Chapter 1150

Hu Xiaotian laughed and said: "You probably don't know yet, Zuo Xingjian has already returned to White Spring City, and moreover he has memorialized the court, saying you colluded with the Bixin Mountain Water Bandits, supervising the theft and embezzling imperial grain."

Jiang Zhengyang gritted his teeth and said: "That despicable villain, simply the utmost shameless." He turned to Hu Xiaotian and said: "I have come to this point only out of necessity; initially I sent Zu Dachengqu to you to borrow grain, but you ruthlessly refused. Yunyang has already run out of grain supplies; every day civilians and soldiers starve to death; we have no way to survive. Hu Xiaotian, why do you send the painstakingly obtained grain to the court? Do you not know that even if he receives the grain, he will not distribute it to the civilians; even if his Conscience awakens and he uses the grain for disaster relief, after layers of exploitation by corrupt officials, hardly any reaches the civilians' hands."

Hu Xiaotian secretly thought that Jiang Zhengyang's words were indeed true.

Jiang Zhengyang said: "I have never understood why you insist on refusing to lend me grain. Could it be that you are truly loyal to the court?" After saying this he shook his head again and said: "The Emperor sending you to Dongliang Jun is no different from exile; when Tang Boxi led thirty thousand water marines to attack you, was it not the Emperor's order that everyone hold their positions? Don't you know? He has repeatedly harmed you, yet you still willingly serve him?"

Hu Xiaotian said calmly: "My affairs need not concern you, Sir Jiang."

Jiang Zhengyang sighed gloomily and said: "Indeed, what right do I now have to criticize you? Whether you are loyal to the Emperor or harbor your own schemes, it is none of my concern. I only ask you one thing: do not exterminate my subordinates to the last man. They have bled and sweated for Dakang, yet in the end they cannot even eat a full meal. If not driven to desperation, who would join those rebel forces?"

Hu Xiaotian rose and said: "Rest assured, I will not go back on my promise to you."

Jiang Zhengyang gazed at Hu Xiaotian's back. Suddenly he understood: Hu Xiaotian's sending thirty thousand piculs of grain to the court was no simple matter; he intended to use that grain to stir up Dakang's internal situation, taking advantage of the chaos to expand his own power, and he himself was precisely the first to be eliminated in the purge. Jiang Zhengyang felt endless emotion. Indeed, heroes emerge from youth; my defeat is not unjust. He loudly said: "Could you grant me a three-foot green blade so I may take my own life?"

Hu Xiaotian stopped his steps, hesitated slightly, then said: "I will have them bury you properly."

Zhuge Guanqi was summoned by Hu Xiaotian late at night to the manor; Hu Xiaotian was sitting on the heated brick bed in the study reading a book. Seeing Zhuge Guanqi arrive, he smiled and said: "Brother Guanqi, I hope I didn't disturb your rest?"

Zhuge Guanqi said: "I was also reading, not yet rested, but I came out at this time. I'm afraid I'll be complained about by my wife."

Hu Xiaotian chuckled and said: "It's all my fault; I'll visit your manor tomorrow to apologize to your sister-in-law."

Zhuge Guanqi said: "You already sent Weisa over to pacify people's hearts, didn't you? The two sisters get along very well; I estimate they'll chat until dawn. Anyway, I'm also staying up all night in the study. Having you here adds another person to talk with."

Hu Xiaotian invited Zhuge Guanqi up onto the heated brick bed to talk.

Zhuge Guanqi also did not show excessive reserve, took off his shoes, and sat down on the heated brick bed.

Hu Xiaotian said: "This time we lost ten thousand piculs of grain."

Zhuge Guanqi said: "Although we lost ten thousand piculs of grain, we eliminated Jiang Zhengyang and dealt a heavy blow to the Yunze Water Bandits; within three hundred li around Wuxing Jun, no one can rival Sir anymore."

Hu Xiaotian said: "I have already memorialized the court. I said that Jiang Zhengyang transported away fifteen thousand piculs of grain; taking advantage of this matter, we should save where we can, don't you think?"

Zhuge Guanqi couldn't help laughing at his cunning; his gaze fell on the map on the small table, seeing Hu Xiaotian had drawn a circle around White Spring City, he deliberately asked: "Sir, do you intend to capture White Spring City?"

Hu Xiaotian said: "Zuo Xingjian is an old fox; this time Jiang Zhengyang's embezzlement also involved him, and now he pretends to be a good guy. He has fewer than five thousand troops under his command; capturing White Spring City should be easy."

Zhuge Guanqi smiled and said: "In that case, this person knows best what has happened, and his mind shifts quite quickly."

Hu Xiaotian disdainfully said: "A petty little man; in terms of character he still can't compare to Jiang Zhengyang."

Zhuge Guanqi said: "For such a petty man, why use troops? His skill in deceiving the court is actually a good thing."

Hu Xiaotian heard the implication in his words and smiled: "Sir, do you have some idea?"

Zhuge Guanqi said: "I, Guanqi, am not talented, but I am willing to go to White Spring City to help Sir persuade Zuo Xingjian to submit to you."

Hu Xiaotian blinked his eyes; having known Zhuge Guanqi for so long, this was the first time he voluntarily expressed willingness to do something for him, and Hu Xiaotian felt greatly reassured—could it mean that from today onward Zhuge Guanqi will wholeheartedly assist him? Hu Xiaotian said: "White Spring City is not as important as Brother Guanqi; you going alone, I cannot rest easy."

Zhuge Guanqi laughed heartily: "Sir, you still don't trust me."

Hu Xiaotian said: "It's not that I don't trust you; since Brother Guanqi is willing to go, I have no objection, but you should take Gao Yuan and Zhan Peng with you; they should be able to protect your safety."

Zhuge Guanqi knew Hu Xiaotian was concerned for his safety, nodded, feeling a warm surge inside, and said: "Zhan Peng is back?"

Hu Xiaotian nodded and said: "He has returned; the military advisor had him come back first to report. The ten thousand troops that Guo Guangbi sent out are returning on their way back outside Yunyang City; they have given up entering Yunyang City."

Zhuge Guanqi said: "In that case, Guo Guangbi is quite wise; he should have sensed something fishy about this."

Hu Xiaotian said: "I heard that under Guo Guangbi there is a strategist named Tian Geng, very capable in planning, and Guo Guangbi follows his advice."

Zhuge Guanqi said: "I have met Tian Geng before; he truly possesses outstanding talent and also has a knack for diplomacy."

Hu Xiaotian said: "I just don't know why such talent would defect to Guo Guangbi; truly a Bright Pearl cast into darkness."

Zhuge Guanqi couldn't help but smile faintly.

Hu Xiaotian said: "I am preparing to accept the surrender of Jiang Zhengyang's remnants, from which I will select some well-trained soldiers to join my forces."

Zhuge Guanqi said: "Those soldiers followed Jiang Zhengyang in rebellion only because they had no other recourse; if Sir gives them a clear path, they will surely be grateful and devoted."

Hu Xiaotian said: "Yunyang has become an ownerless city; Xingzhou dare not advance, and our troops stationed around Yunyang also dare not withdraw lightly; everything must wait for the Emperor's edict before we can speak further."

Zhuge Guanqi said: "The Emperor will most likely send a formidable figure to Yunyang, partly to deal with Guo Guangbi of Xingzhou, and also to restrain Sir's development."

Hu Xiaotian nodded and said: "Quite possible; in the Yunze battle, although they have no evidence, they will eventually suspect me." Even if the court suspects it was him, Hu Xiaotian has nothing to fear, after all the person who decided to let Jiang Zhengyang come to escort the grain was the court; the bitter wine brewed by the court must of course be drunk by them themselves.

Zhuge Guanqi said: "The size of the occupied territory cannot represent true strength; a fist always extended outward is not as powerful as retracting it and then striking out again."

What he said is indeed a very simple truth. In fact, Zhuge Guanqi still has some worries about Hu Xiaotian; amid the current favorable situation, Hu Xiaotian might not become dizzy from successive victories, thereby becoming blindly optimistic and entering a stage of rapid expansion. Hu Xiaotian's total forces currently stand at just fifty thousand, among whom over ten thousand lack much battlefield experience. Fifty thousand troops can control Wuxing Jun, Dongliang Jun, and East Luo Granary, but if he expands blindly, his forces will be spread thin. Of course Hu Xiaotian has already begun recruitment, but the series of problems brought by army expansion will gradually surface.

Zhuge Guanqi's view is that troops value excellence over numbers, and Hu Xiaotian's previous campaigns have also proven this.

Hu Xiaotian said: "Brother Guanqi's words I have kept in mind; rest assured, I currently have no plans to expand. However, judging purely by geography, White Spring City and Yunyang both hold considerable strategic significance."

Zhuge Guanqi said: "That depends on where my lord intends to develop next."

Hu Xiaotian said: "Yunze has water bandits, Xingzhou has rebels; this time the Emperor lost ten thousand piculs of grain, and it seems likely he will point his spear toward Yunze."

Zhuge Guanqi smiled and said: "For Sir, however, this is an excellent opportunity. The Yunze Water Bandits have been able to flourish on Bixin Mountain precisely because of their superior natural geography: the surrounding vast waters make it easy to defend but hard to attack; the Yong River divides north and south, forming a natural barrier between Da Yong and Dakang, while the Wang Chun River separates the east and west banks. If Sir could control the Wang Chun River and thereby control Yunze, it would be tantamount to possessing an inviolable territory within Dakang."

Hu Xiaotian nodded and said: "Now is precisely when the Bixin Mountain Water Bandits are at their weakest; their five hundred vessels have been destroyed, and their combat power will inevitably be greatly reduced."

Zhuge Guanqi said: "Bixin Mountain lies at the center of Yunze; if a naval force is established there, in the future Sir can launch attacks on any important stronghold around Yunze, and the navy can coordinate to achieve a two-pronged effect. After gaining control of the Yong River and the Yunze waters, the Wang Chun River will fall entirely under Sir's command. Sir can then use this waterway to transport troops to any needed location in the shortest time."

Zuo Xingjian, ever since fleeing back to White Spring City, has been in a state of panic and unease; although he has sent people to report to the court, pushing all responsibility onto Jiang Zhengyang, yet there is no impenetrable wall in the world, and he still worries that his collusion with Jiang Zhengyang to embezzle imperial grain will be discovered.

Watching helplessly as ten thousand piculs of grain sank into Yunze, Zuo Xingjian felt anguish; with the New Year approaching, White Spring City's reserves were running low, and even he, as governor, could only subsist on thin porridge each day—in fact, life was hard everywhere in Dakang. Perhaps the situation in Wuxing Jun was somewhat better; Zuo Xingjian had once considered borrowing grain from Wuxing Jun, but after hearing that neighboring towns and cities that went there for loans were all ruthlessly refused, he abandoned the idea, asking himself whether he had the face to go, for it would be futile. Thus later, when Jiang Zhengyang came to discuss embezzling imperial grain, Zuo Xingjian readily agreed without hesitation. (To be continued~^~)