The Lord gave birth to his eldest son, which was a great joy. The servants of the Li family were so honored that they wished they could drink all night long and not return home until they were drunk.
But it only lasted an hour, and Li Chengzhi issued an order to expel the guests, saying that they would go back to their respective offices today to handle their errands, and it would not be too late to have a drink tomorrow.
The servants dispersed one by one, and Li Chengzhi condescended to him and sent him outside the door. After he was gone, he was about to go back to his room to see Gao Wenjun, when Li Cong came to report again, saying that it was Da Xi who wanted to see him.
Today, Da Xi is one of the deputy chiefs of the Ministry of War, commanding the two guards, and also serves as the "pacification envoy to the military and civilians in the six towns." Just when Li Liang won a great victory, Luo Jian's troops were defeated, and refugees continued to pour into the West Sea. Therefore, Da Xi
This is the time when your busy feet are off the ground. If there is nothing important, you would not dare to leave your post without permission just to celebrate.
Li Chengzhi pondered for a moment, and suddenly remembered something: last night, Huangfu, who was leading the army stationed in Wuwei, sent someone to report that there were several riders coming from the east of the river, claiming to have secret instructions from his superiors, and came to the west of the river to deliver a message.
What he held was a document with no beginning or end, and it was stamped with the seal of the rebellious Marshal Xi Kangsheng. It did not say to whom the letter should be sent, or to whom it was entrusted.
Huangfu immediately arrested these people as spies and sent them to Zhenyi, asking Li Chengzhi to deal with them.
Looking at the handwriting, Li Chengzhi knew that it was Xi Kangsheng's own handwriting. He just assumed that he was here to find Da Xi, and out of trust in Da Xi, he did not open the envelope and sent the letter and people about a hundred miles north.
of red mountains.
And it only lasted three or four hours. Da Xi came uninvited. Could something have happened?
"Please come quickly!"
When Li Cong came out of the hall, Li Shiliang frowned and said, "Could it be that you are here for the sake of virtue?"
Li Chengzhi was startled: Is it really possible?
Yesterday, Li Songcai, who was stationed at Juyan Lake, received an urgent report from Li Liang from Bigan City, saying that when he was scouting and patrolling the Xihai Hequ Division territory bordering Bogulu, he encountered Gao Mang's defeated troops, claiming that they were escorting Li Shixian back.
On the way to the West Sea, we suddenly encountered officers and soldiers.
The troops fled and the whereabouts of Li Shixian and his son were of course unknown. It was about the safety of the family leader, so Li Liang naturally did not dare to neglect it. Regardless of the freezing weather, he hurriedly sent Tangqi to Juyan Lake, and then Li Song took over as an excuse.
, personally took the secret order and ran to Zhenyi.
At that time, Li Chengzhi also calculated with Li Shiliang: Everyone in the court knew that Li Shixian was kidnapped by Gao Zhao and taken to Xiazhou. From the beginning to the end, he regarded death as if he were going home, and would rather break than bend. He did not rebel. Therefore, he had merit but no fault.
Regardless of whether it falls into the hands of Xi Kangsheng, Xing Luan, Cui Yanbo or the other three, there will be no danger.
If he is lucky enough to be rescued by Li Shao, he might be quietly sent to the West Sea in ten and a half days.
However, Li Song arrived early this morning, half a day later than Xi Kangsheng's messenger. Furthermore, Li Chengzhi was so worried about Gao Wenjun and his mother that he was short-sighted and failed to think of anything.
No wonder the leader of the messenger was vague in his words. He couldn't even tell who he was giving the order to. Was the order even more fake than fake?
I'm afraid that Xi Kang was afraid that if something happened, he and the letter would fall into the hands of the imperial court, so he was so cautious...
Li Chengzhi patted his forehead: "It's also my fault for being stupid and making mistakes in the rush. When I saw Li Liang rushing to report, I didn't expect Xi Kangsheng to send his cronies. Nine times out of ten, this was the reason? Instead, Da Xiduo ran away.
A trip..."
"It's a coincidence that I invited him to have a drink..."
Li Shiliang said with relief, "It's only half a day late. Besides, if Huaide fell into the hands of Xi Kangsheng, it would be many times better than being used by Gao Zhao to blackmail you. So I am definitely more happy than worried..."
After a pause, Li Shiliang said hopefully, "It would be best if Xi Kangsheng could send Huaide and Chenghong..."
Li Chengzhi shook his head and let out a long sigh: "It's difficult!"
Not only is it difficult, but it is absolutely impossible.
Not to mention sending people here, I'm afraid they won't even bring the handwritten letter sealing Li Shixian.
Firstly, Xi Kangsheng was afraid of giving others leverage and making things self-defeating. Secondly, public was public and private was private, and they could never be confused.
Li Chengzhi has long known that as a famous minister, Xi Kangsheng's moral integrity will not fall behind others, and the bottom line he should have is that he will not give in even half a step.
For example, one day, if the imperial court orders Xi Kangsheng to be the commander-in-chief to conquer Hexi, Xi Kangsheng promises to fight in whatever way he wants, and will not let go of any water.
The reason why Xi was sent to serve under Li Chengzhi was just to leave a way out for the clan, so that if the imperial court was defeated, the Xi clan would not be liquidated by Li Chengzhi.
This is no different from the three brothers Zhuge during the Three Kingdoms period, each of whom was responsible for his own affairs, but yet could be loyal and fulfill his duties.
But so far, the two are still friends rather than enemies, otherwise Xi Kangsheng would not have tipped him off...
In just a few breaths, Da Xi pushed the door open and walked in. He didn't even have time to say goodbye, so he said urgently: "Yuan Cheng carried the decree and went to Tongcheng City to appease Gao Zhao. But he didn't want Gao Zhao to be dishonest and promised to stop the army in words, but secretly
However, misfortune was diverted to the east, and he wanted to use his father's hand to murder Duke Huaide, but he didn't want to make a mistake and was discovered by Duke Huaide...
Now that Duke Huaide had been rescued by his father, Gao Zhao learned that his treacherous plot had been revealed, so he surrendered the city? In addition, Yuan Cheng claimed that he would send envoys with gold festivals, imperial edicts, and please Huaide after the Lantern Festival at most.
I will come to the West Sea to care for you..."
Li Shiliang's face instantly turned pale, and his body couldn't stop shaking.
Li Chengzhi was stunned for a moment and sighed sadly: "Why is Gao Zhao doing this?"
You must know that Gaozhao now controls five states and six towns, monopolizes three percent of the Yuan and Wei Dynasties, has tens of thousands of soldiers and horses under his command, and millions of people. Whether it is territory, small towns, or even military strength, it far exceeds Li Chengzhi.
Just because he failed to harm Li Shixian and was afraid of being retaliated by Li Chengzhi, he surrendered?
Even Li Chengzhi himself found it a bit incredible...
As soon as Gaozhao surrendered, the court no longer had any worries. It only needed to integrate the rebels in Beidi and Six Towns, clean up the mess left by Gaozhao's rebellion, and then they could regroup and concentrate on the crusade against Hexi.
A skinny camel is bigger than a horse. No matter what you think, Xihai seems to be no match for the imperial court. That's why Li Shiliang's expression changed drastically.
But Li Chengzhi was not particularly worried.
Don't look at it. When Yuan Ke was alive, the national power of Yuan and Wei was very powerful. But that was just an appearance.
In fact, there are undercurrents surging under the water. The ethnic conflicts between Hu and Han, the class conflicts between aristocrats and common people, the centralization conflicts between emperors and local clans, etc., have already reached a fever pitch.
It was only because of Yuan Ke's skill and his frequent use of wars against Nanliang to divert the attention of all classes that he did not get angry.
But the contradictions did not disappear. Instead, they were like a growing pile of explosives. Whenever there was a spark, everyone would be blown up to pieces.
Yuan Ke knew this very well, that's why he was so urgent.
When Yuan Ke died, it was like a thick sore opened on a terminally ill person. Yuan Huai, Yu Zhong, Yuan Li, Gao Zhao and others rebelled one after another, and the blood flowed like a thick sore.
In particular, Gao Zhao's rebellion almost struck the most fatal blow to the Yuan and Wei Dynasties. It affected the original chaos of the six towns more widely and caused more serious harm.
Regardless of the rest, if we follow the historical trajectory, before the Six Towns Rebellion, at least there were no rebellions by Yuan Huai, Yuan Yong, Yu Zhong, Yuan Li and others, let alone Tuyuhun, Nanliang and Nanliang with an army of 100,000 to invade, and there were no Rouran expeditions.
Thousands of miles away, the six towns and five northern states have exhausted their fuel and lanterns.
The continuous wars and rebellions in the past few years have squandered the accumulation of the Yuan Ke Dynasty. Now that Gao Zhao has surrendered so simply, I would like to ask how the imperial court will arrange it, and what arrangements will be made for the five states in the north and the
The rebels in the six towns sinned against the people?
If the resettlement is not done well, 90% of the time it will be the same as the original historical trajectory. The surrendered army and the refugees will rebel again and again, surrender again and again. In the end, the whole country will be at war, rebels will be everywhere, and the Yuan and Wei Dynasties will be dragged to death.
If the imperial court wants to avoid future troubles, it must make great efforts to rectify and settle things, and it must be willing to spend money.
However, Chaoyan was in a lean state and was unable to follow up. If we concentrated our efforts on conquering Li Chengzhi, we would not be able to properly deal with the five states and six towns.
And if five states and six towns are resettled, it will take at least two to three years before the imperial court can fight. And by then, Li Chengzhi will have become a behemoth...
Not to mention the court, even Li Chengzhi was in trouble for Gao Ying.
But it is not impossible to break the situation: for example, like the Six Towns Rebellion in history, borrowing troops from the Hu tribe or the Southern Dynasty...
Li Chengzhi's heart sank slightly, and he said in a deep voice: "Li Cong, give an order to the heads of the ministries. Don't be busy with the banquet tomorrow. Yu Chenshi is gathering in the meeting hall to discuss the preparation of the army first... Li Xiaoxian..."
"Servant is here!"
"I immediately wrote several letters in handwriting and sent them to Li Yongshou in Juyan Lake, Li Feng and Li Shi in Bigan City, Li Liang and Zhang Xinzhi in Daqi... I ordered these five people to reply immediately after seeing the letter.
I……"
Preparing the army means preparing for war. I sent an order to Li Liang, Li Feng and others. Is it possible that they will shrink their troops to rest and reorganize in Zhenyi, or at most they will have to go on an expedition when spring warms up?
Li Shiliang and Da Xi frowned in unison.
"No matter how anxious the imperial court is, it would not dare to send troops so hastily. It should at least properly resettle the rebel refugees in the five states and six towns. So why bother?"
Da Xi said suspiciously, "Moreover, if the troops come to block it and the water comes to cover it, it is best to wait for work. Why bother to mobilize troops and send out troops for expedition?"
Li Chengzhi hesitated for a moment, then simply told the truth: "What I am worried about is not the imperial court, but the foreigners... Now the imperial court is like a terminally ill person. The so-called indiscriminate treatment of an illness is difficult to guarantee that it will not be used to drive away tigers and devour wolves."
…”
Seek medical treatment in a hurry... drive away tigers and devour wolves?
If Li Chengzhi is defeated by the imperial court, will he still borrow troops from foreign tribes?
Daxi's scalp was numb: it seemed like an act of losing power, humiliating the country, and humiliating the ancestors. But when he thought about it again, he was about to die, so how could he care about whether the medicine had a fishy smell, and might even be poisonous?
So it's really possible to do it.
Li Chengzhi pondered for a moment, and then whispered: "Yuan Cheng will set off on the Lantern Festival, and he will send envoys at least half a month in advance to inform the states along the way to show that the court understands the righteousness and is magnanimous...
And if I don’t respond when the time comes, I will be considered a rebellious official and a traitor...and this is only the second thing..."
After a pause, Li Chengzhi said again, "I will inform Huangfu in a letter later and ask him to pay more attention. In addition, Xiaoxian also needs to make more careful arrangements and keep an eye on him along the way... Remember, you must find out Yuan Cheng no matter what."
To determine whether it is true or not, do you really dare to come to our Xihai, but you must not let the mission know that our Xihai has become suspicious..."
"How is this true or false?"
Da Xi said in confusion, "Even if the envoy is not Yuan Cheng, he must be a person who holds a high position and plays a very important role. And to show his sincerity, he will definitely do what he says and send Duke Huaide here. Is that right?"
What does it have to do with serving Yuancheng as an envoy?"
"How could it not matter? In order to appease Gao Zhao, Yuan Cheng dared to enter Tongwan City alone, and he was not afraid of Gao Zhao coming out. Instead, he cut off the sacrificial flag. Then why don't you dare to come to Xihai? Could it be that you look down on me, Li?
?”
Li Chengzhi sighed deeply, "If he doesn't come, where do you think he will go? Although it's just what I take for granted now, I have to be careful..."
Li Shiliang felt horrified: "That's the case, you should immediately seek advice from Xi Shangshu. As long as you find out whether Yuan Cheng came from the west, and whether he really came to my west sea, you can have a clear understanding..."
Before Li Shiliang finished speaking, Da Xi's expression couldn't help but change. Li Chengzhi naturally knew why he was like this, and smiled warmly: "If you can inform me in advance, Xi Shangshu has already taken a huge risk."
.Now that the two armies are about to confront each other, how can we let Shangshu Xi take risks again?"
He paused for a moment and then told Da Xi, "Everyone is his own master and each has his own plan... I believe that before you came to Xihai with your uncle, the Minister must have said similar words to you. So don't be too troublesome, let alone
You have to worry: If we really go to war, I won’t make things difficult for you..."
Da Xi felt warm in his heart and bowed his head: "Xi thanked the Duke!"
"After traveling a hundred miles, the general must be hungry. I have asked Li Cong to prepare some food and wine, and Uncle Lao will sit with me... I will finish writing the letter and I will be there later..."
The two responded, and Li Shiliang advised again: "It's been half a day, and you haven't even seen what your eldest son looks like? General Xi is not an outsider, so how can he see it outside, so it's best for you to go inside first..."
"ah?"
Da Xi was confused and happy, "I didn't know?"
"I just ordered Li Cong to send messages to various ministries and governments, and you came here, just in time to save you from having to make another trip..."
Li Chengzhi stood up with a smile and patted Da Xi on the shoulder, "Let's discuss it tomorrow. You and I will definitely have a good drunken time..."
"Haha, it must be..."
The two of them left hand in hand, and Li Chengzhi hunkered down at his desk and wrote a quick note. But what he wrote was not a secret letter, but a straightforward narrative, as if reminiscing about the past.
After writing it, Li Chengzhi read it carefully again and made sure that no flaws were exposed before folding it and putting it in a leather envelope: "Xiao Xian, call Chengxue here, and then you send a team of good soldiers to him to protect him.
Bigan City, and then sneaked to Bogulu to personally present this letter to Uncle Shi...
Xi Kangsheng did not dare to respond. But now Uncle Shi (Li Shao) is also one of the four deputy commanders in the rebellion. To be more sure, Yuan Cheng will definitely ask Uncle Shi to lobby his father and persuade me to surrender, so it is inevitable
Will meet Uncle Shi...
Although the matter was of great importance, even if the imperial court really asked for troops from foreign tribes, Yuan Cheng would not dare to reveal the slightest hint of it in advance, but whether he was calculating or not, Uncle Shi should be able to see some clues...
Taking a step back, I cannot see that since the Li family in Longxi lives in the pass, Uncle Shi will definitely be able to find out whether Yuan Cheng left the pass, whether he crossed the river, whether he came to our West Sea, but secretly crossed Chencang and went elsewhere..."