Watching the sun set in the west, Wang Xiaolie ordered to bury the pot and make rice early, rest early, and wait for orders tomorrow.
As soon as it got dark, the soldiers came to report. There was a man named Li Chengle outside asking to see him.
Wang Xiaolie smiled and said: "This man has been with Zhang Jun to Dengzhou for some time. I should have called them back earlier, but because of the delay due to Yang Jin's rebellion, I didn't expect that it would be useful today. Let him come in."
Not long after, Li Chengle entered the commander's tent and made a promise to Wang Xiaolie.
Wang Xiaolie said: "You have been in Dengzhou City for some time. What kind of person is Tan Yan, the governor of Dengzhou?"
Li Chengle crossed his hands and said: "Back to Zhizhou, this Tan Yan was originally a small official. When the Jin soldiers came to attack, he hid in the nearby mountains. After the officials escaped, when the Jin soldiers retreated, he came out to recruit the scattered people, so he became the Zhizhou. This person He has a flexible mind, a lot of cleverness, and is good at using small tricks, so he can win people's hearts. However, he has no big ambitions. He only wants some small wealth and stability. He doesn't have many soldiers. According to our estimation, those who really listen to his orders will never There will be more than 300 people. Facing Yang Jin's attack, he originally wanted to lead his troops to escape. He heard that Zhizhou had crossed Lushan Pass, so he boldly stayed. He wanted Zhizhou to deal with Yang Jin, but he himself did not dare to fight .”
"I see." Wang Xiaolie nodded and said nothing for a while.
Originally, I knew that Tan Yan was not strong and should have no fighting ability. Without himself, Tan Yan would not be able to defeat Yang Jin no matter what. Now after listening to what Li Chengle said, I am afraid that Tan Yan's strength is weaker than he estimated.
With such strength, it would not be difficult for Wang Xiaolie to capture Dengzhou. But how to deal with Tan Yan is embarrassing.
It's not that Wang Xiao is benevolent in hunting women, but that Tan Yan is an official of the imperial court and cannot be dealt with at will. Regardless of whether it is killed or crippled, there will be a series of serious consequences. It's not that he's afraid of being held accountable by the court. Nine times out of ten, the court won't pursue him. In the future, if the strength is strong, the court will even completely forget about this matter. Wang Xiaolie was afraid of ruining his reputation. Once you gain a reputation for killing officials just to compete for territory, many people will look at you differently.
After thinking for a long time, Wang Xiaolie said: "What do you think Tan Yan will do next?"
Li Chengle said: "General Zhang said that he will probably let Zhizhou enter the city to defend Dengzhou."
"Then should I enter the city?" Wang Xiaolie looked at Li Chengle with a serious expression.
Li Chengle crossed his hands: "I don't dare to talk nonsense! Commander Zhang said that Zhizhou should enter the city. However, the number of troops and horses cannot be reduced, at least a thousand people, so that Tan Yan does not dare to have other thoughts. As long as the army enters Cheng, it’s not Tan Yan who has the final say in what happens in the future.”
Wang Xiaolie nodded: "Okay, I understand. You still go to Dengzhou and report anything early. Also, tell Zhang Jun that you should be careful in Dengzhou City. Tan Yan is smart, and it is not that easy to hide it from him. "
Li Chengle crossed his hands and said yes. Say goodbye and leave.
In the middle of the night, Tan Yan stood in front of the lights in the government office, silently looking out the window. It's already the end of the month, and the moon hasn't risen yet, leaving only mottled starlight. The white snow on the ground has not yet melted, and there is a faint light under the stars.
A soldier came in. He cupped his hands and said, "Zhizhou, that spy from Dengzhou has entered the city!"
Tan Yan breathed out a sigh of relief. He nodded and said: "Okay, okay, if you can come back to the city, things will be easier to handle."
After speaking, he waved his hand and asked the soldiers to go out. After pacing back and forth in the room for a while, Tan Yan called someone and ordered General Duan Ying to be called in.
Duan Ying came in and bowed her hands. Tan Yan said: "General, please sit down. The thief Yang Jin is outside, and tens of thousands of soldiers and horses are surrounding the city. This is the time when Dengzhou's survival is in danger. If we are not careful, we will lose our lives here!"
Duan Ying sat down. Said: "That's what Zhizhou said. I see that the enemy troops outside the city are scattered in their camps, and they don't seem to number tens of thousands. But looking at the grain, grass and barracks they looted, they should be over 10,000. I only have more than 200 people. How can it be worth it?”
Tan Yan sighed: "It's not just Yang Jin! That fellow Wang Xiaolie also has no good intentions towards Dengzhou! More than a month ago, he sent several people to Dengzhou to spy on me. Until now, these few days I'm still in Dengzhou City. How can I do this without any bad intentions!"
"This is actually happening!" Duan Ying was startled and stood up. "If that's the case, why didn't Zhizhou kill these people? Even if he didn't kill them, they would still have to be driven out of the city! There are spies in the city who are not good for me!"
Tan Yan said nonchalantly: "It's just a few people. I'm afraid they will do something. There is nothing shameful in Dengzhou City."
Duan Ying sat down slowly and was confused after listening to Tan Yan's words. Although they were both imperial officials, Wang Xiao had many soldiers and horses, which was not comparable to Tan Yan's. If you are targeted by such a person, you should be careful.
Tan Yan said: "Dengzhou is no better than other state armies. It has a large territory and fertile land. It has always been the capital of the king. To be honest, as long as a strong man keeps an eye on this place, we will not be able to defend it. However, I am here to serve as the governor of the state." After such a long time, we can’t be left empty-handed.”
After saying that, Tan Yan looked at Duan Ying and said: "These days, we have some savings, so we can't take advantage of others. General Duan, you order your soldiers to load the gold and silver treasures of several of us into the car tomorrow morning. Remember. , Don’t let others know! The world is so big, as long as you have treasures in hand, why worry about others! Let those who fight and kill for the territory go away on their own!"
Duan Ying was surprised: "Zhizhou means——"
"I mean, you don't have to ask, just do it!"
Tan Yan stood up, looked at the dark night outside, and didn't speak for a long time. After a while, he said: "There are less than three hundred soldiers in the state. How can we fight Yang Jin? How can we face Wang Xiaolie? We must think of a perfect strategy."
In Zhang Jun's residence, several people were drinking wine around a charcoal pot. In more than a month, the money given by Wang Xiaolie before leaving had been spent. However, Zhang Jun had a flexible mind and ruthless methods. He joined the army with Wang Xiaolie and learned many methods, so he would not be short of money to spend.
After drinking a bowl of wine, Zhang Jun said: "When the Zhizhou comes, everything will be easier. Tan Yan, the Zhizhou of Dengzhou, is just an unintelligent villain. He got this state by chance. It's because of his good fortune. When the Zhizhou comes, naturally There will be no place for him.”
Li Chengle said: "When I saw Zhizhou today, I seemed a little hesitant."
Zhang Jun said: "What is there to hesitate about? If Tan Yan knew his appearance and gave him an official position. He didn't know whether to live or die, then he would be killed with one knife! There are less than 300 soldiers in the state, how dare he go against the governor! "
Li Chengle said: "Commander, Tan Yan is the magistrate of Dengzhou appointed by the imperial court. I'm afraid he cannot do this."
Zhang Jun sneered: "Zhizhou is just cherishing his reputation. What are we afraid of! When Zhizhou enters the city, if we can't take action, it will just be me leading a few people to take Tan Yan's life. There are many such things in troubled times. Yes, what’s so strange about it?”
Li Chengle and the others nodded, feeling that this was the only way to go. The huge Dengzhou is much better than Ruzhou in terms of geographical location, fertile land and climate conditions. And it is located on a traffic thoroughfare. How can we give up just because of Tan Yan?
After following Wang Xiaolie for so long, Zhang Jun could see that Wang Xiaolie was not just greedy for small wealth. Once Ruzhou is established, it must expand. And the best place around is none other than Dengzhou.
After drinking a bowl of wine, Li Chengle said to Zhang Jun: "If the commander succeeds in this matter, the governor will definitely not praise him!"
Zhang Jundao: "How can a man survive when he is alive and wants to do something spectacular? He doesn't stick to trivial matters when doing big things. Sometimes, the magistrate just can't stand it. There is no way, some things can only be done by our subordinates!"
After hearing this, the other people couldn't help but feel excited, feeling that this was exactly what happened.
