When Da Xijin followed Tuoba Gui and entered the back tent, Tuoba Gui said to the two sword-wielding guards standing at the door: "Guard the door of the handsome tent in front and don't allow anyone to approach." Immediately, he Then he went straight into the tent, with Da Xijin following him like a shadow. When the two stood still in the tent, Da Xijin said respectfully: "Your Majesty, do you need to give any special instructions to your subordinates?"
Tuoba Gui nodded with satisfaction: "Yes, you have made great progress over the years of following me. Taking the Tiger Talisman is just an excuse. What I really need you to do is to monitor that Lu Pu."
Da Xijin said in surprise: "Surveillance on Lu Pu? Does your Majesty still have doubts about him? Then should Cui Cheng also ask his subordinates to send people to monitor him?"
Tuoba Gui sneered and said: "Cui Cheng is really a disciple of Sibi. I sent people to investigate secretly before Zhang Gun recommended him. He came sincerely, but he was arrogant in his words. Even though he is going to be our minister, But deep down, I still look down on us Xianbei men, thinking that we are just barbarians. What I said today about owls changing their voices after eating mulberries is nothing more than a mockery of us prairie men. If we want to come to the Central Plains, we have to change our living habits and eat wild fruits with them. .”
Da Xijin gritted his teeth: "My subordinates have also heard this. This person is indeed too crazy and will cause trouble sooner or later in the future. Anyway, I gave him his advice. Otherwise, let's send him away."
Tuoba Gui shook his head: "If he came to vote on his own initiative, I really want to drive him away now, but this person is recommended by Zhang Shangshu, because if I drive him away with just one sentence, I am afraid that Zhang Shangshu will feel cold in the future. If you no longer contribute any effort, and you want to appease the scholars in Hebei, just tolerate him for a while. The Han people have a saying, "One thousand gold buys horse bones," which means that giving heavy rewards to those with average talents or obvious flaws will attract real people. Those who have the ability come to join them. This is my attitude towards Cui Cheng and Lu Pu now."
Da Xijin nodded: "Then Lu Pu seems to be much more submissive to His Majesty. Why does Your Majesty want to monitor him instead?"
Tuoba Gui's nose twitched and he said: "This person named Cui and the person named Lu are both leaders of the Han people in Hebei. Even the emperors of the different races who rule here can disobey orders. Why are they suddenly loyal to us, the Wei Dynasty?" ? Cui Cheng was implicated by Cui Hong and was dismissed from office and rushed home. He was so poor that he was about to starve to death before he came to seek refuge. Even so, he still maintained the arrogance and pride of a high-ranking Han family. This is what a Han family should have. Looks like that. Although I dislike what he said very much, I must admit that he is not lying."
"But what about Lu Pu? His strength and conditions are much better than Cui Zheng's. At least, he has thousands or even tens of thousands of people at his disposal, and he has hundreds of thousands of stones of food in hand. There is no need at this time. Accept my official position, because the outcome is still undecided. According to the moral character of these Han families, unless they are like Cui Cheng who are about to starve to death and need to find food, they will definitely remain neutral until the battle between Yan and Wei is decided. Only then will you vote for the winning side, don’t you think Lu Pu is too enthusiastic?”
Da Xijin smiled and said: "Perhaps it is because Murong's Yan State did not reuse him, which makes him feel that he has a better future by following Your Majesty?"
Tuoba Gui sneered: "The Lu family received favors from the Murong family back then. When they could hardly gain a foothold in Hebei, it was Murong Jun who took them in and took them back to Hebei. It is said that everyone has the heart to repay their kindness. , even if he doesn’t have this intention to repay his gratitude, he still has to show off, otherwise he will not be able to restrain his subordinates in the future. However, Lu Pu has only been appointed as the governor of the prefecture and county of Yan State. The conditions I offered are no better than those of Yan State. He is taller, but he is just a false name as a governor, but he took the initiative to submit, and he was even willing to provide us with military rations. Don't you think this is strange?"
Da Xijin's expression changed: "Your Majesty, do you mean that this Lu Pu might be pretending to surrender?"
Tuoba Gui curled up his lips: "This is what I am not sure about now. Originally, in the espionage process, my most effective assistant was Princess Helan, followed by Cui Hong, but Helan Lu because of the battle of Xindu , I have always been resentful, and today I even ran away in anger. Princess Helan cannot be counted on. As for Cui Hong, he is a Han after all, and the Cui family and the Lu family have many relatives and friends, so I am afraid that they will not try their best to find out for me. Lu Pu, the only one I can count on is you. You are smart and capable, with first-class insight. You have been able to see the danger clearly on the battlefield many times and save me from danger. Therefore, I need you to open your eyes this time. With your big eyes, you can see clearly whether the peasants Lu Pu brought to transport food this time are actually the peasants he mentioned who have no combat experience."
Da Xijin nodded: "It takes ten days and a half to get from Fan Yang to here, thousands of miles back and forth. You can tell whether you are a farmer or an elite at a glance. Even if you are a veteran disguised as a civilian, you can see the movement of marching to transport food and walking." You can't hide your every move, and your subordinates will definitely observe you carefully and won't miss you."
Tuoba Gui nodded with satisfaction: "Also, you have to look carefully at the military rations. You can secretly find some cattle, sheep or death row prisoners and let them eat the rice grains. See if Lu Pu is among the grains. Manipulation. If the people he brings are really civilians and there is no problem with food, then I will believe that this man surnamed Lu has really switched to our Wei Dynasty, and will give him a promotion based on the contribution of this food aid. of."
Da Xijin said sternly: "If Lu Pu is really loyal to the Wei Dynasty, then these hundreds of thousands of stones of military rations are the key to the survival of our army. With only my five hundred guards and horses, if there is a surprise attack by a large number of enemy troops, I am afraid that It’s hard to resist.”
Tuoba Gui smiled and said: "This is another clever move I arranged for you. If Lu Pu is really one of ours, the Yan army will never sit back and watch him transport food to my camp. The Yan army in Zhongshan , will inevitably go out of the city to attack the grain transport team. If I send a large army to escort, I am afraid that the Yan army will not dare to fight in large numbers. But if I know that there are only 500 soldiers and horses to escort, at least tens of thousands of cavalry will be dispatched to attack. I will use my plan and can In the wild, the main field force of the Yan Army was wiped out in one fell swoop. Once the Yan Army's field cavalry was lost, there would be no possibility of leaving the city to fight. Our army could slowly besiege the city. Anyway, we have food in hand, and I have the world, so I can consume it slowly. "
Da Xijin said with a smile: "Your Majesty is wise and anticipates the enemy first. Then my subordinates will mobilize their troops. But if the Yan army really attacks, how can I contact the reinforcements?"
Tuoba Gui smiled slightly: "Old rules, three-color wolf smoke, my goshawk will track the whereabouts of your grain transport brigade in the air, and the reinforcements will be led by me personally. Once the Yan army leaves the city, I will teach them how to do it. I won’t return it!”
