Red Mansion: Seizing Jiangdong, starting with pirates

Chapter 362, The Submission of the Two Lakes

Inside the Qianqing Palace, Fang Zhi, chained and kneeling on the ground, had a resolute expression.

"Your Highness, I do not believe I am guilty. If you wish to punish me, I will accept it. But please tell me where I went wrong! Was it wrong for me to capture Wuchang? Did the Cai family not deserve credit for surrendering the city? The Ding'e Army plundered the people in the name of my Huaiyin Army. Is this something Your Highness can tolerate? Please speak plainly, Your Highness!"

Fang Yong stood with his back turned and his hands behind his back.

From a distance where Fang Zhi couldn't see, Fang Yong's expression was slightly complicated.

What Fang Zhi said was actually not wrong; there was nothing wrong with it.

The only problem is the stance.

Stance is an incurable disease with no solution.

When people climb to the top of the mountain, they can no longer see the scenery at the bottom, and even Fang Yong was no exception.

After a moment of silence, Fang Yong spoke.

"Go to Korea."

Fang Zhi was taken aback and looked up.

"Your Majesty?"

Fang Yong didn't look at him, and said with his back turned:

"The Inland Navy will soon enter Liaodong, at which time Liaodong will inevitably undergo changes. You will lead a fleet to garrison in Goryeo to guard against Goryeo's incursions into Liaodong. In addition, if you are capable enough, you can wage war against Goryeo. In Goryeo, you can freely form alliances with the local powerful families. I only want tax revenue."

Upon hearing this, Fang Zhi felt a sense of fear, unsure whether Fang Yong's decision was an exile or a reward.

Goryeo is a small place, and its people have always been uncivilized. What achievements could he possibly make there?
Was Fang Yong's phrase "ally with aristocratic families" a reference to him?

But Fang Yong then put him in command of troops, which gave him another opportunity to make a name for himself.

Fang Zhi was filled with mixed feelings of joy and worry. He wanted to explain to Fang Yong that he had no intention of joining forces with the aristocratic families, but when he looked up, Fang Yong's aura made him speechless. In the end, he could only obediently accept the order.

"Go down and get ready."

Fang Yong gave him the order to leave.

Fang Zhi had no choice but to leave.

As for the Cai family...

Ten days have passed since he was escorted from Wuchang to the capital, and now Cai Shi is completely dead.

Fang Yong watched Fang Zhi leave, feeling a pang of emotion.

Four years after the uprising began, before the country had been fully conquered, the first official in the army had already changed his stance.

Fang Yong had considered killing Fang Zhi and even thought about executing him in a high-profile manner.

Such a move will greatly deter the entire army and prevent those officials who are eager to make a move from acting rashly.

But what's the point of that?

How long can this so-called deterrence last?
Can killing so many people stop it?

It couldn't be stopped.

Fang Yong was well aware of this.

Zhu Yuanzhang's methods for dealing with corrupt officials were comparable to those of King Zhou of Shang, yet he still could not stop the rate of corruption.

Comrade Father completely eliminated an entire class, but only slightly prolonged the time.

Fang Yong believed that he was no stronger than these two people.

Because Fang Yong himself lived in a luxurious palace and enjoyed the highest level of luxury every day, he could not kill his subordinates just because they did the same thing as him.

Fang Yong himself enjoys life and is willing to share it with the soldiers who have made great contributions to him. However, if this continues, the lives of ordinary people will inevitably become worse and worse. When one group enjoys a higher standard of living, the interests of another group will inevitably be harmed.

Fang Yong had been an ordinary citizen, and he didn't want to see this happen. But he had no way to solve the problem.

However, if you can't solve the problem, you can pass it on to someone else.

Fang Yong didn't want his people to be harmed, so he could shift the pressure to other countries, thus alleviating the problem.

This is why he sent Fang Zhi to Goryeo.

As for the future, when technology advances, energy problems are completely solved, and basic necessities are supplied, this situation will probably be perfectly resolved.

Perhaps Fang Yong will even be able to witness that day arrive.

After Zhang Haicheng occupied Wuchang, he looted the city extensively and amassed a large sum of money.

Zhang Haicheng then moved on to other cities, and Ma Laohei followed up by taking over these lands.

As the situation in Hubei gradually becomes clearer, the situation in Hunan is also becoming clearer.

On July 22, Zhang Haicheng's troops occupied the last piece of land in Hubei, Zhuhe County.

On the same day, He Ai's troops were mobilized overnight.

Troops hidden in Dongting Lake quickly surrounded Yueyang City.

The prefect of Yueyang and five of the eight major families in the city colluded with the bandits of Huaiyin and set up a trap to control the garrison officials and the heads of the remaining families.

Most of the city's guards were bribed, and only a few engaged in combat. Due to the disparity in numbers, the fighting quickly subsided.

Overnight, Yueyang fell.

The next day, news of the successful capture of Yueyang spread, and Zhang Haicheng was immediately tempted to cross the river into Hunan to get a share of the spoils, but he was stopped by He Ai's troops.

Hunan is different from Hubei. He Ai had already controlled most of the land there over the years, so taking over Hunan would be effortless and Zhang Haicheng wouldn't need to help at all.

Crucially, Zhang Haicheng's crossing of the river was entirely his own private action, without any transfer order from Fang Yong.

On the contrary, He Ai received a secret order from Fang Yong, who ordered him to deploy his troops on the south bank of the river to monitor Zhang Haicheng's forces and prevent them from crossing the river. If they showed any signs of rebellion, he was to immediately send troops to annihilate them.

This is also why He Ai was the first to capture Yueyang.

His original plan was to take Changsha first, and all the arrangements were already made. However, he suddenly received a secret order from Fang Yong, which led to a temporary change of target. As a result, the plan to attack Yueyang did not go smoothly and he even encountered some resistance, resulting in the deaths of more than a dozen soldiers.

Zhang Haicheng from Zhuhe County was slightly frustrated when his plan to enter Hunan failed.

However, since he acted without orders, it's understandable that the other party wouldn't let him in.

Now that all of Hubei's territory has been recovered, it's time for him to return to Jingzhou.

At this moment, Meng Liang, the military supervisor who had been in the rear, stepped forward to stop him, saying that the imperial envoy was coming soon and would bring the imperial rewards, and ordered Zhang Haicheng to wait where he was.

Zhang Haicheng instinctively sensed that something was wrong.

Zhang Haicheng waited for half a day in Zhuhe County before becoming impatient and unable to wait any longer.

Because Li Jia told Zhang Haicheng that Fang was going to discard him after he had served his purpose, and the imperial envoy's decree was to execute him.

Zhuhe County is just a slightly larger county town, with no natural defenses on all sides. It is far from having the advantageous geographical location of Jingzhou. Staying here, Zhang Haicheng felt no sense of security.

His fear grew, and that night, the fear prevented him from lingering. He prepared to quietly lead his troops away.

But after he set off, he discovered that the surrounding towns had been occupied by Ma Laohei's army, and He Ai's troops were on the Yangtze River. He had nowhere to go.

If he forces his way out, he will certainly be no match for Ma Laohei, and that would only give the other side a reason to annihilate him.

Zhang Haicheng had no choice but to stay.

The imperial envoy arrived early the next morning.

(End of this chapter)