Chapter 770: No Time to Lose, This Risk is Worth Taking
Yuan Cai was appointed by Emperor Yongshun as the garrison commander in the south of the Yangtze River, and it had been some time since he arrived outside the city of Nanyun with his troops.
In fact, Yuancai has never set foot in Nanyun so far.
The most direct reason was the obstruction of the Nanxun Chamber of Commerce.
The Nanxun Chamber of Commerce has great influence in the Jiangnan area. Not only does it have close contacts with local officials such as the Governor of Jiangnan, it is also involved with important officials in Kyoto.
Yuan Cai himself has nothing to rely on. He has reached his current position by knowing what's appropriate and not taking sides, but it also means that he is weak and has little influence.
The joint pressure exerted by officials from Kyoto and Jiangnan resulted in the army being blocked outside the city on the pretext of affecting commercial transport.
To outsiders, the place seemed heavily guarded and had no defense at all.
Yuan Cai knew that Xu Yu was in Chuzhou and that the rebels in Lingnan were very troublesome.
Even though he encountered obstacles at every turn, he never dared to be careless. He kept his troops tightly under control and was on high alert, fearing that defending Nanyun would be the last battle of his life.
However, man proposes, God disposes.
Yuancai thought about the tragedy of his death on the battlefield, and thought about what would happen after his failure to defend the city and the infamy he would leave behind for all eternity.
However, they never expected that the place regarded as the battleground of the two sides would suddenly be hit by floods.
During these days of heavy rain, Yuancai felt uneasy.
At this moment, the ominous premonition was about to become reality, and in an instant, only the unspeakable bone-chilling cold washed over the whole body.
The flood is cold and merciless, and all living beings are like grass.
Once the water level really rises to the point where it's completely out of control, then...
Yuan Cai pinched his palms tightly, his face livid as he gritted his teeth and said, "Have the Water Transport Bureau and the Jiangnan Governor's Office come up with any countermeasures to deal with the possible flood?"
The subordinate said with a bitter face: "General, Qian An of the Water Transport Bureau has already led his team away from Nanyun in the name of suppressing water bandits. As for the Jiangnan Governor's Office..."
"The Governor's Office has issued several orders, and officials in other places are following them."
"I heard that everywhere is actively preparing for possible floods, evacuating people and collecting medicine and warm clothing. It seems like they're well prepared."
Yuan Cai was slightly stunned when he heard this: "Are you saying that these orders were issued by the Governor-General of Jiangnan?"
"yes."
The subordinates had no idea what kind of person the Jiangnan Governor was, so they couldn't help but express admiration in their words: "Otherwise, why do we call him a fatherly official?"
"According to the information we've gathered, canals are being dug throughout the Jiangnan area to help drain the accumulated water, and the ferry docks adjacent to the river are piling up sand to prevent flooding. Those living along the riverbanks have been relocated to safer areas, and the wealthy merchants in the city have also voluntarily opened their doors to fully assist in flood control."
No matter who sees this scene of unity, they can't help but sigh that the local officials are good at governing.
Floods are cruel, but as long as we have a plan to deal with them, there is still a chance to fight for our lives.
Those who had originally looked solemn breathed a sigh of relief after hearing this, but the knot between Yuan Cai's brows silently deepened.
The Governor of Jiangnan in his impression was not this kind of person.
He had dealt with officials in the Jiangnan area to some extent. Eight out of ten of them were like Qian An, and the remaining two were all flattering rats who were soft-hearted.
and……
These people don't care about the life and death of ants from the bottom of their hearts.
This style of behavior is not right.
Yuancai was silent for a moment, then suddenly said, "Qian An, who was supposed to be in charge of the situation in Nanyun, ran away, but the Gui and Fan families of the Nanxun Chamber of Commerce stayed in Nanyun to organize the people to fight the flood with all their strength?"
"yes."
"I also found out..."
"Who is the person who led these two people to stay in Nanyun?"
Yuancai grasped the key point and said solemnly, "Sanyou Trading Company?"
The person being questioned was stunned for a moment and asked in surprise: "How did the general know?"
"How should I know..."
Yuancai smiled bitterly, holding his forehead and said, "But I thought about all the people who might stand up at this time, and it seems that there will be no one else except that person."
Yuan Cai leaned back in his chair, closed his eyes, and said, "A few years ago, there was a severe famine in the northwest. I heard that General Chen was struggling at the time, but he was able to escape the hardship thanks to the help of a noble person."
"I later inquired about the details, so when I first arrived in Nanyun, I was quite surprised to learn that there was also a Sanyou Trading Company here."
He had a lucky hunch, thinking that the two businesses might not have the same owner.
But judging by the current situation, it will only be the same person.
And standing behind Sanyou Trading Company is that person.
A hint of unspeakable absurdity flashed across Yuan Cai's eyes, and he said self-deprecatingly, "I still lost in the end..."
The two sides have not yet fought each other, so the outcome is still undecided.
But if his guess was correct, then judging from the starting pattern, he lost this battle miserably.
The people standing or sitting in the tent did not understand the unspoken meaning of Yuancai's words, and Yuancai did not say much.
Yuan Cai quickly calmed down his chaotic emotions and said directly: "Natural disasters are not what people want. At this time, the army must not make any more mistakes."
"Pass on my military orders. No incidents can occur under strict control. Also, count our existing food and fodder as quickly as possible and keep an eye on the flooding at the ferry. If anything seems amiss, we must take countermeasures."
Someone who knew Yuan Cai well paused and said hesitantly, "General, do you mean that we should also contribute to the flood control?"
"What else?"
Yuan Cai said bitterly, "We have over 30,000 people standing here in vain. Are we going to watch the flood engulf Jiangnan and follow the example of Qian An, the useless guy, and just turn around and run away?"
"Don't forget that more than half of our soldiers are from the Jiangnan area. The flood is about to submerge their hometowns and take away their loved ones. How can we maintain the morale of the army if we stand by and watch the army disintegrate without a fight?"
Of course they can run.
It is not their responsibility to respond to disasters.
But as a human being, in addition to responsibilities, there is also something called conscience.
The person who spoke looked helpless and sighed, "What the general said is true, but if this happens, our outer defense will be empty. If the Lingnan rebels take this opportunity to take advantage of the situation and invade, won't we be..."
"I guess not."
Yuan Cai put his hands in front of his eyes, swallowing the endless bitterness in his throat, and said hoarsely, "Although we are enemies, the Xu family army's compassion for the people is still greater than yours and mine."
"The Xu family army has maintained its dignity for a century and has never lost an inch. They would never do such a foolish thing as to disregard the lives of the people and take advantage of a disaster to start a war."
Xu Yu would probably not even bother to accept such a victory.
Others have no way of knowing what basis Yuancai based his judgment on.
However, when the news came out that Yuan Cai was preparing to lead troops to assist in flood control, the morale of the army, which had been disturbed and weakened by the heavy rain, rose to an unprecedented level.
Yuancai laughed at himself a few times, saying that this was something he had never thought of. Without any further delay, he began to plan a flood control strategy.
The noise from the army here reached Xu Yu's ears. Xu Yu held the reins with one hand and the corners of his lips curled up slightly.
There must be a reason why Chen Nianhe recommended Yuancai here.
The person following behind Xu Yu instinctively pulled him back: "General, just ahead is where Yuan Cai is."
"The enemy and our situation are currently unclear. If you proceed rashly, you may encounter hidden dangers."
Before Xu Yu could say anything, the person holding him said, "General, please wait here for a moment. I will go and check it out first. If anything unexpected happens, you will be able to respond in time."
After leaving Jiangnan, Xu Yu did not delay for a moment on the road and rushed directly to the camp where Yuan Cai's army was located.
The people who were traveling with Xu Yu were so excited that their hearts were jumping up and down that they never turned back.
Although there was a common agreement between the two sides not to kill envoys during a war, Xu Yu's identity was somewhat more special than that of the envoys.
The enemy commander ventured deep into the enemy camp, where he had few guards.
If Yuancai really wanted to kill, then...
"It's no problem."
Xu Yu patted the horse, which was spewing white air from its mouth and nose, as if to appease him, and said in a serious tone, "There is no time to waste."
"No one can predict what will happen next, so it's worth taking the risk."
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