Sang Yi's entry into Qiyuan Prefecture seemed to ignite the area between the left and right rivers.

Bozhou, who had been pretending to be dead, was the first to react and sent troops to attack Jinlongtong and Luoluotong, and he was no longer the one who was frightened by hundreds of people in Guangyuan Prefecture and shrunk in the city and did not dare to come out.

Tianzhou's reaction was a little slower, but Hengshanzhai had a bottom in his heart behind him, and his movements were bigger, and he traced the Longxu River up to Bei Xietong. In the depths of the mountains, it is already the core area of Guangyuan Prefecture's forces.

Seeing that it was going to be out of control, Nong Cunfu had no choice but to send his son, Nong Zhicong, the king of Nanya, with 3,000 native soldiers, known as 20,000, to take back Qiyuan Prefecture in a hurry.

The degree of confusion of all kinds of news in the mountains was far beyond Xu Ping's expectations, if he hadn't already straightened out the intelligence sources, coupled with the special manpower analysis, he was afraid that just by inquiring about the news, he would be black-eyed.

Sang Yi set off from Menzhou, and the number of the ten commanders was clear, although Xu Ping also blocked the news, he didn't have much hope for the effect. As long as you have the heart, whether it is to point the approximate number of people, or to point the flag, even if it is to lie in one place and pinch the time, you can roughly calculate the ten commanders.

The truth surprised Xu Ping. Starting from Sang Yi, all kinds of rumors are flying all over the sky. It is said that only one or two thousand people were dispatched, because the large cavalry force was still in Menzhou, and everyone could see it. It is said that seven or eight thousand people walked for more than a day because the team left the city. The most exaggerated thing is that there are 50,000 troops, if anyone dares to question it, they will be sprayed with spittle, the imperial court, tens of thousands of people dare to call the imperial army?

In fact, it was 5,000 soldiers and 10,000 civilians who were really dispatched, but no one guessed this number correctly.

That's how strange people are. Among the people who are blowing nonsense outside. Obviously, there are people who were conscripted to be civil servants in the past. Now, when they started talking, they just skipped the people and didn't mention it.

In this chaotic situation, there is no accurate news in Guangyuan Prefecture, so you can only guess according to yourself. One is that Xu Ping himself does not have many soldiers in his hands, and in the face of Jiaozhi, he will be divided into a part, and the mountain road is difficult to walk, thinking about it, it would be good to have two or three thousand soldiers of the Great Song Dynasty in Qiyuan Prefecture. This estimate is reasonable. Two or three thousand troops are barely enough to fight Guangyuan Prefecture, because there are still many people in the surrounding prefectures who are interested in the imperial court, which is a bit risky.

It was based on this understanding that Nong Zhicong brought three thousand native soldiers to Qiyuan Prefecture to face the battle, and coupled with the surrounding forces that were originally dependent on the Nong family, he could also get four or five thousand people in the local area.

Although the direction of Guangyuan Prefecture was disturbed, the general trend did not exceed Xu Ping's estimate, so he was relieved.

Since that day, Jia Jirong came to the door, Xu Ping stepped up his efforts to concentrate his forces in the direction of Menzhou, and at the same time clearly told Han Zong and Duan Fang. Once the war with Jiaozhi starts, the states south of the Ming River, including Luzhou and Silingzhou, will be temporarily abandoned. Let them prepare for the evacuation of personnel and materials, and strengthen the front-line defense of Mingjiang.

In mountain warfare, the core is the basin, the key point is the valley mouth, and to ensure the smooth flow of the road in the valley. The area around Luzhou and Silingzhou seems to be vast, but they are all continuous mountains, and there is only a narrow and difficult river valley to the Mingjiang River, and there is no place for nearly 200 miles of road to replenish, so there is little military value, and there is no need to waste resources there.

The defense line retreated to the Mingjiang River, and the 500 Xiang Army cooperated with the local township soldiers to defend that area to death, and to hold Luzhou to the death, even the front line with logistics, ten times more manpower is not enough.

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

In the face of military pressure, Jia Ji Rong finally learned to understand the current affairs, Jia Jirong returned a day later, asked someone to bring a letter to Menzhou, and a few days later the Laba Festival will be sent back to Ashen. The letter also made it clear that the reason why it was delayed for the past few days was not because Jia Yu had any ideas, but because Ah Shen's condition was too serious to move for a while. Moreover, according to Buddhism, Laba is the day when the Buddha attains enlightenment, and there are many people who believe in Buddhism in this area, and they ask for good luck.

In Ningming Town, Duan Fangzheng and his subordinates built a thatched house for temporary living by the river outside the town.

This was for the refugees who came out of the mountains when the war started, because no matter how much persuasion they had, there were always people who were reluctant to take a step out of their homes without real knives and guns on their necks. When the Jiaozhi soldiers come in, these people will inevitably rush out of the mountains and cause trouble for the local area.

According to Xu Ping, this kind of time is the time to win the hearts of the people, and the construction of customs and passes can be guaranteed for a hundred years, and the hearts of the people can be guaranteed for a thousand years. Of course, Xu Ping emphasized the latter point, putting aside winning people's hearts, building and planning the residences of these refugees in advance, and stuffing them in as soon as they come, the energy consumed is definitely much easier than when you face the black and oppressive crowd at that time.

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

At this moment, an errand officer came quickly and saluted Duan Fang: "County magistrate, Pingxiangtong has asked someone to bring a letter, so that you can rush there as soon as possible!" ”

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

The officer thought for a moment before saying, "It seems that it is a matter of the official's family, and it is enough to say that it is a matter of arriving before Laba." ”

Duan Fang said with a smile: "It's only a day's journey from here to Pingxiangtong, and there are still a few days to go, but I was taken aback by you." Anything else? ”

"The person who sent the letter just now seemed to be in a hurry, saying that he was going to send the letter to Taiping County, and said that it was the official's family business, and the little lady who wanted to come to the official's house should also rush over, so it was better to wait together."

Duan Fang casually agreed, waved his hand to let the messenger go, and stood in place stunned.

Of course, Duan Fang understood the unclear relationship between Xu Ping and Duan Yunjie, but due to his own experience, Duan Fang did not intervene, and his daughter's affairs were decided by his daughter herself.

Duan Fang has the impression that Xu Ping is an understanding person who can understand his own attitude, and he should not come to him about his daughter.

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

Looking south, the green hills are endless, like a veil tent, covering the style behind the mountain. The river comes from there, with the breath of the land there, and flows into the Ming River, into the Zuo River, into the Yu River, and all the way to the sea.

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

Is it finally time to reunite? Duan Fang looked at the mountains and rivers, and his eyes were a little blurred. For more than ten years, I have been thinking about reunion all the time. But I never thought about what a reunion would be like. Can it still be like before?

The water of the Ming River is very clear. Duan Fang's shadow was reflected.

The sideburns under the head have turned white. The face full of vicissitudes is full of wrinkles, and even the eyes are beginning to look a little cloudy, and there is no place without showing old age.

This is who you are today? Duan Fang closed his eyes. More than ten years have passed, the world is just a moment, the small tree has not yet matured, and the mountains are still evergreen, but he is like a different person.

Back then, he was as warm as jade, and his mouth was spit splendid. He also climbed the tower to look at the moon and point out the country. He also saw the Son of Heaven in the Jinluan Palace, and the name was spread outside the Donghua Gate. Just for a woman, it has become like this in more than ten years, is it worth it?

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

I wonder what Ah Shen will look like? I hope she is still as beautiful as a girl, and her face will not change. Women are not as good as men, and even the flowers are sad when they bloom and fall, not to mention that they are no longer beautiful.

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

Winter days. The always turbulent Siling River also calmed down and joined the Ming River. The Siling River came from the other side of the mountain, and I don't know if it brought the thoughts of someone there.

On the eighth day of the twelfth month, Jia Dong, Jia Jirong followed the lord of Ding Tong from Wu'e Prefecture back to the official hall of the Yamen, let the servants serve tea, and said to the lord of Ding Tong: "Lord Dong has worked hard from afar, please make tea!" ”

Lord Ding Yu drank the tea and smacked his lips and said, "Good tea, a little taste!" ”

Jia Jirong smiled: "This is the best tea bought from Yongzhou, if the owner likes it, take a cage with him when he leaves." We don't have anything else here, it's close to the Great Song Dynasty, and there are some strange things. ”

Lord Ding thanked him, and said: "Those Han people will get some weird playthings and cheat us barbarians out of money." However, the wine and tea are really good, and I have also asked someone to buy and enjoy it, not that the flavor of our Jiaozhi is comparable. ”

The two said a few polite words, and Jia Jirong asked Lord Ding: "I don't know how many soldiers and horses the Lord brought this time?" ”

"More than 800 people, I brought everything I could! What the Holy God commands, dare not be unsatisfied? Besides, it's awkward to have trouble with Da Song, this is a beauty difference for many years! ”

Lord Ding said proudly, but Jia Jirong smiled reluctantly.

More than 800 people, if they were able to run rampant in the mountains before, at least Siling Prefecture and Shixi Prefecture on the side of the Great Song Dynasty could still fight a dozen. Now, can you block a charge of the Menzhou cavalry? Fighting the Great Song Dynasty is a beautiful difference, that was before, and now Jiatong wants to send him to death.

Jia Jirong only hoped that the more people who came, the better, and did not say anything, and said to Ding Tong: "The lord of the mountain is dedicated to national affairs and helps each other, we will remember it in our hearts, and we will report it later!" ”

Lord Ding Tong waved his hand: "You don't need to tell me about these vain, you Jiatong are close to the Great Song Dynasty, and you have also learned the stinky problems of the Han people, and you are talking in the clouds!" Just say it bluntly, how many soldiers and horses are in the Song army opposite this time, how many people are there in your Jiadong, see how much effort we have to contribute! ”

Jia Jirong said with a smile: "It's still the lord of the mountain who is refreshing, then I have something to say." In the area of Menzhou on the other side, as far as we know, there are 500 people under the command of the Zhongrui Army, which was newly recruited last year, and all of them are cavalry. In addition, there should be some miscellaneous van troops, which are not formed, and it is estimated that there will be nearly 1,000 people. ”

Lord Ding Tong has been body: "Just such a person? ”

"Of course not. On the other side, there have been more than 200 people stationed in Luzhou, and I heard that some more have been added recently, and there should be 4 or 500 people. ”

Seeing that Jia Ji stopped, Lord Ding Yu glared and said, "Then what?" ”

"No, that's all. There are also the township soldiers of the cane sugar business, some of whom have retired from the Xiang army, and they should not be underestimated. ”

When Lord Ding Tong heard this, he couldn't help but stand up: "Just such a thousand people, you Jiatong are blowing as if the Song army is going to enter the Shenglong Mansion, what do you want to do?" No matter how bad you are, I don't believe that you won't be able to gather two or three thousand people! Two against one, you are still rich! ”

Jia Jirong sighed: "Lord Yu, that's not the case, the Song army still has nearly 10,000 people attacking Guangyuan Prefecture!" These 10,000 people turn around, and we don't have enough to eat for them! ”

"Hey, don't scare me with these shadowless words! Let's not talk about how many people the Song army went to Guangyuan Prefecture, and don't talk about victory or defeat, even if they win, how many people can come back alive? Don't forget, we attacked Guangyuan Prefecture 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 quarrel with Lord Ding Tong, the more he felt that the enemy was weak, the better, and he would be scared away before Jia Dong could settle down.

Seeing that Jia Jirong didn't speak, Lord Ding Tong said again: "Yanai hasn't said how many people Jia Dong has recruited, so I can have a bottom in my heart by saying it." ”

Jia Jirong said: "It's not a secret, here in Jiatong, everyone who can hold knives and guns has been recruited, and there are more than 8,000 people in total. However, there are only four or five thousand people who can really go into battle. ”

Hearing this, Lord Ding looked at Jia Jirong like a monster: "There are so many soldiers, are you still afraid that the Great Song Dynasty will beat you?" Even recruited us to help guard it? You're really good at laughing! ”

"Lord Yu, this time the Song army is unusual, a few days ago, the soldiers were under the city of Langzhou, not to be underestimated!"

"Which Lang State? You're talking about the Langzhou on the north side of the Qiqi River! Li Qing's cost is the Zhizhou of the Great Song Dynasty, how can the people of Jiaozhi be the same heart with us? The soldiers are coming to the city, I think he and the Song army on the opposite side are playing a scene for you to see, just to scare people! ”

"Why did the Lord say that? Li Zhizhou's eldest son is in Shenglong Mansion, and his younger son is here with me, he eats a bear-hearted leopard and dares to do such a thing! ”

Lord Ding Yu snorted coldly, expressing his disdain for Jia Jirong's statement. As the lord of a mountain, when did you attach so much importance to your children? Li Qingcheng is only in his forties, and his son can be reborn if he is gone, but he can't give birth to someone else, what's wrong with it, people in the mountains don't pay attention to it.

Having said this, the two sides do not speculate, and there is nothing to say.

After drinking tea with his head sullen for a while, Lord Ding asked Jia Jirong again: "By the way, when I came, I saw a car from you here heading towards Menzhou." Who was in the car? It's not that you are in collusion with Song Jun, right? ”

"Lord Ding, don't talk nonsense!" Jia Jirong slammed the teacup on the table, "In the car is a woman brought here by a barbarian from the Song Realm two years ago, named Ah Shen. Because my health has been poor since I arrived here, I have not been able to go back until now. ”

"That Ah Shen? Didn't you say that you should be dedicated to the Holy One? You actually put her back! ”

Jia Jirong looked at Lord Ding Tong and said coldly: "The Holy Lord is my father-in-law of Taishan, Ding Dong is in charge of his own mouth, don't go around telling right and wrong!" ”

Seeing Jia Jirong's face change, Lord Ding Yu remembered that he was married to a princess and had a very close relationship with the saint. If it weren't for the fact that I was asking for others now, I wouldn't be so polite to myself at all, and my attitude would have been restrained.

The sun glided across the mid-heaven and hung over the western sky like a guiding lantern.

Ah Shen asked Pear Blossom to roll up the curtain of the car and looked at the farmland and bamboo forest outside the car, the leisurely shepherds and cows.

"Lady, there is Menzhou in front." Rika said softly.

"Hmm." Ah Shen nodded and looked at the scenery outside the car.

(My brain is groggy, I don't know if it's because of a fever or taking too much medicine, after writing this chapter, I feel like I'm about to become an immortal, and I'm about to hallucinate.) Today's chapter is really unbearable, I have to go to bed early, and I hope my body will get better tomorrow. Readers, forgive me. (To be continued.) )