Liu Taozi no longer wanted to fight, they speeded up and began to withdraw to their own border.
As for the enemies behind him, Liu Taozi has nothing to do with what they think, whether they will withdraw or continue to wait and see.
The situation along the road was very chaotic.
Many counties were directly out of control. Officials ran away after learning that the Southern Dynasty had sent troops, leaving no one in charge of the city. Bandits and thieves emerged and killed people everywhere, and the situation was completely out of control.
Liu Taozi could not remain indifferent. Along the way, he killed bandits when he encountered them, rescued the dead when he encountered them, straightened the public order, and pointed out the way forward.
The weather is getting colder.
Before we even got close to Gwangju, snowflakes had already started to fall.
This year, God was extremely harsh on Chen people, and the snow fell much earlier than before.
Snow gradually appeared on the road, and the advance of the army slowed down again.
After walking like this for a long time, the exhausted army finally arrived at Dong'an County. Once here, they could see Nanqing and Guangzhou in the distance, and they officially entered their own sphere of influence.
The heavy snow still did not stop, and everything was white. Many soldiers did not dare to open their eyes. Looking at the heavy snow all over the ground for a long time made the eyes hurt.
There are countless corpses hidden in the snow, starving to death everywhere.
Of course, there are also those who are alive. On the official road, the fleeing people pass each other, forming a long dragon with no front or end in sight. They just brave the wind and snow and walk all the way forward. Some fall, and some can still survive.
Keep at it.
When they passed Dongping County, there was a large group of people waiting for them on the official road leading to Guangzhou.
The leader is none other than Zu Jue.
Zu Jue was riding a mule. He was covered with thick clothes, which made the mule look very small. His face was red, and his face began to become rounder at some point, developing in the direction of Yang Dadu.
Around him, there were many officials shivering in the cold wind.
None of them were riding anything, just standing beside Zu Jue.
"Grandpa, the weather is cold, please allow us to light a bonfire to keep warm."
Zu Jue raised his head and said displeasedly: "If you don't know the pain of winter, how can you treat those who are suffering with your heart?"
"No."
The officials could only continue to shiver and move lightly to keep themselves warm.
Zu Jue only stayed for a moment, then turned around and walked back to the carriage not far away.
The officials stared at him as he walked into the carriage to keep warm. They looked at each other and muttered something.
Suddenly a knight rushed over quickly, "I found the general's men!!"
"The general is back!!"
Hearing this sound, Zu Jue, who had just entered the carriage, rushed out. He quickly turned back and looked at the servant, "Drive the carriage back quickly!!"
And he himself quickly got on the mule, walked in front of everyone again, rubbed his face vigorously, and then looked into the distance with a smile.
The officials just lowered their heads, but cursed in their hearts.
The army slowly appeared in the distance, and Zu Jue couldn't stay still any longer. He hurriedly rushed forward with his mule.
Zu Jue was extremely fast and rushed all the way to the front of the army. He quickly asked: "Where is the general?!"
"In the middle position!"
"good!"
Zu Jue continued to move forward. After walking for an unknown amount of time, he finally saw Liu Taozi leading the army from a distance.
Zu Jue hurriedly jumped off the mule, took the mule and ran quickly towards Liu Taozi.
"Chen Zujue pays homage to the lord!!"
Zu Jue let go of the reins and knelt down in front of Liu Taozi.
Liu Taozi reined in his horse and said, "Grandpa is here."
"Get up and mount your horse."
Zu Jue then got up and got on the mule, followed Liu Taozi, and looked around, "My lord is protected by God, it's great, it's great. We were in Guangzhou and learned that the lord killed Wu Mingche and broke the yellow law.
I dare to believe that my lord's bravery is truly rare in the world, and the officials all praise him."
"I also wrote three hymns to the Lord and they were recited everywhere in the city."
Zu Jue praised hard, but Liu Taozi felt something was wrong. He slowly turned his head and stared at Zu Jue, "Grandpa, you haven't made any mistakes in these days, have you?"
Zu Jue is always good at flattery, which is okay, but today he flattered a little too much. What did he do to avoid being accused?
Zu Jue hurriedly shook his head, "How dare you? I have always remembered my lord's instructions and did not dare to make mistakes. You see, I now ride a mule and travel very simply. I am all following my lord's example."
As Zu Jue spoke, he suddenly looked at the army in front and behind.
"Lord, where did these men and horses come from?"
"It's the defeated army that I accepted."
"Broken troops? I think their morale is good and their marching is very strict. It doesn't look like they were routed."
Liu Taozi didn't say anything, but Zu Jue added his own words, "The defeated troops were in the hands of the lord, and they turned into such a majestic elite! You are worthy of the lord!"
Liu Taozi didn't like flattery, so he asked simply: "How is the situation in Guangzhou and Qingzhou?"
Speaking of this, Zu Jue didn't panic at all. He pinched his long beard proudly.
"My lord knows something, the situation is great."
"The original governor of Guangzhou accumulated a huge amount of wealth for us. After my lord left, I began to use the money to appease. Many people came from Qingzhou and Guangzhou, and the population increased sharply. I sent people to attack on three sides.
, to guide more homeless people to come to Erzhou. There are also many scribes and craftsmen. I also sent people to contact the surrounding counties."
"Gwangju is rich in materials and has a huge population. Even with its current scale, it can be called the first state under the lord's command."
"Money, food, ordnance, scribes, craftsmen, everything is available. It only needs a few years of operation, and it can become a large base for us to conquer Henan!"
When Liu Taozi led the Mandrill Battalion here, he had only one purpose, which was to capture Guangzhou, which has a large territory, a large population, and a wealthy economy.
Guangzhou in Qi State definitely has the most arable land in the country and is the richest place in the country. There are thirteen large ports in Guangzhou, and the docks are almost full.
But because the enemy suddenly attacked, Liu Taozi could only lead his troops to rescue, leaving Zu Jue here to clean up the mess.
While Liu Taozi and others were sleeping rough on the front lines and fighting extremely hard, Zu Jue was having a great time here.
The governor's office had plundered a huge amount of wealth, all of which was placed at Zu Jue's disposal. But wars were going on between the north and the south, people everywhere were panicked, and temples were out of control. Zu Jue immediately began to use his traditional skills.
His first step was to steal people.
Thanks to Liu Taozi's benevolent act of killing King Nanyang in Qizhou, Liu Taozi's reputation around Guangzhou is getting better and better. Zu Jue deliberately guided him, spending money to buy reputation and rumors.
In the past, many people in Hebei fled to the south of the river, and their lives were not very good. When they learned that Guangzhou and Qingzhou could receive relief, they began to run to these two places.
Both places have to accommodate many outsiders every day, but Zu Jue doesn't find it troublesome or stressful at all. We have plenty of money and food!
Then he began to steal talents. He published the results in Gwangju, claiming to conduct assessments, and personally went to the local Confucian Temple to worship.
He welcomed literati from all over the country to take part in the examination, and those who passed the examination could hold official positions in Xinguangzhou and Qingzhou, thus attracting a large number of scholars to join him.
Then there is the recruitment of craftsmen and special arrangements for the craftsmen.
Finally, his hand reached the merchant ship, further south and east.
The money that the governor of Guangzhou worked so hard to save was squandered by Zu Jue so wantonly, but the effect was truly astonishing.
Zu Jue has never fought such a rich battle.
Zu Jue earnestly introduced his achievements to Liu Taozi, ignoring the rest of the people.
Soon, Liu Taozi met the other officials.
These people were much more normal than Zu Jue. After paying their respects, they followed Liu Taozi. Seeing them trembling, Liu Taozi asked them to follow them in a car.
The officials thanked him again and again.
Zu Jue governed Guangzhou, but Liu Taozi has not yet seen any other results.
But he really saw the population.
People, people are everywhere.
The crowds at the gate of the city were very similar to what they were when Cheng'an accepted the dead, perhaps even more exaggerated than then. The soldiers could feel the pressure as they opened the way.
And this is even more true in the city, where there are crowds of people everywhere.
Liu Taozi didn't know how Zu Jue could arrange for so many people. He didn't look tired at all, he was in high spirits and he had gained a lot of weight.
As soon as Liu Taozi arrived at the official office, Zu Jue took him to the inner room, leaving a large group of officials looking at each other.
Sitting in the room, Zu Jue's face became serious. He took out a document from his arms and handed it to Liu Taozi.
"Lord, I just received three documents the day before yesterday."
"Something big happened in Hebei."
"I haven't announced it to anyone yet. There are so many people just now, so I don't dare to disclose it."
Liu Taozi took the letter and read it. The more he read it, the gloomier his face became.
The most recent chapters being read!
"Duan Shao."
The content of the document is very simple. It tells the "little" story of Duan Shao killing the emperor, pretending to collude with the Zhou people, then attacking the Zhou people, playing tricks on Yao Xiong, and finally running to Heluo to collude with Dugu Yongye.
Zu Jue shook his head, "Stupid."
"This can allow him to escape. It seems that Yao Xiong and others do not have the talent to guard one side."
Zu Jue didn't think Duan Shao was brilliant, he just felt that all his teammates were pigs.
He sighed, "The situation is different now. Originally, the emperor was trapped in Jinyang by us, and the edict could not reach the south. There was no one in the south who could rally everyone. We can defeat them one by one and slowly recover."
"But now Duan Shao has brought the emperor to Heluo Daoxingtai, and Dugu Yongye has elites under his command to help him."
"It can be said that he has gained fame, soldiers and power."
"In the name of the emperor, with Duan Shao's prestige, and with Dugu Yongye's strength, they can take back the states and counties south of the river without using any troops, integrate them, and confront us across the river."
Zu Jue pondered: "Duan Shao is still in some trouble. It's not easy to defeat him. If he joins forces with Zhou and Chen, it will be even more troublesome."
"We will be attacked from all sides, and our military strength is seriously insufficient."
Liu Taozi's rise was too fast, he occupied too much territory, and his battle lines were very long. As a result, his military strength could not keep up with the development of his power, and he was always at a military disadvantage.
Liu Taozi listened to Zu Jue's words and slowly put the document aside.
"Grandfather thinks, what should we do?"
Zu Jue looked helpless, "Since Duan Shao has left Jinyang, killed the emperor, established a false emperor, and issued an edict to depose us, then of course the lord wants to fight for the world."
"I think your lord can return to Jinyang if you can."
"After Duan Shao left, there was no way for Jinyang to survive. After the lord arrives, Jinyang will definitely surrender. Maybe it has already surrendered now."
"We are short of soldiers, but Jinyang is not short of soldiers."
"There are still about 40,000 elites in Jinyang. Forty thousand people. And they are all elites."
Zu Jue's originally sad face turned into ecstasy at this moment, and he even couldn't hide his joy, "We are training new troops in various places. If these 40,000 people can be divided into various Kaifu armies as the skeleton, the training speed will definitely be
If we speed up, the originally planned three years may be shortened even more. By then, our Shifu soldiers will be trained and we will have an army of more than 100,000. Even if the three of them join forces, what can we do?"
"In addition, after recovering the Jinyang soldiers, the lord can also establish a new king."
"Oh? New king?"
"The emperor died tragically in the hands of Duan Shao, and King Langya was taken away by him. Gao Zhan was cruel, and his son was even more incompetent."
"My lord, do you still remember that there is another person in our hands?"
"That's what Grandfather said."
"Emperor Xiaozhao, Crown Prince, a hundred years old."
Zu Jue narrowed his eyes, "Gao Zhan wanted to kill him, but before he could do it, many wars broke out. Then he was taken out by us, and he is still in our hands today. If Duan Shao can establish Gao Yan, we can naturally do it too."
High hundreds of years.”
Liu Taozi slowly frowned.
Zu Jue discovered this and said hurriedly: "I know that my lord was against such a thing at the beginning, but the situation now is completely different from that at the beginning."
"At the beginning, I said that we should hold the emperor hostage and then easily accept the various places. But now, the north is completely under our control. It has been cleaned up and there are new people arranged by us."
"It's not about accepting a dirty house; it just needs a name."
"I know that my lord has always been magnanimous and doesn't like villains' methods."
"But the villain's methods also have their subtleties."
"The royal family of Qi is not very famous, but there are still many members of the clan under our command. If we just cut off the connection with Qi and fight against the legitimate Duan Shao in the future, how will these people deal with themselves?
ah?"
"There are still a lot of places in Qi State that we need to get our hands on. Having the name of Qi State can make it easier for us to do a lot of things."
"A platform is a platform after all, but a temple is different."
"If we establish an emperor, the emperor will not have any power. Everyone from top to bottom belongs to us. The lord is still the lord of the north. It is more convenient to do things. Why not do it?"
Liu Taozi looked at Zu Jue, "Grandpa Zu thinks the official position of chief historian is too low?"
Zu Jue raised his head and said, "If you can be the prime minister, who would be willing to be the chief minister?"
"My lord, this is the mentality of ordinary people. I dare not lie in front of my lord. To be honest, you are the ones who trust most, Yao Xiong and others. Are they willing to just be the generals who open the mansion, or do they hope to enter the fourth town or the fourth town?"
Conquer the general position?"
"If we control the temple, we can do a lot more things than now. Everything will go on the right track and be justified. We can manage the affairs in the north with peace of mind, then go south to defeat Duan Shao, and then capture the entire Qi State. By then,
Whether it is abdication or anything else, I am willing to do it for the Lord!"
"The Gao family members under His Majesty's command will not object. It is a better thing to abdicate than to overthrow. If they abdicate, they can maintain their titles in the future, their descendants will still be taken care of, and the sacrifices will not be without gods.
Emperor Wu."
Liu Taozi did not give a too decisive answer, "Let's wait until the Jinyang soldiers are collected before we discuss this matter."
"The Jinyang soldiers are not as easy to deal with as Grandpa thought."
"They belong to different military leaders. They have always been unruly and attached to Jinyang. I am afraid it will not be easy to disperse them. Forcibly dispersing them will not only not be beneficial to local military training, but may also become a scourge to various places."
"It must be handled with caution."
Zu Jue quickly lowered his head and said, "What my lord said is absolutely true."
Liu Taozi said again: "There is also Duan Shao here."
"I have met Dugu Yongye a long time ago. He is ambitious, loves power, fame, and is greedy."
"Duan Shao wants to use him to help the puppet Qi, but I'm afraid it won't be easy."
"Dugu Yongye is willing to surrender, probably just because he wants to get the land south of the river through Duan Shao and the emperor. Once they are settled, they will have disputes and start killing each other."
Zu Jue smiled and said, "My lord knows who he is, and Duan Shao cannot possibly not know it. Maybe Duan Shao has made arrangements a long time ago. However, this man is good at fighting, but the affairs of the government are still very rough. If my lord can agree,
I would rather add some firewood to them so that they can start fighting as soon as possible."
"We have been fighting for too long. Let's take care of domestic affairs first."
"only!!"
Zu Jue lowered his head, but he had already decided in his mind that the lord would most likely agree with his decision. Even if he didn't think about others, he had to think about the Gao family. Although the lord was magnanimous, he was not pedantic.
After you have established an emperor, you can first seek some important official positions for your lord.
The Prime Minister and the Grand Sima Lu Shangshu Shi will be promoted to a prince title?
King of Dai? King of Jin? King of Tang? Or King of Han?
Well, if you don’t go to court without being in a hurry, and if you don’t praise and worship with honor, you have to arrange for swords and shoes to go to the palace.
As for myself, I don’t have so many ideas. I can simply give the order to the attendant and the secretary.
Chapter completed!