Chapter 129 Changes

Chapter 129 Changes

Chapter 129 Changes
On the day when Shao Xun moved to Xiao County (the 27th), Governor He Lun arrived near Xuchang with nearly 13,000 infantry and cavalry.

That night, King Sima You of Runan entered the camp.

The next day, the entire army turned around and arrived outside the city of Xuchang at nightfall.

Huang Biao and Zheng Dong hesitated for a long time, arguing that it was already dark and refusing to open the city gate. As a result, in the late night of the same day, another convoy loaded with armor came out of the north gate and quietly slipped away.

On the morning of the 29th, a noble family in the city led their servants and soldiers to open the city gate and welcome He Lun and Sima You in.

Looking at Huang Biao and others who hurried over to greet him, Sima You sneered.

Human heart, human heart.

This shows who controls the hearts of the people in Yingchuan and even Yuzhou.

There are dozens of aristocratic families, such as the Xun family of Yingyin, the Yu family of Yanling, the Yu family of Xinye, the Zhong family of Changsha, the Ying family of Runan, the Zhou family of Ancheng, the Xiahou family of Qiaoxian, the Liu family of Peiguo... Who do they support?
It’s neither Zhang Fang nor Shao Xun.

Yuzhou was a region with a high concentration of aristocratic families. Each family had at least hundreds of private soldiers, and the largest number even numbered 10,000 or 20,000.

In addition to them, there were four kingdoms, namely Runan, Liang, Qiao and Pei, as well as some duchies and marquisates, each with soldiers ranging from one thousand to several thousand.

When Sikong was fighting with Liu Qiao, most of them just watched from the sidelines and there were fewer people entering the field, but that didn't mean their presence could be ignored.

It seems that Shao Xun still has some brains and has given his subordinates instructions in advance.

Just like when someone slandered Zhang Fang in front of Sima Yong, saying that Zhang Fang attacked Luoyang with the intention of holding the emperor hostage and establishing a separatist regime. Zhang Fang's final retreat may not be without this reason - another part of the reason was that Shao Xun fought to the death to defend Luoyang and did not let Zhang Fang succeed.

Haha, it’s amazing to see these two people fighting each other!

Sima You didn't say anything, but He Lun looked a little embarrassed.

He knew Shao Xun was not there, so he called Huang Biao and Zheng Dong over with full confidence and scolded them: "You are so bold that you let me blow the cold wind in the wild all night. Who taught you to be so domineering? It must be that you two were born thieves. You have not changed your bad habits even after joining the Imperial Guard."

Huang Biao stood solemnly and ignored him.

Zheng Dong felt a little uneasy and wanted to explain, but in the end he didn't know where to start.

"Get out! Take your people, get out of Xuchang and set up camp in the east of the city." After showing off his power, He Lun waved his hand and said.

"Yes." Huang Biao and Zheng Dong saluted together, then left Xuchang City with the soldiers.

Sima You and He Lun rushed to the treasury and took a careful inventory.

Sima You didn't care much about the numbers. As long as he didn't completely empty the money and got Shao Xun to give up some benefits, the matter would be over on the surface.

As for King Fanyang, there is actually no big problem, because Sikong now wants to lead Yuzhou personally, just like he personally led the governor and governor of Xuzhou.

Xuzhou will soon be handed over.

Military officer Wang Dao fled eastward to Xuzhou, serving as a horseman, and although he had no merits, he worked hard.

When Wang Yan was in the court, he was very respectful to Sikong and they cooperated well.

Therefore, Sikong planned to let Wang Rui of Langya serve as the governor of Xuzhou, with Wang Dao as his assistant, as a way of giving face to Wang Yifu.

However, the Sikong also kept a trick up his sleeve, which the governor did not give out.

It is very uncomfortable for a governor who has only military power but no political power, and it is even more uncomfortable for a governor who has only political power but no military power.

The struggle between the Governor of Xuchang, Fanyang Wang Hu, and the Governor of Yuzhou, Liu Qiao, is still vivid in our minds.

If the Prince of Langya was only the governor of Xia Pi, considering his abilities and reputation, he might not have had a better life than the Prince of Fan Yang in Yuzhou.

After Sikong takes over Yuzhou, he will eventually hand it over.

As someone close to Sikong, Sima You knew very well how disappointed Sikong was with Duke Pingchang - cursing him in private was commonplace.

But Duke Pingchang is Sikong's biological brother, a true family member, so no matter what trouble he causes or what mess he makes, he will never be blamed.

Therefore, after a period of stability, Yuzhou would most likely be handed over to the Duke of Pingchang. He was unable to cope with the complex situation in Hebei and could only live in Yuzhou, a relatively stable place.

Jizhou will be given to King Fanyang.

This was not too unfair to him. Although Jizhou had been in constant war since last year, it had a solid foundation. After pacifying the chaos, it would rest and recuperate, which was definitely better than Yuzhou.

Sikong really worries about this family.

After pretending to inspect the treasury, Sima You left and went to the Prince of Fanyang's palace.

As soon as he left, He Lun relaxed and said, "Just check it casually, no need to be too detailed."

The clerks were stunned at first, and then responded one after another.

They are all smart people, what don't they understand? There are even a few smart ghosts who are already secretly wondering if Governor He is hinting at them because he didn't get any benefits? Then this account will have to be re-done.

Governor He must have prepared a big one, and they took the opportunity to get a little bit of profit. How wonderful!

******
After Shao Xun received the information "sent" from various places, he digested it for a while, and then smiled: "Many people are looking for me when they have nothing to do, but I am fighting for Sikong."

Tang Jian, who had just returned from Yunzhongwu, was a little worried and asked, "My dear, the envoy of the King of Runan ordered us to hand over all the loot. Do we really have to give it to him?"

"You ask for a high price, but you have to pay back the price." Shao Xun snorted coldly and said, "First, send him 300 sets of damaged armor seized from the battlefield. I don't believe that he really dares to come to me to ask for it."

Sima You went to Xuchang on the orders of Sikong, sealed the treasury, checked the accounts, and finally sent an envoy to the camp of Shao's troops which had marched to Qiao County, saying that they had looted "two thousand sets of iron armor" and demanded that they return them within a time limit.

As soon as these words were spoken, Shao Xun understood.

What a joke! I have already moved more than 6,600 sets. Except for the ones that were stolen, most of them have been stored in Yushanwu, and 1,500 of them have even been transported back to Yunzhongwu.

Two thousand pairs, do you look down on me?
"I'm sure the general has also seen that this is a small punishment for a big warning." Li Zhong sat opposite Shao Xun and said without hesitation: "Even if this matter is finally put aside, Sikong can't just pretend that nothing happened. If the two sides are suspicious of each other, in the end..."

Having said that, Li Zhong sighed regretfully.

"Your words may not be pleasant to hear, but they are the truth." Shao Xun nodded and said, "It seems that we have to take drastic measures and prepare for the worst."

"What do you mean, General?" Li Zhong asked in surprise.

Shao Xun did not answer but asked: "What do you think of General Tu's son?"

"They are all veteran soldiers selected by the left and right guards. Many of them have served in the army for more than ten years and have seen dozens of battles. Of course, they are excellent." Li Chonghui said.

"How are these generals doing?" Shao Xun continued to ask.

"Not very good." Li Zhong said, "But the lives of the people in Luoyang are very difficult. They are not as good as the rich, but better than the poor."

"It's just bullshit." Shao Xun cursed, "On the way back, I talked with the boys. Someone took off his clothes and armor, counted the scars on his body one by one, and told me when, where and how he got injured. Is it enough for you to just let such a warrior live? Is that reasonable?"

Li Chong was speechless.

"No wonder the men don't want to fight to the death!" Shao Xun glanced at Li Zhong and asked, "Do you think I should expand my army now that I have so many armors?"

Li Zhong's heart skipped a beat.

Gao Yi, Zhang Gu, Yu An and others surrounded him from a distance, looking at him with their arms folded.

"Don't worry. If there is anyone who is most reluctant to see the imperial court lose its dignity, it must be me." Shao Xun waved his hand and said, "Go and supervise the baggage train and ask them to carefully prepare food, grass and equipment. If you have figured it out, you can come to me."

"Yes." Li Zhong left with a heavy heart.

Shao Xun waved his hand and asked Gao Yi, Zhang Gu and others to come over, saying: "When it comes to marching, fighting, and commanding, none of you can compare to Li Zhong. You are far behind."

Several people were scolded so hard that they were humiliated, but they didn't dare to refute.

Shao Xun didn't want to talk about these troubles, so he got straight to the point: "After the Xuchang Arsenal case, Sikong Ying is a little wary of me. I originally estimated that I would not have the opportunity to be assigned to a post outside the capital within three to five years, but now it seems that I may not have the opportunity within ten years. Therefore, the previous plan is no longer valid, and I have to think of a new way."

In fact, even if there was no Xuchang Arsenal Case, the possibility of Sima Yue sending him away would be gradually decreasing.

The reason is simple. He has been losing battles all the time and does not have enough military talent. They will not let him go until he has fully utilized his value.

For some things, you think in one direction, but the reality is often in another direction.

"What method?" Zhang Gu asked stupidly.

"Actually, this is also my fault. I thought too simply before." Shao Xun sighed and said, "Jin San, Lu Heigou, and Mao Er have recently counted and found that among the six hundred Silver Spear soldiers in the three camps of Yunzhong, Jinmen, and Tanshan, nearly two hundred of them have married, all this year."

Everyone listened quietly.

"They are all refugees from Bingzhou, some of them even have one or two children with them. They are not picky and just marry them home." Shao Xun stopped laughing halfway, coughed, and said, "Actually, I was negligent. They were originally coolies, and many of them could not get married in their entire lives. Now that there is such a good opportunity, of course they can't resist. This has posed a problem for me."

"General, isn't this good?" Gao Yi asked in confusion, "After getting married and having children, they can put down roots."

It's because they've taken root that I'm depressed! Shao Xun sighed in his heart, but how can he explain this to others?
Humans have emotions and desires; they are not robots, and physiological needs are one of them.

In the three forts, the status of the Silver Spear Army soldiers was not low. Each of them was supported by five households of the common people, and they worked in the fields in their spare time, so their lives were relatively rich. When they were well fed and warm, then what would happen?

"Let's not talk about them." Shao Xun said, "I plan to expand the army, and the first batch will be generals. If you know any of them, please help persuade them."

"General, it costs money to maintain an army. Where does the money come from?" Gao Yi asked.

His family is in business, so they are extremely sensitive about money, and they get straight to the point when they open their mouths.

"We also stole some money this time, so let's just do it this way for now. This time when we went south, I saw a place I liked, and I'll take you there after we return." Shao Xun said, "Let's do it this way for now, the most important thing is to defeat Liu Qiao first."

(End of this chapter)