Late Tang

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The cold wind stopped for a while, and the sun was shining brightly.

The team moved forward all the way, from Taiyuan along Fenshui all the way south, from the territory of Jiedushi in Hedong to the territory of Jiedushi in Hezhong.

When the army arrived, Hezhong Jiedu envoy Cao Zhui immediately led Hezhong officials to greet him.

Cao Que used to be one of the prime ministers of the government affairs hall of the imperial court. 12 years ago, Cao Que, who was concurrently serving as the Minister of the Ministry of War and Pan Duzhi, was awarded by the reigning Tang Yizong as the real prime minister. Supervision of national history.Cao is really proficient in Confucianism, he is cautious in dealing with things, and abides by the law, but Yizong is a rare fool in the late Tang Dynasty. Therefore, as a prime minister, he is actually tired and has no political achievements.At that time, someone made up a ballad "Mocking the Four Prime Ministers": "No matter what happens, the money will always be collected. The merchants don't care, when will the goods (roads) stop?" Shou, Xu Shang, Lu Yan.

Five years ago, Cao was indeed dismissed as Prime Minister, but he still retained the honorary title of Tongping Zhangshi and served as the Jiedu Envoy of Zhenhai.After the three-year term expired, he was transferred to Hezhong Jiedushi the year before last.Since the two big salt ponds of Jieyan guarding the east of the river are close to Chang'an and Luoyang, the river has always been an important town and a rich city.The salt tax paid by the two salt ponds in the river is as high as nearly 200 million guan, accounting for nearly half of the salt tax in the Tang Dynasty.

Zheng Congxuan, Yu Juan, Li Jing and other envoys from the eight towns arrived with triumphant soldiers. Cao Que was also very generous. He directly rewarded each soldier with [-] coins and two bolts of cloth. He also gave each soldier two catties of salt and two bucket of rice.It can be said that there was a lot of bleeding, which made the whole army very happy.

Reciprocating, Zheng Congxuan, Yu Cang, Li Jing and other eight commanders tried their best to restrain the soldiers and horses of the towns along the way, and did not let the situation of soldiers like bandits appear in the river.

"Mr. Cao is a good official. Under his governance, it can be seen that the place in Hezhong is still very rich." Li Jing said that although the town government does not lack such rewards, Cao is indeed a good person.And along the way, Li Jing saw that the situation in the counties and counties in Hezhong was much better than that in Daibei, Lulong and even Hedong.Although Hezhong Town suffered from the same disaster last year, there were no barren villages along the way, and most of the people stayed at home.On the way, I didn't see too many people fleeing famine and begging for food.In such a year, officials who can do this are commendable.

"Yes." Zhang Chengye also said with some admiration: "Now there are not many officials in the imperial court who are as conscientious as Cao Gong, who are dedicated to serving the country and the people. It's a pity, Cao Gong's health is probably dying. Commander, I think Mr. Cao won't be able to hold on for long. Look at him, he was coughing constantly when he was eating. I also saw him coughing up blood. I guess it will be difficult to survive this winter. Mr. Cao is gone, and this Hedong doesn't know Who is going to hand it over to?"

After staying in the river for a few days, the army did not take Fengling across the river to enter Tongguan, but directly crossed the Yellow River at the Pujin Bridge in Puzhou and entered Pujin Pass in Fengyi County, Tongzhou, Gyeonggi Province, Guanzhong. .

On the third day of March, soldiers and horses arrived at Gaoling County, north of the Dongwei Bridge on the north bank of the Weishui River in Gyeonggi Province.

When the soldiers and horses arrived here, they could no longer go any further. Chang'an was beyond the Weishui River, and they had to wait for the emperor's will at this time. When more than 3 troops arrived in Gaoling, the magistrate of Gaoling hurriedly came to greet him, and wanted to invite Li Jing and others to lead the army into the city.

But Zheng Congxuan just smiled and refused. With more than 3 soldiers and horses, where can the small Gaoling City live.What's more, this is already the land of Gyeonggi, so you have to be careful in every move.In the end, the soldiers and horses were still stationed on the north bank of the Wei River ten miles outside the city.

Generals such as Zheng Congxun and Yu Juan entered the city to accept the banquet of Gaoling senior officials.

Not far away, there is a side hall in the Daming Palace in Chang'an City on the south bank of the Wei River. There are several charcoal basins burning in the corner of the hall. It is cold outside in spring, but the back of the hall is warm.There is a person sitting in the hall, holding a celadon teacup in his hand, but he is not in the mood.Put down the teacup in your hand, put it down and pick it up again until the tea is cold.

There was a sound of hurried footsteps, and a Shence Army general in mountain armor walked in.

The man in the seat quickly put down his teacup and stood up, and greeted him: "How is it?"

General Shence was a little unsuitable for the warmth in the palace, and fine beads of sweat soon appeared on his forehead. He spread out his palm and wiped it, then wiped it dry on the cloak.Youzi said with some rough air: "Here we are, we have arrived at the north of the Dongwei Bridge. A total of [-] soldiers and horses are escorting [-] Shatuo captives to camp outside Gaoling City, on the north bank of the Weishui River. Gaoling County officials have already greeted them. Into the city."

He rubbed his hands together, and said in a soft voice: "I went to see it myself, and those soldiers and horses are indeed strong and sturdy, much stronger than the Shence Army in Gyeonggi. Especially Li Jing's soldiers and horses are full of strength. With 2 horses, the soldiers are strong and the horses are strong, just looking at the formation makes people panic."

"Why, are you scared?" The man in the hall sat down again, the light in the hall shone on his face, reflecting his white, beardless, slightly fat and round face.This man is the father of today's son, Lieutenant Tian, ​​the eunuch Tian Lingzi who has power over the world and controls the government.The Shence Army general in front of him is his elder brother, Chen Jingxuan, who made a living selling cakes in Xuzhou in his early years.Tian Lingzi originally wanted to arrange for his brother to find a military post in his hometown of Xuzhou, but Cui Anqian didn't give him any face.He turned to Li Jing, but even Li Jing didn't give him face.Tian Lingzi gritted his teeth with hatred, and kept Cui Anqian and Li Jing in his heart. At the same time, he finally had to bring his brothers to Chang'an, and finally arranged a general position in the Shence Army.

Although the second elder brother Chen Jingxuan used to be just a baker, but Tian Lingzi in the Shence Army can be regarded as a master of the sky, and it is nothing to arrange his own brother to be a general.Anyway, at least half of the 15 Shence Army are where the dudes in Beijing receive money and food, and how many real soldiers are there.It's been like this for so many years, so it's no big deal for Lieutenant Tian to arrange a brother.Datang did not expect to rely on the Shence Army to fight the war.

"One thing." Chen Jingxuan admitted honestly in front of his younger brother, "Then Li Jing is not easy to mess with. If things fail, then we will have a death feud with him. Otherwise, let's forget it. Brother, you are now the father of the emperor, why bother with him as a young man. I don't think Li Jing is willing to stay in the capital. Stupid, what's the fuss about coming to Chang'an City."

Chen Jingxuan tried his best to persuade his brother. Although he has become a general of the Shence Army, in fact, his psychology is still that of a small cake seller in Xuzhou. concept.I went to Gaoling personally, and saw the majesty and majesty of the town master, which left a deep impression on him.Li Jing is a fierce tiger. When he thinks about what his brother told him, he can't help but feel guilty. What if the matter fails.

"Brother, it's better to settle enemies than to tie them together. Li Jing was not worth mentioning at first, but now it's different. Not only is he a duke of the state, but he has also become the commander of the town, holding tens of thousands of troops in his hands. Just this It's a big deal to level the Shatuo people once. Besides, he has Yu Yu and Cui behind him. And, brother, you know that the emperor is very interested in this Li Jing right now. A few days ago, I heard that Li Jing was coming, and I was very excited. Just in the morning, he was planning to go to Gaoling in person, and if it wasn’t for the dissuasion from the government affairs hall, this would have happened.”

"The emperor admires Li Jing very much, even to the point of fanaticism. I have known this in my heart for a long time." Tian Lingzi sat down again, and his heart slowly calmed down.Picking up the teacup, he took a sip only to realize that the tea was already cold.Putting down the teacup in his hand, Tian Lingzi said slowly: "It is precisely because of this that I made up my mind. Second brother, you came to Xuzhou just now, and you still don't understand these power struggles in Chang'an City and the imperial palace. This power struggle is really serious. It's like walking on a cliff and a dangerous shoal. If you are a little careless, you will be forever. Don't look at my brother, I am very beautiful now, but this is not for nothing. The feud with Li Jing has been forged long ago. In this case, Then we must never give them another chance to retaliate.”

Having said that, he clenched his palm into a fist and said coldly: "Li Jing must die, you don't need to say more, just follow my plan. Second brother, you have to remember, this matter is not only related to me, It also concerns you, and our entire Chen clan. If the matter is settled, I will speak to the emperor at an appropriate time and ask for the post of Datong Jiedushi for you."

"I will handle this well." Chen Jingxuan replied as calmly as possible, but his slightly trembling body betrayed his excitement at the moment.A town's Jiedushi, this is much better than the position of the general of the Shence Army.

"Whoever dares to go against me will definitely eradicate him mercilessly." Tian Lingzi said with a serious face: "Li Jing is very popular with the emperor now, and this person seems to be really capable. He can lead troops, He can also make money, and he is also a set of people’s livelihood. All over the world are struggling to deal with the famine, but his Dengzhou and southern Liaoning are doing very well. Such a person is our strong enemy. When he is still alive, he will be eradicated in one fell swoop."

"Are those people reliable?" Chen Jingxuan thought of those people his brother had entrusted to him.

"Don't worry, these people are not simple. They are the royal guards Li Jingmen who were wiped out by the Shence Army. Everyone is a natural killer and assassin. With them, how about Li Jing being the emperor's favorite daughter? Young So what about being brave, if you lose your head in the end, you are nothing." Tian Lingzi sneered.

Chen Jingxuan shuddered, the brother's appearance when he spoke just now made him feel scared.

"Second brother, only dead enemies are the best enemies." (To be continued.)