With adequate preparation and orderly dispatch, the crossing to the south went smoothly without any accidents. It took nearly two hours and more than 4,000 troops and horses all crossed the river.
Originally, Liu Chengyou only had the Third Army, Guards Battalion and most of the cavalry troops, with a strength of less than 3,000. However, when he was in Xingzhou, Xue Huairang's tribe was annexed, and the strongest ones were selected and sent to the army. The soldiers were dismissed, and on their way back they collected some scattered soldiers and strong men who had defected, and that was how they ended up here.
Liu Chengyou was one of the later groups to cross the river. He set foot on the land of Henan for the first time in a full spirit. Behind him, there were sergeants and civilians placing war horses, ordnance, property and other things on the ferry.
On the ferry, there is a stone tablet erected, which is probably a boundary monument. There are some words on it, among which "Baimajin" is the most conspicuous. Anyone who has read "Three Kingdoms" should have some impression of Baima Jin.
Not far from the ferry, there is a small town. When his troops were reorganizing their formation, Liu Chengyou was invited to come to the town.
There is a Baima Post in the town, and there is a lot of pomp in front of the post. The generals from Huazhou have already lined up to greet them. They all lowered their eyebrows and were very restrained. Liu Chengyou was at the gate of the post. Seeing this scene, he looked inside.
I saw a burst of movement in the meantime. Before anyone came out, the sound had already arrived, accompanied by a burst of slightly wild laughter: "Erlang, you are finally back!"
Two figures appeared side by side at the gate of Baima Post. They were two middle-aged men with thick mustaches. Liu Chengyou recognized them at a glance. They were his uncle Liu Xin. After entering Bian, Liu Xin took command of the bodyguard and horse army. He led Yi Chengjun as the Jiedushi envoy and was ordered to lead a Xingjie imperial army to station in Huazhou.
It was obvious that when Liu Xin appeared, the Huazhou generals and officials subconsciously became a little shorter. It was obvious that his uncle was extremely powerful and these people were afraid of him. Liu Chengyou did not agree with this. Unexpectedly, when he was still in Jinyang, his uncle had a reputation for cruelty, and he was fond of killing, torture, and torturing criminals for fun. I guess it was Liu Xin who committed some cruelty in Huazhou.
Looking at Liu Xin, Liu Chengyou held his hands in reserve and said, "How can I trouble my father to welcome me?"
"It really hasn't changed at all!" Seeing Liu Chengyou's reaction, Liu Xin didn't take it seriously and patted him on the shoulder affectionately: "We are all a family, so to say so is to be foreign."
His eyebrows were raised. Liu Xin's enthusiasm made Liu Chengyou a little uncomfortable. You must know that at the beginning, although their uncle and nephew had friendship, they didn't have much affection. However, he still agreed: "Uncle said that."
After a brief observation of Liu Xin, compared to when he was in Jinyang, there were only four words between Liu Xin's brows at this time: Proud in the spring breeze. A little joyful, a little arrogant. He was wearing a brocade suit and the materials were of the highest quality. The high-quality satin cloth, the hem of the clothes are edged with gold thread, the belt is inlaid with beautiful jade, and the crown on the head is also inlaid with several pearls according to certain rules, which are green and shine green in the sun.
With this outfit, it is obvious that Liu Xin gained a lot during this period.
"I heard that you are coming south, and the officials have already ordered me to pay attention to the news and welcome you." Liu Xin said with a smile.
"Then I would like to thank you, Emperor Father, for your concern." Liu Chengyou raised his hand in the southwest direction and made a salute.
From the corner of his eye, he glanced at the middle-aged man next to Liu Xin. His face was extremely dark, and his face was heavily pockmarked, making people forget it after just one glance. Noticing Liu Chengyou's eyes, the big man laughed loudly: "Why, Have you forgotten your uncle Yanchao?"
Frowning slightly, Liu Chengyou really didn't have much of an impression. When Liu Xin introduced him, he realized that the middle-aged man in front of him was Liu Zhiyuan's half-brother, Murong Yanchao.
"Uncle." No matter what, he was still the elder, so Liu Chengyou bowed respectfully.
At first, Murong Yanchao came from Fangzhou to Beitou. After entering Bian, when it was time to hire people and the dynasty was first established, his family could still use them with confidence, so Liu Zhiyuan appointed Murong Yanchao as the military envoy of Zhenning Army and led the troops to garrison in Chanzhou. This critical place.
Chanzhou is a neighbor to Huazhou, and the prefecture is only eighty or ninety miles away from Puyang and Baima. This time I came specifically to visit Liu Xin, and it happened to coincide with Liu Chengyou's visit to the south.
After learning about these things, Liu Chengyou inadvertently observed Murong Yanchao, paying special attention to the black pockmarked face. Liu Zhiyuan's black face appeared in his mind. It can be believed that it should be from the same mother. From this, he thought that he and his eldest brother Liu Chengxun There is also the third brother Liu Chengxun, who is fairly fair-looking. He has to thank his mother Li's genes, otherwise, he might not be a gangster.
During the greetings, Liu Chengyou was invited to the White Horse Post by Liu Xin. Liu Xin showed off the insights he had prepared in advance: "I have prepared a banquet to welcome you and wash away the dust. This is the place I specially selected, this White Horse Post. There is another explanation. More than 40 years ago, Liang Taizu killed all the old officials of Li Tang Nagan here to remove obstacles and successfully build Liang Dynasty on behalf of the Tang Dynasty..."
Speaking of the killing, Liu Xin was still a little excited and said without shame: "Today our uncle and nephew will drink here, and it is appropriate to use this event to congratulate me on the founding of the Han Dynasty."
Hearing that Liu Xin viewed the "Baimayi Disaster" in this way, and even talked nonsense about the founding of the Han Dynasty, the corners of Liu Chengyou's mouth couldn't help but twitch.
Seeing his smug look, Liu Chengyou lightly complimented: "Uncle is really knowledgeable."
Liu Xin was even more happy: "Although I am a warrior and not literate, I have always made some progress after following the official family for so long..."
From the bottom of his heart, Liu Chengyou didn't think highly of these two uncles. He could even describe them as contempt. Liu Zhiyuan entrusted the two of them to guard their throats, but he behaved so carelessly.
Needless to say Liu Xin, this guy has always been like this. This Murong Yanchao also left his post without authorization just to come to Baima as a guest and drink. What kind of place is Chanzhou? It strangles the throat of the north bank of the river. It is an important place for river defense. Liu Zhiyuan arranged for him to be there, obviously to be wary of Du Chongwei in Yedu.
If Du Chongwei rebels and raises his troops to move south, Chanzhou is the first line of defense against him. Such an important place and such a responsible person simply regard military and national affairs as child's play.
Thinking of this, Liu Chengyou's expression became calmer, but his eyes gradually became colder.
He can probably understand Liu Zhiyuan's mentality. After all, he is his own family and is more trustworthy. He must rely on these people to defend the country. However, there are countless examples out there. When things are urgent, it is these "family members" who often do bad things. No. When talking about things that are far away, let’s talk about things that are close at hand, such as Du Chongwei!
After arriving in Tokyo, do you want to make some suggestions to your father? Liu Xin was still buzzing in his ears, and Liu Chengyou already had such an idea in his mind.
His thoughts wandered a little, and it seemed that few of the royal family members of the Liu family were successful enough to be entrusted with big things.
The performance of Liu Zhiyuan's three brothers, Liu Xin and Murong Yanchao, is here. As for Liu Chong, had Liu Zhiyuan, the eldest brother, been around, how could he have survived until now?
On the Li family's side, there are several uncles of Liu Chengyou, but each one is more chaotic than the last. The second uncle Li Hongwei is a little more outstanding, but his temper is too timid, he is procrastinating, and he is not decisive enough.
As far as Liu Chengyou knows, among all his relatives, his brother-in-law Song Yanwo is a talented person, but unfortunately his friendship is not deep. There is also his cousin Li Shaoyou.
Liu Xin and Murong Yanchao naturally had no idea how much their nephew, who was dealing with them, despised them in their hearts. They were both in high spirits and chatting enthusiastically.
In the main hall of the post house, a banquet of wine and food has been placed, and the aroma hits the taste buds. The dishes do not look exquisite, but they are rich. There are all kinds of meats, and the tables are filled with them. They are used very luxuriously.
As he took his seat, Liu Xin clapped his hands, and several beautiful figures came up to the hall gracefully. They were barefoot, thinly dressed, with magical weapons looming, dancing gracefully to the music playing from behind the curtain.
Liu Chengyou sighed silently in his heart, are you enjoying it now? What kind of scene is it in Tokyo city? Liu Chengyou can't be optimistic at this time.
There are few men who are immune to drinking, sex, and wealth, especially the warriors of this era. Murong Yanchao's eyes were immediately attracted, and his wide eyes almost sucked the dancing beauties into his eyeballs, with a look of salivation on his face like: " Brother Xin, I have been here in White Horse for two days, and you have hidden such a beauty so well."
"Hehe." Liu Xin was a little proud: "These are the provocative tricks that I spent a lot of effort to collect after arriving in Baima. They are good at singing and dancing. If you are interested, I can give you two of them?"
Murong Yanchao was not polite and smiled directly: "Then I'll thank you in advance."
The two of them didn't shy away from Liu Chengyou at all, or they didn't care at all. Liu Chengyou only looked around for a moment and then looked away. Seeing his reaction, Liu Xin was slightly surprised, and then said a little irritably: "Erlang." , you can choose one or two of these beauties and treat them as gifts from me."
This Liu Xin is really a fool, he just wants to give Liu Chengyou a woman.
"No, my nephew does not have this ambition. Besides, how dare he take away the love of his elders?" Liu Chengyou said.
"You are so young, how can you be so boring?" Liu Xin waved his hand and said carelessly: "Don't you have a concubine in your house? Logically speaking, you have experienced the beauty of it. How can one be enough? You have been leading the army for so long. I want to come here. You must have been holding it back for a long time, it’s time to find this delicate and tender person to relieve the fatigue of the battle..."
Liu Xin was talking dirty words, and Murong Yanchao also spoke, saying in an experienced tone: "This woman is wonderful and has endless fun. Erlang, don't go against your uncle's kindness."
After saying this, Liu Xin directly ordered him to stop singing and dancing, and asked several dancers to come closer and let Liu Chengyou choose.
Unable to resist such hospitality, Liu Chengyou once again focused his attention on those dancers. They were not even young, they had good looks and good figures, but they were just good.
Compared to Liu Chengyou's dull reaction, several dancers were slightly excited, with eager eyes, hoping very much that Liu Chengyou would pick them. The conversation between the three of them just now was unrestrained, and of course they listened to it.
Compared to serving a tyrannical warrior like Liu Xin or being given to a dark man like Murong Yanchao, naturally a handsome man like Liu Chengyou is more pleasing to the eye, young, brave, and noble...
It's a pity that Liu Chengyou still disappointed them. He seemed to ignore the pink skull. He picked up a glass of wine on the table and turned to Liu Xin: "My uncle's thoughts are understood by my nephew. It's just that he was exhausted physically and mentally all the way south. Tokyo The public opinion over there, hey... I would like to take this cup as a confession."
After saying that, he drank it all in one gulp. Liu Chengyou looked like he had something to hide. The "smart" Liu Xin reacted immediately, pointed to the south and said: "Are you worried about the public opinion in the court? There is no need to be like this. People who are jealous of others can be jealous." You're just a villain, you are so famous this time that those who claim to be a hero can't sit still!"
Under Liu Zhiyuan, there were originally many factions and constant struggles for power, and the ministers each had their own ideas. It was not obvious before, but once they entered Kaifeng and the overall situation was decided, they could no longer calm down, and competing for credit and favors occurred frequently. It seemed that Liu Xin's clan is also of the same faction, but he thinks very highly of himself. Relying on Liu Zhiyuan's favor, he always looks down on those courtiers and foreign generals.
"Uncle, these words are serious."
"You don't need to pay too much attention." Liu Xin said carelessly: "Isn't it just that I sent some soldiers and horses to Zhao Yanshou to fight the Khitan? It's not a big deal. Da Lang also explained it to the eldest brother. You are the eldest brother's son, so why not It is those outsiders who can distance themselves. Besides, without you, those Yan soldiers could not be captured."
Liu Xin obviously sees the problem very simply. Is the problem really just that Liu Chengyou is good at making opinions and is arrogant and domineering?
For the founder of a country, having a son who is too powerful is not a good thing, especially in today's newly established dynasty. If you look back a little, you can find that Liu Zhiyuan's founding of the country basically just took advantage and gathered troops in Hedong. Wait and see, then march into the Central Plains, take over the country, and that's it.
From beginning to end, I did not experience any tough battles. Originally, Liu Chengyou defeated Geng Chongmei as a battle, then Shi Hongzhao defeated Hanoi, and Guo Congyi went to the Central Plains and entered Kaifeng. If it was just like this, winning the country would not be very convincing and intimidating. However, it was basically carried out under the control of Emperor Liu Zhiyuan, and everything was under his control.
However, in Luancheng, Liu Chengyou suddenly attacked the Khitan army. With eight thousand soldiers against hundreds of thousands, he was defeated, but he still defeated the main force of the Khitan. It was truly shocking, and it naturally had a certain impact on the establishment of the New Han Dynasty. It has a huge positive effect and deters the world. Seeing the return of the states and towns, all the Jiedu in various places have basically put away their overflowing little thoughts and dare not make any changes.
So, here comes the question. How do you look at the Battle of Luancheng? The most dazzling one is only the prince Liu Chengyou. No matter how stupid you are, you will not think that the Battle of Luancheng was carried out by Liu Chengyou under the will of the emperor Liu Zhiyuan.
For Liu Zhiyuan, the more he thought about this situation, the more something was wrong, the more he thought about it, the more disgusting it became, and the more complicated his thoughts became. Which of the founders of the country could be truly magnanimous and open-minded? Liu Zhiyuan is not a good person, but he is magnanimous. It is considered extraordinary, and Liu Chengyou is still his son, so the development of the story will not be too tense...
Liu Chengyou had not thought of this at first, but it was only after Tao Gu's insidious reminder that Liu Chengyou came to his senses. Tao Gu was definitely a talented person when it came to politics. As a result, Liu Chengyou had a clearer understanding of the public opinions in the DPRK. understanding.
Liu Chengyou knew this, but had no intention of explaining it to Liu Xin, and simply dealt with it.
"Don't mention these, just come back. Those people don't dare to be arrogant." Liu Xin picked up the wine glass and poured it into his mouth: "Come, we brothers, let's toast Erlang together."
"I don't dare." Liu Chengyou responded with a cup.
Although he didn't like Liu Xin's extravagance and extravagance, Liu Chengyou was very honest and had good food and drink. There was no need to pretend to be reserved and suffer as much as usual.
Furthermore, you have already rejected your uncle's kindness once. Should you reject it a second time? That would be really disrespectful to your uncle.
While drinking fine wine and chewing big bones, Liu Chengyou was thinking like this: Give Liu Xin face.
