Northern Prefecture Rivers and Mountains

Chapter 103 Help
"What brings you here from afar?" Liu Daogui looked at the young man in front of him.

He was in his early thirties, with a short beard and a bookish face. He was wearing a tattered undergarment, looking like a down-and-out scholar. His body was still trembling slightly, probably from the cold.

The two followers outside the door were not much different from him.

"I am Liu Muzhi, the chief clerk of Langya. I have long heard of the great name of General Liu and have come here to ask for help." The scholar bowed.

The chief clerk of a county is not the chief clerk of a state. He is of the ninth rank, equivalent to Liu Daogui's military officer, and is a corrupt official.

But he braved such heavy snow and came all the way from Langya, and was so polite, which made Liu Daogui feel good about him. The Liu family of Dongguan is a descendant of Liu Fei, the eldest son of Emperor Gaozu of Han and King Daohui of Qi. After all, they have the same ancestor.

"Master, please tell me that Langya and Lanling are closely connected. As long as I can help, I will not stand idly by."

"Thank you... A-choo..." Liu Muzhi sneezed loudly, and his nose ran.

"Azun, make some tea and light the charcoal fire to keep the chief clerk away from the cold. The chief clerk, please go into the inner room and talk."

"Ashamed, ashamed."

The inner room was much warmer. After drinking a bowl of hot tea, Liu Muzhi's expression finally relaxed.

"Is the bandit problem in Langya County so serious?" Liu Daogui spoke first.

"Yan's Southern Guard General Murong Shao is stationed in Dongping with 8,000 cavalry. Many of the bandits in Mount Tai are Xianbei. Under their instructions, they have been moving south to harass the counties southeast of Mount Tai since this summer, attempting to distract the Northern Army and prevent it from focusing on the battle in Luoyang."

Zhu Xu took the initiative to attack in Luoyang, defeating Murong Yong and Zhai Liao, and a crisis was eliminated without a trace.

However, Murong Shao's troops in the east were not affected and were still confronting Liu Laozhi's Northern Palace Army on the Sishui line.

"Isn't there General Jianwei's Mansion in Langya County?" Liu Daogui poured another bowl of tea and handed it over.

Liu Muzhi held it in his hand and said with a wry smile, "It's clear that the General's Mansion has been established for less than three years. The army is not fully staffed, and the soldiers are not accustomed to fighting formations. They can only protect themselves."

Liu Daogui knew the tricks too well.

Seven or eight years ago, the General's Office was the elite force that participated in the Battle of Feishui. After Huan Chong's death, the General's Office quickly became corrupt from top to bottom.

The current General Jianwei, Jiang Hua, is the grandson of Jiang Tong in "On the Migration of the Army". He once served as a military advisor to the Cavalry Army. The General of the Cavalry Army was Sima Daozi, so it is not difficult to infer that this person is a close confidant of Sima Daozi.

Anyone who follows Sima Daozi is good at internal fighting but not good at external fighting.

Jiang Hua neither participated in the Battle of Feishui nor had any experience in leading troops, so his title of General Jianwei was really a misnomer.

However, this is also the tradition of the Jin Dynasty. Wang Xizhi, the great calligrapher, once served as the General of the Right Army and was called Wang Youjun by his contemporaries. Xie An's second son, Xie Yan, first served as the General of the Auxiliary State, and later served as the General of the Conquering the Enemy and the General of the Guard...

The title of general has long been abused and has become a symbol of power and family honor among the gentry.

Even Sima Daozi, the King of Langya, was given the title of General of Cavalry.

What the common people could never get in their entire lives, the nobles could easily obtain.

However, this also led to the Jin army's combat effectiveness becoming increasingly weak, and it was understandable that General Jianwei's Mansion could not deal with the bandits on Mount Tai.

Many of these bandits were former Di Qin defeated troops. Langya County was a seaport during the Qin Dynasty, and now it is a fiefdom of the Sima family. It is much richer than Lanling, so it is the focus of the bandits' attention...

"The bandits have invaded our country, burning, killing, raping, and looting. The people are suffering. I am ashamed to be the chief clerk of Langya. My heart is broken. I regret that I am powerless to do anything. I have no choice but to ask for help from the army. I hope the army will consider the people. The elders of Langya will never forget your life-saving grace."

Liu Muzhi bowed deeply with sincere feelings.

"Forget it, now that Brother Liu has spoken, how can I just stand by and watch?" Liu Daogui slapped his thigh and made a decision.

This person is very sincere and runs around for the people, helping them whenever he can.

We are all from poor families, so more friends mean more paths.

"On behalf of the elders of Langya, I thank you for joining the army. I will return to Langya to prepare food, fodder and winter clothing."

He was really impatient and stood up to leave. "It's getting late today, why not leave tomorrow?" Liu Daogui was worried that something might happen to him on the way.

"It's okay. Langya and Lanling are separated by a river. There are many complicated things to do in the county and we can't delay." Liu Muzhi bowed.

Liu Daogui had no choice but to see him out, and the three of them braved the cold wind and headed east.

"I knew you would agree." Liu Zun said from behind.

"Didn't you hear what he said? Langya Jun is responsible for the winter clothing and food. Why not use other people's money to support our soldiers? This time, not only are we sending troops, but the Cao family is also joining us."

Gathering seedlings in spring, hunting in summer, and hunting in autumn and winter are all activities conducted during the farming off-season.

It is a blessing to be able to suppress bandits, train soldiers, and not have to worry about food and grass.

"Then over at Yandu..." Liu Guangzhi walked out of the inner room.

"We can attack both at the same time without any delay. Five of us will go first, and the others will join the army to suppress the bandits. Let the soldiers rest for two days. I will go to the city of Prophecy to discuss this with Cao Ji."

Liu Daogui planned to integrate the Cao family into the Eight Buildings.

It's a pity that the Cao family has so many resources but has no ambition to make progress.

This military expedition is an attempt.

Cao Ji was not very interested in military affairs. He would do whatever Liu Daogui said, as long as the Cao family did not have to pay for it.

It is equivalent to handing over the military power of the Cao family.

This cooperation model was the most suitable, so Liu Daogui posted a notice in the city to recruit brave warriors.

With the experience of the last joint suppression of bandits, the people in the city and the Cao family were extremely enthusiastic, and more than 2,700 to 2,800 people were recruited in one morning.

Just like last time, they provided their own weapons, and some families even got war horses.

If you don't have a war horse, you can always make do with a mule or a donkey.

Among the 2,700-plus people, there were 300 cavalrymen...

Liu Daogui was speechless as he looked at this group of enthusiastic people. The last time they suppressed the bandits, the old soldiers of the Northern Palace were well fed, as were the troops of the Cao family and the people of the city, but his own soldiers ate the least.

"The wind is rising and the clouds are flying. How can we find brave warriors to guard the four directions? Bandits are harming neighboring counties. We, the elders and villagers of Lanling, cannot stand idly by!"

"To bully Langya is to disregard us Lanling..."

Below the city wall, pots and pans were banging loudly, and everyone looked indignant.

People who don’t know them might think they are heroes who are willing to help others.

Everything Liu Daogui wanted to say was snatched away by them, but it was also a good thing that the people of Lanlin were so tough.

Just as I was marveling at the enthusiasm of the masses, someone suddenly shouted, "Where's the food? Where's the money?"

"We honest people can't suffer any loss when we join the army."

In an instant, everyone fell silent, staring blankly at Liu Daogui on the city wall.

Liu Daogui almost vomited blood. These people were so ferocious and looked more like bandits than even the beginning. They asked for money and food before the fight even started, and they still had the nerve to call themselves "honest men". Are there such honest people in the world?

"Don't worry, Langya County is already preparing winter clothing and food supplies. Everyone..."

Before Liu Daogui could finish his words, half of the people below patted their buttocks and dispersed...

(End of this chapter)