"Are you all going to Hebei?"
In the county palace of Xingyang City, Li Shu looked at the crowd of people bowing in front of him. Surprisingly, he did not become angry, nor did he deepen the depression he felt half an hour ago... On the contrary, he felt a little calm at this time.
On the other hand, Cui Silang and the Fang brothers, who came after hearing the news, were obviously shocked at this time, and they could not maintain their basic expressions and postures.
For a moment, Li Shu was sitting in the hall, with three confidants on his left and right, while Shan Dalang led six local leaders and one Liu Heifu to stand at the foot of the hall, clearly distinguishing each other.
"Li Gong, it's not that we are going to Hebei, but we are the ones who think that Dongdu is beyond defeat and we should not continue to sit still. Now that Leader Liu has come to ask for help in person, it should be Li Your Majesty, please come and convene the leaders of the city to discuss and make a decision before sunset. Then it is you, Mr. Li, who will issue military orders and send us people to fight according to the decision." Shan Tonghai stood in the hall, crossing his hands and speaking conclusively. A little bit intense.
Li Shuduan sat in the hall and saw that the three confidants on his left and right were obviously losing their composure. They could not rely on him for the time being, but he did not panic. He was silent for a moment and only came to defend himself: "Sima Zheng entered Shenyuan Pass forward. It is indeed time to discuss the matter again." The matter of dispatching troops, especially since Leader Liu came to ask for help in person... However, for such a big matter, shouldn't the leaders of Xingtai be summoned to make serious decisions? Especially the leaders of Xingtai. Now that Leader Wu is not here, at least It would only be reasonable to invite General Manager Wang Zhuo to come."
"Mr. Li, the military situation is on fire. We've been waiting for Manager Wang for a long time." Ding Shengying reminded seriously. "Wouldn't it be a mistake?"
"That's right. Besides, Manager Wang should be taking care of Huaixi's defeated troops now. It's a top priority. Why force it?" Liang Jiading agreed.
"The rules cannot be abolished." Cui Xuanchen and Cui Silang finally reacted and tried their best to deal with it, delaying time as much as possible according to Li Shu's wishes. "How can we make a decision if we don't have the same leadership?"
"Well said!" At this moment, Shan Dalang suddenly let go of his crossed hands and raised his voice. "The rules cannot be broken!"
There was a sudden pause in the hall, and neither Li Shu nor the group of people behind him could react in time.
"Dare to ask Chief Cui." Shan Dalang raised his finger and did not give these people a chance to respond. He just continued to ask. "Jiyin Xingtai, counting from Li Gong, how many leaders are there in total?"
Cui Silang was stunned for a moment, then made a calculation in his mind and suddenly changed his expression.
Not only him, but also Li Shu and the Fang brothers who had just recovered some blood were also awe-inspiring... In stark contrast, it was the local leaders of Henan who followed Shan Dalang. Some of them reacted quickly. It was just a thrill, but I couldn't help but be overjoyed.
Only Liu Heifu, although shrewd, was not familiar with the situation in Henan, so he was a little confused for a moment.
"Eighteen." Shan Dalang calmly gave the answer on his own. "And now there are eleven leaders of Jiyin Xingtai in the hall. Counting Wu Erlang who is in the city, there are twelve people in total. According to the big resolution of the year before last, the written gang rules sent down last year have two-thirds. It is enough to hold a meeting to make a decision... Manager Cui, is that right?"
Cui Shilang remained silent.
Fang Yanlang was silent for a moment and sighed: "Shan Dalang came prepared..."
"I didn't come prepared. Who could have predicted that leader Liu Heifu would come to ask for help today? There were twelve leaders in Xingyang before he came. But now that he has come to ask for help, we should act urgently and be serious." Shan Dalang continued to hold his hands, but only looked at Li Shu. "Mr. Li, please summon Wu Erlang to make a decision together...or maybe you don't need Wu Erlang. It's okay for everyone in the hall to reach a consensus."
With just a few words, Li Shu and the others were forced into a corner.
Frankly speaking, Li Shu has had a clear change in his attitude towards this so-called resolution system.
At the beginning, he was contemptuous of it, because this system has obvious gangland overtones. The establishment of this system was considered by him as Zhang Xing's compromise with these Henan powerful men who had strong gangland colors. It was a logical continuation of the gang system, and it would be necessary sooner or later. Abandoned thing; and then he was puzzled, because Zhang Xing gradually began to take power. As a bystander, he gradually realized that this was something that could restrict the actual people in power, but Zhang Xing did not participate in the subsequent reforms. Isn't it puzzling that this backward and restrictive thing was gradually eliminated and gradually institutionalized? Then it was ignored and abandoned. This was after the establishment of Jiyin Xingtai. Li Shu himself mastered an industry. Behind the stage, I found that it seemed more convenient not to use this thing. I just did things in the name of the leader and the commander-in-chief of the stage, and I didn't see any mistakes. So why bother myself?
Now, he is afraid of the system.
He couldn't imagine a situation where two-thirds of the leaders of the group were called together to make a decision, and then more than half of the leaders clearly opposed his opinion.
Not to mention, what should happen once the result is contrary to one's own intention? Will it be implemented or not?
If it is implemented, how can I continue to be the commander-in-chief on the platform? How to continue giving orders? And if it is not implemented, will...will there be a vicious event in which the power system collapses?
In other words, being directly sidelined, dismissed, or even merged into a fire?
Li Shu fell silent again, but Shan Dalang did not urge him.
"I think the thing is like this. Let's talk openly and discuss it first." Fang Yanlang was still trying his best to support. "If the discussion is appropriate, let Mr. Li issue the order directly, and we will do it; if the discussion is not appropriate, it will not be too late to convene a meeting in accordance with the gang's rules to make a decision..."
After hearing this, Li Shu finally looked at Fang Yanlang again. He knew very well that his old friend and confidant was trying to maintain his prestige, but he did not feel very excited. On the contrary, at this time Li Longtou became even more uneasy because he found that even the most pragmatic Fang Yanlang actually had to "follow the rules" and felt that the decision-making was something that was natural and difficult to violate, and regarded it as the final decision. Solutions.
Unknowingly, had Zhang Xing tied everyone into his net?
"Okay." Shan Dalang was straightforward. He handed over his hand again, then moved to the seat he usually used on one side, and then directly stated the request without waiting for others to sit down. "The seven leaders of us all have the same meaning, that is, the chief is the leader of the gang. King Xiongtian, Xu Dalang, and Wang Wulang are the foundation of the gang. They have to be saved, even if they risk their lives. Especially now that Leader Liu has Words can indeed be used to cross the river and fight, to cut off the food road behind the official army... So, please let me lead the attack, Li Gong. No more, five battalions, 10,000 people, and cooperate with Liu to lead their three light cavalry battalions in Hebei. , enough to form a superior force to block Liyangcang."
When Fang Yanlang heard the figure of ten thousand, his heart moved slightly and he couldn't help but look at Li Shu.
The second-in-command at Mount Li Shu has a very simple idea. If there are ten thousand people, then he will agree... After all, Jiyin Xingtai originally had twelve battalions of soldiers and horses, and this year the Luoyang of Xingyang was taken away. Kou'ao Shancang not only greatly expanded its territory, but also took the opportunity to recruit many soldiers and horses. The regulations of the 12th Battalion were difficult to break through openly, but they took advantage of this situation to help the soldiers of the four counties of Yin, Dongjun, Dongping, and Xingyang. In fact, four battalions were expanded in name. In this case, it is not a bad idea to detach five battalions to support Hebei to stop people's mouths and appease people's hearts.
In fact, not only the eldest brother Fang Yanlang came forward to deal with it, but also the younger ones Fang Yanshi and Cui Shilang gradually became relieved.
In stark contrast, Li Shu was the calmest among them at first, but now he is gradually getting frustrated.
The reason is simple, because he has realized that Shan Tonghai and the others may not have come prepared, but they did it impeccably... From the speed of launch to the decision-making system to the strength of the troops, they all make it impossible for you to exert your strength at all. If he exerts his strength and breaks his face, as he thought before, he will inevitably fail, and the result will be catastrophic.
But if you don't exert your strength, then you really can only let the other party do what you want, while you just sit there and let others slaughter you.
That's right, Li Shu firmly believes that from the beginning when the seven leaders came with Liu Heifu, this was a forced palace, a raid, a rebellion, a betrayal... It was just reasonable and reasonable. It's just a veneer of rules... These Henan powerful men, under the banner of loyalty, betrayed themselves when they wanted to do big things, which was also the most critical moment.
At this time, not only Zhang Xing's fate has reached a critical moment, but also Li Ding, Sima Zheng, and himself, haven't they all reached a critical moment in their lives? Including the defeated Du Po Zhen, isn't he a typical example of not holding on at this critical moment?
At this time, these people were his subordinates, not counting that Ding Shengying was Wang Wulang's subordinate, and the other people who had usually taken refuge in him turned their backs on him one after another.
As soon as he thought of this, Li Shu glanced at the leaders who had just sat down, including Shan Dalang, and suddenly stood up, interrupting the two parties who had almost reached an agreement: "Shan Dalang."
"Mr. Li." Shan Tonghai quickly raised his hands in the audience. "Mr. Li, please speak..."
"I want to go to Xuzhou..." Li Shu blurted out. "I also want to ask you to go to Xuzhou with me."
Everyone present was stunned. Even the Fang brothers and Cui Silang didn't know why Li Shu would say this in this situation.
"Shan Dalang." Li Shu walked up to Shan Tonghai who was sitting, held his hands, and spoke sincerely. "Now Sima is taking Xuzhou soldiers and horses to the east capital. The three counties of Xuzhou are empty. If we can take them, everything from the river to the Huai River will be ours..."
Shan Tonghai came to his senses at this time and asked in confusion, "Don't Hebei need to be saved?"
"The situation in Hebei is like this. Bai Hengqiu and his subordinates are besieged by more than 100,000 people. It is really suffocating. At this time, if we harass the rear and cut corners, even if we succeed, we will not be able to shake the overall situation. What the outcome will be remains to be seen. Chief Zhang does his own thing." Li Shu responded seriously, as if he had already had an idea. "On the other hand, once we go to Xuzhou, we are done..."
"Li Longtou!" Liu Heifu finally got a chance to speak since he came to Xingyang City. "It is true that the situation in Hebei is serious, but if we pull away the officers and soldiers from behind, and the officers and soldiers step aside for this, it will give the chief a gap. With the chief's ability, he will naturally seize the opportunity and escape... I I estimate that the war is like this, before was before, now is now... I didn't know about Sima Zheng before, I only knew that Cao Lin was gone. If I had run away at that time, I would have been completely defeated by the Grand Master leading the army. Look, so we have to fight; and now, Sima Zheng is coming, one day earlier and one day later. Hebei must know that no matter how many officers and soldiers there are, the main Dongdu soldiers will definitely be panicked, and the Taiyuan army will not be able to control other soldiers and horses. At this time, if we can take the initiative to escape, even if we really escape, the situation in Hebei will be repeated."
What he said was recognized by almost all the leaders present. Even if Shan Tonghai was grabbed, he nodded frequently, and then took the opportunity to persuade Li Shu: "Li Gong, what Leader Liu said is good. Once we send troops to Hebei, once we send troops to Hebei, If you win, it doesn’t mean you can’t influence the overall situation.”
Li Shu paused for a moment, then continued with a smile: "It's just fighting hard to bring the overall situation of Hebei back to a certain level, but what does it have to do with us?"
After Xuzhou's words, everyone in the hall was caught off guard again.
"What does Mr. Li mean by this?" Shan Tonghai narrowed his eyes slightly.
"It's very simple. Hebei is Chief Zhang's overall situation, not ours. If Xuzhou goes down and is connected with Jiyin, we will have our own overall situation." Li Shu didn't even look at the others, but just pulled the single Dalang said what he meant. "Shan Dalang, going to Hebei is beneficial to the overall situation, but not to us; going to Xuzhou, we can do both public and private things... But it is not about using private interests to abolish public affairs. Please think carefully! If I was really selfish, I should have done it long ago. Attack the eastern capital!"
There was silence in the hall. No one expected that Li Shu would suddenly pierce the window paper at this time and under such circumstances.
But how to say it?
Fang Yanlang and the three of them were all a little relieved at this time. This was the matter, and it had indeed come to a critical moment. The haste was forced to return to haste. On the contrary, Li Shu dared to lift the quilt at this time, and seemed more decisive. Some... After all, if you don't say it today and don't say it tomorrow, I'm afraid you'll never have the chance to say it.
In fact, several local leaders in Henan were panicking at this time, because this level of dispute was beyond their reach... Even when sending troops to Hebei, there must first be an introduction, then someone will push it, and then someone will organize it. Someone suppressed them, and they were reluctantly gathered together, let alone such a major matter where they were nakedly betting on their lives.
It can only be said that Li Shu's surprise attack also worked.
Among these people, Liu Heifu's head was buzzing. There was no doubt about his own position, but at this time he really didn't know how to speak. He wanted to stand up and scold, but he always felt guilty... Others didn't know how he could I don’t know, my own loyalty is essentially pure selfishness, how can I accuse others of “serving both public and private interests”?
But if he doesn't stand up at this time, who will?
"Li Longtou, what you said is unjust!" Liu Heifu, who had just found a seat to sit down, stood up and yelled loudly. "Even if we attack Xuzhou for 10,000 public and private conveniences, we can travel all over the world. How can we refuse to save him in the face of death? Not to mention, Chief Zhang is the chief of the gang. If the chief doesn't save him, who will save the leader in the future?! The leader is not afraid! It’s a joke to everyone?!”
"What you said makes sense." Li Shu looked at him with disdain, but still didn't let go of Shan Tonghai's hands. "Not only that, I can also tell you some truths that you didn't say but wanted to say. For example, I, the commander-in-chief of Jiyin Xingtai, was also appointed by Chief Zhang. If I don't save the chief, how can I let the following people do it as a Xingtai? Brothers obey...yes or no?"
"Of course!" Liu Heifu gritted his teeth and replied. He knew that the other party had words waiting for him, but this was the truth. Wouldn't it be wrong if he didn't admit it?
"Then do you know that these are the principles within the Deposed Dragon Gang, but outside the Deposed Dragon Gang there is still the world?! Above the world and the four seas, there is still heaven!" Li Shu refuted loudly. "Why did Chief Zhang and I establish the Deposed Dragon Gang that day? To eradicate the violent Wei and stabilize the world! For this reason, before we established the Deposed Dragon Gang, I encouraged Yang Shen to rebel. Before Chief Zhang established the Gang, he also killed Nanya Xianggong on the roadside. , instigating the separation between Jing'antai patrol cavalry and imperial cavalry... And believe it or not, even if the Deposed Dragon Gang is gone this time, as long as Zhang Xing is still alive and I am still alive, I will continue to fulfill this ambition?! Therefore, I There is no personal relationship between Li Shu and Zhang Xing, so why should I uphold the righteousness of king and minister for him?!"
Liu Heifu was completely at a loss when he heard this. He wanted to refute, but he didn't know where to come from.
And naturally, just like in Ding Shengying's small courtyard before, everyone in the hall instinctively turned their eyes to one person.
Li Shu also looked at this person again: "Shan Dalang, I never said that I would do anything to disgrace the Dragon Gang and Zhang Xing. Even today, I can still send five battalions to Hebei to rescue people. I only led the remaining People just go to Xuzhou, but there is something I must say, especially to you!"
After hearing that they were still sending troops, Liu Heifu and the others almost suddenly relaxed.
Only Shan Tonghai took a few deep breaths, then stared at the person in front of him and spoke slowly: "Please speak clearly, Mr. Li."
"It's very simple." Li Shu finally let go of one hand, pointed to the top of his head, and raised his voice, which shook the roof tiles. "Leader Liu just said that if I don't save Zhang Xing, I will be laughed at by everyone in the world. But today the world is falling apart and heroes are rising together. Li is not talented and can barely gather thousands of people and tens of thousands of troops. When dragons and snakes are fighting, if I am still controlled by others, can't do something on my own, and don't personally cut off the violent Wei and stabilize the place, won't everyone in the world laugh at me?! Again, now Sima is leading his army into the east Capital, Xuzhou is empty, and that’s fine with others. I have always regarded Shan Dalang as a hero of the world. If we can win Xuzhou together, the whole world will look at him with suspicion!"
When Shan Dalang heard this, his blood surged for a moment. It seemed that he had gone back more than ten years ago, when he had just cultivated his skills and was running rampant in Daze. He also had the pride of doing everything in the world for himself, but now it seems that We have indeed come to a special period of opportunity... Whether we are a dragon or a snake, a hero or a bastard, it all seems to be just a matter of thought.
"What Mr. Li said makes sense." Shan Dalang was silent for a while. After his energy and blood subsided, he stood up, held the other person's hand and answered word by word. "When a man lives in troubled times, he must be honest and aboveboard, but being aboveboard must also distinguish between people. Whether it is Mr. Li or Chief Zhang, I can't comment. I only say that I have a single view of the sea. It's not that my vision is limited and I can't be too optimistic. It’s not that I want to be high, but that my background and experience are known to everyone... I was a gangster in the past few decades, so I only talk about loyalty; in the past four years, I have rarely followed Chief Zhang, Li Gong, and Wei Gong. For these big things, I only know the rules and regulations of the Deposed Dragon Gang...and whether it's about loyalty or rules, I can't abandon Chief Zhang at this time! Otherwise, I will lose the foundation of my identity."
Everyone in the hall had different reactions, and Li Shu opened his mouth to speak.
But Shan Tonghai persuaded him in turn: "Li Gong, according to the rules in the gang, you are the leader and commander. If you want to divide your troops and go to Xuzhou, you can't say no, but I also have some selfish intentions when you and I get along." Let me tell you... Even if a man has ambitions, he should stoop down and observe integrity before discussing his ambitions! Otherwise, why should he bear this ambition? "
Li Shu was silent for a long time, and finally let go of his hand under the attention of everyone, and said seriously: "In this case, if Shan Dalang goes to Hebei, I will go to Xuzhou."
It seems that as Shan Tonghai expressed his feelings, everyone present had already realized the direction of development of the matter, so for a while, not many people changed their expressions because of this final compromise, but some people were obviously sad, some were obviously flustered, and they were not at all. No doubt about it.
The sun gradually set in the west, and before dark, Han Erlang, who had arranged the surrender, personally led the horse for Ji Zeng, the general of the Eastern Capital Army, and led a thousand troops into Liting City.
After he was transferred to the county government office, he had just held a banquet and summoned several surrender commanders. One of them knelt down and revealed to Ji Zeng:
"General Ji clearly knows that Han Erlang is pretending to surrender!"
