Chapter 1738 The traitor is crowned and prepared to withdraw.
When Liu Fang returned to Xiazhou, he couldn't help but stop on horseback and looked at the refugee camp outside the city. His expression was indifferent, but the confusion in his eyes revealed some real feelings. Pointing to the refugee camp, Liu Fang asked the gate officer: "Outside the city
Refugees seem to be quite sparse?"
Upon hearing this, the city gate official replied with some excitement and some nervousness: "Back to Your Highness, in the past two days, Commander Zhang has arranged for the refugees to resume farming and grazing around the city, so the number of refugees outside the city will naturally decrease!"
Hearing this, Liu Fang nodded and sighed: "Zhang Shijun is indeed a capable person!"
There are rows of wooden cages hanging on the city wall, and the heads of some rebel leaders are placed inside. However, after such a long time, everyone has become accustomed to it.
"Pick off the capitals of those thieves and burn them!" Liu Fang ordered again: "The stench can be heard from far away and is off-putting. I hang my head to show it to others to scare the thieves. Now that the thieves are all gone, who will frighten them? They have all been picked.
!”
"yes!"
After saying that, he galloped his horse and whipped his whip and walked straight into the city. At this time, there were still heavy troops gathered outside the city. The major war had ended long ago and the troops were stationed in the barracks. However, Liu Fang was strict in managing the army and the control was not relaxed at all. The training was as scheduled.
, except for some military competitions, there are almost no other entertainment activities. When entering the city, you can still hear the loud drill sounds coming from the camp.
The population of Xiazhou City is relatively small. As a political, military and economic center, there are many people in the city. When chaos occurs, many rural sages flock to take refuge. Therefore, the population of the city, in addition to officials and troops,
Most of them are celebrities with social status and their servants.
Compared with the refugees outside the city, the residents in the city obviously have a better life. At least the safety in the city is absolutely guaranteed, but the life is also limited. Not all wealthy businessmen and old people have a lot of food at home. When the food is used up, this
My stomach will also be hungry.
However, the government is still more caring and has opened food rations in the city. However, unlike the relief of refugees, they need to use money to buy it. The price is high and the quantity is limited. It’s okay not to buy it. If you want relief food, go out of the city and stay in the refugee camp.
Go, compare the two, naturally choose to lose money and avoid disaster.
For this reason, the Xiazhou government has also gained a fortune from the private sector, and in the past six months, some families have reached the point of being at the end of their rope. On the streets, businesses are closed, vendors have gone out of business, and there are few pedestrians. Even if there are, they all have smiles on their faces.
Dishes.
In fact, those who are full of longing and hope that the chaos will end and the government will lift the ban must belong to these gentry and wise men in the past. If the delay continues, no matter how rich the family wealth is, they will not be able to bear it.
Liu Fang went straight to the camp, which was originally the residence of Wang Qian and was used as the camp site. When he learned that King Zhao had returned and Meng Xuanzhe was presiding over military affairs in the palace, Zhe Yuqing hurriedly greeted him with a smile on his face.
In this Yulin Rebellion, Meng Xuanzhe completely came to the fore. The Battle of Fengzhou was a great achievement. Although he had to be separated from Li Jilong and other generals, it is a fact that he was the commander-in-chief of the unified army. As for Later Shu,
It is really not easy for the prince to do this.
Meng Xuanzhe is over forty years old. He looks relatively prosperous, but he is in good spirits and has a personable demeanor. He also looks relatively restrained, making it easy for people to like him.
Liu Fang looked at the two people and said with a smile: "I heard that the heads of brother Li Jiqian were sent!"
"Exactly!" Zhe Yuqing reported: "The general has already found someone to confirm, and it is correct that he is indeed brother Li Jiqian!"
"Let's go inside and talk!" Liu Fang smiled and extended his hand.
In the hall, two heads that had been cleaned and looked extremely pale were presented in front of Liu Fang. Liu Fang looked at them twice and smiled faintly: "They are just ordinary people. Apart from being younger, there is nothing special about them! "
Zhe Yuqing introduced: "After the Battle of Fengzhou, the rebel army was defeated and fled. Li Jiqian led his troops to escape and fled northwest to escape the pursuit of the army, intending to escape to the desert. However, the weather was harsh and the whole journey was uninhabited and there was no trace of life. Supplies, as a last resort, Li Jiqian led his troops southward and sneaked into Lingzhou!"
"They actually went to Lingzhou!" Liu Fang raised his eyebrows, somewhat surprised: "Who killed them?"
Zhe Yuqing said: "This is Li Jiqian's military advisor Zhang Pu. This man is from Yinzhou and was originally a minor official in Yinzhou. According to what he said, when Li Jiqian first rebelled two years ago, he was kidnapped in order to save his life. , had no choice but to become a thief.
When Li Jiqian went south to Lingzhou, he originally planned to seize the local area, unite with local parties, start another rebellion, and join forces with the Yuan thieves in Yanzhou. However, he never thought that the Yuan thieves would be defeated by Wang Shi before him.
Later, the king's division wiped out the remnant bandits in Lingzhou, resulting in a huge chaos. Li Jiqian led the remnant bandits to mix in, intending to take advantage of the chaos, but they were attacked by the king's division, Fan Bing, and Dang Xiang. They persisted for two months, but not only failed to take advantage of the expansion, but also the stubborn thieves under his command In the chaotic situation, the fight became less and less, and eventually fell apart.
Seeing that there was nothing he could do, Li Jiqian decided to escape from Yulin and go to the outside of the Great Wall, borrowing the power of the Mobei Khitan to make another attempt. However, when preparing to sneak across the Yellow River, the only remaining subordinates were instigated by Zhang Pu to kill Li Jiqian's brothers and take their heads. Surrender to the imperial court.
The commander of Tiandu obtained his head in Lingzhou and sent it to Xiazhou quickly!"
After listening to Zhe Yuqing's report, Liu Fang stared at Li Jiqian's head again and smiled faintly: "This man is trying to cause chaos in Yulin and has caused countless deaths to the people. He should have been destroyed long ago. Your Majesty plans to cut him into pieces with thousands of swords and break his bones." Gray, it will be easier for him to die like this! Pack up this brother’s head and send it to Tokyo as quickly as possible and report it to the court!”
"yes!"
"Your Highness, how should we deal with Zhang Pu?" Zhe Yuqing asked again.
Upon hearing this, Liu Fang thought for a while and asked, "Are those things he said credible?"
Zhe Yuqing shook his head: "The general has investigated and found out that this person was originally a small official in Yinzhou Yamen. He was not promoted for ten years because he offended his superior. I am afraid that he became a thief not out of necessity, but also because he had resentment towards the imperial court.
Compared with those mediocre and ignorant people, these scholars and officials have caused greater harm. As for his remarks that were hijacked by Li Jiqian, they are even more questionable. Therefore, I believe that they need to be severely punished!"
After listening to Zhe Yuqing's words, Liu Fang nodded and said softly: "However, he presented the heads of brother Li Jiqian. No matter what, this is real merit. Like those who surrendered before, he regarded it as beheading. Anyway, it doesn’t seem so hard to accept! As for the literati, in addition to seeking advantages and avoiding disadvantages, they are also more flexible than the common people and know how to make smarter choices that are more beneficial to them!”
"Then your Highness's intention is to let this person go?" Zhe Yuqing frowned and asked.
"Together with the military advisor who captured the Yuan thief, let's send him to Tokyo and hand it over to the imperial court! Let the ministers of the imperial court see how these civil servants from the imperial system are loyal to the emperor, patriotic and serve the imperial court. That person seems to be
My surname is Zhang too!" Liu Fang thought about it for a while and said.
"Yes! Yuan Tie's military advisor, whose surname is Zhang Minghong!" Zhe Yuqing said.
"The two thieves from the northwest have similar origins. I'm afraid they will still be remembered by this name!" Liu Fang said with a little ridicule in his tone: "Even if it is a thief name!"
"That's it!" After saying that, Liu Fang waved his hand and looked at Meng Xuanzhe: "Commander Mengdu, how is the withdrawal plan going?"
After hearing the inquiry, Meng Xuanzhe, who had been silent all this time, immediately took out a report from the hall case and presented it to Liu Fang: "The final draft has been completed by General Mo and General Zhe. I would like to ask Your Highness to review it!"
Liu Fang took it and read it carefully, and soon, he opened his eyebrows and smiled: "It's very good, it's very complete, but it's not strong enough. Half of the first batch should be withdrawn, and all the extra soldiers should be dismissed."
Come back!"
Meng Xuanzhe looked hesitant, but after thinking about it, he still said: "Yes!"
Liu Fang sighed with emotion: "The Yulin Rebellion has basically been put down now. It's time to withdraw the troops, lift the ban, and return to local control! The army has been stationed for a long time. The court has long criticized it and has deep resentment. If it does not reduce the troops and return them, I am afraid that the prince will
Your Highness can’t suppress it anymore!”
With that said, Liu Fang raised the report in his hand and smiled at Meng Xuanzhe: "Mengdu's commanders are good at running the army, allowing them to be civilized and military. Xiangshi had you presiding over the military affairs back then. I'm afraid it won't be easy for the imperial court to pacify Bashu!"
"
As soon as he said this, Meng Xuanzhe, who had always maintained a strict attitude, suddenly changed his temperament. A look of surprise appeared on his face. He clasped his fists hard and said in a deep voice: "Your Highness, what you said is wrong. The imperial court's unification of the world is a majestic trend."
, no one can reverse it, how can a mere Meng Xuanzhe be able to stop it!"
Liu Fang was stunned for a moment. Looking at the serious posture of Meng Xuanzhe, he also put away his smile and returned the greeting: "Commander Mengdu is right about what he said. What I said was inappropriate. Please forgive me!"
It is difficult to surrender a minister, especially if you are Zeng Jin, the prince of Hou Shu. Liu Fang heard that before the Zhen'anbao battle last year, Meng Xuanzhe suggested to be careful to prevent fraud. As a result, Wang Qian took advantage of Meng Xuanzhe.
His identity oppressed him and forced him to fight. He was given 500 men and asked to kill Li Jiqian. However, he was ambushed and killed by Li Jiqian. He almost lost his life.
Although what Liu Fang just said was unintentional, in Meng Xuanzhe's ears, it touched his sensitive area. What's more, if similar words were said by Liu Fang, their nature would be even more serious.
Liu Fang always corrected his mistakes, sympathized with his feelings, and was willing to put down his body and apologize. But hearing what King Zhao said, Meng Xuanzhe felt a little relieved.