After sending Zhou Qing off to the expedition, Lu Yuan's military camp outside Luyang City was half empty in an instant.
He originally had 15,000 soldiers, plus an additional 5,000 Xiandeng camp composed of Linwu County people and Qixing Sect disciples. Now that Zhou Qing has taken away 10,000 soldiers, there are only 5,000 soldiers and 5,000 Xianden camp left in the military camp.
The number of troops in his hands was reduced by half, and his combat power was reduced by more than half. This made Lu Yuan suddenly feel less secure.
So in order to fill the sense of security and also to enhance his strength, the recruitment of troops that he had been planning was put on the table.
Now Lu Yuan has no shortage of silver taels. After fighting a battle against thieves, he has accumulated savings. In addition to the funds to support the development of Luyang Mansion, he also has more than one million taels of silver in hand and nearly two million taels of silver. asset.
If all this huge wealth of three million taels was used to expand the army, it would be enough for Lu Yuan to recruit an army of 50,000 people and support the army's expenses for a year.
Of course, what Lu Yuan needs is a long-term army that can be maintained continuously. It is impossible to recruit so many people.
With his current territory, the Luyang Mansion is completely in control. The finance and taxation here is entirely his own, and he does not have to hand over a cent to the court.
As for the Shaoyang Mansion, although it was not Lu Yuan's territory, since the past two years, the county government had already tacitly agreed that the government's finances and taxes would be used to support his army.
Therefore, the finance and taxation of Shaoyang Mansion can also be controlled by him.
Shaoyang Mansion can collect 500,000 taels of silver a year. After excluding various expenses of the county, there is still 300,000 taels of silver left for Lu Yuan to support the army.
The Luyang Mansion is still recovering, but according to Sun Siwen's estimation, when it recovers in two years, it should be able to provide fiscal revenue of 400,000 taels of silver every year, of which about 250,000 taels can be left for Lu Yuan to support his army.
This adds up to 550,000 taels of silver, which is almost enough to support an army of 10,000.
Being able to solve the problem of food and drink for 10,000 soldiers and horses undoubtedly relieved Lu Yuan's great burden and allowed him to save more money to recruit more soldiers and horses.
So after careful consideration, he decided to recruit another 15,000 men and expand his troops to 30,000.
Thirty thousand people, with Lu Yuan's current savings, plus the financial support from Shaoyang and Luyang governments, can almost maintain an army of this size for two years.
And two years later, what should I do if I run out of money?
Lu Yuan felt that in two years' time, he would definitely have more territory than the two houses now, and he might be able to support an army by then.
If it doesn't work, the worst possible scenario is to lead troops to fight against the Miao people.
To the south of Luyang Mansion, there are still three mansions occupied by the Miao people?
With such a large territory, if you can seize one or two mansions, you can consume some troops and solve the remaining military expenses at the same time.
"If we go to attack the Miao people with such a big fanfare, I'm afraid that the saint from the Five Poisons Sect will be attracted to me and she will assassinate me in preparation for Venus."
Lu Yuan felt a headache when he thought of the Saint of the Five Poisons Sect.
Now his development in Dongting County can be said to be threatened by this woman, and he cannot fully expand his power at all times. It is really uncomfortable.
The feeling of having a sharp sword hanging above your head and about to fall at any moment can almost be described as a sleepless night.
This kind of torture made Lu Yuan feel a little resentful in his heart. Not only to the saint, but also to the court: "More than two months have passed, and the court has not come up with the result of the negotiation?
It would be great if some innate masters could be sent over to kill the Saint of the Five Poisons Sect and completely eliminate this serious problem. "
It has been more than two months since the fall of Baling County.
For such a long time, the imperial court has not discussed a way to deal with it.
The 50,000 elite troops in Tianmen Mansion were also held back by Zhou soldiers and were unable to go south to recapture Baling City.
The Pingshu army's food supply was cut off, and the news reached the Xichuan front line, which had seriously shaken the morale of the front line army.
Seeing this, Bai Mengyang, the seriously injured Marquis of Wu'an, had to order the army to continue to retreat, abandoning Anyue City that had been guarded for half a year, and retreated all the way back to Yuzhong Mansion.
The lands of Anyue Mansion and Tongchuan Mansion were simply handed over to the Western Shu thieves and Zhou people.
Among the ten prefectures in Xichuan, only three prefectures, namely Yuzhong, Linjiang and Wushan, were left, still under the control of the imperial court.
The Western Shu thieves and the Zhou people were immediately victorious. They even took advantage of Marquis Wu'an's withdrawal to send an elite army to pursue them. They defeated the retreating imperial army several times and captured tens of thousands of people.
The imperial soldiers and horses were almost defeated.
When they retreated to Yuzhong Fucheng, after a brief inventory, they found that out of the original 150,000 troops, only a little over 100,000 were left.
What a miserable word.
But even after escaping back to Yuzhong Prefecture, the Western Shu bandits and the Zhou people did not give up. The two sides joined forces with 200,000 troops and approached Yuzhong Prefecture again, hoping to drive Marquis Wu'an out of Xichuan County in one fell swoop.
Lu Yuan didn't know whether this intention was arrogant or not.
But he knew that even if Marquis Wu An and the others wanted to retreat, they had no way out now.
Because Yueyang Mansion in Baling City has been occupied by the Miao people.
The imperial army's retreat has been lost. Even if they want to leave Xichuan County, they must first cross the river and capture Yueyang City.
If they cannot recapture Yueyang City, the faster Wu Anhou and the others retreat, the sooner they will die.
So in the final analysis, it is still a matter of when the imperial court can send troops to recover Baling City.
"Is it possible that the imperial court has really lost its mind and plans to abandon the hundreds of thousands of Shu troops and the entire Dongting County?" Lu Yuan felt a little shaken when he thought of this possibility.
Although I know that, normally, anyone with any brain would not make this choice.
But I can’t stand it now that Dai Viet is at the end of its dynasty!
As the saying goes, when a country is about to fall, there must be monsters.
Who knows whether the Duke Yanyan and the Emperor Hongdao in the court today are evildoers?
If there are really a few fools who are determined to break up the imperial court, Dai Yue may really be destroyed with his rotten attitude.
Regarding the intelligence of those meat eaters, sometimes we need to be in awe, sometimes we really can't think highly of them.
That's it.
Lu Yuan didn't know how he should view the imperial court.
The operations of those in the court are really fascinating.
Many policies and strategies are sage at one time and dim at the other.
Not only is this schizophrenic behavior torn apart by looking at it, but even the people in their place sometimes feel driven crazy when it comes to executing and understanding it.
No one knows what the court’s next move will be like.
This kind of lottery-like feeling is really testing the heart.
…
Luck seemed to have favored Lu Yuan.
Just when he was worried about the lack of movement from the court, the court, which had been waiting for a long time, finally gave a strategy for dealing with Dongting County.
The imperial edict that Lu Yuan had been waiting for for more than a month finally came down.
Along with the edict came the new governor and captain of Dongting County, as well as the army assembled by the imperial court to counter the rebellion.
"The emperor was entrusted with the destiny of heaven, and the edict said... General Lu Yuan fought hard and led his army to defeat the thieves. He fought dozens of large and small battles and defeated 50,000 thieves. He defeated the Ning region and restored the land of Luyang...
This achievement in repelling rebellion inspired the whole country, the emperor's way was upheld, and destiny was in full swing. According to the Holy Mandate, General Lu Yuan was promoted to General Pingxi and took charge of the Pingmiao war in Dongting County. He was given the title of Marquis of Luyang and granted food to ten thousand households in Luyang County.
The emperor's kindness is so great, I hope you can encourage me...
Announce it to the world, and the envoys will hear about it. "
In the military camp outside Luyang City, Lu Yuan set up an incense burner and eucalyptus table at the gate of the camp. At this time, he led his troops behind him and saluted Chu Wei, the envoy of the Yellow Gate of the imperial court who was announcing the edict in front.
After waiting for a moment and finishing reading the thousands-word edict, Chu Wei put away the edict and handed it to Lu Yuan. He said with a smile on his hand: "Lu Pingxi, the emperor's grace is so great that the Holy General entrusts all the military affairs of Dongting County to you." General, it can be said that you are extremely gracious.
I also hope that the general can live up to the divine grace, fight against the thieves with force, and quell the Miao rebellion. "
Lu Yuan received the edict and said with joy on his face: "Don't worry, angel. Please tell the Holy One. As long as I, Lu Yuan, am here, I will never let go of the traitors of the Five Poison Sect."
This time the official title given by the court was very generous.
General Pingxi is a general with a heavy title, ranking in the third rank. He is already at the same level as a county governor, and is no different than the ministers of various ministries in the imperial court. He is a real high-ranking general.
Not to mention that he was given the title of Marquis of Luyang. Although this decision did not have much practical benefit, in a certain aspect, it gave him the title of commanding the Luyang Mansion.
This was a complete recognition of his control over Luyang Mansion.
The benefits of this kind of status have a great impact on people's hearts.
"Oh, by the way. Lu Pingxi, there are also officials here who have been sent by the imperial court to report themselves."
Chu Wei thought of something and turned around to signal to an entourage behind him. The latter immediately brought a wooden box. After opening it, a stack of official petitions was densely packed inside. He pointed at the pile of petitions and said with a smile: "The imperial court For the general, it can be said that he has the utmost trust and his kindness is unlimited.
The imperial court has already agreed to the general's request for officials in Luyang Mansion. The general can check it out here. "
Lu Yuan looked at the wooden box and had no intention of checking it. He gestured to the bodyguard behind him, who quickly took the wooden box and stepped aside.
These things like not telling the truth didn't mean much to him.
Anyway, now in Luyang Mansion, Lu Yuan has the final say. Whether those officials report to the court or not is just to make them look more formal.
Just do what you have to do and it won't affect anything.
But it was a good thing to be more formal in name, so he was in a better mood.
In a good mood, Lu Yuan looked at Chu Wei in front of him and couldn't help but warmly invited him: "The army has prepared a banquet. Angels, please move forward and we can have a drink together."
His steady temperament is still steady at this time.
Even if it was a singing, dancing and banquet, they did not go to Fucheng, but chose to stay in the military camp with an incompatible atmosphere.
Chu Wei looked at the new nobles of the imperial court in front of him, and did not mind the shabby army. He smiled and said, "General, if you dare to disobey your orders."
So the two moved to the rear tent.
At this time, a banquet was arranged in the camp, and the most famous chef in the city personally served all the specialties in the building.
The girls in Xiangmanyuan also tried their best to sing, dance, play and play, showing off their graceful figures.
Lu Yuan and Chu Wei gradually became familiar with each other after three rounds of drinking.
It was learned from the banquet that this Chuhuangmen was only a minor official of the sixth rank. But his background is not low. He is from the Chu clan of Wujiang.
The Wujiang Chu family is the top family in Dayue. It has been inherited for thousands of years. There are more than ten princes in the family, and their disciples and former officials are all over the world. It can be said that the country is truly noble.
What's even more rare is that a family like the Chu family is not just a simple heirloom of poems and books. They also practice military and martial arts. They pay attention to serving as a prime minister in the court and as a general outside. They are both civil and military. way.
Just like this Chu Wei, he not only read the scriptures well, but also practiced the Chu family's ancestral techniques, and his strength was almost second-rate.
And people like him are not the best among the younger generation of the Chu family. Above it, there are even more outstanding people.
'The Dai Viet imperial court has been in existence for more than 300 years, and its foundational strength is quite strong. Especially those noble families who stand in the imperial court and control the world should not be underestimated.
The head of the Chu family in Wujiang is said to be a top-notch master in the world, and his family even inherits a technique that directly points to innateness. However, for some unknown reason, no one in the Chu family in recent generations has become an innate person.
In addition to the Chu family, the Shuyang Bai family where Wu'an Marquis Bai Mengyang belonged, the Liuhe Li family where Wu'an Marquis Bai Mengyang belonged, the previous deceased Dongting Captain, Wuyang Marquis Li Gui and several other innate masters also came from these powerful families.
There are six surnames and seven clans in the country, which refers to the thirteen top families located in Linhai County.
If these families are all like the Bai family and the Li family, then the imperial court's heritage cannot be underestimated. '
After talking to Chu Wei in front of him, especially after the other party seemed to want to intimidate him, and intentionally or unintentionally told some secrets of the imperial court and family secrets, Lu Yuan could not help but have a more intuitive understanding of the imperial court's strength foundation.
The Dai Viet imperial court has declined. After all, theoretically, all the six surnames and seven clans in Linhai County have the strength to cultivate innate masters.
But in fact, including the dead Wuyang Marquis Li Gui, there were only five innate masters in the imperial court. Only one-third of the thirteen aristocratic families can produce innate masters.
From this aspect, Dai Viet has indeed declined.
But if you want to say that he is really in trouble, this is a bit exaggerated.
After all, there are still four innate masters in Dai Viet, and among the six surnames and seven clans, although most of them do not have innate masters, there are still ten or twenty masters with first-class strength.
If you include the middle strength of each tribe, those tribesmen with second- and third-rate strength, this power will be even more terrifying.
Based on the above alone, the Dai Viet court may be said to be in decline, but it would be a bit exaggerated to say that it would be over immediately.
At the very least, with the strength of the imperial court, there is no problem in guarding the Jiangdong base of the four counties of Linhai, Yuzhang, Jian'an and Guangling.
'Before, I was a little ignorant and ignorant, and looked down on the court. '
At this time, Lu Yuan couldn't help but feel deeply ashamed for some of his previous judgments.
At this time, Chu Wei seemed to want to make an effort to maximize the court's deterrence. At this time, he took the initiative to bring up another topic: "General, you know that the court has recruited 100,000 troops from the capital and is preparing to send them to Dongting to conquer the Five Poisons. Religion rebels have recovered Baling City."
When Lu Yuan heard the news, he was slightly surprised, then overjoyed.
After more than two months of dilly-dallying, the court finally took action.
He almost thought that the imperial court really planned to ignore the Pingshu army and Dongting County. It turns out that the reason why there has been no movement for so long is because we are preparing for something big.
good very good.
With troops and horses around, the Five Poison Sect's attention will be on the court's main counter-rebellion force, and it will be difficult to focus on him.
Most of the dark clouds overhead dispersed in an instant.
Lu Yuan almost wanted to laugh out loud in his heart, but he still resisted the impulse and asked hurriedly: "May I ask Mr. Chu, when did this happen? When will the army arrive, and who is the commander?"
Chu Wei glanced at Lu Yuan, still looking gentle and elegant, and said with a smile: "The army was ready before I set off, and set off to break camp.
I took a speed boat and traveled under starry night, so I came a little early.
However, calculating the distance, the army should have reached Yuzhang County, and it is estimated that it will reach Dongting County in a few days. By then the general would have heard the news.
As for the commander-in-chief of the army? "
When Chu Wei said this, he suppressed his smile and looked a little respectful: "The leader of the expedition to Miao this time is General Zhengxi, Governor of Dongting County, and Marquis of Wucheng Shangguan Ming. This time, Lord Shangguan is entrusted by Your Majesty. , led an army of 100,000 men to conquer Dongting County.
The deputy commander of the army is the protector of the country, the captain of Dongting, and the holy monk of Jihui of Baifeng Temple.
With these two adults taking action this time, the rebellious Five Poison Sect will all be wiped out. "
After Chu Wei said the above news, he couldn't help but have a hint of pride on his face. It could be seen that he was very confident in this lineup.
After Lu Yuan heard this, he couldn't help but feel secretly shocked.
The protector of the country, the holy monk Jihui of Baifeng Temple who was invited by the emperor to teach in Beijing, was widely rumored last year. At this time, Zhongzhu has negotiated terms with the court and officially joined the court's camp?
Does the joining of this person mean that the remaining four Jianghu forces with innate masters in the Da Yue Jianghu will gradually merge with the imperial court and become a part of the imperial court?
If that's the case.
So with the help of these martial arts masters, the imperial court will suddenly have five more innate masters and ten innate masters.
The original dilemma of insufficient innate masters was instantly alleviated.
besides.
Where did that Miao recruiting coach Wu Chenghou Shangguan Ming come from?
In the imperial official system, the only people who can add the word "武" in front of their titles are innate masters.
But Lu Yuan remembered that among the imperial masters he knew well, there was no Marquis Wucheng, and no one named Shangguan Ming.
Thinking of this, Lu Yuan asked: "Master Chu, I have never heard of Marquis Wu Cheng before. I wonder where this Shangguan Marquis comes from?"
When Chu Wei heard the inquiry, he took a sip of wine and said with a smile: "Wuchenghou comes from the Jintan Shangguan clan. He has been practicing martial arts secretly in the clan before and has not been around much in the officialdom, so his reputation is not obvious.
However, at the beginning of the year, Lord Shangguan made great progress in cultivation and successfully broke through the mysterious barrier between heaven and earth and entered the innate realm.
It's just that despite the breakthrough, Lord Shangguan has been busy in retreat to stabilize his cultivation, so it has been unknown to outsiders.
This time the court was in trouble, and Marquis Wuyang was unfortunately assassinated by a traitor.
Therefore, in order to repay the favor of the country, Shangguan served as a general, was granted the title of Marquis of Wucheng, and served as the commander-in-chief of the Miao expedition. "
While writing casually, Chu Wei exploded another big melon and pretended to be a pussy.
Lu Yuan was shocked again.
