The moon was shining brightly, and the Zilang Mountain was shrouded in the night mist, like a bath in Chinese clothes. Qin Zitan and Taihu pirate leader Cheng Yiqun took advantage of the night to disguise themselves as ordinary pilgrims and took a fishing boat to Zilang Mountain. Under the guidance of the monks, they boarded the Zilang Mountain.
Mountain top.
As he opened the door and was about to enter the Zen Temple on the top of the mountain, he heard a person inside say: "If Gu Wuchen can be assassinated in Chongzhou, Jiangdong County will be forced by the Chu Party and will move its Western Front troops eastward..."
Qin Zitan pushed the door open and walked in. No one would have expected that the prince of Jin'an, She Fei Xiong, was wearing a green shirt and standing on a rock in the Zen courtyard with great grace, looking far into the distance.
Qin Zitan followed his line of sight and looked over. The outline of Xisha Island was clearly floating in the sparkling river, and he could even see the shadows of busy people reflected by the campfire.
"My eldest son, Master Cihai..." Qin Zitan saluted She Feixiong and the middle-aged monk beside She Feixiong.
The middle-aged monk standing next to She Feixiong has a beardless chin, a round red face, and an unusually strong figure. He is Cihai, the abbot of Guangjiao Temple. Look at his eyes, nose, and nose. He has a majestic appearance.
Imagine that he was talking about assassinating Gu Wuchen just now.
"Zitan and Mr. Cheng came here, how hard was it along the way?" She Feixiong was wearing a Confucian shirt, and he was less aggressive than when he led the army in battle, and was more gentle and elegant.
"How could the eldest son take the risk to come to Chongzhou?" Qin Zitan asked, not knowing that the eldest son was in the temple beforehand.
"Gu Wuchen suddenly came to Chongzhou for inspection, but how can he observe the situation in Chongzhou?" She Fei Xionghun said nonchalantly.
"Master Cihai suggested assassinating Gu Wuchen in Chongzhou?" Qin Zitan asked, and then said: "It is good to assassinate Gu Wuchen, but it is not easy and should not be taken lightly."
Qin Zitan knew that Gu Wuchen would probably land on Xisha Island, but the strength of the Ninghai Navy Division in Shanshui Village, plus Gu Wuchen's accompanying guards and Lin Fu's Jiyun Guardsmen and rural private soldiers on Xisha Island, totaled almost 1,566
Hundreds of people, if the thirteen East China Sea pirates can listen to the eldest son's orders, there is still a chance to surround and kill Gu Wuchen on Xisha Island.
Qin Zitan also just found out that the eldest son sent elite men into Chongzhou today to attack and kill the officials and gentry of Chongzhou. If he had known earlier, he would have dissuaded him. With Lin Fu present, how could he easily succeed? Facts have proved that it will not play a big role.
, only losing more than ten good players in vain.
"It's just a casual comment. It's really not easy," She Feixiong said. Assassinating Gu Wuchen in Chongzhou was to further disrupt Jiangdong County's military deployment at the minimum cost. If the price was too high, a wise man would naturally not do it and laughed.
He said, "Gu Wuchen is newly appointed as the Inspector, and he is very energetic. The Inspector also has the power to supervise the army. I think the generals in Ninghai Town should also avoid his sharp edges..."
Seeing that the eldest son had retreated, Qin Zitan stopped dwelling on the matter. He frowned, thinking that the strategy of attacking from the east to the west might not be effective, and said: "Gu Wuchen suddenly came to Chongzhou for inspection this time. I'm afraid he will vigorously promote it."
The local commander was training local warriors. After his trip to Chongzhou, he should cross the river to Pingjiang. Chen Xiyan rushed him back to Jiyang. His first stop after crossing the river should be Jiyang, which would be a good time to ridicule Chen Xiyan. The eldest son did not regard Gu Wuchen as his
The goal can indeed be achieved by using Gu Wuchen's trip."
"Xiao Taoyuan is hiding in Jiyang, and we really can't do anything about him," She Feixiong said with a smile, "I think he probably doesn't want to give the newly appointed Inspector General a heads-up. It seems that we need to step up the evacuation from Taihu Lake.
Go out, just leave some stragglers..."
"It's okay to suffer a few defeats," Qin Zitan said with a smile. He remained silent and said nothing more. The eldest young master has repeatedly made extraordinary achievements, which can't be considered a good thing for the second young master. He added: "Except for Ninghai Town in Jiyang
Outside the camp, Xisha Island is also a big nail. If there is a chance, the eldest son would be better to remove it in time..."
"Zi Tan is still worried about Lin Fu?" She Feixiong turned his eyes to the south, facing Guanyin Beach across the bank. He could see the two outer walls of Guanyin Beach, and said, "Xisha Island's will to resist, Zi Tan
Tan, you have also tried. The cost of attacking at this time is too high. Mr. Lin cannot stay on Xisha Island all the time. The local government is wary of the refugees and the rejection will not disappear. This time is a nail. As time goes by, this nail will become a nail.
It’s not as troublesome as you worry about…”
After listening to the eldest son's wishes, Qin Zitan still did not take the threat of Xisha Island to block the mouth of the Yangtze River into consideration, and he could not persuade him to do anything.
Last time, Qin Zitan took advantage of Lin Fu's detour to the sea, and led more than a thousand elites of the She family and lake pirates with Cheng Yiqun to attack Xisha Island in an attempt to pull out the nail. When he was about to succeed, Lin Fu transferred him from Jiangning.
The reinforcements attacked from behind, but their success fell short and the losses were considerable.
It is precisely because of this that Qin Zitan is worried that if time goes by, the nail in Xisha Island will be more difficult to remove, and their access to and from the Yangtze River will be severely restricted in the future.
Although there are more than 400 elites led by Lin Fu, and there are more than 300 people in the newly formed rural camp of the Xisha Island refugees, their combat strength cannot be underestimated, but the thirteen East China Sea bandits have been roaming Taihu Lake for more than a month without encountering an opponent, and their morale is at high levels.
The eldest son, Yuan Tingdong, who transformed into a harrier of the East China Sea, reached the peak of his prestige. He led a group of bandits from Jiyang Lake into the Yangtze River, took advantage of the situation to storm Xisha Island, attacked Junshanshui Stronghold and then Chongzhou. Even if he had to pay a higher price, it was worth it.
Qin Zitan raised his head and saw the eldest son's brows were slightly raised. He knew that this was an expression that he had made up his mind and would not allow others to persuade him. He sighed slightly in his heart, knowing that talking too much would make everyone unhappy. He pondered for a moment and said: "Here
Once it’s over, I’ll go back to Jiangning.”
"It's okay," She Feixiong nodded and said to Cheng Yiqun behind Qin Zitan, "After the destruction of the prefectures along Taihu Lake, Jiangdong County's first priority is to defend the sea. The pressure on the inner line of Taihu Lake will not be great, and Ninghai Town will not be able to do so in the short term.
There are measures to clean up Taihu Lake. If Master Cheng feels that the pressure is still great, there is a place for you on the Shengsi Islands..."
Qin Zitan frowned and was dissatisfied with the eldest son for wooing Cheng Yiqun, but said nothing; it was not his turn to intervene in such matters.
*********
Gu Wuchen did not have much experience in the official career, and he wasted a lot of time in the exiled army for several years. Thanks to the Chu Party's return to the imperial capital, it took Gu Wuchen only less than three years to rise to the rank of third-rank inspector.
In the short term, Gu Wuchen also wanted to further develop his official career, and even to sit in a position that everyone in the world looked up to. He couldn't do it without coming up with unique strategies and making extraordinary achievements.
It was a troubled autumn, and the country's affairs were extremely difficult. It was also a time when civil servants and military generals were making meritorious service and becoming nobles, leaving their names in history. Gu Wuchen also had great ambitions. Before the East China Sea bandits had completely withdrawn from the Taihu Basin, he took more than 400 guards with him.
Looking at the place, it is natural that Wang Tian, the Xuanfu envoy, was more energetic and enterprising than Wang Tian, who was hiding in Jiangning.
Gu Wuchen really wanted to promote the coastal prefectures and counties to train local soldiers to prepare for the invaders. In addition to this being a feasible strategy at the moment, it was also a very important reason why the Inspectorate had the responsibility of supervising local military preparedness.
Li Zhuo initially led the Jiangxi provinces, counties, horse, infantry, and village warriors to fight in Eastern Fujian as an envoy to Jiangxi, and then took control of the military and political power in Eastern Fujian. Gu Wuchen could not fail to see such a clear lesson from the past.
For three consecutive days on the 24th, 25th, and 26th, the inspector Gu Wuchen inspected Dongshe, Matang, Gaocheng, and Yu without stopping, regardless of the possibility that the countryside of Chongzhou County might be disturbed by the East China Sea bandits landing at any time.
Rural camps in Western and other places.
Chongzhou Prefecture County has not been around for a long time. It was originally part of the Huainan Salt Fields. Millions of acres of tidal flats in the east of the county were still salt fields and pastures owned by the Huainan Salt and Iron Company. There are no noble families in the territory, but there are not a few people who made a fortune by smuggling salt and then buying it.
They built houses in the fields and became a wealthy family, and there were also many people who raised rural soldiers privately.
If we calculate the military strength in Chongzhou County, there are almost four to five thousand people, which is by no means small.
There are so many troops, including the privately raised village warriors of each family, county soldiers, Ding soldiers of the Salt and Iron Division, and Ninghai Town's garrison in Chongzhou. Although there are many soldiers, they are not under each other's control. Sometimes they have frictions with each other and even fight each other.
As you can see, the training level is different and generally low. When encountering banditry, they all go their own ways and preserve their strength first.
Under this situation, even if four to five hundred pirates landed, it would be difficult for Chongzhou County to establish an effective defense.
In the past few days, Lin Fuye and Chen Kun, the magistrate of Chongzhou County, accompanied Gu Wuchen on inspection tours. They were very worried when they saw the defense system in Chongzhou County that was full of flaws.
The piracy problem will become increasingly serious. In addition to strengthening the prevention of coastal villages, in addition to setting up beacon towers at the mouths of rivers where pirates invade, the county also needs to train an elite force. Although he has a rift with Chen Kun,
I don't want to see Chongzhou massacred by the Donghai bandits, and the newly transferred county captain Hong Changji is still a courageous person.
Pirates have become a problem, and Chongzhou's training and training has become a top priority. The county magistrate and the court will no longer set up obstacles, but the local government must raise its own funds.
Gu Wuchen discussed with the local officials of Hailing Prefecture and Chongzhou County. The local officials and gentry would donate part, the prefecture and county would raise part themselves, and the county officials would allocate part. In short, Chongzhou County should recruit and train a team of a thousand village warriors before the year.
Among the prefectures along the coast of the south of the Yangtze River, Pingjiang Prefecture belongs to Jiangdong County, Jiahang Prefecture (today's Jiaxing, Hangzhou), Mingzhou and other prefectures and counties in the south belong to Zhejiang Province. After inspecting the defense of Chongzhou County, Lin Fu accompanied Gu Wuchen across the river on the 28th
When I went to Pingjiang Prefecture to inspect local military equipment, the first stop was Jiyang County.
After the Qujiatong bandit case, Chen Xiyan pleaded guilty and resigned from his teaching duties at Xixi Academy, returning to Jiyang Lake to live in seclusion. Although Chen Xiyan's reputation plummeted, his prestige among the officials and gentry in Jiyang Lake was still high.
Lin Fu accompanied Gu Wuchen to disembark from Yushan on the other side of Xisha Island, and then went to Jiyang by land. When they arrived at Changting on the outskirts of Jiyang County, only a dozen or so officials and gentry from Jiyang were greeted. In addition to the county officials, the local officials
The squire almost didn't come out to greet Gu Wuchen.
"Where are the navy generals? Why didn't anyone come here?" Lin Fu was very confused when he saw that there were no Ninghai Town navy generals in the greeting team from Jiyang County. He didn't care about the violation of the rules and directly asked the people who came out of the city to greet them.
History of Meng Xin, Magistrate of Jiyang County.
The main camp of Ninghai Town Water Marshal is on the north bank of Jiyang Lake in the north of Jiyang City, controlling the Donglai River waterway from the Yangtze River to Taihu Lake. The Inspectorate has the power to supervise the town army. Even if Gu Wuchen goes to the Ninghai Town Defense Area, Ninghai Town
The generals of Ninghai Town did not need to go as far as Chongzhou to see him, but Gu Wuchen had already arrived at the main camp of Ninghai Town Navy, and the Ninghai Town Navy generals avoided seeing him, which was too disrespectful.
Although Meng Xinshi was fed up with Lin Fu's ignorance of the rules, Lin Fu was still a Zhengshilang of the eighth rank and a close confidant of Gu Wuchen. He could also see that Gu Wuchen was shunned by General Shui Shui and had some displeasure on his face.
He hurriedly explained: "General Xiao Taoyuan is not avoiding seeing Mr. Gu, but in fact, there is news of another banditry in Jiyangnan. General Xiao and other generals have led the naval warships to go to war..."
"When did it happen?" Lin Fu asked tightly.
"It's only been half a day since I received the notification from the Navy today!" Meng Xinshi said.
"No," Lin Fu scolded Xiao Taoyuan in his heart for being such a fool. After being a fool for so long, he was deceived by She Fei Xiong and fled at the last moment. He hurriedly explained to Gu Wuchen, "General Xiao probably thought
Those who are unable to leave are the remnants of the Donghai bandits, and this can never be the case!"
Gu Wuchen immediately wanted to understand why it was not good.
In the past two months, the East China Sea bandits have been raging along the Taihu Lake. Xiao Taoyuan and other navy generals have passively avoided fighting. Today's active fighting is probably due to the pressure on him to go to Jiyang County as the new inspector. Although Gu Wuchen
Xiao Taoyuan could not be transferred from the position of commander of the Sixth Battalion Navy in Ninghai Town, but he did have plans to reprimand Xiao Taoyuan in person for avoiding the battle.
Over the past ten days, the East China Sea bandits have gradually withdrawn from the Taihu Lake Basin. There are not many East China Sea bandits staying in Taihu Lake. They all seem to be stragglers.
Xiao Taoyuan went to war at this time because he wanted to take advantage of these stragglers, so that he could avoid Gu Wuchen and make up for his previous responsibility of passively avoiding the war.
Gu Wuchen had long been sure that the She family was behind the Donghai bandits. How could the Donghai bandits who were stranded in Taihu Lake be the remnants of the bandits?
Gu Wuchen hurriedly took off the tooth tag from his waist, handed it to Yang Pu, and said: "Take my tooth tag over there and catch up with Xiao Taoyuan. Ask him to be careful..."
"It's better for me to go over. I'm more familiar with the situation in Jiyang." Lin Fu took the initiative to ask. He wished that Xiao Tao had died long ago, but the naval warships under Xiao Taoyuan's command were the biggest reliance of the coastal governments at this time.