Lingshou's more than 10,000 troops were all soldiers of the imperial court, trained and mobilized by Cao Qi. Previously, Lin Chong was able to lure all the troops out of Lingshou and retreated to Pingshan without fighting the Jin army. He borrowed the Tokyo Palace Commander's Mansion The power depends on the face of Lieutenant Gao. Without Lieutenant Gao's token and transfer order, not to mention Lin Chong, even if Gao Kan goes there in person, Cao Qi and Cao Qi will not be able to enter the barracks.
What Gao Kan had to do next was to deliberately delay the imperial military order, both overtly and covertly.
When facing him, you can say something to shirk him, but in short, you can just delay it, but when facing him, you must have complete control.
If a general like Cao Qi cannot guarantee 100% obedience to orders, he is putting his life in the hands of others at any time.
Gao Kan would rather not have these more than 10,000 troops, or even Zhending Mansion. The first priority must be to protect himself first.
Once appointed by the imperial court, Gaokan will nominally have the power to control all the troops in Zhending Mansion and can do whatever he wants.
But while gaining power, constraints and greater power will always weigh on his head.
In particular, the trip to Taiyuan Mansion was the most critical. Tong Guanding could not let him delay in Zhending Mansion. The order for reinforcements might even come with the appointment from the court.
Taifu Tong's authority, especially now that he was in charge of the entire Hedong Road, was much greater than that of Captain Gao in the Palace Commander's Mansion.
Therefore, the Cao Qi Gaokan needs is a general who only listens to his orders and does not care what higher officials say.
Only in this way can he act in Zhending Mansion according to his will with confidence.
Cao Qi's response was not the most satisfactory to Gao Kan, but at least it showed some attitude, which Gao Kan needed, and it is useful for now.
As for what the future holds, let’s see.
Lu Yao knew that Ma Li had become popular with people over time, and Gao Kan didn't mind. He slowly examined the feelings of this general who had lived in Zhending Mansion for generations.
After understanding, he patted Cao Qi on the shoulder and said with a smile: "General Cao, don't worry too much. In this time of national calamity, we and other Song people can only keep the peace of our country and our country by working together to fight against foreign enemies."
"The last general is willing to take orders from the young master." Cao Qi bowed with clasped fists.
"The Bailing Village was burned to the ground, and the army had no place to stay. I discussed with Coach Lin that the west side of the village would be a good place. I want the army to move back. I wonder what the general thinks?" Gao Kan said straightly.
"Young master is wise. The mountain village to the west has a lot of food and supplies. If a large army is stationed in it, there will be no worries for three to five months."
Cao Qi heard this and immediately replied.
Gao Kan glanced at him and then said: "But Coach Lin told me that from the time when the gold thieves were sentenced to surrender in Kaicheng of Zhending Mansion, there were only a few who stood firm throughout the territory, bordering the mountain stronghold in the west and the mountain stronghold in the east. Judu has already sentenced the gold thieves to surrender, and the officials, soldiers and horses among them have all become thieves. If my army moves back to the stronghold in the west, the people and horses in the stronghold will not be allowed to enter the stronghold, so what?"
When Cao Qi heard this, he realized Gao Kan's true intention, and he couldn't help but show a pensive look on his face.
After pondering for a long time, he replied: "There are more than 2,000 soldiers and horses in the mountain stronghold to the west. They are defending the stronghold. It is easy to defend but difficult to attack. There is also a stronghold to the east to support, and there are nearly 3,000 troops. If the army moves back, , we are told to stay out of the stronghold, and when we start fighting, if we do not make a quick decision, we will definitely be attacked from both sides."
"That's true. Does the general have a way to break through the stronghold gate quickly?" Gao Kan nodded and asked.
"He Zhiyuan, the commander of the infantry at Xilin Village, is a close friend of the general from the same hometown. If we can ask the general to write a secret letter, we might be able to work together internally and externally so that we can capture the gate of the village without bloodshed." Cao Qi replied after thinking for a moment.
Hearing this, Gao Kan's eyes lit up.
It was a foregone conclusion that Xilin Shanzhai surrendered to the Jin army. According to the laws of the Song Dynasty, all the officials and officials in the village should be punished as treason, which was a crime of beheading.
If he leads a large army there, he will definitely not be able to open the stronghold and let them in, and a big battle will be inevitable.
But if there are internal agents in the stronghold, who can persuade the middle and lower-level soldiers in the stronghold first, telling them not to resist, or even cooperate with the army to enter the stronghold, then a lot of things can be saved.
Even if we only need to capture the West Lin Village, we can have the Dong Lin Mountain Village surrender as well.
Lin Chong recommended Cao Qi to Gaokan, thinking that he was familiar with him here, and there might be someone he knew well in Xilin Village who could cooperate.
When he learned that this was the case, Gao Kan was unhappy and said hurriedly: "This is very good. Please write a letter from the general. If you have any requests, you can tell me."
"It's Young Master." Cao Qi responded with his fists clasped.
The army gathered together, and after a brief reorganization, they sent out to the west Linshan stronghold.
The original plan was to ask Cao Qi to write a letter, and then send someone to Xilin Village to see how He Zhiyuan expressed it before making a decision.
However, after Cao Qi thought about it again and again, he asked Gaokan for help, willing to personally go to Xilin Village to persuade He Zhiyuan to surrender.
After Gao Kan agreed, he asked him to hand over the power of dispatching the army. He led three cavalry to accompany him, and went to the west Linshan stronghold first. When he met He Zhiyuan, he said that he was very powerful.
The army marched slowly, and after three days, they arrived in the mountains near the west Linshan stronghold.
When there was no letter from Cao Qi, Gaokan asked Lin Chong and Yang Zhi to control the troops and sent out multiple scouts, one to investigate the situation in the west-facing mountain stronghold, and the other to monitor the movements of the east-facing mountain stronghold.
After waiting for another day, I saw the person Cao Qi sent out of the stronghold to report the news.
He Zhiyuan saw Cao Qi and agreed to abandon the secrets and surrender to the enemy. He led his men in the stronghold to surrender to the army. He had been secretly active in the past few days and was ready to open the gates of the stronghold and welcome the army into the stronghold.
Gao Kan was overjoyed when he heard the news and ordered Lin Chong to lead a group of soldiers and horses and sneak into the near left area to wait for action.
When night fell, a signal came from the village gate. Lin Chong led his troops and horses to see it in the forest, and then went straight to the village gate.
The personnel in the stronghold made preparations early, opened the gate of the stronghold, and let the soldiers and horses enter the stronghold.
Gaokan and the rest of the troops were waiting in the nearby mountains, unaware of the situation ahead.
After more than an hour, there was no sound of fierce fighting in the west mountain stronghold, and there was no fire. He didn't know what the situation was there, so naturally he couldn't help but feel a little anxious.
So he sent spies over to investigate and see what was going on.
After waiting for a stick of incense, the spies came back to report that there was no movement in the village, and there were no clues.
Lin Chong led more than a thousand men and horses. Even if he was ambushed, so many people should not be able to make a splash.
However, in order to make complete preparations, Gaokan still asked Yang Zhi to send orders to the entire army to prepare for a strong attack on the mountain stronghold.
After waiting for another half an hour, some people who entered the stronghold came back to report that everything in the stronghold was in order and the army could enter the stronghold.
In this case, Gaokan personally led the troops, and most of the troops came to the mountain stronghold.
When they entered the stronghold, they saw Lin Chong and Cao Qi leading a group of people to greet them. There were blood stains on their faces and bodies, and they seemed to have experienced a bloody battle before.
But for some unknown reason, there was no movement at all inside or outside the village.
