Volume 10 Chapter 155

According to the investigation of the Sky Eye and the Ground Network, Tang Yin has initially mastered the latest chapter of Anqiu's military strength. Anqiu is a small county with only two counties and five cities. The main military force is concentrated in the county city Shangwan, about 20,000 to 30,000 people. Its county chief is called Gao Guan. He has served in Anqiu for more than ten years. Although he has not made much achievements, he has not made any mistakes. He is a well-behaved official.

Tang Yin naturally did not take this unknown little person seriously. After recuperating in Xishan County, he led his troops south and headed straight for Anqiu.

On the way, Qiu Zhen discussed the problem of Xishan County with Tang Yin. He believed that Shao Yu was a surrendered minister after all, and he could not be trusted for the time being. Letting him hold heavy troops was not a long-term strategy.

Tang Yin accepted Qiu Zhen's opinion, but did not express his opinion immediately. Instead, he asked Cai Gui what he thought.

Cai Gui made great contributions in conquering Xishan County. Tang Yin directly promoted him to the position of Yushi Zhongcheng, a high-ranking official of the third rank, far better than the three-level promotion promised at the beginning. When Tang Yin asked him how to deal with Shao Yu, he rolled his eyes, hesitated for a moment, and said, "Your Majesty, in my humble opinion, Shao Yu can only be promoted, not demoted, and certainly not killed." Cai Gui had just entered the court of Feng State, and his foothold was not stable yet. He urgently needed to find his confidant, and Shao Yu was the best candidate. In addition, he could more or less guess Tang Yin's intentions from the fact that Tang Yin specially sent more troops to Shao Yu. Cai Gui was good at guessing people's hearts.

Sure enough. Tang Yin laughed and said, "That's right. If you want to conquer Mo State, killing blindly is far from enough. You have to use some conciliatory means when appropriate. We can make Shao Yu a role model."

Qiu Zhen asked curiously, "What does your Majesty mean..."

"Shao Yu's family has been officials in Xishan County for several generations, and their status has long been deeply rooted. Once he is dismissed or killed, the people will inevitably be resentful, and Xishan County will also be in chaos. If he continues to stay in Xishan County, it will be a hidden danger. With Shao Yu's prestige in Xishan County, he will be defeated once he calls for him. Baiying, plus Fengyang's natural dangers, may rebel at any time. "Tang Yin narrowed his eyes and said faintly: "So, my intention is to promote him. When Shao Jun officially becomes the king in Modi, I will promote Shao Yu to the rank of general. This way, I can show that I trust my people and avoid giving people a chance to criticize me. The most important thing is that I can transfer Shao Yu, his confidants, and the hundreds of thousands of Xishan troops under his command. We can then send another confidant to Xishan County to cultivate forces loyal to our Feng Kingdom!"

I see! The king had already planned it. Qiu Zhen and Cai Gui laughed at the same time and said, "Your Majesty is wise! In this way, even if Shao Jun establishes a new court in Modi, it is just an empty shell, and the local forces are under the control of the king."

"Humph!" Tang Yin sneered and said, "Although Shao Jun is a fool, you must be on guard against others. If I don't make him empty first, how can I let him be king in Modi with peace of mind!"

Qiu Zhen nodded repeatedly. Since the king has thought it through, he will not say more about Xishan County. However, Cai Gui's heart trembled. The longer he worked with Tang Yin, the more he would find that he was much smarter and more cunning than the rumors.

Not long after, the direct army headed by Tang Yin officially entered Anqiu County. Anqiu is a plain area, but unfortunately the land is barren, water resources are scarce, grain production is not high, and there are no minerals. Among the counties of Moguo, Anqiu is also the poorest and most backward county.

If it weren't for the rush to threaten Sishui, Tang Yin would not have invested his energy here. There are also advantages to attacking a weak county like Anqiu, that is, the advancement is extremely smooth. There are not many local troops in Anqiu, and they are all concentrated in the county city. The Feng Army encountered little resistance when advancing. Even the Mo State Central Army sent by Shao Fang did not rush here, but went north to meet the Pingyuan Army and the Huwei Army.

The second day after entering Anqiu, the Feng Army captured Wanfang City without bloodshed. It is called a city, but its prosperity is not as good as that of towns in other places. The area of ​​the city is not small, but it is difficult to find a decent attic inside. Looking around, there are only dilapidated earth houses.

Anqiu’s land is barren, and even the climate is not good. There are often strong winds and yellow sand all over the sky. In Wanfang City, there are also howling winds and flying dust. There are very few pedestrians on the streets.

There are no garrisons or officials. Tang Yin led his army directly into the city. Because the wind and sand were too strong, many Feng Army soldiers lifted the sweat towels around their necks to cover their mouths and noses, leaving only their eyes outside.

Zhan Peng, Ye Tang, Gao Yu and other generals beside Tang Yin all shook their heads as they walked, complaining: "There is no need to build a city in such a barren place. It's a waste of time!"

"Haha!" Tang Yin grinned, and he agreed with this. Cai Gui explained: "Now it seems that the city here is indeed dispensable, but in the past, when Mo and Yu were at odds, this was the key town for Mo to defend against Yu."

The crowd didn't really know much about the history between Mo and Yu. After hearing what he said, they all asked: "When did that happen?"

Cai Gui counted on his fingers and said: "At least 350 or 60 years." He sighed and said: "Over 300 years, Mo has become stronger and stronger, while Yu has become weaker and weaker. Now, Yu has only the fate of being beaten, and Anqiu County is no longer a military stronghold of Mo!"

"So that's it." Everyone nodded in understanding, and then couldn't help but admire: "Lord Cai knows a lot, even the history between Mo and Yu."

Cai Gui said with a smile: "I have been awarded the title of general. I just read more books."

Tang Yin smiled and said, "Master Cai, you don't have to be too humble." After saying this, he glanced at Qiu Zhen specifically to see what the expressions of some people who boasted that they were talented and knowledgeable were, but Qiu Zhen was not. Not red in the face, not out of breath, smiling and looking like he was being taught.

Although Wanfang City is a large city, there are less than 50,000 people in the city. The treasury is empty and not even a grain of rice can be found in the granary. It is no exaggeration to describe it as impoverished. The situation in Wanfang City makes people sigh with emotion. The two counties that are very close to each other, Xishan County is extremely rich and full of grain, but Anqiu County is appallingly poor.

On that day, the Feng Army was stationed in Wanfang City, and Tang Yin convened the generals at the city lord's palace to discuss how to fight the next battle.

Gao Yu was the first to speak: "Your Majesty, since Anqiu's troops are concentrated in the county city of Shangwan, according to the general's opinion, our army should not waste time, go straight to Shangwan and completely defeat Anqiu's army."

Tang Yin nodded, feeling that what Gao Yu said was feasible.

"Your Majesty, the general thinks that attacking the city is the next priority and cutting down the enemy's territory is the highest priority! Why not send people to Shangwan first to recruit surrender? If Gao Guan is willing to surrender, it will save energy and avoid casualties of our army." General Ce Kong Yan said.

"Surrendering without a fight is not very reliable after all. The hidden danger of Shao Yu is enough to distract our army. If we recruit Gao Guan again, there will be too many hidden dangers in the rear of our army. It is inevitable that Sheng Yu will disapprove of Kong Yan's decision." statement.

Although Kong Yan was a military commander, he was easy-going and would not get angry if others contradicted him. He smiled slightly and said: "You can't give up surrendering because you are afraid of hidden dangers. Mo's central army plus local troops are millions of people. Can our army kill them all? I still think we should surrender first. Then fight again!”

Tang Yin thought about it carefully and felt that Kong Yan's words were not unreasonable. He said: "Our army is coming for an expedition. Every casualty means one less person. It is difficult to replenish the troops. It would be best if the enemy can surrender without a fight." As he spoke, he asked Letian and Ai Jia: "How is Gao Guan's conduct?"

Ai Jia said: "Gao Guan has been able to sit in the position of the county chief for more than ten years. He must be a die-hard loyalist of Mo State. My subordinates think that it is unlikely that Gao Guan will be demoted."

Lotte agreed and said: "Gaoguan has always been honest and upright as an official, and he is also loyal to the country of Mo."

Tang Yin secretly expressed trouble and said, "No matter what, let's give it a try first! Qiu Zhen?"

"I'm here!"

"Tomorrow, send someone to Shangqiu to deliver a letter of surrender to Gao Guan."

"Yes! Your Majesty!" Qiu Zhen responded with his hands raised.

After discussing with everyone, Tang Yin wiped the sweat from his forehead, frowned and looked outside, muttering: "Why is it so hot here?"

Not to mention Tang Yin, everyone around him was also covered in sweat. The local climate was not something that outsiders who had just arrived could bear. When the doors and windows were opened, the wind and sand blew in wildly, but when the doors and windows were closed, the room was as stuffy as a steamer. It makes people miserable.

Seeing that Tang Yin was suffering from the heat, Asan and Asi, as the general's bodyguard, immediately ordered the guards to bring some plum soup brought by the army.

Tang Yin usually wouldn't drink this sweet and sour thing, but now it was like drinking nectar. As soon as he took a big sip, he saw everyone around him looking at him eagerly and swallowing saliva. He immediately put the bowl down, asked the guards to get all the plum soup and distributed it to everyone.

Asan looked troubled and said in a low voice: "Your Majesty, we don't have much plum soup. With so many people sharing it, I'm afraid there won't be enough for each person..." While speaking, the two of them also glanced at the people around them. .

Tang Yin frowned, stood up, and said to everyone: "Let's go out to drink tea! There can't be a teahouse in such a huge Wanfang City?!" After a pause, he said again: "By the way, here it is!" Each of our brothers in the army will be given ten coins to buy tea or summer medicine. In short, I don’t want to see widespread heatstroke among our brothers before we fight the enemy. "

"Understood, Your Majesty!" All the generals raised their hands and saluted.

There are quite a few teahouses in Wanfang City. As soon as Tang Yin and his generals left the city lord's palace, they saw a large teahouse diagonally opposite not far away. Tang Yin pointed over there and said with a smile: "Let's go there. Bar!"

Before Tang Yin and others could walk over, the guards rushed forward and surrounded the teahouse. Then more than ten guards rushed in. Following a burst of noise, a large number of Mo people ran out of it in a short time. , not daring to stay for a moment, and disappeared on the street in the blink of an eye.

Then Asan and Asi went around the teahouse to make sure there was no problem before returning to Tang Yin.