Ask the mountains and rivers

Chapter 259 Entering the Pass (Part Two)

The Meng brothers and General Zhang disagreed and argued incessantly in front of Emperor Jian'an.

Emperor Jian'an was weak-willed and relied on General Zhang in everything, which emboldened the general. Such an emperor naturally lost the respect of his subjects. Even the loyal Meng brothers, in their rage, disregarded the emperor's presence on the throne and nearly came to blows with General Zhang.

Upon hearing the news, Prime Minister Pang rushed over, his face grim. He angrily shouted, "General Zhang and the two Generals Meng, please shut up!"

"Whether or not to send troops is up to the Emperor."

The Meng brothers fell silent.

General Zhang snorted coldly and glanced sideways at Prime Minister Pang: "Prime Minister Pang, what a show of power you have!"

Prime Minister Pang replied with a forced smile, "General, you jest. In your presence, who would dare to display any official arrogance?"

General Zhang was momentarily speechless, then let out another cold snort and looked at Emperor Jian'an: "Your Majesty, I have said everything I needed to say. I do not agree to send troops!"

The imposing and domineering General Zhang was tall and imposing, like a giant mountain, making it hard for people to breathe.

Emperor Jian'an was silent for a moment, then said, "I need to consider this carefully. General, please go back first."

General Zhang stood up, flicked his sleeves, and left.

Since the Empress gave birth to the prince, General Zhang has become increasingly arrogant and has shown even less respect for the Emperor.

Prime Minister Pang was furious, but he did not show it on his face. He still spoke up for General Zhang: "General Zhang acted rashly in the heat of the moment and lost his manners as a subject. Please forgive him, Your Majesty."

This was paving the way for Emperor Jian'an. Emperor Jian'an understood, and with a slight smirk, said, "I will not blame the Grand General."

Meng Liulang's lips twitched slightly.

Fearing that his straightforward sixth brother might say something that would embarrass the emperor, Meng Dalang preemptively spoke up, saying, "The Xiongnu barbarians have mobilized 30,000 cavalry, more than the total military strength of Youzhou combined. Moreover, the Xiongnu barbarians are skilled in archery and horsemanship, and are inherently ferocious. If the court does not send reinforcements, Youzhou is in grave danger!"

Emperor Jian'an said with some helplessness, "How can I send troops without the Grand General's approval?"

Meng Liulang stood up and stepped forward, volunteering: "The Bohai Army will remain to defend the city, and I am willing to lead the Beiping Army to Youzhou to provide reinforcements. In addition, Your Majesty can issue an imperial edict to order the garrisons in the north to send troops to provide support."

Emperor Jian'an was greatly tempted, but did not immediately agree: "I will think about it for a few days and then make a decision."

Meng Liulang, seething with anger, returned to his military camp and muttered indignantly in his tent: "The right thing to do is to deal with external threats before pacifying the internal situation. General Zhang is too self-serving and refuses to send troops to defend Bohai County. We are willing to send troops, but the Emperor is worried about General Zhang and refuses to give his approval."

"How ridiculous! Is this the Xie family's empire or the Zhang family's empire? Being controlled by others in everything and having to be subservient to them in everything, what kind of emperor is he?"

Meng Dalang wasn't in a much better mood either: "Shut up! How dare you utter such treasonous words! What's the difference between you and General Zhang?!"

Meng Liulang: "..."

After leaving Meng Liulang speechless, Meng Dalang sighed deeply: "Sixth brother, I know you are worried about the people of Youzhou. So am I. Back then, we followed our father to garrison Beiping County and fought against the Xiongnu barbarians many times to protect the people of Beiping County. Even though we are hundreds of miles away, we still care about the safety of Beiping County."

"Sending troops is no small matter. The Emperor won't issue an imperial edict without General Zhang's approval. Otherwise, where will the money, provisions, and military supplies come from?"

Ultimately, this was the Zhang family's greatest source of confidence in controlling the government. The Zhang family not only had troops, but also money and supplies. Even the expenses of the Beiping army depended on the Zhang family.

Meng Liulang, his face dark, forced out a sentence: "So we're just going to stand by and watch Youzhou descend into chaos, and do nothing?" Meng Dalang said in a deep voice: "With General Pei here, Youzhou will not descend into chaos."

Meng Liulang looked up and met his brother's gaze: "Brother, do you have so much confidence in General Pei?"

"Let's wait a bit," Meng Dalang said in a low voice. "When the day comes that we absolutely must send troops, regardless of whether General Zhang agrees or not, our Beiping army will be the first to march!"

"It's not time to send troops yet, let's be patient for now."

Meng Liulang let out a sigh of relief and nodded.

Emperor Jian'an was in a bad mood and discussed the matter at length with Prime Minister Pang in the imperial study. In the end, they decided not to send troops for the time being. However, the court could not do nothing.

Emperor Jian'an quickly issued an edict and sent it to Pei's army.

Pei Qinghe's official rank was promoted three levels, and he was appointed as a second-rank Martial Might General. All troops within Youzhou were to obey the orders of the Pei family army.

The Fanyang army had long since defected to the rebels, and the Liaoxi army had raised its banner and declared independence several years ago. The "all armies" within Youzhou were actually the Pei family army and the Guangning army.

The Guangning army had long followed Pei Qinghe's lead. This imperial edict merely brought the matter into the open.

Pei Qinghe, who had rushed back to the Pei family army on horseback, received the imperial edict, smiled wryly, and casually tossed it into a drawer in his desk. He then summoned all the important leaders of the Pei family army to discuss countermeasures.

The leaders of the troops stationed in various county towns were also recalled.

No one backed down, no one was afraid; the crowd was filled with righteous indignation and unanimously declared that they would fight the Xiongnu barbarians to the bitter end.

Pei Qinghe's sharp gaze swept across the faces of the crowd, and he said in a deep voice, "A thousand days of training for one day of battle. Our daily sustenance comes from the taxes of the people. Now, it is time for us to fight to the death for the people. From today onwards, prepare for war in full force!"

"By order of the General, all villagers in Yan County shall be relocated to the county seat. Not a single grain of food shall be left in the villages."

The Xiongnu barbarians' usual practice when raiding for supplies was to first plunder villages. Villages had no walls, and were mostly populated by the elderly, women, and children; in the Xiongnu's eyes, they were no different from cattle and sheep without gates. The Xiongnu barbarians looted and killed indiscriminately, easily obtaining large quantities of grain. With military provisions, the Xiongnu barbarians could then easily attack county towns.

To eradicate this problem at its root, the first step is to relocate the villagers. This can be seen as a disguised form of scorched earth policy.

This is certainly not an easy task.

This is no different from abandoning one's family and property to flee. Most villagers are unwilling to do so.

At Pei Qinghe's command, the magistrates of the ten counties of Yanjun sprang into action, each leading their men out of the city to personally persuade the people from village to village.

If persuasion through kind words fails, then General Pei is asked to send troops to "persuade" them.

The villagers were forced to leave their homes with tears in their eyes, carrying only meager food supplies and movable belongings to the county town. Finding a place to settle them was another major problem. The people in the county town were unwilling to let strangers live in their homes. The villagers couldn't live on the main street; they needed shelter from the wind and rain. As a result, daily disputes ensued.

Pei Qinghe ignored all these trivial matters and had no time to concern himself with them. He only ordered the county magistrates to appease the villagers and prevent any major disturbances.

Pei Yun also issued military orders in Beiping County.

The Guangning army followed suit and quickly cleaned up the village.

(End of this chapter)