Chapter 193 All Brothers
Chapter 193 All Brothers (Monthly Ticket Plus 4)
The imperial carriage had just passed Jinan and had not yet entered the territory of Qi when unrest began to build up around it - last year, the late emperor had rehabilitated the King of Qi, and Sima Chao, the eldest son of Sima Jue, had inherited the title.
Wang Dun was a little nervous, so he got off his horse and climbed up a hill to look around.
To be honest, he doesn't have much military experience.
Among the Wang family's sons and nephews, he gained a reputation for being knowledgeable about military affairs because he loved reading Zuo Zhuan. So, with the help of his cousin, he was appointed as the governor of Qingzhou.
But one's own family knows one's own business. He led the troops to fight, relying solely on his middle-level generals, and he himself did not understand much.
It doesn't matter at all.
As a noble family, who wouldn’t have some family generals, and who wouldn’t make friends with a few military strategists who have been generals for generations?
I just need to understand the general idea, and they will naturally be responsible for the specific deployment of troops.
Well, it’s a good idea, but sometimes unexpected things happen.
"Swoosh! Whoosh!" The sound of hurried horse hooves came from afar, and arrows fell among the convoy, causing panic and even crying.
"Useless woman!" Wang Dun cursed angrily.
Crying and yelling at the critical moment will disrupt the morale of the troops and will be of no use at all.
He had not touched a woman for many years since he dismissed dozens of concubines in the mansion. Since then, he had eaten well and slept well, and did not have to worry about that every day. As for the constant quarrels between the princess and him because of this, it was nothing.
As a man, if there are some things you can't do, don't give up on yourself. You can still pursue other things.
Just today——
"Swoosh! Whoosh!" The arrows are getting closer.
Someone saw Wang Dun on the hillside and immediately dismounted and ran over, shouting and shooting arrows at him.
Wang Dun was shocked and dodged in a hurry.
As if playing a joke on him, a sharp arrow flew past his head with a whistling sound.
Wang Dun was so frightened that he quickened his pace and returned to the convoy at the foot of the mountain.
The commander of the guards has already led his men forward to repel the enemy.
There were also several family generals, each leading more than ten people, climbing up the hillside to prevent the enemy from occupying the high ground and put them in a passive position.
Sima Xiuwei lifted the curtain of the car and hurriedly got out, his face pale.
"Husband..." She grabbed Wang Dun's hand.
"Get out of the way!" Wang Dun pushed Sima Xiu away, causing him to stagger.
"You?" She was a princess after all, so she naturally had a bad temper. Seeing her husband treating her like this, she was angry and anxious. She stretched out her finger tremblingly and was about to scold him.
Another arrow came from the air and landed on the carriage, its feathers still trembling, preventing a quarrel from breaking out.
Sima Xiuwei burst into tears with a "wow".
In her thirty-five years of life, no one had ever treated her like this.
The maids came forward to support and comfort him, and some of the brave ones even scolded Wang Dun.
Wang Dun became more and more annoyed, but he had no time to care about these bitches now. He was only concerned about the attacking enemies.
"Brother." Wang Shu hurried over, with a few pieces of grass on his head, looking ridiculous. He said, "This year, the bandits in Qingzhou are getting more rampant. The prefectures and counties are unable to suppress them, and they have become a problem. I don't know who these people are. Could they be Wang Mi's people?"
Wang Dun swallowed hard.
He regretted it a bit.
He thought that with his talent for commanding the army, after arriving in Qingzhou, he could allocate money and food, and support the soldiers well, so as to train a strong army, suppress the bandits, and then make Qingzhou like an iron barrel, which would become the foundation of the Wang family of Langya.
After receiving the order at the beginning of the month, he excitedly took more than a hundred followers and traveled day and night to Qingzhou.
As a result, before they even arrived at the government office, they were given a warning.
Are the bandits in Qingzhou so rampant?
The sound of weapons clashing could be heard ahead, as well as the screams of people before they died.
Wang Dun became more and more panicked as he listened, and his temples were pounding.
Princess Xiangcheng Sima Xiuyi wiped her tears, walked over again, and said, "My husband, the road is difficult, it is better to return to Luoyang. I beg my brother to let His Majesty..."
"Get out!" A voice suddenly came from beside him. Wang Dun was startled and pushed him away.
Sima Xiuwei fell to the ground and looked at Wang Dun in disbelief.
"Come here, take the horses." Wang Dun took two steps at a time and came to the back of the caravan. He took a horse and climbed on it. He said, "I am responsible for the country and cannot afford to lose anything. I will go ahead and you can go yourselves."
Everyone is stupid.
He even abandoned his wife just to escape? Is it that serious?
Although the bandits were shooting arrows everywhere, we had just fought a few rounds and their numbers were not too large. We could easily repel them and then go to Qingzhou to see the situation first.
“Brother.” Wang Shu pulled Wang Dun’s reins and said sternly, “Yi Fu worked so hard to get you the post of governor of Qingzhou, but you don’t want it anymore?”
Wang Dun showed hesitation and turned his head to look behind him.
The guards were still fighting with the bandits, and seemed to have stabilized their position, driving the bandits out step by step.
It seems like - there is no need to escape in such a miserable way?
But he soon thought of the sharp arrow that had just passed by him, and his heart tightened.
Thinking about the news that the Qingzhou bandits had risen again, gathered tens of thousands of people, and attacked cities and seized territories, he suddenly lost confidence.
Even if they successfully reached Linzi (the seat of the Qingzhou governor), what would happen? Would they be able to suppress those fierce bandits?
"I have made up my mind." Wang Dun broke Wang Shu's hand, looked back and rekindled his hope, and looked at his wife with expectant eyes, saying: "Thank you for your hard work, soldiers. Princess Xiangcheng has more than a hundred maids, all of whom will be given to you as wives. My family property will also be divided. Things are urgent, I will go first."
After saying this, he flicked the whip and galloped away.
Wang Shu stared at Wang Dun's back stupidly for a long time without saying a word.
Sima Xiu sat slumped on the ground, his eyes no longer filled with tears, only emptiness and despair. After a long time, it turned into deep hatred.
The maids were all terrified.
Normally, they relied on the princess's support and were a little disrespectful to their princes-in-law. They didn't expect that they would be hated. Now they were rewarded as wives of the soldiers. They couldn't even cry.
The sound of weapons clashing in the distance gradually faded away.
The bandits were not in a numerical advantage, and the guards fought hard but saw that they could not take down the convoy, so they scattered and retreated.
After a while, the guards who had been gathered back became very excited when they heard that they could sleep with women and get money as well.
Sima Xiuyi suddenly reacted.
She adjusted her appearance a little, stood up and looked at the soldiers, saying: "These maids, the oldest has been with me for twenty years, and accompanied me when I got married. In name, we are master and servant, but in love we are like sisters. Now I will marry you, give birth to children, support you and raise your children, so you must treat them well."
"Princess..." All the maids shed tears.
Sima Xiuwei became ruthless and pretended not to see it. He ordered his men to calculate the money and divide it into more than a hundred parts. He choked up and said, "These can be considered my dowry. Live a good life in the future." "The princess is so kind that I cannot repay her with my life." When the soldiers heard this, they burst into tears of gratitude and knelt on the ground one after another.
"Let's go back to Luoyang now." Sima Xiuyi turned around and got on the carriage, putting away his sad expression, and his face instantly became icy cold.
******
As the year draws to a close, the pace of life in Luoyang suddenly slows down.
The bad news from other places was too far away from them, and Luoyang had been peaceful for several years. Everyone subconsciously ignored those troubles and celebrated the New Year happily.
Outside Kaiyang Gate in the south of the city, carts were lined up waiting to enter the city.
Winter vegetables, firewood, grain and other consumables to maintain city life were delivered one by one by horse-drawn carriages, donkey carts, ox carts, mule carts and so on.
Wang Yan waited inside the gate for a while before leaving the city with Pan Tao and others.
"Vegetables, vegetables, and vegetables. I just know what they are." Wang Yan sighed and said, "If there is a food shortage someday, I don't know how many people will starve to death."
Pan Tao laughed and said, "My family also has dozens of acres of vegetable gardens in the suburbs of Luoyang. A while ago, the gardener came to report that he made 20,000 yuan from selling vegetables and wanted to give it to me, but I confiscated it. In Luoyang, growing vegetables can make much more money than growing grain."
"Why not accept it?" Wang Yan asked curiously.
Although he didn't like money when he was young, he definitely didn't hate it. Now, he really hates people mentioning money in front of him, all thanks to his old wife, Guo.
"I set up a garden to grow vegetables to provide food for dozens of people in the house, including the old and young servants. Why should I sell vegetables for money and take away the profits of the gardener?" Pan Tao said with a carefree smile.
Wang Yan was in awe, but still asked, "One acre of coriander can produce two carts, and one cart is worth three or four pieces of silk, which is a lot of money. My family - uh, someone sells onions for a living, which is just an insignificant vegetable, but has accumulated a lot of money. Yang Zhong doesn't want it? The Pan Garden occupied by Luyang Hou used to belong to the Pan family, right? In summer and autumn, there are teenagers pushing carts and selling fruits and vegetables along the street, making a lot of money. Isn't it a pity?"
Pan Tao laughed.
As Wang Yan was talking, he turned the topic to Marquis Luyang, which was interesting.
But he knew about this and didn't think it was a big deal.
Pan Yue's house was confiscated by the imperial court and occupied by Marquis Luyang. The imperial court had no explanation and kept dragging the matter out.
The court is not in a hurry, so why should he be in a hurry?
He had also seen those vegetable vendors.
It is said that they were orphans adopted by the Marquis of Luyang, who taught them knowledge and martial arts, and sometimes sent them to work in the fields. When fruits and vegetables were harvested, they were sent out to sell, and this was not unique to this year.
I heard that Luyang Hou's third brother Shao Fan is in charge of this matter.
Some of the fruits, vegetables, meat, milk, fish and shrimp produced in Shao Garden, Jingu Garden and Pan Garden were provided to young students, and some were sold in exchange for money and silk.
It seems that some people have moved away this year, so there are more fruits and vegetables that cannot be eaten, so they are naturally sold.
"Marquis Luyang sent someone to deliver two wild boars and several deer to my house yesterday, and the rent has been collected." Pan Tao said with a smile.
Wang Yan was silent.
He also received many wild animals and a lot of skins. It was said that these were obtained by the soldiers organized by the Marquis of Luyang from hunting in Guangchengze. His wife Guo praised them highly and changed her usual harshness, which made Wang Yan embarrassed.
"Marquis Luyang knows how to behave." He sighed, "I'm afraid the prophecy will not affect him."
"But it is always a thorn in the hearts of many people," said Pan Tao.
Who are the “many people”?
First of all, there is the emperor. Is it necessary to win over Marquis Luyang? This is a problem.
Next are the Sima clan members. No matter which clan prince is in power, they are better than people from other clans, and they don’t want to be expelled from their country.
The last one was the Taifu who was stationed in Xuchang. He might have the most complicated feelings, and his inner fear was even as great as that of the emperor.
"Yang Zhong, why did you alienate Gou Yanzhou and the Grand Tutor?" Wang Yan asked in a low voice after walking forward for a distance and putting some distance between himself and his followers.
"Why did Si Tu say that?" Pan Tao disagreed. "Yanzhou is a strategic place. Wei Wu started his business there. Gou Xi has great ambitions and is not a loyal minister. If he stays in Yanzhou for a long time, he will be in trouble. It is better to move him to Qingzhou and give him a good title. Xi will be happy. After Xi leaves, Tai Fu will govern Yanzhou himself, manage the various states, and protect the court. This is to prevent trouble before it happens."
This month, Wang Yan was promoted from Sikong to Situ, and was also the Lieutenant General of the Northern Army and the supreme commander of the imperial guards.
Pan Tao has already joined the shogunate and served as Sima.
Just a while ago, he suggested to Sima Yue that Gou Xi, as the governor of Qing and Yan states, had too much power and that Yan state should be taken away.
Sima Yue thought it made sense, so he submitted a memorial to the court: appoint Xi as the General of the Eastern Expedition, the Grand Master of the Three Departments, the Governor of Qingzhou, and add the titles of Palace Attendant, Acting Envoy, Commander-in-Chief of the Military Affairs of Qingzhou, and confer the title of Duke of Dongping County.
Obviously, this is what Pan Tao proposed, "giving them a thick title" and taking away their real power.
Some people like titles and like promotion.
Some people like real power and believe that fancy official positions cannot bring them any real benefits.
Gou Xi is obviously the latter. After all, as a military leader, he cares more about how many resources he can control.
Faced with the imperial order, Gou Xi obeyed and eventually left Yanzhou to take up his post in Qingzhou. But he must have hated Sima Yue, and the two had a falling out.
"Chu Zhong rushed back to Luoyang." While walking, Wang Yan suddenly stopped and sighed.
The news that Wang Dun did not dare to take up the post and was frightened by the bandits so much that he abandoned the princess and ran back halfway had spread throughout Luoyang and became a laughing stock.
Wang Yan also felt ashamed and hated him even more for not fighting back.
The position of governor that I fought so hard to get for you was lost so easily.
Now Qingzhou is under Gou Xi's control. Apart from being the governor, he also serves as the governor. He is in charge of both military and political affairs, and is already difficult to control.
Ugh!
Wang Yan didn't want to say anything, and he didn't even have the energy to curse.
There are only a few idiots in the family. What can he do? Who can he rely on? His son-in-law?
"Yi Fu." Pan Tao pondered for a moment and said, "The Marquis of Luyang is brave and good at fighting. He has made many achievements and the three armies are all submissive. His army is stationed in Liang County, which is right at the elbow of Luoyang. For now, it is better to be on good terms with him so that we can look after each other in the future."
Wang Yan sighed and didn't want to say anything.
He just thought of his younger brother Wang Cheng.
He went to Jingzhou last month and was appointed as the Governor-General, Commander of the Southern Barbarians, and Governor of Jingzhou.
Wang Yan arranged people around his brother. After learning that his brother was going to take up the post, he appointed Guo Shu as his deputy and entrusted him with government affairs, and he himself no longer took care of it.
Then he indulged himself in drinking day and night, and did not take care of the affairs of the state. Even though the enemy and the enemy were in a hurry, he did not take it seriously.
Guo Shu repeatedly advised Cheng that he should love the people, raise troops and preserve the state, but Cheng refused to listen.
When he heard the news, Wang Yan almost fainted.
When in front of him, these younger brothers spoke eloquently, were respectful and modest, and behaved like gentlemen.
As a result, once he took up the post, all his true colors were revealed, making him lose his appetite and become extremely worried.
How did that happen?
"Why not..." Seeing Wang Yan's sad face, Pan Tao rolled his eyes and said, "I'll send someone to invite Marquis Luyang to Luoyang, and have a heart-to-heart talk to see what the situation is."
Wang Yan didn't say anything, but he didn't object either, which was considered as his tacit consent.
Just as Pan Tao was about to call for help, Wang Yan stopped him with his hand and said, "There's nothing else to do. Liang County isn't far away. Why don't you go take a look?"
(End of this chapter)