Records of Mysterious Things in the Southern Dynasties

Chapter 400 Outpost
Yuan Shu breathed a sigh of relief upon learning that the Emperor had also appointed Chen Qingzhi as "Acting General and in Charge of Military Affairs," realizing that he could now govern by doing nothing.

Although the 'Acting Imperial Envoy' was of a lower rank than the 'Imperial Envoy with Imperial Envoy', it still allowed the emperor to represent him in person and exercise state power. The 'General Inspector of Military Affairs' was even more subtle; although he was said to be the commander-in-chief's deputy, he could completely replace the commander-in-chief in performing his duties... Xiao Yan's intention in appointing his confidants to this position was crystal clear.

On the other side, Chen Qingzhi also gave him face, ordering his soldiers to be in bright armor and line up neatly by the roadside to welcome the prince.

"Greetings, Your Highness!" Chen Qingzhi and his generals bowed in greeting.

"Oh, Mr. Chen, you're too kind." Yuan Shu and Chen Qingzhi were about the same age, both handsome and polite men, so the atmosphere between them was naturally harmonious.

After the meeting, he invited Chen Qingzhi to ride in the same car with him to Hefei.

The two armies merged into one, surrounding the carriage as it slowly moved along the main road. Banners fluttered like a forest, and dust billowed, attracting passersby to stop and watch.

The soundproofing in Yuan Shu's car is excellent, and the ride is not bumpy at all. Talking in the car is as comfortable as being in a ship's cabin...

"To be honest, when I first received the decree, I was filled with fear and some indescribable emotions." Yuan Shu knew that Chen Qingzhi was Xiao Yan's most trusted confidant, so he decided to speak frankly.

"I only felt more at ease after I learned that Brother Ziyun would be going with me."

"Your Highness is too kind," Chen Qingzhi said respectfully. "This humble servant will follow Your Highness's lead and do everything in my power to assist you."

“Sigh.” Yuan Shu waved his hand and said, “Although we haven’t had much contact in the past, you should have heard about my character.”

"Yes, Your Highness is of noble character; even the Chief of the Imperial Guards cannot find a single fault with him," Chen Qingzhi said with a smile.

"Oh haha, Chen Shuai's praise is quite unique, but I like it." Yuan Shu couldn't help but laugh. "I'm a man who never lies, so let's be straightforward. If we make things clear from the beginning, it'll be easier for everyone to get along."

"Yes, Your Highness, I will certainly treat you with honesty," Chen Qingzhi said softly.

“Alright, then I’ll get straight to the point.” Yuan Shu cleared his throat and said, “After we arrive in Hefei, I will outwardly be the one to respect you, but in reality, you will be the one to take charge.”

“Your Highness, this is not appropriate…” Chen Qingzhi hurriedly said.

"Let me finish speaking first." Yuan Shu raised his hand and continued, "I am only rudimentary in military affairs, and I am certainly not up to the task of undertaking such an important mission."

"Furthermore, to be honest, although I am absolutely loyal to the Great Liang and the Emperor, I find it difficult to be ruthless towards my homeland. How can I possibly fight a good battle with such a mindset?"

"Rather than losing the army and disgracing the country, and betraying the Emperor's trust, it would be better to step down sooner and ask a more suitable general to conquer Shouyang." As he spoke, he cupped his hands to Chen Qingzhi and said, "Brother Ziyun, rest assured, I will definitely cooperate with you. If we win, the credit will be yours; if we lose, the responsibility will be mine. I hope you will agree."

"Your Highness has left me truly at a loss," Chen Qingzhi said with a wry smile. "I can only say that I will do my best, and if we fail, I will absolutely not shirk responsibility. Of course, if we are lucky enough to win, I will absolutely not take credit for it."

"Haha, good, Brother Ziyun is indeed a straightforward man." Seeing that Chen Qingzhi was polite on the surface but did not actually refuse, Yuan Shu became even more certain that the Emperor had only sent him to be a figurehead, while Chen Qingzhi was the real star of the show...

However, Chen Qingzhi was very polite and gave him plenty of face. What could a surrendered person from the Northern Dynasty possibly want?

Once they knew each other's positions, they no longer needed to be so formal with their conversation.

Yuan Shu asked, "Brother Ziyun, Shouyang City has never been breached in decades. Can we achieve a different result this time?" "It's a bit early to say that now," Chen Qingzhi said softly. "We know neither ourselves nor the enemy, so how dare we claim victory? We need to understand the enemy's situation and the current state of the 100,000 troops in Hefei before we can make a judgment."

“Yes.” Yuan Shu nodded and sighed, “We’re completely clueless, so it’s pointless to say anything.”

"I have already dispatched a capable team ahead to gather information and scout the enemy's position. I believe we will have a preliminary report by the time we arrive in Hefei," Chen Qingzhi said softly.

"That's great." Yuan Shu nodded happily. "I knew I hadn't misjudged him; Commander Chen is reliable."

~~
The elite force that Chen Qingzhi mentioned was naturally the cavalry led by Ren Yuan.

Chen Qingzhi was well aware of the importance of intelligence work, so he placed most of the elite troops he had brought from the Gouchen Division into the cavalry. He appointed Ren Yuan as the commander of the cavalry, naturally because he valued Ren Yuan's boldness, meticulousness, and resourcefulness, hoping that Ren Yuan could keep the army's eyes open.

Ren Yuan, burdened with a heavy responsibility, dared not slack off and led a group of men to Huainan County several days in advance.

In no time, the group arrived at Feidong County, less than fifty miles from Hefei.

While encamped for the night, Ren Yuan discussed with his deputy commander Yu Tianmin, saying, "Commander Chen asked us to go ahead first, firstly to gather intelligence, and secondly to find out the situation of the 100,000 troops in Hefei."

"Chen Shuai is like someone who's been bitten by a snake once and is now afraid of ropes for ten years. He's been scared by Chang Baoye and his gang." Yu Tianmin said with a smile while baking pancakes, "He's afraid of running into them again in Hefei."

"Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated. 'Know yourself' even comes before 'know your enemy'," Ren Yuan said to Yu Tianmin with a smile. "Let's divide the work. Do you want to take charge of external affairs or internal affairs?"

"I'd better go scout the enemy's situation," Yu Tianmin said with a smile. "I'm good at that."

“Alright, then I’ll head to Hefei first.” Ren Yuan nodded and instructed, “Your reconnaissance must be thorough. In addition to figuring out the enemy’s deployment and troop strength, you must also carefully observe their condition and understand their recent movements… But don’t be as reckless as I was. Protecting yourselves is the most important thing.”

“Yes, we don’t have the same abilities as the commander.” Yu Tianmin replied, “Commander, please take care. Sometimes our own people are more dangerous than our enemies.”

“I can relate to that,” Ren Yuan said, agreeing wholeheartedly. “Let’s all take care.”

~~
So the next day before dawn, the two parted ways. Yu Tianmin led a group of people north to Shouyang to investigate, while Ren Yuan led Yang Zhong, Chen Baxian and others to take a boat from Feishui to Hefei.

The Fei River, also known as the Feishui River, originates in Feixi and splits into two branches. The branch flowing northwest travels for two hundred li before exiting Shouxian County and joining the Huai River; the branch flowing southeast passes through Hefei and empties into Chaohu Lake.

The Battle of Fei River, which changed history, took place in the former case. At that time, the armies of the Former Qin and Jin were fighting over Shouchun, which is now Shouyang. This is what it means to be a strategically important location.

Ren Yuanyi traveled along the latter, also known as the Nanfei River, which leads all the way to the moat of Hefei City.

When the ship arrived at the shore, everyone saw a bustling scene on the dock, very similar to what they had seen at the dock in Guangling City. Moreover, the large bags carried by the dockworkers were also stamped with a conspicuous red stamp, and the words "military rations" were prominently displayed.

Ren Yuan took a deep breath of the mixture of moisture and the aroma of new grain, and said with a look of enjoyment, "Let's get off the ship and go into the city to take a look."

(End of this chapter)