Chapter 12 Chapter Twenty-Seven

After a few days, when the side of the Zhongguo Monument was cleaned up and covered with pines and cypresses, the public sacrifice to the war dead began. The prince and the second prince co-chaired it, and all the students from the military academy also participated.Today is a cloudy day, it seems to be raining, although the weather is still very hot, but the mountain wind is blowing, it is chilly, and it is a bit chilly.During the ceremony, I stood aside with the students in my class and watched the second prince speak impassionedly.The incident of being captured by mistake in Dongping City had a great impact on the second prince's reputation, but it had no effect on his voice. He still spoke loudly. Thinking of this, I wanted to laugh, but I didn't dare.In fact, among the densely packed soldiers below, he probably couldn't see me.

Those who participated in the public sacrifice were the commanders of the three departments of the Forbidden Army and some officers of the Forbidden Army.Of the three divisions of the imperial army, 10,000 are the guards guarding the imperial city, 15,000 are the five battalions guarding the outer city, and 5,000 are Zhijinwu who maintain order in the imperial capital.The commander of the Guards was called Nian Xiao, and unlike his name, he looked more gentle and refined, more like a scholar.The leader of the Five Great Battalions was called Zhang Zihai, but he had the same beard as Bi Wei, and he looked mighty and majestic.There is also Lu Zhengyang, the commander of Jinwu who is full-time to maintain the order of the imperial capital, and he is also from a family of officials and officials, and he looks very ordinary.The three commanders of the Forbidden Army are all partial generals, and above the Forbidden Army, there are two chief and deputy palace commanders. The main palace commander is the second prince, and the deputy commander is in charge, Shunyi Bo Guan Zongyu, one of the thirteen uncles.Just like the crown prince's name for offering wine to the military academy and the commander-in-chief of the garrison in the imperial capital, the second prince was also named as the commander-in-chief before, but since he quit Dongping City, he has done more and more practical things. It is very different to rarely show up in the army, and it must be accompanied by Marquis Wen once in a while.However, although each of the imperial guards is a burly man, I have seen their fighting power before. I believe that even if I use a gun with one hand, I can knock down any imperial guard in a one-on-one fight.Because of the responsibility of defending the imperial city, most of the forbidden soldiers are the children of officials and eunuchs, and they are used to being pampered. No matter how powerful these young soldiers are, there is no limit to them.

The second prince's words were short and powerful.In all fairness, the second prince is more like a general after all. If he really leads the Forbidden Army, maybe he can really rectify the Forbidden Army. At least during the public sacrifice, the military discipline of the third branch of the Forbidden Army is remarkable, which is quite good.He also mentioned Zhen Yining.Although Zhen Yining's official position is not high, he has a special status, so Zhen Yining was posthumously given the title of partial general in the emperor's pension edict.After the second prince had finished speaking, it was the turn of Marquis Wen below the two princes to speak.On his face, I can no longer see any trace of the pain of bereavement, but I still remember the way he showed his true feelings and burst into tears that day.

"Those who can seize love are very human."These are the original words of Yuan Shuxuan, a well-known physiognomist during the emperor's time, commenting on Na Tingtian.Na Tingtian's three sons were known as "three-star generals", and they were the best among the second-generation famous generals that people preferred at that time, but they all died in battle one after another. Among them, the eldest son and the third son led the army to conquer the remnants of the old dynasty. died at the same time.At that time, Yuan Shuxuan was summoned by the emperor to look at the concubines in the harem. The emperor wanted to choose a concubine who could mother the world to be the empress. It happened that Tingtian went to the court for three days. The emperor asked him why, and the Tingtian was peaceful The authentic way: "The elder and younger sons of the minister died yesterday in the king's affairs, and the minister wants to help the coffin to be buried." The emperor was also shocked, and issued an order for the state burial of the two sons of Na Ting Tian, ​​but Na Ting Tian declined, saying that the second son lost his chance, It should have been dealt with, but His Majesty's grace for not pursuing it is already a mighty grace, and he dared not ask for a state funeral.This remark made the Emperor sigh with embarrassment, and Yuan Shuxuan said such a sentence after Na Tingtian left.

However, there is another rumor that when Na Tingtian returned to the mansion that day, his palm was cut by his nails.After so many years, no one knows the truth of this rumor, but I still prefer to believe this rumor.When an old man hears that his two remaining sons died in battle at the same time, even if he doesn't reveal it on the surface, his heart will not be at peace no matter what. Even if Na Tingtian is called a military saint, he will be no exception. Just like Wenhou. Yuan Shuxuan said that Tingtian is "a person who can seize love", and he must have seen through the truth.It suddenly occurred to me that Yuan Shuxuan's physiognomy has been passed down to be miraculous, and he is known as "a deep insight into the subtleties". Could it be that he also has mind reading skills?I don't really believe that a person's appearance can determine a person's life. Marquis Wen's appearance is no different from that of an ordinary philistine, but he has a majesty, which can be seen even if he doesn't know how to read.It's just that the few stories handed down by Yuan Shuxuan all say that he saw it very accurately.If Zheng Zhao were asked to read someone's face, he would definitely be able to tell about that person's experience, and this was not because he knew how to read a face at all.

I was thinking wildly, suddenly, a heavy horn sounded.It was the sound of the rhinoceros horn that reaches the sky. The sound of the horn was muffled, but it had a force that penetrated the sky. It stopped the clouds for a while, and the valley was full of echoes, as if the mountain rain was about to come and the wind was blowing.At the sound of the trumpets, everyone sang: "Since the body is dead, it will be buried in Shanyang. How towering the mountains are, how blue the sky is. Mountains have trees and countries have sorrows. The soul comes back to look after the family. "

The funeral song "The Martyrdom of the Kingdom" written by Ting Tian reverberates between heaven and earth, like stormy waves, thunder and lightning.I also opened my mouth and sang along with the people.At this time, it seemed that I was suddenly filled with a kind of power, I forgot everything, and just sang involuntarily. In any case, those who died in battle are called heroes, no matter what the reason is.I thought, and tears flowed out of my eyes. After attending the sacrificial ceremony, I originally wanted to go back with Wu Wanling, but I didn't expect him to be summoned by Marquis Wen, and I didn't know what was important, so I had to go back to the residence alone.Before reaching the door, a long neighing of a war horse was heard from afar.As soon as the sound hit my ears, I was taken aback.

The voice was loud and clear, it sounded like Fei Yu's long hiss, even if it wasn't Fei Yu, it must be a rare horse.I urged my mount and walked a little faster.Turning the corner, I saw a horse tied to a tree by the door, it looked like it was Feiyu. I was taken aback again and rushed over.When we got to the front, when the horse saw me, it leaned over and rubbed my face affectionately. It was Feiyu.I hugged the horse's head, excited inexplicably.Of course, there are good horses in the military academy, but such a magnificent BMW as Feiyu is unique.I was escorted back to the imperial capital, and my swords, horses and armor were all left in Dongping City. I thought someone had taken them away, but sometimes I feel very sorry when I think of Fei Yu and Baipi Dao.I didn't expect to see Fei Yu here suddenly, and I was really overjoyed.

After the excitement passed, I was a little puzzled.Who sent Fei Yu back?I looked at the door and saw that the lock was still the same. I took out the key to open the lock, and just walked in the door, but stopped suddenly, and shouted: "Who is it?" The room was very dark, with a faint smell of alcohol.I didn't drink, so someone should be there. As soon as I finished drinking, someone let out a chuckle and said in a low voice: "General Chu has returned to the imperial capital for two or three months, and as expected, even his vigor has been exhausted, and he has become dull. Three times can kill you."

That voice turned out to be Shao Fengguan!Surprised, I reached out and opened the window.As soon as the window was opened, Shao Fengguan was seen sitting in a chair in the corner, holding a small wine bottle in his hand and pouring wine into his mouth.He was wrapped with gauze on his head, dressed in civilian clothes, and one arm was also bandaged, but there was no murderous intent in his eyes.I relaxed my heart, bowed to him and said, "If you intend to kill me, then you can't sit here and drink now. General Shao, why are you back?" I'm not bragging when I say this, I have been through life and death on the battlefield so many times, if someone wants to kill me, I will feel the killing intent right away.Shao Fengguan put the cork on the wine bottle, smacked his lips twice, took a knife from his waist and put it on the table, and said: "I promised to return the knife to you before, so I will keep my promise. It's a pity that your gun Lost in the army, I don't even know which shot it was."

That is my Baipi knife.I was ecstatic, I snatched it up and took it out to have a look. The Baipi Knife was well maintained, with a layer of fish paste on it, and when it was unsheathed, it shone coldly.I hung the knife on my waist and bowed to him again: "Thank you, General Shao." He smiled and said, "I have done what I promised you. Would you like to buy me a drink?" Having regained the sword horse, I was in a particularly good mood, and said with a smile, "Okay, I'll treat you to a drink today." He walked up to me, patted me on the shoulder and said, "Okay, today I want to see General Chu's drinking capacity, and I won't return until I'm drunk." He used to be unsmiling, but now he's a bit unrestrained.Seeing him like this, I didn't restrain myself anymore, and said, "Okay, let's go." Walking out the door, he looked at my flying feather and sighed: "Brother Chu, your horse is really a rare good horse, but it is too fierce. I have helped you raise it for a while, and I can't compete with other horses. The horse is in the trough, or it will all be kicked and bitten by it." I remembered what the mysterious man said when I was subduing Feiyu: "A man and a horse are one, and their minds are connected. I don't ride the horse, and I don't want to be the horse." When I was riding a horse, sometimes I felt that Feiyu was my leg. No need to pull the reins.No matter what, I have a precious sword and a famous horse, and if I lose that gun, I will lose it. Xue Wenyi also said that in the world, nine out of ten things are not as good as you want, so there is no need to be harsh. Shao Fengguan and I went to a small hotel next to the military academy.There were not many people today, so I found a small room to sit down and ordered a jar of wine.Thinking that this jar of wine cost about half a month's salary, I couldn't help but feel a little distressed. Shao Fengguan was not restrained, poured the wine, and the owner's sweet daughter brought the food, Shao Fengguan teased her a few words .After drinking for three rounds, he picked up the glass and said with great emotion, "It's been a long time since I've been so relaxed. It's not a bad thing not to be a soldier." I was startled, and said: "What, you are not a soldier anymore?" He smiled wryly: "Yes, otherwise there would be no room. Brother Chu, now we are the same, we are all ordinary people." He said it easily, but I was extremely astonished, my hand shook, and a little of the wine in the glass shook out.I quickly put down the cup and said, "Why?" Shao Fengguan is the guard general of Dongping City, the loss of Dongping City is really not a crime of war, not to mention that the withdrawal proposal has also been reported to Marquis Wen, and both the emperor and the crown prince have agreed, could it be that in order to explain the past, even Shao Fengguan, the general of the town demoted? Shao Fengguan said: "This time Dongping City withdraws, I will be responsible for the end. Damn Bi Wei, when the snake men attacked, he didn't care about our life or death, and left on his own." He was already a little drunk, and his speech was a bit out of line, but I still understood.Dongping City withdrew the troops, Lu Gongxing went first all the way, Bi Wei was in the middle, and Shao Fengguan was behind.It stands to reason that crossing the river from Dongping City to Dongyang City is only one step away, and the city has already made preparations. As long as the three armies work together and the ships operate properly, they could have retreated unscathed.But when Bi Wei left, he missed the opportunity and let the snake people surround the flooded Dongping City. Bi Wei sat and watched Shao Fengguan who was still in the city fall into a deadly battle with the snake people, but did not do anything to help. Listening to Shao Fengguan's muttering, my heart also felt cold.Isn't this move a copy of Shao Fengguan's plan to frame the second prince?Shao Fengguan's voice became softer and softer.I interrupted him and said, "Then Zhen Yining was killed in this battle?" Shao Fengguan raised his head, with tears in his eyes: "No. Since you left, he has returned to Bi Wei's army to join the army. At that time, I fought with the Snakemen on the top of the city. Seeing more and more Snakemen, the offensive It was getting more and more urgent, and the water was almost flooding the battlements, but Bi Wei still didn't send the boat back. At that time, I was really so cold. I said to myself, Shao Fengguan, Shao Fengguan, you have always been resourceful. Good judgment and conceited, this time the retribution came, and he was thrown outside to die, that must be God's arrangement." I don't want to say more.It is not impossible for the main general to die in battle, and the battle between princes and ministers is even more bloody.A total of 2,500 to 600 casualties were suffered in the retreat of Dongping City. Compared with the more than 50,000 soldiers of the entire army, this number is very small.But those civilians and soldiers who died, did they know that they died under their own schemes?This is not a number, but more than two thousand lives. I poured the wine down my throat and said, "Then how did you finally escape?" He smiled wryly: "Just when I was in despair, suddenly there was a golden drum on the river, and finally a rescue soldier came back. This rescue soldier who fell from the sky also boosted our morale. Under the scuffle, the more than 10,000 people on my way were finally defeated. Cross the river. As soon as I arrived at Dongyang City, I saw Bi Wei and some people get off the boat. I just wanted to grab him and beat him up, but Bi Wei didn’t move as if he was in a daze. Yining was seriously injured." Although I already knew that Zhen Yining had died in battle, but I really hoped that this was just spreading rumors, so I leaned forward suddenly, and shouted: "How is he?" Shao Fengguan said: "He was seriously injured. I found out later that Bi Wei intended to close the gate of Dongyang City. Dongyang City is like a fortified egg, so I can't take this risk. Zhen Yining saw that he couldn't make sense at all, so he desperately pulled a team out of the city. Bi Wei had no choice but to follow, and my life was saved gone." He tilted his neck down again and downed a glass of wine, smiled wryly: "It's really funny, I don't know whether I should be grateful to Lord Wenhou or hate him." I immediately understood what Shao Fengguan meant.Of course Bi Wei would not have such courage, this is definitely the order of Marquis Wen, no wonder Marquis Wen told me that he has the second general of water and fire under his command, and he has already ruled out the general Shao Fengguan, he had already made up his mind that day Bar.Shao Fengguan has been lying in ambush all along, and his mission is probably to make the second prince lose his military power.Now this goal has been achieved, and Shao Fengguan knows too much, and he is too smart to grasp it without Bi Wei, so naturally it is time to throw it away.Naturally, no one dared to disobey Wenhou's order, but he still didn't expect Zhen Yining to disobey his order. This is also God's will.Zhen Yining would not die, when Marquis Wen knew that Zhen Yining died to save Shao Fengguan, what was he thinking?I was silent for a while, and said, "What are your plans after that?" Shao Fengguan drank another cup, suddenly smiled and said, "I'm thinking about it. Since my life is rewarded by adults, I can live it day by day. I still have strength and am ready to have a fight with my brothers." It’s not a problem to take care of your wife and children while you live in a bodyguard business.” This famous general of the younger generation actually wants to start a bodyguard business, if it wasn't for what happened to Zhen Yining that made me so sad, I would almost laugh out loud.I didn't want to talk too much about his bodyguard business, so I said, "What happened to Zhen Yining after that?" "It's a pity that Zhenqingzi's master and apprentice are all missing. He stayed in Dongyang City until night and then left." Zhen Yining is really dead.I was still holding on to the hope in my heart, but at this time, it was like a big piece of ice, and my body was so cold that I almost shivered.I picked up the wine glass, was stunned for a while, and then said, "Brother Shao, let's toast Zhen Yining." Shao Fengguan was also a little silent, he picked up the cup and touched it with me, and said: "Oh, this young man, for his sake, I don't want to talk about all the grievances, and I will spend the rest of my life in the future, and I don't want to talk about it anymore. Made a difference. Done." The wine glass touched, and I drank the wine in the glass.I drank a little too much, my head seemed to be burning, but my body was getting colder and colder. After drinking a pot, Shao Fengguan and I competed to pay for the wine, and I won in the end, but I felt a little distressed when I paid.After breaking up with Shao Fengguan, seeing him staggering along the road, singing songs that couldn't be tuned along the way, I felt a pang of sadness in my heart. Zhen Yining.Looking at a bright star in the sky, I silently recited these three words, and his serious face vaguely appeared in front of my eyes. Even if Marquis Wen abandons me one day in the future, I will never be the same again.I leaned on the wall and thought silently.During the day, these walls are scalded by the sun, but at night they feel a bit chilly.The chill infiltrated from the palm of my hand and spread throughout my body, making my drunkenness subside a bit.This determination was probably to repay Zhen Yining. The war is getting more and more serious.In mid-August, as expected, the Snakemen broke through Dongyang City, and more than 20,000 of the 40,000 defenders in the city died in battle.At this time, Bi Wei had returned to the imperial capital, and Lu Gongxing was mainly responsible for the defense of Dongyang City. Although he was defeated, he was rewarded by Marquis Wen for such a record. The rest of the army continued to retreat northward to Beining City.The city of Beining is only two hundred miles away from the capital, and when you get here, the snake is really close to your eyes.After Dongyang City was broken, the south gate of the imperial capital was closed, and civilians were no longer allowed to use the south gate. The official road from the capital to Beining City was also used by the military, but there were still desperate merchants going south to traffic in goods.Due to the loss of most of the south of the river, many villages were added to the north of the river, and some small towns prospered rapidly.The population of the imperial capital has not decreased but increased, and there are more shops and vendors. Shao Fengguan opened a small Pingning bodyguard firm in Nancheng. The two words "Pingning" commemorate the city of Dongping where he was a member of the frontier for a while, and the second is to commemorate Zhen Yining who saved his life.Most of his bodyguards are his old troops. After Shao Fengguan was dismissed as a civilian, these old troops don't want to stay in the army anymore, they would rather follow him, among them is Zhuge Fang.Zhuge Fang was originally a member of the Central Army of Dongyang City, and his official position was not low. I was really surprised that he also abandoned his official position and followed Shao Fengguan.Because of the war, the road was very uneven, but Shao Fengguan's Pingning bodyguard company had a good business. On September 7th, the Snake People assembled an army of 40,000 troops under the city of Beining.At this time, 60,000 soldiers had gathered in the city of Beining.Although Beining City is located in a dangerous place, at the intersection of two mountains, everyone thinks that Beining City can only be guarded for three months at most.I don't think Tu Fang will be so helpless. Most of the defenders in Beining City are veterans who have survived many battles from Dongping City. The terrain of Beining City is dangerous, and they can get supplies from the back. As long as it is commanded properly, it is unknown whether it will last for several years.However, the battlefield is changing rapidly, and God knows what kind of variables there will be. The days are passing by.On September 10th, the Snakemen launched their first attack on Beining City. Although I never witnessed it, I heard that the Snakemen used a large number of siege engines. That's a desperate attack.Tu Fang led his army to defend desperately, but the snake people's offensive was extremely strong. On September 13th, the snake people broke a big hole in the outer city wall, and the defenders retreated into the inner city. The city of Beining City is double-layered, and the inner city is a bit higher than the outer city.Due to the natural danger located between the two mountains, the inner city is stronger than the outer city due to the advantage of the terrain.And because the inner city is narrower, it is easier to defend and harder to attack.After the snake men broke through the outer city, they continued to attack the inner city endlessly for five days, but they still failed to break into the inner city. At this time, the first batch of 10,000 new troops trained by Marquis Wen was finally ready to go, and Wu Wanling had been promoted to the staff officer of the army and set off with the team. This batch of new troops is quite different from the previous ones. The Thunder Crossbow is their main weapon, and the military system has also undergone changes.The military system in the past was quite chaotic. Each level of the thirteenth military rank had several different official positions. Like the eleventh level, some were called centurion commanders, and some were called postmasters, and some postmasters were actually just one level. Yes, but generals, generals, etc. can also serve as commanders of ten thousand or thousand commanders, and others will not be able to figure it out if they are out of the team.Marquis Wen saw this disadvantage in Wu Wanling's letter, so he proposed a new military system, eliminating the redundant titles of the thirteenth rank, and setting them as the ranks of upper fifth, middle fourth, lower fourth and third.Among the top five ranks, the first marshals are only the crown prince and the second prince, but the second prince no longer has a regiment under his direct command, at best it is only Lu Gongxing's more than 10,000 people and the forbidden army.And Lu Gongxing's army was actually a garrison on the outskirts of the empire, most of the officers were from the Marquis line of Wen, and only the 30,000 flashy Imperial Guards were really subordinate to the second prince.Below the marshal is the general, currently there is only Marquis Wen, and the deputy general is the thirteen uncles like Chu Wenzhong, Tu Fang, and the grandson Zhuozhi of Haijing who is stationed in Haijing Province.Below are the three levels of partial general and lower general. These five ranks are called the upper five ranks, and marshal, upper general, and deputy general are also called the upper and upper ranks.The following military ranks are followed by the four ranks of Dutong, Duwei, Xiaowei, and Reserve General.This military rank system abolished the two ranks of commander-in-chief and commander-in-chief, and added two ranks of lieutenant-in-chief and lieutenant-in-chief, which just made up for the disadvantages of the large gap between commander-in-chief and commander-in-chief in the past. Much clearer. On October 3rd, Bi Wei led the new army to Beining City. After making great achievements, he launched a counterattack with Tu Fang and recaptured the outer city.This battle inspired the entire empire, and this battle example was immediately uploaded to the military academy and taught to the students as a classic battle example.However, this battle was actually a bit of a fluke, because Tu Fang had withstood the overwhelming attack of the snake people. It was inconvenient for the snake people to supply supplies in the outer city, and the distance between the outer city and the inner city was too narrow, and many siege equipment could not be used. Already showing fatigue.However, this counterattack can not but be said to be quite clever. The defenders of Beining City are nearly 70,000 people, and the deployment is extremely strict. The cascading attack is adopted. After the first wave of attack, they retreat immediately, and the second wave continues to attack.I have passed Beining City several times, and I know how difficult it is for 70,000 people to stagger forward and backward in that narrow inner city. Wu Wanling has contributed a lot to adopting such a dispatch operation. Make the best use of people and make the best use of things, that is the truly brilliant way to use troops.This point, probably only Wenhou can do it.Lu Gongxing didn't belong to his lineage, but Lu Gongxing was both wise and brave, and Marquis Wen still let him hold the military power, probably even Marquis Wu might not have such a mind.Bi Wei is courageous and resourceful, Tu Fang is mature and prudent, and You Lu Gongxing mediates in the middle. Everyone can exert their greatest strength.And Wu Wanling, who is only a small military academy teacher, was unexpectedly promoted. The source was only a letter from him a few months ago. This was unimaginable in the past "high-ranking no poor family" employment era.Even though I still have a good opinion of Wenhou, I still have to admire his tolerance and talent. On October 9th, the emperor issued an edict to reward meritorious ministers. Both Lu Gongxing and Bi Wei increased their salaries. Since they are already generals, if they are promoted to deputy generals, they will be on the same level as those senior lords. Not yet possible.Wu Wanling was named a school lieutenant for his meritorious service.Only I am still an ordinary teacher in the military academy, nothing. On October 13th, Deng Canglan, who went to aid Juluo Island, also received good news.Since the Japanese invaded Juluo Island, King Juluo retreated steadily. In March, Deng Canglan led 5,000 people to help, but what he faced was dilapidated.The Japanese invaded across the sea and defeated all the Juluo water army, and two thirds of the three thousand miles of mountains and rivers in Juluo Island fell.Deng Canglan and King Juluo led the remnant army into the mountain to resist, but they could barely support it.In September, the Ministry of Industry finally produced the first batch of warships, and the new army included 5,000 sailors to reinforce Juluo Island. At this time, the Japanese had nearly 100,000 people in Juluo, and Deng Canglan had only less than 10,000 empires on hand. When the Juluo army and the only 30,000 remaining Juluo army were in danger, Deng Canglan took the risk and promoted Li Yaotian, a local young general in Juluo.Li Yaotian also went to the military academy to study when he was young, and he is well versed in the art of war. In the past, King Juluo blindly believed that the generals of the imperial army paid little attention to the local generals. The navy was assigned to Li Yaotian, and the two of them joined forces on October 1st to set off from the southwestern port of Juluo, sailing 800 miles by sea, and launched a surprise attack on the Japanese water village in the dark.At this time, there were more than 20,000 troops and more than 700 warships in the Japanese water village, while Deng Canglan's navy had less than 10,000 troops and more than 50 warships.When Li Yaotian proposed this surprise attack plan, the important officials of the Juluo royal court were shocked and denounced it as "brave and reckless". Coexistence and death, the same meaning of honor and disgrace.The Japanese did not expect that the Juluo navy, which was already a frightened bird, would dare to attack far away without any defense. In this battle, the Japanese water village was uprooted, and only 77 of the 20,000 sailors escaped. There were only two left, and Deng Canglan and Li Yaotian won a complete victory.Deng Canglan sent Li Yaotian to lead 5,000 sailors to intercept the reinforcements coming from the Japanese sea, and led 5,000 people to abandon the boat and land on the shore. The boldness of this plan is comparable to Li Yaotian's proposal of a long-distance attack.When I heard the report from Deng Canglan, I was shocked at first, and then secretly applauded.Deng Canglan is both intelligent and courageous, courageous and strategic, even better than Shao Fengguan, no wonder Marquis Wen valued him so much and let him go to Juluo alone.In comparison, although they are about the same age, I am far behind them. Today is November 4th, another rest day.In the morning, I took Feiyu out and went for a walk in the wild.Feiyu's temper is very violent, he cannot be kept in the same stable with other horses, and I am not qualified to give him a separate stable, so he can only be kept in the backyard of my residence.It was a small yard. Fei Yu was raised there, and his spirit was not very good. I felt a little distressed. Taking advantage of the good weather today, I took him for a run in the wild.After turning around and returning to the military academy, just after feeding Fei Yu, a colleague suddenly said outside: "Chu Xiuhong, you are here, the people sent by Lord Wenhou have been looking for you for a long time." Marquis Wen looking for me?I was startled.After Zhen Yining died, Marquis Wen never summoned me again, as if he had forgotten about me.Thinking of Shao Fengguan's matter, Marquis Wen may also feel a little angry towards me, after all, Zhen Yining also stayed in my forward camp for a few days, and was also injured at that time.Now he's calling me, what's the matter? I arrived at Wenhou's mansion, and after registering my name, I was taken outside Wenhou's living room, and I said a little anxiously: "My lord, Chu Xiuhong begs to see you." "Come in." Maybe it's my overthinking, Marquis Wen's voice seems to be a little older.I opened the door and went in, only to see Marquis Wen standing by the wall with his hands behind his back, looking at a huge picture.When Marquis Wen saw me coming in, he turned his head and said, "Chu Xiuhong, you're here." I saluted and said, "My lord, I don't know how to call this little man, what's your order?" Marquis Wen pointed to the picture and said, "Look at this first." It was a "Overview Map of Yudi", which was drawn in great detail, with some slightly higher hills marked out, and some small triangular flags of various colors were stuck on the map.I took a look and said, "My lord, is this the map of the battle situation?" Those small triangular flags are pierced with small needles. At first glance, they look disorganized, but if you look closely, you can see that the white ones are mostly distributed in the north, the red ones are mostly in the south, and the blue ones are all in the northeast. They are all in the northwest, and the most small flags are in the direction of Beining City, which naturally indicates the situation of the battle.Each flag represents about 10,000 people, because I saw as many as six white flags and four red flags in Beining City. Marquis Wen smiled and said: "You reacted quickly. Yes, it is the map of the battle situation, just need to change it." He reached out and took down a blue flag on Juluo Island in the northeast.Now, there are three white and blue flags on Juluo Island.I said, "General Deng has delivered another victory report?" Wen Hou said: "Exactly, Yu Shu who just arrived today, Cang Lan won a big victory yesterday." Yesterday morning, Li Yaotian led 5,000 people to a decisive battle with 20,000 Japanese reinforcements at the southeast end of Juluo Island. On the first day of the water battle, Li Yaotian launched a fire attack on the sea, smashing the Japanese fleet, killing the floating corpses on the sea, and remnants of the Japanese army. Had to retreat back to the mainland of Wa Island in a hurry.At the same time, Deng Canglan led the Japanese on the shore to fight hard continuously. Because he took in the remnants who fled, his army expanded to more than 10,000 at this time.Because the Japanese lost their supplies at sea, the people of Juluo Island practiced hardening the walls and clearing the wilderness. After chasing Deng Canglan for a few laps, they were exhausted. Hearing the arrival of reinforcements yesterday, they rushed to the seaside, ready to put all their eggs in one basket. , Destroyed Li Yaotian's army who stayed at sea, and re-opened the supply line. Unexpectedly, on the way back to the division, Deng Canglan set up an ambush on Jinchi Mountain in Juluo Island, defeated 10,000 against 30,000 in one fell swoop, and beheaded 7,000.After this battle, the remnants of the Japanese army had all retreated into the city to guard them.Yesterday, both land and water groups won big victories, so the morale of the Japanese must have fallen to the bottom. By this time, the war on Juluo Island may have completely reversed, and Deng Canglan will lead the army to fight back. I sighed: "General Deng is really a talented general, and that General Li Yaotian is also an unparalleled wise general in the world." Deng Canglan must have regarded this battle as a decisive battle, no matter whether it was on water or on land, as long as one side loses, the rest will inevitably be attacked by the Japanese on land and water.If it wasn't for him and Li Yaotian, I'm afraid the Japanese would succeed in counterattacking, and then the battle situation would be at a disadvantage again.Marquis Wen must have breathed a sigh of relief that the Northeast War has made such great progress.Not only him, but I also breathed a sigh of relief. Marquis Wen also sighed: "That's right, I didn't expect such outstanding people to exist in Huawai. After the Japanese are completely defeated, I must transfer this Li Yaotian to be Canglan's deputy." Juluo is a vassal state, if Marquis Wen wants to transfer Li Yaotian, it will not be difficult.I also really want to see what this great warrior looks like. In my heart, I think he should be better than Deng Canglan. Marquis Wen turned to the northwest and said: "There are blue waves in Juluo, so you can rest assured, but I'm afraid that Qingyue will not be able to withstand the people of Di. Alas, I don't know how long Beining City can hold." Contrary to the battle situation on Juluo Island, Beining City is increasingly in trouble.It's no secret that the snake people are different from Shimai after all.Although Tu Fang, Bi Wei, and Lu Gongxing were good at fighting, the snakemen attacked wave after wave. To kill a snakeman would cost three to four imperial troops on average.And the Empire is really short of soldiers at this time.To make matters worse, at this time the Di people in the northwest also suddenly launched a rebellion, pinning Qingyue Gong who was guarding the northwest border, and the small black flags in the northwest on Wenhou's map were probably Di people's. Di people live in the northwest desert and live as nomads.For hundreds of years, the border has been a serious trouble. After the emperor ruled the world, in order to calm the border troubles, he ordered Li Sijin, one of the twelve generals, to lead a western expedition. Let the northwest frontier get a hundred years of peace.However, with the decline of the empire's national strength, the Di people continued to move eastward, and now they have returned to the place where they used to live.Since the Di people have been living in the desert chasing water and grass, they are extremely skilled in riding, and come and go like the wind, Qingyue Gong's army can only take a defensive position, and cannot carry out plowing and sweeping attacks like Li Sijin.The Di people's army is about 100,000, and their strength is twice that of Lord Qingyue. Fortunately, they are divided into five groups, known as "Five Kings Standing Together", and they often fight with each other. The strength of each group is limited, so He has always accepted the canonization of the empire and maintained a nominal vassal.Although Di people would still come to harass them from time to time, they generally lived in peace.When I heard Marquis Wen say this, I couldn't help but be surprised, and said, "Di Ren rebelled?" "The news came yesterday that recently the Five Kings of the Di people joined forces and launched an attack on the 11th. They entered Jinshan Fort and defeated Qingyuegong's five thousand frontier army. Maybe they still remember that General Li Sijin's expedition of three thousand miles led him to behead him. With a brilliant record of 20,000 ranks, this attack only retreated after a while, destroying the five frontier strongholds of the Tunbian Army and then retreating back to the desert. If the Di people took advantage of the power of their first victory and took advantage of the momentum to advance eastward, I think Qingyue Gong would be fine. It's difficult." I couldn't help feeling a chill in my heart.It's supposed to be a secret, and I don't know.I said: "My lord, the villain has been in the imperial capital for a long time, and I am willing to put on a saddle horse and kill the enemy to serve the country." I'm not even a soldier now, if Marquis Wen talks to me about these military planes, I'm afraid he will use me too.I couldn't help being a little excited, and I was a little trembling when I spoke.Marquis Wen turned his head and said with a slight smile: "Although the Di people are powerful in attack, they only gather for profit, and they are just criticizing mobs. You only need to see that they have not taken advantage of the victory to advance eastward, and you will know that they will not be able to make big waves. This is the trouble in the heart. " He was referring to Tianshui Province.There are as many as five white flags in Tianshui Province, but only one red flag, which I hadn't noticed just now.I said: "The Xifu army was also attacked by the snake man?" Marquis Wen nodded and said: "That's right. Although there are not many snakemen showing up now, the snakemen must have taken Tianshui Province as their second offensive point. No wonder the offensive in Beining City has not been too strong. The idea is actually a three-way northward strategy." "Three roads? Where is the other road?" I felt a little surprised.From the picture, there is no red flag between Tianshui Province and Zhijiang Province.In fact, the great river is divided into north and south, originating from the mountains in the far west, and only Tianshui Province in the middle reaches and Zhijiang Province in the lower reaches can cross the river. The ferries in other places have been in disrepair for a long time, and the water flow is fast. The snake people have to cross the river in large numbers No easy task.下游已经失守，蛇人完全可以从那儿一路北上，但事实上却也没有这样的事发生，我本来就在奇怪，但想想蛇人要平定南方诸省本非易事，可能也正在南方各省扑灭当地的抵抗军，这样也能理解。蛇人终于在天水省露面，那说明要东西齐进吧，只是还有一路不知在什么地方。 文侯敲了敲东面的海上道：“就是这儿。” “什么！”我大吃了一惊。蛇人难道从海路北上么？我从不知道它们会有大船。蛇人虽然会游泳，但要游过浩瀚的大海，那是绝无可能。 文侯道：“当初我乍闻这消息，本也不信，但现在想想，这事实在大有可能。南方，还有一个地方有大量的船只啊。” 我看向南方。文侯指的，一定是五羊城。五羊城主因为是事实上的独立，一直保留着一支两万人的军队，而他们由于有大量的海外商队前来，因此军队基本上都是水军，船只也全是些海船。我道：“难道五羊城已被攻克了？” 五羊城太远了，被攻克的消息现在也没传来，我不知道文侯是怎么得来的消息。文侯道：“我也不知道。五羊城，一直是个变数啊。如果天下太平，这个变数也不会有什么大碍，但如果到了乱世，说不定就会成为一个致命的伤口。” 我急道：“大人，小人愿下五羊城探听确实消息。” 文侯让我来，只怕就是这个目的吧。我曾随武侯南征，对南方的路途也算有些熟悉，文侯可能就是要我充任特使前往五羊城，探得确实消息。虽然这任务艰难之极，但天下板荡，作为一个帝国子民，我也是义不容辞。 没想到文侯摇了摇头道：“眼下尚不必多担心此事，若西府军被打垮了，蛇人恐怕也用不着动用这一步棋了。” 他突然站直了，高声道：“楚休红，国家养士，用于危难，就算某人心有不平，应该怀恨于心么？” 我一怔，道：“不该。” “那就好，明日我向帝君上疏，恢复你的下将军之职，重新率领前锋营，增援符敦城。” 这话像是一个闷雷，我又惊又喜，一下跪倒在地，道：“臣万死不辞。” 只是，天水省仅仅是出现了一些蛇人，而西府军有五万之众，需要我去援助么？我不禁又有些不安，隐隐地觉得这事实在有点古怪。文侯像是看透了我的心思，道：“楚休红，你在想什么？” “小人以为，符敦城似乎还不到危急之时，援助似乎还谈不上……” 文侯冷笑了笑，看了看四周，放低声音道：“楚休红，现在四下无人，你要记住，援助其实是假，密切注意周诺的动向是真。” 我浑身一震，注意周诺！我还记得这个喜欢玩刀的西府军都督，以及那个很有点阴险的副都督陶守拙。难道西府军是要趁乱而动，自立为王么？如果真有这事，文侯再让我去岂不是送羊入虎口。想到这儿，我身体也不禁有点发颤。 文侯哼了一声，道：“怕了？” 我身上又是一颤，高声道：“禀大人，人固有一死，以死报国，死亦无憾。” 文侯看着我，像是要看我这话是不是在强作壮语。我动也不动，此时心中也确实没什么好怕的了。从高鹫城逃出，再从东平城被押回来，我出生入死了那么多次，如果要死的话早就该死了，用不着等到现在。顿了一会儿，文侯脸上终于浮出了笑意：“不怕死就好，不过要死也没那么容易。此事本就是陶守拙密报，你带前锋营去，名义上是给西府军加封，看看事态究竟如何，他会协助你的。记住，见机行事，如果周诺真有异动，他这条性命，两三人白刃相加，便可取之。最主要的是不能让西府军乱，那倒是件难事。楚休红，我相信你。” 我又行了一礼道：“臣定不负大人重托。” 话虽这么说，但我心中仍是没底。经过东平城之役，前锋营不过一千来人了。这一千人带到符敦城，和五万西府军相比，只是他们一路军的十分之一。如果周诺真有异动，和陶守拙反目，两人一通混战的话，前锋营在乱军中自保都难。 内乱总是最难收拾的。一支能敌万人的强兵，只怕平伏不了五千人的内乱。天作孽，犹可违，自作孽，不可活啊。 我胡乱想着，文侯突然抓住我的肩头，看着我的双眼道：“以宁的遗言中，让我好生照顾你，楚休红，我已无子，以后，你就和我的儿子一样了。” 我的头“嗡”地一声响。甄以宁死前还有这样的遗言么？我的泪水不由得一下涌了出来，止都止不住。他拍拍我的肩道：“男子汉大丈夫，流血不流泪。楚休红，你很有善战之名，但其实还是太软弱，这个毛病一定要改一改。” 我顾不得面子，伸手抹去了泪水道：“大……大人，我一定做好。” 我已不知该如何说话了。文侯的这句话实在太像是我的长辈的口气，让我感动之极。他眼里好像也有点泪光，拍拍我的头道：“回去准备一下吧，要出发的话就是这几天了。好孩子。” 他转过头不再看我，我又跪了下来行了个大礼，道：“大人，我走了。” 文侯没有回话。我掩上门，走了出去。心中仍是如波涛翻涌，走过门槛还被绊了一下，差点摔倒。 文侯要把我当做他的儿子了！这话太令我震惊，心中也说不出是什么滋味。是欣喜，隐隐地又有些伤悲。如果甄以宁不死，我肯定不会有这一天吧，甄以宁即使再求文侯关照我，文侯也未必会听。而甄以宁死后过了大半年，文侯才说出这话来，这大半年里他也一定在日思夜想。 可能，在我身上也隐隐有些甄以宁的影子吧。虽然我远不及他那样少年老成，才华横溢，但性格上还有许多相似之处。 我跳上马时，不禁看了看天空。天空中，白云如歌，浮过天际。在初冬的艳阳下，这世界平和如往昔。 可是，就如同平静的水面下会暗伏着汹涌的暗流一样，帝都在这表面的平静下也是危机四伏。文侯厅里的那张图上，帝都的实际控制地区已经缩小到以帝都为中心的一小块地方了，恐怕不用多久，战火也将会烧到雾云城这座天下第一的名城了吧。 我轻轻踢了下飞羽，飞羽一下加快了步子。在马上，我努力想让自己平静一些，也想让自己更高兴一点，可是只是徒劳而已。 正走着，突然，我耳边好像又听到了文侯的声音：“当初我乍闻这消息，本也不信……” 当初？很久以前就有这消息了么？文侯又是如何得到这消息的？ 我绞尽脑汁地想着，可是总也理不出个头绪来。我实在想不通文侯如何会听到这种消息。五羊城确实有船，武侯被困在高鹫城时就动过要调五羊城的船从海上北归的念头。可是，谁会保证蛇人攻破五羊城后能得到船只？按理，五羊城被蛇人攻破，那些船肯定大半毁于战火，蛇人要用的话，一两千人也根本不能进行海上远征的。 难道，五羊城主竟然已向蛇人投降？I was stunned.这种想法实在太匪夷所思，五羊城主再是墙头草也不至于如此。我正想为自己这种奇想一哂，突然又呆住了。 Zheng Zhao!郑昭正是五羊城的特使！ 那一次郑昭和文侯商议后，文侯马上要取他的性命，只是因为郑昭有读心术，所以连夜从西门逃出。虽然后来被我追上，却也因为他的摄心术，被他再次逃脱。那一次，他说的到底是些什么话，以至于文侯会动了灭口之心？ 我知道这些事文侯一定不会跟我说的，我要是太多嘴的话，就算是他的干儿子也没用，何况文侯只是口头上说要把我当儿子看待。这大概会永远是一个谜了吧。 我苦笑了一下，打马向住处走去。