In the early morning, Zhao Tong got up. He didn't drink much last night. In this land of tigers and wolves, the only thing he could really control was to keep his mind clear.
He walked out of the room. The mansion was not big, only five or six people could enter it, but in this Luzhou city, it was considered a first-class mansion.
Wang Qing rewarded ten generals with houses and three days of leave. Therefore, they did not have to go to court to discuss matters during these three days, and they could do whatever they wanted.
At the banquet last night, Zhao Tao heard a lot of military information, which was something that the scouts could not find out.
Wang Qing currently has a total of 1,340,000 troops, which is very different from the original estimate of Wang Qing having only 100,000 troops.
There were 80,000 people stationed inside and outside Luzhou City, and the rest were distributed in Shouzhou, Shuzhou, Qizhou, Guangzhou, Huangzhou, Hezhou, Liu'an Army and other places, with about 5,000 people in each place.
At present, except for Luzhou, other places can be said to be in a mess.
Wang Qing not only lacks generals, but also lacks internal affairs talents. Even the lower states and counties are still governed by the original officials of the Song Dynasty. In some places, if the chief officials are not aware of current affairs, they will be directly cut off and managed by adjutants. After being promoted to the prefecture, the county magistrate became the county magistrate. After the bandit army searched it once, these pseudo-officials searched it again. Nine out of ten houses were empty, and the people were in dire straits.
Zhao Tong stood in the courtyard and thought for a moment. According to Wang Qing's current situation, he couldn't support so many people. He neither governed nor ran a business. He only relied on expropriation and expropriation. It was okay for a short time, but over time, the private sector plundered almost everything. If the military pay, food and grass cannot be provided, the morale of the military will inevitably be weakened.
Wang Qing has only one way at the moment, which is to continue to attack other Luzhou to support war with war.
And this time he set up the Luzhou Challenge, obviously to recruit generals to suppress the army, but secretly he probably wanted to continue attacking elsewhere. He was afraid that he would not have enough troops, so he recruited them from the green forest.
As for the invitation to rebel bandits from Tianhu, Liangshan, Dongting Lake and other places, it cannot be said that they were just using the idea of dividing the land and gold as a rhetoric to carve up the country of the Song Dynasty.
Just when Zhao Tong was thinking, Yao Pingzhong came back from outside with a pottery basin in his arms. When he saw Zhao Tong, he said: "General, I bought breakfast and came back."
Zhao Tong nodded. Now he, the general, was still a mere commander. After Wang Qing made him an official, he had not yet been given any rights.
"General, I saw that girl Dia!" Yao Pingzhong put the pottery basin on the stone table, and when he opened it, there was a layer of mutton soup cake inside.
"Oh?" Zhao Tong said, "Where did you see it?"
Lianaza was also present at the banquet last night, but the two of them did not say a word to avoid suspicion. Later, Lianaza left first because she was injured, and Zhao Tong did not know where her mansion was divided.
"Ahem, it's right next door!" Yao Pingzhong pointed to the house next to him and said, "The owner may not know that this was the residence of some big merchants in Luzhou. They all ran away before King Huai entered the city. These houses are about the same size. , I asked the patrolling soldiers on the street, and all ten generals live here."
"Next door..." Zhao Tong glanced at the side of the house. There was a big blue brick wall, which was ten feet high. He couldn't see that scene.
"It's right next door. That girl Dia said that General Shangguan suffered several injuries. It seems that he was hit by a hidden weapon at the end. Fortunately, it was not poisonous." Yao Pingzhong glanced at Zhao Tao furtively as he spoke.
"I know." Zhao Tong said calmly, having already caught Yao Pingzhong's little moves in his eyes.
At this time, Huang Gu brought a bowl from the room, and the three of them ate mutton soup cakes in the courtyard. After eating, Zhao Tong turned around and walked out.
There were two soldiers standing at the gate of the mansion. They were sent by Wang Qing to guard them. Zhao Tie took a look and saw that they both looked sallow and thin. They should be refugees and thieves.
Wang Qing's army originally had the most mountain bandits, but later it grew gradually and was joined by refugees and officers and soldiers. The officers and soldiers also included the surrendered Gyeonggi Forbidden Army, and most of the original bandits became officers.
Zhao Tong walked out of the house. There were not many people on the street at the moment. Most of the green forest heroes who came to fight had left early. Only a few stayed and took the initiative to join Wang Qing's army, and they got a medium-sized position.
He walked towards the neighboring house with his hands behind his back. These houses looked similar from the outside, with soldiers standing in front of the doors.
Zhao Tan went up the steps and explained his purpose. The soldier was about to go in to report when he saw Diya coming out. Seeing that Zhao Tan was in a hurry to greet her, Zhao Tan smiled and said, "I'll come here to see General Shangguan."
Diya led Zhao Tao in from the front, and when she entered the courtyard, she saw that the layout was the same, with five or six entering, but this courtyard was planted with flowers and plants, which was more lively than his.
There is a nave in the second entrance room, which is empty. After passing through, you can see the third main entrance room.
Zhao Tong asked as he walked: "How is your general's injury? Could it be that he can't even get out of bed?"
Before Dia could answer, she heard an unhappy voice coming from the window: "You can't get up!"
Zhao Tong laughed, apparently his words were overheard by Liya Naza in the room. He wandered to the door and knocked a few times.
There was no reply in the room, so Zhao Tie looked at Diya. Diya blinked her smart eyes, looked at Zhao Tie, then looked at the door, lowered her head and walked away in small steps.
Zhao Tong couldn't understand what it meant, and he didn't know much about Uighur etiquette, so he had to knock a few more times, but still no one said anything, so he opened the door and walked in.
It was a suite inside, and there was no one in the outer room. He wondered, could it be that he really couldn't get out of bed?
But there was something wrong with walking into a woman's bedroom casually. He was hesitating when he heard someone say, "What are you doing here?"
Zhao Tong said: "My men heard from Diya that she was injured in several places. Come and take a look."
After a long while, he said: "Since it's a visit, why don't you come in?"
Zhao Tan didn't know the Uighur etiquette, so he thought Liyanaza would not treat him as an outsider, so he walked forward. After entering the bedroom, he saw Liyanaza lying on the couch with a pale face, looking at him with a pair of bright eyes.
He frowned, looked at the other person's bad expression, and asked, "Can you take medicine?"
Liyanaza just looked at him and didn't reply for a long time. Zhao Tong had no choice but to say: "If there is no medicine, I will bring some over there. I will have some delivered to you later."
Liyanaza moved when she heard this, and suddenly said: "Help me up."
Zhao Tong saw that she was only covered with a thin silk blanket and her arms were as white as snow. She struggled to get up, but her expression changed slightly, as if she was in pain. He bit his lip and frowned slightly.
Zhao Tong shook his head and said, "Aren't you going to admit that you can't get up?"
He walked over and took a look, and saw that the silk blanket was slightly opened, and inside was a light white silk coat, with faint embossment, and he felt a little confused as to what to do.
Liana said: "There are injuries on my arms and back, but they are not serious. They will be fine in three or two days. Just help me up."
Zhao Tong narrowed his eyes slightly and did not make a move.
Lianaza asked doubtfully: "What are you waiting for? Help me up, I have something to say to you."
Zhao Tong thought for a while, then put his hand under the silk blanket, and suddenly felt a warmth. When he reached the waist, it was soft and tight. He couldn't help but paused slightly with his palm, and then gently lifted it up.
Over there, Liyanaza held the bed with one hand, and with one hand that had nowhere to go, she grabbed Zhao Tao's sleeve.
The two of them were very close at the moment, and Liyanaza had a cold look on her face, unable to tell what was in her heart.
Zhao Tong helped her sit on the wooden couch. Liana took a breath and suddenly looked at Zhao Tong and said, "You still won't let go?"
Zhao Tong smiled and withdrew his hand from his waist and said, "What do you have to say?"
Liyana said: "I forgot to ask you before, what are you doing in Luzhou City?"
Zhao Tong thought to himself, you still don’t know what I’m here to do?
He said: "It's just to defeat Wang Qing."
Liyana asked: "Is this worth your own risk?"
Zhao Tong shook his head and said: "Looking at the situation in the city these days, it's not worth it, but discovering the existence of the Central Plains Mingjiao is still worth it."
Liyanaza was silent for a moment and said: "I will take away some of Wang Qing's people in the future."
Zhao Tong shook his head and said: "Many of the Imperial Guards from the capital have taken refuge with Wang Qing. You cannot take these Imperial Guards away."
Liyana said: "They believe in Mingjiao and worship Mingzun. They are members of Mingjiao. If they want to leave, no one can stop them."
Zhao Tong pulled a chair and sat down and said: "Although these people are not good at fighting, most of them have parents, wives and children in Tokyo who need to be taken care of. If you take them away, it will make things worse for their families."
Liyanaza said calmly: "They believe in Mingzun and want to build temples everywhere and spread the word of the Pope. I have nothing to do about it."
Zhao Tong shook his head and said, "Even if they believe it, they may not necessarily let you go, right?"
Lianaza asked doubtfully: "They believe in Mingzun, how can you trust them to return to Tokyo? Are you not afraid..."
Zhao Tong tapped the armrest of the wooden chair with his fingers and said with a smile: "What am I afraid of? In short, you can't take away any of the Gyeonggi Forbidden Army who believe in Mingjiao."
Lianaza suddenly fell silent, and then said after a moment: "Li Fei, what do you want to do?"
Zhao Tong said: "In Central Plains etiquette, calling a man by his name is disrespectful."
Liyanaza snorted coldly: "I'm not from the Central Plains. I don't know your rules. There are no such rules in the Uighurs!"
Suddenly he said: "I call you something else, do you dare to answer?"
Zhao Tong immediately sneered and said: "Why are you involved in this? In short, the Gyeonggi Forbidden Army cannot take him away."
Liana asked: "Really for the parents, wives and children of the Forbidden Army?"
Zhao Tong immediately said: "That's still false. How many military households rely on salary to support their families. If they can't go back, they can only receive a pension. How long can they last? In the future, if they find that they are still alive, they will take back the money and hold them accountable. "
Liyanaza looked at Zhao Tong: "But they have already joined the Mingjiao and become disciples and believers of the Mingjiao, so you are not afraid..."
Zhao Tong said: "As long as it doesn't spread, you can do whatever you have to do and you won't cause any trouble."
Liyanaza said calmly: "I suddenly forgot something. You are now the light envoy of my Ming Cult. If these people go back, won't they respect you? You are very calculated..."
Zhao Tong stood up and interrupted her: "General Shangguan, you are injured and should not sit for a long time."
As he spoke, he walked over, put his arm around Liyanaza's slender waist, and put his other hand into the silk blanket.
"Zhao Tong, what are you going to do?" Lianaza immediately whispered in surprise.
Zhao Tong fumbled and reached the crook of Liyana's legs. He picked her up slightly, then laid her down flat and asked her to lie down again. He said, "I think it's better for General Shangguan to lie down to recuperate, otherwise he will fall asleep as soon as he sits up." It’s not good to have random thoughts.”
Liana said angrily: "You..."
Zhao Tong said: "I'm going back. I don't care if you accept the people from the Forbidden Army as followers. I can't take away any of them."
After he finished speaking, he turned around and as soon as he reached the door of the suite, he heard Liyana Zha say: "This is a big matter and needs to be discussed. The Tiefo Temple will hold teachings the day after tomorrow, and we will discuss it then."
Zhao Tong paused: "The day after tomorrow... are you sure you can go to Tiefo Temple to teach teachings due to your injury?"
Liyana said: "You don't have to worry about this. This matter must be discussed before it can be decided. How can I not take away someone who I, the Mingjiao, have finally accepted!"
Zhao Tong smiled and said: "If you are not injured, then let's drive."
After he finished speaking, he went out and saw Diya standing outside. He immediately said with a straight face: "What did you overhear?"
Ever since the battle at Longyou, Diya was a little afraid of Zhao Tong, so she hurriedly lowered her head and said, "I don't dare to listen to the generals."
Zhao Tong said: "It's okay to listen, but don't let the person below me named Yao know."
Dia was stunned. How could King Qi know that Yao Meng was asking her this question?
In the ring, Yao Meng came over to talk about something when he had nothing to do. He went out to buy breakfast this morning, and this person paid for it. It didn't matter who paid as he said they were all members of the same family. Huh, he was a member of the same family!
When Zhao Tong returned to the house, Yao Pingzhong and Huang Gu were working out their strength in the courtyard out of boredom.
After entering the room, he secretly thought that the Ming Cult should have recruited many followers this time, and it is estimated that the Gyeonggi Forbidden Army is not a small number among them.
But there is no way to take these people away.
Liyanaza definitely did not take these people to the Uighurs, and in the end they would probably belong to the Central Plains Mingjiao.
From the conversation with Liyanaza, he felt that Liyanaza might not know that Fang La wanted to rebel, otherwise she would not fight with him about the whereabouts of the Gyeonggi Forbidden Army.
After all, the situations in the Uighurs and the Song Dynasty are completely different. Buddhism is the largest religion in the Uighurs, and the Mingjiao is the second largest religion. The Mingjiao in the Uighurs has never been involved in royal power. It is just fighting for religious rights and wants to be the largest pope in the Uighurs.
When Liyana Zai imagined the situation of the Uighurs in the Song Dynasty, she naturally could not get the idea that Fang La wanted to use Mingjiao to rebel. She just thought that he wanted to recruit more people, build religious temples widely, and spread the news everywhere, intending to compete for the name of the religion.
But the difference between the two places was too big. Liyanaza didn't know much about the Song Dynasty, and she didn't know that no matter how hard she fought, the Mingjiao couldn't win the first place.
What's more, the teachings of the Central Plains Mingjiao are slightly different from the teachings of the Uighur Mingjiao. Even the slogans have been changed. Although they do not violate the main and minor teachings, some of the slogans reformed by the Central Plains Mingjiao have the meaning of rebellion. These Central Plains words, Liyana Zha can at best understand the literal meaning, but the deeper meaning hidden inside is probably incomprehensible.
Therefore, it was impossible for him to let Liyanaza bring the Gyeonggi Forbidden Army to Fang La. Let alone the Forbidden Army, he did not want Fang La to go even if the others were there.
At least these people recruited by Liyanaza cannot be handed over to Fang La. As for Liyanazha, it is not realistic to take them to the Uighurs. We need to think of a way to arrange these people.
Just as he was thinking, someone outside suddenly shouted: "General, the king has a decree to convey."
(End of chapter)
