Chapter 109
Every inch has its own merits and demerits
Han Zhiruo quietly studied Yue Han's strategy. No wonder her Han family, even though it had been famous in Jiangdong for over a hundred years, could only serve as a chess piece in the hands of the big guys who controlled the whole world!
From my own experience, I know that the Han family is too petty because of the Jiangdong's isolated situation. Without the might of swallowing up the mountains and rivers, how can I make all the heroes bow down to me?
He waved his hand, signaling the servants waiting in the distance to come over. After giving a few obedient instructions, Han Zhiruo and Yue Hanxin strolled in the backyard of the palace, as if everything was under control!
…
"Damn it, sister! Linglong, who just went out to buy groceries, was sent back. How long are they going to keep us under house arrest? You are the Sikong of Youzhou after all. How dare they not let you participate in the meeting?"
Liu Feiyan couldn't help but complain to the calm Liu Buqi.
"Haha, Fei Yan, you can't stay here for more than ten days anymore?" Liu Buqi chuckled and shook his head, then pointed to his stomach with his hand.
"Look, this little thing is the best reason for them not to let me show up! Besides, didn't I tell you before that if you can't stay here, you can leave early to avoid being stuck here and being bullied?"
Liu Feiyan shook his head. "No, I will protect my sister even if it means my death. How can I leave her alone in this dangerous palace?"
Liu Buqi dragged his heavy body down and walked to the door alone, looking towards the northeast. "Fei Yan, don't worry! The battle over at the Great Wall has already begun, and now they are only more anxious than us!"
…
Liu Buqi's prediction was correct. In the meeting hall of the palace, three women sat together, holding one more urgent report on the Great Wall battle than the other!
Lacking a general to guard the place, and with nearly half of the soldiers being new recruits who had never seen blood, they could only rely on ten thousand veterans to barely resist the initial offensive from the grassland.
The commander of the grassland army was very perceptive. He had originally divided his troops to harass the Great Wall and the Lushan defense line respectively, and now he seemed to have figured out the strength of Youzhou.
In the past few days, they have obviously begun to mobilize heavy troops with the intention of storming the Great Wall. Judging from the battle reports submitted from the front line, it seems that only a small number of troops are left to monitor the Lushan line, and most of the troops have begun to gather outside the Great Wall!
Han Zhiruo paced back and forth anxiously. "Your Highness, the letter to Dahe to mobilize the generals has been sent out for many days. The personnel should have been deployed by now, but why is there still no news?"
Xu Ningmei smiled bitterly and said, "Tai'an Prefecture is now under the control of Marquis Lu Qing. Unless we mobilize a large army to attack, not even a fly can fly over!"
Yue Hanxin asked calmly, "We should have quite a few officials in Tai'an Prefecture. Can't we lend them some help?"
Xu Ningmei could only sigh. Ever since the Lu family moved into Tai'an Prefecture, relying on their status as merchants and the preferential business policies implemented by Liu Buqi, the entire Tai'an Prefecture could be said to be a business prefecture!
Most of the officials were either from the Lu family or from the merchant family. The officials who sided with him had been under control since Lu Qinghou returned to Tai'an Prefecture, and he could not be relied upon at all!
Yue Hanxin's outward calmness concealed the turmoil in her heart very well!
If Liu Buqi's weakness in Youzhou is the civil service group, then the shortcoming on his side is the lack of support from military generals!
If I had known this earlier, I should have arranged for a general to accompany me when I entered Youzhou. It’s just that I didn’t expect that I would be able to occupy such a favorable situation so quickly!
The attack of the Steppe Khanate can be said to be a double-edged sword for both Liu Buqi and Yue Hanxin!
"Alas, it was still too hasty!" No matter how Yue Hanxin reviewed the situation, he could not immediately solve the problem of commanding troops on the Great Wall front!
Finally, it was Han Zhiruo who suggested, "Why not use local talent? Choose one from among the officers who are not directly under Gao Yi or Wang Changling and entrust him with the important task!"
"The Youzhou Army is roughly composed of the former Great Wall garrison, the Yanjing Iron Cavalry, and the former garrisons of Tai'an, Taixiang, and Taiping Prefectures!"
"Although Liu Buqi has almost integrated the forces and created a group of eight generals, intending to disrupt the direct lineage of the various officers and allow Yue Lingxi to take sole control of Youzhou's military affairs, time is still short!"
"There will definitely be some officers from the three prefectures who are dissatisfied with their current status. As the saying goes, a big reward always brings out brave men. As long as we promise enough official positions and money, there will definitely be commanders who will turn to our side!"
"This way, we can not only resolve the current dilemma, but also open up a gap within the otherwise solid Youzhou Army! It can be said to kill two birds with one stone!"
Xu Ningmei carefully pondered Han Zhiruo's words and felt that it was indeed the most appropriate method at the moment, so she stood up and agreed!
Yue Han thought for a moment, although such a sudden promotion of a general would certainly cause a lot of friction with the original Great Wall garrison and Youzhou cavalry who were fighting at the Great Wall, it was better than the current situation of poor military orders and command!
"Well, we can only try our best. Let's do this! Ningmei, go find a candidate. This needs to be done quickly. We should try to issue the appointment and conferral tomorrow!"
Xu Ningmei hurriedly took the order and left. After she left the hall, Han Zhiruo pondered for a moment before asking, "Princess, if this plan still doesn't work, I'm afraid we'll have to make two preparations!"
"Once the Great Wall is breached, Yanjing City will be in imminent danger. At this time, the Dahe Tiance army's intervention in Youzhou can be considered a legitimate cause. Shouldn't we make plans early?"
Yue Hanxin had already understood what Han Zhiruo meant. The situation on the battlefield was changing rapidly. Once the Great Wall was lost, it would be too late to mobilize the Dahe army. However, he was also full of unspeakable secrets!
"Alas, Zhiruo, you also know that you have to avoid Xu Ningmei before discussing this matter with me!"
Han Zhiruo smiled bitterly and said, "Master Xu is a renowned scholar of classics throughout China. Although he places the utmost emphasis on orthodox inheritance, he practices the Confucian path of self-sacrifice for righteousness."
"She's already complaining about us keeping Liu Buqi under house arrest. If we tell her we can't defend the Great Wall now, I'm afraid she'll immediately ask Liu Buqi to take charge of Youzhou!"
Yue Hanxin also smiled bitterly and said, "Yes, although she was assigned by her brother, she will not follow orders completely. She has her own path to stick to!"
"Although she can help us maintain control over Youzhou officials for the sake of orthodox inheritance, if this incident causes the grassland army to breach the Great Wall, causing great suffering to the people of Youzhou, I'm afraid she will be the first to stand up and overthrow you and me!"
Han Zhiruo also nodded in agreement. If most of the Youzhou officials who defected were not attracted by Xu Ningmei's reputation, this kind of behavior of seeking justice and being particular about everything would be guilt-free.
But in reality, this great master of scriptures who often believes that too much is as bad as too little is not really suitable to be in power in Youzhou at this time!
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