Thousands of miles away, in a mountain nest northwest of Weihui Mansion, Wu Mengming, unkempt and disheveled, leaned sideways against a big tree, chewing dry food numbly in his mouth, his eyes dull, who am I and where am I?
In a shack not far away, Tang Potian, Cheng Ming and Li Tiezhu were still closing their eyes and concentrating. Since arriving at the field, these three people have been hunting and playing in the mountains and forests during the day. When it gets dark, they eat and fall asleep without caring about anything. Don't even ask.
Wu Mengming was very angry, why can you guys play happily, but I have endless worries, and I'm still on tenterhooks.
Thinking about why I had so impulsively agreed to Chang Yu and traveled thousands of miles to rob the money, I was really hot-headed and blinded by the money. Now calm down, I really don’t know what to do. Secondly, the dignified commander of the Jinyi Guards went to rob a vassal king. This was a violation of law, and he felt very guilty. Thirdly, robbery was bound to involve blood. Once a fight broke out, it was still unclear who would live and who would die. This was for a coward like a mouse. For him, it was really fatal.
But when he thought of the millions of wealth Chang Yu mentioned, he really couldn't bear to give up. After all, could he come back empty-handed? The so-called wealth is gained through risk, retire after finishing this job, and buy a big house to retire in...
"My lord" Just when Wu Mengming was numb, his confidant Yan Chao came over quietly: "Brothers below are here to report that Prince Lu's Mansion has absconded in the past two days. The specific date is still unknown."
"Is the news accurate?" Wu Mengming jumped up in excitement. In the past few days, he had sent many subordinates to keep an eye on Prince Lu's Mansion from all directions in Weihui City, and he found something unusual.
First, by bribing the palace personnel, it was confirmed that Chang Yu said that Xiaofu Wang Zhu Yousong was indeed in Prince Lu's palace at this time.
Secondly, the palace was indeed packing its bags, and people in the palace were panicking. Although King Lu repeatedly reassured people, it was just preparations, but everyone knew it.
Once again, the commander-in-chief Bu Congshan has been in and out of the palace too frequently in recent days!
Bu Congshan, the commander-in-chief, was a life-saving straw for the down-and-out prince. When Li Zicheng breached the city and fled to Kaifeng, Zhou Wang Zhu Gongqi fled and hid in the woods in the suburbs. It was he who secretly rescued him by boat.
Now he is here to rescue King Zhu Changxi of Lu again?
As for the whereabouts of Prince Zheng Zhu Yiduo in Huaiqing Mansion, which was occupied by the bandit leader Liu Fangliang at this time, his whereabouts are unknown.
Zhou Wang Zhu Gongqiu, who was rescued by Bu Congshan, served as a temporary target in the palace of the Tang Dynasty in Nanyang. Later, Nanyang city was destroyed, and the general was as fierce as a tiger and died for the country. The whole Tang Dynasty king fled to death. Zhu Gongqiu also fled to Huai'an immediately, along with Zhu Ciyao, the son of King Chong. (yue) hide together.
As the commander of the Jinyi Guards, Wu Mengming still knew this secret.
Chang Yu once told him that it would be difficult to escape from King Lu's meeting. Bu Congshan happened to be here at this time. Could it be that he also fled to Huai'an? They got together to make a party for the vassal in trouble.
"My brother bought the information from an informant in the palace, saying that many of the palace's jewels, jades, gold and silver treasures had been packed into trucks, and they probably left in just two days. Although the palace tightly sealed the news, there would always be leaks! Yan Chao said with certainty.
After Feng Dian slept in the open for several days, it was finally time to take action. Wu Mengming rubbed his hands in excitement, then walked to the shack and called Tang Potian and the others up.
When Tang Potian and the other three heard this in a daze, they suddenly woke up and were equally excited.
But this excitement soon passed, and they had to face a very harsh reality.
There are at least 200 servants in the palace, and with the intervention of Bu Congshan, a member of the military, Zhu Changzi must have a lot of troops to protect him when he flees. At this time, we only have more than 300 people. How to start? If we do it rashly, it is very likely to fight. If the tiger fails, it will be injured by the tiger!
"From this point of view, if we want to take action, we can only use our wits. If we go head-to-head, we can only hit the stone with an egg." Cheng Ming said with a serious look on his face, holding a piece of hay in his mouth.
Outwit! It's easier said than done. If Chang Yu were here, he would be resourceful and could come up with some dirty tricks with just a flick of his head. But with a few of us, well, people are like pigs!
Wu Mengming thought in his mind, looking at Tang Potian, who had strong limbs and a simple mind, sighed, then looked at Cheng Ming, who was tall and thick, sighed, and then looked at Li Tiezhu, cough, this sigh was longer.
The four of them looked at me and I looked at you, and in the end they all let out a long sigh, each looking downcast.
Wouldn't it be embarrassing to come all the way here, watch the fun and then go back? Besides, I really can't bear to eat the duck right next to my mouth, but I can't beat him hard, and I can't think of a way to outsmart him.
"Three cobblers are like Zhuge Liang. Although we are not as resourceful as the factory owner, we can always come up with a solution together. Furthermore, how could the factory owner be so smart and not know that King Lu would be protected by a large army when he ran away? , since he knew and dared to send 300 people to kidnap him, he must be confident!"
Li Tiezhu touched his nose and said, Wu Mengming has the highest official position and the most power here. Others are in awe of him, but for him, Tang Potian and Cheng Ming, it is not that shocking. Wu Mengming has just taken office not long ago. They only focus on making money, and there are no legends about being arrogant and domineering. Secondly, each of them has a backer. Tang Potian is from the crown prince, Cheng Ming is from the emperor's personal guard, and Li Tiezhu is from Chang Yu, so there is a strong relationship between the four of them. The conversation was quite casual.
"The problem is that although the factory owner is sure, he didn't tell us this," Tang Potian said, glaring at his bull-like eyes.
Wu Mengming and Cheng Ming smiled bitterly and nodded.
Cough cough cough, Li Tiezhu rubbed his head and felt a little embarrassed: "Maybe the factory owner is too busy with official duties, so he forgot about it for a while." Then he glanced at Wu Mengming: "Master Wu, he has been with the factory owner since he left Beijing. You are almost all involved in it, and based on your understanding of the factory owner, what tricks do you think he would use if he were here!"
What tricks will Chang Yu use? Wu Mengming fell into memories and filtered them bit by bit after leaving Beijing. Apart from using force to kill the thieves after crossing Badaling, he also used force in Xuanfu, Datong, Taiyuan, and the Fan family, whether it was to stabilize the current situation and appease the morale of the army. Manipulating officials, trapping and killing Jiang Yu, coaxing vassal kings to donate money, etc. Chang Yu is best at lying!
cheat! Tang Potian and Cheng Ming couldn't help shouting, and Wu Mengming came to this conclusion after recalling it for a long time.
"Master Wu, the factory owner wouldn't deliberately trick you into dying here just because you know too many secrets!" Tang Potian showed his trademark idiot expression.
wipe! , Wu Mengming couldn't help but shuddered, and then waved his hand: "Nonsense, the factory owner and I have a deep love for each other, how could he want to kill me? Besides..."
"You're just kidding, Mr. Wu, don't forget it." Tang Potian and Wu Mengming's expression changed with fright, and they quickly said, "Sir, you just said that the factory owner is good at cheating, but in fact he is a fraud, so let's look for this word "fraud" inspiration".
"Well, those who use less to win more often either have one side that is too strong, or the other side is too weak. Another way is to cheat. No matter whether the other side is strong or not, it makes him think that the other side is stronger than him." Cheng Ming felt like he had caught something.
Wu Mengming and the three of them also felt as if they were touching something. The four of them huddled together and started discussing in a low voice.
The wind was blowing. Although it was already half noon, the sky was covered with clouds and the air pressure was so low that it was suffocating. Li Zicheng stood on the north wall of Wenshui and looked north. The north wind was howling and the cold was suffocating.
"Is it going to snow again?" Li Guo whispered from the side.
"Where did this much snow come from? It would be great if it really fell. It would at least alleviate the drought," Li Zicheng said lightly.
"My child doesn't like snow, it will affect our pace northward!" Li Guo coughed lightly.
Li Zicheng chuckled lightly and turned to look at him: "Going north? Where else do you want to go? Do you really want to hit the city of Beijing? Taiyuan is so close, but it is also the end of our journey north."
"If you take Taiyuan, why not take Datong in one go?" Li Guo was full of fighting spirit.
Li Zicheng shook his head and chuckled: "Guo'er, you know what you are doing. Since marching eastward, everything you have gone has been unobstructed. I see that you and others have become underestimating the enemy, and you are a little carefree, but you don't want to think that those who attack without attacking are all small states." "
He paused slightly and said, "This is Taiyuan City right in front of you. If Cai Maode and Zhou Yuji defend it, how sure do you think we can win it?"
Li Guo's face turned red and he remained silent for a while: "It's about 50-50."
"You still have some self-awareness. Taiyuan City has high walls and thick walls. If the soldiers and civilians defend it wholeheartedly, we won't even have a five-point certainty. If there is enough food and grass, we can hardly have a three-point certainty. What's more, if we want to attack Datong, we have to cross Yanmen Three Points. Guan, easier said than done! "
"What does father mean, after we capture Taiyuan, we will stop and return to Xijing?" Li Guoshen asked after a breath.
Li Zicheng nodded slightly: "The purpose of our Eastern Expedition was to plunder money and food and consolidate surrounding territory. At this time, the goal has been achieved. It is an unexpected joy to capture Taiyuan. At this time, not only the actual goal has been achieved, but also a certain impact has been achieved. But everything must be done in moderation. , Our country has just been founded, and our foundation is unstable. If we go too far and make the Ming court angry, regardless of the threat of the Tatars in the north, all troops will be deployed to surround us in Dashun, then the situation will be very bad. "
Hearing this, Li Guo looked up at Li Zicheng's side face. He had followed Li Zicheng in battles since he was a child. Although he knew he was not his biological son, the relationship established during this process of blood and fire was far closer than that between a biological father and his son. There was something more. A feeling of being both father and teacher.
He knew that the burly Shaanxi man in front of him was not only outstanding in martial arts, but also top-notch in intelligence. He was not inferior to Niu Jinxing, Li Yan and others in the army. Yong has been fighting for more than ten years. Not only has he not been destroyed, but he has grown bigger and bigger. This is the wisdom and means of a tycoon, which is beyond comparison with ordinary grass.
"This Eastern Expedition has led to several cities, and we have gained a lot of money and food, but the burden is getting bigger and bigger. There are too many surrendered troops and generals, which adds huge pressure in vain. It is really a bad disease!" Li Guo sighed.
Li Zicheng laughed loudly: "Everything has its pros and cons, but dropping too many troops and increasing pressure is indeed a bad disease as you said, and it is also a vicious circle. The bigger the snowball gets, the more effort it takes, but right now There is no good way but to roll down. If you stop for a moment, you may be crushed to death by the snowball! "
"My father plans to take Taiyuan and return to the court. Will Liu Fangliang also withdraw from the east road?" Li Guo asked again.
"Let's discuss this again. There is no big city in the east, and the Ming court doesn't pay much attention to it. Once it is captured, it can plunder food and grass, and secondly, it can be used to fight the Ming court to keep the battlefield away from the boundaries of Xijing!" Li Zicheng said lightly, looking up to the north: "The most important thing at the moment is Taiyuan City. This is a piece of fat! I hope the Prime Minister will bring good news today."
"Hey, they're back, how come it's so fast?" As he spoke, Li Guo's eyes were sharp and he looked at dozens of war horses galloping a few miles away to the north, followed by hundreds of soldiers. They were definitely Niu Jinxing and others.
Li Zicheng raised his eyebrows. He had a bad premonition, but he couldn't explain it.
"My lord, Cai Maode canceled the meeting today!"
As soon as he entered the county government office, Niu Jinxing ran into the lobby panting.
"Why?"
Li Zicheng was a little frightened, he didn't want to rejoice in vain.
"Cai Qianren said that he is discussing the details with the King of Jin. He does not rule out the possibility of a personal meeting with the King of Jin tomorrow, and asks us to send appropriate candidates for the interview!" Niu Jinxing couldn't help but exclaimed: "The meaning of this is I want to be received by the Lord himself.”
"Okay, I originally wanted to see the King of Jin in person. If there is any matter, it is better to discuss it directly in person than to drag it out like this." Li Zicheng turned his worries into joy and said to himself that luckily it was not bad news.
"Have you noticed something, Your Majesty?" Li Yan took a step forward at this time and asked solemnly.
"What's the matter?" Li Zicheng turned around and asked.
"Three or four days have passed before I knew it!" Li Yan looked at everyone and said.
The hall suddenly became quiet, and Li Zicheng's face darkened again.
After a while, Li Zicheng patted the armrest lightly: "I will talk to him in person tomorrow and we will make it happen. No fight!"
"We can discuss it in detail to prevent fraud!" Niu Jinxing said; "I suddenly have a feeling that there seems to be someone behind the other party presiding over all this, and we seem to be being led along."
"You said there is a capable person behind Cai Maode and Zhou Yuji planning something?" Li Zicheng asked with narrowed eyes.
"I'm just guessing." Niu Jinxing's face also became serious. He has been praised a little by Cai Maode these days. Li Yan is a careful person. With one sentence, he pried open a door, a crack in the door that may be a big conspiracy, letting He was immediately alert, and also felt a sense of fear. If his guess was correct, then the man behind the scenes must be such a terrifying person that he could lead all of them by the nose!
"Except for Cai Maode and the King of Jin, who else is capable in Taiyuan?" Gu Junen said lightly, stroking his beard: "Now that the entire Ming Dynasty has no one who can do anything in martial arts, the prime minister is bothering himself."
"Brother Gu, don't underestimate the world's heroes. It is said that capable people emerge in troubled times. Those who are capable may not necessarily be famous. Just like the little eunuch Bohou mentioned earlier, he is almost invincible in terms of martial arts, but he does not have a great reputation." Song Xiance demanded, and Gu Junen's face turned red: "Brother Song is right."
Little eunuch! Li Yan and Niu Jinxing suddenly looked at each other, and there was something strange in their hearts!
