Chapter 99: The Heroic Guardian
Chapter 99: The Heroic Guardian
In late autumn, the dew is cold and the grass is withered and yellow.
On the post road leading to Hanoi, flags were fluttering and the military was majestic.
Every once in a while, the people who went north to welcome the emperor could always hear continuous drumbeats.
It may not be clear at first, but now we know that it is the signal for the soldiers to organize their formation and continue moving forward.
Shao Xun was not afraid of trouble when it came to commanding his troops. Even in this vast expanse of wilderness, even if there were no enemies, the thousands of soldiers still strictly followed military orders, meticulously and methodically.
Walking in the center were nearly 600 soldiers of the Silver Spear Army.
They may not be as good at fighting as Wang Guozhong's army, but they are diligent, obedient, and resolute in executing orders. This is the result of countless beatings after joining the army, and it is also a reflection of Shao Xun's prestige.
In the Silver Spear Army formation, Mi Huang and Wang Yan rode side by side, and Shao Xun lagged slightly behind by half a horse's length.
Behind him were Yu Liang, Xu Lang, Wang Dun and others.
Yu Liang's father Yu Chen also came.
This was a special invitation from Shao Xun, and later when the emperor was welcomed, he was able to sit in the front row and become a familiar face.
Yu Chen had mixed feelings about this.
He knew Shao Xun meant well. With his current position, if he could serve the emperor well, he could easily be appointed as a governor - this was what he had always wanted.
But he also knew that things were not that simple.
Shao Xun is an ambitious man, and he is planning to take advantage of him.
This prefect was most likely not in the Jiangnan region that he had been longing for, but in the north, which made him a little hesitant.
However, the post of governor of Wudi may not be obtained, as there are too many scholars who are frustrated with the current situation and are eyeing it. If I can become the governor of a large county in the Central Plains, I will be happy.
Yu Chen kept thinking like this all the way, with a lot on his mind.
Hu Wu Fuzhi was sitting on an ox cart, and from time to time he turned his eyes to Shao Xun who was riding a horse.
He is still a little worried.
After Yecheng was captured, the prince had nowhere to go.
To the west is Bingzhou, to the east is Qingzhou, and to the north is Youzhou, forming a siege on three sides.
To be honest, he really had only one way to go south to Luoyang. But this road was far from safe. If Sima Yue had the intention to kill him, Sima Jue and Sima Yi would be the lesson for the younger brother.
For now, the only thing they could do was hope that Sima Yue would have some shame, and that Mi Huang and Shao Xun were not the kind of people who would seek personal gain, and would save their younger brother's life. If that didn't work, they would have to flee west to Chang'an to see if the Prime Minister Sima Yong would take him in.
Yu Liang and Xu Lang were more excited.
Sima Ying hurriedly fled south, and the emperor returned to Luoyang, which meant the complete victory of the King of Donghai.
As part of the shogunate, they all have a bright future, and nothing can be more exciting than this.
As for Wang Dun, it doesn't matter.
His family background meant that he didn't need to do anything as pretentious as welcome the emperor.
With my brother here, just wait for the exile. No matter what merits you have, don't even think of competing with me, unless the King of the East Sea doesn't need my brother to help him decorate the court.
But how is this possible!
Can a court without famous scholars and talented people still be a court? I'm afraid it will be ridiculed by others.
So, he was very calm and just wanted to follow along today to see the fun.
Son of Heaven, that's all.
Who can't take over when the opportunity comes?
We traveled north for several days and soon arrived at the banks of the magnificent Yellow River.
"Stop!" The messenger rode south quickly and shouted.
"Stop! Wait until the drum sounds." The messenger deliberately slowed down the horse and gave instructions along the way.
Wang Dun snorted coldly.
Did Shao Xun treat so many officials and ministers as soldiers?
You have such a big face.
He wanted to keep going, but the carriage in front had stopped. Wang Dun could only get off the carriage cursing and plan to see what was going on.
Mi Huang, Shao Xun and Wang Yan climbed up a high slope next to the ferry.
As far as the eye can see, both sides of the river are desolate and there is no trace of human beings.
The once prosperous ferry may not have welcomed any business travelers for some time.
As far as the eye can see, the outline of a dock appears vaguely.
In the autumn wind, there were intermittent sounds of bells. That was the warning from the fort. They might have mistaken them for first-class bandits.
Sometimes, soldiers and officers are indeed almost the same as bandits.
Footsteps were heard, and Hu Wu Fuzhi climbed up the hill panting, saying, "The messenger reported that the emperor was in Wen County yesterday to pay respect to the mausoleum. He will set off today and will be able to cross the river tomorrow or the day after tomorrow."
The "messenger" is naturally the messenger of the Crown Prince.
Shao Xun recalled what happened more than half a year ago. At that time, Sima Ying was full of vigor and vitality. He left 50,000 soldiers to guard Luoyang and returned to Yecheng to dominate the government, trying to control the government remotely.
To be fair, Jizhou is indeed the strongest among all the towns.
Until the Tang Dynasty, Hebei was the most populous and prosperous place in the country.
Qinghe silk is world-famous and is listed as the first-grade silk.
There are countless families that pass down poetry and literature, or even families that are both good at literature and swordsmanship.
The Yongji Canal directly connects to Youzhou, greatly promoting commerce.
The Beizhou warehouse stored countless money, grain, armor and weapons, and was known as the "Northern Treasury of the World".
But even if you own such a prime location, you will still be doomed if you don't handle politics well.
Sima Ying seemed to have learned the lessons of Sima Lun, Sima Jiong and Sima Yi, because after he won the battle, he quickly left Luoyang and returned to Yecheng.
But it seemed that he did not absorb it, because he became the prime minister and the crown prince, controlling the government in Yecheng and was the target of public criticism.
Otherwise, even if they were brothers from the same bloodline, Sima Yue might not be able to convince Sima Hu, Sima Teng and others to help him.
Politics is a profound subject.
"Is the emperor in trouble?" Mi Huang looked at Hu Wu Fuzhi and asked.
Now everyone knows that the emperor borrowed money to eat and understands the situation of this group of people.
There were more than a hundred guards, most of whom were defeated soldiers in Yecheng.
There were more than a hundred princes, ministers, and their families, and this was the number of people who fled from Yecheng. After Sima Ying left, the defenders of Yecheng were defeated, and Wang Jun's army attacked, burning, killing, and looting along the way. Some princes, ministers, and Yefu staff who were late to the party fled with their families, and some of them joined the emperor's escape team, which now had swelled to several hundred. The three thousand coins borrowed by the emperor were only enough for him and his entourage to eat, and the others had to find their own way.
After running away for so long, life must be very difficult.
This time, Hu Wu Fuzhi brought back some money, but it was just enough to help him out.
"Your Majesty..." Hu Wufuzhi showed a look of pity on his face, and said, "Wang Jun has already attacked Yecheng, and the soldiers and the people plundered violently, and many people died. He also sent the Wuhuan chieftain Jie Zhu to lead troops to pursue, but they returned to Chaoge. The emperor was in a hurry and lost his shoes. When he arrived in Wen County to pay homage to the mausoleum, he had to borrow shoes from his followers. Alas!"
When everyone heard this, they looked at each other.
Wang Jun really did not intend to let Sima Ying go. After capturing Yecheng, he sent Wuhuan cavalry to pursue him all the way to Chaoge County.
This county is located in Ji County, not close to Yecheng. He really hated Sima Ying for chasing him so far.
Perhaps this was the main reason why Sima Ying decided to escape.
If he stayed in Hebei and fell into Wang Jun's hands, even if Sima Yue did not want to kill him, Wang Jun would not give Sima Yue face and would definitely kill him as soon as possible.
In addition, the fact that the emperor lost his shoes can also indirectly confirm the intensity of Wang Jun's pursuit.
The shoes are gone...
"Sima Shao." Mi Huang turned around and said.
"exist."
"You will lead your troops across the river immediately to welcome the emperor." Mi Huang ordered, "We will set up ceremonial guards and music in Fupingjin to welcome the emperor."
"Yes." Shao Xun agreed immediately without hesitation.
Mi Huang was acting prudently. What if Wang Jun failed to catch him the first time and sent troops to chase him a second time? Especially since the emperor was still staying in Wen County to pay respect to the mausoleum, it was inevitable that Wang Jun would have some ideas.
You have to know that Sima Teng and Wang Jun only went to war at the invitation of the prime minister. They were not the prime minister's subordinates, but just allies. Even brothers have to settle accounts, let alone Wang Jun, an outsider.
Sikong had no ability to restrain Wang Jun and could only give suggestions.
Sima Ying would be fine, but if the emperor was kidnapped by Wang Jun, it would be a big trouble.
Shao Xun did not delay. He immediately selected the teaching team and four troops from Wang Guozhong’s army, totaling more than 2,500 people, and headed north along the pontoon bridge towards Wen County.
******
The wind gradually became stronger.
On the uncovered carriage, Emperor Sima Zhong hugged a thin blanket, feeling sad.
very hungry!
There should be someone pounding rice in Luoyang now, right?
No, I want to eat marrow cake! I haven't eaten it for a long time, and I miss it very much.
Sima Zhong swallowed his saliva and raised his head to look at the road ahead.
"Minister Gu." he shouted.
"I'm here." Gu Rong, who was riding a horse beside him, responded.
"How many days will it take to reach Luoyang?"
"Three days at most." Gu Rong replied.
Sima Zhong felt relieved for a moment, and then asked again: "In Luoyang - are there any loyal ministers like Minister Ji?"
Gu Rong was silent for a moment, then replied, "All under heaven belongs to the king, and all the people in the land are his subjects. Your Majesty, what is there to worry about?"
Sima Zhong didn't believe it.
Who shot arrows at the imperial chariot?
Who made me spend the night in a bean field, screaming with hunger?
Who forced me to charge forward and get shot by three arrows?
Gu Rong knew that the emperor didn't believe it.
Even a fool can't be fooled by this kind of thing!
Fortunately, the emperor is kind and will not pursue his obvious crime of deceiving the emperor.
"Minister Gu." Sima Zhong shouted again.
"The minister is here."
"Are there any more cakes?"
"No more." Gu Rong sighed. He was also very hungry.
When we were in Wen County, some elders sent us some food, but it was not enough for everyone to share.
The younger brother of the emperor, Hu Wufuzhi, brought some money and silk to meet the emperor, and then bought some food from a neighboring manor, which he ate this morning.
Everyone is hungry now...
Sima Zhong lowered his head in disappointment.
He was hungry, his feet were worn and he was a little cold. The wounds on his body were aching. He wanted to fly to Luoyang immediately. Even if there was something, he had to fill his stomach first.
The sound of horse hooves could be heard in the distance.
Before Sima Zhong could react, Gu Rong's face changed drastically.
The officials and ministers who accompanied him were in an uproar, and many of them looked uneasy.
Sima Ying, the crown prince's younger brother, rode up from behind and asked loudly, "Where did the cavalry come from?"
"Don't worry, brother. Those coming over the ferry should be soldiers from Luoyang." Fei Li replied loudly.
Sima Ying nodded and put her heart back in her stomach.
Fei Li led dozens of riders forward, ready to intercept and question them.
This gentleman is from Nan'an, Qianwei.
His father, Fei Shi, served as the Grand Counselor of Shu Han after Zhuge Liang's death, and later as the Prefect of Baxi of Jin.
Fei Licha was a filial and honest official and entered the government as the lieutenant of Chengdu State. He was always by Sima Ying's side.
Later, he served as the magistrate of Chengdu County and the governor of Liang, Yi and Ning three states. After a tour, he returned to Yefu.
The sound of horse hooves was getting closer and closer, and Fei Li became nervous.
He squinted his eyes and looked forward, his hand already grasping the halberd.
At this moment, a loud shout suddenly came from behind: "That's my hero who protects me! He has golden armor!"
Fei Li was stunned.
(End of this chapter)