Although the rain in the spring was pouring non-stop, it was basically just a drizzle and a gentle breeze. It only soaked the ground for two or three days. But on this night, under Long Prison Pass, it suddenly became windy and rainy. A masterpiece, different from the norm.
Qin Bao was lying there, the two wounds under his shoulder blades were in great pain, his upper body was completely weak, and his lower body was almost limp. Anyone in a similar situation, especially a fierce general who charged and broke through the formation, would of course be extremely worried about this matter. ... Qin Er was indeed worried, it was impossible not to be afraid... But at this time, on this night, listening to the wind and rain outside, he was weeping and losing his mind for the man who had left these wounds on him.
After Zhang Xing, Cao Lin did not accept any more adopted sons, but instead became more loved by the old people in Jing'an Taichung. Even though he insisted on going his own way and guarding the tomb of the Wei Dynasty, basically no one criticized him based on his position.
Even Qin Er had his pipa bone pierced, and he had no complaints.
To put it bluntly, one's position belongs to one's position, one's behavior belongs to one's own, and one's feelings belong to one's feelings.
"It should be true."
Separated by the Dragon Prison Pass, only twenty miles away, in Xingyang City under the Aoshan Cang in Luokou, Zhang Daxuan, a senior protector of the Dragon Gang, looked out the window at the violent wind and rain, paused for a long time, and then closed the door. Windows, come back. "It's true! And this is a wonderful move, which is also in line with Cao Lin's mentality and temperament. Before he dies, he must find a successor to continue guarding... What's more important is that this kind of thing cannot be faked, Huaishui The defeat cannot be concealed, and other news will come soon."
Li Shu, who was sitting there, nodded and shook his head again: "I also think it is true. When I first heard the rumor, I thought it was ridiculous. I believed it when I walked to Zhang Gongmen. But the question is what should I do now? I just received it yesterday. The news that the north is guarded but trapped requires us to attack Dongdu. Everyone thinks that attacking Dongdu is the most suitable. It can not only save the overall situation of Hebei, but also strengthen Jiyinxingtai. But now Sima Erlong leads Xuzhou The main force of the army came over and easily defeated the Huaixi Army. Can we still attack the Eastern Capital?"
"Unless the Dragon Prison Gate is turned on and off tomorrow, we can enter the Eastern Capital without any injuries, otherwise we can't fight. If we can't fight, we can't fight." Zhang Daxuan replied.
Li Shu became more and more helpless: "I almost wanted to attack Teacher and Student Shang before, but now in this situation... what can I say about him? If we fight him, we will use high-end combat power to drive him away. Before he left, he dropped a 10,000-kilogram steel gate. If the bridge on the Si River is broken, our army will not be able to seize the Eastern Capital in time."
"You can jump over by water, but there are big risks." Zhang Daxuan sat cross-legged on the couch and replied seriously. "Because if you fail to take over and control the entire Dongdu quickly, you will most likely end up with your back against the enemy and be completely defeated... You don't have the capital yet."
"Do the people of Dongdu belong to Sima Zheng?" Li Shu frowned.
"It's not that he belongs to Sima Zheng, but that if we go to Luo under the banner of the Deposed Dragon Gang, the hearts of the people in Dongdu will turn towards Sima Zheng."
"That's right." Li Shu suddenly woke up, but took a long breath and went out. "People's hearts are so mysterious. If they didn't know that Sima Zheng was coming, Dongdu would never surrender to survive. But if they knew that Sima Zheng was coming, Dongdu would immediately resist with all their might and look down on us bandits from Dongqi's hometown... Then Under my personal banner? The Li family of Guanxi, whose ancestral home is the Northern Territory?"
"Then the hearts of those who deposed the Dragon Gang will all turn towards Zhang Xing, and even Wei Xuan." Zhang Daxuan sneered. "Isn't it someone who wrote to you? Hebei or Dongdu, Bai Hengqiu or Niu Xianggong?"
"So, what can you do?" Li Shu paused after hearing this, and then suddenly smiled bitterly, but avoided talking about certain issues.
"First of all, I still have to try walking through Prison Dragon Pass in these two days." Zhang Daxuan thought for a moment and gave his own plan. "Otherwise, I can't explain it to my subordinates. If I listen to the wind and rain, I won't follow the north's will and attack the east to save Zhang Xing and Hebei. The subordinates will be heartbroken... Zhang San is named Xu Shiying, Wang Shuyong, and Xu Shiren. There is a reason why these people are the main force in the past... Tomorrow morning, I will reveal my identity and go there in person to see if I can persuade Teacher Shang and his students."
Li Shu nodded: "Then what? What if it doesn't work?"
"If it doesn't work out, it depends on your thoughts." Zhang Daxuan was still honest. "If you want to keep your ambitions for hegemony, tell everyone that Sima Zheng went to Dongdu to cut off the retreat of Dongdu soldiers and horses in Hebei. The effect is the same, and then take everyone to capture Xuzhou. At the same time, help Du Po Formation control Huaixi. In this way, you can not only have a basis for your own development, but also take the opportunity to conquer the Huaiyou Alliance and control the Jianghuai heroes."
Li Shu's heart moved slightly: "But won't this cause dissatisfaction?"
"Of course there will be people who are loyal to Zhang Xing and the Deposed Dragon Gang system. They think you are abusing public affairs for personal reasons, and they even think you are a rebellious person. But if you want to do big things and achieve your own ambitions, no one can step on a few loyal ministers. A filial son, a righteous man, a martyr?" Zhang Daxuan looked magnanimous. "And as long as things are done, if Jianghuai heroes join, these voices will be drowned out; secondly, these people will change their words when they see the future."
Li Shu did not comment and continued to ask: "What if you don't have any intention of seeking hegemony?"
"Then abandon Xingyang and go to Hebei, and become Zhang San's other ready-to-shoot bow and arrow..." Zhang Daxuan blurted out. "But I have to be honest, firstly, if you go and cross the river in a hurry, your footing is unstable, you will probably be caught by Bai Hengqiu, who will give you a knife in the pocket, and you will be completely defeated first; secondly, , may not be able to save Zhang Xing, he still has to look at his own path, it really doesn’t matter if you go there; thirdly, from now on, you will be in the Deposed Dragon Gang for the rest of your life, and you can only be punished by him using this system. If you are locked up tightly, your brothers who follow you will also be disappointed in you... Of course, there are also benefits. If Zhang Xingruo dies, you can clean up the situation in Hebei and become the chief! But I don’t think he can There is no way to protect one's own life."
Li Shu nodded and sighed: "Difficult!"
Zhang Daxuan glanced at the other party: "So, do you have other thoughts? You want to dominate, but you don't want to go against people's hearts?"
"That's right, I really want to fight back to the Eastern Capital! I've never dreamed of it!" Li Shu exhaled and answered calmly. "Can't we really have an interview with Sima Zhengzheng? I've met him in Xuzhou before, and I haven't seen him have any capital to win."
"If you really have this intention, you will have to gather a crowd." Zhang Daxuan glanced at the other party and spoke casually. "King Xiongtian is not here, at least invite the Mang King Kong brothers to stand up to Sima Zheng himself; consolidate the situation in Huaixi and let Du Pozhen share the burden... Dongdu also needs to do something. And with this Go ahead, not only can you not convince those who are loyal to Zhang San, but you can also not convince those who follow you, you must have the courage to suppress people's hearts."
"You have to have the courage to suppress people's hearts, no matter where you go." Li Shu nodded again. "I have to take advantage of these two days to have a private chat with the main leaders and leaders to find out what they mean, and then consider my own thoughts to make a decision."
"Hurry! In just one or two days, we will see whether the Dragon Prison is successful. Don't waste time making preparations and discussions." Zhang Daxuan reminded seriously.
Li Shu nodded, stood up and left directly. Zhang Daxuan ignored him, but turned around and lay down, listening to the violent wind and rain outside in a daze.
Now that things have happened, especially since the establishment of the platform, the appointment of names, and the success of the matter, many people under Li Shu gradually began to speak freely. In addition, the warehouses were opened to release grain, and many people such as Cui Shilang came over. The consultation with Zhang Daxuan was no longer as decisive as before.
Of course, Zhang Daxuan also knew this very well.
In this way, Li Shu left and returned to his residence. Regardless of the wind and rain, he only asked people to call Fang Yanlang, the prefect of Fang, Cui Xuanchen, Cui Branch, and Fang Yanshi, General Fang. Unfortunately, it was Du Caigan, the most confidant. Now in Lu County, we can't call him immediately.
After the three arrived, Li Shu told the possible reasons behind the unfounded rumors this morning and the two destinations. However, he did not say that he would stay to fight in Dongdu. He only said that it was his own idea and asked the three to help judge.
Unexpectedly, the three people had completely different opinions.
"It is true that Xuzhou is empty, but it is not without enemies. No one knows where the remaining 50,000 or 60,000 elites in Jiangdu are going. There are as many Ningdan as dogs on the roadside, and there are four or five masters there. If there is no trouble, where will it go? Can we stop it?" Fang Yanlang responded seriously. "Besides, we are all from the East and Hebei. If we don't work here to make things happen, who would be willing to go to Xuzhou and Huaixi to engage in Jianghuai affairs? Besides, if we leave easily, we will have to deal with someone who abandoned Chief Zhang from the north and left. If you are found guilty, you will be separated from your brothers in the gang!"
"What do you mean?" Li Shu asked seriously.
"Attack Dongdu!" Fang Yanlang simply gave his choice. "An attack on Dongdu can calm people's hearts and achieve great things! Sima Zheng has come from afar. Fight him while he is not on a stable footing!"
Li Shu knew clearly in his heart that the elder brother of the Fang brothers, like himself, was a remnant of Yang Shen's rebellion and had an obsession with Dongdu.
Although he knew this, he did not directly express his feelings. Instead, he turned to look at Cui Silang: "What does Xuanchen think?"
culti In terms of the future, going to Xuzhou is indeed the best way. Why should Zhang Xing be the chief? Isn't it Li Gong who succeeded in pioneering the lower reaches of Jishui River, and then made great achievements in opening up Hebei? And once the territory is expanded, , talents, money, food, soldiers and horses will all come, and then everything will rise. When the time comes, one will rise and the other will fade, and everything can be expected."
Li Shu nodded repeatedly. Although what the other party said was not in line with his original intention, at least he analyzed it from his own perspective, which was good.
"I know what brother means, and I also guessed what Mr. Li means." Fang Yanshi also spoke, but seemed to be angry. "But let me tell you, my brother and Mr. Li were blinded by their old grievances, and ended up making the same mistakes again... How did Yang Shen lose that day? He was deceived by Bai Hengqiu, and they were blinded by their old grievances, and they focused on fighting in the east... ...I don’t care about other things, I only talk about the hard stuff. Sima Zheng is known as Sima Erlong. He has always surpassed Chief Bai in terms of cultivation and military strength. His leadership is praised by Li Ding and Mr. Li Fu, and his leadership is approved by Chief Zhang. What should we do against him as a master? He has 50,000 Xuzhou troops, 30,000 of whom are from Dongdu's old army. Everyone wants to go home. We have ten battalions, more than 20,000 people, and a few Ningdan. how to spell?"
Li Shu said nothing.
Fang Yanlang was silent for a moment and did not argue. Instead, he asked his clan brother who was more than ten years younger than him, "What do you mean?"
"What I mean is to go to Hebei first, and secondly to stay here to quietly herd grain, supervise spring plowing, and rescue and gather the Huaixi Du Po Formation. It means that I can just lie down and not move, but I can't go to fight with Dongdu! And even if we fight against Dongdu, we can't go to Xuzhou!" Fang Yan said with certainty. "Everyone, I know what you all mean. You think Li Gong's position is embarrassing, you think Chief Zhang is trapped, and you think this is an opportunity. Based on this, you want to go to Dongdu or Xuzhou. But as far as I'm concerned, , also considered Li Gong’s personal future, but felt that going to Hebei was the only right way, because that is where the world’s attention is focused, and it is the source of the world’s reversal... To put it bluntly, if it were not in Hebei, Chief Zhang If he died suddenly, Wei Xuanding might have taken advantage of the Hebei people to take his seat!"
Everyone suddenly realized that even Li Shu felt that what Fang Yanshi said made sense.
"It makes sense for the head of the house to take the lead, but it doesn't make sense to say what others said." Cui Shilang spoke slowly at this time. "Going to Hebei is like staying in Dongdu if you want to be an official. But when the world is in chaos and the situation is about to turn upside down, it may be better to ask for a post... The current situation is that if you go to Hebei and take Dongdu , If it succeeds, it will definitely be of great benefit, but if it fails, our 20,000 soldiers may not be enough to attack them, so it is safest to go to Xuzhou, and the effect may not be the worst."
This time it was Fang Yanshi's turn to be silent. In terms of age, position, and especially his closeness to Li Shu, he was not as good as his brother. Moreover, he had always only led troops, first the Putai Army, then the Tuntian Army, and now Ji. General Yin Yiying, this kind of private discussion, as long as his meaning can be expressed and clarified, it doesn't matter.
What seemed like a tough expression before was more like a strategy.
"To deal with Sima Zheng, you must first have a master who can deal with him." The eldest brother Fang Yanlang suddenly spoke again. "We need to find Mang King Kong and his brothers. I have asked people from the Huaixi Army a long time ago. They said that these people form an formation, no matter how powerful the master is, they belong to the true inheritance of Baidi Temple; secondly, they must have enough soldiers. Horses... we have no shortage of food and grass... Therefore, we must win over the Huaixi Army, ask Wang Zhuo and others to come over, and at the same time try to win over the surrounding swinging forces, and finally recruit a large number of troops..."
"I object." Fang Yanshi suddenly spoke again. "Delaying spring plowing..."
"We can do it step by step. We are just making plans now. If we continue like this, we will probably miss the opportunity for spring plowing." Li Shu suddenly spoke in the audience. "Even what happened about Sima Zheng's arrival was suddenly shouted out by someone who came near Longqiao Pass. Maybe it was just Dongdu's delaying tactic, and there was no way to tell it to the brothers... So, what we have to do Yes, first try to lure Master Shang and his students to surrender. If it succeeds, they will still have to seize the Eastern Capital. At the same time, please quickly invite Mang Kingang and his brothers to come and find out the news, and be prepared to respond and assist the Huaixi Army; if there is news It’s true, we also need to see how many of our own troops have been gathered, whether Mang King Kong and the others are willing to come, how many soldiers Sima Zheng has, and what the situation is in the Eastern Capital, and then we can discuss other matters... If we really can’t raise the cost, we will Let’s go to Xuzhou.”
Several people nodded, and Fang Yanshi also breathed a sigh of relief.
But he immediately asked: "If this is such a plan, it is actually based on the argument that if the north cannot hold on, it will be defeated again, and Chief Zhang and a few people will escape?"
"Of course." Cui Silang smiled. "Last time the leader of the small house didn't come, that's what we discussed... This is the most likely possibility."
"But now we are making plans... What if Chief Zhang wins again, or escapes with all the best in the gang, and joins the Hebei forces in the gang, what will we do?" Kofang Fangyan He asked with his hands spread out.
Cui Shilang was about to respond with a smile.
"Then just obey his orders." Li Shu replied proudly. "You can tell him about the current situation, but I don't know if Xue Changxiong will arrive in the next two or three days. If so, the encirclement will be encircled. Can you send the news in?"
"What if Chief Zhang dies unfortunately?" Fang Yanshi asked.
"Of course we are going to Hebei to clean up the situation, and at the same time vow to avenge him!" Fang Yanlang also spread his hands. "Public and private... Today we are discussing Mr. Li's private future, but why should we sacrifice the public situation? Chief Zhang is trapped because he is the chief. He has attracted the hostility of Bai Hengqiu in Hebei, and also It was not us who caused it... and no matter what, Bai Hengqiu is our life and death enemy! The rebel army is against the official army, Hebei is against Guanxi, this has never changed!"
Li Shu's eyelids twitched, but his expression did not change: "I, Li Shu, only know how to put business before private! Even in today's situation, I just have a discussion with a few of your confidants. If we really want to do something, we must follow the decision of National Taiwan University. I won’t go against everyone’s will!”
Fang Yanshi raised his hands seriously: "I'm ashamed, kid."
Li Shu just smiled.
Not mentioning the storm that night, only saying that it would be dawn the next day, but it was strange that it was actually a bright sunny day, and among the broken branches and green leaves on the ground, Zhang Daxuan, a senior protector of the Deposed Dragon Gang, calmly went to Li Shu to receive the official documents, and then There was only one man riding a donkey, leaving the city and heading towards the Dragon Prison Pass which was right in front of him.
When he arrived at Guanxia, he gave his name as Zhang Shizhao and claimed that he was an old friend of Shang's teacher and student.
In the city of Guan, the tall and magnificent general guarding the gate, Master Shang, was dumbfounded after hearing the words. However, he still did not dare to neglect him. When he saw him at the gate, he actually jumped down from the gate and bowed down at the gate, saying, " Mr. Xianggong".
Zhang Shizhao was not polite, nodded, and followed the other party in, holding the donkey behind his back.
After entering the pass, Master Shang and his students invited him to the first seat in the main hall of Guan City and served him good tea. Then he asked: "Where has Mr. Zhang been these days? There are rumors that you were killed by Zhang San's thieves. Some people say that you were killed by Zhang San. Xing Bao joined the Deposed Dragon Gang... surrendered?"
"Fake surrender." Zhang Shizhao answered calmly. "If you don't surrender, your legs will be broken. I can only pretend to surrender. I came here with orders to persuade you to surrender."
Teacher and student Shang laughed dryly and did not dare to answer.
"It doesn't matter, I love the Wei Dynasty." Zhang Shizhao was not dazzled when he saw this. "In the past two years, although I have been in the Deposed Dragon Gang, my heart has been in Dongdu."
Teacher and student Shang really didn't know what to say, so they could only nod their heads.
"His Majesty came to Jiangdu and appointed me to be the governor of Xingyang. This included the defense of Longqiao Pass, right?" Zhang Shizhao continued to ask questions calmly.
Teacher Shang felt that it was ridiculous, but then he felt a trace of pity and nodded: "No matter what, Xianggong Zhang is my serious boss, and I will never let Xianggong Zhang have no place to stay."
"You didn't understand what I meant." Zhang Shizhao said in a loud voice. "The reason why I came here at this time is because I was entrusted by Sima Erlong. We had already contacted each other when the Deposed Dragon Gang attacked Xuzhou... He wanted me to control the Dragon Prison Pass and not let the Deposed Dragon Gang take advantage of it. And Qi, at the same time, asked me to control the situation in Dongdu and not cause chaos, so that he can wait for him to come over and stabilize Dongdu together... Those old bastards in Dongdu are not easy for him to deal with, so he has to let me be the short-term chief and concurrently Manage civil affairs.”
Teacher Shang and students were stunned.
"Luokou warehouse... I mean the warehouse within the pass, the real Luoshui export warehouse, can you control it?" Zhang Shizhao didn't give the other party a chance to think at all. "That place is not only a warehouse, but also a key point for Li Shu to jump over the wall, go around the border and take the waterway."
"I will send troops now." Teacher Shang was excited and stood up immediately.
(End of chapter)
