Chen Qing's five thousand troops arrived in Longxi County at dusk. When they learned that Hu Yanlei had led the soldiers and civilians to resist the attack of two thousand Xixia troops, Chen Qing immediately ordered all the soldiers to be promoted to one level and rewarded three thousand guan. Hu Yanlei was promoted.
As a general commander.
Hu Yanlei felt proud and proud for the first time since he was hunted down by Jiang Yanxian in Xiangyang.
Chen Qing is also determined to win Longxi County. If he cannot capture Gongzhou, his westward advance will encounter great obstacles. Gongzhou is connected to Lanzhou to the north and Taozhou to the west. You must know that Lanzhou is the base camp of Xixia's southern invasion, and it is also the gateway to the south.
The gate to the Hexi Corridor.
If we want to control Xihe Road, we must capture Lanzhou. A decisive battle with the Xixia Army is inevitable, but now is not the time.
In addition, Gongzhou also has an important product, which is the saltpeter mine, which is located eighty miles south of Longxi County. The imperial court once mined and operated there.
Not long after entering Longxi County, Chen Qing could not afford to rest, so he first visited Li Qiao. This was the experience and lesson Chen Qing had learned in Qinzhou. If he wanted to control the various states and counties, he must get the support of the famous local gentry.
In fact, not only Chen Qing understood this, but the Puppet Qi army also understood it. However, the Puppet Qi army was wooing the Wu family, the second most prominent family. This was the reason why Wu Shanggang, the magistrate, was unwilling to surrender to the Song army at first.
Li Qiao personally greeted Chen Qing in front of the gate and said with a smile on his face: "Warmly welcome the Jiedu envoy to the door and make the Li family shine!"
"It's appropriate to come and thank me. Without the help of everyone in the Li family, my scout camp would have suffered heavy losses. Thank you for your full help, head of the family."
"Jiedushi is too polite. This is as it should be. Jiedushi, please come into the house and have a rest!"
"Master, please!"
The two of them entered Li's Mansion humbly and came to the guest hall where the guests and hosts took their seats. The maid came in and served tea.
Li Qiao said happily: "The best news I heard today is that General Yang Zaixing shot and killed the ruthless Xia Baihu. The whole city was rejoicing. How many families in the city were killed by him and lost their loved ones. He had committed many crimes and finally got his retribution!"
"
Chen Qing pondered for a while and said: "This Xia Baihu actually led two thousand Xixia troops to lurk in Gongzhou. It is really beyond my expectation. I wonder if the family owner knows the situation of the Xixia people in Gongzhou? In addition to this Xia Baihu, there are others
The army?"
"Does Jiedushi think there will be?"
Chen Qing nodded, "I think there should be, otherwise where would the supplies for two thousand troops come from?"
Li Qiao sighed and said: "Jiedushi's guess is correct. There is another Xixia army in Dingxi County, with about ten thousand people. They have been here for a long time, and one army is stationed in Dingxi County. Xia Baihu's army is just their vanguard."
military."
"How many people are there in Dingxi County?"
"There are not many people, 300 households, about 2,000 people. I think the reason why the Xixia army chose Dingxi County has nothing to do with the people. The main reason is that it is close to Lanzhou and supplies are convenient. Secondly, the city is relatively strong. They have been waiting for the opportunity to occupy
Longxi County, but in the end the Jiedushi took the lead."
Chen Qing nodded and smiled: "I may have a strange question. After I entered the city, I only knew that there were county government offices and county magistrates. Why are there no state government offices and prefectural magistrates?"
Li Qiao chuckled and said: "Originally, there was a county government and a state government together, half a family. After the Jin soldiers occupied Gongzhou, they felt that there was no need to set up a state government in Gongzhou, so they abolished the state government.
Stay in the county government."
"I see, but I still want to restore the state government and let Wang Huai, my nephew, be the magistrate of the state. Does the head of the family think there will be any problems?"
Li Qiao pondered for a while and said: "To be honest with the Jiedushi, Gongzhou has always been the balance between the Li and Wu families. I was the governor of the state before. Later, after the Jin army abolished the state, the puppet Qi supported the Wu family. If the Jiedushi wanted to maintain Gongzhou,
If the state is stable, then the relationship between the Wu family must be handled well."
"How is Wu Shan?" Chen Qing asked again.
"Wu Shan is a very good magistrate. He is kind and kind. He does not increase taxes or harass the people. He has done a good job in building roads and bridges and running schools. Five of the seven schools in the city are newly opened by him. I suggest that he continue to let him
Become the county magistrate and the Wu family will be stable."
Chen Qing nodded, exchanged a few more pleasantries, and stood up to leave.
He rode slowly on the street of Longxi County. Longxi County was indeed very lively. There were shops on both sides of the street. People were coming and going, shouting and selling. Guests were sitting high in various restaurants, and the lights were bright, even though it was night.
, but business is still good, and business prosperity is evident.
Chen Qing didn't have dinner. He suddenly felt very hungry, so he smiled at the dozen soldiers behind him and said, "Let's go have dinner!"
When everyone came to a large restaurant, the waiter greeted them enthusiastically, "Fellow military lords, welcome to the restaurant. This small restaurant is the largest restaurant in Gongzhou. All kinds of dishes are authentic. You are guaranteed to be satisfied!"
Just as a soldier was about to report Chen Qing's identity, Chen Qing glared at him and asked with a smile: "Do you have any good sake?"
"Yes! Yes! Sake and wine are available. Military masters, please come upstairs!"
The soldiers sat downstairs to eat so they could watch the horses. Chen Qing and several soldiers went up to the second floor and found two tables by the window. The soldiers sat at one table and Chen Qing sat at a table by himself.
He ordered a pot of scalded sake and some hot tea. Gongzhou was famous for its mutton, and he ordered some mutton pies.
Chen Qing was sitting alone at the small table, pouring himself a drink. At this time, a fortune teller came up from downstairs, shaking a copper bell and slowly said: "Looking at the fortune teller reveals the secrets of the heavens. One hexagram is worth twenty pieces."
The Taoist priest walked up to Chen Qing and said with a smile: "The small path is for alms at the Taoist temple. General, do you want to make a fortune?"
The armor worn by Chen Qing was the armor of an ordinary general and did not have any identity characteristics. He smiled slightly and said: "If you can tell me my military position, I will give you a fortune for a high price!"
The Taoist priest smiled slightly and said: "Those who can lead soldiers will not be lower than the commander. Although there are several commanders of the Qinzhou Army, there are not many who can leave the military camp to drink here. How come I can't guess who you are?"
Let’s change the topic!”
"No need to change!"
Chen Qing took out ten taels of silver and put it on the table, "I'm going to tell you my origin first!"
The Taoist priest looked at Chen Qing's face carefully and said: "My words may be a bit unpleasant, general, don't blame me!"
"You can say whatever you want, and I can listen to whatever you want!"
"There are hundreds of faces. The general's thirty-seven foreheads are damaged and his right eyebrow is missing. The general's parents may have died early and his relatives have withered."
Chen Qing has always had something that puzzled him. Logically, he just borrowed someone else's skin, but in the past two years, he found that his appearance became more and more like the appearance of his previous life, and even the scars on his forehead that had been there since childhood appeared.
.
He had always thought that appearance was due to heart, but now the Taoist priest's appearance surprised him. He actually saw his destiny from his appearance.
"go on!"
"There are small cross marks in the general's hall. This is originally a sign of young death, but the general's heaven is broad and full, his ears are past his eyebrows, and his eyebrows are colorful. This is a rare sign of longevity, so the general is bound to have a life-or-death experience.
"
"Keep talking!"
"The general's middle line is straight, and the groove line is showing signs of deepening. Congratulations to the general on his upcoming heir!"
Chen Qing was stunned, it was all obvious.
"If you have some moral integrity, let's talk about my future!"
The Taoist priest stared at Chen Qing for a long time, his expression became more solemn, and he shook his head repeatedly, "Don't say it, you can't say it, the secret of heaven cannot be leaked!"
"forget about it."
Chen Qing pushed the ten taels of silver to him and said with a faint smile: "By your auspicious words, my wife is indeed pregnant. This money can be regarded as donating a few tiles to your Taoist temple!"
"Thank you General for your generous donation!"
The Taoist priest took the ten taels of silver, thanked him again and again, and then hurried away.
A drinker next to him couldn't help but said: "The general has been deceived. This Taoist priest is a well-known liar. He tells fortunes here all day long under the pretext of practicing Taoism. He will be happy if he can get fifty cents. The general actually gave him
Ten taels of silver, hey!"
The drinker shook his head repeatedly. He felt that this person was unreasonable. He only had ten taels of silver!
At this time, a soldier walked up the stairs quickly and handed a folded note to Chen Qing, "Du Tong, this is given to you by a fortune teller. He said there are some things that should not be said."
Chen Qing took the note and opened it. There was only one line on it: If you advance, you will be the lonely soul of Lin'an, if you retreat, you will be the hero of the world.