As the Minister of the Right, he dealt with practical matters and could be said to be very busy every day. Ning Yi and the others had already noticed that besides them, there were many people waiting in the side hall to visit Qin Siyuan in the afternoon. Many of them might be high-ranking officials. Ning Yi was now considered one of Qin Siyuan's own people who could be considered an advisor. Therefore, after talking about Wang Shanyue, he temporarily handed Ning Yi over to Yao Zunian, Cheng Zhouhai, and the others to receive him, while he went to deal with the visiting officials.
Regarding the manpower and intelligence the Office of Secret Investigations had spent on the people of Liangshan, the ones who really understood it were the advisors around him. What Qin Siyuan controlled was only the general direction. After he left, Cheng Zhouhai and the others took the information from the study and sat down among the grape trellises outside the study with Ning Yi, Yao Zunian, and Wenren Buer. Only then did they officially give Ning Yi a briefing.
As for Qin Shaoyu, he couldn't get a word in on such a relatively formal occasion. Qin Siyuan wouldn't hand over the position of the Office of Secret Investigations to his nephew, so he wasn't called to accompany them.
"A few years ago, before Prime Minister Qin rose again, the Office of Secret Investigations only operated in the north, so we didn't have enough control over Song Jiang and the others. Although we're keeping an eye on people like Song Jiang, Tian Hu, and Wang Qing, we still have to use our power through the army. To be honest, relying on them to fight is really bad luck. It's not that they can't fight at all, but there's a lot of wrangling. When the time comes … Brother Ning, you have to be mentally prepared …"
Among the three, Yao Zunian's seniority was relatively high. Wenren Buer was previously in charge of matters in the south, so the one in charge of briefing was Cheng Zhouhai, who spoke a little coldly. At this time, what could be given to Ning Yi was the general information about the vicinity of Liangshan Lake, the location of the troops, the number of troops, the records of previous expeditions, and a few maps.
"To be honest, I'm afraid we'll have to wait for Junior Brother Ning to go to Shandong before we can get the most detailed information from Junior Wang Shanyue. For now, we can only have an idea … Master Qin should have told Junior Brother Ning about Junior Wang's situation, right?"
"Hmm, it seems like … his personality is a little strange?"
"Heh, Brother Ning, you'll know when you get there. His temperament is a little extreme … After all, his family has encountered a major incident, but he is not difficult to get along with. "
At the mention of Wang Shanyue, the expressions on the faces of the few of them became somewhat complicated. It was not a mocking smile. This made Ning Yi temporarily abandon the idea that the other party was gay. They always said that the other party's personality was extreme but not difficult to get along with. Could it be that he was someone who looked like a trap but had an honest personality like Zhang Fei who cursed his enemies all day long? When he thought about it this way, he could not help but feel that it was a little strange.
As they chatted, the servants in the mansion served iced mung bean soup. When the wind blew in the courtyard, it was rather cool under the grape trellises. Yao Zunian and Cheng Zhouhai talked about anecdotes from various places, most of which revolved around the several larger groups of bandits. Both of them were knowledgeable people, and with the addition of Wenren, the topics they talked about were quite interesting. Ning Yi drank the mung bean soup and occasionally struck up a conversation. In terms of understanding of the world's situation, Ning Yi could not compare to them. However, he more or less understood it when he was at Fang La's place. Moreover, he still had a keen eye, so he would not stray from the main point if he occasionally spoke a few words. Cheng Zhouhai and Yao Zunian already knew what he had done, so it was not surprising that he did not want to talk too deeply with shallow acquaintances.
As they talked about Liangshan, they then talked about Wang Qing and Tian Hu. An idea came to Ning Yi and he asked about the situation around Luliang. Yao Zunian shook his head.
"There aren't many people there, but that place is very bitter. I have been there in my early years. There is a garrison near Yanmen Pass, so the situation is better. However, if you go to either side, you don't care. The mountains are very dangerous, the land is not good, and the roads are difficult to travel. The bandits of Luliang are very fierce. If the people there are not fierce, they will not survive. Sometimes, when the Liao people collect grass and grain, they will go into the mountains. They do not do it purely for food. The Liao people are fierce and barbaric. If they can find a village in the mountains and slaughter it, they are brave warriors. When there is a war, sometimes the whole mountain is on fire, and people and animals cannot escape … On our side, sometimes we also go there to collect grass and grain … "
"On our side?" Ning Yi repeated.
Yao Zunian frowned, obviously disapproving. "Yes, it is not only the Liao people who collect grass and grain. They come, and we go. After the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan Yun were lost, it became like this. They do not fight with each other, but plundering the people at the border is a common practice. In the past, I could not stand it, but there is nothing I can do. The army treats this as training and nurturing soldiers … What kind of soldiers can be trained? However, killing people and taking their heads is a military achievement. After killing people, food and goods can be taken back. As for women, there is no need to talk about it … Of course, most of these things are done to the Liao people and herdsmen. This can also be considered as a morale boost. However, the people around Luliang Mountain are basically classified as such … "
"Oh, I see." Ning Yi nodded. He could roughly imagine it.
"Yes. After all, no one can manage that place. There are people, but there are not enough goods. In a precarious situation, they can only take weapons and rob. The merchants from both sides pass through Yanmen Pass, and the border army will impose a heavy tax on them. Those who have connections or are familiar with the road will pass through Luliang. As long as they pass through safely once, they will get huge profits. The border army has tried to clean up Luliang several times, but in the end, it was to no avail. The merchants walk into the mountains, which is equivalent to taking benefits from the border army. The people at Luliang will not give face to anyone. When they meet the merchants, they will rob their goods and kill them. If the families of the merchants want to complain, they can only say that the army did not do their job. At the end of the day, no one likes them. I heard that some big merchants will secretly support the border army in conquering Luliang. After the conquest, it is impossible for the army to be stationed there for a long time. When there are fewer bandits in the mountains, it is easier for them to pass through Luliang … "
"Hehe." Ning Yi laughed. The rest of the people under the grape trellis also shook their heads and smiled bitterly. They did not know whether they thought Ning Yi was heartless or that he was a person who would do great things. However, the few people present had indeed done great things. Even if they disliked many things, they would not be so indignant.
"So when there are not enough herdsmen at the border, the army will go into the mountains and find some heads to make up the numbers. There are a few … big merchants who make a fortune by going through Luliang Mountain. Many of their people have been killed by the bandits at Luliang Mountain. They will encourage the army to do this kind of thing. The people from Luliang Mountain can be brought over and they can get a share of the money. When the army takes the heads, they can tell the court that this is the Liao people violating the border. It is equivalent to … they can get two shares of the money … "
"Is there no one from the Office of Secret Investigations there?"
Yao Zunian shook his head. "There is not enough manpower to begin with. There is no point in arranging people there. They are fierce locally, but they will not spread to the south. However, the information from the Office of Secret Investigations from Liao and Jin states that they will mainly go through Luliang and not Yanmen Pass. Recently, they have vaguely mentioned that there is a stronghold in Tonghe Mountain that is developing rapidly. They do not kill the peddlers, but collect supplies in proportion to facilitate travel. However, they have not completely opened up the north-south road … "
Cheng Zhouhai said, "I remember that. They said that it will be much more convenient to go through this road to communicate with the north and south. But … I am afraid they will not be able to do this for long. Once they open up the north-south road, it will be time for us to be wiped out. "
Yao Zunian nodded. "Such a big piece of meat, no one will sit back and watch them take it. In the past, they were scattered in the mountains and did not have a fixed residence. Even if the army went on an expedition, they would not have a place to use their strength. Once they expand and have a foundation, they will not be able to avoid attacks from others. We will scatter them here, and the Liao people will wipe them out in a clean sweep. Although the Liao people are busy with their own affairs, Tian Hu seems to have some ideas about this place … The border is not a place for people to live. It will be difficult to have a good end there … "
On the other side of the small wooden table, Ning Yi tilted his head and rubbed his chin as he listened to everything. He seemed to be smiling. He was not thinking about the danger the two men in front of him were talking about, but about what Lu Hongti had mentioned before.
By the banks of the Fen River in joy, Huhu and Jindong are together. Weeping and weeping at Luliang Mountain, even if they die, they will not go to Yanmen Pass. This was a poem he had heard before he met Lu Hongti. He could more or less understand what cruelty was like, but it was only after Yao Zunian said it that he could understand it more clearly. In the past, when Lu Hongti mentioned Lu Liangshan, although there was a saying that he "didn't live like a human", in her eyes, it was an understatement. Perhaps to her, because she was used to it, Luliang Mountain was not that "unbearable".
But when Yao Zunian talked about the conflict of interests on his side, Ning Yi could see more clearly what was going on there.
Last year in Hangzhou, Lu Hongti came all the way to find him. Ning Yi could guess that Lu Hongti might want to bring him back to the mountain to help. But at that time, Ning Yi knew that he couldn't leave. In fact, he didn't want to go to Mount Lu Liang to suffer. So, he casually hinted at it. Later on, the other party really didn't mention it. Now that he thought about it, he could feel how desperate the other party was for someone to go up to the mountain to help.
It was interesting that she did not bring up the matter in the end.
Although that woman had survived in the cruelest environment, wasn't her heart a little too kind and easy to bully?
Taking the pamphlet and leaving and capturing the person up the mountain were two completely different concepts.
Of course, at this time, Ning Yi did not need to worry about what Yao Zunian and the others said. Interests were the starting point of all evil. Ning Yi understood this best. In his warning to Lu Hongti, he had mentioned not to advance rashly. Lu Hongti's stronghold was called Green Wood Stronghold. When it developed to a certain extent, it would only expand horizontally. The various mountain strongholds on the periphery could be controlled as much as possible, but they would not be brought under its control. In this way, merchants passing through Luliang Mountain would still be in danger, but within the area controlled by Lu Hongti, it would become a relatively safe transit station. With this comparison, some large merchants would only have a favorable impression of this place.
At this stage, many merchants would even support the development of Green Wood Stronghold, hoping that they could really open a safe road to Luliang Mountain, but this goal would be delayed indefinitely. After receiving supplies and aid, the Green Wood Stronghold would do everything it could to develop and increase its strength. Perhaps when the Jin Liao Kingdom was at war and the Wu Dynasty was jumping around on the side, they might be able to struggle out of the cracks and find a way out. Of course, it would definitely be a difficult process. It would be many times more difficult than what he had imagined.
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