After Xiao Mian withdrew eastward to Yuzhang County, he obeyed Cen Wenwen and appointed the naval marshal Lai Hu'er, and ordered him to attack Lin Shihong with all his strength. Lai Hu'er lived up to Xiao Mian's trust and won three battles and three victories in Jiujiang County and Poyang Lake, annihilating ten enemies.
More than 10,000 people personally killed Lin Shihong's brother, Navy General Lin Shiyuan.
Lin Shihong was afraid of the force coming to protect his children, so he led tens of thousands of remnant troops to evacuate to Jian'an County and Lingnan area. The Western Liang Dynasty regained its momentum and occupied five counties including Yuzhang, Jiujiang, Poyang, Luling, and Yichun, and its military strength returned to more than ten
Thousands of people.
Xiao Mian was extremely grateful for coming to take care of his son. He gave him ten thousand taels of gold, three hundred maidservants, and nine tins to show his honor. He was also granted the title of Grand Master, promoted to the title of Prince of Poyang County, and granted five thousand households.
When I came to protect my son, I got a good land and a beautiful house. The servants and women in the house were all dressed in silk robes, and hundreds of people came and went, with tall horses and carts, showing their honor.
But high achievements will inevitably shock the emperor. If Xiao Mian can tolerate the luxurious life of coming to protect his children, then the soldiers in the army generally only know that they are coming to the county king but not the emperor. This makes Xiao Mian a little uneasy, so he appoints his nephew Wuling County
Wang Xiaolang is the deputy commander of the navy.
At this moment, Tang Emperor Li Yuan secretly sent an envoy to meet with Lai Huer...
In the room, Xiao Mian's face was ashen, and he was pacing back and forth with his hands behind his back. Beside him, his nephew Xiao Lang reported in a low voice: "My men can see clearly that the Tang envoy boarded his boat an hour ago, and he is still here."
If you don't come down, Your Majesty, this person has a terrible heart!"
Although Xiao Mian has always been well-educated, he couldn't help but cursed at this time: "His maid wears Luo Qi, and the servant carries silver bowls, and his expenses are more luxurious than mine. I can't bear it, and he is trained in the army."
His power covers the sky with one hand. The new recruits in the army only know that he is here to protect our children but not me. I have tolerated it, but he still colludes with the Tang Dynasty. What does he want to do? Does he want to hand over my foundation to the Tang Dynasty? "
"Your Majesty, I am most worried about his control of the army. His five sons, Kai, Hong, Zheng, Heng, and Ji, all have military power in the army. They are in perfect control. Although I am a deputy general, I will never get military power. If I come to protect my son
If he really colludes with the Tang Dynasty, once he launches a mutiny, Xi Liang will be in danger. Your Majesty, please do not be careless."
Xiao Mian pondered for a long time, with vicious murderous intent flashing in his eyes. He said coldly: "Does he think he can do whatever he wants because he has great achievements? My patience has a limit. If he wants to die, I can help him."
After walking a few more steps, Xiao Mian said to Xiao Lang: "I can order your men to secretly arrest Tang Envoy, and immediately deliver him to me after arrest."
"I obey the decree!"
Xiao Lang retreated, and Xiao Mian stood in front of the window with his hands behind his hands. He couldn't help but sigh lowly, "Why can't my sincerity always win the loyalty of the minister?"...
On the Gan River outside Yuzhang City, hundreds of warships were moored quietly. On one of the huge main ships, there were all the personal guards of the most powerful minister of the Liang Kingdom who came to protect his son.
Lai Hu'er also has a mansion in Yuzhang City, but he likes to live on a boat most of the time. Today is no exception. In a brightly lit cabin, Lai Hu'er and Tang Dynasty envoy Zhou Shaode sat opposite each other.
Zhou Shaode is the nephew of Zhou Fashang, Lai Hu'er's confidant general. His father, Zhou Faming, was also a general under Xiao Mian. He later surrendered to the Tang Dynasty. Because the Zhou family and Lai Hu'er were family friends and had a deep friendship, Li Yuan sent Zhou Shaode to persuade Lai Hu'er to surrender.
.
"Uncle Shi, don't you know Xiao Mian? He is narrow-minded and very jealous. At that time, Dong Jingzhen was very prestigious in the army. He couldn't tolerate it and ordered Zhang Xiu to kill him. Seeing that Zhang Xiu was so good, he turned around and killed Zhang Xiu.
Embroidery. Today, Uncle Shi is in control of the military and his achievements are impressive. With his jealous character, can he tolerate Uncle Shi?"
Lai Hu'er lowered his head in silence and sighed for a while: "My great-grandfather was Liang Chen. I inherited the ancestral business and served the Liang Dynasty in the hope of reestablishing the Liang Kingdom. Although Xiao Mian is narrow-minded, he is also an ambitious man.
He should treat me well. He should understand that I am now on the throne and will not touch me easily. Now that the Liang Dynasty is struggling to recover, it is the time for me to serve with all my heart. Please tell Lord Tang that I am here to protect his son and thank him for his kindness.
kindness."
Zhou Shaode tried to persuade him again and again, but he just shook his head and refused. Seeing that he could not say anything, Zhou Shaode felt helpless and had to stand up and leave.
Lai Huer escorted him out of the cabin, and several followers escorted Zhou Shaode out of the boat from one side of the ship. The boat swayed away in the dark night.
Lai Hu'er kept watching the boat go away, and then he walked back to the cabin with a heavy heart. At this time, his eldest son Lai Kai walked in. Lai Kai was about forty years old. During the Sui Dynasty, he was a tiger general and followed his father in the north and south.
, was also a famous naval general in the Sui army.
"Has father promised Zhou Shaode?"
Lai Kai was a little worried about his father's choice. In fact, he was not loyal to Xiao Mian. If he was given a choice, he would rather return to the Sui Dynasty. Not long ago, Yang Yuanqing sent someone to contact him secretly. He was a little tempted, but his father refused, and he also
Nothing can be done.
Lai Huer waved his hand, "I will not surrender to Li Yuan. When he surrendered to the Turks and led the Turks to invade Fengzhou, he took the opportunity to occupy Guanzhong. I despise him from the bottom of my heart for this kind of person who laid the foundation for his country's righteousness.
So I firmly refuse."
"Then why did my father refuse to return to the Sui Dynasty?" Lai Kai quickly asked.
Lai Hu'er sighed slightly and said: "Back then, I was Yang Su's general. I was favored by Yang Gong and was entrusted with important tasks. However, Yang Xuangan rebelled, but I tried my best to suppress it. Yang Xuangan once wrote to me and asked me why I didn't remember the memory of my ancestors.
Well, I ignored him, and Yang Yuanqing is the son of Yang Xuangan, so I feel uneasy!"
"But my father also knows that Yang Yuanqing and his father Xuangan have always been at odds. Xuangan rebelled and he took the initiative to sever ties with his father. How could he hate his father for what Xuangan did? My son heard that he was vigorously developing the navy in Beiping County.
, it is the time to hire people, and we are Sui generals, and it is natural for us to return to the Sui Dynasty. Why didn't my father consider it? Moreover, Xiao Mian can only share the hardships, but not the wealth and wealth. Did my father forget the lessons learned from Dong Jingzhen and Zhang Xiu?
"
When Lai Huer saw his son anxious, he couldn't help but laugh: "Don't be anxious, I have been a general for decades, how can I not know who Xiao Mian is?"
Lai Hu'er thought of Xiao Mian's ruthlessness, and he sighed: "So I put you brothers into the army to control the military power. Only by controlling the military power, Xiao Mian can do nothing to you. As for the Sui Dynasty, my father is already old.
, I no longer want to worry about fighting for world hegemony. As a father, I just want to spend my old age in my hometown. Now I will take you brothers together and I will retire. As for where you want to go in the future? Even my father doesn’t know.
put one's oar in."
Only then did Lai Kai understand his father's thoughts. He lowered his head and said nothing, thinking about his future...
The boat that Zhou Shaode took reached the shore. Zhou Shaode and several of his followers got ashore. He looked around. He arranged for his followers to lead their horses and wait there. Why was there no one there?
At this moment, a large group of soldiers suddenly rushed out from the woods a dozen steps away and surrounded Zhou Shaode and his entourage.
Xiao Lang, all in armor, rode out of the woods with his horse's spear in hand. He pointed at Zhou Shaode with his horse's spear and sneered: "It turns out you are the traitor! You surrendered to the Tang Dynasty and you dare to come to Yuzhang again. Are you impatient with life?"
Xiao Lang waved his hand and said, "Get it for me!"
"Wait a minute!"
Zhou Shaode shouted, "Don't be violent, I'll just go with you."
If he can see Xiao Mian, even if he is killed by Xiao Mian, he will make great contributions to the Tang Dynasty and benefit his children...
Several guards pushed Zhou Shaode into Xiao Mian's room, and were forced to kneel down by the guards. Xiao Mian looked at Zhou Shaode with squinted eyes, with a mocking smile in his eyes: "It turns out to be Zhou Changshi. Are you okay?"
Zhou Shaode snorted and said nothing. Xiao Mian walked up to him, looked him over, and said with a smile: "You seem to have done well in the Tang Dynasty! He is fatter than before, and seems to have become whiter. Could it be that the water and soil in Guanzhong are not as good as before?"
Is Jingxiang still moist?"
"It is nourished by the kindness of the Holy Emperor of the Tang Dynasty. If you live comfortably, you will naturally gain weight."
Xiao Mian's expression changed and he said coldly: "Are you mocking my lack of virtue?"
"Whether you have virtue or not, you know better than anyone else!"
Xiao Mian was furious and immediately ordered: "Drag him down and torture him, and ask him what he said to Lai Hu'er?"
Several guards dragged Zhou Shaode down like wolves and tigers. Not long after, Zhou Shaode's shrill screams were heard in the dark night.
About a quarter of an hour later, Xiao Lang hurriedly walked in, bowed and said: "Your Majesty, he confessed!"
"What did he say?" Xiao Mian turned around and asked. He was extremely concerned about what Zhou Shaode and Lai Huer had talked about.
"He said that he repeatedly persuaded Lai Hu'er to surrender to the Tang Dynasty, but Lai Hu'er had an ambiguous attitude and put forward the conditions of being a duke. If the Emperor of Tang could make him a duke, he would surrender to the Tang Dynasty when the conditions were most suitable."
Xiao Mian was furious, banged his fist on the table, gritted his teeth and cursed: "I don't want him to be the king of the county, but he wants to be the Duke of the Tang Dynasty. How dare he humiliate me like this!"...
Although Xiao Mian hated Lai Hu'er in his heart, he kept it secret. Lai Hu'er and his sons held the power of Liang Jun. He couldn't fall out with Lai Hu'er yet. For several days, he was like
It's like nothing happened.
He was waiting for the opportunity to get rid of the father and son who came to protect his son.
That evening, Prime Minister Cen Wenwen came back from school in Luling County and immediately came to see Xiao Xian, "Your Majesty! I heard that Li Xiaogong led the Jingxiang army to the north of the Central Plains. The remaining troops in Jingxiang were less than 30,000. Such a good opportunity.
We can’t miss it!”
Of course Xiao Mian knew that Lai Hu'er had expressed his position several times and asked to lead troops to attack Jingxiang westward, but he was coldly rejected every time. How could he agree to Lai Hu'er's request.
Once Laihu'er captures Jingxiang, his power will be stronger and more difficult to control. Maybe this will be the time when conditions are most suitable for him.
Now, for Xiao Xian, it is not important to capture Jingxiang. What is important is how he regains military power. If the superior does not have military power, all expansion will be extremely dangerous.
"I am not considering the Western Expedition for the time being. The battle of Lin Shihong has just ended. We should first stabilize the overall situation."
"But Your Majesty..."
Cen Wenwen was anxious. He wanted to persuade him again, but Xiao Xian interrupted him without hesitation, "I'm a little tired. Let's talk another day!"