Because Yunzhong suffered a tragic war, not a single house in the city remained, so the Han army was still stationed in the camp outside the city. The Ninghua Army Li Wancao's troops were stationed in the southwest of Beiying.
Li Wancao, who was a general of the Later Jin Dynasty in his early years, served as the commander of Su Rui and was stationed in Luzhou. In the twelfth year of Tianfu (947), Liu Chengyou led his army out of Taiyuan and attacked Luzhou, serving as a vanguard for the Central Plains of Dingding in Hedong.
At that time, Li Wanchao and Wang Shou'en, Gao Fang, surrendered together, allowing Liu Chengyou to easily capture Luzhou, which laid the foundation for later destroying Geng Chong's American troops and marching eastward from Taihang to sweep Hebei. At that time, Li, Wang, and Gao had " Liu Chengyou was the first to call him one of the "Three Heroes of Luzhou".
However, these three heroes, Wang Shou'en, were violently killed not long after because of their greed and domineering. The remaining two, Gao Fang was in charge of Youzhou, and Li Wanchao was the military commander, and they were all highly used.
In fact, the process of the founding of the Han Dynasty was also a process for Liu Chengyou to increase his prestige, accumulate a team, and cultivate party members. During this process, Luzhou provided him with many talents. In addition to Gao Fang and Li Wancao, the martial arts envoy Li Chongju was also in Luzhou Discovered and promoted by Liu Chengyou.
As for Li Wanchao, in the years since the founding of the Han Dynasty, he was not very vigorous. He also participated in several battles with the army, but he did not have great martial arts achievements. He represents the experience of a large part of the veterans of the Han army, which is simple and unpretentious. And Li Wanchao, In each town, the people are stable and the territory is peaceful. This is its role.
And, luckier than most people, Liu Chengyou can still think of him from time to time. This Northern Expedition was probably the most enjoyable battle that Li Wanchao fought in the past ten years, and his achievements were also the most significant in many years. He was the first to break through In the clouds.
After three days of celebrations, the army returned to its previous order, and the entire company and battalion entered a busy state, preparing for withdrawal. This was not the case with Li Wanchao's troops. He was replenishing his troops in order to reach full strength. Because of the war It was too cruel, and the Ninghua Army he led suffered nearly 30% casualties.
"General, the camp has directly replenished us to 5,000 men, thousands of cavalry, and 3,000 horses. This is too generous to our army! The Dingxiang army has been reduced, and the army here has Among them, I'm afraid we are the most powerful!" In the military camp, Li Wanchao led a group of people to inspect the brand-new Ninghua Army, and the troops who followed him said excitedly with a smile on their lips.
"Do you know why this is?" Li Wanchao seemed to be in a good mood and asked in a test-taking tone.
"I don't know the end of the general!" The answer was simple: "Could it be that the general has been sent?"
"Not yet! However, when the Northern Army adjusts, disrupts and reorganizes, our Ninghua Army is the fastest. Although there is no order yet, it can be imagined that it will be useful!" Li Wanchao said.
"Is there still going to be a war?"
"It depends on the emperor and the court!" Li Wanchao said: "Let's go and see the horses again! After so many years, I have never been so rich. Remember, we must strengthen the equestrian training of our soldiers!"
"yes!"
Just as Li Wanchao had predicted, he took the lead in replenishing the Ninghua Army. They were all excellent soldiers and horses, so they were naturally of great use. After meeting Chai and Zhao, the emperor's summons came. Don't dare to neglect, Li Wanchao After packing up, he hurriedly rode towards the imperial camp.
"His Majesty!"
"Old General, please take a seat!" Liu Chengyou was very enthusiastic towards Li Wanchao and asked him to take a seat and poured him water himself.
"Your Majesty, how dare you, the general?"
"Old general, there is no need to be restrained. You and I have been friends for a long time. Our clothes are not as good as new, and our people are not as old as before. There is no need to restrain ourselves from some common courtesy!" Liu Chengyou said with a smile.
Seeing this, Li Wanchao also relaxed a little, met the emperor's gaze, and said humbly: "Who are you, the general? How dare you talk to your majesty about old friendships in order to seek undue favor!"
Obviously, the consciousness of this veteran is still very high, and Liu Chengyou is even more satisfied with this. Looking at him, he asked: "In this Northern Expedition, you and your Ninghua Army fought hard to the end, and they have made great contributions. I am doing this." Think about how to reward me, what are your ideas?"
Hearing this, Li Wanchao couldn't help but murmur in his heart, how could it be his turn to consider rewards based on merit? After thinking about it, he said: "Your Majesty, the imperial court has its own system for awarding merit and merit, and Your Majesty has always talked about merit. Reward without any bias!"
He shook his head and looked at Li Wanchao seriously, as if he was hesitant to speak. Seeing this, Li Wanchao said in a timely manner: "Your Majesty has always been kind to the generals. If you have any mission, you can speak frankly and you will not dare to say goodbye even if you die." !”
"The old general is really a national warrior!" Liu Chengyou touched his palm and expressed his thoughts: "The Northern Expedition was a great victory. The Khitan severely damaged Beidun. Its internal chaos caused its power to shrink northward. For our dynasty, this is actually a good opportunity to advance northward. However, Due to the conditions of the Han Dynasty, it is impossible to launch large-scale troops. Therefore, I intend to send a partial army to expand the land, occupy key passes, and also widen the depth to improve the defense of Shanyang!"
Hearing what Liu Chengyou said, Li Wanchao immediately responded: "Your Majesty wants to use the Ninghua Army?"
Liu Chengyou nodded and admitted.
"Your Majesty's orders are as follows!" Li Wanchao was also very straightforward.
Blinking his eyes, Liu Chengyou became a little more interested and said, "Do you know where I want to go?"
Li Wanchao is also a veteran who is familiar with military affairs. He has been stationed in the north for many years and has some basic understanding of the situation in the north. After thinking about it, he analyzed: "Second General Shi and Guo have been recalled by His Majesty, so they must not be in the north. Watch the surroundings." The situation is that only the Hetao area is a place to be taken lightly!"
"General, are you willing to go?" Liu Chengyou asked.
"But I have a destiny, so I have no choice but to do so!" Li Wanchao said affirmatively.
Liu Chengyou said in a tone of emotion: "I originally thought that the general was already old. He had been guarding the northern border for a long time and kept running around. It was really not easy. Now, when I should have stopped, I still have to attack the general. I really can't bear it. Go west. Hundreds of miles away, it scares the soldiers even more!"
"Your Majesty, there is no need to worry!" Li Wanchao said: "The camp will be replenished with troops and horses. They are all border troops. They are from Hedong. They have rested and reorganized, and their morale has been restored. As for the last general, although he is over fifty years old, he can win your Majesty's support." Thank you for the opportunity to make great achievements, so why talk about hard work?"
The polite words ended here, Liu Chengyou regained his seriousness and began to give Li Wanchao advice: "The geography of the Hetao is so important that I don't need to talk about it. With the current situation of the Liao Kingdom, it is not difficult to obtain it, but how to defend it is not easy. .This is not just a military issue. How to defend against the enemy externally and how to internally secure the various ethnic groups, especially the party members in the south, I hope the general can handle them properly!"
"Your Majesty's teachings will be remembered forever!" Li Wanchao responded.
"Okay!" Liu Chengyou said: "I will issue an order later. I regard you as the commander of the Nine Plains Capital, with a rank of the fourth rank. The goal of the westward advance is not disclosed for the time being, and you will rest in the clouds for a while. After the army has withdrawn, you can go out again!"
"In this way, it can also confuse the Liao army, relax its vigilance, and have the effect of a surprise attack!" Li Wanchao said.
Of course, Liu Chengyou didn't think that much. Instead, he continued: "This time the border army is integrated, and the officers and soldiers who guard the border have been integrated. I have paid Privy Chai directly for the credit, and the same goes for the Ninghua Army. At the same time, I will follow you to the west. All the soldiers who went to Jiuyuan will be given additional rewards, and all the garrison positions in the future will be promoted one more level!
From now on, the imperial court will immigrate to Yunshuo. If their families are willing to migrate, in addition to military merit and land allocation, they will be given an additional ten acres of land! Those who are unwilling to migrate can also be allowed to visit relatives in turn when the situation in Hetao stabilizes!"
Hearing the emperor's assurance, Li Wanchao smiled happily, bowed his hands and said: "If this can be done, why worry about the soldiers not being enthusiastic about it!"
Liu Chengyou sighed: "Soldiers have dedicated themselves to the country. Naturally, I have to be more considerate and considerate, otherwise I will feel uneasy!"
After saying that, he said to Li Wanchao: "It's really unbearable for the old general to live in a remote place in the northern region."
Li Wanchao laughed, looked at Liu Chengyou, and said very seriously: "Your Majesty, I have a request at the end, and I hope you will be kind!"
"Let's talk!"
Li Wanchao said: "Now that I am fifty and five years old, I can guard Jiuyuan for the imperial court for five years, resist the Khitan in the north, and pacify Dangxiang in the south to prevent chaos. In five years, when I am sixty years old, I hope to retire and return home!" "
For some reason, Liu Chengyou suddenly felt moved after hearing what Li Wancao said.