Chapter 150 Hero
Compared with the lively scene in Youzhou, Danzhou, located to the north of Yan, is quite different. It cannot be said to be bleak, but it is indeed extremely deserted.

The "hundred or so people" of the Great Yan army that Li Zhen had in mind were now stationed in Danzhou, which controlled the outside of the Great Wall and governed Gubeikou. They made it their capital and sent troops to control the nearby towns and villages, as if they were going to divide the north and south with Youzhou.

Over the past hundred years, the only wealthy places in Yan were Youzhou and a few towns in the south. Border areas like Tanzhou were naturally not wealthy. In addition, since the chaos in Hebei, the Mobei Army had moved south, and Li Cunxu had sent people to sweep the area, making it even poorer. A heavy snowfall made the area look even more desolate and dilapidated.

But unexpectedly, the Great Yan army stationed in Danzhou had no worries about baggage and even seldom engaged in looting. The worst that they could do was probably to force the powerful local residents to serve them.

Speaking of which, because Xiao Yan had dealt with a group of powerful families in Youzhou a month ago, the local powerful families in Tanzhou were already worried after hearing about it. When they were hesitating whether to join Youzhou, they suddenly heard that Liu Shouwen, the former governor of Yichang Army, rescued Liu Rengong and started an uprising. The powerful families were instigated, and most of them got excited and joined Dayan to get a few generals of miscellaneous titles. They also wanted to fight for wealth and honor with their entire family under the oppression of Xiao Yan.

But this does not mean that these powerful people are stupid. Although Xiao Yan attacked Youzhou, defeated Li Cunxu and established the overall situation in Hebei, his control did not cover the entire Hebei. He could not be stupid enough to disperse the army to control all the military states. Except for a few important states and counties, the others could be left for Zhu Wen to send people to clean up the mess.

Although he ordered 24 states to submit their surrender, he only controlled the main route from Youzhou to Cangzhou. Other places in Yan were still dominated by local powerful people, such as Liaodong, which was beyond his reach.

Some of the powerful people in these places had already come into contact with Xiao Yan, and basically surrendered without hesitation. Some of them had only risen to power in recent years and had no deep ties with the original Liu family. A single letter of proclamation could make them surrender with their entire clan.

But most of them, during the ten years when Liu Rengong was in charge of Youzhou, had provided money and manpower to let their children serve as officials. They basically shared wealth with Liu Rengong. They not only had some say in the Jiedushi's office, but also had a separatist regime in the local area. They were truly with the Liu family. Now that Hebei has changed its master to Daliang, they may have no problem preserving their family's lives and a little wealth after surrendering, but they are far from being as powerful and majestic as they were under Liu Rengong's rule.

Hebei was incorporated into Daliang, but it is not obvious now. When a large number of Daliang officials come to Yan to govern the prefectures and counties, the victorious party will always have to get some benefits. Those warriors and scholars from Bianliang, if they don't take action against these powerful people, will they exploit the people and refugees in Yan who only have a lot of money left?
For these powerful people, the opportunity to be Xiao Yan's guide was gone, and those who had bet on Li Cunxu first had been dealt with, so they were unwilling to hand over the power and wealth accumulated for decades or even generations to the people of Bianliang. In the previous desperate situation, surrendering to Xiao Yan was the general trend and they had to do it. But now that they heard about Liu Rengong's uprising, they naturally had some hope for this old boss.

And the most important point is that according to rumors, Liu Rengong cooperated with Mobei.

We are all Yan people. In the past, they would have been very ashamed of Mobei. But in front of power and wealth, the distinction between Han and Yi, and the national justice, are all nonsense. If Liu Rengong cannot succeed, it will be the same to surrender to Mobei as a springboard. Mobei is not comparable to Daliang. The grassland is newly established and lacks everything. There is basically no culture. Although they, a large frontier clan, have no cultural heritage, it is easy to get a position there. At least compared with Daliang, which is full of talents, they will not see the day of success.

For these frontier tyrants, once they lost power and the official support, it was more terrifying than anything else. Often, before they were even destroyed, they were divided up by other powerful families who were eyeing them covetously and their entire clan was wiped out.

Because of this, the Great Yan court, which was supported by the two thousand Dingbadu given by Xiao Yan, expanded in the blink of an eye, and powerful people from all over the country came with their families. Moreover, they were not only their own family members, but also often brought some local refugees with them to increase their prestige and status in front of the King of Yan, and they poured into Tanzhou in batches.

Together with some defeated troops scattered everywhere, whether they were the Mobei people and Xi people on the grassland, or the defeated Jin army that had been hiding in the valleys and dared not show up, small forces became a large force. The Yan court, which clearly had only more than 2,000 people, suddenly swelled to 30,000 or 40,000 people. Not to mention the various generals with miscellaneous titles, even the great generals and military governors were expelled a dozen or so at once.

And all these were just the results of Xiao Yan's thought. Thousands of people appeared and disappeared in the blink of an eye.

As the hexagram says.

"The greedy wolf is in trouble, and the killing star is guarding the life palace."

"The heroes of the world are in this calamity."

It is just like what the great commander who had been sitting alone in the Hidden Soldiers Valley for three hundred years said, observing what was happening in the world.

This disaster is over.

The hero of the world has been established.

------

Nearly a hundred riders swept across the hills, leaving a trail of horse hoof prints on the snow.

The first rider was a middle-aged man in his forties, with thin cheeks but looking very elegant. He was wearing a cloak and bright armor, and he looked noble. He was definitely the master of these hundred riders.

However, he did not look pleased, but rather had a hint of uneasiness on his face. Although he was surrounded by hundreds of riders, he still subconsciously wanted to turn around to look at the young man behind him.

Behind him, a young man was wearing a green shirt and black armor, also wrapped in a black cloak, and wearing an old hat that had no distinctive features.

However, this young man was dressed in such an ordinary way, but his heroic spirit could not be suppressed. Although he did nothing and behaved calmly, his eyes were sharp and his appearance was heroic. The faint aura of majesty without anger was enough to frighten the middle-aged man, making him feel uneasy.

Not only him, but even the hundreds of riders who needed to put on a show, couldn't help but want to surround the young man to show who was the real master of this place.

While the hundred riders were waiting quietly, an eagle's cry suddenly came from the sky.

The middle-aged man couldn't help but look up.

The young man naturally stretched out his arm, and a handsome Saker Falcon landed on his arm, its eyes sparkling. It folded its slightly injured wings and then lowered its head obediently.

The middle-aged man was a little stunned, but all the knights around him looked as if they were used to it.

The young man took the letter box from the foot of the Saker Falcon, took out the letter, read it, and then laughed softly.

"Lord Li of Bianliang said that the Yan army only had a few hundred thousand men. He wanted to personally go to the battlefield with Kang Taibao to quell the rebellion on behalf of the emperor, in order to demonstrate the strength of the Bianliang Imperial Army... Your Highness, Lord Li of Bianliang clearly doesn't think highly of you."

The middle-aged man, Liu Shouwen, laughed dryly and replied, "I don't deserve it, I don't deserve it..."

"Go to the battlefield in person." The young man thought for a moment, crushed the letter with his fingers, and said with a smile: "Since Lord Li intends to go to the battlefield and asked me to rest, I will really rest. However, it would be unreasonable not to give Lord Li a gift when he came to Yan from thousands of miles away."

The cavalry generals on both sides understood what he meant and burst into laughter.

"Please ask Mr. Li to tour Danzhou." The young man made a decision and asked Liu Shouwen again: "What do you think, Your Highness?"

Liu Shouwen laughed dryly again, then bowed to the young man on horseback, wiped his sweat and said, "General Xiao, please don't embarrass me. I really don't deserve to be called Your Highness. Even if you are really a prince, you should be the prince of your Xiao family..."

"Since General Xiao has made the decision, I will do my best to cooperate with him." The knights around were all dumbfounded, as if they were shocked by Liu Shouwen's words that lowered their generation, and they all had puzzled expressions for a moment.

Xiao Yan also frowned slightly, but then just smiled and nodded slightly, which was regarded as his approval of Liu Shouwen's attitude.

As for Liu Shouwen, who was over 40 years old, he just wiped the sweat off his face with a happy expression, not feeling at all embarrassed to say such shameless words. He even completely ignored the opinions of the knights around him and only cared about Xiao Yan's attitude towards him.

There was nothing he could do. The scene in Yuyang where Xiao Yan shot Liu Shouguang in front of him was too cold-blooded, violent, and casual. To this military envoy Xiao, it was like killing a high-ranking governor, just like crushing an ant.

Is it shameful to serve Xiao Jun as a dog? There are many powerful people in Yan who want to be a dog, but they don't have this opportunity. At least for Liu Shouwen, it can really save his life...

The hundred riders didn't have to wait long before several flags suddenly appeared in their sight in the north.

On the first side, it was written "General Yuan of the State of Yan", and on the second side, it was written "Commander-in-Chief of the Various Military Camps of the State of Yan Li", and after that, there were various flags with miscellaneous numbers.

Under the flag, there was a huge group of people riding their horses straight towards this place.

Beside Xiao Yan, Fu An couldn't help but chuckle, "Yuan Xingqin and Li Mang, these two guys really acted like they were real. If I didn't know, I would have to kneel down to greet them."

There were chuckles from people on both sides.

Xiao Yan's face was cold, and he looked at the generals under the various flags with empty eyes. It seemed that he was not moved by the scene in front of him at all, and just glanced at them with an indifferent look.

These powerful people took the initiative to go to Danzhou, which really helped him solve a big problem.

In a moment, people came running in front of them, and countless people almost dismounted at the same time. After seeing Xiao Yan, Yuan Xingqin was obviously slow for a moment, but he was almost standing in the front, and the people behind him could not see this subtle change, so he and Li Mang led a group of people to kneel on one knee.

"Your Highness went to Yuyang in person to persuade the Lulong Army to rebel against Liang. This is a blessing for our Great Yan. Upon hearing the good news, the King of Yan ordered me to go out ten miles to welcome him."

Liu Shouwen coughed dryly and said to comfort him, "I am leaving for Yuyang this time. I heard that many loyal Yan people are coming to join us and start a rebellion for the great cause. Did you bring any with you, General?"

Yuan Xingqin clasped his fists and stood up to introduce them to him one by one.

What about the General-in-Chief of the Southern Expedition, the General-in-Chief of the Eastern Expedition... They all stated how many troops they brought with them. There was even a defeated general of the Jin State. Although he only had a few dozen defeated soldiers under his command, he was directly named the General of Suppressing Liang because of his special status.

No matter what, each army has at least 30,000 soldiers and horses. No matter whether it is false reporting or not, we will just take them all in regardless of the food.

As for these generals of miscellaneous titles, when they heard that Liu Shouwen had persuaded the Lulong Army, they all became more enthusiastic and began to express their loyalty to the Prince of Yan and flatter him.

When the huge group arrived in Danzhou, countless heads surged onto the top of the city walls and in the messy camps below the city. Countless known and unknown generals rushed out of the camps to express their loyalty to this prince of Yan who was almost a hero.

Regardless of whether they were from Mobei or Yan, anyone who had lost power in the Hebei upheaval cheered for Liu Shouwen. The entire Danzhou, this desolate and dilapidated place, became noisy and lively almost instantly.

Even Liu Shouwen was affected by this scene and his blood surged, his face flushed. Just looking at this scene, he seemed to have returned to the days when he was appointed Jiedushi of Yichang Army. At that time, he led tens of thousands of troops, guarded Cangzhou, and refused to repel Zhu Wen's army several times. He was truly high-spirited and powerful.

"Everyone, everyone! I am not talented. I led the remaining troops to defend Danzhou with only my passion to not be a slave to Zhu Wen. I had no intention of doing anything great. But my Yan land was destroyed by Xiao Yan, and millions of Yan people are about to become servants of Liang people. I am very unwilling to do so! But how can I defeat the Liang army with my own strength?

Fortunately! Fortunately, there are still the righteous army and the loyal Yan warriors! Now Dayan has tens of thousands of loyal Yan warriors and several military states! How do Zhu Wen and Xiao Yan know that we can't come back and restore our Dayan land? "

Liu Shouwen was full of heroic spirit. While reciting the words Xiao Yan asked him to memorize, he shouted from a high place: "Now, how many Liang troops are there in Yan? Only more than 10,000 people! It seems that the entire Yan area is almost occupied by the Liang army, but except for Xiao Yan's troops in Youzhou, the rest are all my former comrades in Yan! The Liang army is far away in Cangzhou, even as far as Bianliang! Thousands of miles away, how can we help them?
Everyone knows it! Xiao Yan gave out lavish rewards and distributed all his money and food in order to ensure the stability of Yan. Now Youzhou has become a dead city, relying entirely on the Liang army for support! As long as we can cut off their food supply and block the Liang army's route to the north, won't Youzhou fall by itself? "

There was almost a sudden silence all around, and then in an instant, the shouts suddenly rose louder, and countless people cheered, and for a moment they actually thought that the eldest son of the Liu family, who had never known anything about military affairs, could really lead them to regain power!
Liu Shouwen looked around, his chest rising and falling. Even though he was confused by the atmosphere, he knew that this scene might be his last highlight moment in his life, so how could he not make a fuss? Even if he was a puppet, he was a puppet that could stir up the world!
At this time, Fu An stepped forward and handed a note to Liu Shouwen respectfully, and whispered to him several times in front of countless people.

After Fu An left, Liu Shouwen pondered for a moment, then suddenly looked up to the sky and laughed out loud.

Everyone fell silent.

Liu Shouwen looked around with a ferocious look on his face.

"As you all know, two of Zhu Wen's angels came to Bianliang, claiming they want to take over the 24 states of Hebei! These two brought with them countless money and jewels for rewards, all of which are now in Youzhou City!
According to a certain order, the army will set out immediately to cut off the food supply route near Youzhou, forcing Xiao Yan to lead the army to open up the food supply route. And we will just take advantage of the situation to seize Youzhou, capture those two angels, and rob the countless money!
I want to let the world know that Hebei is Dayan's Hebei!"

……

"Dayan! Dayan! Dayan!"

Countless people were clamoring and the atmosphere was at a fever pitch. Everyone was filled with murderous intent and wanted to head straight to Youzhou. Even Fu An felt that things were out of control, and he and the other bad guys subconsciously looked at Xiao Yan.

However, this young man, who could be called a hero, remained motionless. His eyes were as calm as a pool of stagnant water. His eyes showed indifference to the shouts of tens of thousands of people.

He could make clouds with a flip of his hand and rain with a flip of his hand. He had the confidence to control the entire Yan area in his palm.

Whoever he wants to live, he makes live; whoever he wants to die, he makes die.

Only in this way can it be deserved.

The hero of the world.

(End of this chapter)