Traveling through the early Tang Dynasty starts with hanging

Chapter 538

After Yanmen closed, Ma Sanbao and Su Dingfang stood on the top of Gaogao City, watching the group go west from a distance. Although Yuan Junzhang has already entered the court, whether the cleaning of the old ministry can be successful or not will largely determine the Turkic people in a few months. The incoming battlefield situation.

Su Dingfang intended to lead the troops himself, but Li Shan did not agree. Except for Liu Shirang, the Duke of Yiyang County, he only brought Xue Wanche and [-] cavalry.

"Don't worry, the King of Handan is prudent and will surely succeed."

The words from behind made Ma Sanbao and Su Dingfang look back, and it was Daizhou Simaer Zhu Yichen who came.

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 troops to the north to help. Li Shan also temporarily mobilized soldiers from the local government.

But soon after Li Daoxuan and Li Shenfu left Hedong one after another, Liu Shirang led his headquarters to garrison Mayi, and the government soldiers were busy returning home for spring plowing, so Li Shan's troops were only 3000.

Until the beginning of the year, generals Su Dingfang, Zhang Gongjin, Xue Wanche, and Ma Sanbao went to the north to take up their posts, and the central government dispatched more than [-] government soldiers from Guannei Road and Hedong Road to the north... Now the Daizhou Army does not count the soldiers who have not been called, and the standing force is about six. Thousands of ups and downs.

The army was headed by Ma Sanbao, but Su Dingfang was actually in power. He mainly dispersed his troops in Yanmenguan, Nao County, and Dai County.

The leader of Yanmen Pass is Su Dingfang, and the leader of Nao County is Erzhu Yichen. Su Dingfang led most of the cavalry to station in Dai County. Today, they met at Yanmen Pass because they sent Li Shan and his party out of the fortress.

Ma Sanbao came to Daizhou completely as a cover. Although he was dedicated to guarding Yanmen Pass, he would not take care of other things, but Su Dingfang was different... He looked sideways at Er Zhu Yichen, thinking about this Daizhou There are only a thousand infantry under Sima's command, and they are under the command of Donggong, so why did they rush to Yanmen Pass?
It doesn't seem like Huairen summoned him... Why did he come here on his own initiative?
Er Zhu Yichen looked at the black spot that was already as small as an ant from a distance, and felt a little worried, would Yuan Junzhang's old department be cleaned up so honestly?

Yuan Junzhang himself is so well-behaved, it is because Li Tang has already achieved great power and has no ambitions. It is better to enjoy wealth and honor than to be involved in the Turkic internal struggle, but his generals may not think so.

These warriors are in the frontier, relying on force to do whatever they want. Although Shuozhou is desolate, they are also superior people, and they regard the power in their hands as their own foundation, so how can they give up so easily.

Er Zhu Yichen was thinking in his heart, but even if it didn't work, Liu Shirang's [-] soldiers, plus the [-] government soldiers brought by Qin Wutong a few days ago, shouldn't be a problem to retreat.

Departing from Yanmen Pass, the fast horse galloped for more than an hour. Li Shan slowed down and rested on the side of the road. Xue Wanche beside him looked at ease. Although the officials of this era did not have a very obvious separation of civil and military, this person obviously prefers galloping horses Instead of burying your head in paperwork.

"When you go to Mayi, don't be overbearing." Li Shan said casually, "Liu Wu Zhou was defeated, and Yuan Junzhang got the help of the Turks to recover. Many of his subordinates are interested in the Turks."

Xue Wanche nodded, and turned his head to look at the dozens of military leaders behind him. They were all grassroots generals selected from the Daizhou Army and Bingzhou Army, and they were going to stuff them into Mayi to mix sand.

The grey-haired Liu Shirang stood silently on the other side, thinking about the incident Li Shan explained last night... It was a bit of a joke, but it seemed that it might also play a role.

But whether he can successfully hold Ma Yi in his hands mainly depends on Li Shan's treatment of Yuan Junzhang's former general...whether it is urgent or slow, harsh or gentle.

After the snowy night raided the camp last year and forced Yuan Junzhang to surrender, Liu Shirang led more than a thousand soldiers under his command to station in Mayi. Later, Li Shan sent some more, with a strength of about [-].

It has been half a year now, and the atmosphere between the two parties has always been tense, with scolding and fighting happening frequently, and even one or two generals complaining a few days ago about Yuan Junzhang, who had left for Chang'an... only caring about himself The glory and wealth of the people, but they don't care about the life and death of these old people.

He set off at dawn and galloped all the way until dusk, and finally saw Mayi from a distance. Fan Shiyi, who stepped forward to inquire, reported back, "Mr.

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 suspiciously, then looked sideways at Wang Junhao, who explained a few words in a low voice.

"It's right here." Xue Wanche muttered in a low voice. The legendary deeds of attacking the camp on a snowy night last year, beheading the Turkic prince, and forcing Yuan Junzhang to surrender have spread all over the world. And the weight suddenly jumped.

Thinking of the scene when Li Shan was summoned to Mayi by himself just after he went to serve as the acting magistrate, Liu Shirang had a complicated expression. It was here that he willingly became the sword in Li Shan's hands when he learned that he was summoned to Beijing to question his crimes. Leng BMW turned around in the snowy night, breaking the game.

Steering his horse forward, bypassing two small hills, Li Shan looked around, and there were hundreds of cavalry gathered in front of him, and more than ten cavalry led by them were galloping towards them.

"Meet the King of Handan."

"Meet the King of Handan."

Li Shan chuckled a few times, did not get off the horse, but waved the whip in his hand, and shouted: "There is no need to be polite."

Standing in the front is a majestic military general, about forty years old, calm and respectful, but fair-skinned and slightly lacking in blood on his face, he should be Shuozhou Sima Qin Wutong who has just arrived.

"Already the materials have been counted?"

Qin Wutong took a step forward, "It has been counted and stored."

"Not issued yet?"

"Yes."

Now is the time when the crops are not harvested, the winter wheat has not been harvested, and other grains have just been planted, and Yuan Junzhang has already squeezed out the people in Shuozhou and even Yunzhou after several battles last year, resulting in insufficient grain in Mayi.

On the one hand, Liu Shirang went to Daizhou to welcome Li Shan, who had just been canonized as the county king, on behalf of the Shuozhou military, and on the other hand, he also came to ask for help.

Li Shan glanced around, and many people had rather angry faces. It must be Qin Wutong who took over, and they didn't get any benefits.

Li Shan didn't think there was anything wrong with this. What Qin Wutong did was understandable. Daizhou's ability to rule Mayi was not because of the large number of soldiers, but because of the general trend and the pressure of food and grass. Qin Wutong naturally wanted to The grain and grass are held in the hands, and no one else is allowed to touch them.

However, Li Shan came here to solve certain matters. Before he entered the city, he ordered: "Tomorrow morning, we will distribute grain and grass. I remember that many others have also been sent?"

Liu Shirang nodded and said, "There are still cloths, salt and vinegar, etc."

"It's more than that?" Li Shan pointed to a bearded middle-aged general not far away, "I remember last year you boasted that you would not get drunk after a thousand cups, but this time you sent twenty altars of jade pot spring, tonight I want to try it." Test your drinking capacity!"

That person is Yuan Junzhang's close friend He Liu, a native of Weizhou. His uncle was a small official under Yuan Junzhang's father Yuan Kan in the early years, and married Yuan Junzhang's younger sister as his wife. After hearing this, he stepped forward and said with a smile : "Last year Yuhuchun, His Royal Highness promised Turks as much as possible, and the lower officials have no blessings to enjoy..."

Li Shan laughed loudly and said: "If you don't give the Turks the best, how can you win the battle?"

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 sent to the Turkic camp. If you feel weak and dizzy, you can't stand still, and if you die, it's an injustice.

"Then I would like to thank Your Highness." He Feng said politely: "There is already a banquet in the Governor's Mansion, please Your Highness..."

In the Li and Tang dynasties, the chief official of the prefecture was usually 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 mansion, which has been passed down to this day.

"No hurry, no hurry." Li Shan got off his horse, paced forward, glanced at everyone's faces one by one, talking casually, chatting and laughing freely.

"You are Niu Bin?" Li Shan patted a young man about his own age, "Years ago we defeated the Turks, and you beheaded [-] out of [-] people. The number of entries in the battle is second only to Duke Rui and Duke Yiyang."

Niu Bin was also specifically mentioned by Yuan Junzhang. He was a personal guard. He was not released to lead the army until last year when his subordinates suffered heavy casualties. He is not good at leading troops, but he is good at riding and shooting. .

Niu Bin bowed his head and saluted, "Dare to ask Duke Rui now..."

"Duke Yuan received a generous gift from His Majesty to grant a house and land, but although that house is in a good location, it has not been lived in for many years, so it needs to be repaired." Li Shan said with a smile: "Now Duke Yuan and Xiaozheng live in a certain house. Zhuangzi rests for a while."

Liu Shirang stood silently at the side, watching Li Shan exchange greetings one by one, and couldn't help but move slightly behind him. He remembered that the last time Li Shan came to Mayi to appease Yuan Junzhang, it was almost four months now, and he remembered it so clearly. The names are as numerous as Jiazhen, and there is no mistake.

Li Shan tried his best to show his friendly side... Unfortunately, the effect was not very good. Except for Niu Bin and He Liu, the two direct descendants of Yuan Junzhang, everyone else's faces were cloudy.

Just a few months ago, they all witnessed with their own eyes how the young man in front of him made friends with the Turkic prince Ashina Momo, and how he uttered the phrase before leaving How this young man forced Yuan Junzhang to cut off Yu Sheshe's head outside the gate of the Turkic camp.

Therefore, looking at the gentle smile on Li Shan's face, almost everyone felt chills in their hearts... The corpse of the last one who was cheated was worth two points.

Among the generals under Yuan Junzhang's command, Xi Duo and Guo Ziwei were the leaders. However, the latter was beheaded by Yuan Junzhang in the battle a year ago, so now Xi Duo is the leader in the army.

Xi Duo was an official under Liu Wuzhou in his early years, and then he raised troops and assisted Yuan Junzhang. He also led troops in battle, but he was more concerned with logistics, military official documents, and internal affairs.

Xi Duo is more than 50 years old this year. He is thin and thin, with silver threads hidden in the topknot of his head. It is very clear about Li Shan's intention to come.

Under the many seats, Niu Bin, He Liu, Wei Peng, Guo Ziheng, Du Shiyuan and other generals.

Li Shan paid the most attention to two of them. One was Guo Ziheng. Guo Ziwei, who was beheaded by Yuan Junzhang in the army before, was his cousin.

The other is Du Shiyuan, who used to be a general of Gao Manzheng. Last year, Yuan Junzhang stormed Mayi.

The whole army changed flags and turned to the Tang Dynasty. Guo Ziheng might be suspicious of Dou because of the death of his cousin Guo Ziwei, but the one who feared the most should be Du Shiyuan who had rebelled.

In the list written by Yuan Junzhang, the top two were Guo Ziheng and Du Shiyuan.

After chatting for a long time, seeing that the sun was setting and everyone rushed into the city, Li Shan released the news of the distribution of grain and grass at the gate of the city, and went to the banquet happily to drink with everyone.

As soon as he sat down, Li Shan couldn't help laughing and said, "Thank you, Mr. Xi, do you still remember?"

On the table are beef brisket stewed with radish, sliced ​​braised ox tongue, and a bowl of oxtail soup.

Xi Duo laughed and said, "It's a pity that it's already spring and it's hard to store it for a long time. Otherwise, I would have asked Yiyang County to bring it to Dai County a few days ago."

"Try it..." Li Shan picked up a piece of beef brisket with his chopsticks, chewed a few mouthfuls and nodded, "This cook is very skilled. It's just that there are a few less seasonings, but it's still delicious."

Qin Wutong was a little surprised, but it was just a little surprised. After all, Li and Tang followed the former Sui Dynasty and strictly prohibited killing cattle. He didn't expect Shuozhou to be so wanton.

And Liu Shirang's dull face flashed a gleam of joy. In fact, Shuozhou also seldom slaughtered cattle. He hadn't eaten beef in Mayidu for several months, but today he slaughtered cattle and held a banquet... This shows a point , Xi Duo has good intentions for Li Shan's arrival, at least not tit for tat.

Because last year on the tenth day of Mayi, after the farce, almost all the generals knew that Li Shan had the best beef, and even Yu Sheshe and the association rate brought some cattle from Yunzhou at that time... specially for Li Shan .

It's a pity that all of them were fed to the dogs... After eating and drinking enough during the day, the corpses were divided into two parts at night.

Li Shan asked his personal guards to bring Yuhuchun up, and he just drank slowly, letting Xue Wanche compete with Niu Bin, He Liu and others, and ended up getting very drunk.

Li Shan carefully observed Guo Ziheng and Du Shiyuan. The former was very drunk, while the latter barely touched a drop of alcohol.

When he arrived in Mayi and everyone knew his purpose, Guo Ziheng's drunkenness seemed to indicate that he had no plans, while Du Shiyuan's caution seemed to be the other side.

Li Shan did not directly make a judgment, but kept weighing in his heart... No matter what, these two people cannot stay. One has a close relationship with the Turks, and the other is a weak bone who had previously rebelled.

In another three months, the Turks will inevitably attack on a large scale. Although Li Jing has already taken office at that time, Li Shan does not want to bury such a hidden danger... As a traveler, he always has the will to influence something. Sun Moon Lake is too small, and Daizhou was the place where he had made great achievements. Even if he left, he didn't want to see his previous efforts ruined.

But are these two people killed or expelled?
Direct beheading is only afraid of shaking the morale of the army, and the expulsion seems to show that there is no room for anyone, or transferred to Daizhou and Xinzhou?
Until rubbing his head and sitting down in the house where he entered Mayi for the first time last year, Li Shan was still thinking about this question, but he quickly put it behind him for the time being.

Because Wang Junhao reported outside the door, "Mr. Lang, Qin Wutong has arrived."

(End of this chapter)