Chapter 163
North
The Western Rong retreated! They truly withdrew from Daliang's territory.
Seeing the Xirong army retreating like a tide, all the Huo family soldiers cheered!
While they were delighted, they also found it incredible. The soldiers of the Huo family army in the northern border racked their brains, but they still couldn't figure out what Lord Yu Chen had said to the generals of the Western Rong that made them willing to withdraw their troops.
Just as the Crown Prince and the others had anticipated, the Huo family army wasn't incapable of repelling the Western Rong army; rather, they were completely defeated, requiring heroic sacrifices. Not to mention injuring 800 of their own for every 1,000 they inflicted, but 500 of their own losses were still necessary. General Huo, unwilling to do so, withheld their support and refused to deploy any major moves. Consequently, for a period of time, the Huo family army and the Western Rong army were locked in a tormenting struggle.
But they also knew that General Huo had no choice but to do so. With wars now raging on four or five fronts in Daliang, if the war with the Western Rong was drawing to a close, they would have to obey the imperial order and be transferred elsewhere to continue the fight. If it came to fighting foreign enemies, they would go without a second thought. A man's duty was to defend his country, no question about it. But a civil war, forget it. We were all Chinese, so winning wouldn't be much to celebrate. Losing would be even more humiliating.
After the Western Rong retreated, General Huo summoned all the generals to discuss matters.
As a distinguished guest, Yu Chen tactfully suggested visiting a friend after the Western Rong troops withdrew.
The atmosphere in the tent where General Huo was the commander-in-chief was relaxed.
General Huo spoke first, "We've gathered everyone here to discuss a matter. As everyone knows, the Western Rong retreated thanks to Yu Chen. Also, we've received news that the Crown Prince wants to arrange a marriage for a princess from our clan. The angels announcing the decree are already en route and will arrive in the northern border soon."
What General Huo hadn't mentioned was that they had long been informed that the Crown Prince intended to issue an imperial decree granting a marriage between the royal family and the Huo family. The Huo family hadn't yet fully considered whether to tie him to death on the Daliang ship, so they had someone secretly kidnap him before the angel arrived.
If Yao Chunnuan knew about General Huo's actions, she would definitely praise him. The way to stop magic is to interrupt it. Otherwise, once the imperial edict is issued, whether to accept it or not is a problem.
"I think everyone is already clear about Yu Chen's intentions."
Yes, they knew it, they just wanted to finalize the marriage between Xing Changfeng and Huo Wei from the Huo family.
"Now, Xing Changfeng has rebelled and is in opposition to the court and the crown prince. Therefore, our Huo family must either marry Xing Changfeng or accept the crown prince's marriage. We can only choose one of these two. The choice not only concerns our Huo family, but also the Huo family army. You are our family generals, and it also concerns you all. Therefore, I want to know what everyone thinks."
Yu Chen arrived first, and the angel announcing the decree arrived right after. It was time for the Huo family to make a choice.
It was a choice between the two. Some of the larger generals simply gave up on it and simply followed whatever General Huo chose. They just focused on fighting, eating and drinking, and not taking their worries to heart.
Some smart and far-sighted generals began to make plans in their minds.
First, the imperial court transferred 30,000 Wei clan troops from the northern border, leaving the Huo clan's army bearing the brunt of the current pressure from the Western Rong. They harbored considerable resentment towards the court, and the Third Prince's recent rash actions had deeply irritated the Huo clan's army. Furthermore, the court had been largely ineffective in addressing the issue of rations and weapons, a classic case of wanting the horse to run without the grass. This had long fueled resentment within the army.
As for Xing Changfeng, he already controlled three counties. Although his territory was small, his influence was already established. Even the three counties of Yichun had become a place that the people longed for.
Looking at the sweet potatoes again, I thought of the one acre they'd planted. Because they'd carefully tended the fields and never lacked fertilizer, even during the drought in the northwest, they'd never lacked water. When the vines had withered and browned, they'd harvested the potatoes. Wow, with just one scoop, they'd harvested over 3,000 kilograms. And that's just one acre! If they could cultivate tens or millions of acres, would the people of Daliang still have food to eat?
I heard that during the summer planting season, the Yichun military settlement planted seventy acres of sweet potatoes. This autumn, a conservative estimate is that they could harvest two or three hundred thousand kilograms of sweet potatoes. If they plant all of that next year, by harvest time, they could easily harvest millions or even tens of millions of kilograms. When they calculated this massive number, everyone gasped. How many people could be fed with so much food? These days, if there's food, there are soldiers! Just give them something to eat, and how many people can't they recruit? There's no need to worry about Yichun's military resources, okay?
The most important point is that as long as Xing Changfeng takes out the sweet potatoes and popularizes them throughout the world, he will easily win the hearts of the people!
On the Daliang side, the rotten ship still held its weight. It was indeed large, but it had many problems, and the situation was difficult to heal. Meanwhile, Xing Changfeng's territory seemed smaller now, but it was thriving.
Comparing the two, one an octogenarian, the other a vibrant child, the choice is obvious. It's just that it's hard for them to articulate it.
General Huo watched the family officers discuss their arguments, listening carefully. Most people, relatively speaking, leaned towards Xing Changfeng. This was because Xing Changfeng had originally served in the army in the Northern Territory. They were all comrades, and people tended to favor familiarity.
"How is it, have you made your choice?" asked General Huo.
The generals looked at each other in confusion. It was too difficult for them to make a decision all at once, right?
A veteran general stepped forward and said, "General Huo, could you give us half a day to think about this? This is mainly because everyone just heard the news for the first time, and their minds are all confused for a while."
"Okay, half a day, we'll discuss it again at 11:00 AM!"
After the family guards left, General Huo and his sons returned home.
After returning home, Huo Lao Er stammered, "Dad, do we have to choose one or the other? A family general asked me if our Huo family could follow the example of Xing Changfeng and start a rebellion?"
General Huo looked at his second son deeply and sighed. Daliang was too corrupt. Now various forces were rising up. It was impossible for his son and family generals to have no ambitions, especially after they had a treasure like sweet potato.
He knew, of course, that if they brought the sweet potatoes out and spread them throughout the country, they would save their lives and win the hearts of the people! But don't forget, their sweet potatoes were a gift from Xing Changfeng. How could they know that the other party didn't have a backup plan? Moreover, the other party's sweet potato harvest this year was between 200,000 and 300,000 kilograms. They only had over 3,000 kilograms. How could they possibly compete with him for the hearts of the people? Sometimes, a slow move leads to a slow progress.
Furthermore, when Xing Changfeng left the northern border for Yichun last year, he took only 6,000 elite soldiers with him. Yet, in just over a year, he had already developed such a vast territory. This also fueled their ambitions. Many generals may have thought that if Xing Changfeng could do it, they could do it too. However, they failed to see that he not only commanded a large number of soldiers and generals, but also a wealth of talented local administrators.
He has carefully studied the development history of Xing Changfeng, and it can be said that his development history is not replicable. He has a group of civil servants headed by Yao Chunnuan to govern the local area.
It's easy to find victorious generals, but it's harder to find talented people who can govern a region. A talent like Yao Chunnuan, no matter how much territory she conquers, manages it well, ensuring stability in the rear and even feeding back to the front lines, providing food, fodder, and other supplies. This creates a virtuous cycle, allowing for the steady expansion of one's sphere of influence.
In the Huo family army in the northern border, there is no such capable minister or talent who is good at governing the local area.
If they joined the rebellion, what would be the consequences? If they captured a city but lacked capable officials to govern it, chaos might not be seen when the territory was small, but if the territory expanded and governance was poor, disaster would surely follow. This would only make the people suffer the pain of war all over again. As for the Huo family, it would be like picking peaches and losing sesame seeds, picking watermelons and losing peaches. They would always have only one thing in their hands.
General Huo's explanation completely dispelled the waves in the hearts of his sons.
Boss Huo hesitated and said, "But if we choose Xing Changfeng, it will go against the Huo family's reputation for loyalty and goodness."
General Huo shook his head. "We can't let our reputation get in the way. We still have to consider the lives and futures of our officers and soldiers."
"It's true that Daliang has given our Huo family high positions and generous salaries, but our Huo family has also guarded the border for generations. How many of our Huo family's sons and daughters, generation after generation, have died on this border and in wars with foreign races." Huo Laoer also said.
"It can be said that we don't owe the Yang family anything. We feed on the blood and sweat of the people, and we protect the common people behind us. We should consider things from the perspective of the common people."
From a broader perspective, Xing Changfeng and Daliang were destined for war. Choosing to side with the Daliang Dynasty would only result in unnecessary sacrifices and prolong the stalemate. Choosing Xing Changfeng would hasten the downfall of the Daliang Dynasty, which would also be a good thing for the people. He knew that the people all desired change.
"Let's choose Xing Changfeng. My Huo family will bear the slightest bit of infamy." General Huo said wearily, "Boss, let the angel who will announce the decree handle it. Be careful and don't leave any clues behind."
"yes."
"Then let Awei prepare for marriage!"
Qiannan, West Street, Wei's Residence
Cuixiang is Wei Qiuyu's maid. She was chosen by the maid herself after she arrived in Qiannan.
After hanging out for the whole afternoon, after Wang Lang left Wei's house, Cuixiang brought her maid into Wei Qiuyu's boudoir carrying hot water, towels, scented soap and other items.
The front half of her boudoir was very spacious. One half was arranged as a reception room, with a large kang by the window and a kang table, while the other half was arranged as a study, with a desk, bookcases and other items.
When Cuixiang walked in, she glanced around and saw some papers and a used quill pen on the desk. She looked away as if nothing had happened and led the maid inside.
Wei Qiuyu's boudoir was filled with the fragrance of incense. The pink curtains concealed the scene inside tightly. A snow-white arm stretched out of the curtains, and one could imagine the scenery inside.
Cuixiang lowered her eyes to hide the contempt in them, and said in a respectful voice, "Master, are you going to get up? If you continue to sleep, you might fall asleep during the night. I have prepared some fragrant soup in the side room, please go and soak in it to relieve your fatigue."
“Hmm—”
The person in the tent moved, and a hand outside gestured to stand up.
Cuixiang signaled the maids to come forward to help, hook up the mosquito net, and help Wei Qiuyu get up.
Wei Qiuyu dragged herself lazily to the side room, while Cuixiang instructed the maids to make the bed. Seeing that the maids were doing their jobs, she left the boudoir and went to tidy up the desk.
When she accidentally saw the piece of paper left by Wei Qiuyu and Wang Lang during their conversation, her pupils shrank. Then she heard the sound of water dripping in the ear room, so she began to clean up the outer room. During this time, she was trying to calm herself down.
Later, she found an opportunity to buy cakes for her master and went out of the mansion. On the way back, when she passed by a charity hall, she put the four steamed buns she bought at the door.
Han Chaosheng received the message she conveyed and appeared in Qiannan shortly afterwards.
That day, Cuixiang secretly went out while Wei Qiuyu was taking a nap. Then she quickly arrived at an unremarkable teahouse at the intersection of East and West Streets and secretly went up to the second floor through the back door.
Han Chaosheng heard her words and knew that Wei Qiuyu and Wang Lang were aware of the existence of the oil. Her eyes turned cold and she said, "Find a chance to deal with Wei Qiuyu. As for Wang Lang, you don't have to pay any attention to him." She was no match for Wang Lang either. "After this is done, I'll arrange for someone to take you away."
Han Chaosheng didn't feel the slightest bit of remorse when he said he would get rid of Wei Qiuyu, his former sister-in-law.
Cuixiang hesitated. "Should I inform my master about this?" Cuixiang had always known who her master was. It was he who had pulled her back when she was about to fall into the abyss, allowing her to survive in another way. She had also heard about the feud between her master and Wei Qiuyu.
Han Chaosheng said, "No need for that. The master is very busy, so she doesn't need to worry about such a small matter." The master is currently in charge of the important affairs of the three counties, and it is also the end of the year, so he is very busy. If Wei Qiuyu hadn't come out to make a fuss, the master would probably have forgotten about her long ago.
Previously, her master was still weak and had tried to kill her several times, but he hadn't been able to do so. Later, she followed Wang Lang to Qiannan, and her master's energy was all focused on governing Yichun, leaving him even less time to care about her. This is why she lived so long. The mute Wei Qiuyu was originally not a concern, but she happened to meet Wang Lang, who believed many of her words without a doubt. Wei Qiuyu could no longer be kept.
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