Li Jie walked on the way to the yamen of the general prison.

The unfamiliar face and the back official of Zhongshutang who led the way in front made the officials who came and went couldn't help but look at him a few more times, as a celebrity in the capital recently, Li Jie's identity was immediately recognized and became the focus of discussion.

For many years, Li Jie's time in the city would not exceed one-third, and without the noise of the city, Li Jie's ears became extremely sharp. Even now that I have returned to the noisy imperial city, I can still hear the gossip along the way.

"The craftsmen are all officials."

Li Jie glanced at it, these words came from a white-haired official, pouting and saying to the people around him, his eyes still glanced this way, but after meeting Li Jie's gaze, he was frightened and quickly turned around.

Li Jie sneered, most of this person is an official for many years, and he can't be an official, so he has a grudge and complains, and he doesn't know the truth that trouble comes from his mouth.

He doesn't remember people, and unfamiliar faces are not so easy to remember, but the front hall official seems to have good ears and knows many people, and he revealed the identity of the old man to Li Jie.

After that, whether to take revenge or let it go, it depends on your own mind.

"This is really a master."

The one who said the strange thing was an official in a green robe, who was not very old, but looking at the arrogance on his face, he must have been born as a Jinshi, and maybe he even entered the Chongwen Academy.

The chief who will be the superintendent, the official name of the Han Dynasty is the master craftsman, and when I hear people say this, of course, it means that he is a craftsman.

Li Jie glanced at it and then dismissed. His father has already done the knowledge of Jingzhao Mansion, even if he is not the eldest son, he is also in the shadow. The children of the official family, there are really people who think they are craftsmen? What's more, the son of a farmer can be a prime minister, and he can be an official, and now he doesn't look at his background.

"He is not a Jinshi, but he can pass through the world. In the eyes of Han Xianggong, this is the great talent that has been used by the world. ”

The words were sarcastic and played a homophonic game, but several officials got together, and Li Jie couldn't find out who said it.

"Did his aunt get married?"

Another joking sentence made Li Jie's face sink, and he no longer looked left and right.

His father, Li Nangong, was attacked by the imperial historians back then, mainly because he supported the new law, and the excuse used by the imperial historians was that Li Nangong's half-mother and sister, that is, Li Jie's aunt, were not married when they were over thirty, and Li Jie's sisters were all married. The world is extravagant, and now women have to pay a rich dowry when they get married, and Li Nangong is reluctant to marry a girl if he doesn't marry his sister, and his private morality is at a loss.

Li Jie's own family affairs, Li Jie's words are not so simple, but the reason is not as simple as Yu Shitai said, not the sisters of the same mother are all married, how can the sister of the same mother be reluctant to give up the dowry, and let her live in a relative's house? As Li Nangong, no matter how reluctant he is to give up the dowry, it is not as important as his face, and it is not as important as a badge from Yushitai.

But the dirty water that is spilled on it is not so easy to wash away. The thief took a bite and went into the bone for three points. Li Jie also knew that as soon as his father Li Nangong was mentioned in the court, he would immediately think of the brother who was reluctant to give up the dowry because of his brother

And can't marry the daughter of the Li family.

In that year, after Han Gang left the position of the transfer envoy of the capital of Beijing, Li Nangong, who was appointed as the deputy envoy of the transfer of the western part of Beijing, became the redivided transfer envoy of the North Jingxi Road, and then traveled through the localities, and his qualifications were too old to be old, but two years ago Han Gang wanted to recommend Li Nangong as the third envoy, but he was opposed by a number of ministers in the court, and even the queen mother felt that it was inappropriate.

Although Han Gang let Li Chengzhi return to the position of the third envoy, maintained the situation, and sent several officials who opposed the most to the local area, but after this toss, Li Nangong left the court farther and farther away, and seeing that he was going to seventy years old, he probably had no chance to go back in this life.

His father, Li Nangong, was a foreign official, and his eldest brother Li Yu was a jinshi, and he was also a foreign official-because he was radical and impeached for Shangguan, so he has not had the opportunity to return to Beijing so far-The lintel of the Li family can only fall on Li Jie's body now. As for the old things at home, they can only let time kill people's memories like this.

No matter how pantothenic the officials were, five days after Li Jie's arrival in Beijing, the appointment of the eunuch with the same judgment had already been approved by the Empress Dowager and the Zhongshu Sect. Although two prefixes were added to the official position because of lack of qualifications, it is undoubtedly clear that Li Jie has become one of the highest officials in the prison. More importantly, Li Jie has since become one of Han Gang's most important cronies and is known to the world. For those who are jealous, there is no need to care too much.

The official office that will be the prison is not far away, and it will not be long before it arrives. More than ten officials below the prison guard, and nearly 100 officials, are all waiting outside the door. And Zhao Ziji, who will be the supervisor, also greeted the arrival of his colleagues in the door.

The eyes of jealousy were much less on the faces of the officials who would be in prison than on the outside. The vast majority of them are knowledgeable people, and they have dealt with each other in the past two years.

Zhao Ziji, who was sentenced to be a supervisor, was a member of the New Party, but he was also a member of the New Party, and he was also obedient in front of Han Gang, did not make trouble due to partisan disputes, and was very cooperative in the construction process of the track, so he was able to stay in office safely. And although Li Jie is this time, his work does not conflict with Zhao Ziji, and when Zhao Ziji came out to greet him, he also smiled and welcomed Li Jie's arrival from the bottom of his heart.

The Ming Engineering Department needed a government-run school to teach the Ming Dynasty, so the imperial court would formally set up an engineering college to train technical bureaucrats and prepare for participating in the Ming Engineering Department.

This matter has been spread throughout the prison. It is rumored that the promotion of the School of Engineering will be concurrently held by Li Jie. At the same time, it is rumored that Li Jie will also preside over the revision of a classic book on the construction of embankments, fortifications, railways, canals, etc., as a textbook for the teaching of the College of Engineering. Li Jie wears many hats, and of course he will not have much time to deal with the official affairs that will be imprisoned, let alone compete with Zhao Ziji for power and profit.

Just like today's Tongsheng Si Wen Gao, who was born as a medical officer, is also in charge of the Goutai Medical Bureau, and also promotes medical school. His main work was in the Taiyi Bureau and the Medical College, and the work in the Department of Health and Welfare was handled by Wu Yan, the Department of Health and Welfare, which was also because of the official death of so many people who believed that Li Jie would take up the post of the Institute of Engineering.

As long as Li Jie can really be like Wen Gao and abide by his duty, Zhao Ziji would like this new colleague to be in prison for a longer time.

After entering the lobby, he checked his life and told him according to the process, and the officials who sent Li Jie to take office took the reward money and said goodbye, and Zhao Ziji introduced the officials in the yazhong to Li Jie one by one.

Li Jie has been to Beijing a lot of times, and he has dealt with most of the officials in the yazhong, and Li Jie has said a few words warmly and pulled friendships.

When this introduction reached the most embarrassing end, Zhao Ziji pointed to a middle-aged man with a slightly dark complexion and a weathered face, "This is Yang Yan, the official of the Inner Construction Institute." ”

There is no introduction form, nor does it introduce the identity of his father and grandparents, just such a simple official position and name.

The Inner Repair Office is a yamen responsible for the construction and repair of the palace buildings. The promotion of official affairs is generally held by the internal chamberlain, and only occasionally the third class of envoys will be filled. There are a thousand heroic troops under the jurisdiction of the Inner Repair Office,

Acting as a military craftsman. In managing so many soldiers, the status of promoting official affairs is actually not low, and if it is an internal officer, the jurisdiction of the superintendent over it is minimal.

The status of the Inner Construction Institute is definitely not low, and the promotion of official affairs should not be introduced at the end of the list. But the officials in the hall treated it as usual, and Yang Yan himself, whose face was full of humble smiles, also had no intention of resisting this treatment.

Seeing Yang Yan, Li Jie was a little surprised, "But Yang Qi's brother?" ”

Yang Yan was obviously stunned for a moment, and then nodded and said, "It's Xiaguan's younger brother." ”

Li Jie was even more enthusiastic this time, took Yang Yan's hand, and said with a smile: "I was appointed to preside over the construction of railway tracks, and Brother Jun was the assistant to supervise the project. Han Xianggong also praised it several times, saying that Ling Di was diligent and prudent, and he did not lose to Yu Hao, a great worker in the past. The two railways of Jingsi and Jingluo have made great contributions to the younger brothers. ”

Yang Yan was nervous when he was held by Li Jie, but he didn't dare to pull his hand out, so he could only wait for Li Jie to finish speaking. However, when he heard Li Jie's words relayed by Han Gang, he couldn't help but laugh happily.

The two brothers, Yang Yan and Yang Qi, are both famous for their carpentry in Beijing, and are a number of carpentry masters, who are good at building large-scale buildings. Later, Emperor Xizong Zhao also made meritorious contributions to Yang Yan's cultivation, promoted him to the palace value, and became a military attaché.

Two years ago, Yang Qi was sent to Li Jie's command to assist in the construction of the track. On the railway track from Luoyang to Jingshi, several wooden bridges that have been completed are planned and built by Yang Qi. The railway bridges, although made of wood, were sturdy and stable, and heavy trains could pass through them safely. Now, Yang Qi has followed in his brother's footsteps and been awarded an official position, and is also studying how to transform the wooden bridge into a stone bridge with a long service life.

If you are a skilled craftsman, you will definitely continue to do this. As long as you have enough talent and make enough contributions, even if you are from a humble background, you will have the opportunity to become an official. Han Gang's intentions, of course Li Jie understands, although he is from an official family, he has done so many years, and he will never discriminate against talents with expertise - he is himself discriminated against, how can Li Jie impose it on others?

After a pause, he handed over all the affairs to his director, and until noon, it was a routine official banquet.

The officials in the government office took their seats, and the officials went down to the hall to avoid it, leaving only one to serve. After three rounds of drinking, they will come up again to serve wine and celebrate their birthdays. But Li Jie raised his eyes and looked over, Yang Yan, who had been an official for many years, was planning to go down to the hall with the officials.

The old officials did not sit with the ministers and deputy ministers when they saw the old ministers. This is a custom in the government. Even if Yang Yan had already done the official work of promoting the Inner Construction Institute, he still didn't dare to sit and eat with his colleagues. However, Li Jie didn't intend to watch Yang Yan leave like this, and immediately called Yang Yan out: "Yang Tiju, please stay, today's official banquet, all the officials in the government should be seated, why did Tiju leave?" ”

Turning his head and saying to Zhao Zi, "The envoys of the third class should be present." ”

Zhao Ziji frowned slightly, and did not respond for a while. And Yang Yan has already shaken his hand again and again, and he doesn't even dare to say it. And the general supervisor also said, "This is consistent." ”

Li Jie disagreed, and said loudly: "After the original brother was conferred, he still didn't dare to sit at the official banquet. Master Shen said, once ordered by the king, he is a king's minister, and he is no longer the humble body of the old days, how can he not be at the banquet? I have also heard Yukun Xianggong mention, when Emperor Xizong and Wang Anshi were quite unimpressed with this, the ancients had no way to establish virtues, and did not hear that the King of Qin despised Baili Xi with five sheepskins, nor did he hear that Fu said that he could not enter the banquet of Yin Gao. Wen Tiju of the Taiyi Bureau, who was at Han Xianggong's house last time, also sat down safely. ”

It's nothing for Li Jie to move out of Shen Kuo, it's nothing for Wang Anshi to go back to retire, and Emperor Xizong, who has long been in the ground, is also not careful, but Li Jie moved Han Gang out, so no one dares to say anything more.

Zhao Ziji was also very sleek, and immediately said to the little officials who served left and right: "Why don't you hurry up and lift the cloth seat?!" ”

After a busy job, Yang Yan's seat was placed at the bottom, and if he really wanted to think about it, he could at least move forward a few more positions. However, Li Jie did not think much of himself and did not ask for more.

Seeing Yang Yancheng enter the table and sit down on his knees in fear, Li Jie only felt that he was really tired, he had to go up like this again when he first took office, in order to sit here safely, he always had to intrigue first. It's the norm, but it's always exhausting.

The banquet began, and the small twists and turns in front of the banquet were quickly left behind by everyone. Today's protagonist has become the target of the toast, and they have come up to persuade him to toast and celebrate his birthday, and during the conversation, most of them patted their chests and assured Li Jie that no matter what the situation is, they will let the School of Engineering go on smoothly.

Just looking at their courteous appearance, Li Jie knew that they wanted to make friends with the prime minister through themselves. I also understand how much benefit it will be if I can show my face in front of Han Gang. For the sake of which benefits, these people must do whatever it takes.

Staggered, Li Jie whispered, laughed out loud, cup after cup, and the friendship with his colleagues rose like a fly.

But the more he drank, the more he understood that Han Gang's recent attention would not be on the engineering academy for the time being, but on other things, and it was useless to be more attentive now.

In the process of visiting Han Gang the day before yesterday, Li Jie learned a little bit about what kind of issues Han Gang was concerned about recently.

One is the court push held every day to decide on two new candidates for the two provinces, which is also an important matter related to the construction of the track.

Shen Kuo, who has been his top boss for several years, will most likely still be on an errand for the future to promote the rail service, but his appointment as the governor of the Eastern Mansion will have good news in half a month at most.

Li Jie didn't think there would be any accidents in this, if he became the prime minister, he couldn't let Shen Kuo's name be sent to the front of the palace, then Han Gang had been in vain in the past few years in the court. With Han Gang's power and the status in front of the Queen Mother, how could anyone still interfere with it?

Shen Kuo may not be the best choice, he is not treated anywhere, and therefore he has only been defeated in the court push a few times - Li Jie privately felt that this was Han Gang's deliberate so, and he deliberately failed a few times, so as not to let the world think that he had been able to control the court with one hand, and even more so as not to be jealous of the Queen Mother, no matter how much affection he had, he would not always let Shen Kuo fail, he had such a suitable person in his hands, as a member of the governor's capacity, he had a big promotion of rail service, except for Shen Kuo, Surely no one else wants to do it.

The other is the Battle of Dali in the far southwest.

Although Li Jie was not a military-related official, the officials who came and went in and out of the Han family's house were all dignitaries who had access to secrets, and more information was not a secret in the capital.

Kumamoto has already taken office, Huang Shang has become the chief steward of the southwest camp, and Zhao Long, who led the army south, has also led 4,000 Guanxi elite soldiers and 2,000 Tubo cavalry to arrive at the base camp of the southwest camp within the time limit. In addition, the two commanders of the Shenji Army also arrived at the front line at the same time.

In terms of operational planning, this will be a copy of the battle of the Southern Expedition, which launched the Southwest Yi of the Surrender to Shun, and used tens of thousands of servant troops to cooperate with the main elite attack.

However, in terms of combat methods, this will be the first large-scale use of firearms, and if it were not for the close range, there would be no stronger power to become a test ground for firearms, and the Shenji Battalion would not have embarked on the battlefield of Dali at all, and the southwest battalion would not have as many as 200 tiger squat guns and 15 field guns, as well as corresponding shells and gunpowder, as well as various kinds of explosives.

With the prestige of the official army, it is not difficult to break the enemy in one fell swoop, but the difficulty lies in the training of troops, as far as Li Jie knows, Han Gang has been very concerned about the southwest recently, and he is full of confidence on the surface, so he does not mind, but in private, every military newspaper has to be read again and again, under his instructions, the requirements on the front line, the political hall is 120% satisfied, if this is not possible, Kumamoto and Huangshang are ashamed of the imperial court, the queen mother and Han Xianggong.

……………………

The war in the southwest has long been ignited.

Just when the monarchs and ministers of the Beijing Division were looking forward to the early news of the good news, the southwest camp dominated by Kumamoto and Huangshang had already left Chengdu Mansion Road for a while.

Previously, they had been in Chengdu for many days, waiting for the elite main force in the northwest, waiting for the soldiers and horses of the Tibetan army gathered in the edict, and waiting for countless baggage and the high-profile Shenji battalion.

When the three armies gathered, Kumamoto would build a platform on the bank of the Min River and swear a bloody oath. Immediately, tens of thousands of soldiers and horses began the process of going south along the various roads into Yunnan.

The main force went south for more than ten days, and first arrived at Rongzhou, which was the closest to the front line, and the first enemy in front of him was not the army of Dali, but the Shimen Fan Department that controlled Shimen Pass and Wuchi Road.

Huang Shang was following Kumamoto's side at this time, walking slowly along the sheep intestine path between the valleys.

A few miles ahead is Shimen Pass, Zhao Long has already led the main force to arrive at the pass, according to common sense, the two of them, the main and deputy coaches, only need to wait for the good news in the rear, but in the first battle at the beginning, neither of them is willing to wait for news in the back.

"Zhuang Ji entered Yunnan, it was from Qianzhong County to lead troops, cross the Yuan River, Kejilan, extinguish Yelang, and attack until Dianchi Lake. Thanks to Mian Zhong, the father and son of the Gao family, they probably thought that we would also enter Guizhou first, and then attack Yunnan. ”

Kumamoto said slowly, not at all worried about the battle that was about to begin. Behind the two, a group of generals and staff followed suit, and a little behind, there was a group of barbarians with their hair combed and various colors of clothing following closely.

Since ancient times, there have been only a few roads into Yunnan. Two went south from Chengdu, with Shimen Road as the main road, and the other from Yuzhou to the south, through Zunyi to Qianzhou, and then turned southwest. That is, during the Warring States period mentioned by Kumamoto, the Chu general Zhuang Ji led the army into Yunnan.

The last road is Guangxi, which was not easy to walk in the past and was rarely used. But since the pacification of the two roads in Guangnan, this road into Yunnan, there are more and more businessmen passing through, Yunnan horse has always been an important supplement to the military horse of the Great Song Dynasty, in the past two years, the place where the Yunnan horse enters the Central Plains the most, but it is in the Hengshanzhai on the bank of the left river in Guangxi, where is the horse market opened up by Hangang. In Yongzhou, go along the river, and then go all the way to the west.

The native soldiers and forbidden troops of Guangxi are a few elites in the south, and now they are gathering in Hengshanzhai, and there is also the cooperation of the caves and barbarians in the left and right rivers, and they have put on a posture of entering Yunnan at any time.

In the past two years, Huang Shang has made a lot of movement in the Qianzhou area, and the momentum has even overwhelmed Chengdu Mansion, if Dali wants to defend, these roads must be guarded, but the transfer of soldiers has a primary and secondary division, where the main force, where the division is biased, must be arranged in advance. Once the three armies are in place, they will find out that they have made a mistake in calculation, and if they want to mobilize back, it will not be so easy, and they will be one step away from it.

"Huang Shang thinks that the Gao family and his son should be able to guess the path that the main force of our army will take, after all, there is a big commander here."

"Mian Zhong, you can say." Kumamoto narrowed his eyes with a smile.

"The handsome and mighty are famous, and all the departments in the southwest are not afraid to obey, how can they be compared with Huangshang? I heard that the handsome man has arrived, Gao Zhisheng, Gao Shengtai father and son, how dare they not be guarded. ”

The smile on Kumamoto's face became even more distinct, Huang Shang's words were just nice, but the attitude he showed in his words was the most important.

There is nothing to fight between Kumamoto and Huang Shang, there is a gap in status and age, and Huang Shang is a person who knows how to be measured, the two have communicated before, and their impression of each other is not bad, and now they cooperate with each other, and they complement each other.

A flat road has been walked, and walking up a rather steep step, Kumamoto leans on his cane, and said as he walked: "Soldier, treacherous way." But more important is strength. Whether it's right or wrong, now the officials and the army are all three ways together, no matter which way, Dali must deal with it with all their hearts. ”

On the Qianzhou side, there is a soldier and horse. Although it is a partial division, its strength is not weak, and it is a strong soldier trained by various barbarian armies under the command of Huang Shang in recent years.

Although he only took one of the Shenji battalions under his command to the south, Li Xin had been in Guangxi for many years and had a good reputation, and he commanded the army.

As for the main force led by Kumamoto and Zhao Long, it went south from Chengdu Prefecture, along the Minjiang River Valley, through Fushun Prison, which was prosperous because of salt, and went south to Shimen through Rongzhou, and walked on the five-foot road opened by the Qin people.

The road of Shimen Pass, the five-foot road repaired in the Qin period only left the roadbed, and then the Han and Jin dynasties rebuilt it, called the Yan Road. There is a hanging coffin on the cliff on the side of the road, and it is said that it is the burial place of the servants. In recent years, because of the prosperity of trade, not only the Great Song Dynasty built the road, but also the Dali and the Tibetan parts along the road, almost all of the roads were rebuilt.

It's just that these roads are all winding in the mountains, and the best ones are only for people to walk, and horses can cross them, but cars can't cross them. The difficulty of attacking Dali is also on these dangerous roads, not the counterattack of the Dali army.

Zhao Long was ready to fight, just waiting for the arrival of Kumamoto and Huang Shang.

Since Rongzhou, the five-foot road to Shimen Pass in the south can only allow two people to stand side by side, and Shimen Pass is even more steep. A hundred steps before the pass, is all the way up the steps, although the wall is not high, but this road uphill, the soldiers in armor rush to the wall, basically they are tired and half dead, not to mention that the siege equipment such as ladders are all unusable. And if you want to use the tactics of attacking the city with ants, you only need to look at the road that is only five or six feet wide in front of the pass, and you can know how difficult the road will be, no matter how many soldiers and horses you have in hand, the soldiers who can go into battle and climb the city at the same time will not exceed five at most. The rest of the soldiers could only shoot the head of the city with crossbows, and this kind of shooting, because of the winding and rugged mountain road, could only accommodate more than 100 people.

In this case, as long as the defenders in the walled city have enough confidence and enough supplies, there is no need to worry about anyone being able to break through.

Before, when Zhao Long saw the terrain in front of the stone gate pass, he also deduced it, if he let himself guard it, it was basically how long the food could be eaten, and how long he could guard it here, there was a spring on the mountain, and as for the materials for guarding the city, there was never a shortage of stones in this mountain.

Naturally, this is a situation where the Divine Machine Battalion is not used to go into battle.

Perhaps this is the first hurdle to enter Yunnan, but now in Zhao Long's hands, there are enough means to deal with this kind of difficult danger

Once the Shimen Pass is broken, the war to capture Dali has only reached the main topic, whether it is for merit or for the smooth future of the war, Zhao Long must take this dangerous pass at the lowest cost.

Although Kumamoto and Huang Shang walked slowly, it didn't take long for them to come to a temporary camp set up at a gentle slope in Zhaolong.

The road on the mountain is difficult and dangerous, but the spring is murmuring, and there is a waterfall from the cliff, in the bulge of the stone wall, several falls and several bumps, and the most lull falls into the waterhole on the side of the road. The small waterhole is only a square square circle, the mountain spring water gathered is crystal clear, a few war horses are drinking water by the pool, the soldiers who lead the horses were originally sitting lazily beside them, and when they saw Kumamoto and Huang Shang coming, they hurriedly jumped up and saluted.

Zhao Long's inquiry came in a hurry, Kumamoto didn't waste time greetings, and asked directly: "Ben Shuai saw that your spaceship was not put on it, did you understand the situation in Guanzhong?" ”

"The wind in the mountains is not suitable for the spaceship, so the last general sent someone to climb the mountain wall to investigate." Zhao Long said, raising his hand and pointing to the mountain on the side.

Huang Shang picked up the binoculars, followed Zhao Long's fingers and looked over, and found several figures dressed in red on the mountain wall.

"The thieves are not on guard on the mountain?" Huang Shang asked in surprise. A few scouts are so conspicuous that if there are enemies on the mountain, dropping a few rocks will clear them.

"Nope." Zhao Long shook his head, "The thieves are all shrunk behind the closed door." ”

There was a battle on the flats, and the ship always flew high, only this time, in the valley, the wind was strong, and the balloon could not go up to the sky. But the mountain wall next to the road is towering, and Zhao Long has already selected athletes who are good at climbing in the army and asked him to climb up to observe Guanzhong. And when they sent people, they were told to be careful of the strongholds set up by the thieves on the mountain. As long as a general with a little brain, he will definitely try to occupy the favorable terrain on the top of the mountain in advance, monitor the enemy army, and surround himself. However, Zhao Long's explanation was in vain, and there were no enemies on the mountain at all.

Zhao Long was not surprised, he went south with Wang Zhongzheng to quell the chaos back then, and he encountered such an opponent. The soldiers have the courage to fight and kill, but the chieftains who lead the army are too incompetent. Even if you can use some tactics, it's ridiculously tight.

"Such an enemy, even if he doesn't use firearms, just a night attack, the last general can still break the enemy." Zhao Long said conceitedly, he had full confidence in this.

Kumamoto shook his head, "Zhao Ziji, you can say that, it all depends on the experience gained in exchange for human lives in Kansai and Hedong. Where is this group of Tibetan people having such an opportunity? When the officers and soldiers came, they hid in the mountains, and then came back after the officers and soldiers left, this is the tactics they should use, and if they want to defend against the danger, they will have to learn a few more years. ”

Zhao Long weiwei nodded yes.

Huang Shang played with the binoculars and said, "Shimen Guancheng is narrow, and the surrounding area is not even more than a hundred steps. The main force of the thief army should be stationed behind the pass. ”

"Exactly. The last general thought so, too. Zhao Long nodded.

Huang Shang said: "The terrain of one husband and ten thousand people is not open, and there are not many people to garrison it." ”

"However, there is a trail in the mountains, and it is not clear for a while, and the thieves are familiar with geography, and it is possible to detour behind our army." Zhao Long added.

Huang Shang immediately said: "The people from the Mahu Department and the Nanguang Department are here, they are all members of Shimenfan, and the people in the middle should be familiar with the roads in the mountains. ”

"Not really." Kumamoto shook his head, "The Hundred Miles Stone Gate Road has been under the control of the Wumeng Ministry for hundreds of years, and the other two families are by no means as familiar as the Wumeng Ministry. ”

Shimen Fan Department to three families, the northwest of the Mahu Department, living in the Minjiang tributary of the Mahu River around the northeast, the northeast of the Nanguang Department, in the vicinity of the Nanguang River, the remaining one Wumeng Department, the largest population, the most extensive land, for the Shimen tribes of the co-master, it is said that the ancestor Wumeng since the Shu Han Dynasty came to settle here, since then multiplied, so far nearly a thousand years.

"Zhao Long, what do you say?" Huang Shang asked, he was sure that Zhao Long must have an idea.

"Judging from the last general, when the city is captured as soon as possible, there is no room for the thieves' tricks. As long as the Shimen Pass is broken, it will be difficult for Shimen Fan to resist the officials and soldiers. ”

Zhao Long is full of confidence.

This time, the official army marched south to Dali, and the Wumeng department in the Shimen Fan Department refused to surrender, so they retreated to Shimen Pass and waited for reinforcements from Dali.

In the past two years, the official army has not beaten the various departments of the Southwest Yi, the Shuixi Luo Clan Ghost Country has been beaten and collapsed, and several tribes in Rongzhou and Maozhou have been slaughtered cleanly, and it is normal for the Wumeng Department not to believe Kumamoto's words. The allusion to the false path to destroy the enemy, even if the Tibetan people have not heard of it, smart people will also think that the officials and soldiers will play such a game. But if the imperial court wants to punish the traitorous ministers who usurped the country in Dali, if they want to be a roadblock, they must be prepared to be crushed.

Kumamoto and Huang Sheng each nodded, and Huang Shang smiled at Kumamoto, "Shang once heard that the stone gate was closed, and next to the five-foot road, there was a calligraphy treasure left by Tang Doctor Yuan Zi when he was ordered to send an envoy to Nanzhao, I don't know if it is still preserved now?" ”

"It's the one in the ninth year of Zhenyuan." Kumamoto was well-read and memorized, and immediately thought of what Huang Shang was talking about? "The cliff is next to the road under the stone gate, Yuan Deshen is famous for calligraphy, if the inscription is rubbed down and taken back to Beijing, I don't know how many people will fight for it."

Huang Shang nodded repeatedly, but Kumamoto suddenly broke off, "Zhao Long." ”

Kumamoto shouted coldly, and Zhao Long immediately clenched his fists and bowed, "The last general!" ”

Kumamoto lowered his face and asked, "When do you want the old man to wait?" ”

"The generals under the command of the last general have long been ready to stop, just waiting for the order of the commander."

"Play better!" Kumamoto indifferently ordered: "Five hundred miles away, Changning and other ten counties and eight surnames are here, and the nearby Shuixi Zhufan is even more unpulled, and there are also Nanguang and Mahu Divisions, which also belong to Shimen Fan, if they don't let them take a good look at Emperor Song Tianwei, this tail will be cocked again!" ”

Fang Kumamoto and Huang Shang laughed all the way, half of them were to show the barbarian cave masters and ghost masters behind, and the danger in front of them was just a threshold that could be crossed by lifting their feet. But if Zhao Long didn't do a good job, his previous performance would have become a laughing stock, and he would be a barbarian.

"The last general understands!"

As Zhao Long walked to the front line, a horn sounded in the sky, and the army on the mountain road immediately became active.

A team of officers and soldiers were ready to go, and the soldiers checked their equipment to see if it was neatly finished and whether there were any omissions, and the generals and colonels checked them one by one to prevent anyone from missing anything.

As soon as the trumpet sounded, the drums followed, and the echoes of the heavy drums resounded through the valley.

It's going to be attacked.

Kumamoto and Huang Shang, who were familiar with the rhythm of the official army's attacks, thought at the same time, and at the same time admired Zhao Long's methods of governing the army.

From informing his troops that they were about to enter battle to the official attack, it only took half a moment.

The cave master and ghost master in the back were frightened for a while, so they attacked? The official army was aggressive, and it seemed that they really wanted to capture Guancheng as soon as possible.

"Maybe it won't be too long." Huang Shang said in a low voice

It was true that Huang Shang did not wait too long, only a quarter of an hour later, a louder than thunder, more shocking explosion, suddenly sounded, and then continued to echo in the valley, a puff of gravel fell from the mountain wall, startling the people and horses on the road to hide for a while.

A stone the size of a human head tumbled down, hitting a horse, and the blow that hit the head directly made the horse not even neigh, and fell into the abyss next to the official road with the falling rock.

Huang Shang's heart moved at this time, and when he looked back, all the ghost masters and cave masters were all shocked and white-faced, biting their fingers, this sound could not be said to be unexpected, but the power of this blow was really too great.

Kumamoto ignored the falling rocks, and Ha Lu Ha Da laughed, "Zhao Long, this killing talent, is too hard!" ”

"Report !!"

With a prolonged shout, a small colonel carrying a small flag rushed to Kumamoto's face.

There were already thousands of troops shouting in unison, and for a moment the sound of the colonel's announcement was completely obscured, and the excitement in the call could be discerned from miles away. If it wasn't to capture Shimen Pass, what would it be!?

It's only been a while, Zhao Long has just been ordered to go to the front line, and he took down the stone gate in a blink of an eye. How dangerous Shimen Pass is, the members of all departments have seen it, but such a strong fortress was taken by the officials and soldiers in a blink of an eye, thinking about it, which of the various departments here can defend their lair?

Their minds turned around, and Zhao Long, who had just been ordered to step forward, turned back on the matter.

Zhao Long regretted a little, he still didn't have much confidence in the explosives blasting beforehand, otherwise he could have started to solve it earlier.

As soon as he got closer, he heard Kumamoto shout and ask, "Have you taken the stone gate pass?" ”

Zhao solemnly hugged his fist solemnly: "Commander, Shimen Pass has been taken by the official army!" The remnants of the Wumeng tribe fled, and the last general had already arranged for his men to pursue them, not giving them a chance to breathe. ”

"Good!"

"Good!!"

"Good !!"

Kumamoto made a good voice, one voice higher than the other, "Since ancient times, there has never been such a fast one, Zhao Zi gradually you this time, but it is the first fastest in the world!" ”

Zhao Long was not overjoyed, and sighed: "It's not the credit of the last general, but the power of gunpowder." ”

"Oh, really?" Kumamoto laughed, turned to Huang Shang and said, "Let's go up and have a look." ”

The group then climbed the stairs and turned two corners, and the gate of Shimen Pass appeared in front of everyone's eyes, but no one could recognize it.

The shattered walls still have smoke curling up, and the enemy towers on the city walls are gone. The first half of the entire stone gate pass was in ruins, and the barbarian army of the Wumeng tribe guarding the city, Tai half died in the rubble.

Only half of the road before the gate was closed, and the other half collapsed along with the rubble. The remaining roads could only be walked by one person, and if it weren't for the gunpowder explosion that killed and injured the city, it would have taken a lot of effort to take Shimen Pass.

A group of barbarians were dumbfounded, and their eyes were full of fear when they looked at Zhao Long. The ghost masters of Mahu and Nanguang reacted the most violently, and they all knelt down, chattering without knowing what to say.

Kumamoto looked at the remnants, but he also lost his previous composure, and said blankly: "The power of gunpowder is as good as this." ”

Huang Shang knew a little, the explosives that Zhao Long used to blow up the closed gate were not exactly black powder mixed with sulfur and nitrous, and there were other things, and it took a lot of effort to transport them, and he was only going to blow up a city gate, but he didn't expect that even the city wall was gone.

A group of soldiers searched the rubble for the corpses of the enemy, and the three generals and their staff walked on the ruins of the castle, waiting for the echo of the army that had gone out to pursue the fleeing enemy.

The sun is setting in the west, and the afterglow of the setting sun stains the western sky red, and the mountains near and far.

"Maybe I can go back to Beijing for the New Year." Kumamoto stood on the southern wall of Seki Castle and sighed, with the help of gunpowder, I am afraid that this war will end quickly.

"Maybe it can really be as the big man expected."

"I'm old, I don't want to move." Kumamoto sighed, "A few years ago, the old man was ordered to go out of Longxi, and when he heard someone singing 'Willow color every year, Baling hurts goodbye', the old man laughed and couldn't see it. Now, I want to hear someone sing it. ”

"Is it Li Taibai's song "Remembering Qin'e"?" Zhao Long suddenly asked,

Huang Sheng was surprised: "I don't mean Zhao Zichuan, you still know a little poetry." ”

"Just a little bit of it."

A staff member who followed the bear himself suddenly led his neck and sang, his voice was pale and the tune was long: "Xiao Sheng, Qin E dreams of Qin Louyue." Qin Louyue, willow color every year, Baling hurts goodbye. The autumn festival of the Qing Dynasty in the original Leyou Yuan, the sound of the Xianyang ancient road is overwhelming. The sound is absolutely dusty, the west wind is still shining, and the Han family mausoleum. ”

Zhao Long frowned, he didn't like such lyrics, which made people's hearts feel a little sad. On the battlefield, it should be a world of more majestic and mighty tunes. It was also at this time that a song "Remembering Qin'e", which used the same key but was more agitated, came from the soldiers in front:

"The west wind is strong, and the geese in the sky are called frost and the morning moon. Frost and early moon, the sound of horses' hooves is broken, and the sound of trumpets is swallowed. Xiongguan Mandao is really like iron, and now it is stepping forward from the beginning. From the beginning, the mountains are like the sea, and the remnant sun is like blood! ”