Late Tang

The ninth day of September is the Double Ninth Festival, one of the official festivals of the Tang Dynasty.

On this day, Li Jing and the soldiers of the Zhendong Army spent time in Ningwu Army City in Guizhou.

Climbing the mountains, planting Cornus officinalis and enjoying chrysanthemums.

Li Jing was having fun with all the soldiers, and everyone was enjoying the joy before the battle.

On the tenth day of the Lunar New Year, some soldiers of the Ningwu Army sent the Gao family and the families of Ningwu soldiers to Dengzhou.On the [-]th, the Zhendong Army set out again, followed the Sanggan River, went straight to Hedong, and entered Yu County under the jurisdiction of Datong.

In the clouds in October, there is the beautiful scenery beyond the Great Wall.Autumn is tall and horses are fat, the grass begins to wither and turn yellow, and everywhere is golden.

Soldiers and horses passed by, and from time to time, fat pheasants could be seen flying and hares were jumping.You can even see groups of wild sheep running past from time to time. For a moment, Li Jing felt as if he was traveling on the prairie when he returned to later generations.

Under the blue sky, a few white clouds drifted by, and a group of wild geese flew south with the word Chengren.

What a beautiful sight it is!

Li Jing was feeling emotional when suddenly there was a mournful cry from the row of wild geese, and the original herringbone was completely confused.

Two wild geese were pierced by an arrow and fell down screaming.

"This row of wild geese is very scattered. This person can actually shoot two wild geese with one arrow. It seems that his archery skills are extraordinary, and he can be called a master of archery." Wang Zhong's archery skills are not bad, but they are only good, and he cannot be called a master of archery. What's more, Li Jing next to him also has the title of Little Li Guang. In terms of arrows, there are few who can compare with Li Jing.

Li Zhen had been admiring the beautiful scenery of Fortress just now, and even wrote a poem in the middle.I'm also a little dissatisfied with such a distasteful thing as shooting wild geese with arrows.At this time, he rode his horse and walked to Li Jing's side, but he smiled and said, "Our army is moving forward, and we can already see the wind for several miles around. This person knows that our army is coming, not only does not avoid it, but waits until When the Duke’s Chinese army passed by, he killed two geese with one arrow. From my point of view, the person who came was not easy, and this was obviously done on purpose to show off his skills to the Duke. I think this person has plans to join the army.”

"From what Li Sima said, it's really possible." Guo Chengan also said with a smile, "Besides, judging from this person's behavior, it is estimated that his thoughts are not small, and ordinary soldiers may not be satisfied with him. But this person can The fact that the arrow shot down the double geese also proved that he is capable. Why don't the general invite him to come and have a look."

Li Jing himself is an expert in archery, the arrow just now has indeed reached the level of an excellent archer, and ordinary archers can't do it at all.Now that several people have said this, he let go of the little thought in his heart just now, nodded, and said to Liu Xun: "Go and see who was shooting the arrow just now, and invite him to the front of the horse."

Liu Xun rode away with a team of guards, and brought a person back after a while.

Seeing this person for the first time, Li Jing's eyes lit up.

The man was dressed in a fur robe, dressed as a hunter.He looks about thirty or so, with short beards standing upright like steel needles under his jaw, square face, like black charcoal, a big black face.Thick eyebrows, big eyes, high nose and wide mouth.Especially those eyes, very bright and energetic.The height of more than six feet is about the same as that of Li Jing.The whole person is thick-backed, tall and burly.What caught Li Jing's attention the most was his hands, which were significantly longer than ordinary people's arms.Although it is not as good as the legendary Qi Qi with his hands on his knees, it is not much worse.

At this time, he was also looking at Li Jing, neither humble nor overbearing.It was tied with a bandage, and there were also two daggers tied, a row of willow-leaf flying knives around his waist, and a horizontal knife on his belt, a longbow in his hand, and the two poor geese in the other.

"A strong man with a high reputation? Where is he from?" Li Jing asked with a smile, his tone gentle.The first time he saw this person, he had already judged that this person would definitely not be a hunter, but should be a soldier, and he should also be a very powerful officer who had fought in wars.

The brawny man put down the bow and geese in his hands, and directly made a fist-cup salute to Li Jing: "I am from Mayi, Xiashuo Prefecture. My surname is Zhou, and my name is Dewei. It used to be Datong's defense envoy to the dental school, and Duan's defense envoy. Because Li Jinzhong, a native of Shatuo in Yunzhong, and Kang Chengxun, Cheng Huaixin, and others from Yunzhong Dental School rebelled, I didn't want to make a plan, so I left my post and left. During this period of time, I have been hunting here for a living. Recently I heard that the Zhendong Army envoy Li Jungong led the army to quell the rebellion, so I came here to wait. Seeing the majestic soldiers and horses under the command of the Jungong, I became eager to serve. Get close, so I used this little trick to surprise the county magistrate. Please forgive me if I offend you."

When Li Jing immediately heard that this person was called Zhou Dewei, he couldn't help being startled.

Zhou Dewei, the general of the Later Tang Dynasty in the Five Dynasties, was a general under Li Keyong, especially after Li Keyong's death, he assisted Li Cunxu in attacking the Later Liang Dynasty. He can be said to be the pillar of the Later Tang Dynasty.

Zhou Dewei initially followed Li Keyong, brave and good at riding and shooting.Zhou Dewei is not only brave, but also resourceful and courageous.Because he has been in the frontier area for a long time, he has very rich military experience. He can judge the number of enemies just by looking at the smoke and dust.

Zhou Dewei is tall and burly, with a dark complexion, his expression is usually serious, even when he laughs, it doesn't change.In front of the battle to kill the enemy, it is even more awe-inspiring and full of chilling color.Outstanding courage and resourcefulness made Zhou Dewei a fierce general and a famous general in the Five Dynasties.

Once, Shu Cong, the general of Houliang, led an army to Taiyuan. One of his generals, Chen Zhang, was also known for his bravery and skill in combat.At that time, in order to encourage the morale of the soldiers, Hou Liang sent an order to the three armies: "Anyone who can capture Zhou Yangwu alive will be rewarded with the post of governor." Chen Zhang also had a nickname "Yacha", and he fought for rewards for his meritorious service, so he said to Shi Shucong He said: "The Jin army is only relying on Zhou Yangwu alone. I would like to take him over. Then please reward me for me. I will be the governor."

So Chen Zhang looked for an opportunity to fight Zhou Dewei in front of the formation. He was wearing a red armor and riding a white horse. He was very conceited and didn't take Zhou Dewei seriously at all, as if Zhou Dewei was already in his hands.After Li Keyong learned that Chen Zhang was looking for Zhou Dewei everywhere, he reminded him: "I heard that Chen Yacha wants to trade you for the governor, you have to be careful."

Zhou Dewei smiled and said: "Chen Zhang is not ashamed to speak out, and he still doesn't know who will win when he gets to the front of the battle."

The next day, when the two armies fought again, Zhou Dewei warned his subordinates: "If you see Chen Yecha in the battle, you just pretend to run away, and I will deal with him!" Challenge, when Chen Zhang led the troops to chase after him, his subordinates pretended to be defeated and lured Chen Zhang over.Before Chen Zhang could recover, Zhou Dewei had already killed him from behind, knocking off Chen Yecha with a single blow.Capture alive.This battle made Zhou Dewei's prestige even greater.

In the Later Tang Dynasty, Zhou Dewei successively served as the military envoy of Tielin, the inspector Zuo Pushe, the commander of Yamen, the envoy of Zhenwu Jiedu, the envoy of Tongzhong Shumenxia Pingzhangshi, the inspector of the school, and the envoy of Lulong Jiedu.It can be said that Zhou Dewei's status and role in the later Tang Dynasty are really immeasurable.

It’s just that the history books only record that he was in the Yunzhong Army in the early years, and then he followed Li Keyong all the time. Why now, Zhou Dewei suddenly came here to recommend himself?Could it be that he was the assassin used by Li Ke?Li Jing couldn't help thinking to himself, and asked cautiously: "Since Zhenyuan used to be the dental school of Datong's defense envoy, why didn't he go to Li Keyong?"

Zhou Dewei replied very flatly: "When Kang Chengxun and others were fighting, after capturing Duan Defense Envoy Liu Judge and others, they led troops to capture the family members of Duan's mansion. At that time, I happened to find out that there was chaos in the city, so I led the troops out just in time. I met. I blocked Kang Chengxun, not wanting anyone to hurt his family members who were on the defensive. Kang Chengxun and others refused, so I fought with them, and the rebels all besieged them. In the end, I had no choice but to fight a bloody road alone and escaped. Afterwards, Li Ke Yong came from Weizhou, and indeed he sent people to look for me and persuade me to join Li Keyong. Originally, the Li family and his son had some prestige in Datong. Duan Gong and other five people were executed Ling Chi and ate their human flesh, so they flatly rejected Li Keyong's offer."

Li Jing nodded.

"Although I, Zhou Dewei, can't be regarded as a hero, I have a basic bottom line. Li Ke's mutiny is nothing at all. But after he committed suicide, his family members would be implicated, and even young children would not be let go. Even It is difficult for me, Zhou Dewei, to cut up his boss Ling Chi alive and divide the meat and share the food." Zhou Dewei spoke sternly.

Seeing that he didn't seem to be lying, Li Jing believed him [-]% at the moment.

"Why did Zhenyuan come to join me?"

Zhou Dewei said without hesitation: "These days when I was hunting around here and selling prey, I often heard businessmen talking about the Duke of the County and the Zhendong Army who were about to enter Jin to suppress the rebellion. I heard them mention it repeatedly, saying that the Duke of the County Young, but very benevolent and righteous, he treats the people under his rule like children, and treats the soldiers in the army as brothers. He also mentioned that Dengzhou has accepted 60 million refugees this year, and on the border of Dengzhou, more than 10,000+ refugees have gathered Refugees, they need the kindness of the general so that they can eat porridge every day and not starve to death. They also say that the general treats them fairly, rewards them heavily, and provides generous compensation. I have never seen such an army and general, so this time Come and watch."

"How about it, do you think it's a waste of fame?" Li Jing asked with a smile.

"There are no soldiers under the reputation, and the Zhendong Army has a well-deserved reputation. In fact, I have been with the Zhendong Army for a few days. A few days ago, I rushed to Guizhou on purpose. After my observation, the Zhendong Army is indeed good in military discipline, so Qiu did not make any mistakes. The soldiers of Zhendong Army are different from other troops. Although many soldiers may not be as good as the soldiers I led before, they have extremely rare military discipline. They can bring out If Qiu is the teacher of the king without committing any crimes, then the Duke of the county must be a man of benevolence and righteousness in the folklore. I, Zhou Dewei, am willing to follow the Duke of the county and become a member of the Zhendong Army."

Li Jing pondered, Dulwich is such a famous player this week, if he missed it, he would regret it.But Li Jing didn't dare to fully trust him. After all, he was Li Keyong's gold medalist in history. If he made a fraudulent investment, waited for an opportunity to assassinate, or acted as a spy for Li Keyong, it would be a big trouble.

But after thinking about it, Li Jing finally decided to accept him, because the temptation of the famous general was too great.

"There is no reason for Jing not to welcome strong men. Zhenyuan, what position do you think I should give you?"

Zhou Dewei said bluntly: "The army has its own rules. I am a new recruit and I am willing to start as a soldier. As long as I have the ability, I will naturally be able to earn military merit!"

"Well said!" Li Jing now admired this unsmiling guy. "However, Zhenyuan was already a dental school earlier, and I can't let you start from a small soldier. That would be my dereliction of duty. How about this, since you are a newcomer, I will appoint you as the deputy envoy of the vanguard and the deputy ten general. After you have gained new skills, you will be promoted!"

Zhou Dewei didn't refuse this time, he simply accepted it.

As soon as he entered the Jin Dynasty, Li Jing was so excited that he received this general. He immediately asked for his armor, horse spear and a pair of precious bows from his collection, and personally gave them to Zhou Dewei, and also rewarded him with a BMW. .

The generals were also a little surprised to see that Li Jing valued Zhou Dewei so much, but they were somewhat used to the extraordinary treatment Liu Xun, Wang Yanzhang, Gao Siji and others received.Li Zhen, Liu Xun, Wang Yanzhang, Gao Siji and others all received such treatment in the past.And the facts have now proved that the Duke's vision is indeed very good.It goes without saying that Li Zhen is now the number one mastermind of the Zhendong Army.

Even Liu Xun, whom everyone didn't pay much attention to at the beginning, was not only brave, but also showed excellent skills in resourcefulness.Li Zhen and Liu Xun are like this, so are Wang Yanzhang and Gao Siji.

Now that there is one more Zhou Dewei, it is not too new.

On the contrary, Zhou Dewei didn't have any special expression on the surface, but in fact it was just that his face was a little stiff, and he usually even laughed as if he was crying.But in my heart, I was quite excited that Li Jing valued him so much.

Don't use people with suspicion, don't use people who are suspicious.

Since Li Jing has accepted this general, he has given him a lot of trust.He was directly promoted to be the deputy envoy of the vanguard, and the envoy of the vanguard was Li Wei.The Flying Eagle Battalion he led was also the forward, responsible for pathfinding and reconnaissance.And Zhou Dewei is familiar with Yunzhou, and he has the ability to accurately judge the number of soldiers and horses just by looking at the smoke, so Li Jing naturally sent him to the forward.

"As soon as we entered Jinzhong, we received a general. My lord, this is a sign of great auspiciousness. It seems that there is no problem for us to enter Jin this time and wipe out the rebels Li Keyong and his son." Li Zhen laughed.

"Behead Sha Tuo and his son early, and let's go home early. I've been away from Dengzhou for so long, and I feel homesick." Lin Wuhao said in a loud voice, even the powerful army of Youzhou, Lulong Army, had just been defeated. Under their subordinates, Shatuohu'er, he really didn't care much.

Seeing everyone's expressions like this, Li Jing couldn't help but said in a deep voice: "Strategically, we can despise the enemy, but tactically, we must pay attention to the enemy. Everyone must remember that an arrogant soldier is bound to be defeated, and we must not underestimate the enemy."

After Lin Wu and the others were told by Li Jing's words, the frivolous expressions on their faces immediately subsided a lot.But in their hearts, I'm afraid they all thought that this battle would be easy.But only Li Jing understood that Li Keyong's father and son's Shatuo Army was actually the most elite army in the Tang Dynasty at this time.

(To be continued)