This time, there were five people who came to Zhao Ying, the leader was white-skinned and handsome, Zhao Dangshi knew that it was Li Zicheng's own henchman Tian Jianxiu, and the other three knew that they were his guards when they looked at their outfits, and there was only one teenager, but they had never seen it. After being introduced, I learned that this young man's name was Liu Tichun, and now Li Zicheng is doing things in front of the account.

Although Li Zicheng is not as keen on adopting a righteous son as Zhang Xianzhong and others, there are also many young people around him who are favored by him. Li Zicheng basically treats them like sons, and these teenagers naturally treat them as a monarch. Knowing this relationship, Zhao Dangshi did not neglect this childish Liu Tichun, but was very respectful.

Liu Tichun's youthful nature is the age when he is most self-respecting and conceited, and he is of course very happy to be respected by a "big man" like Zhao Dangshi, so he has an excellent impression of Zhao Dangshi.

Combined with the movement of the army obtained some time ago, where Tian Jianxiu came, Zhao Dangshi actually had a guess. And as Tian Jianxiu said a word, this speculation that had plagued Zhao Dangshi for a long time was finally implemented - Li Zicheng, the king of Chuang, was going to leave the nest in northern Shaanxi and go south.

Tian Jianxiu's words were very clear: "The official army is chasing and suppressing the day, and Governor Hong gathers troops to plot against me day and night, and his momentum is terrifying. The Shaanxi rebels, either going or dying, are withering day by day, and the only people who can achieve things today are the king and the general. King Chuang intended to raise his troops to the south, and he and Chuang would hunt in Hannan. ”

It is reasonable for Li Zicheng to go south. Zhao Dangshi's original idea was to take the initiative in Hanzhong, so that Hong Chengchou in the north had some scruples and could not exert all his hands and feet in northern Shaanxi, and Li Zicheng could profit from it. However, after a battle with Zu Dabi, although Zhao Ying kept Baocheng, it also lost its earlier dominant position, and basically became a five-five trend with the official army in Hanzhong. Under such circumstances, Hong Chengchou's worries were undoubtedly reduced a lot, and he used the Shaanxi and Gansu soldiers as spears and the Jin and Henan soldiers as shields, and continued to put pressure on Li Zicheng, and in the face of the joint suppression of soldiers and horses from several provinces, it was impossible for Li Zicheng, who had just recovered, to support him, and it was imperative to shift his position.

Moreover, Shanxi and Henan, as the main battlefields of the suppression of the Bandits, were quite tightly defended. From Shaanxi to Shanxi, ferries everywhere were accused of choking; From Shaanxi to Henan, all the passes along the road are also heavily armed, Cao Bianjiao will go to the Tongguan area every three or five days, and Bian Song has not long ago exterminated the long pole thieves in Shangluo, thus completely cutting off the passage from the Wuguan line to the south. Li Zicheng thought about it, and the only place he could go to was the south.

However, a real problem lay in front of him - Hanzhong in the south was now Zhao Dangshi's sphere of influence.

If he is still a little red wolf in Hanzhong, or even Tuan Gao or Gao Yingen, then Li Zicheng can have no scruples and go straight down. Because these people do not have a deep friendship with him, and they have no use value for him, and there are even competitors among them. But Zhao Dangshi is different, everyone knows that Zhao Dangshi was separated from the original eight teams, and he is also firmly on Li Zicheng's side in inheriting the "Chuang Wang", whether it is public or private, Li Zicheng has no suitable reason to meet Zhao Dangshi in the army - even if he is the "Chuang King", he is not the emperor, he can only be regarded as a strong man in the rogue group, and doing whatever he wants will inevitably lead to the detachment of his subordinates and a sharp decline in his prestige in the rogue group.

Therefore, the most ideal mode of getting along with Zhao Ying is still joint venture. This is the result of Li Zicheng and his generals unilaterally sorted out, and whether it is realized or not depends on the situation on Zhao Dangshi's side. After all, Zhao Dangshi is no longer the rootless and woodless little rogue he used to be, and Zhao Ying is not what it used to be, Li Zicheng can't figure out Zhao Dangshi's thoughts and attitudes, so before deciding on the final strategy, he still cautiously sent Zhao Ying's old acquaintance Tian Jianxiu to test and negotiate.

To be honest, a few months ago, Zhao Dangshi would definitely be desperate to stop Li Zicheng from going south. If Li Zicheng inserts a lever into it, then needless to say, as the weak party in the joint venture, the benefits obtained by Zhao Ying will inevitably fail to meet expectations, and even once the strength is reduced, it is also facing the danger of being forcibly annexed by the camp. However, such an idea slowly shook as Zhao Ying's injuries in Hanzhong moved.

The current situation is that Zhao Ying lacks the strength to capture Hanzhong, and even a small city of Luoyang may not be able to take it down with certainty. In such a situation, facing Hou Liangzhu, who is known for being good at fighting, Zhao Dangshi didn't even have the confidence to score five points. However, considering that the battalion was running out of food and had to be transferred, the reorganized army of the Israeli side hurriedly moved south, and the number of victories and defeats was self-evident. In fact, not only Zhao Dangshi, but also many generals in the battalion were not optimistic about the next move, and the reason why they did not adjust the strategy was because they really had nowhere to go, and second, they were afraid that the new army would soon be established, and the long-established policy would change overnight, which would cause great turmoil in the morale of the army.

From this point of view, Li Zicheng is not an enemy, but a helper.

Zhao Dangshi knocked on the side again and asked Li Zicheng about his plans after he arrived in Hanzhong. Tian Jianxiu was very frank, did not hide it, and bluntly said the plan set by Li Zicheng: first fight a battle in Hanzhong, and if you win, you will talk about it. If you lose, the whole army will go into Sichuan.

This coincides with Zhao Dangshi's thoughts.

If Li Zicheng comes, then the grasp of dealing with Hou Liangzhu will undoubtedly be much greater. Zhao Dangshi no longer thinks about how to make the most profit for Zhao Ying, and the first thing he thinks about now is the question of Zhao Ying's continued survival. He understood that if he blindly refused to cooperate with Li Zicheng and prevent the camp from going south, then the final result would definitely be a battle with Li Zicheng. At that time, no matter which side wins, it will definitely be a big loss. In this case, Hong Chengchou in the north, Hou Liangzhu in the south, sitting on the fishing profits, and attacking from both sides, I am afraid that the righteous army in Shaanxi will really cry out.

Tian Jianxiu relayed Li Zicheng's thoughts to Zhao Dangshi word for word, and his words were both solemn and sincere. As he spoke, Zhao Dangshi peeked at Liu Tichun, who was standing quietly on the side, and found that this dark-skinned young man also had a solemn face and an old appearance.

"How to arrange, please decide." Tian Jianxiu's mouth was dry, and when he finally finished speaking, he arched his hand to Zhao Dangshi, who was on the top. He believed in Zhao Dangshi very much, and believed that he was not a short-sighted person, but perhaps this matter was too important, and his hands, which had always been calm, trembled a little when he clenched his fists.

Zhao Dangshi has been listening intently, and when Tian Jianxiu gave up his hand, Huo Ran stood up and said in a loud voice: "The righteous army in the world is looking forward to the king and the horse." But with orders, how can I, Zhao Ying, stand by and watch. Breaking into the king and entering Hanzhong, it is incumbent on our battalion to help! ”

Tian Jianxiu's face moved, and he saluted at the same time as Liu Tichun, but Zhao Dangshi hurriedly stopped him and said, "Why do you need to do this." The two of them came on behalf of the king, and they really killed me. Tian and Yuan listened to what he said.

The two sides talked about the affairs of the second battalion's gathering in Hanzhong this time, Zhao Dangshi thought of something, and said with a worried face: "I don't know if King Chuang is here, how about the supply?" Hanzhong has been repeatedly wounded, and its fatigue has withered, and I am afraid that it will not be able to support your camp. ”

Zhao Dangshi is not alarmist, in Hanzhong Mansion, the surplus grain of the Nomura Fort has long been collected, and the rest are basically stored in the treasury of the official and military mansions, and those hoarded in Hanzhong Mansion account for the majority of them. The city of Hanzhong Mansion is high and thick, and there are thousands of officers and soldiers holding it, even if Zhao Dangshi unites Li Zicheng, it will be very difficult to capture it for a while, not to mention that Hong Chengchou is still closely following.

Tian Jianxiu pondered for a moment, and said: "The two battalions are together, and they are a family." If the family doesn't talk to the two families, the contemptible people will give the general a real deal. The current food supply for the camp is only enough to support the camp until September. In other words, in October, if there is nothing to do in Hanzhong, the whole army can only enter Sichuan. ”

Li Zicheng's plan is to enter Sichuan in October. This is somewhat different from Zhao Dangshi's original plan. According to the calculation of the surplus of military rations reported by Wang Laixing, the Zhao battalion held out until the beginning of August at most. From August to October, with a gap of two months, how can we make up for the shortage of military rations in the previous two months?

Borrowing from the camp? No way. Li Zicheng is not a stingy person, but he is also poor in the camp, so how can he talk about borrowing? Zhao Dangshi believed that Tian Jianxiu's report of the number of October was already a tightening of his belt, and the actual situation of breaking into the camp was worse than what he said. Even though Li Zicheng was anxious for justice and righteousness, and distributed grain to Zhao Ying, but with such a little grain and grass, it was a drop in the bucket, and the final result was just to accelerate the two battalions to fall into the abyss together. Zhao Dangshi could see the crux of it clearly, so he didn't open his mouth to Tian Jianxiu, and Tian Jianxiu also had a bitter face and pursed his lips silently.

The atmosphere fell silent. After a long time, Zhao Dangshi said: "I know about this matter. King Chuang only needs to act according to the original plan. Zhao Ying will not be restrained. In a word, Tian Jianxiu was stabilized first, as for what to do with Zhao Ying, I can't think about it clearly for a while now, and I still need to think about it in the long run.

Tian Jianxiu nodded silently, glanced at Liu Tichun twice, Liu Tichun comprehended, took over the conversation and said: "King Chuang knows that the Zhao camp has suffered many battle losses in the past few days, and he has specially increased the number of good horses by 1,000 horses, and the friendship of the second battalion is used for military use and deep second-battalion. ”

Zhao Dangshi let out an "oh" and said with a smile: "Chuang Wang is kind, dare not laugh?" ”

Liu Tichun continued: "When the horses meet the two camps, they should be presented in full. After speaking, he peeked at Zhao Dangshi's reaction, and saw that he was talking and laughing freely, without half a look of joy, and was slightly disappointed.

Tian Jianxiu immediately said: "This Brother Liu was specially arranged by King Chuang to take over and count the horses for him. Although most of the men in the camp are iron-blooded, they are also mixed with some young people, and the king is afraid that someone will steal and play tricks when the horses are handed over, so the special task force is responsible for his henchman Brother Liu, supervising and deterring. ”

Liu Tichun responded a few times, and then looked at Zhao Dangshi, although he tried his best to hide it, but after all, his experience was still shallow, and a little anxiety still appeared between his eyebrows.

Zhao Dangshi didn't say much, and said with a smile: "King Chuang is thoughtful, and Zhao should obey it." Brother Liu is in my camp, which is no different from when he broke into the camp. ”

Tian Jianxiu smiled when he heard this, while Liu Tichun was obviously relieved.

Like the previous visits, Tian Jianxiu didn't stay in Zhao Ying for too long, and left Zhao Ying with the other three that night, leaving Liu Tichun behind. Zhao Dangshi and Liu Tichun talked casually for a few words, and then took them down to settle down. Waiting for Liu Tichun to leave, Zhao Dangshi asked the person sitting at the bottom of the door: "Mr. Chang, what do you think, what does King Chuang mean?" ”

Chang Zeyu was able to accompany Zhao Dangshi throughout the process to meet Tian Jianxiu. Tian Jianxiu and Liu Tichun are certainly close to Li Zicheng, but after all, they are young, so they naturally don't know the origin of this middle-aged man who has been half-squinting and not saying a word, just thinking that he is an ordinary strategist by Zhao Dangshi's side. Chang Zeyu replied: "I heard what people said, I'm afraid that King Chuang is really unsustainable in northern Shaanxi. ”

Zhao Dangshi sighed and said, "Yes, if I didn't understand this section, how could I agree so easily?" It is imperative for the king to go south, and if he is blocked, he will inevitably become an enemy of him. Looking at the current situation, the foreign enemy is strong and numerous, and it is really impossible to do anything about the wall. ”

Chang Zeyu opened his eyes carefully, shook his head and said: "Fang Cai Tian Jianxiu first tested the lord with words, then retested with horses, and finally tried again with Liu Tichun, although you have an old relationship with King Chuang, but Zhao Ying is not like the original after all." King Chuang worked hard and tried three layers in a row, as long as one of the rings of the lord hesitated, I was afraid that it would arouse the jealousy of King Chuang. ”

Zhao Dangshi listened to it, thought about it carefully, and shuddered. Tian Jianxiu said that the next thousand horses were just empty mouths and white teeth, and he didn't think much about it at the time, but he just felt that no matter whether it was true or not, he couldn't brush Li Zicheng's mind, but Jingchang Zeyu mentioned it, and he actually escaped by luck. Thinking about that moment, Dantian Jianxiu realized that he had a trace of concern, and he was afraid that he would have to give birth to two hearts, thinking that he had other plans. And putting Liu Tichun in Zhao Ying, not to monitor, let alone horses, now that I think about it, it is also to test Zhao Dangshi's mind, and it also shows Li Zicheng's attitude - he sent his own henchmen here, if Zhao Dangshi really has the intention of not cooperating, it will inevitably completely anger Li Zicheng.

Li Zicheng's eagerness to go south Zhao Dangshi understood, but he didn't expect him to be so eager. Because the more urgent the performance, the more important it means that the matter, and the more cautious it is before acting. It seems that under the encirclement and suppression of Hong Chengchou and others in northern Shaanxi, Li Zicheng really can't hold on.

Zhao Dangshi was speechless for a long time, thinking that Li Zicheng's generosity to him at the beginning may not be just out of righteousness, and then thinking about it now is even more chilling to try three times in one step. He believes that Li Zicheng is not a treacherous person, but once the word "interests" is involved, Li Zicheng will no longer represent him alone. Li Zicheng can't think of tricks, naturally someone will think for him; Li Zicheng can't do it, naturally someone will do it for him. The body is involuntarily present in any status, moment, and scene.

Chang Zeyu quietly waited for Zhao Dangshi to come back to his senses from his reverie. He was used to this kind of thing. If there is no interest, there will be no dispute, what he has to do now is to help Zhao Dangshi avoid one "trap" after another and maximize the interests of Zhao Ying. Tian Jianxiu's temptation is nothing at all, and bigger storms are always ahead.

"How to solve the problem of soldiers' rations?" After taking a few deep breaths, Zhao Dangshi obviously put aside his distracting thoughts and thought of more realistic issues. He boasted to Tian Jianxiu about Haikou and asked King Chuang to "act as usual", but Zhao Yingzi would not survive the two-month period of lack of grain with his promise.

Chang Zeyu habitually stroked the thick black and smooth hair under his chin, as a military advisor, he was very clear about his duty: not to speak out against the lord when he negotiated with outsiders, but to be responsible for what the lord said afterwards.

He also had a way to deal with military rations.