With adequate preparation and orderly dispatch, the southern crossing went smoothly without any accidents. It took nearly two hours and more than 4,000 troops and horses all crossed the river.
Originally, Liu Chengyou's side only had the Third Army, Guards Battalion and most of the cavalry troops, with a strength of less than 3,000. However, when he was in Xingzhou, Xue Huairang's tribe was annexed, and the strong ones were selected and sent to the army, and the rest were sent away. On the way back, some scattered soldiers and strong men who defected were collected, and that's all.
Liu Chengyou was one of the later groups to cross the river. He set foot on the land of Henan for the first time in a full spirit. Behind him, there were sergeants and civilians placing war horses, weapons, property and other things on the ferry.
On the ferry, there is a stone tablet erected, which is probably a boundary monument. There are some words on it, among which "Baimajin" is the most conspicuous. Anyone who has watched "Three Kingdoms" should have some impression of Baima.
Not far from the ferry, there was a small town. When his troops were reorganizing their ranks, Liu Chengyou was invited to the town.
There is a Baima Post in the town. There is a lot of pomp in front of the post. The generals from Huazhou have already lined up here to greet them. They all lowered their eyebrows and were very restrained. Liu Chengyou was at the entrance of the post house. Seeing this scene, he looked inside.
I saw a burst of movement in the meantime. Before anyone came out, the sound had already arrived, accompanied by a burst of slightly wild laughter: "Erlang, you are finally back!"
Two figures appeared side by side at the gate of Baima Post. They were two middle-aged men with thick mustaches. Liu Chengyou recognized them at a glance. They were his uncle Liu Xin. After entering Bian, Liu Xin served as the commander of the capital of the Majun Guards and the military envoy of the Yicheng Army. He was ordered to lead a Xingjie Forbidden Army to station in Huazhou.
It was clearly felt that when Liu Xin appeared, the bodies of those Huazhou generals were subconsciously a little shorter. It was obvious that his uncle was very powerful and these people were afraid of him. Liu Chengyou was not surprised by this. When he was still in Jinyang, his uncle had a reputation of being a murderer and a murderer, tortured, and tortured criminals for fun. I think it was Liu Xin who acted cruelly in Huazhou.
Looking at Liu Xin, Liu Chengyou held his hands in reserve: "How can I trouble my uncle to welcome me?"
"It really hasn't changed at all!" Seeing Liu Chengyou's reaction, Liu Xin didn't take it seriously and patted him on the shoulder affectionately: "We are all a family. To say so is to be outspoken."
His eyebrows were raised. Liu Xin's enthusiasm made Liu Chengyou a little uncomfortable. You must know that at the beginning, although their uncle and nephew had a friendship, they didn't have much affection. However, he still agreed: "What my uncle said is true."
After a brief observation of Liu Xin, compared to when he was in Jinyang, there were only four words between Liu Xin's eyebrows at this time: Proud of spring breeze. A bit of joy, a bit of arrogance. Wearing a brocade suit, the material is made of fine satin, the hem of the clothes is gilded with gold, the belt is inlaid with beautiful jade, and the crown on the head is also inlaid with several pearls according to certain rules, green, Glittering green in the sunlight.
With this outfit, it was obvious that Liu Xin had gained a lot during this period.
"I heard that you are coming south, and the officials have already ordered me to pay attention to the news and welcome you." Liu Xin said with a smile.
"Then I'd like to thank you, Emperor Father, for your concern." Liu Chengyou raised his hand in the southwest direction and made a salute.
Out of the corner of his eye, he glanced at the middle-aged man next to Liu Xin. His face was extremely dark, and his face was pockmarked densely, making him unforgettable after just one glance. Noticing Liu Chengyou's eyes, the big man laughed loudly and said, "Why, have you forgotten your uncle Yanchao?"
Frowning slightly, Liu Chengyou really didn't have much of an impression. When Liu Xin introduced him, he realized that the middle-aged man in front of him was Liu Zhiyuan's half-brother, Murong Yanchao.
"Uncle." No matter what, he was still the elder, so Liu Chengyou bowed respectfully.
At the beginning, Murong Yanchao came from Fangzhou Beitou. After entering Bian, when it was time to hire people and the dynasty was first established, his family could still use them with confidence, so Liu Zhiyuan appointed Murong Yanchao as the military envoy of Zhenning Army and led the troops to station in Chanzhou. This crucial place.
Chanzhou is a neighbor to Huazhou, and the prefecture's jurisdiction is only eighty or ninety miles away from Baima. This time I came specifically to Liu Xin's place as a guest, and it happened to be that Liu Chengyou came south.
After learning these things, Liu Chengyou observed Murong Yanchao inadvertently, paying special attention to the dark pockmarked face. Liu Zhiyuan's black face appeared in his mind, and he could believe that he must have been born from the same mother. From this, he thought that he, his eldest brother Liu Chengxun, and his third brother Liu Chengxun were all relatively fair-looking. They had to thank their mother Li's genes, otherwise, they might not be the same family.
During the greetings, Liu Chengyou was invited to Baima Yi by Liu Xin. Liu Xin showed off the knowledge he had prepared in advance: "I have prepared a banquet to welcome you. This is the place I specially selected. This Baima Posthouse has something to say. More than 40 years ago, Liang Taizu It was here that all the old ministers of Li Tang Nagan were killed, and the obstacles were removed, so that the Liang Dynasty could be successfully replaced by the Tang Dynasty..."
Speaking of the killing, Liu Xin was still a little excited and said without shame: "Today our uncle and nephew will drink here, and it is appropriate to use this event to congratulate me on the founding of the Han Dynasty."
Liu Chengyou's mouth twitched when Liu Xin viewed the "Baimayi Disaster" in this way and talked about the founding of the Han Dynasty.
Seeing his smug look, Liu Chengyou lightly complimented: "Uncle is really knowledgeable."
Liu Xin was even more happy: "Although I am a warrior and not literate, I have always made some progress after following the official family for so long..."
From the bottom of his heart, Liu Chengyou didn't think highly of these two uncles. He could even describe them as contempt. Liu Zhiyuan entrusted the two to guard the chokepoint, but he behaved so carelessly.
Needless to say, Liu Xin has always been like this. This Murong Yanchao also left his post without permission when he was in charge of Chanzhou, just to come to Baima as a guest and drink. What kind of place is Chanzhou? It strangles the throat of the north bank of the river and is an important place for river defense. Liu Zhiyuan arranged for him to be there, obviously to be wary of Du Chongwei in Yedu.
If Du Chongwei rebels and raises his troops to move south, Chanzhou is the first line of defense against him. Such an important place and such a responsible person simply regard military and national affairs as child's play.
Thinking of this, Liu Chengyou's expression became calmer, but his eyes gradually became colder.
He can probably understand Liu Zhiyuan's mentality. After all, he is one of his own family members and more worthy of trust. He must rely on these people to defend the country. However, there are countless examples out there, and in times of emergency, it is these "family members" who often do bad things. Don’t talk about the far ones, just talk about the ones close at hand, such as Du Chongwei!
After arriving in Tokyo, do you want to give your father some advice? Liu Xin was still buzzing in his ears, and Liu Chengyou already had such an idea in his mind.
His thoughts wandered a little, and it seemed that few of the royal family members of the Liu family were successful enough to be entrusted with big things.
Liu Zhiyuan's three brothers, Liu Xin and Murong Yanchao, are here to show their performance. As for Liu Chong, wasn't it because Liu Zhiyuan, the eldest brother, was here that he could survive until now?
On the Li family's side, there are several uncles of Liu Chengyou, but each one is more confused than the last. The second uncle Li Hongwei is a little more outstanding, but his temper is too timid, he is procrastinating, and he is not decisive enough.
As far as Liu Chengyou knows, among all his relatives, his brother-in-law Song Yanwo is a talented person, but unfortunately they don't have a close relationship with him. And his cousin Li Shaoyou.
Liu Xin and Murong Yanchao naturally didn't know how much their nephew, who was dealing with them, despised them in their hearts. They were both in high spirits and talking lively.
In the main hall of the post house, a banquet of wine and food has been placed, and the aroma hits the taste buds. The dishes do not look exquisite, but they are rich. There are all kinds of meats, and the tables are filled with them. They are used very luxuriously.
As he took his seat, Liu Xin clapped his hands, and several beautiful figures came up to the hall gracefully. They were barefoot, thinly dressed, with magical weapons looming, dancing gracefully to the music playing from behind the curtain.
Liu Chengyou sighed silently in his heart, are you enjoying it now? What kind of scene is it in Tokyo city? Liu Chengyou can't be optimistic at this time.
Few men are exempt from drinking, sex, and wealth, especially the warriors of this era. Murong Yanchao's gaze was immediately attracted. His wide eyes almost sucked the dancing beauties into his eyeballs. He had a look of salivation on his face: "Brother Xin, I have been here in Hakuba for two days. You have hidden such beauties well." So deep.”
"Hehe." Liu Xin was a little proud: "These are the provocative tricks that I spent a lot of effort to collect after arriving in Baima. They are good at singing and dancing. If you are interested, can I give you two as a gift?"
Murong Yanchao was not polite and smiled directly: "Then I'll thank you in advance."
The two of them didn't shy away from Liu Chengyou at all, or they didn't care at all. Liu Chengyou only looked around for a moment, then withdrew his gaze. Seeing his reaction, Liu Xin was slightly surprised, and then said angrily: "Erlang, you can like these beauties, you can choose one or two, just treat them as gifts from me." Gift."
This Liu Xin is really a fool, he just wants to give Liu Chengyou a woman.
"No, my nephew has no ambition here. Besides, how dare he take away the love of his elders?" Liu Chengyou said.
"How can you be so boring at such a young age?" Liu Xin waved his hand and said carelessly: "Don't you have a concubine in your house? Logically speaking, you have experienced the beauty of it. How can one be enough? You have been leading the army for so long. I want to come here. You must have been holding it in for a long time, it’s time to find this delicate and tender person to relieve the fatigue of the battle..."
Liu Xin was talking dirty words, and Murong Yanchao also spoke, saying in an experienced tone: "This woman is wonderful and has endless fun. Erlang, please don't brush off your uncle's kindness."
After saying this, Liu Xin directly ordered him to stop singing and dancing, and asked several dancers to come closer and let Liu Chengyou choose.
Unable to refuse such hospitality, Liu Chengyou once again focused his attention on the dancers. They were all young, with good looks and good figures, but they were just good.
Compared to Liu Chengyou's dull reaction, several dancers were slightly excited, with eager eyes, hoping very much that Liu Chengyou would pick them. The conversation between the three people just now was not restrained, and of course they listened to it.
Compared to serving a tyrannical warrior like Liu Xin or being given to a dark man like Murong Yanchao, naturally a handsome man like Liu Chengyou is more pleasing to the eye, young, brave, and noble...
It's a pity that Liu Chengyou still disappointed them, as if he ignored the pink skull, he picked up a glass of wine on the table and turned to Liu Xin: "My uncle's thoughts, my nephew understands it, but I am exhausted physically and mentally from all the way south, Tokyo The public opinion over there, hey... I would like to take this cup as a confession."
After saying that, he drank it all in one gulp. Liu Chengyou looked like he had something to hide, and the "smart" Liu Xin reacted immediately, pointed to the south and said: "Are you worried about the public opinion in the court? There is no need to be like this, you are just a jealous villain. It’s such a prestigious reputation that it makes those who claim to be heroes of life unable to sit still!”
Under Liu Zhiyuan's command, there were many factions and constant struggles for power, and the ministers each had their own ideas. It was not obvious before, but once they entered Kaifeng and the overall situation was decided, they could no longer calm down, and there were many cases of competing for credit and favor. Clan clans like Liu Xin are also of the same faction, but they think highly of themselves. Relying on Liu Zhiyuan's favor, they always look down on those courtiers and foreign generals.
"Uncle, these words are serious."
"You don't need to pay too much attention." Liu Xin said carelessly: "Isn't it just that I sent some soldiers and horses to Zhao Yanshou to fight the Khitans? It's not a big deal. Dalang also explained it to the elder brother. You are the elder brother's son, so what? It is those outsiders who can distance themselves. Besides, without you, those Yan soldiers could not be captured."
When Liu Xin looked at the problem, he obviously saw it very simply. Is the problem really just that Liu Chengyou is good at making opinions and being arrogant and domineering?
For the founder of a country, having a son who is too powerful is not a good thing, especially in this new dynasty. After a brief review, we can find that Liu Zhiyuan's founding of the country basically took advantage of it, gathered troops in Hedong to wait and see, and then marched into the Central Plains to take over the country.
From beginning to end, there was no tough battle. Originally, Liu Chengyou defeated Geng Chongmei as a battle, then Shi Hongzhao attacked Hanoi, and Guo Congyi went to the Central Plains and entered Kaifeng. If this is the case, although the victory of the country does not have much convincing and deterrent power, it is basically carried out under the control of Emperor Liu Zhiyuan, and everything is under his control.
However, in Luancheng, Liu Chengyou suddenly attacked the Khitan army. He defeated hundreds of thousands with eight thousand soldiers, but he still defeated the main force of the Khitan. It can be said that it is ground-breaking. It will naturally have a huge positive effect on the establishment of the New Han Dynasty and deter the world. Seeing the return of the states and towns, all the Jiedu in various places have basically put away their overflowing little thoughts and dare not make any changes.
So, the question is, in the battle of Luancheng, no matter how you look at it, the most dazzling one is only the prince Liu Chengyou. No matter how stupid you are, you will not think that the Battle of Luancheng was carried out by Liu Chengyou under the will of Emperor Liu Zhiyuan.
For Liu Zhiyuan, the more he thought about this situation, the more something was wrong, the more he thought about it, the more disgusting and complicated he became. Which founding king would be truly generous and open-minded. Liu Zhiyuan is not a good person, but his temperament is extraordinary. Moreover, Liu Chengyou is still his son, so the development of the story will not be too tense...
Liu Chengyou had not thought of this at first, but it was only after Tao Gu's insinuating reminder that Liu Chengyou came to his senses. Tao Gu is definitely a talented person when it comes to politics. As a result, Liu Chengyou also had a clearer understanding of the public opinions in the DPRK.
Liu Chengyou knew this, but had no intention of explaining it to Liu Xin, and simply dealt with it.
"Don't mention these, just come back. Those people don't dare to be arrogant." Liu Xin picked up the wine glass and poured it into his mouth: "Come, we brothers, let's toast Erlang together."
"I don't dare." Liu Chengyou responded with a cup.
Although he didn't like Liu Xin's extravagance and extravagance, Liu Chengyou was very honest and had good food and drink. There was no need to pretend to be reserved and torment himself as usual.
Furthermore, you have already rejected your uncle's kindness once. Should you reject it a second time? That would be really disrespectful to your uncle.
While drinking wine and chewing big bones, Liu Chengyou was thinking like this: Give Liu Xin face.
