"Master Li, thank you for your kindness, it's just that the matter of sending troops has a lot to do with it, let me think about it, how about giving you an answer tomorrow?"

"That's nature, that's nature!" Li Dongguo saw that Du Ruhu did not flatly refuse, and he was secretly happy in his heart, and the other party's reaction was also expected by him, after all, no matter how fanciful he said, he couldn't change the fact that he was trying to dig Liu Cheng's corner. Pen | fun | pavilion www. ｂｉｑｕｇｅ。 info Du Ruhu is not a three-year-old child, how can he change the door with just a few words on his own, weigh the pros and cons, and bargaining is also a proper meaning. However, looking at the appearance of the other party, at least he has already moved a little, with the banner of Yang Sichang behind him, Li Dongguo is still very confident in convincing the opponent.

"It's not early, so this official won't continue to bother General Du!" Li Dongguo stood up and said with a smile to Du Ruhu, who was following closely behind: "No need to send it, General Du, don't miss the opportunity and don't come again!" With that, he smiled and walked out of the house.

"Madame!" After sending Li Dongguo away, Du Ruhu returned to the house, and hurriedly bowed to Min Min, who pushed the screen, and said: "The last general will be recreated by the grace of the adult, and it will be difficult to repay the killing, and there will be none-"

"General Du, you don't have to say it. I know your loyalty, and so does Ah Cheng! Min Min smiled and said, "Chaoyi is our fundamental place, why don't Ah Cheng hand over this place to others, but to you?" The generals are just empty titles, and they are worth nothing. You have also been with Ah Cheng for some years, and I don't need to say much about how he treats his subordinates, you should also understand that this Li Dongguo came to you because he was blind and has nothing to do with you. ”

Listening to Min Min's words to explain himself, Du Ruhu breathed a sigh of relief and said with a wry smile: "Madam, then why didn't you let me reject him directly?" ”

"General Du, although this Li Dongguo is a delusional person, there is a sentence that is not wrong, the Yang Sichang behind him is a powerful person. Ah Cheng also mentioned this person in front of me, saying that he was quite trusted by the Son of Heaven, and acted recklessly, quite a bit of a lonely minister, and his father still had a great favor to Ah Cheng. If you flatly refuse, what will this Li Dongguo say in front of Yang Sichang? What would that Yang Sichang think? What are the consequences? This matter is very important, and I think it is necessary to think about it carefully! ”

"Madame's foresight is beyond the reach of the next!" Du Ruhu nodded again and again, if he had complained a lot about Liu Cheng handing over many things to Min Min when he went on the expedition, but now he had to admit that this was the right choice. Listening to this Lord Li's words, it should be him who teased Yang Sichang to transfer Du Ruhu's troops to Shanxi, if Du Ruhu categorically refused, it would be tantamount to a slap in the face of Li Dongguo in front of Yang Sichang. With this Lord Li's usual behavior, you can imagine what he will do.

"Someone, go to Master Cesang's place, ask him to come, and say that I invited him!" Min Min said to the maid on the side, turned his head and smiled at Du Ruhu: "General Du, he is better at this kind of thing!" ”

"That's what Madame said!" Thinking of Chessan's solemn appearance on weekdays, Du Ruhu couldn't help laughing.

"Beji, we should promise that Master Li!" After listening to the description of the incident, Chesan was quick to give his answer: "Actually, I think it's an opportunity for adults. ”

"Opportunity? This Master Li wants to dig into Ah Cheng's corner! Min Min laughed.

"Beji, please listen to me!" A smug smile appeared on Chesan's face: "Do you think that even if we promise him, this Master Li will be able to succeed?" ”

Min Min heard what was still unspoken by Chesan and asked, "I would like to hear about it!" ”

"Let's not mention General Du's loyalty to the general soldier!" Qiesang smiled apologetically at Du Ruhu: "Beji, have you ever thought about how much silver this battalion under General Du costs every month?" Salary, clothing, shoes, armor, arms, and food all cost money, and I once calculated that the soldiers under General Du cost thirty taels of silver a year, and this is not only a matter of silver, many things can not be bought immediately with silver, such as two thousand woolen blankets at once, and cooked cowhide sewn on the corners, where can you buy them immediately except for Chaoyi? ”

"Master, do you mean to ask that Master Li for a piece of silver, so that he can retreat?"

"No!" Che Sang smiled: "That Lord Li is a salt patrol imperial history, and he can be regarded as a few officials in the world with the most money in hand, he must have come prepared, how can he be stumped by this matter?" I bet that as soon as General Du opens your mouth, he will definitely pat his chest and ask you to make a number. ”

"And what do you mean by that?" Du Ruhu confused Chesang's words.

"I mean, that Master Li had the wrong idea!" Chesang smiled: "He has the silver, but where do all the military supplies come from?" We have also seen all the Ming armies, the imperial court sent silver down, but the soldiers even had to get a good pair of shoes by themselves, and it was extremely difficult for him to catch this elite soldier in his hands based on this alone. “

Hearing this, Min Min had already understood, Li Dongguo's idea was to go with the generals, as long as Du Ruhu was pulled over, the rest would be easy to say. But what he didn't expect was that even if he really pulled Du Ruhu over, he wouldn't be able to pull away those factories in Chaoyi and the logistics system that provided those commodities together, and there was no way to supply the army as well as Liu Cheng, so naturally he couldn't cut off the connection between the huge network behind Liu Cheng and this army, and it was tantamount to a fantasy to turn it into his own army.

"Guru, do you mean to promise him?"

"Yes, I suspect that this matter is not only that Lord Li is making trouble, but that Inspector Yang may also have the intention of using this matter to test the adult." Cesan said in a low voice: "What your lord needs now is time, and in another two or three years, the situation in the entire Northland will be very different!" ”

"Hmm!" Min Min nodded, compared to Du Ruhu, as Liu Cheng's pillow man and the princess of the Jungger Tribe, she knew much more information: for the nomads in the grasslands outside the Saiwai, the Hetao area surrounded by the Yellow River, the fertile land, and the Yin Mountains were like a magnet, attracting them all the time. Liu Cheng not only has a strong military force, but also has the name of the Mongol Great Khan Jinong, as well as salt, iron, medicinal materials, tea, cloth and other commodities that the nomads urgently need, as long as the war with the Houjin subsides, or by force of force, or by interests to win over, it will not take a few years to establish a large empire that includes the Monan tribes and controls hundreds of thousands. At that time, it would be easy to divide the northwest and compete with the imperial court and the Jurchens. Considering his good relationship with Mobei, Moxi and other departments, as well as his official position as the chief soldier of Ningxia, his strength may still surpass that of the Jurchens in these three legs.

"General Du, tomorrow you will promise that Master Li that Ah Cheng will have me there, but I will ask him to pay a year's military salary as the opening money."

"Yes, ma'am!"

New Naturalized City.

"Your Excellency, Your Excellency!" A pro-soldier rushed into the house panting, waking Du Guoying up, he subconsciously reached out to the pillow and touched it, and his fingertips touched a hard object, which was the handle of the saber, he held the handle of the knife tightly, only then did he open his eyes and sit up.

"What's the matter?" Du Guoying's shoulders were sore and painful, which was the result of sleeping in a cuirass, a steel knife pressed under the pillow, and a cuirass was worn, with a horned bow and arrows hanging at the head of the bed, as he had been since the Jurchen siege.

"The Dongyu has withdrawn its troops and the siege has been lifted!"

"What?" Du Guoying's hand that was tightening his belt stopped: "You say it again?" ”

"The Dongyu has withdrawn its troops and the siege has been lifted!" The eyes of the pro-soldier flashed with joy, and his armor was worn backwards, but neither he nor Du Guoying noticed it. Du Guoying quickly stuffed his feet into his shoes and jumped out of bed: "Quick, go and see!" ”

Outside the city was empty, leaving only a cracked plain. The trenches, the fences, and the pyre where the bodies were burned yesterday were still smoking, but the troops, the livestock, and the tents were gone. Du Guoying took a deep breath and rubbed his eyes, the scene in front of him did not change, he couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief, and his tense body relaxed.

"General, I heard that the barbarians have retreated!" Thomas's unique accent came from behind him, to be honest, Du Guoying didn't like this yellow-haired and green-eyed barbarian very much on weekdays, but at this time he felt extremely cordial when he heard this familiar voice, he turned his head with tears in his eyes: "Yes, Dongyu has broken the siege, we won!" ”

"Maybe!" Perhaps because it was the first time he had dealt with the Jurchens, Thomas didn't seem as excited as Du Guoying, and he looked at the scene outside the city: "General, when I was in Siberia, I had a lot of dealings with these cunning Tatars, and their usual trick was to pretend to retreat first, and then turn around and make a surprise attack, and those who fell into their trap would be eaten to the bones. ”

Thomas's reminder calmed Du Guoying, and he decided not to correct the difference between the Mongols and the Jurchens for the time being: "Then how did you deal with those Tatars at that time?" ”

"Pick a few of the most alert, bravest, and best horsemen, give each of them three good horses, and let them see if these Tatars are really retreating or playing tricks! In view of the possibility that reinforcements from the Chief Soldier had arrived, I suggested that a few sentries should be sent to the west as well. “

"You're right, Thomas! Come on, pick ten good riders, each bring three horses, and go see what tricks Dongyu is playing! “

Yue Tuo rode his horse and stood on the mound, looking at the retreating army, and the rain fell on his face as if he were crying.

"Yes, I should have cried!" Yue Tuo smiled bitterly in his heart, in fact, the biggest loss of the Houjin army was only the less than three hundred people in the tunnel, and the death of the people in a siege battle can be said to be insignificant, but among these three hundred people, including Geng Zhongming, among the generals of the Han army who surrendered, his status was second only to Kong Youde. What's more, Yue Tuo squatted under the city for more than a month but found nothing, the soldiers could accept the death in the war, but they could not accept the dead and get nothing. Nearly 10,000 horses under the command of Yue Tuo and the Han Army Banner worked hard for more than a month under the new naturalization city, except for the blisters and calluses on their hands, not even a horse or a sheep were grabbed. On the other hand, the Zhenghuang Banner commanded by Huang Taiji, the left and right wings of Mongolia, and the Mongolian departments that came with them grabbed a lot of money, and compared with the two, the grievances of the soldiers under his command can be imagined.

"But for the Great Khan, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!" Since Huang Taiji ascended to the throne of the Great Khan, he has been attacking several uncles and brothers who are powerful and threatening his throne, first of all, Mang Gurtai and Amin, and then his father Daishan. In this process, Yue Tuo has always played the role of Huang Taiji's assistant, and with the death of Mang Gurtai, Amin was imprisoned, and Dai Shan retired, Yue Tuo's position in charge of the military department gradually became prominent. Although he can't threaten Huang Taiji himself, he is in the prime of life, and his military achievements are faintly a threat to the next generation of Huang Taiji, especially after Haoge was captured, this threat is even more prominent. Yue Tuo really knows his eighth uncle too well, Huang Taiji has a talent that can quickly grasp any change and turn it into an opportunity in his favor, and this time will not be an exception.

"Heshuo Baylor, the rain is getting heavier, put this on!" Kong Youde took a bearskin cloak with a hood from his own soldiers and handed it over. Yue Tuo took the cloak, put it on his body, kicked his mount, and went down the knoll, and the wind mixed with the drizzle whipped on everyone's body, and he could hear the curses of the soldiers, and he didn't know whether he was cursing the weather, or cursing himself.

"How's the artillery team?"

"I've been out for twenty miles, fortunately I set off first, otherwise this ghost weather, the wheels will be stuck in the mud and it will be troublesome!" Kong Youde smiled, according to Yue Tuo's arrangement, the artillery team of the Han army set off one day earlier, and the yellow flag he led retreated for a day, which made him very grateful in his heart.

"I like this kind of weather, because the Ming army in the city is unlikely to pursue!"

"Chase?" Kong Youde laughed: "How is it possible? Heshuo Belle, you also look down on those Ming troops too much, and it is okay to defend the city, and they will never dare to fight in the field. ”

"Really? Let's hope so! Yue Tuo smiled: "Pass the order, speed up the pace, and you must arrive at Helinger before tomorrow night to meet the Great Khan's Zhenghuang Banner!" ”

and Lingle.

The sun shone on the ruined walls, and there were faded burn marks everywhere. As far as the eye can see, there is a miserable white everywhere. On the bluestone-paved ground of the city square, weeds grow in the cracks of the stones, and the north wind blows, bringing up a piece of wind and sand, which beats on the broken wall and makes a crackling sound.

Huang Taiji's sweat tent is set up in a fruit forest, the four walls are covered with withered yellow vines, and there is a well in the center of the fruit forest, the well water is clear and sweet. The entrance to the garden is guarded by white-armored soldiers with yellow flags, and it is heavily guarded. (To be continued.) )