Chapter 69: Refuel, Youngster!

  Lu Qian was of majestic appearance and eloquent in speech, but few had the ambition of a grown man.

  Wang Lin and Lu Qian had a deep-seated feud, to the point where they couldn't even share the same pot for urination. This wasn't because Lu Qian was a corrupt official who only cared about his own interests, but rather he was extremely talented. In the thirteen years he spent in the Jianghuai region, he made Chen Guo cautious for thirteen years. Chen Zhu once told his generals that if they wanted to advance north, they had to eliminate Lu Qian first, which shows just how extraordinary Lu Qian was.

  The contradictions between politicians are often due to differences in political views. Wang Lin harbors a deep-seated hatred for the Chen imperial clan, constantly thinking of ways to overthrow the Chen regime and reduce Chen Baxian to nothing. Therefore, when it comes to dealing with the Chen state, Wang Lin is an absolute radical, advocating for a southern campaign. However, Lu Zhen happens to hold the opposite view, believing that they should focus on recovery and development, enriching the people and strengthening the country.

  In 561 AD, the Northern Qi government sent Wang Lin southward to recruit and develop city rascals on his own, assisting Yangzhou Governor Lu Qian in resisting Chen's army. Wang Lin knew that Lu Qian did not advocate for going south, so he hesitated and was indecisive, and the two had contradictions from here.

  At this time, Wang Lin was appointed as the governor of Yangzhou, in charge of military affairs in Yangzhou, to resist the Chen army. This was originally what Wang Lin had hoped for, but having a central envoy supervising him made him feel uneasy, and even more so since the envoy was Lu Qian with whom he did not get along.

  He was muddle-headed, but he grasped the power in his hands tightly and didn't dare to relax at all. For the generals who went out to fight, he never dared to hand over all the military power to them, letting them do as they pleased. This distrustful approach not only made the generals under him feel cold, but also caused the orders to be unclear, often missing opportunities for battle and even leading to defeat in war.

  Historically, after Wang Lin's defeat outside Shiliang City, he fled alone to Pengcheng and was soon dispatched to defend Shouyang. However, due to his poor relationship with the inspector Lu Qian, Wang Lin was unable to fully utilize his abilities, resulting in his failure to effectively repel Chen Baxian's army. In the end, Chen Baxian's army besieged the city for three months, built a dam on the Fei River, and diverted water into Shouyang, causing six or seven out of ten soldiers and civilians to die or be injured. The city was eventually breached, and Wang Lin was captured by his old rival Wu Minge.

  On September 3, when he had just received the news that Wang Lin was about to be sent to Shouyang, his heart was filled with anxiety. He clearly remembered that in history, Shouyang was where Wang Lin would meet his demise. In the entire Northern Qi's Jianghuai region, there were only two people who could truly resist the Chen State, and apart from the handsome Lanling King Gao Changgong, it was only Balings King Wang Lin. If Wang Lin were to die, relying solely on Huai Prefecture, Gao Changgong would find it extremely difficult to resist the Chen army alone.

  After pondering in the study for nearly an hour, Gao Xi finally walked out with a smile on his face. He strolled along the street, constantly casting flirtatious glances at the beautifully dressed young girls, boldly and wantonly teasing them, and whenever he saw their faces turn red, he would burst into loud laughter.

  Wearing a luxurious outfit, strolling aimlessly on the streets, one glance and people know he's a young master.

  "Come on, young master!"

  Blocked on the way, he frowned with great displeasure, and when he saw the person blocking the road, his frowning eyebrows became a big "川" character. He showed a disgusted expression, retreated backwards while constantly fanning his nose with his sleeve.

  Blocking the way to happiness was a beggar, about twenty years old, with messy hair and dirty face, and eight tattered cloth bags hanging on his body. Not only were his clothes tattered, but he also had a nauseating stench all over him, polluting not only the good mood of happiness but also the fresh air.

  "You stinky little brat, don't you want to live?! How dare you block the way of this young master!" He shouted loudly with a face full of anger.

  "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, sir! Please be kind to me!" The beggar bowed his waist and apologized repeatedly, with a pitiful look in his eyes, holding up a broken bowl high in front of Gaoxing.

  "Pfft! I don't even have enough money to buy flower wine, let alone give you any!" Xing looked at the beggar with a mixture of excitement and anger, his face filled with impatience. If the beggar had been dressed more cleanly, Xing would have pushed him aside, but unfortunately the beggar was too dirty, so Xing could only half-raise his hand, afraid of getting his own clothes dirty.

  "Master, I beg of you!" The beggar pleaded.

  "Scram!" But he was unmoved, pulling out a silk handkerchief from his sleeve and wrapping it around his own hand, then grabbing the beggar's arm and dragging him to one side.

  "Korean big stick." He said in a quick voice that only the two of them could hear, when the beggar passed by his side.

  "Eastern devils." The beggar's eyes, which had been full of pleading, suddenly lit up, and he added in a low voice.

  With a gleam in his eye, he yanked the beggar forward and slapped the silk handkerchief on him, saying irritably: "Scram, you're really unlucky!"

  He finished speaking and walked forward without looking back, once again teasing the girls on the street, taking great pleasure in it.

  The beggar followed Happy for a few steps, pleading with him, but only got his back view. He couldn't help but spit a mouthful of yellow phlegm on the ground in anger and then left while muttering curses under his breath. No one would notice this beggar or this simple scene because such phenomena were too frequent in Ye City. The only strange thing was that Happy, dressed in white, had a relatively gentle attitude and didn't fight back with fists and feet. Maybe it's because of his humble family background, which was the ordinary people's guess.

  No one noticed that the beggar came to a secluded place with nimble footsteps, first carefully looking around, and then carefully opened the joyful brocade handkerchief, on which there were only two simple words: San Geng.

  After carefully tucking the silk handkerchief into his bosom, the beggar no longer went to perform his begging duties, but instead quickly headed towards the west of the city.

  The sunset is always accompanied by a hazy color, attracting people's attention. The entire Ye City is covered with a layer of light golden glow under the reflection of the sunset, looking so peaceful and dreamy.

  On a autumn night in the north, the weather is still quite cool, and the cicadas that fear heat have finally settled down, making this world quiet.

  The lamp in the study was still on, quietly casting his slightly frail figure onto the window.

  Suddenly, the closed eyes of Gao Xing suddenly opened, and two sharp lights burst out, like two sharp swords, causing the candle flame in front to flicker constantly. The shadow of Gao Xing also twisted and shook along with it.

  Soon after, a short and forceful knock at the door sounded.

  "Come in."

  The door creaked open with a "creak" and a man in black slipped in quickly, shutting the door behind him.

  Someone came over and pulled down the black cloth covering his face, revealing a young face. He was about fifteen or sixteen years old, with a solemn expression, but from his slightly trembling lips and the sparks jumping in his eyes, it could be seen that he was extremely excited at this moment.

  "Pay respects to the leader of the gang!" The young man suddenly fell to the ground, and although he tried his best to control himself, his trembling voice still revealed his unquiet heart.

  "Li Feng, hurry up!" With a warm smile on his excited face, he got up and helped the young man to sit down in the chair opposite him.

  This young man is Li Feng, one of the core members of the Beggar Gang, along with Zhang Shun, Zhao Gou, Monkey Sun Li and that lovely Wu Sangui, they are five brothers. Li Feng and Sun Li were sent to Ye City by Gao Xing three months ago, their purpose was to pay attention to the movements in Ye City. Last time, Zhao Gou was able to quickly pass on the news of Han Changling's southern expedition back to Gao Xing, earning him preparation time, thanks to the efforts of Sun Li and Li Feng.

  Lei Feng sat down, and with a sigh of excitement, he said: "Lei Feng, it's been months since we last met. You've grown taller and more mature too! Thanks for taking care of the Beggar Clan's affairs!"

  Li Feng was moved, his eyes slightly sour, and he said excitedly: "The development of the beggar gang is the responsibility and duty of every beggar gang member! If it weren't for the leader's acceptance, Li Feng might have starved to death in a foreign land by now, where would he have such skills?"

  "Come on, young man!" He smiled happily and patted Li Feng's shoulder, saying in a very old-fashioned tone. But to Li Feng, it sounded like the music of the gods, making his blood boil with excitement.