Chapter 5 Chapter 21 The Wind Rises Qingping

However, the final victory is still very far away, too far away to see the shadow.In a blink of an eye, it has been three years. A lot has happened in these three years.It was the beginning of the twenty-eighth year of Tianbao to regain Dongping City.The good news of this year is only this time. Just as we were full of ambition and prepared to go all the way south to wipe out the snake people, we suffered a big setback in April of this year. Shihu City was captured by the snake people. The soldiers and civilians of the city were beheaded and killed. Shihu City was guarded by the famous general Chu Wenzhong.Chu Wenzhong's 20,000 wolf soldiers are quite famous. When I went to aid Dongping City with Bi Wei, a wolf soldier was temporarily incorporated into my command. I have a deep understanding of their combat effectiveness.In addition to the fact that the Snakeman failed to attack Fudun City, everyone thought that Shihu City, which was stronger than Fuduncheng, would have no problems, and Chu Wenzhong was more than able to protect himself.Unexpectedly, about 10,000 snake men broke through the city with lightning speed, and the wolf soldiers failed to organize an effective defense.Stone Tiger City is located on the south bank of the upper reaches of the Dajiang River, and is the gateway to the upper reaches. Once this city is lost, the two gateways, Fudun City in the middle reaches and Dongping City in the lower reaches, will be useless.When Marquis Wen heard the news, he was summoning me, Deng Canglan, Bi Wei, and Shao Fengguan to hold a family banquet.The next day, he immediately ordered Deng Canglan and Bi Wei's two armies to rush up the river to prevent the snake man from crossing north.

At that time, the training of the new army was still insufficient. They counterattacked Dongping and lost a lot of troops.Fortunately, Deng Canglan and Bi Wei's water and fire armies lived up to their trust and fought fiercely with the Snake Man in Shihu City for February. Although they failed to defeat the Snake Man in the fighting, the Snake Man was also held back by them and failed to make a big move northward. , As a result, in June, Marquis Wen dispatched 10,000 Diqi, plus 20,000 Qingyuegong reinforcements, a total of 30,000 people went to the aid. In August, the snake man finally retreated, and the stone tiger was recaptured. The army suffered heavy casualties, and it is said that even Bi Wei's Shenlong Cannon lost two.

At this time, the snake man launched an attack on Dongping again. At this time, only the ground army was stationed in Dongping.Although Tu Fang's command is effective, our Hengye, Zhechong, Zhenwei, and Yangwei four divisions can be regarded as fighting hard, but the water and fire armies have been transferred away, and the ground army can't fight alone. The city changed hands again, and the land army retreated to Dongyang City. Fortunately, Dongping City was dilapidated after two successive battles, and the Snake Man lacked boats, so he could not cross the river to attack for a while. At this time, Wuyang City finally attacked and recovered several surrounding cities in one fell swoop. The Snake Man probably felt that the backyard was on fire. Coupled with the fact that the weather turned cold again, the entire army retreated at the end of October, and we were lucky enough to recapture Dongping City.

From November of the twenty-eighth year of Tianbao to the summer of the twenty-ninth year of Tianbao, there was no war between the empire and the snake people. Marquis Wen also breathed a sigh of relief. The imperial army had a rare respite, but Wuyang City was in crisis. The snake man was angry that He Congjing suddenly attacked and sent troops to besiege Wuyang City.We are too far away, and we are too busy to take care of ourselves, so we can only hope for God's protection to save Wuyang City from this catastrophe.It's funny to say that Wuyang City is the headquarters of the Republican Army. In the past, the empire regarded it as an enemy and wished they would be destroyed early, but now they are looking forward to their survival from top to bottom. Even the emperor who is seriously ill is also unprecedented. The prince of Jianguo sacrificed to the sky with the prison and prayed for Wuyang City.Everyone knows the reason why the lips are dead and the teeth are cold. Once Wuyang City is destroyed, the next round of the snake man's offensive will be extremely fierce. Even Marquis Wen himself has no confidence in winning again.

Unexpectedly, the defense of Wuyang City was stronger than we expected.From July to the end of this year, although rumors were flying all over the sky, saying that the snake people had already breached Wuyang City and would go north soon, it was later confirmed that it was just a rumor, and Wuyang City was as solid as gold.But southern Xinjiang is no better than the imperial capital, and the winter is not too cold. The snake man decided to break through the city again. This battle lasted until July of the next year. But retreat. On the day when the news came out, there were thunderous cheers from all over the imperial capital, just like when the empire successfully broke through the siege.It is also because of Wuyang City's hard work for a whole year that it finally defended the city, and this year the world is ripe, and the grain and grass harvest is bumper, especially in Juluo Island. It is said that the corn in Taicang is almost overflowing. The usual number was doubled, and the confidence of the imperial capital was also boosted. Everyone felt that victory was finally coming soon.But no one expected that at this time, Wa Island began to attack Juluo Island again, and King Juluo used a blood book as an emergency.

It is said that Wajima's attack this time was actually provoked by the snake people.I don't really believe that the snake people can provoke the Japanese king, but it is a fact that the Japanese attacked Juluo Island.Under the balance, Marquis Wen decided to send Li Yaotian to lead the 10,000 water army, together with the 30,000 Luo water army, to go on an expedition against the Japanese, and solve the Japanese king in one fell swoop. I don't quite agree with this battle. Deng Canglan's water army suffered a lot in Shihu City. At this time, a lot of new troops have been recruited and they still need to be trained, but Li Yaotian himself is eager to try.The Japanese and the Juluo people are feuds, and he can't wait to have this opportunity to conquer the Japanese.

This year, Xue Wen also had a son, and Zhang Longyou was named Minister of the Ministry of Industry because of his improvement of armored vehicles.Moreover, because of the elixir presented together with Yetai, the emperor's condition improved greatly after taking it, and even the status of the Shangqing elixir sect improved greatly. In September of the twenty-ninth year of Tianbao, Li Yaotian led the water army with 10,000 elite soldiers, together with the 30,000 Juluo water army and more than 800 warships, and started an expedition. Deng Canglan stepped up training the new army in the imperial capital.Because of the severe loss of vitality of the water army, Marquis Wen decided to vigorously support the water army this year and recruit experts from the various armies. Many of the graduates of the military academy were incorporated into the water army this year.Tang Kai signed up and was included by the Water Corps.He is a soldier, and he has always been unwilling to be an instructor in a military academy, and at this time he finally got his wish.Among the graduates this year, there is a class that I taught for a period of time, and several of them also joined the water army and became Tang Kai's colleagues.

Li Yaotian is leaving in September.I have great confidence in him, even Marquis Wen also believes in Li Yaotian's ability, but unfortunately, there is no news of Li Yaotian's departure.We didn't know Li Yaotian's ending until the spring of the next year, when some remnant soldiers fled back to the imperial capital.At that time, the navy was intercepted by the Japanese at sea, and was easily defeated by Li Yaotian. The Japanese were in panic all day long, so they defended the island.Li Yaotian lined up to attack, but on the eve of the general attack, a hurricane suddenly rose, and all 800 warships were wiped out.

Hearing this news, I couldn't help being stunned for a long time.Li Yaotian is an unborn general, I always thought that he would be able to return with victories after he left, but I never imagined that he would die under the hurricane!Before Lu Gongxing committed suicide, he said that "the destiny will return", maybe, there is a destiny in the dark that predestined everything. The defeat of Li Yaotian's expeditionary army made the Republican Army even more important.In the past, Marquis Wen had always let the Republican Army and the Snake People go all out, and our idea of ​​reaping the benefits of fishermen was finally completely dispelled until now. The cooperation between the Empire and the Republican Army became closer and closer, and even Marquis Wen allowed the Republican Army to set up an army in the imperial capital. The meeting office is responsible for the daily negotiations with Wuyang City.

In the 30th year of Tianbao, Emperor Tianbao, who is known as the Sun King, became ill due to overwork, the national teacher Yuxinzi Shangshu recommended his younger brother Yuqingzi to fetch medicine for the emperor from overseas fairy mountains.Since the elixirs of the Shangqing Danding School have immediate results, those of the Qingxu Tuna School seem to have little effect on health preservation. Yu Xinzi must hope to take this opportunity to regain her favor.It just cost a lot of money to send people to search for medicine. Now because of the war, the treasury is empty.Because he was a little impulsive when admonishing, the emperor, who had never asked about political affairs, was furious for the first time, and used the imperial stick to Qi Yushi, and Qi Yushi was beaten to death.And Qi Yuhui is the elder brother of Qi Yahui, General Zhechong of the Land Army. Qi Yahui was beheaded because of this incident, and the Land Army was reorganized.This incident greatly shocked the ground army, Qi Yahui was not guilty of meritorious service, but he was beheaded because of an indiscriminate disaster, not only the ground army, but the whole army was wronged by Qi Yahui.Fortunately, the battle with the Snake Man was not too intense at this time, otherwise, because of this matter, the Land Legion, which had gradually become the main force, would probably be devastated due to the lack of morale.In view of this, Marquis Wen also made some major adjustments to the Land Legion. Because I belonged to the general in Marquis Wen's team, I was promoted to be the deputy governor of the Land Legion, and I was only ranked under Tu Fang. It was handed over to Cao Wendao.Although I also want to be promoted, I am really not happy to be promoted under such circumstances.

In the 30th year of Tianbao, Yu Qingzi led the crowd into the sea to seek medicine as scheduled, and Tang Kai was selected as one of the two centurions to guard him, but there was no news after he left.In December, the emperor died. The 30-year winter in Tianbao was the coldest day in 20 years, and the weather was extremely cold.Although there were not many battles with the snake people because of the cold, but because of successive years of wars, the number of homeless poor people has increased day by day. Many poor people died of starvation this winter, and their corpses are in disarray.In such a cold season, the prince ascended the throne as the emperor and changed his country to a new one. Since February of the first year of the new year, there has been continuous snow in spring. This year was recorded in the annals of history because of the "rebellion in the imperial capital".The reason is that at the end of the 30th year of Tianbao, the Sun King finally died of a serious illness. Before his death, he ordered Concubine Jiang to hang herself to die.The imperial edict came down to the Jingwan Palace where Concubine Jiang lived, but Concubine Jiang refused to follow, saying that it was a coercive edict by the prince, and ordered the guards in the palace to kill the yellow gate that passed the decree, and closed the palace gate tightly to prevent anyone from entering or leaving.The prince confronted him tit for tat, and ordered Marquis Wen to lead his army to attack.Marquis Wen mobilized the army to bombard the gate of the palace, and Bi Wei led his men into the Jingwan Palace, where Concubine Jiang lived, beheading all the people inside. Concubine Jiang hanged herself in despair.Lu Xiang is Concubine Jiang's cousin. These years, he, Minister of the Ministry of War, has been emptied by Marquis Wen, and he is not allowed to get involved in the military. Marquis Wen had a head-on conflict. Before the incident in the imperial capital, I was transferred to the front line by Marquis Wen because I disagreed with Marquis Wen in handling the situation.Later I heard that the change of the imperial capital resulted in thousands of deaths and injuries, and afterwards, Marquis Wen hunted down Lu Xiang's remnants, and the punishment was extremely cruel. No less than 3,000 people were tortured to death in terms of criminal law, and more than 20,000 people were convicted. As a result, the price of coffins in the imperial capital rose sharply this year. People rumored that the year name "Zixin" was not good. However, this year's battle against the Snakemen has seen frequent successes. The Land Army, the Wind Army, and the Water Army joined forces with the 8,000 Republican Army to fight against the 50,000 Snakemen in Dongping City. They won a big victory, but the Land Army also suffered heavy losses.But this battle made the local army famous for a while, and the fame of bravery was like no other for a while.In the past, we did not dare to fight the Snakeman in the field, so when the enemy retreats, we advance, and when the enemy advances, we retreat. We are always engaged in a see-saw war of attrition. But at this time, Zhang Longyou has finally improved the armored vehicle completely. The army was defeated, and the entire army was wiped out. In this battle, because Tu Fang stayed in the imperial capital at that time, I served as the full command of the former enemy.After the war, Tu Fang was promoted to minister of the Ministry of War, and I was promoted to the governor of the local army, but there was an irreparable rift between me and Marquis Wen because of the handling of the chaos in the imperial capital. This year, Chen Zhong also got married.After Qi Yahui was joined, the Land Legion carried out a major reorganization. This year, because General Zhenwei Zong Min on the left and General Chen Peng Yangwei on the right died in battle, the Land Army added another army, and the total strength reached 40,000. Edited again.Originally, Qian Wenyi and Cao Wendao had been divided into a unified battalion. At this time, I divided the whole army into five battalions, named the five battalions of "Benevolence, Justice, Honesty, Honesty and Courage", or "Five Virtue Battalions" for short.Qian Wenyi ruled Yiziying, Xinziying was handed over to Chen Zhong, and Lianziying was naturally Lianbaicai. The remaining Cao Wendao and Yang Yi were not easy to arrange. On balance, Cao Wendao was a bit reckless, and Renziying It is necessary to control the whole army, and the talent of a general is needed. In comparison, Yang Yi is brave and resourceful, so he is worthy of great use. He has made a lot of achievements in these years, and even Cao Wendao, who is not very similar to him, is not very impressed with his military talent. He was so admired that he threw himself into the ground, so the Yongzi Battalion was handed over to Cao Wendao, and Yang Yi became the leader of the Renzi Battalion. Yang Yi has always been quite annoyed with me, and even once ran away and wanted to go to Wuyang City.That time I caught up with him alone and asked him to stay.Although he was going to Wuyang City, but I knew he was related to Lu Xiang, seeing that Marquis Wen was extremely cool in hunting down the remnants, he was afraid that he would suffer disaster, and he didn't really admire the Republican Army's creed.Yang Yi is versatile in both civil and military affairs. He is indeed a rare talent. He has done a lot of meritorious service in the past few years, so he became the head of the five commanders of the Wude Camp. The others, including Cao Wendao, didn't say much. Although I am proud of my official career, I still feel pain in my heart.When no one is around, I always take out that piece of agarwood and carve it carefully.Now my engraving skills are quite famous, if Pu Shibing is still alive, I'm afraid I will be inferior.However, every time I took out the blank, I felt that I couldn't start. Her appearance became more and more blurred in my memory, and finally became a phantom. I don't know if it is possible to carve it in this life.She is now the emperor's concubine.Because she gave birth to the eldest son for the emperor, and the mother is more expensive than the son, she is now the emperor's favorite concubine.Except for one principal, two concubines and three concubines, the emperor has very few concubines. After ascension to the throne, he is actually very diligent in governing, and is quite famous for his hard work, which is quite different from when he was a prince who only knew how to eat, drink and play all day long.He handed over all the military affairs to Marquis Wen, and he devoted himself to political affairs.After the rebellion in the imperial capital, the Imperial Literary School went through some changes again, completely breaking down the views of aristocrats, and all scholars were recruited by opening courses, regardless of their backgrounds.Nangong Wenli won the trust of the prince and took full power to handle the matter.He is indeed a capable man, well-organized and upright.Although the threat of the snake people has not been eliminated, the whole empire has shown a scene of vitality. Xue Wen has also been promoted to be the Minister of the Ministry of Industry, and Zhang Longyou has been promoted to the position of Minister of the Ministry of Industry.The current minister of the Ministry of Industry, Pu Zhi, will retire in a year or two, and most likely Zhang Longyou will take up the post of minister.Wu Wanling has also become a member of the Chinese army in the Fire Army, and is Bi Wei's capable arm.Xue Wenyi's son Xue Tingxuan is four years old this year, very lively. It is now July of the new year.The snake people suffered repeated defeats, and their power was not as good as before. The four-phase army became the absolute main force of the imperial army. There was even a nursery rhyme among the people of the empire saying "Chu Bi Deng Shao, the national treasure". The rumors raised the status of the Four Phase Legion. The war is still going on, and there is still no end in sight. With a "bang", Cao Wendao was stabbed in the shoulder by me. Although the tip of the spear was only chalk, the spear was still powerful. Cao Wendao staggered and fell off the horse.I was taken aback, hurriedly led the horse, jumped down and said, "Brother Cao, what's the matter?" Cao Wendao grinned from the fall, but he didn't seem to be injured.He rubbed his shoulders, smiled wryly and said, "Controlling, you don't need to be so ruthless when practicing spears." I feel a little sorry.After the chaos in the imperial capital, I was always in a very bad mood, and I often lost my sense of proportion in my actions.I said: "Yes, I was too much." Seeing that I apologized, Cao Wendao felt a little uneasy, and said, "I can't blame the commander, it's the last general who is pampered now, and his marksmanship is also rusty." He is now the commander of the Yongzi Battalion, and he is mainly in command of battles, and rarely goes to the battle. The marksmanship is indeed a bit rusty.I said: "Brother Cao, together with a spear and a horse, it's like sailing against the current. If you don't advance, you will retreat. You need to practice more." With armored vehicles, the usefulness of cavalry has been greatly reduced. Now the army still has more infantry, and horses are mostly used to transport supplies.But I always feel that although armored vehicles are powerful, they should not be blindly superstitious after all.Cao Wendao stood up, moved his limbs, grabbed the chalk gun, and said, "Do it again." He is very unyielding.I smiled and said, "Do you want to come again?" Cao Wendao chuckled, and said, "I can't beat you, now let's fight two against one, and I'll ask someone to come and play together." I laughed and scolded: "Come on, if you insist on revenge, I'll let you hit me. If you and Chen Zhong come up together, how can I ever fight? Do you want me to make a fool of yourself?" He and Chen Zhong are most congenial, and the person calling him must also be Chen Zhong.Chen Zhong is very powerful, and he is far more diligent in practicing spear and horse than Cao Wendao. If it is a life-and-death fight, I can still use insidious tricks to win, but this kind of practice, if he joins forces with Cao Wendao, I will definitely not be an opponent.Cao Wendao shook his head and said, "It's not Chen Zhong, it's a newcomer." "New here?" I was a little surprised.The Land Legion has the largest number of troops. This time, they returned to the imperial capital to rest and replenish a lot of soldiers. Maybe Cao Wendao found a new recruit with excellent marksmanship.My curiosity was aroused. There is a saying in the art of war: people make the best use of their talents and things make the best use of them.It is easy to get a thousand soldiers, but hard to find a general. If this recruit is good at marksmanship, and he learns more about the art of war, he may be of great use in the future.I said, "Okay, let him come." Cao Wendao chuckled, said something to a soldier beside him, jumped on his horse, and said, "Tong Zhi, don't underestimate him. Although this guy is new, I fought with him once on marksmanship. It was actually defeated by him." I was taken aback, and said: "You lost? Is it true or not?" Although Cao Wendao's marksmanship is not top-notch, it is still outstanding. If this recruit can really beat him in marksmanship, it is really unexpected. Cao Wendao was pulling his horse back, turned his head and said, "Of course it's true, anyway, you just don't underestimate the enemy." I shook the chalk gun and walked back with Feiyu.Is this recruit really so strong?I can't believe it.As soon as he led his horse to the side, he heard an old man say loudly: "General Chu." This is Teacher Wu Zhao!I hurried over, jumped off the horse, bowed and said, "Mr. Wu Zhao, hello, why are you free to come over today?" Now my official position is far higher than Wu Zhao, but every time I see him, I dare not lose my courtesy. Teacher Wu Zhao looked at me and said with a smile, "General Chu, your marksmanship is getting better and better." I bowed my head and said, "That's because the teacher taught me well." Wu Zhao is recognized as the first shot in the army, and he doesn't give compliments easily. Wu Zhao still had a smile on his face, and said, "This guy just graduated this year, but he is very good at marksmanship, so don't be careless." I said, "He is also a student of Teacher Wu Zhao, right? The students must pay attention." The marksmanship of military students has more or less been taught by Wu Zhao, but Wu Zhao also said the same, it seems that this person is probably really extraordinary. At this time, Cao Wendao shouted from a distance: "Tongzhi, are you ready?" I looked up, but saw him standing up with a gun, and beside him was a soldier on a white horse.This man was also only wearing soft armor, but he was wearing a face shield.I said to Wu Zhao: "Teacher Wu Zhao, please wait a moment." I jumped on Feiyu and raised my gun as a signal. One of the soldiers raised the flag, and I urged the horse, and rushed over immediately.Unexpectedly, Cao Wendao on the opposite side stood still, but the soldier urged his horse to rush over. Is he going to challenge me one-on-one?I was a little surprised.In a one-on-one fight, even Yang Yi and Chen Zhong are not my opponents in the local army. This recruit is really ignorant.However, seeing how he was holding the gun right away, it was very well-behaved. A chalk gun was held motionless in his hand, and he did have some real skills. A distance of more than ten zhang was accomplished overnight for Kuaima, and he was close in the blink of an eye.I saw it right, and stabbed him in the front with a gun.Because I was a little annoyed at his arrogance, I picked him off the horse if I wanted to meet him face to face. This shot was so fast that even Cao Wendao might not be able to stop it.Unexpectedly, as soon as the gun was thrust out, there was a "click", and the man's gun came out at the same time, blocking my gun head. Lock gun technique!I was taken aback.This kind of gun-locking technique is beyond the ability of ordinary people, it seems that he is indeed a master of Wu Zhao.I only felt that the force coming from the tip of the gun was not light, and this person's strength was not too small, but it was still not as strong as mine. My arms sank, and I was about to forcibly break through his gun lock technique, but I didn't know that the force had just been added. The man's gun sank suddenly, and the man almost fell on the horse's back, and the tip of the gun was raised from bottom to top.This move was like flowing clouds and flowing water, extremely smooth, I used too much force, and I couldn't turn around, so I simply pushed my left hand, and the chalk spear turned sideways, pressing towards his spear head. This is also the lock gun technique.Originally, I attacked him and defended him, but this guy is skilled, and he forced me to defend in the blink of an eye, which is really good.At this moment, the two horses had crossed each other, so I locked his spear, if he still wanted to attack by force, I was afraid that I would drag him off the horse, but the point of this man's spear shook, and the spear stretched and retracted, and it fell out of my body all at once. The stem of the gun unexpectedly swept over sideways. This shot is not rigid, it is very remarkable, I heard Cao Wendao yelling over there: "Okay!"However, although this shot was unexpected, he had already rushed in front of me, and the power of such a sweep back was no longer enough. My left hand suddenly pressed down, and the tip of the gun was ribbed and turned straight up. His shot was hitting the barrel of the gun. Going up, there was a "bang", I only felt a slight numbness in my palm, I suddenly reached out with my left hand, and shouted: "Go!" I have fought countless times on the battlefield, and I can know his position only by the sound of horseshoes. He is attacking, so I must have never expected that I can counterattack at this time.When the spear was thrust out, I already felt a little weight from the tip of the spear, I must have hit him, and I was about to push him off the horse again, but I felt a slip on the tip of the spear, unexpectedly I couldn't bear the force.I was taken aback, I turned my head and looked out of the corner of my eye, only to know that he probably dodged by lying on the saddle, but I saw that my shot actually pierced his gun barrel, and was sliding along the gun barrel .In this fleeting moment, he was able to catch the head of my gun with the barrel of the gun. His eyesight and marksmanship are really extraordinary.I let out a breath, and couldn't help blurting out: "Good marksmanship!" With a flick of my wrist, I was ready to throw the gun. This person is good at marksmanship, but after all he doesn't know how to adapt.Using the barrel of a gun to catch my gun like this is brilliant, but it's really flashy.His gun can only be defended, if I throw the chalk gun with spear throwing technique, it will hit his vest, and he will not be able to escape.Unexpectedly, just as I was about to drop the gun, the man smiled and said, "Really? Hehe." The voice was a little childish, and the tone was both surprised and happy.When I heard the sound, I exclaimed: "Your Highness!" The chalk gun was thrown out of my hand, and I grabbed the tail of the gun with my right hand and dragged it back forcefully. This is exactly the voice of the little prince!Every time I go back to the imperial capital to rest, I go to visit the tomb of the princess, and the little prince always comes to accompany me.I can be regarded as his brother-in-law in name, and he admires me so much that he pesters me to compete every time, even once in front of the princess's tomb with chopsticks.I suddenly realized why Cao Wendao was so respectful and accommodating to this recruit.According to the calculations, the little prince has turned seventeen this year, and his real age is eighteen, and he just graduated from the military academy. I took the carousel, jumped off and said, "Is it really your Highness?" He also led the horse, took off his mask, and said with a smile: "General Chu, is my marksmanship really good?" Under the mask was the extremely handsome face of the little prince.I haven't seen him for more than a year, and he has grown a lot taller, but his face is still a little childish. Seeing him, I don't know what it feels like.In name, I can be considered a clan, but for some reason, I always get angry when I see those clan children, the only exception is probably the little prince.I said: "Of course, you are already much smarter than me." The little prince curled his lips, and was about to say something when Wu Zhao came over, his face turned pale.I was going to use spear throwing just now, he must have seen it.At this distance, although the chalk gun can't hurt anyone, once it hits, the little prince will definitely not be able to sit on the saddle and will be shot down by me.As soon as he got in front of us, he jumped off his horse and said, "My lord, you still don't believe me when I say that you are still no match for General Chu." The little prince grinned and said, "Yes, yes, I was almost shot down by General Chu's spear." Wu Zhaodao: "You're still laughing! General Chu doesn't know the details, if he hurts you by mistake, how will he and I explain to the lord?" The little prince hung the mask on the saddle, and said: "Mr. Wu Zhao, you underestimate me too much. If you can't even stand up to this, I have passed the military academy for nothing these few years. How can I come to the local army?" .” I was taken aback and said, "What? Your Highness, you want to go to the Legion?" The little prince smiled again, and Wu Zhao suddenly said seriously, "Chu Xiuhong, the governor of the local army, accepted the order." He took out a scroll of silk from his arms, I quickly knelt down and said, "Chen Chuxiuhong accepts the order." "From the seventeenth day of the seventh month of the first year of the new emperor, the edict said: The son of Prince Cha'anle is skilled in bowing and horses, and he is loyal to the country, so he is worthy of great use. From now on, he will be the supervisor of the local army, and we will go to the country together. I admire this." The little prince. Are you going to be a supervisor?I was taken aback again.The Supervising Army was established this year. Probably after the crown prince came to the throne, he felt that the generals of the army had a lot of troops and had to guard against them, so the post of Supervising Army was established.The supervisors of each department are either internal supervisors or clans, and they can directly contact the emperor. The ground army is resting this time, just waiting for the superiors to send the supervisors down.When I talked about this matter with the generals, I felt that someone would come. It would be a troublesome thing if it was a clan eunuch who didn't know anything about soldiers but was bossy, but I didn't expect it to be the little prince.I couldn't help being overjoyed, kowtowed and said: "I obey the order." When Wu Zhao received the imperial decree, the little prince immediately came over and said, "General Chu, when are we going to set off? This time I'm going to fight for a while!" Although he was young, he was daring. He dared to fight a snake man when he was only half a child. Fighting head-on, now that he has grown up, he is not afraid of anything. Hearing what he wants, he can't wait to go into battle immediately. I smiled and said, "I'm not in such a hurry. In addition, the supervising army is not on the battlefield, so you can't rush to kill casually." "What!" the little prince exclaimed, "That's impossible, I want to tell Brother Dijun, don't be a military supervisor, but a brave knight. Yes, this name is majestic." Xiaoqi is just a middle- and lower-level officer, and he can't be compared with the supervising army, but there are no military students who become Xiaoqi as soon as they graduate.I'm afraid that the little prince really has a whim and wants to be a hero. He has no experience, and I'm afraid that even I can't command it, which will add to the chaos. It will be even more troublesome to send another internal supervisor to supervise the army. He hurriedly said: " Your Highness, the position of supervising the army is extremely important, and it must be done by you, and the emperor has considered it carefully, so don't make things difficult for him." The little prince thought for a while, then said half-believingly: "Is that so? Could it be possible to fight with the snake man?" I sighed secretly.Although the little prince was much better than others as an army supervisor, it was still a headache.I said: "Of course I do. Everyone in the army is a soldier, and I am no exception." Only then did the little prince say: "That's good." He looked around and smiled again: "General Chu, from now on I will be your general." I am a little dumbfounded.The supervising army is not a general, and the position of the supervising army is actually higher than that of the chief general. I should say that it is the general under the little prince.However, I was afraid that if I said this, the little prince would cause extra problems, so I didn't want to say any more, but said: "Your Highness, soldiers take obedience as their bounden duty, and military orders are like mountains, and orders are prohibited. Your Highness is now a soldier, so don't worry about that." Don't forget." The little prince said absent-mindedly: "I see, I will definitely obey your command, don't worry. When will the ground army set off?" I said: "It will take a while to rest. Your Highness, take advantage of this time to familiarize yourself with the armored chariot." Armored vehicles have become the main combat tool of the ground army, more important than cavalry.The little prince nodded, and said again: "By the way, General Chu, there is one more thing." I said: "What?" "The meeting office set up by the Republican Army in Wuyun City has now been replaced by a new person in charge, and that person seems to know you." I was taken aback, and said, "Know me?" I don't know many people in the Republican Army, and the only one who is more congenial is Henry Ding.Dante Henry is the current top general of the Republican Army. He is always fighting on the front line. It is unlikely that he will come to the imperial capital to be the head of the council.I said, "What's his name?" The little prince thought for a while, and said: "He also brought his family. Father took me to visit once, and this man is very good at talking. It seems that his name is 'Zheng Zhao'." Zheng Zhao!I was taken aback.Zheng Zhao has the ability to read minds, so he can naturally guess other people's minds when he comes here.But Marquis Wen already knew that he had the ability to read minds, so he was afraid that this secret fight would be extremely fierce.What surprised me was the family members he mentioned.I said, "Is it his wife and son?" "He has a wife. I heard her name is Duan Baiwei. She is a female general. She is very good at marksmanship. She doesn't have a son yet." The little prince didn't hear anything strange in my voice, he just spoke slowly. "The figures in the Republican Army seem to be quite outstanding. By the way, they came with that Zheng Zhao, and there is also a person from the legal system, who actually knows you." I was surprised: "People from the legal system?" I couldn't remember how this time.I said, "Who is it?" "I forgot too." The little prince scratched his scalp, but he really couldn't remember.I sighed secretly and said nothing more. Bai Wei also came to the imperial capital.I know that she has a strange feeling for me, and Zheng Zhao also knows that she was very jealous when she was in Wuyang City, so she came to the imperial capital to find out where I am.He is the minister of He Congjing, and He Congjing relies heavily on him. This time he came to Wuyun City, it seems that the cooperation between the Empire and the Republican Army has taken a step further.Anyway, that's always a good thing. After the little prince came to the local army, although he did nothing, he got along very well with Chen Zhong and Cao Wendao. On the contrary, Lian Baice was probably still worried that I would have a prejudice against him, so he never dared to get too close to the little prince. . After more than a month of rest, the time has already been handed over to August.Marquis Wen also visited the Legion several times and asked me about the recent situation of the Legion.Every time I see him, I always feel that Marquis Wen is much haggard again.After the chaos in the imperial capital, the officials went through a big purge. Those concubines Jiang and Lu Xiang who belonged to the same party were either demoted or transferred to idle officials. However, Marquis Wen's capable people were not enough to fill the vacancies. Must be exhausted.Looking at his appearance, my dissatisfaction caused by the disagreement with Marquis Wen during the chaos in the imperial capital has been eliminated a lot.In any case, although Marquis Wen's methods are cruel, they are far more clever than Lu Xiang and Concubine Jiang.After this turmoil, the Imperial Capital Literature School has been completely opened to the common people, and the last privileges of the officials' children have been deprived. It seems to be a good thing. The "new era" that the princess said seems to be closer. Perhaps, without a powerful official like Marquis Wen, the empire would not be saved.Physicians often say that the medicine of tiger and wolf is the medicine for Shen Yan, and Marquis Wen is probably the medicine of tiger and wolf. On this day, I accompanied Marquis Wen to inspect the army, and I was exhausted myself.Back at the residence, I had someone boil water to take a shower, and sat at the table to watch Master Tianji's "The Journey of the Emperor".This book introduces the scenery and special products of many places, and I have also been to some places.It's just that the prosperous places that Master Tianji said in the book are "rich in pearls and jade" or "rich in cattle and sheep", but now they are mostly in ruins. Marquis Wen Wen told me during the day that the Republican Army proposed a plan for a north-south attack.It's a pretty bold plan, but it works.In the past, we and the Republican Army fought independently, and there was always a lack of response. Now the Imperial Army has established a firm foothold in Dongping City, and the Republican Army has also recovered Minrong and Guangyang provinces, but there are still more than 20,000 snakes in Minrong Living in Nan'an City, fighting to the death without retreating.Nan'an is the capital of Fujian and Rong. Although the city is not very high, it is still one of the twelve famous cities. The Republican Army has repeatedly attacked, but Nan'an is the hinterland of the defense. If this place is not resolved, the two provinces of Guangyang, Fujian and Rong will eventually fail. An Ning, so He Congjing asked Zheng Zhao to bring this plan and asked the land army and water army to help in the battle.Marquis Wen weighed in and felt that although He Congjing wanted to use us in this plan, Nan'an City should not be lost. He Congjing also promised that once captured, Nan'an City could be controlled by the empire.Minrong Province was recovered by the Republican Army, and it is now their sphere of influence, but if Nan'an City is controlled by the Empire, then the Empire's forces can be inserted on the edge of Wuyang City, which is naturally beneficial to the Empire.After much deliberation, he felt that this matter would be beneficial to both parties, but he wanted us to preserve our strength as much as possible and not fight a war of attrition. Zheng Zhao must also know what Marquis Wen was thinking.What He Congjing needs is just to stabilize the defense. He is now expanding to the southwest and has entered Nanning Province.And He Congjing's plan must also be in Wen Hou's calculations, but they are all tacit.The initial plan was to start in early August. After Deng Canglan's sailor regiment took us to Dongping City, they divided the troops into two groups. The land army went south by land, and the water army marched along the coast. From September to October, they began to attack Nan'an.If it goes well, Nan'an City must be captured before the end of the year, and a formal counterattack will begin next year. That's the whole plan.As the main combat force, the ground army will be very heavy.I'm taking this opportunity to see more of the terrain in southern Xinjiang, so I won't be caught off guard.It's just that what I don't understand is, since Marquis Wen doesn't want us to attack with all our strength, why did he recruit most of the assists from the Four-Phase Legion.I wanted to ask Marquis Wen, but seeing his unfathomable appearance, I didn't dare to ask.文侯虽然说过把我当儿子看待，但我也知道这绝无可能的，我在文侯心目中，顶多只是一个亲信部将而已。 正看着，书房门口被人敲了敲，我抬起头，道：“进来。”进来的是我家的一个差人。他躬身行了一礼，道：“将军，外面有辆马车，是来请将军出去的。” carriage?I was startled.白天文侯刚视察过，也与我长谈过一次，晚上照理不会来叫我了。I said, "Who is it?" “那位大人没有说，只说将军出来便知。” 来叫我出去，居然连车都不下，这人的架子也真够大的。我把那本书收了起来，道：“我去看看。”走出去时，心里想着这到底是谁？难道是白薇？她来帝都也没多少天，今天大概有空，便来叫我么？我有些犹豫，白薇并不知道郑昭有读心术，她想的一切郑昭全能知道，恐怕会惹出麻烦来。 刚走到门口，却见门外停了一辆黑色的大车。这车也没有家徽，看样子只是寻常商贾所乘。我又是一怔，走到门前，道：“在下楚休红，请问是哪一位。” “楚兄，快上来吧。” 门开了，露出的竟然是张龙友的脸。他现在已是工部主事侍郎，官职不低了，自然可以坐这等大车。我呆了呆，道：“张兄？这么有空么？进来坐吧。” 张龙友笑了笑，道：“不必了，城东新开了一家胜友楼，我们去看看吧。” 我对喝酒并没有多大兴趣，但张龙友这般相邀，倒也不好回绝。我上了车，道：“叫一下薛文亦吧，不知他有没有空。” 我们现在各自都十分忙碌，偶尔才能聚一聚，每次相聚都是四人一起。现在吴万龄跟随毕炜守在东平城，只能把薛文亦叫出来。哪知我刚说出口，张龙友却道：“不用了，今天还有别人在，不要叫他。” “别人？”我一怔。张龙友算是与人交往很少的，除了我们几个没什么相熟的朋友，我不知道还会有谁在。张龙友只是道：“到了你便会知道，开车。” 车夫赶着马车缓缓向前驶去。这车夫驭车之术倒也高明，一路平平稳稳，走得甚快。我心中狐疑，道：“张兄，到底还有什么人？” “到时你就知道了。”张龙友低着头，低低说着。我觉得他一副心事重重的样子，心里也有些疑惑。张龙友以前不算多嘴，但喜怒总是挂在脸上，现在城府越来越深，我总觉得他似乎戴着一副厚厚的面具，看不清他的真面目。正想着，张龙友忽然从座位下拿出一套衣服，道：“楚兄，来，换件衣服。” 我呆了呆，看了看身上道：“怎么？这衣服不成？”平时几个老友小酌，我总是穿一身便服，他拿出的这套衣服也只是件极其普通的衣服，实在不知道他这是什么意思。张龙友低声道：“换上再说。” 我莫名其妙，脱下外套，穿上他给我的衣服。此时车子驶进一条很黑的小巷子里，忽然停了停，张龙友从车帘缝隙看着外面，低声道：“下去吧。” 胜友楼是城南新开的一家酒楼，我虽然没来过，但名声已如雷灌耳，听说连厕所里都装饰满了雕花板，可是这条小巷子黑漆漆的，根本不像是有个酒楼的样子。我不禁一呆，道：“这是哪里？”张龙友却又低下头，似乎躲开我的目光，道：“快下车吧。”他先行推开门，跳了下去。我满腹狐疑，几乎怀疑这是个要害我的圈套，但还是跟了下去。 刚一下车，张龙友敲了敲一边的一扇小门，门一下开了，张龙友闪身进去，扭头道：“快进来。”一进门，那辆马车却又向前驶去，门也一下关上了。我莫名其妙，道：“究竟是怎么回事？这是哪里？” 黑暗中，张龙友的目光显得十分明亮。他低低道：“有个人要见你。” 这绝不是闲来喝杯酒了。我皱起了眉头，道：“是谁？”张龙友如此神秘，让我忐忑不安。他没抬头，只是道：“见了你就会知道。” 这是个寻常的院落。张龙友带着我走进去，里面黑漆漆地，只点了几支蜡烛，光线十分昏暗。他走到一间屋前，轻轻敲了敲，道：“大人，楚休红将军到了。” 我听他称什么“大人”，心中猛地一跳。难道是文侯？可是文侯叫我来为什么要做得如此诡秘？难道有什么秘事要吩咐我么？只是即使文侯真的有秘事要我做，似乎也不该由张龙友牵线。我诧异地看了一眼张龙友，但张龙友躲开我的目光，把头偏到一侧。这更让我生疑，我伸手要去推门，又有些迟疑，低声道：“究竟是谁？” 张龙友抬起头。烛光昏暗，映得他的脸也闪烁不定。他迟疑了一下，道：“楚兄，天下是何人的天下？” 我也抬起头，心中却升起一股凉意。张龙友这话似有深意，我也隐隐约约猜测到了他的意思。我心头有些微微地疼痛，声道：“是帝君？” 张龙友眉头一扬，闪过一丝诧异，马上又回复平静，只是轻轻点了点头，道：“楚兄，不要怪我，我不想成为你的敌人。” I don't want to either.只是心头更是一阵阵地绞痛。郡主在世时就担心文侯会太过跋扈而产生不臣之心，那时觉得虽然这一天终究会来，但来得还是太早了些。我低声道：“我懂了。” 张龙友站得笔直，道：“楚兄，现在你要回去还来得及。不过我想让你知道，我为什么要你换衣服。你以为甄砺之对你推心置腹，视若子侄么？其实，你们四相军团的都督每日做些什么都在他耳目的监视之下，所以我才让人穿了你的衣服去胜友楼饮宴。” 文侯在监视我？I was stunned.虽然我没有发现，但我知道这不是空穴来风。文侯对人绝不会完全信任，当初我赴援符敦城时，在符敦城的所作所为他都了若指掌，自是那里也有他的耳目在。可是，文侯毕竟对我有恩，要我就此反叛他，我也做不出来。我呆呆地站着，只觉脚下似有千钧之重。一切都在我的一念之间了。可是我也知道，虽然张龙友说是我要回去还来得及，但如果我转身离去，一定已走不出这个院子。 他是要逼我表明立场了。我看着他，张龙友被我看得转过脸去，一张脸却没一丝表情。我低声道：“张大人，你对我真是恩重如山。” 友情，原来也是这般靠不住的东西。张龙友的脸腾一下涨红了，却没有说话。他官越做越大，却也让我觉得越来越陌生，以前那个朴实厚道的张龙友已不复存在了。我还想再说几句挖苦的话，却忽然想到当初他与我一同反对武侯杀人为食之议的情景，心头不由一软，接下来的挖苦话都吞了回去，只是叹道：“张兄，你好自为之吧。”伸手推开门走了进去。 里面只点了两支小蜡烛，有个人正坐在那儿。这人身上穿着一件黑袍，又靠墙坐着，整个人都似乎要隐入黑暗。我刚走进门，那人忽然道：“楚将军，把门关上，你坐吧。” 这声音圆润动听，但我耳边却如同响起一个霹雳。这正是帝君！帝君还是太子时，话语中总有些轻佻，但现在声音虽然没有变，却显得极其沉稳。我张了张嘴，也说不出来，只是向前走了两步，跪倒在地，道：“陛下，臣楚休红有礼。” 还没说完，他微微一笑，道：“免礼吧。楚将军，你是我堂妹夫，不必如此多礼。” 帝君尚是太子时，只知寻花问柳，爱好除了女人以外，就是音乐。登基后我也曾谒见过他一次，在朝中他自是一本正经，但以前那个纨绔子弟的印像太深了，我怎么都想不到仅仅大半年他就变成现在这样子。我低下头，低低道：“微臣不敢。” 他道：“朝中为君臣，现在却只论亲属。妹夫，你坐吧。”我一坐下来，他已倒了一杯酒，递给我道：“楚将军，这春梨酒是今年的新酿。别的酒越陈越好，这个酒有些不同，新酒才有雪梨果的清香，你尝尝。” 我对酒并无什么嗜好，但帝君亲自为我斟酒，不能不喝。我接了过来，道：“微臣惶恐……” “跟你说了，不必这样称呼，现在只论亲属。” 我接过酒来喝了一口。这酒十分清冽，喝的时候几乎喝不出酒味，一喝下去才感到喉咙口如同烧起来一般。听他说什么“只论亲属”，我不禁苦笑。郡主还活着的话，我才是他堂妹夫，现在却只是个名义上的堂妹夫而已。而帝君叫我来，自然不会只是让我喝一杯春梨酒而已，我已转过了十多个念头，猜不透他到底要说什么。 他显然也发现了我脸色的异样，手指在案上轻轻叩了叩，叹道：“茵妹巾帼不让须眉，原是我朝不可多得的人材，可惜天不假年。楚兄，我们是至亲，还该多走动才是。” 他居然和我称兄道弟了。其实郡主只是帝君的堂妹，帝君同父异母的弟妹还有十多个，我根本算不上什么至亲，他越这样说，我心中就越发惶恐。我低下头，道：“微臣不敢，微臣只是臣子，岂敢与帝君如此相称。” 他叹了口气，道：“人主与常人岂有异哉？楚将军，你也多虑了。”只是他虽然说我多虑，却已不再和我称兄道弟。听他这样说，我才觉得自在些，低头行了一礼道：“君臣之礼，微臣切切不敢忘。” 与其说我不敢忘君臣之礼，不如说我不想与帝君太过接近吧。帝君叫我过来，做得这般隐密，又瞒过文侯，我已经猜出他的用意来了，十之八九，他是想建立自己的私人班底。他可以说是文侯一手扶持上去的，同样，如果文侯哪一天想推他下台，也是容易得很。现在帝国军最精锐的四相军团指挥官，全是文侯的私人，他又军权在握，就算想起兵造反，也是毫无困难。只是最让我想不到的是一向只知醇酒美人的帝君，居然也会有这等想法了。看来，大帝的血脉即使已经稀薄得如同清水，毕竟还在帝君体内奔流着。我被张龙友骗来，实在不想这样表态，心中只是转着念头，希望能含糊蒙混过去。 帝君听我这般说，也垂下了头，喝了口酒。我不知该说些什么，只好也啜饮着杯中的酒。文侯掌握了朝中一切，帝君只能算是个傀儡，而文侯的手段我想起来就要不寒而栗，无论如何都不敢投靠其他人的，即使那人是帝君。我在心底暗自骂着张龙友。张龙友定已成为帝君的私人了，如果我向文侯告密，文侯虽然不会对帝君下手，但张龙友的地位肯定会一落千丈，说不定就不明不白暴尸街头。只是这样的事我是绝对做不出来的。可如果我明说不肯成为帝君班子中的一员，今天恐怕也走不出去，其中利害，我自是洞若观火。 半晌，帝君忽然抬起头，道：“楚将军，普天之下，皆何人之臣？” 我一凛，抬起头来，道：“禀帝君，普天之下，莫非王臣。” “王者之臣，心属何人？” 我谁也不属，我只是我自己。我想着，忽然一阵烦乱，口中却低低道：“臣之心身，皆属帝君。” 这是套话，除了这等回答也没有其他了。帝君脸上露出一丝笑意，但这笑意一闪即没，他又叹了口气道：“若茵妹仍在，楚将军你说这话，只怕就不会这般犹豫了。” 他一说到郡主，我只觉胸口有些疼痛，说不出的难受。郡主活着时，我曾经答应她，就算有朝一日要与文侯为敌，我也会站在她这一边。可是郡主已经死了，这句话我几乎要忘了。我张了张嘴，却不知该说什么好，又闭上了。 帝君忽然道：“楚休红，世事变幻莫测。当初二弟要害我，多亏你救驾，我方有今日。日后若有什么变故，还望你记得今日之言。” 我的心头又猛地一震。帝君这话是什么意思？难道文侯与帝君之间真的已经产生了裂痕？我不禁抬起头，看着帝君。他那张俊朗的脸此时已多了几分凝重，以前那种纨绔子弟的轻佻已荡然无存。 帝君也开始有自己的主见了，不再对文侯言听计从。我心头一阵乱，不知道这是好事还是坏事。明君自是万民之福，但君主昏庸，把政事全权委派给贤臣，其实比一个自以为是的明君更好一些。我低下头，道：“臣不敢。” 从我这儿看过去，帝君的脸隐没在烛光后，阴沉而又威严，不知为什么，在我的心底，他的脸与文侯似乎重合到一处了。沉默了半晌，帝君忽道：“楚休红，好自为之，帝国大帅之位，朕给你留着。” 我突然颤抖了一下。我现在是偏将军，已是第四等的高级军官，元帅却只有文侯一人。帝君这话，已经暗示了他要与文侯决裂了吧？我只觉得一阵晕眩。该不该向文侯报告？可是如果真能取文侯而代之，成为元帅的话，那不是我从小就有的梦想么？原来，帝君叫我来，是逼我表明立场吧。可是尽管现在我对文侯也有很多不满，但文侯将我一手提拔起来，我实在无法想像有朝一日真要与文侯为敌。 帝君见我没说话，哼了一声，道：“楚将军，难道你连元帅都不满足么？” 他的话中有些不满，甚至我能听得出他语气中露出的杀机。我只觉背后一凉，道：“陛下，臣不敢。” 虽然看不清他的样子，但也感得到帝君淡淡笑了笑，道：“起来吧。”他从怀里摸出一方玉玦，道：“这枚镇岳玦乃是那庭天当初的随身之物，向来都由宗室至戚有勋功者佩带。虽然晚了点，你收起来吧。” 那庭天的佩刀叫镇岳刀，以前由二太子执掌，镇岳玦多半也是他随身佩带的。二太子被诛杀，镇岳刀赐给了文侯，没想到这枚镇岳玦却没有随同刀一起给他。我迟疑了一下，心知只要接过玉玦，就要站在帝君一方了。文侯对我有大恩，他也说过会把我当儿子一样看，但我知道这绝对是套话而已，在文侯心目中，我同样是一件工具。我迟疑了一下，看着他，帝君也看出了我的迟疑，道：“楚休红，这并不是我给你的，是替你侄子给你的。” 他口中的侄子，自然是从郡主那一方说的，指他的幼子吧。 是她生下的王子。帝君只有三妃，帝后因为容貌不佳，不受宠爱，秦艳春也一直不能怀孕，日后的太子肯定就是她所生的这位王子了。我心如刀绞，晃了晃，几乎要摔倒。帝君却又叹了口气，道：“朕知道甄卿对你恩重如山，也不该太勉强你。只是，昨日为赦免江妃与路兵部亲属一事，甄卿竟然毫无人臣之礼。为大臣者，跋扈如此，朕只怕将来难以预料，能依靠的，唯有楚卿你了。”他顿了顿，又道：“茵妹当初对我说过，若有这一天，务必要向你说明，她说你定会站在朕这一边的。” 我心中又是一阵绞痛。如果帝君只是拿些高官厚禄来引诱我，我连听都不会听，但他又提起了郡主。如果我的心已被战火炼成了铁石，郡主就是一道深深裂痕。我咬了咬牙，终于伸出双手接过，道：“臣不敢，愿为陛下效死，肝脑涂地，在所不惜。” 如果文侯有一天真与帝君反目，以帝君的能力，肯定不会是文侯的对手。我知道自己绝对是选错了，可是想到文侯对江妃一党那残酷的手段，我连想都不敢想一旦帝君被推翻后她的下场。 只是为了报答你，郡主。我在心底暗暗地想着。 帝君微笑道：“我知道你会收下的。妹夫，快回去吧，龙友在外面等急了。”他方才已改口叫我名字，此时才又叫我“妹夫”了。我不知道他为什么这么急赶我走，又磕了个头，道：“谢主隆恩。”这才走出门去。 一出门，张龙友正站在门外。他见了我，躬身行了一礼，道：“楚将军，我送你回去吧。”听声音，竟是如释重负。我一言不发，只是跟着他走到门口。又等一会，听得门外传来马车声，他拉开门，道：“上车吧。” 上了车，我那件衣服已经折好放在座位上。我换好衣服，一路上仍是一声不吭。到了我的住处，张龙友替我打开车门，微笑道：“楚兄，恭喜。” 我仍然有些不安，见他居然眉开眼笑的，我淡然道：“都是你安排的？” 张龙友看了看四周，压低声音道：“岂敢，我哪有这等权力，只是举荐你而已。楚兄，说实话，我真怕你出不来。” 如果那时帝君觉得我不能站在他这一边，只怕我马上就会被杀吧。只是就算他埋伏下刀斧手，我想我也不会束手待毙的。只是如果真到了这种地步，张龙友便难逃荐举非人之责了。我叹了口气，道：“算了，效命君王，本是军人的本份。” 他笑了笑，道：“自然，我向帝君说楚兄你素怀忠义，是靠得住的人。”他犹豫了一下，从怀里摸出一个小包，又道：“还有，这里有两包药粉，你回去后马上用酒将红药服下，白药洒到洗澡水里，浸半个时辰，等水变黑后换清水再浸半个时辰。” 我接过来，诧道：“这是什么？” 他脸上闪过一丝尴尬，看看四周，道：“别问了，你照做就是，不然三日后会吐血而亡。” 我大吃一惊，这才恍然大悟。帝君给我喝的那杯酒里一定下了毒。可是我明明见帝君从自己喝的壶中倒出来的，做梦也想不到会有毒。能调出这种无色无臭的毒药的，除了精擅药石的张龙友，还有什么人？怪不得是他带我过去，原来一旦觉得我靠不住，就要杀我灭口了。我有些怔忡，心里也不知是什么滋味。好半晌，才冷冷道：“那多谢你了。” 我转过身，不再理睬他，重重关上了门。我怕再晚一点，他就会看到我眼中涌出的泪水。 虽然现在我和他站在同一边，但是我们之间那一份友情终于化为乌有。我想到过太多的可能，却从来不曾料到这样。