January of 699 was not a quiet month. With the imperial edict inviting all the princes to come to Beijing to discuss politics, the entire empire was in turmoil like boiling water. Many countries and forces such as the Liberian Kingdoms/Maqi Khan/Milan/Japanese have turned their attention to their struggling giant neighbor. The changes in the imperial power of the Tanghe Empire directly affected the empire's foreign policy. How to take advantage of this drastic change? The changing situation has become the focus of attention of all parties in order to gain more considerable benefits for their own side. For a time, people from all walks of life gathered in the imperial capital and actively acted to achieve their respective intentions and goals.
As a close assistant of Cheng Dayou, Anlong has been following his lord since Cheng Dayou joined the Taiping Army. He has experienced the glory and decline of the Taiping Religion. During this period, the bloody battle of Lulong and the Battle of Heshuo have never been passed down to future generations. However, After the Battle of Jiujiang, Anlong began to withdraw from the military and enter politics, becoming Cheng Dayou's political spokesperson. Cheng Dayou valued Anlong's talents in government affairs more. As a warlord who had already mastered the military and political power of a place, Cheng Dayou deeply Knowing that government affairs are as important as military affairs, he did not hesitate to entrust all the government affairs of Jiujiang Mansion to Anlong, and Anlong lived up to the trust and took care of all government affairs of Jiujiang Mansion in an orderly manner. You's own political intentions were also implemented through An Long's clever operation and maneuvering, so that the entire Jiujiang Prefecture's gentry essentially accepted Cheng Dayou's right to rule in a short period of time.
Especially after being recruited by the central government of the empire, Cheng Dayou's rule in Jiujiang Prefecture, which had gained a firm foothold in terms of status, was further consolidated, and the capture of Huzhou, an important capital in the south of the Yangtze River, further expanded Cheng Dayou's rule. Anlong participated in the negotiations with Situ Tai and finally reached an agreement on the division of the Jiangnan area. Huzhou finally fell into the hands of Cheng Dayou, which also laid the foundation for Cheng Dayou to form the Thirteenth Army. Strong material foundation.
The chaos in the East China Sea and Jiangnan has brought huge opportunities for the development of Jiujiang and Huzhou. Although it cannot compare with the influx of funds and personnel into the Western Xinjiang region, Huzhou and Jiujiang have still received a lot of help from neighboring regions due to their good location advantages. , the relocation of a group of industrial and commercial owners has made Jiujiang and Huzhou, which were already quite prosperous, even better. The widening of the river channel between Taihu Lake and Yajiang River has connected Huzhou and Jiujiang into one. This has become the tax reduction and low-burden policy that Dayou insists on. It also won him the support of businessmen. On this point, Cheng Dayou and Wu Feng's methods were exactly the same. Even when Cheng Dayou first entered Jiujiang and it was the most difficult time, he gritted his teeth and refused to increase taxes. These measures of his also laid a good foundation for the current prosperity of industry and commerce in the two provinces.
Several large ships parked on the shore of the lake were lined up in diagonal lines. An Long frowned slightly. It didn't take much guessing for An Long to know that the two slightly smaller warships parked next to the boss's ship belonged to the same group. The Taihu Water Pirates were reorganized into the Taihu Navy Army. An Long didn't know how his boss persuaded this gang of water bandits who had been operating in Taihu Lake and Yajiang River for decades. Although Anlong knew that his boss had never done anything like this. I was unprepared, but I was initially convinced by my boss's risky move of going to the Taihu Water Village alone to visit the leader of the water bandits, Shuilong Kanda Jinbao, after taking control of Huzhou. You must know that this group of water bandits has also been recruited by the empire countless times. However, there are countless such cases of attacking and counterattacking, and attacking again and again. Although the empire's river navy has the advantage, it has never been able to truly control this water area. This shows the strength and tenacity of this group of water bandits. However, An Long believed that these water bandits truly surrendered to his lord. With at least three chances, the lord could easily kill all the water bandits, including all the water bandit leaders, but Cheng Dayou They all rejected the suggestions of their subordinates without hesitation, and warned them that if they mentioned such topics in the future, they would be severely punished. In addition to being absolutely sure to control this gang of water bandits, what other reasons could be used to explain it
However, Anlong didn't have much fondness for the water army that was reorganized from these water bandits. It wasn't because of their water bandit origins. As a rebel from the Taiping Religion, he himself was not much more noble than the water bandits. The most important thing was the kind of water bandits he had. The strong bandit atmosphere made An Long, who had gradually regarded himself as a regular court official, feel embarrassed. However, An Long also had to admit that the other leader not only had strong water warfare command capabilities, but also had a keen eye on the current situation. He was incompatible with the other party's rude and informal style, and even his boss was amazed by his keen sense of smell.
The footsteps did not stop, and An Long walked straight to the side of the ship. A sergeant had already put the planks on the ship for An Long and signaled An Long to board the ship. The side of the ship was even higher than the dock. This was originally the Taihu water bandits who captured the empire's inland river. A large ship in the fleet was borrowed by the other party to offer flowers and Buddhas and became the boss's ship. It traveled between Taihu Lake and Yajiang River for a long time. It also became the itinerary mark of Cheng Dayou, the deputy commander-in-chief of the southern military region of the empire and the envoy to patrol Taihu Lake.
Walking into the cabin, a wave of heat hits my face. Although it is in the south of the Yangtze River, the severe winter has arrived. The cold current from the north invades the south, which also makes Huzhou, located in the northern part of the south of the Yangtze River, feel the breath of winter early. The huge copper charcoal stove in the cabin With the excitement surging, a maid had already come to undress Anlong, take off his outer clothes, and invite him to take a seat.
Looking up at the people present, Anlong found that in addition to his boss and the current navy commander Tian Jinbao, there were two more men who looked like men of letters. Anlong was a little surprised. The only people who could board this boat were Apart from the boss's few women, there are only a few capable men in the army and himself. However, it seems that these two people have never met before, but they can be arrogant and disrespectful among them. Obviously, they are also highly valued by the boss. and trustworthy people.
Sitting next to Cheng Dayou is a strong-looking man, with a head like a bronze bell, a face like a full moon, and a face like a seated Maitreya Buddha. A pair of slightly closed eyes are dotted with cold light. This is the whale who is known as the most heroic man in Taihu Lake. Wang Tian Jinbao, this person once represented the Taihu water pirates alone on the Atlantic Ocean and among the pirates, he tested his water skills with numerous pirates and rogues on the Atlantic Ocean, but he did not fall behind at all, and won the unanimous praise of the heroes on the imperial waterways. praise.
He held the top position among the heroes of Taihu Lake for thirteen years. During this period, the Imperial Navy's river fleet conducted countless encirclement and suppression campaigns, but always let him escape at the last critical moment. In the end, the Imperial Navy's success fell short, and In the later period, he repeatedly defeated the Imperial Navy's river fleet, and resisted the Empire's attempts to recruit troops. However, he always controlled the main force of the Taihu water bandits, leaving the Empire helpless. But he was in the process of becoming Dayou. After worshiping the mountain gate, he honestly submitted to Cheng Dayou, which also surprised many heroes who made a living on the waterways in the empire.
Cheng Dayou had a thoughtful look on his face. It seemed that the conversation just now gave him a lot of things worth recalling, which he could not fully digest for a while.
It should be said that from a young general of the Taiping Army to a semi-independent warlord, Cheng Dayou has been living in the past few years and has become the lord of the land. Choosing a suitable time to surrender to Situ Lang is indeed a great achievement for Cheng Dayou. You won a lot of points. With the brand of imperial orthodoxy, the Jiujiang gentry who were already very fond of Cheng Dayou's policies became increasingly close to Cheng Dayou. The inclusion of Huzhou also made Cheng Dayou You are a little more ambitious.
"Sir, the disintegration of the empire is a foregone conclusion, and the civil war in the Situ family is inevitable. Situ Biao thought that he could control the overall situation by controlling Ma Yuanwang, but he underestimated Situ Tai too much, and Situ Tai's methods were ruthless enough. , willing enough to be able to tear apart several division commanders who have been in Ma Yuanhuai's hands alive. Except for Huangfu Tiancheng and Ma Yuanhuai's confidants who never understand, the other three divisions have all changed to new masters. , the variables in this are too great, Situ Tai has three imperial guard divisions as his backing, the imperial capital city will change the royal flag at any time." The scribe on the left is slightly thinner, with a faint arrow mark on his cheek. It passed by as if it was just right. The hawk-like eyes were extremely sharp, but the slightly blue lips were thinner and did not look so kind.
An Long was startled, his eyes followed the words of the thin scribe, and happened to meet his eyes. Could this guy be the guy who has been hiding in the dark, the boss's intelligence director
Seeing An Long's eyes looking over, he nodded kindly, and the thin scribe continued: "There is another huge variable that is Li Wufeng. Li Wufeng is so powerful now that no one in the empire can restrain him. Situ Tai is also far inferior. Maybe the only thing that can restrain him is public opinion, but how long this so-called public opinion can restrain Li Wufeng, I'm afraid even Li Wufeng himself doesn't know."
"The Kaman people will not give up this opportunity so easily, but how they will use this opportunity and how deeply they will get involved here is also a variable. Although the power of the Kaman people is a threat to the entire Tang people, A huge threat, but at certain times and situations, it is a suitable partner in the minds of many people. Many members of the Situ family have been inextricably linked to the Kaman and Puer people. The switching between enemies and friends is so frequent that it makes people feel a little embarrassed. While they are choosing each other, the Kaman people are also choosing their partners. And this storm will be their best performance stage. , how well they perform depends on their nature."