Xingzhou is the original Qixing County. It is located at the hub of east-west transportation and is the only way from Jianghan area to Hanzhong.
Although the Jiankang court here was far away from the south of the Yangtze River and was not directly affected by Hou Jing's rebellion, the entire Nanliang country was now in turmoil, so Xingzhou was inevitably affected.
The feud between Jiangling and Xiangyang made the atmosphere in Jianghan area tense and subtle. Many people moved to the upper reaches of Han River to avoid being affected. Therefore, many people were passing through Xingzhou or simply moved to Xingzhou.
, Xi Gu, the governor of Xingzhou, also took this opportunity to recruit troops and strengthen his power.
On this day, a fleet of more than 30 large and small ships sailed upstream along the Han River and gradually approached Xingzhou Prefecture. This naturally aroused the vigilance of the troops stationed here, and soon reported this situation to Xi Gu
Make a report.
After Xi Gu learned about this, he suddenly became a little nervous. Such a large fleet has obviously exceeded the scale of powerful migration, and it is absolutely impossible to be a caravan. If all the ships are fully loaded, at least it must be more than
A fleet of thousands of soldiers.
The person who could dispatch such a large fleet of naval forces in the Han River was most likely Xiao Qing, the king of Yueyang, who was based in Xiangyang. However, the scouts returned to this fleet without flying the flag of Xiangyang, and there was no response when shouting along the water.
.
Xi Gu ordered his troops to explore along the Han River and pay close attention to the opponent's movements. At the same time, he began to rectify the land and water defenses in the city and began to prepare nervously for war.
Just when the atmosphere inside and outside Xingzhou City was solemn, and it looked like war was coming at any time, a light cavalry force galloped towards Xingzhou City on the north bank of the Han River. When it was blocked by the Xingzhou garrison on the road, this cavalry team
He showed his identity.
After Xi Gu heard the news, he went out to greet the knights in person. After a brief conversation with the knights, he ordered his troops to put away the obstacles such as water rows and iron ropes on the Han River and let the fleet go.
One of the large ships slowly docked at Xingzhou Shuiying Pier.
When the big ship stopped, Xi Gu quickly boarded the ship with dozens of soldiers, and soon saw his relatives who were still in Xiangyang in the outer cabin of the ship.
Relatives met, and in this unusual way, they naturally had a lot to say to each other. But after Xi Gu had a brief conversation with his relatives, he strode back into the cabin.
After being led to a cabin by the guards on the ship, Xi Gu saw a handsome young man in military uniform standing in the room and looking at him with a smile. So he took a step forward, bowed deeply and said: "Xiangyang Xi Gu,
Thank you very much, Lord Governor Li of Xihe, for sending your family home."
"You don't need to be polite, Mr. Xi. This matter is just a matter of effort for me. King Xiao of Xiangyang was afraid that the government would be uneasy, and in order to prevent Mr. Xi's family from being disturbed by staying in the city any longer, he originally wanted to send people to escort him to the west. It happened that I was going west for something, so I wanted to stop by.
For this reason, I also want to thank Xi Jun’s previous colleagues for the convenience.”
Li Tai raised his hand to signal Xi Gu to sit down in the room, and then said with a smile.
Although his tone was calm and ordinary, the meaning contained in it shocked Xi Gu.
First of all, these Xi clan members in Xiangyang City were personally delivered to Li Tai by King Xiao Jin of Yueyang. Secondly, Li Tai's huge fleet of navy sailors actually set out from Xiangyang. These circumstances all show that King Yueyang, who is in Xiangyang, and the Wei general in front of him
The relationship between them is extremely deep and goes far beyond just working together for business.
Li Tai saw that Xi Gu was silent after hearing what he said, so he laughed and said: "The land of Xingzhou blocks the flow of Han River. Since I want to go west, I must pass through this road. I am afraid that Jun Xi will be in trouble, so I
I sincerely ask King Xiao to help with this matter. King Xiao is also very embarrassed about this. He is a loyal and righteous person to Xi Jun. He is worried about it. If it is not for the evil in the country to cause chaos and not tolerate his ministers, he really can't bear to let him go outside the palace. Today, he still looks forward to Xi Jun.
Whether you are defending your own territory or taking refuge in a big country, you can show your talents and expand your ambitions."
After Xi Gu heard these words, his expression changed again. Suddenly he couldn't help but chuckle. After noticing Li Tai's gaze, he hurriedly lowered his head. After a while, tears welled up from his eyes. First,
He stood up and bowed far away to the east, then turned around and knelt down in front of Li Tai's banquet. He said in a deep voice: "Xi is an ugly person who is outlawed by the country. I would like to thank Governor Li for still being polite. However, the Governor
If you are told, no one dares to disobey!"
It was also a joy for Li Tai to be able to conquer Xi Gu so easily. He knew that although he had a charming personality, it was Yueyang King Xiao Qi who played the biggest role in this matter.
Although Xiao Jin cannot represent the entire Nanliang court, his behavior of directly packing up the Xigu people and sending them to the enemy generals also shows that the power struggle in Nanliang has entered a stage where no relatives are recognized.
No matter whether it is the Nanliang court controlled by Hou Jing or the powerful local clan officials, none of them still care about the country. Local powerful people like Xi Gu will either defend their territory or join forces with more powerful people.
There is no third way besides power.
Although Xingzhou is geographically important, it is not known for its strong armaments. Since the civil war in Nanliang, Xi Gu has recruited a group of traveling tribes to increase his strength, but with only a few thousand state soldiers, it is not enough.
In order to counteract the Western Wei people who have fully cooperated with Xiangyang and are approaching Xingzhou by land and water.
What's more, Xi Gu was also one of the previous participants in the Han River trade. While he himself made a lot of profits, he also knew that the Ankang Li family in the upper reaches would make more profits. When Li Tai's troops set off directly from Xiangyang, they would move forward by land and water.
He came with a confident attitude and did not care about Xingzhou's obstruction at all. He must have received support from upstream.
In other words, even if Xi Gu gritted his teeth and vowed not to surrender, he had already been abandoned by Xiangyang first, and then he was more likely to face a two-sided attack from Wei Jun and the Ankang Li family. After weighing it, he naturally had to make a decision
A more advantageous option.
After taking Xingzhou, Li Tai still used his seat to garrison Xingzhou City, but the water camp of Han River was handed over to its governor Shi Linghu Yanbao, who used it as a temporary garrison for the army.
In order to prevent the military operations here from being known to Hanzhong in advance, Li Tai did not lead a large group of troops to continue marching westward. Instead, he only led a few hundred elites and went straight with Li Xian in a light boat, and soon arrived in Ankang.
The Ankang Li family is worthy of being the leading tycoon in this area, with many estates and estates scattered along both sides of the Han River. Li Xian first arranged for Li Tai and his entourage to live in a manor in the territory, and then he reported the news to his brother.
When he learned that Li Tai had entered Ankang with only a small number of troops, Li Qianzhe couldn't help being shocked. After a brief communication with Li Xian, he immediately rushed to meet Li Tai for fear of some unexpected incident.
"Director Li Dadu is really brave and courageous, but Ankang Township is not a good place today. Even a certain generation who lives in this township must be careful when entering and exiting these days. If Governor Li Dadu is disturbed in his territory due to lack of care, it will be a crime
Da Yan. If we don’t have to stay here, can Governor Li allow me to send my guards away and then make long-term plans?"
After meeting Li Tai, Li Qianzhe immediately expressed his intention to send him out of the country as a gift, but he really didn't want to leave such a hot potato with a sensitive identity here.
Before Li Tai had time to answer, Li Xian beside him couldn't help but said: "Brother, why are you so impatient? Governor Li is already here, and he will not hesitate to go into danger to teach our brothers.
.Nowadays, the great changes in the world are already a fact. Ankang is not a world outside the world. It will inevitably be affected. We natives in the countryside are inevitably short-sighted and clumsy in adapting. Now we have to have a wise man like Governor Li to come and teach us...
"
Hearing what Li Xian said, Li Qianzhe looked at the two of them suspiciously. Why did his brother seem to be a different person when he came back after going out?
Li Tai couldn't help but feel happy when he saw Li Qianzhe like this. He raised his hand to signal Li Qianzhe to take a seat first, and then said with a smile: "General Li really needs to be calm and calm. My brother said that the world has changed greatly, and people have changed."
It is absolutely true. I don’t know what General Lee is up to, but this sudden visit is indeed for me and you. It is true that taking refuge in our country may not be more noble than before, but what I need to tell you clearly is that our country will never
Allow Shannan to have a stronghold and respect the heroic Fang Yu!"
When Li Qianzhe heard this, he couldn't help but raise his eyebrows, obviously a little unconvinced.
But before he had time to express his opinion, Li Tai continued: "Whether the general obeys or not, Hanzhong must be taken. The only difference is whether I am responsible for the success or not. I am here to recruit the general in person, and what I have done is
Not only Hanzhong at present. Not only Hanzhong, Bashu is also included in the plan for the coming year. But to expand the territory and gain people, it is not just about using soldiers."
At this point, he served a clay pot the size of a human head, and then poured the white sugar in the clay pot on the table. Seeing that the Li brothers all had hesitant expressions, he started to twist the sugar.
Pick up a pinch of sugar and drop it into your mouth, then bite it with your teeth until it makes a rustling sound.
After seeing this, Li Xian reached out and grabbed a handful to try. His eyes suddenly lit up and he exclaimed: "This is stone honey. Such white stone honey has never been heard of or seen!"
"The Liang Dynasty was in turmoil, and Hou Jing was wreaking havoc in the south of the Yangtze River. Even if the giant bandits were eliminated, the internal strife of the clan would be difficult to resolve in a short time, and the Hanshui trade route would not be able to be revived in a short time. Although the world is in chaos, the middle of Shu is still safe, but the treasures from foreign lands are still there.
The land is self-sufficient, so it’s not easy to make profits based on it. But if this kind of frosting candy sells well in the country, can the people of Shu rush to visit and buy it, spending a lot of money?"
Previously, Yueyang Wang Xiaoqing suggested that Li Tai use some frosting sugar to lure Li Qianzhe into the game, but Li Tai refused because he wanted to save this method for more important moments.
Li Xian had already tasted the frosting sugar, and when he stared at the pile of frosting sugar on the table, he felt that it was even more dazzling than gold sand. When Li Tai said this, he nodded repeatedly: "Yes, it must be possible!"
Although Li Qianzhe was not as excited as his younger brother, after tasting the work for a while and pondering for a while, he also paid homage to Li Tai and said: "In the end, the whole family will definitely try their best to help you capture Nanzheng!"