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After sending away the clothes, Wang Chengzong was quiet for a while, and said to the left and right: "You all go down." The complete works "When everyone left, he ordered to change clothes left and right, changed into civilian clothes, and went to the garden pavilion of the back house, and then ordered Li Mao to come over.

After Li Mao was captured, in order to avoid humiliation, he reported his name, the guard general is a person who understands, knowing that such a person can not afford to offend even if he is a prisoner, so he is not embarrassed, after arriving in Zhenzhou, there are staff who serve him to bathe and change clothes, and have tea and dinner, so he can still maintain a calm when he comes to see Wang Chengzong.

Wang Chengzong was about the same age as Li Mao, he should have been a very handsome person, but due to the heavy pressure, the whole person was thin and out of shape, and his face was haggard and frightening.

After the ceremony, after a little greeting, Wang Chengzong said: "It has been a rule for fifty years for the father to die and the son to succeed, and the brother to die and the younger brother in Hebei Domain. Ziqing Li Shidao killed his brother and stood on his own, you don't care, Huaixi Wu Shaoyang was self-reliant after killing and staying, you don't care, my handsome position is inherited by will, internal and external guests, I went to the court to ask for the festival, it is also in line with the rules, why do you just attack me"

Li Mao said: "It's all Lu Congshi's obstruction. ”

Wang Chengzong said: "I know that there are some things that you can't say clearly, but I hope you can understand my hardships." ”

Li Mao said: "Now that the army is pressing, Shenzhou is in danger, and Jizhou cannot be guarded, what will the town marshal do?"

Wang Chengzong said: "The court wants to make merit with me, and the Tutu Chengguang wants to take my head to ask for a wife and son, what else do I have to live." It's just that Chengde has been outside the imperial court for more than 50 years, and the people don't know that the Tang Dynasty has been 50 years, and the world has suddenly turned upside down. ”

Li Mao said: "What is the solution?"

Wang Chengzong said: "Since it is Lu Congshi's bad, and now he has been ambushed, why didn't the court pardon me?"

Li Mao smiled but did not speak.

Wang Chengzong said: "The more than 200,000 troops have worked in vain, so naturally they can't say anything. In this way, I will return Dezhou and Dizhou to the imperial court, and the taxes of Zhen, Hebei, Zhao, and Shen will also be handed over to the imperial court, and the imperial court can send the supervision army to Zhenzhou, and the supervision army can lead the troops, and I will let my son and brother go to Beijing as hostages. ”

Li Mao said: "If 200,000 troops defeat Zhenzhou, we should be able to get more." ”

Wang Chengzong said with a smile: "That's natural, but it is inevitable that you will lose your troops." In the land of Youyan, there are many generous and sad people, and what the court has laid down is not necessarily a royal paradise, but it is likely to be a fire everywhere, just a little bit. There is Liu Ji in the north, Wei Bo in the south, Ziqing and Huaixi in the distance, the court eats it in the mouth, can't swallow it, and loses more than face" After a sip of ginseng tea, after a pause, Wang Chengzong said again: "If I guard Chengde, everything will be different." Liu Ji is loyal to the imperial court, Wei Bo's side, Tian Xing is a big loyal minister, the imperial court unified Hebei, and the great cause of Zhongxing has achieved half of it. The remaining Ziqing and Huaixi are the turtles in the urn, and they are not taken away. ”

Wang Chengzong's face was haggard, after saying such a paragraph, there was a thin layer of sweat on his forehead, and he looked even more tired, a maid sent honey water, Wang Chengzong took a sip, and he choked on it, and coughed violently for a long time before he stopped.

Li Mao knew a little about medical skills, and found that Wang Chengzong's body had been hollowed out, and if he continued to be under heavy pressure, his life would not last long.

So he said: "If Shenzhou is down, Jizhou is really difficult to preserve, De, Di two states, it will become an island, 200,000 troops besiege Zhenzhou, even if the town commander is wise and martial, Hebei soldiers are brave and good at fighting, I am afraid that it will be difficult to escape the catastrophe, as for the future, few people will look so far, or will pretend not to see." Therefore, if he asks for peace, the town marshal has to add some more capital. ”

Wang Chengzong smiled reluctantly and said, "What else do you want from me, you just say." ”

Li Mao said: "Chengde cut Dizhou, Dezhou dedicated to the imperial court, the rest of the four states must also be dedicated to the imperial court, officials appointed and dismissed, taxes and collections are handed over, the imperial court not only has to send a supervising army, but also to limit the number of Chengde soldiers, and garrison troops in Zhenzhou and Shenzhou. In addition, the appointment and dismissal of the three government posts of Jiedu, Observation, and Duzhi must be approved by the imperial court. A hundred years after the town marshal, the candidates for the festival degree are circled by the imperial court, and those who have children and grandchildren are preferred. If these can be done, the imperial court can protect the glory and wealth of Zhenshuai I, and the descendants of the Wang family will not touch the property in Chengde, and the descendants of the Wang family will be treated preferentially. ”

Wang Chengzong smiled bitterly: "This is too harsh. ”

Li Mao said: "It's already very good. Xia Sui, Yang Huilin, Xichuan Liu Pi, and Zhenhai Li Qi If the fate can reach this one ten-thousandth, I think they will laugh under Jiuquan. ”

Wang Chengzong lowered his eyebrows and pondered for a moment, nodded and said: "I can't believe it when I suddenly vomit Chengxuan, you have no evidence, I can't believe it, I need an edict from the imperial court." ”

Li Mao said: "Please ask the marshal to repair the watch as soon as possible and ask for the guilt, and I will transfer it to the Son of Heaven on my behalf." ”

Wang Chengzong left Li Mao to live, and immediately repaired a watch, fearing that he would suddenly vomit Chengguang and intercept the meritorious work, so he chose four fast horses that night, and sent the personal guard general Wang Tingcuo to escort him, copy the trail to Yizhou, and hurry into Beijing to face the saint.

Before Li Maoren arrived in Yizhou, the news that Yicheng Li Quanzhong's troops advanced into Jizhou suddenly spread, and as a countermeasure, Wei Botianxiong's army also entered the city of Jizhou to prevent being preempted by the Yicheng army.

When the offensive and defensive battle in Jizhou had not yet begun, it was suddenly rumored that Wei Bojie made Tian Ji'an fall from his horse. Li Mao said to Qin Mo: "It seems that Tian Xing has already made a move. Qin Mo said: "Tian Ji'an's fall from the horse has something to do with Tian Xing, I think it was an accident." ”

Li Mao said: "Is it an accident, and wait and see, if Tian Xing successfully takes charge of the army, it will not be an accident." ”

After arriving in Yizhou, Li Mao summoned the right Longxiang army branch manager, asked Wei Boshi, and learned that Tian Ji'an had a stroke after falling from his horse, and had returned to Weizhou to raise troops.

Tian Xing held the military power, Jizhou was ready to go down, and Shenzhou was already in danger under Liu Ji's onslaught. If the two cities are lost, the official army will be like a rainbow, and with Wang Chengzong's current state, he is afraid that he will not be able to hold on for a long time.

The city of Zhenzhou was broken, the descendants of the Wang family were destroyed, and Chengde ostensibly returned to the hands of the imperial court, but it was impossible for the 200,000 troops to be permanently stationed in Chengde.

"Chengde will become a black hole that devours everything, sucking up the last bit of blood of Datang."

Qin Mo was a little disapprehensive of Li Mao's judgment, there was no powerful force in Chengde, and the root cause of the rebellion was the Wang family and the unruly tooth army, so on this occasion, the Khitan Wang clan and the Chengde tooth army were destroyed, and Chengde was calm from then on, so how could there be any trouble

Li Mao said to Qin Mo: "You have an injury in the leg, you can't ride a fast horse, and stay to recuperate, I will go to Beijing alone." ”

Qin Mo said: "You also have to be careful, now the front-line soldiers are greedy for merit and progress, you are seeking a long-term strategy, but they only care about the present, and pay attention to someone harming you." ”

Li Mao said: "Don't worry, I'm leaving, you take care." ”

One day when I arrived in the territory of Luzhou, the mountains were high and the valleys were deep, and I was walking in a hurry, when suddenly a group of ragged bandits rushed down the hillside, wielding bamboo guns and wooden sticks and shouting.

Wang Tingcuo said: "The general just goes south, and a certain one will be cut off." ”

Li Mao said: "They are all people who have no livelihood, they can be dispersed, and there is no need to hurt his life." ”

Wang Ting said: "Command the army." "Words, draw your sword and go away.

Li Mao continued to travel south, it was late to see, everyone waited on the side of the road, and did not see Wang Ting coming, Cheng Debing said to Li Mao: "I'm afraid that General Wang is in trouble, but the general sits, and I will wait to pick up a ride." ”

Li Mao agreed, and everyone hurriedly got on their horses and left.

Li Mao observed the surrounding terrain and was shocked in his heart: two mountains are sandwiched, and there is a deep valley in the middle, this is really a good place to ambush

Li Mao's voice was not good, he dropped his horse's luggage, and quietly hid in the nearby mountains and forests, his figure had just been hidden, but he heard a rumbling sound of horses' hooves, and an iron horse galloped from east to west, menacing, looking at Li Mao's mount for a burst of shots, the arrows were dense and accurate, and the horse died tragically under the arrows in an instant.

All the people who came were masked and dressed in sackcloth, but it was difficult to hide the iron armor inside, and after dismounting and inspecting, they quickly got on their horses and left.

Li Maohou and the others walked away, and only then did they come out, the killer was wearing iron armor, and his archery skills were pure, and he shot the horses, but he did not take away the luggage and money, and he was obviously not an ordinary bandit.

Qin Mo is right, although what he is doing now is long-term and seeks great plans for the country, it has touched the immediate interests of many people, what does the so-called long-term country have to do with them, and the immediate benefits are real, who cares about the flood after I die.

Li Mao carefully untied his baggage, took some money, and quietly hid in the mountains and forests.

About half an hour after Li Mao left, the cavalry returned again, carefully surveyed Li Mao's mount, and one of them carefully checked Li Mao's baggage, and reported to the leader: "The money is still there, but the people have not returned." ”

The leader sitting on the horse took off his mask and sneered: "Without horses, it will always take some time to cross the mountains in front of you on foot. ”

As he said, he ordered the dead horse to be pushed into the valley, cleaned up the scene, and threw himself away overnight.

Li Mao trekked through mountains and rivers, day and night, came to Chang'an ten days later, when he entered the city, he saw that Lubu wrote a battle report on the Hebei front, saying that Lu Long's army had occupied Shenzhou, and the Tianxiong army had conquered Jizhou, and the Yicheng army was besieging Zhaozhou with all its might, and now 200,000 troops gathered under the city of Zhenzhou, and the city was just around the corner.

Li Mao felt a little comforted in his heart, the front-line generals needed to lie about the military situation, if Zhaozhou was still in the hands of Wang Chengzong, Zhenzhou City should be safe for the time being, and before Zhaozhou City was broken, Tutu Chenghuang should not leave his mahjong table.

However, after all, Hebei to Chang'an is thousands of miles away, and at this moment Wang Chengzong's situation is only afraid that it is more difficult than what Lu Bu said, the four realms of Chengde have been invaded by the official army, and Wang Chengzong's bargaining chips are getting fewer and fewer, whether Li Chun can agree to Wang Chengzong's surrender, Li Mao is not sure at all now.

After hesitating, he decided to go to see Li Jiang first.

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