"Dalang, tell me the truth, what is the meaning of hanging the three grass men from Tongguan City just now? Shut up those enemy soldiers, and later the enemy generals, and what did they shout? Why did you issue a password? Soldiers who know the situation are not allowed to leak a single word?"
"Sichang, Sichang's brother-in-law, don't ask, it has nothing to do with you anyway. I issued the password ban for other considerations. I can't disclose important military affairs."
Repeatedly asking Li Jiancheng to tell the truth to no avail, Chai Shao left with disappointment and more suspicion. Looking at the back of Chai Shao leaving in disappointment, Li Jiancheng and Liu Wenjing, who knew the most inside information, were frowning, not knowing what would happen next What is the situation, I understand that there is no impenetrable wall in the world, and sooner or later what happened today will reach Chai Shao's ears, causing a catastrophe. Depressed, Liu Wenjing couldn't help cursing: "Chen Yingliang is a bastard, the upper beam is not upright and the lower beam is crooked, and the soldiers brought out are even more shameless than him. Such shameless rumors can be fabricated. Even Chai Shao and him The hatred is as deep as the sea, so there is no need to be so low-minded as to use tricks in this regard, right?"
"It's definitely not Chen Yingliang's instigation. Although he is our enemy, he is not that kind of person." Li Jiancheng shook his head, and refused to believe that Chen Sangliang, a good friend who hit it off at first sight, would go so far.
(Chen Sangliang: Brother Jiancheng, you still know me well. I really didn’t come up with this bad idea. I just picked a few random words in the letter, and that despicable villain Liu Gang went on his own.)
At this point in the matter, it doesn't matter whether Chen Sangliang instigated the arrangement or not. The important thing is how to deal with the aftermath. Li Jiancheng and Liu Wenjing both know Chai Shao's temper. Li Jiancheng and Liu Wenjing didn't dare to imagine the consequences if they didn't deal with the aftermath. In desperation, Li Jiancheng and Liu Wenjing could only send people to report the matter to Li Yuan secretly, while strictly ordering the military to prohibit the spread of the matter. , Let Chai Shao know about it as soon as possible.
It is only more than 80 miles from Yongfengcang to Feng Yi Changchun Palace where Li Yuan currently lives, and all the way is controlled by the rebels. Li Jiancheng sent a messenger to go all the way, and reported the letter to Li Yuan the next morning. After seeing the letter, Li Yuan was also shocked and angry, and scolded the Tongguan Sui army for being despicable and shameless, for using such low-handed methods to sow discord. Li Yuan's absolute confidant, Pei Ji, also knew the seriousness of the situation, so he suggested to Li Yuan: "General, although this matter is small, if it is not handled properly, it will inevitably lead to a catastrophe. Fortunately, the distance is not too far, General may as well go there in person." A trip to Yongfeng Warehouse is to appease the morale of the soldiers, to personally inspect the military situation in Tongguan, and to arrange countermeasures according to local conditions, and to deal with the aftermath quietly to avoid changes."
As soon as Li Yuan heard it made sense, he temporarily handed over the army to his second son Li Er, and deployed soldiers and horses in the middle to prevent Qu Tu from advancing through Hexi. And arrived at Yongfeng warehouse smoothly that afternoon. Li Jiancheng and others received the news and personally led the army to meet his father at the Weishui Bridge. Li Yuan also took advantage of the darkness to come to the relief site to visit the recipients in person, and delivered an impassioned speech on saving the country and the people, in exchange for thousands of people bowing down on the spot, shouting thanks, and then Li Yuan immediately rushed to Tongguan City, personally Patrol this deadly battlefield and formulate a strategy to break through.
The result of his personal inspection made Li Yuan frown. Tongguan City, which is full of dead bodies, is as precipitous and strong as ever. A small number of batches were dispatched to form a refueling tactic, which was easy to be set on fire by the Sui army, and it was difficult to pose a fatal threat to the Tongguan Wall. At the same time, Chai Shao and his wife also told Li Yuan helplessly that although Ma Sanbao was their former servant, he was naturally sensitive, scheming and eloquent, and trying to lure him out of Guancheng for a decisive battle would be no less difficult than breaking Tongguan head-on.
"The vanguard of the Dongdu reinforcements has arrived at Tongguan. Chen Yingliang, the little thief, deployed a surprise army to rescue Tongguan in Yan Township earlier, which proves that he attaches great importance to Tongguan. It is meaningless to attack by force, it will only waste your troops and drain your morale. It is better to follow the example of the little thief Chen Yingliang and build a strong fortification to ensure the safety of Yongfeng warehouse. Tongguan is not too late."
Just as Li Yuan made up his mind about this idea, a few people suddenly stood up from the south city of Tongguan and shouted to summon Li Yuan to the city to answer. It was obvious that the defenders of Tongguan had discovered that Li Yuan had arrived in person. Dozens of soldiers shouted in unison, "Old thief Li Yuan! Congratulations on giving birth to a good daughter. Sleep with the man for a few nights, and you will get tens of thousands of bandits in exchange. This is a good deal!"
Before he finished shouting on the wall, Li Yuan's face changed immediately. He never expected that the defenders of Tongguan would have such a skill. Chai Shao over there heard such shouts, and then heard the bang on the wall. Laughter, his complexion suddenly turned livid, and when he subconsciously turned his head to look at his wife next to him, Li Xiuning's pretty face had already lost all color, her silver teeth bit her lower lip, and she was also extremely angry—Li Xiuning's intelligence was better than Chai Shao's, Of course, I understand that the Sui army on the wall is viciously attacking someone.
When the matter came to this point, He Panren, another person who was also present, finally realized that something was wrong, and asked his companions on the left and right: "What do those officers and soldiers on the wall mean by shouting? Are they talking about me?"
No one dared to say anything, only Chai Shao stared at He Panren suspiciously. At this moment, the soldiers of the Sui army shouted in unison on the wall, "Chai Shao, when your son is born, remember who he looks like and whose surname is it?" Chai, is your last name He?!"
The deceit was so extreme that Li Yuan couldn't hold back no matter how deep the city mansion was, so he simply slapped his horse forward, and when he got close to the wall, he raised his head under the protection of the shields of the soldiers who hurried forward, and cursed at the city: "Li Jing, Mrs. , Shameless villain, thanks to the fact that you are still from a famous family, you actually insult my daughter's innocence with such low means, are you not afraid that the world will not tolerate it, and you will be criticized by thousands of people?"
"It's not me!" Li Jing replied helplessly, "It's not my people, I didn't ask my people to do this."
"It wasn't me either!" Ma Sanbao also hurriedly said: "Not only did I not do that, I even ordered my soldiers to forbid talking about it. If I lie to you, I will be struck by lightning!"
"It's me! Lieutenant Liu Gang of Tongguan!" Liu Gang dared to act, jumped out and shouted: "Old thief Li Yuan, an old man who rebels against the country and the emperor, I ordered someone to do it, what's wrong? I just said a few words To be honest, what can you do to me? If you have the ability, I will fight with you for 300 rounds! If you dare not lose your courage, just kneel down and surrender, don't wait for Chen Liushou's army to arrive and kill you from all clans, then you will be It’s too late to regret it!”
"Shameless bastard!" Li Yuan pointed at Liu Gang with a whip and cursed.
"Shameless old thief!" Liu Gang scolded back unceremoniously. He even grabbed a bow and arrow and shot Li Yuan himself. Thousands of miles away, the left and right guards hurriedly carried Li Yuan away, while Liu Gang let the soldiers shoot arrows, while shouting loudly: "Chai Shao, do you have any fucking eggs? Don't even think about it, you Why can a daughter-in-law pull up so many thieves? Besides sleeping with men, what else can she do? If I were you, I would have committed suicide by jumping into the Yellow River. You have the face... "
Although Liu Gang's mouth was blocked by Li Jing and Ma Sanbao's joint efforts to keep him from talking nonsense, Chai Shao was so angry that the veins on his forehead twitched. Liu Gang, who had already been pulled back by Ma Sanbao and Li Jing, missed the shot. He blocked the arrows released by the soldiers of the Sui Army, and another arrow hit Chai Shao's left arm. Backing away, there was a burst of vicious laughter on the Tongguan city wall.
Returning to the formation with a bow and arrow, Li Xiuning hurried up to check on Chai Shao's injuries, but Chai Shao suddenly slapped her heavily on the face, and roared angrily, "Speak! You and He Panren, did such a thing happen? ?”
Holding her face that was hot and swollen from the beating, and seeing her husband's distorted face that was almost flushed with anger, Li Xiuning couldn't believe it was true, and was stunned. At this time, the slap sounded again, this time it was Li Yuan who slapped Chai Shao on the face, avenged his daughter first, and then Li Yuan said coldly: "If you don't trust the old man's daughter, you can leave! "
There was no sound, and after a long time, Chai Shao let out a loud roar, and patted his horse and rushed to the far west. Li Xiuning, who had recovered, knew her husband's temper, and was worried that something might happen to him in his rage, so she hurriedly yelled at Chai Lang to pat his horse and chase after him. The kind-hearted Li Jiancheng also hurriedly dispatched his own soldiers to catch up, so that he could help Li Xiuning if necessary. The third party, He Panren, was extremely embarrassed and had no choice but to take the initiative to express his heart to Li Yuan, saying: "General, I can swear on the honor of my ancestors that my alliance with Lady Li is only to overthrow the tyrant Yang Guang, and there is nothing else."
"Don't worry, General He. Of course, I know that this is just a shameless rumor spread by the lackeys of the tyrant. I believe you." Li Yuan forced a smile, and first comforted He Panren with kind words, and then ordered the troops to retreat, return to the Luokoucang camp to rest, and then He ordered a large banquet to reward the Guanzhong bandits who followed Li Xiuning to join forces with their own army this time.
During the banquet, Chai Shao and Li Xiuning, who had red and swollen cheeks, came to the banquet. Chai Shao, who had calmed down from his wife's crying, took the initiative to plead guilty to Li Yuan. Li Xiuning, who had red and swollen eyes, also begged Li Yuan to forgive her husband. Fortunately, Li Yuan also knew this. This matter is unbearable for any man, and he is not as knowledgeable as his son-in-law. After a few words of comfort, he didn't continue to care about it. He even asked Chai Shao to toast He Panren to make amends. He Panren knelt down on one knee and said sincerely: "General He, it was my fault, I was wrong, I was impulsive, please rest assured, I will not mind the shameless rumors of the officers and soldiers, this glass of wine should be an apology to you, you There are a lot of adults, don't worry about it."
He Panren didn't suffer at all, and of course he didn't care about it. He just returned the salute to Chai Shao Jishou, thanked Chai Shao for his toast, and gave Chai Shao a glass of wine. He and Chai Shao resolved the previous grievances and entanglements, and everyone enjoyed themselves. scattered.
Not to mention how Chai Shao and Li Xiuning spent the night, but He Panren, smelling of alcohol and looking strangely at many rebel soldiers, returned to his camp. Li Gang, a well-known scholar in Guanzhong, came up to meet him, and asked He Panren with concern: "General He, I already know what happened in Tongguan. What happened afterwards? How did the general deal with the aftermath?"
"It's okay." He Panren waved his hand and said with a smile: "The general knew it was a shameless rumor and believed me very much. Later, Chai Changshi also figured it out, apologized to me in person, toasted, and the matter was over. "
Here I have to explain Li Gang's background. Li Gang is not only a well-educated and talented scholar in Guanzhong, but also once served as a teacher to the deposed prince Yang Yong. A powerful man who was pushed out of court and almost went to jail. After finally getting rid of Su Wei's fabricated charges, Li Gang resigned and returned to his hometown in Hu County to live in seclusion for more than ten years. Some time ago, when Li Shentong broke through Hu County, Li Gang was captured by bandit soldiers under He Panren's command. Although He Panren, who was famous for Li Gang, didn't kill him, he forced Li Gang to serve as the long history for him. Li Gang stayed by He Panren's side for the sake of his family's life, and because He Panren was really good to him and could be regarded as obedient.
Closer to home, after listening to He Panren's answer, Li Gang's expression was not relaxed. He shook his head and sighed: "As I expected, the general really wanted to make a big problem into a small one. General He, it seems that your future Not having a good time."
"What do you mean by Mr. Li?" He Panren was stunned and asked, "How can I have a hard time in the future?"
"It's very simple. Even a man can't stand what happened today. Even if Chai Shao endures it temporarily, he will definitely leave a root in his heart. Getting along with you will never be as harmonious as before." Li Gang continued to shake his head, and said: "Old man If the predictions are not bad, the general will separate you and Chai Shao soon, so as to prevent you from getting along day and night, suddenly conflicts arise, and then cause unexpected consequences that cannot be dealt with."
"If we separate, we will separate. What's the big deal?" He Panren smiled and said, "Anyway, I don't suffer from this matter. Even if someone mentions it again, I won't be the one who looks ugly."
Li Gang smiled bitterly, first looked around, and then said in a low voice: "General He, although I was forced by you to be the chief historian, you treat me with courtesy and obey your words. I can't forget this favor, so This old man must tell you that even if the general wins Daxing or even the world in the future, it will be difficult for you to have a bright future. At least, you will be sent to a remote and wild place to serve, and you will not be able to return to Beijing for life. Murder!"
"Why?" He Panren's complexion changed drastically, and he woke up more than half of his drunkenness.
"It's very simple, Chai Shao and Li Xiuning can't tolerate you, and the general can't tolerate you!" Li Gang lowered his voice and said: "As the saying goes, people's words can be feared, and everyone's words can make money. If this matter is quietly suppressed today, the officers and soldiers The rumors spread will not disappear, they will only spread more and more widely, and become the laughing stock of the world! Even if the people of the world know that it is false, they will definitely laugh at Li Xiuning for being a traitor and adulterer, and Chai Shao for being a turtle bastard. You can get the world by relying on your daughter as a prostitute!"
"General He, you can think about it carefully. If you were the general, would you tolerate such ridicule? If you were Chai Shao, would you be able to tolerate such humiliation? It's still useful, of course they can tolerate it temporarily, but how can they tolerate you when they become a major event in the future? How can it be possible to let you stay in the capital, so that people in the capital will think of today's incident when they see you? You are sent to a remote and wild place to serve, and you are already polite to you, out of sight and out of mind. Wouldn’t it be faster and easier to deliberately let you die on the battlefield, or fabricate some crimes to get you beheaded? "
He Panren was sober from the wine, and his complexion gradually began to change. Just at this moment, several of He Panren's subordinates asked to see him. He Panren also said that he had ordered an interview due to military affairs. He actually bowed to He Panren repeatedly, asking obscenely when He Panren fell in love with Li Xiuning, and how good is Li Xiuning in a certain area? He Panren was furious, and shouted: "You don't believe me either? You also believe that there was something wrong between me and Mrs. Li?"
"Marshal, of course we believe in you." Several generals said with lewd smiles: "But Mrs. Li's small appearance is really touching, and we believe that as long as there is an opportunity, you will never miss it, Marshal. After all, you are too As a man, if you don’t meet such an opportunity, you won’t be called a man.”
He Panren, who was not too stunned, changed his face even more, and only then did he fully believe that today's matter is far from over, and the so-called adulterous relationship between himself and Li Xiuning will definitely be brought up again, and it will become a profit hanging over his head The sword may kill him at any time! Under fear, He Panren subconsciously went to look at Li Gang, but saw Li Gang smiled to himself, the smile was very bitter...
Li Gang's prediction seemed to be wrong. In the early morning of the next day, Li Yuan held a meeting in the big tent of the Chinese army. He did not mention the transfer of He Panren, but only ordered to stop the attack on Tongguan, and to build Yongfeng Cangcheng to strengthen the defense, with deep walls and high fortifications. After building a strong camp to prevent the reinforcements from Dongdu from going out to reinforce Daxing, Li Yuan took Pei Ji and left Yongfeng warehouse to return to Changchun Palace. When it came time to arrange the camp, Li Jiancheng took great care to let He Panren station his troops in the back camp to reduce the chance of being attacked by the Sui army. The army of Chai Shao and his wife was arranged in front of the front camp, directly facing the Tongguan city five miles away. .
Everyone has selfishness. He Panren, who also wanted to preserve his strength, was very satisfied with such a result. Li Gang suddenly smiled wryly, and said: "General He, General He, is this old man using a villain to save a gentleman, or is it that the General and Zuo Dudu are determined to drive you away, you can't tell?"
"What do you mean?" He Panren was confused again.
"The general asked us to garrison Yongfeng warehouse for two purposes. The first is of course to prevent the reinforcements from the eastern capital from advancing westward to reinforce Daxing. The second is to send food to the front line and escort the food and grass to the city of Daxing for the general to attack the city. Li Gang explained, shook his head again, and asked: "General He, now you should understand why the Zuo Dudu wants you to station troops in the back camp, right? In the future, the Zuo Dudu will send people to Daxing to send food to Daxing. The troops facing each other head-on, or the troops guarding Yongfeng Cang, or the idle troops from the rear battalion?"
He Panren began to gnash his teeth, and Li Gang whispered again: "First transfer you away from Chai Shao to avoid the expansion of the conflict between you, and then use various wars to gradually consume the power of your direct line, and when you are almost weakened , if the general wants to deal with you again, it will be much easier. General He, do you understand?"
He Panren's teeth rubbed against each other for a moment, and he suddenly asked, "Mr. Li, what should I do?"
"It's very simple, just one word." Li Gang replied in a low voice: "Wait!"
"Wait?" He Panren was taken aback.
"Yes, wait!" Li Gang nodded and said in a low voice: "Be patient for the time being and wait and see what happens. The general failed to take Tongguan in time. But he was already at an absolute disadvantage in the Guanzhong battlefield. When Chen Liushou in the eastern capital left Tongguan, it was the time for his death! Although the old man had never met Chen Liushou, he had already heard of his name and knew him. He is magnanimous, eager to seek talents, and has promoted countless reckless heroes. When the time comes, General, as long as you are willing, Yongfeng Warehouse will be the best gift you can give him!"
He Panren didn't say a word, but immediately thought of Ma Sanbao in Tongguan City, Ma Sanbao who used to be just a servant. After thinking about it for a long time, He Panren finally nodded and said in a low voice: "Then wait and see."