On May 27th, here in Lihu, it started to rain lightly since morning.
Zhang Xing received a report from Li Shu that the troops in front had crossed Fan County and continued towards Dong County without any hesitation or notice.
At the same time, there are still troubles and progress here in Lihu - someone suggested that a reserve force of 5,000 people should be retained and not be included in the military formation. Instead, they should be hidden in the military camp at the rear so that they can be easily dispatched in any direction to fill in the gaps. , this seems to be a feasible suggestion, but some people are worried that this will lead to the lack of strength in the military formation in front of them, and it is like taking off their pants and farting; some people propose to unify the supplementary ordnance, but to use long guns, steel crossbows, swords and shields. Large-scale centralized use, the leaders who actually controlled the troops had different attitudes towards this, and some people were very resistant; at the same time, many people in the army seemed to be suddenly infected with the epidemic because of the rain, and some leaders proposed to use it before the war. Releasing some soldiers to visit relatives nearby also caused a commotion.
And just when Zhang Xing appeared to be sound and dignified on the surface, almost commanding calmly, but on the inside he was almost embarrassed and making all decisions blindly. Little did he know that due to the dispatch and gathering of the army, Dongfang had been stabilized for almost a year. In the county and Jiyin County, people's hearts began to gradually become turbulent, and order began to show signs of failure.
Internally and externally, many issues that had been covered up due to the previous military presence tended to spiral out of control as military operations unfolded. Many things have come to a crossroads because of the tense atmosphere.
There is nothing you can do about it. When a person clenches his fist desperately, he will unknowingly cause damage to the surrounding bits and pieces, bottles and cans, and unknowingly expose the veins, causing serious damage to the body. The wound collapsed.
Of course, as long as we win, everything seems easy.
But things always have two sides. No one knows how much impact these bottles, jars, bits and pieces, and these original small wounds will have on the punch itself?
Continuous accidents and general trends are always a symbiosis of the double helix.
There are different days in a hundred miles, although they are all in the rainy season, but when it is raining lightly in Lihu, Jiyin City is just gloomy and rainy. Not only that, at the same time that Lihu is almost reduced to a large military camp, Jiyin City, which was originally the core and busiest place in Jiyin County, seemed a bit empty.
As the first city to realize that a full-scale war was about to begin, the merchants had long since disappeared. After being recruited by half force and half inducement, every household seldom went out unless necessary. That is to say, there were occasional civilians who came and went to transport supplies. Sometimes, it seems as if the city can temporarily come back to life.
On the morning of the 27th, under the gloomy clouds, the county prison in the west of Jiyin City was as dull and dark as ever, mixed with the year-round stench and the overflow of insects and ants. Coupled with the recent humidity, it was particularly... It's unbearable... but there is no way, no one cares about the treatment of these guests in the prison. It is already very good if they don't forget to give them food and drink.
Footsteps sounded, and a figure was reflected on the wall of the prison by a torch, but it seemed slightly different from the past.
Li Qingchen, whose limbs were shackled and covered in dirt, was sitting on a stool with his back against the wall of the cell, being tortured by the wounds on his chest and abdomen. The rainy weather this month was too difficult for him, but At this time, he heard the noise and frowned to look at it, but unexpectedly he behaved strangely, so that he became motionless and just stared at the corner through the fence, waiting for the other party to appear.
A moment later, a young woman dressed in men's clothing appeared in front of Li Qingchen holding a torch.
However, this person had a delicate appearance, fair skin, and excessively clean clothes, which really did not fit in with the atmosphere of the prison cell.
Seeing the person coming, Li Qingchen breathed a sigh of relief, then became weak: "Thirteenth Mother, why did you come here today?"
Without saying a word, the woman first put the torch on the socket in front of the cell door, then pulled out a standard embroidered scimitar from her waist, channeled Duanjiang Zhenqi, and continued to chop hard. After two or three cuts, she finally Finally the prison door chain was unlocked. After entering the prison, he repeated the same thing and split Li Qingchen's anklets and bracelets, but he quickly dragged him out.
At this time, the rest of the people in the prison had been alarmed and shouted for help. Li Qingchen staggered and pointed at the two people opposite him and said: "Thirteenth Mother, don't care about the others. These two are my companions in the county. If you don't rescue them, they will return." It’s hard to see their family in Huaiyang.”
"You also know that it's not good to meet other people's families?" The so-called Thirteen Niang, Li Qingchen's clan sister Li Qingzhou, who is also Huaiyang County's newest resident black ribbon, finally sneered. "There are so many corpses on the Bianshui Pier, but these two people are still missing?"
Li Twelve was ashamed and angry for a moment.
But having said that, Li Shisanniang still stepped forward and struggled to open the door lock. The two people had no chains on their hands and feet, and they were not injured. They were extremely grateful and immediately followed them. They even took the initiative to help Li Qingchen up so that they could finally give him a hand. The strong combat power left Li Qingzhou with leeway.
However, the four people quickly escaped, climbed over the wall and left the prison, and then jumped into a house on the street opposite the prison. Surprisingly, they did not hit anyone during the whole process, let alone use force.
It's also strange.
"What's going on?" As soon as he sat down on the stone steps in the courtyard, Li Qingchen became confused. "Why is it so empty?"
"What can we do? Just come out in full force." Li Qingzhou quickly went into the house to get something and explained a little. "There is going to be a war in the east. Dragon Slayer Zhang San has already led his troops to Lihu. Not only Jiyin, but also all the government officials in various counties have been mobilized. Almost all the civilians have been recruited. Today, even the prison guards are I went to Cangcheng and the ferry in the north to help distribute things. I tied up the remaining two and went in grandly... Go and wipe your face quickly, there are clean clothes here, let's climb over the city wall immediately and go from the south!"
Li Qingchen responded and went to clean up and change clothes with his two subordinates. But after the three of them had changed their clothes, the other two were fine. Li Qingchen was still a little unwilling:
"If his city is so empty, why don't we burn down his city?"
"You think too much." Li Qingzhou became even more annoyed. "Do you really think there are no people left in the city? It's just that they are placed in important places like Cangcheng! And you are like this, should I do the burning? Where do I get the manpower and ability?"
Li Qingchen remained silent.
The four people climbed out of the city wall without any danger, but there were only two horses here. Li Qingzhou simply made it clear to the two people and asked them to go separate ways.
The two of them had nothing to say, so they could only hand it over and flee to the west on foot, while the Li brothers and sisters walked toward the southwest on horseback.
But after walking only two or three miles, Li Qingchen finally couldn't bear it anymore and reined in his horse again and called out to his sister: "Thirteenth Mother, since there is a war ahead, how can we, as imperial officials, escape directly like this? That's it. If Cangcheng cannot be burned, it is time to burn the government prison and shock him. It is best to send some troops back..."
"Let me tell you the truth." Li Qingzhou sighed, reined in his horse and turned around, telling the truth. "I don't dare! Sister Sisi is in Lihu now, hanging out with the Dragon-Slaying Sword. If we burn down the government office or something, we probably won't have any soldiers. I'm afraid there will be a Yitian Sword, and even I will have one by then. I want to be recaptured with you... If you have this intention, why not return to Huaiyang as soon as possible to recuperate."
After saying that, Li Shisanniang immediately rode away. After walking for more than a hundred steps, she found that there was no one around her. She turned back again and found that her brother was still there, covering his chest and abdomen with one hand, and his face was ferocious. have no choice:
"Will you go back to Huaiyang or not?"
"What on earth is going on in this battle?" After a moment, Li Qingchen, probably having regained his composure, asked seriously while holding the reins with one hand and pressing the wound between his chest and abdomen with the other. "Who is Zhang Xing going to fight? Why did Sister Sisi come? The British father directly rebelled? I have only been detained for a few days, how come the situation has changed drastically!"
"How can there be so many things?" Li Shisanniang was completely helpless and could only tell them one by one. "That's what you, Qian Tang, and Lu Changheng planned for Zhongcheng. The three families joined forces to annihilate the Dragon Gang. But now Zhang Xing went to the east because Zhang Xuguo was the best, and suddenly he pulled out the Yun Gang. City, Li Shu was defeated and returned, and he had to go and take over the battle. As for why Sister Sisi came, how do I know? I only know that she came suddenly a few days ago, came in the air, and did not avoid anyone. There is also the British public, anyway, I am I haven’t heard of the British rebellion.”
Li Qingchen was silent for a moment, then asked again: "When I was in prison, it was said that Zhang Xing took Ma Hu?"
"yes."
"What about Han Yingong? Still in Xiao County?"
"No, I came to Xiayi and Dang County. As soon as you were captured, Zhongcheng sent me to continue delivering messages to him. Later, Zhang Xuguo captured Yuncheng and asked Lu Changheng to rush through the prefectures and counties with the news. Xiao County, it is said that they made a huge concession and came with their troops." After speaking angrily, Li Shisanniang glanced at the gloomy clouds above her head and simply responded. "What do you still want to do now?"
"I want to do something!" Dark clouds rolled overhead, and Li Qingchen gritted his teeth. "I don't care how useful it is, but I can't do nothing, I can't stay out of it, I have to do something!"
"What do you want to do?" Unexpectedly, Li Shisanniang, who had always been a little impatient, didn't get angry anymore.
"Go to the south and ask Han Yingong to send troops. Jiyin is so empty, how can it stop Han Yingong's army?" Li Qingchen said simply. "As long as Han Yingui comes, Zhang Xing from the front will definitely be defeated."
"Then go to Xiayi?" Li Shisanniang was equally straightforward.
Li Twelve said nothing and just turned the horse's head to the south. Li Shisan had no choice but to follow.
The two of them were galloping, how could they compare to marching? However, they crossed the Bianshui River in the afternoon and arrived at the foot of Xiayi City before evening. Here, Han Yingong led an army of 10,000 people.
Not to mention the captain and Hei Shou from Huaiyang County next door, nor the messenger from Dongdu who has always negotiated privately with Han Yingong, but the Twelve Lang and Thirteenth Niang from the Longxi Li family's Pushefang, who are related by marriage. When he arrived, President Han Yingong also wanted to receive him.
In fact, the previous choice of Li Qingchen to take charge of this matter had this meaning in itself.
When the two sides met and took their seats after bowing, Li Qingchen couldn't wait to speak directly, and then asked the other party to send troops.
Han Yingong, who was just in his early forties this year, had a thin beard and eagle eyes. After hearing this, he just twisted his beard and smiled: "Li Twelve Lang and Thirteenth Mother, you are late. In fact, I already knew about Jiyin's emptiness yesterday. ”
Li Qingchen was stunned for a moment, and then asked: "So, why is General Han still at the gate of Xiayi City at this time?"
This was a somewhat rude question.
But Han Yingong always knew the temperament of these high-ranking disciples, so he just continued to laugh: "How can it be so simple to send out the army? Besides, if Jiyin is an empty city, and we only take an empty city to cut off their retreat, why do we need the whole army to go?" "
Li Qingchen was stunned for a moment, then realized immediately: "Does the general want the five thousand troops from Dang County to go north?"
"Not bad." Han bowed his head and answered openly, pointing to the outside of the tent. "And I will arrive soon. Here in Xiayi, the servants have endured several days of offensives and are already extremely poor... They only think that I am selling the face of those father-in-laws in Jiangdu!"
Li Qingchen hesitated for a moment and continued to persuade: "General Han, there are urgent matters. Jiyin is where Zhongcheng focuses."
"That's it." Han Yingong said unceremoniously. "Why don't you ask Li Twelve Lang to go into the city to persuade me to surrender? You go in and tell them clearly that now that I have received the grace of Zhongcheng, I don't care about Niu Du Gong or Ma Du Gong... If Xiayi surrenders, I will just rectify it One day, just follow the five thousand troops in Dang County and continue heading north."
Li Qingchen was completely powerless when he heard this.
How could he not see that the other party seemed to be smiling and treating him politely, but in fact he was very stubborn and did not take him seriously at all.
And this can be considered a kind of normalcy.
Because even within the Guanlongmen valve, there must be a distinguished family and a noble family.
For someone like him, who comes from a famous family in Kansai, but needs to climb up step by step, and someone like the Han family, who is just a generation or two old but is in power, it is a bit embarrassing in itself... When I was a child, I went to a relative's house, those The prime ministers and Zhu Guo often slap their thighs and say that this child is good and can be in my position in the future. But in fact, which child would not say this? If you really take it seriously, it's over. You can be Zaizhi and Zhuguo because your surname is Li and because your grandfather and great-grandfather were Zaizhi and Zhuguo. What about the biological son of the current Zaizhi and Zhuguo?
Even if you don't care about this and return the seats of Prime Minister and Zhuguo to your ancestors, but you are such a big family, with four or five houses per surname and dozens of young people in each house, one Prime Minister position is not enough.
That is to say, there are a few families like the Bai family, the Dou family, and the Zhang family that can maintain their family name while actually holding power for a long time and be worthy of their name.
Of course, after all, they are Kansai people, and they are still 10,000 times stronger than the Hebei family and the Eight Kodong families. At least there is no invisible ceiling, but you have to work hard at a few thresholds.
Turning back to his eyes, Li Qingchen realized the arrogance of the other party, but he had no choice but to do anything about it, especially since the other party, as Han Bolong's younger brother, did not rely on his elder brother for support. Instead, he had a reputation for bravery. After the death of his elder brother, he often led troops independently and went out of town. , resume and strength are all here, even with Uncle Cao as his backing, how can he be qualified to motivate others in person.
So, Li Qingchen just thought about it, but he forced a smile under the surprised look of his sister: "General Han likes me, so I naturally have no obligation... But before entering the city, there is one more thing I want to ask General Han. "
"Come on." Han Yingong was also a little surprised.
"Captain Lu Changheng." Li Qingchen mentioned a person who was reliable to him. "It is said that he came to see General Han. I think he was the one who informed General Han about the military situation in Yuncheng. I don't know where he is now? Do you mean to act with those five thousand people?"
Han Yingong smiled slightly and nodded directly: "Yes, Lieutenant Lu will go north with the five thousand people. I even directly informed those generals that once they go north, they will be temporarily at Captain Lu's disposal... However, Captain Lu The captain is really not in Dang County at this time, but in Mangdang Mountain. It is said that he wants to go north to recruit a group of bandits."
"In that case, I will go into the city right now." Li Qingchen understood in his heart and couldn't help but take a long breath, nodded repeatedly, and then stood up.
Frankly speaking, this situation was much better than he thought.
"Don't you need to change your clothes?" Han Yingong also relaxed.
"It just so happens that this sour smell proves that Jiyin is empty, and then proves that five thousand troops can easily cut off the north's retreat." Li Qingchen answered frankly. "It's better to let this nondescript inner chamber army in the city see the situation clearly earlier - even if the imperial court encounters difficulties, it's not like these messed up people who can take advantage of the opportunity to cause trouble."
"It's quite a bit like Cao Zhongcheng's disregard for his own safety." Han Yingong smiled with his eyes narrowed, stood up, and called his attendants again. "Bring me some wine. I'll give Li Twelve Lang a drink."
In this way, Li Twelve drank a glass of wine and went straight to the city to work as a lobbyist regardless of being tired and dirty. Although Li Shisan was discouraged by his brother's troubles, he could not rest assured after all and could only go with him.
Han Yingong just sat there, watching the two disciples of the Guanlong clan come and go in such a hurry, their expressions erratic, as if they were recalling something, and they seemed to be thinking about something.
Not to mention what happened to Han Yingong, just that the Li brothers and sisters came to Xiayi City and easily summoned a basket - it can be seen that there has indeed been communication and discussion inside and outside the city, and it is definitely not Han Yingong's lies.
In fact, when the two of them entered, they easily met Wang Gonggong, the leader of the chamberlain army. In fact, Wang Gonggong was more respectable than Han Yingong. After the other party briefly explained the situation, he actually prepared enough hot rice and soup for the two brothers.
Li Qingzhou was fine with it, but Li Qingchen was really hungry and unbearable, so he simply swept away the remaining clouds.
After eating, he came back to see Wang Eunuch. The thin-faced latter just chuckled: "I thought Li Twelve Lang was here to scare me, but I didn't expect that he really just escaped... Is Jiyin City so empty?"
Only then did Li Qingchen wake up, but he took advantage of the situation to persuade: "My lord, since you know the benefits and losses, you should make a decision quickly, because the deposed dragon army will undoubtedly lose. In this case, the longer the delay, the more it will attract General Han." If you don't do it quickly, the consequences will be even worse in the future... Don't count on Duke Niu and the others, General Han is going to the Eastern Capital after this war."
The prince laughed dryly: "I know all this, but Li Twelve Lang, do you know what conditions General Han offered?"
Li Qingchen was stunned for a moment, then asked, "Are you going to kill the culprit? Is that why the prince finds it difficult to accept it?"
"No." The prince shook his head. "If that's the case, I will agree... He wants all of us chamberlains to surrender naked. We are not allowed to take any clothes or weapons with us. We must go out of the city and enter the camp naked to work as coolies with the army."
"So what's the problem?" Li Qingchen was silent for a moment, but then asked again. "You have seen the situation before. It is good to have such a result. It is better than losing a lot of lives."
The prince shook his head and answered seriously: "He didn't mention the consequences of the thousands of palaces and local people in the city, otherwise I would have surrendered long ago."
Li Qingchen and Li Qingzhou were stunned on the spot.
After a while, Li Shisanniang asked carefully, "Didn't you ask General Han?"
"I asked, and they just said, 'It's just a matter of surrender or not.'" The prince answered calmly. "Otherwise I would have surrendered long ago."
Li Shisanniang came to see her brother. The latter was silent for a moment, pressed his abdomen and asked with all his strength, "Then what are you going to do?"
"You two wanted to stay on guard before coming here." Wang Gongzheng said calmly. "After the two of you came, you still wanted to defend yourself, but if there is really no point in doing so, and the sons and sons will die in vain, what can I do? So, what you two said is true? Han The general wants to go to Dongdu, so there is no need to sell Jiangdu's face? The imperial court is besieged on three sides, and the east road has been broken through. The deposed dragon army is forced to deal with it eastward. Jiyin is empty and vulnerable? "
Li Shisanniang came to see her brother again, and Li Qingchen pressed his abdomen, paused for a long time, and then nodded heavily: "I swear to God, what I said is true... Yuncheng has been destroyed, and Long Jundong has been deposed. The front line collapsed, I can't think of what Zhang Xingneng could do with the 20,000 remaining troops on the Western Front? I don't believe he can repeat the old pattern of Mahu. What he can do is just to respond to the incident, and just take it one step at a time. "
At this point, Li Qingchen looked at his sister seriously again: "I know why Sister Sisi is here. She wants to take Zhang Xing to escape... I should have thought that it is impossible for a smart person like Zhang San to I don’t know that the first instance of rebellion is bound to be destroyed...the Dragon Gang will come back sooner or later, and Zhang Xing is indeed a serious problem for the imperial court."
Li Qingzhou also suddenly woke up, but she was still a little uneasy because she vaguely remembered that she had been lurking in Jiyin for the past few days, transporting materials and so on. It didn't look like she was responding to an incident at all, but rather she felt like she was going all out.
But it seems that going all out won’t change the situation, right?
So, just stay silent.
Similarly, when Wang Gonggong heard the two people talking, he also opened his mouth, as if he wanted to say something, but in the end he became depressed.
There was a burst of muffled thunder, followed by a crackling sound. Obviously, it started to rain again outside. With the weather like this, what does it mean for mortals to be miserable?
"I will lead the troops to surrender the day after tomorrow." The prince sighed. "Li Twelve Lang, I know that I am not qualified to ask for anything, but since you are involved in this matter, please be sure to protect me and do your best to protect the innocent people in the city."
Li Twelve opened his mouth to speak, but it was obvious that after having been an official for a long time, he still knew the ways of the army, and he knew Han Yingong's unruly and toughness from the exchange just now.
However, Li Shisanniang, who had just joined the Taitung Town Fusi Department of Jing'an this year, blurted out: "This is natural."
The prince nodded heavily.
Almost at the same time, dozens of miles east of Xiayi, in the Juyi Hall on the top of Mangdang Mountain, the great leader Wang Zhen, nicknamed the Tong-Arm Great Sage, summoned several of his subordinate leaders and had just given instructions. My own difficulties:
"Everyone, you should know that in the past few days, many of my old colleagues have come to me in turn. Some hope that I can go north to fight against the army, while others hope that I can be recruited into the army to fight bandits. I am already confused. Don’t know who to help?”
As soon as this statement came out, everyone below knew what the other party meant, and someone immediately laughed: "Does the big leader mean that we can sit on the mountain without helping each other, so as not to ruin our loyalty?"
Wang Zhenqian laughed, he really thought so.
Moreover, for Wang Zhen, there was absolutely no discount on his previous commitment and loyalty to Zhang Xing, but Sima Zheng had a great influence on him. At that time, he was really shaken, but Sima Zheng did not accept the promise in the end. When the soldiers came out, he didn't recognize Han Yingong or anything like that, but Bai Yousi's arrival and Zhang Xing's summons really made him shaken back.
However, isn't this his old friend Lu Changheng coming to see him again? At this time, the two of them simply don't help each other to avoid ruining their loyalty, which is Wang Zhen's real idea.
Seeing Wang Zhenlai's smile, the other leaders were unwilling to send troops, but they all agreed, and the matter seemed to be settled.
But at this moment, the second master in the hall, Chef Fan Laoliu, suddenly said: "Master, do you know that another colleague of yours, Zhou Xingfan, also came from the southeast today and went to the mountain?"
Wang Zhen was stunned for a moment, then his expression changed: "Where is Xiao Zhou now?"
"In my fairy cave." Chef Fan said, stroking his stomach. "When he came, Lieutenant Lu had not left yet. I was afraid that they would get into trouble, so I put him at my place."
Wang Zhen took a long breath and nodded repeatedly: "Thank you for your hard work, Six."
"It's not hard." Chef Fan continued to speak calmly. "The reason why he is willing to stay is because I promised him that I will definitely convince you to send troops north to fight against the army... Otherwise, judging from his appearance, I am afraid that he will have a life-and-death fight with Captain Lu. You must submit."
Wang Zhen was stunned again, and then wanted to say something, but was stunned again and again, and finally realized what the other party meant: "What does Lao Liu mean? Are you not interested in the incident when Third Brother came to the mountain to drive the tiger down the mountain and cross the river?" Are you still holding a grudge? How come you have such a clear stance?"
"It's natural to be grudged. Who wouldn't be grudged when something like that happens?" Chef Fan stood up and touched his stomach. "But big boss, so what?"
"Then..." Wang Zhen, who was sitting in the middle seat, didn't know what to say for a while.
Chef Fan had already continued talking: "The reason is very simple. He was an official at the time and I was a thief. He became an official to deal with thieves. Although I felt unhappy, I knew the truth. It was hard to say that others were wrong. I only blamed myself. He has no ability... In the same way, Mr. Master, given today's situation, if you demote the army and become an official due to the situation, you will naturally have the views of the army, and I have nothing to say."
Wang Zhen twisted in his seat uneasily.
"But now that he has not become an official, he is still a thief. Since he is a thief, he must have the principles of a thief... How can an officer and a soldier show up as if they are not helping each other when they are fighting to the death with the rebels? If you act like this, no matter which one of the officers, soldiers or thieves wins, can you be spared?" Chef Fan continued.
Wang Zhen was silent, and other leaders in the hall were also talking about it, as if they all felt that Fan Er's words were very reasonable.
"So, big boss." Chef Fan continued to ask seriously. "Are you going to surrender as an officer or continue to be a thief?"
Wang Zhen continued to be silent for a while, and then he spoke under the gaze of the leaders who gradually calmed down: "If Brother Sima doesn't come, how can those other things convince me? I won't be demoted."
"Then you will continue to be a thief." Chef Fan looked around with a sly stomach. "Since you are a thief, you should act like a thief... I propose here that we ask the leader Zhou to come up, and then we can discuss together about sending troops north to help depose the Dragon Gang! What do you think, big boss, and everyone else? "
ps: I routinely sacrifice a book "Reopening and Returning to the Ming Dynasty and Hongwu"... Good night everyone.
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