The June weather is hot, yet exudes an alluring restlessness.
On the outskirts of Beikou, in a simple pavilion, opposite Zhu Li, knelt a pretty young man in scholar's robe, whose face was as handsome as Song Yu and resembled Pan An. However, Zhu Li knew that he was a Westerner.
"Zhu Li, I have tried my best to secure the position of Governor of Shuozhou for you. How do you plan to repay me?" Li Keju finally decided to hand over the imperial decree from the Tang court to Zhu Li, and Yuchi Jin volunteered to come and convey the emperor's will.
Zhu Li, after all, has a modern mindset. Looking at the girl who is also only fourteen years old and looks so fresh and charming, and considering their familiarity with each other, he said unhappily, "How can I repay you? Do you want me to marry you?"
Upon hearing this, Yuchi Jin's cheeks instantly turned red, and her eyes widened, as if she wanted to strangle Zhu Li to death. However, she did not lash out in the end. Instead, she looked away with a flickering gaze and said, "You have a really hard life. You first traveled all the way from Tanzhou to Hongzhou, and then I brought you to Youzhou. I just secured a position for you, but the Shatuo people attacked, so you had to go to Weizhou. You just came back, and you are about to go to Shuozhou. Shuozhou is not a safe place. Don't you have any plans?"
"What are your plans? Master originally planned to build Beikou into our base camp, but now it seems that the plan is going to fail." Zhu Li said helplessly. The world is about to be in chaos, and he, Zhu Li, is not the only one who will be displaced. Now the people in the Central Plains are happy as long as they can stay alive. What is there for him to complain about
"Shuozhou is much larger than Beikou. You might as well manage Shuozhou and make it a solid territory in the future. But I'm afraid you and your disciple will be separated this time. The Tang court appointed you as the governor of Shuozhou, and Lord Li added another clause. He seemed to have some consideration for you, so he appointed Wu Dao as the governor of Yunzhou. Obviously, he wanted to divide your power. Fortunately, Shuozhou and Yunzhou are connected, which is convenient for you to travel between each other."
"He is dividing my strength now. Could it be that Lord Li has found a way to deal with Li Quanzhong?" Zhu Li thought about it for a moment and then asked in confusion.
"Hehe, it's all for the sake of letting you become the governor. I have to think of another way for him to deal with Li Quanzhong." Yuchi Jin rolled his eyes at Zhu Li and said unhappily.
"Ah, what advice did you give him?" Zhu Li was stunned and looked at Yiren suspiciously.
"It's not a good idea, it's just a trick to drive the tiger to devour the wolf." Yuchi Jin said indifferently, "By the way, you haven't been back to Fanyang for a long time, do you want to go back and take a look before taking office?"
Yuchi Jin suddenly changed the subject, his bright eyes full of anticipation, as if he was expecting something, but Zhu Li was confused and didn't understand why. He wondered in his heart, he was about to move, would he still have time to go back to Fan Yang
Zhu Li and Yuchi Jin met and dispersed quickly, talked for a while, and then parted ways.
Zhu Li immediately gathered everyone to announce the news brought by Yuchi Jin. In the simple General Mingwei's mansion at the north entrance, after everyone gathered, they discussed things while having their meal.
This was also arranged by Zhu Li, imitating the bad habit of gathering for dinner and discussing matters in later generations, as a special reward for everyone.
During the banquet, the little girl Zhu Ning'er was kneeling next to her brother, gnawing on a big chicken leg with great pleasure, her face filled with happiness.
It is only natural for the court to confer an imperial title on a general. The fact that Li Keju has only just sent the document now shows that he has some concerns about the general. "After hearing the news, Guo Qizuo took a sip of wine, squinted his eyes in satisfaction, and said calmly.
"What is there about me that he should worry about?" Zhu Li was puzzled.
"If Wu is not mistaken, Li Keju must have found a way to further weaken Li Quanzhong, otherwise he would not have divided our forces so quickly. Since he has a way to weaken Li Quanzhong, there is no need for us to contain the Weiwu Army for him. At this time, he will obviously control us. After all, with the precedent of Li Quanzhong, it is reasonable for him to do so." Wu Diao finished an elbow in just a few bites and explained.
Guo Chongtao, the newcomer sitting next to Guo Jia, hesitated for a moment and said, "Actually, this might not be a bad thing. Beikou is a small place after all. Although the situation in Shuozhou is serious, it is still a state after all. It will allow you, the general, to show your talents."
"Yes, Shuozhou has been through chaos for a long time, and the people are longing for peace. Since Li Keju has decided to send a general to govern Shuozhou, we might as well shift our focus to Shuozhou. No matter how poor Shuozhou is, as long as we develop it vigorously and work hard, it will surely become a base." Guo Qizuo frowned slightly and spoke in agreement.
"Well, sir, do you have any plans? Why not tell me about it?" Wu Diao's eyes lit up and he looked at Guo Qizuo and said.
Guo Qizuo heard this and did not refuse. Instead, he frowned and thought for a moment, then said, "No matter what the reason is, since Li Keju has made a decision, we can only obey his orders. Besides, leaving Beikou also has its benefits."
"Beikou is the key point where Li Quanzhong and Li Keju are fighting for Danzhou. We are leaving here, thus avoiding the crisis of being at the forefront. This is the first point. As Chongtao said, Beikou is a small place after all, and it is just a temporary measure as a foundation. Since Miss Yuchi has spent a lot of time and effort to persuade the general to go to Shuozhou, we cannot let her down. Entering Shuozhou and managing Shuozhou as a foundation is not contrary to our previous strategy at all. It's just a change of location. This is the second point."
"Third, although Shuozhou is poor, there is a precious land to the west of Shuozhou. If we can rule that precious land without anyone noticing, great things can be expected and great things can be accomplished." Guo Qizuo looked excited, looked around at everyone, and said with certainty.
"Could it be that sir, you are talking about Hetao?" Wu Diao frowned slightly, then his eyes lit up and he asked hurriedly.
"Yes, it is the Hetao. The Hetao is now occupied by the Dangxiang people. Tuoba Sigong, the governor of Youzhou, is now the leader of the Dangxiang people. Although he proclaimed himself the governor of Youzhou, he actually controls the five states of the entire Hetao. The Di people are not good at farming, and it is a pity that they use such a precious land to store grass and graze. It is better to give it to us. It only takes three to five years of management at most, and the entire Hetao will definitely become our most stable grain and fodder base." Guo Qizuo explained.
"Okay, Hetao is indeed a good place to support the people and soldiers. It is perfectly protected by the Yellow River. As long as we vigorously develop the navy and combine it with our infantry and cavalry, we are still confident that we can defend this place." Wu Dao echoed.
When Zhu Li heard this, he couldn't help but think of a saying in later generations, "The Yellow River brings nine harms, but only one harm, which makes people rich." Guo Qizuo's eyes were really sharp, and he saw the harm of the Yellow River at a glance.
Extraordinary, it is simply a model of foresight.
However, he still had doubts and said, "Master, sir, everyone, most of the guards in the Beikou Army are former bandits. Their families have been relocated to Beikou by us. If we leave here, what will happen to their families? Lord Li will never allow us to relocate the people to Shuozhou. Are we just going to leave them alone? If so, not only will the guards be uneasy, but how can we bear it?"
"This is easy. If Li Keju can really solve the problem of the Mighty Army, we only need to deploy a few thousand soldiers at the north gate. With the current defense facilities, it will not be a problem to protect the people and prevent the Di people from looting." Guo Qizuo immediately suggested.
Zhu Li nodded upon hearing this. The city wall at Beikou had been continuously reinforced and widened for nearly a year and was no less fortified than an ordinary city. Moreover, when the Di people moved south, the Beikou army only needed to defend one side. Thousands of troops holding on here were indeed enough.
What Guo Qizuo meant was that one person could be left behind to lead thousands of elite soldiers and to guard the place permanently.
Seeing Zhu Li's approval, Guo Qizuo changed the subject and suggested again: "There are two places in Shuozhou that need heavy garrisons. One is Yanmen Pass. We must get ahead of Zhu Mei and send people to garrison here. This way, we will have the initiative when facing Daizhou in the south. From then on, no one in charge of Daizhou will dare to act rashly against our Shuozhou. The second is Tanglong Town. The general can have people build a strong pass here to defend against the Di people in the north. As long as we guard these two passes, and the general deploys troops in Shanyang, the north and the south will form a response, and Shuozhou can be protected."
"Mr. Guo's words make sense. Wu Dao is convinced." Wu Dao bowed and indeed admired Guo Jia's suggestion.
"Then what about Master's arrangements for Yunzhou?" Now that arrangements have been made for Shuozhou, all that remains is the planning for Yunzhou.
"Hahaha, since Li Keju has handed Yunzhou over to me, Wu, you naturally don't have to worry about it. I have my own means to take Yunzhou into my own hands." Wu Dao replied confidently.
When he said this, no one present thought he was bragging. After all, Zhu Li's skills were taught by this person. If the apprentice is so outstanding, then the master is even more so.
Zhu Li heard this and did not question it either. He said, "In this case, let's divide the work. I will tell you about my arrangement first. If you think it is inappropriate, please bring it up."
Everyone smiled and nodded in approval.
"I intend to let Gao Yuan go to Tanglong Town and lead his men to build a strong pass, which we will call Piantou Fort." The predecessor of Piantou Pass was built based on the terrain of Tanglong Town and combined with the surrounding terrain. Zhu Li did not want this strong pass to lose its original reputation because of his appearance, so he still named it "Piantou Fort".
"Brother Guiba, lead the cavalry and rush to Yanmen. We should occupy and defend this place before Zhu Mei does. Hopefully, we will still be in time. Mr. Guo, Guo Chongtao, and Shi Yan will follow me to Shuozhou. Master, lead the Pang family's wife, Lu Yong, and Brother Guihou to Yunzhou. Brother Guimou will lead the people to defend the north gate. What do you think?"
"Yes," everyone answered without hesitation. No one questioned it, which made Zhu Li a little confused. Wu Diao, Guo Qizuo and the lady of the Pang family looked at him with a smile but did not say anything, leaving him to figure it out on his own.