blogombal Page 1434
Page 1434
After Tong Guan went south, he replaced a number of officials appointed by Zhu Mian.
Originally, the intention was to win back public support.
To prevent the people from joining the bandits,
Let's cut off Manichaeism's lifeline.
Unexpectedly, he received a pleasant surprise.
When Tong Guan heard Dong Yun say this,
A surge of emotion welled up within me.
After a moment of animated celebration, his eyebrows danced with delight.
Suddenly his brows furrowed.
"I have no heir, so I'm afraid the people won't accept me as emperor."
Upon hearing Tong Guan's words, Dong Yun
A hint of fear flashed in his eyes.
However, he didn't dare show it.
"The Grand Chancellor must issue commands to the various prefectures south of the Yangtze River,"
"We still need to rely on the righteous cause of the imperial court,"
"Ideally, we could find a member of the Song Dynasty imperial family to be the emperor."
"The new emperor will need to rely on the Grand Chancellor to secure his throne."
Tong Guan also understood Dong Yun's meaning.
It's about installing a puppet emperor.
As long as he takes control of the military and political power
Even the emperor had to listen to him.
Tong Guan loves power.
But they also knew the difficulties he would face as emperor.
A eunuch wanted to be emperor.
Not only would the literati not support it,
Even his own soldiers wouldn't support it.
Controlling a puppet emperor, however, is much easier.
Tong Guan, as if he had always been a loyal subject of the Song Dynasty, nodded and said,
"Sir, your foresight and strategic thinking are essential to ensuring the continuation of the dynasty."
Dong Yun said, "However, the Grand Councilor still wants the Western Army to put in even more effort."
"We must annihilate Fang La as soon as possible, otherwise all our efforts may be in vain."
"Once the northwestern states learn of the occupation of Tokyo, they will surely inform their respective troops,"
"At that time, the Western Army will probably withdraw immediately."
"Without the Western Army, it will probably be difficult for us to capture Fang La."
Upon hearing this, Tong Guan nodded and said,
"Alright, tomorrow I will issue an order to the entire army that anyone who captures Fang La will be promoted three ranks and rewarded with ten thousand taels of silver."
"A reward of ten strings of cash will be given for killing a traitor."
"With such a generous reward, we will surely be able to quell the Fang La rebellion as soon as possible."
Dong Yun heard that Tong Guan was also planning to offer a reward.
He couldn't help but wonder,
"The issue of the previous seven million bolts of silk has not yet been resolved,"
"The Grand Chancellor has promised another large sum of money,"
"I'm afraid it will be difficult to raise such a large sum of money then."
Tong Guan laughed and said, "Jiangnan has always been prosperous."
"As long as we defeat Fang La, we won't have to worry about those wealthy households refusing to pay."
"As long as the Western Army obeys my orders, I will certainly not shortchange them on their rewards."
Dong Yun also understood Tong Guan's meaning.
"The Grand Chancellor's influence is mainly still within the military,"
"Regardless of what happens in the future, it's best if the Chancellor doesn't break his promise,"
"Otherwise, the soldiers might not be willing to risk their lives for the Grand Chancellor."
"Moreover, the Western Army is quite powerful,"
"I imagine Zhao Yuan, Wang Qing, and Tian Hu will all be vying to recruit the Western Army,"
"The Chancellor should not push the Western Army towards them."
Tong Guan then nodded and said, "What you say is true, sir. This matter is easy to handle."
"The royal family suffered misfortune because of treacherous officials like Zhu Mian."
"Once we raid Zhu Mian's house, the bounty will be more or less settled."
Dong Yun praised, "The Chancellor is highly astute."
"It's a pity that Zhu Mian fled to Tokyo, otherwise, executing Zhu Mian in public would have won over the hearts of the people in Jiangnan."
Tong Guan stroked the few remaining whiskers on his chin.
"This is easy; Zhu Mian has escaped,"
"Isn't there still his clansmen and his henchmen?"
"After killing Fang La, we will execute them."
"To uproot Zhu Mian's power in Jiangnan,"
"So as not to let them interfere with my important plans."
The next day, Tong Guan spread the new reward notice throughout the entire army.
Chapter 1730 Han Shizhong
The already somewhat exhausted Western Army soldiers were immediately filled with renewed vigor.
In just two days,
They then captured all the hilltops held by the remnants of Fang La's forces.
More than 70,000 people were beheaded.
Only Fang La and a few dozen Manichaean leaders escaped.
However, all four sides were already blocked by the Western Army.
All that's left to seize Fang La is time.
Early that morning,
Tong Guan then ordered the entire army to search the mountains.
He was promoted three ranks and received a reward of ten thousand taels of silver.
Who wouldn't be tempted by such a generous reward?
The generals from all the major forces in the Northwest personally led their men up the mountain to search.
He hoped that he himself would be the one to capture Fang La.
Han Shizhong also led his men up the mountain to search early on.
Han Shizhong came from a poor family.
He was exceptionally courageous from a young age.
Able to ride untamed wild horses,
Alcoholics and gamblers
People call him "Han Wu" (a derogatory term implying someone who is promiscuous).
Although the villagers all regarded him as a rascal
However, Han Shizhong considered himself a chivalrous knight-errant from the streets.
At the age of seventeen,
Tong Guan began to wage war against the Western Xia.
Han Shizhong was unwilling to be ordinary.
He then resolutely joined the army.
With his martial arts skills,
He quickly made many contributions.
Unfortunately, most of the credit was taken by Tong Guan's confidants.
Now in my early thirties
It was only a small school.
When Han Shizhong took the lead in climbing the mountain,
But then they saw a person running forward in a panic.
Overjoyed, he shouted,
"Stop in front, or don't blame me for being merciless with my bow and arrows."
The man in front heard Han Shizhong say he wanted to use a bow and arrow.
He then hurriedly knelt on the ground, kowtowing and begging for mercy.
Han Shizhong arrived at the scene.
But he was a man in his thirties.
His clothes were tattered, and he was disheveled.
They looked like wild men.
The man kowtowed and pleaded, "General, spare my life!"
"I haven't been down the mountain for half a year, and it has nothing to do with Fang La."
When Han Shizhong heard the man say that he hadn't been down the mountain for half a year,
His eyes lit up in surprise.
Why don't you come down the mountain?
The man said, "I had a past conflict with Fang La's brothers."
"After hearing about their rebellion, fearing their retaliation, he hid in the mountains."
Han Shizhong looked at the man's appearance,
"He really does look like he hasn't been down the mountain for half a year," he nodded.
"Since you haven't come down the mountain for half a year,"
"You must be very familiar with every plant and tree on this mountain, right?"
The man quickly replied, "Yes, I know him."
Han Shizhong laughed and said, "Then do you know where Fang La and his men are hiding?"