The new era of chaos begins in the Song Dynasty

Chapter 432 Earning Wang Yuan

After Wang Yuan rushed to the inn, he did not find Chen Shen and Han Wu.

When he asked the servants at the inn, he found out that the two men had left the city early in the morning.

Wang Yuan had no choice but to ride out of the city on horseback.

By the way, Wuquan County has three gates, namely the South Gate, North Gate and West Gate. Liu Guangshi had previously occupied the South Gate of the county with his personal soldiers.

Now Wang Yuan already knew about Liu Guangshi's surprise attack on the gate, so he didn't dare to go through the south gate again, so he went through the west gate.

When he was leaving the city, a soldier at the gate asked Wang Yuan, "The captain has fled. What should we do?"

Wang Yuan felt a little guilty, but replied calmly: "I have done something myself, so there is no need to implicate you. This county faces the western bandits directly, and it is a strategic location. Even if Deputy General Liu (Liu Yanqing) is ashamed and angry, he dare not destroy the city wall! Later, you can close the city gates, collect the bodies, and wait for the superior."

After saying these words, Wang Yuan rode out of the city, looking for some deserted paths to take, and then went around to the north of the city.

Wuquan County is located in the heart of the Loess Plateau, and its terrain is mainly hills and gullies.

As the garrison commander of Wuquan County, Wang Yuan was familiar with the surrounding terrain. He bypassed Wuquan County without much effort and headed eastward.

He walked over three mounds and a ridge, and was about to enter a river valley when a loud shout suddenly rang out from the bushes nearby: "Where are you going, Wang Tixia! Leave some money for the passage!"

Wang Yuan was frightened and immediately pale with fear, but then he reacted and said angrily: "But Han Wu? You bastard! How dare you play tricks on me like a gangster!"

Following a burst of laughter, a figure emerged from the bushes. Wang Yuan looked and found that it was indeed Han Wu.

Han Wu grinned and said with a chuckle, "What a ridiculous thing for the deputy commander! I've been waiting here for him for a long time, and I've waited so long that my stomach is growling!"

Wang Yuan was surprised and asked, "How did you know that I was going to pass by here?"

Han Wu came forward, clasped his fists, and bowed, saying, "I am a simple man, so how can I know the behavior of the deputy commander? It is because my master is so smart that he specially sent me here to meet the deputy commander."

Wang Yuan was extremely surprised. He knew that Han Wu had a rebellious personality. Although he had some sense of loyalty, he would not easily submit to others. How could he recognize someone else as his lord after just one day of not seeing him?

By the way, the title "Lord" was no longer very commonly used in the Song Dynasty. People generally called their direct superiors or people of high status "En Xiang", "En Zhu", "Master" and other titles to show closeness and respect.

It's just that Chen Shen couldn't stand the men of that era being so servile, and couldn't stand such disgusting flattery, so he refused to accept Han Wu's usual title, and instead used the title "Lord".

Wang Yuan said, "But what about Mr. Chen? I didn't expect him to be so calculating. But I don't know what Mr. Chen wants to do with me?"

Han Wu said nothing more, but pointed to the river valley and said, "My lord is waiting for you at the stream not far away, just waiting for the captain to come."

Then Han Wu led the horse for Wang Yuan and walked for a mile or two. They saw a shallow stream across the side of the valley. A man was sitting leisurely by the stream, holding a willow branch in his hand. It was Chen Shen.

When Chen Shen saw Wang Yuan approaching, he stood up and said with a smile, "How quick it is for Wang to come!"

Wang Yuan dismounted, greeted Chen Shen, and asked, "How did you know I was coming?" Chen Shen waved a willow branch and said, "Since Prince Duan came to power, he has favored Cai Jing and his gang, using the "Yuanyou Party Monument" incident to exclude dissidents. Officials all over the country are in a mess, and flatterers are beginning to emerge. The northwest border troops are no exception. The fact that I pledged the sword to the commander is not a secret. With so many people seeing it, sooner or later someone will come to try to take it away.

According to my estimation, the deputy commander should have three or two days to spare before someone came to disturb him. I never thought that after just one night, the deputy commander had to flee far away.

It seems that the Northwest Frontier Army has begun to decay."

Wang Yuan shook his head and said, "It's not that the Western Army is weak, it's just that I'm unlucky to have run into Liu Yanqing and his son. The men and women in that family are not good people, they are jealous of talented people, and they are the only one in the army who is like that!"

Chen Shen laughed and said, "Seeing the subtle will reveal the obvious, watching a falling leaf will reveal autumn! Things done in the army are not like those in the court. The capable are promoted and the mediocre are demoted. How can flatterers like Liu Yanqing and his sons rise to high positions without the support of their accomplices?"

If the Western Army produces one Liu Yanqing today, there will be a hundred Wang Yanqings and Li Yanqings tomorrow. This is what is called working together for the same evil!
The trouble with the Western Army is not caused by Yanqing, but by those above Yanqing!"

Wang Yuan was silent after hearing this. After a long while, he bowed and said, "Your Excellency is very wise! What you said is very profound! Our great Western Army was built by the late emperor. How can we let it be harmed by treacherous villains? I hope that your Excellency can clear the fog and come up with a good solution to save the world!"

Chen Shen paced a few times, pondered for a while, nodded, then shook his head, and said, "This is difficult! It's more difficult than climbing to heaven!"

Wang Yuan bowed and said, "Sir! The Western Army is the key to the safety of millions of people in the Song Dynasty. If the Western Army is defeated, the Song Dynasty will be overthrown! Although I am humble, I cannot bear to see this disaster. I hope you will pity the people of the Song Dynasty and give me good advice!"

Han Wu looked at Wang Yuan and then at Chen Shen, but he also knelt on one knee and said, "My lord, Wang Tixia has been very kind to me. As the saying goes: good things should be given to each other, and bad things should not be pushed. My lord, since you have good ideas, why don't you give me one or two? Even if I only hear some ideas and cannot put them into practice, it is better than being blind!"

Wang Yuan also bowed.

Chen Shen sighed and said, "It's not that I don't want to tell you. Just as Han Wu said, even if I tell you the solution to the problem of the Western Army, you can't use it."

Wang Yuan and Han Wu looked at each other and bowed in unison, "I'd like to hear it!"

Chen Shen helped the two men up and said, "The Western Army is in trouble for three reasons.

One is in the court. Since Emperor Taizong's defeat at Gaoliang River, the Song Dynasty has used civil power to control military power. Afterwards, whenever a strong army emerged, it was always divided and fragmented. The border armies suffered several disastrous defeats over the past hundred years, all of which were due to this reason.

The second is the Western Army itself. Since it began to use military force during the Shaosheng and Yuanfu years of Emperor Zhezong, it has fought in every battle and won every battle it has fought. Many of its officers and soldiers are arrogant and difficult to submit, which must have been something the court was wary of.

Liu Yanqing's departure and Tong Guan's entry into Huangzhou were actually tests of the Western Army by the court, so Wang Hou, Liu Zhongwu, Zhong Shi and others were all silent.

The third is that there are treacherous and evil people who secretly kill loyal and righteous people and cut off the cultural and cultural heritage of the Song Dynasty, in order to pollute the vitality of the Western Army and destroy the army's spirit! "

Wang Yuan and Han Wu sighed when they heard this. Wang Yuan asked, "What you said about the first two problems is true. We can't do anything about it. But for the third problem, I don't know what evidence you have."

Chen Shen said: "The Cai family rebuilt the Yuanyou Party's stele a few years ago, publicly demoting countless good officials and talented people, but secretly released some serious people to the northwest, intending to secretly execute them and present them to the evil emperor! If their evil plan succeeds, the Western Army will be ruined and their reputation will be ruined for thousands of years!"

Wang Yuan was horrified when he heard this, but he didn't dare to believe it. He just asked, "Is what you said true?"

Chen Shen said, "I came to the northwest to look for my father and brother, but I stumbled upon this matter by chance. However, I am short-sighted and weak, so I had to find some helpers to solve the matter together. I have heard that Wang Jidao (Wang Yuan's name) of Di County is a great hero and has extraordinary righteousness, so I came to Wuquan to meet him and help with the great cause. I just wonder if the deputy commander is interested in this?"

(End of this chapter)