After the decree was issued to allow cross-border banditry, it immediately shook the northern counties, some counties rejoiced, some counties were worried, strong counties could compete for resources and expand local interests, while weak counties could only be controlled by others, while the counties that suffered from bandits expressed their support.

However, whether it is for or against, the vast majority of counties are not moving, and no one wants to be the first leader and maintain a wait-and-see attitude, while the first county to apply for cross-border bandits is Qi County.

Three days after the decree was issued, Zhang Xutuo, the Taishou of Qi County, formally submitted an application to the Ministry of War for cross-border suppression of bandits, and the Ministry of War immediately approved Zhang Xutuo's application and allowed him to suppress bandits across the border.

In late November, Zhang Xutuo personally led 10,000 county soldiers into the territory of Jibei County, launched a winter offensive, in the east of Yanggu County in Yushan, Zhang Xutuo defeated the bandit leader Han Jinluo entrenched in Jibei County, beheaded 10,000 people, captured more than 30,000 people, Han Jinluo led thousands of remnants of the army across the ice of the Yellow River, panic north.

At the end of November, Zhang Xutuo led 10,000 troops into Shouzhang County, which was only fifteen miles away from the border of Dongping County, and only thirty miles away from Liangshan, where the bandits of Dongping County gathered.

At this time, it is the cold winter season, the south bank of the Yellow River is also a snow-capped world, due to the bandits for many years, Jibei County is barren for hundreds of miles, full of devastation, the officers and soldiers are unfavorable to suppress the bandits, repeatedly defeated, can only retreat in the city, the countryside has basically been given to the bandits, there is no one living there, the poor people either die or flee, or join the bandits, the people with a little more abundant families flee into the county seat, the villages are already ruined, wild dogs are rampant.

Zhang Xutuo's army was stationed in the east of Shouzhang County, consisting of hundreds of large tents, and at this time, Zhang Xutuo rode to a small hill to the west of the barracks, looking out at the snow-covered hills and forests in the distance.

Zhang Xutuo is fifty years old this year, and the years have carved deep marks on his face, but his gaze is still grim, calm and gloomy, just like the one he had when he first met Yang Yuanqing nineteen years ago.

Decades of depression had worn away his youth and made the passion in his life die out with the years, but he could never have imagined that at the age of fifty, the god of fate would finally favor him, Yang Jizhi was transferred to Hongnong County, and he was promoted to the Taishou of Qi County for his meritorious service in exterminating the bandits of Changbai Mountain, and was crowned the doctor of Yinqing Guanglu.

In fact, he also knew that this was his apprentice Yang Yuanqing who fought for him, Zhang Xutuo only sighed about two things in his life, he married a good woman, shared weal and woe with him, and was in the same boat through thick and thin, he accepted a good apprentice, young and promising, and regarded his master as a father.

The real purpose of his cross-border bandit suppression this time was to be entrusted by Yang Yuanqing to exterminate the bandits of Liangshan in Dongping County, Yang Yuanqing made it very clear to him that the bandits on Liangshan were actually not bandits, but private soldiers secretly recruited by his father Yang Xuangan, Yang Yuanqing did not want his father to rebel, but he could not persuade him, he could only use the method of cross-border banditry to destroy Yang Xuangan's foundation, so that he could not rebel.

Zhang Xutuo understands Yang Yuanqing's pain and helplessness very well, between the family and the Great Sui, Yang Yuanqing is difficult to choose, he is neither willing to destroy the family, nor willing to betray the Great Sui, which makes Zhang Xutuo very moved, he secretly swears that he must fulfill the reputation of his apprentice, so that he is loyal and filial, no matter what, he will never want his apprentice to bear a rebellion against the Great Sui.

"Master, when are we going to attack?" Luo Shixin, another apprentice of Zhang Xutuo, asked in a low voice on the side.

"Waiting for news from the scouts!"

As soon as Zhang Xutuo's words fell, a guard pointed to the distance and shouted: "Taishou, the scout is back."

I saw a few black dots appear in the snowy wilderness in the distance, extremely clear, the black dots are getting closer and closer, it is a few scouts, galloping towards this side.

In a moment, several scouts rushed in, they turned over and dismounted, and ran towards the hill, and one of the scouts was kneeling down on one knee in front of Zhang Xutuo, "See Taishou!" ”

"Can you find information about Liangshan?"

"Returning to Taishou, there is a team in Liangshan to go down the mountain and move in the direction of Junoze!"

Zhang Xutuo sneered, is this the Liangshan Rebellion bandit about to escape?

Zhang Xutuo turned around and shouted, "Where is Qin Qiong?" ”

Among several partial generals, Qin Qiong urged the horse to come out, hugged his fists on the horse and said: "Humble duty!" ”

"I'll give you 3,000 men and horses, and you lead the army to Juyeze Changsheng Island, the island is a granary for bandits, you can occupy it directly!"

"The last general obeys!"

Qin Qiong urged the horse to gallop away, and Zhang Xutuo ordered the generals: "Order to raise troops and kill Liangshan!" ”

Several generals said: "Taishou, Liangshan is Dongping County, can we go?" ”

"Why can't you go?"

Zhang Xutuo said sharply: "I was ordered to suppress bandits across the border, and the Ministry of War did not limit my scope, whether it is the bandits of Yushan in Jibei County or the bandits of Liangshan in Dongping County, they are all within the scope of my suppression of bandits, so you don't have to worry, send troops!" ”

The 10,000 troops were divided into two routes, Qin Qiong led 3,000 people directly south, straight to the frozen Juyeze, while Zhang Xutuo led 7,000 troops to kill Liangshan more than 30 miles away.

In the icy and snowy Yuncheng County, people's thinking seems to be frozen, and they don't want to think too much about the changes that are about to take place, for the general public, this has no impact and will not hinder their lives, but for Yang Xuangan, who is too guarded in a county, his reaction is slightly sluggish, which will make him pay a heavy price.

A messenger galloping on horseback brought him a dangerous message, Zhang Xutuo, the Taishou of Qi County, led an army of 10,000 to annihilate the bandit Han Jinluo army in Jibei County in one fell swoop, and the army of Qi County was killing in the direction of Shouzhang County.

This news was enough to make Yang Xuan stunned for a while, Zhang Xutuo was the Taishou of Qi County, how could he come to Jibei County to suppress bandits?

After a while, Yang Xuangan suddenly turned around and rummaged through a pile of documents on the table.....

After rummaging for a long time, he found that it was a document sent by the imperial court more than ten days ago, and there was a label attached to the text, indicating that he had not finished reading it.

I remember that it was his second son Yang Rong who got a son, and this news made him very happy, so he didn't have time to read this imperial court text, and then the text was mixed with other documents, and he forgot it, he vaguely remembered that there seemed to be 'cross-border bandits, four words.

Yang Xuangan looked at the text and sat down, this kind of text is actually a summary of many imperial decrees, which are sent to various counties and counties regularly, just like a compilation of documents, which contains everything, information needed, and more irrelevant things.

Yang Xuangan turned to the seventh page, he saw that the will of cross-border bandits, allowing counties to cross-border bandits, Yang Xuangan's heart was like falling into an ice cave, once cross-border bandits were allowed, then his private army in Liangshan would lose his protection.

"Ming Gong!"

Li Mi rushed into the room like a gust of wind, sweating profusely in a hurry, "Ming Gong, quickly send someone to stop Xuan Jing and don't allow him to go down the mountain." ”

"Don't worry, say slowly, what happened?"

Li Mi was so anxious that he stomped his feet, "It's not that I'm in a hurry, it's too late if I don't stop it." ”

Li Mi restrained the anxiety in his heart and said, "Just now I received news from Wang Bodang, saying that Xuan Jing led the army down the mountain and went in the direction of Juyeze. ”

Yang Xuangan was also taken aback, "I didn't give such an order, why did he lead the army to leave Liangshan?" ”

Li Mi didn't know what to say, he finally sighed and said, "It is estimated that Zhang Xutuo's army has arrived, and the pressure on him is too great, so he has to abandon the mountain and flee." ”

Yang Xuangan was silent, although he didn't want to admit it, but the fact was that his younger brother Xuanjing was poorly capable, and he couldn't even command 20,000 people, and the reason why Yang Xuanjing was in charge of Liangshan's army was also because Xuanjing was the eldest son of the second uncle, and the second uncle controlled the Yang family's financial power.

"Duke Ming, the top priority now is to let Xuan Jing immediately lead the army back to Liangshan, and he will give Zhang Xutuo a chance to take advantage of when he goes down Liangshan."

Yang Xuangan nodded, and then called a confidant, gave him a token, and instructed him: "You immediately rush to Liangshan, intercept Yang Xuangan's army on the way, and tell him, just say that it is my order, let him immediately lead the army back to the mountain, and not go down the mountain." ”

The henchman took the token and hurried away, Yang Xuangan sighed again, "Master, I guess I can't go down this road, you look at this!" ”

Yang Xuangan handed the text to Li Mi, Li Mi looked at the content, he looked at the date again, it turned out to be half a month ago, why did he only notice it now.

Li Mi was silent for a moment and said: "Actually, it may not be, the key is to be silent, and not let outsiders know how many troops there are in Liangshan, like Wang Bodang, who has five thousand troops under his command, but the outside doesn't know at all, and those who know think that he only has two or three hundred troops, as long as the secret is well guarded, there is no need to worry about cross-border banditry." ”

As soon as Li Mi finished speaking, there was a sound of hurried footsteps running outside, and Yang Jishan rushed over, "Big brother, it's not good!" ”

"What's wrong?" Yang Xuangan asked with a little uneasiness in his heart.

"I just got the news......"

Yang Jishan breathlessly said: "Xuan Jing's army was caught up by Zhang Xutuo's cavalry, Xuan Jing was defeated, countless people were killed and surrendered, and 15,000 people were wiped out. ”

Yang Xuan felt that his blood was swelling when he heard it, his eyes suddenly became blood-red, and for a while, he 'Ah! , screamed, kicked his desk over, and the papers flew around.

Li Mi was quite calm, he pulled Yang Jishan outside, and hurriedly asked him, "What about Xuan Jing?" ”

The only thing Li Mi is worried about is Yang Xuanjing, if Yang Xuanjing is arrested, then Yang Xuangan's secret will be revealed.

Yang Jishan shook his head and smiled bitterly, "I heard that he fled first, and Zhang Xutuo's cavalry had not yet been killed, so he left the army and fled first, and the army had no owner, so it was so easy to be defeated." ”

At this time, another sergeant rushed in, bowed down and said: "Report to General Duwei, there is a rumor that the Liangshan bandits have disappeared in Junozawa, and the warehouse of the Liangshan bandits on Juyeze Changsheng Island has been occupied by the Qi County army, and it is said that there is countless grain and grass. ”

The expression on Li Mi's face froze, he glanced at Yang Xuangan's room, he didn't know how Yang Xuangan would react after hearing the news?

Li Mi couldn't help sighing, nearly a year's hard work was in vain.

(To be continued)