first minister

Chapter 338 One word can be worth a hundred thousand divisions

There is a village named Xiaoqiao in Suiling County, Donghai County.

A man and a woman rode horses slowly and came to a small bridge by the river.

Bai Yunbian also changed into a smart outfit at this moment. After more than ten days of war, most of the scholar's immature literary spirit was washed away, and his whole person became a little more mature and steady.

He stared at the calm river flowing slowly in front of him with a look of vicissitudes of life, "The fish and dragons roared in the ancient sea, and the road was empty for this river."

Ye Hongluan stretched out his hand skillfully and said, "Speak humanly!"

Bai Yunbian broke through the power instantly, tilted his neck, "It hurts, it hurts!"

After Ye Hongluan let go, he touched his ears and regretfully lamented that his great career in poetry writing would probably collapse in the middle. He said weakly: "I mean this river is the old path of a big river. Standing here now, it's more or less... The emotion of the changes in the world.”

"and then?"

"Then?"

"I thought you had thought of some way to march!"

Ye Hongluan pouted, turned over and dismounted, let the horse go to the river to drink water, and found a stone to sit on.

Bai Yunbian followed suit and came to her side, sighing, "I don't know what the situation is like in Zhongjing City."

Seeing the sadness on the man's eyebrows, Ye Hongluan said: "Now there is war all over the world, and the court is no longer the same court as before. There are a lot of troubled things waiting for them to deal with. We can all achieve this situation now, The imperial envoy is so powerful, he should be fine."

Bai Yunbian frowned, "But the situation in Zhongjing City is different. Xiao Fengshan, the British Duke, the Crown Prince, and the Crown Prince have the right to succeed to the throne. How can this be possible?"

Ye Hongluan knew that Bai Yunbian was really worried now as soon as he heard that his man's words were not just to defend him.

She stood up and said simply: "In today's world, taxes and corvee are heavy, corruption is rampant, and the people are in dire straits. Now we act as if we can't survive and rise up, with tens of thousands of Caogang members, and thousands of your elite soldiers. If Mr. Xia can reverse the situation in the future, we will respond to each other and revive Chao Gang. If he is gone, you can lead everyone to move forward. The world of Daxia was also conquered by Taizu hundreds of years ago. Can’t we do it?”

Ye Hongluan stretched out his hand and said, "We are not doing it for ambition, we are just doing it to catch corrupt officials, kill corrupt officials, pacify bandits, bring peace to the people, and fight our way to a bright and prosperous world!"

Bai Yun looked at the woman next to him. The autumn wind blew from the water, blowing her hair, making her look even more energetic. The old river path behind her was like a jasper belt around her waist, setting off her My already slim and fit body became taller and straighter.

Her eyes shone with confidence and determination, gradually illuminating Bai Yunbian's slightly confused heart at the moment.

These days, he has been thinking about what he is doing all this for.

At first, he thought he wanted to help Xia Jingyun control the situation in Longshou State, and then he got to where he is now by accident.

Dozens of miles away, Longshou Prefecture City was already in sight, but he fell into confusion. What could he do if he really captured Longshou Prefecture City?

Now that he knows, there is a lot he can do. Not to mention other things, just to calm down the order in Longshou Prefecture and give the people an environment to live and work in peace and contentment is enough to comfort him for a lifetime.

Cultivate oneself, manage one's family, govern the country and bring peace to the world, isn't it the dream of scholars of our generation?

This time, without him Xia Jingyun, I can still create miracles!
Bai Yunbian stood up excitedly, his confusion gone, "Let's go! Back to camp, let's discuss how to capture the city!"

Turning on the horse, Bai Yunbian suddenly froze, no, the words just now about self-cultivation, harmonizing the family, ruling the country and bringing peace to the world were not written in the book. Who said it?

Seeing Bai Yunbian's startled look, Ye Hongluan asked doubtfully: "What's wrong?"

Bai Yunbian's face fell, "It's nothing, let's go!"

Damn it, I heard it from Xia Jingyun, that bitch is really haunting! ——
"It seems like it's raining."

Concubine De stood at the entrance of the secret passage, listening to the patter of rain outside, and spoke softly.

Feng Xiuyun stood aside, sniffing slightly, and said with a smile: "It's a long-lost smell."

The door at one end of the secret passage was open, and Chen Fugui was guarding it personally. After all, it was impossible to lock someone like Concubine De like a rat in the ground without air for ten days and a half.

Xia Jingyun raised his head when he heard this, looked at the entrance of the secret passage, put down the pen in his hand, and walked forward with a smile.

"After another half month, I hope we can stand outside the gate in front of Huangji Palace and quietly enjoy the rain, wind and snow in Zhongjing."

The eyes of Concubine De and Feng Xiuyun naturally flashed with deep expectation.

However, it is not clear whether this expectation is because of that scene or because of [us].

Feng Xiuyun said softly: "I don't know what's going on over there in Longshou Prefecture."

Xia Jingyun smiled comfortingly, "Don't worry, I have made arrangements. We will definitely win."

Concubine De's hand hidden in her sleeve shook her hand silently, as if Xia Jingyun was holding her hand and talking about us.
-
The rain fell like a bead curtain. Xiao Fengshan stood in the waterside pavilion with his hands behind his hands, watching the same rain through the curtain.

The personal guard stood at the side and behind, as if his anger was still lingering, and he was indignant, "Xiong Baoquan, this son of a bitch, actually did such a ungrateful thing!"

On the table next to it, there was the detailed information about Longshou Prefecture that had just been received.

The breeze blew, and the footer swayed slightly, just like the current situation was somewhat unstable.

Xiao Fengshan's expression showed no emotion, and he pursed his thin lips slightly, "Don't blame them. This matter is too secretive, I didn't even tell you. He is in Chuning County, and it is normal for him to encounter big changes and be desperate."

He sighed softly, "I originally thought that if Xia Jingyun didn't react so quickly, it would only take three or four days for new changes to be made, and everything would still be under control by then. I didn't expect that this young man is really brave. He is old enough, and his eloquence is also very good. He can actually think of such a method. Although he has not directly fought, it can be seen that he is a talent."

"Now, Xiong Baoquan and the others can no longer look back. Naturally, they have no choice but to follow Xia Jingyun until the end."

After hearing this, the personal guard was slightly nervous, "Then what should we do now? Lao Xiong and the others are tough, and Longshouzhou and the others are also familiar with it, just in case."

Xiao Fengshan smiled calmly and said, "You can think of things, so am I not prepared?"

He turned around and sat back on the tea table, slowly brewed a pot of tea, and poured himself a cup. "On the second day after I arrived in Beijing, I had already arranged everything in the state. I have been running Longshou Prefecture for more than ten years." Years ago, they didn’t have the ability to snatch it away.”

The guard's expression changed slightly, "General, it seems that Xia Jingyun's whereabouts was not mentioned in the letter."

Xiao Fengshan paused while holding the tea cup to his mouth, thought for a while, and said slowly: "The uprisings in Sishui and Yunmeng states are very close to Zhongjing. Fortunately, Xiangyang has not been lost and can still resist the enemy. Therefore, I can still suppress the hearts of the important ministers in the court. But if Longshou Prefecture is lost, the rebels can march straight in and march to the Sishui Pass. Chen's army will be in front of the Sishui Pass. By then, there will be a big earthquake in the court."

He smiled coldly, "So, the No. [-] Scholar will definitely fight for his only way out in Longshou State. If this is the case, let all his expectations be dashed in Longshou State!"

He drank the tea soup in one gulp, and between his sharp eyebrows, the wind and snow of the past ten years passed by.
-
Longshou Prefecture City, the center of the entire world's faint attention and the key to determining the direction of the Great Xia Dynasty, is still prosperous at this moment.

However, this prosperity has an undertone of panic.

This background comes from the refugees crowding the streets;

From the sudden increase in soldiers patrolling the streets to maintain order;

From behind many tall gates, the guards are waiting;

It also comes from the lights in the State Shepherd's Mansion that are almost constantly lit day and night.

At this moment, the army that is gathering troops thirty miles away is like a bow aimed at everyone. They don't know when it will shoot over, but everyone knows that it will definitely come over.

The real key is whether they can stop it.

For a time, both the wealthy gentry and the common people in the city turned their attention to the Prefectural Mufu.

There is a big table in the main hall of the Prefecture Mufu.

A gentle middle-aged man sat calmly in the middle, and three generals with different demeanor sat on the remaining three sides.

The middle-aged man's surname was Ma and his given name was Lirong. He was Xiao Fengshan's childhood friend and classmate in college. Since then, they both had their own encounters. Ten years ago, when they met at Longshou, Ma Lirong naturally became Xiao Fengshan's number one aide.

At the beginning, when Xiao Fengshan sent troops to Sixiang Prefecture to quell the rebellion and was unable to do anything else, it was logical that he would take charge of the overall situation of Longshou Prefecture as Xiao Fengshan's most trusted person.

After the bad news of Xiao Fengshan's capture came, it was he who relied on his familiarity and trust in Xiao Fengshan and used decisive perseverance to hold on to the overall situation in the prefecture city, and finally successfully waited for the surprising changes in Zhongjing City.

The remaining three are the only three lieutenants left in the Longshou Army.

Of the six deputy generals of the Longshou Army, Xiao Fengshan took away two, Xiong Baoquan was one, and there were three left, all of whom were sitting in the field.

"Mr. Ma, general, what do you say?" the youngest general on the left asked eagerly.

"What general? You want to call me Xianggong!" Sitting opposite him, a calm-faced general corrected him.

"It's time, why do you care?" The rough-looking man below snorted coldly.

This hasn't even been discussed yet, but it's about to break out, which shows the irritability and pressure everyone is feeling at the moment.

Ma Lirong smiled easily, "The three generals don't have to worry so much. Think about it, before we only had one state, and not everyone in this state was obedient and could survive so many storms. Now Mr. Xiao is fair The earth is thundering, and the prince is supported to ascend to the throne. All important military and national affairs depend on him. It seems that we are fighting in this state and city, but in fact we are relying on the support of the entire imperial court. What do we have to worry about? "

He knocked on the table lightly, "Xiao Xianggong has sent several handwritten letters these days and made many arrangements for Longshou Prefecture. Moreover, how many arrangements have we made for Longshou Prefecture City in these years? With just a few thousand of them, it is simply wishful thinking to take over the city that we have operated for so many years!”

He looked at the three of them and ordered: "Let's wait and do this and this."

A gust of wind blew past, drowning the discussion in the hall into the night.

That night, I don’t know how many people had sleepless nights.

Anyway, I didn’t fall asleep much by the white clouds.

I cleared up my confusion yesterday and cheered up. After I returned, I led everyone in a discussion.

It's okay if we don't discuss this, but once we discuss it, our heads will get bigger.

Xiong Baoquan and several other subordinate officials were formerly members of the Longshou Army and were very familiar with the city defense of Longshou City.

This kind of familiarity did not bring much convenience and excitement to everyone's insight into the inside story. Instead, it gave them more headaches because the city defense of Longshou City was too solid.

Sometimes the ignorant are fearless and can still maintain unrealistic and beautiful expectations for the future with passion and simplicity, but the reality is often so cruel that people's hearts feel cold.

Xiao Fengshan was both civilized and military, and had run the Longshou Prefecture city for nearly ten years as a prefecture shepherd. It was built according to the idea of ​​a base camp. It cannot be said to be easy to defend but difficult to attack, at least it is impregnable.

After discussing it all night, no good solution was found. Baiyunbian had no choice but to tell everyone to take a rest first and camp here for a day to figure it out.

But Xiong Baoquan and Ye Hongluan rejected this decision almost at the same time. Now that morale is strong and military morale is available, there may be something wrong if we just hesitate to move forward.

Most of the soldiers under his command were former Dragon Head Army. Once the morale is low and people's thoughts are aroused, something unexpected may happen.

Therefore, Xiong Baoquan suggested marching fifteen miles before setting up camp, which would put some pressure on the defenders and people in the city.After thinking about it, Bai Yunbian agreed to this strategy.

Sure enough, after the troops outside the city departed, the scouts immediately reported the news, and a commotion naturally broke out in the city. As the whole city was on alert, Ma Lirong also led people to climb the city wall.

"How many are they?"

Ma Lirong asked the deputy general next to him. The man raised his eyes and said, "There are indeed six or seven thousand. They are not exaggerating."

Generally speaking, a team of ten thousand people would basically block out the sky and the sun. The 7000 people under Bai Yunbian's command are indeed very powerful.

"But we are defending the city. Not to mention one for ten, one for five is safe. There are three thousand defenders in the city, there are so many young and strong people, and there is enough food and grass, so there is no need to worry too much."

Ma Lirong hummed, "What you said is right. Go ahead and get the soldiers ready. If they dare to attack now, give them a blow on the head first!"

The deputy general took the order and left, but in the end, he found that the team had stopped on an open flat land more than ten miles away from the city wall.

Then they actually started setting up camp.

The soldiers in the city who were waiting in full formation were dumbfounded. When the news spread, the people in the city who were already a little nervous and agitated were also confused.

"Hahahaha!"

Ma Lirong on the city wall suddenly burst into laughter, "What do I think they are capable of! They carry the power of victory, but they are afraid to move forward and don't even dare to attack the city! The city has no worries! I have no worries! Hahahaha!" "

As he spoke, he smiled happily, turned around and strode down the city wall.

Following his words, the defenders on the city wall began to cheer and make noise.

When the sound reached the Baiyun side where they were setting up camp, many of the sergeants' expressions became a little unnatural.

As people who once fought together, now due to a strange combination of circumstances, each has his own master. At the current situation, many soldiers, especially the leading officers, have no intention of turning against each other, but more of a thought. I had the urge and desire to prove that my choice was correct, but I didn't expect that it would be like this.

Bai Yunbian, Ye Hongluan and others naturally took note of the situation of the soldiers, but the decision-makers should have their own determination and rashly follow the so-called "military sentiment and public opinion" after understanding the situation of Longshouzhou city defense. , if we really go to attack the city, once we encounter a tragic defeat, the situation will be even more difficult to deal with.

Ye Hongluan stamped her feet, turned around and went to the camp, leading a group of personal guards and using her unique personality charm to comfort the sergeants.

Bai Yunbian looked at the city wall in front of him in silence, frowning.

At this moment, a fast horse ran over quickly, and a scout got off his horse and said, "Sir, reinforcements are coming!"

Bai Yunbian frowned, "What reinforcements? How many people are there?"

"There are about 2000 people. The leader is an old man. He said his surname is Zhao."

Your surname is Zhao?Old man?

A figure flashed in Bai Yunbian's mind, and he felt unbelievable immediately. He immediately called Ye Hongluan, Xiong Baoquan and others to greet him.

On the city wall of Zhoucheng, Ma Lirong had just walked down, a little out of breath, when he was stopped, "Sir, the rebels are coming for reinforcements!"

Ma Lirong's expression changed, and he hurried up the stairs again, holding on to the city wall out of breath. As expected, he saw a group of about 2000 cavalrymen rolling up smoke and rushing towards them, and then slowly stopped outside the rebel formation. Next, a group of people came out from the rebel side.

The two parties communicated for a while and then entered the army together.

Not long after, a burst of noisy cheers from the soldiers vaguely reached his ears.

Ma Lirong turned around and said, "Where can they get so many reinforcements?"

The general on the side hesitated and asked: "Could it be that the Caogang people squeezed out again?"

"How capable are you as a cavalry gang? Do you think this looks like a hasty training? And it's a cavalry! Where did they get the horses!"

"Mr. Ma, could it be that he was sent from Yunmeng State?"

Ma Lirong's expression changed slightly and his eyes narrowed instantly.

Compared with the tension on top of the city, the atmosphere in the "rebel" barracks that was originally depressed suddenly increased with the arrival of these 2000 people.

It turns out that it’s not that we won’t fight, but that we have to wait for reinforcements!

The more people there are, the greater the chance of winning!

The soldiers happily expanded the camp and rested, while the leaders reunited.

"This is Mr. Zhao, the owner of Baiyi Villa in Yunmeng Prefecture. Maybe some people have never heard of it, but everyone knows about the late Emperor's White-cloth Imperial Master, right?"

As soon as Bai Yunbian's words fell, everyone was shocked, and immediately greeted him with joy.

Although more than ten years have passed since then, most of the people here are men in their 40s and [-]s, and they have heard of the name of the white-robed imperial master who assisted the late emperor with Mr. Su and showed signs of resurgence.

If you can have people like this to help you, why worry about everything happening!

Everyone who was still a little pessimistic suddenly became excited.

Mr. Zhao smiled faintly, then calmed down and said: "The prince has no virtue, he killed his king and his father. The King of Jiaodong County came to Yunmeng Prefecture to avenge the late emperor. The whole world gathered in response. Now the two states of Surabaya and Yunmeng have been included in the King of Jiaodong County." Hands. I have been ordered by the King of Jiaodong County to come to your aid. I am willing to work with you to open up a world in Longshou Prefecture, form a clamping force with Yunmeng Prefecture, and hit the capital together. You are a fatherless man, so you must step down from the throne to rectify the orthodoxy of my Great Xia Dynasty!"

Everyone cheered loudly!

After some polite greetings, Bai Yunbian smiled and said: "With a man as wise and resourceful as Mr. Zhao, he must have a way to defeat the city. Let's wait for the old village master to take a break and understand the situation before proceeding. Let’s discuss it.”

Everyone then retreated in awe.

As soon as everyone left, Bai Yunbian suppressed his smile and took Mr. Zhao to a hill next to the camp. He pointed at the city and told him about the city's defense situation.

Before Mr. Zhao came, he expected that it would not be easy, but he did not expect it to be so difficult. He frowned when he heard this.

Bai Yunbian sighed, "It's a pity that we only have 8000 or [-] people. If we could double that number, we might be able to capture this city in one go!"

Mr. Zhao, the owner of the village, consoled him: "Lexian, I didn't expect the situation in Longshou Prefecture to be so good before I came here. You have already done a good job, so you don't have to think too much."

Bai Yunbian snorted and muttered, "The sparrow knows the ambition of the swan."

Mr. Zhao was so angry that he almost took action on the spot, but fortunately, he was stopped by Ye Hongluan.

At this moment, another confidant from Baiyunbian ran over and said, "Sir, there are several people outside the camp, saying they are your old friends."

An old friend?

Bai Yunbian wanted to look at Mr. Zhao, but Mr. Zhao, who was still angry, looked away angrily.

When everyone came to the camp and saw the person coming, Bai Yunbian suddenly became excited, "Uncle Su Shi! Why are you here?"

Su Yuanshang said with a smile: "Gao Yang said that Longshou State is very critical now. Let me see if there is anything I can do to help."

Bai Yunbian then introduced the rest of the people to him and exchanged greetings. Everyone was not polite and immediately talked about the current situation.

In short, in one sentence, the city defense is strong, the defenders are brave, but the manpower is insufficient, making it difficult to conquer.

Su Yuanshang smiled when he heard this, "Master Zhao, Lexian, Miss Ye, why are we attacking Longshouzhou City?"

Bai Yunbian wondered: "Longshou Prefecture is the base camp of Xiao Fengshan and the core of the imperial court's rule in Longshou Prefecture. Once Longshou Prefecture is captured, it will have a decisive impact on the overall situation of Longshou Prefecture."

"and then?"

"Then?" Bai Yunbian was stunned, "Then we can slowly encroach on the rest of Longshou Prefecture and take the entire Longshou Prefecture into our pocket."

"Then what?" Su Yuanshang asked, still smiling.

Bai Yunbian frowned, "Then we can cooperate with Yunmengzhou and attack Zhongjing City from both sides!"

Hearing this, Mr. Zhao suddenly thought of something and looked at Su Yuanshang thoughtfully.

Su Yuanshang smiled and said: "Before I came, my thoughts were the same as Lexian's. However, Gao Yang said something to me, and I deeply agree."

"He said that war is a continuation of politics and an extreme measure taken to achieve a certain political goal. We must understand why we are fighting this war and what purpose we want to achieve, in order to take the most correct measures. war strategy, otherwise we will fall into the misunderstanding of fighting for war’s sake.”

"Now, we have launched an uprising in Yunmeng, Surabaya, with great momentum and shocked Beijing, but it is not enough, so we need to rebuild the momentum in Longshou Prefecture. Once Longshou Prefecture is controlled by us, the imperial court will be at risk of being attacked from both sides. No matter how Xiao Fengshan attacks him again, No matter how tough he is, he can't suppress the panic among the people in the court. He must personally solve the troubles in Longshou Prefecture. And once he leaves Beijing, Gao Yang and the others who are lurking in Zhongjing will have a great opportunity to reverse the situation and directly win The power of Zhongjing, this is the purpose of all our actions in Longshou Prefecture."

"So, what we seek is control, not necessarily victory."

Mr. Zhao suddenly said: "You mean to surround the city, then lead the troops to the west, clear out several cities in the west, and seize the choke points. Then, will the city be under our control?" , is it actually not that important?”

Su Yuanshang nodded, "If we can open up this route and leave Sixiang Prefecture in the west through this route, there will be no dangerous passes along the way until Sishui Pass, and then we can directly threaten Zhongjing City. At that time, what did it matter whether the state city was captured or not?"

Ye Hongluan immediately said: "No, the people in the city are not fools. They can't sit back and watch us break camp and go west without doing anything. By then we will be attacked from both sides, and the end may be even worse."

This did not trouble Su Yuanshang. He smiled and said: "Then we will think of a way to prevent him from leaving the city."

"But, we only have 8000 or [-] people. How can we send troops to the west while intimidating the city?"

Su Yuanshang said softly: "Gao Yang has said a way. Master Zhao and Miss Ye, you are both knowledgeable people. Can you listen to this idea and see if it is feasible?"

Then, Su Yuanshang whispered a trick.

Everyone's eyes lit up.

Mr. Zhao, the owner of the village, laughed and said, "If this is the case, we can do better. For example, we can find a way to get people from Zhoucheng to write letters asking for help, and we can come to the encirclement to call for help."

He waved his sleeves and said, "I will take care of this matter and let some birds see what the swans can do!"

After speaking, he glanced at Bai Yunbian provocatively.

Bai Yunbian rolled his eyes and muttered: "You are so grown up, but you still hold grudges, just like a child."

In the big tent, the old village owner's violent roar suddenly sounded.

　Two chapters are released every day, and it’s really overwhelming to order both of them.

　　Let’s publish a chapter together later this month. The number of words will not be small, so be sure to order one at a time.

　　or2
　　
　
(End of this chapter)