Love Affairs in Chang'an - Chapter 291

Chapter 291 Forced Palace
After Lanzhou, although Qin Mubai had his own private office in the Governor’s Mansion, because most of his work was related to the Governor’s Mansion, he spent more time in the Governor’s Mansion.

Today, as usual, he was discussing with Lanzhou secretariat Xiao Liang and the others about the spring plowing and opening up the wilderness, when a Governor’s Mansion’s close guards ran over to report that Xue Wanche and Xue Wanjun brothers brought some generals and charged into the Governor’s Mansion aggressively to question Governor Qin Shubao loudly, threatening to force the palace!

Hearing this, Qin Mubai felt a little angry in his heart. He threw away the matter at hand and immediately rushed to the Governor’s Mansion, which was only a street away.

There were indeed quite a few people standing in the meeting hall of the Governor’s Mansion. Although it wasn’t like what the pawn had said, it was still full of gunpowder. A loud roar could be heard from afar.

The people in the army were different from the officials of the Imperial Court. It was normal for them to speak loudly and directly, and let out roars. However, the Xue brothers had gathered so many generals to cause trouble and surround Qin Shubao. It was indeed too much!

In the main hall, Xue Wanche was on the left and Xue Wanjun was on the right. Behind the two brothers stood six or seven generals. Most of them were frontline commanders. Each of them had a fiery personality, and most of them were people who had followed the Xue brothers for many years. There were many people, as if they didn’t intend to give Qin Shubao, the general, much face. The crowd roared with excitement and quarreled fiercely.

Qin Mubai suppressed his anger and listened outside. These people were quarreling. The focus of the argument was simply why they did not attack and instead stubbornly defended the city. It’s just a matter of time before we let all fifty thousand troops go to farm-we are warriors who kill enemies, not farmers who cut their seeds!

Facing the indiscriminate bombardment of this group of general colleagues, Qin Shubao’s reaction was surprisingly calm. Not humble, not arrogant, not saying much. Her eyes were like a falcon, and her hands stroked her beard as she quietly watched these people perform without saying a word.

Everyone made a fuss for a while. They discovered that Qin Shubao did not react at all. Instead, they were beating drums in their hearts. It was as if they also realized that something was wrong with them, so they gradually quieted down a bit.

Xue Wanjun clasped his fists and said, “Great General, it’s not that I’m being rude. I dare to offend you. However, I’m very puzzled by the orders issued by the Governor’s Mansion. The morale of the soldiers in the three armies is not good. If I don’t give a reasonable explanation, I’m afraid that the morale of the soldiers will change. This would be terrible!”

Qin Shubao looked at Xue Wanjun and raised the corner of his mouth. His long gray beard trembled slightly and he said, “Finally, the quarrel is over?”

Xue Wanjun and the others’ expressions changed. Knowing that they were being rude, they hurriedly cupped their fists together and said, “General, please forgive me for being rude at the end!”

Qin Shubao stood up, put his hands behind his back, and walked slowly to Xue Wanjun and the others. He said leisurely, “You’ve been in the army for more than a year and a half. I wonder what the military order is.”

“Yes, I will know.” Xue Wanjun was the leader of the crowd. He cupped his fists and replied, “Military orders are like mountains, and orders are often stopped. They are used to obey.”

“Then why are you all here?” Qin Shubao’s phoenix eyes narrowed as he stared at Xue Wanjun with a trace of killing intent. He said in a deep voice, “I have already issued my order, and I can change it? Are you trying to force the palace?!”

“I don’t dare!” Xue Wanjun and the others clasped their fists neatly and hurriedly answered.

At this moment, the smell of gunpowder in the hall suddenly became stronger. Although Xue Wanjun’s mouth softened, he was clearly not convinced. He insisted, “The general has just said it.” It is not that we are unwilling to carry out military orders. However, the soldiers were reluctant to cultivate, only willing to go to battle and kill their enemies! Moreover, at the end of the army has been more than three months, not a single soldier, Tibetan people occasionally loose cavalry to provoke nuisance, the Governor-General’s Manor also strict orders. The hearts of the soldiers were suffocated by a ball of fire, and they vomited a pool of blood. There was nowhere to vent their anger! “Now, it’s fine if you don’t let us go into battle. You actually let us take off our armor and go to agriculture … In this way, the general will still be able to follow the order without complaint, but it’s hard to guarantee the hearts of his subordinates!”

“Are you threatening me?” Qin Shubao’s voice turned cold as he walked over to Xue Wanjun and stared into his eyes. Because he was slightly taller than Xue Wanjun, he lowered his head and said to his face, “Does this general have to explain everything to you?”

Xue Wanjun couldn’t hide his anger when Qin Shubao pushed him in front of him like this. He didn’t retreat and said in a low voice, “General Mo doesn’t dare to offend anyone below. However, it’s difficult to offend everyone. Please think twice. Please give a reasonable explanation!”

“What if I don’t?” Qin Shubao asked.

Xue Wanjun tit-for-tat replied, “In that case … it’s hard to guarantee that the morale of the army will mutiny!”

“You dare!” Qin Shubao shouted in a deep voice, and his anger burst forth!

The sound of the sword being unsheathed rang out in the hall. Hearing this, Baiji’s guard brandished his saber forward. Xue Wanche and the others, who had been watching from the side, also reacted immediately. Many of them held onto the hilt of the saber and were just about to pull it out!

The sword was pulled out, and it was on the verge of exploding!

At this moment, Qin Mubai lifted her foot and walked in.

“Retreat!” With a loud shout, all the Baiji sheathed their sabers, glanced coldly at the Xue brothers and the others, and retreated.

Xue Wanche and the others also put away their saber-wielding hands and gave Qin Mubai a symbolic hug, “Greetings, Young General.”

Young General was a new name for Qin Mubai after he came to Lanzhou. Since the father and son were both surnamed Qin, it was inevitable that the title “General Qin” would be confused. Qin Shubao was the Great General, so Qin Mubai was called the Young General.

“Father.” After entering, Qin Mubai first saw the military salute and then said, “Didn’t General Xue and the others want to explain? Please allow me to explain it to them in the future!”

“Humph!” Qin Shubao sneered and didn’t say anything. He walked back to his handsome chair and sat down. He went to drink his own tea.

Arrogant Ling Yun, whether he was soft or hard, this was the typical style of Qin Shubao.

Now, the Xue brothers’ siege target had instantly changed to Qin Mubai. Because they knew that these decrees were actually made by Qin Mubai. The purpose of this trip was not to fight Qin Shubao head-on, but to deal with Qin Mubai.

“Young General, you came at the right time.” Xue Wanjun smiled and said with a fierce tone, “We are very puzzled by the government decree issued by the Governor. You are the Governor’s Mansion, and you are in charge of government affairs and people’s livelihood. You should be the one who made these decree, right?”

“Yes.” Qin Mubai smiled and nodded.

“Then why did you make such a decision?” Xue Wanjun furrowed his eyebrows and said sternly, “Fifty thousand troops, hot-blooded warriors-I’ll follow you to farming and weaving mulberries with wide eyes! Do you treat Lanzhou as Xiang Prefecture?”

“So what about Lanzhou? So what about Xiangzhou?” Qin Mubai smiled instead of being angry and said indifferently, “The soldiers and civilians of Xiang Prefecture are humans, but the soldiers and civilians of Lan Prefecture are no longer humans. Don’t you need to eat and dress?”

“You are clearly sophistry!” Xue Wanjun hit a small nail in the head, and his anger grew even more intense. He gritted his teeth and said, “We drove thousands of miles to send troops here just to expel Hu Lu as our country’s enemy. Farming and mulberry farming is the work of farmers and women! How can we imitate them? That’s outrageous!”

“General Xue’s words are absolutely correct!” “The Tibetan Loose Cavalry often harass and rob villages. They are extremely vicious! At this moment, we should fight bravely to kill enemies and protect the safety of the people. How can we just sit idly by and do nothing? Instead, we should go to farm and raise mulberry trees and sheep and cattle in peace of mind!”

“Everyone, please calm down.” Qin Mubai suppressed his anger and calmly said, “Let me ask you first, how much food do you have left in the army?”

Xue Wanjun sneered, “You are the one who distributes the grain of the armies. Why are you asking us instead?”

“I insist that you speak for yourself. Don’t tell me you don’t care about Liangmo, so you can’t tell me why?” Qin Mubai did not get angry, but instead looked at him with a smile on his face.

Xue Wanjun suppressed his anger and replied, “This general commanded more than 15,000 troops, 20,000 horses, and 30,000 stones of grain.”

“That’s a total of 35,000 mouths, waiting to eat?” Qin Mubai smiled faintly and said, “There are only 30,000 stones of grain left. On average, each horse has less than one stone of grain. Even if one person and one horse have a hundred kilograms of grain, it should be enough to eat for a few days. I don’t think I have to count as listening to you all. In less than a month, the grain will be gone, right?”

“So what?” Xue Wanjun sneered, “Could it be that you’re not going to dial our grain anymore?”

“Of course not.” Qin Mubai smiled and said, “However, there are less than 200,000 stones of grain left in the Lanzhou treasury. How much can I allocate to you? Let me ask General Xue Wanche, there are more soldiers and civilians in Liangzhou than on the frontlines of Shan City, right?”

“Yes.” Xue Wanche replied calmly.

“Lanzhou has more than Shan City and Liangzhou.” Qin Mubai said, “In that case, how should 200,000 stones of grain be distributed? I would like to consult the generals.”

“That’s your business!” Xue Wanjun said impatiently, “I’ve been beating around the bush for a long time. What exactly are you trying to say? Without grain, you won’t come to the Imperial Court. What does the Military Department do for food? Isn’t it specifically for the frontlines?”

“Yes, the Ministry of War should have been worried about these matters. There’s no need for me to interfere.” Qin Mubai said, “But have you calculated that it will take at least two months for each stone of grain to arrive in Lanzhou?” In addition, 100,000 stones of grain from changan taicang, arrived in lanzhou can be left with 30,000 to 40,000 stones is not bad. In addition, there were the soldiers’ cold clothes and blankets, all supplied by the rear. In the barren land of Lanzhou, there was almost no self-sufficiency at all. Alright, the Tibetans are here, knock them back. Retreat today and come back tomorrow. Defense is always passive. If the Guanlong defense line is large, where can the generals defend? After defending the east, a group of enemy cavalry infiltrated from the west. They burned, slaughtered, robbed, and tortured for a while before running away. Our army tried their best to catch up, or perhaps they could catch up. They chopped off a few heads and ran back excitedly, thinking that they had made a great contribution. However, can this really shake the muscles and bones of the Tibetans? ”

“What do you mean by that?” Xue Wanjun couldn’t help but feel a little annoyed. “Are you doubting the combat ability of this general against his subordinates?”

“Fei Ye.” Qin Mubai said, “General Xue’s valiant and skilful fighting makes the enemy shiver. Everyone knows that.” However, the general was eager to contribute, but short-sighted. He only thought about killing his enemies today, not about what would happen tomorrow. The lifeline of the Lanzhou garrison was supported by the 1,400-mile supply line behind them. Isn’t this a fatal barrier that restricts our army’s combat strength? The Tibetans were good at guerrilla warfare, and they left as soon as they fought. The reason why they dared to do this was because they were certain that our supplies weren’t strong enough, so they couldn’t go on an expedition to attack their nest. Therefore, whenever they came to harass and plunder, they would swagger back into Dafeichuan to guard. We know that their troops are stationed in the hinterland of Dafeichuan and Tuyu Hun, but we are unable to conquer them. In the end, isn’t it limited by supplies? No matter how heroic a soldier was, they couldn’t fight on a hungry stomach, could they? If he could shorten the supply route from 1,400 miles to several dozen miles, or even bring a granary with him to battle, then why would he be afraid? ”

“Oh, I’ve been saying this for a long time. Is that why you ordered Wasteland Zhisang?” Xue Wanjun was not convinced. Instead, he sneered, “Your vision is truly far-sighted. The fifty thousand troops have gone to farm and raise mulberries. Who will defend against the enemy? If the Tibetans invade now, wouldn’t the newly opened mulberry fields be destroyed in one fell swoop?”

“When you are free, you are a farmer and a soldier. Why bother to say so?” Qin Mubai replied, “Of course, farming and raising mulberries is temporary. All the mulberry gardens are given to the army and the people. Our army is self-sufficient. On the one hand, it can increase revenue and cut expenditure for the Great Tang, and on the other hand, it can receive grain quickly. There is no need to worry about the future. The army’s combat strength will rise steadily. It will not be difficult for us to win another battle.”

“Sounds wonderful.” ‘”However, farming mulberry is not a one-day effort. Planting trees and setting up pastures is not a year’s effort!” Xue Wanjun said. “How long do you plan on letting our 50,000 strong army stay in Lanzhou?!”

“A year less, five years more, we will see results!” Qin Mubai replied decisively.

“That’s outrageous! We haven’t fought yet, so we’ll start farming for five years!” Xue Wanjun was filled with rage and hatred. “We are all warriors. We would rather die than be mud-legged generals who farm and raise mulberries!” Xue Wanjun said hatefully.

At this moment, Qin Mubai’s expression sank as he coldly said, “I have explained everything that needs to be explained. Everyone, there are still some things that you don’t understand. If you come to inquire in private, I will patiently answer. If you are truly unwilling to follow orders, then please do as you please!”

Xue Wanjun’s eyes widened, “We have received orders to kill the thieves. We have nothing to do with the follow-up supplies! In short, we absolutely dare not obey the orders of farming and raising mulberry trees!”

“After saying that for a long time, you still want to disobey the military order?” Qin Mubai smiled coldly. “As the saying goes, I have to be courteous before taking action. I feel that I have said everything I need to say and explained everything I need to explain. No matter how aggressive General Xue is, I have to do it officially!”

“How dare you? Do you still dare to kidnap me?” Xue Wanjun was furious and shouted, “This general, I have a copy for you now! It has been more than a hundred days since I came to Lanzhou. You have been unprofessional all day, and you have brought all the officials along to play around with you! You don’t want to use troops and are unwilling to retreat. You only want to nurture mulberries in the wasteland and and defend yourself. You are clearly raising bandits while being fat and respectful!”

“General Xue wants to join me? Alright, go!” Qin Mubai smiled coldly and said, “I, I can’t wait!”

“We’ll see!”

Xue Wanjun snorted and glared at Qin Mubai angrily before striding away in a battle robe. The others also glared at Qin Mubai with ill intentions and left angrily.