Han Shizu

Chapter 717 Envoy from the Southern Han Dynasty, Celebration Banquet
During the dog days, the land of the Central Plains ushered in the hottest day. The world was like a stove, with the scorching sun and poisonous fire, mercilessly baking the earth.The official road leading to Kaifeng is open and flat, without many ups and downs. The roads of Dahan may be crude or even dilapidated in other places, but the roads around the capital are still well repaired to connect all directions.

The straight road lies quietly in the wilderness, with stretches of wheat fields on both sides, and the robust crops are growing gratifyingly.Because it is too hot, you can see obvious heat waves when you look around.

A convoy was slowly marching on the official road. Looking at the guard of honor, it was of a high standard, with tight guards and a lot of vehicles, but it was not a big Han official brigade.This group of people is a mission from the Liu family in Lingnan.

A knight rode his horse south, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and reported the situation to the guarding officer.Hearing the news, the officer rode his horse back and turned to a gorgeous carriageway in the middle: "Speak to the middle officer! After investigation, we have already left the territory of Weishi County. Follow this road for more than [-] miles and you will arrive at Kaifeng!"

The curtain of the car was lifted, and a face covered with makeup was exposed from it. He looked up at the sky, probably because he was afraid of the skin affected by the scorching sun, he quickly shrank back, and said, "Hurry up, we must arrive in Tokyo today." !"

"Middle officer, we have been driving for forty miles in a row. The guards are very hungry and tired. Should we rest for a while before we continue our journey?" the officer asked for instructions.

Soon there was an obviously impatient response from inside the car: "It's only thirty miles away, and I still have to rest? Drink water when you're thirsty. How can you be tired if you're riding a horse and riding a cart? We will be in Kaifeng soon to discuss important national affairs, how can we be delayed by these lazy people like you! Something went wrong, can you afford to wait?"

Being reprimanded by this, the officer's face was ugly, and he answered yes in a muffled voice.

He cursed secretly in his heart: You scumbag, it's easy to say, you have a car and a sunshade, but we are exposed to the scorching sun.If you hadn't played slowly all the way, how could you have wasted so much time.

Of course, no matter how vigorous the resentment is, it can only be held in the heart.Raising his eyes, he looked at the venomous sun, and was almost blinded. He rushed forward, and the officer shouted loudly: "Speed ​​up, when you arrive in Kaifeng, take a good rest!"

But Chen Yanshou, who was the envoy to the north this time, didn't notice the resentment of the guards, or didn't care at all.Staying in the carriage, although it lacks the scorching sun in summer, it is still sweltering, so I might as well prepare half a bucket of cold water in advance, and pour water on the noodles from time to time, which can also dispel the heat.

After washing his face, he took out a mirror and combed according to it, especially his frail beard.After all, he was an eunuch, in order not to be looked down upon by others, before leaving, he specially found a craftsman to decorate him with a thick beard, but it was too troublesome to take care of.

Chen Yanshou, who served as an internal servant in the Southern Han Dynasty Palace, went north this time, and was recommended by Lin Yanyu, the envoy of Ganquan Palace and the minister of Gochen Zhu, to go to the Central Plains to seek peace.

The problem still came from the battle of Guiyang Mountain Pass more than a month ago. The Southern Han army was beaten terribly, with a loss ratio of one to five. If it were not for the restraint from above, the Han army might have entered Lingnan and took over the old land of Ma Chu.

Since the founding of the People's Republic of China, it was the first time that he felt the combat power of the Central Plains' strong soldiers, which seemed to be stronger than the rumors.

In fact, as early as three years ago, after the Northern Han Dynasty attacked the Southern Tang Dynasty and took all the land in Jiangbei, Liu Sheng, the leader of the Southern Han Dynasty, was already panicked.The Southern Han Dynasty had established diplomatic ties for decades, and although they avoided the conflicts in the Central Plains, they didn't care about the development of the situation in the north at all.

The land of Huainan, since the time of Zhu Liang, has been the place where the Central Plains and Jianghuai competed, and it has been owned by it from Yang Wu to the Southern Tang Dynasty.However, several decades later, the Central Plains were suddenly seized in one fell swoop. The Southern Tang Dynasty had a large army, but had little power to fight back, and sacrificed its land for half a year.Such a situation is not a good sign for the southern countries. Although there have been decades of separatism and disputes, the concept of "great unification" is too deeply rooted in the hearts of the people. words.

Three years ago, after Liu Chengyou first took Huainan, Liu Sheng, the lord of the Southern Han Dynasty, intended to send envoys to pay tribute to repair it, but was blocked by Hunan.After all, he sent troops to occupy Machu Lingnan, and had a lot of disputes with the Hunan forces at that time. It was not until Zhou Xingfeng came to power that they eased up.

In the past, although we knew that the Northern Han Dynasty was strong, it was only an inherent impression, and it was all based on rumors, imagination and guesswork.But now, if one didn't pay attention, the soldiers of the big man had already reached Lingnan, beyond the border of the country, so Liu Sheng was completely panicked, and hurriedly sent someone to go north with a heavy gift.

The Han Palace, the Long Live Hall, and the grand imperial banquet, Liu Chengyou and the important officials of the court, clean up the dust for the generals who marched south.

With the policy of the imperial court, the situation in Jinghu gradually stabilized, and after the summer harvest, the food shortage eased again.The army of the Southern Expedition also withdrew from Hunan one after another.

As of June, Jinghu was in command of all the troops under its command. Although the establishment had not yet been completed, all the Imperial Guards in Tokyo, except for the Guardian Army and an iron cavalry, had withdrawn to the north. The last batch of Longqi Army also retreated to Li It's sunny.

On the other side of Hunan, Du Hanhui, Li Yun, Pan Mei, Cao Bin and others are in charge of the military, which is enough to suppress it.The generals who conquered the south, Murong Yanzhao, Guo Wei, Han Tong, Sun Li, Zhang Xun, Shi Yanchao and others, including Jingnan's surrendered generals Liang Tingsi and Wei Lin, were ordered to go north and were personally received by the Emperor of Han.

As for Hunan, there are also a group of generals who have surrendered. Their military quality is much better than that of Jingnan. After all, they fought all the way. However, none of them were lucky enough to come to Beijing.This can also be regarded as the difference in treatment from the Jingnan generals because of the force against the imperial court.

The atmosphere in the hall was very lively. After all, the triumphant return to court and the return of victory was a celebration banquet held by the emperor himself.Han Tong took the lead, he was drunk, his voice was enthusiastic, and his face was smiling like a blooming flower. He has a long face this time. He was demoted three years ago, but now he has returned to Beijing with a high reputation. In the first battle, they defeated the main force of the rebel army and took Zhou Xingfeng's life. This is a real military exploit.

Zhang Xun came to Tokyo for the first time after the founding of the country, and had been serving as a general in the local area before, suppressing law and order.This time I came to Beijing, I was personally toasted by the emperor, and I was a little forgetful, and my face was red from drinking.He was in a particularly good mood, and there were already some rumors about him. With his military exploits in Yuezhou, the imperial court was going south this time to discuss meritorious service. In terms of military exploits alone, he must be among the top three.

The only embarrassing one belonged to Sun Li, who took Xiao Dijun to the south for a walk, but he himself failed to catch a single battle, not only that, but his body became fatter.Liu Chengyou also teased him, saying that Jiangling's feng shui nourishes people, which made him blush with embarrassment. After all, counting it down, he can't count on his achievements in this battle, but in terms of nourishment, no one can compare with him.

"This Southern Expedition has won a complete victory, taking all of Jinghu, and laying a solid foundation for the unification of the world. You have worked hard and made great achievements. I only thank you with this wine!" Holding a wine glass, he stood with Murong Yanzhao Son, said to him in a friendly tone between friends.

Murong Yanzhao held the cups in both hands, and acted very humble: "This is all due to your Majesty's wise planning, privy secretaries' proper deployment, and the support of all the officials. The soldiers have served bravely, and the ministers dare not take credit for it!"

In a word, minimize your contribution.Regarding this, Liu Chengyou smiled more broadly and seemed a little more sincere, and even praised Murong Yanzhao for being humble and open-minded.

It is said that soldiers do not interfere in politics and do not care about politics. It should be more pure, but that only applies to middle and lower rank officers.To a certain position, if you don't understand politics, it will be difficult to last.

Like Murong Yanzhao, who has already become the commander of the palace, and now he has achieved the achievement of "destroying the country", his reputation can be said to have flourished for a while.Under such circumstances, it is rare to be able to maintain a clear mind, be cautious, and not commit any taboos.

However, even so, Liu Chengyou still couldn't help thinking about how to arrange Murong Yanzhao from now on, whether to put him in the position of palace commander, and if not, who should succeed him?Zhao Kuangyin?Hantong?
With slightly complicated emotions, Liu Chengyou turned around, with a smile on his face, and walked towards the more difficult person on the left: "Mr. Guo, I haven't seen you in three years, and you still look good!"

Facing the warm smile of the emperor, Guo Wei's face was full of humility, and he cupped his hands and said: "Your Majesty is full of energy, which is heart-wrenching. The minister is old and decaying, and old age is approaching. The hair on the temples is already gray. Already!"

Sweeping his eyes, he noticed that Guo Wei's temples were indeed gray and pale.Smiling even wider, Guo Wei gestured to get up to sit down. Instead of clinking a glass, he stroked his back: "Mr. Guo is the pillar minister of the country. I have many things to rely on. This time, I will take the responsibility of transshipment so that the army will have no shortage of supplies. This is proof. Now that the old minister is withered, Mr. Guo should take care of his health."

"Thank you, Your Majesty, for your concern!"

"."

(End of this chapter)