Chapter 588 Chapter Eleven

Xu Ziling entered the Sichuan restaurant, Ji Qian waited for him in a remote corner with everyone on his back, the restaurant was about to close, and no late guests were accepted, only three tables were still occupied, peaceful and serene. Sitting down opposite to Ji Qian, Ji Qian's beautiful eyes drifted towards him, as if returning to her usual vitality, looking at him with interest, waiting for him to speak. Xu Ziling smiled wryly and said: "Miss, please forgive me for breaking the appointment. Because of important business, I have to leave Chang'an immediately that day, and I will not come back until dusk today."

Ji Qian held her delicate cheeks in one hand, poured tea for him lazily with the other hand, and said nonchalantly, "Is it something unspeakable again?" Xu Ziling smiled casually and said, "Miss guessed right." Ji Qian put down the teapot, smiled coquettishly, glanced at him and said, "Frankly, you have changed a lot this time. Not only did your voice sound much better, but the way you spoke looked more like two different people than before. Oh. I almost forgot to tell you, people remember who Yin Xiaoji is!" Xu Ziling was overjoyed and said, "Really?"

Ji Qian said displeased: "Am I, Ji Qian, a liar? But if I want to tell you, there is one condition." Xu Ziling knew that she would not be so docile, so he smiled and said, "My little brother is all ears." Ji Qian said word by word: "You have to tell me why you want to deal with Chi Shengchun, and then I will decide whether to participate. If what you say doesn't interest me, I won't reveal anything about Yin Xiaoji. " Xu Ziling said happily: "This request is very reasonable. If there is a chance, Ms. Ji can ask Hou Xibai if I can trust someone, and he will give Ms. a definite answer."

Ji Qian pursed her lips and smiled slightly: "Don't be nervous, if I didn't believe you at all, I wouldn't be sitting here talking to your enemy tonight, and I would ask my friend in the government to arrest you right at the gate of Ming Tang Nest instead." Then, put him in prison. If I want to know something at that time, I will torture myself." Xu Xiaoling told her that he couldn't laugh or cry, knowing that she still held a grudge, blaming himself for breaking her dream of learning extraordinary gambling skills, he shrugged and said: "Come back to business, what I want to deal with is not the one named Chi, but the one named Xiang, Miss. Getting interested, right?"

Ji Qian sat up straight, her beautiful eyes sparkled, and said softly: "Tell me first whether you are Kou Zhong or Xu Ziling. I have asked Xi Bai about you many times, but Xi Bai just smiled and said nothing, but Admit that you have had a life-threatening relationship with him." Xu Ziling understood that Ji Qian's attitude changed drastically because he mentioned Hou Xibai last time and guessed who he was.Leaning forward, meeting her expectant eyes, she said softly, "Should I say a few words about the scene in Jianghu first? For example, if you don't change your name in business or change your surname in business, then say that you are Xu Ziling."

Ji Qian couldn't help letting out a moving laugh like a silver bell, covered her mouth and glared at him and said, "Don't make people laugh, okay? I want to be serious now!" Xu Ziling sighed inwardly, Chang'an can be said to be another battlefield, but this battlefield is much more interesting than Kou Zhong's battlefield in Cijian.Is Kou Zhong looking for trouble? Ji Qian lightly waved her jade hand in front of his eyes, attracting his attention, and said, "What are you thinking about?" Xu Ziling said frankly: "I'm thinking of Kou Zhong, I hope he can still live well at this moment."

Ji Qianxi looked at him diligently and said: "You really regard him as a friend, aren't you afraid that I will harm you?" Xu Ziling said solemnly: "I never thought that Miss would harm me." Ji Qian approached him and said in a low voice: "I'll tell you a secret. They've been waiting for you outside the door of the Mingtang Nest for the past few nights, because I know you will definitely come." Xu Ziling felt inappropriate. Ji Qian smiled and said: "You really look like Xu Ziling. If I didn't know that Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling are fighting with the King of Qin in Cijian, I would have fooled you into obedience. Now! Hee hee!"

Xu Ziling was in a bad mood, Ji Qian jumped up nimbly and backed away, seven guests from three tables pulled out their weapons at the same time, snatched him up and sealed him in the corner, Xu Ziling didn't know these people, they were all faceless Kong, it seems that he should be the elder brother of Chang'an's dignitaries, and Ji Qian's admirer, who was recruited by Ji Qian to form an army. Ji Qian smiled triumphantly in the "rear area" and said: "How old are you, a liar, how dare you come to deceive this girl? If you are really Xu Ziling, show me your hands."

One of the young masters holding a sword laughed and said, "So what if it's Xu Ziling? Let us, the Seventh Master of Chang'an, let him know that there is a sky beyond the sky, and there are people beyond people. Is Chang'an a place where people run wild?" The light of the saber flickered, and the two swords slashed across his neck and cheeks from two angles, ruthlessly and swiftly, quite twice. Xu Ziling sighed inwardly, if he exposed Xu Ziling's whereabouts to the Seventh Young Master of Chang'an, so that Li Yuan and others knew that he was in Chang'an, it would be a waste of time.

A table of wine and food was set up in front of the Tang army's camp, and there were only two seats. Li Shimin sat leisurely at the seat next to the gate of the camp. Under the illumination, I waited grandly and solemnly for Kou Zhong to drive me. Kou Zhong galloped alone from the direction of Cijian City Camp, and arrived at the banquet, he easily dismounted and let Tang Jun, who came to lead the horse for him, wait on the horse.He said with a smile: "Brother Shimin is really a believer. At the beginning, my younger brother thought that the drinking talk was just casual talk, but now I know it is true."

Li Shimin stood up, and said calmly: "We were once close friends. Even if we are about to die on the battlefield, it is better to catch up with each other if possible. Please take a seat, young commander!" All the generals behind him stared at Kou Zhong's every move with eyes full of hostility and implied respect. Kou Zhong came to the seat on the other side and sat down in a grand manner. Li Shimin personally filled a cup for him, then sat down and toasted: "Drinking is strictly prohibited in our Datang military camp, and anyone who violates the order will be killed, so tonight's banquet has to be held outside the camp. Held. The wine is the rice wine brought back from the nearby villages, full of local customs. Let me offer a cup to the young marshal first." The two raised their glasses and drank each other.Li Shimin turned his head and said to his generals: "Go back to the stronghold, King Mu has some confidantes to say to the young commander." All the generals were stunned, and knowing that Li Shimin would do what he said, the military order was like a mountain, so he had no choice but to retreat completely, leaving only two people sitting across the table outside the camp. Kou Zhong calculated that the banquet was 200 paces away from the door of the case, and he said in surprise, "Brother Shimin, aren't you afraid of my sudden attack? Brother Shimin's martial arts are high, but if I'm willing to risk my life for my life, I will try my best to defeat Brother Shimin." One blow, maybe before Shimin's men come to rescue him, it may seriously injure Shimin." Li Shimin laughed and said: "If Kou Zhong is this kind of person, I, Li Shimin, don't even bother to have a heart-to-heart conversation with you. I, Li Shimin, absolutely trust you, and I believe that I won't misjudge you." Kou Zhong smiled bitterly and said, "I really wouldn't be so shameless. Alas! Your elder brother made me feel miserable, and made me and Wang Shichong even more troubled. What else do we have to talk about?" Li Shimin poured wine for him again, said with a smile: "In the past, I tried to persuade the young commander to no avail, but this time, I want to tell you about the benefits. Please don't laugh at me, the young commander, because you have always been brothers and friends." Kou Zhong raised his glass and said: "This cup is for our brotherhood in the past. After drinking this cup, the brotherhood in the past will be wiped out. If I, Kou Zhong, die at the hands of the brothers of the world, I will not be blamed if I am a ghost." Brother Shimin, you can only blame yourself for being overwhelmed and trying to make an enemy of Brother Shimin." Li Shimin said "Okay", and the two parties had another drink. Kou Zhong put down his wine glass, and said without hesitation: "Brother Shimin, what interests do you have to tell my younger brother? I hope there is something new, if I knew it earlier, we don't need to spend time, and each of us can go back to bed with his mother early. Sleep." Li Shimin leaned forward slightly, his eyes sparkling, staring at Kou Zhong, smiled and said: "I want to have a big bet with the young commander." Kou Zhong withdrew his eyes from scanning the gate of the village, and Li Shimin's sharp eyes seemed to be able to penetrate any secrets. He was greatly surprised and said, "Big bet? What are we betting on?" Li Shimin said: "Of course the bet is Luoyang. If I, Li Shimin, fail to capture Luoyang within half a year, I, Li Shimin, will never ask about any military or political affairs. But if I succeed, you must give up the great cause of hegemony. I will allow you to disband the Young Marshal Army. Or return the Young Marshal Army to me, and I, Li Shimin, promise to treat every one of Kou Zhong's subordinates kindly." Kou Zhong's tiger's eyes flashed sharply, and he said hesitantly: "Half a year is not long, it is not short, Brother Shimin is not afraid of being trapped in a cocoon!" Li Shimin smiled and said, "If I'm talking about a one-year period, is the young commander still willing to gamble on this? Any gamble has no fun without risk." Kou Zhong sighed: "Brother Shimin is more courageous than me, if the younger brother is your brother, how dare you say such heroic words when the victory of Cijian is at the end of the day!" Li Shimin looked up at the starry sky, and said slowly: "Let Shimin also make a hypothesis, if the person in charge of Luoyang is Kou Zhong instead of Wang Shichong, I, Li Shimin, would never dare to make such a big bet." Kou Zhong was stunned and said: "Your pains and interests are really different. You are not afraid of me persuading Wang Shichong to stick to Cijian. Since Luoyang is the backup, you may be able to persist for a year or so. Brother Shimin at that time, didn't you want to be eye-catching?" In vain, watching the chips in my hand lose completely." The two are polite and friendly on the surface, but in fact they are tit for tat, neither backing down. Li Shimin laughed dumbly and said: "Will the young commander overestimate Wang Shichong? The better the young commander performs, the more he will be tabooed by Wang Shichong. Zheng Guo's regime is in trouble internally and externally, and factional struggles and only respecting generals of the same clan are even more unpopular. The young commander can have Good intentions, but the reality is cold and heartless." Kou Zhong smiled and said: "Wang Shichong has always been a person who has led soldiers in battle. How can he have the spare time to play dirty tricks when he shoots swords and arrows on the battlefield." Li Shimin said lightly: "Then I will force Wang Shichong to return to Luoyang and give him more time to consider his own situation. To tell you the truth, I have ordered Huaizhou Chief Huang Junhan and fierce general Zhang Yecha to assemble an army of 30,000 in Heyang. After crossing Mengjin, Kekeri will fall back to Luo. No need to remind the young marshal, Tongluo and Luokou are one of the two major granaries that supply Luoyang with food. If Huiluo falls, the supply of military food in this area of ​​Cijian will be feared. How much it will affect it!" Kou Zhong was at a disadvantage immediately, and said with a wry smile: "Fortunately, there is still Luokou. One day the tiger prison is still there, and Luokou can continuously transport its stored grain from Luoshui to Luoyang to ensure that there is no shortage of food in Luoyang and to support Zheng Jun in Cijian. , you can even buy grain from the cities in the lower reaches of the river. What's more, now that Luo has strengthened its defenses, is it too early to say, brother Shimin?" Li Shimin smiled and said: "Tiger prison! Ha! Tiger prison!" Then his eyes stared deeply at Kou Zhong, and said with a smile: "For the sake of Hulao, the people of the world dispatched another three armies, each with ten thousand people, one led by Shi Wanbao, the marching chief, and marched into Yijue from Yiyang. The other army was commanded by Liu Dewei, Encircled Hanoi from the east of Taihang. Hanoi is the only stronghold of the Zheng Army north of the Dahe. This town is lost, and the north bank of the Dahe is in my hands. With the strength of our Datang Navy, the young commander still doubts that we can put the Dahe under control. Woolen cloth?" After a pause, he continued: "Since the great river is at my disposal, the last army led by Lord Shanggu Junkuo will cross the river and lay at Luokou, and cut off the last grain road in Luoyang. The grain and grass in Luokou will be transported to Luoyang. At that time, I have to ask." I, Li Shimin, did it." Kou Zhong replied calmly, and said lightly: "Unexpectedly, brother Shimin is very interested in talking about wars on paper, and my younger brother will accompany him to the end. Brother Shimin seems to be sure about capturing Yique, but younger brother is at a loss. Chiu'an and Yique are two cities. One is located in the south of Luoshui, and the other is located in the west of Yishui. The distance between the two cities is only a day's journey, and they are close to each other. Shou'an has the experienced Zhang Zhenzhou in the town. As long as he sends troops to respond, how can Shi Wanbao capture Yique? There is still Longmen Fort outside Que City, and if Xiangyang Qian Duguan and Zhu Can allied forces go north, Shi Wanbao will be surrounded by enemies, whether he can escape back to say hello to Brother Shimin is doubtful." Li Shimin smiled but did not answer: "Please forgive Shimin for making a fuss here, how about letting the young marshal imagine for himself?" Kou Zhong took a breath and said, "Brother Shimin, is he hinting that Zhang Zhenzhou will surrender to you?" He was definitely not making a fuss, because if Zhang Zhenzhou's surrender was true, not only would the blow to Zheng Jun's morale be incomparable, but the consequences would be even more unimaginable.First of all, Yique is not guaranteed, and the connection with Luoyang is cut off.At that time, the Tang army would eat up all the towns in the south of Luoyang like locusts, and the big river in the north would be in the hands of the Tang army. If Cijian was lost, Luoyang would only have the only breathing hole left in the tiger prison on the east front. Li Shimin turned aside and said: "I don't know if the young commander knows how to play Go. To me, Wang Shichong and his army are a big dragon. If I face it head-on, I will win and suffer heavy casualties. Therefore, we must adopt the strategy of encircling and cutting , blocked every one of his living mouths, and then withdrew his breath one by one, until there was only one eye left in Luoyang, how can one eye make a living? Young commander, please advise." Kou Zhong smiled wryly and said: "My little brother has never learned how to play Go, one eye can't survive, so can one eye survive? The other one is the tiger prison, and it's another way for the dragon to live." Li Shimin smiled and said: "If Shimin has no way to contain Dou Jiande or your young commander, he would not dare to come east. He would rather sit in Guanzhong and watch Dou Jiande and Wang Shichong fight with their heads cracked." Kou Zhong was startled and said, "My Young Commander?" Li Shimin said casually: "Since Du Fuwei has returned to the Tang Dynasty, what else can Li Zitong do? If you surrender me to the Tang Dynasty, you can also be named a marquis and a general. It’s because the wings are not yet ready, so self-protection may be more than enough. As long as Li Zitong makes the attitude of going north to attack the commander, the young general’s Peng Liang army will be unable to move, and he will not be able to send a single soldier to help Hulao.” Kou Zhong's whole scalp became numb, and only now did he learn that Li Shimin's military skills are as good as a god, and he has no plans to spare. Li Shimin said calmly, "As for Dou Jiande, on the one hand, we have to leave some troops to suppress Gao Kaidao and Luo Yi's imminent move in the north, and we also have to deal with the challenge of another rebel army in the east. This rebel army is led by Shandong Meng Haigong, and Xu He is as famous as Yuan Lang, and Dou Jiande may have to spend a lot of time trying to deal with him." Kou Zhong is like a gambler who gambles in the dark, when he wants to make a final bet, he suddenly finds that he has lost all the chips in his hand.The saddest thing is that knowing Li Shimin's strategy, he still can't cope with it and change it. Taking a deep breath, he said, "So what if brother Shimin loses the battle of Cijian?" Li Shimin laughed dumbly and said: "I will not lose this battle anyway. From tonight onwards, our army will not be able to defend ourselves, and wait for the other four armies to capture Huiluo, Luokou, Hanoi, and Yique respectively." News. If this is not enough, the people of the world can leave tens of thousands of people to guard the fortress, and lead others to go down the Dahe River to personally capture Jintang City in the south of Beiqiu Mountain and northeast of Luoyang. At that time, it will be seen whether Wang Shichong will die because of Cijian Ignore Luoyang, and accompany the young master here to enjoy the moon and stars?" Kou Zhong slapped the table and sighed: "Good boy! Your grandma's bear! Only now do I understand what is a military plan, and why Xue Ju and his son, Liu Wuzhou, and Song Jingang lost so fucking badly. Your brother It’s beyond my power, you invite me to drink tonight, just to embarrass me so that I can’t step down, right?” Li Shimin said solemnly: "On the contrary, I invite you to drink and talk, because I, Li Shimin, are your brothers. You Kou Zhong is a hero, so accept my bet. I, Li Shimin, set a date for the second half of the year. Your debt of favor." Kou Zhong's eyes were shining brightly, he stared at Li Shimin without saying a word. Li Shimin said in a deep voice: "Don't place any more hope on Hulao. I have assigned Li Shiji full responsibility for conquering Hulao. This person is a first-class talent no matter whether he is in Li Mi's army or among our Tang generals. I have full confidence that he can take Hulao lightly." Kou Zhong shook his head and sighed, "The battle of Luoyang was too unfair to me!" Li Shimin said: "War is like this. There are rules in the rivers and lakes, and there are rules in wars. If you win, you will be king, and if you lose, you will be a bandit. The young commander follows the Romans, how can he say such a thing?" Kou Zhong stood up abruptly, looked up at the starry sky, and said slowly: "I, Kou Zhong, have my Kou Zhong's rules. From now on, the King of Qin will no longer miss the old love, and should just kill me and my young commander according to your rules of war." Grass eliminates hatred. If skills are inferior to others, I, Kou Zhong, will die without complaint." Li Shimin sighed: "You said the young marshal is unwilling to accept the bet, why bother?" Kou Shen laughed and said, "Because I feel more and more that with an opponent like your brother, I will live up to this life." The last negotiation between the two ended in a breakdown.