Chapter 242: The eldest son
It never rains but it pours. Not long ago, he was still feeling very proud of becoming the regent, but the recent news made him feel that his elder brother might not be happy in that position.

First, Li Yuanhui attacked the old city of Nandun in the early morning of the second day of the first lunar month and burned the army's food and fodder, making the plan of multiple armies to attack Jianghuai at the same time fail.

Afterwards, Li Er led 3,500 cavalry out of Tongguan and fought against the cavalry led by Duan Yihong several times in Hongnong, and won every battle. You should know that General Duan Yihong was a pillar of the country and a famous general of Dayan. With an absolute advantage in military strength, he was suppressed by Li Er, a demon god? It was outrageous.
What made Murong Yang, the regent, most angry was that Li Dalang Li Xiaoyan, who was supposed to have been arrested and imprisoned, was missing.

Li Jiadalang was originally a lone official in Luoyang. His wife and family had already left Chang'an with Li Er and settled in Shu when Murong Zan entered Guanzhong.

Li Yuanhui took the initiative to burn the food and grass stored by the Yan army in Xiang County. This act was already a blatant rebellion, so King Wu Murong Yang immediately decided to let the Dali Temple send officials to arrest his brother Li Xiaoyan and Li Yuan's cousin, General Li Shenfu.

As a result, Li Xiaoyan, Li Shenfu and his son Li Huaiyi all disappeared.

This incident was a severe slap in the face of Murong Yang.

It also shows that there must be many people in Luoyang who secretly bet on the Li family. Otherwise, it would be impossible for these people to disappear without anyone noticing.

This shows that someone is helping.

Only this explanation could explain how these people could disappear from the mansion despite being watched by so many spies.

He should no longer be in Luoyang, so Murong Yang immediately sent people to set up light checkpoints on the main roads to the west and south for strict inspection.

He never thought that Li Dalang, Li Shenfu and Li Huaiyi were in the city, in a small courtyard of the original Prince Gaoyang's Palace.

The one who took them in was Murong Yang's second cousin Murong Wuji.

"Silang is too unreasonable. He acted so rashly without caring about our lives in Luoyang at all," Li Huaiyi complained. He believed that the current situation was caused by his cousin Li Yuanhui.

Li Xiaoyan could only laugh dryly upon hearing this, and he couldn't say anything about it. After all, he had been prepared for this day.

But Li Shenfu started to rebuke him, "Shut up, you brat! Silang used his military skills brilliantly this time. If he hadn't burned Xiang County's grain reserves first, we would have met in prison in Luoyang in a few days!"

As Li Shenfu, who had been appointed General of the Western Expedition during the reign of the previous emperor and had made many achievements in frontier defense, he naturally understood Li Yuanhui's situation. Did he still have time to inform Luoyang? How could he still take care of that?

Under such circumstances, it was already very rare for Li Yuanhui to lead the cavalry in a surprise attack and burn the grain. If he was not careful, he would have been trapped in Xiang County. The fact that he was able to escape unscathed further proved that his command and luck in this battle were at their limits.

If he were in a different place, Li Shenfu would naturally do the same.

To achieve great things, one must make sacrifices. This is the situation that Li Xiaoyan, as a hostage, and his family will have to face sooner or later.

One glory and one glory.

We can't let Li Yuan and his son in Guanzhong and Li Yuanhui in Jianghuai ignore the situation in the world and miss the opportunity to advance for the safety of a few people, right?
Although Li Huaiyi was dissatisfied in his heart, he didn't care much about the mutterings, but he still kept muttering to himself.

As for Li Xiaoyan, he was already thinking about the future arrangements.

Whether fleeing south or west, it would be difficult and they would have to face interrogation everywhere. Perhaps they could just stay in Luoyang and wait for their father Li Yuandong to leave Qiaohan and then reunite with him.

But Li Xiaoyan also had concerns and plans in his mind.

Now Erlang and Sanlang are both by their father's side. Both brothers have made great contributions and have the support of their subordinates. If we wait until their father marches eastward to Luoyang, I'm afraid that both brothers will have grown strong, and by then I will find it difficult to gain a foothold.

Not to mention Silang, who had 100,000 soldiers under his command and had defeated powerful enemies many times, and was already a local lord. These three brothers all had outstanding achievements, which made him, the eldest son, somewhat embarrassed.

From the perspective of the Li family now, they have the opportunity to take a peek at the Nine Cauldrons.

Some people even think that Li Yuan is a hidden dragon, and since his entire family is full of nobles, it is natural that he is a problem.

If it was just a hereditary Duke of Tang, naturally no one among his brothers would compete with him.

But what if it is the throne of Dabao?

He is like a hostage in Luoyang, with no achievements and no wings. What can he use to compare with his brothers?
But he was unwilling to be a member of the royal family. After all, he was the eldest son, and according to legal and public opinion, he should inherit his father's family business.

Once this thought came to his mind, Li Xiaoyan could no longer calm down.

I have to go. I have to go.

You have to go to Guanzhong.

Silang has been operating in Jianghuai for a long time, and he personally established the Jianghuai military forces. Going to Jianghuai is equivalent to assisting Silang, rather than Silang assisting him.

Only by going to Guanzhong, before his father completely captured Chang'an, would he still have a chance to catch up with his brothers.

If he waits for Guanzhong to be stabilized, he may not have a place to stand when he goes there.

Even if his father took him hostage out of pity and granted him power, he would not be able to suppress these brothers who were born of the same mother if he did not have his own team.

On this side, Li Xiaoyan made a plan in his mind to go to Guanzhong to reunite with his father.

Li Yuan in Guanzhong was also thinking about this eldest son. As the eldest son, Li Xiaoyan had always been his most valued son. Although Erlang had made great contributions since the uprising in Yizhou and Sanlang had always been by his side, he was still thinking about Dalang and Silang.

Especially Dalang.

A family has an eldest son, and a country has ministers.

Any aristocratic family that has been passed down for a long time will attach great importance to the status of the eldest son, the so-called order of seniority.

Especially recently, many aristocratic families and noble clans in Chang'an City have sent their sons and daughters to join the army and show their loyalty.

If the eldest son were here, he would definitely be asked to come forward to win over and make friends.

But none of the four legitimate sons were around. The eldest son was trapped in Luoyang, with an uncertain future. The second son was supervising the army in Tongguan, and was in a stalemate with the Luoyang army.

The third son was ordered to return to Yizhou to bring the King of Shu back to Guanzhong. The fourth son worked hard in Jianghuai and also greatly supported the situation in Guanzhong.

For now, he could only ask his son-in-law Chai Rong, nephew Wang Yi, and nephew Li Huaizhen to help with the reception and negotiations.

But after all, there is still a level difference.

There are many things that one's own son is more trustworthy and more worthy of delegation of authority to.

Therefore, he missed his eldest son especially.

"father in law."

Son-in-law Chai Rong came to the hall and bowed. Li Yuan came back to his senses and said with a smile: "Sichang, you have been working hard recently."

"Father-in-law, you are too polite. This is a letter from Sanlang, which just arrived." Sichang was Chai Rong's courtesy name. He handed the letter to the desk while saying this.

Li Yuan nodded, then opened the letter. In the letter, Li Sanlang gave the approximate date of arrival in Chang'an, which was basically around mid-February.

This means that many things can be started.

Moreover, in order to better support the war in Jianghuai, the process in Guanzhong must also be accelerated.

Chang'an City, Palace.

If it is said that Emperor Guangping Murong Chao of Luoyang fell into a state of lying down due to lack of ability, self-doubt, and physical reasons.

The emperor Murongzhan was no longer a figurehead, and had basically given up. He himself didn't care about the situation at all, and spent his days indulging in alcohol and sex.

The floor dragons made the hall very warm, and the beauties in gauze, chirping and singing, made the hall full of spring.

Murongzhan blindfolded himself, chasing and playing with a group of beauties. The army outside the city? Whoever loves him, loves him.

Since you are going to be the king of a fallen country, you might as well show some atmosphere of a fallen country.

(End of this chapter)