Thief Emperor

Chapter 716: Deer Run to the Central Plains, the World Chases

At the end of last year, the goal that Li Yun set for Jiangdong was to march into the Central Plains, and now he has completely accomplished this.

Even exceeded the target.

Because not only did he march his troops into the Central Plains, but he had also firmly established his foothold in the Central Plains.

At this time, there were already five states in the Central Plains, or the entire Henan Province, in his hands, and these five states did not include half of Xuzhou.

You know, Qiu Dian, at that time, only occupied one state, but he dared to call himself the King of Yue!
This is certainly because Qiu Dian has little knowledge, but more importantly, it is because a state is actually quite large.

Even if you’re running a horse, sometimes you can’t even cover the entire state in a day.

Back then, Li Yun could only rely on the two states of Yuezhou and Wuzhou to raise a decent army.

And the five states are almost half of the Central Plains.

The reason why it was so smooth was beyond Li Yun's expectations. In addition to the fact that the Pinglu Army was somewhat cowardly, the more important reason was that the Shuofang Army was not as tough as Li Yun had imagined.

Even until now, the two sides have not yet started a serious fight.

According to Li Yun's original prediction, this year, that is, the fifth year of Zhaoding, he would probably have a major battle with the Shuofang Army. It would not be a battle that would decide the outcome, but at least it would be a very fierce battle. After all, all the information Li Yun had previously obtained about Wei Quanzhong showed that the Prince of Lingwu, General Wei, was not a good-tempered person.

Facts have proved that after suffering a small loss, General Wei was not as tough as Li Yun had imagined. Instead, he became much more sober and began to learn from Li Yun and start to manage the Central Plains.

At the conference table, Li Yun looked at his two generals and said calmly, "At the end of last year, we have basically completed what we decided to do. I will probably follow the army throughout the next year."

He looked at the two people and said slowly: "It would be best if we could achieve a decisive victory in the Central Plains."

"It would be best if we completely defeated the Shuofang Army and drove Wei Quanzhong out of the Central Plains. Then we can... march into Luoyang!"

At this point, Li Yun looked at the two people who were already eager to try, lowered his head and took a sip of tea, and added: "However, this is just a strategic goal, not a task that must be completed. When we do things in Jiangdong, we must always remember eight words."

“Seek truth from facts and adapt to circumstances.”

Su Sheng smiled and said, "I think the winner will be decided next year. It is also not a good idea to indulge the Shuofang Army in the Central Plains for too long. If they succeed in occupying the Central Plains, I am afraid their power will expand again."

"I do not think so."

Li Yun shook his head and said calmly: "After Wei Quanzhong entered the Central Plains, he wanted to learn from us. After occupying the territory, he seized resources from these new territories and expanded the army. But to be honest, I don't think Wei Quanzhong has any ability to manage a place."

Mr. Li laughed at him unceremoniously: "If he had any ability in this area, he would not have run away in disgrace after entering Guanzhong."

Li Yun certainly would not underestimate Wei Quanzhong's ability to lead troops in combat, but he was very dismissive of his political ability.

At the beginning, when three military governors occupied Guanzhong, if the other two had been there all the time, even if Li Yun was in Wei Quanzhong's position, it would have been difficult to move. But after the other two left one after another, if they switched places, Li Yun would definitely do better than Wei Quanzhong.

By now, he might have already held the emperor hostage to control the princes.

"Of course."

Li Yun took a deep breath and said, "Our enemy is not just Wei Quanzhong. There is also the Hedong Army in Taiyuan, the Pinglu Army behind us, Liang Wen in Guanzhong, the imperial guards, and so on."

"These will all be eradicated bit by bit in the future."

"but…"

Li Yun looked at the two of them and said with a smile, "I have good news to tell you. Some time ago, news came from the south that Li Zheng's troops defeated the Lingnan Jiedushi Yan Ji and have occupied all five prefectures in Guangzhou. Yan Ji's family has also been captured and is now on the way to Chenzhou."

Li Yun had indeed just received this news.

In just a few words, he deliberately elevated Li Zheng's achievements and status, without mentioning Gongsun Hao.

But in fact, Li Yun also knew that most of the military achievements in the south this time were due to Gongsun Hao. Although Li Zheng made contributions, they were more of "leadership contributions."

But it's enough.

This incident was enough for Li Zheng to firmly secure his position as one of the four great generals in Jiangdong, and it would also be enough for him to gain a high enough position in the Jiangdong military in the future.

It was even enough for Li Yun to arrange him to the position of Privy Councilor of the Privy Council, which was enough for Li Yun.

Zhao Cheng and Su Sheng also understood what was going on. They stood up and clasped their fists to congratulate Li Yun.

Zhao Cheng said, "Congratulations, Your Majesty. General Li has accomplished such a great feat. From now on, the southeast will be settled!"

Su Sheng smiled and said, "Your Majesty is already a man of natural talent. I didn't expect General Li to be so heroic. It seems that it is destiny that will determine your majesty's conquest of the world." Everyone carried the fancy sedan, and these two generals who came from military families naturally understood it.

Moreover, the Jiangdong Army has never lied about its military achievements. No matter how the battle in the southeast was fought, it was real merit after all and no one could erase it.

Li Yun pressed his hands, motioning for the two to sit down and talk. After the two sat down again, Li Yun smiled softly and said, "After the war in the southeast is over, I will send an observer there after the New Year. It won't be long before the southeast is completely settled. From now on, our enemies will only be in the west and the north."

"Southeast, there's nothing to worry about."

Mr. Li lowered his head to drink tea. Just as he was about to continue talking, he heard a hurried knock on the door, followed by Su Zhan's voice: "Your Majesty, urgent news from the Nine Departments."

Li Yun said without hesitation: "Come in and talk."

Su Zhan pushed the door open and walked in. After seeing the three people, he first bowed to Li Yun, then lowered his head to Su Sheng, called him "big brother", and finally clasped his fists to Zhao Cheng.

"General Zhao."

Zhao Cheng nodded and said with a smile: "Our two families are old friends. There are no outsiders here. You can call me brother."

Su Zhan just nodded his head, then looked at Li Yun. After the latter nodded slightly, Su Zhan spoke up, "The Nine Departments' personnel in Guanzhong just sent a message. About four days ago, the emperor in the capital suddenly attacked Liang Wen, the Duke of Ru. Now Liang Wen's wife, Princess Xunyang, is dead. Liang Wen himself was also taken away by the Imperial City Department. Rumor has it that he is probably dead too."

"Some people also say that the emperor hates him and is torturing him in every way possible."

At this point, Su Zhan paused and continued, "The two passes of Xiaoguan and Tongguan are both guarded by Liang Wen's troops. They have already received the news and are rushing to the capital. Both passes have been lost!"

"According to legend, the emperor... the emperor may flee to Xichuan once again!"

Li Yun's face changed when he heard this. He reached out and knocked on the table, then said slowly, "The Wu family is making trouble again..."

After saying this, he looked at Zhao Cheng and Su Sheng and said in a deep voice: "You two, if there is no garrison at Tongguan, there is no doubt that the Shuofang Army from Duji Road will enter the pass!"

"Before the New Year, the Shuofang Army will probably enter Guanzhong!"

He took a deep breath and said in a muffled voice: "This Wei Quanzhong is really damn lucky! If he occupies Guanzhong, he can really attack or defend!"

Su Sheng stroked his beard, thought for a while, then looked up at Li Yun and said, "Your Majesty, should we send troops westward immediately to at least harass the Shuofang Army and prevent them from entering Guanzhong so easily?"

Li Yun waved his hands, and suddenly something occurred to him. He whispered, "No, if Liang Wen is already dead..."

"His subordinates may not be so loyal and fight the court to the end."

"Moreover, if the imperial court escapes from Guanzhong, then Guanzhong will naturally be occupied by these people, and they may not be willing to let the Shuofang Army enter Guanzhong."

"this matter…"

Li Yun murmured, "It's hard to say yet."

After saying this, he looked at Su Sheng and said, "Brother Su, you have troops in Xuzhou, which is the closest to Luoyang. At the end of the year, I'm afraid I'll have to trouble you to lead your troops into Duji Road to explore the strength of the Shuofang Army."

Without hesitation, Su Sheng patted his chest and said with a smile: "I am worried that I will not have the opportunity to lead the troops into battle. Don't worry, sir. I will return to the camp this afternoon and lead the troops westward!"

Li Yun gave a few more instructions, and then warned: "Remember, don't fight too long. If you encounter the main force of the Shuofang Army, you can retreat temporarily."

"Also, be careful of the Hedong Army."

After saying this, he looked at Zhao Cheng again and said softly: "General Zhao, at this moment, the Pinglu Army in the east and the Fanyang Army in Hebei Province may both move."

"You need to keep an eye on these two groups of troops."

Zhao Cheng and Su Sheng both stood up and nodded in response.

Mr. Li stood up and slowly exhaled a breath of white air.

"The situation is changing day by day. We can no longer proceed step by step."

He looked at the two of them, clenched his fist and said, "You two, the battle can be lost."

"But the army is getting stronger and stronger. Next year, the winner may be decided!"

The two looked at each other and were a little excited.

"My subordinate understands!"

(End of this chapter)