Late Tang Dynasty Floating Life

Chapter 1012 Price and Support

In fact, Zhao Kuangming was not the only one who came to Luoyang.

Zhuge Chang, the son of Zhuge Zhongfang, Zhao Su, the second son of Zhao Jian, and Zhao Lu, the nephew of Zhao Jue, also came. They lived in Dutingyi, west of Luoyang City, where Zhao Kuangming also lived.

It was a little awkward for a few people to meet.

In fact, there were contacts in private beforehand, and our own envoys had communicated with each other more than once.I have talked about what should be said and what should not be said, and there is nothing much to say at this time.

There was a large army mobilization near Dutingyi, which lasted for several days.

Everyone is not panicking.Why go to war if you want to catch them?Some of these soldiers went east, some went west, and they didn't know what they were doing.

"The ones going east may be going south to Xuzhou. I heard that there has been a fight over there, and many soldiers and horses have gathered." Zhuge Chang said: "Most of them surrendered. I heard that Xihe City had been captured, and the Huai army sailors desperately responded. Let the remnants go back."

"It really doesn't stop all day. It's only been four months of rest, and the war started again." Zhao Kuangming sighed.

"It's good to beat Yang Xingmi, so that he won't have to think about it all day long, and his ambition can't be restrained." Zhao Su also participated in it, laughing.

Zhao Lu remained silent, not knowing what he was thinking.

Everyone tacitly did not mention things like reducing the vassal, although this has been clearly stated, it will be implemented sooner or later.

According to Zhao Kuangming's own understanding, the Zhao family in Xuzhou may have lost their spirits, and the top soldiers underneath are also terrified.

He didn't know what would happen to the Zhuge family in Xingyuan Mansion, most likely they wouldn't submit.

Those who have territory are rarely willing to hand it over.Besides, the terrain in Hanzhong is dangerous, and the Zhuge family may still have some ideas, wanting to continue to maintain a semi-independent status, unless it reaches the end of the mountain.

Longjian Zhao now feels threatened by Li Maozhen.

Li Maozhen probably also offered conditions to solicit.From Zhao Jian's standpoint, Li Maozhen would definitely not be able to defeat Li Maozhen, but he would not surrender either.It seems that he is unwilling to hand over his land and become an official in Luoyang. It is a dilemma.

As for my family, from the bottom of my heart, I don't want to quit Xiangyang either.But things have come to this point, we still have to take one step at a time.It is best to take control of the two towns at the same time. If it is not possible, hand over Xiangzhou, Ying and Fuzhou must be killed.If the pressure is really great, then take it out and make a deal in exchange for Jingnan Town.

It's a pity that Yang Xingmi lost in Qizhou, which is not a good thing.

If he had a choice, he hoped that Yang Xingmi would win, so that the Zhao family would have the value to be wooed and a basis for bargaining.

"I heard that Wang Tuan has come to Luoyang. I don't know why." Zhuge Chang asked tentatively as he looked at the crowd with blinking eyes.

Wang Tuan was one of the prime ministers.With all the "predecessors" dying and leaving, he is already the oldest and highest-ranking group of court officials.

He was not in Chang'an to assist the emperor, but rushed to Luoyang in a hurry, which was indeed eye-catching.

"I'm scared." Zhao Su said with a smile: "King Xia is going to move the court to Luoyang, and the officials in Chang'an are afraid that it will end badly. It is not unusual to send someone over to find out the news."

Zhao Kuangming's heart moved, and hidden worries gradually emerged.

He knew very well that his elder brother had feelings for Datang, and he was somewhat loyal to the saint of the Li family.If Shao Shude invites the sage to Luoyang, it's fine, my brother can accept it, but if the walking meditation gives way to the ceremony, things will be complicated.Even if the elder brother did not dare to attack King Xia, he would not listen to him again.

It's easy to tear the face directly.Zhao Kuangming was a little restless, thinking about it, but couldn't find a solution.

Alas, Li Keyong and Yang Xingmi are not up to the task.As long as they are stronger, vassal towns like the Zhongyi Army, Shannan West Road, Chen Xu, etc., will not be mixed up to this point.

It is the survival philosophy of these feudal towns who live in the cracks all the year round to be able to meet the source and wait for the opportunity.

******
In fact, Li Keyong also had envoys to Luoyang, and the person who came was not low-level, he was his confidant advisor Gai Yu.

Gai Yu went south from Zelu, passed through Heyang and arrived in Luoyang.

To be honest, he was a little shocked along the way.

From Taihang Xingkou to the south to Heyang North City, the 95-mile post road is wide and flat, extending straight forward.

Everyone could see that Shao Shude spent a lot of money to build this road.But it seems to be worth it, because the horse-drawn carriage can not only carry more goods on this road, but also has a faster speed. The merchants praised this, thinking that it saved them a lot of money.

Of course, if it's just a post road, maybe it's nothing.

But Mengzhou and Huaizhou are also very densely populated.Grain and livestock are plentiful, which means abundant logistics; the local peasants are well-trained, which means sufficient reserve troops.

Everything I saw and heard was worrying.

While waiting for King Xia's interview, Gai Yu felt depressed, so he came to the surrounding area of ​​Nanshi, sat down at a random restaurant, and secretly observed the scenery of Luoyang.

At this moment, several horses galloped in.

Horses galloping on the street, this is not unusual, usually only when there is an emergency military situation.

Gai Yu looked out subconsciously, but saw the war horse flash past, and soon disappeared at the end of the street.

He looked away in disappointment and began to look at the restaurant.

The business of restaurants is relatively light, and there will only be a few diners still sitting inside.

The current situation is turbulent, life is hard, and Luoyang is not popular enough, most of them are hard-working slaves, poor and clinking.Those who can still eat out here are either passing merchants or local wealthy people with small fortunes, and they are generally well-informed.

"Is that the messenger of Baojie just now?" An old man in red robe asked.

This man looked extraordinary, he was either an official or a local tyrant, with a large bowl of rice porridge and a plate of pig kidney in front of him.

The owner of the restaurant seems to be a doctor, and has attracted many regular diners.

Pig kidney nourishes blood and replenishes leanness to benefit the innate, japonica rice nourishes the spleen and stomach to calm the acquired, and nourishes each other for two days.

"Daibei stopped, and Qizhou and Shuzhou started fighting again. After a while, Qishu stopped, and Xing Mingci might start fighting again." Another old man in white robe said.

Yes, all old men.

There is also a bowl of japonica rice porridge in front of the old man. It seems that this restaurant mainly sells porridge for health.

The porridge looks like there are medicinal materials such as cistanche and dendrobium.

Cistanche deserticola is sweet, salty and warm in nature, sweet and warm to help yang, and salty to enter the kidney, which mainly warms and nourishes kidney yang.

Dendrobium, cold in nature and sweet in taste, returns to the stomach and kidney channels, produces kidney water, strengthens yin and improves essence.

Good guy, these two old men are here to invigorate the kidney.

"That is to fight Hedong?" The red-robed old man said with a smile: "Let's fight, the world is in chaos. If you don't beat those army leaders, they won't be captured without a fight."

"Hedong is lingering on his last days, and we are just holding a group with the towns in Hebei to keep warm." The white-robed old man said: "The king of Xia has achieved great power, even if he keeps exhausting, he can still exhaust Li Ke to death."

"With so many warriors, King Xia is the one who wins the world the most." The red-robed old man said: "At least the local states and counties are well-organized. In fact, until now, I didn't want to understand what Li Ke was trying to resist. .If he comes to surrender, King Xia will give his righteous brother a fortune even if he pretends to be a prince. Aren’t Gai Yu’s idiots unwise? They don’t even persuade them.”

"Gai Yu's ability is just like that." The white-robed old man said: "Besides, he may not be able to persuade the gang of warriors under Li Keyong. He always wants to rely on the east and west of the mountains and rivers to drag him. After a long time, maybe Luoyang's internal Something happened to me."

"Alas, these demented people." The red-robed old man sighed, "The king of Xia used his army and won many battles. At the same time, he vigorously ran schools and improved agriculture. The territory was getting bigger and bigger, and the soldiers were getting better and better. Could it be God's will? , but there is no good fruit to eat."

Gai Yu silently drank the medicinal porridge for invigorating the kidney, feeling a little uncomfortable.

Shao Shude's position in the Central Plains is getting stronger and stronger, and some people even think that he has a destiny.

Judging from the identities of these two old men, they should not be ordinary people, and there must be someone in the family who is an official or a general.It is all the more telling that the two of them are also probably representatives of a certain group.

This time he was ordered to go south, but there was actually no other meaning.The main reason was that the king of Jin was furious when he heard that Shao Shude was going to get the emperor to his side, and sent him to ask for clarification.

In fact, from Gai Yu's point of view, this matter is quite helpless.what?how to ask?So what if you ask?
In fact, King Jin knew very well that the strength of Hedong was not enough to defeat Xia Jun.So even if Shao Shude really practiced the ritual of walking meditation, what can you do?Will the whole army go south to snatch the emperor away?
Gai Yu silently took another mouthful of kidney.

Suddenly another wave of messengers came running on the street, and they said as they walked, "Great victory! Great victory! Li Dutou and Li Shuai defeated Wang Maozhang in Haizhou, captured thousands of people, and Yang Xingmi's defeat can be expected."

"This..." Gai Yu was taken aback.

The noise on the street suddenly became louder.Many people rushed out spontaneously, looking excited, chatting and laughing happily.

Luoyang Shimin is already proud of Xia Jun's victory outside, which is a sign that the basic market is becoming more and more stable.

Gai Yu was not in the mood to invigorate the kidney, so he put down his chopsticks.

Many people are thinking of procrastinating until Shao Shude dies, and then see if there is a chance of a comeback.Gai Yu used to think that this is a very suitable method for the disadvantaged party in desperation, but now he has a new thinking.

Judging by the level of support of the people in Luoyang, even if the second generation succeeds to the throne, most likely there will be no major disturbances, unless he is really fatuous.

The two old men got up almost at the same time, and went outside the restaurant to find someone to inquire about.

Gai Yu silently put down his meal money, got up and left.

There is no sign of the good news messenger on the street, but the people are still talking about it with great interest.

Proud and honorable—this is the feeling Luoyang Shimin gave Gai Yu.

******
In the newly completed Guanfeng Hall in Shangyang Palace, Shao Shude listened carefully to the reports of the people below.

Zhao Kuangming, Zhuge Chang and others were summoned by him.

Wang Tuan came here on his own initiative.

Gaiyu is the result of mutual contacts between Xia and Jin.

"People from all over the world gather in Luoyang." Shao Shude put down the watch in his hand, and said with a smile, "They all know what I'm going to do, and how anxious they all are! Let them hang out first, and let Wang Shilu come and see me."

Wang Shilu is now an official of the Ministry of Industry of the new dynasty, and he has been busy with one thing recently, and he just got an idea, and Shao Shude happened to be very concerned, so he immediately summoned him to see him.

Obviously, for Shao Shude, governing the local area seems to be more important, and everything else has to be placed in the back row.

(End of this chapter)