Chapter 283 The icing on the cake

Chapter 283 The icing on the cake

The Liu family and his son had been staying near Luochuan. After receiving the news of Li Tai's summons, they rushed to Fangcheng as soon as possible.

"My servants pay homage to the Governor. Thank you very much for your generous protection!"

After seeing Li Tai, Liu Kang and his son bowed their heads in a much more respectful manner than before.

Li Tai felt happy when he saw the attitude of the father and son. It seemed that the threat of Hou Mo and Chen Chong to put pressure on them was not bad. The father and son clearly felt that their survival was in crisis.

The consequences of the day before yesterday and today will always be repaid. Hou Mo and Chen Chong are not unjust for holding grudges and making things difficult for them, the Diao Yin Liu family.

Around the fourth year of Datong, a series of rebellions broke out in Jihu, northern Shaanxi. Hou Mo and Chen Chong were responsible for quelling the rebellion. The Liu family of Diaoyin was originally regarded as a servant army under restraint, but in the end, it repeatedly delayed the military aircraft, allowing Hou Mo and Chen Chong to fight against the rebellion. It was not smooth enough and caused many unnecessary casualties.

During that time, although the states in northern Shaanxi were nominally under the rule of the Western Wei Dynasty, they were actually the king's flag on the city wall. Not to mention the Hu tribe rebellions that broke out in various places, and the Eastern Wei army often wandered across the river.

The situation in the Western Wei Dynasty was not stable enough. Many generals of the unified army fled, and even a rebellion broke out in Chang'an, the core of the reign of Datong for four years. Various performances really give people little confidence in this precarious regime.

In troubled times, if the strength is not strong enough to ignore all dangers and challenges, then how to stand in line is very critical. Diaoyin Liu's position was not firm enough this time, and he did not expect that the Western Wei regime could survive and the situation became more and more stable.

However, they were not unlucky. At least they arrived at Li Tai's dock in time, and they had a tacit understanding of getting what they needed.

Li Tai raised his hand to signal the Liu family and his son to get up without courtesy, then looked at them and said: "I have been tasked by Daxingtai to supervise this place. I only focus on the present and do not delve into the past affairs. Since we met, Patriarch Liu I am deeply impressed by his virtuous and righteous deeds, but it allows Xiangqing to continue to uphold loyalty and be diligent in the king's affairs, so that he does not have to worry about evil emotions. "

"You must, you must remember the Grand Governor's order, and hope to help strengthen the Grand Governor's governance in this situation!"

After Liu Kang heard this, he quickly clasped his fists and said.

Li Tai didn't have much time to chat with them, and then he said: "Today we invited the wise elders from the village. Chief Liu should know why. Most of the bandit troops suddenly appeared in the north and marched southward to plunder. All the states and counties they passed suffered heavy losses. , if the thieves continue not to contain their power, this area will surely be affected and may not be spared..."

When the Liu family father and son heard this, their expressions became serious. They had heard some relevant news, but they did not expect that the situation was so serious.

"May I ask the Grand Governor if you already have a strategy to defeat the enemy? What do we need to do? The Grand Governor can just say it."

Liu Kang quickly expressed his position: "Although this is not a rural area, the Master Buddha's Dharma Ground was newly built here. How can we let the little thieves trample and disturb us!"

Seeing that the other party was so forthcoming, Li Tai felt a little relieved, and then continued: "Although the banditry is turbulent, it is not a serious problem. Previously, Daxingtaijiajiajuwanyu read in Baishui, and he sent me immediately after learning about the banditry. He led 10,000 horses back to the territory to defeat the thieves. Yuwen Shijun of Tongwan Town in Xiazhou raised tens of thousands of troops to block the bandits' retreat. Li Shijun, Duke of Wu'an in Dongxia Prefecture, stopped the thieves in Guangwu, and there were also other garrison defenses in Xi'an Prefecture. Reorganize the troops and establish strongholds, so as to kill this bandit as soon as possible."

Although the Liu family and his son did not know the specific balance of forces between the enemy and ourselves, after hearing Li Tai's words, they felt a lot more at ease. They only felt that with the people from various states chasing and intercepting them, these bandits were indeed nothing to worry about.

"Killing thieves in an environment is my duty, and I dare not leave it to others. But since Chief Liu asked about it with righteousness and enthusiasm, I do have a problem that needs help from Xiangyi. I originally intended to use a simple army and a simple brigade to defeat it as soon as possible. The thief, Daxingtai, is so stubborn that he can't show his power without strong armor, so he increases his strength."

Li Tai said with some helplessness: "This is the intention of the Lord, but it is disrespectful. I can only do it according to the order. However, the army is marching and the expenditure is huge. The military situation in this situation is like a fire. We cannot wait for relief. We can only take advantage of the situation and defeat the thieves." After Jingbian, I will retaliate for losing..."

After hearing Li Tai's words, Liu and his son looked at each other and made quick calculations in their minds.

In their opinion, what Li Tai said was half true and false. He only borrowed supplies from them but did not recruit their troops to participate in the battle. This shows that the troops are sufficient. But the so-called making up for the situation and losing after the war is simply overthinking.

"May I ask the Grand Governor, how much food is needed before the army can go to war?"

Although Liu is rich, his previous donation of 500,000 pieces of supplies to Shifo Temple was very taxing and emptied nearly half of his family's wealth. Now, although he intends to befriend Li Tai, he does not dare to respond to his requests like a lion. Kang then asked first.

"The defense warehouses in Chengcheng and Luochuan can sustain half of the army's expenses, but there is still a consumption gap of 5,000 troops that needs to be dispatched. If the war goes smoothly, the bandit army can be wiped out within a month!"

Li Tai didn't care about mixing truth and falsehood. Since he had to speak without conscience, he simply didn't plan to pay a penny himself.

It is now halfway through the first half of the winter month. If the war can end within the month, it will take more than 20 days of 5,000 men and horses. This amount of supplies is not small, but it is not unacceptable to Diaoyin Liu.

But they had already donated a huge amount of money to the Master Buddha Temple. If they don't discuss conditions and don't count the return, they will be fooled. Even if they have to rely on Li Tai, they can't just give.

Therefore, after some thinking, Liu Kang said: "The Grand Commander is not afraid of hardships, he leads the army to punish evil, and guards the land and water of the people. It is reasonable for us villagers to help him and not stand idly by. The construction of the Master Buddha Temple is to spread the Dharma and promote good, and educate the people.

At this time of crisis, it is a good time to promote benevolence and courage and influence the villagers. I am willing to lobby the various departments on behalf of the Grand Commander to gather the villagers to donate to the temple. No matter how much the departments donate, my family will make up for the gap..."

Since Li Tai has already spoken, he must pay no matter what, otherwise all the previous goodwill and investment will be in vain. But how much money to pay and in what form can be chosen.

Since Liu Kang didn't want to bear the burden alone, he had to drag the surrounding tribes into the water, which could be regarded as borrowing Li Tai's name to show off his power, and using Liu Shi Fo Da Temple to show and establish his own voice.

Li Tai was also happy to hear Liu Kang say this. He had used other people's skins as a banner more than once, but it seemed that this was the first time that he was borrowed by others. He himself did not dislike this. Anyway, Liu Kang was working for himself and raising food for his own army.

If things went smoothly this time, this rule could be followed from then on, and Liu Kang could be made his spokesperson among the Jihu tribes. If there was any extortion or forced donation, Liu Kang could be made to do it. If it was really too much and aroused the resentment and rebellion of the Hu tribe, Liu Kang could be held accountable to calm down the anger.

Thinking of this, Li Tai nodded and agreed to Liu Kang's proposal, and then reminded: "The army will set out in the morning and arrive in the evening. The sooner the food and grass are in place, the better. Don't miss the opportunity to fight." "Please rest assured, the army will not be delayed!" Liu Kang patted his chest and promised after hearing this. This is not bragging. His family has accumulated a large amount of supplies near Liushi Buddhist Temple in the north of Fangcheng. He can call them out in advance and then ask other tribes for donations to make up for it. After discussing the food and grass, Liu Kang's son Liu Ping stood up and said: "The passionate sons and daughters of the Han clan and the righteous men of the villagers are more than 2,000. We are willing to follow the general in this battle and help the thieves!" Li Tai originally only wanted the Liu family to bear his military expenses, but he didn't expect that the other party would not only pay money but also work hard. It was so enthusiastic that it was hard to refuse. At the same time, he couldn't help but sigh that there are always more icing on the cake in the world, but less help in times of trouble. The Liu family not only contributed money but also labor. Of course, it was not that they had no place to use their energy. They simply thought that this battle was a favorable one. Only by sending troops to participate in the war directly could they participate in the distribution of spoils after the war.

If Li Tai told the truth, the other party would obviously not be so enthusiastic. They hoped that the investment of various personnel resources would have a stable and predictable return, but they did not expect that they would actually have to share the joys and sorrows with Li Tai.

But in any case, the problem of food and grass was finally solved. After the Liu father and son left, they went to recruit troops and supplies, and Li Tai also ordered the 4,000 troops in the rear to speed up their journey and strive to reach Luochuan as soon as possible.

At the same time, he ordered Li Dao to lead 600 light cavalry as the vanguard and go straight to Guangwu City to investigate the enemy's strength first.

A few days later, the troops in the rear arrived at Luochuan Defense one after another. Cui Yu, the governor of Beihuazhou, who had led the state soldiers and the township group to participate in the grand review, had also returned to the town and led the township armed forces to the west bank of Luoshui to station down, echoing the Luochuan Defense.

The father and son of the Liu family were also very capable, and the troops and supplies were quickly gathered.

With the personnel in all aspects in place, Li Tai did not stay any longer and ordered Liu Ping to lead his Jihu troops to the east to reinforce the Heishui defense city, while he personally led 5,000 elite cavalry to Guangwu City in Dongxia Prefecture, which was besieged by tens of thousands of bandit troops.