Chapter 15 Chapter Thirty-One

The day after Zheng Zhao escaped from the imperial capital was the twenty-fourth day of the twelfth lunar month.It was sunny and the snow was melting.As the saying goes, snow doesn't cool down and snow turns cold. Today's cold is so cold that my hands and feet are a little numb.I practiced in the camp for a while, and just as I felt my body was getting hot, Wang Hai rushed to the camp to send an order, saying that Marquis Wen summoned me urgently.I knew that it must be Zheng Zhao's matter that made Marquis Wen very angry, and I was afraid that he would scold me severely. When I arrived at Wenhou's mansion, I was still in the study.I invited Ann, and to my surprise, Marquis Wen didn't lose his temper, but just looked at a picture hanging in the middle hall with his hands behind his back.This character should have been written by Marquis Wen, the four characters of Dou Da's "Writing to carry the Tao".Zheng Zhao caught him off guard and retreated from the imperial capital, which was a great failure for Marquis Wen who had no plans to spare.And Zheng Zhao went to the banquet of King Anle, and I was at the banquet together, Marquis Wen must have known the news, he asked me to come probably because he wanted me to explain the matter.Although I was ready to explain, I was a little uneasy after all.What made me even more disturbed was that Marquis Wen actually asked me to kneel on the ground without asking. I knew he must be extremely angry.

After being silent for a while, Marquis Wen suddenly said, "Chu Xiuhong, how are you lately?" His voice was extremely gentle, even gentler than usual.I was even more apprehensive, and said, "The final general is stepping up his training and is ready to go at any time." Marquis Wen turned his head, smiled slightly and said, "That's good, get up." He also sat on the chair, pointed to the side, and said, "Chu Xiuhong, sit down too." Back then when Marquis Wu acted, one only had to look at his face to know whether he was going to be rewarded or punished.Marquis Wen is completely different from Marquis Wu. Officials in the court secretly said that Marquis Wen's face must be just a mask, because it is impossible to guess what he will do next by looking at his face.No matter what Wenhou wants to do, he has a pleasant face, even if he is about to kill you.

I sat down, and Marquis Wen said, "Chu Xiuhong, you will be twenty-six after the new year, right?" "In six days it will be twenty-six." I didn't sweat during the previous practice, but now I have cold sweat on my back.The more peacefully Marquis Wen spoke, the more annoyed he might be.I gritted my teeth secretly, got up suddenly and knelt down in front of Marquis Wen, and said, "My lord, it's a death penalty." Marquis Wen smiled and said, "What capital crime have you committed?" "At the end of yesterday, I was going to the banquet of King An Le. Unexpectedly, the Republican Army Zheng Zhao also came to the banquet. The end general was careless for a while, and he fell into his mind-controlling technique, so that this person escaped successfully."

Before going to the banquet, I did not know that Zheng Zhao was also coming to the banquet, but if I said that, I am afraid that Marquis Wen would be even more annoyed.I said that it was because I was hit by the mind-stealing technique. Anyway, there is no proof of death. Marquis Wen himself dared not meet Zheng Zhao because he was afraid of the strange technique. Naturally, I can't be blamed. Marquis Wen smiled again, and said, "It's not your fault, I was going to let him go back." I was stunned, and said: "My lord, this person possesses secret arts, why did you let him go back?"

"This person's secret technique can only listen to other people's thoughts, and it is of little use on the battlefield. And this person has a very high status in the Republican Army. If he is killed for no reason, the alliance between the two sides will be broken immediately. Chu Xiuhong, you are also the commander of the army now. , don't you even think about this?" My heart felt colder and colder.This is by no means Marquis Wen's true intention. If Zheng Zhao's secret technique can be used by him, it will be like a tiger with wings added to him.Although it is not necessary to kill Zheng Zhao, Marquis Wen definitely wants to keep him.Unexpectedly, Zheng Zhao escaped from his palm. Marquis Wen must be furious now, but what he said was not the case at all. Those court officials said that Marquis Wen's face was a mask, and it was true.It's just that he lightly exposed the matter himself, probably because he didn't want to talk about his failure.Of course I was happy to climb along the pole, and said: "Your Excellency has learned a lot. The general is ignorant, and really doesn't know the severity."

Marquis Wen sighed, and said: "This person left in such a hurry, but it also shows that they already know what Lang Mo confessed. I tried every means to conceal it, and I felt that the clothes were perfect, but I didn't expect that the news still leaked. Who told me? dense?" My heart jumped again.Marquis Wen summoned me urgently, isn't it because of Zheng Zhao's escape, but because he suspected that I told Ding Henry and the others what Lang Mo had confessed?I had already got up, but fell to my knees all of a sudden, and said: "My lord, Mo Jiang only told this matter to the five commanders in my battalion, and never told the sixth one."

Although I lowered my head, I also felt Marquis Wen looking at me.Even though the eyes never met, I could feel the piercing chill in Marquis Wen's eyes, and shivered involuntarily.After a pause, Marquis Wen said, "I never said anything that I doubted you." My heart is getting colder and colder.The more Wenhou said this, the more he was suspicious of me.I lowered my head, not daring to look at him, and said: "My lord, this matter is extremely confidential, and the general is suspicious, so I can't confess." After a while, I still couldn't hear Marquis Wen's voice.If he decides that I leaked the news, I am afraid that I will not have my share in this expedition, and even the commander of the local army will have to be wiped out.It doesn't matter whether you lose the official or not, but this expedition is the last chance to make peace with the Republican Army. I will never let the hard-won peace be destroyed.

Even if that person is Wen Hou. After a while, I heard Marquis Wen sigh and said, "Chu Xiuhong, get up, I believe you won't be so unreasonable." I raised my head and said, "My lord, our Four-Phase Legion should not have leaked the news. Could it be that Zheng Zhao learned about it with secret techniques?" "During the interrogation, no one had contact with the outside world, no matter how powerful he is, he shouldn't know." Marquis Wen's eyes became a little dazed, and he murmured, "I'm just wondering, what method did he use to detect it? "

Compared with the fact that the Republican Army learned the news itself, they used a method that even Marquis Wen couldn't see through, which made Marquis Wen even more annoyed.If it was Zheng Zhao's secret technique, it would be easier to talk about it, but if he bought Wenhou around, this would be the most unbearable for Wenhou.Marquis Wen is used to putting eyeliner around others, the more this kind of person, the more he will not allow others to use such tricks around him.Of course I dare not tell Marquis Wen and Zheng Zhao that they are using Tiandunyin, so I can only remain silent.

Marquis Wen was probably waiting for my answer, seeing that I hadn't spoken, he didn't make a sound either.After a while, he said, "Chu Xiuhong, what else do you think about this expedition?" If Marquis Wen said anything else, I have nothing to answer.But this is what I have been thinking about day and night these days. I said: "My lord, the expedition to the snake people is different from the past. It is extremely dangerous and requires a lot of work. The most important point is to ensure that the supplies are replenished. Fu Xigu In the secluded southwestern snow-capped mountains, from Tianshui Province to the south, although the road is a little shorter, it is much more difficult to travel, and transportation is extremely difficult.

Marquis Wen nodded and said, "That's what I was thinking too. Well, it would be much easier if Fuxi Valley was by the sea." If Fuxi Valley is by the sea, then the water army can show its strengths, but now the water army is useless.I said: "My lord, I have calculated that if a soldier's daily ration is three dry biscuits, and each hundred dry biscuits weighs 23 catties, then 100,000 people would consume about 70,000 catties a day. Even with It takes seven carts a day to carry 10,000 jin of carts. This trip can be as short as a few months or as long as several years. Not to mention grain, the carts used for transportation alone are an astonishing number. Even if you can supplement some of them on the way If the fight continues for a long time, it will be too difficult to transport supplies from the imperial capital." Marquis Wen snorted and said, "Are you trying to say that if you want to attack Fuxi Valley, you must join hands with Wuyang City?" That's what I meant, of course, but when I saw Marquis Wen's complexion, I couldn't help feeling cold.Marquis Wen is resolutely unwilling to join forces with the Republican Army to attack Fuxi Valley. If I insist, he will think that I want to join forces with the Republican Army, so he will pass the news to them.I said, "Of course there is another way." Wen Hou said: "What is it?" "Since it is impossible to completely rely on supplements for supplies, then we must be self-sufficient, and the only way is to go to the army." Juntun means that the army garrisoned fields, and the army reclaimed wasteland in the place where they were stationed.This is a good way to fight for a long time. It was the second generation of Lord Qingyue who started to do this when he was defending the Di people in the northwest.The army farms and grows by itself, and the surplus can be sold to the localities.Back then, the Di people were very powerful and came and went like the wind. No matter how much the imperial army trained, they would never be able to match the Di people's cavalry who were used to living in the desert.However, Qingyue Gong used this tactic to fight steadily, and gradually built a series of fortresses, connecting them like horns, so that the Di people could not use the old skill of cavalry assault.At the beginning, the five kings of the Di people formed an alliance, which was a border trouble, and was wiped out by Wen Hou in two months. On the one hand, Wen Hou used his troops well, but the food and grass saved by Qingyue Gong's frontier army made Wen Hou's troops have no worries. This is the real basis for victory .I have thought about this a lot. If Marquis Wen is absolutely unwilling to join forces with the Republican Army, then the only option is to garrison the land and attack slowly. Hearing what I said, Marquis Wen took the lead slightly, and said: "If you want to be safe, that's really the only way to do it. But the military camp is too slow, the battle situation is changing rapidly, and the Republican Army is behind. They know about Fuxigu's situation. direction, this hand will be difficult.” I can't help but be speechless.What Wen Hou is worried about is that the Republican Army will attack from the rear.If we were to lose both sides in the fight with the Snake Man, and the Republican Army suddenly came out to seize our positions and grain fields, we would definitely not be our opponents.But this is what Marquis Wen asked for himself. Originally, the Republican Army was an allied army. It would be much easier for the two sides to cooperate to obtain supplies from Wuyang City. Now he has to guard against them as if they were enemies.I said: "My lord, what do you think is the best solution?" A smile appeared on Marquis Wen's face, and said: "The Four-Phase Legion has been in the army for a long time, and I have always been in direct command. I have always wanted to choose one of the four of you as commander, but I have always been unable to agree. The four of you pay two yuan. It is said that they are all handsome talents, and it has been difficult to decide before." My heart skipped a beat.The news that the Four-Phase Legion will have a coach has long been known.It was first proposed by Tu Fang.There is only one marshal, who used to be the prince.After the crown prince came to the throne, Marquis Wen should be promoted to commander-in-chief, but Tu Fang said that Marquis Wen's contribution was too great, and the position of commander-in-chief was not enough to respect Marquis Wen. Therefore, he proposed to promote one of the four governors of the four-phase army, and the other three were promoted to be the commander-in-chief. General.In the past, there was only one person with the rank of marshal and general. When Marquis Wen was promoted to marshal, it was logical that Tu Fang, who was the minister of the Ministry of War, should be promoted to the rank of general, and the other deputy generals were all veterans of his age.What Tu Fang meant was to vigorously promote the young generals, and his memorial clearly meant that he was promoted to Marquis Wen, but in fact he was cutting off Marquis Wen's military power, which was obviously suggested by the emperor.Marquis Wen actually said the same thing, so it means that he will use his tricks, put his own private person in the position of commander-in-chief, and the power will be even greater.Just what did he mean by saying this to me?Does he care about me? Thinking of this, I feel a little uncomfortable again.Marquis Wen once promoted me vigorously, and once regarded me as a thigh. Although he is gradually alienating him now, maybe he still regards me as a trustworthy person, but I have secretly pledged my allegiance to the emperor. "Chu Xiuhong, the local army will be the main force in this expedition, so let's do a good job." I raised my head, looked at him, and said, "My lord..." Marquis Wen smiled, put his hand on my shoulder, and said: "After Yining died, you will be my son. When you come back, I will recommend you to His Majesty as Marshal, and I will formally perform the ceremony of adoption. In the future, Marquis Wen, I still want you to inherit." Marquis Wen's voice is so kind, it reminds me of my parents who have passed away long ago.I was about to cry, fell to my knees, kowtowed, and choked up, "My lord..." I was almost about to swear to him and swear allegiance to him to the death, but just as my head hit the ground, suddenly a bolt of lightning struck from the top of my head. When Marquis Wen was talking to me, he was standing very straight, but as soon as I knelt down, I saw that the tip of his left foot was pointing to the ground! "If you have thoughts in your heart, even if you hide them strongly, they will also come from your siblings." These are words from the Tao Te Heart Sutra that Zhenqingzi gave me.It is difficult to tell the truth from the words of a person who is very good at concealing, but he always unconsciously reveals it through the small movements of his hands and feet.When Marquis Wen said these words to me, if he was sincere, he would definitely not have one foot pointing to the ground!I seemed to have sunk into icy water, and my whole body became cold all of a sudden, but I still said sincerely and sincerely: "My lord's kindness, Chu Xiu's love is hard to repay." I'm not a person who is good at falsehood, if I hadn't been kneeling on the ground, Marquis Wen must have noticed that my face had changed, so he simply lowered his head, which also made me appear more sincere and fearful.Sure enough, Marquis Wen supported my shoulders, helped me up, and said, "Get up, Xiuhong." His voice was also a little choked up. I don't know what he is thinking now, maybe he feels that he has cheated me a little bit.I know that Marquis Wen did intend to make me commander-in-chief, but since I tried my best to oppose his decision during the chaos in the imperial capital, this day will never come.I guess in Marquis Wen's mind, the position of marshal should belong to Deng Canglan.But now he personally told me that he wants to promote me to be handsome, what exactly does he mean? The more I think about it, the more afraid I become.If I wasn't thinking wildly, then Marquis Wen must have murdered me!Although we are getting more and more estranged from Marquis Wen now, I never believe that he will kill me.But if I don't think so, I can't explain why Marquis Wen lied to me. Maybe it was because my face was even more terrified. Marquis Wen smiled and said: "Xiu Hong, you have experienced hundreds of battles, and you are already the commander-in-chief of an army. If it weren't for the fact that the four of you are still young and have insufficient qualifications, you would have at least been a deputy general long ago. Handsome, that's what you deserve." I held Marquis Wen's hand and stood up, and said: "My lord, the last general feels that he has little talent and morality, and cannot bear this important task. General Deng is far more suitable than the last general." I said it calmly, but it was actually a temptation.I held his hand, which was natural at first, but I touched the tip of my index finger on the vein gate of Marquis Wen's wrist. The most basic thing in the "Tao De Heart Sutra" is to balance breathing and heartbeat. Therefore, when I meditate, I always take the pulse with my hands and pay attention to the number of heartbeats. I am also extremely sensitive to the pulse.Although it was just a light touch with his fingertips, he immediately felt Marquis Wen's pulse speed up. If I had only doubted it before, when I said this, I finally confirmed it, and my heart was completely cold.Marquis Wen is indeed lying to me, he has no intention of calling me handsome.He is giving me this kind of guarantee now, which proves that he really has the heart to get rid of me, otherwise Deng Canglan will become the commander in the future, my hopes will be in vain, and I will definitely not follow him again.At that time, if you think about it in a good way, he will lift up my military power secretly. If you think about it in a bad way, he will get rid of me before then, so as to avoid trouble in the future. Marquis Wen didn't realize it, and smiled and said, "Let's talk about this matter when you come back. Tell me again, is there any way to guarantee the provision?" I thought for a while and said, "Since we can't get supplies from Wuyang City, the only way to get supplementary food and grass is from Fudun City. Tianshui Province has a lot of food reserves, so there is no problem in guaranteeing the expeditionary army, but the distance is shorter than Wuyang City. However, the road conditions are a hundred times more difficult, and although Tianshui Province is rich, it is still far behind Wuyang City, I am afraid..." Marquis Wen said, "What are you afraid of? Are you afraid that Tao Shouzhuo will refuse?" I swallowed, and said: "Exactly. Although the Xifu army is good at fighting in the mountains, from Tianshui Province to Fuxi Valley, you need to pass through Bingde Province. Okay. The last general has dealt with Tao Shouzhuo, he regards the Xifu Army as his private property, and if he wants him to support the expeditionary army with all his strength, I'm afraid he's duplicity and won't really contribute.” A secretive smile floated on Marquis Wen's face, and he said, "You're right. If that's the case, let's get rid of him and choose another person to preside over him. In this way, the soldiers of the Xifu army can be included in the reserve, and Tao Shouzhuo, a miser who has been a miser for many years Savings can also be used to serve the country." I was taken aback and said, "Except for him? But he is not at fault." Although Tao Shouzhuo was not a good man and a faithful woman, he was still loyal to the empire all these years, and he was very effective in presiding over the Xifu Army.The snake people also attacked Tianshui Province several times, but Tao Shouzhuo repelled them each time, and the road to the north has never been opened.If he is excluded, although the problem of provision can be solved, but he is innocent and punished, the subordinates for many years must have changed their minds, and I am afraid that Tianshui Province will evolve into another rebellion. Marquis Wen snorted, and said: "This man doesn't think about making progress, but only knows how to develop his power. I have repeatedly recruited the Xifu Army, but he always obeys the law and violates the law. He always says that the defense of Tianshui Province is important and he cannot get away. If we don't get rid of it at this time, it will become a big problem in the future. .” Marquis Wen twice wanted to transfer the Xifu Army to the capital to replenish troops. Tao Shouzhuo said it nicely, but each time he suddenly reported that he was attacked by snake men on the eve of dispatching troops. As a result, only two thousand troops were dispatched at a time, and only one at a time. Thousands of people.In fact, although there are snakemen in Tianshui Province from time to time, the number is not too many. With the strength of the Xifu army, even if it has only half of its current strength, there is no problem in defending it.Both times, when Marquis Wen sent out the transfer order, there were snake men attacking, and there must be fraud in it.This kind of trick can deceive others, of course it cannot deceive Marquis Wen, but Tao Shouzhuo's hands and feet are extremely clean, and there is no flaw every time, so that people feel that the strength of the Xifu Army can't be reduced any more. Tao Shouzhuo is really contributing to the country. There are many, so don't be harsh, and Marquis Wen can't do anything about him.He played tricks on Marquis Wen like this because he relied on the Xifu army to stay alone, Marquis Wen couldn't do anything to him, no wonder Marquis Wen wanted to get rid of him.But no matter what, Tao Shouzhuo has always done nothing wrong in guarding Tianshui Province, so it's hard to convince people except him. I said, "Even if Tao Shouzhuo deserves to die, but apart from him, how can he explain to his subordinates?" Marquis Wen smiled again and said, "Let's go into the room and talk about it."