weaving

Chapter 1182 Visitors from Southern Fujian

"The friend of my enemy is not necessarily my enemy."

Yongning Earl Zhang Cheng picked up the teapot and filled a cup of tea for Sun Shixiang, then said, "Old Sun, who do you think our main enemy is now?"

"Of course it's the Chuang thief and the Cao thief."

"Who are the friends of the two thieves who broke into Cao?"

"This……"

Although Sun Shixiang didn't understand why the Earl of Yongning asked this question, he thought for a moment and replied, "Zhang Xianzhong who was roaming in southern Henan is one of them."

"Yes, this Eighth King is indeed a friend of his two thieves who broke into Cao."

After Zhang Cheng affirmed Sun Shixiang's answer, he asked him again, "Anything else?"

"The Gezuo Fifth Battalion, entrenched in the Yinghuo Mountain area between Hubei and Anhui, can also be counted as one of them."

"Count them, they count as five!"

Zhang Cheng asked again: "They are all old thieves from Shaanxi, so they are naturally in the same group with the two thieves Chuang and Cao. Are there any others besides them?"

"And... and those who gather in the mountains and valleys to become bandits are all friends of the two bandits Chuang and Cao."

"hehe."

Zhang Cheng smiled gently and said, "Mr. Sun, you only look at the surface and don't delve into it."

He picked up the tea bowl and took a sip of the cold tea. Then he stood up, walked to the window, looked at the moon hanging high in the sky, and said, "In addition to the eight great kings, the five thieves who were killed, and the small thieves who came out of the mountains and forests to gather together, there are many big thieves who are openly on the surface and are brothers with the rebels."

"Oh. Is there anyone who is so bold and rebellious?"

"How not?"

Zhang Cheng first asked Sun Shixiang a question, then turned around and said to him: "Let's not talk about the small ones for now, there are many big ones! For example, Liu Hongqi of Runing, Han Jiadi of Xuzhou, Li Hao of Yuzhou, Liu Xuan of Xiangcheng and others, these local tyrants rely on their strong power and have long since ignored the court. They have been perfunctory and have long been out of control.

The same goes for bandits. If they encounter a small group of bandits, they will eat them up. But if they encounter a large group of bandits like Chuang, Cao, Xian, and Ge Zuo, they will secretly cooperate with them, either selling them grain and weapons, or selling them intelligence.

What's worse, they will secretly collude with bandits to attack states and cities, and rob government offices and the people. On the surface, they are local tyrants who train militias to protect the local area, but in reality, they are no different from bandits. "

"This……"

Sun Shi only knew a little about the situation of these people, but he didn't know the details of their actions, so he was shocked after hearing what Zhang Cheng said.

"Master, what you mean is... these people are considered the thief's friends?"

"Of course. Although they have never formed an alliance with the bandits, they have been secretly colluding with them for their own interests. They are enemies in public but friends in secret."

Zhang Cheng looked at Sun Shixiang with his eyes sparkling, and said, "What we need to do now is to bring people like Liu Hongqi and Han Jiadi to our side and make them our friends."

"Master, do you want them to help eliminate the bandits?"

"hehe."

Zhang Cheng smiled slightly contemptuously and said, "I don't expect them to join forces to suppress the bandits. I just want to hold them back tightly. If they provide less help to the bandits, our advantage will be greater and the bandits will be weaker. This will help us achieve long-term success."

Looking at Sun Shixiang who seemed to have realized something, Zhang Cheng continued, "Not only local tyrants like Liu Hongqi and Han Jiadi, but also officials, officials, and merchants in Henan Province, all need to be connected. After all, everyone has only one goal, and that is the bandits. As long as the bandits are not eliminated, Henan Province will not be at peace. The vast land will have no one to cultivate, merchants will not be able to sell goods to make money, and the officials of various prefectures, states, and counties will not have a moment of peace."

"I think I understand what Uncle meant."

"Unite all the forces that can be united. Even if he is a general of the bandits today, or his comrade-in-arms, he may become our friend in the future."

Zhang Cheng continued with a sly smile, "It's just like Yuan Shizhong and his little Yuanying. He was a bandit's brother-in-law before, but now he is also a general of my uncle. That's why they say 'things change unpredictably'!"

"The Prime Minister understands what Lord Bo means. But the Prime Minister has just arrived in Henan Province and does not know much about the relationships and ways of the world. If this matter is not done well, I am afraid that Lord Bo's important event will be delayed."

"Don't worry, Mr. Sun. I have been planning in Henan Province for more than a year. I have arranged for my confidants to contact people like Liu Hongqi and Han Jiadi. They can be considered my friends now.

Now we just need a person of high moral character to take charge of the overall situation on behalf of Benbo, and at the same time contact the knowledgeable scholars, officials, gentry and merchants in Henan Province to form a united front to suppress the bandits, and unite the strength of the entire province to jointly plan the great cause of suppressing the bandits. "

Sun Shixiang's face was also slightly excited. Just as he was about to speak, he heard Zhang Cheng say again: "Looking at the people around me, apart from the crude warriors who led troops to fight, there are really few people who can read and write and have great reputation.

There is only one Wei Zhice, but the Tengshe Camp cannot do without him now. Moreover, I trust Brother Zhice’s ability, but after all, he is still young, and I am afraid he cannot convince the others. "

At this point, Zhang Cheng clasped his fists towards Sun Shixiang and said, "I have thought about it and found that Sun is the only one who has both virtue and talent. If he is willing to take on this task, he will surely be able to live up to everyone's expectations."

Seeing Yongning Bo Du speak like this, Sun Shixiang knew that he could no longer refuse. Although in his heart he wanted to be a figure like "Jiang Taigong", this was not determined by his will.

Furthermore, through the heart-to-heart talk with Zhang Cheng just now, Sun Shixiang also knew that being entrusted with such an important matter was a sign of the trust that Earl Yongning had in him, and he could not refuse it.

The two also discussed some details. Because of the hard work of "Hai Ye" Liu Jinhai and the relationship between Zhang Cheng's two brothers-in-law Ji Youci and Yang Shibin, the aristocratic local officials, scholars, merchants and landlords in Henan Province all had a good impression of the Earl of Yongning. What was needed was a person of high moral character and prestige to unite all these people together.

…………

After Sun Shixiang left, Zhang Cheng slept for only more than an hour and woke up early before the morning. The middle officer Zhang Chengfang was waiting in the big tent early. When he heard the noise, he went into the inner room and helped him wash and dress.

At the same time, he whispered to Zhang Cheng, "Father, Liu Jinhai sent someone to deliver a letter saying that the Zheng family in Fujian sent someone to meet you."

"Zheng family?"

Zhang Cheng had just finished washing his face. He picked up the towel and wiped it a few times, then asked, "Did Zheng Zhilong send someone?"

"Exactly. Father."

"Who was sent by the Zheng family?"

"The letter said it was Zheng Zhilong's younger brother, Zheng Zhibao."

"Where now?"

"Liu Jinhai's letter said that the Zheng family sent a shipload of gifts, and seven shipsloads of goods that we urgently need. They have now arrived at Anping Town, Shandong, and are heading north along the canal, preparing to land at Tongzhou, and then be transported back to the north by Niu Sheng's carriage and horse company."

"Not bad, really good."

Zhang Cheng continued cheerfully, "Send a message to Liu Jinhai, asking him to send someone else to go north on the ship, and have him accompany Zheng Zhibao to Kaifeng."

"Yes!"