Chapter 154 Gathering Momentum

Zheng Boye had been very busy all day. Originally, he had wanted to do a one-off deal, a simple and crude process, just to achieve the result he wanted.

But by a series of coincidences, the whole thing had turned from "simple and crude" to "strategizing."

It was like you originally wanted to go to the poor scholar's house at the village head to get two characters for your newborn son's name, but you just pushed open the door and found that Yao Zizhan had fainted at your doorstep from hunger.

Originally, all that was needed was a string of salted meat and a small red envelope for the poor scholar, but now you needed to boil two buckets of water for Master Yao to bathe, while also cooking a meal: one meat dish, two vegetarian dishes, and a chicken egg soup. Then, you had to go to the village to buy half a pot of wine to bring back.

You let Master Yao eat, drink, and wash well, and Master Yao helped you name your child. After naming him, he told you the profound meaning of the name with a lot of "zhī hū zhě yě."

You didn't understand, but you still thought it was amazing.

Afterward, Master Yao left a letter, asking your child to go to Qian country to find him when he came of age.

The matter was still the same matter; your original intention was just to name your child.

The price you paid:

The salted meat was fried as the only meat dish, the chicken eggs were laid by your own hens, the vegetables were grown in your own field, and the wine was bought with the money from the original red envelope.

But the original simple, even crude, thing suddenly became much more beautiful.

The only thing needed was for you to be busy a few more times.

Zheng Boye was now busy with this trip.

The rewards were mainly silver, of course, as well as silk and cloth, which could be used as currency in this era. As for wine and meat, firstly, there wasn't enough time to prepare, and secondly, it wasn't appropriate to indulge at this time.

The Princess, adorned in gorgeous attire, accompanied Zheng Boye, first慰問 (wèi wèn, comforted) and rewarded the troops in the city, and then went to the North and South camps.

The scene was quite like a head of state appearing with their first lady.

The feedback received was naturally excellent.

Marquis Jingnan was a supreme deity in the military, but Zheng Boye was a more down-to-earth idol. You could clearly feel the soldiers' worship of him.

Moreover, the world of soldiers was quite black and white. After all, they were people who lived with their heads hanging on their belts, who liked to seize the day and be happy, and sought to be straightforward and decisive.

Zheng Boye had been winning battles all the time, and his record was there for all to see. At the same time, everyone had followed Zheng Boye into the city to quell the rebellion, and they had also made contributions. Now they had received actual rewards, so they were naturally even more submissive.

Marquis Jingnan had灭满门 (miè mǎn mén, annihilated his entire family), but his prestige in the army was still unmatched. It was precisely because of this reason that the Three Cardinal Guides and the Five Constant Virtues of ethics and morality were all empty to these soldiers who licked blood from their blades. The person who could lead them to win battles and get rewards was the object of their heartfelt admiration.

In addition, the Princess was at his side, a dignified princess of a country, standing meekly behind Zheng Boye. This image was so stimulating that the soldiers were so excited that they wanted to go crazy.

This wasn't the kind of primitive excitement because no one dared to look at the Princess with lewd eyes, and no one dared to blaspheme her, not because of her identity as a princess of Chu, but because she was the 平野伯 (Pingye Duke)'s woman.

And this excitement was on a spiritual level.

Zheng Boye was a living example of

relying on his own struggle to reach the pinnacle of life and marry a rich and beautiful woman.

Zheng Boye also worked tirelessly to give four speeches that night.

Although each speech wasn't long, Xiong Liqing could see the soldiers' eyes below as if they were spitting fire after the speech.

Yes, spitting fire.

Speeches, the charm of language, could spread the charm of personality as much as possible, infecting a large group of people around, and making their souls begin to "tremble."

In the world familiar to Zheng Boye, there was Adolf's passionate speeches in the front, and the Germans, known for their rigor, raised their hands neatly.

After that, before the college entrance examination sprint every year, most schools would invite some speech masters to give the students a shot of chicken blood.

And here, in this era, because of the limitations of cultural transmission, the channels for people here, including these soldiers, to receive information were few. In other words, they hadn't experienced that kind of "chicken soup craze" or "motivational wave."

In the hearts of most of them, this area was still an undeveloped virgin land.

They were used to fighting, used to galloping on horseback, to beheading the enemy in front of them, but their spiritual lives were even more barren than ordinary people.

In this era,

only nobles, the so-called elite class, were qualified to receive spiritual and cultural edification.

Not only in Yan,

but also in Qian, Chu, and Jin,

and even among the barbarians, savages, and Shan Yue.

Therefore, once you move them, this kind of emotion will last for a long time, even etched in their hearts for a long, long time.

"I was originally a commoner in a small city in Beifeng Prefecture. My origin is even inferior to yours. At the beginning, when I joined the army, I was a civilian laborer...

I have no family,

I have no relatives or friends,

I only have a rusty knife in my hand...

I can be封爵 (fēng jué, ennobled) by military merit, and so can you!

I can marry a princess of Chu to warm my bed, and so can you!

See this knife?

This is the宝刀 (bǎo dāo, treasured blade) bestowed by His Majesty.

Under the leadership of His Majesty and the Black Dragon banner,

follow me,

follow this Duke,

this Duke's today will be your tomorrow!

This Duke believes that we will have opportunities to go to the battlefield together in the future. At that time, this Duke will work with you to exchange the heads of enemies for everyone's wealth and glory, and for everyone's ancestral glory,

to exchange

you,

you,

you,

and you,

you,

us,

封妻荫子 (fēng qī yīn zǐ, to have one's wife ennobled and one's sons enjoy hereditary privilege),

公侯万代 (gōng hóu wàn dài, to be dukes and marquises for ten thousand generations)!

Great Yan, long live!!!"

"Great Yan, long live!"

"Great Yan, long live!"

At this time, the prepared personal guards would shout:

"Pingye Duke, long live!"

The surrounding soldiers would immediately follow and shout:

"Pingye Duke, long live!"

"Pingye Duke, long live!"

Directly gathering the hearts of the army, this was too ugly, and it really treated others as fools. But if you build everything on the premise of loyalty to His Majesty's banner, then others have no way to criticize.

And for these soldiers,

His Majesty the Emperor was too far away,

but 平野伯 (Pingye Duke) was right in front of them.

What surprised Zheng Boye a little was that the enthusiasm of the North and South camps towards him was even more fervent than that of the Yan army.

The deep-seated reason for this was that among 平野伯 (Pingye Duke)'s forces, the real Yan people were in the minority, while the Jin army and barbarian soldiers accounted for more than 80%.

When Great Yan took over Jin, if it was relatively accommodating to the Jin elites, literati, and officials, then it was mainly wary of these Jin soldiers.

They had to be used, but precaution was unavoidable.

Other Great Yan generals also had Jin army camps under their command, but they were really only used as auxiliary soldiers or cannon fodder. The direct line was still their own Yan army headquarters. Only Zheng Boye truly liked to use foreign soldiers and treated them equally. He could be described as a unique and clear stream among the many Yan generals stationed in Jin.

………

"Hehe."

Sitting in the carriage, Zheng Boye handed the second letter in his hand to the Princess who was捶腿 (chuí tuǐ, massaging his legs) for him.

The Princess took it, glanced at it, and smiled:

"It's also very sincere."

The two letters came from the generals of the North and South camps in Yingdu, expressing their admiration for 平野伯 (Pingye Duke) and their desire to make contributions under Zheng Boye one day.

"Husband, this time, your harvest is really huge. The North and South camps must have more than 10,000 soldiers."

The Princess was very happy in her heart. She abandoned the honor of being a princess and followed the man in front of her to Yan. Essentially, she wanted to rely on this man to create a better life than she originally had.

Therefore, she was like a thrifty little daughter-in-law. Every time there was some income in her family, she would have a great sense of satisfaction.

Zheng Boye shook his head and said:

"It's not that simple. After all, it's just a letter. How can it be taken seriously?"

Originally, they wanted to give Zheng Boye gifts. Although Zheng Boye's intention was to reward them, one thing was one thing; one was the official reward, and the other was private friendship.

But Zheng Boye refused because he was busy on his way to the capital.

Human interaction was unavoidable, and Zheng Boye's Xue Hai Pass was the best in this regard.

Under the management of Si Niang, during festivals, those closer would send gifts to Marquis Jingnan and Li Fusheng, and those farther away would even send gifts to the capital. Nothing would be missed, and gifts would be given according to individual circumstances, not tacky gold and silver, but thoughtfulness.

"Can't be taken seriously?" The Princess obviously couldn't understand, because yesterday, she had personally seen the soldiers' love for her husband.

"You know about the Sixth Prince's commercial firm, right?"

"How could I not know about that? The Sixth Prince's pomp on his wedding day directly raised the level of my wedding by two grades. Isn't the Fan family also on the Sixth Prince's line?"

"Yes, that's what they say. The world thinks that his informants are all over the countries, as if he has people everywhere, and he also has his dark stakes. But the fact is not like this, because even the Secret Spy Division or the Silver Armor Guard, or your Chu's Phoenix Nest, which are supported by the power of a country and have the orthodox banner, can't achieve this seemingly widespread situation.

In the final analysis, those who seem to be his people are not really his people.

Back then, His Majesty let Marquis Jingnan destroy the Min family, but he didn't touch the Min family's hidden industries, and those industries naturally fell under Little Sixth's name.

It's because Little Sixth also has half of the Min family's blood, but this is just a bonus."

"A bonus?"

"Yes, a bonus. Merchants pursue profits. Of course, the difference between humans and animals is that humans value emotions. But the Min family is gone. Even if those shopkeepers still miss the Min family very much, it's not known how much of this emotion can be transferred to Little Sixth.

Firstly, the Yan Emperor only destroyed the Min family's main family. Although he didn't attack the shopkeepers under the Min family's control in various places, the knife was always hanging over their heads;

Under the coercion of this knife, these shopkeepers, whether they were willing or not, had to be loyal to Little Sixth, even if they were only maintaining the appearance of doing so.

Because Little Sixth, even if he didn't seem to be favored at that time, was at least a prince.

Those shopkeepers were all shrewd people who knew that if they went to other masters or found other backers, they might be labeled as remnants of the Min family in the next moment.

Furthermore, Little Sixth's own intelligence was also outstanding, and his methods were very powerful. Outsiders might not know, but those real big shopkeepers should understand. Of course, this is also a bonus.

That grand wedding in Yanjing, with its magnificent style, money rain, and silk road, caused a sensation throughout the capital and spread to various countries.

In your opinion, and in the opinion of many people, Little Sixth revealed all the cards in his hand to prove to the court that he wasn't just a leisure prince and that he had the strength to seize the throne.

But that's not really the case.

It wasn't because he had these cards that he dared to be so arrogant and almost declared that he would seize the throne;

but because he wanted to declare that he would seize the throne, these cards would become his.

Do you understand?"

"I understand a little."

"Actually, it's very simple. The shopkeepers of those商号 (shāng hào, business firms), after so many years of development, have long become new Min families, which can be called local princes.

They have their own forces, their own businesses, their own connections, their own families, and their own business spheres of influence. Why should they find a father for themselves?

Even if they find a nominal father, will they be truly good to this father?

Even a devoted son will tire of caring for a parent who is ill for a long time; that's still their own parent.

And those new Jinshi (successful candidates in the imperial examinations), yes, that's right, Little Sixth is their benefactor, but Great Yan is not Great Qian. The Qian country's scholar-officials have long used their rules to weave a dense web over hundreds of years. Those who don't respect their mentors simply can't get along in that circle.

But Great Yan is different. These new Jinshi will now work for Little Sixth with their conscience, but when they have been immersed in the officialdom for a long time, will they continue to care about a leisure prince?

The officialdom is a place where you eat your conscience, and it's eating your own conscience.

Therefore,

this is Little Sixth's real power. It seems vast, but it's actually loose, like sand that can't be grasped."

Xiong Liqing understood and said:

"So, this is借势 (jiè shì, borrowing influence)?"

"Yes,借势 (jiè shì, borrowing influence), because he has made it clear that he wants to seize the throne, and with the temptation of the merit of supporting the future emperor in front of him, those who follow him will stand by him more closely and will evolve into a force represented by him.

If Little Sixth hadn't shown the momentum of seizing the throne and hadn't suppressed the Crown Prince, would the Fan family have wholeheartedly helped me snatch you?

Therefore, in Great Yan and Great Jin, it seems that there are Little Sixth's people everywhere, but they are not actually his people. Businessmen talk about harmony brings wealth and that today's loss is for tomorrow's gain. They are not like the common people who work one day and wait to take one day's money to provide for their wives and children at home.

Look at these two letters. They seem to be expressing their intention to follow me, but that's just an intention. No one can live in a dream.

If one day, my momentum is great and I force Yingdu with a large army, they may take advantage of the situation to rebel and join me. But if one day, I fall into trouble, they will often beat a drowning dog harder than others."

"My imperial brother once said that借势 (jiè shì, borrowing influence) is not as good as成势 (chéng shì, creating momentum)."

There were many nobles in Great Chu, so that the Chu court had to discuss with those nobles if it wanted to do something.

In essence, what the Regent was doing in Chu was also centralization, but it wasn't as extreme as what the Yan Emperor had done in the beginning.

Zheng Boye nodded and said:

"Therefore, what I do in Xue Hai Pass is this. The soldiers and people there eat mine, drink mine, I give them clothes to wear, I give their children schooling, I give their elders medical treatment;

They have to rely on me to survive, and they live better than others, so they can't lose me because I am their everything.

借势 (jiè shì, Borrowing influence) is like borrowing the wind. It seems lively, but it can't last long."

"I see, so you are using my勢 (shì, influence)?"

"I'm just borrowing your勢 (shì, influence), but I'm not borrowing your勢 (shì, influence) to purely show off. I want to take this opportunity to get some real things and make our family's foundation thicker."

The conversation inside the carriage continued.

Outside the carriage,

a personal guard returned on horseback and reported the situation to Gao Yi. Gao Yi immediately rode his horse to the side of the carriage.

"Duke."

Zheng Fan opened the curtain.

"The imperial envoy delegation took another road."

Zheng Fan nodded and put down the curtain.

After rewarding the three armies last night, Zheng Boye got up early this morning and left Yingdu with his personal guards, without waiting for Zhang Yuanshan and Feng Guan, and in order to prevent them from catching up, he deliberately made a misleading move. Now the two groups were no longer on the same road.

Xiong Liqing leaned on Zheng Boye's shoulder and asked curiously:

"Husband, why don't you go with them?"

"Because I'm going to a place that's a bit out of the way, and it's a little inconvenient with them there."

"Where are you going?"

"Litian City."

The closest route from Yingdu to Yanjing would not pass through Litian City because Litian City was at the southern end of the route. To pass through there specifically would be equivalent to going around half an ellipse.

Zheng Boye reached out and took out an iron box from his arms, took out a cigarette, tapped it lightly on the back of his hand, and said slowly:

"This was originally planned to go to. Even if there wasn't this incident in Yingdu, I would have gone. And, in fact, in the original plan, the effect of Yingdu was far less than that place. It's just that some accidents happened, which caused some changes in things.

But that place,

I still have to go."

Xiong Liqing knew what Zheng Fan wanted to do and what he wanted to express to the court. She could see and think, and at the same time, Zheng Fan had even told her the identity of the 野人王 (Yě Rén Wáng, Barbarian King), so he wouldn't hide these things from her.

But what puzzled Xiong Liqing was that if the matter of Yingdu was just a casual thing that had a greater effect, then what was the place that was originally in the plan and was really going to be used to achieve the purpose?

To make the court feel忌惮 (jì dàn, fear and dread), to make the court not dare to continue收拢 (shōu lǒng, to take back) the military power of the local warlords, and yet not really tear apart the face.

"What are you going to do?"

Zheng Boye's eyes suddenly sank and said:

"To let some people know,

that some people haven't forgotten

Du Juan's death."