In late July, Gongsun Xun led the white horse Yi Cong, which had now expanded to more than 2,000 people, some of his staff, and the imperial envoys' honor guard, along Wangwu Mountain and Huoda Mountain to the north, exited Shuque Valley, and entered Taiyuan within a few days by traveling on familiar roads.

within the county.

The main reason why he did not go down the river to Hanoi was because he did not want to force Zhang Yang to rebel. This man's own strength was limited. After gaining most of Hanoi, he would only have 10,000 or 20,000 soldiers at full strength. However, once he saw that the situation was not good, he would directly fall to Yuan Shao.

On the contrary, it is not beautiful. More importantly, two thousand people are not enough to quickly resolve the Hanoi incident... However, just after leaving the Mouse Valley, Gongsun Yue came towards him and brought an interesting message to his brother - go to Changshan Mountain

The Jingxing road was actually blocked due to bandit riots!

Maybe the autumn harvest was coming, and bandits in the mountains went down the mountain out of control in order to ask for food... This was everyone's first reaction.

But even so, everyone became serious because Jing Xing was so important that everyone knew his importance.

This may be a bit convoluted, but it is true.

It must be understood that all the eight passes in Taihang are not simple narrow passages. They traverse the entire Taihang Mountains, ranging from dozens of miles in length to hundreds of miles in length. The narrow places are only a few steps wide, but the wide places are enough to build a stronghold and build a city.

So much so that they accumulated hundreds of thousands of horses. Among them, Jingxing has the most complicated terrain. Han Xin defeated Chen Yu in a last-ditch battle, Li Zuoche's 200,000 troops were here, and Niangzi Pass was also here in later generations.

However, the most important point is that among the eight branches of Taihang, four are in South Taihang, that is, at the junction of Shangdang and Hanoi. The two are in the heart of Youzhou. Their current strategic value is small... Can the real battle be fought in Hebei?

The two places that play a decisive strategic role are Jingxing from Taiyuan to Changshan, and Fukouxing (Wuguan) from Shangdang to Weijun. Therefore, these two places, especially those responsible for contacting Gongsun Xun’s heartland,

Jingxing is not allowed to make any mistakes at this time.

But then again, as early as when he sent troops for the Western Expedition, Tian Feng had mentioned the importance of the Taihang Bandits in the overall situation of Hebei. In his opinion, the strategic priority of cleaning up the Taihang Mountains was higher than fighting with the Taihang Mountains.

Yuan Shao's decisive battle.

Therefore, this matter is expected to a certain extent.

It can only be said that the current situation is chaotic and it is impossible for Gongsun Xun to calmly implement the so-called strategic plan one by one.

In early August, when he arrived at Jinyang City in Taiyuan County, Gongsun Xun received a detailed written report from Shangdang Qianzhao, and only then did he have a clear understanding of the whole story.

That's right, not to mention Gongsun Xun was speechless after learning about Yu Du's tricks, but Chen Gong's plan was undoubtedly successful!

Yuan Shao's soldiers and horses may not be comparable to the elites of the North that Gongsun Xun has worked hard to build for more than ten years, but they are probably the worst-qualified and worst-equipped bandits in this troubled world, especially when there are half of the mountain bandits.

When the thieves are still willing to surrender, and then act as guides, or simply return to present a certificate of surrender to the vanguard, the word "destroy the dead" is exactly what it means.

In just twenty days, the so-called Yu Duhei bandit faction in the South Taihang Mountains surrendered six cottages and captured three cottages... Although they were only small cottages with less than a thousand people, they lived in a row.

The total number of ordinary people inside was only 30,000 to 40,000, but in conjunction with Yuan Shao's public declaration of cleaning up Nan Taihang, it greatly frightened the bandits in the mountains.

So, after the indomitable Yu Du slightly defeated Yuan Shao's "vanguard", he made a prompt decision and led Sui Gu (White Rabbit) and Bai Rao, the two bandit leaders in Nan Taihang who were second only to him in strength, to gather six or seven

Thousands of soldiers and horses, leading the women and children in their respective villages, said to be tens of thousands, immediately went south to Hanoi, that is, they became bandits. But in this way, many of the "Black Mountain remnants" in Nantaihang completely lost their composure, and then

In addition to military coercion, Chen Gong also used rumors, internal liaisons, and spies to assist, but he finally moved the remaining bandits in the South Taihang Mountains, forcing them to move to the North Taihang Mountains one after another before the autumn harvest, with their young and old in tow.

.

"What should I say about this matter?" In Jinyang City, Gongsun Xun, who was blocked from the road, had to temporarily stop here, and then publicly summoned his troops to discuss countermeasures.

"Yuan Benchu ​​didn't know that Ming Gong was here, so he came up with this strategy. Since Ming Gong came first, why not confront him tit for tat?" The speaker was Chang Lin Chang Bohuai, the prefect of Taiyuan. He was born in Hanoi, and Gongsun Xun was the general of the guard.

He was the first group of subordinates to follow him, and they never left him. He was half the owner of this place, so he naturally had confidence in his words. "Since those people were appeasing and expelling them in the South Taihang, the princes would appease and suppress them in the North Taihang..."

"This is feasible." Xi Zhong immediately followed. "It should be noted that since Yuan Benchu ​​used a large army to clean up Taihang and drive away the bandits, he will definitely be frustrated in Handan, or at least the stalemate will be fine... In that case, why don't you feel at ease?

How to deal with this matter here? It is just to suppress and recruit bandits. It can be easily done by focusing on county soldiers and local officials, and adding the prestige of the monarch. Only when the autumn harvest is approaching, you can send envoys to appease them and delay them for a few days.

Today, when the autumn grains are put into the warehouse, it will not be too late to send out county soldiers to suppress the unscrupulous ones among them."

"Since Handan is not worried for the time being, we can take this opportunity to send an envoy from Feihuxing from the north and ask General Jianwei (Cheng Pu) to assist." Someone else suggested. "Anyway, the two sides are just exerting force on each other across the Taihang Mountains.

It takes time for the power to be transmitted, we can deal with it calmly... In short, Ming Gong is better than Yuan Thief in everything, and he also attacks Yuan Thief first, so as Mr. Changfu said, just compete with each other in everything, why bother

?”

As soon as this person's remarks came out, they immediately aroused praise and expressions from many local officials.

Gongsun Xun followed the sound to see this person, but did not recognize him. However, judging from his local accent, the black ribbon copper seal on his waist, his echoing Chang Lin's words, and the local officials all agreeing with him, he must be this person.

A county magistrate or a county magistrate from a county. In this case, you can understand why he spoke so hastily:

Chang Lin's character dictates that he can say one thing and another; Xi Zhong has a sense of loyalty regardless of his own safety. After the First World War in Western Liaoning, he has always had no reservations about Gongsun Xun, even a little eager; and this person, including those local people

The officials, on the other hand, more want to express their stance, or show their loyalty - they are not Yuan Cong, have no obvious achievements, and do not even have the confidence of the third assistant as the foundation of Gongsun Xun's rule, but now they are in this situation due to the general trend.

Under the rule of a General Wei, and being used by this General Wei, of course one should be more enthusiastic.

Of course, this is a commendable attitude in a certain sense, and Gongsun Xun naturally wants to give it some encouragement.

"What you have said has many merits..." Gongsun Xun smiled at him.

However, Gongsun Xun was so hypocritical, which immediately aroused the dissatisfaction of a person standing by - Tian Yuanhao.

The man snorted coldly and directly interrupted Gongsun Xun's response: "General, what you said is wrong! It is precisely because the general is better than Yuan Benchu ​​in everything, and he also took action first, so the Jingxing incident can never be solved so easily.

It... I look down, I am afraid that this matter is going to cause big trouble, and there is no way to calmly do it after the autumn harvest. As for the general knowing the problem, but saying something about what is desirable and what is not, it would be ridiculous!"

Gongsun Xun, who was sitting at the top, couldn't help but laugh out of embarrassment.

By the way, Tian Feng has a high status. Not only is Gongsun Yue, one of the few people with two thousand stones in the lobby of General Ningshuo's mansion, but more importantly, he is the 'strategist' beside Gongsun Xun and the guard of General Cao.

With the authority of Gongsun Xun himself, many local officials naturally held their breath since he opened his mouth.

Not only that, Lou Gui had been cautious very early;

It's hard to refute Gongsun Xun when Tian Feng takes advantage of it...

However, in addition to these people in the hall today, there is also Chang Lin Chang Bohuai, whom Tian Feng is not familiar with. The latter was able to rival Lu Fan when he first entered the shogunate in Hanoi. Today, he immediately raised his eyes when he heard this.

Gongsun Xun secretly screamed, but before he could speak, it was already too late.

"If you have something to say, why don't you speak up?" Chang Lin was tall and powerful. At this moment, he glared at each other, and his voice was an octave higher than that of Tian Feng. "Ming Gong gave You Military Advisor the important task because he wanted to borrow the talents of You Military Advisor.

Dingping Tianxia... What my colleagues and Ming Gong said is right, I can agree or not say anything. If what I said is wrong, I should judge it based on reason... What is discussed in the court today is a national event that affects the lives and deaths of millions of people.

Holding a gun and a stick like this at one step shows that Gong Yi is generous with his smile, so isn't he not ridiculous?!"

Tian Feng just committed a crime, but it was just a crime. In other words, the only one who was always bullied was Gongsun Xun, and how had he ever offended others, and how had he ever been offended by others?

Therefore, Chang Lin was angry, and when Tian Yuanhao heard the words, he actually didn't dare to respond.

Seeing this, Gongsun Xun felt extremely happy - it was shocking that someone could control Tian Feng.

However, he was happy, and Gongsun Xun couldn't let the two important ministers go wrong, so he immediately tried to persuade him: "Bo Huai doesn't have to be like this. Yuan Hao is just worried about the situation. He doesn't mean to offend. And the big chaos he mentioned is...

In fact, I also know everything... It's just scattered bandits. Of course, they can be suppressed and appeased, and they can be settled calmly. But don't forget that there is another person in Beitaihang who is quite famous among the bandits and is the leader of the seven-point alliance.

The Zishan bandit Zhang Yan, who is close to Jingxing on the side of Changshan Mountain... and as I expected, the trouble in Jingxing at this time must be related to Zhang Yan, because no matter how incompetent he is, as long as he has the will, he will never

I can’t control the situation near my lair.”

Hearing this, everyone was shocked.

"But isn't the Purple Mountain thief Zhang Yan an old member of Ming Gong?" Someone really couldn't hold it back. "And the Black Mountain thief Yu Du..."

"Do you really think that the Taihang Bandits are my secret agents and that I am the mastermind behind the attack on Ye City this time?" Gongsun Xun couldn't help but shake his head. "I tell you the truth, Yu Du has nothing to do with me. I sent envoys to appease him before.

It was just for the sake of smooth communication, but he unexpectedly took the opportunity to cause trouble. It was Zhang Yan..."

"That's Zhang Yan. He has controlled Bei Taihang for many years now. He has a population of hundreds of thousands. He was already a general with two thousand stones. His ambition has spread." Tian Feng came to his senses and walked down the slope.

, said directly and seriously. "To put it bluntly, if he really meant it, he would have surrendered no matter what, starting from the general's Western Expedition last year and ending with the general's success in conquering Dong... Since he didn't surrender, he had to surrender."

He has ambitions! And since he has ambitions, trouble is bound to happen this time! Because as a former member of the general's staff, he knows very well that the general is actually stronger than Yuan Shao!"

As soon as these words came out, many people standing in the hall from Gongsun Yue down were slightly moved... Gongsun Yue, who had been silent all the time, even glanced at his brother.

"That's right." Gongsun Xun said with emotion in the audience. "I don't know about Yu Du, but it's normal for Zhang Yan to have ambitions... And now in the overall situation of Hebei, he is between the two powerful ones. Since

If you have different intentions, it is natural to help the weak to fight against the strong! This time it is due to his recent chaos in Jingxing. You can imagine the hidden story behind it. Yuan Benchu ​​must have hooked up with him! "

"So, not only Zhang Yan, but also Hanoi Zhang Yang... seems to have to be vigilant!" Xi Zhong finally woke up. "Is he also partial to Yuan Shao?"

"It is not necessary to be vigilant, and Zhang Yang will not take risks, but there is no doubt that he will favor Yuan Shao." Hearing this, Gongsun Xun suddenly laughed. "And it is not just Uncle Zhang Zhi, all the princes in the world, although they are very respectful in appearance, but these people, even if they are

They have no intention of taking over the world, but as long as they have some ambition, they secretly hope that Yuan Shao can beat me in a few games. And if it is Yuan Shao's turn to score a few points, they will secretly hope that I can overpower Yuan Shao in turn.

Kind of... people’s hearts are like this, maybe it’s nature!”

Many people in the hall laughed apologetically.

"Therefore, there is no need to say more about this matter. We immediately sent sentries and envoys to Jingxing to find out Zhang Yan's movements, and then tell him clearly that I am here...and then observe his appearance." Everyone laughed.

After that, Gongsun Xun just spoke slowly. "He is my old subordinate and knows who I am. He must know in his heart that I will not have another chance with him. By then, he will either surrender immediately or simply take advantage of Youzhou soldiers and horses."

During the gap after the autumn harvest and before the assembly, we immediately sent our elite troops to guard the Zhongzhong stronghold in Jingxing and lock the passage! At that time, there was only one battle left."

In the hall of General Ningshuo's mansion, everyone became awe-inspiring again.

In this way, the meeting ended, and most people naturally dispersed and went their own way. Only Gongsun Yue, as the owner of this place, did not have to leave under any circumstances. He first led Gongsun Xun to the back house and met the adopted sons he raised.

The adopted daughters arranged the family dinner themselves again, and after the two brothers finished the meal and chatted some, they naturally fell asleep together that night.

However, before turning off the lights, Gongsun Xun suddenly took the initiative to speak: "Ah Yue, after the afternoon meeting, I think you have been in something wrong, but do you have anything to say?"

Gongsun Yue, who had been growing a beard for many years, looked older than Gongsun Xun, who did not have a beard. He hesitated for a moment, but finally spoke to his brother: "To be honest, brother, I heard that today

What Tian Yuanhao said was just a bit touching, not because there was anything wrong..."
To be continued...