Chenxi asked, "Do you know anything about Wang Datong?"
Song Zhen nodded: "I know a little. This man is brave and ruthless, and he kills people without hesitation. He was the one who led the massacre of the county government office and killed the county magistrate's entire family!"
Shen Xi frowned and asked, "Has this person ever received any favors from you?"
Song Zhen was somewhat indignant: "How could I not have suffered? They were the first group to arrive in Bian'ai County. I even personally introduced them to some things to do because they were the leaders, so I have a deep impression of them. Who would have thought they would repay kindness with enmity in the end?"
"This person deserves to die!" In this chaotic world, one can use any means necessary to get things done, but one must not be without any bottom line!
“He deserves to die. You know, I introduced him to some work, and the county magistrate saw that he was strong and capable, so he transferred him to his side and made him a minor official. But he didn’t know how to be grateful.”
"How cohesive are the two thousand men led by Wang Datong? How effective are they in combat?" Shen Xi was particularly interested in this aspect.
Song Zhen replied very quickly: "Compared to a well-trained regular army, they are simply trash, but Wang Datong himself is not to be underestimated in terms of combat power!"
Shen Xi understood. Basically, of Wang Datong's two thousand men, not many were actually capable fighters; they were relying on their numerical advantage and Wang Datong's personal fighting prowess.
That makes things easier.
"I've already sent people to investigate the situation in Bian'ai County. We'll discuss this again once we get back to them."
We are completely in the dark now, and we don't know the specific situation in Bian'ai County, so we can't rush to retake it.
Everyone agreed that the leader's suggestion was the best.
Zang Huatian said in a deep voice, "My family has a secret passage leading out of the city, which ordinary people cannot find. It was made by the Jin family."
A secret passage? Chen Xi's eyes lit up. There was a secret passage. He could arrange for some people to enter the city and coordinate an attack from the inside to take the city at minimal cost.
Song Zhen looked at Zang Huatian with great suspicion: "Brother Zang, when did your house have a secret passage?"
Zang Huatian glanced at him, not wanting to answer, but seeing that the leader seemed interested, he had no choice but to reply: "It has been there for a long time. When my father was alive, he was on good terms with the head of the Qiqiao Jin family and built secret passages in many residences. In Bian'ai County alone, there are five secret passages outside the city leading to my house and the shop."
Fearing that Shenxi might not understand, Song Zhen explained: "The Qiqiao Jin family is a famous family in the north, known for its ingenious mechanisms for generations. The current head of the family is named Jin Shupiao."
Shenxi nodded. People skilled in ingenious mechanisms and techniques, who could become prominent families, were indeed quite capable.
"There are several secret passages that can give us an even greater advantage."
Shen Xi found Zang Huatian more and more pleasing to the eye: "Huatian, do you have a map of the secret passage?"
Zang Huatian said, "My late father showed me maps of all the secret passages when I was a child, and forced me to memorize them before destroying the maps."
In other words, apart from the Jin family and Zang Huatian, it would be difficult for anyone else to know the location of the secret passage.
Shenxi secretly gave a thumbs up, thinking that Zang's father was a cautious man.
"Don't worry, sir. If you need it, I will draw it." Zang Huatian didn't hold back at all.
"Good, if it succeeds, Huatian will be awarded a first-class merit!"
A smile began to spread slowly across Zang Huatian's chubby face.
He had already heard Zhao Rong say that a first-class merit was the greatest achievement, and the leader would keep a record of it. So, if he accumulated enough merit, when the leader succeeded, he would also be credited for his service.
After the matter was discussed, Shen Xi looked at Qi Xiuwen and Qi Xiuwu. The elegant Qi Xiuwen asked gently, "Does the chief want to know more about the affairs of Nanning Prefecture?"
Qi Xiuwen, as a strategist, was not only exceptionally intelligent but also possessed an innate ability to read people's expressions and demeanor.
Seeing Chen Xi nod, Qi Xiuwen explained in detail.
"The Prefect of Nanning Prefecture is Xie Hou, who holds multiple positions. That place is also the Xie family's stronghold. Nanning Prefecture is actually a country within a country. Although Xie Hou is the Prefect, he truly holds real power in the area and is almost not subject to the central government."
To give Shenxi a more direct understanding, Qi Xiuwen started by comparing an ordinary prefect with the prefect of Marquis Xie.
Shenxi then realized the difference between Ge Congshan, the prefect of Xianghe Prefecture, and Xie Hou, the prefect of Nanning Prefecture. Ge Congshan was a prefect transferred by the state and had a term of office, while Xie Hou's prefecture could be inherited.
Although prefects have the authority to mobilize troops, they are also subject to the constraints of the local generals. Prefects are not allowed to move a single soldier unless appointed during special periods.
Xie Hou, however, was different. He was not only the prefect, the highest administrative official of the prefecture, but also the general of Nanning Prefecture, holding local military power.
It can be said that Marquis Xie was the king of Nanning Prefecture, which bordered the capital Kangjian Prefecture. At the beginning of the founding of the country, Marquis Xie's ancestors were sworn brothers with the founding emperor of the Da Xuan Dynasty. Together they entered the Central Plains and occupied this land.
The founding emperor then bestowed the title of king upon Xie Hou's ancestor, granting him command over the military power of the capital and Nanning Prefecture, and entrusting him with the governance of the empire alongside the emperor.
Later emperors, wary of the Xie family, gradually reclaimed military power in the capital, and the Xie family settled in Nanning.
Marquis Xie was originally named Marquis Xie, and he could have inherited the throne. However, when Marquis Xie's father was alive, he wrote a memorial stating that his family had been in hereditary rule for five generations, and since his descendants did not have the same great achievements as their ancestors, they naturally could not continue to occupy the throne.
The current emperor, Yelü De, tried to dissuade him to no avail, so he said, "Xie Hou is a homophone for Hou, so let him inherit the title of Hou in the future!"
So after Xie Hou's father died, Xie Hou became Xie Hou. People also called him Nanning Xie Hou, but because Xie Hou himself did not like the title of marquis, his close associates all referred to him as Nanning Xie Hou.
Shenxi asked, "Was it because the Xie family was willing to be demoted to avoid the Emperor's taboo?"
Qi Xiuwen praised, "Chief is wise. Xie Hou's father saw that the current people are very wary of the Xie family, so he requested that the hereditary throne be abolished in order to protect the entire Xie family."
Qi Xiuwen sighed: "It's a pity that Marquis Xie doesn't understand his father's good intentions. He has always considered being called Marquis a disgrace. Who in the world doesn't know that Marquis Xie's family in Nanning has always avoided calling him Marquis and prefers to call him by his name directly?"
"Foolish," Chen Xi said. "Whether he willingly becomes a marquis or not, he is a marquis, and he still occupies Nanning, doesn't he?"
"Yes!" The fact that the Emperor had not touched Xie Hou's position as governor and his military power in Nanning was the greatest guarantee for the Xie family.
Qi Xiuwen continued, "Xie Hou was born to a concubine. His father only had him as a male heir. The concubine's son was also granted the title of heir apparent and later became a marquis."
Shenxi recalled the fight at the foot of the mountain a few days ago, where Xie Ning fought against Xie Hou's wife. At that time, someone asked what to do about the old concubine and the several young ladies from concubines. Xie Hou's wife said that they didn't need to worry about them.
It seems that the old aunt, Xie Hou's birth mother, must have been sitting in the carriage at that time.
Every family has its own problems. Judging from Xie Hou's wife's attitude at the time, she must have had a major conflict with this old concubine!
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