novelSusiti Chapter 50 This credit cannot be enjoyed by you alone.
Chapter 50 This credit cannot be enjoyed by you alone.
Wang Jun found his interactions with Zhang Mei quite strange.
You might say he's a military man, but he's actually a civil official, and his methods are those of a civil official. Yet, if you say he's a civil official, his style of doing things also carries a certain fierceness.
This blatant disregard for the law, the willingness to exterminate entire families at the drop of a hat, was truly frightening. It was completely different from the image of Northern Song Dynasty civil officials that Wang Jun had in mind.
The thick stack of confessions was covered in blood, giving him a sense of dislocation, like watching a spy drama in his past life and facing a villainous chief of operations.
It's hard to associate him with the words "good official" or "good person." Looking at this blood-stained indictment, it's clear he's confessing to everything.
Although he knew that with Zhao Guangyi and Han Tong backing him up, and as a direct descendant of Zhang Meichai Rong, the Prince's residence, he would never dare to arrest and torture him, he still couldn't help but feel a little uneasy.
It's kind of scary.
After a moment's thought, Wang Jun said, "Grand Commandant, you are also serving the country. Why must your methods be so cruel? Today, my act with the Empress Dowager cannot be hidden from you, Grand Commandant. You should also know my character. How could I, Wang, dare to shirk my duty to share the burdens of the country?"
But the Grand Commandant is pressing me so harshly. What if I am strong-willed and don't respond to force? Wouldn't that be like trapping myself in a trap? Even if I were to play the fool with you, would the Grand Commandant really arrest me?
"Grand Commandant, you are ultimately just the Minister of Finance of the Three Departments. To arrest people and use troops, you need to borrow the resources of Kaifeng Prefecture. I have hundreds of workers in my workshop, all of whom are retired soldiers from the Imperial Guard. If we were to engage in armed resistance, would it look good for you, Grand Commandant?"
This was a lukewarm response to Wang Jun, but Zhang Mei wasn't annoyed. Although slightly surprised by Wang Jun's toughness, she remained composed and said:
"Brother Zhaoyuan, you are joking. I dare to ask the Kaifeng Prefecture to arrest people for me directly. Firstly, it is because those unscrupulous merchants hoard goods and engage in speculation and are rich but unethical. Secondly, it is because they do not have a strong background and their backers are not powerful."
"Although Brother Zhaoyuan also hoards goods, he is kind-hearted and has powerful backing. As a former official of the previous dynasty, I dare not provoke him. How could I possibly dare to arrest Brother Zhaoyuan and torture him for a confession?"
"However, since the evidence is conclusive, I'm afraid that if we really investigate, it will damage Brother Zhaoyuan's reputation. Brother Zhaoyuan's reputation is certainly not worth much, but I'm afraid it will implicate the Second Prince, or even the Empress Dowager."
"But if I stop investigating, I've arrested so many people, and even killed so many people. If they can't come up with the money and the grain, how can I explain it to the court?"
"After all, I am a former official of the late emperor, and I also need to protect myself and secure my place in the new dynasty. Doesn't Zhaoyuan think that makes sense?"
Seeing that Zhang Mei's words still carried a threatening tone but had clearly softened, Wang Jun breathed a long sigh of relief.
He was just using someone else's name to intimidate others. After all, they were the current Minister of Finance and Grand Commandant, their status was there. Apart from relying on the relationship between Han Tong and Zhao Guangyi to bully others, what was he in front of them?
It's just that they don't dare to appear too weak and attract unwanted attention, so they force themselves to act tough. In the end, hoarding and speculating is not a glorious thing.
As Zhang Mei said, once the news spread, it didn't matter to his reputation, but it affected Zhao Guangyi's reputation. With the magnanimity of this second king, how could he not be jealous and resentful?
Given Zhang Mei's status, Zhao Guangyi couldn't do much against him. He was a high-ranking official, and Zhao Kuangyin needed to at least show some leniency towards Chai Rong's former officials.
When the time comes, this anger will surely be directed at him. What right does he have to fight to the death with a dignified Grand Commandant?
He immediately seized the opportunity to back down, saying, "I wonder if the Grand Commandant wants money or grain? If it's money, we might be able to negotiate, but if it's grain, I'm afraid it will be difficult to arrange."
"How difficult is it?"
"Just today, after my performance with the Empress Dowager, I transferred 15,000 hu of grain northward to Huaizhou and Mengzhou. We don't have much grain left, and the price of grain hasn't come down these past few days, so we still need to provide relief."
Zhang Mei was taken aback, and a serious expression finally flashed across her face: "Huaizhou and Mengzhou?"
Wang Junyi said righteously, "The Great Song Dynasty has just been established. Some of the various regional military governors have already submitted their allegiance, while others have not. It is probably too early to say that the world is at peace."
In my opinion, Li Jun, the military governor of Zhaoyi Army, and Li Chongjin, the commander of the Imperial Guards, may not necessarily submit.
"Of these two, Li Chongjin has a stronger army, but he is far away in Yangzhou and is not in any major danger."
Li Jun of Luzhou can not only cut off the grain transport in Hebei, but also collude with the Northern Han and the Khitan, repeating the deeds of Shi Jingtang. Therefore, if this man rebels, we must fight a swift and decisive battle to annihilate him with overwhelming force.
"To achieve swift and decisive action, the first priority is provisions. For a military campaign to be swift and efficient, provisions must be prioritized. Therefore, it is necessary to stockpile provisions in Huaizhou and Mengzhou."
However, using the imperial canal to stockpile grain is too conspicuous. I fear Li Jun will notice and take precautions.
"Therefore, today, after the Empress Dowager and I put on a show to stabilize grain prices, we ordered the grain to be loaded onto ships and transported north. By this time, it should have already left Bianliang."
That's why I said, "Grand Commandant, you don't have any grain left, but once it's stored in the granaries of Meng and Huai prefectures, I can have them bring you the receipt."
In reality, of course not. The grain was stored perfectly well in the brick and tile workshop. Wang Jun had just been chatting with Wang Lu and had just learned that Zhang Mei had been ordered to fight a war in the early Song Dynasty. He guessed that Zhang Mei was asking him for grain in order to transport it to Huaizhou and Mengzhou.
He preemptively used words to gain the upper hand.
I won't let you enjoy this credit all to yourself.
That's exactly the case. Zhang Mei did indeed want the grain transported to Huaizhou and Mengzhou, but unexpectedly, Wang Jun showed him that great minds think alike.
He couldn't help but admire Wang Jun.
"How can we be sure that Li Jun will be the first to rebel and that the court will target Luzhou first when it launches a military campaign? Among all the regional military governors in the country, the one with the deepest personal grudge against the current emperor is Yuan Yan, the military governor of the Baoyi Army."
Since the founding of our Great Song Dynasty, Yuan Yan has been preparing armor and troops, refusing to submit a memorial, and displaying an attitude of taking advantage of the situation to seize Tongguan, or even colluding with Later Shu. When the ministers in the court discussed the matter, most believed that Yuan Yan would be the first to rebel.
"On the contrary, Li Jun, although unruly, has already sent his son to the capital, if not as a hostage, at least to show goodwill to the new dynasty. Why does Brother Zhaoyuan think Li Jun is more important than Yuan Yan? The court is raising troops, all for the purpose of suppressing the Baoyi Army."
"what?"
Wang Jun couldn't help but be stunned.
Li Jun...sent his son to the capital? Wasn't he planning a rebellion?
Who is Yuan Yan?!
I don't know.
That brat Wang Lu didn't tell me.