Chapter 281 Pay attention and don’t lose face!
Dai Zong went to Zhending to meet Erlido, probably to verify his miraculous ability, so he was quickly sent to Cizhou to wait for news, and Shi Xiu was left as a guest in the Marshal's camp.

Shi Xiu is a meticulous and intelligent person, willing to risk his life for the sake of brotherhood. Song Jiang asked him to accompany Dai Zong because he hoped that Dai Zong would have someone to talk to when he was indecisive.

Before leaving, Song Jiang had told him that apart from helping to run errands and transmit intelligence, he should not participate in any military operations of the Jin people, and then bring Dai Zong back safely, but he should be respectful enough to Erlido because he was Zhao Gou's benefactor.

As a marshal, Erlido not only did not put on airs towards Shi Xiu, but also treated him with good wine and food every day. Therefore, when Dai Zong was sent abroad, he was unable to stop it for a while. He thought that as long as he was a "hostage", Dai Zong would not be in danger.

Shi Xiu had been alone in the "Wolf's Den" for a few days when he saw Dai Zong returning exhausted, so he went to greet him with great joy.

"Brother, how come you came back so quickly? I heard that Talan took action? What's the situation at Fengyue Pass?"

"Ah."

Dai Zong sat down on the empty couch opposite him, twisting his beard and muttering, "The battle will start as scheduled on the morning of the 23rd. The fighting was quite intense in the past few days, and both sides should have suffered losses."

"I heard that Yang Chang asked Sun Li to guard the pass. Sun Tixia is also a brave general of Liangshan. He will not be defeated at the first blow. But why did you come back at this time? Is there anything special on the battlefield?"

"Brother Shi Xiu is indeed smart. Yesterday, the Jin army seemed to have a bad battle. The siege equipment and personnel suffered considerable damage. It should be that reinforcements arrived at Fengyue Pass. Supervisor Talai was very happy after the battle and asked me to return to Zhending to report that the 'big fish has taken the bait'. Marshal Erliduo received the news and is summoning his soldiers to discuss matters. I guess there will be new actions."

"Big fish? Take the bait?"

Shi Xiu frowned and scratched his head, then suddenly opened his eyes wide and said, "Could the big fish they are talking about be Yang Chang? But is it worth being so happy about leading Yang Chang to Fengyue Pass? He is a killing god."

"This may be a military tactic of making a feint to the east and attacking in the west. These Jin people have become very cunning now. I just don't know if the Marshal will use this as an excuse to ask the Grand Commandant to send troops to Zezhou after Yang Chang was lured to Fengyue Pass."

"It's hard to say, but I hope so. If the marshal sends someone to Weizhou to deliver a message, he will definitely let us go, and we won't have to work for the Jin people anymore."

"Makes sense."

Dai Zong nodded his head as he listened. He had thought that he would have to stay in the Jin camp for a long time, but he didn't expect it would just be a short business trip.

Thinking of this, he pointed at the clothes on Shi Xiu's couch and urged, "We have to pack our bags quickly. Marshal Erliduo was very excited just now. He might come looking for us soon."

"That's daring."

Shi Xiu has been staying in the Jin camp for the past few days, and the people around him are either speaking Jurchen or Khitan. The feeling of loneliness among the villagers is even stronger than when he was wandering in Jizhou selling firewood.

Although he felt that what Dai Zong said might not be correct, he still packed his personal belongings carefully.

Just as the two of them finished cleaning up, the Jin soldiers came to invite them.

Later, he went to the marshal's tent and saw the generals who had just discussed the matter lining up to leave. Only Marshal Erlido, counselor Liu Yanzong, and another general were left in the tent.

"marshal."

"Oh, I've met the Marshal."

Dai Zong rushed to salute first, and seeing Shi Xiu standing there in a daze, he nudged him with his elbow.

Erliduo responded by gently waving his hand, pointing at the general next to Liu Yanzong, and asked Shi Xiu with a smile: "Does Commander Shi feel familiar with him?"

"Uh, a little bit"

"this is not"

Upon hearing this, Dai Zong took a closer look and discovered that the man was actually Xiao Sanbao's guard. They had traveled all the way from Weizhou to Zhending, so it was impossible for him to be mistaken.

How can a mere guard sit at the head?
But he is dressed gorgeously today and doesn't look like an ordinary person at all. Could he have another identity?
As the two looked at each other, Erliduo pointed at the man and introduced him, "This is the eldest son of the Great Jin Emperor, Puluhu. Please pack up as soon as possible and go to Taiyuan with him."

"The eldest son?"

"No. Going to Taiyuan?"

"Marshal, we"

Dai Zong and Shi Xiu were surprised and spoke incoherently.

Erliduo stroked his beard and explained, "Yang Chang is invincible and relies on the terrain for defense. It is difficult to gain an advantage with a single attack. Only a multi-faceted attack can defeat him. At this time, he has appeared at Fengyue Pass. This Marshal will lead the Eastern Route Army to attack with all their strength.
At this time, Pu Luhu went to Taiyuan to urge the Western Army to launch an attack from the north. Since the detour distance was too far, in order to effectively coordinate the troops, it was natural to rely on the power of Dai Tongzhi. "

"Thank you."

"Uh, I don't dare. I don't dare."

When Dai Zong saw Puluhu stand up and salute, he hurriedly turned around and bowed in response.

Shi Xiu, standing aside, looked embarrassed and frowned, indicating tactfully that he didn't want to go.

"The Grand Commandant asked us to come here to assist the Marshal, but the Marshal asked us to go to Taiyuan. Of course, this is not disrespectful to His Royal Highness, but at least let us ask for instructions first."

"Please give me permission?"

Erliduo, who always had a kind face, suddenly became less polite. He put his hand on the table and said coldly, "Things on the battlefield change rapidly. Wouldn't it be a waste of time to go back and forth? The Jin army launched the attack at the agreed time, but the Song army was delayed due to the weather, so we asked you to help make up for it. Do you really think that I am easy to talk to?"

"Uh, no, I'm just suggesting."

"Yes, Commander Shi has always been cautious in his actions. Marshal, please don't blame me."

Shi Xiu and Dai Zong both responded with a nod. If Song Jiang had not reminded them before they left not to make Erliduo unhappy, their attitude would definitely not have been so humble.

How did it become helping to make amends? Weren't we hired by Xiao Sanbao?
However, Erlido is well versed in the art of leadership, and his attitude immediately changed after he made the threat.

"Yang Chang is an enemy of the Jin Dynasty, and he doesn't respect your emperor. If we don't take advantage of this alliance to wipe him out, it will be bad for both you and the Song Dynasty. Song Taiwei was the former leader of Liangshan. Will he be willing to let Yang Chang ride on his head?"

"The Eastern Army will go all out to attack Fengyue Pass, and Commander Yang will transfer his troops and supplies here. Then we and the Western Army will move south from Taiyuan, and General Song will move north from Huaizhou and Weizhou. No matter how powerful he is, he will not be able to stop us. Let's work together to divide up the land of Shanxi."

"Yes Yes Yes"

"When you two go to Taiyuan, this Marshal will inform General Song. In fact, removing Yang Chang, this obstacle, will be of great benefit to your emperor. We have enough routes to help him strangle Zhao Huan's Western Army and make you the only orthodox army in the Song Dynasty."

Erlido and Puluhu sang the same tune and would not allow Dai Zong and Shi Xiu to refuse, so they followed a cavalry group and crossed Jingxing from Pingdingjun to Taiyuan that day.

This cavalry of 5,000 men was commanded by Wuqimai's confidant Saili (Wanyan Zongxian). He took the prince Puluhu to Taiyuan to supervise the battle, which was an attempt to get involved in Nianhan's military power.

Where there are people, there are struggles, not to mention the tribe becoming a country. Extensive development masks the contradiction of distribution. Once the rapid pace of plunder slows down, interests will force power to make adjustments.

Nianhan was supposed to succeed to the throne, but he was forcibly pulled down from the throne by Aguda's brother's son. He couldn't help but have some thoughts in his mind. Even though he had a noble character, his vested interests would make him feel unwilling.

Because his two sons died in the war, Nianhan stayed in Shangjing to serve as prime minister, which was a tactic of retreating to advance.

He had fought with Yang Chang several times and knew that this was a tough nut to crack, so he took the initiative to write to Wuqimai, suggesting that the newly appointed Right Deputy Marshal Wu Shi should use Erliduo as the main force in joint operations.

Erlido was a prudent person and was well aware that Nianhan had a high prestige in the Western Army. If he really went there to give orders, it might have a counterproductive effect, so he sent Puluhu to supervise.

The legal system of the Jin Dynasty at this time was that the younger brother would inherit the throne after the elder brother's death.

Although Buluhu was the eldest son, he was not the crown prince of the Jin Dynasty. Therefore, he did not have much confidence in this trip to Taiyuan. He just hoped that Wushi would put the overall situation first.

After all, Wushi was a founding father, and even Erlido might not be able to control him, let alone the eldest prince who had no military achievements?
On the tenth day of March, Puluhu and his party arrived in Yangqu.

I thought it would take some persuasion, but Wu Shi expressed his willingness to actively cooperate in the troop deployment and immediately allocated 30,000 troops to Buluhu, allowing him to choose a place to launch an attack.

There were three attack points from Taiyuan to the south, corresponding to Liaozhou, Weisheng and Pingbei from east to west. Puluhu finally chose to attack the North and South Gates.

After the central army's meeting was over, Puluhu and Saili returned to the sub-tent, and they were so excited that they couldn't calm down for a long time.

"I didn't expect Wushi to be so easy to talk to. Not only did he readily agree to march south immediately, he also allocated me 30,000 troops. The defense point in Pingbei is the farthest from Fengyue Pass, and Commander Yang will definitely not be able to take care of it. Maybe we can take the first credit."

"I don't think it's that Wushi is easy to talk to, but Nianhan warned him in advance. Both of his sons died at the hands of Yang Chang, and now he has no heir. It's useless for him to hold military power. However, the Nanbei Pass is the farthest from Yangqu, and the pass is stronger than the other two points. It may not be easy to attack. Loushi was not taken at the beginning."

Saili's tone showed dissatisfaction with Nianhan. Last year, this guy was ordered to escort the female family members back to Beijing, and he had always coveted Zhao Fujin and Xing Bingyi.

Unfortunately, Zhao Fujin was rescued by Yang Chang on the way, so Saili set his sights on Xing Bingyi. He then begged Wuqimai to give Xing Bingyi to him, but Wuqimai refused on the grounds that Nianhan had asked for her.

At that time, there were only Empress Zheng, Concubine Wei, and Princess Xing. Among them, Princess Xing was the youngest and most beautiful. Which Jurchen man who had not tasted the "fine bran" would not be itching to eat them?

There were too many monks and not enough porridge to go around. Whether Wuqimai married the porridge himself or gave it to his trusted people, it would easily attract hatred and be detrimental to unity. So he decided to secretly distribute the porridge to Nianhan, and at the same time divert the hatred away.

As for the other two women, Empress Zheng was too old and no longer caught the attention of the Jin people. Although Concubine Wei, who was in her thirties, still had some charm, the Jin Kingdom was cooperating with Zhao Gou and it was not appropriate to take things too far, so they did not force her to remarry. Later, the Jin people turned against Zhao Gou and she was sent to the laundry house.

After listening to Sai Li's analysis, Puluhu smiled and said confidently: "The situation was different at that time. Lou Shi was facing Yang Chang, and now he is stuck in Luzhou. We can take advantage of the opportunity."

"I'm just very surprised that Wushi actually let us choose first. Don't they want to make meritorious deeds and take revenge? You know, Loushi and his son also died at the hands of Yang Chang. He and Loushi were close friends."

"Who knows, maybe he's trying to show me some favor?"

Puluhu spread his hands and added in all seriousness, "I asked Shi Xiu on the way. Zhu Tong, the commander of Pingbei, has average combat record and is not very outstanding in Liangshan."

"It's not easy to be entrusted with such an important task by Yang Chang, even if it's not outstanding. However, Wu Shi gave us all the siege equipment, which shows that he knows how to behave."

After listening to Sai Li talking to himself, Buluhu suddenly patted him on the shoulder and encouraged him loudly: "Come on, don't lose face!"

"Ah."

Sai Li nodded and said, "The siege equipment is too heavy. Wu Shi has just ordered people to load it onto the ship. It is estimated that the army will be able to set out tomorrow. Should we ask Dai Zong to go there and inform the Marshal of the situation here?"

"No rush, no rush."

After saying this, Puluhu waved his hands, with a hint of cunning flashing in his deep eyes.

"The distance between the North and South Passes is the longest, so it's a good idea to prepare more. We have to let Pucha Shijianu and Yelu Yudu move first. If we can take the time to garrison Pingbei, won't we be able to relax?"

"Makes sense."

Last year, Nianhan was defeated in Zezhou, and half of his troops retreated to Taiyuan, and the other half retreated to Yunzhong to rest and spend the winter.

Originally, Wushi was also in Yunzhong. After receiving the new appointment from Wuqimai and the message from Nianhan, he went to Taiyuan in person to deploy the battle for the next year. The siege equipment distributed to Buluhu was the leftovers from the previous attack on Yangqu, and the ships were forcibly requisitioned from the local civilians.

Puluhu attacked Pingbei from the west, Pucha Shijianu won a powerful victory from the center, Yelu Yudu captured Liaozhou from the east, and Wushi was stationed in Yangqu to coordinate and command.

On March 12, Puluhu carried baggage and food and confirmed that Pucha Shijianu and Yelu Yudu had sent troops, then he led the army slowly to Fenzhou, but stopped at Wenshui halfway.

On the one hand, they wanted to wait for the eastern and central routes to start fighting first. On the other hand, they implemented the policy of clearing the fields in the early stage, which resulted in almost deserted areas in Fenzhou. Leaving Wenshui felt like leaving the frontier.

During the rest period in Wenshui County, Dai Zong was sent to Zhending by Puluhu to report the military situation in Taiyuan to Erlido.

After Dai Zong left, Shi Xiu was left alone again. He felt bored staying in the Jin camp, so he left the camp and wandered around the city.

Of course, as a 'hostage' staying in the camp, he had to be accompanied by the Jin 'guards'.

Wenshui County is a county town on the border of two states. Because the Jin people forcibly relocated the officials and people of Fenzhou, a large number of outsiders poured in, which enabled production and life to recover quickly and made the county quite lively in the occupied Taiyuan area.

Shi Xiu was walking on the narrow street, no longer feeling the embarrassment he had when he was stranded in Jizhou. At this time, several Jin soldiers were following him, and the people along the way made way for him.

During this period of time, he followed the Jin army on the march, and his ears were filled with "bird chirping" for a long time, just like being in a foreign country. But when he heard the familiar hawking sounds on Wenshui Street, his heart suddenly warmed up.

After strolling until dusk, he still felt unsatisfied and thought that the army would not set out until two days later, so Shi Xiu found an inn to rest. Two of the four Jin soldiers who followed him hurried back to the camp to report, and the other two stayed next door.

After dinner and wine at night, Shi Xiu returned to his room and lit the candle. He was surprised to see a familiar face sitting by the window facing the street.

"Oh it's you!"

"I never thought that the former hard-working man would shamelessly defect to the Jin army? What about the promise to become a high-ranking official with Song Jiang?"

Shi Qian twisted his beard and smiled. Shi Xiu didn't get angry or give a direct answer. Instead, he looked him up and down and sneered, "Speaking of shamelessness, you left without saying goodbye to join Yang Chang. Did you get rejected and now you're back to your old ways of stealing and cheating?"

"So, are you a chicken or a dog?"

"Why are you so veiled? Have you forgotten our friendship? Considering that you and I once went to Liangshan together, if you really can't make it, why not return to Brother Gongming's army? Brother can help you intercede. By the way, I am now the deputy commander of the infantry, a seventh-rank official!"

"That's not necessary. I am an orthodox person."

"What? How is that possible?"

(End of this chapter)