"Brother Li!"
"Brother Li!"
In the city of Chengdu, Shu County, Ren Xiao was overjoyed when he saw Li You standing in front of him alive.
He took the initiative to ask for orders to conquer the southwestern barbarians this time, wasn't it just to save Li You.
Now that Li You has returned alive, it means that the purpose of Ren Xiao's trip has been completed. The big stone hanging in his heart has fallen to the ground. How can he not feel happy in his heart.
Compared to Ren Xiao's joy, Li You had a cold face.
He, Gong Ao and others emerged from the woods in the southernmost part of Ba County.
Later generations said that Bashan and Chushui were desolate places.
Bajun has always been famous for its mountains. Although Li You took people out of the woods and came to a small village on the border of Bajun. But it is still surrounded by mountains. They found a guide from a nearby village and wandered around for a long time before leaving the mountain.
Under the traffic conditions of this era, a long time had passed when they arrived at Jiangzhou, the seat of Bajun.
Although he was defeated, Li You's faith was not defeated. Instead, he was full of fighting spirit. He felt that the next time he led troops to the Dian Kingdom, he would never fall into the trap of those southwestern barbarians again and would definitely kill them to pieces. If you don't stay, blood will flow, and you will avenge this great revenge.
As a result, when they arrived at Jiangzhou City, they were shocked to hear that the emperor had ordered Ren Xiao to lead troops from three counties to conquer the southwestern barbarians.
Li You was shocked, because in his calculation, even if the news of the defeat was spread back to Xianyang, it would take some time for the emperor to take revenge and conquer the southwestern barbarians.
As long as he rushes back in time, submits a letter to the emperor to plead guilty, and asks for revenge just like Meng Mingzhu did when he avenged Xiaoshan. When the time comes, he can ask his father, Tingwei, to help intercede, and Li You is still very likely to lead the army to avenge his humiliation. .
After all, he fought against the southwestern barbarians for a year and achieved great results. Regarding the geographical situation here, it was difficult for all the generals in the court to compare.
Li You had to get up wherever he fell.
But he didn't expect that the emperor was eager for revenge. It didn't take long before he sent a general to re-conquer the southwestern barbarians, which caught him off guard.
The emperor changed his generals to attack the southwestern barbarians. What should he do?
Li You was so anxious that he quickly rode the horses provided by Bajun and rushed through the official road to Chengdu, the capital of Shujun. He happened to meet Ren Xiao who had just arrived here.
Seeing Ren Xiao fully clothed and wearing a general's armor, the last bit of luck in Li You's heart was gone.
He gritted his teeth and stared at Ren Xiao and said: "General Ren, the emperor ordered you... to conquer the southwestern barbarians?"
Ren Xiao had a very good attitude towards Li You and laughed and said: "Yes, I heard that Brother Li was plotted by those barbarians in the southwest and his whereabouts are unknown. Many people said that Brother Li was captured by those barbarians. I feel very sad. I was worried, so I immediately requested orders from my superior to come and conquer the barbarians, and thought of rescuing Brother Li. Unexpectedly, Brother Li came back on his own before the fight started. Brother Li is really lucky."
Li You felt dizzy.
No wonder the emperor resumed his expedition to the southwest so quickly. It turned out that it was Ren Xiao who requested the order himself.
And according to what Ren Xiao said, he actually asked for life because he was worried about his own safety.
What is this!
Li You was so angry that his teeth itched.
Fortunately, he was a nobleman after all. No matter how angry he was, he still maintained his demeanor and said politely: "Thank you, General Ren, for your concern."
"Hahaha, we are all good brothers, that's how it should be. Before I set off, Lieutenant Ting specifically asked me to find Brother Li."
"It's best that Brother Li returns safely now, so that I can explain to Tingwei. By the way, what do you call General Ren? You and I just treat each other as brothers, so there's no need to be so polite."
With a smile on his face, Ren Xiao asked someone to go down and prepare some drinks for Li You, so that he could catch the wind and wash away his dust.
But Li You could still drink at this time. He was thinking about the war in the southwest and asked urgently: "I fell into the trick of those barbarians and was attacked by them in a false surrender. That's why I suffered a great defeat. Those barbarians are extremely cunning. I wonder what Brother Ren’s plans are for leading the troops of the three counties to conquer these barbarians?”
Ren Xiao pondered and said: "This matter is not urgent for the time being. When I came, the martial arts prince once told me that the art of war says that only by knowing yourself and the enemy can you win a hundred battles. He told me not to enter the army without permission, and to send people to find out the situation of the barbarians first. I will train troops in Shu County first and wait for the information to be obtained before making the next plan."
"Martial Arts Lord?"
Li You blinked and asked a little confused: "Who is this again? When did there be a martial arts lord in the court?"
Ren Xiao explained with a smile: "That's General Zhao Tuo. He conquered the Hu people in the northwest and won a great victory. He defeated three tribes of Yueshi, annihilated the Xiongnu, and killed the Xiongnu Chanyu. He made great achievements. He has been named the Marquis of Lun today. Tsk tsk. , and now I have specially given him a city of 6,000 households!"
"Zhao Tuo... killed the Xiongnu Chanyu... made him a Marquis of Martial Arts... granted food to 6,000 households in the city..."
Li You repeated these words in his mouth.
In an instant, he felt like the world was spinning, and he almost fell to the ground. Fortunately, Gong Ao, his confidant who had been following him, had quick eyesight and quick hands, and immediately reached out to support Li You.
Gong Ao said softly: "Jun Lieutenant?"
Ren Xiao also asked with concern: "Brother Li, what's wrong with you? Are you too tired? Why don't you go down and rest for a while."
"I'm fine."
Li You waved his hand and forced the matter of Martial Arts Marquis Zhao Tuo out of his mind.
He stared at Ren Xiao with red eyes and said: "Brother Ren, your plan has been too long. It will take a long time to find out the information about the Yi people. Even though I was defeated by them before using cunning tactics, But before I left, I set off a big fire, which severely damaged the barbarians. In my opinion, it is better to lead the troops to attack immediately, catch the barbarians by surprise, and capture the Dian Kingdom directly!"
"I have been fighting here for a year, and I am most familiar with the terrain in the southwest. I should lead the way for Brother Ren, attack the Dian Kingdom directly, and avenge the shame of our Great Qin!"
Li You said categorically.
The emperor has appointed Ren Xiao to lead the army. Since it can't be changed, just accept it. The most important thing is that he, Li You, must take revenge!
And after following Ren Xiao to defeat the Southwestern Yi, he might be able to make up for his crime with merit!
Li You's mentality is still good.
But unexpectedly, after his words "lead the way for Brother Ren" came out, everyone suddenly changed their expressions.
"No!"
Several of the general's staff turned blue.
Ren Xiao's eyelids twitched and he shouted: "Brother Li, don't want it!"
Li You said in shock: "Brother Ren, don't you trust me?"
He explained: "Brother Ren, don't worry. I have been fighting in the southwest for more than a year. I have left my footprints everywhere. The mountains and forests on both sides of the road have been burned clean by me. I will lead the way." , there will never be any problem. I will never take the credit for defeating the Southwest Yi from Brother Ren, I just want revenge!"
Ren Xiao shook his head and said: "What did Brother Li say? It's just that before I came, Tingwei once said that after finding Brother Li, he would ask Brother Li to return to Xianyang as soon as possible and not to stay in the southwest for a long time. Moreover, the emperor must be waiting for him." News from Brother Li.”
"As for the expedition against the southwestern barbarians, I will decide on tactics after discussing with several county captains. I don't know how long it will take. Brother Li doesn't have to wait here long. He should go back to Xianyang first."
Ren Xiao looked at Li You in front of him and felt a little scared.
Although he was grateful for Li You's friendship back then, he was also willing to ask for orders to conquer the southwestern barbarians to rescue Li You.
But Ren Xiao himself was absolutely unwilling to fight with Li You.
Not only him, but probably few generals in the entire Great Qin would dare to team up with Li You.
The name "Shuqi County Lieutenant" has been fermented and spread for a period of time, and after various additions, it has become very scary.
Some people even said privately that it was because of Li You in the army that they defeated Li Xin and Meng Wu in the first battle against Chu, causing these two victorious generals to suffer a heavy defeat.
In the second battle against Chu, thanks to the support of the old general Wang Jian, we could barely hold it back. Even so, Li You still defeated Ru Shui, which put a stain on the record of victory. .
Li Youshu's power is so terrifying.
Even Wang Jian was barely able to bear the pressure.
If he had been replaced by another general as commander-in-chief, he might have been defeated by Li You!
Although these rumors are a bit exaggerated, they are actually true!
Who dares to bet?
Who dares!
The Shu County Sheriff who had just walked into the house turned pale with fright when he heard Li You's words.
He risked offending Li You and said: "Brother Li, it's better to go back to Xianyang. After the defeat in Southwest China, a new county captain has been appointed. Now that Brother Li is dismissed, he should return to Xianyang immediately to report to the emperor. If you stay here for a long time, you may cause trouble."
Li You bit his lip.
His post as county lieutenant was dismissed.
This is normal. After all, Ren Xiao led troops from three counties to conquer the southwestern barbarians, among which Shu County was the core. Naturally, the post of county captain could not be vacant.
Not to mention the defeat he fought, how could he be allowed to stay in office?
Li You said with some reluctance: "If I leave, no one here will be familiar with the mountains and rivers of the southwest, Brother Ren."
As soon as these words came out, someone stood up behind Li You and said loudly: "Jun Wei, please go back with peace of mind. Don't let Ting Wei worry in Xianyang. In the end, I will accompany the Jun Wei to the southwest. The geographical situation here and the Yi people I have long been familiar with the distribution in my heart, I should lead the way for General Ren and avenge our Great Qin!"
Li You turned around in shock and saw that the impassioned person was his confidant Gong Ao, who was now the Sima of Shu County.
Gong Ao had followed him in his campaign against the southwestern barbarians for more than a year, and he was really proficient in the geography here. Even because he was the executor, he was much more familiar with the terrain than the leader Li You.
"With our co-sima here, Brother Li can go home with peace of mind."
Sheriff Shu immediately spoke.
Seeing this, Ren Xiao also responded: "Yes, yes, since this Communist Sima also knows the geographical situation here, Brother Li doesn't have to worry, we will suppress the barbarians and avenge Brother Li."
Li You looked at Gong Ao blankly.
Gong Ao gritted his teeth and remained silent.
He was very grateful to Li You for his kindness, so he followed Li You to conquer the Chu region and attack the Nanjun Yi people until this time he came to conquer the Southwest Yi people.
But every battle has no good outcome.
During the battle in the Chu region, Li You made a last-ditch effort and was defeated miserably.
When attacking the Nanjun Yi people, the first wave was defeated by those Yi people. Although they finally won with fire attack, the process is hard to explain.
As for the attack on the southwestern Yi, the result was also a disastrous defeat.
Gong Ao had long heard of the saying "Shu Qi" circulated in the army.
At first he didn't quite believe it, but later he started to believe it, but he still chose to bear it in order to repay his kindness.
Until now, Gong Ao couldn't bear it anymore.
No one likes to lose a battle, and no one wants to remain a loser who is laughed at.
Gong Ao looked at Li You, his timid eyes became firm.
Lieutenant, please go back to Xianyang.
Don't fight anymore.
Good for you, good for everyone.
Feeling Gong Ao's gaze, the persuasion of Commander Shu and Ren Xiao echoed in his ears.
Li You sighed and said in a low voice: "Brother Ren and the county governor are right. I will go back to Xianyang, and I will leave this place to you."
Hearing this, everyone breathed a long sigh of relief.
Li You turned around and walked toward the door lonely.
"Brother Li."
Ren Xiao shouted from behind.
"County Lieutenant."
Gong Ao also spoke.
Li You ignored them and walked straight outside the house.
The sunset was about to set, and the sky was dyed a fiery red.
In Li You's opinion.
This scene looked like someone was setting fire to the sky.
It would be great if he could also release the flames that filled the sky and burn all the enemies to ashes in one go.
Li You raised his head, speechless and choked, and looked up at the sky.
"Numbers are odd... Numbers are odd..."
The next day, a carriage left Chengdu, Shu County, and embarked on the road to Xianyang.
(End of chapter)
