(Two chapters combined into one)

In late April, the city of Hangzhou has already begun to experience the heat of summer. In the past, young ladies and beauties would visit the West Lake at this time. However, Fuyang and Linshui were occupied by the Zhejiang and Fujian rebels. It was only recently that the surrounding camps invaded Hangzhou.

Thirty miles away, who dares to put his head on his waist and go out to swim in the West Lake outside the city?

The shores of West Lake in the southwest of Hangzhou are deserted. Except for a group of horse infantry on the north bank dragging heavy steps slowly eastward, Tingting Lake is full of beautiful scenery, but no one appreciates the beauty.

The water of West Lake is connected to the Qianjiang River. Since the Huaidong and Zhejiang-Fujian armies blocked the Qianjiang waterway, it is upstream of the mouth of the West Lake. Therefore, it is relatively less dangerous to enter the West Lake from the Qianjiang River to Hangzhou City by boat.

Chen Mingzhe clasped his hands behind his back, stood tall on the bow of the boat, and looked at the devastated vast land along the West Lake. There was a knot in his heart that could not be vented.

Chen Mingzhe left the court a month ago and went to Jiaxing Prefecture as a court official. He became an important pawn in the Wu Party's attempt to divide Dong Yuan's power in northern Zhejiang.

Chen Mingzhe has been living in his hometown for a long time since he became the top student in high school in the ninth year of Chongguan and became famous all over the world. He officially entered the official position for only a little more than two years. In two years, Chen Mingzhe reached the fifth rank of officialdom and was promoted very quickly.

, which was also rare in the world. In addition to being in troubled times and promoting talents in an eclectic way, it also benefited from his teacher-student relationship with Chen Xiyan.

Dong Yuan's power in northern Zhejiang was not as strong as before, but he was still the envoy of northern Zhejiang. After Chen Mingzhe took up his post in Jiaxing Mansion, he rectified his political affairs and rushed to Hangzhou to meet Dong Yuan.

The accompanying fan Jiliang was also a member of the Wu Party. He was well-known in Jiangning, but he failed in the scientific examination. He was nearly forty years old and failed to pass the scientific examination to enter the official career. He was also a little discouraged, so he came to work as an aide to Chen Mingzhe.

Make plans.

"It's strange," Fan Jiliang said, standing behind Chen Mingzhe, "Salt and Iron Envoy Zhang Yan sent Fan Wenlan to go south to Yueqing by boat, intending to take over the salt affairs in southern Zhejiang. Logically speaking, Lin Huaidong wouldn't hurt Fan Wenlan's legs.

Interrupting and expelling him is already a great favor to Zhang Yan, so how can he really recommend Fan Wenlan as the magistrate of Yongjia Prefecture, responsible for the salt affairs in southern Zhejiang?"

Lin Fu was granted the title of Marquis of Huaidong, which was a rare noble title in the world. People in the world did not call him by his first name, but mostly referred to him as Lin Huaidong.

"Perhaps Lin Huaidong offered the salt business in southern Zhejiang in exchange for Jiangning's consent to Huaidong's other personnel arrangements for the counties in southern Zhejiang..." Wang Yue, who is coming to serve as the general magistrate of Hangzhou Prefecture during this trip, is from the same hometown of Haiyu as Chen Mingzhe.

Fan Jiliang had good relations with him and was about forty years old. When he speculated on Huaidong's intention to give up the benefits of the salt industry in southern Zhejiang, the mustache on his lips trembled.

Chen Mingzhe did not respond to the speculations of Fan Jiliang and Wang Yue.

Lin Fu was a man of extraordinary talent in politics and military affairs, and his actions were unconventional and unconventional. It was beyond anyone's ability to guess. I don't know where the origin came from. Some people called Lin Fu the East Sea Fox to show his cunning. - Chen Ming

Zhe has been in contact with Huaidong for many years and has a deep understanding of this.

Chen Mingzhe was absent-minded, but it did not hinder the conversation between Fan Jiliang and Wang Yue.

Fan Jiliang shook his head and said: "With the Salt and Iron Department and salt merchants completely excluded, the counties in southern Zhejiang can earn at least two to three hundred thousand silver a year. The invasion of southern Zhejiang from Huaidong cost a lot of money."

power, and the imperial court relied on Huaidong on the Eastern Front. I am afraid that Zhang Yan never really thought about winning over the salt interests in southern Zhejiang. Who knows how long the war on the Eastern Front would last, even if Huaidong agreed to Jiangning's move to Zhejiang at this time.

No one is willing to suffer the hardship of appointing officials from the South? Lin Huaidong can seize these two benefits, so how can he exchange one for the other?"

"Although Lin Huaidong behaves domineeringly, he is still loyal to the new emperor - Lin Huaidong may not want to be too greedy and become the target of public criticism." Wang Yue said.

"Master Wang is totally wrong to think so," Fan Jiliang shook his head and questioned Wang Yue's speculation, and then asked Chen Mingzhe, "Master Chen, do you think Lin Fu will be restrained?"

"Everything in the world is unpredictable, and people's hearts are unpredictable," Chen Mingzhe said vaguely, "How can you and I know what Lin Huaidong is thinking in his heart? It's better not to make random guesses."

Chen Mingzhe was in a high position at a young age, and Fan Jiliang was not convinced yet, but after all, he recruited Chen Mingzhe as his staff and regarded him as the main one. When Chen Mingzhe said this, Fan Jiliang stopped talking about the salt incident in southern Zhejiang.

, looking at the majestic figure of Hangcheng who was taking office in the distance, and asked: "Dong Yuan will probably not be too happy about your visit to Hangcheng..."

Chen Mingzhe thought to himself: How could Dong Yuan be happy?

Before March last year, Dong Yuan had sole power in northern Zhejiang. Today, after the fiasco in Fuyang, although the Military Department of Northern Zhejiang is still headed by Dong Yuan and has jurisdiction over local military affairs and defense in northern Zhejiang, Dong Yuan is far from being able to talk about it.

The superior has monopolized the power.

After the fiasco in Fuyang, the Northern Zhejiang Army was reorganized and the total number of troops returned to 60,000. However, Dong Yuan's troops and horses were severely damaged. Meng Yishan's Ning Haijun and Chen Huawen's Haiyu Army were inside the Northern Zhejiang Army.

Occupying the advantage in terms of military strength, even the newly established naval division of the Northern Zhejiang Military Division was headed by Su Pinxiao, the former leader of the Taibainao Army who was recruited by the Haiyu Army.

After the new emperor ascended the throne, large-scale adjustments were also made to the local officials of Jia, Hang, and Hu. Officials from the Wu Party, such as Chen Mingzhe and Wang Yue, replaced the officials from Zhejiang County who had been attracted by Dong Yuan.

.

How could Dong Yuan be happy in such a situation?

After the new emperor ascended the throne, Chen Xiyan became the first assistant. In addition to consolidating the north and south defense lines and increasing revenue and reducing expenditure, the most important thing was to conspire to weaken the threats and hidden dangers posed by the local vassals to the Jiangning regime and strengthen the court's control over the local area.

Whether Chen Xiyan, Yu Xinyuan, or other Wu Party officials, almost none of them had the ambition to separate local areas militarily and compete with the imperial court. On issues such as weakening the power of local vassals and strengthening the centralization of power in Jiangning, the interests of the Wu Party were those of the new emperor.

Consistent.

The new emperor was not a dim-witted king. During the two or three years since he ruled Jiangning as King Ning, he had a relatively thorough understanding of the situation in Jianghuai.

As far as local forces are concerned, the Dongyang Clan and the Wu Party are the main ones in the Jianghuai area. After the Dongyang Clan broke up, Gu Wuchen went north to Qingzhou, and the Dongyang Clan was headed by Huaidong. The new emperor wanted to sit firmly on the throne in Jiangning, so he could not leave without

With the support of local forces, between the New Dongyang Clique and the Wu Party, I know who to choose with my eyes closed.

Of course, in order to reduce the power of local vassals, neither the new emperor nor Chen Xiyan dared to test Huaidong rashly, and they did not even touch Lin Tingli, who was closely related to Huaidong. In addition to promoting Wu Party officials, Dong Principle

Becoming Jiang Ning’s first target for “cutting down the vassal vassal”.

Dong Yuan did not have the ability to resist, so he could only accept Jiang Ning's many arrangements. After proclaiming the new emperor, Dong Yuan only focused on military affairs and defense. He always stayed in Hangzhou, and even gave up local military preparation and prevention rights.

, and all were returned to the prefecture and county.

"Will Dong Yuan be so honest?" Chen Mingzhe thought to himself, "When Jiang Ning reduces Dong Yuan's power, will Lin Fu feel embarrassed and interfere? Or maybe Dong Yuan and Lin Fu have already had a relationship.

Collusion, after all, after Li Zhuo's death, Gao Zongting and others all defected to Huaidong, and Dong Yuan and them both came from Li Zhuo's sect..."

Although he was informed about Jiaxing Prefecture's affairs quite smoothly, Chen Mingzhe was still deeply worried about the future development of the situation in northern Zhejiang!

The ferry was heading north, and Hangzhou was getting closer and closer. Fan Jiliang suddenly seemed to be touched by something, and said abruptly: "Huaidong has become a disaster. Since Huaidong is fighting against the She family on the eastern front,

It’s so fierce and the fight is inextricable. Should we relax a little on the western front and let She’s troops in western Zhejiang advance eastward so that we can fight with Huaidong and lose both sides?”

"Watching the fire from the other side?" Wang Yue said doubtfully.

Chen Mingzhe shook his head and said: "This can't be the case. Regardless of whether Deng Yu, Dong Yuan and Jiangxi will cooperate - we are not afraid of ten thousand, but we are afraid that She Fei Xiong will do the opposite. If She Fei Xiong avoids

If we start a decisive battle with Huaidong on the eastern front and take advantage of our relaxation on the western front to suddenly launch a massive attack on Huzhou or Ning, in order to encircle Wei and save Zhao, and force Huaidong to withdraw troops from the eastern front, then we will be shooting ourselves in the face.

foot!"

In fact, before Chen Mingzhe came to northern Zhejiang, he knew that Chen Xiyan, Yu Xinyuan, and Zhang Yan had had many secret discussions on this matter. After all, they felt that it was too dangerous and there was a possibility of self-immolation.

In fact, since She Feihu captured Fuyang and Linshui in March last year, and then occupied Qianqiu Pass and Dusong Pass, Jiangning's situation on the western front was very dangerous and he did not dare to relax at all. The She family's troops in western Zhejiang

Ma, not only are the troops pointing directly at Jiahang Lake and the heart of Huizhou, but Jiangning will also be directly threatened if there is any surprise.

Even if the main force of the She family in western Zhejiang is allowed to advance eastward to fight a decisive battle with Huaidong on the eastern front, the defense line on the western front must at least be restored to the position before March last year in order to make people feel at ease - otherwise it is likely to be playing with fire and self-immolation;

At this time, it was too late to cry.

Furthermore, Huaidong is by no means a good place.

At this time, the imperial court relies too much on Huaidong. It is good to hide this little trick from Huaidong. But if it cannot hide it from Huaidong, what if Huaidong fully shrinks on the eastern front? I'm afraid it will be more serious than lifting a stone in one's own feet.

several times.

On the western front, Jiang Ning did not dare to let the enemy go east to harm Huaidong, but his main intention was to defend it steadily.

When it came to Dong Yuan, Deng Yu and others, Chen Mingzhe thought, their thoughts would probably be very different.

Jiang Ning wanted to be safe, but Deng Yu was guarding the south of Huizhou. He was threatened by She Feihu from three directions: Yuling Pass, Qianqiu Pass, and Dusong Pass. For him, it was not that he could sleep peacefully just by holding Huizhou City, at least he had to

Only by recapturing the two important passes of Qianqiu Pass and Dusong Pass can we breathe a little easier.

Dong Yuan's current situation is related to the defeat of Fuyang last year. Chen Mingzhe speculated that Dong Yuan was probably eager to take back Fuyang from She Feixiong, right?

Of course, compared to the unrealistic strategic fantasy of allowing the enemy to advance eastward and reaping the benefits, Chen Mingzhe himself also hopes that the Northern Zhejiang Army can take a more active stance and take the initiative to regain Linshui, Fuyang and other places.

Drive the Zhejiang and Fujian rebels out of northern Zhejiang.

After the fall of Fuyang and Linshui, a large area of ​​fertile land centered on Hangcheng and Deqing was affected by the war and became a buffer zone for the enemy and us to engage in tug-of-war. Only Jiaxing Prefecture remained intact. A large number of people fled, and the fields were abandoned and uncultivated.

After June last year, the three prefectures in northern Zhejiang reduced the taxes they could provide. A large number of people fled to Pingjiang, Danyang, Jiaxing and other places to avoid the war, exacerbating the food shortage in these areas.

The counties in Jiaxing face the sea. Over the years, development has been worse than that of Hangzhou and Huzhou. Even if Chen Mingzhe is determined to implement the New Deal in Jiaxing Prefecture, it will not be effective immediately. The situation in northern Zhejiang must be fundamentally changed.

, to regain Fuyang, Linshui is the key.

But it is obvious that She Fei Xiong Duan cannot give up Fuyang.

In addition to maintaining a deterrent to Jiangning and weakening the military potential of the three prefectures in northern Zhejiang, the Zhejiang and Fujian rebels occupying Fuyang also control the middle reaches of the Qianjiang waterway, which is the most important connection area for the Zhejiang and Fujian rebels to connect the east and west lines in Zhejiang County.

Once Fuyang is lost, the posture of the Zhejiang and Fujian armies on the east and west fronts will be very similar to that after Huaidong occupied Yueqing. The Yongjia garrison and the Taizhou garrison were unable to look at each other. They will fall into complete passivity.

No matter how stupid Feixiong is, he can't give up on Fuyang.

Chen Mingzhe was confused sometimes, but looking at the current situation, the western front could only remain in a stalemate. Neither Jiangning nor Shefei Xiong dared to breathe a sigh of relief. Perhaps they could only wait for Huaidong to make a breakthrough on the eastern front first.

.

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Dong Yuan stood at the top of the city, watching Chen Mingzhe and others enter the city. Although Dong Yuan went out to lead the envoys in northern Zhejiang with the title of Minister of War, his authority was not even as high as when he went out to Weiyang Mansion.

Among the three prefectures in northern Zhejiang, although Hanghu was the most prosperous in the early years, Jiaxing Prefecture was the most complete at this time. Both Hangzhou and Hu, which were originally prosperous in the world, were involved in the war and were severely damaged.

Chen Mingzhe was Chen Xiyan's favorite disciple and a disciple of the Emperor. He became an official in northern Zhejiang and served as a censor. Only two years later, he went to northern Zhejiang to assume the important position of informing Jiaxing Prefecture. This was also the Wu Party's plan to achieve control in northern Zhejiang.

Dong Yuan's intention to restrict his powers made Dong Yuan's close followers feel dissatisfied.

Gongsun Qi was Dong Yuan's confidant. As early as Dong Yuan's early years when he was guarding Xianxia County to resist the extravagant army, he rose to prominence with his strength and courage. Later, Dong Yuan joined Li Zhuo. Dong Yuan came to know the affairs of Weiyang Mansion and organized

The local military preparedness, and Gongsun Wen was the first general to surrender to him, and he won Dong Yuan's trust.
To be continued...