After the elite soldiers of the Wei army came down the mountain, they met up with Si Mang and others. Taking advantage of the darkness, he quietly entered a town and blocked the news. Then the diners returned to the city and mingled with the mountain people waiting to enter the city.
With the sound of the drum opening the city, the cavalry set off, followed by the infantry, while the retainers seized the gates. In less than ten miles, the cavalry army arrived in less than a moment, and the infantry army arrived in less than half an hour. After the troops entered the city, they encountered almost no resistance and completely occupied the city. Only a few people escaped from the city. All the officials were bound one by one, and all public funds fell into the hands of the Wei army intact. Si Mang then calmed down the people, and the soldiers and people were able to go about their business and not be disturbed.
After the people were settled, Si Mang immediately asked for the Tang City Magistrate and told him that he was Xinling Lieutenant and belonged to Lord Xinling, the Duke of Wei. The gentlemen around him were all disciples of Lord Xinling. He will not embarrass them; the reason for the sneak attack on Tangcheng this time is entirely because Jiangcheng was rude first, so he attacked Tangcheng first as retribution. Tangcheng Ling didn't know why, but he knew that his life was no longer in danger. In addition to Weiwei Naolao, he also said many words of admiration for Lord Xinling.
Si Mang said: "I have a book that I would like to report to Jiangling. Tang Lingcheng can teach me!"
Tang Ling said: "I have orders from Lieutenant Xinling, but I dare not resign. Or I may be ordered to surrender according to the letter, and I will serve. My parents, wife and children are all in the city, so I have nothing to worry about!"
Si Mang said: "Who are you from Jiangling? How can you betray your alliance and trust like this?"
Tang Ling asked: "Why did Jiang Ling offend him and dare to accuse him?"
Si Mang said: "I passed the Duan clan, and I was ordered by Duan not to abandon it, and ordered the army to enter and recuperate. I regard Han and Wei as brothers. If the Duan clan is like this, Jiang will definitely pass. So he sent an envoy to pass Jiang to ask for the gift, but he got Three or five cents of food must be returned to Wei Ke. However, Jiang Ling not only refuses to give it, but also keeps all the men and horses behind, leaving him unaware of his life or death!"
Tang Ling said: "Our city is remote and has no contact with Wei. How can the Wei army get past Duanshi and Hedong?"
Si Mang said, "Young Master Han, Jiu, is in the army. I should be able to respond to your suspicions."
Tang Ling said: "Since Prince Jiu is in the army, how come Jiang Ling still refuses to obey his orders?... I should ask him as a lieutenant!"
Si Mang said: "It's a lot of trouble for Tang Ling. I wish Tang Ling could sit high in the city and ask for advice sooner or later!"
After seeing off Tang Ling, Si Mang called Tang Cheng. He told Tang Cheng again what he had just said to Tang Ling. Tang Cheng is also only Weiwei. Si Mang asked Xin Lingcheng and Tang Cheng to count the money, grain, ordnance, people and other items in Tangcheng's inventory.
Finally, Tang Wei was called. Tang Wei was a fat and strong man. When he saw Si Mang, he fell down and worshiped on the ground, saying: "I am a sinner, I would like to pay my respects to the doctor! If you dare to ask the doctor anything, I will obey your orders!"
Seeing that he was greedy for life and afraid of death, Si Mang said with some disdain: "Do you know who we are?"
Tang Wei kowtowed repeatedly and said: "I don't know the truth! If I knew the truth, how could I dare to trouble the doctor?"
Si Mang said: "You are Tang Wei, who can recommend you?"
Tang Wei said: "Recommended by the Shi Jiang Order!"
Si Mang said: "Do you know why I attacked the Tang Dynasty?"
Tang Wei said: "I really don't know! If there is any offence, I will go to the camp gate personally and give the offender a warning!"
Si Mang said: "It's not your fault, it's Jiang's order! I sent an envoy to Jiang to ask for help. Jiang may not be able to help, or may not be able to help, but how can I detain my envoy and make him live or die?"
Tang Wei was surprised and said: "The former has ten men and twenty horses, how dare you be entrusted by the doctor?"
Si Mang said: "Of course! Do you know this?"
Tang Wei paused and said: "I'm guilty of death! The day before yesterday, I saw ten people and twenty horses entering the post. I asked Yicheng first, and then Jiangcheng. Tang City is close to Zhao, and there may be horse traders coming in and out. I see you today. This man is disheveled and has two horses, both of which are good horses. This is not the case. Therefore, he is considered a horse dealer and secretly reports to Jiang's order to capture him! Did he know that he was sent by a doctor? I am guilty of death!"
Unexpectedly, Si Mang stared at Tang Wei for a long time and said, "Are you telling the truth?"
Tang Wei said: "Don't dare to bully the doctor!"
Si Mang said angrily: "I have tens of thousands of soldiers trapped in your hands. How can you redeem yourself by dying!"
Tang Wei said: "Sir, please calm down and forgive me! I would like to meet with Jiang Ling and ask for envoys and horses to atone for his sins!"
Si Mang saw this situation and it seemed to be true. Recalling that he had sent an envoy to ask for support, he was looking forward to seeing him in the wilderness; the soldiers fought desperately to return the favor, but he was extremely disappointed and almost fell into despair. Only then, in a desperate attempt to survive, did he come up with such a fatal blow. I didn't expect that the black hand in the middle was such an incompetent and ignorant person. He relied solely on his own imagination and unreasonably mistook the messenger he sent as a horse dealer, and was ready to take the twenty good horses for himself for free. . A selfish thought led to such a shocking chaos, making Si Mang dumbfounded! He stood up, kicked Tang Wei hard several times, and shouted: "Get up!"
Tang Wei got up, endured the pain, and stood aside. Si Mang gritted his teeth and said, "Why do you think my envoy is a traitor?"
Tang Wei was so frightened that he wanted to bow down again. Si Mang grabbed him and said, "Stand and answer!"
Tang Wei said: "I saw that the messenger had many horses. If we talk about official business, there is no such case. It must be a horse dealer who pretended to be a messenger and entered the city to commit adultery!"
Si Mang said coldly: "In that case, what should you do?"
Tang Wei said: "I prepare my chariot and gallop into Jiang. I will rescue the envoy from the city and return the original horse!"
Si Mang said: "The food and fodder required by our army are all on this envoy. But if you get the envoy back, what can you do about the military law?"
Tang Wei said: "I really don't know, it's a capital crime! I should follow the orders of Jiang and send out more food and fodder, so that I can meet all the needs and no one dares to lack!"
Si Mang thought for a moment and then said: "You went to Jiangcheng to speak to Jiangling, and Jiangling detained the envoy. Because ten men and twenty horses attracted attention, in order to hide the military plane, he was captured as a traitor, but in fact We have secretly prepared grain, fodder, etc., and will start shipping soon."
Tang Wei's eyes lit up and he said, "I'm grateful to you for your kindness, Doctor."
Si Mang said: "It cannot be said that the plan comes from me, but it is your plan!"
Tang Wei showed a smile on his face and said: "I respectfully submit!"
Si Mang said: "It's no time to delay, let's set off immediately. If Jiang Ling has any doubts, then I'll tell you that Han Gongzi Jiu's department is right!"
Tang Wei immediately went down, took two retainers, took a leather chariot, and drove away from the city.
There are four granaries in Tangcheng, with a total of about 30,000 stones, which are enough to supply the Wei army for one month, so there is no need for Jiangcheng's grain. However, Si Mang discovered that Tang Wei and Jiang Ling had a very close relationship. With his sensitivity in official circles for many years, the two people must have some secret connections. Therefore, the purpose of opening a way out for Tang Wei was to release the captured messengers and horses as soon as possible and end the matter quickly. If possible, establish a good relationship with Jiangling and avoid causing any unnecessary trouble on the way to Anyi.
After handling the matter, Si Mang ordered the granary to be opened and the sergeant was served. Each person had a dou, and only about two hundred dou were used. Three hundred horses were fed with fodder. The cavalry army feeds the horses, half of the infantry guards the city, and the other half eats; they are replaced when they move. After eating, everyone has a rest. Si Mang came over to the guests of Lord Xinling.
Although the group of diners have high standards and won't accept anyone's dissatisfaction, they are also very capable. It took a lot of effort to seize the city this morning. Apart from anything else, if a gatekeeper had not climbed onto the tower without anyone noticing and knocked out the gatekeeper, then once the drums sounded and the cavalry had not arrived, the city's garrison counterattacked, at least it would have been impossible to fight without bloodshed. After entering the city and settling down the people, Xin Lingcheng placed the group of people in the most magnificent Nilu in the city and told the owner of the Nilu to wait on them and pay according to the price at that time! The host immediately gathered all his family members and arranged a sumptuous breakfast. ——No food from public funds was used.
In the past three months since the army was sent out in winter to the beginning of spring, this group of disciples has been confined to the high pavilion by Simaang and has no errands. However, they are tired from the army and sleeping in the open. Although they lived in civilian houses during the month in Shi, The accommodation and food conditions were very poor. Only today did we have a peaceful meal and rest.
Si Mang entered the Ni Brigade and first greeted the host of the Ni Brigade. The owner diligently took Si Mang to the courtyard where the disciples lived. At the same time, he flatteringly introduced how sumptuous the breakfast he had arranged for the disciples this morning. Gentlemen, eat it. How satisfied I am. Knocking on the door, the doorman who answered the door saw that it was Si Mang and immediately loudly announced: "Mr. Xinling Wei Lao!" He called out all the people, then stood up in the court, saluted in unison and said: "Wei Lao!" I would like to meet Lieutenant Xinling!"
Si Mang bowed to the ground and said: "Mr. Wei, I am almost dead, but Mr. Lai must live!"
Mr. Jin said on behalf of everyone: "We, the humble concubines, have been ordered to assist the captain, how dare we refuse to do so!" All the disciples said in unison: "We must do so with due courtesy!"
Si Mang said: "Sir, sit down, let me ask you for advice!" The host of Nilu left knowingly, and all the guests moved out of the way, allowing Si Mang to sit in front of the steps, and all the guests took their seats one by one.
Si Mang said: "I heard from Lieutenant Tang in the morning and found out that Lieutenant Tang was recommended by Jiang Ling. How could he have any selfish motives? My envoy, Lieutenant Tang, thought he was a horse dealer and secretly reported to Lieutenant Jiang to capture him as a traitor. He was not a traitor. For his sake, I want to get his horse.”
Upon hearing this, some of the disciples cursed: "Taking bribes and bending the law to seek personal gain is not a blessing to the country!"
Another guest said: "I think the soldiers of the Tang Dynasty also used power and blessing to oppress the people of the Tang Dynasty. They acted on top and were effective on the bottom."
Another guest said: "This Tang Dynasty's defense is not solid, and I have destroyed it! If you insist on trying to cure it, how can the Tang Dynasty be with me?"
Another guest said: "Although we are based in the Tang Dynasty, we can't overpower the guests. If we stay here for three years, we will be able to rule."
Mr. Jin asked: "Breaking laws has been around since ancient times, so it's not surprising. Now that I'm capturing my envoy, why did the lieutenant plan to get him out?"
Si Mang said: "Although Tang Wei is a treacherous and sycophantic disciple, he is a Korean, and I cannot rule him. So I conspired with him. If he can send my envoys, release my food, and give me money, he will be blameless for his actions. So he ordered Tang Wei sailed to Jiangcheng to save my envoy!"
Seeing that Si Mang let Tang Wei off lightly, some of the disciples were dissatisfied and said: "It's so serious, what he did! Maybe he should be punished if his crime is made clear!"
A retainer explained: "That's what Wei did. Tang Wei and Jiang Ling were both Koreans; Tang and Jiang were both Han Yi. Han Yi was governed by Koreans like this. It couldn't last long and it was bound to fall. The hands of others are not mine. I can just sit back and watch their defeat."
One of the retainers said: "The important one is to return to the envoy with provisions and money. But if I can help him, I will return to Anyi. The rule and chaos of Tang and Jiang will be nothing to me!"
