Yongzhou was the territory of the previous Li Dynasty.
However, after the battle a few months ago, the elite army of the Li Dynasty was completely lost. The king of the Li Dynasty had no choice but to send people to sue for peace and cede this land.
At this time, Yongzhou had become the land of Yun State.
Outside Yongzhou City, there is a vast and heavily guarded Yun Kingdom border army camp, like a giant beast, dormant there quietly.
It was already late at night, and in the camp, soldiers were constantly patrolling, with open and hidden sentries all over the camp, keeping the camp watertight.
In the handsome tent, the lights are still brightly lit.
The commander's seat at the top was vacant. There were about a dozen generals in armor gathered in the tent, and the atmosphere was extremely solemn.
A general sitting in the front seat on the left, playing with a string of Buddhist beads in his hand, glanced at everyone present, and spoke first:
"It seems that you all have received the news!"
Upon hearing this, all the generals raised their heads and looked at the person who spoke.
"General Shi, you have the highest official position among us, why don't you come up with a charter first!" A general couldn't help but said.
The general's words made everyone nod their heads in agreement:
"General Shi, you are General Zhendong, you have the highest status, and you are also a person trusted by the Grand Master. We will listen to you no matter how you decide!"
"That's right, there is such a big thing happening in the capital now. All the brothers are in a state of confusion. Let's ask General Shi to take the lead!"
Hearing this, General Shi An of Zhendong stood up, took out the two letters from his arms, held them in his hands, and said in a deep voice:
"These are two letters. This one is from the imperial court. The imperial court rewards people based on their merits. Eight colleagues, including me, were promoted for their merits and returned to Beijing to report on their work!"
The person sent by the imperial court to deliver the order had no hidden traces at all, and that was how everyone learned about the chaos in the capital.
"Who dares to leave if he wants to go back with his empty talk?"
"When we go back and we no longer have military power, what if the emperor wants to settle accounts?"
"That's right, you can't go back!"
The generals murmured a few words, and immediately made up their minds that they would never go back.
The power struggle has always been cruel. People like them who were personally promoted by Wang Xiao, no matter what they thought in their hearts, naturally assumed the status of Wang Xiao's cronies, plus they controlled the army. In their view, if Xiao Cheng didn't
If you kill yourself, you will never dare to sleep peacefully.
"But if we don't follow the instructions, what should we do? We finally won the battle, are we going to turn around and attack the country again?"
"Our family is still in the country. If we are charged with something, wouldn't it be the end?"
As soon as these words were spoken, all the generals who had been resolute just now suddenly became stunned.
Yes, they are not afraid if they have soldiers in their hands, but of all the people here, who’s family doesn’t stay in the country?
Hearing this, Shi An noticed that all the generals were in a state of decline and showed a dilemma. His eyelids were lowered, his face was calm, he turned the prayer beads in his hand, calmly raised another letter in his hand, interrupted everyone's discussion, and said:
"This is a letter from someone in the capital. He told me that the imperial court really does not trust us and has sent troops to occupy Shicheng County. Anyone who does not receive orders from the imperial court will be cut off immediately.
Supplies for the army."
When the generals heard this, some of them had bad tempers and began to yell and curse.
"Damn it, the elite of the border army are here. Anyone who dares to do this is a sinner of the Yun Kingdom!"
"Although Yongzhou has been captured, the local people do not regard themselves as members of the Yun Kingdom and are not cooperative at all. If the court now cuts off food and salary supplies and does not need to send troops, our subordinates will have to tie us up and send us back to the capital!"
At this time, a calm general noticed Shi An's indifference and quickly said:
"Shi Zhendong, what can you do? Please stop showing off!"
Hearing this, Shi An nodded and said:
"My friend actually promised me that he can issue a pardon and no longer care about what happened before!"
As soon as these words came out, everyone present fell silent and looked at Shi An in horror.
Everyone present knew very well what kind of identity one could use to say a word like forgiveness.
But these words definitely did not come from the mouth of His Majesty!
Firstly, no one could believe what His Majesty said. Secondly, Shi An had been fighting among the border troops for these years, so there was no way he could become friends with His Majesty.
Thinking about it this way, the identity of this friend Shi An mentioned is a bit interesting!
"Shi Zhendong, who is this friend you are talking about?" A general couldn't help but ask.
Everyone fell silent and stared at Shi An.
When Shi An heard this, he laughed loudly and said:
"What I said today is just to calm the minds of my colleagues. Everyone is fighting for fame with their heads high. We don't need to be so clear about some things now!"
Shi An paused and glanced at everyone present. Seeing that everyone was moved, he spoke again:
"Anyway, you guys don't dare to return to Beijing, so you might as well deal with it first, either because of the sudden change in Li Dynasty or because of the complicated handover of military affairs, and delay it for a few days. Anyway, we have tens of thousands of border troops. If the situation changes by then,
, No matter what, it’s better than going back to Beijing now!”
When the generals heard this, they looked at each other with hesitation on their faces.
Not long after, a general suddenly stood up and cursed:
"Damn it, brothers, we have soldiers, and the imperial court doesn't dare to take action against our family for the time being. But if we obey the order and go back, and the emperor turns his back, then the whole family will be dead. I listen to General Zhendong and just deal with it for a while.
Let’s talk about it later!”
Someone took the lead, and all the generals gritted their teeth and stood up, saying in unison to Shi An:
"I hope that I will use my stone to control the east and the horses will follow suit!"
Shi An paused with the beads spinning in his hand, then put them on his wrist again, stood up and said:
"In this case, after tomorrow, the quota in the army will be reduced by 30%. I will find some excuses to ask Shicheng County for more grain and supplies. By the way, I will also send people to Yongzhou, Yizhou, Juzhou, Qinzhou and other places to collect money and grain.
Stock up on supplies, just in case!”
"Yes!" All the generals shouted in unison.
Shi An nodded and suddenly warned:
"Pay attention to military discipline when expropriating, and don't cause resentment among the people! These four states are for the time being the place where we can settle down and live."
"As you command!"
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On the official road, five thousand soldiers and horses held open fire, marching in the direction of Shicheng County in a mighty manner.
Among the central army, Tao Ai sat on the horse, his body upright. Under the light of the torches held by the soldiers on the side, his old face showed a look of exhaustion.
"Lieutenant, why don't you take a rest!" the soldier couldn't help but said.
Hearing this, Tao Ai shook his head stubbornly and asked in a tired voice:
"How long will it take to get to Shicheng County?"
"There is still about seventy or eighty miles to go."
Tao Ai's eyes were solemn and he said sternly:
"The situation is so critical. If I arrive half a day earlier, I can feel at ease. If you pass on the order, the army will not stop. We will reach Shicheng County before dawn tomorrow. I will reward everyone again!"
