The west wind blows slowly and the spring is cold.
The Qilian Mountains are still covered with snow, but green buds have sprouted under Qiangwan.
A group of dozens of cavalry rushed out of Guancheng and headed east. Li Chengzhi saw him off at the city gate, and the cavalry moved further and further away until it turned into a black dot before he walked down the tower.
At some point, Cui Guang and Wei Zijian, who had walked away, came back again, sitting in the government hall drinking tea.
Seeing Li Chengzhi come in, Cui Guang sighed softly: "Li Yuanbo is gone?"
"gone!"
Li Chengzhi replied and bowed deeply to Cui Guang: "If it hadn't been for Shangshu's guidance today, I would have been in the dark. I would be very grateful!"
"Why do you need to be humble?"
Cui Guang did not take any credit at all, "If you hadn't predicted this in advance, how could you have withdrawn your army from Daqi and Bigan City and then marched to Dunhuang to avoid future worries?"
They didn't understand it before, but after meeting Li Shao and reading the imperial decree of appeasement and reward, Cui Guang and Wei Zijian knew that it was not that Li Chengzhi was greedy and wanted to take all the land in Hexi. It was that he was afraid of being copied.
A way out.
Hexi has reached the western border. As long as the ancient silk road is guarded, the soldiers and horses of the imperial court will not be able to enter. Who else can make him so worried?
It is nothing more than Rouran to the north of Junji Mountain, or Gaochang and Gaoche to the west of Dunhuang.
It was for this reason that Cui Guangcai concluded that Li Chengzhi was prepared for a rainy day, worried that the imperial court would be completely shameless and would collude with the Hu people.
And since Li Chengzhi is so talented, and even if he doesn't give any guidance today, it will probably take less than half a day for Li Chengzhi to figure out the joints...
"Besides, there is no need for you to thank me. The only people I care about are the people in Guanzhong and the whole world. So you must not be sentimental..."
Speaking of this, Cui Guang's facial features wrinkled, and his old face seemed to be twisted into a bitter melon, "But one day, if I leak even a single sentence of what I said today to persuade you to release Li Yuanbo, there is a high probability that you will be ripped off.
I have a bad reputation for being double-dealing, but it’s a pity that I was wise all my life..."
Li Chengzhi replied categorically: "Don't worry, Minister, it will never happen!"
"You know a lot about bird feathers... Of course you don't. What about Li Yuanbo?"
The more Cui Guang thought about it, the more annoyed he became, and his beard started to tremble, "I'm going to be killed by you, a little thief..."
Li Chengzhi changed his mind for a moment and couldn't help but feel happy.
As Cui Guang said, it is really possible.
He was a literary giant of his generation, and he also served as an imperial scholar and the Imperial Academy for nearly 20 years.
He was a veteran of three dynasties, and his reputation as a virtuous man was well known throughout the world. He could be said to be highly virtuous and respected, and his kindness and wisdom were unparalleled.
If Li Chengzhi was demoted to such a person, the whole country would be in an uproar. For Li Chengzhi, it would be like giving help in the snow, but for the imperial court, it would be like adding insult to injury.
Of course, Li Chengzhi must not do such a thing. First, no one would believe it. Second, it would be self-defeating and arouse Cui Guang's resentment.
But for Li Shao, there is no pressure at all. When he returns to Guanzhong, he only needs to tell the truth and repeat Cui Guang's words to persuade Li Chengzhi not to embarrass him, which will arouse the imagination of countless people.
.
When the news returns to Luojing, how should Gao Ying and the Yuan family treat Liu Fang and You Zhao, who are also close to Li Chengzhi? How should they view the Shandong nobles represented by Cui Guang and Liu Fang?
Naturally, it is impossible to achieve success in one fell swoop, but at this time when the wind is trembling and everything is at war, once the seeds of doubt are planted, it will not take long for them to grow into towering trees...
The more Li Chengzhi thought about it, the happier he became, but the more Cui Guang thought about it, the more annoyed he became.
"I regret that I felt soft-hearted for a moment... Even if all the nobles in Guanzhong are dead, what does it have to do with me?"
He cursed angrily, "You're a treacherous little thief who has the same mission. You can let Li Shao go, why can't you let me go and return him to the court?"
Li Chengzhi laughed loudly, bowed his hands and said: "At this time and that time, the reason why the minister was not released was because the imperial court broke its promise and broke its promise. It openly appeased me, but secretly sent a large army to attack me in the West Sea... As long as this lawsuit is settled
I don’t know, this junior will definitely not let the minister return to the court...
But Uncle Shi is not like that. The so-called two armies are fighting and the envoys are not killed. Even if the younger generation wants to raise a rebel flag, he must inform the court to avoid losing the way of a gentleman..."
"Such a traitor dares to call himself a gentleman? I am so embarrassed..."
Cui Guang kicked several cases over with one kick and walked out of the Yamen angrily.
Li Chengzhi was not upset, he bowed his head gracefully and showed enough etiquette.
"Don't blame Uncle Xiao for being rude. He was so annoyed that the eldest brother (Li Shao) didn't even know when he left. Even if he was just pretending, he should have asked you when he would be released..."
Li Chengzhi rolled his eyes and said nothing.
If he asked, he wouldn't let go. If he didn't ask, it might be that Cui Guang didn't want to leave. Li Shao knew that, so he didn't mention it...
I don’t know what Li Chengzhi’s thoughts were, but he can roughly guess that he was plotting against Cui Guang. Wei Zijian sighed sadly:
"The so-called emergency medical treatment, if it is as expected by Brother Xiao, and the imperial court wants to risk the world's disapproval and lure the Hu people into the country, it will be the same as digging for its own foundation and seeking death. It will be a disgrace to the festival.
, people's hearts are greatly lost. You only need to be benevolent and correct, and you will be able to overcome the situation... But the first thing is, how do you break the situation?"
Li Chengzhi pondered for a moment and only replied: "Uncle, don't worry, my son-in-law has his own plans!"
If you are unprepared, you will most likely be beaten, or even completely defeated.
But even if we have anticipated this event, how can we turn a blind eye, ignore it, and just wait for disaster to happen?
Withdraw the army during the Spring Festival and make various arrangements, but for this reason.
After a pause, Li Chengzhi asked again: "Just now, Shangshu was very angry. He was afraid that he would become even more angry, so he didn't dare to say anything. However, I thought about it and couldn't figure it out. Can I ask my uncle to explain: Why did Shangshu dare to predict?
Will the imperial court make a desperate move to attract foreign troops?"
"It's not that Brother Xiaobo has foresight, but he already had a clue: there is only a small Jin Ming, but he is as solid as a rock. Xi Kangsheng has tens of thousands of powerful soldiers, but he can't attack for a long time. What's more, you are watching eagerly in Hexi.
Want to wait for an opportunity?
In the early autumn, we heard about the chaos in the six towns, which made people in the court panic and everyone was in danger. On the Chinese Valentine's Day, Yuan Cheng once gave the Queen Mother a banquet to invite all the assistants, and drunkenly said: If the rebels are strong,
, the imperial court is unable to continue, can it be used to drive away the tiger and devour the wolf...
At that time, Brother Xiaobo and others had already speculated: It seemed that Yuan Cheng was talking drunkenly, but without the approval of the Queen Mother, how could he dare to speak openly in front of the Queen Mother and Her Majesty?
Later, the Empress Dowager issued an order to collect additional autumn grains and silk and linen from the people, warehouses, and Guanzhong and Hedong states. However, she did not transfer them to Xi Kangsheng, but transported them all to the army. Brother Xiaobo was even more certain.
: In all likelihood, the Queen Mother has made a decision and wants to disregard the laws of her ancestors and risk the disapproval of the world...
Soon after, the Queen Mother frequently summoned the Yuan clan and Xianbei officials, which confirmed this suspicion..."
After talking for a while, Wei Zijian looked at Li Chengzhi again, with deep meaning in his eyes: "But you seem to be able to predict the future. The imperial court has not sent envoys to foreign tribes, but you have taken all kinds of precautions?"
"It has nothing to do with predicting the future. It's just that I've always been cautious, thinking about danger when I'm at home, and like to take precautions before they happen..."
"This is the long-term solution!"
Wei Zijian praised him and stood up again, "Brother Xiaobo is probably very angry. I'll go and console him for a while, and I'll stay here soon..."
"My son-in-law is sending my uncle off!"
Li Chengzhi stood up quickly, "After these two days of busy work, my son-in-law will serve wine to apologize to the minister!"
"Are you busy these two days?"
Hearing this, Wei Zijian stopped again and looked at Li Chengzhi meaningfully, "If you have some free time, it's better to spend more time with your wife and children... Yu'er is innocent and has nothing to do with her. If there are any mistakes, she can still
I hope you will be more patient..."
After saying that, without waiting for Li Chengzhi to respond, he walked out with his hands behind his back.
Li Chengzhi stared at his back blankly, as if he was stunned.
Wei Yu could not be more obedient. She always did what she said. What could possibly go wrong?
In addition, my mother is the most fond of her, and she wants to hold her in her hands all day long, so why should I bear the burden on myself?
His uncle was clearly trying to point him out: Gao Wenjun had already given birth to his eldest son, and even his concubine Zhang Jingmo had given birth to a daughter, but Wei Yu remained silent. Isn't he being partial to others?
Li Chengzhi was so embarrassed that he scratched his head subconsciously: Being able to force his father-in-law and son-in-law to say such things shows how dissatisfied Wei Zijian is with him?
Fortunately, the little girl is sensible and covers up for herself at every turn. Otherwise, let alone Wei Zijian, if Guo Yuzhi knew the truth, the government office would be burned down.
It is indeed unfair to Wei Yu...
He sighed sadly and called Li Cong: "Send people back to the house and tell them that I will go back later. Then go to the university to pick up my wife and go back to the house with me..."
"promise!"
Li Cong responded respectfully and ran to deliver the order.
Li Xiaoxian went to the door again and said in a low voice, "Mr. Lang, just now General Huangfu sent Tangqi to report, but what he sent was an official document, which has been handed over to the military department. My eldest brother (Li Liang) just sent someone to ask, "Mr.
If you have any other instructions, Tangqi can bring them back together..."
"What did Huangfu say?"
"There is no change in Zhongfuqi City and Shudun City, everything is the same as before..."
"Then staring is... I know Li Liang again. Now the weather is getting warmer. Although the people are strong and the livestock no longer suffer from the cold, the frozen soil is getting deeper and deeper, and the roads are becoming softer and softer day by day. This is
Therefore, we should hurry up and rush as soon as possible before the spring rain, and transport more grain, grass, and ordnance to Huangfu..."
After a pause, he asked again: "Where is Li Yongshou? Is there any urgent news?"
"There is no urgent report, it's just a routine report every three days. The latest report was sent at dusk the day before yesterday, and it was called Junji Mountain. Zhuoxie Mountain is as usual, and there are no wild riders or convoys!"
"Send an order to Li Liang. When Tang Qi reports again tomorrow, order him to tell Li Yongshou: We need to be on strict guard and don't be careless!"
"promise!"
Li Xiaoxian left without taking the order. Li Chengzhi thought for a moment, then asked his confidant to hold a candle and read the map on the wall.
The map was made by bleaching and sewing several pieces of cowhide, and then using lacquer ink to make the map. It was nearly ten feet in diameter and almost covered a wall. It was densely packed with large and small characters.
And this is only the map north of the Yangtze River.
This was drawn by Li Chengzhi himself, and even if there are some errors, they are not very big. What is commendable is that wherever the soldiers, scouts, Tangqi, and even the soldiers of the Western Navy set foot, Li Chengzhi will personally check afterward.
Not to mention where there is a mountain, where there is a river, where there is a city, even if it is a pond, a ditch, a village, or even a small tribe with less than a hundred tents, he will ask clearly, and he will know more about it.
It's clearly marked on the map.
With such a map in hand, the general can follow the map and get twice the result with half the effort, whether marching, stationing, or forming a formation...
Li Chengzhi looked at it for a while and passed his fingers across Dunhuang Town.
Li Song has already led his cavalry out, which is only a thousand miles away. It will take at most ten days for the troops to reach Dunhuang City.
Gengzhen's elite troops had all been defeated along with Yuan's birds at the shore of Juyan Lake, and all the people in the city were old and weak. Although there were many strong men left, with artillery in hand, it was not difficult for Li Song to attack the city.
At that time, there will be no worries. Even if Chao Yanzhen and Rou Ran collude, they will not be afraid of being attacked from both sides.
In addition, there are 240,000 to 50,000 registered Ding households in Xiliang Prefecture, and nearly 200,000 live in Dunhuang, with more than one million dan of grain being collected. Therefore, just the Ding households and grain storage in Dunhuang Town can make people
Li Chengzhi can wake up with laughter even in his dreams...
After thinking for a while, Li Chengzhi retracted his finger and pointed north of Juyan Lake.
This is a vast land of thousands of miles, with few mountains, no water, and almost no barriers. If you ride a fast horse, you can explore three to four hundred miles in one day. So even if Rouran wants to disappear, it is impossible to march quietly.
Unless Rouran makes a big detour, deliberately bypassing Daqi, and sends troops from the north road, first to Six Towns, and then either attacks the east flank of the West Sea, or enters the Pass and advances westward through Longshan Mountain.
But in this case, I am afraid that I will not have to walk more than five thousand miles. I have to go back and forth, but if I don’t have ten thousand miles, I still have to walk eight thousand miles.
According to the marching method of Rouran dragging his family and driving the cattle, the march on the road will take three to four months, and this is under the premise that the weather is good and there is no wind or rain.
Therefore, regardless of whether the imperial court can afford to wait, the Rouran people absolutely cannot afford it.
In this way, Rouran was unable to attack the rear route to the West Sea, and was unwilling to detour thousands of miles. Whenever he sent out troops, he would most likely arrange his chariots and horses to attack Juyan Lake.
If it were just Rouran, Li Chengzhi would naturally not be afraid. To be honest, in front of firearms, the half-civilized Hu cavalry was much easier to deal with than the Han people's foot formation.
However, a lion fights a rabbit with all its strength, not to mention that the Yuan and Wei Dynasties have regarded Li Chengzhi as a serious problem. What he is worried about is that if the court does not stop doing anything, there is a high probability that it will join forces with Tuyuhun.
At that time, the three countries will jointly send troops. In any case, there should be four to five million troops. Even if Li Chengzhi mobilizes all the people, he can only raise an army of 100,000 at most. As the saying goes, if the ants kill the elephant, if the three parties really join forces,
In one place, even if there are firearms to rely on, Xihai is afraid that it will inevitably end in defeat.
But it's not impossible to break the situation.
As the saying goes, strike first to gain strength, strike later and suffer disaster. When two armies are facing each other, they will do anything they can. Why do they have to wait for others to come over before they can counterattack?
Huangfu, it's up to you...
Li Chengzhi tapped his finger heavily on the map and drew another circle.
In the circle, in addition to Linsong to the south of Biao, there is also Shandan Racecourse, which has penetrated deep into the Qilian Mountains...