***
In the second hall of Xiangyin County Government, Qin Mu seemed not to notice the change in He Tengjiao's expression, and continued: "This time when an epidemic broke out in Xiangyin, Lord He ignored his personal safety and rushed over to check the epidemic situation as soon as possible. It is really commendable."
"Sir Qin, I am really tired. If you have nothing else to say, I will take my leave first." He Tengjiao took his leave again because he felt very uncomfortable with the tone of Qin Mu, who treated his subordinates like a superior.
However, he witnessed with his own eyes Qin Mu attracting thunder from heaven to strike the God of Plague. This incident shocked him so much that if he had not seen it with his own eyes, he would never believe that someone could attract thunder from heaven.
Ever since Qin Mu entered Huguang, many magical legends about Qin Mu have been circulating among the people of Huguang, such as that he could talk to the sky and so on. He Tengjiao has always scoffed at this, thinking that it was just rumors spread by fools, until he witnessed the astonishing scene outside the South Gate this time, and He Tengjiao was almost shocked.
Now his attitude towards Qin Mu has changed a lot. Although Qin Mu's words made him very uncomfortable, he just said goodbye and did not emphasize that he was the governor of Huguang to confront Qin Mu.
Even so, Qin Mu frowned slightly. He did intend to win over He Tengjiao, but He Tengjiao had to truly obey him. Otherwise, what was the use of him
He said calmly: "Since you feel tired, Master He, you should rest for a while."
"Goodbye." He Tengjiao paused for a moment, bowed, and left the second hall on his own.
Qin Mu ignored him and said to everyone present: "Let's continue."
This time Sima Kai spoke first: "Sir, among the several forces in Jiangbei, only Zuo Liangyu, Liu Zeqing, Huang Degong and Gao Jie who is watching from Hebei are worth watching. Among them, although Huang Degong has the least troops, his military discipline is the best. Huang Degong himself is also a rare brave general. If he can be subdued, it will be like adding wings to a tiger for you. Sir, I am willing to go to Luzhou to be a lobbyist."
After hearing this, Qin Mu nodded slightly to him, but did not comment on his request.
Sima Kai has a good sense of the overall situation and is quite similar to his father.
But after all, he is still young and has not had much experience, so he acts a little impulsively, or it should be said that he is a newborn calf that is not afraid of a tiger.
Zhuge Min glanced at Sima Kai and said to Qin Mu, "Sir, we have no conflict with Huang Degong. We have always been at peace. Huang Degong is guarding Luzhou and has to bear the pressure of the Dashun Army in the Central Plains directly. I think he doesn't want to make enemies on both sides.
Huang Degong has 100,000 soldiers. It is not realistic to subdue him at present, but I think it should not be difficult to make friends with him. If we can establish a military alliance with him, it will be beneficial to us. On the one hand, it can ensure the safety of the Yangtze River waterway. On the other hand, it can put pressure on Zuo Liangyu in Xiangyang, so that Zuo Liangyu dare not easily spy on Huguang. "
This is the mature and prudent opinion. They are not much weaker than you, and you have no moral integrity. How can you subdue them
But establishing a military alliance is different. The world is changing rapidly and unpredictably, so establishing an alliance is beneficial to both sides.
With these established cooperation foundations, it would not be difficult to achieve the goal as long as Huang Degong was given some benefits.
Among the people present, Xu Yongshun was the most excited. Since he came to Huguang, he had always been a follower of Qin Mu, but that was when Qin Mu was away. This was the first time he had the opportunity to participate in an occasion like today.
This meant a lot to him, as it meant that Qin Mu was gradually opening the door to him. As the saying goes, if you give a peach, you will get a plum in return. He thought about it and volunteered, "Brother, if you trust me, I will go to Luzhou."
"Oh?" Qin Mu seemed a little surprised, and asked with a smile: "Xiao Shunzi, what are you going to do after arriving in Luzhou? Tell me, first tell me what good plan you have."
"Brother, you are joking. What good ideas can I have? All I can do is to cater to his preferences. As far as I know, Huang Degong lost his father when he was young, has not received much education, and has a rough personality, but he is very loyal."
"Haha, Xiao Shunzi, what does it have to do with you whether Huang Degong is loyal or not? He is loyal to the court, and as for righteousness... Could it be that Xiao Shunzi and you have a moral friendship?"
"Brother, you are joking. How can there be any moral friendship between me and Huang Degong?"
"Then why do you look so confident? This matter is of great importance. If you are not sure, how can I trust you to do it?" Qin Mu smiled, as if he wanted to reject Xu Yongshun's request.
Xu Yongshun had no choice but to say, "Brother, to be honest, when Huang Degong was a general in the Beijing camp, my father took care of him a little bit..."
"Hahaha, if that's the case, then why doesn't Xiao Shunzi join Huang Degong's army instead of coming to my little temple to dawdle?"
Xu Yongshun was quite embarrassed. He came to Qin Mu to seek a new way out for his family. Although Huang Degong was a good general, he was rude and uncivilized. Due to the limitations of his situation, he would never become the master of the world in the future. Therefore, although his family had a friendship with Huang Degong, they would never bet on Huang Degong.
But Xu Yongshun couldn't say such words, so he could only laugh and said: "Brother, what are you talking about? How can Huang Degong compare with you? I just get along well with you. Brother, please don't look down on me. If you trust me, please let me do it. If you don't trust me, then I can't do anything."
"Haha, great! Xiao Shunzi, you can go to Luzhou. If you can get this done, I will certainly benefit from you."
Upon hearing this, Xu Yongshun immediately said with a drooling face: "Hey, big brother, can you first tell me what benefits you will give me when the time comes?"
"Well, can I take it that you are bargaining with me?"
"I dare not, I dare not, big brother, please don't misunderstand me, I don't mean that at all, I was just joking, don't take it seriously." Xu Yongshun bowed repeatedly. He witnessed with his own eyes when Qin Mu summoned the thunder to strike the Plague God that day. The shock he received was no less than that of He Tengjiao. Now that Qin Mu had just opened a door, it was not a good time to bargain.
"Haha, I was just joking with you. Xiao Shunzi, when did you become so reserved? Well, Xiao Shunzi, please take the trouble to go to Luzhou. I, your brother, wish you success."
"Thank you for your trust, big brother. I will definitely live up to your expectations."
Xu Yongshun did what he said. After Qin Mu wrote a letter and gave it to him, he immediately set off for Luzhou.
While Qin Mu was writing the letter, Zhuge Min had been thinking. As soon as Xu Yongshun left, he asked, "Are you ready to accept these powerful forces?"
Qin Mu replied seriously, "If this force is used well, it will be a great help. Li Zicheng has already reached Juyongguan, and the world is about to change. If we don't show any sign of weakness at this time, I'm afraid they will do something desperate."
"Sir, these families have been operating for generations and have deep roots. They are by no means as simple as they appear on the surface and should not be underestimated. This can be seen from the fact that Huang Degong's case is not difficult. If you want to accept them, you can, but you have to strike a balance."
"Well, Mr. Zhuge is right. I am only planning to start some cooperation with them. Once Li Zicheng conquers the capital, Nanjing will be in turmoil. We just happen to lack a focus in Nanjing. Cooperation with these families is a feasible way. What do you think, Mr. Zhuge?"
Zhuge Min pondered and said, "Since Your Excellency has this intention, we might as well give it a try. In fact, I think that as long as we can stand firm in terms of morality, we don't need to pay too much attention to the situation in Nanjing."
"Mr. Sima, you are wrong." Qin Mu was secretly disappointed with Zhuge Min. Zhuge Min was very good in handling daily government affairs, but he was inferior to Sima An in strategic vision, and even inferior to He Liang and Li Yuan.
In fact, if you think deeply, once Beijing falls, Nanjing will undoubtedly become the new political center. If you have enough say in Nanjing, you can influence Nanjing's decision-making, although it is somewhat difficult to do this.
But as long as Nanjing can stay in the lead for a little longer and buy more time to grow stronger, it will be valuable.
Fortunately, Zhuge Min was not too weak. He reacted quickly and stood up and bowed to apologize.
****************************(To be continued...)
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