On the bank of the salt lake, several large vehicles were gathered together to form a high platform.
Yuan Cheng stood on the stage, his face gloomy.
Li Xian was on one side, equally aggrieved, but no matter how you heard it, his words seemed to have a hint of yin and yang and schadenfreude: "Millions of stones of fine grain, thousands of carts of silk and hemp, and even unparalleled magical skills as gifts, so I borrowed them."
For such old, weak, sick and disabled people?
It’s just the old, weak, sick, and disabled, but you’re still giving such a big discount? Even though the subordinates have poor eyesight, and their military affairs are mediocre, at least it’s known that the soldiers by the lake don’t even have 50,000 soldiers..."
How could Yuan Cheng not know that Li Xian was sarcastically mocking him both inside and outside his words: Even if many people in the imperial court are stupid, they cannot be so stupid.
How is this different from taking advantage of others?
His chest bulged and bulged, and he felt a breath of bad breath was being held in his heart, but he couldn't let it out.
After hating him for a long time, he said coldly: "May I ask General Murong, are these the soldiers of King Qin who your country wants to help our court?"
Murong Xiao was really embarrassed, but he didn't know how to explain it, so he had to bite the bullet and said: "Your Highness, please forgive me. I will ask the Great Khan to give an explanation to Your Highness..."
Yuan Cheng held back his anger: "Okay, I believe that General Murong must have his own reasons, so I will wait for good news. Now that time is not waiting for me, I ask General not to miss the opportunity to send troops!"
"Your Highness, don't worry!"
Murong Xiao responded quickly, cupped his hands, and rode away.
Li Xian looked carefully. When Murong Xiao turned around, his face was as dark as the bottom of a pot, and his eyes were full of anger.
He said suspiciously: "Looking at Murong Xiao's attitude, it's not that Fulianchou secretly gave him instructions. It seems like the Tianzhu tribe is acting in a submissive manner?"
"How can the majestic king of a country go back on his word and fail to keep his word?"
Yuan Cheng said coldly, "This must be because the Tianzhu tribe was dissatisfied with the reward for sending troops, but they were frightened by the power of Khan Fulanchou, so they wanted to deceive the superiors and conceal it. But I didn't expect that you and I would do everything personally, and we would spend every penny."
After all, I will come to where he gathers his troops and count them one by one..."
"I think so. After all, we have to wait for the army to leave the customs before we can transport the food, silk and military armor. Even if Fulianchou is capricious, we shouldn't break his promise at this time..."
Li Xian's face was full of worry, "However, the Tuyuhun royal court is more than a thousand miles away. It will take at least five or six days to come and go. If the Tianzhu tribe is frightened by the power of the royal court and can act upon orders, there will be no big hindrance.
.But I am afraid that Fulianchiou will not be popular, and now that the emperor is far away, if the Tianzhu tribe raises the price and deliberately shirks the blame, I don’t know how long it will take..."
Yuan Cheng suddenly frowned when he woke up the dreamer.
I really can't tell...
"Fu Lianchou is greedy and will most likely refuse to give in. The Tianzhu tribe is unwilling to give in. Even if they are finally convinced, they will definitely hide their anger and grudges. Even if they send out other elite troops, they will definitely be reluctant, and then they will be
How much combat power does it have? In this way, it will be self-defeating?"
He pondered for a moment and then said in a low voice, "However, it will take a long time to conquer other tribes at this time. And there are more than a hundred tribes in Tuyuhun, except for the Murong tribe, only the Tianzhu tribe has strong people and strong horses.
, the best soldiers and generals are the best choice..."
Yuan Cheng paused for a moment, then a glint flashed in his eyes, "In this case, you go find Murong Xiao, discuss with him, and when you send the envoy to Fulianchou to report, you should use a slightly more tactful wording, and don't say anything that Tianzhu said.
It’s not worth it. I immediately went to see the famous king of Tianzhu tribe to tell him the difference...
It's nothing more than spending more money and food. If the famous king of Tianzhu wants to give him more armor, what if he can even forge weapons and grant him the armor-forging method? Just think of it as a reward from the heavenly kingdom to the subordinate country.
Subordinates, even if Fulianchiu finds out later, I’m afraid he would still be angry and dare not say anything..."
Is Yuan Cheng planning to have an affair with the Tianzhu tribe?
Of course, Fulianchou dared not speak out in anger. He was afraid that the Tianzhu tribe would be in trouble. Afterwards, Fulianchou would probably be regarded as a family thief, so he had to be on guard at all times.
Yuan Cheng is such a good person, even if he asks for help, he doesn't forget to find every opportunity, but when he gets the chance, he wants to lay hidden dangers for Tuyuhun?
Li Xian secretly slandered, but he responded quickly: "I'll go now!"
But he didn't expect Yuan Cheng to be more anxious than him, so he walked down the high platform in three steps: "You just go, and go to find the famous king of Tianzhu first..."
Li Xian was startled for a moment, then lifted up the skirt of his robe and followed quickly.
I saw the two of them getting on horseback and running wildly to the west and south. A head popped up on the hill about three miles away.
Xizuo was wearing a leather robe, with his chest half open, and his hair was dirty and messy. He also had a thick beard and smelled of mutton all over his body. You could tell at a glance that he was a barbarian.
But when he opened his mouth, he spoke with a pure Guanzhong accent: "Go quickly to General Bingyu: That Yuan Cheng wants to have an affair with the famous king of Tianzhu, bribe him with silk grain, soldiers and armor, and ask the Tianzhu Department to send all the strong troops..."
The companion next to him put away his telescope and seemed dubious: "You are so far away, can you see clearly?"
"Even if we are three miles away, as long as his lips move, grandpa will not misunderstand even a word...or is the lip-reading skill you granted me as a prince just a trick?"
Li Han laughed softly and said, "I'm sure you won't be wrong. Don't worry and just go to Bing... But be careful. You can also know that the Tianzhu tribe is about to send troops and have already sealed off the valleys. You'd better go further away...
"
Tianzhu Department and Shandan Racecourse are only separated by the Mojin River, which can be said to be very close. Although there were occasional frictions in the past, due to mutual trade, Xihai only guarded the border and would never invade even half an inch. Over time,
, the Tianzhu Department also gradually relaxed its vigilance, and had almost no defense on the racecourse.
But now that we know that troops are stationed in Xihai and Machang, and that the herdsmen are all Yuan and Wei rebels, and that a conquest is imminent, the Tianzhu tribe will naturally be on guard in every possible way.
Closing mountains and roads was only the next best thing. What worried Xi Zuo most was that in order to prevent the news from leaking out, the famous king of Tianzhu ordered the leaders of various ministries to check the accounts and screen Xi Zuo.
Yang Gan pretended to be a Humin from Lushui in Linsong County and had been sneaking into the Tianzhu tribe for more than three years. His identity and origins were impeccable. He even married the daughter of a herdsman in the Tianzhu tribe, so there was no risk.
What he is afraid of is that the "boss" who is currently crawling in the grass nest will be caught by Hu Bing!
Late at night half a month ago, this man sneaked into the accounting room like a ghost. If he hadn't taken the spy's seal, Yang Gan would have thought something had happened.
After some instructions, he explained the place and time of the meeting and then quietly escaped.
After that, we could see him once every three days, and each time they were near Yang Gan Ranch.
He didn't know how this guy managed to sneak into the tribe without being interrogated.
What's more, you dare to take him sneaking close to the army today, as if entering a deserted place?
I don’t know how he did it, and to this day, Yang Gan doesn’t even know his last name.
That is to say, "Lang Jun", presumably he is not a servant of the Li family, but must be an old member of Baijia.
But why don’t I have any impression?
It's also my fault that this guy's beard is too long, covering his entire face, just like a hairy monkey.
A sense of closeness suddenly arose in his heart, and Yang Gan whispered: "Qilian Mountain is thousands of miles long. No matter how capable the Tianzhu Department is, can they seal the entire mountain? At worst, I will abandon my horse and walk. As long as I can enter the mountain, I only need to
If you set a fire on the top of the mountain at night, Tangqi will hear the news and come... But it's you, so be careful..."
"Grandpa, of course you don't have to worry about it, just take care of yourself!"
The big man waved his hand impatiently and raised his telescope to look at it again.
Yang Gan glanced at him and crawled down the grassy slope backwards like a snake.
There was a bad horse parked at the bottom of the slope. Yang Gan climbed on the horse's back, hit the horse and drove away.
After running for nearly ten miles to the north, you can see hundreds of cattle and sheep scattered by herders. Two strong Hu women each have a child wrapped in their arms and ride on their horses to look after the livestock.
The big man had once said that if a war broke out, his status as a craftsman would be useless. Then he could take one step in advance and take his two wives and young son to the West Sea to settle down safely.
But Yang Gan was dubious: that's all for him. Not only did he come from the old Baijia army, but he was also a brigade commander registered in the spy department. With the nature of Lang Jun and General Huangfu cherishing talents as much as their lives, they would definitely not abandon him like worn out shoes.
.
But it's hard to say for two mothers-in-law and two babies.
After all, it’s still unclear whether he can come back after leaving. When the war breaks out, the war will be in chaos, and the lives of human beings will probably be worth nothing. How can he save it?
Yang Gan did ask, but the big man only said that it made him feel relieved. The question was how could he feel relieved?
Yang Gan sighed secretly and ran towards the two Hu women.
After another explanation, Yang Gan only said that he was summoned by the clan leader and would enter the camp before sunset. The two Hu women did not doubt that he was there. They gathered their cattle and sheep while wiping away their tears, hoping to pay him back and prepare armor and dry food for him.
.
After the couple drove their cattle and sheep to the north, the big man put away his telescope and stood up swaggeringly.
Yang Gan, maybe he thinks grandpa is deceiving him, right?
This guy would definitely not have thought that his grandfather was the former military camp commander under General Murong Xiao, and he led his men to station here. Is it not easy to protect Yang Gan's family members?
Otherwise, why do you think I am so bold and dare to covet Yuan Cheng and Li Xian on the side of the great formation?
With his thoughts in his mind, the big man walked towards the military formation in a leisurely manner...
…
Three days later, Dianmu Duwei's government office in Machang.
Li Liang was playing with a sand table, and Huangfu hurriedly entered the account: "Mr. Li, the spy department made three reports in a row, saying that Yuan Cheng had bribed and bribed 60,000 strong soldiers from Tianzhu's three divisions, and they will gather together in the near future.
Salt Lake, and then the troops were divided into two groups. One group met in the north of Salt Lake and south of Mojin River. The other group entered the pass with Yuancheng and stationed in Shanshan Town (now Qinghai Ledu), under the control of Cui Yanbo... From a certain perspective
Come on, this move should be a plan to encircle three barriers, how do you think Chief Li can break it?"
Mojin River, Shanshan Town?
Li Liang found these two places on the sand table with just one glance.
The Mojin River reaches Shandan Racecourse in the west, Linsong County in the east, and the middle part is adjacent to the upper reaches of Weishui. And these three places happen to have large valleys that can pass through the Qilian Mountains and reach Hexi.
If you enter Linsong, you can reach Biaoshi in less than one day. If you follow the weak water, you can reach Zhenyi in two days at most. If you pass through the horse farm, whether it is to take Wuwei or attack Zhangye County, it will be a smooth journey.
Looking at Shanshan Town again, it is like a nail stuck in the southwest of Longshan. When the time comes, it only needs to rush in together with the officers and soldiers of Chen Bing and Xiaoguan to block the east and south sides of the river.
But why so anxious?
I just received a message from Lang Jun yesterday, saying that Rouran is preparing to send troops. It will take at least two months for the army to reach Juyan Hubei. If we follow common sense, we must at least wait until Rouran besieges the north road, and then let Tuyuhun besiege the south road.
After a moment's thought, Li Liang made a guess: I'm afraid that Yuan Cheng was planning to launch an attack on the east and attack the west. He wanted to force Xihai to gradually retreat north, so he would have a big battle with Rouran first, and then take advantage of the opportunity to sneak in.
Soldiers pointing to suppress the barbarians?
It is exactly what Huangfu said.
It is said in the art of war that victory is won by surprise and by perfect combination. Nowadays, the number of soldiers available to the imperial court is more than ten times that of Xihai. However, Yuan Cheng is still full of tricks, which shows that he still has many calculations in his heart.
He is not plotting against Xihai, but plotting against Tuyuhun and Rouran.
Instead, it gave Xihai an opportunity to take advantage of...
Li Liang thought secretly in his heart and smiled politely: "Before leaving, Lang Jun told Yu Liang in every possible way that in this battle, the general must follow his lead and must not overstep his command. Therefore, if the general has a decision, he will give the order, Liang
I will definitely obey orders!"
It’s not that Li Liang is being modest, but that Li Chengzhi really explained it like this.
Without him, in terms of understanding of Tuyuhun, no one in the West Sea could compare with Huangfu Rang.
After Li Song led Baijia's old troops to the West Sea, Li Chengzhi gave him a plan and ordered Li Feng and Huangfu to pretend to be Lushui Hu merchants who had rebelled against the Gaoche tribe and conduct business with all parties.
One is that soldiers and armor can be exchanged for food to solve the urgent needs of the West Sea; the other is that business depots can be established in various places to arrange detailed operations in case of unexpected needs.
From then on, the trade routes from Tuyuhun to the south, Guanzhong to the east, Dunhuang Town to the west, and Liuzhen to the north were gradually opened up, and countless detailed works were installed everywhere.
Among them, the ones with the most and most frequent transactions were naturally ranked first among the military leaders of the Six Towns, and Tuguhun ranked second. Moreover, the trade routes in Tuyuhun were opened earlier than those in the Six Towns.
It is also because Hexi and Tuyuhun are separated by the Qilian Mountains and are very close to each other. Secondly, Tuyuhun is located on the plateau, and there is a shortage of armor, silk and ceramics.
Even Fulianchou agreed, and the Murong clan took the lead in smuggling. The weapons and weapons from Xihai were sold to Nanliang, and the grain from Nanliang was sold to Xihai.
The southern route at that time was pioneered by Huangfu Rang. He even became a guest of the famous kings of Tuyuhun tribes for a time, which was very popular.
Taking advantage of this opportunity, Huangfu Rang naturally took advantage of every opportunity and placed countless spies in various ministries.
Especially in the northern part of Tianzhu, it is very close to Linsong. For generations, it has been intermarried with Lu Shuihu, who is nomadic in Linsong.
Many small works first became the barbarians of Lushui, and then quietly became the barbarians of Tianzhu. They then used this as a springboard to penetrate into various tribes in Tuyuhun and even the royal tribe.
There is no cat in this world who is not capable of stealing. No matter what era, his ability is omnipresent. In addition, he is extremely brave and resourceful. Li Han worked hard at every step and became the military leader of Murong Xiao, one of the famous kings.
Not surprising.
And even Li Liang didn't know how much such detailed work Huangfu Rang had in his hands. But he at least knew that Huangfu Rang was aware of any troubles in Tuyuhun.
Therefore, Li Chengzhi did not explain anything, and Li Liang also knew himself: in the battle with Tuyuhun, the coach must be Huangfu Rang...