The Liu family and his son had been staying near Luochuan. After receiving the news of Li Tai's summons, they rushed to Fangcheng as soon as possible.
"My servants pay homage to the Governor. Thank you very much for your generous protection!"
After seeing Li Tai, Liu Kang and his son bowed their heads and bowed, their postures much more respectful than before.
Li Tai felt happy when he saw the attitude of the father and son. It seemed that the pressure exerted on them through Hou Mo and Chen Chong's threats was not bad. The father and son clearly felt that their survival was in crisis.
The consequences of the day before yesterday and today will always be repaid. Hou Mo and Chen Chong are not unjust for holding grudges and making things difficult for them, the Diao Yin Liu family.
Around the fourth year of Datong, a series of rebellions broke out in Jihu, northern Shaanxi. Hou Mo and Chen Chong were responsible for quelling the rebellion. The Liu family of Diaoyin was originally regarded as a servant army under restraint, but in the end, it repeatedly delayed military opportunities, allowing Hou Mo and Chen Chong to fight against the rebellion.
It was not smooth enough and caused many unnecessary casualties.
During that period, although the states in northern Shaanxi were nominally under the rule of the Western Wei Dynasty, they were actually the king's flag on the city wall. Not to mention the Hu rebellions that broke out in various places, and the Eastern Wei army often wandered across the river.
The situation in the Western Wei Dynasty was not stable enough. Many generals of the unified army fled, and even a rebellion broke out in Chang'an, which was the core of Datong's four-year rule. All these manifestations really made people have little confidence in this precarious regime.
In troubled times, if the strength is not strong enough to ignore all dangers and challenges, then how to stand in line is very critical. Diaoyin Liu's stance was not firm enough this time, and he did not expect that the Western Wei regime could survive and the situation became more and more stable.
.
However, they were not unlucky. At least they arrived at Li Tai's dock in time, and they had a tacit understanding of getting what they needed.
Li Tai raised his hand to signal the Liu family and his son to get up without ceremony, then looked at them and said: "I have been tasked by Daxingtai to supervise this place. I only focus on the present and do not delve into the past affairs. Since we met, Patriarch Liu
His virtuous and righteous deeds impressed me deeply, but it allowed Xiangqing to continue to uphold loyalty and be diligent in the king's affairs, so that he would not have to worry about evil emotions and distractions."
"Definitely, we must remember the Grand Governor's order, and hope to help strengthen the Grand Governor's governance in this situation!"
After hearing this, Liu Kang quickly clasped his fists and said.
Li Tai didn't have much time to chat with them, and then he said: "Today we invited the wise elders from the village. Chief Liu should know why. Most of the bandit troops suddenly appeared in the north and marched southward, and all the states and counties they passed suffered heavy losses.
, if the thieves continue not to curb their power, this area will surely be affected and may not be spared..."
When the Liu family and his son heard this, their expressions became serious. They had heard some relevant news, but they did not expect that the situation was so serious.
"May I ask the Grand Governor if you already have a strategy for defeating the enemy? Is there anything we need to do? The Grand Governor can just say it."
Liu Kang quickly expressed his position: "Although this is not a rural area, the Master Buddha's Dharma Field was newly built here. How can we let the little thieves trample and disturb us!"
Seeing that the other party was so forthcoming, Li Tai was a little relieved, and then continued: "Although the banditry is turbulent, it is not a serious problem. Previously, the Daxingtai Ranking Jiaju Ten Thousand People were read in Baishui, and they sent me immediately after learning about the banditry.
He led 10,000 horses back to the territory to defeat the thieves. Yuwen Shijun of Tongwan Town in Xia Prefecture raised tens of thousands of troops to choke off the thieves' retreat. Li Shijun, Duke of Wu'an in Dongxia Prefecture, stopped the thieves in Guangwu, and there were also other defense garrisons in Xi'an Prefecture.
Reorganize the troops and seize control of the fortresses, making sure to kill this bandit as soon as possible."
Although the Liu family and his son did not know the specific comparison of the forces between the enemy and ourselves, after listening to Li Tai's words, they felt a lot more at ease. They only felt that with the people from various states chasing and intercepting them, these bandits were indeed nothing to worry about.
"Killing thieves in peace and security is my responsibility, and I dare not leave it to others. But since Chief Liu asked about it with righteousness and enthusiasm, I do have a problem that needs help from Xiangyi. I originally intended to use my troops and brigade to solve it as soon as possible.
The thief, Daxingtai, is a stubborn thief. Without strong armor, it is not enough to show his power and strengthen his troops."
Li Tai said helplessly: "That's what the superior intended, but it's disrespectful and I can only do it according to the order. However, the army is setting off, and the expenditure is huge. The military situation in this situation is so fierce that we cannot wait for relief. We can only rely on the situation to make up for it and defeat the thieves."
After Jingbian, I will retaliate for losing..."
After hearing Li Tai's words, Liu and his son looked at each other and made quick calculations in their minds.
In their opinion, Li Tai's words should be mixed true and false. He only borrowed supplies from them but did not recruit their troops to participate in the battle. This shows that the troops are sufficient. But the so-called "replenishment from the situation" means losing after the war.
, that is simply overthinking.
"May I ask the Governor, how much food is needed before the army can go to war?"
Although the Liu family is rich, the previous donation of 500,000 horses to Shifo Temple was too much and emptied nearly half of the family's wealth. Now, although she intends to befriend Li Tai, she does not dare to respond to all requests like a lion.
Kang then asked first.
"The defense warehouses in Chengcheng and Luochuan can sustain half of the army's expenses, but there is still a consumption gap of 5,000 men and horses that needs to be dispatched. If the war goes smoothly, the bandit army can be wiped out within a month!"
Li Tai didn't care about mixing truth and falsehood. Since he had to speak without conscience, he simply didn't plan to pay a penny himself.
The first ten days of the winter month are now halfway through. If the war can end within the month, it will take more than 20 days of five thousand men and horses. This amount of supplies is not a small amount, but it is not a big deal for Diaoyin Liu.
Unacceptable.
But they had donated huge sums of money to the Master Buddha Temple before. Now if they don't negotiate the terms and spend the resources of 5,000 troops without any return, it really feels a bit like being taken advantage of because they are stupid and have too much money. Even if they want to deal with Li Tai
You have something to rely on, but you cannot position yourself in a position of giving blindly.
Therefore, after some thought, Liu Kang spoke again: "The governor is not afraid of hardships and dangers, leads the army to punish evil, and protects the land and water of the people. Due to the situation and the reason, we and other countrymen need to help out and cannot stand idly by. Master Buddha
The purpose of building a Taoist temple is to spread the Dharma, promote good deeds, and educate people.
At this time when the country is in crisis, it is a good time to promote benevolence and bravery and inspire the villagers. I would like to lobby the various tribes on behalf of the governor and summon the villagers to gather in the temple to help. No matter how much the tribes donate, there will be no shortage in my family.
Complete..."
Since Li Tai has spoken, he has to pay anyway, otherwise all the previous overtures and investments will be in vain. But how much money should be paid and in what form can be chosen.
.
Liu Kang didn't want to bear the burden alone, so he had to involve the surrounding tribes in joining the fight. He could also use Li Tai's name to show off his power, and use Liu Shifo Temple to demonstrate and establish his family's right to speak.
Li Tai was also happy to hear what Liu Kang said. He had used someone else's tiger skin as a banner more than once, but it seemed like this was the first time that he had been taken advantage of by others. He himself was not disgusted with this, anyway, this Liu
Kang also worked for himself and raised supplies for his army.
If things go smoothly this time, this rule can be continued, and Liu Kang can be used as his spokesperson among the Jihu tribes. Liu Kang can be asked to do anything to extort donations. It really needs to be done.
If it goes too far and arouses resentment and rebellion among the Hu tribe, Liu Kang can be used to question the crime to calm down the anger.
Thinking of this, Li Tai nodded, agreed to Liu Kang's proposal, and warned: "The army will arrive in the morning and evening. The sooner the food and grass are in place, the better. Don't miss the chance of fighting."
"Please rest assured, Commander-in-Chief, we will not delay the expenditure of the army!"
After hearing this, Liu Kang quickly patted his chest and assured that this was not bragging. His family had accumulated a large amount of supplies near Master Liu Temple in the north of Fangcheng. He could use them in advance and then persuade other tribes to donate to make up for it.
After the discussion on the food and grass matter was completed, Liu Kang's son Liu Ping stood up again and clasped his fists and said: "There are more than 2,000 passionate sons of the Han tribe and fellow villagers who are willing to follow the general to supervise this battle, and I will be sure that the thief Hu will be killed!"
Li Tai originally only wanted the Liu family to pay for his military expenses, but he didn't expect that the other party would also contribute money in addition to the money. He was so enthusiastic that it was hard to refuse, and at the same time, he couldn't help feeling that there are always many icings on the cake in the world, but few helpers in times of need.
The Liu family had to contribute money as well as effort. Of course, it was not because they had nothing to do with their strength. They just believed that this battle was a smooth battle. Only by directly sending troops to participate in the battle could they easily participate in the distribution of the spoils after the war.
If Li Tai told the truth, the other party would obviously not be so enthusiastic. They hoped that the investment of various personnel resources would have a stable and predictable return, but they did not expect that they would actually have to share the joys and sorrows with Li Tai.
But in any case, the food and grass problem was finally solved. After Liu's father and his son resigned, they went to recruit troops and supplies, and Li Tai also ordered the 4,000 troops behind him to speed up their journey in order to feel the arrival of Luochuan as soon as possible.
At the same time, he ordered Li Dao to lead 600 light cavalry as the vanguard and go straight to Guangwu City to first investigate the enemy's strength.
A few days later, the troops from behind gradually arrived at Luochuan Defense. Cui Quan, the governor of Beihua Prefecture who had previously led the state soldiers and township regiments to participate in the parade, had also returned to the town and led the troops of the township regiments to the west bank of Luoshui to station themselves there.
Prevent left and right echoes.
The Liu family and his son were also very effective in their work, and they quickly gathered people, horses and supplies.
With all aspects of personnel in place, Li Tai no longer stayed and ordered Liu Ping to lead his Jihu men and horses eastward to reinforce Blackwater Fangcheng, while he personally led 5,000 elite cavalry and was besieged by tens of thousands of thieves.