RPAGF Chapter 235 Loyalty
Chapter 235 Loyalty
"Stubborn resistance will not end well, brothers. We're all just trying to make a living. What difference does it make who we work for? Those people in the palace only know how to give orders, but they're leaving us here to die. Are you willing to accept that?"
"No! No!" Upon hearing the captain's words, the surrounding soldiers roared. They were all people living in Sili, and had experienced too much war over the years. Now, in order to make a living, they had joined the organization, and now they faced certain death. None of them were willing to risk their lives for that emperor they had never seen before.
"I joined the army just to make a living. Nobody would be willing to risk their life for that emperor!" a soldier shouted.
"That's right. If Gongsun Jiang's organization were still around, we would be willing to fight a war, but for the sake of the emperor, we are not!"
Some of the soldiers in the guard were veterans recruited during Gongsun Zan's reign. Although Gongsun Zan was tyrannical, he treated his soldiers well, and no one complained. These soldiers were far more loyal to Gongsun Zan than to the emperor.
Especially after Liu Xie killed Gongsun Zan, in order to stabilize the organization, he not only disrupted the original troops, but also ostensibly increased the pay, but in reality, the pay was less than half of what it used to be. These soldiers were already dissatisfied, and now that they had the opportunity, how could they not erupt?
As for the workers and technicians in the factory, they had been squatting to the side since early on. They weren't even soldiers; they were just there to work and make a living. The man who had tried to persuade them to surrender earlier was right. It didn't matter who they worked for. As long as Yuan Shao would keep his promises, these workers would be happy. Why would they go against Yuan's organization?
Ten minutes later, Yuan Shao's men had completely taken control of the Luoyang military factory. Although there was a small accident, a bomb planted by one of Wang Gang's confidants went undetected and successfully destroyed a steam engine. According to the factory's craftsmen, this damage would reduce the factory's overall production efficiency by at least half.
Moreover, the damaged steam engine was beyond repair and had to be rebuilt. This would take approximately two months to restore normal production. Before that, the factory's daily output was less than sixty flintlock muskets.
"Reporting to Lord Yuan, the most difficult part of manufacturing flintlock guns is the manufacturing of the barrel. Because part of the power has been destroyed, the two drilling machines that were originally designed to drill holes cannot operate at full capacity."
"We can only manufacture sixty gun barrels per day, and there may be a small number of defective products among them, so at present we can only guarantee a stable output of fifty barrels per day."
Kang Yan carefully answered Yuan Shao, and slightly lowered the production figures to give himself some room for maneuver. Kang Yan was a cautious person.
He wouldn't make any definitive statements, especially since he had just changed masters and didn't yet know their temperament, so he had to be extra cautious.
"Well, it's alright. Just do your best to produce. If you need anything, just ask Mr. Guo Tu. He will do his best to help you."
Yuan Shao said to Kang Yan: Although he was somewhat dissatisfied with the current output, he had no choice but to accept that he hadn't done a perfect job in the previous operation. Fortunately, this was only temporary, Yuan Shao thought to himself.
Kang Yan immediately bowed respectfully and replied, "This humble servant understands."
He turned to Guo Tu, who was standing to the side, and said, "Thank you for your help, Mr. Guo."
"We are all serving our lord, there's no trouble or inconvenience involved."
Guo Tu said with a smile, "He is very happy. Yuan Shao's words just now meant that he was handing over the management of the troop factory to him. How could Guo Tu not be happy to be entrusted with such an important unit? This shows that Yuan Shao trusts him."
The news that the Luoyang garrison had fallen almost intact into Yuan Shao's hands reached Liu Xie's ears the next day. Among the captured guards was a spy planted by Ding Min.
Taking advantage of the Yuan organization's lax supervision, he escaped and quickly found Ding Min to report. Upon hearing the news that Yuan Shao had taken control of the Luoyang military factory, Ding Min was shocked and immediately took his undercover agents to the palace.
When Liu Xie heard this news, he panicked. What should he do now? He had lost his most important bargaining chip, and he would have no advantage in the upcoming confrontation.
"Minister Dong, the fall of the Imperial Workshop is a fact. Although I had long anticipated this day, I did not expect it to come so quickly. We must send the Prince of Nanyang and the Prince of Chengdu to the capital to defend the emperor as soon as possible, or it will be too late."
Liu Xie said to Ding Min: His only hope now lies with the two remaining powerful members of the Han imperial family, the Prince of Nanyang and the Prince of Chengdu. At this moment, an idea suddenly popped into Liu Xie's mind.
He would be willing to accept either of these two people becoming emperor, as long as the situation could be brought under control and the imperial family's authority restored. Liu Xie was willing to do anything.
Of course, such a thought only flashed through his mind. How could Liu Xie possibly give up the throne that he had already obtained? However, using the Prince of Nanyang and the Prince of Chengdu was already the established plan. It was just unknown when the two would send back a reply.
Ding Min said to Liu Xie, "Your Majesty, I have already sent the letter out. To be on the safe side, I divided the messengers into three groups, sending them from Luoyang to Jingzhou and Yizhou from different directions. If all goes well, the Prince of Nanyang will raise an army to defend the emperor within half a month."
Liu Xie and Ding Min's idea was quite good, but unfortunately, being trapped in Luoyang for a long time, they were unaware that Liu Biao had suffered a great loss in the south, and that Liu Biao's reputation as a dog who only cared about maintaining the status quo was not for nothing.
It was highly unrealistic to expect Liu Biao to send troops to defend the emperor under these circumstances. Liu Biao was 100% certain that if he sent troops to defend the emperor, a large number of people would soon swarm around him like wolves that had caught the scent of blood.
Chen Er was not surprised to learn that Yuan Shao had taken control of the Luoyang military factory. However, another intelligence report caught his attention: Liu Xie and Ding Min were attempting to seek aid from Jingzhou and Yizhou.
Liu Xie and Ding Min's ideas were quite good, but reality might give Liu Xie a harsh blow, especially considering Liu Biao and Liu Yu.
It would be a miracle if they sent troops. Liu Biao's Jingzhou organization had recently suffered considerable losses, and Liu Yu's control over Yizhou was not strong, especially after Liu Bei had gradually gained de facto control over the southern part of Yizhou.
Liu Yu's life became even more difficult. Moreover, since both of them were rulers who maintained the status quo, Chen Er had reason to believe that Liu Xie's move would be in vain.
If Liu Biao and Liu Yu had responded to Emperor Xie's decree, Chen Er would have looked at them differently. Unfortunately, while Liu Yu might have had some chance, Liu Biao would definitely not have responded to Emperor Xie's decree at all.