Red Mansion: Seizing Jiangdong, starting with pirates

Chapter 265, Urgent Situation at the Front
Fang Yong was slightly surprised when he saw Wang Xifeng.

To be honest, he did not summon Wang Xifeng to the palace.

It was Tan Chun herself who called it that.

Fang Yong didn't interfere much after he found out.

Unexpectedly, Wang Xifeng came looking for her herself.

Could it be that he has developed a taste for the marrow from that day?

Based on his preconceived notions, Fang Yong naturally assumed that Wang Xifeng had come to see him.

So he said:
"Feng'er, go inside and rest first. We'll talk after I finish my business!"

Upon hearing this, Yuan Chun, who was grinding ink beside her, trembled and almost dropped the ink in her hand.

Wang Xifeng blushed deeply, and, flustered, didn't know how to explain. She hurriedly said:
"I... I've come to deliver something to Yuan Chun."

Upon hearing this, Fang Yong realized he had misunderstood and said:

"Oh, I misunderstood."

And then nothing more was said.

Wang Xifeng stood there feeling extremely uncomfortable, so she quickly ran inside.

Fang Yong carefully examined the military report in his hand.

Cui Si and Yuan Chun wisely avoided looking at each other.

They all come from prominent families, so naturally they wouldn't violate this taboo.

There were two military reports, one of which was Wei Xing's report from Hangzhou.

Xu Shaobao cunningly escaped, and Wei Xing requested permission to lead troops in pursuit, while also requesting a large amount of grain and officials.

This guy was quite interesting. He recounted everything that happened on the battlefield in great detail, writing several pages of military reports, even including his duel with Lin Lin. Fang Yong couldn't help but chuckle when he read it.

Is he that suspicious?
Wei Xing is indeed capable, but he's a bit too greedy for credit. We need to be more cautious in using him after the Zhejiang campaign.

General Fang Yong reported that he had approved Wei Xing's request.

Next is the second military report.

Gao Li was wounded, and the grassland army surrounded the Adil tribe. The situation was very serious, and Gao Li requested Fang Yongsu to send a general to replace him.

Fang Yong's expression turned somewhat grim after reading the military report.

What is Gao Li up to?

We still can't win...

Regardless, Gao Li was loyal after all, at least he knew to ask Fang Yong to replace him, so Fang Yong recalled him to recuperate.

Then Fang Yongsu ordered someone to send a message to Zhou Shuan, saying:
"Order Zhou Shuan to rush to the grasslands to replace Gao Li. He need not go to the palace. He must depart immediately and arrive within three days!"

"Yes."

The subordinate agreed and was about to deliver the message when Fang Yong suddenly stopped him and said:

"Also, tell Zhou Shuan, 'Our own food supplies are running low...'"

The two orders were quickly relayed outwards.

Fang Yong got up somewhat dejectedly. Just then, his subordinate came to report again.

"Your Highness, Cheng Fan requests an audience, saying he has come to apologize to Your Highness."

"Apologize?" Fang Yong narrowed his eyes and said, "I won't see him. Tell him that if he is guilty, he should go to the Emperor to apologize!"

The subordinate replied, "Yes."

Fang Yong stood up.

Cui Si and Yuan Chun, who were standing beside her, felt a sense of fear.

The words Fang Yongming just spoke to Cheng Fan were utterly undisguised in their murderous intent, sending chills down one's spine.

In fact, Fang Yong originally wanted to leave Cheng Fan a way out.

That was true, at least until just now.

Unfortunately, the battle report we just received indicated that Wei Xing was greedy for merit and needed money and supplies, while Gao Li's army had been defeated and needed money and supplies even more.

These funds and provisions cannot be withheld, but for every penny spent, the subsidies for the people under his command decrease.

Although those people had long been accustomed to hunger under the rule of Emperor Longqing, as long as they didn't starve to death, they wouldn't complain even if they were short a little food. They would even thank Fang Yong for giving them a stable life.

But Fang Yong came from a poor background, and he knew firsthand what it was like to go hungry. Driven by hunger, he wished he could lick every grain of rice and every drop of soup clean.

If that's the case, why not just eliminate the Cheng family to bring peace to the world?

That way, the front lines would have money and supplies, and the people would also have food. Wouldn't that be the best of both worlds?

As for the Cheng family...

Why didn't they come to apologize sooner?
Fang Yong had already sentenced the Cheng family to death. He put his arm around Cui Si and walked inside. A moment later, he turned back and pulled Yuan Chun inside as well.

"Hey, Your Highness!"

Yuan Chun exclaimed in surprise and was pulled away by Fang Yong.

Shuntian Mansion.

Jia She imprisoned Cheng Dun and subjected him to severe torture.

Soon, Cheng Dun couldn't hold back any longer and confessed, explaining in detail how he misappropriated the grain from the Taicang granary.

Besides Cheng Fan's cooperation, several ministers in the court also participated, including Cui Shu of the Ministry of Revenue and Guo Bai, who was then the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel.

It's safe to say that Cui Shu and Guo Bai truly deserve to die!

Later, the imperial court faced a tense war situation, and the front lines needed military supplies.

To fill this hole, the Cheng family had no choice but to give back some of the money they had received.

However, the silver distributed to other officials could not make up for the shortfall.

The Cheng family has already given up the meat they were about to get; this is already a great favor. They can't possibly spend any more money on it.

Therefore, they could only find various reasons to pass on the deficit.

The tax was levied at each level, eventually reaching the county magistrate, which led to the Green Sprouts Tax in Wanping County.

Cheng Fan had no idea about the situation in Wanping County, and the magistrate of Wanping County was also unaware of the inside story. He thought that his embezzlement of tax money had been exposed, which was why he was desperately scrambling to siphon off funds to cover up the hole for others.

With the case now clear, Jia She took the list to Fang Yong for review.

Jia She wasn't some upright official; he naturally needed to consult Fang Yong before taking any action regarding how to deal with the people on the list.

Meanwhile, after returning home, Cheng Fan quickly gathered his men and began preparing for their escape.

on the grassland.

Gao Li's injuries were quite serious.

In addition, there were few good doctors on the grassland, so the injury deteriorated rapidly, and a putrid stench could be smelled.

Gao Li forced himself to continue directing the army to set up defensive lines every day.

The two armies are locked in a standoff, with daily clashes occurring.

The Huaiyin army was large in number and well-equipped, so Tuo Lei was hesitant to attack easily and instead sent troops to harass and probe the enemy.

The injury could be serious or minor. Who knows if Gao Li was really seriously injured or just pretending to be seriously injured?

Faced with Tuolei's harassment and probing, Gao Li endured it as much as possible, never revealing his strength, hoping to hold out until Fang Yong sent someone over.

The more this happened, the more Tuolei suspected a trap and dared not launch a decisive battle easily. Instead, he gradually chipped away at Tuolei's strength and made a slow advance.

The battle lines are constantly shrinking; today a pasture is captured, tomorrow a water source is taken.

Gao Li only knew how to retreat. Seeing this situation, the people of the Adil tribe, realizing that the enemy was strong and they were weak, inevitably developed disloyal thoughts and considered switching sides.

Adil E personally went to question Gao Li and said:

"If we continue to give in like this, I'm afraid the Adil tribe will have no pastures to graze their livestock and no water sources to drink from in the future!"

Gao Li could only force himself to comfort her:
"Wait a little longer, wait a little longer, the King of Wu will send someone over soon."

Two more days passed, and several more battles were lost, with several pastures and grasslands being occupied.

Seeing the precarious situation, several generals of the Adil tribe finally decided to abandon their allegiance and switch sides.

However, just as they were preparing to implement it...

From the outside world, a dozen or so riders galloped at breakneck speed to the Adil tribe.

The leader was of medium height, wearing a leather coat, holding a riding whip, and had a stern and meticulous expression.

Upon receiving Fang Yong's order, Zhou Shuan did not dare to delay for a moment. He immediately led several trusted men to the grasslands, riding at full speed without stopping for a moment. In just two days, they successfully arrived at the Adier tribe.

(End of this chapter)