On a rest day in early May, Lu Shen left the camp of the Ruishi Battalion with more than a dozen personal soldiers and rode back to Lai'an City.

In the course of two months, he gradually formed the Ruishi battalion into a whole according to his own ideas, although he didn't know how this army would perform on the battlefield, at least for now it seemed to have the rudiments of an elite hero.

The reasons for this are more complicated, first of all, the foundation of the Ruishi camp is a thousand tigers, including the warriors brought out by Lu Shen in the Battle of Guangling, the henchmen cultivated by Lu Tong for ten years, and the two hundred elites gifted by Xiao Wangzhi. As the skeleton of the Rui Shi battalion, Lu Shen's control over all the soldiers can easily reach the realm of being like an arm.

In addition, Lu Shen's various regulations have been effectively implemented, and only by matching words and deeds can we truly accept the hearts of these soldiers.

With strict military discipline and generous treatment, the appearance of the Rui Shi Battalion is almost the same every day.

Lu Shen ate and lived in the camp, closely observing everyone's changes, and did not dare to slack off. Except for today, he only went out once in the past, and met Lu Tong who came to visit for half an hour, and then hurried back to the barracks.

The hard work paid off, he gradually achieved his expectations, and the transformation of the Ruishi Battalion was extremely obvious.

After entering the city, Lu Shen and his party went straight to the Governor's Mansion, and the marching Sima Huang Xianfeng was already waiting outside the gate.

"I've seen Captain Lu."

Huang Xianfeng stepped forward and saluted, looking at Lu Shen, who turned over and jumped off the mount, and his temperament became more and more calm and introverted, and couldn't help but secretly praise.

"How dare you work for Lord Huang?"

Lu Shen smiled slightly, and his tone was calm.

Huang Xianfeng quipped: "If other people do, Lu Duwei is a military meritorious lord personally awarded by His Majesty, how dare the lower officials not treat him with courtesy?" ”

"Lord Huang is too outward, presumably blaming me for not visiting my door recently."

Lu Shen teased that he knew that Huang Xianfeng was Xiao Wangzhi's true confidant, so he didn't have to deliberately hold it in front of him.

Huang Xianfeng couldn't help laughing, and said sideways: "I want to be closer to Captain Lu, but it's a pity that the Metropolitan Governor strictly ordered us not to interfere with Captain Lu's training." Please. ”

The two walked into the Governor's Mansion side by side and talked happily all the way.

Coming to the outside of the conference hall, Huang Xianfeng said, "Captain Lu, please." ”

Seeing this, Lu Shen knew that Xiao Wangzhi must have confidential military arrangements today, otherwise Huang Xianfeng didn't have to stop outside the door, so he didn't ask much, bowed his hand and walked into the meeting hall.

In addition to Xiao Wangzhi, there is also an old acquaintance of Lu Shen.

Warp weaving department Huaizhou inspection school Su Yunqing.

Because of the identity of the cadre, Lu Shen was still Su Yunqing's colleague in name, plus the waist card given by Qin Zheng when he was in the capital, the two should have been closer, but today was the first time they had met since the beginning of the year.

Lu Shen saluted Xiao Wangzhi and Su Yunqing in turn, and then sat on the chair on the right.

Xiao Wangzhi looked at the young captain's calm expression, and said gently: "Do you remember that at this time last year, the Su Jian Proofread said something to you, hoping that you could go to Heluo City to serve as a secret spy and integrate the Northland spy network as much as possible?" ”

Lu Shen naturally will not forget that it was the first time he was faced with a choice, but fortunately, because of his father's relationship, he could calmly reject Su Yunqing.

Now that Xiao Wangzhi has brought up the old matter again, it is obviously not a whim to help Su Yunqing achieve his long-cherished wish.

Lu Shen's heart moved, looked at Su Yunqing and said, "Could it be that something happened in the north?" ”

"Captain Lu's reaction is still so sharp."

Su Yunqing complimented, and then continued under Xiao Wangzhi's gesture: "In the past few months, the Pseudo-Yan Dynasty has undergone considerable changes. Chen Jingtang, the deputy privy envoy, was dismissed from his post, and Liu Yan, the former privy envoy, returned to his hometown, and the newly appointed privy envoy Pang Shigu and the deputy privy envoy Guo Yan had a close relationship with Jing Chao. In addition, there are also a considerable number of official appointments and dismissals, judging from the information held by the Warp Weaving Division, at least nearly half of them are related to the Jing Dynasty. ”

Lu Shen frowned slightly.

He remembered the judgment of the Son of Heaven that the Jing Dynasty's support and infiltration of the Northern Yan Court were going on simultaneously, and this time-consuming and laborious assimilation could receive excellent results. Now it seems that the victory or defeat of last year's battle in the north can hardly be said to be good or bad, although the Qi State has achieved tangible results, but it also gives the Jing Dynasty the opportunity to further intervene in the politics of the Northern Yan Dynasty.

Thinking of this, Lu Shen asked puzzledly, "Could it be that Emperor Pseudo-Yan is indifferent to these changes?" ”

This is a question that he can't figure out, even if the new emperor of Beiyan is just a puppet, he has been sitting on the throne for six years, and he will not be willing to make wedding clothes for others.

Xiao Wangzhi said lightly: "It is said that Emperor Pseudo-Yan is not in good health, and the court meeting is basically not opened, and the government is controlled by several important ministers, including Wang An, the head of the Zhai Lin Wang family. ”

Lu Shen said: "Zhai Lin Wang's ...... I see. ”

At that time, the royal family and magnates of the Qi State crossed to Yongjia in the south, and did not take away all the clans, and some of them stayed in the north, and the Zhai Lin Wang clan was the leader of the northern gate valves.

Wang Jun also mentioned that long before the Yuanjia Change, the Jing Dynasty reached some kind of agreement with the Zhai Lin Wang family, and later the gate valve represented by the Zhai Lin Wang family became the mainstay of the Northern Yan Dynasty.

Xiao Wangzhi said calmly: "These changes have long been expected by us, and this is not particularly bad news for Daqi. It will take a long time for the Jing Dynasty to completely annex the Northern Lands, and replacing a group of people in the puppet Yan Dynasty cannot directly shorten this process, on the contrary, we can use this opportunity to bury some secret hands. What we want to discuss today is not this matter, but another recent move by the Pseudo-Yan Imperial Court. ”

He looked to the side, and Su Yunqing continued to introduce: "The warp weaving division's personnel in the north have learned that the Pseudo-Yan Imperial Court seems to be interested in making a move on the green forest in the north recently. ”

Lu Shen's heart sank.

When it comes to the green forests of the Northland, he can't do without the Seven Star Gang, and then the figure of Lin Xi comes to his mind.

Since the separation last autumn, he and Lin Xi have only passed through letters once, because the distance is so far away, the correspondence in this era is very troublesome, and he even used the limited manpower of the Lu family in the north.

Hearing Su Yunqing's words at this moment, Lu Shen said without changing his face: "Pseudo-Yan wants to deal with the Seven Star Gang? ”

"Sort of."

Su Yunqing bowed slightly, and then said: "They are very aware of the trickiness of these Green Forest Gangs, and they did not directly send the army into the deep mountains and old forests, but first used the means of recruiting An. This time, they not only targeted the Seven Star Gang, but also gangs such as the Jinsha Gang and Yunfu Village, and frequently sent envoys to these gangs to pacify them during this time. Judging from the information we have, the Northland Green Forest has different opinions on Zhao'an's statement, and the Jinsha Gang has clearly shown a tendency to accept it. ”

Lu Shen shook his head and said, "Zhao'an won't end well." ”

Xiao Wangzhi said indifferently: "The high-ranking officials are generous and touching, the life of the people in the green forest seems to be chic but is actually poor, and in the face of the disguised goodwill of the pseudo-Yan court, many people find it difficult to distinguish the true from the false. ”

Su Yunqing added: "In my opinion, this should be the handiwork of Qing Yugong, the marshal of the Jing Dynasty. Now, on the one hand, he is strengthening his control over the puppet Yan small court, and on the other hand, he is gradually clearing the hidden dangers inside the northern land, obviously preparing for the future invasion of the south. I have already reported this matter to the imperial court, and Your Majesty and Qin Tiju have similar views, it is necessary to destroy the strategy of the puppet Yan imperial court, and at least let those big gangs maintain the status quo. ”

After introducing the situation, he got up and said goodbye to Xiao Wangzhi, and said to Lu Shen before leaving: "Regarding the information on the Northland in recent months, I will have someone compile it into a book and send it to the Ruishi Camp camp. ”

Lu Shen stood up and said, "Thank you Su Jianxiao." ”

Su Yunqing smiled mildly and strode out of the chamber.

"Last year, that ranger named Bodhisattva Man killed Li Xuan'an, so that the plans of both sides failed, so I asked Huang Xianfeng to collect the news of the Northland Green Forest, mainly to integrate these scattered forces to see if they could cause some trouble to Pseudo Yan and Jing Chao. Later, I learned from my father that the Bodhisattva was Lin Jie's daughter, so I had a deeper consideration. ”

After Su Yunqing left, Xiao Wangzhi opened the conversation unhurriedly.

Lu Shen listened calmly.

Xiao Wangzhi continued: "I don't agree with Su Yunqing's suggestion that you go to the Northland to be a secret spy, because this matter is not beneficial to you and is too dangerous, and it is also a waste of your talent and ability. But I must also admit that his plan for the north is very reasonable, if we don't let the backyards of the Pseudo-Yan and Jing Dynasty catch fire, it will be difficult for us to successfully recover our homeland by attacking alone. ”

Lu Shen looked at his gentle expression, and the position of the chief helm of the Seven Star Gang came to his mind, and he couldn't help but understand Xiao Wangzhi's intention of letting him come to the Governor's Mansion today, and said calmly: "Uncle Xiao wants to cooperate with the reckless forces in the Northland? ”

Xiao Wangzhi didn't answer directly, and slowly explained: "I sent someone to find Lin Jie, and I can guess a thing or two about his thoughts. However, the Seven Star Gang has no reason to cause trouble, and its own strength is also quite lacking, and it is difficult to shake the rule of Pseudo-Yan to ascend to the sky. Starting from the actual situation, his best choice is to cooperate with the Huaizhou Governor's Mansion and join hands to take the Dongyang Road of Pseudo Yan. ”

Lu Shen said softly: "If the Seven Star Gang accepts the recruitment of the Pseudo-Yan Imperial Court, all this will naturally be impossible to mention. ”

"That's right."

Xiao Wangzhi hesitated slightly, and then said: "But compared with the two, the Seven Star Gang may have more benefits for returning to the Pseudo-Yan Imperial Court, even if it is only for the immediate benefit." I believe that Lin Jie is not short-sighted, but the Seven Stars Gang is not owned by him alone, not to mention the influence of the wind direction of the entire Northland Green Forest. At present, we are beyond the reach of the Northland Green Forest, and it is difficult to give them substantial benefits, and it is very difficult to do it if we want to destroy the plan of the Puppet Yan Imperial Court. ”

"Moreover, these Green Forest gangs are still strong outside, once the Pseudo-Yan or Jing Dynasty sends out a large army, they can only hide in the deep mountains and old forests and live an extremely difficult life."

Xiao Wangzhi analyzed the situation very thoroughly.

Lu Shen took the opportunity to say: "Unless you can help them establish a complete defense system, so that they have the confidence to fight against the regular army." ”

Xiao Wangzhi said approvingly: "Yes." In fact, this matter is not difficult for the Huaizhou Governor's Mansion, I can send a seasoned general to the north to help those Green Forest Gangs train and help the people build a walled fort, but this person must be alert enough and be able to gain the trust of the other party. ”

Looking at the other party's blazing gaze, Lu Shen smiled and said, "Why does Uncle Xiao want to see the outside world like this, is it because he is worried that his father will fall out with you because of this?" ”

The so-called drunkard's intention is not to drink, Xiao Wangzhi broke these considerations and crumpled them to explain to him, and the intention was already very obvious.

Xiao Wangzhi smiled, shook his head and said, "It has nothing to do with him, I just want to hear your thoughts in person, whether this strategy is feasible." ”

Lu Shen didn't answer immediately, and fell into a long thought.

(End of chapter)