Five Dynasties River Mountains Fengyue

Chapter 250 The Road to Prisoners (six thousand five)

After crossing the Yellow River, it was not far from Daliang, and it was impossible to hide the traces of the army.

I met several local officials on the road, and the post station officials made inquiries. Most of them were very cautious and spoke very carefully. After all, facing a huge army fully armed, no one could help but feel frightened.

There are also some smarter, well-informed officials who obviously guessed one or two, and speak with trepidation.

Shi Congyun didn't delay with them, and immediately marched after crossing the Yellow River, impatiently approaching Daliang. The more he was delayed, the more uneasy he felt. He didn't know what the situation in the court was like at this time, but he knew one thing, the sooner he went back, the safer it would be.

After several years of development, Daliang City has become the center of the Central Plains and the North. The eight-year period of stability is very rare, and Daliang City is gradually recovering its prosperity.

When he was tens of miles away from the city, Shi Congyun saw a lot of fireworks, many settlements, and villages and towns everywhere. When he first entered Daliang five or six years ago, it was still deserted and there were few people.

Now there are settlements with people coming and going dozens of miles outside Daliang City, and the dense settlements around Daliang City as the center have spread for more than ten miles.

This not only shows that the prosperity and development of Daliang is also forced by the situation. In today's troubled times, it is very rare to have a place where you can live in peace and stay away from wars. It is an ideal place for Japan, and many people want to gain a foothold near Daliang for safety.

In the past few years, with the success of the Southern Expedition and the Northern War of the Great Zhou Dynasty, the population living near Daliang has also increased, and people from all over the world want to squeeze into Daliang.

As a result, the foreign ministers of Daliang City have expanded several times, and the management of the surrounding villages and towns has also made the governor of Kaifeng very anxious.

The appearance of the army did not cause too much panic, because it is not surprising that the army has come in and out these years, and the successive victories have ensured the stability of Daliang for eight years. It is very strict, which has repeatedly improved the impression of the people on the Forbidden Army.

But the most important point is that the predecessors did so well that they only improved slightly, which is already incredible in the eyes of the common people
Since the end of Tang Dynasty, the warlords have been cruel to the common people to what extent, the most cruel one is killing a large number of common people to feed the army, which is not an exception.The next level is to cut people's hands and feet at every turn, like to kill people for fun, and treats physical cannibalism as a hobby, Zhang Xianwuwei.

Looting the people, killing prisoners, and massacring the city are all routine operations. Today, the official Chai Rong had a lot of military rations when he attacked Gaoping, so he directly robbed the people in Hedong, and killed a lot of prisoners. Looting was acquiesced. If Shi Congyun hadn't fought hard, according to history, the officials would have slaughtered all men, women and children in the city because of the disadvantage of fighting Chuzhou.

These are common operations in this era. Compared with the two, Shi Congyun's actions can be said to be a bodhisattva, which is very popular.

This is the same reason that Zhao Kuangyin was called the Lord of Benevolence, but he was actually the emperor who killed the most ministers in the Song Dynasty.You can't see things out of the era and environment you live in.

It is very rare for the people along the way not to be afraid or terrified of Shi Congyun's army. Many old people even saw him kneeling on the side of the road with a banner and called him the Bodhisattva of Salvation. Many people silently watched them pass by.

This is not only his actions, but also the foil of his peers.

"It's a bad era when I'm older, and it's a good era when I'm selfish." Shi Congyun sighed, and said something that made the generals puzzled.

Daliang is located in Henan, in the hinterland of the Central Plains, blocked by the Yellow River in the north, more than a thousand miles away from Yanshan Mountain, reaching the sea in the east, Tongguan, Taihang Mountains in the west, Qinling Mountains as barriers, and Jianghuai in the south.

Deep in the hinterland of the Central Plains, it should be one of the safest places in the world.

However, in the short few decades since the end of Tang Dynasty, dynasties have changed frequently, and military disasters often befall the hinterland of the Central Plains. Not to mention, in the past ten years, the people of Daliang in the hinterland of the Central Plains have suffered two large-scale military disasters.

Thirteen years ago, Khitan soldiers entered Daliang, and the people in Kaifeng and its surrounding areas were looted.

Eight years ago, when Guo Wei, the founding emperor of the dynasty, entered Daliang, he plundered it.

In just over ten years, Daliang was looted twice on a large scale. What is the concept of ten years? Almost all people of this generation have experienced two large-scale military disasters, and there were still more before that.

So how rare is the eight years of peace after the founding of the Zhou Dynasty for Daliang.Why Shi Congyun is popular, because every time he wins a battle, the people feel more secure.

This also explains why Zhou Jun was not supported by the people near Youzhou, because the people in Youzhou and its surrounding areas lived in peace and stability in Liao State for 20 years, but today's world is in chaos, and it has been 20 years since Zhou Jun went north. It was the first time for the common people in Youzhou to see enemy soldiers. What Shi Congyun was most worried about was that he was in a hurry. The common people and the Liao army were fighting against each other, so there were as many soldiers as there were people in Youzhou city.

Before modern times, China basically did not have the concept of "nation" in the modern sense. Liang Qichao first proposed the concept of the Chinese nation under the influence of the rise of Western nationalism. Now the world is very fragmented. For most people, it is very difficult to live in peace , too late to think about more.

Although Guo Wei had prestige in the army, but when he became the Yellow Flag, his combat exploits and prestige were far inferior to that of Zhao Kuangyin later, let alone the current Shi Congyun.

Zhao Kuangyin could restrain his soldiers not to harm the people when they entered Daliang City, but Guo Wei couldn't do that. If he didn't allow the soldiers to plunder Kaifeng, then the arrogant soldiers under him would jump up.

Shi Congyun didn't want to wear a yellow robe, but after crossing the Yellow River, Shi Congyun still assembled an army and explained to everyone: "Brothers, this time I entered the city only because a treacherous minister accused us in the court that we were going to rebel.

We worked hard outside and fought bloody battles, while he was enjoying the peace in the capital, he dared to plot against us!When a certain came back this time, he offered captives to the officials, and dedicated the king of the South Court of Liao Kingdom to the officials, and asked for credit for everyone.

The second is to enter the palace with everyone by the way, to report to the officials how badly they are, and to eradicate the treacherous officials in the court.

So we are still soldiers of the Great Zhou Dynasty. It is our duty to protect the people of one side. After entering Daliang and the imperial city, we are not allowed to disturb the people or harm the people. "

The soldiers agreed one after another without any objection, and obeyed his words. These things have long been used to and become natural in many wars.

What they were walking was the avenue north of Daliang City, not the direction of the main entrance.

The imperial city is close to the north of Daliang City, and many government offices are located in the north of the imperial city. The army mostly goes in and out of Fengqiu Gate and Chenqiaoyi section in the north, and does not disturb the people from the south. The south is densely populated and is the place where the people live together.

This time the army came back very suddenly. The soldiers led by Shi Congyun all had horses and were very fast. After crossing the Yellow River, they immediately marched in a hurry. When they arrived outside Daliang City, there was no news from the officials at the post stations along the way.

Shi Congyun wanted to enter the city quickly, so he asked some generals to discuss on horseback while walking. He wanted the army to stay near Chenqiaoyi temporarily, and he personally led 100 people to the north gate to enter the city. City gate to inform the follow-up army to enter the city.

To be on the safe side, Shi Congyun originally wanted to send Shao Ji, Wang Zhong, Wang Shenqi, Dong Zunhui and others to control other city gates.

But he was stopped by Wang Shenqi. In fact, by now, Wang Shenqi and others already understood what he was going to do, but they didn't object at all. Nothing goes wrong.

But at this time, I feel that it is not appropriate to look at the head and the tail, and should not look back.

The north gate is the closest to the imperial city, and the situation can be controlled by entering the imperial city. The other gates are not important, so there is no need to be distracted.

There are still 2 Han Lingkun in the camp outside the city, which is a variable. Only by entering the imperial city quickly can everything be settled. When the time comes, there will be an imperial edict in the palace calling Han Lingkun into the palace, and everything will be settled.

What's more, even if you can't get in for a while, now that the officials can't manage affairs, who in the world would dare to reject the commander in chief? "

Shi Congyun was stunned for a moment, he hadn't actually considered this issue carefully, he made a conservative estimate of his own influence, this was his habit of doing things and fighting, if he thought about the worst situation, he would be invincible.

Listening to Wang Shenqi's words now, he suddenly realized that it seems to be such a truth. Now, who can suppress him except the officials?

When Zhao Kuangyin and Chen Qiao rebelled, except for Han Tong who resisted to the end, no civil or military man in the Manchu Dynasty dared to oppose it.

Zhang Yongde didn't say anything, even Li Chongjin immediately wrote a letter requesting to go to Beijing to meet the emperor, but Zhao Kuangyin refused, and finally forced him to rebel.The Fu family had already married the Zhao family, so the Fu family did not express anything.

Even Li Yun, who finally rebelled, was not loyal to the emperor and patriotic. Judging from his performance, he felt that Zhao Kuangyin was still a nobody when he was Jiedushi, but now he is the emperor. convinced.

Shi Congyun's current combat exploits, prestige, and influence definitely surpass Guo Wei and Zhao Kuangyin.

Moreover, in the five dynasties, when the emperor was changed every few years, everyone had no sense of loyalty and integrity. They only hoped for a stable life and a sense of security. Therefore, Zhao Kuangyin's usurpation of the throne was actually very popular. No dynasty change in history was as smooth as Chen Qiao's mutiny. Yes, blood flowed like rivers every time, except for Chen Qiao's mutiny, Han Tong resisted.

Because 13 years ago, Khitan talents entered Daliang, and the world was still falling apart. Everyone was not at all worried about a seven or eight-year-old being an emperor, and everyone was afraid.

The most basic thing for people is to be safe first, then to be full, and then to start talking about benevolence, righteousness and morality.It is not advisable for future generations to look at history in a way of moral criticism. History is far more complicated and cruel than rigid and dogmatic morality.

Rather than saying that Zhao Kuangyin is capable, it is better to say that most people choose Zhao Kuangyin.

Shi Congyun never thought about becoming an emperor, perhaps it was related to his education. It was actually hard for him to understand the arbitrary view of the generals in this era that "the emperor would rather have a kind, and the one with strong soldiers and horses will do it". He always felt that the emperor really did not However, those who win the hearts of the people know that those who agree with the interests and needs of the majority will eventually succeed.

All he can think about now is to lead the troops back to the capital, immediately send troops to protect Zhao Shijian and others, and secondly control the court. In such a chaotic situation, he must control the situation in his hands.

To say that being an emperor is too far away and inexperienced.

If the official family is still awake and becomes suspicious of him, the family members of the family will be very dangerous; if the official family dies, the court will be controlled by the prime ministers like Fan Zhi, and those old stubborn loyal ministers plan for the little emperor. Danger.

The Later Han Dynasty is an example.

Shi Congyun quickly thought about what Wang Shenqi said, and he also thought it made sense.

Immediately give an order to speed up the advance. Everyone passes through Chenqiaoyi in the north and goes straight to Beifengqiu Gate.

On the avenue outside the imperial city, the sky was full of dust, and the sound of horseshoes was rumbling. Pedestrians and common people hurried to the side of the road to give way, waiting and watching curiously. Seeing that it was Shi Congyun's flag, most of the people were not afraid, and some people were excited on the road. Looking around.

"Marshal Shi is back!"

"Dashuai Shi fought well! Teach the Khitan people a lesson."

"."

Occasionally, people cheered excitedly on the side of the road.

After the army crossed the Yellow River, it was impossible to hide their whereabouts when they reached the vicinity of Daliang. Many post stations and village officials on the road had already found out, but most of them were afraid to ask.

Until more than a dozen miles outside Daliang City, there was a long iron dragon lined with armor and swords and guns. As long as the eyes were not blind, no one could ignore such a huge team.

On the way to the south, Shi Congyun ordered fewer banners to be displayed, in order not to attract attention, but until now, he couldn't hide it even if he wanted to.

The officials of Chenqiaoyi cautiously came to ask him. Chenqiaoyi is located more than ten miles to the north, and he is also a person who has seen strong winds and waves, so he dared to come up to ask him.

Shi Congyun let the army go on, and said to himself: "A certain army will come to offer prisoners, you don't have to worry about it, just stick to your post, thank you for your hard work."

A few words were avoided and dismissed lightly, and the officials did not dare to ask more questions.

Soon, the mighty army had already rushed outside Fengqiu Gate.

Fengqiu Gate is no different than the South Gate. This is usually the gate for the army to enter and exit. The gatekeepers are very leisurely. When they first heard the sound of horseshoes, they didn't pay much attention. When they saw the mighty black long dragon in the distance, they were stunned and couldn't react. I didn't know what to do when I got up.

They have not received any notification from above that any large troops will pass in the near future.

However, when he saw the "History" flag and the tiger and crane flags on the opposite side, he breathed a sigh of relief, because it was the flag of Marshal Shi who was checked by the imperial army, and everyone in the army knew it.

So I picked up the bamboo slips, dipped the pen in ink, and was about to go up for inspection. Regarding the procedure, when an army of more than 50 people entered the city, they needed an edict passed by the Privy Council and the officials, and they could only let people in after verification.

But what was unexpected was that the people on the opposite side didn't stop at all, they rushed past them and poured into the cave, and soon a large number of them were armed to the teeth, and the cavalry, full of murderous looks, completely filled the inside and outside of the cave, and they wanted to close the gate Can't close it either.

These gatekeepers and soldiers finally realized that the atmosphere was not right, but no one dared to speak in the face of many elite imperial guards.

Soon, a large number of troops lined up neatly and poured into the city like a tide.

"This, without the imperial edict." The gatekeeper wanted to struggle a bit, but was glared at by a tall young man standing at the door, and suddenly he refused to speak.

On the other side, the guard at the top of the city also came down in a hurry, and immediately knelt on one knee and said, "The last general, Tao Yu, has seen the commander."

Shi Congyun nodded, he never expected that Fengqiumen would be so easily controlled, because the soldiers had no intention of guarding against him at all.

"I led the army back and prepared to offer prisoners. You don't need to worry about it. Someone will take over Fengqiumen from now on."

"This..." Tao Yan was stunned, "The final general didn't receive an order from Gao Zhi at all. Generally speaking, he needs an inspection order from the capital."

"The incident happened suddenly, and I will take care of it for you. Dong Zunhui, you immediately lead someone to take over the defense of Fengqiumen. You can go home and rest temporarily. You don't have to go straight for the next two days." Shi Congyun said directly.

"No!" Dong Zunhui immediately led the people to the city.

Tao Yan hesitated, "This, this is not in accordance with the rules of handling affairs, Commander, just in case something happens"

"I think you look familiar." Shi Congyun didn't answer directly, but said suddenly.

Tao Yan said excitedly: "The commander still remembers me. I used to be the head of the Zhima army in the inner palace. I was still working under the commander. My father was Tao Gu, the servant of the Ministry of War. When the commander visited my father, I saw him from afar. Handsome, but... dare not say hello."

With a few words, Shi Congyun shortened the distance. He originally commanded the Inner Hall Straight, but there are more than a dozen gates in the girder. .

Because there is a [-]% chance that these people are his old subordinates, he may not remember everyone, but most people remember him.

It's just that he didn't expect him to be Tao Gu's son. Thinking about it, it's right, Nei Dianzhi is a son of many nobles.

"Well, you performed well at the beginning." Shi Congyun said nonsense, "Since you are an old department and an old friend, why should I talk big, don't worry, I can take care of things here."

Shi Congyun didn't want to bleed in such a place, and Tao Yan probably sensed that something was wrong, he hesitated, and finally nodded: "Then leave it to the commander."

Soon, Dong Zunhui led people to control Fengqiumen.

Shi Congyun also rode his horse into Fengqiu Gate.

Immediately find all the generals to order.

"Wang Zhong, you take 1000 people to Dongda Street immediately to protect the families of the two houses." Shi Congyun said to the most clever Wang Zhong.

Then Shi Congyun said again: "Wang Shenqi, I ordered you to lead two thousand troops to go south to Xuandemen and Zuoyemen, and seal the intersection of the two streets outside."

"Luo Yanhuan, you lead 1000 people to Xihua Gate and block the gate.

The rest of the generals and a certain soldier entered the palace through Donghua Gate and offered prisoners to the officials.

Everyone unfurls their banners, and if anyone interrogates them, they will say that the commander-in-chief has returned to the capital and entered the palace to offer prisoners and blockade the imperial city.

The defenders in the imperial city only have three squads each with hundreds of people. We have nothing to fear when we enter the city. Remember not to let anyone out. If someone breaks in, no one will survive! "

"No!" Several people said in succession.

After entering Fengqiu Gate and Anyuan Gate, the most difficult hurdle has actually passed, but it was much easier than Shi Congyun imagined, and the soldiers were defenseless when they saw his flag.

At the same time, Shi Congyun ordered his subordinates to divide their troops and go to the outside of Anyuan Gate and Zuoye Gate respectively to control the Yamen of the Dianqian Division and the Guard Division.

Then he personally led thousands of troops, crossed the long and wide horse street, and turned to the west. The half-mile-long street came to the cavalry in an instant, and the sound of rumbling horseshoes could be heard from far away.

At this time, fine autumn rain began to fall from the gloomy sky, the sound of rustling rain echoed, the sky was gloomy, and the air was filled with icy cold, hitting the icy armor was another sound.

A large number of people went straight to Donghua Gate in black, the Donghua Gate was tall and majestic, and many banners on the top of the city were rolled together in the autumn rain, dripping wet, swinging listlessly, and the defenders were sparse.

When Shi Congyun arrived at Donghua Gate, he found that the tall vermilion city gate was closed tightly, his heart suddenly jumped, and he made a mistake!
Probably because of the official's serious illness, the Donghua Gate, which was open every day, was actually tightly closed at this time.This completely messed up his plans.

This was something he didn't expect, and he was a little flustered. The huge cavalry team stopped in the rain and displayed it in front of the towering city wall. Everyone looked ahead, and someone said: "Commander, do you want to climb up?"

Shi Congyun shook his head. The height of more than ten meters is still a smooth city wall. They don't have large siege equipment, how can they climb?
The city leaders also found them, and looked at them in horror, so Shi Congyun rode on his horse, and at the same time asked the soldiers to unfurl his banner, went to the bottom of the city and shouted: "Everyone in front of the palace will be inspected, and Hebei recruits them." Send Shi Congyun to capture the king of the South Court of Liao Kingdom and come back to offer prisoners to the officials, so open the gate quickly."

The people at the top of the city said in succession: "Report to Commander-in-Chief, please wait a moment, I will go and ask the empress and the prime ministers for instructions."

Shi Congyun was in a hurry, "No need, open the door quickly, our business is very important, we will never harm anyone in the city, you will definitely remember your contribution when you open the door, if not, I will hate you."

The people at the head of the city suddenly became embarrassed, looking at the black army in the rain and fog in panic, sweating profusely for no reason, everyone knew that this kind of formation was not easy.

It's hard to decide, Shi Congyun's reputation is known to everyone, but opening the gate of the imperial city without authorization is a capital offense!

While everyone was hesitating, a young man suddenly said loudly: "Commander, I can open the door later."

After a while, with a creaking sound, the tall city gate slowly opened.

Only halfway through, Shi Congyun waved his hand, and immediately his tiger and wolf troops swarmed in from the crack of the door. The horseshoes splashed a lot of water, and the sound of horseshoes was drowned in the rain. Then the armored soldiers immediately skillfully occupied the important positions above and below the city gate. , to completely control the city gate.

They have played too many cities over the years, and they are already very proficient.

The soldiers on many city gates were detained, and the young man who opened the gate was also brought over. His armor was much better and decorated, and he was the gatekeeper at first glance.

He then cupped his hands and whispered: "Commander, my father asked someone to wait here. When the commander comes, he will open the door for convenience. My father said that this will be good for the world. If it falls apart for decades, I am afraid that the Central Plains will be destroyed." Fall into Khitan's hands."

Shi Congyun was surprised when he heard his words, and asked curiously, "Who is your father?"

"A certain name is Li Ji, my father is Li Gu."

Shi Congyun suddenly realized that it was Li Gu, no wonder he would help him, so he immediately said: "You should be familiar with the terrain in the palace, and show us the way."

Li Ji nodded, just at this time Wang Shenqi sent someone to tell him that Xuande Gate was under control, and the army could enter and leave. If Donghua Gate could not enter, they could go to the south.

"No need, tell General Wang to keep him safe. Our side has already entered the palace, and then we will go to meet the officials and offer prisoners." The orderling hurried away through the rain again.

Shi Congyun was covered in rain, but he couldn't feel any chill, instead he was tense, and ordered: "Leave 500 people to guard Donghua Gate, and the rest guard the main roads along the way, and keep a team at each intersection.

It's fine to drive them away when you meet palace maids and eunuchs, but be careful of the East and West Banjun, if they dare to resist, they will be killed. "

So the dark army, braved the autumn cold rain, stepped on the wet stone bricks, poured in from Donghua Gate like a tide, and went west from the avenue, and the court ladies and eunuchs they met along the way ran away in fright.

The guards of the East and West Squads who were on patrol yelled to stop at first, and then drew their swords to resist, but they were shot into a sieve in an instant, and fell into a pool of blood, and the large bricks and stones were stained red by the autumn rain.

The remaining Sa Yazi ran away, shouting for help, echoing between the corridors of the palace.

The rain covered everyone's footsteps, but the news would definitely spread quickly, but once the army entered the palace, Shi Congyun's heart had already fallen into his stomach.

Although the East and West squadrons are the emperor's guards, they are different from the troops that have been fighting all year round. It can be seen from their weapons that the East and West squadrons wear swords, while Shi Congyun's imperial troops all use knives.

The sword is closer to actual combat, whether it is fighting on horseback, or pressing the back of the sword with your hand to increase strength to suppress the opponent when fighting hand-to-hand, and the sword has a stronger sense of ceremony.

It is impossible for the Imperial Army of these east and west classes to be the opponent of Shi Congyun's elite soldiers, not to mention that they are small and scattered.

However, the imperial city is not small after all, and it is difficult to react quickly in the rainy sky.
When Shi Congyun approached and prepared to "offer captives", the Long Live Hall was still unaware of the mourning
(End of this chapter)