Chapter 254 Returning to the old business
Yelu Yudu shouted with his mouth, but his body was honest and he ran away.

After hearing the report, Yang Chang's mouth curled up, thinking that this was consistent with his own judgment. Yelu Yudu rebelled against Liao and surrendered to Jin mainly in order to survive.

How could we possibly fight to the death for our country if we were to fight for the Jin Kingdom at this time?
Judging from Yelu Yudu's behavior in the past few days, Yang Chang guessed Yelu Yudu's bottom line.

He Quan had just been trying to persuade the city to surrender, and he was shocked by the performance of Yang Chang and his wife. At this time, he was even more convinced by General Yang.

He was about to say a few compliments, but Zhu Wu beat him to it.

"Since the enemy has withdrawn from Pingcheng, shall we go back and take over the city now?"

"never mind."

Yang Chang waved his hand and said, "Since we agreed to do it tomorrow, and Yelu Yudu knows how to handle current affairs, let's let him leave in a dignified manner."

"Alright."

"By the way, when we get back to the camp, we can pack up and prepare to head north early tomorrow morning."

"That's right." Zhu Wu changed the subject and asked, "Mr. Lu and Master Lu should be here this afternoon. Are they going to Pingcheng together?"

"No need."

Yang Chang shook his head slightly and said in a deep voice: "Pingcheng is a small county in the border area. Too many troops stationed there would be a burden. The army should withdraw directly to Yushe."

"understood"

Zhu Wu originally wanted to ask about Lu Junyi's arrangements, because Yang Chang had mentioned to him in Weisheng that he hoped he could assist Lu Junyi in defending Liaozhou, but the words came to his lips but he could not ask.

Although he has the title of military strategist, he has only been in Yang Chang's camp for a short time and his friendship is far less than that of Wu Song, Lin Chong and others. It would be inappropriate for him to interfere in everything.

Before the group rushed back to the camp, Lu Junyi and Lu Zhishen had already arrived with their troops.

That night, Yang Chang selected the generals in the big tent and ordered Zhu Wu and Shi Jin to lead the troops to garrison in Pingcheng, while Lu Junyi and Lu Zhishen would lead the main force to garrison in Yushe the next day.

The political center of Liaozhou was originally in Liaoshan, the seat of government. Now it is incorporated into Yang Changzhi and exists as a strategic defense. The military focus is in Pingcheng, and Yushe, which borders Weisheng, will become the new center of the state.

As for Liaoshan and Heshun counties, Yang Chang planned to ask Tao Zongwang to come back to Weisheng, intending to bring potato seeds over before the end of spring and strive to achieve self-sufficiency as soon as possible.

The next morning, the two teams parted ways from the camp, one to the west and the other to the north.

Yang Chang has always been bold and careful in doing things. Pingcheng is an important border town in Liaozhou, so he wants to understand the deployment in person before he feels at ease. So he took his two wives and headed north.

Yelu Yudu left in a hurry and not only did he not have time to plunder the people's property, but he also left behind some of his baggage and food.

Pingcheng changed hands repeatedly in a short period of time, but it was basically a peaceful evolution and there was no war so the city walls were intact.

Yang Chang rode his horse around and inspected the area, frowning as he felt uneasy. Although this place was designated as a county town, it was not as big as a big town, and the maximum number of troops stationed here was three to five thousand.

A border town with a small city and few soldiers might not be able to be defended if it encounters a large-scale raid. But now that it is under the control of Yang Chang, we have to prevent this from happening. Otherwise, asking for help from time to time in the future will be as uncomfortable as psoriasis.

In order to ensure that nothing could go wrong, Yang Chang took Zhao Fujin and Qiu Qiongying to conduct reconnaissance deep into Taiyue Mountain Road the day after taking over Pingcheng. He wanted to obtain first-hand intelligence to ensure that he could intercept the Jin army halfway.

Although it is said that caution is the best way to survive, Yang Chang was too cautious this time.

There were indeed sufficient reasons why the Jin people had never passed through Liaozhou, and why the imperial court did not go through Liaozhou to rescue Taiyuan.

The route from Pingcheng to Taiyuan mainly goes upstream along the Liaoyang River (the western source of the Qingzhang River). First, you walk along the narrow and long river valley road, and then turn to the valley stream path at the end. It takes a total of 200 miles to get out of the mountains.

Access is also affected by the season. In summer and autumn, rising water floods the river valley roads, and in winter, heavy snow easily freezes the valleys, so the route is only accessible in spring after a warm winter.

In other words, this invasion of the Jin army was quite accidental.

Yang Chang and his wife wandered in the mountains for several days. On the way, they met two hunters who lived in the mountains. They learned a lot of climate and historical information, and then happily returned to Pingcheng.

The logistical difficulty of such a long and narrow mountain road is similar to that of Zhuge Liang's Northern Expedition, requiring a large number of mules, horses or civilians for transportation. Regardless of whether people or livestock are used for transportation, there will be consumption during transportation.

After suffering such a great loss, Yang Chang didn't believe that the Jin people would be so stubborn as to break through Liaozhou again.

Even so, he still advised Zhu Wu and Shi Jin not to be careless. At the same time, considering the limited number of troops stationed in Pingcheng, he decided to implement a farming and warfare system in the county to make up for the problem of insufficient troops before the war.

Because he stayed in Pingcheng for a few more days, it was already mid-March when Yang Chang returned to Yushe.

Last month, Yushe was harmed by Geng Shouzhong, who not only consumed the limited grain reserves in the county, but also forcibly conscripted the people to build camps, delaying the spring ploughing. When Lu Junyi and Lu Zhishen returned with their troops, the county had to rely entirely on aid from Wuxiang County for food.

Seeing that Yang Chang was not returning for a long time, Lu and Lu did not know how long they would stay in Yushe, so they sent a military letter to Wuxiang, asking Sun An to prepare another half month's worth of food and fodder.

On the day Yang Chang returned to Yushe, he happened to see a grain ship from Wuxiang arrive, and Sun An also came in person.

The battle in Liaozhou has ended. If we want to continue to supply food and fodder, it will be easy to empty the stored food by relying solely on Wuxiang.

Sun An has more than 10,000 troops under his command and is responsible for the defense of the northern part of Weisheng, so he had to come in person to confirm and suggest to Yang Chang to coordinate the deployment.

After successfully recovering Liaozhou, Yang Chang had not yet had time to hold a banquet to celebrate, so he took advantage of the presence of Sun An, a meritorious logistician, and gathered everyone at the Yushe County Government Office for a banquet and drinking.

Victory is always a joy, and everyone eats and drinks happily.

After three rounds of drinking, Sun An suddenly stood up, clasped his fists, and said to Yang Chang: "General, Liaozhou has not recovered from the war, and it seems that it will take a long time to provide aid. Wuxiang County alone is not capable of providing it. I suggest coordinating and dispatching from all over the country. Wuxiang can be used as a transit point to be responsible for the last section of water transportation."

"Yes, yes, that makes sense."

Lu Zhishen never expressed his opinion, but he sent a military letter to Sun An asking for food, and the other party sent it very readily. Naturally, he had to return the favor now.

Lu Junyi learned from Yan Qing that Sun An was deeply trusted by Yang Chang. In order to quickly gain a foothold here, he also echoed Lu Zhishen.

"General, although I am new here, I also think this is a good suggestion."

"Haha, Commander Sun is quite popular."

As Yang Chang was laughing and joking, he suddenly remembered that if he took over Liaozhou, there would be no military threat to Wuxiang. And since Lu Junyi was unwilling to stay, wasn't Sun An the best candidate?
Thinking of this, Yang Chang's smile became mysterious.

He looked at Sun An meaningfully and said, "Since everyone supports you, I will let Tang Ke coordinate the deployment when I return to Weisheng. However, Liaozhou is short of a general to guard it. Brother Sun, are you willing to share my worries?"

"I?"

When Sun An pointed to his chest to confirm, he found that Lu Junyi nodded vigorously at him. He thought to himself, this is the first time I meet this person, why is he so enthusiastic towards me?
"You have experience in governing Wuxiang, so it should be no problem for you to govern a state. In addition to the former governor Li Ze, I will keep Zhu Wu, Shi Jin, Ma Lin, Ou Peng, and Yang Lin here to help the people resume production as soon as possible and achieve self-sufficiency as soon as possible."

"Uh, I obey your command!"

Yang Chang did not give Sun An a chance to refuse, so the straightforward Sun An took the initiative.

Lu Junyi, Lu Zhishen, Yang Lin, He Quan and other people present came to Sun An's table to toast and congratulate him, so Sun An replaced Yang Chang as the focus of the whole scene and got drunk. The next morning, Yang Chang left 10,000 soldiers in Yushe and took the remaining soldiers back to Weisheng. Sun An, with a dizzy head, followed the team back to Wuxiang to take over.

On March 15th, Yang Chang, who had been away for nearly a month, finally returned to Weisheng City.

The first task was personnel adjustment. Sun An was appointed as the commander-in-chief of the Liaozhou army, and Hu Cheng was promoted to the commander of the army, with full responsibility for the defense of the northern valley entrance of Weisheng. Zhu Wu, Ma Lin, Ou Peng, Yang Lin and other generals were granted the positions of deputy commander, commander, deputy commander, and chief inspector according to their merits.

As for Lu Junyi, who had made the greatest contribution, he was originally a fourth-rank Chengxuanshi appointed by the court, while Yang Changcai was the Jiedushi of three towns and Taiwei, so there was no way to promote him to the same level.

The key point is that Lu Junyi himself did not want to make progress, so he could only make the same arrangement as Lu Zhishen and stay beside Yang Chang as a general.

After arranging the relevant matters in Liaozhou and learning about the latest situation in each state, Yang Changcai remembered Sun Xin and his wife.

After he finished his backlog of military and political affairs, Yang Chang returned to the backyard to find Hu Sanniang. After a few pleasantries, he talked about business and asked, "My wife, it has been nearly a month since I left. How is Ma Que now? I haven't seen Sun Xin and Gu Dasao either."

"They are not in Weisheng, so of course you can't see them."

"Not in Weisheng?"

"Mrs. Gu was very decisive and recruited more than a dozen people in just a few days. Not only did I arrange for them to be registered, I also asked Jin Dajian to make identity badges. However, the master did not return to Weisheng, so Mrs. Gu and her husband took them to Cizhou, Damingfu and other places to work."

Before Hu Sanniang finished speaking, Yang Chang asked in surprise: "As the saying goes, make plans before you act. Why are they in such a hurry?"

"You don't know, sir. Sun Li is in charge of the garrison in She County and leads Zou Run to guard Fengyue Pass. They often receive rumors from the outside world, most of which are slanderous rumors against you. Mrs. Gu and her husband don't want to wait any longer, so I agreed to let them go as spies. I don't want Prince Kang to continue to smear you."

"A dozen people going together? Wandering around like that will attract too much attention and will be easily discovered by savvy people. Besides, intelligence gathering is a long process. It is best to build an intelligence station first, that is, a secret base for easy contact. It is best to use a hotel or inn as a cover."

"hehe."

Seeing Yang Chang's words were so sure, Hu Sanniang couldn't help but smile and said, "Master, have you forgotten what they do? The couple had long thought of opening a restaurant. This time, more than a dozen people are traveling in pairs, and will meet up in a big city. Sister Gu also asked me for money and property, and planned to open two restaurants in Cizhou and Damingfu first."

"Uh"

Yang Chang smiled awkwardly, thinking that they had been away from Liangshan for too long and had really forgotten their duties.

Among those who opened hotels in Liangshan at the beginning, Zhang Qing, Li Li and Zhu Gui all opened shady shops, while Sun Xin and his wife opened a legitimate hotel, and it was very successful, which showed that they had the means and management ability.

"not good!"

"what happened?"

The man suddenly jumped, which made Hu Sanniang nervous. Then she heard Yang Chang explain: "Is Le He in Weisheng? We need to let him catch up with Sun Xin and his wife."

"You have to ask my second brother, what's the truth?"

"Song Jiang has pledged his allegiance to King Kang, so he should go to Daming Mansion to pay his respects. If he and his Liangshan brothers find out that Mrs. Gu and her husband have opened a shop, wouldn't they be exposed and fall into the hands of thieves?"

"hiss"

Hu Sanniang took a deep breath and then murmured, "Mrs. Gu is the commander of the Sparrow Army. She probably won't open a shop herself."

"It's hard to say. If the person they choose doesn't understand, shouldn't they teach him step by step?"

"That makes sense, but they have been gone for ten days. Sir, go find my second brother."

"Don't worry too much, madam. Cizhou and Damingfu are both big. Song Jiang may not encounter them even if he goes south."

Although Yang Chang tried to comfort her, Hu Sanniang knew that he was a cautious person who always prepared for the worst, so she decisively gave up their time together and urged the man to make up for his loss.

When Le He first came to seek refuge, Yang Chang asked him to work under Wu Song together with Yan Qing temporarily. Later, in order to dig out Lu Junyi's men, he was often sent to Yongning Army for activities.

The Yongning Army later collapsed, and Lu Junyi's team was basically poached. Because Le He made great contributions in this matter, Wu Song gave him a long vacation and did not assign him any work for several months.

At this time, Director Yang wanted to use him, so he naturally interrupted his vacation to go to work and left Weisheng on the same day.

Le He was Sun Li's brother-in-law. He was very concerned about comforting Sun Xin and his wife. He traveled almost day and night and reached Cizhou in a few days.

In just half a month, negative news about Prince Kang had appeared in Cizhou, which was obviously the work of Sun Xin and his wife.

In late March, Le He arrived at Fuyang (now Ci County), the capital of Cizhou.

I don't know if he was lucky or had some special skills, but he found the Sparrow's stronghold that day, which was the hotel owned by Sun Xin. However, the couple was not in Fuyang. The shopkeeper said they went to Damingfu.

Le He was very tired after chasing all the way, so he wanted to take a good rest in Fuyang. However, the Sparrow Army guys brought wine and food and chatted with him for a few words, and Tiejiaozi could not sit still.

"What did you just say? Zong Ze just went to Daming Mansion? And he threatened to confront Song Jiang?"

"Yes, even though we have only opened the hotel for a short time, we have obtained a lot of important information."

"Wait a minute, Zong Ze is the confidant of King Kang, why is he doing this..."

"It seems not. Zongze hates evil and claims to be loyal to the Song Dynasty. We have exposed Song Jiang's true face and pointed the finger at King Kang. We have already become suspicious of the two. Maybe he will turn to support the emperor later."

"Yes, Not Bad."

The little guy suddenly took on an important responsibility and was very motivated in the early stages of his work. Seeing the servant's eyes longing for affirmation, Le He patted him on the shoulder to show encouragement, but his expression soon changed.

"Zong Ze went to Daming Mansion to question him. Could it be that Song Jiang was also in Daming Mansion?"

"I'm not sure, but I heard Commander Gu say that since Song Jiang is working for King Kang, he must have sent someone to contact King Kang."

"Dai Zong!"

Le He blurted out.

The Liangshan army had not been rewarded for its merits for a long time. Now that Song Jiang has defected to King Kang's army, shouldn't he send Dai Zong to claim credit more often?
Rumors are spreading in Cizhou now, and Zong Ze has personally gone to Daming Mansion to question them. How could King Kang not respond? If rumors were spread in Daming Mansion at this time, Sun Xin and his wife would be exposed.

Thinking of this, Le He quickly ate some wine and meat, then put on his hat and walked out of the hotel.

Le He was running behind, but he could not influence the actions of the people in front of him. However, Mrs. Gu was always smart in doing things. When spreading rumors, she would take several detours to cover them up, but Zong Ze, who dared to confront her, would not take any detours.

When meeting Prince Kang at the Marshal's Mansion, Zong Ze raised questions about Song Jiang and Yang Chang in front of his loyal supporters such as Wang Yun and Gao Shize.

Prince Kang had something to hide and was unwilling to give a direct answer to Zong Ze. He only said that Yang Chang had disobeyed orders many times and showed signs of treason. Although Song Jiang withdrew from Shun'an Army, he retreated to Hejian Prefecture to resist, so it was impossible for him to collude with the Jin people.

Zong Ze did not get a satisfactory answer and had no chance to confront Song Jiang face to face, so he finally left the Marshal's Mansion in annoyance. However, the upright character he displayed in this matter made King Kang feel unhappy and worried, so he came up with the idea of ​​taking away his military power.

(End of this chapter)