Thief Emperor

Chapter 756 The Choice of Two Generations
Zhou Chang stayed in General Xiao's room for a long time before leaving. When he walked out of the room, he saw Major General Xiao Heng standing silently at the door of the room, as if he had been waiting for him for a long time.

Seeing him walk out of the room, Xiao Heng put his hands behind his back, looked at Zhou Chang silently, and then said: "Brother Zhou really works hard for Jiangdong."

Zhou Chang stopped and looked up at Xiao Heng. He narrowed his eyes and sneered, "Brother Xiao Shi, there is no need to be so sarcastic. I came here only to ask Fan Yang if he needs the support of our Pinglu Army, not to ask you Fan Yang Army to do or not do anything."

"I already know General Xiao's attitude. If you, Xiao Heng, want to be a rebellious son or a traitor to the Han Dynasty, it's up to you. I won't stop you."

Zhou Chang looked at Xiao Heng and said expressionlessly, "Once the Khitans enter the pass, no matter what they promise to the Fanyang Army, I'm afraid they won't be able to keep their promises."

Xiao Heng sneered, "In the past, Fanyang defended the land and the people for the Great Zhou. At least the imperial court would send money and grain to Youzhou every year. What does Fanyang have now? You people in the south are fighting fiercely in the Central Plains. Do you know how many people have died in Fanyang in the past one or two years?"

"Let them pass through the customs. At least, our Fan Yang family won't have to bear this burden!"

"That's up to you."

Zhou Chang clasped his fists and said, "If Fanyang can hold on, our Pinglu Army will definitely go north to help. By next year, the Jiangdong Army will most likely be able to help. Once we defeat the Khitans, we can then fight it out among ourselves to determine who wins and who loses."

Xiao Heng put his hands behind his back and said expressionlessly: "By next year, who in the world can still be a match for the Jiangdong Army? Our Fanyang Army is wasting time here, while you are growing stronger day by day!"

"If we wait until next year, what's the point of seeing who wins or who loses?"

Zhou Chang frowned and said nothing more. He just clasped his fists and said, "I can't change what you think, brother. I have already got my uncle's promise. I have other things to do now, so I can't waste time. See you another day and drink with you again, brother!"

After saying that, Zhou Chang lowered his head slightly, bowed and saluted, then turned around and strode away. Xiao Heng stared at Zhou Chang's back as he left, his eyes burning, not knowing what he was thinking.

His father has been ill for a month or two. Now in Youzhou, he has the final say to some extent. As long as he doesn't want Zhou Chang to leave Youzhou, it will be difficult for Zhou Chang to leave.

The major general stood there for a long time without moving. Just as he was about to speak, the door next to him slowly opened.

The tall General Xiao, wearing an outer coat, stood inside the door, staring at Xiao Heng.

Xiao Heng came back to his senses, stepped forward immediately, and bowed: "Father."

General Xiao looked at his almost-decided successor, coughed twice, and asked, "What are you thinking?"

Xiao Heng lowered his head and said in a hoarse voice: "Dad, I just feel it's unfair. Who is Li Yun? Why did he get such a big advantage in the Central Plains?"

"Dad, our Fanyang Army is not weaker than any other vassal state in the world. As long as we don't waste time here, anything is possible!"

"for example?"

General Xiao said softly, "If there were no Khitans now, and I asked you to lead the Fanyang army south to fight against the Jiangdong army, would you be able to defeat Li Yun?"

Xiao Hengda was unconvinced and said in a deep voice: "At least there is a chance!"

"As long as we can conquer the Central Plains, we can conquer the North! By then, it won't be impossible to drive the Khitans out!"

Xiao Xian sighed and said, "Then go and give it a try."

Xiao Heng raised his head suddenly and looked at his father, with a look of astonishment: "Dad?"

General Xiao coughed violently again, then he looked up at his son who was taller than him, sighed, and said, "You are too young. This is a time of turmoil, and your family has some assets. If I don't let you go out and fight, you will probably hate your father for the rest of your life and never let go of this matter."

"In that case, we father and son will each do our own thing."

General Xiao said silently: "You have already accepted a lot of the Fanyang Army, but there are some old brothers who should still be willing to follow their father, especially the locals in Youyan."

"Over the past year or so, you have been recruiting soldiers all over Hebei Province. You should have accumulated a lot of troops. Let's do this."

"Father wants 30,000 troops to stay in Fanyang and garrison in Youyan. The rest of the people will be taken away by you. You can fight with Wei Quanzhong, Li Zhen, Li Yun and others for them."

"Counting the soldiers you have recruited in the past few years, even if you pick out 30,000 people, the number of people you can take away is not much different from the previous Fanyang Army."

Xiao Xian coughed violently again, his voice a little hoarse: "When the time comes, your father will send Cheng'er to Qingzhou and hand him over to the care of his mother's clan. The rest of the Xiao family and the entire Fanyang Army will be handed over to you as the capital for your bet."

General Xiao seemed to have thought it through. He looked calm and said calmly, "If you win, you will be king or emperor in the future. It is your ability. If you fail, with your brother in Qingzhou, our Xiao family will have a root left."

Having said that, he looked at Xiao Heng.

The Fanyang Jiedushi, who had held a high position for many years, seemed to have a hint of pleading in his eyes.

"OK?"

Xiao Heng's eyes were filled with tears. He knelt on the ground with a plop, lowered his head and wept, "Dad, with 30,000 people, how can we defend against the Khitans? How can we defend against the Khitans..."

"The Zhou family kid is also going to lead his troops north. If he can bring 30,000 men, then there will be some chances."

"No matter whether they can hold on or not, the Pinglu Army will withdraw from the battle, which means we have eliminated an opponent for you in advance."

Xiao Heng knelt on the ground, lowered his head, and said nothing.

General Xiao walked up to him, touched his head, and said, "Good boy, don't feel guilty. In such a chaotic time, our Xiao family should really fight for it. If we don't fight for our family fortune, I will feel a little unwilling."

"You and I, father and son, should just do what we want." Xiao Heng touched his forehead to the ground, bowed his head deeply and said, "My child... My child will obey your orders!"

"Ah."

General Xiao nodded silently, then asked Xiao Heng to leave, and called Mrs. Xiao, Zhou, over. He held Zhou's hand and said calmly, "Madam, you can go to Qingzhou with Cheng'er in a few days."

Madam Xiao looked at General Xiao, shook her head slightly and said, "General, Cheng'er can go to Qingzhou to seek refuge with his uncle, but I am already a married woman and cannot return to my parents' home."

General Xiao held her hand and sighed softly, "Go, go, you are still so young."

Madam Xiao shook her head slightly and stopped answering this question. Instead, she said, "Chang'er said that he wants to send his son to Li Yun's army. General, Cheng'er may also be able to..."

General Xiao was silent for a long time, then shook his head slightly: "I don't care, I don't care."

Madam Xiao said silently: "Then I will write a letter to my brother and hand Cheng'er over to him for arrangements."

General Xiao nodded silently and sighed, "Among our generation, Zhou...or your elder brother, is the most blessed. Not only has he lived a ridiculous life but is still living in peace, even Zhou Chang, who was a useless man in the past, has become a decent person now."

“He is a blessed man.”

Madam Xiao nodded silently: "My elder brother..."

“It’s a blessing indeed.”

…………

In a blink of an eye, another month passed and it was mid-May of the sixth year of Zhaoding.

A young man of only fifteen or sixteen years old, accompanied by several guards, came all the way to Luoyang City.

After staying in Luoyang City for two days, someone came and took him to the King of Wu’s headquarters, waiting to be summoned by the King of Wu.

The young man was quite sensible and knew who the King of Wu was, so he waited obediently. After waiting for half an hour, he was led to the King of Wu's study. After entering the study, he looked up at the King of Wu's appearance, then fell to his knees with a plop, touched the ground with his forehead, and kowtowed, saying, "I kowtow to my uncle!"

His words were so loud that even Wu Wang Li Yun, who was writing something, was startled. Li put down the brush in his hand, stood up and walked to the young man, and smiled dumbly: "Unconsciously, I am already a grandfather. Boy, stand up and talk."

The young man climbed up and stood with his hands hanging down.

"What is your name?"

The young man bowed his head and said, "Uncle, my nephew's name is just Luo."

"Zhou Luo."

Li Yun looked at him and said with a smile: "Then you have some fate with Luoyang."

"Where is your father now?"

The young Zhou Luo bowed his head and said, "My uncle, my father has led his troops north to assist the Fanyang Army in resisting the Khitans."

Hearing this, Li Yun nodded silently, patted his shoulder, and said, "Stand up and talk."

After Zhou Luo stood up, Li continued, "Now that you are here, I will take good care of you. But there is one thing you must remember. If one day you don't want to stay here anymore, just tell me and I will send someone to take you back."

"Don't run away by yourself. If you get lost, I won't be able to explain to your father."

Zhou Luo bowed his head deeply: "My nephew obeys your command!"

"Su Zhan."

Li Yun called out, and Su Zhan immediately stepped forward, bowed his head and saluted: "Ascend to the throne!"

Li Yun looked at Zhou Luo and said calmly, "Take him down to have a rest."

Su Zhan looked at the child with a complicated expression, but soon he lowered his head deeply.

"My subordinate understands!"

After saying this, Su Zhan looked at Zhou Luo and said, "Please."

Zhou Luo bowed slightly to Su Zhan, then followed Su Zhan obediently.

After the two of them left, Li Yun sat back at his seat to work again. He didn't know how much time had passed, but when he looked up again, it was already getting dark.

Another young man was brought in front of him. This young man had a smile on his face and also knelt on the ground, bowing his head deeply.

"Meet Uncle!"

(End of this chapter)