Shi Zhongtang stood at the top of the city, looking at the scouts with calm eyes.
"Shi Gongming, defeated?"
The scout's spine felt cold for no reason, and he lowered his head, "Yes. The Northern Xinjiang Army crossed the mountains with light cavalry, and the Yandong Army who was attacking Daizhou hurriedly responded to the challenge and collapsed at the first touch."
"Collapse at the first touch?" Wei Ming said in disbelief: "Shi Gongming is said to know the army, but he collapsed at the first touch?"
He Zun said: "Shi Gongming is said to know the military, but there is no big battle in Yandong, he just talks about war on paper."
Ashina Chunyu said: "Once Shi Gongming is defeated, one of the three armies will be missing."
Foreign aid is gone.
Moreover, the morale of the Northern Xinjiang Army will definitely be greatly boosted after this battle.
Shi Zhongtang's eyes were calm, "Shi Gongming is at both ends of the spectrum. To attack a Daizhou city, you have to look left and right. If not, why would you do this?"
This is true. If Shi Gongming hadn't wanted to sit back and watch the fight between Shi Zhongtang and Li Xuan, Daizhou City would have been destroyed long ago. In this way, Li Xuan would not have found a chance to attack him.
This is all fate!
Everyone couldn't help but have this idea.
"I did not expect Shi Gongming's men to be so weak, but this is not a bad thing." Shi Zhongtang smiled and said: "If you don't know, I will definitely entrust you with important tasks during the war. But the Yandong Army is so weak, it may bear the burden
Important responsibility?"
The soldiers all felt that this was a very good thing to say.
The Yandong Army is so weak. This is not foreign aid, but a burden!
Wouldn't it be a good thing to identify the liability earlier and get rid of it?
Immediately, Shi Zhongtang went to the station.
He Zun found Wei Ming and asked, "I heard that the deputy envoy has good tea there?"
Wei Ming said, "Is there still good water?"
"Then have a drink."
As the deputy envoy of Jiedu, Wei Ming's status in the army was second only to Shi Zhongtang, so his residence was quite spacious.
"Jiagu Pass was originally the main road from central Guanzhong to the south. Many wealthy merchants built houses here, both for their own residence and for storing goods. So you see..."
Wei Ming took He Zun into the house, pointed to the rows of houses and said, "They are all places where goods are stored."
But after entering the backyard, it suddenly became clear.
A stream runs through the backyard, and a small bridge is built on it, with winding paths leading to it.
"A southerner's house?" He Zun asked.
Wei Ming nodded, "The original owner is a wealthy businessman from the south, but it is annoying to have such a small bridge with running water. According to my preference, I should have something big and open."
He Zun just smiled.
The two entered a pavilion, where several maids were waiting.
A maid knelt beside her and made tea with an elegant technique.
Wei Ming sat down, pointed to the maid who was making tea, and said, "Someone said before that this woman was adopted at the age of five and taught how to make tea from an early age. The tea she brewed was refreshing."
"Who can enjoy this kind of people?" He Zun asked.
"They are all given as gifts." Wei Ming said: "This woman was originally a gift from the wealthy businessman to the officials. Unexpectedly, before the gift was sent out, our army broke into Guanzhong, which gave me an advantage."
When the maid heard what happened to her, she remained calm and even concentrated.
Something interesting!
She served two cups of tea with an elegant gesture, then knelt down and sat back, slightly bowing her head, looking at it, which made He Zun think of the orchid in the empty valley.
He took a sip of tea and nodded slightly, "It's really not bad."
"That's right!" Wei Ming smiled and drank the tea in one gulp, smacking it in his mouth. "It's still not as good as wine."
"You!" He Zun pointed at him and smiled.
"If you like it, I'll give it to you." Wei Ming pointed to the maid.
The maid glanced at He Zun, and finally there was a touch of joy in her eyes.
Compared with the rude Wei Ming, He Zun, who is naturally a scholar, is more popular with women.
"A gentleman does not take what others like." He Zun shook his head and changed the topic, "Shi Gongming was defeated. With his temperament, he will definitely hide in Huizhou and wait for the outcome of this battle."
After this war, Shi Gongming's status plummeted. Therefore, when He Zun mentioned this person, his tone became more contemptuous.
"Whether Shi Gongming will participate in the war or not, to be honest, I don't care. Think about it, the king doesn't care either." Wei Ming took the tea from the maid. The small teacup looked very delicate in his generous hands.
"The only thing that can be worried about is that the Northern Xinjiang Army has no worries, no need to worry about the safety of Lizhou, and can fight with all its strength." He Zun took a sip of tea and thought about it, "Li Xuan did not fight this battle to defeat Yan Dong.
The army must stabilize its morale."
Shi Zhongtang's previous words boosted morale and turned bad things into good things.
This set of rhetoric can confuse the soldiers below, but it cannot make people like Wei Ming and He Zun happy.
"Before the war, is this bad news?" Wei Ming said with a smile.
"Not really, it's just a lack of foreign aid." He Zun said.
Wei Ming lowered his eyes, "Mr. He, what do you think this battle will be like?"
"Of course, we will win." He Zun said, and immediately stood up, "I won't disturb Vice Envoy Wei. Just one thing, if anyone suggests rescuing Jianzhou, don't do it!"
"What do you mean?" Wei Ming was startled, then nodded, "Okay."
He watched He Zun go out with complicated eyes, waved his hand, and the maids left.
The summer wind blew through the pavilion, and Wei Ming suddenly smiled.
"Li Zitai was about to attack Shi Gongming who was besieging the city, so you wanted to do the opposite, weaken Jianzhou, lure the Northern Xinjiang Army to attack Jianzhou City, and then launch a surprise attack."
"Jianzhou! After taking Jianzhou, our army will face the strong city directly after leaving the customs, and the situation will be reversed in an instant. Li Xuan, can you resist such temptation?"
Wei Ming suddenly sneered, "Is this your He Zun's idea? What do you want to do if you don't tell the king?"
He hesitated and said, "Here comes someone!"
A follower came in, "Deputy Envoy."
Wei Ming ordered, "Go and report to the king that He Zun wants to use Jianzhou as bait. I wonder if the king knows about this."
"yes!"
After leaving Wei Ming's house, He Zun walked slowly down the street with a smile.
He entered a wine shop and said, "Let's have a bottle of wine."
The waiter asked: "You don't want food?"
"Are there any beans?"
"Yes, there are grilled and fried ones."
“Let’s fry it!”
"It tastes better when grilled." The guy enthusiastically recommended.
"I ate too much baked beans!" He Zun sat down and looked at the wine shop with contentment.
The drink came and he took a sip, then picked up a bean and put it into his mouth, chewing it carefully.
Ever since the Southern Xinjiang Army broke through Jiagu Pass, the business of the wine shop has not been very good. At this moment, there was only one customer in the wine shop, He Zun, and the shopkeeper and the waiter were both lazily dozing.
The light in the room suddenly changed, and the waiter opened his eyes reflexively, "Guests..."
Outside the door, Shi Zhongtang's generous body blocked most of the light. He turned his eyes and saw He Zun.
He walked in, followed by the guards behind him. Shi Zhongtang frowned, "Get out!"
"yes!"
The guard goes out.
The shopkeeper and the waiter didn't know who this person was, but the person who could lead the bodyguard must be a big shot under Shi Zhongtang.
"What would you like to eat?" the shopkeeper asked tremblingly.
"Wine, beans!"
Shi Zhongtang sat opposite He Zun and ordered the same food and drinks.
"yes!"
You need to be discerning to work in this business. After the food and wine were served, the shopkeeper smiled and said, "I'm behind you. If you need anything, please just shout!"
"Smart man." Shi Zhongtang smiled and said, "I think business will be better in the future."
"Thank you for your kind words." The shopkeeper gave the waiter a slap in the face, and the two of them left.
The restaurant became quiet, and the sound of the two chewing beans could be heard.
"Using Jianzhou as bait is very courageous." Shi Zhongtang twisted a bean.
"No one can resist this temptation." He Zun said: "With Jianzhou, our army will face a fortified city when it leaves the customs, but the Northern Xinjiang army can advance and retreat at the same time. To be honest, if I change my ministers, I will be moved.
"
"Don't go talk to me, but talk to Wei Ming about this matter privately. I will remember that you are a cautious person."
"Back then, I also relied on my talents to let others go."
"But since you followed me, you have been cautious in your words and actions."
"Yes. Your Majesty is tolerant, but I am a little confused."
"Talk about it." Shi Zhongtang took a sip of wine.
"When I surrendered to the Queen, I was thinking about what I should do in this life. I just waited for old age and death as planned. To be honest, I was not willing to do it."
"This man must do something spectacular in his life."
"What the king said is true. After thinking about it over and over, I feel that the most dramatic thing is rebellion."
"I think so too."
"So, as soon as I said it, the king's heart was moved. And many of the king's thoughts were in agreement with me. At that moment, I felt that I had met a wise master."
"Old He! Our journey seems to be smooth, but secretly there are many dangers. Just say that when Chang'an sent troops, I seemed calm, but in fact I was worried. But you said that Chang'an's army looked majestic, but the generals below each had their own problems.
If your master and your heart are not focused in one direction, no matter how powerful the army is, it will be vulnerable to a single blow."
Shi Zhongtang raised his glass, "I listened to your advice, showed weakness to the enemy, and finally defeated the Chang'an army. Lao He, at least 30% of what I am today is due to you."
"I don't dare." He Zun raised his glass.
Shi Zhongtang drank the wine and poured it for He Zun himself.
"I don't dare!" He Zun stood up.
"Sit down!" Shi Zhongtang pointed to the mat. He Zun didn't understand, so he glared, "Why can't I order you to move?"
He Zun sat down and Shi Zhongtang smiled and said, "Hey! This is the way for us to get along."
He filled the cup with wine and raised his glass, "Some people say that I am a wolf-hearted person. It is inappropriate for Li Bi and the imperial concubine to treat me like this, but I am treason."
He drank a glass of wine and said, "Actually, I only want to separate one side. And the reason why I want to separate one side is not because of power, but because I want to protect my people."
He Zun was stunned, then smiled and said, "Is this God's will?"
"Old He, Southern Xinjiang is too cruel to foreigners." Shi Zhongtang's eyes looked sad, "Those officials don't regard foreigners as human beings at all, and they collect taxes like wolves and tigers. My grandfather refuted this at the beginning.
After a few words, he said that he had received too much, and then he was whipped half to death. He was taken home and died not long after. Lao He, do you know what my grandfather said before he left?"
He Zun shook his head.
"Grandpa said that this dog-like Tang Dynasty is not worthy of allegiance!"
Shi Zhongtang pointed to his forehead, "As he said that, my grandfather slapped me on the forehead and said, don't be a slave!" He smiled, "From then on, I had an idea in my mind, that is,
, I, the king, want to be the master!”
"I have something that I don't understand." He Zun poured wine for Shi Zhongtang.
"explain."
"When the king killed Zhang Chumao, didn't he worry about Yang Songcheng's revenge?"
"I'm worried, I haven't slept for several nights because of this." Shi Zhongtang said with a smile, "But I couldn't help myself at that time."
"Li Mi wants to use this king to target Yang Songcheng, but look, whoever becomes Li Mi's chess piece will have good results in the end?" Shi Zhongtang said sarcastically: "If the people of the Tang Dynasty lose their use value, unless they are Wang
If you guard those who know many of the emperor's secrets, you can at least survive. But this king is from a foreign race!"
Shi Zhongtang smiled bitterly, "I don't want to die, but Li Mi is a cruel person and won't allow you to retreat. Since it's all about death, why don't I die vigorously?"
"I just didn't expect that the king would beat Li Mi until his teeth were all over the floor!"
The two smiled at each other.
He Zun poured wine for Shi Zhongtang, and Shi Zhongtang watched the wine pouring into the glass.
"After defeating Guanzhong, many people became satisfied and began to have fun. Some even started to form gangs and fight for power and profit. A war is ahead. If we don't suppress this trend, chaos will occur before the war."
Shi Zhongtang said: "I am thinking about how to kill chickens to scare monkeys. No one knows about this idea."
He Zun smiled.
"Parties form parties, and Wei Ming is the largest party."
"But Vice Envoy Wei's prestige in the southern Xinjiang army is deeply rooted. If he is touched before the war, it will inevitably cause dissatisfaction in the army." He Zun said.
"So you went to Wei Ming and informed Wei Ming of your plan. Although Wei Ming is ambitious, he has to submit to me at the moment. You are sure that he will inform me of this matter."
Shi Zhongtang sighed: "Why do you bother to be that chicken?"
"Your Majesty..." He Zun's eyes were filled with water, "In the present war, the morale of the army cannot be shaken!"
"I know your hard work. However, you underestimated me!" Shi Zhongtang said: "So what if you lose? At least, I am not guilty!"
Shi Zhongtang slapped the table and said, "Here comes someone!"
The guards outside came in.
"King!"
Shi Zhongtang said: "Capture Wei Ming and punish him for thirty years! Let the generals observe the punishment!"
"Take orders!"
He Zun stood up and said, "Your Majesty, you must not..."
Shi Zhongtang stood up and patted his shoulder, "With me here, who dares to jump off the beam?"
On that day, Wei Ming, deputy envoy of the Southern Xinjiang Festival, was severely punished for thirty years, and all the generals in the army came to watch the punishment.