Everyone in the hall retreated, and it suddenly became much quieter. Seeing the figure outside the door getting closer, Li Yuan waved his hand first and said, "Miss Peng, I know you have something to say, but there are military affairs to discuss at this moment, so it is really not the time!"
Peng Qingying seemed a little anxious, raised her eyebrows and shook her head: "Commander Li, I——"
"You must have heard the battle report. This time Xizhou won a great victory. I have recommended to the court that your brother will still be the master of Dongxi. In the near future, the Japanese commander will send someone to escort you back to Xizhou!" Li Yuan was thinking at this time! Xu Kuangheng, who was about to arrive, had no intention of talking to the girl, and added with a smile: "By the way, several guides have also come with the army from Xizhou this time, all of whom are members of the Peng clan sent by your brother. How about meeting me, Shuai Zhun? After all, I’ve been away from home for so many days, so why not meet my clan members!”
Peng Qingying's attention was suddenly diverted at this time, and she nodded excitedly. Li Yuan hurriedly ordered the maid to take him down, and called his personal guards to give him some instructions. Then the young girl with a springy face hurriedly saluted, and then followed The maid left happily. Halfway there, she secretly looked back at the burly figure sitting on top, with an eager light in her eyes...
The personal guard reported, and an anxious Xu Kuangheng strode in, bowed to Li Yuan and said, "I have rashly broke into the backyard, please forgive me, Commander!"
Li Yuan smiled and said: "What did you say? Sir, I am a handsome man. I have something urgent to report. How can I be blamed? Please sit down!"
As soon as he sat down, before the maid could make tea, Xu Kuangheng said impatiently: "Commander! Less than half an hour after you returned home, I received a report from a scout that Prince Zheng's ship had already docked. Shore, the group is now taking the land route and will arrive at the east gate in two hours..."
Li Yuan frowned and said: "Oh? Those forbidden soldiers said before that King Zheng just passed Dongting two days ago. I thought it would take half a day to arrive, but I didn't expect him to be so eager? He could have gone up the river and entered the city from Shuimen, but he did not hesitate to work hard. We decided to take the land route instead. But that’s normal. As an imperial envoy, he is your Majesty’s own son. It is said that he is becoming more and more popular in the court. This time he got a job as a laborer, so he is naturally eager to perform meritorious service..."
Li Yuan was naturally very dissatisfied with King Zheng's sudden visit and the previous occupation of the magpie's nest, but verbally he could only say that he was eager to make contributions. Of course, he could not say nonsense about his obsession with Emperor Zhou E. After all, Emperor Zhou E was already married. When you enter your own house, your husband and wife are in the same spirit and cannot harm their reputation.
Xu Kuangheng didn't think about this, and just continued: "Commander, Prince Zheng brought a lot of people with him this time..."
"Haha, you have become Prince Zheng. Of course you can't do it alone. The prince has his own imperial army to escort him. Isn't it normal?" Li Yuan calmly moved his arms slowly. After all, he had been marching for many days, and he felt a little numb after sitting comfortably for a long time.
"Commander, Prince Zheng, in addition to the hundreds of imperial guards at his residence, also brought a troop of soldiers and horses with him on this trip. According to reports from the scouts, there are probably no less than five thousand flag-bearers, and the army is under the banner of Sizhou... ...." Xu Kuangheng said with a serious expression.
Li Yuan blinked his eyes warily, stretched out his hand to stroke the tea cup on the table, thought for a moment and said: "How can there be soldiers and horses from Sizhou with five thousand troops? As far as I know, Prince Zheng can There is no fiefdom, so who is the governor of Sizhou now?"
Xu Kuangheng exhaled a breath and said in a low voice: "Commander, you should recognize this Sizhou governor, he is Zhou Xingfeng, the surrendered general of Langzhou."
"Zhou Xingfeng?" Li Yuan was a little surprised when he heard this. It was not because of his official position. As a descended general, he got the title of governor. This was a routine operation under the rule of Emperor Li Jing of the Southern Tang Dynasty. What's more, Zhou Xingfeng was demoted to the Tang Dynasty. Li Yuan actually heard his subordinates mention it more than once about his subsequent encounters. His outstanding performance during the Northern Expedition was enough to get him promoted to another level. However, everything about Zhou Xingfeng was difficult for Li Yuan due to his complicated military affairs. After all, I didn’t care too much.
Li Yuan was a little confused and asked in a deep voice: "Sir, that Zhou Xingfeng is not a simple person! This thing is a bit weird right now. Sizhou is on the border between Tang and Zhou. King Zheng went to work far away, and the court dispatched soldiers and horses to protect him. This is normal, but why did we leave the elite troops of Jinling aside and recruit a state army eight hundred miles away?"
Xu Kuangheng gritted his teeth and replied in a low voice: "Commander, King Zheng's party is now in great power in the court. It is not difficult to mobilize a state army, but this is enough to prove that Zhou Xingfeng and King Zheng must have a good relationship in private. .....”
Li Yuan said coldly: "He made good friends with the local governor before he had a fiefdom. King Zheng is not afraid of rumors! Zhou Xingfeng, didn't I hear that he served under King Yan before? He was extremely brave during the Northern Expedition. It is said that You saved King Yan’s life, why did you turn to King Zheng now?”
Xu Kuangheng shook his head and said: "Commander, this is what I am confused about! When I heard that Sizhou soldiers were accompanying me, I couldn't believe it. During the Northern Expedition, King Yan returned with a disastrous defeat and was punished by his Majesty, but there was no such thing at the court meeting. There was no excuse at all, but he publicly stated Zhou Xingfeng's merits. King Yan loved Zhou Xingfeng so much that the government and the public had long believed that Zhou Xingfeng followed King Yan.
As we all know, King Zheng and King Yan are quarreling fiercely at the moment. How can King Yan tolerate what Zhou Xingfeng did today? Could it be that because King Yan is weak, this guy has turned his back on the master, and he is worthy of the name of a surrendered general! "
Li Yuan shook his head indifferently and said: "Betrayal? Sir, you mentioned that Zhou Xingfeng was a surrendered general. Since he is a surrendered general, he should be cautious in a foreign country. How dare he openly do such an eye-catching move? You hate your fate. Long ears! Even if King Yan loses power for a while, it is more than enough to deal with a surrendered general! I estimate that there may be some hidden secret..."
Xu Kuangheng asked doubtfully: "What the commander-in-chief means is that Zhou Xingfeng pretended to surrender to King Zheng, but was actually ordered by King Yan? Thinking that he would be a helper in the future? But this plan is too superficial. How could King Zheng not see it? Even if King Zheng I can’t tell that Xu Xuan and others around him are all good at planning, so how can we not stop him?”
Seeing Xu Kuangheng frowning and tangled, Li Yuan waved his hand and said in a deep voice: "Sir, who is Zhou Xingfeng this time? Don't worry about it in advance! Whether he is from King Yan or King Zheng, he dares to lead Five thousand soldiers and horses have come to our Langzhou, and I will give them a good reception! Sir, didn't you mention before that the imperial court will not send any soldiers to Chu this time?"
"Commander, I did say that! However, the imperial court did not send any troops to help. Zhou Xingfeng's Sizhou soldiers are only responsible for guarding..."
Speaking of this, Xu Kuangheng paused, and suddenly showed a look of realization: "Commander, do you want... But can Prince Zheng agree?"
"Isn't he here to work for the army? The so-called workers, according to the rules of the Tang Dynasty, are to go to the military camp and to the front line! King Zheng happened to have brought a full five thousand soldiers and horses, and now the enemy is facing the enemy, how can it be wasted like this? Combat strength?"
