Chapter 139

It was hard for the war on the front line to stabilize, and the Imperial Court sent news of the late Emperor's death. Along with the new Emperor's ascension, Liu Xuecheng could only behave himself honestly, fearing that a tiny mistake would be infinitely magnified and he would be wrongly killed.

When the Imperial Court ignored the officials in Northern Xinjiang, Liu Xuecheng dared not move even more. Everyone was in danger and couldn't see the future, so how could they care about a group of small mountain bandits!

Until now, having completely stood on the side of the Prince of Zhenbei and the Crown Prince, Liu Xuecheng had the intention to avenge his own nephew. Who would have thought that at this juncture, news came that the group of mountain bandits had directly occupied Jiangcheng.

So Liu Xuecheng sent the urgent report to the front line along with the grain and grass. After the Crown Prince and the Prince of Zhenbei gave the order, he would lead troops to Jiangcheng to avenge his nephew.

Of course, what Liu Xuecheng considered was not so simple. Now the entire Northern Xinjiang was forced to stand on the side of the Crown Prince. If things went well, he and other governors might be able to get the merit of following the dragon and ascend to the sky in one step.

But if even a small group of mountain bandits could jump around on his jurisdiction, how would the Prince of Zhenbei and the Crown Prince look at him?

So both publicly and privately, Liu Xuecheng would no longer let this group of mountain bandits go.

Now the situation in Dingbei Jun on the front line had improved a lot. Since Wei Xikang spoke out, the other five Juns in Northern Xinjiang immediately began to collect grain to support the front line.

Even so, Wei Xikang only saw the first batch of grain transported from Linchuan Jun today.

The Prince of Zhenbei looked at the carts of grain being transported to the military camp, and finally, a long-lost smile appeared on his face.

In this way, the Zhenbei Army had hope, and he finally didn't have to take the Zhenbei Army to the step of perishing together.

"How much grain is in this batch transported from Linchuan Jun?" Wei Xikang, wearing armor, walked up and asked the Prince of Zhenbei who was counting.

The Prince of Zhenbei turned around, and after seeing it was Wei Xikang, he hurriedly bowed and replied: "Returning to His Highness, about five thousand shi of grain."

"This is still quite a bit short!" Wei Xikang frowned. Five thousand shi of grain for the nearly 100,000 Zhenbei Army was undoubtedly a drop in the bucket.

"There is also the grain and grass from the other four Juns, all on the way." The Prince of Zhenbei replied respectfully. In his view, these grain and grass were all squeezed out by the Juns by saving on food and clothing, and having such a quantity was already not bad.

It was just that Wei Xikang didn't think so. If he hadn't been to Yangguangzhai, perhaps he would also speculate about these people with kindness. After all, these were all court officials of the Da Qian Dynasty.

The time at Yangguangzhai made him clearly understand that some things could not affect his judgment because of the other party's identity.

"Heh! Linchuan Jun is about two days' journey from here, and transporting grain will only be slower, but since Gu announced it to the world, today is only the third day." Wei Xikang said, the chill in his eyes becoming more and more biting.

The Prince of Zhenbei was stunned for a moment, then said cautiously: "Your Highness, is there anything wrong with this?"

Wei Xikang turned and walked toward the camp tent, saying to the Prince of Zhenbei.

"The time is wrong! Five thousand shi is not much for the front line, but now Northern Xinjiang is full of starving people. A governor being able to take out this grain the first time they get the news is itself a big problem."

The Prince of Zhenbei immediately understood Wei Xikang's meaning. He had been in Northern Xinjiang for many years, and many officials had always cooperated with the front-line war, so he didn't suspect the other party at the first time.

Wei Xikang continued: "Being able to quickly take out this five thousand shi of grain without relying on conscription, Gu might as well make a bold guess. Do they only have this quantity in their hands?"

This was the reason why Wei Xikang said it was still quite a bit short at the beginning. He knew that there would always be people who would seek profit from their positions. Not to mention Northern Xinjiang, which was far from the capital, even under the feet of the Son of Heaven, there were still people who took risks.

Now the situation was special. If the quantity of grain and grass transported by the other party was not small, that would be it. He could still turn a blind eye. After all, the other party expressed the intention of fully supporting him, and he couldn't kill the donkey after the millstone was used.

But the County Magistrate of Linchuan Jun made a big mistake that should not have been made, and that was plotting against Wei Xikang.

The other party's grain and grass arrived at the first time, and from the perspective of time, there was almost no stagnation, which showed that the other party really wanted Wei Xikang to remember his merit.

After all...

The front line was so tense, the first person to send charcoal in the snow would always leave a deeper impression.

In fact, the governor of Linchuan Jun really thought so. Who wouldn't want the merit of following the dragon?

He was greedy!

He was afraid that if he gave too much grain and grass, he would be suspected of scraping the people's fat and ointment, and if he gave too little, he would be compared by other governors, and it would appear that he had no weight.

So he came up with a plan. He could send it in batches, which could not only arrive first to win the first wave of favor, but also continue to support it continuously. Each quantity was controlled within a certain range, and then he would elaborate on the difficulty of these grain and grass to magnify his merit.

After the Crown Prince regained his footing, he could become a great hero.

Even...

He could wait until the grain and grass on the front line were exhausted and the Crown Prince had to speak again to 'borrow' grain, and then send the grain and grass.

Repeating this several times, other governors would naturally be compared by him.

This quantity could not only make the Crown Prince not suspect that he was a corrupt official, but also show his ability.

It was a pity that his self-righteous clever plan was seen through because he was greedy for merit and arrived first.

Wei Xikang basically guessed seven or eight out of ten of the governor of Linchuan Jun's little thoughts, and he was not prepared to take action against him for the time being.

At this time, there was no extra combat power and manpower to replace him, so let him stay for now. He was nothing more than wanting to fish for merit, so he would give it to him, as long as he could exchange it for grain.

After his value was squeezed dry, it would not be too late for him to take action.

Wei Xikang returned to the camp and sat down. Not long after, soldiers came from outside the door.

"Report to the Crown Prince, Great General! The grain and grass of Guangwu Jun have arrived!"

Wei Xikang hooked a smile with deep meaning and said to the Prince of Zhenbei: "It seems that there is more than one person with this idea! Then let's go and see how much grain and grass Guangwu Jun has transported!"

After the two walked out of the camp, the reporting soldier continued: "Guangwu Jun not only sent grain and grass, but also an urgent report!"

The two looked at each other, and the Prince of Zhenbei said: "Present it to the Crown Prince for review."

Perhaps because Jiang Jinshi had greeted him in advance, Wei Xikang had a very strong feeling that this matter must have something to do with Yangguangzhai.

Sure enough, the moment Wei Xikang opened the letter, what came into his eyes was the news of mountain bandits running rampant and ravaging the people.

Minister, Governor of Guangwu Jun, Liu Xuecheng, bows to the Crown Prince and the Prince of Zhenbei:

Minister is ordered to guard the land, vigilant day and night. Now there are fierce bandits stealing and occupying Jiangcheng, splitting our territory, looting our granaries, and abusing our people. Jiangcheng was originally a place of victory, but now it is a bandit den, merchants are cut off, fields are desolate, the old and weak move to ditches and gullies, and the strong are coerced into being thieves. Every time the minister hears the woodcutters crying, his liver and intestines are like being fried.

The bandits rely on the danger to build a stronghold and claim the banner, which cannot be controlled by the garrison of the Jun and County. The minister requests to lead three thousand Jun soldiers to advance in separate ways. Select the brave to occupy the pass and cut off the bandits' escape route. Relying on the heavenly power, it is estimated that the bandit stronghold can be broken in ten days.

I humbly beg Your Highness to grant the tiger tally, and the Prince to issue the order arrow, allowing the minister and others to act according to the situation. On the day of recovery, all loot will be filled into military supplies, and all the lives saved will praise the virtue.

Minister, Governor of Guangwu Jun, Liu Xuecheng, bows again!