Sibao County and Shen Tang’s team do have a connection.
The former Sibao County Magistrate Yan Cheng was Qi Shan's mortal enemy, and was eventually crushed in the head by Shen Tang, killing him. Now the current County Magistrate has provoked Shen Tang again, and with Shen Tang's vengeful and protective personality, Qiu Cheng is doomed to have a bad ending.
Chu Yao wasted five years here.
Kang Shi came here to join in the fun and met Shen Tang.
Shen Tang forcibly abducted the civilian man Gu Chi here.
Gong Shuwu's relatives of the Gong family were exiled here and died when Xiaocheng was captured, and he became a lonely man.
Tu Rong's grandparents were buried here...
For everyone, the land of Sibao County carries too many unpleasant memories. What's more ironic is that Xiaocheng fought desperately to defend the city, but now the proclamation is to attack the city... It has to be said that fate understands black humor.
Shen Tang then took another sip of hot soy milk.
He sighed, "Sibao County is so unlucky..."
In addition to the seat of government, Xiaocheng, Sibao County also had four other counties. During the Chengping years, this place was famous for the four treasures it produced. With convenient transportation, the people under its jurisdiction had enough food and clothing. It was considered to be one of the border counties where people lived a relatively good life.
It's just that bad luck has come, and even drinking water makes your teeth ache. Located between the former Geng and Xin kingdoms, Sibao County has experienced ups and downs...
First, it was conquered by Zheng Qiao's troops. Before it could catch its breath, it was attacked by the flattering and cruel officials of Yancheng. They did everything they could to plunder the people's wealth. The well-governed city was turned into a brothel. Prostitution was prevalent and human trafficking was rampant.
After that, King Zhui led his troops to besiege the city and massacre people, and the population of the city continued to decrease. Yan Cheng's successor was not very capable and was unsurprisingly ousted by Qiu Cheng. Perhaps it was a "bottom-out rebound", and when Qiu Cheng took office, the lives of the common people were not so difficult.
Finally I can breathe a sigh of relief.
This year there was drought again and the harvest was poor.
For the common people today, living is a journey of tribulation.
Shen Tang was filled with emotion. Seeing Gu Chi winking at her, she had to pull back her thoughts and looked at Chu Yao: "Among us, Wu Hui is the most familiar with Sibao County. In your opinion, where should this battle start?"
One more thing.
"In this battle, we can only win and not lose!"
She was determined to twist off Qiu Wenyan's head and kick it like a ball. If she didn't do it ruthlessly, people would really think that she was a useless person who only knew how to farm!
"Although Yao has some ideas, he dare not take the initiative." Chu Yao stepped out of the line and bowed, saying, "Yao wants to recommend someone."
He had been in Xiaocheng for many years, but due to his status and situation at that time, he lacked intelligence. He was only slightly more familiar with Sibao County than everyone else. If he wanted to use it on the battlefield, this little "understanding" might not be enough, and there were people around them who could solve this problem.
Shen Tang asked: "Who is it?"
Chu Yao: "Former Sibao County Garrison Commander, Lord Yang."
Shen Tang almost couldn't remember who this was.
"This person... um, indeed he can."
To some extent, Yang Gong can be regarded as a walking military map of Sibao County. As the commander of thousands of elite troops stationed in Sibao County, he knew where the defense was weak, where it was easy to attack, and where an ambush could be launched...
He knew it all.
Some topographic maps, garrison locations, and troop divisions are confidential and are never easily leaked. Outsiders who want to spy on them may be caught, but for Yang Gong, these are all within easy reach. There is no difficulty at all.
"So where is he now?"
Shen Tang knew that Yang Gong was with him.
In the early days of the business, when there was an urgent shortage of military personnel, Yang Gong also helped to take on a lot of military training work, and scraped together a makeshift team. Later, when he entered Longwu County and received military support from Chu Jie, he was finally not so embarrassed.
But we rarely heard from him this year.
Chu Yao: "Currently, I am still responsible for the entry and exit of the salt depot."
In the past two years, the private salt trade in Longwu County has become the largest source of income for the government. The salt fields and salt wells produce a large amount of high-quality refined salt every day. Not only did Shen Tang pay off the huge loan owed by Xun Zhen, but he also saved a small budget for future wars. The government also has money to invest more in other infrastructure. After tasting the sweetness, they naturally know how profitable the private salt business is.
The person in charge of the salt depot is chosen with great care.
After a quick thought, Shen Tang chose Yang Gong.
First, he was alone and had no relatives or connections to rely on; second, he was not someone who could enrich himself, he was very methodical and serious about everything he did, and he had a bad temper and could yell at anyone he met; third, some of the middle-level officers in the army were either his former subordinates or soldiers he had trained, and the output of the salt depot was equivalent to the military pay of these people...
How could Yang Gong bear to let these soldiers go hungry
Shen Tang said: "Okay, send someone to invite him here quickly."
With a ready-made military map, there is no need to send scouts to lurk in Sibao County to gather information. The troops can be reorganized and deployed immediately.
Yang Gong was still confused when he was invited over.
I don't know why Shen Tang is looking for him.
"Meet Mr. Shen."
He has been living a leisurely life in retirement these years. Except for the irreparable damage to his Wudan Danfu caused by the battle in Xiaocheng, the rest has long been healed. He looks in good spirits and looks younger and younger. At first glance, you might think he is some wealthy idler. Only those with sharp eyes can see that there is still a murderous aura around him. This is a tough guy!
Shen Tang got straight to the point and said, "I asked you to come here today for business. A while ago, Sibao County's Qiu Cheng sent troops to attack Nanyu County, looted the local grain depot, and killed many common people. The autumn harvest has passed. If I don't settle this account, I will make the world laugh at me."
Without me saying anything else, Yang Gong knew exactly what it was about.
He hesitated only for a moment.
He clasped his fists and said, "I am willing to serve Mr. Shen as a dog and a horse."
He has conflicts with Shen Tang.
But that’s all in the past.
Now the world has changed, and Shen Tang has been protecting him for many years, so he is not vulnerable to any storm. It is reasonable that he should help the other party when he asks for help. Yang Gong actively cooperated, which made Shen Tang feel relieved and asked him to take a seat.
The map of the council hall has been changed to Sibao County.
Shen Tang saw that Yang Gong's eyes were fixed on the map, and asked with a smile: "But what is wrong with the drawing of this map?"
Although the map looked crude, it was the result of a lot of money and manpower. As soon as Yang Gong arrived, he found many problems.
“There are some problems indeed.”
Yang Gong not only pointed it out, but also detailed the direction of some mountains and rivers, and even clearly marked the points where troops might be stationed. Although the county governors were different, the locations of military fortresses in the county were all chosen and established after repeated deliberation, consuming a lot of manpower and material resources, and would not be easily changed. I dare not say that the information provided by Yang Gong is 100% correct, but it can be 90% correct.
The more Shen Tang looked, the brighter his eyes became.
In the wars of this era, whoever gains control of information first has a 50% chance of winning.