In the inner room, He Bacheng rubbed his neck and cleared his throat vigorously.
His voice is still a little hoarse.
Everyone was sitting in front of the table, with various kinds of meats placed in front of them. They were not luxurious, but they were quite substantial.
Liu Taozi sat in the upper position, but the general He Bacheng sat on his left, but there was no displeasure on his face. Everyone was talking and laughing, cutting off pieces of meat with knives, and chewing slowly.
Speaking of which, this was the first time Liu Taozi hosted a banquet to entertain his minions.
Looking to the left and right, sitting on the left are He Bacheng, Yao Xiong, Kou Liu, Tu Xiyue, Po Duoluo Ku, Wang Dameng, Zhang Heizu and others.
On the right side are Tian Zili, Cui Gang, Chu Jiande, Zhang Chong, Wang Bushuang and others.
Among them, Wang Dameng, Zhang Heizu, etc. were all elders who followed Liu Taozi when he was in Cheng'an.
He Bacheng rubbed his throat, but Yao Xiong's big face suddenly came over.
"General, do you feel unwell?"
He Bacheng glanced at him silently. Considering Liu Taozi's face, he suppressed his complaints and nodded, "I don't know why my throat feels uncomfortable."
Yao Xiong secretly took out something wrapped in silk cloth, handed it to He Bacheng, and said, "Swallow it with water and it will cure your throat."
He Bacheng opened it and saw that it was a piece of hay that he couldn't name.
He nodded blankly, his expression suddenly becoming complicated.
He suddenly asked in a low voice: "Does General Liu have a bad habit of pinching people's throats?"
"What is the general saying?"
Liu Taozi suddenly asked, and He Bacheng straightened his body quickly and said with a smile: "No problem, no problem, just a casual chat with Commander Yao."
Tian Zili smiled, raised his wine cup, saluted the other party, and asked: "General, did you just come here not long ago?"
He Bacheng drank the wine and said with a wry smile: "Yes, I was originally in Youzhou, and I was transferred here just a month ago. It's very difficult here. There are no cities, they are all fortresses. I'm not afraid of this."
The weather is not afraid of fighting, but it is boring. Even if you want to hunt here, there is nowhere to go."
Tian Zili shook his head, "General, it seems that your uncle attaches great importance to you. It would be a good opportunity to come here now."
He Bacheng laughed. When Liu Taozi said this, he naturally understood why his uncle suddenly threw him in this place.
The Prime Minister wants military merit, and here, you can follow the Prime Minister to make meritorious deeds. This is an opportunity that countless people dream of. I have made countless meritorious deeds on weekdays, but it is nothing compared to following the Prime Minister to fight a battle. If
If you fight well, you can't say "Jian is in the emperor's heart" directly. If you want to be promoted and make a fortune, it is simply a matter of a word from the prime minister!
He Bacheng smiled sheepishly and patted his forehead, "Thankfully, I usually think of myself as smart, but this time I was also stupid."
"However, things here are indeed difficult to handle."
"Arrogant general, I have no military merit and only have the reputation of an uncle, but I can't make them surrender. There are more than a hundred forts, big and small, and no one is obedient. They don't obey me at all."
"Fortunately, He Laiqian here has some friendship with my uncle's family, so I went to find him. I am not a good money person, but he told me that if I want everyone to obey, I must have money and food in my hands."
"Here, all official positions, titles, and elders are empty. They will obey whoever has money and food."
"He said he has some small business. As long as I am willing to take care of it, he will use part of it to help me manage it so that I can master the forts in various places as soon as possible."
"As a result, the money and food were not delivered this month, which caused me to lose all face. I came here to ask questions, but I never thought about it."
He touched his nose awkwardly.
Liu Taozi said calmly: "How can we subdue the generals through bribery?"
He Bacheng let out a long sigh, "You don't know, these people are disobedient. As soon as I met them, a garrison commander blocked my way and asked me to give them money and food!"
"Can I tolerate them causing such chaos? I immediately sent people to capture the garrison commander. As a result, my official office was surrounded by them that day. They insisted on letting me go, otherwise they would take action. I didn't bow my head, and they broke in.
Entering my official residence, I had no choice but to abandon the official residence and escape. I only brought a few hundred soldiers with me, how could I defeat so many of them?"
"These people are simply lawless. They are not afraid of me at all. What can I do? Can I lead others to fight against my own people? Then my uncle must not skin me?"
"Ordinary soldiers don't dare to embarrass me and are a little afraid of me, but that's all. Although they don't embarrass me, they don't obey me either!!"
"I will send a letter to the temple to inform you of the situation here."
"The scout came back with a letter and scolded me, saying it was not the soldiers' fault but my incompetence. He also said that next time, he would put me in a prison car and send me to Yecheng for disposal."
He Bacheng's face was full of pain, "I am also a Chinese, and I have also been in the frontier fortress, but the Xianbei people here are really fucking barbarians! They have no law and no discipline. They usually guard the city.
If the fortress is not in harmony, they will start a private war, and if they don’t have money or food, they will plunder the surrounding towns!"
"They say they are the world's elite, but I think they are just a group of bandits with horses and armor!"
Tu Xiyue's face was extremely ugly. He suddenly stood up and saluted Liu Taozi, "General, I have something to do at home. I'll come back to see the general tomorrow!!"
He Bacheng was stunned, but Liu Taozi waved her hand, "Sit down."
Tu Xiyue sat down again helplessly.
Liu Taozi said slowly: "The nobles are sitting in Jinyang and other big cities, eating and drinking, and enjoying themselves very much. However, the knights who followed them to fight are left here, with insufficient food distribution, and there are many people at all levels."
An officer is cheating and humiliating. But he has to do the most dangerous job. He shouldn't be so humiliated."
"However, it is true that military discipline is lax and should be severely punished."
He Bacheng nodded, "Yes, yes, I just said the wrong thing."
He looked at Tu Xiyue and said, "Your Excellency, please don't mind."
Liu Taozi looked at He Bacheng and said, "General, you must reorganize the forts as soon as possible. Before the Prime Minister arrives, you must at least suppress these inappropriate trends. Otherwise, the day the Prime Minister arrives, it will be a disaster for the General.
It’s not a blessing, it’s a disaster.”
He Bacheng frowned.
Of course he also understands this truth. Now his uncle asked him to come here to follow the Prime Minister to do military exploits and show his face to the Prime Minister. But if he screws up and the Prime Minister wants to kill him, his uncle will probably kill him.
If you send him over to kill him, you have to do it yourself if you can't guarantee it.
He really knew his uncle very well.
Looking at He Bacheng with a sad face, Tian Zili said softly: "General, there is no need to worry."
"General, what do you think of this Wuchuan soldier doing to my general?"
He Bacheng was stunned, "I'm quite obedient."
"If my general can assist you, maybe he can manage the garrison towns properly?"
He Bacheng looked at Liu Taozi, "Brother Liu!"
He stood up and said, "If Brother Liu can help me this time, I will definitely repay you in the future! I am willing to be worthy of Mr. Liu as A Gan."
"General, you don't have to be like this. Just sit down."
He Bacheng sat back down.
"I don't think the general will return to his official office. He will stay in Wuchuan and set up a temporary new official office here."
"The two of us, working together, may be able to control all unhealthy tendencies so that we can welcome the Prime Minister."
He Bacheng hesitated, "But this is not in line with the temple's rules."
"Since I came here, I forgot about the rules of the temple. People here don't talk about the rules of the temple very much. The Prime Minister is not a stubborn person. All he wants is results. As for what method he uses, it can't be violated.
He doesn't care much about violating temple rules."
"If the general still feels afraid, he can write a letter and tell him that he was instigated by me."
He Bacheng shook his head, "How can it be like this? How can it be like this? Brother Liu has said so, how can I still retreat?!"
His expression also became resolute, "From today on, I will stay here. However, Brother Liu, we have to start working as soon as possible. When I asked my uncle about the reason, he once said that he would know the reason within half a year.
.”
"I think the Prime Minister will come here in less than half a year. If it doesn't happen by then, it won't be possible."
Liu Taozi did not speak, but Tian Zili laughed, "General, don't worry!"
"My general has always been benevolent, kind and very popular. He has been here for less than ten days and he has already won the loyalty of the soldiers in the garrison!"
"Half a year? Three months is enough!!"
Seeing Tian Zili's confident look, He Bacheng breathed a sigh of relief and felt a lot more at ease.
"good!!"
"Everyone get up!"
"From now on, we will work here!"
He Bacheng helped up the deputies in front of him and said: "Go and tell the soldiers so that they can also be prepared. Well, don't worry about what happened before."
The deputies looked at each other in confusion, at He Bacheng and then at Liu Taozi.
"General, are you?"
"Don't think too much! I was never held hostage! General Liu is one of our own. When you see him in the future, you will treat him as if you were seeing me!! Do you understand?!"
Several deputies hurriedly saluted and said yes.
Only then did He Bacheng look at Liu Taozi.
At this moment, they were standing in the main hall in the middle of the official office. He Bacheng looked around, slightly embarrassed, "This is Brother Liu's office. Wouldn't it be inappropriate if I occupied this place?"
"The general is my commander-in-chief, there is nothing wrong with that."
"The general will work here from now on. When He Laiqian's mansion is cleaned up, the general can use it as his residence."
Liu Taozi gave a few instructions and turned to leave. He Bacheng walked him all the way to the door and thanked him again and again.
The many knights outside the door were all stunned at this moment.
Wasn't it just now that the situation was tense and threatening?
Why did it suddenly become like this??
Liu Taozi looked at the many knights surrounding him with sharp eyes, "What's wrong with you?!"
These soldiers trembled in fear, "Not yet, not yet."
The knight who dared to draw his sword against Liu Taozi a few days ago was smiling all over his face, saying that he was a nobleman from Yecheng, but his behavior was even worse than that of a border town!!
"Why are you still standing there?!"
"Everyone go back!!"
Liu Taozi gave an order, and the newly appointed garrison chief knights fled here one after another.
After walking out of the official office, their faces were still blank.
"What's going on? Didn't you just take it directly? Why are you so polite again??"
"If someone points a sword at your neck, you should be polite."
Liu Chengcai said in horror: "That is the general of the town, not some useless old man from Yecheng! He is the general who commands the border town, fourth grade! The same level as the governor!"
"What kind of nobleman is he from Yecheng? This is worse than the people from Bianzhen who live in Bianzhen!"
"That's right, the rest of the garrison leaders are dissatisfied with the general. At most, they just threaten him and send people to pretend to drive him out. This is considered to be a great skill. Anyone who dares to capture the general and hold him hostage is me.
Damn first time seeing you!!”
"As for the person who was sent out with a smile on his face after being kidnapped, I have never seen him in my dreams!"
"Who is this General Liu? Is there a general named Dugu in the court?"
Liu Chengcai slapped his thigh suddenly, "Yes! I'm from my family!"
He looked at everyone excitedly, "Do you still remember Governor Dugu?"
The rest of the people thought for a moment and reacted suddenly, "The Governor of the Six Prefectures of Dugu who was originally stationed in Jinyang?"
"Yes, his surname is Liu. Now think about it, where did the general come from?"
"Dingzhou."
"Yes! Governor Dugu is from Zhongshan. In the past, Zhongshan belonged to Dingzhou!"
Liu Chengcai was overjoyed and turned around to go back, but was stopped by several people.
"What do you want to do?!"
"The general is my family! He is my family!! I have to tell him!!"
The two knights held him up, one on the left and the other on the right, and led him out.
"Forget it, stop talking nonsense, be careful of getting a military stick! Go back! Go back!"
Liu Taozi moved into the side yard at this moment, and Yao Xiong and Kou Liu moved things for him. They were considered prominent figures at this time, but they had to do it themselves and did not leave it to other soldiers. It was tiring. Sweating profusely.
Liu Taozi stood outside the door with a calm face, watching them busy.
Cui Gang, Tian Zili and others were surrounding Liu Taozi, Cui Gang looked worried.
"General, this is not in line with the law. It will inevitably make people mistakenly think that you are holding General Zhen hostage."
"This is not called hostage!"
Tian Zili interrupted him, "This is called serving the general to command the army."
Cui Gang's face darkened, "Tian Jun, please don't use allusions randomly. Besides, this is not a good allusion and only loyal ministers can use it!"
"Does your family still care about this?"
"you"
Chu Jiande smiled and said, "Don't give the general a headache. Mr. Cui, you don't have to worry. This General He Ba came here just to get some military glory. You have also seen that this man is capable of intrigues. Let him Come to rectify the army here, I'm afraid that when the Prime Minister comes, he will lose his head. Of course, with Tai's protection, his death shouldn't be too ugly. He probably died of illness, and he can see it clearly."
"Cooperating with the lord is beneficial to him and does no harm to him. With his endorsement, we don't have to worry about the opinions of outsiders."
Cui Gang's expression softened slightly.
He added: "Then we have to find a way to regulate the border forts. If the general is here, he can issue orders to various places."
Tian Zili laughed, "Isn't this what I said?"
"It's not us who give the orders! Let the general give the orders!"
"well."
Tian Zili turned his head sideways.
Liu Taozi said: "At this moment, we must first make the garrison leaders in various places obey."
"You have to send people to various places and ask the garrison commander or deputy garrison commander, building commander, military commander and others from each place to come and pay homage, one person at each place."
Tian Zili pondered for a moment, "You can use the name of the Xi people. This time, there are traitors who colluded with the Xi people and tried to attack Wuchuan. They used this as an excuse to summon the chiefs from various places to discuss fighting against the Xi people. This way, there is a name , It’s just that He Bacheng doesn’t have much reputation, so I don’t know if these people will fool him.”
Liu Taozi spoke, "We are discussing important military matters. If you do not come on time, you will be dealt with according to military law."
Tian Zili asked: "What if you really don't come?"
"Then it will really be dealt with by military law."
Liu Taozi walked into the side room, while Tian Zili and others started to get busy.
Yao Xiong finished his work with Kou Liu and walked out. Yao Xiong wiped the sweat from his forehead, grabbed a few people and walked to his residence.
Yao Xiong and others were also living in the government office. Yao Xiong chose the location closest to Liu Taozi, and now he was almost living next to Liu Taozi, which made him quite happy.
When he walked into the courtyard, he saw a half-year-old child. When he saw the guests, he hurried forward to salute and started running to prepare a table for them.
Tu Xiyue was stunned and couldn't help but look at Yao Xiong beside him, "Is this Yao Jun's son?"
"Yes, it's my son!"
Tu Xiyue looked at the child again, "Adopted son?"
Yao Xiong laughed, "Yes, when I was in Liyang, I met this kid. His family members were all gone, but he was lucky. He was rescued by Lao Chu, so I adopted him and asked him to follow me.
My right and left."
Several people sat down one after another, and Yao Xiong ordered his son to bring some fruits.
“Bring it to your hangover!”
Yao Xiong said with a smile: "This guy is so easy to deceive. The general convinced him with just a few words and stayed here willingly."
Tu Xiyue shook his head, "I'm not lying. What the general said is true. The Prime Minister is really coming."
"How do you know?"
"It's not just me who knows it, everyone in the world knows it."
"Then why didn't I know?"
Tu Xiyue pursed his lips, picked up the melon and put it in his mouth without explaining to him.
Kou Liu smiled bitterly and said: "You, when I ask you to study more, you just focus on practicing your archery and martial arts, and you don't pay attention to these things at all. You don't even think about it, the Prime Minister has reached this stage.
How can you not want military honors? The most convenient thing is of course to go out from here and fight a good battle. Otherwise, what would he do by sending his brother here? What would the Taibao do by sending his nephew here??"
Yao Xiong seemed to understand.
"Is that why my brother is rushing to send troops? Is it just to gain military honors for the Prime Minister?"
"Nonsense!"
"Of course, the Prime Minister has to take the military merit himself. My brother wants to clear the obstacles for the Prime Minister, so that as soon as the Prime Minister comes over, he can send out troops smoothly, without any worries, and fight to the fullest."
"Oh, I understand. Before hunting, you have to help him prepare his bow and arrows, and then help him drive away the prey while hunting, so that he can shoot by himself. Is this what you mean?"
"Oh, it's rare, it's rare."
Kou Liu nodded, "You finally understand."
Yao Xiong took a hard bite of the melon in his hand, "Then the Prime Minister can't do it either. He needs others to drive the prey for him when hunting. As for me, my brother is the most powerful, so I can shoot it myself!"
Everyone fell silent immediately and looked at each other.
I ate fruits quietly.
ps: Sacrifice a book, "Long Song of the Late Tang Dynasty", I promised to recommend it to others a long time ago, but my memory is also bad, so I put it off until now, and I will sacrifice it to ensure that I have a good start at the beginning of the month, haha
Chapter completed!