Chapter Seventeen Departure

  On the twentieth day of October in the tenth year of Tianqi, all the high-ranking officers of Changsheng Camp gathered in Li Qing's tent, holding their first formal meeting since the camp was established. The purpose was to discuss only one thing: with the imperial envoy gone, the reorganization of Dingzhou Army would begin soon, and what would be the future of Changsheng Camp and how should they respond?

  Wang Qinian and the three of them led the troops, this discussion was obviously beyond their capabilities, except for Zhang Dàmǒubā (big mouth), who stood with his ears perked up, unable to do anything else. Tang Hu, Yang Yidao, standing beside Li Qing, seemed to be able to do nothing but stand as two door gods. The discussion mainly took place between Li Qing, Lu Yiming and Shang Haibo.

  "General, I think Xiao Yuanshan and Fang Wenshan won't be too excessive. After all, they also relied on the help of the Li family to get through this time. Returning a favor for a peach, I think the general's situation shouldn't be too difficult." Lu Yiming said with confidence.

  Li Qing nodded, "Mr. Lu is right, I think so too. In the short term, we can still cope, but what worries me is this round of reorganization. We all know that Dingzhou Army is not a forbidden army, and the military expenses provided by the court have always been only three tenths, while the remaining seven tenths need to be raised by ourselves. Generally speaking, Dingzhou Army divides one county into one camp as its source of income. If Xiao Yuanshan wants to make things difficult for us, I'm afraid he will start from this aspect."

  Lu Yiming said: "The general's concerns are not wrong, so this time we must win a slightly better county, at least it should be an average county, only then can we collect enough grain, and the Changsheng camp can develop and grow."

  Shang Haibo's cold laughter suddenly stopped, and Lu Yiming quickly turned his head back, angrily saying: "What are you laughing at? We're racking our brains here, and you don't say a word, what's the logic in that?"

  "What's there to think about?"

  Li Qing looked at him with dissatisfaction, "Mr. Shang, we are discussing matters, what do you think, feel free to speak, no need to be ashamed."

  Seeing Li Qing's dissatisfaction, Shang Haibo composed his expression and said seriously: "General, in fact, there is no need to think about it. Wherever Dingzhou is the poorest and most difficult, that place will definitely be assigned to us as a vassal state."

  "What kind of logic is this?" Lu Yiming sneered: "Has the tea gone cold before the man has left? The Xiao and Fang families wouldn't be so shameless, would they?"

  Li Qing also disbelievingly said: "Mr. Shang, what basis does this statement have? The words are still in my ears, and you want to tear off the skin of our faces?"

  Shang Haibo said: "General, think about it and you'll understand. This time the general was promoted, Li's family helped Xiao's family through a difficult situation, what is this?"

  "This is a deal!" said Li Qing.

  "It's a deal, then. It's just a transaction." Shang Haibo smiled and said: "The transaction has been completed, the general has been promoted, Xiao Yuanshan is safe and sound, both families have gotten what they want, and now it's time for each to go their separate ways. Can't let the two families of Xiao watch the general grow and prosper, can we? I'm afraid now they're thinking about how to pull out this nail that is the general, so he can't survive, can't stand firm, and then leave on his own."

  Li Qing's heart skipped a beat, "You're being so obvious, aren't you afraid of Li's counterattack?"

  Shang Haibo smiled and said, "Are the Xiao Fang clan and Li clan friends? No, they aren't. Is their power smaller than the Li clan's? Not small, right? When there's benefit, they unite; when there's no benefit, they split. What's there to say?"

  "What does Mr. Nai think is the most likely place for Changying to go?" Li Qing couldn't help but glance at Shang Haibo.

  Shang Haibo pulled out a map of Dingzhou from Li Qing's case and pointed to it, saying: "General, please take a look. The richest place in Dingzhou is naturally the area around Dingzhou City. No one needs to think about this place, it must be Xiao Yuanshan's territory. Currently, the most powerful force in the Dingzhou army is the Zhongxie under Lyu Dalin's command. To prevent the barbarians from entering the border again, Xiao Yuanshan will definitely deploy Zhongxie to the three military passes of Dingyuan, Weiyuan, and Zhenyuan. These three military passes are not only the closest to the barbarians but also the most fertile places. They produce rich goods and can trade with the barbarians. After the war is over, business still needs to be done. The barbarians need daily necessities like iron and salt, which don't need to be sold in Dingzhou. Just these taxes are enough for Lyu Dalin to eat his fill. As for Fuyuan, although it's a remote place, it guards the side of Dingzhou, and Lin County is also not bad. This place must belong to Lyu Dabing's Xuanfeng Camp. If something happens in Fuyuan, Lyu Dalin will definitely not abandon them, as they are sworn brothers!"

  Shang Haibo talked endlessly, and in the blink of an eye, he had already divided up Dingzhou. Finally, he pointed to a place with his hand, "This is where our Changsheng Camp will be based."

  "Chong County?" Li Qing couldn't help but exclaim in surprise.

  "Not bad, it's Chong County!" Shang Haibo said coldly. "Chong County is mountainous and was already one of the poorest places. This time, the barbarians invaded and deeply penetrated Dingzhou, burning and killing everything in sight, plundering countless people, leaving only a tenth of the population remaining. If you put General's Victorious Camp here, where will the general go to gather supplies? Where will he go to replenish his troops? The general's current Victorious Camp has only over a thousand people, I suppose. Wanting to fill up to three thousand people, don't even think about Xue Yuanshan. Without men or soldiers, how can the general stand firm? Even if the general has the Li family's support and doesn't worry about supplies, without a strong army, he cannot gain benefits for the Li family. Will the Li family spend money on a useless force? I'm afraid that when the time comes, the Li family will also abandon him, letting the general fend for himself."

  Li Qing's face turned gloomy, "So you're saying that there's no other way out? The only option is to go to Chong County?"

  Shang Haibo nodded and said, "That's right, Chongxian is definitely where the general will station his troops."

  "Can you think of a way out?" Li Qing asked in a low voice.

  Shang Haibo shook his head, "I don't know, can only take it one step at a time now. For the time being, General can only try to get some other benefits in the reorganization and make up for it slightly."

  "Anything else? Grains, arms, or something else?" Li Qing asked.

  Shang Haibo shook his head, "These things Xiao Yuanshan will definitely make excuses not to give. General, think again, do you really need these things? Even if Xiao Yuanshan gives them, how much can he give and for how long can they last? Besides, General, you're not short of money now! In the short term, you still have silver, and you can also get some from the Li family."

  Li Qing glanced at Shang Haibo, this despicable guy, and his words actually carried a hint of comparison. Ah, if he were to end up in such a place, what would he truly need? Frowning in thought, Lu Yi on the side also seemed to be pondering this question, previously he had never imagined it would turn out so badly.

  After a while, Li Qing's eyes suddenly lit up, "I understand now, in such a place, what I need most is..."

  Shang Haibo's face lit up with excitement, "What did the general think of?"

  "Power over personnel!" Li Qing said slowly, word by word: "Personnel affairs, I want to take control of all major military and civil matters in Chong County. This way, if something is done, there won't be any obstacles."

  Shang Haibo clapped his hands together, "Exactly so, General. This is the only thing you can get now. As for what to do next, let's talk about it when we arrive in Chong County!"

  Li Qing nodded, "The gentleman is right, Li Qing's spear technique has improved."

  Lu Yi Meng felt a bit embarrassed, but Shang Hai Bo thought of it, he had not expected it at all. At this time, his eyes looking at Shang Hai Bo no longer had the previous disdain, and turned to Li Qing, "General, this is just Hai Bo's speculative words, maybe the situation isn't that bad."

  Li Qing smiled and said: "Although it's not certain, it's probably 80 or 90% likely. Tomorrow is the military council meeting, since we already know where to go, you two gentlemen should prepare some things in advance."

  Lu Yi Ming nodded and said, "That's right, I think first we should purchase a large quantity of grain. Once we arrive in Chong County, not only the troops but also the local people will be waiting with open mouths to eat. Without grain, there is no stability, let alone with winter approaching."

  "Please go and prepare, both of you!"