Both of them look young.

A handsome man.

The other one had a slight stubble of beard, and there was a hint of evil in the corners of his eyes and eyebrows.

They were all wearing milky white open brocade robes with large patches of lace embroidered with fine thread.

Around the two of them, there were dozens or even hundreds of Tongwenguan disciples, holding torches, quietly watching the thousands of corpses that were about to turn into ashes.

After a long while, the man on the left shook his head and sighed:

“Which batch is this?”

“The fifth batch. Now the food and fodder are enough for 300,000 troops for one month. Later, I will recruit another 3,000 laborers in the name of the emperor to accumulate food and fodder to last for half a year.”

The man who was speaking had a sinister look on his face. Seeing that the handsome man next to him didn’t say much, he continued:

“Also, when will you take me to meet my father-in-law?”

“That’s not urgent…”

The handsome man smiled, turned around and looked at him carefully, but passed him by:

“I never thought that you, Shi Jingtang, would hide so deeply. You killed so many corvées and looted so many military supplies. I’m afraid the Central Plains must have been devastated for thousands of miles. Do you want me to clean up this mess for you in the future?”

“This is all done by the emperor. What does it have to do with me? Besides…if we lose this battle, I’m afraid my father-in-law won’t even have the right to clean up the mess.”

Shi Jingtang showed no sign of weakness and slapped Li Cunli on the shoulder with his claws.

“Uncle Six, what does it matter if there are thousands of miles of red land? As long as we win this battle and my father-in-law ascends the throne, what he says will be the final word. Everything must be based on victory!”

“But what if we lose this battle? Have you thought about how to pay for what you did before?”

Li Cunli glanced at Shi Jingtang with disdain.

“Then don’t bother Sixth Uncle to worry about it. We are not without allies. Who said we will lose this battle?”

“What do you mean?”

Li Cunli suddenly realized that something was wrong with the conversation and asked with a frown:

“People like Meng Zhixiang may have ambitions, but Xingyuan has already been lost. With just a piece of Shu, he is nothing but a pile of bones in a tomb. As for Wuyue and his ilk, they are useless from top to bottom. Chu is somewhat worthy of attention, but with Li Changping’s ability, he can be destroyed in a snap. If you regard them as allies, I advise you to give up this idea! It’s good that they don’t hold us back.”

“Ha ha ha ha……”

After hearing Li Cunli’s analysis, Shi Jingtang laughed and became even more arrogant, as if he was not worried at all.

“Uncle Six, the allies I’m talking about are not them. Have you forgotten? There is a powerful Mobei in the north!”

“Mobei? The Liao army of 100,000 was destroyed by 3,000. Even the heads of the Liao king and my good nephew became trophies. Can he help us? Even if he wants to, I’m afraid he doesn’t have the courage, right?”

Li Cunren remained disdainful.

He was too lazy to argue with Shi Jingtang anymore, but just as he was about to leave, Shi Jingtang’s low voice sounded again behind him:

“The Liao Kingdom is just a Khitan tribe. It seems that Uncle Six doesn’t know much about the situation in Mobei…”

“What did you say?”

Li Cunli turned around abruptly, with only coldness left on his face.

“Oh, there are only 100,000 people. How can it be a serious blow to Mobei?”

Shi Jingtang strolled leisurely beside Li Cunli, his face full of confidence:

“Since the rise of the Central Plains, the northern desert has always been a major concern for us. First there was the Quanrong, then the Xiongnu, Xianbei, Huqiang, Rouran, and Turks. Now there are also the Khitan and Dangxiang. According to Li Chunfeng’s hexagram, after that there is also the Jin of the Eight-Headed Man, and the Yuan of the Lord of Yiwu!”

“What do you mean?”

The cold and icy Suxin Sword was unsheathed and placed on Shi Jingtang’s neck the next moment.

“It doesn’t mean anything. I just want to tell Uncle Six that it’s just a defeat, but Mobei won’t be destroyed…”

“Think about the Turks. From the Khitan in the east to the Tuyuhun and Gaochang in the west, all of them are vassal states. They have millions of soldiers under their command. They are so powerful that they have never been seen before. Even Dou Jiande, Wang Shichong, and Li Yuan have to pay tribute to them!”

Speaking of which.

Shi Jingtang seemed to be honored, with a look of longing on his face.

“What a pity… Who would have thought that Li Shimin, who had only ruled the country for three years, would say that with only one thousand of my soldiers, I could defeat tens of thousands of Hu cavalry. If it weren’t for him, this ruler of Wu could have been defeated three hundred years earlier!”

“Shi Jingtang!”

Li Cunli tightened the sword he was holding, and even a hint of blood appeared on the blade.

But Shi Jingtang didn’t care at all and continued:

“What does it matter if Li Shimin is so powerful? What does it matter if he incorporates Mobei into his territory? He can’t live forever! How can his descendants have his abilities?”

“I admit that Li Changping has a lot of experience in warfare, but how can he be so capable of governing a country? After all, the master of Mobei cannot be changed!”

Shi Jingtang’s words made Li Cunli look even uglier. He tried three times to swing the sword around his neck but failed:

“As a minister of the Celestial Empire, how can you kneel before the barbarians? Shi Jingtang, your idea is very dangerous…”

“No, no, no! It’s you, Sixth Uncle, who is being too stubborn. As long as my father-in-law agrees to become an emperor and pay tribute to Mobei, and cede the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun, I am sure that Mobei will mobilize all its forces, and a single battle will decide the outcome!”

“The Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun must never be ceded!”

“Then we need to see whether my father-in-law listens to my sixth uncle or my son-in-law…”

“Humph!”

Li Cunli flicked his sleeves and left with a murderous look on his face.

at this time.

The fire burning on the river bank is almost over.

There was a burning smell in the air.

Shi Jingtang watched this scene calmly, and waited until the disciples of Tongwenguan also left.

“Haha… Zhang Zifan, my good brother-in-law. Now that you are gone, leave the rest to me! As for the throne… I’ll sit on it for you!”

—-

The Jin State Camp.

The depressing atmosphere has become more serious these days.

The Jin army, which used to be able to move around in the camp, now has no right to leave the camp except for training.

Every day, there were disciples from the Tongwenguan patrolling outside the camp gate.

Once they find people gathering together secretly or whispering to each other, they will execute them without saying a word and report later.

But even so.

There are still some rumors spreading in the camp…

“Brother, according to the cook in the central army, it is now difficult for the grain transport troops in the rear to enter the camp!”

“Could it be that the Regent is short of food?”

“No, the grain escorts can’t come in, but the grain and fodder are delivered every day, and they are all escorted by the Tongwenguan…”

“Then why are you worrying so much? Isn’t it enough to have food?”

“But those disciples of Tongwenguan are always covered in blood, as if they had just killed someone…”

“Could it be that this food and grass was robbed?”

“Are you stupid? We can’t even enter Tongguan, so whose food are we going to steal? Besides, those disciples are covered in blood, but the food carts are clean…”

“That would be unless the person to be killed believed them and tricked them into going to another place before they killed him!”

“It’s really scary when you think about it! The Regent has kept the camp closed for the past two days. I wonder what happened in the outside world. Could it be that Fengxiang was defeated?”

“What are you thinking? You think Fengxiang has fallen into the hands of Mobei. That’s a hundred thousand cavalrymen. Without us as regent, how can they win?”

“I hope so. I don’t know why, but I’ve been feeling uneasy lately, as if something happened at home…”

“You’re worrying too much. The Regent must have his reasons for doing this. Let’s stop gossiping. These guys from the Tongwenguan kill people without blinking an eye. If they are treated as spies, we won’t even have a place to cry…”

—-

When Shi Jingtang walked into the camp.

This place, which contains 300,000 people, is full of death. Only when passing by some military tents can you hear whispers inside.

But as his figure flashed outside the tent, the sounds stopped abruptly, as if nothing had happened.

Shi Jingtang shook his head and smiled, then walked towards the central military tent with ease.

Chapter 154: The Child Emperor Shi Jingtang

Boom~

A violent explosion suddenly sounded in the central military tent.

On the soft couch, Li Siyuan, who had his eyes closed, also sat up at the same time.

A puff of green smoke rose from the palm of his hand.

The soft and smooth clothes in front of him also began to burn.

“Whirring whirring……”

He was breathing heavily, and cold sweat was pouring down his temples like a fountain.

“Father! Father!”

He swept his hands in front of him frantically again, and it was not until a long time later that he slowly calmed down.

But at this time.

The door curtain was lifted, and Shi Jingtang walked into the back tent with a smile:

“It seems that father-in-law is having a nightmare. Can I help you understand it?”

“when did you come?”

When he saw that it was Shi Jingtang, Li Siyuan instantly put away the panic on his face, stroked his greasy beard with his chubby hands, and wiped off the sweat.

“Of course I just arrived…”

In front of Li Siyuan, Shi Jingtang did not dare to show the slightest disrespect. He bowed with both hands and did not even dare to put them down.

Just as he was about to look up, he heard Li Siyuan ask, “How are the food and grass preparations?”

“We can have enough in five days!”

“Well…how is the situation in Luoyang City now?”

“People are panicking. It seems that the evil people of Xuanming Sect are active! Don’t worry, father-in-law. I have already assigned more people to stand guard and will never let them cause any trouble.”

“Hmph! Xuanming Sect? They probably want a stable Luoyang more than you and I do! Is there anything else? Report it immediately!”

“Li Changping returned to Chang’an the day before yesterday, and there seemed to be rumors that he had an illegitimate child… uh…”

Seeing that Li Siyuan was about to get up, Shi Jingtang carefully helped him up.

Being pressed down by this chubby body, he was having trouble breathing, and even speaking became a little difficult:

“There is one more thing. The Wu-Shu coalition has already withdrawn. Wang Yanzhang is leading 3,000 light cavalry and rushing here overnight.”

“He’s just an illegitimate child. If he really keeps himself clean, I would doubt whether his Li bloodline is pure… Well… Wang Yanzhang may be difficult to deal with, but he is not as good as these three thousand people who have broken through one hundred thousand!”

Speaking of which.

Li Siyuan slammed the table fiercely and said angrily: “Li Changping, he has already defeated me! There are 300,000 troops in Tongguan, but there are only 30,000 troops. I don’t believe he can defeat me!”

“But he had only 3,000 men, and he swallowed up an army of 100,000!”

Shi Jingtang was evasive, as if reminding or guiding:

“Father-in-law, I have something to say, but I don’t know if I should say it or not.”

“speak!”

“These days, I have been in contact with Mobei and learned that they are not as simple as they appear. They have been entangled with the Central Plains for thousands of years. Their foundation is not comparable to that of the tiny country of Raojiang…”

“What do you mean?”

“Does father-in-law still remember the Zhang brothers?”