Northern Dynasties

Chapter 190
The cold wind swept across the fields, and the iron hooves broke through the thin ice.

It is extremely rare to see people in the Great Jingyuan. When a cavalry team of thousands of people galloped into the wilderness, the scene of desolation in the wilderness suddenly became more chilling, and even the sound of the wind became sharper.

Although the picture of Qianqi rolling Pinggang is magnificent, when the wind and sand blows, who knows who is cold.

Although Li Tai was already wearing a thick hakama pleats and a fur robe tightly wrapped around his body, riding the horse all the way was like being in an ice cellar, his hands and feet were numb from the cold wind, and although his face was painted He was greased and covered with a face towel, but he was already too cold to express himself.

Although it was hard work to travel in the cold winter, when he thought of the purpose of this trip, he was full of enthusiasm. Looking back at the scattered team behind him, he shouted loudly: "Let's go fast again, and we will rest in Liyang in the evening!"

In order to get a share of the action to exterminate Buddha, he brought out all the veterans this time, more than [-] old soldiers plus more than [-] new recruits, as well as [-] soldiers Wu Zhuangding, and the horses were even more powerful. Nearly two thousand horses were dispatched.

Many rookies who have not yet learned how to ride horses are led by the old pawns to ride westward from the bank of Luoshui.

Liu Min, who was traveling with him, also brought all the more than [-] plays of his family. He didn't know the evil thoughts in Li Tai's mind. How many times have I thanked Li Tai.

The group of people did not avoid the severe cold and rushed against the wind, and finally arrived at the vicinity of Liyang Fangcheng, where the parade was held last year, in the evening.

Right now Liyang Fang is not as crowded as it was last year, but there are still tens of thousands of horses gathered inside and outside Fangcheng, and it is an important town on the Weibei Plain.

When Li Tai and others were more than ten miles away from Fangcheng, they were stopped by the scouts here and questioned. Li Tai asked Liu Min to hide in the ranks, and came forward to contact them.

After he revealed his identity, although the vigilance of the scouts here was slightly restrained, they did not completely relax their vigilance. They invited Li Tai to enter the city to meet with the city guard Shangguan, and his subordinates had to dismount. And go.

So Li Tai led ten of his entourages, and followed several scouts on horseback towards Liyang Fangcheng. When they arrived at Fangcheng, there was already a marching soldier waiting at the gate of the city.

"The city lord still has some work to do, so he ordered the humble officer to go out to meet Governor Li. May I ask Governor Li, is it a public or private matter to bring all the soldiers into the country?"

The man in his thirties who joined the army had a kind attitude, but he still looked at Li Tai with scrutiny.

"Following the mission of Lu Shaoqing, Sinonong in the imperial court, to inspect the situation along the Zhengguo Canal. If there are any bandits that hurt the canal and kill them, they will be suppressed immediately. Passing through Yueyang, we will stay here temporarily. I beg Baitu Gongxin City Lord for your convenience."

Li Tai got off his horse, pulled off his scarf, and smiled at the officer.

The soldier who joined the army knew that Li Tai's troops were just passing by, so he didn't ask further where he was going, and invited Li Tai and his entourage into the city with a respectful face, and introduced them to the city lord's mansion.

Xin Wei, the defender of Liyang Fangcheng, was in his early thirties. Standing in front of the Zhitang gate, he saw Li Taixing walk in. He walked down and clapped his hands and said with a smile: "I saw Li Zhengying in Baishui a month ago. I can't forget it until now. I don't want to be here again We will meet again in this city. The winter is bitter and cold, and the work is still on the road. The attitude of loyalty and diligence is admirable!"

Li Tai also hurriedly clasped his fists in return and said with a smile: "Even though it's time to get involved, there is no difference between being kind and useful. Bai Tugong and others are all seniors and have made outstanding achievements. The younger generation is fortunate to be in the same rank. Only by working hard can we meet each other." Don't be ashamed!"

Xin Wei's ancestral home was in Longxi, but his family had already been in Jubeidi County several generations ago. When He Bayue entered the customs, he led his troops to rise up in the village and followed the rebellion. Later, he returned to the command of Daxingtai with the generals. He has participated in several battles, and he is also a brave general with illustrious military exploits.Now he is also the title of Great Governor, but his official title is much higher than Li Tai.

Although Xin Wei was famous for his bravery in battle, he was not an ordinary warrior who was arrogant and wild. He was also very polite to Li Tai, a guest who came suddenly, and he simply prepared meals in the hall to entertain him.

When he heard Li Tai explain his excuses for this trip, he sighed and said: "The folk customs in Kansai are originally known as simple and upright, but since Zhengguang they have been repeatedly harassed by bandits, and the country has collapsed due to military disasters, so it is difficult to get together. People on the surface like me are really moved by being worried about the chaos of the country and being jealous of evil."

"Where the Tao lies, the masses strive for the trend, and if the will is united, the rule is not far away. I take the liberty of visiting today, and I would like to ask Mr. Baitu, is there any rampant harassment of bandits in the nearby areas?"

Li Tai said polite words, and carefully observed Xin Wei's expression.Although he felt in his heart that this matter was mostly self-inflicted stealing, he did not rule out the possibility that the leader of the powerful army in the situation would take action.Xin Wei has the most power in the environment, and he is naturally the most aware of any troubles.

"If you talk about bandits, there are indeed a few. In the north of Fuping, there are often thieves wandering around. The villagers form fences to protect themselves, and there are Fangcheng soldiers and horses patrolling to expel them. It is not a serious problem. There are also a few wandering tribes. ..."

If the thief Hu mentioned in Kansai is not specifically referring to it, it is generally referred to as Jihu.Li Tai heard that there were actually Jihu tribes wandering around in this area, and he couldn't help but sigh that these Jihu tribes are really pervasive, and their tribes are distributed everywhere.

The scope of guarding in Liyang is very wide, and the entire Weibei Plain and the junctions of Yongzhou, Beiyongzhou, Huazhou, and Beihuazhou are patrolled here. Therefore, several thieves under Xinwei's affiliation are also spread over a wide range, including The disappearance of Liu Min's other department.

"It's a lot of work for those who can. Fortunately, there is Lord Baitu in this place. Otherwise, the bandits on the front line in Weibei will be more rampant, and the suffering of the villagers will be even deeper!"

Li Tai made a compliment first, and then asked: "I want to ask Bai Tugong, if the bandits in the territory are disturbing, will the Fangcheng children come out immediately after hearing the news, or do they have other rules to go back and forth?"

"Self-defense in all areas is the main thing, and the defense of the city is coordinated in the middle. If it is not a serious danger of besieging the city and attacking the city, you must get the state officials to warn you, otherwise you can't leave Jingyuan lightly. Traveling on official business, you also need to report and assist in the defense. Send out troops to guide and protect you. Li Shi's order is attached here, and if you are in danger, you can send envoys to call for help."

Xin Wei replied patiently, and this did not involve any military secrets.If Fangcheng does not also hold state and county official positions, it is generally not under the jurisdiction of the local government, and it mainly defends strategic points and strongholds in large cities.

"From this point of view, although the affairs of Fangcheng are difficult and complicated, there are also many restrictions!"

Li Tai sighed after hearing this, and Xin Wei also said: "So I also deeply envy Li's ability to engage in your job with a long history and a long history. You have achieved a lot in Beizhou before. It’s also enviable but impossible.”

Li Tai just smiled after hearing the words, the rules are one thing, but the actual execution is another.All kinds of personnel disturbances in Kansai, if you follow the rules in everything, a small disturbance can lead to a catastrophe.

In the past, he didn't even have an official position in the army, but he made a lot of gains in northern Shaanxi, which didn't hinder the discussion of his merits afterwards.

Xin Wei's family background was originally powerful in the north, and Buqu's power was only much more powerful than Li Tai's. Although he himself had restrictions on his job, he would not delay sending Buqu to do private work.

If he really wants to do something big like Li Tai, even if he doesn't come forward to receive the reward, he can still let the clan's children show their merits with the righteousness of the country.Of course, saying this is only polite, and it doesn't mean that he will really abide by the rules.

Regardless of whether Xin Wei and Li Yangfang were suspected or not, Li Tai did not intend to reveal the true purpose of his trip prematurely, and asked about the bandits around Zheng Guoqu, and then he planned to get up and leave, and go outside the city to meet his subordinates.

But before he had time to leave, Xin Wei looked at him earnestly and said, "I'm serving you at the hall today, and I have something to ask Li Zheng. The portable food cake you created before is indeed a good resource for the army." In the past, he was able to travel across Beizhou, and his soldiers were not lacking in support. I think it is because of this that the material resources are not shallow.

To be honest, I also had my slaves imitate some, but the finished products were not as good as the ones I saw here last year.This summer, Zhongshan Gong Zhao Huyu, who participated in the garrison of the river defense, was exhausted because of the mildew of the grain and cakes.So I would like to ask, if there is a surplus of this item in the warehouse, can it be bartered and evenly distributed? "

Li Tai couldn't help being happy when he heard this. The production and sale of military rations was originally a business he had planned, but it was a pity that last year this place was disrupted by Yu Wentai and it was put on hold first.

Originally, he wanted to wait until the right time to start again, and now the grain and cakes produced by the manor are only for his own use. Recently, Zheng Huan, who is newly in charge of the military and uses war to support war, has long since put this matter behind him. But he didn't expect a business to come to him on his own initiative.

Although right now he is full of plans to pick off the golden bodies of the Buddhas, but in line with the principle of broadening the source of wealth and the principle that mosquito legs are also meat, he said to Xin Wei with a smile: "It's not that I cherish my skills, this method of making food The procedure is indeed cumbersome, because it needs to be more cautious when used in the military, and the misfortune of Zhongshan Gong's department needs to be warned deeply, so I dare not teach this method lightly to others. There is indeed a spare reserve for the work under the sect. If Bai Tugong needs it , so that people can take it directly.”

"Personnel maintenance is difficult, and those who are in charge are all trapped in material resources. The materials are not obtained out of thin air, so how can I have the audacity to beg for them? It is already a lot of benefits to be able to balance the surplus with Li Engeng!"

Xin Wei didn't take Li Tai's polite words seriously, and quickly expressed his stance, Dang even said that he would send people to Shangyuan to negotiate a deal, and sent Li Taili out of the city, and gave him ten sheep for extra meals in his camp.

After Li Tai entered the camp, Liu Min hurried up to meet him, and asked in a low voice, "What you saw on Mount Yibo, is Bai Tugong suspected of being involved here?"

Li Tai shook his head after hearing the words: "Baitu Gong has a lot of hope and a strong position, so he should not be greedy for floating goods and damage his reputation and future."

The crime of robbing lost officials is not a small crime. Li Tai saw that Xin Wei was neither arrogant, forgetful, nor greedy. He already had a high position, and there was really no need to get involved in such dirty things. .

Liu Min was fairly convinced of Li Tai's judgment, and heaved a sigh of relief after hearing the words: "As long as there are no powerful soldiers involved in the incident, the incident is not considered dangerous, and there is still room for redemption..."

Li Tai smiled and nodded in agreement, but in his heart he felt that Liu Min looked down on him a bit, do you think I am not a strong soldier or a strong general?

(End of this chapter)