Santun camp.

On this day, Liu Yu had learned in advance that Zhu Feng and Cui Yuan would arrive the next morning, and he Liu Yu would complete the expedition.

Just when Liu Yu took great pains to greet the two of them, he was still preparing to rest early that day, and when he went out of the city early in the morning to greet them, the curtain guest came in a hurry and told him a news that made him directly startle the teacup in his hand: "Junmen, Cai Guogong is here." ”

"Who?"

Liu Yu was in a hurry, and quickly tidied up his placket, and the teacup fell to the ground, so that all the tea in front of him was there.

The curtain guest also looked very anxious and said: "It's indeed Cai Guogong, people have already entered the city, and they want to see you by name." Now it's in the post house in the city, so you might as well go and have a look. ”

"Go see, go see...... Wait, what the hell is he here to do? Isn't it ......."

Liu Yu was stunned in his heart.

In Jizhou Town, it seems that everything is doing well, but in fact, there is still no less thing to do in secret, this time Zhang Zhou suddenly entered the city, and he didn't even hit the news in advance, in case he came to trouble himself, if he went like this, wouldn't it be tantamount to throwing himself into the net?

"What do you have to worry about?" Besides, since Cai Guogong has entered the city, presumably Cui Yuma and An Bianhou's men and horses are also close to the left, otherwise why don't they enter the city overnight, but stay dozens of miles outside the city until tomorrow? ”

"Makes sense."

Liu Yu also lost his temper completely.

He can't beat and beat, and Zhang Zhou is like this, it is basically impossible to come to him to settle accounts, he now has to rely on Zhang Zhou to make a name for himself in the court, even Cui Yuan and Zhu Feng He is thinking about how to stammer, and he has to show humility and courtesy to Zhang Zhou, and he has to do enough things on the scene.

"Take out all the gifts I prepared before, and no one else will give them, just give them to this Cai Guogong. In addition, I heard that Cai Guogong likes to listen to operas, so I prepared the southern opera troupe I bought before, and if I want to talk to him tonight, I can directly watch the drama and discuss ......"

……

……

Inside the inn.

When Liu Yu arrived, he saw Jinyi Wei Qianhu Sun Shangqi guarding the downstairs of the post house.

After Liu Yu came in, he also hurriedly went up to salute Sun Shangqi.

Sun Shangqi and Liu Yu have met several times, and he also saluted respectfully: "Lord Zhongcheng, Grandpa is not in the post house at the moment, but in the nearest teahouse, please move." ”

"Why not here? Could it be ...... Poor greeting? Liu Yu hurriedly asked.

"Grandpa is approachable, and he is not used to living in a post house, so he eats tea and meets guests in the nearest place, and lets the humble position guide you."

Sun Shangqi walked forward and led Liu Yu to a teahouse a street away.

But seeing that the teahouse was very ordinary, it was already night, and it was still lit with a very dim light, Liu Yu looked around at the door, and said in his heart, if someone hadn't told me that Cai Guogong was here, who would have thought that there was a big man here?

Liu Yu hurriedly went upstairs, but saw a woman hiding behind the screen, while Zhang Zhou was sitting at the table, and the tea in front of him didn't seem to have moved.

"Xiaguan Liu Yu, I've seen Zhang Butang." Liu Yu hurriedly stepped forward to salute.

Zhang Zhou got up with a smile and greeted him: "Liu Zhongcheng is polite, I came from Beijing, and I didn't even say hello, I hope not to disrupt your plan to transfer troops and send generals, but because of the emperor's order, I have to act so low-key." ”

"You laughed, Zhang Butang, you are the secretary of the military department of the Ming Dynasty, and the military affairs of the upper and lower levels of the court are all handled by you, since you are here, the matter of transferring troops and sending generals will naturally be taken over by you, and the subordinate officials should obey orders." Liu Yu is very clear.

When Zhang Zhou appeared, no matter what dissatisfaction he had in his heart, he should quickly back aside and hand over the right to speak to Zhang Zhou.

Only in this way will he not arouse Zhang Zhou's suspicion, and will even be regarded by Zhang Zhou as a trustworthy person.

Zhang Zhoudao: "You misunderstood, the matter of transferring troops, how it should be, I did not come this time as the secretary of the military department, nor did I come as a general of the Governor's Mansion, but as a special envoy of the imperial court to welcome foreign guests." ”

Liu Yu was stunned.

You're not here to transfer troops?

Fool whom?

Now that the emperor has asked troops to be sent from Jizhou to fight a war, how can you be here that it has nothing to do with this war?

Zhang Zhou smiled: "Sit down and talk." ”

Liu Yu hesitated, but still sat down next to him, but he lowered his head and didn't look at Zhang Zhou, and then someone served tea.

……

……

The two sat across from each other.

Zhang Zhoudao: "Jingshan Bo and Anbianhou will send troops from Jizhou, this is the will of the imperial court, Liu Zhongcheng received it, right?" ”

"Yes." Liu Yu replied.

Zhang Zhou smiled and said: "But there is a reason, even Your Majesty has not made it clear, in fact, this time Your Majesty wants to use Duoyan Sanwei to take refuge in the Ming Dynasty, and they will cooperate with the fire sieve and other tribes to send troops to recruit the little prince of Tatar and cause civil strife in the grassland." And the purpose of my visit is to add fuel to the fire. ”

"Huh?"

Liu Yu obviously didn't expect that Zhang Zhou's purpose in going to Jizhou Town was not to fight, but to be a diplomat.

Then Zhang Zhou wasn't fooling him just now.

Zhang Zhoudao: "Liu Zhongcheng, do you think that this tartar is not credible?" ”

"yes." Liu Yu hurriedly followed Zhang Zhou's words and said, "The Tatars are treacherous and think differently, and they are all in the same stream, saying that they are obedient to the Ming Dynasty, but in fact, they can't put the interests of the Ming Dynasty first, they are obviously obedient, or they turn their heads and take refuge in the little Tatar prince." ”

Zhang Zhou said with a smile: "That was the time when the various tribes of the grassland could still maintain a delicate balance. This is not the case at the moment. ”

"Why is that?" Of course, Liu Yu has to show that he is not good, this is to show Zhang Zhou's wisdom.

At the time of the official, Liu Yu knew very well that he could not show that he was smarter than Zhang Zhou.

Zhang Zhoudao: "Before the victory of the Marquis of Weining in the Yaotou Pass, for several years, the Tatar soldiers were very strong, and their internal annexation has been born, in the past two years, even if the Ming Dynasty has the advantage in military everywhere, but the ambition of the little Tatar prince to annex the tribes has not been eliminated, and he has also taken advantage of the fire to rob. ”

"That's ......" Liu Yu thought about it, and it made sense.

The rise of Batu Munk, known as Dayan Khan, wanted to reunify the entire grassland, and everything was going quite smoothly, but at this time, the army of the Ming Dynasty suddenly had Zhang Zhou and Wang Shouren and others appeared, and under the advancement of powerful firearms, the living space of the grassland was further reduced.

But the annexation of Batu Munk had already begun, and the Chahar tribe, the main Tatar tribe, could no longer gain the full trust of the other tribes.

Zhang Zhou said with a smile: "I also know that the grassland people have their own set of logic, which is not something we can speculate with common sense." ”

"Yes, Zhang Butang, do you think, that Tartar is not my race, how can his heart stand on the same position as Da Ming?" Liu Yu's ability to climb up the pole is not low.

is what Zhang Zhou says, what he agrees with, and he doesn't add his own opinions.

Of course, Zhang Zhou understands the character of this kind of person, who is good at welcoming and seems capable, but in fact, the biggest ability lies in how to win people's hearts, and how to use the power in his hands to consolidate his own power, and the means of suppressing people with power are beyond the reach of ordinary people.

Zhang Zhou said: "Then we must be gracious and powerful, cooperate with the Ming Dynasty, and our dynasty can provide some assistance, so that they can send troops to attack the little Tatar prince, if they are not obedient, or even take refuge in the little Tatar prince, then their own tribal territory and people, livestock, goods, etc., our Ming will also laugh and accept." ”

Liu Yu took out a sudden look and said, "This is very clever." Xia Guan seems to understand, why His Majesty will order Zhang Butang to come in person, only if you personally talk to the tribes of Wuliangha, they will know the determination of the Ming Dynasty, and dare not see the difference, as long as you sit in Jizhen, it is equivalent to stabbing a sword in their back, and they can take their lives at any time, how dare they not use all their strength? ”

Zhang Zhou smiled.

This sounds like sycophancy, but it's basically true.

That is, it must be up to him Zhang Zhou to deter Duoyan Sanwei, or Wuliangha Sanwei, only in this way, the people of these Sanwei, plus some small and medium-sized tribes around, will firmly stand on the side of Daming.

Zhang Zhoudao: "It's not enough for me to have a town, I also need to have soldiers and horses as an echo, and I won't hide from you, Xinbo's men and horses will send troops from Weininghai, plus Jingshan Bo and Anbianhou from Jizhen, as well as Wang Qiong, the trilateral general system of Yansui, and the British Duke from the side pass...... Under the echo of people from all walks of life, there are different intentions from the fire screen and Duoyan Sanwei. ”

After listening to this, Liu Yu pretended to be very excited, and praised it vigorously: "Such a grand plan to send troops, but only a small number of soldiers, horses, grain and grass were used, and it can also cause chaos within the grassland. ”

"Really? This also depends on Liu Zhongcheng's full cooperation, after all, Liaodong will not send troops this time, and Jizhen's troops will be very important. Zhang Zhoudao.

Liu Yu said: "The lower official can contribute a small force to such a grand war, and it is also the luck of the lower official's life, what do you command, just send it." ”

"Hmm." Zhang Zhou nodded.

With Liu Yu, don't be polite.

If you are polite to him, maybe Liu Yu will still wonder if he is doing something wrong, or if he is not doing well, or even have some dissenting thoughts...... With this kind of official who is good at greeting, just call him like a cow and a horse.

"Lord Zhang, Xiaguan has also prepared some small programs, there are two plays to be staged tonight, do you want to go and take a look? Otherwise, the bad gentry who were corrupt and perverted the law in Yongping Mansion before, and the mansions that were confiscated in the city are now vacant, so you might as well move forward and stay and let the lower officials do their best to be the landlord. ”

"What's so embarrassing?"

"It's okay, it's all for the convenience of the imperial court to send troops in Jizhou Town, and the lower officials will not trespass the courtesy, just do some simple entertainment, and I hope you don't dislike it."

Zhang Zhou smiled.

He knows very well that with a person like Liu Yu, it is impossible to do anything simple to entertain, it must be all kinds of thoughtful service, which makes people happy and forgetful.

"I'm tired." Zhang Zhou said, "It just so happens that the place where you settled tonight has not yet landed, so you can only bother Liu Zhongcheng." ”

"The honor of the lower officials. You please. Liu Yu felt as if he had become Zhang Zhou's leader, and he rushed forward to lead the way.

……

……

Forty-five miles west of Santun Camp.

After Cui Yuan and Zhu Feng's men and horses were stationed, the two also gathered in the big tent of the Chinese army to wait for Zhang Zhou's latest instructions.

The relationship between primary and secondary has been formulated, this time Cui Yuan will be the commander in charge of the army, and Zhu Feng will be the deputy marshal, as for the problem of high rank and low status in the army, it will be a big deal in the eyes of others, but Zhu Feng doesn't seem to care.

It seems that in Zhu Feng's view, whoever is the coach has to bear more, and he just doesn't like to take responsibility.

"Brother Zhang, he went into the city, saying that he was going to talk to Liu Junmen about things, but I was afraid that he would encounter some trouble in the city, and he didn't bring many people with him when he entered the city, if Liu Junmen had any other ideas, wouldn't he be in danger?"

Zhu Feng was worried about Zhang Zhou's safety in front of Cui Yuan.

Cui Yuan frowned and said: "An Bianhou, dare to ask, did Cai Guogong enter the city to cut the official position of Governor Liu?" Or to check on his old bottom? ”

"Of course not." Zhu Feng hurriedly denied it.

"Since it's not, why are you still worried that a governor will be unfavorable to the Ming Dynasty's military department? If this is the case, then we don't think we need to go out of Beijing, even the border passes in the Ming Dynasty are so dangerous, how can there be a place for you and me? "Cui Yuan obviously doesn't understand the political position or anything.

Zhu Feng said curiously: "Haven't you heard about some of Governor Liu's previous bad deeds?" ”

He ...... What's wrong? ”

Cui Yuan really hasn't heard of it.

Although Cui Yuan has a sense of justice, he himself knows very little about things other than military and political affairs.

Zhu Feng said: "It's okay if you haven't heard of it, but in fact, you can't confirm it, it's like a secret slander." This time, we will count on him to assist us in sending our troops. ”

This made Cui Yuan speechless.

You're halfway through your words, don't say it, and deliberately play dumb riddles, right?

As he was talking, a herald came in at the door and sent back a letter: "Two lords, this is a letter from the prince from the city to the two of you, and it was sent by Jinyiwei himself. Please read it. ”

"Bring it."

Zhu Feng took the letter directly.

Just as Zhu Feng was about to open it, Cui Yuan waved his hand to retreat from the person who came to deliver the letter, and asked curiously: "What is the matter, do you need to use such a private letter?" ”

Zhu Feng said while opening the letter: "There is an errand for us, let's just listen." Brother Zhang's footprints are all over the world, and it is said that he has traveled all over the world before...... I don't know if it's true or not, but he must have a lot of knowledge anyway, so listen to him. ”

"......" Cui Yuan was speechless for a while.

Originally, Cui Yuan didn't know much about the relationship between Zhu Feng and Zhang Zhou.

But seeing that Zhu Feng admired Zhang Zhou so much, he was also thinking in his heart, as if he finally understood why others said that Chengguo Mansion was a dog of Cai Guogong's family.

Are you serving the imperial court, or are you serving Cai Guogong?

"Brother Zhang, everything is fine in the city, so we don't have to worry about it, we will continue to set off early tomorrow morning, we don't need to enter the city, he will coordinate with Liu Junmen to arrange the soldiers and horses, and then transfer us 6,000 soldiers and horses, plus some artillery, etc., we can go directly into battle."

"Six thousand? Will...... Less? Cui Yuan asked.

"Not a lot." Zhu Feng said curiously, "Brother Cui, I heard that you brought a few hundred soldiers and horses before, so you dared to fight with the Tartars, and now you are giving you six thousand, what are you worried about?" ”

Cui Yuan was a little ashamed and said: "At that time, it was a newborn calf who was not afraid of tigers. ”

Zhu Feng smiled and asked, "Then you're scared now?" ”

Cui Yuan smiled bitterly, in the face of such an aggressive question, he really couldn't answer.

With meritorious deeds in his body, of course, he doesn't want to take big risks, but he still wants to fight a steady and steady war.

But I knew in my heart that the Tatars would not give any chance in a steady war, and now they could only win by skill. (End of chapter)