Chapter 332: Settling on the Liao Kingdom’s land

Everyone was quietly waiting for Zhao Xing's decision, Chen Guan, Cao Yu and others were all in their throats, so nervous that they could not breathe. The handsome man was acting indifferently, and he didn't even look at Zhao Xing, and only stared at the other side of the river in a blink of an eye.

On the other side of the river, the soldiers of the Suzaku Army were looking around here. Seeing that there was no movement on the south bank for a long time, several officers who had landed on the shore discussed and ordered the scouts to set out first, while their large troops were still waiting.

On the south bank of Jiangnan, Zhao Xing tilted his head and thought for a moment, slowly raised his hand, turned over the imperial edict that the court allowed him to land and rest nearby, glanced lightly, nodded slightly, and replied: "I am not a sabotage, so... I received the order."

When Chen Guan heard this, his feet suddenly became soft and his breath almost couldn't continue. He relaxed his body and pointed to the other side, reminding him quickly: "Mr. Zhao, why not... call your soldiers back quickly. They have already entered the Liao territory. If there is a dispute between the two countries, I am afraid that I can't explain it in front of the new emperor."

Zhao Xing shook his head, and his reply proved again that although he accepted the imperial decree, he was still a "tiger": "Why? I escorted the tribute envoy to Beijing, but I was hit by the most shameless surprise attack on the river bank. This was a robbery. The one involved in the robbery was actually the regular army of the Liao Kingdom. The Liao officials did not give me an explanation. Do he think I was easy to bully?

Ha, Lord Chen is also on the scene. Why don’t you and I sign a letter to ask Liao officials together? I want to know, is this robbery act a government act? If so, it is to declare war on my Song Dynasty. My counterattack is natural; if this is not a government act, it means that the Liao government has collapsed and they can no longer control their soldiers. Haha, I don’t care about the trouble and are willing to discipline these lawless soldiers for them - free!"

Chen Guan and Zhao Xing had different opinions. At this moment, Zhao Xing received the order. He had completed the task. As for Zhao Xing to go to war with the Liao people... he hoped that the farther the better, and the less responsibilities he would bear, the better. Chen Guan, who was unwilling to stay in the place for a long time, responded casually while looking at Cao Yu for support. He seemed to suddenly remember something and reminded Cao Yu: "Mr. Cao, the matter here is over. Have you not set off to take office yet? If you set off, I happen to go back with you."

Cao Yu smiled and fiddled with the dog. He replied with a smile: "I'm not going to leave. The questioning letter signed by Lord Zhao happened to be added to my name... I forgot to tell Lord Zhao that Lord Gao Zunhui has passed away. I am going to replace Lord Gao Zunhui and become the commander of the Daming Mansion. At this time, the Liao army has invaded the overall situation. I am staying here, which is more useful than staying in Daming Mansion..."

When Chen Guan heard this, he rolled his eyes and said in his stomach: "Hmph, martial artsman! Of course, it is safer for you to stay here. Zhang Feng has passed away. If Zhao Liren can't stop the Liao soldiers, it will be useless for you to stay in Daming Mansion..."

In fact, Cao Yu's words were both reminding Chen Guan and implying Zhao Xing. Although Gao Zunhui was blocking Zhao Xing's way when he was alive, Zhao Xing was disdainful to fight with Gao Zunhui. Zhao Xing's previous record was too horrible: facing Xixia, he dared to go out of the city to fight, and he also captured several villages in Xixia. He was dismissed to Lingnan and was uneasy, destroying Champa, invading Dali, and subduing the small countries in Nanyang. It seemed that he could win every battle, and it seemed that he did not take much effort to destroy a thousand-year-old country.

These are small wars, because of these achievements, which can make famous generals look up to them, and often think in their hearts that they may be able to follow suit when conditions permit. However, his battle record in Tubo only left his desire to die - it was simply a non-human. He led a dozen servants and dared to fight tens of thousands of Tubo attack troops. Although Zhao Xing deliberately did not explain the detailed situation in order to prevent the Tubo people from being alert afterwards, the results of the battle were clearly placed there: the army on the southern line of Tubo was wiped out. Zhao Xing, his own side, was slightly injured, and only a few servants were killed.

A little bit of injury. The death of several servants buried the entire southern army of Tubo. Such a record made Zhao Xing deserve the title of "the No. 1 strong general of the Song Dynasty". Faced with such a record, the entire Song Dynasty's interest in sprinting towards the second throne disappeared.

Faced with such a record, Gao Zunhui mobilized the entire Daming Prefecture army to stop Zhao Xing, and the court ministers unanimously believed that this was a joke. Gao Zunhui could not stop Zhao Xing, and Zhao Xing stopped on the bank of the Yellow River, which also made the court ministers unanimously believe that Zhao Xing and the young emperor might have a secret agreement.

Just kidding, the group of new recruits and children who had not fought for 20 years in Daming Mansion, facing the number one strong general of the Song Dynasty, actually wanted to rely on those children to block the war-torn soldiers of the Suzaku Legion. This was as strange as Tian Fang Ye's talk. You know, the same Zhuque Army sent fifty soldiers to send out the Lu family in Fujian to suffer a great loss, and the Lu family is a big family that can mobilize thousands of Zhuang Dings...

So Cao Yu hints here: instead of going to Daming Mansion to guard the group of old, weak and disabled soldiers, Chen Guan would rather stay by Zhao Xing and watch over the tiger nearby. If Zhao Xing really wanted to rush over Daming Mansion, it would be enough to bring more than a dozen servants. Such people could not be stopped by the group of old, weak and disabled soldiers in Daming Mansion. They could only be friends, brotherhood, and ministerial status, and they might not be able to make the other party take action...

Cao Yu was also telling Zhao Xing: Gao Zunhui was dead, and he was anxious. Now there is no general in charge of the Northern Front of the Song Dynasty. I am the new military commander of the Daming Mansion. If you want to make trouble, you will feel resentment in your heart. I support you. I am standing on your side, but you have to grasp the "defense" yourself, because once you are defeated or the matter is too big to be dealt with, there will be no reinforcements in the north of the Song Dynasty. All the reinforcements are in front of you, and I am the only one!

Chen Guan understood, and Shuai Fan understood. He hurriedly approached Zhao Xing and pulled Zhao Xing to a secluded place. Chen Guan nodded to Cao Yu here and no longer insisted on returning to Daming Mansion. A little further away, Shuai Fan was whispering to Zhao Xing. At this time, the two had already walked away a few steps, and a few words were faintly floating in the wind. It was Shuai Fan asking: "Sir, you just said that the king of the Liao people's South Court is dead, and the entire South Court is at the point of no leader, right? Let's... make a handful of..."

Zhao Xing's answer came intermittently: "...Good opportunity...Go to negotiate first...I think they must have no answer, because there is no one in the South Courtyard to make the decision...it depends on the children's performance..."

Shuai Fan stepped forward, opened a few more steps away, and whispered: "Sir, why not go first. I will land in person and lead the soldiers over to sweep it."

Zhao Xing shook his head: "I need you. At this moment, I don't want you to leave, so let the children play freely."

Shuai Fan moved his step a little further, and his eyes swept to Tong Guan, walking towards him. He raised a finger and signaled Tong Guan to stop. He asked Zhao Xing in a low voice: "I just said that, do you really understand? I saw that Lord Chen was still unsatisfied. When the court saw that the Lord was summoned, he might further win over it. And the adults must firmly believe that we only have two steps to go now. One is to enter the court and stay for a few years. When Han Zhongyan and Zeng Bu retreated, we may be able to be the prime minister; the other is to take a step back and retreat back to Guangzhou.

I just suggested that the adults take a step back because there is still a little left in the south. I am afraid that when the adults leave, all their work will be abandoned halfway. Wouldn't that be a pity?

Sir. At this moment, it is a rare opportunity for me in the Song Dynasty, and it is also an opportunity for me to dominate the South China Sea that China has never encountered in a thousand years. I have lost this opportunity. We will never have a second opportunity. Recently, I analyzed: Arabs and Westerners are fighting fiercely. Once these two life-and-death enemies fight, it may be difficult to stop for hundreds of years.

At the same time, the sea trade in our Song Dynasty has accumulated hundreds of years, and the footprints of Song merchants spread throughout the South China Sea. Most of them have taken root in the local area and even gained a certain status. For example, Fujian immigrants in Jiaozhi, Zhan Po immigrants. Song merchants in Changmen, Song merchants in Danluo Island, and even far away in Africa, we have the power of our Song people.

Isn’t all the efforts I have made in the past few years to prepare for this moment? Now that our sailor training is almost done, the forces in the South China Sea have been integrated and completed. As long as we take a step forward, the entire sea will be the world of my Song people. When the adults enter the center, who will succeed the Guangnan affairs? In the Guangdong shooting place, which talented official will come to Guangdong again? I have lost this opportunity. Does our nation still have the opportunity to dominate like that? When will it be?

And I guess that in order to differentiate the power of the adults, the court will purify the Guangdong officialdom after the adults enter the court, such as transferring old officials and appointing new officials. Guangnan is rich. Under the old customs of the court, will the new officials continue their policies to Guangnan more or be corrupt more easily... In this way, the adults' hard work has been wasted for several years.

Sir, please think twice - take a step forward. Sir, may not necessarily become the prime minister, because there are also the prime ministers of Han, Zeng Xiang, and a large number of old party restoration personnel. The master is not as experienced as old ministers such as Po Duke and Su Sanzhang. When Mr. Su and others go down, who knows what direction the court is going?!

Adults, if you take a step forward, you may not necessarily become the prime minister. If you take a step back, you must be the number one warlord of the Song Dynasty and the world's largest town——Although it is a little harder for Guangdong and Guangxi, we have already managed it in the early stage. Now is the time to gain something. Please think twice."

When Zhao Xing faced Shuai Fan, he did not hide his thoughts. He smiled and said, "I know, so I never had the intention of rebelling. For so many years, every soldier has felt the virtues of the Song Dynasty. Since the founding of the Song Dynasty, there has never been an armed rebellion in the local towns. It is because the soldiers under their command may be dissatisfied with the generals and local officials, but they have never been dissatisfied with the morals of the Song Dynasty. Therefore, when the imperial soldiers arrived, the soldiers would scatter into birds and beasts.

I am commanding the Zhuque Army. These soldiers in Shaanxi cannot have the intention of rebelling at all. So when I see Fan Chuncui appear, I already understand that the court is not worried about my rebellion at all. Perhaps my political enemies are looking forward to me to make abnormal movements.

I am not a rebel! Let me tell you the truth - King Duan used to send me letters. When I was in Dengzhou, I had sent someone to send him a letter to ask about the situation of the new emperor's succession, and expressed concern about the accident of seizing the throne. He told him: If there is any change in the palace, please go to Mamengde's mansion to hide. Previously, I also sent him a few Japanese female guards...

When I fell to the mouth of the Yellow River, I had already received the news that he ascended the throne. But he had not replied, so I sent a message to him and asked him to force Zhang Dun to abdicate - I only have this condition, nothing else. And this is exactly what the little emperor thought.

Zhang Dun was the only prime minister for seven years and had a very strong power. If he supported King Duan in the battle for succession, I guess the little emperor would summon the army at my hand to Beijing no matter what. Tong Guan came here, perhaps for this matter. At that time, it would be a very troublesome thing to solve Zhang Dun. Thank God, Zhang Dun has now taken the wrong position.

A powerful minister who does not support the emperor's succession is in the court and has the power of the world. The little emperor will always worry that his authority will be challenged. My appearance is to support him. He needs me to oppress Zhang Dun, and the family of the shangying also needs this support. So they sent capable people to show goodwill to me. Look, didn't that Tong Guantong Pavilion frequently wink at us? He must have brought His Majesty's message."

Shuai Fan took a few steps back and waved to Tong Guan to come forward. When Tong Guan walked towards Zhao Xing, the officials present were all cunning people. In order to avoid suspicion, they had already hid far away. At this moment, they had already determined in their hearts that the whispers between Shuai Fan and Zhao Xing were the basis for a close conversation with Tong Guan. The two were counting on the army and agreeing to command the generals, etc.

Chen Guan kept despising Zhao Xing: This rash man is so anxious... Well, the official family is too young and can't hold back. In the officialdom, such secret meetings were held in private. Why did he talk in front of so many of us anxiously, without any reservation? It's still a Jinshi. I'm afraid that Su Laopo would give him the back door when the landlord took the exam.

However, Chen Guan thought about it again and automatically protected the little emperor: the court was changing and the matter was urgent, so the little emperor had to act...

Sure enough, after Tong Guan whispered to Zhao Xing, Tong Guan turned around and asked Fan Chuncui: "Mr. Cao, there are some tributes on the boat. Please ask someone to unload them. In addition, don't Master Fan have five hundred Vermilion Bird Army? I plan to transfer four hundred people from Master Fan. Lord Zhao also promised to give me another 500 people, and I want to escort these tributes back to Beijing in advance."

Fan Chuncui raised his eyebrows and refuted bluntly: "It's not appropriate. Three thousand of the four thousand Suzaku Army on Lord Zhao's hand are my husband. The matter here is over. I want to take them to Huanqing immediately so that they can fight against the Xixia people in the spring of next year. Tong Dage wants to mobilize troops and can be transferred from the nearby area. I heard that there are two commanders of the nearby Zhending Prefecture, and the Gongsheng Army will be commanded by two commanders. You can transfer them."

Fan Chuncui thought Tong Guan wanted to draw these soldiers back to the capital to deal with Zhang Dun. Others didn't know what the special army was trained by Zhao Xing, but he and Zhang Qing knew it.

Zhao Xing has always emphasized "standardization". The soldiers he trained do not seem very good in terms of fighting skills. Once these soldiers form a formation and begin to "standardize" tactical actions, even when facing the strong attack of the Xixia army brigade, they are not frightened. They can be said to be fierce in attack and are defended firmly.

The most important thing is that the "regulation" emphasized by Zhao Xing can be replicated. These soldiers are the seeds of Huanqing's strong military and land. As long as they are used as instructors, all Huanqing's troops will be like a template over the past year. In this way, not to mention facing the people of Xixia, even facing the people of Liao, Fan Chuncui was confident that he would fight the battle to defend the territory and even fight back in depth.

Fan Chuncui and Zhang Qing are old partners. He knew that Zhang Qing was a very visionary person, otherwise he would not have proposed the classic defense theory of "deep base and shallow attack". He only looked at Zhang Qing back to Huanqing, and wanted nothing else. He kept crying and shouting to ask Zhao Xing to help train 3,000 musketeers. Fan Chuncui knew that these group of musketeers must be better than the "musketeers" trained by the military weapon surveillance group. He knew that the "musketeers" trained by the military weapon surveillance were not soldiers, but clearly a group of "armed actors" who love acting. The "musketeers" produced by the "musketeers" have a sound and light effect, which seems to be performing fireworks. In terms of lethality, it is worse than bows and arrows. Otherwise, the states on the border of the Song Dynasty would not turn a blind eye to the existence of the firearm troops.

It was useless to guess just that Zhao Xing's fleet opened fire just now, which allowed Fan Chuncui to roughly see the power of this musket team. Although he made the most courageous estimate of the firearms in advance, what he saw with his own eyes still subverted his understanding of firearms. Not to mention the huge waves caused by the cannons on the ship on the river, just looking at the more than 30 soldiers coming down from each ship on the ship, they dared to step onto the land of the Liao people and faced the Liao people's cavalry lined up to fight. Fan Chuncui knew that this group of people was the foundation for him to stand firm in the future.

At this moment, he was always grateful to Zhang Qi for his local legacy.

Giving this team of soldiers to Tong Guan means that they and may be incorporated into the imperial guards and become the next group of "armed actors". They are antiques collected by the emperor, purely used for performance and show-off, and occasionally used as weapons to kill political enemies. Fan Chuncui refused, so he should be more firm and firm in his rejection.

Fan Chuncui is a stubborn old man who even the envoy of the Western Xia Kingdom dared to detain him. Tong Guan dared not force him anymore, so he turned his eyes to Zhao Xing. Zhao Xing was unwilling to hand over to someone else. He turned his eyes to Fan Chuncui and said in a requesting tone: "My Lord Fan, this time you come to Shunbao Village, are you also supervising? My two ships are trapped in mud and water. The Yellow River is about to freeze. Please help me to drag it nearby..."

Zhao Xing bullies Fan Chuncui and doesn't understand navigation. If Fan Chuncui knows how to sail, he can immediately say back: "You unload the goods in the ship, and after the draft becomes shallow, the big ship can move..."

In fact, Zhao Xing's ship was far from being deeply trapped in mud feet. If his ship was really stranded, the recoil of the artillery could overturn the stranded ship with a round of artillery. However, stranding the ship was an excuse for Zhao Xing to stay in Shunbao Village. Before receiving the court's reply, he did not want to move his warship easily.

Now the court gave an answer, but the reward paid by the court was not as generous as to compensate the two warships, so Zhao Xing decided not to act and set out to clean up the mess.

Fan Chuncui turned his eyes to Cao Yu and said, "Mr. Cao happened to send a letter to Daming Mansion, but he could transfer the Japanese army to the lords to escort the tributes on the ship into Beijing. Well, I remember that there were many warships in the Daming Mansion, so it would be no problem to recruit thousands of ships. For Lord Zhao, let Daming Mansion work."

Fan Chuncui was shirked. He changed his tone and urged Zhao Xing to hand over the remaining 2,500 soldiers, intending to set off for Huanqing immediately to take office. This was done so obviously because the matter of Shunbao Village was too sensitive and too strange. Fan Chuncui did not intend to participate too much, so he was ready to flash his head.

Fan Chuncui let Tong Guan aside with this flash. Tong Guan originally wanted to receive a team of at least 500 people from the two adults, but there were so many left-behind personnel on the stranded warship. The rest of the soldiers could only be dispatched from where Zhao Xing hid the ship, which would take time. Tong Guan was so anxious that he jumped, but he did not dare to interrupt Fan Chuncui and Zhao Xing's idle talk.

Tong Guan couldn't get in the conversation, and the rest of them were unwilling to participate in this matter too deeply. Everyone pretended to be confused. Cao Yu quickly followed Zhao Xing's topic and ran farther and farther away: "Yes, the officials will now send orders to disband the army gathered by Daming Mansion, transfer nearby Pengri, and Gongsheng's army to escort the tribute to Beijing... Lord Chen Guan is here to comfort the several foreign kings on your ship, and those foreign envoys will be handed over to Lord Chen. I just send someone to escort the tribute. Is Lord Chen planning to leave now or..."

Cao Yu brought the topic to Chen Guan. Several people were talking about work arrangements in a vague way, but they did not involve the issue of military handover. They were chatting, and a huge fleet appeared on the river. At the end of the river, several large ships were patrolling and seemed to be afraid of being stranded, but even in the distance, those warships could make people feel their size.

Behind the giant boats, countless medium-sized sailboats gradually emerged. They contacted each other with military horns. After a while, all the warships put down small boats, and the small boats rowed hard toward the shore of Liao...

Everyone was attracted by the warships that were swarming in. Fan Chuncui looked at the problem differently. He stamped his feet and shouted repeatedly: "My soldiers, my soldiers, Zhao Liren, return my soldiers. What did you send them to the North Shore?"

The boat was filled with soldiers, with a total of more than one thousand. The Zhuque Army had 4,000 troops, and Zhao Xing only had one thousand of them, which also meant that Zhao Xing sent the soldiers affiliated with Fan Chuncui to the shore of the Liao Kingdom.

Strangely, everyone present was not optimistic about the fate of the Liao people. They did not seem to be worried about Zhao Liren's sending troops to land and privately provoking border provocations. They were just worried that this matter should not be too big.

Chen Guan said leisurely: "The Liao envoy in the capital Bianliang died not long ago. Now even if we have any blame, we cannot raise it to the Liao envoy. It was just that Lord Zhao sent these thousands of people over. If the Liao army gathers, I am afraid that I will not be able to escape without any loss."
Chapter completed!