Han Shizu

Chapter 430 Kicks off
In August of the fourth year of Qianyou, at the height of autumn.

On the vast plains on both sides of the river, the harvest of autumn grain has come to an end.In order to prepare for the war, the imperial court issued a special order to urge the governments of all Daozhou states to rush to harvest autumn grain, put it in the warehouse every year, prepare it for Tokyo, and send it to large warehouses in various places.

So far in mid-autumn, most of the large rice and wheat fields in the Central Plains and Hebei have only traces of harvest, and the scene is no longer golden, but the big Han farmers have more smiles on their faces.

The sky is pitiful, relying on the past two years, the weather has been good, especially this year, the harvest is good.In particular, the two capitals, Gyeonggi and the surrounding capitals, Guizhou, which is directly under the jurisdiction of the imperial court, even though they paid a lot of taxes to meet the basic needs of life, finally had some surplus food.

In Tokyo, when the officials and people in the whole city are preparing to welcome the Mid-Autumn Festival, in the imperial city, the emperor of the Han Dynasty is still divided in two, with his intentions on the north and the south.

Inside the Chongzheng Palace, there were still the old batch of military ministers, Gao Xingzhou, Wei Renpu, Zheng Renhui, Wang Pu, Murong Yanzhao, and Shang Hongqian, who were the commander-in-chief after all.

In addition to Zhang Dejun and Wang Zhu, there was another young official, Li Fang, waiting in the palace.

This year, Liu Chengyou held another exam, and there were 230 seven candidates from various subjects. The champion Liu Chengyou hand-picked this Li Fang.After various investigations, he was found to have outstanding humanistic talents, quick thinking, and a personal talent. Liu Chengyou served as a scholar of the Imperial Academy as a general manager, serving the imperial court, and also helping to sort out official documents and memorials.

"Hunan has changed!" Liu Chengyou pointed out the theme of this palace meeting in one sentence.

This time, it was Zheng Renhui who introduced the situation: "Your Majesty, gentlemen. According to reports from the Military Affairs Department of the Privy Council and Lizhou Defense Envoy Cao Yin, there was a mutiny in Changsha just seven days ago. General Xu Wei of the Chu Army Wait, abolish the puppet king of Chu, Ma Xie, and imprison him in Hengshan County, and immediately Xichong will stay behind for the Wu'an army, and then send troops to plunder Changsha!"

"Hengshan command envoy Liao Yan and Jifu Jiedu inspector Kuang Ning joined forces with Ma Chufan general Peng Shihao to depose Ma Xi'e because he was long. It was a disaster, and together they supported Ma Xi'e as King of Hengshan, gathered village households and villagers And thousands of barbarians, heading north to Tanzhou."

"Ma Chu Jingjiang Jiedu envoy Ma Xiyin and Mengzhou Inspector Xu Qiong heard about the change in Changsha, and they each occupied their own troops. Because of the puppet Liu's soldiers and horses in Lingnan, they did not dare to move lightly!"

"Liu Yan, the envoy of Wuping Jiedu who stole Langzhou, heard about the change in Chu, and sent a letter to Lizhou, asking Cao Defense to submit it to Tokyo, intending to lead the army south to attack Changsha and crusade against Ma Xichong. However, it is reported that after Liu Yan wrote the letter, Langzhou soldiers Commander Ma Wang Kui and Zhou Xingfeng have sent troops to Changsha to denounce Ma Xichong for usurping the throne."

After Zheng Renhui's introduction, there was a moment of silence in the hall, all the civil and military personnel were digesting the news.

It was Wang Pu who took the lead to stand up and speak: "Your Majesty, the situation in Hunan is already very clear. I am afraid that there will be another civil war between the forces of Ma and Chu, and the situation will collapse completely. Then Ma Xichong is also a drunk and licentious person. He is based in Changsha. , It's hard to keep your ground!"

Wang Puyan fell, Wei Renpu also stood up, and said in a very positive tone: "The most important thing is that the puppet Tang Dynasty will definitely not delay this time. They sharpened their swords and rushed to Hunan. They have not been in Hunan for a full six months. Under such circumstances, it is still a missed opportunity. Once the puppet Tang moves, the puppet dynasty in Lingnan will inevitably follow suit, taking the land of Guangxi and Mongolia in the north, and taking all of Lingnan."

With that said, Wei Renpu stood up and gestured to the map of Hunan hanging on the side of the hall.This map is relatively simple, with only the large prefectures, towns and counties in Hunan, and several main rivers and tributaries.But after Wei Renpu's explanation, the situation is not difficult to understand.

After Wei Renpu finished speaking, Zheng Renjiao said again: "After many investigations, it is now confirmed that the puppet Tang Dynasty stationed troops in the north and south of Yuanzhou and Ezhou respectively. The movable army has at least [-] land and water troops."

"The ministers guessed that the pick army in Yuanzhou on the south road must be the main force. In the north, there are our Lizhou Tunjun and Langzhou Chu soldiers. The Ezhou division should only be used as a backup division. Yuanzhou is less than two kilometers away from Liling, the southeast gateway of Changsha. Hundred miles away, there are tributaries of the Ganshui River to rely on, and it can also avoid many troubles in the north."

"According to investigations, there are three reasons why the Tang army did not move. One is our court's intentions and threats, the second is the famine in Huainan, and the third is the situation in Machu. At this point, the Lord Tang absolutely has no reason to hesitate any longer. "

After Zheng Ren finished speaking, Wang Pu actively added: "After the calculations by the officials and others, once the Tang army marched from Yuanzhou, the two brothers Ma Xie and Ma Xichong would not hold on to the fact that the soldiers in Hunan were exhausted and the people's hearts were lost. It is possible. At that time, I am afraid that the central part of Hunan will really be as expected by the monarchs and ministers of the Southern Tang Dynasty, and it will depend on the spread."

"As for the lands of Guangxi and Mongolia, the land is barren, with few people and no one to rely on. I am afraid that it will be difficult to resist the attack of the puppet Liu army. At that time, the most likely situation in the Hunan states is that the puppet Liu will occupy one of the ten states in the south of the Lingnan Mountains. The puppet Tang Dynasty occupies most of the central and northern parts of Hunan, and only Langzhou in the north and Lizhou, where our troops are stationed, can temporarily resist it!"

"Did Qing and others overestimate the Langzhou army?" After Wang Pu finished speaking, Liu Chengyou finally spoke: "As Qing and others said, if the puppet Tang ruled most of Hunan, only the rebels in Langzhou could compete with the Tang army. Fighting? They are a group of rebels gathered, it can be said that they are mobs, they are not like Ma Xie back then, and they have the identity of Ma's descendants, and their opponents are not idiots like Ma Xiguang!"

Wei Renpu stood up and explained at this time: "Your Majesty, don't underestimate the Langzhou soldiers in front of you. They seem to be a mob, but they are actually the most elite and most powerful army under Ma Xie's command. Although they are small in number, they are extremely brave. And control The ten generals of Lang Bing, mainly Wang Kui and Zhou Xingfeng, have a deep friendship and become "ten brothers".

"Furthermore, although that generation started from humble beginnings, they were not lacking in schemes, especially Zhou Xingfeng. After Ma Guanghui was abolished in June, the 'Ten Brothers' suddenly had conflicts over who was in charge. It was Zhou Xingfeng's proposal, Welcoming Li Yan as Jiedu avoids conflicts and possible civil strife, so that Langzhou can still move outward with one heart."

"While Langzhou surrendered to the big man, he also accepted the books of the pseudo-Tang Dynasty. Both sides are not guilty, and both sides have a source. It is said that it is also Zhou Xingfeng's suggestion. Although it is suspected of being both first and second, it cannot be completely regarded as a virtue. Shallow and vulgar husband to treat."

"Zhou Xingfeng." Liu Chengyou murmured, since this year, he has heard this name several times, and he is already a man of the hour in Hunan.

However, Liu Chengyou has some vague memories. It is this name that has made some famous names in the original history.

Wei Renpu continued: "Although Langzhou had a better relationship with the puppet Tang at the same time, if the Tang army really occupied Hunan, with their style, it would be impossible for them to surrender directly. With Jingnan backing him, he will naturally be able to fight against the puppet Tang. It will not be so easy for the Tang army to solve the troubles in Chu."

After listening to the analysis reports of several courtiers, Liu Chengyou stood in front of the map for a long time, turned around, raised his finger and said solemnly: "Masters, drastic changes in Hunan are imminent, and the big man must prepare for the final response!"

He talked about the south, but Liu Chengyou was facing the north. He knew very well in his heart that no matter how changes and chaos occurred in Hunan, the impact on today's big men would be limited.

In the autumn of the fourth year of Qianyou, following the Machu Rebellion, the great changes in the world situation officially kicked off, and the chaos came.

(End of this chapter)