On March 3rd, when spring returned to the Splendid Central Plains, light snow began to fall at the junction of Xixia and Xiliao Kingdoms.
The "Dunwu Army" has been stationed here for more than two months, but has not yet waited for a reply from the King of Western Liao. Meng Gong was reading books in the military tent, but Zhao Chengyu could not hold back his anger.
"Shuai Meng, please tell me something. In this snowy day, are we just going to wait here like this?"
They have sent three notes to the Western Liao Kingdom, and each time the messenger came back, they said that the Western Liao Kingdom would give a reply immediately.
Unfortunately, more than two months have passed from the beginning of the year to the end of the year, but there is still no information coming from Hu Siyu's ears.
"Report—report to Commander Meng. Several people came to the military camp, saying they were sent by His Majesty. The general recognized that the leaders were the two seniors of the 'Black Wind Shuangsha'."
At this moment, a school captain came in from outside the tent to report.
"Oh, hurry up and follow me out to meet -"
After Meng Gong and Zhao Chengyu joined forces, Guo Mo temporarily gave Meng Gong the title of "General of the Expedition to the West" and made him the commander-in-chief of the army in order to facilitate unified command.
Although "Double Black Wind" does not serve in the army now, he was the capital commander of King Yan's guard army many years ago, and he can be considered on the same level as Meng Gong.
What's more, the two of them are senior brothers and sisters of the current Empress of the Song Dynasty. Even His Majesty the Emperor has to address him as senior brother and senior sister, and Meng Gong naturally has to show the courtesy.
Sure enough, a few people came to the camp gate. Meng Gong recognized the two people standing at the front as the "Black Wind and Two Evils" at a glance. These two people were so recognizable in their appearance and dress.
At the end, there are four people standing in a row, all dressed in brocade clothes, wearing large cloaks, and carrying wild goose feather swords on their waists. They are actually the people in "Jin Yi"?
There was also a person standing in the middle, wearing a felt hat on his head. Perhaps because it was too cold, he was wearing a black cloak with the collar turned up.
From a distance, almost the entire person's body is covered. Only when you get closer can you see his exposed eyes, mouth and nose.
"Your Majesty... why are you here?"
Meng Gong immediately recognized that the person coming was Guo Mo, but he did not dare to reveal Guo Mo's identity at the camp gate.
"Come inside and talk—"
Everyone entered the camp gate and walked straight inside without stopping.
"I will finally see your Majesty——"
When they arrived at Meng Gong's handsome tent, Guo Mo, Meng Gong, "Black Wind and Two Evils", and Zhao Chengyu entered one after another, but the four men in "jinyi" stopped outside the handsome tent.
"Okay, to make a long story short, Tingfeng has received reliable information. Now the king of Western Liao, Qu Chulu, is coming with an army of 50,000 people."
"Years ago, Qu Chulu had already met with Brother Tiemu. With Ouyang Ke's mediation, the two actually reached a reconciliation. Qu Chulu even allocated 10,000 horses to Brother Tiemu."
"As far as I know, there are only 70,000 or 80,000 horses in the entire Western Liao Kingdom. Now I have taken out 50,000. It seems that I want to completely devour you 30,000 horses. I have a big appetite."
"I have ordered Monk Wanyan Chen's 10,000 heavy cavalry to come quickly. You can discuss the battle. I am here just to deal with that Ouyang Ke."
Lu Chengfeng's trip to Baituo Mountain was not in vain. At least he had a basic impression of about one-third of the country in the southeastern corner of the Western Liao Kingdom.
After returning to Zhongxing Mansion, Lu Chengfeng sent Lu Shangde out again, along with a hundred elite "Ting Feng" people.
After all the visits to Baituo Mountain, Lu Chengfeng completely believed in the godson he picked up for free, and even introduced him to Guo Mo.
Guo Mo really had some impressions of this person, and Murong Yan was even more familiar with him. Seeing him like this, she felt a little disgusted deep in her heart.
However, now that he has surrendered to Guo Mo, Murong Yan naturally can't say much. She just told him to work diligently and never have the intention of courting Qin and Muchu!
Murong Yan's words were a bit harsh, and Lu Shangde didn't dare to argue with him, he kept nodding his head in assurance.
"Since you have recognized the fourth senior brother as your adoptive father, you will be considered one of your own from now on. When I go to Xiliao this time, after the matter is settled, I will reward you with a set of internal skills and mental techniques."
Guo Mo has seen many people like Lu Shangde, no matter in his previous life or in this life. If you have breasts, you are a mother.
We cannot completely deny this kind of person, it just depends on how the superior controls him. As long as the Song Dynasty remains strong, such a person can often play a greater role.
"Thank you, Your Majesty, uncle——"
Lu Shangde can really climb along the pole?
However, Guo Mo didn't care. It was rare for such a person to appear.
Lu Shangde left with a hundred elite "Tingfeng" people. After leaving Yumen Pass and heading west, whenever he passed a city, Lu Shangde would leave three to five people behind.
In two months, the seeds of "Tingfeng" were planted in dozens of cities in the central and eastern part of the Western Liao Kingdom, close to the Xixia side.
More than half of these one hundred people were recruited by Lu Chengfeng in the past few years after he arrived in Xixia, and most of them were from various ethnic minorities.
Some people, even those who came from Xiliao, naturally have no obstacles in speaking or acting when they return to Xiliao again.
There are many cities in Xiliao, but they are not fixed. It's just that where there are more water and plants, more people will gather there.
There are only a few places where the city is really built with bricks and stones, and there are also officials and sergeants sent by the Western Liao Kingdom authorities. These places are often the best places for "Tingfeng" to settle.
As soon as February passed, Lu Chengfeng, who was in Zhongxing Mansion, began to receive information from the Xiliao Kingdom one after another, but many of them had little reference value or were not timely.
However, the news that Ouyang Ke surrendered to the King of Western Liao, and that Ouyang Ke intervened to allow Qu Chulu and Tiemu Ge to settle their differences, are still worthy of attention.
In order to win over Ouyang Ke, Qu Chulu even gave him the title of a prince and granted him the entire 200-mile radius of White Camel Mountain.
He even responded to his wishes and gave Ouyang Ke twenty young girls, including Uighurs, Geluolu, Naiman, Tajiks, Kipchaks, and even two Khitans.
Qu Chulu dared to personally lead an army of 50,000, which was the result of the double instigation of Ouyang Ke and Tiemu Ge.
Ouyang Ke hated Guo Mo from the bottom of his heart. Of course he would be happy if he could cause him some trouble, or he could just destroy Xixia directly.
Tiemu Ge pretended that the 30,000 troops stationed on the border of Liao and Xia were mostly the original troops of Xixia, and that the 50,000 reinforcements from Mongolian Ogedai Khan were already on their way to Xixia.
The combat power of the Xixia army was about the same as that of the Xiliao army, but the strength of the Mongolian cavalry was still fresh in Qu Chulu's memory.
As for the Song Dynasty, the two sides have never fought against each other, and who will win and who will lose is still a matter of uncertainty.
Qu Chulu was somewhat in favor of the Western Liao and Song Dynasty's foreign policy of maintaining close ties with each other and maintaining close ties with foreign countries.
However, if Xixia really fell into the hands of the Song Dynasty, then Qu Chulu might not have the final say in the northwest.
Besides, if there are 100,000 troops attacking 30,000 troops, is there anyone who can't win?
Qu Chulu's ambitions are not big. After winning this battle, he only wants a few cities in the southwest of Xixia, Yumenguan, Shazhou, Guazhou, Suzhou and so on.
The Mongols occupied the entire northern Xixia. In this way, one-third of the country was left for Xixia. It was directly bordering the Song Dynasty. Qu Chulu did not have that ambition.
Guo Mo entered Meng Gong's camp without letting anyone know about it. In order to keep it secret, Guo Mo even put on a human skin mask, which he got from Huang Rong.
Three days later, monk Wanyan Chen's heavy cavalry arrived first and stayed ten miles east of Meng Gong's army, preparing to deliver a fatal blow to the Western Liao army as a weapon.
Two days later, Meng Gong received a letter from Qu Chulu, King of Western Liao. The person who wrote the letter was actually a Han Chinese, to be precise, he was a descendant of the Han people who was born and raised in Western Liao.
"I have met General Meng of the Great Song Dynasty. This is my king's reply to you. My king has fully complied with General Meng's previous request to my king. The Mongolian Brother Tiemu has been captured."
"This time, my king personally led 10,000 troops here just to meet with General Meng. My king has long admired you as the number one general in the Song Dynasty. I hope to take the opportunity of escorting Brother Tiemu to get closer to General Meng.
Close."
This messenger looked to be in his forties, but he didn't look like a member of the military. He had a fair face and a chubby face. He didn't smile or speak. He looked more like a businessman.
Meng Gong took the letter handed over by the messenger.
Sure enough, what the letter said was similar to what the messenger said, and it also explained that the reason why he had not responded to the previous three letters was that he was busy searching for Brother Timmu.
Half a month ago, Brother Tiemu was captured, and he personally delivered it to Meng Gong.
The letter invites Meng Gong to meet at the Xia-Liao border at noon tomorrow. To show sincerity, both sides will only go with twenty guards tomorrow.
"I won't write a reply anymore. I'll bother the messenger and go back and report to your King Liao that Meng will attend the meeting on time at noon tomorrow -"
After reading the letter, Meng Gong agreed directly without even thinking about it, and even felt a little impatient and happy.
Meng Gong's reaction fell into the eyes of Xiliao's messenger.
"General Meng is indeed so heroic! Then I will report back to my king truthfully. I will look forward to seeing General Meng at noon tomorrow -"
After the messenger finished speaking, he turned around and left Meng Gong's military tent.
Guo Mo, the "double evil spirit" was there from beginning to end, acting as Meng Gong's bodyguard, standing on both sides without saying a word, just watching and listening quietly.
"Your Majesty, do you think there is nothing wrong with the general's handling just now?"
The messenger left, and Meng Gong handed the letter from Xiliao to Guo Mo, who briefly glanced at it.
"Without good wine, there is no good party. Qu Chulu's move is just to use Brother Tiemu as a bait to arrange this Hongmen Banquet to plot against you, the coach of the Song Dynasty."
"Haha, fortunately we have already arranged for 'Tingfeng' in Xiliao Kingdom, otherwise we would have suffered such a boring loss."
Chen Xuanfeng said from the side.
"Your Majesty, the general thinks that the other side may use a two-pronged approach. First, use this Hongmen Banquet to capture Meng Shuai, and then either blackmail him or directly use his troops to cover him up to deal with our leaderless 30,000-strong army."
Zhao Chengyu also took the opportunity to say.
"Your Majesty, since the matter is so clear, we might as well do a 'take advantage of the situation' and 'turn against the guests.' Don't they want to have a Hongmen Banquet?"
"We took the opportunity to seize Qu Chulu, and then sent out 30,000 troops, and monk Wanyan Chen's 10,000 heavy cavalry, which is enough for these Xiliao people to drink a pot."
Everyone analyzed the matter thoroughly in just a few words, but the tactics of the Xiliao people seemed so feeble.
Meng Gong was also very excited, and even more fortunate. Fortunately, Guo Mo came in person, not only bringing the real situation in Xiliao, but also being able to suppress the opponent's top master.
Otherwise, Meng Gong felt that he might not be able to evade the opponent's plan.
There was nothing to say all night, and it was dawn the next day.
Meng Gong made preparations early and handed over the command of the army to Zhao Chengyu.
Twenty guards have also been selected. Guo Mo and his party are seven, and the four "Jinyi" members are also third-rate masters.
Then he casually brought thirteen personal guards, surrounded Meng Gong, and set off.
Meng Gong's camp was still more than ten miles away from the junction of Liao and Xia. A group of twenty-one riders did not rush, but walked leisurely, followed by an army of 40,000 troops five miles behind them.
When Meng Gong and his party arrived at the Xia-Liao border, they found that the other party was already waiting there.
It was at the corner of a low mountain, and three pavilions were set up. There was a person sitting under the pavilion in the middle. He looked to be less than fifty years old. He was dressed elegantly and luxuriously, but had a fleshy face and dark skin.
Under the pergola on the left hand side, there is also a table. Behind the table sits a young man in white, shaking a folding fan sprinkled with gold.
Next to the young man in white, there was another person, an old man with gray hair and beard. His hands were tied upside down and he was sitting there with a livid face and said nothing.
A dozen guards stood behind the man in the center, holding scimitars in their hands and staring at the surroundings vigilantly.
After disguising himself, Guo Mo walked among Meng Gong's escorts. He recognized the two men in the pergola on his left at a glance.
The one whose hands were tied upside down was none other than the Mongolian Temmu. He was really getting old and no longer had the heroic spirit of the past.
Guo Mo once had some affection for this person, but unfortunately, due to their previous evil deeds in the northern border of Xixia, Guo Mo had already put him on the list of those who must die.
And the other person holding the folding fan, if not Ouyang Ke, who else could he be?
Now that I really see you this time, there is no reason to let you run away again. Guo Mo will work harder to recover the pain suffered by his subordinates, relatives and friends from Ouyang Ke!
With such a layout, it seems that the pergola on the right was left to the people from the Song Dynasty.
After reading it, Meng Gong found it a bit funny. It was obvious that the person in the center should be Qu Chulu, the king of Western Liao. The other party's arrangement was just to exaggerate his own status.
Qu Chulu considered himself the master of a country and did not want to be on an equal footing with Meng Gong, the commander-in-chief of an army.
Meng Gong jumped off his horse, and his own soldiers came to lead him over.
Although Meng Gong was asked to bring twenty guards, he still asked thirteen of his own soldiers to stay where they were to guard the horses. With seven of Guo Mo's men there, nothing would go wrong.
"I dare to ask, but in front of the King of Western Liao? The 'Dunwu Army' of the Song Dynasty all controlled Meng Gong and paid tribute to the King of Western Liao."
Meng Gong and the other eight people continued to walk forward. They were still two feet away from the pergola in the center. Meng Gong stopped and stood, clasping his fists with both hands and saluting.
"Hahaha, it's me. General Meng is very punctual. I have just arrived. Please take a seat quickly -"
The words were very polite, but Qu Chulu didn't stand up to greet him. He just stretched out his left hand and pointed at the awning next to him.
On the same table, there was a jar of wine and several plates of various meats.
Meng Gong didn't show any pretense, he cupped his hands and walked straight over. Guo Mo and the other seven people naturally stood behind Meng Gong.
"There is a saying in the Han family, 'How wonderful it is to have friends come from far away'? Since General Meng can come in person, I would like to offer General Meng a bowl as a token of my respect——"
Saying that, Qu Chulu raised his neck and drank a bowl of wine first.
Meng Gong also patted the seal and poured himself a bowl. Judging from the color of the wine, he knew that it was not Song Dynasty liquor. No wonder the other party dared to drink it from a big bowl.
"Thank you King Xiliao for the wine. Meng is ashamed to receive it——"
After saying that, he continued to do it.
"King of Western Liao, the one opposite is the Mongolian Brother Tiemu. Since it has fallen into the hands of King of Western Liao, please let the general take it back."
"My Majesty, the Emperor of the Song Dynasty, once said that he would offer a reward of 10,000 taels for the capture of Brother Tiemu. Here are 10,000 taels of silver notes. Please check it with the King of Western Liao."
With that said, Meng Gong took out a stack of banknotes from his arms and handed them over, all of which were one thousand taels each, a total of ten.
When Qu Chulu saw the banknotes, his eyes lit up.
"Well, go get it for me—"
Qu Chulu ordered a guard behind him. The guard hesitated for a moment, but finally walked up to Meng Gong and took away the 10,000 taels of silver notes.
Guo Mo, who was standing behind Meng Gong, saw this and frowned.
"Haha, General Meng is very interested. It's just a 10,000-tael banknote. I need you to deliver it in person."
Qu Chulu said this, but secretly counted them, then put them in his arms and patted them hard.
"Since King Xiliao has collected the banknote, can I take Brother Tiemu away?"
Meng Gong also felt that Qu Chulu's behavior was a bit inappropriate, but he didn't take it to heart and continued to act.
"this……"
"General Meng, don't worry about this. Since you're here, you might as well drink a few more bowls. Although my wine from Xiliao is not as good as your 'hero drunk' from the Song Dynasty, it can only be afforded by a true hero."
Qu Chulu in the center didn't answer, but Ouyang Ke on the opposite side did.
Ever since Meng Gong and others came in, Ouyang Ke's eyes have not been idle.
He has never met Meng Gong, but judging from his demeanor and the description given by the messenger yesterday, there should be no lie.
Of the seven guards behind him, Ouyang Ke knew two of them. The "Double Black Wind" Chen Xuanfeng and Mei Chaofeng were both old acquaintances.
Mei Chaofeng was still in Prince Zhao's Mansion in Zhongdu many years ago. Ouyang Ke fought against her once, but was defeated in one move and returned to White Camel Mountain early.
Chen Xuanfeng knew better. They had just fought in Xiliang Prefecture not long ago. What made Ouyang Ke wonder was, how could this Chen Xuanfeng still be alive?
At that time, Ouyang Ke actually gave Chen Xuanfeng a palm, which was an enhanced version of his "Ice Sponge Palm". Even if the power of the palm could not shock him to death, the cold poison would make him worse.
Ouyang Ke was very puzzled, but he didn't take it to heart. The most he could do was cause trouble once more. Even if the "Double Evils of Black Wind" joined forces, he believed that the other party would not be his opponent.
Ouyang Ke also looked at the "Iron Corpse" Mei Chaofeng with great interest. The last time they met was at night, and now it was broad daylight. He found that Mei Chaofeng was still pretty?
It's a pity that he is just a little older, but it seems that I haven't found anyone of this age before, so maybe he has a different taste.
As for the other five guards, Ouyang Ke glanced at them and didn't look at them again. They were just a few unknown people. Judging from the arrangement of their positions, they were led by the "Black Wind Shuangsha".
"I wonder who this is? I am talking to your King of Western Liao. Your Excellency interrupted like this. Doesn't it mean that Western Liao has no etiquette?"
Meng Gong didn't know Ouyang Ke, but judging from his appearance and temperament, he didn't seem like a good person, so he directly attacked him.
"That...General Meng doesn't know. This is our Western Liao Kingdom's 'One-Sided King' Ouyang Young Master, and he is also the one who actually captured Brother Tiemu this time."
Ouyang Ke?
Meng Gong immediately knew who this was, and he felt even more happy. It seemed that today's trip was really worthwhile.
"It turns out that Mr. Ouyang is in front of you. I wonder what Mr. Ouyang has to say?"
"I have heard that the Song Dynasty was advocating martial arts for a long time. I, Xiliao, also want to join forces with the Song Dynasty to deal with the Mongols, but hearing is false and seeing is believing. The Song Dynasty must come up with something, right?"
Ouyang Ke shook the folding fan in his hand. It had snowed a few days ago. Is it really that hot?
"Amitabha, Mr. Ouyang, the young monk just wants to go out and practice kung fu, and also wants to be given some advice from his friends in the Song Dynasty."
Before Meng Gong could reply, a man behind Qu Chulu was chanting Dharma chants. He didn't even realize that he was a monk pretending to be a guard because he didn't speak.
"Okay, if you're not afraid of embarrassment, just get off the field and practice -"
Haha, is this a copycat of "Hongmen Banquet"?
The monk pretending to be a guard simply took off the outer guard uniform and threw away his hat. He was indeed dressed as a monk underneath.
But he is not a monk from the Central Plains, but a local monk from the Western Regions.
"Everyone, please be polite to the monk Kumarajiva from the Western Region——"
Monk Hu came to the center of the field and introduced himself first, then he bent down and practiced a set of palm techniques.
Guo Mo frowned. This man's martial arts skills are extraordinary. He is actually a first-class master. When did these first-class masters become worthless?
This person's palm skills are extremely violent, with every move, opening and closing, he is completely like a big gang sect. He is not under the Quanzhen Sect's "Three Flowers Gathering Palm", but Guo Mo has never seen it before.
"It's boring for me to practice alone. I wonder if a master from the Song Dynasty would be willing to go out and practice some sparring?"
Sure enough, this guy named Kumarajiva, after practicing more than a dozen moves, settled down and directly challenged Meng Gong.
"Haha, Meng Shuai, since the Xiliao people are so elegant, why not let Lao Chen go over and play with him?"
Chen Xuanfeng was the first to jump out. Guo Mo was here today. He knew that the main event was not his, and he was worried that he would not get a fight. Unexpectedly, a monk appeared halfway.
Looking at Monk Hu's posture, Chen Xuanfeng also knew that besides himself and his wife, it was Guo Mo who could defeat him, so he couldn't wait to jump out.
"Amitabha, may I ask the donor's name?"
"This person from the Vajra Sect has a great background. This is the great disciple of the Five Great Masters of the world, Dongxie, and the famous 'Bronze Corpse' Chen Xuanfeng in the world."
"Old monk, you have to be careful, don't let people really send you to see your Buddha, hahaha——"
Ouyang Ke reminded him aloud at the right time, but he didn't have any friendly attitude, and he seemed to have no problem dealing with this monk.
"Humph, Mr. Ouyang doesn't need to worry about the little monk's affairs."
Kumarajiva stopped talking and started attacking Chen Xuanfeng.
Still with the same powerful palm technique, Chen Xuanfeng did not dare to be careless, and used his unique skill "Luoying Shenjian Palm" to fight back.
To say that Kumarajiva's kung fu is not bad at all, there are not many top-notch masters in his forties who are already in the entire Western Region.
However, if you have to compare yourself with anyone, compared with the "Bronze Corpse" Chen Xuanfeng, you will be much worse.
In just over forty rounds, when Kumarajiva's tricks were getting old, Chen Xuanfeng added a foot to his palm and kicked Kumarajiva in the back of the heart.
With a "bang", Kumarajiva was kicked two feet away.
"Wow--"
A mouthful of blood spurted out, and Kumarajiva fell unconscious, not knowing whether he was alive or dead.
"Hey, look, I have warned you, but you just don't listen. Are you at a disadvantage?"
Ouyang Ke stood up slowly, placed the folding fan on the table, and drank the remaining wine in the bowl.
"Chen Xuanfeng, I didn't expect you to be alive today? But even if I didn't kill you last time, you won't be able to leave this time."
"Although this Kumarajiva is useless, he is from my Xiliao Kingdom after all. If you dare to do this in front of me, don't blame me for being ruthless!"
"Huh, Ouyang Ke? You're just a defeated general. I heard that you have reached the ultimate level now, so let us, the 'Black Wind Twin Demons', learn from each other -"
Seeing Ouyang Ke come forward, "Iron Corpse" Mei Chaofeng standing behind also stood up.
Mei Chaofeng is a careful person. She knows that the thieves are no match for others. Even if she is one step ahead of the thieves, she is probably no match for Ouyang Ke. She might as well fight him with the "Double Demons of Black Wind".
.
"Hahaha, okay, do you want to defeat the few with more? I will teach you a lesson today and let you know that under the extreme, everyone is just an ant."
Ouyang Ke showed no fear in the dual battle between the "Double Black Wind Demon" and Ouyang Ke. He flicked his palms and used the most familiar "Ice Spreading Palm" to attack the two of them.
Guo Mo quietly winked at the other four "Jinyi" men, asking them to protect Meng Gong, and he took two steps forward.
Guo Mo was not in a hurry to take action. He also wanted to see how far the "Black Wind and Two Evils" could fight Ouyang Ke together.
You must know that there are only a limited number of people who have reached the ultimate master. As a hostile party, of course it is a life and death fight. Only at this time can you get the real test.
Chen Xuanfeng and Mei Chaofeng didn't say anything, and kept changing various secret techniques in their hands. Finally, the two of them used the martial arts in the "Nine Yin Manual" in unison.
However, Mei Chaofeng used the "Nine Yin Divine Claws", while Chen Xuanfeng used the more sinister "Heart-Destroying Palm".
Although it was a double battle between "Black Wind and Two Evils" against Ouyang Ke, Mei Chaofeng was undoubtedly under greater pressure. With his ghostly body skills, he took over most of Ouyang Ke's attacks.
Ouyang Ke took over with both of them, thinking that he could dispatch Chen Xuanfeng with more than forty moves, so the two of them could only do sixty or seventy moves at most together.
Unexpectedly, I have played eighty moves and still haven't taken down these two people?
"Alright, Senior Brother and Second Senior Sister, you are almost done with your activities, so go and deal with the others. I'll leave Ouyang Ke to my younger brother."
At this time, Guo Mo finally spoke.
He could also see that the "Double Black Wind Demon" was reaching its limit. In another ten rounds at most, someone might be injured or killed.
You’ve come here yourself, but if someone else gets hurt, it’s not worth it.
Therefore, Guo Mo took two steps forward and locked Ouyang Ke with his eyes.
"who are you?"
Looking at this unfamiliar face but a familiar voice, Ouyang Ke felt inexplicably nervous.