Do you know: I have a different surname: Wang, uncle Minglan.

Chapter 182: After the Eight Wise Kings, King Wu of Suzhou
On April 7, the new army left Haizhou and continued southward.

If he encounters mountain bandits or Japanese pirates along the way, Wei Yuan will take strong suppression measures and leave no one alive.

Although doing this, you will encounter a lot of resistance.

For example, those bandits or Japanese pirates who wanted to join the imperial court had no way out and could only fight to the end.

It will add a lot of unnecessary trouble to the new army.

However, Wei Yuan's trip was to tell the world clearly that the Zhou army would not collude with the Japanese pirates.

If someone wants to collude with the Japanese pirates, what awaits them will eventually be a dead end.

Only in this way can we prevent the Japanese pirates from breeding again after his victory, and no one will give them money or women.

Given time, it will be difficult for the Japanese pirates to grow stronger.

During the march, people from time to time reported to Wei Yuan the situation of Japanese pirates in various prefectures.

The son of the Eight Wise Kings is even better.

However, in any case, Yang and Suzhou are important towns, and the number of Japanese pirates is very small. Even if there are, there are only a dozen or so.

"King Wu wanted to see me? Did you say anything?"

It's just that Zhao Yunliang's heir is relatively young, and secondly, it doesn't comply with etiquette.

"Look, do you want to give them a response?"

"We have been delayed in Haizhou for several days and must rush to Zhejiang and Zhejiang as soon as possible."

Wei Yuan said: "Tell the Suzhou governor that I appreciate his kindness."

Therefore, it is normal for Zhao Zhen to have a good impression of this clan.

Yang Huairen was about to speak but stopped.

As long as King Wu is in Suzhou and Hangzhou, there will be no chaos in Suzhou and Hangzhou.

After all, King Wu's influence is not just in Suzhou.

Because it is impossible for the imperial court to allow Japanese pirates to appear in such a place.

In previous history, Yangzhou was not close to the sea.

Although there is a governor in Suzhou, the actual head of the family is King Wu.

These eight virtuous kings were brothers with Zhao Zhen's father, Zhou Zhenzong, and were the eighth son of Zhou Taizong.

However, Yangzhou in this generation had a larger area, and some of its cities and counties were close to the sea.

Because this person had a reputation as a virtuous person, he was called the "Eight Wise Kings" by the people.

Just considering that the existence of those dens of thieves was not enough to affect the situation in Yang and Suzhou, the local officials turned a blind eye.

After all, Zhao Yunliang is not dead yet, so Zhao Zhen cannot directly snatch his legitimate son and recognize him as his son, and his legitimate son has no extraordinary achievements and cannot be crowned king.

"But I have the emperor's orders and cannot delay my trip."

As for bandits, they are just small dens of thieves, and local police officers can go and deal with them.

Over the years, King Wu had managed Suzhou in an orderly manner. No matter whether the court was short of money or food, Suzhou was always the first to step forward to help.

Wei Yuan asked.

Zhao Yunliang?
According to seniority, he is Zhao Zhen's younger brother.

"Commander Wei, there is one more thing. Suzhou officials have sent a letter jointly asking you to go to Suzhou and stay for a few days."

"If you encounter bandits along the way, let some generals in the army lead the troops to quell them."

After all, even if it is just a small den of thieves, sending people to encircle and suppress it will still pay a price.

Wei Yuan did not believe that a man with great talent in governing the country would talk nonsense due to drunkenness. It was obvious that the King of Wu was indeed quite capable.

"According to the news from the Imperial City Division, bandits and Japanese pirates in Chuzhou, Yangzhou, and Suzhou have begun to move to the sea. This move is to avoid me and block the enemy's attack."

It is not necessary to give face to Suzhou officials, but the face that should be given to King Wu must still be given.

His son Zhao Yunliang was named 'King of Wu' by Zhao Zhen ten years ago, and his territory was Suzhou.

Once, Fu Yanguo was demoted to the south of the Yangtze River and was warmly received by the King of Wu. After Fu Yanguo got drunk, he said that the King of Wu was the magic needle that fixed the sea.

People like Mr. Han and others also respected the old prince.

Wei Yuan gave instructions to Yang Huairen.

Wei Yuan frowned and said, "What's wrong?"

But no matter what, Zhao Zhen thinks that the grandson of the Eight Wise Kings is not bad.

Yang Huairen said: "After the Eight Wise Kings, Wu King Zhao Yunliang also wants to see you."

Before Zhao Zhen gave birth to the child Zhao Xi, he had planned to make Zhao Yunliang's heir king and then order him to come to the capital.

The latter cupped his fists and said, "No."

Therefore, this idea can be considered as given up.

The same is true in Suzhou.

"The King of Wu has sent his bodyguard here to deliver a letter. The general has not read this letter yet, please ask the commander of the bodyguard to read it."

After saying that, Yang Huairen took out a letter from his arms.

Wei Yuan opened it and read it. The content of the letter was also very simple.

First, he praised himself unstintingly, and then said that he was a hero of the world, and that he, the King of Wu, had long been interested in getting acquainted with him.

Moreover, the meeting place and the meeting place have been agreed upon.

Just near Taihu Lake.

Interestingly, King Wu clearly stated in his letter that he hoped Wei Yuan would go alone. "It seems that King Wu has guessed that I will not go to see Suzhou officials."

"He did not stop the officials from sending people to send a joint letter. Instead, he sent his personal guards here alone, making it difficult for me to refuse his invitation."

After hearing what Wei Yuan said, Yang Huairen asked:
"Would you like to go to King Wu's place or not?"

Wei Yuan held the letter sent by King Wu in his arms, intending to keep it for safekeeping, as it might be of great use in the future.

Then he asked:

"When Fan Chunren went to Liang Zhejiang, did King Wu see him?"

Yang Huairen shook his head and said, "The guards you assigned to Fan Chunren will guard him day and night."

"I heard from their letter that Fan Chunren was in Suzhou and only met the local governor."

"As for King Wu, he said that he was ill."

Wei Yuan smiled and said, "The King of Wu did not see Fan Chunren, but he saw me, because we have military power."

"Although Fan Chunren is the Southeast Economic and Strategic Envoy, he is in charge of national maritime policy."

"But as long as we are in the southeast, shipping matters will not be able to bypass us."

"King Wu knows this, so he wants to see me."

It goes without saying that if Wei Yuan wanted to evade Fan Chunren's power, it would only be a matter of one sentence.

The officials in the southeastern part of Zhejiang and Zhejiang knew very well who to listen to.

Otherwise, how can we quell the Japanese pirates at sea without being able to command the army? How can shipping be able to move smoothly?

As long as Wei Yuan delays it for ten days or eight months, those who want to do shipping business will suffer more losses, or even be on the verge of bankruptcy because they cannot sell the goods they have hoarded.

Yang Huairen said: "Are you saying that King Wu also wants to do the shipping business?"

Wei Yuan smiled and said: "Otherwise, he is a dignified prince, but he lives in a corner, and there is no need for him to meet me, the commander-in-chief of the new army."

It is a taboo for a vassal king to collude with the army.

Wei Yuan did not choose to burn the letter sent by King Wu, which was equivalent to grabbing a small tail of him.

How could the King of Wu not know?
Even so, he still wants to see Wei Yuan, which means that there are huge benefits tempting him to see Wei Yuan.

Yang Huairen frowned and said, "The implication behind Commander Wei's words is that he wants to meet the King of Wu?"

Wei Yuan nodded, "Yes, why not? It's just a show."

"The King of Wu claimed that he was ill at home, so I can't reveal any clues."

"I took the lead in going to Taihu Lake to meet the King of Wu. During the few days since I left, the army moved forward at a normal marching speed."

"Chai Gong and I have similar physiques. Let Chai Gong wear my armor and sit in the chariot. I will patrol the camp late at night without any mistakes."

Yang Huairen solemnly clasped his fists and said, "No."

One day later.

Wei Yuan rushed to the vicinity of Taihu Lake.

According to the meeting place with King Wu.

Wei Yuan found a house near Taihu Lake. It was small and similar to a farmhouse.

But if you can buy such a house near Taihu Lake, even if it is small and simple, the identity of its owner is probably very important.

Wei Yuan walked all the way here, but saw not many pedestrians, not even ships.

And he vaguely felt that there were many pairs of eyes around him staring at him.

According to normal logic, at least a few brothel boats can be seen here, and they are brightly lit at night.

But there was nothing, it was extremely quiet.

Wei Yuan had just arrived here when an old man holding an ox slowly came over and bowed to Wei Yuan:
"May I ask if you are Commander Wei?"

Wei Yuan nodded.

The old man pointed in a direction and said, "The master of the house has been waiting for you by the lake for a long time."

Wei Yuan nodded slightly and saw an old man wearing a bamboo hat and fishing leisurely by the lake.

He stepped forward on foot, and after about a cup of tea, he was behind the old man.

Wei Yuan just stood quietly and watched the movement on the lake without saying a word.

Neither did the old man.

After an unknown amount of time, Wei Yuan saw movement on the lake and whispered, "The fish is hooked."

The old man did not raise the pole, "In the opinion of Commander Wei, who is the fish and who is the hook, you and me?"

Wei Yuan sighed: "It's troublesome to deal with you people. You have to guess riddles at every turn. Who is the fish and who is the hook? Does it matter?"

King Wu was stunned. In just a moment, the fish that was about to take the bait ran away, and there was no more movement on the lake.

He put away his pole and stood up, and saw that the fish food on the hook had been eaten up by the fish.

Wei Yuan looked at it and said with a smile: "It seems that your state of mind has been affected?"

"If you are a year-round fisher, you won't let a fish get off the hook."

"Did my arrival surprise you?"

King Wu turned around slowly, like an ordinary old farmer. He looked at Wei Yuan and said with a smile:
"The water of Taihu Lake has been turbid by the fish. I lost one fish, but there is still another one. In short, as long as the water is still muddy, I can always catch fish to eat."

"As soon as Commander Wei arrived at the lake, there were waves on the lake. It seemed like there were many fish, all vying to bite the fish food on my hook."

"If I were this fish, I would naturally be willing to take the risk and have a good meal. It just depends on whether the real person holding the pole is willing to get distracted."

(End of this chapter)