The emperor would rather have a

Chapter 5: Northern Han Invasion
The first year of Xian De, February 21st.

An urgent report from Luzhou was delivered to Daliang City in Tokyo.

The pseudo-Han ruler Liu Chong colluded with the Khitan and sent troops south, claiming to have 100,000 infantry and cavalry, and had already approached the two states of Ze and Lu.

For a time, the government and the country were shaken, and people both inside and outside the country were in panic.

Emperor Guo Rong of Zhou had been on the throne for only a month at this time. Upon hearing the urgent news, he was furious and immediately wanted to lead the army in person.

However, most officials, led by Prime Minister Feng Dao, believed that the emperor must not take action easily at a time when the new monarch's foundation was unstable and people inside and outside the court were in turmoil. He should stay in Tokyo to stabilize the situation and send a general to fight.

As a result, disputes between the emperor and his ministers were inevitable.

But a few days later, another urgent report arrived that Li Yun, the governor of Zhaoyi Army, stationed his troops at Taipingyi, intending to stop the pseudo-Han coalition forces, but was defeated instead.

Li Yun fled back to Shangdang, defended the city, and was unable to fight again.

Seeing that the situation was critical, Emperor Guo Rong ignored the opposition and made up his mind to lead the army in person, ordering the imperial guards and local vassal troops to prepare for war.

of course.

These military and national affairs are not something that Li Yi, a small commander of the imperial guards, should worry about.

He just had to follow his superiors' orders and fight on the battlefield.

"According to the Privy Council's order, all Imperial Guards are to cancel their rest periods and return to their barracks to await orders. Any violation will be dealt with according to military law..."

Originally, the army granted Li Yi half a month of rest time, but it ended early due to the massive invasion of the Northern Han coalition forces.

Fortunately, his physical fitness is different from that of ordinary people. He is not only resistant to beatings but also has strong recovery ability.

After seven or eight days of rest, the minor injuries he suffered from the beating were basically no longer serious.

"Sister-in-law, the streets have been a bit turbulent lately, so we can't open the shop for now. Let's talk about it later."

Before leaving, Li Yi did not forget to give Guo some instructions.

It is said that there are always many thieves when there is chaos. Now that the Northern Han coalition forces are invading the south, the people in Tokyo are in panic. It is inevitable that some scoundrels will take the opportunity to cause trouble.

As a widow, Mrs. Guo needs to be more careful.

……

Li Yi entered the inner city from the Suzaku Gate and walked along the streets on both sides of the Imperial Street towards the Imperial City.

At this time, there were relatively few pedestrians passing by, most of them were peddlers and hawkers. Seeing Li Yi's tall and strong figure, they tried to avoid him as if he were a plague god.

After all, even without armor or weapons, Li Yi's aura is intimidating enough, and anyone with a discerning eye knows that he is not someone to be trifled with.

Li Yi didn't care and continued on his way.

After a while, under the cover of the morning mist, the outline of the imperial city gradually became clear.

As the sun was rising, thousands of rays of light poured down, setting off the solemnity of the pavilions and towers, making the imperial city look even more majestic.

The predecessor of the Later Zhou Imperial City was the seat of the Xuanwu Jiedushi of the Tang Dynasty. After being repaired and expanded during the Liang, Jin, Han and Zhou dynasties, it had become quite large.

The layout of the entire imperial city faces north and south. The front half is the area where the emperor holds court and works, and the back half is the bedroom for the emperor and concubines.

There are six palace gates in the imperial city, distributed in the four directions of east, south, west and north.

The main gate is the Xuande Gate in the south, which is usually closed and only opened when the emperor travels or attends important events.

On both sides of Xuande Gate are Zuoye Gate and Youye Gate for daily traffic.

In addition, there is the Donghua Gate in the east, the Xihua Gate in the west, and the Gongchen Gate in the north for entering and exiting the harem.

As we approached the imperial city, we could no longer see any ordinary people. Only teams of fully armed imperial guards were patrolling back and forth.

At the same time, many men dressed in casual clothes like Li Yi came from all directions.

During the Five Dynasties period, the families of professional soldiers often migrated with the army. The imperial guards of the Later Zhou Dynasty were stationed in the Tokyo area, so most of the soldiers' homes were also in Tokyo.

Normally, except for the troops on duty in rotation, the rest of the soldiers can go home to rest.

Of course, this home refers specifically to the home that migrates with the army, and it does not mean that you can run around. The soldiers of the imperial guards are not allowed to leave the base without permission, otherwise they will be regarded as deserters.

In order to facilitate management and supervision, living areas were built in each station of the imperial guards, which were equivalent to single dormitories in later generations, where soldiers could live with their families.

It is also a special housing benefit.

However, this so-called single dormitory is only a few square meters in size, and it is a simple thatched house. It is okay for a family of three to live in, but it will be crowded if there are more people.

Therefore, a very small number of soldiers with more financial resources would choose to rent a house in Tokyo.

As for those who can afford to buy real estate, they are absolutely rare. At least they have to be mid- to high-level military generals.

For the lower-level soldiers, just providing for the food, clothing, shelter and shelter of their families is already a huge pressure.

Not to mention renting or even buying a property in Tokyo, where every inch of land is valuable.

Otherwise, Li Yi would have brought his uncle and his family to Tokyo to enjoy a good life.

……

In accordance with the military order of the Privy Council, the soldiers of the imperial guards returned to the barracks and stood by, ready to go to war at any time.

But since ancient times, fighting a war has not been an easy task, and logistics alone cannot be completed in three or five days.

Not to mention the need to mobilize troops from local vassal states, plan marching routes and combat plans, and other miscellaneous matters.

So Li Yi had returned to the military camp for several days, but his superiors had not yet issued any specific orders, and all military affairs, big and small, remained as usual.

As usual, Li Yi, who was free, sat under a big tree beside the barracks, tinkering with a horn bow.

A good tendon-horn composite bow is hard to come by these days, and the production cycle can easily take years.

Li Yi's horn bow was a reward he won during a military archery competition last year. It was a truly powerful bow weighing two stones, a high-end item even among horn bows, a rare find that was hard to come by even with money.

It's not uncommon to find someone in the army who can pull a two-stone bow, but it's a bit exaggerated to use it as a bow in actual combat.

You should know that most of the bows used by the army for practicing pulling force are only two or three stones.

However, for Li Yi, this bow was very easy to use. He could even shoot fifty arrows in a row with some energy left.

One cannot help but wonder if this is what is called innate divine power.

Li Yi relied on his outstanding riding and archery skills to climb up step by step to the position of imperial guard without relying on military merit.

"Brother Yi, you said the Han army is coming. When will our imperial guards set out?"

At this moment, a big man with a full beard walked up to Li Yi and couldn't help muttering a few words.

"Brother Ma, are you in a hurry to go into battle and make merit?" Li Yi raised his head and teased with a smile.

The bearded man is named Ma Renyu, and he is also the chief officer of the Dianqi Guard. Li Yi is the chief officer of the second squad of the Left Guard, and he is the chief officer of the first squad of the Right Guard.

In history, the name Ma Renyu was recorded in the Battle of Gaoping, which determined the survival of the Later Zhou Dynasty.

"When Emperor Shizong personally led the army against Liu Chong, the king's army was not doing well. Renyu declared to his men, 'If the lord disgraces me, I shall die!' He then leaped upon his horse and shouted, drawing his bow and killing dozens of officers and soldiers in succession, thus boosting the morale of the soldiers."

This record in history books praises Ma Renyu highly.

When the battle situation was unfavorable, this brother Ma stepped forward and shot and killed the enemy, boosting morale in one fell swoop.

According to the records in the History of the Five Dynasties, Ma Renyu's contribution in the Battle of Gaoping was no less than that of Zhao Kuangyin.

After this battle, Ma Renyu was promoted three levels in a row, from a lieutenant colonel to the commander of the archery and crane control team.

Finally, he was promoted step by step to the Surveillance Commissioner of Shuozhou, and after his death he was posthumously awarded the title of Jiedushi of Hexi Army.

Of course, these are things to follow.

Today, Ma Renyu and Li Yi are fellow townsmen, both from Xiajin, Daming Prefecture, and from the same village. They have been friends since childhood.

At that time, Guo Wei, the governor of Ye City and the Privy Councilor, was forced to rebel. Li Yi then pulled Ma Renyu along to join Guo Wei's army.

After Guo Wei ascended the throne, the two were selected to serve in the Inner Palace.

To be honest, the friendship between Li Yi and Ma Renyu can be said to be a life-long friendship, which is far more solid than the closeness he gained by currying favor with Zhao Kuangyin.

After hearing Li Yi's ridicule, Ma Renyu asked in return: "Brother Yi, don't you want to go into battle and kill the enemy to gain wealth and fame?"

"When you and I joined the army, we were aiming for the title of Jiedushi. Now we are just small yamen runners. If you want to become a Jiedushi, you have to fight hard on the battlefield."

"I would rather die than live without wealth and honor. That's what you told me, Brother Yi, right?"

"I would rather die than live without wealth and honor..." Li Yi was stunned when he heard this.

If Ma Renyu hadn't suddenly mentioned it, he would have almost forgotten what he said back then.

It's a pity that times have changed. Li Yi had bet his wealth on Zhao Da. With the confidence that he was a time traveler familiar with history, he was naturally full of ambition.

But now... Alas!

Fortunately, Li Yi has figured it out these days. It doesn't matter if he offends the Zhao family.

Instead of dwelling on what has already happened, it is better to focus on the upcoming Battle of Gaoping.

This battle was directly related to the survival of the Later Zhou Dynasty, and was also a key battle for Emperor Shizong Chai Rong to secure his throne. Its importance is self-evident.

Historically, Zhao Kuangyin made his fortune in this battle. Li Yi believed that his martial arts skills were not inferior to Zhao's, and perhaps even slightly better.

If Zhao Laoer can do it, I, Li Laoer, may be able to do it too!

People's minds are sometimes so strange. Before the incident with the Zhao family, Li Yi treated Zhao Kuangyin with a filter.

He felt that Zhao Da, as the future Emperor Taizu of Song, was undoubtedly the son of destiny, and the right thing for him to do was to cling to him.

But now that he and the Zhao family have a rift and the way of currying favor with the powerful is no longer feasible, he has a different mood.

He even began to compare himself with Zhao Da in his mind to see who was more capable.

Is this what it means to destroy something before you can build something?
"By the way, Brother Yi, the Zhao family didn't cause you any more trouble, did they?"

Ma Renyu's words brought Li Yi's thoughts back to reality.

"I've been on duty these days and haven't had time to ask you."

"I heard that Aunt Zhao also jumped into a well and died that day. I'm afraid the Zhao family will blame you for this as well."

Li Yi snorted lightly, "If he wants to blame me, then let him. The case has already been judged. What can the Zhao family do to me?"

"That's true. No matter how powerful Zhao Hongyin is, he's only a military commander. What can he really do to a yamen guard like you?"

"If you ask me, he's half buried in the ground. He might just be a military commander in this life. With our age and abilities, and with a little luck, it's not impossible for us brothers to establish our own kingdoms and governments."

Ma Renyu became more and more excited as he spoke, spit flying, "When my brother becomes the Jiedushi in the future, the Zhao family will be busy trying to curry favor with us. Even if he has ten guts, he won't dare to think about this matter again."

I have to say that Ma Renyu is quite confident. He is still a small yamen runner, but he dares to think about becoming a governor in the future.

Although historically he did achieve this wish after his death.

However, what Ma Renyu said was not wrong.

As long as Li Yi can climb high enough in the future and become an important person, even if Zhao Da finally wears the yellow robe, he may not dare to touch him easily.

Besides, you, Zhao Da, may not be able to wear the yellow robe again!
In any case, Li Yi will not be willing to sit and wait for death.

(End of this chapter)