Capital City, South Gate of the Imperial Palace.
"Squad leader, shouldn't we, the Four Imperial Dragons, be guarding His Majesty? How long will the difference between the palace and the city be worth it?"
Xie Zhiyuan heard the mutterings of his soldiers and sneered twice: "What time is it now? You guys still have the mind to think about what is available and what is not."
"I'm telling you, do your job well, and no matter what trouble happens in the palace, you have to keep this door open for me!"
After scolding his subordinates, Xie Zhiyuan stood up and started patrolling. While instilling in his subordinates the spirit of working with peace of mind to prevent them from thinking nonsense, he comforted himself in his heart.
As a former dandy in the capital, Xie Zhiyuan originally had little interest in court affairs, even after he entered Yulong Crossbow and became a commander.
But now Xie Zhiyuan is indeed aware of the seriousness of the situation. His Majesty and the King of Chu are at odds, and the conflict between the two parties has become public. This is undoubtedly a fatal situation for him, the direct commander of the Yulong Crossbow who is responsible for the emperor's safety.
things.
After all, judging from this trend, I'm afraid it won't be long before Dayu will stage a good show of uncle, nephew and filial piety. No matter who loses or wins, the palace will be the focus of all parties.
Xie Zhiyuan didn't know the position of his superior, the Commander-in-Chief of the Imperial Palace. What was even worse was that at this critical juncture, the barbarians from the north still wanted to get involved. He could bluntly say that Dayu would be in chaos.
No one can guess what it will look like.
Because of this, Xie Zhiyuan couldn't help but feel nervous. He once asked his father what the situation was like in the palace, but Xie Jinan kept it secret and warned him not to think wildly and just do his own thing.
Xie Zhiyuan had no choice but to give up. He could only place his hope in Chen Ping, who was ordered to go south to suppress the bandits. He hoped that Chen Ping could achieve something in the south.
After all, he still trusts Chen Ping.
.......
The Northland is turbulent, and all forces are making preparations intensively, waiting for the moment of chaos.
In the south, although Chen Ping's life was not leisurely, it was still much easier than in the north.
"Jiangzhou deserves to be a prosperous place!"
Not many miles into Jiangzhou with the White Lotus bandits, Chen Ping felt the gap. Compared with Jingzhou, which had been ravaged by the White Lotus bandits, the county towns and villages in Jiangzhou were incomparable to heaven and earth. Even Qianzhou, which was peaceful and prosperous, was incomparable.
There is no way to compare with Jiangzhou.
Riding on horseback, Chen Ping looked around the fields. The paddy fields where the rice had been harvested had been drained and dried up. The mulberry trees planted in the fields formed a line. From a distance, there were waterwheels and mills. This kind of scene was not seen in the villages of Qianzhou.
But it’s hard to see.
You have to be in a wealthy village or even a town to see it. From this, you can see that Jiangzhou is wealthy.
"Jiangnan, of course, is like this. This is only the west of Jiangnan. When you reach Jiangdong, you will be the richest in the world. Any village or town has a population of thousands or even tens of thousands. With so many people taking imperial examinations and doing business, how can you not be rich?" p>
Luo Li, who put on his armor again, regained his former feelings. He was no longer as taciturn as before, and he could still chat and laugh with Chen Ping during the march.
In these years of traveling around the world, he has traveled almost all over the country, and naturally he has been to the south of the Yangtze River, so he can easily explain it to Chen Ping.
Hearing this, Chen Ping couldn't help but nod. According to the era in which Dayu lived, the development of the south has become increasingly mature. Historically, the economic and population of the south surpassed that of the north, which began during the Southern Song Dynasty.
Although Dayu did not escape to a peaceful corner of the Yangtze River like the Southern Song Dynasty and directly promoted the development of the South, the rise of the South has also been revealed.
As for the reasons, firstly, the south has a warm climate and can be cultivated twice or even three times a year; secondly, the south is not invaded by foreign enemies, so it can develop its economy boldly without having to bear too much national defense pressure; thirdly, the south faces the ocean, and with the advancement of navigation technology
With the development of the country, more and more foreign ships are heading to the East to seek trade.
Of course there are many other reasons. To sum it up in one sentence, the current reputation is that the north is responsible for national defense and the south is responsible for the economy.
On the way to pursue the White Lotus bandits, Chen Ping has been imagining the future. With the Southern Song Dynasty as a precedent, the worst result for Dayu is to lose the north and divide the river with the Northern Liao Dynasty to rule as a peaceful court.
Although Chen Ping doesn't want Dayu to repeat the mistakes of the Southern Song Dynasty, he can reluctantly accept it if it really comes to this point.
Because he will not let Dayu stay in the south of the Yangtze River forever, not to mention that the musket has come out. Even with money, the Northern Liao Dynasty can be killed. It is as weak as the Southern Song Dynasty, but it can launch several Northern Expeditions and almost regain Bianjing, not to mention the unyielding martial arts.
Great reputation?
It is said that wars are about logistics and economy. The reason why the Southern Song Dynasty lost was ultimately because there was not enough money.
However, Chen Ping was able to get Dayu more money than the Southern Song Dynasty. After all, he still clearly remembered that in a country where he lived a good life, there were two world-famous precious metal mines.
At that time, the country of Little Japan was still very weak, and the two precious metal mines had not been discovered. All it took was a little bit of effort to get hold of those two mines. By then, a lot of gold and silver would have been gained, so there was no need to worry about the success of the Northern Expedition.
,Recover lost ground?
Being safe is just a temporary solution.
The worst outcome can always be turned around, let alone a good outcome. Chen Ping adheres to the concept of thinking about the worst outcome in advance to give himself reassurance.
Jiangzhou, Tong County.
On top of the city wall, the Tongxian County Magistrate was patrolling up and down with the county magistrate's staff and others. After confirming to the city guards that no thieves were invading, they felt relieved.
"Your Excellency, I heard that the White Lotus Bandits are vicious and evil. There are only a few soldiers in our county. If the bandits attack the city, I'm afraid they won't be able to hold on for long."
"According to my official opinion, we should quickly seek help from the prefect and send troops to block the thieves' way. This will not only prevent Jiangdong from being invaded, but also keep Tong County safe!"
The county magistrate stroked his goatee and said with a worried look. Hearing this, the Tong County magistrate couldn't help but look sad.
"Don't you know this county? There has been no war in Jiangzhou for many years. Not to mention that the prefect does not have soldiers at hand. Even if he does have soldiers, he must prioritize the safety of the city. How can he send troops here?"
Having said this, the magistrate of Tongxian County looked up to the sky and sighed: "Now that things have happened, you and I can only resign ourselves to fate. I hope that the thieves are just wandering around and not aiming at Jiangzhou, otherwise..."
He didn't say anything else, but the officials and wealthy gentry present all knew it well.
That night, the wealthy families in Tong County sent their families and children away from Tong County, taking their gold and silver items with them, and fled towards Jinling Prefecture, the administrative center of Jiangzhou.
Situations like this are common throughout western Jiangzhou. No one knows how many White Lotus thieves there are, and whether there are any comrades in Jiangzhou who are responding to them. They dare not risk their lives and wealth to bet that the thieves will not attack, so the atmosphere of panic spread quickly.
.
As the disturbing news spread to Jinling Mansion in Jiangzhou, the prefect of Jiangzhou and all the officials in Jiangzhou felt like they were facing a formidable enemy. While frantically writing letters to the court, they also started their own actions.
"I underestimated the spread of the White Lotus Sect. I didn't expect that they also have so many believers in Jiangzhou."
Chen Ping, who had been chasing the White Lotus thief all the way, couldn't help but feel a little tricky after reading the report at hand.
Li Feng on the side also nodded in agreement: "Since the thieves dared to raise troops to rebel, they must have been prepared for a long time. Although we are chasing them to Jiangzhou, they are not panicking."
"The most important thing is that we don't have enough troops now. We can't form an encirclement at all. We can only be led by the thieves." Luo Li added.
Chen Ping looked at the map. Jiangzhou is bounded by Yangzhou to the south, Jianzhou to the north, and is connected to Zhong and Jing to the west. Moreover, Jiangzhou's merchants are prosperous and have a large number of people and money. In addition, the transportation here is very developed with rivers and seas. Once the White Lotus bandit is established in Jiangzhou,
The situation will be out of control.
Another extremely important point is that Jiangnan, where Jiangzhou is located, is the main source of money and food for Dayu. If Jiangzhou loses, it will make Dayu's already poor treasury even worse.
This is undoubtedly not what Chen Ping wants to see.
"Let's write letters to the prefect of Jiangzhou, and ask Xiaozhi to use emotion and reason to get them to cooperate with us."
Chen Ping asked tentatively, and the target was naturally the experienced Luo Li.
Luo Li shook his head: "Jiangzhou's troops are weak and they still have too much time to take care of themselves. It's unreliable to expect them!"
"Hey, in this case we can only take one step at a time. It is said that recruiting envoys from the southwest can control the troops of the five states, but Daozhou is far away from Shu and has no effect at all. Lingzhou needs to be on guard against Dali, and Zhongzhou needs to be on guard against thieves from the north. They are threatening the capital, Jingzhou has been beaten to pieces by the White Lotus bandits, and the only one I can rely on is Qianzhou."
Chen Ping couldn't help complaining. Fortunately, he had already anticipated that he might need more manpower, so he started recruiting troops in Qianzhou. Along the way, he recruited some more warriors who wanted to make achievements, so he could barely use them.
After finalizing the next strategic plan, Chen Ping turned around and ordered his team to race against time. He could not give the thieves a chance to breathe. They must bite the thieves' tail, and it would be best to drive them out of Jiangzhou.
However, this is easier said than done. The last rain in autumn fell at this time, which not only made marching on muddy roads difficult, but also caused the temperature to plummet.
Chen Ping walked through the mountains and forests wearing a bamboo hat and a raincoat. He felt wet and cold, and cursed in his heart: The dog thief is really cunning, crawling around in the mountains in order to get rid of himself.
But if the thief thought that he could get rid of him, he would be looking down upon him.
Yes, the difficulties brought by Qiu Yu greatly hindered the pursuit, but at the same time, Chen Ping knew how uncomfortable he was, and the thief would not be any better.
It's nothing more than a game of cat and mouse, the battle is who can't survive it first.
In the midst of the mountain rain, Chen Ping wiped the rain off his face and looked around. The hazy mountain fog filled the air, and it seemed that there was no trace of the White Lotus Thief at all...
"Teacher, the officers and soldiers are following us closely, and the brothers have no time to stop and rest!"
"Have a rest? Take a break!"
Yuan Dashan glared at the complainer fiercely, with rainwater dripping from his wet hair. He gritted his teeth and said: "Those behind are a bunch of evil spirits, his grandma's! Three thousand cavalry are chasing us, rest. He'll be dead in a while, why don't you rest!"
"When we get to Xuancheng County, our brothers will take care of him there. After capturing the county seat, I will wait for him and eliminate this group of ungrateful officers and soldiers before making plans!"
After appeasing the morale of the troops, Yuan Dashan turned to go on his way. Although he said so, he actually had another plan in mind.
Jiangzhou is not a place to stay for a long time. It is true that some people here are rich, but the spread of the White Lotus Sect here is not as widespread as in Zhongzhou, Jingzhou, and Daozhou. Moreover, Jiangzhou is located in the southeast. It is easy to get in but difficult to get out.
He originally planned to come to Jiangzhou to rest, expand his strength, and then return to Jingzhou to capture the city, but he was always followed by a group of desperate officers and soldiers, so he had to go into the mountains to try to get rid of them.
As for why he didn't find a place like a mountain pass to stage an ambush, Yuan Dashan hadn't thought about it, but each of his opponents had two horses and armor, and they were extremely well-equipped. They were all elites.
Although the thousands of people under him are all warriors who fought against the government and army in Daozhou, they are still much inferior to these guys.
We must get rid of them!
The autumn rain finally subsided after two days and three nights. Chen Ping took off the bamboo hat on his head and his raincoat. He felt a chill coming to his body, so he turned around and put on his cloak.
"Sir, we encountered thieves thirty miles ahead, but they seemed to be just the troops at the rear. General Li has defeated them and captured many alive!"
After receiving this news, Chen Ping's eyes flashed. He nodded and looked behind him. He saw that everyone in the team who had been walking in the mountains for several days in the rustling autumn rain had fatigue on their faces, and their brows were deeply furrowed.
Take a breath and shout.
"Brothers, the thief is not far ahead. The time has come to kill the thief and make a contribution!"
"Destroy this thief, and I will take you to Jinling to have a good time!"
The way to motivate the soldiers is very simple. Chen Ping had already promised money before, and now he promised relaxation and happiness after the war, and it worked again.
Hearing Chen Ping's generous promise, the soldiers who had looked tired suddenly quickened their pace again as if they had been given a shot of blood.
"Brother Luo, what's wrong?"
When he looked back and saw Luo Li's face looking a little solemn, Chen Ping asked.
"The cavalry is not good at fighting in the mountains, and this group of thieves is cunning and treacherous. I am afraid that there is a trick ahead."
"Even if we defeat the thieves, we can't wipe them all out. We have to drive them to the ground before we can pursue them."
Based on his own experience, Luo Li truthfully told Chen Ping his concerns, and Chen Ping fell silent after hearing this.
"You can kill as many as you want, so why not cheat? The morale of the thieves is low and the morale of our army is high. If we can test their true strength, it won't be a loss."
Chen Ping forced out a smile and said that Luo Li's words made him worried, but considering the current situation in Dayu, Chen Ping had to take this risk.
The soldiers in Jingzhou are already in dire straits, and the soldiers in Jiangnan are no match for the White Lotus bandits. If we don't bite them hard, we will have to let this bandit turn everything upside down in Jiangnan.
Suppressing this White Lotus bandit is a small thing, but showing the world that the imperial court still has enough force is a big deal.
Otherwise, if the ambitious people from all over the world see the White Lotus Sect raging everywhere and the officers and soldiers cannot stop it, it may cause a chain reaction.
This has been true for all the great uprisings in all dynasties.
It is true that Chen Ping also believes that the Dayu court is extremely corrupt and there are many corrupt officials. However, if uprisings break out in various places now, it will only provide opportunities for the Northern Liao Dynasty to seize control of the Central Plains, or even dust China and allow the Hu people to occupy Kyushu. p>
Chen Ping will never give in on this point!
Moreover, this group of White Lotus thieves are completely unorganized and undisciplined. They have no ambition at all to "the sky is dead and the yellow sky is here to stand". Wherever they go, they plunder without restraint and hijack the people. How are they different from locusts?
Such rebels can only be called thieves and must be suppressed, and they must be attacked with heavy blows!