Chapter 272: Deceit and Evasiveness

"Prefect Liu, truly Prefect Liu, hahahaha!"

Crown Prince Xie Fang was so happy he nearly danced with joy, having seemingly forgotten that his influence in Liangzhou was now completely wiped out. It seemed that being able to see the Third Prince Xie Ling suffer a setback was enough to satisfy him.

He was undoubtedly feeling very grateful to Liu Zheng right now.

Because he had almost been held accountable for the Chen Ping affair... If not for Liu Zheng's timely reminder, which allowed him to distance himself and then deliver a blow while his opponent was down, he feared he would have lost his position as Crown Prince—everyone knew how angry the Emperor was about this plague.

Therefore, for the moment, he felt that this man Liu Zheng was, well, quite excellent!

He was worth befriending!

Liu Zheng was also left between laughter and tears.

This Crown Prince was just too easy to fool... Suddenly, he felt that dealing with someone like the Crown Prince was actually much easier than dealing with someone as deeply calculating as the Third Prince Xie Ling.

He raised his cup and said with a smile, "Your Highness, rest assured. With Liu Zheng in Liangzhou, I will not let Zheng Yuxing's Liangzhou Army threaten Your Highness!"

The Crown Prince was overjoyed, downed a cup of wine with Liu Zheng, then stood up and grabbed Liu Zheng's shoulder with an excited expression: "People say Prefect Liu's word is worth a thousand gold; this Prince believes you! From this day on, you and I are family!"

In the camp, the others also rejoiced.

Liu Zheng took a deep breath, drinking until he was flushed and merry that night.

After settling the Crown Prince and his party in the Changzhou government office, Jiang Xuan followed Liu Zheng into Qingyang Shuo's room. Jiang Xuan could not help but ask: "Young Master, are we really going to form an alliance with that Crown Prince? That man..."

The Crown Prince was arrogant and perverse in nature; everyone in the world knew he was not as humble and polite as the Third Prince Xie Ling.

Liu Zheng and Qingyang Shuo looked at each other and smiled.

Qingyang Shuo said: "Jiang Xuan, your endurance this time, holding your troops back to avoid a clash with the Crown Prince, shows you have more than enough steadiness and are already a peerless commander. Yet, you cannot see the struggle for power clearly."

Jiang Xuan looked puzzled and listened attentively.

Qingyang Shuo smiled: "The Young Master's ambitions lie in Liangzhou. Although the Prefectural Governor is about to be enfeoffed as a King, without a foundation in the imperial court, Liangzhou will be very difficult to control."

Jiang Xuan nodded, still confused.

Qingyang Shuo continued: "Furthermore, Jiang Xuan, do you really think it would be good if the Young Master became a neutral warlord like the Prince of Wei? Actually, it is not so. The Longyan Dynasty is, after all, the Xie Family's state. No matter how muddled the Emperor is, he will always favor those who are close to his own sons... The Prince of Wei, though currently called the number one Feudatory King in the world, is the most dangerous."

"Only with people in the court can things be handled easily in the provinces!"

"If you had to choose, would you choose to ally with the Third Prince or the Crown Prince?"

The three of them looked at each other and all burst into laughter.

Did that even need to be asked?

The Crown Prince was easy to fool! One didn't have to worry about him shooting arrows from behind, but with someone like the Third Prince, one could never be sure!

The plague in Changzhou was finally successfully brought under control.

Hearing of Wen Yang's actions, the people of Changzhou were filled with righteous indignation and wished they could smash the Changzhou government office to pieces; at the same time, they were naturally filled with gratitude toward Liu Zheng, the "Contemporary Sage."

When Liu Zheng's procession departed, the people saw them off for dozens of miles, a scene extremely moving to the point of tears. A group of people were all begging Liu Zheng to stay and properly build up Changzhou.

A city that has experienced disaster always takes a long time to recover.

Along the way, Liu Zheng choked up several times himself.

The people's demands were actually not high... They just wanted to live in this world, to live in peace and stability; even if it were bitter and tiring, they were willing.

The people of the Longyan Dynasty were truly the best and most diligent people. Yet, even so, their lives could not be guaranteed...

In the eyes of that privileged class, they were always just a bunch of pigs and dogs.

Along the way, Liu Zheng sighed incessantly.

Could he, alone...

Change all of this?

Having arrived in this world for less than three years, with Liangzhou almost already in his grasp, he still felt his ambitions were boundless.

The road ahead is long and winding, I shall search high and low!

He had promised Qingyang Shuo a world of Great Harmony.

Then he would go and realize that dream!

"Young Master!"

"Prefect Liu!"

"Young Master Liu!"

When the group returned to Dunhuang, they were greeted by another massive crowd; the victory over the plague was being celebrated nationwide. Everyone knew this was entirely the credit of the Yinzhou Army! During this rampant plague, not a single one of the nearly ninety thousand Yinzhou troops had been lost! The combat power they displayed in Dunhuang gave the world a deeper understanding—and fear—of the Yinzhou Army.

Fireworks and firecrackers went off everywhere.

Chang Shuwen led the civil and military officials of Dunhuang to welcome them, full of joy.

This time, the plague in Dunhuang had been handled with the minimum cost and the maximum success. For Chang Shuwen, this was absolutely a great achievement. Looking at it this way, the fates of the two Prefects of Changzhou and Dunhuang were completely different...

One was about to be rewarded by the Emperor, while the other had died in a prison cell, forced to write a blood letter, reviled by the whole world, and would be permanently nailed to the pillar of shame in history.

In a plague, some are happy and some are sad.

Some suffer, and some are rewarded.

"Young Master, the Yinzhou garrison has been arranged."

Chang Shuwen came over and said with a smile, acting very sensible.

He knew that Liu Zheng taking the route through Dunhuang meant he wanted to station troops here to completely control Dunhuang; since he couldn't resist, he might as well enjoy it... Chang Shuwen was a man who knew how to handle things.

Those who submit to circumstances are heroes; now, Prefect Liu was revered by the world. He was unstoppable—didn't even the Crown Prince want to ally with him? What was the point of him jumping around?

Liu Zheng hurriedly thanked him: "Prefect Chang, Dunhuang is an important pass of the Hexi Corridor. In the future, the matter of digging the Canal will still require your hard work, Prefect Chang!"

Chang Shuwen bowed deeply: "Young Master has grand strategies, and Shuwen admires you endlessly! The concept of the Grand Canal is truly a work of divine craftsmanship! Once the Grand Canal is opened, the world will be connected, and Longyan will surely flourish!"

If one said that being forced by the situation was one major reason, then the Grand Canal blueprint Liu Zheng had sent him a few days ago was what had completely made him submit to Prefect Liu. The Grand Canal! This was absolutely a magnificent blueprint! Everyone could see it from a different angle when looking at this blueprint.

Liu Zheng's initial idea was that it could govern the Western Regions.

But in Chang Shuwen's view, it could develop Liangzhou! Although Liangzhou's war horses and elite cavalry were famous throughout the world, it was also one of the most barren places in the world.

If this Grand Canal is successfully excavated, not only can the problem of water shortages in Liangzhou be solved, but many products can also be shared, traded, and exchanged with the Jiangnan region.

What does this mean?

The gap between the increasingly prosperous Jiangnan region and the increasingly barren and backward North will narrow.

Development will be synchronized!

Especially under the internal development system of the Fengjiang Dynasty, Liangzhou is very likely to achieve substantial development.

A great talent!

This Prefect Liu has a heart as open as a valley; he is absolutely a talent for governing the world!

Why not follow such a person?

"This is, Young Master, the tax revenue of Dunhuang is a bit stretched, this matter of excavating the Canal..."

Chang Shuwen had an embarrassed look on his face.

Liu Zheng laughed heartily upon hearing this: "Rest assured, Magistrate Chang. All expenses for the Canal matter will be covered by Yinzhou Prefecture. The first batch of gold is already on its way; this matter only requires your effort, Magistrate Chang."

Chang Shuwen was overjoyed: "Young Master is generous!"

Just at this moment.

Liu Zheng, on horseback, suddenly caught sight of a familiar figure in the crowd.

He could not help but tremble all over.