"Are there any spies of the Qiang people in the city? Or is it that among the twenty-three tribes that have allied with my Great Wei, there is in fact one or several traitors?"

Zhao Hongrun pondered silently.

This kind of thing happened just after the establishment of the 'Ruoshui Alliance', which Zhao Hongrun last wanted to see, because it would affect the trust between the tribes in the 'Weichuan Alliance'.

"Someone, the patriarch of the Aries tribe, Halegohe, the patriarch of the Meng tribe, Meng Liang, and the patriarch of the Lun tribe, Lu Balong, are invited to come to this felt tent."

After pondering for a while, Zhao Hongrun ordered the sect guards to invite the three tribal patriarchs.

About a quarter of an hour later, the three patriarchs, Halgohe, Meng Liang and Lu Balun, came to the felt tent where Zhao Hongrun was.

"King Su." The three patriarchs saluted Zhao Hongrun.

"You may be seated." Zhao Hongrun raised his hand and motioned for the three patriarchs to take their seats.

During this period, his gaze swept over the three patriarchs of Halegohe, Meng Liang, and Lu Balon one by one.

The first is Halgohe, this person is the patriarch of the Aries tribe of the Qiang tribe, this uncle who is almost fifty years old, during the hunting period, because of the kindness of the tiger guards and clearly supported the Wei State, and in the "Gong Yu Anti-Water" incident the day before, he sternly rejected the bewitchment of the patriarch of the Black Sheep tribe, Rabittu, and repeatedly persuaded the patriarchs of Gong and Luo not to be enemies of the Wei State, and was even sent under house arrest by Rabitu for a time, and is now the most trusted patriarch of the Sanchuan tribe by Zhao Hongrun.

Secondly, Meng Liang, who is the patriarch of the Meng tribe of the Yi tribe, although he abstained from voting when he was hunting, but in the "Gong Yu Anti-Water" incident a few days ago, he advanced and retreated with Halegohe. However, because this person has a lot of complaints about the Dangshan Army, Zhao Hongrun can't be sure of the patriarch's sincerity.

The second is Lu Balon, this person is the patriarch of the Lun tribe of the Qiang tribe, who once abstained from voting during the hunting, and, in the "Gong Yu Anti-Water" incident a few days ago, he listened to the bewitchment of the patriarch of the Black Sheep tribe, Rabitu, and fought against the Wei army.

It stands to reason that Zhao Hongrun should not trust this person, but this patriarch once groveled and made a promise to surrender to Wei for the sake of the fate of his clan.

Such a patriarch, starting from the heart, Zhao Hongrun really didn't want him to be a betrayer.

It may be that seeing that Zhao Hongrun didn't speak for a long time, Halegoh glanced at the other two patriarchs after sitting in the seat, and asked in a low voice: "King Su summoned the three of us this time because the warrior sent out by the Lun tribe to inquire about the news was attacked by the horns, right?" ”

As soon as the words fell, before Zhao Hongrun could express his opinion, Lu Balon, the patriarch of the Lun clan, scolded hatefully: "What is there to discuss in this matter? There are traitors in the Union! Otherwise, it would not have been possible for Kakaku to find out what was going on so quickly! ”

"Lubaron." Patriarch Meng Liang interrupted Lu Balon's words, frowned and said, "Just say this here, but don't be suspicious of other tribes at will like during the day, which will destroy the mutual trust between the tribes of the alliance." ”

『……』

Zhao Hongrun saw the reactions of these three people in his eyes, and after pondering for a while, he said in a deep voice: "This matter, this king did not tell General Sima An, but he asked the Dangshan soldiers who were in charge of the city defense a few days ago, and they said that in the past few days, there have been no people who have left the city without permission. …… Therefore, the king felt that if there were indeed betrayers in the city, then there were only two ways for them to take the opportunity to tell the tribe of the Cornhorn. …… One is to flee under the pretext of grazing sheep; And the other one is ......"

"An outpost to find out the movements of the Horn Tribe." Halgoh took Zhao Hongrun's words and glanced at Meng Liang and Lu Balon.

You must know that the warriors of the Meng tribe and the Lun tribe are responsible for exploring the movements of the army of the Qiangjiao tribe.

"King Su doubts me?" Lu Baron's expression changed suddenly, and he asked angrily and in shock.

But at this moment, Zhao Hongrun raised his hand to stop Lu Balon's words, and said: "This king will not doubt the character of a patriarch who does not hesitate to endure humiliation and bear his burden to the former enemy for the sake of his clan, and Patriarch Lu Balon should not be excited. ”

Lu Balon was stunned for a moment when he heard this, and immediately showed a deep look of gratitude on his face, but after that, he looked at Meng Liang beside him with a strange gaze, and his right hand, which was originally holding the croissant, also quietly hung down, clenched into a fist, as if it was a fierce beast ready to attack.

Seeing this, Patriarch Meng Liang's face also changed, and he smiled bitterly in dismay: "Lu Balon, don't be impulsive. …… King Su, you don't doubt me, do you? ”

Seeing this scene, Zhao Hongrun hurriedly stopped: "Patriarch Lubaron, don't be impatient, this king doesn't think that Patriarch Meng Liang will betray us." ”

Hearing this, Lu Balon and Meng Liang were both stunned, and the former asked in surprise: "If it's not the two of us, why is King Su ......?"

At this time, Zhao Hongrun pondered his tone, lowered his voice and said, "This king believes in the two patriarchs, but ...... Can the two patriarchs be sure that the warriors you send out are loyal to both of them and will not be ...... by some people? Instigate? ”

......Hearing this, Lu Balon and Meng Liang glanced at each other, and vaguely understood the meaning of the Su King in front of them.

Indeed, although they, as the patriarchs of their own clan, chose to stand on the same side as the Wei State against public opinion, this does not mean that there is no opposition within their clan.

You must know that the Lun clan and the Meng tribe are both Yi tribes, and the Hu tribe that the Dangshan army destroyed a while ago is also a Yi tribe, so it is not surprising that some of the first two tribes have a grudge against the Wei people.

"Listen to what King Su said...... Lu Baron narrowed his eyes, raised his hand to touch the stubble on his chin, and muttered, "When I decided to submit to King Su, there were really a few leaders in the tribe who disagreed......

On the other hand, Meng Liang, the patriarch of the Meng tribe, his face was not very good-looking, and he also had an object of suspicion in his heart.

"What a gaffe!" Breathing out hatefully, Lu Balon said with a blue face: "There are spies in the city, this is from my mouth, if it is finally verified that the traitor is really a member of my Lun tribe, I Lu Balon is really ......."

With that, he looked gloomy and wanted to get up.

Seeing this, Zhao Hongrun, who had already guessed what he wanted to do, hurriedly stopped: "Patriarch Lubaron, please don't be impatient. What Fang just said is all the speculation of this king, and it cannot be relied on as evidence. If the patriarch goes back indiscriminately and harms a good person, it is not good. Moreover, it is not certain that the news was revealed because of the people in the city, and no one can say whether the people of the Qian tribe also secretly sent people to investigate the movements on this side of the city? If it were the king, the king would have done it. ”

"What does King Su mean?" Halgoch asked tentatively.

"And put it in your heart." Zhao Hongrun shook his head, and said with a straight face: "As long as all the patriarchs remember this matter in their hearts and be vigilant, they can't make people panic and doubt each other." …… At present, if the enemy destroys the Great Wall, it will be difficult to win this battle. ”

After a pause, he added: "The reason why this king invited the three to come over is because among the patriarchs, this king trusts the three the most in the three, so I hope that the three will secretly supervise this matter for this king, and if there are really spies or traitors in the city, don't startle the snake, just tell the king about it." …… As for the other twenty patriarchs, please be honest with each other, this king believes that we are allies who have made a sacred covenant by blood together, and we are trustworthy! ”

Halegoch and the others glanced at each other and took on the task.

However, before leaving, Meng Liang, the patriarch of the Meng clan, couldn't help but ask, "Does King Su really think that my twenty-three patriarchs are trustworthy?" ”

"Of course!"

"But what if, there is indeed a betrayer among them, and this person is innocent of King Su's trust? …… Hasn't the king trusted anyone else? ”

Zhao Hongrun smiled and said, "That king thinks he's unlucky!" …… As for the other patriarchs, the king will still give his trust. ”

Meng Liang was slightly moved when he heard this, and after glancing at the Lu Balong Patriarch, the two of them promised with gloomy faces: "King Su rest assured, this matter, the two of us will definitely find out to King Su!" ”

"Don't startle the snake! …… If someone really betrays the enemy, maybe this king can still use him. ”

"Understood!"

The three patriarchs saluted and took their leave.

At this time, it happened that Wu Ji and Zhai Huang, the two generals of the Shang Water Army, walked into the felt tent, and the two sides almost bumped into each other.

"His Royal Highness King Su, did you summon those three patriarchs alone?"

Wu Ji glanced back at the three patriarchs who had gradually walked away, and asked thoughtfully, "Is it because the outpost of the Lun tribe was attacked by the Qiang tribe?" ”

"Hmm." Zhao Hongrun nodded, and then changed the topic: "How is the layout of the city defense?" ”

It's not that he doesn't trust Wu Ji, it's just that at the moment when Sima An and Zhu Hai both led the elite of their headquarters to leave Luocheng, Wu Ji has become a general who oversees the war on the side of Luocheng, and Zhao Hongrun doesn't want to put too much pressure on this young and inexperienced general.

"It's almost arranged." After receiving Zhao Hongrun's signal, Wu Ji sat down in the seat in the felt tent and reported respectfully: "According to the orders of His Royal Highness King Su, the old people, children, and sheep grazing by the shepherds of the various tribes in the city are gradually evacuated to Gongdi under the control of the patriarchs of the tribes. ”

Zhao Hongrun frowned when he heard this, and said: "Gongdi is not a safe place, even if you have to rest for a while, you can't stay for a long time. Now that the people of Qianjiao have learned that the tribes of these two places have reached an alliance with our Great Wei, it is not impossible to send troops to attack Gongdi, it is best to withdraw to Chenggao Pass, and the Chenggao army left behind in Chenggao Pass will be responsible for protecting them. ”

"The last general will be dispatched to convey it to the patriarchs later."

Subsequently, Wu Ji successively reported to Zhao Hongrun on the specific matters of the city defense, such as the guarding of the city gates in the four directions and the distribution of troops, the arrangement of patrols in the city, the guarding of important baggage such as crossbows and catapults, and the reservation of those places on the city wall for those tribal patriarchs who wanted to make a contribution, etc.

According to what Wu Ji said, Zhao Hongrun drew a simple map of the layout of the city defense of Luocheng, which was convenient for future military meetings.

On the one hand, the Wei army was in full swing preparing for the upcoming war, while on the other side, the army of the Qiangjiao tribe was gradually approaching.

Finally, on the 15th of August, we arrived at the city. (To be continued.) )