The Song Dynasty has been deliberate for 16 years, only to know that it is the Water Margin

Chapter 487 Doubts, Pioneer

There was a sudden silence in the hall, and Zhao Tao closed his eyes again and leaned back on the chair, as if to rest his mind.

Zhiling's face was expressionless, but her eyes were cold as she looked at Zhao Tong.

Lin Wanfeng was beside himself with confusion. He looked at Zhiling and then Zhao Tong, wondering what to do.

If General Song was really his senior brother, he would naturally get closer to him, but Concubine Jing was also close to him, so it was really hard for her to have an idea at the moment.

Zhiling slowly turned her head, looked at Lin Wanfeng, and moved the corners of her mouth slightly.

Lin Wanfeng shook his head hurriedly and without any trace, and Zhiling immediately frowned.

Lin Wanfeng bit her teeth lightly and clenched her fists with both hands. Zhiling's intention just now was to capture General Song and force him to release him!

But can this work?
Lin Wanfeng forced a smile and said: "General, there are no absolutes in anything. The so-called business cannot be done without benevolence and righteousness. Everything is negotiable. My daughter has come to Zhuoluo twice and knows that the general is aboveboard and will never detain us. "

Zhao Tong snorted coldly.

Lin Wanfeng said again: "General, 50 taels is too much. My daughter is a Han and travels to Tianshan. She knows the difference in money between the Song Dynasty and Xixia. In Xixia, I am afraid that no one except the royal family can take out so many silver taels at one time." .”

Zhao Tong said: "Can't the Yuan family take it out too?"

"This..." Lin Wanfeng glanced at Zhiling, shook his head and said, "To be honest, General, although the Yuan family has a lot of property, they don't have 50 taels of cash at a time."

Zhao Tong sneered.

Lin Wanfeng said: "General... I kindly ask the general to reduce the amount."

Zhao Tong said: "In what capacity are you begging me? You are not a member of the Yuan family, and you are not an official of Xixia. Isn't it ridiculous to talk like this?"

Lin Wanfeng's face turned red, and Qi Ai said: "My little girl is a disciple of Shaanxi hero Zhou Tong. I think the general must have heard of my master's name."

Zhao Tong slowly opened his eyes, with an unpleasant look on his face, and after a long while he said: "The hero Zhou is famous all over the world. He is loyal to the emperor and patriotic. No one knows about it. Of course, I also know the hero Zhou, but...does the hero Zhou know? His disciple stood up for the Xixia Yuan family and spoke for the concubines of the Weiming royal family?"

"This..." Lin Wanfeng's expression changed when he heard this. Although Zhou Tong had always taught people regardless of their differences, after all, his heart was with the Han Dynasty. Fanhu was doing things, but it was a bit unjustifiable.

Zhao Tong said coldly: "Although you are a woman and you are young, how can you say you are ignorant because of the differences between men and women and the great interests of the family and country?"

"I, my little girl..." Lin Wanfeng wanted to dive into the ground at this moment. She really had never thought about such things. She was not working for Xixia, and the Tianshan Divine Bird Palace did not belong to any country. It was just Yuan Jing and Shen The Palace of Birds had a deep connection, and she was on good terms with Yuan Jing, so she wanted to help Yuan Jing, but she never thought about the righteousness of her family and country.

Now that Zhao Tong had mentioned the nature of the matter in one sentence, Lin Wanfeng felt a little at a loss. Even though he had extraordinary martial arts skills and claimed to be a virgin, tears welled up in his eyes, and he felt a sense of grievance and sorrow in his heart.

Zhiling on the side saw this and held her shoulders: "Junior sister Lin, don't think too much. You are just helping Concubine Jing. Where are these rational remarks? Don't take it to heart. I and Concubine Jing are returning to Xingqing this time. I'll tell you, Junior Sister Lin won't be allowed to come."

Zhao Tong was cold and silent. He looked at the two girls talking in low voices. After a long while, he Zhi Lingfang said: "General, the ransom money cannot be less? If 30 taels is enough, the little girl can now make the decision on behalf of Concubine Jing." Accept."

"30 taels?" Zhao Tao looked at her with a hint of teasing at the corner of his mouth. With such a large amount of 30 taels, how could a disciple of the Palace of Prey make the decision?It’s strange that he believes it!
This woman named Zhiling hid her face and was full of lies. She could not be trusted. Moreover, she actually knew about important military matters such as Yao Pingzhong's capture of Xizhou. Her identity was very suspicious. It was hard to tell whether she was from the Palace of Birds of Prey or not.

"30 taels is still a bit low, but..." Zhao Tao said lightly: "I thought, what I said before was a bit too harsh. Since Sister 28 is not among the redeemers, then 40 taels will be fine. I don't know. Can we finalize the decision?”

"40..." Zhiling looked at Zhao Tong with hesitation in his eyes.

Zhao Tong touched his chin, looking away from Zhiling. If this woman dared to say that she could make the decision, he would immediately take her down and interrogate her carefully. She dared to agree to such a sum. She was obviously talking nonsense and trying to appease and delay him. , maybe there is some intention!

"With this amount... I'm afraid I won't be able to make the decision." Zhiling sighed softly: "General, I want to go back and report to Concubine Jing, so that Concubine Jing can make the decision herself."

Zhao Tong narrowed his eyes slightly: "It's just an extra 10 taels, can't Miss Zhi not be able to decide?"

Zhiling looked at Zhao Tong and slowly shook his head: "When the two girls came, Concubine Jing had given them a sum of only 30, and they had to take Yuan Chun back with them. Yuan Ji could not be harmed either. The girl just took the risk out of compulsion. I agreed, but now that I think about it, it might seem a bit abrupt."

Zhao Tong looked at her with his eyes. Not only did Zhiling refuse to agree to the 40 yuan, but the previous 30 yuan was overturned. This was beyond his expectation. Did he feel that he had made a mistake just now?
He sneered and said: "30 taels are sent to a beggar! Your poverty and poverty in Xixia is a big price, but I will look down on it. If it's less than 40 taels, let's not talk about it!"

"This..." Zhiling's eyes flashed, slightly angry, and she obviously didn't like hearing Zhao Tong's so-called poverty. She took a deep breath and said, "I can allow my daughter to go back and report this matter to Concubine Jing, and let Concubine Jing decide for herself."

Zhao Tao drooped his eyelids when he heard this: "This is only one chance. If you still bargain next time, then you will have to buy the corpse's head!"

"My little girl heard it and will definitely report the general's words to Concubine Jing!" Zhiling's tone was flat, without any emotion.

Zhao Tong raised his eyes and glanced at her again, then raised his hand towards the door of the hall: "General Du, take her two out of the city!"

In response, Du Bo led the troops and escorted the two women towards the outside.

Zhao Tong looked at the backs of the two people and fell into deep thought...

Two days later, the army was integrated, all supplies of food, grass and baggage were present, and there was no shortage of ordnance and equipment.

Zhao Tong personally inspected the troops and was very satisfied. He ordered Du Bu to lead the troops, Zhang Xian as the vanguard, Yang Zhi and Xu Ning as generals, and set off the next day to send troops to Sichuan.

Later, he personally took people to the prison in the evening, lifted Yuanji and the others out, and put them into the prison van.

It is impossible for Zhao Tong to wait for news from Yuan Jing in Zhuoluo. The other party may not send people again. After all, he is very serious about what he said. If he does not agree to the ransom of 40 taels and someone comes to hold him back, then he will be detained directly and put in prison. They were all killed too.Even if the other party really agrees to the price, he will not wait in the city. Military is the most important thing at the moment. Money, silk and property, as long as Xixia is captured, how much do you need?
And people like Yuanji will definitely not be able to stay in Zhuoluo. Although he led his troops to conquer Fuchuan, Zhuoluo City will be completely closed and will not be reopened until Xiafuchuan returns home in triumph. But even so, they are still worried. Not only must they After taking these people away, even Yuan Ying and Yuan Guo must accompany the army.

Looking at the people in the prison car, especially Yuan Ji, Zhao Tong couldn't help but frown.

Yuanji is a master, but this prison car is just made of wood, so it may not be able to trap him for a long time.

He looked at Yuan Ji, who also looked at him angrily. These days, because of Yuan Ying, the few people in the prison have not suffered much or starved, and they all have some strength at the moment.

Zhao Tong said: "As a master, you should be admired by all directions, but now you are reduced to a prisoner under the rank, but you are resentful and unconvinced in your heart?"

Yuan Ji said: "My skills are inferior to others, so I have nothing to say. I am just an enemy, so how can I be convinced?"

"Okay..." Zhao Tong nodded: "I will always admire those who are strong-willed and strong-willed!"

"Hmph!" Yuan Ji said coldly: "Kill if you want. Why show off? Why put us in a prison car? But do we have to be taken to the execution ground for execution?"

Zhao Tong smiled: "I can't bear to kill you. You are worth 40 taels of silver. Yuan Jing will give you money to redeem you soon."

"40 taels of silver?" Yuanji was stunned: "This is impossible!"

"Do you think it's impossible?" Zhao Tong laughed and said, "That means Yuan Jing won't use money to redeem you, but will only continue to think of some dirty tricks to save people?"

Yuanji immediately fell silent, as if he knew he had said the wrong thing, and closed his eyes tightly.

Zhao Tong's face gradually turned cold and he said: "Come here, put on his pipa bones and lock them on the wooden pillars!"

Shi Qian and Ding Erxie immediately took the thin iron chain and used it. Zhao Tong looked at it for a few seconds, then turned and left.

He really wanted to kill Yuanji directly. Keeping this person alive would be a disaster, but Yuanji is a martial arts genius and a master. As long as Yuanji is in their hands, the Yuan family and Yuan Jing will use all possible means to avoid them, and they will even send surprises from time to time. So it can’t be killed yet.

Early the next morning, the east gate of Zhuolu City opened. Zhang Xian rushed out first with a thousand vanguard cavalry, and the rest of the army followed like a long dragon, heading straight for Fuchuan.

Zhuoluo is three to four hundred miles away from Shichuan. The road conditions are good and bad. There are no towns in the middle, only some stone forts. Most of these forts are close to the border and are currently deserted.

Zhang Xian cleared the way ahead and entered the empty fort to investigate, but found signs that the Xixia soldiers had just left. It was obvious that they had discovered their advance and were retreating in an orderly manner.

He hurriedly sent someone back to report the news to the Chinese army. Zhao Tong couldn't help frowning after hearing the news. The defense along the border was naturally different from that in the inner city. It was not only vigilant, but also quick and decisive in dealings. It was far from comparable to Tiandeng, Liangzhou and other places.

Now that the opponent has seen through it, there is no point in marching in a hurry. Shikawa itself is classified as a military city, and trenches, horse ropes, and fire extinguisher mechanisms have been laid out both inside and outside the city. These things will not change if you go early and go late. When you arrive, the other party will make less arrangements.

Originally, I just wanted to catch the other party off guard, but when the other party learned the news, they would definitely set up an ambush, so it was not easy to move faster to avoid getting tired of the army and fall into the trap.

Zhao Tao replied to Zhang Xian, telling him not to advance rashly, but to inquire more about the information, especially in the Lingbo Mountain area above. Once, he lost his horse and was attacked by the opponent.

After Zhang Xian received the order, he stopped and sent out scouts on horseback. They scouted for three miles and reported for five miles. On this day, they finally arrived near Fuchuan City.

To the north of Shikigawa is Mount Reibo, and behind it is Mount Roulang. There is a lake below Reibo, called Lake Dulan. Half of the water in the lake comes from the melting of ice and snow on the mountain in spring, and the other half comes from the filling of summer rain.

Shichuan then diverted the lake water to the bottom of the city and dug a moat. It is one of the few places in Xixia surrounded by water rivers.

Zhang Xian received Zhao Tao's order and instead of marching in a straight line, he went around to the other side of the Dulan River. Fuchuan City was invisible to the naked eye, but the outline could be seen with a telescope.

He observed for a long time, and it seemed that all the Shichuan City Gates were closed, and there was no one waiting below. It was obvious that he had taken precautions.

After thinking for a moment, Zhang Xian ordered a thousand pioneers to go to Lingbo Mountain.

Although Lingbo Mountain is called a mountain, it is not actually lofty. It is the topography of a mountain plain, with trees, forests, grass and rocks. Traces of man-made changes can be seen in many places.

Slowly entering the mountain, five cavalry were sent out in front to explore the horse. Just a quarter of an hour later, three cavalry ran back in a hurry, shouting: "General, general, there are Xixia thieves hiding in the mountain and ambushing them. Two brothers have been killed!"

Zhang Xian took a deep breath when he heard this, hurriedly ordered to stop his progress, and then looked carefully into the distance.

Although it is a mountain topography, there are countless hills and even sparse trees are not suitable for cavalry to attack. He thought for a moment, then immediately turned his horse's head and shouted: "Retreat!"

You can't stay in this place for a long time. The enemy is hidden and the enemy is exposed. If you go deeper, you may get into the opponent's ambush circle and it will be difficult to leave.

With Zhang Xian taking the lead, everyone ran down the mountain, but just when they came out of Lingbo Mountain, they saw smoke and dust billowing in front of them, and the shouts of killing suddenly shook the sky. It turned out to be a Xixia army coming to kill them.

Zhang Xian looked intently and saw that the team in front had both cavalry and infantry. The cavalry probably numbered at least 2000 or [-]. The infantry was several times more than the cavalry, ranging from [-] to [-].

Zhang Xian couldn't help but be surprised, where did so many Xixia troops come from?This is more than Liangzhou City. Shichuan is no more than a small county. Although it is a military city, most of the people from the Xishou Baotai Military Division were transferred to Hedong Xialanzhou to fight against Xizhou. Even if they were left, they should be in Huizhou. Why? Did you come to Shikawa?
Moreover, when you look at the appearance of these military horses, they are different from the old, weak, sick and disabled people in Liangzhou. Even if they are not elite soldiers, they are not far different.

Just as he was surprised, a cry of death suddenly came from behind. Apparently, the ambush team on the mountain chased them after seeing that they had not fallen into the trap, hoping to attack them from both sides and destroy them here.

Zhang Xian couldn't help but grit his teeth. At this moment, there was an ambush in front of him, and there were pursuers behind him. He was in a dilemma, with nowhere to escape, and no room to look back. He could only fight his way through.

Without further ado, as the longer he delayed, the harder it was to escape, he immediately shouted: "My sons, follow me and rush over, let these summer thieves see the power of our army and horses!"

The men under him were all well-equipped, far superior to their opponents, and they were newborn calves not afraid of tigers, so they were not afraid of being outnumbered. When they heard this, they immediately screamed "Aoao", waved their big guns, and charged forward with him!
The Xixia team outside the mountain did not expect them to be so brave and brave, but they were just stunned for a moment before they attacked. Then, the two teams collided with each other with a "boom"!
(End of this chapter)