Wang Zhene's eyes calmly swept over the faces of everyone present, and his tone was firm and powerful: "We took the lead before the monster thieves blocked the sea route, and used Goguryeo's ships and Xie's ships to transport the Zhengyan army. In Kuaiji, while resting and recovering, we will invest in Jiankang in batches."
"But even now, our army conquering Yan only has about half of the soldiers and horses, and the rest are staying in Wu, guarding and training the newly recruited men, and at the same time guarding against sneak attacks by monster thieves. . If the demon thieves want to make a sneak attack on Wu, the best opportunity is when they start attacking Jiankang. They missed it at that time, and they are even less likely to have the opportunity now."
Shen Tianzi gritted his teeth: "Many of the Zhengyan sergeants who did not come were ill and have not recovered, and some, like our Shen family soldiers, left the team and went home to train and recruit new soldiers in their respective villages. King Qin is not In the state of being concentrated into an army, as for the defenders in Kuaiji, there are only about 5,000, and most of them are new soldiers, and their combat effectiveness is worrying. If the army of demon thieves raids Kuaiji and lands from the sea, I am afraid that Xie Hun may not be able to defend Kuaiji."
Shen Linzi also nodded and said: "The third brother is right. Kuaiji is the central city of Wu. If there is something wrong with Kuaiji, there will still be many people with evil intentions in Wu who will take the opportunity to start an uprising and respond. Demon thieves In any case, hundreds of ships and at least 10,000 to 20,000 troops escaped. With this force, the coastline that is thousands of miles long can be landed everywhere. Once they successfully capture one or two big cities, If we continue to spread rumors that the demon thief is back, I'm afraid many people will still respond to them."
A bold and powerful voice came from outside the palace accompanied by laughter: "Don't worry, Lin Zi, the demon thief will never land in Kuaiji again."
Everyone's expressions changed and they looked outside the palace. They saw Liu Jingxuan, dressed in military uniform, striding in. Walking side by side with him was Gao Yunyan, the princess of Goguryeo who had met in Guangzhou half a year ago. , at this moment, she was also wearing full leather armor, carrying a big bow, and the soaring horse followed her as she walked, which gave her a bit of Murong Lan's valiant and heroic appearance.
Liu Yu's expression changed slightly, and he walked out to meet the two of them: "Ah Shou, why are you here? Aren't you asked to guard Qingzhou? Also, why is this Princess Yunyan with you? "
Liu Jingxuan said seriously: "Over in Qingzhou, Han Fan secretly colluded with some local wealthy families and wanted to rebel. Fatty detected it in advance and captured them in one fell swoop. All the rebel leaders and their cronies were killed. But this time During the incident, most of the local Han tycoons and Xianbei chiefs sided with the imperial court. Now that the civil strife in Qingzhou has been eliminated and the situation is stable, there is no need for me to stay there."
There were screams of exclamation all around, and Liu Yu was convinced. Before leaving Qingzhou, he had discussed this matter with Liu Muzhi. The eradication of Han Fan, a powerful leader of the local Han people, was a necessary step to stabilize Qingzhou and establish his prestige. Regardless of Is Han Fan really plotting a rebellion? Uprooting this highly respected and deeply rooted family is also a way to frighten the local wealthy families who keep changing the king's flag on the city. Liu Muzhi wanted to do this after he left because he wanted to preserve his reputation, and he even did not hesitate to bear such a bad reputation.
Thinking of this, Liu Yu said in a deep voice: "Is the evidence of Han Fan's rebellion conclusive? Do the local wealthy families have any objections to the handling of this matter?"
Liu Jingxuan shook his head and said: "Han Fan refused to accept the official position given by the imperial court and resigned and returned to his hometown. However, he gathered private soldiers in the village, linked up with other families, and secretly contacted spies sent by the Northern Wei Dynasty and the Later Qin Dynasty. Qin secretly granted him an official position and a seal, which were also intercepted. In addition, during the autumn harvest, the Han and Fan clan withheld the tax and grain that should be paid, and opened warehouses to express personal favors. These are all conclusive counter-acts. Those who have anything to do with it. The emissary who secretly communicated was also captured, and both witnesses and physical evidence are available, and Han Fan himself confessed."
Wang Zhene's brows wrinkled slightly: "But he didn't directly start a rebellion, right? He just said that he secretly colluded with foreign forces, and then continued as before, separatist parties and did not listen to the court's orders. Brother Jinu, over there in Qingzhou The powerful and powerful family has always been like this, is it a bit too much to punish Han Fan with this?"
Liu Yu smiled slightly and looked at Gao Yunyan: "Princess Gao, in your country, can such a large family be allowed to exist, which can secretly make friends with enemy countries, support troops and stockpile food, and also obey the orders of the imperial court?"
Gao Yunyan said calmly: "It exists, of course it exists. We Goguryeo are five lords, each in charge of one side, just like your previous vassal states in the Central Plains. When foreign enemies invade, the king recruits these lords to come to the rescue, but in normal times, it is not Very capable of controlling them."
A trace of disappointment flashed across Liu Yu's face. This was probably not the answer he wanted. He softly said "Oh" and was about to change the topic when he heard Gao Yunyan continue: "But, Lord Wubu" The independent and difficult-to-control forces are problems that have been left over since the founding of Goguryeo. The kings of all dynasties have always dreamed of pacifying these adults, collecting their tribes, and making them the king's property. Therefore, it's not that we don't want to get rid of them and manage them ourselves. , but because he is really powerless, fearing that it will cause a civil war and weaken the country. My father has been at war with Baekje and Silla over the years. During the war, he also trained the forces and generals loyal to the royal family and weakened the power of the ministers. If we had the ability to directly eliminate such tribal leaders like Liu Changshi, we would have done it long ago. Marshal Liu, I really envy you."
Liu Yu laughed and looked at Wang Zhene: "Zhene, have you seen it? No country will allow such a powerful family to fight against the imperial court, even if it is a powerful family that does not listen to orders and establishes its own rule. Qingzhou One The reason why land is repeatedly gained and lost, and lost and regained, is because there are too many people like Han Fan and they are too powerful. They think they can permanently control the population and land in their fiefdoms and sell them at a price."
"Han Fan took the initiative to surrender when our army arrived. As soon as the army withdrew, he thought that he was the local emperor again and could have the final say, so he took retreat as an advance, returned to his hometown, and made friends with foreign countries. Isn't this preparation? After the fall of Jiankang, did he raise an army and start a rebellion, and with the help of foreign forces, could he stand on his own like Piluhun did?"
Speaking of this, Liu Yu's eyes flashed coldly, and there was a decisive force in his voice: "Then I will use his life, Han Fan, to declare something to all the powerful families in Qingzhou. This kind of As long as I, Liu Yu, am still in power, I will never allow this!"
(End of chapter)
