He had been waiting under the verandah for more than half an hour, but still had not received the notice of the emperor's summons. His mood could not stop sinking.
Last year, I went to Beijing with other military envoys to celebrate my birthday. When He Fujin died of illness, I originally thought it would be an opportunity to make a leap forward in my official career. I never thought that the result was not only unsatisfactory, but even the military envoy's errand was lost. In the end, he was banned from a light car. He holds the title of Captain and lives in Tokyo.
At that time, because of the damage caused by Tokyo's expansion and the Kaifeng Prefecture, Liu Chengyou instructed Murong Yanchao to set aside a piece of land for him and give him money and food for him to build a new house. Now, the longer you live in a new house, the more time you spend in it. The more tasteless it becomes, the more uneasy it becomes.
After being reminded by his son Li Shoujie, Li Jun reflected on it and understood what the problem was. However, he regretted it. Until now, when he heard the news that the imperial court wanted to go south to Jinghu, he finally couldn't wait any longer.
Finally, after a year of leisurely living, my xinxing has improved significantly, and my energy-raising skills have improved. Although I have to wait for a long time, I can still endure it.
"Li Duwei, His Majesty is back. Please come to the palace to see him!" Finally, the minister came out of the palace to inform him.
To Li Jun, these words were like hearing the voice of a fairy. His sadness was relieved a little, and he politely thanked the deceased, then straightened his clothes and solemnly entered the palace to pay his respects.
The emperor didn't just meet him when he wanted to, but Liu Chengyou didn't treat him deliberately. When he returned to Chongzheng Hall, he took a bath and changed into a dragon robe. The bright yellow clothes and the golden dragons wrapped around him made him look sacred and majestic. It adds a bit of handsomeness. Compared with money, power can improve appearance more.
"Li Qing, long time no see. How comfortable is life in Tokyo?" Liu Chengyou smiled slightly as he watched Li Jun finish the ceremony in a dignified manner.
After hearing the question, Li Jun replied respectfully: "Your Majesty, Tokyo is the most prosperous in the world. Living here, I can feel the magnificence of Kaifeng, the strength of the Han Dynasty, and the wisdom of Your Majesty every day..."
"Okay, this kind of flattery doesn't sound like it comes from your mouth, General Li. You are not used to speaking, and I am not used to hearing it!" After waving his hand, Liu Chengyou looked directly at him with a smile: " Please tell me frankly, why do you think I am doing this?"
Hearing what Liu Chengyou said, the stiff smile on Li Jun's face softened a little, and he cupped his hands and said, "Your Majesty, I have been idle in Beijing for a whole year."
"Oh?" Liu Chengyou simply responded and said, "It seems that Li Qing is thinking about it?"
Hearing this, Li Jun immediately held up his hands and said: "Your Majesty, although Tokyo is leisurely, I have been in the army for thirty years, so I am still used to it in the army. Recently I heard that the imperial court wants to invade Hunan, and troops and horses are mobilized frequently. I hope to serve your Majesty. Go into battle and kill the enemy!"
Liu Chengyou had some expectations about the purpose of his visit, which was not surprising. He observed the expectation on his face and said with a smile: "I am very pleased that you have the ambition to contribute to the country, but after all, you are fifty. How old..."
Hearing that the emperor wanted to refuse and cited his age, Li Jun immediately became anxious and hurriedly expressed his position: "Although I am old, I can still eat enough meat and fight with a sword. I still haven't lost my bow and horse in the palace on weekdays. Still. Please make it happen, Your Majesty!"
In fact, it is indeed untenable to talk about age. Today, among the generals inside and outside the Han Dynasty, there are still many veterans in their fifties and sixties. The generals are getting younger, mainly in the imperial army and important frontier armies.
His scrutinizing gaze fell on Li Jun. To be honest, if Li Jun hadn't taken the initiative to meet him, Liu Chengyou would have almost forgotten about it. Last year, he was very dissatisfied with this man's domineering and conceited attitude, and even deep down in his heart, he had already forgotten it. I have made plans to relegate him to the cold palace forever.
Speaking of Li Jun, he certainly has the talent to lead troops, but for today's Han Dynasty, he is not indispensable. There are many people who can play his role. However, the arrogance in this person's character , Liu Chengyou couldn't stand the arrogance of a warrior in power, especially as the emperor, the longer he was in power, the more unhappy he became.
However, judging from this person's current performance, Li Yunxian has changed. So, should we give him a chance?
Pay attention to the eagerness on Li Jun's face, the look of expectation mixed with sadness, which is still a bit touching when it appears on this half-hundred martial artist.
Liu Chengyou was not a soft-hearted person, but after thinking about it, he decided to give him a chance: "That's all, the general is so sincere, how can I take away your wish!"
After saying that, Liu Chengyou wrote a note, printed it and asked Zhang Dejun to hand it to him, and said: "Go to the Privy Council to see Guo Rong and let him arrange it!"
"Thank you, Your Majesty. I will definitely die in repayment!" Holding the note as light as a feather in both hands, Li Jun bowed down to express his gratitude as if he was in great danger.
With Li Jun's qualifications, as long as he is placed in the Southern Expedition Army, his military position cannot be lowered. No matter how bad he is, he can command an army.
After what happened to Li Jun, Liu Chengyou's attention turned south again, focusing on the Jinghu affairs. Since the news of the death of Cao Yin, the defense envoy of Lizhou, spread northward, in the past two days, the imperial court had The upper and lower departments are fully cooperating to speed up preparations for war.
The Xiaodi Army has already started to march south, and the default commander Murong Yanzhao has already gone south to Xiangyang.
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As the mobilization of troops and horses in the Han Dynasty became more and more urgent, it was no longer even hidden. The clouds of war began to hang over Jinghu Lake. From Jiangling to Liyang, from Wuling to Changsha, even the common people could feel the clouds in the air. of tension.
The storm was about to come, and in this atmosphere, Zhou Xingfeng, who was at the center of the storm, did not take charge of the overall situation in Changsha, but quietly went south to Hengzhou.
Just like the situation detected by the Han court, in order to deal with the pressure from the central court in the north, Zhou Xingfeng was fully prepared during this period and actively responded to it.
Zhou Xingfeng was helpless and aggrieved. Although he had some ambitions to roughly control Hunan, his goal was to be the "King of Wuping", and he considered himself submissive to the Han court. However, the Emperor of the Han Dynasty wanted to flatten the world. , his ideas are destined to run counter to it, and if he wants to stand in the way, he will be removed.
In fact, when they heard that the imperial court intended to seize Hunan, most of the civil and military officials in Hunan were worried. During the first meeting, half of the staff directly suggested to Zhou Xingfeng that he should surrender to the imperial court, relieve his power and go to Beijing in order to protect his wealth and honor. Safety.
However, Zhou Xingfeng has always been a bandit person. He also has a strong temperament and surrendering without a fight is not his personality at all. Furthermore, for him, it was not easy for him to get ahead, eliminate the hostility, and occupy Hunan.
Before two years of peace, the Northern Han Dynasty was so hard-pressed that they wanted to seize his inheritance, so how could they be willing to do so.
On that day, Zhou Xingfeng ordered the arrest of all the dozens of civil and military officials who had surrendered. Later, he became even more angry as he thought about it. It was just a rumor that the Northern Han Dynasty wanted to go south, so his group of people urged them to surrender.
If the Han army really goes south, is it okay?
Therefore, within one night, Zhou Xingfeng ordered all the people to be killed to show his determination to resist the Han Dynasty and to barely "unify" the civil and military thoughts. As for the military and political situation in Hunan, Zhou Xingfeng was as tough as Zhou Xingfeng.
I am afraid to be optimistic.
In fact, Zhou Xingfeng also knew that Hunan had been in chaos for too long and suffered huge losses in population and wealth. As of now, the total population of Hunan does not exceed 90,000 households, and even fewer of them are under his rule.
With a population of 70,000 households, they maintained an army of nearly 30,000 people, which was already a militancy.
In the past two years, Zhou Xingfeng implemented a series of measures in Hunan, such as exempting taxes, reducing military strength, implementing farming, and encouraging reclamation. However, last year's famine wiped out all his efforts.
In order to win people's hearts, he opened a large warehouse in the state to relieve the hungry people and recruit strong men to join the army to survive. People's hearts were gained, but the warehouses were empty. Now, the Northern Han Dynasty's invasion is getting stronger and rumors are spreading in the country, which is not allowed for him to digest at all.
opportunity to reap the fruits of political victory.
It's quite disappointing to think about pitting Hunan in ruins against the powerful Central Plains.
So far, what makes Zhou Xingfeng feel most helpless is the attitude of Jingnan. He sent an envoy to contact him, and the answer he received was ambiguous and hesitant. This made Zhou Xingfeng cursed endlessly.
The truth!
In Zhou Xingfeng's view, if the two parties could unite, there might still be a chance to fight against the Northern Han Dynasty. If the Gao family sat back and watched the success or failure, they would be wiped out together.
However, I don't know whether his envoy was too eloquent or Jingnan was too stupid to be indifferent. This result made Zhou Xingfeng very angry.
However, no matter how difficult it was, Zhou Xingfeng did not intend to sit back and wait for death. This time, Zhou Xingfeng came south to Hengzhou in person, intending to take his first step against the Northern Han Dynasty.