Five Dynasties River Mountains Fengyue

Chapter 357 Xiao Huan

At night, the wind was howling outside the big tent, Shi Congyun was holding the little yellow flower in his arms, and the little girl's hair touched his chin, a little itchy, distracted, it was fun in the wild, but he didn't do anything, he had something on his mind.

The place where he is now is exactly Luzhou, the seat of the Zhaoyi Army.

Zhaoyi Army, also known as Zelu Town, was one of the important square towns in the Tang Dynasty.

The Zhaoyi army has long occupied the five states of Ze, Lu, Ci, Xing, and Ming, corresponding to the south of Neiqiu and Longyao in Hebei, the west of Julu, Qiuxian, and Feiduo, the north of Shexian County, and Handan City, and the north of Changzhi and Jincheng in Shanxi. The two cities are very large and close to Heyang and Luoyang, guarding the main roads of the Taihang Mountains from north to south.

Going east to control the main roads in the Taihang Mountains, you can easily send troops to Hebei. Going south through the Taihang Mountains is Heyang, which directly threatens Luoyang and Hangu Pass.

There are many people who control the separatist regime here, such as Xue Song, Li Chengzhao, Lu Congshi, Liu Congjian, Li Kexiu, Li Yun and so on.

Now that Li Yun's rebellion was over, he began to struggle again in his mind on how to place the Zhaoyi Army.

Naturally, what he wanted most was to abolish the Zhaoyi Army, release the five prefectures for separate management, and strictly prevent the danger of another separatist regime.

But things in the world always have two sides, and there is no perfect solution.

Dismembering Zhaoyi Town can indeed reduce the risk of separatism, but it will inevitably reduce the war potential of Qin State. The reason is very simple. In the land of five states, unified coordination and scheduling, overall planning, and no constraints, many things will be implemented better. If everything They have to be reported to the imperial court, and they are not integrated with each other. Once something is involved in a wide area, they will shirk and argue, which will greatly affect the efficiency of work.

In the military, this gap is even more obvious.

There are many separatists in Zhaoyi Town, and the Zhaoyi Army has many strong troops. Not to mention the successive years of wars since the end of Tang Dynasty, it is said that although Li Yun rebelled against the separatist regime, when he was in the Zhaoyi Army, he used troops against the Northern Han many times, and the Northern Han was defeated. , is the Great Wall of the Central Plains.

People and things are roughly like this, and it is difficult to judge by the standard of black and white. Li Yun died. This is the reason why Shi Congyun allowed his family to bury him generously. He is domineering and arrogant. It is true that he disrespected orders and rebelled against the separatist regime until now; but it is true that he used his troops skillfully, repeatedly defeated foreign enemies, and defended the border for the country.

In history, after Li Yun's death, it was Guo Jin who took over Xishan inspection, still led the soldiers in Zhaoyi Town, defeated the Northern Han Dynasty repeatedly, and defeated Khitan twice.

The most important battle when Song Taizong destroyed the Northern Han Dynasty was when Guo Jin led his troops to defeat the Liao army at Shiling Pass, beheading more than [-] people and forcing back the Liao reinforcements. Most of them were elite soldiers from Zhaoyi Town.

The biggest reason why Guo Jin can do this is that Song Taizu Zhao Kuangyin trusted him almost unreservedly and delegated power.

Zhao Kuangyin is a very interesting person. People only know that he releases military power with a glass of wine, but they don't know that he completely delegated power to a few frontier generals to the point of letting them be emperors. He cracked down on the capital and killed a large number of corrupt officials. The opposite side will not even be held accountable for violating the law.

Lao Zhao understands that it is easier for his subordinates to fight if they delegate power, but decentralization may also lead to separatism, which is a dilemma.

Shi Congyun is also in a similar predicament now. Fortunately, the situation is better now. With the withdrawal of Bingzhou Taiyuan, Xinzhou, and Yanmen, the northern defense line is stable, and the Zhaoyi Army is no longer the front line, so the pressure will be much less.

After thinking about it, he felt that Zhaoyi Military Town should be abolished, and the five prefectures needed to be independent politically, not under unified jurisdiction, but still unified militarily.

Since Zhao Kuangyin asked Guo Jin to inspect the West Mountain, he also believed in Zhao Kuangyin's vision. Besides, according to the history books, Guo Jin is a very capable person. He also relied on a small number of troops to support the Liao army in this battle. key to the battle.

What he was worried about was still the risk of local separatism. After thinking about it, he thought of restricting Jiedushi financially.

In the past, since the mid-Tang Dynasty, the way for Jiedu envoys to pay taxes to the imperial court was that Jiedu envoys collected local taxes, and then withheld their own township expenses, and then handed over the rest to the imperial court.

This model is very problematic at first glance, and Fang Zhen spends it, so who can tell how much it is?What's more, the Jiedushi is far away, how to check?How to prove how much he needs, how much tax is the problem.

Therefore, most of the Jiedu envoys wanted to give as much as they wanted to the imperial court, and used their big heads to raise their own soldiers to make them bigger. In the late Tang Dynasty, many Jiedu envoys in the world did not pay taxes to the imperial court at all. The only ones who honestly support the court are those near the capital.

Complete financial freedom is an important reason for Jiedushi to expand and local separatism.

Shi Congyun played with the little yellow flower in his arms, his hands were delicate, and he began to think about the issue of financial reform.

In the future, the tax revenues of all towns and cities must be handed over to the central government in full, and then the central government will allocate funds according to needs. This matter was also done by Zhao Kuangyin in history, and it was very difficult and fought many battles.

But now he felt that the time had come, and sent them to Luzhou urgently from various places, requesting to accompany him or enter Beijing one after another, all of which were frightened by the destruction of Li Yun and the collapse of the Northern Han Dynasty.

Now that the military prestige is in full swing, it is a great opportunity to carry the prestige of victory, and it is not good to delay it.

It's just that I don't know if Lu Duoxun saw Li Fang in the south.

After thinking about it, Emperor Shi had already decided many important things in his mind.

I have worked hard for the affairs of the state, and I have exhausted my mind and thought, so I should reward myself, Shi Congyun thought to himself, and then he stopped thinking about those troublesome things, but gently hugged the little yellow flower happily, "Come on, you play the role." Guanyin."

Little Yellow Flower nodded: "Ah Lang, let's see if I've learned well."

"Yes, there is progress, but you can't be proud, you have to work hard, study hard, and make progress every day"

At the beginning of April, the vegetation in the north seemed to usher in late spring, and the cold spring in Youzhou seemed to have not dissipated for a long time.

But the cold spring just left, and another chill soon enveloped everyone's hearts.

The first was a business traveler from Weizhou, who brought news that the Daliao Kingdom had fought a big battle with the Nanren army in the south of Yanmen.

There are different opinions on more news. Some people say that the Daliao Kingdom won a big victory, and some people say that the southerners won. There is no exact number, and all kinds of news are circulating.

At the beginning of April, General Murong Yanzhao of the Qin State led his troops to the north and raided several outposts in the Liao Kingdom along the way, killing more than [-] soldiers. The army of the Liao Kingdom killed all the soldiers and persuaded the people along the way to surrender as soon as possible.

After the news spread, many people felt uneasy, but it was quickly suppressed by Xiao Siwen, who stayed behind in Nanjing, and sent people to paste a notice, saying that what the Southern Army said was purely false and nonsense.

However, only a few days after the notice came out, some members of the Weizhou Zhongshun Army rushed into Youzhou City with panicked expressions, and they didn't know what news they brought, so some people speculated.

Another day, when the woodcutter went out, he saw a scrawny man in ragged clothes running out from the mountains in the east. He claimed to be a soldier of the Liao Kingdom. At first, no one believed him when he met the common people. They came out from the mountains in the east, crying when they saw everyone, crying very sadly.
In the afternoon, the weather in Youzhou was very good. The early summer sun was still not scorching, and it was just right for the body to be warm.

Princess Yan took her children to the Fabao Temple in the south of Yingchunmen Street to burn incense and pray for blessings. There were more than a hundred people guarding them.

Xiao Chuo rode on her beloved filly, and her sisters were excited, riding in sedan chairs, just like Han officials, saying that was only dignified.

Only her eldest sister, Xiao Hunian, who is nearly nine years older than her, is riding a tall chestnut horse, wearing brown riding boots, a treasured sword hanging around her waist, and wearing light leather armor. .

She was envious of her eldest sister in her heart, and she thought it was nonsense for other people's actions, Khitan's daughter should ride a horse.She really couldn't understand why her sister, uncle, parents, and those people in the military mansion, while talking about defeating the Southern Army and the Han'er, always intentionally or unintentionally learned from the Southern Army and respected their things.

Now even many high-level officials in the court are proud of their familiarity with Chinese and the classics of Chinese poetry. This situation did not happen overnight.If you want to come to those legends about Emperor Taizu, there is more or less admiration and longing for the glory of the Han Dynasty in the past.

When we beat them all, there will be no such thing, she thought.

The Liao Kingdom respected Buddhism and Confucianism, and took Buddhism as the state religion. From the princes and nobles to the common people, they burned incense and worshiped Buddha on weekdays. Nanjing City is 23 miles away, with eight gates and 26 workshops. The palace city is in the southwest corner, and the city is not very big. There are many Buddhist temples.

In the northwest of Ganquanfang, Yongpingfang, and Fengxianfang, there are Tianwang Temple, Baota Temple, Zhulin Temple, Shengen Temple, and Liao Shengzu Temple; on the north street to the east, there are Dahaotian Temple and Dakaitai Temple. There are Guiyi Temple, Shanchao Temple and Yanhong Temple in Shihefang.There are also Xianlu Temple and Xiasheng Temple in Xianlufang near Andongmen in the east.

Two hundred steps to the east of the main street where they are located is the Yingchun Gate, to the north is the Tongma Square, and to the Jingke Square are the Zhuhua Temple, the Minzhong Temple, and the Dayan Shou Temple.

To the south of the street is the Fabao Temple where they are going today.

Xiao Chuo is very fond of these temples in Nanjing, because her mother, Princess Yan, went to almost all the temples to burn incense and pray for blessings, and she has always respected Buddhism.

The second sister was also very happy and pious, and vaguely heard them whispering that they wanted to pray to the Buddha and marry a powerful person. She thought to herself, if the Buddha can manifest, let the war in the south go smoothly.

There have been some bad rumors recently, and what my father said was a lie, so they don't have to worry, Yelusha is not a mediocre player in the battlefield.

But she was always worried. She heard that Shi Congyun, the emperor of Qin State, was on his own expedition. Speaking of Shi Congyun, the horror of a few years ago still lingered in her mind. It can make you breathless, and you have to lower your voice.

For her, there is also a kind of humiliation that suppresses her heart. She remembers that Shi Congyun's general Guo Tingwei, those people laughed at her outside the city of Youzhou that day, saying that Shi Congyun wanted to arrest her and make her a concubine. She still remembers to this day that she was so humiliated that she would be extremely sensitive whenever she heard about Shi Congyun.

"Let's go, why are you in a daze." The eldest sister woke her up in a daze, and quickly carried her off the horse.

"I can go down by myself." Xiao Chuo pouted, but the eldest sister didn't give her a chance to refute, and directly pulled her forward quickly: "Mother is already at the front, hurry up."

Being dragged by the eldest sister for a while, she managed to break free from her strong hand. Looking at the vigorous and vigorous elder sister, she thought to herself that when she grows up, she must be like the eldest sister, and have the ability to show respect to Shi. Revenge from the cloud.

But I thought that my father and mother were discussing recently about letting the eldest sister marry Yelufeng Sage.

Yelufu Sage is their second uncle, the second brother of the same mother, the second son of Emperor Taizong Yelu Deguang of the Great Liao Kingdom, and the title of King Taiping, the most honorable prince of the Liao Kingdom. He should be 28 or nine years old this year, older than his elder sister About ten years old.

The eldest sister and she have both met their second uncle, but they don't have a deep impression, only know that he is not too smart. , coupled with the support of many people, so that today's day does not dare to kill him, but let him go to the northwest frontier town to lead the army, he is still a high-ranking person.

Following behind the eldest sister, she asked curiously: "Elder sister, do you like the second uncle?"

Eldest sister looked back at her, as if looking at a fool: "Second uncle used to be the most honorable prince of the Daliao Kingdom, although now he has been demoted to the northwestern border, he still has a lot of power, of course I like it.

I don’t know what you’re talking about. Speaking of which, the emperor in the south said a few years ago that he wanted to arrest you and make you his wife. Why don’t you just go to the south? The emperor of the big southern country is also an extremely honorable person. Power and wealth. "

Xiao Chuo was poked at the sore spot, his face flushed red: "Sister, that villain Shi Congyun killed tens of thousands of Liao warriors, he is our biggest enemy.

This time he sent troops to the east of the river, and the success of the reinforcements to the south is still unknown. I will not surrender even if I die. "

"Then what can you do, when I marry my second uncle, he will be the most noble people in the Daliao Kingdom, and if he has power, he might have a chance to lead the Northwest Army to deal with Shi Congyun, but you can't do anything. "The eldest sister stretched out her hand to pinch her little face,

"You say that Shi Congyun is hateful, but if Shi Congyun really comes to Nanjing, you will be caught by him and taken to a tent as a woman, what can you do?
You are a woman, and I am also a woman. If a woman does not want to be manipulated by others, she must find her own way. The second uncle is my way. Do you understand? "

Xiao Chuo looked at the proud and pretty face of the eldest sister, wanted to refute but didn't know where to start, and finally could only say in a fit of anger, "I will definitely be better than you in the future."

"Hmph, then I'll wait." The eldest sister rubbed her head indifferently, Xiao Chuo even avoided letting her rub it.

The mother over there was waving in front of the temple, beckoning them to burn incense and pay respects to the Buddha. As she walked, she asked the elder sister curiously, "Are you really not afraid of Shi Congyun? That wicked butcher."

The elder sister pinched the handle of the knife at her waist with one hand: "I'm just afraid that I also have a knife in my hand."

"But the number of people he killed is also countless, and everyone has a knife." Xiao Chuo retorted, she felt that she had caught the elder sister's loophole.

"They are not strong enough, wait for me to control the army, I will deal with him myself!" The eldest sister Xiao Hunian was a little irritable, Xiao Chuo was keenly aware of it, and immediately reacted, the eldest sister was still afraid, no one was not afraid of Shi Congyun, she was just pretending calm down.

"Besides, Shi Congyun is also a human being. He can't be victorious in all battles. Maybe he was lucky a few years ago. This time the army went south for rescue. I heard that Taiyuan City is stronger than Youzhou. Maybe he will fight this time." Lost." The eldest sister said first, but the more she did this, the more guilty she seemed.

"It's just as you said." Xiao Chuo pouted.

Later, at the mother's request, the two reluctantly entered the Buddhist hall, burned incense and prayed for blessings, and worshiped the Buddha hastily. Because they were thinking about things, they were always a little absent-minded.

There is a Taiqing Pool to the west of the Fabao Temple. In the afternoon, my mother, accompanied by my second sister, continued to listen to the lectures on Buddhist scriptures.

The elder sister's big big horse was always faster than her filly, Xiao Chuo was very unhappy, but there was nothing he could do about it, the two of them had fun, yelling indulgently, and galloping the horse.

In the Liao Kingdom, the atmosphere was more open, and it was easier for women to gain power. Just like the empress of the Taizu Emperor controlled the government, it was a matter of course in many cases, and not many people would think that it was inappropriate for women to hold power.

When the sun was hot in the afternoon, someone rushed to report to the eldest sister. It was her slave, a Han Chinese captured from the south a few years ago. Because she could talk and ride a horse, the eldest sister liked to take her by her side.

She whispered a few words in the eldest sister's ear, and Xiao Chuo clearly watched the smile on the elder sister's face gradually disappear.

"What's the matter?" She rode over and asked.

"Han Yin is back." The elder sister said.

Han Yin is the name Yelu Xiezhen learned from the Han people. He is the brother of the emperor Yelu Abaoji of the Daliao Kingdom and the grandson of Yelu Helu, a confidant minister. Almost the same as the eldest sister.

"Didn't he go out with Yelusha's army?" Xiao Chuo immediately responded.

"Go back and have a look." The eldest sister said as she rode away, Xiao Chuo even followed.

They went west along the Yingchunmen Avenue, all the way into the Xuanhe Gate, surrounded by dozens of guards to protect them, and the officials did not dare to stop them along the way, and soon entered the palace city and arrived at the Yuanhe Palace.

In the empty courtyard outside the main hall, a large group of people had already gathered. Apart from some familiar officials, they also saw their father Xiao Siwen, and Gao Xun, a Han minister who was not inferior to his father in status. Rule over all the soldiers and horses in Nanjing.

Surrounded by them was a man who needed help, skinny but with a tall frame. The person next to him was not looking well. She didn't know the reason, but the eldest sister reminded him, "That's Yelu Xiezhen."

Xiao Chuo also realized at once, that tall and skinny young man who needed someone to support him was actually Yelu Xiezhen!It was completely different from the tall and strong appearance a few months ago, as if all the flesh had been ripped off, leaving only the skin and bones, no wonder she couldn't recognize it.

Then, a chill ran down the spine and reached the top of the head, and I couldn't help shivering. Yelu Xiezhen led more than 1000 elite soldiers from Nanjing to follow Yelusha to support Taiyuan. Now he has become like this. The war in the south
Just as she was thinking, the eldest sister had already got off the horse neatly, threw the reins to the attendants, strode over, and the crowd stepped aside one after another. She saw the elder sister say a few words to her father, and then her face darkened.

At that moment, Xiao Chuo's heart also sank, she knew that there must be something wrong with the war in the south.

(Blessings to everyone in the early years. Those who have tickets will give two as lucky money. Give your children some encouragement!)
(End of this chapter)