Chapter 355 Restoring the People from Afar
When they received the news that the emperor had secretly sent Hu Fu to order the death of Lan Changhao, the governor of Guizhou.
Ouyang Rong was in the main hall of Jiangzhou City meeting with Wang Lengran, Yuan Huaimin, and six other military advisors, including Yan Liulang, to discuss matters concerning the city's material reserves.
Since the fall of Hongzhou, the previously loosely organized Jiangzhou government has become much more united.
Officials like Wang Lengran, who were usually nowhere to be seen, were all present at every meeting. The main hall was unusually crowded and lively every day, with daily meetings held to receive battle reports from the direction of Hongzhou.
"What? Lan Changhao is dead? He was... executed by Hu Zhongshi?"
Wang Lengran, who was secretly allied with this Prefect of Guizhou, held a copy of the latest intelligence from Lingnan in his hand, his face filled with disbelief.
Ouyang Rong, who was recording the amount of grain newly delivered to the city that day, put down his brush and turned his head away.
Wang Lengran, Yuan Huaimin, Yan Liulang, and others also turned their heads in surprise, all looking at a certain person involved in the main hall, the envoy Hu Fu.
Their eyes looked strange.
"this……"
Khufu was terrified, his face flushed red, and he gritted his teeth, saying:
"Nonsense! The furthest I've ever been on this trip is Tanzhou Prefecture. I haven't even crossed the Lingnan Road. Where would I have come from to go to Guizhou and issue such an absurd order?"
"Wasn't it a secret letter from the Emperor sent by the eunuch, a secret execution?"
Thinking of the nature of a certain emperor, Wang asked cautiously and coldly.
"Bullshit. Nothing like that."
Khufu couldn't help but swear, stamping his foot as he said:
"Don't look at me, it wasn't me who did it. Whether the Sage had other plans... I don't know, but that private envoy of the Emperor in Guizhou was definitely not me."
Everyone looked at each other, speechless.
Hu Fu frowned and asked, "Lord Wang, where did you get this news?"
Wang Lengran said with concern to Zhongzhong:
"This is firsthand news brought by some Lingnan merchants who just arrived at Xunyang Ferry this morning."
"These merchants travel all over the country, active between the two sides, and are the most well-informed and the fastest at making escapes."
Hu Fu defended himself, saying, "It's possible that the rumor spread because of the rumors."
"What Eunuch Hu said makes sense."
Wang Lengran forced a smile and nodded, then analyzed:
"Chief Secretary Lan is the chief official of Guizhou, acting as the governor. He is loyal to His Majesty. How could he be ordered to commit suicide so easily? Is this a conspiracy to rebel? It's absurd and must be a rumor."
He turned his head, his face stern, and gave the order:
"Military Advisor Yan, arrest those unscrupulous merchants who are spreading rumors. At this critical juncture, it's one thing for them not to stand together through this difficult time, but they also dare to spread falsehoods and cause widespread panic..."
Khufu's expression softened slightly, but then a voice drifted over from the side:
"No, it was you. The one who ordered Lan Changhao's death was you, Eunuch Hu."
Everyone was stunned and turned to look, only to see that it was Ouyang Rong, who had been listening in the background, who calmly spoke.
"What does Chief Secretary Ouyang mean? This humble scholar is clearly right here." Hu Fu frowned.
"Who said that Eunuch Hu had to be present?"
He spoke calmly, a few simple words, yet they resonated deeply with everyone present:
"As long as the Guizhou government believes it is Eunuch Hu, and the seal and edict are genuine, then it is the emperor's private envoy."
While Wang Lengran and the others were still completely bewildered, Hu Fu froze.
The tall eunuch, who had just reapplied his full beard, was sweating profusely.
"Seal and edict..."
Ouyang Rong stared straight at him without saying a word.
"Does Chief Secretary Ouyang mean that Cai Qin's men impersonated scholars and falsely claimed that the Emperor had ordered the execution of Lan Changhao?"
Khufu suddenly felt troubled and paced back and forth.
As if remembering something, Wang Lengran broke out in a cold sweat and became restless.
He was even more flustered than Khufu, who had failed in his duty.
Ouyang Rong watched coldly, pondering other possibilities, and in the meantime, glanced at Wang Lengran.
I roughly know what he's worried about.
Lan Changhao was the culprit who caused the delay of Cai Qin and other soldiers' garrison duty, and Wang Lengran was also an accomplice.
Even though Lan Changhao was thousands of miles away, he was still framed and forced to commit suicide.
In addition, not long ago, Hongzhou City fell, and the instructor and chief clerk of the Hongzhou military government were publicly disemboweled.
It's easy to imagine that Wang Lengran would also find it difficult to escape.
Naturally, I felt anxious.
Ouyang Rong looked away, his brows furrowing slightly.
At this critical juncture, with this kind of news coming out, is it really just about revenge?
Why was Zhu Lingxu, who was similar to Lan Changhao, able to surrender without any problems?
By the way, Ouyang Rong also felt that something was amiss with Zhu Lingxu's matter.
Inside the main hall, everyone had their own thoughts.
On the afternoon of the same day the "rumors" from Guizhou spread, Hu Fu left Xunyang City with a heavy heart.
They hurriedly headed north to return to the capital.
Ouyang Rong saw Hu Fu off at Xunyang Ferry, watching the large ship sail away into the distance.
He stood at the ferry crossing, his long sleeves billowing in the river breeze, the wind ruffling his hair and wide, snow-white sleeves.
On his way back on Dongmei, Ouyang Rong glanced at the main street.
The once bustling and lively Xunyang Ferry Terminal and Dongshi Street now have at least half the usual number of people.
Moreover, most pedestrians on the street were hurrying along with their heads down, not lingering for long.
Most of the shops along the street have already closed, and the remaining few are packing up their stalls and preparing to close down and run away.
Despite the presence of many pedestrians and the fact that it is the transition from spring to summer, the streets were quite empty.
The atmosphere was somewhat bleak and somber.
Throughout history, war has been the greatest source of instability.
Merchants, on the other hand, are always looking for profit and avoiding harm.
In particular, a storm is brewing in Hongzhou, the heart of Jiangnan Province, and discerning people have already sensed the atmosphere that military might is subtly pointing towards Jiangzhou.
Xunyang City, which boasts the busiest port in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River, is naturally the first to know when the river warms in spring.
The effects of the Hongzhou Rebellion were immediately apparent in this area.
In the past few days, a large number of passenger ships have been coming and docking from the direction of Hongzhou in the west upstream.
Merchants are well-informed; upon receiving news of the chaos in Hongzhou, they fled from the west of Jiangnan Road to the southeast.
Jiangnan was not prosperous and wealthy everywhere in this era; the richest place was in the southeast.
The southeast is actually the so-called Jiangnan hinterland, which is also a major tax-paying area of the Great Zhou Dynasty. This area alone accounts for nearly 30% of the dynasty's fiscal revenue.
Jiangzhou and Hongzhou are the western gateways that guard them.
Jiangzhou, possessing the first ferry crossing in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River and controlling the throat of the Yangtze, is also the gateway to the southeast.
Losing Hongzhou is like losing your lips.
If Jiangzhou is lost, it's like losing all your teeth; someone can easily pierce your "stomach" in one step.
Therefore, even the most lazy and indulging-in-music officials in Xunyang City knew the importance of Jiangzhou at present.
If something goes wrong, no one can escape.
This is also why Wang Lengran and other officials in Jiangzhou began to feel terrified and under immense pressure.
Ouyang Rong snapped out of his daze, gently patted Dongmei's head, and returned to the main hall of Jiangzhou.
In the following days, the number of boats moored at Xunyang Ferry increased daily.
However, almost every day brings a new ship.
Because most of them were forcibly intercepted by the Xunyang Ferry checkpoint and had to dock at the ferry crossing, waiting for the Jiangzhou government's shipping officers to search them and check their documents, they could not leave until that evening or the next day.
This was a suggestion made by Ouyang Rong.
Ships heading southeast must anchor and undergo inspection to prevent the infiltrating troops from Hongzhou from hiding and penetrating deep into the southeast.
At the same time, ships coming from the southeast and heading towards Hongzhou were also required to stop and be inspected to prevent the transport of important materials to the enemy.
However, the latter is less common, and Jiangzhou Hall simply took precautions early on.
As a result, boats came and went in an endless stream.
Merchants traveling by boat in Jiangnan have a very keen sense of smell.
Some businessmen discovered that a young official was quietly leading a group to renovate Suojiang Tower and Huilongji.
As if sensing a certain atmosphere, rumors began to spread like wildfire.
As a result, merchant ships west of Jiangzhou rushed south to take advantage of the window of opportunity to leave.
Ouyang Rong silently observed all of this without interfering, continuing the "better safe than sorry" approach.
Meanwhile, he and Wang Lengran and other officials from Jiangzhou were also waiting for reinforcements from the imperial court.
News of Cai Qin and his garrison troops capturing Hongzhou has already reached Luoyang in the north. The imperial court has reacted, and reinforcements from all directions are gathering.
However, Hongzhou, which is closest to Jiangzhou, has already fallen into enemy hands.
The military government that recently amassed a large number of troops is located in Yangzhou, downstream.
However, Hongzhou is directly adjacent to Jiangzhou.
Even by water, the distance from Yangzhou to Jiangzhou is much greater.
The imperial reinforcements will inevitably be slower; it's just a matter of how much slower.
As a result, Wang Lengran, who had previously been unruly, changed his attitude completely and began to swallow his anger, fully supporting Ouyang Rong in stockpiling grain and water and strengthening the city's defenses.
Wang Lengran also took the initiative to retrieve old weapons from the armory of the Third Zhechong Prefecture in Jiangzhou, gathered enough iron to help him smelt them into iron chains...
Throughout the beginning of August, everyone in Jiangzhou City hoped to hold out until reinforcements arrived.
The latest news from Hongzhou is that after the fall of Hongzhou City, all the county towns in the territory are being captured one by one by Cai Qin's army. They either surrender or are breached after offering only slight resistance.
Cai Qinjun, who had already gathered six or seven thousand men, was now taking control of the prefecture, recruiting and preparing for war.
Who knows how many troops they will bring when they capture Jiangzhou next time.
However, there was one thing that puzzled everyone in Jiangzhou.
Everyone knows that Xunyang City controls the Yangtze River waterway and is so important as the southeastern gateway.
After Cai Qinjun captured Hongzhou, he did not make any preparations before immediately leading his troops to attack Jiangzhou.
Why is that?
Is it because they had no ambition to advance in the southeast, so they only conquered Hongzhou to prove their eligibility for amnesty and to control the scale of the operation?
Or perhaps they knew Xunyang City was difficult to conquer and had already made preparations for defense, and were preparing a major attack?
Regardless, the temporary quiet in Hongzhou brought a slight sense of relief to the people in Jiangzhou and the surrounding counties.
At least we're a little closer to reinforcements arriving.
But this calm before the storm is all the more unsettling and unsettling...
Unlike their conflicted feelings of both joy and fear,
The steady progress made by Hongzhou made Ouyang Rong's heart sink.
I have a bad feeling.
In his view, it would be a good thing if Cai Qinjun took Hongzhou and then immediately attacked Jiangzhou.
first.
Not to mention the secret friendship between Qin Heng and Su Qian, Ouyang Rong might be able to persuade some to surrender during the siege, thus disrupting Cai Qin's army's momentum and rhythm.
If Cai Qin's army were to attack Jiangzhou without stopping, there would be two advantages:
Firstly, Xunyang City can wait in comfort while Cai Qin's army advances continuously, and they must be exhausted.
Even though the morale was high after conquering Hongzhou, this kind of defensive battle was very depleting on the morale of the attacking side, especially in a place like Xunyang City, which is easily defensible due to its location nestled against mountains and by water.
Secondly, it clearly and unambiguously states one point.
In other words, Cai Qinjun's rebellion was not a well-planned and meticulously prepared act, but rather a spur-of-the-moment decision.
The differences are vast.
Because Cai Qinjun has only one banner to raise so far: the brutality of his superiors and the return of soldiers to their hometowns.
This is also why people all over the world, including Ouyang Rong, subconsciously sympathized with Cai Qinjun.
Besides, Cai Qinjun didn't have much sense of righteousness, and after resolving the issue of returning home to Jiangzhou, he continued to escalate the situation.
What, are we going to have another "purging the emperor's inner circle" later? Then a certain selfish motive will be blatantly obvious.
Therefore, Ouyang Rong already had a plan in mind for dealing with the possibility of Cai Qin's army immediately attacking Jiangzhou, and remained calm:
He had originally planned that, while Cai Qin's army, under the guise of returning home, besieged the city, he could cooperate with Qin Heng to force Wang Lengran to arrest the instructors and chief clerks of the Third Garrison Command of Jiangzhou, and other generals who had incited resentment among the garrison soldiers and advocated for a postponement.
They were publicly executed on the city wall to appease their anger.
Then, Ouyang Rong, as the chief secretary, made his stance clear again, and calmly entertained the families of the three hundred Jiangzhou garrison soldiers, thereby dispelling the legitimacy of Cai Qin's rebellion and relieving the siege of Xunyang City.
Even when Cai Qin and other garrison soldiers still harbored resentment, he was able to take advantage of the situation, overthrow his superiors, and behead Wang Lengran.
It was completely cleaned up.
He was able to easily solve the problem of the Xunyang Prince's Mansion and lead Li Xian and the others to break through this birdcage.
Moreover, in doing so, Cai Qinjun also lost the sense of righteousness in returning to his hometown.
They were already in their hometowns, and the soldiers longed for peace, so the turmoil in Hongzhou and Jiangzhou was unlikely to last long.
Even if a fight were to break out, the government troops would be able to maintain the moral high ground and gradually quell the unrest.
But right now, as if knowing some kind of open scheme by Ouyang Rong, things haven't developed in that direction.
Cai Qinjun of Hongzhou did not immediately attack Jiangzhou!
Instead, it waits patiently, like a hawk being trained, without making a move, and it is unknown what it is waiting for.
This made Ouyang Rong frown deeply.
Of course, almost no outsiders knew about his relationship with Qin Heng and the predicament of the Xunyang Prince's Mansion at the same time, so it was probably not really aimed at him, nor was he really a mind reader; it was probably just a coincidence.
However, Cai Qinjun's unusual restraint suggests that he was prepared and had a plan behind it.
If the attack on Jiangzhou is delayed, a certain momentum and morale will remain, like a sword hanging over Jiangzhou's head.
Then they reconnected, mentioning that not long ago Cai Qinjun had used his military genius to defeat the Hongzhou government troops.
There was also that "rumor" that came from Guizhou.
Ouyang Rong sensed the presence of a similarly intelligent person and increasingly felt that someone was guiding him from behind the scenes...
Just ten days after Khufu left Jiangzhou.
A message was brought by passengers on ships fleeing from the west.
This time, the source of the information was a lychee envoy from the western part of Lingnan.
He fled north in a panic, arriving at Xunyang Ferry in a disheveled state. The news he stammered out sounded like a thunderclap to the people of Xunyang:
Li Zhengyan, the former governor of Meizhou, the current military commander of Raozhou, and the hereditary Duke of Yingguo, raised an army in Guizhou Prefecture, Lingnan Circuit, to rebel.
He conscripted troops from an entire prefecture and raised high the banner of "Restoring the Rebellion."
At the same time, it was announced that the reign title of the current Prince of Xunyang, Li Xian, from the time of the deposed emperor would be used... the first year of the reign of Emperor Sisheng!
The world was shocked.
Some new readers said they wanted more, so I'd like to recommend Xiao Rong's older Xianxia novel, "I Have a Sword Immortal Wife," to my new brothers. It's a Xianxia novel with multiple female protagonists and plenty of sweet, slice-of-life romance. If you're looking for a detailed and engaging story, check it out. The link is below.
(End of this chapter)
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