Longzang

Chapter 755 Zongheng
In the residence of the Left Chancellor of the Western Jin Dynasty, it was already quite dark when the Left Chancellor finally put down his official documents and looked at the map of the Western Jin Dynasty hanging on the opposite wall.

Among the southern prefectures, two had already fallen, with most of them occupied by the Zhao state, and their defending forces crumbling at the first sign of trouble. At this time, the princes and princesses of Zhao were leading hundreds of thousands of troops, advancing in a coordinated attack, and were taking down the cities of Western Jin one by one.

The Left Prime Minister felt that the colors of the two prefectures were particularly glaring, and he couldn't help but squint, but he couldn't think of any good solution.

At this moment, the steward entered and handed over a letter, saying, "Master, an urgent report from Rong County!"

Upon opening the package, the Left Prime Minister's long eyebrows shot up in shock. He exclaimed, "Prefect Zhuang Zhong has disappeared, and the families of dozens of officials in the capital have been raided? Wei Yuan has audacity!"

The Left Prime Minister calmed down and ordered, "Send someone to the Right Prime Minister's residence and tell him that I have something to discuss with him at court at 1:15 am tomorrow."

The next morning, before dawn, the Left Prime Minister's carriage had already left the palace and was heading towards the royal palace. When they arrived at the palace gate, they saw that the Right Prime Minister's carriage was already waiting there.

The Left Chancellor strolled into the palace and arrived at the court room prepared only for the Grand Secretaries and others. Sure enough, he saw the Right Chancellor sitting inside, and there was no one else in the room.

The silvery-white charcoal sticks burned bright red, filling the room with warmth. The Left Prime Minister, having settled down, cut to the chase: "It seems that Wei Yuan's actions in Xiangrong County have also affected you?"

The Right Chancellor stroked his beard and said, "My grandson-in-law and his family have been taken to the Southern Military Camp, and there is still no news. After I received the news, I immediately sent someone to ask Wei Yuan for them. Guess what? Wei Yuan actually asked me to write a personal letter, sign and seal it before he would release them."

The Left Chancellor snorted and said, "Wei Yuan is certain that the court needs him to defend against the Zhao invasion, which is why he dares to act recklessly. You have been in charge of military affairs for many years. Besides him, is there no one else the court can use?"

The Right Chancellor sighed, “The military governor of Yunxiang, Lü Wenbai, has already fought a battle with the Zhao army and suffered a great defeat, losing 20,000 soldiers. Now he has retreated and is defending the two prefectures of Yunxiang to the death. No matter how much chaos occurs outside, he doesn’t care.”

Wei Yuan then led his troops towards Rong Commandery and established defensive lines in the three commanderies. Last time, Zhao's 200,000-strong army was completely annihilated by Qing Ming; this time, it seems the situation in the south will again depend on Wei Yuan. Unless King Ying or King Cheng leads their troops south.

The Left Chancellor pondered for a moment and said, "We don't know if the Prince Cheng's injury is real or not. But the northern border troops cannot easily march south, and the Prince of Ying cannot be touched either. It seems we will have to be patient for a while longer."

The Right Chancellor nodded: "It's not too late to settle accounts with him after the war with Zhao has ended."

The Left Prime Minister said, "Your grandson-in-law..."

The Right Chancellor said indifferently, "He's just a good-for-nothing. Let him fend for himself. My granddaughter is still young; we can find another one later."

At that moment, the bell rang, signaling the start of the morning court session. The two prime ministers then entered the hall together.

In the Zhao royal palace, King Zhao sat high on his throne, discussing strategies for war against the Jin state.

"Has the Jin state's northern army not moved yet?" King Zhao asked.

The Minister of War stepped forward and said, "The north is already covered in heavy snow, and the Liao people's offensive has slowed down, but the northern army shows no signs of moving south, which is really hard to understand."

King Zhao frowned, and after a moment said, "Let's focus our attack on the two prefectures of Yun and Xiang. I want to see if that old scoundrel Lü Ming can still hold his temper after we've destroyed those two prefectures!"

Military affairs were discussed until noon before the court session adjourned.

King Zhao returned to his study and summoned Li Chengfeng alone, asking, "Do you know why I have slowed down the pace and tried every means to lure the northern army south?"

Li Chengfeng respectfully replied, “The Western Jin Dynasty excels at defending cities, and Yingdu is a formidable city in the land. Our Zhao army, on the other hand, is skilled in open field battles, capable of traversing thousands of miles without losing morale. If the Jin army from the north marches south, having lost the advantage of fortified cities, they will undoubtedly be defeated in open battle against our Zhao elite forces. However, if they defend their cities, it will be very troublesome.”

King Zhao nodded and said, “Your reasoning is correct, but you have put the cart before the horse. The foundation of the Jin state is not in the southern prefectures, nor in Yingdu, but in the 1.2 million strong troops in the north. As long as we lure this army to the south and devour it, even if we only devour half of it, we will break the backbone of the Western Jin. Without elite soldiers, any fortified city is just for show.”

"If the northern army remains unscathed, even if I occupy the entire southern part of Western Jin, I could be driven back to Zhao at any time. Moreover, if this army is unaffected, the Eastern Jin, Southern Qi, and Ji states will all be eyeing us covetously and could intervene at any moment."

"I have learned a lot."

King Zhao was very satisfied and said, "You have grown very quickly in the past two years, which has impressed your father. The 200,000 new troops are also well trained. However, it seems that there are quite a few strangers in the two prefectures that you are in charge of?"

Li Chengfeng immediately said, "Those are all people from Qingming. They are exploring the earth's veins and mining ore in the two prefectures. I borrowed over 100,000 sets of equipment from Qingming on credit, and we agreed to repay them with the minerals."

"This was a good deal, and we can continue doing it in the future. But remember, we can't go in the wrong direction."

"My child understands."

"Go ahead, you can find your own opportunities and see if you can gain anything."

Li Chengfeng was overjoyed, but a chill ran down his spine. This meant the King of Zhao had granted him freedom of action, but he also had to bear the responsibility for all his actions. If they were defeated, the throne would likely be out of his reach.

Throughout Li Chengfeng's departure from Zhao Palace, neither father nor son mentioned Wei Yuan. As for the significance of the Northern Army, Li Chengfeng was aware of it, but dared not speak of it.

Wei Yuan strolled through Hanyang Pass. He had visited this city countless times. Now, the defenses were increasingly lax, yet the city was even more prosperous. The population was large, and shops and vendors lined both sides of the road, hawking goods obtained from Qingming. Pedestrians came and went, moving between teahouses and taverns. This place had now become a transit point for goods between Qingming and Jin, gradually losing its imposing grandeur and gaining a more vibrant, everyday life.

Xu Lanshan emerged from a small shop in front of Wei Yuan and waved to him. Wei Yuan followed her into the shop, where their table was already laden with local snacks. Wei Yuan didn't stand on ceremony and began to eat heartily with Xu Lanshan.

After finishing the food on the table in one go, Xu Lanshan ordered another table. The restaurant was now packed with people, mostly peddlers and laborers. No one would have guessed that they were accompanied by a newly promoted and powerful Imperial Guard and a Grand Tang Military Governor.

As she ate, Xu Lanshan asked, "What brings you here?"

Wei Yuan swallowed a steamed bun whole, his neck straight, before saying, "Hanyang and Huangping prefectures, when are you going to withdraw? The King has already promised me, your old immortal shouldn't have any objections, right?" Xu Lanshan was gnawing on a crispy chicken leg, tearing off shreds of meat with her teeth, showing off her white teeth, and said, "The Immortal Ancestor wouldn't say anything about such a small matter. However, some elders below have many interests in the two prefectures, and they are unwilling to withdraw."

"Then I'm going to fight."

"Go ahead and hit me."

"It's not very respectable. How many of you are there in the north right now?"

"Three hundred thousand."

Wei Yuan nodded. It was indeed remarkable that the Xu family could send 300,000 private troops to defend the north. However, this move was equivalent to relieving the burden on the Lü family, which was somewhat unexpected.

Xu Lanshan said, "The Immortal Ancestor meant that if the fighting in the north continued, it would shake the foundation of the Great Jin Kingdom, so we also sent troops. As for what kind of deal was made between the immortals, I have no idea."

The two finally finished the snacks on the second table, and Xu Lanshan asked, "Don't you want Hanyang Pass?"

Wei Yuan shook his head: "Judging from the current situation, it's better for it to be in your hands. Even if I wanted it, that would be a matter for the future."

“The city is generating a considerable amount of tax revenue every day now.”

Wei Yuan smiled and said, "No matter how much tax you collect, in the end you still have to buy my things, right?"

Xu Lanshan gave Wei Yuan a deep look and said, "I can make those things too, so it's not impossible for me not to buy them."

Wei Yuan laughed and said, "You can make it, but it's several times more expensive than mine. Besides, if you don't buy it, aren't you afraid I'll sell it to the Lü family or to the Zhao state?"

"You have absolutely no bottom line!"

"Thank you for the compliment, Senior!"

"I'm not that old!"

After leaving Hanyang Pass, Wei Yuan learned Xu Lanshan's basic attitude.

The various factions within the Xu family are deeply intertwined. Many of the elders are advanced in years and their cultivation is not particularly high, but they may be related to some Imperial Realm expert, or they may have shielded the Immortal Ancestor from arrows or served him water. Therefore, they are all very senior, and Xu Lanshan, a newly promoted Imperial Realm expert, really cannot command them.

Therefore, if Wei Yuan wants the population of the two counties, he has to find a way to take it himself, and Xu Lanshan will not interfere.

Xu Lanshan left the snack stall and immediately appeared at the Governor's Mansion. The newly appointed Governor hurriedly greeted her, addressing her as "Little Aunt." This Governor was only a little over a hundred years old and was one of Xu Lanshan's few close associates.

After exchanging greetings, Xu Lanshan said, "Gather our troops and assemble for training. If a foreign enemy invades and is powerful, we should retreat first."

The garrison commander was taken aback and exclaimed, "Wei Yuan is going to attack?"

Xu Lanshan nodded: "Very likely. And I had a feeling that this was something he was determined to get, so I didn't try to dissuade him further."

"It seems a bit wrong not to fight a single battle, right? After making concessions, is there any end in sight?" The garrison commander was somewhat unwilling.

Xu Lanshan sighed softly, knowing that this junior was just like her, and was also unyielding. So she said, "What Wei Yuan needs now is people. These people are of no use to us. Just give them to him. He will leave once he gets them."

The newly appointed garrison commander's expression softened somewhat, and he said, "That's acceptable. In any case, there are a huge number of refugees now, and they can still live a good life if they go to Qingming."

Xu Lanshan nodded and said, "It's good that you understand. Too much rigidity leads to breakage, and a stubborn personality often results in great losses. Don't follow the same path I took back then."

"I think Auntie's path is the one that will last longer!"

At this moment, Wei Yuan strolled out of Hanyang Pass and soared into the sky. An hour later, he had entered the Azure Water Realm and was walking around the city.

Biyue City has now been built to a considerable scale, and the most eye-catching feature of every household on both sides of the street is the huge water tank, with many households having more than one.

As Wei Yuan was looking around, Li Chengfeng, dressed in plain clothes, hurried over and said, "Lord Wei, why didn't you give me a heads-up before your sudden visit?"

Wei Yuan said, "I haven't had a chance to take a good look at your territory yet, so I came to take a look."

Li Chengfeng's heart skipped a beat, but he forced a smile and said, "It's barren and simple, and there's not even enough water right now, so there's really nothing to see. I wonder what brings Lord Wei here so specially?"

Wei Yuan said, "Fourth Prince, would you like to add some more achievements to your crown?"

Li Chengfeng's heart began to pound again, and he asked cautiously, "What results?"

"It's the Hanyang Pass that that prince failed to capture last time!"

(End of this chapter)