Neon Clothes and Iron Clothes

Chapter 701 Zhang Bang
"I humbly obey my orders!" Di Renjie responded.

Wang Wenzuo flicked his whip and rode his horse onto the river bridge. With the sound of horse hooves, he could feel the gentle rise and fall of the bridge under his feet. He couldn't help but feel a little dizzy. This was not his first time on this bridge, but It was the first time I went to Chang'an. At this time, I was already carrying the weight of the world and went to Liaodong to suppress the rebellion. My identity and state of mind were naturally very different.

"Sanlang, Sanlang!" The voice of King Pei Li Xian came from behind. Wang Wenzuo pulled the reins, reined in his mount, turned around and asked, "What's wrong, Your Highness?"

"Sanlang, how many soldiers and horses do you have under your command?" Li Xian looked a little nervous. He pointed behind him with his riding crop: "If I am not mistaken, there are only a thousand people here at most, right?"

"Yes, Your Highness read it right!" Wang Wenzuo nodded: "The only people on the bridge at this time are my guards, some officers who wanted to accompany me to Liaodong in Chang'an, and people from the shogunate. In total, there are about 900 people. Bar!"

"What about the others? Where are the subsequent troops?"

"No more, these are the only ones left!" Wang Wenzuo replied: "Other troops have to go to Fan Yang, and there are only these troops from here to Fan Yang! Please rest assured, Your Highness, these people are enough to ensure your and my safety!"

"I'm not worried about safety!" Li Xian became a little anxious when he heard this: "Brother Huang thinks that I am the Grand Marshal of the Liaodong Road March and will lead all the armies to quell the rebellion in Liaodong. Why do you take these hundreds of people with you? You should know What's the situation in Liaodong? What can these few hundred men do? Why not send out the government troops from Guanzhong and Henan? How can we get 5 to [-] men?"

"Your Highness!" Wang Wenzuo explained patiently: "Pei Xingjian has already sent troops to conquer the Turks, and Tubo has put a lot of pressure on Longyou. The military government in Guanzhong has almost exhausted all the manpower it can mobilize, and it is really empty. If If I redeploy the military headquarters in Henan, if something unexpected happens, Your Majesty will have no capital to respond. As for Liaodong, I have ordered Yangzhou to recruit two thousand Xuanrun crossbowmen. At the same time, I have also recruited Hebei The power of the military headquarters in other places, as well as my old troops in Xiongjin Dudufu and the Japanese state, plus the troops currently at the disposal of General Xue, should be almost enough!"

"Two thousand crossbowmen? Xiongjin Governor's Mansion, the old Japanese army, well! That's all we can count on!" Li Xian sighed: "But forget it in Hebei. Everyone knows that there are not many military mansions in Hebei, even if they are all recruited There are only a few thousand people here, so what can we do to help?"

"The heroes of Hebei have always been brave. As long as they are motivated by loyalty, rewarded with official positions, money and silk, and with the reputation of the king, there is no need to worry about no one coming to vote for them!" Wang Wenzuo said with a smile.

Li Xian snorted but said nothing, but the expression on his face said everything.Wang Wenzuo didn't say anything. He lightly whipped his mount, started running quickly on the bridge, and sang loudly: "Li Bo's little sister is graceful, and her skirt chases the horse like a roll. If you shoot left and right, you will double. Women are like this, Is it safe for men?"

The singing echoed on the river, and it took a long time before it subsided.

After crossing the Heyang Bridge, Wang Wenzuo and others walked along the post road in the direction of Fanyang. With the help of the developed post system of the Tang Dynasty, while moving forward, Wang Wenzuo continued to issue military orders in the name of the Marching Marshal's Mansion, ordering Hebei to march. The few government soldiers mobilized troops and horses to rush to Fan Yang within a time limit, and ordered the transfer of food and military supplies to Fan Yang through the canal. However, Wang Wenzuo's own marching speed was not fast, no more than thirty miles a day, and there was no appearance of military urgency.However, both the officials and the staff along the way thought this was normal - firstly, there were not many soldiers and horses in the first place, and it would be useless if Fan Yang could not finish the assembly if he ran quickly; secondly, King Pei was still young, and if the march was too long, it would be useless. If you go quickly, you may not suffer hardship; although the situation in Liaodong in the third year is not good, Xue Rengui is also a veteran general. Although the rebels have many people, they belong to different ministries and cannot unite. Although the Tang army is unable to annihilate them, they can control a few I still have the ability to focus on these key points, but it's not to the point where I'm in dire need.

As the nominal marching marshal, King Pei Li Xian's nerves gradually relaxed. The days of fasting and traveling that he had expected did not happen. Instead, the first four-wheeled carriage brought him an extremely comfortable experience - —Compared with the two-wheeled carriages he made in the past, not only does the four-wheeled carriage have much more space, but more importantly, the shock-absorbing system of the new four-wheeled carriage can provide passengers with better comfort even on the bumpy loess post road. Quite a nice ride.Li Xian could even read a book, eat fruit and drink tea in the car while driving. If it were a two-wheeled carriage, the bones of the passengers would be broken after a day of driving, let alone tea.

However, he was still surprised by Wang Wenzuo's slow action. In his memory, victory was always associated with the general's decisiveness and speed, and now he was not so much on the march as on an outing.Can this also put down the rebellion in Liaodong?Did he have other plans?Lee Hyun's doubts are growing day by day, and although he hides them behind a mask of composure, it's still there, growing with every mile they cross.He was anxious during the day and tossed and turned at night. Every unusual movement on the roadside made him grit his teeth.

"This is Gaoji Bo!" Wang Wenzuo pointed to the sparkling lake in the distance and said: "A little further away is the Xiawang Temple. We will camp there today!"

"Xiawang Temple?" Li Xian searched in his mind for a while, but couldn't find the name: "Why don't you camp near the inn tonight? With our marching speed, we shouldn't be able to catch up, right?"

"That's natural!" Wang Wenzuo said with a smile: "Xiawang Temple is the place I passed by when I came to Chang'an last time. Today I want to visit the old place again, so I plan to camp there!"

"It looks more and more like I'm going out for fun!" Li Xian cursed, but he just nodded lightly: "If that's the case, then so be it!"

At nearly noon, Li Xian came into Li Xian's sight. Although he said he didn't care, he still looked at the "Xia Wang Temple" carefully. However, he soon became disappointed. It was just a rustic place. The two courtyards on the slope were surrounded by straw sheds, which were no different from the rural earthen temples he saw when he was out of town for a tour in Chang'an.Could it be that Wang Wenzuo wanted to stay overnight just for this earth temple?Li Xian shouted in his heart, but he still didn't say it out loud. He lowered the curtains and closed his eyes again to rest.

Wang Wenzuo didn't notice the curse of the young man on the carriage. He jumped off the horse and climbed onto the slope.There was already an old man in linen clothes standing at the door of the temple. He had already been alerted by the noise of the passing people and horses, and stood at the door cautiously, waiting for the arrival of the noble man.

"My Majesty Wang Wenzuo!" Wang Wenzuo cupped his hands: "When I went to Liaodong last time, I passed by your temple and offered incense to King Xia. My father-in-law also treated me to the dates behind the temple. They were very sweet! Do you still remember me? "

The old man in sackcloth carefully looked Wang Wenzuo up and down, and suddenly slapped his thigh: "Yes, yes, I remembered, it was you. You passed by here a few years ago, and you gave me a piece of gold as a gift. Reshape the golden bodies of King Xia and General Liu! So it’s you who are here, you must have been promoted, right?”

"Hahahaha!" Wang Wenzuo laughed out loud at the simple and vulgar words of the old man in sackcloth. He shook his official robe: "Yes! Thanks to my father-in-law, I have been promoted and now wear a brocade robe. , It’s really the smoke coming from the ancestral grave!” “Hey, you can’t say that. If I have any ability to protect you from promotion, it must be the blessing of King Xia and General Liu!” Hearing Wang Wenzuo’s kind words, I was originally The embarrassment gradually disappeared: "Looking at your current guard of honor, aren't the officials younger than the governor?"

"Not small, not small!" Wang Wenzuo said with a smile. He put the hem of his official robe into Lao'er's hand and let him rub it: "Look at this robe, it's a bit bigger than the governor!"

"Bigger than the governor! That's really amazing!" The old man in sackcloth timidly touched the official robe, then took back his hand: "This is a great event. Wang Guan'er, you must go to Xia Wang and Liu again this time." General, put on the incense stick and let them bless you to get another liter! I didn’t spend the ingot of gold you gave me on myself, I spent it all on this temple. You will know when you look at it. That statue requires a master craftsman to come. It’s been reshaped, not to mention it looks so impressive!”

"Okay, okay!" Wang Wenzuo didn't give in. He followed the old man in sackcloth into the temple and came to the statue. It was obvious that a lot of thought and money had been spent on the decorations in the temple. The statue was also majestic, better than the last time he came. It was a complete exchange of shotguns for cannons. The old man spent most if not all of his money on the temple.Wang Wenzuo nodded with satisfaction, asked for incense, bowed to Dou Jiande and Liu Heitai first, and then followed the old man to the side room to serve tea. After taking a few sips, he asked: "What about the incense in Xiawang Temple?" How have you been for two years?”

"Okay, it's getting better and better!" The old man in sackcloth put a plate of dates in front of Wang Wenzuo and said with a smile: "People from all over the country come to worship. They go to the market here twice a month. The little old man also With this, by doing some small business, you can not only support yourself, but also support your wife!"

"Oh? That's a good thing!" Wang Wenzuo waved his hand, took a tray from Sancho, and placed it in front of the old man in sackcloth: "There are two pieces of coarse silk here to make clothes for my father-in-law and your wife. Although this silk is thick, It’s a little expensive, but it’s still much more comfortable than Mai. In addition, there are five guan of money, two guan of incense money, and three guan of tea money for you!”

"Then why are you so embarrassed?" The old man in sackcloth looked at the coarse silk and copper coins on the tray, and his old face couldn't help but squirm: "This cup of coarse tea, I'm not worth a few coins, it's worth three or five cents. !”

"Haha!" Wang Wenzuo said with a smile: "Old man, if you think this tea is a lot of money, then you can do something for me, and you won't regret it!"

"I'm helping you with something?" the old man in sackcloth said with a smile, "Are you kidding again? You have so many strong men under your command, what do you want a poor old man like me to do?"

"Don't worry!" Wang Wenzuo said with a smile: "Do you still remember that Liu Qi?"

"Liu Qi?" The old man in sackcloth thought for a moment and nodded: "I remember, but I haven't seen him in a few years. He must have died somewhere! Are you looking for him?"

"Almost!" Wang Wenzuo smiled: "But I'm not looking for him, but people like him. I want them all!"

The old man in sackcloth was confused by Wang Wenzuo: "It's not Liu Qi, but someone like him? What do you mean?"

"You are a hero from the countryside like Liu Qi who is brave and ambitious, but has no qualifications!" Wang Wenzuo said with a smile: "I don't want to hide it from my husband. I am passing through here this time to go to Liaodong to fight the Tatars and barbarians. My subordinates What is lacking is capable men. There have always been many heroes in the land of Yanzhao. I want to use the strength of the strong men of Yanzhao to relieve the emperor's worries. If there is anyone who is willing to accompany me on the expedition, there is no limit on origin or reputation, as long as there is a will and courage. Anyone who is brave can do it. I will not hesitate to have wealth, official titles, etc. I should make them rich and honor them and reward them for their merits! There should be many such people here, right?"

"Quite a few!" The old man seemed to understand Wang Wenzuo's half-literate words, but he understood clearly what he said about how many good men there were in the area: he subconsciously raised his chest: "You hope They surrendered to the army, right? But I’m a clumsy person, and I don’t know your name and official position. Also, how can you surrender to the army? I don’t know how to do it?”

"It doesn't matter, I've already thought about this!" Wang Wenzuo clapped his hands and asked Lu Zhaolin to send a scroll: "You can hang this article on the door of Xiawang Temple later, and someone will naturally read it when you go to the market next time. As for joining the army, as long as you can reach Fanyang before six months, this list can be used as proof, and you can get free food and lodging at the posthouse along the way!"

"Is it enough to just hang it on the door? Can it also be used as a voucher to get free food and accommodation in the inn? Then it works!" The old man was overjoyed when he heard this. He carefully took the scroll: "To tell you the truth, if I weren't already old, Now, if I were 30 or [-] years younger, I wouldn’t be guarding the Xiawang Temple anymore and would follow you to Liaodong to gain wealth!"

"Hahahaha!" Wang Wenzuo laughed loudly after hearing this: "It doesn't matter, my father-in-law, you can stay here in the Xiawang Temple, offer incense, and let the Xiawang and General Liu bless me to pacify Liaodong. It is also a great contribution!"

Wang Wenzuo paid homage to King Xia and General Liu again before leaving the temple. Lu Zhaolin said in a low voice: "General, although your actions may win the hearts of the heroes of Hebei, I'm afraid it will spread to Chang'an. It caused a lot of gossip!”

"You are wrong!" Wang Wenzuo said with a smile: "Even if I do nothing, many people in the court will gossip about me! If Pei Judao doesn't even know how to seize this opportunity, he would be too stupid!"

"That's what I say! But there are still differences!" Lu Zhaolin said with a bitter smile: "To be honest with you, the scholars who came to Chang'an with me are either in your shogunate, or they have returned to their hometowns to recruit brave men. , I think they will come to vote in a few days, you will not be short of manpower at all, so why bother to do this and give people the authority?"

(End of this chapter)