In response to Feng Keji's inquiry, Xu Zhaojie undoubtedly waved his hand and said with a pretentious smile:
"Of course, I, Mr. Xu, know everything about the Governor's issue. Brother Keji, you can just say it..."
As soon as these words came out, Feng Keji's originally calm expression showed a hint of coldness. He looked deeply at Xu Zhaojie and asked in a deep voice:
"Brother, I want to ask Mr. Xu how Li Sandao died?"
As soon as these words came out, the room immediately became quiet. Feng Keji looked directly at Xu Zhaojie, his cold eyes were breathtaking!
More than a month ago, due to Li Sandao's sudden rebellion, Xu Zhaojie successfully got rid of Liu Chongshan and his party members and took control of most of the power in Anqing. However, just half a month ago, Li Sandao suddenly fell ill. It happened very quickly, that is, Li Sandao passed away in two or three days. With Li Sandao's sudden death, his followers were scattered, and Anqing's power structure also ushered in a new round of reshuffle!
Under Xu Zhaojie's deployment, the trusted subordinates he brought from Sichuan and Sichuan completely used Li Sandao's sudden death to create a positive atmosphere of power in Anqing, completely controlled the tens of thousands of troops in Anqing, and became a veritable patrol envoy of Anqing. ·············
Xu Zhaojie didn't seem to be panicked at all under Feng Keji's gaze. He picked up the tea cup and took a sip of tea calmly, and then said calmly to Feng Keji's gaze:
"Does the Governor think it was me who did it?"
Xu Zhaojie's rhetorical question seemed to surprise Feng Keji. He thought that Xu Zhaojie would quibble.
Although I don’t know whether Li Sandao really died of a sudden illness or was poisoned by Xu Zhaojie, judging from the current situation, Xu Zhaojie is the biggest beneficiary after Li Sandao’s death. Li Sandao can It is said that Feng Keqin planted a nail in Anqing. With Li Sandao's sudden death, Feng Keqin's influence on Anqing has been greatly reduced. Therefore, there is no doubt that Feng Keqin has reason to suspect that Xu Zhaojie did this. of!
Feeling Feng Keji's hesitation, Xu Zhaojie smiled slightly in his heart. He knew that although the other party knew that he had done the thing, the rice had been cooked. Although Feng Keqin was angry, he was also worried that Xu Zhaojie would turn to Cao Changping. , so we can only have no choice but to send someone to express our anger, and then be forced to accept...
"I said that Li Sandao's death was not caused by me, Xu Zhaojie. Brother Keji, do you believe it?" Xu Zhaojie said sincerely:
After listening to Xu Zhaojie's words, Feng Keji didn't say anything, but still looked at Xu Zhaojie coldly. Of course he didn't believe Xu Zhaojie's lies. Although Li Sandao was not young, his body was very strong. He could lift a knife to kill people when mounted, and he could kill people when dismounted. It is normal for him to eat three bowls of rice and half a catty of cooked mutton in one meal, and it is normal for him to eat several n at night. So if you say that he died of a sudden illness, the probability is really very small!
"Li Sandao's dead brother has said that he will never let it go. We also hope that this matter really has nothing to do with you, Mr. Xu!" Looking at Xu Zhaojie, Feng Keji said coldly:
When Xu Zhaojie heard this, he sighed pretending to be innocent and then said slowly:
"Then please, Lord Governor, please investigate carefully. I, Mr. Xu, have always been upright and not afraid of slanting shadows. I have been a bright person and have never done those insidious and despicable things. If the death of Li Sandao is really found out and I Regarding Xu Zhaojie, I don’t need to tell you, the Governor. I, Xu Zhaojie, immediately drew my sword and killed myself to thank the world, and to pay for Li Sandao’s life..."
"If it is found that it has nothing to do with me, Xu Zhaojie, then please ask the governor to clear my name, Xu Zhaojie!"
Looking at Xu Zhaojie who spoke so righteously and did not seem to be hypocritical and willing to commit suicide to prove his innocence, Feng Keji was also deceived by his superb acting skills, and his confidence that Xu Zhaojie was responsible for this matter was shaken a little.
At this moment Xu Zhaojie stood up and said to Feng Keji:
"Brother Katsumi, I'll take you somewhere!"
Although he didn't know where Xu Zhaojie was taking him, Feng Keji hesitated and followed Xu Zhaojie's way.
After walking for about a stick of incense, Feng Keji followed Xu Zhaojie to a small room in the mansion. When he walked into the room, Feng Keji noticed a huge table in the center of the room, and on the table were a series of furnishings including mountains, rivers and mountains. , Feng Keji, who saw this thing for the first time, was immediately attracted by it!
After looking at the table with great interest, Feng Keji pointed at the table and asked Xu Zhaojie:
"Master Xu, what is this?"
Xu Zhaojie smiled and introduced:
"Brother Katsumi, this thing is called a sand table. Compared with a map, this thing can express the terrain more clearly and intuitively..."
Hearing this, Feng Keji nodded slightly and observed the sand table carefully for a while. After realizing the beauty of the sand table, he subconsciously asked:
"Mr. Xu, your sand table is very good. This is the first time I have seen this thing. Is this your own creation?"
After Feng Keqin finished speaking, Xu Zhaojie seemed to have remembered something. His face, which had been smiling a second ago, instantly darkened, and he said without any emotion:
"This thing was created by Ye Mingsheng!"
Feng Keji's attention was entirely focused on the sand table at this time, so he did not notice the change in Xu Zhaojie's expression and continued to ask:
"Ye Mingsheng? Is it the Liaoyang Governor Ye Mingsheng? That's right! I remember that this Ye Mingsheng served under you, Mr. Xu, before he was transferred to the Zhenwu Army, right?"
After the words fell, Feng Keji turned to look at Xu Zhaojie. However, what he never expected was that Xu Zhaojie looked at him with a cold expression at this time, looking at him with a terrifying look that he had never seen before. He felt the look in Xu Zhaojie's eyes. With a hint of killing intent, Feng Keji, who was born as a scholar, shuddered involuntarily, and his legs were even a little weak from fear...
Just when Feng Keji was about to fall to the ground, Xu Zhaojie looked away and returned to normal. He pointed at the layout of the sand table as if nothing had happened and said:
"Brother Keji, come and take a look. This is the topography of our Anqing, Huainan and Qilu under Cao Changping's command!"
"Zhao Fuqu of Youyan in the north has now invaded Yunbin, and Gao Zongchang of Jiyu in the Central Plains is not enterprising and only cares about pleasure in Yujing. Therefore, Cao Changping has no worries in the north now. That is why he conspired. Contact Liu Chongshan and plot to spy on the Governor's Huainan!"
"Although the traitor Liu Chongshan has been killed, Cao Changping has made up his mind to go south. Recently, I have been paying close attention to the situation in Qilu. Judging from all the movements of the Qi army under Cao Changping's command, I can see that he is preparing for war. Always be prepared to invade southward!"
"So I think that instead of being passively beaten, it is better for us to take the initiative and defend the enemy outside Huainan. I, Xu Zhaojie, am willing to be the vanguard in this battle. I will lead my Anqing army of 30,000 troops to Pengcheng. The governor can send troops from Suyu directly to Langya. ················”
"Our army sent troops in two directions to make Cao Changping worry about one thing and not the other. We can't look at each other from the beginning to the end. We will definitely conquer Licheng in one battle and capture Cao Changping alive!"
Feng Keji was a scholar and had only a superficial understanding of military affairs. Even so, he felt the unabashed confidence in Xu Zhaojie's words. He couldn't help but feel a little moved. If he could really get rid of Cao Changping, who was eyeing Huainan , then his eldest brother Feng Keqin can confidently and boldly send troops to the south, without having to worry all the time that Cao Changping will blow up their game from behind!
Looking at Feng Keji who was a little moved, Xu Zhaojie said with a smile:
"These are just some of my thoughts at the moment. It's up to the Governor to decide exactly what to do. I, Xu Zhaojie, will always listen to the Governor's orders!"
Feng Keji nodded when he saw this and said:
"I will convey Mr. Xu's opinions to my brother as soon as possible!"
After talking about the business, Xu Zhaojie exchanged pleasantries with Feng Keji again. Finally, when Feng Keji was about to leave, Xu Zhaojie gave him some "local specialties". Faced with these "local specialties", Feng Keji refused at first. , but Xu Zhaojie was helpless because of his affection, and in the end Feng Keji could only reluctantly put the things away...
After Feng Keji left, Xu Zhaojie's confidant Li Zhaoqing walked into the room. After hesitating for a while, he cautiously asked Xu Zhaojie tentatively, who was sitting on a chair with his eyes closed and relaxing:
"Master Marquis, do we really want to be the vanguard for Feng Keqin?"
Xu Zhaoyan snorted coldly when he heard this, then opened his eyes and looked at Li Zhaoqing and said:
"Feng Keqin knew very well that I was the one who killed Li Sandao, so he sent Feng Keji here today to give me a warning. How can I get away with it if I don't give him an explanation today?"
"Although Li Sandao is dead, Li Sandao is not the only one Feng Keqin has deployed in Anqing. If Feng Keqin and I fall out now, although he will push me to Cao Changping for fear, he may not send troops to attack me. !”
"But they will definitely make some small moves in secret to hold me back. Now that I am the vanguard, I will leave it to him. Although he will still hate me because of Li Sandao, he should be more or less satisfied and will not secretly It's holding me back..."
Li Zhaoqing nodded when he heard this and asked again:
"In this case, do we still need to continue to contact Marquis Cao Changping?"
"Of course! But things must be kept secret!"
Xu Zhaojie explained in a deep voice. After speaking, he seemed to have thought of something. He clenched his palms tightly into fists and said confidently:
"Feng Keqin and Cao Changping, I want to play a game of chasing tigers and devouring wolves with them, and manipulate them into the palm of my hand!"
·······················
·······················
On the night of February 12th, in the deep forest ten miles away from Jizhou City.
Although he was holding a telescope, because it was too far away, Yuan Song could only vaguely see the appearance of Jizhou City, and could not see the defense situation of Jizhou City at all.
After trying several times but still getting the same result, Yuan Song had no choice but to put down the telescope in his hand. At this moment, Ma Zhongjun came over and reported to him:
"General, Xiaocaozhuang, Sandaohezi, Heqi Township and other Yan army strongholds have already arranged for manpower to be in place. As soon as the ugly time comes, we send a signal and everyone can take action together!"
Yuan Song nodded with satisfaction. This sneak attack on Liaoyang had been prepared for nearly half a year. In addition, he obtained the Yan Army's defense map in Jizhou from Gu Shouting. Therefore, as for the Yan Army's terrain, The Fengwu Army, which the garrison knew very well, wanted to catch the Yan Army by surprise, so they deliberately took those less traveled paths, bypassed these strongholds and arrived at the foot of Jizhou City.
"What happened to General Lin?" Yuan Song asked again:
The sneak attack on Jizhou was a joint operation between his 1st Division and Lin Huaiwu's 2nd Division. Because it involved the issue of joint command authority, Ye Mingsheng specifically talked to Lin Huaiwu before leaving and made it clear that the commander-in-chief of this battle was Yuan Song. , Lin Huaiwu needs to follow Yuan Song’s instructions during combat...
Regarding Yuan Song's question, Ma Zhongjun said without hesitation:
"As agreed before, General Lin will send people to report the latest situation every two hours. The last group of people arrived half an hour ago. Everything is normal on General Lin's side. All the troops of the Second Division have arrived. We have entered the combat position and can launch an attack on Jizhou City at any time!"
Yuan Song felt a lot more at ease after hearing this. In the previous battles with the Fengwu Army, he and Lin Huaiwu had been on separate sides and had basically never fought together. Therefore, what he was most worried about in this battle was the communication and cooperation between the two sides. problem, and now that Lin Huaiwu has entered the combat position as planned, he can relax half of his heart.
Seeing the fatigue on Yuan Song's face, Ma Zhongjun advised:
"General Yuan, it's only Haishi and there's still some time before Choushi. Why don't you go and take a rest first? I'll be here to support you for a while!"
"You haven't had a good night's sleep since you set off from Dongning. You only slept for less than an hour yesterday. Your body won't be able to bear it if you hold on."
Yuan Song smiled when he heard this, patted Ma Zhongjun on the shoulder and said:
"Don't worry, my old bones can still bear it. Where can I sleep here in the wilderness?"
"I'm waiting to break through Jizhou City and capture that old man Shen Zhuo, and then I'll have a good sleep in his house... ·······”
Feeling Yuan Song's persistence, Ma Zhongjun could only nod helplessly.
Although he told Ma Zhongjun that he could bear it, Yuan Song, who was very tired, still picked up the kettle and took a sip in order to relieve his fatigue. As the liquid in the kettle entered, Yuan Song's face became slightly rosier. , the person also became a little more energetic. The water in his kettle was not water, but a low-alcohol water and wine specially made by the Fengwu Army before setting off again.
