The Bad Guys: Everyone, let’s revive the Tang Dynasty together!

Chapter 367: Why did Your Majesty rebel? (Part )

Last year, Xiao Yan captured the Twelve Heavenly Stems of Kui, a group led by Kui Si, in Anle Pavilion. In exchange for his freedom, Kui Si and his men spent nearly a year and finally brought back the two swords as promised.

The names of the two swords come from the scroll that Li Chunfeng left for Xiao Yan in the Raojiang Jigan Tomb.

When Xiao Yan received the scroll in Raojiang that day, Kui Si and others had already arrived in Tianshan, so he did not elaborate on his request, but only asked someone to pass on the names of the two swords.

Kui Si was not a very taciturn person, but he still spoke up and told the whole story only after Xiao Yan had looked at the two swords.

"Before deciding on the four characters 'Peace' and 'Prosperous Times' as the names of the swords, Ling Xiaozi had actually already forged two sword blanks. In my opinion, he only agreed to forge the swords because of the meteorite iron gifted by Tian Anxing at that time. Although it cannot be said that he was not careful in the initial forging of the sword blanks, it was definitely not for the sake of the famous swords."

Kui Si said: "After the two sword names were brought to Tianshan, Ling Xiaozi discarded the two original sword blanks and recast them. He even added all the missing materials himself. After that, he remained in seclusion to forge the swords. It took him eight months to come out and show them to others."

"interesting."

Jiang Chen used his fingers to tangle the light pink hair hanging on his right shoulder, and asked as he sat behind the table, "Isn't Ling Xiaozi curious about who is using the sword?"

Xiao Yan stood beside her with his hands behind his back, admiring the two sword cases placed on Lanqi with his back to Kui Si and the others. After hearing Jiang Chen's words, he became curious and glanced sideways.

Kui Si just shook his head: "Even when the sword was first forged, Ling Xiaozi didn't ask."

"It's not surprising that you have such a style of a famous master." Xiao Yan nodded after pondering, "Since you have delivered the sword as scheduled, I will also keep my promise. From now on, you can come and go as you please and regain your freedom."

He looked back and said, "Although I have severed ties with the Bad People, as the saying goes, everyone has their own master. I will not stop you from looking for Yuan Tiangang. Of course, if you want to stay, whether it is an individual or a group, I will welcome you. Whether to leave or stay is up to you."

Kui Si fell silent again, and the other eleven people behind him became even more silent.

As for regaining their freedom, they have actually been free since Xiao Yan asked them to take the meteorite iron to Tianshan to forge swords. Xiao Yan did not leave any restrictions on them at the beginning, not even giving them a poison. The agreement between the two parties can be said to be a gentleman's agreement.

Of course, they didn't know about Xiao Yan's leaving the Bad People and establishing Yebushou until they returned to Central Plains. But now thinking back, they were willing to abide by this so-called gentleman's agreement precisely because Xiao Yan was willing to give them this trust. Perhaps, this has nothing to do with their stance.

Kui Si and the others did not indicate whether they wanted to leave or stay, and they soon said goodbye and left. Xiao Yan did not ask too much, as there were people taking care of them.

Jiang Chen, on the other hand, seemed quite interested. He propped up his cheek and said casually, "These two swords took Ling Xiaozi a lot of effort. Aren't they special?"

"Look at the person, not the sword." Xiao Yan opened the two sword cases, observed with his hands behind his back, and said, "There are so many famous swords in ancient and modern times, some buried in the dust, some recorded in history. Most of them are made by people. The so-called uniqueness and significance are only given later."

The two swords of Taiping and Shengshi, one heavy and one light.

Taiping is a heavy sword, three feet and three inches long. The blade head is three fingers wide near the guard and gradually narrows to the tip of the blade. The weight is nine pounds and nine ounces, which is the number of the positive pole.

Its shape is not monotonous. The two blood grooves of the dragon meet at the tip, and the blade retains a quenched light purple-gold luster. In addition to the four seal-script inscriptions "Stop the war and do martial arts" on the blade head, there is also a faint pattern of "mountains and rivers" on the sword spine. In addition, there is a jade chime device built into the handle, which emits a clear sound when swung, as if the sword is ringing.

The Taiping Sword has a handle with three blades and seven blades, which is a metaphor for "the three principles of a ruler and the seven arts of a minister". Although it is a two-handed sword, it is heavy yet agile. The intricate decoration hides the order of etiquette and law, which is very symbolic.

Xiao Yan believed that this sword was made by Ling Xiaozi. It was said that he was the successor of Ou Yezi's sword-making skills. In the primitive sky, only this person could repair the Longquan sword after it was broken. Judging from this, Ling Xiaozi's sword-making skills must be the best in the world.

But the various details, regulations, and meanings on the sword made it hard for Xiao Yan not to think that it was all too coincidental.

It was obviously not without reason that Ling Xiaozi was willing to spend eight months to forge the sword and even add materials himself.

However, Xiao Yan would not dwell on whether this was a gift from Li Chunfeng three hundred years ago. In short, this sword was very much to his liking.

The other one is called "Prosperity Sword", with a blade two feet and eight inches long and two fingers wide, with smooth and light lines. It is made of meteorite iron that has been forged into steel with flowing water patterns. The inscription "Prosperity Sword" is engraved in seal script on the head of the blade, and the single blood groove below is carved with a phoenix dancing in the sky, with the phoenix head lightly touching the tip of the sword, which is in line with the dragon pattern on the double blood grooves of the Taiping Sword. The regulations take the number of the cathode, which is six pounds and six ounces, and it is light yet majestic.

In contrast to the "beautiful mountains and rivers" on the spine of the Taiping sword, the spine of the Shengshi sword has the faint "winding rivers" pattern, symbolizing the continuation of prosperity. The blade surface is silvery-white after quenching, and the soft light is like water, which is in sharp contrast to the Taiping sword, one gold and one silver.

In fact, seeing this, even the surrendered minister began to like it a little. He turned it in front of Lan Qi several times and flicked the blade with his hand again and again.

The most amazing thing is that both swords are equipped with scabbards. The Taiping Sword has an ebony scabbard base, while the Shengshi Sword has a rosewood base. The front of the former has a pattern of the Big Dipper connecting the four seas and peace, while the latter has a pattern of the Southern Dipper surrounding a hundred flowers. The back of the former has a pattern of the true shapes of the Five Mountains with cloud and thunder patterns in between, while the back of the latter has a pattern of the true shapes of the Four Rivers with water ripples in between.

The tail of the Taiping sword scabbard has a bronze Taotie swallowing its mouth to suppress evil, while the tail of the Shengshi sword scabbard has a bronze phoenix holding a chrysanthemum.

One is hard and the other is soft, one is a dragon and the other is a phoenix, one is gold and the other is silver, they complement each other and are perfect.

Xiao Yan had no doubt that, apart from Li Chunfeng, no one else in the world would spend so much time and effort on the scabbards. But what was even more amazing was that these two scabbards alone were enough to be listed as heirlooms.

"Where are the dragon and the phoenix?" Jiang Chen stopped flicking the sword and stood beside him, hugging his chest and speaking softly.

Xiao Yan naturally smelled a strong smell of jealousy, but he just smiled and did not try to hide his good mood. After picking up the Taiping Sword, he saw a line of words on the bottom of the sword case.

'Holding the sword to stabilize the mountains and rivers, and bringing peace to the country.'

Xiao Yan stared at the words for a moment, nodded, straightened his clothes, and bowed with his hands folded, as if he was paying homage to the Li Taishi who lived three hundred years ago: "I will teach you."

Afterwards, he put the sword into a box and sealed it up. He did not even agree to the surrendered minister's request to take a look at the words left in the box of the prosperous sword. He just left the two sword boxes alone in this deserted hall.

…………

"Squeak."

Jiang Chen gently pushed open the palace door, walked in with his hands behind his back, raised his chin and looked at the Lanqi placed on the high platform at the head of the palace. He snorted, walked up to take out the Shengshi Sword, and glanced at it with his empty eyes.

"When the sword comes out, the dragon roars and the phoenix sings; when the sword returns, the mountains and rivers are peaceful..."

Jiang Chen curled his lips, put the sword back into the sword box, and snorted: "It's not that great."

But when she reached the entrance of the palace, she stopped again, and then made a gesture at the air in anger.

“It’s so annoying!!”

------

Although Luoyang Ziwei City was rebuilt by Henan Governor Zhang Quanyi a few years ago to help Zhu Wen become emperor, it generally conforms to the regulations of the Sui and Tang dynasties.

When Xiao Yan arrived in Yanshi County two days ago, Zhang Quanyi personally led the officials of the Western Capital to welcome him. At that time, Zhang Quanyi pointed out that the Tiance Mansion office had been marked out in the imperial city. The original site belonged to the Menxia Province, which was inside the imperial palace, just after entering Mingde Gate and passing Huichang Gate.

Zhang Quanyi was quite aware of the current situation, and he did his best to save both substance and appearance. After all, even if he was going to welcome Zhu Wen, he would not have to run all the way from Luoyang to Yanshi to pick him up.

There is no way, since Xiao Yan’s power is too great now.

The news that King Song's personal army Ding Badu had spread throughout the world had divided some of its troops to the north and south to control the Mengjin ferry and Huanyuan passes, but it still had tens of thousands of cavalry. In addition to Ding Badu, there were also seven armies accompanying him, namely Shenwei, Gongchen, Zhuosheng, Shenwu, Longhu, Longwu and Luoyan. It was a mighty force with an astonishing momentum.

Although the Shenwei troops were all imperial guards or imperial troops, and were not large in size, with only 2,000 or 4,000 soldiers in each unit, the most important thing was that they were all elite troops, and together with Dingba, they had a total of 40,000 soldiers, well-equipped, and with all the horses. Apart from not carrying enough food and military supplies, they were able to sweep across the entire Guanzhong region. How could Zhang Quanyi not be afraid?
You know, the Luoyang government soldiers couldn't even fill the Luoyang city walls, and Yanshi was a smooth road away from Luoyang, and a forced march would take less than half a day. If Xiao Yan really disliked Zhang Quanyi, Zhang Quanyi couldn't even organize enough troops to resist.

Faced with Zhang Quanyi's goodwill, Xiao Yan naturally accepted it all. If he didn't accept it, he would not be able to reassure Zhang Quanyi. However, he did not agree to set up the Tiance Mansion office in the palace city. He just arranged for people to clean up a place outside the palace city in the imperial city.

Outside the flower hall of Tian Ce Mansion, guards were densely deployed, with night patrols interspersed. This temporary Tian Ce Mansion did not have the aura of being in the imperial city at all. Instead, it was solemn and stern, like a large tent of a huge army on the battlefield.

Inside the flower hall, a wooden picture created by Ye Bushou was placed in the center.

If we go into the origin of this wooden map, it was made by Xiao Yan a few years ago through the forces of the Bad Guys and Huanyinfang. A considerable amount of manpower was invested in the past few years, and it took more than two years to create. Guanzhong, Longyou, Hanzhong, Shuzhong, mountains, rivers, cities and villages are all clearly visible on it, with no detail missing.

The news of the war between Qi and Shu had already spread. The Shu army set up a northern camp, with Wang Zongkan, the governor of Dongchuan, as the commander. Under him were three recruiting envoys, Wang Zongyou, Wang Zonghe, and Tang Daoxi. They claimed to have 150,000 infantry and cavalry to attack Qi. Except for Fengxiang, the headquarters of Qi, which had been besieged, all the counties under Fengxiang had fallen into the hands of the Shu army. In addition, intelligence from Chang'an said that the Shu army had also sent troops to Wugong and Zhouzhi, which were under the jurisdiction of Daliang. It was unknown whether they were guarding against the Liang army or had other intentions.

As for the response of the Shu army, Xiao Yan had already given orders to Chang'an, saying that Yang Shihou would lead the Chang'an Youguo Army to move directly to Wugong County to deter Qi Shu and provide cover for the subsequent army.

Afterwards, Xiao Yan did not hesitate to order the Huazhou Ganhua Army to lead the main force of Tongguan out of the pass and advance westward. He did not show any hesitation at all, with the intention of sweeping away the 150,000-strong Shu army that had penetrated deep into Qi in one fell swoop.

As for the Tongzhou Kuangguo Army, Xiao Yan did not mobilize it, but only conferred a nominal title on its governor for future use.

Wiping out the Shu army is Xiao Yan's only goal. It is the key to intimidating the southern princes and even the world. Only by hurting Shu can he really free up his hands to compete with Yuan Tiangang and Li Keyong. This matter will become more and more corrupt if it is delayed. What Xiao Yan has to do is to make a quick decision.

But it was at this critical moment that intelligence came from the front that the Huazhou Ganhua Army had obediently gone west through Tongguan and settled in Weinan, while the Chang'an Youguo Army did not move.

"I am Zheng Yu, your humble servant. I greet all the superiors and generals."

A scholar stood up from his chair holding a report, and first saluted to everyone in the hall, then faced Xiao Yan, the chief, and read: "General Yang wrote that the battle between Qi and Shu is fierce, and our army should wait and see and reap the benefits. In such a situation, it is better to stay calm and not to move. If the Youguo army leaves Chang'an, it may alert the enemy and cause Qi and Shu to stop fighting."

After Zheng Yu finished reading, he observed Xiao Yan's calm expression, and after hesitating for a moment, he said to his attendants: "The general has summoned all the ministers to see him. Do you have any comments?"

Those who can enter this flower hall are either members of the Tian Ce Palace or people who have a say in the court. For example, Jing Xiang and Zhang Quanyi are among them, and He Gui, Niu Cunjie and other generals of the imperial guards are also on the same list.

Generals like Niu Cunjie would not express their opinions. Xiao Yan seemed to be powerful and had an army of 100,000, but his real foundation was nothing more than Ding Badu and Guide Army. The imperial guards and the imperial guards might not necessarily stand on either side even if they had money and power. It was precisely because of Ding Badu and Guide Army that Xiao Yan controlled the imperial guards that these generals did not dare to act rashly, and forced the various military leaders to wait and see the situation.

But if Yang Shihou was determined to be obedient on the surface but hindered Xiao Yan in every way, so that Xiao Yan could not let go and annihilate the Shu army or the Qi army, then the longer it was delayed, the more trouble would be caused. Not only would the Shu army be unable to gain a foothold in Qi, but Xiao Yan would be stuck in Luoyang with tens of thousands of soldiers, which would not only waste money and food but also damage morale. The only reason Xiao Yan could gain a foothold in the center was because of the prestige he had accumulated through military force. If the prestige was gone, the military leaders of all parties would move.

But if they go to war with Yang Shihou, regardless of whether it will trigger a large-scale civil war, the Shu army will probably become the fisherman in the quarrel between the clam and the wretch. At that time, with internal and external troubles, all forces will take advantage of the situation, and won't Xiao Yan be torn to pieces?

It was understandable that General Niu Cunjie and other generals had some thoughts in mind, but the members of the Hebei Military Merit Group formed around Xiao Yan in Tiance Mansion were extremely angry. Someone stood up and said, "I'm afraid Yang Shihou has bad intentions! The Shu army has tens of thousands of troops advancing northward. It seems to be powerful at the moment, but it is difficult to transport military supplies on the Shu Road, let alone tens of thousands of troops. General, if we don't seize the opportunity while the Shu army is unstable, it may be too late when the Shu army conquers Fengxiang City!"

As soon as he finished speaking, someone beside him immediately stood up and said, "Yang Shihou is a veteran general. It is impossible for him not to see such an opportunity. What is his intention in shirking responsibility? The new dynasty was just established. Your Majesty and the Emperor Emeritus personally led the army here. Yang Shihou dared not obey orders, so what about normal times?"

For a time, many people agreed with the idea, and high-ranking officials in the court, such as Niu Cunjie, either remained calm or showed a little panic, which meant that a civil war was about to break out.

"In my opinion, if Yang Shihou does not obey the imperial edict, he will be punished." Someone on the left side spoke in a hoarse voice. Jing Xiang raised his eyebrows and glanced over. It was Li Sian, who was promoted from the vanguard of the cavalry and infantry of the camp to the commander-in-chief of the cavalry and infantry of the camp not long ago by Xiao Yan.

There was a brief silence in the flower hall. Although everyone had this idea, no one said it as bluntly as Li Sian did. After a moment, everyone looked up at Xiao Yan.

Xiao Yan had been squinting at Mu Tu, and didn't show any movement when he heard these words. He just suddenly stood up and walked slowly around Mu Tu, his eyes falling on Chang'an from time to time, but his expression didn't change much.

As a result, even Li Sian, who wanted to say something, kept silent.

"What does the King of Wei think about this?" Xiao Yan took a few steps and suddenly looked at Zhang Quanyi.

Zhang Quanyi, who was higher in rank than Jingxiang but had been acting as an invisible man, could not help but be shocked. Fortunately, his expression did not change. After pondering for a moment, he stroked his gray beard and said, "I'm afraid it's not appropriate. Taiwei Yang has made great contributions and is the commander-in-chief of the western camp. Not only can he mobilize the Chang'an Youguo Army, but also many of the Hezhong troops in Zezhou in the north obey his orders. It may be difficult to convince the people with a false statement of not obeying the imperial edict..."

In fact, this is exactly what everyone in Tiance Mansion is concerned about Yang Shihou.

Yang Shihou is the second largest warlord in Daliang after Xiao Yan. His contributions are too great, and he has old subordinates in various armies. In addition, Zhu Wen has used him as a general in foreign expeditions for many years, so Yang Shihou has a lot of loyalty in the entire western camp. Although Yang Shihou will surely die if a civil war really breaks out, the impact on the situation is too great, and the gain will not outweigh the loss.

Xiao Yan smiled and nodded, saying, "King Wei is right."

Zhang Quanyi felt relieved, exchanged a glance with Jing Xiang, and said, "Otherwise, why not send the Huazhou Ganhua Army westward to confuse the Shu Army? The Youguo Army can stay in Chang'an and coordinate with the Ganhua Army..."

Xiao Yan laughed, then shook his head, narrowed his eyes and said grimly: "Since this is the case, why should we continue to cover it up? Chang'an has been delaying, and I have tens of thousands of troops entering Guanzhong. Do you still think that the Shu army is blind? The initiative has been lost, and I still want to let the Shu army take Fengxiang?"

Hearing Xiao Yan's stern tone, not to mention that Zhang Quanyi did not dare to speak for a moment, everyone in the hall knew that the general had probably made a decision just now.

Letting the Reform Army go first is fine, but it's a step behind. Chang'an needs to prepare short-term military supplies for him. What if Yang Shihou makes trouble again? Not to mention that this is a sign of surrender to Yang Shihou. Maybe it's okay to take this step back. Yang Shihou may cooperate with the central government.

But if Xiao Yan took a step back, it would be equivalent to the central government taking a step back. In this case, wouldn't other military leaders be more inclined to gather around Yang Shihou?

Zhang Quanyi didn't dare to speak for a moment, so Jing Xiang hesitated for a moment and said softly, "How about transferring Taiwei Yang to Zezhou first? Taiwei Yang is the commander-in-chief of the Western Route Camp, and it is legitimate for him to defend against the State of Jin in Zezhou. I'm afraid Taiwei Yang will not refuse to go."

This proposal seemed feasible. As long as Yang Shihou left, no one would dare to challenge Xiao Yan. And if Yang Shihou wanted to be crowned king and given more titles, why would Xiao Yan be stingy with that empty reputation?
But if Yang Shihou really wanted to leave, in order to prevent Xiao Yan from destroying the bridge after crossing the river, he would probably have to take the Youguo Army north with him. At that time, Yang Shihou entered Zezhou, just like a fish entering the sea. He truly returned to his base camp with more troops and more power. It seemed that he had lifted the siege in the short term, but in the long run, it was a tail that was difficult to get rid of, which made people feel like a thorn in the throat.

Now Yang Shihou is in Chang'an, and the only army he can really mobilize is the Youguo Army. He has just a little influence on the Liang Army in Zezhou. This time when he goes back, won't the Western Route Camp let General Yang use his power at will?

Zezhou was adjacent to the State of Jin. Although the possibility of Yang Shihou surrendering to Jin was very small, it was still a thorn in the side. Besides, Yang Shihou still had his own troops, so where would he be transferred to?

Under Xiao Yan's sharp gaze, Jing Xiang knew that his idea was not feasible, so he could only sigh and said, "What should the general do?"

"I, the king, will lead the army in person, and I will use Chang'an as my front camp."

Xiao Yan smiled coldly, turned around and shouted: "Tian Daocheng!"

A big man from the north stood up from the generals' seats with a bang. He knelt on one knee and bowed: "I am your subordinate!"

"I appoint you as the vanguard commander of the camp. You are to lead Dingbadu's 8,000 cavalry and march westward immediately. Arrive at Baqiao in two days and prepare to welcome the emperor."

"I obey your command!" Tian Daocheng had no objection and immediately took the military order and left. A large number of Dingba generals followed him and left, leaving a lot of empty seats in the flower hall.

The pressure on everyone in the flower hall suddenly increased, and as soon as Xiao Yan gave the order, he once again put his hands behind his back and squinted his eyes to look at the wooden figure. The flower hall was very quiet, and everyone was just looking at him.

"Li Sian."

"I am here!" Li Sian snorted and snorted, then stood up and bowed.

"You lead the cavalry of Shenwei, Gongchen, and Zhuosheng armies to march west immediately. You don't need to worry about Chang'an. Go straight to Wugong County. Go out quickly with light horses. You only need to carry seven days' worth of rations."

"This..." Li Sian hesitated. They only brought seven days' worth of military rations. It would take the army three to five days to walk from Luoyang to the front line of Zhuoying. If Chang'an did not supply military supplies in time, their army might not be able to be supported by a mere Wugong County that could be abandoned at any time.

Xiao Yan said nothing, just stared at him coldly.

Li Sian put on a stern face and bowed: "I accept your command!"

Li Sian left immediately, and everyone in the flower hall also went their separate ways. Jing Xiang hesitated for a moment at the end, but when he saw that Xiao Yan did not want to keep him, he just sighed and left.

The major issues have been decided, and Xiao Yan has made up his mind. He will carry out his decisions, and he is decisive and resolute. If this situation happens somewhere else, I'm afraid it will take a long time to argue. It's hard to say whether this situation is good or bad.

After everyone left, Xiao Yan was still pacing alone in front of the wooden chart, his eyes fixed only on Chang'an.

Xiao Yan has always been a person who never hesitates after making a decision. No matter what happens, he just keeps moving forward. His mind has long been as hard as iron. At this position, the word politics has never allowed any discussion of innocence or good or bad.

After standing alone beside the wooden chart for a long time, Xiao Yan suddenly clapped his hands, then emerged from the shadows in the corner, knelt on the ground with his hands folded.

"We can get Yang Shihou's people to talk to Niu Cunjie and the others."

"Here."

(End of this chapter)