Zhang Zhao has sworn to leave seclusion, but Yelu Deguang in Tokyo has not yet received the exact news.
The reason why the news is not definite is because Liu Zhiyuan does not know exactly when Zhang Zhao will send troops, but they only estimate that it will be in July or August.
Guanzhong is a beautiful place. This is no joke. As long as Hangu Pass, Wuguan, Tongguan and Fenglingdu are closed, it will really feel like being isolated from the world.
In addition, Zhang Zhao also controlled Yanzhou, which made it easier to block news.
Yelu Deguang frowned. Although he waited until Liu Zhiyuan sent someone to meet him, Brother Guang still felt very uncomfortable.
Because Wang Jun, sent by Liu Zhiyuan, never said a word of surrender from the beginning to the end, and even hinted that after Yelu Deguang entered the Central Plains, he did not reward the Hedong soldiers in time.
What was Liu Zhiyuan thinking? The more Yelu Deguang thought about it, the angrier he became.
It's good that I didn't hold you responsible for killing our Daliao army twice. But you still dare to ask for a reward and give me a reward? What's going on? I'll give you half of the grass and grain harvested?
Thinking of this, Yelu Deguang refused to give Liu Zhiyuan the cane that he originally planned to give. In the Liao Kingdom, it symbolized Shang Fang's sword.
Originally, Brother Guang was prepared to recognize Liu Zhiyuan as his old son if he knew what he was interested in. But now, hum!
However, during these days of neglecting Wang Jun, the evil consequences of Yelu Deguang's indulgence in allowing the Khitan people to thresh grass and grain in the Central Plains began to appear.
First, Liang Hui, the bandit commander of Chanzhou, and others attacked and killed the Khitan army and horses. This man had hundreds of elite cavalry, all of them were Jin cavalry who escaped from the army after Du Chongwei surrendered.
They were familiar with the geography and were not afraid of the Khitan cavalry. Together with the protection of the people from all over the country, they immediately gave the Khitans a huge headache and even began to threaten the pontoon bridge at Baimajin.
Immediately afterwards, in Bozhou and Chenzhou, which lost the restraint of the Jiedu envoys and were plowed by the Khitan people, there began to be uprising by soldiers from the later Jin Dynasty.
They occupied the Bozhou area and even gathered thousands of people to besiege Songzhou. If there were not more than a thousand Khitan soldiers in the city, the people of Songzhou would have followed suit.
Within a few days, Huchile, the military governor of Wuning Army in Xuzhou who had decided to defect to the Southern Tang Dynasty, began to send cavalry to harass Shanzhou and Caozhou areas, and allocated money and food to support the rebels in Bozhou area.
This still has a relatively large impact. As for the rural solidarity athletes and the rebels organized by low-level military academies in various places, there are even more numerous.
The Khitan people used to be able to plunder everywhere with more than ten horsemen, but they began to have no more than fifty horsemen, and they did not dare to go to the countryside at all.
Yelu Deguang was reluctant to part with the harvest brought by threshing grass and grain, but also wanted to quell the fire of resistance among the people. He actually summoned Feng Dao hypocritically and asked Feng Dao: "How can the people of the world be saved?"
This was so shameless that even Feng Dao felt like vomiting. This roly-poly man who had been in power for decades couldn't help but sarcastically say something.
"At this time, the common people cannot be saved even if the Buddha is alive. As long as you can save the emperor, you can save them."
Yelu Deguang remained silent after hearing this, so he never asked Feng Dao about national affairs again. Feng Dao was so happy that he ran back and continued to be a roly-poly who kept his ears to the outside.
However, things got worse and worse after that. By the end of October, even the Han officials of the Liao Dynasty, such as Zhang Li and Zhao Yanshou, could no longer stand it and came out one after another to remonstrate. Yelu Deguang then decided to restrain the troops.
Zhao Yanshou took the opportunity to make a suggestion and asked Yelu Deguang to release the Jiedu in each town who were under virtual house arrest, and let them return to their base to appease the soldiers and eliminate the thieves.
Yelu Deguang also felt that this was reasonable and began to prepare to release the military governors from various towns. However, before doing so, he first planned to arrange the Khitan soldiers and generals along the Yellow River to prepare for Zhang Zhao's eastward advance.
Zhao Kuangzan was standing behind Zhao Yanshou. Yelu Deguang still liked him very much, the young and promising son of King Yan who inherited his father's handsome appearance.
At this moment, Zhao Kuangzan suddenly realized that this was an excellent opportunity. He raised his hand, stood up from the crowd of Han ministers, and said to Yelv Deguang.
"If we want to block the eastward advance of the Liang army, the most suitable places are the Jiedushi of the National Protectorate Army in Hezhong, the Jiedushi of the Baoyi Army in Shaanzhou, and the Jiedushi of the Three Towns of Heyang near Luoyang from the river to the east.
In addition, the National Protectorate Army in the river was used to control the territory and control the river. There were dangers in the mountains and rivers, making it a battleground for military strategists.
Although I am young, before returning to the Kingdom of China, I served as a military envoy in the nearby Huazhou. Some of the soldiers under my command are from Hezhong. Because I am familiar with the geographical location in the river, I am willing to stand firm for Your Majesty and wait for the heavenly troops."
Zhao Yanshou frowned, feeling that something was not right, because he knew very well what Zhao Kuangzan's attitude towards the Khitan was in private. How could he take the initiative to ask to serve the Khitan?
"You're still young, how dare you talk about military and state affairs in front of His Majesty and still not stand down!"
Zhao Yanshou scolded Zhao Kuangzan with a straight face, and waved his hand to tell him to leave quickly.
But Yelv Deguang laughed and said, "Newborn calves are not afraid of tigers. Since they have the desire to repay, they should be rewarded! Tell me how to defend against the Liang army if they get into the river!"
Zhao Kuangzan ignored the reproachful look in his father Zhao Yanshou's eyes, looked at Yelu Deguang's chest and replied.
"The city in the river is adjacent to the river, with complete battlements. The Pujin Ferry pontoon bridge connects the north and the south, and the Pujin Pass Water City protects it.
After the ministers arrived, they selected warriors, tied iron ropes across the river, and built forts along the river to hold on. Only the danger of the mountains and rivers could block the Liang army.
By the time His Majesty's army arrives, Liang's army has become exhausted and exhausted, so how difficult is it to defeat it?"
Yelu Deguang was even more appreciative after hearing this. Zhang Li, a Han minister of the Liao Kingdom who had been the secretary in charge of Zhao Kuangzan's grandfather, also nodded in agreement and gave Yelu Deguang some advice.
"General Jinwu is guarding the Huazhou area across the river. He is familiar with the geography and people. If he can assist the left with 2,000 soldiers from the Zhang army, he will be able to guard Pujin Pass and block the Liang army to the west."
The Zhangguo Army is the Han army trained by the Han Derang family for Yelu Deguang. Different from the Ya soldiers like the Zhao family's Lulong Army, the soldiers of the Zhangguo Army were trained in the Liao Kingdom. Their children were all in the Liao Kingdom, and there are still a certain number of them.
For Xi people, loyalty is no problem.
Yelu Deguang nodded when he heard this, and immediately felt that it was indeed a good idea to let Zhao Kuangzan guard the river.
"Zhang Lian, the infantry commander of the national army, led 2,000 people to accompany Zhao Jinwu to guard Hezhong Mansion."
Although Zhao Yanshou felt a little bad in his heart, Zhao Kuangzan was his son after all, and it was impossible for him to tell Yelu Deguang that his son was unreliable.
They can only choose to continue to say that Zhao Kuangzan is still young and lacks ability to take charge of his own affairs. This way, if anything happens in the future, he, Zhao Yanshou, can be cleared of suspicion.
Yelu Deguang never imagined that Zhao Kuangzan and his father Zhao Yanshou were not of the same mind.
Moreover, Zhao Kuangzan is already twenty-two years old, so it cannot be said that he is still young.
He just thought that Zhao Yanshou did not want Zhao Kuangzan to take risks, so he remained unmoved and let Zhao Kuangzan go to the river.
That night, Zhao Kuangzan got Yelu Deguang's permission, and immediately paid for it himself, invited Zhang Lian, commander of Zhang Guojun, and other military schools to have a banquet, and also gave Zhang Guojun a bolt of silk as a reward.
Under these stimuli, the entire army left Tokyo at an extremely fast speed on the second day and headed towards the river.
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Hezhong Prefecture was Puzhou Town, Yongji County, Yuncheng City, Shanxi Province in later generations. This city was unknown in later generations, and even Yuncheng City did not have much sense of existence.
But in ancient times, especially in the Tang Dynasty when bridge technology was still immature, Hezhong Prefecture had a very high status along the Yellow River.
Along the Yellow River, its status was only lower than Luoyang in the Tang Dynasty. For a while, it was almost the same as the central capital of the Tang Dynasty. Now, its status is only slightly lower than Luoyang and Kaifeng.
Zhao Kuangzan brought 500 people with him. A small number of them were unwilling to continue serving the Khitan people as Lulong Army Ya soldiers, but most of them were old people he had brought to the Khitan.
Zhang Lian, the commander of the Zhangguo Army, was a tall and thin man. He was kidnapped by the Khitan people and taken to the grasslands when he was only a few years old. Most of the soldiers of the Zhangguo Army had this experience.
Because the Khitan's southern invasion did not start during the Shi Jingtang period, but the frequent harassment began as early as the Zhuangzong period of the Later Tang Dynasty.
Over the past twenty or thirty years, it is difficult to tell whether Han people like Zhang Lian, who were kidnapped when they were young, are Han people or Khitan people. Among them, there are even families like Geng Chongmei, Cui Yanxun, and Yutian Han family.
Puzhou City in Hezhong Prefecture is located on the east bank of the Yellow River. To the northwest is the Pujin Bridge, the largest floating bridge on the Yellow River. Looking to the west, the Stork Tower and Puzhou City face each other in the distance.
The city is adjacent to the river and backed by a mountain. It is paved with bluestone and built with rammed earth. The city is more than six meters high and more than one meter wide. The city can be passed by mules and horses, and its circumference is more than ten miles.
There is a water city military stronghold built along the river outside the city, which can support each other with the main city. There are no tall trees for five miles outside the city, and the view is extremely wide.
When Zhang Lian and Zhao Kuangzan rushed to the foot of Puzhou City, they couldn't help but take a breath of cold air. If such a powerful city were to be attacked forcefully, they would not be able to capture the outer city for three to five months.
The military governor of Hezhong was originally Hou Yi, who was also an old man from Daibei and came from the military academy of Li Keyong.
In the past, Zhuangzong rebelled against their relatives and were trapped in Luoyang. After Hou Yi heard about it, he left Li Siyuan's team overnight, went through hardships and dangers alone, and resolutely returned to Li Cunxu. He was one of the Thirteen Loyalists of the Xingjiao Sect.
It's a pity that Hou Yi, who was loyal, honest and brave in his youth, became a coward when he got old, only seeking wealth and honor, and no longer had the quiet and heroic aura he had in his youth.
He colluded with Meng Shu to seek wealth and honor. After Yelu Deguang entered Tokyo, Hou Yi took his eldest son to Tokyo to meet him in person.
He also told Yelu Deguang that he had never participated in the battle against the Liao Kingdom, and his words were very respectful. Therefore, Yelu Deguang specially summoned Hou Yi and exempted him from paying tribute to Hou Yi.
Perhaps, after Li Cunxu died and established the sect, Hou Yi, who was loyal, brave and righteous, and returned from thousands of miles alone, was already dead!
Hou Yi went to Kaifeng Prefecture in Tokyo to pay his respects, and Puzhou City was temporarily controlled by his son Hou Renbao, who was left behind by the soldiers and horses to protect the country.
Seeing Zhao Kuangzan arriving with 2,500 people, Hou Renbao quickly welcomed them into the city.
After Zhao Kuangzan took Zhang Lian and Hou Renbao around for a tour, he quietly pulled Zhang Lian aside.
"Puzhou City is divided into two cities, flood and drought. From the Liang Kingdom to the west, if you want to go straight to Tokyo, you must rely on the benefits of water transportation on the river.
People from the Jin Dynasty who have stayed behind may not be trustworthy. For safety reasons, it is better for you and me to each occupy a stronghold."
Zhang Lian nodded, but he was a little embarrassed. It was said that he was sent by Yelu Deguang to assist Zhao Kuangzan. Zhao Kuangzan should be allowed to guard Puzhou City while he guarded Shuicheng.
However, Zhang Lian and his men were all from the north. They were kidnapped on the desert grasslands when they were young. They were complete landlubbers. If he was asked to defend the water city, he would be a little powerless.
Zhao Kuangzan saw Zhang Lian's embarrassment and said nonchalantly: "Commander, why should we be in embarrassment? We are all serving His Majesty, and we should not distinguish between host and guest.
Please ask the commander to send five hundred troops to me. You can watch Hou Renbao guard Puzhou City while I go to Shuicheng."
Zhang Lian had an embarrassed expression on his face and cupped his hands in gratitude.
"Zhao Jinwu is kind and righteous. This family is indeed not used to water warfare, so I would like to thank you here."
Zhao Kuangzan took the opportunity to say: "But in the past few days, I still have to trouble Commander Zhang to guard Shuicheng.
More than a hundred of the soldiers and generals under a certain command are natives of Hezhong. They have not returned home for several years. Recently, people's hearts have been unstable. I have to go to comfort them in person, and I have to arrange for someone to take over their family papers."
Zhang Lian nodded, with a smile of understanding on his face. Zhao Kuangzan's request seemed reasonable and reasonable.
If they all arrive at Hezhong Mansion and Ya Bing is not allowed to meet his family, there may be big problems.
"Zhao Jinwu can go, even if the water quality of a certain house is not good, but it will be fine for five or ten days."
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As the grandson of Zhao Dejun, King of Peking, and the nephew of Li Siyuan, Emperor Mingzong of the Later Tang Dynasty, he grew up in the Luoyang Palace and had always had extensive connections with the three generations of Quan.
Although Zhao Kuangzan and Hou Renbao are eight years apart, their friendship has always been good.
Therefore, Zhao Kuangzan had a pretty clear idea of Hou Renbao's character.
Hou Renbao's ability can only be said to be average. He is a descendant of a family of qualified military generals. He is neither outstanding nor bad. He has a somewhat impulsive personality, but he can still distinguish right from wrong.
Along the way from Tokyo, since Zhang Lian and others were nearby, it was inconvenient for Zhao Kuangzan to send a messenger to contact his father-in-law Zhang Zhao.
After arriving in Puzhou City and finally expelling Zhang Lian, Zhao Kuangzan sent someone to report the news and went straight to visit Hou Renbao.
The importance of Puzhou in the middle of the river is actually more important than what Zhao Kuangzan described to Yelu Deguang.
Since the pre-Qin Dynasty, the forces in Guanzhong have sent troops to the Central Plains, and Puzhou is one of the most important places.
Especially now, the area along the river has been hit by floods, droughts, locusts and man-made disasters. Almost all residents have fled and it is difficult to obtain supplies.
Then relying on the Yellow River water transport to transport grain, grass and baggage became almost the only option.
If Zhang Zhao occupied the middle of the river, he could use it as a logistics base and go down the river to defeat the Liao army violently.
If there was no Hezhong, Zhang Zhao would have to be blocked west of Puzhou and forcefully occupy this extremely dangerous Yellow River fortress.
Therefore, Zhao Kuangzan's original plan was not to go directly to Guanzhong to seek refuge, but to capture Hezhong and offer it to Zhang Zhao.
Hou Renbao had very complicated feelings about Zhao Kuangzan because the Zhao family had a deep entanglement with the Khitan people.
As a member of Daibei Wuxun, Daibei Wuxun did not have a very good feeling towards the Khitan people since Yelu Abaoji betrayed his trust and violated the agreement with Li Keyong.
Zhao Kuangzan saw Hou Renbao's constipated expression, smiled and walked directly to the Hou family's inner house without saying anything.
"Where is the sister of the Wu family? Is she in good health? Didn't she say that she would marry her to a certain person in the past? Where is the young daughter of the Wu family?"
When Hou Renbao heard this, his face suddenly darkened, "Your sister from the Wu family has already left at the beginning of the year. Together with my young mother, a flash flood occurred in my hometown, which destroyed other businesses and left no trace of her body."
Zhao Kuangzan looked shocked and didn't say anything for a long time. He looked at Hou Renbao with tears shining in his eyes.
"Where is the unknown sister? Let me offer you a stick of incense. In the past, in Tokyo, a certain greedy girl did not miss the food served by my sister. At that time, I was gentle and elegant, with the air of a big woman. I didn't expect this to happen. Such a bad luck happened."
In the sad atmosphere, the relationship between the two suddenly became closer, as if they had returned to the days when they were fooling around together.
In the back house of the Hou family, Zhao Kuangzan solemnly and sadly offered a stick of incense to Hou Renbao's wife Wu, then a hesitant look appeared on his face, and then he sighed again, looked at Hou Renbao and said.
"So that my brother will know that I actually have an ulterior motive for coming here this time. I wanted to hide it from my brother, but in front of my sister's soul, I really can't bear to say any nonsense."
Hou Renbao stared at Zhao Kuangzan for a long time, and then said dryly: "If you come to persuade Brother Yu to defect to the Khitan Liao Kingdom, there is no need to say more.
My father has already gone to Tokyo Prefecture, why is the Khitan Master still worried?
Do you really need the entire Hou family to be put under house arrest in Tokyo to feel at ease?"
Zhao Kuangzan felt happy when he saw that Hou Renbao didn't seem to be faking it, and then he pretended to be a little angry.
"Brother, who do you think Zhao Mei is? Although my surname is Zhao, I still have the blood of His Majesty the Ming Temple of the later dynasty in my body. How can Tianhuang Guiwei bend his knees to a barbarian?"
Hou Renbao was a little unsure about Zhao Kuangzan's approach. He hesitated and said: "Don't blame me, sir. If you are not here to persuade someone to go to Tokyo, what else can you do?
You’re not here to ask your brother to raise an army to resist with just these three thousand soldiers, are you?”
Zhao Kuangzan glanced at Hou Renbao with a half-smile, "In front of my sister's soul, brother, why do you need to ask me? Don't you really know that Guanzhong has changed?"
Hou Renbao's face became extremely solemn. He walked out of the door suddenly and drove the guards at the door out of the courtyard. Although he just came back and looked at Zhao Kuangzan and said.
"Since it was Dalang who asked about it, I can honestly say that His Highness Prince Zhang did send someone to look for XX, but XX's father is still in Tokyo and he doesn't know what Prince Zhang's ambitions are, so he never said anything."
Zhao Kuangzan took a deep breath, looked at Hou Renbao and said: "I met King Zhang once at the foot of Mawei slope in the past, and I also know King Zhang well.
His adopted son, Duke Xin, was the fifteenth uncle of a certain person, and King Zhang also had a daughter. Although she was not a bloodline, she regarded her as the eldest daughter and was favored by him, so he was allowed to marry her. Therefore, King Zhang was actually a certain person.
Heaven's law reincarnates, and the king's energy circulates. The king's energy of my Hedong warrior has been completely damaged by the Shi family's betrayal of the country and pursuit of glory.
The people east of the river are getting poorer, so the king of the west of the river will come out.
A certain Taishan man was a man of great talent and strategy, and he was also a benevolent and righteous man. He had a hundred thousand lions under his command, and the Xiliang cavalry were extremely brave.
Yao Gu, the Lord of the Liao Dynasty, made three expeditions to the Central Plains, first defeating Qicheng and then Yangcheng. When Hebei was in panic, he only had to carry a camel to survive.
If it weren't for Du Chongwei, how could Li Shouzhen and his generation have shamelessly bowed their knees and entered the Central Plains?
After that, he let the barbarian cavalry go everywhere to clear grass and valleys, provoking heroes from all over the place.
He was also put under house arrest and went to court to see all the commanders of the town. How could he be compared with King Zhang?
Wouldn't it be wonderful if my brother could take advantage of the natural dangers in the river and seek refuge in the Liang Kingdom? He could not only save the people of the world and accumulate virtue for his descendants, but also be a high-ranking official with generous salaries and blessings for his descendants."
Hou Renbao's eyes widened. He did not expect that Zhao Kuangzan would become the son-in-law of King Zhang of Hexi.
Why was he not interested in the envoys from the Liang Kingdom? It was because the Liang Kingdom did not have a place for Hou Renbao.
If he couldn't get any reuse even after he dedicated the city, then why should he take the risk?
Besides, his father's eldest brother is still in Tokyo. If he sacrifices the city, will his father and brother still be alive?
But now Zhao Kuang approves of King Zhang's son-in-law, and with this relationship, he offers it to Hezhong. It is said that there are people in the court who are good at becoming officials. How can a person escape from the merits of Long Dingding?
"It's a pity that my brother is still in Tokyo. If someone sacrifices the city and kills his loved ones, wouldn't he become an unfilial and rebellious son?"
Hou Renbao thought for a long time and still hesitated.
"Brother, don't you understand that loyalty and filial piety are hard to have both ways? Offering sacrifices to King Zhang in the river and expelling the northern captives is a great loyalty. And being able to save the people who were ravaged by the Khitans is a great benevolence.
If all the heroes in the world are trapped by the word filial piety, then who will be loyal to the country?
I think Uncle Hou can understand, besides, the Khitan Lord may not kill them."
After saying that, Zhao Kuangzan showed a strange look on his face, and he whispered to Hou Renbao in a complicated voice: "Sir, a certain person is also in Tokyo."
Hou Renbao was stunned and suddenly remembered, yes! Zhao Kuangzan's father, Zhao Yanshou, was also in Tokyo, wasn't he?
The two looked at each other again, and suddenly found that 'filial piety' shone in each other's eyes.
this......!
Since everyone is a filial son, it will be fine!
This chapter has been completed!