Chapter 33 Chapter Thirty-Three

"But Xichuan is the queen of the country, and it can stand on its own feet and divide the world. I heard that the lord and Natian Junrong have a father-son relationship. May the lord protect Grand Master Chen from Xichuan?" Before the words finished, Zhou Dequan slapped On the table next to him, the teacup clanged loudly: "You are too presumptuous!" De Quanxin said that it was the father-son relationship between brother-in-law and Tian Lingzi that made this matter so easy. Not easy to handle.Fortunately, you Zhou Xiang, you really have no scruples to expose the old truth!

Wang Jian signaled Zhou Dequan to calm down.He also said frankly to Zhou Xiang: "Since Mr. asked about it, I might as well tell the truth. I was first suspected by Lu Yanhong, and secondly, I was the King of Shuqin, so I abandoned the army I was running and ran with Han Zuoshi, Jin Guangyuan and others. Chengdu is here. At that time, Tian Junrong was in charge of the government. In order to win us over, he adopted all five of us as adopted sons. Although it was a last resort, I also hoped to have a shelter in the palace. Later, I was an envoy of Shence Army, Always protect the emperor. The emperor hates Tian's dictatorship and tells me. I, Wang Jiansheng, have been favored by the emperor and are only loyal to the emperor! Chen and Tian are incompetent people. Because of Xichuan, how can I Helping them? It’s just that I’m in Langzhou for the first time, recuperating, and I’m afraid I won’t be able to offend Xichuan. I’m in a dilemma, so I’m hesitant!”

"My lord is so outspoken, telling the truth, Zhou Xiang is ashamed!" "It doesn't have to be like this, sir. I'm telling the truth, I just hope to know how to solve this problem?" "My lord's words are wrong! This is not a catastrophe, but a great blessing!" Seeing that Wang Jian and Zhou Dequan were puzzled, Zhou Xiang said again: "Tian Junrong is an exiled sinner who lives in Chengdu because he is unwilling to obey the law. The emperor hates his dictatorship, Yang Fugong And why don’t you want to get rid of dissidents. The former master was expelled to Lizhou because Yang Fugong was worried that the masters were Chen and Tian Yaoxiu. Since the master is dedicated to protecting the Tang Dynasty, he can use his plan and send troops to Chengdu! If it happens, the court may not blame him "Even if you really question the lord, relying on the land of Xichuan, you can have no worries!"

"Attack Chengdu?" Wang Jian was taken aback by this sudden thought, "If you attack Chengdu, if you attack Chengdu, how can Grand Master Chen not guard against it? Besides, with my current strength, how can I compete with Xichuan?" "My lord has an army of tens of thousands. Most of the soldiers are warriors who have fought in the north and south for many years. They have to practice for several months. Why can't they compete with them?" Zhou Dequan suddenly regained his spirits: "Mr. Boya is right! Xichuan has not had a war for a long time, and there is no one who can command the three armies like you, brother-in-law. If there is a fight, it will not be a team from Langzhou. Brother Jin, Brother Li and Brother Zhang can each lead an army to attack Chengdu!"

Wang Jian frowned slightly: "This incident came a bit suddenly! This is a big event, and it needs to be carefully planned, so that Xichuan and Dongchuan will not be suspicious!" Zhou Xiang said: "My lord, I have a plan... According to what General Zhou said, mobilizing the troops of General Jin, General Li, and General Zhang is a must. But my lord is not worried. This battle is no small matter. Years, at most five years, long-term planning is required. My lord must coordinate the generals, soldiers, horses, food and grass in advance, so that success or failure will be foolproof. Then you can lead an elite team into Sichuan. There are not many people, but they must be brave. Tian Jun Rongshu summoned the Lord, Chengdu will not be unprepared, there will be interrogation along the way, at that time, the Lord can act according to the situation, and use this as an excuse to send troops in lightning. The army will follow up and attack Huanglong directly!"

"Good!" Wang Jian praised. Zhou Xiang said again: "As for Dongchuan's envoy Gu, my lord doesn't have to worry. The east and the west are not in harmony. If my lord meets Xichuan in battle, I will definitely send troops to help you depending on Gu's temper!" Wang Jian was very excited, and immediately ordered the generals above to discuss important matters.After everyone arrived, Wang Jian explained his and Zhou Xiang's plans, and there was a commotion in the room. When Zhang Jie heard that he was going to attack Chengdu, he screamed and slapped his chest in excitement: "Brother! This time we will fight a tough battle, and I want to take the lead! These old Zhang have already had itchy hands!" Wang Zongyao said: "This matter is of great importance. You must think it through carefully." Zhang Qianyu said: "Chen and Tian have committed many evils, and this action of the lord can eliminate one evil for the world!" The rest of the generals also expressed their opinions one after another, and let the lord dispatch them.

"Okay! The generals are eager to fight, and I am deeply moved. Since that's the case, the generals listen to my orders!" At that moment, there was no sound, and more than 30 people stood neatly on both sides. "Is Li Zhazha here?" "Oh! Yes, yes! The last general is here!" Li Zhazha replied hesitantly. What he never expected was that the lord's first command arrow would be handed over to him.What is his role as Li Zha?A nobody.If it hadn't been for six years ago, because of recklessly breaking the wrist with Wang Jian, his name would never have been known by the lord.Li Zhazha performed well twice in escorting the plank road and raiding Langzhou, and was exceptionally promoted by Wang Jian to be a senior school.However, this kind of promotion has already made him extremely satisfied, and he really did not expect to enjoy such trust.At this moment, his blood boils.

"Listen well. Starting tomorrow, you will help me select a death squad of 500 people within ten days. This team will be led by me personally, and you will be the general. This is my vanguard in Xichuan. Choose from the best, don’t be hasty!” Li Zha, a seven-foot man, had tears in his eyes at this moment, and replied word by word: "Little general, take orders!" "Li Jian, Wang Zongyao, Zhang Jie!" "exist!" "I plan to give you three people and 10,000 horses. Li Jian will be the envoy, and you will be assisted by the two of you. The army will follow me closely, and will be there at any time."

"——Tian Wei, Hua Hong, you two go to Zhongzhou and Wanzhou respectively, and tell Li Inspector and Zhang Inspector to prepare to attack Xichuan." "——Zhou Dequan has worked hard for you to go to Jizhou in person, and ask the governor of Jin to send troops." "——Tian Shi and Wei Hongfu, I will entrust you two with heavy responsibilities, and each select three hundred personal soldiers to lead the battle with me. If you can make meritorious service in this battle, I will adopt you two as adopted sons." "Mr. Zheng, I have to work hard on you too. You and Zhang Qianyu will help raise food and grass."

After dismissing the generals, Wang Jian returned home.The excitement of the day gradually faded away, and when he saw his wife's back, the idea he had already made up was now hesitating in his heart.He looked at his wife, who was still smiling gently.She was born in a poor peasant family, but she was born with a ladylike temperament. "What's the matter? Do you have something on your mind?" Wang Jian's frown and smile couldn't hide from the shrewd Zhou family. "I decided to fight in Chengdu." Wang Jian tried his best to talk about it calmly. "Since you have made your decision, at least you will be 70% sure. I believe you." Madam smiled.

"This... well, how can I tell you?" Wang Jian hesitated. Madam smiled: "I know what you're thinking. It's always inconvenient to bring a woman with you in a war, let alone this extraordinary war in Chengdu. You are worried about my safety... As the saying goes, 'heroes are short of breath, but sons and daughters are long-lasting' , if you want to do big things, just let go, don't care about us women." Wang Jian couldn't help but hugged his wife. Only at this moment did he realize that having a woman who understands righteousness at home is a great comfort and encouragement to him.Zhou is not his first wife, nor is he the only woman now, but he has never felt the sustenance and comfort of a tired soul and the longing for tomorrow from a woman.He still often thinks back to the days when he lived in her house after escaping from Xuzhou Prison, and he still remembers the scene where the woman lit a fire for him—that was the first time he felt warmth from the bottom of his heart, the feeling of that day and that moment The charcoal fire gave him the most unforgettable spiritual warmth in his life.After that, there were ten years of military service and wars in the South and the North. It is common for men to lie drunk on the battlefield and lie down in their clothes. But as a woman, it is very rare for a woman to willingly give her youth and time to her husband and the battlefield for ten years. .Now, what he is facing is an unprecedented opportunity, and he will also bear huge risks.At this time, entrusting his family to Dongchuan Gu Yanlang was the best way he could think of.Zhang Qianyu's analysis is reasonable. Although Gu Yanlang is not close to him, but because of the friendship of his colleagues, he will not be rejected directly. When Wang Jian met Gu Yanlang in Zizhou, he felt that this old friend in the Shence Army was much older now.The two met and exchanged pleasantries, Wang Jian said: "Father has already established a foothold in Chengdu, and I am afraid that I will be wandering outside. First, I will have no place to live, and second, it will cause a lot of trouble for my brother. If I go to Chengdu this time, With Xichuan's wealth, I am satisfied to obtain a big state. At that time, I will send someone to pick up my wife and children, and I still need my brother to take care of me these days." Before Gu Yanlang could speak, his younger brother Gu Yanhui said with a sneer: "Tian Lingzi is an eunuch, and Wang recognizes the thief as his father. Aren't you afraid of making the world laugh?" "Presumptuous!" Wei Hongfu, who was guarding Wang Jian, said angrily, "Who are you, dare to slander my lord face to face?" Gu Yanhui obviously didn't pay attention to the ugly young man in front of him, he scolded: "My brother is talking to your master, how can you fart!" As he spoke, he waved his big hand, and the two neatly dressed guards beside him raised their knives He rushed to Wei Hongfu.As soon as a guard raised his steel knife, he wanted to put it on Wei Hongfu's neck, so as to kill the prestige of this man who dared to scold him in front of his master.Wei Hongfu was not timid at all, instead he took a step forward, put his snow-white neck against the blade of the steel knife, and stared at Gu Yanhui with contemptuous eyes. "Yanhui, don't be rude!" Gu Yanlang obviously didn't expect his younger brother and Wang Jian to be at war in an instant, he scolded the guard with the knife, and at the same time bowed his hands to Wang Jian to apologize. Wang Jian said politely: "It's because I am not strict in discipline. I came here to trouble Mr. Gu, but I was rude..." Gu Yanhui felt a little timid in his heart, thinking: Wang Guangtu really lived up to his reputation, he was undisturbed in times of danger, and he was quite a leader. No wonder his elder brother mentioned this person many times, saying that he has the courage of thousands of men in front of the two armies, and he can control hundreds of thousands of soldiers by strategizing.This person took my Langzhou in Dongchuan as his own overnight, and his strange use of soldiers and the speed of his soldiers are rare in Sanchuan.Looking at the young man next to him, with the knife rest on his neck, he didn't change his expression. One can imagine that Wang Jian's subordinates are extraordinary.At the beginning, he and his elder brother were afraid that Wang Jian would continue to invade Guozhou, but they didn't expect him to join the Tian family of Xichuan intentionally.Tian Lingzi obstructed his elder brother's entry into Dongchuan in every possible way. The two brothers hated this eunuch deeply, but after all, Wang Jian and him are father and son in name, so what is there for outsiders to say?No matter, no matter, if Wang Jian seeks a big state in Xichuan, Langzhou, which was once controlled by Tian Lingzi, will return to Dongchuan as a matter of course.This entry and exit, the two brothers did not suffer.It's better to help Wang Jian take care of his family and be a favor.Thinking of this, he apologized with a smile: "There was a lot of misunderstanding just now, the prince will take offense." Gu Yanlang also said: "Yes, yes, Guang Tuxiu should be polite to us. Your business is mine. Brothers and sisters, just stay In Dongchuan, with me, Gu Yanlang, no one can bully them!" "So, Wang Jian thanks Brother Gu!" Gu Yanhui asked cautiously: "I don't know where the hero next to the prince is from?" Wang Jian secretly rejoiced: Gu Yanhui was overwhelmed by Wei Hongfu's performance just now, and his calm tone was slightly proud: "This is my adopted son, and he has followed me in battle for many years." When he heard that it was Wang Jian's adopted son, Gu Yanhui was inconvenient to open his mouth. It was brought under its own command. After bidding farewell to Brother Gu Yanlang, Wang Jian led Wei Hongfu back to the post where he was temporarily staying.Wei Hongfu was obviously surprised by the lord's answer, so he asked cautiously.Wang Jian said with a smile: "If you are asked to commit yourself to being the brother of Zong Ji and Zong Yao, would you be willing?" Wei Hongfu said happily: "I am willing, I am willing!" "In that case, you can call me 'Wang Zongbi'..." Wang Jian said to Zongfan and Zongji beside him, "I am going to Xichuan, so I have to leave my family in Langzhou. I will leave you two behind." , and hundreds of soldiers left behind, you must protect your mother! The battle of Xichuan was no small matter. Although I don’t have a deep relationship with Gu Gong, but because of his relationship with Tian Lingzi, he will definitely be willing to send troops to help when the war begins. Zizhou, we need to take care of food and grass to support Zhang Qianyu and Mr. Zheng; in addition, we must be humble to Gu Gong, his brother Gu Yanhui will not treat us as kindly as his brother, but remember not to contradict him. When it is a last resort, let Gu Gong intervene Especially you," Wang Jian's eyes intertwined with Zongji's, "you are still a little impatient, and you often discuss things with scribes. I'm leaving the rear area to you. If you have lush branches and leaves, you must have roots. You guard It is the root of my Wang Jian!" Afterwards, according to the predetermined plan, Wang Jian personally led a selected death squad and a few adopted sons totaling 2,000 people, and took the lead in marching towards Xichuan.Zhou Xiang's army followed closely behind. In the autumn and September of the third year of Guangqi (887 A.D.), Wang Jian led the troops to Lutou Pass in the north of Deyang.In the past, the majestic pass has long lost its edges and corners in the long history.This impregnable city gate, which was originally at the right time and place, is now also scarred.At this time, a group of guards are increasing their defenses day and night.They wanted to complete the repairs before Wang Jian arrived, but Wang Jian's iron cavalry still flew towards the city. The defenders shouted at Wang Jian in a panic, telling him to rest on the spot and wait for the order to enter the customs, and at the same time quickly asked for help from Zhang Xu, the governor of Hanzhou.Wang Jian finally waited for this opportunity, an excuse to attack Chengdu in a fair manner.With a big wave of his hand, Li Zhazha led the Death Squad to the forefront of the battle to capture Lutou Pass!This fierce battle lasted less than half a day, and it was declared over because of the arrival of the first main force led by Li Jian.Wang Jian broke through Lutou Pass with lightning speed, and sent troops westward! Zhang Xu, the governor of Hanzhou who got the battle report, hastily ordered more than 10,000 Xichuan troops who hadn't practiced battles for a long time to come to block them.The second pioneer, Tian Shi, defeated Zhang Xu in Mianzhu with few victories, and soon captured Hanzhou and Mianzhou.Wang Jian was overjoyed upon hearing this, and adopted Tian Shi as his adopted son, and changed his name to Wang Zongkan.At the same time, Wang Jian sent someone to quickly report back to Gu Yanlang, asking for reinforcements, and promised to divide Xichuan equally after it was done.Gu Yanlang was overjoyed and immediately ordered his younger brother Gu Yanhui to help Wang Jian.In this way, Wang Jian's elite army won consecutive battles, and soon merged with the four armies of Jinhui, Li Shitai, and Zhang Zao who came to support them, and marched mightily towards Xueshe Mountain, ten miles north of Chengdu.Soon, General Xichuan Ju Weili was defeated and Deyang fell!Without Deyang, Chengdu has no barriers.Wang Jian dispatched Hua Hong to lead 800 light cavalry, flew to seize Xingxiu Village, and then went down Sima Bridge. Tens of thousands of soldiers gathered in front of Daxuan Tower in the north of Chengdu within a few days. Chen Jingxuan never expected that Wang Jian had not only carefully arranged the attack plan, but also had already approached the city in a very short period of time.Frightened, he couldn't help scolding Tian Lingzi: "Didn't you say that bastard and we are a family, and you asked him to help me. This is good, he has already approached the city, can Chengdu be saved?" After all, Tian Lingzi had experienced the world, and he seemed calm and composed: "I heard that Gu Yanhui also brought troops here. Most likely, my son was instigated by others. Don't worry, brother, since he is not benevolent, we are also unrighteous. Wang Jian just won Chengdu has high walls and deep pools, and the food in the city is enough to consume for a year. No matter how capable he is, he can’t beat Chengdu! Now that Xichuan is under my command, how can he survive alone if he goes deep alone?” After listening to Lingzi's persuasion, Chen Jingxuan seemed to be at ease.He went up to the Daxuan Tower himself, wanting to see Wang Jian.Looking up, I saw a mass of people and horses stationed in the distance; looking closer, there was a soldier and horse not far from the Qingyuan Bridge, which is directly opposite the north gate of Luocheng. "Character.There is a maroon black horse under his banner, and the man on the horse is Wang Jian.Looking to both sides, there are more than ten warriors in bright armor on the left and right, each of them is majestic.Seeing this, Chen Jingxuan was both timid and angry.So he shouted loudly in the tower and asked: "The man in the middle is Guangtu? The old man kindly invited you to Sichuan, but you invaded my city and killed my general. What's the reason?" Wang Jian had been prepared for a long time, so he rode up the Qingyuan Bridge alone, and looked up to see Chen Jingxuan.He put his sword in front of his horse, and went up to the top of the tower to answer loudly: "Father of the Tenth Army called me, but the Grand Master ordered someone to stop me at Lutou Pass. Before I left, I had explained the whole story to Gu Gongdao .Now that the army has turned back, Mr. Gu must be suspicious of me. I can't move forward and I can't retreat, so I have to do it!" Chen Jingxuan knew it was sophistry, but he couldn't think of a correct answer.At this moment, Tian Lingzi also boarded the tower, and he shouted angrily to the city: "Wang Jian, do you still recognize this old man?" Seeing Tian Lingzi coming, Wang Jian turned to look at Jin Hui, and Jin Hui nodded at Wang Jian, indicating that more or less face-saving matters still need to be done.Then, Jin Hui, Li Shitai, Zhang Zao, and Wang Jian all got off their horses, stepped forward and knelt down on the Qingyuan Bridge.Jin Hui rushed to the top of the tower and shouted: "Father summoned the map, and we followed suit. Now you and my father and son meet each other, and you are not allowed to enter the city to reminisce about the old days. Is it just because you don't want me to please you? If that's the case, my brother Li and Zhang and I will return, and I will hurt my father and Guangtu's relationship." Tian Lingzi's mouth was half blocked by the words.Zhang Zao also said: "Father, how could he be so biased? My brothers were heroes who defended the emperor twice, and they were pushed out of the court by the Yang family because of their friendship with Father!" Tian Lingzi said: "What you said is true, but how do I know if you have any intention to me Xichuan?" Wang Jian smiled secretly, stood up, cut off a strand of hair with a knife, and shouted to the city: "I have nowhere to return today, so I have to say goodbye to my father as a thief!" Tian Lingzi was speechless and could only watch helplessly. Wang Jian and others went back to camp.Soon, Gu Yanlang named his younger brother Gu Yanhui the governor of Hanzhou, and Gu Yanhui led the army to Chengdu.Seeing that all the troops and horses were ready, Wang Jian ordered to attack the city. An army of 30,000 besieged the west and north gates of Chengdu for three days, but nothing was achieved.Wang Jian thought to himself: Chengdu is the most important town in Xichuan, with the right time, place and people, unlike Hanzhou and Mianzhu.So he ordered to withdraw his troops and withdraw to Hanzhou.When Chen Jingxuan saw Wang Jian's withdrawal, he still didn't dare to be careless.While mobilizing soldiers and horses from various states in Xichuan, they faced difficulties with the imperial court.