Fu Shanhe

Chapter 287 An unexpected encounter
"Commander-in-Chief, it's not a good idea for us to keep asking questions along the way!

Even if Duke Yansheng escaped from Qufu, he couldn't have entered Jinan so quickly. We should enter Yanzhou and search for him again!"

The young centurion suggested with a depressed look on his face.

As a support force, we started searching for people as soon as we left Jinan city.

In just two days, it became known to everyone.

The enemy army did not need to send out spies to know that the imperial court had sent out a cavalry unit specifically to support Duke Yansheng.

Once used by the enemy, you are likely to suffer a great loss.

"Fool!
If I ask you to send someone to inquire, just do it honestly.

You can think of these questions, can't this lieutenant general think of them?"

Shu Zhongyi scolded angrily.

The political significance of this reception operation is greater than its practical significance.

It doesn’t matter whether we can find Duke Yansheng or not. What’s important is that everyone knows that they have sent troops to support us.

There is a lot of formalism in officialdom, which seems to be meaningless, but can be used to shirk responsibility at critical moments.

To the army sent to defend the king, searching for and rescuing Duke Yansheng was of only moderate importance.

But for the Shandong Governor's Office, it has great political significance.

The various local troops below were all frightened out of their wits by the northern barbarians.

Everyone was perfunctory in the previous rescue mission, and it was even more ridiculous to meet Duke Yansheng.

Even if the front-line generals are willing to follow orders, local officials and gentry will find ways to keep the troops.

The northern barbarians are coming with great force, and no one can predict how far the war will go.

For the sake of your own safety, you must prioritize self-protection.

As for offending the governor's office, that is secondary.

The feudal system has developed to the point where it is almost perfect in terms of its system.

Checks and balances of power have reached their peak.

Although the local prefectural offices were under the control of the governor and provincial governor, they also had a great deal of autonomy.

The upper-level yamen officials have long lost the power of life and death over the lower-level yamen officials.

If the governor wants to get rid of a county magistrate, he has to follow the rules of the political game, instead of just giving an order to arrest someone as shown in movies and TV dramas.

Lower-level governments have the power to refuse to implement certain government orders that do not comply with the rules.

Of course, there are political risks in doing so.

To veto the above decree, there must be sufficient reasons to face the court's accountability.

Even if everything goes well, you will be labeled as "not knowing the rules", which will affect your future career.

Under normal circumstances, government agencies at all levels would execute orders from the governor's office.

But once it involves one's life and property, the situation is different.

Earlier, the governor's office ordered officials from Qingzhou, Laizhou, Dengzhou and other places to rush to Yanzhou for assistance, but the local government chose to procrastinate.

It is extremely rare in the history of Dayu that many places disobeyed orders at the same time.

According to convention, whenever such a change occurs, there will be a major reshuffle in the officialdom.

The governor will definitely lose his job and be unable to manage his subordinates, which will definitely be a loss of points.

All the prefects who refused to carry out the order were collectively transferred to other positions.

Tongzhi and Tongpan will also be adjusted one after another.

After the personnel adjustments are completed, it will be time to settle accounts and slowly investigate responsibilities.

It's just that it's war time now, and everyone is busy dealing with the northern invaders, so they don't have the energy to do these things for the time being.

The Governor of Shandong is doomed to fall and has now entered a state of recuperation, while the Provincial Governor and other senior provincial officials are making their last struggle.

Spending a huge amount of money to invite the army to support the king was their act of self-rescue.

As an actor, if you accept money, you must do your job.

Whether or not Duke Yansheng can be rescued is secondary. At least everyone should know about the efforts Shandong Province has made to save Duke Yansheng.

After the interlude, the army continued to move forward and soon entered the territory of Yanzhou.

"General, we have spotted Northern Tartar cavalry fifty miles ahead. They seem to be chasing someone."

After receiving the news from the scouts, Shu Zhongyi secretly cursed his bad luck.

Deep down in his heart, he kept praying that he would never meet Yanshenggong.

Those who came in the name of supporting Duke Yansheng could not resist their master and did not want to see Duke Yansheng alive.

It's just his bad luck to have to do such a dirty job.

Without Li Mu's support, he would still be a marginalized small captain, and it would be impossible for him to climb to the position of lieutenant general so quickly.

The future prospects are also closely tied to Li Mu.

If you don't follow the order, everything you have now will soon be back to square one.

There are huge risks in executing orders.

If the slightest news leaked out, he, the executor, would be dead.

No one can withstand the collective counterattack of the civil service group.

"Continue to explore and find out the enemy's strength first.

Our tracks have been exposed. This is most likely a trap deliberately set by the enemy. We must be careful.

Pass the order down, the army dismounts and rests for half an hour."

Shu Zhongyi immediately gave the order.

In the past, he always hoped that the enemy would be as weak as possible, but now the situation has changed, and he hopes that the Northern Tartars will be stronger.

It would be best if he could kill Duke Yansheng cleanly and quickly, and then he could lead his team to bring back a few descendants of the saint to report back.

It doesn't even need to be a direct descendant of a saint. As long as there is a relationship, it doesn't matter how distant the bloodline is.

……

After fleeing all the way, only a few of the original large group of people were left.

Vehicles carrying large amounts of treasure quickly became enemy spoils.

Even the horses they were riding fell down during the intense escape.

"No, I really can't walk anymore.

Let’s find a village to take shelter first. The northern barbarians may not be able to find us.”

Kong Yinzhi said breathlessly.

He felt sad just thinking about it, that the servants that his family had spent a lot of money to support were actually a bunch of show-offs.

They looked tall and strong, but they became paper-mache after encountering the Northern Tartar cavalry.

Apart from slightly delaying the pursuers, it did not play any substantial role.

If he had not reacted quickly and decisively abandoned the treasure he was carrying, it would have fallen into the hands of the enemy.

"Duke Yansheng, this is not possible!

The northern barbarians were brutal and village massacres were common.

Along the way, we encountered more than one or two uninhabited villages.

If they massacre the whole village right away, they will be walking into a trap!"

The guard commander Jiang Yifeng hurriedly persuaded.

Unlike other servants, Jiang Yifeng was a military scholar during the Tianyuan period.

According to the normal development trajectory, he should join the military and serve the country.

However, fate played a joke on him. Not long after he passed the imperial examination, he was targeted by the Embroidered Uniform Guards.

For a grassroots military scholar, being able to develop in the Jinyiwei is also a good choice.

Although their reputation was not very good, the Jinyiwei during the Tianyuan period did have real power.

Their status and position are no lower than that of civil servants.

Unfortunately, the Embroidered Uniform Guard recruited him only to use him as a secret spy. Not long after, he was sent to the Kong family by the court to protect the safety of Duke Yansheng.

In name, it was to show the court's attention, but in reality it was because Emperor Tianyuan was not confident in Duke Yansheng.

Given their special identity as descendants of saints, if they want to stir up trouble, it will be a big event.

No powerful emperor could tolerate such an influential person whose behavior was out of control.

While protecting and monitoring Duke Yansheng, he was also responsible for sending Duke Yansheng away at any time.

If one day the emperor feels that Duke Yansheng is too threatening, he will have the obligation to create an accident to solve the emperor's biggest problem.

During the turmoil of abolishing and enthroning the Jinyiwei, many high-ranking officials of the Jinyiwei were purged, and he, as a hidden spy, lost contact with the higher-ups.

As the bodyguard assigned by the emperor to Duke Yansheng, he was naturally not an ordinary bodyguard. In addition to the salary issued by the court, the Kong family also prepared a portion for him. In terms of treatment in daily life, he was given enough courtesy.

It should be a happy thing to live a comfortable life and get rid of the Jinyiwei.

Unfortunately, the Northern Tartars suddenly attacked, and before they could react, the enemy army had captured Qufu.

As the commander of the guards, Jiang Yifeng had to play his role and escape with Duke Yansheng.

Even when they were running for their lives, the Kong family's arrogance did not diminish in the slightest.

There were many unexpected incidents along the way.

The identity appointed by the emperor played a role at the critical moment.

Jiang Yifeng decisively abandoned many burdens and fled all the way to the present with only a few direct descendants of the Kong family.

"Or we can take shelter in the mountains for a while and come out after we have avoided the enemy's pursuit.

All the horses died yesterday. Two legs can't outrun four legs.

If you keep running like this, I will die of exhaustion before I can reach a safe area."

Kong Yinzhi suggested again.

He really didn't want to run away.

Given his status, even if he fell into the hands of the Northern Barbarians, he would most likely be treated preferentially.

"Sir, please stop joking.

The nearby mountains are all bare.

Even if the enemy didn't chase us, we would be trapped and starved to death there due to lack of food and water.

The news of your escape has spread, and the court must have sent someone to pick you up.

Maybe we will meet them tomorrow."

Jiang Yifeng said speechlessly.

If they could enter the mountains, they would have fled into them as soon as they left the city.

However, Yanzhou was developed early, and by the Yongning period, all the nearby hills were cleared of trees.

At this time of year, looking around, apart from the green wheat, everything else is bare.

Even the wood needed to build the Kong family's house had to be purchased from outside.

In Shandong, there are only a few big mountains with a small number of big trees.

This situation continued until the industrial age, when coal was used on a large scale.

Not to mention the distance issue, even if they could really enter the mountains, Jiang Yifeng didn't think that his group could survive there.

Any cold can take away these pampered gentlemen.

While the two were talking, the Northern Tartar cavalry also rushed over.

"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh..."

A rain of arrows came flying, and everyone who had not yet reacted was killed or injured in an instant.

The unfortunate Kong Yinzhi was unfortunately hit by an arrow in the thigh and let out a scream immediately.

"Stop it! This is Duke Yansheng!"

After seeing this scene, the frightened Kong family hurriedly blew up their own house.

Perhaps it was the halo of the saint that worked, and among the Guifang cavalrymen who were chasing them, there happened to be one who could understand the language of Dayu.

The original hunting game suddenly turned into catching alive.

This scene happened to be seen by a scout in the distance, who immediately passed the news back.

"Pass the order down, all troops, mount your horses and rescue Duke Yansheng!"

After receiving the news, Shu Zhongyi gave the order with an unhappy look on his face.

It doesn't matter if he does something secretly, but openly, he still comes to rescue Duke Yansheng.

No trace of Duke Yansheng has been found and nothing has been done.

As a person in official circles, he was well aware of the importance of Duke Yansheng in the hearts of scholars.

If the current Duke Yansheng falls into the hands of the northern barbarians, the political impact will be extremely bad.

For the sake of the overall situation, we must also keep people under our control.

In the blink of an eye, a large group of cavalry arrived at the scene.

Kong Yinzhi, who was captured and was being treated by Northern Tartar soldiers, suffered another tragedy.

The two armies were busy fighting and completely ignored him, the wounded man.

The other captives were trapped like dumplings, with the will but the strength to do nothing.

In addition to cheering him up spiritually, everyone was more concerned about the situation on the battlefield.

No one wants to be a prisoner of the Northern Tartars if they can stay in Dayu.

They are not Yansheng Dukes, do not have great political influence, and do not deserve courtesy.

Once they were captured and taken to the grassland, their fate was to become slaves.

If you are unlucky, you might lose your life on the way.

The government army had more cavalry, had powerful firearms in their hands, and wore cotton armor.

They quickly gained the upper hand against the unarmored Guifang cavalry.

Seeing that victory was imminent, everyone showed joy on their faces, but suddenly a stray arrow hit Kong Yinzhi again.

"what!"

The violent screams brought the battle to an end.

"Where is the Duke of Yansheng?"

Shu Zhongyi, who was in charge of all this, asked anxiously.

In fact, the first time he arrived at the battlefield, he recognized Duke Yansheng.

There is no other reason, it can be judged just from the different treatments.

Under normal circumstances, when they encountered wounded soldiers from Dayu, the Northern Tartars would kill them with a single sword.

If it weren't for his special identity, it would be impossible to provide treatment.

"General, I..."

Kong Yinzhi, who was in unbearable pain, hurriedly introduced himself.

"A few of the enemy soldiers have escaped, and the pursuers will be here soon, so we should not stay here for long.

Sir, please be patient for a moment.

There are no doctors in the army. We will treat you immediately when we get to a safe place."

As he spoke, Shu Zhongyi arranged for people to release the captives and at the same time carried Kong Yinzhi onto the carriage that had been prepared in advance.

It is called a horse-drawn carriage, but in fact it is just a cart pulled by horses, without any shock-absorbing facilities.

"General, are you going to let the Lord sit in this broken car?"

A member of the Kong family said unhappily.

Facing the Northern Tartar cavalry, he dared not speak a word, but when he met the government troops, he instantly regained his pride.

“This is a battlefield, if you’re not lucky, there won’t even be a car like this.

If you have any objection, find a better carriage.

The enemy is about to kill us, and the master is waiting for treatment. What is your intention in jumping out to cause trouble at this time? "

Shu Zhongyi asked coldly.

As he spoke, he deliberately glanced at Kong Yinzhi, as if giving the initiative to him.

"Shut up!
You have no right to speak here.

You want to hope for my death so that you can inherit the throne of Duke Yansheng, but it’s not that easy! "

Without waiting for the young man to continue explaining, Kong Yinzhi, who was in unbearable pain, started to scold him.

When it comes to interests, even one’s own clansmen cannot be trusted.

It's not that he was overthinking it. His son was lost on the way to escape, and the young man in front of him was his closest blood relative.

What if his son didn't come back alive?

According to Dayu's inheritance law, the nephew in front of him is the first heir to the throne of Duke Yansheng.

In this context, any action taken by the young man is likely to cause people to overthink.

It seems like he is trying to get better treatment for him, but the conditions on the battlefield simply don't allow it.

After the matter was made clear, it seemed like they were hindering the army from taking him away.

(End of this chapter)