The Emperor ordered Zhao Tang

Chapter 291 Gaoliang River

The first day of December in the third year of Qianning.

In the Gaoliang River Delta in the Fen River Valley, the Jin army camp stretched for several miles.

The fighting was strict, just like the oppression before Zhang Jun of Jinzhou.

The army was still the same army, with the same strong soldiers and horses, the same majestic and stern, and the same murderous aura. But everyone could feel that the morale of the army had changed dramatically.

On that day, they attacked everywhere, lined up in battle array and observed the troops, showing off their might in front of the punitive forces of Zhang Jun, Han Jian and Zhu Wen. It seemed that this was the last glory of the Jin army.

First, the last pillars of the empire, Li Sikong and Wukang Dasheng, suddenly fell out over a power struggle. Li Siyuan, Li Chengsi, Li Miaowei, Yang Fugong, Li Youjin and other civil and military officials and clansmen who advocated serving the north were either dismissed or demoted.

After finally settling the internal affairs and marching into Guanzhong to threaten Wusheng to surrender, they were interfered by Heshuo again. Youzhou was too lazy to talk nonsense and led tens of thousands of troops directly to Pingcheng and Daizhou. Ma Sixun and He Gongya died in the battle, and the heartland of Daibei became a hunting ground for the Yan people. They were quite willing to join Li Zan who was besieging Zhaluping and march south to Xinzhou and plunder Shuozhou.

In Zuofengyi, King Li and the Martial Saint had a falling out. King Li was stripped of all his titles, and his given surname, the royal family status of King Zheng, was also confiscated! Now, the fake sons, family members, and Li Hu people who followed the surname of Li Keyong's family, such as Li Siyuan, have automatically returned to names such as Miao Jilie, Han Jintong, Wang Xian, and Zhuxie Miaowei.

Well, it’s not a big deal, after all, it happened once.

In Chang'an, although there was no bloodshed and the imperial court had not issued an edict to depose the empress, the virtuous concubine and her son had already become guests of the palace torture chamber. As the third concubine, her father and husband met each other in life and death. What was the final outcome? Are there any examples? The remarried Empress Gao of the Northern Wei Dynasty? Empress Huo of the early Han Dynasty sat in the abdication palace and committed suicide in Yunlin Pavilion? In short, it is not optimistic.

Moreover, with Concubine Xian's personality, she could not tolerate killing your head and marrying your daughter. She was such a proud person that she could serve the king who killed her father, even if her father deserved it, she could think about it, but she might not be able to do it.

Several ladies in Jinyang City and all her brothers and sisters had already cried for her until their eyes turned red.

The Gaolianghe army also sighed and lamented. Originally, they had waited for King Li to die, and then they would rush to the court. When the Martial Saint died, they would support King Dai to ascend the throne, and they would have a worry-free future and wealth. Now, there was no hope.

King Li was demoted to a commoner, and his brother Li Kening was appointed as the governor of Hedong, governor of Beijing, and governor of Taiyuan. When the news came, the morale of the army fell to the bottom.

There were rumors in the Shatuo army that King Li had no way to deal with the Martial Saint, and that the Martial Saint would never compromise. King Li just couldn't let go of his pride and was still holding on. Many high-ranking officials in Jinyang City and local commanders secretly supported Duke Kening to take advantage of his situation and let his younger brother succeed him.

If this is true, we might as well return to Beijing, protect Duke Kening's concubine and take over the Jin Dynasty, and clean up this ridiculous game.

The various types of foreign troops also had sullen faces.

King Li hasn't had any news of victory for such a long time, which means that the rumors that he can't deal with the Martial Saint are probably true, but the final conclusion has not yet been made.

They had one more thing in mind than the Shatuo generals. If a concubine replaced the Jin Dynasty and the city was closed to prevent King Li from returning, would they stand on the side of King Li or Duke Kening?
We are all living in a chaotic world, so don't let this happen too often. In the distant past, the Uighur Wang family replaced Zhao, Tian Xu replaced Wei, Zhu Tao replaced Yan, and recently, Kuang Chou replaced Yan, Zhu Jin replaced Yan, and Zhu Da replaced Liang. They were all caused by their own family members killing each other.

Just this thought stuck in their throats made the various foreign troops lose all will to fight here!

The native soldiers were also in a panic.

Although they were full of resentment towards Li Keyong, they had been in the same group with the Daibei Fan army for more than ten years and had become a community of interests. In order to expand abroad, Li Keyong was also protecting their vested interests. They had lived in Taiyuan for several generations and had many family assets. If power was transferred to the Kening family, would the new government continue to favor them? Would they be targeted by the newly promoted warriors?
Not to mention the loss of King Li, how long can the banner of the Four Towns fly in such a chaotic world? Can Li Kening keep the Four Towns?
The army was full of rumors and everyone was listless. Whether King Li would come back, when he would come back, and whether Duke Kening would usurp the throne were the things that everyone was most concerned about. There were already rumors that Duke Kening was waiting for news of King Li's defeat and was secretly contacting various parties. As long as King Li suffered heavy losses in Guanzhong, he would, with the support of the Four Towns of Heshuo and the Martial Saint...

These outrageous remarks cannot be ignored. To the officials of the Jin vassal state and the various armies inside and outside the country, King Li is certainly a hero who revitalized Shatuo and shocked the world, and Duke Kening is not a fool. He is the military commander of the Han and the Han, and the commander of the Zhenwu Army. All military matters, no matter how big or small, are decided by him. He can be called the second leader. King Li is the son of the former commander, isn't Duke Kening also?

In the Gaoliang River Army, everyone from top to bottom had a tacit understanding. If anything unexpected happened, they would not help either side!

In their hearts, they also have such thoughts. It may not be a bad thing for the four towns if the aggressive, militaristic, and violent King Li can step down and be replaced by a good man.

In any case, it is better to end this farce as soon as possible and go home to celebrate the New Year.

Here, everyone was really bored. Just watching King Li and the Martial Saint, the father-in-law and son-in-law, wasting time, with no hope of winning, no achievements to build, and no comfortable life. In their hearts, most people still hoped that King Li would be defeated. Since they couldn't do anything to the Saint, what was the point of sitting there?

If Li Keyong had not remained calm, there was no news from the rear, and the Xi general Xiao Han who led the army still had some prestige, he might have already returned home.

As the Li Sizhou, Li Yanzhen, and Geshujin brigades approached Jinzhou and approached Gaoliang River in the past two days, Xiao Han's distant outposts and spies were all driven back. It was just a frightening report that the coming holy army was probably only 40,000 to 50,000. Everyone was even more dejected, and they were still playing!
After a few tentative battles and finding that the enemy was not a useless group that would collapse at the first blow, he closed the door and amused himself, not even looking at Li Sizhou's army shouting and cursing outside the city of Jinzhou. He ordered the defenders in Hezhong to quickly prepare for the reception, and everyone wanted to go into the city to rest and cut off Li Keyong's food supply.

Everyone was just wondering, when will King Li return? Will Duke Kening rebel?
As for the grain route, we only have tens of thousands of people. How can we guard such a long road from Jincheng to Hezhong with the tens of thousands of people under Li Sizhou? If we want to ensure that the grain route is not blocked, we can recruit soldiers from Taiyuan and Luzhou.

On the banks of the Gaoliang River, large groups of soldiers and horses entered the city one after another, full of joy and excitement.

Perhaps because of Wang Ke's instructions, or because Li's army was so powerful, the Jinzhou defenders did not say much and welcomed Li Sizhou and his men in. The Jin army just sent out more than a thousand cavalrymen in a conventional manner, and they stopped their horses and watched not far from Li Sizhou and his men, and did not move forward.

"After wandering around in Hebei, enduring the snow and cold, and having my old home raided, I finally found a place to stay!"

"Damn it! Jinzhou is so damn poor! Did they use up all the food to support Li Keyong? Or did Li Hanzhi rob them and bankrupt them? I wonder how long we have to defend Jinzhou before we can wait for the saint's supplies! The people in the city might as well just rob some first and count it as a loan... If you don't hand it over, I'll skin you alive!"

"Jinzhou has been ravaged by war for years, but it's a good thing that no one has been wiped out... We are brave men, but we can't take away their winter food."

"What does it matter? I'd rather die than let my friend die! The Pu people are also hard-hearted people! If I don't show them how to deal with us, they will think we are easy to deal with! If you don't do it, please ask Marshal Li to ask for an imperial edict from the saint, and I will naturally not harm a single thing."

Just when the chaos was going on, a voice was heard from the end: "You old ghost are starving to death! You are making trouble here! You need people to dig ditches and repair walls, wash clothes and cook. People are starving to death, and you come to take care of them? You are tossing and turning in vain. If the saints punish you, we will have to bear the consequences! If you can't afford food and clothing, just think of it as conscripting laborers! You bastard, you got a serious disease in Henan, and I helped you and found a pharmacist to treat you! Now you have to ask the saint for an imperial edict. I have a pair of iron bowls and fists!"

The one walking over with big strides was Li Ao, from some unknown branch of the royal family. He was wearing a cloak, and his bulging muscles were visible under his winter clothes. Despite the midwinter and the long journey, this guy didn't show any signs of fatigue.

He shouted loudly, which seemed to be more effective than military law. The killer just smiled awkwardly, and when Li Ao came over, he complained: "Li Yuhou, I'm not going to rob, why are you yelling all day long?"

Li Ao chuckled and patted his head: "Alright! Hurry up and rest. In two days, the troops will be sent out to cut off Li Keyong's food supply along the Fenshui Valley! He won't be able to eat even half a vinegar cake!"

Li Sizhou sat cross-legged on the horse's back, his hands resting on his head, just staring at the heavy snow.

One-eyed dragon, we have arrived in Jinzhou, let’s see if you can still hold your ground!

(End of this chapter)