Chapter 209 General
"Your idea is a good one, sir," Sima Jun said. "However, in the Three Wus, due to years of unrest, vast tracts of abandoned farmland exist, making the implementation of the military farming system relatively easy to implement. Guangzhou, however, is different. This area has been stable for a long time, and powerful individuals have taken over, competing with the people for profit. If you were to carve out land for military farming, I'm afraid you'd inevitably run into disputes with the powerful."
Li Mo smiled and said, "I understand what the Crown Prince means. The local nobles, led by Qu Kang, are colluding with the Three Immortals Sect, and there is irrefutable evidence. Now that the imperial court has ordered the elimination of the remaining culprits, I will not show any mercy."
Sima Jun knew that Li Mo was a smart man, and there was no need to say more.
"Well, I'll take my leave now," he said.
Li Mo said, "Thank you for your guidance, my Lord."
After saying this, he bowed deeply.
——
After Sima Jun left, Li Mo stood on the road, watching Sima Jun's back.
Ah Qing stepped forward and asked, "Sir, are you just going to let Prince Yuzhang go? Supervisor Wang said yesterday that he would find a crime to arrest him."
Li Mo sneered, "Looking for a crime? What crime? The Prince of Yuzhang went to Cangwu to pay homage to the late king at the order of the Queen Mother. I arrested him and angered the Queen Mother. Do you think Wang Zhi will protect me? He will only push everything onto me and clear himself."
After saying this, he sighed, "If Wang Zhi had half the ability of the Prince of Yuzhang, he wouldn't have asked me to come all the way from Wujun to Guangzhou to help him."
Ah Qing blinked and said, "Young Master seems to be quite impressed with this prince now."
Li Mo looked into the distance and said, "He has really impressed me these past few days. During Wang Zhi's trip, the only chance to eliminate the Crown Prince was to take advantage of the chaos in Shixing and kill him. But unexpectedly, the Crown Prince decisively abandoned the city and escaped, which shows that he knows when to advance and when to retreat. Later, he was willing to use Liang Wen in exchange for the revenge of Ning Ru and Xie Xiao, which shows that he understands people's hearts and values friendship."
A Qing was quite surprised.
"Loyalty?" He smiled. "When you judge people in the past, you never mention these three words."
"I don't mention these three words because they are precious. The higher one's position, the less they are used," Li Mo said. "Those who only value friendship are fools. But this prince, besides friendship, is also strategic. He always prioritizes the overall situation and doesn't pay attention to small details. He has the demeanor of a great general. If I don't see this, I would be a fool too."
Ah Qing seemed to be lost in thought and said, "I still remember that during the Jingkou mutiny, the master said that the prince was just a reckless man and that he was able to escape by chance only because of the princess's help."
Li Modao smiled faintly.
"Ah Qing," he said, "have I ever told you how a counselor chooses his master?"
"I have said so," Ah Qing said. "The Master said that a wise bird chooses the right tree to roost in. Only a wise ruler can allow wise men to assist him wholeheartedly."
"I heard that the Queen Mother quite disliked the Princess of Yuzhang and even had murderous intentions," Li Mo said. "She has the ability to read the secrets of the heavens. If the Prince of Yuzhang was a fool, she would have already taken advantage of the situation and escaped. Why would she stay?"
Ah Qing understood and nodded, saying, "Sir, what you said makes sense."
After saying this, he sighed again: "What a pity, Wang Pushe will definitely not tolerate the Prince of Yuzhang. Now that the eldest son is so helpless, he will definitely not be a match for the Prince of Yuzhang in the future. I wonder who else can match him."
Li Mo smiled but said nothing.
"We'll talk about the future later. Let's clean up the mess in Guangzhou first," he said.
Ah Qing said, "This mess gives me a headache. Why not just push it to someone else, sir? Why take it on yourself?"
Li Mo smiled and said, "Although it's a mess, once it's cleaned up, it will become the foundation."
"What do you mean, sir?"
"You heard what I just said to the prince," Li Mo said. "These followers who have lost their roots are like the refugees who fled south back then. Do you know where those refugees went?"
Ah Qing understood and his eyes lit up.
Li Mo said calmly, "Doesn't Liu Ke always complain that Guangzhou has no soldiers and can't even defeat the powerful families? In the future, things will be very different."
——
It was almost dark when Sima Jun returned to the camp.
The sky was tinged with a dark red sunset glow, and a cool breeze blew away the steaming heat.
From a distance, Sima Jun saw Lu and Deng Lian standing by the river.
In the twilight, a slender silhouette is left behind.
Hearing the sound of horse hooves, she turned to look at him. As she approached, he caught a glimpse of the smile on her lips.
"Why is Madam here?" Sima Jun dismounted and handed the reins to Deng Lian.
"I have nothing to do, so I came out to relax. I just heard from General Chu that the prince went to see Li Mo?" Sun Wei said.
Sima Jun responded and told Sun Wei about his meeting with Li Mo.
"I didn't expect that the prince still cared about General Xie's wish."
"I once fought alongside the Marquis of Changyang, and avenging him is my own wish." Sima Jun said, glancing at Sun Wei. "Besides, Madam said that one shouldn't work for others for nothing. Since Li Mo values Liang Wen so much, wouldn't it be a loss if I didn't raise the price?"
She spoke as if she was the one who taught him bad things.
Sun Wei accepted it calmly and said, "Your Highness is able to weigh the pros and cons. This child is teachable. I am very pleased."
It made him sound as if he needed her to teach him how to weigh the pros and cons, Sima Jun thought.
He looked around and said, "Aru has gone to Panyu, and the lady has no one to serve her. How about asking Deng Lian to go to Shixing and buy a maid for her?"
Sima Jun asked the key question.
Sun Wei still didn't know whether Aju would come back. If she didn't come back, Sun Wei would really be left without anyone to serve him personally.
But she didn't think it was a big deal.
In her previous life, as a princess, she had a number of servants at her beck and call. However, she knew not to trust anyone easily, so even though she had many people, she couldn't tell who was her confidant.
In this life, she had specifically sought out A Ru for the convenience of her actions. Only someone as well-informed as A Ru could she trust.
If Aju is gone, it will be just like in the previous life, and it will make no difference who serves me.
"We can talk about this later. The maids following me now were all sent by General Chu. They are useful to me. When I am away from home, I don't need to worry about those trivial matters." Sun Wei said.
Sima Jun looked at her and said, "That's just as Madam wishes."
——
After a few days, people from Taichang finally arrived.
After the meeting, Sima Jun said goodbye to Chu Yue and took Sun Wei to Cangwu.
When Sima Jun and his entourage had originally traveled south from Jiankang, many of them had fallen ill. This time, as they were heading to Cangwu, Sima Jun had prepared for a rainy day and asked Chu Yue for a doctor, just in case.
By the time they arrived at Guangxin City, the county seat of Cangwu County, it was already August.
The prefect had already received the emperor's blessing and had built a shrine by the river where Prince Yuzhang drowned. This place was in the wilderness, so Sima Jun and his entourage stayed in a nearby village.
The people of Taichang did not dare to be negligent, and the sacrificial ceremonies and rituals continued one after another for a full ten days.
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