The Emperor ordered Zhao Tang

Chapter 88 Yellow Flowers Accumulation
On August 15, the Mid-Autumn Festival, the Hedong soldiers stationed at the front line of Daibei were eagerly waiting for money and goods. Li Keyong was not rich enough to reward them. As a result, people were full of resentment and clamored for rebellion. Li Kuangwei of Youzhou and Helian Duo, the governor of Yinshan, got the news and led 80,000 soldiers to attack Yunzhou, intending to kill Keyong.

At this juncture, Keyong did not dare to force them, so he took a risky move and secretly led Li Siyuan, An Sifu, An Qingshun, Hei Xiongzi, Yelu Gulu and dozens of other brave generals out of Mayi, hiding in the yellow flower pile, which was the only way to pass. At night, Keyong and others suddenly attacked and captured 300 Tuyuhun scouts alive after a fight! Tens of thousands of You and Yun soldiers were dumbfounded.

Li Keyong suppressed the signs of the warriors' rebellion with his courage, and then led his army out of the city to fight in the field, winning three battles in a row. It happened that the Youzhou soldiers had traveled a long way and were short of food, so they burned their camp and fled. The Hedong army screamed and swarmed into the camp to put out the fire and open the treasure chest. The cavalry followed behind them, picking up the livestock, dry food, coins, clothes, and prostitutes thrown away by the Youzhou soldiers along the way; Keyong could not stop them.

It was also on this day that the imperial official Guo Chongtao returned to Taiyuan, bringing back 30 shi of grain generously allocated by the sage, and then hurried north to report the good news to Li Keyong. On the th, Guo Chongtao met the Crow King who was returning to the army at Yanmen Pass.

In the city, civil and military officials were present, toasting each other with cups flying. Dozens of soldiers sat at the tables, eating and drinking, dancing and gesticulating, making the banquet a smoky mess.

"Unfortunately, he failed to succeed, and Helian Duo left!"

"The Youzhou bandits have repeatedly attacked us, treating us like straw and valleys. Sooner or later, they will break into Fanyang City and slaughter 100,000 Yan soldiers."

"The army is eating corpses. If this continues for a long time, there will be a pandemic. Why not cross the river to the south and seek food from the people of Bian?"

"That's right. Quanzhong has recovered the Central Plains and is the richest town in the world. We might as well go and rob him!"

"..."

Everyone present here is the core backbone of Taiyuan Bafu.

Think tank Gai Yu. When the Datong Army supported Li Keyong's rebellion, the old general Xue Tieshan, Shatuo military commander Cheng Huaixin, Tielin Army commander Zhou Dewei, and Wang Xingshen, Ba Zang, Ma Gai, Fu Yao, Tuoba Zilin and other family generals - when Li Guochang was in charge of Zhenwu Army, they were still various riding slaves, sword slaves, and horse slaves in the mansion. In addition, Zhu Yier and a dozen young generals who were admired. Dozens of people gathered together, talking about various things, laughing, scolding, and being excited.

"I heard that the Bian people attacked Xuzhou, tens of thousands of soldiers surrounded the city, and they were well rewarded and had three meals a day, so their will was strong." After a few cups of yellow soup, Li Keyong began to show signs of drunkenness: "My son Quanzhong, you are really flying."

"Back then at the Fengchan Temple, I should have killed this guy with my sword."

"Duan Wenchu can be killed, Quanzhong can also be killed. What a pity that the late emperor, that fool saint, was so drunk with polo that he actually protected this bastard."

"What's the point of saying all this now! This dog slave can summon a hundred thousand bear warriors with a wave of his hand, and even King Xiang of Chu can't resist."

"Stop being arrogant, Bian thieves! More soldiers will accomplish things. The people who want to take the throne should be Gai Chao, Ru, Pian, and Zong Quan."

Everyone was talking at once, but the more they talked, the quieter their voices became. In the end, they all hung their heads in dejection. The soldiers in Hedong now had to cook the enemy's corpses from time to time to fill their stomachs - in the just-concluded Battle of Huanghuadui, more than 30,000 soldiers killed and wounded in You and Yun towns had been made into fresh meat jerky. The people in Bian had three meals a day, and they were full every time, and the rewards were fucking sufficient. How could they fight?
Zhou Dewei beside him sighed. He wanted to say something, but held back. The civil and military officials of the Bafu had advised more than once to appease the refugees, to protect production, to stop fighting with neighboring towns, and not to use troops at will. Li Keyong felt that it was right and that this was the way to go. But he did it when he was unhappy. In his opinion, the worst thing he could do was to give up Hedong, go back to Yinshan to herd sheep, and seize the Khitan's territory.

"Your Majesty..." Amid the noise, an old servant walked up to Li Keyong and whispered something in his ear.

Li Keyong raised his eyebrows and said, "Everyone calm down, the official who reported the incident is back."

Everyone sat up straighter.

Guo Chongtao, the official who was supposed to make memorials to the emperor, was soon brought in. He sighed inwardly when he saw the mess of cups and plates and the soldiers eating and drinking rudely in the hall. He was immediately displeased when he saw Li Keyong, whose face was red from drinking and whose speech was incoherent.

What time is it and you are still drinking!
I'll have to talk to my madam later and ask her to discipline me.

"Thank you for your hard work." Glancing at Guo Chongtao's tired look after traveling all the way, Li Keyong was somewhat moved and immediately ordered the waiter to serve the meal.

Literati are still the best!

"Now is not the time to eat." Guo Chongtao wiped the sweat from his forehead and said anxiously: "The food has been borrowed. Please inform the troops as soon as possible to reassure the people."

On the way to the pass, he saw many large pots outside the city, with firewood piled underneath and boiling water. In several villages, soldiers were bare-chested, cutting up the remains of the enemy with swords. Some You and Yun soldiers were not dead yet, but were dragged onto the stone slabs like pigs and sheep. They were cut until screams shook the sky, and the ground was covered with blood, just like a slaughterhouse. There were also teams of soldiers lining up, cheering and waiting to receive.

If this continues, what will happen?

All the generals present were quite surprised. The court had just wanted to punish Hedong two years ago. Although it was a marriage alliance for the virtuous concubine, 300,000 dan was not a small amount.

"Of course I didn't want to, but the saint insisted again and again." Guo Chongtao said.

Li Keyong was surprised and happy.

He sent many envoys to buy grain. Chengde didn't want to offend them, but he didn't want to help the enemy either, so he sent 30,000 shi. Hezhong tried his best to borrow 200,000 shi. Wei Bo was the least respectful. The Ya army pretended to be thieves and killed the envoys directly, and robbed the livestock that were originally used to buy rice in Wei Bo. When he had time, he would have to fight again. There was no news about the other envoys.

Unexpectedly, the son-in-law was so generous and gave 300,000 stones. This girl really married the right person!

Very good, my son-in-law has the spirit of a hero and a knight.

Li Keyong felt relieved. He didn't have to worry about this winter. He just needed to rest his troops for the remaining months and wait until the next summer harvest, and life would be much better.

What’s shocking is that food is more expensive than gold and silver these days, and the saint might need help with something.

"The traitor Zhu recommended Zhang Quanyi to take charge of the Heyang Army, Ge Congzhou to take charge of the Yanhai Jiedushi, Hu Zhen to take charge of the Huapu Caozhou Jiedushi, and Zhao Chang to lead the Zhongwu Army. The emperor did not agree. The traitor Zhu was displeased and thought that it was because the emperor was suspicious of him. He threatened to wait until Pingpu was pacified, then he would come to the court to apologize and eliminate the evil around the emperor." Guo Chongtao observed his words and added details.

Li Keyong was furious when he heard this. He had been trying to control his temper, but it was obvious that he had failed again: "My son Quan Zhong, your crime is unforgivable. I have long wanted to -"

"Cough cough." Gai Yu seemed to have a cold and coughed a few times.

Li Keyong stopped cursing and said, "Our troops are small and our generals are few, no more than 50,000 men—"

"Before I came back, Concubine Xian gave a banquet to all the officials of the Imperial Court at Jianji Court, saying that the emperor was determined to reject Quanzhong's request." Guo Chongtao said again.

Gai Yu actually felt that it was not good news. The people of Bian were powerful, and the saint refused to be completely loyal. If Jin regained its power, it would definitely find ways to restrict the king. But then again, the times are different now. The virtuous concubine is already pregnant. Once she gives birth to a son, as long as he is not too bad, it is likely that he will be made the crown prince. And the Minister of the Court can enter the court, be appointed as the Grand Marshal or the General, or record the affairs of the Shangshu, just like the previous generations.

When yin and yang are out of harmony, it still requires the work of harmony. When the universe is about to fall, it needs support; a saint would understand this principle. At that time, it doesn't matter to Situ whether Hedong is in his hands or not. As long as he has a large army and does not lose power, it doesn't matter where he stays.

In short, since the sage dared to reject Quanzhong, he had to be prepared for the Bian army to enter Chang'an. He could not jump back and forth like before, and he had to make his position clear: Yes, I am on the side of Hedong.

Guo Chongtao's subsequent report indeed confirmed Gai Yu's conjecture.

"The emperor wants to join forces with Hedong, Hezhong and Xiangyang to contain Zhu Quanzhong from the west. When there is an opportunity, we will attack Zhu Quanzhong together."

The noise in the hall disappeared instantly.

Li Keyong was almost sober. This must be a lie. Is there such a good thing?
When the previous emperor was alive, he submitted petitions seven times in a row to punish Quanzhong. After the current emperor ascended the throne, he also asked twice, but both times to no avail. The court coveted Quanzhong's wealth and was intimidated by his military power, so they dared not do so.

It seems that the son-in-law has realized the terrible threat of Quanzhong - he took 500 soldiers to Xuanwu and swept across the Central Plains in less than ten years. If this trend continues, who can be his opponent in another ten years, no, five years?

Li Keyong asked himself, he could no longer be called a match for Quanzhong. He could fight him once or twice, but it was impossible for him to turn the tables for the rest of his life. Unless he had a good son who could take revenge against the will of heaven.

Thinking of this, he couldn't help but feel sad. He had been a hero for most of his life, but in the end he was thinking about such a ridiculous thing that was no different from asking for divination.

"Tell the saint, if Quanzhong attacks Tonghua in the west, I will lead my troops to move south along the Ji River and attack Bianzhou." Quanzhong, Quanzhong, let me let you experience the feeling of being attacked by the armies from all over the country.

------

On August 22, the first year of Jingfu, Feng Xingxi, the defense envoy of Zhaoxin, came to the court from Junzhou.

This man weighed the pros and cons decisively. Later, when Zhu Quanzhong entered the pass, he sent his deputy Lu Chongju to obey Quanzhong. Zhaozong sent more than 20 ministers to recruit troops from Jiang and Huai and stationed in Jinzhou to threaten Quanzhong's retreat. When they passed through Feng Xing's jurisdiction, they were all killed and the emperor ordered them to be taken back to Quanzhong.

At this time, Quanzhong's claws had not yet reached Jinzhou, and the imperial court was closer. Feng Xingxi was afraid of being punished, so he came here very quickly, just as he surrendered to Quanzhong in later generations. Hearing that the imperial court was repairing the three palaces, he also brought some craftsmen and wood.

"How many people are there in the three states of Jin, Shang, and Jun?" The sage summoned Feng Xingxi to the gate tower of Youyintai. Concubines Shu and Xian looked at this warrior with a smile. Du Rangneng and Han Wei sat with him and drank by themselves. Zhazhu, Wang Congxun, Zhao Jia, Cao Zhe, Ma Quanzheng and other generals were wearing armor and holding sharp weapons, staring at him.

"About 300,000 to 500,000 people, but we haven't checked the households yet." Feng Xingxi was quite nervous. This emotion came from the warrior next to him. He smelled the same kind of breath on Zhazhu and others - killers! And they were very brave killers, who somehow became loyal to the saint.

Isn't the saint worried about being held hostage by these guys?

Chang'an is an interesting place.

"Three or five hundred thousand, not a small amount." The saint nodded. He had asked the general before, and it was roughly in this range. To find out the exact number, he had to check the household registration of each family.

In those days, except for a few vassal states such as Chengde and Weizhou, the movement of people was extremely frequent, and often the military government could not figure out how many people were under its jurisdiction. As for the national population, the court was even more at a loss.

"How old is your son?" Zhu Xiewusi suddenly asked, implying that the saint should leave his son in Chang'an as a hostage.

Hearing the lady asking questions, and with such vigor and momentum that the Saint did not stop her, Feng Xingxi thought it was the Queen, and bowed, "Replying to the Saint, my eldest son is eleven years old, and my second son is nine years old."

Fusheng is the title of the queen.

Hearing this, He Yuqing's face looked a little strange.

"The country has no queen yet." The general reminded.

"I deserve to die!" Feng Xingxi was embarrassed. Alas, he had been immersed in the mountains and rivers for too long and didn't even know whether the court had appointed a queen.

"You can leave your two sons behind and let them study in the Imperial Academy. When they reach adulthood, they may be appointed officials and serve the country." The Grand Commandant said again. The emperor couldn't say this directly, as it would be too rude and would also make him seem too suspicious.

"This..." Feng Xingxi was displeased when he heard this.

He had already obediently entered the court, and he still wanted to take his son as a hostage? How excessive! But he also knew that just entering the court and bringing craftsmen and timber would not be enough to win the trust of the court.

He was originally prepared to surrender to Quanzhong, but Quanzhong did not trust him either. He stated that he would either attack Zhao Kuangning, who hated Bianzhou, to show his sincerity, or hand over power - the important positions of the shogunate, such as the deputy envoy of the defense of Jinshang and the chief secretary, would be held by Bian officials.

He could not accept either of these two conditions, so he was forced to side with the imperial court, which had a slightly better attitude.

"Why, you don't want to?" The saint asked after drinking a glass of honey water.

Feng Xingxi came back to his senses and forced a smile: "This is a good thing that I would love to have. I will let my two sons study hard in the Imperial Academy."

"Go back and reorganize the military. Zhu Quanzhong has been coveting Jin Shang and Xiangyang for a long time, and he might send troops to attack them." The sage lost interest in the conversation, gave a warning, and then stood up and left the table - these people are like guarding dogs, so the emperor has nothing to worry about.

The gold merchants belong to the imperial court.

As long as the incidents of vassal states entering Chang'an did not happen again, Feng Xingxi would probably be the most obedient governor.

"I obey your order." Feng Xingxi still understood Quanzhong. He had more than 100,000 soldiers under his command, and he wanted to fight every day and fight on all sides to relieve the pressure from others. I heard that the guy forced to take the position of salt and iron transport and rent and labor envoy in Jianghuai. Wasn't it for this?

Loyal minister...

Without food and wealth, and worrying day and night about being instigated by warriors to rebel, it would be difficult for him to continue to be a loyal minister.

----

"I have found some good teachers for Dalang." The saint suddenly said on the way back to the palace.

Seeing her husband mention the child, He Yuqing's stern face immediately relaxed a little. Just now, Feng Xingxi's call to Zhu Xieshi "Assisting Saint" hurt her sensitive heart again. Fortunately, Dalang was the oldest, so even if Zhu Xieshi gave birth to a son, he would be eight years older, so it was still in time!
"Han Wei, the envoy of the Imperial Academy, I love him. Dalang studied literature, history, and mathematics under him."

"Yes." He Yuqing nodded. The head of the Hanlin Academy was more than qualified to teach an eight-year-old boy. As for Han Yu's character, there was no need to doubt it. The emperor had planned to appoint him as prime minister, but Han Yu said something shocking: I am just a humble official, I dare not be a prime minister. Then he recommended Zhao Chong, the chief teacher, and Wang Zan, the assistant minister of the Ministry of War, who had no relationship with him, saying that they were all strong, capable, calculating and honest people, and they were a hundred times better than the emperor.

This incident made He Yuqing admire Han Wei very much.

There are actually more reasons. As a time traveler, the saint knows more about Han Wei. In the later years of Emperor Zhaozong, his confidants were either killed or demoted. Han Wei was the only one who risked his life to stay by his side and tried his best to find a solution for him. Later, Quanzhong saw that he was quite difficult to deal with and wanted to kill him. Emperor Zhaozong had no choice but to secretly find Han Wei and said in tears: I have no choice but to demote you.

Han Wei’s answer was also very touching: Well, it is better to let me die outside than to watch Your Majesty being humiliated in the court but be unable to do anything.

Good character, loyalty and high knowledge made the sage choose Han Wei at the first opportunity.

"In today's chaotic world, the kings still need to learn martial arts and military affairs." He Yuqing added.

"I have found one." The sage sighed, "The instructor of the Imperial Guards and Infantry Division is my trusted aide and has extraordinary martial arts skills. Let him train Dalang."

The reason for choosing Wang Congxun as a martial arts master was another matter: He Chuyu, He Yuqing's second brother, somehow got along very well with Wang Congxun, and now the two families have arranged a marriage. He Chuyu has a son and a daughter, both only three or four years old. It was agreed that if Wang's wife gave birth to a boy, he would marry the daughter. If she gave birth to a girl, she would marry the boy.

It is just right to let Xiao Wang be Dalang's martial arts teacher.

"Very good." He Yuqing felt much better, with a charming look on her face.

"I will take Dalang to meet some military commanders tomorrow." The sage sighed. It is really difficult to be an emperor these days.

After that, he pulled Li Yu from behind He Yuqing and asked, "I didn't hit you or scold you, but you always hide from your father. What are you afraid of? I'll let you study literature and martial arts with Han Xueshi and Wang Jiao. Do you know them?"

Li Yu said nothing.

"Speak." The saint's face turned serious.

In an ordinary family, it would be fine if the child was introverted and didn't like to talk, but this was an imperial family. If he was afraid to even speak on the stage, what kind of emperor was he?

"I recognize it."

(End of this chapter)