Imperial warlords: Cannons are the only truth

At this moment, Luo Dazhou's purpose was very clear.

While ordering his men to secretly investigate the Youzhou army, he also urgently ordered the troops that were originally preparing to attack Youzhou to remain in place and await his latest instructions.

If the situation of the Youzhou army is confirmed, Luo Dazhou will not hesitate to make a choice—to side with the Youzhou army.

Luo Dazhou felt no remorse whatsoever regarding this issue.

He was able to rise step by step to become the chief of staff of the Jinzhou Army because he was pragmatic and decisive!

Back when Fang Borong and Hao Zhiwu were vying for the position of military governor of Jinzhou, Luo Dazhou was a regimental commander under Hao Zhiwu.

Afterwards, seeing that Fang Borong was gradually gaining the upper hand, Luo Dazhou decisively switched sides and captured Hao Zhiwu alive, handing him over to Fang Borong as a greeting gift.

Later, thanks to his flattery and skill in dealing with people, he actually managed to surpass Fang Borong's old guard and become the chief of staff of the Jinzhou Army, and was deeply trusted by Fang Borong.

In fact, Fang Borong had always thought that Luo Dazhou was his most trusted chief of staff.

Otherwise, Fang Borong would not have entrusted his hometown of Jinzhou to Luo Dazhou to guard while leading his troops in the campaign against the rebels.

In Luo Dazhou's own words, his secret to success lies in his acting skills!

Therefore, once he realizes that the situation is not good, Luo Dazhou will definitely make the choice that is most beneficial to himself as soon as possible.

However, Luo Dazhou was still quite cautious about this matter.

He would not make a final decision until the true situation of the Youzhou army was 100% confirmed.

Therefore, Luo Dazhou instructed his adjutant to do everything possible to find out the details of the Youzhou army as soon as possible.

Prior to this, Luo Dazhou decided to remain silent and would not take the initiative to make any contact with the Youzhou army.

Because Luo Dazhou knew very well that if he took the initiative to contact the Youzhou army now, and the Jinzhou army was the one to turn the tide in the end, Fang Borong would definitely not let him go, given his character!

Under Luo Dazhou's orders, the news that the Jinzhou army had been crushed by the Youzhou army at Wanjiakou was temporarily suppressed.

If Fang Borong were to question him later, Luo Dazhou would have ample reason to explain—because the Wanjiakou defense line was breached too suddenly and the related accounts were too bizarre, he had to clarify everything as much as possible before reporting the most truthful situation.

The final decision will depend on the information received before noon tomorrow.

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That night.

imperial capital.

A grand celebration banquet is being held in the banquet hall on the third floor of the Imperial Capital International Hotel.

The newly empowered punitive expeditionary forces, along with their respective commanders, all achieved satisfactory results at yesterday's "spoils distribution meeting."

Therefore, the atmosphere at today's celebration banquet was particularly lively.

Tonight is both a victory celebration and a farewell banquet for the anti-rebel army.

The war against the rebels was over, and the spoils of victory were divided.

It's time for all the warlords to take their troops back to their respective homes and mothers!

After tonight's banquet, the various military governors will leave the capital and return to their respective posts tomorrow.

Clearly, thanks to Luo Dazhou's deliberate cover-up, the capital authorities were completely unaware of what had just happened in Jinzhou during the day.

Unaware of the situation, Fang Borong, the military governor of Jinzhou, was very active at the banquet and frequently toasted Zhuo Yongwang.

Zhuo Yongwang, who successfully overcame Xie Kangnian, was naturally riding high.

Everyone at the banquet surrounded Zhuo Yongwang.

Zhuo Yongwang greatly enjoyed the feeling of being the center of attention.

With everyone taking turns toasting him, even Zhuo Yongwang, who had a good tolerance for alcohol, got a little tipsy.

Once the alcohol hits, the conversation starts to flow more...

"Let's all raise our glasses and toast to the complete victory of the war against the rebels!" Zhuo Yongwang said, downing a full glass of baijiu he had raised high in one gulp.

"That's great! The grain liquor from Daqian is the most satisfying to drink!"

"We're all having a great time today, so let's drink to our hearts' content and not leave until we're completely drunk!"

Holding his wine glass, Zhuo Yongwang declared to everyone with great bravado, "I'm putting my words on the table today."

"Since everyone is so supportive of me, Zhuo Yongwang, I will definitely not let you down!"

"The military pay that Xie Kangnian cut off to each province will be fully restored!"

"In addition, I have also given instructions regarding the military pay owed to various provinces over the past two years—to have the Imperial Ministry of Finance come up with a plan as soon as possible to make up for the outstanding military pay."

In short—let's all eat together when there's meat!

"I, Zhuo Yongwang, will never be like Xie Kangnian, who spends all his time thinking about ways to eat alone!"

"As long as everyone follows the rules and listens to instructions, I guarantee that no one will suffer any losses!"

"Let's not waste words and let our actions speak for themselves."

"Come! Let us all drink to this cup!"

.................................

"Your Excellency, I would like to offer you another toast!" Fang Borong, the military governor of Jinzhou, toasted Zhuo Yongwang alone with a radiant face: "This time, you gave me Youzhou for free with just a word. I, Fang Borong, will remember this kindness forever!"

"From now on, just watch my performance—we'll fight wherever the Premier points!"

"You are the guiding light for us all. Only the Chief Minister of the Great Qian Dynasty can carry this banner!"

"It's all thanks to everyone's support. Without your strong support, our anti-rebel army wouldn't be in such a good situation today."

Zhuo Yongwang chuckled as he drank with Fang Borong and said, "By the way, Youzhou unilaterally issued a telegram expressing its firm opposition to incorporating Youzhou into Jinzhou."

"They even said that Youzhou would resolutely retaliate."

Zhuo Yongwang casually remarked, "So? Will your Jinzhou army handle this on its own, or will we send reinforcements from other provinces?"

"Your Excellency, if we can't even handle the Youzhou army, wouldn't that be a joke?" Fang Borong waved his hands repeatedly: "Your Excellency is unaware of this."

"That Shen Moshen from Youzhou must be out of his mind; he even sent a notice to our Jinzhou army urging us to surrender."

"Isn't this a huge joke...?"

"However, I have already sent someone to handle this matter."

Fang Borong said nonchalantly, "I reckon the matter in Youzhou will have been resolved before I even get back to Jinzhou."

"Please rest assured, Your Excellency, once I return, I will definitely send someone to tie up that arrogant Shen Moshen and bring him to the capital for questioning!"

"He's gone too far! Daring to question the Prime Minister's decision is a capital offense—he must be killed!"

"Forget it." Zhuo Yongwang shook his head with a smile: "There's no need to send the person to the capital. You can handle it yourself."

Clearly, the provincial governors, including Zhuo Yongwang, completely disregarded the telegram issued by Youzhou.

In their view, taking over Youzhou was just a side job for the Jinzhou army.

In fact, Zhuo Yongwang believed that responding to the telegram from Youzhou would be a sign of low character.

In short—I don't like it!

"Good! The Chief Minister is so busy with state affairs that he probably doesn't have time to deal with such a trivial matter." Fang Borong seized the opportunity to flatter him again: "After I return to Jinzhou, I will personally punish Shen Moshen on behalf of the Chief Minister."

"Daring to disrespect the Chief Premier is enough for that man surnamed Shen to get shot!"