(Thanks to the support of Yuexi lazy people and yezzhiqiu, and especially thanks to the 10,000 yuan reward of Yuexi lazy people, the engine oil is good!) People are a little uncomfortable today, so there are only three watches, but although there are three watches, there are 12,000 words, which is equivalent to four watches, but I am too lazy to split it, so I sent it together. Ask for everyone's monthly passes! ）

It was a dry, dark, damp black prison.

The cell was completely underground, cold, damp and dark, very dark and dark. Although a few pine torches were stuck in the wall of the corridor on one side, and the dim and flickering orange light shone through the dappled railing, most of the cell was still shrouded in darkness.

It's very damp in the dungeon, and it's normal to be underground in a northern city like Youzhou City. What Liu Rengong hates the most is the ubiquitous rat. As in any shady place, there are even more rats in the black prison.

However, Liu Rengong complained about the dampness and darkness, but did not complain about the mice. On the contrary, he was happy with the rats that appeared in the dungeon.

As a once very famous captain of the Northland, Liu Gutou has robbed many tombs, so he is no stranger and afraid of the dark and damp environment underground. What made him feel most uncomfortable in prison was loneliness and hunger.

He was having a fever when he was brought in. When Vaud broke through, he served as Li Maoxun's personal guard, and after Li Maoxun's death, he was naturally left behind by other Chinese generals to be the unlucky ghost of the palace. However, Liu Rengong did not die so easily, and the 1,000 men and horses behind the palace fought to the last one, successfully covering the breakthrough of the Chinese army. He killed several pursuing enemy soldiers in succession, but was also stabbed twice in the thigh and waist.

He couldn't forget the damn spear now. It was neither an iron spear nor an ordinary spear. It's a damn three-edged bayone. A three-foot-long prism. Bladed on three sides, the iron armor on his body had no effect at all in front of the spear, and it was directly pierced, and then a hole was opened in his body, and the blood spurted out.

He desperately stabbed one to death with a knife, and then hugged one and bit off the other party's throat, but he also lost too much blood. Plus there was a wound on the leg. couldn't escape, so he changed into the armor robe of the man he had bitten to death. When it was dawn, there were logistics soldiers from the Zhendong Army who came to clean up the battlefield, and they helped him bandage and stop the bleeding and stop his injuries. In the wounded barracks, he also ate a few fragrant meat porridge and sick meals, especially the canned whale meat, which was really delicious. In August, those Zhendong troops were still able to have canned fruits such as peaches, pears, and bayberry.

There is food and drink, and medicine. After a few days, he was finally able to barely dismount. Then. The main force of the Zhendong Army has already sent troops to Youzhou City, and only some wounded soldiers and unity soldiers are left in Vaud City. One day, he took the opportunity to sneak out of the city, and then stole a pen and plow horse from a large family on the way. fled all the way back to Youzhou City, at that time, the outside of Youzhou City was already full of soldiers and horses of the Zhendong Army, and the company camped for more than ten miles, and the flags were fluttering.

However, the city gate could not enter, but he had a way to enter the city. Afterwards, he jumped into the moat and dived into the city in a sewage ditch under a corner. However, as soon as he entered the city, he was arrested. He identified himself and asked to see the young master Li Keju. But Li Keju didn't see it at all, but was thrown into the dungeon. Later, he thought about it and thought it was because of the set of Zhendong Army's military uniform. At that time, he did not replace it, because he was afraid that he would meet the soldiers of the Zhendong Army on the road.

didn't think about it, but it became the reason for being suspicious. Thinking about it, the soldiers and horses behind the palace have already been annihilated, but he suddenly appeared when the Zhendong Army was besieging the city, and he was still wearing a set of military uniforms of the Zhendong Army, and he sneaked into the city, it is estimated that no one will suspect him. He wanted to explain, but no one wanted to hear it.

Because the injury was not healed, he rode a horse all the way, slept in the open air, and drilled a stinky ditch, and the wound was repeated. Ben looked at the injury that was about to be good, but he had another attack. After he was imprisoned, he had a fever all the time, and in this black cell, no one gave him sick food, no meat porridge, no canned fruit, and no canned beef and whale meat. And there was no one to change his dressing, not even the water to clean the wound, let alone the kind of alcohol that smelled good and tasted good.

However, Liu Gutou's life is very hard, there is nothing in the prison, but there are rats.

These rats are everywhere, Liu Rengong took out the skills he had cultivated for many years, caught the unscrupulous rat in the fever, and directly killed the pickpocket, drank blood and meat. As long as there were rats that dared to break into his cell, they were all eaten by Liu Rengong at the least. After eating dozens of mice, he finally miraculously recovered.

He had thought he was going to die, and he remembered thinking that I would die alone in this dark underground prison, unaware, with the fur of rats.

But now he felt stronger than he had been when he had escaped from Vaud. The whole body was filled with a wild force, stronger than ever.

There were no windows on the thick black earthen walls, and it was dark. Staying in this dungeon, he could only tell the change of day and night according to the change of guards.

But the two guards didn't talk to him, and he was so lonely and bored that he had to give them a name based on their appearance, the one with a long face was called Horse Face, and the other who was short and strong, he gave him the nickname Bull Head. Bull head, horse face, he often calls the two of them in his heart.

Based on the two meals a day of mush that he didn't know what to do, and the torches on the walls of the corridors of his cell, he secretly guessed the date.

In the dark, Liu Rengong is not afraid of dampness or mice, but he becomes lonely and lonely, and he longs to hear voices. Every time the guards came to his cell, whether it was to deliver food, to make rounds, or to change the toilet, he would try to talk to them. Every time he asked, he didn't answer, but he was still not discouraged, and only hoped that one day, they would be able to answer him a word or two.

"How's the war going?" He asked, "Is it now that Youzhou is being succeeded by Li Shaoshuai, and how is he now?" In addition to these, he sometimes asked something else, "Did the other departments of Lu Longjun come to the aid of Youzhou?" "Has the Zhendong Army retreated?" "Did the Zhendong Army attack the city today?"

But no matter what he asked, it was fruitless, and they never answered his questions. But of the two. The horse had a better attitude towards him. Occasionally, I would look at him a few times. As for the bull head, he was simply a cow or a horse.

The torches on the wall were replaced, and Ma Mian took over the bull's shift. A new day has passed, Liu Rengong sighed in his heart, and then Ma Mian brought him dinner. The dinner was very rich, and the richness surprised Liu Rengong greatly.

"Stacks of tall corn rice, even two steamed cakes, and a stack of dried radish strips. There is also a salted fish, and there is also a bowl of mutton soup, in which you can still see slices of mutton. In addition, there is a small jar of wine. ”

"Is this a send-off meal?" Liu Rengong asked a little bitterly. Although no one cares about this place these days, he is still full of hope, thinking that the more this is the case, the more it means that there is still hope to get out alive. But now when he saw this sumptuous prison meal, he immediately remembered a tradition in the prison, for those who were about to be executed. will give them the last hearty meal of wine and meat, so that they will be full of dead ghosts when they die.

Ma Mian opened his mouth very rarely. Nodding at him. "If you say something, I will behead you yesterday afternoon."

Liu Rengong chuckled lightly after being slightly distracted, followed by a big laugh, and then laughed wildly.

"I worked hard for the Li family, but I didn't expect that the end would be such a result." He laughed out of tears, and this smile was very vicissitudes after the worst.

Ma Mian was a little surprised: "I heard that you are a spy of the Zhendong Army?" ”

"Fuck the bird spy, Lao Tzu Liu Rengong is the handsome's personal guard, this time the handsome died, I led a thousand brothers to fight to the death of the palace, the last until the last one. I was also shot twice and killed three enemies. If it weren't for Fu Da's hard life, he would have followed Dashuai a long time ago. rushed back to Youzhou thousands of miles away, but unexpectedly was treated as a spy, ridiculous, angry, and lamentable! ”

"Are you Liu Gutou?" Na Ma Mian seemed to have heard the name of Liu Rengong and exclaimed. "It turns out that you are the personal guard of the boss, no wonder."

Listening to this horse face's words, it seemed that there was something hidden in this, and he hurriedly asked, "What is going on?" ”

Saying that, he poured a glass of wine for Ma Mian, and Ma Mian seemed to be a little emotional, so he didn't refuse, took the turbid wine and drank it all, sighed and said: "I was also under the command of the Marshal of Yanzhou, and this war originally followed the young marshal as the fifth road soldier and horse, and then the young marshal was ordered to stay in Youzhou and not come out." After Li Jing first defeated the front army and then the left army, scared back the right army, and besieged the marshal Yu Vaud, many people in this Youzhou city began to stir up trouble. Together, they almost overthrew the young marshal. Many of our soldiers and horses who followed the marshal were seized power. Many were even removed from the army and reassigned to other places. For example, I was assigned to be the caretaker of this dungeon. ”

Liu Rengong originally thought that Li Keju refused to see him, but now that he sees Li Keju, it is possible that he still doesn't know that he is alive. He was a little stunned, and his mind was in a mess.

"And what's going on now?"

Na Ma Mian sighed, "What else can happen, if it weren't for the news of the death of the big marshal later, and Li Jing followed and led the troops to kill the city, the young marshal would have been killed by them." However, as soon as these people saw Li Jing killed, many of them fled with their families and soldiers and horses, and threw this Youzhou City and Li Jing to the young marshal to deal with. Although the young marshal has now taken over Youzhou again, there are less than 5,000 soldiers and horses. These days, the young people were temporarily summoned and about 50,000 young people were recruited to defend the city, but they still had little confidence in dealing with Li Jing. ”

"Why didn't the marshal summon you back?"

"I've been called, and I won't come again tomorrow."

Liu Rengong sighed in his heart, maybe you won't be able to come again in the future. He had seen Li Jing's Zhendong Army strong, and now those generals in Youzhou City had run away, leaving only the little soldiers and horses under Li Keju, where was there any hope.

"Youzhou City is four feet high, with a circumference of twenty-three miles, and it is the largest Xiongcheng fortress in the north of the Tang Dynasty, even if Li Jing wants to attack, I am afraid that it will be difficult to capture. Maybe the young marshal can get rid of Li Jing. ”

The horse smiled, knowing that this was impossible. The bigger the city, the harder it is to defend. It's okay if there are a lot of soldiers, but now there are so many soldiers in the city, and it is obvious that it is overstretched and flawed everywhere to defend a big city with a circumference of twenty-three miles.

"However, it's not without the slightest chance, the young marshal is sending someone to make peace with Li Jing, maybe Li Jing can retreat after the most retreat."

Liu Rengong's eyes lit up and he begged for peace. That's right. This is the only chance. But. If he didn't take out the blood book, it is estimated that Li Jing would not agree casually. Didn't the marshal send him to Li Jing several times to ask for peace conditions in Vaud, but Li Jing didn't pay attention to it at all, and still called all the way.

Early the next morning, the door of the cell opened, and Liu Rengong opened his eyes, straightened his clothes, and prepared to die.

But I saw that it was Ma Mian who said yesterday that he might not come again. He had changed his outfit today, wearing a familiar set of red Lu Long Army armor and an iron helmet on his head. He also carried a horizontal knife in his waist. The face is also very clean, and the beard is specially trimmed. As soon as he saw Liu Rengong, he immediately smiled and said: "Liu Gutou, you don't have to die, come with me, the handsome man wants to see you." ”

When he heard that the big handsome was going to see him, he was stunned for a moment, and then immediately understood that this big handsome was no longer the big handsome, but the new big handsome Li Keju.

"Liu Dongtou. You're not dead yet, not bad. "Li Keju is still the same Li Keju. even became a little haggard, but the whole person seemed to have a little more momentum and majesty, and Liu Rengong thought that maybe it was the crown dress on his body that had something to do with the handsome position he was sitting in. "Are you okay, can you still have Ben Shuai to kill the enemy?"

"Although I have been in the black cell for some time, my job is better than before."

"Is there anything else you're missing?"

"Are my children okay?" Liu Rengong never asked about his family in prison.

Li Keju looked at Liu Rengong, an old subordinate, with a smile, "Don't worry, they're all fine." At first, I only thought that you had died with the soldiers and horses of the palace, so I announced your death to your wife and children, but I didn't expect you to come back alive. After a pause, Li Keju stared at Liu Rengong and said, "I heard that you have sent Li Jing several times on behalf of your father, and now, I hope you can attend Li Jing's military camp once on my behalf." ”

Liu Rengong nodded and did not refuse. "There is no problem, the handsome man is driving, and he will not give up. However, Dashuai, Li Jing is not a good stubble, and he is afraid that ordinary conditions will not be able to meet him. Especially now, he still has such an advantage. ”

"These commanders all understand that whatever Li Jing wants, we will give him." Li Keju didn't hesitate at all, "At the beginning, my father cared too much about Youzhou and guarded Youzhou as his home. But my father forgot that there is not only our Li family in this Youzhou, but also countless families of all sizes staring at the back. Therefore, in the eyes of Ben Shuai, save yourself first, and then talk about Youzhou. If I can't even save myself, and I can't even protect the soldiers from my Yanzhou, how can I talk about protecting Youzhou. ”

Liu Rengong was shocked in his heart, he didn't expect that Li Keju would have such an idea. But if you think about it, it is. For example, this time, Li Maoxun fought against Li Jing, on the one hand, for himself, and on the other hand, he did not protect Youzhou, but other military leaders would not think so. When they were besieging Li Maoxun by Li Jing, they did not contribute to the work, and even sat on the wall to watch, and they could not save them when they died. Li Keju was even set aside, and almost lost his life.

In mid-September, after Liu Rengong was released from the black prison, he was reinstated again. This time, he is still the capital, but his capital, with 3,000 men and horses, is the newly expanded guard capital. Among them, 1,000 were Uighurs, and the remaining 2,000 were recruited Khitans, Xi, and other Hu people.

Subsequently, Liu Rengong went out of the city to ask to see Li Jing.

After arriving at the Zhendong military camp, Liu Rengong sent an invitation and conditions.

Li Keju is now completely subdued by Li Jing, and because Lu Longjun once wanted to replace him, he is now not only seeking peace and truce, but even has the idea of using Li Jing's strength to sit firmly in the position of Lu Longjun's commander.

"Zhendong County Prince, this time Liu came on behalf of the young marshal of my family, with twelve points of sincerity."

"Say your terms!" Li Jing said.

"On behalf of the marshal of my family, Liu proposed that Lu Longjun present two million yuan to the county prince as a reward for the brothers of the Zhendong Army. In addition, 100,000 stone grain and grass were offered for the army, and the proposal of borrowing the four cities proposed by the county prince before was also fully agreed. And, in order to show respect for the county prince, we will also marry the handsome sister to the county prince. ”

Li Zhen chuckled on the side: "This condition was mentioned by Li Maoxun before he died, this is also called sincerity?" ”

Liu Rengong did not panic and continued: "Of course, this is only part of the conditions. In addition, our marshal is willing to respect the county prince as his uncle from now on, and in the future, my Lu Longjun will take the head of the Zhendong Army as the horse, and be willing to attach the tail. In the future, every year, 10% of the taxes collected by our Youzhou Town will be handed over to the Zhendong Army. ”

After this follow-up condition was proposed, Li Jing and Li Zhen couldn't help but glance at each other and were slightly surprised. This is no better than the previous clause of losing money, which is equivalent to Li Maoxun's surrender to Li Jing, and Youzhou Town will be Li Jing's vassal in the future. Although this kind of vassal is only a temporary thing, it is still very attractive to Li Jing.

Although he was moved, Li Jing was not willing to agree immediately. Therefore, after pondering for a while, he said: "If Li Keju is really sincere, I can consider it." However, first send two million guan money and 500,000 stone of grain outside the city, and then talk about other things. Moreover, the next thing, I have to enter Youzhou City to talk about it, if Li Keju is willing to open the city gate to welcome my town's eastern army into Youzhou City, everything is easy to say, otherwise, there is nothing to talk about. It's a big deal, the eastern army of our town took it by itself. ”

Liu Rengong's face changed several times in an instant, he didn't expect things to be so unsmooth, and Li Jing was so ruthless. Not only did he increase the amount of money and grain a lot, but he even asked Kaecheng to welcome the Zhendong army into the city.

He wanted to refuse on the spot, but remembering Li Keju's previous words, he endured it and forced a smile: "Such an important decision has to be decided by my marshal, I will go back to the city and ask the marshal." ”

"Don't send it!" Li Jing picked up the teacup and gently took the lid of the cup and plucked the tea leaves in the cup! (To be continued......)