Chapter 311 The Road to the South (Twenty-Six)

Outside Luzhou City, Liu Chengtong always mingled with the Dangxiang cavalry and cavalry in the military camp outside the city every day. Liu Chengtong always ordered all the Dangxiang cavalry to dismount and arrange them neatly on the frozen playground, one moment before, one moment after, one moment after, one moment left, and one moment right.

The Dangxiang cavalry did not understand Zhongyuan, which caused a lot of trouble on the battlefield with Zhongyuan as the command system. In the Battle of Cizhou, they almost missed the opportunity to fight due to different languages. In addition, Hou Dayong insisted on issuing orders in Zhongyuan dialect. Therefore, during these days, Liu Chengtong trained these brave and good-for-war Dangxiang cavalry on the training ground every day to let these Dangxiang cavalry understand these Central Plains commands. It was a painful thing. They always looked dizzy in front of the front, back, left and right direction words.

Liu Chengtong's personal guards looked at the stupid appearance of the Dangxiang cavalry and showed ridicule many times, which made Fang Dangxiang camp's deputy commander Zhi Jin quite dissatisfied. He found an opportunity to gather all the hundreds of Liu Chengtong's personal guards together, teach them Dangxiangyu for a long time, and then let these guards listen to the Dangxiangyu command to make various tactical actions. As a result, the Black Eagle Army guards also made strange and ridiculous actions.

With this change of position, the Black Eagle Army soldiers no longer laughed at the Dangxiang Soldiers. However, Hou Dayong's strict orders were still implemented in the Dangxiang Soldiers. Gradually, the Dangxiang Soldiers could basically understand the Black Eagle Army's command. However, it was not easy to form a conditioned reflex that would not be thoughtful after hearing the order. It required the slow effort of dripping water to wear away the stone.

One morning, Liu Chengtong came to the playground as usual. His nose was red from the cold, and he was still making a loud call in high spirits: "The front team changed to the back team." A group of clumsy Dangxiang cavalrymen who had dismounted their horses were chaotic for a long time, and then the simple tactical movements of the Black Eagle Army were completed.

While resting, Liu Chengtong, who was sweating on his head, sat on the side of the playground, drinking the milk of the Dangxiang people's commonly used land. A rider rushed from the direction of Luzhou City. He had a slogan flag in his body, and the red flag was blown straight by the wind.

Liu Chengtong was shocked. This red flag was used to convey important military information and was not commonly used. "Is there another rebellion of the military governor?" Liu Chengtong was puzzled. The commander had dismounted in front of Liu Chengtong and said, "General Liu, Shi Shuai's secret order."

After reading the secret letter, Liu Chengtong walked to a fire pit outside the training ground, placed the secret letter in the fire pit and burned it. Then he looked up at Luzhou City, and said to Fang Dang Zhijin who came to his side: "I'm going back to Daliang." Fang Dang Zhijin could understand the words of Zhongyuan, and he and Liu Chengtong had already passed the running-in period. The two established basic feelings and trust. When Liu Chengtong was about to leave, he hurriedly said: "General Liu is gone, what should Dangxiangying do?" Liu Chengyong smiled a little, "The newly arrived general of the Dangxiangying is a young veteran of the Black Eagle Army. His name is Tiechuanyuan, and his command of combat is much worse than that of me."

Fang Dangzhi Jin's face became a little dim. He was a person with a heart. During this period, he had already figured out the situation of the generals of the Black Eagle Army. Tiechuanyuan was a brave general with outstanding edge. However, the Dangxiang camp, which was subordinate to the people, needed Liu Chengtong's affinity, a prestigious general among the Dangxiang people, and a fierce and fierce general. Perhaps it was not a blessing for the Dangxiang army. After all, the Dangxiang people were recently surrendered to the Han people in the Central Plains, and there were still many barriers and even contradictions between the two sides.

Liu Chengtong understood Fang Dangzhi Jin's thoughts, and he comforted him: "Tiechuanyuan is a famous general of the Black Eagle Army. He is good at commanding troops. Your tribe members respect the hero the most, and I believe they will obey him."

Fang Dangzhi Jin said dullly: "I understand." Fang Dangzhi Jin felt bitter at this moment. Since the Dangxiang Fangdangmen chose to surrender to the Black Diao Army, he could only accept the Black Diao Army's military orders. Resistance or non-cooperation will bring disaster to the tribe members.

The two talked without a word. A slow sound of horse hooves came from a distance. Liu Chengtong listened attentively for a while and said, "It should be General Tie." Fang Dangzhi Jin listened to the sound of horse hooves for a while and nodded, "It's cold in winter, and war horses are most vulnerable to injury. General Tie cherishes horsepower and is indeed a veteran on the battlefield."

As soon as Tiechuanyuan arrived, Liu Chengtong set off immediately, without any delay. He did not arrive in Luzhou. He put some dried meat patties in his pocket, filled the skin with water, and took ten personal guards to Daliang City from Luzhou.

Outside Zhongmu County, the news that Wu Qilang and Liu were poisoned to the hometown of Zhengzhou Yan Gang. For a moment, the Zhengzhou Yan Gang was like a camp of horses. Some shouted to kill to Daliang, and some clamored to send assassins to avenge, but more private salt dealers were secretly frightened: If the most powerful prime minister of the dynasty had to make things difficult for the Zhengzhou Gang, I was afraid that the Zhengzhou Gang's future would be difficult.

The mature deputy gang leader sent countless people to inquire around the wetlands to prevent the government troops from attacking the wetlands while Wu Qilang's new mourning.

A few days after Wu Qilang's death, a group of Zhengzhou troops came to Zhongmu, but did not march towards the wetlands. They just stationed on various important roads around the wetlands and strictly investigated passers-by.

On the tenth day after Wu Qilang's death, the rich shop sent another person to the wetland. How could the private salt dealer believe in the court's sweet words, and he took the knife to kill the messenger of the rich shop on the edge of the wetland.

The Wu Qilang incident surprised Hou Dayong. When he learned that Wu Qilang had died outside the Daliang City Gate and scolded Du Gang of Feiying Hall, Hou Dayong once again asked the rich shop to send an envoy to contact Zhengzhou private salt.

After the second envoy was killed, Hou Dayong was lamenting the fate of being a mess, and also began to clear out these private salt dealers. Hou Dayong knew that private salt dealers did not originate from the current dynasty, but had a long history. Since they could survive for hundreds of years, they had their own way of survival. Hou Dayong was very cautious about clearing out private salt dealers. They stepped up collecting intelligence and sent troops to cut off the main channels of the wetlands.

At the same time, the Daliang dynasty issued four times, and Yang Zhengzhi was appointed as the deputy envoy of the Sansi Commission to manage the salt administration professionally. He ordered local towns to re-establish salt and iron envoys, counties to set up salt and iron inspections, salt and iron envoys, and salt and iron envoys directly under the Sansi Commission, which was divorced from the local area. He also ordered the newly established salt and iron envoys to clean up the salt households immediately and establish salt registration for merchants. The personal and property of the salt households belonged to the salt and iron envoys, and the local area should not requisition them at will. The local responsibility lies in the collection and inspection of private salt.

This strategy came from Zhang Mei, originated from the Tang Dynasty, and was also a major policy that Chai Rong wanted to do but failed to implement. Chai Rong several times mentioned to Hou Dayong the matter of re-opening the salt administration of the Tang Dynasty. It was only because of going north to use troops. Hou Dayong's strategy was also to inherit Chai Rong's unfinished career that year.

Since the Five Dynasties, the central government has been weak and the local governments have been strong. In order to enhance their strength, all the towns have set their sights on salt fields. The salt fields have become an important source of economic resources for the local area. At this time, when the new policy was released, it must have encountered many obstacles. Hou Dayong ordered all the units of the Black Diao Army and the Imperial Army to be on guard. Who dares to violate the orders and wipe out the local area. Each town has many secret spies in Daliang, and the strength of the Black Diao Army and the Imperial Army is obvious to all. Under the tangible and intangible threat of the army, all the towns have calmly accepted the reality of establishing a salt and iron envoy.

In early February, Liu Chengtong, the Minister of Rites, took 200 followers to Western Shu from Daliang. His main purpose was to investigate the geography, roads, city defense and population of Western Shu. His secondary purpose was to order Western Shu to hand over the Tang Sect, the murderer who killed the Black Eagle Army general Wu Qilang. Behind Liu Chengtong, tens of thousands of soldiers in the Great Zhou Dynasty had gradually gathered towards Western Shu. As long as the Western Shu regime could not hand over the Tang Sect, there would be a reason to take action.

Liu Chengtong and his party went very smoothly. When they arrived outside Chengdu, it was early spring. The sky was drizzling, and the new leaves on the road were green and tender, just like the skin of a child. From the mountains and valleys to the plains, the sensory stimulation made Liu Chengtong particularly profound. Looking at the city walls of Chengdu, he couldn't help but restore his true nature to the scholar. He was full of poetry and said: "Good rain knows the season, and it happens when spring. Sneak into the night with the wind, moistening things silently. The wild path clouds

All the boats are black, and the rivers are fire-like. Look at the wet place in the morning, and the flowers are heavy in Jinguan City." A series of exquisite carriages with exquisite patterns and bright colors came out of Chengdu Prefecture. From time to time, women's laughter and soft sound of brocade came from inside the car. Outside the carriage, through the car window, they looked at Liu Chengtong, who was full of dust, and all looked despicable. Liu Chengtong knew who was the real strong man, and ignored the disdainful gaze shot from these carriages. He calmly led the horse team to approach Chengdu City.

For Western Shu, the Great Zhou was a powerful enemy and an aggressive enemy country. For several years, the Great Zhou had no envoys to Western Shu. This time, the Great Zhou suddenly sent Liu Chengtong, the Minister of Rites, to Chengdu, and the monarchs and ministers of Western Shu were confused.

The person who welcomed the envoys of the Great Zhou Dynasty outside the city was the Minister of Rites of Western Shu. He was a middle-aged man with a pale face and a little confused look. All his subordinates stood in the pavilion, while he lay on the carriage, ecstatic for a night, exhausting his energy. A man in casual clothes sat in the pavilion. He looked at the distance of the official road with a calm face.

"General Li, here we go."

The casual man raised his sword eyebrows slightly, looked carefully at the horse team not far away, and then said, "Go to report to Minister Meng, the envoy of Dazhou is here." The middle-aged man in the carriage was Meng Sheng, the minister of the Ministry of Rites. He narrowed his eyes slightly and said, "I understand." When the envoy of Dazhou came in front of him, Meng Sheng got out of the carriage lazily. The sun shone outside the carriage, so he put his hands on his eyebrows and looked at the envoy of Dazhou listlessly.

After the Dazhou horse team stopped, Liu Chengtong, who was in the front of the team, turned over and dismounted, walked to the pavilion, and said, "I am the envoy of the Great Zhou Dynasty, Liu Chengtong, the Minister of Rites." Meng Sheng from Western Shu looked up and down at Liu Chengtong, who was in disdain, and said for a long time: "Shilarious Minister Liu has come from afar. I am Meng Sheng, the Minister of Rites of Great Shu. Please come with me to the city."
Chapter completed!