Chapter 58: The three great overlords in the world!

Yang Yi came to see Zhang Mai, and Zhang Mai was washing the horse. Although the throne of sweat and blood is his beloved horse, it is not managed by him every day. He just washed his mount himself before going to war. This has become a habit.

Seeing that it was Yang Yilai, Zhang Mai didn't look up, but said, "I'll leave the day after tomorrow. After I leave, I'll leave this Beiting to you. You can recuperate while training troops. Some of the prisoners now can become new forces after being taught, and the rest can become slaves or civilians. In this way, some of the strong men in Beiting who used to farm and grazing were liberated and trained into soldiers. In the future, these will be the main force to attack Mobei. I can completely trust you to train troops. When I come back, or to raise my strength for another two years, we will plow the Khitan as soon as we find an opportunity!"

When he found that Yang Yi had no interface, he looked up and asked, "Why, do you have something to tell me?"

Yang Yi looked at the brush washing horse hair in Zhang Mai's hand and smiled: "Emperors from ancient times to the present have done some poor and humble things before they became emperors. After they became emperors, they are afraid that they will not be like you and will wash their horses by themselves. Although Li Congke was also from the army, I dare say that he will not be willing to wash his horses now."

Zhang Mai laughed and said, "I'm not the emperor."

"Although it's not the emperor," Yang Yi said: "But after this battle, the two great emperors of Khitan and Xiao Tang were afraid of you! And a little emperor like Meng Shu was afraid that he would even have the desire to pay tribute. So, although you are not called the emperor, you have actually regarded you as the emperor."

Zhang Mai smiled and said, "Emperor is just a name. What can really make Yelu Deguang and Li Congke awe is the strength in our hands! Throughout history, many people have been beaten up for this false reputation, which is really boring. The country we want to establish in the future is not something that one person can rule. It is exhausting to force it. If you want to be comfortable, you will miss the state affairs and then get yourself involved. Anyway, I don't want to be this sucker. I am in my early thirties this year and don't want to live too short. At least I have to live for another forty years. Now I can still be more diligent, but I have to be as trembling as I have in the past few years, like walking on thin ice, I am afraid I don't have such a good personality." As he said that, he started washing the horse again.

Yang Yi said: "Brother Mai, now you and I are in a high position. There are some things that I am afraid that I cannot do willful. We must always take the overall situation into consideration!"

Zhang Mai suddenly stopped again and looked at Yang Yi and said, "What happened to you suddenly talk about this today?"

Yang Yi said: "Someone wants to persuade him to come in."

"Persuad to enter?"

"I just want to persuade you to be the emperor."

Zhang Mai looked at Yang Yi and suddenly burst into laughter. After a while, he said, "What do you mean?"

Yang Yi said: "Of course I support it! Putting aside your friendship, the Li family has now been destroyed and there is no master in the world. Looking at the world, which emperor is better than you? Li Congke, Yelu Deguang, or Meng Chang? It's impossible to count!"

Zhang Mai said: "Is there an emperor necessary?"

Yang Yi was stunned and then said, "The army must have generals and the country must have lords. This is a matter of course! Before, everyone did not support you ascend the throne because we were still in the northwest, and ascending the throne was suspected of usurping. But now we have overcome the Khitan, defeated the Uighurs, and have the power to the world, and have a reputation that has definitely surpassed Li Congke and are qualified to be emperor. If you don't become emperor, it is not appropriate. At that time, Brother Mai said in Tianning Temple that if Li Congke had virtue, he would be merged into the Central Plains in the northwest. This sentence was just a saying at that time, but it spread far. If you don't become emperor, the soldiers

I will be afraid that you really have this intention. If you want to learn from Yao and Shun, you will give the country you have won. Then will your previous allegiance be in vain? Even the people will be uneasy. The world we have won is naturally the one who is the master of our own, and we will manage and manage it ourselves. How can you give it to others? But if you become emperor, not only will the soldiers be at ease, but the people will be at ease, but even the knowledgeable people in the Central Plains will know our ambitions after hearing this. As long as we have an advantage over Xiao Tang, they will have the idea to come and take refuge, which will be of great help to the country's strategy."

Zhang Mai shook the water droplets on his brush and said, "I must be the emperor after hearing what you said."

Yang Yi said: "Of course, it's just that time has come."

Zhang Mai smiled and said, "If I don't do it and let others do it, will that be OK? You know, although I have made a contribution to the foundation we have established, I may not be better than Guo Luo when it comes to overall ability, and I am not as good as Zheng Wei in governing the country..."

"No, no!" Yang Yi said: "Brother Mai, you don't want to be an emperor now, but you can't escape in the future. And no one can sit in a seat except you. This is not a matter of ability, but the general trend! If Brother Mai, if you want to learn from Yao and Shun, it will only mess up the country! It will not be good for you and the world!"

Seeing that Yang Yi was a little anxious, Zhang Mai smiled and said, "Okay, okay, don't worry, I'm not Yao and Shun, and I don't plan to learn from them! But let's discuss the matter of being an emperor. If you ask the people who persuade you to come in, don't worry, it's not time yet!"

In the winter of the second year of Tiance, the world-renowned Beiting Battle finally ended. The news spread throughout Anlong at the end of the winter, and in the spring of the next year, the entire surrounding area was spreading. The Tang army of Tiance almost destroyed the Uighurs and expelled the Khitan. The Uighurs in the west of the Lingxi were almost at risk of extermination. More than 20,000 of the tribes in the north of the Mobei, beheaded 5,000. The news came out that the Mobei, the Central Plains, the River, and Tubo were all shocked!

Although all parties have already made various predictions about this battle, they did not expect the situation to be so one-sided!

The enthusiasm of the Anlong military and civilians has been unprecedentedly high. Although the farmers are at ease, the merchants' voices are louder when they speak to outsiders!

The king of Khotan, Li Shengtian, was surprised and happy, and was very grateful for not betting the wrong treasure at the beginning! Queen Li had resentment for the Anxi Army annexation of Guiyi Army. After all, Shazhou was her mother's home, but she didn't dare to reveal it. Even if the two daughters later married Zhang Mai and Yang Yi, they could not completely eliminate this resentment. However, after the victory of Beiting came to Khotan, her mentality also changed. She secretly told Li Shengtian: "Today, the strong will be invincible. Even if there is no wizard, with the qualifications of my father and brother, it is probably difficult to protect the ancestors forever. Cao's first merged into Anlong and became a new citizen. This may not be a good thing. For example, Ce's army swept the northwest and defeated the two overlords. The power is as powerful as the Japanese side. Your Majesty should do it well, and this is the only way to protect the country and the people."

Li Shengtian agreed deeply and immediately sent an envoy to Beiting and Liangzhou to congratulate him, and prepared to let the prince come to Zhang Mai to study.

The king and minister of Shu were also very frightened when they heard the news.

The Meng family of Shu was not native to Bashu. The monarch and important officials were separated from the Later Tang Dynasty, so they were quite familiar with the situation in the north and were also very respectful of the strength of the Khitan. They have been paying attention since the war in Beiting. Sikong and subordinate minister Zhao Jiliang and another minister of the guards, Wang Chuhui, had calculated the situation in front of the Shu lord Meng Chang. Both of them believed that the Tiance Army was probably going to be bad this time. Zhao Jiliang believed that no country in the world could resist the joint attack between the Khitan and the Uighurs at the same time. He believed that the best result of the Tiance Army was to retreat to the southern foot of the Tianshan Mountains to protect themselves, and even lost the entire Anxi, and it was possible to retreat to Longxi. Wang Chuhui also agreed with this.

At that time, Cao Yuanzhong, the envoy of the Tiance Army, came here, but the diplomacy of Shu did not coldly treat Cao Yuanzhong because the Tiance Army might be defeated. On the contrary, King Jiliang of Zhao still warmly welcomed the other party, because Zhao Jiliang believed that a weakened Tiance Army might not be a good thing for Shu. All the Later Shu regime needed was a separatist regime that could unite with them to fight against the Later Tang Dynasty. The economic power of Ganlong was not as strong as the military power of Bashu. The military power of Bashu was not enterprising but was richer than Ganlong. Moreover, the two countries had commercial roads that could be accessed and because the border was narrow, they would not have the intention to annex each other. It was a natural complementary and mutually beneficial country.

However, the battle of Beiting surprised King Jiliang of Zhao. They did not expect that the Tiance army would win the war with the Khitan and Uighurs at the same time, and they would never expect that it would be such an almost overwhelming victory! Even the inexperienced Shu Lord Meng Chang could not sit still at this time! He took the initiative to summon two ministers of the regent and Lu Jicheng, who had been on mission to Liangzhou, and asked: "Zhao Sikong, Yelu Deguang or Li Congke, who is stronger?"

Zhao Jiliang thought about this issue for a long time before saying, "The wealth of the Central Plains is beyond the reach of the Khitans, but if we are competing for hegemony and strength, the Khitans will still be overwhelming Xiao Tang."

The term "Xiao Tang" was originally a title for Later Tang that some people in the Tiance regime secretly called them. However, since Lianglan and Bashu became increasingly close, the discourse habits in the northwest unknowingly affected the southwest. Because Shu people were actually not willing to recognize the orthodox nature of the Luoyang court, they accepted this title very quickly.

Meng Chang frowned and said, "I heard that although the Uighurs in the west of the Lingling are not as strong as the Khitan, they are also the first-class power. Now that the Khitan and the Uighurs join forces, they are still defeated by Tiance. Isn't the power of this Tiance army stronger than the Khitan? Since it is stronger than the Khitan, is it stronger than Xiao Tang?"

Zhao Jiliang could not answer for a moment. In the past, the world in his mind was the first step among the countries of the Khitan and the Later Tang Dynasty. He always believed that no matter how powerful Tiance was, his strength was still relatively weak compared to the Khitan and the Later Tang Dynasty. Moreover, it was not a little weaker, but a level of weakness. However, the actual combat result was the most authoritative balance that reflected the comprehensive national strength! Since the Tiance army could defeat the Khitan, Meng Chang’s inference just now might not be invalid!

"This..." Zhao Jiliang sighed and said, "The old minister's inference before the war seemed to be wrong. Tiance, Khitan, and Central Plains can now be called the three domineers in the same world!"

"So who is stronger?" Meng Chang asked.

"This..." Zhao Jiliang was not able to answer for a moment.

Wang Chuhui replied and said, "I think that although the Khitan was defeated this time, it was not a country that could do anything! The Tiance army sent out all its strength, so whoever is stronger and whoever is weak cannot be determined by the battle."

Meng Chang said: "The Khitan did not do all his strength, but I heard that they also dispatched nearly 100,000 troops this time! This cannot be said to be a partial army. Moreover, they also helped the Uighurs. The Uighurs also sent out nearly 100,000 troops. But they were still defeated, and they were defeated so badly. I think after this battle, the Uighurs could no longer help. Even if the Khitan tried his best to deal with the Tiance army, I am afraid that they might not be able to win."

Zhao Jiliang and Wang Chuhui looked at each other, nodded slightly, and said in unison: "My Lord is wise."

Meng Chang frowned and said, "Now I don't want to hear you praise me for being wise. What I want to know now is what we should do next? Tiance's army is so powerful. If Zhang Jie uses the power of a great victory to enter Guanzhong, then will we help Xiao Tang or Tiance then?"

This question was asked again and the two couldn't answer!

The hostility between the Later Tang and Later Shu was profound. Although the war was stopped in the past year, no diplomatic relations have been reached so far. Because the Later Tang has always regarded the Meng family of Later Shu as a rebel, and the Meng family is not ready to recognize the status of the ruler of Later Tang, the two sides are hostile to each other despite the ceasefire.

However, the Tiance Army and Houshu were in a honeymoon period. Economically, the merchants of Bashu were eager to get Western goods from the Silk Road, while the merchants in the Western Regions needed excellent commodities such as Shu embroidery. Politically, both sides sent ministerial figures (Shu Kingdom was Lu Jicheng and Tiance was Cao Yuanzhong) to visit each other. Zhang Mai became brothers with Meng Chang. Both sides complemented each other, and had a secret military alliance: if the Later Tang attacked Lianglan, Shu Kingdom would come out to Hanzhong to attack the descendants. If the Later Tang had the intention of being a shack to Bashu, Tiance would mediate in the middle, and if the mediation was invalid, it would help him with troops!

From this perspective, if Zhang Mai went east to Guanzhong, the Later Shu should support it, but now that time has changed, the Tiance Army has changed from a separatist regime to a domineering rule in the minds of the people. Once the Tiance Army enters Heluo and annexes the Central Plains, how can the Later Shu, which is located in a corner, be alone!

Because of this, Zhao Jiliang and Wang Chuhui felt embarrassed. They had made a mistake in the Battle of Beiting. If they make a mistake this time, they would be afraid that they would have to bear the price of the country's destruction.

Zhao Jiliang thought about it and finally said, "The old minister thought that if the momentum of Ce Army has been achieved today, even if our Shu Kingdom takes any action, it will be difficult to shake its foundation, and it will only increase its disgust. Since the Tiance Army started, there has not been any treason. Since our lord has a brotherly alliance with Marshal Zhang, this kind of friendship should not be abandoned easily. Now that he has heard that he has won a great victory, he will send ministers to Liangzhou to He Jie and see if the Tiance Army continues to advance eastward. At the same time, he also sent an envoy to Luoyang to repair it with Li Congke in case of an emergency in the future."

Meng Chang said: "Li Congke always wanted to destroy us first and then get there. If we send an envoy to come, will we use a hot face to stick the other party's cold butt? Besides, let the Tiance army hear that it will affect the diplomatic relations between Tiance and us?"

"This is the moment, and that is the moment." Wang Chu replied: "At the beginning, Xiao Tang thought he would be able to sweep the six and take it as his responsibility, and he did not take it seriously except the Khitan. But now the situation is different. Marshal Zhang's power in the battle shocked the universe, and he suddenly saw a strong enemy. The scholars in the Central Plains must wait and see. From then on, Li's fear of Tiance would probably be above the Khitan. Cultivating with me is a big help. As long as Li Congke is not confused, he will naturally be able to distinguish the priorities of this."

Zhao Jiliang interrogated: "And Marshal Zhang and Li Congke themselves have the right to be brothers. What reason do they have to oppose the brotherly state and the brotherly state establish diplomatic relations?"

Meng Chang said: "Okay, then do it like this." He immediately sent an envoy to Liangzhou and Luoyang at the same time. At this time, all the Eastern countries officially recognized the strength of the Tiance Tang army and regarded it as one of the strongest forces qualified to win the Central Plains.

The small countries were just looking around, but the two major countries of Khitan and the Later Tang felt that their status had been greatly impacted!

Although Yelu Deguang of the Khitan did not personally fight this time, the capital he invested should not be underestimated because the king had not been in the battle. What's more, the Khitan did not act alone in Beiting but joined forces with the Uighurs in Lingxi. The two Hu tribes almost devoted their efforts to defeat the country, so the combat effectiveness of the Tiance army can be imagined!

In the eyes of the tribes in Mobei, the Tiance Army is a sun rising from the west! Will this powerful regime that "professed to be Han people" continue to advance eastward after the victory of Beiting? This has almost become a concern for the tribes in Mobei, and they are divided into various factions. Some people are very afraid of the entry of the Han people, but some tribes that have not benefited from the Mobei system established by the Khitan are looking forward to the entry of the Tang army, hoping to turn around.

Yelu Deguang and Shuluping couldn't sleep all night after receiving the war report! They immediately discussed various measures in an attempt to stabilize the Khitan's rule in the northern part of the Mo.

The peace talks in Xiaogushan were just a temporary military peace talks. Both sides did not promise not to offend each other. Tiance and the Khitan had no enemies, and the Khitan marched into Beiting to maintain hegemony. In this era, this can be regarded as a offense by the Khitans to the Tiance army! Almost all countries believe that Zhang Mai would definitely take revenge on Yelu Deguang sooner or later!

"Tiance...Tang people!" Yelu Deguang's attitude of looking down on the Han people was suddenly forced to reverse after this battle! In his eyes, the Han people are no longer a substitute for weak words. The strength of the Tiance Army has become terrible and unpredictable!

He took out the letter Guo Fen gave him again. He just got the letter half a month ago and threw it aside with disdain. But now he sent someone to read the letter again. The letter was Guo Fen's rebuke to Yelu Deguang, and the words were still the same. But half a month ago, Yelu Deguang just thought it was an "arrogant woman" screaming. But after the defeat of Beiting, Guo Fen's rebuke became domineering! Every single rebuke in her plain voice fell into Yelu Deguang's ears, as if it was a cold threat!

This is not because Guo Fen's letter has changed, but because the national strength of the Tiance Tang Dynasty has changed, because the status of the Tiance Army in the international field has changed, so the power of Guo Fen's words has also changed!

"Have the messenger from Liangzhou returned?" Shuluping asked.

"I've been back seven days ago..."
Chapter completed!