On the surface, Shen Zhao's words seemed to be extremely boastful, but his meaningful smile made people speculate carefully.
Although most of the generals did not pay attention and just nodded with a smile, people in the hall such as Xu Kuangheng, Peng Shiyu and others immediately saw the sinister intentions of Shen Zhao.
At present, Li Yuan was quite suspicious in the court because of his sharpness, and he had already been wary of it. Hearing this, he could not help but frown, and then calmly responded: "Shilang Shen is overrated! I have always been a great leader from the beginning to the end. The military generals of the Tang Dynasty only wanted to be loyal to the emperor and serve the country. How could they dare to claim credit after receiving great favor from His Majesty? The so-called famous generals in the world are just empty names!
As for the minister's statement that there was no clear decree from the imperial court, I think it is inappropriate. When His Majesty gave the decree to establish the festival, he explicitly ordered me to focus on suppressing the barbarians in Dongxi. This time the army went out to conquer Fu'er for heaven! "
"This, this is my fault..." Shen Zhao's face turned a little red. When he was at a loss for words, he suddenly realized that the generals around him were staring at him eagerly, and he suddenly panicked.
As if searching for a life-saving straw, Shen Zhao finally remembered the main purpose of his long journey, and quickly greeted the officials beside him without thinking. After handing him a silk letter, he showed a relieved expression, and managed to squeeze out a smile to read the emperor's message. Li Jing’s will.
Just like going through the motions, the edict was full of praise for Li Yuan, and then pointed out the theme. As expected, Li Yuan was ordered to lead the army to rescue the siege of Tanzhou.
When Shen Zhao paused, all the generals present, including Li Yuan, thought that the emperor's decree was over. Just when they were about to accept the decree in unison, Shen Zhao just swallowed and raised the decree again. Continuing to read, a face with complex expressions was hidden behind the yellow satin, which was quite elusive.
"...Li Yuan, the military envoy of Wuping Army, was appointed as the Grand Master of the inspection school, and was appointed as the commander-in-chief of the southern expedition camp to control the military forces in Wu'an and Jingjiang. Since you are the commander-in-chief and the commander-in-chief, you should correct the shortcomings of your predecessors and eliminate the barbarian enemies in Lingnan. Comfort my heart..."
After reading this edict, the generals were excited. Although they were about to engage in a new battle, and the opponent was the main force of the strong Han army, when they heard that their commander actually took over the entire army, With the power of Chu Di, everyone was immediately elated. As the saying goes, a rising tide lifts all boats, and it is true.
Li Yuan was very happy in his heart, and he couldn't help but feel a little confused for a while as Li Jing handed over the military affairs of Wu'an and Jingjiang (Guiguan) towns to himself, a deeply feared feudal official.
But it only took a moment to realize the emperor's intention. All the prefectures in Jingjiang and all the land in Wu'an except Tanzhou Prefecture were now in the hands of the Han army. If you lose your land and city, you don’t have to think about your population, money and food.
As for the troops and horses, naturally there were only 10,000 to 20,000 more Wu'an troops. The lone army that had been besieged by the Han army in Tanzhou City for many days had already suffered heavy losses and was exhausted. At this time, it was still waiting for Li Yuan to come to rescue.
"I Have a Picture Book of Ghosts and Gods"
Therefore, the conquest of the south is true, but the authority to control the Chu territory has to be fought for by Li Yuan himself. In addition, no assistance was given. This also made Li Yuan suddenly think of his respected old boss Bian Hao. .
It is exactly the same. After breaking Tanzhou last year, the emperor also intentionally or unintentionally drew a big cake for Bian Hao and gave him the empty title of Wuping Army Jiedushi, forcing him to hand over the Tanzhou Mansion that he had worked hard to build. As Chen Jue's brother-in-law, you can easily tell how frustrated he feels.
Now he has experienced it personally. Even though Li Yuan is bright in his heart, he will never choose Bian Hao's response. How can he die lying down when he is in a difficult situation? Only the soldiers will come to stop it, and the water will come to cover the ears.
After leading the generals to thank him, Li Yuan bowed three times to the east and shouted long live His Majesty. Then he turned to Shen Zhao and said, "Shilang Shen has worked hard all the way. I will ask three angels to move to the front yard later. I am the Commander-in-Chief." I will personally take care of the angel! But before that, I have something to trouble Mr. Shen."
Shen Zhao originally thought that the mission was completed and he planned to leave the scene. Hearing this, he had to turn around, squeeze out a humble smile that was completely different from before, and said with his hands: "Oh! It doesn't matter, the commander-in-chief, I will do as I am told! How can I be called a bother?" !”
Li Yuan blinked noncommittally and said with a smile: "With your majesty's blessing and the soldiers' lives, although the land of Dongxi is temporarily stable, the wilderness of the mountains and forests, and the presence of barbarians, make it difficult for the army to last long..."
After detailing how harsh the environment and difficult to manage in the Three Prefectures were, he finally revealed his true intention: "... In order to ensure the stability of the Three Prefectures, we should unite the barbarians to control the barbarians... The three generations of the Peng family He has been managing Dongxi for many years and has great prestige among the barbarians. He also has his heart set on the Tang Dynasty. The Peng family is also indispensable for our army’s victory..."
"I will personally write a memorial later to recommend Peng Shiyu as the governor of Xizhou. I would like to trouble Shilang Shen to take it back to Jinling and forward it to Your Majesty!"
After hearing this, Shen Zhao naturally handed over his hand and accepted the promise, but within a moment, as if a plan came to his mind, some unknown thoughts began to brew in his heart. Yang Zuo asked, "Commander, who is General Peng?"
Li Yuan was quite natural, he smiled and pointed to the right and said: "This is it!"
Following Li Yuan's gaze, Shen Zhao turned his head impatiently and saw that the armor of Tang general Peng Shiyu had not yet been removed from the body of the sturdy Peng Shiyu. At this time, his eyes were bright and his chest was facing each other, looking very majestic.
Although Peng Shiyu's ancestors were Han Chinese, his appearance and bones were very similar to those of barbarians. Scholars in power such as Shen Zhao originally had a heartfelt fear of military generals. When they saw the arrogant-looking Peng Shiyu, they would have been fearful and distant in the past.
But today, Shen Zhao showed a meaningful smile. Not only did this barbarian look funny wearing Tang Jia, but when he saw Peng Shiyu for the first time, he never expected that he would give this angel face, and bowed his head very humbly. He didn't even dare to look directly at him, he looked extremely simple and honest.
Even though he was very fond of him, Shen Zhao was not a newbie who had just entered the officialdom. At this time, he still pretended to smile and said: "Marshal Li has a good eye! General Peng is really an outstanding person! General Peng and Marshal Li are the most famous generals in our history. He is in a high position at a young age and is favored by His Majesty!
With Marshal Li personally recommending him, General Peng will definitely have a bright future from now on! General Peng, from now on you must live up to the Marshal's kindness and serve him well..."
Facing the corner of Shen Zhao's eyes, Peng Shiyu showed a look of pride, raised his hands and said: "What does it mean to serve the commander-in-chief? I'm sorry for being rude. If your Majesty trusts me, I will naturally guard Dongxi for the good of the court and promote the power of God." Ende will never let down His Majesty’s expectations!
The only one serving you is Your Majesty! Only the imperial court! I, Peng, have been Han Chinese for generations, and I have long considered myself a citizen of the Tang Dynasty..."
"Well said!" Shen Zhao's sudden call made some of the drunk generals present tremble.
Seemingly realizing that his actions just now were a bit inappropriate, Shen Zhao swallowed, smiled awkwardly, and continued to say with intense eyes: "General Peng, um, maybe you misunderstood what I meant! Marshal Li is the Military Festival of Wuping in the Tang Dynasty. Du Envoy, your reputation of loyalty and bravery spreads throughout the world!
What I mean by serving the commander-in-chief is also serving the imperial court and your majesty! General Peng's advice today will be reported to His Majesty when I return to Beijing! "
Li Yuan interjected leisurely: "What Mr. Shen said is absolutely true. You must remember that serving the emperor is loyal. Who is the master and who is the minister cannot be ambiguous..."
