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Seeing Ximen Sheng drop his saber and remain silent, Li Zehe, Gan Cheng and Xu He were immediately overjoyed.
The three of them have known Ximen Sheng for many years, and they know Ximen Sheng's character best. In terms of strategy, vision, acumen, decisiveness, etc., this person is almost as good as He Yu, the commander-in-chief of Liaodong, and not even as good as He Yu. He is domineering and dictatorial, but he is better at forbearing.
However, Ximen Sheng's shortcomings are also obvious, that is, he lacks a "lone wolf spirit". When encountering difficulties, he always needs people around him to encourage him, and then he can continue to work hard and face difficulties, otherwise it will be easy Will break the jar.
In comparison, He Yu never cares about any encouragement and support from the outside. He always becomes more courageous and persistent with every setback.
According to later generations, various human behaviors are derived from three driving forces, namely "survival drive", "external drive" and "internal drive".
Among them, "survival drive" is the biological instinct of survival, food and clothing, and reproduction of offspring. "External drive" represents the feedback mechanism of "carrot and stick", that is, rewards, punishments, encouragement, etc., while "internal drive" is The sense of mission and satisfaction that comes from doing the work itself.
All great figures in ancient and modern times, both at home and abroad, have extremely strong internal driving force. Although He Yu is far from being called a "great", his internal driving force is also extremely sufficient... In comparison, Ximen Sheng is obviously worse in this regard. Whenever he encounters difficulties and setbacks, he always relies more on external drives.
It is precisely because of this gap that He Yu became the commander-in-chief of Liaodong Town, while Ximen Sheng could only become the second person in Liaodong Town. Moreover, Ximen Sheng was very impressed with He Yu, because He Yu was his biggest external driver for many years. source.
At this moment, Ximen Sheng obviously had an old habit. He encountered difficulties and setbacks, and no one was willing to support him or encourage him, so Ximen Sheng gave up on himself.
In fact, this is not the first time something like this has happened in recent times.
When Zhao Junchen and He Yu were trapped together, they secretly exchanged the secret letter sent by He Yu to Liaodong Town and forged the content that He Yu did not trust Ximen Sheng.
At that time, after Ximen Sheng read the contents of the forged secret letter, he lost all motivation and almost gave up on himself. If it weren't for Shi Cheng who had been trying his best to persuade and actively encourage him, maybe Ximen Sheng had already given up completely.
But now, He Yu doesn't know whether he's alive or dead, Shi Cheng is also under control, and no one can provide external driving force for Ximen Sheng.
This also means that in the next period of time, Ximen Sheng will fall into a state of despair and cannot extricate himself - he is completely out of the game.
The existence of Ximen Sheng is not only the biggest threat in the eyes of Zhao Junchen, but also the biggest threat in the eyes of Li Zehe, Gan Cheng, and Xu He. Therefore, after seeing Ximen Sheng's complete elimination, these three people were naturally overjoyed.
Among them, two overly clever people like Li Zehe and Gan Cheng have begun to secretly consider how to isolate He Bandit and others and try to seize military power next!
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However, before Li Zehe and others could be happy for a long time, they heard Fang Zhenshan accusing the three of them that they might also have rebelled.
At the same time, Fang Zhenshan also explained a doubt in the minds of everyone in Liaodong Town, that is, why he and Wu Shilin had a disagreement in the first place and had to meet with Liaodong Town soldiers, because in the eyes of Fang Zhenshan and Wu Shilin, Liaodong Town's Several generals are suspected of treason, and the entire Liaodong Town can no longer be trusted.
For a moment, Li Zehe, Gan Cheng, and Xu He were all frightened, fearing that some bandit would be bewitched by Fang Zhenshan and imprison them like Ximen Sheng. Then all their ambitions would be in vain, and they would be released soon. retort loudly.
But fortunately, He Bandit was not easily influenced by Fang Zhenshan this time - at least not on the surface - and had already made his attitude clear before Li Zehe and others could speak.
"Governor Fang, you seem to have misunderstood something! Do you think that the humble position is just a fool who can be taken advantage of? Or do you think that you are qualified to interfere in the household affairs of Liaodong Town?" He Bie's eyes were cold and he said slowly: "The humble position The decision to control General Ximen was just a precaution and to eliminate hidden dangers, but I didn’t completely believe your words!
As for General Li, General Gan, and General Xu, they are still willing to trust them in their humble positions. They will never be affected by your malicious speculations. Don't expect that you can continue to stir up the situation in Liaodong Town with just a few words! "
When expressing his stance, He Gao's attitude was very firm, which made Li Zehe and the other three feel reassured, and they also took the opportunity to express their loyal stance.
In fact, He Bandit's attitude was just because Fang Zhenshan's reasons were completely unconvincing to him.
As a die-hard confidant of He Yu, He Bandit is very aware of Zhang Zhengqing’s various criminal acts, as well as the secret dealings between several senior officials in Liaodong Town and Zhang Zhengqing - with He Bandit’s experience, don’t expect him to interact with those who have been harmed. The poor people had sympathy - so He Bandit naturally believed that the attitude of Li Zehe and others in defending Zhang Zhengqing was normal, and he would not assume that Li Zehe and others had rebelled against Liaodong Town just because of this kind of thing.
Of course, He Bandit will definitely step up precautions secretly, but it has not reached the level where people like Ximen Sheng must strictly monitor them.
Especially after today's events, He Biao deeply felt his own powerlessness and believed that if he wanted to continue to control the situation, he would have to get the full assistance of several generals, so he would not easily target Li Zehe and others. .
Seeing He Bandit's attitude, Fang Zhenshan was deeply disappointed and said slowly: "He Qianhu, you also said that under the current circumstances, it is most necessary to take precautions and eliminate all hidden dangers. In this case... And why do you believe in Li Zehe and others so blindly?
Once Li Zehe and others really rebelled, what kind of bad consequences would it cause? Has He Qianhu ever thought carefully about it? At that time, not only General He and Zhao Gechen will be in greater danger, but the entire Liaodong defense line will also be in danger! How can there be a hint of adventure?
Could it be said that He Qianhu, you don’t care about rescuing Mr. He at all? Don’t you care about Liaodong Town’s border defense duties at all?
In any case, the governor's attitude is very clear. All signs indicate that your Liaodong Town has been seriously infiltrated by the Jianzhou Jurchens. If He Qianhu cannot eliminate all hidden dangers vigorously and resolutely, then whether it is the governor or General Wu, They all cannot trust Liaodong Town, let alone reach any agreement or cooperation with Liaodong Town! "
Afterwards, Wu Shilin, who had been silent for a long time, nodded in agreement: "That's right, if you, He Qianhu, are willing to make up your mind and take action to eliminate various hidden dangers in Liaodong Town, then everything is easy to discuss... Otherwise, the matter is very important, and I will Governor Fang doesn’t dare to take any risks, and you and I will have nothing to discuss!”
As Fang Zhenshan and Wu Shilin expressed their opinions one after another, the atmosphere between the two parties suddenly became tense again.
Taking advantage of the stalemate, after some whispers from He Rensheng, He Bandit slowly replied: "The two of them believe that Liaodong Town has been seriously infiltrated by the Jurchens of Jianzhou, but they disagree with the low-level position. Even if it is related to the suspicion of General Ximen, After all, it is just a suspicion, so it is probably too exaggerated to assume that our Liaodong Town has been seriously infiltrated by Jianzhou Jurchens, and many generals have betrayed us?"
Such retorts were obviously taught by He Rensheng to He Bandit, and they had a literary flavour.
Seeing that He Bie fully adopted his suggestion, He Rensheng's face became more relaxed.
In He Rensheng's view, the most important thing at the moment is to resolutely deny the accusations and characterizations made by Fang Zhenshan and Wu Shilin about Liaodong Town while making every effort to avoid conflicts between the two armies.
However, He Rensheng's sense of relief quickly dissipated.
Bandit He is also a tough person. At this time, he only wants to rescue his master He Yu. He has been entangled with Fang Zhenshan and Wu Shilin for so long, and has been repeatedly criticized and threatened. He has long been impatient.
Therefore, without waiting for Fang Zhenshan to speak, He Bandit spoke again and added: "As for the two of you, you are not willing to discuss cooperation with me in Liaodong Town... General Ximen said something not long ago, and I think it makes sense! "
At this point, Bandit He's tone was as cold and tough as ever: "That's it... you may want to take pleasure in the kidnapping of my commander-in-chief, or you may want to impeach and complain to the imperial court afterwards, but now...
You must withdraw your troops and return to camp immediately, and there must be no more changes! Don’t even think about taking advantage of troubled waters! I, Liaodong Town, will naturally handle all the matters at hand on my own, and it is not your turn to interfere!
Hey! You also said that you are not willing to discuss cooperation with me, Liaodong Town, but I, Liaodong Town, have the same attitude and have been unwilling to discuss cooperation with you from the beginning!
If you are dissatisfied, let's fight with real swords and guns! Let’s see if you have the ability to fight to the death, and you will be responsible for the consequences! "
After saying that, Bandit He raised his palms and shouted an order: "Send my military order! All the soldiers in the army will prepare for battle immediately! If the troops in front take another step forward, they will all be regarded as enemies. There is no need to show mercy during the confrontation. Just kill! I will be responsible for all deaths and injuries!"
Hearing He Yu's statement, the expressions of everyone present changed drastically, especially He Rensheng. At this time, he just felt that He was impulsive and messed up things, thinking that he and others could not bear the responsibility of starting a war between the two armies without permission.
But with He Bandit's military order, it was too late for He Rensheng to stop him. The Liaodong Town army in the rear quickly mobilized and gradually changed into a charge formation, as if the entire army would charge forward at any time.
However, just as He Rensheng was racking his brains to save the situation, Fang Zhenshan and Wu Shilin, who had always had a tough attitude, reacted unexpectedly and gave in on the spot.
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In fact, although Fang Zhenshan and Wu Shilin repeatedly threatened the two armies with war, it was just a means of exerting maximum pressure. They were betting that Liaodong Town was too scrupulous to respond and wanted to force Liaodong Town to reach an agreement with them. Just a transaction.
In fact, they had absolutely no confidence in defeating the Liaodong army, and no courage to assume the relevant responsibilities. Moreover, they all had their own agendas. Fang Zhenshan wanted to preserve the troops he had finally accumulated, while Wu Shilin wanted to delay as much time as possible and wait. His father, Wu Yingxiong, the governor of Jiliao, came forward to take charge of the overall situation.
Under such circumstances, seeing that the bandit had already made up his mind to start a war, and his own pressure had reached its limit, he naturally did not dare to continue to press.
So, after Fang Zhenshan and Wu Shilin looked at each other, Wu Shilin snorted coldly, turned around and left.
Fang Zhenshan also rode back and left together, but before leaving, he dropped a few words and said: "It's best for your Liaodong Town to settle everything on your own, otherwise the governor and General Wu will never remain indifferent like this. Just sit back and watch! But no matter what, you Liaodong Town must give everyone an explanation from now on!"
This statement may seem like a tough attitude, but it actually means that you have given in and will retreat back to the camp.
This time, He Bandit didn't respond. He just stared coldly at Fang Zhenshan and Wu Shilin as they returned to the army.
After the troops at the front showed signs of retreating, He Bandit turned to look at the senior military attachés in Liaodong Town and said: "Finally, we have driven back these clowns who wanted to take advantage of the situation! Now we must retreat immediately and return to the camp to take over. Come down and try your best to rescue the commander-in-chief!
We have already collected most of the various jewelry and treasures requested by the kidnappers. After returning to the camp, we will immediately send people to negotiate with the kidnappers to see their reaction after receiving the ransom... If the other party is not sincere in letting go, then We must consider forced rescue methods!
In any case, the current situation is already perilous, and we must not continue to delay it like this! "
Upon hearing He Bandit's statement, all the Liaodong Town military attachés nodded in agreement.
Among them, Ximen Sheng's expression did not change at all, and he was obviously still in a frustrated state.
At the same time, Li Zehe, Gan Cheng, and Xu He were more active and provided their own suggestions, but the occasional eye contact between them seemed to have other plans.
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At the same time, when Fang Zhenshan and Wu Shilin returned to their own army, they saw two Confucian scholars quickly approaching them.
These two Confucian scholars, the older ones looked like experienced and shrewd people, while the middle-aged ones had calm attitudes and capable manners. They were the two core staff recruited by Zhao Junchen from the capital - Li Chuanwen and Niu Fude.
After the two sides got closer, Li Chuanwen asked directly: "How is the situation?"
Fang Zhenshan and Wu Shilin, who had just surrendered to Liaodong Town, now looked disdainful.
Fang Zhenshan explained: "The plan is progressing more smoothly than expected. At least the most troublesome guy, Ximen Sheng, has been eliminated! The remaining people in charge of Liaodong Town may be a reckless man like He Bandit who has no moral integrity. , or short-sighted rats like Li Zehe and Gan Cheng, it is much easier to deal with them!"
Wu Shilin sneered and said: "After losing He Yu, Liaodong Town fell into internal strife again. It was unable to display its true strength at all, and the threat was only 30% to 50%!"
"Two gentlemen, what do you think we should do next?" Fang Zhenshan asked again.
After Niu Fude pondered for a moment, he said: "When Zhao Gechen was discussing military affairs with his students, he once said something that was regarded as the most truth by the students... that is, 'When the enemy advances, we retreat; when the enemy retreats, we advance; when the enemy is stationed, we harass' , I will fight when the enemy is tired!"
Upon hearing these sixteen words, everyone present's eyes lit up and they all exclaimed, "It's wonderful."
All in all, it’s not over yet!
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