Everyone looked back at Liu Huiniang, and Li Kui said with a smile: "Military advisor, you are a little girl, how can you be as yin and yang as those old men, and like to hang people's appetites?" There is a way not to say it earlier, and I was almost beaten in vain. ”

Liu Huiniang smiled slightly, ignored Li Kui, and said to Ma Yunluo: "General Tiance, I think that Zhang Yan, named a thief, is actually a man in Hebei County, and even occupies Changshan County, which can be called the hero of one party." When Emperor Ling was there, Zhang Yan spent a lot of money to buy the official position of the general of Pingnan, and even led the army to participate in the matter of the princes discussing Dong that year. Therefore, Zhang Yan is actually a prince of a town, but his reliance is not on Jiancheng, but on the towering Taihang Mountain. ”

Ma Yunluo nodded: "Please continue." ”

Liu Huiniang said eloquently: "Since he is the hero of one side, not an ordinary bandit, then Zhang Yan will inevitably regard the people of this side as his own people." In fact, Zhang Yan's hundreds of thousands of soldiers and horses relied on the support of the people on this side. At that time, Han Fu and Yuan Shao attacked the Black Mountain thieves several times, but they were all dragged by the thief army by virtue of the location of Taihang Mountain, and finally retreated. Changshan, Shangdang and other counties were actually in the hands of the Black Mountain thieves in the end. Therefore, our army does not have to follow the footsteps of the Black Mountain thieves, but should transfer the people and property here to Chang'an. In this way, the Black Mountain thieves will inevitably not be able to sit still, and they will come out of the mountain to fight a decisive battle. Even if Zhang Yan calms down, the people and property here are transferred by our army, and the hundreds of thousands of Black Mountain thieves are bound to be difficult to hold for a long time. This so-called trick of drawing wages from the bottom of the kettle! ”

Ma Yunluo pondered for a long time and asked: "This plan is wonderful, but now Jizhou is nominally the territory of Gongsun Bogui and Liu Xuande. The people here are also the people of Gongsun Bogui and Liu Xuande. Our army relocated the people, lest it hurt the harmony between the lord and these two? ”

Liu Huiniang's bamboo fan shook gently: "Today is different from the past. The northern Japanese invaded on a large scale, and this place in Jizhou was in danger of falling. Gongsun Bogui and Liu Xuande were already unable to resist the Japanese invaders, otherwise there would be no need for our army to go north. Our army transferred the people here to Chang'an in advance, also to avoid the poison of the people here by the pirates. ”

Ma Yunluo thought for a while, his constricted brows gradually relaxed, but his expression was still faint: "Okay, just according to what the military advisor said." Pass on my general order, the rear team will become the front team, and the place where Zhang Yan started will be: Changshan County! ”

ordered Yang Yanying and Yang Yanqi sisters to lead the army to set up an ambush to prevent the Montenegrin army from pursuing. He also sent a messenger back to Chang'an, asking Wu Zhao to send troops to respond. Send Zhou Xiuying to lead the army to disguise themselves as refugees who have fled from the north, to spread the news that the Japanese are about to go south, and find a way to induce the people to evacuate, Chang'an in the western district.

Changshan County is the hometown of Zhang Yan, the leader of the Montenegrin Army, and it is also one of the nests of the Montenegrin Army. Zhang Yan stationed 5,000 troops and horses here, led by his close confidant Sun Qing. Ma Yunluo's army entered Changshan County all the way, and the reconnaissance rode out in all directions, but Sun Qing never appeared.

Ma Yunluo led the army forward and went straight to Zhending County. Along the way, I saw the sound of village houses, roosters and dogs barking along the way, and there was no image of war. It's just that all the houses along the road are closed, and the roads are empty.

Liu Jinding sighed and praised: "This Zhang Yan is not bad to his hometown father, this Changshan County looks very rich!" ”

Liu Huiniang said with a smile: "It is precisely because of this that the local people completely ignore the imperial army. I see, I'm afraid that this Yan still has a lot of arrangements here, and it may come back at any time! ”

Ma Yunluo nodded: "This person has been entrenched in Hebei for many years, of course, there are some means. ”

While he was talking, a scout came in front of him to report: "Report! The three local elders ask to meet! ”

Ma Yunluo's heroic eyebrows raised: "Oh? Interesting, invite them over! ”

More than a dozen people surrounded the three spirited old men and walked quickly, Ma Yunluo saw it from a distance, and motioned for the generals to dismount and dress to meet them.

The three old men bent down and bowed, calling them generals. Ma Yunluo returned the salute and ordered someone to watch the seat.

The two sides sat down on the wooden benches carried by the army, and after a little greeting, the white-bearded old man led by him turned grim: "Dare to ask the general, do you want to borrow food from Changshan?" Want to occupy the city? ”

Ma Yunluo knew that the other party was about to get to the point, his big black eyes looked directly at the other party, and said solemnly: "Fellow villagers, Yunluo is here, not for money and food, not for the city, but to save the people." ”

"Save the people?" The old man stroked his white beard: "In recent years, the wind and rain in Changshan have been smooth, and the people live and work in peace and contentment. I don't know what the general means by saving the people? ”

Ma Yunluo said in a deep voice: "First, the counties of Hebei are plagued by black mountain thieves, how can they live and work in peace and contentment? In the second, the northern Japanese invaded on a large scale, and the north of the Yellow River was a black cloud pressing down on the city, and the disaster of the sky was just around the corner. Yunluo adhered to the will of the Son of Heaven and was appointed by the leading general to save the people of Hebei. ”

The white-bearded old man laughed, shook his head and said, "The general is bad!" General Zhang, the leader of the Montenegrin Army, is a general of the first emperor who was canonized by decree, and was ordered to pass through Hebei, and has the right to raise filial piety and appoint officials, how can he be called a thief who harms the people? The northern Japanese invaders, with the white horse general Gongsun Taishou and the Taoyuan Sanying who broke the yellow turban to resist, how can they endanger my Changshan? Please also ask the general to check it. ”

Ma Yunluo's face changed slightly: "I am ordered by the Son of Heaven to lead the troops to fight the thief." The old gentleman is here to be a lobbyist for the Black Mountain Bandit Army? ”

Before the white-bearded old man could reply, another burly old man about fifty years old said proudly: "Not bad! General Zhang Yan has unified all cottages in Hebei over the years, restrained his subordinates, maintained law and order, and has made no fault to Hebei. Over the years, the Montenegrin Army has been even more benevolent and righteous to the people of Changshan County, providing relief to the victims in disaster years, protecting the territory and the people in the prime of life, and also exterminating many Yellow Turban remnants, which are righteous troops, not thief troops. Ladies and gentlemen, if your army is short of food and grass, I, Changshan County, am willing to gather the strength of the whole county to contribute; If you want to go north by the way, the old man is willing to serve as a guide himself. But if we want to attack the Montenegrin rebels, we Changshan people will not agree! ”

Li Kui was furious when he heard this, raised his double axe, and stepped forward and shouted: "What a birdman, he actually spoke for the black mountain thief." Eat grandpa with an axe! ”

Liu Jinding grabbed Li Kui, but he couldn't hold it back. Hu Sanniang also hurriedly grabbed it: "Tie Niu, beware of military law!" ”

The burly old man saw that the situation was not good, and said forcefully: "I'm a Hebei man, why don't I be afraid of your sword and axe!" I, the people of Changshan, swear to live and die together with Zhending City! That's it, farewell! ”

The group left in a hurry, and Li Kuiwu was unconvinced: "Two pioneers, what are you doing with me?" Wouldn't it be a pleasure for such a bastard to be cut with an axe? ”

Ma Yunluo reprimanded: "Our army is a benevolent and righteous army, how can we kill at will? Strategist, what do you think about this? ”

Liu Huiniang was contemplating and pondering, and said in a deep voice: "It's a bit troublesome, the people here are deeply confused by the Black Mountain thieves, I'm afraid it will be bad for our army." These three elders are not here to be lobbyists, but to demonstrate. This black mountain thief wants to tie the people to their chariots, and he is despicable. ”

Ma Yunluo pondered for a moment, and then asked, "Where is the quartermaster?" How long can the food and grass in the army last? ”

The quartermaster hurried in and returned with a month's worth of food. Sergeants have been sent to various landlords and powerful people to borrow grain, but it has not gone well.

The army continued to move forward, about fifty miles away from Zhending City. The scouts went to inquire and found that the people guarding the head of Zhending City were all cloth people, old and weak, women and children. The banner of the city head is not Sun Qing's black mountain flag, but the four-character flag of the people of Changshan. There are grass huts built by the people at the gates of the four directions, and it is indeed a faction that coexists and dies with Zhending City.

Two days later, the envoy sent back by Zhou Xiuying also returned. The news brought was very unoptimistic, and the local people could not leave their homeland, and they did not have much feeling about the crisis in the north. The common people were fine, but the rich and powerful people who defended themselves in the fort didn't care about it, and even drove away and scolded the sergeants who spread the news.

In addition, according to the investigation, Zhang Yan is good at winning people's hearts, and often attacks the county seat to open warehouses and release grain. He usually looted and did not love to kill, and appeased the remnants of the Yellow Turbans and bandits in Hebei, restrained these bandits and bandits, and caused the public security in Hebei to improve. And in Changshan County, there are moves to recruit displaced people and resume production, although they are bandits, they are also quite popular with the people. Many powerful people from all over the country secretly attached themselves to it.

Ma Yunluo handed the letter in his hand to Liu Huiniang, and said tentatively: "Military advisor, this person seems to be a usable talent, why don't you go to the court and recruit peace?" ”

(End of chapter)

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