Jiuxi

Chapter 332 Chapter 330 [A sword coming from the west]

The vast territory of the Qi Dynasty was second only to the Jing Dynasty. On the extremely long border, there were several governor's mansions to protect the territory and the people.

If evaluated purely in terms of importance, Jing and Huai are tied for first place, followed by Chengzhou Dudu's Mansion, and then Taiping Prefecture Dudu's Mansion.

Chengzhou is located in the western border of the Qi Dynasty, ranking first among the thirteen states in the south of the Yangtze River in terms of area alone.

This place borders Hengjiang River to the north, Yazhou and Luzhou to the east, and Taiping Prefecture to the southeast.

The boundary line of several hundred miles to the south is adjacent to the Nanzhao Kingdom, and to the west are the seven Shazhou tribes that have lived here for generations, separated by Yunling on both sides.

One hundred and sixty years ago, Li Zhongjing, Taizu of Qi State, sent troops into the southwestern border to help the Seven Tribes of Shazhou repel the alien invasion from the far west, and thus gained the loyalty of the Seven Tribes of Shazhou.

Later, during Li Zhongjing's campaign across the country, the local soldiers of the Seven Tribes of Shazhou fought to the death and contributed greatly to the establishment of the Qi Dynasty.

Li Zhongjing once wanted the seven tribes of Shazhou to move inland and promised them prosperity and wealth, but in the end they were declined by the leaders of the seven tribes. They were willing to stay in their relatively barren homeland.

In the next hundred years, the seven tribes of Shazhou remained loyal and would send local soldiers who were good at fighting when the Qi Dynasty needed it.

Nineteen years ago, in the seventh year of the Yuankang reign of the late Qi Emperor, the cavalry of the Three Northern Kingdoms moved southward, breaking through the Jinghe defense line and approaching Heluo. The late Emperor summoned armies from all directions to the capital to Qinwang, and the Seven Ministries of Shazhou sent 8,000 native soldiers, relying on a pair of legs. Traveling across mountains and rivers, we arrived outside Heluo City.

However, the final result was that the first emperor of the Qi Dynasty was forced to sign an alliance under the city in order to persuade the armies of the three northern countries. Not only did he cede several important towns in the north, he also introduced the Shazhou native soldiers into the enemy's encirclement in exchange for the withdrawal of the enemy's troops.

On that day, at Yanziling in the northern suburbs of Heluo, eight thousand local soldiers from Shazhou were surrounded by enemies ten times their own. They fought bloody battles and were almost wiped out.

Only a few hundred people managed to escape and returned to the southwest border filled with grief and anger.

From then on, the seven tribes of Shazhou regarded Qi Dynasty as their enemy and often harassed the border.

This situation did not improve after Li Duan ascended the throne, but intensified. Even though he sent envoys across Yunling several times to the Seventh Division of Shazhou, these envoys could not even see the leaders of the Seventh Division. He was knocked unconscious, stripped of his clothes and thrown back, which can be said to have caused the court to lose all face.

For these envoys, this was harder to accept than killing them.

Li Duan had to give up the appeasement policy and established a governor's office in Chengzhou, with four infantry armies under his jurisdiction to guard against the attacks of the seven Shazhou tribes.

For more than ten years, small-scale battles have often occurred on the Chengzhou border. Although they are not as large and intense as those in the north, the frequency is much higher. People living on the Chengzhou border have to move inward in order to survive. peaceful.

The Chengzhou Dudu's Mansion is located in Qingjiang Fucheng, which is less than 70 miles away from the border, and the straight-line distance from Yunling is about 120 miles.

With the arrival of an imperial edict, Qingjiang City suddenly became noisy.

Hou Yu, the Marquis of Nan'an and the Governor of Chengzhou, was promoted to general, and he and Liu Shouguang, another general, were in charge of the 12th Army of Nanya in the capital.

Hou Yu was thirty-nine years old at the time. He first served in the Beijing Army, and then came to Chengzhou. He stayed here for thirteen years. Relying on his solid military exploits, he was promoted from deputy commander of Qingjiang Army to governor of Chengzhou. Four years ago, he was granted the title of Marquis of Nan'an.

In the Governor's Mansion, the hall was full of guests. Officials at all levels in Chengzhou, military generals and local gentry representatives gathered together to hold this grand farewell banquet for Hou Yu.

At the main table, Hou Yu, as today's protagonist, naturally sat at the head of the table. On his left was Qu Gongze, the governor of Chengzhou who came here specially, and on his right was Tong Shiyuan, the deputy governor who had been his right-hand man in these years.

While pushing cups and changing cups, the sound of flattery can be heard endlessly.

Hou Yu's appearance has nothing to do with his name. He has thick eyebrows and a broad face, big ears and black face, and a pair of leopard eyes like torches that are calm and intimidating.

Listening to the flattery from his subordinates, Hou Yu looked solemn, leisurely and contented.

Qu Gong put down his wine cup and said with a smile: "The Governor has come to Beijing with the imperial edict, which shows that the holy family is grand, which is really enviable."

Hou Yu raised his eyebrows slightly and said: "Master Fang Bo, please don't make fun of me. There are dragons and crouching tigers hidden in the capital. I am just a border soldier. I can only stand by my sincere wishes. I am not as relaxed as you are here."

Qu Gong's smile did not diminish, but he was cursing his mother in his heart.

The governors of the thirteen states in the south of the Yangtze River and the inland states are so majestic. They are the real frontier officials. One word can decide the life or death of others.

A frontier governor like him was basically an assistant to the governor of the border army. Although he had the power to supervise Hou Yu on the surface, he actually had to rely on others because the other party held real military power.

Qu Gong listened to Hou Yu's pretentious words and showed off his elegance, and smiled without changing his expression: "The Governor is too humble. I can say that I am both happy and worried today. I am happy that the Governor has been promoted to the general of the Beijing army, but I am worried that the Governor will return." After Beijing, the seven Shazhou tribes on the other side of Yunling will definitely be restless and afraid of border troubles."

"Uncle Fang, there is no need to worry."

Hou Yu spoke in a calm tone, raised his hand over his left shoulder, looked at Tong Shiyuan on the other side and said: "Your Majesty's wish, you will temporarily act as the governor after I return to Beijing. The seven Shazhou tribes cross the border to harass every spring, and this year they must intensify their efforts. Be on guard, they will definitely know the news of my return to Beijing. You must strictly order all armies to maintain their defense lines and not allow the seven local soldiers to break into Chengzhou territory."

Tong Shiyuan immediately left the table and stood up and said: "Please rest assured, Commander-in-Chief, the general will be able to handle it properly."

Hou Yu nodded slightly, then raised the wine cup and said calmly: "Everyone."

As soon as these two words were spoken, the bustling hall immediately fell silent.

Hou Yu continued: "Thanks to your help, I have lived up to the trust of your majesty and the imperial court in these years and blocked those barbarians who did not know their lives or lives to the west of Yunling. I will go to Beijing tomorrow. Let's express our feelings with this glass of water and wine. , and please rest assured that the governor will not forget his thirteen years in Chengzhou, nor will he forget his friendship with you. Please drink this cup to the full!"

"To the great governor!"

Everyone congratulated in unison.

After a banquet where guests and host enjoyed a banquet, many people were so drunk that they were sluggish, but Hou Yu seemed to be fine, as if his dark face could block the overflow of wine. After the guests dispersed, Hou Yu returned to the study in the back hall with a calm expression.

"Little man Li Jinshan, pay your respects to the Marquis of Nan'an!"

A man in his thirties paid homage. He was of medium build, had an ordinary face, and looked like he had been worn by a lot of people.

"No need to be polite."

Hou Yu changed his previous reserve and pride at the banquet, stretched out his hand to help the man up, pointed to the side and said, "Sit down."

"Thank you, Lord Marquis."

Li Jinshan spoke in a respectful tone and only touched half of his buttocks when he sat down.

Hou Yu smiled slightly when he saw this, and secretly thought that he was indeed the servant of the Jinlin Li family. This kind of behavior really made people feel comfortable, so he asked: "How are you doing, Mr. Li?"

The Lord Li in his mouth does not refer to Li Daoyan, the left prime minister of the court, but to Li Shizhi, the Minister of Punishment.

As Li Shizhi's confidant, Li Jinshan was of course well aware of this, so he replied: "Everything is fine with my master. Thank you very much, Lord Marquis, for your concern."

Hou Yu nodded and said, "I wonder what instructions Mr. Li sent you here for?"

"I don't take the instructions seriously. My master just wants me to explain the situation in the capital to the Marquis."

Li Jinshan continued with a humble smile: "Your Majesty, you should know that the Sixth Army of Beiya is guarding the capital and cannot leave without permission. Therefore, the Twelfth Army of Nanya is the only force that can be used among the Beijing army. In the past ten years or so, , Nanya has always been run by two generals, Liu Shouguang and Li Jingda, and behind them are several powerful families around the capital. Now that Liu Shouguang is moving toward the emperor, and Li Jingda is incompetent, it is the time for the Marquis to show off his ambitions. "

Hou Yu did not fail to find Bei because of his words, and said calmly: "Since Li Jingda is not capable, why did your majesty agree to let him serve as the governor of Dingzhou? Do you want to pave the way for someone in advance?"

Li Jinshan praised: "Young Master Hou, my master thinks the same way."

Hou Yu chuckled and said leisurely: "It seems that His Majesty really loves that Lu Chen."

Li Jinshan took advantage of the situation and said: "My master also said that although Li Jingda is a transitional candidate, he will definitely not just go through the motions. During this period, Lu Chen is likely to be recalled to the capital by His Majesty, and then arrange a temporary military position."

Hou Yu said slowly: "Master Li, does your Majesty want to use Lu Chen to further influence the structure of the Beijing army?"

Li Jinshan nodded and said: "It's very possible. Now in the Twelve Army of Nanya, His Majesty has planted a nail, which is Chen Lanyu, the commander of the Zhenwei Army. This person is one of the generals raised by Xiao Wang, and Lu Chen is also close to him. After Mr. Hou took office, the first person he had to face was Chen Lanyu. Li Jingda had previously thought about causing trouble for Chen Lanyu, but his crude methods never worked."

"Chen Lanyu...Lu Chen..."

Hou Yu repeated the two names expressionlessly, and then said calmly: "If you go back and report to Mr. Li, he will push me to the position of General Nanya, and I will not let him down. In addition, I am Chengzhou has arrangements in place and they will come in handy when necessary."

Li Jinshan said happily: "With these words from the Marquis, my master will be able to sit back and relax."

Hou Yu smiled and said: "Please also convey this to Mr. Li. Since he has fulfilled his promise to me back then, Hou will not let him down."

Li Jinshan stood up and bowed, saying no more words.

In the early morning of the next day, Hou Yu, the governor of Chengzhou, leisurely embarked on his way back to Beijing, surrounded by a thousand sharp soldiers and guards.

By afternoon, this team had already left Qingjiang City and walked leisurely on the smooth official road.

Hou Yu, who was concentrating in the carriage with his eyes closed, naturally did not know that at this moment, on a green mountain beside the road, a man dressed in red was standing on a boulder halfway up the mountain, looking indifferently at the team on the official road below.

The red clothes are like fire, with a long sword hanging on the waist.

"Sister, do you really want to go to the capital of Qi State?"

A fourteen-year-old boy next to him asked with concern.

"Well, sister has to go do something."

The woman in red turned around and raised her hand to rub his head, and said to the middle-aged tribesman not far away: "Uncle Twelve, please send someone to send my brother back. In addition, is Yuncao ready?"

The middle-aged man nodded and said, "Ready."

The woman in red responded and said to the boy: "Go back and tell your father and mother that I will go home soon."

"Well! Sister, you have to be careful, Qi Ren is not a good person, this is what my father said!"

The boy's skin was dark and his eyes were as bright as stars.

"I know, you can see me when I find a chance to kill Hou Yu, the beast, and finish the things that my father told me."

The woman in red patted the young man's shoulder, nodded slightly to the middle-aged man, then jumped off the boulder with her knees raised and walked down the mountain.

The young man looked at her back and stood quietly, unwilling to leave for a long time.

(End of this chapter)