"Your Highness, the Tartars are dogs and sheep, and the heart of the opposite side is unpredictable, if they get money and food, but they don't let the people go, wouldn't they fall into its tricks!"

Deng Xifan's face tightened, he didn't expect Zhu Yihai to be willing to pay to save people.

"Do your best, obey the destiny of heaven, my Lu Fan has been in Yanzhou for three hundred years, there is no kindness in the place, now the east is in the city, how can this lord bear the people to die in the military disaster, wait and contact the Tartars first, this lord appoints someone to take the silver."

"Childe Rende! The ministers thanked His Highness for the people of Yanzhou! ”

Wang Guowei, the counselor of the supervising army, Ding Wenming, the deputy general of Shandong, and others clasped their fists and saluted.

"His Royal Highness Chitose Chitose Chitose, His Highness Chitose Chitose Chitose!"

The Shandong town soldiers stationed on the city tower and the young men who assisted in the defense shouted in unison, Zhu Yihai didn't know that his momentary pity was actually exchanged for the support of the Yanzhou army and people.

Outside the eastern city, Li Xingzhi was also a little puzzled by the thunderous mountain cry, when did the vassal king of the Ming Dynasty be so bold that he dared to visit the city in person, and hurriedly raised his eyes to see, but there was no royal flag of the Lu clan on the city wall, but a hanging basket was put down from under the city tower.

According to Li Xingzhi's request, Zhu Yihai promised to use 20,000 taels of silver to convert 5,000 stones of grain and grass, as long as the people under the city were released, 120,000 taels of silver, and he Zhu Yihai would cover it alone.

Silver is obviously much better than food, Li Xingzhi came with light soldiers, naturally he was happy to agree, Li Bangjie was a little depressed, after all, Lu Wangfu is rich in Shandong, and now it is close at hand but it can't be taken, isn't it a pity.

"Vested Long, looking back at Shuhu?" Li Xingzhi also felt a little emotional, although he attacked Qufu with the majesty of the Eight Banners of Mongolia and Mongolia this time, he exposed many problems.

From the moment he entered Lijiashan, he ignored the importance of the intelligence system, otherwise there would not have been a defeat of the Hutuo River.

This time to attack Yanzhou, if there is a secret army to enter Ziyang, as long as the city gate is opened, with the reputation of the Manchurian soldiers, this city is not at your fingertips?

"Let's go back! took 120,000 taels of silver in vain, and it was considered that he did not run in vain, and ordered the three armies, and they were rewarded after returning to Dengzhou. ”

Li Xingzhi looked back at Ziyang again, and resolutely issued a military order to retreat.

Although the Manchu and Mongolian cavalry were brave, they were not willing to fight to the death with flesh and blood against the Ziyang city wall, and after receiving the military order, they also turned around and left.

The Manchurian soldiers were true to their word, and they withdrew immediately after getting money and food, which made Deng Xifan, the prefect of Yanzhou, and others very suspicious, for fear that the Qing army would be deceitful, and they did not dare to send people out of the city to inquire about the news.

The next day, a messenger came from Qufu, saying that the mansion of Yansheng Gong had been looted by the Eastern Captives, and the whole clan had been coerced.

"Ahh

Deng Fanxi was shocked, in his opinion, the Qing army broke dozens of cities in Shandong, and none of them were worth anything, after all, Confucius was the leader of the Tianxia Sect, if it was used by the Tatars, would the gentry in the world still be optimistic about the Ming Dynasty? No wonder the Tartars retreated so happily.

"Quickly report to the Jingshi, let them be sure to be the Holy Father, otherwise my Ming country is in danger!"

Yanzhou magistrate Li Changqi, Ziyang County Commander Hao Fangsheng and other Yanzhou officials said urgently, they also know the importance of Yan Shenggong, to put it mildly, in this era, as long as the Confucian family is recognized, who can basically determine the orthodoxy of the world.

Li Xingzhi didn't care about how the officials of Yanzhou played the Ming Court, and at this moment he was already a little impatient to return to Dengzhou.

On March 14, the twelfth year of Chongzhen, Li Xingzhi led the army to enter Penglai County, the seat of Dengzhou Prefecture, through Pingdu and Zhaoyuan.

The Ming Dynasty was to prevent the Japanese invaders, so Penglai was the place of Dengzhou governance, and set up Dengzhou Wei, and then because of the rebellion in the east, Penglai was the place where the governor of Leiden was stationed.

Dengzhou city circumference nine miles, high three zhang five feet, thick two zhang, all with bricks and stones, there are four city gates, the east gate is said to be springborn, the south gate is said to be Chaotian, the west gate is said to welcome grace, the north gate is said to be Zhenhai.

There were seven towers on the city gates, and fifty-six shops. The moat is two zhang wide, one zhang deep, there are three water gates, the south is called the water gate, and the black water river flows into the city from here; The east is called the small water gate, and there is a dense river under it; In the northwest, it is called the water gate, and the water of the moat flows out of this gate.

When Sun Yuan became the governor of Leiden, in order to strengthen the city defense of Dengzhou, he raised the city wall by five feet, so that the city wall of Dengzhou has reached a terrifying height of four zhang.

When Kong Youde broke Dengzhou, he originally relied on someone in the city as an internal response, and basically broke through the Dengzhou city defense without blood, so there was no damage to the city.

Later, the official army entered and suppressed, but also because Kong Youde's artillery fire was sharp, only besieging the city and not attacking, in a vain attempt to wait for Kong Youde to collapse without food, so that Kong Youde calmly transported more than 300 large and small artillery pieces and 20 Hongyi cannons in Dengzhou, and thousands of craftsmen who were proficient in firearms manufacturing to Liaodong.

After Li Xingzhi arrived in Penglai, he was quite interested in the topography of Penglai, which belongs to the impact plain, surrounded by mountains on three sides, and the tall city walls, which are really easy to defend and difficult to attack.

In Li Xingzhi's view, if a defense line is built in the areas of Beigu Mountain, Xiaohua Mountain, Aishan Mountain and Tianheng Mountain in the southwest of Penglai, as long as the official road is blocked, not to mention that one man is the pass, as long as there are more than 10,000 troops and horses to guard it for a year and a half.

Of course, Li Rui, the general of the third town, was quite happy that Li Xingzhi had rushed to Dengzhou so quickly.

According to Li Xingzhi's request, after he came to Dengzhou, he immediately ordered people to send King De, Jinan Zhuguan Jiaxiao, and Dengzhou prefect Cheng Xian and other officials to the easternmost part of Penglai, Danya Mountain, that is, the famous Penglai Pavilion, and dispatched a team of soldiers to garrison.

Of course, Li Rui not only put the Dewang Mansion and a number of Ming Dynasty officials under house arrest, but also with the assistance of Song Guangkun and Li Youcai, he collected hundreds of firearms and shipbuilding craftsmen scattered among the people, and cleaned up the firearms workshop built by Sun Yuanhua, the governor of Leiden, and the Dengzhou Navy Military Port.

"Then let Sun Zhijie come to Dengzhou immediately, and the matter over there in Laizhou will be handed over to Lu Qinghou, and let them bring the specific regulations of the Ordnance Manufacturing Bureau to Ben Shuai to see, you go and summon Chen Wu's younger brother Chen Wen to Ben Shuai, Ben Shuai has a task with him, as for the Kong family, also send Ben Shuai to Penglai Pavilion, but to separate from King De, well, their food is not too bad, we took so much money and food from other people, and it is nothing to give some food."

After entering the yamen of the Dengzhou prefect, Li Xingzhi impatiently issued a military order.

"Whoa!"

Li Rui and Yang Biao, who accompanied him, were happy in their hearts, since Chen Wu's death, they have always wanted to recommend Chen Wen to Li Xingzhi, but they are busy with affairs, and they have always had time, and now it seems that Dashuai is going to use him, which can be regarded as an explanation to Chen Wu.

After Chen Wu's death, Chen Wen has been serving as an officer in Yang Biao's army, and now he is in Dengzhou City, so he is naturally called to come.

"The last general, Chen Wen, knock to see the handsome! I don't know what happened when the marshal summoned him? ”

When Chen Wen entered the palace, he knelt on one knee and gave a military salute.

Li Xingzhi raised his eyes and saw that he was only in his early twenties, but his appearance was vaguely similar to Chen Wu.

"Well, you get up, Brother Ling died, Ben Shuai didn't expect it, in fact, Ben Shuai should have seen you a long time ago, but he didn't have time, and I asked you to come here today, just to let you take Brother Ling's position and be in charge of the Military Intelligence Department of my Jingbei Army."