Chapter 78 Ten Women

After controlling Murong Xu, he quickly occupied the Governor's Mansion and ordered people to close the gates of the inner city to prevent Murong Xu's trusted confidant, Yingyang Langjiang Lü Zuoxiang, from suddenly launching an attack.

He also ordered people to report the situation to General Yuwen She who was in Taiyuan City on the east bank of Fen River.

The reason why Murong Xu had not yet raised the banner of rebellion was largely because Yuwen She was stationed in Taiyuan with thousands of troops, just across the river from him.

So he led his allies to march south to deal with Yuwen She in Taiyuan City first.

However, he did not expect that it was because of his indecision that he was captured by the young man Li Yuanhui.

In the hall, the restrained Murong Xu looked at the young man who had captured him and said, "I underestimated you. I should have acted earlier, first lured Yuwen She here and killed him, then annexed his tribe, and then went south. Ultimately, I was not decisive enough."

Li Yuanhui said: "Who is Yuwen She? Can you deceive him? To tell you the truth, General Yuwen has already reported to the court that you have rebellious intentions. How could he not be on guard against you?"

Murong Xu's face turned even paler when he heard this. "The winner is the king and the loser is the bandit."

After Yuwen She learned of the situation in Jinyang, he still had doubts at first, until he saw the seal and token presented by the eunuch Feng Jingang, as well as the emperor's edict ordering Li Yuanhui to act in plain clothes. Only then did he make a prompt decision and led 300 armored soldiers to Jinyang.

Yuwen She, who was originally the deputy governor of Bingzhou, entered the city, and the gate guards naturally did not dare to stop him. After that, he came to the inner city and checked it before entering the inner city.

"General Yuwen, I leave this to you."

"You are too kind, Lord Ye. It is my duty."

Afterwards, Yuwen She accepted the seal of the governor, began to issue orders, reorganized the troops in the city, and personally led people to the camp in the north of the city.

Upon receiving the news that Murong Xu had been captured, Yingyang Lang Jiang Lu Zuoxiang immediately closed the camp gates.

If Murong Xu was there, he would only have to follow orders. Now that Murong and his son were either killed or captured, Lu Zuoxiang, who had lost his backbone, was also hesitant.

If he acted decisively and sent troops to capture the city immediately after learning the news, he would have a chance to occupy Jinyang.

But as a Lang Jiang, what could he do even if he occupied Jinyang?
As for laying down arms and surrendering, that would mean handing over one's life. Given the saint Murong Ying's consistent approach to rebellion, that would also mean certain death.

Later, Lu Zuoxiang made a decision that went against his ancestors and fled north to the Turks.

He knew that Murong Xu had connections with the Turks, and he threatened his subordinates with death if they stayed to force them to go with him.

Such threats are not actually threats, but realities.

After all, everyone knows how Murong Ying deals with rebels.

Two thousand men were willing to go with him, and the rest opened the camp gate. Yuwen She took the opportunity to take over the camp.

Afterwards, Li Yuanhui and Duan Wuda discussed it and decided to take Murong Xu south to report, and let the eunuch Feng Jingang go ahead to report.

On the other hand, after sending out Li Yuanhui's troops, Murong Ying felt that he could not pin his hopes on whether Murong Xu had any intention of rebelling.

So he ordered the army to continue advancing northward.

The soldiers in the central army have become accustomed to the sage's frequent changes in orders.

During the first eastern expedition to Goguryeo, there was even a situation where the vanguard had already entered the city, but the sage ordered the troops to retreat and attack the city again.

What’s the point of stopping and going?
Li Yuanhui was not in a hurry on the return journey. Murong Xu was placed in a prison car and had a hard time along the way.

Who knew that when they reached Qi County on the way south, the sage sent another envoy, asking Li Yuanhui and others to stay in Jinyang and wait for the emperor to come.

So Li Yuanhui took his men back to Jinyang.

"Come to think of it, Jinyang and I have a connection." Li Yuanhui sighed as he entered Jinyang City again.

"Hahaha, the general is the consort of Princess Jinyang, so he must have a connection with Jinyang."

Guo Xiaoke on the side said.

Duan Wuda snorted coldly.

Without the life-and-death threat, Duan Wuda returned to his state of disliking Li Yuanhui, but now he would not make rude remarks casually.

Li Yuanhui did not respond to the words, but just smiled meaningfully.

This should have been the birthplace of the Li family. But now, I don't know who will benefit.

Whether it is Bingzhou, Shanxi, or Hedong, the strategic location of this area is extremely important. It is in a dominant position over Guanzhong, Heluo, and Youji.

Among the Five Dynasties, the Later Tang, Later Jin, and Later Han all advanced into the Central Plains from this area, and the Northern Han relied on its geographical advantages to withstand the Later Zhou and Song dynasties for decades.

Finally, during the reign of Zhao II, the Northern Han was completely destroyed, and out of fear of the city of Jinyang, he directly destroyed the city.

From this we can see that Bingzhou’s geographical advantages are sufficient to achieve imperial success.

Therefore, if the Li family could start an uprising from Bingzhou, they would have much more advantages than starting an uprising from Yizhou.

But now this land of dragon's rise has nothing to do with the Li family. Maybe they have to follow the marching route of Emperor Gaozu of Han.

I should learn how Bingxian conquered Hedong when I have the chance, and see if there is any possibility of copying his homework.

After some random thoughts, Li Yuanhui came to the Governor's Mansion again.

Yuwen She, who was handling military affairs, came out to greet them with a smile after hearing the news, and said to them, "The emperor's mind is hard to predict. This happens all the time. Just get used to it."

Yuwen She, like Pang Lingxun, was born as Murong Ying's personal guard, so he naturally understood the sage's fickleness.

Li Yuanhui and others placed Murong Xu in the custody of the Governor's Mansion, and then went to the post station to rest.

Finally, he had some free time, so he ordered someone to buy some wine and meat, and prepared to have a drink and chat with Liu Xuanji and Guo Xiaoke. Anyway, they didn't have anything to do now, so they just had to wait for the emperor to come.

The wine and meat had just been bought, and Li Yuanhui asked someone to call Duan Wuda out of politeness. He was just thinking of being polite, but who knew that he actually came.

Duan Wuda drank a bowl of wine, looked at Li Yuanhui and let out a long sigh, "Li Si, what were you thinking that day? You didn't say a word when we were outside the city, and you didn't make an appointment with us. How dare you rush into the city directly and suddenly say 'take action'?" Li Yuanhui laughed when he heard it, "Hahahaha, what else do I need to say? You and I both know that capturing Murong Xu is the key. If it weren't for your extraordinary courage, to be honest, this time it really wouldn't have been so smooth."

Duan Wuda heard Li Silang praising him, and he patted his chest complacently and said, "Of course, I have practiced martial arts since I was young, and no one in my family can match me except my elder brother. In terms of strength alone, I am not inferior to my elder brother. But then again, if you hadn't made a quick decision and rushed into the inner city at full speed, if you hadn't given Murong Xu a moment to prepare, we would have been in danger and would have had to fight."

Guo Xiaoke also echoed, "That's true. If it weren't for the general's decisiveness and Duan Sanqi's bravery, who restrained Murong Xu in time, and waited for him to gather his troops, we would all have died in Jinyang City."

Li Yuanhui said, "Let's not talk about this. In the end, we were lucky to have escaped danger. Murong Xu was so reckless and it was his own fault that he was arrested by us. Let's drink this bowl of wine together. Cheers."

A few people clinked glasses, chatted, and ate meat, and two jars of wine were finished.

Guo Xiaoke, who had a low alcohol tolerance, was already drunk, lying on the table without moving. Duan Wuda was also very drunk, talking nonsense and shouting, gesticulating with his hands.

"Li Si, just this time, I admire you, you this... I... I... But I'm not afraid of you."

Li Yuanhui wanted to laugh when he saw him like this. This guy's alcohol tolerance was really average, but he was actually not a bad person. He was the type who cared about his reputation and liked to pretend to be happy.

He looks fierce, but he is not a bad person. He has never done anything harmful to others, and he is decisive when it comes to taking action.

It's quite interesting to see him drunk. Then think about his ancestral home in Lingzhi, so he can be considered a fellow Northeast native.

Liu Xuanji, who was still sober, suggested asking someone to carry the two drunkards away.

"Shiro, want to go out for a walk?"

"it is good."

Li Silang agreed immediately.

The two of them left the post station together and walked on the streets of Jinyang.

At this moment in Jinyang City, due to the turmoil in the past few days, there are very few pedestrians on the streets, and there are not many soldiers patrolling the streets.

"Silang, we are lucky this time. Judging from the situation, that person won't let it go so easily. We still need to make plans early."

Li Yuanhui nodded: "There are thieves who can steal for a thousand days, but there is no such thing as a thief who can guard against thieves for a thousand days. We must find a chance to end this."

Neither of them said who that person was, nor did they say what the ending was, but both of them understood what the other was saying.

The two men walked all the way up the city wall of Jinyang. Because they carried the seal with them, they had no obstruction and went directly to the main building of the south city.

In fact, on ordinary days, there were not a large number of soldiers on the city walls. The soldiers guarding the city were all in tents inside the city wall. Only the watchtowers had sentries ready to give warnings at any time.

If there is an invading enemy, they will quickly go up to the city to defend.

Standing on the watchtower, they could see the endless Luliang Mountains in the west and the sparkling Fen River in the east.

The magnificence of the mountains and rivers is all within your sight.

Li Yuanhui suddenly asked: "Brother Liu, do you have any ambitions?"

Liu Xuanji stopped and thought carefully, then said seriously: "My current ambition is to become a general and then marry the daughter of an official."

Liu Xuanji was nearly thirty years old and had not yet married. Given his background, it was not easy for him to marry the daughter of an official.

Li Yuanhui laughed loudly upon hearing this and said, "Hahaha, Brother Liu, your ambition is very easy to achieve. So, next time I return to Chang'an, I will find a marriage for you. I will choose one of the ten surnames, Cui, Lu, Li, Zheng, Wang, Wei, Du, Pei, Xue, and Yang, and I will be your matchmaker. How do you think?"

The ten big surnames mentioned by Li Yuanhui are currently the most popular Han aristocratic families in the world.

Even the Gao clan of Bohai, which shared weal and woe with the Murong clan, was not included in the list of the ten clans.

The lifelong dream of many people is to marry a woman of the same surname.

Liu Xuanji was a little excited when he heard what Li Yuanhui said, "Are you serious, Silang?"

"When have I ever lied to you, Brother Liu?"

"Hahahaha, if that's true, then my previous ambitions were a bit small. In Shilang's words, why did I come here...Oh, right, my vision was not big enough, hahaha."

"Hahaha, what about you, Brother Liu? Now, if I ask you again, what are your ambitions?"

When Liu Xuanji heard this, he looked at the vast mountains and rivers in front of him and felt quite inspired, so he blurted out.

"Restore the work of Emperor Gao and bring glory to the Han Dynasty!"

Li Yuanhui turned his head and looked at him. He was really drunk and said too much. His plan was a little small just now, but now it is big enough, and it exploded directly.

After Liu Xuanji blurted out, he was also frightened by his own words, and then laughed: "Hahahaha, Silang, it's just drunken talk. Don't take it seriously."

Li Yuanhui also laughed, and then he gave a thumbs up and said, "Brother Liu is very courageous."

Liu Xuanji said a little embarrassedly, "I am just talking nonsense after getting drunk, don't take it seriously, hehe." Then he sighed, "In this world, even if the world is in chaos, the aristocratic families are still in power. What I said is just a joke. But I have never asked you, Silang, what are your ambitions?"

Li Yuanhui gazed into the distance, then turned his head and looked at Liu Xuanji, and said seriously.

"I share the same aspirations as you."

Liu Xuanji's face was solemn at first when he heard this, but when he turned his head, he saw Li Yuanhui's playful eyes. The next moment, he heard the hearty and loud laughter of two people on the city wall.

"Ha ha ha ha."

"Ha ha ha ha."

"Shiro, it's a great honor to meet you."

"Brother Liu, me too."

"Hahahahaha."

(End of this chapter)