Chapter 219 Something Really Happens

Chapter 219 Something Really Happens

Chapter 219 Something Really Happens
The long embankment embraces the green water, and birds are chirping.

The northern edge of Guangchengze is also a different world.

There were a lot of troubles in the court, so Wang Yan took a leave and went to the south to relax.

The construction of the manor has already started, and several family members are in charge of supervising the construction.

The craftsmen from Luoyang had superb skills and quick movements, and Wang Yan nodded repeatedly as he watched.

"Your Excellency, it seems you are quite comfortable hiding here." Under the willow trees by the lake, Wang Yan said happily while feeling the green hills and clear waters.

"Si Tu must be here for something important." Shao Xun said with a smile.

Wang Yan shook his head and said, "It is true that there is something, but it is not a big deal. I am really tired of staying in Luojing, so I went south to enjoy the mountains and rivers and relax my mind."

Theoretically speaking, Wang Yan did not have much real power, so he could be free whenever he wanted to be lazy.

But when he was Shangshu Zuo Pushe before, he had planted many of his own people in the central and local governments, and had many followers. He was also a famous scholar and had great influence, so although he rarely directly handled government affairs, the emperor asked him many times, and his followers often gathered at his house, so there were still many things he could interfere with.

Of course, we cannot forget that he is the Lieutenant General of the Northern Army and the nominal commander of the Imperial Guards. In this day and age, this position is very critical.

"If Situ is worried, it must be something serious."

"It's nothing but money and food."

After saying this, Wang Yan gave a brief explanation.

Wang Mi's invasion of the capital ultimately caused certain adverse effects, namely the loss of central authority.

Some prefectures and counties simply used the excuse of local unrest and inability to collect taxes to reduce the amount of money and grain sent to the capital, and the court had no good solution.

To be honest, in an era when local self-cultivating farmers were rapidly disappearing, the imperial court relied on the favor of the gentry to collect taxes.

Whatever the nobles were willing to give, that was the amount. Even if the imperial court set targets, many still failed to meet them.

Did the emperor hate Wang Yan? Of course he did.

But he couldn't touch Wang Yan. If he did, he would not be able to collect any money or grain.

Old Wang, the paperhanger, now has two things to do: First, use his influence to make the governors, provincial governors, prime ministers and even local gentry pay taxes - no matter how much, you don't want the court to really collapse, right?
The second is to use official positions to make deals with local gentry, but in the end it is still them who provide money and manpower.

If someone else were to do this job, it is unlikely that they would be able to do it as well as Wang Yan, as the authority of the imperial court is declining.

The old wall lamp may not have many other skills, but he has great eloquence and his ability to build relationships and use his reputation is top-notch.

The court's fiscal revenue has been greatly affected this year.

As a result, the casualties from the Luoyang Central Army were not recruited. Instead, each battalion was asked to make do with what they had earned, and personnel were drawn from within the battalion to improve the organization, thus reducing the number of staff overall.

The seven imperial guards, which originally had more than 54,000 infantry and cavalry, now have about 47,000 people left: the left and right guards have a little over 15,000 each, the left army has nearly 10,000 people, the right army has 5,000 left, and the cavalry has 2,000.

The Yamen Army under Shao Xun's command originally had 5,200 men, but now there are only 5,000. The vacancy of 200 men is simply not filled because there is really no money.

In other words, there are only more than 52,000 troops in the Luoyang Central Army now. I heard that the money and food rations will be reduced. Life is indeed not easy.

"Wang Mi came only once, and was quickly defeated." After listening, Shao Xun said, "If the Xiongnu come to besiege Luoyang again, won't the court have a harder time?"

"Who said it wasn't?" Wang Yan sighed and looked at his own manor which was under construction.

An impulse surged in the old wall lamp's heart. Is it still necessary to protect the imperial court? He was tired of arguing with people every day.

Instead of that, it’s better to buy more things for yourself as soon as possible and then take it one step at a time.

"Situ..." Shao Xun didn't know what Wang Yan was thinking, but a sense of crisis rose in his heart, and he hurriedly said: "Things have not yet reached the point where they are out of control, so don't be discouraged."

Wang Yan looked even more worried when he heard this. He said, "You don't know how expensive firewood and rice are until you manage the household. I am exhausted and have wanted to quit several times."

"What difficulties does Situ have? I will definitely help if I can." Shao Xun immediately encouraged Wang Yan.

"But now there is a difficult matter..."

"Situ, why don't you tell me?"

"The Grand Tutor has moved to Puyang," said Wang Yan.

Shao Xun nodded. He had also received the news, which was told to him by Yu Liang, and the source of Yu Liang's information was most likely the Minister of the Court Yu Min.

"We will be moving our headquarters to Xingyang soon," Wang Yan continued.

Shao Xun didn't know this news, so he asked, "Why move around? Isn't it troublesome for the shogunate to move?"

"The Grand Tutor has to personally command the war against the Huns. Xingyang is close and more convenient," said Wang Yan.

Hey!
Shao Xun didn't know how to complain, "Master, are you out of your mind?"

"Do you really want to fight?" he asked.

"We really have to fight." Wang Yan said without hesitation: "The Xiongnu has captured Pingyang and Hedong counties. The court must have some response, right? It's okay to tell you the specific deployment--"

"Yuzhou Governor Pei Xian will lead an army of 20,000 to the north to Bai Ma to support Yingji, Dunqiu, and Wei counties."

Pei Xian is the son of Pei Kai, and is considered one of the representative figures of the Pei family's core members. He is completely different from the side branches such as Pei Zheng and Pei Yi.

"Wang Kan led a part of the imperial army to station in Dongyan."

Wang Kan was from Shouzhang, Dongping. His father, Wang Lie, was on good terms with Ji Kang.

After Wang Kan entered the government, he was promoted to Shangshu Zuo Pushe, and now he is General of Chariots and Cavalry. He is a cousin of Chenliu Ruan Zhan (son of Ruan Xian, one of the Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove), and the son-in-law of Cao Wei's Central Commander Xu Yun.

He led his army to station in Dongyan, with the same purpose as Pei Xian, to guard against Wang Mi and Shi Le, the outer bands of Liu Han. "Cao Wu led his army to station in Dayang to guard against Puzi."

General Cao Wu, who was in charge of pacifying the north, was a descendant of the royal family of the previous dynasty.

Dayang was in Hedong County, and it was obvious that it was used to guard against the main force of the Xiongnu.

After hearing this, Shao Xun felt confused and asked, "Situ, who sent the three armies of Pei Xian, Wang Kan, and Cao Wu?"

"Pei Yuzhou's route was recommended by the Grand Tutor, and the Emperor approved it." Wang Yan said, "Wang Kan and Cao Wu are old and have not led troops for a long time, but they are generals appointed by the Emperor."

I am!

Are they digging out a few old men from the garbage dump and letting them lead the army to confront Sima Yue?

Shao Xun was not sure about the character of Emperor Sima Chi.

You can fight, but don't use military and national affairs to fight. If something goes wrong, it will be the court itself that suffers.

"What is the court's strategy for deploying troops?" Shao Xun asked.

"I'll have to ask the Grand Tutor about this." Wang Yan sneered and said, "Your Excellency is an expert in military operations, maybe you can get a glimpse of this?"

Shao Xun shook his head. He really didn't know.

We know nothing about the military strength and combat effectiveness of each group of troops.

The tactical objectives of the various forces were unknown.

The commander-in-chief of the army had no idea of ​​the strategic direction.

He even suspected that Sima Yue had no strategic goals at all and was just fighting randomly?
Or do you have strategic goals, but they are unreliable and go awry during execution?
He is not a worm in Sima Yue's stomach, so he doesn't know.

But he felt that this idea of ​​deploying troops was not quite right.

"The Imperial Army will also go out to fight this time." Wang Yan suddenly said: "After much thought, I really don't have enough people. Your Excellency..."

Shao Xun suddenly felt cheated.

He looked at Wang Yan with his eyes wide open.

Wang Yan also looked at him with a smile on his face.

After a while, Shao Xun was relieved, laughed and said, "Once a word is spoken, it cannot be taken back. I keep my word, Situ, don't worry."

As Luoyang's earthbound spirit, helping Luoyang is helping myself. It's okay if I figure it out.

The growing power of the Xiongnu was not a good thing for him. It was better to contain them and delay their rise than to do nothing.

Moreover, the rear is now relatively stable, so there is no need to worry about going on the expedition.

In addition, it would also be a good idea to take the opportunity to request a batch of military supplies to replenish the inventory, and then ask for some money and food rewards for the soldiers.

Seeing Shao Xun agreed so readily, Wang Yan felt quite satisfied.

Marquis Luyang is indeed domineering, but when it comes to something, he really does get it done.

In fact, the emperor and the tutor both mentioned his name at the same time, so Marquis Luyang had no way to escape.

However, very few people knew about this, so Wang Yan didn't say anything because he wanted to see Shao Xun's attitude in advance.

The result pleased him.

Some people just want to get benefits without paying the price.

Some people don't want to chew on hard bones, they just want to eat meat.

Some people just want others to die while they hide behind and take advantage.

Wang Yan does not want to cooperate with these three types of people, no matter how valuable they are or how difficult they are to deal with.

People who are irresponsible cannot be relied upon at critical moments.

"When will the troops be dispatched?" Shao Xun asked.

"Mid-September at the latest."

"After four months of rest, we are going to go to war again. Doesn't Situ feel that the national affairs are becoming more and more critical and the wars are becoming more and more frequent?"

Wang Yan did not answer this question, but only asked: "Whatever you need, just ask me. I will assign you to Pei Yuzhou's camp to avoid any more hindrance."

"Okay." There was no need to be polite at this time, so Shao Xun agreed.

"Is there anything else that requires my involvement?" Wang Yan asked again.

"No more." Shao Xun said, "Situ, just focus on the winter wheat planting. This is a big deal and can't be neglected. The people's lives next year depend on this. My family's water mills are open to the people to grind flour, free of charge."

After hearing this, Wang Yan, no matter how thick-skinned or selfish he was, couldn't help but be moved.

Looking at Shao Xun's serious face, he even felt a little ashamed of himself for a moment - but only for a moment.

"What you have done, Your Excellency, has brought shame to so many people." Wang Yan sighed.

Shao Xun laughed and said, "I am a soldier, and I have been promoted to a higher position. From now on, I will have fine clothes and delicious food, and enjoy all kinds of beautiful women. If I don't do something for the people, how can I feel at ease?"

Wang Yan didn't know what to say for a moment.

(End of this chapter)