Chapter 13 The Shuangcheng in Western Liaoning (13)
Li Chengzhong had informed Zhou Zhiyu about the matter of detaining the Zhao family's horses last night. Zhou Zhiyu didn't think there was anything wrong with what Li Chengzhong did. Although Zhou Zhiyu had a shallow foundation, he was now in a high position, but he was not just anyone.
It can be bullied. What's more, Zhou Zhiyu himself has accepted hundreds of war horses sent by Li Chengzhong. Of course, he does not want to agree to Zhao Ba's request. But now this is above the military discussion of the festival, and Zhou Zhiyu does not
There was nothing to say, so he ignored it with other words, and then turned the topic to the issue of sending troops.
Zhao Ba heard that he was perfunctory and gave a loud "hum". Liu Rengong smiled and comforted Zhao Ba: "Don't be upset, Zhao Sanlang. We will discuss this matter in detail later and I will definitely not lose you Ba Duqi."
Zhou Zhiyu ignored Zhao Ba and said to himself: "Commander, I can personally lead the Pingzhou Army with 2,500 people and accompany the commander on his side!"
Liu Rengong knew very well how many people there were in the Pingzhou Army. There were a total of 2,500 establishments, 500 outside the pass, 500 in Yuguan, and 1,500 in Pingzhou City. I heard that Zhou Zhiyu was willing to personally support himself
He led the army, and all the troops and horses came out as soon as they came out. He was greatly relieved, but he couldn't help but said: "A good question, if you bring out all the Pingzhou troops, what will Pingzhou do?"
Zhou Zhiyu said: "After this military meeting, I am about to have a detailed discussion with the commander."
This is the strategy of retreating to advance that Zhou Zhiyu and Li Chengzhong discussed: The commander-in-chief wants to send troops, and we are his direct descendants. Naturally, we must do our best to protect it, and we will empty out all the Pingzhou Army as soon as he goes out. This is our loyalty. But.
There are no soldiers in Pingzhou. Commander, do you have to think about it? We in the north of Pingzhou are facing the threat of the Khitans!
Zhao Ba sneered from the side: "Old Zhou, even if you bring out all the men, women, and children in Pingzhou, you still have to return the horses that are due, not a single one!" If the title "Old Zhou" had been called out by Zhao Yuande,
, that is not a problem at all, but rather shows some closeness and warmth, but when Zhao Ba, who is a generation younger than Zhou Zhiyu and has an official rank not much higher than Zhou Zhiyu, shouts it out, it seems extremely disrespectful.
Zhou Zhiyu smiled and did not answer his topic. He turned around and started chatting with Li Chengyue, the Yancheng guard at the side: "Dejian, your armor today is pretty good. Well, it's very bright. I don't know where the craftsman made it?"
…”
Zhao Ba was furious: "Piff Zhou! You are so rude to a certain family! Back then, he was just a small soldier under a certain family, and your Li Chengzhong was just a pawn! You tell Li Chengzhong later, don't let a certain family see him in Youzhou
, otherwise we will definitely fight each other with old fists!"
Who can bear this loud shout? Zhou Zhiyu is no longer the Zhou Zhiyu he used to be. He is now an envoy of the Pingzhou Army and the leader of the Lulong Army. He immediately opened his mouth and shouted back. If it were not for the generals in the hall, the two of them would have
A fight was about to begin. Of course, it would definitely be Zhou Zhiyu who would suffer the loss in the fight. How could he be Zhao Ba’s opponent?
There was a chaos in the festival hall, and Liu Rengong had a huge headache. On one side, his direct family members, and on the other side, Zhao Yuande's son, who had to rely on him, were still arguing about how to appease him when they were about to face the crisis of a joint attack by Xuanwu Army and Wei Bo Army.
Liu Rengong was furious and stood up, pointing at the generals in the hall and said: "Now that our Lu Long Army is attacked from both the north and the south, the situation has reached an extreme critical point. You are still fighting here. Are you waiting for that old man Zhu Quanzhong to kill him?"
Under the city, do you know how powerful it is! Stop it all! Zhao Ba, I’ll talk to your elders later so I can ask questions. After the military meeting, I’ll call Li Chengzhong here. I want to ask questions!”
At the military meeting, when the quarrel over Li Chengzhong was going on, the person involved was talking to a woman across the curtain in an extremely luxurious mansion in the north of Youzhou City.
The woman Gao Liu is Gao Siji's widow, the mother of the Gao family brothers, and the current actual controller of the Gao family, which has far-reaching influence in the Lulong Army. Gao Xingzhou is accompanying her.
"Xuanjie's military exploits are unparalleled in Youzhou in recent times. I congratulate Xuanjie."
"Madam, you are too flattering. It's just a small fight. If Shang Zhi fights against the Khitan Die La tribe, I might be beaten back to my original form."
"Xuanjie is too modest. Xinggui and Xingzhou have tried their best, but they have been unable to defeat the Khitans. The reason is that they still lack horses. The losses in the southern expedition to Weibo were too heavy, and my Gao family has not recovered yet.
Yuanqi. Now that Xuanjie occupies Liucheng, Yanjun, and has hundreds of miles of pasture outside the pass, there must be no shortage of horses. To put it bluntly, the reason for inviting Xuanjie to come today is for the war horses.
Que Bo, I have been embarrassed to mention this matter since I met Xuan Jie. As a mother, I have no choice but to come forward and hope that Xuan Jie will not be blamed." Gao Liu was straight-tempered and got straight to the point and made his intentions clear.
Gao Xingzhou originally didn't know why his mother asked him to invite Li Chengzhong to his home, but he didn't expect his mother to directly bring up the matter of the war horse. He was a thin-faced person, so he felt embarrassed, coughed dryly, and said: "Mother..."
I didn't know what to say for a moment.
Li Chengzhong nodded, pondered for a moment, and said: "To be honest with you, Madam, I did capture some war horses, but since I am a member of the Pingzhou Army, I still need to report it to the Ming Zhou Army Envoy..."
Gao Liu smiled and interrupted: "Why should Xuanjie be like this? I am a straight man, and everyone in Youzhou knows it...Xuanjie was the first general under Zhou's military envoys, and there was a faint tendency to fight against etiquette. Liucheng outside the pass, Yanjun
It was Xuanjie who brought it down personally. Xuanjie is the one who has the final say in these matters... War horses are rare and no one is willing to give them away easily, and I don’t want my concubine for nothing. I am willing to pay the price of thirty guan to Xuanjie.
When it comes to buying horses, the Gao family wants as many horses as Xuan Jie can bring out."
This price is supposed to be 50% higher than the market price, but the current situation in Youzhou is that there is a price but no market, which means that no matter how much money you spend, you can't buy a horse. Therefore, what Gao Liu said about buying a horse at a high price is actually still a profit.
.
But Li Chengzhong will definitely not settle this detailed account. Speaking of which, he also desperately wants to make friends with the Gao family. If he can win the friendship of such a wealthy family with a profound background and extensive contacts, for him, the gain will definitely be greater than the effort.
He just pondered for a moment, and then Gao Liu decisively raised the price: "Forty guan! How about it? As long as Xuanjie sells the horse, in addition to paying the money, if Xuanjie encounters difficulties in the future, the Gao family will do their best to help."
Li Chengzhong smiled and said: "I admire Gao Gong's bravery and his name Youyan very much. I got to know Shang Zhi these two days and found that Shang Zhi has Gao Gong's legacy, so we got along very happily. Let's do this, buy horses.
There is no need to mention this matter again. After I report to Zhou’s military envoy, next month, I will send 500 war horses to Guizhou and hand them over to Shang Zhi. It will be regarded as a meeting gift for me to make acquaintance with Shang Zhi and get to know his wife. I won’t take any money!”
If we go by the price quoted by Gao Liu, five hundred war horses are worth twenty thousand guan. This amount of money is the military expenses of a battalion of five hundred people for two years, which includes a certain amount of food and clothing, plus the making of weapons and the care of the soldiers.
This meeting gift was a bit too big. Gao Liu and Gao Xingzhou were stunned.
Gao Liu was silent behind the curtain, while Gao Xingzhou bowed deeply and said: "Brother Zicheng, how can this be allowed? This gift is too precious. I'm afraid that brother Zicheng will not be able to explain it in front of Zhou's military envoys. What should be paid
My Gao family will definitely pay the money, and I will definitely not owe Brother Zicheng."
The word "Zicheng" made Li Chengzhong feel awkward for a while, but no matter whether he felt awkward or not, the word "Zicheng" had already been chosen. This was an unchangeable fact, and he could only learn to adapt and accept it.
Li Chengzhong said: "Don't worry, brother Shang Zhi. I, Lao Li, can still afford this gift. But having said that, there is something I need to remind Mrs. Gao and brother Shang Zhi. After I invaded Liucheng, my brothers started from a man named Cui Cheng.
Five hundred war horses were seized from the hands of the merchants. Yesterday, General Zhao asked me to come over and have a talk. He insisted that I return these horses to them... Of course, sending these horses to Shang Zhi does not mean that I want to pass on General Zhao.
The power of the tiger, what should General Zhao do or what to do, I will take the responsibility for this matter, and it will definitely not involve Shang Zhi."
Li Chengzhong originally didn't want to explain the cause and effect, but he was afraid that one day in the future, Zhao Yuande would hear that he had sent 500 horses to the Gao family, and he would have various associations with it.
The Gao family, let’s talk here first, let the Gao family know that such a thing is happening, so that they can prepare in advance.
I have to say that Li Chengzhong handled this matter very beautifully. While giving gifts, he also considered the recipients. Mrs. Gao nodded secretly behind the curtain, and Gao Xingzhou was so moved that he didn't know what to say.
.With these 500 horses, the Gao brothers will have 500 more cavalry, which will be a great help against the Khitan cavalry.
He gave me a peach and a plum as a gift. Madam Gao and Liu immediately said: "The righteousness of the Proclamation is high, and I admire it. There is no need to worry about the Proclamation. When Zhao Yuande asks about it in the future, he will say that these 500 horses have been passed by me, Mr. Gao."
, Dalang and Erlang of the Gao family fought hard against the Khitans in the Guangbian Army. This horse was used to save his life. Forgive him that Zhao Yuande did not dare to come in front of me and say anything. Even Marshal Liu cannot force me to be a woman!"
Look, this is the confidence of a wealthy family!
I heard Gao Liu say again: "These days, we have been discussing Xuanjie's occupation of Liucheng and Yanjun. The suggestions put forward by the Zhou soldiers and horses are very good. Xuanjie is an extremely rare general. I should support it."
Proclamation."
Li Chengzhong stood up immediately, cupped his hands and said, "That's it, thank you madam! Thank you so much, brother Shangzhi!"
The two sides had a very pleasant conversation. Mr. Gao Liu asked about Li Chengzhong's family. Gao Xingzhou laughed and said: "Brother Zicheng met Wanzhi from Mingyue Songfeng Pavilion yesterday. During the dinner, he promised to redeem Wanzhi.
Zhi is also happy. Look, mother..."
Mrs. Gao Liu smiled from behind the curtain and said, "In that case, Erlang will go back and take Wanzhi out and hand it over to Xuanjie."
Li Chengzhong's face turned red and he couldn't help but ask Gao Xingzhou what was going on. Gao Xingzhou explained that it turned out that Songfeng Mingyue Pavilion was the property of the Gao family and was managed under the name of Jiaofangsi. The income was related to Jiedu Mansion.
It will be divided equally, and each family will get half. Gao Xingzhou only needs to go to the Jiaofang Division to inform him, and he can deregister Wanzhi, and the ransom money can be directly deducted from the Gao family's income.
Li Chengzhong gave them 500 war horses, and they gave him a musical instrument in return. Of course, Li Chengzhong didn't have to spend a penny. If Li Chengzhong wanted to pay this money hypocritically, then the Gao family would have to spend 20,000 yuan to buy the horses. He wouldn't do such a stupid thing.
thing.
"Madam, I heard that the Gao family has trade routes in the west?" Li Chengzhong asked again.
"Well, Xuanjie has goods to sell? Yes, Xuanjie occupies half of Yingzhou outside the pass and has opened up trade routes, which is a good thing. My Gao family can send a fleet to Liucheng, and the profits will be shared equally with Xuanjie.
"
Li Chengzhong was overjoyed when he heard that the Gao family had a fleet. He just heard that the Gao family had a trade route leading to the Hedong Army's territory in the west. He originally thought that both parties would benefit from each other, but now he changed his mind. After thinking about it, he said: "I plan to build
A partnership trading company, I wonder if the Gao family is interested in participating?"