Guojiazhuang surrendered without a fight, so that Li Zhong, who had already had the intention to return to the imperial court, felt real pressure, and the striker stationed in Jinzhuang took the opportunity to send people to persuade him to surrender.

At this moment, two and a half months have passed since Li Mao sent out his troops, and it is the late spring and early summer.

Li Mao sent an envoy to report to Uncle Zhang at night. The main force of this round of suppression of bandits is Li Mao and Cao, Yan, Pu three state army, the sword army and horses envoy Zhang Shuye is only a nominal envoy, except for a military meeting organized in Yanzhou, basically did not participate, the states only when the grain and grass and ordnance are not enough to report to it, but there are captures are bypassing Zhang Shuye directly to the Ziqing military government to report the victory, so Zhang Shuye is very grateful to Li Mao's respect, specifically in the name of recruiting envoys to the Jiedu envoy Li Shigu for Li Mao to ask for credit, Li Shigu immediately sent the deputy envoy of Yingtian Li Fang as the **** envoy, Together with Uncle Zhang, he went to the Golden Monkey Pass to comfort the soldiers of Gushan Town.

Li Fang is Li Na's uncle, is Li Shigu's grandparents, has been in charge of Ziqing camp affairs for many years, fake public and private, family land throughout the twelve states of Ziqing, a total of no less than 100,000 hectares, is one of the representatives of the Li family in the four major families of Ziqing Wang, Wang, Li and Fang, and can be regarded as a pivotal figure in the Yunzhou officialdom.

The generals were worried that Uncle Zhang would steal the merit at night, and persuaded Li Mao to move Pei Renyong and others to Gushan Town, but Li Mao smiled faintly and did not accept it. Staff officer Zheng Xiaozhang reminded: "Uncle Zhang may not dare to take credit in the open and honest manner, but it is difficult to ensure that Li Fang and others do not take the opportunity to kill the Pei family brothers, I heard that Li Fang is the most harsh among the Li family relatives." Prevent him from breaking his word and killing people. ”

Zhang Shuye was dissatisfied with Li Shigu's sending Li Fang as the **** envoy, and he also knew that this person was arrogant and domineering, so he sent his henchman secretary in advance to go to Li Mao's camp in Golden Monkey Pass in the name of verifying the results of the battle, and secretly revealed the news. There is no precedent for the secretary in charge to verify the results of the battle, Li Mao has a different heart, and it is only after hearing Li Fang's name that he understands it in his heart. Li Fang's arrogant and domineering name, he also heard of it in Gushan Town, he was a few large landowners in Ziqing, fostered tens of thousands of tenant farmers under his name, and accumulated 10,000 serfs, and hated the small people the most in his life for rebellion and disorder.

Li Mao used the means of appeasement to quickly pacify Daxiao Pu Mountain, Guojiazhuang and Jinhou Pass, avoiding the destruction of life, those who praise it are called benevolent, and those who slander it say that their hands are too soft. Li Mao discussed countermeasures with staff officer Zheng Xiaozhang.

Zheng Xiaozhang said: "In the old days, the villagers of Jimo County were dissatisfied with the miscellaneous taxes and boycotted the tax, and the Mizhou assassin was afraid that the matter would be more embarrassing than his face, and he wanted to use gentle means to punish the tax collectors who did misdeeds. Therefore, the Mizhou assassin changed his original intention, arrested and imprisoned seven troublemakers, and sent the state army into the countryside to use force, resulting in the death of more than 30 people. In order to cover up, the local government slandered that the peasant households in the township had rebelled against taxes, and beheaded seven leaders. At this time, there was a lot of uproar, about the fifteenth year of Zhenyuan. ”

Li Mao said: "Looking at it this way, it is safe to send the Pei family brothers, Zhu Jiu and others back to Gushan Town." Zheng Xiaozhang said: "Zhu Jiu and Guo Liang are good to say, but I am afraid that the Pei family brothers and Li Zhong will refuse." Li Mao said: "Stating the interests and disadvantages, if he refuses, I will also do my best." Qingmo was ordered to persuade everyone to temporarily go to Gushan Town to avoid the limelight, Zhu Jiu readily agreed, Guo Liang did not dare not agree, but the Pei brothers and Li Zhong refused, especially Li Zhong mistakenly thought that Li Mao was going to change his hexagram and threatened to leave, and the Pei brothers also expressed their intention to see the **** envoy Li Fang, the words were very tactful, but the attitude was very resolute.

Li Mao deliberately questioned Qingmo about this matter and asked him what his countermeasures were, Qingmo puffed up and said: "They think our temple is small and can't sit on the three ******of them, so let them go, where is spacious." ”

Li Mao said: "This is your countermeasure? Qingmo said: "Then what else, you are not his father and brother-in-law, is he willing to listen to his bitter words, anyway, I can't persuade him." Then he asked Li Mao, "What is your plan?" Li Mao smiled: "You are still helpless, what can I do, it will rain, my mother wants to marry, let them go." ”

Since ancient times, the retribution of victory and the sacrifice of prisoners are major events, and the ceremony is doubly grand, the purpose of which is to reward the soldiers, and the second is to deter lawlessness, Li Mao only took more than two months to flatten the five bandits entrenched between Caozhou and Yunzhou, and for a time shook the twelve states of Ziqing. When Zhang Shuye and Zheng E, the camp supervisor, accompanied Li Fang to the Golden Monkey Pass to comfort their labor, they carried countless sheep wine, 20 carts of salt, 30,000 military rewards, and 8,000 horses.

Li Mao led the generals of Gushan Town to welcome out of the gate, on the way the angel came to the camp master to welcome three miles, the governor (the festival envoy) came to the camp to welcome one mile, and the rest of the generals came to the camp to welcome the front of the hall is a heavy gift, Li Mao greeted the gate outside the door The number of gifts is very thoughtful, Zhang Shuye and Zheng E were very happy in their hearts, thinking that Li Mao gave him a great face, only Li Fang provoked and said: "In the past, Shigu was ordered to go to Dengzhou to ask for pirates, and I went to raise the army. ”

Zheng E said with a smile: "Therefore, the former can represent the town of the Son of Heaven, and the latter can only defend one city so far." Zheng E is the deputy envoy of the Ziqing Supervision Military Academy, and Zhou Yang's confidant, knowing that Zhou Yang has a good relationship with Li Mao, so he spoke out to relieve the siege.

In order to welcome Li Fang and Zhang Shuye and his party, Li Mao specially ordered the weeds in front of the Golden Monkey Pass to be hoeed, mated the road with pure land, and set up a full guard of honor, which was not grand, but Li Fang hated Li Mao for not using the screen, and his face was gloomy on the road, and he didn't say a word.

When he arrived at the meeting hall of the Chinese army, Li Mao presided over the ceremony, Zheng E announced the commendation order on behalf of the camp, welcomed the military government labor corps, and walked to Li Fang, he barely bothered to read out the military government's commendation order for the Qing Navy's camp in Gushan Town, so he refused to say a word, and asked the deputy envoy to announce the reward. Li Fang's attitude was very cold, but Li Shigu's reward was very rich, and Li Mao led the officers and soldiers of the three armies to thank him in unison, and his voice was uniform and his momentum was extremely majestic. Zheng E laughed heartily when he saw it, but Li Fang's face was so black that he could squeeze out water.

Zhang Shuye also felt that Li Fang was a little wrong, so he ignored him and deliberately said loudly to Li Mao: "Maohua personally risked the arrow stone to get rid of thieves for the country, but the old man was cowering on the wall in Yunzhou to watch. ”

Uncle Zhang's words were half out of sincerity, half out of helplessness, he didn't want to be greedy but didn't dare. Li Shigu is suspicious and suspicious, and he is strict, where are the shogunates, prefectures, counties, and military towns in Ziqing not his eyes and ears? Gushan Town has just been taken from Yu Hualong, and Li Maojun still has a lot of old Qing Navy departments, how can he not have the eyes and ears of the copper tiger head by his side? is only afraid of the affairs of the army, his every move is under Li Shigu's monitoring, the merits have long been decided, how dare he, Zhang Shuye, take the lead in the army?

Li Mao said sincerely: "The last general can wipe out the thieves, one depends on the prosperity of my Tang Dynasty, the second is the prosperity of the Tang Dynasty, the second is the Hongfu of the Son of Heaven, the third is the selection of talents and talents, and the fourth is to sit in Yunzhou, deploy the Quartet, and receive ordnance and food; Fifth, the soldiers worked together, and the sixth was that the Pei family brothers, Zhu Jiu, Guo Liang, Li Zhong and others could repent and return to obedience in time. Mao's merit is nothing more than dedication to duty. ”

Zheng E said with a smile: "Maohua doesn't have to be too humble, suppress bandits for three months, and you are the only one who has made meritorious contributions, which is what makes you special." Li Mao was humbling, Li Fang suddenly snorted and said: "The Pei family brothers and Zhu Jiu and others are in the mermaid and meat township, killing officials and slaughtering officials, and they are guilty of complicity and rebellion, and they should be punished by the nine clans!" How can a repentant be written off? ”

As soon as this remark came out, everyone was shocked, Zheng E and Zhang Shuye were suddenly speechless, although Li Fang was the deputy envoy of Yingtian, but he was the elder of the Li family in Yingzhou, and his influence in Ziqing could far exceed the position of the deputy envoy of Yingtian, among the two, Zhang Shuye was Li Shidao's cronies, and Li Shidao was Li Fang's grandchild in terms of seniority.

As for Zheng E, he is not afraid of Li Fang, but his position is different, I wish Li Fang would pinch Li Mao, how could he persuade him?

Li Fang's words made the Pei family brothers and Li Zhong, who were kneeling in the front row of the team full of expectations for the high-level reward of Yunzhou, fall into an ice cave in an instant, and the hot red heart in their abdomen became cold in an instant.