In this regard, Wu Shaoyang said, Brother and rest assured, I have sent several groups of secret envoys and dead soldiers to Yunzhou and Weizhou, and I believe that these two towns will not sit idly by and ignore the survival of Huaixi.

So Wu Shaocheng was a little relieved, and the group rode through the goose and duck pond and entered the majestic and strong Runan City.

Caizhou, formerly known as Yuzhou, was renamed "Cai" because of the temple of Li Yu of the Tang Dynasty, but it has always been used in later generations. It is located on the Rushui River, controlling Luoyang in the north, covering Yinghuai in the south, connecting Xiangdeng in the west, and connecting the Central Plains in the east, it has always been the place where the north and south gateways of China are contending, from the Spring and Autumn Period to the Yuan and Ming Dynasties, all of them are where the soldiers must fight.

Its capital, Runan City, also known as Ruyang City, is surrounded by many rivers and lakes:

Rushui is the most important river, its main river and tributaries, around the whole city, and then southeast into Gwangju, and finally into the Huaishui, and the city wall of Runan is built along the flow of Rushui, the shape is like a gourd, so it is also called "hanging gourd (pot) city";

In addition to Rushui, there is Lianshui in the west of the city, there is Huangshui in the northwest of the city, there is water in the east of the city, there is Qinshui and Wenshui in the south of the city, all of them are injected into Rushui from different directions, and the land outside the city of Runan is cut out of large and small lakes, such as South Lake, West Lake, Triangle Lake, Shijia Lake, Chaitan, Hongchipi, etc., these lakes have many embankments, rice is planted on the periphery, and the inside is rich in water chestnut, gourd (that is, commonly known as chicken head fruit), fish and shrimp, etc., it has always been the reliance of Caizhou military and civilians to eat.

When the war between the imperial court and Caizhou began, Wu Shaocheng ordered to set up fences at the mouth of the rivers and lake embankments to increase the strength to defend the city.

And the hanging gourd city itself, there are tall pheasants, corner towers, and divided into the west city, the east city and the sub-city threefold, and now Wu Shaocheng is determined to defend the suburbs of the city with 5,000 soldiers, and then guard the city with 5,000 soldiers, and at the same time levy the families of the soldiers, craftsmen, and traders in the city, organize them into troops, take turns to garrison the city, and concentrate all the grain in the city in the sub-city, unified rationing.

The inside and outside of the city are horns of each other, and with the help of rivers and lakes and other moats, Wu Shaocheng is very confident, "Stick to it for three months to half a year, and it is not a big problem." That Tian Xu and Li Shigu will definitely mediate for me when the time comes. ”

In the backyard of the Huaining Military Mansion, the house slave Xian Xiong'er knelt on the porch, and said to Wu Shaocheng who stepped into it: "After the fall of Yuncheng, more than 10,000 of the soldiers of my Huaining Army did not return, and they all died in the big and small rivers. ”

When Wu Shaocheng heard this, he was also a little frightened, so he asked Xian Yuxiong'er what to do.

"There are still more than 100,000 pieces of money and goods in the house, please set up a banquet in the east pavilion of Zicheng and distribute it to the generals and their families, so as to solidify people's hearts."

Wu Shaocheng agreed to come down and entrust this matter to Xian Yu Xiong'er and Wu Shaoyang.

Just after Xian Yu Xiong'er retired and left, Wu Shaocheng's daughter came crying and told him the news of Dong Chongzhi's death.

Wu Shaocheng almost fainted.

It turned out that Dong Chongzhen's head had been sent to Runan City at this time.

Dong has always been Wu Shaocheng's most important son-in-law, and he is also the most effective cadre of the entire team, "The traitor Gao Yue, I will not die well in the future!" Wu is gritted his teeth and made up his mind that even if he died, he would die with Gao Yue.

At this time, the daughter hugged her younger brother Yuanqing, cried and cried, and persuaded her father: "I was killed with my husband, and almost all of your tooth soldiers, Father, now in this city, where are there trustworthy people to protect my family?" ”

"I still have the mastermind Li Yuanping, and the humerus Wu Shaoyang, don't worry." Wu Shaocheng leaned on the rope bed and replied to his daughter.

"After Wu Shaoyang returned here, he talked privately with Xian Yu Xiong'er several times, knowing people and faces, but not knowing his heart, lest he seek to meet you, father!"

"The Huaining Army is all born together, and betraying me is not beneficial to him at all." Wu Shaocheng was still explaining, at this time, Xian Xiong'er came to the curtain, and said respectfully that the banquet was ready on the side of the pavilion.

"Why so fast?" Wu Shaocheng was suspicious.

Xiong Er explained: "There are special restaurants and wine stores in the city, water and land ingredients, and pots and pans, as long as the money is in place, it can be prepared within an hour." ”

So Wu Shaocheng dispelled his concerns, but he was a little hesitant, so he asked Xiong'er sharply: "I heard that I am not in Runan City for ten days, you and Wu Shaoyang have a close relationship, is there such a thing?" ”

Xiong Er was so frightened that his feet were weak, and he knelt in front of Wu Shaocheng, not daring to speak.

Wu Shaocheng was furious, got up and drew his sword, and asked Xiong Er what he talked about with Wu Shaoyang.

"Chu Shuai had previously set up a fence outside the city, and he was quite short of money, so he came to me again and again, hoping that I would use part of the private wealth of the family to be used for Zhou Yuan's expenditure." Xian Yu Xiong'er stammered and explained.

I see.

Wu Shaocheng's heart relaxed a lot at this time, and he asked Xiong Er again, have you taken out your private wealth.

"This money is all under the festival, and the slave is just taking care of it with the halogen book, even if the marshal comes to ask for it, how dare he give a penny?" The bear bowed.

At this point, Wu Shaocheng was completely relieved, put the sword back into the sheath, and Wen Yan said to Xiong'er You did the right thing, I want to give this money to Shaoyang, and I will have a banquet in the pavilion immediately, and I will donate all my private wealth in person to help defend the city.

In the evening, in the mansion of Li Yuanping in the west of the city, several important officials of the military government knocked on the door, and said that the servants were invited to enter the sub-city to set up a pavilion and feast with the whole government.

In the sound of knocking, Li Yuanping put on his chapter uniform uneasily.

"Xiangling, when I go here these days, whether day or night, as long as I close my eyes, I can see Yang Yuanqing's wife and children, a total of five people, dressed in white, covered in blood, standing in front of me......" he chattered.

In the inner room, facing the bronze mirror, Xiang Ling, who was sitting on the Yin seat, turned his face sideways and looked at him quietly, with a sad expression and did not say a word.

"Don't blame me for the death of the prostitute of the Jia family, it was she and Yang Yuanqing who deceived you and me and sold Huaixi!"

But Xiangling turned her face away, and Li Yuanping could no longer see her expression clearly.

Li Yuanping only felt a chill all over his body, he walked to the iron cabinet against the wall again, unlocked it, took out the jade ring hidden in the box from it, and rubbed it uneasily, "Immediately, the official army will definitely besiege Runan City on a large scale, I am afraid that it will be separated from the clouds and your yin and yang forever...... I don't know if you remember me, if you remember me....... From now on, we must work hard to eat, keep our limbs healthy, and be good at preserving ......" muttering here, Li Yuanping suddenly couldn't hold back, and tears fell down and hit the jade ring, and the dark cyan color suddenly flashed with some soft colors.

How much like Cui Yunhe's eyes!

Li Yuanping held it up and looked at it again and again until tears blurred his vision.

The gate turned open, and Li Yuanping, who had packed up his belongings, rode on his horse, surrounded by torches held by slaves and important officials, and began to head towards the sub-city in the northeast corner.

At this moment, under the city, Wu Shaocheng walked to the door, and the guard with the halberd avoided him.

Wu Shaocheng didn't think much about it, so he rode in.

But the halberd man suddenly stabbed out the long halberd in his hand and entered Wu Shaocheng's right rib.