Although the scenery outside the fortress is completely white, the scenery outside the fortress is still interesting at this time. Although Shandong and Hebei are also heroic, they are not as rough as those in the north. Cui Xin, who has never been out of the fortress, can't help but become inspired by poetry, stroking his beard and reciting poems. .
Out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of Li Shan's half-smiling expression, and Cui Xin quietly lowered his right hand that was stroking his beard... Well, actually, Lord Taishan is really too sensitive. Li Shan's smile was clearly flattering.
It’s no wonder that when we set up camp yesterday evening, Cui Xin pressed him about poetry, and Li Shan couldn’t help but blurt out two lines of poems, “Thousands of miles of yellow clouds are shining brightly in the daytime, and the north wind is blowing wild geese and snow.”
After that, Cui Xin no longer had any interest in reciting poetry.
In fact, Li Shan is not too much. It is the last two lines of this poem that have become famous throughout the ages... although they are not very applicable.
Li Shan raised his head and glanced at the gloomy dark clouds, and frowned slightly. The sky was clear when we left the fortress yesterday, but today there were dark clouds, and it seemed that a heavy snowfall was about to come.
"Master Li, father will come to greet you personally."
Yuan Xiaozheng's reminder came from the side. Li Shanping looked ahead. More than a thousand cavalry were sweeping in. Horse hooves were flying, trampling and splashing the few snow on the ground. The leader was a burly man with slightly white hair on the temples.
"Shibo is here for now." Li Shan whispered and urged his horse out of the battle. Wang Junhao followed closely behind, holding the horse pole tightly in his hand.
After receiving the report from his guards yesterday, Yuan Junzhang breathed a long sigh of relief. The Tang Emperor was generous. He granted him the title of Duke, granted him iron coupons and silk, and also promised to lead his men to guard Shuozhou. The conditions he offered were very good. Sincerity.
But Yuan Junzhang wanted more than just these, or in other words, what he needed most was not these, but all he wanted required negotiation with the envoys sent by the Tang Emperor.
To Yuan Junzhang's surprise, the Tang Emperor sent his ministers to appease him, but he also asked Li Shantong to come... Although he knew that the acting magistrate was of great importance, he now realized that the other party was more important than he thought. Heavy.
Yuan Junzhang also wanted to take a look and see what kind of person this young man who had forced himself into a blind corner was.
Seeing the two horses on the opposite side coming out, Yuan Junzhang casually ordered one of his personal guards to accompany them. He crossed his legs and followed the horses. He opened his eyes with the wind behind him and took a closer look. He saw that the young man opposite was riding a white horse. He was not carrying any weapons and looked calm, but The temples are like swords, and he looks very majestic.
"Gong Rui Guo."
The first sentence surprised Yuan Junzhang, but he immediately knew that this should be a title bestowed by Emperor Tang. He looked at the young man carefully again and sighed: "Li Tang is so lucky. Young talents emerge in endlessly."
Li Shan laughed and said, "Did Duke Rui think of something from the second year of Wude?"
Yuan Junzhang's expression darkened. He did remember that in the second year of Wude, Liu Wuzhou attacked Hedong and defeated all the Tang generals. Pei Ji and Liu Hongji either escaped or were captured, and captured all the people east of Hedong and north of the Yellow River. But he didn't expect that he was only twenty years old. , the King of Qin Li Shimin, who had just been crowned in Chang'an, was born...
Various thoughts flashed through his mind, and Yuan Junzhang asked tentatively: "Li Tang's clan, King Qin killed on the battlefield, but he didn't let his beauty surpass the previous..."
Li Shan was surprised and said: "Didn't Xiaozheng inform you?"
Yuan Junzhang couldn't help gritting his teeth, you still have the nerve to mention this matter... That day when he sent his son to Dai County, he did intend to leave a way out, but he didn't expect that the guy in front of him almost persuaded Erlang to turn against him. .
"I'm not a descendant of the clan." Li Shan explained with a smile: "Others... let's talk about Xiaozheng. I can't brag."
Yuan Junzhang's cheeks twitched, he urged his horse to turn around, and made a gesture, "Please invite the angels to enter the city."
More than a thousand cavalry were divided into left and right sides and galloped to both sides. They were tall horses with superb riding skills. Although there were many cavalrymen in the Tang Army, they were so skilled that even Li Shenfu and Li Daoxuan of Hedong Road could not pick out many. Yuan Junzhang obviously There is an intention to demonstrate.
Li Shan calmly urged his horse to the front, looked around, and said with a smile: "It's really majestic."
Seeing that Yuan Junzhang's face was bright, Li Shan immediately said: "This time Xiao Zheng came to the court and presented a good horse. The saint was very happy... I also invited Duke Rui..."
Yuan Junzhang gritted his teeth again. The horse, which was pure white without a trace of hair and was given the name "Zhaoye Jade Lion" by Li Shan, was his favorite. It was secretly taken away by his son. Such a horse was searched all over the army. I couldn't find a few horses either.
It was impossible for all three hundred personal guards to enter the city. In the end, Li Shan, Cui Xin, and Liu Shirang entered the city. Kan Leng and Zhu Ba led fifty personal guards to protect them. Wang Junhao and Du Xiao led other personal guards to station in the camp outside the city.
At noon, Yuan Junzhang held a banquet to welcome the Tang envoy.
"This is Liu Gong, the former general manager of Bingzhou?!" Yuan Junzhang was greatly surprised. Before, he only felt vaguely familiar. Two years ago, he followed Jieli Khan into the army and laid siege to the city for more than a month. Liu Shirang fought hard at the top of the city and scolded the lobbyists. , the first battle became famous in Hedong.
Liu Shirang Pi Xiaorou hummed without a smile, raised his glass and drank it all in one gulp.
Li Shan glanced at Liu Shirang, deliberately changed the subject, and said with a smile: "Dong Rui Guo actually doesn't need to be so entertained. It's just too polite."
Yuan Junzhang gritted his teeth for the third time, but this time he couldn't help it and burst out a sentence from between his teeth, "This banquet is indeed shabby and it is difficult to entertain guests. Isn't this a gift from me?!"
It is indeed very shabby. There are few vegetables on the grassland, let alone the cold winter months, but there is even less meat... On the one hand, it is due to Turkic plunder, and on the other hand, a large number of people from Yunzhou and Shuozhou moved to Daizhou. Yuan Junzhang There is no place to buy anything. In fact, the dishes he eats these days are not as good as the dishes for today's banquet.
Li Shan laughed loudly and said, "When things are settled, I will make Duke Rui full."
Yuan Junzhang's expression slowed down slightly. The lack of food and grass was the most important thing he needed to solve now. Without food and grass, the local collapse would be a trivial matter. The key point was that he had difficulty controlling his army... From the day Yuan Xiaozheng left Mayi for Chang'an, the army The number of soldiers escaping in the middle became day by day, and for ten days before and after, at least a thousand soldiers fled.
This is the key to Yuan Junzhang's intention to defect to the Tang Dynasty. The reason is very simple. Li Tang can provide food and grass, and the Turks... It would be good if they don't come to snatch it.
This was also what Yuan Junzhang was most worried about in this negotiation. Li Shan let go at this moment. Yuan Junzhang naturally relaxed and couldn't help but smile on his face. He raised his glass and looked at Cui Xin, "Cui family of Qinghe, a famous family in the country. , I’ve been looking up to you for a long time.”
Cui Xin flicked his sleeves and said with a clear air, "The Duke has controlled Shuo and Yunzhou for many years, and has attacked Hedong several times. Now that he has come to surrender, His Majesty has not hesitated. He also asks the Duke to guard the northern border in the future and fulfill his duties."
Yuan Junzhang patted his chest and agreed. He didn't pay attention to these clichés at all. Although he hadn't had time to ask his son in detail, he could tell that this time, the two envoys from the Tang Dynasty were led by Li Shan. .
After chatting for a while, Li Shan said with a smile: "Xiao Zheng has been in Beijing for many days. During this period, he missed Rui Guogong a lot. The father and son have a deep love, so we should talk about it."
Yuan Junzhang turned to look at his son. He indeed had many things to ask.
"So, let's talk tomorrow and salute at noon?"
Yuan Junzhang hesitated for a moment, "I'm just guarding Shuozhou. There's not enough food and grass, and there are many defects in the ordnance..."
"Don't worry, Mr. Rui Guo." Li Shan also patted his chest and assured, "Hurry to Beijing and go back and forth for several days. I will immediately collect food and grass in Daizhou, and I will not make the border guards hungry."
Yuan Junzhang thought for a long time and nodded in agreement. He knew what Li Shan meant when he said he would rush to Beijing... He needed to submit a form of reduction.
