Xue Rengui, full name Li and courtesy name Rengui, was born in the southern ancestral house of the Hedong Xue Clan. He was the sixth generation grandson of Northern Wei's Hedong King Xue Andu, and could be considered to be from a prestigious family. However, when Xue Rengui was eight years old, his father, Xue Gui, passed away due to an illness. Since then, the Xue Clan declined.
Of course, Xue Rengui had never given up on his martial arts while farming. The Xue family used to be a rich and powerful family. Although they had declined, they still had a rich collection of books. In addition, Xue Rengui was quite talented. Relying on the family's martial arts manuals, he was able to learn some sword and archery skills without a teacher. Therefore, although he was only fifteen or sixteen years old, his martial arts had already reached the Qi Forming Realm. Moreover, the archery skills he had displayed while shooting the geese was far superior to many of the older generation's experts!
"You're Xue Rengui?!"
On the mountain road of Longmen County in Jiang Province, Li Zexuan asked casually. He didn't expect to receive such a shocking answer. He widened his eyes and asked in disbelief.
"Marquis, how do you know my handwriting?"
This time, it was Xue Rengui's turn to be stunned. He opened his mouth and looked at Li Zexuan as if he had seen a ghost.
"Uh, about that …"
Li Zexuan knew that he had misspoken. He looked a little embarrassed. After thinking about it, he began to justify himself. "Rengui, do you know who I am?"
Xue Rengui shook his head subconsciously and said, "I don't know!"
"Ahem!"
Li Zexuan coughed softly and said, "I am Li Zexuan, the Marquis of Yong 'an personally conferred by the Emperor. I am also the Yamachō of Yanhuang College!"
Xue Rengui heard this and was both surprised and excited. He cupped his fists and said, "You are the Marquis of Yong 'an? I admire Marquis the most. I didn't expect to see the real face of Marquis today. It is a blessing of three lifetimes! "
With that, he bowed to Li Zexuan with a sincere expression.
At this time, he had already forgotten to ask Li Zexuan how he knew his name was Xue Rengui!
Li Zexuan raised his hands and laughed, "Haha! I didn't think that my name would spread all the way to Hedong Road. Rengui, you don't need to be polite. Please rise! "
Xue Rengui straightened up and said seriously, "Marquis built the curved plough, the water wheel, the academy, and the industrial school. Now, he is leading the children of the fief to destroy the plague of locusts. He has long been famous. How can I not know the name of Marquis?"
After being praised by Xue Rengui, the future general of Tang, Li Zexuan felt a little embarrassed. He coughed dryly and said, "Ahem! This Marquis has only done what he should have done in his position and in his political affairs. That's all! Oh, right, didn't you ask me why I know your handwriting? Coincidentally, there is a teacher in Yanhuang College who happens to be from Longmen County. He seems to be acquainted with your grandfather. He mentioned you in front of me before! "
Xue Rengui couldn't help but ask, "Marquis, who is this teacher from Yanhuang College?"
Li Zexuan smiled and said, "Wang Ji, Wang Wugong. Rengui, you must have heard of him!"
Coincidentally, Wang Ji's hometown was also Longmen County in Jiang Province. He was from the same hometown as Xue Rengui. Furthermore, Wang Ji was also from a prestigious family. In a small county, it was impossible for two prestigious families to not know each other, right? Therefore, Li Zexuan had an idea and used Wang Ji as a shield.
Xue Rengui's expression changed slightly and he couldn't help but sigh, "So it's Mr. Wang from Donggaozi! I didn't expect him to still remember the Xue Family! "
Li Zexuan saw that it was getting late. The battle ahead was more important. Even if he thought highly of Xue Rengui, he couldn't stay here for too long. After all, the most important thing right now was to catch Wu Jie. Therefore, he cupped his hands and smiled, "Haha! Rengui's archery today has opened this Marquis' eyes! It's getting late, and this Marquis still has important matters to attend to, so I'll take my leave first! Rengui, if you want to join the army or go to Chang 'an to seek a way out, just come to Yunshan to find this Marquis! "
Today was only his first meeting with Xue Rengui. He couldn't directly invite Xue Rengui to join the army, right? That wouldn't be in line with the rules! Moreover, Xue Rengui most likely wouldn't agree!
In history, Xue Rengui had joined the army at the age of thirty under the persuasion of his wife, Lady Liu. At that time, Li Er was on a campaign against Liaodong, setting a big stage for Xue Rengui. However, Xue Rengui didn't disappoint. On many occasions, he single-handedly took the heads of enemy generals and made a name for himself!
The current Xue Rengui was only in his teens. On one hand, he was still lacking in martial arts and strategy. On the other hand, he probably hadn't thought about joining the army yet. As an outsider, Li Zexuan naturally couldn't persuade him. This kind of thing depended on luck!
Xue Rengui's eyes flashed. He looked at the more than ten thousand soldiers behind Li Zexuan, then cupped his fists and asked, "Rengui may be so bold as to ask, what is Marquis's purpose in coming here?"
Li Zexuan's face turned solemn as he said in a deep voice, "The Turkic State Preceptor took advantage of this Marquis's disaster relief in the north to sneak into Yunshan and attack the Academy. Not only did he injure the teachers, students, and guards of the Academy, he also stole some of the Academy's secret books. He wants to bring them back to the Turks. If he successfully escapes back to the Turks, it will definitely be a disaster for our Great Tang! Therefore, this Marquis has transferred ten thousand soldiers from Bing Province to intercept him at Longmen Pass! "
Xue Rengui was shocked and angry, "This Turkic State Preceptor is actually so bold!"
Li Zexuan nodded and said, "En! This Marquis will remember this debt. If there is a chance in the future, I will definitely return it double. Right now, the most important thing is to make sure that Wu Jie stays in the Great Tang! Rengui, go back. We will part here. If you go to the capital in the future, if you need any help, don't hesitate to look for this Marquis! "
Then, he waved his hand to the army behind him and shouted, "Set off! Continue marching! "
"Yes!"
The soldiers roared in response. Xue Rengui hurriedly stepped aside and then cupped his fist to Li Zexuan, "Marquis, take care!"
For him, to be able to meet Li Zexuan, the 'popular person' of the imperial court, and the person he admired the most, was very unexpected. But just like Li Zexuan's previous concerns, Xue Rengui also had his own concerns. He couldn't just listen to Li Zexuan and join the army just because they met once and then ask for Li Zexuan's help. In other people's eyes, Xue Rengui was trying to curry favor with the rich and powerful!
This was something Xue Rengui couldn't tolerate!
Therefore, he didn't agree to Li Zexuan's request to join the army!
But today, Li Zexuan's suggestion opened a door in his heart. Now that his family was in decline, why couldn't he join the army, kill enemies on the battlefield, and completely restore the Xue Family?
Standing by the side of the road, Xue Rengui watched as Li Zexuan's group gradually disappeared into the distance. Only after the army had disappeared from his field of vision did Xue Rengui turn around and head southeast with the wild goose that he had shot down.
His gaze seemed to have become even more resolute!
… … …
"Now that the defense of Longmen Pass has been replaced by our people, in a while, pass down the order. If you see someone wearing a black robe and carrying a mace, immediately warn them. The rest of you hide in the dark and don't act rashly. When you hear the warning, immediately come out from all directions and surround Wu Jie!"
In the large tent next to Longmen Pass, Li Zexuan looked at the dozen or so officers from the A and B Camps in front of him and gave his orders in a deep voice.
From Bing Province to Longmen Pass in Jiang Province, they only took four hours to rush the entire way. After arriving here, Li Zexuan directly ordered people to replace all the guards here. However, because he gave the Imperial Edict to Xu Ting, it was inevitable that there would be some friction. However, the Official Soldiers of Bing Province were quite strong and only used twenty or so people to take down the original guards!
Li Zexuan specifically let one person go and let him go to the Provincial Governor of Jiang Province. As for himself, he took advantage of this time to arrange the next step of the defense for the generals in the army!
"This general obeys!"
The soldiers in the tent all cupped their hands and bowed.
Li Zexuan nodded and continued to give orders, "The defense of Longmen Pass must be relaxed on the outside and tight on the inside. We can't let Wu Jie notice anything amiss and directly escape from somewhere else. The ten thousand soldiers that we brought today are not allowed to set up tents or cook. They can only lie in ambush at the prearranged location! If anyone dares to alert the enemy, don't blame this Marquis for being impolite! "
At this point, Li Zexuan's face began to turn cold.
One of the officers couldn't help but ask, "Marquis, if we can't cook, what will the soldiers eat?"
Li Zexuan said indifferently, "Dry rations! Provincial Governor Wang will soon send over a batch of dry rations for the soldiers to distribute to each camp! Everyone will suffer for the next two days, but when we capture Wu Jie, all the suffering you've suffered today will be worth it! "
The officer paused for a moment, then cupped his fists and replied, "Marquis is wise!"
"Marquis, the Provincial Governor of Jiang Province, Lord Hong, requests an audience!"
Right at this moment, a soldier walked in quickly and bowed as he spoke.
Li Zexuan nodded and said, "Let him in!"
Then, he looked at the officers in front of him and said, "Everyone, go back and quickly set up the defense according to this Marquis's instructions!"
"Yes!"
The officers cupped their fists and bowed before leaving.
… … …
"Teacher Wen Ji, how do you feel now? Do you feel any discomfort? "
Yunshan Courtyard. During lunch time, Li Tai brought the others from dormitory 001 to Sun Simiao's courtyard to visit the seriously ill Li Gang.
Sun Simiao went to the Tang Alliance Medical Center early in the morning because Li Gang's condition was under control. Hu Jing was enough to take care of the courtyard, so he didn't need to waste time here.
Seeing the haggard Li Gang lying on the bed in the room, Li Tai couldn't help but feel sad and hurriedly asked.
"Qing Que, Bao Lin, Huai Yu, Zifan, you're here! Sit down! "
Li Gang's eyes were originally closed, but when he saw Li Tai and the others come in, he opened his eyes and said with relief.
… … …
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