Northern Dynasties Imperial Industry

Xingzhou is the original Qixing County. It is located at the hub of east-west transportation and is the only way from Jianghan area to Hanzhong.

Although the Jiankang court here, far away from the south of the Yangtze River, was not directly affected by Hou Jing's rebellion, the entire Nanliang country was now in turmoil, so Xingzhou was inevitably affected.

The feud between Jiangling and Xiangyang made the atmosphere in Jianghan area tense and delicate. Many astute people migrated to the upper reaches of the Han River to avoid being affected. Therefore, many people passed through Xingzhou or simply moved to Xingzhou. Xi Gu, the governor of Xingzhou, also took this opportunity to recruit troops and strengthen his power.

On this day, a fleet of more than 30 large and small ships sailed upstream along the Han River and gradually approached Xingzhou Prefecture. This naturally aroused the vigilance of the troops stationed here, and soon reported this situation to Xi Gu. Make a report.

After Xi Gu learned about this, he suddenly became a little nervous. A fleet of this size has obviously exceeded the scale of powerful migration, and it is absolutely impossible to be a caravan. If all the ships are fully loaded, it must be at least a fleet of more than thousands of soldiers.

The person who could dispatch such a large fleet of boatmen in the Han River was most likely the Yueyang King Xiao Qi who was based in Xiangyang. However, the fleet of the scouts did not fly the flag of Xiangyang, and there was no response when they shouted along the water.

While Xi Gu ordered his troops to explore along the Han River and pay close attention to the opponent's movements, Xi Gu began to reorganize the land and water defenses in the city and prepare for war intensively.

Just when the atmosphere inside and outside Xingzhou City was solemn, and it looked like war was coming at any time, a light cavalry force was galloping towards Xingzhou City on the north bank of the Han River. When it was blocked by the Xingzhou defenders on the road, this cavalry team He showed his identity.

After Xi Gu heard the news, he went out to greet the knights in person. After a brief conversation with the knights, he ordered his troops to put away the obstacles such as water rafts and iron ropes on the Hanshui River and let the fleet go. One of the large ships slowly docked at Xingzhou Shuiying Pier.

When the big ship stopped, Xi Gu led dozens of soldiers to quickly board the ship. Soon he saw his relatives who were still in Xiangyang in the outer cabin of the ship.

When relatives meet each other, and in this unusual way, they naturally have a lot to say to each other. But after Xi Gu had a brief conversation with his relatives, he strode back into the cabin.

After being led to a cabin by the guards on the ship, Xi Gu saw a handsome young man in military uniform standing in the room and looking at him with a smile. So he took a step forward, bowed deeply and said, "Xiangyang Xi Gu, Many thanks to Lord Governor Li of Xihe for sending his family back."

"You don't need to be polite, Mr. Xi. This matter is just a matter of effort for me. King Xiao of Xiangyang was afraid that the government would be uneasy, and in order to prevent Mr. Xi's family from being disturbed by staying in the city any longer, he originally wanted to send people to escort him to the west. It happened that I was going west for something, so I stopped by. For this reason, I am also grateful to Xi Jun’s previous colleagues for the convenience.”

Li Tai raised his hand to signal Xi Gu to sit down in the room, and then said with a smile.

Although his tone was calm and ordinary, the meaning contained in it shocked Xi Gu.

First of all, these Xi clan members in Xiangyang City were personally delivered to Li Tai by King Xiao Jin of Yueyang. Secondly, Li Tai's huge fleet of boatmen actually set out from Xiangyang. These circumstances all show that the relationship between King Yueyang who is based in Xiangyang and the Wei general in front of him is extremely deep, and it is far more than just cooperating in business together.

Li Tai saw that Xi Gu was silent after hearing what he said, so he smiled and said: "The land of Xingzhou blocks the flow of Han River. Since I want to go west, I must pass through this road. I am afraid that Lord Xi will be in trouble, so I I sincerely ask King Xiao to help with this matter. King Xiao is also very embarrassed about this. He is a loyal and righteous man, but he really can't bear to let his ministers out of the government if there is no evil in the country and he is still looking forward to it. Whether you are defending your own territory or taking refuge in a powerful country, you can show your talents and expand your ambitions.”

After Xi Gu heard these words, his expression changed again, and he suddenly couldn't help laughing. After noticing Li Tai's gaze, he hurriedly lowered his head. After a while, tears welled up from his eyes. First, He stood up and bowed far away to the east, then turned around and lay down in front of Li Tai's banquet. He said in a deep voice: "Xi is an ugly person who is not allowed to be banished to the country. Thank you very much for the courtesy of Governor Li. But the Governor Don’t dare to disobey someone!”

It was also a joy for Li Tai to be able to conquer Xi Gu so easily. He knew that although he had a charming personality, the person who played the biggest role in this matter was Yueyang Wang Xiaoqi.

Although Xiao Jin cannot represent the entire Nanliang court, his behavior of directly packaging the Xigu people and sending them to the enemy generals also shows that the power struggle in Nanliang has entered a stage where no relatives are recognized.

Whether it was the Nanliang court controlled by Hou Jing or the powerful local clan officials, none of them still cared about the country. A powerful local like Xi Gu can either hold the land and defend itself, or join forces with a stronger force. There is no third way.

Although Xingzhou is geographically important, it is not known for its strong armaments. Since the civil strife in Nanliang, Xi Gu has also recruited a group of traveling tribes to increase his strength, but a mere few thousand state soldiers are not enough to compete with the Western Wei troops who have fully cooperated with Xiangyang and are approaching Xingzhou by land and water.

What's more, Xi Gu was also one of the previous participants in the Han River trade. While he himself made a lot of profits, he also knew that the Ankang Li family in the upper reaches made more profits. When Li Tai's troops set off directly from Xiangyang, they traveled by land and water. He came with a confident attitude and did not care about Xingzhou's obstruction at all. He must have received support from upstream.

In other words, even if Xi Gu gritted his teeth and vowed not to surrender, he had already been abandoned by Xiangyang first, and then he was more likely to face a two-sided attack from Wei Jun and Ankang Li's troops. After weighing it up, it is natural to make a more favorable choice.

After taking Xingzhou, Li Tai still used his seat to garrison Xingzhou City, but the water camp of Hanshui was handed over to its governor Shi Linghu Yanbao and used it as a temporary garrison for the army.

In order to prevent the military operations here from being known to Hanzhong in advance, Li Tai did not lead a large group of troops to continue marching westward. Instead, he only led a few hundred elites and went straight with Li Xian in a light boat, and soon arrived in Ankang.

The Li family of Ankang is worthy of being the leading tycoon in this area, with many estates and estates scattered along both sides of the Han River. Li Xian first arranged for Li Tai and his party to stay in a manor in the territory, and then reported the news to his brother himself.

When he learned that Li Tai had entered Ankang with only a small number of troops, Li Qianzhe couldn't help being shocked. After a brief communication with Li Xian, he immediately rushed to meet Li Tai for fear of any unexpected changes.

"Captain Li is really brave and courageous, but Ankang Township is not a good place today. Even a certain generation who lives in this township must be careful when entering and exiting these days. If Governor Li is disturbed because of his failure to take care of him, it will be a crime Da Yan. If it is not necessary to stay here, can Governor Li allow me to send the guards away and then make further plans?"

After meeting Li Tai, Li Qianzhe immediately expressed his intention to send him out of the country as a gift, but he really didn't want to leave such a hot potato with a sensitive identity here.

Before Li Tai had time to answer, Li Xian next to him couldn't help but said: "Brother, why are you so impatient? Governor Li is here, and he will not hesitate to go into danger to teach our brothers. . Nowadays, it is a fact that the world is undergoing great changes. Ankang is not a world outside the world, and it will inevitably be affected. We natives in the countryside are inevitably short-sighted and unable to adapt. Now we have to have a wise man like Governor Li to teach us... "

Hearing what Li Xian said, Li Qianzhe looked at the two of them suspiciously. Why did his brother seem to be a different person when he came back after going out?

Li Tai couldn't help but feel happy when he saw Li Qianzhe like this. He raised his hand to signal Li Qianzhe to take a seat first, and then said with a smile: "General Li really needs to be calm and calm. My brother said that the world has changed greatly and people have changed." It is indeed true. I don't know what General Li is planning, but this sudden visit is indeed for me and for you. It is true that surrendering to our country may not be more noble than before, but I need to tell you that our country will not. Allow Shannan to have a stronghold and respect the hero Fang Yu again!"

When Li Qianzhe heard this, he couldn't help but raise his eyebrows, obviously a little unconvinced.

But before he had time to express his opinion, Li Tai continued: "Whether the general obeys or not, Hanzhong must be taken. The only difference is whether I am responsible for the success or not. I am here to recruit the general in person, and what I have done is Not only Hanzhong at present, but also Bashu is included in the strategy for the coming year. But to expand the territory and gain people, it is not just about using troops."

Having said this, he presented a clay pot the size of a human head, and then poured the white sugar in the clay pot onto the table. Seeing that the Li brothers all looked hesitant, he first twisted up a handful of sugar and threw it into his mouth, then gritted it with his teeth.

When Li Xian saw this, he reached out to grab a handful and tasted it. His eyes suddenly lit up and he exclaimed: "This is stone honey, such white stone honey. I have never heard of it or seen it before!"

"The Liang Dynasty was in turmoil, and Hou Jing was wreaking havoc in the south of the Yangtze River. Even if the giant bandits were eliminated, the internal strife of the clan would be difficult to resolve in a short time, and the Hanshui trade route would not be able to be revived in a short time. Although the world is in chaos, Shu is still safe, but the treasures from foreign lands are still there. The land is self-sufficient, so it’s not easy to make money from it. But if this kind of frosted candy sells well, can people from Shu rush to buy it and spend a lot of money on it?”

Previously, Yueyang Wang Xiaoqing suggested that Li Tai use some frosting sugar to lure Li Qianzhe into the game, but Li Tai refused, because he wanted to save this method for more important moments.

Li Xian had already tasted the frosting sugar, and when he stared at the pile of frosting sugar on the table, he felt that it was even more dazzling than gold sand. When Li Tai said this, he nodded repeatedly: "Yes, it must be possible!"

Although Li Qianzhe was not as excited as his younger brother, after tasting the work for a while and pondering for a while, he also turned to Li Tai and paid homage: "The whole family will definitely try their best to help you capture Nanzheng!"