In July of the third year of Guangqi (887), Li Xuan returned to Chang'an.
As Zhu Mei retreated to his old lair and Li Changfu died, his return journey was very smooth.
This later Emperor Xizong first visited Xichuan and then Fengxiang. During this process, the eunuch Tian Lingzi was everywhere, which led to many dissatisfactions among the warlords throughout the world towards Tian Lingzi.
After returning to Chang'an, Tian Lingzi was demoted by Li Xuan.
As for Li Xuan himself, he was also dissatisfied with the old eunuch, as the other party had disregarded his trust.
Although Li Xuan was a tyrant and loved to play, he followed the old eunuch Tian Lingzi and could only run around everywhere. He couldn't even play to his heart's content, so he was naturally unhappy.
Moreover, at this time, Tian Lingzi had already lost the support of the Secretary-General, and the situation was hopeless, and he would never be the same again.
After Tian Lingzi lost power, he was placed in a mediocre position; after losing Tian Lingzi, Li Xuan appointed Zhang Jun as the Minister of War; Kong Wei as the Salt and Iron Transport Commissioner; Du Rangneng was promoted to the Duke of Xiangyang; Yang Fugong was promoted to the Duke of Wei and the Envoy of the Ten Armies, etc.
At this point, the wandering emperor Li Xuan, later Emperor Xizong, finally settled down; however, he, who had always been spoiled, fell ill in bed in this year.
In the same month, Heshuo general Geng Yan led his troops out of Gubeikou and, taking advantage of the rampant Khitan insurgency, attacked the Huangshui and Tuhe River basins in one fell swoop.
Zhu Ye, the second former general of Heshuo, rushed to the rescue from thousands of miles away. Together with Geng Yan, they won victory after victory and directly rushed into Shangjing.
In this battle, Yelu Shilu of the Diela tribe was captured, Yelu Xiadi died in the chaos, and Puguzhi, the leader of the Six Courtyards of the Khitan, fled to Bohai.
Just as the "surprise attack" in Heshuo had achieved great results and the group was preparing to return home, Wu Dao, the loyal and martial general of Heshuo who was originally stationed in Sanggan, arrived with his troops.
He received a message from the Ghost Guards, and heard that someone was going to Shangjing to deal with Zhu Li. So he asked Liu Zhijun to stay in Bohai, and he went to Shangjing in person to rescue Zhu Li.
Unexpectedly, when he arrived, the battle here was over.
However, the Heshuo Army's plan to plunder and run away due to the sudden increase in new forces was undoubtedly rejected.
When the three armies gathered, Wu Dao sat in the center, while Geng Yan, Zhu Ya, Yue Yun, Jing Ming, Wang Chong and others attacked one after another, launched surprise attacks on the Khitan palace troops that were on expeditions away, and defeated them one by one.
After a series of battles, by October, the Khitans, who had dominated the Huangshui and Tuhe areas and were about to swallow up the northern border and unify the grassland, saw their strength plummet and were completely driven out of the Muye Mountain area by the Heshuo Army.
Naturally, the land in the Huangshui and Tuhe River basins was firmly controlled by the Heshuo Army.
In later generations, the northeastern region, the territory belonging to the Chinese nation, completely returned to the control of the Tang Dynasty; as long as Bohai was taken over, the northeastern part of the Tang Dynasty, which in later generations belonged to the Han people, would be completely recovered.
In Shangjing, all the Orudo that originally belonged to Yelu Shilu were occupied by the Heshuo Army; in a magnificent tent in the middle, Zhu Li and others gathered together.
Zhu Li, who had long since recovered, sat at the top, Wu Diao sat on the left, and Guo Qizuo and Guo Chongtao, who had rushed from Shuozhou, sat on the left in order.
The first person on the right is Yuchi Jin, who is dressed in silver armor. This lady is also dressed as a general. After taking care of the internal affairs of Shuozhou, she rushed over without stopping.
Below Yuchi Jin, kneeling in order were Zhu Ya, Geng Yan, Yi Jiangnan and others; as for Qian Muran, Wen Lan, Yang Guang and others, they were standing respectfully behind Yuchi Jin at this moment, looking quite proud as if the parents had arrived.
Obviously, this group of people were holding an important meeting.
After defeating the Khitans and occupying all the territories in the Huangshui and Tuhe River basins, the most important thing was how to gain a foothold in this place. The meeting obviously discussed this issue.
"This place is vast and empty, with weeds everywhere. If you want to defend it, the best way is to build a city." Guo Chongtao looked around at everyone and suggested to Zhu Li with a bow.
"Build a city? Mr. Chongtao, do you know that it is so easy to build a strong city?" Yuchi Jin glanced at Guo Chongtao and said with some dissatisfaction.
As the saying goes, one who does not manage household expenses does not know how expensive firewood and rice are. Zhu Li himself may not know much about the finances of Heshuo, but Yuchi Jin, who has been handling Heshuo's government affairs for some time, has a deep understanding of it.
Over the years, except for one military expedition against Hedong, Heshuo has actually been recuperating and has some financial surplus; however, once a city is built in Shangjing, those surplus wealth will disappear in an instant.
Not only that, it may not be enough; building a city in Shangjing is definitely not a small city that can solve the problem.
At least a large number of fortified cities need to be built, and building a city is not a task that can be accomplished overnight. Once Guo Chongtao's proposal is adopted by Zhu Li, this will be a hole that cannot be filled. Yuchi Jin, who is in charge, is certainly unwilling to compromise easily.
"In the entire Central Plains, the establishment of any great city is not a matter of a day or a night. It takes countless years of repair, reinforcement, and expansion.
, and countless baptisms of blood and fire, before it could stand tall."
"With our current strength, if we build a city reluctantly, it will inevitably drag down the entire Heshuo." Yuchi Jin argued seriously.
Although Guo Chongtao understood Yuchi Jin's concerns, he still insisted: "We all understand what you said, madam; however, the Di people have the advantage of fine horses and strong bows. If we don't have a strong city to rely on, it will be difficult for our army to defend this place."
... ...
The two of them each thought that they were right, and for a moment, they were at a stalemate.
Seeing this scene, Zhu Li suddenly turned to look at Guo Qizuo, frowned and said, "Sir, what do you think?"
When Zhu Li spoke, Guo Chongtao and Yuchi Jin stopped arguing and looked at Guo Qizuo. Guo Qizuo was calm when he heard this and said, "General, now that General Gao Yuan has recovered Pingzhou and General Er has also taken Yingzhou, as long as we rely on the strong city and defend our territory, I believe the Di people will not be able to plunder us."
"Why must the general occupy this barren land?"
The barren land, the Northeast of later generations, is actually a barren land in the eyes of Guo Qizuo now; Zhu Li thought about it and smiled bitterly.
However, standing in the other party's position, Zhu Li could understand why the other party said that; there were continuous wars in the Tang Dynasty, and there was constant fighting between the vassal states and heroes.
In this chaotic world, Zhu Li not only did not actively accumulate strength in preparation for going south to the Central Plains to compete with other heroes, but instead wanted to seize the place where the Khitans lived. In the eyes of people at that time, this was definitely a matter of putting the cart before the horse.
It was inevitable for Guo Qizuo to ask this question.
Hearing what Guo Qizuo said, Zhu Li's expression became serious, and he said righteously: "Let's not talk about whether this land of Shangjing is the barren land you mentioned; just talking about this land, it was originally the territory of our Zhongyuan Dynasty. I, Zhu Li, have the responsibility to incorporate it into the territory of the Tang Dynasty."
"Every inch of land must be filled with passion. We, the descendants of Yan and Huang, do not seek to plunder everywhere, but only to preserve every inch of the land our ancestors left us."
"'Whoever offends the mighty Han will be punished no matter how far away they are', this is the mind and courage that the great Han people should have; driving the Khitans northwards is just to take back the land that our ancestors once occupied. Is there any more important reason than this?"
"We who are still alive, since we are the ones who are in power today, must not let the younger generations point fingers at us and say that it was when they were in power that the land was taken away by foreigners."
Zhu Li said this very firmly, leaving no room for doubt; everyone could see his determination to occupy this land.
"Good, hahaha." Before Zhu Li finished speaking, Wu Diao, who was sitting at the top, praised loudly.
"You have guts. At least I, Wu Dao, didn't make a mistake in choosing you. You are my only disciple, and I hope that you will also be my greatest pride in this life."
After getting the master's approval, Zhu Li nodded to Wu Diao with a serious face; perhaps, in his heart, although he was not sure whether he could become the other party's proudest disciple, he could at least guarantee that he would never embarrass the other party.
His words are a bit exaggerated and impractical.
In the words of later generations, this is the ambition of a scholar and the arrogance of an angry young man.
However, if the Chinese nation did not have those high-spirited scholars and those passionate young people, the entire nation would lose so many heroic and tragic melodies.
These words filled the hearts of all the generals with high morale and energy. Even Wenlan and Yangguang, the two young girls who had not grown up, looked excited and tried to straighten their washboard-like chests, as if they had been greatly encouraged.
Guo Qizuo remained silent about Zhu Li's response, but he was genuinely pleased because he was also a Han Chinese and he also had a great patriotic sentiment.
However, Guo Chongtao had a look of longing on his face, as if he was proud of himself for being able to serve under such a high-spirited general.
Even Qian Muran, Qing Ruo and others, who had the blood of foreign races flowing in their bodies, looked at Zhu Li with admiration after hearing what she said, and their eyes were shining. As for what they were thinking in their hearts, it was not something that outsiders could tell.
"The general said it well. As a Han Chinese, you should not leave any regrets while you are alive, and you must not bring humiliation to the future generations." Guo Qizuo accepted Zhu Li's reply which was not an answer; this reason which was not a reason conquered him.
Although Guo Qizuo was an ancient person, his love for the nation was definitely much higher than that of many people in later generations.
In later generations, many people were called traitors and collaborators after their death, and were infamous for eternity. Is it true that the culture and loveliness of the nation are not worthy of the love and support of anyone with the blood of the nation flowing in their veins
We are members of the Chinese nation. We have our own character and integrity, and our own pride. Why should we become traitors and running dogs
We don't need to worship foreign things. As long as we straighten our backs and work hard to strengthen our own nation, the Celestial Empire will always be the Celestial Empire.
Looking back at China's five thousand years of history, what happened to those traitors and what happened to those collaborators
Instead of being a good person, you choose to be a dog for others and do other people's dirty work. Not only will you not die a good death, but your descendants will also be cursed by others.
Of course, these are not the most important things. The most important thing is that such people have lost the qualifications to be the sons and daughters of China. Such shitty people are naturally not worthy of respect from others.
As a member of the Chinese nation, we must stand up straight and fulfill our duties with dignity. Men must do our utmost to fight for our country and our family. Daughters must also be as brave as men and guard the home for their nation and their husbands.
Since he agreed with Zhu Li's words, Guo Qizuo naturally would not hesitate to give advice. He bowed to Zhu Li again and said, "General, if we want to defend this place, we don't have to build a city. We can also open up the river."
"Open the river?" Not only Zhu Li was puzzled by his suggestion, but others were also surprised and doubtful.
Facing the puzzled looks of the crowd, the number one strategist in Heshuo said calmly, "As Chongtao said, the foreign races rely on nothing more than fast horses and strong bows."
“A city wall can keep a galloping horse out; a wide river can do the same.”
"Qilaotu Mountain has a water source, and the source of Tuhe River is Guangtou Mountain located there. If we can divert the water source of Qilaotu Mountain and flow it southward into the sea, and open up a river channel between the mountain and the sea, we can greatly restrict the Di people's fast horses."
"We can divert water and dig rivers, build dams on both sides, and as long as we dig a few more large rivers and connect them, the Di people's swift horses, which they rely on, will no longer pose a fatal threat to us."
Zhu Li's eyes lit up when he heard this. This was indeed a good idea. However, before he could open his mouth to applaud, Yuchi Jin said, "Although your method is good, digging a river is not something that can be done overnight."
"The manpower and material resources required to dig the river are also immeasurable. With our current finances in Heshuo, we simply cannot afford it."
Facing Yuchi Jin's doubts, Guo Qizuo remained calm and said calmly: "Don't worry, my lady. Since I dare to offer this plan, there must be a way to solve these problems."
"Digging a river is mainly a matter of manpower and food; we have plenty of manpower."
"Are there plenty?" Yuchi Jin looked puzzled when he heard this.
"Yes, this time when the general attacked Shangjing, we took in a large number of prisoners of war. Killing prisoners has always been considered unlucky, so we can't kill all of them."
"But if we keep them for nothing, we can't afford it. Once we let them go, they will return to their tribe and serve as the Khitans' strength."
"So, these prisoners of war, used to dig the river, are the best use of their talents."
"If you use prisoners of war to dig the river, aren't you afraid that they will riot?" Upon hearing that Guo Qizuo planned to use prisoners of war to dig the river, Yuchi Jin finally understood his plan; but immediately afterwards, she raised a new question.
The defeated prisoners are not ordinary people. If they are asked to dig a river, they must be equipped with tools. Once those shovels and other tools are handed into the hands of the enemy, these prisoners will immediately become very dangerous. This is what Yuchi Jin is worried about.
"I know what you are worried about. When we ask these prisoners to dig the river, we must detain their families and threaten them with their relatives so that they dare not move. This is one of the reasons."
"Secondly, we will not let them work for nothing. As long as they work hard for three years, they will be free after the three-year period. That's the second thing."
"As for the third, we can let the relatives of the prisoners of war, the elderly, the weak, the women and the children, go to open up wasteland. This way, not only can they be self-reliant, but the excess food can also be supplied to the prisoners who dig the river."
"With this arrangement, the problems of manpower and food are all solved. What else does my wife have to worry about?"
"Okay, it's settled." Upon hearing this, Zhu Li made the decision immediately without waiting for Yuchi Jin to speak.
The reason for his trip north was naturally to rescue his sister Zhu Ning'er; however, he never expected that he would turn the entire Khitan clan upside down.
Gao Su held back the Uighurs on the western front; Yang Zaixing intimidated the Tatars, Xi and other ethnic minorities in the middle, preventing them from making any rash moves; Wu Dao led Liu Zhijun to hold back the Mohe people, and the entire Khitan tribe was immediately left isolated and helpless.
Secondly, the Wolf Guards, who had been trained three years ago, showed their prowess this time; not only did they lure out several palace armies, but they also kept the enemy out. This was how Geng Yan and Zhu Ya were able to easily capture Shangjing.
But unfortunately, the old guy Qiu Gu got away.
That old guy is definitely a dangerous person. Not only does he have an extremely high level of cultivation, but he is also extremely ruthless and decisive.
At the beginning, as soon as the other party was injured, he immediately abandoned Yelu Shilu and others; even to Mu Chen, the old guy didn't even say hello and fled immediately.
It was precisely because of the other party's behavior that Yelu Shilu and others fell into Zhu Li's hands without any resistance.
However, since waking up, Zhu Li learned that Wang Yueyao was captured by Black Robe Li Gong because she rescued him, which made him feel uneasy again.