Jiuxi

Chapter 562 [Chaotianque] (VII)
Heluo City, the Wang family's mansion.

In Lanxue Hall, Wang An, dressed in casual clothes, sat alone in meditation.

Since the war between Qi and Jing, the presence of Northern Yan has been declining, but from Qing Yugong to the ordinary Jing army generals below, no one can ignore the prime minister Wang An.

Without him staying in the rear to maintain the operation of the government system, Northern Yan would not be able to bear the supply of food and supplies for hundreds of thousands of troops, and would not be able to continuously exert pressure on the Qi army on the front line.

Whether it was the Eastern Army led by Miegudi and Xi Lie, or the main force led by Qing Yugong himself, they all relied on the logistical supplies provided by the Northern Yan court.

This matter was extremely complicated, involving hundreds of officials and tens of thousands of conscripted laborers. In addition, in order to transport grain from Henan Road, Weinan Road and the capital area to various front-line locations, countless matters needed to be coordinated. Ordinary people would have no idea where to start.

Only Wang An, the head of the Zhailin Wang family, the most powerful family in Jiangbei, who had served in the court of Northern Yan for more than ten years and had many old friends all over the country, had this ability.

Over the past six months, Wang An has worked diligently and tried his best to maintain normal order in Northern Yan without any slacking off, and thus gradually won the trust and respect of Jing Jun.

For example, Wen Sa, the general of the Jing army who stayed behind in Heluo City, had an attitude towards him that was obviously different from that of other important officials of the Yan State.

After working day and night for a long time, Wang An's face showed obvious fatigue, but there was a sharp light in his eyes.

Footsteps were heard and Wang Cheng walked into the hall.

The two brothers greeted each other, and Wang An immediately asked, "Brother, how is the situation at home?"

Only a minority of the Wang family of Zhailin lived in this mansion, mainly Wang An, Wang Cheng and several uncles and brothers. The main branch of the Wang family still lived in Zhailin County in Henan Road.

Wang Cheng sat down opposite him and said calmly, "We've prepared everything, and we've confirmed the follow-up matters with Lin Jie. As long as you make a decision, people from your hometown will take a shortcut to Baotai Mountain, and people from the Seven Stars Gang will be responsible for picking them up."

Wang An nodded slightly.

Leaving your homeland is a difficult decision.

However, the Wang brothers knew very well that as the struggle between Qi and Jing became more and more intense, the Wang family of Zhailin had to make a decision and could no longer hide under the surface and wait for Qi to recover their homeland. Once Jing Dynasty noticed any clues, the only fate waiting for the Wang family of Zhailin would be the demise of the entire family.

Over the past six months, Wang An has done his best to help Jing Jun manage logistics in order to gain the other party's trust and thus find a chance to escape.

Hearing Wang Cheng's affirmative answer at this moment, Wang An couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief, and his expression gradually softened.

Moving the whole family to the south was not a sudden decision. He had been preparing for this as early as when he allowed Wang Chulong to go south, because he knew how powerful the Jing army was. Even though the border army of Da Qi was no longer what it used to be, it was unlikely to completely defeat the Jing army in a short period of time.

For a powerful family like the Zhailin Wang family, the longer time is delayed, the easier it is to be exposed.

A few months ago, he received a secret letter forwarded by Zhu Zhen. The letter was written by Wang Chulong himself, but the content was Lu Chen's suggestions.

The Wang family returned south.

These are the four most important words in Lu Chen's words, which coincide with Wang An's plan all along.

After discussing with Wang Cheng, he decided on a very safe strategy. The Wang family members living in Zhailin County, Henan Road, were close to the Baotai Mountains, so they could sneak into the mountains quietly. As long as the Seven Stars Gang responded in time, there would be no accidents.

At the same time, the Wang family members in Heluo City needed to take a more adventurous route. After leaving the city, they headed southeast, bypassing several cities where Jing’s army was stationed along the way, and then made a circle from the southwest of Teng County and entered Dingzhou.

As long as he moved light and fast enough, Wang An was confident that he could avoid the sight of Jing's army. The problem was that in order to cross the border, he must have the support of Qi's elite troops.

This was the reason why Wang An had not made up his mind, but as he received a secret report from the south yesterday, this worry no longer existed.

Wang Cheng sighed and said, "I wonder if there is any hope of returning to Zhailin in this lifetime."

That was the hometown where the Wang family had lived for hundreds of years, and every blade of grass and every tree carried their homesickness.

If the whole family moved to Nantou, the Wang family would definitely leave a positive evaluation in history books in the future, probably with words like enduring humiliation and bearing heavy burdens with a sense of righteousness. However, the road ahead is long and full of ups and downs, and no one knows what the future of the Zhailin Wang family will be like after leaving their homeland.

Wang An said calmly: "We have no choice."

From the moment Wang Chulong went south, the Wang family of Zhailin was already closely linked to the fate of Da Qi.

Wang Cheng nodded, suppressed his worries, and said softly: "The commander of the South Gate is our man, he will go south with us."

At present, the defense of Heluo City is led by the Jing Army, but the main forces of the Jing Army are mostly on the battlefields on the east and west fronts, and it is impossible to leave too many people to garrison the city. Therefore, a part of the defenders of Heluo City are Yan Army, including Wang An’s own people who have been promoted to power in the past six months.

Everything is ready, just waiting for the day when Wang An decides to set off.

Wang An looked up at his brother and said calmly, "I plan to host a banquet for all the high-ranking officials and generals in the city in the evening four days later."

Wang Cheng was slightly startled, then he reacted: "You want to hold a birthday party at this time?"

According to his idea, in order to avoid unnecessary complications, the best strategy is to quietly leave after making proper contact with both the north and south sides, and at this time, try to minimize additional actions.

Wang An nodded and said, "In the past few years, our Wang family has done a lot for Da Qi. These are the foundations for us to gain a foothold in Da Qi. However, if we want to maintain our position as the number one family, these contributions alone are not enough. Now the Qi and Jing armies are confronting each other outside Yongqiu City. The war has reached its most tense moment. If we can completely disrupt the rear of the Jing army, it may play a decisive role in the war, and we will be famous throughout the world."

Wang Cheng remained silent.

Wang An continued, "Besides, Heluo City is in a state of chaos and lack of leadership, which will help us to move south safely."

Wang Cheng pondered for a moment, and said slowly but firmly: "Okay, as you said, I'll have people get ready." Wang An looked at his departing back, picked up the teacup beside him, took a sip, his eyes extremely sharp.

The war in the south has not yet come to an end, and the atmosphere in Heluo City is not relaxed. The officials have worked hard for more than half a year and finally have a chance to relax temporarily.

The second day of April was Prime Minister Wang An's fiftieth birthday. Although it was not appropriate to hold a grand celebration when the army was fighting hard at the front, it was a very significant birthday. Therefore, in the evening of that day, the long street outside the Wang mansion was crowded with people and cars. High-ranking officials from Northern Yan and generals of the Jing Army who had received the invitation came one after another to celebrate Wang An's birthday together.

The Wang family of Zhailin was the most powerful family in Jiangbei, with great wealth and profound background. Even if it was just a small banquet, it still opened the eyes of the guests who came to celebrate the birthday.

There were numerous delicacies and fine wines from the cellar were presented one after another.

The lights are on and the night is hazy.

During the banquet, the host and guests toasted each other and the atmosphere was very lively.

At the main table, Wang An personally entertained Jingjun's main general Wen Sa, Northern Yan's deputy prime minister Cheng Changyan, the inspector general Wang Shidao, and the privy envoy Chen Xiaokuan, who were the real power holders in Heluo City today.

There were six tables in the hall, and seated at them were the heads of various departments of the Northern Yan court.

"I am very grateful for your presence today. Although the food and drinks are simple, please have a few more drinks."

Wang An had a smile on his face and spoke in a sincere tone.

Wen Sa was very satisfied with the prime minister of Yan State. He had seen his hard work in the past six months. Wang An had made great contributions to the Jing Army on the front line. He raised his glass and said, "Prime Minister Wang is too modest. I think this wine is a top-grade wine. I would like to use this glass to wish you good health and may you come to the court every year!"

"Thank you, General!"

Wang An raised his glass to greet him and drank it all in one gulp.

He showed the wine glass, then looked at Master Wang who was sitting across from him, and said with a smile, "Master Wang is too conservative tonight."

Wang Shidao also smiled and said, "Please forgive me, my lord. I am not very good at drinking, but I hope you will do me the honor of drinking this birthday wine."

Although the party was lively, Wang Shidao barely touched his glass. Only when the others were already slightly tipsy did he raise his glass to toast them.

Wang An didn't care either. He was well aware of the extremely cautious character of this Chief Inspector of the Office.

They both drank their glasses of wine at the same time.

After Wang An finished accompanying everyone for a round, string music started playing in the side corridor, making the atmosphere even more festive.

Wang An stood up and bowed, saying, "Everyone, drink slowly. I will be back soon."

Everyone returned the gift one after another.

Wang An turned and left, and the shouting of people in the hall became louder and louder.

Before leaving the hall, Wang An suddenly turned his head and took a look. He saw that many people were obviously drunk and became more and more unrestrained. A complicated expression appeared on his face.

"master."

At the corner, a man in his thirties appeared.

Wang An took a deep breath and said word by word: "Do it."

He didn't look back and walked straight forward.

In the dark night, the Wang residence was brightly lit. As Wang An continued to move forward, he suddenly heard a burst of noise behind him.

Some people shouted in fear, some shouted in anger, and some frantically called for help.

There was the sound of tables and chairs falling over, cups breaking, and weapons breaking in the wind.

All were covered up by the increasingly loud sounds of stringed instruments and drums.

The moon was at its zenith. Wang An stood in the corridor with his hands behind his back, looking up at the bright moon in the sky.

About an incense stick later, the thirty-year-old man came closer and whispered, "Master, kill them all. Only Wang Shidao escaped with serious injuries. Our people are chasing him all the way."

Wang An's eyes narrowed slightly, and then he said resolutely: "Set the fire, and set off."

"Yes!"

The man agreed sternly.

Not long after, blazing flames suddenly appeared in the sky above Heluo City. People rushed out to watch. Suddenly, someone discovered that the fire came from Wang's mansion. Some low-level officials went to ask their superiors in fear, but almost all of them came to nothing.

Only then did they remember that today was Prime Minister Wang An’s 50th birthday, and all the high-ranking officials in the city who were in charge of affairs had gathered at Wang’s residence to celebrate his birthday!
Heluo City immediately fell into chaos.

While the city was full of headless flies running around, the South Gate of Heluo quietly opened in the middle of the night.

A convoy left the city and headed quickly south!
(End of this chapter)