Chapter 540: Rare Goods
Although the troops at the rear were gradually arriving, Li Tai did not order an immediate new offensive against Fancheng. Instead, he ordered the army to set up a camp a few miles away from Fancheng for a brief rest, and by the way, he cut down bamboo and wood materials nearby to build various buildings. Sort of siege equipment.
The quick and decisive victory over Xia Zhe Shu also allowed Li Tai to initially establish his military prestige among the armies of Jingzhou. The arrival of the powerful officials and powerful officials showed their attitude and did not discount Li Tai's orders. After the execution, a camp base was quickly built north of Fancheng.
Most of the enemy troops outside the city gathered here, which naturally brought great psychological pressure to the defenders. However, for them right now, that is not the only thing that disturbs the morale of the army.
In the past, cannon stones wrapped in linen would still be smashed into the city from time to time. In addition to paper balls, some exquisite silks were also used as writing materials.
Ordinary people are illiterate, and even if they pick up a piece of paper, they don't pay much attention to the information written on it. However, those silk book materials themselves have value and use, so it is difficult to recycle them all.
In order to ensure that similar news spread in the city and shake the morale of the army, Liu Fanggui had to mobilize some armored soldiers from the top of the city to form multiple teams, always pay attention to the landing points of the cannon stones, and then rush over to collect them as soon as possible.
As for whether the news was true or false, he had no way to obtain evidence and did not dare to judge rashly. After weighing it, he decided to inform King Yueyang in the rear. If it is true, then of course we need to be more careful with Du Shi. If it is false, we may be able to get more assistance from Xiangyang.
Liu Fanggui thought of this plan, but not everyone thought like him.
When the envoy from Fancheng crossed the river and returned to Xiangyang with these books on paper and silk to present them, King Yueyang's face suddenly changed after reading them. He immediately asked in a loud voice: "Have these deceptive rumors ever spread outside the country?"
"The enemy used stone cannons to invade the city. There were many soldiers and civilians in the city, but Liu Sima had ordered the blockade of Watergate Pier. Except for the last general, no soldiers or civilians came south..."
Hearing what the envoy said, King Yueyang breathed a sigh of relief. Then he heard the voice and ordered the envoy to step back and rest first. After the envoy left, he looked at his close associates and whispered and ordered the envoy to be strictly guarded and not allowed to contact outsiders. At the same time, people returning from Hanbei were strictly checked and were not allowed to sneak into the city.
After all the arrangements were completed, King Yueyang's eyes fell back on the inscriptions made of different materials. His face suddenly became gloomy, he beat the case and cursed loudly: "Dog thief, dog thief, spread this evil talk back to Xiangyang, is it?" What's wrong!"
All the cronies in the hall had already prepared a draft and were ready to scold Du for being so bold. However, when they heard King Yueyang's scolding, they couldn't help but froze for a moment. Then they took a closer look and finally confirmed that what King Yueyang was scolding was indeed a revelation. The conspiratorial Liu Fanggui, not the evil-minded Du family, was a little confused for a while.
"The Du family has been evil for a long time. Since the family is so powerful and difficult to control, it is not surprising that there is such a conspiracy. Therefore, I did not ask further, for fear that he would be frightened and put himself in danger and harm the peace of this country. Liu Fanggui cannot tolerate this for the sake of the country. It is really hateful to help the enemy carry out their ugliness and spread lies! The thieves want to use my power to help their country fight, regardless of the safety of the country. If I mess up the situation and harm the powerful clan, who should restrain the thieves? "
King Yueyang cursed angrily with a stern expression to hide the fear in his heart.
It doesn't matter whether these writings are true or false. What's important is that they reveal the fact that he wants to use this war with the Western Wei Dynasty to weaken the local power in Yongzhou, and the powerful and powerful sects here can also use this to attack him.
Most of the Du brothers served as county guards in the upper reaches of the Han River, and they also had many tribes and connections in Xiangyang. There was no doubt that they had this kind of energy.
It's not that King Yueyang didn't foresee this risk, so he didn't want to put himself opposite a powerful clan like the Du family. What he really wanted to suppress was someone like Liu Fanggui, who was highly qualified but not powerful in his own right, but hindered others. The old man in the state capital who implemented his decree.
Liu Fanggui failed to effectively support Xia Shu, causing Du You'an to fall into captivity. Naturally, he turned against the Du family in Jingzhao, and this was a very good situation for King Yueyang.
Liu Fanggui was afraid that Du would be held accountable, so he had to defend Fancheng and obtain protection through military exploits. Xiao Qi, who was firmly seated in Xiangyang, could gradually add fuel to the fire and send military and political personnel related to Liu Fanggui to Fancheng to consume them. Eventually, the captors retreated and Liu Fanggui's power was almost exhausted. He could use this as a bargaining chip to talk to Du.
But now, instead of using his thoughts on the right path, this person also spreads the evil talk sent by the enemy to Hannan. In Xiao Jin's view, this is not only a sowing discord, but also a subtle demonstration. Even if he had any conflicts and disputes with the Jingzhao Du family, how could an old official from Jiezhou be able to comment on it!
Because he was worried that Liu Fanggui, who was on the front line, would have any distracting thoughts and lose control, King Yueyang thought for a moment and then said to his confidant Wang Cao: "Liu Sima is on the front line fighting the enemy. It is inevitable that he will be worried and sometimes defensive. If he loses control, he will inevitably make mistakes. In order to save him from worries, Wang Shenjun visited his home and temporarily brought his family into the palace for hospitality and protection. "
Wang Cao quickly stood up and accepted the order. He immediately left the Zhitang and led a group of troops to the city to capture Liu Fanggui's family members.
In addition to Liu Fanggui, the big hidden danger of Jingzhao Du family cannot be ignored. King Yueyang looked around the hall, frowned and said, "Where is Cai Canjun? Summon him quickly!"
A full half an hour passed before Cai Dabao hurried into the hall from outside to pay homage to the king.
King Yueyang did not blame him for his absence. After waving away the others, he looked at Cai Dabao and said, "Cai Canjun, I don't want to continue fighting with the bandits. Do you have any ideas?"
"What……"
Cai Dabao was stunned when he heard this and subconsciously exclaimed.
A trace of embarrassment flashed across King Yueyang's face, and he knew that his decision was a little rash, so he quickly said with a sad look on his face: "I am not timid. Although the bandits have conquered Xiazuo garrison, they are still blocked by Fancheng and the Han River. It's not easy to get close to Xiangyang! Alas, because the internal situation is not peaceful and the enemy is taking advantage of it, if we don't end the war outside as soon as possible, I'm afraid there will be chaos inside!"
While talking, he showed the letters and documents submitted by Fan Cheng to Cai Dabao. After reading them, Cai Dabao immediately frowned and said, "Whether this plan is true or not, we do need to be prepared. Now all the people in Yong Mansion have gathered. Xiangyang is waiting for the captors, and the soldiers and civilians look to the north with gnashing hatred. If Du Shi really wants to marry the captors, this is a good opportunity to take advantage of the situation and remove the carbuncle..."
After hearing Cai Dabao's advice to him to take advantage of this opportunity to directly eradicate the Du family, King Yueyang shook his head and sighed: "The Du family in Fangzhen is affiliated with the outside world, and the power is above me. Even in peacetime, it would not be easy to do it, let alone today. There are thieves looking at me by the water.
Although Cai Shenjun's plan is reasonable, it is a pity that our power is still not as strong as ours. What's more, if I forcefully kill the Du family, the tribes in Xiangyang will hurt them, and the tribes of Wei and Liu will probably regard me as their enemies. The only current plan is to end the war with the enemy, pacify the country, and relieve worries. Can Cai Canjun be willing to help me? "
"Since your Majesty has an order, how dare you refuse to serve as an official? But it is difficult to predict whether this trip will fulfill your wish."
Seeing that King Yueyang had made up his mind, Cai Dabao nodded and said. After hesitating for a moment, he said again: "The reason why he was absent from the official position was to investigate the matter and was waiting to report to the king. Does the king still remember what happened in the mansion a few days ago? Calling for Li Renlue?"
After hearing the words, King Yueyang nodded and said: "Although Li Renlue's scholarship is not as mysterious as it is profound, it is still considerable. It can be seen that these old families in the imperial court have not lost their inheritance. No wonder their clans can be famous for a while. But today's war comes first. Let’s put aside this matter of recruiting talents for the time being.”
"But Your Majesty, this Li Renlue is not just a simple traveler. The current general in charge of the Wei army and the governor of Jingzhou, Li Boshan, is his son!"
As soon as Cai Dabao said these words, King Yueyang stood up from his seat: "What? Say it again!"
"Last year, two thieves fought at Mang Mountain in Luobei..."
Cai Dabao immediately narrated the causes and consequences of the separation of Li Tai and his son due to the Battle of Mangshan. Then, while secretly watching the changes in King Yueyang's expression, he said: "The king wants to end the war with the enemy now, and he is sincere to the soldiers and civilians of both sides." Great kindness. If Li Renlue and his ministers can go together, things will be better!"
"No, no! Haha, God help me. It's such a rare thing, how could I send it so hastily!"
King Yueyang was originally worried because of the hidden danger of Du family in Jingzhao, but when he heard that the father of the enemy general was living in Xiangyang and living under his rule, he immediately changed his expression to a complacent expression. Although I haven't figured out how to take advantage of this opportunity, I obviously won't let it go easily.
When Cai Dabao heard what King Yueyang said, he couldn't help but sigh. He had a good personal relationship with Li Renlue, so he knew a lot about his life experience. He also asked him to confirm his guesses, and only then unearthed such amazing news.
The King of Yueyang wanted to negotiate peace with the enemy. He thought it was a good opportunity to send Li Renlue north to reunite with his family, so he took the initiative, but he didn't want the King of Yueyang to have other big plans. Although he felt ashamed that he had betrayed his friends, he naturally still put the interests of Daliang and King Yueyang first in his heart.
"Cai Canjun, you go to Li Renlue's residence first, and ask him to be supported by the palace. Whatever needs he has, he will be satisfied!"
King Yueyang first warned Cai Dabao, and then murmured to himself again: "Then Li Boshan is already a high-ranking official in Wei and has a bright future. He will definitely not be willing to join me. Inviting him to the south will be difficult. But if you agree, It's not appropriate to ask him to help me do something that is inconvenient for me..."
After thinking for a long time, King Yueyang still had not figured out how to maximize the benefits of this matter. The only thing that was certain was to get in touch with the enemy general Li Boshan as soon as possible and test his intentions for the time being. If this son is stubborn and ignorant of filial piety, then his happiness will be in vain.