Zhang San walked forward slowly with his hands behind his back, Qin Bao followed, Fang Xuanqiao followed for a few steps, and stopped dozens of steps away, while Wang Wulang did not move at all, only hiding in the shadow under the river embankment.
In the middle, he stood with a bow and an arrow.
"Why don't you like it?" Li Qingchen answered lightly, but remained silent for a moment, and then asked, "Is Zhang Sanlang testing me? Is he worried that I am going to die, and I am totally despondent and unable to help you?"
"I'm just worried about you." Zhang Xing walked up to him with his hands behind his hands and sighed while looking at the rippling river with stars and moon. "If your heart is not filled with despair, who doesn't like the summer scenery?"
"No." Li Qingchen slowly shook his head. "But you are right, I really can't let go of Xia Xinghan, otherwise I wouldn't be coveting here for a while."
Zhang Xing nodded and stood side by side with the other party with his hands behind his hands. After looking at him for a while, he suddenly asked, but his words were completely off topic: "Does Twelve Lang know about Han?"
"The stars in the sky and the rivers on the earth are so beautiful? Who doesn't know?" Li Qingchen answered calmly.
"What a pity." Zhang Xing sighed. "On that day, Emperor Bai had accumulated a lot of experience, cut off the river and killed the dragon to get out of the Han River, and quickly swept the world. However, he ascended the throne before he had time to establish a dynasty. Otherwise, the dynasty he established might not be called Han."
"It makes sense." Li Qingchen thought for a moment, nodded, and asked again. "What about you?"
"Me?" Zhang Xing was puzzled for a moment.
"If you establish a dynasty, what will it be called?" Li Qingchen seemed curious.
"I never thought about it," Zhang Xingyi said.
"Have you never thought about the name of the dynasty, or have you never thought about calling yourself emperor?" Li Qingchen continued to ask.
"I haven't thought about it," Zhang Xing simply replied. "Don't you, Li Twelve, know the signs I have shown over the years? They are all just taking one step at a time... Even the rebellion that day was just a matter of anger.
Where do you get all these thoughts?"
"I don't believe it." Li Qingchen shook his head and said, "Your rebellion is clearly planned."
"Having rules and regulations has nothing to do with deliberate thinking." Zhang Xing argued. "Back in Dongdu, I argued with Li Silang and the others every day, not to mention there are so many allusions that history can learn from."
Li Qingchen was silent for a while and then slowly said: "If this is the case, you are truly a natural talent for rebellion."
Zhang Xing shook his head: "Now that I've come, let's make peace with it. If the Wei Dynasty prospers, I won't be able to say that I will be a top traitor!"
The leader of thieves in troubled times, the treacherous official who governs the world?
"Then do you want to be the emperor? If so, what name will you give me?" Li Qingchen dismissed the messy thoughts and continued to ask.
"It doesn't matter if you act it or not, it doesn't matter what your name is." Zhang Xing told the truth.
"Then you are open-minded."
"It's not that I am open-minded. I have also thought about it. I have wanted to be supreme for a long time... If I can achieve the same supreme status as Bai Diye, it doesn't matter whether I am emperor or not, and what the name of the dynasty is called?" Zhang Xing was still honest.
Li Qingchen finally turned his head to look at the man beside him. After a while, he smiled and said: "I have also thought about becoming a Supreme Being. I am not just me. I am afraid that half of the people in this world have thought about becoming a Supreme Being when they were young. But almost everyone's
The road to attainment has been cut off long ago, and you haven’t seen the road to death yet... What kind of thinking is this?"
Zhang Xing did not explain any more this time. On the one hand, he felt it was boring. On the other hand, he suddenly and inexplicably saw that although the other party's words were flowing, he was actually empty and empty, just like an oil lamp that was about to go out at night.
Of course I have to be careful when using this lamp... This guy is really going to die.
In this way, the two of them were quiet for a while, and then Li Qingchen spoke again: "What I'm saying is that I still want to ask you, if you don't become the emperor in the end and don't get the title of supreme, then what's the point of doing all this? It's not in vain.
?"
Zhang Xing thought for a moment, suddenly realized, looked back at Fang Xuanqiao, and then came to tell Li Qingchen seriously: "Li Twelve Lang, if you want to verify what the boy from the Fang family told you, of course there is no problem, because I have never
It’s always been this way!”
"But do good deeds and don't ask about your future?" Li Qingchen asked with a sneer.
"As long as you do good deeds, your future will go up, because there is always a future." Zhang Xingzheng told him. "It's just that this future may not be personal. It cannot be said that the predecessors planted trees and the next generation can enjoy the shade. It cannot be said that
It’s about walking down first and then lifting up.”
Li Qingchen nodded slowly: "Fang Xuanqiao has explained it to me in detail in the past few days. What I want to ask is, do you really believe this?"
"Of course I believe it." Zhang Xing said with a smile. "But it may not be the kind of 'faith' you think of. My faith is not based on will or virtue, but is more similar to believing in the spring, summer, autumn and winter, the three splendors and the four seasons.
Yu, the faith of heaven, earth, land and sea is the belief that fire can melt ice, and ice becomes water when it melts. I think this is the basic truth between heaven and earth, and it will not be shaken by human thoughts... Moreover, it is not only a good thing.
, if you do bad things, your future will sink."
Li Qingchen was silent for a long time, and then sighed: "This is the crux of the matter. I believe you really believe this, but I can't confirm it, and I don't have time to confirm it..."
Zhang Xing remained silent.
Li Qingchen suddenly turned around: "Qin Er, do you believe it?"
"I believe it." Qin Bao spread his hands a few steps behind.
"Can you understand this?" Li Twelve said with disdain.
"Third brother believes it. I believe it, so of course I can." Qin Bao has his own reasons.
"It's also an explanation." Li Qingchen turned his head and smiled at the sparkling river. "And there are quite a few people like him..."
At this point, the young prime minister of Jing'an Tai became solemn again: "But this method is useless to me. I am destined not to get it."
Zhang Xing said nothing, while Qin Bao stared at the back of this life-and-death acquaintance. A little further away, Fang Xuanqiao sighed quietly in his heart.
After an unknown amount of time, Li Qingchen continued to speak: "Then let's stop gossiping. Qin Bao told me what you mean, but I am only responsible for passing on the conditions and will never make any unnecessary calculations for you... If you withdraw, can you
Give what?"
"Prisoners," Zhang Xing blurted out. "The 30,000 prisoners of the imperial army can all be returned."
"This is a tough dish... No wonder you have the confidence to come here." Li Qingchen nodded slightly. "Is there any more?"
"We can release all the previously captured Imperial Guard followers, whether they are craftsmen, chamberlains, or palace servants, as long as their families are in the Eastern Capital and they are willing to return to the Eastern Capital."
"Where are the emperor and the queen mother?"
"No, our gang only rose up to fight against the Wei Dynasty. The Wei royal family was the first dragon we deposed. How could we put it back and let you continue to serve as the emperor?"
"Are Sima Huada and Sima Jinda included among the prisoners of the Imperial Army?" Li Qingchen paused and continued to ask.
"It does not include people above the First Guard General." Zhang Xing drew the line. "This war was started by them breaking the contract. Every injustice has its own debtor, and if these people are caught by us, they will be dealt with by us. But the reverse is true.
He said, it is none of our business if we are not caught. Brother Sima is still in the city and is not our prisoner. If you really want to, it is not impossible to get out of the way. If anything happens to them, it is not our gang's responsibility.
.”
Li Qingchen nodded without comment: "Old General Yujiuluo must come back."
Zhang Xing smiled: "Twelve men, you are showing your cowardice. General Yu is not in our hands. He ran away. This old general is so experienced that he immediately sensed our encirclement. He was as early as a fish."
Usually he got out...but don't expect him to help you, because he got through Sanchaze and then crossed the Huai River to Huainan."
Li Qingchen was stunned and couldn't help but laugh: "I see, it's true that I was timid. I just saw that you had all your troops and horses, as well as the troops chasing Zhang Qianda and the others, so I thought General Yu Lao had been wiped out."
Zhang Xing smiled and said nothing.
"How to divide the territory?" Li Qingchen calmed down and continued to ask.
"How do you want to draw it?" Zhang Xing asked back.
"It's very simple. The two sides of Qiao County are bounded by the Uishui River, and further north, they are divided by the county boundary. You are Liang County and Dong County, and we are Huaiyang County, Yingchuan County and Xingyang County." Li Qingchen said firmly.
You're thinking shit!
Wang Wulang almost raised his bow.
"Of course Xingyang belongs to us. Dulong Prison belongs to you. Huaiyang can also recognize Zhao Tuo, but of course Qiaojun is also helped by us." Zhang Xing was not angry, but instead gave an extremely favorable and unexpected offer.
"However, we can use the line where Qinshui River enters the river mouth as the boundary and give you most of Hanoi County... The reason why we can't give it all is because we can't expose the north of Xingyang County across the river... You
What do you think?"
Wang Wulang below was stunned and did not say anything. Even Li Qingchen was a little confused. After a while, he asked: "Is it so lenient?"
Of course, it is generous, because the two worlds have similar geographical environments. Hanoi County has always been the top county, with a developed economy, a large population, and it is also the northern barrier of the Eastern Capital. This condition is naturally generous.
"There's nothing to argue about." Zhang Xing said frankly. "Our gang intends to be in the north, and we don't want to get too entangled with you, including Bai Hengqiu. Although Hanoi County is rich in people and resources, it is sandwiched between Jin and Dongdu.
, here you go, we only need to defend a few passages in Hongshan and Zishan, and you can also obtain the Dongdu barrier, why not?"
Li Qingchen thought for a moment and nodded slightly: "If that's the case, it's not impossible."
"Is there anything else?" Zhang Xing asked.
"If there is no more, what else can there be?" Li Qingchen asked back. "You don't want to ask Yueniang and Qin Er about his mother, do you? Neither I nor Sima Zheng, are they this kind of people?"
"Of course that's not what I'm talking about." Zhang Xing waved his hand and said with a smile. "I mean, don't you need to sign a contract? The two sides agreed on the boundary and a truce for three or five years. They will not be allowed to trade and travel, and jointly maintain official roads and waterways..."
"What are you thinking?" Li Qingchen was speechless. "Will those people in Dongdu allow the imperial court to form a treaty with the world's largest rebel?"
"It can be a secret agreement." Zhang Xing quickly replied. "Then it's tacitly understood... As you said, can't I trust you and Sima Erlang?"
Li Qingchen was silent for a moment and gave a serious reply: "If that's the case, I can tell Sima Erlang here, but don't think that I can sway him..."
"I don't expect you to sway him or convince him, but I hope you, Twelve Lang, can help Sima Erlang regain his clarity and act like a leader." Zhang Xing sighed. "You can't survive until your heart is dull."
Li Qingchen nodded.
Zhang Xing looked at the other party and continued to ask: "That's it?"
"That's it." Li Qingchen nodded.
Zhang Xing then turned back and walked down.
After walking a few steps, he spoke again: "I forgot something. Sima Huada said, try to kill him for us... This is not General Sima's intention, it is my personal request."
Zhang Xing turned around and smiled: "Of course I have to give Twelve Lang face."
Li Qingchen nodded.
Zhang Xingfu continued down the river embankment.
At this time, someone from behind asked again: "Zhang Sanlang, do you also like the summer scenery?"
Zhang Xing did not look back this time, and only answered slowly: "I didn't really like it before, but now I gradually like it. If I can have a glass of iced sour plum soup, I will like it even more."
Li Qingchen nodded and watched the other party get on his horse and leave.
After dawn, the two armies were still facing each other, and small conflicts continued over the cleaning of yesterday's battlefield. Before breakfast, Li Qingchen crossed the river to meet with the army's commander-in-chief, Sima Zheng.
Hearing that Li Qingchen had arrived, Sima Zheng was not only unhappy, but also a little frightened.
However, Sima Zheng was a responsible person after all, and after thinking for a few seconds, he stood up and took the initiative to greet him, and personally led him to the rear tent of the Chinese army.
The two sides sat down, and Sima Erlong complained first: "Twelve Lang, why don't you take care of your body so much? I have to rely on you for many things inside and outside the Eastern Capital!"
Li Qingchen sat down and panted for a long time before he stopped. After thinking about it, he smiled bitterly again.
Sima Zheng was furious when he saw this, and couldn't help but ask: "Is there anything funny?"
"It's really funny..." Li Qingchen still kept smiling bitterly. "Sima Erlang, I really don't want to say 'I'm going to die' to everyone, but I still have to say 'I'm going to die' over and over again... I'm almost dead.
How can we protect ourselves? What are the matters inside and outside the capital?"
Sima couldn't help but look a little embarrassed.
"I came here today to invite the general to go out for a summer outing." Li Qingchen didn't care when he saw this. Instead, he suggested on his own. "It's a prosperous summer, how about we go for a swim on the Wohe River?"
Sima Zheng became more and more embarrassed: "Twelve Lang, if you want to say something, you can just say it here. When I was condensing the elixir, I learned to block the sound with my true energy, let alone now?"
"If you really want to go on a trip, go and have a look at the Wohe River behind the camp." Li Qingchen couldn't urge him enough.
Sima Zheng actually had some suspicions in his mind, and seeing the other person's body, he had no choice but to say, "If you want to go out and have a look, I'll let you go."
With that said, he relied on his own cultivation, prepared more than a dozen horses, and went out with Li Qingchen to the north bank of the Guohe River. Along the way, he walked around and watched the flowers, using his true energy to support the other party. Needless to say.
Li Qingchen rarely came out, enjoying the scenery along the way, reciting poems and speeches, without mentioning military affairs at all, but it was impossible for Sima Zheng to gradually relax.
On the other side, Zhang Xing beat drums to gather the generals in the morning, had a "corridor meal", chatted for a few words, and distributed the military affairs for the day. After everyone left, he met Li Ding, Xiong Bonan, and others on the rammed-earth general platform.
Xu Shiying and others talked about their meeting with Li Qingchen last night.
When I went there last night, I informed them, but when I came back I didn't have time to tell them the details.
Several people heard the story and had different reactions.
"Let Hanoi out?" Xiong Bonan seemed a little confused, but in fact he was opposed to it. "Is that so?"
"It's not impossible to give Hanoi out." Xu Shiying also had a somewhat gloomy attitude, but his perspective was a little different. "But if Hanoi is given out, the several rows will be a bit unbalanced... The Ye where Wei Gong was originally located
Chengxingtai has the capital before the Wei Dynasty, four most prosperous and vast counties in the world, and Liyangcang, which has a lot of millet residue copper coins left, which can be used to host Daxingtai... But now most of Hanoi has been given away.
After going out, Qiaojun and Xingyang were saved. Jiyinxingtai has six counties, which is larger than Daxingtai. Isn't it inappropriate?"
"This is simple." Zhang Xing blurted out. "We can restore Xuzhou, the governor-general state, to its original three counties, and then let Qiao County and Pengcheng County among the three counties of Xuzhou come together to build a small platform;
The remaining Xiapi, Donghai and Langya in Xuzhou form another platform."
"That's all right." Xiong Bonan breathed a sigh of relief, but felt something was wrong.
"Who will take charge of these two platforms?" Xu Shiying couldn't help but ask.
"Jiapeng City in Qiao County is the continuation of Jiyin Xingtai, and it has to face the forces of Dongdu. I recommend Wu Jingfeng and Wu Dalang to be promoted to the dragon head." Zhang Xing said seriously. "But Mang Kingang cannot let him anymore.
It would be a waste to just go their own way. We need them to integrate with the Thirteen Vajras and go north and follow the Daxingtai, or at least gather in the two Xingtai of Jiyin and Yecheng to facilitate their gathering."
"It should be Wu Dalang. His qualifications and cultivation are all there. There was still some estrangement halfway, but the battle in Hebei has also eliminated it. The key is that this place is suitable for him." Xiong Bonan nodded in approval. "And.
No one will say anything about the two counties... What about Xuzhou? Donghai, Langya, and Xiapi are big towns, no worse than the original Xuzhou... Wang Wulang?"
"This is what Xuzhou is like." Zhang Xing expressed his thoughts. "First of all, no matter who does it, Xiao Zhou should be his deputy. Then I intend to keep Wang Wulang as the general of the direct army, and Xuzhou wants to hand it over to Niu Dalai.
Do... Of course, if Shu Yong insists on being a leader, you can also respect his opinion. After all, Niu Da cannot compete with Wang Wulang."
He said it was respect, but when the chief said this, he was trying to praise Niuda.
Xiong Bonan thought for a while and said seriously: "It is inevitable that Chief Zhou will go, but we must take turns talking to Wang Wulang to see if he is willing."
"Naturally, I will give him a title." Zhang Xing added. "How about making him the general manager of the marching army? Is it okay to give him the title of leader?"
"First of all, it's Wang Wulang. If Wulang is willing to stay and lead the troops, it should be Niu Dalang." Xiong Bonan nodded, agreeing but not completely agreeing. "Are there too many dragon heads?"
"Actually." At this moment, Xu Shiying suddenly came to consult again. "If the Huaiyou League is allowed to return to Huaixi, Qiaojun and the west of Xuzhou will be assigned to them, and then we advance from Xuzhou to Huainan and build a platform in Jiangdu, Shougu
So what if we build another platform in the spring?"
"What about Hanoi?" Seeing the three of them immersed in the affairs of the mountains and talking about opening up borders, Li Ding suddenly interrupted and asked. "Do you two agree to send Hanoi out?"
Xiong Bonan and Xu Shiying each hesitated, and then Xu Shiying took the lead and asked: "What does Li Longtou think of this matter? Can Hanoi send it?"
"I think not to mention Hanoi, Xingyang, Qiaojun can also be sent." Li Ding gave his own opinion. "They can all be sent! Now the whole army seems to be in a very dangerous situation, but it is actually in a very dangerous situation... It cannot be
Drag it down."
"Is Li Longtou worried about the war..."
"It's not the war, it's the military's morale, it's the wear and tear of the veterans." Li Ding said sternly. "We fought a difficult battle with Bai Hengqiu for a month, with so many casualties; then we went south to reorganize in a hurry, and fought another big battle...
In fact, it can already be seen in the battle that just passed. The troops were wiped out and collapsed at every turn. The original intention was that the military was exhausted and the veterans suffered too many losses. If there is another month of wasting and a big war, I'm afraid
It’s really going to take a lot of effort. What was originally a one or two year plan to annex Hebei may suddenly become a four to five year plan.”
"That's exactly the truth." Zhang Xing immediately agreed. "I'm just afraid of this that's why I'm so concerned about it... We need to clearly distinguish where the real benefits lie? It must be the whole of Hebei, or even the North, and then we can work together to conquer the world.
, this line cannot be wavered easily, and when doing things, you must try your best to only use your strength in one place... It is precisely for this reason, not only here in the Eastern Capital, but also in the south, we must use all means to try not to compete with that.
I want to contact you directly and ask the Huaiyou League to go to Huainan and be our shield."
"If the chief has considered everything, I agree." Xu Dalang was the first to correct the direction. "And if that's the case, I also know the reason why the chief asked Niu Da to go to Xuzhou... There won't be too many fierce battles there, and more...
For a supporting role, it must be stable and error-free, and Wang Wulang is not suitable."
"That's right." Xiong Bonan also nodded. "It's appropriate to say so... Starting from today, let's talk to the leaders below one after another to make them feel confident?"
"Okay." Zhang Xing nodded immediately. "Let's talk separately, from the rationale for the peace negotiation to the possible personnel matters. But let's finish the things in front of us first today!"
With that said, he also got up and left the central army to prepare for today's events.
Besides, Zhang Xing chose to meet Li Qingchen last night, and Sima Zheng chose to send troops to fight early yesterday morning. It was probably no coincidence... because reinforcements from the Gang would arrive today... Sima Zheng launched yesterday's battle in order to maintain his strength advantage.
, and Zhang Xing hopes that the reinforcements arriving today can intimidate or threaten the Dongdu Army to some extent, so that the other side will comply with the negotiation conditions and retreat.
In the morning, the first wave of reinforcements arrived, which was about four battalions... I say approximately because theoretically there should be five battalions, but three of the battalions were patrol battalions, coming from Henan Sixth Army.
The county, the patrol cavalry affiliated to the Military Law Department, is destined to be unable to come too fully. They can only go to Wang Zhuo's place to gather together and form two battalions. Correspondingly, the remaining two battalions are the Military Law Department.
Battalion... These troops, originally directly under the Ministry of Military Justice, should have acted as suspects in the Xingyang area to strategically deceive the Dongdu Army, but they obviously did not work.
Therefore, the accompanying leaders were not only Liu Zhouchen, Zhang Jinshu, and Zhang Liang, but also the staff officer in charge of Mawei.
Foreign Affairs Director Xie Minghe and Mengji Manager Zhang Shizhao also arrived with Feng Wuyi.
Several "King Kong" who stayed in the north, including White King Kong and Slender King Kong who were in charge of the army, also abandoned their troops and hurriedly followed.
This army came from south to north, and was exposed to the sight of the Dongdu Army from the beginning. It was naturally a tacit understanding. After arriving at Guoshui, it was divided into two parts. One part crossed the river and came to the camp.
The other part went directly to Wang Wulang's military camp under Guyang City, where they could see more clearly.
"Zhang San has worked hard for four or five years and has built a majestic giant. It cannot be achieved overnight." Li Qingchen looked at the scene on the other side of the river across a vortex and couldn't help but sigh.
"Twelve Lang asked me to come here just to see this and talk about this?" Sima Zheng said with a smile. "Don't I know this? This army has been under our control for a long time. As for saying this overnight, Bai Heng
Qiu Ye has personally proved it... Twelve Lang, I have never looked down upon..."
Sima Zheng was about to start but stopped because the opponent suddenly wanted to dismount, so he had to help quickly.
And Li Qingchen seemed to be terminally ill. Even with the implicit assistance of a top master, it was difficult. After dismounting from the horse, he was even more unsteady on his feet and slowly sat down on the river embankment.
Sima Zheng looked at the person in front of him with mixed feelings in his heart.
Although he entered the Eastern Capital to fill a hole for Cao Lin, wasn't he trapped in a hole before in Xuzhou? In the final analysis, this matter is a mutual achievement between you and me. In the process, Cao Lin died
Li Qingchen, who later actually controlled the Dongdu city defense force and spy force, was actually the real direct heir to the Jing'antai family, but he chose to assist him unconditionally.
From the handover of Dongdu to Huaiyang's coming forward, there is no need to say why, and there is no need to ask why. This gesture is enough to make people grateful.
Not to mention, the other party was more or less a travel companion in the Western Capital and the Eastern Capital in the past... Especially the companions of the young and young people back then, most likely disappeared into thin air. The few who remained were actually mostly on the opposite side. After tossing and turning, they could still
There were only a few people sitting in the same row, and now there are almost no more.
At the thought of this, Sima Zheng couldn't help but feel sad.
Immediately, the man sighed and took the initiative to ask: "Does Twelve Lang have any ideas for this battle?"
"It's very simple. Looking at the specific things at the moment, we are here to rescue the Forbidden Army, and this should be the case now... The Forbidden Army was defeated, and there are still prisoners. Taking advantage of the gang's unwillingness to fight, we took back all the Forbidden Army prisoners."
Li Qingchen sat there and said slowly, "Rather than fight to the death with gangs, kill one thousand enemies and lose eight hundred to yourself."
Sima Zheng said nothing.
"As for the big situation," Li Qingchen continued. "The general situation has been established, and it is unlikely to be achieved overnight. Bai Hengqiu crossed the Guanlong, Jin, and Bashu, and became more powerful. It is faintly recreating the past when the Wei Dynasty was founded.
The situation cannot be easily dealt with... We are among them, and our power is actually the smallest. The first thing we should do is to appease people's hearts and stabilize the territory, and then choose the opportunity to fight and slowly expand... Strategically, we should not take the initiative to provoke."
Sima Zheng said quietly: "It is precisely because we are the smallest among the three families. If we don't win a battle in the east when Bai Hengqiu is unable to take advantage of the situation in the west, then all the counties outside the east capital will be overrun by the troops."
If you are under pressure, you will not be able to live in peace, and when the time comes, you will focus on one thing and lose the other..."
"I told you that the gang cannot recover after a fall..." Li Qingchen felt a little helpless.
Sima Zheng was also a little embarrassed. He was silent for a while and then asked: "What are the conditions for Zhang Xing to give it to you?"
Li Qingchen waved his hand: "Let's not talk about this for now. I'm afraid that after I talk about it now, I won't have the strength and courage to argue with you... Is there any sour plum soup? Forget it, I don't even think about it. Let's bring some food and wine. It doesn't have to be too much. I can't eat it.
How much, please send it over."
Knowing that the key to the overall situation here lies with the person in front of him, Sima Zheng was naturally speechless and sent someone to get wine and food.
On the other side, Zhang Xing welcomed the leaders of the reinforcements into the camp and naturally wanted to entertain them for a while.
As a few people sat down on the rammed-earth platform, some people couldn't wait to say: "Chief Zhang, what's the benefit of fighting with the Dongdu Army at this time? When fighting the Forbidden Army that day, the Chief was hesitant and just prepared for a big war. So what happens today?
Can we continue to fight?"
In other words, the entire gang camp generally believes that those who can fight and dare to fight, even Zhang Xing, Li Ding and others feel that they should not fight. When the situation was at a certain disadvantage before, in order to maintain their fighting spirit, they all
It was just a matter of mentioning the possible dangers in the north of the river, and the matter of armistice and peace was only discussed at the highest level.
Therefore, since this person said this, many leaders present frowned slightly... Yesterday, Sima Zheng was indeed very tight, but now that the Thirteen Vajra are here, how can he be afraid of him?
When Zhang Xingxun looked up and saw that it was Zhang Shizhao, he couldn't help but laugh: "Director Zhang is overthinking. How come we don't know that this battle shouldn't be fought? Even Li Longtou, who previously insisted on going to war with the Forbidden Army, now insists on proposing peace.
Already."
"This is exactly the truth." Before Li Ding could take the blame, Zhang Shizhao spoke up. "Not only for this battle, but also for the overall situation of the world, if we want to pay attention to Hebei and Beidi, we must fight with Dongdu for a certain period of time.
The only thing we should do is maintain internal peace. In terms of strategy, to put it bluntly, we must make every effort to only deal with the last enemy."
"Zhang is in charge of Jinyu Liangyan. We naturally have to prepare for peace talks. However, there is one more thing to deal with before the peace talks, and we have to wait until the afternoon." Zhang Xing nodded repeatedly and looked at the few people who looked ugly again. "Ma Wei,
Zhang Jinshu, don’t be too disappointed. The other party is hiding behind the pass and dispatching troops. It’s normal for you not to notice it. Let’s just keep track of our merits and demerits, and don’t worry about it.”
Ma Wei and others' expressions softened slightly just now, but they were still a little depressed.
Zhang Xingfu looked at Feng Wuyi again: "Old Feng, it's unlucky for you to come. I originally invited you here to use your reputation in Jiangdu and the Forbidden Army to contact the Forbidden Army. Now that they have been defeated, what's more important now is
Hebei, but you are using your foundation in Hebei to hold back Xue Changxiong."
Feng Wuyi lowered his head and thought for a moment, then asked seriously: "I heard that the gang has declared the fall of the Wei Dynasty, and then the queen mother and emperor will be sent to the gang to be resettled as civilians?"
"Yes, do you have an idea?"
"Yes." Feng Wuyi said sincerely. "If you can, Chief, please be kind and let the Queen Mother and the Emperor be sent to me to support them... It's not that I can't trust the Chief, but on the one hand, I owe my personal kindness to you two, and on the other hand, I can't trust the Chief.
On the one hand, we want to use these two people to intimidate Xue Changxiong... Xue Changxiong failed to truly separate his empire and failed to break away from the Wei Dynasty. It is always effective."
"Yes." Zhang Xing thought for a while and then gave the answer. "But it is not support, but placement... Since they are civilians, they can be taken care of as orphans and widows, but they can no longer be pampered."
"Okay." Feng Wuyi stood up immediately. "In this case, I will go back to Hebei now and try my best to involve Xue Changxiong in the gang so that he can't take action."
"Old Feng." Zhang Xing saw that the other party was so happy and traveled north and south regardless of the hardships, so he stood up and made a sincere promise. "Tell Xue Changxiong, as long as he doesn't take action this time and doesn't go crazy in the future, we will have something to worry about.
, always makes him decent.”
Feng Wuyi nodded and left.
Watching the other party leave, no one reacted for a long time. After a while, Li Ding said: "No, there is another one in the Forbidden Army? How about letting Old Feng give it a try?"
"No need." Zhang Xing waved his hand first, then raised his hand and pointed at Qiaocheng. "Everyone, I just said that there is one more thing to do before negotiating peace, which is to cut off Qiaocheng... When reinforcements arrive in the afternoon, borrow troops
The power of the situation will first destabilize the city, and then make a surprise attack at night. The Heavenly King and the Thirteen Vajras must be well prepared and must deal with the Sima brothers, so as to intimidate Sima Zheng and try to negotiate a peace."
Kill someone's father and uncle in order to reach a peace agreement?
Many people are still ignorant, but many others are also awakening. These days of writing letters and so on have made many people remember Sima Zheng's embarrassing political stance.
Of course, there are also people who understand from the beginning and are just concerned about other things.
"There will be reinforcements this afternoon?" Zhang Shizhao was slightly surprised. "How many are there?"
"Forty thousand!" Zhang Xing blurted out.
This time it's the other way around, and most people except a handful of people know it.
Zhang Xing did not lie. It was indeed a 40,000-strong army, including the four battalions that had gone to support the Huaiyou League, and the Huaiyou League's own more than 30,000 people. However, the Huaiyou League's troops were so stupid, except for the 10,000 Taibao troops.
With the exception of several thousand spearmen, the rest of the troops will be on par with the soldiers of Huaiyang County on the opposite side.
But it is enough, especially now, especially when the troops of the Huaiyou League are beyond the regular mobilization force.
In fact, it didn't even reach the afternoon. At noon, the leading troops of the Huaiyou Alliance had already arrived impatiently, and the enemy camp that was the first to notice this was the last remnant of the Forbidden Army in Qiao City.
I don't know if it's because of the hot weather, but Sima Huada didn't wear any armor. He only stood on the top of the city in cloth, looking at the reinforcements coming from the south with clear flags and no end in sight.
Have reveries.
This unit is enough to change the balance of strength between the two armies, and at least completely reverse the so-called local disadvantage.
What's interesting is that Sima Jinda, who was standing there, didn't seem at all uneasy.
There was even a sense of relief.
"Seventh General." I don't know when I saw it. Suddenly, someone came to invite me cautiously. "The Prime Minister invites you to have a drink."
Sima Jinda turned around and smiled: "Then let's go have a drink."
The man seemed a little stunned by the other party's attitude, but he still responded, and Sima Jinda had already walked down and stepped into the shadow of the city wall.
With this reinforcement from the south, plus the reinforcement from the north that arrived in the morning, the army suddenly received nearly 50,000 reinforcements, doubling its strength on the spot, immediately triggering a general shock. In the afternoon, after the Dongdu Army noticed it, more
It was a comprehensive contraction, and they completely gave up small-scale fights with the army. Correspondingly, the morale of the army was greatly boosted, and they completely stepped out of the shadow of yesterday's golden-armored giant.
At this time, Zhang Xing received an unexpected, strange, but not very unexpected and strange request.
"Chief, can you please take advantage of this battle to keep Lao Du by your side?"
The first core figure of the Huaiyou League to arrive was Fu Boshi, who led thousands of Huaixi spearmen. After he arrived, he directly asked Zhang Xing to speak. As soon as he turned to the corner, his words were shocking.
Zhang Xing was stunned for several breaths and finally realized what was going on: "Are you afraid that he will end up badly?"
Under the blazing summer sun, Fu Boshi lowered his head and said sadly: "This is the only way I can think of...and it's not just for him, but also for the other brothers of the Huaiyou Alliance."
Zhang Xing sighed.
Frankly speaking, he was not sure how much Fu Boshi's words were for Du Po Zhen's future and how much for his own future, or whether the two were not in conflict, but he had to admit that if he followed the other party's request
To do it, firstly, Yidu Pozhen's character and prestige will definitely dissatisfy, and may even cause trouble, including Fu Boshi's trouble with the Huaiyou League. Secondly, the gang really needs a dynamic group to come.
To serve as a buffer against Jiangnan forces.
Therefore, he was destined to be unable to agree.
Of course, this did not prevent him from taking a high look at Fu Boshi.
After a while, Fu Boshi was obviously disappointed and left the corner of the tent behind the general platform. He returned to the general platform under the surprised eyes of many people. After a long time, Zhang Xing just walked out slowly.
He did not go directly to the ramming soil general platform, but looked from below, and saw a lot of commotion around him. Countless leaders in the gang were colluding with each other. It was not clear whether it was revolutionary friendship or selfish desires, and there was an endless stream of people.
The reinforcements brought the camp into an almost anxious state, with dust flying everywhere and people everywhere.
Everything seemed so vulgar, even the wind today seemed a bit noisy.
But Zhang Xing just took a look, then met the gazes of several people and walked up, then sat An Ran under the red flag with the word "deposed" on it that had been blown up by the summer wind, and rejoined the persuasion and discussion.
"So, this is what you want me to see?" Sima Zheng seemed to have noticed the truth on the embankment of the Guohe River far away. "The reinforcements from the Gang are far beyond our imagination? The Huaiyou Alliance mobilized the entire alliance to help? We are here
There is not much chance of winning the battle?"
"I brought you here not to see this, but to see the scenery." Li Qingchen, who was already a little drunk sitting on the river embankment, felt helpless and passively began to express his long-planned expression. "Sima Erlang
, what do you think of this summer scenery? I’m asking seriously.”
Hearing this, Sima Zheng forcibly calmed down and looked around... Although there were numerous troops and horses on both sides of the Guohe River, densely populated with camps, ditches, and cities, countless sergeants were constantly coming and going. Even his cultivation was advanced, at this moment
Here you can also smell the uneasiness and anxiety of the tribesmen inside and outside the camp... But aside from these, the water in the vortex, which was muddy during the rainy season a few days ago, has become clearer; flowers and plants are blooming under the river embankment, and they are blooming;
Looking into the distance, beyond the army and horse camp, the wilderness is full of greenery, including green trees and more of the crops on this fertile land.
At this time, when the summer wind blows, the green waves roll, the flowers and trees sway, the river ripples with blue waves, and the old and new are brought out and they go downstream.
This is a typical summer after the rainy season when the Central Plains region is full of vitality and everything is in full bloom.
Sima Zheng looked at it for a moment, then turned around and said seriously: "The summer scenery is pleasant, but it's a pity that I don't understand literature and it's difficult to describe it."
"That's good, that's good." Li Qingchen, who smelled of alcohol, was overjoyed when he heard this.
Sima Zheng was naturally puzzled.
"I heard people say that humans and nature are in harmony. If a person is not heartbroken, he will never regard the summer scenery as nothing." Li Qingchen explained immediately.
"What did the Twelve Masters say? How could I be so heartbroken? Just because the tens of thousands of Huaiyou League soldiers were defeated by me?" Sima Zheng was speechless for a moment. "Or do you think you are already heartbroken?"
"If my heart is so depressed, how can I hold on to Dongdu and wait for you to come? How can I take my last breath to help you get Huaiyang and that's it?" Li Qingchen's cheeks were slightly red, and he asked with a smile. "I just feel that you are both
I can still enjoy the scenery, but I can still listen to advice, otherwise I won’t say anything.”
Sima Zheng paused for a moment, and then said seriously: "Twelve Lang, if you have anything to say, you might as well say it directly."
"Sima Erlang." Li Qingchen said calmly. "Probably at the same time that Uncle Cao Huang was seriously injured, I probably realized that I would definitely die within a year and a half. So why do you think I, a dying person, would fight for my life and then give up?"
Dongdu is waiting for you, and will you go south to Huaiyang to help you suppress Zhao Tuo? He is going to die anyway, so he is lying at home. This season is when sour plum soup is popular in the capital. It is good to drink soup or drink, but it is not good to wait for death while drinking.
?"
Sima Zheng thought for a while and showed a slight hesitation: "The first thing is because of Emperor Cao's kindness, and the latter thing is because... because you want to save more room for discounts for Dongdu? I am really ashamed and can't say anything.
.”
"Both are correct, but too specific... In general terms, I think doing these things is more meaningful than staying at home and waiting to die. Even if I am going to die, these things are still meaningful." Li Qingchen said,
But it gradually became more intense. "Sima Erlang, that's what I want to say. You think too much about doing things. Don't always think about whether it's worth it, or whether you have no scruples in doing it, and then worry about it...
Let me tell you that everything you have done since you became an official has been upright and upright!
"In the matter of moving the capital to the east, you think that both loyalty and filial piety are not allowed, but I think that both loyalty and filial piety are achieved, because the Mao Emperor is there, and the influence of your Sima family on the Forbidden Army is there. If you stay, you are either a father or a son.
Kill each other or help your father kill the king... Not to mention, you returned to the Eastern Capital, allowing tens of thousands of forbidden troops to return home, and allowing the people of the Eastern Capital and thousands of Wei Dynasty veterans and children to settle down!
"Think about it, if you don't come, will Dongdu become a battlefield for Bai Hengqiu and Zhang Xing? Even if they are afraid, will they have to fight hard? In the end, Dongdu will turn into a ghost?
"So, you have done a great job in coming to Dongdu!
"In this matter, even if your father resents you, even if the Wei Dynasty is actually dead, even if Zhang San has been trying to fiddle with him all day long and has attracted so many people away, you are still a loyal minister and a filial son! You have not allowed yourself to follow
My father went to kill the king together, and instead of letting himself and the emperor commit evil, he protected so many people! Good enough!"
Sima Zheng remained silent, just staring at the dying man in front of him.
The latter took a few breaths and continued to speak slowly: "Sima Zheng, life is too difficult in this world. People like me who don't have much talent but still think they are right will spend their youth wasting their time and their middle age will be frustrated.
Do something before you die... As you said, I can maintain the situation for a few days for Uncle Cao, who has the kindness to meet me, I can make Dongbu welcome you in like a dead man, I can restrain Zhao Tuo for you and make him surrender, I have already
Very contented!
"These few things are nothing to people like Zhang Lidingsi and you, but so what? I try my best! Even though I die, the things I do can have an impact, even later
People don’t know who I am, but I have made some people and things better. What’s more, I have a husband who is safe, a good man who saves a life, and a hero who is angry... Shouldn’t these people be praised?
, is life boring? And what about you? Compared with me, compared with these people, you are so capable, but you act forward and backward, regardless of the priority, entangled in this, and complain about that. What is this?
"
"Ashamed." Sima Zheng finally managed to speak.
"Sima Erlang, I have a point here, please listen." Under the afternoon sun, Li Qingchen's face turned red abnormally. "Everything in this world must be achieved, but this achievement may not be achieved immediately.
You may lose something first and then gain it, you may lose it and someone else will gain it, you may gain it for someone else after death... Therefore, if you have the ability to bring about success in the world, you should not fail to do it. If you have the ability to make the world gain something, then you may lose it.
I shouldn’t do it...are you right?”
Sima Zheng looked at the other party and finally lowered his head: "Then what should we do?"
"Zhang Xing is willing to exchange all the prisoners below the general level, plus most of Hanoi north of Dongdu, in exchange for the two families to stop fighting and make a secret agreement not to fight for three to five years." Li Qingchen slowly gave the conditions.
After saying this, Li Qingchen felt as if he had been granted amnesty. He became sluggish and simply lay down on the river embankment... He had tried his best. If Sima Zheng still tried his best, then he, a loser and a dead man, would really have nothing to do.
Sima Zheng stood up after hearing the words and looked at the noise in the south. After a long time, he did not say anything, but he seemed to realize that it was inappropriate to do so and that the person waiting for his answer behind him was about to die.
Still sighing, he told the final crux:
"The conditions are indeed excellent, but what should I do with my father and my uncle? Especially my father, it will be a big trouble for him to come back, and it will be a big trouble if he doesn't come back. Zhang Xing and I treat him as a trouble, not as one."
What’s going on is also a problem... Twelve Lang, what do you think I should do?”
No one answered. Sima Zheng didn't pay attention at first, just thinking that the other party couldn't deal with this problem. But for a moment, as a noisy summer wind blew by, his heart moved slightly, and he slowly turned his head, but he was stunned on the spot.
.
Li Qingchen died suddenly, and he was indeed dead. He finally died. After struggling with all his strength, he swallowed his last breath.
Because he was so angry that even Sima Zheng didn't notice when he swallowed the breath. Immediately, the Lord of the Eastern Capital became confused, panicked, and began to mourn on the river bank again.
The atmosphere in Qiao City was not very good either. The anxious summer seemed to have put everyone in a state of being clearly uneasy but struggling desperately.
"The overall situation of the gang has been decided." Sima Huada, who was still sitting cross-legged at the head of the table, his eyes full of bloodshot eyes, picked up the wine glass and drank it down in one gulp. It was obvious that the sudden arrival of large reinforcements from outside gave him huge pressure. "
Why is this three so powerful? Isn’t he just a thief?!"
After saying that, he angrily smashed his wine glass on several cases.
"We'll settle down when we come." Sima Jinda, who was sitting on the left, calmly filled himself a glass of wine and still said the same thing. "When the time comes, let's run away together. If we can, we'll run away. If we can't, I'll kill you."
Without you, I will never let the head of the Sima family be captured."
Sima Huada watched the other party drink a glass of wine with a dark face, and then suddenly turned to Feng Chang: "Feng Sheren, do you still have contact with Yu Changnan?"
Feng Chang was caught off guard and quickly waved his hand.
Before he could speak, Sima Huada couldn't wait to remind him: "Don't contact him. Yu Changnan hates Lao Qi very much. He is not the same as us."
"Of course." Feng Chang quickly stood up and responded. "Besides, his subordinates did not contact him. That letter was intentional on his part. It was a estrangement..."
"You don't understand what I mean." Sima Huada said impatiently. "What I mean is, let you find another way to see if you can contact Zhuge Dewei and surrender from him!"
Feng Chang was stunned on the spot, and Sima Jinda also stopped the banquet and looked at his brother coldly.
"Fake surrender." Sima Huada explained helplessly. "Fake surrender to paralyze them, and then it would be much better for us to break through."
Sima Jinda nodded, continued to pour the wine, drank another glass calmly, and then spit out the alcohol.
Sima Huada sighed: "Since we are going to fake a surrender, we must have a complete set. How about we give Linghu Xing and Niu Fangsheng as gifts first?"
No wonder Fang Sheng didn't let the cow with a broken leg come over, and Feng Chang was sweating profusely.
But the next moment, he didn't dare to sweat anymore.
"Linghu Xing has been killed by me." Sima Jinda suddenly reminded.
"When?" Sima Huada was stunned.
"Just now." Sima Jinda pointed to Feng Chen outside. "When I saw the reinforcements arriving in large numbers, I knew that our place was in trouble and we couldn't hope for rescue, so I took action immediately."
Sima Huada stared at his brother, and then suddenly smiled: "Old Qi, you are still so decisive!"
"People shouldn't hesitate. Hesitation will only make things worse. This is what my father taught me during his lifetime." Sima Jinda sighed. "When it's time to take action, take action."
Sima Huada nodded and suddenly asked: "Old Qi, stop telling lies. Are you worried that I will surrender and are you planning to lead me out of the encirclement in advance?"
Sima Jinda nodded, then shook his head: "I was worried that you were going to surrender, so I planned to kill the eldest brother first, and it would be over... After all, according to my understanding of the eldest brother, if you could surrender, you would never risk charging into the battle with me.
’s... I have one last question, brother, come with me now, let’s break out of the encirclement now, okay?”
Sima Huada was silent for a while, and then slowly responded under Feng Chang's sidelong glance and the gaze of his seventh brother: "I'm going with you, but since I'm breaking out of the encirclement, wouldn't it be better to wait until night? During the day, I'm just throwing myself into a trap.
Are you right, Feng Sheren?"
Feng Chang had long sensed that something was wrong in the atmosphere, so he just kept silent and stood there with his hands and feet tied.
Sima Jinda sighed again and again, and then stood up suddenly: "Brother, do you think that at night, I can't do anything because of the poison in this wine, and you can go out of the city and surrender? You can even kill me first.
Escape calmly?"
There was silence in the room for a moment.
Sima Huada tried to explain several times, but all was silent.
Seeing this, Sima Jinda finally didn't bother to linger any longer. He stood up straight away and walked forward. Sima Huada was so shocked that he leaned back in panic and tried to leave. But it was only a few steps away. Sima Jinda just stretched out his hand and pulled it away.
My brother came directly from behind a few cases.
At this time, Sima Huada suddenly howled, and the energy in his body began to flow wildly, but he just screamed, and his own brother grabbed his neck and squeezed him from behind.
There was no pain, no unnecessary struggle, and everything was peaceful all of a sudden.
Feng Chang stood there, not daring to move at all. After glancing at the Sima family's private soldiers who were standing solemnly but motionless at the door, he didn't even dare to say a word.
The room was silent again.
Sima Jinda hugged his brother's body and slowly sat on the ground. After a long time, he let go and looked at Feng Chang again: "Feng Sheren, go talk to the gang and tell Zhang Xing if it can be used."
Sima Huada's head is returned to the opposite camp in exchange for Sima's private soldiers, in exchange for the surrender of the imperial army without punishment?"
Feng Chang trembled and tried his best to speak: "My subordinates think it must be possible. Even if things happen here, the general may directly negotiate a peace with the gang."
"Then do it." Sima Jinda urged.
Feng Chang left the county hall almost as if he was running away.
Before sunset, Zhang Xing got to see Feng Chang and learned everything that happened in the city... Then, he suddenly realized that an opportunity had come in advance.
"Is Sima Huada dead?" After thinking this, Chief Zhang Da looked at the famous person in front of him who had been slapped several times in Dongdu and asked sincerely.
"yes."
"Sima Jinda killed him?"
"yes."
"Sima Huada originally wanted to kill Sima Jinda, but he was killed instead?"
"yes."
"Then what do you think Sima Jinda is doing now?" Zhang Xing continued to ask.
Feng Chang hesitated for a moment, then answered slowly under the gaze of dozens of leaders, big and small: "It's impossible to say that he has been poisoned, but it's hard to say. He is determined to die anyway."
Zhang Xing nodded and suddenly looked at Yu Changnan: "Leader Yu, Sima Huada has been executed, but our Military Commission cannot afford to fight anymore. I want to save Sima Jinda to negotiate a peace. What do you think?"
Yu Changnan thought for a while, then stepped out and handed over his hand: "If it weren't for the chief and everyone in the gang to help me, I would not be able to touch the Sima family and the imperial army even if I risk my life. Now I have defeated the main force of the imperial army, killed Sima Deke, and forced Sima Hua to be killed.
Da, I can't thank you enough. Although I still have some grievances, and it is true that I will die before my death, I don't dare to show my gratitude to the chief and everyone in the gang. Instead, I can only be grateful, and I can only spend the rest of my life to repay this kindness."
After speaking, he actually ignored his propriety and bowed down on the rammed earth platform in front of everyone, kowtowed in three directions, and then returned to his original position.
Zhang Xing had no time to stop him, and it was difficult to stop him. He just nodded and pointed at Xu Shiren: "Old Xu, the time has come. You go to the Dongdu Army camp, explain the current situation, and tell Sima Zheng that he is the only one at this time.
A man who abandons his father can bring back his seventh uncle, a brother-killer. Therefore, if he comes, Sima Jinda may have a chance of survival. If he doesn't go, his seventh uncle will definitely die. And if he is willing to negotiate a peace, we will never stop him.
...Tell him again that Qianjin Cult Master is in Huaibei, and I have sent people to invite him. Whether it is his seventh uncle or Li Twelve Lang, there is probably a chance of survival. I am not fooling him!"
Xu Shiren did his part, and after handing it over, he turned into a stream of white gold-encrusted light and headed towards the Dongdu Army camp.
When Du Pozhen and others saw this, they were all awe-struck for a moment and watched the streamer fly away.
Turning around to continue talking, he saw that Chief Zhang, who was sitting in the middle, narrowed his eyes and seemed to be falling asleep. The generals who had been noisy about the war, personnel, and strategic direction also continued to be inexplicably quiet. Feng Chang was the only one.
The man stood there alone.
About two quarters of an hour later, suddenly, a golden stream of light that was much faster than before flew from the north, passed the military camp, and directly hit Qiaocheng City.
Zhang Xing opened his eyes, looked at Feng Chang in front of him, and suddenly laughed: "Feng Sheren, do you regret coming out in person?"
"I don't regret it!" Feng Chang, who had already stood up with numb legs today, fell to his knees and kowtowed to him like Yu Changnan before. "I caught a glimpse of Chief Zhang's style in Dongdu that day in Gushui
When I saw the chief running away on horseback, I knew that the chief was a great hero. I just regretted that my cultivation back then was so shallow that I couldn't make up my mind to follow him. Today is finally the right time!"
Everyone was stunned.
Even after Zhang Xing nodded, he had no choice but to look around: "The wind is actually a little noisy today."
Everyone also looked around, only to see that the summer breeze that had been bustling all day had actually stopped, and only the afterglow came from the west... What about the hustle and bustle?
But no matter what, everyone knows that no matter how noisy the summer wind was and how continuous the plum rain was, this matter is probably, should, definitely settled, and the gang can work together to move north.
