After hearing the report, Ximen Sheng immediately raised his hand and snatched the piece of rag covered with writing, and began to examine it carefully.
At the same time, Gan Cheng, Xu Zha, and Li Zehe also gathered next to Ximen Sheng to watch together.
Comparatively speaking, Shicheng's status is much lower. He is not qualified to get close to see it. He can only stand not far away and speculate secretly about the content on the rag.
Soon, several generals had read the specific contents of this blackmail letter, and their expressions changed drastically once again!
At this moment, He Yu was seriously injured! Liaodong Town needed to quickly arrange for several doctors to enter the dense forest for diagnosis and treatment!
For Liaodong Town, this news is like a bolt from the blue!
Immediately, the first reaction of these Liaodong generals who had always been loyal to He Yu was not to be concerned about He Yu's safety, but out of control. They began to seriously think about another issue, one that was more important to them.
An important question, a question that they had never dared to think about before!
That is, if He Yu dies of his injuries during the kidnapping, or is brutally ripped off by the kidnappers, or suffers humiliation and loses his majesty, then... where should Liaodong Town go in the future?
The most important thing is, where should these people go?
More importantly, when the position of commander-in-chief of Liaodong Town becomes vacant, will you have a chance to fight for it?
Before this, these Liaodong generals had no delusion that they would become the next Liaodong commander-in-chief, because they were similar in age to He Yu. For example, Xu Jia was more than ten years older, so when He Yu
When they abdicate and delegate power, they are almost leaving the military.
Therefore, everyone regarded Shi Cheng and Li Shijie as the top two candidates for the next Liaodong Commander-in-Chief, because these two people were just the right age, and their abilities, talents, loyalty, etc. were all top-notch.
He has always been highly regarded by the high-ranking military attachés in Liaodong Town.
But the premise of all this is that He Yu can continue to be in charge of Liaodong Town for at least ten years.
He Yu is currently in his prime, and his power position has always been stable. If nothing unexpected happens, he will be in charge of Liaodong Town for at least ten years. Before today, no one had doubted this!
Therefore, Shi Cheng and Li Shijie originally had ample time to accumulate qualifications, connections, and military exploits for themselves, and gradually promoted themselves to a high enough position. By the time He Yu retired behind the scenes, they were fully prepared to take over.
Everything fell into place naturally.
But now, an unexpected situation occurred that no one expected. He Yu was kidnapped without warning, and was seriously injured. His life or death was uncertain. The position of Liaodong Commander-in-Chief might be vacant in advance...
Under such circumstances, Shi Cheng and Li Shijie's qualifications, reputation, power, etc. are still obviously insufficient at present. Naturally, they have no chance to take over the power. They can only wait patiently for the next opportunity... Instead, various parties in Liaodong Town
The generals, their status, qualifications, and connections are all abundant, and they also have greater opportunities to take over Liaodong Town and become the next Liaodong Commander-in-Chief!
Thinking of this, Gan Cheng, Xu Yan, and Li Zehe all began to move their eyes and secretly looked at the few colleagues around them, already considering them as their potential future competitors.
Then, they discovered that the other party was also secretly sizing them up.
Except for Ximen Sheng, the other three generals are roughly the same in strength, and no one has a higher chance of winning than their opponent.
As a result, these generals couldn't help but start thinking about another question. If they had no chance to win the position of Liaodong Commander-in-Chief, then... was the plan that Zhao Junchen had previously proposed to change the status quo of Liao's pay distribution and transportation?
Should you reconsider?
In just a moment, the seed that Zhao Junchen had buried in their hearts, the seed that they could only bury deep in their hearts before and dared not show any signs of it, the seed that they had vowed never to exist, was already
There are signs of taking root and growing rapidly.
As Zhao Junchen expected, these Liaodong generals are essentially selfish and short-sighted people. Otherwise, they would not support the self-respect of the Liaodong town's bandits, and they can't lose their tail. Therefore, as long as they see greater benefits, we can try to eliminate their hearts.
If they are afraid, they will definitely develop dissatisfaction.
As a result, these generals' eyes flickered and they were thoughtful, and for a moment they forgot that the most important thing on the surface was He Yu's safety.
*
In comparison, Ximen Sheng has mixed reputations due to his own image. Although he is the second-largest figure in Liaodong Town, he has the smallest chance of competing for the position of Commander-in-Chief of Liaodong. In addition, he and He Yunai are sworn brothers, so after all, there are some problems.
Feelings, so I got rid of distracting thoughts in my heart for the first time.
Afterwards, Ximen Sheng turned to look at the changes in the expressions of the other three generals. He frowned and said coldly: "Everyone, our most important thing right now is undoubtedly to do our best to rescue the Commander-in-Chief and ensure the safety of the Commander-in-Chief.
Safety, and protecting the collective interests of our Liaodong Town...
Therefore, I am duty-bound and unshirkable from my responsibilities, and plan to take the initiative to take over all matters in Liaodong during this special period from now on, but I don’t know what your comrades think?"
As he spoke, Ximen Sheng narrowed his eyes slightly, with a cold look in his eyes, and there was no concealment of the threat and warning in his expression.
Ximen Sheng has always behaved in a low-key manner, and has always been friendly and easy-going when getting along with the other generals. However, the threatening look on his face at this time is actually quite similar to He Yu.
Seeing Ximen Sheng's expression, the other three generals' hearts skipped a beat, and then they all nodded in agreement, indicating that Ximen Sheng was the perfect candidate to take charge of the overall situation at this time, and that they would definitely cooperate fully.
These high-ranking military attaches in Liaodong Town have long been accustomed to respecting strength. Now that He Yu has been kidnapped by gangsters, Ximen Sheng is undoubtedly the strongest.
What's more, among the generals, only Ximen Sheng has the power to mobilize the Liaodong cavalry, and this power is enough to determine the future situation of Liaodong Town.
Therefore, although several generals had their own ideas, they had no courage to oppose Ximen Sheng at this time.
Seeing several generals express their opinions, Ximen Sheng nodded with satisfaction.
Afterwards, Ximen Sheng began to issue military orders with a serious expression, saying: "Now, I will issue five military orders!
First, immediately block the news of the kidnapping of the General Soldier and Zhao Gechen. All insiders must stay near this dense forest and not leave! At the same time, all military orders issued by this general in the future will be based on the General Soldier.
Publish in the name of an adult!
Second, immediately mobilize all reliable border troops in the surrounding area and blockade the fifty-mile area near Hujiazhuang with all their strength. No one is allowed to enter or exit the blockade at will without the general's personal military order!
Thirdly, the West Road General's Mansion was ordered to immediately dispatch 3,000 elite troops to the junction of the Liaodong Town Defense Area and the Shanhaiguan Defense Area to station and blockade. Not only to further block the news, but also to keep an eye on the disturbances in Shanhaiguan and Ji Town!
Until we successfully rescue the General, Liaodong Town must not be interfered by any external forces!
Fourth, immediately dispatch all Liaodong cavalry to closely monitor all movements of all forces in Hujiazhuang, especially the Guan Ning cavalry of the Wu family in Shanhaiguan, and the Forbidden Army officers and soldiers in Zhao Gechen's camp... If there are any abnormal movements, immediately block them.
And report the news to me as soon as possible!
Finally, a fast horse messenger was sent to convey the military order to the Jinzhou camp, and the General Military Mansion once again sent 3,000 Liaodong cavalry and 5,000 ordinary border troops to Hujiazhuang. Otherwise, with our current strength, we may not be able to suppress the troops in Hujiazhuang.
All forces!"
After hearing Ximen Sheng's successive military orders, the other generals could not find any fault, so they all agreed again.
However, just when these generals were about to leave to execute the military order, Ximen Sheng suddenly sneered and said: "Of course, as the general said before, the top priority now is to rescue the commander-in-chief. As long as the commander-in-chief
Master Bing escaped safely, and all kinds of difficulties and threats were naturally solved...
As for these military orders issued by this general, they are just as a precaution. There is no need for all my colleagues to come forward in person. It is better to stay here and work with me to try to rescue the Commander-in-Chief..."
As he spoke, Ximen Sheng turned to look at Shi Cheng and said: "Shi Qianhu, you will be responsible for conveying and executing my military orders. You must complete all tasks in the shortest possible time...
Also, I remember that when the Commander-in-Chief came to Hujiazhuang from Jinzhou Camp, he also brought several famous doctors from Jinzhou City with him. After you returned to the military camp, you sent these famous doctors over immediately... and stayed in the camp to recuperate.
General Huang Shenming of the West Road, after you execute all the military orders, you will personally escort him here, so that there will be one more person to work with you!"
After hearing what Ximen Sheng said, the expressions of the other three generals changed slightly.
Ximen Sheng sounded nice, but in fact he didn't trust them. He was worried that once they left his control, they would join forces everywhere and take the opportunity to cause trouble, so he planned to force them to stay with him. It was called cooperation, but it was really under house arrest!
However, seeing Ximen Sheng's cold gaze, the three generals hesitated for a moment, but in the end they were unwilling to betray each other, so they all agreed with Ximen Sheng's approach with a dark face.
On the other side, when Shi Cheng saw Ximen Sheng's behavior, he hesitated for a moment. He didn't know whether he should obey orders. After all, the military orders issued by Ximen Sheng were too aggressive and seemed to be overstepping the mark.
.
Seeing the change in Shi Cheng's expression, Ximen Sheng frowned, but still handed the rag in his hand to Shi Cheng for inspection.
After all, although Shi Cheng is only a Qianhu, he is also the actual commander of the Liaodong Cavalry. If Ximen Sheng wants to smoothly mobilize the Liaodong Cavalry, he still needs Shi Cheng's full cooperation. If Shi Cheng shows an uncooperative attitude, Ximen Sheng will
It is also difficult to fully control this powerful army.
After Shi Cheng took the rag and read the contents, his expression suddenly changed.
Shi Cheng is a smart man. Not only was he worried about He Yu's safety at this time, he also quickly thought of the previous subtle reactions of the three generals Gan Cheng, Xu Zha, and Li Zehe, and instantly understood what Ximen Sheng was doing.
The intention of going to war.
The top priority at the moment is not only to rescue He Yu, the commander-in-chief of Liaodong, but also to prevent the high-level military attachés within Liaodong Town from developing disloyalty and causing trouble for Xiao Qiang!
Therefore, we must try to control the whereabouts of these generals to prevent them from connecting everywhere and causing trouble in private!
If they just want to secretly connect with their respective supporters in Liaodong Town, that's it. But if they want to increase their chances of winning, they actually collude with the Wu family of Shanhaiguan, or the central court, and plan to use external forces to help them ascend to the Liaodong General Assembly.
The position of soldier... Then Liaodong Town should stop trying to maintain its independence from now on!
The several military orders issued by Ximen Sheng were actually to prevent such a situation from happening!
After understanding this, Shi Cheng naturally had no hesitation and immediately said: "Please rest assured, General Ximen, that Beizhi and all the Liaodong cavalry under Beizhi will strictly abide by your military orders!"
After taking the opportunity to express the attitude of the Liaodong Iron Cavalry, Shi Cheng hesitated for a moment and couldn't help but remind him again: "I will carry out your military orders immediately, but I hope General Ximen will pay attention to what I have discovered before.
Something strange!"
The "strange place" mentioned by Shi Cheng naturally refers to the soft sand deliberately laid at the bottom of the trap and the loose soil deliberately arranged on the four walls of the trap. According to Shi Cheng's previous statement, this trap is like "setting a trap."
People are afraid that people who fall into potholes will be injured."
The implication is that the person behind the trap is naturally pointed at Zhao Junchen!
After all, Zhao Junchen also fell into the trap, and only Zhao Junchen would try his best to make this trap harmless.
What's more, the reason why He Yu fell into this trap was all because of Zhao Junchen's deliberate guidance.
No one is a fool. Although these clues cannot be regarded as ironclad evidence, they are enough to make Shi Cheng and others suspicious.
After hearing Shi Cheng's reminder, Ximen Sheng said with a sneer: "Don't worry, I have something in mind!"
Seeing Ximen Sheng's reaction, Shi Cheng felt a little relieved, and then left quickly!
*
After Shi Cheng left, Ximen Sheng stood there with his hands folded and pondered for a moment, then suddenly issued another order: "Call a few of the General's personal guards, I have something to ask him!"
Soon, several Liaodong cavalrymen hurried to Ximen Sheng.
They were all close guards of General He Yu. After seeing Ximen Sheng, they all looked ashamed and felt uneasy. They thought Ximen Sheng would punish them for failing to protect He Yu.
However, Ximen Sheng had no intention of punishing him at all, and just asked in a cold voice: "You are all the personal guards of the Lord Commander, and you have been following the Lord Commander all the time. You must have witnessed with your own eyes what the Lord Commander has been doing during this period of time.
Several contacts with Zhao Junchen, right?"
After receiving an affirmative answer, Ximen Sheng's expression became more serious and he ordered again: "Now, you should tell the general all the contents of the conversation between the Commander-in-Chief and Zhao Junchen in detail. No details can be missed!
"
Several Liaodong cavalrymen did not dare to neglect, and quickly recounted in detail the contents of several conversations between He Yu and Zhao Junchen during this period.
Whether it was the confrontation between Zhao Junchen and He Yu when they first met, or the candid exchange between Zhao Junchen and He Yu when they watched the competition between Liaodong Cavalry and Guan Ning Cavalry, or several events before and after today’s hunt.
Secret transactions are not left out.
Ximen Sheng listened carefully to what the several Liaodong cavalrymen said, without any change in his expression, but his eyes flickered constantly, and no one could guess his true thoughts.
After hearing these contents, the expressions of the other three generals changed much more.
Especially after hearing that Zhao Junchen had proposed to disband the Liaodong Cavalry, the reaction of these generals became even greater.
"Whimsical! Scholar's opinion! Who doesn't know that the Liaodong Cavalry is the backbone of our Liaodong Town, and only the Liaodong Cavalry can make the Jianzhou Jurchens fearful, how can they be easily disbanded?" Xu Ya shook his head repeatedly, as if listening to
Here comes a ridiculous story: "Even after disbanding the Liaodong cavalry, the various expenses used to support the Liaodong cavalry are equally shared among all Liaodong soldiers, taking the opportunity to enhance the combat power of ordinary frontier troops, the effect may not be better!
"
Ximen Sheng couldn't help but raise his eyebrows when he heard the word "maybe".
"After the Liaodong Iron Cavalry is disbanded, what should we do with the elite soldiers in the Liaodong Iron Cavalry? Are we going to divide the defense zones equally?" Gancheng stared, his face full of resistance, and refuted loudly: "
As a result, although the strength of each defense zone has increased, Liaodong Town has also lost a strong and decisive force. For the overall defense of the Liaodong region, who can tell whether it has more advantages or disadvantages!
"
Hearing the words "Who can tell me clearly?", Ximen Sheng's eyes became colder.
"In the final analysis, it's just a matter of imitating the grace order and building up the princes! Zhao Junchen's previous proposal to change the current situation of the distribution and transportation of Liao's salary was to divide us in terms of money and food, and this person who disbanded the Liaodong Cavalry
The proposal is to divide us in terms of military strength, so that we can't help but carve up the strong troops of the Liaodong Cavalry... Hey! Who still can't understand this? Could it be possible that we will fall into the trap?" Li Zehe looked disdainful, as if
He saw through Zhao Junchen’s despicable tricks at a glance and was not fooled at all!
Hearing the words "Carve up the powerful troops of the Liaodong cavalry" again, Ximen Sheng took a deep breath and finally suppressed the anger in his heart.
Gan Cheng, Xu Zha, and Li Zehe, on the surface, still swore that they were not affected by the alienation plan at all, but Ximen Sheng always felt that they had more strange thoughts in their hearts, and they always said that they were not affected by the alienation plan.
Hidden more thoughts.
Ultimately, Ximen Sheng does not have the prestige of He Yu.
Moreover, there are too many smart people in this world, especially Gan Cheng, Xu Zha, and Li Zehe, who are not fools.
Just like Ximen Sheng and Shi Cheng, based on various clues, they began to suspect that the kidnapping of He Yu and Zhao Junchen was a scene directed and acted by Zhao Junchen!
In other words, He Yu is very likely to have become Zhao Junchen's prisoner at this time!
Therefore, based on their own knowledge and concepts, Gan Cheng, Xu Zha, and Li Zehe all believed that He Yu would be in more danger than being kidnapped by ordinary gangsters in this situation.
Therefore, they become more and more certain that they must seriously consider their future.
Then, after being catalyzed by Zhao Junchen, the ambition that He Yu had suppressed for many years began to grow crazily and uncontrollably!
They had sworn to promise many things in front of He Yu, and now they have also sworn to promise many things. But if you look carefully, you will find that there are many subtle differences between the two. The latter has obviously increased
Lots of leeway.
However, they were still wary of Ximen Sheng's existence, and there was no further news from He Yu, so they still hesitated and did not dare to make up their mind. On the surface, they still looked loyal.
But Ximen Sheng doesn't have much confidence in how long this kind of "loyalty" can last and how many tests it can withstand.
In the end, Ximen Sheng did not have an attack. After all, he did not want to break up with the three generals yet, not to mention that there were not many faults in the statements of the three generals. After giving the three generals a cold look, he suddenly
Said: "The kidnappers are currently hiding in this dense forest. Although we have sent troops to surround the dense forest layer by layer, I am still worried that something will go wrong and the kidnappers will find the mistake and escape. In that case, it will be more difficult for us to rescue them."
Commander-in-Chief...
So, can the three of you go out in person and inspect the surroundings of the dense forest? Under the current situation, it is always better to be more cautious!"
Gan Cheng, Xu Zha, and Li Zehe hesitated for a moment, then looked at each other and nodded in agreement.
After the three generals left one after another, Ximen Sheng first ordered his close associates to monitor them secretly, and then looked at the Liaodong cavalrymen who reported the news again.
After hesitating for a moment, Ximen Sheng suddenly asked: "You just said that Zhao Junchen...Zhao Gechen had proposed that Liaoyang, Shenyang, and Fushun be included in the list of exchanges with Jianzhou Jurchens?"
After receiving an affirmative answer again, Ximen Sheng was thoughtful again, his eyes fluctuating constantly.
Ximensheng has always been responsible for the "border trade" of Liaoyang City and controls one of the three major financial sources of Liaodong Town. In addition to Liaoyang City, Shenyang Yufushun and the Second City are also located in Ximensheng's defense zone.
Once these three cities are open to trade with Jianzhou Jurchen, it will undoubtedly be Ximen Sheng who will benefit the most.
Although Ximen Sheng is the strongest, because of his mixed image, he has little chance of competing for the position of commander-in-chief of Liaodong.
Therefore, Ximen Sheng does not plan to betray He Yu and will still try his best to rescue him, but just in case, he must also seriously consider his future situation!
Just like this, Ximen Sheng thought seriously for a moment and was about to say something else when he suddenly heard a commotion coming from behind.
Later, Ximen Sheng received news that a group of Forbidden Army soldiers planned to forcefully break into the encirclement of the Liaodong Frontier Army and had a conflict with the Liaodong Frontier Army.
Obviously, although Ximen Sheng had deliberately blocked the news, the Forbidden Army still received the news and discovered that Zhao Junchen and He Yu had been kidnapped by bandits.
When Ximen Sheng hurried to the scene of the conflict between the Forbidden Army and the Liaodong Frontier Army, he finally learned the reason for the leak of the news!
Because the leader of this group of Forbidden Army soldiers is none other than Jiang Quan, a hundred households in the Forbidden Army!
Jiang Quan has been following Zhao Junchen and witnessed with his own eyes the kidnapping of Zhao Junchen and He Yu.
However, because the Liaodong cavalry were all in disarray at the time, and Ximen Sheng had not ordered to block the news at that time, Jiang Quan was allowed to easily return to the Forbidden Army's camp, and then reported the news that Zhao Junchen and He Yu had been kidnapped.
Passed it to the Forbidden Army officers in the camp.
But unfortunately, everyone in Liaodong Town ignored this point.
Finally, Jiang Quan also led the Forbidden Army soldiers to come to the rescue!
After thinking about this, Ximen Sheng's expression couldn't help but become more solemn.
Because this situation also means that his idea of blocking the news may have completely failed!
Perhaps, because of Jiang Quan, all forces in Liaodong now know the news that Zhao Junchen and He Yu were kidnapped by robbers.
Maybe Jiang Quan has sent a messenger to the capital center to report the news.
Because of the time difference, Liaodong Town had no chance to stop it!
And once everyone, especially the central court and the Wu family in Shanhaiguan, knew that Zhao Junchen and He Yu had been kidnapped by robbers...
Thinking of this, Ximen Sheng felt his scalp numb!