The hall became quiet for a while, and Rong Zhen turned around and asked:
"Ouyang Lianghan, what are you thinking about?"
Ouyang Rong raised his head and seemed to have come to his senses:
"In the case of Hukou County, it was normal for those water thieves to take advantage of Duan Quanwu's leadership and launch a counterattack. But what's strange is why the remaining soldiers were so easily conquered by them, and in turn occupied Hukou County.
.
"The water thieves have never been able to capture the town of Hukou County several times before, but this time they were completely destroyed. Don't you think it's strange?"
Rong Zhen also nodded thoughtfully:
"It makes sense."
Ouyang Rong continued to ask:
"How many soldiers did Duan Quanwu leave in Hukou County before he left? How many were taken away."
"Leave three hundred armor and take away three hundred armor."
"Are they all the elite White Tiger Guards?"
"Absolutely. There used to be six hundred armors over there, and the most elite three hundred armors were direct descendants. Duan Quanwu brought them back. Although the remaining three hundred armors are not the most elite, they are good enough and are standard White Tiger Guards.
"
Ouyang Rong nodded lightly and said:
"That's right. Even the three hundred normal White Tiger Guards were strong enough to easily wipe out two mid-level Qi Refiner rebels. However, they were still directly annihilated by the counterattack of these water thieves. Water
The strength of the thieves cannot be underestimated. Judging from the results, the combat power of the three hundred soldiers left behind is far inferior to theirs."
In Ouyang Rong's impression, the three hundred White Tiger Guards were indeed very intimidating, so he was a little surprised when he just learned the news about Hukou County. He remembered that Ouyang Rong had used Qin Yanqing's three hundred Xuanwu Guards to defeat the entire army.
Xunyang City's anti-thief spies in Tiannan Jianghu were all cleaned up. In terms of combat power alone, in terms of the positioning of the imperial guards in the north and south of the imperial court, the White Tiger Guard was even better than the Xuanwu Guard.
Ouyang Rong knew very well that once an organic military machine like this, specifically targeting Qi Refiners, was activated, three hundred people would be enough to detour the mid-level Qi Refiners, but now they were crushed by the enemy.
It's definitely not normal if you push it through.
Rong Zhen seconded:
"That's right. However, Quanwu's people had discovered Qi Refiners among these water thieves before and reported them. However, they did not expect that they were quite capable. There may be reinforcements. It is impossible to say that Yunmeng Jianze's female
The lady of Junyue is hiding inside."
She frowned and said:
"As for why Duan Quanwu's people just left and then counterattacked, is there a possibility? It's a coincidence. Duan Quanwu had long ago mentioned that he would bring his troops back on the day of the celebration, and today is the day of the Buddha's celebration.
It is the day when the rebels in Tiannan Jianghu are most likely to take action."
Ouyang Rong tilted his head: "What do you mean?"
"It means that this group of rebels not only wants to counterattack, but they were originally planning to take down Duan Quanwu and all the armored soldiers in one go. They have mobilized enough manpower from the rebels in Tiannan Jianghu and are ready. However, Duan Quanwu happened to bring half of the armored men with him.
The soldiers left and just missed, so we didn't catch them all."
Ouyang Rong thought for a while and nodded: "It is possible."
He looked in the direction outside the door and asked:
"Where are Duan Quanwu and the others?"
"I received them at Shuangfengjian Ferry and ordered him to immediately take the soldiers back to Xunyang Grottoes to set up defenses."
"Yeah." Ouyang Rong had a look of contemplation on his face, mainly because he thought of Wang Caozhi, Lu Ya and others who were sent there.
Duan Quanwu has come back. Not to mention Wang Caozhi, Lu Ya should have followed Duan Quanwu back. Until now, he has not returned to the palace to protect the prince. He is a little late. I don't know what happened.
I wonder if the two of them encountered the group of water thieves who occupied Hukou County? If so, something might be wrong.
However, it is also possible that they left before the water thieves took over Hukou County and did not hit the water thieves behind who counterattacked.
While Ouyang Rong was thinking quickly, Rong Zhen asked coldly:
"Ouyang Lianghan, what do you think these water thieves are planning to do? Where will they attack after approaching Xunyang City?"
Ouyang Rong pondered:
"Now that they have the government's big ships, they can fight on the water. After arriving in Xunyang, there are only two ways to attack the Buddha.
"One is to land at Shuangfengjian Ferry in a regular manner, occupy the south bank of Shuangfengjian where the ferry is located, establish a foothold, cut off the connection between Xunyang City and Xunyang Grottoes, and isolate the giant Buddha in the main grotto on the north bank from the ones we left behind.
Strength, start to attack.
"One is to take control of the official ship, instead of going to the ferry, turn directly and sail from the fork of the Yangtze River into the Shuangfengjian Waterway. In this way, you can not only forcefully land at the main grotto on the north bank, but also park on the waterway for water battles and attack the shore.
Beside the Big Buddha and the crowd.”
Rong Zhen nodded slowly: "It's similar to what I thought. Which one do you think is more likely?"
Ouyang Rong said bluntly:
"Looking at their manpower, if they have already gathered manpower in Hukou County, naturally the second option is the most suitable, and they can make a thunderous strike.
"If everyone is not here yet, then the former method is adopted. Then the landing of these water thieves on the south bank will be used to tear open the gap in Shuangfeng Peak's always impregnable defense. They are waiting for the rebel thieves from Tiannan Jianghu to gather, and then
Attack the giant Buddha on the north bank and slowly map it out."
Rong Zhen looked admiring and nodded heavily:
"Okay, let's make two preparations first. For these two plans, we have to formulate defensive counterattack methods."
She frowned and glanced at the sky outside, urging:
"Ouyang Lianghan, it's getting late. Don't delay here yet. Go back to Xunyang Grottoes with me to prepare for the situation."
Ouyang Rong looked calmly and nodded:
"That's okay, but I have to inform the prince first."
Rong Zhen asked directly:
"Will the prince go today?"
Ouyang Rong pondered: "If it is not necessary, stay in the city. It is best not to let the prince take risks."
The girl in palace clothes nodded: "I think so too, just let Li Congshan, Miaozhen and the others protect the palace."
Ouyang Rong stood up and went out without comment.
"Please wait a moment, Nu Shi."
"Please come back soon."
"Um."
As soon as Ouyang Rong walked outside, he saw the figure of Yan Liulang, who was waiting on the corridor not far away, probably waiting for the conversation between Ouyang Rong and Rong Zhen to end.
Ouyang Rong breathed a sigh of relief.
In fact, the so-called notification to the prince was just to delay time. He wanted to delay further to verify the information, but he could not tell Rong Zhen clearly.
Before Ouyang Rong went to the study to meet Li Xian's family, he took Yan Liulang to a nearby garden space.
With a calm expression, he asked:
"Why is it so urgent?"
"The Ming Mansion is in trouble, over there in Hukou County..."
Yan Liulang was anxious and reported the latest information from Hukou County through government channels, including the group of water thieves who had boarded the ship and came down the river. The location of the ship they hijacked was uncertain, and they did not know when they would arrive in Xunyang...
…
After hearing this, Ouyang Rong didn't look surprised at all. After all, he had just heard about it from Rong Zhen, and now he was more about checking for omissions and filling in the gaps.
Yan Liulang asked curiously: "Mingfu already knows?"
Ouyang Rong nodded and asked again:
"Have there been any news from the people watching over Xunyangdu that Director Lu is back?"
Yan Liulang shook his head:
"No, but Wang Caozhi sent a few of his cronies back, saying that they were replacing Taoist Master Lu Ya and followed Duan Quanwu and his party by boat along the waterway..."
"What about Lu Ya? You won't be back today?"
"I'm back, but before I left yesterday morning, I was called by Wang Caozhi to help. I might have to arrive later."
Hearing this, Ouyang Rong lowered his eyes and said nothing, feeling slightly relieved.
Although Lu Ya didn't come back, at least he was with Wang Caozhi. The latter's safety was guaranteed. Even if Hukou County was captured, he should be able to escape.
Ouyang Rong still trusts Lu Ya's strength.
Ouyang Rong suddenly raised his head:
"Go to the governor's office to get my governor's seal. I'll wait for you here and come back soon."
"Yes, Mingfu."
Yan Liulang left like a whirlwind, Ouyang Rong turned around and continued to the study.
In the back garden, in the study.
The Li Xian family has been waiting for a long time.
After Ouyang Rong arrived, he directly repeated the news revealed by Rong Zhen and Yan Liulang.
"Did Rong Zhen send that secret letter?"
Xie Lingjiang asked first.
Ouyang Rong shook his head: "I'm not sure yet, she didn't answer my call."
Li Guo'er said: "Since she is anonymous, she just doesn't want us to know her identity."
Li Xian asked: "Tan Lang, the Great Buddha is in crisis, what should our palace do?"
Ouyang Rong was quiet for a while, then took out the secret letter again, lowered his head and looked at it.
If not on the table, then on the recipe...
For some reason, every time he read this letter, he felt like he was being spied on, which was a very bad feeling.
Li Guoer asked directly:
"Should we help with the matter about the Big Buddha? It seems that these water thieves from Tiannan Jianghu are likely to take action today. If we help, they may take revenge. Ouyang Lianghan, are you sure Rong Zhen can stop him today?"
?”
Ouyang Rong did not answer and said softly: "I wrote a letter a few days ago and went to the Chinese army camp on the front line."
Li Guo'er couldn't help but glance at him.
The two looked at each other from a distance.
Li Guo'er raised his eyebrows and didn't ask Qin Jingqin whether the reinforcements were coming to rescue the Buddha or the palace to pick up people and run away.
She asked again: "By the way, where is Lu Ya? Why hasn't he come back yet?"
Ouyang Rong shook his head: "It should be soon."
Li Xian looked worried, looked at his youngest daughter and Tan Lang, and asked:
"Are these backup plans prepared by Tan Lang ready for the Great Buddha to be captured?"
Ouyang Rong nodded and shook his head.
Xie Lingjiang grabbed his sleeves and said:
"Otherwise, senior brother, don't go to Xunyang Grottoes. We won't get involved."
Ouyang Rong gestured to the secret message in his hand and said seriously:
"Sometimes, we are afraid that if we don't take action against others, others will take action against us. If we don't go to the table, we will serve the recipe. We can't place our hopes entirely on other people's victory or defeat. Let others decide and control the situation."
"What's the meaning?"
Ouyang Rong did not explain, pursed his lips, and then said:
"I am the governor of Jiangzhou. I cannot go without this trip. I need to host the celebration. In addition, there will be an old man playing the piano at the main grotto today. The music I play is what I need. This will probably be the last time I hear it.
No matter what, I have to go over and have a look."
Everyone wanted to speak but stopped.
Ouyang Rong said to Wei Mei calmly:
"The ice cubes in the ice drinking room will be sent over in the morning. Well, let's just treat it as the last batch of ice cubes."
Wei Mei was stunned when she heard this and looked at Xie Lingjiang.
After hearing the words "the last batch", Xie Ling Jiang Ningmei asked:
"Elder brother, are you sure?"
The two of them seemed to be talking to each other in secret words.
Ouyang Rong nodded lightly:
"But don't move yet. Wait until Li Congshan and others leave the palace before going to drink ice."
When they heard the word "drink ice", everyone looked strangely in their eyes.
After a while, Li Guo'er got up and left first, and Li Xian and others also started to move and prepare themselves.
Xie Lingjiang accompanied Wei Mei out, preparing to receive the last batch of ice cubes from the ice drinking room.
Before Ouyang Rong left, he took paper, ink, pen and inkstone and asked for a warrant from Li Xian, who truthfully handled it.
Before going out, Ouyang Rong calmly walked to the table, took some extra paper, ink and pen, and stuffed them into his sleeves regardless of getting ink on them.
As soon as he walked out of the study, he saw the figure of Yan Liulang, who had already returned with the seal.
Ouyang Rong walked over, took the governor's seal from his hand, took out the pen and paper he carried with him, wrote a handwritten letter, stamped it with a big seal, and handed it to Yan Liulang.
He seemed to have issued a rather strange warrant. After Yan Liulang read it, he was a little stunned.
However, Ouyang Rong had already strode away. Without any further words, Yan Liulang respectfully clasped his fists at his back:
"As commanded."
Ouyang Rong returned to the hall with his hands full, found Rong Zhen, and said straight to the point:
"The prince is unwell and can't go for the time being. Let's go."
"good."
Rong Zhen is neat and tidy.
Ouyang Rong suddenly suggested:
"But the prince has a suggestion. He is going to let Li Congshan and Miaozhen take the three hundred soldiers from the palace to protect the giant Buddha. This can be regarded as the palace's contribution to the giant Buddha."
Rong Zhen asked: "What should we do here at the palace? Take time to defend yourself, just in case something happens to the prince and the prince..."
Ouyang Rong interrupted: "Nothing, there are some security measures in the palace, the prince told us not to worry."
Rong Zhen looked hesitant for a moment, Ouyang Rong took out two things from his sleeves to indicate, nodded and said:
"This is the prince's personal order, and this is my official's seal. If anything happens, I will be the one to bear the responsibility. I just need to allow the real female historian to acquiesce. All she needs to do is nod her head."
Rong Zhen was quiet for a while and looked at Ouyang Rong, who looked at her calmly.
"good."
Rong Zhen's head was a little heavier and he immediately stopped writing. He also wrote a letter in handwriting and handed it to Ouyang Rong.
Ouyang Rong nodded, holding the Li Xian warrant, the Jiangzhou governor's seal and the Rong Zhen warrant, the three-party printed book, and handed it directly to Li Congshan who was patrolling in the mansion.
"This is..." Li Congshan was surprised.
"General Li, do as you wish."
Li Congshan hesitated for a moment, turned around with fists clasped, and went to mobilize people to leave the house and rush to the rescue of the Buddha.
With the agreement of these three parties, even if Li Congshan and Miaozhen have some objections, they must follow it honestly.
Ouyang Rong and Rong Zhen did not wait for Li Congshan. Miaozhen and the others had finished mobilizing their troops and took the lead.
The two of them quickly set off to Xunyang Grottoes.
…
The entrance of Prince Xunyang's Mansion.
It was about a quarter of an hour before Ouyang Rong and Rong Zhen left.
A luxurious car slowly stopped in front of the palace.
A silver-haired girl got out of the car and took a look at the scene in the palace. She found that people were coming and going in the palace, as if they were mobilizing troops. She frowned a little, grabbed a palace maid, whispered a few words, and informed the palace maid to enter.
Not long after, Li Dalang hurried out and came over.
"Miss Ye?" he asked in surprise.
Ye Weilai turned her back to the quiet luxury car at the rear and whispered a few words to Li Dalang.
Li Dalang immediately shook his head, pointed in the direction of the peaks of the twin peaks outside the city, and spoke several times. Ye Weilai was stunned for a moment, saluted and thanked her, then turned around and returned to the carriage. She said to Zhao Qingxiu, who had a serious and waiting expression:
"Sister Xiu Niang, urgent news came from Shuangfengjian early in the morning. Tan Lang passed by early. I don't think I have time during the day today. He has to host the celebration..."
Inside the carriage, Zhao Qingxiu raised her head, her face dazed, and she didn't know if she heard anything.
But when she heard the word celebration, she swayed slightly.
Ye Weilai said a few words of comfort and ordered the carriage to return to the Huaiye Lane mansion.
Just before leaving, Li Dalang specifically told them to return to Huaiye Lane quickly and not to move around for the time being, as there might be danger in the city.
After sending Zhao Qingxiu back to Yin Bingzhai, Ye Weila went to find Zhen Shuyuan.
But what Ye Weilai didn't know was that not long after he left, the Yinbingzhai became empty.
A certain slender figure has disappeared.
The long cloth bag I carried with me is also gone...
About half an hour later, on an official road outside the city, Zhao Qingxiu's light figure quickly swept towards the peaks of the two peaks.
There was a faint look of worry on her little face, as if she was afraid that if it was too late, Tanlang would run into the senior sisters...
Chapter completed!