Thief Emperor

Chapter 685: One battle decides the world!

"Brother Jiu, Brother Zheng."

Zhou Bi opened the big tent and walked in. He saluted the two people and said in a deep voice: "The higher-ups have already responded to the military affairs. The Inspection Department will severely rectify the military discipline in the Zhangzhou army."

He looked at Li Zheng and said, "Anyone involved in the attack on Brother Zheng will be severely punished. The rest who violate military discipline will be expelled from the army or severely punished with a military stick and recorded as a demerit."

Li Zheng just glanced at Zhou Bi and said nothing.

In the Jiangdong Army, there is a clear rule that once a person is punished, he will not be promoted for at least three years.

At this time when the Jiangdong Army is booming, if you don't get promoted within three years, you will almost certainly be left far behind by people of the same level.

Li Zheng was silent for a while, then said in a deep voice: "Okay, I will fully cooperate with the Inspection Department."

Zhou Bi lowered his head and said, "Brother Zheng, your injury is not healed yet, rest and recover. I will report to you when there is a result."

Liu Bo walked up to Zhou Bi with a smile, patted him on the shoulder, and said with a smile: "Boy, you have learned to speak. When you were little, didn't you also call him skinny monkey?"

Zhou Bi felt a little embarrassed and scratched his head.

"Brother Jiu, you..."

Liu Bo smiled and asked, "I heard that you and the girl from the Su family are going to get married. When are you going to get married?"

At this moment, the three people in the big tent were all raised in Cangshan Village, so they didn't have too many taboos when talking. Zhou Bi answered honestly: "Probably by the end of the year."

"Okay, okay."

Liu Bo shook his head and said with emotion: "You are about to get married, but I, your ninth brother, still don't have a husband."

Zhou Bi smiled and said, "With Brother Jiu's current status and position, it would be easy for him to find a sister-in-law, right?"

"That's what I said."

Liu Bo found a seat and sat down, shaking his head and saying, "I've been in this business for too long, and have come across too many conspiracies and tricks. Now when I see those girls, I always find it hard to believe."

Zhou Bi thought for a moment and said softly, "Ninth Brother, the people of the Zhuo family can be trusted. If you are interested, I will ask you when I return to Jinling."

Liu Bo smiled slightly, neither agreeing nor refusing, he just patted Zhou Bi on the shoulder and said, "Work hard, when you take over the position of Third Uncle, we brothers will still have to rely on you to take care of us."

Zhou Bi smiled and shook his head and said, "I didn't rise with my second brother. I followed him after he rose. I'm very different from you. My father said that he would retire from that position in a few years and it would have nothing to do with me. My father also said..."

He looked at Li Zheng and said softly, "The old man said that the position of Privy Councilor in the future will definitely belong to Brother Zheng."

Li Zheng's expression changed when he heard this, and then he coughed violently twice. Even Liu Bo frowned, glanced at Zhou Bi, and shook his head slightly, saying, "You are a man who is about to get married, but you still can't control your words."

He shook his head slightly and said, "These words cannot be said."

"Otherwise, Uncle San will never tell you anything again."

Zhou Bi also quickly explained: "It's just the people from our old village, so I'm just talking about it."

Liu Bo smiled and changed the subject: "A big battle will soon break out over there, and I won't be here long in Zhangzhou. I will leave in a few days to help out over there, and I don't know when we will meet again, brothers."

"By the way, I have two children who will be born this year."

Liu Bo said with a smile: "Next time we meet, I'll take you to have a look."

Li Zheng and Zhou Bi were both a little surprised, especially Li Zheng, who asked, "Brother Jiu, you..."

Liu Bo was very carefree: "Since I started this business, I have been assassinated by the Imperial City Bureau more times than my second brother. Why should I not be careful and cautious? Besides, I am old now."

He smiled and said, "Is it surprising to keep several women in private?"

He is about the same age as Li Yun, only one year younger. Li Yun is twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old this year, and he is also twenty-seven years old. At this age, he should have continued the family line long ago.

Li Zheng looked at Liu Bo, who was smiling, and after a long while, he sighed, "Brother Jiu, this job is a bit too gloomy. It's just that you have a cheerful personality. If someone else was in your position, I'm afraid they wouldn't even smile now."

"Wait until the end of the year and tell your second brother to find someone to replace you."

Liu Bo shook his head slightly: "If I don't do it, who will do it? Those who are better than me either have more important things to do, or they don't have the trust of my second brother as well as I do."

"Someone has to do this. If those of us who come from the old village do it, Second Brother will feel more at ease. Even if I just do nothing in this position, it will be a kind of supervision for Jiusi."

He whispered: "You two may not know that Jiusi is now..."

"It's getting bigger and bigger." That day, three brothers who came from Cangshan Dazhai gathered together and chatted for a long time.

After this conversation, the three brothers went their separate ways.

Zhou Bi brought the Inspection Office into the army and began to reorganize the Zhangzhou army. At the same time, Gongsun Hao also entered the Zhangzhou army, slowly took over some power in the army, and began to plan a counterattack against the Lingnan army.

Li Zheng left the army and returned to Zhangzhou City to recuperate and rest.

Liu Bo handed over the affairs in the south to an officer under the Ninth Department. He took a team of followers and went directly north to meet Li Yun. While taking over the intelligence affairs around Li Yun, he reported to him on the affairs of Xiangzhou.

Although Liu Bo was a little fat, he had been traveling around and riding horses all year round over the years, so his physical fitness was actually not bad. He only brought a dozen followers with him along the way, and headed north from Zhangzhou. It only took him ten days to cover more than 2,000 miles and reach Zhangzhou City.

After entering Zhangzhou City, people from the Nine Departments soon came to contact and delivered the news to Li Yun. So Liu Bo was invited to Li Yun's headquarters before he even had time to change his clothes.

When he met Li Yun, Li Yun was looking through and approving some documents. Next to Li Yun, there was a young man who was also writing furiously.

Liu Bo was not in a hurry and waited quietly. After a long while, Li Yun finished reviewing the documents in his hand, then looked at the young man beside him and said lightly: "Zhang Sui, these must be sent out immediately. You take them out and give them to Su Zhan, and then organize the documents for tomorrow. Don't come back to the study today."

Zhang Sui responded and hurried over, picking up the clerk beside Li Yun. Then he glanced at Liu Bo, feeling inexplicably scared. He bowed slightly to Liu Bo and then carefully retreated.

After Zhang Sui left, Li Yun stood up, stretched, and cursed.

"Damn it, even after leaving Jinling, there's still no peace. Wherever I go, there's a lot of paperwork delivered to me."

Liu Bo stepped forward, smiled and poured a glass of water for Li Yun, and said with a smile: "Second brother, every stroke of your pen is worth a thousand gold now."

Li Yun motioned him to sit down, then asked, "How is Skinny Monkey?"

Liu Bo answered honestly: "The arrow in my shoulder injured the bone. I will probably need to recover for several months. The doctor also said that there may be some sequelae, such as not being able to use too much strength in my arm..."

Li Yun narrowed his eyes, and then said coldly: "The two generals of the Zhangzhou Army in the south, one with a broken arm and the other with a broken leg, are really a good match."

He was joking, but his tone did not mean to be joking at all. Even Liu Bo, who was lively and humorous, did not dare to accept such a joke. He just lowered his head and continued: "Before I came back, I met with Gongsun Hao. He also read some intelligence about the Nine Departments Lingnan Army. He told me that before the end of the year, he was sure to assist Li Zheng and defeat the Lingnan Army."

Li Yun asked softly, "Is he going to assist Li Zheng, or is he confident that he can defeat the Lingnan Army?"

Liu Bo smiled and said, "There is no difference."

Li Yun thought for a moment, then hummed and said calmly, "The traitor in the south is from the anti-theft team. When we catch him, don't kill him. Send him to me and I will interrogate him in person."

Liu Bo quickly said: "Jiu Si will make sure he doesn't die."

The two of them sat together and talked for a long time about the south and Li Zheng's affairs. It took them more than half an hour. When they had almost finished talking, Liu Bo poured tea for Li Yun and asked, "Second brother, what's the situation here?"

Li Yun looked at him and asked with a smile: "You, the Chief of the Ninth Department, still want to ask me?"

Liu Bo shook his head slightly: "I rushed all the way here from Zhangzhou, and rode as fast as I could every day. Jiusi only managed to send me some sporadic news, but no details."

Li Yun lowered his head and drank tea.

"Fighting has already started on several battlefields."

He said softly, "Five days ago, at the border of Tangzhou and Yuzhou, Zhao Chengmengqing's troops fought against the Zhongwu Jiedushi Zheng Can."

"Three days ago, Su Sheng led the vanguard troops into Dengzhou."

"At this moment, everyone is in the midst of a fierce battle. Most of the documents I just processed were sent back from the army."

Liu Bo was a little surprised when he heard this: "The war is getting faster and faster."

“When we get to this point, of course we have to go faster and faster.”

Li Yun looked at Liu Bo with burning eyes.

"Old Nine, in the battle for supremacy, sometimes victory or defeat is decided by just one big battle. One battle can decide the outcome!"

“I think this war…”

His voice was a little hoarse.

"It's not far away."

(End of this chapter)