The Emperor ordered Zhao Tang

Chapter 170 Rejection of Yangchuan

The Luo River flows back through the gorge and across the plains, and in the northeast corner it splits into several tributaries, namely Wugu, Juyang, Qingchi, and Genfang; the Luo people gathered on both sides of the river. Few people farm, and young men and women mainly engage in high value-added industries such as planting and collecting medicinal materials, making lacquer, logging, burning charcoal, and growing tea.

The most popular activity is mining.

At the beginning of Jianzhong, Han Hui, the assistant minister of the Ministry of Revenue, restored Luoyuan Prison because of the large amount of copper smelted in Hongya, Shangzhou, and minted 72,000 strings of coins per year. How little? When Li Xun, the salt and iron envoy, was in power, the country minted 135,000 strings of coins per year, and Luoyuan Prison accounted for more than 50%. This was just the output of the officialdom. There were even more people in Luoyang who were beheaded for their secret affairs as a family unit. The "counterfeit money" of Luoyang people was rampant, and it was difficult to catch them due to the complex terrain. During the Zhenyuan period, Zhang Pang, a native of Weizhou, took office as the salt and iron envoy and ordered the rectification of counterfeit coins - "those who sell coins will be punished for counterfeiting, and prefectures and counties will prohibit the export of coins." As a result, all merchants were exiled, the people were resentful, and Pang was forced to step down.

"Thanks to the coin minting industry and the fact that they were not affected by the chaos, the gold merchants have not experienced any major chaos in recent years. The people of Luoyang, who have minted coins for generations, should be the most peaceful and prosperous people in the world."

"Qi Shierlang, how do you know so much? You need to take the imperial examination."

"Haha, the Qi family is a great family in Qianling. Although they have fallen into decline, they are still different from you, a Tangut barbarian who has been herding sheep for generations."

"Does that mean these people are very rich? Then...why not find a mine and help the saint rob it first?"

"We are the king's army, how can we rob them? It was clearly given voluntarily by the Luo people as a reward to everyone."

The roar of the old dragon can be heard in the east, and the sound of armor can be heard in the narrow path. Dozens of soldiers led their mounts and walked out of the bamboo forest in a line, talking and laughing. The chaotic yellow sun was hanging high in the sky, and it was normal to hurry on, but the officer raised his hand and said, "Stop."

"Okay." The soldiers sat down on the spot, pounding their waists and breathing heavily, or eating dry food or feeding the horses.

Lu Xu looked up.

The wide Juyang River is clear and deep, the water surface is green and ink-black, very deep. Thatched grass is surging on both sides of the river, and mulberry and cypress tea gardens are flourishing on the plain. Several beautiful girls wearing hat rings made of flowers and grass are tending tea trees in the inner room. Houses are hidden behind fruit trees, osmanthus trees stand tall in the courtyard, chickens and dogs lie down; there is also a lot of smoke rising from the hills and slopes in the east and west.

"I've heard that after the Chaos, the area of 3,000 miles was completely swept away, from Fengxiang in the west to Qi and Lu in the east, from Wu and Yue in the south to Weizhou in the north. I didn't expect that the nameless Shangzhou would be so peaceful. Isn't the Wuling Peach Blossom Spring described by Tao Yuanming better than this?" Lu Xu looked at it for a while and sighed. This made him feel very surprised and fresh, and he felt a lot more relaxed for some reason.

"Old Lu is in a good mood." Li Qin, the deputy general of Longjiedu, took off his helmet and came over, overlooking Juyangchuan and admiring it silently. What a beautiful village, but it's a pity that the war is about to start.

"It is rumored that Lord Cui will regain control of Shu, and his old master is far away. We are helpless in the capital. Do you plan to return to Qingzhou?" Lu Xu suddenly turned around, looked at him and asked.

Lu Xu learned an "unfortunate" news yesterday, that Cui Anqian might hold the imperial seal in Jiannan again. In fact, he had been mentally prepared. It was no secret that the saint's tolerance for the bandits in Shu had reached its limit. Once Bashu was pacified, all the military governors, provincial governors, and local tyrants would probably be killed.

Cui Gong had ruled Shu for many years, was famous in Nanzhao, was good at fighting, and was old, so he was the most suitable candidate. As a general dug back from Zibo and Qing by Cui Anqian, Lu Xu was also very concerned about his fate. But when he wrote a letter to ask, he was immediately as sad as if he had lost his parents - the old man would not take them with him.

"I won't go back." Li Qin shook his head and said, "People have the ambition to travel far and wide. How can they stay together like deer and pigs? It's dead and there's no point in going back."

He was a descendant of Li Zhengji, the first governor of Zibo and Qingzhou. After Li Shidao, who was the governor of the five towns of Bian, Wei, Hua, Xu, and Cangzhou, was killed by his subordinate Liu Wu during the Yuanhe period, Zibo and Qingzhou were divided into three parts, and the Li family, which had been repeatedly suppressed, never recovered. By the time of Li Qin, they had fallen to the level of the top ten generals of the provincial army.

He was very familiar with the situation in the town: just like Wei Bo, the rule of the Yajun family was deeply rooted. They did not rebel, nor did they expand and create, they just wanted to live on their territory. The "class" was solidified to the point of being invulnerable. It was too difficult for ordinary people to make a name for themselves in the local area, and the military government also faced many obstacles in doing anything. From top to bottom, even the Yajun were in a daze.

Li Qin had a dream, so after Wang Jingwu died, he and Lu Hong, Lu Xu, Zhang Chan and other generals welcomed Cui Anqian back to the court. Unfortunately, they failed!

He wasn't the only one who couldn't stand it.

A few years ago, Zhu Wen went to Qingzhou to recruit soldiers, and tens of thousands of yamen soldiers and civilian warriors who were willing to fight ran away. You are reluctant to abandon your wife, children, and warm bed, and the peace that other places pray for is abandoned like a worn-out shoe; this is still Zibo and Qingzhou where there are many warriors and white pigeons. Perhaps this is the trend of the times, warmongers are everywhere in the country, and there are few talkers, but most of them are practitioners. Today you see him only say a few words, and tomorrow he may pack his bags.

"Don't think too much." Patting Lu Xu on the shoulder, Li Qin sighed, "You and I are from a prominent family, how can we go back to eat and do nothing all day long? I think the saint is okay, better than Master Wang. Following him, maybe I can make a name for myself. How can a real man die in Qingzhou in mediocrity?"

Lu Xu just smiled and said nothing.

He glanced at the soldiers resting not far behind him, pulled Li Qin forward, and asked in a low voice: "You are well-educated, tell me, who will win between Li and Zhu Wen?"

"It's hard to say. Zhu Ni has occupied the Central Plains, and his family wealth is several times that of the imperial court. It doesn't matter if he loses three or five times, not to mention that he hasn't suffered a terrible defeat. Before the backbone troops such as Konghe, Changjian and Changzhi were severely damaged, the rebellions in various places were just rubbing his back. But the saint dominates the mountains and rivers, and the prestige of the royal family has been restored. As long as he is not assassinated, he will have no worries in Guanzhong. Whether he can go further depends on whether God gives him a chance. If he doesn't make big mistakes, God will give him more years, and he will have a chance to become the Daizong. But the world is unpredictable, Lao Lu. Who could have thought that An Lushan would die a year after he started his rebellion? Who could have thought that the Jing army would rebel after not having a good meal? Alas, fate is unpredictable and it is difficult to fulfill one's wishes. There have been many people who have been unhappy since ancient times."

"Let's not talk about this anymore. Let's go across the river and take a look." Li Qin became interested and stepped onto the single-plank bridge and skipped across.

After crossing the stream, the two strolled along the ridge for a while. A few dogs barked in front of them. "Who are you?" A group of strong men and women came towards them on the path at the entrance of the village. The men were shirtless and sweaty. The women had copper-colored skin. They were all holding weapons. They stared at them with eager eyes. Looking more carefully, there were more than a dozen "civilians" carrying bows and arrows, triangular forks, and hammers standing behind the locust tree a few dozen steps away. They looked alert and whispered.

There is no doubt that the whole village is minting private money. This is their sentry team. Li Qin stopped Lu Xu who was about to draw his sword and turn around to call for help, and said: "We are the king's army, following the order of the saint to investigate the enemy."

"Saint? Which saint?"

Li Qin: “…”

Huang Chao, Li Yan, Qin Zongquan, and Zhu Wen came and went. Did the influence of the Li family saints get divided? The people of Shangzhou don't seem to have any feelings about the righteousness and status. They are not as good as the saints in Ziqing...

"The ignorant people are here." Li Qin was speechless for a moment and was too lazy to remind them that the Bian bandits were coming.

"It's better to kill them." On the way back, Lu Xu made a throat-cutting gesture and suggested.

"You know what kind of people these peasants are. They always change with the wind and can be bought off with food. They don't care who will be the emperor. They are very stupid. Why bother?" Li Qin shook his head, looking bored.

******
"Those who violate my orders are just like this." Wang Yanzhang has led more than 10,000 infantry and cavalry to resist the north of Yangchuan. The newly built camp is in chaos, with more than a hundred bloody heads lined up in a line hanging in front of the camp gate. They are all warriors who were out cutting trees and couldn't control their crotches and their hands and feet were nearby.

After wiping the blood off his hands, Wang Yanzhang shook his arms. Those who often chop off people's heads know that it takes a lot of strength to chop off the neck, and Wang beheaded hundreds of people at a time, so it is inevitable that his joints will be numb.

The soldiers had resentment in their eyes, and from time to time some of them punched Wang Yanzhang's back.

Dog thief!

Wow, Wang Yanzhang suddenly turned around. Everyone immediately fell silent and pretended to go about their business.

"Du Yu, Du Yu, if you don't supervise the soldiers to follow the military law, what's the use of you?" He slapped Wang Ban to the ground and cursed, "Get out!"

Wang Ban strode away.

what!
Wang Yanzhang was still furious, and he shouted at the soldiers who were passing by: "Let's fight, but you're just bullying the villains all day long. How can you have ten states if you do these things, such as robbing money and playing with women? Stay away from those despicable Cai Pei, or you'll be in trouble! You're a bunch of bastards..."

Zhu Wen really had a stroke!
What kind of crap is this that he's being asked to receive?
After the lecture, Wang Yanzhang went into the big tent and called the general and his officers: "Where is Emperor Li?"

"We are 20 miles south of Yangchuan. We have captured several people and tortured them. There are about 30,000 to 40,000 infantry and cavalry."

"What did Feng Xingxi say?"

"I would like to select 10,000 people to change our army's uniforms to help us in the battle."

"Don't be afraid of losing your life when you do great things!" Wang Yanzhang sneered twice, his eyes full of disgust. "If you want to rebel, rebel. If you want to surrender, surrender. A leopard dies but its skin remains. A man dies but his name remains. If you die, you die. What's the big deal? You are hesitant and indecisive. Can you be a military governor?"

The generals were silent. Wang Shuai hated those who changed sides and hated evil. He had fought with others on the streets more than once. He felt that the social atmosphere was corrupted by these guys. But what they didn't know was that Wang was more angry with Zhu Wen, Jing Xiang, Li Zhen, Duan Ning, Ge Congzhou and other two ministers. However, Zhu Wen could change his master three times with peace of mind, but he couldn't change his master once by distorting his own values. Our Wang Shuai was so abstract.

"Are there any more Li troops heading south from Ziwu Road and Tongguan?"

"should have."

"Should?" After a pause, Wang Yanzhang pulled him to his seat and said, "Come, come, sit down. You will command this battle."

　There are only 20 to 30 monthly tickets every day, so the superiors are getting more and more degraded and the subordinates are getting more and more angry. You can vote for the monthly tickets. When Zhu is defeated, everyone will have concubines and become a provincial governor.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)