Do you know: I am Xu Jiazi

Chapter 371: All of them are recommended by Xiaowu [Thank you! Goodbye! words owed]

Keyi Gate,
It is the most important fortress in the north of Xingqing Prefecture of Baigao Kingdom, without a doubt.

On this day in early July,

North of Keyi Gate,

On a mountain,
There were several knights standing on horseback,

From time to time, shouts and wails of fighting could be heard.

Those were the elite cavalry of the Great Zhou, who were besieging and killing the scouts of the Baigao Kingdom nearby.

Xu Minghua, the Yongyi Marquis of the Great Zhou, took advantage of the clear sky and gazed at the Keyi Gate in the distance.

Next to Xu Minghua was a sickly-looking young knight who pointed to a gentle slope outside the Keyi Gate in the distance and spoke in the Great Zhou dialect with a slight accent:

"General, if we march directly to the fortress, the defenders will definitely deploy heavy cavalry on the slope. Before we can gain a firm foothold, they will take advantage of the terrain and rush down!"

Xu Minghua, sitting on horseback, looked at the terrain around Keyi Gate, which was easy to defend but difficult to attack, and nodded with a grim expression.

The eyes of several young men from the military families of the Great Zhou Dynasty nearby were full of agreement.

At this time, a knight came up the mountain from the bottom of the mountain through layers of guards. After dismounting, he bowed and shouted outside the guards: "General, there is a letter from the capital!"

The personal soldier took the letter and handed it to Xu Minghua.

Seeing that Xu Minghua was about to read the letter, the people around him stepped aside.

Xu Minghua unfolded the letter while riding on his horse and read the contents.

Afterwards, Marquis Yongyi, who had originally looked a little worried, gradually relaxed.

After putting the letter away, Xu Minghua took another look at the Keyi Gate in the distance, lightly pulled the reins, turned the horse's head and said loudly: "Let's go back to the camp!"

Seeing the change in Marquis Yongyi's expression, the younger soldiers from the Xu, Zhang, Cao and other families who were following him looked at each other in confusion.

After Xu Minghua left,
Flags are waving on the hills,

Zhu Qinghu, who was staring at the flag on the mountain from a distance, raised his chin with the soldiers around him.

"Woo~~~~"

The horn was blown to retreat.
Around the mountain,

The elite cavalry of the Great Zhou Dynasty that had been sent out to surround and kill Bai Gao's scouts slowed down their horses and withdrew from the battle.
After collecting the bodies of their comrades who died in the battle, they gathered under the banner of Zhu Qinghu and retreated northward.

The Great Zhou Army's garrison,

Seeing the knights galloping from the south with huge flags, the gate of the military camp was hastily pushed open.

The knights rode in on their horses.

He dismounted in front of the central army tent with the door curtain wide open.

Although Xu Zaiduan was the eldest son of Marquis Yongyi, he still had to follow behind everyone when he entered the big tent.

The reason was that the one before him was Zhang Fangyan, the eldest son of Duke Yingguo, and the other was Cao Yang, the second son of Marquis Tuoxi.

They are more than ten years older than him and have more experience and military achievements than him.

After entering the big tent,
The generals took off their helmets and held a military meeting in front of the sand table for a while.

A quarter of an hour later, Xu Minghua waved his hand and said, "Let's go!"

After saying this, he began to look intently at the huge sand table in front of him.

The generals bowed in response.

After a while, Xu Minghua raised his head and looked at Xu, Zhang, and Cao who were still in the tent, and asked, "What else?"

The three of them didn't say anything. Xu Zaiduan pointed at his father's chest, where the letter he had just received was placed.

Xu Minghua shook his head and said, "This is written by His Majesty himself, you can't read it!"

The three people in the big tent were stunned and nodded quickly.

Zhang Fangyan asked, "General, does the letter tell us to proceed cautiously like last time?"

Xu Minghua nodded and said, "The meaning is even clearer than last time! His Majesty is telling me and others not to rush into things and keep thinking about His Majesty's birthday next year and other trivial matters."

"His Majesty also said that his birthday can be celebrated at any time. We should focus on destroying the Baigao Kingdom in a stable manner."

Hearing this, everyone in the big tent looked at each other in surprise. Xu Zaiduan said, "How does His Majesty know what we are thinking?"

Xu Minghua hesitated for a moment and then said, "It was a memorial submitted to Your Majesty by the old minister of the court, Lord Gu, the prefect of Kaifeng."

Everyone in the tent nodded.

At this time, a personal soldier outside the tent bowed and shouted, "My Lord, Commander Li Chimei, who went to pacify the Yan Army Division in Heishui Town, has returned."

Xu Minghua looked at the people in the big tent in surprise. Cao Yang said, "How could it be so fast? It's only been a dozen days."

Xu Minghua said: "Let him in."

After a while,
Li Chimei, the younger brother of the Li family, came to the big tent in armor and looked dusty. He was followed by several people, two of whom were particularly strong and were dressed as captains.

Although Li Chimei looked exhausted, his eyes were full of excitement. He bowed and said:

"My Lord! I have accomplished my mission!"

Xu Minghua smiled and nodded, "How is it? How many people have you recruited from the Yan Army Division in Heishui Town?"

Li Chimei looked back at the people behind him and said loudly, "My Lord, we have recruited nearly 5,000 people. They should be 200 miles west of the main camp now."

"How many?"

"Five thousand!"

Hearing this number, everyone in the big tent had a look of disbelief on their faces.

Xu Minghua hurriedly asked, "With so many people, you are back in the camp again. Who is leading them?"

"My Lord, it is led by a general who has a blood feud with the Liang Yi family!"

Xu Minghua nodded.

Xu Zaiduan glanced at the two captains behind Li Chimei and asked, "Why are there so many?"

Li Chimei cupped his hands and said, "It's all thanks to the bravery of these soldiers!"

Xu Zaiduan looked at the two captains behind Li Chimei and said, "I recognize you two! Both of you were recommended by my younger brother! Your name is Wu Song, and your name is Luan Tingyu!"

"The others, it turns out, are also warriors from my great-aunt's village! You are Wang Yan, Deng Yuanjue, and Pang Wanchun!"

These elite soldiers all bowed in response.

After ordering the main camp to send 5,000 cavalry and 5,000 infantry to the west to defend, Xu Minghua said loudly:

"Come here, bring some cross stools! Tell me in detail how you recruited these five thousand people."

"Yes!"

Subsequently,

Li Chimei, Wu Song, and Luan Tingyu sat on a stool in the central army tent. After drinking a bowl of water handed to them by Xu's personal soldiers, they said:
"My Lord, the Heishui Town Yan Military Command was originally one of the twelve earliest military commands of the Baigao Kingdom. It is far from Xingqing Prefecture and is also guarding the northwest Uighurs, Mongolia and northern Liao. Compared with the several military commands in the east, it has never been a place where it is easy to gain military merit."

“After the rebellion of the Liang Yi family in Baigao country, many family members who were married to the Li family but had a good relationship with the Liang Yi family were squeezed out there.”

"and"

Li Chimei said with some doubt in his tone: "Moreover, there are many low-level military families loyal to the Li family. When they were targeted by the Liang Yi family, they were also exiled to the Zhenyan Military Division for some reason."

"It vaguely sounded like they bribed the Chuihuan Siren family."

Hearing this, Xu Minghua's eyes sparkled. Zhang Fangyan in the big tent asked, "Could it be that when you went to the Zhenyan Army to recruit people, you contacted these people?"

Li Chimei shook his head and said, "No! On the contrary, after reaching the area guarded by Zhenyan Army, he was almost tricked into the military camp by a thief who owed a favor to the Li family but defected to the Liang Yi family!"

"When I approached the military camp, I realized something was wrong! If it weren't for the soldiers guarding me, I would have been killed outnumbered!"

Thinking about what happened before, Li Chimei still felt a lingering fear.

"How many people were there on the other side?"

Zhang Fangyan on the side asked.

"General, there should have been a battalion of 500 people, and we only had two battalions, 200 people."

"How many of the thieves were killed?"

"Only 200 people ran back to the military camp, and the ungrateful bandit leader was shot in the head by an arrow from the warrior Pang Wanchun."

Hearing this, Xu Zaiduan and Cao Yang on the side looked at Wu Song, Pang Wanchun and others with eyes full of love.

"After the leader of the bandits died, I revealed my identity in front of the military camp, and only then was I able to pacify the first military camp."

"Later, with the low-ranking military officers loyal to the Li family in the first military camp, and the earthquake in Yanzhou, our Great Zhou is now under siege on three sides, and we have won battles one after another, so we were able to recruit so many Baigao soldiers."

"More than half of them did not want to get involved in the deadly battle between the Great Zhou and the Baigao Kingdom, and chose to stay at the Zhenyan Army's headquarters."

Li Chimei finished speaking.
Xu Minghua, the Marquis of Yongyi, nodded and said, "You have done a great deed!"

He looked at the people behind Li Chimei and said, "You have fought for the country. Today, I will submit a petition to commend you for your achievements!"

Hearing this, Li Chimei, Wu Song, Pang Wanchun and others in the big tent hurriedly stood up, bowed and shouted, "Thank you, Lord!"

Xu Minghua waved his hands and said, "No need to thank me! This is what you deserve!"

After some encouragement, everyone left the tent.

The sun sets and the moon rises,

The moon is like water,

In the heavily guarded camp of the Great Zhou Dynasty, a sturdy man was brought to the central military tent by his personal soldiers.

In candlelight,
"I am Wang Yan, your humble servant, honored to meet you, Lord Marquis!"

Xu Minghua put down the military book in his hand and said, "Sit down!"

"Thank you, Lord Marquis!"

"Among the people who followed this member of the Baigao clan, you are the only one who understands the Baigao language! What has happened along the way?"

Wang Yan, a descendant of the former personal soldiers of Marquis Yongyi and a warrior from Madam Sheng's farm, sat on a cross stool and said, "My Lord, yes!"

Looking at Xu Minghua's face flickering in the candlelight, Wang Yan said, "My Lord, at the Yan Army Command in Heishui Town, I and the military officers loyal to the Li family strangled the commander-in-chief of the Liang Yi family and his subordinates that night. A noble of Baigao once advised Li Chimei to kill us and establish a country in the west!"

Hearing this, Xu Minghua clenched the military book in his hand.

"Did Li Chimei not listen to this advice?"

"My Lord! Yes!"

"Why? Do you know?"

Wang Yan cupped his hands and said, "I heard from the noble Bai Gao that they have subdued three powerful warriors trained by the Chuihuan Division in the Heishui Zhenyan Army Division! With the Zhenyan Army Division's army and these three warriors protecting him, Li Chimei will definitely be safe."

"But after Li Chimei asked a few questions, he just shook his head after hearing the answers, and then spoke a few words to the Baigao noble. After hearing what he said, the Baigao noble was so frightened that his face turned pale."

"What did you ask?"

"It seems like it's asking which of these three people is more powerful than the people who surrounded and killed Queen Mimu. It's said..."

Xu Minghua looked at Wang Yan, who was hesitant and hesitant to speak, and frowned: "Hmm? Is there anything wrong with saying it!?"

Wang Yan cupped his hands and said with some embarrassment: "My Lord, you don't know that I am really afraid of affecting your command of the overall situation!"

Putting the military book on the table, Xu Minghua said in a deep voice: "Speak!"

Wang Yan looked embarrassed and glanced at Xu Minghua and said, "Li Chimei said that dozens of people who were much more powerful than these three were all kept in the Yongyi Marquis Mansion in Bianjing by the youngest son of Xu Hou, who is now leading the army, around the Spring Festival. Li Chimei's few relatives are all in the Great Zhou, so he won't do this."

Xu Minghua narrowed his eyes and said, "Have you ever seen the three powerful warriors that the Baigao nobles mentioned?"

Wang Yan took a deep breath and said, "I have seen you!"

"How does it compare to you?"

Wang Yan looked up at Xu Minghua and said, "My Lord! Get off the horse. I am no better than any of them! Get on the horse."

"I am no match for you."

"Brothers Wu Song and Pang Wanchun who went with me also fought with me, and their record is similar to mine."

Hearing this, Xu Minghua's breathing became a little heavier.

"How do you know that I don't know about this?"

"My Lord, after we dispersed in the big tent this afternoon, I asked the eldest master if he had heard anything about what happened in Bianjing after the New Year. He said that it was just some bold thieves who wanted to steal things."

Xu Minghua nodded.

"Okay, you can go down now! I will give you credit for this!"

"Thank you, Lord Marquis!"

Watching Wang Yan turn around and leave the tent, Xu Minghua leaned his arms on the table and rubbed his eyebrows.

He knew Wang Yan's kung fu skills, which were no less than Zhu Qinghu's and much better than the personal soldiers around Xu Minghua.

Dozens of people as powerful as them were left in the marquis' mansion by his youngest son?
He knew his youngest son was very capable, but this was a little too much.
Thinking about this, Xu Minghua shook his head.

When Xu Minghua was surprised by his youngest son's "achievements" six months ago,
Bianjing,

In the palace,
Zhao Zilong was also shocked by the news sent back by the spy of the Imperial City Bureau in Northern Liao via carrier pigeon.

Holding the note that poured out of the bamboo tube on the flying pigeon's foot, Zhao Zilong read it twice and then hurriedly walked towards the hall where the emperor was.

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty!"

Just as Zhao Zilong was about to step into the hall, he tripped over the high threshold and fell to the ground.

The eunuch beside the emperor hurried over and tried to help Zhao Zilong up.

"Your Majesty, a secret report from the Imperial City Department's spies!"

Zhao Zilong waved his hand, handed the note out and said, "Quick, give it to your majesty!"

Seeing Zhao Zilong like this, the emperor behind the desk also stood up, took a few steps and took the note from the eunuch's hand.

"what?"

The emperor looked at the secret report in his hand and raised questions.

"The Northern Liao Kingdom wants to make Yelu Falcon the crown prince?"

Zhao Zilong, who was helped to stand up, nodded and said:
"Your Majesty, Yelu Ying and the Mongolian tribes are now eyeing the north of Zhongjing in Northern Liao, and Northern Liao has been defeated in battles with the Jin Kingdom."

"I think that after Yelu Falcon becomes the crown prince, Yelu Ying will most likely lead his men to fight against the Jin Kingdom!"

The emperor looked at the note in his hand, his face full of joy, and said, "Okay, okay! Let the spies from the Imperial City Bureau investigate further!"

"Information related to the Jin Kingdom can also be passed on to Yelu Ying!"

"Yes! Your Majesty!"

(End of this chapter)