Chapter 144 Songzhou Guide Jiedushi

Jiaolan Hall.

Zhu Youwen was still speaking without reservation in front of the emperor and his ministers: "Xiao Yan is only twenty years old, but he is arrogant and incompetent! Not to mention how many of the eight hundred elite dragon cavalrymen can return, just the three crimes of falsely transmitting the battle report, wasting the opportunity to fight, and handing Hebei over to Li Cunxu are crimes that deserve death!"

He had a handsome appearance and a majestic look, and his words of impeachment were even more confident, giving people the illusion that "if they don't execute Xiao Yan, they will be unworthy of the emperor's grace."

After Zhu Youwen finished speaking, he didn't even look at the others, but bowed his head in indignation. However, although he looked like this, he was actually secretly pleased with himself.

Thinking about it, Xiao Yan had been in the limelight since he entered Bianliang, which made him dissatisfied with everything about him. Not only because of the "cooking" that won Zhu Wen's favor, but also the world-famous "Rouge Review" of Anle Pavilion, all made him jealous.

And this is not only his political proposition, it is also the idea of ​​the Dark Emperor Zhu Yougui. In their view, Xiao Yan, as a person introduced to the court by Zhu Youzhen, must have a close relationship with Zhu Youzhen.

Who asked him to block the way of the Hades?
Zhu Youwen sneered in his heart. Anle Pavilion was making a fortune every day. How could he not be envious? And the "Rouge Review" should be replaced by someone else! How could such a good thing be taken by one person?
On the throne, Zhu Wen's fat face sank.

Xiao Yan hadn't shown up in front of him for more than half a year. Anyone else could make the dish, so it wasn't that new. His favor towards him had long been exhausted in his growing impatience. The reason why he still supported the Hebei war in the past two months was entirely because of his unwillingness.

But what Zhu Youwen said was also true. The war reports sent back by Xiao Yan were not credible and were suspected to be fake. Two months ago, when Li Cunxu led his army into Hebei, Xiao Yan wrote a letter to ask Yang Shihou to attack Luzhou to save Zhao. Zhu Wen was very satisfied with this idea, but who would have thought that Li Cunxu did not return!

What could Xiao Yan use to fight Li Cunxu? The eight hundred Dragon-Xiong troops? Isn't this like hitting a rock with an egg? Not to mention the others, even Zhu Wen felt a little sorry for the eight hundred Dragon-Xiong troops. They were real elite cavalry, and who knew how many of them could come back.

The most crucial thing is that if Hebei falls into the hands of Li Cunxu, it would be like a thorn in his back!

The Hebei ruled by Liu Rengong was completely different from the Hebei ruled by Li Keyong. If anyone in the world was qualified to scare Zhu Wen, it was only Li Keyong, the one-eyed dragon.

This one-eyed dragon is really capable of threatening his throne...

In fact, he shouldn't have believed this kid's words. He was so confused about taking Youzhou with light cavalry that he actually agreed to it half a year ago. At present, Yang Shihou has made no progress in Luzhou, and Zhu Hanbin is also stuck in Cangzhou. In this battle in Hebei, he contributed the most, but the beneficiary was Li Keyong. It's really a joke!
Zhu Wen could not hide his anger and pointed to someone in a deep voice: "Kang Huaiying."

Among the military generals, Kang Huaiying, the then governor of Shanzhou, who had not yet taken office because he replaced Ge Congzhou as the general of the right guard, responded: "Your Majesty."

"If I appoint you as the commander of the Eastern Camp, can you help me conquer Hebei?"

Kang Huaiying, who was over 40 years old and had a strong figure, was silent for a moment, and then said bluntly: "Your Majesty, the situation in Hebei may be a foregone conclusion. If Zhu Hanbin cannot take Cangzhou, then Xiao Yan will only be blocked in Hebei and still be dealt with by Li Cunxu, regardless of his life or death... I think that Zhu Hanbin should be ordered to slow down his attack on Cangzhou, so as not to make things easier for Li Cunxu."

At the side, Li Zhen suddenly stepped out and said firmly: "Xiao Yan deserves to die. If it weren't for him, Hebei would still be in the hands of Liu's father and son. Now it seems that Youzhou must have been taken by Li Cunxu! If so, I beg to execute Xiao Yan!"

Zhu Youwen also shouted, "Son, please also execute Xiao Yan! Immediately issue an order to confiscate his property to pay for the army!"

The civil and military officials on both sides looked at each other, but no one spoke for Xiao Yan. Although there were some who sympathized with him, they had no friendship with him and there was no need to offend the Ghost King and Li Zhen, who was known as the "Owl", for him.

In the corner of the hall, Ding Zhaopu's forehead was covered with sweat, but he didn't dare to raise his head.

He had received many benefits from Xiao Yan, and he used to think that this man was a great man, and that he might end up well with him if he got to know him. But who would have thought that he would soon end up in the situation where everyone wanted to kill him?
He had just secretly sent someone out of the palace to tell Anle Pavilion that this was the last time he would help because of their past friendship. And even if he was secretly sending the message, he was terrified at this moment, fearing that after Xiao Yan's property was confiscated, someone with ulterior motives would implicate him. You must know that the eunuchs of this era are not as powerful as those eunuchs who dominated the court and the country at the end of the Tang Dynasty...

Sitting on the throne, Zhu Wen stroked his beard impatiently, and seemed to have made up his mind to punish Xiao Yan first and vent his anger.

At this moment, Jing Xiang, who had been silent among the civil officials, suddenly stepped out and said, "Your Majesty, I have an objection."

Beside him, Li Zhen narrowed his narrow eyes imperceptibly.

Zhu Youwen glanced at Jing Xiang with a suspicious look on his face.

Zhu Wen suppressed his anger and said, "Speak."

"I think that the battle in Hebei has not yet been decided, and Commander Xiao Yan is still loyal to Your Majesty in Hebei. Doing so may chill his heart... In other words, the court can only speculate about the situation in Hebei. It is true that Li Cunxu's army invaded Youzhou, but it does not mean that they have taken Hebei..."

Zhu Youwen interrupted Jing Xiang and said with a smile, "Does the envoy Jing Yuan think that Xiao Yan can defeat Li Cunxu?"

Jing Xiang pondered for a moment, and simply said: "I think that no matter what, we need to wait for the news from the front line to be transmitted back to the capital..."

"Ha?" Zhu Youwen laughed loudly and said to Zhu Wen, "I assert that there is no chance of any miracle happening to Xiao Yan! If he is not arrested soon, he might even surrender to Li Cunxu and not dare to come back! I am willing to lead the Xuanming Sect and go to Hebei to capture this man for Your Majesty and let him atone for his sins!"

The civil and military officials nodded when they heard this, thinking that it was possible, because it was so common in this era for people to flee from crime.

Jing Xiang was speechless.

Zhu Wen stroked his beard, feeling somewhat tempted.

He hesitated for a moment and said, "Then..."

But just as he finished speaking, a eunuch's sharp shout suddenly rang out from outside: "Good news! Good news! A great victory in Hebei! Xiao Yan, the left vanguard cavalry commander, defeated the Jin army at Gaoliang River and captured nearly 10,000 of them!
All of Hebei's Liu Rengong and his followers surrendered! The Youzhou army surrendered! The Lulong army surrendered! The Yichang army surrendered! The 24 states of Hebei—

All surrender! "

As this sharp voice sounded, the hall was almost silent instantly, and even Zhu Wen's voice was frozen on his lips.

The civil and military officials looked at each other in bewilderment, and soon there was an uproar.

In the civil service room, Jing Xiang was stunned for a moment, then he stroked his long beard and smiled with relief.

Li Zhen's eyes twitched, and he glanced at Zhu Youwen without expression, and quietly retreated back to the team. As for the latter, his face turned pale, and he stood there stupidly, blocking out the buzzing sound around him.

He felt very uncomfortable, his face flushed red as if he had eaten a fly. He turned around suddenly and stared at a eunuch who had rashly rushed into the hall and then knelt on the ground with his butt sticking up.

Not only him, but Zhu Wen's face turned red too. However, he was not angry because of shame, but because of overjoyed. He clutched his beard tightly with his fat hands, and was so happy that he was speechless for a moment. He stood up with his hands shaking.

In the corner beside the throne, Ding Zhaopu raised his head in surprise, his lips trembling, but he was very good at observing people's expressions, and hurried forward to take the victory report for Zhu Wen. This eunuch, who had been trembling in fear in the palace for more than ten years, felt as if he was hit on the head by the overwhelming wealth when he touched the heavy victory report. When he thought about sending someone to Anle Pavilion to secretly report the news, he suddenly felt dizzy.

Hebei Twenty-four Prefectures! Twenty-four Prefectures!
When she thought about Xiao Yan's uncertain future and how she had already clung to his thighs, Ding Zhaopu burst into tears of joy. Then she knelt on the ground, kowtowed, and said in a sharp voice: "I, your servant Ding Zhaopu, congratulate Your Majesty! You have taken all 24 prefectures in Hebei!"

Zhu Wen was also infected by the eunuch's emotions and remembered his name instantly. Then he calmed down, and without waiting for another eunuch to take the name for him, he stepped down from the throne himself, and majestically took the report and opened it.

He watched it very seriously. The more he watched, the happier he became, and finally he burst out laughing.

Zhu Youwen, who was in the audience, was very angry and looked at Li Zhen, but the latter was already watching his nose and his heart, as if it had nothing to do with him. He cursed in his heart, but he knew that he had lost the best opportunity to attack Xiao Yan, so he could only go back and report to the Emperor of Hell and then take his time.

In the hall, Zhu Wen raised his head and laughed, and asked Ding Zhaopu to pass the report to the ministers for observation. Then the fat on his face turned into a chrysanthemum, and he looked at Jing Xiang: "Envoy Jing Yuan is very far-sighted. I almost lost the loyalty of a tiger general."

Jing Xiang did not dare to take credit for it, and hurriedly said: "It is all because of your Majesty's ability to judge people..."

Zhu Wen was very happy. He was so happy that he had to walk back and forth to eliminate the heat from his body. At this time, he said loudly: "I once said that a son should be like Li Yazi, but now I see that Li Keyong's son is far inferior to my heaven-sent champion marquis!"

This evaluation was so high that the ministers were speechless for a moment. The emperor's mind was unpredictable. One moment, his majesty was still scolding Xiao Yan for selling out Hebei, and the next second, he started praising the "tiger general" and "champion marquis".

How dare they speak carelessly? If they said something careless, they might end up like the Ghost King, standing there on pins and needles, extremely embarrassed.

Only Jing Xiang immediately laughed and said, "If there was no Emperor Wu of Han, how could there be the title of Champion Marquis? If there was no Your Majesty, how could Xiao Yan and his eight hundred cavalrymen conquer Hebei? Li Keyong is not Emperor Wu of Han, at best he is Sun Jian, how could he have been awarded the title of Champion Marquis?"

Li Zhen had a blank expression on his face, but he couldn't help sneering in his heart.

Jing Xiang was really quick to react. He guessed in an instant that Zhu Wen was comparing himself to Emperor Wu of Han. He even flattered him a little and said that Li Keyong could not compare with Zhu Wen, as he could only give birth to a good son but did not have the destiny to become the Marquis of Guanjun.

Sure enough, Zhu Wen was immediately touched by the moment, and he looked at Jing Xiang as if he knew him well, and then said with great pride: "Send a fast horse to Hebei immediately, I want to see my champion marquis as soon as possible!"

Someone received the order and immediately made arrangements.

But immediately, Zhu Wen called him back, and then looked at the ministers: "Xiao Yan is a fierce general, and he fought brilliantly in the battle of Hebei. I will grant amnesty to the whole country! But before that, I want to reward him well. Tell me, how should I reward him?"

All the ministers talked at once, and mentioned all kinds of rewards, such as women, money, titles, etc.

At this time, Jing Xiang suddenly said in a calm voice: "Hebei's achievements can be used to establish a festival."

The hall fell silent, and for a moment they were stunned. They were not very familiar with Xiao Yan, but they knew that he was probably less than 20 years old? A teenage governor?

But if you think about it carefully, Hebei's great contribution is indeed qualified to be established. However, they just subconsciously didn't think about it, but Jing Xiang brought it up first, which might make Xiao Yan grateful to him.

All of a sudden, all the ministers said: "General Xiao, you are worthy of being a great leader!"

Zhu Youwen's face was rather gloomy, but he held back and said nothing. He saw Zhu Wen's happy expression, as if he wanted to adopt Xiao Yan as his adopted son. If he bumped into him now, he would only be in trouble.

Zhu Wen laughed and pointed at Jing Xiang.

"Where are the vacancies?"

Jing Xiang thought about it and said with some embarrassment: "As far as I know, all the towns have already filled their quotas. Your Majesty, please allow me to go back and think about it."

Zhu Wen seemed a little dissatisfied, but there was nothing he could do. An idea that came to him on the spur of the moment could not be arranged instantly.

At this time, Li Zhen stepped forward, saluted solemnly and said: "General Xiao is a brave general, and he will definitely conquer the four directions for Your Majesty in the future. The elite troops of Daliang are all in the imperial army. If General Xiao goes too far away, it will be inconvenient. It is better to arrange him near Bianliang. What do you think?"

Zhu Wen was delighted and stroked his beard.

"can."

Li Zhen said loudly: "I think General Xiao can be appointed as the governor of Songzhou!"

Jingxiang's expression changed slightly.

Songzhou was once the seat of Xuanwu Town, under which Bianzhou, Songzhou, Bozhou, and Yingzhou were governed. As we all know, before Zhu Wen became emperor, he was the governor of Xuanwu Army, but after Bianzhou was promoted to Kaifeng Prefecture last year, the title of Xuanwu Army was abolished, and these states never established governors.

What does Li Zhen want to do?

The other people in the hall were also stunned and began to speculate.

Zhu Wen frowned, but remained calm: "Li Qing, if you have any other ideas, please tell us everything."

Li Zhen straightened his robe and said seriously, "General Xiao is a great general. Since Your Majesty likes him, why not set up a special military title to show your favor?"

"Nonsense!" Zhu Youwen, who was standing by, finally found an opportunity to speak out, angrily saying, "Mr. Li wants Xiao Yan to be the governor of Songzhou?"

Li Zhen's face was indifferent. He didn't even look at him. He crossed his hands and saluted, saying, "General Xiao is a former Tang surrendered minister. He was grateful for your majesty's reputation and benevolence, so he obeyed and offered advice to take Hebei. Considering that General Xiao returned to Guide and surrendered, I think we can set up a 'Guide Army' in Songzhou and appoint General Xiao to it. In this way, General Xiao will truly be the Marquis of Guanjun, and your majesty will truly be Emperor Wu of Han!"

Zhu Youwen was greatly shocked.

Are all scholars so shameless? Didn't Li Zhen just say, "Please behead Xiao Yan?"

Zhu Wen was overjoyed and clapped his hands and laughed, "Very good, very good."

"Immediately send an order,
Xiao Yan should be appointed as the governor of Songzhou Guide!"

(End of this chapter)