Chapter 975 Talk

Chapter 975 Talk

Chapter 975 Talk
In the chilly autumn wind, a group of captives arrived in Luoyang.

The others were sent to Bianliang and incorporated into labor service, but Shi Le and more than a hundred of his close associates were retained and detained in Shao Garden in the west of the capital.

On the fifth day of October, Shao Xun arrived at Shao Garden accompanied by his personal troops and interrogated Shi Le. The rest of the people were taken away by Dali Qing Shao Fan and their heads were displayed to the public after the trial.

Although it was called a trial, in fact Da Hu was treated very well.

After being uncuffed, fed, bathed, and given new clothes, I felt much more energetic.

When Shao Xun arrived, he only raised his eyelids slightly, then continued to squint his eyes, enjoying the warm sunshine.

"It's the first time I've seen you in twenty years." Shao Xun sat opposite Shi Le with a smile on his face. He waved his hand and asked his personal soldiers to pour tea for the two of them.

Only then did Shi Le look at Shao Xun seriously.

A proud warrior!

Yes, it's a warrior.

The warrior's aura cannot be hidden and can be seen at a glance. Even though he is dressed no differently from a scholar, the way he looks at people, the tone of his voice, the expression on his face, his subconscious body movements, and his personality and temper instantly distinguish him from those who spend their whole lives calculating gains and losses and plotting conspiracies.

They are from two completely different worlds.

Shi Le smelled a kindred spirit in Shao Xun, so he raised his head and looked at the man squarely.

"The King of Liang is extraordinary." Shi Le said.

"Da Hu, you are not an ordinary person." Shao Xun said, "It has been more than 20 years. Do you regret it?"

"Having come to this point, I have no regrets," Shi Le said.

"Why?"

"I used to farm in Wuxiang, but the government was corrupt and tyrannical, and they captured and sold the Hu people into slavery. There were also natural disasters year after year, and it was really hard to survive. If I hadn't rebelled, I would have been a dead bone in the grave. If I rebelled, even if I was defeated in the end, I could still live another 20 years. Isn't that wonderful?"

"You are right." Shao Xun said with a smile, "If I were a Jie slave from Wuxiang, I would also rise up in rebellion. There is no other reason, I just can't survive."

Shi Le also laughed.

The two men started out in different ways, but ended up in the same place: they were both traitors, but one rebelled outside the system, while the other started a new business within it.

It turned out that the aristocratic families were too powerful and that rebellion outside the system was not feasible.

Qi Wannian, Zhang Chang, Shi Bing, Liu Borgen, and Ji Sang were all wiped out, and various refugee leaders were incorporated one after another, and none of them succeeded.

In the end, Shi Le had no choice but to surrender to the Huns.

To a certain extent, Liu Yuan was also starting a new business within the system, but Shao Xun had to start a new business, while Liu Yuanhai could directly inherit a relatively complete business.

"What happened when we were in a stalemate with Sima Hu and Gou Xi at the Yellow River?" Shao Xun asked.

Shi Le did not answer at first and drank a sip of tea.

Upon seeing this, Shao Xun ordered his personal soldiers to bring a few plates of snacks and fruits.

Shi Le didn't hesitate to eat it. He was very calm and composed, and it was obvious that he had let go of everything.

After eating and drinking to their heart's content, Shi Le wiped his mouth with his sleeve and said, "At that time, the fighting power of the troops was very weak and chaotic. Ji Sang only knew how to let the soldiers burn, kill and plunder to boost morale, but when facing the Yuzhou troops of Sima Hu and Gou Xi, they still felt quite exhausted. They always relied on cavalry to repel the Jin troops and save the crisis."

"At that time, the Jie people of Shangdang, Wuhuan, and Wuhuan of Jizhou were all lured here by Ji Sang. Halfway through the battle, they found that there was no profit to be gained. The Wuhuan of Pingyuan were the first to disperse, followed by the Wuhuan of Julu, Anping, etc. Without these soldiers, they were eventually defeated by Gou Xi."

"Thinking about it now, it seems like a dream. Were Gou Xi's troops strong?" Shi Le shook his head and laughed, "They were a mess. It's just that my army was also a rookie at that time and was not very capable of fighting. After fighting for a long time, both sides made many mistakes. Gou Xi made fewer mistakes and won in the end, that's all."

Shao Xun hummed and said, "This is a true insight. How about the time at Yemagang?"

Shi Le looked at Shao Xun for a long time before he said, "I just regret that most of the cavalry were called up at short notice. When they saw something was wrong, they conserved their strength and fled. If they were willing to fight to the death, even if they still failed in the end, it might not be so tragic."

At this point, he sighed again and said, "This is the first time I have gathered so many troops in one place. I feel that we are much stronger than before. We have corrected many of the mistakes we often made in the past. The army is well-organized and the combat power has greatly increased, so I want to have a fight."

"You are better at training and leading troops than me, as if you were born with the knowledge. You are also better at boosting morale and seizing opportunities, as if you were born into a military family. My defeat is not unfair."

"Da Hu is really a sober man." Shao Xun clapped his hands and laughed, inviting him to eat winter dates.

The fighting capacity of Shi Le's troops during the Battle of Yemagang was certainly much stronger than that of Jisang. The habits of bandits were gradually eliminated, and the aura of regular army became stronger. However, on the eve of this transformation, their backbone was broken by a battle.

At that time, Shi Le's appeal among the Hu people was on the rise. He could at least summon 20,000 to 30,000 cavalrymen, but they were not necessarily willing to fight to the death for him. The chiefs could leave at will and had a high degree of freedom.

But if he were to win the Battle of Yemagang, his prestige would greatly increase, and his influence on the various tribes would be strengthened. He might even be able to lure a large number of Hu people to settle in Hebei and actually control them.

In this way, the situation of fleeing upon hearing the news when the situation is unfavorable, like in the Battle of Yemagang, will be greatly reduced, or even impossible.

The construction of an army and a political power is a long-term, systematic project that cannot be accomplished overnight and is full of variables. Shi Le could only lament that he had bad luck.

"The various Hu people who were attached to you in the past are now mostly attached to me. What do you have to say?" Shao Xun asked again.

"You are from Jin, I am from Jie. I cannot do what you can do." Shi Le said. "Why?"

"I am a small tribe that is bullying a big country. The elders of Hebei are all suspicious and afraid. In a time of urgency, I cannot return to my country." Shi Le sighed, "If I don't treat the Hu people well, I will not be able to please both sides. But in this way, the elders of Hebei will become more and more alienated. If I can have 20 years, I may be able to slowly plan it, but in this era of great strife, how can it be so easy?"

"Although you are of humble origin, you are still a Jin person, and you hold an official position in the Jin court. The nobles on both sides of the river will naturally be close to you, which will save you a lot of trouble."

"After my defeat, the Hu people lost their courage and became depressed. All they wanted was to have enough food and clothing. You are a man of courage and generosity. You treat the Han and the Hu equally. Why don't the Hu people submit to you? Are you waiting to die?"

"You have been quite a person in the past twenty years, Dahu. You have learned a lot." Shao Xun said with a smile, "Now the northern land is completely pacified, only Xiliang has not been conquered. In your opinion, how does it compare to Cao Mengde in the late Han Dynasty?"

"I heard about Cao Mengde when I was in Ye. He was not as good at fighting as you at first, but his family background and reputation were better than yours." Shi Le said, "After returning home, he recruited 5,000 soldiers in a short time, and also had the support of the Caos and Xiahou. Your family is far inferior to him."

"You can only rely on powerful families and seductive women to support thousands of soldiers. After Cao Mengde's army was annihilated, he can still go to Danyang to recruit soldiers. If it doesn't work once, you can do it twice. If your army is annihilated, there is no possibility of rising again. You are indeed more powerful than Cao Mengde, but your family is not as good as Cao's. Maybe in ten years, the second generation of your Shaoliang Dynasty will perish. By then, you and I will meet under the dark soil, and I will laugh at you."

The surrounding soldiers glared at him after hearing this.

After hearing this, Shao Xun laughed so hard that he couldn't stop.

He thought Shi Le had completely let it go and was neither sad nor happy, but after hearing this, he discovered that he still had hatred in his heart.

"I am originally a scholar from the East Sea. If it were a peaceful time, I would be a slave and a maid, with no chance of success. At the age of forty, I would be old and sick. At the age of fifty, I would be a rolled-up rush mat and thrown on a hill. No one would know me, no one would understand me, and no one would miss me."

"If war breaks out, I will be conscripted by Sima Mao or Sima Yue, and wander among the ditches. A hail of arrows, a basin of boiling water, or a jar of golden juice will make me wail miserably, and I will die without a burial place."

"Now I am in Henan, and I have heroes from all over the country at my command. I have the support of the noble families. The rulers of distant countries come to pay homage to me, and the most beautiful women in the world compete to serve me. Isn't this a big profit?"

"Life is but a dream, how can you not see the light of day?"

"Besides, my ambitions are beyond your comprehension. Big Hu - it's time to get going."

When Shi Le heard this, his hand paused slightly, but he quickly calmed down, picked up the tea bowl and started drinking as if no one was around.

After the tea was finished, the general Huang Zheng brought a wine pot and poured a glass of wine for Shi Le.

The wine is slightly yellow in color, like gold, and contains some suspended matter, so it is called "gold dust wine".

The so-called "gold flakes" are not real gold, they just look like it.

In fact, this was the product of Taoist alchemy. Shao Xun suspected that the suspended substance in it was an arsenic metal, so it has been used to sentence ministers and concubines to death since the Cao Wei Dynasty.

"Your son Hong lives in Luoyang and studies all day long. No one will harm him, so you don't have to worry." Shao Xun looked at Shi Le and said.

Shi Le was silent for a long time, then said with emotion: "The King of Liang is so magnanimous, no one can match him."

Shao Xun nodded, stood up and left.

Shi Le looked at the gold-dust wine on the table, his hands trembling slightly.

Huang Zheng stood aside holding the knife, not urging anyone, just waiting quietly.

When Shi Le's hand touched the wine glass, it miraculously stabilized.

After a moment, he closed his eyes, grabbed the glass, and drank it all.

When Shao Xun returned to the General's Mansion in Luoyang, he received the news that Shi Le had died.

At this time, news came from the west.

Governor Jin Zheng led his troops to attack Yang Nandi and his brothers. Yang Jian was wounded and fled back, but he defended the city. Two months later, his injuries worsened and he died. The rest of the troops fled to Wudu, and Yinping was recovered.

Yang Nandi used the terrain to resist stubbornly in Wudu, making it difficult for the army to conquer it. Due to the rugged mountains, lack of food supplies, and the cold weather, the various tribes did not want to fight anymore, and Jin Zheng finally ordered a withdrawal.

Before leaving, he plundered and captured 3,000 households of Di and Qiang people, forcibly relocated them. The second war against the Di and Qiang in Qiuchi ended.

After the royal army retreated, Yang Nandi was unable to pursue and could only send envoys to Chang'an to request surrender.

After reading it, Shao Xun gave an order to Jin Zheng: summon Yang Nandi to the court. If he is willing to come, give him an official position; if he is unwilling, continue to conquer him after the founding of the country until he is completely defeated.

As it was in the west, the war in the south also ended.

With the help of the imperial army, Le Kai defeated the vanguard of Tao Kan's troops in a field battle, and then besieged Xiangyang and destroyed three of its outer defense cities.

But in the end they failed to capture it and had to withdraw their troops.

Tao Kan sent troops to pursue, but they were repelled by the hostage army, and more than a thousand heads were beheaded. The army then returned safely.

The Di and Qiang tribes in Runan were also defeated by the Yicong Army, the Yinqiang Zuoying, the Zhongying and the Di soldiers who came south from Fangtou. Shao Xun took the opportunity to order the beheading of all the nobles of the tribe and the registration of the rest as civilians.

On the eve of the founding of the People's Republic of China, the smoke of war in various places gradually stopped, as if they were all waiting for something.

On the eighth day of October, a large group of officials left the Taiji Hall and went to the General's Mansion to read out the fourth abdication edict issued by the Jin Emperor.

(End of this chapter)