Chapter 1325: Sworn Brotherhood
During the Hou Jing Rebellion, Huainan suffered particularly badly. Not only did it suffer from the war during the unrest, but after the unrest was settled, the war in Huainan did not stop, but became more and more intense. Including Guangling, an important town in Huainan, which changed its owner several times during this process and hardly enjoyed real peace.
It was not until the diplomatic relations between the Southern Chen and the Guanzhong regime stabilized, and the Northern Qi forces passively withdrew from Huainan, that the unrest in the region came to an end, and the people living in this town also gained a long-lost period of peace and were able to recuperate.
However, as the central town in the region, Guangling's ownership is still coveted, and it finally transferred again a few days ago, from the Southern Chen to the control of the Tang Dynasty, and the Yangzhou General Administration of the Tang Dynasty was officially transferred from Shouyang to Guangling.
The war and unrest that lasted for several years before caused great damage to Guangling City, and both the city buildings and the residents in the city suffered greatly.
The original Guangling City was also a structure of outer Luocheng and inner Jincheng, but after several long and arduous offensive and defensive battles, the outer Luocheng was already in ruins. The last time the Southern Chen controlled the city, it simply retained only the Jincheng located on the high hill in the city, and rebuilt the outer city under the hill, so that the main body of Guangling City shifted several miles to the south and was closer to the river bank.
It should be said that the Southern Chen court was quite attentive to the reconstruction and management of Guangling City. In addition to the large-scale reconstruction of the outer city, thousands of households who crossed the river from Huainan to escape the war were gradually relocated to Guangling, which restored a certain vitality to the city.
This scale of construction and personnel relocation may not be a big deal for the powerful Tang Dynasty, but it is still a heavy burden for the Southern Chen court. However, in order to maintain its influence on Jiangbei, the Southern Chen court still gritted its teeth and endured it. It can be seen that they still have certain plots and fantasies about Jiangbei, and regard Guangling as an important fulcrum for this plot.
However, as the country's fortunes declined, this fantasy became increasingly unrealistic and even a little ridiculous. In the recent negotiations between the two countries, Chen Chang, the ruler of Chen, finally chose to accept the military assistance of the Tang Dynasty to quell the Nanchuan rebellion and gain control of Nanchuan, thus giving up Guangling City. This also meant that the Southern Chen court completely gave up all its plans regarding Jiangbei, and internal power struggles became its main contradiction.
Cai Jingli rode on a bullock cart on the newly built streets of Guangling Outer City, watching the pedestrians coming and going on the streets. Life in the market was still in order, and he did not see how much impact and damage the people's livelihood order in the city had brought after the change of ownership.
The orderly city made him, a minister of the Southern Dynasty, feel both relieved and full of various complex feelings.
After years of confrontation between the north and the south, the Tang Dynasty today is different from any previous northern enemy. Although they are very powerful, they do not blindly oppress and bully the Southern Dynasty with powerful military force, but always maintain a tolerant attitude, allowing the people of the Southern Dynasty to gradually adapt to and accept their existence in a relatively peaceful and stable atmosphere.
This kind of tender and warm way is certainly difficult to conceal the ambition of the Tang Emperor to unify the world, but for ordinary people, the Tang Emperor is a rare benevolent ruler who has always tried to avoid causing painful harm to ordinary people.
Just like the current Guangling City, the people in the city are obviously the people of the Southern Dynasty who were moved back from Jiangdong to settle down, but they did not show any discomfort or resistance to the change of management rights in the city.
After the Tang army entered the city, they were not eager to show their presence and emphasize authority. In terms of city management, they still maintained the original rules and order, and only strengthened the city defense.
The strength of the Tang army is naturally far stronger than that of the Southern Chen army. From this perspective, the change of ownership of Guangling City has brought almost no other changes except making the city safer and the order in the city more secure. In this way, it is no wonder that the people in the city do not mind it at all.
"I wonder if Jingkou will be able to maintain this state after the Tang army goes south?"
Cai Jingli muttered to himself. The reason why he went to Jingkou to persuade Xu Du to surrender to the Tang Dynasty was certainly influenced by his relatives, but more importantly, he was disappointed with the current situation in the Southern Chen Dynasty.
The general trend of the world is increasingly tilted towards the Tang Dynasty, while the internal struggle of the Southern Chen clan is getting more and more intense. Neither Chen Chang nor Chen Qian has faced up to the future direction of the Jiangdong regime, or they each hold only their own selfishness and do not really put the welfare of the people of Jiangdong in the first place.
Cai Jingli believed that the only way to preserve the people of Jiangdong was to kowtow to the Northern Dynasty and beg for mercy. The first lord Chen Baxian was a perfect example. But the problem was that there was only one Chen Baxian in Jiangdong, and now he is gone. None of the remaining people who still hold positions have the style of the first lord.
Moreover, even Chen Baxian was helpless against the increasingly powerful Western Wei Bafu during his lifetime. He could only take a very passive defensive posture, but it was difficult to restore the strategic balance between them.
Today, the Tang Kingdom is more powerful, while the Southern Chen is getting weaker. Compared with supporting those who are not matched with their talents and abilities to continue to resist stubbornly and increase casualties, choosing to surrender to the Tang Dynasty has undoubtedly become the most suitable choice for the people of Jiangdong in the current reality.
As the car approached the Governor's Mansion, Cai Jingli quickly gathered himself and cheered up. When the ox cart stopped in front of the Governor's Mansion, the first thing that caught his eye was a familiar figure.
"The humble son has been away from his beloved relatives for a long time, and has been ups and downs in the world. He has always neglected to visit his relatives. How dare he treat his uncle as an uncle and go out to greet him in person?"
Cai Jingli jumped down from the bullock cart, then quickly walked to Cai Dabao who was standing in front of the gate of the General Manager's Mansion and bowed down deeply.
Cai Dabao bent down and helped Cai Jingli up. He looked his nephew up and down, and then sighed: "The world is chaotic and forces people to separate. It is not your fault that it has been difficult to get together for a long time. Now we can still see each other in the world. , I should be grateful to my ancestors for their blessings, and I should also be grateful to the heroes of the world for eradicating chaos and evil. I know that you will be coming north, and the Duke has been waiting in the house for a long time!"
After Cai Jingli heard this, he became a little nervous. He held his uncle's wrist with his backhand and whispered: "I have lived in Jiangdong for a long time, and I am unfamiliar with many people in the Northern Dynasties. I am here to pay my respects to the Duke. I wonder if my uncle has any experience in teaching?"
Cai Dabao knew that he was in an uneasy mood. After hearing this, he smiled and patted his shoulder, saying with a smile: "What you are here to discuss is a good plan that will benefit the north and the south. It is not about flattery and favor, so there is no need to feel uneasy." . Although Dai Gong was born in the Beizhen clan, he has been raised by the Supreme Being since he was a child. He has a dignified and upright temperament and only speaks with common courtesy! "
Hearing what Cai Dabao said, Cai Jingli breathed a sigh of relief, and then followed his uncle step by step towards the governor's mansion.
In the main hall of the General Manager's Mansion, Zhu Feng raised his eyes and saw Cai Dabao's uncle and nephew walking into the hall one after another. He stood up from his seat, smiled at Cai Dabao, and looked at Cai Jingli behind him: "Recently, Chang Shi has been saying frequently that he wants to introduce me to a virtuous man who left Jiangzuo, and I have longed to meet him for a long time. Today, the breeze is blowing around the corridor, washing away the dust, and sure enough, when I look up, I see the distinguished guest entering the hall!
I once heard that in the old years, giant bandits invaded Liang and the leader of Liang was in trouble. Cai Qing, a scholar, dared to save his father from the thieves' den. Although the matter was not accomplished, he was so ambitious. Your presence here now brings joy to my hall! "
The tall and heroic figure stood in the hall in military uniform, which made him feel oppressive. However, when he laughed and complimented him, Cai Jingli felt like a spring breeze. He hurriedly lowered his head and said: "On behalf of the Duke, I really deserve the high praise! The reputation of the Lord is what makes the world thunder, and I have been famous for a long time. I am honored to pay homage to you today, and I am so happy to see your majesty. I feel that my reputation is well-deserved!"
After greeting each other and complimenting each other, the atmosphere was relatively harmonious and harmonious. Then Shou Feng invited Cai Jingli to sit in the hall. Under Cai Dabao's company, they chatted about the purpose of Cai Jingli's visit.
When he learned that Cai Jingli had persuaded Xu Du from Jingkou and that he also wanted to be in Beitou, his eyebrows suddenly rose, but he did not express his joy too much.
When they saw the soldiers carrying the treasures and gifts brought by Cai Jingli one by one to the front of the hall, Shuifeng raised his finger and pointed at the gold treasures and said: "If it is as you say, Mr. Xu of Jingkou really obeyed the destiny and returned home generously." The thought of righteousness alone has surpassed these gold and jade jewelry.
Now Mr. Xu takes this as proof, but I am disrespectful, but I am not greedy for this gift. If the thing is successful, I will multiply it! In a lifetime of righteousness, there are countless living people. If the benevolent and brave people are not rich and noble, who in the world can enjoy the glory with a clear conscience? Cai Qing also reported this to Xu Gong. With the merits of Jiangdong's first righteousness, his family's blessings are already on the way and waiting to arrive at home! "
Shuofeng's enthusiastic and positive attitude also greatly encouraged Cai Jingli. Seeing his uncle Cai Dabao's encouraging eyes, he quickly talked about the planning steps for the next negotiation between the two parties.
Now Xu Du is still a minister of Nanchen after all. It is naturally taboo to rashly make friends with the Tang army. Although the current Nanchen court is also very flattering to the Tang Dynasty, it does not mean that Chen Chang is happy to see the generals of Bianzhen doing the same.
Once this matter is exposed, Xu Du will inevitably bear censure and various pressures from the court, and this will definitely affect the diplomatic relations between Datang and Nanchen. Therefore, it is very important for both parties whether they should continue to maintain secret contact or directly make the matter public.
As the party who took the initiative to surrender, Cai Jingli was not in a hurry to finalize the next interaction model. Instead, he expressed on behalf of Xu Du that no matter what decision Shuifeng made, Jingkou would try its best to cooperate. Of course, the premise is that the next actions must fully ensure the interests of Xu Du and the stability and safety of Jingkou.
Regarding this point, several phoenixes also weighed many things. As the party accepting surrender, he seems to be taking the initiative, but there are also many issues that need to be considered.
The first and most important point is how sincere Xu Du is in asking for surrender, and whether he will regret it during the negotiation process between the two parties, or simply pretend to surrender in order to destroy the current diplomatic relations between Nanchen and Datang.
The second is that the imperial court now has a set pace for its attack on Jiangdong. If it suddenly strengthens interaction with Jingkou, will it be too aggressive and affect the imperial court's overall plan?
Including if Tang Jun reacts too positively here, will it affect Xu Du's feelings and make him think that his power has been violated? And if he reacts negatively, will it make him think that the Tang army is still not ready to cross the river in a large scale, and his attitude will become arrogant?
For such an important decision, Shuofeng must of course ask the court for instructions, but as a big boss in the southeast, he must of course make his own judgment and make timely feedback to consolidate this relationship.
After some thought, Ruo Feng had the gold sent by Xu Du melted and cast into two golden shrines, representing his father Ruo Hui and Xu Du's father respectively. Then he had Cai Jingli summoned and said to him: "If we can get Xu Gong's power to turn this great river into a thoroughfare, there will be no north-south division in the world, and the country will not be in danger of being torn apart. All the people will be assimilated and there will be no distinction between the two. I dare to ask Xu Gong to establish this golden friendship, agree to make special achievements together, and swear blood oath. Please convey this to Cai Qing!"
After saying this, he bowed several times to the two golden shrines in the hall, and pierced his fingers to bleed, and smeared the blood on the bases of the two shrines, and then gave it to Cai Jingli to take back to Jingkou to reply to Xu Du. He showed great sincerity here, and it was also a very sincere promise to Xu Du. It depends on how Xu Du responds.
When Cai Jingli returned to Jingkou with two golden shrines and told about his trip to Guangling, Xu Du was also very relieved. After making this decision, he was most worried that Guangling would react coldly. Then he would be in trouble. Now the other side gave a positive response, which gave him great encouragement.
But when he saw Cai Jingli put out the two blood-stained shrines, Xu Du showed a helpless expression and sighed, "I am over fifty years old. Although I am not known for my rigidity, I didn't expect that I would have to bow down and worship the old Hu spirit of the northern barbarian. The world is really unpredictable!"
Although he sighed like this, he still respectfully worshipped in front of the two shrines and asked Cai Jingli to witness and write an article to record the incident. Ruo Hui did not expect that many years after his death, after his son's operation, he actually had another godson out of thin air.
Witnessed by these two golden shrines, the two sides completed this sworn brotherhood. Although this was done in secret, it was a historic breakthrough for the long-term confrontation between the north and the south!
After swearing brotherhood with Ruo Ruofeng, Xu Du's next move was even more decisive. He directly ordered his wife and children to be sent to Guangling for resettlement, and personally wrote a letter, hoping that Ruo Ruofeng, his sworn brother, would send hundreds of elite soldiers to serve as his personal guards.
Ruo Ruofeng welcomed his sister-in-law and nephew in Guangling, and naturally gave them a welcome ceremony. However, he was still a little hesitant about Xu Du's request that Guangling send troops to the south to station in Jingkou, because he had not yet received a reply to his request to Guanzhong.
But after weighing the pros and cons, he decided to send a thousand elite soldiers to make the relationship between the two closer. After these thousand elite soldiers arrived in Jingkou, it became the first time that the Northern Dynasty army stationed in Jingkou, a key river defense town in the Southern Dynasty since the division of the North and the South!