Chapter 42 Little Cicada

  Tokyo, the capital of the Great Song Dynasty, has been through eight generations of emperors, with a population of over 1.5 million, majestic and grand in scale. Its prosperity and wealth are enough to make the world take notice, and future generations will look back in admiration. It can be said without exaggeration that at this time, Tokyo is the center of the entire world! However, this prosperous and flourishing city has now been targeted by the ferocious wolves from the north, drooling with greed, crouching low to the ground, ready to pounce at any moment, tearing apart the prosperity that has been built up over hundreds of years.

  The moon is bright and the stars are sparse, but Tokyo is still bustling. Inside Xuanze Gate, there is a magnificent mansion that rivals those of the three dukes. When asked about it, people say it's the residence of the young Prince Cai. It's actually the residence of Cai Jing's eldest son, Cai You, who serves as the co-administrator of the Imperial Secretariat. After his falling out with his father, Cai You moved into this imperial-granted mansion and has been receiving increasingly heavy favors.

  A sedan chair stopped in front of the mansion, and a man got out. It was Huang Qianshan, the former county magistrate of Xiajin, who had been summoned back to the capital by Cai Zhuo's secret promotion to participate in important affairs. This was to thank him for his kindness. After giving the doorman a tip, he was allowed to enter and soon received an invitation from Cai Zhuo to have tea in the Flower Hall. Led by a servant, he walked to the tea hall, sipping clear tea and looking around. The imperial mansion was indeed elegant and refined, with calligraphy on the wall that seemed to be the work of Su Shi.

  Just as he was looking at him in surprise, he heard a slight cough and Huang Qianshan stood up straight, saying: "Student Huang Qianshan, has seen the benevolent teacher."

  Cai You was nearly fifty years old, inheriting his father's tall and straight figure, with a dignified appearance, eyes like bright stars, broad forehead and high nose, with long whiskers under his chin, looking elegant and refined. If one didn't know the details, they would think he was a scholar with great knowledge and talent. He wore casual clothes, a silk hat, sat down in the main seat, picked up the tea and blew on it lightly before saying: "Mao He has had a hard journey, sit down and talk."

  Huang Qianshan did not dare to sit down, repeatedly expressing his gratitude and loyalty. Cai Yong was very pleased with this and ordered him to take a seat. Only then did he dare to speak as bidden. Cai Yong praised him for a few sentences, mainly commending him on his effective governance in Xiajin and his outstanding achievements. Then the conversation took a turn, touching on court affairs. He said that since returning from the front lines, many officials at court had been misunderstanding him, with some people making an issue out of the defeat and launching fierce attacks.

  Huang Maohe is a sensible person, and the so-called court officials are just Cai Que's father Cai Jing and his brother Cai Tiao. Not long ago, Cai Jing became prime minister again at the age of nearly 80, with inconvenient movements, unable to see, and all official duties were decided by his son Cai Tiao, who also attended court on his behalf and met with the emperor. Every time he went to court, the attendants below him would make a bow and flatter him in every way. Dozens of officials followed behind him, holding documents tightly and following closely, showing off and being arrogant. This time Cai Que returned from the front line in defeat, and Cai Jing and his son Cai Tiao fiercely attacked him, accusing him of not knowing military affairs, making blind strategic decisions, and giving chaotic orders, resulting in a major defeat on the battlefield, which gave him a big headache.

  "Don't worry about it, since the imperial family is so benevolent, they will certainly not be swayed." Huang Qianshan comforted.

  Cai You glanced at him and sighed, "Mao He, you don't know that if it weren't for the fact that there's still a Tong Taishi above me, and Xia Jin won another victory against the bandits, I wouldn't be able to say anything in front of the officials. It's possible that I would have been dismissed long ago." After saying this, he let out a bitter laugh. If it were in the past, eliminating a thousand or so bandits wouldn't even count as farting, but now it had become his fig leaf. The other day, there was another report of victory, saying that the entire Jingwei Xiangyong Camp in Daming Prefecture had been cleared of bandits. He exaggerated again and reported that he had eliminated five or six thousand people. Now, Daming Prefecture was so safe that you could pick up things on the road at night without worrying about thieves. The Emperor was delighted and praised him, saying that his strategy of recruiting local militia to fight against bandits was a good one.

  "By the way, what was the name of that kid from the Dai Meng Fu?" Cai suddenly asked.

  Huang Qianshan replied: "Xu Wei, is the second son of Xu Zhang, the original attendant and commander of the Imperial Guard Infantry."

  Cai You nodded, took a sip of tea and muttered: "Xu Wei, Xu Wei... can he be trusted?"

  Huang Qianshan thought for a moment, nodded and said: "As far as I can see now, he is reliable. This young man is still young, proficient in martial arts, has the talent to command troops, and is down-to-earth and hardworking. He is different from his father Xu Zang's temperament and is quite reasonable."

  Cai You nodded frequently, and didn't even drink tea, saying: "Hmph, I like this kind of person who can get things done and understands the situation. These two years have made it clear that the Hebei and Hedong regions are just a bunch of bandit troops, shouting louder than anyone else, but retreating faster than anyone else when battle starts - a group of good-for-nothings! Tomorrow, I'll instruct the Imperial Guard Infantry Command to issue a commendation for Xu Wei, let him do his job well, eliminate more bandits, and send more victory reports. The court won't treat him unfairly."

  Huang Qianshan listened and said: "Although Xu Wei's militia is affiliated with the Governor of Henan's Pacification Commission, it is actually a local force. If we want to highlight the importance of this matter, the Ministry of War has already given enough face by issuing an official document. Why do we need to trouble the Commander-in-Chief's office to take action?"

  Cai Yi waved his hand repeatedly: "However, however, it's not that simple, and it's not enough to boost the army's morale. As long as Xu Wei wins the battle, it will prove that my strategy is in line with the current situation. At that time, when we expand our victory to Hebei and Hedong, who will dare to gossip about me?"

  Huang Qianshan saw him say this, and didn't say anything more. He thought to himself that this time Xu Wei had gotten a good deal. Being favored by Cai Zhuan, his future prospects were probably set in stone. Thinking of this, he felt a bit sour in his heart, but thinking again, Xu Wei was just a martial artist after all, young and inexperienced. If he showed him some kindness, wouldn't he be grateful? Suddenly remembering what Xu Wei had entrusted to him before leaving, saying that the village militia had many difficulties, asking for consideration from above, should he take this opportunity to speak up for him? After thinking about it, he decided against it. They weren't close relatives or friends, and he had only received some silver from him, why go out of his way to help him so much?

  "That village brave camp imperial court only manages grain and grass military salary, Xu Wei is afraid there are not many difficulties?" Just as Huang Qianshan was calculating the small abacus, Cai You actually took the initiative to ask.

  Hey, what's going on here? As the second-in-command of the Imperial Guard and with over a million troops under your control, you're not even in charge, yet you're competing with Xu Wei and his few hundred rural soldiers? However, now that the Khitan people have been completely defeated and there are no more battles to be fought in the north, Cai wants to achieve some political success, so he can only focus on the bandits in Hebei. The strategy of recruiting local militia to fight against the bandits was proposed by him, and if it succeeds, not only will no one dare to oppose him, but the imperial court will also be extremely pleased. If it fails, his old comrades will come after him, settling both new and old scores, and he won't let up until he's been stripped of his official position. Since you've joined his camp, your fates are tied together, sharing honor and shame, like two ants on the same string. Now that Xu Wei has also joined, it's a matter of shared success or failure.

  "Thanks for your understanding and sympathy, Xu Wei will surely be grateful if he knew." Huang Qianshan said with a smile.

  "Huh? There really is a difficult situation? I thought so too, when he was first appointed, someone stirred up trouble, and didn't think about it, reducing the treatment of the imperial guards by half? Is the person who said this still human? Born of the same parents, Xu Wei's militia is doing work for the imperial guards, but not getting paid, and letting the horses run without feeding them grass. Hmm, I need to consider this matter, but currently my situation is passive, if Xu Wei wants to ask the court for money and equipment, it depends on his abilities. As long as we win a victory, I'll have confidence, and everything will be easy to say."

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  The second update is here! There are still two more updates waiting for you brothers today! If you enjoy reading, please give me a recommendation, collect, and reward!