Chapter 1291 Zhang Liang surrenders
In March in the south of the Yangtze River, warblers fly and grass grows.
The water of the Wusong River slowly surges and washes against the shore. The osprey flies across the river from time to time, tapping its wings on the water to catch underwater fish, and then flutters its wings high.
The gentle breeze from the river makes people feel sleepy...
"I heard that the army rations have been exhausted, and there has been no replenishment yet?" A soldier lay lazily on the deck and muttered listlessly.
Another elderly veteran was using a brush to apply tung oil on the side of the ship. He took off his upper body clothes, revealing his lean arms. Hearing this, he said in a muffled voice: "What do you care about that? We are soldiers who eat food and do a good job." Yes, that’s something the commander needs to worry about.”
"Well, that's what I said, but now people in the army are panicking and talking about anything. If we hadn't all been Xingyang soldiers who have followed the commander for many years, I'm afraid the army would have been demoralized and there would have been deserters..."
The young soldier sighed with a sad look on his face.
The veteran continued the work at hand with concentration, brushing the tung oil on the deck carefully, and said nonchalantly: "Do you still know that you are a Xingyang soldier? All of us Xingyang men served under the commander-in-chief. We followed the commander-in-chief's style in the beginning. How could I have frowned even though there were so many corpses in the fire? Now that the world is at peace, there are so many complaints!”
"That's easy to say!" The young soldier stood up and said, "We old, weak and remnant soldiers lack supplies and equipment. When we go to the battlefield during the Eastern Expedition, don't we have to sacrifice our lives to fill it? The commander-in-chief has gained merit. , but we are miserable..."
"Shut up!"
The veteran put down the brush in his hand, glared at the young soldier fiercely, and shouted.
Then he looked nervously at the empty dock, relaxed a little, and cursed in a lowered voice: "Fuck you! How dare you say such nonsense? Be careful if others hear it, it will be a crime that disturbs the morale of the army. To be beheaded!”
The young soldier shrank his neck in fright and muttered in a low voice: "That's right, am I wrong..."
The veteran snorted, raised his hand to wipe his sweat, looked at the bright sun above his head, picked up the kettle on the side and drank some water, then sat down next to the young soldier and said: "You are just a fool! We are indeed Lack of equipment, lack of equipment, not even a decent warship, but it is precisely because of the lack of equipment and equipment. For this reason, how could it be our turn to charge into the battle? Why is the commander-in-chief being held back by Fang Jun? Isn’t it because Fang Jun is unwilling to have his achievements in the Eastern Expedition taken away by the commander-in-chief? Wait and see, during the Eastern Expedition, he said Maybe we won’t even get the job of escorting grain and grass...”
"What?" The young soldier's eyes widened: "You can't, right? All that great credit has just slipped away in vain?"
The veteran was so angry that he wanted to curse. We, the old, weak and disabled soldiers, are we going to die on the battlefield?
It’s a great achievement, but you have to have a life to achieve enlightenment!
But before he could speak, he heard an exclamation coming from nearby.
"Mom! What is the Royal Navy doing?"
"Damn it, mother, aren't we going to start a war?"
There were exclamations on the nearby warships, and the veteran quickly stood up and looked towards the river.
The river is sparkling, the waves are surging at the mouth of the Yangtze River in the distance, and the sea and sky are just one line away.
I saw that the Royal Navy warships that had just been testing the range of the artillery on the river had slowly gathered together. The warships were beating drums, covering a dozen warships coming from behind and heading towards the Canghai Road Pier. Come.
The gunpowder smoke at Runkou has not yet dissipated, drifting away with the soothing river breeze...
There were only four or five old warships docked at the dock on Canghai Road, waiting for their decks to be repaired. The soldiers were chatting in the sun in twos and threes. When they saw the abnormal situation, they got up and watched in amazement. At this time, the pot was already blowing up!
Although Zhang Liang's side has always been suppressed, and the Royal Navy has been very close to Huating Town and ignored the Canghai Road side, the two sides have always been on the same page and have never had any contact with each other.
Looking at this aggressive posture now, is it going to start a war?
But we are all soldiers of the Tang Dynasty, okay...
Before Canghai Road could react, a new type of scissor-type sailboat had already emerged from the Royal Navy's formation. Its pointed bow cut through the waves on the river. The river water was plowed away quickly, leaving behind the ship. A pure white track quickly approached the dock.
It seemed that in just a moment, they were already in front of the dock.
The soldiers on the dock swallowed their saliva and looked nervously at the cannon on the bow of the battleship. They quietly breathed a sigh of relief until the battleship struck sideways and the black muzzle turned away.
It’s so scary...
At this time, Zhang Liangcai came in a hurry with his helmet and armor on, and Gongsun Chang stepped forward and shouted at the warship docked on the dock: "Who is here, and what do you do?"
A springboard was hung from the battleship and placed on the pier at the pier, and a group of several people strode off the battleship.
The leader was covered in armor, with a scarlet cloak hanging behind him, and the red tassel on the iron helmet beating like flames with his footsteps, making him look majestic and majestic.
Walking directly to Zhang Liang, the man clasped his fists and said, "Royal Navy Commander Su Dingfang has met General Manager Zhang!"
The person coming is none other than Su Dingfang!
Zhang Liang's eyebrows narrowed and he said sternly: "Su Dingfang! Don't think that becoming His Majesty's minion can show off your power in front of someone. What do you want to do when you crash a warship into someone's dock? If you can't give someone a reasonable explanation, someone I will definitely give you a copy in front of His Majesty!”
This is simply unreasonable!
It's just a matter of suppressing myself, but all the goods that were secretly smuggled in Canghaidao were sealed. Even some well-connected Jiangnan nobles who secretly subsidized some grains were detained by these guys on the charge of "trading grains". Now they are actually How can you really think that I am a vegetarian when you openly block the door of your home with a battleship?
If the tiger doesn't show off its power, it will treat me as a sick cat!
The soldiers behind him all stared angrily!
I am really angry and can no longer bear it!
Su Dingfang waved his hand to stop the generals behind him who wanted to step forward to scold him, and said to Zhang Liang expressionlessly: "Jingzhao Yin Fangjun just received a letter, asking the governor to transport three thousand stones of military rations here. From now on, everything in Canghai Road The Royal Navy supplies military provisions, supplies, and armaments first, and then settles them with Huating Town. I wonder if General Manager Zhang has any objections?”
Zhang Liang was stunned for a moment.
Fang Jun asked Su Dingfang to send three thousand stones of military rations?
Just as Jingzhong reached an agreement with Fang Jun, the Jiangnan nobles already regretted it. The military rations and baggage they had promised themselves were nowhere to be seen, and Fang Jun came to their doorstep...
Zhang Liang's mouth was full of bitterness.
Do you want to accept it or not?
If accepted, the shortage of supplies in the army will be alleviated immediately. Even if some goods are smuggled in the future, the Royal Navy will definitely turn a blind eye and keep an open mind.
If they do not accept it, the Jiangnan nobles will definitely send baggage according to the agreement, but they will still face the investigation and interception by the Royal Navy, and the situation may not improve much...
Speaking of which, Zhang Liang was willing to accept the military rations in front of him. Although he nominally took refuge with Fang Jun, he actually still stood under the emperor's command, and there was nothing to be ashamed of.
But the problem is that once I accept Fang Jun's funding, it means that from now on, all the armies in Jiangnan will be under Fang Jun's control... No matter who is the coach of the Eastern Expedition in the future, they will not be able to bypass Fang Jun. A hurdle!
What's even more serious is that from now on, the Jiangnan gentry will no longer be able to fight against Fang Jun, and all businesses will be placed under the management of Huating Town.
Seeing his rival Fang Jun rise to power and become the de facto controller of Jiangnan is really hard for Zhang Liang to swallow...
He was considering, weighing, and unwilling to give in, but the soldiers under his command didn't think so!
They are all soldiers of the Tang Dynasty, so why are the Royal Navy and Huating Town's popular and popular drinkers, but my own side is short of food and clothing, and even the weapons are rusty? All the power that should have belonged to Canghaidao was taken away by Huating Town and the Royal Navy. Who can be willing to do so?
All the soldiers looked at Zhang Liang eagerly, waiting for Zhang Liang to make a decision.
Zhang Liang looked at the pair of eyes full of hope, and could only sigh secretly. If he continued to persevere, the situation would still be so embarrassing and would not get better. Can these his most loyal direct descendants still support him as always?
I’m afraid that may not be the case...
Everyone has their own interests to pursue. If a coach cannot be brought to you by his subordinates for merit, wealth, and status, why should he want others to work for you?
Recently, complaints from the military have been heard more than once. If it were in the past, Zhang Liang would have ordered military discipline to be improved long ago, and those who secretly complained would be punished by military law. But now he had to consider whether this resentment would affect the entire army.
If people’s hearts are lost, it will be difficult to lead the team...
That’s all!
Even if it's for the sake of these subordinates who are chasing him all the way to fight, what's the point of lowering his head?
What's more, according to Fang Jun's expression, as long as he lowers his head, he should have a place among the navy during the future Eastern Expedition...
It's just that the Jiangnan nobles are going to be miserable. Without their own resistance, Jiangnan is under Fang Jun's control. All goods and breeding transactions must go through Huating Town to peel off a layer of skin, which is enough to make the Jiangnan nobles miserable! (End of chapter)