Chapter 189: Try More
He looked at him seriously, his eyes soft but firm, and his answer seemed to be the most important thing to him.
Lu Chenyang's eyes flashed and he avoided his gaze.
He smiled and said, "What do I want? All I want is peace in the world and for the people to live and work in peace and contentment."
Yan Xing's eyes fell on his face. How could he not hear that he was perfunctory? He was so smart, how could he not know what he meant? Yet he used such an answer to prevaricate.
But Lu Chenyang felt that he didn't, and he really thought so.
Yan Xing immediately understood that Lu Chenyang's words about being a homosexual were really just an excuse, an excuse for not wanting to get married. He didn't really like men.
He didn't like the man, but what could he do? He was already deeply trapped in his whirlpool and couldn't get out. But he stood on the shore, sober and asked him with a confused look on his face why he fell in?
How could he accept this? Yan Xing sneered in his heart.
Isn't it just that he likes men? Just because Lu Chenyang doesn't like them now doesn't mean he won't like them in the future. Did he like men before? Didn't he change because of him?
Yan Xing is confident that he can make Lu Chenyang change his attitude.
What does it matter if they are men or women? Only when they are in harmony with each other are they the most suitable. Gender is nothing but a shackle.
Yan Xing didn't press him, and followed his lead, saying, "Now isn't the time to discuss official business. Lord Lu, there's no need to be so concerned about the country and the people." He thought for a moment, then added, "But people often don't know what they want. What they think they like may not necessarily be what they really like. We still need to try more to know what's good."
Yan Xing raised his head slightly. He had an outstanding appearance, with sharp eyebrows and bright eyes, and an upright figure. However, no one dared to propose marriage to him. Firstly, it was because of his special status, and secondly, Lu Chenyang was blocking the way, so not many people approached him.
But Lu Chenyang's eyes were bright as he looked at such an outstanding general.
"Prince Yan, what you said is absolutely right!" Lu Chenyang said excitedly, "Let's go home."
Yan Xing was stunned for a moment, not knowing why he was suddenly happy. However, he thought he must have taken his words to heart, and he felt a little satisfied.
Go home, they go home.
The Chinese New Year is coming soon, and Lu Chenyang has started to make arrangements for the New Year.
In the study, Lu Chenyang, Gao Ming, and Chen Songyuan were holding a meeting. Yan Xing was not present this time, as Lu Chenyang had specifically instructed.
Gao Ming said, "Sir, Lord Ding has sent a letter saying they have gathered over 17,000 refugees. I heard more people are coming to seek refuge every day. Lord Ding has already kept them here as you said, but some people are unwilling to stay."
Lu Chenyang was quite satisfied with what he heard. He was thinking that if these people could settle down, they would have a way to make a living. When next spring came, they would be given land and houses, and they would be able to settle down.
Then he heard Gao Ming say there was an accident. He immediately looked over and asked, "Why?"
Gao Ming couldn't help but smile and said, "Because many refugees said they wanted to come to Shu and Lingnan to seek refuge with you, sir. Especially in Lingnan, many refugees said that even if they want to settle down, they want to come to our Lingnan." He bowed to Lu Chenyang and said, "This is all in your name."
Lu Chenyang's reputation was so great that everyone wanted to be part of his rule. Lingnan Yanquan County, a place built by Lu Chenyang, was a paradise for many refugees.
Lu Chenyang was stunned for a moment, and the corners of his mouth couldn't help but rise, "This...this...this is so bad, let them not do this."
But I still feel proud in my heart.
Gao Ming praised his master greatly, "This is all due to your influence. You love the people like your own children. Even people thousands of miles away have heard about it!"
Chen Songyuan glanced at him, what a flatterer!
Lu Chenyang waved his hand and quickly acted modestly.
Chen Songyuan coughed lightly. He felt that if this continued, Gao Ming would be suspected of allowing his master to become a tyrant.
Chen Songyuan quickly said, "Sir, there's one more thing. Of Anzhou, Quzhou, and Ningzhou, Ningzhou has taken in the fewest refugees. Ji Ping wrote back saying that the Cui family wasn't cooperating. Do you think we should write a letter to reprimand the Cui family?"
Cui Jun personally came to Lu Chenyang to propose marriage but the proposal came to nothing. Later, rumors of homosexuality spread, so Cui Jun left Quzhou. Lu Chenyang even wrote a letter personally for Cui Jun to take back.
In Chen Songyuan's opinion, Lu Chenyang has given enough face to the Cui family.
Cui was optimistic about Lu Chenyang's willingness to place a bet, but that didn't mean his master had to accept his offer. Lu Chenyang didn't want to marry Cui's daughter, so did Cui dislike his master?
It's ridiculous! How could the Cui family have such a big face? If it weren't for the adults' help this time, Ningzhou would have been destroyed again, and the vitality that the Cui family had finally recovered would have been destroyed.
Where does Cui get the confidence to quarrel with Lu Chenyang?
This time, Lu Chenyang wanted to provide disaster relief and resettle refugees, so he also wrote a letter to Cui Yong asking for his help.
The same thing happened to Shen Shiqian, Zhao Tingyuan, his Chen family, and even Dai Jitong, who had expressed their willingness to donate a batch of grain. The dignified Cui family ended up not being able to match the grain provided by the Shen and Zhao families, and even Dai Jitong couldn't match it.
Chen Songyuan couldn't help but say, "When we donated the grain, Cui was very perfunctory. The Lord said that no matter how much we donated, it was a token of our appreciation. Now the Lord understands that Cui simply didn't have that intention!"
Chen Songyuan had expressed his dissatisfaction at the time, but Lu Chenyang felt that even if someone had money, he couldn't force them to donate. How could that be justified? Ningzhou still needed Cui's cooperation in resettling the refugees. As long as Cui didn't mess around on the matter, Lu Chenyang didn't care about the amount of donation.
But now the Cui family is taking a passive approach, and Lu Chenyang can't tolerate this.
Lu Chenyang said, "Let Ji Ping remind Cui Yong. Ningzhou is temporarily stable, but the Cui family has forgotten the despair they felt when the Yilin Army was under attack from a large force. If these refugees are absorbed by the Yilin Army and the Yilin Army grows stronger, Ningzhou will be their first target. How can the Cui family still want to stay out of it? That's simply foolish!"
Chen Songyuan nodded in agreement. "It seems that the Cui family is unhappy about the Lord's refusal of the marriage last time. The Cui family has always been proud of their status as an aristocratic family. The Cui family originally thought that they had shown great sincerity, but the Lord still refused, so the Cui family was dissatisfied. I also heard that the Prince of Nanyang seems to have contacted the Cui family again." As he spoke, he was startled. "Is the Prince of Nanyang going to Ningzhou?"
After fleeing, the Prince of Nanyang went to Huai'an, where war was raging, and he had occupied a county. The court was now too busy to bother with him, and it was rumored that Emperor Qianyuan had even ordered the Fourth Prince and Yuan Kuishan to lead an expedition to suppress the enemy. However, the Yanhui Army was already struggling enough to deal with the Tatars, and had no energy to deal with the Prince of Nanyang.
So now the King of Nanyang is in a very awkward situation, unable to return to his hometown, and unable to integrate into the foreign land. He is currently staying in a small county town, which is simply unable to support his large army. He still needs to occupy a larger state capital to ensure his supply of food and grass.
Ningzhou was a good choice. Currently, there were only Lu Chenyang's 50,000 troops in Ningzhou. As for the Ningzhou garrison, the King of Nanyang didn't even care. So the King of Nanyang contacted the Cui family again, hoping that they could help him occupy Ningzhou and use it as a base.
Gao Ming frowned: "That's a possibility. We should let General Ji take precautions early."
Lu Chenyang shook his head: "No, if Cui Yong allowed the King of Nanyang to occupy Ningzhou, then his relationship with the King of Nanyang would be exposed. The Cui family would not do that."
Chen Songyuan and Gao Ming thought about it, felt that it made sense, and nodded.
Gao Ming said, "Your Excellency is indeed very insightful. However, since Cui has shown signs of treason, we should make more preparations. Otherwise, we should send another batch of troops over."
Lu Chenyang nodded: "The troops do need to be redeployed now."
Lu Chenyang took out a map and said, "I plan to leave 50,000 troops in Shu, 50,000 in Lingnan Prefecture, and 20,000 in Yanquan County. The troops in Lingnan will be dispatched by Li Dajun, and the troops in Shu will be handed over to Zu Xingwei. 100,000 will be left in Quzhou, and another 100,000 will be sent to Ningzhou."
Li Dajun was originally the chief constable of Yanquan County. He was a sharp-witted man, well-versed in the county's affairs, and well-connected with all parties involved. Therefore, Lu Chenyang entrusted him with the garrison of Yanquan County. As for Zu Xingwei, he had performed well and made significant contributions in the previous battle, and Lu Chenyang remembered his contributions. However, he had been a bandit in Yanquan County for many years, so his transfer to Shu was a chance for a fresh start.
With no wars currently underway in Shu and Lingnan, it made sense for Lu Chenyang to retain 50,000 troops in each region. These two regions were within Lu Chenyang's full control. Leaving troops behind was just a precautionary measure. As for Lu Chenyang's decision to retain 20,000 troops in Yanquan County, Gao Ming felt it was unnecessary.
Gao Ming said, "Now the people of Yanquan County are living and working in peace and contentment, and there is no war. Why does Your Excellency need to leave so many people behind?"
Lu Chenyang said: "Don't forget, there is a Dongyi man in Yanquan County."
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