Qing Yao

Chapter 391 You can't be a tortoise in war!
"This Lord Zhao is truly different from all the other officials we've encountered before!"

"If all officials were like Lord Zhao, I would be willing to risk my life for him!"

"This Lord Zhao not only treats us soldiers as human beings, he is also a just and upright official."

"."

Such discussions were everywhere on the "construction site," proving that Zhao An's efforts had not been in vain.

This is also the path that all successful people must take; sharing joys and sorrows is almost a standard practice in the early stages of entrepreneurship.

Of course, performance is necessary, but it should be done in moderation. After all, performance only plays a supporting role and cannot play a leading role.

Zhao An continued to work diligently, but a group of people came running from a distance. When they arrived, he realized it was Old Song.

Accompanying Old Song were An Deshun, the acting prefect of Fengyang, and others. Their purpose was to "comfort" the provincial governor, so they brought a lot of good things in carts and carriages.

Zhao An approved of this way of expressing condolences, but felt that Lao Song had misunderstood the recipients of the condolences. It was not to express condolences to him, but to express condolences to all the soldiers who participated in the war and the civilian laborers who had made meritorious contributions to assisting the officers and soldiers!

Moreover, it lacks something. Even if it's simple, at least bring a song and dance troupe.

With a clapper and a drumbeat, the spirit and energy are instantly boosted.

The governor-general that Fengyang Tongzhi saw was standing in a waist-deep trench, passing soil and stones with his soldiers. His trousers were rolled up to his knees, and his feet were covered in mud. If it weren't for his extraordinary demeanor, he would have been no different from the ordinary laborers not far away.

Moved by this, he stepped forward and said, "Sir, the safety of this province rests on your shoulders. Why must you personally endure such danger? What if something were to happen to you?"

"Lord An, you're mistaken."

Zhao An smiled and pointed to the soldiers and laborers who were working, "Which of these brothers wasn't born of parents, which one isn't the pillar of their family? If they can do it, why can't I?"

Although the sound was not loud, the surrounding soldiers heard it clearly and were all moved.

After climbing up the trench, Zhao An whispered to Old Song, "The people's hearts are like water, and the army's hearts are like iron. Water can carry a boat, and iron can forge a sword. If I share weal and woe with the soldiers today, they will fight to the death for me on the battlefield tomorrow. In this way, how can we worry about the Qing Dynasty not being destroyed!"

"Understood, Your Excellency understands!"

Old Song had a knowing look on his face, knowing that Lord Zhao was definitely acting, but to describe it as acting at this point would be superficial.

He then quietly reported on the various tasks of the province, and also mentioned that the Provincial Education Commissioner had incurred a huge debt of 100,000 taels.

"oh,"

Zhao An nodded. "At the end of the month, I'll have Manager Shi send someone to collect the debt. Once we get our old master begging me, the donation will be settled."

Zhao An had planned to establish a temporary donation system in Anhui to raise development funds long ago. This was because the temporary donation system could not only raise a large amount of money, but also bind the gentry and wealthy families of Anhui to him. It would only benefit Zhao An and not harm him, since he was selling the Qing dynasty's official titles, not his own. Unfortunately, the education commissioner from a noble family was stubborn and uncooperative, which delayed the process.

What happened next was less about Zhao An taking revenge on the old master, and more about him trying to save the old master.

To heal the sick and save lives, and to learn from past mistakes to avoid future ones.

If the old master realizes the problem, with a little effort, his literary talent alone would be enough to make him a Goebbels.

Zhao An held great respect for the great Confucian scholars and was willing to try to win them over.

After all, his own education and cultural level were too low.

Being granted the title of "Tongjinshi" (a high-ranking scholar) seems prestigious, but in the eyes of those with formal academic training, it's no different from an adult college entrance exam.

That would be incredibly degrading. Therefore, they had to find some prominent scholars to promote them and give them a grand performance.

This makes your resume look better.

Zhao An set an example by sharing weal and woe with his soldiers, which won him the hearts of the army, but some people disagreed.

Wang Dingfang, the deputy commander of Shouchun Town, looked down on Zhao An's behavior and couldn't help but say to Zhang Biao, the garrison commander beside him, "Zhao's actions are too childish. A commander of a large army should have authority. I think this Zhao doesn't understand the principle that a kind-hearted person cannot command an army."

"That's right. I heard that before our Lord Zhao went into the mountains, he helped the people carry water and chop firewood every day, and he also chatted with the families of those salt bandits. It seems that he is not even as good as a county magistrate as let alone an acting governor."

At this point, Zhang Biao scoffed again, "Womanly compassion! Bandit suppression relies on real swords and guns. If words were effective, what would be the point of having us soldiers!"

The truth is this.

Many generals of the Huainan Green Standard Army felt that this siege was meaningless. Besides underestimating the salt bandits, it was also because the New Year was just over a month away. If Zhao An's strategy was followed, everyone would have to spend the New Year in this poor mountain valley. Who would want that?

Zhao An continued to discuss matters concerning the province with Lao Song, and also mentioned the joint construction of the Anqing Arsenal with the Eight Banners of Jiangning. He instructed Lao Song to allocate 10,000 taels of silver from the provincial treasury to be sent to Jiangning under the guise of celebrating the general's birthday.

After finishing his general explanation, he patted Old Song on the shoulder and said, "I'm leaving all the provincial affairs to you."

Before he could finish speaking, a series of urgent gong sounds and shouts suddenly came from the direction of Black Rock Village in the distance.

"The thieves have left the stronghold!"

The guards at the front immediately sounded an alarm, and the gongs rang out loudly.

Zhao An and Lao Song both turned their heads to look and saw a large group of salt bandits rushing out of the village like trapped beasts, heading straight for the gap in the fortifications that were not yet fully closed.

There are probably several hundred people watching!

It was clear that the salt bandit leader realized he couldn't let the Qing army complete the fortifications, which is why he took such a risk.

Unfortunately, Zhao An had long anticipated that the salt bandits would make a desperate gamble.

Under the command of Qianzong Ye Zhigui, a unit of the Fu Biao guards, who were ordered to be on guard, launched a counter-offensive without waiting for Zhao An's order.

Ye Zhigui's hundreds of battalions were all members of the canal gang who had participated in the Battle of Suzhou. Because they were "sons of the canal gang," they were extremely loyal to Zhao An, the young ruler. In addition, they were highly organized, and with Ye Zhigui, a desperate man, leading them, their morale was no less than that of the salt merchants.

The moment the two sides made contact, crossbows fired in unison, and the sound of gunfire was deafening.

After a brief but fierce exchange, the Qing army, having been on high alert, found the salt bandits unable to gain any advantage and had no choice but to retreat back to their stronghold in disarray, leaving behind dozens of corpses.

"Don't chase, retreat!"

Seeing this, Ye Zhigui did not pursue, but ordered his men to retreat and guard the gate to prevent the salt bandits from rushing in again.

Fu Biao handled the small skirmish well and won a minor victory. Zhao An watched with approval and prepared to award Ye Zhigui and the soldiers who participated in the battle with merit.

Unexpectedly, Wang Dingfang, the deputy commander of Shouchun Town who had been observing, saw the salt bandits collapse at the first sign of trouble and concluded that they were no match for him. He thought that if he could take advantage of the situation and storm the stronghold, he would be the greatest achievement. He immediately ordered Zhang Biao, the garrison commander beside him who was eager to try: "Quickly, the bandits are scared! You take your men and pursue them immediately. You must take the gate and storm in. Let that Zhao fellow know that fighting is about courage, not his turtle shell!"

"Whoo!"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Biao led his hundreds of battalions without hesitation, disregarding the fact that Ye Zhigui's troops at the front were withdrawing and the defensive line needed to be stabilized. Amidst the chaos, they crossed the front and attacked Heiyan Village directly.

(End of this chapter)