Chapter 414: The Hostility of the Governor of Shangyuan Prefecture
Chapter 414: The Hostility of the Governor of Shangyuan Prefecture
September 25, 2017
Yunchong Prefecture, Xianyang County.
With the successive fall of various counties in Wuyuan Prefecture, except for Jiuyuan County, Xianyang County has now become the forefront of the battlefield, just a few dozen kilometers away from the fallen Linwo County in Wuyuan Prefecture.
A large number of refugees had fled to Xianyang County, and initially, the county was unable to accommodate them. Fortunately, Lu Haikong reacted swiftly and made arrangements to transport these refugees, along with the citizens from the nearby villages outside Xianyang County, towards Qiangyin County.
This prevented the tragic fate of the refugees, who had barely escaped the iron hooves of the Uhuhan and Xianbei tribes, from starving to death within Xianyang City.
Not only Xianyang, but also the counties of Yunchong and Dingxiang, which were adjacent to Wuyuan, were engaged in similar actions. Even the counties near Ji Prefecture in Yanmen Prefecture were doing the same.
However, Xianyang was slightly special because, in addition to receiving citizens, a large number of war supplies were also being transported there.
After the Uhuan-Xianbei Rebellion broke out, the area gradually strengthened its military forces. During the few days when Lu Haikong was pacifying Yanmen, Xianyang had already established a solid defense line. The Formation Army had been mobilized along with Gao Shun, and they were joined by the Blackwind Army and three million troops summoned from Dingxiang and Yunchong Prefectures.
Currently, Xianyang County had a total of forty thousand troops, and these forty thousand were merely the vanguard. It was evident that Xianyang had become Lu Haikong's main base for resisting the Uhuan and Xianbei tribes.
Lu Haikong would continue to reinforce Xianyang, but for now, he was still waiting for the items he desired to be transported back from Luoyang.
At present, Lu Haikong only had control over three prefectures, and he would only be eligible to mobilize the armies of the remaining prefectures after becoming the Governor of Bingzhou. Otherwise, it would be challenging to repel the vast forces of the Uhuan and Xianbei tribes with his current military strength.
Of course, Lu Haikong hadn't been idly waiting during this time. On one hand, he was wrapping up the process of controlling the three prefectures, and on the other hand, he had already dispatched messengers to convey his intention to summon troops.
The nine prefectures of Bingzhou are Shangdang, Taiyuan, Xihuai, Shangyuan, Yanmen, Yunchong, Wuyuan, and Shuofang.
There's no need to mention Shuofang and Wuyuan Prefectures. One is facing the threat of the Uhuan and Xianbei tribes, while the other barely escaped annihilation. It's almost impossible to mobilize their troops.
Lu Haikong already has control over Yanmen, Yunchong, and Dingxiang Prefectures, and he has already mobilized most of their troops. The only places he can still summon troops from are Shangdang, Taiyuan, Xihuai, and Shangyuan Prefectures. Lu Haikong estimates that these four prefectures can currently provide him with at least one hundred thousand troops.
With one hundred thousand troops, Lu Haikong would feel more confident about this war.
Of course, whether they are willing to provide troops is another matter. During this time, Li Xiong had already met with the Governors of Xihuai and Taiyuan Prefectures. The Governor of Xihuai Prefecture, Li Xiong, dared not neglect the situation.
Xihuai Prefecture borders Wuyuan Prefecture, and with the Uhuan-Xianbei Rebellion unfolding right before their eyes, they were delighted to hear that Lu Haikong wanted to join forces to repel the enemy. They were also aware of Lu Haikong's current power, but when it came to summoning troops, they made various excuses. Eventually, they reluctantly agreed to dispatch ten thousand troops.
However, the Governor of Taiyuan Prefecture showed no favor to Li Xiong. Taiyuan Prefecture was originally the stronghold of the Zhang family. Although Zhang Yi had fallen, there were still many influential families in the prefecture who were close to the Zhangs, and they held no affection for Lu Haikong. They directly refused Li Xiong's request to mobilize troops.
Subsequently, Li Xiong visited Shangdang Prefecture, and the Governor there was relatively polite but still refused to dispatch troops, citing the proximity to the center of the Yellow Turban Rebellion in Ji Prefecture as a reason.
Finally, Li Xiong, having no other choice, went to Shangyuan Prefecture, the most prosperous among the four. He wanted to see if he could summon some troops from Shangyuan Prefecture.
Shangyuan Prefecture, Prefectural Governor's Mansion, Reception Hall.
Li Xiong waited anxiously in the reception hall for over two hours before the Governor of Shangyuan Prefecture arrived at a leisurely pace.
"Li Xiong pays his respects to the Governor," Li Xiong said, rising to greet the middle-aged Governor who was in his forties and slightly overweight.
"Hmm."
The Governor of Shangyuan Prefecture glanced at Li Xiong, nodded arrogantly, and then took his seat.
"Speak, what did Lu Haikong send you here for?"
"Now, with the WuXian tribes in rebellion, the entire Wuyuan Prefecture outside of Jiuyuan County has fallen, and the citizens are displaced..."
"Enough, enough, there's no need to recite everything to me, I'm already aware of all this. Just tell me, what does Lu HaiKong want?" Before Li Xiong could finish his sentence, the Prefect of Shangyuan Province abruptly cut him off, clearly irritated.
Li Xiong's expression darkened, sensing the hostility in the Prefect's demeanor. Judging from this man's attitude, borrowing troops from him today seemed unlikely. But since he was already here, Li Xiong wasn't about to give up.
"My lord requests the Prefect to lend him 50,000 troops to resist the external enemy."
"50,000 troops?" The Prefect of Shangyuan Province let out a cold laugh. "50,000 isn't a large number, and with Shangyuan's stable environment, it's not like I can't afford to lend this many troops. But I wonder, on what grounds does Lu HaiKong plan to borrow these 50,000 troops from me?"
"Even if we overlook his origins as a mountain bandit, Lu HaiKong is currently just a County Magistrate of Strong Yin. What qualifications does he have to ask me for troops? Don't even mention the Governor of Bingzhou; he's not even close to becoming one. And don't tell me a mere bandit can rise to become the Governor of Bingzhou."
Li Xiong's brows furrowed, realizing the Prefect's deep-seated animosity towards Lu HaiKong. However, the current situation didn't allow him to back down.
"My lord is deeply concerned about the safety of Bingzhou. In this time of crisis, he steps forward, seeking to borrow 50,000 troops from you for the well-being of Bingzhou's citizens."
"The safety of Bingzhou's citizens?" The Prefect of Shangyuan Province couldn't help but laugh coldly. "Do you think I'm a fool? Lu HaiKong and Ding Yuan fought over business in Bingzhou, and in the end, they were suppressed by others. Now, seeing the chaos in the world, they think it's an opportunity to rise, and ultimately, isn't Lu HaiKong doing this for power?"
In the 16th year of the reign of Emperor Ling, in the 9th month, on the 1st day, the WuXian tribes rebelled, and the entire Wuyuan Prefecture outside of Jiuyuan County fell, causing the citizens to become displaced.
The Prefect of Shangyuan Province revealed a cold smile, "That's right, that's right. I remember the last time Ding Yuan tried to suppress Lu HaiKong, Jiuyuan County was directly attacked and taken. This time, Lu HaiKong also went to Strong Yin, and the WuXian tribes immediately rebelled. I think you played a less-than-honorable role in the WuXian rebellion."
Upon hearing this, Li Xiong's brows furrowed, and he slammed his fist on the table.
"Prefect, you can eat whatever you like, but you can't speak recklessly. Remember, calamity comes from the mouth!"
"How dare you!" The Prefect of Shangyuan Province slammed down his teacup, and instantly, a group of guards rushed in, surrounding Li Xiong.
"Prefect, what are you trying to do?" Li Xiong scanned the guards encircling him and spoke coldly, his face showing no fear.
"What am I trying to do? I'm merely apprehending a mountain bandit who dares to be disrespectful to the Prefect. Don't you have any official position? A mere bandit and commoner dares to be impudent before the Prefect! Take this bandit to prison!" The Prefect of Shangyuan Province waved his hand, and the group of guards immediately closed in on Li Xiong.
Li Xiong didn't resist but instead coldly watched the Prefect of Shangyuan Province as the guards took him away.
As he was being led away, Li Xiong said, "You'll regret this."
The Prefect, of course, paid no heed to Li Xiong's words.
In reality, the main reason the Prefect of Shangyuan Province felt such animosity towards Lu HaiKong was because, recently, news had spread that Lu HaiKong was about to assume the position of Governor of Bingzhou, which greatly irritated the Prefect.
The Prefect of Shangyuan Province himself was from an old, established noble family in Bingzhou. He had assumed that with Zhang Yi's downfall, the governorship should naturally fall to him. But unexpectedly, Ding Yuan emerged out of nowhere.
There was no way around it; Ding Yuan had He Jin's backing. If Ding Yuan was appointed, then so be it. But now, with the WuXian tribes in rebellion, Ding Yuan's governorship was clearly unsustainable. The Prefect of Shangyuan Province thought this position was practically destined for him. Just as he was about to send someone to Luoyang to make arrangements, Lu HaiKong suddenly appeared again.
This infuriated the Prefect. Even if Ding Yuan was a mere war general with He Jin's support, how could Lu HaiKong, a small-time mountain bandit, dare to vie for the governorship of Bingzhou? It was utterly ridiculous! So, when Li Xiong came, the Prefect immediately detained him, wanting to see what Lu HaiKong could do.
But he didn't expect that as soon as Li Xiong was taken out of the Prefect's mansion, before even reaching the prison, he was directly rescued. The guards who had captured Li Xiong were all killed on the spot by the Shadow Guards.
"Tell your Prefect it's best not to leave the Governor's Mansion!" Li Xiong left coldly, escorted by the Shadow Guards, and departed from Shangyuan Prefecture.
(Chapter End)
Chapter end
Report
