Shandong, Laizhou Prefecture, Andongwei.

This is one of the nineteen defense guards established in the early Ming Dynasty. It was established to prevent harassment from Japanese pirates. However, in this era, Andongwei was no longer a front-line border defense. During the Tianshun period, two of the five thousand-household offices were transferred, one went to Tianjin and the other went to Xuzhou. Now there are only three thousand-household offices left. The corruption of the garrison and the escape of military households made the garrison offices now dilapidated. The Datun Castle, which is located in the thousand-household offices behind Andongwei, is now only seven or eight old and weak.

A military household in his forties stood on the top of the fort, bored stones passing the time. His eyes looked at the sea from time to time. If a ship approached and stranded nearby, it would be an opportunity to make money. As for the rest, the military household didn't care at all. Anyway, Andongwei was poor and even bandits were too lazy to come and robbers.

Suddenly, a sound of hooves sounded from a distance, and he felt something was wrong. If it were the flock of sheep sheep around on weekdays, there would be no such momentum. He looked back and saw that smoke and dust were everywhere in the distance, hundreds of cavalry were galloping across the board. Seeing that the flag was not the King of Ming Dynasty, he hurriedly shouted to the lower body: "Arise, you're all up, the thieves are here."

"Old Wang, it's not that the cavalry of the garrison master is here, you're so scared!" A military man rubbed his eyes and poked his head out of the window and muttered.

"Fuck, the garrison master can afford hundreds of cavalry!" Old Wang cursed.

After saying this, the people in the fortress shouted and climbed to the top. They blocked the broken wooden door and found out the cotton armor that they had not used for a long time. They slapped the dust on the ship, but it made smoke and dust everywhere. The choking people couldn't open their eyes. The bowstrings had long rotten. Only the bow that Old Wang hunted on weekdays could still be used. As for gunpowder, it had become blocks and harder than bricks. This is the current garrison. As the only general flag officer in the fortress, Old Wang scolded: "Don't look for those things, bring the turn of the wall and lime up, just use it. Whether you can pass this level depends on God."

After a rush, the fort finally entered a state of alert, but saw that the cavalry was not approaching and wandering in the wilderness. Soon, more than ten cavalry came forward and Lao Wang asked loudly: "This is the sea defense fortress of Andongwei. We are the official army. What kind of heroes are you? Sign up and don't have a misunderstanding in vain!"

The leader immediately laughed and said, "I am Yuan Shizhong, the leader of Xiao Yuan Camp, and I come to Andongwei to do business. Don't worry if you don't attack your fort. I see that there are mountain springs here, so I set up camp here."

Lao Wang had never heard of the name of Xiao Yuan Camp. Among the peasant army in Huguang, the name of Xiao Yuan Camp is also very famous. This army is composed of Henan mine disciples as backbone, and it is brave and arduous. The official army has collapsed several times. This is not counting. When the Donggu invaded, Xiao Yuan Camp also took the initiative to attack the Donggu in Haizhou, killing the Mongolian Tartars in all directions. Some of them fled to Andongwei. The garrison men beheaded seven or eight, which really made a lot of achievements.

"Big leader, please take care of yourself. Our fortress is very poor and there is really nothing to entertain you. We are all poor brothers who are bullied by them. Why can't we get along with each other? If you let us go, we don't have to worry about how many buckets of brown rice a month." Old Wang would not take the initiative to provoke Xiao Yuanying, and said carefully immediately.

Yuan Shizhong laughed and thought to himself that this guy was a smart guy, shouting: "You are right, why are you trying to make things difficult for each other? I came here to meet with the shopkeeper Li Da from Dongfan, not to fight."

Old Wang has always been a well-informed person. He knew that the shopkeeper Li Da who was mentioned by Yuan Shizhong was a great merchant from Dongfan. He had money, food, soldiers, and also killed many Dongliu. However, he didn't understand what he would do when he met with the shopkeeper Li Da, who was intimate with the governor of Denglai.

The two were talking, and a group of cavalry galloped from the west, with a large number of people, occupying a large field outside the fort. After the horse was stationed, more than ten large carts of horses and mules galloped out, carrying nearly a hundred wounded soldiers and soldiers into the camp of Xiaoyuan Camp.

Yuan Shizhong asked these people to enter the camp and carefully checked it. He found many familiar faces in it. He had a brief conversation, which were all the local accents of Henan. He couldn't help but feel excited.

It turned out that when the Donggu invaded, the Xiao Yuan camp, which had left the camp, was stationed in the Bo area between Nanzhili and Henan. When he heard that the Donggu invaded, he killed and plundered the people, the passionate peasant army went north to attack the thieves. At that time, Yuan Shizhong was quite disgusted with Li Zicheng's tyranny and cruelty. He had the intention of being pacified, so he sent troops in the name of rescue of the vassal kings. However, the Donggu was not the Ming army, and he lost several battles to the enemy. Then he crossed the Henan and entered the Haizhou area. Most of the soldiers and horses that were damaged in Yanzhou were captured by the Donggu. In the battle of the Daqing River, he was rescued by Li Mingxun and sent some people back in the early stage, so that the two sides could contact each other.

"Your shopkeeper is indeed a man of loyalty. I am deeply impressed by it. I don't know where the shopkeeper has been. I, Old Yuan, must meet him and see who the hero who beat Donglu is. I will thank him for his righteous actions and rescue my brothers in the Little Yuan camp." Yuan Shizhong said with a smile.

"It's there." A cavalry immediately said.

Yuan Shizhong saw that more than thirty cavalry escaped from the formation and stood on the open space next to the fort. Yuan Shizhong understood a little. He checked the 20th old battalion cavalry and followed him there. When Yuan Shizhong arrived, the fort had already opened the door. He was surprised and asked, "Why didn't you, you old turtle, open the door for me, but for the shopkeeper Li!"

Old Wang said with a smile: "There is a document from the Governor Denglai's yamen, and..." As he said that, Old Wang weighed a silver ingot in his hand.

Li Mingxun looked at Yuan Shizhong. The famous peasant army leader in the Central Plains had a tall and burly figure and a pair of calloused hands. He was a pair of hands pulling bows and holding guns. Li Mingxun smiled slightly and said, "Captain Yuan, I have long admired the name!"

Yuan Shizhong sat on the ground with a smile and said, "You are Li Mingxun, the shopkeeper of the Eastern Federation. I didn't expect to be so young. Thanks to you for your righteous help, I, Yuan Shizhong, thanked me here."

As he said that, Yuan Shizhong waved his hand and several old battalions around him untied two boxes from the horse, opened them, and placed them on the ground. The boxes were full of gold, silver and jewelry, various large and small pieces of silver ingots and gold nuggets, and many pearl agates. They were particularly dazzling under the sunlight. If you look at it for a little, you will not be less than three or five thousand taels.

Li Mingxun closed the box casually and said, "Captain Yuan, you don't think I went south all the way just to ask for some money."

Yuan Shizhong laughed and said, "How can it be? I have heard people talk about the big shopkeeper. You are a hero who spends a lot of money at home and abroad. How could you see this little bit of rustic stuff in our hands? You must have something to discuss when you come to me."

Yuan Shizhong waved his hand, and the personal soldiers around him retreated aside before saying, "Although the shopkeeper is rich and powerful, he has no foundation in the Ming Dynasty, he can only be regarded as rootless duckweed. Our little Yuan camp has been rebelling in the Central Plains in recent years and has left Li Zicheng in Kaifeng. It has been unwilling tolerated. Until now, a tiger's army is still following my butt and biting you. We can also feel sorry for each other. Naturally, we can also hold together to keep warm."

Li Mingxun laughed and his evaluation of Yuan Shizhong increased a little more. In the chaotic times of the late Ming Dynasty, where soldiers were the king of grass heads, those who could survive and become bigger were definitely not ordinary people. Yuan Shizhong was no exception, at least his eyes were very vicious.

"Since Chief Yuan understands this, I have something to say. Maybe you have heard that among the outstanding bandits of the Ming Dynasty, except for Li Zicheng, only Zhang Xianzhong who fled to Sichuan. Whether it is Luo Rucai or He Yilong, they were all killed by Li Zicheng. These are still actively engaged in joint ventures with Li Zicheng. Those who are considered traitors like you must have no way to survive." Li Mingxun said with a smile.

"So you want to persuade me to be dependent?" Yuan Shizhong asked with a smile.

Li Mingxun clapped his hands and said, "Talking to smart people is refreshing. Yes, your only way is to be servient. I know you have already thought of this."

Yuan Shizhong did not resist being dependent on being dependent. Not to mention that he had already opposed Li Zicheng, who was in full swing, even if not, the peasant army tended to be dependent and lived a peaceful life. What really restricted the situation to this point was what the court could offer.

"Big shopkeeper, you can't seem to decide this, right?" Yuan Shizhong asked.

Li Mingxun smiled and said, "Of course, this is what the court officials have to do. I am just making a match. Of course, I am willing to make peace from it and prefer to contribute some capital to the court."

"Capital?" Yuan Shizhong was a little stunned.

Li Mingxun nodded and said, "It's just some plowing cattle and livestock."

It turned out that in the Battle of the Qing River, the club seized a large number of livestock, and the war horses were naturally organized into the cavalry, but more were livestock such as horses, mules, oxes and donkeys. Now that the southwest monsoon is about to rise, the transportation capacity of the clubs and sand boat gangs has been greatly reduced, and the transport capacity of the people is still insufficient, and these livestock are even more difficult to transport. If you lead to Denglai, you are nothing more than being taken to the governor of Denglai to appease the victims and increase the difficulty of the club immigration. It is better to give it to Yuan Shizhong, which is also a favor.

When Yuan Shizhong heard that Li Mingxun had tens of thousands of large livestock in his hands, he was also moved. He asked, "If we ask Governor Denglai now, I wonder what conditions can we give?"

Li Mingxun waved his hands repeatedly: "No, it's not that he is asking for comfort now, nor is he asking for comfort from Governor Denglai, but he is the king of the mountains and raises troops, and when the time is right, he asks for comfort from the court."

As he said that, Li Mingxun picked up a branch and pulled it on the ground. He said: "Now that Chief Yuan occupied Haizhou and Ganyu, he could develop his power to Juzhou and Rizhao in the southern part of Laizhou. In this way, your power spans two provinces. Under the current situation, the main force of the court is to be guarded against thieves. You can operate well on the north bank of the Yellow River and dominate one side, and make a vagrant between the treason and the court, waiting for the time to be ripe before being slaughtered."

"The time is ripe? When is the time!" Yuan Shizhong asked in surprise.

Li Mingxun said: "Of course, we will decide the victory or defeat between the imperial court. You would have known that among the imperial court's soldiers, only the Sun Chuanting tribe in Shaanxi still has the power to fight, which is also the biggest obstacle to the imperial court. The victory or defeat between these two ministries determines the court's attitude towards us. If the imperial court wins, you will be entrusted with the situation. If the imperial court loses, it will rely more on you."

"You are asking me to sit in the mountains and watch the tiger fight!" Yuan Shizhong's face looked ugly for a moment. He stood up and patted his butt and said, "Big shopkeeper, I thought you were a good man who asked the people for their destiny to do justice for the heavens. I wanted to make friends with you, but I never thought that you were such a traitor, who was sitting on the verge of the people and ignored them..."

Li Mingxun laughed and said, "It seems that you, Chief Yuan, can save the people of the world. Chief Yuan, I might as well tell you that if you have a thousand soldiers in your hands, you can save the people of a county, and ten thousand soldiers can save the people of a province. Only 100,000 elite soldiers can save the world. You are not unaware of the principle of long-term planning. Now, Li Guo, a tiger in the rebel army, is staring at you. If you go back, in the Bo area, you will seek death. All the beliefs of saving the people of the world will turn into bubbles."

"Then are you going to sit in the mountains and watch the tiger fight?" Yuan Shizhong looked at Li Mingxun and asked seriously.

Li Mingxun said: "Our club fights from overseas to domestic, from Shandong to Zhili, and has long been at the end of its strength. Even if we want to fight again, we don't have the ability. The club can only rest and accumulate strength, rather than investing the last bit of old capital into the mud in the Central Plains."

"I have said that. Chief Yuan thought about it himself, please reply to me within half a month. If you move to Shandong within half a month, I will serve those livestock. If you insist on going to the Central Plains, I will forgive you for not being with me." Li Mingxun said with a smile, and he had already gotten up and was about to leave.

Yuan Shizhong was stunned on the spot. He suddenly realized something. Li Mingxun tried his best to take out tens of thousands of large livestock to plan this matter. It seemed that it would not benefit him much, and he did not force the two sides to reach an alliance. So what exactly does this person want to do?

"Shopkeeper Li, Storekeeper Li, you have come from thousands of miles away. Is it just here to persuade me?" Yuan Shizhong held Li Mingxun's reins and asked insistently.

Li Mingxun smiled slightly: "I just want to show you a clear way. This time the Donggu invasion, there are only a few of you who dare to take the initiative to attack the Donggu. They are in great importance in terms of right and wrong. Naturally, I want to show you a clear way. Good men like you should not die in the internal strife of thieves. Good men, they are still good at sacrificing their passion in the cause of killing the enemy."

"It's that simple?" Yuan Shizhong looked disbelieving.
Chapter completed!