Wuchuan.
It's snowy and the wind is blowing hard.
Even during the day, candles were lit inside the house, and there was messy snow outside the window, completely blocking the view, and the door kept making fierce noises.
The cold air that came from nowhere was wandering back and forth in the room, causing the generals to shrink involuntarily.
"Brother, you are not allowed to go."
Tian Zili frowned, his expression extremely determined.
"Everyone outside of Wuchuan is my brother's enemy!"
"On this thousand-mile road, there are countless monsters and monsters blocking the way. Although my brother is concerned about Zhang Zhiyong, it is difficult for one person to defeat the army."
Cui Gang frowned, "Disobeying the edict is not a trivial matter."
"Then it's called illness, or there's an incoming bandit from the West, or there's a big disaster due to the cold weather. What's more, this edict from the Queen Mother is not your Majesty's order. You can send someone to inform your Majesty, and your Majesty will naturally know the pros and cons."
Just today, an envoy came and read out the edict from Yecheng.
This edict was issued by the Empress Dowager, and the envoy rushed over quickly, changing horses along the way, and five of his followers died during the long journey.
The content of the edict that caused such casualties was extremely simple.
That is to say, the Queen Mother suddenly had a dream about the past. When she woke up, she couldn't help crying. She missed the family members of her old subordinates very much and asked Liu Taozi to leave immediately to go to Yecheng to meet the Queen Mother.
If it hadn't been for the bad things that happened before, this would definitely be a good opportunity not to be missed, but now, this road has become a dead end.
From Wuchuan to Yecheng, there are countless checkpoints and fortresses along the way, and these places are all controlled by the old nobles. Liu Taozi goes to Yecheng, so naturally he cannot bring a large army there.
, at least not yet, this road is really dangerous.
Kou Liu suddenly asked: "The general is going there under the order of the Queen Mother. The Queen Mother is extremely powerful. Do you dare to take action on the road?"
Tian Zili sneered and said: "How can these people think about this? You have been in the frontier for a long time, haven't you understood their character?"
"They do things without considering the consequences, and they don't pay attention to strategies at all. The methods are straightforward, but sometimes they are very effective."
This is a common characteristic of these second-generation military nobles today. They have clear ideas and direct methods. They rarely hesitate and never consider the consequences. They just do what they say and then talk about other things after they are done.
This way of thinking and doing things seems really powerful at certain times, and extremely abstract at other times.
Everyone was talking a lot.
Tian Zili's idea received support from many people, but some also raised concerns.
"Your Majesty has neither issued an edict to stop nor blocked this edict, which means that he is unable to intervene, or it is difficult for him to intervene. If we do this, wouldn't we be suspected of alienating mother and son?"
Naturally, the mother and son of the royal family cannot be viewed in the same way as an ordinary mother and son.
If the Queen Mother's edict was rejected and the Emperor was asked to intervene, the impact would be too uncontrollable.
Who knows what the little old lady would think and what the emperor would think.
Liu Taozi looked around calmly, as if she had already made her decision.
"Yao Xiong, Kou Liu, Tian Zili, you three are coming with me."
"Cui Gang stayed to manage foreign affairs, Zhang Heizu took over from Yao Xiong to train the auxiliary troops, Tu Xi Yue held our flag to supervise the border troops, Chu Jian took charge of the internal affairs of the General Consul's Office, and Yan Hei Tao led the light cavalry to patrol the Great Wall."
When Liu Taozi spoke like this, everyone was shocked, but they accepted the orders one by one and did not dare to interrupt.
After Liu Taozi finished speaking, Cui Gang said: "Brother, do you really want to go?"
"I have received an edict from the Queen Mother, why should I be afraid of it?"
Cui Gang's face was solemn, but he did not try to persuade him any more. Liu Taozi gave other instructions.
As Gao Zhan said, there is nothing major to do in the frontier fortress in winter, except to march, usually after the autumn harvest. The current situation of these frontier fortresses is not very good, and they do not have the ability to fight in the heavy snow, and the soldiers are covering their heads.
If you don't use your sword, you may send troops in a season when there may be major logistical problems.
As long as you can take a little care of the civilians, don't let the cold winter take away too many people, patrol against thieves, and keep the border soldiers from going crazy, then there will be no serious problem.
Looking at the worried people, Liu Taozi said again: "Don't worry, just do what I told you."
Everyone got up and left, but Yao Koutian and the other three stayed.
The three of them were quite worried before, but now, all three of them looked relaxed and not afraid.
Yao Xiong grinned, "I was worried that my brother would leave me here again and take me away with you."
Liu Taozi looked at the three of them, "We can't hide in the border fortress all the time. We should also go to Yecheng, Jinyang, to see our enemies and make friends."
"No matter what happens, we should let them know you."
Tian Zili suddenly realized that the reason why he took the three of them was to let them gain experience along the way, and also to show their faces in Yecheng, Jinyang, so as to prepare for future events.
"Let's all get ready."
"We'll leave tomorrow."
"Yao Xiong, I will bring fifty people with you this time. You can choose them yourself."
"only!!"
"I heard that you gave the horse I rewarded to someone else?"
Yao Xiong was stunned and said aggrievedly: "Brother, I did it to motivate those generals. I don't have anything else good, so I can only give away horses."
"Why don't you ask for it from me."
"My brother asked me to train the army, how can I ask for it from my brother again?"
"I won't lie about the blue lion gifting you. White Fang has several heirs, and they are pretty good. You go and pick one."
"only!!"
It was freezing cold, and the frontier fortress ushered in the coldest time of the year. The entire city was covered in ice and snow, and even the school grounds were deserted.
It is really impossible to go out and practice at this time.
In Daqi, the most deadly thing is the cold winter. Those with slightly weaker health will find it difficult to survive the winter. Every cold winter will eliminate all those who cannot survive.
Liu Taozi and his party drove slowly on the road in the wind and snow.
Kou Liu rode back, spraying thick mist from his mouth. He pointed in the distance, "Brother, we have passed Baidao Shu. Should we go to Yunzhong or Shengle?"
These people have walked this road countless times. If there is no wind and snow, this road is not too far. Although many cities in the border fortress are far away, the road is flat and suitable for marching. When running at speed, using two
In a matter of days, we can reach Shuozhou Administrative Office.
But now, with heavy wind and snow, the speed can only slow down naturally.
In addition, the Shuozhou of today is not the Shuozhou of the past.
Lou Rui has left, and the new governor has not yet arrived, so Liu Taozi and others have many enemies here.
"Go to Shengle and enter the pass."
"only!"
The group of people moved forward again. It was not easy to identify the direction in the wind and snow. Fortunately, they were relatively familiar with this road.
After walking like this for a long time, they gradually left the garrison area and approached the outer mountains of Guang'an County.
The bare trees on both sides were now covered with snow, showing a silvery white color, and the whole world was a bit dazzling.
In the heavy snowstorm, there was suddenly smoke billowing in the distance.
The rough black smoke pierced the wind and snow in the sky and appeared in the mid-air in the distance, like the arms of a giant holding the sky high.
Seeing the sudden appearance of black smoke, Yao Xiong suddenly grasped the hilt of his sword with a solemn expression.
"Brother, there is a thief."
Tian Zili looked in the distance and said coldly: "Taiping Camp."
"It's a small pass at the mountain pass, with Guang'an as its back. There are more than 30 soldiers stationed there to light the smoke. This is for my brother. Someone from Shengle informed me."
This smoke was always released as a warning when encountering a large-scale enemy attack.
Tian Zili did not believe that any large-scale Western bandits or Turks could appear here out of thin air at this moment.
There are two explanations. Someone pretended to be a foreigner and was planning to attack and kill them.
Or they were identified as outsiders.
"Prepare for war."
Liu Taozi said.
As if to confirm Tian Zili's judgment, the next moment, the ground began to tremble slightly.
Kou Liu ran wildly back and forth on his horse, "Brother, someone has come around behind us, there are quite a few of them!!"
Liu Taozi laughed. He looked at the command flag carried by Kou Liu, looked at the direction in which it was flying, and slowly turned the horse's head.
He looked at the surrounding terrain again, then moved forward for a certain distance before stopping.
He looked to the left and right.
"I'm worried that I don't have a gift for the Queen Mother."
Hearing these words, many knights around them laughed one after another, "General, I am willing to cut off the head of the thief to show my merit!!"
"They are in a hurry to die, so why bother? Let's have some drinks to warm up and wait for them to come."
"only!"
Everyone was not afraid, and each ate some wine and ate dried meat.
Not long after, a group of cavalry rushed towards us from behind.
There are gentle slopes on both sides of the Taiping Trail, and there is heavy snow at the moment, making it really inconvenient to escape.
This cavalry was large and mighty, occupying almost the entire road. Even on the two gentle slopes, there were knights advancing cautiously.
It was hard to tell how many of them there were at first glance. When the leader saw Liu Taozi and others staying here, he couldn't help shouting. The rest of the people shouted one after another, and the sound was carried by the strong wind.
For astonishing.
Their clothes were completely different from the knights under Liu Taozi's command. They were in the Zhou army's standard, and the flags they carried also clearly stated their identities.
There are three big flags.
Yuwen, Wei, Yang.
Tian Zili suddenly spat aside, "Damn it."
If an army of more than a thousand Zhou people could suddenly appear near Guang'an, brave the heavy snowstorm, and not disturb any garrison towns along the way, then Daqi would have been dead long ago!!
It is really Xungui's consistent style, rough and unreasonable.
The leader was charging forward now, looking at the dozens of lonely people in the distance, his face was red and he was particularly excited.
Liu Taozi!!
Finally caught you!!
Liu Taozi's journey from Wuchuan to Yecheng has long been known to everyone, and those who have grudges against him from all over the country are now making preparations.
And this one was the first to prepare, because they were Shuozhou's forces.
After getting the news from Sheng Le, he led the gathered troops and set off from Taiping Pass. In order not to scare Liu Taozi away, he even took a long detour, went north along the river, and then garrisoned from Sheng Le.
We turned around, camped on the road to Yunzhong, and waited patiently.
When Taiping discovered the movements of Liu Taozi and others and informed them with smoke, he sent out troops for the second time to directly block Liu Taozi's retreat and block him on the Taiping trail.
The leader looked at Liu Taozi and felt indescribably moved in his heart.
Damn it, how much have I suffered?!
In such a cold winter, he led the army to run around for several times. Even two of his horses died, and his knights also suffered casualties. Finally! All the efforts were in vain! Finally, I caught this guy!
Thinking of his uncle's promise, he was even more excited.
The distance between the two sides continues to shorten.
The leader raised his horse and roared: "Liu Taozi!! I am here to kill you on Wei Xiaokuan's orders!!"
Liu Taozi still didn't move. He seemed to be frozen in place, staring straight at the opponent approaching.
In such weather, the crossbow could no longer be of much use, and the opponent seemed to want to kill Liu Taozi with a swift charge.
"kill!!!"
Liu Taozi suddenly gave the order.
Under his leadership, more than fifty knights charged towards the knights in front of them.
The leader was overjoyed and passed by. He raised his spear high and was about to fight with Liu Taozi.
The moment the two sides met, Liu Taozi's horse spear hit the opponent's head hard. The leader still maintained the posture of holding the spear, but his head exploded instantly, and hot blood sprayed everywhere.
Yao Xiong came back to assassinate with a spear in hand, looking like a madman, and the knights fell one after another.
The wind and snow seemed to be getting stronger, covering the entire road.
The snowflakes blowing in front of them made the knights more and more uneasy. The road was blocked. The knights at the rear did not receive any military orders. They collided with each other, causing people to overturn their horses. Those at the front fell one after another, and even caused a retreat, and the enemy formation retreated.
There was chaos.
Some people shouted to reorganize the army, but their voices were suppressed by the wind and snow.
The wind and snow are still there.
In the shadows formed by the wind and snow, only the shouts of killing, wailing, chaotic sounds, and rising mist could be heard.
I don't know how long it took, but someone slowly emerged from the wind and snow.
Liu Taozi led the knights and slowly set off towards Taiping Xiaoguan. The knights on the left and right looked excited and chatted loudly. In the wind and snow, their voices could not be heard, and they could only see the
Bloody heads were hung on their horses and strung on their spears. The heads were full of horror.
The blood followed the horse all the way to the ground.
Tai Luoji stood on the high slope next to Taiping Pass, looking into the distance, dancing excitedly.
Taiping Pass is not actually a checkpoint. It is just a small camp at the intersection, more like a post house. The low wall can only prevent the horses from charging, but it is not enough to be called a city wall. Knights who pass orders to and from can be here.
There is a place to rest. The Taiping Trail is not a mountain road, and the gentle slopes on both sides are not impossible to pass. There is no need to build a city wall here.
Tai Luoji has been serving as a Guanwei here for some time, but his family's capital is not enough to allow him to continue moving forward.
Here in the frontier fortress, being an official is much easier than in the Central Plains. If you have money, you can even secretly buy a guard.
Of course, it’s limited to those in the frontier fortress.
Over the years, he has made his money back by stealing grain and fodder, extorting passers-by, reselling supplies in the county, and looting surrounding villages. However, if he wants to go further, he has to have money.
Talent works.
Just when he thought he was going to die here, he finally had a turning point.
A noble man came to him and asked him to help him with something. As long as he succeeded, he would be promoted to the rank of lieutenant in Shuozhou County.
Tai Luoji knew that this matter was dangerous, but after thinking about his future, he agreed.
He knew about Liu Taozi and Liu Shanmandrill. His evil reputation was well known in Shuoheng and other places, and no one was afraid of him.
Even so, he still felt that things would work out. There were thousands of people who came to kill him, but the opponent was only a few dozen people. Moreover, it was a sudden attack. At this moment, there was no guarantee that all those people would have fled after killing him.
Thinking that he had participated in the murder of such a big shot, Tai Luoji even felt a little proud in his heart.
I finally accomplished something big!
At this moment, a group of people and horses slowly appeared in the distance. Tailuoji was so happy that he quickly had his horses ready and rushed out to meet them.
"Murong."
Tai Luoji suddenly closed his mouth, widened his eyes, and looked at the dozens of people in the distance.
The oncoming people were not the ones he sent out a few days ago. The leaders were people he had seen before.
Liu Shanmandrill.
Tai Luoji's face turned pale, and he froze in place, motionless.
Liu Taozi just walked up to him.
"Want to die or live?"
Tailuoji trembled for a moment, then suddenly felt relieved.
"Want to die."
“Puch!!”
The head flew high into the sky. Liu Taozi carried the head and walked over the headless body. The group arrived at Taiping Camp.
There are more than ten soldiers here, as well as some Cangtou and Manu.
Seeing the head that Liu Taozi was holding, these people were so scared that their faces turned pale, and they all knelt on the ground and begged for mercy.
Most of them didn't know what happened, but they knew that they had definitely offended Liu Taozi to death.
Liu Taozi asked again: "Do you want to die or live?"
"Please general, please spare my life!! We all want to live!!"
Someone stood up and said.
Tian Zili glanced at Taozi, then stepped forward and asked him about everything.
Liu Taozi is going to rest here.
Tian Zili asked many people and came to Liu Taozi again.
"Brother, let me ask you clearly. Those people came here seven days ago. They don't know each other's names. They only know that Guan Wei here calls him Murong Gong."
"I asked about those heads, but they didn't recognize them either."
"It's a pity that most of the thieves ran away. If only some of them could be captured alive."
"No problem, let's find out who are Guan Wei's cronies, kill them all, and then select one of them who has the ability to convince the public and temporarily serve as Guan Wei."
Tian Zili was silent for a moment, "Brother, this place is not under our jurisdiction, you cannot express your gratitude to the officials here."
"Just do as you're told."
"only."
Tian Zili went to take care of it, while Yao Xiong ate the dried meat and said with a smile: "Brother, these thieves are not even as good as the Xiren, how dare they attack? If this is what they call elites, then our auxiliary soldiers
He can be considered an elite soldier!"
Kou Liu said coldly: "Don't be careless. These people are obviously servants and private slaves. They are not elites at all. It was the thief general who was careless and led them to run wildly in the wind and snow, regardless of the direction of the wind. He wanted to break through but failed.
He was killed by his brother again with a single blow. If it had been someone else, I'm afraid he wouldn't have been able to win so easily."
"If you go further in, you won't be a servant anymore."
Chapter completed!