The Emperor ordered Zhao Tang

Chapter 229 Drowning
Zhu Wen was wrapped in a felt blanket and brought into Hanjia City. It was midsummer, and his body quickly rotted. The corpse water flowed, and maggots crawled everywhere. Zhu Youyu hated his father, but he gave him the most basic dignity after his death. Zhu Wen was salted, sealed in a cypress coffin, and sunk into a deep well to keep him fresh, waiting for his return and burial.

Then, the old dog's followers were purged and dissidents were eliminated. A large number of civil and military officials including Li Zhen, Kou Yanqing, Li Duo, He Wei, Wang Tan, Yin Tielin, He Delun, Wang Zhongshi, and Wang Yanqiu were taken to Luoshui and beheaded. During the An-Shi power transition, there were frequent fights for several months, and tens of thousands of officials and soldiers were killed or injured. Zhu Youyu only killed a few dozen people. Should we say that he was lenient or that the Bian army was united?

After quelling the chaos, Zhu Youyu began to deploy military forces, with more than 100,000 troops, from Heyang City to Heyin Bridge, from Zhaojue Temple and Dayuebi in the west of Beijing to Mangshan and Tianjin Bridge in the north of Beijing, and from Luocheng to Jinyong City.

Why not focus on Los Angeles?

As I said, defending a city is a technical job. It is not that simple to just retreat and everything will be fine.

The people were not united, and the gates were opened while they were guarding. The generals lost their heads. Stones, gunpowder, consumables, pots and pans, wood, arrows, water... The tools for defending the city were insufficient, and the baggage line was not safe. What could they use to defend?

Henan Prefecture had been repeatedly ravaged by the beastly soldiers, with more than half of the population gone. The rest had fled before the start of this war, leaving Luoyang in a state of near-death. Wang Jingyao entered Bianzhou, hoping that Zhu Youyu would die in Luoyang, and there was no hope for supplies. Even if he was willing to send them, it would be difficult to get them - Luodong was a large plain, with many cavalrymen in the Wang army, so it was easy to be the transport captain.

In addition, Luo City was too large and its walls were badly damaged, making it like a house with leaks everywhere.

Why did the saint defend Chang'an in the first place? There was no place to run. Besides, even if the Shen Ce Army was abolished and the eunuchs were bad, they would not capture him and surrender. The people in the capital were generally cooperative, and there was no worry about weapons and food. In addition, Chang'an was vast, and the rebels who could not besiege the city could only pick one or two gates. The rebels were also in name only. They were just a bunch of weaklings fighting each other.

The only thing Zhu Youyu had was the food and fodder that Zhu Wen had brought to Luoyang. The food brought to Hongnong was taken away by Li, but there was still a lot left in Luoyang, enough for him to confront the king's army for two months.

"Young Marshal!"

Zhu Youyu had overthrown Laozi, but as the outcome of the war was unknown, he had not yet appointed himself to an official position, so the Bian army still called him the Young Marshal.

Zhu Youyu nodded and waved his hand, saying, "Come into the house and talk."

He was very calm. After all, he had fought against Zhu Wen during the Chaos Chaos when he was a teenager and had witnessed many big scenes.

"Zhaojue Temple's Zhenchao Envoy Shi Shucong, the western envoy Zhang Shensi, the northern envoy Zhu Youlun, and the southern envoy Gao Jichang have reported that Emperor Li's vanguard troops, the Xiliang Xingguo Tianqi, are searching west of Beijing. The Huaichengde army, led by Xiao Xiu, is crossing the river to Mangshan. Wei Bo has sent 30,000 troops to attack Heyin Bridge. The Jingzhou army, Kui army, Hunan Changlin army and more than 70,000 troops are also advancing on Longmen Grottoes. Judging from the situation, Emperor Li will march to Luoyang in a large-scale manner." Zhu Youyu said frankly after sitting down with the generals.

"May I ask, young commander, how many infantry and cavalry does the Tang army have?"

"At least twice as many." Zhu Youyu said simply, "Emperor Li has an army of more than 100,000. The nine princes of Jing, Kui, Chu, Zhao, Wei, Pu, Liang, Dangxiang, and Uighur have a combined force of more than 100,000 and are surrounding us from three sides."

The generals were stunned when they heard this.

They and Zhu Youyu are now in a subordinate relationship under a cooperative relationship. If they win, everything will be fine, and they can share the benefits together and achieve their wishes. But if their troops suffer heavy losses, they may be turned against and excluded from the pie. If they lose, the threats from the front and back may make many people present lose their heads, including Zhu Youyu.

The rebel forces had to try to defeat Emperor Li while preserving their strength as much as possible, control the risk of defeat, and avoid the loss of authority and being killed by the weak soldiers and ambitious people. This was the tacit combat program among the rebel forces.

And now the opponent's situation sounds like the chances of winning are not high.

They stared at the ground at their feet with expressionless faces, as if there was a beautiful woman there.

There is no need for these warriors to engage in so much scheming, dirty work, and bullshit when fighting a war.

Zhu Youyu also understood this, but he had no choice but to fight.

At the very least, if you are afraid of the enemy, what will your subordinates and other generals think? What will the soldiers think? A certain person in Weizhou who was afraid of fighting dared not go out, and was beheaded by the army. Dou Han, the governor of Hedong, was afraid of fighting, so he dug a trench outside the city, and was killed as a demonstration. In later generations, Li Keyong was beaten badly by Zhu Wen, and planned to build a city, but his staff advised him not to die!

It is easy to imagine what a perverted era this is. Why did Mr. Li force himself to take risks again and again in Chongyang Valley, Tongguan, Shouyang Mountain...? Didn't he understand that a son of a wealthy family should not sit in the hall? Was he too cheap? No. If you are despised by a warrior, you are not a son of a wealthy family. Don't get the logic wrong.

The Bian army was not submissive to Zhu Wen. Zhu Wen's prestige could not control them. Most of them did have some fear of Emperor Li, but they were not so afraid that they would become impotent when they heard that he was coming. The Bian army had been traveling all over the country for more than ten years and would not collapse so easily.

Not to mention the various diplomatic, geographical and personnel factors.

Fight. Even if you win, or even if it's a small victory, a stalemate, or a small disadvantage, there is still room for maneuver and retreat, and you can still play. If you lose, you can go your separate ways.

Seeing that everyone was silent, Zhu Youyu was too lazy to brainwash them. He stood up and said in a deep voice: "They are all veteran soldiers. Since they have nothing to say, they will disperse and gather their troops to Zhaojue Temple, Mangshan, Luocheng, and Longmen Grottoes to prepare for the battle. Success or failure"

"Here."

*******
In the hazy purple veil, steam was rising and hot mist was lingering. The saint sat on the stool, staring at the looming tall and plump figure: "With me here, not a fly can get in."

Shufei, it is true that she is a little saggy. Xianfei, Meng Cairen, and Zheng Zhaoyi are all of good size, but it is not easy to get along in a wealthy family, and it is easy to suffocate.

Rounu and Yang Kezhen are very perky, and a slap on them feels like a whip. The downside is that they are not symmetrical enough, and there are callus marks on their buttocks caused by sitting for a long time, which looks uncomfortable.

The ones by Zhao Ruxin and Wu Lingxian conform to the aesthetic of roundness, but when they stand, they feel wrinkled and don’t feel good, maybe because of the effect of gravity or something else.

……

Only the Queen is so perfect and ingenious. Through the purple veil, one can vaguely see that the Queen with her hair loose is only wearing a bra and blasphemous clothes.

She really didn't expect that the bathhouse was actually in Saint Li's bedroom. She was fooled!

I wanted to leave, but the uncleanness of my body was unbearable.

If you want to change places, there is no more suitable or safer place than this one.

She wanted to wash, but the birdman was sitting outside the curtain staring at her. Although the curtain was blocking her view, the queen was still stared at and felt extremely uncomfortable. She was very entangled, tortured, ashamed, humiliated, and uncomfortable. She was reluctant to take off her bra and blasphemy.

A grown man actually uses semi-transparent gauze.

"Damn, the water is cold."

"Your Majesty, turn around."

"I've turned it over. I won't peek. I swear."

"What do you swear by?"

"Uh... I won't post it then."

Splash! The saint just turned around and covered his face with his hands when he heard a crisp splash of water, like a little girl who jumped into the river in panic after being chased by a thug. After the sound, the room was quiet with only the saint's rapid heartbeat, the queen's slight panting, and the splash of her body entering the water.

Turning back silently:
The rising white steam was like the breath of a fairy, adding an inviolable holiness to the queen in the misty hot fog. Also eye-catching were the wet and shiny black hair draped over the broad shoulders and the two arms resting on the edge of a bucket as if they were resting on a throne.

Further in, there is a pair of dense armpit hairs that have been dehydrated at night and are soaked with water droplets that are slowly dripping.

I really want to...bury my head in it and take a good sniff.

Compared to the blurry vision, the information received by the sense of smell is clearer. It is exactly the same as the smell of Meng Cairen and Zheng Zhaoyi. To be more precise, it is the unique smell of a young woman.

The saint couldn't help but feel his blood boiling.

I will always secretly spy on you... forever and ever... I will always secretly spy on you... forever and ever... I will always secretly spy on you... forever and ever... I will...

The saint suddenly felt guilty.

Concubine Zhao and Luo Fu treated him like a younger brother, Rounu was extremely loyal to him, Concubine Shu obeyed him in everything, and Concubine Xian treated him as her life. With so many good women, he was still so perverted, which was really a shame. But after all, his body was that of a young man in his twenties, and he was at the peak of his energy. His resistance to women like Meng Cairen and the Queen was better than nothing.

Pure out.

How could such a noble heart be polluted to this extent?

Just as he was about to close his eyes and recall the happiness he had with Zhao Ruxin, Rounu and Wei Yi, he began to reflect on it.

"Crash..."

The diva seemed to turn around.

Through the hazy purple veil and water vapor, the queen looked at the man who was about the same age as her brother.

He was indeed handsome and beautiful, better looking than any man she had seen before. It was not an exaggeration to say that he was “a handsome man of Yongliang.”

His eyes are clear, gentle and bright, and like his voice, they contain a magical power that makes people relax, feel at ease and happy.

His knuckles were protruding and deformed like eagle claws, and even rougher than Zhu Wen, who was in his forties.

Sitting like a majestic mountain, standing like a rainbow reaching the sky, he cares a lot about his behavior and manners.

……

This is someone from another world.

In his world, there is no competition among princes, only cautious and passive begging for life.

There was no usual brutality and lust of those in power, but only repeated restraint such as turning around, swallowing, and closing his eyes.

He does not have the freedom, willfulness, frivolity and confusion that a normal emperor or happy teenager should have. Instead, he has a heaviness, depression, determination and mystery that are inconsistent with his age and appearance - when he is not teasing himself.

A rather lonely person with a lot on his shoulders.

A stranger who seems to not belong to the land beneath his feet and is outside of the times.

Like myself, like a kind of person.

They looked at each other through the hazy curtain and water vapor.

There was a long silence.

Both of them felt that the atmosphere was not right, but they were both immersed in it, and no one spoke up to break it. "I'm done."

Goose bumps appeared on the saint's neck. "The clothes are in the cabinet on the right. Zhenniang, please choose."

The Queen's chest, arms, and back were also covered with a layer of red. This was her maiden name. Apart from her parents, Yueyi, and Zhang Xian, no one else knew it. She never told Zhu Wen because she didn't want to be called that by him.

How did he know? Zhang Xian?

"Splash..." Hibiscus emerged from the water.

Before the saint could see clearly, the bird man quickly covered his shame with dirty clothes.

She shook her head gracefully, then raised it again, and gathered her wet hair with her bare hands. The red dress slowly and layer by layer hid her, gradually hiding her delicate collarbone, her sculpted shoulders, her reflective skin, her snow-white straight back, her strong waist and abdomen, her round and tight hips, her plump and well-proportioned long thighs, and her jade feet with blue blood vessels...

The gifts from the gods were so many that they made the saints dizzy, distracted, and hot. Although they had examined carefully, the process was rushed because there were people around, so it was impossible to see clearly or touch the details. At this moment, in the narrow room, under the reflection of the skylight and water droplets, everything seemed ambiguous and hot.

When she put on the rose-gold ruby-studded Ruyi Crown, the saint was stunned.

He took out a goose yellow bodice and a white undergarment embroidered with immortals from his arms at an inappropriate time: "I found it on the chariot, return it to the Queen. Don't let anyone pick it up in the future, or it will cause chaos."

The Queen looked at the underwear that the man was waving in his hand, and then she woke up from her dream: she was completely naked under the Taoist robe, with nothing underneath...

How much Huangfu Lin has let me down!
"Let's go, follow me to meet the Bian generals who are coming to the court."

The Queen Mother didn't even think twice and said firmly: "I'd rather die than do this."

"I won't tell you. No one will know if you don't kick your legs while riding."

The Queen's eyes were empty, and there was no greater sorrow than a dead heart.

"It's a pity that Zhang Cunjing has gone astray. I am considering taking him out of Goujiling and handing him over to his former subordinates to be transported back to his hometown for burial."

The queen's eyes became more lively.

She was in so much pain.

"Let's go."

Walking on the street of the courtyard, there were more than 200 people including Murong Zhang, Linghu Tao, Zhen Yi, Dong Qi, Wang Yanzhang, Huangfu Lin, Hao Zuo, Liu Kuang and other Bian troops with more than ten generals who had come to the court and surrendered.

Seeing the emperor being escorted over, he greeted him indifferently: "Your Majesty."

The saints didn't care, and it wasn't surprising that these killers hadn't yet calmed down. When Murong Zhang was still in the Bian army, he was always rude to Zhu Wen in private. Wang Yanzhang could openly declare in later generations that he would kill the corrupt officials around the emperor after he drove Li Cunxu away. It was too much to expect them to bow down to him after they had just arrived.

As he approached, the saint controlled his expression, gathered his emotions, and moved sideways to make way for Zhang Hui behind him.

"Queen of Heaven!"

Zhang Hui's heart was broken. Murong Zhang and his men were waiting outside, while she was doing obscene things inside. Not only was she seen naked and teased, but she was also bewitched by Emperor Li and felt dizzy and happy. When she thought of the positive feelings she had towards Emperor Li, she suddenly felt sour and red-eyed, and tears welled up in her eyes. She made up her mind at this moment that if he dared to break his promise, she would hang herself overnight.

"Queen..." Seeing her crying, Murong Zhang, Dong Qi and a dozen others who had been captured or surrendered earlier were overwhelmed with grief and shed a few tears.

Wang Yanzhang looked at the Queen in astonishment.

Why, why are you wearing the same Taoist robe and hair crown as Emperor Li?
Was it someone sent by Emperor Li, or was it Emperor Li himself...

Could it be that the queen has been...that's why she's crying?

She glanced at the emperor. The emperor had a blank expression and was full of righteousness. It shouldn't be, I've never heard that he has this habit. But then again, the empress is still young, and it's not worth it for her to be a widow for Zhu Wen. If she likes Li Sheng, she can remarry. That man is in his prime, promising, and not cruel. He is a good choice. It's also a good thing to have someone to rely on for the rest of her life, to be rich and safe without worries.

Some people remained silent, while others sighed.

Xiao Se Qiufeng is here again today, changing the world.

Zhang Hui stopped crying, hastily gathered his emotions, and said: "Yesterday is history. There are people from Bian, Chen, Qiao, Xu, Qi... From now on, they are all Tang people. I will not ask about the past. The saint has summoned me again and again. I have also reported your talents and virtues, and the saint will make his own appointments one after another. The emperor governs the four corners of the world, and his prestige is well-known. You should all do your duty, be loyal to your subjects, seek to establish meritorious services, cleanse yourselves, and do not think about the past..."

The queen is the queen, her eloquence, credibility and affinity are really extraordinary. After she said a lot, some people felt relieved, some cheered up, some smiled, some sighed, and some were skeptical, but the fear and vigilance in their eyes were visibly reduced.

The hatred between the imperial court and the rebels was extremely deep.

Li and them lacked the emotional, trusting, and gracious foundation for dialogue. The same words, the same bowl of chicken soup, the same beating, after a different day, had a different effect on them.

Li Keyong also tried to persuade his son to return. He besieged the city for half a month but to no avail. His mother-in-law went into the city alone and brought Li Cunxiao out.

One reason.

"Ahem." The saint took two steps forward and stood shoulder to shoulder with Zhang Hui, adding: "I employ people regardless of their place of origin or type. There are Turks, Dangxiang, Tuyuhun, Umu, Shatuo, Uighur, and Tubo around me. The Qi people Li Zan, Zhang Fan, and Liu Bo who rebelled, the Qi generals Lu Xu, Li Qin, and the Jingyuan general Zhang Lian who entered the court... The stupid guy from Binning named Wu Xiong in the Wansui Army, who fought with me in Qishan during the Jingfu years, the Marquis of Changshan, a Zhao person, who caused chaos in Chang'an... There are all kinds of people. Be at ease. You have just met me, so you don't know what kind of person I am... Huangfu Lin, Wang Yanzhang... You have been protecting the master all the way, loyal and courageous, and I have seen it with my eyes. Murong Zhang is very righteous, and I also understand... Since the mother and son of the Wei Kingdom have entered the court, I will have my own tolerance... There is still a long way to go..."

Two people stood there with their reins level. One wore a purple-gold hibiscus crown, the other a rose-colored Ruyi crown. One wore a green Taoist robe, the other a red Taoist robe. They were of similar height and build, and they looked like a pair of brothers and sisters performing a ritual. After talking a lot, the saint turned around and ordered, "Give me a pair of colorful bows."

"Thank you, Your Majesty." Everyone bowed and thanked.

The saint took Zhang Hui back, as if she had become his woman.

The latter looked sad and unhappy, not sure if it was because of the vacuum or something else.

After coaxing the baby back to the courtyard, the sage was afraid that others would see him and make him suffer: "Go to the inner room and rest. I won't tease you anymore."

Instead of the teasing title "Queen of Heaven" or the formal and neutral Madam Wei, the more intimate "you" was used, plus the sentence "I won't tease you anymore in the future", which made Zhang Hui slightly startled and feel uncomfortable.

Has he always been so familiar?

Bang. The door was closed.

So possessive.

Is this the case with every concubine?

In the hall, his firm and powerful voice could be heard through the wall: "The little Zhu thief refused to withdraw from Henan Prefecture. Some of the vanguards including Lord Zhao, Geshu Jin, Xiao Xiu, Wu Yi Ji and others entered Longmen Grottoes and Heyin Bridge... Last night Lord Zhao sent someone to inform the enemy that the main force of the Zhu thief is gathering in Zhaojue Temple and Mangshan to fight against Xiao Xiu and Geshu Jin. I don't plan to delay any longer and decided to go to Luo early tomorrow morning. I will lead the imperial guards, the four envoys, Zhengyi, Yiwu and Yanzhou soldiers to capture Zhaojue Temple, and the others will follow their previous arrangements."

"I would like to go with you," Li Renmei said. In fact, he was no longer the Khan of Ganzhou Uighurs. On the eve of leading troops to participate in the Eastern Expedition, he passed the throne to his brother Li Renbing. From this point of view alone, he was considered a loyal minister.

"We have enough troops. There is little point in a field battle with numbers. You should patrol around Zhengzhou according to the deployment. If the rebels are defeated and return to the east, Bianzhou will send troops to support them. Attack them quickly without delay." said the saint.

"Can we replace the Wansui Army and the Imperial Guard Cavalry Division?" Li Renmei frowned and asked.

The main battles in the Zhaojue Temple and Mangshan area determined whether Luoyang could be taken back. Success was a great achievement for the generals, just like Pugu Huai'en, Ma Lin and others who fought against the An-Shi Rebellion in the Zhaojue Temple. Coincidentally, there were Uighurs last time, and they came again this time, so Li Renmei did not want to be excluded and perform the secondary tasks of blocking reinforcements and chasing the defeated.

The saint sent him away for a different reason.

The Uighur soldiers were lax in their habits, had poor military discipline, and liked to run away when the battle was not going well. If you run away in this kind of field battle, it may cause the whole situation to collapse. Their ability to endure hardship,

Seeing that Li Renmei was unwilling to give up and kept on talking, the saint thought for a moment and said, "You hand over the Holy Guards to Meng Mengzi and let him go to Zhengzhou. You come with me. Also, keep the people under control. Don't set fire and rob everywhere like Guang Denian did. If you win, there will be rewards."

Li Renmei looked embarrassed.

The saint glanced at the generals in the hall. Wang Congxun, Wang Zhu, Zhao Fu, Mo Zangqiqi, Li Zan, Wang Shaorong, Cao Zhe, Sima Kanwu, Yin Shouzhi, Nangong Daoyuan, Wu Xiong, Cui Jiahu, Xiao, Cui Wuci, Ma Quanzheng, Liu Xianyuan, Zhang Jide, He Chuyu, Ashina Luoxue, Liu Xun, Tao Jianzhao, Lun Hongyi, Gadbei, Zhu Jin, Gao Hanhong, Amonan, Ouyang Jian, as well as Zhao En, Zhao Hui, Zhao Chong, Fu Cunshen, Lu Xu, and other emerging newcomers, a total of more than a hundred.

Including the middle-level officers, there are thousands of generals and hundreds of thousands of soldiers.

Very good, you can protect the queen...Pah!

I hope everything goes well tomorrow!
After checking and confirming various details one by one and reminding everyone of the precautions, the saint stood up and said, "Dismiss!"

"Here!"

After everyone left, the saint sat there absent-mindedly for a while. Seeing that night had fallen, he casually arranged a few tasks, sent Zhao Jia and Lu Yan away with a group of civil servants, and then went into the room.

A lamp was on in the dim room.

The Queen had taken off her Ruyi Crown, let her beautiful hair down, and sat behind the desk, supporting her face with her left hand, tapping chess pieces casually.

"What are you doing? You didn't come until midnight as promised, and you were just playing chess and the lights were falling... Are you thinking about me?"

“…playing chess.”

"How does one get off alone?"

"Two people have their own way of playing, and one person has his own way of playing."

After a few awkward chats, the saint sat next to her and quietly put his hand around her from behind.

"What is your Majesty going to do? Within three years——"

"I want to sleep with the Queen in my arms. Just sleep, talk, and do nothing else." The saint hugged her directly.

(End of this chapter)