After discussing the matter of dispatching troops, Song Qingshu smiled and said, "Brother Lu, it was not easy for you to come here. In a moment, I will hold a welcoming dinner for you and have a good drink."
Lu Guanying hastily stood up and waved his hand, saying, "No, no. I am in a hurry to return and report to Minister Han. He has been anxiously awaiting news from this side. I cannot delay. I hope the Prince of Qi will forgive me."
Worried that such a refusal would offend the other party, he hastily added, "In the future, when the Prince of Qi comes to Jiangnan, I will definitely bring my wife to apologize and properly entertain the Prince of Qi." He was worried that his status was not high enough and deliberately brought up his wife Cheng Yaojia's name.
How could Song Qingshu not understand the meaning behind his words? He thought to himself, 'Properly entertain? What kind of hospitality?' Thinking of Cheng Yaojia's bashful panting, he could not help but feel his heart warm up.
"I have sinned, I have sinned …" Song Qingshu hastily gathered his thoughts. "Since Brother Lu has official business to attend to, I will not force you to stay. Come, select some good horses and prepare travel expenses as well as specialties from the north …"
Lu Guanying declined several times but ultimately could not accept his hospitality. He could only accept the gifts and take his leave.
Song Qingshu deliberately saw him out to show his closeness. Before parting, he said, "Brother Lu, remember to send my regards to Minister Han."
"Of course, of course." Lu Guanying hurriedly nodded his head in agreement. "In fact, the Prince of Qi's agreement to dispatch troops is the greatest greeting to Minister Han."
Song Qingshu smiled slightly but did not explain that his so-called dispatch of troops was only for show. The Jin Kingdom was now his property. How could he allow his own people to fight his own people?
After seeing Lu Guanying off, Song Qingshu asked Ah-Jiu, "Is the situation at Mount Wulian serious?"
Ah-Jiu replied, "At present, it does not seem to be serious. However, Mount Wulian controls the strategic roads from north to south. Once they are fully fledged, whether they move north or south, they will easily destabilize our heartland."
Shandong was divided into two parts by the Taiyi Mountain Range, which ran from the northwest to the southeast. To the north was the old land of the State of Qi, while to the south was the old land of the State of Lu. During the Spring and Autumn Period, the State of Qi and State of Lu surrounded the Taiyi Mountain Range for hundreds of years. However, other than the State of Qi and State of Lu that everyone was familiar with, there was another country in Shandong, and that was the State of Ju.
The Tai Yi Mountain Range did not extend all the way to the sea. It was still a distance away from the sea when it turned southwest to form Mount Yimeng. Thus, a valley was formed between it and the coastal Mount Wulian. The foot of Mount Yimeng and Mount Wulian formed two rivers, the Yi River and the Mu River. Thus, this valley was also called the Yimu River Valley.
This valley was not considered narrow, and there was enough land in the middle to support the population. That was why this place used to be the territory of the Ju Kingdom. This was because this valley was connected to the Northern Lu Plains and the Donglai Hills. It could be said that it was a land that all armies fought over. After the Ju Kingdom was destroyed, the Qi and Chu Kingdoms had been at loggerheads around this valley. The eastern section of the Qi Great Wall was built at the northern exit of this valley.
That was why Ah Jiu was worried that once those separatist powers took advantage of the Golden Snake Camp's emptiness, whether it was following the Yimu River Valley north to the Northern Lu Plains or south to the Jianghuai Lands, it would shake the foundations of the Golden Snake Camp.
It was not that the idea of encircling and suppressing them had never occurred to them. However, once the army advanced, those separatist powers would scatter and hide in Mount Wulian and Mount Yimeng. They were simply powerless to act.
After listening to Ah Jiu's report, Song Qingshu nodded: "As the saying goes, a single spark can start a prairie fire. They must not be allowed to grow. They must be nipped in the bud. It just so happens that I have brought Xiao Feng back this time. Let him lead the troops to deal with those separatist powers. With his reputation, he should be able to break the enemy's fighting spirit to the greatest extent. However, pay attention to appeasement as the main focus and encirclement and suppression as a support. "
Ah Jiu hesitated: "Let Brother Xiao lead the troops alone?" Because of Yelu Yan's presence, she could not say it directly. If Xiao Feng were to lead the troops directly, it would be easy for him to grow. At present, the relationship between the two parties was not obvious. This kind of arrangement was not suitable.
"Brother Xiao has just arrived. If we rashly let him lead the troops, it may cause some of the old members of the Golden Snake Camp to be dissatisfied. So when the time comes, we will send another general to go with him." Song Qingshu had already thought of the appropriate arrangements.
Ah Jiu nodded: "Are you going to leave again next?" Saying this, intentionally or unintentionally, he glanced at Yelu Yan. He purposely brought it up in front of her just to let her hear it.
As expected, when she heard that Song Qingshu was going to leave, Yelu Yan's expression changed slightly: "Brother Song, where are you going?"
Song Qingshu explained: "The Southern Song Dynasty is about to launch a northern expedition. Previously, we had reached an agreement with their court. We have no choice but to send troops to cooperate. However, soldiers are also weapons. We have to be cautious. So I need to go to the front line in advance to investigate. "
The reason why he wanted to send troops was firstly because of the previous exchange of interests with the Southern Song Dynasty. Secondly, he wanted to not lose the hearts of the Han people. After all, these years, the foreign tribes were strong. The Han people were looking forward to the rise of the Han dynasty. Naturally, the Ming Dynasty had been destroyed. Naturally, the only one left was the Southern Song Dynasty. Therefore, the Han people in the world had high hopes for the Southern Song Dynasty's northern expedition. If Song Qingshu went back on his word and affected the northern expedition, it would be a great crime.
"Brother Song, let me go with you!" Yelu Yan blurted out. They had just gotten married, how could she bear to part so quickly?
Song Qingshu shook his head: "This trip will be full of danger. It will be too inconvenient for you to go. Moreover, I can come and go freely by myself. If you go, I will have to divert my attention to take care of you. At that time, my efficiency will be greatly reduced …"
Ah Jiu also comforted her: "Sister Yan 'er, if you want to help Brother Song, there are many ways. Didn't I tell you before? We have to help him deal with a lot of government affairs. I am short of manpower here, so I need you to stay here to help me."
Yelu Yan also knew that she would be a burden to her husband if she went, so she had to nod: "Okay then …" Her tone was full of grievance.
Song Qingshu smiled and took her hand: "I'm not leaving immediately. No matter what, I have to stay here for a few days. I can accompany you."
Yelu Yan's face instantly turned red. She hurriedly said: "It's more important. Brother Song, you don't have to worry about me like this. I'm fine …"
Ah Jiu also couldn't help laughing: "Sister Yan 'er is really considerate."
…
In the following period of time, Song Qingshu met the middle and high-level confidants of the Golden Snake Camp during the day. He was away all year round, so he needed to get close to these people. At night, he accompanied his new wife Yelu Yan to make up for the fact that they had to be separated right after they got married.
Yelu Yan didn't know whether it was because she was instructed by her father or something else, but after a day or two, she pushed Song Qingshu to Ah Jiu's place to show that she didn't want to spoil him, which made Ah Jiu very embarrassed. As a result, the two women pushed each other. Song Qingshu courageously suggested that they should just go together, but the result was obvious … he was mercilessly rejected and criticized by the two women.
Just like that, a few days passed. Before leaving, Song Qingshu specially looked for Ah Zi and told her: "Be careful with your words and actions. Don't reveal any flaws. If there is any situation, contact me by pigeon. Ah Jiu will arrange a special channel for you. Finally, pay attention … pay attention to protect yourself."
"Master, are you afraid that I will be taken advantage of?" Ah Zi blinked her eyes and asked with a smile.
Song Qingshu said impatiently: "Brother Xiao is a gentleman. He won't take the initiative to do anything to you. He's just reminding you just in case."
"If I'm accidentally taken advantage of, will you abandon me, Master?" Ah Zi asked curiously.
Song Qingshu lightly glanced at her: "What do you think?"
Ah Zi's heart trembled, but she quickly smiled and said: "If that really happens, I'll keep pretending and compensate my sister to Master. Isn't this the custom of some tribes in the prairie?"
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