Chapter 374 Is he really a genius?
"Jishui is a large county, located southeast of Xunyang City."
According to the household registration statistics of this prefecture at the beginning of this year, Jishui County has a population of 8,000 households, making it one of the richest counties in the prefecture.
"The Xunyang River branches off in its lower reaches, and Jishui County is located next to one of its important tributaries."
"Occupying a convenient waterway is a privilege, as merchant ships unloading and loading goods at Xunyang Ferry almost always pass through the Jishui County Wharf."
"Jishui County is a typical county town in the Jiangnan region, like a miniature Xunyang City. Moreover, this county town is also backed by mountains and surrounded by water, making it easy to defend and difficult to attack."
"The key point is that although the waterways in Jishui County are well-developed, the surrounding mountains are barren, unlike the famous Mount Lu scenic area next to Xunyang, which was developed earlier and has attracted many literati and scholars, making it relatively safe."
"With so many barren mountains, there are bound to be bandits. The banditry in Jishui is notoriously severe. Thieves and bandits roam around, often coming down to plunder and loot the waterways."
"This matter has caused endless trouble for the Jishui County government, and there has been no good solution."
"When the successive magistrates of Jishui County took office, they could only follow the old methods, repeatedly repairing and improving the city walls of Jishui, while at the same time joining forces with local powerful families to recruit militia to the maximum extent to fight bandits."
"These are all old news. Your Excellency, Prefect and Chief Secretary, my hometown is right next to Jishui County, so I know a thing or two about the situation."
As a half-local of Jishui, Si Cang San Jun Chen You shook his head with a wry smile.
He glanced at the Jiangzhou prefect and his adjutant, one sitting and one standing before him, then surveyed his colleagues and officials in the main hall of Jiangzhou who were listening intently. He continued with a sigh:
"During the reign of Emperor Wen of the previous dynasty, the north and south were unified. In the third year of the Kaihuang era, Emperor Wen issued an edict to demolish the city walls and fortifications of various counties in Jiangnan. Most of the towering ancient city walls and fortresses built by various counties and gentry families in Jiangnan during the Southern Dynasties were removed."
"The fact that the rebels led by Li Zhengyan and Cai Qin were able to advance so rapidly in the southern hinterland can be attributed to the previous dynasty's removal of military defenses in the Jiangnan region... Anyway..."
"However, Jishui County was an exception. In order to defend against bandits, at the suggestion of Wang Yizhi, a southerner who was then the Jiangnan Pacification Commissioner, the Sui Dynasty granted special permission for the eleven counties in Jiangnan, including Jishui County, which were severely affected by bandits, to retain their city walls."
"Historical legacy combined with the fierce folk customs have resulted in Jishui County having high and sturdy city walls and a militia of over a thousand people."
"The magistrate of Jishui County dared to kill those who surrendered to save the city and resist the rebels from Hongzhou, so he must have had some confidence."
Inside the main hall of Jiangzhou, a group of officials nodded in understanding after hearing what Military Advisor Chen had said.
Chen You glanced at Ouyang Rong out of the corner of her eye, only to find him frowning and silent, seemingly not listening at all.
Wang Lengran put down the letter requesting help, stood up, clapped his hands, and nodded emphatically in praise:
"Good, good, good! Zhao Rushi is a true man! Our Jiangzhou still has loyal and righteous men! Not all of them are cowards who surrender and run away. You all don't need to belittle yourselves. Cheer up! This time, the rebel army from Hongzhou will surely be defeated and sink to the ground if they enter our Jiangzhou!"
Upon seeing this, all the officials in the Jiangzhou court echoed their agreement.
Wang Lengran glanced around, his face showing eagerness, as if he wanted to speak.
The next instant, however, they were interrupted by a voice coming from the corner:
"Bring the map, Military Advisor Chen. Also, please go to the archives in the rear government office and fetch a personnel file from the Jishui County government."
As the meeting in the main hall began, Ouyang Rong, who had been standing quietly with his sleeves folded, raised his head to give the order and turned to walk to the long table.
He already knew everything Chen You had just said.
After all, as the chief administrator of a prefecture in charge of people's livelihood, Ouyang Rong already knew the information of the dozen or so counties in the prefecture by heart.
He even remembered a great deal about Zhao Rushi, the county magistrate of Jishui, including his appearance and background.
Not long ago, in the third month of the first year of Tianyou, this man, along with the county government officials of Jishui County, had reported to his superior.
In my memory, Zhao Rushi was a witty and slender man with an old injury on his left foot, a result of his time in the army, which caused him to walk with a slightly pigeon-toed gait.
Ouyang Rong pursed his lips.
Everyone turned to look.
Wang Lengran said somewhat displeased:
"Why does Lord Ouyang look unhappy? We finally found a breakthrough, why do you still look so serious and pessimistic? Are you going to say something discouraging to everyone again?"
Ouyang Rong thought for a moment and asked seriously, "Is it not a problem that I am not naturally inclined to smile?"
Wang Lengran forced a bright smile:
"Alright. No wonder the Prince values him so highly. Lord Ouyang is truly mature and prudent. It is a great fortune for Jiangzhou to have Lord Ouyang."
“That’s true.” Ouyang Rong nodded. “It’s just a pity that the situation is a bit unfortunate now, and I don’t know why.”
Wang Lengran put his hands behind his back and snorted.
The surrounding officials pretended not to hear the two men's sarcastic remarks.
A short while later, Chen, the military advisor, led his men and brought a large map of Jiangzhou, along with a stack of dusty documents.
The map was spread out on the table and weighed down with a gavel.
Ouyang Rong took the document, casually brushed the dust off the paper with his sleeve, and handed it to Yan Liulang, who was closest to him, without even flipping through it.
This document was passed around among Yan Liulang, Chen Canjun, and other officials.
"Page 12, everyone take a look at this County Magistrate Zhao's resume. He is from Taiyuan. In March of the first year of the Shengli era, which is early last year, he was transferred from the Military Affairs Division of Hongzhou to the position of County Magistrate of Jishui, and was promoted one rank."
"Zhu Lingxu served as the governor of Hongzhou for three years, and this County Lieutenant Zhao has a background of serving under the governor of Hongzhou."
Ouyang Rong spoke earnestly.
Wang Lengran frowned: "What does Lord Ouyang mean?"
"It doesn't mean anything, I'm just pointing out something strange. As for whether this County Magistrate Zhao had any relationship with Zhu Lingxu during his tenure in Hongzhou, I don't know."
"But I must remind you, I can't leave it unsaid."
Wang frowned:
“Hongzhou is an important prefecture in the heart of Jiangnan. It has a higher-level governor’s office that oversees all the prefectures. Hongzhou has many military offices and many military officers, and they are frequently transferred.”
"Many military men in the surrounding provinces, including Jiangzhou, have previously served in Hongzhou, which is quite normal. If we doubt them all, then nearly half of the generals in Jiangzhou would be unusable now."
"What Lord Wang said is correct, but in today's context, it cannot be considered normal."
Ouyang Rong glanced at the map on the table and pointed to Jishui County on it:
"No wonder Cai Qin and Zhu Lingxu's army didn't attack the city directly before, but instead took a detour to attack Longcheng County to the south. It turns out they wanted to take a slightly longer route to capture Jishui County, which is further east."
"Jishui County is located southeast of Xunyang City. This is like wrapping a dumpling. Once we control Jishui County, we can cut off the reinforcements coming from the southeast to a certain extent. At least this waterway will be blocked, delaying the subsequent reinforcements. Moreover, we can also besiege the point and attack the reinforcements."
"They're quite shrewd with their calculations."
Ouyang Rong nodded.
There was something else he didn't say.
Previously, Cai Qin and Zhu Lingxu's army responded to Li Zhengyan's rebellion in the southwest and attacked Jiangzhou. The original trend was to take Xunyang City directly. However, this trend was interrupted on the night of Wei's Golden Knife Scheme and Wang Junzhi's request to die by Ouyang Rong. After the Prince of Xunyang became the Pacification Ambassador of Jiangnan Circuit, the trend was broken.
Cai Qin and Zhu Lingxu's army began to take a detour, switching to the current encirclement method.
It is conceivable that they knew Ouyang Rong and the Xunyang Prince's Mansion would not defect, and they were wary of someone and wanted to avoid a certain kind of tough battle.
Ouyang Rong turned his head:
"Lord Wang always says he needs to focus his energy on military affairs. Surely he knows the location of Jishui County?"
Wang nodded coldly and said loudly:
"Of course I know. That's why I've summoned you all to discuss sending troops to provide support. Jishui County is strategically located and has high walls to defend it. It's not easy to find righteous people to resist, so what are we hesitating for?"
"Do we want to discourage the righteous men below? Do we want His Majesty, the officials, and all the patriots of the land to see us as cowards?"
He was well-versed in military strategy, stroked his beard, and nodded:
"To some extent, Jishui County and Xunyang City are mutually supportive, and neither can be lost. Otherwise, we will be in a very passive position. If the waterways on both sides are cut off and the enemy surrounds us, we will have no choice but to follow Lord Ouyang's advice and adopt a turtle-like tactic to defend our isolated city to the death."
Ouyang Rong nodded: "Does Lord Wang's military strategy mention anything about besieging a point and attacking reinforcements, or luring reinforcements to ambush them?"
Wang Lengran frowned: "Of course I know, and I will be careful. But we have a rare opportunity, so how can we let it slip by? Besides, there are troops in Jishui County. We might be able to attack Cai Qin's rebel army from both sides!"
"I have a feeling that they might not be the ones being attacked from both sides."
Wang Lengran was displeased: "Does Lord Ouyang not trust my abilities? Does he think I'm just giving this away for free?"
Ouyang Rong remained silent.
The argument ended unhappily.
The officials dared not intervene and remained silent, but they understood the general contradiction:
Ouyang Rong advocated for defense, stalling for time while awaiting reinforcements from the imperial court.
Wang Lengran advocated for the offensive, arguing that they should not sit idly by and wait for death, but rather seize the opportunity to hold Jishui. This would not only allow them to receive reinforcements but also gain advantageous terrain. It would be even better if they could defeat the Hongzhou army.
As Ouyang Rong walked out of the Jiangzhou main hall, he turned to Yan Liulang and said:
"Something's wrong with Wang Lengran."
"What the magistrate means is..."
Ouyang Rong remained silent.
late at night.
Xunyang Prince's Mansion.
Sizzle—!
In front of Li Xian and the others, Ouyang Rong burned a secret letter.
It was Xie Xun's letter that his junior sister had sent not long ago, followed by several more letters, all discussing the current debates in the court.
"Does everyone know what the teacher said?"
"Um."
Ouyang Rong sighed:
"No wonder Wang Lengran was in such a hurry; he was hoping to defeat Cai Qinjun and gain the initiative on the front lines."
"At present, the imperial court is forming a large army to quell the rebellion. The selection of the Grand Commander of the Jiangzhou Road Army is deadlocked. Both the Wei family and the Master have recommended people to compete for this position."
"However, judging from His Majesty's attitude, the Wei family is currently at a disadvantage."
"The previous rebellion in Yingzhou has already made His Majesty doubt the abilities of the two princes of the Wei family."
The Great Zhou Dynasty employed a military system called Fubing, which was characterized by a strong emphasis on internal affairs and a weaker emphasis on external affairs, with fewer troops in the south and more in the north.
The largest number of Zhechongfu (military prefectures) were in the north, especially in Guanzhong, where there were over a hundred. Therefore, the army that quelled the rebellion was mobilized from the north, which was like using distant water to quell a nearby fire.
As for the important border towns such as the Annam Protectorate, which are close to Lingnan Circuit and Jiangnan Circuit, it is inconvenient to mobilize troops because they need to defend against foreign enemies.
This can be seen as a helpless measure due to the bloated system.
Li Guo'er nodded:
“That’s right. My father is the pacification ambassador of Jiangnan. So, my grandmother’s inclination is very clear in choosing the position of the chief commander of the Jiangzhou army to quell the rebellion. She wants to select someone from the faction that is not close to the people, so that there can be no infighting. Wang Lengran must have received a secret letter from the Wei family.”
Li Guo'er asked, "Ouyang Lianghan, do you think the rebellions in Guizhou and Hongzhou can grow bigger? Which side, Li Zhengyan or the imperial court, will win?"
Ouyang Rong glanced at her, but before he could speak, Li Dalang interjected:
"Without Father's banner, and now standing on the opposite side with us, how can Li Zhengyan win?"
"If we can take Jiangzhou, we can expand the war, but there is another key factor: the court has many experts and cultivators, and Luoyang has a Dingjian sword. If it weren't for the pressure on the border defenses, which prevented us from immediately deploying border troops to quell the fire, the rebellion in the southwest would be nothing."
“We have now handed over Wang Junzhi and turned against them, but in Xunyang City, with the female official in colorful robes protecting Father, Li Zhengyan can’t do anything to us without a victory on the battlefield.”
"With my father serving as the pacification commissioner and supporting the suppression of the rebellion, the moral high ground of the restoration army cannot last long. If this drags on, and we fail to capture Jiangzhou in time..."
"Once the imperial court can withdraw its resources, the advantage will be gone, and defeat will only be a matter of time."
Upon hearing this, Ouyang Rong was reminded of the painting of Peach Blossom Spring.
However, he did not refute Li Dalang, and aside from the uncertainty surrounding the Dingjian, his guesses about the general trend were not wrong.
He nodded.
Li Guo'er immediately said:
"Therefore, since the odds of winning are extremely high, the former officials of the pro-Li faction must fight for this military merit of quelling the rebellion and not let the Wei family get it."
"The Wei family also wants to gain military merits and win over their grandmother. The battles on the front lines can, to some extent, change His Majesty's attitude. If Wang Lengran of the Wei family can defeat the rebels in Hongzhou and save Jishui County, the position of the supreme commander in suppressing the rebellion and the position of the Grand General of the Jiangzhou Army will likely fall into the Wei family's hands."
Everyone fell silent.
Li Xian sighed, "That makes sense."
"Why is this person so impulsive? Doesn't he know that there might be a trap in Jishui County?"
Xie Lingjiang was puzzled.
Ouyang Rong also frowned and remained silent.
The following day, during a meeting in the Jiangzhou Hall, another argument broke out, with Wang Lengran advocating for leading his soldiers out to rescue Jishui County.
Ouyang Rong still advocated for defending the city and not venturing out.
Wang Lengran refuted Ouyang Rong's claim that he had thoughts of surrendering, and the two began to argue.
They parted on bad terms.
That night, in the study of Prince Li of Xunyang.
Li Xian suggested personally taking action to put pressure on Wang Lengran.
Stopped by Li Guo'er, he lowered his eyes and said:
"Don't try to persuade those who are courting death. Just make sure their blood doesn't splatter on us. If the resistance in Jishui County is fake and there is a real ambush, Wang Lengran's mistake will only drag the Wei family down."
Xie Lingjiang stepped forward and nodded, saying:
“That’s right, let him go. You can’t persuade a damned devil with kind words. Senior Brother only needs to fulfill his duty as adjutant to advise him. He should also write a letter expressing his conservative attitude and make a backup in advance to avoid being affected by subsequent defeats.”
"It's better to be rid of this kind of brainless teammate. Without him, it will be easier for Senior Brother to defend the city. It's better than him continuing to give bad orders while defending the city. If he's not around, he can take charge of all affairs in Jiangzhou as the Chief Administrator, just like Lan Changhao did back then, leading the army and the people to defend the city. That would be much easier."
"And Wang Lengran's defeat can also determine the fate of the Grand Commander of the Army, making the final decision."
"What do you think of this, Senior Brother?"
Ouyang Rong remained silent for a moment, then suddenly asked:
"Who exactly gave Wang Lengran such confidence?"
He paused, then frowned: "Could he really be a genius?"
Everyone exchanged glances, and Xie Lingjiang retorted:
"They're both incompetent and playful, just like the Wei family. The Yingzhou Rebellion is a prime example."
Ouyang Rong remained silent.
The next morning, in the main hall of Jiangzhou.
Ouyang Rong slightly softened his stance, but then solemnly ordered Wang Lengran to leave 500 elite soldiers to guard the city and protect the royal residence, just in case. He could only lead a maximum of 2,500 soldiers into battle.
Ouyang Rong remained in Xunyang City to oversee logistics.
Wang Lengran was still somewhat dissatisfied, but his expression improved slightly. He said, "Lord Ouyang is quite sensible," and then he rubbed his hands together and went out to the military camp to mobilize troops, preparing to leave the city today to reinforce Jishui County...
(End of this chapter)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
