Compared with half a year ago, Li Deming is at least ten years older now. His temples, which originally had only a few gray hairs, are now all white.
"well."
Looking at the half-foot-high map in front of him, Li Deming couldn't help but sigh.
In the first battle of the Song Dynasty, although the main force led by him suffered almost no losses, in the battle of Mingsha, his eldest son Li Yuanhao was seriously injured and died.
Then, the Song army raided Xiaoguan and captured this crucial pass.
After this battle, the Xiazhou Li family almost ruined their future.
Even if the main force is not lost, there is no capital to continue to expand westward.
Previously, the Liao Kingdom dispatched 50,000 troops southward. When he learned about this, Li Deming almost danced with joy.
However, the Liao Kingdom suddenly retreated.
The battle between Song and Liao failed to start!
According to the latest intelligence sent back from the Liao Kingdom, this battle may not be fought for a while.
Because civil strife almost broke out in the Liao Kingdom.
Although Yelu Longxu relied on his own prestige to forcefully suppress the major tribes, after this incident, the domestic structure of the Liao Kingdom changed significantly.
Before this incident, the Khitans and Han people in the Liao Kingdom were closely surrounding Yelu Longxu.
But now, the old pattern has been broken.
Yelu Longxu had already seen clearly who were loyal ministers and who were treacherous ministers. The most important thing now was to straighten out the internal affairs.
And given the size of the Liao Kingdom, rectification will definitely be a long-term project.
The Liao Kingdom will be unreliable in a short time.
Li Deming was convinced of this. Without the help of the Liao State, the power of the Xiazhou Li family alone was simply not enough to capture Xiao Pass.
No, the spies just reported back not long ago.
Even in winter, there is still a lively scene on the Xiaoguan City Wall.
The Song court was urgently strengthening the city defenses. Even the cold weather could not stop the Song people's enthusiasm for building the city.
Not only that, the Tibetan people in the Liugu tribe and the Uighurs in Ganzhou did not give Li Deming any peace of mind.
After winning the battle of Mingsha, they did not return directly to Liangzhou, but stayed near Quwu Mountain.
Where is Quwu Mountain?
Less than a hundred miles away from Tiandu Village!
Li Deming felt like he had something stuck in his throat, but what could he do?
Without Xiao Guan to support him, Tiandu Village was like meat on the chopping board. Song Ting could cut it whenever he wanted.
Tiandu Village failed, almost settled!
Of course Li Deming understood the importance of Tiandu Village, and he also wanted to send troops for reinforcements, but he could only think about it.
Not to mention that the current weather is not suitable for a large army to march. Even when the ice and snow melt, he cannot send troops for reinforcements.
Because, to reinforce Tiandu Village, Xiaoguan is a must-pass point.
Xiaoguan is an insurmountable chasm!
Only by sending troops to capture Xiao Pass first can this game of chess be revitalized!
During the recent period, Li Deming has been thinking about whether he should use his family's strength to capture Xiao Pass at all costs.
It’s not that the Xiazhou Li family doesn’t have the capital to make a comeback.
But this was a huge gamble, and the stakes were so big that Li Deming didn't dare to end it easily.
If you win the bet, you can certainly regain Xiao Guan, but your own losses will definitely not be small, and you will have to rest and recuperate for at least ten years.
But if the bet fails, the Xiazhou Li family may be defeated in a matter of days.
Unconsciously, the sky was getting dark, and the attendants in the palace walked quietly to the oil lamp, took out the fire stick from his arms, blew it gently, and then lit the wick very carefully.
call!
Although the waiter's movements were careful enough and made almost no sound, Li Deming noticed the change in the light immediately.
He turned around and looked at the burning wick.
Seeing Li Deming's gaze directed towards him, the waiter in charge of holding the lamp turned pale with fright.
This year, countless chamberlains in the palace were killed with sticks.
His predecessor was beaten to death because he made too much noise when lighting lamps, which disturbed the king.
what to do?
what to do?
When he thought of his predecessor's fate, the young chamberlain immediately lost his mind and froze on the spot, even forgetting to kneel down to beg for mercy.
After a while, the little waiter discovered that the legendary 'fury' and 'reprimand' did not come.
After waiting for a while, but still no one came, the little waiter couldn't help but take courage and quietly raised his head a little.
Immediately, he realized that the king's gaze had moved to the map.
On the other side, Li Deming didn't notice the change in the waiter's expression at all. He just looked in the direction of the lamp, not because he was disturbed.
I simply glanced at the burning wick.
When it was first lit, the light was only as big as a bean, but slowly it became bigger and brighter.
This reminded him of the rise of the Xiazhou Li family.
Compared with Li's ancestors, his current conditions are much better.
The ancestors of the Li family could grow up step by step from their humble beginnings, so why can't he?
One generation is not enough, two or three generations over there!
If it were not for the remnants of Fen Sixth Generation, how could Qin have unified the world?
At this moment, Li Deming's heart had already given the answer.
Hibernating!
Quietly dormant!
Keep the fire for Xiazhou Li family!
Anyway, it's not like he has never done anything he did in spite of himself, so he might as well admit his mistake to Song Ting.
…
…
…
Xijing.
After night falls, the lights in Kou's mansion are brightly lit, and the numerous long lamps almost illuminate the mansion as bright as day.
With so many lights, the cost of lamp oil alone can feed a family of five for a year.
Of course, this was not something Kou Zhun considered.
The Kou family is originally a wealthy family, and his style is very extravagant. This little money for lamp oil is just a sprinkling of water.
Similarly, Cao Wei is also accustomed to this, and the night in Cao Mansion is mostly the same.
Time passed slowly, and the moon reached its peak. The banquet was still not over, but considering the cold weather, the battlefield had been moved from the outdoors to the Nuan Pavilion.
Kou Zhun was getting older after all, and as he drank, his head became confused.
As a result, his mouth became a little uncontrollable, and he just said some things that he shouldn't have said.
"Baochen, my return to the capital this time is probably more of a misfortune than a blessing."
As soon as these words came out, Kou Sui, who was responsible for adding wine and food, was instantly shocked.
It’s over!
Dad started talking 'nonsense' again.
"By the way, you should especially be careful of that boy from the Lu family!"
"This kid has a lot of tricks up his sleeve."
"cough!"
Kou Sui, who was on the side, saw that Kou Zhun was about to say more, so he quickly pretended to cough and tried to remind Kou Zhun.
"cough!"
Unfortunately, what he did was all in vain.
Kou Zhun didn't pay attention at all and was still there 'teaching earnestly'.
"In addition, if you have the chance, Bao Chen, you can also get closer to Zhang Dexiang."
"Yang Danian (Yang Yi) is a good cousin. He is not bad in talent, learning, and moral character. He has quite the charm of his brother."
"The Zhang family is also a famous family in the south. This person will definitely do something great in the future."