No wonder Li Chenghong was so happy, as if he had found a treasure.
It would be a lie to say that he would not be excited if he had the chance to escape. However, Li Shixian was trapped in Xiazhou for nearly a year, and he and Gao Zhao were trying their best to show off their scheming. They went back and forth with me for countless rounds. He believed that he had a deep understanding of the character of his dear brother.
I already understand a little bit.
To describe Gao Zhao is as cunning as a fox and as cunning as a ghost.
Therefore, if such a character does something, he must have an intention, and it is by no means as simple as what he says on the surface.
And this time, what is Gao Zhao's intention?
Li Shixian had many ideas, but his knowledge was limited, and it was difficult to judge Gao Zhao's true intention for a while.
After thinking about it, I can only conclude that Gao Zhao was already ready to move to court the imperial court, but he was still unwilling to do so.
After all, after all the efforts and painstaking planning for several years, in the end, everything came to nothing.
But what if you don’t give in?
This is a country within a country that listens to tunes but not propaganda, and can support troops but only herdsmen. After passing through this village, how can there be such a shop?
If he had hesitated for a moment, if Li Chengzhi had seized the opportunity and surrendered to the court before him, Gao Zhao would not have had time to cry.
As he looked forward and backward, he naturally felt resentful. He blamed Li Chengzhi for appearing out of nowhere and ruining the Gao family's long-term plan.
Therefore, even if Gao Zhao wants to surrender, something will definitely happen to Gao Zhao, making it difficult for Li Chengzhi...
Thinking of this, Li Shixian's thoughts flashed and he became even more vigilant: Is this old thief trying to stir up trouble and sow discord?
Even I feel a hundred times more unwilling to give in. When I think about how I have worked hard for several years and finally gained some capital for rebellion, but now I have to surrender to the imperial court, I can't stop my heartache, let alone Chengzhi?
With the nature of that rebellious son, how can he be willing to give up his activities and become an obedient minister of the Yuan family even if he dares to compete with Tiandu?
The only thing that can make him put himself in danger is his family. If he and Chenghong are sent back to the West Sea, wouldn't it eliminate nearly half of Chengzhi's worries?
The only thing left to worry about is Luo Jing's Yuzhi and the other children...
Seeing that he was hesitant and suspicious, and a pair of ruthless eyes couldn't help looking at his face, with a hidden warning in his eyes, Gao Zhao laughed: "You and I are already brothers, and Chengzhi is more like an old man."
Son, can I harm him?"
Not to mention it was okay, but when he mentioned this, Li Shixian couldn't help but sneer: Chengzhi was almost assassinated by Yuan Ying in Beijing, and almost died in a sea of fire in Shangdang, both thanks to Gao Zhao, so where is this dog thief?
How shameless do you think you are to say something like "I'm your son-in-law"?
He sneered: "Aren't you just trying to sit on a mountain and watch tigers fight, are you?"
This sentence again?
Gao Zhao immediately remembered what Yuan Cheng said about "picking up people's wisdom". While feeling sulky, he couldn't help but secretly breathed a sigh of relief: I'm not afraid that you won't think too much, but I'm afraid that you won't be fooled...
"What I said before: In the past, everything was forced by the current situation. Now it is difficult to distinguish who is right and who is wrong, who is right and who is wrong. Why should we hold on to our virtues and judge the heart of a gentleman with a cautious heart?"
He sighed leisurely, "Regardless of the rest, your third son is the one who was released to the West Sea by me, right? Besides, if I hadn't strategized and made clever plans, how could my wife, several grandsons, and all the family members be safe and sound?"
Escape to the Western Sea without any danger?"
Li Shixian was startled, his face full of disbelief. Li Chenghong's eyes were red, and he jumped up: "Do you really mean what the Lieutenant said?"
"If you tell lies, I am willing to be pierced by thousands of arrows and die a happy death!"
With a cold shout, anger appeared on Gao Zhao's face, and he stood up suddenly: "That's all, let me go to Yuan Cheng to confront you and see if you, the Li family, have followed the West Sea? If you still don't believe it, I will be powerless.
But it only lasts for three or two days. When I receive the imperial edict and receive the imperial gift, you can follow Yuan Cheng to the west. Then you will naturally know the truth and falsehood..."
After saying that, he waved his sleeves and walked out without hesitation.
Li Shixian was in shock and doubt, staring closely at Gao Zhao's back, and his heart was in a mess.
When did he rescue his wife from the capital and send her to the West Sea? Why didn't he mention it before?
This thief seems to have good intentions, but in fact he is resentful of Chengzhi and wants to provoke Chengzhi and the court to harm both sides...
But his arsenic and my honey, for Chengzhi and himself, wouldn’t it be joy falling from heaven?
At least it saves you the biggest worries...
Li Chenghong rushed over and knelt down in front of Li Shixian, with tears in his eyes: "Father, mother has returned to Xihai, Zhen'er and Xiu'er (Li Chenghong's two sons) have also returned to Xihai. If we wait and return again,
, Second Brother, don’t you have no scruples anymore?”
"What's the point of shouting and yelling?"
Li Shixian scolded in a low voice, "This thief is so cunning and cunning that even a father can't compare to him. Is there any guarantee that he doesn't have a plan and wants to harm your second brother? You need to think twice about this matter..."
After a pause, he suddenly stood up again: "Just wait and see, wait until you have a try to be a father, and we will discuss it when you come back!"
Before he finished speaking, he had already stepped out of the hall and chased Gao Zhao.
Li Shixian knew very well: he had been trapped in Jingzhou for nearly ten years and was almost useless. No matter in terms of knowledge, government and scheming, he could not even match Gao Zhao and Yuan Cheng.
Therefore, confrontation is absolutely not allowed, otherwise Yuan Cheng will get a clue in just a few words, and things will inevitably change by then, and he may not be able to leave even if he wants to.
But it’s not impossible: for example, listen to the roots of the wall?
Seeing his sneaky appearance, Gao Zhao sneered and sneered, but his heart was filled with joy.
Li Shixian, Li Shixian, if you are as stable as an old turtle, won't you still fall into my trap?
"It's all just trivial tricks, it's hard to reach the level of elegance!"
Gao Zhao sarcastically asked Li Shixian to hide among the soldiers, wait outside the door, and then knocked on Yuan Yi's hall door.
The uncle and nephew were still awake. Seeing Gao Zhao visiting late at night, they had no choice but to pretend to be affectionate.
After a few words of greeting, Gao Zhao seemed to be worried again: "Chengzhi once said: Thunder and rain are all gifts from the emperor. Since they are gifts from the Queen Mother and Your Majesty, how can I dare to say anything? The only thing I am worried about now is nothing more than a coincidence between Yin and Yang.
Chengzhi is already as powerful as fire and water...and if I serve as a minister in the same palace as him again in the future, how should I handle myself?"
Now that you haven't surrendered yet, why do you think so far ahead?
Yuan Cheng was vaguely suspicious, but after thinking about it, he felt it was natural.
Li Chengzhi's temperament of retribution and punishment was well known to the whole court. Gao Zhao repeatedly tried to plot against him, which forced him to rebel. If one day Li Chengzhi really surrendered to the imperial court, how could he let Gao Zhao go?
Because of this, he and the Empress Dowager dared to use their power to force Gao Zhao, expecting that even if he was unwilling, he would have to surrender...
Guessing in his heart, Yuan Cheng laughed loudly and said: "You two are originally Weng's son-in-law, and they are in love with each other. Even if they have a slight disagreement, it is because they met by fate. Since they are magnanimous and generous, they will not care about it. Furthermore, the Queen Mother is in the middle, and there is an orphan.
By mediating with Xuanren and other princes, your son-in-law will be able to put an end to the past.
Is Li Chengzhi magnanimous?
Yuandao Town, you are afraid that you drank fake wine. Do you believe this?
Gao Zhao secretly sneered and changed the topic: "That's all we can do. I'll ask your two highnesses to lend a helping hand when the time comes, and I can bear witness to this: If Gao hadn't been in the middle, how could Mrs. Guo and the Li family be safe?"
Escape to the West Sea?"
Yuan Yi's eyes suddenly widened: Li Chengzhi's mother and her family members actually fled back to Xihai?
Doesn't this mean letting the tiger return to the mountain? What does the imperial court do for food?
Yuan Cheng, on the other hand, was half convinced: As soon as the young man of the Li family disappeared, everyone in the court suspected that Gao Zhao was responsible. Now it sounds like this old thief really worked together with Li Chengzhi and did something good?
But why did he mention it now?
Shouldn't we discuss the conditions with ourselves first and finalize the matter of when we will surrender our weapons and when we will open the city?
If it had been in the past, Yuan Cheng would have been alert even if he couldn't guess that Li Shixian was eavesdropping outside the hall. Just like Li Shixian just now, he would most likely have guessed that the old thief was plotting another trick.
However, he was burdened with the important task of borrowing troops from the Hu tribe, and he was about to be criticized by thousands of people and bear the infamy of hundreds of generations. Now he was no longer willing to bear the heavy burden. In addition, he traveled day and night, and rushed nearly two thousand miles to Xiazhou in the cold winter of March 9th. Now,
He was trapped in the enemy's camp, and he didn't know whether Gao Zhaoyang would surrender or whether he would sacrifice the flag if he didn't surrender. Therefore, when these factors are added together, "exhausted mentally and physically" can no longer be used to describe his current state.
And Qia Qia drank a lot of wine, and his mind was inevitably groggy. If Yuan Cheng was 100% wise in the past, he was now less than 30% of it.
Therefore, after just having a slight thought, he did not have any doubts anymore, and responded with a hint of sarcasm: "This matter was indeed done by the Taiwei? It's just a simple matter, and I will let Li Chengzhi explain it later..."
A huge sense of happiness came over him like a tide, Li Shixian's heart was shaking wildly, and his body was shaking non-stop.
Doesn't Yuan Cheng's words indicate that Gao Zhao's words are true: his wife and daughter-in-law, Sun Jing, really escaped back to the West Sea?
God has eyes...
Hearing a faint sound outside the door, it must be that Li Shixian had left, Gao Zhao felt reassured.
But his face remained calm, and he was chatting with Yuan Cheng in a cliche manner.
Yuan Cheng was exhausted to the extreme, but he had to work hard to deal with it...
After staying for a full hour, Gao Zhaocai left with satisfaction when he saw Yuan Cheng's eyes half-closed and distressed.
Fortunately, Yuandao Town did not raise any suspicion, otherwise it would have been a lot more trouble.
Gao Zhao stood up to say goodbye, and when he walked out of the hall, he realized that it was already late at night.
Today is exactly sixteen, and a full moon hangs in the sky. The moon shines like water, and it feels a bit colder.
It will be the beginning of the new year in less than half a month, and by then, the whole city of Xihai will surely be deserted...
He tightened his fur collar, took another breath, and walked out of the courtyard.
Li Shixian, wrapped in a cotton fur, stood outside the courtyard like a pillar, looking up at the stars, lost in admiration.
Hearing the noise, he suddenly turned around and stared at Gao Zhao with burning eyes: "When will you let me return to the west?"
"Now that Yuan Cheng is in my camp, Xi Kangsheng can't guess whether I will surrender or not, and he is also afraid that Yuan Cheng and Yuan Yi will be lost. There must be a roar of wind and cranes, and troops are everywhere in the grass and trees. We have already deployed troops in the south of the city. If you are eager for quick success, you just
Being captured by Xi Kangsheng just after leaving the city is not a waste of my good intentions, but also makes me a human being inside and outside?
Therefore, it is best to wait for two more days. When I comply with the imperial edict and release Yuan Cheng and Yuan Yi, Xi Kangsheng will definitely feel relieved. Then, to show sincerity, he will definitely withdraw the besieging army. At that time, you can escape again.
Not too late!"
Seems reasonable?
Li Shixian calmed down and cupped his hands towards Gao Zhao with a smile on his face: "Well, Huaide will thank the Taiwei in advance!"
This is a piece of meat on a hob. It has benefits, sweet words, and respect. The bones are not that hard, and you can't even beat them.
Now it can be considered to have some effect.
Seeing Li Shixian walking away, Gao Zhao returned to the Yamen Hall and summoned his confidants.
This time, there will be no life after ten deaths, so the dead must be...
…
It was getting dark the next day, so Gao Zhao went to find Yuan Cheng again, saying that he had been discussing with Gao Meng and other confidants all night, and his subordinates had many complaints about the imperial court's recruitment policy, so they needed to reconsider it with Yuan Cheng.
This is to recruit rebels to surrender, and the imperial court is weak. How can Gao Zhao agree to it?
Yuan Cheng had already expected this, but he was unwilling to give in even a single step.
Gao Zhao threatened to imprison Yuan Cheng again, but Yuan Cheng sneered: "Since I dare to come here, I have put my life and death aside... Don't think that without me, Yuandao Town, there will be no one to care about Xihai. I can't control you."
An imperial edict only costs a piece of silk, so who can't go there?"
After several confrontations, Yuan Cheng only responded to one question: He could order Xi Kangsheng to withdraw his troops first and return to Jinming.
Then Dang Ji wrote a warrant and ordered his cronies to be sent to Jin Ming...
After receiving the warrant, Xi Kangsheng was so angry that he laughed.
Gao Zhao, Gao Zhao, do you think that I am making someone blind, or do you think that I, Xi Kangsheng, only know how to be foolish and loyal, but do not know how to adapt, and will only follow Yuan Cheng's orders?
If you really surrender, why would you order your soldiers to burn snow and turn it into water, and pour ice to build a city?
This is clearly a determined fight to the end, and even brought Yuan Cheng into the city?
Cui Yanbo read the warrant and his face was full of worry: "Should we retreat or not?"
After a moment's hesitation, Xi Kangsheng let out a fierce breath: "We only have one day left, so we should retreat to the county first. When dawn comes tomorrow, if Gao Zhao can still push the envelope, will he raise his army to attack?"
Cui Yanbo's eyes suddenly widened: "Real attack?"
Xi Kangsheng gritted his teeth bitterly: "Did you, the Queen Mother, and King Ren Cheng not expect that Gao Zhao would refuse to surrender and fight stubbornly?"
The reason why Yuan Cheng resolutely entered the city alone like a sheep entering a tiger's mouth was not only to force Gao Zhao with aggressive force, but also to leave no way for him to retreat.
If you don't succeed, you will be successful...
…
At dawn, a group of soldiers escorted two vehicles and drove out of the west gate of Tongwan City.
Looking at the fresh hoof prints outside the city, it was clear that the imperial army had been surrounding the city recently. Looking at the empty mountains and fields, it seemed that they had all withdrawn.
Sure enough, as Gao Zhao expected, Xi Kangsheng had already retreated?
Li Shixian felt relieved and bowed his head to Gao Zhao: "We say goodbye today. I don't know when we will see you again. Could you please take care of yourself, Lieutenant?"
"Bless me with good words from Huaide!"
Gao Zhao laughed and said, "Without further delay, please set off as soon as possible. When we get to the West Sea, please Huaide to tell me something..."
Li Shixian wholeheartedly agreed: "No matter how hard it is, I'll do whatever it takes!"
After saying this and bowing again, Li Shixian descended from the city wall and boarded the carriage.
Seeing it heading west, Gao Zhao curled up his lips and snorted: At noon at most, good news will be sent back. And at most ten days, bad news will be sent back to the West Sea.