"Uncle Wang, don't worry, my nephew won't make him hungry if he has a bite to eat." Song Yang comforted him.
"The thieves are powerful, and our Jiangzhou soldiers are limited by food and grass and cannot grow in scale for the time being."
"Wait a minute, let's stop in Yuezhou first and slowly grow stronger. When we have accumulated enough strength, we will use Yuezhou as a springboard to help Uncle Wang regain Tanzhou."
This is indeed what Song Yang planned. The world is so big, and if we want to recover quickly, more people must work together.
Songtong, the king of Tanzhou, is quite responsible. Although he may not be good at managing and fighting, he is still a useful person.
Song Tong didn't mention the plague in Changsha just now.
Otherwise, Song Yang would have to look at him with admiration.
"Take back Tanzhou?" Song Tong was stunned.
"If that day comes, Uncle Wang will be worthy of his ancestors." Song Tong sighed with emotion.
Although Jiangzhou is quite strong, there are too many thieves.
Song Tong saw from the city tower that the number of thieves in Yuezhou was estimated to be fifty or sixty thousand.
He didn't know that there were only three to four thousand elites among these bandits.
However, Song Yang was very pleased to be able to say this.
"Uncle Wang, you need to have more confidence."
"We have all survived the natural disaster, there is nothing we can't face."
"Look at Song Chengwang, his father, the Prince of Fengzhou, passed away. Didn't he cheer up?"
Song Yang mentioned Song Chengwang.
Song Tong asked about Fengzhou again.
I heard that Fengzhou also took refuge in Song Yang and gradually stabilized under Song Yang's leadership.
For a time, Song Tong felt ashamed of his own methods of governing the people.
"Uncle Wang is not as good as you! You can manage three states in one year, and you can still do it in an orderly manner, but I...sigh!"
"Whoop whoosh!"
Having said this, Song Tong took a few deep breaths.
"Uncle Wang, what's wrong?" Song Yang thought he had asthma and asked anxiously.
"Oh! It's nothing serious. The previous plague affected the heart and lungs, and no one can survive in a year and a half!"
Song Tong waved his hands and said.
"Is there also a plague breaking out at Uncle Wang's place?" Song Yang asked curiously.
"Yes! Plague broke out in all the counties near Changsha. Thousands of people were killed and injured. How miserable!"
The uncle and nephew talked about the plague, and Song Yang realized that this seventh uncle was actually a master in medicine.
And he was able to suppress the epidemic in Changsha, which is considered very capable.
No wonder I can't free up my hands to train troops.
"Uncle Qi, it's time to recover from your injuries. When you recover, my nephew will still need Uncle Qi's help in many areas."
The two chatted until dawn, when Song Tong's injuries no longer hurt, Song Yang got up and left.
"Yeah. Don't worry, Ayang. If you need me, Uncle Qi will definitely help you with all his strength!"
Songtong, the king of Tanzhou, was actually in his forties, but he was still in his prime.
With the help of his own family, Song Yang has another helper.
After dawn, there was wind and rain on the river, but the wind did not provide much resistance to the boat.
However, the swell was so strong that it made Song Yang, who was not seasick, extremely dizzy.
I originally wanted to sleep, but I couldn't sleep soundly even with this rocking method.
I stayed up until noon, half asleep, when another fast boat chased behind the fleet.
The boat came after me with its sails and oars, and it seemed that something was urgent.
It turned out that this ship was the message ship sent back by Ma Cheng.
At that time, Ma Cheng learned about Jiangning's situation and immediately sent someone to report to Song Yang.
I arrived in Jiangzhou at dawn today, but Song Yang had already left.
When Fang Zhe heard that Jiang Ning had messed up, he knew that this matter was serious.
So they changed the crew and chased Song Yang all the way.
The clipper caught up and the envoy met Song Yang and told him about Jiangning.
Song and Yang's eyes widened, and they exclaimed in surprise: "The world is so ruined, why are you still thinking about fighting for power?"
"Ah Yang, the fight between King Runzhou and King Suzhou is actually justifiable."
"With the name of emperor, we can issue orders to the world. Let the people know that Da Qian is still there, and then the people will have the confidence to live."
Song Tong didn't sleep well either and got up at noon.
After Song Yang got the message from Ma Cheng, he immediately went to Uncle Qi to discuss with him.
In the final analysis, this is what the old Song family is doing to themselves.
"Justified?" Song Yang chewed on these four words.
He has a modern mindset, so he never feels the need to quickly correct his name.
And for such a long time, he has not been hindered from doing things because of his dishonest reputation.
On the contrary, he rarely even used his status as a prince to order and force the people to do what they should do.
It's more about guidance and education.
Just like running schools and night schools.
Song Yang is guiding the people in the right direction, rather than being a leader and forcing them to go where they want to go.
…
"Uncle Qi. The so-called justice is only based on a certain degree of peace."
"Nowadays, the world is full of poor people who don't have enough to eat. Even if our words are justified, we can't control the stomachs of the people, so who can listen to us?"
When Song Tong was told this, he also started thinking silently.
"Indeed, people's livelihood is more important at the moment." Song Tong thought about it for a long time and was convinced by Song Yang's theory.
He personally governed Tanzhou in March and had a deep understanding of people's livelihood.
If the plague hadn't spread too widely, as long as he was given one more month, he would have been able to consolidate Changsha City and prevent the Yuezhou thieves from easily succeeding.
"Uncle Qi, how do you think we should deal with those two guys from Jiangning?" Song Yang's tone was full of disdain.
He looked down upon players who were experts at internal fighting but not good at governing the people.
The messenger said that the people in Jiangning were displaced and there were countless casualties due to the war.
"Just ignore them. I've heard of this kid Song Qiran, the king of Runzhou, and I heard that he is quite cunning. Song Mo, the king of Suzhou... haha, there is nothing to fear from such a cruel and unkind person!"
Song Mo and Song Tong are of the same generation. Song Mo is younger and is Song Tong's cousin.
Before leaving Beijing to join the vassal state, Song Tong despised Song Mo very much.
Song Mo was too aggressive and would kill his servants at every turn.
If he didn't have the status of a royal prince, he would have been taken into custody by the government long ago.
It was precisely because he was so bloodthirsty that the emperor deliberately kept him under the radar.
In the past few years, Song Mo had improved a lot on the surface, and then he deceived the emperor into letting him come out and become a vassal.
After Song Mo became a vassal, he launched a killing spree in Suzhou, even killing entire families at every turn.
It made people in Suzhou panic.
This matter was reported to Song Tong in Tanzhou.
After the troubled times, the reason why Song Mo was able to get the support of some of the guards was entirely because his father had outstanding military exploits in the northwest campaign, and there were many old troops from his family in the Jiangnan camp.
This kind of person gains power temporarily and has little staying power.
"Then do we need to support Jiang Ning?" Song Yang asked.
From the existing information alone, Song Tong could judge that the King of Suzhou was strong.
If you want to frustrate his movements, don't let Jiang Ning be taken over by him.
Song Tong shook his head and said: "It doesn't matter, don't worry about him for the time being. Jiangning is not a soft persimmon. Although King Runzhou is not very powerful in terms of military force, this man is ruthless. Moreover, Jiangning is the southern capital after all, and there may be other important ministers." Survived.”
"If there are one or two highly respected veterans, the people of Jiangning will not be so easily defeated."
After listening to Song Tong's words, Song Yang understood the key and hurriedly said:
"Thanks to Uncle Qi for your guidance. With Uncle Qi helping me, my nephew is confident that he can restore the people's livelihood in Jiangnan more quickly!"
The King of Tanzhou is worthy of being the king of his uncle's generation. He has a much clearer understanding of the situation in various places in Jiangnan than Song Yang, a junior who has only been in Jiangnan for the first three or four years.
"Ah Yang, the most urgent task is to further inquire about Jiang Ning. Although we don't have to worry about them, we must always control the situation there."
"In case they decide whether to live or die, we should be prepared in advance."
Song Tong suggested.
Of course Song Yang nodded in agreement.
I immediately wrote a reply to Ma Cheng.
The main content is to ask him not to worry about the two kings fighting for the throne for the time being. It is only right for the two to help each other and make profits from it.
What Song Yang didn't know was that Ma Cheng had already done this.
Moreover, the trading is booming and the profits are huge.
In addition, in order to maintain control of Jiangning's news, Song Yang suggested that Ma Cheng find a port near Jiangning and leave a garrison.
In this way, on the one hand, Jiangning's movements can be heard in advance.
On the other hand, you can also expand your sphere of influence through this garrison.
Song Yang meant to consider Tongling, as Guo Qi was Zhang Heng's friend.
There have been secret contacts between the two sides for a long time.
Song Yang told Zhang Heng to try his best to win over Tongling.
However, Guo Qi has always been loyal to his teacher Liu Min.
Although there was some movement in my heart, I never expressed it clearly.
If troops could be stationed in Tongling, it might be possible to speed up Guo Qi's transformation.
"Ah Yang, I think you should contact Liu Min."
Song Yang finished writing the letter and took it to his seventh uncle Song Tong for discussion.
Song Tong's advice to him was to contact Liu Min directly.
"Prefect of Xuanzhou? My nephew has only heard that this man was a great scholar of the dynasty and has never had any contact with him. I wonder if he is a stubborn person?" Song Yang asked.
In his impression, anyone who is labeled as a great Confucian is basically a pedantic and sour Confucian.
So he never thought of contacting Liu Min directly.
"Liu Min is not a sour scholar. He has good abilities and was able to manage Xuanzhou in an orderly manner during his governance."
"And he is very kind to his students, and his students treat him like their parents."
"So Tongling Guo Qicai has no intention of seeking refuge with you."
After Uncle Qi gave some advice, Song Yang thought about it and felt that Liu Min was a capable person.
Otherwise, Guo Qi would not let go at all.
"Is Uncle Wang familiar with him? Why don't you write a letter for your nephew?" Song Yang looked at Uncle Qi.
Song Tong nodded and said: "I can't say we are familiar with him, but I have met him a few times and have some understanding. I will write this letter for you. You have never met him, so it is really inappropriate to write a letter rashly."
After saying that, Song Tong picked up his pen and started writing a letter.
When Song Yang saw it, his intention was clear, and he was urging Liu Min to get closer to Song Yang.
In addition, the letter praised Jiang Zhong, how Song Yang built the abandoned city, and how he loved the people.
It has to be said that Song Tong has never even been to the capital of Jiangzhou, so he can make a rough guess about Song Yang's governance in Jiangzhou based on what he heard.
Song Yang felt a little embarrassed after reading the letter.