Chapter 60: Looking Ahead and Looking Back
Li Ji returned from drinking in Xingyang Tower, and coincidentally, his steward Li Ai also returned to Xingyang from Qi County.
The two met at the gate of the yamen. Li Ai knelt and then stood up to accompany Li Ji into the hall.
Li Ji looked at the dusty housekeeper and felt grateful. He asked with concern:
"Butler, why don't you go and take a rest first?"
Li Ai said hurriedly:
"Thank you for your concern, I'm not tired."
He looked at Li Ji carefully and said, "I was really worried about your health when I was out there."
Li Ji smiled and said:
"Butler, I should be fine. I am still a teenager and I have never felt tired all day long."
He looked at the young and vigorous Li Ai and exclaimed:
"Your health is not bad. People often say that a man who is thirty is not as healthy as a man who is twenty. Your health at the age of thirty is no less than that of a man who is twenty."
Li Ai laughed.
"I heard that you, sir, searched the mansion of Liu Er, the richest man in Xingyang?"
Li Ji looked at Li Ai and thought, this housekeeper is so well-informed, he knew everything just after he came back.
"Originally, I wanted to do a voluntary fundraising, and it would be fine if these big households just donated some money casually."
Li Ji took a sip of tea and continued:
"It's Liu Er's turn to be in trouble. His son ruined his business and helped me."
Li Ai asked: "According to what you said, it was Liu Gong, the son of the Liu family, who killed his father?"
Li Ji said with emotion: "Yes, these days, there are so many cases where sons harm their fathers."
He put down the teacup and clenched his teeth.
"I don't care about that. If you run into me, Li Ji, I won't be polite. I'll kill you both."
He slapped his head and suddenly remembered something.
"Butler, the Liu family's wives, servants, and maids are still locked up. Come with me to check it out tonight."
Li Ai said quickly, "Yes, sir."
He then reported Hao Xiaode's situation to Li Ji.
Hao Xiede occupied Pingyuan County and selected a group of strong men to fill the barracks.
However, he also killed several wealthy merchants in Pingyuan and occupied their mansions.
Liu Xiu, the daughter of Liu Hong, the governor of Qi County, did not have time to escape and was captured by Hao Xiaode and taken into the camp.
Liu Xiu was known as the most beautiful girl in the plain, and when Hao Xiaode saw such a beauty, he wanted to enjoy her all to himself.
Helpless, Liu Xiu would rather die than obey, and took advantage of Hao Xiaode's drunkenness to escape from Pingyuan, and his whereabouts have been unknown to this day.
When Li Ji heard this, his face suddenly turned pale and beads of sweat the size of beans began to drip.
He felt like a mixture of mixed feelings.
"You old thief, if you fall into my hands, I will kill you with one blow. Damn it, you dare to mess with my food."
When Li Ai saw Li Ji's sudden change of expression, she was so frightened that her whole body trembled.
"My Lord, is there anything I said that offends you?"
Li Ji was busy hiding his emotions. He took a sip of water, smiled at Li Ai and said:
"I drank a lot of wine at noon, and I'm a little tipsy now."
"How about you take a rest, sir?"
Li Ji felt very upset. He knew that it was a mistake that he failed to take Liu Xiu away at that time.
Now that Liu Xiu doesn’t know where he is, how can he not be worried?
He calmed himself down and asked slowly, "What is Chief Hao's plan?"
"He wants to surrender to Wagang Mountain. He always feels that Pingyuan County is not a place to live in for a long time and will be eaten by the Sui army sooner or later."
Li Ji thought, yes, Pingyuan County and Xingyang County are both small counties.
Now the only way to strengthen one's own power is to adopt the strategy of forming alliances, attract more rebel forces to join and occupy more counties.
Although there was an uprising at the end of the Sui Dynasty and the warlord separatism in the Celestial Empire, how many people could have laughed it off to the end?
Li Ji suddenly said in a loud voice: "That's good, then mobilize Hao Xiaode, Wang Bo and others to go to Wagang first."
Li Ai asked: "Master Li, what should we do now?"
Li Ji thought, yes, how should I make a decision now?
It is difficult to accomplish great things relying solely on the tiny place of Xingyang.
Moreover, after Zhang Xutuo's defeat, the imperial court in the Eastern Capital had stepped up preparations for war.
Yang Tong, the King of Yue in the Eastern Capital, dispatched Liu Changgong, the Tiger Guard General, and Fang Qi, the Junior Secretary of the Guanglu Temple, to lead 35,000 infantry and cavalry to march towards Xingyang.
Pei Renji, the Henan suppressing envoy, was sent to lead troops to Sishui, and agreed to meet with Liu Changgong in Cangnan, Xingyang, one week later.
Seeing that Xingyang was surrounded by the Sui army, where could I, Li Ji, go now?
From the perspective of Feng Shui, Chang'an, the Western Capital, is the best place to live.
Xijing is located in the central and eastern part of the Weihe Plain.
It is bordered by the Wei River to the north, the Qinling Mountains to the south, Tongguan to the east, and Chencang to the west.
Chang'an is a city rich in resources and easy to defend but difficult to attack. Whoever captures it can achieve the goal of becoming an emperor.
From the perspective of yin and yang, Chang'an faces mountains and backs onto water, so it is not considered an auspicious place.
The main reasons why he was able to achieve his imperial career were the mild climate, abundant rainfall and fertile land.
The resources are abundant and the population is dense.
Militarily, it is defended on three sides by mountains and rivers, and can advance and retreat freely. It is known as the land of Yongzhou, the solidity of the Xiao River, and the golden city of thousands of miles, which is the business of an emperor.
Li Ai listened to Li Ji's analysis and nodded continuously.
However, Chang'an had been occupied by Li Yuan, and Li Ji was not unaware of the fact that the father and son of the Li family were like flying dragons in the sky.
Although Li Ji defeated Zhang Xutuo in the first battle, some soldiers believed that Zhang Xutuo had died for his country and they flocked to Pei Renji.
At present, only a small group of rebels have joined Li Ji.
I have always wanted to attack Luokou Warehouse, but the timing was not right.
If we continue to hold on to Xingyang, we may miss the opportunity.
The only way is to go to Wagang Mountain first, rely on Zhai Rang's momentum, gather strength, and act according to the circumstances.
Li Ji was having a lively conversation with his housekeeper Li Ai when suddenly, a horse neighed outside the door.
He looked up and saw the man getting off the horse and heading straight for the lobby.
When Li Ji saw it, he burst into laughter.
He shouted loudly: "It turns out that General Shan has arrived !"
He hurriedly arranged for the housekeeper to go to the kitchen to prepare for the welcoming banquet.
After Li Ai left, Li Ji asked:
"General Shan and Zhai Facao are from the same hometown. Have you decided what you discussed?"
Shan Xiongxin replied: "For many days, I have been in contact with Zhai Facao and often advised him to make plans early. Either capture the Eastern Capital or take Chang'an in the West.
He sighed and said, "Many generals have surrendered recently, and everyone is waiting for his decision. However, Zhai Facao's thinking is not very clear yet."
Li Ji said: "When so many heroes come together, we need to make a decision immediately. Since he is still hesitant to make a decision, we can wait until we enter the village together and then make a long-term plan."
After a while, Li Ai came in and said, "Master Li, dinner is ready."
Li Ji hurriedly said, "General Shan, let's go, let's go together."
Three people were toasting each other.
Li Ai gave Li Ji a detailed report on the movements of the rebel forces in various places.
Shan Xiongxin explained to Li Ji the geographical location and troop stationing situation of Wagang Mountain.
In the end, Li Ji decided to use Xingyang as his base, stabilize Xingyang first, and then go to Wagang Mountain.
On the one hand, he encouraged soldiers to cultivate land in Dahai Temple and build a granary in Xingyang.
On the one hand, they rectified military discipline, and on the other hand, they trained soldiers in their spare time to improve combat effectiveness.
One day, Li Ji was checking reports in the government office when his personal guards suddenly came to report:
"Zheng Baiwan, the president of Xingyang Chamber of Commerce, wants to see you..."
