Yandu City was not far from Bencheng. When the army arrived outside the city at dusk the next day, they saw Xue Wanche waiting with his generals, and the banner of the King of Han had been replaced at the top of the city.
Qin Huaidao reined in his horse and stopped, looking at the city in the distance, which was about the same size as Biancheng. It also had earthen walls. The city gates had exploded and a large part of the wall had collapsed.
"Uncle, there is someone!" Luo Wu suddenly whispered and pointed to both sides.
Qin Huaidao turned around and saw someone reining up his horse and watching in the open wilderness. The distance was too far to see clearly. When he saw Xue Wanche approaching, he said, "Thank you for your hard work, General Xue!"
"You should not praise the King of Han for what you have done. All the defenders in the city have been wiped out. There are no prisoners left. The people are ordered to stay at home. Brothers are patrolling. The warehouses have also been sealed. Please invite the King of Han to come into the city for inspection." Xue Wanche said with a smile, his eyes filled with joy.
It's a joy, the victory in capturing the city is no small feat.
"Forget it when you enter the city. You have to stay for one night and then leave. There is no need to go through troubles. Liu Renshi, take people in and take over the warehouse. Leave a certain amount of food and supplies for the garrison. Bring the rest with you and handle it according to the old rules." Qin Huaidao warned.
.
"Follow the order!" Liu Renshi solemnly agreed and hurried to make arrangements.
"Who are those people?" Qin Huaidao looked to both sides.
Xue Wanche also looked over and explained: "They are tribes living nearby. They may know that the city has been breached and are afraid. They come to check the situation. I will ask someone at the end. There are three medium-sized tribes living within a hundred miles. Each medium-sized tribe
The tribe divided into more than three small tribes, with a total number of about 100,000, but the young and strong were recruited by the Turkic Golden Horde and sent to Suiye."
"It's a bit interesting for the Kingdom to send troops when the Turks are fighting." Qin Huaidao sneered. If it were in the past, he would definitely arrange for people to plunder, but after taking it, it is his own. He needs long-term peace and stability, so he can't use the knife, so he warned: "Hebencheng
Same thing, send one division to stay, let the others take a good rest, and continue heading north tomorrow morning."
"Understood." Xue Wanche agreed wholeheartedly.
After signaling Xue Wanche to leave, Qin Huaidao asked the army to camp and settle on the spot without entering the city.
The guard group skillfully set up the central army tent, and Luo Wu hurried over happily, saying in a low voice: "Uncle, I checked the warehouse and found that there are 10,000 jars of oil. General Xue Wanche said that it is better to follow the strategy taught by the King of Han.
We attacked as soon as we came up, caught them off guard, suppressed the city head and then blew open the city gate to get in. If it were at night, so much oil would fall down and there would be another fire, the damage would be huge."
"Ten thousand jars? That's great, you must keep it." Qin Huaidao warned.
Luo Wu nodded solemnly. He had seen its power in the last battle at Bolese River City, and added: "There are also some iron materials and captured weapons that have been recruited from the city's blacksmiths to make crossbow arrows. The blacksmiths from our baggage troops also went up to help.
One night is enough, don’t worry.”
"Go and keep an eye on it!" Qin Huaidao waved his hand, took out the map and began to think about it. His eyes gradually fell on the location of Yue Gong City, hoping that he could make it in time.
…
Almost at the same time, Manlu Hall.
Li Tai was also staring at the map and thinking. Most of the northern grassland had been taken by Xue Wanshu, and the other side was also occupied by a man named Su Dingfang. Li Tai specially asked someone to check it and learned that Su Dingfang was just a general of the Imperial Army.
He is inconspicuous, but after following Qin Huaidao, he actually led an army alone and made great contributions.
Su Dingfang can do it, and other generals in the Forbidden Army can definitely do it too.
This successful case surprised Li Tai, and he specially promoted a large number of generals. As for the children of the aristocratic families who supported him, they were promoted to three levels in a row. The most important thing in the court at the moment was official positions.
After some operations, the court was stabilized, and Li Tai began to think about establishing his authority. As long as he won a battle and regained some lost territory, his position as emperor would be as stable as a rock.
Gradually, Li Tai set his sights on Qinzhou in the west. This city was too close to Chang'an, and it was like a stuck in his throat. He had trouble sleeping and eating, so he had to pull it out. As for the northern grassland, it was too far away and the time was not yet ripe. More importantly, Li Tai
I was afraid that Qinzhou would jump out and cause trouble when we marched to the north.
"Your Majesty, several ministers have arrived." A chamberlain came in and shouted respectfully.
"Xuan!" Li Tai responded.
Not long after, several ministers came together and bowed: "See your Majesty!"
Li Tai nodded with satisfaction, enjoying this feeling of being superior, and said with a smile: "Prime Minister Kong, Lieutenant Lu, and all my dear friends, please forgive me and grant me a seat."
Immediately, a waiter brought low stools and everyone sat down one by one.
Prime Minister Kong was none other than Kong Yingda. He had meritorious service and was well-known, so he was appointed as Prime Minister by Li Tai. The imperial court also slightly adjusted the system of three provinces and six ministries, and established the Prime Minister's Office to oversee the world's government affairs, civil servants, and Taiwei's Office to oversee the government affairs.
Military affairs in the world, generals.
But this setting was proposed by Kong Yingda. The reason was that the Han Dynasty separated the military and government. Although the Han Dynasty was hateful, his methods were extraordinary and his talents were unparalleled. They were worth learning from. With the support and support of the major families, Li Tai thought he had mastered the imperial army.
The superiors did not dare to chill everyone's hearts, so they could only pass.
As for Lieutenant Lu, he was Lu Chengqing, the head of the Lu family who was the most popular among the five surnames. He was considered a man who knew the military. He was originally selected by Li Er to assist King Li Zhi of Jin to go to Jiangnan for disaster relief. He was responsible for military affairs. He was already imprisoned by Li Er. Li Taineng
Lu Chengqing was indispensable for leading the troops into the palace, so he was naturally entrusted with the important task of countering Kong Yingda.
It's a pity that Li Tai didn't know that Lu Chengqing's survival in Tianlao was all due to Kong Yingda's secret manipulation. The two had already formed an alliance, not to mention that the aristocratic family was already one, and their interests were naturally opposed to those of the royal family.
"My dear friends, I want to use troops on the grassland. I wonder what everyone thinks?" Li Tai came straight to the point, his eyes were slightly focused, and he observed everyone's expressions calmly. To be able to reach this point, of course Li Tai
Not a fool either.
Several ministers secretly exchanged glances and landed on Lu Chengqing.
Military affairs were under the control of the Taiwei's Mansion. Lu Chengqing did his duty and said with his hands: "Of course the ministers cannot stop the ambition of the Holy Majesty. However, the imperial treasury is empty and I am afraid that I will not be able to go north. Besides, there are thieves in the west who are eyeing them. They must be eradicated first, otherwise
There will be endless troubles.”
Li Tai wanted this effect and asked: "Why is the treasury empty again if the taxes have just been collected?"
"Going back to the Holy Spirit, the imperial court has added 300,000 new soldiers. They need money to eat, horses, equipment and training. All of these require money. How can the taxes be enough? Many ministers donated the surplus food at home. Finally, they were able to support them and they were defeated in a short period of time.
It's okay, but it might not be appropriate to fight in the long term, so please think twice, Your Majesty." Lu Chengqing quickly explained.
Li Tai really wanted to conquer the grasslands in the north. It was just a pretense, but he did not express his position immediately. He pretended to have an embarrassed expression on his face, frowning in thought, as if he was unwilling to do so.
When it comes to scheming, Li Tai is not lacking.
But the aristocratic family was also very scheming and had already seen through Li Tai's thoughts. The reason why the aristocratic family agreed to attack Qinzhou was that the aristocratic family also needed a great victory to consolidate its authority and reputation. The people who came to be punished by the King of Han were too miserable. The five surnames and seven hopes were basically wiped out.
Other wealthy families also suffered heavy losses, and they all held their breath and wanted revenge.
Qinzhou is close, so attacking won't cost much.
Moreover, if this stare is not removed, the family will also have trouble sleeping and eating, fearing that the chaos in Chang'an will happen again. Who can bear it if the army comes to Chang'an again?
When Lu Chengqing saw that Li Tai did not express his position, he sneered secretly, but said anxiously: "Your Majesty, I heard that the King of Han has arrived in the Western Regions and will not be able to come back in a short time."
The subtext of this sentence is that there is no need to worry about the King of Han's revenge for the time being, but that may not happen over time, especially after the King of Han reconquers the Turks, no one knows what will happen.
This is a reminder, but also a threat!
Li Tai thought about the fact that the imperial edict of passing the throne was not signed, which was illegal. He also thought about his father's last words. Once the King of Han came to kill him, he would definitely die. Instead of sitting back and waiting for death, it was better to take the initiative to attack.
The next moment, Li Tai nodded indifferently.
Seeing Li Tai fall into the scheme, Lu Chengqing smiled with satisfaction.
The other ministers secretly exchanged glances and shouted in unison: "Your Majesty declares!"