Chapter 92: He Wenzhong's Plan

Chishui County, the main town of Hongyun County.
At this time, a man dressed in silk clothes, with a somewhat heroic look, sat in the main position of the county government office.
This person has a handsome face, with a beard, exuding a kind of imposing aura without anger.
On both sides below, there are about ten important members of Tianhu's team, both civil and military.
"Congratulations, Lord, for the great victory over Yin Zhuping and capturing the important stronghold of Chishui County in Hongyun Jun."
"Indeed! With Lord's capture of Chishui County, we can advance to attack the heartland of Hongyun Jun and retreat to defend using the Chishui River. It can be said that the royal ambition has been achieved!"
Not only that, but what He Wenzhong relies on are only Fu Weian and Yin Zhuping. Now that the lord has killed Yin Zhuping, it is equivalent to cutting off one arm of He Wenzhong!
With the decimation of the hundred thousand Chiyun army, the entire Hongyun Jun's military strength can be said to be severely damaged. Even if He Wenzhong wants to mobilize another hundred thousand troops, it will be a difficult task.
Hearing the praise and analysis from his advisors and generals, Tian Hu laughed heartily, feeling high-spirited.
"When He Wenzhong supported my rebellion in the past, his goal was to suppress the powerful families in Hongyun County."
"But he used me, and I was also using him! I wonder what He Wenzhong would feel when he hears that his army has been destroyed, it must be quite interesting."
After Tian Hu's words fell, it caused laughter among his subordinates.
Suddenly, a strong man with the demeanor of a dragon and the stride of a tiger walked in and respectfully reported, "Report! My lord! Something happened to Shiqi."
Tianhu's face slightly changed upon hearing this, "Shiqi is one of my Five Tiger Generals, with formidable strength. If Hewenzhong didn't make a move, who in Hongyun county could kill him?"
"Report to my lord, it's Li Xin, the newly arrived Inspector of the Jingye Department..."
Doncheng revealed the intelligence.
"Li Xin of the Jingye Department! Very well, he killed my beloved general. I vow to kill this subordinate!"
Tian Hu was furious and his heart was bleeding.
Not only did he lose a leading general, but he also lost all his cavalry.
It should be noted that cavalry training is not easy, especially finding suitable warhorses.
Now, almost half of our family's fortune has been lost, which can be said to be a severe blow.
As for the deaths of the other three innate masters, they are no longer of any significance.
…
On November 1st, the first day of the eleventh month of the 27th year of the Qīngyuán era, the rebel leader Fānglà broke through the capital city of Jíndū Prefecture, and the prefect Máo Zhèngyì was killed in battle, completely occupying the prefectural capital.
In early December of the same year, the famous general Chu Zhilong led a half-million strong army to besiege Fang La, attracting the attention of the entire Northwest region.
Meanwhile, Tian Hu, who occupied the strategic stronghold of Hongyun County, was relatively insignificant.
Rebels have risen all over the country, not only in the northwest, but also in the nine provinces and ninety-nine districts throughout the country.
It seems that there is an invisible hand behind all of this.
Among them, several rebel forces have occupied one or even several prefectures, not inferior to Fang La.
For example, Wang Qing, the rebel leader in the West, has occupied the government office and proclaimed himself as the King of Chu.
In the Northeast, at Mount Wagang, there is a gathering of rebels causing chaos in the entire province.
In the South, at the thousands of miles of Huangshan water, there is a gathering of 108 generals who are killing officials and rebelling. They are enjoying feasts and sharing gold using large scales, creating a lively scene.
When Li Xin transported the grain out of the Taifeng Mountains, He Wen Zhong had already received the news of the loss of Chishui County and the death of Yin Zhu Ping.
Inside the county magistrate's mansion, He Wen Zhong's peaceful expression vanished, replaced by a gloomy look.
Yin Zhuping's death makes He Wenzhong feel a sense of accomplishment.
Previously, he used Tian Hu as a foreign enemy to unite the major forces in Hongyun County, eliminate dissidents, cultivate loyal followers, and consolidate his power.
This calculation is indeed successful.
He continuously sends the opposition to Tian Hu, and now the entire Hongyun County only has his voice.
But the result is that Tian Hu is growing, showing a trend of having a difficult time getting rid of a large tail.
So he sent Yin Zhuping to besiege Tian Hu and killed his donkey.
However, the more he tried to solve the problem, the bigger it became, leading to the current situation.
"Can anyone advise me? Currently, Tian Hu has occupied Chishui County, which can be attacked or defended. The next steps are Yangqiu City, Qucheng, and Yun Chuanjiang. If any of the three cities is lost, the county will have no defensible positions."
After He Wenzhong finished speaking, his gaze fell on his subordinates, hoping that they would give good advice.
"My lord, how about increasing the troops to garrison the three cities of Yangqiu, to await an opportune time?"
Said the chief clerk, Wu Shu.
The meaning of this statement is to defend and not fight anymore.
After all, the Red Cloud Army has just lost 100,000 troops and cannot afford to send out too many soldiers to struggle for the lost territory in a short time.
"What Magistrate Wu said makes sense."
Another magistrate said, "However, when our lord increases the troops in the three cities, it would be better to write a letter and send it to Lord Prefect, asking him to send reinforcements."
"No! My lord, remember not to defend!"
Suddenly, a big man stood up and said, it was the county captain Fu Weian.
"Oh? Do you have any wise opinions, Weian?"
He Wencong lightly stroked his beard, expecting.
傅维安也不惧，直言道：“主公，我等虽败，但士气不曾泄，不如从其他县城抽调兵马反攻田虎。”
“田虎手下兵马创建不易，大多是乌合之众，精锐死一人少一人，越打越少，而我们背靠七十多县，兵马充足，最不惧消耗。”
"This statement from Wei An makes sense!" He Wen Zhong praised.
The next day, an order spread throughout the major counties of Hongyun County from the prefectural government.
He Wen Zhong selected 100,000 county soldiers from various counties and deployed 30,000 Chiyun troops, totaling 130,000 troops, claiming to have 200,000 troops and setting out to conquer Tian Hu.
When Li Xin heard this news, it was already several days later.
The one million stones of grain had already been transported to the hinterland of Hongyun County.
During this period, apart from the battle at Taifeng Mountain, there were no other fluctuations.
Along the way, we passed by some dens of bandits without anyone daring to stop us.
After all, there were nearly ten thousand Chiyun troops nearby. Unless they were foolish, no bandit would dare to rob us.
On this day, the grain convoy entered Yangqiu City, and Li Xin's mission was considered complete.
And Ge Ming, who had not been seen for several days, found him again.
"Brother Ge, long time no see. I wonder what Brother Ge has found recently?"
"Everything has been found out."
Ge Ming took a sip of tea, moistened his throat, and said, "Last time, I followed your advice and started from the confidant under He Wenzhong. Finally, I found out the news about He Wenzhong colluding with Tian Hu."
"At first, there was a conflict between Xulong, a captain of the Jingye Department, and Hewenzhong. So Hewenzhong devised a plan for Xulong to lead a group of skilled members from the Jingye Department to ambush Tianhu. However, they fell into Tianhu's trap in the end..."
"Betraying colleagues and feeding the enemy! He Qiman should be killed!"
Li Xin said in a low voice, expressing his position.
"Indeed, he deserves to be killed! His crimes are not limited to this. He also secretly ordered his subordinates to plunder the refugees and mine the land, select women for brothels, and seize farmers' fields, as well as massacre wealthy households."
"Moreover, the one million stones of grain you are transporting this time are merely his military provisions. Then he will secretly transport the grain to the army to serve as rations, and take out tens of thousands of stones of rice bran to distribute porridge to the refugees, buying popular support."
The more Li Xin listened, the more alarmed he became.
This He Wenzhong is simply an old cunning person.
According to the opponent's plan, if everything goes smoothly, he will not only suppress the rebel Tian Hu, but also smear Tian Hu with dirty water.
Also take advantage of this drought to gain a reputation for capable and competent officials.
When the official examinations arrive, with these achievements, there may be a chance to be promoted and become the head of a prefecture.