On May 27th, here in Lihu, it started to rain lightly again in the morning.
Zhang Xing received reports from Li Shu that the troops in front had crossed Fan County and continued towards Dong County without any hesitation or notice.
At the same time, there are still troubles and progress here in Lihu - someone suggested that a reserve force of 5,000 people should be retained and not be included in the military formation, but should be hidden in the military camp at the rear so that it can be easily dispatched in any direction to fill in the gaps.
, this seems to be a feasible suggestion, but some people are worried that this will lead to the lack of strength in the military formation in front of them, and it is like taking off their pants and farting; some people suggest that the supplementary ordnance should be unified, but with long guns, steel crossbows, swords and shields.
Large-scale centralized use, the leaders who actually controlled the troops had different attitudes towards this, and some people were very resistant; at the same time, it seemed that many people in the army were suddenly infected with the epidemic because of the rain, and some leaders proposed to do it before the war.
Releasing some soldiers to visit relatives nearby also caused a commotion.
And just when Zhang Xing appeared to be sound and dignified on the surface, almost commanding calmly, but on the inside he was almost embarrassed and making all decisions blindly. Little did he know that due to the dispatch and gathering of the army, Dongfang had been stabilized for almost a year.
In the county and Jiyin County, people's hearts began to gradually become turbulent, and order began to show signs of failure.
Internally and externally, many issues that had been covered up due to the previous military presence tended to spiral out of control as military operations unfolded. Many things also accelerated passively due to the tense atmosphere and came to a crossroads.
There is nothing that can be done about it. When a person clenches his fist desperately, he will unconsciously cause damage to the surrounding bits and pieces, bottles and cans, and will also unconsciously expose the veins and destroy the body.
The wound collapsed.
Of course, as long as we win, everything seems easy.
But things always have two sides. No one knows how much impact these bottles, jars, bits and pieces, and these original small wounds will have on the punch itself?
Continuous accidents and the general trend are always a symbiosis of the double helix.
There are different days in hundreds of miles, although they are all in the rainy season, but when it is raining lightly in Lihu, Jiyin City is just gloomy and rainy. Not only that, at the same time that Lihu is almost reduced to a large military camp,
Jiyin City, which was originally the core and most lively place in Jiyin County, seemed a bit empty.
As the first city to realize that a full-scale war was about to begin, the merchants had long since disappeared. After being recruited half-forced and half-indulgent, every household seldom went out unless necessary. That is to say, civilians occasionally came and went to transport supplies.
Sometimes, it seems as if the city can temporarily come back to life.
On the morning of the 27th, under the gloomy clouds, the county prison in the west of Jiyin City was as dull and dark as ever, mixed with the year-round stench and the overflow of insects and ants. Coupled with the recent humidity, it was particularly...
It's unbearable... but there is no way, no one will care about the treatment of these guests in the prison. It is already very good if they don't forget to give them food and drink.
Footsteps sounded, and a figure was reflected on the wall of the prison by a torch, but it seemed slightly different from the past.
Li Qingchen, whose limbs were shackled and covered in filth, was sitting on a stool with his back against the cell wall, being tortured by the wounds on his chest and abdomen. The rainy weather this month had been too difficult for him, but
At this time, I heard the noise and frowned to look, but unexpectedly behaved strangely, so that I became motionless and just stared at the corner through the fence, waiting for the other party to appear.
After a while, a young woman dressed in men's clothing appeared in front of Li Qingchen holding a torch.
However, this person has a delicate appearance, fair skin, and excessively clean clothes, which really does not fit in with the atmosphere of the prison cell.
Seeing the person coming, Li Qingchen breathed a sigh of relief, then became weak: "Thirteenth Mother, why did you come here today?"
Without saying a word, the woman first placed the torch on the socket in front of the cell door, then pulled out a standard embroidered scimitar from her waist, channeled Duanjiang Zhenqi, and continued to chop hard. After two or three cuts, she finally
Finally, he opened the cell door chain. After entering the cell, he repeated the same thing and split Li Qingchen's anklets and bracelets, but he quickly dragged him out.
At this time, the rest of the people in the prison had been alarmed and shouted for help. Li Qingchen staggered and pointed at the two people opposite him and said: "Thirteenth Mother, don't care about the others. These two are my companions in the county. If you don't rescue them, they will return."
It is difficult to see their family members in Huaiyang."
"You also know that it's not good to see other people's family members?" The so-called Thirteen Niangs, Li Qingchen's clan sister Li Qingzhou, and Huaiyang County's newest resident Heishou, finally sneered. "There are so many corpses on the Bianshui Pier.
Okay, are we still missing these two people?"
Li Twelve was ashamed and angry for a moment.
But even so, Li Shisanniang still stepped forward and struggled to open the door lock. The two people had no chains on their hands and feet, and they were not injured. They were extremely grateful and followed them immediately, and even took the initiative to help Li Qingchen up so that they could finally give him a hand.
Li Qingzhou's strong combat power left him some room.
However, the four people quickly escaped, climbed over the wall and left the prison, and then jumped into a house on the street opposite the prison. Surprisingly, they did not hit anyone during the whole process, let alone use force.
It's also strange.
"What's going on?" As soon as he sat down on the stone steps in the courtyard, Li Qingchen became confused. "Why is it so empty?"
"What can we do? Just go out in full force." Li Qingzhou hurriedly went into the house to get something and explained a little. "There is a war in the east. Dragon Sword Zhang San has already led his troops to Lihu. Not only
In Jiyin, all the government officials from all over the county have been mobilized, and almost all the civilians have been recruited and distributed. Today, even the prison guards went to Cangcheng and the ferry in the north to help distribute things. I tied up the remaining two and went in grandly.
...Hurry and wipe your face, there are clean clothes here, let’s climb over the city wall immediately and go from the south!”
Li Qingchen responded and went to clean up and change clothes with his two subordinates. However, after the three of them had changed their clothes and the other two were fine, Li Qingchen was still a little unwilling:
"If his city is so empty, why don't we burn down his city?"
"You think too much." Li Qingzhou became more and more angry. "Do you really think there are no people left in the city? It's just that they are all in important places like Cangcheng! And if you are like this, can't I still be burned?
Burn? Where did I get the manpower and ability?"
Li Qingchen remained silent.
The four people climbed out of the city wall without any danger, but there were only two horses here. Li Qingzhou simply made it clear to the two people and asked them to go separate ways.
The two of them had nothing to say, so they could only hand it over and flee to the west on foot, while the Li brothers and sisters walked toward the southwest on horseback.
But after walking only two or three miles, Li Qingchen finally couldn't bear it anymore and reined in his horse again and called out to his sister: "Thirteenth Mother, since there is a war ahead, how can we, as imperial officials, escape directly like this? That's it.
If Cangcheng cannot be burned, it is time to burn the government prison and shock him. It is best to send some troops back..."
"Let me tell you the truth." Li Qingzhou sighed, reined in his horse, and told him seriously. "I don't dare! Sister Sisi is in Lihu now, hanging out with the dragon-slaying knife. If we are burned
There probably aren't any soldiers in the government office or anything like that, but I'm afraid there is a Heavenly Sword. Even I will be recaptured with you... If you have such thoughts, why not go back to Huaiyang to recuperate as soon as possible."
After saying that, Li Shisanniang immediately rode away. After walking for more than a hundred steps, she found that there was no one around her. She turned back again and found that her brother was still there, covering his chest and abdomen with one hand, and his face was ferocious.
have no choice:
"Will you go back to Huaiyang or not?"
"What on earth is going on in this battle?" After a moment, Li Qingchen, probably having regained his composure, asked seriously, holding the reins with one hand and pressing the wound between the chest and abdomen with the other. "Who is Zhang Xing going to fight?
Why did Sister Sisi come? The British father directly rebelled against me? I have only been detained for a few days, how come the situation has changed drastically!"
"How can there be so many things?" Li Shisanniang was completely helpless and could only tell them one by one. "It was the thing that you, Qian Tang, Lu Changheng and others planned for Zhong Cheng. The three families joined forces to wipe out the Dragon Gang. And now.
Zhang Xing went to the east because Zhang Xuguo was the best at fighting. He suddenly defeated Yuncheng and Li Shu returned with a huge defeat. He had to go and take over the battle. As for why Sister Sisi came, how do I know? I only know that she
I came here unexpectedly a few days ago, and I didn’t avoid anyone. There is also the British Duke. Anyway, I didn’t hear that the British Duke was rebelling.”
Li Qingchen was silent for a moment and then asked again: "When I was in prison, it was said that Zhang Xing took Ma Hu?"
"yes."
"What about Han Yingong? Still in Xiao County?"
"No, I came to Xiayi and Dang County. As soon as you were captured, Zhongcheng sent me to continue delivering messages to him. Later, Zhang Xuguo captured Yuncheng and asked Lu Changheng to rush through the prefectures and counties with the news.
Xiao County, it is said that they made a huge concession and came with their troops." After speaking angrily, Li Shisanniang glanced at the gloomy clouds above her head and simply responded. "Now that things have happened, what else do you want?"
"I want to do something!" As dark clouds rolled overhead, Li Qingchen gritted his teeth. "I don't care how useful it is, but I can't do nothing like this, I can't stay out of it like this, I have to do something!"
"What do you want to do?" Unexpectedly, Li Shisanniang, who had always been impatient, didn't get angry anymore.
"Go to the south and ask Han Yingong to send troops. Jiyin is so empty, how can we block Han Yingong's army?" Li Qingchen said simply. "As long as Han Yingong comes, Zhang Xing in front will definitely be defeated."
"Then go to Xiayi?" Li Shisanniang was equally straightforward.
Li Twelve said nothing and just turned the horse's head due south. Li Shisan had no choice but to follow.
The two of them were galloping, how could they compare with marching? However, they crossed the Bianshui River in the afternoon and arrived at the foot of Xiayi City before evening. Here, Han Yingong led an army of 10,000 people.
Not to mention the captain and Hei Shou from Huaiyang County next door, nor the messenger who had always negotiated privately with Han Yingong in the Eastern Capital, but the Twelve Lang and Thirteenth Niang of the Longxi Li family's Pushefang, who were related by marriage.
When he arrived, President Han Yingong also wanted to receive him.
In fact, the previous choice of Li Qingchen to take charge of this matter had this meaning in itself.
When the two sides met and took their seats after bowing, Li Qingchen couldn't wait to speak directly, and then asked the other party to send troops.
Han Yingong, who was just in his early forties this year, had a thin beard and eagle eyes. After hearing this, he just twisted his beard and smiled: "Li Twelve Lang, Thirteenth Mother, you are late. In fact, I already knew about Jiyin's emptiness yesterday. Already."
Li Qingchen was stunned for a moment, and then asked: "So, why is General Han still at the gate of Xiayi City at this time?"
This was a somewhat rude question.
But Han Yingong always knew the temperament of these high-ranking disciples, so he just continued to laugh: "How can it be so simple to send out a large army? Besides, if Jiyin is an empty city, and we only take an empty city to cut off their retreat, why do we need the whole army to go?" "
Li Qingchen was stunned for a moment, and then he immediately realized: "Does the general want the five thousand troops from Dang County to go north?"
"That's right." Han bowed his head and answered openly, pointing to the outside of the tent with his finger. "And I arrived at Xiayi shortly after. The servants had been under attack for several days and were already extremely poor... They only thought that I was still selling money. Those father-in-laws in Jiangdu are so proud!"
Li Qingchen hesitated for a moment and continued to persuade: "General Han, there are urgent matters. Jiyin is where Zhongcheng focuses."
"That's the case." Han Yingong said unceremoniously. "Why don't you ask Li Twelve Lang to go into the city to persuade me to surrender? You go in and tell them clearly that now that I have received the grace of Zhongcheng, I don't care about Niu Du Gong or Ma Du Gong... ...If Xiayi surrenders, I will only reorganize for one day and then follow the five thousand troops of Dang County to continue northward."
Li Qingchen was completely powerless when he heard this.
How could he not see that the other party seemed to be smiling and treating him politely, but in fact he was very stubborn and did not take him seriously at all.
And this can be regarded as a kind of normal state.
Because even within the Guanlongmen valve, there must be a distinguished family and a noble family.
For someone like him, who comes from a famous family in Kansai, but needs to climb up step by step, and someone like the Han family, who is just a generation or two old but is in power, it is a bit embarrassing in itself... When I was a child, I went to a relative's house, those Prime ministers and Zhu Guo often slap their thighs and say that this child is good and can be in my position in the future. But in fact, which child would not say so? If you take it seriously, it is over. Because your surname is Li, because your grandfather and If the great-great-grandfather has been the Prime Minister and Zhu Guo, then he can be the Prime Minister and the Prime Minister. What about the biological son of the current Prime Minister and the Prime Minister?
Even if you don't care about this and return your ancestors' seats as Prime Minister and Zhuguo, but you are such a big family, with four or five houses per surname and dozens of young people in each house, one Prime Minister position is not enough.
That is to say, there are only a few families like the Bai family, the Dou family, and the Zhang family that can maintain their family name while actually holding power for a long time and be worthy of their name.
Of course, after all, they are Kansai people, and they are still 10,000 times stronger than the Hebei clan and the Eight Kodong families. At least there is no invisible ceiling, it just requires hard work at a few thresholds.
Turning back to the front, Li Qingchen realized the arrogance of the other party, but had no choice but to do anything about it, especially since the other party, as Han Bolong's younger brother, did not rely on his elder brother's support. Instead, he had a reputation for bravery. After his elder brother's death, he often led troops independently and went out of town. , resume, and strength are all here, even with Uncle Cao as his backing, how can he be qualified to motivate others in person?
So, Li Qingchen just thought about it for a while, but he forced a smile under the surprised look of his sister: "General Han likes me, so I am naturally obligated... But before entering the city, there is one more thing I want to ask General Han. "
"Come on." Han Yingong was also a little surprised.
"Captain Lu Changheng." Li Qingchen mentioned a reliable person to him. "It is said that he came to see General Han. I think he was the one who informed General Han about the military situation in Yuncheng. I don't know where he is now? Yes. Do you want to act with those five thousand people?"
Han Yingong smiled slightly and nodded directly: "Yes, Lieutenant Lu is going north with the five thousand people. I even directly informed those generals that once they go north, they will be temporarily at Captain Lu's disposal... However, Captain Lu The captain is really not in Dang County at this time, but in Mangdang Mountain. It is said that he wants to go north to recruit a group of bandits."
"In that case, I will go into the city right now." Li Qingchen understood in his heart and couldn't help but take a long breath, nodded repeatedly, and then stood up.
Frankly speaking, this situation is much better than he thought.
"Don't you need to change your clothes?" Han Yingong also relaxed.
"It just so happens that this sour smell proves that the emptiness of Jiyin is not a lie, and then proves that five thousand troops can easily cut off the northern retreat." Li Qingchen answered frankly. "It is also good for this nondescript internal servant army in the city to see clearly earlier. Situation - Even if the imperial court encounters difficulties, it is not for messed-up people like them to take advantage of the situation and cause trouble."
"He seems a bit like Cao Zhongcheng's disregard for his own safety." Han Yingong squinted his eyes and smiled, stood up, and called the attendant beside him again. "Bring me some wine, I'll give Li Twelve Lang a drink."
In this way, Li Twelve drank a glass of wine and went straight to the city to work as a lobbyist regardless of being exhausted and dirty. Although Li Shisan was discouraged by his brother's troubles, he could not rest assured after all and had no choice but to leave.
But Han Yingong just sat there, watching the two disciples of the Guanlong clan come and go in such a hurry, with an erratic expression, as if he was recalling something, and he seemed to be thinking about something.
Not to mention what happened to Han Yingong, just that the Li brothers and sisters came to Xiayi City and easily summoned a basket - it can be seen that there has indeed been communication and discussion inside and outside the city, and it is definitely not Han Yingong's lies.
In fact, when the two of them entered, they easily met Wang Gonggong, the leader of the chamberlain army. In fact, Wang Gonggong was more respectable than Han Yingong. After the other party briefly explained the situation, he actually prepared enough hot rice and soup for the two brothers.
Li Qingzhou was fine, but Li Qingchen was really hungry and unbearable, so he simply swept away the remaining clouds.
After eating, he came to see Wang Gonggong again. The latter with a thin face just chuckled: "I thought Li Twelve Lang was here to scare me, but I didn't expect that he really just escaped... Is Jiyin City so empty?"
Only then did Li Qingchen wake up, but he took advantage of the situation to persuade: "My lord, since you know the interests and dangers, you should make a decision quickly, because the deposed dragon army will undoubtedly be defeated. In this case, the longer you delay, the more it will attract General Han." If you don't do it quickly, the consequences will be even worse in the future... Don't count on Duke Niu and the others to save their face, General Han is going to the Eastern Capital after this war."
The prince laughed dryly: "I know all this, but Li Twelve Lang, do you know what conditions General Han offered?"
Li Qingchen was stunned for a moment, and then asked: "Are you going to kill the culprit? So is it difficult for the prince to accept it?"
"No." Wang Gonggong shook his head. "If that's the case, I will agree... He wants all of us servants to surrender naked. We are not allowed to take any clothes or weapons. We must go out of the city and enter the camp to work as coolies with the army." "
"So what's the matter?" Li Qingchen was silent for a moment, but then asked. "You have seen the situation before. It is good to have such a result. It is better than losing a lot of lives."
The prince shook his head and answered seriously: "He didn't mention the consequences of the thousands of palaces and local people in the city, otherwise I would have surrendered long ago."
Li Qingchen and Li Qingzhou were stunned on the spot.
After a while, Li Shisanniang asked carefully, "Didn't you ask General Han?"
"When I asked, I just said, 'It's just a matter of surrender or not.'" Wang Gonggong replied calmly. "Otherwise, I would have surrendered long ago."
Li Shisanniang came to see her brother. The latter was silent for a moment, pressed his abdomen and asked with all his strength: "Then what are you going to do?"
"Before you two came, you wanted to keep a watch." Wang Gongzheng said calmly. "After you two came, you still wanted to keep a watch. But if you do, it will be meaningless. Instead, you will lose your life in vain.
, what can I do? So, what both of you said are true? General Han is going to Dongdu, so there is no need to sell Jiangdu's face? The imperial court was besieged on three sides, and the east road had been broken through, and the Dragon Army was forced to go east to deal with it.
Is it empty and vulnerable?"
Li Shisanniang came to see her brother again, and Li Qingchen pressed his abdomen, paused for a long time, and then nodded heavily: "I swear to God, what I said is true... Yuncheng has been destroyed, and Long Jundong has been deposed.
The front line collapsed. I can't think of what Zhang Xingneng could do with the 20,000 remaining troops on the Western Front. I don't believe he could repeat the old pattern of Mahu. What he could do was just to respond to the incident and just take it as a treat.
"
At this point, Li Qingchen looked at his sister seriously again: "I know why Sister Sisi is here. She wants to take Zhang Xing to escape... I should have thought that it is impossible for a smart person like Zhang San to
I don’t know that the first instance of rebellion is bound to be destroyed...the Dragon Gang will come back sooner or later, and Zhang Xing is indeed a serious problem for the imperial court."
Li Qingzhou also suddenly woke up, but she was still a little uneasy because she vaguely remembered that she had been lurking in Jiyin for the past few days, transporting materials and so on. It didn't feel like responding to an incident at all, but rather she felt like she was going all out.
But it seems that going all out will not change the situation, right?
So, just stay silent.
Similarly, when Wang Gonggong heard the two people talking, he also opened his mouth, as if he wanted to say something, but in the end he became depressed.
There was a burst of muffled thunder, followed by a crackling sound. Obviously, it started to rain again outside. With the weather like this, what does it mean for mortals to be miserable?
"I will lead the way to surrender the day after tomorrow." Eunuch Wang sighed. "Li Twelve Lang, I know I am not qualified to ask for anything, but since you have got involved in this matter, please be sure to protect yourself and try your best to do your best.
Be considerate of the innocent people in the city."
Li Twelve opened his mouth to speak, but it was obvious that he still knew the ways of the army after serving as an official for a long time, and he also knew Han Yingong's unruly and toughness from the exchange just now.
On the other hand, Li Shisanniang, who had just joined the Taitung Town Fu Division in Jing'an this year, blurted out: "This is natural."
The prince nodded heavily.
Almost at the same time, tens of miles east of Xiayi, in the Juyi Hall on the top of Mangdang Mountain, the great leader Wang Zhen, nicknamed the Tong-Arm Great Sage, summoned several of the leaders below and just gave an explanation.
My own difficulties:
"Everyone, you should know that in the past few days, many of my old colleagues have come to me in turn. Some hope that I can go north to fight against the army, while others hope that I can be recruited into the army to fight against bandits. I am already confused.
Don’t know who to help?”
As soon as this statement came out, everyone below knew what the other party meant, and someone immediately laughed: "Does the big leader mean that we can sit on the mountain without helping each other, so as not to ruin our loyalty?"
Wang Zhenqian laughed, he really thought so.
Moreover, for Wang Zhen, there was absolutely no discount on his previous commitment and loyalty to Zhang Xing, but Sima Zheng had a great influence on him. At that time, he was really shaken, but Sima Zheng did not accept the promise in the end.
When the soldiers came out, he didn't recognize Han Yingong or anything like that, but the arrival of Bai Yousi and Zhang Xing's summons really made him waver again.
However, isn't this his old friend Lu Changheng coming to see him again? At this time, the two of them simply don't help each other to avoid ruining their loyalty, which is Wang Zhen's real idea.
Seeing Wang Zhenlai's smile, the other leaders were unwilling to send troops, but they all agreed, and the matter seemed to be settled.
But at this moment, the second master in the hall, Chef Fan Laoliu, suddenly said: "Master, do you know that another colleague of yours, Zhou Xingfan, also came from the southeast today and went to the mountain?"
Wang Zhen was stunned for a moment, then his expression changed: "Where is Xiao Zhou now?"
"In my fairy cave." Chef Fan said, stroking his stomach. "When he came, Captain Lu had not left yet. I was afraid that they would fight, so I put him in my place."
Wang Zhen took a long breath and nodded repeatedly: "Thank you for your hard work, Six."
"It's not hard work." Chef Fan continued calmly. "The reason why he is willing to stay is because I promised him that I will definitely convince you to send troops north to fight against the army... Otherwise, judging from his appearance, I am afraid that he will
I want to make a life-and-death fight with Lieutenant Lu so that I can force you to submit."
Wang Zhen was stunned again, and then wanted to say something, but was stunned again and again, and finally realized what the other party meant: "What does Lao Liu mean? Are you not interested in the incident when Third Brother came to the mountain to drive the tiger down the mountain and cross the river?
Are you still holding a grudge? How come you have such a clear stance?"
"It's natural to be resentful. Who wouldn't be resentful when something like that happens?" Chef Fan stood up and touched his stomach. "But what about the big boss?"
"Then..." Wang Zhen, who was sitting in the middle seat, didn't know what to say for a while.
But Chef Fan had already continued talking: "The reason is very simple. He was an official at the time and I was a thief. He became an official to deal with thieves. Although I felt unhappy, I knew the truth. It was hard to say that others were wrong. I only blamed myself.
He has no ability... In the same way, Mr. Master, given today's situation, if you demoted the army and become an official because of the situation, you will naturally have the views of the army, and I have nothing to say."
Wang Zhen twisted his body in his seat uneasily.
"But now that he has not become an official, he is still a thief. Since he is a thief, he must have the principles of a thief... How can an officer and a soldier show up as if they are not helping each other when they are fighting to the death with the rebels?
If you act like this, no matter which one of the officers, soldiers or thieves wins, can you be spared?" Chef Fan continued.
Wang Zhen was silent, and other leaders in the hall were also talking about it, as if they all felt that Fan Er's words were very reasonable.
"So, big boss." Chef Fan continued to ask seriously. "Are you going to surrender the army, or are you going to continue to be a thief?"
Wang Zhen continued to be silent for a while, and then he spoke under the gaze of the leaders who gradually calmed down: "If Brother Sima doesn't come, how can other things like this convince me? I won't be demoted."
"Then I will continue to be a thief." Chef Fan looked around with a shy belly. "Since you are a thief, you should act like a thief... I propose here that you ask Chief Zhou to come up, and then we can discuss together to send troops to go north to help
The matter of deposing the Dragon Gang! What do you think, big boss, and everyone else?"
PS: Routinely sacrifice a book "Reopening the Ming Dynasty and Hongwu"... Good night everyone.