Bang, bang, bang...

The leather whip struck Zheng Sheng's back one after another, and the clothes on his back were stained red with blood.

Zheng Du's face was also twitching, but he didn't dare to express his anger.

Because standing in front of him was Zheng Man, the head of the Zheng family, a person who could take away everything from him at any time. "Heiyun Mountain could have been the arm of the Zheng family, but you pushed it away."

"My nephew was negligent!" Zheng Du quickly handed over his hand.

"Just careless? You are too impatient. I put you in Xingyang to hone your character. Unfortunately, you have been worried about not going to Yecheng for so many years." Zheng Man's tone was full, but every word was heavy.

of.

Cold sweat broke out on Zheng Du's forehead, "My nephew doesn't dare. My nephew will send someone to contact Heiyun Mountain to discuss the in-laws."

"He has already become a force, how can he give in?"

"Nephew, nephew..." Zheng Du wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, "nephew will write to the court now, requesting the army to come and cut off Black Cloud Mountain in one fell swoop!"

Zheng Man sighed, "Hey, in just seventy years, our Zheng family has become so weak."

Since the Han and Wei dynasties, the Zheng family has repeatedly produced members of two thousand dan. By the Western Jin Dynasty, the Zheng family had reached its peak.

But after the peak, what ushered in was decline.

"The battle for the throne in Yecheng is getting more and more intense. The Zheng family should not be in the front, but should accumulate strength, recruit heroes, and prepare for future changes. After today, all the men in the family who are more than 12 years old will get married, and outsiders are strictly prohibited.

Go on a hunting trip, half a day to practice writing, and half a day to practice martial arts."

If this generation cannot do it, Zheng Man can only place his hopes on the next generation.

The internal and external troubles in Jie and Zhao are getting worse day by day, and anyone with a discerning eye can see that it will not last long.

A secret report came back from Yecheng that Shi Hu's health was deteriorating, and his sons were not virtuous people.

Therefore, Zheng Man has always kept a distance from Pengcheng King Shi Zun and Donghai Princess Zheng Yingying.

The Zheng family is undoubtedly ambitious, but its ambition is not to stand at the forefront of the storm, but to prevent the Zheng family from being swallowed up by the big waves.

"Well, send five thousand stones of food to Heiyun Mountain, and pick some good weapons and send them there to ease the relationship. In the future...if anything happens, we can take care of you."

Let’s not talk about the distant ones, let’s talk about the nearby Fangtou. Pu Hongxiong’s talents are known to everyone near and far, and all his nephews are heroes, much better than the Shi family.

There is also Yaotou Yaozhong, who has forty-two sons.

Both of them are not just simple Qiang and Di tribes. Each of them has gathered a group of scholars to assist them.

Zheng Dudao: "We just had a battle with them... I'm afraid they will hold grudges."

"The one who fought against them was not the Zheng family, but Zhang Yu, the governor of Yuzhou. The Lord of Heiyun Mountain was a smart man and knew that the Zheng family was not his enemy."

Yecheng.

The battle report from Xuanyuan Mountain came all the way from the south and entered Sikong Mansion.

More people are paying attention to this war than imagined.

The failure of the governor of Yuzhou in suppressing the bandits is naturally not a trivial matter.

"So, Bo Wu refused on the spot?"

The gate of Sikong Mansion is extremely gorgeous, but the inside is relatively simple, with no luxurious decorations. There is a wooden table and a soft mat, and the person sitting on the mat is Jie Zhao Sikong Li Nong.

Zhang Liang, a confidant, said: "Yes, he also persuaded Sikong to reuse it."

"Do you think this one can be used?" Li Nong's eyes flashed.

"My subordinates feel that this son has a close connection with the Beggar Army. If he rises in the future, it will definitely bring disaster to Sikong. We should get rid of him as soon as possible before he rises!"

Li Nong hesitated.

In addition to being Shi Hu's confidant, the biggest reason why he can stand firm in the court is because of the support of the begging army behind him.

In August of the fourth year of Jie Zhao Jianwu (338), it was Yu Liang's Battle of Zhu City. Shi Hu fought with all his elite troops, and all other armies were victorious. Only Li Nong was defeated by Li Yang, the prefect of Jingling.

.

This failure was criticized by many people in the Jie Zhao court, claiming that they had secretly communicated with the Jiangdong court and were unwilling to put in any effort, which caused quite a stir.

Shi Hu appointed him as envoy Chijie, supervising the military affairs in western Liaoning and Beiping, general in expedition to the east, camp pastor in the state, and guarding Lingzhi.

It means that if you don’t want to fight the Jin people, go north to deal with Murong Xianbei.

In September of the same year, Li Nong and Zhang Ju, the general who conquered the north, led 30,000 troops to attack Fan City of Yan State. There were only 1,000 defenders in the city, which was a sure thing. However, Yue Wan, who was guarding Fan City, took the lead and defended the city.

Li Nong and Zhang Ju attacked with 30,000 men for more than ten days, but failed and retreated in defeat.

After two consecutive defeats, Li Nong himself felt that he would definitely die, but Shi Hu still did not punish him.

After so many years, Li Nong figured out the way.

The more mediocre I am, the less threatening I am to Jie Zhao.

Moreover, Jie Zhao needs an obedient but not ambitious person to lead the begging army.

"Get rid of it quickly? Who can be sent to get rid of it? Who can get rid of it?" Li Nong said quietly.

"You can give him an official position and go to Yecheng to listen to him. As long as he leaves Heiyun Mountain, life and death will not be up to him."

"If this is true, I am afraid that the morale of the army will be lost in the future."

"Since we can't get rid of them, we should win over them as soon as possible. If Heiyunshan and Fangtou are too close, they will be used by others."

However, Li Nong still had a hesitant look on his face, unable to make a decision. After pondering for a long time, he said: "We will discuss it later. There has been an undercurrent in Yecheng recently, so it is better not to cause any problems."

The fight between Prince Shi Xuan and Taiwei Shi Tao was no longer an undercurrent, but blatant, causing a stir in Yecheng.

Zhang Liang sighed, "It was precisely because of the undercurrent that we made preparations that morning."

Li Nong waved his hand and was about to speak when suddenly there was a noise outside, "The prince has arrived!"

It is not a good thing for Shi Xuan to come at this time.

Li Nong has always avoided getting involved in the fight between the two.

"Sikong, where is Sikong?" a person yelled, approaching quickly, pushing the door open and entering without giving any chance to avoid inside.

"See His Highness the Crown Prince." Li Nong hurriedly saluted.

Shi Xuan's eyes turned to his subordinates, and he said aggressively: "Forgive me, it turns out that Sikong and General Zhang have secret discussions."

"The prince is laughing. Why are you secretly discussing the recent affairs in Yuzhou?"

"That's such a coincidence. This is why I came here alone." Shi Xuan stepped into the house and frowned when he saw how simple the house was. "I heard that the bandits in Black Cloud Mountain come from begging for work."

Under the military gate."

This posture is clearly an attempt to punish the enemy.

"Your Highness is unaware that the begging army does not belong to the same sect."

"This is natural, but I also heard that Guangzong also sent food to Heiyun Mountain, and that after Heiyun Mountain captured Jijiabao, he sent twenty-three carts of property to Sikong. I wonder if this is the case?

"Shi Xuan looked sarcastic.

After the defeat of Ma Qiu Divine Bird, Shi Hu was bedridden, and the ministers began to choose sides.

But there are also people who stay out of it.

Shangshuling Wang Mo, Sikong Li Nong, Shizhong Wang Yan, Liu Qun and other Han officials remained indifferent.

The world belongs to the Jie people, but most Jie people only know how to fight and not govern, so they have to use scholars.

When Shile rose to prominence, a gentleman's camp was set up to accommodate northern scholars.

Without Zhang Bin’s advice, Jie Zhao might not be where it is today.

"I didn't expect the prince to be so well-informed. Yes, I have indeed provided food and grass and accepted their property. If they are guilty, the prince can directly deal with me." Li Nong looked at Shi Xuan calmly.

Such a straightforward admission made Shi Xuan suspicious.

If the relationship is really stalemate, it will force Li Nong to Shi Tao's side.

In fact, he doesn't care about Heiyun Mountain, nor does he care about Zhang Yu, the governor of Yuzhou. All he cares about is the throne!

Li Nong is not an ordinary civil servant or general. Behind him is Guangzong. Just like Fu Hong in Fangtou and Yao Yizhong in Shetou today, he has the support of an ethnic group.

The Jie people in Yecheng, the beggar army of Guangzong, the Di people in Fangtou, and the Qiang people in Shetou, together constitute the basic base of Jie Zhao.

When it comes to strength, Guangzong’s beggar army is the largest force in the North!

Shi Hu was so cruel that he didn't even dare to touch Pu Hong, let alone his prince, Li Nong.

This trivial matter is nothing in Jie Zhao.
Chapter completed!