Before Liu Ziqiu sent Yu Shiji to Luoyang, Tongguan was closed to traffic. However, as Liu Ziqiu gradually took control of the entire Guanlong situation and eliminated most of the horse thieves in the territory, checkpoints in various places have also been reopened. They serve as important channels for contacting outside the customs.
, Tongguan is very busy, and there is an endless stream of caravans entering and exiting the checkpoint. However, the soldiers guarding the pass are very strict in checking and registering, so it is difficult to get through the pass.
Although they were on a mission to Chang'an as an envoy, Yu Shinan and his party disguised themselves as a caravan. Although Yu Shinan was not very good at strategy, he was timid and cautious. After thinking for a long time, he decided not to make a big fuss, but to arrive in Chang'an quietly and reveal his identity.
There was also a caravan in front of them, and the leader of that caravan was Li Jiancheng. Li Jiancheng had different tasks from Yu Shinan. His purpose was to contact the Li family in Longxi, so he could only disguise himself as a caravan. But anyway, Li Jiancheng
They also had to pass through Chang'an, so Yu Shinan walked in front of him so that they could take care of each other.
When it was Li Jiancheng's caravan's turn to clear the customs, the soldiers guarding the customs suddenly drew their swords and surrounded them.
Li Jiancheng said hurriedly: "Dear officials, this villain is a businessman from Xingyang to Longxi. If you don't believe me, look at this, this is the villain's customs clearance document."
The customs clearance document indeed states that he entered Luoyang from Bishui Pass, and then passed through Mianchi and Hongnong from Luoyang to Tongguan. The checkpoints along the way were clearly stamped with the customs seals of counties and counties. It was definitely not a forgery. Of course.
, these places are all under the rule of Li Yuan, so it would be effortless for Li Jiancheng to stamp several big seals, and there is no need to forge.
Unexpectedly, the captain of the guarding soldier sneered: "Whether you are real businessmen or not, I won't know until I search you!"
While they were talking, several soldiers rushed over, opened the goods, and shouted: "Lord Centurion, there are weapons hidden here!"
Li Jiancheng said quickly: "Nowadays, the war is in chaos, and the young people are going to Longxi to do business. It is inevitable to bring a few weapons for self-defense. I hope you will be aware of it!"
The centurion sneered and waved gently. A soldier ran over, holding a military crossbow in his hand. The Sui Dynasty decree stated that crossbows are important weapons in the military and are prohibited from being possessed by civilians. The centurion asked sternly.
: "What is this? Can't you ignore the court's decrees?"
In fact, the world was in chaos at this time, so how could there be any court laws. However, after Liu Ziqiu pacified Guanlong, order was gradually restored. Not only were the people prohibited from possessing bows and crossbows, but also weapons such as Modao and Changsha were prohibited.
Of course, the caravan going to the west will clearly inquire about the rules along the way in advance. There will be no hidden weapons in their cargo. All the swords and swords are carried on their bodies openly. But Li Jiancheng had a guilty conscience and not only brought
There were a large number of prohibited weapons such as bows and crossbows, and these weapons were stored in carts. As a result, they attracted the attention of the soldiers guarding the gate.
At this time, another soldier quietly ran over and whispered a few words in the centurion's ear. The centurion frowned and said in a deep voice: "Did you see clearly?"
The soldier said with great certainty: "Lord Centurion, I have checked the image repeatedly and there is no mistake. It is definitely him!"
Li Jiancheng didn't understand what the two men were talking about, but he knew that the guards could arrest them all based on the secret possession of military crossbows. He might be able to guarantee that he would not reveal the truth, but he could not guarantee that the helpers would
I wonder if I can withstand the severe torture. In order to clear the customs as quickly as possible, Li Jiancheng stepped forward, quietly stuffed a small baggage, and said: "Sir, I have a token here that can prove your identity."
The centurion opened the bag and saw that it turned out to be a bag of white silver. The centurion threw the silver behind him and suddenly shouted: "Get them all!"
It is almost a common practice to spend a small amount of money to pack some things when you encounter problems in customs clearance. The soldiers guarding the customs can usually know what is in the baggage just by pinching it. But it is rare to open it in public like this centurion. He opened the baggage without hesitation.
Forget it, we still have to arrest people. Li Jiancheng finally couldn't bear it anymore and punched him.
At this time, Li Jiancheng was in his prime of life. He had learned to use a bow and horse since he was a child, and he had some real skills in fists and feet. With this move, he really knocked several soldiers around him to the ground. But here
It was an important place in Tongguan, and there were many defenders. When they heard the sound of fighting coming from the gate, a large number of soldiers and horses rushed out of the pass and surrounded them. Li Jiancheng and the others were short of weapons, so they had no choice but to capture them at this time.
At this time, two centurions came down from the gate. The centurion hurriedly greeted him and said loudly: "Master Qi, this is Li Yuan's son Li Jiancheng!"
Li Jiancheng was shocked and asked repeatedly: "How do you know the identity of so-and-so?"
Little did he know that the spies sent by Liu Ziqiu to Luoyang had already secretly sent Li Yuan and his subordinate Wen Wu to various checkpoints. Of course, Liu Ziqiu could not have expected that Li Yuan would send people to contact the Li family in Longxi. He did this
, just to prevent these people from sneaking around and becoming unknown threats after Li Yuan's defeat. Of course, Li Jiancheng's question further undoubtedly revealed his true identity.
The two captains did not answer, but laughed loudly: "I didn't expect that guarding the gate could accomplish such a great feat!"
Li Jiancheng regretted a little. He had known that his identity had been leaked, and he had tried his best to fight his way out. But now that he had been tied up, it was too late to resist. But he did not give up, and still stamped his feet and shouted: "Even if I
It’s Li Jiancheng, you can’t arrest me for no reason!”
But the centurion sneered: "You are hiding prohibited weapons, how can I not catch you?"
Li Jiancheng glanced at his men and said arrogantly: "That was theirs, and Li didn't know about it!"
In fact, he also knows that this is just a desperate struggle. Since the two sides are in a state of hostility, no matter what reason you find, the other side cannot let him go easily.
The centurion did not argue with him on this issue. He snorted coldly and said, "Even if you don't know about it, you should be punished if you openly bribed me!"
Yu Shinan's caravan was following closely behind Li Jiancheng and the others, and he heard clearly what happened in front. At this time, seeing the generals commotion in front, he did not care about concealing the identity of the envoy anymore, and hurriedly stepped forward.
He shouted loudly: "Military lords, you can't take the eldest son away! The eldest son is going to see the queen!"
After saying that, Yu Shinan quickly handed over various documents, including a letter from Li Yuan requesting Queen Xiao to return to Luoyang.
At this time, a captain came over and asked coldly: "My lord sent Lord Yu to Luoyang a few days ago to deliver the decree for the Queen. Why didn't he come back?"
Yu Shiji had actually been taken hostage by Li Yuan, and he would not be able to get back for a while. Although Yu Shinan always claimed to be upright, in order to save Li Jiancheng, he had to lie and said: "I still have my mother at home. It is rare for my brother to come back.
In Luoyang, you will naturally have to fulfill your filial piety by your mother's side for a few days. How can you come back so soon? It is precisely because my brother cannot come that Yu will accompany the eldest son on this trip!"
There was indeed Yu Shinan's name on the document. The two captains believed his words. After discussing for a while, they said: "In this case, you can let Li Jiancheng go first! But you must hand over all your weapons and you are not allowed to move freely. We will
Send troops to escort you to Chang'an!"
To put it nicely, it’s an escort, but to put it worse, it’s actually an escort. The two disguised caravans of Li Jiancheng and Yu Shinan only had a hundred or ten people, but two thousand-man teams were transferred from Guan Guan. Before they reached Huayin, another one came from the front.
A team of 5,000 cavalrymen. In this way, it would be impossible for Li Jiancheng and the others to sneak out and report the message. Yu Shinan's plan to sneak into Chang'an secretly failed completely, and Li Jiancheng's mission of getting in touch with the Li family in Longxi would never have a chance again.
Go and finish.
There was just one thing that made Yu Shinan very puzzled. He didn't see anyone going to deliver the message. Why did this team of cavalry arrive so quickly? He didn't know that Liu Ziqiu had vigorously promoted the communication method of flying pigeons to deliver letters in the army, but a large number of them
The carrier pigeons had not been trained for a long time and were not yet capable of delivering messages over long distances. But this was not a problem for Liu Ziqiu. He trained carrier pigeons at every post station and delivered messages in sections, but the speed was not much slower.
Three days later, Li Jiancheng and Yu Shinan arrived in Chang'an under the "escort" of the army. Due to the arrival of a large number of merchants, Chang'an City was much more prosperous than before. However, the scale of the Chang'an City built by Yu Wenkai was too large, and the population was still slightly
It seems rare. However, the most desolate area in the south of the city has been transformed into a huge military camp by Liu Ziqiu.
There were special post houses in Chang'an City, but Liu Ziqiu, who had received the news early, believed that those post houses should be prepared for foreign envoys, and Li Jiancheng and the others were not qualified to stay. So an order was issued, and Li Jiancheng and Yu Shinan were rushed to the south of the city.
Went to the military camp. When they got there, they were surrounded by troops and patrols were running day and night. There was no possibility of them escaping.
Along the way, Li Jiancheng had already discussed with Yu Shinan that Li Jiancheng would serve as the chief envoy and Yu Shinan would serve as the deputy envoy. They had to get through this first. So after entering the military camp and just settling down, Li Jiancheng shouted: "I want to
See Liu Ziqiu! I want to see the Queen!"
Following his shouting, a wretched-looking guy walked in from outside the military camp. The guy glanced at Li Jiancheng and said impatiently: "What's your name? Since you call yourself a messenger, first hand over the document to my lord for review."
Say it again!”
How could a person not bow his head under the low eaves? Although Li Jiancheng felt a hundred reluctances in his heart, he still handed over the documents. It took two days in a row before the wretched guy appeared again, pointed at Yu Shinan and said: "
Master Yu, my lord wants to see you."
Li Jiancheng shouted: "Li is the official envoy, why didn't Liu Ziqiu meet Li first?"