Within the military camp in Jicheng West District.
The news that King Ji's convoy will arrive at Ji City in one day has already spread.
For this matter, the bosses of the Yoshijo Army and the government, who had always been at odds with each other, had to put aside their old grudges and come together.
Civil and military forces are incompatible, and they all have their own pursuits and ideas. As a result, they rarely show sincerity and unity, and even often restrain each other. This kind of internal strife has existed since ancient times, and it is difficult to eliminate it.
In Jicheng, the governor Zhou He and the general soldier Hou Difu also followed this rule. Not only did they not support each other in their work, they also undermined each other. This also made their superior officer, King Zhong, very relieved and allowed them to do whatever they wanted.
The two of them came to manage the huge Jizhou.
No matter what the opposition was in the past, the arrival of Ji Wang Tang Ao forced them to give up their previous unhappiness and were forced to come together. This was all because of the secret message sent by King Zhong. According to the above statement
, once King Ji established a foothold here, neither of them would be able to keep any one of them, and the best result would be to return to Liaozhou in despair. But in Liaozhou, there was no such good official position promised to them.
People have a selfish side. Although Jizhou is remote, has long winters, and is very poor, for Zhou He and Hou Difu, this is also their paradise. They are the well-deserved bosses here, and they are the one and only existence.
I would rather be the head of a chicken than the tail of a phoenix. Compared to being someone else's subordinate or grandson in other places, how can it be as satisfying as having the final say in Jizhou?
I thought that such good days would continue forever. After all, King Zhong did not attach much importance to the land of Jizhou. Apart from the fact that it could transport some soldiers and people to Liaozhou every year, the taxes here were never collected in full due to poverty.
However, such a place is not worthy of others' attention. Naturally, not many people will take notice of their position, so they can be their own local emperors with peace of mind.
But now, King Ji is coming, and all this will change. Not only is there one more person above their heads who will suppress them, but if they do not do well, King Ji will also blast them away. Who makes them not Tang?
Where is the proud direct descendant?
One emperor and one courtier, this does not only refer to the court, but also to the state capital.
Thinking that you will soon fall from the high place to the mortal world, or if you don't do it well, you will have to leave, and you will lose everything you have. How can you two be willing to do so. In addition, there is a letter from King Zhong, although it is not stated explicitly, but the words are implicit.
The meaning is very obvious, that is, they hope that they can attack King Ji, without necessarily hurting Tang Ao. As long as they can get him to retreat from the difficulties and withdraw from the land of Jizhou, it will be considered a success, so that they can continue to be here.
Boss, do your best here.
For their own benefit, and with the implicit support of King Zhong, how could Zhou He and Hou Difu not know what to do? The two of them are getting together now to discuss how to deal with Ji Wang Tang Ao. To put it bluntly,
That is to say - mutiny.
"How is it? Do you have enough people? Can you do it?" Everyone else in the military camp was kicked out, which made Zhizhou Zhou He feel less worried when he spoke.
"There is no problem with the army. It's all in the hands of our commander-in-chief. It's just that the preparations are a bit inadequate and we still need Mr. Zhou's support." Knowing that the matter was urgent, Hou Difu did not use any official talk and directly made the request.
"Tell me what you want to support." Even though he didn't like these words, it was clear that Hou Dixin was ready to open his mouth, but in order to keep his position, he now had to choose to give in.
"Okay, I know Lord Zhou will support our army. Even so, we still lack some money."
Sure enough, they asked for money. Zhou He was unhappy, but he didn't show it on his face. Instead, he asked aloud, "How much money do you need?"
This time, Hou Difu was not polite and directly extended two fingers.
"Two hundred thousand taels?" Zhou He asked with his eyes focused.
"No!" Hou Difu waved his hand and said, "It's two million taels."
"What? Why don't you go and grab it?" When Zhou He heard that he needed the silver, he screamed as if someone had stepped on his tail. Obviously, for him who is stingy by nature, these two million taels of silver are just enough.
The pain seemed to kill him.
As if he had known Zhou He would have such a reaction, Hou Difu also said with a serious face: "Master Zhou, if you want soldiers to fight, you need to give them a little sweetness, otherwise no one will sacrifice their lives for you. Besides, there are soldiers in Jicheng.
There are more than four thousand people, and the two million taels divided among them are not much. Not to mention, there are some generals who may not be obedient. If there is no money to stimulate them, what will happen if they don't obey the orders?
"
Hou Difu's rhetorical question made Zhou He calm down quickly. He also knew that what the other party said was the truth. Over the years, as the magistrate, he could intervene in local affairs and obtain benefits. As the commander-in-chief, Hou Difu could only
Being able to attack the military camp, so that Jicheng, which was supposed to have five thousand troops, now has one thousand free pay. Not only that, but the four thousand soldiers also lack training. Under such circumstances, if they are allowed to go out to fight, then
It's not much different from committing suicide.
If no benefits are given, who knows what kind of moral character these soldiers will have after they go out, and what kind of results they will have?
But even so, two million taels was too much. Even Zhou He could imagine that at least half of the money would be swallowed up by Hou Difu.
Seeing that Zhou He stopped talking, Hou Difu showed a look of contempt in his eyes. He wanted the horse to run away, but he didn't want to let the horse eat grass. Where can such a good thing happen in the world?
"Master Zhou, think about it, if King Ji really moves into Ji City, what benefits can we gain? What do we have to lose? Compared with these, it is only two million taels of silver, which is really not much. By the way.
, time is tight, and there is not much time for Mr. Zhou to think about it now. Alas, although my ability to lead troops is average, King Ji is new to the country, so he also needs to use some local people, but Mr. Zhou may not.
Well, there must be many people waiting to take your place in government matters."
It's okay that Hou Difu didn't say this, but Zhou He was shocked when he mentioned it. Yes, once Tang Ao really takes control of Jicheng, he is probably the first to be dealt with. Although Jizhou is a bit poorer, it is still
It’s not that there are no taxes to collect, but this is a piece of cake, who wouldn’t snatch it?
At that time, if he finds any reason to replace himself, how will he still have a source of income? Wouldn't he be devastated for the rest of his life?
And if you can keep your current position, it will only cost you two million taels of silver. If you work hard, the two will come back. It is worth it no matter how you look at it.
Thinking of this, Zhou He knew that he had no choice. When he looked up at Hou Difu, he said: "Okay, Mr. Hou, I will give you two million taels of silver, but you have to promise not to let Ji
The king entered the city of Ji."
"Master Zhou, don't worry about this. I have already inquired about this. When King Ji came out of Daliang City, although he also brought some guards, he was first attacked by five thousand bandits in Liaozhou.
When I first entered Jizhou, I was beaten by the evil god Xingsi. They must have lost their troops now. In addition, we launched the attack suddenly. King Ji must not have thought of it. We really didn't have this matter.
Reason for failure." Hou Difu said confidently.
"Okay, the silver will be sent to the military camp later, and then everything will be left to General Hou." Zhou He nodded, agreeing with Hou Difu's analysis, and the two reached an agreement.
It's no wonder that Zhou He and Hou Difu are so entrusted and look down on Tang Ao. Actually, according to the convention, the princes who went to the fiefdom in the past were all unsuccessful people, so the number of people who followed them on the trip was not too many.
, especially in terms of force, it is even more pitiful. After all, how can a prince who has lost power have too many people follow him?
It's just Tang Ao. How can he be judged by ordinary standards?
Tang Ao, who has developed for several years and has already shown his strength in all aspects, is not unpopular with the emperor, nor is he an incompetent prince. On the contrary, it is because he is so capable that all forces feel the threat.
This pushed him out of Daliang City, the political center of Daqian.
Of course, the two of them would never have imagined that Tang Ao had not lost much strength along the way. He had also captured a large number of young men during the two battles, and the army had seen blood. Such an army
, let alone three thousand state soldiers, even if there were three thousand or more, they would not be able to match them.
What's even more terrible is that Tang Ao had already sent people to infiltrate Jicheng. Although the time was short and it was impossible to track everyone, major events such as troop deployment could not be hidden from them.
The first to arrive at Jicheng were scout general Tie Long and deputy general Xu Hun.
They rode fast horses and drove day and night, arriving in Jicheng more than ten days before Tang Ao. Then they scattered gold and silver, bribed many people, and gained many insiders, so that Hou
When the underworld began to mobilize troops and horses in the military camp, they got the news immediately. Then the flying pigeon flew out of the city.
...
On a hillside forty miles away from Jicheng, this is where Tang Ao's team is currently stationed.
Originally, Tang Ao was ready to take over Jizhou's government and military affairs. He had no intention of being polite to the other party. He was probably aware that this place had always been controlled by King Zhong, and he had the emperor's imperial edict to come here for a short period of time.
It’s hard to accomplish anything within the time frame.
Even if they are too soft, they will just serve hard food. According to Tang Ao's idea, he will use the thunder strike to rush into Jicheng and directly control the political power here. Anyone who dares to resist will be arrested.