Volume 2 Clouds Chapter 25: Fame
Thanks to Meng Chang's great assist, Luo Youdu became famous all over the world.
Before, it was only slightly famous and limited to Kaifeng.
The people of Kaifeng all know that there is a good official named Luo Youdu in Kaifeng Prefecture. He is fair in his dealings, impartial in his judgments, and even considers reason and emotion when necessary.
The victory over Li Tinggui was indeed a brilliant achievement, but it was only praised by scholars and officials, which was not surprising.
Military achievements are what military officers rely on to make a living.
There are constant conflicts in the Central Plains. Which military officer does not have military merits of varying sizes?
What can a battle prove?
Besides, Wang Jing and Han Lingkun also contributed to this.
But if we could force Meng Chang to surrender, make him give up his imperial title, and respect the Central Plains court as the legitimate one, the situation would be different.
Although the Kingdom of Shu was still governed by Meng Chang, in name only, Meng Chang was equivalent to a minister of the Great Zhou.
Without losing a single soldier, and relying only on clues, he saw through the economic problems of Shu and pretended to send troops, forcing the other side to increase its troops to resist, thus triggering a series of effects that caused the economy of Shu to collapse and it to surrender.
What a magical operation this is?
He is as clear as seeing through fire, has a keen understanding of details, and has a plan for everything. No amount of praise is too much for him.
Zhang Liang and Zhuge Liang were no more than this, right?
In the past hundred years, the world has been in constant conflict, and many brave and good generals have emerged.
But there are very few immortal figures like Zhang Liang, Zhuge Liang, Xie An and Wang Meng who can win battles thousands of miles away and make clouds and rain with a wave of their hands.
Luo Youdu's sudden appearance immediately attracted everyone's attention.
His fame spread throughout the north and south. Northern Han, Khitan, Southern Tang, Southern Han, Wuyue and other places all spread his name and deeds.
The biggest beneficiary of Luo Youdu's fame was none other than the Great Zhou Emperor Guo Rong.
The Great Zhou occupied the Central Plains and always regarded itself as the legitimate dynasty of China.
Compared with Guo Wei's low-key style, Guo Rong was tested by the invasions of Northern Han and Khitan as soon as he took office. He gambled everything on one throw and won the victory. Then he made his bold statement of "ten years to open up the world, ten years to support the people, and ten years to bring peace". He never concealed his ambition to unify the world and showed his ability as a wise leader.
Now the rise of Luo Youdu and his combination with Guo Rong is just another example of a wise ruler meeting a virtuous minister.
It is just like King Wen of Zhou met Jiang Ziya, Liu Bang met Zhang Liang, Liu Bei met Zhuge Liang, and Li Shimin met Fang Xuanling.
Although this reputation does not bring about any substantial improvement in strength, it is the most effective thing in gathering people's luck and support.
What the people want.
News of Guo Rong's appointment also reached Fengzhou.
Wang Jing was transferred from the Jiedushi of Fengxiang to the Jiedushi of Qinzhou, and concurrently served as the commander-in-chief of the western border to defend against the Dangxiang and the ruler of Western Shu who might stab him in the back.
Wang Jing was overjoyed. He thought that his career as the Jiedushi of Fengxiang had ended, but he did not expect that he could make further progress and become the commander-in-chief of the western border of the Great Zhou.
At the same time, Guo Rong further demonstrated his magnanimity and ordered a special amnesty for all captured Shu soldiers, allowing them to decide whether to go or stay.
He had already regarded Western Shu as his own territory and showed great kindness to it.
Luo Youdu and Han Lingkun also received the order to withdraw their troops and return to Beijing.
Han Lingkun laughed and stretched himself lazily, saying, "Finally, we can go back. When we get back to Bianjing, I'll invite you to have a drink at Tianshui Lane."
Ever since Meng Chang submitted the letter from the credential, Han Lingkun started addressing him as "Sir".
Luo Youdu smiled and responded, "It's a deal."
He said this, but he was not as excited as Han Lingkun. Instead, he told Cao Bin not to pack his bags. They could not leave for a while.
Sure enough, Guo Rong soon sent another urgent order, asking Zhang Jianxiong to send troops to escort the envoys of Shu Kingdom first, revoke their order to withdraw, and continue to stay in Fengzhou to put pressure .
After all, in addition to submitting a memorial to recognize Guo Rong's status, the amount of tribute this vassal state should pay each year still needs to be discussed.
If their army stays in Fengzhou, they can bargain better.
Han Lingkun had been busy for several days, and when the army was ready to move, he had to stop again and set up camp again.
For this reason, Han Lingkun couldn't help but complain: "Sir, if you knew the government would let us stay, why didn't you say so earlier?"
Luo Youdu smiled and said, "The emperor's will is to order the withdrawal of troops, even if he will revoke this order. Before the order is revoked, the withdrawal order will still be in effect. Military orders are the most important in the army, how can we compromise on them?"
Being able to understand the intentions of your superiors is a skill, but pretending to be clever is stupidity.
Han Lingkun was stunned when he heard this, and bowed and said, "Thank you for your guidance, sir."
They stayed in Fengzhou for another month.
The army was still pressing on the border, and the Kingdom of Shu did not dare to withdraw even though it submitted a petition.
The envoys who arrived in Bian Jing were naturally cautious and did not dare to speak loudly.
Guo Rong was still very far-sighted. He did not exploit Shu Kingdom exorbitantly, thus avoiding resentment among the people of Shu Kingdom. At the same time, it also gave Meng Chang capital to squander.
Guo Rong knew very well that Meng Chang was not incompetent, but was just addicted to pleasure and made inappropriate use of people, which led to the current situation.
If we really cut off his source of enjoyment and encourage him to work hard to govern the country, it would be detrimental to the Great Zhou.
Therefore, the Great Zhou did not put much effort into tribute, but instead focused on mutual trade exchanges to promote exchanges between the two sides.
After various treaties were drawn up, Guo Rong issued the order to withdraw troops.
They passed through Chencang Road and their first stop was Fengxiang.
Officials along the way prepared wine and meat early, and the three armies drank together and had a triumphal banquet.
After a day of rest, the army continued to advance eastward, passing Chang'an, crossing Tongguan, and heading towards Luoyang along the official road.
The official road leading to Luoyang was extremely wide. They occupied half of it, leaving the other half for merchants and people to walk on.
Although Guo Rong has strictly enforced military discipline and prohibited soldiers and officers from bullying and robbing the people, the status of these arrogant soldiers and generals in the hearts of the people will not improve in the short term.
When they saw their army passing by from afar, they all hid aside and few dared to pass by them.
Seeing this, Luo Youdu knew that there was still a long way to go if he wanted to change people's perception.
The sound of rapid and chaotic horse hooves could be heard from behind.
Luo Youdu looked back and saw that on the other side where they had made way, more than ten riders were rushing towards Luoyang.
The distance was quite far, so I couldn't see the person's appearance or gender clearly.
Han Lingkun also heard the noise and looked over curiously. He uttered a sound of surprise. He slowed down his pace, leaned out half of his body to look, and said after a while, "It's really Yu Xun! Sir, go ahead. The man coming is the son of my old friend. He should be in Fugu. I don't know why he appeared here."
When Luo Youdu heard Fu Gu, he smiled and said, "It's okay to wait!"
Isn’t that how you make connections?
More than ten riders from the opposite side were getting closer and closer, and the two leading them were actually a young boy and a girl.
The young man was full of vigor and vitality, and the young girl was pretty. They were both young and looked tired.
"It's Uncle Han!"
The young man also noticed Han Lingkun waiting, and called out before Han Lingkun could speak.
The boy and girl slowed down and stopped right in front of them.
The same was true for the dozen or so cavalry guards behind the two men, who displayed extraordinary riding skills.
