Wuzhou, geographically speaking, is the most remote state among the three Tangling states due to its isolation by the sea and not very convenient transportation.
There are many wealthy merchants in Chuzhou, and there are many aristocratic families and fertile land in Lingzhou. And Wuzhou... In the words of Dongling people, there is nothing except the dried fish that are dried all over the dock and some bitter sea salt.
Zuo Shiren also had a headache, thinking of ways to open up sea routes and trade with overseas countries, but found that this path was too difficult, and it cost a lot to build a giant ship for long voyages, so he finally gave up.
Because of this, Wuzhou's economy has always been at the bottom of Dongling, and there has been no sign of development in the past two or three years. At most, the sea people were ferocious and were recruited as soldiers by Zuo Shiren.
At this time, in a fishing village off the coast of Wuzhou. A middle-aged man with a calm face was sitting on an old chair in the room, silently looking at the secret message in his hand.
This secret letter was sent by Ye Xiao's brother. It is said that in order to avoid the Dongling spies, the two of them died. It was not until the end that the commander of Ye Xiao personally sent it.
"It's been a hard journey, Commander Cao." The middle-aged man looked up, with guilt in his voice.
"Nothing else." Cao Hong, the leader of the Night Owls, smiled calmly, "We and these people, adhering to Mr. Chen's legacy, are willing to serve as Lord's eyes and ears."
"Brother Lu, my lord is in a situation on the Kezhou front line. This time we can only rely on Brother Lu to break the situation."
The middle-aged man is named Lu Xiong. While encircling and suppressing the Demon Queen, following Xu Mu's secret orders, he led more than 6,000 men and horses into the undefended Dongling Wuzhou. He originally hid in the mountains and pretended to be a bandit, but found that there were not many mountains in Wuzhou, so he had no choice but to take his troops and disperse into a remote fishing village by the sea.
Around the 19th century, due to the war, many refugees came to Wuzhou to work as hard laborers in fish farms or salt farms. Of course, when it comes time to take action, the army can be regrouped in up to three days.
After hearing Cao Hong's words, Lu Xiong nodded calmly.
"I also ask Commander Cao to report back to my lord. Although I, Lu Xiong, am a rough man, I will not be afraid of fighting this time. My six thousand Shu soldiers have already been holding back a murderous aura."
"Very good." Cao Hong nodded, and before going out, he stopped and said one more sentence.
"Brother Lu, if this is a great achievement, you should be a titled general."
Lu Xiong stood up to see him off.
After Cao Hongyue left, Lu Xiong sat down again, remained silent for a while, and then summoned three more captains.
"What my lord means is to plan a fire in the backyard. As for how to act, my lord did not go into details. What he means is, let me act according to the situation. May I ask you three, do you have any advice?"
A lieutenant general and three captains were sitting at the side of the room, their faces illuminated by the beating oil lamp.
"Due to the attack on Kezhou, there are not many defenders in Wuzhou anymore. But I estimate that there are at least more than 10,000 people. Lingzhou, Chuzhou, if these three states are added together, they will not be less than 30,000. In addition, there are the county soldiers and officials from Dongling. These people cannot be ignored. They add up to ten thousand people. As for us, excluding the sick and wounded, there are only more than five thousand people left."
After entering Wuzhou, under the smell of the sea breeze, many Shu soldiers were not accustomed to the acclimatization and fell ill. To this day, many people are still bedridden.
"General Lu, this battle is not going to be easy." A captain said hesitantly.
"Of course I know." Lu Xiong nodded, "But don't forget that the lord's plan is to set fire to the backyard. It means that we don't need to fight head-on, as long as a huge fire breaks out in Dongling. That’s it.”
"General Lu, are there any reinforcements?"
Lu Xiong smiled, "No, after being exposed, we will be alone."
Above the Xiangjiang River, Dongling has been locked on the river. If it had not been for staying in Wuzhou, the entire Western Shu would not have been able to sneak five or six thousand troops into Dongling territory.
"You three, are the eggs still there?"
"Of course." The three captains smiled.
"This time is certainly dangerous, but if we succeed in setting fire to Dongling's backyard, our Lord on the front line will be able to carry out the next strategy."
Beside the light, Lu Xiong's eyes were bright, "If unfortunately I die, you and I will return to the Seventy Mile Cemetery in Shuzhou together."
"The aspirations of the Shu people are indelible and unstoppable."
…
Within Wuzhou, Changji County.
As the messenger general, Feifu had just returned from the east of Cangzhou. At this time, he received another military order from the Ministry of War and rushed over without stopping.
Then he entered Changji Prefecture and handed a letter to General Zhenzhou of Wuzhou.
The general tore open the letter and glanced at it twice, showing a funny expression.
"General Fei, does he know what military order is in the letter?"
"I have never read the secret order from the Lingzhou Ministry of War." Feif shook his head. Over time, many people from the Liang King have been placed in the military department in Lingzhou. Pro-Shu faction like him have been completely marginalized.
"The letter said that the Ministry of War ordered General Fei to make a hard trip and bring back some official salt from Wuzhou. Haha, General Fei, don't worry, I will have people prepare it tomorrow, and prepare the best official salt. Otherwise, Let General Fei make this trip in vain."
"I think about how heroic General Fei was back then. The Lord entrusted him with important tasks many times, but he never thought that this time he would be a salt delivery official."
"Haha, General Fei worked hard, worked hard. When General Fei leaves, I will definitely get a reward. I forgot to mention that in the past, when the messenger came, I always rewarded him with one or two taels of silver."
Fife turned around, trembling. After the lord went to the front line, the forces of the Grain King began to penetrate into Dongling, and the pro-Shu faction was suppressed. As of now, only he and Miao Tong are left.
He is related by marriage, and Miao Tong is now the largest naval commander in Dongling. If not for this, the two of them would have been removed from their official positions and demoted to common people.
Feifu had thought about asking him more clearly when his lord came back. But he realized...if his lord could make a clear decision, he would have replied long ago.
Moreover, throughout Dongling, being close to Shu has almost become a taboo. It cannot be explained or dealt with. I heard that the people of Liang Wang hated Xi Shu so much that they probably hated them as much as they could.
"The post house is full today. I would like to ask General Fei to take care of you and set up camp outside the city first. When I get the official salt, I will naturally deliver it."
General Zhenzhou of Wuzhou laughed lightly, turned and left humming a tune without looking at Fefu.
"General Fei, what's going on!"
There are also more than a thousand direct personal guards around Feifu, who have been following him. Of course, Fife also understood that soon, the more than a thousand personal guards would be dispersed and divided into camps.
"Set up camp first." Feif stood for a long time until he struggled to utter a sentence. There was still hope in his heart. Perhaps, this was not the Lord's intention, but the Food King's people were overstepping.
"General, we were once warriors who fought hundreds of battles. How did we end up like this today? We are just little believers who can be bullied by others!"
Fife's face was sullen, and there was a vague sadness on his face.
…
