Chapter 82

(Seeking votes...)

As the two were talking, they suddenly heard footsteps and immediately fell silent. []

The young man surnamed Zhao looked around and, seeing Chen Ke retreat into the cabin, quickly followed. The two stood side by side behind the door, suppressing their laughter as a group of patrolling soldiers passed by.

After that brief moment, when they returned to the deck, the two felt much closer. Chen Ke smiled and said, "Young man, you're also hitching a ride, right?"

"Hitching a ride?" The young man surnamed Zhao was a bit confused. "What do you mean by hitching a ride?"

'Pretending, really pretending...' Chen Ke chuckled and said, "This is a grain transport ship, not a passenger ship. You being on the ship, isn't that hitching a ride?"

"Speaking of which, it does make sense..." The young man nodded. "I am indeed hitching a ride."

Chen Ke leaned on the railing, stretched lazily, and took a deep breath of the cool lake breeze. "You must be from a wealthy family."

"How do you know?"

"Ha ha, at this critical moment, it's impossible to hitch a ride on an official ship without any connections."

"If I were really from a wealthy family," the young man was very perceptive, "why would I need to hide from people?"

"Better to avoid trouble than to invite it," Chen Ke said, stretching his limbs. "It's better to have no trouble at all."

"Ha ha ha..." The young man laughed softly. No one had ever spoken to him like this since he was born.

The two chatted pleasantly for a few more sentences. Chen Ke estimated the time and said, "I need to go back."

"What's the rush, it's still early."

"I have a companion who needs to go out for some fresh air," Chen Ke smiled. "If you want to chat, you can talk to him too."

"Never mind." The young man shook his head. "I should go back too."

Chen Ke pursed his lips and thought, 'What a snobbish kid.'

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The next evening, when Chen Ke came out for some fresh air, he met the young man surnamed Zhao again.

"What a coincidence," the young man smiled at him.

"Hey..." Chen Ke smiled. "Not really a coincidence. We're on the same ship, and the time for fresh air is limited, so it's bound to happen."

"You're right," the young man smiled. "Unfortunately, we'll be disembarking tomorrow."

'Uh...' Chen Ke felt a chill run down his spine. He really wanted to light a lantern and see this kid's face, to check if he was as handsome as Cheng Dalang.

The two chatted intermittently, naturally turning to the current war. The young man shook his head and sighed, "I can't understand why the 200,000 troops in Guangnan were defeated so easily by the small force of Nong Zhigao. It's really embarrassing."

"Oh, your perspective is quite high-level," Chen Ke smiled. "But why can't they be defeated so easily?"

"We have an absolute numerical advantage, and we're not fighting in the open but defending the city. Using our best methods to fight the enemy, how could we be completely defeated?" Although it was dark and he couldn't see the young man's face, he must have been quite angry.

"War isn't like playing cards; having a good hand doesn't guarantee a win," Chen Ke shook his head. "Nong Zhigao has only 5,000 men, but the night before the rebellion, a fire reportedly burned his base to the ground. He told his subordinates that all the tribe's savings were burned, and the grain they salvaged wouldn't last the whole tribe for ten days. To survive, they must break through the city of Yongzhou, occupy Guangzhou, and establish their own country. Otherwise, they will all die!" This was something he had heard from the man who might be Shao Yong, and he was repeating it.

"I've heard that too," the young man sighed.

"Doesn't it remind you of Xiang Yu's 'burning the boats'?"

"You mean..." The young man's eyes widened. "That fire was set by Nong Zhigao himself?"

"Is there any doubt about that?" Chen Ke sat on the railing and shook his head, smiling. "Even for a wedding, you need to prepare a month in advance, let alone a rebellion. Without years of meticulous preparation, who would dare to rebel?"

"You're right. The day after the fire, they set out to attack Yongzhou," the young man nodded, believing him. "It was definitely not an accident but a deliberate act."

"Exactly, with that 'burning the boats' spirit," Chen Ke nodded. "At least in terms of determination, he surpasses most people in the Song Dynasty!"

"You're boosting their morale and undermining our own," the young man shook his head. "Southerners have always been weak. The court has already mobilized the elite from the north. When the time comes, Nong Zhigao will be exposed for who he really is."

"Heh heh, elite..." Chen Ke's evaluation of the Song army's combat capability came from his previous life's textbooks, so he shook his head and smiled. "In a world without heroes, even a minor figure like Zhao Yuanhao can become famous. I think the ministers who fought in the northwest back then were not much better."

Mentioning the northwest battlefield, where the Song army, with ten times the number of troops and a hundred times the financial resources, was defeated by Zhao Yuanhao, who was not particularly powerful... that was the most powerful Western Army. The young man was speechless and finally muttered, "Li Yuanhao had three generations of hard work, and his strength far exceeded the imagination of the people. How can Nong Zhigao compare? Just wait and see, when the court sends a commander to suppress the rebellion, Nong Zhigao will be destroyed."

"Who is the court sending south?" Chen Ke asked curiously.

"Well, it's already known in the court and the country, so I can tell you," the young man pondered for a moment. "One is the Prefect of Tan Prefecture, Yu Wuxi, and the other is the Censor of the Three Departments, Yang Ledao... Uh, have you heard of these two?"

"The first one is one of the 'Four Advisors of Qingli,' right?" Chen Ke was unsure. "I haven't heard of the second one." Yu Wuxi's real name was Yu Jing, and Wuxi was his courtesy name. He was a censor. During the Qingli Party Struggle, Cai Xiang wrote the poem "Four Virtuous and One Unworthy," praising Fan, Ouyang, Yin, and Yu as the 'Four Virtuous' and Gao as the 'Unworthy.' The lines "Zhan Ran An Dao Sheng Tou Jiao, Qi Hong Wan Zhang Heng Tian Qu. Chen Jing Xiong Zhong You Qu Yu, Ju E Bu Bi Xiao Fu Zhu" praised Yu Jing.

This poem was later widely copied and sold, becoming famous far and wide. Even the envoys from the Khitan heard about it and bought copies to post in the Youzhou Pavilion. Yu Jing thus became known both at home and abroad.

After gaining fame, Yu Jing continued to speak his mind to the emperor without restraint. It is said that when he was emotionally agitated, he would unknowingly spray saliva on the emperor's face. As a leading figure in the Qingli Reforms, he naturally faced repercussions when the reforms failed and was sidelined for many years. Now, in times of national crisis, he was reactivated.

Chen Ke naturally had no doubt about Yu Jing's character and reputation... but this was a time of war. Why send a censor? Was it to reason with the enemy or to use his sharp tongue to scold Nong Zhigao to death?

Fortunately, the young man quickly resolved his confusion. The key was in the deputy commander, Yang Ledao—Yang, as in the Yang family.

The young man told Chen Ke that Yang Ledao was the grandson of Yang Chongxun, the younger brother of Yang Ye, and the cousin of the great general Yang Wenguang. Because of this connection, although Yang Ledao was a genuine imperial scholar, he could never excel in his official duties... not because he was not dedicated, but because whenever there was a rebellion, the court would send him to suppress it.

Nine years ago, the Yao people in Jingnan rebelled. Although the scale was not as large as this time, the difficulty was the same... as soon as the fighting began, the Yao people were right there! The Song army fled, leaving the commander stranded. To avoid disgracing the family name, Yang Ledao jumped off a cliff. Fortunately, the cliff was not deep, and the grass was thick, so he escaped with his life.

Yang Ledao, being a descendant of the Yang family, managed to suppress the rebellion after two years of hard work. So when a similar situation arose this time, the court immediately thought of him.

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Chen Ke understood. It seemed that Yu Jing, with his strong political background, was sent as a political commissar, while Yang Ledao was responsible for military command. This combination seemed reasonable, combining experience and prestige. But he still had questions: "Why make it so complicated? I heard that Ming Xianggong and Wen Xianggong just suppressed the rebellion in Beizhou, not to mention the old generals like Han Xianggong, Yin Daren, and Zhang Daren. Why not send them?"

"Heh..." The young man laughed awkwardly. "Maybe it's like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut." In reality, the court's effective rule only extended north of the Yangtze River. South of the Yangtze, especially in the Lingnan region, was like Sichuan beyond the Sword Gate Pass, beyond the reach of the Song Dynasty. The court dared not send a powerful figure there, for fear of another Southern Han uprising.

The conversation became increasingly heavy, and it was getting late. The two stopped talking, bowed to each other, and returned to their rooms, without asking each other's names.

The next morning, the official ship arrived at the Hengyang dock. Chen Ke and the others were eager to leave the cabin but were stopped by the officials who had brought them on board. "A noble is disembarking, you need to wait."

"Noble, what noble?" Chen Ke's heart raced, and he looked out. He saw several dozen well-dressed men escorting a middle-aged scholar. Behind the scholar, a man and a woman followed. The woman wore a white veil, and the man was tall and well-built, likely the one he had talked to for two nights.

The young man seemed to notice something and turned around, revealing a handsome, square face. He saw Chen Ke and smiled, then followed the middle-aged man onto a portable sedan chair they had brought with them.

"This family sure has a lot of flair..." Song Daping said. "They must be merchants."

"Unlikely," Chen Ke shook his head. "More like the children of high officials."

After a moment, they were finally allowed to disembark.

Upon entering Hengyang, they found the city had turned into a military camp. This important town, which connected the north and south, was now filled with troops retreating from Guangnan and newly arrived forces. The nearby transport offices were working hard to supply the city with military needs.

The chaos in the city was evident. The streets were crowded with heavily loaded carts, making it impossible to move. The smell of animal dung was overwhelming. Under the eaves and in the shops, disheveled soldiers were drinking and gambling, creating a noisy and chaotic scene.

As the saying goes, "When organized, they are soldiers; when not, they are bandits." This was no exaggeration. Chen Ke and his three companions saw several incidents of soldiers robbing civilians and beating people. Fortunately, they looked poor and tough, so they didn't encounter much trouble as they made their way to the Hengyang County Office.

"Finally home!" Everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Chen Ke approached the old guard at the gate and asked, "Is this the Hengyang County Office?"

"It used to be, but not now," the old guard, seeing Chen Ke's tall figure, answered honestly. "It's now the headquarters of the Jingnan Transport Commissioner."

"Where did the county office move to?" Chen Ke asked.

"It's still inside, what do you want?" The old guard became alert.

"I want to see County Magistrate Chen."

"County Magistrate Chen..." The old guard's eyes widened. "Who are you?"

"I'm his son."

"Ah..." The old guard's face changed, and just as he was about to speak, an official came out of the office. He became extremely nervous, gesturing frantically to Chen Ke and raising his stick to drive them away, shouting, "Get out of here, get out of here! At this time, who cares about your petty matters!"

Chen Ke sensed something was wrong and held back Wu Lang, who was about to react.

"Who are they?" The official stopped and asked the guard.

"Just some kids who lost their money and want to report it," the guard lied.

"Ah, you should see, the government has no time to help you catch thieves," the official shook his head. "Take them inside to file a report." Then he hurried away.

"Phew, that was close..." The guard sighed in relief and urgently told Chen Ke, "Quick, go. If anyone finds out you're here to see County Magistrate Chen, you'll be in trouble!"

"Why?" Chen Ke and the others were confused.

"Don't stand there, my house is on the fifth house on the next street, with door gods on the door. The key is under the door frame. Go there and wait for me," the guard instructed, urging them to leave. "Quick, go..."

"I'll go if you tell me what happened to my father," Chen Ke frowned.

"Something happened, he's in prison," the guard was almost frantic. "If you don't leave now, the legal officials will come, and you'll end up in jail with your father!"

Chen Ke finally calmed down and led the three away from the office, following the guard's instructions to find his house and open the door with the key.

Inside the house, Song Daping was panicked. "I hope nothing bad happens to Uncle Chen." Wu Lang, though he didn't ask, also looked worried.

"Amitabha..." Little monk Xuan Yu clasped his hands in prayer.

"Let's wait for the guard to come," Chen Ke shook his head and exhaled. "I didn't expect this to be the right place."

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