The sky gradually breaks, and the earth is hazy, like a silvery gray gauze.
A sudden change occurred in Langzhou overnight. The city gates were opened wide, and the mighty Southern Tang army, which had been prepared for a long time, filed in from all over. Because Zhou Xingfeng sent messengers all over the city to report the death of Liu and Wang, the Langzhou soldiers gradually lost their fighting spirit and abandoned their weapons and waited for orders in accordance with military orders. Except for Pan Shusi's troops in the south of the city who fought desperately, most of them gave up resistance. An hour later, as a member of the Shenwu Army, General Pi, cut Pan Shusi's head into the sky, the Langzhou War ended with the Tang army breaking the city, and the fighting subsided.
Liu Jiangsheng, the commander of the left wing of the Holy Guard Army, held a long spear and majestically led five thousand vanguard troops and horses to rush in from the south gate. Chen Jue, Feng Yanlu and others specially put on a brand new purple robe and led the middle The army slowly rode into the city and ushered in their highlight moment.
There have been wars in the Chu region for many years. Although there are few wars in Langzhou, the people in the city naturally understand the principle of winning a king and losing a bandit. The sound of fighting gradually subsided, and the cavalry of the Tang Dynasty rushed through the streets and alleys in the city, announcing the king's division to enter the city. Every household spontaneously gathered on both sides of the street. An unknown child in the crowd timidly shouted "Da Chu..." and his parents quickly covered his mouth in panic and hid behind him.
More than a dozen wealthy businessmen in the city were all experts in adapting to the changing circumstances. After hearing the news, they hurried over with their servants and deliberately stood at the front of the crowd. When they saw the cavalry leading the Tang army, they made a look like weeping in pain: " The sky has eyes! Master Wang is here!"
Seeing that the people around him were silent, a few bold servants took the lead and shouted: "Master Wang is here! The Tang Dynasty will be victorious!"
The people finally jumped to the ground and started shouting: "The Tang Dynasty will be victorious!"
"The Tang Dynasty will be victorious! The Tang Dynasty will be victorious!"
It has to be said that the power of the people is huge. Whether it comes from the heart or not, as soon as the herd effect spreads, the fear in the hearts of the people gradually dissipates, and soon the cheers and cheers are endless, echoing throughout Langzhou City.
An aide next to Chen Jue said excitedly: "Mr. Minister! Look! Master Wang has entered the city, but the people's support is what they want!" Then he raised his fists high and started shouting along with the people.
The most exciting things in life are the ups and downs. For Chen Jue, last night was something he would never forget. First, he received the news of Yan Jingquan's defeat and capture in Xuzhou in an uneasy state. He then put his forehead on his forehead and cried bitterly. After a while of grief and anger, he suddenly received the good news that Li Yuan Ji Cheng and Liu Yan had conferred the title of chief, and the gate of Langzhou City had been opened. , I sobbed violently at the bottom of my throat, and almost couldn't catch my breath...
In short, today's Chen Jue, as the commander-in-chief of the Western Expedition, has already achieved great success in conquering Langzhou. He is in a state of elation. He is waving to the people while reining in his horse, and the marching speed gradually slows down.
Liu Jiangsheng was also unable to conceal his joy, and it had to be Brother Yuan! One move will determine the overall situation! Thinking that he would soon be able to return to Beijing and stand in front of his mother, Mrs. Liu, with head held high, Liu Jiangsheng couldn't help but tremble with excitement.
"Drive~" I saw the young general Chai Kewu coming from a distance on horseback. He got off his horse and respectfully held his hands in front of Chen Jue. Come and greet us!”
"Okay! Okay!" Chen Jue clenched his fists tightly and was overjoyed: "Hurry up and hurry up! I want to see Li Yuhou as soon as possible!"
...
"Brother, we are rich!!" After Zhou Xingfeng took the initiative to lead Li Yuan and others into the inner treasury of the mansion, Luo Erhu's eyes almost bulged out when he looked at the large and small iron boxes piled up on the ground!
This was the life savings that Ma Xihe, Liu Yan and others had collected over decades. How could Li Yuan not be moved? I saw him swallowing his saliva, stepping forward to open a box, and the densely packed copper coins immediately overflowed with a "crash" sound. He then ordered his soldiers to open them one by one, and they were all filled with copper coins, gold coins, etc. Silver and all kinds of jewelry and treasures.
Most of the soldiers present were ordinary people, and seeing them today was an eye-opener! But after all, Li Yuan was here to control him, and no one dared to move at will. There was only silent desire in his eyes.
"Li Yuhou, this is a booklet from the inner treasury. Yuhou can order someone to compare it one by one!" Zhou Xingfeng ordered someone to fetch an account book and hand it over with both hands humbly.
Unexpectedly, after Li Yuan took it, he threw it to the soldier behind him without looking at it: "What do you want it for? Burn it!"
Then he strode forward, grabbed a handful of shining copper coins, threw them into the air, and said loudly: "Brothers, leave the jewelry and jades, and all the other gold and silver cash for me to move back to the camp! Tonight, I will Rewards based on merit! Let’s make a fortune together, brothers!”
All the surrounding Tang Army soldiers cheered excitedly, and then they all pounced on him like wolves and tigers.
As soon as Xu Kuangheng stepped into the inner treasury, he saw Luo Erhu urging the soldiers to carry the iron boxes out one after another. He was suddenly frightened and hurriedly walked to Li Yuan and whispered: "Yu Hou, Minister Chen will be here soon." ! Now that Yu Hou has achieved great success, if he moves all this money away, won’t he be criticized? "
Li Yuan shook his head disapprovingly, but raised his voice and said: "What does this mean, Prime Minister? You won the battle and you are not allowed to make a fortune? These are all brothers who sacrificed their lives for it! Besides, this is not a waste of money." What? I still have a few boxes here! Brothers, move them quickly!"
Xu Kuangheng blinked his eyes in confusion, and was about to retort when he saw Li Yuan gently nodded to him again, and he suddenly understood...
Zhou Xingfeng, who had been standing in the corner, looked at Li Yuan with seven or eight points of disdain in his eyes, replaced by a trace of fear.
...
"Li Yuhou!" Chen Jue strode into the government office, grabbed Li Yuan's hands affectionately, and then said excitedly: "Li Yuhou attacked Langzhou at night, captured Liu Yan, and made my western expedition army more powerful. A complete victory! From now on, all the northern territory of Chu Land belongs to me, the Tang Dynasty! Yu Hou is a true hero! A true hero!"
Li Yuan raised his hands in a neither humble nor arrogant manner and said: "The Prime Minister has given you too much praise! In line with His Majesty's power of heaven, the soldiers will use their lives to the best of their ability. In the end, we will be lucky! If the Prime Minister hadn't planned the battle, how could Langzhou be easily defeated?"
"Hahaha! I know that Li Yuhou has always been humble, but you don't have to be like this now! You are already the first in this battle!" Although he knew that Li Yuan was just flattering, Chen Jue was still overjoyed and nodded repeatedly: "Such a rare general, But he can risk his own life and be loyal to the emperor and protect the country! Well, the truth is that he is not mistaken!"
Suddenly, a staff member whispered something into Chen Jue's ear. Chen Jue's expression gradually began to change, and then he narrowed his eyes and said meaningfully: "I heard that Li Yuhou emptied Liu Yan's inner treasury?"
Li Yuan showed an embarrassed smile and replied with a blushing face: "Your Majesty, it's not enough to evacuate the house. I just took some cash. The soldiers fought hard all night, and now that Langzhou has been conquered, they must give them a reward! In addition, We have to get married in the near future. After all, the bride comes from a wealthy family, and there are dozens of people in the house, so expenses are inevitable..."
Before he finished speaking, Chen Jue was the first to look up to the sky and laugh, pointing at Li Yuan and teasing everyone: "Hahaha! As expected, generals love money! Li Yuhou is a cheerful person!"
Everyone followed Chen Jue and burst into laughter. Li Yuan was not ashamed at all, he just smiled shyly and thought to himself, after all, the money was Ma Xihe and Liu Yan's private treasury, not the Langzhou government treasury, so what's the harm in taking it? I don't want to follow Zhao Kuangyin's example, sealing it up and turning it over with great righteousness, talking about the common people in the world, am I asking for trouble if I spread the word? People can't be too perfect...
After all the generals sat down in the inner hall of the government office, Chen Jue spoke first and said: "Everyone has contributed to this great victory in the Western Expedition! The Prime Minister has ordered a fast horse to rush back to Jinling with Liu Yan's head to report the victory. I think it will be won soon." Your Majesty will receive your decree!"
Then he said solemnly: "But we still can't slack off at this moment! I believe you all know that Yan Jingquan's Northern Expedition has been defeated in Shuyang! Now that Langzhou has been pacified, why not take advantage of the victory and go north? The truth is that the whole army will rest in the city for ten days On the same day, after replenishing the troops and equipment, we will move forward with food, grass and baggage, transfer to Ezhou, and attack Xuzhou! Let Guo Wei of the Zhou Kingdom see the power of our Imperial Army of the Tang Dynasty!"
Everyone said in unison: "Yes!"
After a moment, Li Yuan suddenly stood up and said: "Your Majesty, although Langzhou has been pacified, the Dongxi barbarians in the west have occupied the three states and have always been in trouble with Langzhou. Although the enemy's heads fled under Linyuan City, their roots were not damaged. , is still the stubborn problem of our Tang Dynasty! The general is worried that once our army moves north, the Dongxi barbarians will take the opportunity to attack, so we must be on guard!"
"Yes! That makes sense!" Chen Jue nodded in agreement, and then said: "It's just that our army is about to march north, so we must not delay it! In comparison, the Dongxi barbarians are only as diseased as moss and mustard, while the Central Plains This is my foundation for the revival of the Tang Dynasty! If Li Yuhou has a plan, he can tell it!"
Li Yuan raised his hands and said sincerely: "Your Majesty, I have fought against the barbarians before and luckily won, so I would like to order my army to stay in Langzhou! If the Dongxi barbarians dare to invade, they will be wiped out!"
"This..." Chen Jue hesitated for a moment. There was nothing wrong with Li Yuan's words, but in his heart, Li Yuan was now even more reliable than Liu Yanzhen and Zhou Ben. In the future, wars, big and small, would definitely not be possible. If there is any shortage, he then said worriedly: "Having said that, it is important for our army to go on the Northern Expedition. How can we miss such good generals as Li Yuhou? It might as well be like this. The Prime Minister ordered Li Jianqi to stay in Langzhou, and he was also established in Jiashan. It’s a success!”
When everyone was silent, Feng Yanlu suddenly took over and said jokingly: "Li Jianqi has been defeated in many battles since he was stationed in Yiyang, and he was even more distressed by the barbarian soldiers. Everyone in the court knows this! He won last time, but It was based on Li Yuhou's plan, not because of Li Jianqi's ability! Minister Chen, do you really dare to hand over Langzhou to him? If there is a mistake in Langzhou, His Majesty Long Yan will be furious!"
Chen Jue's face darkened upon hearing this, and he asked coldly: "According to Feng's intention to stay behind, who should be ordered to garrison Langzhou?"
Feng Yanlu smiled very naturally: "Why does Prime Minister Chen need to ask more questions? Far away in the horizon, but right in front of us! Who else except Li Yuhou can resist the cunning barbarians? Who can guarantee that Langzhou will not be lost? Prime Minister, don't forget Well, thanks to Li Yuhou’s achievements in this battle, we can build a festival..."
Build a festival? Hearing this, Li Yuan's heart immediately surged. He originally thought that he would be given a governor and governor at most, but unexpectedly Feng Yanlu talked about establishing a festival? Sending military envoys abroad and opening mansions to recruit troops, isn't this just what you want? The Feng brothers have never dealt with him, but today is surprising. They are obviously trying every means to hold back Chen Jue...
Chen Jue was seen hesitating, and several staff members kept whispering around him, and the scene became anxious for a time.
For a moment, Chen Jue seemed to be persuaded by his staff. He sighed and said to Li Yuan: "Li Yuhou, as you requested, lead the army to garrison Langzhou! But this time the western expedition, the army has something to do." Even if it is damaged, the Holy Guard Army still needs to go north with the Prime Minister, so only half of the troops can be left with you! As for the establishment of the festival that Feng Liusou said, the Prime Minister will immediately write a letter to ask for credit for you! "
Li Yuan took a deep breath, bowed his hands and said loudly: "Thank you, Prime Minister! Thank you Feng Liushou!" He smiled secretly in his heart, Brother Peng, you don't have to make an extra trip. ", but there is no need to do it...
