The Emperor ordered Zhao Tang

Chapter 215: Guangling Prefect's Journey

"I lost my father when I was five, and my mother left when I was seven. I had no one to rely on, and my family was poor. I was almost kidnapped and sold. When I grew up, I made a living by burning tiles for people in Hefei. A cart weighed more than 100 kilograms, and people praised me for my strength... I was almost exhausted to death, so I became a postman, delivering letters and running errands for the government. Once I was assigned an urgent official business, delivering lychees, 300 miles in one day and one night. The horse died, but I didn't. I held a torch in my left hand and a lychee in my right hand, and continued to run wildly in the dark. I encountered two tigers on the way. After finishing this mission, I became a thief from the salt bandits. Within ten days, I was arrested. When I was sentenced, it rained heavily, and the execution ground was full of blood. I was the last one to be pressed on the stool. When the knife was about to fall, I looked at the officer. The governor Zheng Qi didn't know why, but he was surprised by my appearance, so he released me and ordered me to join the army. Within three days, I was exiled to Lingzhou to defend against the autumn."

"In the fifth year of Qianfu, the garrison was over. Unexpectedly, as soon as we returned to Wu, the military commander shackled my group, accused us of deserters, and ordered us to go out again. Why? The north is far away, and none of us wanted to go, so they could only brutalize us. If we didn't obey, we would be exiled to Fengzhou. In desperation... I didn't expect those people to mock and ridicule me. I couldn't stand it anymore, so I started a rebellion on the spot. The state capital was in great fear. The yamen followed the governor and fled, and then occupied Luzhou, calling himself the head of the Eight Camps."

"Three years in Zhonghe... Twenty-one years in Guiku Longtan to achieve my current status..."

The voice was in the soft Wu Yue dialect, exactly like Yang Xingmi's.

Poor boy, only 43, with mostly grey hair and two missing fingers. He was squatting under a tree, patiently persuading him with a mixture of love and hate, but this attempt to teach his son was obviously about to fail. It wasn't that he was impatient, but the older boy was distracted, facing his butt, moving left and right like a crab, actually studying ants moving...

"Hahaha, interesting, interesting!"

The Huainan Jiedushi, who had experienced the ups and downs of life, had red eyes and almost cried. He grasped a stone unconsciously, but after all, he was over thirty years old and had just had a child. He laughed awkwardly to calm down and said, "Da Lang, as long as you take Xu Wen and Zhu Jin as your teachers, I will grant you one wish?"

"Son, I am old now, and I am ready to hand over the family business to you. Xu Wen is a prime minister, and Zhu Jin is a rare tyrant. It would be a pity if I don't learn from them. How great it would be if you could inherit my position as the governor of Jiangzuo and establish Sun Quan in the future?"

Yang Wo did not respond. He stared at the ants intently, counting with great interest: "One thousand one hundred and seventy-three, one thousand one hundred..."

"Son--"

Yang Wo flew into a rage, turned around and pushed Yang Xingmi to the ground, saying harshly: "If you don't want to learn, I won't learn. If you want to learn, learn it yourself! I've told you so many times! You keep nagging all day long, it's so annoying!"

Looking at Yang Xingmi, who was wearing homespun hemp clothes, he angrily said, "You want to interfere with my food and clothing. You like to act hypocritically, wear plain clothes and eat vinegar cakes, and you want others to do the same."

This is not Lao Yang's pretense.

The hardships of life taught him a lot, such as doing more good deeds and being considerate... The most important thing was to be frugal. When he first started to practice frugality, he gave only a few feet of silk and a few hundred yuan to his officers.

"I have never seen a general like you. Even a county magistrate or a general in the yamen is more impressive than you."

"Why should I be a commander like this?"

Yang Xingmi's face turned pale. Are you really my son? Are you really my offspring? He wanted to kick the bastard to death, but fortunately his reason quickly sealed the evil spirit. He grabbed Yang Wo in his palm like a chicken and held him in front of his eyes, and shouted: "Are you looking for death?"

If I were still alive, I would serve you. If I were dead, wouldn't I drink in the mourning hall?

Yang Wo looked at his murderous father in horror. He beat Yang Xingmi's arms in the air and struggled to move his small body: "Help, help..."

After staring at the ugly scene for a while, Yang Xingmi put it down gently with an expressionless face.

"Huh, huh..." Yang Wo ran away in a flash, still in a daze.

Yang Xingmi sat down beside the stone table, his interest was dull: "The one who will destroy my family in the future will be this boy."

Never mind, you’re not even fifty yet…it’s still not too late to have more children and select other offspring to raise.

This is the disadvantage of not being lustful. Yang Xingmi only had one wife, Zhu, Shi, and Wang, and two concubines. If it weren't for the fact that monogamy was not right, he would be criticized and despised by the people, and he would not even take concubines. Usually, he was like a Puritan, with no interest in his three wives. Playing with women was like taking his life. Therefore, he only had one son and one daughter, Yang Wo and Yang Miaoyan.

It is not easy to train other offspring!

A saint is very prescient.

Over the past four years, they have worked tirelessly to obtain more than 300 drops of "first blood" and made more than 30 babies. Most of the female imperial concubines, palace maids, and female crowns don't know their names. If they see someone they like, they will press them on the pillars, railings, and flower beds... and leave immediately after planting. There are always a lot of pregnant women in the harem. For example, those who were severely abused, such as Luo Ji, Xian Fei, and Privy Councilor, their stomachs never took a break, and Shu Fei was pregnant with four babies.

Are saints really lustful? No.

In this era, although women are generally dependent on men, and having many children does not necessarily mean more blessings, Yang Xingmi's approach is definitely not acceptable. If there are few children, subordinates will have different intentions, and if the family is weak, it is inevitable that it will be looked down upon, and the relationship between husband and wife also needs to be deliberately maintained. If Lao Yang can be like a saint and keep the hearts of his wives and concubines on himself, will his wife rebel against him? Not necessarily, but the probability will be much smaller. The relationship between men and women is very realistic. Without sex, even the most loyal woman will probably end up with a wife who is as ruthless as a knife.

For emperors and princes in troubled times, maintaining harmony between husband and wife and family is also part of their work and struggle for hegemony.

When the general Zhang Hao in the backyard reported that all the officials had gathered, Yang Xingmi put away his mood and went to the yamen for a meeting.

"Master."

"Commander!"

"Lord."

"Big brother!"

As soon as he entered the hall, various bureaucrats and officers stood up to pay their respects.

Yang Xingmi's gang is quite complicated.

The 800 garrison soldiers who joined him in the defense against autumn and the uprising were a group, represented by Tian Yu, the governor of Xuanshe, Li Shenfu, the governor of Shuzhou, Liu Wei, the governor of Hefei, and Xu Wen, the personal steward and commander of the right wing guards.

The remnant of Qin and Confucian troops. For example, An Renyi, the leader of the Runzhou militia, and the Black Cloud Long Sword Army.

The remaining troops of Gao Pian, Qin Yan, and Shi Pu. Zhu Jin and his remaining troops. Li Keyong's subordinates, and those on Zhu Wen's side.

For example, those who followed Tong and Pu thought that Zhu Wen was just a show-off and wanted to rebel, but when that failed, they turned to Hou Song, Zhang Yan, and Jiang Zhuan to support him.

Yang Xingmi, who was not good at archery, martial arts, etc., played a role similar to the leader of the martial arts world and the chairman of the board. He was not good at war, politics, and governing the country. He was able to stay in the top position because of his unique tolerance and conscience, which was different from that of the times.

One morning when he was leaving home, the guards teased him and took off his saddle. Yang Xingmi knew about it but did not say anything. He turned around and went back. The next morning, when the guards were still asleep, he left alone.

When his subordinate Cai Chou rebelled and dug up his ancestors' graves, Yang Xingmi suppressed the rebellion and asked the generals to demolish the graves of Cai Chou's parents. Yang Xingmi replied, "Only someone like Cai Chou would do such a thing."

His wife led her brother-in-law to rebel. After the rebellion failed, he only executed Yanshou and did not ask the rest. He also sent his wife away with gifts and remarried her to one of his subordinates.

Feng Hongduo's rebellion failed and he was about to flee to the East China Sea. Yang Xingmi followed him with a dozen followers and shouted: "My temple is not big, but it can still accommodate you."

In short, this is a person who strives to practice "I would rather let the world betray me than let myself betray the world."

I just want to be good to you, that's my business.

Whether you are willing to be worthy of me is your business.

Regardless of whether he is pretending or not, Yang Xingmi can pretend to this extent, and you can’t.

After patting this and talking to that, Yang Xingmi finally walked to his seat and knelt down. As soon as he sat down, an old man in a black cap, who looked exhausted from the journey, crossed his arms and said to him, "I dare not disobey your order! I am back from Bian, Jin, and Chang'an."

"When did you arrive?"

"We arrived in Guangling last night!"

"Have you seen it at home?"

"I was in a hurry to report back, so I didn't have time to do it."

"Have you had breakfast?"

"not yet."

"Let's go eat, take a shower, and change clothes first."

"Ms. sir..."

"It doesn't matter, go ahead."

"Yes." The old man handed the file to the chief secretary Gao Xu and walked out of the hall. Yang Xingmi took it and read it in order.

Civil and military officials looked on curiously.

First there was a painting of a strong man leaning sideways and drawing a bow to shoot an eagle. He squinted one eye and the half of his face that was drawn had a depressed expression.

"Is this Li Keyong?" Yang Xingmi looked at him again and again, and felt that he was plain-looking, giving people the impression of a mountain hunter or a chivalrous knight. He passed the painting around to everyone and started looking at the next one.

It's still a painting.

The man in the painting has a pair of eyebrows that are tilted upwards, phoenix eyes, large and slender ears, and a thick beard. He wears a mountain iron crown, a red shirt with large sleeves, and his hands are crossed on his crotch. Even the eyes in the painting reveal a sinister and cruel look.

Yang Xingmi laughed and said, "He has a fat head and big ears, and his eyes are full of lust. How can he be an emperor? People call him a Dangshan man or a farmer, but that's not slander. Zhang Hui is famous in Huaishang, and I've heard him mentioned many times. He has fallen into this kind of situation, and his pearl is covered in dust."

As he spoke, he picked up the third painting.

The man in the painting is very young, tall, and well-proportioned. Judging from his profile, he should be handsome, except for his small eyes. He wears a lotus crown, a jade feather dress, a silver skirt armor, and a translucent holy tulle. He carries a phoenix-patterned sword on his left hand, with his hand on the hilt. He holds a long spear in his right hand, sticking it straight into the ground. He is looking up at the sunset. He looks like a warrior who is alone guarding his country, or a banished immortal who has been tainted by the world.

It is a mixture of freedom, ease, compassion and sadness.

It is tough, resolute and tenacious.

Yang Xingmi was so absorbed in watching that he subconsciously recalled a line of poetry: "As long as the flying general is in Longcheng, the Hu horses will not be allowed to cross Yinshan Mountain. This is a true emperor. If Dalang can have even a little bit of this magnanimity, I will be satisfied and have no reason to worry about death."

The emperor in the painting made him feel as comfortable as the unicorn next door, but also made him worried.

He is knowledgeable and has summed up an experience, that is, with some people you only need to meet them once or listen to them for a few words to judge whether you will have contact or deep friendship in the future, and with some people you only need to take a glance to weigh what kind of person they are.

Li Keyong gave him the feeling that he could become friends if he catered to his interests. Zhu Wen was a villain who had achieved success, and he looked like a monkey in a crown, not like a human. Only the saint in the painting was not afraid, but suddenly felt that the future was bleak and boring. Even if the separatist regime succeeded, it would be destroyed sooner or later by the bad nature of the wicked son. Would there be time to raise a son?

No, perhaps what we should consider now is - is there still time to become Sun Quan?
"I want to see it too, I want to see it too!" A general shouted when he saw Yang Xingmi holding the saint's true face and "can't let it go".

Yang Xingmi asked Gao Xu to pass it on.

"handsome man."

"Isn't this just a yellow-haired guy?"

"It would be better to welcome him to Guangling to be the emperor."

"When I was young, I was ordered around and had to eat salt that cost three hundred coins. I heard that the wives and concubines of the tyrant emperor were all beauties. I wonder who would benefit if the tyrant emperor was beheaded, hahaha! If I were not far away, I would also go to Chang'an to kill a few prime ministers and grab a few concubines for fun!"

"It's the opposite!"

"Shut up." Yang Xingmi slapped the table. After he had taken control of the patrol, he had been considering stopping the army and pacifying the people, but he had killed too many people and was too cruel to control, so he was obsessed with expanding the territory. Whenever he showed signs of "guarding the household", he was advised against. Old veterans like Tian Yu even complained that he had no ambition to make progress.

If he can challenge the boss, what's wrong with scolding Saint Li?
To use the catchphrase of some generals as an example, can the heads of Saint Li and Saint Zhu be exchanged for the position of a militia commander?

Sitting down, Xu Wen saw Yang Xingmi scolding the generals for insulting the saint, and he immediately became alert. The general had always pretended not to hear anything because he didn't want to offend the generals for the sake of the court. This time, there must be something wrong. Xu Wen felt that he had to deal with it well for his elder brother, so he asked, "How is the situation of suppressing the rebellion?" Yang Xingmi put down the portrait and picked up another letter: "Do you know about the battle in Hezhong?"

"I only heard that the Bian army was defeated, with more than 70,000 casualties. I wonder what the strength of the royal army is. How many soldiers did Zhu Wen have in total? How many were lost in one battle? It must be to intimidate the princes and lie about their achievements. Marshal, what exactly is——"

Yang Xingmi intended to use this to suppress the generals, but he said solemnly, "It's true. Zhu's two attacks were fruitless, and he had no other tricks left, so he had to go east to make up for it. Hearing that the bandits were very anxious to attack Qi, the sage then went to Hezhong. Zhang's 40,000 men defended the city, which should have been foolproof, but who would have thought that the king's cavalry was like a cloud and cut off the food supply... Right now, Zhao's army entered Huaizhou, and Wei's army was at Heyin. Han's army surrounded Shanzhou. Li Cunxiao entered Ruzhou. Xiangyang soldiers were approaching Yancheng. Kui commander Li Sizhou and Jing commander Zhao Kuangning have already set off and will go to Henan Prefecture and Huaixi. Zhu's bandit was in a panic and has already reached Jinyong City. When he goes east to attack, Li Keyong will go south, but I'm afraid he won't be able to survive the New Year."

Sure enough, the noise subsided a little and everyone started whispering to each other.

"This, this, the Bian army was able to defeat the Shatuo cavalry and sweep across the four directions, how come..."

"Impossible, it's fake. Even if there were 70,000 pigs and sheep, a saint wouldn't be able to catch them all in half a month."

Yang Xingmi was very satisfied with their performance. Due to his limited background, knowledge and martial power, he could only control his subordinates through gratitude and style. If the imperial court that enthroned him was revitalized and gained authority again, it would benefit him and the local areas.

After everyone imagined for a while how the armor shone in the sun and the golden scales spread, Yang Xingmi refuted with an experienced tone: "What's impossible? How could Li Guochang's 20,000 ragtag troops fight against 100,000 punitive troops for two years? How could Sun Ru's 200,000 tigers and wolves be destroyed by my 30,000 men? Is the battle for supremacy only about the number of soldiers and generals, and the vast territory? The saint delayed taking action after returning his army, probably because he wanted to give the people of Bian a chance to reform themselves..."

The generals were a mixed bag, and Huainan was not a place like Zhao and Wei where there were many generals and military men with both civil and military skills. Most of Yang Xingmi's subordinates were strong but simple-minded. After hearing this, some people were frightened by the other party's serious tone: "Why is it so difficult?"

Xu Wen sneered, "I'm afraid some of the rebels have already started to think about rebellion, just like when Cai the traitor arrested Qin Zongquan and Sun Ru."

Yang Xingmi nodded and said, "If the rebels want to surrender, they will definitely kill Zhu Wen and his followers. I have met Zhu Wen before. He is a vile and shameless person who likes to plot against others. Apart from running dogs like Kou Yanqing, there are not many people who truly obey him."

He was talking about an old story. Last year, he sent someone to Bianzhou with 10,000 kilograms of new tea to sell, but Zhu Wen killed him and robbed him of the goods.

"He saved his life by attacking and killing his old master. The late sage took pity on him and treated him as the commander of Bian. Now he has grown strong and wants to destroy the Li family. Even though he is a man of great talent, he has done vile things after all. Even if he succeeds in usurping the throne, it will be difficult for him to command the world, and his false deeds will not last long. At least I do not accept it. What's more, we have failed to defeat Li today, people's hearts are getting suspicious, and there are foreign princes forcing us. If he refuses to give up, he will only die. The court can forgive him, but his subordinates cannot." Yang Xingmi concluded his speech.

He didn't put it that bluntly.

Would the people of Bian work hard to oppose Li and Tang? That is not certain.

Human nature is selfish. From Kou Yanqing to the unknown people, the people of Bian would carefully calculate what would be the most beneficial. Zhu Sheng attacked Tang, so he did. But fighting normally and fighting to the death are two different things. Is it necessary to fight to the death for something that has very little hope, and to mourn every three households?

Isn't it easier to preserve your strength, change to a new master, call him a saint, and wait for appeasement and reward? Money, land, and fame can be provided by your Zhu family, and so can the Li family. The blood of the Bian people is enough, and they deserve your "favor". The Bian army may be loyal and willing to fight for money, but I am afraid they are not loyal and have integrity to the point where everyone is a national hero and everyone is willing to risk their lives for you to start a business.

The atmosphere is not supportive.

In this era, once you start to lose your prestige, your life, death, and outcome are no longer in your own control. People will not follow you all the way just for the "pie" you draw.

Xu Wen pondered and said, "General, I have also sent a letter about the matter of going to the garrison. Have you heard back?"

Yang Xingmi shook his head.

Zhu Wen is not a man of integrity who will not kneel. In fact, he could call Wang Chongrong his uncle in order to survive, but he sold out Huang Chao. What is integrity? He can still roughly control the situation, and he is probably still holding on to the hope that he can replicate and wipe out Qin Zongquan. When the end is really over, I guarantee that the first one to kill Li Zhen, Jing Xiang, and Kou Yanqing will beg for life.

Hearing this, Xu Wen followed up the conversation and asked, "The Marshal has been serving the Saint in pacifying Wu for six years, and now he is heading north to suppress the rebellion..."

Before Yang Xingmi finished speaking and expressed his opinion, Yuan Zhen, the Silver Spear Master, said generously: "It would be better to join forces with the bandits, respect the commander as the Great Saint Emperor of Wu, and ally with Liang to resist Tang, so as to divide the world into three parts, just like the story of Wei, Shu and Wu."

Sorry, Yang Xingmi was ambitious and had thought about this. But at this time, Zhejiang commander Dong Chang, who was originally supposed to be emperor at this time, was scared and did not dare to rebel. Qian Liu, who took over the throne by suppressing the rebellion, lost this opportunity and stayed in Hangzhou as Dong Chang's younger brother.

In later generations, he controlled Eyue and Jiankang. Because Cheng Li entered the court and Zhao Kuangning moved his garrison, under strong geopolitical pressure, Wu Tao, the governor of Eyue, had already kneeled down on the surface, while Feng Hongduo, who ruled Jiankang, was still fighting with Zhu Yanshou, the governor of Danyang appointed by the court.

Yang, Chu, Chu, Shu, He, Lu, Shou, Xuan, She, Chi, Chang, Run and Si, this is Yang Xingmi's current territory.

The number is no less than that of Zhu Wen.

But - "Yangzhou was the richest city in the world, and was known as the second richest city in the world. After the wars of Qin Yan, Bi Shiduo, Sun Ru, and Yang Xingmi, the land between the Yangtze River and the Huai River was completely wiped out for a thousand miles from east to west."

——"At that time, Yangzhou was destitute, and the people killed each other for food. Husbands and wives, fathers and sons held each other hostage and sold them to the butchers, who removed the bones like pigs and sheep."

——"Huainan was burned for six years, warriors were rampant, and almost all the scholars and civilians were forced to migrate."

It is unclear how much vitality is left in the so-called wealth.

Secondly, the people of Wu were tired.

Do the people of Wu like to revolt? Of course. Since Emperor Xuanzong, Jianghuai has been the region with the highest enthusiasm for revolt. In the Qianfu year, when the world began to be in chaos, it was even more so - "the bandits in Jianghuai rose up." They were successively oppressed by Chao Jun, Qin Yan, Zhang Xiong, Sun Ru, An Jingsi... for ten years, tired, afraid of being eaten, and also love peace. I think that maybe the Li family is more like a human being. Now most people in Wu are unwilling to join the army. Just be content to be an oppressed mud leg, I really don't want to be a two-legged sheep.

Most importantly, Old Yang was steady. He remembered that starting a business was not easy and did not like taking risks. Although it was nice to divide the country into three parts, the imperial court was not the precarious Han Dynasty, and the emperor was not a toy for Cao Cao. Moreover, there were too many internal chaos, and in terms of unity, they were not even as good as Zhu Wen.

Do not believe?

Look at how many rebellions Yang put down in later generations.

Look at the changes in people’s hearts when Dong Chang proclaimed himself emperor.

Chang was about to proclaim himself emperor and gathered all officials to discuss the matter.

Huang Jie, the deputy governor of Jiedushi, said: "Although the Tang Dynasty is weak, God and people have not yet disliked it. I would rather die as a loyal minister than live as a rebel!" So his family was exterminated.

He asked again the prefect of Kuaiji, Wu Liao, who replied, "Do you want to use the emperor to destroy yourself?" He was also executed.

He then asked Zhang Xun, the prefect of Shanyin, who replied, "If I proclaim myself emperor, no one will follow me and I will be laughed at by the whole world!" He then killed him again.

When Wen's persuasion failed, Qian Liu and others launched a military protest.

The Li family still has some popular support and prestige in Jianghuai and Liangzhe.

"It is better to secretly send military supplies to help the enemy, and openly attack the two Zhejiang provinces and the entire Wu and Yue areas. By then, it will be easy to march west to Hubei, Hubei, Jiangxi, or south to Fujian and Lingnan. If we can take over the entire Jiangnan area, we can achieve success. If a saint comes to attack us, we will give him a defeat at the Battle of Feishui," said the general Zhang Zhouxun.

Yang Xingmi mocked directly: "You're still heading south! I asked you to defeat Qian Liu, but you failed in half a year. How dare you do that? By the time you take down that old bastard Qian Liu, the saint will have arrived in Bianzhou."

Zhang Zhouxun blushed and kept silent.

"Sir, I think we should suppress the rebellion." Zhou Yin, the trusted judge who had been silent, spoke up and said firmly, "Although Zhu is still powerful, he is in a critical condition, like a dying man, who might be killed one day. It is better to make meritorious deeds before that and not betray our loyalty. When the rebels surrender, I will respond to the rebels from afar and form a Heshuo pattern to preserve our foundation. If the saint kills all the rebels, it means he intends to eradicate the local area, and it will not be too late to drag Qian Liu and Dong Chang to resist by force. If the saint cannot suppress him once, twice, or three times, then he will accept it. After that, he will be the emperor, and we will be the princes, just like Zhao and Wei."

"Secretary Gao, what about you?" Yang Xingmi looked at another person.

"I would like to ask Prime Minister Huan Gong to serve the king." Gao Xu replied.

Huainan now does not have the military, financial resources, or popular support to rebel. If it does not want to become a true lord, what are it waiting for?
"Mr. Tian, what about you?" Yang Xingmi asked Tian Yu who had rushed back from Xuanzhou.

"I suggest attacking Suzhou and Hangzhou to get money. Take more territory while the Saint is too busy to care about other things. When the most threatening Zhu thief is gone or surrenders, we can unite with other towns to worship the Emperor. If the Saint is defeated in the end, I can also occupy the prefectures and counties, so I won't lose anything and I won't waste my time and energy."

"An Renyi?"

"The main force of the Bian army is defending the west, and Songzhou is in turmoil with the Golden Blade Bandit Liu Hai. I advocate a northern expedition, attacking the Central Plains, and rushing forward to enter Bianzhou."

Each of his subordinates had a different opinion, and Yang Xingmi suddenly felt a little confused.

"Mr. Zhu, why don't you speak?" He asked, his eyes sweeping over Zhu Jin in the corner.

After his country was destroyed and his family was ruined, Zhu Jin's hair turned half white and his personality changed a lot. Although Yang Xingmi treated him very well, and personally went out of the city to welcome him when he heard that he was coming to seek refuge, and appointed him as deputy commander and military commander, he could not fit into Yang Xingmi's circle and was excluded and ridiculed. Secondly, Yang Xingmi had no intention of competing for hegemony in the north, so he did not get the opportunity to take revenge, so he was always unhappy.

Hearing this, Zhu Jin said absentmindedly, "I will listen to the Marshal."

"You don't have to be shy," Yang Xingmi comforted softly.

But what Zhu Jin said next surprised Yang Xingmi: "Zhu Wen can put me in a desperate situation, and the saint can force Zhu Wen to be furious. The difference is obvious. It is better to be a loyal minister and seek the career of a vassal." Feeling the hostile gazes, he quickly added: "You can serve the king while fighting for hegemony... Go south to make money, or leave Chuzhou to take Xu, and send someone to the north to attack Ying to support the saint. In this way, you can have the best of both worlds, not let down the court, and not let down the army..."

"Good!" Upon hearing this, Yang Xingmi clapped his hands and said happily, "Great minds think alike. I have the same opinion!" Then he said in a loud voice, "Who is willing to be the general and lead 20,000 troops to defend the king? The counties you conquer will belong to you."

It was so awkward, no one responded.

The Huainan Military Office, those who had no ambition to expand did not want to fight anywhere, but only wanted to live. Those who had such ambitions, such as Tian Yu, Zhu Yanshou, and Liu Wei, only wanted to move step by step and fight Qian Liu and others nearby, and did not want to go too far. Just like Zhu Jin, Li Chengsi, and Shi Yan, who were not used to the southern climate and the customs and people of the Three Wus and felt uncomfortable everywhere, they were not interested in the north either.

Whoever wants to go can go, but they are not going anyway.

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Yang Xingmi, for the sake of face, was unwilling to ask specific questions to each person one by one.

The whole room fell silent.

Zhu Jin waited for a while, and then acted as if "the wind whistled and the Yi River was cold": "If you hadn't accepted the defeated people, they would have died without a burial. I am not talented, but I am willing to serve you like a dog or a horse."

He no longer wanted to teach the southerners how to ride horses and use lances in Yangzhou.

They are all clumsy and stupid like pigs. I am fed up with them.

I also don't want to just eat and wait for death under Yang Xingmi.

He wants to enter the court!

Follow the saint to seek revenge on Zhu Ze.

And make great achievements and seek to make a comeback!

Yang Xingmi couldn't help but be overjoyed.

Although he loved Zhu Jin's bravery, he was also full of defense. There was no way, Zhu Jin's criminal record was too bad, he actually killed his father-in-law and his bride at the wedding, which was intolerable for any normal person. So he treated Zhu Jin with courtesy on the surface, giving him various nominal and non-core positions such as deputy commander, military commander, and coach, but in fact he did not dare to let Zhu Jin lead any soldiers, and secretly monitored him.

Now that Zhu Jin is willing to go on his own, it couldn’t be better.

As for what Zhu Jin was planning, he didn't care. It didn't matter who he went to, whether he committed suicide or retired, or it would be better to harm the saint. He immediately praised Zhu Jin and tried to persuade him to stay, until Zhu Jin asked him four times before he reluctantly agreed: "Mr. Zhu is determined to go to the disaster, I only regret that I have no chance in this life!"

Once these words were spoken, it was equivalent to hinting to Zhu Jin not to come to him again.

Zhu Jin took advantage of the situation and bowed, saying, "It is better to forget each other than to live together. (This sentence comes from Zhuangzi's "The Great Master". The original meaning is that it is better to go our separate ways than to live together. It is not a declaration of love.)"

Of course, if it was Zhu Jin, the 20,000 soldiers would definitely be lost. Yang Xingmi would not give him away for nothing. He immediately signaled and echoed Gao Xu, asking Zhu Jin to take his old subordinates and those Jin people like Li Chengsi who wanted to leave to go to the capital to defend the king, and then gave them a batch of food and equipment.

Let’s leave it at this for now, and then we’ll take it one step at a time depending on how the situation develops.

　I'm so tired. I've been sorting out the plots, historical facts, place names and other things over the past two days. I'll be able to hurry up starting tomorrow.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)