After Zhai Rang and Li Mi died one after another, Wang Junlin started an ideological war in the twelve counties occupied by the Wagang Army with the force of defeating the enemy without fighting, and it went very smoothly.
In just over a month, except for the city of Shangqiu occupied by Xu Shiji, all the territory of the Wagang Army had surrendered to the Far Eastern Army.
Naturally, this process cannot be absolutely smooth sailing. Small-scale wars, resistance of a few people, small-scale unrest, and revenge of some people are always going on.
However, with the support of the Far East Army's powerful intelligence capabilities and the large and solid mass base it has developed, all bad signs or resistance were eliminated at the first opportunity.
"Under such a situation of being besieged on all sides, Xu Shiji was still able to firmly control Shangqiu City, and his 50,000 troops were always firmly under control, and there was not even a rebellion. It must be said that Xu Shiji is really not a simple person. "Wang Junlin read the latest information provided by Shen Guoer, focusing on the situation in Shangqiu City, and said with some appreciation and emotion.
The Luokou City in Kyoto originally planned by Li Mi has become the capital of the Far Eastern Army in the Central Plains. Wang Junlin stationed in Luokou City as early as a month ago, unified the coordination of all forces, and gradually launched a careful plan, quickly and orderly. Continuously control the Wagang Army's territory.
The mansion where Baihutang, where Li Mi and Zhai Rang were killed, has now become Wang Junlin's temporary palace, and is naturally the headquarters of the Far Eastern Army in the Central Plains.
"Your Majesty, according to the intelligence from our detailed work in Shangqiu City, Xu Shiji's 50,000 troops are quite loyal to him. However, these days, some officers and some soldiers have been beheaded by Xu Shiji for various reasons for violating military discipline. After all, there are still people who want to surrender to our Far East Army." Shen Guoer added.
Li Jing's eyes flashed, and he clasped his fists and said: "Your Majesty, give me an army of ten thousand, and I am confident that I can capture Shangqiu City within half a month."
Wang Junlin glanced at Li Jing, who was shocked and felt as if his thoughts had been seen through. He quickly lowered his head.
"There is no need to send troops to attack Shangqiu City. According to the intelligence from the Military Intelligence Bureau, Shangqiu City's food supply can only last for a month at most. This is not important. The key is that the hearts of the more than 70,000 people in Shangqiu City are already outside the city and toward our Far East Army. .People's hearts are contagious. It is impossible for Xu Shiji's 50,000 troops to have no contact with the 70,000 people in Shangqiu City. They will be infected sooner or later. When everyone wants to open the city gate and surrender to us, even Xu Shiji cannot change it. ." Wang Junlin said calmly.
Li Jing quickly lowered his head and said: "Your Majesty is wise, but my subordinates are impatient. The 70,000 people in Shangqiu City are already loyal to the Prince, and sooner or later the 50,000 army will be loyal to the Prince, including Xu Shiji."
Wang Junlin shook his head again and said: "It's just that I can't wait any longer, because there may be huge changes in Yangzhou in the near future. Although Yang Guang has become a waste and can't even control the guards and soldiers around him, he is after all He was the emperor of the Sui Dynasty. His death had a huge impact on the situation in the world, especially the situation in the south of the Yangtze River. It will definitely affect the north of the Yangtze River. We have just taken control of the Central Plains, and our foundation is a bit unstable. It is likely to change by then. We must make preparations in advance. Prepare."
After a pause, Wang Junlin looked slightly condensed and said, "Perhaps Xu Shiji's delay in surrendering was due to this variable."
However, Li Jing was already shaken by what Wang Junlin said lightly. Just as Wang Junlin said, although Yang Guang is already a waste, he was once the ruler of the world and the emperor of the Sui Dynasty. But according to Wang Junlin, Yang Guang will be the emperor in the near future. die.
Why did Wang Junlin say this?
Was Yang Guang's death something he secretly planned?
Probably not. If it was one of the plans of the Far Eastern Army, Wang Junlin would not have said that, nor would he have said anything like making contingency preparations in advance.
And if it was done by someone else, it must have been an extremely strict and detailed plan, but now it seems that no matter which force is planning this matter, it is obviously under the eyes of the Far Eastern Army's spies.
Of course, there is another possibility. Wang Junlin had already known that at this time, there would be great changes in Yangzhou and someone would attack Yang Guang.
If this last possibility is possible, then Wang Junlin will be even more terrifying.
Whether it was the supernatural power of a prophet or the prediction of such a result in advance based on various intelligence information, it was unbelievable and unbelievable.
Wang Junlin remembered something and asked Shen Guoer, "Is there any news about Cheng Yaojin?"
Shen Guo'er immediately replied: "Cheng Yaojin successfully entered Shangqiu City, but after he went to see Xu Shiji, he was put under house arrest by Xu Shiji. There were many layers of troops to prevent anyone from contacting or talking to Cheng Yao. Jin spoke. So Cheng Yaojin has made no progress so far."
"It seems that Xu Shiji knows Cheng Yaojin very well. He knows that this guy is very open-mouthed and doesn't give him a chance to speak. Of course, it can also be seen that the relationship between the two may not be as deep as the world says." Wang Junlin didn't take it to heart. He sent Cheng Yaojin there just to give it a try.
Wei Zheng, who was in charge of the civil affairs of the counties in the Central Plains, said at the right time: "Your Majesty, it can also be seen that Xu Shiji is very resistant to surrendering to the prince. This man's integrity that he would rather die than surrender is worthy of praise."
"That's true." Wang Junlin nodded, suddenly remembered something, his expression condensed, and he said in a deep voice: "Guo'er, send someone to investigate whether anyone from Hedong or Guanzhong has recently entered Shangqiu City and met with Xu Shiji Secret contact."
Shen Guoer's face changed slightly and she said anxiously: "The prince suspects that Xu Shiji has not surrendered for a long time because Li Yuan sent someone to secretly communicate with Xu Shiji."
Wang Junlin nodded, shook his head, and said, "That's right, but it's also possible that it's not Li Yuan, but Li Shimin."
"I'll go arrange this right away." After Shen Guoer finished speaking with a solemn expression, he bowed and left.
………
………
Shangqiu City.
Xu Shiji looked at the man dressed as a hero in front of him, and thinking about the temperament this man had shown these days, especially how he had won his own admiration, he couldn't help but sigh at the grasp of Li Shimin, the second son of Tang Guogong, on people's hearts.
Under normal circumstances, envoys or lobbyists are literati, but if they are really literati, Xu Shiji and his generals will instinctively dislike it, which will inevitably affect the effect of persuasion.
Apparently Li Shimin was very careful, or he knew the situation of Xu Shiji and his men very well, so he had already considered this in advance and sent someone as an envoy whose personality suited him and his generals very well.
Seeing the man in front of him eating meat, drinking heavily and mingling with his generals, Xu Shiji suddenly discovered that the personality of the envoy sent by Li Shimin was very similar to that of Cheng Yaojin.
Well, that guy Cheng Yaojin is the envoy sent by King Qin An.
Maybe it would be a good idea to lock the envoys from both sides together, and see which one of them has a stronger mouth. Maybe Cheng Yaojin will develop Li Shimin's envoy into a secret agent of the Far East Army.
Thinking of this, Xu Shiji twitched the corner of his mouth slightly, suppressing laughter, and suddenly tapped the wine glass with his chopsticks.
The sound was not loud, and the hall that was noisy just now suddenly became silent. Everyone looked at Xu Shiji, including Li Shimin's envoy.
"Come here, lock the Li family's envoy into the side yard of my house." Xu Shiji said calmly with no expression on his face.
Everyone was stunned. Just a moment ago, the general manager entertained this Li family envoy who was liked by everyone and brought everyone heavy gifts. Why was he suddenly locked up?
Moreover, Cheng Yaojin was imprisoned in that courtyard, and many people were thinking of ways to secretly meet Cheng Yaojin. The general's eyes flashed, and he didn't know what he was thinking.
The Li family's envoy's expression changed, he laughed, took a few steps forward, came to Xu Shiji, bowed his hands, and said: "General manager, I don't know why..."
Before the Li family envoy could finish speaking, Xu Shiji suddenly snorted, interrupted him, and said: "Whoever comes, pull him down immediately. Without my order, no one can see him, let alone let him step on it."
Take a step out of the yard."
The envoy's face changed drastically and he wanted to say something, but Xu Shiji's soldiers came forward and took him away forcibly.
The envoy of the Li family was taken to the yard owned by Cheng Yaojin. When Cheng Yaojin heard that it was him, he was stunned and shouted: "Why did you bring this bastard here?"
Zhao Sanhu, the soldier who escorted the Li family envoy, clasped his fists at Cheng Yaojin and said with a smile: "Deputy General Manager, it was the General Manager who sent the escort to you."
Cheng Yaojin was stunned for a moment and asked with some surprise: "Sanhu, please tell me in detail what the chief manager said."
Zhao Sanhu said respectfully: "The general manager didn't say anything. He just said that the Li family envoy and the deputy general manager should live together."
Cheng Yaojin's eyes flashed, nodded, and said with a wide smile: "Okay, I understand."
At this time, the Li family envoy had calmed down, stepped forward with a warm smile, bowed his hands to Cheng Yaojin, and said loudly: "General Cheng's reputation is as loud as thunder."
Cheng Yaojin clasped his fists gently and said with a smile: "Easy to say, easy to say."
As he spoke, Cheng Yaojin walked towards the Li family envoy and stretched out his hand, apparently preparing to pat the other person on the shoulder.
Seeing Cheng Yaojin being so polite, the Li family envoy secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Just as he was about to say something, he suddenly saw that Cheng Yaojin's hand that was originally slapping his shoulder suddenly changed direction... It was to hit him in the face.
He was able to act as an envoy in troubled times, but he was not a scholar. The Li family envoy was also a master, so he reacted quickly and immediately tried his best to dodge.
It's a pity that he, a master, was not enough in front of Cheng Yaojin. With a "pop" sound, there was a clear fingerprint on his face, and it immediately became red and swollen.
"General Cheng..." "Pa!"
The face of the Li family envoy changed drastically. Just as he was about to make a move, Cheng Yaojin slapped him again. He tried his best to dodge again, but he still couldn't avoid it.
"you……"
"Snapped!"
"Too deceiving..."
"Snapped!"
"I will fight with you..."
"Snapped!"
"Stop first..."
"Snapped!"
"Brothers Three Tigers, help me..."
"Snapped!"
Sanhu and a dozen of his soldiers looked at this scene with laughter, showing no intention of stopping Cheng Yaojin.
Cheng Yaojin slapped the Li family envoy one slap after another, and soon the latter's face was swollen like a pig's head.
"General Cheng, if you have anything to say..."
"Snapped!"
"General Cheng, spare your life..."
"Snapped!"
"Deputy General Manager, our brothers just passed by the Qian Street Restaurant and booked a banquet for you. Fine wine and food will be delivered to you later. Let's take our leave first." Sanhu led a group of soldiers to Cheng Yaojin.
After hugging their fists, Cheng Yaojin waved his hands, and then they turned and left.
Seeing this, the Li family envoy felt despair in his heart. He had no doubt that Cheng Yaojin would beat him to death. No one in Shangqiu City, including Xu Shiji, would save him.
Therefore, he knelt directly in front of Cheng Yaojin.
Cheng Yaojin showed no mercy and kicked him away and hit him on the courtyard wall. The Li family envoy tilted his head, spit out a mouthful of blood, and passed out.
At this time, there was a sound of clapping outside, and Xu Shiji walked in from the outside.
Cheng Yaojin didn't seem to be surprised by this, and said harshly: "You think sending this idiot over and letting me beat him up will relieve my anger."
Xu Shiji looked apologetic and said with a smile: "Zhijie, with your intelligence, you should know that everything I do in Shangqiu City is the most correct thing and the most beneficial to you and me."
Cheng Yaojin sneered and said: "I think it's all in your favor, but it doesn't benefit me at all. If I fail to persuade you to surrender, my mission will naturally fail. Not to mention that I have not made any great achievements, I have lost points with the prince, and I have lost points with the Far East Army."
It’s a loss of face internally.”
After a pause, Cheng Yaojin added: "As for you, you made the prince and the Far East Army think that you, Xu Shiji, was a man of integrity who would rather die than surrender. This made the prince pay more attention to you, and then you
Xu Shiji's reputation and the 50,000 troops under his command, coupled with your ability in training and fighting, will naturally be reused in the Far Eastern Army."
Xu Shiji nodded and did not deny what Cheng Yaojin said, but he shook his head and said: "What you said before is correct. I did do it to increase my worth, but I also wanted to make your great achievements real."
Cheng Yaojin wanted to refute, but Xu Shiji quickly interrupted with his hand and said: "Think about it, under the general trend, in everyone's eyes, it is natural for me to surrender. At this time, as soon as you enter Shangqiu City, I will surrender."
, do you think there will be many people in the Far East Army from King Qin An on down who will think it is your contribution? They will only think it is because the army forced me to surrender immediately, or it is my own wish."
"But it's different now. When I stubbornly refused to surrender and even locked you up, you, Cheng Yaojin, tried your best to imitate Ban Chao's old deeds and killed the Li family envoy, cutting off my Xu Shiji's surrender to Li Yuan.
Father and son were able to persuade me to surrender, and the 50,000-strong army and 70,000 civilians were spared no harm, without the Far Eastern Army having to use a single soldier, so the credit was great."
When Cheng Yaojin heard this, his eyes suddenly lit up, he laughed, walked over, patted Xu Shiji's shoulder, and said with a smile: "Your brain is good, you can see far and see deeply."
Xu Shiji's eyes flashed and he whispered: "Actually, there is another advantage. Everyone in the world knows that you and I have a close relationship and a deep friendship. In the past, even Zhai Rang and Li Mi were very suspicious of you and me because of this matter, but with Zhai Rang and
Li Mi's methods can't do anything to you and me, but now that we have surrendered the Far Eastern Army and are serving as military generals under the command of a peerless and vicious person like King Qin An, if our relationship is still as deep as before, we might be dead soon."
When Cheng Yaojin heard this, he was shocked. He had never thought about this before. He immediately admired Xu Shiji even more and said sincerely: "You are more thoughtful, so just do as you say!"
But when it came to this, Cheng Yaojin shook his head again when he thought of what he had seen, heard, and experienced while following Wang Junlin these days, especially when he thought of the peerless fairy Nie Xiaoyu who had persuaded him to surrender, with a face that was always cold.
He shook his head and smiled bitterly: "I suddenly thought, maybe you are overthinking. Wang Junlin doesn't care at all about how close you and I are. Even if we are brothers and each command an army of 100,000, he probably won't take it to heart.
Because even if we have a hundred thousand troops to protect us, it will not be difficult for him to kill us."