Chapter 273 What is the most important thing

Wang Zihua felt wronged and couldn't help but defend himself: "Sir, he is the Fourth Prince, how dare I disobey?"

What's more, their army is right there. If he doesn't agree, won't the Fourth Prince kill him directly?

Lu Chenyang said coldly, "Sir Wang! So, as an official, you have no ability to distinguish right from wrong? You'd better understand! You are the father and mother of a place. The people of Jing'an City all depend on you for protection! The people you should be most responsible for are them! No matter what happens, their lives are the most important! Do you know what to do with the food and fodder you give out to your people? What would you do if those people you forcibly conscripted were your own children and nephews?!" After a pause, he said, "There's nothing wrong with obeying your superiors' orders, but what you got wrong is the most important thing."

These words made Wang Zihua blush. But he also felt truly wronged. How could a lowly official like him have the guts to refuse the prince?! Did he think everyone was Lu Chenyang? Did he have the guts to challenge the imperial power?

Lu Chenyang took a deep breath. In fact, he knew that he was taking his anger out on others, but he still couldn't help feeling disappointed.

He looked at the data Wang Zihua gave him. This time, the Fourth Prince forcibly conscripted nearly 10,000 young and strong men. They were taken away by the Fourth Prince and their whereabouts are now unknown.

In reality, Lu Chenyang had no objection to enlisting. Everyone should defend their country, but the thought of these people sacrificing themselves for the Fourth Prince's power struggle was heartbreaking.

There were only 10,000 defenders in the city now, and Wang Zihua handed them over to Lu Chenyang without hesitation.

"My abilities are limited. Now that you are here, I will do whatever you want." Wang Zihua said respectfully.

This is obedience, but isn't it also shirking responsibility? Throwing everything onto Lu Chenyang, the person who should be most responsible, is not involved in anything.

Lu Chenyang asked, "Where is the Fourth Prince now?"

Wang Zihua looked at him innocently and wrote the answer clearly.

Lu Chenyang felt powerless.

But Wang Zihua also truly felt that he was innocent. If it were the Tartars, he might still be concerned about their whereabouts. But that was the Fourth Prince, and the Fourth Prince's troops, there was no way they would come to attack them, right?

Lu Chenyang sighed again. This was the current state of affairs in Dagan. Officials who did nothing were committing evil, yet they still felt they were innocent.

Lu Chenyang immediately wrote a letter back to the capital. The prefect of a prefecture should inform the court even if he wants to withdraw. He, Lu Chenyang, is so loyal to the emperor and patriotic.

However, he did not have the patience to wait for a reply. He was thinking about the candidate for the prefect of Jing'an City.

There is also a candidate for the governor of Ningzhou. Ningzhou is the territory of the Cui family, and this position is very important. He already has a candidate in mind, that is Gao Ming.

But Gao Ming's fame is still a little low.

But, so what? As long as he's powerful enough, he has the final say!

After this stimulation, Lu Chenyang no longer had many concerns and immediately wrote a letter to make Gao Ming the governor of Ningzhou.

Lu Chenyang chose Gao Ming after careful consideration. Gao Ming is a cautious and meticulous person. The political power is in his hands. On the one hand, he can restrain the Cui family, and on the other hand, he can deal with Yan Xing. He is the best candidate.

Gao Ming had been with him through thick and thin, and he'd dedicated himself to Lu Chenyang. He'd been responsible for procuring most of the Lu family army's food and fodder, and Lu Chenyang respected him greatly, as had Yan Xing.

Only he can suppress Cui and Yan Xing.

If it were someone else, not to mention Yan Xing, even Cui Shi would not be able to suppress him.

As for the prefect of Jing'an City, Lu Chenyang also attached great importance to him. In the short term, they would probably be stationed in Jing'an City and Huai'an City. They were expected to stay here for two to three years, so a capable person was necessary.

But Lu Chenyang didn’t have any suitable candidate in mind at this time.

Lu Chenyang directly took over the garrison. These 10,000 people are definitely a fighting force.

Lu Chenyang went to the military camp to take a look, then sighed.

A team's mental outlook can reflect their combat effectiveness. Everyone is free and undisciplined. When Lu Chenyang reached that station, he felt like he was dreaming of returning to Yanquan County.

As soon as you go out on the street, you will see ruffians and hooligans everywhere.

But the current situation does not allow Lu Chenyang to be picky, so he has to cheer up and at least make this team have the will to fight.

Lu Chenyang gathered all the soldiers together. He stood on the stage and glanced at everyone.

He said, "You may not know me. My name is Lu Chenyang, and I am the Minister of the Central Secretariat of Dagan."

As soon as these words were spoken, someone shouted loudly: "I don't know Lord Lu, but I have heard of his great name!"

Lu Chenyang smiled. Although they had no organizational discipline, they were indeed lively.

Lu Chenyang nodded slightly: "Why don't you tell me, what have you heard about me?"

Seeing Lu Chenyang's gentle attitude, the man boldly said, "It is said that Lord Lu loves the people like his own children, takes in refugees, and saves countless people. He is the best official in the world." After a pause, he asked, "Are you here to save us?"

Everyone knew what was happening in Jing'an City. But even the Fourth Prince had fled with his troops, abandoning them. What else could they do? Even after the Fourth Prince came to Jing'an City to recruit soldiers, some civilians had already begun fleeing.

But they couldn't run away. They were soldiers, and if they ran, they would be deserters. They still had many concerns, so they didn't leave.

Lu Chenyang nodded heavily. "Yes, I'm here to save you." He continued, "Right now, my 200,000-man army is fighting the Tatars 20 miles from Chen County. I believe some of you should have received the news."

A heated discussion immediately broke out in the army.

The soldier asked again, "Are you asking us to go to war, sir?"

Lu Chenyang said: "I asked you to come here today to hear about the situation in Huai'an City."

Lu Chenyang called up a citizen from Huai'an City. He walked onto the stage with a blank expression on his face.

"After the Tartars entered the city, all the children and the elderly were killed, even babies in swaddling clothes were not spared... They are worse than animals." The man said with a look of pain on his face.

In a suppressed voice, he talked about his experiences and the women who died after being forced and insulted.

They talked about how they were beaten like animals.

As he spoke, tears began to flow and he couldn't help but let out a wail of pain.

Whenever I think of those things, I still can't forget them.

Lu Chenyang lowered his eyes, listening to his voice, his heart aching.

In the end, he couldn't control his emotions and had to be helped down.

Lu Chenyang looked at everyone and said, "If we can't stop the Tartars, Jing'an City will become the second Huai'an City."

Just this one sentence was like a thousand pounds hitting everyone's heart.

No one spoke anymore. In the place where thousands of people gathered, it was so quiet that you could hear a pin drop.

Lu Chenyang glanced at the crowd and said, "I know you have many grievances in your hearts, and I also know you have a lot of anger and grievances in your hearts. But now, this is not for the sake of officials, not for the sake of big things, but for your families, for the friends and neighbors who have lived with you. Please, follow me and fight to defend Jing'an City. Let them never suffer the tragedy of Huai'an City again."

His voice was calm, but his eyes were serious and sincere, making each of them feel respected and valued.

After Lu Chenyang returned, he sat in the chair and sighed. Zhao Xi walked in with some cooling tea.

The weather is hot and Lu Chenyang has a lot of things to do, so he has been getting irritated recently.

"Sir, drink some water to cool down your fever." Zhao Xi said in a gentle voice.

Lu Chenyang took a sip of the heat-reducing tea. The slightly sweet and refreshing taste made him feel refreshed.

"You're so thoughtful."

Zhao Xixiao's eyes curved as she asked, "Sir, will they fight well?"

Lu Chenyang sighed: "Time is tight now, so this is the only way to boost morale. It's better than nothing."

Lu Chenyang is best at using sweet words to bewitch people.

There is no time for training and cooperation now, so let's improve their fighting spirit, which will increase their combat capabilities.

Will is something that cannot be seen or touched, but no one can say that it is useless.