Chapter 167: Disaster (I)

The yamen was silent except for the crackling of candlelight and the sound of footsteps, with the faint sound of armor colliding between them. Li Zhen then opened his eyes, which had just been closed.

It was already getting light in the sky. He sat on the top of the city wall for half a night before finally rushing back to the government office to rest for a while. Now, listening to the noise, it was not difficult for him to guess who the person was.

"Mr. Li, Colonel Yu Du is here."

Hearing the voice of his aides outside the door, Li Zhen rubbed his stiff face, then applied some ointment on the blisters at the corners of his mouth, then he stood up and walked out in an elegant and graceful manner.

"I am here, Colonel Yu. What else do you need to report? Please come in quickly."

After a moment, a man in his thirties strode in. He looked a little unattractive, but he was very strong. He had a standard Yan body shape, tall and strong, and was wearing iron armor. He was a real warrior.

Even though his sword and other belongings had already been taken off outside the yamen, Li Zhen had no doubt that he could single-handedly create a huge hole in the governor's mansion.

However, he just laughed loudly, stroked his beard, and said generously: "It has been more than a month since I last saw Captain Yu in the camp. I am really busy with worldly affairs, and it is rare for me to have a chat with Captain Yu."

Yu Zhong's reaction was not enthusiastic, but he was very polite. He clasped his fists and looked down at Li Zhen, "Lord Li summoned me here. Is there anything important? The Yan army outside the city is strong, and I dare not leave the camp for too long."

Li Zhen laughed, took Yu Zhong's arm and walked inside, explaining: "Isn't it important that I, this old man, talk to Yu Duxiao about this? Right now, I want Ding Badu and Yichang troops to enter the city to guard the city wall. I have already agreed with the generals, so there is nothing to say."

After entering the side hall, he sat behind the table with a big sword and a golden horse, pointed at Yu Zhong and said with a smile: "This time, I asked Yu Duxiao to come here for a private matter."

Yu Zhong said nothing, but just sat silently beside him, looking like a wooden warrior.

Li Zhen was not surprised to see this. He had already let his staff know about Yu Zhong, saying that this man had served in Youzhou and inherited his father's business. Both father and son were low-level officers. He had been in Dingba City for many years and had always been cautious and not a high-profile person. He was already a mid-level officer before the Battle of Yuyang, and after the war he was promoted all the way to the rank of Infantry Colonel. He was already one of the most decisive figures in Dingba City.

He was always very satisfied with warriors of this character, so he smiled and said, "Captain Yu was invited here early in the morning by me, so I guess he hasn't had breakfast yet, right?"

After saying this, he didn't wait for Yu Zhong to react, but just raised his palm and clapped it lightly.

Soon, a faint fragrance came from outside the door, and a scent filled the air. It turned out to be several beautiful maids coming in one after another, each carrying a food box. The women were not dressed warmly, and their bodies were still wrapped in the cold wind and snow outside. As soon as the dishes were set, they all crowded around Yu Zhong, which was very attractive.

Yu Zhong's unmoved appearance did change slightly, and he looked at Li Zhen awkwardly: "Mr. Li, what's this?"

Li Zhen stroked his beard, waved his hand, and laughed nonchalantly: "Master Yu, don't worry. These beauties are all concubines that Liu Shouguang kept before. I have checked and they are all girls from good families."

As if in response to his words, several beauties leaned on Yu Zhong, some pinching his shoulders, some rubbing his arms. Fortunately, they were all very well-behaved and did not have the courage to untie Yu Zhong's armor.

Yu Zhong, on the contrary, felt even more uneasy, yet seemed unable to refuse the beauty's kindness, so he just remained silent.

Li Zhen narrowed his eyes and watched the scene, he knew that his beauty trap had worked. He had prepared two sets of excuses at first. If Yu Zhong was not interested in this beauty, he would have his own explanation. But looking at the current scene, it seemed that Yu Zhong was easier to control than planned.

He raised his chopsticks with a loud laugh and said, "Although I am only in charge of Youzhou for a short time, I still have the final say on the personnel arrangements of the Jiedushi Mansion. Now that Liu Shouguang is dead, these beauties have no way out. I think that Yu Duxiao is a rare hero. As the saying goes, heroes have always been paired with beauties. I invited you here today because I want to entrust them all to you. What do you think?"

Yu Zhong was somewhat delighted, but he laughed dryly and said, "Mr. Li is a great man, why not take them back to Bianliang?"

Li Zhen smiled, raised his chopsticks to the sky, and said: "Don't be afraid of being laughed at by Principal Yu Du, my wife is too aggressive, I am really a little scared..."

Sure enough, Yu Zhong was stunned as he expected, and then laughed out loud.

The so-called getting closer is to blur the relationship between superiors and subordinates. Li Zhen is well aware of this. With a little talk, he instantly reduced Yu Zhong's vigilance against him. So he immediately struck while the iron was hot, shook his head and smiled bitterly, "Besides, I am over 40 years old and I know I am not as strong as Colonel Yu who is in his prime. Such a beauty is first-class even in the Central Plains, not to mention in Yan. Please don't let me waste it."

Yu Zhong laughed loudly, and finally stopped worrying. He held one in each hand and said, "Thank you for your kindness, Mr. Li. I will enjoy it now."

Li Zhen smiled slightly, picked up the food and said: "Master Yu is full of heroic spirit. Even if I have many beauties, I am willing to give them to you one by one, but..."

He was hesitant to speak, just waiting for Yu Zhong to ask, but this time the latter was beyond his expectation. He was only concerned with playing with the beautiful maid and didn't pay any attention to him.

This man...

Li Zhen was a little annoyed. He felt that he had overestimated Yu Zhong. He was probably not cautious, but really stupid. That was why he accepted his kindness. Now he didn't even have this little bit of tact...

However, warriors with poor brains are easier to control, so Li Zhen felt relieved.

He had no choice but to relieve the awkward silence. He sighed and said, "It's a pity that the rebel army is besieging the city with great momentum. It seems that Youzhou City will fall at any moment. I am afraid that if I give the beauty to the military commander, it will harm the military commander instead."

"What do you mean, Mr. Li?" Yu Zhong frowned and became serious.

"Look, Colonel, this rebel army is marching straight to Youzhou under the pretext of restoring Yan. Restoring Yan, restoring Yan, of course, means driving out Liang and restoring Yan. Now in the city, I am the head of the Liang officials, and I should be the first person to be executed by this rebel army. But if I have a too close relationship with the Colonel, it will inevitably implicate the Colonel..."

"What's the big deal?" Yu Zhong frowned and said, "According to Lord Li's intention, if I don't accept Lord Li's kindness, will the Yan army outside the city not kill me?"

"I don't have such intention, but if the rebel army enters the city at that time, my life will be in danger. But maybe they will protect the capital school for the sake of our past friendship?" "Humph." Yu Zhong sneered and said, "I fought fiercely in Yuyang in the past with the intention of killing Liu Shouwen. What kind of friendship can there be? Lord Li's intention is nothing more than worrying that I am secretly communicating with Liu Shouwen. Why don't you say it directly!"

However, after hearing this, Li Zhen did not refute but remained silent.

Yu Zhong was stunned for a moment, then narrowed his eyes, suddenly pushed aside the beautiful maids on both sides, stood up and said coldly: "Lord Li, do you really doubt me?"

While speaking, he calmly glanced at the layout on both sides and the door, listening carefully for any signs of ambushes and judging the distance between him and Li Zhen.

If anything really happens, he has an 80% chance of capturing Li Zhen.

Fortunately, Li Zhen did not have any plans. He just shook his head and sighed, saying, "I naturally trust the captain, but how can the captain guarantee that everyone in Dingba is like the captain?"

Without waiting for Yu Zhong to speak, he continued with a sigh, "Now that the enemy is in front of us, Youzhou City is an isolated city. How dare I take it lightly? I am not afraid of death, but Hebei is the foundation for your majesty to unify the world. How can you lose to me?

I know I am not a general capable of leading an army, but I have heard that Ding Badu is domineering. The delay in the reward has already caused dissatisfaction among the generals. Now the rebel army is besieging Youzhou and the situation is critical. How can the commander guarantee that Ding Ba is not harboring evil intentions and secretly colluding with the rebel army? "

Yu Zhong didn't know how to answer this question, and just snorted coldly: "I have no secret contact with Liu Shouwen!"

Li Zhen stood up, took Yu Zhong's hand and sat down, then waved to the maids. After they were alone in the side hall, he said helplessly, "I know it. If I didn't know the character of Yu Duxiao, why would I invite him to have a chat?
Now that there are only you and me, I will speak frankly to Colonel Yu. Dingbadu is a strong army, much stronger than the chaotic army outside the city, but why did I not dare to let Dingbadu enter the city? It is because I am worried about this. Dingbadu is domineering, although you, Colonel Yu, are in charge, but in this situation, how dare we take it lightly? "

He patted Yu Zhong's arm and sighed, "It's not that I don't trust you, the commander-in-chief, but I don't dare to trust Ding Baduer. In the current situation, among all the generals, I can only trust you, the commander-in-chief."

Yu Zhong pondered for a moment, frowned and said: "According to Lord Li, what do you want to do? I am the general of Dingbadu, and I have always been one with Dingbadu. How can I abandon him?"

Li Zhen stroked his beard and squinted his eyes as he said, "I want to promote Duxiao to be the commander of Dingbadu Army. Dingbadu's cavalry and infantry totaling 6,000 people will all be under Duxiao's command. I trust Duxiao, so naturally I trust Duxiao to be in charge of Dingbadu. In this way, Duxiao will not only continue to stay in Dingbadu, but I will also feel much more at ease."

"Military Commander?" Yu Zhong was a little surprised.

"Yes, when the commander-in-chief becomes the commander of the army, and then we catch all those who are secretly in contact with the rebel army, Dingba will be able to be dispatched by the commander-in-chief at will. By then, Youzhou City will be as solid as a rock. Even the Yichang Army, I will have the confidence to control it."

Li Zhen narrowed his eyes and looked at Yu Zhong, and continued to add: "As long as the principal is willing to do it, I will definitely give you a bright future."

"What do you mean by that?"

"I know there are many military families in Dingba City. If the commander follows my lead, it will cause a lot of trouble. But in extraordinary times, we should do extraordinary things. We should not be soft-hearted."

Li Zhen said in a deep voice: "The disaster in Hebei has evolved to this point, mostly because of the rebellion of the Lulong Army. After the disaster is quelled, the court will definitely reorganize the Dingbadu, Yichang Army and other Hebei surrendered troops. At that time, some of the old subordinates of the Duxiao will be split into other armies or suppressed. If the Duxiao is unwilling to take action, I am afraid he will not have the status he has today...

But if the commander-in-chief has something to do, as long as he helps me defend Youzhou, with my means, it will be easy to save the commander-in-chief's old subordinates. Not to mention conquering the capital, even sending the commander-in-chief to serve as a military commander of the imperial guards is not a problem!"

He said calmly: "The Bianliang Imperial Army is the leader among all the towns in the world. Your Majesty relies on it to dominate the Central Plains. Compared with the military commander of one of the armies and the commander-in-chief of the Dingbadu Army, the two are more important. The commander-in-chief should be able to tell which is more important."

Yu Zhong said with a straight face, "There are more than 100,000 rebel troops outside the city. Youzhou can only rely on the surrendered troops from Hebei to hold on. Lord Li's words are a bit too much!"

Li Zhen was not annoyed at all, but laughed: "The captain may be thinking that Youzhou City is about to fall, and what I said is all lies, or the court does not dare to mobilize the army. But the captain might as well think about it. Even if Youzhou City is broken, I am beheaded by the rebels, and Youzhou falls into the hands of Liu Shouwen, with the rebels in that state, even if there are more than 100,000 people, how can they defend Youzhou without money and food?
Why is the army so chaotic? It's because the reinforcements from Bianliang haven't arrived yet. It's really not a good time to send troops in this icy and snowy weather. But if the Bianliang army arrives in the spring, even if Ding Ba comes, can he defend Youzhou against the Bianliang army?"

He reminded, "Don't forget, Cangzhou is now in the hands of the court. The army can march north. Hebei may be in chaos for a while, but it will eventually return to the hands of the court. It's just a matter of time. But if the commander makes the wrong decision now, and I die, when the Bianliang army recaptures Youzhou in the future, I'm afraid no one will protect the commander's future..."

"Are you threatening me?" Yu Zhong couldn't help but get angry.

"No." Li Zhen smiled faintly, "I am just telling the truth. My good intentions towards the commander are real, but my hidden concerns are also true. Will you help me defend Youzhou, or will you stand aside and watch like the generals of Dingbadu? The decision now depends entirely on the commander's decision."

Seeing that Yu Zhong fell silent, Li Zhen was not in a hurry. He just looked at him with a faint smile.

Although Li Zhen looked calm on the surface, he was actually scared to death. He was too familiar with the behavior of these warriors, who would pick up swords and start a rebellion at the slightest disagreement. Rebellion against superiors was not only the tradition of the Li Tang Dynasty, but also the tradition of all the vassal states in the world.

"Since Lord Li has said so, I will obey." Yu Zhong took a step back and bowed, saying, "But I still need Lord Li to agree to one thing."

Seeing Yu Zhong suddenly give in, Li Zhen was pleasantly surprised. He suppressed his joy and said calmly, "That's it."

"The matter of Dingbadu entering the city should be arranged by me, so as to appease the hearts of the troops below. I hope Lord Li will not send anyone to interfere." Yu Zhong said seriously: "After all, I have only been the commander of the infantry for two months, and my foundation is not stable. If my subordinates cause chaos, it may be difficult to suppress them for a while. Lord Li should know that everyone in Dingbadu has complaints about you."

Li Zhen didn't care at all, pretending he didn't hear the last sentence, and just smiled heartily: "Okay, okay, everything will be handed over to the commander. In this way, Dingba will enter the city first, and after he has a firm foothold, we will let the Yichang army enter the city to suppress any irregularities."

He patted Yu Zhong's shoulder again, looking relieved.

"Captain Du is indeed a smart man. From now on, we will share wealth and honor."

(End of this chapter)