At the end of December 889, the Tiance Mansion led by Li Xuanqing fought for three months, dispatched a large army of 300,000 to completely defeat Li Keyong's group, and Chen Fan and Cangzhou Corps on the northern front successfully met in Mozhou and other places in the south of Youzhou, completely defeated Li Congwei's group, and completely surrounded Liu Rengong and Zhou Dewei, the last force of the Shatuo people, in a state of semi-encirclement. After capturing Taiyuan Mansion, the Yang Tiancheng group on the western front marched south to Qinzhou and Luzhou, completely blocking all the retreats of Zhou Dewei, and the battle in Bingzhou also entered the countdown.

In this protracted battle, Tiance Mansion successively fought fierce battles with Li Keyong's group, Li Congwei's group, Liu Rengong's group, and Zhu Quanzhong's Xuanwu army, a giant on the southern front.

After arranging the defense of the Cangzhou area, Li Xuanqing led Gao Siji's Shatuo cavalry to quickly attack Luzhou, a famous military town in the Central Plains that was originally occupied by the Xuanwu army but abandoned after Ge Cunzhou led his troops into Cangzhou.

At the end of the Tang Dynasty, the division of feudal towns began in Luzhou, and the successive Luzhou Jiedu envoys were unable to control the local tooth soldiers in Luzhou, so a very strange phenomenon was formed in Luzhou, the rulers of Luzhou were not able to completely control everything in Luzhou, and even many times they would be constrained by their tooth soldiers, according to incomplete statistics, during the period from the end of the Tang Dynasty to the establishment of the Liang Dynasty rule by Zhu Quanzhong of the fifth dynasty, there were more than seven Jiedu envoys in Luzhou who died in the rebellion of the tooth soldiers. Even though Luzhou was occupied by Li Keyong and Zhu Quanzhong, Luzhou could not be fully included in its rule.

Li Xuanqing naturally knew about this history, so he temporarily rushed to the city of Luzhou and began to personally arrange the siege of Luzhou.

"Lord, there is our internal response in Luzhou City, and there should be no difficulty in the siege battle tomorrow." Yang Tiancheng was unimpressed by these tooth soldiers, and smiled at Li Xuanqing.

"General Yang's words are wrong, Luzhou is a very strange place, the successive envoys are all puppets elected by the lower tooth generals, after so many years, these teeth will have already formed an intricate network of relationships through various relationships, even if we can quickly take Luzhou, there are still many problems in the face of later governance." An Xiuxiu, who had previously gone to Bingzhou to recruit Shatuo's subordinates, shook his head and said, "I, Shatuo, couldn't infiltrate this network before, so in the control of Luzhou, I only relied on force to select the representatives of the generals to maintain order. ”

"What can the lord do?" Yang Tiancheng was stunned by An Xiuxiu's words, and then asked Li Xuanqing: "Is it possible that Luzhou is not wanted?" The Luzhou area is rich in products, in fact, it can be used as a place for troops to store food, and it is also the front line of confrontation with Zhu Quanzhong. ”

"Pass the order, don't pay attention to Neiying tomorrow, this Neiying of yours has not been inspected by the Xuanying Guard, we can't ask for it. Let the soldiers attack the city with all their might, and after entering the city, anyone who is unwilling to surrender unconditionally will be killed. General Gao, your cavalry battalion is ready tomorrow, after the infantry enters the city, you will carry out the aftermath plan, don't mind killing, as long as you are wearing a military uniform and holding a weapon, if you want to live, you will honestly drive me out of the city, otherwise you will be killed directly. Li Xuanqing's murderous words shocked everyone, and then they understood what Li Xuanqing meant, and used the war to completely purge the Luzhou army and cut off this relationship network, so that the remaining willing to surrender were directly arranged to enter the construction corps as prisoners.

"Let the Ministry of Civil Affairs and Xuan Yingwei prepare to take over Luzhou, and the military Zhen'an generals in other parts of the state have all been completed, and the relationship between Zhou Dewei and the locals in Luzhou will not be much better, so don't hesitate, the first battle is all settled. As for those ordinary Shatuo soldiers, General An, you are responsible for yourself, and after the war, arrange for them to settle down as citizens, and then you can connect with the Ministry of Civil Affairs. Li Xuanqing turned his head to An Xiuxiu and Gao Siji and said: "No one in Tiance Mansion will discriminate against your tribal identity, but I want to emphasize that Tiance Mansion implements the policy of equality for everyone, so whether it is a Han or a Shatuo person, they must unconditionally implement the laws formulated by Tiance Mansion, if someone violates the law, then even I can't pardon it, you two must pass this on, otherwise if you are targeted by the Law Court, it will be enough for you to suffer." ”

"Please rest assured, when you were in Cangzhou, Wang Dashuai had already spoken to the last general. If the Shatuo people break the law and go against the policies of the Tiance Mansion, the last general will definitely not be partial, and will unconditionally carry out the orders of the lord. An Xiuxiu and Gao Siji glanced at each other, and understood that Li Xuanqing was explaining the bottom line of his Tiance Mansion, and it was also the price that he and the Shatuo people needed to pay to integrate into the Tiance Mansion, but according to the experience of the previous party members, the Tiance Mansion is really impartial to the law, so there is nothing to worry about, if everyone is treated fairly and justly, and there are still people who transgress the bottom line of the law, then there is nothing to say. So An Xiuxiu and Gao Siji stepped forward and bowed to the ground and said.

"Okay, as for the resettlement of your Shatuo people, the Ministry of Civil Affairs will make overall arrangements after this battle. The last thing I want to say is the problem of the two of you, because of Brother Cunxiao, I also know the two of you very well, so I want to hear your two thoughts, whether to enter the military and political system or decentralize to the local government and transfer to the civil affairs system? ”

"My lord, I think General An can actually be transferred to the civil affairs system to assist Mr. Cen in dealing with the ethnic issues of Shatuo, and General Gao can stay in the military and politics." Yang Tiancheng said with a smile: "The war report sent by Houchun said that General An is still very successful in handling government affairs in Cangzhou. ”

"You can think about this, you two think about it for yourselves. I'm not reluctant, just give me an answer when I return to Chang'an. Li Xuanqing nodded and smiled: "Okay, don't be so nervous, let's sit down first." After beckoning everyone to sit down, Li Xuan glanced at the people in the handsome tent and said strangely: "What about Xiao Si?" Isn't he with you? ”

"Xiao Si said that he did something wrong and didn't have the face to see the lord, so he hurried back to Bianliang, saying that he was trying to find a way to provoke Zhu Quanzhong's civil strife and make up for his mistakes." Yang Tiancheng said: "This time, Xiaosi seems to have really been hit, and he hesitated for several days before leaving." ”

"Intelligence work needs to be planned as a whole and follow the overall strategic situation. Don't blame him for this, you go and inform him, don't be rash, although his plan looks perfect, but the opponent is not a vegetarian, don't be discovered by the other party. Li Xuanqing knew what Hu Xiaosi's plan was, judging from the history of later generations, his plan basically followed the historical development trajectory in the parallel world, but the time was not right, and it was difficult to say whether it could succeed.

"Don't worry, my lord, I will arrange for someone to inform him immediately." Yang Tiancheng nodded and said: "It's not early, let's have a banquet, I have arranged a reception banquet for everyone, and we are also lively." ”

"I came from Cangzhou to rob you. These three armies are backed by the base camp on your western front, and the supplies are sufficient, so if you don't rob you, who will rob you. Hurry up to start the table, a few of us came from Cangzhou, but we haven't eaten much all day. Li Xuanqing scolded with a smile.

The camp of the Tiance Army is very lively at this moment, after such a long battle, the soldiers have long been exhausted, this kind of lively eating of the whole army is the most suitable way to release fatigue, even if it is already winter outside, but in front of countless bonfires, the soldiers are roasting the fire and gnawing on wine and meat while playing with each other, it is also very interesting, Li Xuanqing and a group of senior generals are not shuttling in the crowd, chatting with these soldiers while shouting and asking for warmth.

The arrival of Li Xuanqing made the morale of the Western Front Corps rise all of a sudden, and this young commander has become the totem of the Tiance Army and the idol in the hearts of countless years of soldiers, so as Li Xuanqing shouted in unison everywhere he went, this wave gradually spread to all parts of the battalion.

This scene also made Gao Siji and An Xiuxiu, who had just joined the group, sigh, and secretly sighed that this state of unity was a symbol of the invincibility of the Tiance Army.

Li Xuanqing and others outside the city of Luzhou grandly opened the labor army conference also made Zhou Dewei and others who were trapped in the city feel desolate, as the Tiance Army's Western Front Corps of more than 100,000 troops drove to the city one after another, the prospects of their own people suddenly became bleak. Unlike those local generals who are thinking about their own future, Zhou Dewei looked at the north from afar but was worried about Li Keyong's safety, wondering if the army that had placed the last hope of the Shatuo people could break through the encirclement and reach the Wulan River grassland, the holy land of the Shatuo people?

He knew that Li Xuanqing's mind was to use the elimination of himself to establish the status of An Xiuxiu and others among the people of Shatuo, quickly eliminate Li Keyong's influence in the hearts of ordinary people, and facilitate the rule of these Shatuo tribes who were stranded in the Bingzhou area after the war. However, Zhou Dewei didn't have any ideas about this, the people of Shatuo also needed to survive, and what made him uneasy Li Xuanqing was so calm to encircle and suppress himself, then it means that the north has been pacified, so has Li Keyong been exterminated?

Zhou Dewei didn't dare to continue to think about it, the only hope that supported him for so long now was that Li Keyong had already stood out, maybe Li Xuanqing couldn't care about the situation of the grassland, maybe the troops going north were defeated by Li Keyong, you must know that that it was the last elite of Shatuo, and it was also Shatuo's hope.

Zhou Dewei was melancholy in Luzhou, and Zhu Quanzhong in Bianzhou City also walked out of the shadow of his wife Zhang's death, when Jing Xiang walked in with the latest northern intelligence, Zhu Quanzhong seemed to have expected Li Xuanqing's actions, stared at the intelligence and asked after a long time: "Military Division, does my Xuanwu Army need to go north in this situation?" ”

Jing Xiang knew what Zhu Quanzhong was thinking, and when he saw him take the initiative to ask this question, he secretly breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that Zhu Quanzhong had recovered, and he was no longer the Zhu Quanzhong who only knew sadness a few days ago, and Zhu Quanzhong at this moment was the commander of the Xuanwu Army and the lord of his Jingxiang.

"Lord, it's too late to go north at this time, and what we have to do is not to go north and compete with Li Xuanqing, but to arrange the post-war arrangement. Those who have achieved great things will not care about the competition for corners and corners, but focus on the overall situation, as long as the overall situation does not collapse, then the opportunity for us and Li Xuanqing to unify the world is still equal. And from the current point of view, our chances are far greater than Li Xuanqing. Jing Xiang put away his emotions and asked the guards outside the door to inform Xie Tong and Zheng Fan of their quick arrival, and then continued: "Lord Zheng and Lord Xie are both outside the door, just waiting for the lord to come to his senses to discuss our future plans. Although we have lost continuously in the north, our advantage is actually greater than Li Xuanqing, and our lord should not keep an eye on Li Xuanqing and ignore our own advantages. ”

"You guys, please take a seat, this time it was my mistake, and I don't blame you. Let's move on to the future layout. Zhu Quanzhong greeted Xie Tong and Zheng Fan, who walked in from outside the door, and continued.

"First of all, the first point, although Li Xuanqing occupied the Youhe region and confronted us in the middle and lower reaches of the Yellow River, but the plastered land of the Central Plains is actually still in the hands of our Xuanwu Army. Xie Tong was also not polite, sitting on Zhu Quanzhong's left hand side and said with a smile.

"Secondly, the terrain is also unfavorable to the Tiance Army, please see, the territory of the Tiance Army stretches for thousands of miles from east to west, bordering the grassland in the north, and it is necessary to guard against the southern invasion of the Khitan and Huangjiasi and other grassland nomadic tribes at any time, and the southern line is adjacent to us and Yang Fugong Wang Jian and others, once we provoke the grassland Khitans to go south, our southern line will unite several families to go north, which will inevitably make it difficult for them to take care of each other, and fall into the danger of each break." Zheng Fan pointed to the map and said: "My lord, I have already sent someone to the north to contact Yelu Hanxiong, the Khitan leader, and in Yelu Hanxiong's eyes, I will not see the threat of Li Xuanqing, so as early as the beginning of spring next year, and at the latest in August and September next year, there will inevitably be a battle between the two of them." ”

"I have a heart, Master Zheng." Zhu Quanzhong was obviously very pleased with Zheng Fan's precautionary move and appreciated.

Jing Xiang also smiled when he saw Zhu Quanzhong's smile: "The lord has the most important point, even if we don't go north to attack Li Xuanqing with the Khitans at that time, or the Khitans drag it out until the autumn before making a move, we can also take advantage of Li Xuanqing's recuperation when the main force goes south to eliminate Gao Yu in Huainan, Shi Pu in Xuzhou and others, and take advantage of the sufficient population and products on the southern front to suffice our strength." And Li Xuanqing will inevitably devote a lot of energy to pacify the Youhe region, so that with one increase and one decrease, we can ensure that we continue to occupy the advantage for a considerable period of time, so that the lord can calmly arrange and Li Xuanqing's conquest. ”

"So the lord doesn't have to worry about Li Xuanqing's occupation of the Youhe region, but should be glad that the other party ate Li Ke's territory in one bite, and it is easy to hold on to it if he eats too much." Xie Tong said with a smile: "Li Cunxiao's death disrupted all of Li Xuanqing's plans, forcing the other party to take this snake swallowing elephant method to take Li Keyong's territory, so the other party is actually a helpless move." Xie Tong smiled, vaguely guessing Li Xuanqing's thoughts.

The conversation between Zhu Quanzhong's monarchs and ministers in Bianzhou City also laid the pattern of confrontation between the north and the south of the two countries in the short term, and the Central Plains was divided into two by these two families. It's just that many times accidents always appear inadvertently, although Xie Tong expected the emergence of the confrontation between the north and the south of the two families, but he didn't know enough about Li Xuanqing, who crossed the crowd, which also led to the rapid defeat of the two families when they competed for strength later. In this era, no one could have imagined the role that industry and commerce would play in promoting social development once they were unshackled.