After the banquet, under Hu Ze's diligent arrangement, the Hezhou Assassin's Mansion became a counterinsurgency army.

After a break for half an hour, Hu Ze really put on his armor and rode a horse to Xingyuan to wait, because Yan King Li Hongji suddenly "abdominal distension and discomfort", Li Yuan had to give up this deputy marshal and go to patrol the city pass accompanied by Hu Ze. A group of people roamed the streets of the city, full of large groups of soldiers and horses, noisy and restless. There were quite a few people, but they all stood curiously in front of the shops on the street and watched, and naturally there were some people who carried stones and ox carts on their backs to continue to strengthen the facilities in the city.

After a closer look, Li Yuan really realized the extraordinary things about this Hezhou city. The houses in the city were all made of ashlar stones, and the houses were all flat, and there were stone battlements and shelters. Suffice it to say, each house is a fortress that can be defended, and if there are archers and feet on it, it can defend a large area within a radius of tens of paces.

It is conceivable that even if the city wall is breached, it will not be the end of this Hezhou city, but the beginning of the real battle, and it will be a very bloody street battle.

A group of people climbed the city wall from the stairs of the south city, standing on the city wall, the snowflakes were thin today, the cold wind "swished" over the body, and the lead clouds in the sky hung low, quite a bit of "black clouds crush the city and want to destroy" atmosphere. But as everyone knows, the wind on the city wall has actually passed through the north mountains and has become very weak, and if you reach the north of the city, you don't know how cold it is.

Although it is cold, standing on the city wall and looking into the city, the scene is different. Nowadays, due to the increase of 200,000 troops in the entire Hezhou City, the streets and alleys along the way are crowded with soldiers and horses, and all kinds of noisy sounds are sent into the ears, giving people a feeling of blood boiling.

The scene from the south city wall is quite impressive, not only can you see the frozen river, but also can look at the valley and the fortress and beacon tower on the peaks on both sides, Li Yuan wanted to take the opportunity to look at the Zhennan military camp in the south, but he had no choice but to stop the sight.

As for the east and west walls, you can enjoy the mountain scenery outside the city, but you can see the majestic mountains stretching for miles beyond the city. It was already winter, everything was withering, and the original green was replaced by black, yellow and gray, which added to the solemnity of the mountains.

The three city walls of the south, east and west were inspected, and there was no need to go to the north wall, because the north side was the road to come.

After the patrol was over, it was getting late, and under the cover of the mountains, it seemed to get dark very quickly. Amid the rumbling of drums, groups of Hezhou soldiers rushed through the streets with torches, shouting and shouting, as if to drive away the people who were still on the street.

Hu Ze smiled and said to Li Yuan: "Generalissimo, do you know what this meeting is?" ”

Li Yuan nodded and said: "Hu Thorn Shi has a law to govern the army, and it is natural for the fortress to implement a curfew." ”

Hu Ze replied: "Exactly, Hezhou City, as a military important place in Gyeonggi, can only be ordered in order and not cause chaos only by implementing a night curfew, which is deeply believed by the lower officials." ”

Li Yuan said: "This should be the case now, the soldiers and horses are more complex, and there are many people, and there must be strict orders to maintain order in the city." After counting that it was getting late, Ben Shuai went back to rest and discussed the big tent tomorrow to plan for the march to counterinsurgency. ”

"The generalissimo works hard, and the subordinates obey orders." Hu Ze nodded, and then sent Li Yuan to the middle of the line and said goodbye.

Li Yuan was indeed a little tired, and after dinner, he bathed and changed his clothes, summoned the generals of the forbidden army, said a few words casually, and then ordered them to go back to rest. Tomorrow morning the army will be discussed, and everyone is advised to conserve their energy.

When he stepped into the courtyard door of his residence, Li Yuan suddenly heard a soft call from behind him.

"Li Yuan, Li Yuan!"

Li Yuan turned his head to look, and it turned out to be Li Hongji, the king of Yan, tiptoeing out of the shadow behind the courtyard gate and waving at him. Li Yuan hurriedly walked over and asked in surprise, "His Royal Highness King Yan, why don't you sleep late at night?" I almost thought hell. ”

Li Hongji stretched out his finger and pressed it to his lips and said, "Moduo, come to this king, I have something to discuss with you." ”

Li Yuan followed Li Hongji to a secluded place outside the courtyard in confusion, and said in a low voice: "Your Highness, what's wrong with you?" ”

"Excuse yourself from these rites." Li Hongji said in a low voice: "Do you remember the luncheon?" ”

"What's the matter? Could it be that you have eaten too much and have bloating? Li Yuan thought for a while.

"Where's this, it's in the afternoon." Li Hongji said dissatisfied.

"Afternoon? What's going on there? Li Yuan scratched his head and said.

“...... Didn't Hu Ze tell you in the afternoon that you should order all the soldiers of the forbidden army not to approach the relief treasury in the south of the city? ”

"So that's the case, yes, what questions does Your Highness have?" Li Yuan was puzzled.

"This king tells you that in the afternoon this king personally led people to secretly take a look, it is really strange there, just in the place where the arrow tower stands in the south of the city, and the state defenders are only 10,000, those warehouses are guarded by 2,000 soldiers and horses, and they are not allowed to approach even a step, isn't it the grain depot that the father ordered to help the people? Is it necessary to be so tight?

This king has even entered the royal treasury, and he has never seen such a tight. Therefore, the king guessed that there must be something greasy there. Otherwise, why is it so strict? Li Hongji whispered.

Li Yuan was stunned and said: "No wonder you don't want to follow me to inspect the city in the afternoon, what's the bloating and uncomfortable, it turned out that you went to the south of the city, it's strange, why didn't I see Your Highness?" ”

Li Hongji said seriously: "Secretly inquiring about the news, is this king still wearing a golden-crowned python robe?" ”

"Your Highness, are you too careful, we have a full 200,000 troops in this Hezhou City, and you are the prince of the prince, why can't you be open? Even pretending to explore his own city, why bother? ”

Li Hongji said in a deep voice: "The big war is imminent, although this king thinks that there is something strange there, but he doesn't want to act rashly to startle the snake." ”

Li Yuan wondered: "Your Highness, can you tell me where there is something strange?" ”

Li Hongji frowned and said: "This king told you that if it was the previous king, maybe you wouldn't be able to see it, but this king can be regarded as a blessing in disguise this time."

In the past six months, because the king was grounded by his father, he could only concentrate on governing the government and securing the people in Xuanrun Erzhou, but he also had an understanding of the people's livelihood in Jiangnan in the past six months. Hu Ze said to you, this year's frost, the river frozen, the grain harvest failed, and the sixteen warehouses in the south of the city were all grain and grass used to help the people, yes or no? That's what's weird. ”

Li Yuan said: "What's so strange about this? ”

Li Hongji said categorically: "This year, the frost caused the rivers to freeze, and my father ordered relief to the people of various states, which is indeed the case. However, it is completely impossible for the 16 warehouses in Hezhou to provide grain and grass. The storehouses in the south of the city were the same size as those in my Xuanrun two states, which could store about 10,000 stone of grain.

Do you know that the food shortage is the most serious because of the large population of Xuanrun two states, my father issued an order half a month ago to allocate and give relief to the people of grain and grass, because the previous treasury fully supplied the northern expedition of the Zhennan Army, so the more than 200,000 people under the rule of this king finally got only 100,000 stone relief grain, he and the people of the state are only 20,000 or 30,000 people, where is the 160,000 stone relief grain? ”

Li Yuan replied in a deep voice: "Your Highness's meaning is understood. If it is really as His Highness said, then it proves that Hu Ze must have concealed something, right? ”

"Yes. This king dares to vouch that there is absolutely no relief grain in the treasury. That Hu Ze must think that this king, and you generals, only know how to lead troops to fight, eat, drink and have fun, and do not understand the people's livelihood and internal affairs, but they don't know that this king has gained something in the past six months......" Li Hongji said coldly.

Li Yuan thought for a while, gasped and said: "Has Your Highness ever thought that if even the 200,000 forbidden troops of the imperial court arrived, and even His Highness's identity came, Hu Ze dared to conceal it, indicating that there must be something extraordinary in his hand, or in the treasury, which was enough to make him unscrupulous." ”