Because Wang Shizhen, the governor of Liaodong, Fang Zhenshan, the governor of Liaodong, and others had other ideas and planned to summon fellow villagers from nearby Jinzhou to visit Zhao Junchen, they did not choose to go with He Yu.
Without the burden of Wang Shizhen, Fang Zhenshan and others, He Yu led the Liaodong cavalry to Hujiazhuang. Everyone was riding war horses and had excellent riding skills. Naturally, they traveled very quickly, so they arrived at Hujiazhuang as soon as possible.
Although Song Dahe, the commander-in-chief of the Liaodong Branch, vowed to rush to Hujiazhuang to visit Zhao Junchen as soon as possible, the Liaodong Branch lacked war horses, so the journey was naturally much slower.
At this time, after Zhao Junchen heard the report and saw Xu Qingyan's panic, he couldn't help but frown.
Xu Qingyan once followed Zhao Junchen north to the Shaanxi-Gansu border, and also went south alone to contact the Zheng family in Taiwan. Logically speaking, he had seen the world, but at this time he was frightened by the appearance of He Yu and the Liaodong border army.
Zhao Junchen was a little disappointed with his chaotic performance.
So, Zhao Junchen reprimanded him coldly: "It's just that He Yu and the Liaodong Army are coming. It was something that was expected. It's not the King of Heaven and the soldiers and the generals who are coming. Why are you panicking?"
But soon, Zhao Junchen realized that he had misunderstood Xu Qingyan.
I saw Xu Qingyan shaking his head repeatedly and said: "What He Yu brought is not the ordinary Liaodong frontier army, but the Liaodong cavalry! I took a look, good guy, full of murderous intent! And..."
"And what?"
"And after He Yu led the Liaodong cavalry here, he immediately surrounded Hujiazhuang. All the Liaodong cavalry did not dismount, and their soldiers were fully equipped, as if they would rush in at any time!
He Yu also sent a messenger to deliver a message, saying that he was doing this just to protect the young master. He also said that he wanted to meet the young master as soon as possible to check on the young master's condition, but he hoped that the young master could give you a clear explanation.
Can the Liaodong cavalry enter Hujiazhuang? If..."
Xu Qingyan's tone became more and more panicked, but he stopped again at this point.
"Finish your words! Don't always say half-sentences? What if?"
After Xu Qingyan hesitated for a moment, he looked at Zhao Junchen cautiously and added: "The messenger also said that if you dare not let the Liaodong cavalry enter Hujiazhuang, young master, He Yu can enter Hujiazhuang with only one entourage for a visit."
Jiang Quan, a member of the Forbidden Army on the side, immediately became furious after hearing Xu Qingyan's report. He gritted his teeth and said: "This is a threat! This is a humiliation! This is a blackmail! How dare He Yu do this! This is simply unscrupulous! They all say that Liaodong
The end of the town is strong, and the troops are self-respecting. In Liaodong, he is like a local emperor. Now that I see it, it is true!"
Jiang Quan regarded Zhao Junchen as his idol in life, so seeing He Yu's attitude made him even more angry than being humiliated himself.
After Zhao Junchen was silent for a moment, he sneered again: "It may not be a threat or coercion, but it must be a show of force... He Yu deliberately made the Liaodong Cavalry look murderous because he thought that I would never dare to let the Liaodong Cavalry enter Hujiazhuang.
In the end, he will just give in and let him come in to visit alone. With such a guilty conscience and timidity, he will naturally lose his momentum after meeting..."
Xu Qingyan asked cautiously: "Then...should we let the Liaodong cavalry follow He Yu into the village?"
Zhao Junchen did not answer immediately, but stood up and walked out of the room, saying as he walked: "Let me see with my own eyes first, what kind of majesty this Liaodong cavalry, which is known as the most powerful army in the world, has!"
Seeing Zhao Junchen's attitude, Xu Qingyan and Jiang Quan looked at each other and quickly followed behind.
As a village on the northeastern border, Hujiazhuang also has a ten-foot-high wall built like the villages on the three sides of Shaanxi and Gansu. After Zhao Junchen climbed the wall and looked out, he immediately saw the legendary and powerful army with great military exploits in the world -
—"Liaodong Iron Cavalry"!
At this time, Hujiazhuang was completely surrounded by Liaodong cavalry. Just like what Xu Qingyan described, all Liaodong cavalry were on horseback, with their soldiers and armors in place, and flags fluttering. They silently surrounded Hujiazhuang, as if they would attack at any time.
When an offensive is launched, sometimes a large number of troops and horses will suddenly change formations, bringing up billows of smoke and dust. They are as quiet as a virgin and move as fast as a rabbit. When marching, they are not only quick and crisp, but can also keep orders and orders in order, and can also keep the queue generally neat.
Although Zhao Junchen was standing on the wall, about two miles away from the Liaodong cavalry outside the village, he could still feel the murderous and brave wind coming towards him.
After careful observation for a moment, Zhao Junchen's expression was equally solemn. He finally understood the reason for Xu Qingyan's panic and murmured: "This is the Liaodong Iron Cavalry... It is indeed well-deserved. In terms of bravery, I am afraid that it is still the same soldier as before.
As for the new army, in terms of excellent soldiers and armor, it is not inferior to the elite of the Forbidden Army; in terms of riding and shooting skills, it seems to be not much worse than the elite of the Junggar Khanate; in terms of military discipline and tactics, it is also 70% to 80% as good as the Qi family's new army.
...It is worthy of being recognized as the strongest army in the world."
As he spoke, Zhao Junchen secretly compared them in his heart and found that among all the armies he had seen in his life, only the one he saw when he went to Xuanfu Town to negotiate with Aixinjueluo Xuanye.
The Jianzhou Jurchen elite army can be even better.
In addition, the original Qi family's new army also had the potential to defeat this Liaodong cavalry, but it was only potential.
The former Qi family's new army was not only too small in size, but also lacked combat experience. With the dust of the Hetao War settled, this army had some combat experience, and the size of the army was also expanding. However, because of Qi Bin's
"Dead on the battlefield", the former Qi family's new army has become the current "Guoguo Army", the nominal military commander has become Qi Bin's former deputy Niu Ji, and the actual military commander is Zhao Junchen's distant relative
Cousin "Li He", under such circumstances, Zhao Junchen is not sure whether this army can still maintain its former vigor and potential.
Therefore, the "Liaodong Iron Cavalry" in front of Zhao Junchen is indeed worthy of the evaluation of "the strongest army in the world".
Zhao Junchen secretly estimated the size of the cavalry and whispered again: "The Liaodong cavalry in front of me has about three thousand people... Speaking of which, how many troops do the Liaodong cavalry have in total?"
Jiang Quan on the side immediately replied: "The Liaodong Iron Cavalry is actually the private army of the General Soldier of Liaodong Town. The court has always been unable to control it and cannot grasp the details. As for the specific size of the Liaodong Iron Cavalry, it can only be roughly estimated based on various intelligences.
It is estimated that it should be between 12,000 and 15,000... He Yu really did demonstrate deliberately this time and brought 3,000 people in one breath."
Zhao Junchen nodded lightly at first, then shook his head with regret and sighed: "Such a powerful army, with at least 12,000 people, should be the Optimus Pillar of the imperial court's border defense, but it can only be controlled by an army full of people.
In the hands of the selfish Liaodong General Soldier... it is such a pity!"
Then, Zhao Junchen turned around and walked down the wall, and ordered: "Didn't He Yu send a messenger? Let him come to see me!"
*
After Zhao Junchen returned to the room, Xu Qingyan quickly led a Liaodong military attache dressed as a thousand households to come to Zhao Junchen.
This Qianhu from Liaodong Town is not very old, but he has a shrewd demeanor, a capable manner, and a hint of arrogance. He is obviously He Yu's confidant.
After this person saw Zhao Junchen, he immediately saluted respectfully and said hello, and even knelt down on one knee to perform a military salute.
However, although his attitude was extremely respectful and could not be faulted, his words were completely devoid of any respect.
"I work in Qianhu Shicheng, Liaodong Town, and I have met Zhao Gechen!
Report to Zhao Gechen, after my Lord Commander heard that you were seriously ill in Hujiazhuang, he immediately put aside everything he was doing and came to visit Zhao Gechen. In order to ensure your safety, he also brought a team of Liaodong cavalry!
At this moment, Mr. He is outside the village, waiting for Zhao Gechen to summon you at any time, but... considering the cause of your illness, Mr. He can't help but feel a little worried, feeling that Zhao Gechen, you may not be able to bear it.
The murderous intent of the Liaodong Cavalry. After all, every one of the Liaodong Cavalry is a good man who has no plan to kill the enemy. It is much more terrifying than those few corpses!
Therefore, Mr. He sent a low-ranking official to ask Zhao Gechen for his opinion. Should the Liaodong Iron Cavalry follow Mr. He into the village to visit you? If Zhao Gechen is worried that the Liaodong Iron Cavalry is too murderous and will collide with you, why?
Commander-in-Chief, he is also willing to come alone to see Zhao Cabinet Minister!"
After saying that, Shi Cheng raised his eyes and secretly observed Zhao Junchen's reaction.
Zhao Junchen and Shi Cheng looked at each other and found that this man's eyes were bright and full of scrutiny, but there was no sarcasm in them.
Therefore, Zhao Junchen immediately guessed Shi Cheng's true intention.
Anyone can guess that the story about Zhao Junchen being "seriously ill" after being frightened by several corpses is definitely a lie, but Shi Cheng still used this incident to ridicule Zhao Junchen for being cowardly, just to test Zhao Junchen secretly.
I wanted to see if Zhao Junchen had any intention of surrendering and retreating after seeing the powerful combat power of the Liaodong Cavalry.
At the same time, it is also to emphasize once again that Liaodong Town’s tough attitude is by no means a soft persimmon that Zhao Junchen can manipulate at will.
Zhao Junchen and He Yu are both important people, and they both value face, so no matter how unscrupulous He Yu is, there are certain things that he cannot say in person, otherwise both parties will be unable to step down.
On the contrary, a person like Shi Cheng, whose status is neither high nor low, can speak freely and be a little unruly. At worst, He Yu later felt that his discipline was lax and reprimanded Shi Cheng a few words, saying that he would definitely punish Shi Cheng severely.
The matter has passed.
As a result, Shi Cheng's almost unabashed sarcastic remarks came about.
After thinking about these things, Zhao Junchen's expression turned out to be casual, and he said slowly: "When you go back, tell Mr. He that I only have three requirements here;
First, General He can bring the Liaodong cavalry into the village. It is just a trivial matter, so why do you need to specifically seek my opinion?
Secondly, there is only such a small area in Hujiazhuang, and there are currently 500 Forbidden Army soldiers stationed there. Therefore, if General He wants to lead his troops into the village, let him consider the size of the troops by himself, and don't crowd everyone with no place to stay;
Thirdly, I have been temporarily living in Hujiazhuang during this period, and I have always paid accommodation fees to the people. Once I damage people's property, I will immediately compensate them with money. So when General He led the troops into the village,
You must also prepare a sum of money in advance. The Liaodong frontier army has always been majestic and majestic. They never see the people under the horses' hooves. After entering the village, they will not only eat the horses and occupy the houses, but also damage the property of the people in all likelihood.
When the time comes, Mr. He will have to compensate you in time!"
Hearing Zhao Junchen's answer, Shi Cheng couldn't help but be stunned.
Before Shi Cheng came to see Zhao Junchen, he had thought that Zhao Junchen might be so courageous that he agreed to let He Yu lead the Liaodong cavalry into the village. But he never expected that Zhao Junchen would ask Shi Cheng for a sum of money.
Silver was used to compensate the villagers of Hujiazhuang.
Such a request seems to be about loving the people as one's own, but it also hides a certain attitude of Zhao Junchen, that is - since I, Zhao Junchen, have arrived in Liaodong, I, Zhao Junchen, will set the rules in Liaodong!
After thinking secretly, Shi Cheng did not dare to respond to Zhao Junchen's request without authorization. He bowed his head slightly and said: "Zhao Gechen's request has been recorded. I will go back and report it to General He now."
After saying that, Shi Cheng was about to get up and leave.
At this moment, something even more surprising happened to Shi Cheng.
Seeing Shi Cheng was about to leave, Zhao Junchen suddenly raised his hand to stop him and said, "Wait a moment."
Under Shi Cheng's puzzled gaze, Zhao Junchen turned to Xu Qingyan and Jiang Quan beside him and asked: "I just realized what I said. Were his first words a blatant mockery of me?"
Xu Qingyan and Jiang Quan had long been indignant at Shi Cheng's sarcastic remarks. They both nodded their heads and rushed to answer yes first.
"That's it, this person is blatantly mocking the ministers!"
"A mere border army with thousands of households dares to offend the imperial ministers. It's really a shame. You don't know how high the sky is!"
On the other side, Shi Cheng saw that Zhao Junchen was going to make things difficult for him, so he quickly explained: "The words and deeds of the humble position are unconscionable, but they are definitely not intended to ridicule the cabinet minister. I hope that you will not take it to heart. The humble position is willing to return to the army."
Take the initiative to receive the penalty..."
But before Shi Cheng could finish speaking, Zhao Junchen waved his hand and interrupted: "There is no need to go to the army to receive the punishment. I don't care whether you did it intentionally or not, but you must be punished if you offend the superior. This is an iron rule! ...
...Of course, for Mr. He's sake, I won't embarrass you too much. Since you have a bad mouth, I'll punish you ten times... Do you want to slap yourself? Or let me find someone to do it.
Slap you?"
As Zhao Junchen finished speaking, Xu Qingyan and Jiang Quan were both gearing up and ready to make a move.
Shi Cheng knew very well that he would definitely not be able to avoid this humiliation, so he gritted his teeth and said: "What the cabinet minister said is reasonable, but I am a humble person who is rude, and I am willing to punish myself with ten slaps in the face!"
After saying that, Shi Cheng waved his hand and slapped himself ten times in a row. He didn't hold back any force when he did it. It could be described as a slap - because Shi Cheng knew very well that if he slapped lightly at this time, Zhao Junchen would definitely give the order.
Xu Qingyan and Jiang Quan started to slap again.
As the ten slaps ended, Shi Cheng's cheeks were red and swollen, and there was a trace of blood at the corner of his mouth.
When Zhao Junchen saw Shi Cheng being so crisp and flexible, a trace of solemnity flashed in his eyes, but on the surface he nodded with satisfaction and said: "Now, you can go back to Commander He!"
When Shi Cheng turned around and left quickly, looking at Shi Cheng's back, Xu Qingyan couldn't help but asked worriedly: "Master, it's really a relief for you to let this man slap himself, but are we going to let the Liaodong cavalry enter the village like this?"
Zhao Junchen shook his head gently and said: "Don't worry, He Yu just wants to scare me. With the combat power of the Liaodong Cavalry, if he really has evil intentions, don't we have the ability to resist? We might as well take the initiative to let them in.
, it can also show our courage and will not weaken our momentum."
Xu Qingyan was still a little worried, but in the end he bit the bullet and agreed with Zhao Junchen's statement.
On the other side, after Jiang Quan asked Zhao Junchen for instructions, he quickly left the room, intending to summon the soldiers of the Forbidden Army to form a formation to greet He Yu. Just as Zhao Junchen said, he must not lose his momentum at this time.
*
At the same time, Shi Cheng had also left Hujiazhuang and met He Yu, the commander-in-chief of Liaodong. Then, with a red and swollen cheek, he truthfully reported to He Yu the story of his meeting with Zhao Junchen.
After hearing the report, He Yu couldn't help but sneered and said: "Zhao Junchen is so cunning. He seems to be a little courageous. He agreed to let the Liaodong cavalry enter the village. On the surface, there is no limit on the number of Liaodong cavalry entering the village, but
He also said that Hujiazhuang was too small to accommodate too many people. Apparently he was still afraid of the majesty of the Liaodong Iron Cavalry and did not dare to let the Liaodong Iron Cavalry enter the Hujiazhuang with too many troops.
By protecting him, he can maintain some sense of security... Ha! He can also come up with a set of reasonable excuses, and these officials at the center of the imperial court only have one mouth to talk about!"
After saying that, He Yu glanced at Shi Cheng's red and swollen cheeks and asked, "Are you willing to make another trip to deliver a message to me?"
Shi Cheng raised his hand and touched his cheek, gritted his teeth and said, "I'm willing to do this!"
"Okay, if you go to see Zhao Junchen again, it's enough to say that all the tasks of protecting his safety will be handed over to our Liaodong Iron Cavalry. You can completely let all the forbidden troops in the village be stationed outside the village and leave all the defense tasks in the village to us.
Liaodong Town! I want to see if Zhao Junchen dares to agree this time!"
*
In this way, after half a stick of incense had passed, Shi Cheng came to Zhao Junchen again and reported He Yu's latest attitude to Zhao Junchen.
After Zhao Junchen listened, he looked at Shi Cheng quietly for a moment, and then suddenly asked: "Which foot did you use to enter the door first just now?"