Han Bing saw Yang Peng return to Youzhou. Yang Peng walked up to Han Bing. Han Bing snorted and turned away. But after taking a few steps, he came back again. Arriving in front of Yang Peng, Yang Peng looked at her puzzled. Han Bing suddenly raised his hand and slapped Yang Peng, with a crisp sound. "What are you doing?" Yang Peng shouted angrily.
Han Bing said coldly: "Nothing, I'm happy." After saying that, he turned around and left. Yang Peng touched his hot cheeks, looked at Han Bing's beautiful back, smiled and murmured: "It's so hot!" Then he said very puzzledly: "How did I offend her?" Yang Peng was really confused. I can't figure it out, and in the end I can only blame it on the woman's heartache. …
Yang Peng returned to the stay-at-home residence in Shangjing and announced to Liu Kui the court's order: the court revoked Liu Kui's post as stay-at-home in Shangjing and replaced him with General Yang Peng of the Yulin Guard. Liu Kui returned to the capital to resume his duties on the same day. Liu Kui was greatly relieved when he heard this order. "Master Liu, this is the order of the imperial court. Please leave Master Liu quickly." Yang Peng said.
Liu Kui looked embarrassed and said: "I dare not disobey the imperial order. However, banditry is rampant on this road, I'm afraid it's not safe!" Yang Peng said with a smile: "Master Liu, don't worry, I will send an army Send your Excellency out of Yanyun on horseback." Liu Kui was still hesitant, because for this period of time he had thought that the entire Yanyun army had been beaten by the bandits and huddled in the city and did not dare to leave the city. In his mind, apart from the city, The entire Yanyun was a terrifying place where bandits were raging, just like a wild jungle. He didn't think a single army could send him out safely.
Yang Peng saw his worries, so he said: "If you are not worried about the land route, just take the water route. The water route is relatively safe now." Yang Peng's words played into Liu Kui's hands, and Liu Kui said quickly: "That's it. Right." Then he requested: "But we still have to ask you to send troops to escort us!" Yang Peng nodded, "It should be so." He turned around and called: "Luan Tingyu."
Zhang Yan, wearing a helmet and armor, stepped forward and clasped his fists to accept the promise. "I will give you five thousand soldiers and horses. You will escort Mr. Liu to the mouth of the sea and make sure to ensure Mr. Liu's safety." "That's your order." Yang Peng clasped his fists towards Liu Kui and said, "Let's go, Mr. Liu. I still have to deal with official business, so I won't I'm sending Mr. Liu off." "You're welcome, Mr. Yang." Liu Kui said with his fists clasped, and then hurriedly left, followed by Zhang Yan.
Yang Peng smiled and said to Zhan Jinguo: "Send a group of cavalry, disguised as Liao troops, to scare them." Zhan Jinguo smiled and clasped his fists in agreement, and left immediately. Later that day, Liu Kui and his cronies hurriedly left Shangjing in five large ships, protected along the coast by five thousand officers and soldiers led by Zhang Yan. Unexpectedly, in the evening of that day, the Liao army suddenly appeared high on the north bank. Since it was getting late, I couldn't see clearly. I just felt that the Liao army was everywhere in the mountains and fields, and the Liao army's unique jackal-like shouts filled the world. Liu Kui and others were frightened to death. They all huddled in the cabin and shivered, praying to gods and worshiping Buddha. They invited gods and Buddhas all over the sky to come out.
Fortunately, the Liao army did not attack. After struggling for a long time, they went north, maybe because they felt there was no chance, or for some other reason. The tense nerves of Liu Kui and others relaxed a little. They just hoped that the big ship would sail to the sea quickly. As long as it reached the sea, it would be safe. …
More than half a month later, Zhang Yan returned to Shangjing to resume his duties. When he talked about the embarrassment of Liu Kui and others, everyone laughed. Yang Peng smiled and said: "Okay, the God of Plague has finally sent away. Speaking of which, Liu Kui helped us a lot during this period." Duan Zhixian grinned broadly and said: "That's right! If it hadn't been like this , there is no such good opportunity to get rid of those prefects sent by the imperial court!"
Everyone laughed. Yang Peng warned: "Duan Zhixian, don't say this again from now on. We didn't kill those prefects, it was the bandits who did it." Duan Zhixian smiled and nodded, "I understand." Everyone couldn't help laughing when they saw him like this. got up. Qian Letian said to Chen Xiao solemnly: "General, don't forget that there is also Xue Dongpan!"
Everyone fell silent. Chen Xiao asked: "What did Xue Dongpan do during my absence?" Duan Zhixian said angrily: "That guy didn't stop our investigation for a moment! It's so smelly and hard!" Then he sighed: "But This guy is really a good official! We have never seen such an honest official! If we want to get rid of him, I don’t agree! It would be great if he could join us!"
Yang Peng looked at Qian Letian. Qian Letian said: "What General Duan said is true. However, Xue Dongpan's investigation intensity during this period was far less than before, because the conflict with Liu Kui involved too much of his energy. Liu Kui violently expropriated the common people, and Xue Dongpan Dongpan often argued with him, and the two often quarreled in the lobby of the left-behind mansion. More than once, the subordinate heard Liu Kui fiercely saying that he wanted to beat Xue Dongpan to death."
Yang Peng thought for a moment, "How much do you think he knows about us?" Qian Letian said: "He should have grasped all the policies we implement in the civilian and military sectors. However, his subordinates feel that he is very conflicted about these things. First of all, , he felt that our actions were against the regulations of the court and suspected that we had evil intentions, but on the other hand, he had to admit that these actions were of great benefit to the people. He is a good official who cares about the sufferings of the people. , so my subordinates estimate that he must be very hesitant about reporting these things."
Yang Peng frowned and said, "We can't let him dictate our destiny..." Everyone thought that Yang Peng was going to kill Xue Dongpan. Duan Zhixian sighed, "Everyone agrees with whatever eldest brother does. But we will never do this! Just let others do it!"
Yang Peng smiled and said: "Duan Zhixian, you misunderstood, I didn't mean to kill him. He is a rare good official. Although getting rid of him is the simplest and most effective solution, I can't do it!" Duan Zhixian! He burst out laughing, "I knew yesterday that eldest brother would never harm him!" Yang Peng joked, "Monk, you seem to like him quite a lot!"
"That's right, there are too few good officials like this!" Yang Peng thought and nodded. Zhang Yan frowned and said: "If we don't get rid of him, wouldn't it be too dangerous?" Yang Peng thought: "We can use another method." He glanced at Qian Letian and smiled: "Didn't you say that Xue Dongpan and Did Liu Kui make a big fuss?" Qian Letian smiled and clasped his fists and said, "Exactly. I understand what the general meant." Yang Peng glanced at him and said, "You should be responsible for this matter." "Yes."
Yang Peng's brothers don't quite understand what Yang Peng is going to do, but they don't care much about this kind of thing. Yang Peng returned to his boss and sat down, "Okay, let's talk about serious matters. Jin Guo, please talk about the situation of the army."
Zhan Jinguo clasped his fists and promised, saying: "The size of the army is still the same as when the elder brother left, 220,000 troops, neither increased nor decreased. However, after almost half a year of training, the combat power is no longer what it used to be. And they are extremely loyal to the Huaxia clan and to my eldest brother. I dare say that as long as eldest brother gives the order, these soldiers are willing to go through fire and water to death!"
Yang Peng nodded with satisfaction, "Okay, we finally have the capital to dominate the world!" Everyone couldn't help but smile. Yang Peng thought: "I want to further expand the army, what do you think?" "Okay!" Duan Zhixian said loudly without thinking.
Qian Letian objected: "I think this is not allowed..." Duan Zhixian glared and shouted: "A scholar like you, are you going against the yesterday family?" Qian Letian said quickly: "General, don't misunderstand me, how dare you, a subordinate, to talk to the general?" Do it right? The reason why the lower official is opposed is based on the actual situation." Then he said to Yang Peng, "I understand that the general wants to expand the army, but the size of the army that the eight states of Yanyun can carry is limited."
"The entire Yanyun Eight Prefectures only have a population of more than one million, and now there are 220,000 troops, which is already very large. If the army is expanded further, the Yanyun Eight Prefectures will not be able to bear it. Of course, today's money and food are the burden There is no problem with an army of 300,000 or even 400,000. But if most of the young and middle-aged people join the army, there will be no one to farm, no one to engage in handicrafts, and no one to work as laborers, and the entire society will be difficult to develop and will slow down. Slowly decline. This is an act of killing the goose that lays the egg, and I hope the general will learn from it."
Yang Peng looked thoughtful and said nothing. "What you said is very good and very correct. However, I judge that it will not be long before we will face a direct threat from the Liao Kingdom, so we cannot discuss this matter under normal circumstances. Without enough troops, we cannot protect ourselves. No matter how well the eight states of Yanyun develop, they can only serve as wedding clothes for others. So I decided to expand the army."
Qian Letian frowned and clasped his fists and said, "Since the general has decided, my subordinates will fully assist the general!" Yang Peng stood up, walked to Qian Letian, and patted his shoulder, "I will leave this internal affairs matter to you. Done!" Qian Letian's eyes revealed a look of perseverance, "General, don't worry, my subordinates will do their best to die!" Yang Peng patted his shoulder with appreciation, turned to Zhang Yan and said: "You are responsible for the recruitment work. ""yes."
Later that day, Yang Peng came to the ordnance field where Yang Zhen was in charge. Yang Zhen was originally the deputy envoy of the Tokyo First Battle Bureau. When Hu Yan attacked Heifeng Mountain, he was sent to help. After the defeat of Huyan Bixian, Yang Zhen was captured and had no choice but to defect to Heifeng Mountain. Later, he learned that Huyan Bixian had surrendered to Yang Peng, so he quietly left Heifeng Mountain with his family and traveled to Shangjing. He became a member of the Shangjing Liushou Mansion. But at this time, Yang Peng was still in Tokyo. Not long ago, Yang Peng returned to Beijing and learned the whole story from Huyan Bixian and Chen Jie, so he promoted Yang Zhen to the person in charge of the ordnance field. From then on, Chen Jie could finally concentrate on managing his troops.
When Yang Peng and his party arrived at the ordnance field, the ordnance field was very busy. In a large area on the left, thousands of blacksmith furnaces were burning, and the flames turned half of the ordnance field red. Thousands of blacksmiths were sweating like rain, swinging hammers, and the loud ping-ping-pong-pong-pong-pong-pong-pong-pong-pong-pong sound was heard endlessly.
Some of them are making steel plates for plate armor, and some are making weapons. In a bamboo shed not far away, there are piles of semi-finished products such as gun heads and blades that have just been made, and there are also a large number of plates waiting to be assembled. Steel plates, many workers are continuously transporting these semi-finished products to the two large houses without four walls side by side in front. Countless people are sitting and busy in the big room. In the big room on the left, handles and other items are being added to the weapons. In the big room on the right, almost all the craftsmen are women. They are connecting the various parts of the armor with hemp ropes.
The finished swords, guns, swords and halberds are continuously shipped out of the big room on the left, while the finished armor is shipped out of the big room on the right. The group of people came to the armor warehouse and saw that several hills had been pushed up in the huge warehouse, and armors were still being transported in a steady stream. Yang Zhen picked up a pair of armor and returned to Yang Peng, excitedly saying: "This is a new type of heavy armor built according to the general's suggestion. It is about ten kilograms heavier than the original heavy armor, and its defensive capabilities are very powerful. Most of them All parts are replaced by small armor pieces with wide steel plates, making it easier to make. It used to take half a month to make a set of heavy armor, but now it only takes four or five days."
Yang Peng took the armor from his hand, looked at it carefully, and couldn't help but sigh in admiration. Yang Peng had previously given Yang Zhen suggestions for making plate armor. After all, Yang Peng was not an expert in this field, so he gave a very brief suggestion. However, he did not expect that Yang Zhen would turn the plate armor into a reality so quickly, and it was very well made. Very beautiful.
This kind of armor is much heavier than the heavier version of walking armor. A steel plate that protects the entire chest is the most important part of the armor. This steel plate is engraved with the traditional Taotie pattern and is curved to fit the human chest. It is not polished, giving it a very thick and strong feeling. Above the breastplate is the shoulder armor that protects the upper arms and shoulders. , this part is relatively complex, consisting of two parts. The upper part is made up of two large bent steel sheets, and the lower part is a barrel sleeve made of many small armor pieces. This is Specially designed to protect the upper arms.
Other parts of this set of armor also include a waist guard made of small armor pieces, a detachable skirt armor made of a mixture of large armor pieces and small armor pieces, foot guards, knee guards, arm guards, and accessories. A red tassel helmet with a steel visor, and a thick neck protector on the lower edge of the helmet to completely protect the neck.
Yang Peng asked a soldier to try on the armor. The whole person, except for a pair of eyeballs, was basically covered tightly. Like an iron man, he exudes a strong and iron-blooded aura that makes people's hearts palpitate.
Yang Peng was very satisfied, "Good! It's better than I imagined!" Yang Zhen couldn't help but grinned after hearing Yang Peng's praise. Yang Peng asked: "How many sets of such armor are there now?" "Reporting to the general, because we did not get the order from the general, we only produced more than a hundred sets." "I am very satisfied with this new type of armor. Starting today Stop the production of old-fashioned heavy armor and produce all this new type of armor." "Yes."
Everyone came out of the armor warehouse and entered the weapons warehouse next to it. Yang Zhen picked up a huge sword and came to Yang Peng, "General, this is the Mo Dao of the Tang Dynasty, but my subordinates have made improvements!" Yang Peng took the sword and looked at it, amazed. "This is the legendary Mo Dao?!" Yang Peng's heavy-armored and large-sword soldiers are sometimes called the Mo Dao Army by the good guys, but that is not the case. They are just using improved simple swords. , completely different from Mo Dao.
The Mo Dao in Yang Peng's hand is the weapon of the legendary and invincible Tang Dao Army. The Mo Dao is long and heavy, with three points and two blades. It is wide at the front and narrow at the back. It gleams with cold light and exudes a bloodthirsty aura. In the past, Chen Xiao was a little skeptical about the legendary description of Mo Dao's "One strike, all men and horses will be shattered", but now seeing the real thing in his hand, Yang Peng couldn't help but feel that Mo Dao really has that terrifying power that can shock ghosts and gods. .
"Our heavy infantry will use this weapon from now on!" Yang Peng said. The Mo Dao was handed back to a worker next to him, who put it back in its place. Yang Peng asked: "This kind of weapon should be very expensive, right?" Yang Peng replied: "Making one Mo Dao can almost make five Pu Dao, but compared with its power, it is obviously worth it!"
Yang Peng nodded. Everyone left the weapons warehouse and came to the second area of the factory. The scale and number of craftsmen here are not inferior to the first area. This is the place for crossbows and arrows.
After viewing the two areas, everyone went to the third area of the factory, which is where heavy weapons are made. The most eye-catching one is the huge three-bow crossbow. In addition, it is worth mentioning. There is also a fire oil tank and a swarm of fire bees. The former is an ancient flamethrower. Modern people may not be able to imagine that the fierce fire oil tank uses rough-processed oil instead of tung oil as most people think; and the fire bee car is a weapon similar to a rocket launcher, with arrows The arrow is tied to a gunpowder barrel and flies out to kill the enemy with the power of the gunpowder. The range is very long. Thousands of these arrows roared out together, and the scene was really like a swarm of bees dancing across the sky, so it was called a swarm of fire bees. It was also one of the most lethal weapons of this era.
Yang Peng spent a whole day in the ordnance field, giving instructions on the production ratio of various equipment, and only returned to the left-behind residence after dark. Zhan Jinguo walked quickly to Yang Peng, clasped his fists and said, "Brother." Yang Peng smiled, "Jin Guo, is there anything wrong?" Zhan Jinguo said, "Xi Zuo, who was sent to Shunzhou, is back." "Oh? "Now we can be sure that the Liao army facing us is only about 112,000 people!" Zhan Jinguo said excitedly.
Yang Peng showed a pensive look, "I remember that when I left for Beijing, the Liao army had expanded to more than 200,000 people. How come such a long period of time has passed and their military strength has declined instead of increasing?" "My younger brother judged that half of them The Liao army should have rushed to Liaodong Road for reinforcements." Yang Peng nodded, "That should be the case." "Brother, now is a great time! Our army has 220,000 soldiers without new recruits. After training, with sufficient food and grass and well-equipped equipment, it is a great opportunity to completely defeat the Liao army and regain all the sixteen states of Yanyun!" Zhan Jinguo's eyes shone and he was very excited.
Yang Peng looked thoughtful and said nothing. Zhan Jinguo finally noticed that his eldest brother was hesitant and asked in confusion: "Eldest brother seems to have some scruples?" Yang Peng looked at the northern sky and murmured: "I still don't know the outcome of the Battle of Liaodong and Tokyo!" "Is this true? What’s the relationship?”
Yang Peng lowered his head and thought: "If the Xixia army wins, we cannot take action. This will only help the Xixia people. Once the Liao Kingdom is destroyed, the Xixia people's military front will inevitably point at us. With our current strength, I am afraid It’s hard to withstand the Xixia people’s full attack!”
Zhan Jinguo felt that what Yang Peng said made sense, and couldn't help but nodded, "Then, what should we do?" Yang Peng thought: "I think I should meet with the Queen Mother Xiao of Liao Kingdom and have a good talk. Let's talk." Zhan Jinguo shook his head and said: "I'm afraid it's impossible. They regard us as life and death enemies, how can they talk to us?"
Yang Peng said: "Let's give it a try. The Queen Mother Xiao of the Liao Kingdom is a smart person and should not be impulsive. Zhan Jin Kingdom, you choose a reliable officer who understands Khitan script and go to see the Queen Mother Xiao of the Liao Kingdom. I will I will write a letter to you and bring this letter to her." Zhan Jinguo promised with clasped fists.
Yang Peng wrote the letter, sealed it and handed it to Zhan Jinguo. At this moment, a guard ran in, clasped his fists and said, "General, the Xixia envoy is here to see you."
Both Chen Xiao and Lin Chong looked surprised.
Three Xixia envoys came in. Chen Xiao was quite surprised when he saw them. Who do you think these three people are? . "General, we meet again." Li Jiqian said. Yang Peng smiled and said, "I didn't expect there to be three of them. Are the three of you going back to China?"
Li Jiqian nodded, "I came here specifically to talk to the general." Yang Peng stretched out his hand and said, "Please sit down." The three of them walked to the three chairs on the left and sat down. Yang Peng walked to the right side and sat down. Zhan Jinguo stood beside Chen Yangpeng with his sword in hand and looked at them. Li Jiqian said: "I think it would be more appropriate to discuss a major matter like the attack on Liao with the general."
Yang Peng smiled and glanced at the envoy, "I guess you have already settled this matter with the imperial court, so I don't need to ask about it." Li Jiqian said, "It has indeed been settled. Song Ting promised to make peace with Liaoxi Capital within one year." Dao launched an attack." He smiled mockingly, "But I think they are too busy taking care of themselves now, and I'm afraid it will be difficult to launch an attack as promised. Even if they launch an attack, the Song army's weak combat power may not have much effect." Yang Peng was noncommittal.
Li Jiqian looked at Yang Peng, "I still say what I said, the general is a hero, why should he sacrifice his life for such a cowardly and incompetent court? In the words of you Han people, isn't this a secret betrayal? If I were a general, I would definitely abandon the secret and surrender to the bright! As long as the general nods, he can immediately become the king of the South Campus of our Xixia Kingdom, and the wealth is unimaginable!"
Yang Peng smiled and said: "I remember I have already answered this question." Li Jiqian shouted coldly: "Yang Peng, don't you know how to show appreciation!" Li Jiqian glared at the envoy displeased, and the envoy shrank his neck. Li Jiqian turned to Yang Peng and said: "The situation today is different from the previous situation. The general may not know something, but our Xixia army has defeated the main force of the Liao army and completely annihilated the rebel general Gao Yongchang's troops. Now the entire All the Liao and Tokyo roads belong to our Xixia Kingdom. The Liao Kingdom will be destroyed in an instant."
Yang Peng remained motionless, while Lin Chong on the side looked very shocked. Yang Peng smiled and said, "Congratulations to you." Li Jiqian said proudly: "So now is your last chance. If you miss this opportunity, I am afraid that what awaits you will be an irreversible end!" Yang Peng said calmly: "I'm still saying what I said before. But if the imperial court orders me to attack the Liao Kingdom, I will definitely obey the order!"
What happened after all, let’s see what happens next.
