At the end of October, it was already very cold in the morning and evening.

The daylight hours are getting shorter and shorter, the sun has just set, and in the blink of an eye, the land is already pitch black.

Lingqiu City on the northern border of the Dynasty is the seat of Ulju. Tang changed the county to a state, and the Ulzhou administrative office was originally in Lingqiu, and then moved to Anbian City for a time, and now it has moved back to Lingqiu. This Datong Basin, located in the Sanggan River Basin, is also known as the Rice Grain River. If it weren't too close to the Hu people in the Saiwai grassland, this was actually one of the few fertile soils in Hedong.

Because it is stuffed with rice and grain river, and it is an important place to enter and exit the Jinjin and Yan, and even enter the grassland, you can not only get out of the fortress, but also pass through the military capital to cross the Taihang and enter the Yanzhou of Lulong Town. You can also enter Hebei Yiding through Puyin and Feigu, therefore, although Lingqiu City is plugged everywhere, it is said to be plugged in the south of the Yangtze River.

At the most prosperous time, there were 50,000 or 60,000 people in Lingqiu City, of which there were dozens of special workshops, and there were more than 40 lines of large and small lines in the city. Every day, the officials in front of the city gate who collect the city tax will be excited. The restaurants and inns in the city are even more prosperous. The flying lonely square in the east of the city is also known as Xiaoping Kangfang. At the time of its greatest prosperity, it was not only the concentration of brothels in the entire Lingqiu City, but also the brothels that occupied more than half of the northern part of the dynasty, with as many as 1,000 prostitutes. It is said that Chang'an's Pingkangfang has more than 30,000 prostitutes, although Xiaopingkangfang is not as good, but it is also famous in Daibei. In a small border area, there are so many prostitutes in Qinglou, and you can also know the prosperity of Lingqiu City at the beginning.

Now that night is falling, it is the time when the business of the Qinglou Liquor Store is booming, but the four gates of Lingqiu City have already been closed. The doors are also closed, and the streets are above the alleys. There is not a single pedestrian. Only patrols passing by from time to time.

There are even many houses with broken doors and windows. In the courtyard, tall artemisia grass grows, swaying weakly in the evening autumn breeze.

Except for the sporadic lights and the occasional barking of dogs, there was a sense of panic and despair throughout the city. Drifting with the wind, permeating this suffocating silent space.

As the night deepened, the few lights gradually went out, and only the north of the city was left behind.

This is the mansion of the Shatuo Zhu Evil Clan, when Li Keyong's grandfather was the Ulzhou Thorn History. The mansion was built in the north of the city. Later, Li Ke stationed troops in Ulzhou, and has been living here, and married Liu here.

Around Zhu Xie's mansion, there are still many mansions, and these are the mansions of Li Keyong's subordinate generals.

At this time, the Zhu Xie Clan's mansion and the surrounding houses were still brightly lit, and the people in the mansion were busy nervously. However, everyone's face was filled with terror and despair. The laughter and laughter of the past are gone. The slaves and maids in the house are busy packing and loading the soft and other things in the house.

Lots of people are busy. But surprisingly silent.

Many people don't know what happened to the Dao, but those who know what happened don't say anything.

When this panic has been brewing for a long time. Slowly, all kinds of rumors began to erupt everywhere.

Rumors spread one after another, like the wind, each one sounding true, but each one was also making everyone's already fragile nerves even more fragile.

An hour earlier, a small troop of cavalry had galloped into the city before sunset. These people were so embarrassed that they rode about a hundred horses, and most of them were covered in blood. As soon as they entered the city, they went straight to the north of the city.

Then, immediately after that, there were rumors that the Naogu Pass to the north of Lingqiu had been lost. I heard that all the soldiers guarding the pass were killed in battle, except for those few knights covered in blood. However, only half an hour later, the rumors changed again, and it turned into a mutiny against the defenders of Zhigu Pass, who opened the door and surrendered to the Tang army. It is said that it was the Youzhou soldiers who came over this time, and the one who led the troops was Zhang Gongsu, the marshal of Youzhou.

However, then a businessman who traveled south and north retorted: "Zhang Gongsu was driven away by Li Maoxun, the envoy of the Qingyi army of Yanzhou, two months ago, and the current commander of Lu Long is Li Maoxun. Last time, Li Ya'er sent troops to attack the Ningwu army in Yanzhou, and it is estimated that the Uighurs were provoked this time, and now it must be Li Maoxun who led the troops to take revenge. ”

But not long afterward, someone who had just come from Youzhou retorted, "You still don't know what to do, Li Maoxun and Li Jing of the Zhendong Army teamed up to drive away Zhang Gongsu. Who knew that Li Maoxun and Li Jing had a falling out again later. Then, Li Jing sent troops to cross the sea to attack Youzhou, and defeated several soldiers and horses in Youzhou in a row. The generals of the Gao family in Yanzhou knew that they were famous in Yanzhou, and they were all defeated under Li Jing's hands, and now they are all attached to the Zhendong Army. Li Maoxun was directly angry, and now Lu Longjun is Li Maoxun's son in charge. However, I heard that many generals of Lu Long were not convinced, and Li Maoxun's son Li Keju had already recognized Li Jing as his uncle, and the two families joined forces again, and they just convinced the generals of Lu Longjun who were not convinced. Now it must be Li Jing's Zhendong Army and Li Keju's Youzhou soldiers! ”

These words were well-founded, and many people believed that it was the coalition of Li Jing and Li Keju.

But it didn't take long for another news to spread in the city, saying that Li Zhenwu sent troops to attack Youzhou Assassin Shi Tuoba Sigong, but the Tiande Army and the Tuyuhun Old and Young Helian people suddenly sent troops, and the soldiers captured Huyan Pass bloodlessly, and then the cavalry raided the Zhenwu Army's old nest Shan Yudu Hufu for 400 miles. Li Zhenwu's family members in the Duhu Mansion alone, as well as many of Zhenwujun's family members, have fallen into the hands of the Tiande Army.

Later, there were rumors that Li Ya'er was defeated in Taiyuan and was chased all the way, and now he is withdrawing his troops from Ulzhou. Wait a minute. Later, some people said that the guards of Shuozhou had rebelled against Shatuo and defected to the Tang army, and they also sent troops to help the Tang army defraud Yunzhou, and now they are coming to Ulzhou.

Every piece of news has a nose and an eye, but every once in a while, a new rumor will come out.

In Lingqiu City, although the doors are closed, or even the lights are turned off to extinguish the fire, few of the people, residents and traders in the city are really asleep. Everyone is watching the wind and grass outside, because it is related to the fate of the vast majority of people in the city for the rest of their lives.

All kinds of news are flying all over the sky, but all the news is gathered together, and none of them are beneficial to the people of Shatuo and Li Guochang and his son. These news gathered more and more, and slowly, in the hearts of everyone, the Shatuo people were embattled and completely defeated. And all kinds of Tang troops, at this time, seemed to be wearing armor and surrounding Lingqiu on all sides, as if they were about to break through the dark night and jump out of the fog at any time.

"Brother, what the hell do you say? I have everything to say, and I always feel unsteady in my heart. Which of them is telling the truth? In a team of horses walking from the Zhu Xie Clan's mansion to the north gate, one of the generals looked around and asked another younger-looking servant in a low voice.

"I don't know what to do." The person who was asked replied with some blankness, he looked up at the sky, "If it can rain heavily at this time, it may be difficult for the soldiers of the Tang Army to march." Or, because of the heavy rain, maybe Zhenwu and Liuhou would not be able to escape the pursuit and encirclement of the Tang army. The things of war are unpredictable, and who can know what the outcome of the road is, just like gambling money, sometimes it depends entirely on luck. No matter how good a person is in a war, if he is unlucky, it is useless. ”

"Can fighting a war be as easy as gambling for money?" The older generals were puzzled, "Don't coax the old brother, anyone can gamble, not everyone can fight this war." ”

"Not everyone can gamble, unless you don't care if you win or lose. Otherwise, gambling money is also very capable. Generally speaking, there are two ways to gamble money, one is to play steadily, carefully calculate, win will not win too much, and lose will not lose the bottom at once. The other is completely by luck, indiscriminately betting all at once, whether to die or live and wait for God's fate. The younger family man controlled the horse's head, and the white horse was restless in the drizzle, and the old man smiled, took off his leather helmet and reached out and grabbed his hair: "That's right, I like to bet all at once." ”

"Wealth is in the sky, life and death are fate." The boy nodded. "It's the same with war. At that time, there were two generals under Tang Taizong, one was Li Ji, and the other was Xue Wanche, Emperor Taizong said that Li Ji was cautious in the war, and he would not win a big victory, but he would not be defeated, Xue Wanche fought bravely and quickly, either a big victory or a big defeat. You say, isn't this war the same as gambling? ”

The old man was stunned for a moment, and then Ha Lu Ha Da Lu smiled: "Hearing you say this, it's really the same." Little brother is a little interesting, how did I see you in the house before? ”

"Fourteen years old." Nian Xiaojiading was silent for a moment, "I just came back from Zhigu Pass, I didn't have a surname before, but now my surname is Li, Li Siyuan." ”

"Li Siyuan?" The old general was groaning on the horse, and suddenly remembered a rumor, "Li Siyuan? Are you Miao Jilie? Newly adopted son not long ago? Your father is Li Ni? Li Siyuan nodded in the rain, unable to tell what kind of feeling he had. His family has been a subordinate general of the Shatuo chief for generations, Li Siyuan's father Li Ni, and his uncle Li Ting, Li Lei, and Li Zhen are all brave and good at fighting, and they are important generals of the chief Li Guochang. Last month, his father Li Ni and his uncle Li Zhen, Li Lei, and Li Ting followed Li Keyong to the city of Shalu. In that battle, the Shatuo army once again showed their invincible bravery, and in one fell swoop, they connected the three states of Kedai, Xin, and Lan, and approached Taiyuan. However, these battles were also fought very fiercely, his father Li Ni, uncle Li Lei, Li Ting, and Li Zhen joined the expedition, and the result was that the third uncle Li Ting brought back the corpses of the three brothers. After hurriedly burying the three people, Li Ting was ordered to rush to Zhenwu Army, and before leaving, his uncle told him that he had already said that he would accept him as a righteous son, and even gave him a Chinese name, Li Siyuan.

Miao Jilie changed his name to Li Siyuan and became the adopted son of Li Keyong, the young master of Shatuo. Although he had not met his father-in-law after his father's death, Li Keyong had already arranged for him to serve as a military academy at Naoya Pass. Who knows, he has only arrived at Naoya Pass for less than a month, and Naoya Pass was suddenly breached the night before. If it weren't for the guard who was his father's subordinate and sent someone to cover his breakthrough, he would have died at this time.

Sha Tuo rebelled against the Tang Dynasty, and after only half a year of fighting, his father and two uncles died, and he had just experienced the rest of his life after a catastrophe. Riding on the horse, he suddenly thought, why do they want to oppose Tang?

(Ask for a ticket!) Ask for a tip! (To be continued......)