Chapter 184: The height of the temple (12)

The valley can accommodate ten horses, which is a very wide passage. Hundreds of infantry soldiers blocked the wide valley bottom so that it was airtight. At the front was a row of infantry with big shields. Behind the big shield were archers, and the archers had already pulled their bows and raised their arrows.

A small infantry school shouted: "Put down your weapons, otherwise you will kill them."

Beard raised his head and smiled, "You should deceive a three-year-old child. Put down your weapons, and you are afraid you will die faster." The square shield formation of the infantry army is extremely strong and cannot be broken by twenty cavalrymen. Beard smiled and turned his horse's head, and rushed towards the black-armored rider behind him.

The infantry junior college took a deep breath and said, "Shoot the arrow." The dense feathered arrows formed a black rain in the valley, and rushed to more than twenty cavalry.

The escaped riders had extremely rich combat experience. When they turned around and ran wildly, they tried to lean on the horse's back, put them on their left gloves with a small round shield used by the cavalry and placed them on their backs to block the iron arrows. Even so, four or five riders were shot off the horse.

Luo Qingsong led the personal guards to block the entrance of the valley. The long bow in his hand had already been pulled open. The personal guards were all archers. If two hundred attacks, more than twenty cavalry would be doomed. When Luo Qingsong was about to fire the arrow, a black-armored rider rushed over from behind. He was the messenger beside Hou Dayong. When he shouted, he was like a war drum, so he was named Thunder King. No one knew the real name.

Lei Gong shouted: "Hou Dayong, the governor of Shuofang, has an order, and no arrows are allowed to be fired." Lei Gong's reputation is well-known. With a word, a huge shout echoed around the valley.

When the infantry school heard this shout, they saw the robbers being blocked in the valley, and they were unable to fly. They hurriedly ordered: "Stop shooting arrows."

Although the beard was in trouble, it was very heroic. "Ha, ha" said with a smile: "It turned out to be the Black Eagle Army, no wonder it chased me so tightly."

Lei Gongti stepped forward and said, "Drop off the horse and follow me to see the general."

Beard looked around and said, "Today I am surrounded, I am unlucky. Everyone will get off the horse and see the governor, or have a chance." Beard is extremely prestigious. After he spoke, all ten riders dismounted. Several people went over to put the rider who was caught in the arrow on the back of the horse, followed the Black Eagle Army and walked out of the valley.

The more than twenty riders were dressed in a very mixed manner. Several were wearing shabby iron armor, some were wearing leather armor, and some were covered with large fur coats covered by Dangxiang people. Although those iron armor was worn out, they were all the armors of the Great Zhou army.

Hou Dayong looked up and down for a while, his heart moved, and said, "Are you Feng Xiangjun?"

Wang Jing's army's orders were extremely harsh, and those who violated the orders would be killed. The combat effectiveness of the Fengxiang Army was also very strong. The number of deserters was the highest among the towns in the northwest. Duan Wuwei was forced to flee into the mountains because he lost his grain warehouse and did not dare to return to the camp. The Black Eagle Army took in at least hundreds of Fengxiang fleeing troops in Qinzhou. Therefore, these riders were wearing worn-out Dazhou Army's standard armor, and most of them were Fengxiang Army deserters.

The bearded beard was Xiang Shanxing, the commander who escaped from Fengxiang's army. On that day, he went out of the camp to meet the enemy without authorization, violated Wang Jing's military order, and was tied to the playground by Wang Jing to ask for a beheading. Xiang Shanxing fought bravely and cared for his subordinates. He was very popular. His subordinates rescued him from the military camp. After escaping from the military camp, Xiang Shanxing had no way to go, so he wandered around Wushaoling, Longshan, Weishui, and Qingshui River. He gradually gathered hundreds of soldiers from various defeated mountains on the Heiyun Peak of Wushaoling, becoming a powerful bandit.

Bandits were not an ideal profession. Economy, climate, geography, garrison, folk customs, etc. were all important reasons that restricted the survival of robbers. After the war in the northwest, the herdsmen of Dangxiang were driven out of Qingshui River. Longyou, Guyuan, and Tongxin City fell into the hands of the Great Zhou army one after another. The transportation of military food was also greatly reduced, and many merchants also moved from Fengzhou to Lingzhou. The caravan route was changed from Guyuan route to Maling Water route. Therefore, when the fourth year of Xiande arrived, life in the Black Cloud Peak in Wushaoling was quite difficult. They had to expand their scope of activities and come to Huanxian, Qingzhou and other places to grab food and property.

There were originally one thousand troops in Huan County. During the battle of Tongxin City, five hundred troops were transferred by Wu Songdan. These five hundred troops never returned to Huan County. The five hundred troops in Huan County were led by the commander Meng Zhongren.

Since the beginning of winter, Huanxian has been harassed by bandits of Heiyun Peak in Wushaoling. These bandits are not many, but they are very skilled in riding. The Mengzhong people led their troops to pursue the bandits several times, but were easily thrown away by the bandits, which annoyed Mengzhong people. In order to eliminate this group of bandits, the Mengzhong people set up a trap. He deliberately sent a transportation team from Qingzhou to Huanxian to attract bandits. The Mengzhong people arranged the 100 cavalry in the garrison in the small village that the caravan must pass, and the 200 infantry troops were ambushed in the valley where the bandits liked to walk the most.

Sure enough, the bandits on the Black Cloud Peak of Wushaoling fell into a trap.

When he saw Hou Dayong telling his origin with a beard, he looked surprised on his face and said respectfully: "The last general was the commander of Fengxiang Army to walk towards the mountain." After more than a year of fierce battle, the name of the Black Eagle Army had already shocked the northwest. When he saw the famous Black Eagle Army commander of the Black Eagle Army, he couldn't help but restrain his arrogance, his expression and tone were all based on the etiquette of his subordinates.

Hou Dayong turned his head and looked at the guards and said, "Li Liu, come here."

Li Liu was a personal soldier under Duan Wuwei. Because of his superb archery skills, he was selected into Hou Dayong's personal guard. Xiang Shanxing's official position was not high, and because of his bravery in combat, he was quite famous in Fengxiang's army. Li Liu followed Duan Wuwei to guard the grain warehouse and had seen Xiang Shanxing many times. Li Liu saluted and whispered for a while. Hou Dayong nodded and waved his hand.

Li Liu turned over and got off the horse, came to Xiangshanxing, and bowed and said, "Commander Xiang, I am General Duan's personal guard Li Liu. I used to be stationed in the grain warehouse. I wonder if I remember the villain?"

When Li Liu mentioned General Duan, he was stunned for a while, "General Duan, is Duan Wuwei?"

"It is General Duan Wuwei, who is now the commander of the Black Eagle Army's Jiao Camp."

Xiang Shanxing and Duan Wuwei had a good relationship. I heard that Duan Wuwei had become the commander-in-chief and became a general of the Great Zhou Dynasty, while he became a bandit. Xiang Shanxing stroked his beard and his expression was quite dull.

Hou Dayong noticed Xiangshanxing's expression and said, "When Xiangshanxing, when there is no way out, I advise you to turn back in time and don't worry about it. At this time, the imperial court is employed, so you can go to the personal guard to be a personal guard for me."

Xiang Shanxing felt ecstatic. He knelt down in front of Hou Dayong's horse and said, "Xiang Shanxing is willing to follow the Jieduan's horse and go through fire and water, and he will never refuse to die." Xiang Shanxing raised his head and said, "My brothers are all soldiers who are lost in the mountains. I hope the Jieduan will take them in together."

"How many people do you have in total?"

"This time I went to Huan County with me and they were all cavalrymen. In addition, there were more than 200 infantry soldiers on Heiyun Peak in Wushaoling. Most of these people were Fengxiang Army, and some Western Shu soldiers who fled into the mountains. We were forced to be bandits."

"These more than 20 cavalry soldiers were all incorporated into my personal guards, and the infantry on Heiyun Peak went to Lingzhou to join the Black Eagle Army." Hou Dayong told the commander behind him Lei Gong: "Call the commander of Huan County Army here."

The Meng Zhongren was wearing black armor and riding a tall and black horse, looking at Hou Dayong, a famous governor who was in the northwest. A fast horse flashed out from the Black Eagle Army. A tall and burly soldier came to the army and shouted in a deep voice: "The commander of the Huan County Army. The Marquis will summon him." The Meng Zhongren felt a trembling sound in his ears and secretly smacked his tongue: The messenger's voice is like a bell.

Meng Zhongren was stunned and said to himself: "Master Hou, has Hou Dayong become the prime minister of the current dynasty?"

The Mengzhong people hurried forward and gave a grand ceremony, and briefly reported to Hou Dayong about how to design and capture this group of horse thieves. The Mengzhong people fought against Xiangshanxing many times. There were damage to each other. When the Mengzhong people reported, Xiangshanxing bulged his eyes and stared at Mengzhong people, and the Mengzhong people also stared at Xiangshanxing.

Hou Dayong has a good impression of the Huan County garrison. "Commander Meng, you have a good idea of ​​commanding operations. What battles have you participated in?"

The troops stationed in Huan County are part of the Qingzhou Army. Left-behind troops like this are all troops with relatively poor combat effectiveness. In Jingyuan, Xihuizhou and other places, the left-behind troops are united. The cavalry and infantry in Huan County are quite well-organized. Although the cavalry is far inferior to the Black Eagle Army and the people walking in the mountains, they are also united in advance and retreat. They are not in chaos in the pursuit. The infantry guards as ambushers in the valley, waiting to go to the mountains and fall into the trap. The entire operation is obviously carefully planned. It is really not easy for a city-guarding force to do this.

Meng Zhongren was the nephew of General Meng Hanqing and a brave general in the former Qingzhou army. After Meng Hanqing was convicted, he was demoted from the deputy commander to the commander. He led a group of old and weak to station in Huan County. This guard lasted for four years. His position had not been promoted.

When Meng Hanqing was appointed as the defensive commander in Qingzhou, although Qingzhou was not a Jiezhen, the strength of the Qingzhou army, Yanzhou army, Qingzhou army, and Fengxiang army did not dare to underestimate it. After Meng Hanqing was convicted until his death, the Qingzhou army fell down and scattered. The elite soldiers and generals were either transferred by other Jiezhen towns or were convicted and demoted. After Hanlun became the Qingzhou defense envoy, he was scattered every day and ignored military affairs. Meng Hanqing's death and Hanlun's troubles made the powerful Qingzhou army a mess. The current situation of the Qingzhou cavalry was cheaper than Hou Dayong. When he was appointed as the Northwest Xingdu recruitment envoy, he mainly established the Northwest Independence Army. After the war, the Qingzhou defense envoy Hanlun was still recuperating in Luoyang. Taking advantage of the fact that the Qingzhou army had no leader, Hou Dayong opened up the joints of the Privy Council and left the Qingzhou cavalry in the Black Eagle Army and became part of the Black Eagle Army.

After the Qingzhou cavalry was incorporated by the Black Diao Army, the cavalry commander Yang Tianpan became the chief officer of the Throwing Stone Camp. He was already the commander of the Black Diao Army. Yang Tianpan was the deputy of Meng Zhongren at that time. When the Meng Zhongren heard this news, he felt so uncomfortable that he didn't eat for a whole day.

When the Mengzhong people heard that Hou Dayong had always cherished talents, he took advantage of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and recommended himself: "At the end of the seventh year, he was fighting against the Uighur Army and Dangxiang Army since the early years of Guangshun, and there were countless big and big battles."

Hou Dayong nodded and said, "Very good, very good." He also said, "The Qingzhou Defensive Envoy is General Wu Songzhong now?"

Seeing that Hou Dayong was not interested in him, Meng Zhongren felt a little disappointed and said, "The appointment of the Ministry of Personnel will arrive in Qingzhou in November." After saying that, he glared at Xiangshan with some envy, who was blessed with disguise.

Wu Songchong rescued Wang Yanchao in a battle of unity and made great contributions. After the war, Hou Dayong and Wang Yanchao asked for merit for Wu Songchong respectively. His Majesty Chai Rong also highly recognized Wu Songchong's military achievements. If it weren't for Wu Songchong's assistance, Wang Yanchao's troops would be wiped out and fought with the small Dangxiangfang tribe. If two Jiedushi were killed in battle, it would be a loss of face to the Great Zhou Dynasty. Therefore, Wu Songchong saved the face of the Great Zhou Dynasty.

Hou Dayong remembered Han Lun who was being treated as a submissive and touched. A smile appeared on his face and asked, "Where has Han Lun been?"

Han Lun was forced away by Hou Dayong, which was a happy event for the Qingzhou army. Meng Zhongren smiled and said, "I heard that he was in Luoyang to retire."

Hou Dayong's smile appeared and pointed at the mountain and walked towards the mountain: "Commander Meng, the bandits on the Black Cloud Peak of Wushaoling have surrendered to the Black Eagle Army, put down their butcher's knife and became a Buddha on the spot. It is also a beautiful thing, so you don't have to worry about this anymore."

After conquering Xiangshan, the Black Eagle Army's personal guard entered Huanxian County.

When Liu Jiangqing saw that Hou Dayong was very good at winning people's hearts and could conquer the warriors during the march, he couldn't help but secretly applaud him.

Liu Jiangqing and his fourteen people were all the best among the younger generation. Nine of them served in the Richie Army. They grew up on the grassland. They were all good at riding skills, all wearing the armor of the Black Eagle Army’s personal guards, disguised as Black Eagle Army’s personal guards, followed Hou Dayong to Daliang, preparing to take the exam in Daliang City. All their identity documents and qualification documents for the Ministry of Rites exam were prepared by the Lingzhou Yamen. Now, they can be regarded as authentic people of the Great Zhou Dynasty. When Liu Jiangqing got all these documents, he looked at the names on the documents. Liu Jiangqing's heart was mixed with sweet, bitter, spicy and salty tastes: he had wandered for a hundred years and finally became a commoner in the Central Plains again.

Huanxian is a very small county town with a wall of about eight or nine meters and an area of ​​only two or three square kilometers. The city was extremely deserted in winter. Except for a few grocery stores that opened their doors, most families closed their doors. After the Black Diao Army entered the city, the Mengzhong people brought the Black Diao Army to the military camp. Then they ordered the soldiers of Huanxian County to boil water and cook rice, and slaughtered two fattening sheep in the army.

Hou Dayong moved into the small yard where the imperial envoy Ling Shi lived last time.

When the Huan County Magistrate heard that the Shuofang Jiedushi Hou Dayong came to the small courtyard, he hurried over to pay a visit. Last time Ling Shi passed by Huan County, the county magistrate cruelly killed a big dog. The big dog was fed by the wife and was the wife's beloved thing. After killing the dog, the county magistrate's wife and the county magistrate quarreled for five days. It was not until the county magistrate got a puppy that the wife reluctantly gave up.

The county magistrate heard that the Jiedushi was coming, and his face was wrinkled: Why do these high-ranking officials always pass by Huan County in the cold winter? This year, this dog has just grown up, so could it be slaughtered again?

Although the county magistrate complained in his heart, the governor could not neglect it, so he asked Mr. Gongsun to secretly kill his wife's dog.

He filled a can of old wine, cooked dog meat soup, made some dried mutton, and then went to the hunter Li Er to find some baked wild animals. The county magistrate asked Mr. Gongsun and a few listless yamen runners to carry these dishes and come to the small courtyard where Hou Dayong lived.

"Gongsun Weiyang County Magistrate." Hearing this name, Hou Dayong remembered Du Fu's famous "Watching the Sword Dance of the Disciples of Gongsun's Disciples". Although the whole poem only remembers the two sentences "There was a beautiful man named Gongsun, and the sword dance moved everywhere with one sword", the delicate and light dance posture of Gongsun was deeply imprinted in Hou Dayong's mind. County Magistrate Gongsun Weiyang's face was like a dry date, tall and thin, and a little hunched. Although his surname was Gongsun, he did not have the charm of Gongsun.

After the ceremony, the county magistrate Gongsun Weiyang stood aside and said carefully: "In the remote places in Huan County, there is really no good thing to entertain the governor."

Hou Dayong led his troops north to Lingzhou last time and passed outside Huan County. He had no time to enter the city. Naturally, he had never seen the county magistrate Gongsun Weiyang. When he saw the county magistrate, he couldn't bear to make him embarrassed. He bent down and smelled the big jar of dog meat soup on the table and said, "What a fragrant dog meat soup, it really makes people feel appetite. Gongsun Mingfu, Liu Lang, and Menglang all gathered around and filled the old wine. Don't be so restricted."

More than 20 people in the Black Eagle Army's personal guards came from the Qingzhou Cavalry. They were all subordinates of Mengzhongren. Mengzhongren learned from this that Hou Dayong returned to the court to serve as prime minister. Mengzhongren was just an inequality little official. Sitting with the prime minister of the current dynasty, he was uncomfortable all over. Although the north wind was howling outside, he was sweating profusely.

Gongsun Weiyang didn't know why Hou Dayong passed by Huan County. He sat silently with him. Hou Dayong asked and answered. Hou Dayong moved his chopsticks once, and he moved his chopsticks once.

"Gongsun Mingfu, how many years have you been in Huan County?" Hou Dayong asked proactively when he saw that Gongsun Weiyang was really not good at socializing.

Gongsun Weiyang put down his chopsticks and said respectfully: "Xiao Guan was a Jinshi in Tianfu for the 12th year. He has been to Huan County for fourteen years."

The 12th year of Tianfu was the reign of Emperor Gaozu of the Later Han Dynasty, Liu Zhiyuan, and Gongsun Weiyang was only twenty-six years old when he was a Jinshi. He was very proud and full of mighty hearts. Unexpectedly, the Later Han Dynasty was destroyed in a few years. After the establishment of the Great Zhou Dynasty, although the Ministry of Personnel was excellent every year, Qingzhou was first involved in Meng Hanqing, and then Han Lun was exhausted. By chance, Gongsun Weiyang stayed in Huan County for fourteen years.

There were also four Jinshis in Hou Dayong's army: Liang Shouheng, the governor of Lingzhou, Qian Xiangnan, the head of the military intelligence camp, Liu Chengtong, the diplomat of the Black Eagle Army, and Huo Zhixing, the land of construction. These four people have become indispensable figures of the Black Eagle Army. Therefore, Hou Dayong attaches great importance to the officials from the Jinshi. However, before understanding Gongsun Weiyang's political achievements, Hou Dayong was unwilling to make a promise at will, saying: "It's really hard for Gongsun Ming's mansion to be a county magistrate in this bitter and cold place."

In the past fourteen years, no boss has ever said this, and Gongsun Weiyang couldn't help but burst into tears. "With the comment from the governor, the subordinates will die without regrets."

Liu Jiangqing was shocked. When he studied in Shishan, he often said "Thirty Old Ming Sutras, fifty Young Jinshi". After passing the Jinshi exam, he was qualified to be an official. It is commonly known as "jumping the Dragon Gate". In Liu Jiangqing's mind, he became extremely glorious after he was promoted to the Jinshi. Unexpectedly, he saw such a cowardly Jinshi today.

The atmosphere in the house seemed solemn.

Suddenly, a loud voice outside the yard sounded: "Gongsun Weiyang, you are not a thing. Last year, I killed my black bear to invite a bullshit envoy. This year, my flying tiger has not grown up yet, and you killed the flying tiger to entertain the gods who came from somewhere. Gongsun Weiyang, I have fought with you today."
Chapter completed!