Destroy Jin and conquer Song, and carry the Northern Expedition through to the end

Chapter 551: Three Visits to the Thatched Cottage

In a house in the north of Linyi City, Liang Su was directing a cart into the courtyard.

This was originally the residence of a Jurchen nobleman. After Yizhou was captured by the Loyal Army, it became public property to a certain extent and was now provided for the Liang brothers to live in.

Liang Qiu was sitting in the shade of a tree, holding a large palm-leaf fan, her breasts exposed. She was resting with her eyes closed. When she heard the noise, she opened her eyes and said, "A Su, what are you doing?"

Liang Su said in a deep voice, "Pack your bags and prepare to leave to seek refuge with Geng Jing, the governor."

Liang Qiu hurriedly stood up, walked over, grabbed the cousin's hand, and said, "A Su, why are you doing this?"

Liang Su sighed and waved his hand: "I'm not leaving right away, but within three days, if General Liu doesn't come looking for me, then there's no point in me staying here. I might as well find another way out."

Liang Qiu pulled Liang Su to sit down. "General Liu just returned and is very busy. How could he come looking for us so soon? We can pay him a visit in a few days when he is free."

Liang Su shook his head, his eyes filled with determination. "Brother, if we were fleeing here and hadn't accomplished anything, recommending ourselves would be fine. But we've done something truly remarkable, and even the Duke of Wei respects us. Isn't that why General Liu personally invites us?"

"And if General Liu doesn't come within three days, it means he doesn't take us seriously at all. My ambitions will be in vain, so I might as well leave as soon as possible."

Liang Qiu was also a little flustered and shook his head repeatedly: "What do you mean? Even if Liu Dalang is gone, don't we still have Duke Wei? When the time comes, we can just follow the Loyalty Army. Duke Wei is still respectable and is much better than that Geng Jiedu."

Liang Su shook his head again. "Duke Wei is old and lacks the energy to do much. In the end, wasn't Liu Dalang still in charge? On the other hand, I've recently read many official documents from Duke Wei regarding Jiedu Geng. The Tianping Army lacks someone to oversee the overall situation. I might be able to gain important positions there and realize my lifelong ambitions."

Liang Qiu was at a loss at this time. He believed in Li Tong's vision. Since Li Tong thought Liu Huai could accomplish things, Liang Qiu would naturally follow Liu Huai.

But this cousin is a man of his own ideas and abilities. How could he just follow the crowd and pledge allegiance?

Liang Qiu sighed and could only say, "What if General Liu arrives within three days?"

"That has its reasons." Liang Su also sighed. "If you come on the third day, I can only serve him as a government official, helping him with local administration. If you come tomorrow, I can still offer you strategies. If you come today, then I..."

Before he finished speaking, the sound of horse hooves was heard at the gate, followed by a hearty voice.

"Huo, who's moving? There are so many big trucks here. Are you going on a long trip?"

"What are you two doing..." an old servant asked at the door.

"Oh, tell your master that Liu Huai, the commander-in-chief of the Jingnan Army, the governor of Yidu Prefecture, and the governor of the Jingnan Army, is here to visit!"

The old servant seemed a little confused. He was silent for a moment before asking, "Could you please repeat it, sir? I have a bad memory."

The person outside the door seemed to be choked for a moment, and after a moment he gave a dumbfounded answer: "Father-in-law, just say Liu Huai is here to visit."

The old servant no longer had to run around. After hearing the sound, the Liang brothers hurried over to greet him. When they arrived at the gate, Liang Qiu had even tidied his clothes. Except for his hair which was still a little messy, he looked solemn as if he was going to court.

The two walked out of the gate together. When they saw the young man with a smile on his face, leading a horse at the bottom of the steps, they did not dare to neglect him at all. They quickly walked down the steps and saluted: "Greetings to the governor."

"Thank you for your courtesy, my dear brothers." Liu Huai stepped forward, took their arms, and helped them up. "I've heard about what happened in Bianliang. If it weren't for your great efforts, this wouldn't have gone so smoothly."

Before Liang Qiu could speak, Liang Su spoke first, "Liu Jiedu is wrong. If it weren't for his ingenious plan, which would have been difficult for anyone to stop, we wouldn't have put in so much effort."

Even in his busy schedule, Liang Qiu still glanced sideways at his younger brother.

He really didn't expect that this guy, who had just said that he wanted to go to Geng Jing for help, could immediately flatter Liu Huai so well after seeing him.

As the saying goes, flattery never wears out. Liu Huai's face wrinkled with smile when he heard this, and he actually walked towards Liang Mansion like the host: "Come on, come on, let's go in and talk. I have to discuss important matters with my brothers."

Liang Qiu and Liang Su fell two steps behind and looked at each other in bewilderment.

"I've never seen Liu Dalang so happy before?" "Who knows, maybe he has encountered something happy."

The two of them whispered a few words to each other, then hurried in.

In the hall, the three exchanged a few pleasantries. Liu Huai took the lead in bringing the topic to the point: "Minister Liang, I don't have the position of Minister here. I only have the position of Tongpan of Yizhou vacant. I also have to take care of repairing the Yishui River and renovating the water conservancy. I wonder if Minister Liang is satisfied with this."

"Don't be ridiculous, my dear. I'm no longer a minister." Liang Qiu waved his hand, then bowed and said, "My dear, I'm willing to be the magistrate of Yizhou and renovate Yishui."

This is not to underestimate Liang Qiu, but a normal assessment. Even if you were a Shangshu before, you have to make some achievements first when you first arrive before you can talk about other things.

Otherwise, how can we convince the public?

Moreover, Liang Qiu claimed that he was good at river management, so he was asked to try it with Yishui, a river with relatively stable hydrology, to avoid starting with the Yellow River and causing a big mess if he was not strong enough.

Facing Liang Qiu's statement, Liu Huai just nodded, then looked at Liang Su: "Mr. Liang, is there anything you want to do?"

Liang Su took a deep breath and said sincerely, "I am willing to be your advisor."

Liu Huai was slightly stunned. He originally thought that Liang Su wanted to be a local official or assist in military affairs, but he never thought that Liang Su wanted this position.

But on second thought, Liang Su's choice was too normal.

Although Liu Huai is now favored by many people, he still has no personal dependence.

On the one hand, Liu Huai is a time traveler who sees people as independent individuals rather than objects, and he instinctively dislikes domestic slaves.

On the other hand, Liu Huai was indeed too young and his power was relatively small, so many people were too embarrassed to express their loyalty.

Not everyone has the determination that Uncle He had when he asked Mr. He Sanye for help.

But Liang Qiu was different. He had already gone to the end of his rope. He had already betrayed the Jin Kingdom and caused such a big mess that both Wanyan Liang and Wanyan Yong wanted to kill him. Liang Su really looked down on the Song Kingdom. Apart from the Shandong Volunteer Army, he had no other choice.

In this case, it is only natural to choose to follow Liu Huai for his personal benefit.

If Liu Huai could succeed in the end, even if Liang Su could not become the prime minister, he could still be the left and right chancellors who were capable of doing things independently.

"It's not easy to be my strategist." Liu Huai said with a half-smile, "Not only do you need to have some administrative skills, you also need to be proficient in battle formations, and you also need some underhanded tactics. Most importantly, you need to be able to understand the world situation."

Liang Su immediately interjected: "Then I will analyze the world situation for you, Lord. However..."

"But how?"

"But before that, I hope Dalangjun can answer a few questions for me."

Liu Huai sat upright and said, "Mr. Liang, please ask."

Liang Qiu stood aside in a daze.

So this means you have nothing to do with yourself?
This cousin of mine is really not a good son. How could he secretly seek such a high official position for him without considering himself?

But Liang Qiu thought again and realized that he really didn't have the ability. Even if Liang Su pushed him to this position, he wouldn't be able to keep it. As long as he made one or two wrong judgments, even if it didn't cause any bad consequences, he would be driven away.

If you don't have the skills, don't take on the job.

Thinking of this, Liang Qiu stood up, picked up the teapot, and became a servant serving tea.

(End of this chapter)