Thief Emperor

Chapter 1027 Old Man Wang of Nanyang

At present, splitting up forces is almost the only option.

If it were simply a matter of dividing the troops, Meng Qing had Luo Zhen, who came from the original Pinglu Army, and some of his old subordinates who had followed him for many years, under his command. There was no need to make Zhao Cheng make this trip again.

But Zhao Cheng still came.

Firstly, it was to make up for the regret of the Jiannan Circuit back then. Secondly, he had been in the position of Minister of War for many years and had not led troops for too long, so he was really itching to do so.

Upon hearing Zhao Cheng's words, Meng Qing immediately replied without hesitation, "That's no problem. We'll do as the general says. As for the troop deployment..."

Zhao Cheng shook his head slightly and said, "After I leave here, I will immediately take over the Taiyuan army that Deng Yang brought back, and then add some scattered troops. It is unlikely that we can wipe out the Khitans in the pass, but it will not be too difficult to keep an eye on them."

"General Meng, focus on dealing with the Khitans outside the pass. If you defeat them so badly that they completely give up any idea of ​​rescuing the Khitans inside the pass, then our mission will be accomplished."

Zhao Cheng paused for a moment, then continued, "Youyan and Liaodong are now becoming quagmires. The court is newly established, and His Majesty has many things to do. We cannot allow the nation's strength to be wasted here indefinitely."

"If it really turns into a quagmire, His Majesty will probably be furious."

At this point, Zhao Cheng said with a wry smile, "Before I came here, His Majesty told me that if the matter of Youyan could not be resolved in two or three years, he would personally lead an expedition to drive us back to Luoyang."

Hearing this, Meng Qing blushed slightly and said with his head down, "This is my fault, I didn't fight well."

"If I still cannot achieve merit within two years, I will be a great sinner of this dynasty, and I shall bind myself and go to Luoyang to plead guilty to His Majesty."

"It has little to do with you."

Zhao Cheng looked at him and comforted him, "When His Majesty ordered you to conquer Youyan, many people in Luoyang were waiting to see you make a fool of yourself. In their eyes, it would take at least three to five years before you even saw Youzhou City."

"In less than a year, you have already cut off the Khitans, splitting them in two, and are even on the verge of eliminating them. You have already slapped them in the face."

It is common knowledge that Meng Qing is favored by the emperor, but precisely because of this favor, he is not necessarily well-liked in the military.

General Zhou Liang, General Su Sheng, and Minister Zhao, who controlled the Ministry of War and was in charge of the promotion of military officers, all held considerable prestige in the military.

But Meng Qing... is too young.

Putting aside everything else, when Meng Qing joined the anti-theft team, the youngest member of the team was a few years older than him.

Nowadays, some of the old brothers are still serving as captains, while Meng Qing has already become a general!
The people in the anti-theft squad were alright; at most, they felt a little envious. But those in the military outside the anti-theft squad were even more jealous, and might have been secretly grinding their teeth in hatred.

That's how it is when a large organization grows. After the founding of the country, with no more enemies, internal strife and infighting naturally begin.

Meng Qing frowned: "Almost every one of those people in Luoyang is from our former Jiangdong army, how come..."

Minister Zhao looked at Meng Qing and said with a smile, "Originally, His Majesty had planned to promote you to Grand General when you returned to Luoyang at the end of this year, making you the third Grand General of this dynasty."

"You're only thirty-four years old this year, aren't you?"

Zhao Cheng sighed, "A general in his thirties, let alone others who are envious, even I am a little envious."

Upon hearing this, Meng Qing was stunned for a moment, then quietly said, "His Majesty's favor towards me is far too great."

Zhao Cheng patted Meng Qing on the shoulder and said, "Right now, there are some problems in Youyan. Brother, if you don't mind me taking a little credit for you, let's join hands and get this done. Two years..."

"Two years is a good time for you to reflect and mature, and the people in Luoyang will be less gossipy."

Meng Qing immediately said, "General, you are too kind. If anyone is benefiting from this, it is you."

He looked at Zhao Cheng and asked, "General, with only 20,000 troops in Taiyuan, can you keep an eye on the Khitans inside the pass?"

"of course can."

Zhao Cheng smiled and said, "Brother, have you forgotten that although I haven't led troops for almost ten years, I have served as the Minister of War for almost ten years as well."

"This position of Minister of War is not for nothing."

Zhao Cheng said calmly, "Right now, I am still the Minister of War in all my capacity, and supplies from the Ministry of War's Armory Department are being continuously transported to the front lines."

"I want to show these Khitans what's what."

Minister Zhao chuckled and said, "What do you mean by 'Celestial Empire'?"

Meng Qing was taken aback, then bowed his head to Zhao Cheng and said with a wry smile, "I almost forgot about that, General. The supplies from the Ministry of War have arrived. Remember to give me a share."

"It's natural."

After chatting for a while, the atmosphere gradually became more relaxed. After Zhao Cheng talked about the Khitans, he suddenly changed the subject and asked, "Last year, His Highness the Prince of Yue served under you for almost a year."

"Brother, what do you think of His Highness the Prince of Yue?"

Meng Qing was taken aback, then blinked: "What do you mean, how?"

"character."

Minister Zhao laughed and said, "What else could it be?"

Meng Qing thought for a moment, then shook his head slightly and said, "I can't really explain it either. His Highness the Second Prince is a generous and forthright man, a true hero."

Zhao Cheng was stunned for a moment before he came to his senses, raised his wine cup, and said, "Come, let's drink. Let's join hands, brothers, and take care of the troublesome Khitans."

Meng Qing nodded in agreement, raised his glass to clink glasses, and said seriously.

"Thank you for your help, General!"

"No need to thank me."

Zhao Cheng clinked glasses with him, then said with a smile, "I'm here under your command, brother. After I leave, you should make things clear to your men so they don't misunderstand and think I, Zhao, am here to reap the benefits."

Meng Qing waved his hand: "Everyone in the army respects the general, they wouldn't have such thoughts."

Zhao Cheng shook his head slightly.

“Everyone in this world, except for saints, has this kind of thought. If everyone does not compete or fight and lets others bully them, they will not win any battles.”

He clinked his glass again: "Come on, brother, drink this cup to the brim!"

The two clinked glasses, and Meng Qing tilted his head back and drank it all in one gulp. Then he looked at Zhao Cheng and became serious.

"Thank you for your guidance, General."

………………

Days passed by, and before they knew it, it was the beginning of autumn in the ninth year of Zhangwu.

By this time, several months had passed since Li Yun returned to Luoyang. During these months, in addition to the officials who were dismissed due to the imperial examination scandal, dozens more were impeached and convicted by the Censorate, and were either demoted or dismissed from office.

Many people have already discerned the changing winds in the court; at least on the surface, no one is saying a single bad word about the new learning anymore.

After all, whether it's new learning or old learning, they are essentially tools for them to gain benefits and status. Just because the emperor changed the tools doesn't mean they should give up their wealth and status.

After all, no matter how powerful an emperor is, he cannot live forever.

It's not about fighting for the present, but for the future.

They should keep a low profile for now, but their time to shine will come sooner or later.

Just as the court was trembling with fear due to the large-scale disbandment of officials, Emperor Li, dressed in plain clothes, left the imperial city and arrived at the Prince of Nanyang's residence, which was not far from the imperial city.

The Prince of Nanyang is none other than Master Xue Song.

The Xue family were originally from Nanyang County, Dengzhou. They moved to Qingyang in their early years because they were officials.

Dengzhou was formerly known as Nanyang County. Therefore, when Master Xue retired a few years ago, Li Yun granted him the title of Prince of Nanyang County, which has been in effect for several years now.

At this moment, Emperor Li, led by his brother-in-law Xue Shou, arrived at the backyard of the Prince of Nanyang's residence. As they walked, Li Yun asked, "Why is my father-in-law so ill? No one has mentioned it to me during this time."

Xue Shou shook his head and said, "Father said that Erlang is too busy, so there's no need to bother him with these family matters, so that Erlang won't find out."

He sighed and said, "I even kept it from my sister."

Since they were in a private residence, there were no formal titles; they only discussed kinship.

Li Yun sighed and said, "Twenty years of friendship, isn't that more important than one or two official matters?"

Where is Yun'er now?

"I arrived early this morning and am keeping my father company in the backyard."

Xue Shou quickly replied.

Li Yun nodded silently, then asked, "Has the Crown Prince come yet?"

Xue Shou thought for a moment, then shook his head and said, "His Highness the Crown Prince probably doesn't know yet."

Emperor Li remained silent and proceeded to the bedroom in the backyard. After meeting his mother-in-law, he went to the bedside and looked at Empress Xue and her ailing father, who was pale-faced. Emperor Li was moved and sat down on the bedside, sighing deeply, "Why is my father-in-law so haggard?"

Master Xue looked up at Li Yun, his wrinkles noticeably deeper than a few months ago. He stared at him for a while before sighing, "It still alarmed Erlang."

Li Yun tugged at his sleeve and said quietly, "I am like a son to you. How can you not disturb me when you are so ill?"

Before Master Xue could speak, Li Yun continued, "The imperial physician is already on his way. Father-in-law, you should take good care of yourself."

"In a few years, your great-grandson will be born, and he will need you to teach him."

"Great-grandson..."

Master Xue looked at Li Yun, then at his son Xue Shou, and his face seemed to light up.

"Yes, it will be soon..."

"I'll be seeing my great-grandson soon."

(End of this chapter)