Red Mansion: Seizing Jiangdong, starting with pirates

Chapter 350, Discarding the Donkey After It Has Served Its Purpose

"Ahem, Lord Meng, I'd like to ask, are there any conditions for this trip to the capital to report on my duties?"

"This……"

Meng Liang was momentarily speechless.

He hadn't expected the other person to be so blunt.

The so-called conditions, needless to say, generally include plenty of gold and silver. The fact that the other party is now emphasizing other conditions clearly indicates they want more than just gold and silver…

"General Zhang has pledged allegiance to the King of Wu, and the King of Wu will certainly not treat you unfairly!"

Meng Liang spoke vaguely.

However, Zhang Haicheng is not someone who can be easily fooled.

He stood up, laughed heartily, and said to Meng Liang:
“Lord Meng, I, Zhang, admire Lord Wu the most. You don’t know, we are from the same hometown in Hongze! I beg you to speak to Lord Wu on my behalf. I, Zhang, value loyalty above all else. I am as close to my brothers in this battalion as brothers. I cannot abandon my brothers after I have gained wealth and honor.”

Seeing this, Meng Liang knew that Zhang Haicheng did not want to relinquish his military power.

This is also a very common situation.

In chaotic times, military power is life itself.

No one can safely entrust their life to someone else.

Fang Yong, in particular, was notoriously cruel, a man who would discard someone after they had served their purpose.

However, these conditions are not something Meng Liang can decide.

He could only say that he would pass the matter on to the King of Wu, adding that the King of Wu was a man of great loyalty and righteousness and would certainly take General Zhang's difficulties into consideration.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Haicheng laughed heartily and warmly welcomed Meng Liang.

During the meal, Zhang Haicheng invited a woman who was about 18 years old and had an excellent appearance.

Meng Liang asked, "What is this?"

Zhang Haicheng said, "This is the daughter of the Kuai family of Xiangyang, and she will be my wife."

Meng Liang quickly bowed and said, "So it's you, Madam."

He secretly grumbled to himself, "Zhang Haicheng is nearly fifty years old. He already has a wife in Beijing, but now he's married a new lover so blatantly. I wonder what Zhang Haicheng is up to."
But then Zhang Haicheng waved his hand and ordered his wife to toast Meng Liang.

Meng Liang was flattered and repeatedly declined.

Zhang Haicheng insisted on the request.

After drinking a glass of wine, Meng Liang felt hot all over.

After a few rounds of drinks, Zhang Haicheng walked out alone.

Lady Kuai then began to undress Meng Liang.

"not me……"

The next day, it was still dark.

Meng Liang picked up his clothes, shirtless, and quietly escaped through the stone corridor in the back garden, scaling the wall.

Meng Liang was used to a life of luxury, and when asked to climb over the wall, he was not up to the task. Halfway over, his legs lost their footing, and he panicked, about to fall off the wall.

At the critical moment, a hand caught Meng Liang.

Meng Liang finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"thank you!"

"Uncle Meng, you're too kind!"

After saying that, Meng Liang suddenly realized something.

Look down.

A familiar person smiled at him.

"Li Jia!"

With a thud, Meng Liang fell off the wall.

Li Jia helped Meng Liang up and said with a smile:
"Uncle, there's no need to panic. I have now joined General Zhang's ranks and am highly valued by him. I am grateful for your past help and would like to ask you to stay a few more days so that I may do my part." Meng Liang was in a state of panic.

I never imagined that a moment of compassion would turn out like this.

He dared not stay any longer and hurriedly took his leave as if fleeing.

Li Jia did not try to stop him.

On the way back, Meng Liang was in a state of turmoil.

This trip was originally just to deliver an imperial decree, but unexpectedly, he not only slept with Zhang Haicheng's wife, but also got involved with her.

Li Jia ran away from his Meng family mansion, and he is inextricably linked to this. What should he do?

frank……

That's obviously impossible; he hasn't lived enough yet!
hide……

If the matter is to be concealed, then Zhang Haicheng's surrender to the government must be facilitated.

Otherwise, if Zhang Haicheng rebels, Li Jia's affair will be exposed sooner or later, and the Meng family will surely be wiped out.

However, there is actually another way.

That means directly dealing with the people who caused the problem, silencing Li Jia and Zhang Haicheng, otherwise there's a chance they might expose their wrongdoing...

Not long after, Meng Liang returned to Nanyang and recounted his trip to Jingzhou to Ma Laohei with a bitter face.

"Commander Qing, you have to help me! Please put in a good word for me with the General. I've been tricked by Zhang Haicheng!"

Ma Laohei laughed heartily and said:

"This is nothing to worry about. You don't know this, but Zhang Haicheng is quite adept at this. When he was poor and lowly, he used his beautiful wife as a stepping stone to befriend powerful and influential people. Once he gained power, he abandoned his wife and married a noblewoman from the capital. Now that his family is in the hands of a prince, he has decisively abandoned them again and is seeking new love."

Meng Liang's eyes flickered, but he ultimately didn't mention Li Jia's matter.

Upon returning to the capital, Meng Liang sought out Fang Yong to give him a reply.

He revealed everything that had happened, except for Li Jia.

Fang Yong had no doubts.

Although the Embroidered Uniform Guard had an inside agent in Jingzhou, their development had not been long enough to reach the point of infiltrating Zhang Haicheng's residence.

Meng Liang was skilled at being an official, and his answers were mostly true with only one lie. Even when he lied, he remained completely calm and had excellent composure. Moreover, the content of his account was basically the same as the answers given by the officials and guards accompanying him, so Fang Yong did not notice the problem.

Meng Liang stated Zhang Haicheng's conditions, exaggerating them in his words to emphasize Zhang Haicheng's insatiable greed. He also analyzed that Zhang Haicheng was an opportunist, cold-hearted, and ruthless person who, holding military power, would inevitably rebel in the future.

Fang Yong listened to Meng Liang's analysis and felt that there was nothing wrong with it, but he still sensed something was wrong. It seemed that Meng Liang really wanted Zhang Haicheng dead!
Although Zhang Haicheng is exactly as analyzed, and he is indeed such a person, there are quite a few similar individuals among the officials of Da Xi.

Generally speaking, in the officialdom of the Daxi era, people leave room for maneuver in their dealings with others, unlike Meng Liang who would put someone to death...

Unless, of course, the two are locked in a life-or-death struggle.

Fang Yong silently came to this conclusion, without showing any change in his expression.

Fang Yong didn't have any imperial ambitions.

He was just a thoughtful person, and he also had an absolute advantage in military strength. Zhang Haicheng couldn't cause much trouble in his eyes, so he could act calmly.

"What does Meng Qing intend to do?"

Meng Liang respectfully said:

"Your Majesty, I request to eliminate this threat. Your Majesty may feign acceptance of Zhang Haicheng's request. It is easy to grant, but it will arouse suspicion. Your Majesty may borrow his troops to pacify Hubei, and his suspicion will naturally dissipate. Once the matter is accomplished, his power will naturally weaken. I will then risk disapproval and personally behead him to present his head."

Fang Yong was quite surprised to hear this.

This strategy, though somewhat underhanded, was indeed quite effective.

First, pretend to agree to Zhang Haicheng's request. When the other party sees that it is so easy to agree, he will inevitably become suspicious. At this time, propose the condition that he pacify Hubei. Zhang Haicheng's suspicion will be greatly reduced.

This would not only make taking over Hubei province easier, but also allow Zhang Haicheng to handle the dirty and tiring work that might offend powerful families.

Afterwards, Meng Liang was even willing to take the blame and discard Zhang Haicheng after he had served his purpose.

It can be said that Fang Yong gained Hubei without paying anything and also eliminated Zhang Haicheng.

Meng Qing was an extremely loyal and virtuous man!
(End of this chapter)