At the end of June, there is only a small tail of summer left. The sun is still releasing its heat vigorously. Along the way, the heat wave is still rolling and the breeze is blowing, but it is not as fierce and vicious as half a month ago.
When the brigade went south and passed through Anyang in Xiangzhou, Liu Chengyou led the entire army to hold another public memorial ceremony to remember the dead people and soldiers. It had been almost three months since the massacre in Anyang, and the smell of blood had long dissipated, but it still lingered in the city walls. There are a lot of traces of war, as if telling endless sorrow. Without a generation, Anyang and even Xiangzhou will not be able to return to their original state.
Under the guard of a group of powerful soldiers, the car drove slowly south. Liu Chengyou's car was not luxurious, it could even be described as simple. It had a clear view, and there were not many shock-absorbing measures. Although the bumps were not particularly severe, they were still unbearable. .
Liu Chengyou was okay, he was young, and he could tolerate it once he got used to it. However, Tao Gu, who was lecturing Liu Chengyou in the car, was a little embarrassed. After all, as people reach middle age, their immunity declines... I can only see that he is suffering. He opened his face, his body swayed as the carriage moved, and he had to maintain a certain sitting posture to maintain his Confucian demeanor, and his voice was a little shaky when he spoke.
Liu Chengyou handed him a soft cushion behind him and said, "Mr. Tao, you don't have to be so restrained. Use this cushion to relax."
"Thank you, Your Highness." Seeing this, Tao Gu immediately thanked him. Instead of holding on and suffering, he took the soft cushion, put it behind his back, and leaned against the carriage. This made him feel much better.
He breathed a comfortable sigh, but seeing Liu Chengyou straightening his body and sitting on the opposite side, he felt a little embarrassed and wanted to return the cushion to Liu Chengyou.
Liu Chengyou raised his hand to stop him, handed him a bag of water to soothe his throat, and said, "Keep talking, I'll listen..."
At this time, Liu Chengyou's image suddenly rose in Tao Gu's eyes.
During the long journey south, when the road was boring, Liu Chengyou liked to ask Tao Gu and Wei Renpu to give him lectures. Today it was Tao Gu's turn. Tao Gu was a man who had a strong memory and a strong knowledge of the classics and history. , being a lecturer is more than enough.
This person is definitely good at maneuvering and is used to flattering people. He secretly figured out Liu Chengyou's preferences and knew that he likes to listen to historical records and biographies, especially recent and contemporary historical figures. So he stopped talking about classics and turned to historical records. Note Seeing that Liu Chengyou was paying attention to Wei Bo's affairs, he told him about Du Chongwei today, and Liu Chengyou was indeed very interested in it.
The first half of Du Chongwei's life can be said to have been smooth sailing. The first half of his life may have been a little dull, but in the Later Jin Dynasty, he was a very popular minister and extremely honorable. He always guarded the army, and when he went out, he was a commander, calming Daozhou, and carrying out conquests. .
With Du Chongwei's despicable appearance, he occupies a powerful position and is even responsible for the danger of the country and the country, just because he is Shi Jingtang's brother-in-law. If you don't have a good background and don't want to work hard, you must seize the opportunity to eat soft rice. live......
Looking at Du Chongwei's resume, we found that there are only two shining points. One was to demote Yanguang in Yecheng, and the other was to kill An Chongrong in Changshan. However, it is questionable how much effort and credit Du Chongwei had in these two incidents. . However, this is Du Chongwei's "qualification for advancement."
For the rest, Du Chongwei did some bad things. He threatened the entire army to surrender at Zhongdu Bridge, and the later Jin Dynasty was destroyed. This will not be discussed in detail. This man also has the common characteristics of the warriors of this era, greed and swindlers.
When An Chongrong was killed, all his family property and Changshan's public money were obtained. He neither rewarded the soldiers nor turned it over to the national treasury, but kept it all for himself. In order to achieve moral integrity, he raked in more money from the people and added taxes and gifts. The officials and people were greatly punished.
Suffering will cause all businesses to wither, and ten rooms to be empty.
After the disaster in Zhenzhou was almost done, and seeing that there was really no money to be made, he petitioned to return to the court, and then transferred to Wei Bo, and the bad governance remained as before.
Yelu Deguang once concluded that he made three mistakes that caused China to gain and lose again. One of them was to borrow money and silk from the people. However, Du Chongwei often did this when he was still in the Jiedu period of the later Jin Dynasty.
The Khitan people used their wealth to enrich themselves and their homes. Perhaps the Khitan people got inspiration from Du Chongwei.
The later Jin Dynasty broke off diplomatic relations with the Khitan, and the Khitan repeatedly invaded the south. The border defense military supplies were insufficient and there was a shortage of food and grass. After hearing that Du Chongwei's death house contained 100,000 dendrobium of grain, the imperial court traded tens of thousands of pieces of silk for the grain and did not treat him badly. However, afterwards he felt that his family property had been "
"I have lost my citizenship." He was quite unhappy.
They were responsible for guarding the city to resist the Khitan invasion, but they only defended Yingcheng and watched the Hu cavalry looting and ruling the people without doing anything. There were often dozens of Hu cavalry driving thousands or ten thousand Han people past the city, but they turned a blind eye and ignored them.
The intention of attack.
The Battle of Yangcheng turned defeat into victory and was a rare victory for the Later Jin Dynasty against the Khitan. Although Du Chongwei was the commander-in-chief, it was Li Shouzhen, Fu Yanqing, Zhang Yanze and other generals who saw the opportunity and rushed forward to attack and retreat the enemy in a bloody battle. There is a saying that although Li Shouzhen was stronger than Du Zhongwei
Not going anywhere, at least in the Battle of Yangcheng, Li Shouzhen was still somewhat bloody. The same goes for Zhang Yanze. Although he later became a leader, he still led the Khitan army to take Kaifeng.
Du Zhongwei, on the other hand, stretched his hips from the beginning to the end. After the victory in the Battle of Yangcheng, there was an opportunity to continue to expand the victory. The generals took advantage of the opportunity to pursue, but were stopped by Du Zhongwei and retreated halfway. In his opinion, the Khitans could defeat
It is already rare to save one's life under the attack of soldiers. How can one dare to pursue it too much...
Tao Gu's narration was quite detailed and lasted for more than half an hour. His mouth felt dry, so he picked up the water bottle again and took two swigs while paying attention to Liu Chengyou's expression.
As for Liu Chengyou's expression, he has no expression at all.
After listening to Tao Gu's introduction, the image of Du Chongwei suddenly became "full" in Liu Chengyou's mind.
"It's true as Xue Huairang said, compared with Du Chongwei, his crimes are 'little in comparison'..."
After sighing with emotion, Liu Chengyou asked Tao Gu: "As the saying goes, people's words make gold, but their bones are destroyed. The poem says that people's words are to be feared. This Du Chongwei behaved like this and suffered all the resentment and curses. How can he not have any sense of shame and awe?"
Putting down the water bag, Tao Gu stroked his beard and chuckled: "Your Highness, I will tell you two short stories..."
"When Du Chongwei was in Zhenzhou, the plagiarism was so intense that many people fled. One day when he was passing through the market, he called the people around him and said: People say that I will drive out all the people, but how can there be so many people in this city?"
"This question does make some sense! Why?" Liu Chengyou said, his tone full of sarcasm and contempt.
"The other story I heard was when I was still in Daliang. After the entire army surrendered and entered Tokyo, the citizens often criticized Du Chongwei every time he went out and left the thoroughfare. However, Du Chongwei just bowed his head and passed by. After that, his expression remained as usual, calm and composed. .....”
"There are many strange people and strange things in the world, but this Du Chongwei is one of the strange ones. He has a very thick skin!" Liu Chengyou said: "Shi Chonggui relies on such people to serve as ministers of the country and provide them with elites to protect the country. How can the country survive?" "
"Your Highness is right!" Tao Gu immediately flattered him: "Du Chongwei's greed and cowardice have reached the extreme level. However, the young emperor still entrusts his confidants with the responsibility. The importance of military and state is really ignorant. The demise of Jin is not God's will." , it’s also man-made, and it’s your own fault.”
Nodding, Liu Chengyou asked again: "You just said that Feng Dao and Li Song jointly recommended Du Chongwei as the commander. This man despises him so much. Why do these two men strongly recommend his ability? It is intriguing."
Upon hearing the question, Tao Gu rolled his eyes and opened his mouth, but then changed his words temporarily and said: "You two husbands have their own ideas, but they are something that the lower officials can explore. Maybe there are other considerations?"
"When we get to Kaifeng, I will ask the second master about this matter." Liu Chengyou said a little casually.
Feng Dao and Li Sungna, who were captured by Liu Chengyou from the Khitans, had already gone south to Tokyo with Liu Chengxun, hoping to meet the new emperor of the Han Dynasty.
"I have benefited a lot from listening to Sir's explanation. Thank you for your hard work, Sir, please go down and rest." Seeing that the sun was setting in the west, Liu Chengyou ordered Tao Gu.
"I'm resigning," Tao Gu responded promptly.
When the car stopped, Liu Chengyou yawned and lay down on his side, looking at Tao Gu who was getting out of the car. But the report he received that day came to mind. When he ransacked Xue Huairang's house, Tao Gu's hands and feet were a little unclean. Liu Chengyou knew about this but didn't ask, he just kept it in his heart.
Holding his head, Liu Chengyou continued to think about Du Chongwei. Sometimes, some things are indeed difficult to understand. A person as notorious and untalented as Du Chongwei can be the ambassador and prime minister and in charge of the three armies. But carefully Thinking about it, it's not completely incomprehensible. After all, they are relatives of the emperor. Maybe Jin Ting is the taller one among the short ones?
When he was inspecting Zhending, Liu Chengyou also heard a rumor. It was said that the Jin Emperor went northward in dust and had a miserable journey. When he passed the Zhongdu Bridge, his eyes were filled with tears and he cursed Du Chongwei. But it was also somewhat ironic.
Now that I think about it, even if a man like Du Chongwei controls Weibo and has tens of thousands of troops, even if he has millions, what is there to fear? They are nothing more than withered bones in the grave.
I bumped my elbow and it hurt a little, so I simply put it down. Feeling sleepy, I told Li Chongju, the escort, to take a nap.
When Liu Chengyou woke up, it was already dark, and the army was still driving south, but at a very slow speed. The sound of wheels and footsteps could be heard in his ears, accompanied by the sound of insects coming from the field on one side. After opening the curtain, Liu Chengyou looked out and saw the hazy dusk around him, and asked, "Where are you?"
Hearing the sound, Li Chongju quickly rode his horse forward and reported: "Your Highness, we have arrived at Liyang. The commander has been ordered to go to the ferry to set up camp first, just waiting for the Chinese army to move in."
"Yes!" Liu Chengyou responded. With such capable subordinates, he can indeed have a lot less to worry about.
At night, the weather was much cooler, and the wind was blowing, making it very comfortable. Two candle lamps were lit in the car, and the flames flickered, reflecting Liu Chengyou's figure, so he read at night.
By the time we arrived at Liyang Village, it was already completely dark, but Guo Rong and Xiang Xun had already arranged the camp properly and could "check in" with our bags. When we got off the car, we could see that the camp was busy in an orderly manner. , each battalion entered the camp in an orderly manner under Xiang Xun's arrangement.
Dinner was already prepared. In addition to the Huotou Army of the army, Liyang County Magistrate also recruited some cooks and women to help. Liu Chengyou briefly met with Li Yangling and learned from his mouth that Ma Quanyi and Sun Li's material transport ship The team has come south from Yongji Canal, entered the river, and headed for Kaifeng. It has been more than three days and it is estimated that they have reached their destination.
In terms of time, it is not much faster than Liu Chengyou. After all, it requires a detour. Water transportation in the north is not as developed as in the south. The rivers and canals have not been dredged for a long time. It is also necessary to be prepared for any unexpected situations on the road. It is difficult to go faster. However, , which saves a lot of manpower.
Hearing that it had passed Liyang, Liu Chengyou also breathed a sigh of relief. After passing this point, it had reached the point covered by the central strength, and it was basically impossible for any more "accidents" to happen.
After a simple meal, Liu Chengyou called Guo Rong and Wei Renpu and asked them to accompany them to Liyangdu for a visit.
Liyang Ferry is right at your feet. This important canal hub on the riverside is not small in size, but a little deserted. However, as the Central Plains is settled, the place has become a little more lively. There are some civilian ships docked next to the ferry. , there are some inns for lodging on the shore. There are always people there, but when the army comes, they are very low-key and honest.
Walking on the tidal flat, it was dark in the distance of the canal. Only the lights on the table were reflected in the near distance. The light was very weak, but the sound of flowing water was very clear.
"Your Highness, ten miles to the southwest from the ferry, there is the branch of the river." Wei Renpu followed him and introduced him: "When the Lord of Liao returned to the north, he crossed here. The Hu people did not know how to use boats and came across by force. Many people drowned..."
"I heard something." Liu Chengyou said.
Guo Rong, who was standing by, also pointed in a direction and said: "From here, go northeast, directly to the main section of Yongji Canal, to the north to the Haihe River, and by taking the waterway, you can reach Zhuozhou as far north as possible. Since the Sui and Tang Dynasties, the country has sent troops northward. This is the way to transport money, food and weapons."
"It's just that over the years, there have been frequent wars and turmoil, but the country is not prosperous, the money is empty, and no one has the financial and material resources to dredge it. As a result, the rivers and canals are silted up, the water transportation is not smooth, and the transportation capacity is greatly reduced." Wei Renpu added.
Hearing this, Liu Chengyou said: "You are reminding me that I need to improve the river channels in the future."
Wei Renpu chuckled and said: "But we can't rush it for a while. Only when the country is stable, people's livelihood is restored, and the national treasury is full can we measure the time and act within our capabilities."
"That's natural. River control is a luxury project." Liu Chengyou nodded.
Looking up at Liyangdu under the night sky, he felt a little lost. After a short silence, Liu Chengyou sighed: "I don't know when I will be able to see hundreds of teams competing for the water and thousands of sails racing from here."
"As long as the country is peaceful, there will naturally be..." Guo Rong said.
The conditions don't seem difficult, but it's not that easy to do it.
"The south side of Henan is Huazhou, right?" Liu Chengyou asked suddenly, looking to the south.
Wei Renpu replied: "Yes, it belongs to the same Yicheng Army as Weizhou and defends Tokyo."
"According to the map, when we get here, it's not far from Tokyo!"
"The distance of more than two hundred miles, if there is no delay, can be reached in two days after crossing the river. It will be faster if we take the waterway!" Wei Renpu explained.
After hearing this, Liu Chengyou pondered for a while, and then gave instructions: "Cross the river early tomorrow morning and take the land route. Send someone across the river to inform Huazhou and let the other side prepare for the response!"