Jiuxi

Chapter 923 921 [The Wang family's daughter has grown up]

Through the secret guard's statement, Wang Chulong had a general understanding of the undercurrents in the Jiangnan court.

Kang Jing is the general trend in the court. Empress Dowager Ning, Xue Nanting and Xu Zuo all have very firm attitudes. Xiao Wangzhi is in charge of the Military Academy, so naturally no one dares to cause trouble openly.

Lu Chen had already warned the governors of the three states in Jiangbei, not to mention that the governor of Dingzhou, Ding Hui, now entrusted his life and property to him, so he would not dare to act recklessly.

The situation seems to be very good, but this does not mean that all forces in Jiangnan can be united.

At first, Lu Chen took the lead in Taikang City, killed Wu Yanshu in battle and wiped out 30,000 Jing troops in one battle. Those insects in the sewers in Jiangnan could only hide obediently.

However, as the main force of Jing's army moved south, the battle situation in Jiangbei came to a stalemate, and Qing Yugong made a breakthrough on the western front and was currently attacking Xileng Pass. The wind direction gradually began to change.

No one dared to openly question Lu Chen's talent as a commander. The problem was that the formation deployed by Jing State this time was truly terrifying, and it seemed as if they were determined to go all out. Although Lu Chen seemed to have a lot of soldiers and horses, they were not enough to disperse them to various defense lines.

Looking around, we can see that our enemies are superior to us everywhere.

Once a line of defense is breached somewhere, it is very likely to affect the overall situation and become out of control!
For example, if the defenders of Xileng Pass on the west line of Jingzhou could not stop Qing Yugong, the Jing army would rush straight to Pingyang City. Although the two places were hundreds of miles apart, there was no strategic location to defend in between, so how could they delay the Jing army cavalry that came and went like the wind?
Wang Chulong pondered secretly, perhaps this was the reason why Lu Chen asked Luo Jiujiu to set off for Shazhou immediately.

Generally speaking, the current situation is not very safe for the Great Qi. If Qing Yugong can gain further advantage, the situation of the Qi army will become more difficult.

Therefore, it is inevitable that turmoil will arise in Jiangnan.

Those bigwigs at the core of power certainly supported the border troops, but they could not control all the officials below them. Even after several purges, the influence of the Jiangnan aristocratic families still existed and had not been completely eradicated.

In addition, Lu Chen had killed too many people in Jiangnan in recent years, and countless people had died directly or indirectly at his hands, so a group of people secretly colluded and intended to attack the border army's logistics.

They certainly cannot directly influence the overall situation, but it is very easy for them to hinder the progress, such as setting a fire in an important storage area, having an accident during transportation, or passing inferior materials off as good ones, and the list is too numerous to mention.

Even if the logistical food and fodder were delivered to the border troops in time, when the soldiers found that there were stones mixed in the rice and flour, hay was stuffed in their cotton-padded jackets, the swords and guns became blunt after a few strikes, and 60% to 70% of their wages were withheld, how could they still have the morale to fight against the Jing army which was as powerful as tigers and wolves?

This is a shameless act that can change the situation of the war!
Wang Chulong was extremely angry, but she tried her best to control herself. She looked at the secret guard and asked, "The Sutra Weaving Department didn't respond?"

The secret guard replied respectfully, "Both leaders Tan and Ning said that Su Tiju is not having a good time in the Weaving Department. The Queen Mother does not seem to trust him. Besides, the Weaving Department is now mostly focused on Jiangbei, investigating the enemy's movements for the prince, and the monitoring of the capital is not as strong as before. Another thing is that the Weaving Department usually focuses on high-ranking officials, and the monitoring of middle and lower-level officials and various families is not as strong as ours."

The two leaders he mentioned were Tan Zheng and Ning Bugui.

After the chaos in the capital was settled, Lu Chen made some adjustments to the Lu family's secret guards, deciding on a structure where Tan Zheng, Jiang Sheng, Qu Zhong and Ning Bugui would be in parallel. Jiang Sheng would be in charge of Dingzhou and the big mess in the north, Tan Zheng would be in charge of monitoring the officialdom in the south of the Yangtze River, and Ning Bugui would be in charge of keeping an eye on the various clan forces.

The people under Qu Zhong's command were transferred to the internal guards, responsible for rectifying internal corruption. They also hid themselves more deeply, and even other leaders such as Tan Zheng were not aware of the details.

These four people are directly responsible to Wang Chulong. Unless it is an earth-shattering event, they do not need to report to Lu Chen separately, which shows Lu Chen's trust in Wang Chulong.

"The situation in the Weaving Bureau is normal. There is no need to disturb those people for the time being, so as not to make Su Tiju's situation more embarrassing."

Wang Chulong was not surprised at all. As early as when Lu Chen decided to play the Su Yunqing card, she knew that it would be difficult for Su Yunqing to achieve anything in the court.

The reason is very simple. Regardless of whether Empress Dowager Ning truly trusts Lu Chen or is just pretending to be submissive, she will not tolerate Su Yunqing continuing to be in charge of the Weaving Bureau. After all, this force is too special. From ancient times to the present, which ruler can sit idly by and watch the spy prince and the powerful officials in the army be in cahoots with each other?
However, now that the Jing Kingdom's army is approaching, Queen Mother Ning will not immediately remove Su Yunqing from his post out of respect for Lu Chen. Secretly alienating, suppressing and reducing his power are indispensable means.

The secret guard quickly agreed, and then asked cautiously: "Madam Wang, should we inform the prince about this?"

Then he saw Wang Chulong's cold eyes, and his heart tightened. He apologized, "I spoke nonsense, please forgive me, Madam Wang."

"The prince is busy with military affairs, don't let him worry about these dirty things."

Wang Chulong lowered his eyes slightly, and then said: "You go down first, let me think about it for a while, and then make a decision."

"Yes, I am resigning."

The secret guard saluted and withdrew.

At this time, Jin Shu, who was standing next to him, said angrily, "Madam, those people are so hateful. The prince and the border troops are fighting on the front line, but they are plotting in the rear. Damn it!"

"There is never a shortage of such despicable people in this world."

Wang Chulong said lightly, then stood up and said: "Let's go, follow me to Lu Garden." Lu Garden is to the west of the palace. Although the Lu family is small, Lu Tong made the decision to split the family as early as when Lu Chen held his wedding.

The two mansions were connected by a corner gate, so Wang Chulong naturally didn't need to go through the outside.

After a while, she brought a group of maids and servants to the main hall of Lu Garden. The others stopped immediately, and only Jinshu followed them in.

Lu Tong was also very busy during this period. After all, the war in Jiangbei was in full swing, and a huge pressure was placed on Lu Chen's shoulders. Naturally, the Lu family business had to do its best to play its role and assist the three state governments in ensuring logistical supplies.

After the two men greeted each other, Wang Chulong briefly repeated the report from the secret guards.

Lu Tong frowned slightly, then said with relief: "It's expected. Even though Emperor Gaozong and your husband have cleaned up the area several times, Jiangnan is still a mixed bag. Those incompetent people can never be killed off."

Wang Chulong said, "What the eunuch said is very true. However, the secret guards at home have not yet found out how many people are secretly colluding, and when they plan to take action. By the time they find out, logistical problems may have already arisen, which will inevitably affect the battle situation on the border."

Lu Tong pondered and said, "It is impossible that the officials in the court were unaware of this. Although the Queen Mother Ning in the palace lacks some experience in governing, she has a good insight into people's hearts. I think they should be prepared. But you are right. It is better to be safe than sorry. If those despicable villains hinder the overall situation, it will not be worth it even if they are skinned alive afterwards."

Wang Chulong understood what he meant, and she also knew that this eunuch who made his living as a businessman was decisive and ruthless, but she had a different opinion.

After thinking for a moment, she said calmly, "Father-in-law, does the family business have any other reserves?"

"Naturally there is."

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Lu Tong nodded and said, "In addition to the standard weapons and armors in the army, we have been collecting food, grass, and medicines. We started doing this last year. This is also your husband's arrangement. After all, we have to prevent those people in Jiangnan from dragging their feet or unexpected situations. Now, there are warehouses of the Lu family business in various important towns in the three states of Jiangbei. Although it cannot supply hundreds of thousands of troops for a long time, at least it can be used for emergencies in a short period of time."

He suddenly stopped.

Having experienced many ups and downs in his life, Lu Tong was extremely proficient in observing people's words and expressions, and he quickly understood the profound meaning of his daughter-in-law's question.

When he learned that someone in Jiangnan was trying to make trouble with the logistics of the border troops, his first thought was to inform the court to nip it in the bud. After all, the two prime ministers and Xiao Wangzhi were trustworthy. But now it seems that Wang Chulong must have other plans.

Wang Chulong said calmly, "I don't know how long this national war will last. It's hard to stop this kind of situation. Even if the court suppresses those people's restlessness this time, there is no guarantee that there won't be chaos again in the future. Grandpa, there is no such thing as guarding against thieves for a thousand days. Besides, we can't waste too much energy on those people. Therefore, I think it's better to let them go for the time being, and wait until they are all exposed, and then catch all the enemies of the prince in one fell swoop."

"Chulong's plan is indeed feasible."

Lu Tong was very satisfied with his daughters-in-law, but after careful consideration, he had to admit that the daughter of aristocratic family in front of him was more capable of taking on the responsibility of the eldest wife. However, Lu Chen had a very correct mindset, and since he was inclined to favor Lin Xi, Lu Tong, as an elder, could not say much.

Wang Chulong’s words today made Lu Tong even more surprised.

Wang Chulong continued, "My daughter-in-law thinks this strategy has three advantages. The first is to use the heads of those people to deter those with evil intentions, and ensure that no one dares to drag the border army down before the end of this national war. The second is to make the ministers of the southern court feel guilty about the prince, which may be useful in the future. The third is to let the people of the world see clearly that even if such a thing that makes the relatives sad and the enemies happy happens in the rear, the prince will still lead the army to fight against the powerful enemy, because he cares about the people and cannot bear to see the whole country fall into the situation of being ravaged by the iron cavalry of the Jing army."

Lu Tong was quite surprised, not because Wang Chulong had considered it so carefully, but because these words vaguely revealed a hint of boldness.

Why should we let the world see clearly?

Of course, at this difficult time, we must let the world know who is holding up the country!
Wang Chulong lowered his eyes and said calmly, "My daughter-in-law also knows the priorities. If the family business cannot support the border troops for a while, this strategy is definitely not feasible. After all, the overall interests of the prince are the most important."

"Don't worry, just do as you say. We can't always be the Lu family that suffers and is schemed against for no reason."

Lu Tong smiled warmly. This matter was indeed not difficult for him. After all, he was responsible for helping Yang Guangyuan manage logistics back then, and later helped Xiao Wangzhi solve many difficulties.

Even if someone in the south was playing tricks, he would not let the soldiers under Lu Chen starve. Of course, this could only be a temporary emergency measure and would definitely not work for a long time.

After the two of them agreed on the details, Wang Chulong stood up and said goodbye, then returned to the palace in the east surrounded by Jinshu and the maids and servants outside.

Lu Tong sat alone for a long time and did not immediately assign anyone to do anything.

As he thought back to the conversation just now, he couldn't help but have some long-term worries. After all, Lu Chen's other wives and concubines seemed to have simple minds. Although Wang Chulong didn't know martial arts, her strategy was probably better than all the others combined, not to mention that there was a Wang family of Zhai Lin standing behind her.

"Forget it, let the brat figure it out himself..."

Lu Tong smiled and shook his head.

(End of this chapter)