I became a saint by picking up corpses in Water Margin

Chapter 386 Cut off the beard
On the eighth day of the eighth month, Yang Chang and Sun An arrived in Zhending.

Starting from last night, Li Yanxian took over the city defense and public security.

When the people in the city learned that the Prince of Jin was coming in person, they were more excited than during the New Year, and many of them spontaneously went out of the city to greet him.

The people had been living in the occupied areas for several years. They had no sense of belonging to the Jin people and had been treated like cattle and horses. However, they had to surrender under the pressure of the army.

Yang Chang's power was small before, and the Jin army could cover it up, so his fame could not spread.

Since the recovery of Taiyuan, the Jin army not only suffered many defeats against Yang Chang, but also lost the original occupied area in Hedong. Therefore, the public opinion deliberately controlled by the Jin people could not be suppressed, and Yang Chang's reputation spread.

Hearing that the people of Hedong lived and worked in peace and contentment, the people of Zhending also wanted to live a stable life, but they were afraid that Yang Chang was just passing by, so they linked up and used the excuse of welcoming him, and came together outside the city to jointly petition for the throne.

When Yang Changxing arrived outside the south gate of Zhending, he saw thousands of civilians through his [Eagle Eyes and Owl Visions] and immediately frowned on his horse.

Sun An observed Yang Chang's expression and when he saw that Yang Chang's expression was not right, he asked hurriedly: "Prince Jin, Zhending will be here soon, why do you look so serious?"

“There are many people ahead.”

"People? Aren't they the army? What is Li Yanxian doing?"

Even though it is not a gentleman's behavior to talk about people behind their backs, Sun An still couldn't help but complain.

Yang Changze shook his head slightly and murmured, "He's coming over, just ask him and you'll know."

"Oh? Let me ask."

Sun An raised his hand to cover his forehead, and sure enough, he saw a horse running in front of him. He was impressed by the King of Jin's amazing eyesight. I could only see a small dot, but he knew it was Li Yanxian.

I heard that many brothers have improved their martial arts with the guidance of King Jin. Should I also take the initiative to ask them, so that everyone else can improve while I am still standing still?

It was because of his sudden inspiration that he found Yang Chang to talk to after entering Zhending, and finally got a great opportunity.

The opportunity came when Wu Song killed a fierce general under Salihe outside Shexian City and obtained a strength attribute symbol, and Yang Chang used Qin Ming's attributes to upgrade Ruan Xiaoqi to the level of the Five Tigers.

The new strength attribute symbol was originally planned to be given to Xuan Zan.

After being strengthened by Yang Chang, Xuan Zan has now reached the top level of the Eight Horses, and has the additional skill of continuous arrows. If he has the strength attribute, his strength may surpass Ruan Xiaoqi, so it is worthwhile to continue strengthening him.

Sun An is already at the level of the Five Tigers, but his defense is strong but his attack is weak. His strength is very similar to Hu Yanzhuo. If he gets the strength attribute, his strength will only be slightly improved, and he may be comparable to Lin Chong. His cost-effectiveness in enhancement is not as good as Xuan Zan.

If we were playing a game, we would definitely give praise to the weaker Xuan, but in reality, we should be more considerate of human relationships.

First of all, Sun An surrendered very early and recognized his master before Lin Chong. He was one of Yang Chang’s core generals. Conferring official titles and granting them ranks was an important aspect, and the improvement of martial arts was also given equal attention.

Even though Lin Chong was extremely powerful, Yang Chang gave him the unique skill of [Hook-Sickle Spear]. Sun An was the only one among his absolute confidants who did not benefit from it, so the opportunity of Xuan Zan was temporarily given to this dragon slayer.

Of course, Sun An asking Yang Chang for advice is a later story, so let’s put it aside for now.

As Li Yanxian came out of the city to greet him, Sun An stepped forward to intercept him and asked, "Li, what do you mean by outside Zhending City? Why are there so many people?"

"Steward Sun, can you see it from such a long distance?"

"How can I do that?"

Sun An shook his head and smiled, pointing to Yang Chang behind him and reminded him: "Prince Jin saw it just now, and his expression was quite unhappy. You have to think about what to say. We all represent the Pingding Army!"

"It turned out to be the King of Jin. His eyesight was correct. These people came spontaneously and said they wanted to welcome the King of Jin in person. I thought that the King of Jin had a high reputation among the people, so I didn't try to persuade him."

"So it's a good thing? I was worried for nothing. Let's go and see King Jin."

"It's my fault for not making it clear in advance. Wait for me."

Li Yanxian and Sun An went up to explain. After listening, Yang Chang encouraged them but did not blame them. He did not like formalism, but if the people came spontaneously, it would not be a good thing to stop them too much.

A great man once said: Don't be afraid of the masses, be with the masses.

Yang Chang knew this very well, and he was not afraid to do so.

Even if there are bad guys in the crowd who use the crowd as cover to assassinate, Yang Chang is not worried at all. He is not an ordinary person now. He has the perception of radar and can issue early warning when encountering special situations.

Even if the assassin dodges the 'radar', he cannot be hurt at close range. The high agility provided by [Windrunker] can allow him to jump two cards high on the spot. Even if he is hurt, he can be protected by [Iron Wall].

Unless someone as great as Luo Zhenren plotted against him, Yang Chang couldn't think of anyone in the world who could threaten him.

but.

When he really got deep into the crowd, those people suddenly rallied around him like a mutineer and rushed over like a flood.

This sudden change made Sun An break out in a cold sweat. He glared at Li Yanxian, quickly drew his sword to protect Yang Chang, and shouted loudly: "Protect the King of Jin!"

"This is me."

Li Yanxian was at a loss.

Although the people surrounding them were like a flood, Yang Chang did not sense any ill will and immediately stopped Sun An: "Don't hurt the people, they have no ill will towards me."

"But there are too many people, I'm afraid."

"It doesn't matter. No one can hurt me yet."

After Yang Chang said this in a domineering manner, he immediately ordered Li Yanxian: "They should have something to say. You ask a few representatives to come forward. Don't crowd in like this. It's easy to trample people to death!"

"Yes."

Li Yanxian was ordered to leave, and among the human wall formed by the guards, he selected a few people to approach and answer, and persuaded the others not to crowd.

Followed by.

Several representatives of the people were brought to Yang Chang by Li Yanxian.

Looking at the young general on the horse, everyone looked at each other in confusion, not daring to recognize him.

Could the King of Jin who defeated the Jin people be such a young general?
Yang Chang is already over thirty years old. If he hadn't deliberately grown a beard in the past two years, it wouldn't be a problem to say he was eighteen or nineteen years old.

Perhaps it is because he is a Qi-refining cultivator, his appearance has not improved with age, but instead, the higher his cultivation level, the younger he looks. Zhao Fujin and Hu Sanniang also have secrets to maintain their youth.

The only one that doesn't make sense is Qiu Qiongying. Even though she hasn't broken through the Qi Refining Stage, she's still youthful and beautiful, and is almost no different from the other two women.

Seeing the puzzled expressions on everyone's faces, Yang Chang deliberately stroked his beard and said leisurely: "You all want to see me, but why don't you say a word after seeing me? You don't have to be afraid. If you have any difficulties or grievances, you can tell me. As long as I can do it, I will do my best to make the decision for you."

"really?"

One of the brave middle-aged men couldn't help but open his mouth and swallow hard, then lowered his head with a guilty look on his face.

"My king keeps his word. What's your name? Hold your head up and speak. The rest of you don't have to be afraid."

"I am Zhang Ergou. We are here to see the king today on behalf of hundreds of thousands of people in Zhending. We hope you will stay."

"You're not going to leave?" Yang Chang smiled bitterly and shook his head. "I can't do that. After all, there are millions of people in Hedong. I can't just leave them there."

"Ah? No no no."

Zhang Ergou was stunned at first, then he quickly waved his hands and explained: "What I said just now was wrong. I didn't ask the king to ignore Hedong, but to take care of us Zhending as well. We are also the people of the Song Dynasty, and we don't want to be bullied by the Jin people."

"Haha, you should have said so earlier, right? I agree."

"really?"

"Didn't I just say that? I will keep my word."

As soon as Yang Chang finished speaking, the people around him became excited.

Zhang Ergou asked carefully: "Your Majesty's focus is on Hedong. You will station troops in Zhending in the future, right? The Jin people were very cunning before. They were afraid that you would run away. If you leave and there are no troops stationed, they will definitely come back."

"Not only will I station troops in Zhending, but I will also repel the Jin army and recover Hebei. You can rest assured."

"You want to retake Hebei?"

"I am the ambassador to Hedong and Hebei. It is my duty to expel the Tartars and recover Hebei. Is there any problem?"

After Yang Chang finished speaking, he smiled brightly, and the people in front of his horse were all happy and excited.

Zhang Ergou called everyone to the ground, bowed to Yang Changxing, and shouted: "I have finally waited for this day. Thank you for your mercy, Your Majesty!"

"Thank you for your mercy, my king."

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

The people in front cheered loudly, and the people who were stopped outside saw it and knelt down and kowtowed. It was a spectacular scene.

Yang Chang did not want to delay outside the city, so he asked the guards to help everyone up and said loudly: "No need to be polite, it is Yang Chang who is late. I still need to go into the city to discuss military affairs and to plan for the recovery of Hebei. You should all go home quickly."

"Yes, everyone, get out of the way."

"Make way for the king!"

Although the people made way for the passage, they all knelt on the spot and refused to move.

In this way, Yang Chang and more than 10,000 soldiers behind him were welcomed into the city by thousands of kneeling civilians.

This feeling.

It was even more spectacular than the recapture of Taiyuan, Xinzhou and Daizhou, so when they entered the city and arrived at the Marshal's residence, all the generals with the army were puzzled. So they gathered together and whispered, and even Li Yanxian forgot to report the battle situation.

The discussion was interrupted only when Li Kui, a subordinate of Li Yanxian, came to ask for credit with the head of King Xiao's slave.

"Your Majesty, I have not embarrassed you. I fought a great battle by the river yesterday and killed this Jin general. Both Li Zongguan and Ma Tongzhi said he was a great general."

"Haha, not bad."

Yang Chang looked at the head and nodded slightly, lamenting in his heart that he came too late and the drop prompt had expired long ago.

Li Yanxian hurriedly explained, "This is Xiao Gong's fierce general, Xiao Wang's slave. Both of them are surrendered generals of the Liao Xi tribe. Sali ordered them to ambush outside the city, but he abandoned the city and fled without fighting. I wonder if he deliberately let the surrendered generals of the Liao die, just like before."

"No need to delve into it. The Jurchens themselves are in internal turmoil, and the external conflicts with the surrendered generals are not important. It's a pity that Xiao Gong and Xiao Wang's servants are ignorant of the current situation. Only when they are really beaten to the end of their rope will they abandon the dark and join the light like Yelu Tushan. By the way, Li Kui should be rewarded for his merits. What do you think?"

"Based on Li Kui's previous achievements, he can be promoted to deputy general."

"You can just promote according to your authority. You don't need to ask me for instructions on everything."

What Yang Chang said at this time was actually for Sun An to hear. As one of the main generals of several war zones, he had the right to appoint and dismiss mid- and lower-level officers, as well as non-commissioned officers.

(According to the military system of the Song Dynasty, officers (commanders) were divided into eight levels: Du Tongzhi, Tongzhi, Tongling, Zhengjiang, Deputy General, Reserve General, Department General, and Team General; non-commissioned officers (jie rank) included: Department and Team Juntou, Shijiang, Yuhou, Chengju, and Yazheng)
Except for the three levels of commander-in-chief, commander, and commander-in-chief, Sun An can interfere in the appointment of other officers and non-commissioned officers. This is the privilege and trust that Yang Chang gives to Lin Chong, Sun An, and Zhu Tong.

Of course, the official positions of the three of them at that time were all the generals of the army of one or more states, which was higher than the commander-in-chief but not the commander-in-chief.

The commander-in-chief is the commander-in-chief of a region's army, a general who leads troops independently like Song Jiang.

As the ambassador of Hedong and Hebei, Yang Chang could have appointed a general to this position, but he himself was within the power of the commander-in-chief, and since Hedong was small, there was no need, so he never appointed a commander-in-chief.

When Hebei, Guanzhong and other places are taken over in the future, and Yang Chang is too busy to take care of them all, he will hand over some areas to computer AI just like playing a strategy game, and will no longer do the micro-management himself. At that time, he will appoint a governor-general (corps commander).

At this time, Lin Chong, Dong Ping and others had already begun to attack their targets independently, which was Yang Chang's attempt to delegate military power.

When Li Yanxian saw Sun An nod, he signaled Li Kui to wait outside the door and then report the intelligence from Zhending.

After listening to this, Yang Chang thought for a while before saying to everyone, "What conclusions can you draw from your previous discussion?"

"without"

Sun An took the lead in responding, and everyone followed suit.

Yang Chang glanced around and said earnestly: "The people of Zhending are more enthusiastic than the people of Hedong. They suffered more at that time. When the two Jin armies invaded Song from the south, Nianhan's western army fought all the way to Taiyuan. This man has both military means and political skills. He was lenient to the states he occupied.
Olib's Eastern Route Army was more daring, bypassing important towns all the way to Bianjing. Although they eventually captured the resisting city, his radical style affected his rule. Even after several marshals were replaced, these traditions were still maintained. Therefore, the people of Hebei lived a hard life, and Zhending was the most resisting, so it was the most miserable. "

"The King of Jin is here now. Their hard times are over. Once the Yangqu generals arrive, will they immediately retake Hebei?"

Seeing Li Yanxian so active, Sun An's sense of crisis was aroused again. He asked Yang Chang cautiously: "Salihe has now retreated to Zhongshan, and Wushu's main force is in Shandong. Do we have to attack Hebei so quickly?"

"Not urgent."

Yang Chang shook his head and said, "Whether Wushu can come back or not, we will proceed at our own pace. We will first take over several states in the south and connect the Yellow River and Taihang defense lines. It is estimated that Lu Yuanwai and others will arrive tomorrow. You can make preparations first and send troops south when they arrive."

"it is good."

Sun An responded and Li Yanxian nodded.

Yang Chang continued, "I will leave a small number of troops to defend Zhending, and I will give each of you 10,000 soldiers to take Zhao, Xing, Ci, and Ming. You can discuss how to take them. It doesn't matter whether you divide the troops or join them together. But I want to remind you that after General Lin and Yan Qing take Xiangzhou, they are likely to go north to take Ci and Ming. Whoever is faster will take it!"

"what?"

Sun An and Li Yanxian looked at each other and thought, "It's fine if we have internal competition, but why do we have external competition?" We'll have to study it carefully later.

Wait, Sun An suddenly thought of something and couldn't help swallowing.

The general who came to Zhending this time is Lu Junyi. In which army will the King of Jin place him?
Lu Junyi is a good fighter, but his predecessor was the commander of Yongning Army, a higher position than both of us. It would be wrong to use him, and it would be wrong not to use him.

How to do?
Sun An was worried about this, so he walked very slowly when the show ended.

Yang Chang sensed his emotions and knew that he had something to ask, so he waved him to stay and asked, "Brother Sun, do you have anything else to say?"

"Yes, I would like to get guidance from King Jin."

(End of this chapter)