Liu Taozi no longer wanted to fight, they speeded up and began to withdraw to their own border.

As for the enemies behind him, Liu Taozi has nothing to do with what they think, whether they will withdraw or continue to wait and see.

The situation along the road was very chaotic.

Many counties were directly out of control. Officials ran away after learning that the Southern Dynasty had sent troops, leaving no one in charge of the city. Bandits and thieves emerged and killed people everywhere, and the situation was completely out of control.

Liu Taozi could not remain indifferent. Along the way, he killed bandits when he encountered them, rescued the dead when he encountered them, straightened the public order, and pointed out the way forward.

The weather is getting colder.

Before we even got close to Gwangju, snowflakes had already started to fall.

This year, God was extremely harsh on Chen people, and the snow fell much earlier than before.

Snow gradually appeared on the road, and the advance of the army slowed down again.

After walking like this for a long time, the exhausted army finally arrived at Dong'an County. Once here, they could see Nanqing and Guangzhou in the distance, and they officially entered their own sphere of influence.

The heavy snow still did not stop, and everything was white. Many soldiers did not dare to open their eyes. Looking at the heavy snow all over the ground for a long time made the eyes hurt.

There are countless corpses hidden in the snow, starving to death everywhere.

Of course, there are also those who are alive. On the official road, the fleeing people pass each other, forming a long dragon with no front or end in sight. They just brave the wind and snow and walk all the way forward. Some fall, and some can still survive.

Keep at it.

When they passed Dongping County, there was a large group of people waiting for them on the official road leading to Guangzhou.

The leader is none other than Zu Jue.

Zu Jue was riding a mule. He was covered with thick clothes, which made the mule look very small. His face was red, and his face began to become rounder at some point, developing in the direction of Yang Dadu.

Around him, there were many officials shivering in the cold wind.

None of them were riding anything, just standing beside Zu Jue.

"Grandpa, the weather is cold, please allow us to light a bonfire to keep warm."

Zu Jue raised his head and said displeasedly: "If you don't know the pain of winter, how can you treat those who are suffering with your heart?"

"No."

The officials could only continue to shiver and move lightly to keep themselves warm.

Zu Jue only stayed for a moment, then turned around and walked back to the carriage not far away.

The officials stared at him as he walked into the carriage to keep warm. They looked at each other and muttered something.

Suddenly a knight rushed over quickly, "I found the general's men!!"

"The general is back!!"

Hearing this sound, Zu Jue, who had just entered the carriage, rushed out. He quickly turned back and looked at the servant, "Drive the carriage back quickly!!"

And he himself quickly got on the mule, walked in front of everyone again, rubbed his face vigorously, and then looked into the distance with a smile.

The officials just lowered their heads, but cursed in their hearts.

The army slowly appeared in the distance, and Zu Jue couldn't stay still any longer. He hurriedly rushed forward with his mule.

Zu Jue was extremely fast and rushed all the way to the front of the army. He quickly asked: "Where is the general?!"

"In the middle position!"

"good!"

Zu Jue continued to move forward. After walking for an unknown amount of time, he finally saw Liu Taozi leading the army from a distance.

Zu Jue hurriedly jumped off the mule, took the mule and ran quickly towards Liu Taozi.

"Chen Zujue pays homage to the lord!!"

Zu Jue let go of the reins and knelt down in front of Liu Taozi.

Liu Taozi reined in his horse and said, "Grandpa is here."

"Get up and mount your horse."

Zu Jue then got up and got on the mule, followed Liu Taozi, and looked around, "My lord is protected by God, it's great, it's great. We were in Guangzhou and learned that the lord killed Wu Mingche and broke the yellow law.

I dare to believe that my lord's bravery is truly rare in the world, and the officials all praise him."

"I also wrote three hymns to the Lord and they were recited everywhere in the city."

Zu Jue praised hard, but Liu Taozi felt something was wrong. He slowly turned his head and stared at Zu Jue, "Grandpa, you haven't made any mistakes in these days, have you?"

Zu Jue is always good at flattery, which is okay, but today he flattered a little too much. What did he do to avoid being accused?

Zu Jue hurriedly shook his head, "How dare you? I have always remembered my lord's instructions and did not dare to make mistakes. You see, I now ride a mule and travel very simply. I am all following my lord's example."

As Zu Jue spoke, he suddenly looked at the army in front and behind.

"Lord, where did these men and horses come from?"

"It's the defeated army that I accepted."

"Broken troops? I think their morale is good and their marching is very strict. It doesn't look like they were routed."

Liu Taozi didn't say anything, but Zu Jue added his own words, "The defeated troops were in the hands of the lord, and they turned into such a majestic elite! You are worthy of the lord!"

Liu Taozi didn't like flattery, so he asked simply: "How is the situation in Guangzhou and Qingzhou?"

Speaking of this, Zu Jue didn't panic at all. He pinched his long beard proudly.

"My lord knows something, the situation is great."

"The original governor of Guangzhou accumulated a huge amount of wealth for us. After my lord left, I began to use the money to appease. Many people came from Qingzhou and Guangzhou, and the population increased sharply. I sent people to attack on three sides.

, to guide more homeless people to come to Erzhou. There are also many scribes and craftsmen. I also sent people to contact the surrounding counties."

"Gwangju is rich in materials and has a huge population. Even with its current scale, it can be called the first state under the lord's command."

"Money, food, ordnance, scribes, craftsmen, everything is available. It only needs a few years of operation, and it can become a large base for us to conquer Henan!"

When Liu Taozi led the Mandrill Battalion here, he had only one purpose, which was to capture Guangzhou, which has a large territory, a large population, and a wealthy economy.

Guangzhou in Qi State definitely has the most arable land in the country and is the richest place in the country. There are thirteen large ports in Guangzhou, and the docks are almost full.

But because the enemy suddenly attacked, Liu Taozi could only lead his troops to rescue, leaving Zu Jue here to clean up the mess.

While Liu Taozi and others were sleeping rough on the front lines and fighting extremely hard, Zu Jue was having a great time here.

The governor's office had plundered a huge amount of wealth, all of which was placed at Zu Jue's disposal. But wars were going on between the north and the south, people everywhere were panicked, and temples were out of control. Zu Jue immediately began to use his traditional skills.

His first step was to steal people.

Thanks to Liu Taozi's benevolent act of killing King Nanyang in Qizhou, Liu Taozi's reputation around Guangzhou is getting better and better. Zu Jue deliberately guided him, spending money to buy reputation and rumors.

In the past, many people in Hebei fled to the south of the river, and their lives were not very good. When they learned that Guangzhou and Qingzhou could receive relief, they began to run to these two places.

Both places have to accommodate many outsiders every day, but Zu Jue doesn't find it troublesome or stressful at all. We have plenty of money and food!

Then he began to steal talents. He published the results in Gwangju, claiming to conduct assessments, and personally went to the local Confucian Temple to worship.

He welcomed literati from all over the country to take part in the examination, and those who passed the examination could hold official positions in Xinguangzhou and Qingzhou, thus attracting a large number of scholars to join him.

Then there is the recruitment of craftsmen and special arrangements for the craftsmen.

Finally, his hand reached the merchant ship, further south and east.

The money that the governor of Guangzhou worked so hard to save was squandered by Zu Jue so wantonly, but the effect was truly astonishing.

Zu Jue has never fought such a rich battle.

Zu Jue earnestly introduced his achievements to Liu Taozi, ignoring the rest of the people.

Soon, Liu Taozi met the other officials.

These people were much more normal than Zu Jue. After paying their respects, they followed Liu Taozi. Seeing them trembling, Liu Taozi asked them to follow them in a car.

The officials thanked him again and again.

Zu Jue governed Guangzhou, but Liu Taozi has not yet seen any other results.

But he really saw the population.

People, people are everywhere.

The crowds at the gate of the city were very similar to what they were when Cheng'an accepted the dead, perhaps even more exaggerated than then. The soldiers could feel the pressure as they opened the way.

And this is even more true in the city, where there are crowds of people everywhere.

Liu Taozi didn't know how Zu Jue could arrange for so many people. He didn't look tired at all, he was in high spirits and he had gained a lot of weight.

As soon as Liu Taozi arrived at the official office, Zu Jue took him to the inner room, leaving a large group of officials looking at each other.

Sitting in the room, Zu Jue's face became serious. He took out a document from his arms and handed it to Liu Taozi.

"Lord, I just received three documents the day before yesterday."

"Something big happened in Hebei."

"I haven't announced it to anyone yet. There are so many people just now, so I don't dare to disclose it."
To be continued...