Chapter 18: Sending troops to Fufeng County

  "I am donating 100,000 guan on behalf of Fengyang County."

  Feeling the eerie atmosphere surrounding him, that poor official added a sentence in a servile tone.

  The officials present finally breathed a sigh of relief. This is almost it, if you donate 100,000 yuan alone, do you want us to live or die?

  "Humble servant Zhang Yi from Fengyi County, reporting for duty to Your Highness the King of Dai." Zhang Yi walked forward and paid his respects under the gaze of everyone present.

  Fengyang County and Daxing are adjacent to each other, located in the northeast of Daxing, have always been a barrier for Daxing, the relationship between the two counties has never been bad.

  "Your Excellency must have nothing better to do than to visit the Temple of the Three Treasures! Your Fengyi County is already struggling to take care of itself, how can you afford to concern yourself with trivial matters in Daxing?" An official below spoke up, his tone neither clear nor ambiguous.

  Fengyang County is now in a state of turmoil due to Sun Hua's rebellion, and the officials of Daxing are well aware of it.

  This time when relieving the refugees, Yang You had especially pointed out that Sun Hua of Fengyi County was taking advantage of the situation to cause trouble.

  "Please, Your Highness, save the people of Fengyi County from the brink of disaster!" Zhang Yi didn't pay attention to those ambiguous words and directly stated his purpose, wanting Emperor Xing to send troops to help Fengyi County quell the rebellion.

  "The people of Fengyang County have long been in a state of panic, and Sun Hua, the rebel of Daiyi County, is cruel and ruthless, killing people like hemp! He is entrenched on Tiger Hill Ridge, opposing the government, and Tiger Hill Ridge is easy to defend but difficult to attack. The imperial army has suffered heavy losses several times when attacking the mountain. In consideration of the million people of Fengyang County, the King of Dai sent troops to pacify this rebel Sun Hua."

  Zhang Shi choked with sobs and tears streamed down his face whenever he spoke of his sorrow.

  "What a daring bandit, if he falls into my hands, I will definitely behead him!" Qu Tu Tong's mustache bristled with rage, "Please ask the king to send troops, and I will surely bring Sun Hua's head back..."

  "I am also willing to share your worries, Your Highness."

  "I am also willing to share your worries, Your Highness."

  At once all the generals rushed out and asked to go into battle.

  The situation seems a bit strange!

  Yang You even knew as a three-year-old child why Zhang Shi, the chief of Fengyi County, could stand in this great hall. It turned out that he had already gained the support of the Daxing Military Region.

  It's tough to get into the military industry these days! Although there have been continuous wars in recent years, they were all too far away from Daxing, and none of the generals present had a chance to take part.

  Now that we have such a good opportunity, it's just over 100 miles away from Daxing. Now that we have such a good chance to gain military merit, of course, we won't let it slip away.

  In their view, the defeat of the imperial army in Fengyi County was due to its weak military strength. If it were the elite soldiers and brave generals of Daxing, they would have already pacified and returned triumphantly.

  "This......" Yang You didn't think much about it, so many generals willing to send troops, this is not easy to handle!

  "Your Highness, absolutely not!" Wei Wensheng opposed immediately.

  "Your Majesty has just left, and before leaving, he had already ordered Pingding to quell the rebellion in Fengyang County. It's only been a month since then, and it's really not necessary to send troops!"

  Wei Wensheng struck at the vital point of Fengyi County, and the order issued by Your Majesty before leaving had only been in effect for a month. You have come to Daxing to seek help, what use is Fengyi County to you?!

  "To be honest with you, sir, the government troops of Fengyang Commandery have suffered several disastrous defeats and have already lost heavily."

  Zhang Shi said helplessly, "This is not the time to cover up. If it weren't for those few fools who were eager to make achievements and recklessly launched a strong attack on Sun Hua, how would they have ended up in this situation?"

  "Absurd! That's your affair in Fengyi County. If you ask others for everything, how can Xiao Zao be the governor of Fengyi County?"

  Xiao Zao is the legitimate heir of the Xiao family and became the governor by following in the footsteps of Empress Xiao. He has low abilities, and Wei Wensheng always looks down on him, speaking to him in a discourteous manner.

  "Now that Fengyang Commandery is in a precarious situation, we should take the initiative to send troops. Otherwise, when Sun Hua becomes powerful later on, he will also pose a threat to Daxing!" Yin Shishi also agreed to send troops, after all, eliminating threats while they are still in their infancy is the most appropriate course of action.

  Three big men on the court have already expressed their attitudes, but Gu Yi remains unmoved and silent.

  Gu Yizhi is a Tianzhu person, although he has been in China for a lifetime, the essence of Chinese officialdom still cannot be understood. Holding onto Yang You's thigh is his true way of survival.

  Wei Wensheng secretly resented him, knowing that Gu Yi and he were not on the same side. He hadn't expected that at this time, Gu would still not stand with him on the same front line. If the army were to move frequently, it would be unfavorable for the current court officials who were mainly in charge of civil affairs.

  As a man of letters, I think the greatest weapon to conquer enemies is to educate them. The best strategy is to defeat people without fighting. Using force is what rough men do.

  "The granary in Daxing is insufficient to support the military expenses for sending troops out." Yan Juncheng said with some surprise.

  Under the gaze of Wei Wensheng, Yan Juncheng had no choice but to reveal his own shortcomings once again. As the Minister of Revenue, in charge of the finances of Daxing, he repeatedly said that the Ministry of Revenue was out of money, which made Yan Juncheng unable to hold his head up in court for several days.

  "Feng Yi County is willing to bear all the grain supplies, please rest assured, Xiao Taishou has already prepared the grain supplies, and it's just waiting for your order to dispatch troops."

  Zhang Shi seized the opportunity and hastily expressed his willingness to take charge of the money, only needing Daxing to send troops.

  "Hmph!" Wei Wensheng let out a cold snort, not expecting that Feng Yiguan, in order to quickly quell the Sun Hua rebellion, would actually take on all the grain and salary expenses on top of an already overburdened financial situation. It seems that Xiao Zao's future position is one that will stop at nothing.

  "Sun Hua's bandits are entrenched in Huqiu Ridge, less than sixty miles from Yongfeng Warehouse. If we let Sun Hua grow stronger and something happens to Yongfeng Warehouse, I will be guilty of a crime punishable by death." Qu Tutong pointed out another hidden danger.

  Indeed, the lifeline of Daxing is Yongfeng Warehouse. The reason why the officials of Daxing still have the leisure to train Yang You is that they have Yongfeng Warehouse to support them.

  There's no thousand-year-old thief, but there's a thousand-year-old anti-thief. What if one day Yongfeng Warehouse is occupied by Sun Hua and set on fire? What to do then?

  This is also the confidence of Fengyi County's previous request for help from Daxing, after all, if Sun Hua becomes powerful, it will also be a threat to Daxing.

  But after sending troops, it's easy to say if you win. If even the elite soldiers lose, there will be no way to end it.

  Yang You couldn't help but ponder, and he had some impression of Sun Hua. In history, Sun Hua was the largest thief in the Guanzhong region and the first bandit to respond to Li Yuan's call.

  He was the main culprit of the fall of Daxing, but he did not gain any benefits. In the battle to capture Daxing, he was shot by an arrow and died.

  Yang You coughed lightly, attracting the attention of the ministers. "Fengyi County has always been a shield for Daxing, making great contributions to its safety and danger. As the saying goes, 'when the lips are gone, the teeth will be cold.' Therefore, I have decided to send troops to Fengyi County."

  The civil officials all looked gloomy, while the military officers were all beaming with joy. In the first dispute between the civil and military officials, Yang You ultimately sided with the military officers. After all, chaotic times are about to arrive, and it's more reliable to win over the military at that time. Later, when competing for the world, we still have to rely on these troops.

  "Thank you, Your Highness."

  The officials of Fengyang Prefecture stepped forward with big strides, ignoring the dark face of the civil official.

  "I am willing to share the worries of Your Highness."

  "I am willing to go..."

  The military unity has achieved victory, it's time to reap the fruits. Wei Tuo and Yin Shixi cannot leave Daxing to lead the army, the most qualified are Hu Ya Lang Jiang Song Laosheng, Sang Xianhe, and also Jianmen Jiangjun Pang Yu and Hu Bie Lang Jiang Heshou.

  Four men stepped forward and asked for battle.

  "General Pong Yu of the Imperial Guard, listen to the order! I command you to lead the elite troops of Daxing to conquer Sun Hua, victory is permitted but defeat is not!"

  Yang You did not hesitate and directly ordered Pang Yu to go into battle.

  Pang Yu was tall and big, about thirty-five years old, the least senior among the four. When he heard his name, Pang Yu's mind shook, he suddenly raised his head and exchanged a glance with Yang You, then immediately lowered his eyes to hide his excitement.

  "I will obey your orders," Pang Yu's voice trembled, and everyone else thought he was overly excited, but they didn't know the real reason for his agitation.

  Because on the mysterious book left by the crown prince, Pang Yu's name was listed prominently.

  Slowly withdrawing into the ranks of the military officers, receiving congratulations from his colleagues, Pang Yu's mind was elsewhere. He knew that from now on everything would be different, as Dai Wang had truly begun to grasp the resources left behind by the former crown prince.

  Song Laoseng, Sang Xianhe and Huo Shijiu all came forward with a dignified expression to offer their congratulations. They didn't show too much emotion, perhaps they just thought they were unlucky and didn't think about anything else.

  Seeing the joy of the military officers, but the civil officials were silent one by one. Yang You turned his mind and said: "Since Sun Hua rebelled, this king still doesn't understand the cause and effect. Why not let the East Palace, both civil and military, send troops to follow the army to Fengyi County to investigate the reason for Sun Hua's rebellion?"

  The officials got a little benefit and their faces slightly improved. No matter how to investigate, there must be some unlucky ones, and then these positions can be arranged for their own people to take over.

  Zhang Shi's good mood just lasted for a moment, and upon hearing this, his face turned sour instantly. The three parties joined forces to investigate Fengyi County, and who knows how many people will be unlucky this time.

  But all this is no longer his business, he has come to Daxing for help and his mission has been successfully completed.