Yang Peng was walking on the city wall, followed by two people in casual clothes. One was tall and strong, while the other was elegant and elegant. These two people were Liu Ziyu and Guan Shigu who were captured when Yang Peng captured Hanzhong in Weinan. Both of them were famous generals in the anti-Liao battlefield. After Yang Peng took Weinan and Hanzhong, everyone surrendered, but two people still refused to surrender. Yang Peng did not force it, and moved the two of them to Tianjing New City under house arrest. Apart from not letting them leave Tianjing New City, they were free for as long as they wanted. Time passed unknowingly. If they hadn't suddenly come to see them today, Yang Peng would have forgotten them.
Yang Peng stopped, turned around, and asked with a smile: "How are you two doing in Tianjing New City?"
Guan Shigu nodded and said: "Okay! I have never been so comfortable! But I am not used to this kind of life!" Liu Ziyu bowed and said: "Thank you, King Yan, for taking care of me!" Then he couldn't help but sigh: "I live in Tianjing New City During this period, I have been deeply moved by what I have seen and heard! The prosperity of Tianjing New City is actually more prosperous than before, which is really unimaginable!" Guan Shigu nodded with the same feeling and said with great admiration: "The King of Yan is really Amazing! Not only did they defeat the Khitans and recover the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun, but they also governed Yanjing so well! Not only was it prosperous, it was also peaceful. What’s even more gratifying is that there is no longer the phenomenon of dignitaries bullying the common people, and the common people’s faces There’s always a smile on my face! It’s so nice!”
Yang Peng smiled slightly. Liu Ziyu said with some embarrassment: "King Yan, we, we..." Guan Shigu said angrily: "Old Liu, you are embarrassed to say it, let me tell you!" Then he raised his fist towards Yang Peng and said bluntly: "King Yan, We used to think that you were just a rebellious and insidious villain, but now we know we were wrong. You are not a rebellious and insidious villain, but a great hero! Since you can make Tianjing New City so prosperous, the people Living and working in peace and contentment will definitely make the whole world look like this! If you don't mind it, Lao Liu and I are willing to serve under you, and we will go through thick and thin without hesitation!" Liu Ziyu nodded and looked at Yang Peng nervously.
Yang Peng said happily: "It is my honor that you are willing to help me. I am very happy!"
When the two of them saw that Yang Peng agreed, they couldn't help but be very excited.
Yang Peng thought for a moment and said to the two of them: "Mr. Liu will be my staff for the time being, and General Guan will be a forward general in the directly affiliated army for the time being!" The two were overjoyed and clasped their fists together in agreement. Yang Peng helped the two of them up and said: "Tomorrow morning, Prince Yan's Mansion will convene an important meeting. You can come too." The two knew that the meetings held by Prince Yan's Mansion were the highest-level meetings and were also confidential. Now that King Yan has allowed the two of them to attend the highest meeting, it not only shows that King Yan regards them both as his own, but also intends to entrust them with important tasks. For a moment, the two of them were excited and couldn't help but feel excited. The thought of dying for a confidant arises!
The next morning, an important meeting of Yan Yun was held in the back hall of Prince Yan's Mansion. In addition to the civil and military personnel who originally stayed in Tianjing New City, the attendees also included military and political attaches who came from various places and the princesses with positions in Yang Peng's harem. Apart from them, there were two people who attracted more attention. That was It's Liu Ziyu and Guan Shigu. Everyone saw two unfamiliar faces. Although they didn't know who they were, they realized that King Yan had plans to reuse them.
Yang Peng first introduced Guan Shigu, Liu Ziyu and everyone. At this time, Guan Shigu and Liu Ziyu knew the identities and names of everyone present. They were all world-famous figures, and they couldn't help but be in awe. Everyone had also heard of the names of Guan Shigu and Liu Ziyu, and they heard that they were the two. Personally, I couldn't help but feel enlightened.
Yang Peng sat down, and everyone sat down one after another, everyone's eyes were fixed on Yang Peng. Yang Peng said: "The reason why we urgently summoned everyone to Tianjing New City is that there is an important matter that needs to be discussed with you!" After a pause, he continued: "Our strategic goals have long been formulated, but after this battle, I I want to slightly revise the strategic goals I set before! What happened this time makes me feel that the saying 'we must first settle our internal affairs' is very reasonable!"
Several people present could not help but feel moved when they heard this, but no one said anything. Yang Peng continued: "Our previous plan was to first defeat the surrounding foreign enemies and then unify China. But now I want to reverse this order, first unify China, and then compete with the world!"
Everyone couldn't help but whisper. Duan Zhixian said loudly: "I agree with brother's decision! Damn it, when we were fighting against the foreigners, the ungrateful court was always stabbing us in the back. It's so damn annoying! It's best to kill these grandsons first!"
Yang Guihua said: "There is an ancient saying, 'To fight against foreign forces, we must first settle the internal affairs'. That makes sense! Only by solving internal problems first can we better deal with foreign enemies! I also agree to unify China first!" Everyone nodded in agreement. .
Liu Ziyu said: "The strategy of King Yan is naturally very correct, but it is not an easy task to unify China. There are three difficulties. The first is that the terrain is not conducive to us. The imperial court relies on the natural gorge of the Yangtze River, and Bashu has had difficult roads to Shu since ancient times. As a metaphor for the sky, it is not easy for our army to overcome these natural dangers and unify China; secondly, the strength of the imperial court cannot be underestimated. Although Yan Yun's military is the most sharp in the world, as long as the imperial court appoints good generals, it can train enough The elite soldiers who can compete with us are just like the Yang family army before, and the imperial court's wealth, food, population, and soldiers are far better than ours. If the war develops into a stalemate, it will be very detrimental to us; the third is the people's support. Although the government is fatuous, corrupt and treacherous, the people of Jiangnan still support the imperial court. If the imperial court implements appropriate policies, the people of Jiangnan will definitely fight with us to the end. Although the Yanyun Army is strong, they swear to fight to the end in the face of endless battles. I’m afraid the people who live there have little chance of winning.”
Duan Zhixian frowned. Liu Ziyu's words made him feel very unhappy. However, the three things the other party said were very reasonable. Even if he wanted to refute, he could not find a reason to refute.
Han Bing said: "What Mr. Liu said makes sense, but it also benefits us. First, the Song army's morale was low because of the imperial court's murder of meritorious generals. Restoring morale will not be achieved overnight; second, although Jiangnan We are extremely wealthy, but most of the wealth is in the hands of the royal family and a few nobles. The people have long complained about this. As long as our policies are appropriate, we can disintegrate the morale of the people in Jiangnan. The wealth in the hands of the royal family and a few nobles makes them very difficult. It is difficult to turn this wealth into power. The most stingy people in the world are the royal family and the nobility. Between the safety of the country and their own wealth, they often choose the latter; thirdly, the emperor is mediocre and has neither ambition nor talent. Nowadays He was even fighting for power with his uncle and brother, and saw that a war was about to break out."
Liu Ziyu's eyes showed admiration, and he felt that this princess who often sat in Tianjing New City for King Yan was really extraordinary. In a few words, she clearly explained the major shortcomings of the imperial court.
Yelu Hanyu smiled and said: "What Han Bing and Mr. Liu said are very reasonable! Therefore, in terms of grand strategy, now is the time to unify China. However, this matter is not easy to handle. It must be carefully planned and cannot be rushed. !”
Yang Peng nodded, glanced at everyone, and said, "Let's all share our opinions."
Liu Ziyu clasped his fists and said, "My subordinates believe that if we want to march to the south of the Yangtze River, we should capture Xichuan first!" Yang Peng, Han Bing, and Yelu Hanyu showed knowing smiles on their faces. Duan Zhixian said angrily: "I've been to that place in Sichuan. It's extremely dangerous. It only needs a thousand people to guard it, and even a thousand troops can't rush through it! How many people will have to die to conquer it? What do you want me to say? , just cross the river from the direction of Zhenjiang and attack forcefully, our navy is powerful and we will definitely be able to defeat it!"
Dunan shook his head and said: "I'm afraid it's not that easy! According to reliable information, the imperial court also built a large number of artillery and placed them in many fortresses along the river. Although their artillery is far less powerful than ours, they are huge in number! Forcibly crossing the river, Maybe it can be done, but the loss will be too great! And after crossing the river, we will face heavy enemy forces again!"
Duan Zhixian said angrily: "Fat man, why don't you speak for me?" Du Nan is the governor of Huaihe and Huaihe, and his government is in Yangzhou, while Duan Zhixian leads the army to guard the north of the Yangtze River, and his camp is also in Yangzhou. The relationship between the two is naturally unique, so Duan Zhixian just spoke like this. Du Nan laughed and said, "Monk, we are talking about official matters now, and we should discuss matters as they are. We don't dare to abandon official duties for personal reasons!"
Duan Zhixian said angrily: "Zhenjiang doesn't agree to fight, so is it easy for Sichuan to fight? I think it's even harder!"
Du Nan shook his head and said: "That's not necessarily true. The road to Shu is as difficult as climbing to the sky. Everyone knows that Sichuan is difficult to fight, so neither the imperial court nor the officials in Sichuan would have thought that we would start from Sichuan. This can be seen from the fact that Sichuan still only has about 100,000 defenders! We caught them by surprise and they were unprepared. In addition, there is internal strife in the south now. I think we have a great chance to capture Sichuan!"
Yang Peng stood up, Duan Zhixian and Dunan immediately stopped talking and looked at Yang Peng with everyone. Yang Peng walked down and said: "I have decided on this matter. Let's start from Sichuan!" He glanced at everyone and ordered: "All parties have begun secret preparations. Remember, for Sichuan's plan, after leaving this door Don't talk about it again!" Everyone agreed in unison. Yang Peng glanced at Wang Rong and said: "Only one of the naval forces is left off the coast of Shandong, and the main fleet secretly goes south." Wang Rong promised with clasped fists. Yang Peng said to Xiang Danian again: "The first, sixth, and seventh legions will go south immediately in secret." Xiang Danian excitedly clasped his fists and agreed. Yang Peng glanced at Duan Zhixian and others, and said with a smile: "It's rare for you to come to Tianjing New City, stay a few more days before going back!"
Duan Zhixian laughed loudly and said loudly: "I haven't drank peach blossom wine from Tianjing New City for a long time. This time I have to drink it to my heart's content!" Everyone couldn't help but laugh.
Duan Zhixian suddenly remembered something and asked: "Brother, brother Xiang Danian is here, so who is in charge of the military in Jiangbei?" Only then did Xiang Danian think of this matter and said: "Yes, who is in charge? Yang Peng glanced at Yelu Hanyu and said to the two of them: "Mei'er will decide the war in Jiangbei!" The two looked at Yelu Hanyu together. They had always admired this sister-in-law's wisdom, so they had no idea about the arrangement of their eldest brother. objection. Yang Peng looked at Yelu Hanyu, with a gentle look in his eyes, and warned: "I will leave the military affairs of Jiangbei to you!" Yelu Hanyu clasped his fists and promised.
Yang Peng asked Zhang Xiang and Huang Guang: "How are you preparing for the bank matter?"
Huang Guang and Zhang Xiang stood up. Huang Guang clasped his fists and said: "Everything is going smoothly. My subordinates and Zhang Xiang think that the business will be officially opened on the first day of next month. At this time, I still need to ask King Yan to make a decision!" Yang Peng said: " Whichever day you think is best, let it be." The two agreed in unison. Yang Peng thought for a while and asked the two of them: "Have you two discussed this first president? Who will do it?" Yang Peng had previously given an order to Zhang Xiang and Huang Guang to prepare the bank's plan. At the same time, one of them was asked to serve as the president, but neither of them was enthusiastic about being the president at all. First, they felt that the president was just the bank manager, and being the president would be a demotion. Second, Laiya felt that there was nothing easy to do as the president. For these reasons, neither of them was so happy to hold the position of president. However, King Yan’s order cannot be disobeyed. What should we do? After some discussion, the two reached an agreement and simply pushed the matter out and put it on Meng Yulou's head.
Zhang Xiang bowed and said, "My two subordinates have discussed it carefully and both feel that we are not expert in money matters. If we take this position, we will miss the important events of King Yan!"
Yang Peng said with a smile: "I see that both of you look down on this position. You feel that being the president is obviously a demotion!" When the two heard King Yan speak out their thoughts, their faces suddenly turned pale. I wanted to recommend Meng Yulou, but I didn't dare to say it at the moment.
Yang Peng said: "If you can recommend a suitable candidate, I will let you go. Otherwise, I will let you two draw lots." Everyone couldn't help laughing. Huang Guang said quickly: "To King Yan, we all think that Meng Yulou is the best candidate for this position!" Zhang Xiang nodded in agreement.
Yang Peng thought for a moment, nodded, and said, "She is indeed more suitable!" Huang Guang and Zhang Xiang couldn't help but breathed a sigh of relief when they heard this.
Yang Peng turned to the secretary sitting next to him and said: "Draft an order to remove Meng Yulou from his position as the general manager of the official business, appoint Meng Yulou as the president of the bank, and order Meng Yulou to return to Tianjing New City immediately to preside over bank affairs." Yang Pengyi After saying that, the clerk finished writing, stood up, came to Yang Peng with the written letter of appointment in hand, and presented it to Yang Peng for review. Yang Peng picked it up and read it again, then returned to the desk, picked up his gold seal and stamped it on the letter of appointment. Then he handed the letter of appointment to Wang Kai and ordered: "Send it out immediately!" Wang Kai took the letter of appointment and ran down.
Immediately, Yang Peng discussed other things with everyone. Time passed without knowing it, and when he was about to end the meeting, he suddenly realized that it was almost noon. Yang Peng smiled and said: "The time is right, let's have lunch here." Everyone smiled and bowed: "Thank you, King Yan!"...
Yelu Hanyu and Han Bing accompanied Yang Peng and walked slowly along the corridor towards the lake. This was the time of day when the sun was the hottest, lighting up the entire palace, and the lake in the distance was sparkling and very dazzling. Along the way, they met the Feifeng female guards and maids from time to time. As soon as they saw the three of them, they stopped and bowed respectfully. After the three people left, they left to busy themselves.
Yelu Hanyu asked: "The elder brother asked the younger sister to sit in Jiangbei. He must be planning to let the younger sister pretend to move to Jiangdong, right?"
Yang Peng smiled, glanced at Yelu Hanyu, and said: "It's not exactly a feint. My idea is to attack on both sides! In the direction of Sichuan and in the direction of Zhenjiang, we should start at the same time. In fact, I don't give up all my expectations. In the direction of Sichuan." Both women were very resourceful people. Although Yang Peng's words were not very clear, they both understood what he meant and nodded thoughtfully.
Yang Peng said: "There are five legions in the direction of Zhenjiang, with more than 300,000 troops! If necessary, we will cross the river with the cooperation of the navy! In the direction of Sichuan, the Hanzhong Army of Liu Xi and others is far from enough. I plan to Move the Ninth Army Corps over as well." The so-called Hanzhong Army was actually the Song Army that Liu Xi and others originally stationed in Hanzhong and Weinan surrendered to and reorganized on that day. There were about 60,000 people. This army is very special among the formations of the Yanyun Army. It is neither a serious Yanyun field force nor a militia. There has been a considerable improvement.
Han Bing frowned and said: "Including the Ninth Army, there are only 120,000 soldiers and horses. However, Shuzhong is dangerous, and taking over Shuzhong cannot be achieved simply by relying on large numbers of troops!"
Yang Peng nodded, smiled and said to Han Bing: "Han Bing, you are going to take charge of Tianjing New City for me again!" Han Bing was stunned for a moment, then understood, and asked: "Brother is going to personally lead the army to invade Sichuan?" Yang Peng nodded, "More than that, I plan to go to Sichuan to have a look before the army officially takes action." The two women were startled, and Han Bing objected: "No! Absolutely not! If the eldest brother's identity is exposed, It’s too dangerous!” Yelu Hanyu nodded with deep sympathy.
Yang Peng stopped, turned around, held the two women's slender hands, and said with a smile: "If you are concerned, you will be confused! In fact, in this situation, what danger can there be? Even if the identity is exposed, Sichuan officials Do you still dare to do anything to me?" The two women were stunned, and then they understood. Yelu Hanyu nodded and said: "The two sides have not started a war. The relationship between the two sides can be said to be good. The local officials of the Song Dynasty should not dare to offend the eldest brother. ..." He raised his head and frowned: "But..." Yang Peng immediately bent down and kissed her red lips. Yelu Hanyu's heart was so excited that he forgot everything he wanted to say. Yang Peng smiled and said: "It's nothing to worry about, you don't have to worry!"
That night, Yang Peng sat in the bedroom, drinking and enjoying Zhao Jinxi's singing and dancing. It was true that everyone would get drunk even if they were not drunk! Zhao Jinxi may not be the most beautiful woman, but she is naturally charming, and her every frown and smile always seduces people. The word "temptress" cannot be more appropriate for her.
In the study room of the merchant's mansion, the atmosphere was somewhat depressing. Shang Shiheng and his father Shang Conglong sat opposite each other, both frowning. Shang Shiheng said in disbelief and angrily: "I didn't expect that the Yanyun Army could actually defeat the million-year army of the Khitans and the Japanese under such circumstances. The Japanese were completely wiped out! But Tubo and Xiliao actually They are all defeated! Is the Yanyun Army really invincible?" Shang Conglong sighed, and then said extremely happily: "Fortunately, we didn't make any moves, otherwise we might have followed the Duan family's footsteps! "
Shang Shiheng couldn't help but feel lucky, and then said angrily: "The imperial court is really useless, it has been too late to send troops! If they took action when the Khitan army broke into Yanyun Sixteenth Prefecture, I don't believe that Yang Peng can still You can withstand it! Alas, you’ve failed at the end of your work, you’ve failed at the end of your efforts!”
Shang Conglong frowned and said: "I think the imperial court is unreliable!" Then he looked at Shang Shiheng, "Son, then King Yan may be the real emperor. If we continue to fight against him, I'm afraid we will end up in a situation that is beyond redemption. !" Shang Shiheng said categorically: "Yang Peng does not abide by the ancient precepts and does not follow the way of the saints. We, the people of our generation, must fight to the death against him! If we do not overthrow him, will we, the scholars, still have a foothold? Father, I don’t believe that he can’t be defeated! Back then, Wang Mang usurped the Han Dynasty and was much more powerful than Yang Peng, but he was not destroyed in the end!”
Shang Conglong felt that what his son said made sense and couldn't help but nodded. Shang Conglong said again: "Since the court cannot be relied on, we have to rely on others. In any case, we must restore the way of the saints!" After a pause, he said to Shang Conglong: "Father, I think Daliao Kingdom is an orthodox country that has received destiny. , we might as well find a way to contact them!" Shang Conglong thought for a while and nodded. Suddenly remembering something, he said to Shang Shiheng worriedly: "Son, I'm very worried whether the black-clad regiment incident will involve us! I heard that their stronghold in Tianjing New City was recently eradicated, and I don't know if Yan Has the cloud discovered anything related to us?"
Shang Shiheng couldn't help but worry, and said: "There should be no problem. We have always been in contact with the leader of the black group, and others don't know." Shang Conglong nodded and said, "I hope so. Bar!"……
In the next few days, Yang Peng played with his wife, concubines and children, temporarily putting everything behind him and enjoying family happiness. There is always cheerful laughter in the backyard of the palace. …
This morning, a group of people who looked like a caravan left Tianjing New City in the early morning mist. No one paid attention to them, and they walked slowly towards the west. At this moment, the people walking on both sides of the official road would not have thought that in the team next to them was their revered King Yan.
Yang Peng was not riding a horse, but was sitting in a carriage, looking at a very childish painting with a loving smile on his face. The painting in his hand is Yang Rui's masterpiece. It depicts a scene of fighting on horseback. The people are just a few supports and the horse is a black mass. Yang Peng put down Ruier's masterpiece and couldn't help but sigh. He really didn't want to leave the children and women. However, he had too many things to do, and this separation was always inevitable.
What happened after all, let’s see what happens next.
