On the tenth day of the winter month of the 12th year of Daye, the weather was extremely cold and the sky was raining coldly. The north wind blew across the trees, and the bare treetops made a bleak sob.

Wang Cong, the prefect of Hejian County, is old and afraid of the cold. Although he has two charcoal furnaces next to him, he still wraps himself tightly and sits cross-legged there like an old hen hatching eggs, looking a little funny.

Wang Cong looked at the yard with trances that were blown by the north wind and naturally said to himself: "Is it going to snow again?"

At this time, an official hurriedly walked into the lobby with an umbrella. It was County Magistrate Xu Qingyun. A minor official hurriedly stepped forward and took the umbrella and put it away. He took off his straw raincoat for County Magistrate Xu and hung it on the wooden rack in front of the hall.

Xu Juncheng stomped his legs, which were a little numb and numb, and greeted Wang Cong, "The Lord of the Second Lord has met the Lord of the Prefect."

"Mr. Xu doesn't have to be too polite. The weather is cold. Come and roast the fire to keep warm." Wang Cong said.

Xu Qingyun walked to the stove and sat down, drank another glass of ginger soup served by the servants, and then he breathed a sigh of relief: "Just received the news that Gao Changqing and Dou Jiande have joined forces."

Wang Cong said a little surprised: "Is the news accurate?"

Xu Juncheng nodded and said, "It's true. A few days ago, Gao Changqing and Dou Jiande set up an altar to worship the sky outside the suburbs of Nangong City. The people nearby saw it, so it shouldn't be fake. Gao Changqing pursued Dou Jiande relentlessly, and the officials thought he was going to kill Dou Jiande, but they didn't expect that things would turn around."

Wang Cong stroked his beard and said, "It's indeed a bit unexpected, but it's reasonable."

Xu Qingyun lowered his voice and said mysteriously: "It is said that Gao Changqing and Dou Jiande's daughter Dou Xianniang have known each other for a long time. The reason why the emperor wanted to get rid of Gao Changqing was because of this suspicion.

Hey, it’s really a hero who is sad to be a beauty. The ancients did not deceive me. Gao Changqing had the opportunity to kill Dou Jiande and occupy all his territory, but because of a woman, he gave up. Unfortunately, the lower officials thought that this son would have the possibility of winning the world, but now it seems that this son is too affectionate and lacks the erotic decisiveness of the superiors. I am afraid that sooner or later he will be indulged in the hands of a woman."

Wang Cong shook his head and said, "On the contrary, in this way, I am more optimistic about this person."

Xu Qingyun said in surprise: "The subordinate is stupid, please ask the prefect to give him advice."

Wang Cong smiled and said, "Did Prince Xu think that Gao Changqing let Dou Jiande go because he was really just for a woman?"

"Isn't it? The Youzhou army is strong and has a strong horse and has the advantage. It defeated Dou Jiande. After taking advantage of the victory, I believe it is not difficult to defeat Pingyuan County and Qinghe County. However, Gao Changqing gave up this great opportunity and let Dou Jiande go. It is undoubtedly a disaster for raising a tiger." Xu Qingyun said authentically.

Wang Cong shook his head and smiled, "Zhiyuan (大子), your pattern is small!"

Xu Qingyun couldn't help but feel embarrassed and bowed, "Sir, can you teach me the subordinates?"

Wang Cong gently stroked his long beard and said, "Zhiyuan, you only see one, but not the other. The reason why Dou Jiande was defeated so quickly and thoroughly this time was completely because he was too proud and underestimated the enemy. He took the initiative to go north to fight the Youzhou army, and attacked the enemy's strengths with his own shortcomings, and naturally suffered a complete defeat.

If Dou Jiande had defended the city at the beginning and fought steadily, the Youzhou army would never have been able to capture most of the county towns of Xindu County so quickly. Dou Jiande was quite capable. After he breathed, the Youzhou army wanted to take down Pingyuan County and Qinghe County, but he was afraid that the price would not be low. Moreover, the Youzhou army is still attacking Luoyi, and fighting on both sides is so expensive. Once it is delayed for a long time, the Youzhou army will risk falling into the quagmire. If it is not done carefully, it will even drag down the livelihood of the entire Youzhou, ruining the hard-won good situation in vain.

Therefore, it is undoubtedly a very wise choice to form an alliance with Dou Jiande. He has defeated Dou Jiande and taken Hejian County into his pocket. What he needs to do now is to slowly absorb and digest Hejian County. Dou Jiande is currently seriously injured in his vitality and no longer poses a threat to Youzhou."

Xu Qingyun nodded and said, "My lord is right, but..."

Wang Cong waved his hand and said, "Let me finish the talk."

Xu Qingyun's face was slightly embarrassed and bowed to apologize.

Wang Cong continued: "The south of Qinghe County is Qi County, where there are Xu Yuanlang and Meng Haigong, and further south is Jiangdu. The emperor's power can still reach Qi County, and the southwest of Qinghe County is the two Zhao and Wei County, which are close to the Wagang force."

Xu Qingyun's heart moved and blurted out: "What sir is that Gao Changqing intends to keep Dou Jiande as a barrier to temporarily resist these forces?"

Wang Cong nodded in praise and said, "That's true that Yingzhou has not been taken down for a day, the rear of Youzhou will be unstable. Gao Changqing needs time to stabilize the rear and also time to digest the newly acquired territory. The benefits of temporarily forming an alliance with Dou Jiande are self-evident.

This son seems to be indulging in love with his children, but in fact he is steady and steady, and he is always on the verge of making decisions. The most amazing thing is that this son can clearly capture Xindu County, Pingyuan County and Qinghe County, but he can't help but not take action.

Everyone has desires, and most people will only be led by desires, so it is the most valuable person who can control desires in turn, so I am more optimistic about this person."

Xu Qingyun suddenly said, "So that's the case. The lower official has received the teachings. What will the adult plan to do next?"

Wang Cong sighed and said, "Good birds choose trees to live in, and wise ministers choose masters to serve. Now we naturally have to judge the situation and offer the city to seek refuge. Yuanzhi, prepare your household registration and land in small amounts, and also the map of our county. When Gao Changqing returns, our official will go out of the city to present surrender.

Gao Changqing was born in the Gao family of Bohai. After the Northern Qi royal family, he was supported by the Cui family of Qinghe and the seven surnames of Youyan. It is not a shame for us to join him. Moreover, he is kind and righteous, and has a broad mind. It is said that Wei Zheng, the chief of Youzhou Prefecture, scolded him in person many times, and he can also accept it with pleasure. With such a broad mind, the future is promising!"

Xu Qingyun sighed when he heard this, "It's really better to listen to your words than to read for ten years. His subordinates are like enlightened and enlightened!"

Wang Cong smiled and said, "By the way, I have also had letters with Cui Hongsheng, the governor of Shanggu County. I received a letter from him a few days ago. The Cui family of Boling is preparing to marry Pei Xingyan, under Gao Changqing's command. Although the old fox did not say it clearly, it can be vaguely guessed from the information revealed between the lines. He is also preparing to offer Shanggu County to Youzhou. Boling County is Cui's territory and he must not be able to escape."

Xu Qingyun was slightly surprised when he heard this. It would be amazing if Gao Changqing received support from a top family like the Cui family of Boling. In addition, Hejian County, the territory alone would be nearly doubled in an instant.

Tsk, it seems that I am really in a small situation!

On the fifteenth day of the winter of the 12th year of Daye, Gao Bufan indeed led his army to return from Xindu County to the north and passed through Hejian County.

This time, Wang Cong did not wait for Gao Bufan to come and persuade him to surrender. He led a group of local officials and gentry out of the city in advance to block the road, holding the Hejian County household registration and land in his hands, and also the map albums of the whole county to offer land to Gao Bufan.

Gao Bufan accepted it with a smile and appointed Wang Cong to continue as the governor of Hejian County. All the positions of other officials remained unchanged. He just sent Lu Sheng to the governor of Hejian County and led 5,000 troops to be stationed in Hejian County.

After taking over Hejian County, Gao Bufan continued to lead his army northward. After entering the territory of Zhuo County, there were roads on the road to welcome their triumphant people, which was unprecedented.

Shortly after Gao Bufan returned to Youzhou Prefecture, another gift came to his door. First, Cui Hongsheng, the prefect of Shanggu County, and Li Jing, came together to offer Shanggu County’s household registration and land Mubo. Then, the prefect of Boling County also came over happily and also offered Boling County’s household registration and land Mubo.

As a result, Shanggu and Boling counties were included in the territory of Youzhou without any effort. With Hejian County, the territory under Gao Bufan's name increased by nearly twice in an instant, and his strength naturally increased greatly.

Of course, it will take some time for Gao Bufan to successfully digest these territories. Fortunately, Youzhou Prefecture is full of talents and there are no need to do many things by Manager Gao himself, otherwise it would be a very headache to manage such a large territories.
Chapter completed!