Li Yan did not go home, but rested in the barracks. Early the next morning, Li Zhong and Li Mou came to the barracks to look for him as Li Yan thought.

"Fourth brother, what's the situation?" Li Mu asked nervously.

Li Yan stared at him until Li Mou, who was looking at him, was embarrassed, and then said, "Shi Jin is gone, you don't know, right?" ”

Li Mu bowed his head and said: "I thought he was going out to relax, before he went out every once in a while, basically didn't drink, and he wouldn't go out for a long time." ”

Li Yan waved his hand and said, "I didn't make it clear before, I won't punish you." But from now on, officers and soldiers will take turns to rest, and arrangements must be made. If you ask for leave, you must explain the reason and the time limit for going out. If you can not go out of the camp, you are not allowed. If you have to go out, you have to register. In addition, all bayonets must be carefully checked, whether they are going out or coming in, whether they are soldiers or civilians, they must be checked clearly."

"Got it." Li Mu replied in a low voice.

Li Zhong asked puzzledly: "Shi Jincai usually behaves well, and his mind is also lively, why is it~"

"Alas" Li Mu said regretfully: "I didn't expect that he is still a harrier-like character who climbs over the mountains." ”

Li Zhong said: "Let's be clear, don't keep talking about your black words. ”

"I'm talking about Gao Jie." Li Mou explained: "The mountain harrier is his nickname. He abducted Li Zicheng's concubine, and now he is on an errand under He Renlong, and he seems to be still a deputy general. ”

Li Zhong frowned and asked, "You mean, he defected because of that Qiu Niang?" ”

Li Mu nodded and said, "That's right." He asked me a few times to see if the fourth brother had anything to do with that Qiu Niang. I also asked the fourth brother, and the fourth brother said that it didn't matter. But now~"

"But how?" Li Yan said angrily: "I said a long time ago that there is no problem with the two lovers, but there are many women here who can't be forced, do you have to send them a daughter-in-law to reward them for their bloody battle with me?" I don't want any such people."

"Fourth brother, why bother? It's just a woman, and it's not a rare thing. Besides, you have nothing to do with that Qiu Niang. For a woman to hurt the feelings between brothers, so that there was a defection, it was really worth the loss. Li Mu persuaded.

"Slap" Li Yan slapped the table and said angrily: "He wants a woman today, some money and food tomorrow, and then he starts to collect taxes and fees at will. Why bother to gather the people and resume production? Isn't that the way of the world today? What are we doing for this night? ”

Li Mu was shocked by Li Yan's questioning, and looked at Li Yan and didn't dare to speak.

Li Zhong clapped his hands and said: "It is said that the embankment of a thousand miles is a thousand miles, and it must be prevented if it collapses in the anthill." An opening is made today, and another opening is opened tomorrow, and the days go by, and the levees will burst. ”

Li Mu suddenly said: "There are more emperors in this dynasty, why does every dynasty have a Ming lord, and there must be a faint monarch?" To put it bluntly, even if he is an emperor, he can't live forever, he can manage himself, can he still manage his son and grandson? ”

Li Zhong was stunned, and then he couldn't stop nodding. This is a problem that has plagued this land for thousands of years, but until now, it seems that no solution has been found. It is still round after round of rise and fall, and chaos is repeated again and again.

Li Mu saw that Li Zhong was nodding, but when he saw Li Yan, he didn't react, and still looked at him with a dark face. So he quickly turned the topic back to the main topic and asked, "Then, Shi Jincai went to Li Zicheng, what about our plan?" ”

Li Zhong also thought that the most important issue now was the question of the life and death of Qi County. also asked: "Shi Jin only knew about our plan and deployment, should we rearrange it?" ”

"How?" Li Yan asked, "What do you suggest?" ”

What ideas can they have? There is really no other way than to stick to the county seat. Those fortresses are still possible to block hundreds of displaced people, but a battle-hardened army like Li Zicheng, and tens of thousands of people, plus hundreds of thousands of hungry people, is of no use at all.

Li Mu shook his head and said, "There is no good way. Or, when Chen Yongfu returns to the army, we will cooperate with Chen Yongfu and attack Li Zicheng? As soon as he finished speaking, he denied himself: "Forget it, forget it." We want to cooperate with Chen Yongfu, but Chen Yongfu may not think that we and Li Zicheng will lose both. Don't take the risk. ”

Li Yan said helplessly: "Send more scouts, and you must detect the situation of Kaifeng in time." Let's not send troops first, concentrate our troops in Gegangzhai between the county seat and Qiulou Village, and wait and see what happens. ”

Neither Li Zhong nor Li Mu had any opinions. It turned out that they still had some initiative, but after Shi Jincai defected, they could only deal with it passively.

Outside Kaifeng City, Li Zicheng was in a camp.

Shi Jincai was only taken to see Li Zicheng in the afternoon of the next day, and after many checks in the middle, he also met two people he knew before, which can be regarded as confirming Shi Jincai's identity and allowing him to meet Li Zicheng.

It is now the fourth day of the siege of the city, although there are many of them, but the king of Zhou in Kaifeng City issued a notice, where the people can go out of the city to behead the thieves at the first level, the reward is fifty taels of silver; If you can shoot a thief, you will be rewarded with thirty taels of silver; If you can shoot or wound a thief with masonry, you will be rewarded with ten taels of silver. The reputation of the Zhou Wangfu in Kaifeng is still very good, so the people are like rushing to the market, and they go to the city with swords and bows to help the war.

And Kaifeng's defense facilities are also very complete, as well as the hanging tower, Li Zicheng's troops finally braved the rain of arrows and masonry to rush to the root of the city wall, dig a hole and put **, and were shot by the defenders on the hanging tower. The defenders of Kaifeng were served by the king of Zhou with good food and drink, so the method of persuasion and surrender was not used. Therefore, it was very difficult to attack Kaifeng City.

"Are you Li Mu's subordinate?" Li Zicheng asked.

Shi Jincai hugged his fists and said: "Exactly, when we were broken up by Sun Chuanting, there were township soldiers and officials everywhere searching for us, and General Li took us to Henan." After that, together with his cousin, he became an official in Qi County. ”

"This kid actually came to Henan directly." Liu Zongmin asked with a smile, "What position is he in now?" ”

"Township soldier Qianzong, his cousin is a garrison." Shi Jincai replied.

Liu Zongmin laughed, shook his head and said: "Li Mu is also a fierce general, but he only gives a thousand generals, and he is still a township soldier." That Gao~" Liu Zongmin realized that he had committed Li Zicheng's taboo, so he hurriedly skipped Gao Jie and continued: "After Liu Guoneng and Li Wanqing surrendered, they were all given the title of deputy general. If he Li Mu is no longer successful, he must also have the rank of guerrilla and general. When you go back, just say what I said, let him come here with his troops, and give him a big general. ”

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