Chapter 96: Wise and Martial
"Brother, you must not show weakness to the bandits at this time. It is better to leave the bandits of Qingzhou to me. You can lead the army south, under the pretext of touring Jiangdu, and use thunderous means to capture these two beasts."

After a while, Murong was said to have put forward his own suggestions.

He knew very well that once the arrow was shot, there was no turning back. Instead of relying on a letter to delay them, it would be better to go straight down the canal and resolve the issue in one go.

After all, the canal is of great importance to the Yan court. It can be said to be the lifeline of the country, connecting the north and the south.

Showing weakness now would only make Murong Anguo and Murong Jian, the two rebels, more rampant, and make those who were watching no longer fear the court.

Murong Ying thought for a long time before nodding his head: "Okay, I'll do as you say. Now the total number of Chinese and foreign troops is over 200,000. I will lead the Xiaoguo Army and the Left and Right Yulin Army to patrol Jianghuai. The rest of the troops will be under your control. The Qingzhou war is all handed over to you, Aju."

"Okay, don't worry, brother."

When the order for the Xiaoguo Army to march out with the emperor on his tour of Jianghuai was given, Li Yuanhui almost thought he had misheard.

He read the military order carefully many times before letting the messenger leave in silence.

He didn't know what happened in Jianghuai and Xuzhou, so he just wondered if his father-in-law had drunk fake wine.

There's a fucking rebellion going on in Qingzhou, the war is still stuck at Dongpingling, and it's still raining, so I'm going to go to the south of the Yangtze River to play.

What a big heart.

But this is right. If my father-in-law hadn't made such a fuss, how could the Murong family's empire have ended up in the hands of our Li family?
Just four words: the future is promising.

Even more speechless was Murong Yang. This was his first time leading troops and he had made some achievements. So why was he allowed to go on the imperial tour to Jiangdu?

But as a prince, Murong Yang soon found out what the purpose of this trip south was, and he couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat.

The successive rebellions by the royal family were a heavy blow to the imperial court. If they were not resolved quickly, the prestige of the Yan imperial court would be completely destroyed.

A few days later, the well-prepared Xiaoguo Army and the Left and Right Yulin Army, totaling more than 80,000 people, boarded ships in Licheng and sailed downstream.

Murong Ying used all his dragon boats to transport troops and recruited 100,000 boatmen to dredge the river.

When Li Yuanhui saw these, he realized that this so-called tour to Jiangdu might not be that simple.

Because the dragon boat was used exclusively by the emperor, it was forty-five feet high, fifty feet wide, and two hundred feet long, with a total of four floors. The upper floor was divided into the main hall and the east and west courts. The middle two floors had a total of 120 rooms, which were very luxuriously decorated. The lowest floor was where the eunuchs lived. The entire thing was a palace on the water.

This time, there were only a hundred eunuchs, palace maids and concubines with them, and the rest were filled with soldiers from the left and right Yulin Army.

In addition to the dragon boats, there were dozens of large five-tooth warships that could carry 800 soldiers, and hundreds of other warships and water transport ships.

Considering the fact that the Xuzhou troops on the southern front had not made any moves, this team did not seem to be going on a trip at all, but rather to a war.
"I'm afraid that Prince Chen and Prince Qiao have made unusual moves." In the hold on the top deck of the Wuya warship, Li Yuanhui muttered to himself as he looked out the window at the weeping willows on both sides of the canal.

After the rain stopped, the Yan army launched another attack.

This attack was personally commanded by General Lou Jushi, who used regular troops to suppress the attack. In less than a day, he broke through the defense line of the Qi County rebels and lifted the siege of Dongpingling.

The Yan army took advantage of the situation and pushed forward eastward, capturing Gaoyuan within three days.

Murong Xuan and Wang Bozhong retreated to Linzi, the fortified city where Qingzhou's capital was located, to hold out.

A few days later, Murong Ying simply displayed the emperor's flag and ceremonial guards and entered Pengcheng, the capital of Xuzhou, without bloodshed. At this time, Prince Qiao Murong Jian was still leading his troops in Langya and keeping them on hold.

Pengcheng is the key to the north and the gateway to the south. It is a place that must be fought for by military strategists, and it is also the main road of the canal. If Murong Jian is in Pengcheng, it will be difficult for Murong Ying to attack Pengcheng in a short time as long as he closes the gates and holds on.

But Murong Jian was not in Xuzhou, and the people who stayed in Xuzhou saw the emperor's banner, so how could they dare to resist? After entering Pengcheng, Murong Ying ordered the prince Murong Yang and the general Li Shenfu to stay in Pengcheng, and then ordered Li Yuanhui, Duan Wuchen, Wei Xiaoju, Li Cang, and Murong Ling, five brave and powerful generals of the Tiger Guard Army, to each select 800 cavalry.

General Zhao Xingshua of the Left Yulin Army and General Qu Tushi'an of the Right Yulin Army each led a thousand cavalrymen, and the Prefect of the Imperial Guards Xiao Chengdu led three hundred Jinwu Guards, totaling more than six thousand cavalrymen, each riding two horses, and rushed to attack Langya, accompanied by General Duan Yihong.

Li Yuanhui really didn't expect that his father-in-law would be so courageous that he would personally lead 6,000 elite cavalry to attack.

How come this is not stupid all of a sudden? This is not what the script says, right?
But he didn't have time to explore these things now. He rode on horseback for three days and nights, running more than 400 miles, and only rested for a few hours. As a saint, Murong Ying was always in high spirits and marched like an ordinary cavalryman without any complaints or complaints.

Li Yuanhui didn't want to say a word along the way. This intensity of forced march was a double torture for him both physically and mentally.

However, at the appointed time of the fourth day, when the emperor's flag suddenly appeared outside Langya City, Prince Qiao Murong Jian was still sleeping soundly with two beauties in his arms.

When the commander of Langya saw the emperor's banners and ceremonial guards and learned that the sage had arrived, he immediately cheered loudly.

The captain guarding the gate wanted to delay time to inform Murong Jian, but his soldiers had already opened the city gate and knelt down to welcome him.

In desperation, he could only kneel by the road to welcome the emperor.

Afterwards, Murong Ying ordered General Duan Yihong to control the city gate, and he himself led 300 Jinwu Guards to perform ceremonial duties, and asked Li Yuanhui and Duan Wuchen to lead 200 cavalry each to follow him into the city.

Murong Jian was dragged from the bed to the courtyard by Duan Wuda and Liu Xuanji. When he saw Murong Ying wearing the emperor's crown and the banners and ceremonial guards, he immediately became alert. Then he prostrated himself on the ground with his upper body bare, his body shaking uncontrollably.

"Your Highness, your Highness, is here to see you. May your Highness be well."

Murong Ying sat on the chair. Although he was a little tired after riding for several days and nights, he looked energetic.

He knew he had won the bet.

"What do you have to say? Keep your troops in place and block the canal. What do you have to say?"

Murong Jian blocked the canal to intercept money and grain, and gathered troops in Langya but kept them on standby, although his actions could be considered treason.

But after all, he did not openly resist the court.

Murong Jian regained his consciousness at this moment, and after thinking for a moment, he said, "Your Majesty, I am keeping my troops in place because there are many bandits in the Dongguan area of ​​Langya Ju County. Among them, the big bandits Guo Baishi and Chen Agou have gathered tens of thousands of people and have occupied the mountains and forests. We cannot pass through before we clear them out. As for the blockade of the canal, it is because there is a shortage of military supplies. I took them without permission and I am willing to accept the punishment."

"In that case, I will spare your life and dismiss you from your post as governor of Xuzhou, and make you a junior minister of the Ministry of Finance. Are you convinced?"

"I surrender, thank you for not killing me, thank you very much, Saint."

Murong Ying, who was originally prepared to kill someone, suddenly made an unreasonable decision and spared his life for the time being.

But this decision made Li Yuanhui feel a little creepy. Has his father-in-law really changed his character?
In the past, this would at least result in death, and in more serious cases, the entire family would be exterminated.

Now he actually let Murong Jian go?
It’s not that this decision was wrong, but it was too correct.

Because of Murong Ying's sudden attack, Murong Jian is no longer a threat. But if Murong Jian is killed directly, the other clan members who are unaware of the situation will be afraid and may unite to rebel.

But according to Murong Ying's previous temper, he should have killed the wrong person and not let him go. But a person suddenly made such a change, and he was still an emperor.

This is very interesting. People say that it is easy to change the country, but difficult to change one's character.

Li Yuanhui has begun to recall: Was there thunder on the day when it rained heavily in Licheng?

(End of this chapter)