Chapter 603

A prefect of a remote border prefecture, yet he has ties with the current imperial prince.

At first hearing, this seems unlikely, after all, someone with ties to a prince would not likely be exiled to such a remote place.

But if that prince himself is not highly regarded, then it's a different matter.

After hearing what Lu Ping'an had to say, Chen Wuji already had a rough guess in his mind.

This matter probably has something fishy about it.

A prince rumored to be plotting rebellion, yet he is a recluse who stays indoors, enjoys painting, and goes into the mountains to seek the Dao; the story behind this is certainly not simple.

"We've wandered off topic; let's get back to talking about Hu Bu Gui himself." Chen Wuji said.

Even if that Zhao Prince has some schemes, it's not a big concern for him now; it can be completely ignored.

If Hu Bu Gui can be negotiated with, we negotiate; if not, he might even hinder an attack on Yushan Prefecture, in which case Chen Wuji could also turn his forces and first test just how hard that tortoise-shell Dingzhou is.

The army has been mobilized; of the eight remaining prefectures in Nan Jun, even if we cannot take them all, we must capture at least more than half.

"Hu Bu Gui..." Lu Ping'an hesitated for a moment, "This person, how should I describe him? He's the foulest-mouthed and dirtiest-handed person I've ever seen."

Many in the seat heard this and furtively glanced at Chen Wuji.

"What are you all looking at me for? When have my methods become dirty?" Chen Wuji shouted.

What a joke, this is nothing but pure slander against him!

The commanders exchanged knowing smiles and immediately shook their heads.

His methods are indeed not dirty; he merely uses the broken bodies of enemies as weapons.

"Old Lu, continue!" Chen Wuji ordered solemnly, "Regarding this person, it's best to set aside some of what he's done to you, so as not to affect judgment."

Perhaps Hu Bu Gui merely put on an extreme display of foul-mouthed and vile tactics toward Lu Ping'an alone; normally he is not like that.

Take Yang Yu, for example; before knowing of his past glorious deeds, this person appears in every way to be a typical old-fashioned good guy, as good as can be.

Who would have thought that this good-guy image of his is merely superficial.

Lu Ping'an nodded a little embarrassedly, "But Hu Bu Gui is just foul-mouthed, hot-tempered, and his methods are dirty; not only toward me, he seems to treat others the same way."

"Besides, Hu Bu Gui's opinion is not merely his own; it also represents that of his clan. Whenever the fate of Dingzhou is involved, Hu Bu Gui seems to decide only after gathering Dingzhou's powerful families and clans for discussion."

"In Dingzhou, it's normal for small families to be dependents of big ones, and big families to be dependents of powerful and prominent clans; this is also Hu Bu Gui's true confidence. Given these circumstances, I doubt Hu Bu Gui would easily agree to lend passage, and he might even ally with Yushan Prefecture."

"My lord, I think Lieutenant Lu's judgment might not be accurate." Xie Fengxian suddenly said.

Lu Ping'an stared, somewhat surprised, and glanced at Xie Fengxian.

Former lord and subordinates now sat together on the same mat, even singing in contrary tones, which left Lu Ping'an a bit bewildered before he suddenly realized that Xie Fengxian's official position now seemed higher than his.

Chen Wuji chuckled lightly; this scene was indeed somewhat amusing.

"Speak your mind; you don't need to look at your former lord's face."

Lu Ping'an immediately said, "My lord, I don't mean that. I… just had a momentary lapse, felt a bit dazed. Now I understand things perfectly; I'm suited to be a lieutenant, handling logistics."

Chen Wuji's simple remark almost made him break out in a cold sweat.

"Just joking with you all, no need to take it to heart. Fengxian, tell us your opinion." Chen Wuji said with a light smile.

"Here!"

Xie Fengxian responded with an acknowledgement, then said: "Hu Bu Gui has always been somewhat radical in the name of national righteousness; he has continually undertaken campaigns against the Qiang people, although the scale of his troop deployments has never been large, but he has persisted."

I've also heard that Qiang merchant caravans entering and exiting Dingzhou must pay market taxes three to five times what local residents pay, and caravans often go missing within Dingzhou's borders. Such a person ought to despise what Yushan Prefecture does; even if he refuses to grant us passage, it's unlikely he would collude with the Qiang.

Chen Wuji nodded, "Anyone else with another opinion?"

"My lord, I suggest we prepare two options." Xu Zengyi said after observing for a long time, finally speaking up: "If Dingzhou is willing to grant passage, we'll go through Dingzhou; if Dingzhou refuses, we'll first take Dingzhou!"

"Among the eight remaining prefectures of Nan Jun, Dingzhou should be considered relatively strong; it ought to be eliminated as soon as possible. Moreover, it seems like a stone that cannot be avoided; leaving it would pose too great a future threat."

The territory of Nan Jun runs east-west; the largest prefecture, Hezhou, lies at the far east, while to the south are the recently conquered Guangyuan Prefecture and Guangtongzhou.

Guangtongzhou leads north to Qingzhou, where the Nan Jun prefectural seat (Junzhi) is located; adjacent to Qingzhou are Dingzhou and Wannian Prefecture.

In terms of overall terrain, Dingzhou runs north‑south like a mountain range lying in the eastern part of central Nan Jun, with Wannian Prefecture above it and Guangtongzhou and Yushan Prefecture below it.

Chen Wuji put Yushan Prefecture first in this war for no other reason than that these grandsons had defected to the Qiang People; whether for reputation or strategic aims, it must be dealt with first.

Although from a geographical standpoint Dingzhou should be the first to be eliminated.

But its reputation has always been relatively good; when the Qiang People invaded it actively sent troops and gave various support, and later when Lu Ping'an rebelled, while other prefectures surrendered at the news, Dingzhou again resisted Lu Ping'an and fought several battles with him before and after.

Such a reputation, if attacked too early, would greatly affect Chen Wuji's prestige.

But if Hu Bu Gui really becomes a foul, hard roadblock stone, this battle still must be fought!

Prestige can be temporarily set aside.

"There seems to be no better solution for now, so let's do this." Chen Wuji looked around at everyone, spoke in a low voice, "Tomorrow the army will set out, camp at the edge of Dingzhou, send someone to first talk with Hu Bu Gui to see what he really means, then decide later."

Everyone fell silent for a moment, then responded in unison.

None of those present had particularly poor eyesight; a quick glance let them see pretty much everything.

There is no better solution to this situation; not preparing with both hands really won't do.

Whether it leaves a future trouble or loses prestige, one must be chosen.

Unless Dingzhou surrenders.

But that seems unlikely.

The next day, just as dawn broke, Chen Wuji mustered troops outside Ningyuan City, performed the Ritual of Reporting to Heaven and Earth, and the army set out.

After picking up a pile of Shi Dao's relics in Ningyuan City, the proportion of Chen Wuji's troops wearing leather armor increased significantly; now nearly everyone has leather armor, and iron armor can reach about a quarter of the force.