The sound of hard-soled leather boots on the bluestone steps was very clear. The town army, who was holding a hoe and preparing to smash the city gate into pieces, subconsciously stopped and raised his head again.
Six military men came down the city wall. The leader was the five big and three thick men with long beards. They looked like mighty generals at first glance. They were followed by five big men, who were also like Luoyi men. They neither wore armor nor carried swords, just like that.
Walking towards the doorway with empty hands and eyes straight.
There was no doubt that this was an enemy general, but the soldiers who demolished the city gate were faced with a dilemma: should they throw away their hoe and chop with their knives, or should they just pick it up and knock it on?
Just as he was hesitating, a loud roar came from behind: "Don't move..."
This face looks like it was taken from his own face. How can he admit his mistake?
Xi Kangshengyou's eyes suddenly turned red, and his upper and lower rows of teeth snapped together, making a tooth-piercing sound.
After recognizing the person coming, Xing Luan looked at Xi Kangsheng thoughtfully.
It may come out of nowhere, but it may not be without cause.
When rumors spread that Da Xi had defected to Li Chengzhi earlier, Xing Luan actually believed it 70% of the time. But it did not affect his friendship with Xi Kangsheng or Xi Kangsheng's loyalty to the Yuan and Wei Dynasties.
Take a look at the Zhuge family during the Three Kingdoms period, and then look at the Cui family, Lu family, Zheng family, and Wang family during the Sixteen Kingdoms period. Which one didn't play both sides and bet on both sides?
For example, the late famous minister Wang Su, the still alive Pei Zhi, the current leader Fu Zhuyan, and Xing Luan, who is not an important minister and famous general of the Yuan and Wei Dynasties?
But this does not prevent their brothers or nephews from still serving as officials in Nanliang.
It's just a means for the family to continue in troubled times. Although everyone has his own master, who is not devoting his life and dedication to it?
But now, both father and son are their own masters, but this is what happens when they meet again?
If it were me, if I didn't die in the battle, I would die in an embarrassing situation...
Xing Luan sighed and waved his hand back, causing the huge military formation to take a few steps back.
When he went down to the city, Da Xi could still hold back his tears, but when he saw that Xi Kangsheng had silver hair and seemed to have aged more than ten years in just three or four years, he couldn't hold back his tears any longer and started to fall down.
When he was still more than ten steps away, he knelt down on the ground, walked to the front of Xi Kangsheng's horse, and hit it hard with his head.
"uncle……"
With a cry of sorrow, Xi Kangsheng's eyes suddenly turned red, and the anger in his heart was like waves crashing on the shore, each wave getting stronger than the last.
He didn't want to die vigorously, but only wanted to have a hearty battle, which would be considered as repaying Xiaowen's kindness of reincarnation and fulfilling the righteousness between emperor and minister with Xuanwu.
But Li Chengzhi didn't want him to get his way, otherwise why would he deliberately send Da Xi to show off his appearance?
Could it be that he wanted his youngest son to witness his death at the hands of someone so that he could avenge him, and by the way, Li Chengzhi would also bear a grudge?
Or should Da Xi personally give the order to behead his biological father?
After much deliberation, now Xi Kangsheng only has the option of wiping his neck?
Still fighting?
What a treacherous and cunning dog thief...
"Get up..."
Xi Kangsheng roared angrily, "I think I treat him well, why would Li Chengzhi harm me like this?"
Da Xi dong dong dong a few times, actually made a hole in the ground, "It is not the intention of the Duke, but the child is begging the Duke, just to see my father one last time..."
Shit, if you really came here to see me for the last time, when would you not show up again? You would have to wait until Yuan Yao fled, and when I led a group of wounded soldiers and disabled generals to cross the river, and there was no way out, then you would show up?
Your intention to persuade me to surrender is obvious, do you think I am a fool?
"Get out of here...Grandpa told you to get out of here..."
Xi Kangsheng whipped it out with a snap, and there was a bloody groove on Da Xi's face. But he still knelt straight and didn't even hum.
The more he acted like this, the angrier Xi Kangsheng became. He hated Da Xi for being stupid and even more so because he was so soft-hearted and came to persuade him to surrender as soon as he was encouraged by Li Chengzhi.
If not, could there still be a drama of father and son killing each other today?
Furious, Xi Kangsheng jumped off the horse again and kicked Da Xi on the shoulder.
Da Xi was stunned and instantly elated.
He was planning to claim that he had a handwritten letter from Li Chengzhi, so as to get closer to his father, and then wait for an opportunity to strike. But he didn't want to just get a whipping and have his father dismount on his own?
"uncle……"
While howling, Da Xi dodged Xi Kangsheng's kick, threw himself on the ground, and hugged his legs tightly.
Xi Kangsheng twitched but didn't twitch. He subconsciously raised the whip again and whipped it.
At this moment, Da Xi fiercely pulled Xi Kangsheng's legs: "What are you waiting for?"
Before the roar could subside, Xi Kangsheng felt the world was spinning and he fell heavily backwards. Several more figures flashed before his eyes, and several of Da Xi's followers pounced on him.
"It's reversed... it's reversed..."
He roared angrily and wanted to draw the knife, but someone held down one of his hands. When he wanted to lift his feet, another big man piled on top of Da Xi.
Including Da Xi, there were four big, muscular men on top of him. The other two even prepared ropes to tie up his hands and feet.
Xing Luan was stunned, Xi Ding'an was stunned, and Xi Kangsheng's personal guards were also stunned.
The coach was knocked down by him, so as the commander of the personal guards, he naturally wanted to save him.
Xi Ding'an drew out his knife and took two steps forward before he realized something was wrong.
Damn...Grandpa...should he be saved or not?
The five strong men were all the sons of Xi Kangsheng's clan carefully selected at that time. All of them were named Xi, and they were either clan brothers or nephews. And the one who was closest to him was Da Xi. When talking about them, they were still in name only.
Half-brothers.
On the contrary, it was in order to save Xi Kangsheng that Da Xi made this move...
His feet involuntarily slowed down, and he was just wondering what to do when he heard Da Xi yelling: "You idiot, if you haven't come to help, are you just obeying your father..."
"boom……"
The sound stopped suddenly, and a leather boot kicked Daxi hard on the nose. Daxi groaned, and his face was instantly covered with blood.
There were a few more "dong dong" sounds, and two of the four big men were immediately knocked away.
Worse...
Xi Ding'an was shocked.
If he really wanted to be turned away from his father, he would probably commit suicide on the spot. And when that happened, would Xi Ding'an be able to live alone?
Even Da Xi would not go around himself...
"Quick...save the county man..."
Shouting for help, Xi Ding'an made a leap and threw Xi Kangsheng, who was struggling to sit up on his knees, to the ground.
Naturally, the guards were also clever. They roared and ran over, pressing down on Xi Kangsheng's legs.
As for the fierce generals, Xi Kangsheng is already in his sixtieth year. He can defeat more than six, but can he defeat more than sixty?
After only ten breaths, Xi Kangsheng refused to listen. Dozens of big men gathered in a circle and retreated towards the city gate like dogs chasing them.
A closer look revealed that not only was Xi Kangsheng's hands and feet bound, but his mouth was also tightly gagged. He was being carried by four people and running away.
That’s all, let’s satisfy both his father and son...
Xing Luan sighed and waved his hand: "Attack the city!"
Hearing the sound of the drum, the stunned Zhenjun came to his senses.
Their coach...was snatched away by the enemy?
After fighting countless battles, this is the first time I have seen such a scene...
"kill……"
A group of remnant soldiers roared and rushed towards the city gate.
Whether you can survive the fight or not, let’s not say whether you will die or not. At least you have to get the coach back first...
There were still hundreds of soldiers demolishing the gates standing at the city gate. Even though Xi Ding'an shouted and dispersed, soldiers still rushed up. Although there were rebels who rushed out of the city gate to respond, Da Xi was still delayed for a while.
A group of people rushed into the doorway carrying Xi Kangsheng on his front legs, and the soldiers rushed onto the suspension bridge with their back legs. The experienced soldiers cut off the shackles with iron chains with a few cuts.
Immediately, the town army rushed across the moat like a swarm...
"Look clearly, it's the one riding the yellow horse. Don't make a mistake... But when he enters the city, he will be locked down..."
"Don't worry, Commander!"
Pei Anzhi stared at Xing Luan, his eyes as wide as bells...
No, if you can't raise the suspension bridge, why don't you put in the jack lock?
It's not enough to snatch Xi Kangsheng away, they also want to capture him alive, right?
Xing Luan felt a sudden tremor in his heart and wanted to stop his horse, but where could Jin stop?
Ordinary soldiers would never wonder whether they had fallen into a trap. As long as the general gave an order, if he was told to break down the door, he would break down the door, and if he was told to attack the city, he would attack the city. There would be no ambiguity.
And when the door is wide open, who would go through the trouble of setting up a ladder and just rush in and kill...
In this way, no matter Xingluan screamed and cursed, he was rushed into the Wengcheng with his men and horses. Li Feng and Pei Anzhi did not dare to blink, staring at Xingluan who was riding a yellow fat horse.
Just when he saw Xing Luan enter the doorway, Pei Anzhi shouted "Fall", and the stone gate closed the doorway with a bang.
The rebels appeared like ghosts and were densely packed on top of the city, countless in number.
Xing Luan was shocked and angry.
We all guessed it was a trick, but we still fell for it in the end?
After all, Xi Kangsheng still had Da Xi to disobey his father's orders to cover up his ugliness, but what about himself?
After being a loyal minister and general for most of his life, he can't just beg for surrender at the end of his life, right?
Xing Luan sighed and took out the knife again. He had already put it to his neck, and a heartbreaking scream came from above his head: "Father!"
He raised his head and his pupils suddenly shrank.
The only son Xing Xun lay lying on the top of the city with tears in his eyes: "Father, please think twice. If you go, how will my son survive?"
A group of anger surged into his heart, and Xing Lian stared furiously.
No matter how great the truth is, it cannot be greater than the word "filial piety". After witnessing his biological father committing suicide in front of everyone, as an only son, how should Xing Xun deal with himself in the future? If this revenge is not avenged, who should be counted?
superior?
He finally understood why Xi Kangsheng was so angry before.
But what can I do about this situation?
Xing Luan gritted his teeth, finally let out a long sigh, dropped the knife in his hand, and squeezed out one word from between his teeth: "Surrender..."
…
At night, Xing Luan and Xing Xun hugged each other and cried, without seeing each other all night. Xi Kangsheng beat Da Xi into a pig's head.
The next day, more than a thousand cavalrymen protected two carriages covered with green curtains and drove towards Luoyang...
…
It was already midnight, and the lights in the main hall were still bright. Li Chengzhi sat behind the case, sometimes meditating, sometimes writing furiously.
At the foot of the stairs, Cui Guang, Liu Fang, You Zhao, and Cui Xiu each occupied a corner. There were four or five servants beside each of them, and in front of each of them were piles of documents and books.
So far, of the forty-one states in the Yuan and Wei dynasties, 28 states have nominally surrendered to the Li family. These are the yellow books of each state, recording the population of each county, how many aristocratic families, how many powerful people, how many farmers, and how many people are among them.
Tenant households, how many serf households, how many monk households, military households, craftsman households, etc.
As well as the number of acres of public land owned by each government, and even the amount of land and house assets owned by each household.
Of course, there were quite a lot of hidden households and even more hidden fields in the Yuan and Wei dynasties, but with such a piece of information, we can have some comparison.
After sorting out the general situation, Li Chengzhi will send appeasement envoys to the various states, mainly to appease the noble families and powerful people in each state, so as to avoid the situation like the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty when many heroes came together and fought endless wars.
The candidates for various recruitment envoys have also been decided, and the ones selected are all local princes from aristocratic families.
As long as these representatives can appease the members of their own family, even if the others take advantage of the situation, they won't be able to cause much trouble.
Just like in Guanzhong, the Yang family has fled to Xuzhou with Li Chong. Now who dares to say that the Li family in Longxi cannot be the leader of the Guanzhong family? With Li Xin in charge and Zhang Jingzhi as deputy envoy, he should be able to stabilize the states in Guanzhong.
In Hedong, Pei Zhi and Xiu He were the chief and deputy envoys, including Bing, Si, Fen, Shuo, Si and other prefectures. In Hebei and other prefectures, Wei Zijian and Li Shiliang were appointed.
As for the six towns, they are now in ruins. Although it is of no great use, at least there will no longer be a threat. Li Chengzhi asked Guo Zuo, who was born in Taiyuan, to come out, and asked Li Shixian to be his deputy envoy...
In fact, asking himself, Li Chengzhi did not expect this day to come so quickly. When Luoyang was defeated three months ago, he thought that there would definitely be countless hard battles, and it was even more likely that the world would be in chaos and war everywhere.
But who would have thought that Nanliang would take advantage of the situation and become the straw that broke the camel's back. Who would have thought that the young emperor would make a prompt decision and retreat to Xu Shou as quickly as possible.
It was really not so straightforward. Even Li Chengzhi did not expect that the young emperor would order Fu Zhuyan to retreat without a fight and hand over Luo, Jing, Xiang, Yu and other states to Nanliang.
All the strong and strong soldiers were withdrawn to Yanzhou, and even the food and grass were emptied. Wei Rui was as if he was in an uninhabited country. In one month, he captured Luo and Jingzhou and half of Yuzhou.
The same goes for Li Chong, who quietly took away all the elite Chinese troops, leaving only Yang Jun to defend Guanzhong. But with tens of thousands of people, how could he be Li Chengzhi's opponent?
In the end, they were defeated at Tongguan, and Yang Jun also died in the rebellion.
Thinking of the past between the two of them, Li Chengzhi inevitably felt a little sad. But war is like this. Even brothers and leaders can kill each other, let alone close friends?
"Duke!"
A soft call interrupted Li Chengzhi's thoughts. He sighed and asked again: "What's the matter?"
"Hurry up and report that General Da Xi has joined Duke Xi. Duke Xing has arrived in Xin'an at dusk and will enter the city tomorrow..."
Xin'an, also known as Mengjin in later generations, was only forty miles away from Luoyang City.
Li Chengzhi nodded and breathed a sigh of relief.
It is enough for these two people to join forces and resist Nanliang.
Looking through the Yuan and Wei dynasties, when it comes to the famous generals who fought against Liang, Yuanying is naturally second to none, followed by Li Chong, and after that, Xing Luan, Xi Kangsheng, and Yang Dayan are equally famous.
Yuan Ying is dead, not to mention Li Chong and Yang Dayan, only Xi Kangsheng and Xing Luan have fought the most battles with Nanliang and have the richest experience.
This is why he tried so hard to recruit Xi Kangsheng and Xing Luan...