The Emperor ordered Zhao Tang

Chapter 165 Follow His Mother

In the spring, the first month, the first day of the Yichou year. He pardoned the whole country and changed the reign title. The Bingyin year was the third day of the first month of the first year of the Qianning reign.

Dozens of Han and Tibetan leaders from Liangzhou, Jincheng, and Xinqin counties came to pay homage and were feasted. The emperor ordered to dispatch 2,000 knights from Tongwancheng and 1,500 infantry from Hezhong Prefecture to escort the Imperial Censor Xu Yanruo to Liangzhou. The Tubo from Liugu refused to pay tribute and did not grow their hair, so the emperor ordered Li Yanzhen, the county lieutenant, and Yang Shouzhong, the prefect of Qingyang, to attack them; the Tiance Army dispatched the Feixian School Lieutenant Ashina Yingchen and the Huorui School Lieutenant Gao Hanhong.

On the seventh day, news came from the East.

Zhu Wen launched a massive attack on Xuan. The troops of Yan, Yun, and Qi joined forces to fight in Yanggu County, but were defeated. Pang Shigu also rushed to attack Rencheng, trying to break through Qufu. The Bian army that had gathered in Yun, Cao, Pu, and Hua had exceeded 150,000. Among them, the Xuzhou camp recruiting envoy Pang Shigu accounted for nearly half, 70,000 people. Zhu Wen stopped the southward attack - after the main force of Xuzhou left, Shao Guangchou and Hou Song led Yang Xingmi to capture Chuzhou, his only stronghold in Jianghuai. He was calm about it, but ordered Xuzhou to defend first.

Zhu Wen was full of murderous intent. Xuan and Jin appealed to the princes for help. Wang Shifan had already taken action last year. Li Keyong and Tian Xide also sent troops and provided food upon hearing the news.

Yang Xingmi is a cunning man. He wants to take advantage of the opportunity to take a piece of Zhu Wen's flesh, but he is also worried about being retaliated. After all, although Zhu Wen suffered a setback, his strength on paper is still the best in the world. It is also speechless. If you don't fight, when Zhu Wen recovers, will he not covet you?

I don't know what Zhao Kuangning is doing, and he is still harassing Ruzhou without any harm. Is he waiting for a reward or a promotion? Considering his decision to send his sister to Chang'an to represent him in the New Year, it is worth studying - is he not willing to kill Li?
But the saint thought, don't send a girl, it's too much for him. He doesn't have the energy to serve a woman.

The happiness in the past has gradually become a burden. After being busy with military affairs every day, I am exhausted and coveted by a group of resentful concubines. Now I panic when I see a concubine smile. If I continue to be ravaged like this, it will be difficult to live to fifty years old; a group of female thieves who suck my blood and marrow!
Uh, the gold merchants also started fighting.

Wang Yanzhang arrived in Ruzhou near the end of the year, bringing with him two thousand elite Yulin soldiers. As soon as he took office, he arrested more than a dozen soldiers who led the riot and killed them at the gate. The troops in the city dared to be angry but did not dare to speak out, and the small-scale troops and militias deployed along the Funiu Mountain were also serious. But the atmosphere of this meeting was that beheading people was limited in its power. If Wang could not achieve convincing results in the military, the next riot would only be a matter of time.

Wang Yanzhang disdains to cause chaos. He has always believed that a true man should pursue fame and honor on horseback. However, he has been in the army for many years and has a good understanding of the nature of a thief. His plan is to fight Feng Xingxi as soon as possible, to quickly deal with this man and seize Wuguan Road, so as to live up to the Queen Mother's earnest expectations. When leaving Beijing, the extremely depressed Queen Mother smiled with red eyes and gave him a sword... Alas, how sad, how heartbreaking! Wang Shuai still doesn't want to remember it. If I am destined not to have you in this life... then let me protect you... No, I will repay you with my death.

If Li Ye were here, he would probably write a story for him - "The General and the Queen in the War". What a bloody and clichéd plot!
As for Zhu Sheng, Wang Yanzhang was extremely disappointed in him. Especially Li Zhen, Kou Yanqing, He Delun, and Duan Ning, they all deserved to die. General Wang had an idea: "When Zhu Wen dies one day, I will return to Bianliang, punish all the evildoers in the court, thank the world, and then commit suicide."

Bianzhou also had disputes over regions and origins, and also formed cliques. It was normal for Wang Yanzhang to dislike some people and seek to remove the emperor's side. Later, he and his confidants studied a detailed "respect the emperor and punish the traitor" plan, but he died in battle for the young master before it could be implemented.

However, the most important task was to suppress the invasion. In order to increase the chance of victory and shorten the war cycle, General Wang also submitted a petition to the court, requesting that Yiyang County of Henan Prefecture and Changshui and Lushi of Shanzhen be assigned to the Ruzhou camp for the purpose of deploying troops. He was too lazy to deal with friendly forces. The Empress, who was suffering from heart disease and other diseases, had been suffering from frequent nosebleeds recently. She had been living in seclusion and not concerned with worldly affairs, but when she saw that it was his petition, she agreed.

On the 11th, after receiving the Queen Mother's handwritten letter of admonition, Wang Yanzhang, in high spirits, attacked Shangzhou and invited Zhang Cunjing of Hezhong and Zhu Yougong of Shaanxi and Guo to feint an attack on Yanchi and Tongguan to attract Li Ni's firepower for him.

Fifteenth, Guangzhou reported: Liu Shizheng, the pseudo Liang Haozhou garrison commander, and Chen Kefan, the prisoner, failed to attack Chuzhou. Fearing that they would be punished, they discussed and decided to rebel! They led 3,000 people to attack Guizhou. Zhou Yuanjing, the governor, had been killed and replaced. Now, Guangzhou reported that they have submitted to Chang'an. One rebel today, another rebel tomorrow. Zhu Wen's prestige is diminishing, and his control over the grassroots is gradually weakening until there is nothing. A Bian King who can make the peasants live and work in peace, everyone will naturally go to the fucking court and serve him enthusiastically.

A thief who brings disaster is better off dead. Ordinary people don't look at your past merits, but only at what you give now; it's very realistic.

Seventeen, Hanzhong reported: "Since the envoys have returned, the Shu people are still arrogant. The Dongchuan army is in chaos, burning and looting Zi, Han, Mei, and Jian. The governor Gu Yanhui is cowardly and can't stop it." Zhang Qianyu and others in Xichuan didn't expect that the Dongjun would be so disrespectful and actually ran to their territory to plunder, so Zhou Dequan, Zhao Zhang, Hua Hong, Hou Shao, Wang Renwei, Fei Cun, Yang Shouhou and other big and small military leaders started fighting again. Fight, the people are living in poverty, how can they pray for the king's army. When the tortured Shu people hate warriors, are ashamed to join the army, and their war potential is almost emptied, it will be difficult for ambitious entrepreneurs to easily pull up a team, and the two Sichuans can become a stable blood bag.

Alas, the rulers are getting worse and worse, and they almost subconsciously consider the pros and cons from the perspective of the emperor. Maybe this is the result of the butt determining the head. I hope I will not degenerate into an increasingly arrogant dictator in the future. I will try my best to preserve as much vitality and culture as possible for this country. When Ashina Laimei reported that Huangfu Lin and other Bian army prisoners of war had been taken to Yintai Gate, the saint put down the memorial and went to see the matter.

……

Huangfu Lin was tied up with his hands behind his back and shackled, and was taken to the Youyintai Gate with other comrades.

Li Ni did cure them, but only some of them, more than 30% of the brothers became bandits. Li Ni did not ask anything else, just looked at their appearance, teeth, eyes, and if he didn't like them, he would have them dragged away, cut off their toes with two knives, and then shave their heads, shave their beards, and tattoo them on the spot.

Huangfu Lin was enlightened. It was not that he felt it was cruel. Compared to some people's heart-cutting, killing, burning, and dismemberment... Li Ni's actions were kind. What he did not understand, and what he had been thinking about these days, was Li Ni's intention in going through so much trouble.

While in prison, he also talked to the jailer. Li Ni led the troops just like a normal Jiedushi, but why did he humiliate the criminal soldiers like this? What good was there? He wanted to try to figure it out, report it to the emperor and empress, and then implement the "Law on Discipline and Discipline of Evil People" in Daliang.

It was useful, much better than the "Ba Dui Zhan". Although he could not summarize the merits of it for the time being, Huangfu Lin believed that as long as he presented the whole story to the emperor, the officials in the court would be able to see its benefits.

Ugh!
In this world, people must be tamed into animals before they can be considered human beings.

The problem is coming.

Today, Li Ni's subordinates would rather accept the punishment of national law and military discipline than risk being a villain and rebel. They instinctively reject and resist rebellion. Unless Li Ni makes a very bad mistake, such as not giving out rewards...

This is very annoying. The warriors are not domineering and are willing to control their words and deeds within a reasonable range according to the rules set by Li Ni. If the army does not rebel, how long will it have to fight Li Ni?
But don't be complacent.

In this world, killing Zhu Wen will not be enough.

You have never been in a feudal state, so you don't understand. Soldiers seek wealth and dignity above the common people, privileges that are free from the constitution, the pleasure of killing officials without guilt when they feel despised, and the land, honor, status, and property that they pass on to their descendants; most of the samurai are little emperors. If these people are not uprooted, even the revival will not last for several generations. Excluding the local idiots and the local chickens and pottery dogs who took advantage of the Huang Chao bandit to transform themselves, there are probably 50,000 families of yamen and generals in the country.

Could Li Ni still demote them all to villains?
Even if it is possible, how much time and energy will it take. I heard that Li Ni is a womanizer and can have sex with ten women a night without stopping. If we continue to attack like this, living past forty is considered a long life. When he dies, things will get more exciting. Generals will rebel, counties and states will revolt, peasants will revolt, barbarians will invade, relatives will interfere in politics, sons will fight for the throne, concubines will kill each other, eunuchs will become powerful again, powerful ministers will be in power... If things go wrong, it is very likely that "the remaining power of the six generations will die quickly in fifteen years."

No one dared to predict the future, and no emperor dared to boast that "his achievements for generations have been accomplished."

Although Huangfu Lin said this in anger, he did give a general idea. The key is the separatist and privileged ideology supported by a large number of soldiers.

Since the middle Tang Dynasty, reducing the power of the feudal lords and suppressing the military were the core priorities of the era. Not only did the court officials and the emperor rack their brains, but the military governors themselves were also very angry.

The Prime Minister Zhang Hongjing was very strict. He taught the Youzhou army: "You can pull a two-stone bow, but it is better to learn a single character." He encouraged everyone to learn. He also eliminated bad policies and rejected the unreasonable demands of the warriors. As a result, "the army was arrogant and hated him!" Zhang Hongjing was arrested and imprisoned. All the generals who sided with Zhang Hongjing were executed.

The next day, the soldiers felt that imprisoning the prime minister was excessive, and went together to ask Zhang Hongjing to restore him, saying that he regretted it and had come to his senses. How could Zhang Hongjing restore his position after such a great humiliation? Three requests were made but to no avail. The soldiers looked at each other in bewilderment and sighed, "Sir, you are speechless. You will not pardon us. How can the army be without a commander for a day!" So they re-selected a general and made him a military governor.

Taming warriors? How have we failed the commander-in-chief? Why do you want to rebel? If the military governor shows any signs of "rebellion", the soldiers will depose you first. Most of the warriors at that time were well-educated. The speeches of the big-headed soldiers who were recorded in the history of the mutinies in various places in the late Tang Dynasty were really unspeakable if they were not well-educated. Therefore, the imperial court has fought with them for so many years, and there have been many military governors who have been conquered and killed, but the effect has always been limited.

The first person who gained absolute advantage in the political competition with military men was Zhu Wen.

The three-yamen system of the Imperial Guards and the Imperial Army originated from him. The Imperial Guards and the Imperial Army Cavalry and Infantry Division, the collection of wealth from prefectures and counties to the central government, the collection of elite troops in the capital, the execution of the entire army if the superior is killed, the tattooing of criminals, and the prevention of deserters from harming the people were also initiated by Zhu. The emperors of the Five Dynasties patched up his strategies. But Zhu Wen was not successful. In the early days of his business, he absorbed too many messy forces and inherited the bad habits of all parties. In the process of rectification, there were constant internal conflicts and people's morale was worried and scattered.

How did we lose the Battle of Baixiang?

After a few hours of confrontation, the Shatuo people made a slight charge, and the Bian army just waited for me to attack. The officers looked at the soldiers - what are you doing? Killing. The soldiers looked at the officers - they were hungry and couldn't kill anything. If Li Keyong were resurrected, he would probably die of laughter when he saw this scene. Zhu Wen was so angry that he vomited blood. He went there with great ambition, and came back in a sedan chair all the way to Daliang.

This is the price. You make everyone unhappy, and they can't afford to offend you, but they can be passive and slow down.

die?
You can die. Anyway, I won't be your slave.

By the time of Shi Chonggui and Liu Chengyou, the soldiers were even more slippery. They would not fight even if they were paid when the situation was not right. If things went wrong, they would first arrest the emperor. The emperor wanted to commit suicide with his wife and daughter to avoid being humiliated? Wishful thinking. In the early Song Dynasty, there was a farce in which the imperial guards beat drums at Zhao Kuangyin during the great sacrifice to ask for rewards. How did the war god of Gaoliang River get on the donkey cart? The Khitans lit torches and the crowd left with drums. If Guo Rong had not been so daring, he would have been a great cart god. The Bian army's silent resistance to Zhu Wen was child's play. To pacify this chaotic world, it all depends on whether the emperor can correct the thoughts of the warriors.

“It’s difficult.”

The sage, along with his eldest son Li Jingshen, music doctor Yu Daolian and others, climbed onto the silver platform and looked at the hundreds of Bian people sitting or lying down below.

There was a clatter of footsteps, and the soldiers of Huangfu Lin who were dozing on the ground reflexively jumped up, only to see more than a thousand guards in bright armor coming and watching them eagerly. Swords were unsheathed, bows were strung, and spears were like a forest.

Huangfu Lin was shocked, and the others also looked uncertain.

"Upstairs, look upstairs, Emperor Li is here. The one in yellow is the saint. The one in white is the queen?"

"Don't talk nonsense. At least he sent a doctor to save our lives."

"It's over. I'm just a piece of chopping block."

"..."

The saint ignored their whispers and pointed at them and looked at Jingshen: "Look."

It's time for him to start trying some things. The sage does not desire this child to be a genius like Li Luoluo, Feng Dao, Chen Tuan, or Cui Gong, nor is he that kind of talent. Some things are innate, and it is futile to teach them later; it is enough to be above the passing line. If one day he is assassinated or dies suddenly from illness. If Jing Shen can barely shoulder the burden, save his family from being killed, and save his brothers and sisters from being turned into food on the plate, the sage will be satisfied.

"Son, I have seen it." Prince De said. Seeing his father not speaking, looking down at the lazy Bian army, he thought for a moment and said, "There are those who kneel on the ground and look straight ahead, handsome and extraordinary. There are those with dignified looks, and there are those with shifty eyes. There are those who look directly at the grandfather, and there are..." Looking at Yu Daolian beside him, Prince De felt like he had something stuck in his throat.

"explain."

"And those who are sizing up the doctor."

The saint nodded and asked with a smile, "What do you think of them?"

“It’s a mixed bag, good and bad.”

"If I were your bodyguard, would you dare to come close?"

"Son…"

"What would you do if your study partner was playing by himself and the waiter ignored you and hit you at every turn?" The saint asked in a different way.

"Son..." As if his brain had crashed, Prince De pursed his lips and shook his head.

"Don't shake your head." The saint sighed, and couldn't help but think of the students he had seen in his previous life. They often stood there like puppets and didn't say a word when asked to answer questions in class. He had to put on a stern face and warn them: Don't shake your head when talking to anyone in the future. If you don't know, just say you don't know. Just ask."

"Yes." Seeing that Li looked unhappy, Prince De was a little scared.

"Answer the question I just asked."

"They ignored me, and I ignored them too. If they can beat me, they will beat me. If they can't beat me, they will be my guards. I don't know any of them, and they are from other places, so I naturally don't dare to get close to them."

"Wrong." Li stopped giving examples and spoke directly from his heart: "Of course these people can be used. Why? Because we cannot let our subordinates be united. The tutor is your playmate. And the minister is my playmate. If the tutor plays by himself, he will isolate you. The ministers form their own groups, and the emperor is a dead man. So we must let them fight among themselves and divide them into many factions. If these Bian people do not leave, they will be the most vulnerable group in Chang'an. They have no relatives, no one to rely on, and are hostile. Only by staying close to me can they have a future. Let them be your guards, what's wrong with that, and why should my son be afraid?"

"Is this why the emperor wanted to use Duke Guo? Just like the Zhou emperor vigorously promoted Duke Guo to counter Duke Zhuang of Zheng." Li Jingshen suddenly remembered what his master said and asked.

The sage nodded: "It makes sense. Let me ask you again, can you make use of the people of Bian?"

Jing Shen hesitated: "Is it okay...right? Since you can be my bodyguard and protect me personally——"

"You are wrong." The saint interrupted, "Everything that my father has now was won by the bloody battles between the imperial guards and the nine foreign armies from the three prefectures. It was won by the joint efforts of the Grand Marshal, your uncle, your martial arts master, the Privy Councilor and my father. These loyal and brave warriors, allies, and shrine heroes are the basis for my family to survive. They and the farmers in Guanzhong are the foundation of the country. How can you let others ride on their heads and show off their power? The people of Bian can be loved and used, and you can buy their bones for a fortune. You can show favor and employ them to a limited extent. Find an opponent for your family, but you can't really treat them as treasures."

Hiss, Jingshen is confused. It's normal, he was still reciting the text yesterday, and today he was caught by Aung to give a difficult lecture.

"There is one more thing." The saint paused, and finally made up his mind and said, "Starting tomorrow, you can no longer live with your mother."

Born in the deep palace and raised by women, no. Let He Yuqing continue to spoil him, he will be a loser. As the eldest son of the emperor, Jing Shen must be independent as soon as possible and get used to living alone. In troubled times, there is not much tenderness to talk about.

"Ah?" The King's eyes were full of doubts: "Where are we going?"

"Outside the palace."

Hearing this, her eyes suddenly turned red, and she stammered reluctantly: "No..."

"There is no room for bargaining," said the saint coldly.

"Um…"

The saint waved to He Chuyu, He Zongyi, and Chu Ang who were standing not far away, then gently pushed Jingshen out and encouraged him: "Now, go down to the square with your uncle and others, and pick some Bian people who are willing to stay with you as guards."

After his son walked away, the saint sighed quietly.

This child takes after his mother.

Concubine Shu was soft and timid. She was afraid of the dark, ghosts, and death. She cried to Zhu Quanzhong and shed tears to Kou Yanqing. On the night of Jiaolan Courtyard, after Emperor Zhaozong and others were found dead in the bedroom, she still held on to her fantasy and knelt down to beg for her life from Jiang Xuanhui and Shi Tai. It is not shameful to be afraid of death. There are many warriors who are afraid of death, let alone women. There are few women like Yang Kezheng, Nangong Chongyan, Zhao Ruxin, Zhu Xiewusi, and Yuwen Rou. It's just that this character is inherited, alas. Fortunately, she is still young. I hope she will make a big splash after she is crowned.

(End of this chapter)