"Now that Wang Shuwen and his party in the court are gaining power, Han Hong, the old fox, has already sat on his ass, and now Yun Shuai will put pressure on you in order to get the court's temperance, and your life will become more and more difficult, rather than being angry at both ends, it is better to take advantage of this to break off and cooperate with Wei Bo and Wu Ning."

Zhao Jinglai said: "But I don't know how long your army will be stationed here?" ”

Li Mao said: "There is always a cost to do business, and before this is returned, this business can't be withdrawn." ”

Zhao Jinglai said: "Understood, I'll go back and make arrangements." ”

There are many factions in Tonghutou, Li Shigu can hold it when he is in power, Li Shidao's handsome position is not right, and he has not been punished by the imperial court at the moment, out of the psychology of prevention, he is naturally unwilling to reuse Li Shigu's people, but the problem is that in addition to these people, he has almost no available people, and his other factions in Tonghutou simply buy the account of this new handsome, and they are perfunctory and perfunctory.

These people are deeply rooted and have great energy, and Li Shidao will not be able to eliminate them in a short period of time.

If it weren't for Li Gongdu's dedication to score and rule, I am afraid that this apparent unification situation would not be maintained.

Because of Li Mao's persecution, after Li Shigu's death, the copper tiger head who fell into a plate of scattered sand reunited, and each faction elected Zhao Jinglai, the assassin of Mizhou, as the leader of the alliance, and negotiated with Li Mao, trying to open up the business route with Wei Bo first and unblock the financial resources.

In order to clear the obstacles, this strategic shift will be achieved. In the name of purging Xuanwu's spies, Tonghutou began to purge Li Shidao's cronies in a planned and step-by-step manner.

These people were originally humble and light, but once they took the position, they were as greedy as hungry wolves, and they inevitably snatched food from the mouths of their predecessors.

There are three sources of wealth in the hands of the copper tiger head, the most important one is to smuggle salt and iron to Xuanwu, and the upstarts have gobbled up with the support of Li Shidao and achieved remarkable results.

The tide has changed day by day, and these benefits of being swallowed by their whales have now become the only evidence of collaborating with the enemy.

If you take too much money, this is a wise saying, and there is a wise saying called "If you cut off people's wealth, you will be resented", but unfortunately they understand it too late.

The great purge set off by the copper tiger head from top to bottom greatly challenged the authority that Li Shidao had just erected, and the imperial court was slow to lower its temperament in Ziqing, which made his legitimacy widely questioned.

In the face of heavy pressure, Li Shidao gritted his teeth and stomped his feet, sent Li Yacheng into Beijing, and announced that he would hand over the wealth collection power of the twelve prefectures of Ziqing, the right to appoint and dismiss officials, and the editions of the three prefectures of Hai, Yi and Mi to the imperial court, and only ask to lead troops to pacify the places on behalf of the imperial court.

When Li Yacheng passed by Caozhou, Li Mao went out of the city to greet him, and Li Yacheng jokingly asked Li Mao how many percent of his success or failure in Beijing this time was.

Li Mao shook his head and said, "Good things are grinding, this time it will not be easy." ”

Li Yacheng also sighed and said: "The Li family has been in Ziqing for nearly fifty years, and I am afraid that this foundation will be lost in my hands." ”

Li Mao said with a smile: "My brother doesn't need to worry, although you have suffered a lot this time, you will not bear this notoriety." I think the court is not worth it, I can have a chance to recover the lost land, but I want to lose it in vain because the traitor is in power. ”

Li Yacheng asked Li Mao: "Brother Maohua also thinks that Ziqing should be attached to the imperial court?" ”

Li Mao said: "It was originally a state and county of the imperial court, and it was not a long-term solution to divide the territory. When the man was alive, he also said that if Chang'an came out of the Ming Dynasty, he would return the twelve states of Ziqing, and he would enter the court to be a loyal minister. My brother must have heard this. ”

Li Yacheng nodded, but sighed: "At this time, at that time, how difficult it is for Ziqing to want to belong to the imperial court. ”

Li Mao and Li Yacheng's premonition is accurate, Wang Shuwen's plan to seize the army is going to the bone, and he must not tolerate Li Shidao to spoil his big thing, he scolded Li Shidao for his elm head, stupid as a pig, and entered the palace to the Son of Heaven Chen Ziqing has been exhausted, and the generals are all rebellious, and now Li Mao has attacked and occupied Caozhou, defeating the Pinglu army, only the court will help again, Ziqing is just around the corner, and the twelve states of Ziqing, which have been entrenched in local feudal towns for nearly 50 years, will return to the arms of the imperial court.

No one knows what the dying Son of Heaven thinks on the sickbed, or he also knows that his life will be soon, his new dynasty has not yet made any achievements, and his former ambitions have not been realized, and he is really unwilling to die with such regrets. Li Yu adopted Wang Shuwen's advice and issued an edict to recruit Li Shidao to give him the matter, and ordered him to go to Beijing immediately to take office.

Li Shidao looked forward to the stars and the moon, and finally looked forward to the envoy of Qin, but the envoy did not bring the festival, but recruited him into Beijing as an edict in the matter.

Li Shidao shot the case, scolded the envoy sharply, and drew his sword to chase after him. Hundreds of generals watched, but no one dared to persuade them.

The envoy who ordered the envoy finally ate Li Shidao's sword, and the sword was on his buttocks, and Li Shidao, who was furious, ordered the guards to strip off his clothes, revealing his sick and disabled body, thinking that he was laughing.

Everyone laughed, but Li Gongdu shook his head, a subtle sneer flashed in his eyes, and walked away alone.

Afterwards, Li Shidao asked Li Gongdu why he walked away alone, and Li Gongdu said: "The lord humiliated him, although he was angry, but he also offended the entire eunuch party, and the gains outweighed the losses." ”

Li Shidao said with a smile: "If he doesn't let me feel better, why should he let him feel better, Wang Shuwen is stuck and doesn't let me get my wish, it's Li Mao's backer who doesn't work hard, I think I have to beat Caozhou again." ”

Li Gongdu said: "Wei Botian Furnace is still in Caozhou, and if you want to fight Caozhou, you must first let Wei Bo withdraw his troops." ”

Li Shidao said: "Negotiating with Wei Bo, what we have is a bargaining chip. You personally cross the river to Weizhou and inform Tian Ji'an, I just beat Li Mao, and I won't really destroy him. He did what I did, and I will be thankful in the future. ”

Tian Ji'an is also dissatisfied with Li Mao these days, and he said that he would cut off the connection between Ziqing and Xuanwu, and bend and reroute the copper tiger head into Xuanwu's financial road to Wei Bolai, but the copper tiger head hooked up with Wu Ningjun, and actually divided the financial road into two, and gave half of the benefits to Wu Ning.

It is said that Li Mao is the matchmaker in the middle, and it is he who persuaded Zhang Su to agree to lend the road to Tonghutou and expand his business to the south.

In order to give Li Mao a wake-up call, Tian Ji'an first suppressed the food and salary shipped to Li Mao, and then took back Shuilongzhai in advance, expelled the soldiers and horses left behind by Li Mao, and in the name of protection, took the families of the Andong Army who stayed in Shuilongzhai to Yacheng, Weizhou, and concentrated in the barracks to live.

When Li Gongdu crossed the river and came to Weizhou to persuade Tian Ji'an to withdraw his troops, Tian Ji'an was unconsciously moved, what he was worried about now was that Li Shidao was untrustworthy, and after withdrawing troops from Weibo Town, he would take the opportunity to occupy Caozhou.

Li Gongdu said: "Recently, my lord has ordered to vigorously purge the Xuanwu spies lurking in the right compartment, but no one who has anything to do with Xuanwu will not let go, and the enmity between Ziqing and Xuanwu is getting deeper and deeper, and there is no possibility of resolution." Ziqing is now in an eventful season, and he still needs to rely on the majesty of Wei Shuai, how can he do something that makes his relatives and enemies happy? My lord's father-in-law beat Li Mao, just to show the court, so that he could lower the festival as soon as possible, so as not to have many dreams at night. ”

Li Gongdu said again: "The four towns of Heshuo are the same as the branches, weekdays or fights and troubles, but the fundamental interests are the same, now the imperial court does not descend to Yunzhou, my lord is speechless to stay in Yunzhou, go to Chang'an to ask for guilt, then the twelve states of Ziqing will be returned to the imperial court from now on, and the four towns of Heshuo will be succeeded by the father and son, and the precedent of the commander will be broken." Wei Bo lost a strong reinforcement, and the imperial court had one more strong force. A hundred years after Wei Shuai, if the imperial court introduces the old practice of Ziqing to send troops to Wei Bo, how will Wei Shuai's descendants respond? For the sake of my children and grandchildren, Wei Shuai should also help me Ziqing. ”

When Tian Ji'an heard this, his heart moved, and Li Gongdu took advantage of the situation and said: "Wei Shuai can order General Tian Lu to continue to stay in Caozhou, and the Pinglu army will fight Li Mao, until the point is reached, if there is a broken promise, your army can intervene, and how dare our army build a strong enemy and seek its own destruction." ”

Tian Ji'an said: "Say a thousand things and ten thousand, I still can't believe you Yun Shuai, he even dares to murder his brother, what else dare not do." If he breaks his promise, what can I do about it? ”

Li Gongdu said: "Otherwise, a certain person stays in Weizhou as a hostage, if Yun Shuai loses his words, Wei Shuai can kill me first with a knife, and then send Xiongshi to cross the river to the south to crusade against unbelief." ”

Tian Ji'an laughed and said: "The eldest husband does things above board, how can he do such a thing, sir, I am waiting for your good news in Weizhou." ”

Li Mao soon received the news that the Wuning border trade route had been cut off, and he was shocked, and hurriedly gathered the generals to discuss: "This is a signal that Yunzhou wants to do something against me, how should this battle be fought?" ”

Liu Wudao: "In the land of the four battles in Caozhou, as long as the water is muddy, Yunzhou will not dare to make a big move, or I can't defend Caozhou, he may not be able to defend it." ”

Liu Cong admonished: "Go and send a letter to Yunzhou, saying that if he is strict, we will sacrifice the city to the imperial court, and we will go to Liaodong or Chang'an, no matter where we go, we will be heroes." Stealing chickens and rice is not the only one who eats rice. ”

Liu Congzhi said this, everyone thought it was okay, and they asked to make the situation bigger, so that Li Shidao would be jealous and not dare to make a big move.

Knowing that Li Shidao was going to send troops to invade Caozhou, Wang Shuwen finally breathed a sigh of relief, Caozhou was connected to the four towns, once the force was used, it would not be Li Shidao and Li Mao's business, and the surrounding towns would be involved.

At that time, he can confidently ask for the power of the army to be in the hands of Fan Xichao, once the power of the army is in his hands, who dares to block the innovation, you will wait for the flow of three thousand miles.

When Du Huangshang heard that Li Shidao was going to send troops to Caozhou, he was shocked in his heart, and hurriedly sent his protégé Song Lushan to Caozhou, asking Li Mao to exercise restraint and not to provoke first, and repeatedly warned Li Chun, the king of Guangling, who was reclusive and chanting.

Li Chun, the king of Guangling, went to Xiangguo Temple since the end of summer and the beginning of autumn, he became a pious layman, every day in addition to entering the palace to say goodbye, he hid in the house to chant, he chanted the purpose is very strong, one is to pray for the prosperity of the country, the second is to pray for his father to recover soon, the third is to pray for this year's wind and rain, the people no longer worry about food and clothing. (Dissertation College)