Northern Dynasties

Chapter 1323 Qiantang Tide Signal

With the drastic changes in the situation, Jingkou once again became an important focus that could influence the situation in Jiangdong. However, Xu Du, the commander of Jingkou, did not feel that his position became more important and prominent. Instead, he felt extremely anxious.

What made Xu Du feel extremely bad was naturally the rapid pacification of the Nanchuan Rebellion. This matter had different meanings to different people. After Wang Lin surrendered, Hou Zhen chose to bow his head because he was worried that the Tang army would point the spearhead directly at him. Chen Qian was worried that the people of Wuxing might be frightened by this and become unstable, so he gave up the northward advance to Wujun and chose to return to Wuxing to take charge.

  At present, Jingkou seems to be the target that both the imperial court and Chen Qian want to win over, but for Xu Du, there is also a fatal hidden danger that makes him uneasy, and that is Guangling, which is only separated from him by a river and is now garrisoned by the Tang army!

So there is a problem facing Xu Du now. It only took such a short time for the Tang army and the imperial court to jointly resolve the Nanchuan Rebellion. So how long will it take to resolve the Jingkou Rebellion in the future?

Perhaps the imperial court also had such an awareness and guess. Chen Chang seemed to be certain that Xu Du would be frightened by this and would not dare to disobey the imperial court's orders again. Therefore, after sending Wu Mingche to Wujun to quell the rebellion, he sent an envoy to convey a message to Xu Du asking him to support and cooperate with Wu Mingche's actions. He did not consider at all that once Xu Du led his troops to leave Jingkou, if there was any unusual movement of the Tang army in Guangling, how the Southern Chen should respond.

The court did not consider this issue, or deliberately ignored it, but Xu Du had to consider it, because Jingkou was where he lived and worked. Once there was any turmoil in this place, his power, status and interests would be directly affected.

Compared with the court's careless orders, Prince Linchuan's attitude was much more correct. In addition to frequently sending his confidants to lobby and communicate, he also ordered people to send a large amount of gold, silver and treasures shortly after the court's order was issued. The amount of these treasures was so large that even Xu Du, who had seen many big scenes, could not help but change color.

However, given Xu Du's current status and position, the simple exchange of goods and profits was not enough for him to make any important decision. Compared with these wealth, what made him feel more gratified was the sincere attitude of King Linchuan as reflected in it.

"I feel ashamed to receive such a valuable gift from the King of Linchuan. Especially now that Wu County is occupied by rebels, the journey must be difficult and winding. Why does the king go to such great lengths? A word is enough to convey a message, and a valuable gift will only increase the risk for the envoys to travel back and forth!"

Although he was very satisfied with the attitude of King Linchuan, Xu Du still did not express his true feelings directly. He looked at Dao Zhongju who was in charge of the visit and said with a smile: "Your Majesty, since you have given me such a generous gift, I believe you have something to ask of me. It's okay for you to speak frankly."

When Zhongju heard Xu Du's words, he could not help but smile bitterly, and then he clasped his fists to Xu Du and said, "The king has sent me to visit Mr. Xu to tell you something, which is the current situation in Wu County. To be honest, most of the rioters who have entered Wu County are rebellious vagrants who left Wuxing.

The king originally planned to confine them in the territory, persuade them to be good and educate them, and force them to return home, but he did not expect that these wandering officials, fearing the king's majesty, actually fled Wu County and even directly invaded the county town. Now the situation has spread and expanded, and the court is furious, and it is ready to take measures to quell the rebellion.

Because the incident involves Wuxing's followers, the king hopes that Wuxing can send troops to quell the rebellion, so as to avoid being used by those in the court and the public to alienate the king. The pillars of the Xugong State must be able to understand the pros and cons. If they are willing to help, the king will be grateful and will reward them handsomely. "

Xu Du certainly understood the situation in Wujun. He could even be sure that the gifts sent must be the spoils of war in Wujun.

Hearing Zhongju's words, he did not rush to agree or refuse, but asked with a smile: "So there is such a hidden story in the matter. Then how does the king hope that I can cooperate? The king must be close to Wujun now, right?"

When Zhongju heard this, he looked a little embarrassed. After a moment of hesitation, he said, "Because the king has not received the order from the court, he is still in Wuxing..."

When Xu Du heard this, his originally enthusiastic smile suddenly turned cold. He no longer listened carefully to what Dao Zhongju said next. After saying a few perfunctorily, he used the excuse of being busy with military affairs and ordered his men to lead Dao Zhongju out of the hall. As for Dao Zhongju's request, he did not give any clear response.

"The little boy of the Chen family is really arrogant and conceited, a great betrayal of his father's style! He treats me as a lackey at the beck and call of a lie, and he is a coward who can drive his life for a little money!"

After Zhongju was led away, Xu Du sat alone in the hall, slamming the table and speaking angrily with a gloomy face. In these words, he cursed both Chen Chang, who had sent him there casually, and Chen Qian, who had bribed him with money. It was obvious that Xu Du regarded the attitudes and actions of these two people as an insult to him.

Because the imperial court ignored Xu Du's own safety demands and gave Guangling to the Tang army, and now forced Xu Du to abandon his defense of Jiangbei and cooperate with Wu Mingche to quell the rebellion, Xu Du was quite disappointed with the imperial court, and he really wanted to join forces with Prince Linchuan to fight against the imperial court.

But when he heard that Chen Qian was still hiding in his old nest in Wuxing and had not gone north to Wujun at all, he immediately realized that Chen Qian's occupation of Wujun might have been an impulsive and extreme act, and he had no intention of operating in Wujun for a long time.

In this case, Jingkou, located further north, naturally found it difficult to resonate with them. Even if they chose to cooperate with them, at best they would only be a target to attract the court's hatred and share the pressure! In this way, Jingkou seemed to have the best of both worlds, but in fact, neither the left nor the right regarded Jingkou as an ally that concerned their core interests. Instead, it was excluded from the core of power and contradictions.

After realizing his true situation in the country, Xu Du's mood suddenly became worse. Just after sending away Zhongju, another visitor came to Jingkou, it was Cai Jingli from Jiankang.

"Who are you here to lobby for?"

After seeing Cai Jingli, Xu Du asked with a somewhat cold attitude.

Cai Jingli was recruited by Chen Baxian in Jingkou and was in charge of military orders. He was also one of his confidants. However, after Chen Baxian's death, Cai Jingli chose to cooperate with Linchuan King Chen Qian to take charge of government affairs. However, Chen Qian was forced to hand over power and go to Wuxing due to internal and external pressure. Cai Jingli did not choose to follow him, but stayed in Beijing.

Cai Jingli was also considered Chen Qian's man before, but when Xu Du came to Beijing to meet and talk with him last time, he noticed that Cai Jingli's views on current affairs had changed greatly, and he was no longer inclined to Linchuan King as before. So when he came to visit this time, he asked this question.

"I have no reason to come here, but I am worried about you, my lord. I have nothing to do, so I left the capital to visit you. May I ask what you think of the future and the way forward in this situation?"

Cai Jingli looked at Xu Du and answered with a smile.

Xu Du's expression eased a little after hearing this, and then he sighed, "In this difficult time, who has any brilliant ideas? We can only think while we are on the move. If Mao Shi has no better job, and my shogunate is simple, you may stay here for a while, so that I can have someone to discuss things with when something happens."

"If you are confused about your own conduct, I have an opinion and I dare to share it with you for your consideration."

Cai Jingli did not respond to Xu Du's solicitation, but continued: "People say that the world is difficult, but they are really in a difficult situation and have no way to make a living. If you make such a statement, it will inevitably give people the suspicion of boasting. You are now in a high position and have great power, and if you still say that it is difficult, who in the world can be said to be stable?"

Hearing what Cai Jingli said, Xu Du smiled at first, then sighed and said, "Mao Shi is laughing at me now! Outsiders may not know what my situation is, but don't you know? I am far away from the court and cannot be a right-hand man. I seem to be in a high position and have great power, but in fact I am in trouble both internally and externally, so I can't sleep or eat. I am worried about the difficulties and pretend to be depressed, not to show off my status. If you have a plan, just tell me, don't make any boastful speeches."

"What I said is from my heart, not a joke. It is hard for me to understand your worries. Maybe you are obsessed and not thoughtful. Jingkou has been the most important place in Jiangdong since ancient times. The former emperor went west from here and established his hegemony. All the great rulers in the past dynasties have made their names in history by defending here. You are worried about this, but you don't know how many ambitious people in Jiangdong want to take your place, like me. I wonder if you are willing to do so?"

Cai Jingli looked at Xu Du again and said, even making an eager expression.

After hearing this, Xu Du's brows furrowed even deeper. He lowered his head and remained silent for a long time before he raised his head and stared at Cai Jingli, shouting, "I treat you as an old friend, but Cai is testing me with dangerous words. Why? Are you trying to make me rebel against the court and cause trouble in Jiangdong?"

"Your Excellency is wrong. This is a foolish plan that will lead to your own destruction! Jingkou is important because of its terrain. A city can only benefit from an intelligent ruler. Although you are also a famous general, you are still far better than the former lord. Although you are not good enough to plan for the general situation in Jiangdong, you can still plan for yourself if you rely on this."

Cai Jingli waved his hands repeatedly, saying that he had no intention of inciting Xu Du to rebel, and even said that Xu Du did not have the ability to do so. He then continued, "I know a little about what you are worried about, but it is difficult to get along with the government and the people, and I don't know who to follow in the future. But you are in this strategic place between the north and the south, so why should you limit your hopes to the east of the Yangtze River?

The Qiantang tide may seem mighty, but it is only a small wave compared to the rest of the world. Although it rises at the right time, it will also disappear at any time. The general trend of the world is gradually becoming clear. Your Excellency had the opportunity to meet the First Lord and thus achieved merit in half of his life. Now you are facing a situation where the tides are in conflict and you have the opportunity to enjoy both favorable and unfavorable conditions. If favorable conditions prevail, you will rise with the tide, but if unfavorable conditions prevail, you will fall with the tide. Just make a choice on this matter, so what do you have to worry about?"