After the Yanmen Gate was closed, Ma Sanbao and Su Dingfang stood on the top of the high city, watching the group go west from a distance. Although Yuan Junzhang had already entered the court, whether the purge of the old ministry could go smoothly would largely determine the fate of the Turks in a few months.
The incoming battlefield situation.
Su Dingfang intended to lead the troops himself, but Li Shan did not agree. In addition to Yiyang County Duke Liu Shirang, he only brought Xue Wanche and 300 cavalry.
"Don't worry, the King of Handan is prudent and will succeed."
The words coming from behind made Ma Sanbao and Su Dingfang look back. The person coming was Zhu Yichen, the Sima of Daizhou.
Last year, Li Gaoqian was defeated outside the Great Wall, and the local troops in Daizhou were insufficient. Later, Li Daoxuan and Li Shenfu successively led their troops to the north to help. Li Shan also temporarily transferred soldiers from the local government. Together with Liu Shirang's command, the troops once exceeded 20,000.
But not long after, Li Daoxuan and Li Shenfu left Hedong one after another. Liu Shirang led his headquarters to garrison in Mayi, and the soldiers were busy returning home for spring plowing. As a result, Li Shan's troops had no more than 3,000 troops.
Until the beginning of the year, Su Dingfang, Zhang Gongjin, Xue Wanche, and Ma Sanbao went north to take up their posts. The imperial court dispatched more than 2,000 soldiers from Guannai Road and Hedong Road to go north... Now the Daizhou Army does not count the uncalled soldiers, and its standing strength is about six.
Thousands up and down.
The army was headed by Ma Sanbao, but the actual person in power was Su Dingfang. He mainly dispersed his troops in Yanmenguan, Guoxian and Daixian.
The general at Yanmen Pass is Su Dingfang, and the general at Guo County is Er Zhu Yichen. Su Dingfang leads most of the cavalry to garrison in Dai County. Today, everyone will meet at Yanmen Pass because they are sending Li Shan and his party out of the fortress.
Ma Sanbao came to Daizhou just as a pretense. Although he did his duty to guard Yanmen Pass, he would not care about anything else. But Su Dingfang was different... He looked sideways at Er Zhu Yichen, thinking that this Daizhou
There are only a thousand infantry under Sima's command, and they are under Donggong's command, so why come to Yanmen Pass?
It seems that Huairen was not summoned... Why did he come here on his own initiative?
Er Zhu Yichen looked at the black spots as small as ants from a distance, feeling a little worried. Will Yuan Junzhang's old subordinates be purged so honestly?
The reason Yuan Junzhang himself is so well-behaved is because Li Tang has become a leader and has no ambitions anymore. Rather than getting involved in Turkic internal strife, he would rather enjoy wealth and status. However, the generals under his command may not think so.
These warriors relied on force in the border areas. Although Shuozhou was desolate, they were still superior to others. They regarded the power in their hands as their foundation. How could they give up so easily.
Er Zhu Yichen was thinking in his mind, but even if it didn't work out, Liu Shirang's 2,000 soldiers, plus the 1,000 soldiers brought by Qin Wutong a few days ago, should be able to escape without any problem.
Starting from Yanmen Pass, the horse galloped for more than an hour. Li Shan slowed down his horse and stopped at the roadside to rest.
Instead of burying your head in paperwork.
"When you go to Mayi, don't be arrogant." Li Shan said casually: "Liu Wuzhou was defeated, Yuan Junzhang got help from the Turks to revive, and there are many people under his command who are interested in the Turks."
Xue Wanche nodded and glanced sideways at the dozens of military leaders behind him. They were all grassroots generals selected from Daizhou Army and Bingzhou Army, and were ready to be sent to Mayi to mix with sand.
The gray-haired Liu Shirang stood silently on the other side, thinking about what Li Shan told him last night... It was a bit of a joke, but it seemed that it might have some effect.
But whether he can successfully and completely hold Ma Yi in his hands mainly depends on Li Shan's treatment of Yuan Junzhang's old generals...whether he is urgent or slow, harsh or gentle.
After attacking the camp on a snowy night last year and forcing Yuan Junzhang to surrender, Liu Shirang led more than a thousand soldiers under his command to garrison in Mayi. Later, Li Shan also sent some one after another, and the number of troops was about 2,000.
It has been less than half a year now, and the atmosphere between the two sides has been very tense. They scolded each other, and fights often occurred. One or two generals even complained that Yuan Junzhang, who had left for Chang'an not long ago... only cared about himself.
of glory and wealth, but they don't care about the life or death of these old tribes.
We set off at dawn and kept galloping until dusk. Finally we saw Mayi from a distance. Fan Shiyi, who stepped forward to inquire, reported back, "Mr. Lang, Shuozhou Sima led his troops five miles out of the city to meet him."
Li Shan nodded slightly, but his eyes fell on the dilapidated village beside the road, which seemed to be even more dilapidated than last year.
Xue Wanche glanced at it in confusion, then looked sideways at Wang Junhao, who explained a few words in a low voice.
"It's right here." Xue Wanche murmured in a low voice. The legendary story of attacking the camp on a snowy night last year, beheading the Turkic prince, and forcing Yuan Junzhang to surrender has been spread all over the world. From that time on, Li Shan's status and power
And the weight jumped suddenly.
Thinking of the scene when Li Shan had just been appointed as the acting county magistrate and was summoned to Mayi by him, Liu Shirang had a complicated expression. It was here that he learned that he had been summoned to the capital to investigate the crime, and he willingly became the sword in Li Shan's hand and was given a long gift.
The horseman came back on a snowy night and the situation was broken.
The horse moved forward, bypassing two small hills. Li Shan looked around and saw hundreds of cavalry gathered in front of him, with more than ten cavalry headed by them galloping towards them.
"Meet the King of Handan."
"Meet the King of Handan."
Li Shan chuckled a few times, but did not dismount. Instead, he waved his horse whip and shouted: "No need to be polite."
Standing at the front was a majestic general, about forty years old, calm and polite, with a fair complexion and a slight lack of color on his face. He should be the Sima Qin Wutong of Shuozhou who had just arrived.
"Have the supplies been inventoried?"
Qin Wutong took a step forward and said, "We have already taken stock of everything."
"Not issued yet?"
"yes."
Now is the time of drought, the winter wheat has not been harvested, and other grains have just been planted. However, Yuan Junzhang's several battles last year had already drained the people of Shuozhou and even Yunzhou, resulting in a shortage of grain in Mayi.
Liu Shirang went to Daizhou on the one hand to represent the Shuozhou military to welcome Li Shan, who had just been enthroned as the county king, and on the other hand to ask for help. The relevant supplies and grain had already been transported out of the country the day before yesterday.
Li Shan glanced around, and many people's faces were quite angry. It must have been Qin Wutong who took over and did not let them get any benefits.
Li Shan didn't think there was anything wrong with this. Qin Wutong's actions were understandable. Daizhou was able to control Mayi not because of the large number of soldiers and generals, but more about the general situation and the use of food and grass. Qin Wutong naturally wanted to control Mayi.
Hold the food and grass in your hands and don't let others get their hands on it.
However, Li Shan came here to solve certain matters. Before entering the city, he ordered: "The food and grass will be distributed early tomorrow morning. Remember, there are many others?"
Liu Shirang nodded and said: "There are also cloth, salt and vinegar, etc."
"Isn't it more?" Li Shan pointed to a middle-aged general with beard not far away, "I remember last year you boasted that you would never get drunk after a thousand cups. This time you sent twenty jars of jade pots of spring. I want to try it tonight.
Test your drinking capacity!"
That person was Yuan Junzhang's close confidant He Liu, who was born in Yuzhou. In his early years, his uncle worked as a minor official under Yuan Junzhang's father, Yuan Kan, and married Yuan Junzhang's sister. After hearing this, he stepped forward and said with a smile.
: "Last year, in the spring of Yuhu, Your Highness allowed all the Turks, but the lower officials had no luck to enjoy it..."
Li Shan laughed loudly and said: "If we don't give full support to the Turks, how can we succeed in the war?"
In that night attack, the Tang army won a complete victory, largely because of the drinking party during the day. Li Shan sent all the Yuhuchun he sent to the Turkic camp. They were attacked in the middle of the night, and many Turks had their hands and feet
He was so weak and dizzy that he couldn't even stand still. It was an injustice to die.
"Then thank you very much, Your Highness." He Pingchang said politely: "A banquet has been held in the Governor's Mansion, please invite Your Highness..."
During the Li and Tang dynasties, the position of the chief official of the state government was generally the general manager or the governor. In the former Sui Dynasty, he was usually the governor. In the early years, Wang Rengong served as the governor of Mayi and built the governor's office, which has been passed down to this day.
"No hurry, no hurry." Li Shan got off his horse and walked forward. His eyes swept over everyone's faces one by one, talking casually and laughing freely.
"Are you Niu Bin?" Li Shan patted a young man about the same age as himself, "Years ago, they defeated the Turks. You beheaded 2 out of 30 people. The battle registration was second only to Rui Guogong, the Duke of Yiyang County."
Niu Bin was also mentioned specifically by Yuan Junzhang. He was born as a personal guard. He was not released to lead troops until his subordinates suffered heavy casualties last year. This man was not good at leading troops, but he was good at riding and shooting. He was the best in the army.
.
Niu Bin bowed his head and saluted, "May I ask Mr. Rui Guo now..."
"Yuan Gong received a generous gift from His Majesty, granting him a house and land. However, although the house is in a good location, it has not been inhabited for many years and needs to be repaired." Li Shan said with a smile: "Now Yuan Gong, Xiaozheng lives in a certain house.
Zhuangzi takes a break."
Liu Shirang stood aside silently, watching Li Shan exchange greetings one by one. He couldn't help but look slightly moved at the back. He remembered that the last time Li Shan came to Mayi was to entertain Yuan Junzhang. It had been almost four months now, and he remembered it so clearly.
The names were recited as if they were family treasures, without any mistakes.
Li Shan tried his best to show his friendly side...but the effect was not very good. Except for Niu Bin and He Liu, two direct descendants of Yuan Junzhang, everyone else had a gloomy expression.
Just a few months ago, they all witnessed with their own eyes how the young man in front of them made friends with the Turkic prince Ashina Momo, and how he said the words "the cover is as old as before and the hair is as new as new" before leaving.
How this young man forced Yuan Junzhang to behead Yu Sheshe outside the gate of the Turkic camp.
Therefore, looking at the gentle smile on Li Shan's face, almost everyone felt a chill in their hearts... The corpse that was deceived last time is worth two cents. We must learn from the past and beware of it.
Among the generals under Yuan Junzhang's command, Xi Duo and Guo Ziwei are the leaders. However, the latter was killed by Yuan Junzhang himself in the battle a year ago, so Xi Duo is now the leader of the army.
Xi Duo was an official under Liu Wuzhou in his early years. Later, he raised troops and assisted Yuan Junzhang. He also led troops into battle, but he was more responsible for handling logistics, official documents in the army, and internal affairs.
Xi Duo is already in his fifties this year, with a thin figure and a faint hint of silver in the bun on his head. He is stroking his beard and chatting with Li Shan, but in his heart he is wondering what kind of methods the other party will use this time... He has already received the message from Yuan Jun.
Zhang's letter clearly shows Li Shan's intention.
Under the banquet, Niu Bin, He Liu, Wei Peng, Guo Ziheng, Du Shiyuan and other generals were present.
Li Shan pays the most attention to two of them. One is Guo Ziheng. Guo Ziwei, who was killed by Yuan Junzhang in the army, is his cousin, and Guo Ziwei is the one among the generals in the army who has the closest relationship with the Turks.
The other was Du Shiyuan, who was once a general in Gao Manzheng's ministry. Last year, Yuan Junzhang stormed Mayi, and Gao Manzheng had been defenseless for a long time. He wanted to break out, but Du Shiyuan made a sneak attack and killed Gao Manzheng, opening the door to defeat the enemy.
The entire army changed flags and surrendered to the Tang Dynasty. Guo Ziheng might have doubts about Dou because of the death of his cousin Guo Ziwei, and the one who feared the most was Du Shiyuan, who had once rebelled.
In the list written by Yuan Junzhang, the two people at the top were Guo Ziheng and Du Shiyuan.
After chatting for a long time, seeing the sun setting and everyone rushing into the city, Li Shan announced at the city gate that grain and grass would be distributed tomorrow, and he happily went to the banquet and drank with everyone.
As soon as he sat down, Li Shan couldn't help but laugh and said: "Thank you very much, Mr. Xi, do you still remember?"
On the table are beef brisket stewed with radish, sliced braised beef tongue, and a bowl of oxtail soup.
Xi Duo chuckled and said, "It's a pity that spring has already begun, so it's difficult to store it for a long time. Otherwise, I would have asked the public from Yiyang County to take it to Dai County a few days ago."
"Try something..." Li Shan picked up a piece of beef brisket with his chopsticks, chewed a few mouthfuls and nodded, "This cook cooked it very well. It just lacked a few condiments, but it's still delicious."
Qin Wutong was a little surprised, but he was just a little surprised. After all, Li and Tang Dynasty followed the Sui Dynasty and strictly prohibited the killing of cattle. He did not expect that Shuozhou would be so wanton.
Liu Shirang's dull face flashed with joy. In fact, Shuozhou rarely killed cattle. He had not eaten beef in Mayi for several months, but today he killed cattle and held a banquet... This explains something.
, Xi Duo is well-intentioned towards Li Shan's arrival, at least not tit-for-tat.
Because on May 10th last year, after the farce, almost all the generals and commanders knew that Li Shan had the best beef. Even at that time, Yu Sheshe and the Association brought some cattle from Yunzhou... specially for Li Shan.
.
It's a pity that they were all fed to the dogs... After eating and drinking during the day, there were only two corpses at night.
Li Shan asked his bodyguard to bring Yu Huchun up, and he just drank slowly while Xue Wanche, Niu Bin, He Liu and others drank together, and ended up getting drunk.
Li Shan observed Guo Ziheng and Du Shiyuan carefully. The former was very drunk, while the latter almost didn't drink at all.
When he arrived in Mayi and everyone knew his intention, Guo Ziheng's drunkenness seemed to indicate that he had no plan, while Du Shiyuan's caution seemed to be on the other side.
Li Shan did not make a direct judgment, but kept weighing it in his mind... In any case, these two people could not be left behind. One was closely related to the Turks, and the other was a weakling who had rebelled before.
In three months, the Turks will inevitably invade in large numbers. Although Li Jing has already arrived, Li Shan does not want to bury such hidden dangers... As a time traveler, he always has the desire to influence something. Sun Moon Lake is too small, and
Daizhou was the place where he originally developed his great ambitions. Even if he left, he did not want to see his previous efforts ruined.
But should these two people be killed or expelled?
Killing them directly would only shake the morale of the army, and expelling them would seem to show no tolerance for people. Or should they be transferred to Daizhou or Xinzhou?
Until he rubbed his head and sat down in the house where he first entered Mayi last year, Li Shan was still thinking about this issue, but he soon put it behind him temporarily.
Because Wang Junhao reported outside the door, "Mr. Lang, Qin Wutong has arrived."