The Bad Guys: Playing the Fake Li Xingyun at the Beginning

The Khitans were powerful and could not be stopped. Originally, the Khitans united all the tribes and were only considered a relatively powerful force among the heroes of the grassland.

But under Yelu Abaoji's powerful strategy and his relentless pursuit of the enemy, the Khitans were united as one, replacing the remaining Turkic tribes and the Uighurs, and their power expanded very quickly.

In this process, they established the Khitan Kingdom and created their own writing and language. Only then did they have a true heritage.

Last year, Yelu Abaoji destroyed the Bohai Kingdom, which was as large as the Khitan, and recruited the Han people and craftsmen there for his own use. Once he had absorbed the territory, the power of the Khitan Kingdom would be further enhanced.

The strength of the Khitan lies in their proficiency in archery and horsemanship, their soldiers' fearlessness of death, and their occupation of the most fertile pastures in the entire grassland to support their tribe. Now, they have gained the craftsmen and Han people of the Bohai Kingdom, making them even more difficult to deal with in the future.

It's just that they need time to digest it now.

Yelu Abaoji sent Yelu Zhiwu to marry him with this in mind.

The tiger is considered a human, and the human is considered a tiger.

Yelu Abaoji secretly watched the Central Plains, and so did Su Ming. The Central Plains warlords fought among themselves, and the grasslands also had concerns about inheritance.

If the talks go well, Queen Yingtian, Shuliduo, will be his future ally.

……

At the top of the stairs, Su Ming's eyes were deep as he was thinking about the future situation. At this time, a eunuch came to report, "Your Majesty, the Khitan envoys have been settled, and the war horses have been arranged for care."

"Well, you go down."

Su Ming nodded, flicked his sleeves, returned to Qianqiu Palace, and ordered people to close the door of the palace.

He glanced around and smiled softly, "Meng Po, come out."

In the darkness, the palace lanterns suddenly lit up, and an old figure appeared in the hall. His hunched body was stretched out long by the light, and in the shadows, his wrinkled and gray-haired face looked like a ghost.

"I pay my respects to Your Majesty." The hoarse voice was old and low, with a heavy air of desolation.

Su Ming smiled and greeted, "Meng Po, long time no see, how are you these days?"

Meng Po leaned on a cane with one hand and put the other hand behind her back. She looked at Su Ming with her small eyes, "Thanks to your majesty's good fortune, I am doing OK. I haven't seen your majesty for a few months. Your majesty looks better than ever and is becoming more and more like an emperor."

"Haha, other people may not know what kind of person I am, but doesn't Meng Po know? Emperor, haha." Su Ming laughed, with a hint of self-mockery in his words.

"Your Majesty is the one chosen by the Marshal, so why belittle yourself? Reviving the Tang Dynasty is the mission of us bad people. As long as Your Majesty works hard to govern the country, the world will be yours sooner or later."

"Oh? Really?" Su Ming had a hint of sarcasm on his face. He slowly walked to Meng Po, leaned down, and looked directly into her eyes. "I want to ask Meng Po a question."

Facing his sharp gaze, Meng Po drooped her eyelids and did not meet his gaze. "What is the problem? Your Majesty, please ask."

Su Ming stared into her eyes and asked word by word, "Yuan Tiangang, what are you busy with?"

A heavy pressure came upon her, and Meng Po couldn't help but exert force on the crutch. The exposed tendons were tense, like wriggling worms.

She subconsciously opened her eyes wide, and her pupils met Su Ming's eyes. What kind of eyes were those? Cold and domineering, cruel and crazy. The dark pupils were like a bottomless abyss, devouring her mind.

In a trance, Meng Po felt as if the person standing in front of her was not the emperor, but Yuan Tiangang!

Their eyes were almost equally deep.

The Emperor and the Marshal are so alike!

I don’t know how long it had passed, but there was a loud thunder outside, which woke Meng Po up. She was shocked and took a few steps back calmly and looked away.

She calmed herself down and said in a steady tone, "Your Majesty, the Marshal's whereabouts are mysterious. He usually contacts us by carrier pigeon, and we can't find him."

Su Ming did not dwell on this, but stood up straight, no longer looking at her, turned around and sat back on the chair, "I see, how is the Xuanming Sect developing in Bianliang?"

"Bianliang is the base camp of Xuanming Cult. We have already controlled all the docks and most of the gangs along the coast of Bianliang. Bianliang is now back under the control of Xuanming Cult. As long as Your Majesty is willing, Bianliang can be changed at any time."

Speaking of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, Meng Po might not take it seriously, but when it comes to the Xuanming Sect, she will not be worried. After Zhong Xiaokui disappeared and escaped, she now has the final say in the Xuanming Sect.

"No need. Let them stay hidden for now. We will need them in the future. Oh, and let Xuanming Cult search for healthy orphans in the Central Plains. I will send veterans to train them."

Upon hearing that the Xuanming Sect had taken control of the underground forces and docks in Bianliang, Su Ming's eyes suddenly turned red. He immediately stopped Meng Po and proposed a new idea.

"With the wealth of the entire underground of Bianliang, it is enough to support a group of loyal and reliable people. Anyway, your Xuanming Sect does not need to fight with Tongwenguan Huanyinfang now, so you don't need so much money."

Bianliang handled goods from the north and the south, and there were countless merchant ships traveling on the Yellow River every day. If one controlled all the docks, one could make tens of thousands of dollars just by exploiting a little bit of them.

In the past, the Xuanming Sect had to support the Liang State’s army as well as thousands of followers, so money and food were extremely tight.

Now the Liang Kingdom has vanished, Tongwenguan has hidden underground, licking its wounds secretly, and Huanyinfang has also been taken over by the empress, shrinking in Qi Kingdom, no longer fighting with other forces.

It can be said that the Xuanming Sect is richer than him, the emperor. If it were not for the gifts sent by various military governors when he ascended the throne, his imperial treasury would have been so empty that rats could run through it.

But even if he had money, it would still be far from enough. With his current financial resources, it was more than enough to support 5,000 imperial guards, but it was still far from enough to support an army of 10,000 or even 20,000.

Thinking of this, Su Ming couldn't help but think of Emperor Zhaozong again. What a prodigal son. At that time, the court actually raised 100,000 imperial guards. If he had that much financial resources now, he would have controlled Heluo and connected it to the Central Plains.

No wonder Yuan Tiangang said they were all hopeless!

Su Ming himself is now in a situation that may affect the entire situation, and he cannot act rashly. Even if the Xuanming Sect has money, he cannot get to Luoyang, let alone train troops under Li Siyuan's nose.

He is the emperor, and his every move will be watched by countless people with ulterior motives. Su Ming cannot act too blatantly, nor can he act beyond the rules of the court.

Although Li Siyuan can endure, he is not stupid and will not become the second Cao Shuang. In this era, military power is very sensitive. Now he dares to stay in Luoyang mainly because Su Ming has only 5,000 imperial guards, who have never been on the battlefield and are vulnerable.

As an emperor, he only had the political skills to form alliances and make coalitions, but no real hard power, so Li Siyuan was not afraid of him.

Chapter 146 Zhang Zifan, numb

Without hard power, one can only go with the flow among various forces and cannot make decisions on one's own.

If Su Ming had 10,000 troops, Li Siyuan would not be sitting back and relaxing like he is now. With 10,000 troops, plus some auxiliary troops and laborers, he could easily gather 30,000 to 40,000 people, enough to control Luoyang.

Such an army does not have much combat effectiveness, but it can still defend Luoyang.

But if he did so, Li Siyuan might have to leave Luoyang and return to his base in Hedong, and then the good situation would be ruined.

Su Ming is still very weak now and needs Li Siyuan and the empress to protect him. After the defeat of Liang and the death of Li Cunxu, Jin and Qi became the most powerful vassal states in the north.

With them in the court, Su Ming can be protected from wind and rain and resist the open and secret attacks from various princes. To deal with him, the emperor, one must first think about whether he can withstand the wrath of the two major vassal states.

Looking across the world, there are not many forces that can directly confront the two major vassal states. Wang Yan in Shu is one of them, but he is too far away from Luoyang and cannot exert any influence at all.

The remaining Jiedushi around Luoyang were too weak. Many of them were dependent on the imperial court, respectful on the surface, and obeyed orders but not orders. The Liang State in the Central Plains was defeated, and Bianzhou was divided up by various parties. Until now, no vassal state with a say has been born.

It can be said that the Central Plains is now in a completely divided situation, almost the same as during the time of Emperor Zhaozong, but unfortunately, the court's authority is no longer there, and the situation is even more difficult.

Therefore, Su Ming had to find another way to conceal his tracks. Instead of training his troops in Luoyang, he had to train them in Bianliang. This way, he would not be easily discovered by other military governors.

Under the current circumstances, he can only do this. As for whether the people sent to train the troops will have ambitions or be loyal to him as the emperor, it is not something he can control.

People will change, and he cannot control people's hearts. He can only make a simple plan and place the chess piece first.

"Your Majesty, how many people do you want to choose?" Meng Po did not ask why and just obeyed the order.

Su Ming waved his hand casually, "Let's set the number at 5,000 for now. If there are more, you may not be able to control them. I don't need these people in the short term. If something unexpected happens one day, I may never need them. Just think of it as saving a life and doing a good deed."

Even if others don't have any ambitions, the Bad Guys will definitely place people among them, so he doesn't have to worry about the rest.

"I understand." Meng Po nodded in agreement.

"How's the situation with the Embroidered Uniform Guard?" After saying this, Su Ming changed the subject.

"Your Majesty, the Jinyiwei now has two thousand people, all of whom have dispersed into Luoyang city. From the mansions of high-ranking officials to the guards at the city gates, all have been deployed, waiting for secret dispatch." Meng Po's heart trembled, and she answered in a deep voice.

This was rare good news. Su Ming was cheered up. "It's almost done. Just make sure the information is flowing smoothly. There's no need to contact them frequently. Remember to pay them the full salary. Don't deduct any money. The money and food will be directly transferred from the Emperor's inner treasury. You don't have to pay them."

In this day and age, the bad guys are omnipresent, and the Jinyiwei must have been infiltrated, but Su Ming still insisted on withdrawing their salaries from his private treasury just to let them know who they are eating.

He doesn't ask all the Jinyiwei to be loyal to him, but at least there will be some people who will remember his kindness in the future.

Then, Su Ming suddenly asked, "By the way, Meng Po, do you have any news about Rao Jiang? The Witch King seems to be quiet, what is he doing?"

"Your Majesty, Raojiang is too far away from the Central Plains. It takes a long time to pass on the news. I don't know the news of Raojiang, and I have no contact with the Witch King."

Su Ming sighed. He still couldn't grasp the timing of Li Maozhen's appearance. "Thanks to you for this period of time, you should leave first. If the bad commander appears, remember to say hello to him on my behalf."

"I'll take my leave now." Meng Po bowed expressionlessly, turned around and disappeared into the darkness.

……

On the second day after Yelu Zhiwu entered the city, the news that the Khitan princess was going to marry the emperor spread like wildfire throughout Luoyang, and soon people in the streets and alleys were talking about it.

Yesterday, many people saw the scene of the Khitan cavalry entering the city. The ferocious murderous aura made many people shudder. They seemed to have never seen such elite troops.

When King Jin Li Siyuan entered Luoyang, his soldiers were not so fierce. Yesterday's news spread all over the city, although they didn't know where the Khitan were or how many people there were.

But just based on these elite cavalry, they knew that Khitan was a very powerful country on the grassland.

What a joke! The wedding procession was the face of the Khitan Kingdom, so Queen Yingtian would naturally not make a fuss about it. She knew her husband's ambition, so she ordered people to select the most elite soldiers from the Khitan tribe to form a wedding procession to escort Yelu Zhiwu to Luoyang.

It was precisely because of the presence of these elite cavalry that the Khitan wedding party did not encounter those inexplicable incidents. Neither the other tribes on the grassland nor the governors of the Central Plains dared to make a fuss about it.

In Luoyang City, people were outraged and undercurrents were surging. Some people felt that marrying a princess from the grasslands would taint the royal bloodline and hinder the royal inheritance.

But have these people forgotten that the bloodline of their Li family was not pure and was inseparable from the Hu people?

Some people also think that the marriage between the emperor and the Khitan princess can eliminate war and bring peace and stability to the world.

……

However, these winds could not reach the palace or the post stations at all.

In Qianqiu Palace, Su Ming was reviewing memorials as usual. Zhang Zifan walked in excitedly from outside, "Brother Li, let's go to the posthouse with me."

"What are you doing at the inn?" Su Ming asked in surprise.

Zhang Zifan pulled him up and walked outside, "The Khitan princess has come to Luoyang, aren't you curious about what your future queen looks like?"

Su Ming glanced at him and said calmly, "I'm not curious, not curious at all. No matter what he looks like, he's here now, what can I do?"

Zhang Zifan smiled maliciously, "You are the emperor, so what if you go and take a look? At least you should understand the Khitan princess's character beforehand, right?"

"In the future, you will also take the daughters of the governors from various places into your harem. If you don't go and take a look first, aren't you afraid that your harem will be unstable in the future?"

Su Ming curled his lips and mercilessly exposed his purpose, "I say, kid, after all, don't you just want to see what she looks like?"

"Okay, I'll take you to see it."

Soon, the two changed their clothes and slipped out of the imperial city.

There were Khitans guarding outside the posthouse, but they did not prohibit the court officials who received them from meeting the Khitan princess. Of course, the meeting here was through a screen, so the real face could not be seen.

However, after entering the posthouse, Zhang Zifan and Su Ming met Yelu Zhiwu by chance.

At that moment, Zhang Zifan felt like he was struck by lightning, and his whole body was numb!

Chapter 147 This guy really deserves to die

In the courtyard, a slender girl was swinging on a swing. Her black and shiny hair was braided into small braids. She had bright big eyes, a fair oval face, a cherry mouth, and long legs. She looked like an elf on the grassland, pure and beautiful.