Aspiration

Chapter 17

Shangzhou has jurisdiction over the five counties of Shangzhou, Shangnan, Luonan, Shanyang and Zhen'an.Since the beginning of the Qin Dynasty, Shangzhou has been in frequent wars, and it has been a strategic place since ancient times.

Ancient books have commented on its importance: "The state is at the turn of Qin and Chu, according to the dangers of mountains and rivers, the road to the south and the east moves, and the Lantian is closed to the right, and the Wuguan is a huge defense. Every move is important and important."

A small detachment of officers and soldiers from Beijing entered the city in the evening.Originally, this was the front line of the siege of Shangluo Mountain, and it was normal for soldiers and horses to come and go.

However, this small group of horses still attracted people's attention, because the ten good horses are so neat!

When they came to Shangzhou, they didn't plan to disturb the state capital and the general military mansion, so they lived in an inn.Other patrons of the inn quickly moved out, though.

The small team had just settled down, and the shopkeeper came over to take orders.

"What news?"

"Back to Master Zhang, the intruder is short of food, and can only drink porridge." The shopkeeper replied.It turned out that this inn was also the stronghold of Jinyiwei.He was answering Zhang Shiqi's question.

"anything else?"

"All the villages and ethnic groups in Shangluo Mountain are ready to work together to deal with the raiders' grain."

"Well. Alright, we'll be staying here for a while. Tomorrow, you go and inform the state capital Daotai and others. I'll visit them in two days."

Ten people including Zhang Shiqi moved their base camp to Shangzhou. Their targets were two, one was Li Zicheng, and the other was Li Laiheng.

Lu Taigong looked at his clansman in high spirits and smiled very happily.Today, the Lujiazhai invited the patriarchs or representatives of the rich and famous families within a hundred miles around to come to the Lujiazhai to discuss the plan to fight against the bandits.

"Everyone, the place is unlucky. The Li thief has entered our Shangluo Mountain area and disturbed the place. Fish and meat villagers, I will wait and wait."

Taigong Lu coughed when he got excited.A middle-aged man hurriedly helped him beat his back, and said to him, "Grandfather, speak slowly and have a sip of tea."

Lu Taigong is eighty-three this year, and has a very high prestige in Lujiazhai.The family rules in Lujiazhai are very strict, and the patriarchs and elders can order people who violate the rules to be killed or buried alive.Now, Lu Taigong is the natural leader who fights against Li Zicheng. His subordinates, in addition to many brave men from his own family, also have military leaders who are leading troops abroad. Lujiazhai, assist Lu Taigong to fight against Li Zicheng.

Today he invited all the wealthy landlords around him. His slogan is, if you have money, you will contribute money, if you have no money, you will contribute.That's how today's meeting was held.

Taigong Lv made a gesture, the elderly man was coughing so hard that he couldn't breathe, his deputy continued to help him finish the sentence.

The meaning is this: first, if the family has something to do, everyone will help; if there is news, it is necessary to communicate with each other in time; Day and night to guard the cottage, the soldiers in the field are under the command of Lu Jiazhai, and they can attack at any time; thirdly, how to train in peacetime, how to gather and rush to help in wartime, how to control command, how to pay for those who died in battle, etc., have to be discussed today.

As soon as the three opinions came out, the whole hall suddenly became solemn.Everyone here understands that the battle is imminent, and Lu Jiazhai volunteered to take the lead to fight against Li Zicheng, which is a good thing for everyone.And everyone also felt that Lujiazhai's plan was made by experts, and the whole system was very complicated and perfect.If everyone agrees to do this, then they will be an army that has just begun to take shape.

The leader of Huangshizhai also came, his name is Huang Shigeng, and he also brought a distant nephew from Xi'an, named Huang Xiang, who came to watch the excitement.

This Huang Xiang, who looked about eighteen or nineteen years old, could be easily identified as a city dweller, with bright eyes and white teeth, tender and delicate, very attractive.Especially his eyes, full of aura and confidence, how can they be as wretched and humble as the country people?According to Huang Shigeng, Huang Xiang's grandfather was a royal doctor in the capital, and his father was also a famous Yuanwailang in Xi'an.

The son of a rich family is different after all.

Two days ago, he came to Huangshizhai from Xi'an, and happened to meet Huang Shigeng who was notified to come to Lujiazhai for a meeting, and he clamored to come along to watch the excitement.It is natural for young people to get tired of staying in the city and want to see the scenery of the countryside.What's more, Huang Shigeng has such a relative, and it's too late to flatter him, so he is also very happy to bring this nephew to Lu's village.This young man is very curious, looking around, everything seems to be new and interesting.

He secretly calculated that there are about fifteen representatives of wealthy families like Huangshizhai, and a Lu family village can summon at least [-] soldiers. Other wealthy families have thousands of large and hundreds of small ones, so , once all mobilized, the combat strength can be tens of thousands, not to mention the people who guard the village, men, women and children can go to battle, the number will be incredible.

This is not a number to be underestimated.

Huang Xiang was actually Li Xiang, or Li Laiheng, who became the nephew of Huang Shigeng, the owner of Huangshi Village.

The meeting was lively.As soon as the owner, the Lu family, finished talking about the purpose of today's gathering, everyone echoed loudly, saying, it's too right, it's great, with Lu's family leader, everything will be easy to handle.

However, when it comes to specific matters, such as the distribution of manpower and money, conflicts still arise.

Do you think that in feudal clans with surnames and families as groups, can there be no contradictions between surnames and clans?The Lu family is very powerful, and they are used to oppressing others with other surnames and other clans, so it is impossible that they will not attract resentment.

It stands to reason that today's meeting is to discuss the matter of jointly defending against the enemy. The daily grudges should be put aside, and how to deal with Li Zicheng is the fundamental.However, ordinary grievances will inevitably affect the analysis and judgment. Few people will think that the Lu family has done it fairly and reasonably when allocating manpower, money and things, so the controversy arose.

The Qiu family is in the west of Shangluo Mountain, and its power is only weaker than that of the Lu family. It, along with the Lu family, and the Fang family in the north are known as the three households in Shangluo, which are the three largest wealthy families in Shangluo mountain.The Qiu family has always been at odds with the Lu family, so today they are the first to attack.

They refused to accept the distribution plan of the Lu family because they did not have 2000 people to send.In fact, their intention was that they were in the west and had the least chance of being attacked by Li Zicheng, so they were not too worried.Whether they can reach an agreement today or not, they think that Li Zicheng will not do much harm to them.

The Fang family didn't show weakness. Your Qiu family didn't send 2000 people, so why did our Fang family send [-] people?
The Lu family believed that the Lu family sent out [-] soldiers, which is a big enough contribution. Your Qiu family's two thousand and the Fang family's [-] are reasonable.So, they stick to this plan.

As a result, the three families refused to give in to each other, and their faces were red.

Huang Xiang watched these old men arguing with a smile.

"You Lord Qiu, don't think that thieves won't come to attack your Qiujiabao. They are only 150 miles away from you. Huh, Lord Qiu, you can't do things like sitting on the mountain and watching tigers fight." Taigong Lu's words were cruel enough. , He is usually so ruthless, he is used to it.

These words hit Lord Qiu's sore spot.Lord Qiu is not a disciple of the Lu family, so he "coughed" a few times, calmed down, pretended to be very calm and calm, and even squeezed out a more exaggerated smile, and said, "Mr. Is it more serious? As far as we know, the thieves entered Shangluo Mountain with only eighteen riders. Lu Taigong suddenly proposed to form an army here. Did Lu Taigong still think about the addiction of leading the army? As far as I know , the training of local soldiers requires the approval of the court. I would like to ask, what is Lu Taigong trying to do in such a hurry to form an army?"

Lu Taigong was furious.Doesn't this mean that Lu wants to rebel?
"What do I want to do? I'm eighty-three, what else can I do? Lord Qiu, please explain clearly."

"Hey, I forgot about you 83. However, I would like to ask, if Lu Taigong is not [-] to [-], but [-] to [-], then what would you do? It is impossible to learn from Li Chuang, right?" Master Qiu's words were very gunpowder, and he retaliated against Taigong Lv for poking him sorely.

How can Mr. Lv bear these words?
"Cough cough cough cough, I can't wait to peel off the skin of the intruder! Can I learn from him? Our Lu family is loyal to the emperor and will not hesitate to die. Your surname is Qiu too unreasonable. Well, you Qiu family make up your own mind, you guys If you don’t participate, you won’t participate, there are still more than a dozen companies here, let’s discuss.” Lu Taigong said.

Master Qiu was at a loss for words, pretending to sneer.

Li Laiheng suddenly said to Huang Shigeng: "Uncle Geng, it is said that Li Zicheng rode into Shangluo Mountain at eighteen. It is really necessary for Lu Taigong to mobilize his troops. Forming an army is not a joke. Is it necessary to make such a big commotion?"

"Nephew, don't talk too much, just listen to the matter of adults. Although there are legends that Li Zicheng entered Shangluo Mountain with only eighteen riders, there are also legends that there are 3000 horses, and others say that there are [-]. It is difficult to distinguish whether it is true or not, so I have to preparing."

Huang Shigeng softly warned his nephew Huang Xiang.Although the voices of their conversation were low, everyone could hear them clearly.

"Who said there are only eighteen riders? You're talking nonsense!" Lu Taigong said rudely.

"Hey, Lord Hong Chengchou said this to the emperor. Lord Sun Chuanting and Lord Ding Qirui also testified, how did it become a lie?" Huang Xiang's voice was not loud, but he said to Huang Shigeng, "Uncle Geng, this The Grand Duke Lu seems to look down on Mr. Hong."

Huang Xiang's grandfather was a royal official in the imperial court, a speech official, a person who could directly advise the emperor, and often stayed with the courtiers, so of course he knew a lot.Therefore, what Huang Xiang said is not a legend, but a fact.In fact, the theory of the Eighteen Riders was indeed said by Hong Chengchou, and Lu Taigong knew it.

When Huang Xiang said this, Lu Taigong became anxious. It was not a joke to offend a few court officials with one sentence, so he hurriedly said: "Nephew Huang, that's not what I meant, Mr. Hong, Mr. Sun, Mr. Ding It must be right."

Huang Xiang laughed, and said, "Grandpa, are what Master Hong, Master Sun, and Master Ding are talking about human or nonsense? I was confused by your old man."

Huang Xiang's innocence made everyone laugh.But Grandpa Lu was very embarrassed.

"Grandpa Lu, why did you summon us to form an army today? Just say it! Don't hesitate." Lord Qiu likes to beat dogs in the water, and he will lead Taigong Lu's army.

This time it was Lu Taigong's turn to be at a loss for words, and was thinking about how to fight back against Qiu, when suddenly someone spoke loudly.

"Let me tell you!" The speaker was Tao Wang from Taojiagou, with a brutal look on his face, he could tell he was a reckless man at a glance, and he said loudly, "It's really a lie that Li Zicheng rode into Shangluo Mountain eighteen years ago. I don't care who You said, where are the eighteen riders? There are more than 3000, not fake at all. Lu Taigong, you summoned us to wipe out the intruders, right? My surname Tao was the first to stand up and support. The surname Qiu, do you want to participate? It doesn't matter, don't think that Li Zicheng's head can't be taken off without you."

Taojiagou is located in the middle of Shangluo Mountain. Although the village is not big, Tao Wang has great ambitions. He has long wanted to lead the descendants of the Tao surname to kill the enemy and make contributions to the prosperity of the Tao family.This person has practiced martial arts since he was a child, and he is considered a master in Shangluo Mountain. Under his leadership, the entire Taojiagou has really prospered over the years.

After Tao Wang finished speaking, many people soon applauded.Including Huang Shigeng.

"Okay! There is something in Taojiagou, and I, Lu, will recommend it to the court. This time, if we don't kill the intruder, we must starve him to death. As long as we are of the same mind, I don't believe that the intruder will never be eliminated!" "Don't look at Lu Taigong who is more than 80 years old, he still has courage when he speaks, and he is also full of energy.

At this time, two people sneered.

One is Lord Qiu, he doesn't want to talk too much, it's not a good thing to be too much of a target for others, besides, he is a bit lonely, so he can only sneer and remain silent.The other person was Li Laiheng. He glanced at Tao Wang, as if he was looking at the part where the knife was cut, and he also sneered a few times in his heart.

(End of this chapter)