Lord: Start with a book of Water Margin

Chapter 497: Victory and Defeat
But Zhao Zhen heard what Wei Fuliang said and said, "Although it is a serious illness, it is not incurable. The state's [divine doctor] An Daoquan has superb medical skills. County Magistrate Wei, please stay at the farm for two days. I will ask him to treat you."

After hearing this, Wei Fuliang hurriedly expressed his gratitude.

Zhao Zhen sent someone to the city to invite An Daoquan.

Soon, An Daoquan, Bai Duo and Bai Zhang came together. After greeting each other, An Daoquan looked at Wei Fuliang who was coughing from time to time and asked, "Sir, is this man a doctor?"

Zhao Zhen nodded and introduced several people.

The three of them stepped forward and checked Wei Fuliang's pulse. The young man behind Wei Fuliang asked anxiously, "Dear doctors, can my father's illness be cured?"

Bai Duo spoke first, "In my opinion, the old gentleman has a syndrome of phlegm and qi stagnation. His emotions are stagnant and fluctuating, which results in liver qi not being able to flow freely. The liver qi invades the spleen and stomach, causing the spleen and stomach to lose their functions, and the body fluids cannot be transported and distributed, condensing into phlegm. Phlegm and qi stagnate in the throat, which is why he often coughs up phlegm. You can choose a prescription to relieve depression, regulate qi and resolve phlegm. First use Qingqi Huatan Pills to relieve the exterior, and then use Chaihu Shugan Pills to treat the interior."

After saying that, Bai Duo looked at An Daoquan.

An Daoquan said, "I'm afraid your prescription has already been used by the master."

Wei Fuliang said, "Yes, I have used this prescription before. It was good at first and relieved the symptoms a little, but then it stopped working."

An Daoquan said: "If you had come to see a doctor earlier, this prescription could have cured your illness. But later on, you had improper living habits, which caused you to be infected with external evil spirits, and your lung qi was not able to rise and fall properly, causing phlegm and turbidity to accumulate in your throat. These two symptoms combined into one, making it difficult to cure."

"Yes, I remember that my father often sighed to the moon in the yard late at night in winter." said the young man.

Wei Fuliang also said: "That's what the doctor said at the beginning. He used a prescription to dispel external evil, clear the lungs and resolve phlegm. He first used cough pills and then used orange peel pills. Neither worked, so he later asked a famous doctor to prescribe Qingqi Huatan pills and Chaihu Shugan pills."

An Daoquan said: "You have been suffering from coughing and sputum for too long, and it will take time to cure. I will prescribe a dose of Daihe Powder combined with Shenling Baizhu Powder for you to cure first. When the pears are ripe in autumn, take three [Huoyang Dates] from my husband, one a day, and the disease will be cured."

After hearing this, Wei Fuliang hurriedly expressed his gratitude.

An Daoquan said: "Your illness is not entirely due to my contribution. My prescription can only alleviate the symptoms. It is all thanks to my husband's [Fire Yang Date] that it attacks."

After hearing this, Wei Liangfu stood up and thanked Zhao Zhen again.

That night, a banquet was held to entertain Wei Fuliang.

The next day, Wei Fuliang asked Zhao Zhen to take up his post in Zhongdu County. Before leaving, he left his eldest son Wei Sheng in Liangshan County and asked Zhao Zhen to arrange a post for him.

world log
Name: Wei Fuliang (hero, the birthplace of Master Youzheng of Zengshan, Yanzhou)

Nickname: None
Race: Terran

Reputation: 100 (He is upright and honest, and refuses to curry favor with the powerful.)
Occupation: scribe

Secondary occupation: official (once served as Tongpan), professor

Official Position: Magistrate of Zhongdu County (not yet in office)

Level: Level 3 and Level 3 (Strength 13, Commander 44)

Attributes: Strength 20, Constitution 20, Agility 13, Spirit 44
Skills: Six Arts of a Gentleman level 4 (ritual, music, archery, charioteering, calligraphy, mathematics, strength +2, constitution +2, agility +2, spirit +2), Wisdom level 3 (guessing people's minds, calculating everything, spirit +3), Professor level 3 (teaching and imparting knowledge, spirit +3), Supervision of Taxes and Labor Service level 2 (supervising taxes and labor service, strength +2).

Commander Skill: Leadership Level 3 (Morale +3)

Martial Arts: None
Equipment: none
As for Wei Sheng, the eldest son of Wei Fuliang, his character was similar to that of Xu He and Kong Hou's sons. Among the younger generation of Liangshan, his literary talent was also the best.

Wei Sheng asked Xiao Rang to take him away and train him as a clerk in the state.

As for Xu He of Zhongdu County, Zhao Zhen ordered him to be transferred to Sishui and concurrently manage Xianyuan government affairs. In addition, there was another thing, that is, Peng Qi, who was recuperating in Sishui, came to surrender.

In the city of Bianjing, Zhao Zhen's document requesting credit for conquering Gaomi and Anqiu was also delivered to the emperor by the Ministry of Public Administration.

After seeing the victory report, the emperor said to Hou Meng, who was promoted to Imperial Censor, "It seems that the Qingzhou thief will still have to rely on Zhao Ze."

"We have recovered three counties before, and the Grand Commandant thought that Mizhou was not fully accomplished, so we should not give a big reward. Now that we have recovered the entire territory of Mizhou, and have held the Qingzhou bandits in Ye County, we deserve a reward."

Hou Meng said, "I'm afraid the Grand Commandant will decline the reward tomorrow on the grounds that the Qingzhou bandits have not been eliminated yet and that a large reward is not possible."

The emperor frowned and asked, "Why is this?"

Hou Meng said, "Your Majesty, among the three expeditions, only Zhao Ze has made the most contributions. He was born in the grassroots, and he got to where he is today only by suppressing the Qingzhou bandits. He is not a relative of the Grand Marshal, nor a member of the imperial examination. Now that he has occupied three states, some people have been jealous."

The emperor heard this and said, "The three states do have more land. Why doesn't the Ministry of Rites send officials there?"

Hou Meng said: "Song Jiang and his gang broke into the prefectures and counties, and executed all the officials without asking any questions. Yizhou, Mizhou, and even Laizhou were all facing the front of the Qingzhou bandits. Therefore, few people dared to go there. Most of them declined due to illness. Only one person, Wei Hulin, accepted the job and went to Yizhou to take up the post."

"I heard that Zhao Ze married the daughter of Cheng Wanli from Dongping Prefecture? Is Cheng Wanli a disciple of Tong Shumi?"

"Yes, when Envoy Zhao An was promoted from county magistrate to prefect, most of the land under his jurisdiction was allocated from Dongping Prefecture. The father-in-law and son-in-law live next to each other, but the territory is still the size of Dongping Prefecture. In the past few days, someone has written a letter proposing to change Dongping Prefecture back to Yunzhou." Hou Meng replied.

"I also support this. Although Zhao Ze has no intention of rebelling, the court must be on guard."

The emperor listened, nodded slightly, and asked, "What do you think, Shi Yushi?"

“You can be given a high position with generous salary, and be rewarded with lots of gold, silver and beauties, but you cannot be given any more orders. The position can be high, but the power cannot be great.” Hou Meng said.

"In the future, when we are going to suppress the Qingzhou bandits, it would be best if we can recruit them to Huaixi and Jiangnan. Otherwise, it would be best to transfer them away from Jingdong and Jingdong. This will save us from having another lord who only listens to orders and not proclamations."

On the second day of the court meeting, after all the ministers in the Wende Hall had finished bowing and dancing, the emperor took out Zhao Ze's memorial requesting merit and asked all officials to discuss it.

When Gao Qiu saw this, he realized that it was just as Hou Mengduo had said. He believed that as long as the Qingzhou bandits were not eliminated, these states and counties were merely abandoned by the Qingzhou bandits on purpose and were not worth a heavy reward.

The emperor said, "What the commander said makes sense. However, if we do not reward meritorious service, I am afraid it will hurt the morale of the army. Although it is not appropriate to grant titles and rank, we should select the best gold and silver items and send them to the army."

"Of the six counties in Dongping Prefecture, only Xucheng, Dong'e, and Pingyin remain. The Council of State Affairs has submitted a petition proposing to downgrade them to Yunzhou. What do you think?"

Grand Tutor Cai came out and said, "Your Majesty, Dongping Prefecture was split into two. It is no longer an important military town and is downgraded to a prefecture. The division is reasonable." The heads of various government offices also responded.

Eventually, Dongping Prefecture was downgraded to Yunzhou.

As for the rewards for Liangshan and Zhao Ze, the emperor asked the Council of State to draw up clear and generous rewards.

After discussing these two matters, the co-director of the Privy Council came forward and said, "Your Majesty, Privy Envoy Tong sent people to announce the victory. We have captured the two cities of Lingchuan and Gaoping, and killed Dong Cheng, Shen Ji, Zhang Li, and Zhao Neng, who were under the pseudo-Privy Envoy Niu Wenzhong of Gaizhou Prefecture. The siege of Huixian and Wushe has been lifted, and now the army is besieging Gaizhou Prefecture."

When the emperor heard this, he couldn't help but look delighted.

Led by Grand Tutor Cai, all the ministers congratulated the emperor, saying, "Congratulations, Your Majesty! Qingzhou and Hebei have won consecutive victories, wiped out the rebels, brought peace to the country, and ushered in a prosperous era."

The emperor said, "Tell the Privy Council to prepare a detailed report for the meritorious officers and soldiers and submit it to the court. Once the generals and lieutenants return to the capital, they will be rewarded according to their merits and promoted to higher positions."

Right Censor Chen Jin came out and said, "Your Majesty, we have won the first battle, and we should celebrate with the people. You can grant amnesty to the whole country so that the people can enjoy the emperor's grace."

Chen Zongshan, the Grand Commandant in front of the palace, said, "No, Your Majesty, please forgive me after the rebellion is quelled. Only in this way can Your Majesty show his power and prestige throughout the world."

"Good." said the emperor.

"Tong Guan and Zhao Ze have made great contributions. In addition to the rewards, they are also given a yellow ochre robe and a golden belt to honor their achievements."

After the court was dismissed, Gao Qiu did not return to the government office, but followed Cai Jing back to the Grand Tutor's Mansion.

After greeting, Gao Qiu said, "Grandmaster, this Liangshan Zhao Ze is so rude. He didn't send the official document to me, but sent it directly to the Tongzhengsi."

Hearing this, Cai Jing put down the teacup in his hand and said, "I said last time that Zhao Ze is a mean person. Most of the people he recruits are fugitives. From this point of view, he is definitely not a quiet person. He has made contributions, and Your Majesty asked you to draft a reward. How could he care about this little money? I believe he still hates you at this time, so how could he be willing to hand over the official document to you for review?"

Gao Qiu said, "Wang Jin, Lin Chong, Yang Zhi and others whom I have sent to prison are all under his command. I sent someone to hint to him to expel these people, but he refused to respond. I wanted to make him suffer in secret. Who would have thought that he is so hateful."

Cai Jing said, "This fellow is always a disciple of Tong Guan. He is always making things difficult for us. We may not meet again in the future. As for that Green-faced Beast Yang Zhi, I have known for a long time that he is hiding in Liangshan. He lost the birthday gift, but now he wants to help fight against the Qingzhou bandits. This can be regarded as a way to atone for his crime."

Gao Qiu said, "I know what the Grand Master means, and I don't take these warriors seriously. But I really don't like Zhao Ze's attitude."

Cai Jing said, "As I said before, after we get rid of Song Jiang in Qingzhou, who cares whether Zhao Ze lives or dies? If it were easy, a cup of poisoned wine would kill him. However, this man has always been cautious and always brought adequate guards when he travels. He has more soldiers with him than even a Grand Tutor like me."

"Right now, eradicating the Qingzhou bandits is the most important thing. To be honest, I only lost some money, not like the general who lost his brothers and their families. Some people are worried that if Song Jiang crosses the river to the north, there will be endless troubles in the future, so they advocate recruiting this guy."

Gao Qiu was furious when he heard this and said, "Anyone who dares to make such slanderous remarks should be beheaded."

Cai Jing waved his hand and said, "Who else could it be except Su Yuanjing? I'm afraid this guy has contact with Song Jiang. This is not a big deal. Now the news of victory is coming frequently, and the emperor has no intention of recruiting him. But we can't delay it too long. If the emperor changes his mind, by then, I'm afraid there will be another governor in the east of Beijing. It will be even more difficult to harm him. For now, we still have to urge the soldiers from all directions to move forward together."

Gao Qiu said, "Hu Yanzhuo has a good reputation but only won two battles before he was ambushed in Qingzhou and lost many soldiers and generals. He has no new achievements now. My brother Gao Lian is very capable but unfortunately he is trapped by the terrain and has not been able to cross the river yet."

"Grandmaster, in my opinion, it would be better to mobilize another force to support us. We don't need many troops, just an elite force to attack Qingzhou from Yizhou. In this way, Song Jiang will not dare to abandon Qingzhou and defend Laiwu to the death."

"Where can we find such a group of elite soldiers?"

"Dongchang Prefecture, which is adjacent to Gaotang Prefecture, has a fierce general in the city. His surname is Zhang and his name is Qing. He is originally from Zhangde Prefecture and was born in the Tiger Cavalry. He is good at throwing stones at people and never misses. People call him the Featherless Arrow. He has two deputy generals: one is called Gong Wang, the Tiger with Flower Neck. He has tiger stripes tattooed all over his body and a tiger head on his neck. He can fly with a spear. The other is called Ding Desun, the Tiger with Arrows. He has scars on his cheeks and neck. He can fly with a flying fork. What do you think of this army?"

"It's just about mobilizing three to five thousand people, which is within your authority. Just send someone to recommend him tomorrow." Cai Jing said nonchalantly.

"However, to go through Yizhou, we still need the cooperation of Zhao Ze..."

The two were discussing in secret when Li Duguan knocked on the door and came in, bowing and saying, "Grandmaster, the steward of the Grand Marshal's Mansion said that someone from Qingzhou came to look for the Grand Marshal."

Cai Jing heard this and said, "Since the Grand Commandant is busy, let's discuss this another day."

"No need. Since he is from Qingzhou, it must be about the Qingzhou robbery. The Grand Tutor is just right to assist us. Just bring the person here." Gao Qiu said.

Seeing Cai Jing nod, Li Duguan went down and soon brought two people with him.

After greeting, Gao Qiu asked, "Wang Duguan, what's the matter?"

Wang Duguan pointed at another person and said, "This is Gao Zhizhou's confidant, who came to deliver an urgent letter. I checked the letter and confirmed that it is correct. I dare not delay and bring him to see the Prime Minister."

After hearing this, the man quickly took out a letter from his arms and held it high above his head.

Li Duguan took the letter and presented it to Gao Qiu.

Gao Qiu looked at the wax seal and then unfolded the letter. As soon as he finished reading the letter, he was stunned.

Cai Jing saw it and asked, "Grand Commander?"

Gao Qiu handed the letter to Cai Jing and said, "Grandmaster, the navy was defeated."

Cai Jing read the letter and breathed a sigh of relief. He said, "General, it's just that Niu Bangxi's ship is gone, but Liu Menglong's fleet is intact. Why are you so surprised?"

Gao Qiu said, "Grandmaster, please take a closer look. The Qingzhou bandits were able to fire cannons in the water. Most of the ships led by Niu Bangxi were sunk by mines, and the rest jumped into the water and scattered, which led to the entire fleet being lost. Even if Liu Menglong came, I'm afraid he would not be able to defeat the enemy."

After saying that, he looked at the soldier kneeling on the ground and asked, "Does Gao Lian have anything else for you to tell him?"

The man hesitated to speak, Gao Qiu said angrily: "We are all family, just speak."

The man said, "The prefect asked me to tell him that he intends to attack Qingzhou from Boxing and will not wait for Liu Menglong's fleet. I hope the general will take care of it."

Gao Qiu nodded: "Okay, I understand. Just let Gao Lian do it, don't worry. I'll be in the court." After that, he said to Wang Du: "You go and reward him, and then come back quickly."

After everyone left, Gao Qiu said to Cai Jing, "Grandmaster, I recommended Niu Bangxi, but now he has died at the hands of the Qingzhou bandits. There are good news everywhere, but this useless man has lost his life. The emperor is very happy, how can I tell him this?"

Cai Jing listened, thought for a moment, and said to Gao Qiu: "Tomorrow, just report that the Yellow River was stormy and Niu Bangxi was occupying a boat in the river. The boat was overturned by the storm and Niu Bangxi died in the king's business."

(End of this chapter)