Chapter 5 The Dragon and the Tiger Meet

The battle of Qingshan, Yunyang lost his soldiers, although in the end Tao Chen was ordered to turn the tide, but this victory is always unable to make people cheer, the most depressed should be Wang Liyang, the battle he is looking forward to does not seem to be so exciting, his own ability has only used three points, he can't figure out that this seemingly elegant Tao brother seems to be as deep as the sea, not only strong martial arts but also full of strategy, along the way he has a lot of questions to ask, but every time he hasn't opened his mouth, he was stopped by Wei Wenzhong, Although he was unwilling, he thought about how Wei Wenzhong knew Tao Chenmo better than himself, so he had to hold back his words.

As soon as everyone arrived at the foot of Yunyang City, they saw Yan Yu pacing back and forth in front of the city gate, seeing his anxious appearance, Wei Wenzhong and Wang Liyang couldn't help laughing, this Yan Yu turned around and saw everyone returning, and immediately overjoyed, three steps and two steps came to the front of everyone, and said: "Look at your safe return, the old man knows that the big thing has been accomplished, you are fortunate, please accept the old man's worship." With that, he bowed deeply.

Tao Chenmo hurriedly dismounted and helped Yan Yu up, and said, "Lord Yan, I'm afraid that you will torture me for this worship, and this is a matter within the soldiers' responsibility, Lord Yan doesn't need to do this." ”

Yan Yu couldn't hide the excitement in his heart, and couldn't help but look at Tao Chenmo Wei Wenzhong and the others again, and said: "Brother Tao is really a god, you are talking and laughing about the helpless things of the three generals, and Brother Wang and Brother Wei are also capable. ”

Tao Chen said at the end: "Lord Yan, the celebration is enough, the battle of Qingshan, the Yunyang General's Mansion lost troops and lost generals, and General Huang has also died in battle, even if it is a victory in the end, it is also a tragic victory, I think the fallen soldiers should be buried first." ”

Yan Yu couldn't help but be stunned when he heard this, he was so excited that he forgot about this stubble, and after being reminded by Tao Chenmo, he felt that it should be like this, and said with some embarrassment: "Brother Tao is right, the old man is eager to win and forgot about it when he saw you returning triumphantly, so let's talk about the celebration in the future, and the old man will order someone to deal with the worries of the soldiers and the bereaved families." ”

No matter how Tao Chenmo and others refused, Yan Yu's heart was happy, Tao Chenmo really lived up to expectations and took Qingshan, and now he has an explanation for Yuzhou Mansion, although Qingshan has always been far away in Yunyang in the first battle, but in any case, Tao Chenmo was appointed by him, and when Shangfeng asked, it can be said that he is strategizing in Yunyang, with his understanding of Tao Chenmo, it is expected that Tao Chenmo will not compete with him for half the credit. However, Yan Yu's heart was also full of gratitude and praise for Tao Chenmo, if he hadn't offered advice for himself at the last moment and won Qingshan, then he would have betrayed this responsibility, so Yan Yu still sincerely visited Tao Chenmo later.

When saying some polite words, Yan Yu intended to inquire about Tao Chenmo's origin, but Tao Chenmo always talked about him left and right, and in the end Yan Yu only got the information "his family is poor, and he was fortunate to be on the list", but these are all obvious, and it is clear without asking, Yan Yu felt that Tao Chenmo was too calm, and it was a little difficult to get some news, so he gave up, but he still didn't know how to deal with one more thing, so after thinking about it, he decided to ask Tao Chenmo.

Yan Yu said slowly: "Yesterday I have asked for help from Yuzhou, if the Yuzhou General's Mansion is concerned about the danger of Yunyang, then the reinforcements should be on the road at this moment, but now that the Qingshan rebellion has been quelled, wouldn't it be a trip in vain for the Yuzhou army to come, and this official also wants to ask Brother Tao if he can immediately report to Yuzhou and let the reinforcements withdraw?" ”

Tao Chen said: "This is not necessary, this is to go to Yuzhou, it takes less than two days to whip the horse, I heard that General Yunlu of the Yuzhou General's Mansion is a resolute person, so the Yuzhou reinforcements must have been on the way to Yunyang at this moment, Yunyang has lost troops through the battle of Qingshan, and there are only more than 400 people left in the two thousand defenders. Lord Yan, you can submit a letter to the army in the name of the Yunyang General's Mansion to meet the reinforcements along the way the reinforcements come, saying that the Qingshan rebellion has been quelled, but most of the defenders of Yunyang have been killed in the previous battles, and the Yuzhou army still needs to come to the transition to assist in the defense, and then discuss the matter after the Yuzhou army comes. That's it. ”

Yan Yu thought about it, and there seemed to be no better way, but what he cared about in his heart was not just these, Tao Chenmo was such a smart person, he naturally knew what Yan Yu was thinking, seeing that Yan Yu wanted to speak and stopped, Tao Chenmo had no choice but to say: "My subordinates know what Lord Yan is thinking in their hearts, don't worry, someone from Yuzhou, I will definitely report as I said before, besides, Lord Yan is eclectic this time, using nobodies such as us, and strategizing in Yunyang Mansion, which is a great achievement." ”

was broken by Tao Chenmo, Yan Yu's face was slightly hot, and he arched his hand: "Brother Tao is not only a good person, but also a frank gentleman who does what he says, the old man has thanked me here, and please rest assured, the old man promised before that as long as the Qingshan war subsides, he will personally show his credit to Yuzhou Mansion for you, and after Yuzhou Mansion comes, the old man will also fulfill his promise." ”

In fact, Yan Yu is most worried about the Yunlu general Cheng Jinshang who guarded Yuzhou, Cheng Jinshang's ancestor is the founder of Dayuan, the king of Ning'an, Cheng Lichao, this Cheng Jinshang's style of action is very similar to the king of Ning'an, Yan Yu is worried that if Cheng Jinshang comes in person or sends a few capable people around him to come, if Tao Chen's words are not thorough enough, I am afraid that he will be recognized, so I am afraid that he will be a little sad.

Tao Chenmo knew what Yan Yu was thinking, but he didn't say anything more, just bowed slightly, Yan Yu had already asked what he wanted to ask the most, and seeing that Tao Chenmo had some things on his mind, it was not good to bother more, so he had to worry about himself, so he said some polite words and left.

Early in the morning of the second day, Tao Chenmo was woken up by Wei Wenzhong while still asleep, saying that General Yunlu of Yuzhou had arrived, Tao Chenmo was more or less surprised after hearing about it, first, he never thought that General Yunlu would personally lead the troops to come, and second, according to the schedule, the Yuzhou army should arrive in Yunyang in the afternoon, but at this moment, he couldn't think so much, so he hurriedly changed his clothes and went to the front hall of the mansion to greet him.

Came to the front hall, only to see the officials separated, but did not see the people of Yuzhou Mansion, thinking that this Yunlu general has not yet arrived in the mansion, Tao Chenmo and Wei Wenzhong stood at the end of the crowd, about half an hour later, I heard a sonorous footsteps outside the house, I could hear that this should be a team of armored soldiers, sure enough, what caught everyone's eyes was a team of more than ten heavy armored soldiers, all of them had a tiger back and a bear's waist, their eyes were blazing, and the figure of the leader made the other people taller, thick eyebrows and black hair, nose like a gall, square and round in the pavilion, and the face was straight and needless, glanced at the people in the hall, not angry and arrogant, everyone bowed their heads and avoided it, only Tao Chenmo carefully looked at this Yunlu general of Yuzhou, it seems that the rumors are true, this Yunlu general is really radiant and has an extraordinary temperament.

Yan Yu greeted General Yunlu all the way to the hall, invited him to serve tea, and only after everyone had entered the hall did he greet everyone: "Everyone, I have seen General Yunlu of the Yuzhou General's Mansion, General Cheng. ”

Everyone shouted in unison: "Meet the general." ”

Yunlu General Cheng Jinshang bowed slightly, and said loudly: "You adults don't have to be polite, let's all take a seat." ”

After everyone took their seats, Yan Yu bowed his hand and said: "The Miao people are in turmoil, and Yunyang suffers a great disaster, but fortunately, all the generals and soldiers worked together and finally barely survived the difficulties, but after this battle, Yunyang's troops suffered heavy losses, and it is really a blessing for General Cheng to come in person. ”

Cheng Jinshang said: "Lord Yan, please rest assured, since the general is here, he will handle everything properly before leaving, according to the routine system, those who have merit will be rewarded, and those who make trouble should be punished, although Yunyang won in the end, but this general still wants to know the beginning and end of the war in detail, and I hope Lord Yan will tell you one by one." ”

Yan Yu said: "Naturally, the Miao rebellion Yin Shi, the lower officials and the generals of the general's mansion had trouble sleeping and eating, and they were bent on seeking a counterinsurgency strategy. ”

Wei Wenzhong, Wang Liyang and the others all showed disdain when they heard this, they couldn't imagine that this Yan Yu was really a brazen person, he had no merit at all, but he said that he had the ability to go through the sky, and both of them looked at Tao Chenmo with uneven faces, Tao Chenmo was still as calm as water, but shook his head at the two with a smile.

Cheng Jinshang is a good person, and naturally knows the meaning of Yan Yu's words, but he has no intention of directly picking it out, but praises it: "Lord Yan is close to the age of six, but he can ride a horse and whip himself to take the lead, and this counterinsurgency should be credited." ”

Cheng Jinshang said this, Yan Yu was a little hot-faced, and then looked at the people in the hall, who didn't know that he had never been out of Yunyang City since the beginning of the war, and he only wanted to protect himself, if he was afraid that he would not be able to hold it anymore, he had to snort: "The general has won the award, and the lower officer is just commanding in Yunyang City, and he has not been on the battlefield in person, this old bone can't withstand the bumps right away." ”

Cheng Jinshang suddenly realized: "Oh, I see? Then Lord Yan, dare to ask who led the army to kill the enemy in this counterinsurgency? ”

Yan Yu hesitated slightly, but even if the general asked, he could no longer hide it, and there was no way to get all the credit on himself, so he replied: "It was the nomadic captain Tao Chenmo of Baiyangdu who led the soldiers to exterminate the Miao people. ”

Cheng Jinshang was a little surprised, and said: "The three great generals of Yunyang Mansion all died in Qingshan, and a little nomadic lieutenant is capable of turning the tide, so I would like to see it." Seeing this, Yan Yu immediately motioned for Tao Chenmo to step forward, and there was still a few hints of begging in his eyes, which was nothing more than asking Tao Chenmo to show his merits.

Tao Chenmo did not look up at Yan Yu, but slowly stepped forward, bowed his hand, and said, "The lowly Baiyangdu nomadic captain Tao Chenmo saw General Cheng. ”

Cheng Jinshang carefully looked at the young man in front of him, although he himself has been fighting on the battlefield for nearly 20 years, he can say that he has seen countless capable people, but he still can't help but be a little unconvinced of his eyes, the person in front of him who rescued Yunyang from danger seems too weak, and he is by no means like a general of an army, but he also understands a truth, there are countless people in this world, and he must not judge people, think about the former general Wen Binghan is only six feet tall, and he has a baby face, but everyone who knew his name was terrified. Although the young man in front of him seems to be a little weak, he has completed the unfinished tasks of several generals, this alone is enough to show that he has some ability, seeing Tao Chenmo stepped forward to meet him, Cheng Jinshang said loudly: "Lord Tao doesn't need to be polite, according to Lord Yan, this time you led the troops to quell the chaos?" ”

Tao Chen said at the end: "I am fortunate to be appreciated by Lord Yan, and thanks to the concerted efforts of all the soldiers, I was lucky enough to put down the Qingshan rebellion." ”

Cheng Jinshang haha: "You don't have to be modest, yes, yes, no, since the general is here, he must know the details of the war, I think so, although the war is extinguished, there is always some aftermath, you will take the general to Qingshan, and it is good to tell the matter in detail on the way." ”

Tao Chenmo took the order and took Cheng Jinshang and his two lieutenants towards Qingshan. Along the way, Tao Chenmo roughly talked about the Miao people's rebellion, and heard that the Miao people actually used poisonous snakes, insects and scorpions to kill people, and everyone couldn't help but have a chill down their backs, Cheng Jinshang sighed: "Things in the world are all strange, and now the wind and rain are full of buildings, I am afraid that countless soldiers and the people of the world will suffer." Tell me how you broke the enemy. ”

Tao Chenmo said lightly: "Everything has rules to follow, as long as you get rid of the appearance, find the power behind it, all problems can be easily solved, the Miao people even fight for three reasons, one is to use our light enemy to attack its unpreparedness, the second is to use the advantages of the terrain to avoid the real and fight the virtual, three, is to use the insect snake technique to cut off the back road, understand these three points, and then break them one by one, the Miao people's chaos is insignificant." ”

Cheng Jinshang couldn't help but praise Tao Chenmo a little more in his heart, and asked: "You are young but your heart is like a mirror, it is really rare, I don't know how many years you have been in the army?" Where did you serve? ”

Tao Chen said at the end: "Don't hide it from the general, it has been less than a year since I performed my duties." ”

Cheng Jinshang was even more surprised: "A year? So what did you do for a living? ”

Tao Chen said: "Before the humble post, it was just a term of cloth, which was nothing more than farming and martial arts, occasionally studying the art of war, and a year ago I was fortunate enough to enter the army through martial arts, so I served as a nomadic lieutenant of Baiyangdu in Yunyang." ”

Cheng Jinshang was always a little stunned, and continued: "I see, I didn't expect you to be from a martial arts background, I really can't see it, but even so, being a little nomadic captain is a bit overkill." ”

Tao Chenmo said: "The general has won the award, and the minister has neither great talent nor ambition at all, just seeking fame and fortune to protect the rest of his life." ”

"Haha, is it contentment? Now in troubled times, it is not impossible to do something with your talents, and I would not believe that you are willing to bury here. Cheng Jinshang said.

Tao Chen said: "To be an ordinary person, there is not necessarily anything wrong with doing ordinary things, besides, now in the world, the general must know better than me, I am plain by nature, not good at disputes, if I let me enter the court, but I may be uncomfortable, Yunyang mountains and rivers are beautiful, far away from the court, in my opinion, it is the most suitable for me." ”

Cheng Jinshang couldn't help sighing, and said: "Also, in the court, there are a few loyal and good, okay, don't talk about these, let's talk about Qingshan, although the Miao rebellion has been quelled, but this matter is widely implicated, the adult men in Miao Village are either killed in battle or captured, as far as I know, there are hundreds of old and weak women and children in this village, have you ever thought about how to deal with this matter?" ”

Tao Chen said at the end: "There is really no other way to use Wu Qu Bing, the Miao rebellion has a reason to follow, but then it crossed the line before it was unacceptable, although I captured more than 100 Miao people, and also said that he would not slack off, but only verbally, if he really killed these prisoners, it would inevitably make the entire Miao village fall into grief and anger, not only making it difficult for the women and children of Miao Village to continue, but also causing Miao people to resent, so he did not plan to kill these Miao people, but only planned to punish a few of the leaders, and the rest should be released to Miao Village with a little punishment, The so-called soldiers first, then salute. ”

Cheng Jinshang praised it and said: "That's right, the general is afraid that you will be too decisive in killing, and you can rest assured that you can have this arrangement, but it will take a few days to release the Miao people, after all, it is a rebellion, if it is hurriedly put back, it will not have any punitive effect, and they must be allowed to increase their memory." ”

Speaking, everyone has come to the Miao village in front of the door, there is no past vitality here, only the smell of fireworks and a faint smell of blood, the Miao people in the village see the arrival of the official army are mostly closed to hide, only some old people seem to have nothing to do with themselves, the closed doorhouse occasionally came to the Miao women's insults and some children's crying, Cheng Jinshang was going to convene the Miao people to do some comfort, seeing this scene, I was afraid that it would not be able to make the trip, so he ordered people to post a notice, to the effect that innocent women and children will not be implicated, but the Miao people need to be self-disciplined, There must be no more chaos, otherwise they will be arrested and killed, regardless of the difference. After posting the notice, he also ordered people to leave some of the grain prepared in advance in the village, and then led the soldiers back to Yunyang.

Tao Chenmo's mood is undoubtedly heavy, although the Miao people should be killed when they make a rebellion, but the women and children are innocent after all, but there is no peace in the war, this is the price of the war, fortunately, General Yunlu is still benevolent and did not ask him to kill, and gave some compensation, which is also the best result.

Cheng Jinshang also seemed to be thinking about something in his heart, and after a long time, he asked Tao Chenmo: "Now there is chaos in Qianzhou, Yunyang is the first pass to Chongqing, the city defense fortifications can not be delayed, the defenders of Yunyang City have been broken by half, and General Xuanwei and others have been killed in battle, it can be said that there are no generals and no soldiers, I don't know what you plan?" ”

"I'm afraid the general has to call the shots in this matter." Tao Chen said at the end.

Cheng Jinshang asked: "Deploy troops to supplement defense?" ”

Tao Chenmo shook his head and said: "Transferring troops to supplement the defense is just an expedient measure, it will not last long, the general brought the Xingtai army of the Yuzhou General's Mansion, these soldiers have been stationed in Yuzhou Mansion, it is more than enough for them to help defend Yunyang, but if they are allowed to stay in Yunyang for a long time, I am afraid that the soldiers will have objections, if they are not transferred to the Yuzhou Army, then they have to mobilize the defenders of several other military towns, but the defenders of several military towns close to Yunyang such as Bijin and Xiucheng are only about 2,000 people, so the transfer is to demolish the east and make up for the west, there is no point in the slightest. ”

Cheng Jinshang thinks about it, but he is the general of Yunlu in Yuzhou, and it is not difficult to mobilize the garrison of Yuzhou Mansion, and Cheng Jinshang has a way of governing the army, with clear rewards and punishments, and has a very high prestige in the army, and it only takes a military order to mobilize thousands of people to guard Yunyang, so he said to Tao Chenmo: "If you can't transfer troops from other military towns, this general will naturally let the Yuzhou Xingtai army come to garrison, and I, as General Yunlu, if I don't even have this right, I'm really ridiculous and generous." ”

Tao Chen said: "The general's prestige in the army has always been high, and it is easy to transfer troops and send generals, but it is difficult for someone to effectively command after a long time to transfer the Yuzhou Xingtai Army to Yunyang for a long time, after all, not everyone is as authoritative as the general, unless there are newly recruited soldiers." ”

Cheng Jinshang thought about it and felt that Tao Chenmo seemed to have said the key point again, now Dayuan's military discipline is too sloppy, and the garrisons almost all over the country only recognize their own commanders, and there are many Qin Xiang protégés in the army, a military order is inevitably bumpy and bumpy, this Yunyang is far away from Zhongzhou, and it is a question whether the soldiers are willing to come or not, not to mention whether they come to listen to the command or not, it is even more difficult to say, at this moment he seems to have no better way, and asked: "Your worries are not unreasonable, and Yuzhou is also some newly recruited soldiers who were only recruited a year ago, But what do you mean when you say that you want to be in charge? What do you already have in mind? ”

Tao Chenmo said slowly: "The idea is there, but it is true that the general is in charge, humble and foolish, since the transfer of troops is not good, then recruit, now the war is frequent, the people are displaced, and the displaced people are recruited into the army can not only make up for the lack of Yunyang defenders but also avoid the suffering of some people being displaced, this is one, second, the general just said that there are many soldiers who have just enlisted in the army in Yuzhou, these soldiers have just enlisted in the army and have not learned the bad habits in the army, they should be more obedient to the command, and the transfer of this part of the people to Yunyang can ensure that there is both combat power, At the same time, it should be appropriate to promote the training and other affairs of the newly recruited soldiers, but the new recruits need to be reported to the military department. ”

Cheng Jinshang pondered for a long time, and then said: "Replenishing the soldiers is a big deal, if I report directly to Yan Shangshu of the Ministry of War, it will naturally be a trivial matter, but now that Yan Shangshu has been set aside by Qin Xiang, he can't be the master, it seems that the general will have to stammer with Qin Xiang again." ”

Tao Chenmo felt that he only cared about making requests but looked at the middle of the power, Cheng Jinshang was a man, and it was inevitable that he would be in danger if he wanted to befriend Qin Xiang, so he hurriedly said: "The general forgives his sins, and he only cares about his own thoughts and ignores the general's situation, but the minister has no other intentions, and he is really worried about the situation in Yunyang." ”

Cheng Jinshang waved his hand and said with a smile: "It's okay, Ben Jiang doesn't mean to blame you, if you want Yunyang City and even the entire Yuzhou to be safe and sound, you must protect the defense of Yunyang City, you need to be more or less tactful in the court in troubled times, Ben will naturally have some means in the court controlled by Qin Xiang for nearly twenty years, so since you brought this matter up, I should think of some ways." ”

Tao Chen didn't say much when he saw Cheng Jinshang like this, Cheng Jinshang said well, Qin Xiang's dictatorship for more than 30 years has been how many loyal people have been demoted from the court or even beheaded, Cheng Jinshang is one of the few people who wander in this turbid government but rarely have incidents, no matter how you look at it, his official skills are always higher than ordinary people.

The two talked all the way, and unconsciously returned to Yunyang City, due to the assistance of the Yuzhou army, this ancient military town quickly restored its majestic appearance, but the war that just happened seemed to be dozens of spring and autumn years ago, and the blood of Qingshan never came.

Cheng Jinshang suddenly said: "I'm afraid the top priority is not whether Yunyang will increase the army or not, now that the three major generals of Yunyang have been killed, who to send to guard Yunyang and control the overall situation is the top priority at the moment." ”

Tao Chen said at the end: "The so-called thousands of troops are easy to find, but what the general said has some truth, but this matter is very powerful, and the general needs to recommend good talents." ”

Cheng Jinshang pondered for a moment and asked, "Brother, do you have a suitable candidate in mind?" ”

Tao Chen said at the end: "The lowly post has been joined for a short time, and there is almost no contact with the Chinese martial arts, so there is really no idea about the lowly position of General Yunyang." ”

Cheng Jinshang continued to ask, "What about the people from General Yunyang's Mansion?" ”

"This ......," Tao Chenmo really thought about it carefully, "does the general want to listen to the truth or to listen to lies?" ”

Cheng Jinshang was a little confused by Tao Chenmo's question, and couldn't help laughing: "What do you mean by this?" ”

"If you are humble and hypocritical, it is naturally recommended by someone, but the general is not a person who likes to listen to lies." Tao Chenmo said lightly.

Cheng Jinshang found it interesting, so he said, "Then you tell the truth." ”

Tao Chenmo thought for a moment and said: "According to the current form, the thirteen states in the world are the most stable in Yuzhou except for Zhongzhou, where Tai'an is located, which is due to the diligent administration of Yuzhou Bian Xiangyu and General Cheng, but even so, the four sides of Yuzhou are all undercurrents, especially in Qianzhou, Yang Mingzhen, the director of Dongxiang Mansion, has lost control, this person is determined to be in the world, if he wants to win the world, he must enter Tai'an, and if he enters Tai'an, he must pass through Yunyang, so General Yunyang must not only be able to fight well, but also know how to strategize, so as to do so, It's not something that ordinary people can do, and in the transition stage, there are people who can recommend it. ”

"Tell me about it."

"Wang Liyang." Tao Chen said at the end.

"Wang Liyang? I have heard of this person, but he has only been a small city guard in Yunyang for so many years, and his prestige in the army is not high. Cheng Jinshang said.

Tao Chen said: "Wang Liyang is strong in martial arts, bold and bold, and many of his soldiers can order and prohibit it, but this is because Brother Wang is a fierce general rather than a handsome talent, so he is said to be the best person in the transition stage." Yunyang City is in danger and the people are unstable, and people like him are needed to motivate the soldiers, and he has this ability. ”

Cheng Jinshang shook his head and said meaningfully: "There is a suitable candidate in the heart of this general. ”