It is summer, although it is not hot, but there are no clouds and no wind. Li Jing, the governor of Yongkang County, sits in the hall with an expressionless face, staring at the flag hanging softly on the flagpole outside, with a lot of thoughts in his heart
.
Three years ago, it only took him two months to destroy Nanliang. He was awarded the title of Duke of Yongkang County for his outstanding military exploits. After that, he pacified Lingnan and then settled the Jianghuai River. He used both kindness and power and never failed. It can be said that he did not try his best, but he is still Yongkang County.
male……
During the Jianghuai War, Li Jing had five or six generals and more than ten county princes.
Logically speaking, as a general, even if he is not a prince, he should at least be a county prince... Li Jing couldn't help but think of the letter he received yesterday, which was from his fourth brother Li Keshi.
In the letter, Li Keshi, who was an official of the Tiance Mansion, did not mention his son Li Kai who was ordered to be punished by his brother, nor did he mention the Handan King Li Shan who was trapped in Guji Town. He only mentioned one thing.
More than a month ago, the battle between Jianghuai and Jianghuai came to an end. The saint wanted to be promoted to a noble title. Even if he was not a prince, he was a county prince. However, with the new war in Daizhou, there was no further progress.
Of course Li Jing could understand the implication of the fourth brother's words in the letter, because Li Keshi specifically named Princess Pingyang in the letter... If Li Shan, the king of Handan, died in Shuozhou, even if there was no accountability in the court, there would be trouble in the future, let alone promotion.
Already.
Only ten days after arriving in Daizhou, Li Jing deeply felt the influence of this young prince, whether in Daizhou or in the court...
In just these few days, Li Jing has received several letters from Chang'an. In addition to Li Keshi, there are also his former colleague Prince Consort Huo Guogong Chai Shao and his cousin Li Qian who is also in Danyangfang.
You, there are the scribes and scholars of Ying Guogong, the minister of Zhongshu, Tang Jian, Duke of Ju, the minister of Huangmen, the Duke of Ju, Fang Xuanling, the confidant of the King of Qin, and Zheng Shanguo, the prince of the East Palace, Zuo Shuzi, the Duke of Xingyang...
The Crown Prince, King Qin, King Qi, Princess Pingyang... almost every political group was urging Li Jing, including clan members, colleagues, former bosses, and old in-laws.
For example, Zheng Shanguo mentioned that Li Shan was engaged to the daughter of the Cui family in Qinghe. For example, Yu Wenshi mentioned that Li Shanji was favored by His Majesty. For example, Tang Jian specifically mentioned that you, Li Jing, were a subordinate of the Cavalry Commander Zhang Shigui during the Luoyang War.
And Fang Xuanling... In his letter, he mentioned Wen Bang, the only son of the former Duke Wen Dayou of Qinghe County. Fang Xuanling had a very good relationship with the Wen family of Taiyuan, and it was Wen Yanbo who recommended him to assist Qin King Li Shimin.
Thinking of this, Li Jing turned his head and glanced at Zhang Gongjin who was sitting on the side. Among the important subordinate officers and generals in Daizhou, he was the only one who was still polite.
Li Jing had his own overall consideration on whether and how to send troops to rescue, but the problem was that the pressure from the outside world was a bit unbearable for him. What made him even more irritated was that although the subordinate officers and generals in Daizhou were silent now,
, but they are all vaguely hostile to themselves.
In the past few days, Li Jing has been sending scouts out to the fortress to investigate the military situation. Logically speaking, military intelligence reports should be kept confidential, but in fact, almost all military information has been exposed... In other words, although Li Jing was appointed as the general manager of Daizhou
, but he couldn't control just Yanmenguan.
If you think about it with your heels, you will know the reason. If Li Shan died outside the Great Wall, the last thing that will be spread by word of mouth must be... In April of the seventh year of Wude, more than 100,000 Turks swept in and trapped the King of Handan in Guji Town. General Zuo Wuwei
Su Dingfang stayed at Yanmen Pass for many days, and later the governor of the state, Yongkang County Duke, rushed to take office... Therefore, the King of Handan died in Shuozhou.
At this time, the guard outside the door came to report, "County Lord, where are the Zuo Wu Wei and Xun Wei? Zhang Zhongjian wants to see you."
Li Jing came back to his senses and frowned. He had never heard of the first name, but the latter name was vaguely familiar... But Zuo Wuwei and Xunwei were low-level military attachés, so why would they invite him rashly?
Li Jing turned his head and glanced, and Zhang Gongjin's face flashed with joy and explained: "These two people are Yuan Junzhang's old troops, He Liuliu was appointed as the deputy general manager of the Shuozhou Cavalry, and Zhang Zhongjian was appointed as the Shuozhou Soldier Cao to join the army..."
After a pause, Zhang Gongjin turned around and asked, "Are you two going to meet me outside the customs?"
"yes."
"How many people and horses are you bringing?"
"About dozens of riders."
Zhang Gongjin, who had always been cautious, could not help but feel excited. He patted the table gently and said, "Mayi has nothing to worry about!"
Li Jing nodded slightly in agreement, signaled the guards to let the people in, turned around and asked: "Is there still Yuan Junzhang's old army in Mayi City?"
"He Xiaodong was expelled, Guo Ziheng fled, Du Shiyuan and Niu Bin were both killed. He Liu, Zhang Zhongjian came to see him." Zhang Gongjin counted silently in his mind, "Now only Shuozhou Biejiaxi Duo is still in Mayi. This person was originally
For Liu Wuzhou, a minor official under Yuan Junzhang has no military power."
Xi Duo... was another familiar name. Li Jing twitched the corner of his mouth, forcing himself not to think about old things and acquaintances many years ago, and only thinking about it in his heart. Qin Wutong and Liu Shirang were the only two people guarding Mayi.
Yuan Junzhang's generals galloped to Yanmen Pass. On the one hand, they could ensure that Mayi would not get into trouble. On the other hand, they were probably forced by Niu Bin and Guo Ziheng to launch a rebellion.
Not long after, there were rapid footsteps outside the door. Li Jing looked up and saw a familiar figure behind a strange middle-aged general. He had a majestic build, a red beard like a horn, and an ugly appearance with his head held high.
"It's Saburo." Li Jing changed his previous demeanor, stood up, and laughed: "Unexpectedly, when I first returned to my hometown, I met an old friend!"
Zhang Zhongjian's expression froze for a moment, then he fell to the ground and said, "Meet the county magistrate."
"How come you and I are old friends?" Li Jing personally picked up Zhang Zhongjian and said, "When His Majesty was stationed in Mayi, you and I were side by side, and life was happy!"
Although Zhang Zhongjian had extraordinary experience, he was also a bit confused. He was indeed an old acquaintance back then, but he was only a small military leader, and he was sent to the frontier fortress after being convicted. However, Li Jing was a son of a famous family, and he was also the mayor of Mayi County.
How can the state's second-in-command be said to be on par with each other?
After a while of greetings, everyone just sat down. Li Jing immediately asked about various things in Mayi. He Liu took the lead in answering, and Zhang Zhongjian added from time to time.
"So, the Tiele tribes' attack on Mayi was actually a bluff?" Li Jing smiled softly, feeling more confident.
"Yesterday the Duke of Yiyang County decided to send troops, and today he sent Sima Qin Wutong of Shuozhou to lead two thousand cavalry to the north." Zhang Zhongjian said softly: "The Turks will divide their troops, and then use Tiele tribes to move south."
"Is there a fight?"
"Only scouts and cavalry meet each other." Zhang Zhongjian shook his head, "The Tiele tribes only faced each other with thousands of cavalry, while tens of thousands of troops turned to the west..."
"Turn to the west?" Zhang Gongjin's expression changed.
"We did not advance towards Mayi, but went straight west." Zhang Zhongjian hesitated for a moment before continuing: "Maybe we retreated due to lack of food and grass."
This was a logical judgment. Zhang Gongjin quietly turned his head and looked at Li Jing's expression. If this news spread, I'm afraid Li Jing would no longer be able to suppress his generals.
Li Jing stroked his beard as if in deep thought. Naturally, he wanted what Zhang Gongjin could think of, but before he could speak, Zhang Zhongjian suddenly stood up and knelt down on his knees.
"The King of Handan was trapped in the Guji Town Fort. The army had been besieging him for seven days. The scouts reported that the battle was fierce and there were piles of corpses piled up like mountains."
"Now that the Tiele tribes are withdrawing to the west, the Turkic army will be short of food and grass. If the county magistrate sends troops, he will be able to drive the Turks far away and return with a great victory."
There was silence in the hall. The look on Li Jing's face was quite ugly. He used his fingers hard and inadvertently pulled off a few strands of his beard.