Located in the northeast corner of Sichuan, Kuizhou has been known as the throat of eastern Sichuan since ancient times, and its place guards the Jiangguan, which is the gateway to the east of Sichuan. Wang Yinglin of the Southern Song Dynasty also described the importance of Kuizhou as "the throat of the four roads in the southwest, and the belt of Wu Chu Wanli".

Different from the land transportation mode in northern Sichuan, because the mountains of the Three Gorges are steep and abnormal, it is necessary to go to Huguang from the east of Sichuan, and the waterway is the most convenient. Since the Fengjie board the boat down the river, you can reach Huguang in less than a day after passing the pile. Li Bai, a poet in the Tang Dynasty, even had a sigh of "The white emperor of the dynasty is among the clouds, and the thousands of miles of Jiangling are returned in one day". The White Emperor City is in Fengjie, the capital of Kuizhou, and Jiangling is the seat of Jingzhou Mansion, an important town in Huguang. The two places are thousands of miles apart, of course, you can't get there in one day, but through this exaggeration, you can also see from the side that the waterway of Kuizhou is smooth and developed.

It's just that for Zhao Ying, it is unrealistic to want to pass through Kuizhou by water.

At the beginning of the establishment of Kuizhou, it existed as a military barrier in eastern Sichuan. The Ming court has a Qutang guard in this place, and attaches great importance to it. Its military ideology is to take Qutangwei as the center, surrounded by the forward battalion of Yunyang, the Daning battalion of Daning, the Tiansheng City of Wanxian and other military towns and camps to guard and guard each other, thus constituting an insurmountable military forbidden area.

In the seventh year of Chongzhen, Zhang Xianzhong entered Sichuan from Yunyang, "if you commit Kuizhou, thieves are not allowed to enter". In the same year, "8,000 people from the Tiger in Guizhou went to Shu, Liu Chengying sent Yang Mingshi to 100 households, defeated Wushan Chixi Shop, and beheaded the Tiger". Another group of thieves repeatedly attacked Kuizhou to no avail, "all the way back to Chu, all the way through the Tongjiang River through Baizhang Pass, Yangping Pass into Gansu." All of them frustrated the city of Kuizhou, which shows that the danger of its place is difficult to attack.

Zhao Dangshi did what he could, and did not think that relying on Zhao Ying's current strength he could successfully take Kuizhou, and then take the waterway into Huguang. But Izukawa was imminent, and he couldn't continue to stay where he was, and he lost a great opportunity to move forward, so after thinking about it, he made a roundabout strategy with Chang Zeyu and others.

The so-called "roundabout strategy", as the name suggests, focuses on the word "roundabout". How? Zhao Dangshi's idea was to take the land route, and it was the land route of Kuizhou.

Although Kuizhou is mainly waterways, it only belongs to the category of thoroughfares. In essence, west of Fengjie, the mountains of Kuizhou are quite gentle, and the mountain roads are far less steep than the Three Gorges, so there are land routes to the north, south and west. At the beginning, Zhao Ying crossed the Danqu Mountain in the west, and then went north into Dazhou in the Kuizhou Prefecture. Zhao Dangshi has to go on this road again. His plan was to use Dazhou as a transit station, and after arriving in Dazhou, he would no longer go east through Xinning and Wanxian to enter Shizhouwei as a few years ago, but turn north, first to Dongxiang County, and then, from Dongxiang all the way north, to Taiping County at the junction of Sichuan and Shaanxi.

In essence, this route out of Sichuan was not the first of Zhao Dangshi's creation. As early as the seventh year of Chongzhen, there were cases of "Xing'an, Hanyin Liukou from Dongxiang and Taiping into Sichuan". There are many veterans in the Zhao camp who have been in the mix for many years, and many of them have walked this road. For example, Jing Keqin walked by, in the past, he and other battalion leaders flowed into Sichuan from Taiping County, and after several defeats, he joined Zhang Xianzhong. Zhang Xianzhong and other battalions "did not break Kuizhou, from Daning, Dachang to Wushan, to Kaixian, Yunyang, and Dongjiang, Dongxiang, Xinning, Yilong, Guangyuan", Jing Keqin and other Liukou canal leaders were able to spread out in the middle of the Sichuan, becoming the predecessor of the yellow thief. Therefore, compared with the doubts of other generals, Mao Andong, Jing Keqin, and Yang Kexin, the "old thieves in Sichuan", were not surprised by Zhao Dangshi's decision.

At the beginning of March of the eleventh year of Chongzhen, after three years, it was still the same Zhao Ying, and once again the soldiers came to the city of Dazhou.

The current governor of Dazhou seems to be a tough one, and he gathered the soldiers and civilians in the city one step earlier, and he looks like he is fighting to the death. However, the great damage caused to Dazhou City by the military disaster three years ago still has sequelae. Others can't see that an old man like Zhao Dangshi can see the flaws in the city at a glance. Presumably, this Zhizhou had never fought a war before, and he didn't know that the seemingly well-groomed city wall defense system was actually full of flaws and did not conform to the most basic battlefield rules. If you really want to fight, Zhao Dangshi is confident that he will sit on the Taishi chair of the Dazhou Government Office again within five days.

It's just that he has no intention of stumbling here. According to investigations, there are less than 1,000 garrisons in Dazhou, and at most 2,000 people are barely included in the temporarily conscripted militia. This little force is not a threat to Zhao Ying at all. The strength and weakness are obvious, and Zhao Dangshi believes that Dazhou Zhizhou can also see the huge difference in strength. Therefore, as long as Zhao Ying does not fight Dazhou, Dazhou will not have the courage to take the initiative to come and provoke.

What Zhao Dangshi cares about more is Liangshan County, southeast of Dazhou, and still remembers the grand scene of Liangshan County, together with the Yunyang Forward Battalion, Tiansheng City Tan and other troops attacking Zhao Ying. In the end, not only was the coalition army of the three places crushed by Zhao Ying, but even Tu Yuan, the "alliance leader" of the coalition army, the actual principal of Liangshan County, and the parent of the Tu family, also became a prisoner of Zhao Ying. With this festival in front of them, Liang Shanbing and Zhao Yingshi can be said to have a common hatred.

The day after arriving in Dazhou, Zhao Dangshi received a military report that there was an abnormality in Liangshan County, and a group of soldiers and horses had gone to the vicinity of Xinning County to watch. It seems that Liang Shanbing's revenge is not dead, and he still wants to be ashamed.

Guo Ruke had fought with the Liangshan soldiers, was well versed in the techniques and tactics of his troops, and took the initiative to ask for orders to attack, saying that he would not only destroy the Liangshan soldiers in Xinning, but also smash the Yellow Dragon, take down Liangshan County, and kill the Liangshan Tu family without leaving a chicken and dog, so as to teach people to know the consequences of provoking Zhao Ying.

The front camp of the first army is Zhao Ying's Dinghai Divine Needle, and Zhao Dangshi will not move easily. This time was no exception, although he knew that it was not difficult to defeat the Liangshan soldiers, but Zhao Dangshi still refused Guo Ruke's invitation to fight, for no other reason, there was no need. War has always been only one of the means to an end, but it is not necessary. Looking at the present, in the Kuixi area, except for the Liangshan soldiers, there is no other formed and large-scale army that can pose a threat to Zhao Cheng. The purpose of this phase of the Zhao camp was to move quickly, and under this policy, all military operations that would hinder the march should be abandoned or reconsidered. With the size of a lone army of Liangshan soldiers, it is difficult to really contain the footsteps of Zhao Ying.

Based on this consideration, Zhao Dangshi believed that at the cost of abandoning the advance of the whole army, he would have more than 1,000 Liangshan soldiers to deal with, and the gains outweighed the losses. Regardless of the forts in Liangshan County, the defense system is extremely perfect, and it is not enough to gnaw it in ten days and half a month, even if Guo Ruke is powerful and really captures Liangshan County in one fell swoop, what is the use? It's just a waste of precious time and energy. Zhao Dangshi is only concerned about the situation of the development of the entire Zhao camp now, and as for those personal grievances, let them all aside.

However, Zhao Ying can ignore the Liangshan soldiers, but looking at the movements of the Liangshan soldiers, he has a desperate posture. Be prepared, you don't have to worry about the Liangshan soldiers causing serious damage to the army, but in this way, always be on guard against threats behind you, and the speed of the Zhao battalion's march will inevitably be greatly slowed down. This is also what Zhao Dangshi does not want to see.

What can be done so that you don't get dragged into the quagmire of war, and at the same time get out of it in peace?

Zhao Dangshi thought of Tu Yuan.

Speaking of Tu Yuan, he is also a legend. Since he was captured by Hou Dagui's raid that year, he stayed in Zhao Ying, and he has been roughly calculated for three years and two years. For such a long time, he has gradually evolved from stubborn resistance and hunger strike in the early stage to barely surviving, until he is now peaceful. Compared with three years ago, Tu Yuan, who is now over the age of Ershun, has lost a lot of weight, but under the continuous training of the army, he is more energetic. Tu Yuan thought very openly, and had already dispelled the idea of "dead society" for the king. Therefore, being able to persist in Zhao Ying for three years, the appearance is becoming clearer, which is not only the result of physical adaptation, but more importantly, the peace of mind. Zhao Dangshi sometimes visited the back camp and would chat with him. If you don't know, it's hard to imagine that the two people, who should be incompatible, can talk and laugh. There are many women and children in the back camp, they are usually fine, and they also like to gather at Tu Yuan's place to listen to him. Every time, when it was time to disperse, they would pat their heads and remind themselves with an "oh" that this humorous old man was still a captive.

There is a reason why the words returned to their original place and kept the original painting. For example, in the moment, he can come in handy.

Zhao Dangshi believes that compared with the old grievances caused by the battle three years ago, the most important reason why Liang Shanbing has not died so far is that they believe that the parent Tu Yuan is harming Zhao. After all, after being kidnapped by a murderous thief and not heard from for many years, no one would think that their family would end well. The bell must be tied to the bell, and the one who can make Liang Shanbing dispel this idea of revenge is none other than Tu Yuanren.

One person is enough to make a war disaster disappear invisibly. Why not sell it so cheaply?

"Tu Lao, after eating this glass of wine, I will be sorry for you for three years." Zhao Dangshi smiled, picked up the small wine cup, and respectfully painted the original way.

Tu Yuan, who has gray beard and gray hair, seems to be in a good state of mind, and I don't know if it is because he learned that he will return to Liangshan tomorrow, his cheeks are slightly red, and his face is radiant. He nodded, drank it all, and sighed: "You have raised me for three years, and it has cost a lot of food. My old body and bones are getting more and more refined, how can I be worthy of your apology? ”

Zhao Dangshi smiled and said, "Old Tu said it was funny. Trapped Tu Lao here, he had no choice but to ask Tu Lao to go back and be tolerant. ”

Tu Yuan smiled, his eyebrows were very kind, but Zhao Dangshi inadvertently, his eyes swept to a trace of murderous aura in his eyes. Zhao Dangshi "groaned" in his heart, looked away, and just disappeared.

"Then again, I'm old, what's the use of going back? The young descendants of the clan are all young and handsome. What are I going to point fingers at when I go back? ”

Zhao Dangshi didn't know how to answer, and said: "Tu old Gao Deshao, go back to Liangshan, the Tu family will definitely prosper." ”

"Hehe, it's good to be prosperous. Give birth to a litter of Tu family cubs, will it be time for you to let these thieves stew a spoonful? Tu Yuan's originally soothing tone suddenly changed, extremely sharp, Zhao Dangshi's heart was shocked, and he couldn't help but raise his eyes. In front of him, Tu Yuan's face was already flushed, and his hair was open, like King Kong's angry eyes.

"Tu Lao, ...... are you" Zhao Dangshi bit his lower lip lightly, and his right hand unconsciously pressed the handle of the knife on his waist.

"Son, I'll tell you the truth. You trapped me for three years, I put up with you for three years, and I promised to go back today, not for myself, but for my family! Tu Yuan gritted his teeth and said, trying his best to lower his voice with every sound. But the more this is the case, the sharp eyes under the long eyebrows, and the facial muscles that are so tight that they are distorted, make Zhao Dangshi feel even more anxious.

"I, Zhao, am benevolent and righteous, Tu Lao thinks so, Zhao is powerless." Zhao Dangshi said coldly.

Tu Yuan's face seemed to contain infinite anger, and his flushed face was like a volcano about to erupt, so Zhao Dangshi had to secretly clench his waist knife. However, just as Zhao Dangshi felt that Tu Yuan's anger was about to erupt, Tu Yuan's face suddenly calmed down in an instant. As if falling from the sky to a deep pool, Tu Yuan's expression also calmed down to the point of being as calm as a pool of clear spring in a few breaths.

"I've had enough wine, and the old man is going to sleep." Apply the original surface like cold cream, brush away from the sleeves.

Zhao Dangshi let him go without a word. Before sitting alone, he felt like a tiger fluttering in his heart. At a certain moment, he almost jumped up and ordered Guo Ruke to immediately send troops to Liangshan County, but this impulse slowly faded with more consideration.

"Hmph, you can think about your Tu family's life, can't I think about my Zhao Ying's children?" Thinking about it like this, Zhao was calm and light-hearted.

The next day, Tu Yuan was "escorted" to Xinning by the soldiers of Zhao Ying. The two sides had been in contact before, but when Tu Yuan really appeared, the Xinning Liangshan soldiers were in tears from top to bottom. Most of them are the children of the Tu family and the Tu family, and their feelings for Tu Yuan, the head of the Tu family, are not comparable to ordinary chiefs. The generals of Zhao Ying, who were in charge of the handover of prisoners, also sighed when they saw this scene.

On the day of receiving Tu Yuan, except for a small number of troops left in Xinning to wait and see, most of the Liangshan soldiers immediately withdrew to Liangshan County, which was expected by Zhao Dangshi. Similar to Zhao Ying, Liangshan soldiers do not fight aimless battles. The reason why they sent troops was to avenge Tu Yuan, and now that Tu Yuan has returned safely, Liangshan County is satisfied. For the purpose of delaying Zhao Ying, which was neither within the scope of their duties nor beyond their own capabilities, the Tu family and the Liangshan soldiers never thought about it.

When the plan was reached, Kui Xi's stumbling block would be removed without blood, and Zhao Dangshi was very happy. It's just that Zhao Ying's road is still far away, and he doesn't dare to relax for a moment. In mid-March, the whole army of Zhao Ying marched from Dazhou, and Dongxiang County, which had been in the same form, embarked on the road to Sichuan-Shaanxi to hand over Taiping County.