Chapter 149 Angels and Chaos

The fifth year of Tianyou in Tang Dynasty and the second year of Kaiping in Liang Dynasty, the fifth day of the twelfth lunar month.

The Lesser Cold solar term is approaching, symbolizing the cold and snowy winds that have begun to fall heavily on the mountains and rivers of Hebei. Everything in the world is shrouded in the harsh and cold winter, and everything seems to be annihilated under the snow, but on this land that has experienced countless wars, countless people in Yandi seem to have finally recovered.

In the southern part of Youzhou, the originally muddy road had been frozen hard as iron, and there were piles of snow on the roadside, which made people dizzy. Around the road, a thick layer of ice had grown on the surface of the river overnight. Under the ice, the river water was cold, sweeping away bits of ice, and faintly making a slight sound of collision.

In the suburbs and fields, there were people who looked like refugees digging ditches and building huts in the wasteland. It was a scene of bustling activity. At noon, there was smoke rising in the sky, which showed the popularity of the place.

In the land of China, the agricultural civilization living here was the most hardworking nation and the most resilient ethnic group in the world at that time. As long as the war could be kept away from them a little, they would do their best to find ways to survive and redevelop Youzhou, which had become a wasteland due to the war, into a densely populated and rich place.

Even though there was chaos in the north, many refugees had fled from Tanzhou to the south, but once they entered Youzhou, they were able to find peace. The "Xiao" military flag next to the "Liang" flag was the strongest support for all the people of Hebei. No matter how strong Mobei was, no matter how troublesome the remnants of Yan were, could they defeat the Xiao army?

Dozens of fast horses were galloping in a line on the road, their hooves flying and splashing large pieces of snow and dirt. The cavalrymen on the horses were all wearing the red lacquer armor unique to the Liang army, wrapped in cloaks, and carrying flags on their backs, looking majestic.

The refugees on both sides of the road looked up, but lowered their heads as usual. Since the past two days, Liang Army cavalrymen have often galloped north and south on this road, and these majestic cavalrymen have long been well known to the people. They are the 800 dragon-shaped soldiers of Xiao Jun in the city who have established their capital in Youzhou.

At the beginning, the Yan people, who were already frightened, would lie down in fear when they saw these cavalrymen, fearing that they would accidentally anger these soldiers and suffer a disaster. Because in this year, the entire Hebei Province was almost spent in war, and only the people who had experienced war knew how destructive these soldiers were.

As the saying goes, 'bandits pass by like combs, soldiers pass by like rakes', no army of any princes in the world regards the common people as human beings, no matter whether it is the Yan army under Liu Rengong, the Mobei army coming south from the grassland, or the Jin army coming east from Li Cunxu, they all made the Yan area a mess and the people of Yan had long been afraid of them like tigers.

But after some time, all the people gradually realized that the military envoy Xiao, who was in charge of Youzhou, was actually cracking down on the Liang army that was looting everywhere. He posted notices to encourage people to report it, claiming that he would severely punish the incident and would not tolerate it. In addition, in this icy and snowy time, the military envoy Xiao also provided work-for-relief and distributed relief food from time to time, so that most of the displaced refugees could have a way to survive.

That is why the people spread the news and stopped worrying. They were no longer afraid of the Liang army, and the Liang army had no intention of harassing the people. Youzhou had the illusion that the army and the people were getting along well. Now, the people with a little bit of muscle can still muster up the courage to stop the soldiers of the Longxiang Army and ask the Xiao army if they are still recruiting soldiers...

There were also elderly men who, leaning on their crutches, asked whether the Emperor of Daliang would allow Xiao Junshi to serve as the chief official of Youzhou from now on.

How could a bunch of big-name soldiers of the Longxiang Army know all this, but they had indeed never enjoyed the grand sight of being admired by the people. For a moment they just patted their chests and boasted to the sky. If they had not been about to miss the time, they might have been dragged into the shed to eat coarse rice.

Dozens of Longxiang soldiers finally got rid of the entanglement of the people of Yan and headed south.

But soon, when they had walked about ten miles south, they saw a long and winding procession coming from the south to the north. The procession was so large that it almost filled up the several-zhang-wide road. There were many carriages and horses, and thousands of soldiers in bright armor were guarding them. In front of them were flying flags and staffs, and officials from Youzhou were leading the way.

They are the imperial guards of Bianliang.

The two generals of the Longxiang Army looked at each other, and they were both suddenly enlightened. The Emperor Zhu of Bianliang must have been overjoyed when he heard that Hebei had been recovered. However, when sending envoys to take over Youzhou, he must have also sent a strong army to show the strength of Daliang to the old ministers and people in Yan. In layman's terms, it was to show off his muscles so that all the scoundrels in Yan would behave themselves and not offend the majesty of Daliang. Otherwise, why would thousands of Bianliang imperial guards be needed just to escort two envoys?

However, the two of them did not say much. They just galloped up, and then dismounted from their horses far away before the officials in the team came to greet them. Finally, they were led in front of the carriages of the two envoys.

The news had already spread to the troops. Li Zhen lifted the curtain and got off the carriage with Kang Huaiying. They stood in front of the carriage with their sleeves gathered up, wearing purple robes and official hats, waiting quietly. Kang Huaiying was a general of the imperial army, and his status was higher than Li Zhen's. However, he knew very well that Zhu Wen's suspicion of the generals in the army was much higher than that of these literati. Moreover, Li Zhen was favored by Zhu Wen. Although there was a mutiny in Luoyang a year ago, Zhu Wen's trust in him quickly increased.

In this era, even if a scholar who is good at speaking has become a prime minister, his threat is not as great as that of a warrior who can command dozens or hundreds of soldiers.

Kang Huaiying was very clear about his position. He was not arrogant in front of Li Zhen, but just stood shoulder to shoulder with him.

The two generals of the Longxiong Army saw the two men from afar, but did not approach them. Instead, they prostrated themselves in the snow at a distance of about ten steps, took out the letter tube wrapped in brocade from their waists, and presented it with both hands.

"Your Majesty, with your great blessing and the might of the Liang Dynasty, we, the ministers, have been fortunate to have fulfilled your mission and finally conquered the 24 prefectures of Hebei for your Majesty. Today, I kowtow and present the 24 prefectures' defense maps and household registers to your Majesty. We, the ministers, are bathed in the grace of heaven. If we have been disrespectful in the army, we humbly ask the heavens to take care of us."

These words sounded so nice and beautiful, Kang Huaiying would never believe that they were said by two vulgar warriors, but what did it matter? He didn't listen to them, but just tried his best to show the dignity of the East Route Camp Recruiting Envoy, staring at the brocade letter tube representing Hebei's annexation to Daliang. Even though he had cooperated with Zhu Youwen in attacking Xiao Yan in Jiao Lan Hall before, he couldn't help but admire him secretly, and was a little emotional and jealous.

If this great achievement could be attributed to Kang Huaiying, he would probably be crowned king! This is one-fifth of the world. In this world where people's livelihood is declining, Hebei can still be called prosperous! Zhu Wen was so excited in Jiao Lan Palace that day that he couldn't help himself. His attitude was not fake. Including the Central Plains and Hebei, Zhu Wen really believed that he could unify the world in his lifetime...

You know, Zhu Wen personally led several expeditions to Hebei, but all of them were unsuccessful, not only losing tens of thousands of elite soldiers and generals, but also losing his spirit and suffering from "fear of Yan". If Xiao Yan's qualifications were not insufficient, he might have really been so impulsive that he could have made Xiao Yan a prince.

"This military envoy Xiao is quite respectful..."

Kang Huaiying was thinking in a complicated way, but Li Zhen laughed softly and said, "During this journey, I heard that he rewarded the army, distributed food and relief, and established his reputation. I thought he had some ulterior motives."

Kang Huaiying frowned and glanced at him, thinking that these literati really deserved to be killed. They were full of evil intentions every day. They looked harmless on the surface, but their methods were much dirtier than real knives.

Especially Li Zhen, who was nicknamed "Owl", was even more disgusting than Jing Xiang.

But he immediately changed his tone and said, "But he sent an envoy to greet you from afar, which shows that he knows the etiquette of a minister. His etiquette is respectful and cautious. It seems that he is humble to Your Majesty. But those means seem to have bad intentions... What do you think, Kang Taibao?"

Kang Huaiying snorted and said rudely, "Military strategist, how can you surrender without a big reward? Yandi has just annexed, and the people are unstable. I'm afraid that Envoy Xiao will not have enough time to wait for Lord Li to arrive in Youzhou City before sending food relief. Otherwise, if the people of Yandi start to make trouble, Lord Li will deal with it."

Li Zhen was frustrated, but he was not angry. He just smiled and took the letter tube on behalf of Zhu Wen. He said loudly: "I am offering my land on behalf of the heaven. Your Majesty has already known that you are loyal and brave and have died for your service. Your Majesty will reward you generously and have recorded your merits. Your Majesty will not hesitate to..." He handed the brocade letter tube to Kang Huaiying, who immediately stood on the carriage and raised it above his head so that most people could see it. Then he opened his voice and shouted with his inner strength: "Daliang, long victory!"

Thousands of imperial guards suddenly raised their weapons and shouted loudly: "Victory, victory, victory!"

Behind the team, Zhu Hanbin, who was responsible for escorting the two envoys, was just riding on horseback, staring at the letter box in daze, his eyes almost popping out with envy.

Xiao Yan, that fellow, caused his wife and children to be separated, and he lived a very miserable life. That would have been fine, but he had only been in Daliang for a year, and he had already climbed over his head. Who could he go to for justice?
But no matter whether he was angry, hateful, or envious to the point of fear, Zhu Hanbin finally led the imperial guards and protected Li Zhen and the other man as they approached Youzhou.

Li Zhen and Kang Huaiying set out from Bianliang almost as soon as they received the news of the great victory in Hebei, and headed north with the imperial edict. It took only a month from Bianliang to here. In Li Zhen's expectation, Youzhou must still be in ruins in this short period of time.

He knew these soldiers too well. Even though they were the most powerful imperial guards in the world, their military discipline was just so-so. They would be rewarded before going out to fight, and after receiving the rewards, they would rob the people and destroy the towns during the battle. Only in Bianliang and some states and towns close to Bianliang would these imperial guards be more restrained.

He was even less optimistic about these surrendered soldiers from Yan. In his opinion, the reason why Xiao Yan was able to win a great victory was probably because he promised these surrendered soldiers and allowed them to plunder the surrounding areas, so that he could barely command these surrendered soldiers.

Otherwise, why would these surrendered soldiers serve Xiao Yan and fight against Yan?
Personal charm? That's ridiculous. Could it be that Xiao Yan is a person like Li Shimin?

In addition, he learned that there were probably hundreds of thousands of refugees and displaced persons from Yan territory gathered near Youzhou. He believed that these warriors who deserved to be killed would certainly not be able to control their tyrannical nature and would cause great harm, which was not much better than during the war.

It was for this reason that Li Zhen was prepared to take over the ruined Youzhou. Even Kang Huaiying had made preparations on how to control the surrendered soldiers from Yandi, such as the Youzhou Army, Lulong Army, and Yichang Army. As the commander of the Eastern Camp, he would take over all of them.

But along the way, the two were surprised to find that there were very few surrendered soldiers from Yan. They occasionally ran into a team, but they were maintaining order among the people, transmitting military intelligence, and ensuring that there were no bandits or chaos in the towns.

Although the road scenery was very dilapidated, it was more like heaven than hell compared to Bianliang, the fields were barren, the people were wearing shabby clothes, and there were messy shacks everywhere, but there was curling smoke from cooking fires, and everything was in order, as if it was a peaceful prefecture that had been at peace for many years.

The troops that were supposed to be making a fuss everywhere were also camped far away outside the city. Although it looked crowded, the camps were set up neatly and clean on all sides, and did not border on the people's residences.

What surprised Li Zhen even more was that there were grass markets at the junction of the camp and the people. What did this mean? It meant that the people dared to do business with these soldiers, and believed that the soldiers would take out their own money to trade, rather than rob them.

How could this be Youzhou, which had just experienced a war? How could this be the people who had experienced war? How could the people who had suffered from war believe these military strategists?
Li Zhen was stunned as he watched in the carriage, and even Kang Huaiying seemed a little surprised.

Looking at the Youzhou City that should have been in ruins, it is now obvious that it has been repaired. There are scaffoldings and piled up earth everywhere on and under the city. There are also traces of stone hitting the city wall. The city tower has been completely rebuilt, but as a whole, it is almost a brand new city wall.

Since it was afternoon, many people who had finished their meals were under the control of officials and soldiers, preparing to continue working on schedule according to the schedule in various places. But perhaps because they were going to welcome the angels today, they were just waiting, so that the city walls were empty and seemed very lonely.

...Even Li Zhen himself did not think he had the ability to command and dispatch hundreds of thousands of people in such an orderly manner in just a month. The reason why he entered Hebei this time was because Zhu Wen considered that those warriors could not do civil affairs, so he asked him to come here to accommodate refugees and organize farming and trade, so that Hebei could recover as soon as possible and become an important basis for Zhu Wen to unify the world.

Without Li Zhen, would Xiao Yan be able to govern Youzhou like this? How could a mere warrior have such ability?
Li Zhen was a little frightened and looked at Kang Huaiying, who had an equally solemn expression.

Regardless of whether this boy has ulterior motives or not, he is probably a major obstacle to the future ascension of the Hades Emperor Zhu Yougui to the throne. He is capable of both civil and military affairs, so how can he be kept?
Li Zhen, with a bad look on his face, got out of the carriage. He looked around and saw the prosperous scene of Youzhou, which made his face even uglier.

But before he could think any more, there was a sudden blaring of trumpets at the foot of Youzhou City, followed by the sound of gongs and drums to welcome the angel. Amid the solemn and dignified sounds, the south gate of Youzhou City opened wide, and neatly-dressed generals of the army filed out in rows.

Rows of ceremonial guards to welcome the angels were also lined up under the city. The sounds of golden drums and trumpets were mixed together in the pavilion. Teams of armored soldiers rode out on their horses. Leading them were the commanders of several surrendered troops, followed by all the civil and military officials of Youzhou.

The generals of the Longxiong Army walked in the front, and then with a loud shout, they all dismounted and knelt on the ground, suddenly shouting: "Welcome the angel to look for your majesty!"

Li Zhen nodded slightly. No matter what, Xiao Yan had indeed been very polite. Now was not the time to worry about other things. He and Kang Huaiying each rode a horse and rode away.

It was the first time for both of them to see Xiao Yan, who was famous in Bianliang. They only knew that he looked like the deposed emperor Li Yu, but they had never met him in person. They were very curious. But after a quick look, they did not see any generals of the right age. In this northern expedition, there was not a single senior general present. Even Kang Huaiying could not recognize many of them.

But he still had some impression of Wang Yanzhang, and knew that he was Xiao Yan's deputy, so he asked with a smile: "Is this General Wang who will be promoted to the commander of the Longxiang Army for his meritorious service? Where is our General Xiao? Why don't you introduce him to us?"

"Let Kang Taibao know that Envoy Xiao is in Tanzhou."

"Tanzhou?" Li Zhen's face darkened. The angel had arrived. As the highest-ranking general in Youzhou, why did this fellow go to Danzhou instead of welcoming the angel?

"Have you two angels not read the military reports? The remnants of the Yan territory have plundered Liu Rengong, colluded with Mobei, and called themselves Great Yan. They are sweeping the military states and other places in Yan territory where Daliang is under-garrisoned. Envoy Xiao has gone to quell the rebellion in person."

"Quell the rebellion?"

Li Zhen looked down on him. He really thought that he couldn't see through the trick of nurturing the enemy for his own benefit? What remnants? It was just an excuse. Let alone Dayan, I'm afraid it would be good to have a hundred or so people.

I was just worried about the trouble this guy was causing. Let's see how he takes advantage of the situation to deal with this colleague!
(End of this chapter)