It is the dog days of summer, and the Central Plains has ushered in the hottest days. The heaven and earth are like a furnace, with the scorching sun and poisonous fire roasting the earth mercilessly. The official road leading to Kaifeng is wide and flat, without many ups and downs. The roads of the Han Dynasty may still be simple or even dilapidated in other places, but the roads around the capital are still well repaired to connect all directions.
The straight road lies quietly in the wilderness, with acres of wheat fields on both sides. The crops are growing vigorously and gratifyingly. Because it is too hot, if you look around, you can see obvious heat waves.
A motorcade was marching slowly on the official road, and the guards of honor were of high standard and tightly guarded. There were many vehicles, but they were not official brigade of the Han Dynasty. This group of people is an envoy from the Liu family in Lingnan.
A knight rode his horse south, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and reported the situation to the escorting officer. After hearing the report, the officer turned his horse around and headed towards a gorgeous carriage in the middle: "Report to the Lieutenant Commander! After questioning, we have left the territory of Weishi County. We will continue along this road for more than thirty miles to Kaifeng!"
The car curtain opened, and a face smeared with makeup peeked out. He looked up at the sky, probably fearing that his skin would be affected by the scorching sun, and quickly shrank back, saying: "Speed up, we must get to Tokyo today." !”
"Lieutenant officer, we have been driving for forty miles continuously. The guards are very hungry, thirsty and exhausted. Do you want to rest for a while before driving on?" the officer asked for instructions.
Soon there was an obviously impatient response from the car: "It's only thirty miles away, you still need to rest? Drink water when you're thirsty, how can you say you're tired when you're all riding a horse and carrying a cart? I'm on an envoy to the Northern Han Dynasty on your Majesty's order. We are going to Kaifeng soon to discuss national affairs, how can we be delayed by lazy people like you! If something goes wrong, can you afford it?"
After being reprimanded by this, the officer looked ugly and responded in a muffled voice.
I was cursing secretly in my heart: You eunuch, it's easy to say that, you have a car to drive and ride in the sun, but we are exposed to the scorching sun. If you hadn't been playing slowly along the way, how could you have wasted so much time.
Of course, no matter how vigorous the resentment is, it can only be kept in the heart. He raised his eyes and looked at the scorching sun, which almost blinded his eyes. He galloped forward and the officer shouted loudly: "Speed up, get to Kaifeng, have a good rest!"
As for Chen Yanshou, who was the envoy going north this time, he was completely unaware of the guards' resentment, or he didn't care at all. Staying in the carriage, although the summer sun is missing, it is still sweltering. So I simply prepare half a bucket of cold water in advance and pour water on my face from time to time, which can dispel the heat.
After washing his face, he took out a mirror and combed it, especially his fragile beard. He was a eunuch after all, so in order not to be looked down upon by others, before he left, he specially found a craftsman to decorate him with a thick beard, but it was too troublesome to take care of it.
Chen Yanshou was an internal minister in the Southern Han Palace. He went north this time because he was recommended by Lin Yanyu, the envoy of Ganquan Palace and the minister of Gouchen, to go to the Central Plains as an envoy to seek peace.
The problem still lies in the battle of Guiyang Pass more than a month ago. The Southern Han army was beaten so badly that the battle loss ratio was 1 to 5. If it were not restrained by the above, the Han army might have entered Lingnan and taken over the old land of Ma Chu.
For the first time since the founding of the People's Republic of China, the powerful troops of the Central Plains seemed to be more powerful than what was rumored. Liu Sheng, the leader of the Southern Han Dynasty, could not sit still and hurriedly sent envoys to repair it.
In fact, as early as three years ago, after the Northern Han Dynasty attacked the Southern Tang Dynasty and took all the land north of the Yangtze River, Liu Sheng, who lived in the Southern Han Dynasty, was already feeling fearful. The Southern Han Dynasty had established diplomatic relations with Guangdong for decades. Although it avoided the disputes in the Central Plains, it did not care at all about the development of the situation in the north.
The land of Huainan has been a place of contention between the Central Plains and Jianghuai since the Zhu Liang Dynasty, and it has been owned by them from Yang Wu to the Southern Tang Dynasty. However, decades later, the Central Plains were suddenly captured in one fell swoop. The Southern Tang Dynasty had a large army, but had little power to fight back. It took half a year to sacrifice its territory. Such a situation is not easy for the southern countries to recruit. Although the separatist regimes have been fighting for decades, the concept of "great unification" is too deeply rooted in the hearts of the people. Even as far away as Lingnan, one can feel the three-dimensional war hanging over their heads. word.
Three years ago, after Liu Chengyou first captured Huainan, Liu Sheng, the lord of the Southern Han Dynasty, intended to send envoys to pay tribute and repair it, but was blocked by Hunan. After all, he sent troops to invade the land south of Ma Chu Ling, and had a lot of disputes with the Hunan forces at the time. It was not until Zhou Xingfeng came to power that things eased.
In the past, although we knew that the Northern Han Dynasty was powerful, we only had fixed impressions, relying solely on rumors, imagination and speculation. However, now, without paying attention, the Han army has reached Lingnan and spread outside the country's borders. Liu Sheng was completely panicked and hurriedly sent people to go north with heavy gifts.
...
There was a grand royal banquet in the Han Palace and the Long Live Hall. Liu Chengyou, together with the important ministers of the court, received the wind and washed away the dust for the generals of the Southern Expedition.
With the imperial policy, the situation in Jinghu gradually stabilized, and after the summer harvest, the food shortage eased. The armies of the Southern Expedition also gradually withdrew from Hunan, and the generals and political affairs were handed over to Taoist officials.
As of June, Jinghu Du commanded all the armies under his command. Although the establishment had not yet been completed, all the Tokyo Forbidden Army, except for the Guardian Army and a group of cavalry, had withdrawn northward. The last batch of Longqi Army also retreated to Li. It's sunny.
On the Hunan side, Du Hanhui, Li Jun, Pan Mei, Cao Bin and others were in charge of the military affairs, which was enough to suppress it. The generals who conquered the south, Murong Yanzhao, Guo Wei, Han Tong, Sun Li, Zhang Xun, Shi Yanchao and others, including Jingnan's surrendered generals Liang Tingsi and Wei Lin, were all ordered to go north and were personally received by the Emperor of Han.
As for Hunan, there are also a group of surrendered generals whose military quality is much better than that of Jingnan. After all, they fought all the way, but none of them was lucky enough to come to Beijing. This can also be regarded as the different treatment from the Jingnan generals due to the use of force against the imperial court.
The atmosphere in the palace was very lively. After all, he returned to court in triumph and returned victorious. This was a celebration banquet held by the emperor himself. Han Tong took the lead. He was drunk, shouted enthusiastically, and smiled like a blooming flower. He had a long face this time. He was demoted three years ago, but now he has returned to Beijing with a good reputation. He has a strong waist and can show his face to others. Yuezhou In the first battle, he defeated the main force of the rebel army and took Zhou Xingfeng's life. This was a real military achievement.
Zhang Xun came to Tokyo for the first time after the founding of the country. He had been working as a local general to suppress public security. When I came to Beijing this time, I was toasted by the emperor himself. I was a little forgetful and drank until my face turned red. He was in a particularly good mood, and there had been some rumors. Based on his military exploits in Yuezhou, the imperial court was soliciting meritorious service from the south this time. In terms of military exploits alone, he must be among the top three.
The only one who was a little embarrassed was Sun Li. He took Xiaodi's army to the south for a walk, but he didn't win a single battle. Not only that, he also gained weight. Liu Chengyou teased him back, saying that Jiangling's Feng Shui nourishes people, which made him blush a little. After all, after all, it was not his turn to be successful in this battle, but in terms of nourishment, no one could compare with him.
"This southern expedition has been a complete victory. We have captured Jinghu and laid a solid foundation for unification of the world. Your hard work has been great. I can only thank you with this wine!" Holding the wine glass, he stood with Murong Yanzhao. Son, she said to him in a friendly tone between friends.
Murong Yanzhao held the cup in both hands and behaved very humbly: "Your Majesty has wisely planned this, the Privy Council has properly arranged it, all the ministers support it with one heart, the soldiers have served bravely, and I dare not take the credit!"
In a word, downplay your own contribution to the minimum. In response, Liu Chengyou smiled even brighter and seemed more sincere, even praising Rong Yanzhao for being humble and open-minded.
It is said that soldiers should be more pure because they do not interfere in politics and do not care about politics, but that only applies to middle- and lower-level officers. If you reach a certain status and are still not knowledgeable about politics, it will be difficult to last.
Like Murong Yanzhao, who was already the commander of the palace, and now he has achieved the success of "destroying the country", and his reputation can be said to be at its peak. Under such circumstances, it is rare to still maintain a clear mind, be cautious, and not violate taboos.
However, even so, Liu Chengyou couldn't help but think about how to arrange Murong Yanzhao in the future, whether he should still be placed in the position of palace commander, and if he was dismissed, who should succeed him? Zhao Kuangyin? Hantong?
With slightly complicated emotions, Liu Chengyou turned around, with a smile on his face, and walked towards the person on the left who was more difficult to arrange: "Mr. Guo, I haven't seen you in three years, but you still have the same style!"
Facing the emperor's heart-warming smile, Mr. Guo Wei's face was full of humility, and he cupped his hands and said: "Your Majesty is full of energy and heart-wrenching. I am already old and decaying. Old age is approaching, and the hair on the temples has turned gray. Got it!"
Scanning his eyes, he noticed that Guo Wei's temples were indeed gray and full of twilight. The smile became even brighter, and he motioned Guo Wei to sit down, had a drink with him, and stroked his back: "Guo Gong is the pillar of the country, and I have many people to rely on. This time I am responsible for the transportation, so that the army will be well supplied. This is clear evidence. Now that the old minister is withering, Mr. Guo should still take care of his health..."
"Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty!"
"..."
