Chapter 815
North-South Standoff
Tu Jie was taken aback by Hu Weiyong's words, his gaze sharpening. He sensed something was amiss. What did his old mentor mean by those words? Tu Jie was adept at reading people.
At this moment, he looked at Hu Weiyong and said, "Master, be careful what you say."
Hu Weiyong glanced at Tu Jie and said, "Be careful what you say."
Tu Jie whispered, "Master, how can you discuss the Prince of Han? If the Prince of Han finds out, it might be detrimental to you!"
"Hahaha, it's not in my best interest. Since you know it's not in my best interest, you keep bringing people under your wing. Are you afraid that the Prince of Han won't become suspicious of me?"
puff~
Upon hearing this, Tu Jie was terrified and immediately knelt on the ground: "Master, what do you mean? Your disciple is utterly loyal and devoted to you. Please, Master, understand."
Hu Weiyong chuckled upon hearing this, glanced at Tu Jie, and said, "Ten thousand loyaltys, ten thousand faithfulnesses, sometimes loyalty and faithfulness can get you into trouble."
As he spoke, Hu Weiyong turned around and said, "By order of the Prince of Han! Hu Weiyong's conduct is improper, and he is hereby fined one year's salary. All those who have joined Hu Weiyong's faction will be demoted three ranks. From now on, the Ministry of Personnel will conduct stricter assessments, and those who do not make significant contributions will not be promoted again in their lifetime."
With that, Hu Weiyong strode towards the Prime Minister's residence, then looked at the group of officials kneeling on the ground, dumbfounded, and asked, "Do you still want to become my disciples?"
Upon hearing this, these so-called Thirty-Six Heavenly Generals immediately stood up and ran away. Holy crap, this isn't taking a shortcut or seeking a master, is it?
Isn't this courting death?
Thinking this, the group of people ran off without their shoes, afraid that people would remember what they looked like.
Tu Jie and the other eighteen Arhats who had come to claim credit that day were terrified, their faces ashen. Was their careers over?
Tu Jie froze for a long time, then suddenly cried out in grief, "My teacher! My teacher!"
As he spoke, he rushed directly towards Hu Weiyong. He had completely lost his composure and was in a panic. So he frantically rushed towards Hu Weiyong, hoping to hear something different from him.
Hu Weiyong was half a step slower. When Tu Jie arrived, Tu Jie looked down at Hu Weiyong and said, "Master, this can't be true, can it? I'm going to be demoted three ranks. Then I can only be a minor official in the county government."
Hu Weiyong glanced at Tu Jie and said, "Do you think I'm joking with you?"
Tu Jie looked at Hu Weiyong and said, "Master, Master, you must save me! My life, my future, all depend on you, Master!"
After hearing Tu Jie's words, Hu Weiyong looked at Tu Jie and then chuckled, saying, "Tu Jie, Tu Jie, your scheming has gone too far and has cost you your life. Remember, Heaven is still here. Your and my underhanded dealings have long been known to Heaven. If Heaven is unwilling, a mere cough from Heaven is enough to shatter you to pieces and condemn you to eternal damnation!"
Upon hearing Hu Weiyong's words, Tu Jie felt as if the sky had fallen. He said with disbelief, "Master, please show me the way!"
Upon hearing this, Hu Weiyong looked at Tu Jie and said in a gentle voice, "You want to band together for profit, but don't forget that there are always people more powerful than you. We have achieved our current glory and power only by taking advantage of the power of the heavens."
"As for the rest, just do your job well as the county magistrate. I will transfer you to a poor county. This is my last favor to you."
Upon hearing this, Tu Jie immediately said, "Master, Master..."
Hu Weiyong strode back to the Prime Minister's residence and said, "Close the gates. From today onwards, do not seek me out unless it is for important military or political matters. I will not accept any banquet invitations."
"promise."
The men immediately obeyed and closed the gate. Tu Jie, standing at the door, stared at the closed gate, his face turning ashen. A servant approached Tu Jie and asked, "Sir, what do we do now?"
Tu Jie looked as if he had lost his parents, looked up at the sky, and said sadly, "Heaven's favor is unpredictable!"
Upon hearing this, the servant said, "Prime Minister, to actually ignore you is truly outrageous..."
Tu Jie shook his head and said, "Hu Weiyong is also in dire straits himself, but he did do a good thing by giving me a position as the county magistrate of a poor county."
The servant looked at him incredulously and said, "Sir, the county magistrate of this impoverished county has such a hard and tiring job, and this is considered a good thing?"
Tu Jie said, "It is precisely because of poverty that one can achieve greater success. If you make this wrong move, sir, you will spend at least fifteen more years on the wrong path in officialdom. If you don't risk your life, you will never have the chance to return to this prosperous place in this lifetime!"
As he spoke, Tu Jie sighed and looked towards the direction of the Prince of Han's residence again. In the eyes of the Prince of Han, he was probably just a little ant. If a little ant wanted to turn the world upside down, it would naturally have to be dealt with properly. Now he realized that in the eyes of the Prince of Han, his little tricks were not worthy of being presented in a respectable manner.
No wonder he rose from a fisherman's son to become the King of Han, and may even become the emperor in the future.
After thinking for a moment, Tu Jie immediately said, "Let's go."
After Tu Jie left, everyone who had come to Hu Weiyong's residence fled, leaving the place deserted. At this moment, two people hidden in the crowd exchanged glances, and one of them spat and said, "A bunch of people who are obsessed with fame and fortune, trying to put their petty tricks on a respectable place. How laughable."
"Especially Tu Jie, who was arrogant at first and obsequious at second. His previous high spirits turned into resentment when he left. Does such a person deserve to be an official?"
Another person who heard this disagreed and said, "We've developed too fast and acquired too much land. In less than two years, our land has expanded tenfold."
"From a single-road region, it has now become a region of ten roads. Although our schools are producing talents like crazy, it is far from enough to manage the vast land now. We can only absorb the old-fashioned scholars."
"Although they are greedy and do despicable things, they are truly capable of getting things done and can quickly bring order to this country."
"If we rely solely on our school's students, it will take ten, twenty, or even thirty years to gradually bring this country into the hands of our new generation, so that they can devote themselves to the Han King."
Hearing this, another person said helplessly, "Although I don't want to admit it, I think you're right. Compared to these veteran officials, we're still quite naive. But this time, Prime Minister Hu has really shot himself in the foot."
"Yes, it's normal for Prime Minister Hu to be ambitious. Anyone whose power suddenly expands tenfold will become arrogant. However, this world still belongs to the King of Han. As long as the King of Han is here, he can bring anyone who is not sober to their senses. The King of Han is the greatest king of this land!"
"Indeed, without the King of Han, you and I would still be farming in the countryside, living as peasants. We would never have had the chance to become what we are today."
As they spoke, the two exchanged a glance and said, "For the sake of the King of Han, we brothers must still strive!"
After saying this, the two got up and left.
At this moment, in the Han Prince's residence, Chen Jie sat at his desk, reviewing the intelligence reports from the front lines. The Daqian reinforcements had set up camp in Hebei and other areas, not continuing their advance into Jiangnan, but instead annexing 500,000 troops and holding their ground in Hebei. It seemed they were preparing for a protracted war. Chen Jie nodded slightly and said, "Hmm, interesting. It seems the allied forces aren't a bunch of incompetent fools; they've actually figured out our plan to trap and defeat them."
That's right. Although Chen Jie sent out all his men, he didn't actually intend to fight this army of 500,000 head-on. Instead, he deliberately left them an opening so that if they couldn't resist attacking, he could close the door and beat them.
Trapping the enemy directly into an ambush, annihilating them one by one.
Chen Jie looked at the large armies and generals sent by the Golden Horde, the Chagatai Khanate, and the Ögedei Khanate.
It must be said that the great leader of that era was truly remarkable. His descendants were all outstanding individuals, and his troops were truly elite soldiers and generals. Each of them was able to establish a vast khanate, and even at the end of this dynasty, these khanates remained powerful.
For example, the general sent by the Golden Horde was the most powerful general in the Golden Horde, a military genius who once rode across Europe and had no one as his match. He was known by Europeans as the Scourge of God.
The last scourge of God must have been the migrating Huns.
This fierce general was named Subutai, the first prince of the Golden Horde, known as invincible, whose strength was comparable to that of Bolotemur, the commander of the Baoxiang Army of the Great Qian Dynasty!
This time, he led an army of 200,000 and stationed it at Daomaguan.
The location of Daomaguan was indeed excellent. This place is also known as the Inner Great Wall. It has thick walls and guards the Taihang Pass. If you want to go north to attack Dadu, you must capture this place. Therefore, the enemy stationed themselves at Daomaguan.
In addition, the dense network of waterways here can slow down cavalry and prevent Chen Jie's large-scale cavalry charge.
Therefore, Chen Jie dispatched his most important general, Zhang Dingbian, to lead the Qihuo Army and the Qinglong Army, totaling 160,000 troops, to attack Daomaguan.
Meanwhile, the Outer Chagatai Khanate also dispatched Baidar, the fiercest general known as the "Tiger," with an army of 100,000 to garrison Jining Prefecture.
Chen Jie dispatched Xu Da's Po Lu Army, a force of over 80,000, to attack Jining Prefecture.
Next came the Khanate of Ögedei, which also sent their own Martial King, Uriyangkhad, who was also very powerful. Together with Chen Xiaohu's White Tiger Army and Buddhist soldiers, they attacked Datong City.
In addition, there are nearly 80,000 Vermilion Bird Army troops as reserves, stationed near Kaifeng, Henan. Whenever support is needed in the vicinity, his army can rush to the scene.
The last hope of the Great Qian Dynasty—100,000 cavalrymen—was personally led by Prince Zhai, a member of the imperial clan who had suffered a defeat. They were stationed in Baoding Prefecture to provide support to the various armies at any time.
This is the final situation. Both sides have made their final preparations. This battle will determine not only victory or defeat, but also life or death!
Chen Jie looked at the map and saw that the final confrontation had taken place. Now it was a contest of who had more patience, or who was ready first.
The reason I am not launching a major offensive now is that there are still many places in Jiangnan and other parts of the country that need to be digested. If they are not digested properly, it could easily cause internal chaos when I advance unimpeded.
Therefore, he now needs to quickly absorb all of Zhu Chongba's forces and, on this basis, rapidly restore the vitality of the land under his rule, laying the foundation for his final battle.
To be honest, the battle with Zhu Chongba almost exhausted all of Chen Jie's food reserves, and now food is a big problem.
However, Chen Jie has already communicated with Fang Guozhen overseas, who is collecting grain on a large scale in the South China Sea for Chen Jie, and it is estimated that a batch can be sent back in one or two months.
After all, although the rice from the Southeast Asian countries doesn't taste very good, it's filling and can be harvested several times a year, which can quickly support the army's food supply.
In addition, it can alleviate the food shortage in some parts of southern Anhui and other regions.
Having considered all this, Chen Jie tapped his fingers on the table: "One year. I should need another year before I have the strength to launch a Northern Expedition!"
Of course, if it were a direct confrontation now, such as if the opponent attacked directly, Chen Jie could hold on, but he wouldn't be as relaxed as he would be a year later.
Therefore, Chen Jie doesn't need to be in a hurry right now. Whether it's military strength or personal ability, Chen Jie himself has not yet reached his peak.
Chen Jie was pondering this matter when Chen Chun entered.
Seeing Chen Jie deep in thought, he didn't speak first, but stood silently to the side. When Chen Jie had almost finished thinking about the problem, he looked up at Chen Chun and asked, "What's wrong?"
Chen Chun said, "My lord, after Prime Minister Hu returned..."
Chen Chun immediately recounted what Hu Weiyong had done upon returning: how he had rebuked Tu Jie and others, how he had ordered a year's salary to be deducted from his own pay, and how the officials had fled in terror.
Chen Jie nodded slightly upon hearing this and said, "Hu Weiyong is a smart man. He understands things immediately. He knows how to handle this matter."
"By the way, have you noted down the names of those who visited Hu Weiyong?"
Chen Chun said, "My lord, rest assured, we have noted down everyone's name and we know what they said. Would you like to take a look?"
Chen Jie waved his hand and said, "No need. We need to be stricter in evaluating these people's performance, especially in terms of their integrity and honesty. We should pay close attention to them."
"promise."
Chen Chun nodded immediately. His current status was quite remarkable. He was Chen Jie's personal steward and also in charge of a special department established by Chen Jie, the "Jinyiwei" (Imperial Bodyguard). This was Chen Jie's newest department, and its personnel were very diverse, including students who graduated from the Special Operations Department of the Military Academy and extraordinary people recruited from the martial arts world. For example, the Tang Clan was an important source of spies.
The Tang Clan was a very useful organization. After Chen Jie tamed them, some qualified members joined the Embroidered Uniform Guard, while the unqualified ones were sent to schools to serve as teachers in the Special Operations Department, which trained spies. This resulted in the cultivation of many talents for Chen Jie's Embroidered Uniform Guard.
Therefore, the Embroidered Uniform Guard has now basically infiltrated the homes of all ministers, and no one's actions can escape their surveillance. Of course, in addition to internal surveillance, the Embroidered Uniform Guard also has the function of gathering intelligence from the outside world.
The Embroidered Uniform Guard can be said to be Chen Jie's eyes and ears planted throughout the land.
An emperor cannot be without his own eyes; an emperor without eyes cannot govern the country well. Therefore, although the Embroidered Uniform Guard was established by Zhu Yuanzhang, Chen Jie still learned how to use it.
Of course, Chen Jie will also regulate their behavior properly.
Only by employing both benevolent and domineering methods in such a multifaceted way can we achieve lasting peace and stability, and ultimately secure our rule over the world! (End of Chapter)