Chapter 17 The Sacred Heart is unpredictable
Zhuo County was originally the gathering place for the best troops in the world during the Eastern Expedition to Liaodong. After learning of Yang Xun's rebellion, it also became the only way for the army to return.

Murong Ying ordered the main forces of General Murong Ding, General Duan Yihong, and the navy of General Gao Huang, who guarded the East, to retreat quickly.

He ordered the left general Zheng Guo to lead the army to cover the rear, while he led the main army to quickly pass through Yuguan, boarded the ship in Zhuojun, and began his journey back south.

In order to return quickly, the military supplies and equipment piled up like mountains, but they were all abandoned. The rear army of tens of thousands of people led by General Zheng Guo of the Left was followed and attacked by Goguryeo, and thousands of weak soldiers were killed.

The dragon boat the emperor rode on was 45 feet high, 50 feet wide, and 200 feet long. It had four floors. The upper floor had the main hall, inner hall, and east and west court halls. The middle two floors had 120 rooms, and the lower floor was where the eunuchs lived.

Such a large dragon boat looks like four or five stories high, and there are thousands of laborers on both sides of the canal helping to pull the boat.

Inside the main hall on the top floor, Murong Ying stood leaning against the railing, staring at the willow trees on the embankment outside for a long time without saying a word. The eunuch Feng Jin standing behind him also said nothing.

He has served the emperor for more than twenty years, from a low-ranking eunuch to the most powerful eunuch in the imperial palace. Even the empress did not stay with the emperor as long as he did.

Being able to rise through the ranks and remain standing for twenty years beside an unpredictable emperor, Feng Jin naturally knew Murong Ying very well.

The saint is waiting for news from Luoyang.

Moreover, the sage has been very anxious these days, so he has not summoned ministers to discuss military affairs.

He was also a little afraid that those cunning ministers would see his anxiety and lack of confidence.
On the deck outside the main hall, Shangshu Ling Duan Shihuan, Zhongshu Ling Liu He, Shizhong Murong Hui, Bingbu Shangshu Xue Chu, Revenue Shangshu Cui Gu'an, Dali Temple Qing Xue Zhiyun, Zuo Yulin General Murong Zhi and other attendant ministers were waiting to be summoned.

These ministers had followed Murong Ying to the Liaodong expedition, but they did not expect that they would have to return with Murong Ying after just a few months.

Weiweiqing Li Yuan joined the team from Huaiyuan and was commended by the emperor at that time for his "diligent work."

But he did not mention anything about his secret report that Yang Xun might be plotting a rebellion. Li Yuan also understood that the saint would definitely not mention this matter.

After all, someone had warned Yang Xun of his rebellion in advance and had submitted a secret report, which the sage had seen but did not take seriously. This incident had a certain impact on the sage's image of being wise, brave, intelligent and resourceful.

So as for the fact that he had attended... No, he had never attended the secret class.

"Time flies by, day and night. I will not be able to go on the next expedition."

Duan Shihuan, who was nearly seventy years old, looked at the surface of the canal and suddenly sighed.

Liu He, the middle-aged Minister of the Central Secretariat, said, "Mr. Duan, why are you saying that? You are in good health and vigorous spirit. The Saint and Dayan still have to rely on you."

Duan Shihuan smiled and shook his head: "An old man who refuses to die is a thief. I am nearly 70 years old and my spirit is not good. After the rebellion is quelled this time, I will retire. The affairs of the temple and the important task of assisting the saint still need your efforts."

Mr. Duan really feels that he should retire.

Although he felt that he was in good health and could live another ten or eight years without any problem, the moon waxes and wanes. He had served as prime minister since the time of the previous emperor, and he had worked with the late Minister of the Interior and Grand Tutor, Duke of Chu, Yang Su.

The rebellion of Yang Su's descendants now will surely not be successful. Once the army returns, it will only take a month to put down the rebellion.

There is no need to think too much about the fate of the Yang family; they will definitely be exterminated.

Although this is one's own fault, the Yang family has come to this point today not only because of Yang Xun's inflated ambition.

If Murong Ying had not pressed on and continued to suppress them, the Yang family might not have taken the risk.

The Duan family has been a first-class noble family since Taizu, and the current General Lingzhi Wang Duan Yihong is his nephew. As a Xianbei noble, the relationship with the Murong family is definitely closer than that of the Han Chinese Yang family.

But the world is full of unexpected events, and people are subject to misfortunes and blessings at any time. The situation is constantly changing. After Yang Xun's rebellion, Murong Ying's suspicion must be stronger than before, so it is better to withdraw from the court as soon as possible.

Another point is that thanks to the great talent and strategy of the saint, there are now many uprisings in various places, such as the Wagang bandits in Yuzhou, Liu Huzhi in Jizhou, Zhang Gouer in Youzhou, and Guo Fenghuang in Huainan.
If the saint changed his course, wiped out the rebels, lived in harmony with the people, and reduced taxes, Great Yan could still be revived. But with the saint's temper, the second expedition to Goguryeo was fruitless because of Yang Xun's rebellion. After this rebellion is over, the third expedition will definitely be put on the agenda again. Thinking of these things, Duan Shihuan felt a dull headache.

Forget it, let these young people do whatever they want.

However, Liu He, Murong Hui, Xue Chu and others had other thoughts in their minds when they heard this. They said that the country and the saints could not do without Duan Gong, but they thought in their hearts that this old man was finally going to retire.

The only ones who could be called prime ministers in the court were the heads of the Secretariat, the Shangshu Ling and the left and right Pushe, together with the Zhongshu Ling and Shizhong, who were considered prime ministers.

Among them, the Shangshu Ling had the greatest power. After Yang Su retired, Duan Shihuan took over as Shangshu Ling for five or six years. With his status in the court and the reliance of the saint, it would not be a problem for him to serve for another five or six years.

Now that he has the idea of ​​retiring, it means that many people can take a step closer.

Everyone's heart was in turmoil, and a battle report from Dongdu finally arrived.

A moment later, Feng Jin came out and summoned everyone to the hall to meet the emperor.

But when all the ministers saw that Murong Ying had recovered a little, they all felt relieved.

The war in Luoyang must be developing in a good direction.

"Weiwei Li Qing?"

Li Yuan was a little surprised. Why was he the first one to be called? But he immediately responded, "Your humble servant greets His Majesty."

"Li Qing really has a good son."

Murong Ying had a smile on her face, and was obviously in a good mood.

Seeing that Li Yuan was confused, he felt better. "Feng Jin, tell the contents of the battle report to all the nobles."

"On July 25, King Gaoyang led the Guanzhong reinforcements to rescue Luoyang. They encountered the enemy in Beimang, and were besieged. The next day, the Luoyang defenders went out. General Zhao Yi led an army of more than 20,000 to fight the rebels in the northern suburbs of Luoyang. At first, they were not doing well, and the troops retreated. General Zhao Yi shouted loudly on the battlefield, and the troops turned around to fight. Li Yuanhui, the son of Li Weiwei, shot and killed Yang Xi, the younger brother of the traitor Yang Xun, with one arrow. Everyone in the battle array thought that Yang Xi was Yang Xun, so the morale was greatly boosted, and they won, and brought the rest of King Gaoyang back to Luoyang, and the rebels were defeated."

When everyone heard the battle report, they all congratulated in unison: "Congratulations, Saint."

Only Li Yuan still couldn't believe that his naughty son Silang could be so successful?

Among the four sons, the eldest son, Xiaoyan, is careful, calm, and upright, and is a talent who can assist the king.

The second son, Mingqi, was good at riding and shooting, had strategic ideas, and was a talented general.

The third son, Xuanqing, is calm and profound, has extraordinary strength, and his talent is unfathomable.

Only the fourth son, Yuan Hui, had only moderate riding and archery skills among the Li family members, and was of the lowest level in both civil and military affairs. How could he have such luck that he could shoot and kill an enemy general in battle?

"Li Qing is diligent in his work and a good parent. He is truly a pillar of the country."

Upon hearing this, Li Yuan could only humbly say, "Your Majesty, I shot and killed the traitor Yang Xi in battle, but it was just luck. It was the blessing of Your Majesty, so I dare not take credit for it."

"Hahaha, I'm in Liaodong, how can I protect you?"

"The saint is the Son of Heaven, with great blessings. Even if he is thousands of miles away, he can protect our soldiers of Great Yan and bring them success in everything they do, and put down the rebels."

Murong Ying was in a very good mood now, and he liked Li Yuan more and more. He did a good job in supervising the transportation of grain and military equipment, and acted prudently. He was already thinking about raising his title to a Duke after the rebellion was quelled. He should also move up in official rank. After serving as a Nine Ministers, he was fully qualified to be a governor of a state, or a governor.
There are also many people inside and outside the government who have stayed in their positions for too long, and it is time to let them move.

(End of this chapter)