Sang Yi occupied Qiyuan Prefecture, which seemed to have ignited the area between Zuojiang and Youjiang.∮

Bozhou, who had been pretending to be dead, first reacted and sent troops to attack Jinlongdong and Luoyoudong. He was no longer the same as he was so scared that he was so scared that he was in the city and did not dare to come out by hundreds of people in Guangyuanzhou.

Tianzhou reacted slightly slowly, but Hengshanzhai was in his heart behind him and had a greater movement. He went up the Longxu River and headed straight to Wuedong. Wuedong was deep in the mountains and was already the core area of ​​Guangyuanzhou's power.

Seeing that it was about to be out of control, Nong Cunfu had to send his son, King Nong Zhicong, to bring 3,000 local soldiers, claiming to be 20,000, and hurriedly took back Qiyuanzhou.

The chaos of various news in the mountains was far beyond Xu Ping's expectations. If he hadn't had he sorted out the source of information and had special personnel analysis, he would have been so shady just by inquiring about the news.

Sang Yi set out from the states and the number of the ten commanders was clear. Although Xu Ping also blocked the news, he had no hope for the effect. As long as he was determined, no matter whether it was the approximate number of people or the flag, even if he was lying in a place to make time, he could roughly calculate the ten commanders.

The fact surprised Xu Ping. Starting from Sang Yi, all kinds of rumors were flying all over the sky. Some said that only one or two thousand people were dispatched because the cavalry troops were still in the state and were swaying everywhere. Everyone could see them. Some said that seven or eight thousand people had left the city for more than a day. The most exaggerated thing was that there were 50,000 troops. If anyone dared to question, he would be sprayed with spit on his face. The court, few tens of thousands of people dared to call the imperial army?

In fact, the real dispatch was five thousand war soldiers and ten thousand civilians, but no one could guess the number correctly.

People are so strange. Among the people who are bragging outside, there are obviously local officials who were conscripted to be civil servants in wars. Now when they talk, they just skipped the civil servants and ignored them.

In this chaos, there was no accurate news in Guangyuanzhou, so I could only guess according to my own guess. First, Xu Ping himself did not have many soldiers, and he was divided into some of them in the face of Jiaozhi. In addition, the mountain road was difficult to walk. After thinking about it, it would be good to have two or three thousand soldiers in the Song Dynasty in Qiyuanzhou. This estimate is reasonable. Two or three thousand troops were barely enough to attack Guangyuanzhou, because there were still many surrounding resident states who were interested in the court, which was just a bit risky.

It is precisely based on this understanding that Nong Zhicong brought 3,000 local soldiers to Qiyuan Prefecture to fight. In addition, the forces that were originally attached to the Nong family around him could gather four or five thousand people to the place.

Although the direction of Guangyuanzhou was full of troubles, the general trend did not exceed Xu Ping's estimate, so I felt relieved.

Since that day, Jia Jirong came to the door, Xu Ping stepped up his troops to concentrate his troops towards Menzhou, and at the same time clearly told Han Zong and Duan Fang that once the battle with Jiaozhi begins, including Luzhou and Siling Prefecture, the prefectures and caves south of Mingjiang will temporarily give up. Let them prepare for the withdrawal of personnel and materials, and strengthen the defense of the Mingjiang front line.

In mountain combat, the core is the basin, the key point is the valley entrance, and ensuring the smooth flow of the river and valley roads. The areas around Luzhou and Siling Prefecture seem to be vast, but they are all continuous mountains. There is only a narrow and difficult river valley to Mingjiang. There is nearly 200 miles of unsupplemented place. It has little military value and there is no need to waste resources there.

When the defense line retreated to Mingjiang, the Five Hundred Fang Army cooperated with local rural soldiers to kill the defense in that area, and to defend Luzhou, even the front line and logistics were not enough to see ten times more manpower.

What Xu Ping lacks now is manpower, and he would rather give up part of his territory temporarily in exchange for a local military advantage.

Faced with military pressure, Jiadong finally learned to know the current affairs. After Jia Jirong returned one day, he asked someone to bring a letter to the state. In a few days, Laba Festival will be sent back to Ashen. The letter also made it clear that the reason for delaying these few days is not that Jiadong has any thoughts, but that Ashen is too ill and cannot move for a while. Furthermore, according to Buddhism, Laba is the day when the Buddha attained enlightenment. There are many people who believe in Buddhism in this area, so I have auspicious benefits.

In Ningming Town, Duan Fangzheng and his men built a temporary thatched hut by the river outside the town.

This is for refugees who came out of the mountains when the war started, because no matter how they persuaded them, without real swords and guns on their necks, there were always people who were reluctant to take a step forward. When the Jiaozhi soldiers came in, these people would inevitably rush out of the mountains and cause trouble to the local area.

According to Xu Ping, this is the time to win the hearts of the people. Building a pass can protect the past hundred years, while having a pass can protect the hearts of the people. Of course, Xu Ping emphasized the latter point. Putting aside the struggle for the hearts of the people, building and planning the residences of these refugees in advance, and stuffing them in as soon as they come, the energy consumed will definitely be much easier than when facing the crowds of people at that time.

After following Xu Ping for a few years, Duan Fang and Han Zong now understand this truth.

At this moment, a man rushed over and saluted Duan Fang: "The magistrate, please ask someone to bring a letter from Pingxiangdong to let you rush there as soon as possible!"

"Oh, did you say anything? How fast is it as soon as possible?"

The officer thought for a while before saying, "It seems to be a matter of an official, and he said he was just arriving before Laba."

Duan Fang smiled and said, "It's only a day to get to Pingxiangdong. There are still several days left. I was shocked by you. Is there anything else?"

"The person who sent the letter just now seemed very anxious. He said he would send the letter to Taiping County, and he also said it was a family matter for the official. I think the young lady from the official's family would come over, so it would be better to wait together."

Duan Fang agreed casually, waved his hand to let the officer go, and stood there in a daze.

Duan Fang certainly understood the unexplained relationship between Xu Ping and Duan Yunjie, but due to his own experience, Duan Fang did not interfere, and his daughter's affairs were decided by his daughter.

Duan Fang’s impression is that Xu Ping is a sensible person who can understand his attitude and should not come to him for his daughter’s affairs.

It has nothing to do with his daughter Duan Yunjie, so what family affairs do he have?

Looking south, the green mountains are endless, like tents, covering the charm of the mountains. From there, the river comes, bringing the breath of the land there, it merges into the Ming River, into the Zuo River, into the Yu River, and flows all the way to the sea.

The mountains can be seen and the water can be touched, but the people there are like they are in another world.

Are you finally going to meet again? Duan Fang looked at the mountains and rivers with a blurred eyes. For more than ten years, he has been thinking about reunion all the time. But he has never thought about what reunion looks like. Can it still be like before?

The water in Mingjiang is very clear, reflecting Duan Fang's shadow.

The temples under the head were already gray. The wrinkles on the face, which was full of vicissitudes of life, even the eyes began to appear a little cloudy, and there was no place that looked old.

This is who I am today? Duan Fang closed his eyes. Over the past ten years, the world has only been a moment. The trees have not yet grown up, and the mountains are still evergreen, but he seems to have changed.

Back then, I was gentle as jade, and I spoke in a beautiful mouth. I also climbed the tower to look at the moon and guided the country. I also saw the emperor in the Golden Palace and outside the Donghua Gate and other famous names. Is it worth it for just a woman, and it has become like this for more than ten years?

There are many things in the world that we feel are not worth it, but we still do it without any regrets.

I wonder what Ashen would be like? I hope she will remain as beautiful as a girl, and her appearance will not change. Women cannot compare to men. They will feel sad even if they bloom and fall, let alone the beauty will no longer be there.

As for Duan Fang's heart, Ashen is just that Ashen, no matter what she becomes.

In winter days, the always turbulent Siling River also calmed down and flowed into the Ming River. Siling River came from the other side of the mountain, and I wonder if it brought someone's longing there.

On the eighth day of the twelfth month, Jia Jirong followed the Lord Ding Dong from Wu'ezhou back to the official hall of the yamen, and asked the servants to serve tea. He said to Lord Ding Dong: "Thank you for your hard work from afar, please invite tea!"

Lord Ding Dong drank the tea and smacked his lips and said, "Good tea, it tastes a bit!"

Jia Jirong smiled and said, "This is the best tea I bought from Yongzhou. If the Lord of the Cave likes it, he will bring a cage when he leaves. There are no other things here, but they are close to the Song Dynasty, and there are some strange things."

Lord Ding Dong thanked him and said, "Those Han people will make some weird toys and cheat us barbarians of money. But the wine and tea are really good, and I also asked someone to buy it and enjoy it. It is not comparable to our Jiaozhi flavor."

The two of them were kinder, and Jia Jirong asked the Lord Ding: "I wonder how many soldiers the Lord of the Lord brought this time?"

"I have brought all the more than 800 people with me! I dare not do my best to do what the emperor ordered? Besides, I have a quarrel with the Song Dynasty, this is a beautiful thing for many years!"

Lord Ding Dong said with great enthusiasm, but Jia Jirong smiled reluctantly.

If more than 800 people were able to rush in the mountains before, at least Shixizhou could still fight in the Silingzhou in the Song Dynasty. Now, can you stop a charge from the cavalry of the Menzhou? It was Meicha, who was the past. Now Jiadong wants to die.

Jia Jirong only hoped that the more people came, the better. He did not say it out loud, and said to Lord Ding Dong: "Lord Dong will do his best to help you, and we will remember it in our hearts and accept it later!"

Lord Ding Dong waved his hand: "Don't tell me about these false things. Your Jiadong is close to the Song Dynasty, and you have also learned the bad habits of the Han people and your speech is in vague! Just tell me, how many soldiers and horses are there in the opposite Song army this time, how many people are there in your Jiadong, and see how much effort we have to put in!"

Jia Jirong smiled and said, "It's still the Lord of the Dong, so I have something to say. In the area opposite Menzhou, as far as we know, there were 500 new Zhongrui Army commanders last year, all of which were cavalry. Others should be mixed with some wing troops, which are not established, and they probably will have nearly a thousand."

Lord Ding Dong kept his body: "That's just a few people?"

"Of course it's more than 200 people in Luzhou on the other side. I heard that some have been added recently, and there should be four or five hundred people."

Seeing that Jia Ji stopped talking, Lord Ding Dong stared and said, "What's the matter?"

"There's nothing more, there are just so many. Others are the village soldiers of Sucrose Affairs. Some of them retreated from the Xiang army and should not be underestimated."

When Lord Ding Dong heard this, he couldn't help but stand up: "There are only a thousand people, your Jiadong is blowing like the Song army is going to attack Shenglong Mansion. What do you want to do? If your Jiadong is not good, I don't believe that you can't get two or three thousand people! If you fight one, you will be rich!"

Jia Jirong sighed: "Lord Dong, that's not what he said. The Song army still has nearly 10,000 people who attacked Guangyuanzhou! Looking back, most of us are not enough for them to eat!"

"Wow, Yanei, don't say these shadowless words to scare me, a rough man! Not to mention how many people the Song army went to Guangyuanzhou, nor how many people were victorious or defeated. They just won. How many people can come back alive? Don't forget that we attacked Guangyuanzhou last year, but there were nearly 30,000 people, and how many people came back alive in the end!"

Of course, Jia Jirong would not argue with Lord Ding Dong. The more he felt that the enemy was weaker, the better. He was scared away before he could get Jia Dong.

Seeing that Jia Jirong didn't say anything, Lord Ding Dong said again: "Yanei hasn't said how many people Jia Dong has recruited. It's better to tell me that I can have a clear idea."

Jia Jirong said: "To be honest, in Jiadong, anyone who can use swords and guns will gather together, and there are more than 8,000 people in total. However, only four or five thousand people can actually join the battle formation."

Hearing this, Lord Ding Dong looked at Jia Jirong as if he was looking at a monster: "So many soldiers, are you still afraid that the Song Dynasty will beat you? He even asked us to help guard it? Yanei, you are really good at joking!"

"Lord of the cave, this time the Song army is unusual. It was a few days ago when the troops arrived at the city of Liangzhou, so you should not be underestimated!"

"Which Liangzhou? You are talking about the Liangzhou in the north of Qiongqi Hebei! Li Qingcheng is the prefect of the Song Dynasty. How could he have the same heart as us Jiaozhi people? The troops are at the city. I think it is him who will perform a scene with the Song army opposite for you to scare people!"

"Why did Lord Dong say that? Li Zhizhou's eldest son is in Shenglong Mansion, and the child is in me. He dared to do such a thing after eating Xiongxin Leopard!"

Lord Ding Dong snorted coldly, expressing his disdain for Jia Jirong's statement. As the Lord of Yidong, when did he value his children so much? Li Qingcheng was only in his forties and could be reborn if his son was gone, but he just couldn't give birth to someone else and raise him. What's wrong with the people in the mountains?

Having said this, if both sides don’t have any speculation, there is nothing to say.

After drinking tea with his head down for a while, Lord Ding Dong asked Jia Jirong again: "By the way, when I came, I saw a car here heading towards Menzhou. Who is the person in that car? You are not colluding with Song Jun, right?"

"Lord Ding Dong, don't talk nonsense!" Jia Jirong slapped the teacup heavily on the table. "The one in the car was a woman who was brought here by a Song Dynasty barbarian two years ago, named Ashen. Because she had been in poor health since she arrived here, she was delayed until now to go back."

"That Ashen? Didn't you say that your Jiadong is going to be dedicated to the Lord? You actually put her back!"

Jia Jirong looked at Lord Ding Dong and said coldly: "The Lord is my father-in-law of Mount Tai. Lord Ding Dong is good at his mouth and don't spread rumors everywhere!"

Seeing that Jia Jirong's face changed, Lord Ding Dong remembered that he married a princess and had a close relationship with the emperor. If he hadn't been asking for help now, he wouldn't have been so polite to him and his attitude would have been restrained.

The sun slid across the middle sky and hung on the western sky, like a guide lantern.

Ashen asked the pear blossoms to roll up the curtains of the car and looked at the farmland and bamboo forest outside the car, the leisurely shepherds and cows.

"My wife, there is Menzhou in front of you." Lihua said softly.

"Yeah." Ashen nodded and looked at the view outside the car.

(I was drowsy. I don’t know if it was because of a fever or taking too much medicine. After writing this chapter, I felt like I was about to become an immortal, and I was almost hallucinating. Today, I can’t hold on anymore. I have to go to bed early. I hope I will be well tomorrow. Readers are sorry.) (To be continued.)
Chapter completed!