In late July, the millet in the ground had gradually turned a little golden.
The soldiers guarding the Yellow River became even more nervous.
The Puyang and Xingyang areas were severely damaged, and even Chenliu was plundered many times. There were not many crops that survived and grew well, and some of them were even replanted grains. The closer to the harvest, the more nervous I became.
Everyone was worried that the Xiongnu would march south in large numbers and rob them of their food.
This is not alarmist. According to the reports of the scouts who crossed the river for reconnaissance, the Huns had begun to mobilize troops to the north bank of the river, and their intentions were very obvious.
"Where is Mr. Chen?" Wang Yan asked as the boat passed by Putian Ze.
"Has returned from Fan County."
The boat sailed quietly down the river.
The scenery of Shuibo Zeguo is a bit monotonous, with reeds, shoals, rivers and lakes everywhere.
Except for the government's canals, there were very few ships for merchant travel, probably because the threat of war faced by Xingyang was too great.
On the grassland on the shore of the lake, there are cattle and sheep everywhere, and herds of donkeys and mules.
The land cannot be planted, but leaving the land unused is a big sin. It is better to graze some livestock and chew the fresh and juicy grass by the lake. Once an enemy attacks, it will be easier to move. After all, farmland cannot be moved.
Walk.
When the ship docked at Junyi, it felt a little popular again.
This is the territory of the beggar army, and most of the people living here are not Junyi locals.
But no matter where you are, it is good if you can stabilize and fill your local household registration, although the beggar army does not pay money or food at all.
Sow and reap, train by yourself, and send troops to fight for the government in vain, this is the normal state of most armies in the world at this time.
The Chen Wu Department of the Beggar Army is such an organization that is half peasants and half soldiers. It can pull out five to six thousand infantry and cavalry, acting as the second line of defense behind Wen Shijin's army.
Hearing that Captain Wang Yan had arrived by boat, beggar commander Chen Wu came to visit with his uncle Chen Chuan and his son Chen Chite.
Wang San, the prefect of Chenliu, also arrived with his assistants from the county. Wang San served first in Sima Ying's Mansion and later in Yue Mansion. He gained Sima Yue's trust and was a typical member of Sima Yue's remaining party.
Of course, the beggar army is actually Sima Yue's party.
Ah Yue's inheritance is really large, otherwise, how could Shao Xun be so obsessed with his sister-in-law?
After seeing the chief general Chen Liu, Wang Yan got off the boat and chatted with everyone in a thatched pavilion by the river.
Pan Tao, who had returned from Luoyang, also followed him. Everyone saluted him one after another, and the voice of "Pan Changshi" kept coming.
Obviously, here in Chen Liu, the status of "Wang Taiwei" and "Pan Changshi" are almost the same, and even "Pan Changshi" can speak better.
As for the court officials below the rank of Taiwei, one can imagine the kind of cold reception they would receive.
Wang Yan was secretly frightened while chatting with them about irrelevant things.
I really don’t know if I don’t come down and take a walk.
Chenliu was not like this two or three years ago - his son Wang Xuan once served as an official in Chenliu County.
The changes in the whole of Henan and Yan can be traced back to three years ago when Sima Yue first left the town of Xuchang and then went to Yanzhou.
Although he looked a little embarrassed, he placed a lot of people in the place, and Wang San almost took office after that.
After three years of fermentation, Yuzhou is still nothing, but Yanzhou has already had a profound imprint of the King of the East China Sea.
Taking Chen Liu as an example, from local officials to the army, they were all from Sima Yue, and many of them came from Qingxu Prefecture.
Are these people all with Shao Xun now?
Wang Yan remembered what his former colleagues in the Yue Prefecture said in the letter: During the shogunate meeting, the first seat under the concubine Pei's head was the military commander Shao Xun.
It happened that everyone was talking about Shao Xun at this time, and Wang Yan said: "Chen Gong defeated Gou Xi, he is really the best Han Bai in the world."
When Chen Wu heard this, he praised him repeatedly: "There are people in my army who went to war with Duke Chen. When they came back, they were full of praise for Duke Chen and said that I don't know how to fight, haha."
Everyone laughed.
The prefect Wang Pan also said: "If the Xiongnu goes south and Puyang, Chenliu and Xingyang are close together, Chen Gong will have to come to coordinate the command. We will fight against the Han and just obey orders."
"Last year in the battle of Xinzheng, I captured Wang Sang, and the battle was really beautiful."
"Wang Sang has been tortured in Beijing, right?"
Wang Yan smiled and nodded.
After Wang Sang, Hou Tuo, Pang Shi and others were sent to Luoyang, they were briefly interrogated and then handed over to Luoyang County to be beheaded in public as a warning to others.
The execution of these three people actually restored a little bit of the court's prestige - just a little bit.
Pan Tao looked on with a smile.
Chen Gong's appointment as military commander is not without flaws. He has too many shortcomings. However, the fact that he can fight and protect everyone's wealth is enough.
Even those who were dissatisfied with him acquiesced and even supported this matter.
In troubled times, everything else is empty. If you can't win on the battlefield, nothing will work.
Wang Yan also felt this deeply.
Now, he no longer has any doubts about siding with Shao Xun. The emperor is ignorant and will only ruin the situation. This is the consensus of the important ministers in the court.
After leaving Luoyang, the emperor should really come and see what is going on outside, lest he really think that he is still the ruler of the world.
A few years are enough to change a lot of things.
****
On July 28, Wang Yan arrived at Kaocheng, then changed to a carriage and arrived at the Zhenjun General's Mansion the next day.
It was a little deserted along the way, but there were some positive signs.
Last night, dozens of them stayed in a semi-abandoned village. There were only a few families left in the village. When I inquired, they all came back from relatives' homes in Yingchuan this year.
They also said that the Yanzhou army was under the command of Chen Gong, so Chen Liu should be fine.
After Wang Yan heard this, he was silent for a long time. Prestige is something that cannot be seen or even touched, but sometimes it can really be eaten.
Well, the people who came back also said that Mr. Chen will marry Concubine Pei soon, and from now on Chen Liu will be as stable as Mount Tai, so he can live in peace.
Wang Yan couldn't laugh or cry about this.
Perhaps the people simply hoped that Mr. Chen could stay in Chenliu permanently. As for what it meant to marry Concubine Pei and what the consequences would be, they did not understand and were too lazy to think about it.
An army returned near Kaocheng: the Yamen Army led by Li Zhong.
The Xuchang town soldiers who served as auxiliary soldiers finished their combat missions and went home to harvest food.
As for the future of the Yamen Army, it has actually been decided: it will be disbanded.
In other words, Li Zhong led the Yamen Army to defeat Zhao Gu on Mount Tai and drive him away. This was the last organized battle of the Yamen Army.
After the disbandment of the Yamen Army, they will be collectively converted into government troops. As for where they will be relocated, there is no conclusion yet. But what is certain is that Shao Xun does not want to leave this army that he has led for many years to the court. After all, he already knows that he will soon
He is not the general of the Forbidden Army - there are too many people who have tipped him off, including Wang Yan.
Wang Yan didn't know the future of the Yamen Army, but he subconsciously felt that Shao Xun would not leave any advantages for the court to take advantage of.
But he was too lazy to care about it. The building was about to collapse, and more than one or two people could withstand it. Let it fall. All he could do was to maintain it before it collapsed and gain benefits for the family.
"Yang Zhong, what do you want Mr. Chen to do?" Wang Yan couldn't help but ask while enjoying the cool night.
"What do Yifu think of Duke Chen's prestige in Yanzhou?" Pan Tao asked rhetorically.
"Judging from the fact that Chenliu is a place with great prestige."
"Then I can tell Yifu that Mr. Chen is in close contact with Chenjun, Yingchuan, Xiangcheng, Xingyang and other counties." Pan Tao smiled and said, "Does Yifu know that Mr. Chen wants to marry the daughter of Yu Zimei, the governor of Jijun?"
Wang Yan really didn't know, so he asked: "I heard from Shizhong Yu earlier that we were engaged. Are we going to get married this time?"
"Of course." Pan Tao said: "Mr. Chen will marry his bride in Xuchang, probably at the end of the year or early next year."
"Why is it so difficult to determine the best date?" Wang Yan asked curiously.
"It's not because of the Huns." Pan Tao sighed: "Mr. Chen was worried that fighting for months would delay the wedding, so he moved as far back as possible. But this matter is already known to everyone and cannot be changed. Now it is only on the Yingchuan side.
By August, the news will spread throughout Xiangcheng, Nanton, Xincai, Runan, Chenjun, Liangguo, Chenliu and other places. After the autumn harvest, most of Yuzhou will know about it."
Wang Yan was a little distracted for a moment.
"Now I can answer Yifu." Pan Tao said with a smile: "Mr. Chen wants to turn Henan into his Henan."
After saying that, Pan Tao left the Zhenjun General's Mansion.
Wang Yan sat in the courtyard, looking at the silver moonlight, quietly lost in thought.
It's a pity that I didn't bring the divination equipment with me, otherwise I could have made a fortune.
However, maybe there is no need for it. You can figure out some things just by thinking about it.
Shao Xun only provides one thing to people from beginning to end: safety.
At first, some people may be stuck in old opinions and disagree with this.
But as the chaos intensifies, things like security become more and more expensive, more valuable, and more and more valuable but not marketable.
Shao Xun has been selling it till now——
Some people are willing to give up all their wealth, become a concubine in the house, and bear children for him.
Some people are willing to spend huge sums of money just to find a place for their son or nephew in his prince's or prince's mansion.
Some people are willing to hire him as a military commander just to keep the wealth of orphans and widowed mothers.
Some people personally lead troops into battle and fight for him, just for the sake of being protected in the future.
What Shao Xun sold was so good that even he was moved by it.
Alas, Chen Jun’s house may have been built in vain. Next, it’s time to go to Xuchang to buy a property...
Chapter completed!