Chapter 190 Strong Soldiers and Generals
The cold wind swept across the wilderness, and the iron hooves broke through the thin ice.
It is extremely rare to see such a large Jingyuan master. When a cavalry team of thousands of people galloped into the wilderness, the desolate scene in the wilderness suddenly became more solemn, and even the sound of the wind became a bit sharper.
Although the scene of thousands of cavalry rolling around Pinggang is magnificent, when the wind and sand blow against your face, you will know who is indifferent.
Even though Li Tai was already wearing thick hakama pleats and a fur robe tightly wrapped around him, galloping along the way was still like being in an ice cellar. His hands and feet were a little numb from the cold wind. Although his face was painted He had facial makeup and was covered with a towel, but he was also too cold to express anything.
Although it was very hard to travel in the cold winter, when he thought about the purpose of his trip, he was filled with enthusiasm. Looking back at the team behind him, which was already a little scattered, he shouted loudly: "We will continue our journey quickly and arrive at Yueyang in the evening to rest!"
In order to get a share of the action to destroy the Buddha, he brought out all the old soldiers this time, more than 600 veterans of the tribe, more than 300 new soldiers, 500 soldiers, and even more war horses. Nearly two thousand horses were dispatched.
Many of the new soldiers who had not yet learned to ride horses were led by the old soldiers, riding two people at a time, from the shore of Luoshui River all the way to the west.
Liu Min, who was traveling with him, also brought more than 300 of his own songs with him. He didn't know the evil thoughts in Li Tai's mind. He only saw Li Tai mobilizing all his troops because of his appeal, and his heart was full of gratitude. He didn't know what happened along the way. How many times have I thanked Li Tai?
The group traveled quickly against the severe cold and wind, and finally arrived in the evening near Yueyang Fangcheng, where the parade was held last year.
At present, Yueyang Fang does not have as many soldiers and horses as it did last year, but there are still tens of thousands of people gathered inside and outside the city. It is an important town on the Weibei Plain.
When Li Tai and others were still ten miles away from Fangcheng, they were stopped by the scouts and asked. Li Tai asked Liu Min to hide in the ranks while he came forward to contact them.
After he revealed his identity, although the vigilance of the scouts here was slightly restrained, they did not completely relax their vigilance. They invited Li Tai into the city to meet the city guard Shangguan. His subordinates had to dismount and slowly move under the supervision and guidance of the scouts. And go.
So Li Tai led ten of his followers and followed several scouts to ride towards Yueyang Fangcheng. When they arrived at Fangcheng, there was already a soldier waiting at the city gate.
"The city lord still has business to attend to, so he ordered his humble duty to go out to welcome Governor Li. I would like to ask Governor Li, is it official business or private matter to bring the soldiers in?"
The soldier, who was in his thirties and had joined the army, had a kind attitude, but his eyes still looked at Li Tai with a look of scrutiny.
"On the mission of Lu Shaoqing, the minister of the imperial court, to inspect the situation along the Zhengguo Canal. If there are any bandits who harm the canal, they will be suppressed immediately. Passing through Yueyang, I will stay temporarily. I sincerely ask Lord Bai Tu Gong Xin for convenience."
Li Tai got off his horse, pulled down his scarf, smiled at the subordinate officer and said.
When Na Xing joined the army and learned that Li Tai's troops were just passing through, he no longer inquired about his whereabouts. He respectfully invited Li Tai and his entourage into the city and introduced them to the city lord's palace.
The name of the defender of Yueyang City was Xin Wei, who was in his early thirties. He stood in front of the Zhitang Gate and saw Li Taixing entering. He walked down, cupped his hands and smiled and said: "I saw Li Zhan's heroic appearance in Baishui a month ago. I will never forget it. I don't want to do it again." We meet again in the city today. It’s bitterly cold in winter, but we are still working hard. Our loyalty and diligence are admirable!”
Li Tai also hurriedly clasped his fists in return and said with a smile: "Although it is sooner or later to get involved, the favor is the same. Bai Tugong and others are all seniors in the industry and have made outstanding achievements. The younger generation is lucky to be in the same rank. Only through diligence can we meet each other." Not ashamed!”
Xin Wei's ancestral home was in Longxi, but his family had lived in Beidi County several generations ago. When He Bayue entered the pass, he led his tribe to rise up in the countryside and follow the rebellion. Later, he and his generals returned to Daxingtai to lead the founding of the Western Wei Dynasty. He has participated in several battles and is also a brave general with great achievements. Now he is also given the title of Grand Governor, but his rank is much higher than that of Li Tai.
Although Xin Wei is famous for his bravery in battle, he is not an ordinary warrior who prides himself on being rough and wild. He is also very polite to Li Tai, a guest who suddenly arrives, and the staff prepares a simple meal in the hall to entertain him.
When he heard Li Tai's excuse for the trip, he sighed and said: "The folk customs of Guanxi are originally known for their simplicity and justice, but they have been repeatedly harassed by thieves since Zhengguang, and the hometown sentiment collapsed due to military disasters, making it difficult to reunite. Worrying about the chaos in the country and hating evil really moved people like us on the ground.”
"Where the Tao lies, the masses strive to follow it. If the people are united, the rule will not be far away. I have taken the liberty to visit you today, and I would also like to ask Mr. Bai Tu, are there any rampant thieves in the nearby areas?"
Li Tai said polite words while observing Xin Wei's expression carefully. Although he felt in his heart that this matter was probably a self-inflicted theft, he did not rule out the possibility of powerful military leaders in the situation taking action. Xin Wei has the greatest support in the realm, so he is naturally the most aware of any troubles.
"If we talk about thieves, there are indeed a few. There are often thieves wandering around in the north of Fuping. The villagers build fences to protect themselves, and there are soldiers and horses patrolling the city to drive them away, but it is not a big problem. There are also a few wandering tribes. …”
If Kansai refers to thieves in a specific way, it generally refers to Jihu. When Li Tai heard that there were actually Jihu tribes wandering around in this area, he couldn't help but sigh that these Jihu were so pervasive that their tribes were distributed everywhere.
The scope of Yueyang Defense Guard is extremely wide. The entire Weibei Plain and the junctions of Yongzhou, Beiyongzhou, Huazhou, and Beihuazhou are all patrolled here. Therefore, several of Xinwei's gangs are also distributed over a wide range, including Liu Min's disappearance was reported.
"Those who are able work hard. Fortunately, Bai Tugong is here to take charge. Otherwise, thieves on the front lines in Weibei will become more rampant and the villagers will suffer more!"
Li Tai first paid a compliment, and then asked: "I would like to ask Mr. Bai Tu. There is a troubling situation in the territory. Should the Fangcheng disciples leave immediately after hearing the news, or do they have other plans to go back and forth?"
"It is better to focus on self-defense in each territory, and coordinate the defense of the city. If there is no serious danger of siege and attack on the city, the state officials must report it, otherwise they cannot leave Jingyuan lightly. When traveling on official business, it is also necessary to report and assist in defense. Send troops to guide and protect. Li Cheng, your order is appended here. If there is a crisis, you can send envoys to call for reinforcements. "
Xin Wei patiently replied that this did not involve any military secrets. If the Fangcheng does not also serve as a prefecture or county official, it is generally not under local jurisdiction and is mainly used to defend strategic locations and large city strongholds.
"It seems that although the city defense affairs are difficult and complicated, there are also many restrictions!"
After hearing this, Li Tai sighed, and Xin Wei also said: "So I also deeply envy Li for his ability to do his job and his long history and achievements. Before, he traveled to Beizhou and gained a lot. Although I am more focused on my job, It’s also a shame.”
Li Tai just smiled after hearing this. Rules are one thing, but actual execution is another. There are various human disturbances in Kansai. If everything is done according to the rules, a small disturbance can turn into a big disaster.
Before, he did not even have the rank of a unified military officer, but he achieved a lot in northern Shaanxi, which did not prevent him from judging his merits afterwards.
Xin Wei's family is already powerful in the north, and his subordinates are only much more powerful than Li Tai. Although he has the restriction of being on duty, he can send his subordinates to do private work without delay.
If you really want to cause something big like Li Tai, even if you don't come forward to receive the reward, you can still let the clan members express their merits in the name of their hometown. Of course, this is just polite, but it doesn't mean that he will actually abide by the rules.
Regardless of whether Xin Wei and Yue Yangfang were suspected or not, Li Tai did not intend to reveal the true purpose of his trip prematurely. He also asked about the banditry around Zheng Guoqu, and then planned to get up and leave, and go to meet his subordinates outside the city.
But before he could say goodbye, Xin Wei looked at him eagerly and said, "I have something to ask Mr. Li during the reception today. The portable grain cake you created before is indeed a good resource for the army." In the past, I was able to move across Beizhou and have no shortage of soldiers, so I think I have a lot of material resources.
To be honest, I also had my slaves imitate some, but the finished products were not as good as the ones I saw here last year. This summer, the troops of Zhongshangong Zhao Huqi were participating in the garrison of the river. The army was seriously exhausted due to mold in the grain cakes, which made people feel that the craftsmanship was so deep that it was difficult to copy. So I would like to ask the dealer, if there is a surplus of this item in the warehouse, can I barter it and give it to a batch? "
Li Tai couldn't help but feel happy when he heard this. Making and selling military rations was originally a business he had planned. Unfortunately, Yu Wentai disrupted this place last year and put it on hold.
Originally, he planned to wait until the time was right before restarting, but the grain cakes produced by the manor are now only shared by Hui Hui for his own use. Zheng Huan, who recently took over the military power and used war to support war, has long forgotten this matter. But he didn't expect a business to come to him.
Although he was currently planning to steal the golden bodies of the Buddhas, but in line with the principle of broadening his financial resources and mosquito legs are also meat, he smiled at Xin Wei and said: "It's not that I am humble about my skills, this food-making method It is true that the procedures are cumbersome, because military use requires more caution, and the misfortunes suffered by Zhongshan Gongsuo's subordinates should be deeply warned, so I dare not teach this method to others lightly. There is indeed some leftover, if Bai Tugong needs it. , just let people take it directly.”
"It is difficult to maintain personnel, and everyone in charge is trapped in material resources. The materials are not obtained out of thin air, so how can I shamelessly beg for them? I have benefited a lot from being able to work with Li to balance the surplus and shortage!"
Xin Wei did not take Li Tai's kind words seriously, and quickly expressed his stance seriously, saying that he would send people to Shangyuan to discuss the deal, and sent Li Taili out of the city, and gave ten sheep to his troops for extra meals in the camp.
After Li Tai entered the camp, Liu Min hurried up to greet him and asked in a low voice: "From what I saw in Yibo Mountain, is Bai Tugong here suspected of being involved in the incident?"
After Li Tai heard this, he shook his head: "Baitu Gong has a lot of wealth and a strong position. He should not be greedy for frivolous things and damage his reputation and future."
The crime of robbing a defeated official is not a small crime. Li Tai saw that Xin Wei was neither arrogant and forgetful nor greedy. He already had a high position of power, and there was really no need to get involved in such dirty things. .
Liu Min was quite convinced of Li Tai's judgment, and he breathed a sigh of relief after hearing this: "As long as no strong soldiers are involved, the matter is not dangerous and there is still room for redemption..."
Li Tai smiled and nodded in agreement, but in his heart he felt that Liu Min looked down on him. Do you think my soldiers are not strong enough?