Northern Prefecture Rivers and Mountains

Chapter 120 Supervision
After Meng Chang's memorial was submitted, there was no response from Jiankang. However, a new military order soon came from Jingkou, instructing the Zhenglu Army to search major ports such as Guangling, Langya, Yandu, Haiyang, and Hailing.

If the conspiracy between Sima Daozi and Tianshi Dao could be confirmed, although Sima Daozi could not be overthrown, Wang Gong could gain the upper hand in the internal struggle.

Therefore, he was more active than anyone else.

The people below were running around like crazy after hearing the sentence above.

Liu Yi searched Haiyang, Yuan Can went to Guangling, and Liu Daogui was assigned to Langya. The most important Yandu was under the charge of Tan Pingzhi who was sent from Jingkou.

At the military meeting, there were a few new faces sitting at the top, with arrogant expressions, as if they didn't even take Huan Hong, who was in the main seat, seriously.

"This is Guardian Wang sent by Lord Wang to supervise your actions." Yuan He always had a smile on his face.

Wang Duhu glanced coldly at the humble officials sitting below him. "Working for Lord Wang is working for His Majesty. I hope you will do your utmost to fulfill your duties. If anyone has made a contribution, Lord Wang will certainly make use of them!"

Although these words were spoken in an arrogant manner, they were also very tempting. The eyes of Liu Yi and others on the opposite side lit up.

Although he took refuge with Sima Daozi, he would certainly not be taken seriously. To put it bluntly, he was like a dog serving Sima Daozi's dog.

This Governor Wang raised his tone from the beginning, saying that he would serve the emperor and make contributions, and would be highly valued by Wang Gong.

The two factions in the court were fighting, and Wang Gong had already gained the upper hand. It was certainly a wise choice to join him at this time.

"Yes, sir!" Everyone bowed.

Liu Daogui led the rear troops to Langya, and Gao Xun followed Yuan He to Hailing.

It was June. Sitting in a canal boat, I saw fields crisscrossing along the coast, endless farmland with a few houses dotted on the ridges. A cool breeze blew, fishermen sang in the evening, and the place was peaceful and tranquil.

Liu Daogui sometimes couldn't understand why such good land, with no natural disasters, was always plagued by famine.

"My name is Dai Qizhi, and I am a literary official. I am obeying the orders of Governor Wang and have to bother General Liu. I hope General Liu will not be offended."

The supervisor sent by the court was about forty years old, with an honest face, and looked like a weak scholar.

"Mr. Dai is too polite. He is working for the court." Liu Daogui felt relieved and thought to himself that this man was quite sensible. This way, there would be less trouble on the road.

This man's surname was Dai, and he served under Wang Gong. As expected, he should be from the Dai family of Guangling.

The Dai family was once a prominent family in Eastern Wu. Their ancestor Dai Yuan defected to Sima Yue, King of Donghai, during the Rebellion of the Eight Kings, and later defected to Sima Rui, King of Langya. He was highly valued. After crossing the south, he was granted the titles of Palace Attendant, General Zhengxi, and Commander-in-Chief of the Military Affairs of Six States, and was stationed in Hefei. He later died at the hands of Wang Dun.

However, the Dai family expanded in Jiangdong. Although their status declined later, a lean camel is still bigger than a horse.

"Langya County is far away from Guangling. The thieves will not go far away. We can just do a superficial job this time so that we can report back." Dai Qizhi said with a smile.

"It's all up to Dai Gongshi to tell you what to do."

The grain boats went downstream and entered Xia Pi, then went north from Yishui and entered Kaiyang.

Along the way, Dai Qizhi always found Liu Daogui to chat, from the Zhenglu Army Headquarters to the customs and habits of Guangling, and even talked about the Tianshi Dao.

After chatting with Liu Daogui, he went to chat with the soldiers at the rear of the ship.

Although they seemed casual, many of the questions were actually pointed out, and it was clear that they were trying to find out the details of the military government. Liu Daogui became alert instantly.

Nowadays, anyone who can make it big without a good family background is not a simple person.

However, the soldiers were also experienced people who had seen the world and were not so easily fooled. They knew what was important and kept secret what they should say. They did not say anything they should not say and always kept their distance from Dai Qizhi.

Dai Qizhi couldn't get any information out of him, so he lost interest and stayed in the boat room to practice calligraphy...

While Lanling had only five counties, Langya had nine. From northwest to southwest, Yishan, Mengshan, and Niqiushan Mountains ran in a continuous line, and numerous rivers, such as the Yishui and Shushui, converged here. Langya's Internal History, Jiang Hua, bore many similarities to Huan Hong and was often missing.

The government affairs of the county were presided over by the chief clerk Liu Muzhi and the military commander Zhuge Jian.

"I have prepared some wine to show my hospitality." Liu Muzhi said politely.

No one, a third-rank official serving the prime minister, dared to treat Dai Qizhi as an eighth-rank clerk.

"I appreciate your kindness, Chief Secretary Liu, but I have the order from the emperor and dare not delay. I hope you will forgive me." Dai Qizhi's politeness did not seem like that of a scholar at all.

Nowadays, even the second-class nobles act bossy and arrogant in front of the poor.

Liu Muzhi glanced at Liu Daogui and said without any hesitation, "What you said is very true."

Dai Qizhi smiled and said, "Please also ask the chief clerk to send me all the documents of the cargo ships that have been docked at the ports of Langya for the past three months so that I can examine them. This will give me an explanation when I return."

"Of course. Documents have already arrived from Jingkou, and I've prepared six months' worth of records of merchant ships entering and leaving Langya."

Wang Gong was appointed as the commander-in-chief of the military affairs in Yan, Qing, Ji, You, Bing, Xu and Jinling in Yangzhou.

Langya County belonged to Xuzhou and was under its control.

Liu Daogui also glanced at Liu Muzhi. Before coming, Dai Qizhi said that it was just a formality, a superficial effort, but the way he looked now didn't look like a formality at all.

It's obvious that he's here to get to the bottom of things. I just hope Liu Muzhi didn't leave any evidence behind.

Langya County was recovered from the Di Qin, and it wasn't a place where many merchants gathered. Liu Daogui's ships passing through here seemed a bit abrupt and couldn't withstand scrutiny...

"General Liu has been traveling for days and must be exhausted. It would be better for him to rest early. I will go back to the inn myself." Dai Qizhi clearly wanted to get rid of Liu Daogui.

But since he had spoken, Liu Daogui certainly could not follow him anymore and could only leave and wait outside the yamen.

Not long after, Liu Muzhi was also sent out by him.

"Dai Congshi is a very meticulous person." Liu Muzhi said intentionally or unintentionally.

"Brother Liu, have you heard any rumors? Could it be that there are really thieves entering the country from Langya?" Liu Daogui asked tentatively.

"Langya is isolated in the north, separated from Yandu by Donghai County. What does the south's affairs have to do with Langya? If there really are thieves, they should go south, not north."

Liu Muzhi stepped forward, patted Liu Daogui's shoulder, and made a "please" gesture with his other hand. "Last time, I was grateful to Daoze for sending troops to help repel the bandits. Today, I would like to have a drink with you."

The hand on the shoulder was steady and strong.

Liu Daogui called him "Brother Liu" and he called Liu Daogui "Daozhe". This was to show their true feelings, and smart people all understood it tacitly.

Lanling is adjacent to Langya. The last time they sent troops to help him suppress the bandits, they naturally knew how powerful Liu Daogui was.

Liu Daogui bought a sea ship and Yandu was looted right after. How could Liu Muzhi not have some associations?
Since he said so, then Dai Qizhi will definitely not be able to find out anything.

Liu Daogui was completely relieved. "Brother Liu, I dare not refuse your request!"

Jiangzuo was a stagnant area with a strict hierarchy, and even marriages between the upper and lower classes were severed. However, this also allowed the poor families to become closer, with mutual marriages and support, forming a complex community of interests.

Even if we take a step back, Liu Muzhi also has the surname Liu, and they are both descendants of the Han Dynasty...

(End of this chapter)