Liu Fang sighed sadly, "When you were writing Li Chengzhi's handwriting to the Queen Mother, why did Yang Yanrong look so sarcastic and contemptuous? You just laughed at his iron-tongued and bluffing..."
At that time, he was so frightened that he had no time to care about Yang Shu. Looking back carefully now, it seemed that this was really the case?
Yuan Yuandeng stood up immediately, his face flushed with excitement: "Since he is bluffing, why can't the court take advantage of the situation to fight back?"
"How can it be that simple?" Liu Fang sighed again: "Okay, let me follow your advice, how to fight back?"
Yuan Yuan's body froze, his face turned green and red, then white. He held it in for a long time, but he still couldn't utter a single word.
Yes, what will the court do to fight back?
Since the death of the late emperor, there have been internal strife among important ministers and invasions by powerful enemies for several consecutive years. The imperial court has been conducting conquests for many years.
During the Yuan Ke Dynasty, there were a total of 150,000 Chinese troops, but now the number is less than 50,000, and they are pinned down by Li Chengzhi in Longshan and Chencang, and they dare not make any rash moves.
In addition, whether it is the rebels under Xing Luan, Yuan Yao or Xi Kangsheng who have recently surrendered, or the state soldiers of Yuan Shun or Yuan Qin who have recently conquered Zhao, they are all a mob and vulnerable to a single blow compared to the Tiger and Wolf divisions in the West Sea.
Now the only ones who have the strength to fight are the 100,000 Southern troops stationed in the Huaihe River and the Southern Liang Dynasty.
Even if the imperial court dared to take a chance, withdrawing the Confederate army to Guanzhong would not be accomplished overnight. Civilians would also have to be recruited to build bridges and pave roads, transport grain and grass, and find ways to recruit military grain. It would take three to five months to half a year at the earliest.
But it is already midsummer, and it will be severe winter in March and May. How will we march until then? If we have to counterattack, no matter how soon it is, it will not be until the spring of next year.
That's why the imperial court wholeheartedly sought peace in order to gain some breathing space. But thinking about it again, Li Chengzhi was most likely planning the same thing.
And the situation is over in an instant. After more than half a year, God knows what the situation will be like?
The more he thought about it, the more irritated he became. Yuan Yuan sighed suddenly, as if all the bones in his body were taken away, and he slumped down on the chair: "Then what reason does he have to retreat?"
"Do you know why he forced the Queen Mother and Her Majesty to cede land to the Western Sea and pay for food?"
Liu Fang said, "The reason why the West Sea has been victorious in consecutive battles is nothing more than relying on the power of firearms and the addition of better soldiers and more powerful generals. Therefore, the more we fight, the braver we become, but this is not a long-term solution.
And in the long run: the West Sea is in the ascendant, the population is no more than a million, the soldiers are no more than a hundred thousand, the land is no more than a few states in Hexi, and most of it is barren and desolate fields.
The background is so shallow. If he proceeds step by step, let alone five years, even if he is given another fifty years, he will never be an enemy of our empire. Therefore, Li Chengzhi can only seize land like a robber.
Rob the city, rob the people, and even more, rob the food. Only in this way can one trade off the other, and one day, the snake can swallow the elephant...
On the contrary, the imperial court is now as if it is declining and is about to reach its twilight years. But to Li Chengzhi, it is still like a behemoth, which cannot be matched by a child of his age. If he tries to do it by force, he will surely end up in ruins.
Therefore, he could only slowly try to do it by swallowing water. This was the reason why he had to retreat...
However, the method of slowly trying to achieve success was still too slow and insufficient to support Li Chengzhi's ambitions, so he had to find other ways to take a few bites of fat from elsewhere. Tuyuhun and Nanliang had already suffered a big loss, so they would definitely be careful.
Be careful, the mountains are high and the roads are far away. If you send a large army on an expedition, the gains will outweigh the losses in all likelihood. Therefore, Li Chengzhi turned to the next best thing and focused on Nanliang, which is weaker than our dynasty but closer to the West Sea...
…”
After a pause, Liu Fang continued, "And this is only one of them, the other is to occupy the great righteousness.
I am not afraid of blame from the Queen Mother and Her Majesty, nor are I afraid of unjust words from the government and the public: Since the founding of Liezu (the founding emperor of Yuan Wei, Emperor Daowu Tuoba Si), we, Yuan Wei, Rouran, and Nanliang have been mortal enemies. Tuyuhun
Although he came from the same lineage as the royal family, there were many disputes over the ownership of Hexi, and the feud became increasingly serious. The kings of several generations were close to the Southern Dynasty, Rouran, and far away from the Yuan and Wei Dynasties.
Over the past hundred years, our dynasty has been engaged in continuous conquests with these three countries. The people, soldiers and civilians of the states adjacent to these three countries have long been overwhelmed and miserable. Just like the six towns, why is it that Gao Zhao is so confused that there are so many people responding?
But now, it is good, the Queen Mother and King Ren Cheng drank poison to quench their thirst, promised huge profits, and openly led the Hu army to invade our country. Therefore, let alone the Han people in the Central Plains, they only looked at the six towns that suffered deeply from Rouran and Tuyuhun.
, Shanshan, Hezhou and other places, all the soldiers, generals and civilians in Shanshan, Hezhou and other places were disappointed with the imperial court when they heard the news...
However, Li Chengzhi showed off his extraordinary troops and won successive victories, causing the more than 300,000 Erhu troops to abandon their helmets and armor, and fled back to their lair like bereaved dogs, without even entering our Han territory.
After that, Xihai closed in when it was good, and did not offend Guanzhong and the six towns. He also ordered his subordinates to win over the people's hearts... I want to ask you, if you were a citizen of Longxi and the six towns, what would you think? "
Yuan Yuan's heart has already turned cold.
No wonder the surrendered troops and townspeople collapsed at the first touch of the battle with Xihai. In just a short period of time after joining Xihai, they seemed to have been reborn and became invincible.
No wonder Yuan Yao and Xi Kangsheng, who have an army of 200,000, are afraid that the 20,000 Xihai generals are like evil tigers, and they are like shrinking turtles and can't get out?
Just because the imperial court has lost its righteousness, the people's support, and even the military's morale.
On the other hand, Li Chengzhi would rather die than surrender, defend the enemy from outside, and protect the people in the border towns and Guanzhong from the Hu people. He also assessed the situation and took the initiative to stop the war, which naturally made all the people return home...
Thinking about it this way, Xihai's decision to withdraw troops and make peace was not just due to lack of troops and food, or as a last resort, but also with the intention of winning over the people's hearts.
As for attacking Nanliang, I'm afraid it won't just be as simple as grabbing people, land, and food.
Compared with Rouran, the Yuan, Wei and Southern Dynasties were even more feuding and would never stop fighting. If he regained the old land of Liangzhou (south of the Qinling Mountains) that was trapped in Nanliang, Li Chengzhi would become even more famous, shocking Sichuan, Shu and Lianghuai.
.
What's more, he was afraid that Li Chengzhi had already seen through the imperial court's plan, so he ordered the imperial court to cede the land of Qizhou. He wanted to hold all the roads to the pass in his hands, so as to prevent the imperial court from negotiating peace with Nanliang and move to the south.
The army's plan to move north...
Thinking of this, Yuan Yuan's heart was not only chilled, but everything from the tips of his hair to the soles of his feet, including the limbs and bones in between, became completely cold.
He felt lost, and after a long time he said: "How can Li Chengzhi's strategy... be so far-reaching?"
Is it far?
If compared with the time when he had not yet entered the capital, he sent his troops to the west, and then planned to the west of Hexi, the current plan is not worth mentioning.
In this way, Yuan Ying, who is already dead, and Yuan Cheng, who is now a prisoner of Li Chengzhi, not only have no fault, but also have great achievements.
The blame can only be placed on the Queen Mother's stupidity and Gao Zhao's ambition, which hindered her and failed to prevent the slightest change and eliminate the trouble before it happened.
But is there anyone in the world who sells regret medicine?
Liu Fang was full of hesitation and sighed again, "Fortunately, we are not at the end of the road yet. You and I have received the country's favor in this life. Now we can only work hard and die... Let's see..."
After a pause, he continued, "When I left the palace, I wanted to see Uncle Xiao (Cui Guang). Since Li Chengzhi promised, he must be here soon. Lao Weiqing informed the retinue to prepare some vegetables and pots.
Good wine, I need you and Yanrong to accompany you later..."
"The minister's words were serious, so there was nothing to worry about when he was demoted to the official position. But when Governor Yang returned, he left in a hurry, saying that he was very angry and wanted to ask Li Chengzhi for some advice, so that he would not push himself too far..."
Advise?
Li Chengzhi had already become as determined as if he had eaten a weight, fearing that even nine cows would not be able to pull him back.
That's all, let him go...
…
Li Chengzhi originally thought that Yang Shu would come secretly, but he didn't expect that he was not ordinary and aboveboard.
Liu Fang and Yuan Yuan were walking in front, and he came to see him on the back, saying that he had good advice.
Li Chengzhi couldn't help but laugh: He wanted to see if such a double-minded, cheating person could give him any good advice?
After welcoming Yang Shu into the central hall and having Li Cong ice a pot of cold wine, Li Chengzhi sent away his confidants.
What was already cooked could no longer be cooked, and Li Chengzhi was not polite at all. He raised his glass in a distant salute, and drank it down without even bothering to say hello.
It was already dark, and the lights had already been turned on in the hall. Looking at the bright, crystal-clear glass wall lamp, he picked up the wine glass on the table and looked at it. Yang Shu marveled: "Water jade (crystal)?"
Li Chengzhi was so surprised that he laughed out loud and said: "You are so elegant?"
"Isn't this strange?"
Yang Shu's eyes widened, "You have agreed to stop the war. Although the conditions are harsher, it is nothing more than bargaining. After some exchanges with the court, even if we can't reach an agreement, we will start a fight, and it won't be until next year. Why can't I be happy?
?”
Pretend, pretend as hard as you can...
During the New Year's Day, you and Li Shao came to Xihai as envoys. Although Li Shao left on the same day, you, Yang Shu, stayed for three days.
After three rounds of drinking, you took advantage of your drunkenness and cursed the Queen Mother for being stupid and incompetent.
He also said that Guanzhong would rebel sooner or later, and even whispered: Whenever the Western Sea troops enter Guanzhong, the Yang family will be the forerunner of the Li family...
Counting on your fingers, you can only say this for half a year. And for four months, you and Li Shao were both imprisoned in Bogulu. Every day, apart from enjoying the wind, watching the sand and watching the sun, you played chess with your father.
I don’t believe it. It’s been four months and you haven’t made up your mind, Yang Yanrong?
What's more, the secret letter that Li Shao sent to Li Liang across the mountain from his confidants and sent to the West Sea is still locked in my cabinet. If I don't show it to you, what did Li Shao say in the letter?
your?
The Yang brothers, such as Yang Jun and Yang Shu, can be trusted and can be reused!
This means that these two people have already been instigated by him to rebel, and all he needs to do is write the word "rebel" on Yang Yanrong's forehead...
Li Chengzhi secretly slandered, bared his teeth, smiled, and said sarcastically: "I never expected that Duke Yanrong's loyalty to the court can be seen from the sun and the moon. It is really rare..."
Yang Shu just took a sip of wine and was savoring it in his mouth. When he heard these words, he spat out with a "pop" sound: "Hang... bang... shameless kid, how dare you laugh at me?"
Who asked you to pretend to be crazy and stupid?
Didn’t you see that when I was writing a letter to Gao Ying at my desk, you were as anxious as an ant on a hot pot, wishing you could have broken the pen barrel in my hand and the letter on the desk on the spot?
This is obviously because they are afraid that I will let the dragon into the sea and the tiger return to the mountain...
After coughing several times, Yang Shu straightened his expression and asked suspiciously: "Why did you stop fighting?"
Finally couldn't bear it anymore?
Li Chengzhi snorted secretly, suppressed his smile, and said in a solemn voice: "Before, it was all out of necessity that we had to fight against the odds. Now that the enemy has gone, the so-called skinny camel is bigger than a horse, and the imperial court is in decline.
The sun is declining in the west, and I am not a match in the west sea. If I don't retreat, we will all be destroyed. If we lose, we will all suffer. How can we talk about plotting in the Central Plains and competing in the world?"
"Is that really all there is to it?"
Yang Shu squinted his eyes, "Or do you have a last resort?"
"Of course there are difficulties. It's nothing more than a lack of soldiers and food! If there are another 150,000 soldiers and two million stones and grains, they can guard Dunhuang, Juyan, Shandan, Qinling, Ruoran, Tuyuhun and Nanliang for me.
I am willing to reap the benefits of being a fisherman. In less than five years, I will be able to drink the water of Maluo and point my troops at Luojing..."
Li Chengzhi waved his hand and laughed strangely, "If not, you can think of a way for me to avoid making these three powerful enemies covet you. It doesn't take more than three years..."
Do you think your grandfather is a god?
Yang Shu secretly cursed and sighed.
After all, the foundation of Xihai is still too shallow. It is like a child holding a magic weapon. At first, relying on the power of the magic weapon, he can still kill all directions, but as time goes by, he will inevitably lose his strength.
From a long-term perspective, it would be best for Li Chengzhi to be more cautious.
It's a pity that the gentry and people in Guanzhong all thought that they would be able to welcome Master Wang at least around Zhongqiu...
Sighing secretly, Yang Shu asked again: "If we just compensate people and food, that's it, the court can still change the world. But if we cede the land and grant the country, it is undoubtedly the dream of an idiot. Don't even think about it. Until then,
, what should you do?”
"As a gentleman says, a horse cannot be chased. If the court does not respond, it will naturally have to be fought with force. If it lasts for three months, it will not be one day late, let alone one day early. But even if it is a fight, we must pay attention to priorities.
."
Li Chengzhi smiled leisurely, "I just don't know, how can Duke Yanrong teach me?"
He even dared to say that the Yang family was willing to be the forerunner of the Li family, so why did Yang Shu have any worries?
He looked around and saw that the doors and windows were closed and airtight, so he lifted up the skirt of his robe and tore it apart with all his strength.
There was just a "hiss" sound, and the robe was torn in half. Yang Shu groped again and took out a piece of silk. He saw that it was densely covered with small characters, and it was extremely red, as if it was written in blood.
generally.
Li Chengzhi was shocked: "You and I have known each other for several years and we know each other very well. How can I not believe in Yanrong Gong? Even if you make crazy remarks after drinking, I will only take it as the truth, so why bother to take risks?"
?”
Regardless of who wrote this bloody letter, it is just that Yang Shu was dazzled in front of Liu Fang and Yuan Yuan day and night. If the mistake was exposed and this bloody letter fell into the hands of those two people, where would Yang Shu's life be left?
"You know nothing about bird feathers, this is just a message!"
Yang Shu rolled his eyes strangely and cursed, but his attitude was extremely solemn. He respectfully presented the silk scarf to Li Chengzhi: "This is what my eldest brother wrote on the bed while dragging his sick body. It also has the signatures and paintings of my seven brothers.
, how do you ask me to dictate it to you?"
The proclamation... was written by Yang Bo and signed by the seven Yang brothers?
Li Chengzhi was startled and quickly stood up to take it. After just one glance, he was shocked: March 3, Yang Likai!