Xiao Ding respected Ma Xing very much.

In his view, Ma Xing was one of the few high officials in the imperial court who had no selfish motives and was dedicated to the interests of the country and did not care about reputation or reputation.

Such a character is very rare.

Xiao Ding once thought that he was also that kind of person.

This is what he asked of himself when he was in Hebei.

But then he experienced a lot of things, which made Xiao Ding know how difficult it is to be such a person.

I can't do it myself.

Come to think of it, I have made great achievements in the past few years since I came to the northwest. From a small fifth-level commander to a third-level commander of the Western March, Ma Xing actually made a great contribution here.

When he first arrived at Hengshan Shentang Fort, there was nothing but more than 2,000 soldiers and more than 10,000 dependents. It was with the support of Ma Xing that he gained a foothold.

Later, with the help of his second brother, he won the Hengshan Party item, and his strength gradually grew, but the first big thing he did put Ma Xing into embarrassment.

The sneak attack on Yanzhou allowed Xiao Ding to get rid of his dependence on Shaanxi Road, but it really challenged Ma Xing's authority.

Because of this sneak attack, the war between Li Xuding's army and the imperial court broke out in advance.

Suibei suffered a great disaster as a result.

And these are precisely the calculations between the second brother and himself.

At this time, Ma Xing could only rely on his own troops to make dangerous moves, attack Xingqing Mansion directly, and capture the thief first.

Of course, there is another possibility, that is, Ma Xing was furious and deprived Xiao Ding of his military command regardless. But in this way, the war with Li Xu would inevitably form a long-term confrontation.

This is not in Xiao Ding's interests.

Of course, it is not in the interests of Shaanxi Road either.

When they decided on this strategy, Xiao Ding brothers bet that Ma Xing would take the national affairs of Shaanxi Road as the top priority and would not pick up the pieces he dropped on the ground.

If we change officials, I'm afraid this matter won't work.

But even though Ma Xing pinched his nose, he supported Xiao Ding, and even sent the Zhenrong Army to help when the troops on the Shaanxi Road were stretched thin.

The result looks like a win-win.

Ma Xing's plan to take several years to deal with Li Xu was completed within one year. The northwest frontier troubles were no longer there. It can be said that the preliminary preparations for one of the three routes of the Guochao's invasion of Liaoning were completed.

As the pacifier of Shaanxi Road, Ma Xing is naturally famous all over the world, and thus has the qualifications to enter the two governments.

Of course, the person who benefited the most was Xiao Ding, a twenty-four or five-year-old military commander who had never been seen before in the history of the Song Dynasty. Moreover, his power as the commander-in-chief of the Western Army was even more amazing.

.

Because Xiao Ding did not have the confidence to be a civil servant.

Most of Xiao Ding's subordinates were Tibetan people, either Dangxiang people, Tubo people, Uighurs, etc. And the territories he expanded were considered useless by most officials in the court, and they were not necessary.

There are even a few people who believe that if these places are really included in the territory of the Song Dynasty, they will definitely become a burden and drag on the country.

Those officials who claim to be scholars who know the world without going out have never been to these places, so how do they know the fertility and beauty of these places?

Xiao Ding's power was thus established.

Ma Xing knew it.

So before he left, he summoned Xiao Ding back to Yan'an Mansion to meet with the Yamen of the Yamen.

Of course it won't be a Hongmen Banquet. If he can do it, Ma Xing has nothing to fear. The key is that Ma Xing knows that if he really does it, the northwest will soon be in chaos, and the rebels will be a disaster.

Super Li Xu era.

Because the party item at this time is no longer a divided party item.

At this time, Qingtang is no longer a place where people fight each other until the sky is dark.

And the only person who can suppress and unify these forces is Xiao Ding.

He wanted to have a good talk with Xiao Ding.

He could only have a good talk with Xiao Ding.

Moreover, he also believed that Xiao Ding was not Li Xu.

Therefore, everything is redeemable.

Now he regards Xiao Ding as someone he can talk to on an equal footing.

Ma Xing is a capable official and a pragmatic official. In order to achieve his goals, he is not afraid to break some rules, just like those he has already done.

He naturally also knew that if he wanted to put a halter on Xiao Ding now, he would have to pay the same price.

But what price does Xiao Ding need to pay to be satisfied?

Therefore, he needed to see Xiao Ding and have a good discussion.

He was afraid that Xiao Ding would not dare to come.

After all, the civil servants of the Song Dynasty had a precedent of trapping and killing generals in the past, and not long ago in Hebei, Cui Ang did such a thing again.

So Ma Xing sent his son to Xingqing Mansion to deliver the message.

His intention was very straightforward. Xingqing Mansion could hold his son there as a hostage until Xiao Ding returned safely.

Ma Xing was not sure whether Xiao Ding would come.

After Cui Ang did such a bad thing in Hebei, it is normal for the generals who independently command the army to be suspicious of civilian officials like them.

And there are too many excuses and means to reject yourself.

But what Ma Xing didn't expect was that Xiao Ding agreed to come back immediately.

This surprised Ma Xing, and at the same time he breathed a sigh of relief.

Xiao Ding is indeed a loyal person who puts state affairs first.

Even if there is some selfishness, it is human nature.

Even if you are yourself, how can you always have no selfish motives?

If Xiao Ding knew what Ma Xing was thinking now, he would definitely not agree. At least Xiao Ding thinks that he is definitely not a loyal minister now. If he had ever had such an idea, it was in Hebei, and he only brought

When there were 2,500 people, there were not so many miscellaneous thoughts at that time. Moreover, thinking about these things at that time seemed a bit ridiculous.

But now, after all, things are a little different.

I have to think about it myself.

When did your own changes begin?

Xiao Ding couldn't explain clearly, but what he could be sure of was that in this process of change, his second brother played a decisive role.

Among the letters that Xiao Ding burned, the ideas, creeds, rules, etc. mentioned by Xiao Cheng had a great impact on him. He had never thought about these before, but slowly, the more he thought about it, the more he thought about it.

too much.

Once you truly have the strength, you can't help but turn your thoughts into reality bit by bit.

Standing on the Shentang Fort, looking at the surging river in the distance and the busy dock above the river, Xiao Ding smiled and said to Ma Yun beside him: "Brother Ma, three years ago, it was still deserted, but now

You see, docks, ships, warehouses, and roads have all been built. Looking further up, there are tens of thousands of acres of fertile farmland in that large flat land. They are all fertile land created by rivers! Last year, this piece of land was harvested

How much wheat did you get?"

The person who answered Xiao Ding was Li Yi, the current guard of Shentangbao. The young guard who once followed Xiao Ding to Beijing and defeated hundreds of soldiers of the Fourth Army in Shanglin Garden, three years later, he was already a deputy commander, commanding

Nearly three thousand people were stationed in the military stronghold of Shentangbao.

"Go back to the manager!" Li Yi bowed and said: "This land has a total of 23,000 acres. Last year, the wheat yield per mu was 200 jins. We harvested more than 4 million jins of wheat. This year, the output will increase. Three-year-old , three years of ripening, next year this land will become a truly ripe land."

Xiao Ding smiled and said: "You have done a good job here. If the yield per mu can increase by twenty kilograms this year, I will promote you to the position of commander."

The military significance of Shentang Fort is now significantly reduced. Li Yi is stationed here. In addition to guarding the dock, he spends more time taking care of these military points.

Most of the 3,000 people under his command work part-time as farmers. The real standing army is only a few hundred, plus some hired civilians, who now form the main residents of Shentang Castle.

The Guang Ruijun family members who originally moved here have already left long ago.

As long as they are not dead among the more than 2,000 Guangrui troops who came all the way from Hebei, they are all outstanding among the Western Army. Even those who have withdrawn from the army due to injuries are all under the jurisdiction of the General Administration. They served in government offices and various military prefectures. The families of these people also moved to Xingqing Mansion after Xiao Ding conquered it.

Most of the best land and manors outside Xingqing Mansion belong to these people.

Just like Li Yi, when he came to the northwest, he was still an ordinary soldier. Within three years, he became the deputy commander. The speed of promotion was jaw-dropping. Of course, this also showed Xiao Ding's power from another aspect. Rising fast.

And these people are also the most basic force for Xiao Ding to control the entire Western Army.

"Brother Ma, have you seen that pier and those boats?" Xiao Ding pointed to the white sails in the distance and asked Ma Yun with a smile.

"Of course I saw it."

"The Qingyang River and the Dasha River merge into one here, and all the way down, they eventually merge into the Daqing River!" Xiao Ding said.

Ma Yun was slightly stunned: "Da Qinghe? Hebei?"

Xiao Ding nodded: "Yes. This is why I built warehouses, docks, shipyards, etc. here in Shentangbao. Next, I have to recruit sailors and prepare to build a navy. When I conquer Liao in the future, whether it is reinforcements, Both food and grass can be taken along the river, which is much more convenient than traveling by land."

Ma Yun looked sideways at the other person, his thick beard enveloping his angular face, and the perseverance revealed in his eyes was obvious.
To be continued...