When Liu Fang returned to Xiazhou, he couldn't help but stop on horseback and look at the refugee camp outside the city. His expression was indifferent, but the confusion in his eyes revealed some true feelings. Pointing to the refugee camp, Liu Fang asked the city gate officer: "Refugees outside the city seem to be quite sparse?"
Upon hearing this, the city gate official replied with some excitement and some nervousness: "Back to Your Highness, in the past two days, Commander Zhang has arranged for the refugees to resume farming and grazing around the city, so the number of refugees outside the city will naturally decrease!"
Hearing this, Liu Fang nodded and sighed: "Zhang Shijun is indeed a capable person!"
There are rows of wooden cages hanging on the city wall, and the heads of some rebel leaders are placed inside. However, after so long, everyone is not surprised and has long been used to it.
"Pick off the capitals of those thieves and burn them!" Liu Fang then ordered: "The stench can be smelled far away and is off-putting. I hang my head to show it to others to frighten the thieves. Now that the thieves are all gone, who will frighten them? They have all been picked. !”
"yes!"
After saying that, he galloped his horse and whipped his horse into the city. At this time, there were still heavy troops gathered outside the city. The major wars had long since ended, and the troops were stationed in the barracks. However, Liu Fang was strict in running the army, and the control was not relaxed at all. Training was on schedule. Except for some military competitions, there was almost no other For entertainment, as you enter the city, you can still hear the loud sounds of drills coming from the camp.
Xiazhou City has a relatively small population. As a political, military and economic center, it has a lot of people. When chaos breaks out, many local sages flock to take refuge. Therefore, in addition to the officials and troops, most of the city's population consisted of celebrities with social status and their servants.
Compared with the refugees outside the city, the residents in the city obviously have a better life. At least the safety in the city is absolutely guaranteed, but the life is also limited. Not all wealthy businessmen and wealthy people have a large amount of food stored in their homes. When the food reserves are used up, they will also go hungry.
However, the government is still more concerned and has opened rations in the city. However, unlike refugee relief, they need to use money to buy it, and the price is high and the quantity is limited. It’s okay not to buy it. If you want food relief, go out of the city and stay in a refugee camp. Comparing the two, it’s natural to choose to spend money and avoid disaster.
For this reason, the Xiazhou government also gained a fortune from the people, and in the past six months, some families have reached the end of their rope. On the streets, businesses are closed and vendors are out of business. There are few pedestrians, and even if there are, they all have food on their faces.
In fact, those who are full of longing and hope that the chaos will end and the government will lift the ban must belong to these gentry and wise men in the past. If the delay continues, no matter how rich the family wealth is, they will not be able to bear it.
Liu Fang went straight to the camp, which was originally Wang Qian's residence and was used as the camp's residence. Upon learning that King Zhao had returned, Meng Xuanzhe and Zhe Yuqing, who were presiding over military affairs in the palace, hurriedly came over to greet him with a little smile on their faces.
In this Yulin Rebellion, Meng Xuanzhe completely came to the fore. The Battle of Fengzhou was a great achievement. Although he had to be separated from Li Jilong and other generals, it was a fact that he was the commander-in-chief of the unified army. As the prince of Hou Shu, it is not easy to do this.
Meng Xuanzhe is over forty years old. He looks relatively prosperous, but he is in good spirits and has a personable demeanor. He also looks relatively restrained, making it easy for people to like him.
Liu Fang looked at the two of them and said with a smile: "I heard that the heads of brother Li Jiqian were sent!"
"Exactly!" Zhe Yuqing reported: "The general has already found someone to confirm, and it is correct that he is indeed brother Li Jiqian!"
"Let's go inside and talk!" Liu Fang smiled and extended his hand.
In the hall, two heads that had been cleaned and looked extremely pale appeared in front of Liu Fang. Liu Fang looked at him twice and smiled faintly: "They are just ordinary people. There is nothing special about them except that they are younger!"
Zhe Yuqing introduced: "After the Battle of Fengzhou, the rebel army was defeated and fled. Li Jiqian led his troops to escape and fled northwest to escape the pursuit of the army, intending to escape to the desert. However, the weather was harsh and the whole journey was uninhabited. Supplies, as a last resort, Li Jiqian led his troops southward and sneaked into Lingzhou!"
"They actually went to Lingzhou!" Liu Fang raised his eyebrows and was a little surprised: "Who killed them?"
Zhe Yuqing said: "This is Li Jiqian's military advisor Zhang Pu. This man is from Yinzhou and was originally a minor official in Yinzhou. According to what he said, when Li Jiqian first rebelled two years ago, he was kidnapped in order to save his life." , helpless to become a thief.
When Li Jiqian went south to Lingzhou, he originally planned to seize the local area, unite with local parties, start another rebellion, and join forces with the Yuan thieves in Yanzhou. However, he never thought that the Yuan thieves would be defeated by Wang Shi before him.
Later, the king's division wiped out the remnants of bandits in Lingzhou, and there was a big chaos. Li Jiqian led the remnants of the bandits to mix in, intending to take advantage of the chaos, but they were attacked by the king's division, Fan Bing, and Dang Xiang. They persisted for two months, but not only failed to take advantage of the expansion, but also the stubborn thieves under his command In the chaotic situation, the fighting became less and less, and eventually fell apart.
Seeing that nothing could be done, Li Jiqian decided to escape from Yulin and go to the outside of the Great Wall to borrow the power of the Mobei Khitan to make a new start. However, when preparing to sneak across the Yellow River, the only remaining subordinates were instigated by Zhang Pu to kill Li Jiqian's brothers and take their heads to surrender to the imperial court.
Commander Tiandu obtained his head in Lingzhou and quickly sent it to Xiazhou! "
After listening to Zhe Yuqing's report, Liu Fang stared at Li Jiqian's head again and smiled faintly: "This man is trying to cause chaos in Yulin and has caused countless deaths to the people. He should have been destroyed long ago. Your Majesty plans to cut him into pieces with thousands of swords and break his bones." Gray one, it will be easier for him to die like this! Pack up this brother’s head and send it to Tokyo as quickly as possible and report it to the court!”
"yes!"
"Your Highness, how should we deal with Zhang Pu?" Zhe Yuqing asked again.
After hearing the question, Liu Fang thought for a while and asked: "Is what he said credible?"
Zhe Yuqing shook his head: "The general has investigated and found out that this person was originally a small official in Yinzhou Yamen. He was not promoted for ten years because he offended his superior. I am afraid that he became a thief not out of necessity, but also because he had resentment towards the imperial court.
Compared with those mediocre and ignorant people, these scholars and officials have caused greater harm. As for his remarks that were coerced by Li Jiqian, they are even more questionable. Therefore, the general believes that he needs to be severely punished! "
After listening to Zhe Yuqing's words, Liu Fang nodded and said softly: "However, he presented the heads of brother Li Jiqian. No matter what, this is real merit. Like those who surrendered before, he regarded it as beheading. Anyway, it doesn’t seem that hard to accept! As for the literati, in addition to seeking advantages and avoiding disadvantages, they are also more flexible than the common people and know how to make smarter choices that are more beneficial to them!"
"Then your Highness's intention is to let this person go?" Zhe Yuqing frowned and asked.
"Together with the military advisor who captured the Yuan thief earlier, send them to Tokyo and hand them over to the imperial court! Let the ministers of the imperial court see how these civil servants from different political backgrounds are loyal to the emperor, patriotic and serve the imperial court. That person seems to be My surname is Zhang too!" Liu Fang said after thinking about it for a while.
"Yes! Yuan Thief's military advisor, whose surname is Zhang Minghong!" Zhe Yuqing said.
"The two thieves from the northwest have similar origins. I'm afraid they will still be remembered by this name!" Liu Fang said with a little ridicule in his tone: "Even if it is just a thieves name!"
"That's it!" After saying that, Liu Fang waved his hand and looked at Meng Xuanzhe: "Commander Mengdu, how is the withdrawal plan going?"
After hearing the inquiry, Meng Xuanzhe, who had been silent all this time, immediately took out a report from the hall case and presented it to Liu Fang: "The final draft has been completed by General Zhe, and I would like to ask Your Highness to review it!"
Liu Fang took it and read it carefully, and soon, he opened his eyebrows and smiled: "It's very good, it's very complete, but it's not strong enough. Half of the first batch should be withdrawn first, and all the extra soldiers should be dismissed." Come back!"
Meng Xuanzhe looked hesitant, but after thinking about it, he still said: "Yes!"
Liu Fang sighed with emotion: "The Yulin Rebellion has basically been put down now. It's time to withdraw the troops, lift the ban, and return to local control! The army has been stationed for a long time. The court has long criticized it and has deep resentment. If we don't reduce the troops and return them, I'm afraid the prince will Your Highness can’t suppress it anymore!”
With that said, Liu Fang raised the report in his hand and smiled at Meng Xuanzhe: "Mengdu commanded the envoys well and managed the army well, and allowed civil and military officials. When you were in charge of the military affairs, I am afraid it will not be easy for the court to pacify Bashu!" "
As soon as he said these words, Meng Xuanzhe, who had always maintained a strict attitude, suddenly changed his temperament. A kind of surprise appeared on his face. He clasped his fists hard and said in a deep voice: "Your Highness, what you said is wrong. The imperial court's unification of the world is a majestic trend." , no one can reverse it, how can a mere Meng Xuanzhe be able to stop it!"
Liu Fang was stunned for a moment. Seeing the serious posture of Meng Xuanzhe, he also put away his smile and returned the greeting: "Commander Mengdu is right about what he said. What I said was inappropriate. Please forgive me!"
It is difficult to surrender, especially when Zeng Jin is the prince of Hou Shu. Liu Fang heard something. Before the Battle of Zhen'an Fort last year, Meng Xuanzhe suggested to be careful in order to prevent fraud. As a result, Wang Qian used Meng Xuanzhe's identity to oppress him, forced him to fight, and gave him 500 men. He went to eliminate Li Jiqian, but was ambushed and killed by Li Jiqian, almost losing his life.
Although what Liu Fang just said was unintentional, in Meng Xuanzhe's ears, it touched a sensitive spot in him. What's more, if similar words were said by Liu Fang, the nature would be even more serious.
Liu Fang has always corrected his mistakes, sympathized with his feelings, and was willing to put down his body and apologize. But after hearing what King Zhao said, Meng Xuanzhe felt a little relieved.
(End of chapter)
