There was a waiter waiting at the door of the shogunate for a long time. When the waiter saw Lord Changping arriving, he led everyone straight to the lobby.
In the lobby, Mr. Lu Sheng was already sitting in the hall, drinking tea by himself.
Mu Sheng stepped forward and gave a military salute and said: "To report to the general, the last general was defeated and captured. It is a disgrace to the reputation of the three armies. Now that he has returned, it is natural for him to come to the general's house to plead guilty."
Hearing this, Lu Sheng waved his hand and asked him to sit down, and said kindly: "Mr. Changping, what are you guilty of? In this battle, you are not only innocent, but also meritorious. You only have a few people, and the mountain puppets are surrounded by 60,000 people. You I can still hold on for four hours, which is already very good. I have already reported the detailed battle process and battle losses to the imperial court, and even the reward from the imperial court has been issued to you. I am just waiting for your return."
Mu Sheng looked surprised and said: "The last general is a defeated general. According to Jin law, he will be escorted to the capital for questioning. General, how did you turn decay into magic? I should ask you for advice."
Lu Sheng smiled slightly and said: "Don't worry about it. I have my own way, but don't worry, I will not hide the cause and effect of everything here from the emperor. As for your capture, I have also reported it truthfully. "
"His Majesty also expressed his admiration for Lord Changping's heroic fighting on the front line. He also affirmed Lord Changping's role in setting an example, marrying a good mountain puppet, and stabilizing the situation on the border. From now on, our Lingnan will be much more peaceful, and we will no longer have to spend more money on food and grass from the court. The conquests continue.”
Seeing that Mu Sheng was confused, Lu Sheng waved his hand, and the waiter next to him handed him the military report of the frontline battle.
After Mu Sheng took the military newspaper and read it carefully with a confused look on his face, he had to admire the old general's ability to turn his hands into clouds and turn his hands into rain. Even black things could turn into white. But to be honest, he did try his best. , there were no reinforcements outside, and we were surrounded by an enemy force that was ten times the size of our army. It was almost a sure thing that the whole army would be annihilated. In the end, more than half of our brothers could go back alive. It was considered lucky. In the situation we faced Even if the military god is alive, he can't win.
After Mu Sheng read the military reports carefully, he realized how Lu Sheng, an old cunning man, had taken credit for himself and turned corruption into magic.
The general meaning is that in order to cover the retreat of the large army, our seven thousand troops attracted the main force of the Shan Puppet to attack Lingxi. The large army barely escaped from the encirclement of the three hundred thousand allied troops of the Shan Puppet and the Xi clan, and finally escaped. , the above table shows that Lord Changping took the lead in this battle.
Although Lord Changping was defeated and captured, Mu Sheng took the lead and fought to the death in the face of an elite main force that was ten times the size of Shan Pu. He held back the 60,000 elite Shan Pu and successfully avoided the annihilation of the 120,000 Jin army. .
After Mu Sheng read the military report, he was really impressed by the old man Lu Sheng. The real marching route was indeed like this. It couldn't be a lie, it was just a little adding fuel and jealousy, a big stroke of a pen, and it was just the Spring and Autumn style of writing.
The only difference is that he was promoted as a hero. After reading the military report, Mu Sheng's old face heated up. He was a little embarrassed to have such a gold sticker on his face. He naturally knew what the real situation was like and reported his work to the leader. Sometimes it just depends on what's going on with you.
In particular, many of the ancient frontline generals took advantage of the fact that the border was far away from the imperial court and did not understand the actual situation to get credit. A defeat could lead to a victory, and a victory could lead to a great victory. If they couldn't be fooled, they would kill the good and take the credit. To put it bluntly, they were using information. The principle of asymmetry is arbitraged back and forth between the central government and the local frontiers. Even if the imperial envoys are sent from above, they may not be able to find out the true situation. It is not the exclusive domain of civil servants to pretend to be guilty...
Lu Sheng actually understood that Lord Changping came here just to gain military merit through his qualifications. Fortunately, he turned this futile military operation into a successful strategic change, and then dressed him up as a change of strategy. The key factor for success is to live together.
After reading the military report, even though Mu Sheng was as thick-skinned as a city wall, he couldn't stand it anymore.
Mu Sheng raised his hands and said to Lu Sheng: "General, this...this...isn't this good? I'm afraid the lieutenant general will not be convinced after knowing this."
Lu Sheng said with a smile: "It doesn't matter, who of them dares to dissatisfy? Let them come to me to argue, Mr. Changping, you can go back without worry! I have already arranged the things here, don't you want to touch Changsheng over there, too?" The Emperor, the enemy chief, concluded a treaty and stayed away from the invasion. This is also a great achievement! As long as the mountain puppets can be suppressed, the Xi tribe has nothing to worry about."
Mu Sheng laughed secretly in his heart when he heard this. It was him who ordered him to privately conclude a treaty of peace and friendship with Lu Sheng. He did not want his hard-earned foundation in southern Xinjiang to be ruined by Lu Sheng again.
Mu Sheng and Lu Sheng chatted for a few more words and then returned to the post house.
As soon as Mu Sheng returned to the post house, Feng Wei handed him the imperial edict awarding him rewards. The edict probably meant that all the soldiers who participated in the battle were rewarded and knighted, and the main generals such as Feng Wei and Yan Kun were also promoted. Well, the reward given to him as Lord Changping was to confer the title of General Pingnan and an additional 1,000 households in the city. Although they were all empty titles, Mu Sheng was excited for a while.
The levels of captain and lieutenant have almost reached the top as military generals. The title of general has always been an honorary title or an official title. Generally, it is rarely awarded directly to ministers. I feel that this reward is a bit too high. He has done seven points for his three points. The boastful achievements are simply not worthy of such a high-level reward.
After reading the edict, Mu Sheng said: "Feng Wei, it seems that you will also be sent out to serve in the future."
Feng Wei smiled and said, "It's only thanks to you, Master, that I have the opportunity to make meritorious service to the imperial court."
Mu Sheng smiled and said: "It's all military merit earned by wearing your head in your belt. Even if it wasn't me, you would still get ahead sooner or later with your talent..."
After chatting with Feng Wei for a few words, Mu Sheng turned around and went to the upper room on the second floor of the post house to find Mu Yinaqi and the others.
As soon as he arrived at the door, Mu Sheng unexpectedly saw Hua Zilan. He thought that Hua Zilan had left long ago, but he didn't expect that she was still here.
When Mu Sheng saw that she had resumed her daughter's attire, he felt quite enlightened.
Mu Sheng stepped forward and greeted: "Fellow Daoist Hua, I didn't expect you were still here? I thought you had gone to find your old lover a long time ago."
Hua Zilan said angrily: "I have promised you to wait until the prince succeeds to the throne before leaving. My words, Hua Zilan's, always count."
Mu Sheng smiled and said: "If the emperor succeeds in cultivating immortality, then the prince will never be able to ascend the throne for the rest of his life. Wouldn't you have to stay by my side for the rest of his life? If I were you, I would have run away long ago."
Hearing this, Hua Zilan's expression changed and she angrily said, "Master, why did you take my good intentions for granted? Now if you just say a word, I will turn around and leave immediately. Do you really think that someone cares about staying by your side?"
Mu Sheng hurriedly waved his hand and said: "You are kidding, what kind of friendship do we have? We have been on the battlefield together, carried guns together, and have a life-long friendship. You, sir, have a lot. I can't repay Zi Lan's sincerity towards me."
After hearing this, Hua Zilan's expression became slightly better.
Hua Zilan looked Mu Sheng up and down, smiled slightly and said, "Young Master, you look rosy and majestic. It seems that the people in Yucheng Mountain treated you well."
Mu Sheng smiled and said: "Yes! That's necessary. I am a descendant of the clan, not an ordinary defeated general. Naturally, I have good food, good housing, and delicious food. I don't want to come back."
Hua Zilan said in a teasing tone: "It seems that the Shanpuppet people are treating you a little too kindly. I almost thought you had surrendered to the enemy!"
Mu Shengqi said: "Oh? How can you see it?"
Hua Zilan went into the room and pursed her lips, her tone was a little tasteful: "Others were captured and tortured in the dungeon, but you are the best. Not only are you delicious and well-served, but the mountain puppet actually gave you two beauties. , I am so proud of you for being a prisoner, I admire you so much."
Mu Sheng scratched his head in embarrassment and said with a smile: "Hey! I can't help it. Who calls me charming? Let the goddaughter of Emperor Changsheng, Naqi, fall in love with her. She wants to marry me before I come back. What? I also want to go to the Central Plains with me. I have been there for such a long time, and it is really hard to refuse Mei Rao’s kindness!"
Hua Zilan sneered and said: "Tch! You are a romantic guy, and you used some rogue means to trick this girl into coming here. I don't know what kind of virtue you have? As long as a woman is close to you, Which one did you let go?"
Mu Sheng had no choice but to smile, acquiescing to her "prejudice", and thought to himself, haven't I already let you go? This shows that I am still a principled person in doing things.
The next morning, Mu Sheng went out of the city to the military camp to see the soldiers who had accompanied him on the expedition. When everyone saw Lord Changping coming back, they all gathered around him and shouted long live the general. It would have been the same if he hadn't taken the initiative to be a prisoner in Shanpup. , these people should stop making meritorious deeds, for fear that none of them will come back.
Mu Sheng also greeted them with a smile. Naturally, they had to drink and eat meat with his subordinates in the evening. They all made great achievements this time and were rewarded by the court. Naturally, they were all in high spirits and their faces were glowing.
After the happy gathering, Mu Sheng did not forget the fallen soldiers, so he went to pay homage solemnly at the collective mausoleum where they were buried dozens of miles away from the military camp.
After this battle, when Mu Sheng had the opportunity to lead troops in the future, it would not be their group. This was the court's strategy to check and balance the generals.
The front-line generals who really lead troops will not have troops that will fight with you for a long time. They will have to rotate defense areas every once in a while, or they will replace you with a new group of people next time you go on an expedition. The old people you brought out will be replaced by others. .
The court's move was intended to prevent generals and soldiers from forming interest groups. At any time, it would be very dangerous for the court to form an alliance between military generals and soldiers. Although doing so would reduce the army's combat effectiveness, it was compared to the generals' potential ability to rebel. , those are all problems.
The source of the Anshi Rebellion in the Tang Dynasty was actually the Zhechong Fubing system established in the early Tang Dynasty. In the middle and late Tang Dynasty, due to large-scale land annexation and the bankruptcy of military households, the Fubing system could no longer be maintained. In the end, local generals had to resort to self-raised armaments to maintain force. The local vassal system.
The imperial court's helpless compromise was basically to wait for the outbreak of military chaos, whether it was the Anshi Rebellion or some other rebellion. This historical trend could not be avoided at all. The Song Dynasty established later learned from the lessons of the Anshi Rebellion, and excessively reduced the power of generals in order to The civil system restrained military forces and suppressed local power, which resulted in the Song Army's extremely inconsistent performance on the battlefield in the Song Dynasty, and eventually perished in external humiliation. Everything must be done with a certain degree of control. Too left or too right will lead to extremes. Sometimes maintaining a balance is probably the least bad strategy.
A few days later, Mu Sheng officially embarked on his way home with Muyinaqi, Hongmei, Hua Zilan, Feng Wei and other retainers.
The cavalry escorted the remaining 500,000 gold. In addition to his 500,000 yuan dividend, he borrowed half of this from Song Zhong. He really couldn't get so much money at once, so he advocated returning half of the money first. , go back and return it to Song Zhong.
As for the troops Mu Sheng brought to Lingnan to participate in the war, they had to be assigned separately. After the war, he handed over the Tiger Talisman, so he was not qualified to ask about the whereabouts of this troops. He was now a mere commander and would return to Beijing for business first.
On the way back, Muyinaqi and Hongmei were accompanying them. Mu Sheng felt very comfortable while walking and playing along the way.
Muyinaqi was also full of praise for the scenery of the Central Plains. On the way, Mu Sheng was determined to take Muyinaqi to see the scenery of the Central Plains to satisfy her desire to travel to the Central Plains. This delay made the whole journey difficult. It took more than five months to return to the capital. Normally, it would take nearly four months to return to the capital from Lingnan by land, so it was not too long.
It was already early winter when the cavalry arrived in the capital, and the wind was biting in the air. Muyinaqi, a Taoist monk, didn't feel much yet, but Hongmei couldn't get used to it, so she huddled in the carriage wrapped in this fur statue. She was trembling like a frightened rabbit. She was born and raised in southern Xinjiang, so it was reasonable for her to be acclimatized.
The climate of Shanpou is relatively close to the subtropical zone. There is no so-called winter at all. There are only dry seasons and rainy seasons. Shanpou people basically live in a layer of short clothes all year round, and they have never even seen snow.
The first thing Mu Sheng did when he returned to the capital was not to go home immediately, but to rush to the Tai Chi Palace to meet the Holy Spirit, pay his respects to the Emperor, and reassure the Holy Spirit. Although he was defeated and captured this time, his flaws were not concealed, and he was able to do well anyway. He has outstanding military exploits and his performance on the battlefield is not bad.
Entering the palace and entering the machine hall, the emperor saw that Young Master Sheng's face was glowing and he was safe and sound. He had not seen him for two years, and Young Master Sheng actually looked a little fatter. He felt a little at ease, and it seemed that Shan Puppet did not embarrass Sheng'er too much.
The emperor got off the throne, stood up and came to Master Sheng, saying: "Sheng'er, I just want to see that you are fine."
Although the emperor was still so serious, the hint of concern in his tone made Mu Sheng feel warm in his heart. It seemed that he still had some place in the emperor's heart.
Mu Sheng hurriedly bowed and said: "To my father, although my son was defeated and captured this time, fortunately, the master of the mountain puppet did not embarrass my son. Instead, he ate and drank well, treated his son well, and taught him all about life." From what I learned, I thought that the Lord of the Mountain Puppet was intending to stop the troops and make peace with our court, so I made my own opinion and persuaded the Lord of the Mountain Puppet to make peace with our court. From now on, there will be no attacks or disturbances on the border."
What Mu Sheng said was far from the truth. Sometimes it was best to bury the truth in the past forever. The truth may not be pleasing to the eye. In the end, he did not forget to add credit to himself.
When the emperor heard this, he nodded slightly and said, "Well, you have done a good job. Without the intrusion of the southern barbarians, I can live in peace in the south for a while."
The emperor comforted Mu Sheng with kind words and rewarded him with many gifts. Mu Sheng thanked him profusely, kowtowed and said goodbye and returned home.
When Mu Sheng came out of Deji Palace and walked to the entrance of Taiji Palace, he saw Yang Liu, the eunuch who had served him before, directing everyone in the palace to carry gift boxes, and some maids were carrying plates with silks and jade items inside.
When Yang Liu saw Lord Changping, a popular figure in the imperial court, coming over, he hurriedly ran forward and said with a charming smile: "I have seen Lord Changping."
Mu Sheng pointed at the people coming and going in the palace and asked, "Eunuch Yang, what are you doing in the palace with so much excitement?"
Yang Liu respectfully replied: "Jun Changping, Mrs. Sun in the palace is about to have her birthday, so your majesty ordered it to be grandly organized. That's why the servants are so busy."
Mu Sheng's heart moved when he heard this and said: "Okay! Okay! I understand, go and do your work!"
Yang Liu bowed and then went back to direct everyone to carry the sea of gifts.
Seeing this situation, Mu Sheng thought that after returning home, he would immediately go to the treasury to find the precious white fox fur that Song Zhong had purchased. Since the emperor's favorite concubine is celebrating her birthday, he must give her this great gift. Anyway, she has already prepared it. Mrs. Sun will do her best to curry favor with her. Her own shortcoming is that her mother-in-law died young and there is no one in the inner palace to help her. If you say that, you have to pay attention to clinging to noble people in the palace, at least to gain good popularity, presumably other princes are no exception.
