The Emperor ordered Zhao Tang

Chapter 222 Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms (I)

Inside Hongnong City.

It was a hot afternoon in June, and the orange trees in the yard were full of small dark green fruits. A row of crows stood on the wall behind the trees, not calling, but overlooking the people in the yard. Kneeling on a white mat, with his hands folded on his crotch, Zhu Wen, who was wearing a light blue long-sleeved singlet, stared at the crows for a long time.

Behind the curtain, the virtuous concubine Shi Shaoyuan looked up from time to time to observe her fat and big-eared husband.

Every time the pupils reflected, a cold wind blew through my heart. Shi Shaoyuan was the daughter of Shi Sheng, the left cavalry attendant. Her family had been generals of the Shen Ce Army for four generations. During the Chao army's siege of Chang'an, Shi Sheng was executed and his mother Song was cannibalized. Shi Yuan was lucky. She was captured by Zhu Wen when she was only seventeen.

Now, she is a young woman in her thirties. Under Zhu Wen's abuse, her thin and withered body has lost much vitality, but she is still beautiful, and she has a kind of sadness, depravity, loneliness and fear that only a noble lady can have, who is tired of combing her hair at night and cries before she speaks. This has been particularly strong recently.

During the years she was married to Zhu Wen, she never felt any warmth, but was beaten and scolded at will, and was tied up, hung in the air, and beaten in various perverted tortures. When she arrived in Shanzhou, the fear, trembling, and doubt she saw on the faces of the soldiers aroused countless complicated thoughts.

In Chang'an, Tongzhou, and Bianliang, she had seen all kinds of turmoil. Disappearing couples. A screaming girl who grabbed her shoulders, dug out her heart and ate it. A bride who had one arm chopped off and burned to death on a fire bed. A man who stole his wife's body and buried her at night after her head was in a butcher's shop. Feng Xuan who was chopped into small pieces and put into a bag and taken away...

She was afraid of warriors, more than death and war.

Based on her experience, she judged that Zhu Wen would not live for many days.

She thought she was falling from one hell into another dark abyss.

She wasn't showing any signs of dying yet, but she felt like she was close.

The speculation about her fate made Shi Fei's face pale, and she felt that every pore on her body was screaming and trembling. However, the education she received since childhood made her try her best to maintain a dignified and calm posture. With a distracted look, she stared at the back of the old pig demon, facing the large-scale sitcom and pantomime in the courtyard...

As she watched, she discovered that in addition to fear, there was also a sense of gloating and pleasure that was about to burst out in her heart.

Zhu San, you have come to this day?

"The bandits are coming along the Liangjing Avenue, Hongnong Gorge, and Yiluo River Valley. There are also Zhao Kuangming, Yang Xingmi, and Wang Shifan in all directions..."

"At Tongguan, we should have marched into Guanzhong and slaughtered Li Shimin's entire clan."

"What's the point of saying this now?"

"We are far away from Bianliang. If we lose in Shanzhou, I'm afraid someone in the rear will cause chaos."

"Li has 500,000 infantry and cavalry, while I only have 100,000. Even if we capture young men and recruit them into our army, even if we can hold off, it will be difficult to sustain the fight."

"Where did he get 500,000 soldiers? The Tian Ce Army's foreign troops, except for Murong Zhang's gang of traitors, are all garrison soldiers... The ones who can really fight, at most, are 60,000 to 70,000."

"Even if there are 60 or 70 thousand of them, and they are confronting our camp, Li the bandit can afford it, but can we?"

"Does he really dare to fight me in Luoyang?"

"How could it be false? The Zhao thief has been marching to Henei for a long time. If he doesn't go up, and just sits and watches the princes fight me, who will care about him next time?"

"Zhao Kuangming has sent troops to Ru, and Zhao Kuangning is advancing along the Yishui River to Yique. The cavalry under my command have seen that there are so many of them that they are too numerous to count. If we don't win a big battle and Shanzhou is lost, the army..."

"Don't lose heart. More people doesn't necessarily mean victory. Qin Zongquan lost to us, and we lost to Li the thief. It's all like this..."

"Don't panic. We just need to gather our best troops and dampen their morale once, and the situation will be greatly improved."

"Yes--"

Bang! Zhu Wen slammed the table, and the ministers stopped talking.

In the past, he would have considered how to "deal" with people who said such defeatist remarks as "it is difficult to last long". Now he can only interrupt them by "slamming the table". What does it mean that the officers and soldiers declared "it is difficult to last long" in front of him? It means that his authority is being lost at a much greater level. Who dared to contradict Zhu Sheng in the past?

According to the cockroach effect, there are many people in the middle and lower classes who think this way!

"Saint, drink some water." A maidservant with tea and snacks was sent over. The maidservant was nervous, lowered her head, smiled, and tried her best. Since the beginning of summer, Zhu Wen has become more and more tyrannical. In the past, when he was not in power, he basically did not kill people, but only beat and scolded them. Now, no one can predict his mood.

"Drink some shit!" Zhu Wen knocked over the tea and pastries on the plate with a slap.

The maid was so scared that she crawled on the ground, and her crotch was immediately wet with urine.

Zhu Wen took a deep breath and his voice softened again: "Go down. I won't call you. You don't need to send me food or water."

The maid fled quickly.

Zhu Wen was extremely upset, but he still had to control his emotions and try not to lose his composure in front of others. On the contrary, he had to "be more courageous" and maintain a positive and humorous state.

"What is there to sigh about?" After calming down, Zhu Wen glanced at his subjects. "In war, there are wins and losses. It is normal to win all the time, and it is not uncommon to lose all the time. It is also common to lose first and then win, or to win first and then lose. Zhu Xuan, Shi Pu, Keyong, etc., I have also lost, and even barely escaped. How big of a deal? It's not a matter of life and death yet. Why are you panicking? Lift your heads!"

Everyone showed some expression, but remained silent.

At this point in the situation, it is hard for people to believe these chicken soups anymore.

Most of the high-ranking officers and soldiers in Zhuliang fought on the front line and had big hearts. They rarely believed what they heard and imagined like ordinary soldiers and common people. They were afraid, but they had a low limit and generally would not panic. Why don't they believe it now and panic? Because they have more information and see the problem relatively fundamentally.

Some harsh realities:
The diplomacy is bad and the whole world is hostile.

The backbone troops suffered heavy losses. The trump cards such as Konghe, Changjian, Changzhi, Guangsheng, Tingzi, Luoyan, Tabai, Zhuosheng, etc. have been defeated so far, and the "special forces" Luoyan with 800 troops have been destroyed. The two-sided Changjian, Changzhi... Li Ze has more than 4,000 troops under his command.

Guangshengjun added half of the new members.

The three cavalry units of Tabai, Qinqi and Qincong were in name only. The survivors had a physiological reaction to the beating by Li the bandit, and they trembled at the sound of horse hooves. The number of people applying for cavalry also decreased unprecedentedly. The scraps of meat at Jishuiyuan had made the people of Bian realize how big the gap was between their own "proficiency in horse riding and archery" and others' "proficiency in horse riding and archery".

There were only a little over a thousand of the three thousand people left in the hall and the two wings.

……

These troops are lost, and it is not enough to just add a batch of warriors. Bravery, there are too many warriors these days, what is important is loyalty and reliability, in the absence of enough time to hone, what can guarantee it? Rewards, beauties? Don't be ridiculous. It's like the 3,000 soldiers of the Hall Army, all of them are powerful and generals from the Bian Song Dynasty, they don't need your little things, they are looking for a future.

You can also bribe them with money and sex, but how much blood will be enough for these warriors? If they don't see the hope of becoming a noble and keeping their loyalty in you, they won't invest, it's that simple.

If these troops are weak, their control and deterrence over other troops and local troops will decrease. Why did the Cai thief recruited by Zhu Wen behave himself? It was because he could not defeat his base!

Now that the big killers are in a state of decline, the small killers and the evil spirits will inevitably cause trouble.

Third, more than 100,000 new soldiers were recruited nationwide. The training time was still short, and more than half of them had never been in actual combat. Yes, the people of Henan, who had experienced many hardships, had a strong martial spirit and a strong will. With the militia system, they had a foundation and their combat effectiveness would take shape quickly, but it would take time.

It's impossible that you can kill people and make them cry for their parents after training for a year or two and fighting two battles casually? If it's that easy, how can I, a dog-footed man, still be alive today? The grass on my grave is already a foot high.

The last and most annoying thing is that too many troops are tied up! Yicheng Army guards Huazhou, Yanzhou, Xuzhou, Caizhou, Heyang, Henan Prefecture, Zhengzhou, Bianzhou...

Therefore, the number of troops Zhu Wen brought to Shanzhou was only about 100,000.

If we don't defend it, can we mobilize the whole country's army to fight against the thief Li?

It really doesn't work.

If Hua and Yan are lost, Wei and Qi may march to the city of Bianzhou. If Xuzhou is lost, the war will spread to Songzhou, a financial center and the stronghold of Songzhou, and the control over Ying and Bo will be greatly shaken.

Once Heyang is lost... there will be no need to worry about Shanzhou, and we can directly start the defense of Xingyang.

A place where there are four wars is very hopeless.

"Eh!" Thinking of all this, another general couldn't help but slap his thigh heavily and cover his face in pain.

Zhu Wen pretended not to see it and continued to brainwash him: "Li the thief definitely does not have 500,000 soldiers, at most 200,000. He has more soldiers, and I have fewer. We must defend honestly, delay, and consume. I have enough food and grass, but he may not. There is still a chance, and the battle can still be fought. If we hold on for a few months, there will be a turning point."

"Besides, how long has he been in power? His subordinates are all corrupt and his foundation is unstable. Once he is defeated, there will be countless rebels. I was defeated in Tong and Pu, but Hou Song and his gang of traitors could rebel against me. If he was defeated in Luoyang, no one would rebel against him? Warriors in the world are all the same. Secondly, this man is not as rich as me. Haha, I can stay in Luoyang for a year without taking a breath. Can he last more than half a year?" Zhu Wen laughed a few times, and when no one said anything, he continued stiffly: "It's not difficult yet. The thief Cai fought to Suanzao Gate, but he survived. This is just the beginning. Go down and reorganize the army. Wait for my order and take the opportunity to defeat the enemy."

"I'm waiting to retire."

Zhu Wen held his forehead with his hand only after all the officers had left the courtyard.

The mass surrender of Murong Zhang, Linghu Tao, and the Changjian Army had a great impact on him. Unless they were rebelling openly, he no longer suspected anyone, and vaguely had the shadow of Zhu Quanzhong who had just arrived in Bianzhou. Rulers are so strange. When they have nothing, they show trust and generosity to others, but once they become powerful, they begin to be suspicious of everything and think that they are the only one in the world. "The heart of a dictator is becoming more and more arrogant."

"Your Majesty..." Jing Xiang looked at Zhu Wen distressedly. He noticed that Zhu Wen lost control of his emotions for a moment. "I can still hold on." Zhu Wen forced a smile.

Li Zhen lowered his head and sat aside. He thought about how he had given up his official position in the Li family and devoted himself to Zhu Wen's career, but in the end it seemed like all his efforts were in vain... If he had known earlier, he should have observed more.

Ugh!
Is it time to run away?
Jing Xiang pulled Zhu Wen to the orange tree and urged him in a low voice: "Haven't you made up your mind yet? If you don't go, things will be urgent! There is nothing in the world that is foolproof. It is the way to think about defeat before victory. Once you lose the battle, it will be too late!"

"Jing Qing, why don't you covet fame and fortune like them? I have appointed you as the Prime Minister... are you willing to give it up?"

"Everyone loves fame and fortune, but nothing is more important than your Majesty's safety. The situation is extremely unfavorable now. Success or failure depends on a single battle. It is a life-and-death gamble. If you have a choice, gambling is not what heroes do. It is safest to leave the room, lie low and wait for the right time."

It’s a pity that this is the value of normal people, Jingxiang, and literati, and it does not conform to the thinking of most warriors, Zhu Wen, and gamblers.

The situation was so bad that it was impossible for you to say that Zhu Wen had no idea what was going on. It was because he was relying on luck.

Just like the common warriors of this era. Li Changfu, is he sure to kill the emperor? Of course not. If he succeeds, he will change Dong Zhuo. If he fails, he will be "killed by his subordinates". Is Li Maozhen sure to invade the palace? No. If he forces the court to bow, he can get Shannan. If he fails, he will be blamed. For most warriors, don't reason with them. They understand the reason, but they just want to give it a try.

What if?
Zhu Wen suddenly opened his eyes wide and stared at Jing Xiang, anger showing on his haggard and dark face: "Even if you have to submit to this evil beast Li Ye?"

"For the greater good—"

"Shut up!" Zhu Wen slapped his knee hard, his expression excited, his lips moving and stammering, then he fell silent, his eyes red.

He is also a sentimental old fat man who often cries.

Jing Xiang said again earnestly: "When making any decision, we cannot only consider the moment and ourselves, but must consider the long-term interests and the overall situation. How many more failures can your majesty's prestige withstand? Shi Chaoyi, Zhu Ci, Xi Lie, Chao, and Ru were captured and killed by their subordinates. How can we not learn from this? The Li family has many people and their command is strong. Shanzhou is far away from Bianliang, so it is easy to fall into self-precariousness and difficult to regret. If the three armies are disturbed, even if you want to punish me to thank the soldiers, I am afraid you can't do it. If your majesty follows Zhu Tao and reforms himself, I am better than the death of Shao Bo!"

Zhu Wen was also a little shaken at once.

But he still refused. He had a vast territory, many soldiers and generals, and a great victory would be enough to turn the tide.

"Your Majesty!" Seeing that he did not make any comment, Jing Xiang raised his voice and said, "Li the thief is lustful. He has sex with ten women every night. How many years can he live? It is reasonable to wait for him to die suddenly from kidney deficiency and then come back."

"But... the princes also want me to hand over the land I invaded. By then, I will only have Bian, Song, Boying, and be surrounded on all sides. How can I have the opportunity to start a business? The governor is dead!"

"This... passing away as a high-ranking official and a loyal minister, leaving a good name in history as someone who has found his way back from the wrong path, isn't that possible?"

"How can I accept that I am not a saint? I cannot tolerate that the person sitting on the throne of God is not me."

"Times have changed, and what is more important, life or the empire?"

"No!" Zhu Wen pointed at himself with blazing eyes. "If I don't wear this yellow robe, how can I lead my people? Without this yellow robe, what authority do I have? I only have the authority of the 'Son of Heaven' now, and the only remaining awe of the world towards the 'Son of Heaven'. If I become a Jiedushi, the heads of me and the Queen Mother will be exchanged for the title of King in the next moment."

Jing Xiang immediately knelt down, hugged Zhu Wen's legs, and burst into tears: "Your Majesty, please don't say that. Daliang still has loyal ministers. Your Majesty, your ...

Zhu Wen shrugged and laughed, but this laughter was the opposite of his previous arrogance and self-satisfaction. It was full of sobriety and self-mockery: "There are no loyal ministers! They are all treacherous! Some are treacherous openly, some are treacherous secretly, the degree is different." He looked at Jing Xiang, who looked like a lost dog at his feet, and said softly: "You go, I will come back if I win, and I will live in seclusion if I lose; this is the only thing I can give you."

"Woo..." Jing Xiang wailed softly.

"Shh—" Zhu Wen interrupted Jing Xiang and pulled him up.

Someone came in from outside the door.

Jing Xiang turned around and tried to clear his expression and tears.

"Your Majesty." Feng Shunliao hurried to Zhu Wen's side and whispered, "Ge Congzhou invaded Cang and Qing, but did not obey the imperial edict and sent troops to the west to help. Zhang Tingfan attacked Xu secretly because the Mo bandits were rampant, and he also did not obey the imperial edict. Hu Zhen sent a warning, and the soldiers of Huazhou wanted to chase him away and guide Wei Bo. Zhao Chang of the Zhongwu Army did not obey the imperial edict because Huaixi was not peaceful."

"What do they mean? Are they going to surrender to the thief Li?" Zhu Wen said angrily.

Feng Shunliao couldn't respond.

At this critical moment, it is impossible to guess what the subordinates are thinking. Later, when Li Keyong was attacked by Zhu Wen, his subordinates surrendered, and the various towns opened their gates to welcome the Bian army, but no one rebelled during the defense of Taiyuan.

In the Battle of Longde, the Bian army launched a massive counterattack, repeatedly defeated the Jin army, and recaptured a large number of prefectures and counties in Hebei. Li Jitao also rebelled in Luzhou and joined the Bian army, and the situation was very good. As a result, after the defeat in the Yuncheng battle zone, the Bian army led the way and surrendered. Zhu Youzhen called for the Qinwang army, but no one responded. Li Cunxu was still in Caozhou, and the Bianliang Palace was in chaos. The palace people, officials, and concubines fled one after another, and even the imperial seal hidden in the bedroom was stolen!
To put it bluntly, they all have their own calculations. As long as they have the army and territory, every change of power is an opportunity to bargain and seek more benefits. If everyone can win, the government will die.

"Ge Congzhou is a traitor! He rebelled against the Chao bandits and surrendered to me in a desperate situation. I pitied him as an old friend of the Chao army and made him a member of my personal army. Now he repays kindness with hatred and does such a thing that is worse than pigs and dogs." Zhu Wen pounded his chest in anger. He knew that he could not have any hope for these rebels, but he never expected that Ge Congzhou, who had always been loyal and righteous, could be so opportunistic and domineering, and not care about his safety at all.

Feng Shunliao looked at Zhu Wen's mental state and added, "Also, there are rumors in the capital that Wang Yanzhang and Ding Hui are planning to make Young Master Youzhen the governor of Xuanwu Army..."

"Establish his mother! Establish his father!" Zhu Wen cursed loudly, his lips trembling unconsciously.

Zhu Wen paced back and forth anxiously. After a while, he approached Jing Xiang and asked, "Can we send an envoy to secretly kill the Empress, Zhu Youzhen, Ding Hui, Wang Yanzhang and others?"

Otherwise, if we lose the war, we might not even be able to get Bianzhou back.

Jing Xiang was shocked and quickly advised: "If you kill the Queen, I'm afraid Bianzhou will no longer belong to Your Majesty. Your Majesty can still fight in Shanzhou, but the soldiers who are staying behind are afraid of the Queen's grace and power and dare not act rashly. If you kill her, Bianliang will be without a master, and who can guarantee what will happen?"

Zhu Wen sat back on the futon with a look of disappointment, choking with sobs, "I have always been kind to my trusted followers and the people, but I didn't expect that once I showed signs of decline, before I was defeated and before I died, everyone was only thinking about themselves. Zhang Hui, that bitch, must have instigated her followers to spread the rumors, and I rescued her from the devil's den and treated her with respect. But women and villains are hard to raise, hard to raise! When I go back, I will throw her into the military camp to be with the concubines of Shi Pu, Zhu Xuan, and Zhu Jin."

Feng Shun was speechless.

Already planning where to escape.

Hezhong Fengshi, probably bet on the wrong person this time.

After Feng Shunliao left, Li Zhen also found an excuse to handle official business.

In the small courtyard, only the emperor and his minister Zhu Wen were left, weeping facing each other, but their crying could not be heard outside.

Behind the curtain, Princess Shi resisted the urge to laugh out loud.

Haha.

Cool!
She began to look forward to the scene of the sage exterminating the Zhu family and massacring Bianliang.

*****
Another military camp in Hongnong City.

"When Lao Gou engages in battle with the thief Li, we will create chaos on the battlefield and kill Lao Gou in the chaos. Are you guys ready?" Zhu Youyu sighed.

"I have given the order. When the battle begins, all the generals will be killed, the camps will be set on fire, and there will be thunder and laughter. This is the list of generals to be executed afterwards. Please review it, Marshal."

"Read it directly."

"The main ones are Jing Xiang, Kou Yanqing, Pei Di, Feng Shunliao, Wang Zhongshi, Wang Yanqiu... The three armies of Changjian, Changzhi, and Tingzi, except for those who have secretly surrendered to us, no one should be left alive. Then, we will say 'rewards will be distributed at the parade ground tomorrow, and you don't need to bring weapons', and we will kill them all. The rest of the troops will each be rewarded 30 strings of cash, and they will be allowed to spend three days in Bianliang, and there will be no trouble..."

"Okay." Zhu Youyu interrupted impatiently: "I know."

"What if the attempt to kill him fails?"

"Chase him. If the attempt to kill him fails, the old dog will definitely flee to Luoyang. Chase him and surround and kill him in Luoyang. Chase him wherever he flees to." Zhu Youyu said calmly, and then asked: "Have you written the petition for surrender?"

"To prevent the matter from being leaked, it must be done immediately after it is completed."

"Good! The war should be in the next few days. When the war starts, we will take down the old dog in one fell swoop. Then we will turn our army to Bianliang, kill the Queen Mother and Zhu Youzhen and her son, and seize the throne."

"The rest of you cannot stay either."

"Yes."

"Wait, if Emperor Li does not allow the Marshal to keep the imperial seal, then what? Even the officials in Chang'an... may not tolerate a person with strong ability and prestige taking the throne. This is not in the interests of the Li family."

"Oh?" Zhu Youyu looked around at his confidants and sneered, "I sent the Queen Mother, Concubine Shi, Zhu Youzhen, Zhu Lingya, Zhu Lingrou... these old dogs' wives and children to Emperor Li for fate. How could he not allow it? The Queen Mother saved my life. If I had a choice, I would not want to kill her."

"The handsome and wise man!"

　In history, Concubine Shi should have been played to death by Zhu Wen. The author searched through the old Five Dynasties history Liang biographies, the new Five Dynasties history Liang family biographies, Zizhi Tongjian, and the two Tang books, but did not find any records of her, as if she was deliberately hidden. If it were not for the unearthed epitaph of Shi Yanci, future generations would not have known that Zhu Wen had such a concubine. And observing Shi Yanci's official position and job, Concubine Shi could not be a concubine, and her status must be very high, at the level of the three concubines. And such concubines, according to the usual practice of historians, could not be left unmentioned. Think about it again, Shi Yanci did not have a biography, and was also erased by history. Then the truth is very simple. I made a reasonable inference based on the Five Dynasties and Zhu Wen's style-Concubine Shi was most likely to have offended Zhu Wen in some way, or was simply played to death by Zhu Wen, and then Zhu Wen and the Shi family turned against each other, and finally the Shi family was also eliminated. Because the content of the incident was too ugly, the historians did not dare to record it.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)