Chapter 5: Don’t Be Distracted by Small Things

Everyone heard Xie Chong's serious words and quickly looked over with questioning eyes.

"Yi Shiyi is young and delicate. If he comes to the palace, he should be treated with even more care." Xie Chong said very seriously, "Especially His Highness, you should give all your money to teach such a young apprentice. You cannot let His Majesty and Yang The Imperial Tutor is disappointed, let alone her mother, Lady Jiansan!"

Everyone agreed. Zhou Shengchen looked at Xie Chong's serious and somewhat artificial expression, but secretly thought it was funny: Xie Chong either wants me to use Miao Shiyi as his little sister, a "spice" to the monotonous life; or he has already saved it. Intention of me marrying her in the future.

But no matter what the meaning is, it is still Xie Chong's words with a sense of ridicule.

"What the military advisor said is true." After Zhou Shengchen finished speaking, he looked at everyone and said, "We will return to Xizhou immediately after delivering the soul of the late emperor and mobilize our troops south to 'Jiangshui'."

As he spoke, he narrowed his eyes and looked far away to the south: "I am going to meet Nan Xiao's soldiers and horses."

When it comes to the upcoming Nanxiao battle, everyone feels excited and nervous at the same time.

Beichen's soldiers and horses were strong and looked invincible. But Nanxiao not only had the Jianghuai barrier, sufficient grain, grass, and salt, but also had a huge population to provide support and backing.

The current battle between the two sides is mainly concentrated in the Shouyang line in the east, and then in the Jiangling area bordering the jurisdiction controlled by King Xiao Nanchen.

Now that he was talking about the upcoming war, Zhou Shengchen, Xie Chong, Hong Xiaoyu and others, while studying the situation of the two sides, began to transport supplies and personnel such as grain, soldiers and generals.

The discussion lasted until midnight, and everyone was preparing to go back to their tents to rest. Xie Chong praised him again and said: "Your Highness is really calm and calm. It can be said that he is calm and confident when encountering difficulties."

"This is all thanks to the military advisor's constant assistance and guidance." Zhou Shengchen replied politely.

After Xie Chong saluted, he went to rest. Zhou Shengchen looked at his back and sighed in his heart.

Xie Chong not only assisted King Zuo Xiaonanchen in marching and fighting, but also monitored him. If King Xiao Nanchen had any intention of rebelling, military advisor Xie Chong would be the first to discover and understand it. In addition, Xie Chong subtly solidified Yu Zhong's thoughts in his mind.

For example, the slogan in the army is not "Kill the enemy with all your might", but rather like the oath sworn by civil servants, or simply the words of a knight-errant - "Kill the enemy with all your might"? !

This is not only solidifying Zhou Shengchen's brain, but also solidifying the brains of the hundreds of thousands of soldiers under his command.

Regarding these, Zhou Shengchen now needs to be vigilant, especially vigilant about his own will.

But after all, Xie Chong was really dedicated to King Xiao Nanchen, and even ordered his third son, Xie Yun, to become Zhou Shengchen's disciple. At present, Xie Yun and Xie Chong are still regarded as adopted father and adopted son.

This is because Xie Chong's wife is from the Gao family of the late emperor and empress. Out of political sensitivity, Xie Chong divorced his wife and concealed his son's identity from everyone.

Even Xie Yun himself only thought that he was abandoned by his mother and did not know the past story.

Out of gratitude and the need to continue to cover up, Zhou Shengchen would not drive Xie Chong away, let alone kill him. But re-arranging and planning for him and the hundreds of thousands of Wang troops he personally commanded was what Zhou Shengchen was eager to do.

"Master, don't stay up late anymore and go to bed as soon as possible." Seeing that he hadn't fallen asleep yet, Hong Xiaoyu couldn't help but approach him and persuade him.

Zhou Tianxing and others next to him also quietly asked for instructions with their eyes.

Nodding, Zhou Shengchen patted the fur cushion beside him with a smile: "Sit with me for a while."

Because Hong Xiaoyu and others have always respected him, they have a very good personal relationship with him. Seeing that he looked relaxed at this time, they smiled and sat beside him.

"I have no other brothers and sisters. I usually get along with you. Although we are considered masters and disciples, I still feel that when we are together, there will be no restrictions." Zhou Shengchen said with a smile.

"Master has a magnanimous mind. We follow you and feel happy in our hearts!" Feng Qiao said.

Nodding, Zhou Shengchen asked her and Xie Yun to pour hot milk for everyone to drink, and then continued: "We serve the country together, repel the enemy and put down the rebellion. This is the first priority."

"That's natural! Who in the world doesn't know that wherever King Xiao Nanchen's horse hooves arrives, that will be the place where good news comes!" Hong Xiaoyu said happily.

Smiling, Zhou Shengchen looked at them and asked: "The Wang Army is invincible, do you know why?!"

This was an open-ended question, and everyone immediately started talking about it.

Some say that King Xiao Nanchen fought bravely, and the soldiers who followed him were inspired; some said that the logistics were good and the troops were arranged well, so they were able to defeat the enemy; and some simply said that "King Xiao Nanchen was like God's help" , as soon as the enemy heard that he was coming, they were immediately frightened and lost their fighting power"...

Zhou Shengchen concluded with a smile: "What you said is all very good. But the most important thing, I think, is military discipline!"

When this word was spoken, everyone reacted and said: "Only when we unite as one can we destroy everything!"

"That's right. If we do this, we can continue to win; otherwise," Zhou Shengchen put the wooden bowl in his hand aside, "it's useless for us to say anything."

Hong Xiaoyu pondered for a moment, then immediately raised his hands and said, "Your Highness, we understand your intention, you are asking us to obey the general's orders!"

"General Hong said it very well." Zhou Shengchen looked around at the crowd and then looked in the direction outside the tent. "The phrase 'the conduct of the world is a lesson to the world, and the death of moral integrity' that the athletes in the army shouted out in unison, is that a lie?!"

"I don't know much, but I know this requires us to strictly uphold justice and be willing to die in a bloody battle for it!" Feng Qiao replied.

"That's not right." Zhou Shengchen shook his head and said.

"Huh?" Feng Qiao and others were surprised and looked at him in confusion.

"We fight for justice and the well-being of all people, but we are not necessarily going to die." After Zhou Shengchen said this, everyone thought he was just making fun of a certain vocabulary, and they all laughed.

"Your Highness said this," Xie Yun seemed a little hesitant, "We are called the King's Army, aren't we fighting for Beichen and the Emperor?"

"Didn't the military advisor advise you? The world belongs to your majesty. Do you need to explain more about the battle between the king's army? Also, we are suppressing the rebellion in the country. Among those who rebelled, who didn't claim to have received the destiny of heaven?!"

After Zhou Shengchen finished speaking, Xie Yun immediately raised his hand and said yes.

Hong Xiaoyu and others then became angry for those who rebelled, saying only that those people were cruel and unscrupulous people.

"Well, there is no point in discussing these things after all. The most important thing is that we must work together. Otherwise, if I don't tell you, a scattered army will be the easiest to be massacred."

After Zhou Shengchen finished speaking, everyone listened in awe and accepted the order.

"It's getting late, you should all get some rest. Tomorrow, we will deliver the deceased emperor's soul, and then turn south to fight." Zhou Shengchen ordered, and everyone went to rest.

Xie Yun hesitated for a moment and walked out of the tent without asking any more questions.

Returning to his tent, he saw his adoptive father Xie Chong, who was still consulting the map by the light of the bonfire.

"Father, please rest as soon as possible." He quickly advised.

Xie Chong agreed and then sat opposite him.

The real father and son looked at each other, and Xie Chong said: "You have followed King Xiao Nanchen to fight everywhere. Both your wisdom and bravery are far higher than before."

"My father also said that it is useless to just 'talk on paper'." Xie Yun replied.

Xie Chong smiled and said, "You have learned a bit from King Xiao Nanchen's free and easy attitude."

After handing over his hands and resigning humbly, Xie Yun remembered his doubts and couldn't help but ask in a low voice: "We were chatting casually. King Xiao Nanchen said that the king's army was fighting for justice. I didn't think clearly for the moment and thought that he was fighting for your majesty."

"Asshole! You can't even understand this - since Your Majesty is entrusted with destiny, isn't he bound by justice?!" Xie Chong immediately shouted in a low voice.

Xie Yun quickly handed over his hands to apologize. Xie Chong frowned and wanted to say something, but he felt some noise coming from the door of the tent.

Xie Chong immediately motioned to Xie Yun to look, but did not notice any unusual movement.

Taking a breath secretly, Xie Chong said in a low voice: "His Royal Highness is benevolent and brave, so you should follow him. He has always been informal, and you can't learn from him, but you can't disrespect him."

Xie Yun was obedient and confessed repeatedly. The father and son said nothing more and rested separately.

In the big tent, Zhou Shengchen was fully clothed and lying on a fur mat. Hong Xiaoyu put a big cloak on him and whispered: "Master, you are fine."

Hong Xiaoyu is the first of the ten disciples, followed by Zhou Tianxing, Xie Yun, Feng Qiao, You Meng, Xu Zheng, He Yuanqing, Lu Wanshan, Shi Yize, and Zhang Xiaoheng.

These people followed Zhou Shengchen for different reasons, but the same thing was that they were all saved by him. They were listed as ten disciples in order of following Zhou Shengchen first, and they were all extremely loyal to him.

That day, Zhou Shengchen covered Hong Xiaoyu and Zhou Tianxing's clothes first. Hong Xiaoyu secretly felt something strange - he originally cared the most about the military advisor.

Afterwards, when she found an opportunity to be alone and tentatively asked this question, Zhou Shengchen replied calmly: The military advisor treats me like a whip of encouragement and a sword hanging over his head. I respect him extremely. His covering was still secure that day, so I’ll add more coverings for you first without thinking too much.

Don’t think too much about it, just pay more attention to it.

Xie Chong's role in the army can be said to be the same as that of Zhou Shengchen, who regarded him as their military advisor. Then Hong Xiaoyu and others would naturally be wary of this military advisor.

King Xiao Nanchen, who has 700,000 tribesmen, can satisfy the emperor with just an oath? Isn't it extremely ridiculous?

Xie Chong, and even other officers and generals in the army, were mostly spies from the imperial court. This was perfectly normal.

King Xiao Nanchen had this special military advisor to fight, but he couldn't mobilize his troops entirely by his own will. He had to have Xie Chong's approval.

As Zhou Shengchen's absolute confidants, Hong Xiaoyu and others didn't need to tell him, and it wouldn't take long to realize it.

Naturally, the disciples were not happy that their master had been being watched like this. But given Zhou Shengchen's instructions, they all had to acquiesce to this.

Hong Xiaoyu was still confused when he saw Xie Yun just now, so he couldn't help but keep a close eye on him.

Although the conversation between Xie Chong and his son was simple, she still heard some clues: the reason why Xie Chong was so cautious was because he wanted to monitor Zhou Shengchen for a long time.

She didn't say much to Zhou Shengchen at this time, but it could be seen in her tone.

"Go to sleep." Zhou Shengchen muttered, turned over and continued to sleep.

Early the next morning, the palace sent Zhao Teng to inform him that the late emperor's coffin was about to leave the city, and asked Zhou Shengchen and others to go and protect the coffin.

Rushing to the west city gate, Zhou Shengchen and others saw white flags and streamers flying all over the sky. The numerous honor guards who came out of Chengli were all wearing plain white robes.

Like a silver dragon, this procession slowly emerged from the city gate and then meandered towards the hills to the west.

When the late emperor's coffin arrived at the mausoleum, it was first sent to the "Long'en Hall". The officials of the Qintian Prison determined the auspicious day for the burial, and the coffin passed from the Long'en Hall through the Gong Bridge and stopped on the dragon canopy in the Lu Hall.

The new emperor Liu Hui offered wine and saluted three times in front of the coffin, and all the officials agreed.

The officials of the Qin Tian Jian once again announced that the auspicious time had arrived. Liu Hui led hundreds of officials to guide the coffin. The coffin was slowly sent along the laid track to the coffin bed in the underground palace. After removing the dragon and placing the coffin safely, Liu Hui led a group of civil and military officials to pay tribute again and then left the underground palace and returned to the surface.

The craftsmen sealed the tomb, and Liu Hui then led hundreds of officials to pay tribute, announce and worship the tombs of other late emperors, and then worship the mountain gods and the gods of the land.

During this period, because the Queen Mother and the Crown Princess participated in the ceremony at the same time, the atmosphere was both awkward and tense.

This is something that must be resolved. The Beichen royal family wants to settle down, but they don't know when it will be.

As soon as the etiquette was completed, Zhou Shengchen came forward to salute and bid farewell to the emperor.

The young emperor Liu Hui could not persuade him to stay, so he had to ask Zhao Teng to bring him two brocade boxes.

"This is Ban Jian and Huang Yue. Please accept it from the emperor's uncle. From now on, the emperor's uncle will not follow suit when he enters the court, so he can enter the palace with swords and shoes." Liu Huikang said generously.

Being given Banjian and Huangyue was a gift that the emperor showed great respect to his ministers; entering the palace with swords and shoes was an honorable treatment for the ministers he relied on the most.

Zhou Shengchen replied calmly: "These are all external things, I don't need them."

Liu Hui felt extremely regretful and said in a somewhat anxious tone: "Uncle Emperor, I sincerely give this to you."

He may be sincere at the moment, but there is no guarantee that he will not regret it in the future; if Zhou Shengchen accepts these gifts at this time, he will immediately become lost to everyone.

"Please take care of yourself, Your Majesty." Zhou Shengchen said, smiled encouragingly at him, and said goodbye.

After returning to the station, he immediately ascended to the big account and made random arrangements for the military and political affairs of Xizhou.

Shi Yize was the most staunch and upright, and was appointed as the Prime Minister of the Nanchen Palace and the General Protector of the Palace. He led the troops to stay in Chang'an and the Nanchen Palace;

The post of chief historian of the palace was originally most suitable for Xie Chong to hold concurrently, but because he was always in the military camp, it was still vacant;

The camp of Tongwan Town in the north was placed at the border with the feudal town and was easily invaded by barbarians such as Mo Shang Rouran, so it was managed by the rigorous Zhou Tianxing;

Other Shuofang counties, as well as Bogujin Town to guard against Hexi, Gaoping Town and Wudu Town to guard against turmoil among the Qiang and Shu regions, were guarded by Feng Qiao, Xie Yun and You Meng.

He Yuanqing had both civil and military skills, and was mature and prudent in his work. He was entrusted with the duties of acting chief historian of the palace and treasurer of Xizhou, with full power to supervise, assign and collect the financial power of farming and taxation in various places. In addition, he also has the responsibility of inspector to make the government affairs of Xizhou clear...

Others, such as Hong Xiaoyu, Xu Zheng, Lu Wanshan, Zhang Xiaoheng, etc., have different titles of generals in the army, and also serve as various military officers in the palace.

This is the first time that Zhou Shengchen has given an appointment to his disciples that is different from ordinary military appointments. In addition to feeling fresh and novel, they also paid more attention to their respective appointments.

After the arrangements were completed, the generals who stayed in Guanzhong immediately took the king's order and went to their respective posts. The rest of the people stayed under the tent to obey orders.

After Xie Chong hesitated, he said in a low voice: "This is probably the first time for them to take on such a heavy responsibility with His Highness's arrangement. Especially General Shi,"

"We are going to fight in the south, and it may last for several years. Such a war requires a lot of money, food, soldiers and horses, weapons, livestock, etc. The military advisor and the king will go south together. Who will be responsible for these trivial matters? Something? I think General Shi is a good fit. Or perhaps his abilities are still insufficient and it’s just a good opportunity for him to gain experience.”

Zhou Shengchen explained.

Xie Chong asked for advice again, and he continued: "Military advisor, we only need to focus on frontline military affairs, and we can no longer be distracted by trivial matters."