Gao Chongwen, Yan Li, Li Xianyi, Liu Wu, and Li Guangyan drove out one after another, and the battle in Xichuan continued, and Li Mao led a team of 100 people to travel in a low-key manner. Xinjin Ru Mrs. Lan'er took the Yao sisters to the outside of the city, along the way she forced Li Mao to sit in her car, the true nature of the conversation was leisurely, Li Mao didn't dare to scream, wanted to cry without tears, and it was easy to stay out of the city, Lan'er's words came to an abrupt end. There were many people who saw Li Mao off, she sat in the car and refused to get down, Li Mao said: "It's okay, it's all relatives." ”

Lan'er said: "I understand the rules, I'm leaving, you take care all the way." ”

Saying that he took care of his eyes, his eyes were red, and tears burst out of his eyes, and after he lowered the curtain, he sobbed quietly. Li Mao didn't comfort her, this kind of occasion is not suitable for children, he waved his hand and asked the coachman to leave quickly.

The land of Xichuan, many, many years later, Li Mao once went, crossed the mountains and rivers, although the road was unimpeded, but the hardships of Shu still left a deep impression on him.

The difficulty of Shu Dao is the unique magic weapon held by the moderate ministers of the imperial court, which is enough to deter a large number of people, and it is also the most headache for the main battle faction. Sitting on the court, you can generously reprimand these people for not being aggressive, getting by, and perfunctory responsibility for state affairs, but when you are in a dangerous mountain and a huge valley, looking at the foggy mountains and rivers ahead, any ambition will be consumed in an instant, and the only thing that will support you is fame and fortune.

"All departments are promoting the wealth of Chengdu, and they are all spreading rumors that Chengdu is full of beautiful women, with plump breasts and fat buttocks, scary long legs, dazzling white skin, and gentle personality......"

"This is not rumor-mongering, the water and soil in the place are good, and people are raised."

"Is it really all over the streets?"

"Brother Mao fooled you, how could he have ever been to Chengdu?"

"Been there, been there, many, many, many years...... After. ”

"Haha, I said he coaxed you. Many, many, many years later, if it goes well, it won't take a year to get to Chengdu. ”

"One year." Zhang Qi looked at the mountains hidden in the clouds and mist in front of him, and said with a sad face: "If you go on like this, it will really take many, many years later." ”

……

"The fear of difficulties is pervasive in the army, although I have said hello in advance, but the hardships of Shu are still more than most people expected, this mountain ...... It's so high. ”

Liu Wu couldn't help but burst into a foul mouth, as the leading general of the army, he has always shown himself with a steady face.

Li Mao said: "Can the scheduled march plan be completed?" ”

"I'm suffering every day, and I can't tell if I won't be able to walk one day."

"When a soldier of Gao Chong's Ministry of Culture passed by Xingyuan Mansion, he went to the tavern to eat, drank some wine, and broke a chopstick in excitement and asked him to behead it. This person is not easy to mess with. ”

The story of Gao Chongwen's sword and prestige in Xingyuan Mansion has spread all over the three armies, and the driving force behind the scenes is Li Mao, who wants to use this incident to establish a strong image of Gao Chongwen with clear rewards and punishments and strict management of the army.

Otherwise, how to coordinate the five armies belonging to different camps is really a worrying thing.

Liu Wu nodded and said, "Don't worry, the Right Wei Yuan Army will not embarrass you." ”

During the banquet in Liu Wu's camp, Liu Congzhi saluted Li Mao with a glass of wine, clicked his lips, and said: "The soldiers and horses have not moved, the grain and grass go first, and this is only five hundred miles away from Beijing, and the grain and grass in the rear are often not supplied. This matter still has to be annoyed and appeased, so that it is a lot of trouble. ”

Liu Wu slapped the case and shouted: "Bastard, what kind of person are you, you dare to support the handsome." ”

Li Mao said with a smile: "It doesn't matter, what the virtuous nephew said is reasonable, Gao Shuai has been in the army for a long time, has never been in a place, is not familiar with local affairs, governs the military and military orders, and deals with the locality, you have to be good at and mud, the virtuous nephew reminds me that I do pay more attention to this." ”

was called by Li Mao's virtuous nephews one by one, Liu Congzhi was depressed and helpless, he was not a few years younger than Li Mao in terms of age, but Li Mao and Liu Wu called him brothers, he was naturally a virtuous nephew.

This expedition because the time is too tight, the rear grain and grass can not be transported, the imperial court issued an edict to temporarily raise grain for the army from the places along the way, the area south of Zhongnan Mountain was a barren land, but because of the geographical remoteness, there is Zhongnan Mountain to block, to avoid the destruction of the Anshi Rebellion, the people's livelihood has been well preserved, during the Anshi Rebellion, a large number of people in Guanzhong and Henan went south to take refuge, effectively developing this originally barbaric land.

The Anshi Rebellion lasted eight years, and the trauma caused to the Tang Dynasty was incomparable, and after the war, the original hinterland of the Tang Dynasty, Heluoguan, was a scorched earth, uninhabited for thousands of miles, and the economy collapsed.

However, the green waters and green mountains in Shannan have preserved a trace of rejuvenation for the Tang Dynasty, but the post-war generations of monarchs have no heart or talent to cheer up, and the government is not repaired, so that this vitality has not been well utilized.

In the place where the army has not been used for a long time, once the war is coming, the people are frightened and uneasy, rumors are spread for a while, the people and rich households have avoided the mountains and forests, hiding their belongings, the local government has a heavy task of collecting grain and grass, and the time is tight, coupled with the strict military orders of Gao Chongwen, the slightest violation of the strict punishment is established, so that the unbearable grassroots officials flee in large numbers, no one does anything, and it is in vain to call the order, so the honest people suffer, so everyone does not want to be honest people, so it forms a dead knot of the vicious circle.

Although Liu Congji's words were not listened to, they touched the crux of the problem, and if this problem is not resolved, it will inevitably hinder the entire battle situation. Li Mao rushed to Xingyuan Mansion in a hurry.

At this moment, Yan Li, the envoy of Shannan Jiedu, had led the army south to beg for thieves, and before leaving, he observed the deputy envoy Zhang Mingjun to preside over the affairs of the military government. Zhang Mingjun was born as a jinshi, made a history of assassination in the locality, and served in the ministry, brilliant in writing, and regarded himself very highly, and looked down on Li Mao, a person who was neither a famous family nor a jinshi, and heard that Li Mao was coming, so he excused himself to inspect the place and avoided it.

Li Mao was a little embarrassed, Qin Mo and Zhang Qi were furious, and Li Mao dismissed Zhang Mingjun for the crime of leaving his post without permission and investigated, you can go out to inspect without doing anything as an observation deputy envoy, and after you do the festival, you should sit in charge of the Quartet, and judge the internal military and political affairs.

Su Zuoming and Li Mao, the new superintendent of Shannan West Road, can speak, he does not obstruct, Zhang Mingjun has grievances, not to mention that he is at fault first.

Li Mao shook his head and said to Qin Mo and Zhang Qi: "We must convince people with reason and morality." This Deputy Envoy Zhang has been trained in the Ministry of Officials and in the localities, and he is a good hand at handling civil affairs. In addition, the Yan Overseer is fighting outside, and you have left the one he recommended to be destroyed, what does the family think. ”

Since entering the Shannan Jiedu Embassy, none of the Shangzuo in the mansion have shown up, and the people who greet them are some nameless and nameless officials, even so, the attitude is not very polite, Zhang Qi is holding back his belly for this, listening to Li Mao say this, he puffed up angrily: "What does he dare to do, and dare to rebel?" ”

Li Mao smiled and said: "Rebellion or don't dare, grinding foreign workers is inevitable." How many of us are there this time to fight against the thieves? ”

Zhang Qi folded his fingers and calculated: "Five thousand in the high department, one thousand in the Yan department, two thousand in the Li department, two thousand in the right army, and three thousand in Hedong." A total of twenty-four thousand. ”

Li Mao asked again: "How many troops does Liu Bi have?" ”

Zhang Qi said: "I understand what you mean, Yan Li is the main force, we can't afford to offend." ”

Qin Mo said: "It's not that I can't afford to offend, it's that we have to focus on the overall situation, Brother Mao is waiting for the autumn queen to settle accounts." ”

Li Mao said: "Don't spend my belly with the heart of a villain, I have always been to convince people with virtue." ”

Li Mao asked people to move a chair and sit in the guest hall of the observation mansion and wait slowly, according to Qin Mo and Zhang Qi's temper, Li Mao should sit at the gate of the military mansion and wait, so as to make a good fuss about this deputy envoy Zhang, who does not know the height of the sky.

But Li Mao said that he wanted to convince people with virtue, and the two had to put away their careful thoughts.

Zhang Mingjun pretended to go out on patrol, but he didn't go far from the city, and when he heard that Li Mao was sitting in the guest hall of his observation mansion waiting for him, he snorted to the left and right: "This pacifier has a good temper. Left and right: "It is rumored in the capital that he has a secret edict in his hand to act cheaply, and the Ming Duke still accommodates him a little." ”

Zhang Mingjun said: "It's not that the old man refuses to accommodate him, it's really this kind of Qincha who speaks of Tianxian is the easiest to make mistakes, on the one hand, he doesn't know how to pretend to understand, and on the other hand, he is strong and reasonable. The old man just wants to cool him and kill his sharpness, and it's best if he can't stand the anger and leave by himself. ”

Shaking his head left and right, he sighed: "Ming Gong, why bother, I'd rather offend a gentleman than a villain." ”

Zhang Mingjun said: "The old man is dedicated to the public, but he is not angry with him. He sighed again: "If you offend, you will be offended, you will be offended, you will lose your official position and go home to farm, the sea has been up and down for decades, everything you should have experienced has been experienced, nothing is great." ”

Li Mao waited from noon to dusk and sunset, drank tea on his stomach, and ran to the toilet several times. Zhang Mingjun was late, and when he entered the door, his waist was straight, he arched his hand, and said with a dry smile: "Pacify the great driver, if you miss the welcome, forgive your sins." Li Mao said with a smile: "Ming Gong is busy with official business, so he disturbed it." As he spoke, he bowed and returned the salute. Zhang Mingjun was surprised, Li Mao's official residence is the fourth rank of Honglu Shaoqing, and he is also the minister of the Qincha, he is just a five-rank official who temporarily presides over government affairs, and he is under Li Mao in terms of status and power, so it is not suitable to hold it up. But Li Mao was not the slightest annoyed, but calmly seemed that nothing had happened, this open-mindedness and bearing made Zhang Mingjun's face a little hot.