Hsu Fengnian dismissed it with a laugh. Suddenly thinking about the situation in the Liyang court, Hsu Fengnian's mood was somewhat heavy. West Chu no longer had the ability to rise from the ashes. As a result, Zhang Julu and Yuan Benxi's "inner court matter" had come to an end. Song Dongming and Bai Yu both believed that the Liyang imperial court would allow Wu Zhongxuan to return to Taian City, and that Song Li, who had previously been in charge of the eastern front, and one of Wu Zhongxuan's generals, would be promoted together, becoming the two new leaders of the Guangling military. Ji Zhou general Yuan Tingshan might not be able to return to the border, but would remain on the north bank of the Guangling River near Jingan Road. His ten thousand Yanbao private elite cavalry would be used to intimidate the Yan King Zhao Bing's southern army. As for the Assistant Minister of the Ministry of War, Xu Gong, he would most likely lead his troops into Ji Zhou to help the Administrator Han Lin impede Jiedushi Cai Nan, and to a certain extent, monitor the Beiliang cavalry. However, Xu Gong's subsequent official title was a bit more complicated. Would he continue to patrol the border as the Assistant Minister of the Ministry of War, or would he directly become the Deputy Jiedushi and Ji Zhou general? However, the movement that was truly worthy of Beiliang's attention was the departure or stay of the Southern Expedition Commander Lu Shengxiang. Regarding this, Qing Liangshan and the Beiliang Governor-General had different opinions. The former believed that Lu Shengxiang would remain in the Liyang imperial court for a period of time, while the latter believed that Lu Shengxiang would control all of the court's current field battle forces and advance north, eventually stationing himself in the area between Ji Zhou and the two Liao provinces. His forces would reach 80,000 to 90,000, forming a three-point line of defense with Cai Nan, Xu Gong, Gu Jiantang, and Zhao Sui. This would force Beimang to make the decision to fight the second Great War of Liang Mang. As long as this delicate situation was formed, with Xu Gong and Lu Shengxiang, these two generals, stationing themselves in the northern border, not to mention Gu Jiantang's plan, the use of Ji Zhou's Deputy General Han Fang as a hidden chess piece would be greatly reduced.
In the end, Liyang had too many people and even more soldiers that could be used.
There were only two people who could influence or even change the situation in the Central Plains: the Prince of Shu Chen Zhibao and the Prince of Yan Chi Zhao Bing. Now it all depended on whether or not these two were willing to obediently return to the territory of the Prince of Yan, or how quickly they left Guangling Road. As long as one of them dilly-dallied, then Lu Shengxiang would not be able to withdraw from Guangling Road. After all, a general under Wu Zhongxuan and Song Li was already very difficult to stabilize Guangling after the war. Furthermore, it was impossible for there to be no conflict of interest between the two sides. Without Lu Shengxiang, a high-ranking general from the Spring and Autumn Period, once the situation changed, the court would not be at ease.
If these were the long-term considerations of Beiliang, then Beiliang's immediate concern was the stability of the Beimang Imperial Court. Dong Zhuo had actually kept his position as the King of the South Courtyard. Although Hsu Fengnian had essentially killed off any signs of Dong Zhuo controlling the sky with one hand in Beimang, this was tantamount to letting go of Dong Zhuo, who had nowhere else to go, in the next battle, Dong Zhuo would not hesitate to take desperate measures. If it was said that in the first battle, then in the next battle, it was very likely that Dong Zhuo would throw caution to the wind. If necessary, even his private army of the Dong Zhuo would be wiped out.
Xie Xibian had already gone far away. Hsu Fengnian did not enter the city to patrol. Even the White Horse Yicong did not accompany him. He walked alone by the gradually rising river. His boots stepped on the lush green and soft grass, making a small sound. Hsu Fengnian sat on the shore and looked at the river, lost in thought.
Outside the Liangzhou Pass, there was Chu Lushan's Beiliang Protectorate. Li Gongde led a large group of civil officials to supervise the construction of the new city. Everyone knew what to do, and they all did a good job. This made Hsu Fengnian, the nominal leader of the Beiliang cavalry, a burden. This was especially so before the war began. In fact, Hsu Fengnian's existence was more like a flag, standing tall on the northwest border, announcing to the Liyang imperial court and the Beimang army that the four provinces of Beiliang were not to be trifled with.
Hsu Fengnian subconsciously pulled up a strand of wild grass beside him, brushed off the soil, and put it in his mouth to chew. After the earthy smell, there were wisps of sweetness. After Huang Longshi died silently somewhere in the southeast, Miss Hehe returned to Beiliang and said a lot of strange things she heard from the top three grades of Spring and Autumn. Hsu Fengnian only understood half of some of it, and he was confused about some of it. Some of it made him yearn for it, and some of it made him disappointed. Miss Hehe said that in the future, in the Central Plains, the merchants and entertainers would be more eye-catching in the eyes of the common people than the officials in the imperial court. She said that in the future, no one would be able to see the status of the emperor. This year, it was my turn. As long as the world was not peaceful, as long as I had military power in my hands, I could proclaim myself a king. I might even be able to become the founding emperor. She also said that in the future, scholars would value profits more than fame, so it would be very difficult for there to be a true imperial tutor.
Hsu Fengnian could not imagine that world. He remembered that his master, Li Yishan, used only three words to persuade Xu Xiao not to rebel and not to divide the river with Liyang. "Fame, words, and deeds." The meaning was very simple. If the name was not right, the words would not be right. If the words were not right, the deed would not be done. In the late Spring and Autumn period where Xu Xiao lived, the most important thing was a person's foundation. Did the emperor, the king, the general, and the minister have the guts? The answer was, of course, yes. But what was interesting was that before the Great Qin, in the era where hundreds of schools of thought contended and nomads roamed freely, the answer was no. No matter if it was saints, generals, or ministers, it did not matter one's birth. In that brilliant era, when there were generations of sages, it was as if everyone was a dragon. When nomads became gentry, and then grew into powerful families, especially after the Great Feng Dynasty chose only Confucianism, the rules of the world were set firmly. The sons and grandsons of the nobility all wore yellow and purple, and the peasants spent their entire lives crawling and fighting in the fields. All of this only changed after Zhang Julu took control of the Liyang court. The imperial examinations were greatly promoted, and the poor scholars who had fought for hundreds of years for the sake of rules finally took the opportunity to rise. Many scholars from poor families were like carps that jumped over the dragon gate. In the late days of the Great Feng Dynasty, there was a system of entering the Emperor's Hall. The two were similar but also very different. Because the latter could only speak for the master, while the former could speak for the world. So Hsu Fengnian remembered very clearly that even if his master, Li Yishan, did not talk about what he knew in the first half of his life, in the latter half of his life at Tide-listening Pavilion, he was not willing to compare himself with Zhao Changling, Yuan Benxi, and the others. Instead, he had always paid attention to the various reforms of that blue-eyed person from Liyang …
Hsu Fengnian had unknowingly chewed up the weed and spat out the residue. He stood up and exhaled deeply. Since he did not need to criticize the construction of North Qianbei City, he might as well loaf around for a while. Hsu Fengnian suddenly disappeared from the river and rushed north. During this time, he saw the main force of the Right Cavalry changing camps according to their deployment. He saw the silhouette of Huaiyang Pass. In the end, Hsu Fengnian appeared in the dilapidated Tiger Head City. This former first city of Liyang Pass had suffered great damage after Dong Zhuo's wanton attacks for several months. Before retreating, most of the buildings in the city had been burned down. It was like a desolate tomb. The repair progress was extremely slow. Coupled with the occasional raid by Beimang's elite cavalry, even Chu Lushan, who had a special attachment to Tiger Head City, had to give up his energy. In the night, Hsu Fengnian sat cross-legged on the battlements of the city. He looked at the Longyan Plain outside the city and closed his eyes. He could vaguely hear the whistling of giant rocks after a thousand catapults were fired at the same time. He could vaguely hear the horse hooves of the cavalry charging to their deaths. He could vaguely hear the laughter and drinking of a large group of captains when he first entered the city, including Liu Jinu.
The entire city had died in battle. Their fellow soldiers had died in the same cave.
It was said that after Dong Zhuo breached the city, he did not whip the corpses of the Beimang soldiers to vent his anger. He also did not build a Jingguan Temple. He only walked up to the top of the city and used his hand to lift the flag with the word "Xu" that was already on the verge of falling. Later on, the Beimang Empress ordered Dong Zhuo to exchange Liu Jinu's corpse for Yang Yuanzan's. Hsu Fengnian did not hesitate in the slightest. Not only did he agree to place Yang Yuanzan's head and corpse in a coffin, he even handed over five or six more heads of Beimang generals. At the start, in Xiaguang City's Youzhou Conference Hall, there was an irascible general who was cursing on the spot. If it were not for Hsu Fengnian's secret letter and the young vassal king standing there, those generals probably would have cursed even if they had to lose their official status. Yan Wenluan's expression was also unsightly. She clearly thought that the King of Beiliang was showing weakness to the Beimang barbarians. How could there be a man in the world who would express goodwill to the defeated general after winning a battle? At that time, the entire Youzhou Border Army was about to explode. Only after Chu Lushan sent a sternly worded secret letter to Xiaguang City did the commotion subside.
Hsu Fengnian opened his eyes and said softly, "Liu Jinu, Ma Jili, Chu Hanqing, everyone in Hutou City, I'm sorry. I forgot to bring wine this time. However, I think the blood of the three hundred thousand Beimang soldiers is the best wine."
Hsu Fengnian clenched his fists and placed them on his knees. He leaned forward and gazed toward the distant north. He smiled and said, "I, Hsu Fengnian, promise everyone here that Beiliang will offer you a million cups of this wine!"
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