Yanmen.
In the huge hall, the quiet sound of shakuhachi played sounded. After a while, the musician on the side plucked the strings hard. The pipa sounded like a drumstick, and then the five fingers rotated like wind and rain.
Along with the sound of music, three or five women danced gracefully. The big man lying on the couch squinted his eyes and took a closer look, and slapped his right hand on his leg according to the rhythm.
This big man is tall and tall, with eyes like green beans, a face like the bottom of a pot, and a beard. He is Li Gaoqian, the Zuowuwei general who is currently stationed in Yanmen, and he has the title of Duke of Jiangxia.
"Letter from the Duke, Mayi."
After looking at the bodyguard, Li Gaoqian waved his hand, the dancers stopped and the music stopped.
Li Gaoqian felt a little regretful and sighed: "Although the women from the north are good at dancing, they are still inferior. They are less charming and have no ability to sing music."
Although Li Gaoqian was a veteran of Jinyang, he was not from the north. He was born in Xiqi Prefecture, not far from Henan. He was good at singing and dancing. Later, he traveled to Taiyuan and won the trust of Li Yuan. He had meritorious service in capturing Gao Junya and Wang Wei. Only then was he able to be knighted.
In fact, Li Gaoqian didn't want to stay in a ghost place like Daizhou at all. Although he held military power, he might face Turkic invasion at any time... If he stayed in Chang'an, he would go to court on weekdays, take five days off, and go to Pingkang in his spare time. Wouldn't it be nice to drink and enjoy the music?
In the final analysis, Li Gaoqian did not have the ambition to make great achievements... If he had, except for the attack on Chang'an, he did not participate in the several battles in which Li Tang founded the country and determined the world.
But now the East Palace is in a weak position, and there are too few generals leading the troops directly from the crown prince, so Li Gaoqian can only stay in Daizhou and live in depression.
After taking the letter and opening it and looking at it, Li Gaoqian threw it away and sneered: "Gao Manzheng was Liu Wuzhou's important general back then, as famous as Song Jingang. This time he surrendered to the Tang Dynasty, but the situation forced him... Ruomou sent troops, Gao Manzheng If you suddenly rebel again, what can you do?"
The guards on the side did not dare to refute, but only obeyed.
You may think this argument is a little unreasonable. After all, Gao Manzheng killed the Turkic soldiers in Mayi and killed Yuan Junzhang's son with his own hands. Li Gaoqian added: "As long as Yanmen is in hand..."
Before he finished speaking, there was a noise outside the door. Li Gaoqian frowned. Before he could speak, he saw a man walking in. Several generals did not dare to stop him.
The man who came was short in stature, with gray hair on his temples, but his eyes were like lightning, with awe-inspiring power. He glanced around the hall with the corner of his eyes, and shouted: "The enemy is approaching, and the war has begun, but you are watching the singing and dancing under the tent. How can I be worthy of it?" Trusted by a saint?!"
Li Gaoqian, who had already stood up to receive the ceremony, looked gloomy and sneered: "I have heard for a long time that Duke Hongnong is domineering, but today I saw it with my own eyes!"
"The Duke of Hongnong wants to make great achievements, but he doesn't know that a certain person has been entrusted by the saint to garrison Yanmen!"
I only care about Yanmen. To the west of Yanmen is Shuozhou. I don’t care what the hell it is!
The person who came was immediately furious, with his face turning blue and white. He was Liu Shirang, the magistrate of Daizhou Sima and Nao County, who was appointed by Li Yuan to manage Mayi. The so-called Hongnong County Duke was his title in previous years. However, he was de-ranked last year.
Liu Shirang naturally understood the ridicule hidden under this sentence. It was not only a mockery of his loss of title, but also a mockery of his willingness to do anything in order to regain his title.
"A certain person was ordered by the saint to pass through Mayi." Liu Shirang said word by word: "Now Yuan Junzhang has led more than 10,000 Turkic soldiers from Yunzhou south to Shuozhou. If Mayi is not protected, the Turks will attack Yanmen."
Li Gaoqian sat back slowly and said casually: "With Yanmen in hand, it is difficult for the Turks to break through. Hedong Road is the foundation of this dynasty..."
Liu Shirang Qiang suppressed his anger and said, "In previous years, the Turks took advantage of the Mayi road to break through Yanmen and harass the Hedong Road."
"But now that Mayi has surrendered to the Tang Dynasty, the Turks have come, and Yuan Junzhang is the leader. They will definitely capture Mayi. They will not send out all their elite troops. In the previous two battles, one won and the other was a draw. If Yanmen sends troops, there should be a chance of victory."
Seeing Li Gaoqian's indifferent appearance, Liu Shirang gasped and said in a loud voice: "Maybe the Duke of Jiangxia County will guard Yanmen, and the dispatched troops will follow someone out of the customs!"
This sentence seems to be a sign of weakness. You don't have to go, but you need to send troops... But Li Gaoqian has been stationed in Daizhou for a long time, so why can't he understand the threat of this sentence.
Liu Shirang's prestige in the northeast of Hebei Province is extremely high, and he has resisted the Turks several times. Nowadays, a considerable number of the generals under Li Gaoqian's account are Liu Shirang's old troops.
This is a warning to Li Gaoqian, if you don't send troops, believe it or not, I will lead the army out of Yanmen just like you!
Li Gaoqian stared at Liu Shirang coldly, thinking back and forth in his mind. Last year, Liu Shirang had a feud with Li Shenfu, the king of Xiangyi, and was eventually demoted and dismissed... This old man had an arrogant temperament and his eyes were too high. He finally managed to recover, thinking in his heart It's all about making meritorious deeds, regaining the title, and being able to do anything, but I may not be able to stop him.
If he didn't move, his generals would follow Liu Shirang out of the border. If he was defeated, it would be okay. If it was a great victory... I could only imagine what Liu Shirang would write in the memorial.
If we send troops, can we really win?
Can Mayi really be saved?
Li Gaoqian was a little skeptical. Although there were only more than 10,000 Turkic soldiers heading south this time, and they were still led by Yuan Junzhang, they might not be able to stop them.
You must know that if you send troops and win, the great contribution must be led by Liu Shirang. If you lose, you may not be responsible... But if there is a big defeat, resulting in insufficient troops and Yanmen is lost, the prince may not be able to protect himself.
After all, Li Gaoqian is not unaware of the importance of Ma Yi, but he will only consider the impact on himself.
Seeing that Li Gaoqian was still hesitant, Liu Shirang sneered and said, "Jiangxia County Duke is stationed at Yanmen. He has no shirking responsibility. This is the right thing to do."
"A certain person is the Sima of Daizhou and the magistrate of Nao County. If my subordinates are unwilling to send troops, I will set off immediately and return south to Nao County."
After saying this, Li Gaoqian suddenly stood up and glared at Liu Shirang fiercely, "This is a personal grudge that harms national affairs!"
Liu Shirang's meaning is obvious, if you are unwilling to send troops, then I will lead my headquarters back to Nao County... Nao County is located on the south side of Daizhou, close to Xinzhou, and Xinzhou is not big, and further south is Taiyuan Prefecture.
In other words, Liu Shirang is saying that if you, Li Gaoqian, refuse to send troops, Mayi will definitely fall, and then the Turks will definitely use Mayi to attack Yanmen... Then I will leave it to you, Duke Jiangxia, to guard Yanmen alone. , don't expect me to help.
Li Gaoqian is also an old man who has experienced wars for a long time. How could he not know that the only ones attacking Mayi now are more than ten thousand Turkic soldiers, mainly because they are in the name of restoring Yuan Junzhang's homeland.
But if Mayi is captured, the ones who attack Yanmen may not be tens of thousands of Turkic soldiers... it may be tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands. Last year, the Turks invaded in large numbers around this time.
Liu Shirang laughed loudly, "You know this is a state matter?!"
"With Mayi in hand, the Turks will no longer be able to use the road to attack Daizhou calmly. The entire territory of Hedong can be protected. This is a state matter!"
Li Gaoqian gritted his teeth, and his words almost burst out from between his teeth, "Send the order, beat the drum and gather the generals!"
Liu Shirang's expression did not change, but he secretly breathed a sigh of relief. If he really breaks with Li Gaoqian and seizes the army, he will be criticized even if he wins a big victory.
However, breaking into the army like this, confronting the general, and forcing him to send troops is already domineering enough.
