Five Dynasties River Mountains Fengyue

Chapter 178
"There was a big war in the south of the Yangtze River. That Shi Congyun killed 100 million Tang people! The Huaihe River was dyed red, and the water couldn't flow through it."

"Which Shi Congyun? The one who defeated Li Yangui and Gao Yanchou back then!"

"That's right! If you want me to say that our country of Shu is not bad, it's not that General Li and the others can't fight. In fact, Shi Congyun is too powerful. Look at Tang, how miserable it is. Even the princess of the prince of Tang was killed by that Shi Congyun." Wasted and occupied, tsk tsk, compared to us, it is too miserable!"

"Oh my god, how many people would have to be killed? From this point of view, we are indeed much better than Tang Guo."

"Yeah, yeah, we're good." Someone nodded, but felt a little happy, "It seems that if you meet a murderous god like Shi Congyun, you can still block him from entering Hanzhong. General and General Gao are also great, even though they were defeated."

"It makes sense!"

"It makes sense, our Shu Kingdom is much more powerful than Tang Kingdom!" Someone hurriedly shouted triumphantly, and everyone echoed.

"The soldiers of our Kingdom of Shu are naturally first-rate and powerful, but they are not as good as those of Zhou Kingdom."

In a restaurant in Chengdu, a bunch of people were chatting over the fire, and the most talked about was nothing more than what they had heard about the war.

War is the place of life and death, the lifeblood of the country, and whether the people can live and work in peace and contentment is also related to it. It is related to the vital interests of everyone's life and death, so it has always been the most concerned by people, whether it is high-ranking officials and royal families, or the people at the bottom.

Today, everyone knows that the war that everyone is paying attention to is nothing more than the war between Zhou Guo and Tang Guo.

Zhou State occupies the Central Plains and is the most powerful among the many separatist regimes. The Southern Tang Dynasty is located in Huainan and Jiangnan, and the tiger occupies Jinling.

So when the two sides started fighting, all eyes were on the Huainan battlefield.

Most people's predictions are that it will take at least three years to decide the winner, and because the initial stage of the war did not go so smoothly, many people think that Zhou Guo can win the counties and counties along the Huaihe River as a success.

Unexpectedly, after Shi Congyun served as a recruiter, he completely defeated the Southern Tang Dynasty in just half a year, captured the fourteen prefectures of Huainan, and returned to the city of Jinling.

So far, Zhou Guo has completely declared the victory of this battle.

For a moment, the world was shaken, and this incident was spread everywhere, because this incident was not a trivial matter, and the pattern of the world was completely changed.

This restaurant is a relatively high-end place in Chengdu, and most of the people who come here for entertainment are scholars and empresses, who are well-informed and have some ink in their stomachs.

There is also a big man in a brocade robe sitting in the restaurant. Shu brocade is famous all over the world, and the main economic lifeline of Shu country is the export of Shu brocade, so the high-ranking officials and nobles in Shu, even the wealthy people can wear brocade clothes.

He is Gao Yanchou who fought against Shi Congyun back then.

Gao Yanchou was originally from Hedong, or in other words, most of the monarchs and ministers of the Shu Kingdom, from the emperor to important civil and military ministers, were from Hedong.

Hearing this man's words, he couldn't help but said: "Back then, Zhou Guo voluntarily withdrew his troops, so what should we be proud of, what can we be complacent about?"

"Besides, the lips are dead and the teeth are cold. At this time, you still speak sarcastic words." He attracted everyone's attention as soon as he opened his mouth, "If today's world is called the Warring States, then the state of Zhou is the state of Qin, the state of Tang is the state of Zhao, and the battle of Huainan is like the defeat of Changping. .

After the First World War, if the two powers did not coexist, no one in the world could resist Qin, and the remaining countries would suffer.

Once the Tang Kingdom is defeated, it is likely that our Shu Kingdom will be the unlucky one. Don't you think about this truth?It's so good that the scar forgets the pain. "

Someone over there immediately dissatisfied, stood up and cursed: "What are you? You are slandering the soldiers of our Shu Kingdom. They threw their heads and blood in the north and repelled Shi Congyun, who was frightened by the world. How can you tolerate it?" Get rid of your nonsense!"

"That's right, what do you call the scars and forget the pain? We are stronger than Tang Guo, and we beat Shi Congyun so hard that he dare not go south. The facts are here, I think you are traitors and collaborators!"

"that is."

Everyone turned around and began to verbally criticize Gao Yanchou. The two accompanying officers couldn't take it anymore and were about to curse, but Gao Yanchou held back and led them away.

There was another burst of mocking laughter, saying things like they ran away in desperation.

After leaving the restaurant, the cold wind in the streets of Chengdu blew away the anger, but the two attendants were still very angry and blushed: "We are the ones fighting Shi Congyun. They don't know what's going on on the front line!"

Gao Yanchou said helplessly: "Forget it, don't care about them like them. Zhou Guo took the initiative to withdraw his troops. In fact, we didn't take any advantage. On the contrary, it will be difficult in the future..."

Gao Yanchou said as he walked, feeling very uneasy. There were many people on the streets of Chengdu, and there was a festive atmosphere in the past year, but people who think far away like him can't be happy.

"At the beginning, Zhou Guo accepted it because they had Tang Guo behind them.

Afterwards, I learned that they actually only sent less than [-] imperial troops, Daliang has [-] imperial troops, but they only sent less than [-] troops, which made us fight so hard."

Gao Yanchou sighed, "The reason they didn't fight at that time was because they had worries about the future and wanted to guard against the Tang State in the south, so they took the initiative to withdraw their troops after driving us out of Guanzhong.

But now that the Tang Kingdom has been beaten to the south of the Yangtze River, half of the country is lost and they dare not look north. If they want to attack us again, it may be Daliang's 10,000+ forbidden army!How will our country resist at that time?
But the whole country, most people don't know that the catastrophe is imminent, they sit there and watch the tigers fight, feeling complacent, but they don't know that the most dangerous thing next is our country of Shu! "

The faces of the two attendants also became heavy.

Gao Yanchou looked at the festive people coming and going on the street, and said worriedly: "The Southern Tang retreated to the south of the Yangtze River. Zhou Guo will not send troops in the short term. Wuyue, Wuping, and Jingnan have always followed the lead of the Central Plains. When Zhou Guo attacked Tang, They all sent troops one after another, and the Southern Han Dynasty was too far away, and the Northern Han Dynasty had the support of Khitan.

Now if Zhou Guo wants to fight, we are the only ones."

He had indescribable worries and helplessness in his heart. Externally, the state of Zhou was becoming stronger and stronger, and the state of Shu was likely to become the next target. The Great Zhou was as fierce as a cloud, with strong soldiers and horses, and General Shi Congyun was invincible.

Internally, the rulers and ministers of the Shu Kingdom and even the people's army did not have a clear understanding, and they were still enjoying themselves, not knowing that a catastrophe was imminent, and still complacent and entertaining themselves.

This atmosphere almost made him despair.

He was not punished after his defeat in the north, but after Shi Congyun captured Huainan, he was promoted instead, because the court felt that the Southern Tang was beaten so badly, but they only lost four states. up.

It's not that we can't do it, it's that the enemy army is too powerful and Shi Congyun is too cunning.

Based on this point of view, the imperial court gave these generals who had fought against Shi Congyun another promotion. He was promoted to the commander of Youfengluan Suwei, and even he himself felt a little blush.

Thinking about the events of these days, he felt a deep sense of powerlessness, and he could only hope that the state of Zhou would change its national policy, rest and recuperate in the future, and not attack the state of Shu.

Other than that, he doesn't have much to do.
In fact, as a foreign general, Gao Yanchou doesn't know what's going on in the palace. It's not that the Shu Kingdom's palace is completely ignorant of the situation, and it's not that he just wants to sit on the mountain and watch the tigers fight.

Meng Chang, the emperor of Shu, and the ruler of the Southern Tang Dynasty have always been in correspondence with each other. They have a good relationship and often exchange gifts.

When the state of Shu was attacked by the state of Zhou, the leader Meng Chang sent someone to the state of Tang for help.

And Meng Chang himself is not a completely mediocre and faint king. In the political struggle at the beginning of his succession, he showed certain skills and political talents everywhere. He used thunderous means to eliminate the powerful officials who threatened him. .

It's just that after the political enemies were wiped out and the country settled down, he soon indulged in pleasure and lost the wisdom and ambition of the past.

In the palace, on the corridor outside the Great Hall of Discussion, Prime Minister Li Hao and Privy Councilor Wang Zhaoyuan were talking to Shu Emperor Meng Chang.

In fact, Meng Chang was very upset. After the war between Shu and Zhou was over, he wrote a letter to the emperor of Zhou. Because he couldn’t let go of face, after several struggles, he still claimed to be the emperor of Shu in the letter. The emperor of Zhou directly No reply to his letter.

He was tense at the time, scared every day, but he forgot about it later.

But this winter, news came from the east that Zhou State General Shi Congyun, the young man who beat them in the Shu State, was appointed as a recruiter, occupying all fourteen prefectures in Huainan of the Tang State, annihilating hundreds of thousands of Southern Tang troops, The soldiers came to the Jinling City of the Tang Kingdom, and forced the Southern Tang Emperor Li Jing to take the emperor's title, cede the land to seek peace, and even snatched away the concubine of a prince of the Southern Tang Kingdom.

After the news spread to the Kingdom of Shu and confirmed it with the officials in the border areas to the east, Meng Chang was so frightened that he couldn't keep up his mind for several days and couldn't eat.

He also remembered the letters he had claimed to be the Emperor of Dashu, and asked Prime Minister Li Hao to help draft letters to the King of Zhou State in Daliang, expressing his willingness to remove himself from the title of emperor and use the reign title of Dazhou. emperor.

But Daliang still didn't reply to the letter, which made him even more uneasy.

Lian asked two of his most trusted ministers at the moment to discuss, one was the minister under the door, Li Hao, who was with Ping Zhang, and the other was Wang Zhaoyuan, who was in charge of the Privy Council.

Li Hao is a native of Guanzhong, who was captured by Liu Zhijun and followed him to the former Shu regime.Later, in Qianshu, he served successively as Daojiang county magistrate and Zhongshu Sheren.

After the demise of the former Shu, he followed the former Shu emperor Wang Yan to Luoyang and served in the Later Tang regime. Later, he followed the Sanchuan system envoy Zhao Jiliang to Xichuan to serve, assisted Meng Zhixiang in establishing the Later Shu, and then assisted the young master Meng Chang. .

Wang Zhaoyuan was even more of Meng Chang's confidant.

Wang Zhaoyuan was originally from the middle of Shu, and at first he was a young monk. He was chosen by the late emperor to be Meng Chang's companion. , who has big ambitions and wants to do a big business, is the person Meng Chang trusts the most.

Regarding the affairs of the Zhou Dynasty, Li Hao's view is rather pessimistic, "Your Majesty, forgive me for saying this, if the soldiers of the entire country really come to Daliang, it will be a disaster.

At the beginning, Shi Congyun only led [-] soldiers and almost entered Hanzhong. At that time, they still had worries about the future. The [-] forbidden troops in Daliang did not dare to go west, and they had to guard against the Tang State in the south.

Now that the future troubles have been resolved, if we accidentally provoke Daliang and let Shi Congyun lead an army of [-] to attack us, just like we did against Tang this year, we will probably be very difficult to fight against. "

Speaking of this, he hesitated, and then said: "Your Majesty, I don't know if I should say something or not."

"You said."

"Then please Your Majesty forgive the old minister's innocence."

"I forgive you for your innocence."

Only then did Li Hao dare to continue to say: "It is almost impossible to resist Zhou's soldiers. If it is for His Majesty's consideration, the veteran feels that it is better to lose his title like the Southern Tang Dynasty, proclaim his ministers to the Great Zhou, and at the same time pay tribute every year, or let Zhou's swordsman Do not add.

At the same time, let's send heavy troops to defend the Jianmen Pass area in the north. If Zhou soldiers come, resist if you can. If you can't resist, you can do your best. As long as you make Daliang feel the pressure, you can make peace with them later. The glory of your majesty's family Wealth is guaranteed”

Li Hao said cautiously, his meaning couldn't be more obvious.

Meng Chang's face turned dark, and he didn't say whether he was right or not. After thinking for a while, he waved his hand, "Mr. Li is tired today, let's go back and rest first."

Li Haolian bowed his hand and resigned.

After Li Hao left, Meng Chang asked Wang Zhaoyuan, who was familiar with military books beside him, "How did he say it?"

Wang Zhaoyuan stepped forward to salute respectfully, and then said: "Your Majesty, it's just nonsense, to increase the ambitions of others and destroy one's own prestige!

So what about Shi Congyun's greatness, wasn't he beaten back by us back then?The people of our Shu Kingdom are rich, the country is strong and prosperous, and there are 20 people with armor, why should we be afraid of them? "

After finishing speaking, he was full of confidence and vowed: "The officials can rest assured, I have been familiar with military books since I was a child, and know all the art of war in the world. I am preparing to be loyal to Your Majesty one day, serve the country, and die.

If at that time Shi Congyun really dares to lead the army, we can write a letter, asking the Han country in the north to send troops from the east of the river to the south, and attack us on both sides. At the same time, please give me [-] elite soldiers, and I will personally lead the troops to the north. Jianmen confronted him for the official family.

At that time, it will be more than just resisting the enemy, as in the story of Marquis Wu back then, it is not impossible to go north to Guanzhong and east to the Central Plains! "

Hearing the words of Wang Zhaoyuan, his playmate from childhood to adulthood, Meng Chang was encouraged and nodded his approval, "That's right, you have loved to read military books since you were a child, and you were originally worried about me. I have taken your heart. If you have your words, you will be able to read military books." Puts me at ease."

After talking with Wang Zhaoyuan for a while, Meng Chang was much encouraged and relieved a lot of worries.

In the afternoon, he asked Wang Zhaoyuan to go back to rest, while he ordered someone to prepare a sedan chair and headed to the harem.

His worries are actually not just about military matters. The general of the Zhou army, Shi Congyun, was greedy for money and lustful, and when he approached the city of Jinling, he robbed the princess of the Southern Tang Dynasty. The Southern Tang Dynasty did not dare to disobey him. come?
In his harem, there are tens of thousands of beauties from the Shu Kingdom, so they will all be humiliated, and there is also his most beloved Mrs. Huarui, who does not hesitate to build a crystal palace for her to support her. If Shi Congyun comes, will he let Huarui go?

Whenever he thought of the consequences of letting Shi Congyun enter Chengdu, he couldn't help but feel depressed, his face flushed, and he couldn't breathe, so he also agreed with Wang Zhaoyuan's suggestion that he must not do what Li Hao said.

However, even though he has such a determination, it is very difficult to actually do it, and his heart is in a state of turmoil, and he has been restless for a long time.

At this time, when he arrived at the harem, Huarui came out to meet him.

The two walked towards the palace while talking, talking about the Huainan matter, thinking so much in their minds, and unknowingly talked about Shi Congyun's forcible occupation of the Nantang princess.

Huarui is so smart, she understands men's thoughts so well, she was not excited or anxious immediately, but seriously commented in the tone of a bystander: "If I were the concubine of the Tang Dynasty, I would definitely stick to the chastity, and the wealth of a woman's family is very important." It was given by a man, and there is no sense of righteousness if you don't keep the small details, no matter what reason she has, it is not in line with the righteousness of loyalty and filial piety."

Meng Chang beside her finally breathed a sigh of relief and nodded slowly.

(End of this chapter)