Chapter 57
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Sure enough, Xu Xiongyuan has formed relationships with the wealthy families in Jiangnan.
Among the strategists, one who was eloquent volunteered to persuade the powerful families of Jiangnan. Using a combination of threats and incentives, they even promised the daughter of the prominent Yu family to Xu Xiongyuan as a concubine.
The big shots have all jumped on the thief’s ship, and the rest have been half-persuaded and half-coerced. Some clever folks felt that something was amiss and fled to the countryside overnight. They’d rather abandon their wealth than collaborate with Xu Xiongyuan.
Naturally, Xu Xiongyuan considered himself quite reasonable. If you didn’t want to cooperate with him, that’s fine. You can leave, but leave the money.
Liu Yan secretly noted down these obedient wealthy families and later informed the undercover inspectors in Jiangnan. As the saying goes, the Emperor likes those who are honest and law-abiding.
While Xue Yuan rushed to Jinghunan on a fast horse, those wealthy families who had jumped on the thief’s ship planned to use their influence to recruit other wealthy families as much as possible.
The more people there were, the bigger the disturbance would be, and the more precarious the Emperor’s position would become. It might even be unnecessary to start a war and waste military resources and money; the court might voluntarily remove the Emperor and welcome Xu Xiongyuan instead.
Xu Xiongyuan dreamed like this, day and night, thinking about the court, the capital, and the throne.
Liu Yan protected Xu Xiongyuan’s dreams like protecting a child’s childhood dreams. When Xu Xiongyuan showed anticipation for the future, Liu Yan would smile and nod, saying, “General, whatever you want will come true. What we want will all be accomplished by you, General.”
His tone was gentle, filled with hope and sincerity. Every time he finished speaking words of agreement, Xu Xiongyuan would be moved to shake his hand and sigh loudly, “With a confidant like Mr. Liu, what else could I ask for?”
At times like these, Liu Yan would just smile faintly and say nothing.
At the border between Jinghunan and Jiangnan.
The three garrison armies had encircled the area tightly. The envelopes sent out by the wealthy families in Jiangnan were completely intercepted by the garrison armies of the three sides. People and horses were detained, and even carrier pigeons were shot down. In short, it was impossible to escape.
The people who were preparing to send letters out of Jiangnan were incredulous until they were bound and rudely thrown aside. Only then did they realize that the imperial soldiers were stationed at the borders of the two provinces.
Oh heavens…
The people sending the letters felt a chill running down their spines, goosebumps all over their bodies. They looked left and right, only to see the neat and disciplined garrison soldiers standing densely packed. They couldn’t even see the end with a single glance.
Suddenly, everything went black before their eyes, and they felt dizzy.
While people within the province were still discussing how to rebel and seize power, the Emperor’s troops were watching them closely. This sudden chill running down their spines made many people’s knees go weak, and they struggled to breathe.
The Emperor was watching them plot rebellion.
As their breath became difficult, they kept wailing in their hearts, shouting out loud, hoping that those in the province could hear their innermost thoughts and quickly run away, stop plotting rebellion!
Master, stop plotting rebellion, quickly take your wives and children and run away, the Emperor’s men are here! The Emperor knows!!!
Because time was pressing, all eyes of the Jiashen Association were focused on the wealthy families. In the homes of the common people, aside from encountering a few groups of soldiers and horses looting, casualties were relatively low.
Xu Xiongyuan’s troops spread out from Huaihua Prefecture to the surrounding prefectures and counties. Thus, he recruited twenty thousand young men who had never been to the battlefield. Now that the two provinces were short of food, when many wealthy families opened their private granaries, batches of grain were seen, making Xu Xiongyuan’s eyes turn green.
With so much grain, even if Xu Xiongyuan raised fifty thousand troops, he wouldn’t have to worry. The imperial granaries probably couldn’t compare!
Xu Xiongyuan burst into laughter immediately and sent people to transport the grain to the army camps, where they ate heartily. The wealthy families whose grain was plundered had stiff smiles on their faces, their hearts aching, but they dared not speak out.
Xu Xiongyuan directly interpreted this cooperation as the wealthy families’ belongings being his belongings. Even if the wealthy families were unwilling, there was no way out. Since the door was wide open, they could only watch as Xu Xiongyuan led his troops to plunder everything, justifying it as logistical support.
Many years of assets in the wealthy families’ homes were completely dispersed. It was only then that they realized Xu Xiongyuan’s previous politeness was just a pretense. When it came to interests, it didn’t matter who you were; you had already jumped on the thief’s ship. Could you still switch sides halfway to join the court?
Once people with troops disregard righteousness and morality, they become a group of bandits and rogues!
Xu Xiongyuan had been having a good time lately.
The young men in Jiangnan were also being snatched into his military camp. Over a fortnight had passed, and there was no news of an attack from the surrounding garrison armies. The court officials in Jiangnan had long fled in a panic. Xu Xiongyuan often said to those around him, “Perhaps the dog Emperor really can’t survive anymore.”
The people around him flattered endlessly, providing Xu Xiongyuan with the most comfortable experience of flattery. While they were recuperating like this, they were preparing to come up with a righteous excuse for rebellion.
Now that the Emperor was diligent and loved the people, and his anti-corruption activities were supported by the masses, they couldn’t possibly use the Emperor’s good deeds as an excuse. The wealthy families were unwilling to let the Emperor’s diligent governance and love for the people serve as an excuse.
In the end, the people of the Jiashen Association decided to refute the current government by citing the shortcomings of Lu Feng’s reign.
They no longer cared whether it was a problem left by their mentor, Lu Feng. For instance, the issue of powerful local nobles acting with impunity and committing numerous atrocities was blamed on Gu Yuanbai for not handling it properly!
In short, if it wasn’t your fault, it would become your fault. If you didn’t make any mistakes, how could we rebel?
While the members of the Jiashen Association were indulging in the wealth of Jiangnan, Xue Yuan, along with General Dingyuan and ten thousand soldiers, had rushed to Jinghunan.
After finalizing the route and battle plan with the garrison generals, they took a detour from the outside and blocked the end of Jiangxian Road from behind, at the border of Dayue, to prevent this last escape route.
The garrison had already received the news and was preparing to march and clear out the rebel army in Jiangnan!
After more than half a month stationed there, the generals were all itching for action, their banners fluttering, eager to gain military merit!
The army marched on, dust swirling in the air, causing the ground to tremble and distant mountains to shake. The garrison troops closed in from three sides and, in no time, advancing to Jiangnan.
The despairing hearts of the fleeing people had barely settled when they saw the well-equipped imperial troops approaching them. These people were stunned and unable to take another step.
The soldiers, whenever they encountered refugees, would settle them in the rear, distributing large quantities of grain purchased by the Supervision Bureau to the people. Some of the people hadn’t eaten anything for two or three days. When they received the rice and flour issued by the government soldiers, tears of gratitude streamed down their haggard and yellowed faces.
It was only at this moment that they realized the significance of the country’s soldiers, and they felt that the taxes they usually paid were not unjust at all!
Even as chaos gripped Jiangnan, the court had already sent people. This provided a great sense of security. After the fleeing refugees rested and ate their fill, they pondered and decided to change their course, trailing behind the soldiers, wanting to return to their hometowns with the main force.
Following this group of officials and soldiers, they felt reassured and emboldened.
When the people attending the Jiashen Association meeting heard that the court had sent troops into Jiangnan two days later, the court’s troops were already nearing Longxing Prefecture, just two hundred miles away from where Xu Xiongyuan was.
Xu Xiongyuan felt absurd.
Not long ago, the wealthy and powerful of Jiangnan had sent letters, as if the fate of the world was converging on him, Xu Xiongyuan. But inexplicably, how did the court’s troops arrive within a hundred miles?
A stroke of luck?
Xu Xiongyuan felt panic, as well as a rage of being publicly humiliated. He gathered the people of the Jiashen Association and, in a frantic tone during the discussion, exclaimed, “Do any of you have a good solution!”
Upon hearing this, the people of the Jiashen Association were also stunned.
They had just persuaded the wealthy and powerful, brought them onto pirate ships, and emptied several granaries. Everything seemed to be going well, but now the court’s troops were just two hundred miles away?!
Panic spread through the hall, everyone’s faces showing some unease.
Someone tried to remain calm and asked hopefully, “General, how many troops did the court send?”
“We’ve sent someone to inquire,” Xu Xiongyuan’s face was ugly with anger. “When did they come? We haven’t received any news at all!”
“Their sudden arrival may indicate a long-distance raid,” Zhao Zhou said gravely. “But a long-distance raiding army cannot be too large in scale, but…”
Zhao Zhou had a sense of foreboding. He couldn’t help but continue, “General, is our occupation of Jinghunan and invasion of Jiangnan too smooth?”
The officials of Jinghunan struggled symbolically, while the local officials of Jiangnan had long fled. The sudden rise in food prices, rumors of plague outbreaks, and the sudden interruption of food supplies… inexplicably led to the rebellion of the Jiashen Association.
In confusion, when Zhao Zhou received the news, Xu Xiongyuan had already wiped out the wealthy and powerful in Huaihua Prefecture.
Everyone in the hall was confused and anxious.
Four hours later, the cavalry sent to investigate the news hurried back and fell into the hall in a panic, saying, “General, there are court soldiers on all three sides, and at a rough estimate, there are at least twenty thousand of them!”
Xu Xiongyuan stood up abruptly.
The hall was quieted by these words.
Xu Xiongyuan’s facial expression couldn’t control the ferocity anymore. “Gu Lian—!”
Liu Yan acted decisively, standing up. He walked to the center of the hall and bowed deeply to Xu Xiongyuan. “Jiangnan lacks the natural defenses of Jinghunan. Once surrounded by the court’s troops on three sides, we are doomed to be unable to escape. I am incompetent and willing to stay behind for the general. Please hurry back to Jinghunan, and I will stay in Longxing Prefecture to delay the court’s troops as much as possible.”
Xu Xiongyuan was immediately moved to tears. “You have done so much for me—”
Liu Yan sighed and said solemnly, “General, please hurry back. Twenty thousand court elite soldiers are only two hundred miles away from us. If they hurry, it will be too late!”
“You are right, you are right,” Xu Xiongyuan murmured, panicked. “I will assign you fifteen thousand men, and I will leave this place to you!”
Liu Yan nodded, and the people in the hall admired his character, showing some admiration. At this moment, Zhao Zhou also stepped forward and stood beside Liu Yan, saying solemnly, “General, I am also willing to stay behind.”
Xu Xiongyuan covered his face and wept, deeply moved. “I, Xu, am unworthy, to have the assistance of these two gentlemen!”
After crying, Xu Xiongyuan immediately sent people to transport grain and money to Jinghunan. However, there was too much grain, and it took a lot of time to deal with it. Liu Yan advised, “General, as long as we preserve our lives, we will have wood to burn. Your safety is the most important thing.”
Xu Xiongyuan had to painfully leave behind most of the grain and money, taking five thousand elite soldiers and ten thousand newly recruited soldiers back to Jinghunan.
The fifteen thousand people left behind in Longxing Prefecture were actually newly recruited rookies who had never been on the battlefield. Among them, ten thousand were from Jiangnan, and the rest were recruited from Jiangnan in the past few days.
Looking at such soldiers, Zhao Zhou couldn’t help but show a hint of despair on his face. Soon, he forced himself to calm down and said to Liu Yan, “Brother Liu, let’s quickly build up the city walls, dig trenches, and prepare for the defense.”
Liu Yan narrowed his eyes and smiled, “Sure.”
Xu Xiongyuan escaped in time. When the people with soldiers fled, the wealthy and powerful in Jiangnan suddenly realized why half of the soldiers in the city were missing.
They felt a sense of impending doom and sent people to inquire. Upon receiving the news, they were so shocked that they collapsed to the ground.
Xu Xiongyuan had fled! The court had sent troops!
Their properties had just been seized as military pay by the rebels, and now they were going to be treated as rebels by the emperor.
Many wealthy and powerful people directly fainted in despair.
The next day, the people guarding the city could already feel the ground shaking from afar. Liu Yan and Zhao Zhou climbed up the city wall. After waiting for two quarters of an hour, they saw a vast army approaching from the distance, covering the sky like a dark cloud, with sand blowing everywhere. Zhao Zhou’s legs went weak, and he almost had to lean on Liu Yan to stand.
Liu Yan spoke gently, “Don’t be afraid, Brother Zhao.”
“How can I not be afraid,” Zhao Zhou smiled bitterly, steadying himself and trying to encourage himself and Liu Yan, “But throughout history, defending a city has always been easier than attacking one. If we work together, and with many generals leaving behind supplies, we can surely hold out for over a month.”
Liu Yan sighed, “But I feel that a month is too long.”
Zhao Zhou looked at him, his eyelids suddenly twitching. “What do you mean by that, Brother Liu?”
Liu Yan smiled, turned and descended from the city wall. Zhao Zhou felt uneasy and followed closely behind him, constantly asking, “Brother Liu, what exactly do you mean by this?”
The sounds of the approaching troops outside gradually grew closer, and their feet could already feel the tremors of the approaching army. Liu Yan quickly walked towards the city gate after descending from the city wall. His pace quickened, and Zhao Zhou couldn’t keep up with him. Eventually, Liu Yan reached the city gate and shouted loudly, “Open the city gates and welcome our victorious army!”
Zhao Zhou was suddenly startled, a chill rising from behind him. He looked at Liu Yan in horror, almost fainting, “You—”
What made him tremble even more was that the people guarding the city gate actually followed Liu Yan’s command and promptly opened the city gates.
The howling wind carried the sound of galloping horses into the city, and Liu Yan straightened his clothes, walked out of the city gate with large strides, and shouted towards the rapidly approaching tens of thousands of troops, “Are you General Lu Yanmao?”
The leading cavalry escorted the leading general to the city gate. General Lu dismounted and approached with a hearty laugh, “Indeed, I am!”
Liu Yan smiled, “I am Ding Yan, I’ve met the General.”
“I have not failed in my mission,” Liu Yan said loudly, “I return Jiangnan to His Majesty in its entirety! I hand over all fifteen thousand surrendered soldiers to the General.”
Zhao Zhou, seeing this, couldn’t understand anything anymore. He clutched his chest and forcibly vomited a mouthful of blood, a mix of shock, anger, and regret swirling in his mind.
From start to finish, they had fallen into the Emperor’s trap. From the moment Liu Yan sided with the General, they had been led by the Emperor!
Zhao Zhou’s anger attacked his heart, and his spine chilled. Under the intense emotions, he blacked out and collapsed to the ground.
Liu Yan knew exactly which wealthy and powerful families had joined Xu Xiongyuan and which ones had fled. He smiled slightly and said, “Then I will please trouble the General to capture all the rebel forces in the city.”
Xu Xiongyuan was still on his way to Huaihua Prefecture.
He had no idea what was happening in Longxing Prefecture in Jiangnan behind him, nor did he know that Liu Yan, whom he wholeheartedly trusted, was someone the emperor had placed by his side. At this moment, he was still lamenting with those around him, saying, “Mr. Liu and Mr. Zhao ended up in such a situation because of me. If that dog emperor attacks the city, who knows how he will mistreat them!”
The food and silver throughout Jiangnan, the prosperity of Jiangnan, were all gone like this!
Those around him comforted him, “The General has left fifteen thousand soldiers to the two gentlemen, and he has done his utmost.”
Xu Xiongyuan sighed, “I hope the two gentlemen will be safe.”
Everyone knew that the fifteen thousand soldiers were not useful, and they knew that the two of them were unlikely to have a good outcome. But some things, when you know them in your heart, you just have to accept them and not say them out loud.
A team hurriedly rushed towards Huaihua Prefecture day and night. When they had just returned to Huaihua Prefecture and had not yet raised the city gates, scattered scouts came to report that a large number of imperial soldiers were chasing after them.
Xu Xiongyuan was suddenly stunned, “Didn’t Liu Yan and Zhao Zhou stay behind to delay them?”
The scout who came to report urgently said, “General, run! There’s no time to think about this now!”
Xu Xiongyuan’s face turned pale in an instant. He didn’t know what was going on. Just a few days ago, the situation was still very good, but now he was forced to flee back to Jinghunan. And after fleeing back to Jinghunan, where else could he escape to?
Jinghunan was surrounded by mountains on three sides, and the only way to escape was being chased by the enemy. Xu Xiongyuan felt utterly defeated, “Is this Xu going to be trapped and die in Huaihua Prefecture today?”
In a moment, the mood changed drastically for many people, their faces filled with despair. No matter what, they couldn’t understand how the court soldiers suddenly appeared and how they caught up so quickly?
No one spoke in the room for a while. After a while, suddenly a guest exclaimed in shock, “General, there is still a way out for Jinghunan!”
Xu Xiongyuan was startled, “What?”
The guest said, “There is a dangerous and winding road behind Jinghunan, called the Jiangxian Road. Behind the Jiangxian Road is the territory of Dayue. General! Now that we have no way to escape, why not escape to Dayue? With soldiers in the General’s hands, we can also establish a foothold in Dayue!”
Xu Xiongyuan’s spirits were lifted, and he quickly took out the map to carefully examine it. After a while, he slammed the table decisively and made a decision, “Then let’s take the Jiangxian Road!”
Because the enemy troops behind might pursue them again, possibly with a long-distance raid, Xu Xiongyuan dared not waste too much time. He also clenched his teeth on the military pay and only allowed each soldier to bring three days’ worth of rations, immediately heading towards the Jiangxian Road.
He left Jinghunan behind, and Xu Xiongyuan, feeling dejected, was driven to the next place as if he were a drowning dog, without the spirit he had a few days ago. And his soldiers, because of the continuous fleeing in these days, were dispirited, shrinking in fear, and even the slightest movement made them extremely scared. In such an atmosphere, after enduring hardships, Xu Xiongyuan and others finally escaped to the Jiangxian Road.
Jiangxian Road was extremely dangerous, with cliffs everywhere. Some horses were even afraid to step onto the Jiangxian Road and had to be slaughtered and abandoned by Xu Xiongyuan’s order. With only a few remaining horses and soldiers, they cautiously stepped onto the Jiangxian Road.
And waiting at the end of the Jiangxian Road for them was Xue Yuan. What he was waiting for was this group of rebellious soldiers, like a family of mourners.
After the rebellious soldiers finally passed through the extremely dangerous Jiangxian Road and set foot on flat ground, they were even just beginning to show expressions of relief and gratitude for escaping disaster. The next moment, these expressions froze on their faces.
The ambushed imperial soldiers shouted and rushed out, a dense mass of soldiers appearing more terrifying to these fleeing people than demons. The smile that had just appeared on Xu Xiongyuan’s face froze, his eyes widened, his expression seemed to be smiling and crying, strangely eerie.
Banners fluttered, with the large character “Heng” catching everyone’s eye.
Each soldier of the Great Heng was well-equipped and physically strong. They blocked every escape route with their spears and drawn swords, glaring menacingly at the rebel forces.
Xue Yuan paced a few steps on his horse, laughing loudly, “His Majesty is wise to have stationed us here. General Dingyuan, look, what’s coming?”
General Dingyuan laughed heartily, “General Xue is right. Isn’t that the leader of the rebellious dogs?”
The enemy army was showing signs of dispersing, with people in the rear turning and running towards the Jiangxian Road. Many even fell into the abyss in their panic and fear.
Fear and anger rose in Xu Xiongyuan’s heart, and he brandished his sword with a fierce expression, “Is there no one in the court?! They actually sent a greenhorn to capture this general! You, have you ever been on the battlefield?!”
Xue Yuan looked amused, “Are you talking about Laozi?”
The rank of Marquis Douyu is fifth-rank, while General Dingyuan’s rank is fifth-rank as well. However, His Majesty appointed Xue Yuan as the main commander. General Dingyuan, a middle-aged man in his thirties or forties, knew of Xue Yuan’s prowess and had no thoughts otherwise. When he heard Xu Xiongyuan’s words, he burst into laughter.
Xu Xiongyuan thought he was being mocked and sneered repeatedly, mounting his horse and grabbing his weapons, “You, today I, Xu Xiongyuan, will make you see the cruelty of the battlefield! It seems the court really can’t produce any competent generals, even a little brat like you can become the main commander! After I’ve cut off your head, I’ll let that dog Emperor see my prowess!”
Xue Yuan drew his large sword, which had been sharpened to gleam with cold light during the days of waiting to kill the enemy. He looked at Xu Xiongyuan and smiled, “Interesting.”
The court achieved a complete victory!
The garrison troops from the three sides, totaling twenty thousand men, hardly played a significant role. They only killed the wealthy and powerful who had joined the rebellious army, seized their properties, and tightly sealed the news of the unrest in Jinghunan and Jiangnan, not letting out even a hint of information.
Under the guidance of the Supervision Bureau and the Donglingwei, the damage suffered by the common people was much less than expected, and Gu Yuanbai had made arrangements for the lost food and trampled houses. After thoroughly dealing with the affairs of Jinghunan and Jiangnan, the news of the incident was finally reported in the Great Heng Daily, which had been slowly spreading from the capital to the surrounding areas.
People from other provinces then learned that there had been turmoil in Jinghunan and Jiangnan, where the rebels had forcibly seized the property of the wealthy and oppressed the common people for money and food. Fortunately, the court reacted quickly and dealt with it in a timely manner, preventing the people from suffering greater harm.
However, many wealthy merchants were completely killed by the rebels, who were ruthless. Their leader, Xu Xiongyuan, even cruelly set fire to most of Huaihua Prefecture!
This news shocked the entire capital.
Then came the curses!
As the Emperor’s official writer, Chang Yuyan immediately stepped forward to sing praises to His Majesty’s compassionate actions and condemn those greedy and cruel rebels. He wrote an extremely brilliant article that made people want to personally stab the rebels in Jinghunan, and described in detail the painful and desperate experiences of the people in both places during the turmoil and fleeing, bringing tears to readers’ eyes.
Finally, Chang Yuyan appealed to everyone: “Jinghunan and Jiangnan have been damaged by the rebel army. The people have nowhere to return, crying with their children in their arms. The court wants to comfort these grieving people. The rich should donate money, and the poor should donate rice, to help the people in these areas with all their might.”
This article, because it was so well written, quickly spread throughout the country and was known by scholars.
It was also at this time that these scholars learned about the events in Jinghunan and Jiangnan. After shedding tears of grief for the words in the article, they generously donated large sums of money to the court.
After Gu Yuanbai finished reading the letters brought by the garrison troops, which were snatched from the hands of those wealthy by the rebels, he roughly understood the relationships and interests among the wealthy in various parts of the country, who was honest and who was not, and also gained some information from the letters. After he had sorted out these things, he heard news of donations pouring into the capital from all over the country.
Upon hearing this, he and the Shangshu of the Ministry of Revenue were both somewhat surprised. After hearing the specific numbers reported by people after counting, the Shangshu of the Ministry of Revenue took a deep breath and was tremblingly supported by the eunuch. He turned to look at the Emperor and suddenly blurted out, “Your Majesty, are there any rebels left?”
It was really unimaginable! It was too profitable!
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