In the east gate of Jinyang City, the lights are brightly lit above the gate tower. The city defenders patrol closely and never slack off. This is probably the night when the defenders are most vigilant in recent times.
The Qingqi came through the night without concealing their tracks, and quickly attracted the attention of the guards on the city. At the critical moment, the guards suddenly shouted: "Stop whoever is coming! Who is it!"
Through the lights cast on the city, under the dim light, Li Shaoyou's tired face could be vaguely seen, reining in his horse and looking towards the top of the city. After signaling, the subordinate immediately raised his voice: "Open the city gate quickly! We want to enter the city!"
"There is a curfew now, and the Jiedu government has issued a strict order. If you want to enter the city, you must go to the post to wait for the morning!" The officers on the city were not polite at all.
"How outrageous!" The subordinate who shouted immediately said angrily: "Below the city are the special envoys of the emperor, the military envoys, and the Duke of Shouyang. Open the door immediately!"
After saying this, the garrison officer on the city obviously hesitated, but still did not move. Seeing this, his subordinates became angry. Li Shaoyou stretched out his hand to stop him, raised his head and said loudly: "Report immediately and go to Zhao Kuangyin, the Marquis of Yu in front of the palace!"
"Please wait!" came the response from above.
Hearing this, Li Shaoyou showed a smile on his face. With one correct question, he was basically certain that the situation in the city had been settled and there were no major problems.
Not long after waiting, the figures on the city flashed. Soon, the suspension bridge fell, the city gate opened, and Zhao Kuangyin personally greeted him: "Please wait for me, Lord!"
"Waiting for this moment, I am very determined!" Li Shaoyou rode his horse, rode into the city with him, and asked about the situation in the city.
Zhao Kuangyin said: "The Taiyuan Wang family has been put under centralized custody, and all the remaining guards in the palace have disarmed and moved to another place to guard. Chen Guangyu is very cooperative. The generals and sergeants in the city have already appeased the Lord, and Fan Xianggong has joined the palace to take charge!"
"Okay!" Li Shaoyou smiled calmly: "After tonight, I can finally feel a little more relaxed. Let's go to the palace, and we have been here for twenty days, and we haven't even done it yet!"
It was dark at night, and the palace had completely returned to calm after a brief chaos. The imperial soldiers, led by Han Lingkun, were on tight guard. In the hall, Fan Zhi, Zheng Gong and Zhao Hua were sitting across from each other and talking. Zheng and Zhao were both respectful, which made Fan Zhi feel the status and respect of the imperial prime minister. After traveling north to Hedong, he suffered a lot. gas.
Li Shaoyou and Zhao Kuangyin went to the hall hand in hand, and the three of them stood up to greet them.
"Thank you for your hard work, Duke!" Fan Zhi said to Li Shaoyou; "Please sit down!"
"How dare Li be the prime minister of the Han Dynasty!" Li Shaoyou waved his hands, looking very humble, and as he spoke, his eyes fell on Zheng Gong and Zhao Hua.
"Oh! It's already late. The two lower officials have to leave first!" Seeing this, Zheng Gong said quickly.
Seeing that he was so knowledgeable, Li Shaoyou didn't try to persuade him to stay. After thinking about it, he told Zheng Gong: "I still need to trouble Judge Zheng to take people out of the city to clean up Wynn Station!"
"Yes! I'll go and do it immediately!"
When only Li, Fan and Zhao were left in the hall, the atmosphere became much more relaxed. They looked at each other and smiled: "Liu Chong is bound, Hedong is not in chaos, and he has finally lived up to his Majesty's mission!"
"You can say that your hard work pays off, Duke!" Fan Zhi bowed his hand to Li Shaoyou, but his words came from his sincerity.
"Xianggong, Duke of the county." Zhao Kuangyin said: "Although Jinyang has been temporarily calmed down, and the two envoys Zheng and Li have obeyed the imperial court, if Fenzhou in the south and Xinzhou in the north are not handled properly, there may be another wave of trouble!"
Fan Zhi also nodded and said: "This matter has to be considered. Fenzhou, a dangerous place in Xinzhou, is in the hands of Liu Chengjun. Especially Fenzhou, who is the son of Liu Chong. Before I went north to Jinyang, there were changes in Fenzhou. Fenzhou Although there are not many soldiers and horses in the state, if chaos breaks out, it will be troublesome!"
Hearing this, there was no trace of nervousness on Li Shaoyou's face and he said: "Over in Xinzhou, Daizhou Tuanlian Yang Ye has taken down the defensive commander Li Cungui, so it's okay. As for Fenzhou, we need to think of a safe strategy! "
"The crux of the Hedong problem lies first with Liu Chong, the king of Taiyuan!" Fan Zhi stroked his beard and said calmly: "The news in Jinyang is still sealed. All we need to do is send a message in the name of Liu Chong to summon Liu Chengjun to come north to discuss important matters. If he comes , just send an official and you can take care of it!"
"Okay! Fan Xiang is really smart, let's do it like this!" Li Shaoyou said: "You can send a section official to come in person!"
After talking about this matter, Li Shaoyou stood up, looked at Fan and Zhao, and said lazily: "As long as Liu Chengjun is bound, my mission to the north will be considered completed! Next, what will happen to the military and political matters in Hedong? Purge, reform, and disposal have nothing to do with me!"
"The three of us each submitted a letter to your Majesty to report the ministry and ask your Majesty to arrange it!" After yawning, Li Shaoyou waved his hands and walked out: "Hiding in the dark, hiding in the deep house, these days, I can't I didn’t get a good night’s sleep, so I’ll take my leave for the time being. I must have a good night’s sleep…”
Sitting in the hall, looking at Li Shaoyou, whose back has become leisurely, the Duke of Shouyang at this time does not have the demeanor of planning, controlling the overall situation, and commanding decisively.
Fan Zhi and Zhao Kuangyin looked at each other, a little surprised and a little emotional. Fan Zhi rushed to Zhao Kuangyin and said: "Yuhou, the capital of Zhao, is now stationed in Hedong. The main force is concentrated in Jinyang. I will trouble you about the selection of soldiers for the Fu army!"
Zhao Kuangyin said: "When the last general came to the north, he was ordered by the Privy Council to select the best and strongest men to fill Tokyo. It is naturally obligatory!"
In the next two days, the trio from the north did not make any big moves in Jinyang City. They continued to issue official documents in the name of Jiedu Mansion to stabilize their duties and maintain operations. The army, on the other hand, readjusted its garrison layout to ensure safety.
But no matter what, Fan Zhi and Zhao Kuangyin were too busy to keep their feet off the ground. Zhao Kuangyin basically stayed in the army, inspecting all the military camps, calming the morale of the troops, and understanding the military situation. Fan Zhi stayed in the commander's mansion, reading various documents and policy documents, and observing the governance situation in Hedong.
Only Li Shaoyou was leisurely wandering around the city, and even found a beautiful woman to accompany him for fun, feeling particularly at ease...
Just as Fan Zhi planned, Fenzhou defense envoy Liu Chengjun received a letter from Jinyang. Unexpectedly, he hurried north with his personal entourage of hundreds of cavalry. Entering the city and entering the mansion, he was captured by Han Lingkun. There was no chance of resistance. The reunion with Liu Chong's family also made Liu Chong's last thoughts disappear in vain, and he cursed his son for his incompetence. Following this, Han Lingkun was ordered to lead his people south quickly and temporarily take over Fenzhou, which went very smoothly.
Under the blue sky and white sun, at the camp in the east of Jinyang City, Zhao Kuangyin selected 500 officers and soldiers from various Jin armies and gathered them here. Most of them were officers at all levels. The general stage had already been set up, Zhao Kuangyin came on the stage and only looked around, and the bursts of discussion gradually stopped.
Taking a deep breath, Zhao Kuangyin felt that he had never spoken so loudly before, and said loudly to the five hundred soldiers:
"Brothers, I am Zhao Kuangyin. I have been promoted by all the people. I live in front of the palace and serve as the capital of Yuhou. You all have gotten to know me in the past few days. Regarding the selection of troops by the imperial court, there were many rumors in the army some time ago. Soldiers If you have any doubts, I have summoned you here today just to dispel your doubts and to warn you that the imperial court has no intention of treating the soldiers of Hedong lightly.
Before I came north, the Emperor once called me to give me a lecture, saying that the mountains and rivers east of Hedong were the place where the great Han Dynasty prospered, and heroes had always been produced. The soldiers from Hedong were able to kill enemies on horseback and farm when dismounted. They made great contributions to the establishment of the Han Dynasty. Since the founding of the country, you have guarded the city gates, guarded against the Khitans, and exterminated thieves. Your hard work and achievements are admirable! The Emperor will keep these in his heart! "
"General, does the emperor really remember us? And praises our contribution?" One of the officers in the audience asked, perhaps out of doubt, or perhaps out of deliberate flattery.
"That's natural, I will never lie!" Zhao Kuangyin immediately said, categorically: "The emperor also specially told me to treat all officers and soldiers with respect and not to neglect!"
"This time, I have been ordered to select talented warriors for the imperial court to join the Imperial Army and serve the Emperor in Tokyo. The selected people must be elites from Hedong, heroes and warriors, and their salaries will be paid in accordance with the Imperial Army regulations. When they arrive in Tokyo, they will also be You are personally received and praised by the emperor! And your family members should also be cared for by the imperial court!"
After Zhao Kuangyin said these words, there were fluctuations among the soldiers, and many people showed expressions of excitement.
Zhao Kuangyin continued: "Of course, in addition to the selected troops, all the remaining brothers will not be dismissed. As long as you are qualified, the Privy Council will organize you as local state soldiers to defend the country, increase your salary, and reward you with land. , grain seeds, agricultural tools!
As for the soldiers who have been eliminated due to old age, injury, or weakness, the imperial court will not abandon them. The emperor has issued an order to distribute money and food to this group of soldiers to return to their hometowns. With the name certificate issued by the Privy Council, they can go to the local government to receive land in the same way, and each person will be rewarded with fifty acres of land. Moreover, soldiers can serve as village officials, and officers can serve as errands in counties and towns.
These are the gifts given to you by the Emperor. When you return to camp, you should tell the soldiers in detail, and the imperial court will never treat you badly..."
Zhao Kuangyin's words were already very clear. As his words fell, a burst of warm cheers suddenly broke out on the spot.
Li Shaoyou rarely got out of his leisurely mood, and also arrived at the camp, watching from a distance. Amidst the shouts of "Long live", his eyes fell on the tall figure of Zhao Kuangyin on the general platform, and he sighed: "This Zhao Kuangyin, What a character! Just a few words can calm the general's mind!"
"If it weren't for the emperor's reward that could impress these Hedong troops, how could he have the opportunity to be in the general position and show his favor and power!" A subordinate beside him muttered.
Hearing this, Li Shaoyou turned his head suddenly and stared at the person, making him a little nervous: "This subordinate is talking too much!"
"No! You said it very well!" Li Shaoyou smiled: "The key lies in the emperor's kindness and kindness to the soldiers!"
In fact, the rumors Liu Chong had spread among the army were just misinterpretations of the imperial edict for selecting troops, and the officers and men were only concerned about their placement.
Many of them had been in the army for a long time, and suddenly they were disbanded, which was equivalent to ending their livelihood. Now, if we explain it clearly and take the corrective measures in place, the matter will be settled.
