"I'm sure you can come over. Han Qi has already found someone to help you clean up your room!"
Xu Xin'an, who was responsible for leading the troops stationed in Nancheng, saw Xu Huai and Liu Qiong'er picking up Yan Xiaoyi, Shen Zhene returned to Shuozhou, and happily went out of the city to greet him.
After Wang Fan recommended Cao Shixiong to take charge of the military and political power of Lanzhou in the west wing, Xu Huai moved all the military camps to Southwest City, including more than 4,000 Hu women and children who had received relief from them.
Even the southwest city was vast and sparsely populated, with many vacant houses, but Xu Huai still required all military officers and generals to stay together and live together.
Xu Xin'an, Tang Pan, Tang Qing, Yin Peng, Han Qi, etc. were the first batch of elders in Zhufeng Hall. After arriving in Lanzhou, they met Yan Xiaoyi, Shen Zhene, Pan Chenghu's former subordinate Eucommia and Dengzhou Dahao. Zhu Chengjun's nephew Zhu Shicong and others are of the same age and have similar temperaments.
They all also hope that Xu Huai can invite Yan Xiaoyi and Shen Zhene to Shuozhou.
"A guest came to Shuozhou before noon, and Uncle Wu and Master Ya made a special trip to accompany him." Xu Xin'an and Yan Xiaoyi, Shen Zhen'e, greeted him warmly, and then whispered to Xu Huai.
Xu Xin'an did not reveal the name of the visitor, but said that Xu Wuqi and Guo Junpan were accompanying him in person. Xu Huai did not ask directly, and asked Xu Xin'an to take Yan Xiaoyi and Shen Zhen'e to familiarize themselves with the situation in Shuozhou at this time. He and Liu Qiong'er rushed directly to the Governor's Mansion.
Xu Huai walked into the west courtyard of the Governor's Mansion where he was receiving guests. Guo Junpan ran to nowhere at this time, but it was Xu Wuqi who was sitting in the living room talking with Xiao Yanhan and Chen Zixiao who were disguised as men.
There was a fire pot burning in the room, and it was as warm as spring. Xu Huai took off his snow-covered cloak and handed it to Niu Er to take away. He held his waist knife and Liu Qiong'er walked into the living room and sat down at the central table.
He ignored Chen Zixiao and Xiao Yanhan's greetings, but turned his head and whispered to Xu Wuqi what happened during his trip to Lanzhou:
"Xiao Linshi still has someone lurking in Lanzhou. Wang Fan reprimanded Yan Xiaoyi in public and Shen suppressed the evil. He wanted all the officials and gentry in Lanzhou to see him. The Wang family and us have parted ways. Cao Shixiong and the others have not reacted yet. Unexpectedly, Xiao Lin Shi asked Chen Zixiao to come to the door first!"
"They are really not slow in their actions. I'm still wondering why they suddenly came to the door. They just walked around for a long time and they didn't tell the truth." Xu Wuqi glanced at Chen Zixiao and whispered to Xu Huai.
On the one hand, there is the status and identity of Xiao Yanhan and Chen Zixiao. Secondly, Shuozhou must not leak the news of secret communication with Khitan. Therefore, Xiao and Chen went to Shuozhou before noon, and Xu Wuqi strictly blocked them. According to the news, he and Guo Junpan stayed with each other closely.
Guo Junfan left temporarily due to some matters.
However, neither Chen Zixiao nor Xiao Yanhan disclosed their intention before. Xu Wuqi finally understood what was going on when he heard Xu Huai talk about his experience of going to Lanzhou.
Seeing Xu Huai walking into the living room, she didn't even say a few warm greetings to them, but didn't even look at them. With her temper, how could Xiao Yuhan be able to hold it back?
"You've become a lost dog. Who can show you this attitude?" Xiao Yanhan sneered disdainfully.
"Have the Red Husbands captured Linhuang Mansion?" Xu Huai asked directly.
"Ah!" Xiao Yanhan was caught off guard. She stared at Xu Huai for a while, then changed the subject and said, "The Wang family abandoned you and recommended Cao Shixiong to go out to Lanzhou to command the Tianxiong Army. You promised to have a truce with us. How can we fulfill the war? You must not have been deceiving us from beginning to end, right?"
"How old are you? You can't even lie. Why did Xiao Linshi ask you and Chen Zixiao to come out? Are you thinking that you must go to Shuozhou with Chen Zixiao to see me?" Xu Huai asked.
"Who do you think you are? Who has ever wanted to see you? You have promised a truce over and over again. How are you going to fulfill it now?" Xiao Yuhan pressed down on the long table and asked with explosive hair.
"Did the Dading Prefecture in Zhongjing also fall? What about the Liaoyang Prefecture in Tokyo?" Xu Huai asked.
Xiao Yanhan was so angry that she threw the tea cup on the table, shut up and ignored Xu Huai.
Seeing Chen Zixiao sitting silently, Xu Huai knew that the situation in the northern part of Khitan was by no means optimistic. He sighed softly and said to Xiao Yanhan politely:
"Chen Zixiao, Saluha once led his cavalry to ambush us in the west of Jincheng. I have not ordered you to be detained now. I am polite enough. The princess still has the nerve to ask me about the truce? Or are you Khitan?
People are naturally thick-skinned, and they don’t even realize it when one layer is peeled off? I said, princess, do you have anything to discuss with me? If you talk to me in a nice voice, of course I will treat you politely, but you want to play such childish words.
I want to get the upper hand, but I think the princess has found the wrong person. The princess should find some domestic slaves in Yingzhou to scold her. Those slaves will have more fun playing with the princess, but I don’t have time to play with the princess.
Every family.”
"If you tell him, I'll be so angry!" Xiao Yanhan's towering chest rose and fell violently. She didn't turn her face. She had already extremely suppressed the anger in her heart.
Chen Zixiao smiled bitterly and said to Xu Huai: "Wang Fan recommended Cao Shixiong instead of Zhu Hang to take charge of the military and political power of Lanzhou in the west wing. Mr. Lin Shi was extremely shocked at the time, but at the time he thought you had other deeper meanings in this arrangement. I heard this last night
What happened in the south of Kelan City has made us realize that the Wang family is a cold-blooded people. Master Lin Shi also feels somewhat unworthy for you, so he ordered the princess and I to come to Shuozhou to meet you!"
"Shuozhou has four thousand elites in hand. You don't need to feel worthy or unworthy for me. If it's just these words, it's not worth your special trip to Shuozhou." Xu Huai said calmly.
"Although we are happy to see Tianxiong's army and Qingshun's army massacre Fanhu, what Cao Shixiong did in Shuozhou is definitely not a cruel trick arranged by us. I believe you can understand this without us.
"Talk too much," Chen Zixiao said, "And at the same time, you should also think that even though Cao Shixiong is so heartless towards his old master, it is hard to imagine that he would be loyal to the Yue court..."
Seeing that Chen Zixiao had come to Shuozhou mainly to remind them to be wary of Cao Shixiong, Xu Huai remained calm but sighed softly in his heart.
Xiao Linshi and Chen Zixiao could see things clearly, but Wang Zhen and Zhu Hang ignored this due to their own understanding and deep-rooted ideas.
Although Xu Huai could understand this, he was very unwilling and unhappy when he thought about the extremely difficult situation that would follow.
"Don't think that we are here to trick you,"
Seeing Xu Huai sitting there calmly, Chen Zixiao's words seemed not to have touched him at all. Xiao Yanhan couldn't help but said anxiously,
"Cao Shixiong is by no means a loyal and kind person. His many decisive actions in Shuozhou were just because he misjudged that you had a chance to win and eagerly handed over the certificate of surrender. What is the Tianxiong Army like now? Liu Shizhong, Cai Yuanyou and other Yue
He has completely seen what the court, generals and ministers are like. How could a person like him have any loyal thoughts towards Yue Ting? I am afraid that he has already considered finding a third benefactor at this time - if you
I believe he will be loyal to Yue Ting, but I’m afraid he won’t know what happened until his death?”
"Princess," Chen Zixiao looked at Xu Huai, Xu Wuqi, and Liu Qiong'er and knew what was going on. He said to Xiao Yanhan, "They have already seen clearly what kind of person Cao Shixiong is.
We don’t need to remind you anything! It seems that Wang Fan’s scene outside Kelan City was not an act for others to see. He was really worried that Xu Huai’s life experience would drag down the career of his father and son, so he wanted to do it thoroughly.
Cut off relations with everyone in Tongbai Mountain - and Wang Fan recommended Cao Shixiong to take charge of the military affairs of Lanzhou in the west wing. Shuozhou should have been completely unaware of this in advance. Master Lin Shi's speculation is correct."
"You have seen through the truth about Shuozhou. If you have nothing else to say, then I won't let you go!" Xu Huai knew that revealing his life experience would lead to a series of unpredictable consequences, but he didn't want to listen to others.
After reminding him of this point over and over again, some people who were not in the mood wanted to arrange to send Chen Zixiao and Xiao Yanhan away from Shuozhou City.
Chen Zixiao and Xiao Yanhan's trip was indeed made specifically to confirm the current situation of the Wang family and everyone in Tongbai Mountain, and to confirm whether the scene that happened in the south pavilion of Kelan City the day before yesterday was an act by the Wang family for outsiders to see; in addition, Xiao Linshi's response to
They have no other orders.
Xiao Yanhan was still feeling angry. Seeing that Xu Huai didn't say a few words to see the guests off when they met, she stood up and walked straight out, waiting in the corridor for the guards here to return the swords and bows that had been confiscated.
Chen Zixiao saw that Xiao Yanhan had a bad temper in front of Xu Huai, leaving him with no room for improvement. At this time, he could only bite the bullet and walk out.
Chen Zixiao hesitated for a long time. When the guard presented the sword and bow, he turned around and said to Xu Huai who was standing on the corridor: "The tribes in Xishan are a little restless these days. Although there is an order issued by Datong, there may be some party behind it."
or the shadow of the Chihu people. If it is the former, things are fine. If the Chihu people have thought of using the Xishan Fan tribe to consume Yanyue's power in the Huihe River Valley, they will probably pay attention to the existence of Cao Shixiong. The time left to you
Actually not much more!”
"Time is running out, so what can we do?" Xu Huai stood in front of the corridor with his arms crossed and asked coldly, "Instead of encouraging me to assassinate the Cao brothers, why don't I deceive the main force of the Tianxiong Army out of Lanzhou and ambush you?
?Are you going to do it? I am determined about one thing, and it doesn’t matter whether I am guilty of collaborating with the enemy or not!"
"... I'm sorry," Chen Zixiao smiled awkwardly and said, "Going south from Yunshuo, there are many mountains and mountains. Even if the Chihu people had the intention of invading the south in the past, they would not rush down from Yunshuo to the south of the river. This will also happen.
Ling Yunshuo was able to feel at ease for a while, but at this time, there was such a huge flaw like Cao Shixiong, and Yue Ting was completely unprepared for this person, so it was really hard to say. I was also anxious about this matter, and only then did I think about whether you guys could do it again.
I'm using my old tricks, but I don't want to harm you!"
Xu Huai smiled coldly and had no intention of accepting Chen Zixiao's explanation.
When he carried out the assassination in Huaiyuan, it was Guo Caoling who went to the post alone and had no connection with the place. As soon as Guo Caoling died, he could directly cut off one of the tentacles of the Cai family reaching into Tongbai Mountain.
Cao Shixiong and Cao Shili are not in this situation at all.
They were not just two people who surrendered to the Yue court, but led thousands of soldiers from the Qing Shun Army, tens of thousands of Han people from Shuozhou City, and a large group of generals from the Shuozhou Governor's Office to the south.
Perhaps it is not impossible to assassinate Cao Shixiong and Cao Shili brothers, but once Cao Shixiong and Cao Shili brothers die, not to mention the risks that must be taken here, Lanzhou will directly fall into chaos, and it is likely to sweep the entire Hedong Road into chaos.
.
Such chaos may allow Xiao Linshi to seize more opportunities, but this is by no means the outcome Xu Huai expected!
Xu Huai didn't believe that Chen Zixiao couldn't see this, and he hated him for playing such tricks at this time. He motioned for them to leave quickly, without even bothering to take a step to see them off!
