Northern Prefecture Rivers and Mountains

Chapter 278 Disaster

Quack, quack...

A vulture circled the corpse by the roadside a few times, then swooped down, pecked out one of its eyes, and flew into the sky.

A dozen or so refugees were walking on the road when a gust of wind came and they all trembled.

Several wolves around them stared at them with gleaming green eyes, growling softly from time to time, as if they were about to pounce at any moment.

The corpses on the ground were already rotting, and the wolves didn't even bother with them.

With a thud, one person fell to the ground.

"Father..."

"Ah Qian, run!"

As soon as the crying began, the wolves pounced on him, tearing his skin and flesh apart.

Humans and wild animals seem to have reached a tacit understanding: wolves will not attack people who are standing, and people who are standing will not care about people who have fallen.

"Let's go." The clansman beside him sighed, pulling the thin, bony boy along as they continued forward.

These people don't even have the strength to bury their loved ones.

Ah-Qian was in tears. His father's body was mangled, with his internal organs hanging everywhere. "Where can we go now?"

A minor drought this year led to a severe famine in the eight counties of the Wu region.

In fact, the drought was not severe, but the eight prefectures of the Wu region had suffered from war for many years, leaving fields barren, bandits everywhere, and people with nothing to cultivate. The officials in various places were overstaffed, which led to the current situation.

Even the demon bandits were affected by the famine, and most of them starved to death.

Unable to fight any longer, they landed in Linhai and prepared to head south to Guangzhou for food.

"Go and join General Liu Yu of Jianwu..."

"General Jianwu?" The young man remained silent.

The generals of the Northern Army often allowed their troops to plunder and seize women and children, causing immense suffering to the people. Only Liu Yu maintained a disciplined army, enforced strict laws, and never harmed the people. He rose to fame in the eight counties of Wu.

The dozen or so men traveled south, and when they reached Kuaiji, they saw a group of tall and burly thugs blocking the official road. Each of them was armed with swords and knives, and there were also a dozen or so carrying powerful crossbows. Behind them was a huge banner with the character "王" (King) on ​​it.

"Listen up, you lowly servants! Magistrate Wang is recruiting servants and is offering you a way out."

"What? You're unwilling? You must be accomplices of this demonic thief! Drag him away and kill him!"

A scream rang out, and the air was thick with the stench of blood.

The lead thug surveyed the crowd, "Is there anyone else who is unwilling?"

After Liu Lao's death, Huan Xuan appointed Wang Yu as the Prefect of Kuaiji. In the Wu region, starvation was rampant. Many wealthy and powerful families, who had been hoarding their gold and silver, starved to death, leaving their fields empty.

Not only the Wang family, but other prominent families also rushed to seize land and people.

Huan Xuan occupied Jiankang and compromised with the gentry, so he naturally couldn't control the eight prefectures of the Three Wu regions.

The ground was covered with a layer of corpses, and the living could only accept their fate.

After pressing their handprints, they became servants of the royal family.

"Mu Qian? He is quite handsome. You are in the same group as them!" The evil servant pointed to a group of boys and girls by the roadside. The older ones were fourteen or fifteen years old, and the younger ones were five or six years old.

They were all very thin, but their appearances were quite delicate.

“I’m not going.” Ah Qian shook his head.

"Hmm? Aren't you afraid of death?" The wicked servant brandished the long sword in his hand, his face full of murderous intent.

"Kill me if you want, but I, Mu Qian, would rather die than be a male prostitute for someone else!"

Zongren glanced at him indifferently, then lowered his head listlessly.

"Then go die." The wicked servant raised the knife in his hand.

Killing a refugee is no different from stepping on an ant.

Just as the blade was about to fall, someone shouted, "Stop! Let him go!"

The wicked servant turned around and saw that he was just a child of about ten years old, sitting on an oxcart with a middle-aged man in fine clothes. The canopy was decorated with the three characters "King of Gaomi". The wicked servant's arrogance immediately dissipated by half. He didn't dare to say a word and stepped aside.

The title of King of Gaomi was bestowed upon Sima Huizhi. Sima Huizhi and Sima Shangzhi suffered repeated defeats, but because Sima Dezong surrendered to Huan Xuan, the Sima family was not purged.

The titles and ranks of Sima Hui's lineage were preserved.

"What's your name?"

"Mu Qian".

"My name is Sima Chuzhi. Would you like to come with me to Yizhou?"

"I want to go to Linhai to join the army."

Mu Qian's eyes were firm...

Gushu.

Inside the Ping Le Hall, wisps of smoke curled from the gilded Boshan incense burner.

Gradually submerging the brocade screen woven by hundreds of birds.

Huan Xuan's enormous body lay reclining on the soft couch, staring motionlessly at the Hu woman writhing her graceful body before him.

On the table in front of him were piles of various delicacies, and crystal glasses were filled with deep red wine.

"With Gao Su and Zhu Qianzhi dead, the next one will be Sun Wuzhong. He is an old friend of Liu Laozhi, so we must be wary of him!" Bian Fanzhi specially came from Jiankang to attend this gathering.

Eating, drinking, and having fun were secondary; the main thing was to discuss the next steps.

“This man is nothing to worry about. His troops suffered heavy casualties in the previous campaign against the demon bandits. You decide what to do. As for promoting him to the title of Duke of Chu, proceed quickly.” Huan Xuan stared at Hu Ji, somewhat impatiently.

In the beginning, he also thought about working diligently for four or five years, and then following in the footsteps of his father Huan Wen, winning over the hearts and minds of the people and the army through the Northern Expedition, and gradually climbing to the pinnacle of power. Therefore, he implemented various small favors to win people's hearts.

When personally interrogating prisoners, he often released them regardless of the severity of their crimes, and those who blocked the imperial carriage to plead for justice were given relief without being questioned about their circumstances.

But such small favors cannot change the status quo.

The corrupt officials who were dismissed were replaced by new ones who were just as unscrupulous, or even more so than before.

Powerful clans and aristocratic families frantically seized land and people, leading to widespread suffering and an inability to enforce the law.

Six months later, Huan Xuan gradually became overwhelmed, and various troubles left him feeling helpless.

To change all this, one must take action against the aristocratic clans, but Huan Xuan, being from a prominent family, had already formed intermarriages with the Wang, Xie, Yin, and other aristocratic clans, and their influence was already deeply intertwined.

Even his cousins ​​were no pushovers, leading the way in embezzlement, bribery, and bullying.

Bian Fanzhi looked troubled. "I think it's not too late to become the Duke of Chu three years from now, when the court is stable and the people are loyal..."

“Three years!” Huan Xuan raised his voice.

Bian Fanzhi said helplessly, "There is famine in the Three Wu regions, the Jiangzuo region has just been pacified, the Northern Prefecture is still in place, and people's hearts are not at ease. The matter of Lord Chu is no small matter. Without merit, there will be no way to win people's hearts."

Once he ascends to the position of Duke of Chu, he will establish the State of Chu.

Even Huan Wen, who had the merit of recovering Luoyang, did not reach this point.

Huan Xuan understood this principle, but he couldn't wait any longer. The meritorious officials of the Western Prefecture who followed him were already eager to get their share of the spoils, and Huan Xuan was unwilling to wait either. "The mandate of heaven has been set, and only then can people's hearts be at peace."

Bian Fanzhi's eyes flashed, "Since that's the case, the only option is... to use the Northern Expedition to bolster our momentum..."

"A northern expedition." Huan Xuan pulled the Hu woman into his arms, caressing her all over, eliciting a burst of giggles. "Attacking whom?"

This is a very serious problem.

Under Yao Xing's rule, the Qin state prospered.

The State of Wei had annexed most of Hebei and was at the height of its power.

With Mount Tai as its natural barrier, the Southern Yan may appear to have the smallest territory, but its strength is considerable. Having just repelled two attacks from the Wei Kingdom, it has already established a firm foothold in Qingzhou.

At this moment, a clerk quickly entered and bowed to Huan Xuan: "Reporting to the Grand Commander—General Sun Wuzhong, the Champion General, has led four hundred of his former troops north to Pengcheng!"

Bian Fanzhi's face lit up with joy. "We can recall Liu Yu and have him lead the Northern Army to launch a northern expedition against Huai and Si, causing them to fight amongst themselves. Our lord can then drive the elite troops of the Western Army behind us and send proclamations to the soldiers and civilians of Huai and Si. This will eliminate a major threat!"

With veteran generals like Liu Laozhi, Gao Su, Liu Gui, and Sun Wuzhong either dead or fled, the most prestigious figures in the Northern Army were the brothers Liu Yu and Liu Daogui.

Liu Daogui occupied Pengcheng and managed the Huai and Si rivers, and his influence had grown too great to be easily controlled.

Huan Xuan could use the Northern Expedition to eliminate Liu Daogui. If successful, he would remove a major threat, eliminate the Northern Army, and recover the Huai and Si Rivers. It would be a triple win.

Then he could then naturally ascend to the position of Duke of Chu.

"Ah—" the Hu woman cried out, her face flushed, as Huan Xuan's hand went a little too far...

"It's still not appropriate. Sun Wuzhong is Liu Yu's benefactor, and Liu Yu is Liu Daogui's elder brother. Moving one will affect the whole situation. If we get rid of Liu Yu, who will deal with the evil thief? Are you going?"

Bian Fanzhi shook his head repeatedly, “The demonic bandits… are fierce, and I fear I am no match for them. It would be better to send the Western Prefecture south…”

The rebels have been wreaking havoc ever since, defeating the generals of the Northern Army one after another. Apart from Liu Yu, no one has been able to control them.

"Have you considered the consequences if the Western Army suffers a setback?" Huan Xuan's gaze was sharp as a knife.

The risk of conquering the demon bandits is too great.

Huan Xuan's power base was built on the Western Army; once it suffered a defeat, his power base would be shaken.

Just like Huan Wen's Northern Expedition back then, if things had gone smoothly, he wouldn't have spent his entire life without even getting one of the Nine Bestowments.

Bian Fan said, "Liu Yu and Liu Daogui have the bearing of dragons and tigers; our lord must not underestimate them."

Huan Xuan pressed his entire body against Hu Ji, "They are indeed heroes, but the Northern Army is in decline right now, and destiny is in my hands. If I don't make any mistakes, what can they do? Can Huai Si alone stop the Western Army and Jiang Zuo?"

"Of course... I can't." Bian Fanzhi had no choice but to nod in agreement.

The Huai and Si regions, at most, had a population of only two or three hundred thousand, with no more than ten thousand elite soldiers, and were sandwiched between various states.

Huan Xuan's Western Prefecture alone had two to three million people, and his army of over one hundred thousand by land and water. After taking control of Jiankang, Huan Xuan did not let his guard down and assigned the Huan clan to govern various prefectures.

Although the generals of the Northern Army were either dead or had fled, most of the soldiers of the Northern Army stayed behind and were won over by them.

The two sides are not on the same level in terms of strength.

"Don't forget, this world belongs to the aristocratic families. They are all from humble backgrounds, at most like Su Jun and Zu Yue!" Huan Xuan took out a few Five-Stone Powder pills and stuffed them into his mouth. He then hurriedly pulled up the Hundred Birds Brocade Screen to cover his figure.

The sound of panting grew louder, but Bian Fanzhi did not leave; he waited quietly...

Despite his busy schedule, Huan Xuan did not forget the important matter. "Issue two imperial edicts. First, order Liu Yu to quickly annihilate the Celestial Masters Sect. Second, order Liu Daogui to send over Sun Wuzhong's head!"

"My lord is wise!" Bian Fan was completely convinced.

Liu Yu had three or four thousand men, while Sun En had sixty or seventy thousand. The two sides had been locked in a stalemate in Linhai County for a long time. Now, if Liu Yu was forced to attack, either Liu Yu would be killed in battle or both sides would suffer heavy losses.

By having Liu Daogui kill Sun Wuzhong, Liu was actually cutting himself off from the Northern Army.

Sun Wuzhong was Liu Yu's benefactor; killing even his benefactor would surely cause Liu Yu to lose the support of the people.

If they don't kill them, it will give Huan Xuan an excuse to send troops, making it easier to settle scores later.

"Why aren't you leaving yet? Do you want to come along...?"

Behind the screen, Huan Xuan said impatiently.

With outsiders around, I always felt a little restrained.

Bian Fanzhi blushed. He was fair-skinned and delicate, and fearing that Huan Xuan might have some unusual fetish, he quickly excused himself...

(End of this chapter)