Chapter 520: He Was Killed by Xing Honglang
Chapter 515 of "The Great Ming in the Box" opens with suspenseful action: As soon as Yang He mentioned Wang Guozhong, Qiu Qianfan showed a look of contempt:... Keep going!
As soon as Yang He mentioned Wang Guozhong, Qiu Qianfan showed a look of contempt: âUgh, that scumbag thief.âYang He: âOh? What did he do to make Prefect Qiu so unhappy?â
Qiu Qianfan said glumly: âThat Wang Guozhong brought no good since coming to Puzhou. He underwent appeasement in Yangcheng, and after the court granted him the deputy post in Puzhou, he came from the east⌠burning, killing, and looting all along the way, no different from bandits. Yet while I could rally local gentry to resist bandits, when a surrendered general like Wang Guozhong arrived, I couldnât even find justification to organize local gentry resistance.â
He said indignantly: âIf you have time, sir, take a walk through the eastern villages of our Puzhou and see for yourself. They were fine before, untouched even when Old Zhang Fei came. But with Wang Guozhongâs arrival, several villages were burned to ashes.â
Yang He: â!â
Well, Yang He had never heard of this first time himself. Many gangs of bandits he had appeased had done such things. The title âofficial banditsâ wasnât given casually.
Official bandits after appeasement were sometimes scarier than bandits themselves.
Because the people could arm themselves to fight bandits, but they couldnât arm against official bandits; otherwise, they would be branded as bandits themselves.
This affair had now caused a stir in the court, with many using it to impeach Yang He. He had vaguely sensed his political career was in jeopardy.
Qiu Qianfan said indignantly: âXing Honglang has been here over a year without trouble, yet multiple villages vanished in chaos right after Wang Guozhong arrived. After entering Puzhou City, the first thing Wang Guozhong did was shout about attacking Xing Honglangâs Water Fortifications.â
Inside, Yang Heâs heart thumped: this matched the news he had received.
Yang He: âSigh!â
Just then, a middle-aged man behind Yang He stepped forward and snorted angrily: âFather, I warned you long ago that these bandits were not worth appeasingâthey should all be exterminated.â
This middle-aged man was Yang Heâs son, named Yang Sichang, forty-three years old and no longer young. His current post was as troop commander of Bazhou, Hebei, where he should have been working. But lately, troubled by the political winds in the court against his father, he requested a long leave and came a long way back to stay by Yang Heâs side.
He didnât agree with his fatherâs appeasement strategy, sharing instead the bandit suppression factionâs view that all bandits must be wiped out!
After hearing of Wang Guozhongâs deeds, he couldnât help speaking up.
Yang He: âExterminate, exterminate! Thatâs all you know! Suppressing bandits needs troopsâwhere do they come from?â
Yang Sichang stiffened his neck: âWe could fake negotiations with the Jurchens first, easing the Liaodong war, so elite troops from Liaodong could be recalled to the Central Plains. Then, with the fastest speed and overwhelming force, sweep all bandits away clean. Afterward, move the troops back to Liaodong; then it wouldnât be too late to fight the Jurchens slowly.â
Yang He rolled his eyes: âEasy to say, hard to do. You think the foolish Jurchens lack brains? Theyâll bargain if you say so, and oblige you by fighting slowly? Believe meâonce you negotiate the truce and shift those troops away, the Jurchens will tear up the pact and pour across the pass.â
Yang Sichang: âThatâsâŚâ
Yang He continued: âFastest speed to wipe out the bandits? What method do you have for a quick end if bandits hide in Huanglong Mountain?â
Yang Sichang: âSet nets from all sides, surround Huanglong Mountain! Then close in toward the center.â
Yang He sneered: âWhat about Liupan Mountain, Qinling, Qilian Mountains, LĂźliang Mountainsâcould you surround all of those?â
Yang Sichang: ââŚâ
Qiu Qianfan beside them clicked his tongue, eager to halt this foolish father-son feud. He changed topic quickly: âSirs, stop arguing! Letâs focus on Wang Guozhong again.â
Yang He went âOh,â ceased quarreling with his son, and returned to reality: âRight, that Wang Guozhong forced you to draft porters to make siege equipment. What happened next?â
Qiu Qianfan replied: âNext, he attacked Xing Honglang, and then⌠pfft, hahaha⌠he was taken out by Xing Honglang.â
This dignified prefect actually laughed aloud during official talk; his stance was transparently clear. Any idiot could tell he hated Wang Guozhong and fully sided with Xing Honglang.
Yang He and his son shared a glance.
Several seconds later, Yang He slowly said: âWang Guozhong has been finished off?â
âYes!â Qiu Qianfan confirmed: âMany of my cityâs folk work for a living at the ancient ferry dock. They relayed news from there: days ago, Wang Guozhong attacked the Water Fortifications and was easily sorted by Xing Honglang. Wang Guozhongâs remaining forces all surrendered to Xing Honglang too.â
Yang Sichang was caught between tears and laughter: âWang Guozhongâs forces are officials now; they lost to bandits and surrendered to bandits? So they surrendered back?â
Yang He replied: âNo matter. Xing Honglang long sent envoys to plead for appeasement. Now that Wang Guozhongâs forces merged with hers, itâs no disaster. We just appease Xing Honglang againâsimple.â
Yang Sichang nodded: âFair point.â
Yang He turned to Qiu Qianfan: âSince your people are working at the ancient ferry dock, have those laborers pass a message. Tell Xing Honglang Iâm now in Puzhou City. If truly willing to surrender, come see me here. Iâll set the Surrender Wine and await her arrival.â
Qiu Qianfan clasped hands respectfully, exited, and promptly sent word to the ancient ferry dock.
Li Daoxuan watched as over two thousand surrendered soldiers of Wang Guozhongâs forces were escorted into the labor camp, ensuring they caused no troublemaker harm to his own people along the way. Only then did he switch his perspective back to the ancient ferry dock.
No sooner had he returned than he spotted the envoy sent by Qiu Qianfan, talking with Xing Honglang and the others, notifying them of Yang Heâs arrival and the Surrender Wine arranged in the city.
Naturally, Xing Honglang agreed at once. Appeasement was fineâafter all, it was part of the Deityâs plan. Through appeasement, Xing Honglangâs forces would infiltrate the court. This way, Gaojia Village would have three forces embedded: Wang Xiaohua, Shi Jian, and Xing Honglang, extending control and easing future operations.
But Gao Chuwu voiced a small worry: âWhat if Yang He hides two hundred axemen beneath the tent, like that Hong Chengchou did to kill those who surrender?â
âNo problem!â the puppet deity spoke: âIâll go along too.â