Chapter 180 This Person
Gaoliang River Camp.

Several ceremonial guards stood outside the gate, and under them were hundreds of human figures. They were more than a hundred brightly dressed knights riding on horses. However, these knights in bright armor looked exhausted, and it was obvious that they had been traveling in a hurry for a long time.

If you look at the style of their clothes and armor, you can obviously tell that these people are the Jinwu Guards from Bianliang. They have complete ceremonial guards and are full of bravery.

However, although these tall and strong Jinwu Guards are also brave and not much inferior to the strong and muscular soldiers in the camp, they always feel a little lack of toughness. In other words, these angel followers who came from the Forbidden City to announce the decree are not as domineering as the soldiers in the Gaoliang River camp.

Going further in, one can see a number of Jinwu Guards guarding several officials dressed in either red or green. Among them is a man with a white face and no beard, who is standing closely beside a thirty-year-old man in a red robe and with a beautiful beard.

The man had a handsome appearance and a dashing air, and he was very tall. He was wearing a scarlet robe, which made him look even more extraordinary. He was guarded by the Jinwu Guards and green-robed officials on his left and right, which made his status even more noble.

But at this moment, the man just sat on a stool with a sullen face, showing dissatisfaction, holding a bright yellow jade scroll embroidered with auspicious clouds and cranes in his hand. He just glanced at the gray sky from time to time, tightened his shirt, and chuckled indifferently.

"It's strange. This is the first time I receive an imperial decree, and I have to sit on the bench and wait for most of the day."

At the side, the pale-faced, beardless Ding Zhaopu hurriedly apologized with a smile, then winked at Han Yanhui, who was standing not far away with his sleeves folded.

Han Yanhui smiled, and stepped forward respectfully, saying kindly: "Angel, please wait a moment. General Xiao heard that the Yan bandits attacked the city to seize Youzhou. According to the news, the outer city of Youzhou has been lost, and there may not be many defenders in the inner city. General Xiao had to go to the north to investigate. Before this, he did not know that the angel was coming..."

Unexpectedly, the thirty-year-old man did not appreciate it. Instead, he laughed in a sinister way and said, "Since Youzhou is in danger, why doesn't our General Xiao lead his troops to help? Not to mention that he can save Youzhou by going there alone. Besides, I clearly see thousands of brave soldiers in this camp, and Gaoliang River is only a few dozen miles away from Youzhou. Is it impossible to get there in time?"

Han Yanhui smiled bitterly and explained, "Angel, you don't know that the men in this camp are all defeated soldiers of Dingba. At that time, they were trapped in the siege of more than 100,000 Yan bandits and fled south in one day. If it weren't for General Xiao leading us to search for them in time, I'm afraid they would have become defeated soldiers and gathered in the mountains. Although they have rested for some time now, it is really not a good time to send troops."

This time, it was not the thirty-year-old man who spoke up, but Ding Zhaopu who rushed to scold Han Yanhui, "Stop talking about this, why don't you send someone to quickly invite General Xiao back to the camp? Your Majesty has come a thousand miles to show his respect, how can you wait any longer?"

After that, he smiled at the thirty-year-old man and said, "Don't be upset, Prince Consort. I thought that General Xiao didn't know we were going to arrive today, so we missed the time. We can't blame him. Besides..."

He raised his head and looked around, then bent down and whispered, "After all, General Xiao is your Majesty's most important minister in pacifying Hebei. Your Majesty should be more careful with your words..."

"Is there a family that needs your reminder?"

Unexpectedly, the thirty-year-old man just sneered, then glared at Ding Zhaopu and snorted, "It's okay to wait a while, but I'm new here, and I should be here to show your majesty the honor, but this Marshal Xiao is not in the camp? I heard that when Lord Li and Kang Taibao announced the imperial edict in Youzhou, Marshal Xiao was not there either. How come this is Marshal Xiao's way of showing off his power to the emperor?"

When he said this last sentence, he glanced at Han Yanhui, Yu Zhong and other generals of Dingbadu with a sneer on his face.

Behind him, Ding Zhaopu frowned helplessly, and finally stopped talking. He gave Han Yanhui and others a subtle look and pretended to be a wooden man.

In fact, several green-robed officials from Bianliang nearby also felt that the thirty-year-old man's wording was a bit inappropriate, but seeing Ding Zhaopu being scolded, they did not dare to offend him.

There was no other reason, because the thirty-year-old man was none other than the husband of the current Princess Changle, the son-in-law of Zhu Wen, the Minister of Imperial Guards, the Commander of the Right Winged Guards, Zhao Yan.

Speaking of this son-in-law, his family had been generals for generations. Both his father and brothers were generals. They had been friends with Zhu Wen since the Huang Chao Rebellion, when Zhu Wen was still young and had not yet made a name for himself. He himself had become Zhu Wen's son-in-law at an early stage and had always been highly regarded, commanding part of the imperial guards in the imperial city.

In his early years, Zhao Yan was a humble man with a good reputation, otherwise Zhu Wen would not have married him. However, during these years, Zhu Wen went from being the governor of Xuanwu Army, the Prince of Liang, to the emperor, and Zhao Yan's status naturally rose. Not only was he powerful, but he was also often flattered by others. He gradually became arrogant, supporting hundreds of guests and keeping many painters because of his hobbies, often living a luxurious life.

These officials all came from Bianliang, and they knew the character of the son-in-law well. So they dared not say much, and just kept silent, allowing Zhao Yan to express his dissatisfaction.

Han Yanhui, hearing this "show of power" speech, was naturally terrified. He bent down and said urgently, "General Xiao has no such intention. It is indeed because the battle is too urgent. I cannot know everything without being on the battlefield in person. Angel, please wait a moment. I will send someone to urge them right away."

Zhao Yan snorted coldly, stood up from the stool, and ignored Han Yanhui to arrange for people to ride horses out of the camp. He just paced back and forth on the spot, looking at all the officers and soldiers in the camp calmly.

He had seen generals like Yu Zhong before. To be honest, he didn't have a good impression of the generals of Dingba who had reported back to Bianliang that they didn't obey the order because Li Zhen didn't give them rewards in time. However, the soldiers of Dingba were really first-class elites, not inferior to the imperial guards.

Logically speaking, with such an army in hand, the Yan army should be cautious. What is Xiao Yan waiting for? Is it really like what Zhu Youwen said to him privately, that he is really waiting for the imperial edict in his hand?
But Xiao Yan was far away in Hebei, how could he know that the imperial edict would come?
Zhao Yan pondered secretly, but was quite puzzled.

Of course he knew that the Emperor Zhu, who was far away in Bianliang, relied heavily on Xiao Yan, and he shouldn't be so harsh on Xiao Yan and his admirers. However, his trip to the north this time was not as simple as just delivering an imperial edict.

Although Zhu Wen issued an edict to let Xiao Yan take charge of Hebei, he also intended to let Zhao Yan serve as a military supervisor, otherwise he would not have allowed Zhao Yan, a great imperial guard general, to come to Hebei. If it were not for the fact that the Jin State in Hedong also had a large army blocking Luzhou, and it would take a lot of time and money to raise the Bianliang Imperial Guard, he would probably have led the army directly to the north.

No matter what, he must keep a close eye on Xiao Yan. This has nothing to do with party affiliation. He has always had the self-awareness that a son-in-law should have, and would never get involved with the Hades Emperor, the Ghost King, Zhu Youzhen and the like. He just chatted with them occasionally when they got together.

However, the last time the Ghost King Zhu Youwen found him and suggested that Xiao Yan would take away his power over the imperial guards, Zhao Yan became more or less wary.

To be honest, no matter how great the contributions Xiao Yan made in Hebei, even if they were enormous, it had nothing to do with him as the emperor's son-in-law. But if the interests of the imperial guards were touched, it would be the end of Zhao Yan's life.

As the emperor's son-in-law, although he does not have any big ambitions, seeing that Zhu Wen is getting older and older, these princes are fighting each other openly and secretly. According to the rules of this world for decades, when the throne is passed in the future, there may be a fight in the Forbidden City. Several princes such as the Emperor of Hell will eventually ascend to the throne by relying on their own strength.

As the commander of the Imperial Guards who holds real power, Zhao Yan can certainly gain a lot of benefits from it. Not to mention this matter, as a son-in-law of the emperor who holds real power over the Imperial Guards, as long as he does not do stupid things and touch things he should not touch, he will be invincible no matter what, and he will even be won over by all parties and make further progress in the new dynasty.

But the appearance of Xiao Yan affected the interests of many people.

For example, the imperial guards, whether it was the Jinwu Guards, the Longxiang Army, the Longhu Army, the Yulin Army, the Shenwu Army, or the Tianxing Army and Guangsheng Army, which only had princes as military envoys, the pie was so big that all parties had already eaten it up. Who could bear it if Xiao Yan suddenly dropped in and took one-third of it in one bite? Not to mention that Xiao Yan had no relationship with any party on the surface. Although he might have some connection with Zhu Youzhen in secret, it made people more afraid.

Over the years, whether in the period of Prince Liang or now when Zhu Wen proclaimed himself emperor, the secret party struggles have almost nothing to do with Zhu Youzhen. If Zhu Youzhen can maintain a balance with all parties by relying solely on Xiao Yan, how can others integrate into it?

Xiao Yan had to suppress it.

This was a brief consensus reached between Zhao Yan and the Ghost King Zhu Youwen. At least when he came to Hebei, he would not let Xiao Yan have an easy life.

According to the plan given by Zhu Youwen, he should form an alliance with Li Zhen to jointly check and balance the great commander Xiao who could monopolize Hebei. Otherwise, he would be the only one to take all the credit. Would he really be made a prince? And there were also these surrendered soldiers in Hebei. It was impossible to let Xiao Yan swallow them all by himself. Even if these arrogant and brave generals were really domineering, they were still first-class soldiers!
Zhao Yan was thinking in this way as he secretly looked at the soldiers in the camp. The more he looked, the more he became interested.

There was no way Xiao Yan could organize all these soldiers and generals by himself...

Thinking of this, he frowned slightly and looked at Yu Zhong, who had been like a wooden man. He pondered and said, "Is it Colonel Yu?" Yu Zhong was stunned and subconsciously glanced at Han Yanhui, but the latter did not move at all, and did not give any instructions. He clasped his fists and said in a buzzing voice, "My lord, it is me."

"I heard that you, Dingba, refused to obey orders a month ago because you were dissatisfied with Lord Li's reward. But why did you obey orders so well when Lord Li ordered you to fight outside the camp?"

Yu Zhong frowned, staring at Zhao Yan as if he were an idiot, acting like a domineering warrior to the extreme, and snorted coldly, "Did the angel freeze his brain? Li Zhen said at that time that if I don't leave the camp, he will punish me according to military law. Could it be that I really let him chop off my head for nothing? Or is the angel going to blame me for the fall of Youzhou City?"

"Ahem, ahem, ahem..." Ding Zhaopu was horrified after hearing this. He didn't know whether he was afraid that Yu Zhong would be punished or that Zhao Yan would lose face later. He waved his hands repeatedly and said with a smile, "Captain Yu, please don't say such angry words. The Prince Consort has the emperor's will. He is here to comfort you on behalf of His Majesty. The Prince Consort probably doesn't mean this..."

Zhao Yan was also stunned. He thought Yu Zhong, who had been dull from the beginning until now, was an honest man, but he never thought he would be so domineering.

After thinking about it, he glanced at the Dingba generals on his left and right who suddenly pressed the hilts of their swords, and his heart finally jumped.

The anger that had just arisen from waiting for most of the day made him forget that this was not Bianliang, nor the Central Plains, but Hebei, only a few dozen miles away from the more than 100,000 Yan troops.

Ding Zhaopu and those officials in charge of offering sacrifices, or even the top aide of Xiao Yan in front of him, would praise him, but these surrendered soldiers from Hebei would not.

With alarm bells ringing in his heart, Zhao Yan coughed dryly, took a step back calmly, and said, "It is true. The court is still somewhat ignorant of the inside story of that battle. I really need to clarify it for Your Majesty. It seems that it was Colonel Yu who was wronged."

Yu Zhong sneered, turned away and stopped looking at him.

Zhao Yan was very embarrassed. He knew he had hit a wall, so he looked at Han Yanhui with a gloomy face and said, "Sima Han (the military commander of the Guide Army), since General Xiao hasn't returned yet, are we just going to wait here like this?"

Han Yanhui smiled faintly and bowed, saying, "I will send someone to prepare the meal. You may also rest in the tent. There is still some coarse tea in the camp. Please warm yourself up. I will also entertain the guards and the ceremonial guards."

"That's fine, that's fine." Ding Zhaopu beside him said with a smile: "It would have been better if Sima Han hadn't mentioned it. Now that you mention it, I really feel hungry."

Han Yanhui bowed again and said, "It is our fault for not considering this matter properly."

Zhao Yan nodded in satisfaction, flicked his sleeves, and was about to go into the tent.

Just at this moment, there was a commotion heard coming from the gate.

Zhao Yan narrowed his eyes and turned around to look, only to see that the ceremonial procession outside the gate had actually moved slightly to the left or right, and the Jinwu Guards who had been standing still also hurriedly moved away.

Suddenly, there was a loud sound of horse hooves, and at the gate, several riders were seen riding their horses slowly towards the camp.

Zhao Yan could not help but get angry and shouted, "Sima Han, how can you give way to the guard of honor..."

But suddenly, he was stunned.

However, Han Yanhui and others had all turned around, with respectful expressions on their faces, and slightly bent their bodies, as if they were ready to salute.

He was stunned and looked at Ding Zhaopu, who also had a serious expression on his face, with a pale and beardless face, but it was tense.

Looking back again, he saw a tall man with long hair and a crown coming through layers of ceremonial guards. He was wearing heavy armor and a bronze face mask. He held the reins with one hand and casually pressed the hilt of the sword at his waist with the other hand. He was surrounded by several men in green shirts, iron armor and bamboo hats and entered the camp slowly.

With the outfit, no one should know who he is, but everyone in the camp who passed by him saluted him solemnly and did not dare to be careless.

And for some reason, even Zhao Yan, who had never seen this person before, knew that this person must be Xiao Yan just by looking at the bronze mask and the sharp temperament!

This person must be the former Tang surrenderer who recovered the twenty-four prefectures in Hebei!
This person must be the youngest governor in the world!

This person must be the champion marquis who is the best in Bianliang!

This person was the commander of the Guide Army, the only one who could control the surrendered troops in Hebei. Zhu Wen had to personally issue an order to command General Xiao, Xiao Yan, to take charge of Hebei!
And this person is exactly the one he needs to check and balance, he is the Jiedushi of Guide Army in Songzhou, the current Recruiting Envoy of the East Route Camp, the Du Yuhou of the Imperial Guards and Cavalry, and the Imperial Censor, Xiao Yan!
It's this person!

He rode alone into Liang, conquered Hebei with 800 cavalrymen, commanded all the armies by himself, defeated Li Yazi, defeated Yelü Abaoji, and seized the power that others admired.

Zhao Yan's scalp tensed up, and when he thought of all these things, he felt inexplicably panicked.

In this Hebei camp, if this person in front of him killed him with a knife...

On horseback, the young man in a crown took off his visor, pressed the sword at his waist, and looked down at Zhao Yan and others in scarlet robes, his eyes empty and silent.

The scene was silent, so quiet that it was scary and suffocating.

But no one broke the silence. All the soldiers in the camp saluted silently in unison, as if they had been well trained.

Zhao Yan's Adam's apple rolled up and down, his throat seemed to become hoarse in an instant, his whole body became extremely stiff, and his brain went blank.

He absolutely cannot control this person...

The next moment, the young man on horseback finally got off the horse and knelt on one knee.

"Your servant Xiao Yan respectfully welcomes the angel."

"No, no... Marshal Xiao, there's no need to be so polite..."

(End of this chapter)