The sergeants drove the horses to this place, unsaddled them, and let them run freely.
On both sides of the river, there is farmland one after another, and the heavy wheat ears almost overwhelm the wheat stalks.
On the hills and low mountains in the distance, fruits are hanging on the branches. Birds are flying around, chirping.
In the middle of the river, a series of small boats moved down the river, anchored outside Daizhou City, and unloaded their goods.
The arrival of the people from Xingmingci was really a blessing to Xin Dai and Erzhou. These Hebei people with outstanding agricultural skills reclaimed wasteland, repaired ditches, sown millet and wheat, and planted mulberries, which greatly enriched the seven counties.
The economy of the place.
Li Xiji was also a capable official.
The development of Nandai was carried out under his auspices. It is now the sixth year and the results have been remarkable. With this achievement, he became the number one among the shogunate officials and his status was very respected.
However, he was getting older. He traveled between Jinyang and Daizhou all the year round, and sometimes went to Zelu and Lanshi. He gradually became unable to do what he wanted.
He is now focusing on cultivating the twenty-four-year-old Feng Dao. This shogunate inspector from Yingzhou is the person he values the most. He teaches carefully and promotes him as the leader of the new generation of civil servants in the Hedong shogunate. In this regard, Jin
The king also agreed and gave Feng Dao a mansion, Meiji, and property.
If the tax burden of the two states and seven counties in the Xin Dynasty could be reduced and they did not have to support so many soldiers, they might be more prosperous.
On August 15, Pei Guan, who received permission, traveled day and night and arrived at Yanmen County, Lisuo, Daizhou.
There are a large group of soldiers practicing outside the city.
When Pei Guan stopped at the inn, he made a special observation - yes, he even ignored the image and climbed a tree himself to spy on the military situation.
As expected, the fifth battalion of the new army is being trained. When it was first established, it was mainly based on the elites of Xing Mingci and the Three Prefectures. For this reason, the families of the sergeants were moved to Xindai. At that time, there were only 10,000 or 20,000 people.
.
Later, they continued to recruit Sergeant Xing Mingci, as well as the three Shatuo tribes, the nine surnames of Zhaowu, Tuyuhun, Uighurs, Tatars and other miscellaneous Hu Dingzhuang who moved in from Daibei. At that time, the number increased greatly, reaching nearly 50,000.
The last wave of expansion was to accommodate the Khitan troops who were unable to return to Huangshui due to the cutoff of the road. At one time, the number was expanded to 60,000 to 70,000, organized into five battalions of troops: front, middle, back, left, and right.
But over the years, the Khitans escaped a little, and two more battalions were dispersed and reorganized into various armies, and the organization was improved, so that there were only more than 30,000 people.
The fate of the Fifth Battalion of the New Army actually showed from the side the intense consumption of Hedong under the long-term war.
Every time the Xia army attacked Lanshi, every time they fought in Daibei, every time they fought with the Jin soldiers coming down from Zelu, they were actually consuming the strength of Hedong.
Li Key used strong walls to clear the country and abandoned Xingmingci, Yunwei and other places after fierce battles. What he lost was not only the undefensible territory beyond the mountains and rivers inside and outside, but the origin of Hedong was also continuously harmed.
Pei Guan stared at the tree for a long time. It wasn't until the sergeant's drill was over and the troops returned to camp that he jumped off the tree.
"I know that Li Siyuan is a good general. If he is willing to surrender, the situation in Hedong will be over." Pei Guan said with a smile.
"Pei Shaoqing, Li Siyuan, and Li Sizhao don't want to meet each other. Why?" Wang Yu asked.
"There are only two possibilities." Pei Guan said: "Either you are ambitious and want to take advantage of the undercurrent surging east of the river to seize the opportunity to stand on your own. Or you are foolishly loyal to Li Keyong. If Ke Yong does not surrender, they will not surrender. What do you think?
What kind?"
"I have met Li Siyuan before. He is a simple man and doesn't speak loudly. He is very respectful when dealing with the King of Jin. He is more or less ambitious, but who doesn't have ambition these days?" Wang Yu said: "I don't know Li Sizhao very well.
.However, although he is the pretended son of the Jin Dynasty, he is one of the few who has entered the family tree. He was raised by two brothers, Kerou and Keyong, since he was a child. His wife also calls him brother and is very loyal to Keyong."
Li Siyuan is thirty-nine years old this year, and Li Sizhao is twenty-eight years old. The two men control the army of the Xin Dynasty, with Siyuan as the leader and Si Zhao as the assistant. This combination is very reasonable and meaningful.
"When Ke Yong recruited you as his son-in-law, it seems that it was not just because of your beauty." Pei Guan smiled and said: "Do good things in the future, and there will always be a place for you in this big world."
"I still need Pei Shaoqing to take care of me." Wang Yu said with a smile.
"Easy to say, easy to say." Pei Guan laughed and said: "The two Lis of the Xindai Dynasty have not seen us. They want to avoid suspicion, so there is nothing left to stay. It is better to go to Jinyang early to 'visit the doctor'."
Along the way, he had already tested the attitudes of the three Jin generals.
Liu Jun's attitude was flattering and he had a strong intention of taking refuge.
Li Siyuan and Li Sizhao were unwilling to meet, and their intention to avoid suspicion was quite obvious. This was also an attitude.
On August 16, Pei Guan's delegation left Daizhou and headed for Jinyang. Before leaving, they heard rumors from the postmen that Kang Junli, a veteran general from Hedong, died of illness in Lanzhou at the age of fifty-nine.
The King of Jin sent his younger brother Kening to Lanzhou to take charge of the military and civilian affairs of Lanzhou and Shizhou, with Zhou Dewei as his deputy.
"Within one year, Gai Taibao and Kang Situ passed away one after another. Is this the day when people will die in the east of the river?"
"When Kang Junli fights, he wins less and loses more. Whether he dies or not, I don't see much difference."
"After all, Jin Wang Yuancong, Li Cunzhang, Kang Junli, and Gai Yu all died. There are fewer and fewer Jin Wang brothers."
"I can't understand this kind of chaos. Well, maybe it's not a bad thing."
"When the Xia people come to attack, they always use post soldiers. The one who is in trouble is General Shi Yi, he..."
The postmen were talking a lot and acted as if no one was around.
Pei Guan and Wang Yu were stunned. By the time they arrived in Jinyang, Li Keyong couldn't stand it anymore!
******
On August 17, Pei Guan and others arrived at Xinkou and stayed in Tanglin County, north of the mouth.
After hearing the news, Li Sigong, the envoy of Feiteng Army stationed in Xinkou, missed the night and came to visit.
Li Sihu was the son of Li Keyong's second brother Li Kexiu.
Kexiu had two sons, the eldest was Sibi, who was captured during the Battle of Cixi and is now the governor of Puzhou.
The next day is Si Gong, and this is the one in front of me. After the destruction of the Feiteng Army, Jinyang used the few left-behind personnel of the army as the basis, transferred veterans from other units and new soldiers of the Fifth Battalion Army, and reorganized it. Currently, there are more than 6,000 infantry and cavalry people.
It was led by Li Siggong.
Li Sihu came to express his gratitude.
His father, Li Kexiu, died indirectly at the hands of Ke Yong. After looking at his relatives, the captured brother Sibi was the closest. After his uncle Shao Shude captured him, he not only did not kill him, but also gave him an official position. He served successively as the governor of Caozhou, Puzhou, and more.
He's doing fine.
This is the truth. There are not so many governors in Hedong and seven states. Although the governor of Xia State has no military power and can only make money, it is still very good and many people are envious of it.
I am afraid of comparison in everything.
My uncle whipped my father, making him so angry that he became ill and eventually passed away. Although he later regretted it and promoted his two nephews to lead the army, it is impossible to say that there was no grudge in his heart.
The righteous uncle was much better. After capturing his brother, he comforted him with gentle words and gave him wealth. Mei Ji promoted him to the governor's position and established his superiority.
Pei Guan tested it out. In the end, he judged that Li Sihu had some complaints against Li Keyong, but it was unlikely that he would betray him. And he had a good impression of Shao Sheng. If Li Keyong passed away, Li Sihu could win over him, but he would not
It is very possible to meet Xia Jun's swordsmen.
That's enough. Neutrality itself is also an attitude.
On the evening of the 18th, when night was about to fall, Pei Guan and others arrived at Shiling Pass.
This pass belongs to Yangqu County, Taiyuan Prefecture, and is the northern gate of Jinyang. The post road leads directly to the pass city, and the narrowest part only accommodates square rails, so the location is very important.
The generals of the Jin army who accompanied them sent a message. The town general An Yuanxin refused to open the door on the grounds that it was dark, and scolded the generals who went to report, saying that they had lured wolves into the house.
Everyone had no choice but to find a village to stay at the foot of the mountain.
Pei Guan secretly wrote down An Yuanxin's name.
He now knew that among the generals in Hedong who did not fight well in the war, or who committed crimes and were punished, they would usually be appointed as local generals. This was the case with Liu Yu, and the same was the case with An Yuanxin - this man was defeated in the battle of Cixi.
The hand of Lu Huaizhong.
Now it seems that An Yuanxin is narrow-minded and resentful towards the Xia people - to be honest, this emotion is quite inexplicable. When the two armies are fighting, who will still tolerate you?
Moreover, An Yuanxin also lacks sensitivity in politics. How long has it been and he still can’t see the situation clearly? This person can be dealt with slowly in the future.
On the 19th, An Yuanxin had no reason to stop him and allowed the delegation to pass Shiling Pass and go south.
On the 22nd, the mission arrived at the Three Cities of Jinyang. Li Xiji, deputy envoy of the Taiyuan Shogunate, personally welcomed them and arranged for them to stay in the city.
"Is this He's House?" Pei Guan was a little surprised when he saw the huge plaque on the gatehouse.
The name He Gongya is quite famous in the Xia Kingdom and both the court and the public.
Unfortunately, General He was only one of the generals when he was in Hedong. There were seven or eight others with the same or even higher status than him, such as Zhang Kai. They were really not considered big shots.
But who made Zhao Guifei so favored by the saint? There are rumors in the market that Zhao Yu might have been the saint's wife, and after the founding of the country, she would have been the queen.
"It's He Gongya's house. The King of Jin has been sending people to take care of it. There are all servants and maids, so the Duke can live in it." Li Xiji said.
"The King of Jin cares about brotherhood. When a saint hears this, he will definitely admire him." Pei Guan sighed and took the opportunity to observe Li Xiji.
It is said that this person was born after Li Linfu. He was fond of reading, never put down his scrolls, was relatively indifferent to fame and fortune, liked rewards and favored those who came after him, and had the style of a scholar-bureaucrat. He had a good reputation in Hedong.
Pei Guan couldn't see these aspects at the moment, but he could tell that Li Xiji's health might not be very good.
His body was a bit obese, covered with fat, and his eyes were almost too crowded to see. Considering his age, he was still working so hard day and night. If he died one day, it would be another big blow to Li Keyong.
Li Xiji smiled at Pei Guan's words and led them into the house without saying much.
Pei Guan took the opportunity to hand over the gifts he had brought to Li Xiji, and took out several wooden boxes with his own hands and said: "The saint heard that my sworn brother was seriously ill and did not want to eat or drink. He was so sad that he sent us to go there day and night.
Visiting Jinyang. This is a ginseng donated by the Bohai Kingdom. It has the effect of prolonging life. I would like to ask Doctor Li to pass it on."
Ginseng became very popular in the Tang Dynasty. Sun Simiao's "Essential Prescriptions for Emergencies" records hundreds of prescriptions related to ginseng. Hedong is rich in ginseng, the famous Codonopsis pilosula, with those produced in Zelu area being the top grade.
Marketing everywhere.
After Li Xiji heard Pei Guan's words, he immediately took it with both hands and said with emotion: "I have long heard that Korean ginseng is very effective and is not weak to Shangdang's ginseng. King Xia is interested. Your envoy will stay here for two days."
, I will summon the King of Jin when he is free."
"No rush, no rush." Pei Guan smiled.
After some pleasantries, Li Xiji saluted and said goodbye. Wang Yu and his wife also said goodbye to Pei Guan and left with him.
After Li Xiji left, a group of sergeants stood outside the door, seemingly for protection. Pei Guan sent someone to negotiate, and when he learned that they were not prohibited from going out, he understood: there was not much hostility, and Li Keyong was exhausted.
Yes.
This journey has yielded a lot, and I have seen the reality and reality of Hedong over and over again.