Hengzhou.
In the endless wilderness, the knights were fighting hard.
The mountains and plains are full of knights fighting.
Dark clouds rolled in, and the roars of the knights could be heard far, far away.
On the Great Wall, the guards raised their crossbows high and looked at the fierce battle outside.
The horses neighed, the knights shouted, the horses were flying, and the arrows were flying.
The entire ground was rumbling, and the soaring dust in the field blocked the distant vision. The shouts of killing continued, and the soldiers' faces were solemn, waiting for the outcome of the war.
The fight lasted for two full hours.
As the sky gradually darkened, the shouts of death gradually became sparse, and the shaking on the ground continued to weaken.
Liu Taozi took the green lion, tore open the dust, and got out of it. Behind him was the old general Baoxian. He was panting, and there was a human head hanging on the horse-stem in his hand.
There were more and more knights behind them, some leading horses and some pulling trophies.
The mighty army came to the checkpoint gate and opened the door.
Liu Taozi handed the green lion to the officer on the side, took off the head and wiped the blood on it.
Baoxian also asked his followers to take off his armor.
The old general breathed a sigh of relief. He looked at Liu Taozi and said, "The Turks should be retreating this time."
"Thanks to the old general."
Baoxian laughed and waved his hand, "Don't humiliate me like this. If you come back later, I'm afraid my achievements in this life will become a joke."
Baoxian once again glanced at the gains on the carriages and murmured: "The armor coverage rate of these people is really high. They are completely different from the creepy people in the past."
Just when the Puppet Zhou and the Puppet Qi were fighting, the Turkic Khan raised his troops again and led his elites to try to plunder Hengyanyou and other places. As for why he didn't plunder Yingzhou, it was probably because it was too poor.
Baoxian was ordered to garrison the border fortress and fought many battles with the Turks, barely holding on until the armies from various places returned.
The frontier soldiers commanded by Baoxian had a large defensive area, and it was a bit difficult to face the Turkic elites.
This is the first time Baoxian has fought against the elite directly under the Turkic Khan.
"When Emperor Wenxuan was still there, we had a fight with the Turks at the frontier. At that time, many of their cavalry were still unarmored and used the style of the Creepers. Unexpectedly, even they are now
Start playing armor and rush into battle.”
Liu Taozi said seriously: "The Turks were originally responsible for smelting iron for the Weiwei people, and they were the iron slaves of the Weiwei people."
"They have mastered a lot of smelting skills, which are superior to everyone outside the Great Wall."
"After defeating the Creepers, they gathered a large number of people and gathered craftsmen. They valued craftsmen more than any force outside the Great Wall in the past. Their king even set up official ranks for craftsmen. The higher the skill, the better the treatment.
.”
"They have many war horses and excellent smelting skills, so they are naturally more difficult to deal with than the creeps."
Bao Xian said slowly: "The Pseudo-Chou are getting closer and closer to them, and they are taking what each other needs. This is feeding a tiger into trouble. If the Turks continue to develop like this, I am afraid it will become more and more difficult to defeat them."
Liu Taozi and Bao Xian returned to the Guannai Lieutenant's Office.
The walls of the inner room are covered with various maps.
These are maps outside the Great Wall, showing the water sources outside the Great Wall, the nomadic areas of various tribes, migration routes, etc.
These maps were hung all over the room. Liu Taozi looked around and asked, "Are these marked by the old general?"
"Know yourself and know your enemy."
Bao Xian said in a low voice: "The general had better march to Lianggan and other places as soon as possible to completely interrupt the relationship between the puppet Zhou and beyond the Great Wall, so that they cannot collude."
"Otherwise, every time we mobilize troops, we will have to face hostile forces from both sides at the same time, which will have a great impact on future front deployment."
"Forgive me for being honest, except for Gao Changgong, there is no general under the general who can stand alone."
"And Gao Changgong was sent to Lingzhou, and the general can't stay here for a long time. If we want to use troops, the general has to supervise the formation in the front even if he doesn't lead the troops."
"Hengzhou is where the general's palace and the platform are located. Once it is attacked by the Turks,"
Liu Taozi looked at him, "The old general can do his job alone."
Baoxian laughed, his beard trembling several times, and he was very satisfied with Liu Taozi's praise.
But then he said: "I would like to guard the Turks for the general, but I am old."
A hint of helplessness flashed in Baoxian's eyes.
"I am sixty-three this year."
"When I was young, I rode horses and fought all day long. At this age, I have problems all over my body. No matter how many doctors I called, it was of no use."
“I don’t know how many years there are left.”
Baoxian looked at Liu Taozi aside, "What a pity. If you had been born a few years earlier, maybe I could have traveled to Chang'an."
"The old general is as brave as ever."
Liu Taozi praised him, and then said: "I also took note of the old general's reminder."
Baoxian thought of something and said: "I am not looking down on the generals under the general's command, but they are still too young. Even though they have experienced many wars, they have not yet reached the point where they can stand alone and defend a strong enemy. Gao Changgong is a talented person.
"Excellent, there are still very few people like this. Most generals have to grow up through battles. After decades of fighting, they become generals before they die."
Liu Taozi nodded, "I know."
The two were chatting when a scout flashed out of the door and looked at Liu Taozi, but hesitated to speak.
Liu Taozi waved at him and asked him to come in and talk.
The scout hurriedly bowed and said, "General, Pingcheng sent someone to deliver a message, asking you to return."
"oh?"
"What happened?"
"I heard that General Hu Luguang led the Jinyang soldiers to Pingcheng."
Liu Taozi was stunned for a moment, "Hu Luguang is here?"
Baoxian was astonished, "Others have said that destiny is here, but I haven't believed it yet, but today I finally believe it."
"I just said that the frontier needs a strong man, and this strong man came to the door."
"Hu Luguang, you can't do this alone. If you let him sit here, I'm afraid he will start to march towards the Turks."
"It would be great if Duan Shao also came."
"One frees Hengzhou, the other Yanzhou, and together they resist the Turks."
Liu Taozi stood up immediately and looked at Baoxian, "Old General, I have to go back to Pingcheng to see what's going on here."
"No problem, just leave it to me, General. The Turks should not dare to attack easily again after their defeat. I will guard here!"
Liu Taozi said goodbye to Baoxian and led the knights under his command to quickly leave the frontier.
The knights Liu Taozi took away at this moment were the same knights who had participated in the Battle of Chang'an.
After the war, Liu Taozi did not disperse them. Instead, he used them as the core and recruited brave knights to set up a separate battalion of three thousand cavalry, which he called the Mandrill Battalion.
This mandrill battalion is considered the most elite army under Liu Taozi's command and has experienced several battles.
Now following Liu Taozi to the border fortress, he also surprised the old general. With less, he defeated more, and defeated the elite troops directly under the Turkic Khan head-on.
They advanced along the official road at an extremely fast pace, but even at this marching speed, none of them fell behind.
They rested along the road and did not escape to harm the surrounding areas.
It only took four days for Liu Taozi to lead his troops back to Pingcheng.
On the way to Qubing, Cui Gang and others were already waiting on the road.
They had just met and bowed, and Lu Qubing couldn't help but talk about the situation.
"General, General Hulu is here! There are also his younger brothers, family members, and many, many people!"
"The general's parents and younger brother were also sent here. Now in Pingcheng, I went to visit him. My aunt is still the same as usual. I inquired about the general's uncle, and she didn't seem angry."
"The emperor was conferring rewards in Jinyang and conferred dozens of kings and hundreds of princes in one breath. Hearing that hundreds of palace ladies around him had been conferred official titles, even our generals had received rewards from the court. Tian Zili
They were all made kings, but he didn't accept it."
"Also, Gao Changgong said"
"Lu Jun."
Liu Taozi interrupted Lu Qubing, "Let's talk slowly, one by one."
Pingcheng, inside the post house.
Hu Luxian paced back and forth, his brows furrowed, very unhappy.
"Brother, why can't you discuss things with us first?"
"When Liu Taozi was attacked by Yang Zhong, I said I could come to him and follow him to fight Yang Zhong, but my brother didn't allow it, saying that I couldn't abandon the country."
"Now that Liu Taozi has gained power and occupies the north of the river, he has unrivaled power, but his brother says he is going to join him."
"What is this? Following the trend?"
Compared with Hu Luguang, Hu Luxian got together with Liu Taozi earlier. When he served as the governor of the frontier fortress, he had frequent contacts with Liu Taozi in private.
Then he was framed by the senior officials in the court, and he was blamed for swallowing up the military supplies. He was kicked to Heluo, and then transferred to Jinyang.
Hu Luxian lost confidence in the temple very early and wanted to invest in peaches.
But Hu Luguang didn't allow him to do this.
But when Hu Luxian felt that he had no face to seek refuge with Liu Taozi, his brother suddenly changed his mind and forcibly took his whole family to seek refuge.
Hu Luxian really didn’t understand.
Hu Luguang looked at his irritable brother and said softly: "I have my own reasons."
"Liu Taozi will not despise you because of this matter, you don't have to worry."
"When we are weak, we are distant, and when we are strong, we are close. How will the people in the world view us?"
"As long as your contribution in the future is great enough, no one will despise you."
Hu Luguang blocked his brother's mouth again.
Hu Luxian sat aside and said angrily: "You still say you don't look down upon me!"
"We have been here for several days, but Liu Taozi has yet to come to see her. Isn't this an obvious expression of dissatisfaction?"
"How else to despise it?"
"I think the marriage between these two families is also in doubt."
At this moment, a warrior rushed in and saluted them, "General! King Pingcheng has come to pay his respects!"
Hu Luguang glanced at his younger brother and stood up slowly.
"Go out and greet."
Hu Luguang and Hu Luxian walked out of the courtyard and saw Liu Taozi standing at the door. He was holding the green lion. The armor on his body had not yet been taken off. There was flesh and blood in the gaps in the armor.
Those who came back from the battlefield had not even taken a bath.
Liu Taozi saluted each of them.
"I was on an expedition outside the Great Wall, and I didn't know you were here. Please forgive me for being rude."
Hu Luguang was stunned for a moment but Hu Luxian blushed a little, "You don't need to see anyone, you don't need to see anyone. Did you just come back?"
"Yes, I just came back."
Lu Qubing on the side said softly: "The general has not been to the official office, nor has he visited his parents, so he came to General Hulu first."
"General, don't stand outside the door. Come in first."
Hu Luxian warmly invited Liu Taozi into the hospital, and several people walked into the room. Hu Luguang looked at the superior, but hesitant.
Liu Taozi has not yet ascended the throne, he is just a general.
But he is actually a prince, holds real power, and is the lord of the North. So can he still sit in the upper position?
Cui Gang immediately stepped out and said, "There are no outsiders here. It's a family banquet. General, please take a seat."
Hu Luguang then sat on the upper seat, while Liu Taozi and Hu Luxian sat on both sides of him.
Sitting in the upper seat, Hu Luguang felt a little uneasy and felt that it was inappropriate.
Liu Taozi never cared.
"It is an honor for Beidao to come to Pingcheng, sir."
"Alcohol is prohibited here, so I will serve you tea."
Hu Luguang had tea with Liu Taozi, and he said: "I didn't come to defect because I saw you were powerful."
"I am a warrior and don't like fighting in the court. The emperor is going to Jinyang, and I don't know how much turmoil it will cause. I don't want to have contact with him, so I just came here. Don't think that I am a follower of the crowd."
Hu Luguang was a very open-minded person, and he always had the temperament to say whatever he wanted.
Liu Taozi nodded, "I know."
Hu Luxian rubbed his forehead. With his outspoken temperament, his brother was absolutely right when he said he could not participate in government affairs.
"Do you want to usurp the throne?"
Hu Luguang asked the second sentence.
Hu Luxian trembled all over.
"I just want to conquer the world, and I haven't thought about usurping the throne."
"Then when will we attack Jinyang?"
"Jinyang cannot be self-sufficient. When food becomes scarce, I can capture the army here without any effort."
"What about the south?"
"We will capture Henan in two years, Qingxu in three years, and the entire Qi state in four years."
"How are you going to treat me, Emperor?"
"The emperor is tyrannical and inhumane. I have heard many things about him. If it is true, I will kill him after the city is broken."
Hu Luxian has never been so scared in his life.
The two frontier warriors in front of him were rude barbarians. One of them really dared to ask and the other dared to answer.
Can you fucking say this so openly?
Lu Qubing and Cui Gang, on the other hand, looked calm and without any trouble.
Hu Luguang asked again: "How are you going to deal with the nobles and nobles of the clan?"
"Deal according to the law."
"I am neither Er Zhurong nor Emperor Wenxuan. I have no sins, so I will continue as always. If I commit a crime that warrants exile, I will be exiled. If I commit a crime that warrants death, then I will be executed."
Hu Luguang nodded, a smile finally appeared on his face, "Not bad."
Hu Luxian rubbed his forehead again.
Liu Taozi said: "The Turks have repeatedly invaded the border. The old general Bao is old. He can prevent them, but he is not strong enough to attack them. I wonder what the general thinks?"
"Give me six thousand border troops, and I will ensure that they have no time to go south."
"I can hand over all the border troops to you, but the frontier fortress cannot be compromised. Even a single village cannot be plundered by them."
"How many frontier soldiers do you have?"
"Thirty thousand."
"Okay, I'll issue a military order."
The two talked quickly and concluded the deal decisively.
When Liu Taozi left, Hu Luxian didn't even realize what happened.
It wasn't until the other party's carriage left that Hu Luxian looked at his brother, "Brother, what about the marriage? Where is my official position? Where are the children in the family? Why didn't you mention any of them??"
Hu Luguang looked into the distance calmly, "Those are not important."
General's Office.
In the backyard, Mrs. Liu Zhang started making clothes with a smile.
This time the person pacing back and forth turned out to be Liu Taozhi.
Liu Taozhi frowned and walked back and forth in front of Mr. Liu Zhang, worried.
Xiao Wu squatted next to Liu Zhang, looked at Liu Taozhi's appearance, and asked in a low voice: "Master, what's going on?"
Mrs. Liu Zhang laughed and said, "Your grandpa misses your brother so much. When he knew your brother was coming, he was so excited that he couldn't sleep or sit still."
Liu Taozhi stopped suddenly, looked at his wife beside him, and muttered something. In short, it was definitely not a good word.
The next moment, a soldier walked into the courtyard and saluted.
"Old lady, old mistress, the general is back."
Mrs. Liu Zhang stood up immediately, extremely excited, "Where is my son Taozi?"
Liu Taozhi became even more restrained and didn't know where to put his hands.
I saw many soldiers appearing in the distance, and they quickly guarded the door.
Liu Taozi's tall figure then appeared among the soldiers. He came quickly, the armor on his body making sounds.
"peach!"
Mrs. Liu Zhang hurried forward.
When mother and son met, Liu Taozi lowered her head and let her mother touch her face. The soldiers closed the door and stood outside.
"My son is suffering and suffering, has he ever been injured?"
Mrs. Liu Zhang took Taozi's hand and kept talking.
After talking for a long time, Mrs. Liu and Zhang finally moved away, allowing the father and son to face each other directly.
Liu Taozhi was wearing ordinary military uniform at the moment, looking at his son in front of him, his lips trembled slightly.
"No, Liu Taozi."
Xiao Wu stood aside, holding back his laughter, and looked at them happily.
Seeing Liu Taozi looking directly at him without saying a word or saluting, Liu Taozhi finally couldn't hold back any longer.
"What?! Are you still thinking about letting me kowtow to you?"
"King?"
"Mr. Liu?"
"General??!"
Liu Taozi then lowered her head and bowed respectfully.
"Father."
Liu Taozhi just breathed out, but Xiao Wu beside him grinned and his eyes narrowed into crescent moons.
Liu Taozhi looked at him suddenly, "Why, little Mr. Liu is also planning to ask me to salute?"
"I know how to laugh all day long! Laugh! I can't even practice the simplest horse riding and shooting! I still laugh!"
Xiao Wu didn't dare to laugh anymore and hurriedly lowered his head.
Liu Taozhi glared at Mrs. Liu Zhang and Taozi again, turned around angrily and walked into the house.
Mrs. Liu Zhang held her son's hand at this moment and chuckled.
Chapter completed!