused deliberately to observe everyone's expressions.

Before the scholars from prominent families could say anything, the Hu chieftains could not help themselves.

Someone shouted, "Sima You, you have been here for quite some time. Your family is busy preparing fodder for the winter. Now that you have killed Wang Jun, I think there is nothing to worry about. So give out the rewards and go yourselves."

You Tong said hurriedly: "Peng Zu is still living in the palace. How to deal with him depends on the will of the emperor and Lord Chen."

"They rebelled, but you didn't kill them. You are so coy and make people look down on you." Another chieftain of the Hu people said, "Then what do you think we should do? Not giving out rewards today will not work."

"Please be patient and calm down." You Tong raised his hand and said, "Let me ask you one question. What will happen if Youzhou is left without a master?"

Everyone was stunned for a moment.

Liu Ying, a descendant of a local noble family in Ji County, sighed and said, "If Youzhou is without a master, it will surely be coveted by all parties. The Murong Xianbei in Liaoxi, the Yuwen Xianbei behind the mountains, the Tuoba Xianbei in Dai County, and the Xiongnu west of the Taihang Mountains will surely plunder the counties every few days. By then, the cities will be lost, the tribes will be scattered, and everyone will have a hard time."

You Tong looked at Liu Ying approvingly. After all, he was a child of a big family and should be sensible.

Liu Ying had a great uncle named Liu Shen, with the courtesy name Daozhen. He served in the prefectures and counties at a young age. He was well-learned and fond of ancient things. He was appointed as an official by the Grand Tutor Wei Guan, and later as the Zhongzheng of the State of Yan.

During the time of the previous emperor, Liu Shen was the Palace Attendant, and he went to Yizhou with a special authority to urge the various armies to attack Li Liu. When he arrived in Chang'an, he was forced to stay by Sima Yong, and was appointed as the military commander and concurrently the Governor of Yongzhou.

Later, Changsha King Yi came to power and issued an edict in the name of the emperor, ordering Liu Shen to attack Sima Yong. Shen summoned troops from seven counties, totaling more than 10,000 people, to attack Chang'an, but was defeated and beheaded.

This family is quite famous in Ji County and quite powerful. Liu Ying's speaking out has an influence that cannot be underestimated.

Sure enough, as soon as he finished speaking, everyone fell into deep thought.

You Tong was secretly delighted and deliberately said, "Now that things have come to this, what is there to hesitate about? I don't think any of the people in Youzhou can take on the responsibility. The only solution now is to ask Mr. Chen to come here to take charge of the situation. What do you think?"

No one answered immediately. Instead, they made eye contact with each other and even whispered to each other.

This time, Liu Ying stood up first and said, "Sir You, I heard that Mr. Chen has lived in Xuchang for a long time. How can you take care of Youzhou?"

"Or we can jointly submit a petition, requesting Mr. Chen to be appointed as the governor of Youzhou. In this way, those named will all be rewarded, and the positions of garrison commander, prefect, and aides will be easily within our reach, and we will have no worries about wealth and honor." You Tong said.

"Is this gentleman's intention or Mr. Chen's intention?" Liu Ying asked in a low voice.

"Lu Zidao's intention." You Tong replied softly.

Liu Ying understood.

"In that case, I would like to invite Lord Chen to be the governor of Youzhou." Liu Ying said, "Lord Chen has the courage of Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, the strategy of Han Yu and Bai Juyi, and has accumulated military exploits and a great reputation. I would like to have such a hero as my own." You Tong was overjoyed and said, "Lord Chen will definitely reward you when he hears this."

After that, he whispered, "When the memorial was submitted, your name was listed at the top."

Although the voice was low, it was heard by others.

Liu Ying thanked him and You Tong supported him.

When the others saw this, they became a little anxious.

You Tong took the opportunity to add more weight, saying in a deep voice: "How foolish you are! You are unaware of the great wealth and honor in front of you. Lord Chen's army is in Gaoyang and Zhongshan. Once they wipe out Shi Le and Liu Yao and march north, can you withstand it? If you obey Lord Chen now and serve him, you will still have merit. When Lord Chen's army reaches Jicheng, you will have no merit at all and may even be guilty. The choice is up to you. I am too lazy to say more."

Liu Ying turned around, looked at everyone, and said, "Sima You is right. Can't you see the situation in Hebei clearly? Shi Le is in danger. Although Liu Yao came to rescue him, he may not be able to save the situation. Right now is a good time for us to make achievements. Once we have made extraordinary achievements, rewards will be a piece of cake. We can even go to Jizhou to be an official. Isn't it better than being confined to a poor place like Youzhou?"

You Tong nodded and said, "That's right. You can see what your own troops look like. You can't even beat Shi Le, how dare you compete with Chen Gong's world-famous Silver Spear Army? Accepting the reward now means that you are willing to serve Chen Gong. If you don't want to accept it, you can go by yourself, I won't stop you. I can't guarantee what will happen in the future. That's all I have to say."

"What are you still hesitating about?" Liu Ying stamped his feet and said.

"The jackals have not been eliminated and the beacons are still there. We are willing to lead the way for Lord Chen." The young man of the Li family in Fanyang stepped forward and said.

"I heard that Lord Chen wishes to bring peace to both the barbarians and the Chinese. Because of his broad mind and courage, I am willing to fight for him." The leader of the Jie people in Shanggu stepped forward and said.

"Uh, I'm willing... willing to defeat the Huns for Lord Chen." The Hun leader in Fanyang stepped forward and said.

The remaining eight or nine people looked at each other and stepped forward to salute and express their opinions.

You Tong laughed out loud. He finally eliminated the hidden danger outside Jicheng and could make use of it for the benefit of Mr. Chen. How wonderful!

******
On the third day of October, as soon as Zhu Shuo and his party arrived in Zhuo County, they heard shocking news: Sun Wei had rebelled.

Well, it's not called rebellion. Strictly speaking, he, You Tong, Zao Song and others are called rebellion, while Sun Wei is thinking about his old master and trying to set things right, so he deserves the praise of everyone.

The logic is correct, but the people of Youzhou do not like Wang Jun. Although their rebellion against Wang Jun is against morality, no one opposes it, and they even get support from everyone. As the saying goes, those who are righteous have many supporters, while those who are unrighteous have few supporters.

However, now they have to face the threat from Sun Wei.

On this day, the gates of Fanyang City (Zhuo County) were closed, and all young men were conscripted to defend the city. For a time, people were in panic.

In the afternoon, several riders returned from the south and took a cable car to the city.

"How is it?" Zhu Shuo personally welcomed the visitor into the prefect's mansion and asked.

"The three thousand cavalrymen under Sun Wei's command ran away, and many of the infantrymen also dispersed, and the morale of the army was unstable. Zu Shining led his troops to gather more than a thousand people." The man was named Yang Wu, and he replied breathlessly.

Zu Shining was born in Qiuren Zu family.

This family only moved here during the Han Dynasty, but it developed rapidly, with nine generations of officials being filial and honest officials.

Zuwu Zu Linzong served as Jin Wang's official and Shanggu prefect in the late Cao Wei period, and had six sons.

Zu Yingzu Shining was the third child in the family. He was selected as a scholar but never served as an official.

Among the six brothers, some crossed the sea to Jianye in the south, such as the fourth ancestor Na, the fifth ancestor Ti, and the sixth ancestor Yue, while the rest stayed in Youzhou and waited and saw the situation - an old tradition of the aristocratic families.

Lu Zhi colluded with people in Youzhou to rebel against the king. Zu Shi didn't want to get involved at first, but was gradually drawn in because Lord Chen's momentum was so good.

Zhu Shuo went south to Yishui to solve the problem of Sun Wei. In addition to the 3,000 farmhands from wealthy families he brought with him, he mainly relied on the private soldiers of aristocratic families such as the Lu and Zu families.

The Zu family was also not vague. Once they made the decision, they immediately sent Zu Ying to intercept Sun Wei.

In addition, Youzhou celebrities Liu Han and Yang Yu also followed, ready to rely on their reputation to win over the scholars and powerful people in Sun Wei's army.

Since you have recruited their soldiers and appointed their servants, family generals and even children as officers, it is inevitable that they will be infiltrated, and this creates opportunities - the killing of Zhang Fang by Zhi Fu was a typical incident.

"Shi Qiu, can your father recruit some scattered soldiers?" Zhu Shuo asked, heaving a sigh of relief after hearing about the situation in Sun Wei's army.

Yang Wu thought for a moment and said, "When I left Rongcheng, my father, my cousin, and Mr. Liu privately met with some old friends and students. They did not want to turn the tables and kill Sun Wei, so they only took their soldiers and left, temporarily stationed in Rongcheng, with more than 2,000 people."

Yang Wu's father, Yang Dan, was not as famous as the famous scholar Liu Han, but he was also diligent in his studies. Just like the Zuo Zhuan, which was handed down from generation to generation in the Kou family, Yang Dan was good at Gongyang Zhuan and had many students.

Liu Han had even more disciples. Especially those local tyrants who had no way to advance, they hoped to learn from famous scholars, gain true knowledge, and become famous as a stepping stone to advancement. Since the Han Dynasty, the trend of learning from a master has been very popular, because some famous scholars really monopolized the highest right to interpret knowledge. Learning from a master is relatively a shortcut. Not only can you learn knowledge, but you can also use the resources of teachers and classmates to develop.

At this time, Yang Dan and Liu Han arrived together and first won over these student officers. This not only reduced Sun Wei's strength, but also caused his army to become unsettled and morale to drop.

This is the method used by the aristocratic families. I just want to ask you whether you are familiar with it or not and whether you are afraid of it.

"Once the troops of the Zu and Lu families arrive, we will capture Sun Wei." After hearing this, Zhu Shuo slapped his thigh and said happily.

After he finished speaking, he paused, called over a close follower, and whispered, "I'll write a letter. You go south and bring it to Mr. Chen. Don't tell anyone."

(End of this chapter)