Thief Emperor

Chapter 228 Cut the mess with a sharp knife!
The stupidest thing Zhao Cheng did was to return to the vicinity of Yuezhou.

Yuezhou and its nearby prefectures and counties had just experienced the Qiu Dian Rebellion. In Yuezhou alone, the population loss reached one-third, which was an unacceptable number for ordinary people.

The states and counties near Yuezhou actually also suffered more or less losses. At present, there is no fertile soil for rebellion near Yuezhou that can generate widespread support.

Especially in Yuezhou, after Li Yun completed the youth version of equal distribution of land, most people were hoping that the fields they planted this year would have a harvest, and no one would think of doing any business that would get them killed.

Although the prefectures and counties near Yuezhou did not reach the level of Yuezhou, they were more or less affected by the Qiu Dian Rebellion. The Qiu family was subjected to the torture of lingchi (death by slicing) and chariot (laughter by pulling apart), which naturally brought some warning to the prefectures and counties near Yuezhou.

Because of all these reasons, it is no longer possible for Zhao Cheng to be like Qiu Dian, who could just raise his arm and attract a large number of responses. Apart from anything else, his identity as Qiu Dian's subordinate is a pain point.

If Qiu Dian can't do it, how can you do it? If you work with Qiu Dian, you will die. If you work with you, there will be no future.

Besides, when Yuezhou was broken, Zhao Cheng was chased out of Jiangdong in a panic, which was also criticized. Many people said behind his back that he was greedy for life and afraid of death, and betrayed his lord.

Due to various constraints, Jiangdong was destined to no longer be suitable for Zhao Cheng's development. If he could be ruthless and take his soldiers to the Central Plains, occupy a few states and counties while the chaos was going on, and double his number of people, then in the future, whether he surrendered to Wang Junping or accepted the imperial court's amnesty, both would be ways out.

Returning to Jiangdong would be a huge failure.

However, this cannot be entirely blamed on Zhao Cheng.

The reason why he chose to return to the vicinity of Yuezhou was probably because the team under his command, which was composed entirely of Yuezhou people, was about to fall apart.

If he didn't return to Jiangdong, the only foundation he had left would disappear. He had to go back to Jiangdong and try to start over in Jiangdong.

But if the situation were reversed, even if only 100 men were left out of his 2,000 men, Li Yun would go to the more chaotic battlefield in the Central Plains to seek a way out. This is the biggest difference between Zhao Cheng and Li Yun.

He...is full of plans but indecisive.

Therefore, in Li Yun's view, although the battle of Wuzhou is still difficult, with thousands of subordinates, he is still confident of victory, otherwise he would not go to Zheng Wei to ask for command.

Li Yun stayed in Shan County for another two days, and even took Li Zheng on horseback to Dongyang County in Wuzhou for a tour.

No trace of the rebels was found in Dongyang County, which meant that Zhao Cheng's troops were still shrinking near Wuzhou City and their influence had not extended to the counties of Wuzhou.

After Li Yun took a tour of Dongyang County, he did not hesitate any longer. After returning to Shan County, he immediately called Deng Yang.

"Deng Yang, you take 500 people to garrison Dongyang County. At least make sure Zhao Cheng doesn't dare to plunder food in Wuzhou anymore."

Deng Yang nodded his head and Li Zheng whispered, "Second brother, can we set up an ambush in Dongyang? If the rebels come to Dongyang to rob food, we can at least defeat some of them."

Li Yun shook his head: "Zhao Cheng's main force is still in Wuzhou. The people who were gathering information at that time were outside our Yuezhou camp. It is impossible that he knew nothing about our actions here. I am afraid that when the army just started to station in Shan County, he had already stopped looting Dongyang."

"Just do as I say."

Li Yun said slowly: "Tomorrow, Zheng Yu and Governor Du will come to Shan County. At this time, we in Yuezhou have taken the lead in occupying a county, so I can talk to them tomorrow."

Li Zheng then nodded without saying anything.

Deng Yang led 500 Yuezhou soldiers and headed straight for Dongyang County.

…………

The next day, in Shan County.

Zheng Wei sat in the main seat, and Du Qian, the governor of Yuezhou, sat next to him. Most of those present from other states and counties were Simas in charge of military affairs, and only one or two governors were present.

Duke Zheng sat in the main seat and slammed the table fiercely, burning with anger: "I have issued a handwritten order to rush to Shan County within ten days. Now the ten days are up. I just asked, and apart from the troops from Yuezhou, there are only more than 3,200 people present now!"

"It's really hopeless!"

Zheng Wei said angrily: "Right now, Wuzhou is in trouble, and you states think it has nothing to do with you. If something happens in your states, and other states are slow to respond, what will you think?"

Zheng Yu, the inspector, could not lead the various states and counties in administration, and most of those present were not provincial governors. Some Sima complained, "Mr. Zheng, we are all here today, and those who are not here are still on their way. You are angry, but you can't take it out on us."

"Yes."

Others echoed, "Master, we are all here on time."

Zheng Yu became even more angry and cursed: "I will impeach every prefecture and county that didn't come today to the court!"

The people present were still laughing and not taking it seriously.

One reason is that everyone present today has indeed arrived.

Secondly, the imperial court is not as effective as before.

The most realistic point is that the provincial governors and Sima officials who originally wanted to be transferred to the court to serve as officials are now considering either giving up their posts and returning home to protect themselves, or thinking about how to be re-elected in the local area and simply becoming their own local emperors.

What is even more frightening is that some states and counties that were originally relying on military pay to fill vacancies are now quietly recruiting soldiers to fill the original vacancies.

No one is stupid.

Conflicts between the central government and local governments have existed since ancient times. Now that the imperial court has become so soft, the local governments will naturally become tougher accordingly.

Seeing that the people who were "attending the meeting" were still laughing and joking, Zheng Wei was also helpless. After sighing, he looked at Li Yun and said, "This time, I plan to hand over the command of Li Sima of Yuezhou to quell the rebellion in Yuezhou. Sima Li is here now. Sima Li, please tell everyone what you think."

Li Yun stood up and looked at everyone with a calm expression.

"Everyone, half of our Yuezhou Army has now entered Dongyang County in Wuzhou. If nothing unexpected happens, they have already occupied the county seat of Dongyang County. In order to prevent the rebels from counterattacking, our main force in Shan County will set off today and rush to Dongyang."

The people who led the troops from various states were all looking at Li Yun with a smile, and no one agreed.

Zheng Wei frowned and was about to speak, but Li Yun suddenly slammed the table and shouted, "I'm not kidding you."

The Sima from other states looked at Li Yun lazily and said indifferently: "Sima Li, your soldiers from Yuezhou took the initiative to grab the credit without saying hello to us. How can we cooperate with you?"

"Some of us just arrived in Shan County today. Please let us rush to the battlefield. The soldiers have had a hard time traveling all the way. If we force them to travel further, let alone whether we will encounter the enemy, even if we don't, I'm afraid our morale will drop significantly."

"If we're not careful, the camp will be blown up."

The middle-aged man, who was also Sima, smiled and said, "Is Sima Li responsible?"

"Of course I'm responsible."

Li Yun waved slowly.

Outside the door, more than twenty soldiers of the Yuezhou Army had surrounded the hall.

Li Yun looked up at Zheng Yu and said slowly, "Sir, since you are in command, I will supervise you. Please ask the commanders of the various states to hand over their badges. From now on, our Yuezhou Army will take over the various armies."

"Only when all armies have unified command and unified action can the Wuzhou rebellion be quelled as soon as possible. If we are as disorganized as you colleagues just now, I am afraid that Wuzhou will not be quelled in one or two years."

Zheng Wei was stunned.

He looked at the soldiers of Yuezhou Camp outside the hall, who were wearing armors, and stared at Li Yun with wide eyes: "Li... Li Zhao, what are you going to do..."

Before he finished speaking, Du Qian, who was standing beside him, smiled and said, "Sir, in my opinion, the leaders of the various states have worked hard to lead the troops all the way here. It would be a good idea to let them stay in Shan County and have a good rest for a few days."

"It is your prerogative to temporarily command the troops of various states during wartime. This is not out of the ordinary."

"There is no second master in the army."

Du Qian lowered his voice and said, "Since you are determined to let Li Zhao command this battle, these people are at least on the same level as Li Zhao. If they don't stay, Li Zhao can't be in charge."

"Master, trust the people you employ."

While Du Qian was still talking, the main hall was already in an uproar. Someone stood up, glared at Li Yun, and shouted angrily: "Sima Li, what are you doing? Are you planning a rebellion?"

"Sima Li!"

Someone else said in a deep voice, "Mr. Zheng is still here, and your Yuezhou Envoy Du is also here, how dare you do this? Who gave you the courage?"

"All right!"

Zheng Wei patted the table and the place immediately became quiet.

He first looked at the Yuezhou soldiers outside the door, then looked at Li Yun, and said slowly: "Sima Li, I will report today's events to the court truthfully!"

Li Yun was not afraid: "I have a clear conscience."

Zheng Wei took a deep breath and said in a deep voice: "Everyone, just take a break in Shan County, hand over your badges and tokens, and the people you brought with you..."

"Leave it to Sima Li for command."

(End of this chapter)