Chapter 646 Why are there so many loyal ministers and righteous men?
Chapter 646 Why are there so many loyal ministers and righteous men?
Zhang Yan was ready to return to the capital, but the hot potato he threw burned all the emperors and ministers of the Southern Tang Dynasty to death.
Ever since Gao Baoxu and Nanping soldiers fled to Ezhou with thousands of soldiers, the debate on how to deal with Gao Baoxu has never stopped.
In the Southern Tang Dynasty, Liu Renzhan, the military commander of the Qinghuai Army in Shouzhou, He Jingzhu, the military commander of the Wuchang Army in Ezhou, and Wang Chongwen, the military commander of the Yong'an Army in Jianzhou, all suggested that Li Jing should not miss the opportunity and seize the opportunity to capture Jiangling and then reject the river.
Shou.
In this way, even if all the land in Huainan is lost, it can still be kept in Nanchen to wait for the right time.
Uh! I can’t say that their strategy is wrong. In fact, it is still very feasible.
The core of this strategy is Jiangling City. Taking Jiangling City prevents the Zhou army from building a strong navy. Instead of competing with the Zhou army on land, it relies on the navy to build a defense line.
Then concentrate resources in Jiangling to support an elite imperial army to defend the capital.
And this should be said to be the only opportunity for the Southern Tang Dynasty, because everyone can see that as long as the Zhou Kingdom gets Jiangling, it will immediately have a powerful navy.
Coupled with the great righteousness of the Celestial Empire and the invincible land cavalry, it is difficult to say whether the Southern Tang Dynasty can survive the Li Jing period.
But doing this is also very risky. If you can capture Jiangling, it will be good. If you cannot capture Jiangling, it will be considered good if you wait for the Zhou army to retaliate and lose all Huainan. Otherwise, it may be captured by others.
He went to Jiangning Prefecture in the Western Capital.
Li Jing was also quite tangled in his heart. From his heart, he hated Zhang Zhou far more than anyone else.
Because before Zhang Zhang sent 50,000 cavalry to beat Li Jing, Li Jing was very prosperous.
The Tang Dynasty he inherited from his father Li Min, after being governed by three generations of heroes Yang Xingmi, Xu Wen, and Li Min, had 100,000 soldiers, 1.2 million households, 3 million households, mountains of money and food, and a naval army
Across the river, one cannot be said to be weak.
Later, he also surrendered the Xuzhou Wuning Army of the Later Jin Dynasty, Hu Cile, the Jiedu envoy, and all the territory of Huaibei was conquered. He had just defeated Wang Min, and he looked like he was at the peak of the sun.
Li Jing himself still thought so, so when Du Chongwei, the governor of Songzhou's returned army to Germany, came to join him, everyone in the Southern Tang Dynasty thought that Li Jing was destined to return.
As long as they defeat Hexi Zhang Xuan, who claims to revive the Tang Dynasty, but is actually just a Tibetan thief, the Tang Dynasty will be completely revived in the hands of Li Jing.
Unfortunately, in the end, the Southern Tang Dynasty spent millions of dollars on military expenditures, and what they got was two disastrous defeats at Meng Zhuze and Yizheng, with the loss of more than 40,000 soldiers. Even the eastern capital Jiangdu Prefecture (Yangzhou) was captured, leaving the western capital Jiangning with almost no usable soldiers.
Guard.
Li Jing was beaten twice in a row. With a bruised nose and a swollen face, Li Jing had to cut off the three states of Chu, Hao and Si in Huainan to Zhang Yan. The donations extorted every year put a heavy economic burden on the Southern Tang Dynasty.
Especially the angel who came from Zhou Kingdom a few days ago, grabbed his sleeve and screamed angrily, which made Li Jing want to kill him now just thinking about it.
However, even though the hatred in Li Jing's heart was higher than the mountains and deeper than the sea, he still couldn't make up his mind when he thought of the fear it brought him when the Zhou army came to the river last time.
It's just that at this critical moment of decision-making, what's more terrifying than making the wrong decision is not making a decision.
Li Jing wanted to avenge his past humiliation and no longer be bullied by Zhou Guo, but he could not make up his mind.
Under the delay of the Lord of the Southern Tang Dynasty, undercurrents surged in the Southern Tang Dynasty.
....
Is Zhang Yan afraid that Nan Tang will suddenly intervene at this time? If he is, he is not very afraid.
He said he was not afraid because Zhang Yan was very confident in the army under his command.
Since ancient times, no large city like Jiangling could be captured by naval forces alone. The troops of the Southern Tang Dynasty only caused trouble and could not capture Jiangling.
I am afraid that it is because the Nanping navy has not been fully digested. The Ezhou Wuchang Army Jiedushi and the Jiangzhou Fenghua Army Jiedushi (Jiujiang) in the Southern Tang Dynasty both have very strong naval forces. Zhang Hao did not dare to use the entire army last time.
When crossing the river, I was worried about being cut off by these two people.
If they go upstream now, they will drag a large number of troops in Jiangling. If they delay for a few more months, Zhang Yan will have to withdraw his troops as soon as the twelfth lunar month of winter arrives, and the golden opportunity to deal with Ma Chu will be lost.
More importantly, if, as in history, the Southern Tang army did not come to Jiangling, but entered Ma Chu and got involved with Ma Xi'e, there would be some trouble.
At this time, Hunan had a denser water network than Jiangling, with swamps all over the place. Marching in most places had to rely on boat ferries. If there was help from the Southern Tang Dynasty, and Ma Xi'e, a local snake, just to capture Tanzhou, I am afraid it would have been necessary.
Calculated annually.
"Where are Zhang Shaodi and others?" Zhang Yan summoned Li Xiaojie, the deputy commander of the Jinyi Guards who was responsible for Jingnan and Hunan, and asked.
Li Xiaojie said calmly to Zhang Yan: "Not only Zhang Shaodi, but also the soldiers and generals from Ma Chu gathered around Ma Xiguang, and they were all vague about my probing and wooing.
I think the biggest wish of these people is to return to Tanzhou to drive away Ma Xihe, and then serve Ma Xiguang as the leader and strive to protect Chu State."
Zhang Hao nodded, "It seems that there are still many mediocre people in Ma Chu Kingdom!
They feel that with a strong saint like me weighing on them, it is better to support a mediocre and cowardly leader like Ma Xiguang, so that they can at least continue to be the master in the territory of Chu."
After a short pause, Zhang Hao said to Li Fang beside him: "Call Ma Xiguang here. To solve the problem of Chu State, we still have to start with Ma Xiguang."
When Zhang Gao summoned Ma Xiguang, he was chanting the Precious Sheng Tathagata.
This is the southern Buddha among the five Buddhas of Buddhism. It corresponds to where Ma Chu is, so the people of Chu believe in Buddhism and mostly believe in the Tathagata born from the treasures gathered in the south.
Historically, when Ma Xiguang was cornered by Ma Xi'e, he personally put on silk robes, gathered monks at the city gate and sang Buddhist sutras, hoping that the Buddha would help defeat the enemy.
When he was captured and killed by Ma Xi'e, he had been chanting Baosheng Tathagata, and he was a devout Buddhist.
However, the more he believed in the Buddha, the more alienated he became from Zhang Gao. Don't think that even those who believe in Buddhism will be close to Zhang Gao. It's quite the opposite.
Since the Six Dharma Sects developed by Zhang Gao were borrowed from the three desert religions, the principle of the law is to worship the Buddha from a high place and then use the Supreme Heaven to speak for the mortal world. Therefore, the more proficient in Buddhism, the more resistant Zhang Gao is.
Because Zhang Yan is just a layer of Buddhism, the inner layer is the three desert religions, and the innermost layer is actually a monotheistic religion that is a mixture of Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism in Chinese thought.
Compared with the current Buddhism, which still has a strong Indian style, they are completely two extremes.
Except for some Buddhist sects in Hexi, Anxi, and Qingtang who had ulterior motives or always felt threatened by other sects, few Buddhist monks were used to Zhang Gao, and privately regarded Zhang Gao as a heretic.
This is the case with Ma Xiguang. Before he got to know him deeply, he was attracted by Zhang Xi's identity as the Supreme Merciful Buddha (Dharma King). However, after getting to know him, Ma Xiguang immediately didn't want to get close to Zhang Xi.
However, in this matter, Ma Xiguang, who did not have much capital, did not have much room for bargaining.
He didn't want to get close to Zhang Xi, but if Zhang Xi wanted to get close to him, he had to obey.
As soon as he entered the door, Zhang Xi came over and held Ma Xiguang's arm, saying with a slightly sad voice: "Depi! I'm very sad to hear that your wife, Wang, and their two sons were killed.
Now I have ordered my subordinates to carry out the imperial edict, and I plan to posthumously make Wang the wife of Changsha County. Your two sons will each be given a gift of a school inspector, Sikong, and a school inspector. What do you think?"
Ma Xiguang's arm was held so that he could not salute, so he could only lean forward slightly. He looked at Zhang Yan with red eyes and thanked him: "I have thanked the saint for his kindness. If I can get a posthumous gift from the county's wife, my wife will be able to rest in peace."
"
Zhang Gao patted Ma Xiguang's arm to express comfort, and then continued: "I heard that your eldest daughter died young, but your second daughter is still alive and was not harmed by that thief Ma Xi'e.
My fifth son, Zhao Yanjin, and his wife died young. If Depi doesn't dislike her, we can become in-laws."
Ma Xiguang's second daughter had just turned sixteen and was cute and charming. This time Ma Xiguang took her to Tokyo with him and did not stay in Tanzhou, so she was not killed.
Ma Xiguang didn't hesitate at all, and said hurriedly with great joy, "I don't know the etiquette, I'm afraid I will give in to Marquis Baoyi."
Of course he was happy. Except for Li Congyi, all the seven adopted sons of Zhang Yan were good at both civil and military affairs. Although Zhao Yanjin was not as good as Murong Nobunaga and Li Cunhui, he currently looked much more promising than Zhe Deyuan and Yang Jiye.
The Flying Tiger Army, which still controls Zhang Zhou's navy, is more than enough with his Ma Xiguang's daughter in terms of status and ability.
Zhang Yan was also very happy. Just as he was about to say something else, Zhang Lieming on the side quickly interrupted, "Uncle, did you forget something?"
Zhang Yan looked at Zhang Lieming pretending to be confused, but actually he already knew what was going on, "What's the matter? Tell me."
Zhang Lieming quickly replied: "Uncle Seventeenth said the day before yesterday that my eighth aunt saw Ma Jieshuai's majestic figure, which looked very much like her late husband. He wanted to ask you to do something good for her."
"Ah!" Zhang Hao let go of Ma Xiguang's arm and patted it lightly with both hands.
"How come you almost forgot about this, Depi! The eighth sister's deceased husband was a brave general under a certain one, but unfortunately he died in battle.
Today, the eighth sister has two sons. Although she is not as good as a fish and a goose, she is diligent and thrifty in running the family, gentle and virtuous. Are you interested in becoming someone's brother-in-law?"
Ma Xiguang's face suddenly turned pale. He was just a little cowardly, but he was not a fool.
He knew that if he married Zhang Yan's sister, although it would be an extra layer of protection, it would also be an extra layer of prison.
In this way, the daughter of the Zhang family who married him halfway and had two sons would definitely turn to the Zhang family if something big happened. As long as she married him, it would be equivalent to his Ma Xiguang's movements being controlled by Zhang Xi.
Moreover, no matter how you look at this arrangement, it seems that he does not want him to return to Tanzhou to take charge, and that he wants to swallow up the Chu State.
Ma Xiguang mustered up the courage to look at Zhang Yan. He was about to speak, but his mouth felt extremely dry and his throat seemed to be stuck with a ball of rags. He wanted to say something, but he always felt blocked and couldn't speak.
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Zhang Yanze once again grabbed Ma Xiguang's arm and almost pulled Ma Xiguang, who was more than a head shorter than him, to his chest.
Zhang Gao was condescending, and the breath he exhaled from his nostrils hit Ma Xiguang's face directly. His hands were like iron pliers, and Ma Xiguang was unable to move at all.
"What? Depi is so happy that he is speechless?"
Zhang Hao spoke slowly, word by word, as if each word was popping out from between his teeth.
Ma Xiguang raised his head and looked at Zhang Yan, and suddenly felt that the Holy Emperor, who usually looked cheerful and cheerful, seemed to have flown to the nine heavens and had turned into a divine dragon. The golden light from his body surged, locking him tightly.
A sense of extreme danger of imminent disaster pressed towards Ma Xiguang, and every pore of Zhang Yan seemed to be exuding the question, 'Do you want to be cut in half or Ling Chi?'
In an instant, all Ma Xiguang's thoughts disappeared in an instant. The Kingdom of Chu, the throne, and the heresy of Buddhism were absolutely not more important than being alive now.
He couldn't help but knelt down on his knees, and tears of "joy" welled up in his eyes, "I'm afraid that my fortune will be poor and my virtue will be shallow, so I won't be worthy of the royal family."
"Hahahaha!" Zhang Hao laughed a few times, let go of Ma Xiguang's wrist, and patted his shoulder approvingly.
"King Wumu of Chu started his career as a carpenter and owned thirteen states. He is worthy of being called a hero.
How can my brother, who is now De Pi, know the overall situation so well that he has little fortune and little virtue? I will immediately confer the title of Princess Yutan on my eighth sister, and grant my brother the courtesy of being the consort of the Commander-in-Chief."
Yutan is the northern gateway to Tanzhou, which is the area around today's Yutan Town, Ningxiang County, Changsha City. It has a very important position in Ma Chu.
It was a great honor to make Ba Niang the princess of Yutan Princess and to treat Ma Xiguang as the princess's consort and captain.
Now that things have come to this, Ma Xiguang, who is naturally cowardly, just goes with the flow.
Zhang Yan immediately asked him to summon Zhang Shaodi, Liu Yantao, Li Yanwen and other Ma Chu troops to arrive here.
Not long after, Zhang Shaodi, Liu Yantao, Li Yanwen and others were summoned to Zhang's palace.
Different from the last few times when Zhang Zhi sent people to recruit them and refused to accept them, this time the Ma Chu generals actually bowed down to the king for the first time.
Zhang Gao returned the gesture with an empty bow, and then looked at the Chu soldiers and generals and shouted loudly.
"I ordered people to comfort you, but you looked at me silently. Now I have ordered Madepi to call you, how can you come so quickly?
Could it be that this Chu vassal is not a vassal of the Celestial Dynasty? I, the emperor of China, am not your lord?"
Uh! Ma Xiguang's nickname is Depi. This is also the first time Zhang Yan called him this. Suddenly, he found that Depi is a good name, but the surname Ma seems not so appropriate, right?
Seeing the emperor being furious, Liu Yantao, Li Yanwen and other generals were so frightened that they prostrated themselves on the ground and did not dare to speak.
Only Zhang Shaodi looked normal, looked at Zhang Yan and asked: "May I ask the saint how to arrange the successor king?"
The successor king mentioned by Zhang Shaodi is of course Ma Xiguang, because Zhang Yan has not officially canonized Ma Xiguang as the king of Chu, so he is only qualified to succeed the king of Chu, but he is not the king of Chu yet, so he can only be called that.
Zhang Gao replied blankly: "I have become in-laws with Depi, and we have married as a noble daughter of the clan. From now on, we will be one family."
Zhang Shaodi, however, refused to give in. "The barbarians from outside the vassal state boldly asked the emperor whether the successor king will guard Tanzhou or accompany the emperor from now on."
It's interesting. Zhang Yan took one look at this guy called Young Enemy, who was already over forty years old and was also known as Ma Chu Dongliang. He was not going to hide it at the moment and said in a deep voice: "Since we are a family, of course you should always accompany me."
about."
After saying this, Zhang Yan was already prepared for Zhang Shaodi and others not to cooperate. There are some people in this world who are just stubborn. They know that big things cannot be stopped, but they always want to use their arms as a chariot.
Unexpectedly, when Zhang Shaodi heard what Zhang Yan said, he suddenly fell to the ground and said: "I, Zhang Shaodi, bow to the Holy Emperor."
This operation made Zhang Yan confused. He looked at Zhang Shaodi who was prostrating on the ground and asked: "You refused to bow to me before, why do you want to bow to me now?"
Zhang Shaodi raised his head and said loudly: "The reason why I did not go to court was because I was a minister of the Chu vassal. Is there any reason to go beyond the vassal king and go to the emperor?"
Now your Majesty definitely wants to accept the Chu vassal and return to the country. Without the Chu vassal, the ministers are the emperor's ministers, and they will definitely come to pay homage.
Moreover, two generations like this have been supported by the people of Chu for decades. If Your Majesty just wants to send them back to the heir, I still have to persuade the saint not to send out large armies, so as to avoid the loss of life.
Because Ma Xi'e has established influence in Chu and has no intention of taking over the vassal and returning to the country, he should not move lightly. Now the saint has decided to be like the story of Nanping, and only then can I dare to serve the imperial court."
Zhang Gao was stunned, wasn't it said that there were few loyal ministers and even fewer famous ministers in the Five Dynasties? How come he is here, good guy, there is no shortage of loyal people everywhere.
Those who know understand that this is the Five Dynasties, but those who don’t know think that this is the era when all the heroes came together at the end of the Han Dynasty, the Three Kingdoms, and the end of the Sui Dynasty.
Well! Under the banner of Zhang Shengren holding high the banner of loyalty, filial piety and justice, another famous minister with great foresight appeared.
So Zhang Hao quickly helped Zhang Shaodi up with a face of ecstasy. Regardless of Ma Xiguang's embarrassment, he praised loudly.
"I originally thought that the Chu vassal was located in the south of the world, and the loyal, filial, and righteous people could not compare with the Central Plains. However, I did not expect that there would be such great talents as Qing and others. The rebel Ma Xihe was put down the next day. I should use Qing and others more seriously."
Zhang Shaodi also cooperated with Zhang Yan. He said with emotion: "Xi'e was cruel and plundered Tanzhou. It is not allowed. I am waiting for the heavenly soldiers of the imperial court like a baby waiting for Ye Niang."
Now that I see the sage, I will know the benevolence of the sage emperor. I invite you to be a pioneer and help the sage to pacify the Chu land."
Zhang Hao immediately asked: "What's the plan?"
But before Zhang Shaodi could answer, Zhang Cheng came to report from outside the door, saying that Peng Shisong, the envoy from Ma Chu, had arrived.
Zhang Shaodi was overjoyed and said, "I congratulate you as a saint! Peng Shisong was born in Chen, the leader of the Peng family of the Xitu barbarian chieftain. He has an eccentric temperament, but he is loyal and kind."
He has been guarding Tanzhou for a long time and is quite famous. He is from the Peng family, which is also a wealthy family in Chudixi cave.
If the saint has Peng Shisong take refuge, not only can Tanzhou be conquered soon, but he can also take the opportunity to pacify the barbarians west of Huxiang, so that the Chu land can be returned to the country!"
I was a little panicked today, so I updated a little later because a family member was infected.
Book friends, it’s better to buy some pain-relieving and fever-reducing drugs. The toxicity is indeed weakened a lot, but it is definitely more severe than a common cold. Of course, this is from my personal observation. I don’t know what will happen to the tiger after it is infected.