Northern Prefecture Rivers and Mountains

Chapter 197 Fight

Huan Hong's eyes flickered, he was pretending to be confused even though he knew the truth.

As a member of the gentry, it was impossible for him to genuinely befriend Liu Daogui, and Liu Daogui would not entrust his life and fortune to the benevolence of others like Liu Laozhi.

It's not impossible to get Liu Daogui to take action, as long as he offers tangible benefits.

In any case, if no order to expand the army is given today, then all other matters are off the table.

"Let me think about this for a moment." Huan Hong's expression changed abruptly, and his previous warmth vanished.

"Liu Yi's strength is growing stronger and stronger. I hope the general will make a decision soon." Liu Daogui didn't care. In any case, he would be the one to rush things. It would be better to delay and maintain this situation of fighting without breaking apart.

In any of the three forces, if one side declines, the other two will inevitably become irreconcilable enemies.

Liu Daogui only needs to firmly grasp military power; let them fight it out.

Their strength comes from the grassroots, not from the powerful and wealthy, which is quite different from the paths taken by Huan Hong and Liu Yi.

"The Way, this world is no longer what it used to be, are you aware of that?" Huan Hong changed his tone, his face full of seriousness.

The underlying meaning is that his Huan family is no longer what it used to be, and might one day be able to replace the Sima family. This is to make Liu Daogui quickly submit and be willing to be his dog and serve him.

"Your subordinate is ignorant and cannot see any difference in this world. I hope the general can enlighten me."

Liu Daogui's knees were too stiff; he couldn't kneel, nor did he want to. Liu Daogui's long-cherished wish was to launch a northern expedition, not to be a dog for these aristocratic families. Once a man kneels down, his bones can never be strong again...

Moreover, even though the Huan family is not what it used to be, it hasn't reached that point yet.

"Hahaha... There's plenty of time in the future." Huan Hong laughed, his whole body of fat jiggling.

"This subordinate takes his leave." Liu Daogui bowed and withdrew from the hall.

Liu Huaizhen waited for a long time, and they exchanged a glance. Since there were outsiders present, neither of them spoke.

"You're back from the army," the gatekeepers greeted them warmly.

"You're back, brothers. You've worked hard. Here, take this and have some drinks." Liu Daogui casually tossed a bag of money over.

"Oh, thank you so much, Military Advisor! Who in our Conquering Army doesn't think highly of you?" The guards beamed with joy.

One of them whispered, "A few days ago, more than 500 people came from the west and entered the general's mansion. Judging from their accents, they were from the Jingzhou area, and they were all tall and strong."

Liu Daogui's heart skipped a beat. No wonder Huan Hong was so assertive today; it turned out that someone from the Huan family had come to his aid. This news was extremely important.

If one day the Conquering Army Government makes any move, these five hundred elite Huan family soldiers might suddenly rise up and catch him off guard.

It seems that Huan Hong's true intention, besides wanting to deal with Liu Yi, was also to regain control of the military power in the campaign against the enemy.

To the west, Huan Xuan will inevitably clash with Yin Zhongkan and Yang Quanqi, and he will also inevitably clash with the Sima family. Gaining control of the military forces to conquer the enemy will be advantageous to the Huan family.

"Thank you!"

"We've only been able to eat a full meal since we joined the army," the guards said, their faces full of gratitude.

"Good brother!" Liu Daogui had spent so much money, and it all turned into people's hearts. Even the people in the general's mansion were willing to serve him, which greatly boosted his confidence.

With the morale of the entire army in the Conquering Army resting on his shoulders, what could Huan Hong and Liu Yi possibly use to fight against him?
Back at his office, Xu Changming rushed over to report, "Military Advisor, Liu Yi has sent someone who wants to meet with you."

"Just say I'm too busy with military affairs to spare the time," Liu Daogui said, not giving a definitive answer.

After returning from Kuaiji, I unknowingly became a hot commodity.

The situation within the military headquarters is clear: whichever side Liu Daogui sides on will win. While neither Huan Hong nor Liu Yi are exactly good people, it wouldn't be good for either side to fall now. The Zheng Lu military headquarters shouldn't become the focus of the court's internal power struggle; making too much noise would pose the greatest threat to Liu Daogui.

After a few more days, the three forces in Xifu will soon have a decisive battle, and the Celestial Masters Sect will also make a comeback.

"Yes." Xu Changming turned and left.

Liu Huaizhen said, "If Huan Hong and Liu Yi can fight each other, it will be most beneficial to us. Unfortunately, neither of them is easy to deal with. I think A Gui should ask to go north and leave this place of trouble. Once the two are no longer a threat, they will definitely fight each other."

"Brilliant plan!" Liu Daogui nodded approvingly. "However, we'll have to wait until after the New Year; there are more important matters to attend to right now."

"What's the matter?"

"Expand the army!" Xie Yan had transferred two units from the Conquering Army, leaving the army weak.

"Hasn't Huan Hong not given the order yet?" Liu Huaizhen asked, his face full of doubt.

Liu Daogui laughed and said, "Don't forget, besides the central army, the Zheng Lu military government also has five or six thousand military households. If we can control these forces, we will be invincible!"

Military households were also refugees from the north, and among them must have been brave and martial men.

Although military households were not under the jurisdiction of Liu Daogui, the military advisor, they were within the authority of Liu Huaizhen, the chief clerk.

Of course, Yuan He also has jurisdiction, but he has completely given up and is not involved in anything now.

In fact, such people are the smartest. They don't get involved in internal strife, and whoever wins will always need the Yuan family's help.

"Agui is full of wisdom and resourcefulness, his schemes are ever-changing, he is truly a reincarnation of Cao Cao!" Liu Huaizhen exclaimed sincerely, his eyes shining brightly.

"Alright, stop praising me. I can't handle this myself, or it will alert Huan Hong and Liu Yi. You should handle it personally. I'll allocate all the Tiger Legion to you, and transfer some more men from the Eighth Company to build another Eighth Company within the Conquering Army. Just name your price!"

The eight buildings have strong cohesion, integrating farming, warfare, fishing, and hunting, making them most suitable for military households.

As long as these people are fed and clothed, I'm not afraid they won't follow me.

With five or six thousand military households, totaling nearly thirty thousand people, Liu Daogui's strength would grow to a terrifying level simply by building an army of five thousand men.

The imperial court is currently overwhelmed with problems and has no time to pay attention to Jiangbei.

With the world in such chaos, Liu Daogui might as well take bigger steps.

The Jin dynasty was originally a temporary cobbled-together regime of various forces, with very limited control over local areas. Once you became powerful, the imperial court could only turn a blind eye.

They even had to reuse him.

Sun En confiscated the wealth of the Sima family and other aristocratic clans, creating opportunities for those from humble backgrounds to rise to prominence.

Not only Liu Daogui, but Liu Yi also made many underhanded moves in private, gathering a large number of people and showing considerable ambition.

"With you two brothers, the Liu family will surely prosper in no time!" Liu Huaizhen suddenly said with a look of anticipation.

"What's the point of the rise of individual households? If we can launch a northern expedition and revive China, I will have no regrets in this life!"

People have aspirations. Liu Daogui used to only seek to be well-fed and clothed, and to ensure his family was not hungry. Now that he holds military power, he inevitably has greater aspirations. "Expelling the barbarians and restoring our land" does not seem so far away.

More and more people gathered around.

The times are ever-changing, and the successive rounds of struggle in the South are also a process of survival of the fittest, breaking many established patterns, while the forces from the grassroots are constantly growing stronger...

(End of this chapter)