Traveling through the early Tang Dynasty starts with hanging

Chapter 546 Night Murder
The night was deep, seven or eight candles illuminated the small room brightly, and eight or nine generals filled the room to the brim with the small couch in the middle of the room as the dividing line.

Xi Duo knelt on the small couch, with his eyes downcast, but his ears pricked up, listening carefully to the discussions of the people around him.

As Yuan Junzhang's brother-in-law, He Liu wanted to find an official position in the court, but was ridiculed by Wei Peng... Now that Duke Rui is just idle, can you still use him?

Niu Bin, who was born in Yuan Junzhang's personal guard, intends to move to Daizhou, but he is afraid that he will not get a good position. If he stays in Mayi, he is also afraid of the large-scale invasion of Turks.

The other generals were also hesitant, Xi Duo sighed in his heart, the method of this young county king... was exactly the same as the method used to force Duke Yuan to surrender.

Yuan Gong seemed to be forced by Yu Sheshe's death, and he had no choice but to vote for Tang. In fact, he had been forced to a dead end by Li Huairen before.

Just like in the past few days, through a play that is likely to be directed and acted by itself, it cannot be said to win the hearts of the soldiers, but such a means of spring wind and rain has actually disintegrated the possibility of the general and the school leading the troops to defect to the Turks.

If you don't carry soldiers and horses, the Turks will not pay attention to them, but if you carry soldiers and horses, let alone what kind of reaction Li Shan will have, such as Niu Bin, it is difficult for any Liu to suppress the soldiers.

Therefore, after the dinner, most of the generals came to Xi Duo to talk about their future and the way forward, but they didn't talk about choices.

Because there is no choice.

Not to mention other things, how many people would have died in the past winter without the transportation of grain and grass on behalf of the state?

Could it be that the Turks who are in civil strife will help?

If there is no accident, it should be the whole army attacking Yanmen Pass... It is naturally best to break through Daizhou. If not, we should use Tang Jun's spears to kill more people and survive this cold winter as much as possible.

"Xi Gong?" He Liu asked cautiously, he thought that Xi Duo might have fallen asleep.

"Uh..." Xi Duo muttered a few vague words, then turned around and said, "Where is He Xiaodong?"

Niu Bin turned around in surprise, "He Xiaodong?"

Since Yuan Junzhang emerged a few years ago, although He Xiaodong also had an old unit in the army, he lived in seclusion and never participated in similar matters.

But He Liu came to his senses, and glanced at the few generals facing him who said nothing. Du Shiyuan was still there, and Guo Ziheng was also there, but there were still a few generals who were not close to him... the key It's because they are all He Xiaodong's old department many years ago.

He Liu wanted to say something, but Xi Duo rushed ahead, and his cloudy eyes fell on Du Shiyuan, "What does Shiyuan want to do?"

Du Shiyuan's face was pale, and it took him a long time to whisper: "Could it be that he can tolerate XX?"

"If you want to go north, you will be fine." Xi Duo said slowly, "The King of Handan will definitely not pursue and kill you in order not to cause chaos in the army."

"It doesn't matter if you stay in Mayi... For Mayi, the King of Handan has thought about everything and thought a lot. If the Turks attack aggressively in the future, the Tang army will not sit idly by."

Du Shiyuan's expression was vacillating, he survived by licking blood from the knife edge, who would pin his life on these illusory promises?

Essentially different from others, although Du Shiyuan was originally Liu Wuzhou's old ministry, he followed Gao Manzheng to the Tang Dynasty, and then beheaded Gao Manzheng and rebelled.

As for the rebel generals...Du Shiyuan remembers very clearly that many years ago, he followed Song Jingang all the way to the south of the river. Due to various factors, a rebellion broke out in Xia County... In the end, the Emperor Tang ordered the whole Xia County to be reduced to scorched earth .

After all, Du Shiyuan wanted to leave, but if he couldn't take his subordinates with him, he would have no status in Wuyuan County, but if he stayed, he was not sure how he would be treated.

Guo Ziheng beside him also had similar doubts. His brother Guo Ziwei was close to the Turks and was beheaded by Yuan Junzhang in the army at the end of last year... The reason is very simple. Guo Ziwei is the general who can most threaten Yuan Junzhang's status.

Under the premise that Yuan Junzhang decided to vote for the Tang Dynasty, and the Turks were inconvenient to go to war because of the seasons and internal strife, encouraging Guo Ziwei to commit rebellion was the most effective method with the least side effects.

Now, Guo Ziwei is dead, and his old department is attached to Guo Ziheng. He will be the biggest obstacle for Li Shan to cleanse the Mayi garrison.

Guo Ziheng squinted at Xi Duo, and suddenly asked in a low voice: "Dare to ask Xi Gong, how will Rui Guogong explain?"

Like a sudden army, the sound was not loud, but it made the room suddenly quiet.

Yuan Junzhang is now in the court, nominally leading the governor of Shuozhou. With his temperament and origin, he is most likely to believe in Xi Duo who does not control the military power himself.

Guo Ziheng didn't believe that Yuan Junzhang was targeting him and didn't explain anything to Xi Duo... In the end, he suspected that today's incident was a mess, doubted Li Shan's sincerity, and even suspected that behind Li Shan, Yuan Junzhang and Xi Duo were making ideas .

In fact, after Yuan Junzhang recaptured Mayi in October last year, there were three consecutive wars, and he went through such a cold winter and the twelfth lunar month. Coupled with the recovery of Daizhou, many deserters...

So now around Mayi, apart from the Tang army, there are only about 7000 people left in Yuan Junzhang's old department.

Among them, the most elite [-] cavalry were commanded by He Liu, Niu Bin and others. The sources of the remaining [-] or so soldiers were very complicated, but the biggest force among them was Guo Ziheng.

Well, there are thousands of people under Du Shiyuan's command...all of them are rebels from the old department of Gao Manzheng, the former governor of Gaoshuo Prefecture.

Du Shiyuan got up suddenly, and stood in the distance calmly, the meaning was obvious... I don't believe Li Huairen's nonsense.

After a moment of silence, Xi Duo's old and hoarse voice sounded, "Five days ago, I received a letter from Mr. Yuan."

Niu Bin and He Liu are the direct descendants of Yuan Junzhang. Hearing this, he was refreshed, and the latter asked, "How is the Duke?"

"Really live in the mansion of King Handan?"

"Yeah." Xi Duo sighed, "Duke Yuan arrived in Chang'an half a month ago, and sent people to investigate before... Unexpectedly, the King of Handan is so favored!"

Someone on the side asked curiously: "According to the rumors in Daizhou, the King of Handan was good at medicine and saved the life of Princess Pingyang, so he was favored."

"That's just a lie from a countryman." Xi Duo sneered and said, "Yuan Gong saw it with his own eyes, before His Highness was canonized as the county king, outside the Tai Chi Palace, Yu Gushi, the only son of Jieli Khan, was beaten again. …At that time, Duke Yuan almost recognized the person!"

Du Shiyuan shivered suddenly. He remembered the murderous look in Li Shan's eyes when he mentioned Yugu's wanton killing during today's banquet.

The rest of the people were dumbfounded. The former Li Tang dynasty was almost destroyed by Liu Wuzhou who had the help of the Turkic people, but after so many years, the current Tang Dynasty ruled the world, with the image of swallowing mountains and rivers. Zhang can't even recognize it... How domineering! ! !
Guo Ziheng asked in a low voice, "Then how will the Tang emperor deal with it?"

Xi Duo clicked his tongue twice, "Princess Pingyang, who is in charge of the palace ban, is surrounded by armored soldiers. The minister who rushed over turned a blind eye to it, and the Tang emperor ignored it, so that the King of Handan rushed to the Sifang Pavilion the next day to force the Turkic envoys to offer sacrifices." oxen and horses."

The small house was a sensation, so arrogant, so favored, if it was the son of Emperor Tang, the crown prince and King Qin would be hopeless...

Guo Ziheng was also in a trance. He had a faint feeling that Yuan Junzhang had entrusted his political life to the Handan County King.

Compared with other people, Du Shiyuan has some tricks in his heart, and sent people to investigate a lot of affairs in the court. Judging from the current situation, Li Shan is neither attached to the crown prince, nor has he joined the King of Qin, but he has the confidence ! ! !
But what should I do?
keep up?
Can you keep up?

If you hand over everything, maybe one day you will be charged with some kind of crime or even beheaded directly.

Xi Duo couldn't help but added a few more words, "The general of Daizhou governs the surrounding states, sits on Yanmen Pass, faces the Turks, and is an important town in the world... It is said that the appointment of the governor of Yongkang County as the general manager of Daizhou is recommended by the King of Handan!"

Everyone was in an uproar, and the topic gradually spread. Guo Ziheng listened silently to the building slowly tilting, and just waited there.

After a while, Xi Duo brought the topic back, "After watching the methods of the King of Handan, I have learned the true meaning of retreating."

"It was mentioned in Rui Guogong's letter that it was in Furong Garden last year..." Xi Duo recounted the incident last year in detail, "That's Luo Yi, the King of Yan!"

At the end of the Sui Dynasty, a group of heroes rose up together, strong like Li Yuan, Dou Jiande, and Liu Wuzhou, weaker like Liang Shidu, Yuan Junzhang, and Gao Kaidao, all of whom were more or less attached to the Turks.

To the north of the Yellow River, Luo Yi is the only one who is unyielding, and the elite cavalry of Youzhou is also quite well-known on the grassland.

Guo Ziheng was silent for a while, and said in a low voice: "I heard that last year the King of Handan went to act as the county magistrate, led his personal guards to snatch the harvest for the people, and even went to the fields himself..."

"Everyone in the county calls them by that name. I have never seen such parents in this life..." Xi Duo interjected: "Later, he opened up business travel, introduced the local powerful clans in Daizhou, taught his children skills, accepted them as personal guards, and shared the profits from business routes..."

"Be kind everywhere!"

Guo Ziheng whispered in a strange tone: "I heard that the King of Handan was trapped in Mayi..."

"Naturally, something will happen to the Daizhou clan," Niu Bin said, "His Royal Highness chopped off five heads in one go, and everyone in the city was shocked."

"It's more than that!" Du Shiyuan interjected: "The people in Shuozhou and Yunzhou moved to Daizhou... It is said that they have to grant land and houses. Why not be kind?"

"Give kindness everywhere...Naturally it's not just about giving kindness." Xi Duo showed a helpless wry smile to everyone, "First give kindness, and then use thunderbolt methods...even though the methods are cruel, they are also well-known."

He Liu blurted out, "Yu Sheshe..."

Halfway through, He Liu stopped talking, ahem, it was the enemy's method, and there is nothing wrong with it.

After being silent for a while, Xi Duo concluded: "Using the scheming methods of the King of Handan, first benevolent to the soldiers, and then let you choose the way..."

"Even if he goes north to Wuyuan County, the King of Handan will definitely stand still, as long as he doesn't force his soldiers to cause chaos."

"But after that..." Xi Duo glanced over one by one, "either scattered in the fields, or moved to Daizhou, Xinzhou, or entered the court as a small official..."

"Or, as rumored, His Highness will cleanse the army and replace it with the leaders of the Bingzhou Army and the Daizhou Army, and all those who are selected will be sent to Daizhou to garrison the fields?"

"Life is safe." Xi Duo said expressionlessly: "In the future, when the army goes out, there may be a chance to make great achievements, but if there is a heart of disobedience..."

After a pause, Xi Duo spoke clearly, "In a few hours, His Highness will host a banquet. If you don't attend the banquet, you can leave quietly. If you attend the banquet, there will be repeated... See Handan King's thunderbolt method!"

"Yuan Gongxin mentioned that Li Huairen, the king of Handan, has a deep foundation in the court, is capable of means, and speaks kindly to others, but anyone who makes enemies is always frustrated..."

Everyone has their own little calculations, and Xi Duo is very clear that there may be heroes who are unique among the people present, but there are absolutely no heroes with big ambitions.

In other words, after Liu Wuzhou died and Yuan Junzhang bowed his head, these generals may have thought differently, but they definitely did not replace him and become the third leader supported by the Turks after Liu Wuzhou and Yuan Junzhang.

Du Shiyuan was afraid of being imprisoned for his crimes. After all, he killed Shangguan as a traitor, and his eldest son, who succeeded Rong Guogong Gao Manzheng, is now working in Xinzhou.

Guo Ziheng already knew that the disintegration of his power was an inevitable result. He was not prepared to make unnecessary resistance, but he always had to think about his own destiny.

Xi Duo glanced at Niu Bin and He Liu. These two are Yuan Junzhang's direct descendants, and they are also the first batch of generals who jumped out to support Li Shan.

On the one hand, it was Yuan Junzhang's decision. On the other hand, they secretly got Li Shan's promise that they would mix sand and transfer a group of grassroots officers, but they would not split them up.

In this era, once a similar army is dismantled, its combat effectiveness will drop sharply... In order to resist the Turks, Li Shan had no choice but to do so.

However, relatively speaking, Li Shan is quite at ease with He Liu and Niu Bin. First, they are relatively naive.

On the other hand, He Liu's son and Niu Bin's younger brother are both Yuan Junzhang's personal guards, and both live in Sun Moon Lake.

After the crowd dispersed, Xi Duo slowly walked out of the room, looked up at the bright moon hanging above his head, and thought in his heart...how will King Handan arrange me?
Thinking of this, Xi Duo beckoned the servant to whisper a few words, and soon Wei Peng, who had been silent in the room from beginning to end, came quietly.

"Mr. Xi?"

"He Xiaodong is as stupid as a pig, but he has some roots in the army, and he is so bold that he may act recklessly tonight." Xi Duo said softly: "Niu Bin and He Liu are the direct descendants of Duke Yuan. Needless to say, Guo Ziheng, If Du Shiyuan bowed his head, he would definitely attract attention, how about you?"

Wei Peng's complexion changed drastically, indeed, one is the younger brother of Guo Ziwei, whose elder brother was attached to the Turks, and the other is a former rebel general of the Tang army... Once he surrenders, the Handan king's daughter will buy a horse bone, and he will probably reward him handsomely.

"It's the order of Mr. Xi!"

"Okay." Xi Duo pointed to the west city, "He Xiaodong will definitely cause chaos in the west of the city, and wants to take the soldiers and flee north."

"If you can capture this official alive, are you afraid that you won't be able to enter the eyes of the King of Handan?!"

An hour later, the yawning Li Shan glanced at the news that had just been sent, and said with a smile, "If you don't have military power, it happens that Shuozhou still lacks someone."

Xue Wanche, who was neatly dressed, was preparing to go out with a knife in his waist, and said with a smile: "I still need a recorder to join the military!"

Li Shan glanced at Liu Shirang who was at the side, and scolded with a smile: "If there are any mistakes tonight, you will come to serve as Shuozhou's secretary and join the military!"

Although they are both recording affairs and participating in the military, one is Daizhou General Manager's Mansion and the other is Shuozhou. Can this be compared?
Seeing Xue Wanche going out, Li Shan waved his hand and said, "Let's all start!"

Everyone else started to get busy, but Li Shan sat alone at the top of the hall, looking at the vacant seats.

Will someone come?

Who else is not coming?

(End of this chapter)