ATPnovel Chapter 116 Chen Deng Advises His Father
Chapter 116 Chen Deng Advises His Father
He stopped and turned to look at his son.
"The alliance between these two may seem like a united front, but in reality, it would be good enough if they didn't fight each other. Perhaps Que Xuan can even slow down Li Sheng's advance."
Chen Deng nodded thoughtfully, then frowned.
"That's true, but what if Li Sheng uses this opportunity to annex Que Xuan and grow increasingly powerful? Are we just going to sit here and watch?"
"Of course not."
Chen Gui sat back down at his desk, picked up his brush, and wrote a few lines on the silk scroll.
"I have already written to Governor Ba, asking him to send troops to encircle and suppress them. Governor Ba replied that the imperial army's elite troops are all in Jizhou, and he cannot send any more men for the time being, but he can still muster some troops in Xuzhou. He told us to wait until after the autumn harvest when the food and supplies are plentiful before we send troops."
"After the autumn harvest?"
Chen Deng became anxious.
"Father, that will be several more months! By then, those commoners who were bought off by Li Sheng with land might have completely sided with the Taiping rebels..."
They already knew about Li Sheng's distribution of land to the common people and the first year's tax exemption, and that was exactly what Chen Deng was worried about.
Those commoners are all opportunistic and ungrateful, and Li Sheng is willing to give alms; they might soon get mixed up together.
Even if the Taiping rebels are defeated, it will be much more difficult to take back the land from those peasants.
Chen Gui looked at his son and slowly shook his head.
"Li Sheng only controls three counties. Even if he's given six months, how far can he go? Zhang Jiao boasts a million Yellow Turbans, but isn't he currently bogged down in Ji Province by Huangfu Song and Zhu Jun?"
He had already received the latest news from the Central Plains battlefield. In the early stages, those Yellow Turban rebels could still catch the government troops off guard, but by now, the gentry and powerful families had long since realized what was happening.
They fortified their cities, defended their strongholds, built fortified villages, and fought a protracted war. The Yellow Turban rebels couldn't break through the fortified cities; at most, they could only plunder the countryside.
Chen Deng, however, did not seem to have listened completely, his brows furrowing even more. He walked to the window, pushed open the shutter, and the night breeze, carrying a hint of heat, rushed in, offering no relief from the heat.
"Father, I'm not worried about Li Sheng."
Chen Deng turned around, his expression solemn.
"It's a drought."
Chen Gui was taken aback.
"drought?"
Chen Deng nodded affirmatively.
"Since the beginning of spring this year, there has been very little rainfall. I went to the Sishui River the day before yesterday and the water level was three feet lower than in previous years. The fields along the river have already cracked."
He loved farming and was always keen on matters of weather, water conservancy, and agriculture. He said with a serious expression.
"If it doesn't rain soon, I'm afraid there will be no harvest in the fall."
Chen Gui remained silent for a moment. The night wind blew in through the window, causing the candlelight to flicker.
He suddenly remembered the nursery rhyme he had heard in the streets and alleys a few days ago.
"The Yellow Turban Rebellion caused a great drought, leaving the land barren and people resorting to cannibalism."
At the time, he thought it was just childish nonsense, but now the "Yellow Turban Rebellion" has become a reality, and the "great drought" is also vaguely coming true... What about the last two lines? "A thousand miles of barren land, people eating each other?"
He shivered, slowly stood up, and walked to the window.
Feeling the hot wind blowing in from the window, he seemed to see the dark fields in the distance, with faint cracks visible under the moonlight.
"At that time, the people will have no food to eat and will rebel. Even without the Yellow Turban Rebellion, Xuzhou will still be in great chaos."
Chen Deng's Adam's apple bobbed.
"Father, we need to make a decision soon, and what about the old house in Huaipu County..."
He stopped halfway through his sentence.
Because he saw a cold fire burning in his father's usually calm eyes.
Chen Gui did not respond immediately.
He stood by the window, silent for a long time. The night wind blew in, making his clothes flutter and the silk books on the table rustle.
Finally, he turned around.
"you're right."
Chen Gui's voice was not loud, but every word was deep and resonant.
"If we continue to sit idly by, and the drought arrives, Li Sheng will use grain to win over the people, and the foundation of Xuzhou will be completely rotten."
He walked back to his desk, pushed aside the silk letter he had previously written to Governor Ba, spread out a clean piece of silk, and dipped his brush in ink.
"I was too conservative in my thinking before. Now it seems that relying on the court's elite troops and waiting until after the autumn harvest to take action is no different from adding fuel to the fire."
Chen Deng was taken aback, then a look of joy appeared in his eyes.
"What Father means is..."
"As the head of the gentry in Xiapi, how can the Chen family, if we cannot even defend our own doorstep from calamities, have any face left to stand in Xuzhou?"
Chen Gui's brush continued to move, and neat lines of calligraphy fell onto the silk.
"I will personally write to the powerful families, gentry, and prominent clans of each prefecture and kingdom in Xuzhou. Li Sheng is nothing but a bandit who deceived the common people of a few counties with the trick of land redistribution. But the true foundation of Xuzhou does not lie with those greedy peasants, but with us, the gentry who have served as officials for generations."
He paused, then looked up at Chen Deng.
"The combined strength of each household's fortified villages, private armies, granaries, and tenants far surpasses Li Sheng's few thousand ragtag followers. Before, everyone was minding their own business because they thought Li Sheng couldn't cause any real trouble. Now you've reminded me—a drought is coming. If we don't join forces to suppress Li Sheng before he's fully developed, it will be too late when the land is parched and the people are starving."
Chen Deng nodded emphatically.
"Father's judgment is wise! What about Huaipu...?"
"We must be doubly vigilant."
After Chen Gui finished writing the first letter, he took out a piece of silk.
"I will write another letter to the Huaipu tribe. Before, we only talked about closing the fortified villages and storing grain and water, but now it seems that is not enough."
He pondered for a moment, then wrote:
"The drought this spring is already evident, and the autumn harvest is likely to be lost. The clan should stockpile grain and fodder, dig deep wells, repair ditches, and store all available water. Fields around the fortified village that can be irrigated should be protected with all available manpower; those that cannot should be abandoned to save seeds. Every family, young and old, must practice archery and swordsmanship to guard against bandits. Furthermore, tenants should be ordered to patrol day and night, and any unfamiliar faces approaching should be questioned. If Li Sheng is defeated, he will surely send spies to incite the starving people; we must be on guard."
After writing the last character, he blew on the ink and handed it to Chen Deng.
"He immediately sent someone on horseback to Huaipu overnight."
Chen Deng accepted it with both hands and solemnly put it into his sleeve.
Chen Gui stood up and walked to the map of Xuzhou hanging in the hall. The map marked the locations of various counties, rivers, and powerful local figures.
His gaze fell on the three counties occupied by Li Sheng, and then slowly swept over the banks of the Si River, Yi River, and Huai River.
"Tomorrow morning, I will personally visit the Zhang family in Xuling, the Zhou family in Lü County, and the Zhao family in Tong County."
Chen Gui's voice was calm.
"Doesn't Li Sheng like dividing the land? Let's show him who's really in charge in Xiapi."
The candlelight flickered, casting distinct light and shadow on his face.
Standing behind his father, Chen Deng looked at his straight back and suddenly realized that this was the father he knew.
He was not a frail old man sitting at his desk waiting for the imperial court to send reinforcements, but the true leader of the Xiapi gentry.