Not many people knew about the various changes that occurred in Jiangnan, but the mobilization of the army in the city attracted the attention of many people. Especially when people discovered that these troops were heading south after leaving the capital, there were even more opinions and speculations about what went wrong.
Only a few people knew the inside story, and Li Gang was naturally among them. After listening to the report from his subordinates, his old eyes sparkled even more, showing a look of joy: "Okay! It's really the blessings of the ancestors of the Song Dynasty. Then Sun Tu did what we thought for the stability of Jiangnan." The troops and horses from the capital have been dispatched there. By the way, do you have an exact number?"
"According to the news from Taifu Song, no less than 50,000 troops and horses have been mobilized from each camp of the Forbidden Army in the past two days. In addition, at least 30,000 to 50,000 troops are still being prepared. It seems that they will leave Beijing soon. And this The tens of thousands of soldiers and horses leaving Beijing are all from the former Shandong Army and Jiangnan Army..." the subordinate replied with a smile.
Although Song Jiang is now the Minister of the Ministry of Justice and seems to have no interference in military affairs, in fact, with his reputation in the military for many years, it is easy to know these details, and there is no possibility of any deviation. Li Gang naturally believed these statements and smiled even more happily: "Okay, great. It seems that Sun Tu really attaches great importance to the stability of Jiangnan. After all, that is where he made his fortune, so even if it will affect He did not hesitate to use his strength in the capital. But this way, it created opportunities for us."
After a pause, he said solemnly: "By the way, did Song Jiang mention how many people he can mobilize for his use now?"
"He only said that he was confident that the number would be between 20,000 and 30,000, and he would take action immediately as soon as Mr. Li gives the order."
"Twenty or thirty thousand?" Li Gang frowned slightly. This number was still a little small. Because as far as he knew, the garrison in Bianliang, Tokyo, had always been more than 200,000. Even if Sun Tu temporarily deployed nearly 100,000 soldiers this time because he was worried about the changes in Jiangnan, there are still more than 100,000 troops in the city. . In other words, when that time comes, the strength comparison between the enemy and ourselves is still quite disparate.
But soon, he laughed again: "Song Jiang has always been cautious and prudent in his actions, so this number should be somewhat conservative. If my prediction is correct, the number of troops he can really mobilize at short notice should be 50,000. With this calculation, the comparison of the strength of the two sides is almost the same. What's more, this is calculated mentally and unintentionally, and the soldiers and horses loyal to Sun Tu can be placed outside the city in advance. As long as they are launched in time, the chance of victory is still quite good."
Following this line of thought, Li Gang found that he was more and more confident that he could eliminate Sun Tu and his gang in one fell swoop. This made the smile on his face grow thicker: "Where are the troops on the other side? Are they ready?"
"Of course, they have already sent word that once Prime Minister Li takes action, they will cooperate in time to follow up."
"Okay, this adds another layer of protection..." Li Gang smiled happily, but then thought of something else: "Wait a minute, if you are already very sure, you can save one more thing. In this way, I will write a warrant. Over there, when you meet them when you arrive, ask them to act as ordered, so that we can increase our cost by two points." As he said that, he sat back at the desk, took paper and pen, and wrote quickly Just a warrant
, solemnly handed it over to the subordinate in front of him.
The man also quickly took it, with a solemn expression: "I understand, I will make arrangements right away."
"One last thing, how long will it take for those Xixia envoys to arrive in Tokyo?"
"The news came yesterday that they have entered the Gyeonggi area. They will probably arrive in the next two or three days."
"Really? The time has finally come to decide the fate of the Song Dynasty!" Li Gang exhaled a long breath, but his expression was full of determination: "I think the ancestors of the Song Dynasty have spirits in heaven, and they will definitely bless them this time. We are the ones who kill the traitors and protect the country. My century-old inheritance of the Song Dynasty must not be ruined in the hands of those murderous warriors!"
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On the banquet, various dishes and fine wines were served like water, which made the four or five men at the banquet look a little straight-eyed. After drinking several glasses of wine, they felt dizzy for a while and said repeatedly: "You are so polite, Mr. Wu. I didn't expect that after so many years, you still value the loyalty between us brothers so much. Prepare such fine wine and food for us.”
Wu Yong waved his hands with a smile and said: "Brothers, what you say is really unreasonable. I think back on when we were on Liangshan, we drank wine together, ate meat together, and took responsibility for misfortunes together. It was a life-changing friendship. How can we grow apart after a period of separation? It’s my fault too. I have been busy with official duties in the past two years and have not traveled much with you brothers. From now on we should be closer."
"As the Minister of the Ministry of Civil Affairs, you have a heavy responsibility. Brothers, it is understandable." Chen Da, the jumping tiger who is also a commander in the Forbidden Army, said with a smile.
Then the three people behind them, Xiang Chong, Meng Kang and Ma Lin, also agreed.
In fact, to be honest, these few were not particularly outstanding when they were in the village, and their relationship with Wu Yong was average. But now, the status gap between the two sides is even greater, so they feel even more flattered to be hosted by Wu Yong today.
Especially Chen Da, who was more clear-headed, whispered after drinking for three times: "Commander Wu, you invited me and other brothers to your home for a drink today just to reminisce about the past, right? What if there is something wrong?" You can say what you are told, but as long as we brothers can do it, we will never dare to shirk it."
"Yes, Military Master Wu, we brothers dare not say anything else, but we still attach great importance to the word loyalty." Meng Kang also patted his chest and said.
As they spoke, the distance between the few and Wu Yong narrowed again, and even their titles changed back to what they were called in the village. This made Wu Yong's eyes show different emotions. After being stunned for a moment, he smiled and said: "I know that brothers are the most loyal. In this case, I will tell the truth. To be honest, brothers, before In the past few years, I have made many contributions to the court, but in the end I only got a small official in the army. I always feel unfair for everyone."
"What's the point? At least we all have official positions now, and we can live a good life. We don't have to worry about waking up one day and the officers and soldiers will kill us..."
"But this is not our original intention after all. With your abilities, you can still make further progress in the army." Wu Yong said, his eyes swept across their faces one by one: "Now, just
There is an opportunity for you to make great achievements. It depends on whether you have the courage to take the chance. "
"This..." Seeing him speaking solemnly, several people's hearts trembled, and the bit of drunkenness they had just drank also dissipated. After hesitating for a while, Chen Da asked: "What kind of opportunity is it?"
Following these words, several pairs of eyes fell on Wu Yong at the same time, but Wu Yong, as if to appetize his appetite, did not rush to speak, but raised his glass to toast them, and then revealed his true purpose. As soon as these words were said, the expressions of several people changed instantly, and the hesitation in their eyes became heavier: "This... this matter..."
"Brothers, we went up the mountain just to stand out one day, and we have become what we are today. But in Wu's opinion, this is not enough. As long as we can take action this time, once we succeed, it will determine the rise and fall of the Song Dynasty. You will not dare to say anything else when the time comes, but it is not difficult for one person to become an earl. Don’t you want to bring honor to your ancestors and create a better background for your descendants?"
Wu Yong's words really moved them. After several people glanced at each other, they all saw the intention in their eyes. Finally, it was Chen Da who spoke on behalf of everyone: "Since Military Advisor Wu has said so, how dare we not know what is good and what is evil. As you said, we brothers will fight for wealth, but if we have a destiny, we will never dare decline!"
"Okay!" Wu Yong was overjoyed when he heard this and immediately raised his glass: "Everyone, let us drink this glass to the full. Let us take this glass of wine as evidence and work together to strive for wealth again! Let's do it!" With that, he raised his head. Then he poured a full glass of strong liquor down his throat.
"Fuck!" The others were influenced by him and no longer hesitated. They all drank from their cups, which was regarded as a promise on the spot. And for people like them who have a reckless background and attach great importance to loyalty and commitment, once they agree to something, there is no possibility of going back on it.
Afterwards, everyone drank more and more happily until it turned dark. A few people staggered out and left. In the end, they could not even ride their horses, so they had to be placed on the horseback by the soldiers and left. Wu Yong, on the other hand, although he drank a lot, he still remained sober in the end. After personally sending them out, a strange light flashed in his eyes: "In the past few days, more than ten old brothers have been told by me. Move, if you do this, great things can be expected!”
But immediately, his expression turned slightly, as if he thought of something difficult. But soon, this emotion was suppressed by him with all his strength: "For the sake of big things, some small details have to be let go! I, Wu Yong, have a clear conscience!"
At this time, the last ray of the setting sun shone on his body, making his whole body look as if it was stained red with blood, which looked particularly strange...
Two days later, on August 24, outside the bustling and bustling city of Tokyo, a team dressed completely different from the Song Dynasty people suddenly appeared. This team of thousands of people all have dark and red faces, with crotch hair on their heads, and scimitars hanging from their waists, making them look particularly fierce and fierce. It was the team of Xixia envoys who finally arrived at their destination, Bianjing.
However, the most eye-catching thing in this team of envoys is the group of monks in the middle who are wearing red and yellow monk robes and have two inches of short hair on their heads. It was too weird for such a group of monks to appear among the summer envoys.