Chapter 29: Be prepared and take a two-pronged approach

If Zhao Yu's normal temperament was followed, Li Kaishan, who had a grand name but a mean face, would have twisted his neck long ago and asked him to accept the retribution and go to see the King of Hell.

Together with the twenty or thirty people in the grove, they killed them all without leaving a single life.

However, now, after all, Zhao Yu is no longer alone. As soon as my thoughts changed, I thought a lot. Then he released Li Kaishan and asked him to go back and report the news to scare the intruders and thieves.

Of course, Zhao Yu doesn't think too highly of himself. It seems that the thieves lived happily in the Central Plains. Although they heard Zhao Yu's name, they did not necessarily know Zhao Yu's true ability.

Just by looking at the leader Li Chuang sent here to recruit him, he could easily tell that Li Chuang didn't pay much attention to him and thought how powerful Zhao Yu was.

Probably that bandit thought that the Tatars were nothing more than that.

He waited for thousands of miles to spread his poison and defeated the local army of the Ming Dynasty. However, the Tatars were defeated by the Ming Dynasty in one battle. Naturally, they may have thought that the Tatars were also a mob.

But no matter what, the bandit thought that Zhao Yu was powerful and was trembling with fear, or that the Tatars were a mob and were even more arrogant.

If God wants to destroy it, it must first make it crazy.

If one knew that Zhao Yu was so powerful, he would never wash his hands in a golden basin even if he jumped over the wall in a hurry. He would probably stick to the principle that the more money he gets, the more he gets, and the more he gets mad, the more he gets, and he is even more like a mad dog. If you don't know how powerful Zhao Yu is, and just regard the Liaodong border army as a local army, you will be even more arrogant, and you will be equally crazy.

No matter how it is, whether it makes the bandits afraid or makes them arrogant, the principle is the same.

The bandit is cunning and will run away if he can't be beaten. Even if there are only twenty or thirty people, as long as the leader of the bandit is still there, he will come back soon. Just when you are about to make him crazy, or make him look down upon, when the army arrives, strike with thunder, break his army, behead him, and accomplish all your feats in one battle.

When he arrived, the prince told him to be careful on the road ahead. Zhao Yu then guessed that there would be thieves or moths in the court who would make plans. Now, after the thieves passed, Li Chuang sent people. As for the thieves and others, they were even worse than Li Chuang. I'm afraid no one would have thought of this.

Next, it must be the method of the worm in the court.

Are you sending someone to intercept? Set up and wait?

Or some other sinister means?

Zhao Yu was alert and secretly prepared.

According to the recent journey, it will take five, seven or eight days to get from the capital to Shanhaiguan. I don't know if the methods of the worms in the dynasty will be revealed at the right time. Zhao Yu will wait and see.

Early the next morning, it was time to set off again.

The eunuchs, Jin Yiwei and others are quite honest. Just pack up a few items and flags, start fighting, and continue on the road.

Zhao Yu was in front, riding without haste or slowness.

Suddenly he said to a horseman beside him: "Take ten of your brothers and go first to Shanhaiguan to see General Ma Ke. I am just coming. In accordance with the emperor's will and the prince's expectation, I will come to mobilize the troops and ask him to send a message." The commander-in-chief of each town mobilized elite troops to Shanhaiguan. If Ma Ke was indifferent, he would ignore him and go straight to Tashan to see Tashan commander-in-chief Li Fuming and inform him of his intention. He just said that he was obeying the emperor's orders and would be prosperous and wealthy in the future. No matter what, let him He made preparations in advance. If Li Fuming also treats me coldly, he will only send one or two people back to report the news, and he will find a place to suppress it until I arrive."

The man next to him was the leader of the Hundred Cavalry, whose surname was Zhang. He was slightly startled when he heard this and said, "What do you mean, General?"

Zhao Yu considered it and said: "You are also an old man who follows the prince. You must be aware of the turmoil in the court. I'm afraid those moths don't want to see the prince take power. This time the prince oversees the suppression of thieves. If he wins, he will definitely have a great reputation. Naturally, those people don't want to see the increase. They will definitely find ways to stop it and make the prince fail. They will stop the prince from recruiting troops from Liaodong. If there is no border army, the war will be difficult. Or send people to intercept us along the road and intercept and kill us. . Or send a message to Liaodong so that the soldiers and horses in the towns in Liaodong do not dare to move. Just in case, you go there first to explore the situation so that I can be prepared."

When Commander Zhang heard this, his expression changed and he did not dare to be negligent. He quickly said: "What the general said is absolutely true. I will do it immediately."

"Um."

So Commander Zhang took ten elite cavalry with him, took only Zhao Yu's handwritten letter, changed his clothes, and concealed his identity, then went ahead and rushed to Shanhaiguan.

Seeing this, some people in the imperial envoy team couldn't help exchanging glances with each other.

...

Commander Zhang and his ten brothers traveled quickly. Except for necessary rest, they spent the rest of the time on the road. In about three days, we arrived at Shanhaiguan.

Ma Ke, the commander-in-chief of Shanhaiguan Pass, also met Zhao Yu. Just over a month ago, there was a battle in Jinzhou. Ma Ke naturally knew about Zhao Yu's ferocious power.

Because of the Battle of Jinzhou, Ma Ke also gained military exploits, but the imperial court's promotion decree has not yet come down, and he is still the commander-in-chief of Shanhaiguan and has not yet moved.

Zhang Tong led eleven men into Shanhaiguan and went straight to the General Military Mansion.

Then he sent the guards of the General Military Mansion to report.

When the guard heard that he was someone sent by Zhao Yu, he immediately became energetic. Zhao Yu's prowess was widely spread among the military towns in Liaodong. The name of the God of War was given to Zhao Yu by the soldiers of the Liaodong Army Formation.

If others don’t know how powerful the Tatars are, don’t the soldiers in the Liaodong military town know? It can be said that the victory in the Battle of Jinzhou was all due to Zhao Yu, especially the soldiers who respected him the most.

So the attitude changed drastically and the warmth became tight. On one side, another person was quickly separated and went into the General Military Mansion to report.

After a while, Marco came to greet him in person.

Speaking of which, a commander-in-chief, leading an army alone, already holds a high position of authority. The staff general is still under the chief soldier and deputy chief soldier. But Ma Ke came to greet him personally, and the person he greeted was not Zhao Yu, but someone sent by Zhao Yu.

This shows the importance of Zhao Yu in Ma Ke's heart.

This was also a natural reaction after witnessing Zhao Yu's ferocious power. The Tatar emperor, among thousands of troops, was captured alive by Zhao Yu. He was taken to his hometown and his head was sacrificed to his parents. How courageous was this? !

The Tatar high-level officials were almost beaten by Zhao Yu in a battle. How cruel is this? !

Ma Ke didn't think that with such a strong force under his command, he wouldn't take Zhao Yu seriously. If someone like Zhao Yu offends someone like him, even the emperor of the Qing Dynasty will kill him at any time. What does he mean to Ma Ke?

I didn't dare to neglect him, even if it was just someone sent by Zhao Yu, not Zhao Yu himself.

Therefore, Commander Zhang and other talents deeply felt Zhao Yu's prestige in Liaodong!

So he entered the General Military Mansion and was formally received by Ma Ke in the main hall.

Ma Ke said: "Zhao Zhuangshi is so majestic. We and other towns in Liaodong, from the generals to the cooks and small soldiers, no one does not deeply respect him."

First he flattered him, and then he said: "I wonder if Zhao Zhuangshi has sent some brothers here to give you any instructions? Just come here, I, Ma Ke, will be satisfied even if I sell iron."

Hearing this, Commander Zhang felt relieved and said with a smile: "I would like to teach you, General Zhao, that General Zhao is now a staff general."

"oh?!"

Marco's eyes lit up slightly.

Zhao Yu joined the army. In any case, at least in a big way, he was on the same page as him. They are all martial artists. Naturally, it becomes more affectionate.

Said: "That's exactly what it should be!"

He put his hands on his hands and smiled and said: "In the battle of Jinzhou, General Zhao Shen will turn the tide. If he is not promoted, he will actually chill the hearts of all the soldiers."

Commander Zhang chuckled and felt honored.

He was assigned to Zhao Yu by the prince, and from now on he would be Zhao Yu's personal soldier. He and Zhao Yu would both prosper and suffer. The more glorious Zhao Yu was, the more he felt the same.

Even the headquarters of this town were so low-brow and submissive. Commander Zhang felt as refreshed as if he had drank a ladle of cold water in the summer.

However, he is not the kind of person who is ambitious and ambitious. He can be favored by the prince. Commander Zhang is also a stable character.

He quickly revealed this and got down to business: "A few days ago, the imperial court decided to use His Royal Highness the Crown Prince to supervise the suppression of bandits in Henan, Hebei, Jiangnan, Guanzhong and Shaanxi. General Zhao will be the vanguard general. The Crown Prince ordered General Zhao to go to Liaodong. Come and mobilize troops.”

"oh?"

Hearing this, Marco chuckled, a strange look flashed in his eyes, and said: "Is this so? I wonder how to explain this charter?"

Commander Zhang said: "The Emperor has issued a decree to mobilize 80,000 troops from various towns in Liaodong and put them under the command of His Highness the Crown Prince."

"I see." Marco nodded: "Then where is General Zhao now?"

Commander Zhang said: "General Zhao is following the imperial envoy who will deliver the order. He will arrive in the next three to five days. The general sent the last general to go ahead and come to Shanhaiguan to meet with the commander-in-chief in advance and ask the commander-in-chief to help inform the commander-in-chief of the towns. , mobilize troops to Shanhaiguan as early as possible."

After listening, Ma Ke nodded: "Brother Zhang, don't worry. Since General Zhao Shen has entrusted you, I won't dare to neglect you. Please stay here, brother Zhang, and I will send someone to summon you. Everything will be done in two or three days." "

Commander Zhang breathed a sigh of relief, stood up and bowed his hands: "Thank you, Commander-in-Chief."

So he led the young man from the General Military Mansion to arrange for the brothers to rest.

After Commander Zhang left, the expression on Ma Ke's face gradually darkened.

He stood up, paced back and forth, and sighed after a moment: "It's really embarrassing!"

From the back hall, a person came out, who was Ma Ke's senior advisor. I had been listening quietly in the back hall until now. At this time, he came out and said with a smile: "Why do you need to worry, Commander-in-Chief?"

"How can you not worry?"

Ma Ke sat down heavily and said: "You didn't go to the battle of Jinzhou, and you never saw Zhao Yu's ability. He was a fierce god who was not hurt by swords and was not even afraid of artillery. Among the thousands of troops, slaves like Huang Taiji The chieftain, the high-ranking officials, all were captured in one fell swoop, but it was all under the control of this man. In fact, the number of Tatars in his hands was not 15,000, but 12,000. Those were the lives he slaughtered with his own hands!"

Speaking of this, Marco sighed again and again: "How can you dare to offend such a person? There are some people under your command, General Dao Ben, who can run rampant. But if you offend this lawless master and go crazy, there will be no way to stop him. ? When you dig it down, you won’t even see a complete bone!”

When the master heard this, he was not surprised. Although he has never seen it with his own eyes, who among the soldiers and generals has not heard about it? After listening more, you will naturally know that Zhao Yu is indeed an inhuman existence.

But he smiled and said: "The commander-in-chief is worried, that is based on the premise that Zhao Yu can escape the plot. If Zhao Yu comes here to mobilize troops and is killed on the way, what should the commander-in-chief be afraid of?"

Marco shook his head repeatedly: "How can such a person be killed? Do the big bosses in the cabinet think they are ordinary warriors? They are invulnerable, and they are not afraid of artillery! Even if they mobilize tens of thousands of soldiers and horses, they can't stop him. Live in Zhao Yu."

"Your Majesty, your words are wrong." The senior staff officer laughed and said: "You may not need a sword to kill someone. A glass of poisonous wine can also kill someone."

When Ma Ke heard this, he was stunned and suddenly looked at the master: "You mean, those pavilion elders actually want to use such despicable methods?!"

The master nodded and sneered disdainfully: "They say they are elders, but in fact they are just worms. People like that do all the bad things behind their backs, so where is the bottom line? They dare to use even dirty tricks."