After eating and drinking, Zhang Shixun began to plan the next move.
"He Ji, you will be responsible for writing the military report and submitting it to the court, focusing on highlighting the bravery of the soldiers. As for me, I will just briefly mention it. Once you are done, give it to me to review before sending it out."
He Ji stood up and said, "I obey your order!"
"Gao Chengzong, select fifty tall, imposing soldiers to escort Toushouhua back to the capital to report the victory... Remember! When we enter the city, the gongs and drums must be played loudly. This will let the people of the capital know that our First Army is a mighty and victorious force."
When Gao Yanei heard this, he was overjoyed. This was a good opportunity to show off.
Seeing that he didn't accept the order, Zhang Shixun asked with a stern face, "Why? You don't want to?"
Gao Yanei quickly stood up and said, "I obey your orders!"
Han Shizhong picked his teeth and looked him in the eye. "Chengzong, this is a golden opportunity to show your face. If you miss this opportunity, you won't have it again. Don't waste it."
Gao Yanei nodded repeatedly, smiling so hard that his teeth were showing.
Zhang Shixun explained, "Among the war horses captured this time, I saw a particularly good bay horse. It's tall and strong, with a shiny coat. If you put on your armor and ride it, you will surely be awe-inspiring and awe-inspiring."
"Thank you, Lord Military Commander."
"Polish your armor until it shines, and have the soldiers wear new uniforms... Stop giggling, and get ready quickly. We'll set out at 9:00 a.m. tomorrow, arriving in the capital by noon, when the crowds will be bustling..."
Before he could finish his words, Gao Yanei had already rushed out of the military tent.
The people in the military tent smiled at each other.
Zhang Shixun restrained his smile, coughed lightly and said, "Everyone, now that we have eliminated Toushouhua, we should focus on dealing with Yang Tianwang."
As he spoke, he walked over to the map, picked up his whip and pointed at it, saying, "According to scouts, Yang Tianwang took advantage of our inability to deal with Tou Shou and fled eastward with 500 people to Yongqiu. After looting, he is now heading towards Kaocheng... This guy is trying to escape from the Jingji Road."
He Ji frowned and asked, "Where is this guy going to escape to?"
Zhang Shixun shook his head: "I don't know. He has many options, such as Hebei Road, Jingdong Road, Huainan East Road, etc."
Han Shizhong said, "Yang Tianwang has no horse and is not walking fast. We can just catch up with him. The cavalry will go first, and the infantry will follow."
"Just do as Commander Han says." Zhang Shixun nodded. "He Ji, you stay. Everyone else can go back and get some rest. We've worked hard for several days and everyone is exhausted."
…
The next day, before Gao Yanei and the team escorting Tou Shouhua arrived, the good news had already reached the capital.
Emperor Zhao Ji held up a memorial and smiled as he addressed his courtiers, saying, "The rebel Tou slipped and was captured by the Tianwu Army yesterday. The remaining hundreds of men were all executed, not a single one escaped... This is the memorial Liang Fangping submitted last night. Please take a look."
Wang Fu came out of the ranks and reported, "Most of the credit for the annihilation of these bandits goes to the governor Liang Fangping. Since taking office, he has led the Imperial Guards and the garrison troops in a relentless campaign against Toushouhua, pursuing him relentlessly. He has decimated Toushouhua and forced him to flee for his life, unable to remain in Shandong. Just as Liang Fangping was about to deliver a fatal blow, Zhang Shixun took advantage."
After these words were spoken, silence fell in the hall.
The ministers remained silent.
They all knew very well that Wang Fu was lying with his eyes open.
Liang Fangping led thousands of imperial troops to Shandong Road to wipe out Tou Shouhua. However, not only did he make no progress in more than a year, but he was led around by Tou Shouhua, and half of Shandong was in turmoil.
Toushouhua's troops had many war horses, and they ran away as soon as the government troops arrived. Although Liang Fangping also had hundreds of cavalry, they were useless. He fought with Toushouhua's cavalry several times, and suffered losses every time. After several times, Liang Fangping no longer dared to let his cavalry fight Toushouhua alone.
The Song Dynasty was short of horses and had limited cavalry, and could not afford the losses.
This time, Liang Fangping mobilized tens of thousands of troops to chase and intercept him from all sides. It took him a lot of effort to drive Toushouhua to Weishi. Then, his army stopped outside the border of Weishi County.
Anyone with a discerning eye could see that this was an attempt to deceive Zhang Shixun.
Behind Liang Fangping was Emperor Zhao Ji, and he only listened to the emperor. Everything he did must have come from the emperor's will.
Zhang Shixun had just been sent to suppress Yang Tianwang when he slipped and was driven to Weishi by Liang Fangping. No one would believe that it was a coincidence.
In the small Weishi County, one Yang Tianwang is enough to cause headaches, and now there comes another one who is as cunning as a tiger.
None of the important officials in the court, including Cai Jing, were optimistic about Zhang Shixun.
Unexpectedly, in just a few days, Zhang Shixun defeated Toushouhua and ate them all in one bite, without leaving even a single fish behind.
Seeing that none of the ministers spoke, Zhao Ji coughed lightly and said, "In any case, the annihilation of Toushou's group is something worth celebrating. Let's wait for Zhang Shixun to submit the victory report, and then we can reward him according to his merits."
As he was speaking, Liang Shicheng walked up to Zhao Ji and whispered a few words.
After hearing this, Zhao Ji looked at Gao Qiu with a smile and said, "Mr. Gao, guess who is the one who escorted Toushouhua back to the capital?"
Gao Qiu was stunned when he heard this.
Before he could answer, Zhao Ji continued, "It's your son Gao Chengzong, who has now entered the Nanxun Gate."
Gao Qiu was secretly delighted, but he said, "It is a blessing for my son to be able to serve the court so humbly."
Zhao Ji nodded and instructed Liang Shicheng, "Summon Gao Chengzong to the palace. He must have Zhang Shixun's memorial with him."
In less than a meal's time, Gao Yanei entered the palace.
The emperor issued a special decree that he could enter the palace without taking off his armor.
Gao Chengzong's face was covered in sweat, and he went to the palace wearing armor.
As soon as he entered the hall, he shouted, "Tianwu Army's Right Wing First Army Commander Gao Chengzong pays homage to our emperor. Long live our emperor! Long live! Long, long live!"
This set of actions left all the ministers stunned.
I have never seen anyone meet the emperor like this.
There is a strict set of rules for paying homage to the emperor. When an official enters the palace, he or she must be given detailed instructions by the Gatekeeper, the etiquette officer.
However, Zhao Ji found it extremely pleasant to the ears and it sounded so comfortable.
"Gao Chengzong, since this is your first audience with the emperor, and you're wearing armor, there's no need to be so rigid with etiquette... Quickly tell us the details of how you wiped out Toushou's slippery hands."
Gao Yanei took out a memorial and said with a smile, "This is a report written by Deputy Commander-in-Chief He Ji. The battle situation is clearly described. Your Majesty, please take a look first."
"He...Ji?" Zhao Ji couldn't remember who this person was for a moment.
Gao Qiu said, "He Ji is the eldest son of He Guan, the chief officer of the Imperial Guard's Infantry Division."
After he reminded him, Zhao Ji finally remembered this person.
He Ji was sent by Prince Yun with the purpose of monitoring Zhang Shixun.
Liang Shicheng came over, took the memorial and presented it to Zhao Ji.
The memorial was thick, and Zhao Ji read it very carefully. He frowned, gritted his teeth, and nodded. When he read to the end, he couldn't help but exclaimed, "Good."
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