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He Yu finally arrived.
Because Wang Shizhen, the governor of Liaodong, Fang Zhenshan, the governor of Liaodong, and others wanted to summon fellow villagers from nearby Jinzhou to visit Zhao Junchen, they did not choose to go with He Yu.
Without the encumbrances of Wang Shizhen, Fang Zhenshan and others, He Yu led the Liaodong cavalry to Hujiazhuang. Naturally, the journey was very fast, and he arrived at Hujiazhuang as soon as possible.
Although Song Dahe, the commander-in-chief of the Liaodong Branch, vowed to come to Hujiazhuang to visit Zhao Junchen as soon as possible, the Liaodong Branch lacked fast horses and the journey was much slower. .
At this time, after Zhao Junchen heard the report and saw Xu Qingyan's panic, he couldn't help but frown.
Xu Qingyan once followed Zhao Junchen north to the Shaanxi-Gansu border, and also went south alone to contact the Zheng family in Taiwan. He had seen the world, but at this time he was frightened by the appearance of He Yu and the Liaodong border army. Such performance naturally made Zhao Junchen a little disappointed.
So, Zhao Junchen reprimanded him coldly: "It's just He Yu and the Liaodong Army coming. It was something that was expected. It's not the King of Heaven and the Heavenly Soldiers and the Heavenly General. Why are you panicking?"
But soon, Zhao Junchen knew that he had misunderstood Xu Qingyan.
I saw Xu Qingyan shaking his head repeatedly and said: "What He Yu brought is not the ordinary Liaodong frontier army, but the Liaodong cavalry! I took a look, good guy, full of murderous intent! And..."
"And what?"
"And after He Yu led the Liaodong cavalry to the outside of Hujiazhuang, he immediately surrounded the entire Hujiazhuang. All the Liaodong cavalry were not dismounted and were fully equipped, as if they were ready to charge at any time!
Another messenger was sent to deliver the message, saying that he was doing this to protect the young master. He also said that he wanted to meet the young master as soon as possible and check on the young master's condition, but he hoped that the young master could give you a clear explanation, could he let him Leading three hundred Liaodong cavalry into Hujiazhuang, if..."
Xu Qingyan's tone became more and more panicked, and he stopped again after he finished speaking.
"Finish your words! Why do you always only speak half of your words today? What if it is?"
After Xu Qingyan hesitated for a moment, he looked at Zhao Junchen cautiously and added: "He Yu's messenger also said that if the young master does not dare to let the Liaodong cavalry enter Hujiazhuang, he can bring only one entourage into Hujiazhuang for a visit."
Jiang Quan, a member of the Forbidden Army on the side, immediately became furious after hearing Xu Qingyan's report. He gritted his teeth and said: "This is a threat! This is a humiliation! This is a blackmail! How dare He Yu do this! It's simply unscrupulous! They say Liaodong If you can't lose the town and support your troops, you will be like a local emperor in Liaodong, it's true!"
Jiang Quan regarded Zhao Junchen as his idol in life, so seeing Jiang Quan's attitude made him even more angry than being humiliated.
After Zhao Junchen was silent for a moment, he sneered again: "It may not be a threat or coercion, but it must be an intimidation... He Yu deliberately made the Liaodong Cavalry look murderous because he thought that I would never dare to let the Liaodong Cavalry enter Hujiazhuang. In the end, I would just give in and let him come in to visit alone, which made me look guilty and timid, and my momentum naturally became weaker after the meeting..."
Xu Qingyan asked cautiously: "Then...should we let the Liaodong Cavalry follow He Yu into the village to visit the young master?"
Zhao Junchen did not answer immediately, but stood up and walked out of the room, saying as he walked: "Let me see with my own eyes how majestic this world-famous Liaodong cavalry is!"
Seeing Zhao Junchen's attitude, Xu Qingyan and Jiang Quan looked at each other and quickly followed behind.
As a village on the northeastern frontier, Hujiazhuang, like the villages on the three sides of Shaanxi and Gansu, has a wall built about ten feet high. After Zhao Junchen climbed the wall and looked out, he immediately saw the legendary and powerful army with great military exploits in the world - —"Liaodong Iron Cavalry"!
At this time, Hujiazhuang was completely surrounded by the Liaodong cavalry. Just like what Xu Qingyan described, all the Liaodong cavalry were on horseback, with soldiers in full armor and flags fluttering. They silently surrounded Hujiazhuang, as if they would attack at any time. When launching an offensive, sometimes a large number of soldiers and horses will suddenly change formations, bringing up billows of smoke and dust. They are as still as a virgin and as active as a rabbit. When marching, they are not only quick and crisp, but also keep the queue generally neat.
Although Zhao Junchen was standing on the wall, about two miles away from the Liaodong cavalry outside the village, he could still feel the murderous intent and bravery of this powerful army.
After careful observation for a moment, Zhao Junchen's expression was equally solemn. He finally understood the reason for Xu Qingyan's panic and murmured: "This is the Liaodong Iron Cavalry... It is indeed well-deserved. In terms of bravery, I am afraid that it is still the same soldier as before. As for the new army, in terms of excellent soldiers and armor, it is not inferior to the elite of the Forbidden Army; in terms of riding and shooting skills, it seems to be not much worse than the elite of the Junggar Khanate; in terms of military discipline and tactics, it is also 70% to 80% as good as the Qi family's new army. ...It is worthy of being recognized as the strongest army in the world."
While talking, Zhao Junchen secretly compared in his mind and found that among the various armies he had seen in his life, only the one he saw when he went to Xuanfu Town to negotiate with Aixinjueluo Xuanye. The elite Jurchen army in Jianzhou can be even better.
In addition, the original Qi family's new army also had the potential to outperform the Liaodong cavalry, but it was only potential.
The former Qi family's new army was not only too small in size, but also lacked combat experience. With the dust of the Hetao War settled, this army had some combat experience, and the size of the army was also expanding. However, because of Qi Bin's "Dead on the battlefield", the former Qi family's new army has become the current "Guoguo Army", the nominal military commander has become Qi Bin's former deputy Niu Ji, and the actual military commander is Zhao Junchen's distant relative Cousin "Li He", under such circumstances, Zhao Junchen is not sure whether this army can still maintain its former vigor and potential.
Therefore, the "Liaodong Iron Cavalry" in front of Zhao Junchen is indeed worthy of the evaluation of "the strongest army in the world".
Zhao Junchen secretly estimated the size of the Liaodong cavalry in front of him, and whispered again: "This Liaodong cavalry has about three thousand people... Speaking of which, how many troops does the Liaodong cavalry have in total?"
Jiang Quan on the side immediately replied: "The Liaodong Iron Cavalry is actually the private army of the General Soldier of Liaodong Town. The court has always been unable to control it and cannot grasp the details. As for the specific size of the Liaodong Iron Cavalry, it can only be roughly estimated based on various intelligences. It is estimated that it should be between 12,000 and 15,000... He Yu really did demonstrate deliberately this time and brought 3,000 people in one breath."
Zhao Junchen nodded lightly at first, then shook his head with regret and sighed: "Such a powerful army, with at least 12,000 people. It should be the Optimus Pillar of the imperial court's border defense, but it can only be controlled by a large number of people." In the hands of the selfish Liaodong General Soldier... what a pity!"
Then, Zhao Junchen turned around and walked down the wall, and ordered: "Didn't He Yu send a messenger? Let him come to see me!"
*
After Zhao Junchen returned to the room, Xu Qingyan quickly led a Liaodong military attaché dressed as a thousand households to come to Zhao Junchen.
This Qianhu from Liaodong Town is not very old, but he has a shrewd demeanor, capable behavior, and a hint of arrogance. He is obviously He Yu's confidant.
After this person saw Zhao Junchen, he immediately saluted respectfully and even knelt down on one knee to perform a military salute.
However, although his attitude was extremely respectful and could not be faulted, his words were completely devoid of any respect.
"I work in Qianhu Shicheng, Liaodong Town, and I have met Zhao Gechen!
Report to Zhao Gechen, after my Lord Commander heard that you were seriously ill in Hujiazhuang, he immediately put aside everything he was doing and came to visit Zhao Gechen. In order to ensure your safety, he also brought a team of Liaodong cavalry!
At this moment, Mr. He is waiting for the cabinet minister to summon him outside the village, but... considering the cause of your illness, Mr. He can't help but feel a little worried, feeling that Mr. Zhao, cabinet minister, may not be able to withstand it. The murderous intent of the Liaodong Cavalry arose. After all, every one of the Liaodong Cavalry is a good man who has no plan to kill the enemy. They are much scarier than a few corpses!
Therefore, Mr. He sent a low-ranking official to consult Minister Zhao's opinion. Should the Liaodong Cavalry follow Mr. He into the village to visit you? If Zhao Gechen is worried that the murderous intent of the Liaodong cavalry will hit him, Mr. He is also willing to come to see Zhao Gechen alone! "
After saying that, Shi Cheng raised his eyes and secretly observed Zhao Junchen's reaction.
Zhao Junchen and Shi Cheng looked at each other and found that this man's eyes were bright and full of scrutiny, but there was no sarcasm in them.
Therefore, Zhao Junchen immediately guessed Shi Cheng's true intention.
Anyone can guess that the story of Zhao Junchen being "seriously ill" after being frightened by several corpses is definitely a lie, but Shi Cheng still used this incident to ridicule Zhao Junchen for being cowardly, just to test Zhao Junchen secretly. He wanted to see if Zhao Junchen would give in and shrink back after seeing the Liaodong Cavalry.
At the same time, it is also to emphasize once again that Liaodong Town's tough attitude is by no means a soft persimmon that Zhao Junchen can manipulate at will.
Zhao Junchen and He Yu are both important figures, and they both value face, so no matter how unscrupulous He Yu is, there are certain things that he cannot say in person, otherwise both parties will be unable to step down.
On the contrary, a person like Shi Cheng, whose status is not high or low, can speak freely and be a little unruly. At worst, He Yu later felt that his discipline was lax and reprimanded Shi Cheng a few words, saying that he would definitely punish Shi Cheng severely. It's over.
After thinking about these things, Zhao Junchen's expression turned out to be casual, and he said slowly: "When you go back, tell Mr. He that I only have three requirements here;
First, General He can bring the Liaodong cavalry into the village. It is just a trivial matter. Why should I ask for my opinion?
Secondly, there is only such a small area in Hujiazhuang, and there are currently 500 Forbidden Army soldiers stationed there. Therefore, if Mr. He wants to lead troops into the village, let him consider the size of the troops by himself, and don't crowd everyone with no place to stay;
Thirdly, I have been temporarily living in Hujiazhuang during this period, and I have always paid accommodation fees to the people. Once I damage people's property, I will immediately compensate them with money, so when I asked General He to lead the troops into the village, I also Prepare some money in advance. The Liaodong frontier army has always been majestic and has never seen the people under the horses' hooves. After entering the village, they will not only eat the horses and occupy the houses, but also damage the people's property in all likelihood. What will happen then? The commander-in-chief must also make timely compensation! "
Hearing Zhao Junchen's answer, Shi Cheng couldn't help but be stunned.
Before Shi Cheng came to see Zhao Junchen, he had thought that Zhao Junchen was so courageous that he was willing to let He Yu lead the Liaodong cavalry into the village, but he never expected that Zhao Junchen would ask Shi Cheng to pay money to compensate the villagers of Hujiazhuang.
Such a request seems to be about loving the people like children, but it also vaguely reveals a certain attitude of Zhao Junchen - since I, Zhao Junchen, have come to Liaodong, I will set the rules of Liaodong!
After thinking about it secretly, Shi Cheng did not dare to respond to Zhao Junchen's request without permission. He bowed his head slightly and said: "Zhao Gechen's request has been taken down. I will go back and report it to General He now."
After saying that, Shi Cheng was about to get up and leave.
But something happened that made Shi Cheng even more unexpected.
Seeing that Shi Cheng was about to leave, Zhao Junchen suddenly raised his hand to stop him and said, "Wait a moment."
Under Shi Cheng's puzzled gaze, Zhao Junchen asked Xu Qingyan and Jiang Quan beside him: "I just realized what I said. Were his first words a blatant mockery of me?"
Xu Qingyan and Jiang Quan had long been indignant at Shi Cheng's sarcastic remarks. They both nodded their heads and rushed to answer yes first.
"That's it, this person is blatantly mocking the ministers!"
"A mere family of one hundred border soldiers has really eaten up the courage of a bear and a leopard, and they don't know how high the sky is or how high it is."
On the other side, Shi Cheng saw that Zhao Junchen was going to make things difficult for him, so he quickly explained: "Bizhi's words and deeds are out of consideration, but I never want to ridicule the minister. I hope you will not take it to heart. I am willing to return to the army." Take the initiative to accept the punishment..."
But before Shi Cheng finished speaking, Zhao Junchen waved his hand and interrupted: "There is no need to go to the army to receive the punishment. I don't care whether you did it intentionally or not, but you must be punished if you offend the superior... Of course, for the sake of Mr. He For the soldier's sake, I won't make things too difficult for you. Since you are rude, I'll punish you ten times... Do you want to slap yourself? Or do you want me to find someone to slap you?"
As Zhao Junchen finished speaking, Xu Qingyan and Jiang Quan were both gearing up and ready to make a move.
Shi Cheng knew very well that he could not avoid this humiliation, so he gritted his teeth and said: "What the cabinet minister said is reasonable, but I am a humble person who has a bad mouth. I am willing to punish myself with ten slaps in the face!"
After saying that, Shi Cheng waved his hand and slapped himself ten times in succession. He didn't hold back any force when he did it. It could be described as a slap - because Shi Cheng knew very well that if he slapped him lightly, Zhao Junchen would definitely order Xu Qingyan to fight with him. Jiang Quan and the two took action.
As the ten slaps ended, Shi Cheng's cheeks were red and swollen, and there was a trace of blood at the corner of his mouth.
When Zhao Junchen saw Shi Cheng being so crisp and flexible, a trace of solemnity flashed in his eyes, but on the surface he nodded with satisfaction and said, "Now, you can go back and report to Mr. He!"
When Shi Cheng turned around and left quickly, looking at Shi Cheng's back, Xu Qingyan couldn't help but asked worriedly: "Master, you let this man slap his mouth to relieve his anger, but are we going to let the Liaodong cavalry enter the village like this?"
Zhao Junchen shook his head gently and said: "Don't worry, He Yu just wants to scare me. With the combat power of the Liaodong Cavalry, if he really has evil intentions, don't we have the ability to resist? We might as well take the initiative to let them in, and still It can show that we are not afraid of him at all, and our momentum will not be weakened."
Xu Qingyan was still a little worried, but in the end he agreed with Zhao Junchen's statement.
On the other side, after Jiang Quan asked Zhao Junchen for instructions, he quickly left the room, planning to summon the soldiers of the Forbidden Army to prepare to welcome He Yu. Just as Zhao Junchen said, he could not let his momentum weaken.
*
At the same time, Shi Cheng had also left Hujiazhuang and met He Yu, the commander-in-chief of Liaodong. Then, with his red and swollen cheeks, he truthfully reported the meeting between him and Zhao Junchen to He Yu.
After hearing the report, He Yu couldn't help but sneered and said: "Zhao Junchen is so cunning. He seems to be a little courageous. He agreed to let the Liaodong cavalry enter the village. On the surface, there is no limit on the number of Liaodong cavalry entering the village, but He also said that Hujiazhuang was too small and could not accommodate too many people. He was obviously still afraid of the majesty of the Liaodong Cavalry and did not dare to let too many people into the village. As long as the strength of the Liaodong Cavalry in the village was significantly lower than that of the imperial army around him, he would not To have some sense of security... Ha! But to be able to come up with a set of reasonable words, these officials at the center of the imperial court only have one mouth to talk about!"
After saying that, He Yu glanced at Shi Cheng's red and swollen cheeks and asked, "Are you willing to make another trip to deliver a message to me?"
He Yu touched his cheek, gritted his teeth and said, "I'm willing to accept this humble position!"
"Okay, if you go to see Zhao Junchen again, it is enough to say that the task of guarding him is handed over to our Liaodong Cavalry. You can completely let the forbidden troops in the village station outside the village and hand over all the defense tasks in the village to our Liaodong Town! I I want to see if Zhao Junchen dares to agree!"
*
In this way, after half a stick of incense had passed, Shi Cheng came to Zhao Junchen again and reported He Yu's new attitude to Zhao Junchen.
After Zhao Junchen heard this, he looked at Shi Cheng quietly for a moment, and then suddenly asked: "Which foot did you enter the door first just now?"
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