Chapter 179 Playing the fire with yourself? But I am the fire
Yan army camp.

It was not snowing. Armored soldiers were escorting a 40-year-old man who looked a little dishevelled and dishevelled, walking through the messy long street of Youzhou City. They were passing by piles of corpses that had not yet been buried, but they were just staggering along, being half escorted and half pushed.

Not far away, there were some imperial guards who had already taken off their armor and weapons and were squatting on the ground under guard. They all raised their eyes to look at the forty-year-old man and cursed at him.

In addition, batches of Yan army soldiers rushed into the city, forming the opposite direction of them, just like a countercurrent, wrapped in an indescribable smell of blood, dust, and an unconcealable air of poverty, and climbed into the inner city via wooden ladders and ladder trucks.

In fact, there were still some sounds of fighting in the city, but they were very weak. Many of the shouts and screams were made by the Yan army who were maintaining order, enforcing military discipline and beheading a group of bandits who were eager to cause chaos.

In short, the inner city fell, and it fell suddenly while they were making fire and cooking. Even before the meal was ready, many imperial guards had just dozed off for a while on the top of the city wall, and the Yan army suddenly launched an attack as if they had received a strict order. Because they did not have time to use kerosene, they were easily attacked by the Yan army.

In fact, if the Liang army had not relaxed a little because of the envoy, the siege might have continued for most of the day.

Therefore, it is not surprising that the captured imperial guards abused the forty-year-old man.

And that's not all. After leaving the city, before entering the main camp of the Yan army, one has to pass through layers of small camps of the Yan army which are called camps but are actually no different from shacks. At this time, countless ragged and pale-faced Yan people came out of the shacks and pointed at the chief official of Youzhou, who had a half-trimmed beard and the other half sloppy, wore a purple robe full of stains, and half of his face was covered with dried blood, and uttered some ugly dirty words.

Words like "dog official", "treacherous minister", "oppressing the Yan people" etc. are already extremely mild. Even more so are the words greeting eighteen generations of ancestors in the Yan dialect, which are unbearable to hear.

However, Li Zhen no longer had the heart to care about these things. His steps were extremely slow and he needed to be pushed to keep moving forward. He stared blankly at the messy ground and just muttered to himself.

"How dare he?"

"How dare An do this?"

"I have something on him, I have something on him..."

"Hurry up!" The general who had just called him a pig and dog turned around and shouted in dissatisfaction: "What are you wasting time for, you old man, do you want to be dragged away by the horse?"

Li Zhen looked up in surprise and saw a soldier holding a bundle of ropes in his hand, who seemed to be trying to tie him to the horse's buttocks and drag him away.

He was terrified at once, but he finally stopped muttering to himself. He could not help but retreat, saying repeatedly: "How dare you! How dare you! I am the imperial envoy appointed by the Emperor of Bianliang! I am one of the Three Dukes, the deputy governor of Xuanyi Army, and I am in charge of the finances of the country. How dare you be so presumptuous to me!? How dare you!?"

The general was stunned, then he stood on his horse with his hands on his hips and laughed: "Imperial envoy? Three Dukes? What a high-ranking official! He almost scared me to death!"

"How outrageous, how outrageous..." Li Zhen's mouth trembled with anger. These warriors actually looked down upon him. If two countries were at war, even if a high-ranking official like him was captured, he should be received in person by his equal leader instead of being humiliated by a mere commander.

The general sneered, turned his horse around, and suddenly raised the whip in his hand.

Li Zhen, filled with righteous indignation, looked slightly changed and subconsciously dodged backwards, raising his arms to block, while at the same time he let out uncontrollable panic shouts.

"Snapped."

The horse whip was lashed in the air, making a cracking sound, which frightened Li Zhen so much that he staggered and fell backwards, and his purple robe, which represented power and wealth, was stained with mud.

Seeing that Li Zhen lost his composure just by being frightened, the general laughed loudly, then his face darkened and he said viciously, "I heard that Lord Li used to scare people in the Li Tang court in Luoyang if he wanted to scare them. If anyone was not afraid, he would be exiled. If anyone was very afraid, he would let them go to show Lord Li's tremendous power. Tsk tsk tsk tsk, Lord Li used to be very powerful in Luoyang, holding the power to depose people in the huge Li Tang court. I think he must have been very majestic!

Now, Lord Li, do you understand how those Tang officials felt at that time?"

Li Zhen's face turned pale and a little stiff, but he was looking at the general in front of him and was speechless for a moment.

He has offended and indirectly murdered too many people in his life. Although he will cut off all the roots, there will always be some that slip through the net.

For example, now, although he was not sure whether the person in front of him was his enemy, he could vaguely feel that this person had a lot of resentment towards him. For example, the words "pigs and dogs" and the comments in front of him made him think that he was probably the descendant of one of his enemies...

On horseback, the general looked at Li Zhen's appearance, sneered, and waved his hand.

"This old man's legs are too weak to walk. Let's carry him up so as not to waste time."

The two soldiers immediately and roughly picked up Li Zhen, ignoring his miserable state, and went straight inside.

Li Zhen's lips trembled, and he finally felt as if he was falling into an icy cave.

I have made a name for myself throughout my life, am I really going to die in this filthy place?
……

"Get in!"

When he arrived in front of a large tent with obviously strict military discipline, Li Zhen was pushed roughly by someone, and before he could even see who was in the tent, he stumbled in.

The tent was very quiet, but there were surprisingly few people. A rather gentle middle-aged man in his forties sat in the main seat, with two warriors on his left and right, both dressed as generals. The man on the left had a big frame and looked very strong, a soldier who had been in the army for a long time. The man on the right looked much thinner, and if it weren't for the hideous scar on his face, he wouldn't look like a general at all, but more like a clerk running around.

There were only these three people in the huge tent.

Li Zhen stammered and looked back, only to see that the men who had escorted him had already retreated without saying a word, let alone introducing who was who to him.

But if he guessed correctly, the person on the main seat should be the nominal prince of Yan State, Liu Shouwen? And the two generals on the left and right should be Yuan Xingqin and Li Mang, but he couldn't tell them apart and didn't dare to speak rashly. And he quickly glanced at the big tent with his peripheral vision and saw that there was not even a single personal general here, let alone the so-called Yan State generals, marshals and other bandits.

After he thought about it carefully, he knew that this was a secret meeting, otherwise it would be impossible for only the three of them. As something that could greatly enhance his reputation, Liu Shouwen could not fail to summon a group of Yan generals.

However, he had already guessed who was the one who blocked all the generals in the Yan camp.

Thinking of this, he straightened up, straightened his sleeves as if no one was around, and sneered, "If my guess is correct, the mastermind of the chaos in Yan should not have shown up yet, right?"

As soon as these words were spoken, Li Zhen no longer looked embarrassed, but instead had a look of confidence.

After saying this, he dared to continue calmly: "Since you all want this Youzhou, I will give it to you. However, since your goal has been achieved, why don't you let the real mastermind meet me?"

Unexpectedly, after hearing these words, there was only silence in the tent.

The three of them just looked at him silently, as if they were looking at something new.

Li Zhen couldn't help but feel a little caught off guard. He glanced around and tried to hide his panic.

Fortunately, after a while, the big man on the left finally sneered: "If you want to give up, why do you need to hold on until now? Besides, why do you need to give up Youzhou? More than a hundred thousand soldiers and horses are coming, do you really think that Youzhou can hold on until now because of your credit?"

Li Zhen narrowed his eyes and asked, "Who are you?"

"Yuan Xingqin."

"It turned out to be General Yuan. I am not very good at seeing, so I didn't recognize him the first time." Li Zhen rolled his eyes and said, "But I'm afraid that General Yuan was able to gather more than 100,000 chaotic troops, not by his own ability, right?"

Yuan Xingqin sneered, "No, so what? Can you defeat these hundreds of thousands of soldiers and horses?"

Li Zhen was choked, and then he glanced at the other two, and finally looked at Liu Shouwen, and forced a smile: "If I am not mistaken, you are the former governor of Yichang Army, the eldest son of the Liu family, Liu Jieshuai, right?"

Liu Shouwen twisted his short beard, shook his head expressionlessly, and said directly: "Since Lord Li knows the truth, why bother wasting time arguing with us? Marshal Xiao is on his way. If you are anxious to see him, just wait here."

"Ah--"

Li Zhen flicked his sleeves and said calmly, "I knew it was him, but I was not in a hurry to see him. General Liu, no, three of you, I really don't understand. You surrendered to Daliang last year. Couldn't you have sought wealth and honor? If you, General Liu, had surrendered to Daliang at that time, His Majesty wanted to ensure your wealth and honor for the rest of your life, and if you were sincere in serving His Majesty, it would not be difficult for you to become a military governor of a town again? Why did you do this evil thing and cause such a situation that cannot be resolved?"

After that, he continued to talk to himself: "Now that Youzhou has fallen into your hands, no matter what, His Majesty has already regarded you as a thorn in his side. The Bianliang Imperial Army is feared by the world. Now that General Liu Jie has lost Cangzhou, can he really stop His Majesty's army? Listen to my advice, it's not too late to stop now..."

Hearing him chattering, Yuan Xingqin sneered without waiting for Liu Shouwen to speak, "Looking at your actions in Hebei, not to mention withholding relief grain for refugees, you are eager to seek political achievements and forcibly collect taxes from the people in Hebei. Can't you see what kind of person the Bianliang court is?"

"Brother Yuan, you are too kind." Li Mang, who had been silent for a long time, finally laughed and said, "The Bianliang court may really want to settle Hebei properly, but why did they send Lord Li here? I am not saying that Lord Li is incapable, but there is a saying that virtue does not match the position. If you want to restore Hebei to its vitality, I am afraid you really need to send a virtuous person, otherwise it will inevitably cause public resentment.

By the way, I am not saying that Lord Li has no moral integrity, but there are more than 100,000 soldiers and horses under the city of Youzhou, and there are tens of thousands of soldiers and horses in Tanzhou. I am afraid they did not appear without reason. "

"you!"

Li Zhen was so angry that his blood boiled. He pointed at the two and said, "Nonsense! Could it be that I was the one who supported these 200,000 refugees?"

"Isn't it?"

Suddenly, an indifferent voice came from behind him.

Almost at the same time, Yuan Xingqin and the other two who were still sitting in the tent suddenly stood up. Liu Shouwen in the middle was even faster than the two warriors, and then an inexplicable look of respect appeared on his face.

"Master Xiao." Li Zhen's whole body stiffened, and he turned around in disbelief.

However, a tall young man seemed to be rushing over, and just now he threw the whip to the person behind him, and then took off the bronze mask on his face and walked in.

"Mr. Li, what you mean is that the chaos of more than 200,000 soldiers in Yan territory was not caused by you?"

"Xiao! Yan!"

Li Zhen was stunned at first, and then the voice seemed to be squeezed out of his throat. All the words he had been thinking about for these days were forgotten at this moment. The plan he had prepared for a long time also turned into resentment. Then he shrieked in a somewhat out-of-control voice: "How dare you wrongly accuse me like this!? How dare you!?"

"What are you yelling about!"

Yuan Xingqin frowned, raised his finger and pointed at Li Zhen, warning: "Do you want to die?"

Li Zhen's face subconsciously turned pale, and then after a moment, it twisted into a hideous look: "Kill? Come and kill me!"

Yuan Xingqin frowned violently and clenched his fists until they creaked, but in this provocation, he rarely managed to keep silent.

After Xiao Yan calmly put down his armor, he smiled and asked, "Why do you think we dare not kill you, Lord Li? And why do you think you are being wronged?"

Li Zhen laughed out loud. For some reason, after actually seeing Xiao Yan, he felt a sense of inexplicable confidence.

In the past, he was afraid of the middle and lower-level officers because they were just pure warriors who did things based on their likes and dislikes and might stab him if they disagreed with him.

But Xiao Yan was different. Based on his thoughts and guesses about this person, he knew that this person should be like him, a superior who could really weigh the pros and cons. Moreover, Xiao Yan had made so many preparations in Yandi, it was impossible for him to kill him so rashly. Killing him would only cause harm to Xiao Yan and no benefit!
He didn't dare to kill himself like this!

After Li Zhen laughed loudly, he frowned and sneered, "Marshal Xiao is a smart man. He hurried to see me this time. I'm afraid he already knew that I sent people south. I don't know if Marshal Xiao stopped them, but it seems that Marshal Xiao is not going to have a smooth journey in this matter. So, Marshal Xiao might as well guess what I sent back to Bianliang, how about it?"

After hearing this, Yuan Xingqin and Li Mang both frowned secretly, but just looked at Li Zhen coldly without saying a word.

Liu Shouwen was a little surprised, but he didn't dare to say much. He just lowered his head, making it seem like he heard nothing.

In front of them, Xiao Yan just smiled faintly and said, "Mr. Li is a man of great means. What he sent back to Bianliang at such a critical moment must be something that can threaten my life and property. This is not difficult to guess."

"It's good that you know!" Li Zhen sneered, "Now that I'm in this situation, there's nothing I can't give up! But you, Marshal Xiao, have risen from a commoner to become a military governor, how can you be willing to give it up? Do you need me to say more about the choice?"

"It's not necessary."

Xiao Yan put his hands behind his back, still smiling, and said, "I have already made the choice. However, I am afraid I will have to inconvenience Lord Li."

"What do you mean?" Li Zhen was stunned.

"I think this so-called wrongful accusation against Lord Li is actually a misunderstanding by Lord Li himself. Zheng Youque, come in."

Li Zhen was a little stunned by the call. He turned around and saw a figure in a green robe striding in. It was Zheng Jue, whom he sent as an envoy.

"What are you doing?" Li Zhen was subconsciously a little flustered.

Zheng Jue ignored him, but faced Xiao Yan calmly, saluted with his arms crossed, and said loudly: "General Xiao is right. Li Zhen forced the surrendered troops in Hebei to rebel, withheld rewards, and embezzled food and wages, which led to the rampage of refugees in Yan and the rise of rebellious troops. I can prove it! What I said is true, and I have seen it with my own eyes. In addition, Li Zhen knew that he was guilty of a serious crime and wanted to slander General Xiao for the disaster in Hebei. I can also testify to this!"

Li Zhen's eyes suddenly turned red with anger, and he turned around abruptly to scratch Zheng Jue.

"How dare you! How dare you talk nonsense!"

Zheng Jue was so frightened that he dodged backwards. Fortunately, Li Zhen was immediately pinned to the ground by a bad guy at the door of the tent, so he could not make any more trouble.

"Traitor! Traitor!" Li Zhen was pinned to the ground. He pointed at Xiao Yan and said angrily and fearfully, "How dare you! How dare you! How can the imperial court be deceived by you? I am the inspector of heaven..."

"Not any more."

Zheng Jue whispered at the right moment, "The imperial edict has reached Gaoliang River. Your Majesty's will is to let General Xiao take charge of Hebei, organize the troops in Hebei, and also patrol the area on behalf of the emperor, which means he is in charge of all the affairs in Hebei..."

Li Zhen opened his mouth wide, and the words that were yet to come out were almost instantly silenced. His face was stiff, and he was filled with disbelief.

Xiao Yan smiled, waved his hand to let the bad guy back off, then crouched down and asked, "Does Lord Li have anything else to say?"

This ordinary sentence suddenly made Li Zhen feel fearful.

He shrank back suddenly. From the moment Xiao Yan showed up, he was finally a little scared and at a loss, but he still didn't forget to threaten: "This old man, this old man has something that can make you lose everything. You, you, you don't dare to kill me..."

At this point, he seemed to suddenly wake up and emphasized: "Yes! Yes! You can't kill me, you can't kill me, I am still useful, you and I can cooperate, you and I can cooperate, you want to secede from Hebei, I can help you, really, I..."

"Mr. Li."

Xiao Yan smiled and said, "You just said today that it is useless to seek the skin of a tiger. How come you forgot it so quickly?"

Li Zhen's expression changed slightly.

He said this to Zhu Hanbin. How could Xiao Yan know it so quickly?

That’s right, that’s right! Why did Zhu Hanbin disappear after the city was captured? He should have been the first general to be captured!
It was Xiao Yan, it was he who saved Zhu Hanbin!

Li Zhen was very anxious. He grabbed Xiao Yan's wrist and said in a hurry: "How can Zhu Hanbin have the ability of this old man? You can't kill me. I am a Third Duke, a..."

Xiao Yan just continued to laugh, brushed away Li Zhen's hand, and said softly: "Mr. Li has great abilities, but I will not be at peace until you die."

Li Zhen's eyes widened and he was speechless for a moment.

He looked at Xiao Yan's gentle smile and felt a chill all over his body. He then said angrily, "How dare you? You don't dare! I will send someone to send you away..."

"Do you think I'm afraid?"

"You!" Li Zhen suddenly stopped talking, then glanced around and whispered, "Why do you have to kill me? Yes, I have a rift with you, but I swear that I will sincerely cooperate with you from now on! Also, if you kill me, aren't you afraid of getting yourself into trouble!?"

"Getting burned?"

Xiao Yan suddenly laughed, then leaned forward a little, his tone neither slow nor loud, his voice so low that only the two of them could hear it.

"You don't think that the deposed emperor I saw in Luoyang that night was a fake, do you?"

boom--

It was like a loud thunder that suddenly shocked Li Zhen's mind.

He was held hostage in Luoyang at that time and did meet the deposed emperor, but when he thought about it now, he felt that it must have been Xiao Yan in disguise.

But after hearing this, he suddenly felt a tingling sensation on his scalp.

What is the meaning of this! ?
What is the meaning of this! ?
Li Zhen's eyes suddenly widened, and he pointed at Xiao Yan, his voice trembling: "You boy, you want to..."

"Woo..."

Behind him, a bad guy suddenly stepped forward, covered Li Zhen's mouth and nose, then clamped his throat tightly with one hand and began to exert force.

Li Zhen's eyes widened red, his legs kept struggling, and he just made a humming sound from his mouth.

"Secede Hebei?"

Xiao Yan stood up without even looking at Lord Li, who once held great power in the government, and he didn't care at all about his life or death.

I.

What we want is the world.

(End of this chapter)