"Come on, bathe and change clothes for Leader Li!" Yu He smiled and ordered, two young servants in Tsing Yi stepped forward and led Li Zicheng to the wing room on the left, which had already prepared wooden barrels full of hot water and soap pancreas, Li Zicheng was covered with soot, and changed four or five buckets of water before he cleaned up. The child servant changed his clothes, and the doctor gave medicine to the wound on his foot, and all the disposal was stopped before he was invited to the main hall, and a table of wine was already set up in the house, so He smiled and said, "Leader Li feels much better now, right?" “

"Where's Liu Cheng?" Li Zicheng didn't answer, and asked directly.

"My family is fighting a fierce battle with the captives in Ningxia, and I can't get out!"

Li Zicheng didn't say much after listening to it, and sat down at the table to eat, so he was not annoyed, he also sat down at the table, and casually took a few chopsticks to accompany him. Li Zicheng ate for a while, and suddenly asked, "Why is there no wine?" ”

Yu He said with a smile: "Leader Li's food has been rough these days, but he is afraid that drinking will hurt his stomach, so he has not prepared it." If you want to drink, wait for a while, and when your stomach is better, you must be ready to drink and please. ”

"How long will it take?" Li Zicheng sneered, suddenly slapped the chopsticks in his hand on the table, and asked, "Anyway, what the hell did Liu Cheng think?" ”

"Don't worry, Leader Li still needs more, and it's not too late to eat enough!"

"Humph! If I don't know what the hell you're doing in your stomach, how can I eat it? Li Zicheng sneered: "Say it quickly!" “

"In that case, then I have no choice but to be disrespectful!" Speaking of this, Yu He made a gesture, and the few maidservants waiting in the house all retreated, and except for the two guards in the corner of the house, only Li Zicheng and Yu He were left.

"Actually, my family just wants Leader Li to do one thing, and that is just like in the past."

"Like in the past?" Li Zicheng could hardly believe his ears. Asked, "Do you know what I used to do?" ”

"Leader Li killed officials and rebelled in the past, and he did business without capital!"

"If only you knew!" Li Zicheng sneered: "Then why does Liu Cheng want to let me go, isn't he afraid that I will recruit troops and kill him again?" “

"Leader Lee." Yu He's voice was not loud, but his tone was very steady, and he seemed very confident: "It's up to you." My family is not afraid! “

"You-" Li Zicheng was furious when he heard this, and stood up from the chair, his eyes were as if they were about to breathe fire, staring at Yu He deadly, but Yu He was still sitting on the chair, looking at each other calmly, with a smile on the corner of his mouth. Li Zicheng saw in his eyes, the shadow of the general who was eating venison in the courtyard and looking at him with a sneer seemed to coincide with the scribe in front of him. For a moment, he felt as if Liu Chengcheng was sitting in front of him, looking at him with a sneer, and he instinctively took a step back and made a defensive posture.

"Leader Li, why are you like this, it's better for you and me to sit down and talk!"

Li Zicheng looked at the guard behind him who had already pressed the handle of the knife, and sat down again stupidly: "You tell me this, and you are not afraid of being heard by others to report it?" ”

"Whistleblowing?" Yu He smiled: "These two people are Mongolians, and they can only hear a few simple Chinese words. How do I denounce it? Leader Li, what do you think of my family's advice? ”

"Suggestion? Do you think I'm still in a position to say no now? Li Zicheng smiled bitterly: "Say it." What exactly does Liu Cheng want me to do? ”

"It's simple, you can pick twenty people from among the slaves, and you can get the necessary weapons, and then you will get a chance to escape." Speaking of this, Yu He's voice became gloomy: "But you must do what my family master orders and kill the people he wants you to kill." ”

"Liu Cheng wants me to be an undercover agent in the thief?" Li Zicheng's face suddenly became gloomy. Obviously, this is in great conflict with his usual morality.

"You guessed wrong!" Yu He smiled: "My family said that you are a righteous person, and forcing you to do these things that you don't want will only mess things up." Leader Li, don't worry, my master wants you to kill the gentry. ”

"Gentleman?" Li Zicheng couldn't help but be taken aback: "Aren't your adults an official soldier?" Why do you want to kill the gentry? ”

"Huh!" Yu He laughed, he didn't answer Li Zicheng's question: "To do it or not to do it?" ”

Li Zicheng did not speak. He was silent for a while, and suddenly asked, "Liu Cheng, isn't he afraid that I will report it to the government?" What if I run away? “

"Whistleblowing?" Yu He laughed: "Which official do you think will believe your words?" My family is a dignified second-class member, the deputy chief soldier of Yansui Town! Thousands of thieves were killed, and a sentence that the thief held a grudge against the minister was dismissed. As for escaping, it's because you don't know how to lift, and you're not the only thief leader captured by my family, at most you can find one more, but the next time you are caught, you won't have this kind of luck! In the end, Yu He's voice was already full of gloomy murderous aura. Li Zicheng thought of the hard labor life at the wharf in those months, and thought of the iron flow gushing out of the blast furnace mouth, and couldn't help but shudder. He lowered his head and asked, "What good will it do if I do Lord Liu's errand well." ”

"A thousand totals!" Yu He said in a low voice: "If you want to join the army, if you don't want to do this, you can also get five hundred taels of silver to go to the south, and my family can arrange a good livelihood for you." “

"Okay, I promise!" Li Zicheng raised his head and asked in a low voice, "When will you let me go?" ”

"No hurry!" Yu He smiled: "You rest here for a few days first, and then you can rest after your body and bones are well!" ”

Huan County, the governor of the three sides.

Liu Guoneng sat in the wing room on the inside of the gate of Xingyuan, waiting for the trilateral governor Hong Chengchou to be heard. The leader of the thieves, nicknamed "Breaking into the Sky", is Li Zicheng's hometown and a native of Yan'an. In the early years of Chongzhen, Shaanxi drought, he was forced to rise up from hunger and cold, with his own martial arts and courage quickly stood out among the thieves, three years after the god was a kui, not mud was cared for, he was also cared for, and then He Renlong made a plan to kill the god of a kui, not mud two people, the group of thieves resurged, he also followed the army to raise an incident, not long ago Liu Cheng led the troops to kill the eyes of the gray, and the old prisoner returned. Hong Chengchou issued a notice to appease the other thieves except Cao Cao, Luo Rucai and a tiger Li Guo, and he also begged for plausion. It is not difficult to see that although this person is not lacking in courage, he has no lofty goals, and is far inferior to Li Zicheng, Cao Cao, and even Lao Huihui. Once the situation is unfavorable and the government offers good conditions, Liu Guoneng wants to recruit An as an official. At this time, he was sitting on the bench, with a contradictory mood, that is, he was afraid that Hong Chengchou would repeat his old tricks and make plans for his own head; and full of longing for the future of Zhao'an.

"It is rumored that Liu Guoneng can come in!"

A high-pitched herald sound came from outside the door, Liu Guoneng trembled, jumped up from the bench, walked to the door and stopped. I carefully tidied up my clothes again, lest there be anything inappropriate and I would lose my honor later. Then Liu Guoneng staggered towards the second gate, the guard on duty in front of the second gate stopped him, and a captain looked him up and down for a while, and asked, "You are the one who broke into the sky?" ”

"It's the villain!" Liu Guoneng replied in a low voice, I don't know why, his usual courage has disappeared at this time. Even the voice of the speaker was a little trembling.

"Do you have a weapon?"

Liu Guoneng hurriedly took off the saber at his waist and handed over the dagger in his boots. The lieutenant took the weapon and asked him to grope his whole body up and down. I let it in. Inside the two doors is a vermilion paint screen, open it is a door, this is the so-called instrument door, also known as the Heng gate, the Han Dynasty government county administration on both sides of each build a Huan, between the two Huan add wood for the door. Said Huan Gate. The name of the Song Dynasty was changed to the Yimen, that is, the door of etiquette. The second gate of the Ming and Qing Dynasty government offices is known as the instrument door, which is the place where the chief official greets and sends off guests. Ming Huidian. Official Rites" records: In addition to the arrival of new officials, or the celebration ceremony, the emperor is happy. When the boss comes, reads the edict, or holds a major sacrificial ceremony, the ceremonial door is not opened, and the personnel enter and exit through the east side door. This instrument gate is not opened on weekdays, but now it has become Hong Chengchou's line, and he has to welcome the governor and several important generals, and this instrument gate has just been opened. Liu Guoneng was originally a thief, how did he know so many rules, and when he saw the door open, he walked straight over. Seeing this, the lieutenant in the back hurriedly chased after him, pulled him to the side, and shouted, "Come here!" What are you, dare to walk here! With that, he pushed it hard, pointed to the door on the east side, and shouted, "Where to go!" ”

Where did Liu Guoneng dare to argue, lowered his head and staggered into the door, passed through the two lines of guards under the steps, came to the front of the hall, and was brought into the lobby by the Chinese army, and hurriedly knelt down in front of Hong Chengchou, did not dare to raise his head, and hurriedly kowtowed a few times: "The sinner Liu Guoneng sees the master of the army!" ”

Hong Chengchou in the hall looked coldly at Liu Guoneng who was kneeling on the ground, and after a long while, he asked in a deep voice: "Are you Liu Guoneng who broke through the sky?" ”

"Back to the adult, it is the villain!" Liu Guoneng knelt on the ground, his heart beat like a drum, he didn't dare to raise his head, only dared to look around with the corner of his eye, when he found that the bottom of the screen behind the governor was hollowed out, there was no "hidden five hundred knives and axes" as said in the play, he couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief, it seemed that his name was saved.

"This official heard that you and that Cao Cao are sworn brothers, I don't know if it's true or not?"

"Back to my lord, the villain did become a brother with that Cao Cao."

"Oh?" Hong Chengchou nodded: "Then where is Cao Cao now?" ”

Hearing Hong Chengchou ask here, Liu Guoneng knew that he had already asked about the important place, and his life and future were tied to it, so he hurriedly replied carefully: "Back to my lord, then Cao Cao and Li Guo learned that after the lord issued a notice to appease him, the camp went to the northwest, but after a few days of leaving, the two thieves led the troops back again, and said that the Tartars attacked in a big way, broke through the side wall, there were seventy or eighty thousand horsemen, and the official army could not grow here, so they wanted to join forces and go east to Shanxi!" ”

"Humph!" Hong Chengchou snorted coldly, his face was like iron. Cao Cao's actions just poked at his heart, as Cao Cao said, Lin Dan Khan's invasion greatly distracted Hong Chengchou, forcing him to transfer his most powerful generals away, and more importantly, even Hong Chengchou himself could not delay here for a long time.

"Then why don't you go to Shanxi with your righteous brother?" Hong Chengchou sneered.

Liu Guoneng hurriedly kowtowed again, and replied cautiously: "The foolish people have been trapped in injustice for several years, and there are many sins, how dare they create and kill again?" Today, Lord Lai's magnanimity can lead to rebirth. I wish all of you to join the military and do your best. “

Hong Chengchou looked at Liu Guoneng on the ground, and did not answer immediately, the other party's previous answer gave the reason why only a few bandits were appeased - Lin Dan Khan's inappropriate invasion changed the balance of strength between the official army and the thieves, and the appeasement policy was only feasible when the official army had an absolute advantage. Among the several thieves who were appeased, the most famous and brought the most soldiers and horses was this Liu Guoneng, whether it was for "buying horse bones" or in order to make him work harder, it was necessary to give him considerable benefits. Thinking of this, Hong Chengchou said softly: "Liu Guoneng, you get up!" “

"Thank you, sir!" When Liu Guoneng heard this, he couldn't help but be secretly happy in his heart, he kowtowed again, stood up, and bowed slightly.

"This official saw that you were originally a child of a good family, and you made the bad guys confused for a while before becoming a thief." Hong Chengchou twisted the beard under his chin and smiled slightly: "The imperial court has always been lenient towards you, as long as you change your mind in the future and really serve the imperial court, the imperial court will naturally reuse you." It's ridiculous that your companions who follow the thief think that if you sweat into the Kou, you will change something. You must know that the trend of obedience and rebellion is the way of heaven and earth, and how can it be changed by a little trapping? He may be able to escape for a while, but sooner or later he will fall into the net, and it will be difficult to fly with wings. “

Regarding what Hong Chengchou said, Liu Guoneng could only hear "the court will reuse you", and the rest was only four or five percent, he hurriedly knelt down and kowtowed: "Thank you for cultivating!" ”

"Liu Guoneng, how many soldiers and horses do you have?"

When Liu Guoneng heard this, he knew that the drama was here, so he hurriedly announced: "Tell the lord, there are more than 200 cavalry under the villain, and 300 strong cavalry!" ”

"Well, then the official will take you as a garrison, subordinate to the Governor's Standard Battalion, and lead the department as the vanguard to pursue Cao and Li two thieves."

"Thank you, sir!"

After Cao Cao and Li Guo returned to Huanxian, they released the news of Lin Dan Khan's invasion of Ningxia, and took the opportunity to attract several bandits, adding up to more than 10,000 people, so they merged one to the east, crossed the Taibai Mountains, and entered the boundary of Yulin Town, where there are many forts and side walls, and it has been the frontier position of the Central Plains Dynasty to resist the invasion of the northern nomads since ancient times. Cao Cao did not dare to harass the locals, and soon after passing the Taibai Mountain, he turned southeast, followed Luoshui into the boundary of Yan'an, and prepared to follow Li Guo's advice to Ganquan and then go east, crossing the Yellow River at Mengmen and entering Shanxi. In order to avoid clashes with the border troops along the way, Cao Cao chose a path that few people walked, all the way were barren slopes and mountains, very difficult and dangerous, often not a single person could be seen at the end of the day, and their actions were not easy to be discovered by the officers and soldiers. (To be continued.) )