Chapter 347 Chapter 4 The Enemy Meets

The two warships caught up from behind and advanced side by side with the passenger ship in Yishuijian. When Kou Zhong, Xu Ziling and Tu Li rushed to the deck, Li Jing was missing.The warship holding the passenger ship in the middle was not in a tense situation, but only ordered the passenger ship to sail slowly. The boatmen were silent and obeyed. The gang leader who was in charge of the passenger boat came behind the three of them and whispered: "This is Yang Shuai's boat." The three looked at the flag on the mast of the ship, and Yang Gongqing strode out from the cabin, he laughed and said: "The three of you are passing by, how can you not let Yang show his kindness as a landlord."

Kou Zhong was overjoyed and said: "Mr. Yang, don't come here without any harm." He raised his breath and threw himself into Yang Gongqing's boat, Xu Ziling and Tuli had to follow closely behind. The warship speeded up and left the passenger ship behind in a blink of an eye. After exchanging pleasantries, Yang Gongqing said with a smile: "My lord has heard that you are coming from the south, so I don't know how anxiously I have been waiting." Kou Zhong responded casually: "Are you worried that we are still alive?" Yang Gongqing said with a wry smile: "Young commander, don't misunderstand, let's talk in the cabin."

Stepping into the cabin door, Yang Gongqing immediately backed away from the left and right. After sitting down, Yang Gongqing's smile disappeared.He snorted coldly and said: "Wang Shichong has people but can't use them. He only knows how to enshrine his relatives and employ people for his own sake. He has let down the great advantages that the young marshal managed for him. Now that the Li family is ready to attack eastward at any time, of course he will remember all the benefits of the young marshal. .” Kou Zhong didn't expect Yang Gongqing to be so affectionate and righteous to them, so he confessed frankly, raised his glass and said, "I respect Yang Gongqing."

Tu Li also raised his glass and said: "Yang Gongqing is really a good man, Wang Shichong has Yang Gong and doesn't know how to treat him well, so he is destined to end badly." The four drank together with a bang, each with their own feelings. Tu Li said: "If Tang soldiers come to attack immediately, what do you think the chances of victory will be?" Yang Gongqing resolutely said: "Unless Li Shimin is personally in command and supervises the division, there is still a chance of success, otherwise the Tang army will retreat without success." The three of them were moved.

Kou Zhong frowned and said, "Mr. Yang is inconsistent. I just said that Wang Shichong will suffer the consequences because he doesn't know how to use people. Now he is spreading his weight so much." Yang Gongqing said: "What I mean is that Wang Shichong missed the opportunity. If he is willing to entrust the young commander with a heavy responsibility, he will take advantage of Xue Ju and his son's attack on the back of the Tang army while he has received a large number of soldiers, generals, armor and horses from the Wagang army. In the process of breaking through the barriers, the Li Clan was attacked by enemies. Maybe he could take advantage of the momentum to conquer Chang'an. Unfortunately, he was too jealous of talents, and only wanted to consolidate the results of the battle. When Xue Ju and his son were defeated by Li Shimin, it was too late for regret. Lao Zhang and I treated him Can't you be disheartened?"

Lao Zhang is Zhang Zhenzhou, another general of Wang Shichong, who got along well with Kou Zhong. Also, hearing Yang Gongqing call Wang Shichong's name directly without respect, it is known that the relationship between him and Wang Shichong is so bad that it is difficult to mend. Xu Ziling wondered: "Now that the Li clan is very powerful, and there is no need to worry about the west, why does Yang Gong still believe that Wang Shichong has the strength to resist the Tang Dynasty?" Yang Gongqing said: "Although the Tang army is prosperous, Wang Shichong recently surrendered more than 100,000 troops in Wagang, including Shan Xiongxin, Qin Shubao, Cheng Zhijie, etc., all of whom are rare generals. The most important thing is that Luoyang is a strong city in the world. , easy to defend, and equipped with flying stone cannons and strong bows and arrows capable of shooting 500 paces, the guards in the city are all guarded by Wang Shichong's relatives, how can the Tang army easily attack if they want to attack."

Kou Zhong smiled wryly and said: "From my point of view, it's not the case, alas! Does Wang Shichong really want to see me? Isn't it just another plan to kill me?" Yang Gongqing said: "It shouldn't be. Now he is most worried about Tang Jundong coming. He once personally told me and Lao Zhangli that he would never harm the young commander. Otherwise, how could I, Yang Gongqing, accompany him to do such despicable and shameless things?" trick." Kou Zhong said confidently: "As long as he is willing to listen to what I have to say, he will not dare to touch even a hair of my hair."

Xu Ziling asked, "Where is Qin Shubao under his eyes?" Yang Gongqing replied: "He should be in Luoyang." Kou Zhong said with a smile: "Finally we are going to meet up with our old friends." Looking at Tuli's shoulder with one hand, he winked and said with a smile: "Maybe I can get a sedan chair for eight people, and teach people to play gongs and drums to send Khan back to his hometown. Ha!" The two warships were moored at the pier outside Luoyang City, and Yang Gongqing sent someone to report to Wang Shichong, telling him to come out of the city to meet them.This is the action of Yang Gongqing and Kou Zhong after careful consideration, otherwise, if Wang Shichong breaks his promise and "enters the city by mistake", it will be difficult to get out.

When Xu Ziling and Tuli went to the cabin to enjoy the magnificent cityscape of Dongdu in the sunset, Kou Zhong couldn't help asking Yang Gongqing about Li Xiuning. Of course, Yang Gongqing didn't know his relationship with Li Xiuning, and thought he wanted to know the situation inside and outside the pass, and sighed: "So I asked you to come at the right time, otherwise Wang Shichong would still refuse to bow his head and admit his mistake to you. Li Xiuning made it clear that it was for The Li faction came forward to persuade us to surrender for the last time. If we refuse to surrender, the Tang army will invade in large numbers. Because of the urgency of the situation, Wang Shichong had to think of relying on you again. Otherwise, when the Tang army invaded Luoyang, you would not be able to The handsome army also took advantage of the momentum to attack, and Luoyang was in danger."

Kou Zhong raised another question, temporarily forgetting about Li Xiuning, and asked, "Isn't Dong Shuni the funeral for Li Yuan's concubine? If the two armies go to war, what will she do?" Yang Gongqing said: "Get married and obey your husband, such a situation like Shuni has existed since ancient times, what's the big deal. I heard that Li Yuan's love for Shuni is not lower than that of the other two favorite concubines Zhang Jieshu and Yin Defei, and Li Jiancheng secretly With the support of the earth, in the Tang Palace, if you want the wind to get the wind, and the rain to get it, it doesn't matter whether the sky will fall."

Kou Zhong thought of Rong Jiaojiao because of Dong Shuni, and Rong Jiaojiao thought of Rong Fengxiang's way of dispelling dust, and said: "Has Rong Fengxiang returned to Luoyang? What is his relationship with Wang Shichong now? Yang Gongyou told Wang Shichong Rong Fengxiang Is it actually played by the old monster Qiao Chen of Laojunguan?" Back then, Bichen sent Daoist Kefeng as a spy to assist Li Mi and the Dugu Clan to assassinate Wang Shichong, and the operation almost succeeded. Yang Gongqing said angrily: "I don't know what method Rong Fengxiang used to make Prince Xuanying vigorously mediate for him. As a result, Rong Fengxiang paid a large amount of money and still maintained a good relationship with Wang Shichong. His father and daughter came back from the south three days ago. , when you see Wang Shichong, you'd better not bring it up, otherwise not only will it be very difficult for Wang Shichong to step down, but Prince Xuanying will be even more displeased." Kou Zhong smiled wryly, "No wonder their father and son lost their hearts!" Standing on the bow of the boat, Xu Ziling and Tu Lizhuo looked at the Luoyang City standing in front of them. Thinking of the turbulent process on the way, they felt a joyful feeling of going through many dangers. The setting sun scatters behind the mountains on the left, adding to the impressive scene that this great city cannot replace. Xu Ziling suddenly asked: "Are Liu Wuzhou and Song Jingang just lackeys of Jieli?" Tu Li showed disdain, and said: "It can be said that Liu Wuzhou is famous and repeated. He was the captain of Yingyang Mansion in Mayi when he was lazy. Wang Ren Gong, the prefect of Mayi, valued him very much. He promoted him with one hand. Who knows that he is not only with Ren Gong's The concubine had an affair, and when there was a famine, he slandered Rengong and refused to release food to help the hunger. After arousing public anger, he attacked and killed Rengong with the disciples of the Yingyang faction. His behavior was both unrighteous and shameful. To us, this kind of person It's best to let him make trouble in the Central Plains. Huh! Why did you ask him?" Xu Ziling said: "I just want to know their relationship with Jieli, and more importantly, whether Wang Shichong has formed an alliance with Liu Wuzhou, otherwise Khan will only step from one dangerous situation to another." Tu Li suddenly said: "Zi Ling is really careful. In order to please Liu Wuzhou, Wang Shichong, a despicable villain, will indeed betray me. Or secretly inform Liu Wuzhou to intercept me on the way, then Wang Shichong can shirk all responsibility." .” Xu Ziling said: "From Yang Gongqing's tone, we can know that Wang Shichong is still confident at present. The reason is probably Liu Wuzhou and Song Jingang. They watched from the sidelines for a day, and the Tang army did not dare to come out of the Kanto. Therefore, Wang Shichong will never do it for Kou Zhong. But to offend Liu Song and Liu Song, Liu Song dare not go against the wishes of his big backer Jieli." Tu Li said in a deep voice, "Does Ziling want to point out that this is just a trap set by Wang Shichong against me?" Xu Ziling smiled and said: "Wang Shichong will never dare to deal with you in Dongdu, because it is too uneconomical for such a stupid person to take action. It will only bring revenge from the Khan's relatives, and will become the sworn enemy of me and Kou Zhong, and will cause the generals of the headquarters to fight against you." The dissatisfaction of Yang Gongqing, Zhang Zhenzhou, etc. is harmful to him and has no benefit. The best strategy is to secretly inform Liu Wuzhou as Khan said, let them wait for an opportunity to assassinate on the way, and then come up with a bitter trick to let his side If you lose a few men, then no one will suspect him!" Tu Li sighed: "Zi Ling's head is really powerful, I think your guess is indistinguishable. That's why Wang Shichong, a traitor, came to make love with you. This will benefit us, so we can deal with it calmly. Alas! Think of each other. In adversity, it’s really hard to let go if you talk about leaving or leaving.” Xu Ziling looked at the last glimmer of the sun disappearing behind Xishan, and said calmly: "The sun and the moon go by, and personnel changes. As long as Kou Zhong and I can't die, we will get together one day. Mile!" The lights came on, and a boat sailed out from Dongdu, heading downstream towards them. Wang Shichong finally arrived after hearing the news. Accompanied by Wang Xuanying and Wang Xuanshu's two sons, Wang Shichong, an old fox, deliberately put on casual clothes and came to the boat to meet Kou Zhong and the three of them. When he met him, he pretended to be ashamed and blamed himself, blaming himself for being confused by the villain and being confused for a while, resulting in such an almost ungrateful act, and finally put all the responsibility on Li Shimin. Of course, the three of them would not expose him. After making false claims, Kou Zhong expressed that he had something to say to the three fathers and sons. After entering the cabin, the guests and hosts were seated. The Tang army is confident about sending troops to the Kanto region, so I wonder if Kou Zhong is wrong?" Before Wang Shichong could answer, Wang Xuanying said proudly: "In terms of power, the Tang army is still far behind the Wagang army. Although they can dominate in Guanzhong, they can't show their strength here. When Li Jiancheng and Li Shimin came to attack Luoyang, It’s not like returning with a disgraceful face.” Kou Zhong stared at him with wide eyes when he heard this, Wang Xuan should have completely forgotten who was relied on to defeat Li Mi that day, and he said it with arrogance, as if all the credit had been given to him. Wang Shichong was obviously a little embarrassed, he cast a reproachful glance at Wang Xuanying, and interjected, "Of course we dare not underestimate the enemy, but the Li family and Xue Ju's father and son were seriously injured in the battle, and we still don't have enough strength to attack. But we are now Prepare for battle with all your might.” Wang Xuanshu accompanied Kou Zhong to the battle against Li Mi in Yanshi in the past, he knew Kou Zhong's great achievements better than anyone else, his tender face was slightly flushed, showing shame, and he lowered his head. Wang Xuanying said in a still unsatisfied way: "Although the Li Clan no longer has any worries about the west, but wanting to destroy our eastern capital is just a fool's dream." If it wasn't for Kou Zhong who would never allow Luoyang to fall into Li Shimin's hands, he would have left without hesitation. He only hated that the eastern capital Luoyang had a great relationship with Bashu, a strategic fortress that could attack the south and control the upper reaches of the river, so he had to sit there patiently. So that he can tell his father and son his interests. While thinking about it, Wang Shichong said: "I knew Brother Kou was not a thing in the pool, but we never thought that Brother Kou could establish a world-renowned young commander in Pengliang in a short period of time, and even defeated Du Fuwei first. With Shen Faxing's coalition forces in Jiangdu, and then defeating the coalition forces of Xiao Xian, Zhu Can, and Cao Yinglong in the north of Jushui, such a record is difficult even for Li Shimin. Confused, everyone forms an alliance, so why be afraid of his mere Tang army." Kou Zhong knew well that his young generals and soldiers were few and far between, but Wang Shichong still didn't really care about him. What he valued was only his own intelligence and reputation. That day Wang Shichong tried to kill him but failed, his reputation suffered a serious blow, which made his subordinates see through his jealous nature.If he can reconcile with Kou Zhongyan, it will be of great benefit to his low reputation.In addition, there is no need to station heavy troops to defend the Eastern Front, which is beneficial and harmless.In the end, including Li Shimin, who would want to set up such terrible enemies like Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling. Kou Zhong smiled slightly and said: "On the surface, it seems that Dazheng is indeed a strong army, but if Li Shimin personally supervises the attack, the situation may not be as optimistic as Prince Xuanying imagined." Wang Xuanying flashed his anger, then suppressed his displeasure again, and asked in a calm voice, "Young commander, why did you say that?" Wang Shichong was well aware of Kou Zhong's extraordinary intelligence, and showed a look of attention. Kou Zhong said calmly: "If I were Li Shimin, I could lead a large army from Guanzhong to directly drive Henan, attack fortified positions, try to conquer the main strongholds of the eastern capital and the western front, and force you to retreat to Luoyang. Then I will use a strategy of division, Through unscrupulous coercion and lure to surrender the defenders of the cities and towns outside the Eastern Capital, how many chances does Prince Xuanying think he still has to defend Luoyang?" Wang Shichong and Wang Xuanshu's expressions changed at the same time. We must know that because of Wang Shichong's appointment of his relatives, there are many contradictions within the regime, unpopularity, and factional struggles.On the contrary, Li Shimin has always had a very good reputation, but the fact that he tolerated Li Mi has already made the world admire him.In addition, with Buddhism and Taoism behind his back, there is indeed a great opportunity to recruit a large number of eccentric generals under Wang Shichong without a single soldier.Wang Shichong wants to restore the old friendship with Kou Zhong, just to stabilize the morale of the army, so Kou Zhong's analysis hits Wang Shichong's key point. How could Wang Xuanying admit defeat, insisting: "Li Shimin won't be able to attack Dongdu in one day, and he won't be able to win this battle. When his soldiers are exhausted and the casualties are heavy, we can deploy a surprise counterattack and teach him what is easy and difficult." After a pause, he continued: "Of course, this is assuming that he can force us to retreat to Luoyang, otherwise nothing will be mentioned." Wang Xuanshu couldn't help but said: "Li Shimin is good at cavalry battle formation, and he is invincible in all battles. If we put the main force outside the city and fight him, we will use our own strengths to fight against the enemy's strengths." Wang Shichong nodded in agreement and said, "Xuan Shu is right." Then he turned to Kou Zhong and said, "However, even if the Tang army has ten times the strength of mine, it is still not easy to invade Luoyang. What does the young commander think about this?" Kou Zhong glanced at Wang Xuanshu appreciatively, and said: "Only a fool would go to conquer Luoyang. When your side retreats to Luoyang, if I were Li Shimin, I would take Yique from the south, encircle Hanoi from the north, and divide our forces to attack Luoyang and Huiluo. In the important town, the main force camped in Beiqiu Mountain, completed the encirclement of the Eastern Capital, and cut off all food supplies, leaving you in the predicament of being isolated and beaten." That day, in order to deal with Li Mi, he worked hard on the situation around Luoyang next week, and studied it repeatedly with Yang Gongqing and others, so he knew Luoyang's strengths and weaknesses very well, and even Wang Xuanying was speechless when he said it casually. Wang Shichong's face changed again, Xuan calmed down again, and said with a calm smile: "With the current strength of the Li family, it may still be difficult to achieve what the young commander said." Kou Zhong's strategy to deal with Wang Shichong is to use "intimidation". He must make him feel like the last time that disaster is imminent, so that he can turn Wang Shichong into a useful pawn against Li Shimin.Otherwise, if the eastern capital is broken, his young commander will lose all the barriers in the northwest, and will be wiped out by the Tang army at the last moment. Kou Zhongman casually said: "Does the Holy Majesty think that Li Shimin's strength is not enough to deal with the coalition forces of you and Liu Wuzhou, so he has nothing to fear?" The shocked expression on Wang Shichong's face was fleeting, and he concealed the horror in his heart with a smile, and said calmly: "I, Dazheng, and Dingyang Khan have no diplomatic relations. They are enemies and not friends. Why did the young commander guess that Liu Wuzhou and I are friends?" What about joining forces against Tang?" Seeing Wang Shichong's expression, Kou Zhong was sure that Song Jingang made a secret agreement with Wang Shichong when he came to Luoyang last time. Attacking Tang, it's a pity that he lost too quickly, making it difficult for Liu Song to cooperate. If Li Shimin comes to attack Luoyang this time, Liu Song will definitely not sit idly by, so as not to miss another opportunity, who knows that he wants to play into Li Xiaozi's arms." The three fathers and sons were listening intently, and at the last sentence, they couldn't help showing their horror. Kou Zhong didn't wait for them to have room to think, and suddenly asked nonchalantly: "After Rong Fengxiang came back with his daughter from the meeting of the Southern Chamber of Commerce, did he tell the sage Du Fuwei that he had surrendered to the Li family?" Wang Shichong finally lost his composure and said, "What?" Kou Zhong secretly heaved a sigh of relief, knowing that after exhausting his lips and tongue, and even playing tricks on his heart, he finally moved this hypocritical and despicable old fox.