As Li Mao expected, Zhu Kerong and Han Gongwu were successively funded by mysterious forces, and were expanding their military strength in Luoyang, and almost at the same time, the Zhongwu Army made Lu Hao lead Qin Wang's army of 20,000 to suddenly arrive at the city of Ruzhou, and "accidentally" collided with Qian Duoduo, which surprised Lu Hao a little What surprised Lu Hao was that the legendary Qian Duoduo, who had won a hundred battles, was about to collapse at the touch of a button, and disappeared without a trace in an instant. Ruzhou fell into the hands of Lu Hao, and to the vast majority of the city's residents, it looked like an ordinary change of defense.

At the same time, the friction between Shi Xianzhong and Sun Liucheng, the guard of Hangu Pass, suddenly became serious, Shi Xianzhong set up artillery to attack the city, Sun Liucheng abandoned the pass and left, Shi Xianzhong waved his troops and directly took Shaanzhou. Once Shaanzhou is lost, there is no danger to defend the west of Luoyang.

Seeing this, Shi Xiong secretly came to Chang'an and asked for assistance in Shi Xianzhong's attack on Luoyang and solve the Kwantung princes in one fell swoop. Li Mao sternly reprimanded Shi Xiong for being confused, and said: "The princes of Kwantung have no major faults, what reason do I have to march into Luoyang, do you want me to be called a disloyal and unrighteous rebel?" ”

Shi Xiong was not convinced: "The reason is that you can make it up after you win the war, if you don't take Luoyang today, you will miss the opportunity, and it will be too late to regret it." ”

Li Mao glared at him: "If you are the commander of the Eastern Crusade, how many years will it take to pacify the Kwantung princes?" ”

Shi Xiong said: "The long is three years, and the short is one and a half years." ”

Li Mao said: "Can the problem be solved within a year?" ”

Shi Xiong said: "I'm afraid this can't." ”

Li Mao said: "The Uighurs were beaten by the Hujas and had no power to fight back, and I don't know how long they can hold out. ”

Shi Xiong's garrison was in the hinterland of Guanzhong, and he was puzzled by the situation on the border, and asked in surprise: "I heard that the Uighurs have risen rapidly in recent years, but the Uighurs are a century-old shop, and their family background is not not unthick. ”

Li Mao smiled bitterly: "The country of decay, looking at the majesty, the roots are rotten, and a gust of wind blows down, how can it last long?" Because he said to Shi Xiong: "The Kwantung princes want to fight, but they can't fight to the death, if you beat them out of Luoyang, you have to stop, negotiate with them, don't grudge against each other, can you handle this scale?" Shi Xiong said: "If I am the commander, I will be sure." ”

Li Mao said with a smile: "There is no joke in the army, if you can't do it, I will deal with it by military law." ”

Shi Xiong said: "If the military order is made, I will please transfer Shi Er back to Chang'an." ”

Li Mao said: "Okay, it's up to you." ”

At that moment, Li Mao summoned Shi Xianzhong back to Chang'an, with Shi Xiong as the chief general of King Qin's army, and supervised the army out of Shaanzhou and approached Luoyang. Zhu Kerong and Han Gongwu were defeated by Shi Xiong several times when they sent troops to obstruct them, and Han Gongwu asked Han Shaozong: "Li Mao is here, we can't get him, I plan to take the Son of Heaven back to Bianzhou, you go back first to prepare." ”

Han Shaozong said: "The Son of Heaven may not be willing to leave. ”

Han Gongwu smiled: "Then I can't help him." ”

Han Shaozong said: "What if Zhu Kerong refuses to let go? ”

Han Gongwu said: "The general of the defeated army, what else do you have to say, wait for Li Mao to kill him?" ”

In order to force Li Han and Zhu Kerong to agree to move to Bianzhou, Han Gongwu arranged for the generals to set fire to Luoyang City to create chaos, and forced Lu Rong and other officials to persuade Li Han to leave for Bianliang as soon as possible. Zhu Kerong has been defeated repeatedly, knowing that Luoyang is difficult to defend, he has a grudge against Li Mao, and naturally he is unwilling to fall into the hands of Li Mao, Han Gongwu proposed to move to Bianzhou, although he was reluctant, but he couldn't resist, there was still a way to live in Bianzhou, and staying in Luoyang was a place to die.

Li Han said to Wang Cairen: "Li Mao is aggressive, and his anti-heart has appeared, and Han Gongwu wants to take me hostage to Bianzhou, just as Emperor Han Xian moved to Xuchang back then, and I will be a caged bird from now on." Wang Caidao: "Recently, the palace maid went to Luoyang City to buy flowers, and saw many Uighurs on the street, and when she inquired, she said that the Uighurs in the desert were at war with a tribe called the Uighurs, and they were about to be unable to support it. ”

Li Han glared: "Aifei, you are from over there, how can you speak for him." Wang Cairen smiled and said: "Your Majesty, don't be annoyed, the concubine didn't speak for anyone, what the concubine wanted to say was that Taishi Li was attacking Luoyang this time, not necessarily a rebellion, but just worried that in the future, Beijing and West will be tight, and Luoyang will have trouble again, so take precautions." ”

Li Han held the hand of Wang Cairen and said: "If I had listened to you more when I was in Chang'an, I would not have today. Then he asked, "Shall I go or not?" ”

Wang Cairen bowed and said: "Please ask the emperor to be patient for the time being." ”

At the suggestion of Lu Rong and others, Li Han sent an envoy to Shi Xiong's army to ask: "Your Majesty has no edict, why did the general come to Luoyang?" Shi Xiong said: "The minister heard that there was a military rebellion in Luoyang, and he was anxious to escort King Qin. The envoy said: "The rebellion has been quelled by Han Sikong and the general, and now Luoyang is peaceful, the general should go back to Chang'an." Shi Xiong asked, "Is there an edict from the Son of Heaven?" The messenger said, "There is no edict." Shi Xiong said: "If there is an edict from the Son of Heaven, the minister will immediately return to the pass to wait for his life, if not, he will not dare to obey the order for fear of being punished by the Taishi." ”

The envoy was helpless, and returned to Li Han, Zhu Kerong said: "You have been fooled, Shi Xiong must be approaching Luoyang at this moment." "Send someone to inquire, Shi Xiong has indeed arrived twenty miles below Luoyang City. Han Gongwu said: "Shi Xiong came without an edict, his heart is unpredictable, and His Majesty has already decided to stay." The ministers worked together to persuade the emperor to move to Bianzhou.

Li Han had to agree to go back to the palace to prepare, but the ministers did not allow it, Li Han said angrily: "If I don't see the princess, I won't go anywhere." Everyone was helpless, so they had to ask Tutu Chenghua to invite Wang Cairen to come out, send an emperor and a concubine to the imperial chariot, and the ministers rode horses to escort them, and went out of the palace to board the ship and go directly to the east. In order to hide people's eyes and ears, they used ordinary civilian boats, the cabins were cramped, Li Han was tall, he couldn't stretch out his hands and feet, he touched his head and touched hands, and he was irritable. Wang Cairen sat still, just smiling. Li Han twisted her ears and scolded lightly: "Dare to see my jokes, I threw you into the river and rewarded the shrimp soldiers and crab generals in this Luo River." ”

Wang Cairen smiled but did not answer, sullen.

Li Han picked her up, made a gesture to go into the water, and got together, and his forehead hit the canopy again, Wang Cairen couldn't bear it anymore and laughed. Li Han angrily threw her down, and used his * dragon claw hand to grab it, and Wang Cairen, who was scratching, told her to spare Fang repeatedly. In this trouble, half of the troubles in Li Han's heart were gone, he patted his side, and asked Wang Cairen to sit over, but after grinding his ears and temples, he sighed: "It's so pressing, I can't wait to tear my face with him, so that the people of the world can see his true face earlier." Wang Cairen persuaded: "Even if you see it clearly, no one dares to raise troops to fight against him, it is better for everyone to take a step back, there is room for relaxation in the future." He also offered advice: "You can let people let out a little rumor, so that they have scruples and dare not persecute too much." ”

Li Han shook his head: "I am a caged bird now, I can't fly anymore, so I just don't care about anything, let them toss." Wang Caidao: "The country belongs to His Majesty, how can His Majesty let it go?" Please bear with me for the time being. Hearing this, Li Han dragged Wang Cairen over, held her in his arms, poked her with his fingers, and shouted: "You always let me be patient, patient, patient, I can't bear it anymore, I am like that firecracker, I am about to burst." It was a joke, but who knew that the more Li Han spoke, the more excited he became, the fake play was real, and the movements in his hands became heavier and heavier, and Wang Cairen, who finally poked, screamed in pain.

Li Han was shocked, hurriedly helped her up, and hurriedly asked, "What's the matter, did I stab you by mistake?" Wang Cairen was poked in the ribs by her, it was sour and sweet, he frowned slightly, and wanted to be coquettish with him, but when he saw his sad face, he hurriedly stretched his brows and laughed: "It doesn't hurt, I'm pretending." Li Han touched her face and blamed herself: "Is it pretending, I can't see it." I am not blind. I listen to you, patience. Then he sighed, "Alas, what can I do now but endure, I can only endure." ”

After entering the territory of Zhengzhou, Li Han publicly announced that he would inspect the Central Plains, and set off for Bianzhou under the escort of Han Gongwu and Zhu Kerong. Qian Duoduo, who was stationed in the south of Luoyang City, immediately sent troops to the east when he heard the news, followed behind the royal car, and claimed that he was here to escort him. Han Gongwu and Zhu Kerong were afraid that he would compete for the emperor, so they panicked, set up many obstacles along the way, and secretly fought with Qian Duoduo for several games, all of which were defeated.

had no choice but to turn to Li Quanzhong, the envoy of the Yicheng Army entrenched in Zhengzhou, Li Quanzhong was fighting fiercely with Liu Congjian at the moment, although he won many battles, but he was never able to completely defeat Liu Congji. The Yicheng army was only in three states, and in order to supply the royal family, the public and private warehouses were all scraped out, and after the fierce battle, they were already exhausted and overwhelmed.

When he was anxious, he heard that Han Gongwu was willing to support him, and he couldn't help but be overjoyed, so he shook hands with Han Gongwu and said goodbye, abandoned his previous suspicions, and set up an altar in the south of Zhengzhou City, and made a bloody alliance with Han Gongwu and Zhu Kerong, and met to protect the Tang Dynasty. The two towns united with the Shence Army, with a total of 50,000 people, known as the Baotang Army, and confronted Qian Duoduo under the city of Zhengzhou.

The heart of the Central Plains was suddenly shrouded in war clouds, and a war was about to break out.

In the middle of this, Han Gongwu, Li Quanzhong, and Zhu Kerong successively visited mysterious tycoons, promising to fund money and food, and asking the three coalition troops to block Li Mao's eastward advance. Li Quanzhong couldn't help but feel excited, the funding given by Han Gongwu was only enough to solve the urgent need, the warehouse of the Yicheng Army was empty, and tens of thousands of people were waiting for rice to be cooked.

Zhu Kerong was more suspicious, when he was in Luoyang, someone looked for him, promised to fund money and food, and hoped that he would expand his military strength to defend Luoyang, but later he was defeated by Shi Xiong, and he had no confidence in fighting.

Han Gongwu didn't think about it so much, if you don't take the benefits of sending it to the door, you don't take it for nothing, you take it for nothing, Lao Tzu has soldiers and territory, and if you don't do anything if you take your benefits, you can still bite me. He generously accepted the aid and began to recruit troops to stand up for the mysterious tycoon. Han Shaozong sniffed out a hint of unusual smell, and tried his best to dissuade Han Gongwu from starting a war with Li Mao, so as not to be a bird and let people shoot him with an arrow.

Han Gongwu said with a smile: "My son is too cautious, take his money, is it not me to help him out?" Besides, with this money, I can expand my army by 20,000, which is enough to dominate the Central Plains. ”

Han Shaozong said: "Recently, Jingxi has been tight, Li Mao has no time to look east, just peace talks, if he hears that his father has taken the benefits of others and expanded his armaments, he doesn't have to come out of the nest, he only needs to use Shi Xiong and Shi Xianzhong's troops to go east, how can his father stop him?" ”

Han Gongwu said: "Didn't you also say that he was tight in the west of Beijing and had no time to look east?" ”

Han Shaozong said: "Jingxi and the Central Plains, if you can have both, you will be the best choice." If you can't have both, giving up the west of Beijing and taking the Central Plains is also the best choice. The Tubo people entered Chang'an, and finally retreated, he lost Jingxi, which was nothing more than a big plunder, throwing some bottles and cans, the barbarians could not afford to use the prosperity of Middle-earth after all, and Jingxi would still be his in the future. Besides, my father expanded the army, how could the two families not doubt it? If those two families are also funded, and the three expand their armies at the same time, how can they trust each other? If the three of us are intrigued, I don't need Li Mao to march, and I will collapse. ”

Han Gongwu exclaimed: "This ......, what you say is reasonable, but the two of them may not think so, I don't expand the army, they expand the army, one will eliminate the other, and it will be us who will suffer in the future." ”

Han Shaozong took the initiative to ask: "I am willing to persuade those two families to cut off the hand behind the scenes, and the three families will form an alliance against Li." ”

Han Gongwu reluctantly agreed, and Han Shaozong lobbied Li Quanzhong and Zhu Kerong overnight, persuading the two to give up the assistance of the mysterious tycoon together, form an alliance and mutual protection, and then ask Meng Yingchun to thread the needle and negotiate peace with Li Mao. Qian Duo has been in battle for a long time, brave and good at fighting, although the strength of the three Baotang armies is superior, whether they can win, Zhu Kerong and Li Quanzhong have no bottom in their hearts, and Zhu Kerong was originally suspicious of the mysterious tycoon's assistance, and after Han Shaozong's lobbying, he quickly changed around and helped persuade Li Quanzhong together.

Li Quanzhong also wants to open at this moment, he has short hands and a soft mouth, and he will inevitably be controlled by others in the future, and besides, the battlefield is at his own doorstep, even if he wins, it will be a tragic victory. Not to mention that Han Gongwu and Zhu Kerong themselves are unreliable, even if the two of them don't take advantage of the fire to rob, there are He Jintao of the Tianping Army and Wang Zhixing of the Wuning Army in the east, and Liu Wu of the Zhaoyi Army and Shi Xiancheng of the Wei Bo Army across the river.

At Han Shaozong's suggestion, the three of them sent envoys to each other to observe in the garrison, and when they transferred more than 100 troops, they must inform their allies to avoid misunderstandings. Everything was arranged, and then Meng Yingchun was invited to come forward to draw the strings and hold peace talks with Li Mao.

At this moment, Shi Xiong had occupied Luoyang and the strategic goal had been achieved, so he escorted the envoy of the Baotang Army Alliance to Chang'an, and Li Mao sent Xie Biao, Li Deyu, and Qin Fengmian as envoys to start armistice negotiations with the alliance envoy in a friendly atmosphere.

Li Mao occupied Luoyang and forced the emperor away, Qian Duoduo soldiers came to the city of Zhengzhou, He Jintao, Wang Zhixing, Shi Xiancheng and others were all panicked, fearing that Li Mao would continue to advance eastward and infringe on the interests of the towns, so they hurriedly sent envoys to negotiate secretly with Zhu Kerong, Han Gongwu, and Li Quanzhong, and discuss the formation of an alliance to jointly resist Li Mao's oppression.

On the one hand, the alliance of the Baotang Army negotiated with Li Mao in Chang'an, and on the other hand, negotiated with He Jintao, Wang Zhixing, and Shi Xiancheng in Bianzhou.

As far as the heart is concerned, none of the six families want to mix with Li Mao, after all, Li Mao's size is too big, and everyone is under pressure to mix with him, but Li Mao took the initiative to ask for an alliance, and the six families did not dare to openly refuse, and no one wanted to be a leading bird, so they could only reluctantly agree, and sent an envoy to sign an alliance with Li Mao in Luoyang, and promoted Li Mao as the leader of the alliance.

After the six envoys left Luoyang, they secretly met in Bianzhou and made another covenant, in addition to agreeing not to invade each other and protect the people of Tang, they also agreed that six families would protect each other, one would be attacked by foreign enemies, and the remaining five would have the obligation to send troops to help. The six families jointly elected Han Gongwu as the first leader of the alliance, and agreed to rotate the leader of the alliance every year in the future.

The transcript of this top-secret agreement was quickly put on Li Mao's desk, and Li Mao breathed a sigh of relief: there are high-ranking people in the six families, and there are no nine surnames, so they risk their lives to be guns.