Zhuangwu General Liu Yifang returned to Youzhou four days later than expected. It was already midnight when the car entered Jixian County, but despite his exhaustion, he went directly to the mansion of the chief manager Luo Yi. The Lord and the Servant discussed with candles for more than two hours, until the window paper was shining, and then they went to rest with red eyes.

When it was past the next morning, Luo Yi couldn't wait to rush to the conference hall. Ordered the pro-soldiers to beat the drums and gather the generals, and convened all the humerus shares under his command to discuss the next move.

Rumors of a defeat in negotiations with Boling have long spread in the army, so the generals of the younger generation are all rubbing their fists. Youzhou has always valued military merits, and at present, there is a lack of opponents who can compete with the Tiger Ben Iron Cavalry near Luo Yi's territory. Therefore, the attack on Boling is the only opportunity that many officers can grasp in recent years, and if they miss it, they don't know when they will be able to look forward to it again.

Some battlefield veterans and civilian aides have solemn faces. The wealth in front of them is not easy to come by, and they don't want to lose the prosperity they already hold in their hands because of the haste of a certain decision. Moreover, there are many factors that affect victory and defeat, not only the comparison of military strength between the enemy and us. An occasional rainstorm or a plague without warning can destroy a battle-hardened army. Therefore, it is better to be more cautious in your decision. lest speculation fail, but will be chased by others, and even the capital for a life will be lost.

The dispute between the aggressive and the serious faction has been going on for a long time, and no one can convince anyone. Therefore, every time there is a disturbance in the outside world, the two sides must have another quarrel in private. But there is Luo Yi suppressing in the handsome position, and everyone tries to limit the scope of attack to the framework of the right thing and not the right person. Occasional violations were quickly corrected, so that Youzhou Road as a whole would not suffer losses.

This time, Luo Yi didn't give anyone time to take advantage of his tongue, and as soon as everyone arrived, he ordered Liu Yifang to take out a handwritten letter that was said to be the champion general Li Xu and read it aloud in public.

The whole letter is written in four and six words, and it does not look like it was written by a warrior at all. But the people of Youzhou still understood the meaning expressed between the lines, and the Boling army was perfunctory to them, and it was perfunctory with a contemptuous eye. What is said about "the responsibility of the general, but it is guarding", as if the Youzhou Army is a group of hungry and red-eyed robbers, who fight the world in order to sit on the ground and share the spoils. Talking about "strict military discipline and more benevolence and righteousness", it seems that in the whole world, except for him General Li, other military generals are gangsters who commit arson, and sooner or later they will be sent by heaven. Since you Li Xu have the heart of a saint, why don't you dedicate the foundation of the five and a half counties, and then return to the forest spring? Aren't you planning to support your own troops and look for appropriate opportunities to compete in the world?

But this letter can't be completely regarded as perfunctory, at least Li Xu stated in the letter that if Luo Yi, the governor of Youzhou, goes south to exterminate Dou Jiande, he will "beat the drum and sound the horn to strengthen the general's color", and promised that after Dou Jiande and Gao Kaidao were exterminated, he would immediately go to His Majesty the Emperor to express the merits of the tiger and the iron horse to "support the court and relieve the people from hanging", and he would never watch the achievements of the people in Youzhou be wiped out by some officials with ill intentions.

Li Xu had a clever strategist beside him. After listening to the letter, both the adventurous and the moderate came to the same conclusion. Regarding the temperament of that close neighbor, in line with the idea of knowing oneself and knowing one's opponent, many Youzhou generals have some understanding. In their opinion, Li Xu belongs to the kind of military generals with an extremely upright temper, and rarely talks to people around the corner. Including the last time I sent a letter requesting the tiger to ride north to the steppe to copy the back road of the Turks, it was also a few words to explain the stakes clearly. It's not like this time at all, giving people endless space for reverie, but in fact, it means that they don't promise any benefits.

It is obviously far-fetched to use this letter as a pretext for declaring war, which will only make onlookers feel that the Youzhou army is annoyed and angry. But in this regard, it is even more impossible to regard the Boling Army as an ally, and what the other party promised was to wait for the Youzhou Army to solve the Dou and Gao bandits, and to show merit to the court for all the generals, instead of recommending Luo Yi as the ambassador of Hebei to arrest. Moreover, the premise of this move is that the Youzhou Army can really exterminate the rebels and rebuild order in Hebei. Before the destruction of Dou and Gao's two thieves, there was no substantive agreement between the Boling Army and the Youzhou Army.

"The boy is cunning! May I ask General Liu, did the Marshal agree to another mission entrusted to you? After muttering a few words to a few generals who were also young around him, Cao Yuan was the first to stand up and express his anger.

"Nope!" Liu Yifang shook his head and smiled bitterly, "They say that the government does not compete with the people for profit, although the iron tools belong to the government in this dynasty. However, the six counties and Youzhou are all within the territory of the Great Sui, and there is no need to restrict them as strictly as they did for the Turks and Goryeo. Therefore, as long as we allow traders to buy and sell pig iron, and carefully consider taxes and fees, the circulation between grain and pig iron will naturally be driven by the people, and there is no need for the government to intervene at all! ”

"Then what are you hesitating about, just call it directly! They refused to accept the two suggestions made by the marshal, obviously relying on the support of the faint king, and did not take our Youzhou in their eyes! Before Liu Yifang finished speaking, Cao Yuanrang was already so angry that his face was blue, and he roared.

Luo Yi, the governor of Youzhou, entrusted Liu Yifang with two missions, the first of which was to make an appointment with Boling to send troops together to sweep away the rebellions of Hebei counties for the imperial court. The second was to allow Youzhou to exchange pig iron, horses, and leather for grain from the six counties of Boling at a mutually acceptable price. No matter which of these two agreements is reached, in the eyes of the outside world, it is equivalent to tying Boling to the Youzhou chariot. But Liu Yifang went for half a month, but he didn't get any benefits.

"As for the hides and horses, the other party has made an opening!" Ignoring Cao Yuanrang's anger, Liu Yifang shrugged his shoulders and continued. He looked down on Cao Yuanrang, who was bluffing. But he didn't want to hurt his peace with this person. Because the real situation of the other party is definitely not as impetuous and ignorant as it appears on the surface. The reason why this person repeatedly pretends to be crazy and stupid in front of the public is just a means of doing things by the forces behind him. This can be seen by a discerning person from the results of Cao Yuanrang's dispute with General Zhongwu's infantry last year. Cao Yuanrang, who deliberately slandered his boss, was only demoted to a first-level officer, while the infantrymen who had followed Luo Yi for many years were sent to sit outside the fortress. It is not so much that Luo Gong valued his ability to take charge of himself, but that he was kicked out of the decision-making circle of the Youzhou Army.

"They said that the price of their own supply is much lower than that supplied by Youzhou, and the quantity can also meet the needs of the army. So thank you for your kindness. As for private trading, the six counties have never banned it, and naturally they will not interfere too much! ”

As soon as these words fell, Cao Yuanrang's arrogance suddenly decreased by half. Iron ore, raw hides, and war horses are necessary for the whole armament war. Therefore, the transaction requirements put forward by the Youzhou side are not only beneficial to themselves. The iron ore output in the six counties under Li Xu's rule is not high, and raw hides and war horses are even more scarce. If Li Xu wants to develop and expand his strength, the three goods provided by Youzhou are indispensable. However, Boling took advantage of the weakness of excessive taxes in Youzhou to reject this proposal in disguise, and through the discussion of the source and price of goods, it was faintly pointed out that they may still have a very close ally.

The source of iron ore may be Hedong, after all, Li Yuan and Li Xu are also known as uncles and nephews of the same sect. As for the hides and war horses, in addition to the three counties of Liaodong under Luo Yi's rule, the source can only be from the Hu people. Thinking of this, someone immediately remembered Pan Zhanyang, who delivered the letter for Li Xu that day, and frowned and exclaimed: "Isn't the one surnamed Pan last time the housekeeper of the Khitan people?" Could it be that the Khitans have been supporting him? ”

"Not necessarily supportive, but there is definitely a connection between them!" Liu Yifang nodded, agreeing with his colleague's speculation. "From the area controlled by Xue Shixiong, you can also go to the tribe of the Khitans. Good horses and hides over there have always been cheap sales, and the surname Li is from a businessman's background, and he is very clear about these things! ”

"If it's a Khitan, it's not a big problem. I'm worried about the Turks, and legend has it that the man surnamed Li once had a white wolf in his hands, which was considered sacred by the Turks. Shi Qinyong, the marching commander under Luo Yi, thought about it and said worriedly.

If the reality is as he expected, the situation is even more confusing. At present, the Great Sui Dynasty is crumbling, and many foreigners who were originally subordinate to the Central Plains have re-exposed their minions. Needless to mention far away, in Yanmen County, which is close to Hebei, Liu Wuzhou attacked the city everywhere under the banner of the little khan under the command of the Turks. If Li Xu is forced to be anxious, and follows Liu Wuzhou's example of attracting foreign Kou as help, Youzhou will immediately face the danger of being attacked by the enemy.

"How can this person be so shameless, even the Turks dare to collude!" Several Youzhou generals were dissatisfied and scolded indignantly. I didn't even think about how different my own actions of provoking the war for no reason were different from the way the Turks behaved.

"Anyway, we'll have to be on guard! What the Turks hate the most is our Youzhou! Several other veterans who have followed Luo Yi for many years suggested. The Tiger Horse sat on the side of the fortress, and the main opponent was the Turks. From Luo Yi to ordinary soldiers, no one who has more than ten years of military experience has not been stained with Turkic blood on his sword.

"Ziyi and I have already speculated last night that the one surnamed Li will not ally with the Turks. Although he is a little unaware of what to do, he can't do anything about colluding with foreign enemies to humiliate his ancestors! Luo Yi, the chief manager who had not spoken, shook his head and vetoed this possibility.

Slandering an opponent does not elevate oneself. The governor of Youzhou disdained to do so. He understands Li Xu as well as he knows his past. This man came from a humble background, so he was extremely proud in his heart. This person paid dozens of times more than the children of the family before he climbed step by step from an ordinary soldier to a high position as a general and established a prestige. This person will cherish his reputation as much as he cherishes a feather, and he will never be so short-sighted as to collude with foreigners to defile himself for short-term gain. Luo Yi could even predict that Liu Yifang could rush back with Li Xu's handwritten letter so quickly, it must have been before he arrived in Boling, Li Xu, who was far away in Henan, had already received the news that Xue Shixiong's army had been wiped out, and guessed that the person who started it was the Youzhou army, so he made corresponding preparations in advance.

"Then what are you hesitating about? Hebei is the foundation of the overlord, and Yuan Shao laid the foundation there. Instead of waiting for the surname Li to continue to grow, it is better to uproot it as soon as possible! Just as Luo Yi was appreciating his opponent, Cao Yuanrang, who had misunderstood his original intention, jumped in line again and suggested loudly.

"The old man has long had this heart. wants to fool me with a few empty words, the abacus surnamed Li is very good, but he can't help but underestimate us! Luo Yi nodded with a sneer, and then added very hesitantly: "But Ziyi said that he also met another group of people in Boling, which made the old man have to be cautious!" ”

"Who?" Several young generals saw that Luo Yi was so hesitant, knowing that talent was the key to all problems, and asked in unison.

The expression on Liu Yifang's face obviously hesitated, and his eyes turned to Luo Yi, but there was no hint of opposition from the coach. After thinking about it, he introduced as briefly as possible: "The second son of Li Yuan in Hedong, Li Shimin, the general of Yingyanglang!" ”

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