Chapter 161
Yichun, City Lord's Mansion
Yao Chunnuan received another piece of good news.
After the Xing family army and the Yichun camp joined forces, Jiayin's side began to receive frequent reports of victory. It is believed that it will not be long before they can achieve final victory.
There was good news, and everyone in the City Lord's Mansion was happy.
Their jobs at the City Lord's Mansion were well-paying, with salaries significantly higher than their previous positions in Daliang. But it was exhausting, with endless work to do every day. Sometimes, they were so exhausted they wanted to just lie down on the floor. Fortunately, the City Lord's Mansion took excellent care of them. First, the kitchen was always stocked with food, so if they were hungry, they could just call for it. There was also a separate guest room in the backyard, where they could take a nap during the day.
"Master Yao, what are you thinking about?"
Facing everyone's curious gazes, Yao Chunnuan said, "I'm thinking about the matter of Songhua Mansion."
She had just studied the personalities of the leadership team headed by Meng Yan in Songhua Prefecture based on the information, and found something very interesting. If they took advantage of the non-discrimination of information and sent a well-spoken person to Songhua Prefecture, perhaps they could take over Songhua Prefecture without losing a single soldier.
When the others heard it was Songhua Prefecture, they all nodded, "Songhua Prefecture, wait until the general is free and lead the troops to Songhua Prefecture, we will definitely be able to capture it."
Yao Chunnuan smiled and said nothing more. She was still pondering how to proceed and who to send to persuade them to surrender. This required someone with excellent eloquence and a high position in the City Lord's Mansion to go to Songhua Prefecture and explain the pros and cons to Meng Yan and his men.
This person must be good at diplomacy, have a smooth personality, and be quick-witted. But after searching through the candidates, she found that besides herself, Yu Chen and Gu Bin were also suitable. However, Gu Bin was away with the army, and Yu Chen had gone to the northern border.
She's a good fit, but she's the only one left at the City Lord's Mansion. She can't easily leave the city, and she's too busy to spare the time. Steward Wu is also suitable, but he's older and had a severe cold recently. Besides them, there are a few younger, growing individuals who have the necessary skills, but their positions aren't high. They could serve as escorts or adjutants, but if they were sent as the main officers to persuade Songhua Prefecture to surrender, it would appear to be neglecting Meng Yan and the others, which could be counterproductive.
After much thought, Yao Chunnuan decided to leave Songhua Mansion alone since he couldn't escape anyway.
There was no other way. She had been busy recently solving the problem of winter clothing for the soldiers and was really unable to spare the time to go. Winter was about to come, and the winter in Yichun was very cold. Providing winter clothing for hundreds of thousands of soldiers was really a big problem.
For the past year, she had been diligently collecting wool, duck down, animal hides, and other warmth. Oh, and cotton! Unfortunately, cotton hadn't yet reached the interior, and was only cultivated in the borderlands. Their caravan had traveled far to acquire cotton, but the most important gain was the seeds. Next year, when the cotton seeds were planted, the soldiers and civilians alike would have cotton-padded clothes and quilts to cover themselves with.
Now, we can only use the wool, duck down, animal skins and other supplies we have collected to make some clothes and distribute them to the soldiers to keep them warm. We also need to prepare more charcoal and distribute it when the time comes.
If there's one thing Yao Chunnuan is most satisfied with right now, it's the abundance of craftsmen in Yichun. She wanted to make wool into yarn. All she had to do was explain her needs and assign the task. The craftsmen would delve into the process, and eventually, they actually created the yarn. While it wasn't as good as later generations and looked a bit crude, at least she had made it, right?
With wool and skilled women, sweaters could be made. Yao Chunnuan gave the first batch of sweaters to a caravan, asking them to sell them in limited quantities to wealthy individuals. They made a fortune and brought back more raw materials, creating a virtuous cycle.
********
Guessing that the prince's reward would be coming soon, Xing Changfeng returned to the main city of Yichun from Jiayin.
That day, Gan Huacheng really came to challenge him, "Is Xing Changfeng here?"
Xing Changfeng looked at Yao Chunnuan with an inquiring look.
Yao Chunnuan nodded and said, "Don't worry, everything has been arranged."
Xing Changfeng walked up to the city wall and asked, "General Gan, what's going on?"
"The Crown Prince has issued an order. Your meritorious service in resisting the Northern Di forces will be forgiven. You will be granted the title of King of Zhenbei and the fiefdom of Yichun. Xing Changfeng, accept the order!"
The common people, some low-ranking officials in the City Lord's Mansion, and some middle and low-level generals in the army did not know that they had already received the news, and they all looked at Xing Changfeng worriedly.
Xing Changfeng, Yao Chunnuan and others were calm.
Such calmness seemed to be composure to everyone, and they immediately admired him. If others heard the news for the first time, they would probably be so excited that they could hardly control themselves.
Gan Huacheng was also surprised. He wasn't tempted by such a large reward? You know, Daliang hadn't granted titles to kings of other surnames for a long time, and even found excuses to reclaim many of the titles and fiefs bestowed upon kings of other surnames during their conquests. The Crown Prince's reward to him this time was truly lavish.
"If the general accepts the crown prince's appointment, will we have to go back to our old ways? No."
"Yes, life is good now. After returning to Daliang, who knows what the imperial court will do next."
"Lord City Lord, please don't agree to it. With a mother-in-law above me, it's hard to be the boss of your own house."
Before Xing Changfeng, Yao Chunnuan and others could say anything, the brave people below started howling.
Yao Chunnuan happened to hear a few words and was at a loss whether to laugh or cry.
Realizing the seriousness of the matter, the people roared, "We don't agree!" They had just enjoyed a few days of good life, who would want to go back to the old days?
"Yes, we don't agree! Lord City Lord, please don't agree either! Please."
"Master Yao, please persuade the City Lord!"
The common people below begged Yao Chunnuan.
Yao Chunnuan raised her hand and gestured, "Everyone, calm down. Don't worry, things won't be that bad."
It's like a situation between a host and a guest. The guest, having been wronged, overturns the table in anger. Halfway through, the host says, "Stop it! I'll give you a lot of benefits. Please stop it." But can they really pretend nothing happened? Do you think the host wouldn't be furious? If they truly listened to the advice, accepted the host's benefits, and stopped overturning the table, would they then be targeted by someone who claims to be morally righteous? What good would that do to them?
And honestly, the people's reaction was beyond her expectations, but the effect was surprisingly good. It's not good for the ruler to oppress his subjects, and the subjects to resist. Using the people to oppress the ruler is a good solution.
Gan Huacheng was completely stunned. He had never expected that the first person to disobey the imperial order was not Xing Changfeng, but the common people of Yichun. Xing Changfeng and his people were so popular among the people.
Suddenly, the young eunuch next to Gan Huacheng shrieked, "General Xing, don't surrender. I overheard everything. This is just a delaying tactic by His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. Once he pacifies Ruyin and Annan, he'll come back and deal with you."
Gan Huacheng was shocked at first, then furious, "What nonsense are you talking about?!"
"I didn't tell a lie—"
Puff——
The young eunuch was killed by Gan Huacheng's sword. Blood flowed from his neck. After he fell, he was facing northeast.
Mom and Dad, now that you've arrived in Yichun, make sure you live well. And my brothers and sisters, make sure you study hard. Everything will be fine. And Grandpa, your grandson has found a miracle doctor to cure your illness. I hope you live a long and healthy life.
The light in his eyes gradually dimmed.
Gan Huacheng stood there with a murderous look on his face, holding a bloody sword.
The accident happened in an instant. After a brief moment of shock, there was an uproar below.
"I was wondering why the general was given the title of king for no reason. It turns out it was all a conspiracy."
“That’s too bad!”
"This little eunuch is a good man, what a pity."
Yao Chunnuan stood there quietly. Yes, it was a pity, but some sacrifices were necessary. All they could do was to comfort his family and let them rest in peace.
No, that wasn't the case. Gan Huacheng knew the Crown Prince's intention in bestowing the title of King of a different surname on Xing Changfeng. He decided to cut off his arm to save his life, or at the very least, to accuse Xing Changfeng of being a traitor and a traitor. He wanted to defeat Xing Changfeng with a huge sacrifice, but unfortunately, all his plans were ruined by a small eunuch.
Gan Huacheng took a deep breath and said, "Xing Changfeng, I just want to ask you, do you accept this decree or not?"
Although he already knew the answer wouldn't be what he wanted, he still had to ask some questions. "Prince, if the other party doesn't accept the order, should I send these troops or not?" For the sake of the greater good, he had to keep quiet.
"General, I can't answer this."
"Yes, Lord City Lord, don't answer it!"
At this moment, the young general He Qing came towards them at a rapid pace, "General, good news! The governor of Songhua Prefecture, Meng, has come to surrender the city!"
Xing Changfeng and Yao Chunnuan were both surprised.
Xing Changfeng: Although he thought Songhua Mansion was in his pocket, he never thought it would come to him without permission.
Yao Chunnuan: She had previously deduced that, given the temperaments of Meng Yan and the others, if they operated properly, they would likely be able to capture Songhua Prefecture without a single soldier. However, because the right people were not in the main city, she was afraid of counterproductive consequences and had to give up.
The others were also surprised, but after a moment of shock, they were overjoyed. "Hahaha, County Magistrate Meng's surrender of the city came at the perfect time."
Only Gan Huacheng's face turned pale and blue. At this moment, Meng Yan's offering of the city was like a slap in the face, hitting him hard in the face, and also hitting the prince's face!
Yao Chunnuan said with a smile, "Quickly invite County Magistrate Meng!"
Gan Huacheng's resentful gaze seemed to fall on the person who was getting closer and closer.
Meng Yan already knew what was happening. When he first heard about it, he felt his vision go dark and he cried out in pain. Why did they choose this time to surrender the city? This was a huge insult to the Crown Prince.
On the contrary, Li Yang was excited and dismissed Meng Yan's concerns. Their surrender would undoubtedly offend the Crown Prince. A debt of many is better than one. And since the choice had been made, pleasing the new master was of course the most important thing. Hesitating and trying to avoid offending both sides—how could such a thing be possible?
When Meng Yan and the others approached, Xing Changfeng asked, "Prefect Meng, you said you came to surrender the city?"
Meng Yan collected his thoughts and said, "To City Lord Xing, I have indeed come here to surrender the city."
Before Xing Changfeng could say anything, Gan Huacheng started cursing, "Meng Yan, you traitor! I'm waiting to see the day you die a miserable death! Xing Changfeng, if he can offer the city to you today, he can offer it to someone else tomorrow. Do you dare to use a man like that?"
Meng Yan's eyes lashed out at this. Li Yang and the others all glared at Gan Huacheng fiercely. This was exactly what Meng Yan and the others were worried about: their actions had a negative impact, and they were worried that they would not be reused because of it.
Yao Chunnuan signaled them to stay calm.
Xing Changfeng really didn't fall for the trick. "Don't worry, if there ever comes a day when they need to surrender the city again, it will prove that I, Xing Changfeng, am nearing the end of my luck. Even if County Magistrate Meng surrenders the city again, I won't blame him!"
Seeing that the other party did not fall into the trap, Gan Huacheng snorted coldly.
Hearing this, Meng Yan almost burst into tears, "The City Lord is wise!" Xing Changfeng's words really touched their hearts. Regardless of whether Xing Changfeng's words were true or false, he did not regret surrendering the city today!
Meng Yan wiped his face and countered, "Ganhua City, if you weren't so incompetent, would we have surrendered the city? The court ordered you to lead the troops to quell the rebellion, but have you achieved any victory so far? It's been over a month since you received the imperial edict, right? You've consumed so much food and supplies, but achieved nothing. You're nothing but a waste! How can someone like you question or judge others?"
Meng Yan's counterattack made Gan Huacheng's face even uglier, but he compared his own military strength with that of Yichun, took a few deep breaths, and decided to interrogate Changfeng one last time, and then go back and not be humiliated here again!
"Xing Changfeng, I'm asking you one last time, do you want to accept the crown prince's appointment or not?!"
Before Xing Changfeng could answer, the people in the city spontaneously answered for him.
"No!"
"No!"
"No!"
Xing Changfeng smiled and said, "General Gan, did you hear that? The people's voice is also my response. I cannot accept such a malicious honor!"
Hearing this answer, Meng Yan and the others breathed a sigh of relief. The timing of the city's surrender was too good to be true. Either they would achieve their goal or they would be in trouble. Fortunately, the result was the best one.
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