As soon as the sky dawned, Li Yuan woke up. Thinking of Wang Jingyao last night, whom she had just met again, she couldn't wait to tell her such words. Li Yuan suddenly realized that he had been a little too abrupt. After all, women in ancient times couldn't bear such direct confessions. He suddenly touched his chapped lips and smiled knowingly. The feeling of being like a fish in water was really wonderful.
The first thing he did when he got up was to put on his entire armor, and then put on the purple robe given by the emperor. Ever since he came to this era, Xu Shi was in the military camp as soon as he opened his eyes. Li Yuan seemed to have developed the habit of wearing armor with him outside. After all, in troubled times, he still lacked a sense of security... Passing by Wang Jingyao and Liu's The door was found to be tightly closed, and Li Yuan could not be disturbed, so he went straight out with a few soldiers.
Today, Li Yuan had some calculations and arrived at the Forbidden Army station early. As expected, Liu Jiangsheng and his sergeants were already facing dozens of improvised straw men, stabbing and slashing back and forth.
"I've seen Li Yuhou!" Liu Jiangsheng was only wearing an inner coat, with his two majestic arms exposed. When he saw Li Yuan approaching, he quickly stopped and took the lead in shouting.
Naturally, all the sergeants did not dare to neglect. They all retracted their steps in a polite manner, straightened their bodies and looked at Lord Du Yuhou seriously. While maintaining the majesty expected on the summit, Li Yuan carefully reviewed the military appearance of these palace commanders. Although this group of troops cannot be compared with the main forces of the Sixth Army, and it is very different from the elite divine guards where Li Yuan originally belonged, at any rate, the sergeant of this battalion was Peng Shigao who led Liu Jiangsheng from the first army on the right side. The selection can be regarded as the elite soldiers under Liu Jiangsheng's command.
For these Imperial Army men who usually eat and drink well in Jinling, Li Yuan originally thought that Chuzhou and his party would probably complain endlessly, so from the day of departure, he had no other plan, and he would be rewarded along the way.
But I have to say that it is a good idea in this year. Except for his achievements in Tanzhou when he surrendered to the King of Chu, Li Yuan actually had no military exploits. Most of these sergeants were strong men in their twenties. Their goal was nothing more than to eat food and make money. Naturally, they understood , now that the young Marquis Duyu is in the limelight, and his rewards are so generous, it is a dream to serve under Li Yuan.
Li Yuan glanced at it and said sternly: "I will eat and live with you in the camp for the next few days to prepare for the war. Don't slack off!"
Hearing the word "war", the soldiers of the Forbidden Army looked at each other. Logically speaking, their mission was to escort Li Yuan back and forth, and the war call must have a warrant from the Privy Council. Acting privately would inevitably be suspected of treason. At this time, Li Yuan's seemingly calm expression also contained anxiety. After all, these soldiers and horses were still the Imperial Forbidden Army, not his own private soldiers.
But after all, Li Yuan was the prince of Yu, the capital of the palace. Although he didn't know what was going on, the two leading generals still took the lead in shouting: "Yes!" The other sergeants quickly followed in unison, and Li Yuan breathed a sigh of relief.
...
"Ka, ka, ka..."
In the temporarily set up tent, Li Yuan closed his eyes and listened carefully to the heavy and orderly footsteps of the Forbidden Army soldiers. He couldn't help but feel excited. This formation was worthy of the Imperial Forbidden Army!
The so-called military orders are like mountains. After the order was given the day before yesterday, a battalion of 500 sergeants, together with Li Yuan's personal soldiers, began to act in an orderly manner. Under the command of Liu Jiangsheng and two generals, the sharp sounds of armor and weapons clashing and the sounds of war horses were heard from time to time in the camp. These sounds are the most common symphony of this era.
"Li Yuhou, Mr. Xu is here!" Li Yuan suddenly looked up and saw Liu Jiangsheng leading a green-robed civil servant hurriedly into the tent. It was Xu Kuangheng whom they had been waiting anxiously for.
Li Yuan immediately stood up to greet him and asked with a smile: "Mr. Xu is here!"
At this time, Xu Kuangheng's pale complexion was obviously bad, and his body was also stained with some stains. If Li Yuan saw it correctly, those dark red fans were stained with blood.
I saw Xu Kuangheng's face full of shame, and he bowed and said: "I've seen Li Yuhou! I broke my promise, it's a day late! Please forgive Li Yuhou!"
Li Yuan was quite calm. Just yesterday, Liu Jiangsheng and he waited until the third watch, but Xu Kuangheng was nowhere to be seen. They had already vented their anger on wine and meat. Although Xu Kuangheng was one day late, since it was still Coming here means that he will definitely be able to give Li Yuan an answer.
"Mr. Xu, there is no need to be polite! Finding people always takes time, and Mr. Xu has to take care of the company's business, but I have caused trouble for him!"
Xu Kuangheng was stunned for a moment. Which military commander these days could say these words of Li Yuan? I couldn't help but feel warm in my heart, and said even more humbly: "There are so many misfortunes that I am ashamed of myself!"
Then Xu Kuangheng stopped delaying and quickly reported all the information collected in the past few days to Li Yuan.
Sure enough, as Li Yuan had guessed, Xu Kuangheng was not having an easy time these days. Although Li Yuan had paid seven or eight dollars, Xu Kuangheng had almost bribed all those capable of searching for people inside and outside Chuzhou, but Scar Tou Ma Liu was able to get around. The Huaihe River area has obviously not been easy to deal with for so many years. Xu Kuangheng led several of his men and finally found some traces, but their intentions were still exposed. After a fight, although they managed to escape and return to the city, they were still slightly injured.
Xu Kuangheng finally revealed the key information: "...Ma Liu and his approximately seventy men are all good fighters who have fought against the army. Every seven days, they will send people to the east of the city. Check at Huangmuling ten miles away. There is a ruined temple on Huangmuling and an altar eighty steps east. If there is goods to go, their boss will order someone to put this on the altar at the time of Shen. For the goods that are being traded, for example, smuggled salt is put in the sand, and children are put in the stones. At midnight, the goods can be taken away as soon as the owner's car arrives! According to the date, tomorrow is exactly the seventh day for them to take out the goods. "
"That's it!" Li Yuan nodded thoughtfully, and then said: "So cautious, no wonder there is no trace."
Liu Jiangsheng seemed to be thinking too: "When I was young, I heard an old man from Zhuangzi say that there are no people living around this place in Huangmuling, but the road there is more difficult to walk."
At this time, Li Yuan saw that Xu Kuangheng had been frowning. After all, he was a civil servant. Xu's injury still had some impact. He quickly expressed concern: "I see that your face is not very good. Is the injury on your body serious? I will order someone immediately." Please ask the doctor to treat your husband——"
"Don't bother!" Xu Kuangheng waved his hand and said with a reluctant smile: "Thank you, Yuhou! I was once a meritorious soldier in the army, and I also know some martial arts, so my minor injuries are nothing to worry about!"
Li Yuan breathed a sigh of relief. Since he had served in the army and practiced martial arts, Xu Kuangheng must have a strong physique. He then asked, "Sir, do you have any other high opinions? But please share them all."
"Yu Hou, Wang Jingguo mentioned before that the officers and soldiers arrived within half a mile of their goods. As far as I know, Huangmuling is located in a remote place and the mountain road is difficult to travel. The officers and soldiers arrived from Chuzhou City. After hearing the news, it would take at least half an hour to gather and arrive, even if we use horses instead. I'm afraid that Wang Jingguo and his party were the ones who spread the word with the officers and soldiers in advance on that day..."
Liu Jiangsheng lost his voice and said: "Why is this? Is Ma Liu going crazy? He has made so much money in vain, how can his employer give up?"
Xu Kuangheng saw that Li Yuan's face was dark and did not speak, and then said: "Liu Commander, please listen to me. I mean, the boss of Ma Liu is obviously aware of Ma Liu's actions. I am a member of the Chuzhou Judicial Army, who was seized that day Most of the five trucks of illegal salt are actually not good salt, they are all rough and low-quality salt that has been left to dry for a few days before being loaded onto the truck.”
Li Yuan reacted immediately and took over the words coldly: "And the ones who were captured were five teenagers aged fourteen or fifteen. I understand what Mr. Xu meant. The people who took the stolen goods that day were probably Ma Liu and his boss, this is a special gift for Chuzhou officers and soldiers!"
Seeing Xu Kuangheng and Li Yuan nodding in agreement, Liu Jiangsheng was obviously confused and swallowed his saliva and said, "What on earth is going on?"
Xu Kuangheng brushed his beard leisurely and said: "In the past two years, our state has won many awards from the court, and a total of three illicit salt cases were uncovered. Most of the criminals were poor teenagers in their teens..."
"It's so hateful!" With a "boom", Li Yuan jumped up and shouted angrily: "What a Ma Liu! What a boss! What a He Jingzhu!"
Just like the sullen look on his face, Li Yuan's heart was already boiling. He originally thought that He Jingzhu, as the governor of one party, also had a good reputation, but he never thought that he had such sinister intentions behind his back! Xu Kuangheng's words couldn't be clearer. On that day, Wang Jingguo and others, as well as the so-called "salt smuggling criminals" captured by the government in the past two years, were all, as expected, political achievements given to He Jingzhu by Ma Liu and his boss.
I just pity those young men, who were still panicking and blaming themselves for not knowing the cause of death when their heads fell to the ground! As for whether He Jingzhu enriched his own pocket, it is conceivable...
Xu Kuangheng had also been immersed in the officialdom for several years and was well aware of the relationship between this matter. At this time, seeing Li Yuan looking excited, he gently rubbed his beard with his left hand, then cupped his hands and said: "Yu Hou, please forgive me for speaking frankly, I'm afraid Ma Liu will die after his death." That boss has a great background! Despite the strict laws of the imperial court, he obtained such a large amount of private salt. It is impossible for a state governor to do it alone! Yuhou is a young and talented man who first entered the court. It is his majesty's favor. At this time! I ask Yu Hou to think twice. If you insist on taking action, I don’t know who will be offended, and it may be detrimental to Yu Hou’s future..."
No matter how slow Liu Jiangsheng was at this time, he could still hear some superficial things. He thought about it and clasped his fists and said, "Yu Hou, Mr. Xu's words are reasonable. Otherwise, I will lead the soldiers on this trip. If there is any trouble, I will take it down." That’s it!”
"Are you trying to keep me out of the matter and frame me for injustice?" Li Yuan's face was cold and he said bluntly: "You don't need to say more! I have my own sense of discretion! Now that I have traces of Ma Liu, I have made up my mind and will kiss him Take this thief and send him to the Chuzhou government office!"
Liu Jiangsheng nodded blankly and said: "Yes!"
Seeing that Li Yuan was about to issue an order, Xu Kuangheng asked calmly: "May I ask what Marquis Yu wanted to do after he took Ma Liu?"
Li Yuan stared at Xu Kuangheng's uneasy expression and understood his worries. How could he not know how a small Ma Liu could bring down Lord He, the governor of a state, let alone the mysterious boss behind him? Destroying someone's wealth is like killing one's parents. Once you act impulsively, your situation may be unimaginable...
So he responded calmly: "Work step by step, save Wang Jingguo and the other five people first and then make any plans."
Xu Kuangheng nodded approvingly, and then reminded: "Hou Yu, there is one more thing. The Imperial Army cannot act without authorization without the Privy Council's order! This trip must be carried out carefully..."
Li Yuanshen thought so and called his soldiers to give some instructions. After a while, two generals and five captains also entered the tent and greeted Li Yuan and Liu Jiangsheng respectively.
"This is Xu Junjun from Chuzhou. Because of the rampant banditry in the area and the powerlessness of the state's soldiers, I came here to ask for help! Ma Liu, the leader of the Huangmuling bandits, gathered people to cause trouble and engage in smuggling, and blatantly rebelled against the imperial court. His crime should be punished! In the whole world, is it the king's land! I How can the imperial army sit back and watch the suffering of the people here when they are deprived of their salary from the imperial court? You are all brave and courageous people in our palace. Are you willing to go with me to eliminate the banditry for the emperor? Whoever captures the bandit leader this time will be heavily rewarded by me. , personally report your merits to Ambassador Chen! Those who are brave enough to kill the enemy will be rewarded!"
I have to say that Li Yuan's words were accurate and indirectly dispelled the worries of these forbidden army generals. Although there was no order to mobilize troops, it was said that the troops were famous for dispatching troops to pacify the people and suppress bandits for the emperor, and there were Chuzhou officials as proof, so it was true! Moreover, in addition to the reward, Li Yuan also mentioned the Privy Council Minister Chen. If the generals do not agree at this time, they will be asking for trouble.
Just as Li Yuan expected, all the generals raised their hands and said in unison: "We are willing to follow Marquis Yu to eliminate the banditry!"
Xu Kuangheng was secretly surprised from the sidelines. He never thought that the young Li Yuan could be so calm and strategic when he was commanding the army.
Li Yuan took the sword, raised it high and said: "Okay! Pass my military order and leave a heavy object with the flag. You will immediately order the troops and horses, and follow me to the Huangmul Ridge in the east of the city tonight!"
All the generals, together with Xu Kuangheng, immediately responded in unison: "Yes!"
