Chapter 257: The Nong Clan Rebellion in the Southwest
Bianjing.

Pingyang Houfu.

Yang Wenyuan was holding a military report about the South in his hand, with a look of surprise on his face.

In fact, Yang Wenyuan was not very surprised at first about Hua Lanke's encounter with pirates.

This was not because he could predict in advance that Hualan would encounter bandits, but because in fact, since the founding of the Great Zhou Dynasty, such incidents have occurred from time to time in the south.

If you can eventually be recruited by the court, that would be an uprising.

If it is finally suppressed by the imperial court, it would be a rebellion.

It's just because of the special situation in the current court that people take it more seriously.

For this purpose, Yang Wenyuan even went out of his way to find out who was the most active person in the South right now.

As expected, Yang Wenyuan immediately learned from his uncle Yang Yuqing that the most troubled group in the south at the moment was the Nong family in Guangnan West Road.

Guangnan West Road is located in the southwest of Da Zhou, and is the area where other non-Han minority tribes live.

Because there was a lack of Han people in that area, and because it was mostly poor and mountainous, the central dynasties of all dynasties had weak rule over the area and generally implemented a policy of control.

That is to say, granting official positions to tribal leaders and allowing them to handle tribal affairs on their own.

Among the tribal forces in the southern part of Guangxi at present, the most powerful one is the Nong clan, which is located at the junction of Da Zhou and Jiaozhi.

Speaking of the Nong clan, it is actually an "old face" of the rebellion in the south, and it can be found in almost every Hui clan.

But when it comes down to it, Nong was also a little frustrated.

Because from the very beginning, the Nong clan wanted to closely follow the footsteps of the big brother, the Great Zhou, and seek "common progress". They always wanted to depend on the Great Zhou and enjoy the shade under the big tree.

But unfortunately, the current government and court officials are all "stable" people.

Especially for the Nong clan, which was located on the border between Da Zhou and Jiaozhi.

It is certainly a good thing to have a younger brother come to join you, but if this younger brother is wearing a dirty suit...

The ruling group of the Great Zhou Dynasty was reluctant to swallow this useless thing.

The emperor and his ministers were worried that recruiting the Nong clan would cause external disputes between the Great Zhou and Jiaozhi.

Of course, the Great Zhou was not afraid of going to war with a small country like Jiaozhi, but it could not withstand the fact that Jiaozhi had many mountains and plateaus.

Even if we cannot defeat you, as long as we deliberately avoid you and hide in the deep mountains and forests, and then send a small force to stab you after your main army leaves, that would be extremely annoying.

Not to mention, there is also the vivid precedent of giving annual gifts to Western Xia in exchange for peace after defeating the latter.

The Great Zhou was also unwilling to be at odds with Jiaozhi.

After all, harmony brings wealth!
Therefore, the Zhou Dynasty court repeatedly rejected Nong's repeated offers of allegiance.

When Nong saw this, she also became anxious.

I sincerely wanted to be your little brother and flatter your Great Zhou, but instead you humiliated me like this.

Dignity only lies on the edge of the sword!

Well, since you are afraid that Jiaozhi will harass you, I will just give you a hard blow first!

In particular, Nong also knew the news that Great Zhou had gone to war with Western Xia in Lingzhou. Knowing that the military strength of Great Zhou in the southwest was weak at that time, he directly and decisively raised the flag of rebellion.

Well, at the same time, he also called himself an emperor and gave himself a resounding name: "Emperor Zhaode".

Perhaps Emperor Zhaode still wanted to demonstrate his military strength through war and force the Great Zhou to recruit him.

No matter how poor they are, they can still plunder within the territory of the Great Zhou and grab some big haul, which will definitely be richer than their own miserable clan land.

According to the intelligence sent back by the Privy Council's Machine Room, the rebel Emperor Zhaode and the Nong clan behind him had actually raised the banner and launched a massive rebellion in May of this year, winning great victories along the way. Now they have almost penetrated the entire Guangnan West Road and have occupied more than half of it.

As for why the situation is so serious now, specific information has been submitted...

One reason is that the initial intelligence was suppressed by the government.

After all, in the eyes of the government, this was another of Nong's strategies of "the crying child gets the milk". In other words, she was just making a fuss in the hope of being recruited, and she would be able to settle down in three to five days.

The second one came from the hands of the transport envoy of Guangnan West Road.

At first he thought that Nong was just making a routine fuss, but when he realized that something was wrong, Nong had already gained some momentum.

But at that time, he had the government's order to "pacify the people as quickly as possible", and he also had the desire to protect his own official evaluation (if a major rebellion broke out under his rule, his official career would basically be over, and he might even be held accountable and imprisoned).

Therefore, the Guangnan West Road Transport Commissioner did not deliver the news in a hurry, but went through the ordinary government post station, thinking that he would handle it as soon as possible so that the good news of the great victory would be delivered faster than the letter for help.

At that time, the officials will take notice of you, keep your name in their minds, and you will have a smooth career in the future.

In actual combat, the chief officers of the Great Zhou army were often not military generals, but civil officials, or ministers directly appointed by the emperor.

As a result, the Guangnan West Road Transport Commissioner took over the army command baton without hesitation.

For the first time in his lifetime, he had the opportunity to display his talent in military strategy and led an incomplete army to fight against the rebels.

Then, I died after trying...

Now the specific news has come out that most of Guangnan West Road has been lost.

If we consider the speed at which information is transmitted, it is very likely that the entire Guangnan West Road has been lost at this moment.

"No wonder Hualan encountered pirates on the way to Huangzhou..." Looking at the military intelligence in his hand, Yang Wenyuan grinned.

I think among those pirates, there are not only thugs and bandits, but also many of them are defeated soldiers who fled from there.

The southwest has suffered a great defeat, and there will definitely be many soldiers fleeing to the north. This will definitely cause a lot of trouble and make the original bandits even more rampant.

“Ding ding~!”

At this time, there was a knock on the door outside the house, and the servant reported softly:

"Master, Second Young Master Sheng and Second Young Master Gu are here."

Yang Wenyuan nodded and said loudly:
"Just lead them in!"

The reason why he asked Changbai and Gu Tingye to come over after getting the specific information was that Yang Wenyuan also had his own plans.

Let Changbai come over.

Because he is Hualan's biological brother, and is also very likely to be Yang Rujin's future husband, and is her ally and investment target. It would definitely be good for her to learn more about major events in the Great Zhou Dynasty and broaden her horizons. As for Gu Tingye.

That was the choice Yang Wenyuan gave him.

Because of the butterfly effect brought about by Yang Wenyuan, Gu Tingye did not join the army as before, and there was no need for the matter of Man Niang. Now he is waiting in Bian Jing peacefully, planning to marry Yu Yanran next year and then wait for the imperial examination.

Therefore, at this moment, Yang Wenyuan wanted to give Gu Tingye another chance and let him make his own decision.

After a while, Changbai and Gu Tingye entered the study.

"What's wrong, Donghuan? Is there something urgent? Why are you calling me and Zecheng over to talk?"

Gu Tingye walked into the room with ease, and while shouting, he poured a glass of water for himself and Changbai:

"I'm telling you, my house is in a critical situation now, and I have to look after it myself every day!"

Yang Wenyuan glared at Gu Tingye unhappily.

Although he said he was going to supervise it personally, it was clear that he had no autonomy at all. He updated the craftsmen's construction drawings in real time every day and sent them to Yu's house. He then went to the construction site with suggestions for rectification.

What a bootlicker!

If you, Gu Tingye, weren't so wealthy, I, Yang Wenyuan, would be the first one to look down on you and be ashamed to associate with such a person!
With contempt in his heart, Yang Wenyuan was not in a hurry to answer Gu Tingye's words. He just looked at Changbai who followed behind him, handed over the letter in his hand, and said:
"Aren't you concerned about why there is some chaos in the south? This is the intelligence that the Privy Council's Speed ​​Room has obtained in recent days. It's just the right time for you to review it."

"Oh? Thank you, brother-in-law!" Changbai was most concerned about national affairs. At this moment, he felt that the letter handed over by Yang Wenyuan was more attractive than a lovely young girl, so he hurriedly took it.

While Changbai was unfolding the letter, Gu Tingye also came forward with a teacup to read it, saying:
"Is this why you called Changbai and me here? Is there another rebellion in the south?"

Gu Tingye had been influenced by a family of generals since he was a child, and he immediately thought of the endless rebellions in the south.

Yang Wenyuan nodded and replied:

"Gu Hou is not at home, so I don't think the military intelligence will fall into your hands. You will know it after you take a look."

After hearing what Yang Wenyuan said, Changbai and Gu Tingye's expressions suddenly became serious.

After a moment of silence in the room, Gu Tingye's exclamation broke the silence:
"That thief Nong really dares to rebel?"

Ningyuan Marquis Gu Yankai mostly served in the south when he was young, so the Gu family knew more news about the south. Gu Tingye had heard a lot about it since he was a child. At this moment, he immediately knew the existence of Nong in Yang Wenyuan's letter.

Changbai also finished reading the letter. Although he passed the imperial examination and was considered to be knowledgeable and had a good memory, he was born in the Sheng family after all and was not well-informed about many news. Therefore, he did not understand why Gu Tingye suddenly reacted so strongly.

Seeing Changbai's puzzled expression, Gu Tingye immediately stopped what he was saying and explained the background of the Nong family to his Bailan.

After speaking with a dry mouth, Gu Tingye quickly drank a sip of tea, and then said with emotion:

"When I read the news from the southwest, I felt that the Nong clan would rebel sooner or later, and now it has happened."

"If you ask me, it's still the government..."

As he spoke, Gu Tingye's head suddenly shrank, and he suddenly remembered the shadow of being "backstabbed" by his family during the imperial examination. However, after looking at the two people in the room, he immediately relaxed and continued:
"If you ask me, the emperor and the ministers are too cautious. Since the Nong family has a blood feud with Jiaozhi and has always wanted to be recruited, then we should just accept it. Xixia can give annual gifts anyway, so what if some of it slips through the cracks to the Nong family? It will be more legitimate.

Give them some money and food, and then they can fight each other."

Gu Tingye talked freely, and Changbai pushed him:
"The court's policies are naturally based on the considerations of the government, and we cannot speak without thinking. If you have not learned from the previous lesson and cannot control your mouth, I am afraid that there will be twists and turns in the imperial examination in the future."

Gu Tingye was touched by Changbai's concern, but he still stiffened his neck and said:
"Don't worry, I'm only telling you the truth because you two are the only ones here. If it were outside, I would definitely keep my mouth shut."

Seeing that Gu Tingye was still somewhat unwilling to be "disciplined", Changbai glared at him again:
"I said it today, and I'm afraid I'll say it again someday without knowing why."

"Alright, alright."

Yang Wenyuan couldn't stand the two people's "flirting" and stopped them:
"I called you here not to see you bickering, but because I have something important to discuss with you."

After saying that, Yang Wenyuan turned to look at Gu Tingye and said:

"The local troops are unable to resolve the rebellion in southern Guangxi this time. Even if the emperor is unwilling, he will definitely send the imperial guards to quell the rebellion."

Gu Tingye agreed with Yang Wenyuan's opinion and nodded in agreement.

The government is pursuing stability, but that is when the country is peaceful and at peace. Now that the rebellion in the southwest has gotten bigger, people must be sent to deal with it.

The army is definitely needed to suppress the rebellion.

In this regard, there is no hope of relying on local troops and militia. Asking them to maintain public order and oppress civilians will surely be easy, but if they are sent to fight, they will simply be cannon fodder.

No, maybe even worse than cannon fodder. After all, cannon fodder won’t hold them back.

Therefore, if the imperial court wanted to quell the rebellion, it could only dispatch the elite troops of the Great Zhou, the imperial guards, to the southwest to quell the rebellion.

However, anyone with a discerning eye knows that although the Great Zhou now has many imperial guards, most of them are just for show, and only two of them are truly capable of fighting.

Hebei Imperial Guards and Central Imperial Guards.

One is the reputation gained through real fighting.

One is raised with sophisticated weapons.

"And we all know that if the emperor still wants to stabilize the court and prevent the issue of the crown prince from taking advantage of the opportunity to stir up trouble, then he must put an end to the rebellion in the southwest."

As he spoke, Yang Wenyuan revealed the simple map he had drawn behind him, and then stretched out his hand and pointed at the Lingzhou territory:
"At the moment, there is a part of the Shaanxi Imperial Guard in Lingzhou. The number is about one-third of the Hebei Imperial Guard. They cannot be moved. The remaining two-thirds of the Hebei Imperial Guard..."

Yang Wenyuan pointed north again:

"Although Bei Liao is somewhat unable to extricate itself, it cannot stop defending and cannot move."

"so……"

Yang Wenyuan stared at Gu Tingye and said:

"The imperial guards that went to the southwest to quell the rebellion must be the central imperial guards that protect Bianjing."

Yang Wenyuan's analysis was well-reasoned, and Gu Tingye and Changbai both nodded in agreement.

"According to the emperor's temperament, this trip must not only eliminate the rebels like autumn wind sweeping away fallen leaves, but also prevent the two princes from taking advantage of this opportunity to get involved in military power and develop unnecessary ambitions. Therefore, in this southwest rebellion suppression, the emperor must select trusted generals to lead the troops."

"In that case, there aren't many people who were chosen..."

Yang Wenyuan continued to talk, stroking his chin, and continued to look at Gu Tingye and said:

"Thinking further, according to the Great Zhou's convention, the generals of each army sequence need to be rotated every few years, and my uncle has been in charge of the Western Army for several years, and it happens that it is almost time for a rotation..."

(End of this chapter)