Elegy of Tang Dynasty

Chapter 647 Finding Wealth in Danger

Dengzhou Port was so busy that even stray dogs on the roadside were caught to be used as porters. Large quantities of porcelain, paper, pens, rice, silk, and even weapons such as swords and spears were loaded onto ships and sent to the Bohai Kingdom.

The local specialties of the Bohai Kingdom, including the world-famous "Luibin horses", were transported to Dengzhou Port in batches for unloading.

At noon that day, Che Guangqian, who had just returned to Dengzhou City from Dengzhou Camp, was waiting for Li Sheng and his 300 men, as well as a young girl with a charming figure, a baby face and big breasts.

"General Che, General Li is here to convey military orders, and he also said that this young lady is the concubine given to you by Marshal Fang."

Deputy General Liu Wenxi leaned close to Che Guangqian's ear and whispered.

"Concubine?"

Che Guangqian was stunned, somewhat confused. It was easy to convey military orders, but what did it mean to send a concubine?
He secretly thought that he didn't like this kind of thing on a normal day, he was not He Changqi!

Once you become successful, won’t you be able to have as many concubines as you want?
It all depends on your own interest.

However, Li Sheng was still waiting in the lobby of the government office. Che Guangqian did not suspect anything and walked straight into the lobby and saluted him politely.

"The commander-in-chief has issued an order. General Che is going to go to war. This lady Xue was given to General Che by Commander Fang. Here is the order."

Li Sheng handled the matter in a businesslike manner. He took a step forward and pulled out an envelope from his pocket. Fang Zhongyong's handwritten letter and military orders were both inside.

Che Guangqian nodded slightly without saying anything. He opened the envelope, read it quickly, and then put the letter away.

"The commander-in-chief promoted me from a humble background, and it is the duty of a soldier to obey orders. Moreover, the reward is so generous, I will definitely accept it without hesitation.

It’s just that this little lady…”

Che Guangqian touched her head, not knowing what to say.

As Fang Zhongyong's confidant, he would go to Hangzhou to quell the rebellion. After completing the assigned task, he would be appointed as the governor of Huainan and be stationed in Yangzhou. Che Guangqian certainly understood what this meant.

This is actually the reason why a group of old brothers are willing to follow Fang Chongyong through life and death.

When Marshal Fang gives rewards, he really means it! He never plays tricks!
This trip southward was a landing operation. Che Guangqian and his troops were unfamiliar with Hangzhou, so the risk was extremely high.

But wealth and honor come with risk. Without risk, why would others let you serve as the governor of Huainan? Why would others let you rule the richest city in the world, Yangzhou?

Wealth and honor are earned by fighting for one’s life!

"General Li, this young lady must have been given up by the commander-in-chief with great pain. I am ashamed to accept the order. I will execute the military order immediately, but please send this young lady back to Bianzhou."

Che Guangqian clasped her fists and bowed to Li Sheng.

"General Che is loyal and brave, and the Marshal knows this, so he gave him a beautiful woman before the battle to encourage him to fight bravely.

However, a tree that stands out in the forest will be destroyed by the wind, and there are many people who speak ill of General Che on weekdays. If you return the beauty, Marshal Fang may misunderstand the general. "

Li Sheng advised kindly.

Let's put an end to this troublesome matter of Xue Yaoying! He was tired of sending beautiful women back and forth. He had brought the map-drawing fiancée to Bianzhou to get married. There was no other way. After all, it was a marriage.

Now I have to run back and forth for a concubine. It's so annoying.

"In that case, I, Che, would like to thank you for your kindness. Please rest assured, if I cannot defend Hangzhou, I will bring my head to you. If I fail, I will die!"

Che Guangqian saluted to Li Sheng with a solemn expression.

"Then I wish General Che success! After General Che leads his troops away, I will take over the defense of Dengzhou."

Li Sheng clasped his fists and said to Che Guangqian, secretly breathing a sigh of relief.

He had been a little worried that Che Guangqian would be reluctant to give up her "foundation" in Dengzhou, but facts proved that he was overthinking it.

Che Guangqian had great ambitions, and being the governor of Huainan might not be his final destination. Dengzhou was just a part of his life in exile. Che Guangqian had long been fed up with staying here.

There are no wars to fight, and they have all faded into obscurity.

Che Guangqian quickly took Li Sheng to familiarize himself with the military affairs in Dengzhou. Actually, there was nothing much to say, just training soldiers, recruiting soldiers, and cultivating farmland, and Daqinmao was there to assist, so the work was actually very easy.

After finishing all these things, it was already evening when I returned to the study in the government office.

Deputy General Liu Wenxi saluted Che Guangqian with a sly smile and said, "Congratulations, General. This beauty is rare. She has a sweet scent on her body. Look at her waist and legs. Wow..."

Unexpectedly, Che Guangqian looked at Liu Wenxi as if he were a fool, and asked faintly: "The Marshal sent you a girl, and you really dared to accept her and play with her in bed, right?"

"It's already a gift, isn't it just for fun?"

Liu Wenxi looked puzzled and had no idea what Che Guangqian meant.

"Tell me, what will happen if Marshal Wan Fang regrets it in the future?"

Che Guangqian asked back, he was almost laughing at the other party.

When your lord gives you a girl, accepting her is a matter of attitude. What you accept is not the beauty, but the lord’s kindness!
But whether you play with it after receiving it is another matter!
"Is there anyone who would regret something like this?"

Liu Wenxi was shocked, he had never thought about this at all.

"What the Marshal wants is loyalty, absolute loyalty! If the Marshal regrets it in the future, I can return this young lady to you, after all, I have never touched her!

It's not that Che doesn't like beautiful women, but his loyalty to the Marshal is evident to all, and he is humble and orderly. You know nothing!"

Che Guangqian cursed loudly.

How can a mere woman block his bright future?
Compared with the future of changing dynasties and becoming a noble and a prime minister, this little lady is nothing! Not to mention one, even if there are ten or a hundred, Che Guangqian doesn't care at all!
What if Marshal Fang was unhappy because of this woman, wouldn't he be in trouble?

Although, Fang Qing is not that kind of person at all now.

But, back then, Brother Ji was also wise and brave when he was in his twenties.

Who can be sure that Fang Qing in thirty years will be able to be as generous as he is today and give beautiful women to his subordinates?
Would he feel regretful that he didn't get to eat Madam Xue back then?

Che Guangqian was not born into a military family. He was a cultured person who later joined the army. He had read a lot of books since he was young, and he knew one thing very well:
What you can’t get is always the best!

"Put this Madam Xue in a safe place and have the doctor examine her."

Che Guangqian gave instructions to Liu Wenxi with a cold face.

"General Che, I'm telling you, Marshal Fang is not that kind of person at all. If you don't touch this young lady, she will just grow old in vain. How pitiful!"

Liu Wenxi shook his head and sighed, he really did feel sympathy for the woman.

"How to deal with her is not something that Che can decide. If Marshal Fang is not able to handle the matter, can't his wife handle it as well?
When the time is right, let Madam Wang come and make the decision. When will it be Che's turn to do such a thing?

You've lost your mind from playing with swords and clubs all day long!"

Che Guangqian's heart was as cold as iron, and he had no intention of showing any sympathy to the beauty.

All of these old brothers knew what Fang Zhongyong was going to do. With the establishment of the new dynasty, they were all first-class nobles, bringing honor to their ancestors!
If you only focus on a little woman, you are nothing but a pig!
Che Guangqian thought very clearly. If she had the chance to go to Bianzhou in the future, she would let Wang Yunxiu deal with Madam Xue and get rid of this hot potato as soon as possible.

……

On the day Fang Chongyong arrived in Shouchun, the vanguard of the rebel Fang Qing crossed the Yangtze River very aggressively and unexpectedly captured Shuzhou in Huainan Road! To be precise, it was Huaining City, the capital of Shuzhou!

Shuzhou and Shouzhou are adjacent, but they are separated by the Dabie Mountains, so they are not directly adjacent. Although the Jiangnan bandits fought separately, the trend of advancing together was very obvious. Because the official armies of each state had no alliance and no core leader, they either surrendered or fled, and fell very quickly.

On the top of Shouchun City, Fang Chongyong was leading his men to inspect the city defenses and check how much food and fodder was left in the warehouse. As a result, the scouts reported that Fang Qing's rebels had arrived at Shucheng, the southern gate of Hefei, but were attacked head-on by Wang Nande's troops who had advanced to Hefei, and the rebels were defeated.

The king rarely sent someone to report that the rebels were extremely arrogant, but their fighting ability was hard to describe.

So what does it mean to be hard to describe in words?
They were just too weak to fight, and could only fight when the wind was in their favor. Wang Nandai only ambushed the rebels for a while in the southern suburbs of Shucheng, and then he fought back and chased them for dozens of miles, killing all the rebels, and then retreated to Shucheng.

During this time, almost none of the rebel soldiers who had previously attacked the city were able to fight. After being ambushed, they ran around like headless flies, unable to organize an effective resistance, let alone gather their troops and slowly retreat.

Since they started their uprising, they have been fighting against the local united troops hiding in the city, and they have been fighting smoothly, thinking that they are invincible. However, when they encounter the elite regular army who understand military tactics and have strong organizational ability, they are completely defeated.

From this we can see that the Tang Dynasty’s army in Jiangnan and even Huainan was really incapable of fighting, and was actually pinned to the ground by this peasant uprising army.

"Pass on my military order, transfer Liu Zhan's troops south to Hefei to replace Wang Nande. Good steel should be used on the blade. Our army will not move until we see the main force of the enemy army."

Fang Chongyong gave instructions to Da Congming who was accompanying the army.

Yan Zhuang, Li Quan and others could not leave for this expedition and had to stay in Bianzhou. Fang Chongyong asked Lu Mai to follow him and let him deal with the local wealthy families, while Yuan Zai was in charge of military affairs and Da Congming was in charge of delivering orders and trivial matters.

"Here!"

Da Congming took the order and left.

After he left, He Changqi suggested to Fang Zhongyong:

"General, Hangzhou is the key to victory for both sides. The bandit Fang Qing may seem to be very powerful, but in fact he has few soldiers and lacks training. If we hold Hefei, we will block their way north.

It would be better for the army to directly enter Yangzhou. Firstly, there is no shortage of food and fodder. Secondly, Yangzhou is rich and has workshops producing military equipment, so we can station there for a long time."

It’s actually obvious where to go!
Seizing Yangzhou is almost equivalent to seizing the Huainan area north of the Yangtze River. In this way, they will be invincible. Even if the area south of the Yangtze River has rotted away, seizing Huainan will be enough to ensure that the Bianzhou regime has no worries about food and clothing.

Fighting a war is like going to the gambling table. What you win first is paper, and what you win later is money. Seizing Huainan first is the top priority. As for Jiangnan, He Changqi was also unsure.

He was born in Cantonese and knew very well that the world was vast and that there was still vast land south of Jiangnan.

That's not something that happens overnight.

"Unless Li Qi himself does not want to be the governor of Huainan, otherwise, it is not appropriate for me to seize Huainan now."

Fang Chongyong waved his hand gently and said.

Taking advantage of the chaos in Jiangnan, they annexed Huainan without any explanation, which had a very bad impact. If Li Qi and his subordinates did not cooperate in the handover, it would be difficult to achieve a smooth transition.

By then, local forces will surely stand up and respond to the civil unrest in Jiangnan.

Therefore, even if we have to pretend this time, we must pretend to be "justice-seeking" and not take advantage of the situation.

Huainan is very rich, especially Yangzhou, which is the economic center of the south. Fang Zhongyong does not want to destroy it.

"General, there is nothing we can do. Even if it were Li Qi, he would not be able to take the initiative to leave Yangzhou, which is such a big piece of fat meat."

He Changqi complained helplessly.

He just thought Fang Zhongyong paid too much attention to his eating manners. Why?
Wouldn't it be enough to quietly kill Li Qi's gang? Sink the boat they were on and pretend they fell into the water!

He Changqi thought to himself but did not dare to say it in front of Fang Zhongyong.

"General, Gao Shi wants to see you. He said he has something urgent to tell you!"

At this moment, Da Congming walked up to the city wall, and the other party Chongyong clasped his fists and reported.

"What is he doing here? Bring him up."

Fang Chongyong waved his hand gently and said, seeming not to care.

After a while, Gao Shi was brought to Fang Chongyong by Da Congming.

As soon as they met, Gao Shi took out a letter from his bosom, handed it to Fang Chongyong and said, "General, His Royal Highness Prince Sheng asks you to lead the troops to take over Yangzhou City as soon as possible. His Royal Highness Prince Sheng has been ill recently, and he wants to resign the post of Huainan Jiedushi and go to Bianzhou to recuperate."

Gao Shi spoke slowly and respectfully with a humble attitude.

"Are you feeling unwell? I think you were frightened by those Jiangnan rebels!"

He Changqi on the side couldn't help but sneer. He really looked down on this kind of spineless person.

"Go and see how much food and fodder is left in Shouchun City."

Fang Chongyong ordered He Changqi.

"Order!"

He Lao Hu left in a huff. Actually, he hadn't mocked enough, but Fang Zhongyong was already impatient.

After He Changqi left, Fang Zhongyong explained to Gao Shi: "I came to Huainan not to seize Yangzhou, but to quell the rebellion in Jiangnan. Your Highness Prince Sheng, don't worry. Our army will camp outside the city. As long as Prince Sheng can provide food, fodder, and rewards after the war, it will be fine."

His attitude was very sincere and didn't seem perfunctory.

Unexpectedly, Gao Shi smiled bitterly and said, "I also know that the Marshal has no intention of controlling Yangzhou, but Your Highness Prince Sheng, I really don't have the energy to secede from one side. Now the rebels have reached Wuxi, not far from Yangzhou, and there are no obstacles to defend. I hope the Marshal will understand that not everyone is like you who is not afraid of danger and is ready to fight."

After saying this, Gao Shi bowed deeply to Fang Chongyong.

He couldn't bear to see Li Qi's appearance. Since the prince had already decided to retire, why not let him retire peacefully?

Gao Shi let out a long sigh.

He had not expected that the southern part of the Tang Dynasty would be so difficult and dangerous. If one wanted to establish a separatist regime, the threshold was really high.

Incompetent people will eventually be crushed to pieces in such a dangerous environment.

"How about this? I will send troops to Yangzhou immediately, and then I will have a talk with His Majesty Prince Sheng. How do you think?"

Fang Chongyong said with a smile.

"In this case, Gao can go back and report."

Gao Shi nodded, secretly sighing that Fang Chongyong really knew how to behave.

When the army arrived at the city of Yangzhou, those who opposed Li Qi's "surrender" could no longer threaten Li Qi's personal safety.

You know, Li Qi no longer wants to be the governor of Huainan, but in Yangzhou city, there are still many people who are reluctant to give up the wealth and glory that comes with the official position!

If Fang Zhongyong occupied Yangzhou, he would certainly deploy his own people on a large scale. By then, Li Qi would just walk away, but other officials would not be so lucky.

If those people go crazy at that time, God knows what bad things they will do.

Fang Chongyong could think of these things, it seems that Li Qi will be rich and prosperous in the second half of his life.

Gao Shi bowed deeply to Fang Chongyong and went back without stopping to report.

(End of this chapter)