On the second day of November in the first year of Qianning, Changchun Palace in Tongzhou.
Shao Shude was a little embarrassed when Princess Zhe Fang Ai came unexpectedly and sat down with Mr. Chen with a sweet smile.
Chen has a calm temperament, but he still talks a lot in front of the princess.
She is now the concubine of the King of Xia. After the saint rewarded her, Shao Shude almost immediately accepted her as his seventh concubine and his tenth concubine. The quota has not been fully used, and there are still three positions left.
Chen's estranged wife still had the title of Wei Guo's wife, which was considered high among the concubines, because most of them only had the title of county wives.
Not to mention, Chen was also served by four concubines who had been rewarded together. This pomp was worthy of the concubines of a saint, and even Pei Zhenyi could not compare with it.
After seeing Shao Shude come in, they both stood up and saluted.
"I was surprised to receive the news that my beloved concubine is here. Is everything okay over there in Anyi?" The soldiers came forward to help him remove his armor. Shao Shude found a bed and sat down on it, and asked.
"It's safe and sound," Zhe Fang Ai said. After saying that, she glanced at Shao Shude, her eyes reproachful.
Shao Shude did not dare to look at his wife, so he laughed.
Mrs. Chen also glanced at Shao Shude, and the commander glared back at her. Mrs. Chen's lips curled up and she smiled.
"The king is going to Nanyang..." Zhe Fangxiao hesitated a little here.
In fact, she is a very smart woman and knows that her husband's purpose of going south is not simple.
Needless to say, whether the Weisheng Army in Tangzhou was named Shao or Zhe, if we want to defeat Zhu Quanzhong now, it will be impossible without the support of the southern front.
but
Alas, it’s so difficult for me!
"If your Majesty goes south, why not bring the Yi Congjun with him? The Bu Zang clan is loyal and fights in the north and south. Over the years, more than ten of the Bu Zang clan's children have died on the battlefield. Hengshan, the capital of the Qing and Tang Dynasties, is brave and good at fighting. If you go south with the army, , which adds to the security." Zhe Fang Ai no longer hesitated and said: "Once there is a change, if there is a Tianxiong, I will follow the two armies, and I will have peace of mind."
Shao Shude glanced at his wife in surprise.
"The Tang and Deng dynasties were ruined, Xiangyang was not very wealthy, and the gold merchants were even more impoverished. They were afraid they would not be able to support so many people."
"You can afford it in a few months, right?"
"We can afford it..." Shao Shude sighed and said, "Well, I can only suffer for the gold merchants in Xiangyang. But since the Yi Congjun has also gone south, this plan has to be remade."
He went south to Tang and Deng, and of course he was not alone.
In fact, as the military and political leader, and also the king of Xia, the situation is getting bigger and bigger.
Some agencies in the palace want to send people to follow them. Chen Cheng and Zhao Guangfeng are also going to go together. They are not alone, but a whole team.
The bodyguards, the eldest son’s teachers and martial arts masters, a large number of messengers, ceremonial guards, daily attendants, etc. were numerous in number and scale.
Now that he is like this, you can imagine how grand the emperor must be when he travels.
Of course, it is not impossible to follow the simple route with a light vehicle, but it will easily lead to poor communication with the rear, and at the same time, it will not achieve part of the purpose of going south. It is not just a military operation, but also has political implications. The Tangzhen sergeants should know who their boss listens to, and
This boss’s boss is very dignified.
In short, a team of nearly 2,000 people is still needed.
Wherever this team goes, they have to be received locally, and the cost is not small. If they bring 8,000 rebel soldiers with them, the expenses will indeed be quite large.
"I don't know anything about the war. I only know a rough idea, so I won't show my shame in front of my husband." Zhe Fangxiao said with a smile: "I still remember that in the early years when we first got married, the military supplies were insufficient, and my husband lamented day and night. Later, when he went out to fight, he gained nothing.
There are so many, isn’t it solved?”
"It's different. Shenzhou and Guangzhou are very poor. Zhang Quanyi has only been here for a few months. I'm afraid that the rectification has not been completed. It is difficult for the local area to improve. It is also difficult to rob enough things." Shao Shude said: "I
Beating Zhang Quanyi is not just a matter of holding a hand."
Zhe Fang smiled and said, "Mrs. Chen is from Xiangyang."
"Yes." Mrs. Chen responded, still sitting there quietly, her expression unchanged.
"I came to Changchun Palace and brought all the ceremonial guards, cooks, doctors, and maids required for my husband to accompany him. Since Mrs. Chen is from Xiangyang, you might as well bring her with you, so that you can go to peace." Zhe Fangxiao said again.
Mrs. Chen had just bought it more than a month ago, and Shao Shude had no intention of calling her to serve now, but his wife said so, so she nodded and said, "That's fine."
The Chen family in Xiangyang still has some influence in the local area, but it is only limited to Xiangzhou.
Behind this actually reflects a special phenomenon, that is, the decline of imperial power.
When the nest entered Guanzhong, Emperor Xizong was lucky enough to be in Shu, and all the kings followed him.
Today's concubine He Shu is from Zizhou, Dongchuan, and she should have been adopted when she entered Shu.
The Zhaoyi family, the Li family, and the Chen family may have a lot of influence locally, but looking at the whole world, they are not enough.
The palace official Pei Zhenyi was only a branch of the Pei family who moved to Chang'an. If he had not followed Shao Shude, it is not certain that the Pei family would have valued her after hearing about it.
The Pei family, the Wei family, and the Du family all have "good products", but they are all used to marry into the famous families. The saints have ordered beauties to be selected, and the families of the public ministers and generals certainly want to send their daughters to the palace, but they may not send their legitimate daughters. Some simply choose them.
If I don’t give it away, what can you do to me?
Speaking of which, the handle of a martial artist's sword is not as effective as Wang Ke's. Wang Ke can marry the daughter of Pei's direct lineage, but the saint cannot.
That night, Shao Shude stayed at Changchun Palace and talked with Zhe for half the night.
On the second day, under the protection of personal soldiers, he returned to Lantian County with a large group of carriages and horses.
The Shunyi Army's 7,000 cavalry continued eastward toward Guozhou.
The silver spears all returned to Shuozhou.
Tianxiong's army has already moved south, while Yicong's army is waiting in Lantian.
At this time, news came from the west that Li Kuangwei's staff and judge Li Baozhen had been captured and sent to the capital. The Shence Army captured nearly 10,000 soldiers and defeated them, and asked for instructions on how to deal with them.
Shao Shude ordered that all these 10,000 people be sent to Fengzhou to build water conservancy projects and dig ditches. Those who have family members in Beijing will be distributed together to enrich the Fengzhou household registration.
The Houtao Plain was not developed on a large scale until the late Qing Dynasty. The main reason was that the Yellow River had not yet changed its course and it was not so convenient to draw water for irrigation, so a lot of effort was needed to develop it.
I have been doing this work for many years, and now I have these talented people who can help me do it.
As for the conquest of Shu, the sage was convening the Yanying Forum to discuss the matter.
According to reports, the saint was very reluctant and was afraid of being humiliated. But things no longer depended on his will. Liu Chongwang's appointment as the governor of Jiannan and Xichuan was already a certainty and could not be changed.
On November 11, Shao Shude and his eldest son took two carriages and headed for Dengzhou under the escort of the Yi Congjun.
He chose to travel at night. Although it was difficult to hide such a big movement from others, he could hide it every day and let Zhu Quanzhong know about it as late as possible.
Farewell, Chang'an!
Shao Shude was a little regretful that he had not yet had time to ask about the identities of the most virtuous women who had accompanied him in recent months.
But don’t ask, it will make everyone embarrassed if you tell me.
It can be seen that they are all forced to come to serve. It should be Wang Yanfan, the envoy of the Sixteenth Prince's House, who used some tricks. In particular, there is a woman in her mid-twenties who looks familiar, as if she has seen it somewhere, Shao Shude
I'm even more embarrassed to ask.
Let’s forget each other in the world.
The army marched in a meandering way, slowly advancing along Shangshan Road, stopping and walking while waiting for supplies, and arrived at Shangluo County, Lisuo, Shangzhou in late November.
Cheng Rui, the governor of Shangzhou, went out of the city for several miles to greet him.
…
In Pingjingguan City, Zhao Kuanglin introduced a middle-aged man dressed as a businessman into his study.
"Zhou Yuhou, long time no see." Zhao Kuanglin looked at this person steadily, his expression neither sad nor happy.
"Haha! When Zhao Shijun became rich, he forgot about his old brothers." Zhou Yuhou said with a smile.
This man's name was Zhou Tong. When the late emperor was still alive, he gathered a crowd to attack Ezhou. Du Hong led his army to fight against him and won a great victory.
After Zhou Tong escaped with his remaining troops, he first surrendered to Qin Zongquan. Later, seeing that Qin's power was declining, he turned back to Du Hong. Du Hong ignored his past suspicions and made him a shogunate, and annexed his tribe.
Zhou Tong no longer had any ambitions. After marrying a wife and having children, he gave up unrealistic thoughts and settled down as a general in the Wuchang army, running and fighting for Du Hong.
"Stop talking nonsense! Du Hong sent you here with high hopes, right?" Zhao Kuangning sneered.
"Zhao Shijun has voted for the new master, and the momentum of his speech is different." Zhou Tong smiled and said: "Let me guess, did you vote for Zhe Zongben or Shao Shude? It should be the latter, awesome, Zhao Shijun
Jun."
Zhao Kuangning stopped talking and stared at him.
"That's all." Zhou Tong waved his hand and said, "My lord sent me here to ask, if you vote here, can you keep the position of Commander-in-Chief of E?"
"Who to vote for?" Zhao Kuanglin asked.
Zhou Tong had a smile on his face and said, "You did vote for Shao Shude, you are a cheater."
"That's not what you said." Zhao Kuanglin said without getting angry at all: "Commander Zhe also obeys the orders of the King of Xia. We are all members of the King of Xia, so why should we be so clear-cut?"
"Indeed, Zhe Zong is not worth relying on at all. He is old and still being suppressed and beaten by Ding Hui. If you want to surrender, then surrender to King Xia. My lord also means the same thing." Zhou Tong had an expression of approval.
"Is Zhu Quanzhong dying? No one has been sent to rescue him for so long?" Zhao Kuanglin asked.
"It must be bad. He only thinks about grabbing the territory and does not do anything serious." Zhou Tong sighed: "It seems that he is also a little worried about Yang Xingmi."
"If Yang Xingmi is allowed to enter Ezhou, both you and Du Hong will die."
"Who says otherwise? Wu Tuo surrendered to Yang Xingmi, but the throne of governor was gone and replaced by Huai general Qu Zhang." Zhou Tong said helplessly: "To put it nicely, why are you afraid of the Hubei soldiers, offering your seal to surrender, and deceiving a three-year-old child?
.”
"King Xia is too generous and kind to act like this," Zhao Kuanglin said.
"That's why he took a fancy to the King of Xia." Zhou Tong said: "If the King of Xia is willing to protect my lord and continue to go out to control Ezhou, he is willing to surrender from the four states of E, An, Yue and Qi."
"It's all big talk." Zhao Kuanglin sneered: "Can Deng Jinsi from Yuezhou and Feng Jingzhang from Qizhou listen to Du Hong?"
"Hey, what are you talking about?" Zhou Tong said with a smile: "My lord is the military governor of Wuchang. Generals Deng and Feng also obey Commander Du. In this battle with the Huai bandits, all the states have sent troops.
We are all a family."
Zhao Kuanglin no longer struggled with this issue and said: "I can't make the decision on this matter. I have to report it to His Highness the King of Mingxia."
"Save it, save it!" Zhou Tong said with a smile: "As long as King Xia is willing to help, the four states of Wuchang Army will only follow King Xia's lead."
Help you? Zhao Kuanglin thought, with the army coming, some things will not be that simple. (To be continued.)