Chapter 154 Freedom

Chapter 154 Freedom

Chapter 154 Freedom
The military order was to withdraw troops by the end of September, but Shao Xun actually delayed until the last day.

The man who came to take over the defense of Chang'an was named Liang Liu.

This gentleman is from Tianshui, and is Huangfu Mi's cousin. He once served as the prefect of Chengyang, and is currently the Taibei Taibao.

The Huangfu family really has a blood feud with Sima Yong.

Not to mention Huangfu Shang, he was killed by Sima Yong on the way.

Huangfu Zhong held Qinzhou firmly, but the city was finally captured.

As their in-laws, the Liang family, like the Huangfu family, has always been loyal to the court and is a rare loyal minister.

Considering his status as the younger brother and the guardian, it is quite interesting.

As a political force, is Crown Prince Sima Chi so eager to seize power?

Taifu, you are really something. Now everyone dares to play tricks on you.

But Shao Xun was also a little worried about Liang Liu because he only brought a few dozen people with him.

The soldiers guarding Guanzhong were either the surrendered people who were taken in, or provided by the gentry and powerful families. It was not known whether he had the ability to integrate this group of troops. In any case, the imperial guards would not be left to him, and no imperial guards were willing to stay in Chang'an.

The last fleet transporting grain left three days earlier than the imperial guards, carrying about 200,000 hu. Probably more than half of it would be able to reach Jinmenwu in the end. If one is careful and doesn't fall off too many cliffs, maybe 60% to 70% would be left.

Liang Liu almost fought with Shao Xun over this batch of grain.

Unfortunately, he had few soldiers and the morale of the army was unstable, so he had no choice but to accept it.

It's not his fault. If we were to say where disasters were most frequent, it would be Guanzhong and Bingzhou, where the population had declined terribly. It was understandable that Liang Liu was concerned about food.

On the way back, Shao Xun continued to draw maps, and sometimes he would ride on horseback to another place with his personal followers for a short staff trip.

The troops were handed over to Li Chong.

When attacking and killing the Xianbei cavalry, Li Chong led his troops from Luziyuan, entered Pingshuo Gate, and attacked the Imperial Palace and the Eastern Palace. He advanced and retreated in an orderly manner and commanded well. He was better than those who just rushed forward with passion.

In mid-October, the army passed Tongguan and continued on its way. Shao Xun sent people to Wenxi.

On the 22nd, he arrived at Hongnong County and socialized with the new governor Pei Yi.

The Pei family has been operating more frequently in the past one or two years.

First, Pei Zheng was appointed governor of Henei, then Pei Yi was appointed governor of Hongnong. It is said that he is trying to push Pei Chun to be governor of Xingyang. Considering the Right Guard General Pei Kuo who has more than 16,000 soldiers, what is the Pei family trying to do? Rebellion?
On the 27th, we arrived at Shanxian County.

On the eighth day of the eleventh month, when heavy snow fell in Luoyang, the imperial troops who had gone out to fight finally returned home.

I left in May and came back in November, a full six months.

Fortunately, I didn’t fight too many battles, otherwise I might not be able to come back this year.

In the streets and alleys of Luoyang, people looked curiously at the soldiers who were entering the city.

An elegant person sat upstairs, fanning himself with a feather fan and chatting and laughing in the snow.

"Whose fault is it that a tiger and a rhinoceros escaped from their cage?" someone asked.

"What you said is too much. What's wrong with killing the Xianbei?" someone retorted.

"The Xianbei were soldiers and generals hired by China and North Korea. Wouldn't it be a breach of trust if we killed them? China and North Korea are great countries. Do they still have integrity?"

"Faithfulness - but there are some people who take the lead in not speaking up, right?"

"Shut up and drink your tea."

"That's right. This tea is good."

Although everyone kept silent, their eyes were all on the soldiers on the street.

I don’t know if it’s an illusion, but the Imperial Guards seem to be different from before.

Those with good memories thought about it and thought that the Imperial Army seemed to have been formed in April or May of the year before last. At that time, there were more than 10,000 people, mainly from the East Sea Kingdom Army. And that East Sea Kingdom Army had only a few thousand people at the beginning.

Later, a lot of fleeing soldiers were recruited, mainly veteran soldiers from the Luoyang Central Army, and new soldiers were recruited to form the current imperial guards.

The mixture of veterans and rookies is the background color of this imperial army.

Now it seems that the veterans are still veterans, but the newcomers are a little different and have matured a lot.

Those who were knowledgeable about military affairs secretly thought that if this imperial army of more than 30,000 infantry and cavalry were trained well for another year or two, or even sent out to fight a few battles, they would become even stronger.

Although they are not as good as the Luoyang Imperial Guards before the Battle of Dangyin, they are not something that anyone can look down upon.

Thinking of this, they secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Gentlemen, please don't act recklessly.

If the new imperial guards that we have nurtured with great difficulty are destroyed by you, who will defend Luoyang in the future?

The army marched slowly and stationed in various military camps.

Everyone watched for a long time, until the last battalion passed by, then they looked away.

To be honest, people didn't look down on these warriors before.

But now, don’t mention anything. The war year after year is so depressing.

It's ok for the nobles and the rich, but the lower-class scholars like them are the most hurt, and they really have no right to hate the military strategists. No matter what, you still have to rely on others for protection.

******
After returning to the Jinyong City garrison, Shao Xun immediately summoned all the key officers.

He planned to send some people to help them bring their families over.

This is a long-term project that may take a year.

After the people were taken over, they were temporarily placed in various docks, as there were still vacant rooms there. They would be resettled together after they were officially moved to Liang County next year.

Everyone has no objection.

At this point, we all know what the situation in the world is like.

Some places are not in chaos now, but they will become chaotic sooner or later.

In troubled times, nothing can be trusted except the swords and guns in your hands. It is most appropriate to bring your family to your side and put them under your own armed protection.

After the troops dispersed, Shao Xun climbed to the top of Jinyong City and overlooked the entire Luoyang.

Jinyong City is going to be given up.

He will leave Luoyang and go to Liang County in the south, to observe the situation and wait for the right time to act.

Sima Yue also returned to Luoyang.

From now on, he will try to strengthen his control over the court and the army, and step by step make up for the lost year and seven months.

This nineteen-month gap was really fatal to Sima Yue.

Now I don't know how much it will cost to make up for it, or even that it will never be made up. Shao Xun could tell from Liang Liu's departure to Chang'an that the crown prince Sima Chi was not a pushover. He had his own plans, his own ideas, and his own ambitions.

Sima Yue made a mistake in appointing this man as the crown prince.

In the next few days, Shao Xun asked people to prepare some gifts, and he would visit the families one by one, such as the Mi family, the Cao family, the Yu family, the Xu family, the Pan family, the He family, etc.

He would not go to the Grand Tutor's Mansion in person, although he really wanted to meet Concubine Pei.

I can’t go to the palace now.

He was about to go to Liang County, and to be honest, at this moment, he could no longer suppress some of the feelings in his heart.

He had never even touched Queen Yang's hand.

He knew that this was courting death, and there was a high possibility that Queen Yang would turn against him, even though she had once seduced him.

But people can't always be rational. Since they are about to leave, they want to be bold and touch Queen Yang's hand and put their arms around Concubine Pei's waist...

Suddenly a cold wind blew and snowflakes hit my face.

Shao Xun woke up.

If I had an army of 100,000, Queen Yang and Concubine Pei would both become the mothers of my children. Unfortunately, I don't have any now, so I can only fantasize about it.

This damn young body is full of energy.

He turned around, went down the city wall, and began to write his teaching plan at his desk.

After finishing his work in Luoyang, it was already late November, and he quietly left Jinyong City.

On the first day of December, a carriage left Jingu Garden.

Le quietly lifted the car curtain and looked at the snow scene outside.

A warrior in golden armor rode his horse beside her. He turned his head to look at her and smiled.

Le didn't have any special reaction, as if you could treat her as transparent, or go to the other extreme and accept anything you did to her.

Snowflakes drifted into the car.

She carefully put down her zither, stretched out her left hand, and let a snowflake fall into her palm and slowly melt.

The snow is as simple and elegant as pear blossoms, and as quiet as the crystallization of all the pure and beautiful things in the world.

At the same time, it was a bit cold and desolate, which made her empathize and feel sorry for herself.

Shao Xun took a glance and found that the Princess Taidi had a somewhat sad and artistic vibe.

He has been controlling his thoughts these days and hasn't been impatient.

He is now a gourmet with a discerning taste.

To prepare delicious prey, you must slowly condition it and, after the desired effect is achieved, slaughter and cook it to obtain the ultimate taste.

In short, every meal must have its own unique flavor, so that after a full meal, he can still savor the aftertaste and gain spiritual satisfaction.

"Under the heavy snow, there are no birds or animals, and the population is deserted." Shao Xun suddenly said.

Le looked at him first, then at the silent snowfield in the distance. It was endless, with nothing but white snow, empty, just like her mood at the moment.

"When spring comes, the snow melts, and the grass and trees are lush and the flowers are in bloom beside the mountains, rivers, forests and meadows," Shao Xun said again.

Le imagined it unconsciously and a slight smile appeared on the corner of his mouth.

"There are also skylarks flying on the branches and wandering among the flowers, unrestrained and free." Shao Xun continued: "Amid the blue sky and clear water, indulging in joy and overlooking the beauty of the world, it can be said to be bliss."

Le looked at him.

Once upon a time, she was such an innocent girl who loved to play in the garden and woods.

When she grew up, many people came to ask her to do this and that.

After getting married, although her husband treated her well, she always felt that she was becoming more and more constrained.

The father-in-law and mother-in-law were from the royal family. Although they had passed away, the solemn and dignified atmosphere in the palace always made her unconsciously suppress her nature and behave in a law-abiding manner.

Once, she, who was always good-tempered, even got angry at her maid.

From then on, she was always worried that if she continued to live like this, sooner or later, she would lose the last trace of her gentleness, softness, kindness and compassion, and become the image of many older women in the large Nanyang Le family.

Yun Que's happiness is indeed not something that someone like her can easily enjoy.

"Come." Shao Xun stretched out his hand.

Le looked at him in confusion, not understanding what was going on.

Shao Xun didn't want her to answer. He leaned over, picked up Le's soft body, and held it in his arms, placing it in front of him.

He squeezed his legs against the horse's belly, the horse neighed, and galloped across the snow at lightning speed.

There was a whistling cold wind beside my ears.

Le was a little stiff at first, but after a while, he felt that the unhappiness that had been pent up in his heart for a long time had dissipated a lot.

She relaxed and even reached out her hand to catch the snowflakes blowing in her direction. A long-lost smile appeared on her face.

For some reason, she suddenly thought of Yang Xianrong.

A person is trapped in the cold and lonely palace, facing the threat of death from time to time, like a bird in a cage, or even more like a pig or sheep in a pen waiting to be slaughtered.

At this moment, Le understood the look in Yang Xianrong's eyes when he looked at her for the last time. It was envy, envy for freedom.

Le sighed softly.

Holding this soldier in her arms, she might be defeated in the future, but at this moment, she was enjoying the happiness of a lark.

This person was not vulgar in his speech and not cruel in his behavior. He was keenly aware of her hidden emotions and tried to find a way to relieve her.

It's not too bad if it falls into his hands.

On the rest of the journey, Shao Xun sometimes took Le on horseback rides and sometimes took her on foot, slowly explaining the nearby mountains and rivers.

Occasionally, there was even talk of winter hunting.

Le was wearing a warm fur coat, which Shao Xun had found while hunting. He wanted to give it to Concubine Pei, but he lost the chance.

Le didn't know the twists and turns, but when she heard it, her heart was still slightly moved.

When they were almost at Jinmenwu, she suddenly said, "Some time ago, Lu Zhi, the former Sima of Ye Prefecture, came to visit Jingu Garden, but he left without seeing the general. He left me a letter with his address in Beijing..."

"Oh?" Shao Xun looked at Le in surprise.

Le avoided his gaze.

(End of this chapter)