Han Bing cursed and raised his hand to hit Yang Peng. Yang Peng caught Han Bing's delicate hand, put it to his lips and kissed it gently. Han Bing only felt her heart fluttering. She didn't dare to look at Han Bing and lowered her head, her heart beating thumpingly. Yang Peng smiled and said: "When this war is over, I will marry you!" Han Bing felt very confused. She was very happy, but she felt that she should not marry him, "I, I have no idea……"
"Don't, you've come to this point and you don't even know! I don't care, anyway, this time I'm going to marry you even if I tie you up!" Yang Peng said in a rogue yet domineering tone.
Han Bing glared at Yang Peng and said angrily: "Isn't this a villain! Humph, the majestic King Yan actually robbed a common girl!" Yang Peng looked into Han Bing's eyes and said affectionately: "For you, this little reputation is worth it. What does it matter!" Han Bing's eyes trembled, and she really wanted to throw herself into his arms, but she held back in the end. She frowned and shook her head without saying anything, but Yang Peng understood what she meant.
"I will invite the best Taoist priests and magicians to perform a grand ceremony for my brother-in-law! I think he will also approve of our marriage!"
Han Bing looked at Yang Peng blankly, finally sighed, and said helplessly: "You are really my nemesis!" Seeing that she finally agreed, Yang Peng was overjoyed, hugged Han Bing, and kissed her passionately. Her delicate red lips only kissed Han Bing until she almost died before letting her go. He took her hand and ran to the edge of the hillside and shouted loudly: "Han Bing has agreed to be my wife!" The loud voice sounded far away. The message spread far away and was heard by the entire military camp. Han Bing was so embarrassed that she almost wanted to find a hole in the ground to crawl into. She hit Yang Peng on the arm and said angrily: "Stop screaming, it's so embarrassing!" Yang Peng laughed.
The people in the big tent were stunned for a moment when they heard Yang Peng's cry, and then they couldn't help but laugh. Yang Jiumei let out a long breath, but Yang Erya lowered his head and looked preoccupied. Yang Jing said with a strange look on his face: "Isn't General Han Bing angry? Why did he agree to marry his eldest brother again?" Yang next to him said Dezheng joked: "You will never understand this kind of thing!" Yang Jing grinned, "I don't care about that! But I know that there is another wedding wine!" Everyone laughed.
Yang Peng hugged Han Bing and sat under a small tree, talking about the scenes since the two met. The two hearts were tightly attached to each other and never wanted to be separated again. Han Bing leaned into Yang Jing's arms and said, "Actually, my brother is not my biological brother."
Yang Peng was greatly surprised when Han Bing continued: "I am not my parents' biological daughter, I was adopted by them. But they treat me as if they were their own child and are very good to me, and my brother is also very good to me. "Yang Peng didn't know what to say. Han Bing raised his head and looked at Yang Peng's face, "Brother, I think..." Yang Peng's eyes widened, "You can't go back on things that have been decided!" Han Bing couldn't help but gasp when he saw Yang Peng was so nervous. Smiling, her beautiful eyes looked at Yang Peng again and again, and she said very happily: "I am so happy to see my eldest brother like this!" Then, her beautiful eyes showed tenderness, and her voice was soft but firm: "This I will never regret it in my life! Even if my eldest brother doesn’t want me anymore in the future, I will admit it!”
Yang Peng was happy in his heart and kissed Han Bing's red lips, "You're talking silly. It's too late to love you. How could I not want you!"
Han Bing looked at Yang Peng longingly, and then said angrily: "I forgot what I was going to say because of your interruption!" Yang Peng asked with a smile: "What are you going to say?" Han Bing was a little embarrassed. Then he requested: "Brother, this request of mine may embarrass you, but it is the only way to compensate my brother and adoptive parents. I hope eldest brother can agree to it!" Yang Peng nodded without thinking, "No. No matter what the question is, I agree." Han Bing blushed and said, "I hope that the children I will have with my eldest brother in the future will have a surname of Han."
Yang Peng laughed, "That's it! I thought it was a big deal! Okay, no problem, our children will all be named Han in the future!" Han Bing was so moved, she felt that her eldest brother was really He loved her so much, otherwise he would never have made such a big sacrifice. In excitement, he threw himself into Yang Peng's arms and hugged Yang Peng's waist tightly, wanting to completely integrate his body into his big brother's. Good health. Han Bing had a bit of a misunderstanding on this matter. It is true that Yang Peng loved her very much and would do anything for her, but the child's name was not a problem at all for Yang Peng. He was not a pedantic person. , but from an open-minded person, he doesn't care at all about the fact that his children follow the surname.
Yang Peng said in Han Bing's ear: "How about we enter the bridal chamber tonight!" Han Bing raised his head from Yang Peng's arms and said with a red face: "Why do you always think about this? What?" Yang Peng said with a smile: "If you love your wife, you naturally want to be intimate with her. Isn't this a normal thing? Could it be that Han Bing, you don't want to be intimate with me!"
Han Bing was so embarrassed that he raised his fist and hit Yang Peng on the chest, yelling: "Don't talk nonsense, it's so embarrassing!" Yang Peng laughed, hugged Han Bing's slender waist and kissed her red lips. Han Bingfang's heart was filled with excitement. She suddenly remembered something and frowned slightly, "Tell me honestly, do you also have any thoughts about Princess Yeqi of Liao Kingdom?"
Ye Qi Guanyin's proud, wild and beautiful face couldn't help but appear in front of Yang Peng's eyes. Yang Peng sighed, "I'm afraid it's impossible between me and her!" Han Bing snorted, "You guy, You are so merciful!" Then he said helplessly: "Who told you to be so good? Women are fascinated by you and can't help themselves!" Her beautiful eyes glared at Chen Xiao, "They say beauty is a disaster, it seems to be harmful to others. They all look like women, but in fact, men can harm people much more powerfully than women! A woman can only harm one person, but a man can harm a large area!"
Yang Peng touched his nose and chuckled: "Han Bing, is this a compliment to me?" Han Bing rolled his eyes at Yang Peng and said, "Whatever you think!"
The two talked for a while before leaving the hill and returning to the big tent. When Han Bing saw everyone looking at him with burning eyes, he immediately became very uneasy, and his face turned red involuntarily. Everyone had never seen the majestic General Han showing such a girlish and shy expression, and they were all stunned for a moment. Han Bingyu was so embarrassed that she couldn't help but get angry and shouted: "What are you looking at? Don't you know me, General?"
Everyone came back to their senses and laughed. Yang Jing shook his head and said: "I thought General Han Bing had changed, but I didn't expect that he was still so fierce!!"
Han Bing glared at Yang Peng with a blushing face, but then her eyes showed a look of gratitude, because she had heard the content of Yang Jing and everyone's quarrel outside the big tent before, and knew that if Yang Jing hadn't made such a fuss, If so, she really doesn't know how long the matter between her and her eldest brother will be delayed. I'm afraid she won't be able to make up her mind. Speaking of which, Yang Jing can be said to be the matchmaker between her and her eldest brother!
Yang Jiumei walked up to Han Bing, held her hand, and said with a smile: "Welcome!" Han Bing blushed and bowed Yingying: "Han Bing, hello, sister!" Although Han Bing was higher than Yang Jiumei in terms of position, but at home, , the one who gets started first is the best, so Han Bing should call her sister.
Yang Dezheng winked at everyone, and everyone understood and quietly left the tent. Yang Dezheng was amused when he saw Yang Jing standing there watching the show stupidly, so he dragged him away.
Turning his attention to Taiyuan, Zhang Xiaochun immediately gave up the idea of surrendering to the Khitans once he learned the battle report from the front. After returning home, he informed his wife Yu Bao'er of the battle situation ahead, and said with some emotion: "I didn't expect Ye Guanyin's massive counterattack to be in vain!" Yu Bao'er thought: "This time Ye Xi Guanyin failed. Success doesn’t mean you won’t succeed next time!”
Zhang Xiaochun nodded, "What Madam said is absolutely true!" Then he frowned and said, "Although Yan Yun can be said to have won a great victory this time, he completely fell out with Song State. Will it be like this next time? It's hard to say you were so lucky once! If the Song Dynasty re-activated famous generals such as Liu Qi, Cao brothers, and Gao Hu, Yan Yun's army would not be as easy as this time!" Yu Bao'er smiled and said: "No matter what Whoever wins or loses, let’s just rely on the winner anyway!” Zhang Xiaochun said with a smile: “Madam’s words are a wise saying!”
At the same time, there was a scene of panic in Bianjing City. Not long ago, most people were still rejoicing for the victory achieved by Wang Shi, but they did not expect that soon after, news of tragic defeats came one after another. After the fall of Guangzhou and Huangzhou, Jizhou and Shu Zhouzhou and Zhenzhou also fell one after another. Wang Shi was defeated like a mountain and had almost no ability to resist! Gao Hu in the north of the Yangtze River has already planned to give up all the land in Huainan, and Yan Yun's army is about to cross the Yangtze River to kill him!
The court was in chaos. Neither the emperor nor the ministers had the arrogant momentum they had before. They were like frightened birds, terrified and at a loss.
"What should we do? What should we do?" the emperor said in panic.
All the ministers looked at each other, and no one could answer. Wang Qinruo came out and said: "Your Majesty, don't worry too much. As long as the Liao people invade Henan, the Yanyun army will have to withdraw!" At this time, the Song court was still ignorant of the war in the north! After hearing Wang Qinruo's words, all the ministers agreed, saying that as long as the Khitans won a great victory, they would be able to rest easy. After hearing what everyone said, Zhenzong calmed down a lot and regained some of his emperor's demeanor.
Wang Qinruo said: "Your Majesty, Gao Hu should be strictly ordered not to retreat without permission. If he retreats again, he will be dealt with according to military law! At the same time, he will send envoys to the Khitan people and ask them to defeat Yan Yun's army as soon as possible!"
Zhao Heng felt that it was necessary to rely on the Khitans, but he was hesitant to let Gao Hu stick to Huainan. He felt that Gao Hu's army would definitely not be able to withstand Yan Yun's army, so it would be better to retreat early to reduce losses. Seeing Zhao Heng's hesitation, Wang Qinruo thought that he didn't want to ask the Khitans for help. He couldn't help but feel strange and persuaded: "Your Majesty, using the power of the Khitans to resolve the crisis in front of us will not damage your Majesty's mighty virtue!"
Zhao Heng shook his head, "Aiqing has misunderstood. I am not thinking about asking the Khitans for help. I have no objection to this matter. I just think that Gao Hu's army should not stay in Jiangbei." There was a look of fear on his face, "Then Yan The Yun army is simply more terrifying than the Khitan army. If Gao Hu's hundreds of thousands of troops don't withdraw, they may be completely wiped out! By then our Bianjing defense strength will not be enough!"
Wang Qinruo now wanted to instigate the Song army to fight with the Yanyun army so that he could contain Yanyun for the Khitans, so he said: "What your Majesty said is absolutely true! However, I am afraid that the consequences of this retreat will be disastrous! Although the current situation of our army is unfavorable, after all, it is still possible. When resisting, the fighting spirit is still there, but once the troops withdraw, their morale will inevitably collapse. At that time, the Yanyun army will cross the river and it will be truly unstoppable. When the land south of the Yangtze River sinks, how will your majesty deal with it?"
Zhao Heng couldn't help but change his color when he heard this. Sun Jin, Wang Zhong, Ni Chengmou and others all agreed. Zhao Heng nodded, "What Aiqing said is absolutely true. I almost made a big mistake!" He raised his head and glanced at Wang Qinruo, "Just follow what Aiqing said!" Wang Qinruo was overjoyed and clasped his fists and said, "Your Majesty is wise!" Immediately he requested: "Your Majesty, the situation is extremely urgent now. Your Majesty will march personally and sit in Xuzhou to boost morale! I believe that as long as your Majesty arrives in Xuzhou, the frontline soldiers will be greatly encouraged. Fighting to the death with Yanyun's army will definitely protect our Song Dynasty. Half of it is safe!" Zhao Heng hesitated and asked him to come to the front line in person. This thing really made him feel bad.
"Let me consider this matter!" The emperor was obviously perfunctory.
Wang Qinruo did not allow the emperor to be perfunctory and said urgently: "Your Majesty, the situation is extremely urgent now. If Your Majesty is unwilling to go to the expedition in person, I am afraid that the frontline soldiers will not be interested in fighting, and they will be killed by Yan Yun's army across the river!"
Zhao Heng was startled, and he hesitated and said reluctantly: "Then, I will take charge of the expedition myself!" Wang Qinruo was overjoyed and shouted that your majesty is wise. However, Zhao Heng's expression at this time was as if he was going to the execution ground, and he was in terrible pain.
In the taverns and teahouses of Bianjing, people looked worried, and in addition to being worried, they were also very angry. They felt that Yang Peng, as a minister, dared to attack the imperial army and seize the imperial prefectures and counties. This was clearly a blatant rebellion. It was so intense that some people just wanted to eat Yang Peng's flesh and sleep on Yang Peng's skin! The views of these people basically represent the people's hearts in Bianjing. An atmosphere of common hatred and hatred similar to the previous resistance to the Khitan army gradually formed!
It is said that Zhao Heng had no choice but to go on a personal expedition, and more than 100,000 escorts and soldiers protected the emperor's Luan Jia as they headed towards Xuzhou Mansion. Zhao Heng was very nervous and uneasy along the way. Just one day after leaving Bianjing, the team arrived in Xuzhou, and urgent news came from the north. The emergency report said that the Khitan army, Marshal Ye Qianxiu Ge, had been defeated, and the Yanyun army had occupied the entire Shanxi. Since ancient times were not like modern times, it was very difficult to convey the message, so Zhao and Song Dynasty only received this message at this moment.
Zhao Heng and the civil and military officials of the Manchu Dynasty eagerly hoped that the Khitans would defeat Yan Yun so that they could reap the benefits, but they did not expect such bad news to come! For a time, the emperor and ministers were in a panic and had no idea, even Wang Qinruo was no exception.
"What should we do? What should we do? I expected the Khitans to defeat the Yanyun Army, but I didn't expect that they had already been defeated and lost the entire Shanxi! It seems that the Yanyun Army is invincible! We, we better hurry up Run away!" The emperor said in panic.
Wang Qinruo didn't know how to answer the question and thought: The Khitans have been defeated. If they continue to fight against Yan Yun, they may end up looking for death. Why not ask Yan Yun for peace? In this way, at least I can keep my wealth!
As soon as he thought about this, he said to the emperor: "Your Majesty, now that things have come to this, it is better to seek peace!" All the ministers agreed one after another.
The emperor's eyes lit up, as if he had grasped a life-saving straw, and he said urgently: "Yes, yes, yes, send an envoy to ask for peace, quickly send an envoy to ask for peace! As long as King Yan is willing to stop the army, I can agree to any conditions!" His sister is his princess, and she is still an in-law, so he will not embarrass me too much!" He quickly looked at Wang Qinruo, "Qin Aiqing, please quickly choose a suitable person to envoy Yanjing!" Wang Qinruo thought After thinking for a moment, he cupped his fists and said, "Your Majesty, that Kou Zhun was Yang Peng's boss, and he is the best candidate for the mission!" The emperor thought of this person and felt that he was the best candidate. He nodded and said, "Okay, okay, this person is It's most suitable. Call him here quickly!" Wang Qinruo agreed.
Turning to the north of the Yangtze River, Duan Zhixian was preparing to divide his forces with Cheng Shijie, Huyan Bixian, Chen Jie, and Xiao Duoli to attack Wuweijunyi, Hezhou, and Zhenzhou. However, at this moment, Yang Peng's order came, ordering them to immediately Stop the attack, rest on the spot, stand still, and do not attack rashly without orders.
Yang Peng thought to himself: "What you said makes sense!" He waved his hand, "Forget it, let's not think about it! Even if it is true hatred, I will bear it. There is no one in my life who I hate!" He stood up and said, "Let's go back!" The two of them walked down the steps, and a female guard and a secret guard immediately led their horses to greet them. The two got on their horses, and the other Secret Guards and Feifeng Guards also got on their horses, and then dozens of people galloped towards Bingzhou City.
Along the way, the originally barren wilderness turned into a lush green field, full of wheat seedlings sown not long ago. When the breeze blew, only green ripples were seen, and the air was filled with the unique fragrance of wheat seedlings; cattle and farmers were in the fields. The fields were working, and several young farmers gathered on the grass beside the fields in the distance, playing dice games, and laughter could be heard from time to time.
A group of people entered the city, and the wide streets were bustling with people. Although they were not as prosperous as before the chaos, they had recovered a lot of vitality. The shops on both sides were 70 to 80% open, and many people who had fled to the south were The businessmen are back again, and everyone's face is filled with a smile of hope; in the distance, the houses that were destroyed in the war are being rebuilt. Under the sunshine, this historic city glows with new vitality.
Yang Peng returned to his temporary residence. Li Mubai and Han Bing, who had been waiting for a while, immediately came to greet him. Han Bing's pretty face was slightly red, and it seemed a little unnatural to address Yang Peng.
Yang Peng looked at Han Bing and smiled, and said to the two of them, "No need to be polite!" Then he casually walked to a chair and sat down.
Li Mubai first presented a report, "King Yan, this is the current situation in Shanxi, please take a look!"
Yang Peng took the report and read it carefully. Li Mubai is indeed a good hand at handling domestic affairs. All matters are clearly organized and everything has undergone earth-shaking changes in just a few months: First of all, the population. As the society has stabilized and the economy has begun to recover, people who originally fled to the south have The people have returned to their hometowns one after another. Although the population has not yet returned to the level of the early Song Zhenzong period, it has recovered to 60% to 70%. This is obvious. The suburbs that were originally deserted and did not hear the crowing of chickens and the barking of dogs are now gradually becoming lively. The streets gradually became busier and busier; secondly, there was the economy. Due to the continuous war caused by the invasion of the Khitans, the economy of Shanxi, the originally very prosperous hinterland of the Central Plains, almost collapsed. However, since Yanyun regained Shanxi, various policies After the introduction and the Yanyun Army used a large amount of captured blood to transfuse Shanxi, the economy was able to recover quickly. Today's economy has recovered to at least about 50% of what it was during the Song Taizong period. This is a very remarkable achievement.
Yang Peng finished reading the report, nodded, put the report on the small table at hand, smiled and said to Li Mubai: "Isn't this a good job? You resisted like that before!" Li Mubai smiled a little embarrassedly .
Yang Peng asked: "What are your thoughts on the development of Shanxi?"
Li Mubai immediately said: "This subordinate is about to report to the lord." Yang Peng made a listening gesture. Li Mubai continued: "The foundation of a place's development lies in agriculture, which has almost recovered now. However, to make people's livelihood rich, it is necessary to develop handicrafts and trade. Shanxi has many specialties since ancient times, and those mountain treasures are Needless to say, all kinds of exquisite porcelain are famous all over the world, such as the porcelain produced by Jun kiln. However, Jun kiln has been dilapidated due to the damage caused by wars over the years. There are not many kiln entrances left that were originally dotted. These should be restored as soon as possible. Get up, this will play an immeasurable role in developing the local economy!”
Yang Peng thought and nodded.
"On the other hand, it is to activate the market and develop trade. Henan is located in the Central Plains, with convenient transportation in all directions. It can be said to be a transportation hub for traveling east to west, south and north, so it has unique advantages in developing trade. To develop trade, there are not many know-hows , just one word 'tong', so my subordinates believe that those wartime control measures should be lifted as soon as possible in Shanxi so that trade can flow smoothly! In addition, it is best to follow the practices of the Sixteen Prefectures in Hebei and Yanyun , cancel or reduce tariffs to promote trade!”
Yang Peng raised his head and said with a smile: "Your suggestions are very good, and they all hit the point! I won't interfere with the specifics, just do it according to your own ideas!"
Li Mubai was very happy and promised with clasped fists. He was reluctant to enter the official career in the past, of course because he couldn't stand the corruption of the officialdom, but the more important reason was that he felt that no king would give him the power to exercise completely independently, but now he doesn't think so, Yang Peng gave With a degree of freedom that he had never dared to imagine, he had the pleasure of freely swaying like a fish in water.
"King Yan, I have another request!" Li Mubai said.
Yang Peng smiled and nodded, "Just tell me, as long as I can do it, I will do it for you!"
Li Mubai was deeply moved and felt that being able to follow such a lord was a blessing from his previous life! "King Yan, my subordinates still lack funds, and many things cannot be carried out yet, so I hope that the lord will allocate another one million taels of silver to my subordinates!" "Okay, I will inform you about this matter!"
"There's another thing," he frowned. "Officials from all over the place are old people who have experienced the Song, Liao, and Puppet Han dynasties, and then came to us! If they fail to succeed, they will fail. They are all full of official authority. But it often makes no sense! What’s more serious is that these people have developed a habit of being corrupt and bending the law. Although they have restrained themselves slightly under the supervision of supervisory officials, they cannot fundamentally change this. I hope that King Yan can give his subordinates a group of people with both ability and political integrity. We can gradually replace these officials with talented people, thereby changing the official atmosphere here!"
Yang Peng smiled and said: "I am also considering this matter. I plan to transfer 150 people to you from the hundreds of people currently training at Tianjing New City Official School."
Li Mubai was overjoyed, "That's great! With these one hundred and fifty people, my work will be easier to do."
Let me explain here by the way. In addition to the official schools organized by Yang Peng, which specialize in recruiting minors, such as primary and secondary schools, there is also a school that only trains adults. This is currently the main channel for Yang Peng to provide talents for governments at all levels. In this kind of school, a considerable part are disabled soldiers who are determined to continue serving Yan Yun, as well as some students from poor families. In addition to these people, there are also people who have passed special tests and entered the school.
This kind of test is somewhat similar to the imperial examination, but it is very different. The similarity is that anyone can take the test. The difference is that the content of the test has almost nothing to do with the Four Books and Five Classics. It only examines two aspects, one is actual ability; Only those who pass the passing mark in both moral and reputation aspects can enter the school. After passing the test, you will not be able to work in the government immediately. You will also have to undergo training of varying lengths, and then after passing the final test, you will be considered a reserve talent and will be sent to various places to serve at any time.
What happened after all, let’s see what happens next.
