Chapter 358 Fictional Exclusion
"Your Excellency, this Prefect Wang really knows how to reap the rewards. Why haven't we seen him so eager before?"
The sun was shining brightly in the morning, but the main hall of Jiangzhou Hall was empty.
Only Ouyang Rong and Yan Liulang sat side by side, alone.
At the front, Cai Qin and Zhu Lingxu's army was leading a large-scale advance into Jiangzhou, and Wang Lengran and other officials in the Jiangzhou government were all busy with defense matters.
Well, except for Ouyang Rong and Yan Liulang.
It wasn't that the two were being lazy, but rather that a certain Prefect Wang had begun to work diligently and tirelessly, taking on all the responsibilities himself and leaving no extra tasks for them.
The reason was justified, and they even gave Ouyang, the Prefect, a day off.
Anyone with a discerning eye in Jiangzhou's officialdom could see that this was an attempt to sideline and exclude officials.
However, with a formidable enemy at hand, in wartime, the governor of a prefecture wields immense power, even having the power of life and death over lower-ranking officials, executing them first and reporting later.
Therefore, the chief administrator of a prefecture, who was responsible for the people's livelihood and internal affairs, was naturally suppressed.
However, in everyone's eyes, Chief Secretary Ouyang Lianghan was the "whistleblower" of this crisis.
He was the one who had made preparations for the defense of Xunyang City in advance, but now Wang Lengran had forcibly sidelined him and seized control of his previous city defense preparations.
That's incredibly unethical; the way they eat is awful.
In the officialdom of Jiangzhou, everyone tacitly understood the situation.
However, even if they disliked something, no one dared to stand up and criticize it. In officialdom, one's position is sometimes more important than right or wrong.
Ouyang Rong straightened the stack of frontline battle reports in his hand, arranged them in the upper left corner of the table, aligned with the edge of the table, and said to Yan Liulang, who was standing indignantly with his arms crossed:
"Actually... they're all the same."
He said softly, with a sense of relief:
"I've already prepared everything I needed to; I just need to keep going in those directions."
"Xunyang City is the most crucial. Other counties within Jiangzhou can be lost, but Xunyang City cannot. It is the throat of the Yangtze River and the southeastern gateway. The safety of the Jianghuai canal transport in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River depends entirely on the safety of this city."
"By holding the fortified city and waiting for reinforcements, there is still room to salvage the situation. When the imperial army arrives to quell the rebellion, Xunyang City will also be needed as an important transit point for supplies and logistics."
"Wang Lengran isn't stupid. It's just a difference in perspective. He may belittle what the best strategy for defending the city is, but he knows it perfectly well in his heart. Unless he's really blind, ha."
Yan Liulang couldn't help but glance again at the young, twenty-year-old chief secretary, who was obsessively tidying up the manuscripts on the table, and clicked his tongue in amazement:
"The imperial army's logistics transit... The Ming government has already considered such far-reaching matters, thinking three steps ahead for every one step they take?"
Ouyang Rong shook his head and remained silent.
Yan Liulang sighed, "Your Excellency is too concerned with the big picture and doesn't fight for anything."
"It's no use arguing."
Ouyang Rong shook his head.
Yan Liulang was unconvinced:
"Your Excellency could clearly petition the court to expose the injustice you've suffered. Aren't there scholars and Lord Shen in the court? They would definitely speak up for you..."
"Rokuro be careful what you say."
Ouyang Rong interrupted, saying softly:
"Although the emperor did not fully believe Li Zhengyan's story and the court did not react, the suspicion against the Xunyang Prince's Mansion is still difficult to completely clear."
"And I am also tied to the Xunyang Prince's Mansion; in the eyes of many above, we are one and the same..."
"The most urgent task at present is to defend Xunyang City. Wang Lengran is definitely more trusted by the court than I am."
"After all, Wang Lengran, like Lan Changhao, was the main culprit for Cai Qinjun's delayed mutiny, so it's unlikely that he would betray the cause."
Ouyang Rong gave a self-deprecating laugh: "How ironic."
He glanced at Yan Liulang, who was still displeased, cheeks puffed out as he held his sword, and said with a smile:
"Sixth Brother, on the bright side, we're not completely sidelined. The statue-making and canal-digging are still in my hands. With the help of the Prince of Xunyang, Wang Lengran can't interfere."
"As for the Jiangzhou Grand Hall, it is nominally the governor who is in charge, so let him seize power if he wants to."
"Since we have some free time, let's continue working on the statues."
"Your Excellency is really something..."
Yan Liulang, looking helpless, said to the optimistic person:
"It is clearly Your Excellency who has suffered the most injustice, yet you are comforting your humble servant."
Ouyang Rong smiled but remained silent.
Yan Liulang suddenly lowered his voice and said:
"My lord, the prince has submitted another memorial these past few days. What do you think the court in Luoyang will do about it? Is there really a chance that the prince and his eldest son can return to the capital while still under punishment?"
Ouyang Rong glanced at his clever eyes and pondered:
"Based on His Majesty's thoughts, there are only two possible reactions from Luoyang. The least likely outcome is that he will send the Prince of Xunyang back to the capital, since it would be easier to control him, just like the Prince of Xiang's lineage."
"However, being 'imprisoned' in the capital city right under the emperor's nose is definitely better than being in Xunyang City, which is far away from the court. Let's hope so."
Yan Liulang asked curiously, "Is it a low probability? What about a high probability?"
Ouyang Rong said softly:
"Given His Majesty's suspicious nature, he would naturally send a trusted confidant to investigate, and incidentally strengthen surveillance over the Xunyang Prince's residence. Perhaps he will even send a female official from the palace who practices Qi cultivation, like the female official Miaozhen who came to bestow gifts before..."
Yan Liulang frowned: "Wouldn't that make us even less free?"
Ouyang Rong shook his head: "It's better than being sentenced to death without explanation."
Yan Liulang sighed, "Serving a ruler is truly like serving a tiger."
After thinking for a moment, he relaxed his shoulders, put down his sword, rubbed his face, and asked:
"Your Excellency, do you think Li Zhengyan did this on purpose to drag us into this mess?"
“We have no grudge against him, so it’s really unfair of us to act like this. I, Yan Liu, used to respect him as a man.”
Yan Liulang snorted coldly:
"The reason why they were so hospitable to you back then was because they were planning to implicate you. It was all for nothing that they were so kind to you."
Ouyang Rong remained silent.
Yan Liulang, standing nearby, continued to express his indignation on his behalf:
"Hmph, this is quite a scheme, I could hear it all the way from Xunyang City."
"While the Mingfu and Xunyangwangfu were on guard by the imperial court and the Jiangzhou government, Hongzhou is only now sending troops to attack Jiangzhou. They were waiting before, right?"
"Knowing that the Prefect is difficult to deal with, are we just waiting to be suspected?"
"What a coincidence that the machine chose this time. Could it be that they're trying to force the Ming family and the Prince's Mansion to rebel together?"
Yan Liulang turned his head away unhappily:
“My lord, this Cai Qinjun doesn’t seem like someone who responded to the call halfway. In my opinion, it was Li Zhengyan and his group who were pushing him from behind the scenes. They had been in cahoots for a long time.”
"That so-called Captain Du, the suspicious person that Envoy Hu ran back to mention, is probably Du Shuqing."
“The magistrate gave him the key to Meilu Pavilion for nothing, and his good intentions were wasted.”
Ouyang Rong waved his hand:
"Alright, have some water. Stop talking, you're spitting all over my face. Why are you talking so much today?"
Yan Liulang held his sword and tilted his head:
"I just have to get this off my chest, Magistrate. We've come all the way from Longcheng, and we've never suffered such a loss in silence, been put in such a passive position, with friends and enemies all messing things up together..."
"We can't even manage the flood peacefully."
Ouyang Rong glanced at him and said, "Let's just say it today. Don't complain about these things outside in the future."
"yes."
Yan Liulang nodded listlessly.
After a short while, he rallied, glanced around the main hall, and seeing that no one was around for the time being, leaned closer and whispered:
“Military Advisor Chen apologizes to Your Excellency on my behalf. He said that Governor Wang’s power is too great and he dared not disobey him. He could only follow the crowd to some extent, but he absolutely did not mean that. He hopes Your Excellency will forgive him.”
Ouyang Rong raised an eyebrow and glanced at Yan Liulang, who was delivering the message.
He nodded slightly: "I understand. Tell him to prioritize the bigger picture."
"Yes, Your Excellency."
The two had barely finished speaking.
Just then, Wang Lengran, leading a group of soldiers, rushed into the main hall and began to question them abruptly:
"Where is Chief Secretary Ouyang, and Wang Jun's men?"
(End of this chapter)
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