Thief Emperor

Chapter 752 Swallow and digest!
After Yu Ye was helped up, he bowed to Zhao Cheng again without saying anything more, then said with a smile: "Two generals, the throne is waiting for you inside, please come in."

Su Sheng patted his shoulder and said, "After we finish here, let's have a drink together tonight. It's my treat."

Yu Ye was a free-spirited person, he nodded readily and said with a smile: "Okay, I'll have a meal with you, General."

Zhao Cheng at the side smiled and said, "Can you take me with you too?"

Su Sheng smiled and said, "It would be even more lively if General Zhao came."

Zhao Cheng thought for a moment and shook his head slightly: "Forget it, forget it. My brother is drinking with his subordinates, so I, an outsider, won't get involved. Let's wait for the superior to treat us, and then we can drink together."

Now, the troops under the command of Zhao Cheng and Su Sheng already account for more than half of the entire Jiangdong Army. Even if Meng Qing is left out, the two of them together probably account for about 60% of the entire Jiangdong Army.

In this situation, although Li Yun had never prohibited the two of them from having private gatherings, but given their positions and their respective backgrounds, it would probably be difficult for them to meet and drink privately again in their lifetime.

Although there wouldn't be any big problems with Yu Ye, Zhao Cheng still consciously avoided the possible risks.

The two followed Yu Ye inside. After walking a few steps, Su Sheng asked, "Brother Yu, why don't you see my brother? Have you seen him?"

Yu Ye knew who he was asking about, and said with a smile: "When I came here this morning, I actually saw him. I passed by General Xiao Su and chatted with him for a few words. He followed the orders of his superiors and took some things with General Meng to comfort the troops."

Su Sheng was startled when he heard this, and then he seemed to be thinking about something. Zhao Cheng, who was standing beside him, had already clasped his fists and said with a smile: "Congratulations, brother. The Su family has produced another successful person."

Su Sheng shook his head slightly: "He is just running errands for the superiors, what's the point of being successful?"

Having said that, Su Sheng couldn't help but let his imagination run wild.

Su Zhan has been with Li Yun for quite a long time, and the time he has followed Li Yun is almost the same as that of Meng Hai and Zhou Bi. The former two have already "graduated" and found their own way out, and they are both considered to have "bright prospects" in Jiangdong. So, it is probably time for Su Zhan to "graduate" as well.

At least, there are signs of this.

When Su Sheng was daydreaming, he heard Yu Ye's voice. Yu Ye called him twice before he came to his senses. He looked up and found that he had arrived at the main hall door. He came to his senses and quickly straightened his clothes.

Zhao Cheng, who was standing by, burst into laughter when he saw this. As he laughed, he couldn't help but feel a little envious.

He and Su Sheng, at least for now, have similar status in Jiangdong, and in terms of order, he followed Li Yun earlier. However, he is a lonely man, and although he has a son at home, he is still a toddler. It is unknown how long it will take for him to rebuild the Zhao clan.

In comparison, the Su family has already grown new branches in Jiangdong.

As for Zhao Cheng, he has just settled down and is the only child in the family.

Su Sheng heard his laughter and looked back at him. The two of them walked into the main hall one after the other. They bowed to Li Yun in the main hall and said, "Greetings, Your Majesty."

Li Yun was dressed in black at this time, with his hair simply combed. He was reading a letter with a frown on his face. After hearing the two voices, he looked up and said with a smile, "Please stand up, both of you."

Zhao and Su stood up, and Li Yun asked them to sit down. After they sat down, Su Sheng looked at Li Yun and asked, "You looked worried just now. Is there something wrong? If so, I can help you."

Zhao Cheng quickly clasped his fists and said, "I can also share the worries of my superiors."

Li Yun put the letter in his hand aside, shook his head slightly, and smiled dumbly: "It's not a serious matter. When the headquarters was in Chenzhou, the governor of Chenzhou, Liu Zhiyuan, brought in some women. At that time, I was a little depressed, so I acted foolishly for a few days."

At this point, he frowned slightly: "Today, Liu Zhiyuan sent a letter saying that one of the women is pregnant."

Su Sheng and Zhao Cheng looked at each other, then clasped their fists together to congratulate Li Yun. Su Sheng even smiled and said, "It's a good thing to be promoted. You started from scratch and created this foundation. It's time to expand your bloodline."

"You have been in Chenzhou for only one or two months, and Jiangdong has gained another prince and princess. This is a blessing from heaven."

Li Yun lowered his head to drink tea and said calmly: "I have asked the people from the Ninth Division to verify it."

Zhao Cheng thought for a moment and said, "Sir, this kind of thing, that Liu wouldn't dare to deceive you. Besides, he knows the rules. After those women served you, they must be kept under guard. No one is allowed to have contact with them for several months."

Li Yun waved his hand and shook his head, saying, "Forget it, forget it. Don't mention my family's little things. Everyone, sit down and let's talk about the important things."

The two of them sat down, and Li Yun looked up at Yu Ye and said with a smile: "Boy, do you want to sit in here?"

Yu Ye shook his head and said quickly, "I dare not, I dare not." After that, he clasped his fists to the three people and retreated carefully. Li Yun watched him leave and smiled at Su Sheng, "This kid has improved a lot in the past few years with brother. He is very different from when he was in the anti-theft team. Brother has trained him well."

Su Sheng quickly shook his head and said, "Brother Yu is brave in battle and has always been quite good. It's mainly because he led the team well when he was in power. It has nothing to do with his subordinates."

After a few polite words, Li Yun lowered his head and drank a sip of tea, then slowly said: "All armies, rest in place for half a month, and then I will take control of all the prefectures and counties in the Central Plains. Now that the Shuofang Army and the Hedong Army have withdrawn, this task should not be difficult."

"When the time comes, you can discuss the specific distribution among yourselves. My opinion is that we should get this done before autumn."

The two of them clasped their fists in response. Li Yun looked at Zhao Cheng and said with a smile, "General Zhao, you have made great contributions in this Central Plains battle. I will arrange the subsequent rewards as soon as possible. Before that, there is something I want to discuss with you."

Zhao Cheng lowered his head: "My superiors have given orders."

Li Yun lowered his head to drink tea and said, "Mainly, I want to ask you for someone."

After hearing this, Zhao Cheng took a deep breath and said with a wry smile: "The one who took the position is General Xiao Meng..."

"Yes."

Li Yun continued, "The business is getting bigger and bigger. With only two armies, it is sometimes not very convenient to operate. Besides, your deputy generals, Meng Qing and Chen Da, are not around to serve you. They are leading the troops outside alone."

"My opinion is that Meng Qing will be directly supervised by me in the future, but his rank will remain the same for now."

Zhao Cheng immediately lowered his head and said, "Everything shall be done according to the wishes of the superiors. I have no objection."

Li Yun said "hmm" and continued, "After taking over the prefectures and counties in the Central Plains, you two will each expand your armies. I have considered it over the past few days and it would be appropriate for you two to lead 50,000 to 60,000 men each."

"Specific details, you can consider it at your own discretion."

"Our Jiangdong's God of Wealth, Du He, will be in Luoyang soon. You two can meet him first and talk to him about the issue of military rations supply, and then consider the specific number of troops to be expanded and the speed of expansion."

"Once you've discussed it, write a charter and hand it to me."

The two men stood up, bowed their heads and clasped their fists: "I obey your command!"

Li Yun pressed his hands, motioning for the two to sit down, and continued: "I asked you to come here mainly because I have a few things to talk to you about, and I also want to hear your opinions."

"First of all, I met with Zhou Chang of the Pinglu Army some time ago and discussed some things. Because of the success of our Central Plains War, the Pinglu Army has shown some signs of bowing their heads. Yesterday, I received intelligence that they have taken the initiative to withdraw from Xuzhou and gave Xuzhou to us as a token of their sincerity."

"Later, there may be a kid from the Zhou family who will follow me."

Su Sheng's eyes lit up, and he couldn't help but say, "Shangwei, this is great news! Once the Pinglu Army surrenders, Shangwei will really have taken over half of the country!"

"For this matter, we can only wait and see. We can't make any conclusions. I will tell you what I have to say and you can listen."

"The second thing."

At this point, Li Yun took a deep breath and said in a deep voice: "In Fanyang, the Khitans have been invading continuously, causing unrest in the entire Hebei Province. We may not have much time to digest the Central Plains, so we have to move as fast as possible."

"You need to conquer the various states and counties in the Central Plains quickly, and I need to digest them quickly as well."

"We have to race against time with those Khitans."

Zhao Cheng turned his head to look at Su Sheng, then said, "Don't worry, sir. I will make arrangements right away."

"Before June, we will complete the tasks assigned by our superiors."

Su Sheng looked serious. He thought about it carefully and said, "Let's do it... before July."

Li Yun looked at the two of them and smiled silently.

"July, then."

(End of this chapter)