Thief Emperor

Chapter 837: Cloud Decides Hebei Affairs

Li Yun sat in the main seat at a long rectangular table, looking at the generals sitting on both sides with a smile on his face.

Su Sheng was on his left, and Zhao Cheng sat in the first seat on his right.

Behind Su Sheng was Li Zheng, and behind Zhao Cheng sat Meng Qing and Zhou Chang, the major general of the Pinglu Army.

Including Li Yun, there are six people in total.

Originally, Deng Yang was qualified to sit at this table anyway, but something unexpected could happen on the Khitan side at any time. At this time, Deng Yang was guarding the border between Cangzhou and Youzhou to prevent unrest.

After a few pleasantries, Li Yun got down to business. He coughed, tapped the table with his hand, and said, "The documents of each army have been reported, but I guess you are not very clear about it. Today, at this table, everyone will report the casualties of your army, General Su."

He looked at Su Sheng and said, "Start with you."

Su Sheng nodded immediately. Just as he was about to stand up, Li Yun pressed his hand and motioned for him to sit down.

"From now on, you don't have to stand up to discuss matters."

"Yes."

Su Sheng sat back in his seat and said, "The superiors already know about the losses of all parties in Hebei Province. Since you are all here today, I will only talk about the situation in Cangzhou. For several months, Cangzhou has been besieging and killing the Khitan cavalry that came south."

He looked at Li Yun, then at the crowd, and then continued, "A few days ago, the detailed numbers were counted. We killed about 9,500 Khitans and captured more than 1,340."

"There are 3,400 usable war horses."

At this point, Su Sheng was silent for a moment, and then continued, "More than 5,900 of my troops were killed in battle. The detailed number is that the Jiangdong Army I led suffered about 2,000 casualties."

"The rest..."

He looked at Li Zheng, who sighed silently and said, "The rest are all casualties of our navy."

"In fact, if we count the seriously injured, the number of people is even higher, the upper position..."

He looked at Li Yun and said in a deep voice: "These Khitans are really brave. Even in a desperate situation, only one or two out of ten are willing to surrender, but they still fight like trapped beasts, and almost all of them fight to the last man. If the Khitans were not completely unable to swim and the Zhang River blocked their way, this encirclement and killing would basically be impossible to complete."

Li Yun reached out and knocked on the table, and said in a deep voice: "The rising power is like this. They conquered Bohai Kingdom not long ago, and ate Youyan some time ago. The people are excited."

At this point, Li Yun looked at Su Sheng and said, "General Su, for a period of time, I need you to guard Hebei Road and keep an eye on the Khitans in the north to prevent them from going south from Youzhou."

Mr. Li paused and continued, "How many soldiers do you need?"

"Fifty thousand Jiangdong troops are enough."

After Su Sheng thought carefully, he looked at Li Yun and said, "However, I need the navy of Jiangdong to stay in Zhangshui for assistance."

Mr. Li nodded, and then continued: "In addition to the Khitans in the north, we also need an army stationed in Hengzhou to guard against the Hedong Army in the east. At the same time, these two armies must cooperate with each other. If possible, in the next one to two years, we will find an opportunity to eat up the remnants of the Fanyang Army that fled to Yizhou."

"Of course."

Li Yun cleared his throat and said, "These remnants of the Fanyang Army are no longer a force to be reckoned with. Without external help, they will collapse over time. Therefore, Yizhou is just a bonus. The most important thing is to hold on to Hebei Province for a period of time."

He looked at Su Sheng, who immediately said, "Don't worry, my lord. I will definitely do a good job in Hebei Province."

Li Yun smiled and asked: "There are two garrisons in Hebei Dao, and another general is stationed in Hengzhou. The one stationed in Hengzhou now is Su Zhan..."

"Su Zhan can't do it."

Su Sheng immediately responded, "He is too young to take over. It is no problem for him to guard for a month or half a month, but if he guards for a long time, there is a high possibility that mistakes will be made. Hengzhou is adjacent to Taiyuan Prefecture and is an extremely important position. It cannot be handed over to Su Zhan to guard."

Li Yun did not speak, but just looked at him. Su Sheng lowered his head and thought for a while, then continued, "General Deng has a calm personality and is suitable for defending the city. I think General Deng should be sent to defend Hengzhou."

Li Yun touched his chin, thought for a moment, and nodded, "Well, the defense of Hebei Province for the next two years will be handed over to you, General Su, and Deng Yang. As for Su Zhan..."

"Su Zhan has made great contributions this time. I think he can be appointed as a captain. As for where to place him in Hebei Province, you can decide for yourself, brother."

Su Sheng nodded slightly and said, "The captain is too high. We can make him a deputy captain and follow behind the old captain to guide him."

Li Yun smiled and did not speak, but looked at Meng Qing. Meng Qing stood up, took a deep breath, clasped his fists towards Li Yun and said, "Sir, not counting the war in Dingzhou, only the two states of Yingzhou and Mozhou, I have been entangled with the Fanyang army for more than half a year, and the casualties..."

"Together, there are more than 23,000 people."

He bowed his head deeply to Li Yun, lowered his head over his hands, and said in a hoarse voice: "Among all the troops, several of my subordinates have suffered the most casualties. Please punish them!"

Before Li Yun could speak, Su Sheng said quickly, "General Meng has faced the most enemies. For the past six months, it was almost General Meng alone who held back the main force of the Fanyang Army. Moreover, the main force of the Fanyang Army suffered heavy casualties in his hands."

"Cangzhou is besieging the Khitans. General Meng has also sent reinforcements to plug the gap." Li Yun pressed his hand, motioning Meng Qing to sit down again. Then he looked at everyone and took a deep breath: "Continue the discussion."

Zhao Cheng said, "Sir, my army only had some conflicts with the Hedong Army. They did not fight with all their strength, and we fought conservatively. After two months, the casualties combined were only more than 1,300 people."

Li Yun said "hmm" and said, "General Zhao, what about your sister?"

Zhao Cheng bowed his head slightly and said, "Thank you very much, my Lord, for arranging the Nine Departments to help. That family has been taken to prison by Lord Yao of Luoyang Prefecture. This can be regarded as a vent for my sister and nephews."

Li Yun nodded silently and sighed, "I have also seen the report from the Ninth Division on the matter of the second sister of the Zhao family. Is her family still living in Luoyang?"

Zhao Cheng nodded: "Yes, he lives in Luoyang. Mr. Yao has helped to arrange for him to stay."

"It won't be long before I go to Luoyang, and then I'll go and see the second sister of the Zhao family."

Li Yun paused and asked, "I have also heard about General Zhao's two nieces. Are you going to arrange for them, General Zhao, or should I help find a husband for them?"

Zhao Cheng stood up and bowed his head deeply, saying, "My Lord, I am worried about this matter. I have too many things to do in the army and cannot spare the time to take care of their affairs. If I really want to find a husband for them, I can only look for one among the rough men in the army. I am afraid that I will make the wrong choice and let them suffer."

"The Supreme One has a wise eye, please help them find a home!"

Li Yun thought about it and nodded, "I'll make a note of this."

He wanted to continue talking, but when he turned around and saw Zhou Chang, he realized that Zhou Chang was also present. So he came to his senses and said with a smile: "Major General, tell me about the casualties of your troops."

The smile on his face faded, and he said sternly, "This time, all the compensation and medical treatment for the casualties of the Pinglu Army will be charged to Jiangdong."

Zhou Chang looked at Li Yun and said sternly, "We are all subordinates of our superiors, so naturally the compensation should be borne by our superiors."

Li Yun was stunned when he heard this, and then he smiled silently.

Zhou Chang took out a document from his bosom and handed it to Li Yun with both hands. He bowed his head and said, "Sir, in the battle of Dingzhou, the number of our soldiers killed and seriously injured totaled 17,000 to 18,000."

"Among them, there were 16,000 people from the original Pinglu Army, and nearly half of them were killed or wounded."

He said in a deep voice: "However, in the battle of Dingzhou, some of our soldiers also made great contributions. I heard that the higher-ups will treat the Pinglu Army equally. I would like to ask the higher-ups to grant military honors to the Pinglu Army as well!"

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone present looked at him sideways.

Li Yun was not surprised at all, he just smiled and said: "That's no problem, I've always wanted to give it to you, but Mr. Yuan was afraid that you wouldn't want it."

"The Pinglu Army is awarded merit, which is consistent with our Jiangdong Army."

Zhou Chang was overjoyed when he heard this. He stood up, clasped his fists, and bowed deeply in salute: "On behalf of the soldiers of the Pinglu Army, I thank you very much!"

Li Yun looked at Zhou Chang and said, "After the battle of Dingzhou is over, the Pinglu Army can return to Qingzhou to rest."

He looked at Zhou Chang and said in a deep voice: "In the battle of Hebei Road, the Pinglu Army made great contributions. It will probably take several months to be awarded the title, but here, I can express my position."

"Zhou Chang."

Zhou Chang stood up and saluted.

"From now on, you will be one of our Jiangdong generals."

Zhou Chang took a deep breath and bowed: "Thank you very much, your Excellency!"

Everyone around him stood up and clasped their fists towards Zhou Chang, congratulating him: "Congratulations, General Zhou."

"Congratulations, General Zhou."

Zhou Chang returned the greetings one by one.

Li Yun looked at Meng Qing and said with a smile: "Meng Qing, you will also be promoted to general."

Meng Qing immediately bowed his head and clasped his fists. Just as he was about to speak, he was interrupted by Li Yun.

"As for the rewards for others..."

Li Yun looked around at everyone and smiled.

"I will seal it when I get to Luoyang."