Liu Damao peed and lifted up his pants to go back to the camp to sleep. But he couldn't move his feet because someone grabbed his ankle. He wanted to shout but found that he couldn't, and he broke into a cold sweat on his vest.
Suddenly, I felt a stabbing pain in my heart, and I lost consciousness. The next day, the head of a hundred households discovered that he was missing from the camp during a roll call, so he quickly ordered someone to look for him. Finally, Liu Damao was found in the stable. His eyes were as protruding as those of a dead fish, and there was a bloody hole in his chest as big as the mouth of a bowl.
】
Li Rubai looked at Liu Damao's body and couldn't help but take a breath of air. He had seen situations many times more terrifying than this on the battlefield, but the man in front of him was even more frightened.
Li Rubai's face was ashen, he clenched his fists and said, "Carry it down!" Several soldiers lifted the stretcher and slowly walked out of the camp. Behind him stood a tall man with his back to him. Li Rubai said: "Brother, what do you think about this matter?"
The man didn't look back, but just said: "There are no ghosts and gods in the world, it must be the plan of thieves." Li Rubai's palms clenching the hilt of the sword broke out in cold sweat, and he said: "Brother, what should we do?"
The man said in a deep voice: "The enemy is clear and we are hidden, we can only wait. Let the brothers carry daggers with them and stay vigilant."
Not long after, a Bingyong came in and said, "Two generals, Governor Ye has invited you." Li Rubai nodded to the Bingyong and waved him to leave.
Outside a large white tent, six soldiers were divided into two lines and were waiting with spears in hand. A large flag with the word "明" on it on a flagpole not far away rolled in the wind.
Ye Mengxiong and Mei Guozhen were already waiting in the tent. Mei Guozhen was the commander-in-chief of the rebellion. The military system of the Ming Dynasty was a garrison system. When the army went on an expedition, in order to prevent the military attache from having the power, a special post of military supervisor was set up.
Not long after, the generals stationed in various places had arrived. Ye Mengxiong's face was ugly. He glanced at the generals and said, "You generals are considered to be the elites of our Ming Dynasty. Why can't we conquer a small Ningxia city?"
Ma Gui lowered his eyes and said nothing; Xiao Ruxun hesitated to speak; Liu Chengsi kept touching his nose, while the newly arrived Li brothers from Liaodong couldn't help but sneer.
Ye Mengxiong glanced at the face of a middle-aged general. This man had a broad forehead, beard, eyes like cold stars, and an arrogant expression. He was well aware of the strength of the Li family in Liaodong. Li Chengliang had nine sons, all of whom were heroic. The general in front of him was his eldest son Li Rusong.
Ye Mengxiong walked up to Li Rusong and said, "Zimao doesn't seem to think so." Li Rusong said, "Master Butang, in Rusong's opinion, it is easy to break the city of Ningxia, but it is difficult to stabilize people's hearts."
Ye Mengxiong said: "Zimao says it directly, there is no need to hide it." Li Rusong said: "Yes. Your Excellency, this city of Ningxia is strong, and the thief Shou Kuaibai has been here for several years. When we come from afar, we will use it to How can we remain undefeated when weary soldiers are better than good ones?"
Ye Mengxiong laughed loudly and said: "Isn't Zimao's statement contradictory? Didn't you just say that it would be easy to defeat Ningxia City?"
Li Rusong said: "Your Majesty has been in charge of military affairs for a long time, so he naturally understands the truth that troops are unpredictable and water is unpredictable. The official said that it would be easy to defeat Ningxia, but that was because the troops were well-equipped and food was sufficient, but now..."
After hearing this, Ye Mengxiong was quite dissatisfied and said: "You are blaming me for not providing you with enough food and wages. When the bandits surrounded Pinglu City, General Xiao's food and grass were insufficient. If everyone is talking about food and grass, I don't think so. There is no need to fight this battle. Just wait and see when the court will allocate food and salary, and we will fight again!"
His words undoubtedly put Xiao Ruxun on the fire, and Ma Gui and Liu Chengsi couldn't help but look at Xiao Ruxun. Li Rusong said: "Master Butang, why should you be angry? It's not that Rusong can't break the city, but you need to wait for the opportunity to break the city."
Ye Mengxiong rolled his eyes and asked: "When will the time be mature? One day, two days, one month, two months, one year, two years?" Li Rusong said: "My rebel army comes from all over the world. At the moment, everyone is doing their own thing and fighting."
At this time, Ma Gui stood up and said, "What do you want, brother Zimao?" It turned out that Ma Gui and Li Chengliang had not dealt with each other for a long time. He was very dissatisfied when he knew that Mei Guozhen recommended Li Rusong. This city of Ningxia is a hot potato, but once it is eaten, it is easy to get promoted to an official position.
The arrival of Li Rusong blocked his way. When he came from Shanxi, he was already full of confidence, but with a figure like Kuai Bai guarding Ningxia City, it was really not easy to eat it in one bite. Just because it's not easy doesn't mean there's no chance. As long as he waits a little longer, he'll have a chance.
Ye Mengxiong knew that Li Rusong was telling the truth. Wei Xuezeng had encountered such a situation when he mobilized an army to suppress the bandits. At that time, the emperor also gave Shang Fang a sword, but Wei Xuezeng failed to use it well, and this gang of soldiers was difficult to control. Now that Li Rusong said it to the point at this time, he would seize this opportunity to rectify it.
Li Rusong glanced at Ma Gui and said, "I'm talking to the department, why does General Ma have to say anything?" Ma Gui, a rough man, immediately cursed: "You are a stupid brat who deserves to challenge me? It's your father who is here. You still have to give me three points, who are you worthy of teaching me a lesson?"
Li Rusong glanced at the other party, unwilling to be outdone and said: "How come General Ma didn't take Ningxia City when he was so capable?" Ma Gui said: "It's up to you whether I take it or not." Li Rusong sneered: "Master, it seems Some people don’t like me telling the truth.”
Ye Mengxiong rolled his eyes at Ma Gui, who immediately calmed down a lot. Li Rusong continued: "Master Butang, Li has three strategies to break the city." Ye Mengxiong said: "Oh? Tell me."
Li Rusong said: "The best strategy is to divert the water from the Yellow River and pour it into the city of Ningxia. Even if the city is strong, it will be difficult, but it will take some time to build the dam and divert the water. The middle strategy is to use hundreds of divine artillery guns to attack only one gate of the city, which can destroy the city." "The next step is to dig a secret passage leading into the city. When the time is right, the inside should be combined with the outside to break it."
Ye Mengxiong stroked his beard and pondered for a moment and said: "Building dams to divert water is indeed the best strategy, but once the water floods, the people in Ningxia City will also die. In my opinion, the middle strategy is very feasible. Zimao does have real talent. Learn it in practice, and the other generals will learn from it."
Except for Ma Gui, all the other generals praised him. Ye Mengxiong walked to the side of the case, picked up the imperial sword and said: "From now on, everyone must work together. Anyone who has two minds will be dealt with according to military law. I will do what I say." After hearing this, all the generals bowed. Bow down. However, hauntings occurred in various military camps, and people became panicked. Ye Mengxiong also heard about this matter. Now ask the generals what they think.
Xiao Ruxun cupped his hands and said: "Master Bu Tang, we are all warriors. If you believe in ghosts and gods, you can't even hold a knife to kill the enemy in battle. In the eyes of the general, this matter is inseparable from the rebels in the city. However, It's really difficult to deal with thieves who come and go without a trace. I will recommend someone who can take care of this matter."
Ye Mengxiong asked: "Oh? Who is he?" Xiao Ruxun raised his eyebrows and said: "This person is the sworn brother of the last general, called Xiao Yunfan, and he is from the Jianghu. If he personally goes out, the thief will be captured."
Ye Mengxiong was meditating when Ma Gui snorted coldly from his nostrils and said: "I don't believe in evil. When the Ming Dynasty officers and soldiers captured the thieves, they asked for help from a gangster." Li Rusong glanced at Ma Gui and said: "Lord of the Ministry. , the general also thinks this is inappropriate."
The three words Xiao Yunfan kept appearing in Ye Mengxiong's mind. He asked the supervisor Mei Guozhen beside him: "I have heard of the three words Xiao Yunfan, but I can't remember where I heard it. Has Master Mei heard of it?" ?”
Mei Guozhen said with a smile: "This man is famous, and he is different from ordinary warriors. During the Songpan Rebellion in Sichuan, this man served under Li Yingxiang and fought against thieves for our court. Afterwards, the Holy Emperor summoned him to Beijing and gave him a gold medal. .How can an ordinary martial artist be favored by the Holy Face?"
Ye Mengxiong patted his forehead and said: "Yes, yes, it's him. Ji Xin, where do you think Xiao Yunfan is now? Call him." Xiao Ruxun said happily: "This man is working in my tent. If you know that the Lord of the Ministry is calling It is his blessing to favor you."
Ye Mengxiong said: "Then you send someone to invite him." After half an hour of burning incense, Xiao Yunfan came to Ye Mengxiong's tent. Xiao Ruxun stood up and introduced him: "Yunfan, this is the rebel governor Ye Butang, why don't you bow down?"
Xiao Yunfan looked at Ye Mengxiong and said calmly: "Brother, I don't even worship the emperor when I see him. I just don't want him to be a governor." Xiao Ruxun suddenly became embarrassed, and Ma Gui slapped the table and scolded: "Who do you think you are? Why don’t you give me some face?”
Xiao Yunfan snorted coldly and said, "Brother Xiao, who is this?" Seeing that he had offended Ma Gui with his words, Xiao Ruxun hurriedly said, "Xian brother, this is General Ma Gui. Yunfan, you must not be rude."
Xiao Yunfan smiled and said: "Brother, to tell you the truth, my brother is also a respectable person. Originally, the governor wanted to invite me, but I was determined not to serve. But with you here, brother, I couldn't forgive my brother, so I had to come in person. . Since there is something that I don’t want the Governor to see, I’ll take my leave.” He rolled his sleeves and left.
Xiao Ruxun was so anxious that he quickly came to stop him. Na Ma Gui stood up and said, "What an arrogant boy. Grandpa must teach you a lesson today." When Ye Mengxiong saw this, he did not dissuade him. He just waited and watched what happened.
However, Li Rusong looked Xiao Yunfan over and thought to himself: "I, Li Rusong, have always been arrogant, and I am nothing compared to this kid. But Ma Gui has some tricks up his sleeve, so I'm afraid this kid will suffer."
Xiao Yunfan looked at Ma Gui's face and said immediately, "Brother Xiao, it's not that I don't want to give you face, but that someone wants to deliberately embarrass me." He pointed at Ma Gui and said, "Hey! Your surname is Ma. , is it a hemp wearing a filial piety or an insensitive hemp?”
Ma Gui strangely rolled his eyes and said angrily: "You are looking for death!" He turned to Ye Mengxiong and said: "Mr. Governor, please forgive me for being rude!" Then he drew out his long sword and said: "I tell you, grandpa's Ma Gui The word is hemp that kills people like hemp. Grandpa killed an unknown number of people. One more person than you is not too much, and one person less than you is not a lot."
Xiao Yunfan sarcastically said: "Killing people is like hemp, isn't it right to kill the good and take credit for it?" When he said these words, it can be said that it hit Ma Gui's sore spot. Ma Gui was demoted to the border gate because he was reported.
Ma Gui suspected that the other party was deliberately exposing his scars, so he immediately said: "Tell me, who sent you? Is your master an old thief?"
Seeing that the other party had murderous intent, Xiao Yunfan threw a big hat towards him. He immediately said: "Bye? Nothing is worthy of carrying my shoes! If you want to kill a civilian, you are afraid that you will not get military merit, so you want to frame me. Only by killing me can you get military merit. Right?"
Ma Gui said with an angry face: "Boy, if you have the guts to go to the school field and compete with grandpa." Xiao Yunfan said: "It is your grandson who is afraid of death. But what will you do if you lose?" Ma Gui sneered: "How can grandpa lose to you?"
Xiao Yunfan shook his head and said: "It's boring if there is no prize in a fight. It's boring if someone wants to cheat if you lose." At this time, Ye Mengxiong said calmly: "If Justice Xiao can defeat General Ma, I will spare you the death penalty."
Xiao Ruxun was worried. He knew that Xiao Yunfan was very capable, but he would offend Ye Mengxiong first and provoke Ma Gui later. If the two of them fight, there is no guarantee that something will not happen. He said, "Yunfan, listen to Brother Yu's advice, you are no match for Mr. Ma."
Xiao Yunfan is so smart, he naturally knows Xiao Ruxun's good intentions. At that moment, he whispered in his ear: "Brother, I keep my heart in my heart. I don't care about you. Even if Governor Ye wants to accuse me, he is not qualified!"
