As soon as Li Baiyao arrived at the mansion, the county lord Bo Kong Zhongqing came and welcomed Li Baiyao on behalf of Duan Wencao.

Li Baiyao knew it well, and after a brief greeting from the host and the guest, he took the initiative to go to the county government to pay homage to Duan Wencao.

On the way, Li Baiyao intentionally tried to inquire about the situation in southwestern Shandong with Kong Zhongqing. He knew something about the situation in the Dongdu, but he really knew very little about the situation in southwestern Shandong. Kong Zhongqing did not intend to conceal it and explained in detail in detail. In order to avoid misleading Li Baiyao, he did not add any personal opinions during the explanation.

Kong Zhongqing came from the Kong family in Qufu, a local bureaucrat in Lu County. He had a deep experience in the officialdom of Lu County. Before Li Baiyao went to Yingyang Mansion in Sishui, the two had never had any interaction. After Li Baiyao came to Lu County, the local aristocratic families led by Kong family in Lu County respected him very much, but stayed away from him, so the two were just nodding and nodding.

It’s not that Kong Zhongqing didn’t want to date Li Baiyao, but that Li Baiyao’s political identity is too special. Li Baiyao is not only a wealthy prince, a scholar, but also a rival to the saint lord. He will suffer unexpected disasters at any time. It can be imagined that if he interacts closely with him, there will be dangers of involvement. Therefore, everyone “offered” him like a Bodhisattva, and Li Baiyao also understood him very well. He is now a disaster star, and it’s okay to be unlucky, but there is no need to implicate others. So although he was appointed as the Infantry Captain of the Yingyang Mansion of Sishui, in fact, since he arrived in Lu County, he went to Yingyang Mansion to report a guide, and then lived in Xiaqiu City, focusing all his energy on studying and teaching students. In addition to occasionally sitting with the Confucians of Lu County, he usually lived in simplicity.

Duan Wencao was originally a military general with a strong style. After he became the chief executive of Lu County, his old habits were difficult to change and he scolded his subordinates at every turn. However, he respected Li Baiyao very much and ignored Li Baiyao's special identity. He often visited and asked for government affairs. He even borrowed people from Yingyang Mansion directly and arranged Li Baiyao in the county government, which greatly improved Li Baiyao's situation.

Li Baiyao owed Duan Wencao a favor, which was one of the reasons why he returned to Lu County at Duan Wencao's urging. But to be honest, if the elder of Li's family in Zhao County did not reveal two important secrets to him, he would not have returned to Lu County because he owed Duan Wencao a favor. Because after joining the special existence of King Yang Nan of Qi in southwestern Shandong, many military and political officials and local forces in southwestern Shandong and even adjacent Henan, Xuzhou and other places had to passively be involved in the dispute over the imperial unity. The dispute over the imperial unity is the most cruel and bloody struggle among all political struggles. Li Baiyao and the Li family have suffered all the hardships of the dispute over the imperial unity, so how could Li Baiyao repeat the same mistake?

However, the first of the two secrets revealed by the elder Li of Zhao County to him was that Li Baiyao, whether he was willing or not, whether he was hiding in the border or hiding in the wild, might be involved in the battle of imperial throne again. For this reason, he had to rush to Lu County as quickly as possible to verify the authenticity of this secret.

Kong Zhongqing's statement started with the current situation, then gradually reversed it, and finally ended last year when the white-haired thief Li Fengyun jumped from Mangdang Mountain to Mengshan, caught Duan Wencao off guard. Before Li Fengyun entered Mengshan, Li Baiyao happened to take leave and go home, but the people of Lu kept away from him and had no contact with each other. Therefore, Li Baiyao only heard of the white-haired thief, but did not know what happened. It was not until this moment that he had a rough understanding of the white-haired thief.

Li Baiyao sat in the carriage, silent. Kong Zhongqing looked at Li Baiyao quietly, observing the changes in his expression, and tentatively peeking at his thoughts.

Li Baiyao is nearly fifty years old. He has a handsome appearance, elegant temperament, and melancholy eyes. From him, he can not only clearly feel the profound cultural atmosphere of the family of classics, but also feel the vicissitudes of the officialdom that have been accumulated over the past lifetimes. This is an indescribable feeling. Only by sitting next to him can you truly understand what a family is, what a famous scholar, and what a powerful person is.

Kong Zhongqing sat next to Li Baiyao more than once, and had this experience more than once, and was more than once uneasy because he was also from the Confucian saints and a talented person who read scriptures. Unfortunately, the Kong family in Qufu had long been declining in Confucianism and power. Without the "golden signboard" of the ancestor of Confucianism and the Yinze that lasted for thousands of years, the Kong family in Qufu could not even be considered a second-rate family. The disparity between them and the five super wealthy families in Shandong was too great, so no matter how angry Kong Zhongqing was, he could only look up to Li Baiyao.

Through Kong Zhongqing's account, Li Baiyao made a preliminary conclusion about the white-haired thief Li Fengyun: he was extraordinary.

Li Fengyun jumped into Mengshan thousands of miles from Mangdang Mountain. The direct consequence was that he pulled Dong Chun, the general of Zuo Xiaowei, off the horse. Dong Chun was one of the important supporters of King Yang Nan of Qi. Therefore, there must be inside information behind Li Fengyun's ability to jump into Mengshan.

Under the three-sided encirclement of Duan Wencao, Zhang Xutuo and Cui Deben, Li Fengyun was not only not destroyed, but instead formed an alliance with other rebel forces. His strength did not decrease but grew stronger. This is incredible. The only explanation is that among these three-way encirclement forces, there must be those who secretly support or intentionally use Li Fengyun. Undoubtedly, Cui Deben is the biggest object of suspicion.

Li Fengyun defeated Duan Wencao and won a good situation in southwestern Shandong. He suddenly entered the Central Plains and plundered the Tongji Canal. This is even more incredible. Judging from the current situation, Li Fengyun seemed to be a chess piece set up by King Yang Nan of Qi. However, if this layout can be seen by ordinary people, it is an insult to the wisdom of King Yang Nan of Qi. So it is certain that Li Fengyun is not a chess piece of King Yang Nan of Qi, but a "fog" deliberately released by someone. This "fog" successfully attracted the attention of Dongdu and helped King Yang Nan of Qi escape from Dongdu, but at the same time pushed King Yang Nan of Qi on the road of no return to confront the Holy Lord. So, who created Li Fengyun's "fog"? What is its real purpose?

Li Fengyun plundered Tongji Canal and strengthened himself. This was a miracle, but it was even more miracle that he withdrew from the Central Plains safely. Who allowed Li Fengyun to plunder Tongji Canal? Who allowed Li Fengyun to plunder from the Central Plains safely?

Next, it was even more mysterious. King Yang Nan of Qi pursued Li Fengyun with 20,000 troops, but was blocked by the rebels for two months. What is the reason? Is King Yang Nan of Qi not in power, or is his 20,000 troops' morale sluggish? Or is the local forces in Henan taking a shady move behind him and restraining most of his power.

What is equally mysterious is not only the King of Qi Yang Nan who was blocked from the battlefield of suppressing the rebellion, but also Duan Wencao, Lu County and Cui Deben Pengcheng, including Liang Dezhong of Zuo Xiaoweifu, who in the past two months have allowed King of Qi Yang Nan to suppress the thieves alone. They neither sent troops to assist nor provided support from other aspects. They are purely spectators, watching coldly and turning a blind eye to the sidelines. Don’t they know that Li Fengyun has used these two months to occupy and consolidate a large area of ​​land at the junction of Lu County, Pengcheng County and Jiyin County? Don’t they know that assisting King of Qi Yang Nan to suppress the rebellion and suppress the thieves is not only their responsibilities, but also their vital interests?

The more Li Baiyao thought about it, the more surprised he became. He didn't expect that the situation in southwestern Shandong was so complicated. So many forces were concentrated in one place, and their interests were entangled. The big picture was self-evident. No wonder Duan Wencao repeatedly urged him to return to Lu County to help him. It turned out that Duan Wencao had seen the crisis hidden in it. As the weakest side, he had been under tremendous pressure and probably had already developed a desire to retreat. With Duan's current situation, he was trapped in such a complex situation and struggled in the wave of the imperial dispute, which was hanging on the line.

Li Baiyao felt heavy when he thought of the purpose of his trip, and he couldn't help feeling a little bored, but he forced himself to calm down and asked slowly in a soft voice, "Have you ever been in contact with a white-haired thief?"

Kong Zhongqing shook his head, "The situation has been very mysterious recently. I once suggested that the envoy have a secret contact with the white-haired thief, but the envoy refused."

From the position of the people of Lu, since Li Fengyun has become powerful and it is very difficult to kill by force. Confrontation head-on will only cause the interests of the people of Lu to lose more and more. For the sake of personal interests, of course, it is necessary to "save the country in a curve". Cooperation benefits both benefits and injuries. Even if officials and bandits cannot cooperate, at least they can achieve a tacit understanding.

Li Baiyao understood it. Obviously, Duan Wencao wanted to leave, unlike being in a mess. Since he was determined to stay out of trouble and escape, Duan Wencao certainly had to "clean himself" to avoid being dragged into the water by the people of Lu and taking the blame for the people of Lu.

Li Baiyao asked about a few details carefully, and Kong Zhongqing answered one by one, and the words tactfully revealed a sense of worry. Li Baiyao is a disaster star, but Li Baiyao can only be regarded as a historical legacy, and its lethality is limited. In comparison, the lethality of the disaster star, King Qi, is very terrifying. Now the reason why Duan Wencao, Cui Deben and Liang Dezhong watched coldly and watched the changes was because they were afraid of the terrifying lethality brought by King Qi Yang Nan, and they were afraid of it.

Li Baiyao understands it very well, but he is also in it now and suffers from it. He can't find a solution himself, let alone help others solve their problems.

When he arrived at the county government, he met Duan Wencao. Li Baiyao found that Duan Wencao was much older. On the one hand, it was because of the death of Duan Wenzhen, the Minister of War, brought a series of immeasurable losses to the Duan family in Beihai, and on the other hand, it was definitely because of the "fall from the sky" of King Yang Nan of Qi that brought him a foreseeable crisis.

The host and guest exchanged warm greetings. Duan Wencao was particularly concerned about Li Baiyao's mother's body and asked carefully to determine whether Li Baiyao could stay for a long time this time.

Li Baiyao deliberately teased, "The Eastern Expedition has come to an end. The envoy has the opportunity to return to the Wei Mansion. There may be only a few days in Lu County. Once the envoy leaves, what reason does it have to stay here to cause trouble.

Duan Wencao looked a little stagnant, and he looked at Li Baiyao thoughtfully. After a long time, he asked, "Mr. Anping returned now, probably because he heard some wind, right?"

Li Baiyao also smiled, "Although the Queen Xiang of Beiping has left, the Ministry of War still has his disciples. The envoy should have received earlier news than someone, and there are more content."

Duan Wencao didn't say anything and sighed quietly, "If nothing unexpected happens, the Holy Lord's car is racing on Hebei Avenue, and he will be able to return to Dongdu in more than ten days. By then, the news about the Eastern Expedition will be circulating.

Li Baiyao frowned slightly and asked, "In the eyes of the envoy, will the Eastern Expedition end here?"

Duan Wencao looked at him, smiled and shook his head, "If the Eastern Expedition ends here, will you still come to Lujun to get muddy water?"

Li Baiyao laughed, "Since you know that Lu County is a muddy water and you have already started to retreat, why do you have to go there?"

"Someone is digging a hole." Duan Wencao said bluntly, "And it's not a hole, there are holes everywhere. Even if he wants to escape, there are pits under his feet and there is no way out."

"So serious?" Li Baiyao smiled and looked solemn, "I hope to hear the details."

Duan Wencao introduced the current situation in southwestern Shandong. Although it was not clear who was digging a hole, Li Baiyao knew as soon as he heard it. Duan Wencao suspected that King Yang Nan of Qi and Cui De of Pengcheng had established a "tactic understanding" with the white-haired thief Li Fengyun. In this case, if the local forces in Lu County had also established a "tactic understanding" with Li Fengyun without hiding Duan Wencao, Duan Wencao's situation would be dangerous, and it would be very difficult to escape without being able to escape without being able to escape without being able to do so. Once he fell into the "tactic", not to mention retreating without being able to escape without being able to do so, I am afraid that even his life would be difficult to save.

Li Baiyao is skeptical about Duan Wencao's statement.

From Kong Zhongqing's previous accounts, we can see that after Li Fengyun defeated Duan Wencao, he turned around and went west to the Central Plains. However, Li Fengyun left many people to guard Mengshan and controlled several cities at the intersection of He and Si to protect his retreat. It is obvious that if Li Fengyun had not established a "tactic understanding" with Duan Wencao, Duan Wencao, after he led the main force to enter the Central Plains west, attacked the rebels at the intersection of He and Si, and cut off Li Fengyun's way back to Mengshan, then Li Fengyun would never be able to enter the Central Plains west. In addition, at that time, the Donglai Navy had not crossed the sea for an expedition, and whether the Qilu area was stable or not was crucial. After Duan Wencao failed to suppress the thieves, the situation in southwestern Shandong was in danger. At this time, he suddenly heard that the rebels were going west to the Central Plains and leaving Lu County, so of course he had the motivation and motivation to actively establish a "tactic understanding" with the rebels.

Based on this, Li Baiyao inferred that Duan Wencao must have established a "tactic understanding" with Li Fengyun at that time, but Duan Wencao's rough estimate was wrong. Unexpectedly, after Li Fengyun entered the Central Plains, he was not only not suppressed by the Guards on the front line of Tongji Canal, but instead successfully plundered Tongji Canal to grow and develop, and even withdrew safely. After Li Fengyun withdrew to southwest Shandong, his strength could already compete with Duan Wencao head-on. In this way, Li Fengyun sought greater benefits, and Duan Wencao refused to give in. The basis of common interests of the "tactic understanding" between the two sides no longer exists, so of course they have to fight each other.

Why didn’t Duan Wencao give in? Li Baiyao thought about it and inferred the rough idea.

As Duan Wencao guessed, Li Fengyun and King Yang Nan of Qi must have a "tactic understanding", otherwise Li Fengyun would not be able to withdraw from the Central Plains safely. So what is the basis of the "tactic understanding" between the two? It is most likely related to the impact of King Yang Nan of Qi's attack on the imperial regime.

Duan Wenzhen and Duan Wencao are all loyal to the Holy Lord. Now Duan Wenzhen is no longer here. The Duan family in Beihai is not as good as before. In order to safeguard vested interests, Duan Wencao dares to offend the Holy Lord in order to protect his vested interests, and does not dare to offend the Holy Lord in any way. No matter what, he dares to have any interaction with King Yang Nan of Qi. Therefore, he would rather offend King Yang Nan of Qi and would rather have a head-on conflict with Li Fengyun than to have a "tactic understanding" that does not harm him but does not benefit him.

A "tact understanding" with Li Fengyun is equivalent to a "tact understanding" with King Yang Nan of Qi. If he has a "tact understanding" with King of Qi, Duan Wencao will inevitably be involved in the dispute over the imperial rule, which is purely a self-destruction.

However, Duan Wencao once again made a mistake in the estimate. He never expected that this year's Eastern Expedition would end in a crushing defeat. The Saint Lord and the Central Committee encountered a double military and political defeat, and suffered an unprecedented heavy blow. The political storm in the Eastern Capital had already roared. It can be foreseeable that even if the Saint Lord and the Central Committee used the political storm to "retaliate" the military and severely attacked the conservatives who took advantage of the situation, their ultimate goal was to reverse the situation. The most convenient and effective way to reverse the situation was to carry out the second Eastern Expedition. Therefore, the essence of this political storm was not to kill the opponent, but to force the opponent to compromise and concessions.

Once the Holy Lord and the Central Committee compromise politically, the imperial throne will be a hurdle that cannot be avoided. At that moment, what is the attitude of the Holy Lord and the Central Committee? Is it a tough attitude, completely destroying King Yang Nan of Qi, postponing the establishment of the crown prince indefinitely, or is it a ease of attitude and giving King Yang Nan of Qi a chance to attack the crown prince again? Or under the pressure of the conservative forces, Yu Qian directly helped Yang Nan as the crown prince?

Duan Wencao was in a dilemma.

In the short term, he could not leave Lu County. He had to face his own difficulties and find a solution, but he could not have both fish and bear's paw. He either offends the Holy Lord or offends the King of Qi. There was no third way. This was gambling. If the bet was right, the Duan family in Beihai could still maintain vested interests, and on the contrary, they would decline rapidly.

Li Baiyao's appearance gave Duan Wencao hope to escape unscathed.

In Duan Wencao's opinion, Li Baiyao appeared at this moment, and must have shouldered the secret mission of Li's family in Zhaojun. He began urging Li Baiyao to return to Lujun in July, but Li Baiyao refused to reply. At the end of August, Li Baiyao suddenly came back. If there was no mystery in it, he would not believe it. Duan Wencao even had the idea that even he was shocked. Behind Li Fengyun, it would be that Li's family in Zhaojun, wouldn't it be behind Li Fengyun?

Among the five major families in Shandong, the one with the greatest conflicts with the Guanlong people, the one with the most intense conflicts and the most severely affected and curbed was the Li family of Zhaojun. Especially since Li Delin was defeated by the Guanlong people in political games, the descendants of the other four houses of Zhaojun, except for the Dongzufang and Liaodongfang, the descendants of the other four houses were generally suppressed. Especially since the deposed crown prince Yang Yong in the late Kaihuang years and the Li family of Zhaojun was severely injured again, they almost disappeared in their official careers. Then there were the two Cui families, whether it was the Cui family of Qinghe or the Cui family of Boling, they could not escape the blows of repeated political storms. The decline of Cui family is a well-known fact.

Both the Li family of Zhaojun and Cui family are in Hebei, and Hebei is the core area of ​​Shandong region of Zhongtu and is the core interests of the Shandong aristocratic group. Compared with the other three surnames of the five major wealthy families in Shandong, the Cui family and Li family are the leaders of the Shandong aristocratic group, the most determined defenders of the overall interests of Shandong, and the primary target of the Guanlong people. Judging from the current situation, the Guanlong people's goals have indeed achieved part of the target, among which the Li family of Zhaojun has suffered the most severe blow and containment, and the greatest losses of interests.
Chapter completed!