Xiangcheng is seventy miles away from Xinye Military Port, and there are mostly mountain and forest roads along the way. Qin Mubai went against the routine of marching and ordered hundreds of cavalry officers and soldiers to lead the infantry forward and walk through the mountains and forests. One is to investigate possible enemy ambush, and the other is to open roads and build bridges. Xue Rengui was also sent to lead a cavalry vanguard, and he himself, Yin Yang and Yuwen Hongtai led the Chinese army forward. Three thousand men and horses were divided into several strands and advanced layer by layer, responding to each other like horns.
After walking for an hour, Xue Rengui suddenly reported back that he had captured several scouts and handed them over to Qin Mubai.
Qin Mubai asked personally and checked the military registration documents. He turned out to be a sergeant under Li Ji. Soon after, Xue Rengui reported back that Xue Wanche led his troops to guard a stream and tidal flat that lay across the only road, hindering the advance of the army.
Qin Mubai let go of the scouts and led his troops forward in person.
The stream is about ten meters wide and the current is quite fast. There is a wooden bridge built over the stream, which can accommodate three riders crossing side by side.
At this time, a man on the opposite side got off his horse and walked onto the bridge. Behind him was a flag bearer with the word "Xue" written on the flag. It must be Xue Wanjun.
Qin Mubai also dismounted, walked to the bridge, and stood face to face with him in the middle of the bridge.
Xue Wanche was in his forties, with a purple face, a powerful body and a strong body, with the awe-inspiring air of a born warrior. He looked at Qin Mubai with a pair of majestic tiger eyes, and said solemnly: "I know you, and I know what you are here to do. Go back, and I will pretend I have never seen you."
The brothers Xue Wanjun and Xue Wanche were family friends with the Qin family, but their friendship was not necessarily very deep. Previously, when Qin Shubao served for Qin King Li Shimin, Xue Wanche was a loyal general to the hidden prince Li Jiancheng. At that time, Xue Wanche was already a cavalry general, and his status was much higher than that of Qin Shubao. During the battle of Xuanwu Gate, Xue Wanche led the palace soldiers to "surround Wei and rescue Zhao" and fought hard to reach the Prince of Qin's Mansion. Qin Shubao also fought against him at that time, and the outcome of the two battles was difficult to determine for several rounds. Later, Xue Wanche saw Li Jiancheng's head and retreated into Zhongnan Mountain. Finally, Li Shimin sent several messengers to appease and persuade him to surrender, and he surrendered.
That is to say, from that time on, Xue Wanche and Qin Shubao were not acquainted with each other, and they had some friendship with each other. Over the years, the Xue brothers have become famous by virtue of their bravery and military exploits, but they have gradually lost contact with the Qin family. Now, the Xue brothers are one of the few representatives of the young and brave faction in the Tang army. They are favored by the emperor, favored and honored, and they are becoming more and more prosperous day by day. In terms of positions, the two brothers are not the same. The elder brother Xue Wanjun prefers the prince; the Xue Wanche in front of him is very close to the king of Wei.
In the eyes of the court people, Qin Mubai was the "only remaining member" of King Wu's party, and he was born in the Qin family and studied under Li Jing. Whether in terms of political stance or military circles, he was different from Xue Wanche and was somewhat "opposed".
They are enemies and not friends, those who come are not good, and those who are good will not come.
Qin Mubai looked at Xue Wanche with a calm expression, clasped his fists and said, "Why does General Xue want to stop our army?"
"You are disobeying the order without a name. As a general in the army, I have the right to restrict you." Xue Wanche said solemnly, with a somewhat arrogant look on his face. He looked at Qin Mubai and said, "If it weren't for the fact that I have an old relationship with your father. , I will definitely not be so polite to you today. Please withdraw your troops back to the river and don’t appear in Xiangcheng again!”
Qin Mubai glanced at the army behind Xue Wanche. On a pebbly beach, there were four to five thousand light cavalry neatly arranged, all with horses with spears and bright armor and cloaks. Their military appearance was neat and the flags were rolling, making them look very powerful.
These are elite light cavalry that are active in Datang Pass all year round. Each one of them is one of the best elite cavalry. It is easy to charge into battle, and its combat power is extraordinary. It is the elite unit that defends Guanzhong, and the ace division in Li Shimin's hands.
If they look down on the government soldiers who are composed of ordinary farmers, they will be crazy. Not to mention Xue Wanche, even those ordinary pawns looked at the soldiers on the other side with sneers and ridicules.
"Let's go, let's go!" Xue Wanche waved his hand and hummed impatiently.
"I want to see Li Ji." Qin Mubai looked directly at Xue Wanche and said.
Xue Wanche was startled at first, and then smiled: "Have you drunk too much? When is this? You think the British father is your next door neighbor, and you can see him whenever you want? Don't be crazy, go back quickly! I don't have the patience to talk to you. , I am responsible for imposing martial law on this place. Anyone who stays here without permission after one stick of incense will be punished as a traitor to the party!"
After saying that, Xue Wanche snorted coldly, shook his shirt, turned around and strode away.
Qin Mubai's face darkened, and he turned around and walked back to the bridge bank.
Here Yuwen Hongtai has already shouted: "You son of a bitch, you are too arrogant! General Qin, give the order! I will rush over and tear off the bird man's mouth!"
Qin Mubai waved his hand: "Don't make any noise. Xue Wanche doesn't agree with us, and I really want to have a fight with him. But he is Li Ji's subordinate, and the opposite is the regular army of the Tang Dynasty, so he is not sensible. It’s not convenient to break up—I have my own way!”
After that, Qin Mubai called for pen, ink, paper and inkstone to write a brief "love letter" to Li Ji.
At this time, Xue Wanche on the other side was already riding a horse, looking coldly at Qin Mubai and others on the other side, tapping the saddle lightly with the whip in his hand.
"General, what are they doing?" Zuo Zuo asked.
Xue Wanche sneered: "It doesn't matter what the loach can do if it can't roll over the big waves. Anyway, after a stick of incense, I don't want to see the group of miscellaneous fish on the opposite side!"
At this time, Qin Mubai had finished writing and stood up, raised his hand and shouted: "Bring me my bow!"
"yes!"
A soldier took Qin Mubai's boxwood bow from the saddle of Huoyun Horse. Qin Mubai tied the letter to the arrow pole, pulled the string full and pointed it at the other side.
Everyone was surprised - what is this going on
With such a long distance, if someone accidentally injures the soldiers on the opposite side, it would really be a big fight!
Xue Wanche and others on the opposite side also saw it and couldn't help but feel slightly excited for a while. Xue Wanche frowned and looked at Qin Mubai opposite, who was arranging an arrow and drawing a bow. He was not afraid, but just a little angry and surprised: Is this kid trying to demonstrate to me? snort! … Don’t overestimate your capabilities! It depends on your technique. If there is a slight deviation and hurts anyone here, I will definitely not let it go with you today!
Before I could make up my mind, I suddenly heard a soft shout from the other side, and an arrow shot straight towards me, like a flying flower breaking through the moonlight, like a fleeting shadow.
"Tuk—"
Xue Wanche only heard a ringing in his ears, and then someone behind him screamed. Looking back, he couldn't help but his eyes widened - that arrow was actually stuck on the handsome flag behind him!
"How unreasonable! How dare you hurt my general's flag!" Xue Wanche was immediately furious!
At this time, there was a cheer from the other side. Moreover, Qin Mubai has drawn the bowstring again.
Xue Wanche did not dare to be careless anymore and hurriedly reined in his horse and took a few steps back.
If Qin Mubai really wanted to kill the killer, it would be easy!
For a moment, Xue Wanche's body instinctively felt goosebumps, and he actually felt a little chill!
"You brat, your archery skills are quite good..." Xue Wanche gritted his teeth and cursed secretly: This boy is a newborn calf, it seems he can't be scared back. If I really want to take action, the miscellaneous fish under his command are naturally no match for me. But they were soldiers of the Tang Dynasty after all... Annoyed! You can't fight, you can't go back if you're scared!
On this side, Qin Mubai saw Xue Wanche retreating a few steps, with a sneer on his face. He slowly lowered his bow and shouted loudly: "Thank you, General Xue. Send someone to send the last general's love letter to the British." The general will restrain the soldiers and horses and will not trespass. If the British general sends a message to the general to retreat, the general will not hesitate. "
"You bastard, how dare you despise me? If Li Ji asks you to withdraw, you withdraw. If I ask you to withdraw, do you think I'm farting?" But after thinking about it again and again, he still raised his hand: "Here is the letter!"
The soldier behind him had already pulled out the arrow from the flag pole, and now took out the letter and handed it to him.
Xue Wanche glanced at Qin Mubai coldly, opened the letter and read it, and couldn't help but raise his eyebrows.
"Come here, please deliver the letter and give it to the British public for reading."
"yes!"
The soldiers and generals behind him were already angry, and someone cursed: "General, why did you listen to that brat's words and give him whatever he asked?"
"Shut up, you know nothing!" Xue Wanche scolded, "If it involves the royal family, let's not worry about it. Anyway, let the brat take note of this matter today, and we will follow him later. It’s never too late to make a calculation.
Yuwen Hongtai laughed loudly here: "Hahaha... General Qin, what did you write in your letter? How come he is so obedient like a grandson?"
"Shut up, it's none of your business!" Qin Mubai cursed and ordered: "The whole army is on standby! No one is allowed to touch without my order!"
"yes-"
The troops and horses of both sides were on standby across the bridge.
Xue Rengui's eyes seemed to have never left Xue Wanche from the beginning, as if they were trying to stare him out of a hole. Qin Mubai seemed to have read through his thoughts and said to him: "Rengui, is it possible that you want to fight with him?"
"That's what I meant." Xue Rengui said straightforwardly without any hint of mystery, "Xue Wanche is famous for his excellent martial arts skills and bravery. The general would like to know how powerful he is!"
"What a pity. He thinks he is noble, so why would he fight with you?" Qin Mubai smiled and said, "You have also seen that, not to mention Xue Wanche, even a random pawn behind him did not defeat our group. Look at them with disdain and arrogance written on their faces.”
Xue Rengui's expression was very calm and he said lightly: "Then I want to fight him even more."
After a while, a bunch of dust rose up in front, and several horses came running towards them. Xue Wanche looked back and couldn't help being surprised: "My mother, why did the commander come in person?"
"Welcome to you, Marshal!"
Xue Wanche dismounted his horse together with all the soldiers, clasped his fists and sang a promise.
"No need to be polite." Li Ji rode on the horse, glanced at Xue Wanche, and said in a calm voice: "How come there is a conflict?"
"This..." Xue Wanche raised his head and glanced at Li Ji, lowered his head and clasped his fists and said, "The general tried to persuade him, but he didn't listen."
In fact, in terms of title and status, Xue Wanche is not inferior to Li Ji. Xue Wanche, after defeating Xue Yantuo as Li Ji's deputy, married Princess Danyang, the daughter of Emperor Gaozu of the Tang Dynasty, and became Li Shimin's "brother-in-law". One of the great generals.
However, the only one who could keep pace with Li Ji in the army was Li Jing. No matter how high Xue Wanche's position is, it cannot change the fact that he is Li Ji's deputy - just like Pang Fei to Qin Mubai.
"Are you trying to persuade me that this person knows how to use a bow and arrow?" Li Ji Leng snorted, pinched the horse's belly with his legs, and walked towards the bridge.
Xue Wanche's face twitched violently several times, but he didn't dare to have an attack at all. He could only lower his head and his teeth itched with hatred.
When he reached the bridge, Li Ji got off his horse and walked towards this side. Qin Mubai saw it from a distance and walked up quickly.
"Uncle Li Shi!" Qin Mubai bowed to Li Ji.
"There is no father or son in the army, so you can't call me that." Although Li Ji said this, there was a smile on his face.
"The general will realize his mistake." Qin Mubai said and glanced at Xue Wanche behind Li Ji. I saw his face was green and he was blowing his beard, but he didn't even look at this side.
Li Ji chuckled lightly and cursed: "You brat, you're calling for Xue Wanche, right?... You're so close! A young man who used to look quite well-behaved, how come he's so naughty and naughty now? Take one of your What are you trying to do, you bastard?"
"Uncle Shi, wasn't everything clearly stated in my nephew's letter?" Qin Mubai smiled and said in a low voice, "Gao Yang is my unmarried daughter-in-law. How can a man sit idly by when his daughter-in-law is in trouble?... Furthermore, if Li You falsely accuses me of being an accomplice, if he doesn't clarify the facts in front of everyone, how can he tell the truth with his nephew's words alone after the city is destroyed and the thieves are destroyed? But isn’t there King Wu here? And behind Gao Yang, Li You and others, isn’t there Concubine Yin De?”
"You have a clever mouth, but you talk nonsense all the time!" Li Ji cursed angrily and said, "Let me ask you, are you really that capable of winning without fighting?"
"You can give it a try." Qin Mubai said. This is the core content of his letter.
Li Ji pondered for a moment, frowned, and nodded: "In the final analysis, this is actually a matter of royal internal affairs. Mu Bai, you are always smart, so you don't have to judge the situation. I hope you think clearly and know what you are doing now."
"Yes, I think clearly." Qin Mubai said, "I will not embarrass Uncle Shi. Afterwards, regardless of success or failure, my nephew will go to Chang'an with Uncle Shi to apologize to His Majesty the Emperor!"
"Well..." Li Ji looked at Qin Mubai intently and said, "Even if you don't go, I will arrest you. You are so courageous, you actually dare to rebel against the order and raise troops! - Now, you and this commander go to Xiangcheng Under the city! There is no need to follow this group, you can just bring three or five followers."
"Thank you, Uncle Shi!" Qin Mubai clasped his fists in joy and said to himself - I knew Li Ji was a very smart man! Moreover, the emperor probably had an explanation for him before he came. I, Qin Mubai, and King Wu Li Ke want to clear their suspicions, how can we do it without meeting Li You!
Qin Mubai returned to the bridge, handed the military talisman to Pang Fei, and asked him and Yuwen Hongtai to take the troops from the Xiangzhou Military Palace and the Wu Prince's Palace back to the shore to station first. He took Xue Rengui, Yin Yang and the two flag bearers across the bridge.
Li Ji was waiting for him here and said: "I will go ahead and make arrangements. You go with Xue Wanche and follow later."
"Yes." Qin Mubai clenched his fists and agreed.
Li Ji looked at Xue Wanche with a warning look, then raised his whip and rode away.
Xue Wanche glanced at Qin Mubai unconvinced, got on his horse, and waved his hand without speaking to him: "Get out!"
The troops turned around and retreated in the direction Li Ji was going. Qin Mubai, Xue Rengui and others followed Xue Wanche side by side without saying much. The pawns who held Qin Mubai's flag were quite interesting. Fei He walked as straight as Xue Wanche's flag-carrying horse, glaring at each other and sneering.
Qin Mubai thought to himself: He had heard rumors a long time ago that Xue Wanche was excellent in martial arts and very brave in battle, but he had a bad habit of having a bad temper and being small-minded and intolerant of others. This time, he is afraid that he will take revenge on me - who cares! If I'm offended, I'm offended. What can he do to me
Xue Wanche was filled with anger that could not be dissipated. He glanced at Qin Mubai and saw that he looked calm, and his heart became more and more depressed, so he snorted coldly and cursed in a broken voice: "Young-mouthed boy, a smelly baby!"
Qin Mubai smiled: "General Xue is a veteran in the army with high moral standing and great merit in battles. How can he be like this kid?"
One sentence almost choked Xue Wanche and made him speechless. He glared at Qin Mubai angrily and said, "Young man still has a relationship with Marshal Li?"
"General, normal." Qin Mubai replied with a smile.
"I should have thought of it a long time ago. Marshal Li was once in Wagang with your father." Xue Wanche said with a hint of sarcasm, "You are born as a general, it's amazing, it's amazing! You really can't be messed with!"
Qin Mubai smiled nonchalantly and said, "Why do I smell a sour smell?"
Xue Wanche snorted coldly: "Today, I will give top priority to the overall situation of military affairs and will not care about you. If you dare to be so rude to me again in the future, I will definitely make you look good! I don't care if you are the emperor's son-in-law or You are the son of Shangzhu State. You are a master of axes, and even the pearls of rice shine! With your little martial arts skills, you are not even qualified to carry my shoes, so you dare to show off your archery skills in front of me!"
After saying this, Qin Mubai, who only thought about Xiang Cheng, was not angered. Instead, he aroused Xue Rengui's fighting spirit and anger. He hugged Fang Tian Huaji and suddenly gave Xue Wanche a fist: "General Xue! The last general is a general under General Qin who leads his horse into a stirrup. He never dared to hope to carry General Qin's shoes. But I heard that General Xue The general said something bold, but I really want to know how difficult it is to carry General Xue’s shoes?”
"Presumptuous!" Xue Wanche's anger was suddenly detonated. He pointed his whip at Xue Rengui and shouted: "Who are you? How do you have the right to speak here!"
"The last general is Longmen Xue Rengui. His official position is not worth mentioning." You are short-tempered and have a bad temper. Do you have any other skills?”
"That's unreasonable!"
Not only Xue Wanche, but also the deputy generals behind him were angry, and many of them drew their swords.
Suddenly, the situation was tense!
Qin Mubai was as calm as ever, glanced at Xue Wanche and others sideways, curled his lips and said in a low voice: "What, you want to bully the few with the crowd?"
"Back off!" Xue Wanche shouted angrily, "All troops retreat within a stone's throw! I will personally teach these two idiots a lesson!"
"Only those who can defeat the last general are qualified to duel with General Qin." Xue Rengui slowly unfolded the Fang Tian painted halberd in his hand. His eyes were full of fighting spirit. He looked directly at Xue Wanche and said, "If you Defeat, life and death will be at the discretion of General Xue, no complaints or quarrels, everyone will witness it; if someone is lucky enough to win, how about asking General Xue to leave a pair of shoes as a souvenir? "
"I will leave your head as a souvenir, general." A horse spear pointed directly at Xue Rengui.
Qin Mubai clearly saw that what burned in Xue Wanche's eyes was no longer anger, but murderous intent!