Northern Prefecture Rivers and Mountains

Chapter 49 Tough guy
Fortunately, Yuan He was not Xun Xinzhi, and he still had some sense of propriety. He did not push the man into a desperate situation, and his tone softened a little. "Han Jishi was planning to recruit them as servants, and you intervened and ruined his plan."

There was a hidden meaning in his words. The one who wanted to seize the military land and soldiers was not Huan Hong, but Huan Daozhen!
Liu Daogui glanced at Yuan He and vaguely felt that he and Huan Daozhen did not get along very well, otherwise he would not have said this to his subordinates.

Internal strife is everywhere in the imperial court, inside and outside the palace...

If Huan Dao was really behind this, things would be easier to handle.

Huan Hong only dared to play tricks on the left, right and rear battalions, secretly taking empty pay and sucking the blood of the soldiers, but Huan Daozhen was so bold that he opened his mouth wide and was ready to swallow it all...

"The three tribes of the left, right, and rear are mostly from the Jingkou immigrants, unruly and difficult to tame. They have been idled by the court in recent years and are already in dire straits. If we push them too hard and cause unrest, the court will blame them, and the Prince of Xiang will not give in. I am afraid that Envoy Huan..."

Judging from Yuan He's expression, he didn't want to make things worse. After all, soldiers were not ordinary people and they had knives in their hands. If something really happened, everyone would be in trouble.

Before the 3,000 shi of grain, Sima Daozi and Wang Guobao had been keeping an eye on the Huan family.

If there is another riot among the soldiers in the expedition, it will be more serious than the loss of 3,000 shi of grain and will be a bigger handle. Even Huan Hong will be in trouble.

Father, like son.

Although Liu Daogui was a corrupt official from a humble family, he understood the twists and turns of the matter clearly.

In fact, Huan's troubles were much greater than his own, and he had always been the target of the imperial court's focus and crackdown.

When Huan Wen was in power, he deposed two Sima princes simply for the sake of five servants. He then used the excuse of treason to exterminate the entire families of Yin Juan, Yu Qian, and Yu Rou, and their sons and nephews were all beheaded in Jiankang...

Now the situation has changed, and it is the Sima family's turn to settle accounts. All they need is a reasonable excuse.

Yuan He's expression changed, and he stared at Liu Daogui with a hint of surprise. "Dao Ze... is absolutely right. We must not cause any trouble."

When Huan Hong fell, his position as the Conquering Sima was also gone.

Liu Daogui was not trying to intimidate. The dissatisfaction among the army and the people had long been like a volcano, but it was temporarily covered up because they still had food to eat and the great victory in the Battle of Feishui.

Yuan He knew the true situation of the military government better than Liu Daogui.

The Guangling incident became a big deal, and Sima Daozi and Wang Guobao had an excuse...

"I am a subordinate who is devoted to the military government. I hope Sima can uphold justice."

Yuan He narrowed his eyes, his expression quite meaningful. "As for the Dao, there are merits and no faults. I will report the truth to you, my Lord. You can rest assured."

"The front commander Zhou Zheng..." Liu Daogui struck while the iron was hot.

"Let go."

"Yes!" A person outside the door bowed.

"You are a member of the Central Army. From now on, you must keep the people of the Left, Right, and Rear Armies stable and avoid any incidents. As for your official land and military farms, they are minor matters. You can handle them as you wish. However, you must not delay the affairs of the Central Army and the Three Armies."

Yuan He grabbed the seal and pressed it onto a blank piece of silk, writing the words "Zhenglu General's Mansion"...

Liu Daogui was overjoyed, "Don't worry, Sima, I will never miss any military mission!"

Crisis is crisis, danger often coexists with opportunity.

During the Spring and Autumn Period, King Fuchai of Wu was determined to dominate the Central Plains. In order to solve the problem of transporting military rations and supplies, he dug the Han Canal from Guangling to connect the Huai River with the Yangtze River.

From Guangling, it enters the Han Canal and goes north to the Huai River, and then turns from the Huai River to the Yi River. The water network radiates to Lanling, Donghai, Taishan, and Langya counties.

Thanks to the Han Canal, it only takes two or three days to travel from Lanling to Guangling.

Yuan He said quietly, "It's a pity that Daoze was born in a poor family, otherwise his future would be limitless..."

"It is my honor to serve Lord Huan and Sima Yuan." Liu Daogui flattered and then bowed and said goodbye.

It seems that Yuan He is not that hostile towards the poor, nor is he as arrogant and aggressive as Xun Xinzhi and Huan Daozhen.

Yuan He not only had no hostility towards him, but even protected him. The last time he investigated Sun Yizhi, it was he who went to his house to warn him. After the incident, he even rewarded him with thirty or forty strings of cash...

The facts on the official road are too complicated, and everyone has their own interests and intentions.

Liu Daogui pondered this, figuring it was probably because the Yuan family had been a second-class noble family since crossing the Yangtze River, their status in Jiangdong had remained stagnant. Yuan Zhen's rebellion over a decade earlier had dealt a heavy blow to the Yuan family, and their status had declined.

The Xun and Huan families were once the most powerful, but they have been out of touch with reality for too long, and the children in their families are full of arrogance and pride...

When he went out, Zhou Zheng had been untied.

"Thank you, General Liu!"

The name Zhou Zheng was not wrong. He was a man of iron will. He refused Liu Zun's support and stood there trembling.

Liu Daogui couldn't bear it, "If it weren't for me, you wouldn't have suffered this hardship."

Zhou Zheng shook his head. "I have never been favored by Huan Cheng. I have never borrowed food or clothing from him. This day will come sooner or later. Getting beaten up will give me some peace and quiet."

Liu Daogui was speechless for a while.

Life was not easy for the poor people in the General Zhenglu's mansion. As long as they did not rely on the Huan family and were unwilling to be dogs, they would be suppressed and excluded.

"Commanders, be careful. Huan Chengzhi will never let anyone get away with anything... I've taken this to heart..."

Zhou Zheng reminded Liu Daogui in turn.

"He dares!" Liu Zun snorted.

It is not a question of whether one dares or not, but it is easier to dodge an open attack than to guard against a hidden arrow. As long as Huan Chengzhi spreads a few slanderous words to Huan Hong, he will be in trouble.

"Thank you!" Liu Daogui bowed.

The desire to expand their own power has become more urgent.

If it’s an ant, others can just step on it to death, but if it’s a hedgehog, others will think twice.

As long as his power is strong enough, even if Huan Hong wants to deal with him, at least he has the ability to protect himself.

If you want to get along in the officialdom, you must leave yourself a way out...

Now it seems that Lanling is the best escape route. It may be a bit chaotic, but there is no need to struggle in the quagmire of Guangling. Many things can be solved with a knife, which just happens to play to the strengths of the Pengcheng Liu family...

Liu Daogui was originally going to send Zhou Zheng back to the camp, but Zhou Zheng quickly declined, "If Huan Chengzhi's men saw us, it would cause another setback. I will always remember your life-saving grace today!"

"Brother Zhou, you are too kind. We are all from humble backgrounds and should look after each other."

"Just say you want to join the army!" Zhou Zheng left without looking back, his body straight...

"What a good man!" Liu Zun praised him endlessly.

There are not many people who can catch his eye.

Zhou Zheng was able to get to the front of the queue, and his personal ability is absolutely outstanding.

Both of them looked at his back, afraid that he would fall down if they were not careful.

But he just walked away stubbornly, disappearing into the bustling crowd...

"Aki, Guangzhi and Hei Xiong are back."

Liu Zhen trotted all the way and came over.

Although he is young, he is the uncle of everyone...

"So fast!" Liu Daogui was delighted. The elite were indeed the elite.

With fields, you can grow food. With food, you can feed your troops. With troops, you can build forts and become a local tyrant from a humble family.

After struggling for so long, I finally took a substantial step forward. This is truly hard-won...

(End of this chapter)