Qin Mo was afraid that he would suddenly sneak attack, and he trembled until he walked out of the courtyard gate, before he breathed a sigh of relief and asked Li Mao: "He is an assassin, this kind of person is the most unrighteous, taking people's money and eliminating disasters for others, who dare not kill?" You are counting on him to be reformed, but I think you might as well go and influence a stone. The stone can be heated for a long time, but the heart of this kind of person cannot be heated for a hundred years. I was wrong, they didn't have the heart at all. ”

Li Mao said: "You say that he has no righteousness, how can we have any righteousness, what have we been busy all these years for, in order to live?" Or in order to fight for power and profit, when did you do the right thing to benefit the country and the people? ”

Qin Mo yawned and said, "Brother, why are you so emotional today, isn't it that Cao Zhou doesn't want to bear it anymore and is ready to return to the dynasty?" ”

Li Mao smiled: "You go to sleep first, I won't sleep tonight, I have other things." ”

Qin Mo retched dryly and said, "Brother, if you say this in the future, it will be misunderstood." ”

"Misunderstanding, what's the misunderstanding?"

"More than one person said there was something wrong with our relationship."

Li Mao smiled: "Nonsense. You are a Chinese military camp, you are not with me, with whom. ”

Qin Mo said: "That's not what I mean, they say that you are a strange person, you ignore your lady when you are close at hand, if your wife is lost in Hebei, you won't take it over, if you don't take it down, but you took the families of the soldiers." What is this, this doesn't prove that you and I are ...... Ha ha. ”

Li Mao flew out with a kick, but Qin Mo had already taken precautions and dodged with a smile.

Speaking of Su Qing and Zhu Wan'er, Li Mao's heart couldn't help but tingle, he originally intended to try to pick up Su Qing and Wan'er after he stood in Caozhou, but now looking at this situation, no one could pick them up.

"Actually, I know what you think in your heart, you don't want to fight with the Pinglu army, not because you are afraid that you can't fight, but because you are afraid that a fight will cause chaos, and the soldiers will be in trouble, and the people who will be harmed will be displaced. If we don't fight this battle, if we win it, if we lose it, we still won't get anything in the end, so it's better to withdraw and let them mess around on their own. ”

Qin Mo didn't know what Du Huangshang's secret envoy Song Lushan said to Li Mao, but he just said such things based on his own feelings, his words were very representative, and they were consistent with the voices of the soldiers of the Anton Army that Li Mao had learned through other channels in the past few days.

The soldiers were reluctant to fight.

Li Mao smiled bitterly, he was still not experienced enough, he thought about things too simply, thinking that he could coax Tian Ji'an to borrow troops to help him occupy Caozhou, but he didn't expect that this was just the beginning of a series of failures.

Left and right Fengyuan really needs great wisdom, and he is still a long way from this great wisdom.

What we need to do now is how to get out of it.

After admitting defeat, Li Mao's thinking became extremely clear, how many of the three thousand old and weak soldiers recruited could be taken away, these people could not fight, but they were not left behind, this was the foundation for his future life.

I have to settle the accounts with Wei Bo, Caozhou is for you, Tonghutou has also been rerouted to the west, and I have been your Tian Ji'an's fortune boy, I have fulfilled my original promises, what about your promises, two years of military rations will be given, and the families of the soldiers entrusted to you to take care of them must also be returned.

Caozhou is Li Mao's bargaining chip, before he leaves, he can hand over Caozhou to Ziqing Li Shidao, he can hand it over to Zitong Tiger Head or Xuanwu Han Hong, and of course it can also be you Wei Botian Ji'an.

Tian Ji'an discussed with a few close staff members and decided to fulfill his promise, first clear the arrears of ordnance and food, and send back the families of the remaining soldiers of the Anton Army who were under house arrest in Yacheng by the way.

As for Caozhou, Tian Ji'an has now understood that this is a pit, and he can't jump into it.

Of course, some people can't let him jump if they want to, such as Xuanwu Han Hong.

If Han Hong jumps in, he will inevitably fight against Li Shidao, and the direct consequence is to give Wang Shuwen an opportunity to take advantage of, if he helps this careerist monopolize the military power, will there be a peaceful day in the towns of Heshuo?

After asking the old lady for advice, Tian Ji'an put forward his own conditions to Li Mao: Caozhou must be handed over to the Zi Bronze Tiger Head.

At the same time that Li Mao negotiated with Tian Ji'an, Xuanwu Han Hong's envoy also arrived in Caozhou, and Han Hong's conditions were very generous, saying that he could set aside a place in Xuanwu for the Anton Army to station, and pay the Anton Army food according to the standard of the Xuanwu Army.

Han Hongti's conditions were very fair, Li Mao only had to open the border from Caozhou to Xuanwu, and allow his people to enter Caozhou to visit relatives and friends or do some serious business.

Li Mao immediately realized that Han Hong was cheating, the border between Caozhou and Xuanwu stretched for hundreds of miles, there were no trenches or barbed wire, and the people of the two places came and went, how could they have been restricted? Xuanwu really wants to infiltrate into Caozhou, and he comes in directly, so why spend such a big price?

Li Maoyi verbally rejected Han Hong's proposal, and he told the Xuanwu envoy that Caozhou was a territory of Ziqing, and that he crossed the river to the south to help Caozhou suppress bandits and appease the people, which was completely out of public intentions and good intentions. At present, Caozhou is quiet, his task has been completed, and he naturally wants to return Caozhou to Ziqing, how can there be any reason to hand it over to his town for personal gain.

This remark quickly reached Li Shidao's ears, and Li Shidao said to the left and right: "What Li Mao said is also high-sounding, I think this battle still has to be fought slowly, he is really willing to return Caozhou to me, and I don't miss the old evil a lot." ”

When Li Shidao's envoy arrived in Caozhou, Li Mao received him warmly, claiming that he was discussing the transfer of military and government with Yunzhou.

When Tian Ji'an heard that Li Mao was receiving the envoys from Yunzhou in Caozhou, he was furious, and sent Tian Congcong to detain the families of the soldiers of the Anton Army who were preparing to cross the river to the south.

Tian Qian took the opportunity to say: "Li Mao is very cunning, and when he sees that you are generous, he has to make inches. In my opinion......"

Tian Qian was interrupted by Tian Ji'an before he finished speaking, Tian Ji'an smiled and said: "Sister, you will soon be the daughter-in-law of the Wang family, and you are going to Chang'an to shoulder an important mission, and the burden on your shoulders is not light." I don't think you should worry about Wei Bo's affairs, it's nonsense, brother, I'll deal with it. ”

Tian Qi snorted angrily: "It's really the water spilled by the married daughter, I won't care about Wei Bo's affairs in the future." ”

After saying that he was about to leave, Tian Ji'an got up and chased out, stopped Tian Qian under the porch, and said with a smile: "You can't say that, you are the daughter of my Tian family, you are at home, and you are married." Who doesn't know that Weizhou Tian Qi Niangzi is resourceful and doesn't let her eyebrows go? You are the prime minister's daughter-in-law, and my sister-in-law, you have to think more about Wei Zhou and give more advice to your brother. ”

Tian Qian said: "I see it as a woman, how did I get into Wei Shuai's eyes, don't say it." ”

Tian Ji'an said: "How do you say this, I have always obeyed your words. ”

Tian Qian said: "If you listen to me, you will detain Zhu Wan'er in Weizhou and don't put her back." ”

Tian Ji'an smiled: "Sister, you are also stingy, you can't get along with a cook." Although she is good-looking, she is not a national beauty, and her background is not good. With Li Mao's current status, there are not many such women, and she can't contain Li Mao. ”

Speaking of this, Tian Ji'an's eyes lit up, and he hurriedly changed his words: "Okay, since my sister has opened her mouth, my brother will do it." ”

Tian Qian sneered: "Don't think crookedly, Li Mao is different from you, he is attentive to his own women." This Zhu Wan'er is just a somewhat beautiful cook in your eyes, but in his eyes, she is a beloved relative. You hold her, and there will be your benefits in the future. As for me, I admit that I don't want him to be with this woman, that's just incidental, no. ”

Tian Ji'an clapped his hands and cheered, suddenly sighed with emotion, and said: "Don't blame me for being ruthless and driving you away, blame it on the incompatibility of water and fire, you fight so endlessly, after all, it is not a blessing for the family." She's old, so you let her go. ”

Tian Qian lowered her eyebrows and said, "I know." ”

Tian Ji'an detained Zhu Wan'er on the grounds that she was sick, and the generals were furious and wanted to give Caozhou to Li Shidao in retaliation. Li Mao said: "The detention is just to urge me to fulfill the contract, and if I really sent Caozhou to Yunzhou, wouldn't I want to kill her?" ”

Li Shidao heard that Tian Ji'an was holding Zhu Wan'er, and laughed: "It's just a little family, what's the use of deducting a cook, if you want to deduct a lady, you can deduct the real lady." ”

After laughing, he said: "Take other people's petty acts as a threat, villain behavior!" I'm not going to do that. ”

Li Shidao ordered Su Qing's mother and daughter to return to the house and let them stay.

When Li Mao heard this, he hurriedly sent Zhang Qi to meet him.

When Mrs. Wei heard about this in the back house, she hurriedly sent someone to call Li Shidao and persuaded: "Caozhou hasn't succeeded yet, how can you send people back?" Your bookseller is about to flare up again. ”

Li Shidao said with a smile: "Li Mao is really a kind and righteous person, if I give him this favor, he will definitely be grateful to me, and he will return Caozhou to me." If he is a ruthless and unrighteous person, I will detain his wife and daughter, and he will not pay attention. ”

Mrs. Wei sneered: "I dare to say that you didn't have a seizure when you were sick, he is really affectionate and righteous, and if you detain his wife and daughter, he will have some scruples, and he will not dare not return Caozhou to you." If he is ruthless and unrighteous, and you return his wife and daughter, he will still not miss you. ”

Li Shidao smiled and said: "In this way, isn't it the same as not paying it back, then I will keep her mother and daughter to do something, and let people say that I am not measured." ”

Mrs. Wei said: "Her family is in Yunzhou, and the huge business is in Dengzhou, she stays to take care of it, who can say anything?" If you keep her, if Li Mao doesn't care about her mother and daughter, he will be ruthless and unjust, and he will be looked down upon by outsiders and subordinates, even if he is pretentious, he has to take care of it, won't he be at your mercy this time, you understand when I say this. ”

Li Shidao nodded and praised excitedly: "It's still Mrs. who has high knowledge." Admire, admire. ”

On the 2nd, Li Shidao told Li Mao's envoy that Su Qing's mother and son were ill and had to stay in Yunzhou to recuperate, and they could not go to Caozhou to meet Li Mao for the time being. Mrs. Wei called Zhang Qi again to explain: "You return to Li Zhongcheng, but please rest assured, Su Qing and I are sisters, and I will not wronged her mother and daughter, if he is free, he will come to Yunzhou to meet with his mother and daughter to solve the meaning of lovesickness." ”

When Li Mao heard the news, he sighed: "Such capricious, Yunzhou will be destroyed by this person sooner or later." (Dissertation College)