In the bedroom, Da Kui was sitting alone on the bed, with his back against the wall. He was still holding an empty wine jar in his hand. At this moment, he was staring blankly at the window not far away. His clothes were still untied and he had not slept a wink all night.
"The child is crossing his steps to greet his adoptive father." Panbu said and bowed deeply.
Dakui was speechless, still looking at the window, as if he wanted to see the flowers through the wooden window.
He walked up to him, leaned over and said softly: "Father, you haven't slept a wink all night, please rest."
Hearing this, Dakui smiled and shook his head and said, "Good boy, my adoptive father can't sleep. You go ahead."
When Pan Bu saw Da Kui like this, he couldn't persuade him anymore, so he said, "I'll ask someone to bring some soup later. My foster father hasn't had a good meal in many days."
Da Kui looked at Pan Bu and was moved in his heart. Then he smiled and said: "Don't bother me. In a few days, my father will leave for Beijing to resume his duties. I have something important to do before I leave. I wonder if you can help me?"
Panbu cupped his fists and bowed, saying, "My foster father has a destiny, so Panbu will go through fire and water without hesitation."
Dakui nodded and continued: "Since my adoptive father wants to do big things, he needs to take good care of himself first. How can he do things if he doesn't eat?"
Hearing this, Dakui chuckled and said, "Okay, let's have dinner..."
Da Kui called Pan Bu to summon Meng Ge. Pan Bu ordered a table of good food to be prepared and steamed buns. Pan Bu had been following Da Kui for so long and was used to Han people's food. Meng Ge sat at the table, still looking depressed.
Da Kui understood what he meant, and immediately said with a smile: "The dead are gone, and the living mourn together. What we should do is to avenge the soldiers who died in the battle." After saying that, he grabbed the steamed buns on the table, picked up the chopsticks and started eating
eat.
Pan Bu took the chopsticks and stuffed them into Meng Singer's middle and said: "Master, let's eat."
Hearing the word "revenge", Meng Ge seemed to come to his senses. He really felt hungry in his belly, and immediately started to eat. When he saw that his adoptive father and master had eaten, he sat on the side and smiled innocently.
"You eat too, eat quickly." Dakui's mouth was stuffed with food and his words were a little slurred.
Pan Bu agreed and then picked up his chopsticks to eat with him. Dakui and Meng Ge were very full from this meal, but they didn't know what it tasted like because they still had important things to do.
After finishing the meal, Panbu ordered someone to serve tea again, and then sat with him beside him.
Then Dakui asked: "In the battle of Qianling Mountain, whose troops did you bring with you?"
When Pan Bu asked, he hurriedly replied: "They are soldiers from the nearby sixteen villages of the five tribes."
Dakui couldn't help asking: "How could you gather such a force in such a hurry? There must have been more than 3,000 people at that time."
Pan Bu chuckled and said, "My childhood playmates and several sworn brothers are all leaders or princes of various tribes and villages."
Dakui smiled and nodded, then continued: "There were only a few people at that time. If we had enough time, how could we raise 20,000 horses?"
Dakui's eyes lit up when he heard this, and he said: "In this way, great things have been accomplished."
Meng Ge was a little confused when he heard it, and Pan Bu asked in confusion: "What does the foster father want to do?"
Dakui said coldly: "I want to take Shunyuan City."
"Ah?" Pan Bu was so shocked that he could stuff a steamed bun in his mouth, and Meng Ge was dumbfounded. Then Pan Bu waved his hands repeatedly and said, "Father, you can't do it. Shunyuan City is the easternmost barrier under the rule of King Liang.
There are also 20,000 cavalry and 30,000 armored soldiers." Pan Bu swallowed as he spoke, and then said: "50,000 elite soldiers plus the city's high walls and thick walls, how can we capture the city with 20,000 horses?"
Meng Ge interjected from the side: "These village soldiers are no better than the Yuan soldiers. They are all untrained people of all ethnic groups. Besides, where do the weapons come from? Even if they enter the city, how can they fight against the Yuan soldiers?"
Dakui smiled softly and said: "Those who are good at fighting will win with righteousness and surprise. If there are 20,000 strange soldiers, how can the Yuan soldiers defend them?" After a pause, Dakui said again: "To the north is the territory of the Daxia Kingdom. Mingyu, the leader of the Daxia Kingdom,
Zhen and the King of Liang fought several battles but failed, and now the well and the river do not interfere with each other. Emperor Taizu was busy with the Northern Expedition and had no time to take care of this Yunnan-Guizhou land. Since there is no serious danger, the Yuan soldiers must be lax in their precautions. In this case, we only need to
If you sneak into the city, you can naturally win by surprise."
Meng Ge couldn't help but high-five when he heard this: "Wonderful brother, what a wonderful idea."
Pan Bu listened to his adoptive father's analysis and agreed. But then he hesitated and said: "It's easy to say if it's an emergency, but if it's a war with the Yuan soldiers, I don't know what the opinions of each village are."
Dakui chuckled and said, "You don't have to worry about this, just gather the people."
Pan Bu was honest, so he immediately stood up and said, "Okay, I'll go and get some help right away. Let my adoptive father rest here." Pan Bu stood up and walked out of the room.
As soon as Panbu left, Meng Ge asked anxiously: "Xian brother, is it possible to act like this?"
Dakui couldn't help but ask: "You knew it was not possible, but you still agreed just now?"
Meng Ge sighed anxiously: "Isn't it just to smooth things over for you? How could the various ethnic strongholds be allowed to be driven by you?"
Da Kui smiled but did not answer, got up and walked to the bed. Only then did Meng Ge see a saddle lying in the corner beside the bed. This saddle was originally owned by Da Kui's horse Hong Yun. After Hong Yun died in the battle, this saddle
It was idle.
Da Kui took out a baggage from the saddlebag of the saddle and walked back to the table. Meng Ge looked at Da Kui's actions and felt a little puzzled. When Da Kui opened the bag, Meng Ge couldn't help but his eyes widened.
Inside the baggage was a thick stack of banknotes. The top banknote was clearly printed with the words 'Tian Chengheng', one thousand taels. Meng Ge couldn't help but flip through a few more, and they were 'Baofenglong'
'Sanjinyuan', 'Cunyi Gong', 'Huiyuanyong', 'Heshengyuan', 'Jinshengrun', 'Dadeyu' and other banknotes from more than ten bank accounts, the minimum price for each banknote is one thousand taels.
, the maximum is ten thousand taels. Besides, these bank accounts are spread all over the south of the Yangtze River. Meng Ge really can't imagine how Da Kui got this big bag of banknotes. It's all just money.
Under Meng Ge's horrified eyes, Da Kui gathered up the bundle and put it back in its place. When he turned around, Da Kui said: "These banknotes are worth about eight million taels in total. I think the cost of this siege should be enough."
Already."
Meng Ge couldn't help but swallow his saliva and thought to himself: This money is enough to buy a city...
Before noon the next day, the leaders of each village arrived one after another. Among them were the leaders of the Yi, Gelao, Shui and Bai ethnic groups. Panbu was now the leader of the Yao ethnic group, so the five ethnic groups gathered together.
Dakui sat down in the main hall, and Meng Ge stood beside him holding a brocade bundle. The leaders of each village sat in two groups. Since the five tribes had arrived, Dakui stopped wasting time and signaled to Pan Bu: "It's time to start.
." The reason why Dakui signaled Panbu first was because Panbu was the leader of the Yao people and the initiator of this conference.
Panbu straightened his turban and stood up and said: "This time we have summoned the village leaders to come here for a big event." As soon as he said this, the other four village leaders not only whispered to each other, but then someone asked Pan
Bu asked: "Pan Bu, what's the big deal?"
Pan Bu was stunned for a moment when he was asked, but he couldn't directly say that he was going to attack Shunyuan City, so he had to look at Dakui for help.
Seeing this, Dakui had no choice but to interrupt: "Let me speak." After clearing his throat, he continued: "I am Zhang Dakui, Jiangnan's political envoy..."
As soon as he finished speaking, all the leaders of the four villages except Pan Bu stood up and saluted Dakui.
Long Zan Aqi, the leader of the Yi ethnic group, said: "In the past when there was a great famine in Shun Yuan, thanks to Mr. Zhang's help in opening warehouses and stocking grain, the lives of people in Shun Yuan were saved. On behalf of the elders of the Yi ethnic group, Long Zan Aqi thanked Mr. Zhang." As he spoke,
He actually led the leaders of the other three villages to kneel down. Seeing this scene, Panbu was no exception. He walked to Longzan Aqi and knelt down towards Dakui.
Upon seeing this, Dakui hurriedly stepped forward to help him. When everyone stood up, Dakui said earnestly: "It is my unshirkable responsibility to save the people from fire and water. How could Zhang receive such a courtesy from the village leaders?"
Long Zan Aqi raised his voice and said, "Sir, tell me, what do you want us to do?"
Dakui saw that Long Zan Aqi was only in his early twenties, but he was quite impressive. Pan Bu once said that he was the 46th generation grandson of Wu'ana, the Deshi clan of the Mo tribe of the Yi ethnic group in Guizhou, and he was supposed to be a prince of the Yi ethnic group. Therefore.
Dakui looked at Longzan Aqi in a different light.
Dakui didn't hide anything at the moment and said bluntly: "I want to borrow troops from the leaders." When he said this, it naturally aroused another round of discussion.
Dakui pressed his hands to show silence, and raised his voice: "Masters, please be calm for a moment." When everyone calmed down, Dakui continued: "Since Yuanting has dominated the north and south of the Yangtze River, the people of all ethnic groups have suffered a miserable life. They have taken advantage of the wealthy by force.
I believe everyone knows the bitterness of seizing and oppressing the people." Seeing the leaders of each village nodding in agreement, Dakui then said again: "If we don't stand up to resist, when will we be able to escape from the clutches of the devil?" As he said this, Dakui pointed at Panbu and said with a strong voice.
: "The Yao family has always been diligent in farming and being kind to people, but Yuanting never gave them a chance to live and work in peace and contentment? Do you still remember the great famine in Shunyuan in the past? When you were starving and dying in the fields, did Yuanting ever give you a grain of grain?..."
Dakui was well-founded and spoke eloquently, and the leaders of each village were filled with indignation. Pan Bu was the first to stand up and shouted: "We, the Yao family, will follow Master Zhang to the death." After shouting this, Pan Bu turned to ask Long Zan.
Ah Qi said: "If you still regard me as a brother, then go with me to fight the Mongolian Tatars."
Longzan Aqi was in his prime of life. Hearing this, he took a step forward and said, "I, Longzan Aqi, will not let my brothers take risks. We, the Yi and Yao families, are going to take risks together." Before he finished speaking,
The leaders of the other three tribes also stepped forward and shouted: "There are still us."
When Dakui saw that the matter had been accomplished, he couldn't help but feel overjoyed.
Long Zan Aqi and others turned around one after another and looked at Dakui. Long Zan Aqi asked: "Sir Zhang, you said you wanted to fight the Yuan soldiers. The nearest Yuan soldiers here are Shunyuan City. Do you want to fight Shunyuan?"
city?"
Dakui laughed and said: "It's Shunyuan City."
Long Zan Aqi couldn't help but said in shock: "There are tens of thousands of Yuan soldiers in Shunyuan City. If we go there, it will be like throwing an egg against a stone."
Dakui smiled softly and said: "How can you not win if you have calculations but not intentions?"
Then everyone took their seats, and Dakui and the leaders began to discuss the siege strategy in detail.