Li Weide sent an envoy to western Zhejiang, and with the help of Lai Raojie, Chen Ji, Wang Tong, Shi Chun, Feng Boyan and a group of famous people in Suzhou, Zhang Shicheng was finally moved and made a covenant. Loaded on.

On this day, he crossed the Yellow River and inquired clearly, and Chakhan Timur was still stationed in Caozhou and had never left. I didn't dare to delay at the moment, and I went straight to Caozhou under the stars.

If you want to get to Caozhou, there are two roads to choose from, or go through Shanzhou and Chengwu; Or cross Chuqiu and walk Dingtao. After the Yan army retreated from Caozhou, now the whole army is stationed in Chengwu, the surrounding guards are heavily guarded, and the sentinels from far and near are continuous, and the road of Shanzhou and Chengwu is obviously not easy to walk. He chose Chuqiu and Dingtao.

Chuqiu also had Yan troops stationed there, but there were not many of them. He avoided the city from afar, walked the path, hurried day and night, and after a day and a half, he arrived at Dingtao.

Dingtao is only twenty or thirty miles away from Caozhou, and when Zhao Guo withdrew his troops, he left a military horse stationed here as an outpost to deal with the Chahan military horse. Li Weide paused here for a moment, he was not a courageless person, seven or eight miles outside the city, climbed a hill, and watched from afar.

I saw flags all over the city, and I heard the horns endlessly. From time to time, there are probe horses in and out, and there are foot soldiers outside to build camps. Tough and tough. Although it may not be said that there is a golden soup, but from what I can see, it is by no means a battle.

He watched for a long time and sighed: "Although the lord has relieved the siege of Caozhou, the Yan army is clearly uninjured. Haidong Xiao Deng has long been able to know people, can get the death force of soldiers, and is known as winning a hundred battles; Looking at it today, it is indeed a great disaster for the country, and it is also a strong enemy for me. It is no wonder that the lord was forced to have no choice but to ally with Shicheng. It's a last resort! Fortunately, I went on this mission, fortunately, and finally reached a covenant with Shicheng! ”

When I saw a lot, I saw from a distance that a Yan army was coming to this side, and I didn't dare to stop more, so I hurriedly beat the horses down the mountain, selected the road, and went to Caozhou.

In less than an hour, he was outside the city. He knew that the news of the covenant of Chakhan Timur and others must have been waiting in a hurry, and after calling the city gate to be opened, regardless of the wind and dust, he first reported to the marshal's mansion.

Li Chahan was talking with Li Weixin, Wang Baobao and others, and when he heard that he was back, he hurriedly called to see him.

See you in two.

Li Weide knelt down and saluted, and Chakhan Timur helped him up with his own hands, looked him up and down, and said with a smile: "I haven't seen you for a few days, and you have a little bit of a loss." It's been a hard work for you along the way! ......, look at you, although you are clear, you have a good complexion. What was the result of this mission to Gusu? ”

"Fortunately, I didn't disgrace my life."

"Oh? Shicheng agreed to form an alliance with the old man? ”

"Exactly."

"Good, good! Xiao Li Jun, you have made a great contribution! ”

"Speaking of this, the minister is ashamed and ashamed."

"What do you mean by that?"

"The reason why we can say that we are sincere and reach an alliance is because of the power of the princes of Songjiang. Ministers are just accomplished because of people. ”

Chahan Timur became interested, asked Li Weide to sit down, ordered to watch tea, and after he quenched his thirst a little, he said slowly: "You said that this 'thanks to the power of the Songjiang monarchs', but did Wang Tong, Shi Chun, Rao Jie, Chen Ji, Feng Boyan, etc. help a lot?" ”

"It's not just them. There are also Yang Ji, Wang Xing and other Songjiang celebrities. Wang and Shi Zhugong said that the scholars were sincere inside, and Yang and Wang Zhujun created public opinion outside, echoing and reciprocating with each other inside and outside, and only then did they finally move the scholars sincerely. ”

Li Chahan asked for details, and Li Weide told him truthfully.

After hearing this, Li Chahan felt a feeling, sighed, and said: "Today's chaos is not timed, but it is difficult for the princes of Gusu to be in a place of long-term war, living far away from the rivers and lakes, but still being able to have a heart to the sun and the moon!" Do not change their loyalty. In contrast, are not the princes of the temple ashamed? ......, the people's hearts are like this, the people's hopes are like this, my generation dares not to work hard! ”

Li Weixin, Wang Baobao, and Li Weide all got up, bowed down and said, "That's exactly how it should be!" ”

"Sit down, sit down!" Speaking of Gusu celebrities, Li Chahan suddenly remembered someone and asked, "Little Li Jun, the old man has heard for a long time that there are two great talents in Gusu, one is Yang Tieya and the other is Gao Jidi. When you go back to Songjiang this time, can you see the two of them? ”

Yang Tieya, that is, Yang Weizhen; Gao Jidi, that is, Gao Qi. These two people, one old and one young, are "unique talents", and in terms of fame, Yang Ji, Wang Xing and others are far inferior.

Gao Qi is a native of Changzhou, and Daoyan is a fellow countryman, and Zhang Shicheng moved to Qingqiu on the bank of the Songjiang River according to Wuhou. Yang Weizhen, a native of Zhuji, Zhejiang, moved his family to Songjiang a few years ago.

Zhang Shicheng has also been well-known to the two of them for a long time, and they have been invited many times.

Yang Weizhen is wandering, and he is also old, so he "can't go repeatedly". Gao Qi once entered his shogunate. Songjiang is full of humanities, Shicheng Mansion, all the seats are "Giant Confucian Shuoqing", and Gao Qi was only sixteen years old. However, he was light by nature, and later left under the pretext of living in seclusion in Qingqiu with his family.

——The so-called "Ten Talents of Beiguo" is actually because of Gao Qi. "At the beginning, Gao Qi's family in Beiguo, adjacent to (Wang) Xing, Xu Ben, Gao Xunzhi, Tang Su, Song Ke, Yu Yaochen, Zhang Yu, Lu Min, and Chen Ze were all close to each other, and they were called Beiguo Ten Friends, also known as Ten Talents."

Gao Qi's reputation was too great to spread far and wide, so it attracted many people to move to live near his home, and he was nicknamed "Beiguo Ten Talents".

The so-called "Buju" is also "Bu Lin". Bai Juyi wrote a poem "If you want to be neighbors with Yuan Babu, there is a gift first", two of which are written like this: "Every time you are temporarily out of your thoughts, how can you live in peace and not choose your neighbors." The so-called people gather by like, and things by groups. This act of the ten talents of Beiguo can also be regarded as an elegant thing at that time. From this, it can also be seen that Gao Qi's talent is famous. At the same time, Gao Qi is also the head of the "Four Heroes of Wuzhong".

Li Weide replied: "Yang Gong is like a fairy; Gao Jun is elegant, good pastoral joy. The minister went to Songjiang this time, only five or six days before and after, and the time was tight, but he never had the opportunity to meet the two of them. ”

When Chakhan Timur heard this, he said: "It's a pity, it's a pity! ”

Although he is famous for his martial arts, he is still a scholar at nature, and it is reasonable that he has some admiration for these famous talented literati. In fact, it is precisely because of his nature as a scholar that the ministers, celebrities, and talents of Songjiang will look forward to him so much, "enough to wait".

After talking about the demeanor of Songjiang celebrities for a while, Li Weide took out the farewell poem written by Rao Jie and others and asked Li Chahan to watch it. Chakhan Timur watched a song and praised it, and Li Weixin also interjected from time to time to comment. They were talking about poetry and lyrics, and they were very happy, and they had already provoked one person on the side, but it was Wang Baobao.

Wang Baobao is young and vigorous, he has no much interest in these celebrities, celebrities, poems and songs, and he is full of only revenge, and wants to fight with Yan Jun again, and after enduring it for a long time, he finally couldn't hold it back, stood up, crossed his hands, and said loudly: "Father, Mr. Li, Mr. Xiao Li, Songjiang's celebrities, farewell poems, it's not too late to talk about it in the future!" When we sweep Shandong and enter Songjiang, these celebrities, talents, and fathers are not called to come and go immediately, do you want to see them when you want? ”

The room was quiet for a while, Chahan laughed, returned the poem to Li Weide, nodded Wang Baobao, looked forward to Erli, and said: "My kid can't wait!" Anyway, these poems are put away by Xiao Li Jun for the time being, and the old man will see them in the future. ......, you and I will listen to what I want to say, this child. ”

The child didn't want to say anything. The covenant with Shicheng is not a child's willingness. But what my father said that day was 'to seek big things without being informal' is indeed very reasonable. Now that the covenant has been made, I don't know when my father plans to send someone to Songjiang again and make an appointment with Zhang Shicheng on the date of sending troops? ”

"Although our army relieved the siege of Caozhou, Zhao Guo retreated and did not leave, and now the whole army is stationed in Chengwu. The old man has ordered someone to sneak into Chengwu and other places, and be sure to investigate carefully to find out the whereabouts of the Zhao thief. As long as the investigation is clear, we can determine the next step of our army. At that time, it was time to make an appointment with Zhang Shicheng. ”

"Our army has nearly 10,000 people, plus the original Caozhou garrison, more than 10,000 horses, and the daily consumption is very large, and the grain and straw carried by the army will soon be used up. The child has asked his father many times, is our next step to retreat or advance? The father has been vague and refused. After listening to what his father said, did he want to wait until he could make an appointment with Shicheng? But if the thief Zhao does not move for a long time, and our army runs out of food, what should we do? ”

Chahan Timur stroked his beard and chin and did not give a positive answer, but turned to ask Li Weide: "I forgot to ask just now, which way did Xiao Li Jun come back this time?" ”

"The ministers passed through Xu and Su, crossed the Yellow River, walked Chuqiu, and passed Dingtao."

"What did you see along the way?"

"In the area of Xu and Su, there are few pedestrians on the road, and ten rooms and nine empty. After crossing the Yellow River, the population gradually thickened. ”

"Have you ever encountered a swallow thief?"

"Hit it many times. It has been encountered in Suzhou, Xuzhou, on the banks of the Yellow River, and outside Dingtao City. The ministers are far away, and there is no danger. ”

"Have you ever paid attention to the queue and discipline orders of the swallow thief?"

"Most of the people encountered by the ministers were small groups of cavalry exploring horses, and they only met the foot soldiers of the Yan thieves once outside Xuzhou City."

"Let's talk about it."

"The time I met the Yan thief foot soldiers, it seemed to be one of their exercises, the team was neat, and the orders were strict. On the main road, I saw smoke and dust covering the sky; In the surroundings, there was no noise of soldiers. The drumming will do, and the gold will stop. The flag is bright, suddenly waving left, suddenly turning right, waving between, like an arm making a finger, no matter whether it is moving forward or retreating, the thieves and soldiers are in accordance with the rules and dispatching as expected. …… Chen Yuan saw that there was a flag behind the thief army, and the word 'Yang' was written on it, and it was expected that this infantry should be under the command of the thief general Yang Wanhu. ”

"Yang Wanhu? ......, hehe, how can you practice on the road? I'm afraid this is not a drill, but a demonstration! ”

Li Weixin agreed, and said: "Yan thieves can only get Xu and Su, these two places are lonely outside the Yellow River, if you want to gain a firm foothold, you have to be graceful and powerful." What is the grace and giving? It's nothing more than military might! On the training road, it can be seen from far and near, and it is a good plan! ”

He paused for a moment, and then said, "I heard that Deng Thief sent Yang Xingjian to be the prefect of Xuzhou. This person is resolute, brave, strategic, and resourceful, but he is a good candidate. Practicing military horses on the road may be his plan. ......, Yang Wanhu is a rough man, and it is difficult to have such wisdom. ”

Chahan then asked, "What about the small group of cavalry?" ”

"There are not many horsemen and cavalry. I have seen it many times on the road, and the general impression is two. ”

"Which two?"

"The swallow thief is good at riding, and the mounts are all good horses, and when they gallop, they are faster and lightning, and when they turn, they are as clever as the breeze; And the archery skills are superb. On several occasions, the minister saw them chase the fugitives, and in the middle of his breath, the fugitives had been shot. When I was outside the city of Suzhou, I also saw a swallow thief probing a horse and bending a bow to shoot birds, and he could kill two birds with one stone! To be fair, honesty is fierce! This is one of them. ”

Wang Baobao snorted and said: "The scouts of the horses are all the elite of the whole army, and it is not surprising that they are both mounted and shot!" Among the scouts in our army, there are many such heroes. ”

"Yes, that's what the Major General said."

Chahan asked, "What about the second?" ”

"Although there are few people, there are dozens of them, and there are four or five at the least. But they are all proficient in the art of battle formation. ”

"How?"

"A few times, the minister saw them hunting foxes and rabbits from afar, with the whistle as the number, interspersed left and right, gathered into a team, scattered like birds. With the cunning of a fox and the swiftness of a rabbit, it often takes less than a moment to be captured by them. If you are not a soldier of a hundred battles, or someone who is proficient in the art of battle formation, it is difficult to do so! ”

Fangjin is in turmoil all over the world, and many places are rarely populated, so although Xu and Su used to be prosperous places, there are now many foxes and rabbits in the wild. This has long been commonplace.

Chakhan Timur nodded and said: "Bao Bao is right, the scout is the elite of the first army, and he knows some battle formation techniques, so it is not worth being surprised." ”

Saying this, he couldn't help but be "surprised" in secret, and thought: "Since the rebellion in the two cities, Deng Thief has been fighting almost every day, and there is a saying: 'A hundred battles produce strong soldiers'. I also heard that he opened a 'martial arts school' in Pyongyang and Liaoyang, and now many of the fierce generals in the thief army are from it, and it is difficult for those who are not far-sighted to do this! There are already strong soldiers and brave generals, and over time, it will be difficult to control! "I strengthened my determination to work with Zhang Shicheng to suppress Deng She as soon as possible, and even completely exterminate him.

Li Weixin asked: "You have traveled all the way, passing through Xu and Su, walking through Chuqiu and Dingtao, have you ever watched the city defense of Yan thieves?" ”

"Speaking of the city defense of the Yan thief, four words can be described: 'heavily guarded', especially in Xu and Suzhou. Like Chuqiu and Dingtao, the minister can still enter seven or eight miles away; And in Xu and Suzhou, the Yan thieves even put the sentry and patrol dozens of miles away! It's like pulling a net, and you can't get close at all. ”

"Dozens of miles away? You just said that you saw Yan thieves training outside Xuzhou City? ”

"That's thirty miles east of Xuzhou."

"Thirty miles east of the city? ......, Xuzhou is Pizhou in the east and Suining in the northeast. Pizhou and Suining are now owned by Shicheng, and they are about 100 miles away from Xuzhou. Yang Wanhu trained the army thirty miles east of Xuzhou City, and if he went to Pizhou and Suining, it would only be a one-day journey. Have you ever observed the movement of the defenders of these two cities? ”

"Pizhou is on the north bank of the Yellow River, and the minister did not pay attention; However, when the minister came out of Songjiang, he passed through Suining first, and then passed through Xuzhou. When passing by Suining, I saw that the city gate was closed, and the countryside outside the city was in turmoil. At that time, I thought it was strange, but later I saw the Yan thief training army outside Xuzhou City, and I realized it. ”

Chahan was silent for a long time, and after a long while, he sighed: "Xu and Su are lonely and hang Huaisi, just like sheep and wolves, and when the Yan thief is outside the city, the Suining guards dare not welcome them!" The only thing to do is to close the gates. Even the riots in Siye did not pay attention to it. Is this because the swallow thief is good at fighting? Or is it because Sui Ning is timid? ......, Mr. Li, it seems that our appointment with Shicheng is sooner rather than later. If not, it's hard to say anything else, Suining and Pizhou will at least fall into the hands of Deng thieves first! ”

Suining guards will be timid, Pizhou is located on the north bank of the Yellow River, and when the Yan army stands firm in Xu and Su, these two cities will inevitably be difficult to protect.

Li Weixin thought deeply and said: "Xuzhou and Suzhou echo north and south, Suining in the east and Yongcheng in the west. Suining is now Shichengyou, and Yongcheng is occupied by Liang thieves. ......, although the minister didn't know the inside story of Xu and Su, but in common sense, after Yang Xingjian arrived in Xuzhou, the first thing he must have done was to form an alliance with the Liang thief, so that there would be no worries about the west. The west is stable, and the next step is definitely to move east. The Suining guards are cowardly and cowardly, and they will definitely not be able to hold the city. And once Suining and Pizhou are captured by Yan thieves again, it is equivalent to most of the Guide Mansion falling into their hands. In this way, the swallow thief can be regarded as having a firm foothold in Huaisi! The land is hundreds of miles wide, and it is backed by Jining Road. If you want to take it again, it will be difficult to do. ”

"Yongcheng is occupied by Liang thieves", Li Weixin said Liang Mianzhu. A few months ago, in order to join forces with the Yan army outside the city of Shanzhou, Chang Yuchun used a strange trick to cross the Yellow River at night, and he received more help from Liang Mianzhu at that time.

Li Chahan was worried, and looked outside, the courtyard was full of green leaves, flags were waving, and dozens of soldiers were standing with guns. He sighed again and said, "It's just that Zhao Thief is stationed in Chengwu and has not moved for days. What did he mean? It's hard to guess! Unsure of his movements, it is difficult to make an appointment with Shicheng. ”