"Did the Chief of Staff of the Southern Dynasty cover the things on the grassland in such detail? It's really scary!" Qimeier Khan looked worriedly as he watched Li Dan eat and drink, walking arm in arm with his son towards the outside of the camp. explain.
"The Great Khan does not have to be like this. The southern dynasty is unified and the imperial power is stable. It is only a matter of time that he continues to exert influence on Monan and Mobei.
The key is that Ula took the lead in taking this step from the grassland and asked the prince to be on good terms with Li Dan. It would make no sense for the emperor not to put the Great Khan first. Wang Younian smiled:
"The Great Khan has thought carefully and made arrangements in advance. I think you are the only one among all the tribes!" After flattering him, he thought for a moment and said:
"Although Li Dan has not yet been awarded an official position, he is deeply scheming, kind and peaceful, confident but not aggressive. Khan, I feel that the prince must be friends with this person!
Wang Shangshu said that this person was extremely mysterious. There were rumors in the palace that he had a deep relationship with the emperor and Prince Ding.
Although I don’t know whether it is true or not, judging from his words and actions, it seems that he has the support or tacit approval of His Majesty. Otherwise, how could he know those secret things?
Please believe me, Great Khan, once this person enters the officialdom, he will surely rise to prominence and have a bright future! "
At this time, Karen returned from seeing off Li Dan's carriage and said happily: "Father, my son just saw Li Tanhua's carriage. It is really beautiful and can turn very flexibly. It is much better than the Lele carriage!"
He said he would use a car like this when he picked me up in the morning, and promised to sell us one at a low price so that my sister could ride in a car without the hard work of riding a horse when she returned to the grassland. "
"I think you two get along well?" Qimierhan asked with a smile.
Kelun nodded: "He is a trustworthy and generous person, and he also invited me to eat meat at his house tomorrow after I come out of the palace. He actually bet that the mutton slices he made were better than those of us Egu people. Hehe, I will eat meat tomorrow. See if it’s true.”
"If this person says it, he should be right." Qimeier Khan nodded: "After I leave Shangjing, if you encounter problems or dangers, go find him!"
Karen was surprised and looked at Wang Younian who was smiling again. "Father Khan spoke so highly of him? I remember this, kid!" Karen put her hand on her chest and bowed to answer.
"It's not that I think highly of him, it's the things he has done that make people believe him." Qimierhan waved him to sit down and asked, "What kind of person is Li Dan? Do you know or understand him?"
"Isn't he Tanhua? He is a leader among scholars. Needless to say?" After looking at Wang Younian, Karen quickly added:
"Oh, Taifu just took the time to tell me that this person should be good at martial arts. He has participated in the counter-insurgency war. He seems to be a man with both civil and military skills!"
"Prince, I was short of time and didn't have time to say much. Now I will tell you the news about the hidden stakes in our palace and what I know about Li Dan in detail."
Wang Younian started from the time when Li Dan was ordered to organize a civilian team to accompany the army, and continued until he protected King Ding on his way to Beijing.
These things were heard from anecdotes, word of mouth among the people, revealed by officials close to the Han Dynasty, and reported by eunuchs of Egu descent in the palace.
Karen was surprised when he heard this. After hearing about Li Dan's martial arts skills, he specifically observed and tested his opponent, and found that Li Dan was quite physically strong, his lower body was very stable, and his breathing was even and soft.
Those who don’t understand will comment on this person walking like a dragon or a tiger, or he is very imposing. In fact, it is a concrete manifestation of personal civil and military accomplishment and inner realm in body image.
People with higher realms are actually more peaceful and restrained. They do not appear with fierceness, evil aura or sharp eyes as described in previous martial arts or online articles.
On the contrary, such people cannot control themselves to achieve balance and are actually second-rate. .
Really strong people never show strength, but their thoughts, words, and actions will send out convincing signals. As the saying goes, "If others say you are strong, you are really strong."
Karen carefully reviewed her interactions with Li Dan and found that no matter what he said, judged, or acted, she liked and convinced him very much. He was a truly strong man.
Just as Taifu taught "people of the same species flock together", he has been taught since he was a child
I tell you to be with strong people, learn something from each of them, and when you gather together, you can become a big river!
"Unexpectedly, although this man is young, he is a versatile man in both civil and military affairs!" Karen said.
"The prince missed half of it. It should be said that this son is an all-rounder in literature, martial arts, business and industry!" Wang Younian replied:
"Such a figure appeared in the Southern Dynasty, and the emperor secretly took him into his arms. Alas, this is God's will! It seems that Changshengtian will no longer allow us to restore the glory of the previous dynasty!"
He sighed: "Under such circumstances, one cannot go against nature but can only go with the current.
Therefore, I believe that the best way for us Egu people is to put aside our prejudices and achieve peace with the Southern Dynasties. The most important thing here is those important ministers who have no prejudice against us and support the theory of Greater China.
On the other hand, if Er Yang's remnants hold a majority in the court, peace will be difficult to achieve, and their inherent hostility cannot be eliminated.
However... if we place our hopes on newly grown officials like Li Dan who are in favor of reconciliation, maybe we have a chance, at least the Ula Department has a chance! "
How to convey the circumstances of the meeting to the palace? Will Your Majesty let the eunuch who comes to get the cake for Princess Miyun bring back the news?
Li Dan started drafting the manuscript on the way, and was going to write the secret notes when he got back. Unexpectedly, he jumped out of the car and was surprised to find another four-wheel carriage parked in the yard.
"The carriage just arrived. Mr. Xi and another Mr. Liu came with them. They are sitting in the flower hall. Mr. Wu and Amao are keeping company over there. Let me pick up the young master here and take you there immediately." Jiao Tong was anxious. whispered anxiously.
"Okay." Li Dan walked in front, Jiao Tong followed behind. "Huh? Is there anything else you haven't said yet?" Li Dan noticed his hesitant expression.
"There are two things. One is that I was hit by Yusuf when we were ushering the guests in, so he is also inside now.
The other one is Lou Shiming's wife, children and his nephew. They have received a report today that they will arrive in the capital tomorrow morning. Where will the young master place them? "
"Let's arrange to stay at Xiao Xu's place behind Sihaiju first. After a few days' rest, I'll see them and then arrange for them to live in a new place." After Li Dan finished speaking, he stopped and asked, "Who came with you?"
"He is a man named Deng Yue, and his official position is the Deputy Inspector of Yugan County."
"Oh, I understand. It turns out that he is Xie Baozi's subordinate. This man is quite smart, so let him continue to be their guard."
"yes!"
Jiao Tong was the housekeeper externally, but actually Li Dan's adjutant internally, so he was responsible for conveying and arranging all these matters.
During this time together, he also saw that Li Dan had many contacts, especially the people who came tonight, whose background was so big that he could not imagine, so he became more determined to follow Li Dan.
When Li Dan saw Lu Jiu and Liu Funian standing at the door, his heart felt as if a stone had fallen to the ground. Now he didn't have to bother writing notes. He first offered his hand to Liu Funian, and then called Lu Jiu:
"Go and send the order to gather everyone. Ask Shou Jingang (Zhang Bo) to lead a few brothers to seal the courtyard, and you go and help him.
After crossing Jiufeng (Huang Qin), he went to the high place of Wangshan Pavilion to guard. Gao Can guarded the back gate, and Master Iron Knife guarded the passage to the guild hall. Master Shen and Fourth Brother Pei's master and apprentice came here to take charge.
Song Xiao watched the door of the guild hall, while Liu Qi led a few people to stand by near the aisle. Tell Liu En to close the door of the guild hall first, and no one is allowed to enter or exit without an order.
The rest of the people who are not assigned to the task should stay in the house first and come out to help if necessary. Let Blackwood keep the Taixi people from moving around freely. "
"Yes!" Lu Jiu saluted with a military salute and left. Soon he remembered the sound of the bamboo flute's assembly whistle.
Liu Funian smiled: "Why, your guild still retains the military style?"
"We can't let them relax too much. Although they are not a military force, it is still beneficial to manage them with military orders. After all, there are hidden dragons and crouching tigers in the capital." Li Dan smiled and asked, "Does it need to be communicated?"
"What kind of communication do you want at home? Just sign up at the door."
Li Dan went in with his hands in hand, walked past the well, and walked up the stone path among the flowers, only to hear a burst of laughter from inside. Liu Xi, who was standing at the door, saw him and immediately crossed the threshold to welcome him out:
"You're back, I've been drinking tea for two minutes!"
Seeing that he was wearing long casual clothes today, Li Dan knew that the person had come in concealing his identity. He asked in a low voice what role he was playing today. Li Dan picked up the curtain and went in: "Hey, Brother Shoushi (the emperor plays the character of Longcheng Shou). Shi), what kind of phoenix brought you here?"
"Hey, brother Zedong, how interesting is it that you didn't even call me when you went to visit the Great Wula Khan? What a pity, what a pity!" Zhao Tuo tapped the palms of his hands with a folding fan with a look of pain on his face.
Wu Mao, who was standing diagonally opposite, couldn't laugh or cry in his heart. He guessed that the person Liu Xi brought was also named Long, so he was at least a prince. Would he be curious about Egu Khan? This play is too fake!
"Sorry, I will definitely take my brother with me next time!" Li Dan said with a smile and looked at Wu Mao. Wu Mao immediately pulled Yusuf's sleeve, and the latter bowed to Zhao Tuo:
"It's an honor to talk to you. I see that you are an elegant nobleman. I hope to have the opportunity to visit you."
"Um, Yusuf, let's go out first and don't delay their talk." Wu Mao reminded softly.
Yusuf had no choice but to bow again with a regretful expression, and then followed Wu Mao out. Li Dan said in French behind him:
"Yusuf, your noble highness and I have a very confidential topic to discuss. Please tell your companions to stay in the room until there is any new announcement and until your highness leaves."
After hearing this, Yusuf looked at Zhao Tuo in surprise, bowed his head and saluted and said, "As you wish, my lord."
"You actually speak Thai?" Zhao Tuo looked at Yusuf's back with wide eyes: "Send one to me, I want to learn it too! I think it's great that Yusuf loves to talk about God!"
"It's not good at all!" Li Dan retorted with a grimace: "This kid is a Nestorian missionary, so what he talks about is strictly related to their teachings. We have to send him to the palace. I won't even be able to get the top three tomorrow." The location is up!"
"Hey, can't you just tell him not to mention that?"
"No, no, Your Majesty really wants it. I'll give you another one!" Li Dan thought of the librarian Hicks and decided to find time to talk to him.
But before that, he still reported to the emperor in detail about his meeting with Qimeer Khan and Karen today, and then said:
"Tomorrow Karen will come to the palace to see your majesty and ask the emperor to commend his father and son for their efforts for the stability of the grassland and the safety of the people. At the same time, he will ensure that the ceremony will not be affected in the slightest by Qimeier's departure, so that he can rest assured and immediately after receiving the edict. Let’s set off.”
"Okay! You did a good job on this matter! You can convince him to return to the grassland quickly and contact the various departments in Monan. This is a very important link!" Zhao Tuo looked very satisfied.
"But Your Majesty, the matter does not end here." Li Dan said: "I have communicated with the father and son. The current situation in the grassland is like this."
As he spoke, he walked to the desk to find paper and a brush, and then made a larger and more precise picture of the one he had drawn for Qimier;
From his memory, he drew the nine guards he had learned about when he met Hou Xie secretly, and then put a very thin piece of snowflake rice paper on top of this picture, so that the picture below could be clearly seen through the rice paper.
Then use a pencil to draw the estimated march route of Kerr's army. .
"Your Majesty, please see, this is the territory of the four major tribes in Monan. Ula is a vast area, but it is too scattered. At present, the number of troops that can be quickly gathered in the south does not exceed 30,000 elites. I thought that after removing the old and weak, I said 25,000 It is relatively accurate.
Similarly, according to the figures provided by Karen, the Luyan tribe can currently gather between 16,000 and 18,000;
Huifa is about 20,000 people; the Seyan tribe, which is the strongest and inherits the largest number of imperial guards from the previous dynasty, has 22,000 to 24,000 people.
First of all, they are currently fighting independently; secondly, due to the long-term trade blockade, the soldiers and equipment of each department are getting worse and worse, and the war spears used by some young people are still left by their great-grandfathers;
Finally, if there is a disaster on the grassland, it will definitely not be just Kerge. Every department will be affected to some extent, but the area north of Hanhai will be the largest.
Therefore, once the disaster strikes, the southern desert tribes may suffer multiple squeezes this time, and the long border from Shanhaiguan to Yulin Town may fall into chaos.
.
The last thing I want to report is that Prince Karen raised the possibility that the Kerns took advantage of the chaos. Move 60% of the tribes eastward, along the western Liaoning into the vast areas of eastern Liaoning and southern Liaoning, and at the same time force the Luyan tribe to surrender and threaten Yanjing! "
Zhao Tuo didn't speak for a while, he was shocked by this situation. The affected tribes in Monan were unable to resist, and at the same time, they might be attacked by the Great Wall defenders and cause chaos. It is indeed possible for the Kerrs to move eastward.
By the time the imperial court and the tribes in Monan came to their senses, their cavalry would have already been cruising outside Shanhaiguan!
"This is... the southernmost point of Mount Haraven? Is it easy for them to come here?" he asked.
"Your Majesty, there is the Kulun Pass here. I have consulted with General Hou. There is a Liuhe Valley here, about twenty miles wide. There will definitely be no problem in passing the cavalry.
During his two northern expeditions, the late emperor sent partial troops from this place into the hinterland of Seyan. The old man walked this road.
But after hearing that the army retreated, the Seyan tribe sent Han military flags to set up a stronghold on a high place here. They named it Kullenburg and were garrisoned by 3,000 Han troops. He doesn't know what the situation is now twenty years later. "
"Even if there are three thousand people there, it's not that many!" Zhao Tuo began to look worried, and he counted on his fingers:
"The tribes in Monan add up to less than 90,000 people, but they are spread over a vast area thousands of miles long and hundreds of miles deep." He sighed: "It's really not that many!"
"Actually, Your Majesty, please note that Kelge mainly fought against Lu Yan, and incidentally shocked Hui Fa and attacked Se Yan. Therefore, he must have only 40,000 opponents, and these people may not have time to assemble in the future. .
From this point of view, it is completely possible to penetrate the Monan Grassland and enter western Liaoning! "This analysis is correct, but Li Dan made the emperor even more depressed.
If there is a real famine and it is too late for the herdsmen to provide relief or migrate, who would have the heart to go to war?
But if this is the case, it will be a problem for the Monan tribes to protect themselves, let alone fight back against Kerge.
If no one were to stop him, Bihan would be able to swagger into the Liao region and even the Songnen Plain at the minimum cost, take it as his own, and at the same time coerce the surrounding tribes to surrender, pay tribute, or assist in fighting.
If that happens, Yanjing will become the front line, and there will be a bottomless pit of money in the empire!
"What do you think, Qing? Do you have any good ideas?" Zhao Tuo's voice seemed a little irritable and low.
At this time, Li Dan reached out to hold his arm, startling Eunuch Liu who had been silent not far away. "Your Majesty," Li Dan called softly, "I am here, don't worry!"
For some reason, although his voice was not loud and quite gentle, the emperor's newly agitated mind was poured cold water on him and he immediately calmed down.
"I have nothing to worry about. Please plan for me." The emperor looked at Li Dan and smiled.
