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Ever since He Yu was kidnapped, Liaodong Town has been in chaos. Various military orders have come one after another. Everyone is busy working without touching the ground, but most people don't know what they are busy with.
Under such circumstances, Liaodong Town is naturally short of manpower and urgently needs more loyal and reliable talents to step forward and share the pressure.
Within Liaodong Town, Li Shijie is undoubtedly the leader of the younger generation. Although he is a bit narrow-minded and a bit dandy, he does not lack ability, let alone connections and influence. It stands to reason that in this situation, Liaodong Town should Li Shijie was immediately recalled to serve in the army.
However, when Ximen Sheng was presiding over the overall situation, he seemed to have completely forgotten Li Shijie's existence, and had no intention of recalling Li Shijie from beginning to end.
At the same time, when Shi Cheng was assisting Ximen Sheng, he had no intention of reminding him.
What Ximen Sheng and Shi Cheng did was not only because Li Shijie had just made a big mistake and caused the Liaodong Cavalry to lose miserably to Guan Ning Cavalry, but also because under the current situation, not only Zhao Junchen, Fang Zhenshan and others saw that Ximen Sheng, Shi Cheng and others also saw the importance of Li Shijie.
Li Shijie not only has the actual command power of a part of the Liaodong cavalry, but is also a direct descendant of the Li family, who has been a general for generations. When He Yu's whereabouts are unknown and his life and death are uncertain, people's minds have changed within Liaodong Town, and several generals cannot bear it. Living breeds ambition, and the soldiers at the bottom are even more panicky... The situation is gradually getting out of control.
Under such circumstances, Li Shijie's existence is a huge variable, and no one knows whether this "variable" is good or bad.
It was out of this consideration that Ximen Sheng and Shi Cheng both pretended to have forgotten Li Shijie's existence and allowed Li Shijie to remain under house arrest in Zhao Junchen's camp, just to control this variable as much as possible.
However, Shi Cheng never expected that although Liaodong Town did not take the initiative to recall Li Shijie, Li Shijie still quickly returned to the army.
Therefore, after seeing Li Shijie, Shi Cheng couldn't help but frown and felt repulsive. He couldn't help but ask directly: "Why is Mr. Li here? Aren't you under house arrest by Zhao Gechen for investigation? There is no Zhao Gechen now. Order, why can you escape without permission?"
On the other side, because of Zhao Junchen's repeated instigation, Li Shijie was originally jealous of Shi Cheng. Now that he heard Shi Cheng's words, he was full of rejection. It seemed that he was not welcome to return to the army at all, which made him even more angry. I feel jealous of Shicheng.
Therefore, Li Shijie did not answer Shi Cheng's inquiry at all, but asked directly and unceremoniously: "I received news that the commander-in-chief was kidnapped by bandits of unknown origin. How can I remain indifferent? Tell me, this Is the news true or false? Is the Commander-in-Chief really kidnapped by gangsters? What is the specific situation now? "
Shi Cheng hesitated for a moment, knowing that once Li Shijie returned to the army, many things would not be able to circumvent him. He could only try his best to guide Li Shijie's "variable" to a better result.
After understanding this, Shi Cheng, although he didn't like Li Shijie either, still answered Li Shijie's questions truthfully, and tried to remain as kind as possible in his expression and tone.
"The news you have received is true. Lord Commander-in-Chief and Zhao Gechen were indeed kidnapped by unknown thieves... Those thieves are currently besieged by soldiers in a dense forest near Chilin Mountain. They can be said to have wings. It is impossible to escape, but General Ximen has not yet made up his mind on how to rescue the Commander-in-Chief and Minister Zhao."
After hearing Shi Cheng's answer, Li Shijie raised his eyebrows and asked, "So, currently Liaodong Town is being presided over by General Ximen?"
Afterwards, Li Shijie began to accuse Shi Cheng vigorously and reprimanded angrily: "Also, how on earth did you do things? I just left Mr. General Bing for a few days, and you actually let Mr. General Bing be raped under your nose. Kidnapped by gangsters? Shi Qianhu, for such a heavy crime, we can never just let it go!"
Seeing that Li Shijie was only focused on suppressing himself at this time, Shi Cheng finally suppressed the anger in his heart. On the surface, he remained calm and nodded: "I think that with the ability and prestige of General Ximen, as well as his relationship with The brotherhood of the Commander-in-Chief is undoubtedly the best person to preside over the overall situation at the moment, so after General Ximen said without hesitation that he would take orders in times of danger, I expressed my support on behalf of the Liaodong Cavalry...
I also hope that Mr. Li can put aside his stance and prejudices and join me in supporting General Ximen! Only in this way can we try to stabilize the internal situation and concentrate all our efforts on rescuing Lord General!
As for my culpability, although I was ordered to rectify the Western Route Army at the time and did not guard with the Commander-in-Chief, what Mr. Li said is correct. Since I am responsible for the escort mission of the Commander-in-Chief, I will I must bear full responsibility... When the Commander-in-Chief is successfully rescued, I will take the initiative to plead guilty and let Mr. Commander-in-Chief punish me without Mr. Li’s reminder! "
In fact, Li Shijie was just unhappy with Shi Cheng's preemptive statement of support for Ximen Sheng, which made his subsequent support for Ximen Sheng less important. He just felt that Shi Cheng was really lucky and had taken all the benefits. . .
Hearing what Shi Cheng said, Li Shijie snorted lightly, but he also knew that now was not the right time to continue to accuse Shi Cheng, so he rode his horse to Shi Cheng's side and said: "Of course I understand the importance, you don't need to tell me. I will also support General Ximen! Are you going to see General Ximen now? Then I will go with you, and I will listen to General Ximen’s instructions at any time!”
Seeing that Li Shijie also decided to support Ximen Sheng, Shi Cheng was secretly relieved.
As long as Li Shijie is willing to support Ximen Sheng, he can continue to maintain the unity of Liaodong Town, and the rest of the things will be easy to handle. As for the hostility shown by Li Shijie, Shi Cheng didn't think much about it for a while, because of Li Shijie's attitude towards him. Always.
However, Shi Cheng didn't know clearly that although Li Shijie had a bad attitude towards him in the past, he just wanted to be better than him. But now... Li Shijie's idea is not necessarily just about winning or losing.
In this way, Shi Cheng and Li Shijie rode their horses side by side towards the north towards Chilin Mountain.
During the run, Shi Cheng further explained the current situation to Li Shijie in detail, including the circumstances surrounding He Yu's abduction, the current status of his serious injuries, the subtle reactions of the other three generals, and the various traps. Something strange.
After listening to Shi Cheng's introduction, Li Shijie subconsciously turned his head and glanced at Guo Shang in the distance to the side, with a somewhat surprised expression.
After all, in Li Shijie's eyes, Fang Zhenshan is Zhao Junchen's confidant, and Guo Shang is Fang Zhenshan's confidant...
If all these things are arranged by Zhao Junchen, then Guo Shang may also be involved, and Fang Zhenshan's previous statements may also be part of Zhao Junchen's plan... And he himself may be involved. It has become Zhao Junchen's chess piece.
Li Shijie doesn't mind becoming a chess piece, but only if he can gain more benefits by becoming a chess piece.
Therefore, after Li Shijie thought for a moment, he did not tell Shi Cheng about his conversations and transactions with Fang Zhenshan. He just lowered his voice and asked: "Since you suspect that all these things have something to do with Zhao Junchen, did you send someone to secretly Investigate the truth?
Under the current situation, we have to resort to caution. It is quite difficult to safely rescue the Commander-in-Chief from the gangsters. However, if it can be proven that the gangsters are related to Zhao Junchen, many things will be easier to handle! As long as we try to hint to those thieves that if the commander-in-chief is harmed more, we will not care about Zhao Junchen's safety. Those who throw the trap will become the enemy's thieves, and the safety of the commander-in-chief can be ensured. "
Shi Cheng shook his head solemnly and said: "It's not just suspicion. In my opinion, the kidnapping of Lord General Bing is most likely related to Zhao Junchen! If he hadn't proposed the hunt, if he hadn't introduced Lord General Bing In the trap, it is impossible for all this to happen!
But now, we are short of manpower. We must not only besiege the thieves in the dense forest, try to rescue the commander-in-chief, but also blockade the entire Hujiazhuang area. We also need to separate troops and horses to keep a close eye on the Guanning Cavalry and other troops. Our troops are stretched thin. , we really can’t spare more manpower to investigate the truth behind the scenes...
However, General Ximen has issued a military order and mobilized 8,000 troops from Jinzhou Camp, including 3,000 Liaodong cavalry, and defenders from all walks of life are also coming to support...
Therefore, we only need to wait for five more days at most, and we will have enough power to control all situations and suppress all variables. By then, many things will be easier to handle, even if it is to forcibly disarm the imperial army and torture Zhao Junchen's close associates, It’s not a difficult task, and you can quickly investigate the truth!
...Now, we have to be patient for the time being! But as long as the truth of the matter is found out, conclusive evidence is obtained, and it is found that this matter is indeed related to Zhao Junchen..."
After speaking, a sneer flashed across Shi Cheng's solemn face.
This is Liaodong. No one can escape smoothly after plotting against Liaodong Town like this, not even Zhao Junchen!
If all this was due to Zhao Junchen's calculation, then Zhao Junchen would have to pay a heavy price!
"We have to wait up to five more days..." Li Shijie murmured to himself, his expression thoughtful.
If Shi Cheng's conjecture is true, all these things were secretly caused by Zhao Junchen. Then Zhao Junchen must have used the power of his forbidden troops when he implemented the plan, and there would be at least dozens of forbidden troops participating in this plan. There are so many people, so as long as Liaodong Town investigates this matter with all its strength, evidence will be found quickly!
Therefore, after five days, as long as the reinforcements from Liaodong Town arrive one after another, whether this matter has anything to do with Zhao Junchen or not, the truth will soon be revealed!
From this point of view, if Zhao Junchen is really the mastermind behind the scenes, then time is on the side of Liaodong Town. If Zhao Junchen is unable to achieve the planned goal, then the longer time delays, the more likely Zhao Junchen will fail. and exposure, and then Liaodong Town’s full revenge.
Therefore, Liaodong Town only needs to try its best to stabilize the current situation and win the final victory sooner or later!
However... with Zhao Junchen's calculations and methods, will Liaodong Town really be given more time to calmly control the situation, increase their strength, and then investigate the truth of the matter?
Li Shijie is a son of a general. Unlike Shi Cheng, he is a more pure military man. He has witnessed more conspiracies and calculations under the influence of his family since he was a child, and he also has more political sensitivity.
Therefore, this time Li Shijie thought further than Shi Cheng, always feeling that the situation would not develop as smoothly as Shi Cheng expected.
Perhaps, right now, while Liaodong Town is waiting for reinforcements, Zhao Junchen has already launched his next plan!
In this way, when Shi Cheng and Li Shijie were each thinking, they quickly arrived near the dense forest surrounded by the Liaodong border troops.
But when the two of them saw the military deployment around the dense forest, they couldn't help but be surprised!
It turned out that among the many soldiers who were surrounding the dense forest at this time, they not only saw the familiar Liaodong border army, but also some soldiers of the Forbidden Army!
When Zhao Junchen was likely to be the mastermind behind the scenes, and the Forbidden Army soldiers might be accomplices, Ximen Sheng actually asked these Forbidden Army soldiers to join in the siege and rescue operation!
Feeling incredible, Shi Cheng and Li Shijie quickly asked to see Ximen Sheng, and Ximen Sheng quickly met them.
Ximensheng's city was much stronger than Shicheng. When he saw Li Shijie's appearance, he did not show any rejection on the surface. Instead, he looked pleased and said that Li Shijie was a great help.
Later, Ximen Sheng also answered their doubts and said, "I have no choice but to do so! That Jiang Quan was willing to help me prevent the various armies from moving was just a deal between me and him. The general promised that his Imperial Guards could participate in subsequent rescue operations, and he promised to assist the general in controlling the situation.
However, of course, I am also aware of the strangeness of this matter. The position of the Forbidden Army is quite suspicious, so I have sent people to monitor them secretly and will never let them have another chance to do something secretly! "
Having said this, Ximen Sheng shook his head slightly and said: "...In the final analysis, our current strength and manpower are insufficient, and we cannot cover everything. At this time, we can only give in a little! And even if we suspect that all these things are related to Zhao Junchen has connections, but he doesn’t have conclusive evidence, and he is restrained when doing things... But as long as a large number of reinforcements arrive in four or five days, we can go ahead and do it! "
Obviously, just like Shi Cheng, Ximen Sheng also believes that Liaodong Town has a time advantage, but they must continue to endure for four or five days.
After hearing Ximen Sheng's explanation, Shi Cheng also understood Ximen Sheng's difficulties. Although he had many scruples in his heart, he did not continue to dwell on the matter. He just asked quickly: "General Ximen, after returning to the camp after humble duty, I took the lead in arranging all the doctors in the camp to come here as soon as possible, but I wonder if they have entered the dense forest now to diagnose and treat the injuries of the Commander-in-Chief?"
Ximen Sheng turned to look into the depths of the dense forest and said slowly: "The general has selected several doctors to enter the dense forest... At the same time, the general has also arranged for a smart and reliable military staff to pretend to be a doctor among them. , take the opportunity to explore the specific situation of the kidnappers in the dense forest... Maybe, we will be able to get more information about those kidnappers soon!"
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In this world, there is a kind of secret, which is called "open secret" or "well-known secret".
The so-called "open secret" means that everyone actually knows the truth, but due to the situation, strength, timing, etc., everyone pretends to be kept in the dark.
Since Zhao Junchen arrived in Liaodong, he has carried many "open secrets" with him.
For example, Zhao Junchen has been claiming that he was seriously ill due to fright. Everyone knows this is false, but everyone pretends not to know, and still pretends to express condolences and care about Zhao Junchen's physical condition, and even takes the opportunity to send gifts to Zhao Junchen. Zhao Junchen obtained many precious medicinal materials.
For another example, all smart people, or people who claim to be smart, have now actually seen that the kidnapping of He Yu and Zhao Junchen by gangsters was probably directed and acted by Zhao Junchen, but everyone still Pretending to be unaware, Ximen Sheng was even forced to let the Forbidden Army participate in the rescue operation.
Everyone is pretending to be stupid and blind, while secretly preparing for the day when the truth will be revealed.
This situation may seem absurd, but it is the norm in this world.
However, sometimes it is very painful for people in the situation to tolerate it all the time and pretend that they are completely unaware of the truth of the matter.
At this time, He Yu, looking at Zhao Junchen's pretentiousness and poor acting skills, could not bear the pain!
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