It was night, a crescent moon hung in the sky, and twinkling stars dotted the night sky.

Tongguan battalion, the commander of the Chinese army.

It took a whole day for all the troops of the Eastern Expedition to enter Tongguan, so that the camp was overcrowded.

By nightfall, Li Li, who had led the front army to the camp first, had already rested for most of the day, and at this moment he had summoned the generals of each battalion to come to the tent to discuss the matter.

In the big tent, Li Xuan and Li Ru were also sitting at the bottom of the stairs, and they followed Li Li to the Tongguan camp to dispatch grain and grass.

The grain and grass of the army of more than 200,000 people is not a trivial matter, it is directly related to the success or failure of the war, and there is no room for the slightest mistake. It is precisely because they are careful and cautious in their work and do not leak that they have the reputation of "Double Li Don't Drive", and they have always been relied on by Li Li and cited as the minister of the arm and humerus.

In fact, Li Xuan and Li Ru did not hold the position of another driver, and their positions were far above the other driver; But in the eyes of the world, they are indeed indispensable left and right drivers in the big carriage of Xiliang. Li Ru was in charge of the intelligence of the Xiliang Army, and Li Xuan was in charge of government affairs and the treasury, with a high position of power, escorting Li Li. The most striking thing is that they have the same surname as Li Li, and they are in-laws with each other, both prosperous and lossy, and they are actually Li Li's confidants and close ministers, and their loyalty is commendable.

At this moment, there are many generals in the tent, and there are more than 100 commanders and generals above the rank of captain. Huan Fei, the commander of the Flying Bear Soldiers, Dong Yue and Huang Lie, the deputy commanders of the Longxiang Battalion Ma Chao, the deputy commanders Li Zheng, Meng Chong and the captain Ma Dai, the unequaled iron cavalry commander Teng Yu, the deputy commanders Yin Yu and Tie Yu brothers, the deputy commanders of the Qinglong Battalion Pang De and Cheng Gongying, the deputy commanders of the Wuwei Battalion Huang Zhong and Ma Wan, the Jin Yiwei commander Li Zhi, plus the Tong Pass guard general Bocai and other generals. There are more than 20 generals above the level of deputy commander alone, and there are as many as 100 generals and captain-level generals in the remaining ranks.

It's just that this meeting of the commander's account is not to discuss the military situation and war, so most of them, the leading generals, only listen to it and learn about the current battle situation and the situation of grain and grass in the army. The protagonists of this discussion are Li Xuan, Li Ru and Jia Xu, because they have the army's grain and grass, intelligence and troop deployment in their hands.

"Tonight we gathered everyone together for a discussion, but in fact it was to get together and have a drink. Hehehe! On the handsome position, Li Li looked easy-going, and raised the wine bottle with a smile on his face to drink with everyone below.

"Hahaha!" Finish with a glass of mulled wine. The generals smiled heartily, and Yan Sù's expression relaxed; Two or two handfuls of wine and chatter, chuckling and whispering in each other's ears.

Seeing that the atmosphere in the big tent was lively, Li Li smiled silently. Gu raised his bottle and drank without saying anything. so as not to spoil the Yaxing that the crowd will drink happily. Previously, when the army arrived in Chang'an one after another. Li Li did not convene the generals to gather together, nor did he put on a big feast for everyone to drink. This is because Chang'an City is full of detailed eyeliner planted by princes from all walks of life, and once the generals gather to discuss the matter, it is equivalent to unabashedly presenting the transfer of troops and horses of the Xiliang Army in the eyes of all parties. Therefore, after the army was assembled, the whole city of Chang'an City was under martial law. Dongcheng, where the army was stationed, was even more heavily guarded, and all soldiers were not allowed to leave the camp. Then the army did not hold a swearing-in ceremony, and quietly drove out of the city, and the flags and drums died down along the way. It was not until they arrived at the Tongguan camp that the generals were able to gather together.

Even so, Li Li also knew that this expedition could not hide from the eyes and ears of the princes of the Central Plains, and then it would reach the ears of these princes. However, the configuration of the soldiers and horses of the Xiliang army can hide the eyes of the Central Plains princes in Chang'an, and they know the number of troops of the Xiliang army at most, but they have no way to know the specific details. The reason why Li Li did this was to cast a shadow on the hearts of some very suspicious princes, so that they could speculate suspiciously and have scruples. In fact, this move is just to confuse the public and play tricks, and it is of little practical use and has little impact on the situation of the war.

Half an hour later, the generals were full of wine and food, the feast was withdrawn, and the handsome maid served tea to the generals.

"Wen You, a few days ago, you said that you had something to report, I don't know what it is?" After tasting tea, Li Li asked casually with a smile on his face.

"Ugh!" Li Ru was slightly stunned when he heard this, and then came back to his senses and said: "My lord, I received a secret report three days ago that Xuzhou Mu Taoqian died of illness, and before he died, he gave up the six counties of Xuzhou to Liu Bei of Zhuo County. After receiving the secret report, the subordinates wanted to report it to the lord immediately, but the trainer's wife was in a slight condition, so the lord had no intention of taking care of the matter, so the subordinates put the secret report aside and did not report it to the lord until the night. If your subordinates are derelict in their duties, please punish the Lord! ”

"Tao Qian is dead, and the big-eared thief is in charge of the six counties of Xuzhou?" Li Li was shocked when he heard this, the smile on his face disappeared instantly, and then his sword eyebrows frowned, and he muttered in a low voice.

"Exactly." Li Ru continued to report: "According to the detailed report, Tao Qian died of illness in the early morning seven days ago, and when he was dying, he secretly summoned Liu Bei to entrust the funeral. After Tao Qian's death, Liu Bei claimed to uphold Tao Qian's last wish, took the six counties of Xuzhou, and showed Tao Qian's suicide note to the public. Immediately, no one in Xuzhou objected, and they were willing to worship Liu Bei as the master, so that Liu Bei Shunshun would sit in the position of Xuzhou pastor. ”

After finishing speaking, Li Ru got up and walked to the front of the handsome case, took out a stack of letters and silks from his sleeve and handed it to Li Li, and said respectfully: "This is the Tao Qian recital received at noon today, he recommended Liu Bei to the imperial court to succeed him as the pastor of Xuzhou, and asked the lord to take a look." ”

When he took the letter, Li Li's slightly stunned expression had already returned to normal, and then he calmly glanced at the contents of the letter, and then put it aside noncommittally.

After thinking about it for a while, a faint smile appeared on Li Li's face, and he chuckled: "Xuzhou Tao Gongzu has two sons under his knees, the eldest son Tao Shang and the youngest son Tao Ying, who have already reached the crown, although these two are talented, they are not useless. Now Tao Qian is sick and dead, but when he was dying, he recommended Liu Bei to succeed him as the pastor of Xuzhou, which was really unexpected.

Tao Qian is known for his humility and generosity, generosity and kindness, and is known as a virtuous person. When he died of illness, he did not pass on the position of state pastor to his son, but gave it to Liu Bei, which in the eyes of the world, was quite Yaoshun. However, in my Li Li's opinion, this is a move to sell fame and reputation, Tao Qian only cares about leaving a good name for himself, and he may be able to leave a name in history in the future, but where did he put his two sons? Maybe he wants his two sons to spend their lives in peace, but it's a pity that who can stay out of the troubled times and enjoy peace? ”

After hearing this, Li Ru, who was obedient and standing at the foot of the steps, immediately asked: "Does the lord mean to reject Tao Qian's request and not allow Liu Bei to withdraw Xuzhou?" ”

Li Li smiled indifferently when he heard this, waved his hand and said: "No, Tao Qian is quite prestigious in Xuzhou and is deeply loved by the people of Xuzhou. If his dying wish was rejected by me Li Li this time, wouldn't it be true and criticized? ”

Speaking of this, Li Li smiled calmly: "What should come will come after all." Liu Bei deliberately plotted against Xuzhou, and now he finally got his wish and occupied the six counties of Xuzhou for nothing. Such a large piece of pie smashed on his head, enough to smash him into ecstasy, fluttering and undirectional. At this time, he was on the rise, if I didn't give him the Xuzhou Mu Ephery, but reprimanded him, it would inevitably make him angry and angry, and I would be the enemy of the Xiliang army. However, it is wishful thinking that he wants to occupy Xuzhou for nothing, you must know that there are not a few princes who are worried about Xuzhou, and this time it was obtained by him Liu Bei so lightly, I am afraid that many princes will be angry and salivate.

Therefore, it is not the time for us to make a formal statement, so we will put it aside for the time being, and we should not know about it. Wait until the battle of the Central Plains is over, and then go back to deal with this matter. If Liu Bei is interested, he should know how to do it; If you don't know how to be interested, then don't blame me Li Li for not being emotional. Although Xuzhou was given to him by Tao Qian, whether the position of Xuzhou Mu can fall on his head is not Tao Qian's final say, but by my Li Li's words! ”

Li Ru heard this, and chuckled: "It is said that this Liu Bei has always lived in the royal family himself, and he prides himself on being a royal noble, and the Liu family is noble. For example, the heirs of the Liu family abound today, and if you count them carefully, there are at least hundreds of people. It's ridiculous that Liu Bei is pretentious, regards ignorance as capital, takes shamelessness out to show off, and shamelessly proclaims that he is a member of the Han family. As everyone knows, the Han clan is not surnamed Liu, but must be confirmed by the Zongzheng Mansion and officially included in the family tree before it can be counted, Liu Bei's move itself is a disobedient act of ignoring the laws of the clan and wantonly trampling on the majesty of the royal family. Although he temporarily occupies the six counties of Xuzhou, but without the edict of the Son of Heaven, Xuzhou is a borderless land, and any prince can send troops to fight against him. Just like Cao Cao of Yanzhou, he led Yanzhou Mu, although he occupied Yanzhou for more than two years, he was always unjustifiable, so that he was now attacked by Lu Bu and took away the foundation. ”

"Huh?" Li Li was slightly stunned when he heard this, and said with a smile: "Wen You's words reminded me, and he immediately issued an edict to confer Lu Bu as the pastor of Yanzhou and the general of the expedition to the north, and canonized Yanzhou to him. In addition, Tao Qian was posthumously named the right general, the Marquis of Tancheng, and the pottery merchant was Pengcheng Ling, inheriting his father's title, and Tao should be the Taishou of Guangling and the Marquis of Nanling. As for Liu Bei, his previous position was too low, and it was only a plain order, which was not enough to succeed him as the pastor of Xuzhou, so he issued an edict to praise him and ordered him to temporarily take Xuzhou without a specific official position. ”

"The lord is clever, and his subordinates will do it immediately!" Li Ru happily took the order.

After Li Ru left quickly, Jia Xu got up and reported: "I just got a report that Hanoi Taishou Zhang Yang secretly colluded with Yuan Shao and plotted against him, and recently built an altar outside the west gate of the county town and built thousands of camp tents, which is the camp of the princes' alliance. It is reported that as of recently, the princes of the Eighth Route have led a large army into Hanoi, and presumably a ceremony will be held in the near future for the princes' alliance. ”

"Humph! This flamboyance again? Li Lijian frowned slightly and snorted coldly, and said in a deep voice: "Since I took charge of Xiliang, I have repeatedly despised me for publicizing this thief, and I have been holding back for two years. Unexpectedly, he finally put out his banner and surrendered to Yuan Shao this time, and directly introduced the army of the Central Plains princes into Hanoi County, and the soldiers pointed directly at my Anyi camp. This thief eats inside and outside, and secretly communicates with the outside thief, he is purely a white-eyed wolf who can't be raised, and he is extremely hateful! This time our army is crusading, the first enemy to be destroyed is this Zhang Yang, if you don't kill this thief, it will be difficult to eliminate the hatred in my heart! ”

―――――――――――― (To be continued)(To be continued......