The grass and trees in the forest swayed, and Wang Mancang stuck his head out, raised his telescope and looked down the mountain at Xingqing Fucheng.
When he saw a dragon flag flying above the city, he became energetic.
When I turned around and looked around, I saw the ant-like Yuan army surrounding the city building a dyke...
After watching like this for a while, Wang Mancang understood what the Yuan army was doing. He plucked a piece of hay and bit it in his mouth, then retreated into the forest.
Not long after, he and a few of his men gathered together and used some dry food to escape the harshest sunlight in mid-July.
"Gui Zheng, where is that?" A soldier pointed to a high platform in the mountains in the distance and asked, "Don't be a scout horse from the Yuan Army over there."
Wang Mancang raised his eyes and said, "Princess Terrace."
"What princess stage?"
"In the past, when the Mongols attacked Xingqing Mansion, they built embankments outside the city, surrounded the city like a barrel, dug out the Yellow River, and soaked the city with water. From September to December, the city was about to be flooded.
The Xingying Mansion collapsed. As a result, the Mongols' own flood control embankments collapsed, and all their weapons, food and grass were swept away by the Yellow River. Then they agreed to Xixia's request for peace, and the Emperor of Xixia sacrificed his daughter."
Wang Mancang usually told stories about meat and vegetables, but today he did not talk about the Xixia princess anymore. He pointed to the princess platform in the distance and continued: "Later, the Mongols attacked Xixia again, and Ironwood
She really died and left a will to kill all the Xixia people. This Xixia princess was also with the army at the time, so she lived in seclusion there, became a nun, and helped the Xixia people escape from being hunted by the Mongolian army."
"Captain, how do you know so many stories about Xixia?"
Immediately, a soldier responded on Wang Mancang's behalf: "Don't you understand this? Our captain's salary is all spent on finding women in Xingqing Mansion."
"Shut up, you guys."
"No, I think the team has found a Xixia nun. Every time we tell a story, there is a Xixia nun. I'm afraid she uses her salary as incense money."
"Don't talk nonsense, our team can do this kind of thing? Then is he still a human being?"
Wang Mancang took another straw in his mouth, slapped the soldier casually, and cursed: "You are not a human being. Go back and report to General Yang. Don't talk on the way, in case you encounter the Yuan army."
"I also want to hear the captain talk about adultery."
"Tell me nonsense and ask General Yang to give me a good beating..."
Several soldiers of the Tang Dynasty quietly climbed down the mountain from the west of Helan Mountain, quietly mounted their horses in the dark night, and ran for more than sixty miles into the wasteland to the west, arriving at the station on the edge of the desert before dawn.
Yang Ben was sitting in the tent, listening to Tan Ma's report and drawing a map with his own hands.
"General."
"Back." Yang Ben turned around and saw Wang Mancang, nodded and said, "Say."
He has a bad habit of treating others well. Even if he dislikes someone, he won't take the opportunity to make things difficult for him. However, even if he likes someone, he won't give him preferential treatment.
Because he had suffered losses in the Lu Family Army, what he valued most was fairness.
Therefore, although Wang Mancang was taught a lesson last time, Yang Ben seemed to have forgotten about it and neither comforted nor made things difficult for him afterwards.
This made Wang Mancang feel that this general had a weird temper every time he saw Yang Ben.
In short, he stepped forward and reported everything he had found out. Finally, he made a plan and said: "General, the Yuan army has surrounded your majesty and wants to attack him with water. Should we go and rescue your majesty?"
Yang Ben acted as if he hadn't heard anything. He took out a piece of paper, wrote a letter, turned around and asked, "You are sent to meet with His Majesty to report on the great achievements of annihilating Dong Wenbing. Do you dare to go?"
"Enter Xingqing Mansion?!"
"Don't you dare?"
"Thank you so much, General." Wang Mancang immediately clasped his fists and said loudly: "There is no place in heaven or earth that I dare not go to."
Yang Ben frowned again, obviously not liking this subordinate. His face darkened and he said, "Be serious."
"yes!"
"Remember, the battle in the world lies in the recovery of the Hetao, and the battle in the Hetao lies in the battle of Xingqing Mansion. In the battle of Xingqing Mansion, the opportunity for victory has appeared, that is, I have defeated Dong Wenbing and subdued half of his troops, but Tachaer does not know it.
Now, I leave the chance of victory in your hands, and you will bring it to His Majesty. Can you bear this burden?"
Wang Mancang stared blankly at the beard on Yang Ben's face, thinking that he was talking about the affair between the Emperor of Xixia and the widow a while ago, and couldn't believe that the general could entrust him with such an errand.
It can be seen that the general also understands that it does not matter if he talks about naughty things...
Half a day later, after resting, Wang Mancang, who was well prepared, once again took his small group of troops eastward, about to pass through the encirclement line of the Yuan army and enter Xingqing Mansion.
Yang Ben also made arrangements, and soon, he led his cavalry and disappeared into the long yellow sand again.
~~
This night is July 15th, the Ghost Festival.
In a posthouse not far outside Liangzhou City, Yan Yunyun, who was staying overnight on his way here, heard the door open and turned around to see Han Wufei sitting in a wheelchair being pushed, followed by Hao Xiuyang and Asha.
quiet and nice.
"Do you know that it's very scary for you to come here like this during the Ghost Festival?"
Han Wufei opened his mouth, but no words came out.
Hao Xiuyang then smiled and said: "There is an old Taoist here, so there is no need to be afraid, Mr. Yan."
When they got closer, Yan Yunyun saw clearly that Han Wufei's face was covered with bruises and his nose was completely swollen, and he couldn't help but shake his head.
Hao Xiuyang sighed again: "Don't blame him. Li Bing, those soldiers, and you are alive thanks to him."
"Where's the real gold man?"
"I don't know. But an urgent message came from the Shixiazi Great Wall garrison. Our army has annihilated Dong Wenbing's troops."
"real?"
"I don't dare to come to see you if you are not a real Taoist." Hao Xiuyang smiled, patted Han Wufei on the shoulder, and said: "You are an official who knows how to give up and gain. If you don't want it, you might as well give it to the Taoist."
Be a disciple."
Yan Yunyun agreed with Hao Xiuyang's words.
She had noticed very early that Han Wufei had a transcendent heart and was able to marry her without being confused by the words of the world.
When he met the enemy in Qilian Mountain, because she was awake, he followed her arrangements; when he met the enemy in Shangchuan Town, because she was unconscious, he made a decisive decision.
Although Han Wufei was still reticent about bringing back Pa Siba and sending away the real gold, Yan Yunyun could feel his love and care for her.
After everyone else had left, she stepped forward to help Han Wufei sit down and asked, "Are you okay?"
"Are you recovered?"
"alright."
"I'm fine. Seeing the Yuan army catching up, I dropped the real gold, jumped into the mountain stream, and fell. It took two days to be found. The person you worked so hard to capture was lost like this by me.
…”
"Officer." Yan Yunyun shook his hand and said, "I have been thinking about something these days."
"What?"
"I'm thinking that among the men who have liked me, I have chosen the most extraordinary one."
Han Wufei was stunned for a moment, not knowing how to answer. After a while, he said: "I have been studying medicine for more than 20 years, but my medical skills are very poor. I can't cure your disease. I broke my leg and couldn't cure it in the mountain stream...
…”
For Han Wufei, who was not very capable and was traveling with his wife for the first time, he believed that he must have made a mistake during this trip.
Letting go of real gold can be said to be a grave sin.
Presumably Zhenjin had the same feeling of doing something wrong when he lost Pa Siba at Riyue Mountain. Han Wufei felt that his mistake was even more serious.
But fortunately, his mistakes were made up for and tolerated. So he breathed a sigh of relief, his mentality became better, and he learned lessons and made progress.
"Madam, you must not say that I am extraordinary. I am very talented but very lucky." Han Wufei commented on himself in this way, and at the end he added a rhetorical saying, "I am very lucky to win the favor of Madam.
"
He obviously feels a lot more confident.
…
In the next few days, Hao Xiuyang just debated with Pa Siba every day. Yan Yunyun soon started to get busy after recovering from his serious illness.
They rested for a while in Liangzhou, restocked their money and goods, and prepared to go to Xiningzhou again to continue their unfinished errands and contact the Tibetan tribes.
Compared to the first time, they lost a lot, but they were more confident because this time they also had Pasiba in their hands.
We just have to wait for the war at Qinghai Lake to come to an end before we can go on the trip.
Somewhat unexpectedly, news came from Song He that General Cui Bin, the governor of Zhenjin's tent, intended to surrender.
When the news reached the Liangzhou government office, the civil and military officials became embarrassed.
"What does Cui Bin mean? As long as His Majesty makes a promise, will he lead his troops to surrender?"
"yes."
"What's so difficult about this? General Song can send a letter to ask His Majesty."
"The difficulty is that Xingqing Mansion is surrounded by the Yuan army. General Song is still sending people to break out of the encirclement and deliver the message. At the same time, he is also afraid that Cui Bin and Brother Zhao will get the news and cause another disturbance."
"There won't be any trouble again." Yan Yunyun muttered: "But it is inevitable to wait and see... The surrender of Tubo has already begun, and Tacha'er's 50,000-strong army has been delayed for a while. In this way, I will immediately enter Hehuang again.
, hold them steady.”
All Liangzhou officials looked at Yan Yunyun and secretly admired him.
As an ordinary official, there is no need to go to Hehuang first at this time. If His Majesty is defeated in Xingqing Mansion, he will easily encounter danger again. This shows that Yan Shangshu has absolute confidence in His Majesty.
Maybe the founding fathers were so desperate in their work...
~~
As the time changes from mid-July to late July, the situation in northern Shaanxi, Gansu, Ningxia, Qinghai, and the Western Regions has obviously changed in its own way.
If viewed individually, the situation appears to be quite peaceful.
In Ansai City and Xiazhou, brothers Yang Wen'an and Yang Wenzhong felt that Zhang Jue's attack was not violent;
In Xingqing Mansion, Tachaer's 50,000-strong army surrounded Li Xia and Li Zengbo, and could "kill them with time";
In Qinghai, although Cui Bin and Zhao Ageben had the intention to join the New Tang Dynasty, they were still hesitant and wanted to see how the situation would progress;
In the Western Regions, the main force of the Yuan army may be destroying Gaochang City...
Only when some people look at all of this together can they see that the Yuan army's military deployment is broken and cannot be connected smoothly...