Everything starts from Menghualu

Chapter 405: Taking Jinzhou
"After Liu Changfeng returned home, he sat comfortably in the bathtub. Yu Ru gave him a gentle massage and then whispered, "My Lord, what happened to you today? Why did you drink so much?"

"It was all because of my brothers who insisted on drinking. The three of them teamed up to get me drunk. Really, but I still won in the end, hahahaha." Liu Changfeng said with a smile

"Yes, yes, your Majesty, you are the best." Yuru chuckled.
"Hmm? It seems that you are not convinced when I hear you say this? Just wait, I will let you see clearly how powerful I am." After Liu Changfeng finished speaking, he started to act directly.

Time quickly came to the next day. Liu Changfeng attended court as usual, but this time after the court was adjourned, he did not go back because the prince was waiting for him.

"Fifth brother, don't be so polite. Come and sit down. Let's talk slowly." The prince said
After hearing this, Liu Changfeng slowly sat down. Seeing this, the prince continued, "Fifth brother, actually I called you here this time for nothing else. I just heard that you were going to the war."

"Father has entrusted the food and supplies to you. As you know, I have more followers in the Ministry of Revenue. I called you here today to tell you."

"If you have anything to say, just tell them. Don't be polite to them. If they dare to trip you up, I will definitely help you deal with them."

After hearing this, Liu Changfeng naturally hurriedly stood up to express his gratitude. Then there was a scene of brotherly friendship and respect. Finally, Liu Changfeng left the East Palace with a smile on his face, accompanied by the prince.

After leaving the palace and getting on his own carriage, he couldn't help but recall what had just happened. In fact, in his opinion, the prince's purpose of looking for him today was very simple.

One was to tell himself that the Ministry of Revenue was his territory and not to be too presumptuous. The other was, of course, to cause trouble for his second brother.

After all, the expedition is imminent, and this is the most tense time. This little bit of calculation will play a big role, but he doesn't care, after all, he is not going to the front line to fight.

In fact, the prince's actions today did cause some disturbances, among which was Liu Changfeng's good fourth brother, Liu Changhe, who was chattering in Liu Changyuan's mansion.

"Okay, okay, fourth brother, stop talking. Can you please let second brother be alone? Things have already happened. What's the point of you saying this?" Liu Changyun said

"Third brother, you sound easy, but we will have to go to the battlefield. If there is a problem with food and grass, it will be no joke. Don't you know this?" Liu Changhe said

"Of course I know that, but what's the point of you doing this now? No matter what the prince said to Lao Wu, we have no other choice now."

"After all, we just invited Lao Wu over for a drink yesterday. If you invite him over now, doesn't that mean you don't trust him or the crown prince?" Liu Changyun said

After hearing this, Liu Changhe opened his mouth but didn't say a word. At this time, Liu Changyuan said, "Okay, okay, talk less."

"Old Four, I know what you're worried about. I'm worried too, but there's nothing we can do about it. After all, this is the situation. We have no other choice."

"We can only trust Lao Wu now. After all, the Ministry of Revenue is full of the prince's people. If Lao Wu is gone, do you think we can get it this time?"

"I'm telling you, if Lao Wu is gone, you and I will end up in a much worse situation. Lao Wu is not a fool. He knows the importance of things and he won't be confused about things like this."

"Do you really think that he has no doubts about the Crown Prince? I don't need to tell you what kind of personality the Fifth Brother has, do I? Do you really think that he is favored by the Emperor because of the Queen?"

"The food and supplies are such a big deal, how can we easily hand them over to others? Don't worry, Lao Wu is a smart man, he will never harm his own interests." Liu Changyuan said

After hearing this, Liu Changhe could only accept it and stopped talking.

At this moment, Liu Changfeng didn't care about these things. He was busy talking to his wife.

"Madam, this is what happened. I wanted to tell you yesterday, but when I came back, the servants said you and the child were asleep, so I didn't go back to the room." Liu Changfeng said with a smile.

"Your Highness, Sister Yuru told me this morning. I know, but Your Highness, this battlefield is dangerous. You must be careful." Ye Yun said worriedly
Don't worry, my dear lady. I am in charge of logistics and supplies. I will not go to the front line. The war is the business of my three brothers and has nothing to do with me.

"I am only responsible for coordinating with the Ministry of Revenue and ensuring that they supply food and fodder on time." After hearing this, Liu Changfeng hurried to explain.

In fact, Ye Yun also knew these things, but he just couldn't help but worry. Now after hearing this, he finally relaxed a little.

Time passed slowly, and soon the day of departure arrived. This time, Liu Changyuan and his two companions left first, while Liu Changfeng was responsible for transporting food and fodder and would set off again in a few days.

On the day when the army set out, Emperor Xining personally went to the city gate to see them off. It can be said that his meaning was very clear, and the prince naturally understood his father's intentions very well.

Therefore, this first batch of food and fodder was raised very quickly. Liu Changfeng set out with the food and fodder on the third day after the army set out. He arrived outside Jinzhou city safely along the way.

All the counties along the way surrendered by opening the city gates.

"Brother, do you think we are worrying for nothing? This place is too easy to defeat, isn't it? We haven't even started yet, and we're already outside Jinzhou City." Liu Changhe said

"Fourth brother, don't be careless. Many things are not that simple. By the way, third brother, have you left enough soldiers and horses along the way?" Liu Changyuan said

"Don't worry, second brother. I have brought enough people with me. They are all our trusted confidants. There won't be any accidents." Liu Changyun said

"That's good, that's good. Actually, I'm not worried about them rebelling. If they rebel, then they will rebel. At worst, we can just fight back later. What I'm worried about is whether the food supply route is safe."

"Although Old Five is here this time, and Father has made his position clear before, no one can guarantee whether the Crown Prince will really let us go, so we still have to be careful."

"We can't do anything about the Ministry of Revenue. We can only rely on Lao Wu himself. But we can still make preparations here and try not to cause him any trouble." Liu Changyuan said with a serious face.

"Don't worry, second brother. I know the severity of the situation. There will be no problem. Let's discuss how to attack this city. After all, Jinzhou City is not easy to attack." Liu Changyun said

At this time, Liu Changfeng was moving slowly forward. It was not that he was not in a hurry, but he could not be in a hurry. After all, the progress on the front line was too fast, which made him very uneasy.

Although enough manpower has been left at the front line and in the counties along the way, he is still a little worried and always feels that something is wrong.

But he didn't know where the problem was, so he could only slow down and think slowly, hoping that he could figure it out. In fact, it was precisely because of his caution that he avoided a lot of trouble.

"What did you say? Say it again? You said bandits attacked the county? Where did the bandits come from? Why weren't there any bandits when our army passed through the border before?"

"Why weren't they there before we arrived? Why did they appear now? I was wondering why they were so quiet, it turns out they were waiting here."

"I was wondering why Lao Wu was walking so slowly. I thought he had some other thoughts in mind, but now it seems that he has foresight."

"Third brother, you must lead the troops now to wipe out all the so-called bandits along the way. At least make sure they are unable to organize themselves again. The food route must be kept safe." Liu Changyuan said seriously.

After hearing this, Liu Changyun went out directly to prepare the troops. At this time, Liu Changyuan walked towards the sand table. Since others had already made their move, he naturally could not sit there and wait for death.

So on the morning of the next day, Liu Changyuan ordered an attack on the city. It was a fierce attack at the beginning, which caught Jinzhou City off guard. The city wall was captured several times.

Although they were all snatched back in the end, it was obvious that they were no match for Liu Changyuan. At this time, Liu Changfeng naturally also received news of the bandits.

He ordered his men to stay where they were and not to move forward. After all, food and fodder could not be lost, so he had to be cautious. He felt that he was waiting for his third brother here.

After he had been stationed in the county town for three days, he finally saw Liu Changyun.

"Third brother, you are finally here. If you hadn't come, I would have had to take the risk and hurry on my way. That would have been too dangerous." Liu Changfeng said

"Fifth brother, I'm really sorry. I really didn't expect that they would pretend to be bandits. But don't worry, I have wiped them out now. There will be no danger ahead." Liu Changyun said

"It's okay, it's okay. Since you are here, let's set off tomorrow. I have to go back and escort another batch of food and grass." Liu Changfeng said

After hearing this, Liu Changyun naturally had no objection. Time quickly came to the next day, and Liu Changfeng, who had rested for a few days, finally set off again.

This time there was indeed no danger and they arrived at the front line smoothly. However, they discovered that Jinzhou City had been captured.

That's right, they were captured, which surprised the two brothers. But then they were also delighted. After all, if they could end the battle earlier, they could go back earlier.

"Third and fifth brothers, you are back. Come and sit down." Liu Changyuan said with a smile

"Brother, you are so fast. I have only been out for a few days. How did you get it? Isn't this too fast?" Liu Changyun asked
"Third brother, I didn't expect that. You don't know that I ordered an attack on the city the day after you left. They are no match for us at all."

"They were on the verge of entering Jinzhou City for several days in a row. Under such circumstances, some people in the city could no longer sit still and sent someone to deliver a letter to me, saying that they wanted to surrender the city."

"At first I thought they were setting a trap for me and had made a lot of preparations, but later I realized that I was just overthinking it."

"They really surrendered. The battle is over. I have already submitted a petition to the Emperor asking for merit. The time should be almost up, right?" Liu Changyuan said.

"Brother, congratulations. You have made such a great contribution this time. It is really cause for celebration." Liu Changfeng said

"Congratulations, Fifth Brother. Thank you very much this time. Without you, we would never have been so successful." Liu Changyuan said

"Second brother, please don't say that. I didn't help at all this time, so please stop praising me. I feel embarrassed if you keep praising me like that." Liu Changfeng said

"Fifth brother, please don't underestimate yourself. What I said is true. Although the food and grass have not arrived this time, the soldiers have still tried their best and are not worried about any problems."

"Why is that? It's because your fifth brother is in charge of the food and supplies this time. In fact, not to mention them, even I am not worried at all."

"So, fifth brother, don't be modest. Your contribution is no less than mine." Liu Changyuan said seriously.
"Brother, you are exaggerating. I am embarrassed. Okay, okay, let's not talk about this anymore. Let's talk about something else."

"We have conquered Jinzhou so smoothly this time. I think our father will have other ideas. We will have to go on another expedition, so you have to be prepared, second brother."

"This Jinzhou is just the beginning. Since it's going so smoothly here, there will definitely be a second and third time. I think we will have many more battles to fight in the future." Liu Changfeng said

"Yes, Fifth Brother, what you said makes sense. Father asked us to attack Jinzhou this time, which was actually a test. Now that it has worked, there will naturally be a next time." Liu Changyuan said

And in fact it was true. When Emperor Xining received the news of the great victory in Jinzhou, he was very happy. After all, if it went well this time, there would definitely be a next time.

This means that during his lifetime, he can truly take back all the states and become a true emperor. The temptation is so great that even he can't control himself.

So after he told the court officials the news, he asked directly, "My dear ministers, this great victory in Jinzhou was not easy to come by, and the officials who made contributions should be rewarded."

"My dear ministers, what do you think of the reward? If you have anything to say, please feel free to speak up."

After hearing this, how could the ministers not understand the meaning? Naturally, they said whatever was good to say, and Emperor Xining was not a fool. He naturally knew that the ministers were just following his words.

But he didn't care. After all, he had already made up his mind that he would reward generously in this matter, so it was naturally the best if no one objected.

If we were to say who felt the most uncomfortable at this moment, it would naturally be the prince. After all, the second son had made great achievements, and that would be more painful than killing him. However, he did not show it at all.

On the contrary, when Emperor Xining asked him about it, he directly said that he should be rewarded handsomely. Emperor Xining was somewhat surprised and relieved at the same time.

Because in his opinion, his son knew the big picture and had the mind of a prince.

(End of this chapter)