Zhao Shan thought carefully about Fang Weihu's strategy.
Head straight to Wu County!
This is a feasible plan. As the saying goes, if you capture the thief first, capture the king, and directly destroy Zhao Gou. Yangzhou will be leaderless, so it will naturally stabilize quickly.
Zhao Shan thought about the problem of the White Lotus Sect and said in a deep voice: "Fang Qing, it's because Zhao Gou allowed the White Lotus Sect to preach. There are countless people in Yangzhou who believe in the White Lotus Sect. How do you think this should be solved?"
"It's not difficult."
Fang Weihu looked relaxed and said: "Your Majesty wants to solve the problem of the White Lotus Sect. On the one hand, the imperial court has banned the White Lotus Sect from preaching. On the other hand, it is said that the White Lotus Sect was created by Zhao Gou to confuse the people."
"Finally, anyone who reports on the key members of the White Lotus Sect, especially those at the helmsman level, will be heavily rewarded once their identity is verified, including rewards of fertile land and silver."
"Local people have simple characteristics and cunning philistine mentality, and they are very clear about interests as small as sesame seeds."
"Once you get a reward for reporting the White Lotus Sect, countless people will flock to it."
"In their eyes, the so-called belief in the White Lotus Sect is just a little spiritual sustenance, which is not worth a few taels of real gold and silver. Silver is real and can be exchanged for money."
Fang Weihu solemnly said: "What the people really believe in and recognize is money and interests."
Zhao Shan nodded and said: "Fang Qing is right. In that case, our troops are divided into two groups, Fang Qing is on one side, and I am on the same side."
Fang Weihu was a little confused and asked, "What does your Majesty mean?"
Zhao Shan explained: "My troops will take a boat to attack Wu County and directly attack Zhao Gou's home base in the hinterland. I will give you another three thousand soldiers. You will publicize Zhao Gou's defeat and recruit officials from all over the country to surrender."
After a pause, Zhao Shan continued: "As long as the officials who surrender to the imperial court, let the past be forgotten for the time being. At the same time, they are ordered to investigate the White Lotus Sect. If there are problems with these local officials, Zhao Gou will be dealt with first, and then the investigation will be carried out slowly."
"I obey the decree!"
Fang Weihu answered without hesitation.
The topic changed, and Fang Weihu continued: "Your Majesty, although I am letting things go by the wayside when I surrender and investigate the place. However, if I encounter a heinous and corrupt official, can I kill him first and report later?"
"That's right!"
Zhao Shan directly chose to delegate power.
"Thank you, Your Majesty!"
Fang Weihu had a smile on his face.
With Zhao Shan's delegation of power, Fang Weihu can do things without any worries. After all, to rectify corrupt officials and to rectify the White Lotus Sect, sufficient delegation of power is needed.
In order to wait for Qi Yuanjing's army, Zhao Shan temporarily camped at Chaisang Water Village, while Fang Weihu left first.
A day and a half later, Qi Yuanjing led everyone to Chaisang Water Village. After the army was stationed, Qi Yuanjing came to Zhao Shan and reported: "Your Majesty, the result of this battle is out."
Zhao Shan smiled and said, "Let's talk about it."
Qi Yuanjing reported: "Reporting to Your Majesty, in this battle on the river, we captured more than 96,000 Yangzhou soldiers and brought them all. The current count of those killed is more than 43,000, and there are many more People can’t be found and people can’t be counted.”
Zhao Shan asked: "Where are our casualties?"
Qi Yuanjing replied: "In this water battle, our casualties were very few, less than 2,000. Because the water battle started with a fire attack, our soldiers took advantage of the boat and had almost no impact."
Zhao Shan nodded in agreement.
He once again summoned all the prisoners in custody, followed the instructions to win over these Yangzhou soldiers, instigated these soldiers to rebel, and made the soldiers willing to surrender to the court, and finally released all the prisoners.
Keeping prisoners would not help Zhao Shan much.
It's better to put it back.
When everyone is let go, less food is consumed and the burden on oneself is not large, making everything easier.
Zhao Shan released the prisoners, and the army rested for another day and a half before setting off from Chaisang and heading east along the Yangtze River.
If Zhao Gou's water army is still there, Zhao Gou can set up checkpoints on the water to block them. However, in the battle on the Yangtze River in Chaisang, Zhao Gou's navy was wiped out and countless warships were lost. Now he is unable to stop it.
When Zhao Shan's army moved forward smoothly, Zhao Gou led his people back to Wuxian County first. Returning to Wuxian, Zhao Gou ordered martial law to prevent accidents in Wuxian.
The news of the defeat on the front line has not been returned yet.
After Zhao Gou comes back, the news will spread quickly, and countless people will know. When Zhao Gou was strong, all the families were willing to support him and follow him for their own benefit.
Zhao Gou has become weak. Even if Zhao Gou is willing to rule the world with the Yangzhou clan, he does not have enough power now. The Yangzhou clan cannot see hope and will abandon Zhao Gou.
This is what Zhao Gou must be on guard against.
Zhao Gou first ordered martial law, and then arranged for someone to notify Wang Chunying to come to the palace to discuss matters. Wang Chunying is in charge of the White Lotus Sect and has a sufficient public base. With an order, many followers of the White Lotus Sect will follow. Wang Chunying can be used to recruit people to fight.
Half an hour later, Wang Chunying arrived at Prince Wu's Mansion.
Zhao Gou's eyes were sharp and he gritted his teeth and said: "Wang Chunying, my army of 200,000 has been defeated on the front line."
brush!
Wang Chunying's expression changed drastically.
She paid a lot for Zhao Gou, including her body. Once Zhao Gou is defeated, the White Lotus Sect's foundation will be gone, and its efforts will be gone.
This was something Wang Chunying couldn't bear.
Wang Chunying was silent for a while before she came back to her senses. She looked at Zhao Gou and said slowly: "Your Majesty, why were you suddenly defeated? You brought an army of more than 200,000 to the front line to fight. Even if one person spits on you, you should win. Even if everyone lines up in a row and lets Zhao Shan kill indiscriminately, it won’t be like this.”
"Failed, this is a fact!"
Zhao Gou lost to Zhao Shan and was very irritable. He talked about his defeat in the fight on the river and said in a deep voice: "I didn't call you here today to shock you, let alone laugh at you, nor to make you laugh. You are here to complain because there is a task assigned to you.”
Wang Chunying calmed down and said, "Please give me your instructions, Your Majesty."
Zhao Gou stood up and paced back and forth, and after a while he said, "You have two things to do."
"First, there are many women among the followers of the White Lotus Sect, especially women from many big families. I want you to arrange for these women to blow pillow wind to seduce the big families and let them fight to the death with Zhao Shan."
"Second, there are countless followers of the White Lotus Sect. Now that the army has been destroyed and there is a shortage of troops, I want you to continue to spread the word so that the followers of the White Lotus Sect will resist Zhao Shan to the death, and spread the word that Zhao Shan is an evil demon who has come to the world, and the only way is to kill Zhao Shan. Only then can we have peaceful days.”
"As long as the followers of the White Lotus Sect come to join the battle, we can resist Zhao Shan."
"It's totally doable."
Zhao Gou ordered: "Zhao Shan has won the victory. He will definitely give up his most elite fighting force and fight to Wu County. As long as we organize our troops, we can catch Zhao Shan by surprise."
Wang Chunying looked approvingly and said without hesitation: "Please rest assured, Your Majesty, I will make arrangements immediately."
The expression on Zhao Gou's face softened, and he waved to Wang Chunying, motioning Wang Chunying to come forward.
Wang Chunying was not happy, so she leaned forward.
Zhao Gou tried his best to show favor to Wang Chunying, but Wang Chunying used the excuse of menstruation to stop him.
Zhao Gou didn't succeed. He was a little unhappy in his heart, but he didn't get angry. He comforted him and said: "As long as we win this battle, you can preach whatever you want. In addition, I have defeated Zhao Shan, and you are indispensable as a noble concubine." identity."
Wang Chunying curled her lips inwardly.
Royal concubine?
This status is set relatively high and is almost impossible to touch, and she doesn't like to be a noble concubine. She hopes that she will have all the power and be the one who controls her own destiny.
In front of Zhao Gou, Wang Chunying did not hesitate at all and said: "For the sake of the king's inheritance, the White Lotus Sect is willing to pay no matter how high the price is."
"In addition to the things arranged by the king, I will also arrange people from the White Lotus Sect to watch Zhao Shan's every move and gather information for the king."
"Anyway, your Majesty must persist."
Wang Chunying's wonderful eyes turned and she said, "If your Majesty has any news, please tell me as soon as possible so that I can arrange for people from the White Lotus Sect to respond."
Zhao Gou was even more satisfied when he heard this.
As expected of the woman he surrendered to, she was obedient and did her duty.
Zhao Gou nodded and said: "Do your job well. I will not let you down and will give you the best status. In addition, I will tell you another piece of news."
Wang Chunying asked: "What's the news?"
Zhao Gou said: "I have arranged for Gu Xianxiong to contact Japan. It won't be long before Japan's army will enter Yangzhou to fight. Don't think that because I am defeated on the front line, I will not be able to compete with Zhao Shan. I have plenty of means and troops."
"Your Majesty is wise!"
Wang Chunying's wonderful eyes turned and she said happily: "With the king, everything will be easy to handle."
Zhao Gou said: "Time is tight, so hurry up and make arrangements."
"As you command!"
Wang Chunying left happily. When she walked out of Prince Wu's Mansion, all the smiles on her face disappeared, replaced by a cold expression.
Zhao Gou is a waste.
After giving so much support, he actually lost.
Zhao Gou's army of more than 200,000 troops was defeated and now he was in urgent need of treatment. Even with the help of Japanese troops, it would be impossible to resist Zhao Shan. It would be even harder than climbing to the sky. Wang Chunying thought things were not difficult before, but now she thinks things are too difficult.
Wang Chunying returned all the way to the White Lotus Sect's stronghold and sat in her room thinking about the next step.
The more he thought about it, the more he felt that he could not die with Zhao Gou.
Zhao Gou will definitely be defeated!
Now the way out must be considered.
She now has information about Zhao Gou and countless followers of the White Lotus Sect. She can negotiate with Zhao Shan or get benefits from Zhao Shan.
Zhao Shan is willing to give benefits, and she doesn't mind selling Zhao Gou.
When Wang Chunying thought about this, the more she thought about it, the more she felt it was feasible. The matter shouldn't be difficult. She directly arranged for people to inquire about Zhao Shan's army and stared at the ships coming along the river.
The White Lotus Sect is spread all over the place and has many spies.
Zhao Shan led Qi Yuanjing's army all the way east, landed at the ferry north of Wuxian County, and then headed south to Wuxian County.
Wang Chunying received the news from Zhao Shan, and brought the left and right guardians of the White Lotus Sect to the front of Zhao Shan's army, blocked the army's path and reported: "Wang Chunying, a follower of the White Lotus, has come to see His Majesty the Emperor."
After the soldiers informed him, they came to Zhao Shan with Wang Chunying and the left and right guardians of the White Lotus Sect.
Wang Chunying's eyes lit up when she saw Zhao Shan.
The emperor is so young!
Fengshen is handsome and heroic.
In front of the emperor, Zhao Gou was nothing but dregs of tofu, not even comparable to dregs of tofu.
Wang Chunying immediately retracted her thoughts and saluted: "Wang Chunying, a follower of the White Lotus Sect, came to pay homage to His Majesty the Emperor on the order of Our Lady of the White Lotus."
Zhao Shan looked at Wang Chunying and said with a smile: "Are you an ordinary believer?"
Wang Chunying did not reveal the identity of Our Lady of the White Lotus, and said again: "I am Wang Chunying, the person in charge of external relations under the throne of Our Lady of the White Lotus. Naturally, I am an ordinary believer."
Zhao Shan looked joking and asked with a smile: "But the news I got is that the name of Our Lady of White Lotus is Wang Chunying. Isn't it you?"
