Walking up to the attic of the post house, Jia Hou looked towards Hanzhong City and felt that the city was sparsely populated.
Speaking of which, Jingzhao Prefecture experienced the Battle of Mengjin and the Battle of Sanjing, and its population was also small at that time.
It was only after more than ten years of Han Dynasty administration in the north and Wang Dechen plundering people from Sichuan and Sichuan and heading north that Guanzhong regained its vitality.
Not long ago, Asotai led his troops to capture people. Fortunately, they were quickly repulsed and headed west to Liupan Mountain. Otherwise, there would have been another loss of lives.
Now, Lian Xixian and Shang Ting are managing the Jingzhao Mansion, and the Liu family and the Wang family are stationed in Guanzhong and Longxi, in order to prevent the Hunduhai troops from destroying the Jingzhao Mansion.
Hunduhai, Asotai, Alan Daer, Liu Taiping... people who are not brothers of Ali.
More than 200,000 troops from both sides were arrayed in formation, just waiting for the war to begin.
Brother Ali is a barbarian with a short-sighted mind and only knows the Mongolian style of burning, killing, looting and kidnapping.
It is far inferior to His Majesty's current talents and strategies, including the clouds of civil servants and the rain of generals.
This is the current situation.
Li Xia can't see through it?
Not that...
Thinking of this, Jia Hou murmured to himself: "It would be too bad for you to join forces with Hundu Hai."
Li Xia had the guts to make such arrogant remarks. If he didn't make such a mistake, it would not be difficult to guess the alternative strategies.
The only way is to cooperate with Hunduhai to enter Guanzhong, and the fisherman will benefit.
Then, for his own ambition, Li Xia did not care about the living beings in Guanzhong... and dared to stand shoulder to shoulder with His Majesty? Did he pretend to be of the same mind as the prince of the North?
After careful consideration in his mind, Jia Hou was a little suspicious of Li Xia and felt a little disdainful of his inconsistent character.
He turned around and went to the courtyard, walked into the courtyard, and looked around at the people he had brought.
"Tomorrow I will go to discuss my marriage with Li Yong. You can find a way to get rid of Li Xia's people and set up spies in the city..."
The next day.
As soon as the Lantern Festival is over, the joy of the New Year fades away.
Li Yong has his own courtyard, which is also in Yanku Lane, and lives next to the Han family. The courtyard in Sanjinluo is not very big, but it is more than enough for a family of three.
When the sky was dim, Li Yong was already sitting by the window, handling some ordinary documents, and let Liu Susu comb his hair.
Liu Susu worked meticulously and tried his best to push his white hair inward to make him look much younger.
Occasionally looking up at the bronze mirror, Li Yong felt quite ashamed when he saw Liu Susu's aging face... A few years ago, he had thought about making Liu Susu his main wife.
But now, with Li Xia's status, this move is extremely inappropriate.
I combed my hair and walked to the hall, where Li Zhaocheng was already waiting to say hello.
Li Yong smiled. He used to be worried that Li Zhaocheng was not doing his job properly, but now that Li Xia was in charge, he was not allowed to sit in the kitchen all day, and he was relieved.
"You are also busy, so you don't need to come to say hello every day."
"Father, won't you go to the handsome manor with your child today?"
"We have guests coming."
Li Zhaocheng had something to say, squeaking.
"The New Year is over, let's talk about something." Li Yong sighed and said: "Back then, my family was almost wiped out, so I adopted you as my adopted son. Now that things have passed, you are my eldest brother's heir after all."
Li Zhaocheng was stunned, his eyes were a little red, and he was about to kneel down.
"Father……"
"Don't kneel down." Li Yong sighed even more and said: "Although it is the same, my father is reluctant to move you back to the eldest brother's branch. How good is this? You are still my son. Looking back, your eldest son is born.
The successor will be in the eldest house, and the second son will be in the second house... If you have enough sons, give me a piece of incense to succeed you, okay?"
Li Zhaocheng still knelt on the ground and kowtowed heavily.
"Father has thought carefully."
"Get up, our family is now sparsely populated, and your second brother's cold face... let's not mention him. In short, as a father, I can only count on you."
"yes."
Li Yong looked at Li Zhaocheng and nodded.
There were some things that he never said because Li Xia had done it for him. If Li Zhaocheng wanted to marry Yan Yunyun, he would never agree.
"Since you want to have more heirs, let me arrange a marriage for you as a father."
This was what Li Zhaocheng wanted to ask about, and he saluted: "Father, Erlang said that Liu Heima would not agree, but it seems that... he sent someone here?"
"Be careful when chatting in the future." Li Yong looked outside the hall and saw no one else, and said: "Liu Heima will never agree. I will only wait for three or two months for this matter to pass, and my father will send an envoy to Shi Zhuan for you.
The daughter of your family proposes marriage, and your aunt says she is very nice, what do you think?"
"This..." Li Zhaocheng was unwilling, but still said: "Father will make the decision..."
He walked through the yard, went out, and walked to the end of the alley, when he saw a group of people approaching slowly, led by Jia Hou.
Li Zhaocheng didn't want to talk to Jia Hou anymore, so he turned around and went into Liu Jinsuo's yard, leaning against the door.
Of course he understood that Liu Heima would not agree, but seeing everyone starting to discuss marriage, he was inevitably upset...
"Who's coming in?"
In the attic, Lin Zi quickly turned the telescope in his hand towards the courtyard door.
Liu Jinsuo grabbed his telescope and said, "Of course you can't see it with this, it's too close. It was Mr. Li Dalang who came in from my nursing home."
"Scared me..."
"How long are you going to stay at my house?"
"Don't make any noise, I'm doing business."
Lin Zi took back the viewing tube and continued to look at the corner of the street. He saw three people in Jia Hou's queue quickly dispersed after entering the alley.
"Including the previous ones, eleven people will be divided... to deliver the message."
"yes……"
These things have nothing to do with Liu Jinsuo. He is just worried that someone from the north will break into his house and follow him life and death.
"Lin Zi, you can tell them directly. I'm guarding the city of Hanzhong. You can find out as much as you can with the three melons and two dates in the north. This is called fetching water with a bamboo basket. Hey, it's all in vain."
"Stop talking, I shouldn't have come to your house."
"No, I mean, Hanzhong..."
"How many years has Hanzhong been occupied by the Mongols, and how long did it take for us to recover it? They left a lot of details behind, do you need to worry about it? Go away..."
Two days later, west of Hanzhong City.
More than a hundred riders came, covered with dust.
The more than sixty riders in front were all Song troops, and the horses were exhausted.
There were more than thirty riders behind a carriage, but the horses were so endurance that they didn't even breathe when they reached the city gate.
Liu Taiping opened the car curtain and looked at Hanzhong City in front of him, with a look of thoughtfulness in his old eyes.
At that time, on the order of Meng Ge, he assisted Alan Dal'er to go south to Goukao, served as the political governor of Shaanxi Province, and rounded up a large number of Kublai Khan's party members.
But now, the governor of Shaanxi Province who is sitting in Jingzhao Mansion was appointed by Shang Ting and Kublai Khan.
The reason why Liu Taiping was still alive was because the news of Meng Ge's death came in time. Alan Da'er made an immediate decision and led his troops out of Chang'an City, heading straight to Liupan Mountain and the Hundu Sea.
If they had taken a step too late, Kublai Khan's henchmen would have killed them with their swords.
And the news of his death is said to have come from the Song Dynasty commander Yuan Shuai whom he was about to meet...
"Hush!"
The carriage traveled five miles outside Hanzhong City, and saw a line of elite soldiers standing outside a long pavilion beside the official road. In the pavilion, there was a man sitting at a stone table, looking at a large map.
Liu Taiping squinted his eyes, got out of the car and walked towards the pavilion. At the same time, he looked at the other person, his eyes gradually showing appreciation and fear.
…
"Commander, people are here."
Li Xia didn't get up, just nodded and said: "Pour him a cup of tea."
After a while, old laughter sounded.
"Li Jieshuai, a great name that I have admired for a long time."
Li Xia turned around, raised his hand, and asked Liu Taiping to sit down.
"Mr. Liu has seen me?"
Liu Taiping waved his hands and took his seat, and said with a smile: "In the past, King Gao Changgong of Lanling came to Jinyong City. He was severely surrounded and the people on the city didn't know it. Changgong took off his mask to show him, and he came to the city with a crossbowman to save him. He used his face to save him.
For the commander-in-chief, Li Jieshuai can be the second person after King Lanling."
"Your Brother Meng, General Wang and I killed him," Li Xia said.
Liu Taiping was stunned by these words.
Li Xia added: "Your nephew Liu Zhongzhi was falsely accused of catching Shi Zhang and putting him in the Liu family's pig pen. I did it."
"What does Li Jieshuai mean?"
"There is enmity between you and me." Li Xia said.
Liu Taiping turned his head and glanced at the thirty or so Mongolian cavalry outside the pavilion, then looked at Li Xia again, and said slowly: "You sent people to Liupan Mountain to contact the commander-in-chief, are you trying to trick me into killing him?"
Although his tone was smiling, he was already very unhappy.
Li Xia also laughed and said, "Only when both parties' grievances are cleared up can we cooperate seamlessly, right? After all, I was the one who passed on the news of Brother Meng's death to Hun Duhai and Alan Da'er."
Liu Taiping was even more unhappy.
He contacted me in person and was always very polite, but Li Xia was too rude.
But he was quite sophisticated, so he still smiled and said: "It makes sense. Only when we have cleared up our grievances can we cooperate seamlessly."
Li Xia asked again: "Don't Mr. Liu blame me?"
Liu Taiping didn't know how to answer. He couldn't say he cared about Brother Meng's death, nor could he say he didn't care. He just caressed his beard and said nothing.
"In short, it is enough for Mr. Liu to know that I am honest and open-minded."
Liu Taiping chuckled lightly, stroked his beard, and added another sentence.
Li Xia suppressed Liu Taiping's momentum first, and then directly started talking about business.
"With the current situation in the north, Brother Alibaba tried his best to lure Kublai Khan back to Mobei, but failed. Kublai Khan proclaimed himself emperor two months ago. Should the news have reached Haraholin?"
Liu Taiping nodded but remained silent.
He had to find the rhythm of conversation again.
"Brother Ali Bu missed the opportunity and had no choice but to immediately convene the Kuriltai Conference, proclaim his khan, raise troops, and fight to the death with Kublai Khan." Li Xia said: "Hunduhai is still waiting for his Khan's order."
Liu Taiping squinted his old eyes, looked at the map on the table, and said with a smile: "Counting the time, at this time in the Khan's court, a new Great Khan has succeeded..."
"late."
Li Xia shook his head and said: "Brother Ali moved too slowly. If he raised his troops in a hurry, he would only be defeated by Kublai Khan. At Hunduhai, Alan Da'er is a fool, and he is definitely not Wang Liangchen or Liu Heima.
opponent."
"Ha." Liu Taiping smiled confidently, "Li Jieshuai probably doesn't know how strong our troops are."
"I only know that Liu Heima, Wang Liangchen and others are also very powerful." Li Xia said: "With the character of you people, if you are really sure... Liu Gong will not come to see me, let alone be polite.
He called me 'Li Jieshuai'."
Liu Taiping looked at Li Xia again, with scrutiny in his eyes.
He knew that this was an unconventional young man.
"Tell me, what does Li Jieshuai want?"
"Let me first tell you what I can give you." Li Xia clicked on the map, and his fingertips landed on Gong Chang's location on the map. "Wang Liangchen is doing his best to deal with the battle situation in Longxi. Once the two of you start a war, a strange army will come from Qishan Road.
What will happen if we raid Gongchang?"
"How many troops can be mobilized from Hanzhong?"
"I have mobilized troops from Chengdu. Liu Heima thought that I wanted to plot in Guanzhong, but he did not expect that I would secretly send troops to Qishan Road. Ten thousand people are enough to defeat Gongchang."
Ten thousand Song troops dared to leave Hanzhong. Liu Taiping didn't believe it, but he didn't expose it. He smiled and said, "What does Li Jieshuai want?"
"I need to make sure I'm not pursued when I loot Gongchang."
Liu Taiping pondered for a long time and said slowly: "Wang Liangchen has stationed 60,000 troops in Longxi. Can Li Jieshuai attack his rear?"
"where?"
Liu Taiping pointed at the map.
Li Xia narrowed his eyes slightly and said, "Then, the conditions have to be negotiated separately..."