Great Zhou Empire: Kill Zhao Kuangyin at the beginning

Chapter 392 Friendship of Life and Death (Special thanks to book friend 2021…3214 for the 2 monthly tickets!)

The drinking session lasted for more than two hours. After Wei Feng and Zhang Yong talked a lot about the climate characteristics and marching experience of the Beiming area including the Khitans, it was completely dark before they said goodbye and returned home.

After Wei Feng left, Zhang Yong washed up and went to the bedroom. Li Fangyi, who was waiting in the bedroom, quickly got up and changed his pajamas personally.

While lying on the bed, Li Fangyi hesitated for a moment and said:

"My husband, are you hiding something from me?"

Zhang Yongdao:
"Madam, don't let your imagination run wild. How could your husband be hiding anything from you?"

Li Fangyi's eyes turned red and she cried:

"My husband is still hiding this from me!

I saw the Wei Zhenfu Envoy come to visit today and drink with my husband for a long time. If my husband was just going to inspect the affairs of Longxiang Guard all over the country, why would he need to discuss with the Wei Zhenfu Envoy for a long time? "

Zhang Yong sighed and said:

"Ma'am, it's my fault! I shouldn't have kept it from you, but I was just afraid that you would worry.

This time, I am sent to Khitan by Your Majesty's imperial decree to force them to hand over the traitor Li Jiqian of our Great Zhou!

Even if we cannot, we must prevent the thief Li from usurping power in Khitan, provoking war, and harming the people of both countries!"

As soon as Li Fangyi heard this, she knew that this matter was extremely dangerous. Li Jiqian had defected to Khitan for more than six years and could be said to have become a "local tyrant."

And Zhang Yong's trip this time was simply to go to the enemy's lair alone.

Li Fangyi looked worried and said:
"My dear husband, you are the commander of the Dragon Guards, and you are given the title of 'Duke Wusheng'. His Majesty is a saintly ruler who values ​​love and righteousness, and he has always loved and treated you with kindness.

"Xiajiasi is a remote place in the southwest of Beiming. Why don't you send your subordinates to do such a dangerous mission? Instead of taking the risk yourself!"

Zhang Yong said with a sigh:
"Madam, the mission to Khitan is of great importance and is a heavy responsibility entrusted to you by His Majesty.

Now, of the three pacification envoys of Longxiong Guard, Hu Lian and Dai Qi are both carrying out important missions in foreign countries, and only Wei Feng and I are guarding Bianliang in the country.

Wei Feng is a man who fought with me to kill the Zhao rebels and shared life and death with me. We are like brothers.

The last time he went to the Hexi Corridor, he was in danger on the high platform and almost died. Moreover, the Wei brothers already have more than ten wives and concubines, three sons and two daughters, and the whole family's blessings depend on him.

How can I send him to risk his life again on this mission to Khitan?"

Li Fangyi said:
"Wei Feng has wives, concubines and children, don't you have any?!
Don't my family need to rely on you and be willing to let you risk your life? "

After Li Fangyi finished speaking, she turned away angrily.

Zhang Yong sighed and had to explain:

"Madam, don't be petty, you should put the overall interests of the country first.

We, the 5 elite Longxiang Guards, are collecting top-secret intelligence from various countries for Your Majesty. Which brother would not be willing to risk his life?

Now, Your Majesty is worried that Li Jiqian will cause trouble to our Great Zhou in Khitan, and we need a capable minister to go there to eliminate this threat.

If I send Brother Wei again, how will the whole court look at me? Won't someone think that I am a cowardly, selfish person?

Madam, rest assured. This time, your husband has carefully selected the best of the 3,000 Dragon Guards. Each of them is equipped with a divine arm bow and a Ferghana horse. Even if things go wrong in the Khitans, your husband is confident that he can lead the brothers to break through the siege and return home safely! "Zhang Yong hugged Li Fangyi and comforted her for a long time before she reluctantly agreed.

Li Fangyi turned around and hugged Zhang Yong, crying:

"My dear husband, you must come back safely! My concubine, the children, and my sisters all depend on you!
Next year or the year after, Zhou Er will also be getting married, so you must rush back by then!"

Zhang Xingzhou, the eldest son of Zhang Yong and Li Fangyi, was born in the 15th year of Kaixi and is 15 years old this year.

Zhang Xingzhou is very talented. He has been strictly disciplined and taught martial arts by his father since he was young. Now his skills are almost as good as his father's and are comparable to Zhang Yong's skills when he was in his twenties.

Under the guidance of his mother Li Fangyi, he was also very talented in poetry and songs. He served as a book boy and accompanied the crown prince Chai Jiyu to study for two years, and had a close relationship with the crown prince.

Zhang Yong nodded decisively.

On March 16, the 30th year of Kaixi, Zhang Yong entered the palace to bid farewell to Emperor Chai Zongxun, then went out of Chaoyang Gate and led the 3,000 elite Longxiang Guards who were waiting there to the northwest of Bianjing.

Traveling through the various prefectures in the heart of the Great Zhou, Zhang Yong and other Longxiang Guards saw a scene of heavy traffic and hustle and bustle.

Although the national highway is four zhang wide and can accommodate six horse carriages, the number of pedestrians and merchants walking on it is almost endless.

When the people of the Great Zhou saw that Zhang Yong and his companions were wearing the fine armor of the Dragon-Shuang Guards and each of them was riding a rare Ferghana horse, they all consciously led their horses to the sides of the national highway, leaving the two middle carriageways for Zhang Yong and his companions to pass.

Horses can run fast and save energy on the hard and smooth national road.

After traveling along the national highway for more than a month, they completed the journey that would have taken nearly four months before the "Da Zhou Straight Road" was opened.

On April 20th, Zhang Yong and three thousand other Longxiang Guards arrived at the border state bordering the Khitans.

The word "Zhubu" is the name given by the Liao people to the Tatars in Chai Zongxun's previous life. The name is only found in "History of Liao". It means sand dunes or sand beach in Chinese. It is the general name used by the Khitan people to refer to the various tribes on the Mongolian grasslands.

The area is located around the North Sea (Lake Baikal), has fertile land, and borders the territory of Kyrgyzstan to the northwest.

In 918 (the third year of the Liao Dynasty's Shen Ce), the Zubu tribe had already sent envoys to pay tribute to the Liao Dynasty. In 924 (the third year of the Liao Dynasty's Tian Zan), Abaoji went on a western expedition, and all the Zubu tribes "surrendered upon seeing the wind", and three tribes were relocated inland.

From then until the reign of Emperor Jingzong of Liao, the various tribes often sent envoys to pay tribute to Liao. The annual tribute quota was 1700 horses, 440 camels, 2500 mink skins, and blue mouse skins.

During the 24th and 25th years of Kaixi reign, Chai Zongxun, Emperor Taizu of the Great Zhou Dynasty, sent the Longxiang Army to conquer this place. He abolished the Liao Dynasty's vassal rule and established government to implement direct rule.

In the first few years, there were more than a dozen cases of rebellion by the Zhubu nobles, but they were all quickly suppressed by the Longxiang Army.

With the promotion of new agricultural and industrial and commercial policies in Zhubu Prefecture over the past five or six years, the local economy has developed rapidly, and the people's income has increased exponentially whether they are grazing, working or doing business.

In terms of administration and justice, local officials treated the Zubu people and the Han people equally.

As a result, no common people were willing to follow the nobles in rebellion, and they were all happy to accept the rule of the Great Zhou Empire.

The people of Zhubu Prefecture participated enthusiastically in this year's selection of the Crown Prince's concubine, with more than 2,000 eligible girls signing up.

Prince of Wei Fu Zhaoshou and the governor of Zubu Fu Zhaoyuan had sent their officials and the local Longxiang Guard to meet Zhang Yong and others outside the south gate of Zubu City and lead them to the Prince of Wei's Palace.

After the Longxiang Guards moved into the nearby house arranged by the King of Wei, Zhang Yong led more than ten officers with more than ten thousand households into the King of Wei's palace to meet the King of Wei and the Inspector Fu Zhaoyuan.

After greeting each other in the main hall of the front yard, Fu Zhaoshou said:
"Commander Zhang, the situation in Khitan has changed. Our Great Zhou delegation can no longer go there directly!"

(End of this chapter)