Chapter 189 Five Cities
The news of the Turkic invasion in the northern border spread throughout the world, but no one cared. Or perhaps they could not even overcome the current difficulties, let alone worry about the Turkic invaders who might or might not be able to kill them.

Bandit leaders such as Zhang Jincheng, Hao Xiaode, Sun Xuanya, and Yang Gongqing allowed their troops to plunder Hebei, causing great suffering to the people wherever they passed.

The emperor was no longer in charge, and officials in the Jiangdu court were barely keeping going. They wanted to send troops to wipe out the bandits, but the Jiangdu army was under no command and could only recruit soldiers from the counties that were still loyal to the court.

The officers, soldiers and generals sent out in this way either died in battle or surrendered to the enemy, but gradually some capable people emerged, such as Wang Bian from Pucheng, the General of the Tiger Guards, and Yang Shanhui from Huayin, the Magistrate of Qinghe County.

Under the leadership of Yang Yichen, the Minister of the Imperial Household, they wiped out these bandit leaders. The most evil one, Zhang Jincheng, was tied up in the downtown area. The officials hung his head up, spread out his hands and feet, and let those who had grudges against him cut off his flesh and eat it.

In less than half an hour, only a red and white skeleton was left of Zhang Jincheng. When people heard that he was not dead, he could still laugh and sing while looking at the people who rushed over to cut his flesh, which scared away some timid people.

Yang Yichen took advantage of the victory to pursue the enemy and attacked Gaojipo to fight the bandits. Gao Shida, who proclaimed himself King of Ji, was killed, and Dou Jiande fled with only a hundred cavalrymen. Yang Yichen defeated and surrendered hundreds of thousands of bandits in Hebei, filling the vacancy left by Zhang Xutuo and becoming the last pillar of the court.

The emperor was delighted when he heard the news, and promoted Dou Jiande to Guanglu Dafu and Minister of Rites and summoned him to Jiangdu. Just after Yang Yichen left, Dou Jiande returned to Gaojipo and gathered the remnants of the troops led by Zhang Jincheng, Gao Shida and others. In just a few months, he had an army of more than 100,000, and the Hebei rebels were weakened and strengthened again.

After reading it, Du Ruhui passed it on to the people around him: "The court cannot stabilize the people's livelihood. It is useless to just deal with the rebel leader. Yang Yichen is a good general, but like Zhang Xutuo, he is only qualified to be a general, not a capable person to put an end to the chaos."

Xue Shou nodded: "But from this we can see that people like Zhang Jincheng and Hao Xiaode, who have risen to prominence for a short time, will gradually be eliminated and swallowed up. Farsighted heroes and heroes from all over the country are rushing to expand their power."

Everyone's eyes fell on the main seat, and Li Jiancheng nodded: "After dealing with the Turks, we must deal with these people in the shortest possible time. No matter if they are heroes or traitors, they cannot stop the great governance that the people are praying for!
Gentlemen, you must speed up the formulation of new policies. It does not require too much detail, but it must be able to show a new atmosphere, put an end to harsh policies and heavy taxes, and enable the people everywhere to put down their weapons and pick up their hoes and sickles again. "

Most people admired the magnanimity of their chosen lords, but they were also a little worried. Although they had the potential to rule the world, others were not weaker than them.

When it comes to competing for supremacy, it is not good to be too arrogant.

Li Jiancheng did not look back, but pointed his finger accurately at Luoyang on the world map behind him: "Wagang Zhai Rang is an old friend of mine, and he is ready to respond and surrender at any time."

This statement made everyone dizzy. These were more than 100,000 soldiers and horses, occupying two large warehouses, and they were attacking Luoyang City.

Fang Xuanling hurriedly asked, "What about Li Mi?"

But as soon as Fang Xuanling said this, he knew it was wrong. If they were all under the lord's command, there would be no need for Wagang to split up. If they worked together, perhaps they could have taken Luoyang.

Li Jiancheng had nothing to hide now: "I let Li Mi go back then, hoping to use him for my own benefit, but he was unwilling to give in, so I let him go."

This is also a great opportunity. These people are all outstanding people of the time. It is not difficult to guess Li Mi's predicament. If he is desperate, it is impossible for him to go back and surrender to the emperor.

"My dear, is there anything else?"

Li Jiancheng smiled and said, "Shen Guang, the commander of the Xiaoguo Army."

Du Ruhui laughed out loud and said, "Then we should hurry up and discuss new policies and laws."

The spirit and spirit of everyone present were different again. They had directly broken away from the level of competing for hegemony and advanced to the realm of realizing their ambitions to govern the world. They were full of excitement.

Chang'an, Taiyuan, Youzhou, Luoyang, Jiangdu, these important places in the world, are really arranged everywhere. What's more rare is that three of them have been taken over. It's really hard to lose.

These places represent not only a few pieces of land, soldiers, food and grass, but also the mighty trend of the world. Those who follow it will prosper, and those who go against it will perish. With this, we can issue an order to most counties. No matter how successful or unsuccessful it is, as long as we can maintain this trend and keep our pace steady, the hearts of the people who hope for stability will naturally come to us. When the time comes, heaven and earth will work together, who can resist?

.........

After winter, the Turks retreated back to the grassland. Li Jiancheng did not take the opportunity to attack Liu Wuzhou's Liang Shidu. He even ordered caravans to go to those two counties to sell grain at a fair price.

Li Jiancheng himself and Xiao Chanyan were busy with the great cause of the ages. Every day they were busy with the jade stove, water mat, mandarin duck brocade, and the fragrance of powder and sweat dripping down the pillow.

But Li Shimin in Jiangdu was not so happy. After the emperor learned of Li Jiancheng's attitude, he was furious and wanted to kill Li Shimin. He sent the imperial guards away, but Li Shimin had already escaped.

The emperor ordered his men to hunt down and kill her, but he knew that it would most likely be unsuccessful, so he returned to the harem and continued to numb himself with wine and sex. All his ministers knew that the matter ended there.

At this moment, Li Shimin was strolling on the streets of Jiangdu, accompanied by many children of officials. After the banquet, he returned to his own residence.

The room was tidy inside, as if no one had searched it. It seemed as if the guards who came in the morning were not here to arrest him, but to clean up the yard for Erlang Jun.

"Greetings, Erlang Jun."

Li Shimin glanced at the visitor and asked, "Who are you?"

"I am Linghu Xingda, a lieutenant of the Imperial Guards. I have come to visit you on the orders of the Junior Minister of Rites. If you have any instructions, I will do them for you."

Li Shimin was a little surprised by the Junior Minister of Rites, Yuwen Shiji, but he really had no use for him, so he just asked casually: "The Xiaoguo Army wants to return to Guanzhong, what do you think of the Imperial Guards?"

Linghu Xingda bowed humbly and said, "I obeyed your orders and followed the general's instructions to protect you. I didn't think about anything else."

"Go back." Shen Guang appeared behind Linghu Xingda without knowing when, "If you have nothing to do, don't come to see me."

Li Shimin did not speak. After he left, he said, "Isn't he Yuwen Shiji's man?"

"Yu Wenzhi's people."

Li Shimin laughed: "There are only three brothers in the Yuwen family, and they are still not of one mind."

After saying that, Li Shimin clenched his fists and said, "How is it, has it started? If it goes on any longer, there won't be many battles for me to fight. Sigh, I shouldn't have come to Jiangdu."

If possible, he would rather stay in Chang'an or Taiyuan. In Chang'an, he would lead his troops westward to capture Longxi, Tianshui and other counties. If he stayed in Taiyuan, he could compete with the Turks.

It's better than doing these things in Jiangdu that he is not good at and doesn't like. If it weren't for his family mission that prevented him from giving up a key place like Jiangdu, and if it weren't for the fact that the Xiaoguo Army was so enviable, he would have run away long ago.

………………

(End of this chapter)