The Emperor ordered Zhao Tang

Chapter 144 Xiao Feng Dao

Wang Gong, Wang Yao, and Yin Tielin led more than 50,000 troops to attack Puzhou. Gong reported to the other states that they were only going to avenge Zhang Xun for killing his father, and that they should not attack him. When he got the seal, they would have everything they wanted.

"Pa, pa..." On the post road with colorful wild flowers on both sides, Tao Jianzhao whipped his horse hard: "These evil beasts! Before leaving the city, they shouted slogans to the sky, swearing to protect the young master... They are really blind..."

Behind him, there was a deafening clamor, screams, and drums. The field in the setting sun was filled with soldiers in disheveled clothes. Some of them were stabbing each other with swords and spears, killing each other with blood and flesh flying everywhere. Some of them were chasing after the emperor.

Some people threw away their armor and left the road sighing, and it was unclear whether they were going home or to surrender to Wang Gong.

More people were sitting on the ground in groups of three or four, and the air was filled with smoke.

"It's a pity that we didn't succeed. Let's go, go, go, and plunder the city and leave."

"If Wang Zhongrong can kill him, Wang Ke can also be killed!"

"The one wearing the scarlet robe is Tao Jianzhao. Take him to surrender to Wang Gong. If you want to be rich and powerful, follow me."

"Disperse, disperse. Since we haven't captured the couple, we will be sentenced to death. So what? Join forces with the armies of Jin and Jiang, welcome Wang Gong, and make him the governor."

"I heard that Princess Guangde is only sixteen. This beautiful girl from the Li family is worth dying for if I could beat her up for a whole night. It's a pity that I didn't capture her."

"..."

On the 25th, the battlefield moved to Yishi County, less than 100 miles from the city. Liu Xun was accused of dereliction of duty for Chongying's death and was forced to resign. Zhang Bo, the general manager of cavalry and infantry, and Tao Jianzhao, the chief of the city, led Wang Ke to suppress the rebellion. The army went to Sangquanyi and rebelled. Huguo and Shenshe both launched military remonstrations, wanting to guide the rebels. The crowd was in a rage, and the Baoke party and the Shungong party broke out into a fight.

Zhang Bo died in the chaos, and Tao Jianzhao took Wang Ke and his wife back to Dunfu City.

The commander-in-chief Zhang Hanyu failed to escape and was captured by the rebels. He was appointed as the acting military governor and was forced to chase after Wang Ke.

Whoosh! The carriage was pierced by arrows like an iron hedgehog. There were wails one after another, and the guards kept falling down. Wang Ke huddled in a corner, crying, "Wang was kind to the warriors, but I didn't expect that they would kill me today to make money from the patricide thief. A whore who can sleep with anyone is worse than the evil army."

The Pu people still sided with the Wang family, but most of them were replaced by Wang Gong, who was backed by Zhu Wen.

As for the soldiers, as long as they are not outsiders, no matter which son of the Wang family comes to power, they should continue to be used. Under the premise that the interests of the soldiers will not be harmed, why not complete the transfer of power at the lowest cost?
Everyone is killing each other over this matter, isn't that stupid?
But Zhu Wen sent troops to escort Wang Gong to "take office armed", so he had to be vigilant. If this man wanted to take advantage of the opportunity to occupy the river or lie on the Pu people to suck blood, he might have to kill Wang Gong and fight to the death with the bandits.

He fled back to Hedong County in a panic, and the streets were deserted. The warrior families kept their doors shut. Except for the two capitals of Huguo and Shenshe who were causing chaos in Sangquanyi, the seven yamen soldiers were watching from the sidelines, and it seemed that they were not going to intervene in this battle for the throne. They would wait until the sons summoned the foreign troops, the state garrison troops, and the civilians to decide the winner, and then pledge their allegiance.

Ke comforted the troops and summoned the generals to discuss matters, but except for a few "ministers entrusted with the care of the orphan" and their trusted subordinates, no one responded. Wang Ke sat in the ancestral hall with Princess Guangde, staring at Wang Chongrong's tablet. If only the late king were still alive...

Bang.

Suddenly, the door was pushed open, and a group of soldiers from the backyard rushed in. Guangde's face turned pale, and she thought she was going to witness the rebellion of the warriors before the battle, so she stood up and blocked her husband. Wang Ke wanted to stand up, but her legs went weak and she couldn't stand up. She mustered up the courage to scold, "Are the soldiers going to rebel?"

"It's your subordinate." Liu Xun, who looked haggard as if he had suffered a serious illness, pushed through the crowd and bowed to the couple: "Greetings to the queen and the princess."

"What are you doing trespassing into the ancestral hall?" Wang Ke, who had just experienced the Sangquanyi mutiny, was terrified.

He doesn't dare to trust anyone now.

He could still vividly remember the scene where the Protector of the Country and the Sharpshooter patted his chest before he went to the battle. Who would have thought that this group of murderers would take advantage of his departure from the city, cause chaos on the way, kidnap him and offer him to Wang Gong as his ghost fetus?

Glancing at the panic-stricken young consort, Liu Xun rolled up his sleeves and exposed his arms: "If the consort has any doubts, I will make the decision. Bring me the knife."

"Tell me, what's the matter." Wang Ke pulled him to sit down.

"I sent people to contact Chen Xiong, the general of Yanchi Town, and Sima Le, the governor of Cizhou." Liu Xun took out two letters and handed them to Xiao Liuhou.

"…Anyi and Jie are rich in salt lakes, and they pay 3,000 carts of salt to the court every year. Hezhong also relies on them to support the army. The four directions have been coveting them for a long time. The pseudo-Liang has already ordered He Wei, the governor of Shanzhou, to station troops on the border, waiting for an opportunity to invade. I have betrayed my country by running away, and I feel ashamed of the three armies. The former commander has entrusted me with an important task, and I dare not leave lightly. It is better for me to hold Hedong County with the princess and wait for the emperor to move to Pu, then Gong, Yao, and Tielin will not be easy to conquer…"

This belongs to Chen Xiong. Salt Lake is of great importance. Once he leaves, the Bian bandits will definitely come to plunder it.

Liu Xun couldn't be blamed.

Wang Ke opened Sima Le's letter with a sad face.

"Alas! You are just a maidservant, how can you be a commander?"

Wang Ke slammed the floor hard, and was so angry that he felt dizzy and fuming. "This master-devouring thief, the reincarnation of Sima Zhao, actually did something worse than an animal."

Gong and Yao led the rebellion, and the shogunate summoned the governors of various states to "stay behind", and Sima Le of Cizhou and Pang Zhao of Xizhou each led 10,000 civilians and foreign soldiers to come to the rescue. However, Sima Le, who was instigated by someone, changed his mind midway and ambushed the Xizhou army passing through. Pang Zhao was caught off guard and fled back to Xizhou.

Sima Le stopped pretending and wrote a letter to scold Wang Ke, calling her a son of a bitch. At the same time, he attacked Xizhou in the north. He wanted to occupy these two states with rich people and wealth as the capital for building a kingdom, just like Li Keyong, Qin Yan and Zhang Xiong.

Zhang Xiong, the general of Huazhou, felt that there was no future, so he led 300 people to the south to start a business in Gusu, and conquered it! ! Within a month, there were 80,000 people and 1,000 warships.

Qin Yan, a soldier in Xuzhou, was arrested by Du Yuhou for committing a crime and sentenced to death. The night before his execution, he had a dream: the gods taught him to rebel. After waking up at dawn, he broke the iron shackles with his bare hands, killed dozens of warriors and escaped from the dungeon. He also gathered hundreds of fugitives, killed the magistrate of Xiapi, robbed the city and left. In the second year of Zhonghe, the governor of Xuanshe was critically ill. Qin Yan, who was starting a business in Hezhou, heard the news and seized the throne with 3,000 people.

If bandits and soldiers can start their own businesses, what's wrong with a governor doing big things?
As a result of Sima Le's actions, the two rear armies were destroyed.

"Stay, there is one more thing. Right now, the only one we can count on is the royal teacher. Since the sage is delaying, we must send another envoy to present a memorial and ask him to find out what is going on."

"Where is the Saint?"

"Fragrant flowers infiltrate the ancient road, and clear green connects to the deserted city. We have arrived at Chaoyi!" The green fields covered by rain and mist were blurred, and an old carriage drove along the muddy post road that connected Xinqin in the north and Puguan in the east. When his uncle stopped the carriage, Feng Dao, who was leaning on the window and watching, could no longer hold back, and his small figure jumped out of the car in one step.

Looking at the rows of wheat stacks in the fields and the thatched cottage with a dog tied to the door not far away, he put his hands on his hips and blurted out: "The morning rain in Weicheng has moistened the dust, and the green willows in the guesthouse are new!"

"This is a farewell speech, it's inappropriate." Feng Xian shook his head and pouted.

"Hmph." Feng Dao touched his nose and pointed at a pair of hens foraging outside the thatched cottage: "The crowing of chickens is under the moonlight of the thatched cottage, and the footprints of people on the frost-covered wooden bridge!"

"It is the third autumn now, where does the frost come from?" Feng Xian's expression became stern.

"Let me think about it." Feng Dao, like a little adult, folded his arms across his chest, stared at a bunch of honeysuckle on the roadside. He caught a glimpse of his uncle's wet clothes, and felt happy. He put his hands on his waist again: "The drizzle wets the clothes but I can't see it, but the flowers fall to the ground but I can hear no sound!"

"Good." This time, my uncle finally smiled.

This child is a promising talent. The hope of building a family and establishing a career in the future lies in this child.

I am a stranger in Chang'an and in the imperial examination. After twenty years of hard work, I still can't produce outstanding works. At the beginning of the year, I came from Youzhou to take the imperial examination, but failed again! Among the seventeen people, only Li Yan got the honor. The saints don't know how to read, and they can't judge people with wisdom. The officials in the court are all stupid.

Feng Xian gave up. He didn't want to take the exam anymore. He would just go back and find a job to make a living. He would train this talented boy with all his heart. He was only ten years old, but he could recite the nine classics by heart. With a good teacher, he would become a great man in the future. "Two bowls of wheat rice and one bowl of rice..." After ordering the dishes, Feng Xian took his nephew's hand and sat down under the thatched shed.

"The saint has just conquered Jin, Shan and Yin counties, and now he wants to attack Luzhou. He is really warmongering and vainglorious. Yang Guang is just like that. Tsk tsk, you didn't see the Dongwei Bridge. There are warriors everywhere, and the parents and wives who came to see them off are crying." Two young men were sitting next to him, eating and talking.

"Should we attack Luzhou or Hezhong?"

"I heard that they will attack Hezhong first and then go to Luzhou to kill the false emperor."

"It is rumored that the Bian people have hundreds of thousands of soldiers. How can they defeat them? Isn't this just courting death, Saint?"

"The emperor is like that. He thinks that no one can stop him from displaying his loyal ministers, elite soldiers and sharp weapons."

Feng Xian was stunned when he heard this, and couldn't help asking, "You two, can we still pass Pubanjin?"

"You can't cross. Martial law has been imposed. Besides, what will happen if you cross the bridge? Wang Gong rebelled in Jiangzhou, Wang Yao rebelled in Jinzhou, Sima Le rebelled in Cizhou. There was also a military riot in Hezhong Prefecture a while ago, and Wang Ke was almost killed. These days, Pu people cross the river to seek refuge every day... Judging from your accent, you are from another place. You might as well stay in the capital for a few months and wait until the road is reopened. It won't be too late to set off rashly... hehe..."

Feng Xian choked. He suddenly felt that taking his nephew to travel around the prefectures and counties was playing with fire.

This saint is so troublesome, he started wars everywhere. I heard that Zhu Wen was a loyal minister, he made great contributions in conquering Chao Cai, paid tribute continuously, asked the court for military and political affairs, and served the emperor with great respect. I don't know how he was forced to rebel. It's another Pugu Huai'en, Li Huaiguang, and Li Xilie.

"Uncle, it is natural for the emperor to wage war against those who are dissatisfied. Why do they say that the saints are warmongering? Moreover, I see that the people in Sanfu are living a good life. There are no starving people or abandoned babies on the streets, and men and women have enough food to eat. Isn't this better than Youzhou? When Li Kuangwei was here, people starved to death in Fanyang City." Feng Dao asked in a low voice, watching the two men leaving.

This question is rather complicated.

Feng Xian was thinking about how to explain to his nephew when suddenly a dog barked.

Feng Xian looked back and saw a small boat docked on the river bank. The fisherman was carrying a net and didn't even bother to tie the boat before disappearing from his sight.

"I'm afraid someone is causing trouble." A diner picked up his food, paid the bill and left in a hurry.

The shop owner was a woman. She ran out from the kitchen, wiping her hands on her apron while looking around: "My husband was conscripted by the county government to be a grain and forage official. When he came back last night, I didn't hear him say that there was a rebellion. Besides, the saint is still here. With him keeping the peace, who dares to rebel?"

A faint noise drifted over.

Soon, a large group of cavalry appeared on the other side of the river. They were patrolling along the shore with flags on their backs. The leading military school pointed at the river and chattered something. The remaining warriors dismounted and led a group of villagers to the river beach, using bamboo poles to stick into the mud to measure the depth of the water. Several military schools jumped and hopped on the bridge. After jumping, they rode their horses back and forth on the bridge several times.

"I'll go into the city first!" A merchant hurriedly urged his followers to pack up the goods, fearing that they would be robbed.

Suddenly, a group of red-and-green bureaucrats appeared on the other side of the river. A long dragon-like camel team, flag team, and motorcade appeared behind them. They stopped when they reached the shore. In the misty drizzle, a dense crowd of red-clad soldiers with swords stepped onto the wooden bridge, looking around and shouting back.

"Oh, it's a big white banner." The lady boss looked at it carefully for a while and lifted her hair: "I wonder who it is. It turns out that the saint has set out."

Whenever there was a war, wherever the white flag was, that was where he was; everyone in the Three Prefectures knew it.

Feng Dao looked at his uncle in confusion: "What does the white banner mean?"

"The emperor goes on expeditions with white flags, rides a white carriage, and is in charge of killing..." Feng Xian observed the troops. They were in good spirits, strong, and should have good food. The troops were in disorder but not in spirit, and the discipline was strict, better than the killing of wood in Youzhou... Under the city of Yizhou, 3,000 Yiwu soldiers hid in the woods in the middle of the night and bleated, so the 60,000 troops rushed to catch sheep to eat, and the result was naturally a great defeat.

This is a joke known to everyone in Hebei. If you ask which town has the worst discipline, Youzhou should be the first. What's the use of a warrior who often makes such a farce, no matter how high his martial arts skills are or how strong his formations are?
Just as he was about to make some comments, a group of soldiers came towards the thatched cottage and asked from a distance: "Who are you? What are you doing here? Is this a wild hotel?"

The shopkeeper came up with a few packages of cooked meat and said a few words to the officer with a smile.

The young officer quickly collected the meat, asked his men to look around the store, and then left in a hurry.

Feng Xian retracted his conclusion - the discipline was not completely violated, and this store was plundered. Although it was only a few pounds of meat...

Soon, a large group of noisy warriors appeared on the bridge.

After getting off the bridge, they marched in two columns side by side with the camel and horse teams escorting supplies. The soldiers, wearing bamboo hats and straw raincoats, walked on the muddy post road and passed by the thatched cottage one after another. It was silent, with only the sound of thousands of footsteps wading through the rain. Soon, there was no end in sight. Sentinels and scouts were scattered in all directions to escort them.

"Are they just starting to send out troops now?" Feng Xian seemed to be thinking. Before he left the capital, he heard that "the emperor has already gone to Dali and ordered all the troops to march forward to attack Hezhong." It seems that only the vanguard went to Dali first. The emperor might have been delayed by something and only set out today.

Alas. The army is rioting in Hezhong, and the road to Taiyuan is blocked. The battle in Luzhou is fierce, and the road to Hebei is also blocked. How can I get back?

Just as he was thinking about it, a large number of warriors in distinctive iron armor rushed to the door of the inn on horseback and drove in a group of disheveled people.

The innkeeper's face changed drastically. Why are there another group of killers? Can a saint manage his own soldiers?

The diners were timid and didn't dare to say a word. They couldn't eat their food and sat in the corner with their heads down.

Feng Xian held his nephew's hand tightly.

"Don't worry!" The saint wearing a helmet jumped off his horse, took off his raincoat to reveal his fish scale armor, shook it twice, put it on again, and said to the innkeeper kindly, "I'll rest here for a while."

After saying this, he asked the guards to bring five pieces of silk and put them on the haystack.

"Give us some water tofu." His voice was very light, with an inexplicable affinity that made people feel at ease: "And heat up these cakes."

The shopkeeper wiped her hands, put on her apron, and took the bag he handed over: "It will take half an hour..."

"It's okay." The saint nodded, and then instructed a group of soldiers standing under the stable: "Send these people to Fengyi and let the county lieutenant investigate their origins."

After saying that, he sat down with the generals outside the store and started chatting around a map.

Seeing that this group of people did not enter the store, Feng Xian felt a little more relaxed.

“Your Majesty…” He Chuyu came galloping like a gust of wind, and seeing someone in the inn, he dismounted and bowed, “Envoy Youyi, the carriage of the virtuous concubine has entered Fengyi County. The Longxiang and other non-school troops stationed in Chaoyi in advance are crossing the iron chain bridge in batches, and Tao Jianzhao is supporting them on the other side…”

"Where's your headband? You're so careless." The saint scolded him, and then asked, "Have you contacted Wang Ke?"

He Chuyu found the headband and put it on: "We sent someone to Hedong County to check this morning, and he's still alive."

"Where is Sima Le?"

"In Xizhou, Pang Zhao was unable to defeat him, so he fled to Taiyuan. Seeing that the Jin people were gathering in Luzhou, Sima Le attacked Shizhou and seemed to be planning to attack Lanzhou as well."

(End of this chapter)