SFS Chapter 341 Guan Xing Encounters an Acquaintance in Prison
Chapter 341 Guan Xing Encounters an Acquaintance in Prison
Its daybreak.
Guan Xing did not rest, but instead ordered You Chong to lead the bandit army to continue attacking Wu's army at other intersections. He himself led Ma Zhong from outside the mountain to the intersection, and together with You Chong, they surrounded Wu's army at the intersection before Ma Zhong came forward to persuade them to surrender.
The Wu army, which was surrounded, was completely dumbfounded. Upon seeing Ma Zhong, they did not struggle and chose to surrender immediately.
What else could they do? They were surrounded, their leader had surrendered, what other choice did they have but to surrender?
With Ma Zhong's help, Guan Xing easily took over Wu's army at the crossroads, and then quickly rushed to the next crossroads. He repeated this process several times, and finally took over all of Ma Zhong's two thousand soldiers around noon.
Instead of returning to the mountains to rest, he led his troops straight to Linru County. He wanted to defeat Pan Zhang and cut off Lu Xun's retreat, not hide in the mountains and become a bandit with You Chong. Naturally, he couldn't stay in the mountain stronghold and sleep all the time.
Guan Xing led his army to the county town with great fanfare, expecting a fierce battle. However, when the county magistrate and other officials of Linru learned that the Han army was coming, they were so frightened that they abandoned the city and fled without even packing their belongings. Even the Red Hare could not catch up with them.
Guan Xing thus entered the county town smoothly. After settling down in the county government office, he said, "Linru has been captured in the first battle. Next, we should deal with Pan Zhang. Commander Ma, can you tell me about the situation of Pan Zhang's camp at Riyue Lake?"
“This…” Ma Zhong was caught in a dilemma.
He was reluctant to say it, after all, Pan Zhang was his superior, and the soldiers in the camp were all his comrades-in-arms. It was already shameful enough for him to lead his troops to surrender, and it would be too despicable to betray his comrades as well.
He's not like Mi Fang or Fu Shiren, how could he easily betray his superior?
But he also knew that he had no power, influence, or background, and was not qualified to remain silent in front of Guan Xing like Zhang Cheng and Lü Ju. So he could only sigh and prepare to make a decision that went against his ancestors.
Unexpectedly, Guan Xing noticed his hesitation and waved his hand, laughing, "Forget it, it's a bit unfair to make you betray your comrades. You don't need to worry about dealing with the Wu army. Just put in more effort when we fight the Wei army in the future."
Guan Xing spoke very casually, but to Ma Zhong it was like heavenly music. Ma Zhong's heart, which had been hanging in suspense, instantly settled down. He clasped his hands, bowed deeply, and said, "Thank you for your understanding, General."
Life is short, and both men and women want to live according to their own nature and are afraid of being forced to do things against their conscience. However, in reality, we are often not in control of our own lives and are tightly bound by the big net woven by superiors, colleagues, family, relatives, and moral ethics. It is impossible to act recklessly according to our own nature.
Ma Zhong originally thought he would also have to betray his conscience and harm his comrades due to the circumstances, but to his surprise, Guan Xing was able to understand his predicament and took the initiative to say what he found difficult to say. He really understood him so well and it was so heartwarming.
When Ma Zhong looked at Guan Xing again, a resolute look of "a scholar will die for his confidant" appeared in his eyes. He secretly vowed that when he fought the Wei army in the future, he would fight to the death to repay the general's kindness.
Guan Xing waved his hand and laughed, "You go and rest first. I'll just wander around and visit the Linru County Government Office."
"Yes..." Knowing that Guan Xing was about to hold a military meeting, Ma Zhong didn't say anything more and tactfully bowed and took his leave.
After he left, Guan Xing looked at Deng Hongyou, Geng Shang and the others and said, "Deng Hong, incorporate Ma Zhong's two thousand soldiers into the Xuanjia Army, using the old to mentor the new, and try to get these Wu soldiers integrated into the Xuanjia Army as soon as possible."
"Although doing this will cause the Xuanjia Army's combat strength to decline in the short term, it is better to dedicate some troops to specifically targeting this group. Besides, the Xuanjia Army does need to expand its strength."
The Han army treated prisoners of war well and respected their wishes, allowing them to choose whether to stay or leave. They were even given travel expenses when they left, but only after they had spent some time with the Han army and learned about its policies.
Ma Zhong's surrendered soldiers don't know much about the Han army yet. If Guan Xing lets them go home, they'll probably all run away in a flash.
It wouldn't be a problem if they took the travel money home, but if this group of people didn't go home and instead went to Riyue Lake to report the situation of the Han army to Pan Zhang, wouldn't they be digging a hole for themselves?
Therefore, it's best to incorporate them into the Xuanjia Army for training first, and release them when it's time for the decisive battle with Pan Zhang.
“Yes, sir…” Deng Hong bowed and accepted the order.
Guan Xing then said, "You Chong, I will report to General Guan to appoint you as the Commandant of Pingpan. You will continue to lead your troops, but now I have a task for you."
"To deal with Pan Zhang, we need to transfer him out of the Riyue Lake camp. To do that, we need to rely on Peng Qi. You will continue to travel between us and Peng Qi. I need to know Peng Qi's movements at all times."
You Chong excitedly bowed and said, "Here..."
Guan Xing continued, "Mr. Geng Shang, for a long time to come, Linru may be our front line against the Wu army. The magistrate has fled, but things still need to be done. How about you temporarily take over as the magistrate of Linru?"
"Uh..." Geng Shang pointed to his nose in astonishment and said, "Me, a county magistrate? Is that even possible? I'm a merchant, how can I be a county magistrate?"
His reason for actively contacting merchants to help the Han army was not only to avenge the Baiyi Crossing the River, but more importantly, he coveted the priority purchasing rights of the Wushang Steel Plant. The steel plant's agricultural tools and weapons were in high demand, and once he got them, he wouldn't have to worry about selling them.
The problem is, he only wanted to make money and didn't intend to change careers, so how did he suddenly become a county magistrate?
Guan Xing laughed and said, "Isn't Lü Buwei also a merchant? Look at him and then look at you. Can't you have a little ambition?"
Geng Shang: "..."
I'm not a general. Is it appropriate for you to compare me to Lü Buwei? He was the First Emperor's uncle. Who the hell am I?
However, to be fair, it would be incredibly rewarding for a businessman to reach the level of Lü Buwei. Even achieving just one-tenth of Lü Buwei's accomplishments would be worthy of being recorded in the county annals.
The thought of wielding power like Lü Buwei filled Geng Shang with excitement, and he bowed deeply, just like Ma Zhong, saying, "I am willing to serve the general."
The social hierarchy is: scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants. Merchants are not even considered human in front of scholars. They can be bullied however they want without even a word of warning. Take the story of Lü Meng crossing the river in white robes, for example. Did he ever apologize to the merchants when he blocked their path?
So if there's an opportunity to enter the gentry class, who the hell would travel all over the country and be a miserable traveling merchant braving the wind and rain?
Guan Xing smiled and said, "Then you should take office as soon as possible, and then carry out land reform in Linru. I will write down the operational details of land reform for you later."
"But you can't neglect your work. Continue to contact the merchants in Pan Zhangjun City and tell them to keep a close eye on Pan Zhang's movements and report any abnormalities immediately."
"Also, the matter of supplies cannot be delayed. Tell your merchant friends that I don't have the money to pay them right now, so I can only write IOUs first, and they can settle the debt with farm tools and cloth. They can take my IOUs directly to the Wushang Steel Plant and Textile Factory to pick up the goods, how about that?"
Geng Shang was overjoyed and said, "That would be wonderful! I believe that merchants from all walks of life will actively transport grain to the general after receiving the news."
That's right, the grain was transported, and even the transportation costs were paid by the merchants. They were scrambling to pay, since the steel mill's output was limited. Those who got the IOU first could pick up the goods first, while those who got the IOU later had to wait in line.
Guan Xing nodded and said, "Then let's split up. Deng Hong, come with me and see if that escaped Linru County magistrate left us any gifts."
Everyone dispersed, and Guan Xing, along with Deng Hong, began ransacking the county government office like bandits, trying to find some grain and fodder.
After searching for a long time, they found a lot of gold and silver jewelry, but not a single grain of rice. When they inquired with the county clerks, they learned that Pan Zhang had already transported away the county's grain supplies under the pretext of war. The places that Pan Zhang had looted were cleaner than if a dog had licked them clean.
That damned Pan Wengui, he's a real piece of work.
Guan Xing greeted Pan Zhang's ancestors to the sky, and while doing so, he wandered around and unknowingly ended up in the county jail.
He had a particular fondness for prisons, so he went in without a second thought, hoping to find some talented people like Xie Chong and Meng Jun. Unexpectedly, he didn't find any talented people, but he found an acquaintance first.
Guan Xing stood outside the cell bars, staring at the disheveled, filthy prisoner lying sprawled on the floor, fast asleep. He exclaimed, "Zhou Cang, is that you?"