Upon hearing this, Zhu Li exchanged glances with Yue Pengju, Li Hanzhi and others, then stood up and shouted, "Okay, okay, since the two generals have this ambition, I might as well speak frankly."
Upon hearing this, Gao Siji and Gao Mian looked at each other again, their eyes full of surprise and suspicion. What did this mean? Could it be that there was some more news that they brothers had been kept in the dark about
Zhu Li did not let them wonder for long, and directly said: "Before the battle of Qingliang Valley, I received news that Xifeng Pass had been breached, and Xi commander Xia La Ge had led 30,000 Xi people into the pass."
"What?" Gao Mian's expression suddenly changed when he heard that. He looked at Zhu Li with disbelief, then immediately lowered his head with a gloomy face.
"Impossible. Xifengkou is guarded by 40,000 mighty troops led by General Kuang Wei. Xilago only leads 30,000 men. It is impossible for him to capture Xifengkou." Gao Siji also didn't believe it and retorted immediately. However, when Zhu Li looked at him, he didn't dare to look at her directly. He lowered his head and remained silent.
Zhu Li glanced at them calmly and said indifferently: "If Li Kuangwei and Xia Lage colluded with each other, made an agreement, and attacked Fanyang together, then the fall of Xifengkou would not be difficult to understand, right?"
Zhu Li's words were earth-shattering, like a thunderclap exploding in the minds of the Gao brothers.
They were so shocked that they felt dizzy, staggered, and almost vomited blood. In order to seize power, Li Kuangwei actually colluded with the Di people. How embarrassing it was for them.
Compared with the bloody battle against the enemy at Juyongguan, Li Kuangwei's move will definitely be infamous and criticized for eternity.
Zhu Li, a soul from later generations, came to rule the late Tang Dynasty, and like a little butterfly flapping its wings, it finally led to many great changes. According to historical records, Li Quanzhong usurped power in 885, but now it is only the late autumn of the third year of Zhonghe (883) that the war to usurp power broke out.
It seems that the Gao brothers are not as unruly as described in history, Zhu Li muttered secretly when he saw the drastic changes in the expressions of Gao Siji and Gao Mian.
But he didn't know that the legacy of mountains and seas was not that simple. It was not only able to strengthen his internal energy and expand his meridians. The greatest function of the legacy was actually to intimidate heroes. As for expanding the meridians and strengthening the internal energy, they were just incidental effects.
The Classic of Mountains and Seas says, "After Gun's death, he began to rot at the age of three. When he was cut open with a Wu knife, he found that he had transformed into a yellow dragon." The yellow dragon here is not a real dragon, but a Jiaolong at most. However, even the breath of a Jiaolong is not something that ordinary people can withstand.
Under this aura, Zhu Li's every word and action, even his temperament and demeanor, were all affected by the dragon's breath. When people faced him, they would involuntarily feel a sense of submission.
Although the Gao brothers were unruly, under the influence of the dragon's breath, they were terrified in front of Zhu Li and dared not disobey.
It was rare that Zhu Li's impression of them changed, so he said directly: "Generals, since you are not the same as Li Quanzhong and his son, I intend to let General Gao Siji continue to assist General Pengju and guard Juyong Pass."
"General Gao Mian, please assist General Gao Yuan and go to block the Xifengkou Pass. If Xia Lage dares to enter the territory of our Han Dynasty, I will make him never come back." Zhu Li narrowed his eyes and said gloomily.
"Yes." Gao Siji and Gao Mian did not dare to refute at all. If Zhu Li wanted to kill them, it would be too easy. Just from the fact that he defeated the Khitan Murong Ba, it could be seen that his martial arts were much better than their brothers'.
The plan was decided. Zhu Li ordered Zhang Guimou and Gao Siji to assist Yue Pengju and lead 20,000 men to guard Juyong Pass. He let Gao Yuan be the commander, and Li Hanzhi and Gao Mian be deputy generals, to garrison Xifengkou, also leading 20,000 men.
As for himself, he led only 800 soldiers and headed directly to Fanyang.
, that was where Lord Li lived. If Li Quanzhong and his sons rebelled, they would definitely take Fan Yang first.
What's more, Yuchi Jin's brother and her mother were there, and he had to go and see them.
To go south from Juyongguan, one must pass through Changping. Just after passing Changping, scouts came to report that they had suddenly discovered a group of troops stationed in Liangxiang, south of Changping.
Changping is the Changping District of Beijing in later generations, and Liangxiang is the Fangshan District of Beijing in later generations.
"What banner is the other party under?" Zhu Li frowned and asked the scout who had come to report with a serious face.
The scout thought for a moment and immediately replied, "General, the big flag with the word 'Yan' on it looks like it belongs to the Xiongwu Army."
"Xiongwu Army?" Zhu Li was puzzled. He remembered asking Yue Pengju to ask the Xiongwu Army to return to Fan Yang for assistance. Why did the Xiongwu Army appear in Liangxiang now
"Let's go and take a look." Zhu Li finally decided to go and take a look in person.
The terrain of Liangxiang is relatively low. When Zhu Li led his guards here, the enemy seemed to have discovered Zhu Li. Two generals led thousands of their men and had been stationed far away, waiting for a long time.
"Excuse me, is the person coming from the front General Zhu Li from Huaihua?" Zhu Li had just waved his hand to signal the guards to stop their horses when a general suddenly jumped out from the opposing camp and shouted at them.
"It's Zhu. May I ask who you are?" Zhu Li answered calmly without fear.
"It is indeed the general." The general who rushed out of the army formation immediately waved behind him. When the other general saw his signal, he quickly rode out and joined the leading general, and together they rode towards Zhu Li.
Just when they were about ten meters away from Zhu Li, they stopped their horses and bowed, saying, "Your subordinate is Yan Yun."
"Your subordinate is Yan Xiao."
"Greetings, General." The two men bowed modestly while sitting on their horses.
Zhu Li narrowed his eyes and looked at them, and said directly: "Didn't General Yue's messenger find you?"
When the two heard this, a trace of shame appeared on their faces. Yan Yun said ashamedly: "General, the two of us have received the transfer order from General Yue Pengju, but the enemy has many people and is powerful. With our limited forces, we have no chance of winning against them."
At this point, he and his brother Yan Xiao looked at each other, both showing a look of shame, and continued: "So Yan and my second brother discussed it and came to Liangxiang to camp, looking for a fighting opportunity and waiting for the right moment to act."
The explanations from the two made Zhu Li understand the reason, and at the same time he became more worried about the situation in Fan Yang.
The Yan brothers would rather station their army in Liangxiang than enter Fan Yang. It can be imagined how powerful Li Quanzhong is. In a nutshell, the reason why the two brothers did not dare to enter Fan Yang was that they had no confidence in Li Keju.
"How many troops does the other side have?" Zhu Li was too lazy to blame them. The Yan family was a big family in Jizhou, and people from big families were best at taking sides.
The two dared not to respond to Zhu Li's question. This man was no simple person. Once he turned over, he would be the general of Huaihua, comparable to Li Keju, and they could not disobey him.
What's more, Zhu Li is different from Li Keju. When Li Keju governed Lulong, Li Quanzhong interfered and they were at loggerheads with each other. Now he is on the decline and no longer powerful.
But Zhu Li's base is in Heshuo, and the internal unity is extremely strong, it can be said to be an iron wall, the king is wise and the ministers are wise, and the whole place is peaceful. Heshuo's strength is increasing day by day, which can be seen by any discerning person.
"General, Li Kuangwei's troops alone have 40,000 men. Li Quanzhong has integrated the Jinglüe Army, Jingsai Army, Gaoyang Army, and Beiping Army, totaling 50,000 guards. Add to that Xi Shuai Xia La Ge's troops, and the total force is 120,000.
. "Yan Yun said frankly, still with a lingering fear in his eyes.
Upon hearing this, Zhu Li's face became even gloomier. He had expected that Li Quanzhong had definitely made sufficient preparations, but he did not expect that the father and son alone would have assembled an army of nearly 100,000, not to mention the Xia La Ge who was only afraid of chaos in the world.
"What about Fan Yang? How many troops are there in Fan Yang?" Zhu Li asked anxiously.
Yan Xiao was a little hesitant when he heard this. He glanced at his elder brother Yan Yun and said quickly, "The Henghai Army and Tangxing Army are all old subordinates of Lord Li. In addition, there is the Hengyang Army to help, plus Lord Li's personal troops from Fanyang, there are probably about 30,000 to 40,000 people in total."
There are still 30,000 to 40,000 people in Fan Yang. Zhu Li breathed a sigh of relief when he heard that. With 30,000 to 40,000 people defending the city, even if hundreds of thousands of troops attacked, it would not be possible to take it down in a short time. At least Li Keju, Yuchi Xin, Madam Yuchi and others should be safe for the time being.
After asking about the situation, Zhu Li began to think about the Yan brothers. It was not that he wanted to plot against the two of them, but he had no soldiers now.
Gao Yuan led 20,000 troops to Xifengkou with the 20,000 troops left for Yue Pengju. Now, except for his personal guards, he had almost no soldiers available, so naturally he had to plan for the Xiongwu Army.
"How many people are there in your Xiongwu Army?" Zhu Li narrowed his eyes and asked directly.
When Yan Yun and Yan Xiao heard this, they immediately understood Zhu Li's plan. The two brothers looked at each other and were very confused. Yan Xiao said frankly: "General, my army has 3,000 infantry archers, 3,000 spearmen, 3,000 shield guards, and 1,000 Yue cavalry. This is the standard configuration of the Lulong Nine Army. All are here."
"If the general needs it, we brothers can make the decision and let all the soldiers obey the general's orders." Yan Yun spoke calmly.
They couldn't afford to offend Li Quanzhong, but they couldn't afford to offend Zhu Li either. Although the Yan brothers were wary of Li Quanzhong, they were not very afraid of him yet. After all, it was still unclear whether the other party could take over Lulong.
But Zhu Li is different. No matter who he wins or loses, Heshuo is his territory, so the Yan brothers are naturally more willing to serve Zhu Li well.
Zhu Li looked at the two of them in surprise, but he understood their intentions in an instant and said modestly, "You two are so kind. I will definitely not forget your help today, but I have another humble request."
"General, just say whatever you want. As long as we brothers can do it, we will never refuse." As the saying goes, send the Buddha to the West, and be a good person to the end. Since the Yan brothers have already decided to sell themselves to Zhu Li, they will naturally not refuse as long as they can do it.
"I need oxen, the more the better. As for the price, I want double the money. Since you two are local wealthy families, it shouldn't be difficult for you to raise the money." Zhu Li touched his chin and said leisurely.
Even with the full support of the Xiongwu Army, Zhu Li was still not sure he could defeat Li Quanzhong and his son with just these few people. He had to find another way. The enemy had much more cavalry and infantry than he did, so he had to find another way and win by surprise.
"Oxen?" Yan Yun was puzzled. "How many oxen does the general need?"
"The more the better, but the prerequisite is that these oxen must be delivered here secretly, and they must be delivered quickly and from legitimate sources, okay?" Zhu Li looked at the two of them seriously and asked.
Yan Yun and Yan Xiao just frowned slightly and agreed immediately. After all, there were indeed more oxen in the north than in other places. This place was close to the grassland, and the Di people on the grassland had the most cattle and sheep. Sometimes they traded with the people inside the Great Wall by exchanging cattle and sheep.
It can be said that almost every wealthy farmer in the north has one or two oxen, and large families have even more. Some even make money by renting oxen. After all, there are more poor people in the north.