Taizhou is located in the south of Daliao, with Neizhou in front, Chenzhou on the left, and Longhua Prefecture on the right.
Due to its long-term strategic advantage over the Tang Dynasty, Neizhou was holding the front line, so Taizhou's military and civilians felt extremely secure.
When the news came that Northern Xinjiang was sending troops to Neizhou, Taizhou was silent.
The only people who can still maintain the excitement are the scholars.
In brothels and restaurants, they denounced Yang Xuan passionately and swore that if they could join the army, they would cut off Yang Xuan's head.
"...We should go to death with swords in our hands. We will live up to the king and the elders of Taizhou who raised us!"
A scholar's eyes were red and he was spitting.
"good!"
The applause shook the brothel, and the female prostitutes praised her sweetly, then raised their glasses to invite her to drink.
——The more they drink, the more commission they get.
"Noise!"
Someone was yelling and cursing downstairs.
"Who's spouting shit?"
A scholar was lying at the window looking out.
Several riders were galloping towards Zhouli.
"Get out of the way!"
In the lobby downstairs, which is the place with the lowest consumption, there are more than ten men sitting around.
Two big men sat side by side, watching the singing and dancing, raising glasses and drinking cheap drinks.
There is just a plate of beans on the table, which are still fried.
"The sound of horse hooves." The man on the left said softly.
"Um!"
Three horses galloped past the gate, arousing everyone's curiosity.
"Is this for the state house?"
"It looks like there is a military emergency."
The two men sat for a while, and then the news came.
"Neizhou is gone!"
A drunk man with a red face entered the lobby and said excitedly: "Neizhou is lost."
"What?"
"Why was it lost?"
The man laughed, and someone scolded: "Yeah, I'll buy you a drink, it's a jar!"
The man glanced at the man with salivation and said: "Yang Xuan led the Northern Xinjiang Army and captured Chengyang City a few days ago. Xiao Hongde committed suicide and Zhao Dora was captured."
boom!
The lobby immediately became excited.
"With Neizhou gone, wouldn't Taizhou have to face Yang Gou?"
"By God, I'm moving!" An old man stood up and left in a hurry.
The two men exchanged glances, and one of them whispered: "The Duke has defeated Neizhou, and the situation is great. Hurry up and find out the news."
Just as the two were about to get up, they heard the floor shake, and then more than ten scholars hurriedly came down.
"Go home, go home!"
"I'm going to Ningxing to prepare for the imperial examination next year. I'll be leaving tomorrow. Everyone, let's say goodbye!"
"I also need to go!"
"Then how about... going together?"
"good!"
The two spies from the Jin Yiwei looked at these scholars in astonishment.
Wasn't it always Kang's excitement before? Why is he so angry now?
Someone sarcastically said: "Who said before that he would go to the battlefield and behead Yang Gou?"
"Bitch!"
The scholar with red eyes sneered, "How can one person be brave? If I can pass the imperial examination, I will be the enemy of ten thousand people!"
"hehe!"
Everyone laughed.
"They can leave, but we can't." Someone cursed: "This is a shitty world."
I want to leave Taizhou at this time, but it doesn’t matter, I really can’t get out.
The two Jinyiwei spies were ecstatic.
"When they heard that the Duke of Taizhou was conquering Taizhou, these people panicked. Send the news out."
This is a big news, and it can be remembered within Jinyiwei.
Several horses galloped past the gate again.
"What is this?"
Everyone is curious.
The two Jin Yiwei paid the bill, not forgetting to finish the wine and pack the remaining beans.
The two of them went out and cracked beans.
"They went to Zhouse."
"Yes, I guess there is a military situation again."
"Let's go to the city gate and have a look."
"good!"
When they arrived at Zhouli, they asked to see Ma Chong, the governor.
Ma Chong was furious.
"Xiao Hongde is incompetent! He even lost Neizhou. He immediately went to Ningxing to report and asked for reinforcements, otherwise Taizhou will not be protected!"
"Your Majesty, there is news."
His men interrupted Ma Chong's hysteria. He touched the corners of his mouth, took a deep breath, and said, "Let them come."
A sergeant came in and said, "Your Majesty, tens of thousands of cavalry have arrived outside the city, and the leader is Lin Jun, the governor of Tanzhou."
"oh!"
Ma Chong was startled and sneered: "Lin Jun and Xiao Hongde are both Lin Ya's people. They must have come to the rescue a step too late! They were galloping all the way and probably ran out of food and grass. They came here to ask for help."
An official laughed and said: "This person is like a lost dog. If he is turned away, he will inevitably be criticized..."
"I am not afraid of criticism, but I am worried that he will send troops to plunder the countryside!" Ma Chong patted his forehead, "He came just in time to ask about the situation of the war."
"Your Majesty, please go and greet him!" the official said.
Ma Chong shook his head, "It's a must-have etiquette. If I go there in person, I won't give him any excuse."
Later, Ma Chong led civil and military officials outside the city.
More than ten thousand cavalrymen lined up solemnly.
Ahead is Lin Jun.
"I've met Mr. Lin!"
Ma Chong handed over his hand.
"I've met Ma Shijun."
Lin Jun cupped his hands and took a step forward.
Ma Chong knew this and asked, pointing to the cavalry: "Lin Shijun, this is..."
The cavalry were silent, but there was a sense of desolation in their eyes.
This is, a long journey but a failure!
Lin Jun said with a cold face, "Northern Xinjiang attacked Neizhou, and I led the reinforcements. Who knew that when we arrived, Neizhou had already fallen. In order to rush on the road, I didn't have much food and grass with me, so I came to borrow some food and grass from your place. I also asked the horse envoy.
It’s convenient.”
"Falled?"
Ma Chong looked stunned, as if all the scouts who had come to report the news were dead.
"Yes, Chengyang fell, so I was one step late." Lin Jun looked a little annoyed.
"Why!"
Ma Chong looked anxious, "Please."
"please."
Naturally, it was impossible for all the more than ten thousand cavalry to enter the city, and most of them camped outside the city.
When the two arrived at Zhouli, Ma Chong asked Lin Jun to go to the lobby to talk about the current situation.
"After Yang Xuan led his army to defeat Chengyang, they were preparing their troops hard. Our army scouts bypassed Chengyang and saw an endless train of baggage vehicles coming from northern Xinjiang. There were also many people and horses."
Ma Chong's expression suddenly changed, "Are you going to hit me in Taizhou?"
"Maybe it's to fight against Chenzhou." Lin Jun said calmly.
"When Neizhou is lost, I, Taizhou, will be the first to bear the brunt. If we attack Chenzhou, it will be a detour. I, Taizhou, will hit him from the side and behind, and it will break his heart." Ma Chong said dissatisfied: "Does Commander Lin think that I don't know how to fight?
"
Lin Jun shook his head, "I only want food and grass, and I will settle the matter with money later."
"It's easy to talk about food and grass, but I have some requests. Mr. Lin will take a look..."
"explain."
"Your subordinates came from Tanzhou. They had to eat and sleep in the open air all the way. How hard it was? But you can rest in Taizhou for a while. Don't refuse!"
Ma Chong stood up, "If you refuse, you won't give me face!"
Lin Jun said with a cold face, "I still have to beware of Chenzhou attacking Tanzhou."
"Who doesn't know that Prime Minister Lin has sent elite soldiers and generals to Commander Lin? If Chenzhou dares to send troops, they will definitely meet with bloodshed in Tanzhou, that's a deal!"
Ma Chong said: "Give Lin Shijun three days of food and grass."
You won't be able to reach Tanzhou in three days!
Lin Jun's face turned livid, "What a horse rider!"
Ma Chong smiled and said: "If Taizhou is captured, Tanzhou will become even more lonely, isn't it?"
Lin Jun rolled his sleeves and said, "In this case, I don't want it anymore."
Ma Chong felt anxious and went to pull Lin Jun away.
Lin Jun strode forward, but he missed a beat and his body fell forward inexplicably.
Boom!
Ma rushed and fainted.
"Your Majesty!"
No one saw the man behind Lin Jun withdraw his right hand.
The doctor came soon.
After extensive diagnosis and treatment, Ma Chong was unable to be revived.
The officials and generals were panicked.
"Lin Shijun, you must not leave!"
"If Ambassador Lin leaves and Yang Dog's army attacks, our Taizhou will be in danger!"
"Please also ask Mr. Lin to stay for the sake of the overall situation!"
After three requests and four requests, Lin Jun reluctantly agreed.
Immediately, the army entered the city and vaguely controlled the whole city.
Immediately, Lin Jun ordered the army to leave the city, and thousands of cavalry were sent to various places. In the name of strengthening defense, they took control of the entire Taizhou.
After everything was done, Lin Jun walked out of the state house.
"Lin Shijun, many people in the city are working on road guidance." An official came to ask for instructions.
"Where to go?" Lin Jun asked.
"If you go to the north, the most popular place is Ningxing."
"Block it, no one is allowed to leave!"
"yes!"
Standing on the street, Lin Jun suddenly smiled, "Who would have thought that Ma Chong would fall down like this? By the way, would he wake up?"
"Two days." said the man behind him.
Lin Jun nodded.
"Let him sleep forever!"
…
Tao County.
Widow Luo packed her things.
"The Duke captured Jinshan City?"
She has been back for a few days, and the maid still comes to ask her this question every day.
"yes."
Wu Luo sat by the bed and looked at everything in the room, feeling a little strange.
Once you leave, you will never come back.
She was suddenly confused.
What are you going home for?
It is impossible to marry someone else.
Go home and live in seclusion!
I will spend the rest of my life with Ye Niang.
Send away the person who gave birth to you and live the rest of your life as you wish.
Why!
It seems very comfortable!
The sound of footsteps came, heading towards Zhou Ning.
"Lady!"
Zhou Ning's belly is not small anymore, and the maid who reported the complaint lowered her voice a lot.
"What's the matter?"
Zhou Ning was looking at the account books. On the mat next to him, A Liang, Swordsman, and Fugui were lying together, all asleep.
Hearing the sound, the swordsman's tail swung. Fugui lazily opened his eyes and closed them again when he saw that he was an acquaintance.
The maid said: "Mr. Lang is back."
She saw a sudden sparkle in Zhou Ning's eyes, like... the feeling of suddenly getting something she loved.
"A Liang!"
Zhou Ning patted his son gently.
A-Liang slowly opened his eyes, his dark eyes motionless, and after a long while, he said, "A-niang."
"Get up, you Aye are back."
The backyard is already boiling.
"Say it's a great victory!"
"When Lang Jun goes to war, where will he lose?"
Auntie Guan shouted: "Behave yourself and be careful when you travel."
She turned around, and at some point, Yi Niang appeared under the eaves with a rare smile.
"Yiniang, the husband is back." Aunt Guan somehow felt reassured.
"Well! I'm back!"
Yi Niang's eyes became softer.
In the Jiedu envoy's house, Liu Qinggang met the envoy.
"Neizhou is destroyed?"
Liu Qing stretched out his hand and twirled his beard. Even though he knew that Yang Xuan's expedition was aimed at capturing Neizhou, he still couldn't believe it.
"yes."
After receiving the confirmation, Liu Qing was stunned for a moment and slowly looked at Song Zhen.
"I thought we would have to wait for a while. It looks like it's getting cloudy today, and it might snow. Once it snows, it will be difficult to transport food and grass, so we have to retreat. We will attack in one go. We will retreat this year and return next year.
If you want to attack, it will be difficult."
Song Zhen clapped his hands and said, "I didn't expect it to happen so quickly. It is indeed Zitai, it is indeed the Duke of Qin, hahahaha!"
The former Tang Dynasty warrior laughed wildly and was extremely happy.
"Let's go and greet you."
Liu Qing was overjoyed and immediately led his officials out of the city to greet him.
After leaving the Jiedu Envoy's Mansion, the people on the street couldn't help but be surprised when they saw Liu Qing and others.
"What happened?"
It's not a big deal, so it's impossible to dispatch so many officials.
"Looking at...Liu Sima is beaming with joy, like a bridegroom."
"Song Gong looked very happy, it must be a happy event!"
The people were curious and followed him without any worries. Not long after, Liu Qing dragged a huge tail behind him.
"Could it be that the Duke is back?"
an old man asked.
"Maybe!"
"But that's Neizhou! How can it be so fast!"
"Yes! Neizhou is the scourge of our northern Xinjiang. In those years, the Northern Liao Army stationed troops in Neizhou and frequently raided northern Xinjiang. How many farmers and travelers were killed, it still makes people grit their teeth when thinking about it."
"When an official took office, before leaving, he said that the trouble in Northern Xinjiang lies in Northern Liao, and the biggest threat from Northern Liao to Northern Xinjiang is Neizhou. If Neizhou cannot be captured, Northern Xinjiang will always face the iron heel of Northern Liao, and there will never be peace.
.”
"No, I have to be careful when going out of the city these years. Even if the Duke of Guo captured Nangui City, every time I go out to farm, I am always worried that the Northern Liao Army from Neizhou will raid me. When I plant the land, I have to look up to the north from time to time.
, be ready to run at any time. These days are really difficult!"
"You are so good at farming, and we traders are no better."
"You can at least escape on horseback. Where can we run with just one pair of legs?"
"Run? He ran away, but all the goods were lost. This will ruin everything, and life would be worse than death!"
When everyone turned around, they saw a middle-aged man in a shabby gray robe smiling bitterly. He was holding a girl. The girl looked a little thin, and suddenly sniffed her nose, turned her eyes, and stared at a bun stall nearby.
I'm hungry.
But the girl was too sensible to say anything.
The man glanced at the fufu stall, counted his money, and sighed.
The farmer coughed dryly and said, "The one you are talking about who has lost everything is not you, right?"
The man nodded and picked up the girl.
"hungry?"
"I'm not hungry!" The girl shook her head simply, but asked: "Aye, can you still do business?"
"No." The middle-aged man smiled bitterly, "If we are robbed again, our family will be deeply in debt. Aye is afraid, and would rather work as a coolie to support you than go into business again."
"When I grow up, I will support Aye."
The middle-aged man had tears in his eyes, choked with sobs and nodded, "Okay."
When everyone left the city, someone said: "It seems to be snowing."
The middle-aged man looked up and saw some snowflakes falling from the sky.
This year, I'm afraid it won't work.
Da da da!
Amidst the sound of horse hooves, more than a hundred horses galloped over.
Reiner your horse as you approach.
"Where is the Duke?"
Liu Qing asked.
The cavalryman said: "The Duke will arrive soon."
Then someone started to maintain order.
Soon, a large group of cavalry arrived.
When everyone saw the big flag, they couldn't help cheering.
"It would be nice if people came back!"
The old farmer's words were approved by everyone.
Yang Xuan came closer, dismounted and walked over.
Liu Qing said loudly: "Welcome to the Duke."
Everyone salutes.
Yang Xuan smiled and supported Liu Qing, "I'm out on an expedition, and I have to rely on you to wait in Northern Xinjiang. Thank you for your hard work."
Liu Qing asked loudly: "May I ask the Duke, how was your trip?"
Yang Xuan knew what he meant and raised his voice.
"Neizhou already belongs to Northern Xinjiang!"
Everyone was startled.
The old farmer suddenly jumped up and shouted, "Long live!"
A person always feels that there is a long sword hanging over his head. Suddenly the long sword is kicked away by someone. The feeling of relief makes the people go crazy.
"Wan Sheng!"
"The Duke is mighty!"
The middle-aged man held his daughter and stood there blankly.
The girl didn't know why everyone was happy, but she found her father crying. She stretched out her little hand to wipe the tears from his face, "Yeah, don't cry!"
"Okay, don't cry!"
The man put her down, bowed deeply to Yang Xuan, then picked her up again and walked quickly into the city.
When they arrived at the bun stall, the man put his daughter down and asked, "A bowl of buns."
The stall owner glanced at him.
The man took out a copper coin and carefully arranged it on the table.
The stall owner is so sophisticated that he can tell at a glance that he is a poor person. How can a poor person be willing to buy food outside?
"Aye, I'm not hungry!"
The girl is very sensible.
"My son is hungry."
"But...but my family is poor! No money!"
"Aye will go and make money."
"Aye, aren't you afraid of being robbed?"
"I will not do it again."
"Ah! Then I want to eat steamed buns."
"tasty!"
After the buns were ready and brought over, the girl looked up at her father and said, "Aye, eat it."
"good."
The man took a bite and handed it to his daughter, "Aye, I'm full."
Da da da!
Duke Yang Guo has entered the city.
He waved all the way and responded to the cheers of the people on both sides.
Suddenly, a man stood up from the stall nearby and turned around abruptly.
The guards' attention suddenly focused on him.
The little girl also turned back and looked at the man.