Chapter 11 Section VII

They finally reached the county river in the evening, the energy of man and beast had been exhausted, but there was still a full half of the journey waiting for them! They spent the night at a small post by the river. Although during that day's journey, everyone had their own thoughts and activities, after the exhausting fatigue, they reached the common wish, that is, they hope to have a house that can shelter from the wind and cold. , Let them have a rest, forget the tired day, enjoy a peaceful night comfortably, and arrange tomorrow's things until tomorrow. The post station by the county river is the smallest and crude post station. There is only one postman to take care of it inside and outside, taking care of people and animals.The house has long been dilapidated, slanted here and there, and there are leaks everywhere. Even if it plays the basic role of sheltering from the wind and blocking the cold current, it seems difficult to do so.At night, the wind became violent again, making the inn look like a solitary boat floating in the stormy waves.It is true to say that it is like a lonely boat, because it is a unique building within ten miles around.

Fortunately in this climate, there were no other travelers, and they could have it all.They cranked up the dying fire in the hearth, sat around the earth pit for warmth and dozed off, and quickly fell into a real deep sleep. It was already very late at night, mixed with the howling wind, suddenly heard the impatient bells and door calls outside the door. "I'll stay here sooner or later," the awakened postman wiped his sleepy eyes and muttered dissatisfiedly, "It's already past two o'clock. Don't be afraid to fall into the ice hole to meet the Water Dragon King, that's called You feel good!" With professional movements that suddenly became very sober, he put on his old leather jacket, lit a lantern, and went out to open the door.

The visitor seemed to be galloping on a flaming horse with its tail on fire, and he seemed to be asking something loudly before he got off the saddle bridge with one foot.The postman answered uncertainly, and their conversation was shut out and swallowed by the sharp howling northwest wind.Only the last sentence is clear. At that time, both of them have stepped through the door. "I'll go in and have a look!" said the visitor emphatically, and then told the postman to feed his animals, and he would set out on his way before daybreak. All this is a situation that can be encountered at any time in all stations, and it is not worth noting.People just complained that this unexpected interruption interrupted their doze.Only women who go out for the first time and feel fresh about everything they encounter notice it, listen to it, and become interested in it.What kind of person did she picture this visitor in her imagination?Why are you in such a hurry?And the image of this visitor appeared in her imagination.A distant memory linked her to this visitor, and when she heard the last words she suddenly decided, unmistakably, that the accent of the countryman was that of an acquaintance whom she had heard speak to.

"Listen, dad, who is talking?" She gently woke up the drowsy dad. Liu Kai also woke up at the same time, and heard the familiar voice that came through the cotton curtain very clearly because the door had been opened. They exchanged surprised eyes, as if they were asking each other: "Is such a coincidence possible?" ?” But when the cotton curtain was lifted, the speaker himself had strode in.By the faint flickering light of the lanterns carried by the postmen, they could see clearly that the visitor was none other than the old comrade-in-arms they were looking for all the way, Ma Kuo's father Ma Zheng.The three of them exclaimed in unison:

"Coincidence! Coincidence!" Ma Zheng rode his horse Zhibing across the river in order to make an extra trip and risked meeting the Water Dragon King.His entourage had already been left far behind by a few stops because they could not catch up with their feet.His eyes, accustomed to the darkness, recognized his friend at first glance. "Sure enough, it's Uncle Xin," he cheered happily. "There's also the seal, which is just like 'you can't find it if you step through iron shoes, and it's easy to get here'. I've had a hard time finding you."

The postmen brought regular boiling water, wine and steamed cakes to the newcomers and some urgent officers, lit the oil lamps, added a few pieces of new charcoal to the hearth, and walked away.Charcoal burst into crackling firecrackers to welcome new friends.The movement of people, the steam, the smell of wine, the lights, and the explosion of charcoal gave life to the frozen room, which seemed to wake from its doze. Ma Zheng didn't care about exchanging pleasantries, so he broke open the steamed roll in his hand, stuffed it into his mouth, and started talking seriously. It turned out that since Liu Kai left the capital for more than a month, the current situation has undergone rapid changes.

First, Ma Kuo came back from the Jin Dynasty and brought the Jurchen aristocrat Yelu and the Bohai native Dadiwu to Tokyo.Both of these two are close friends of Wanyan Aguda, and they are the ministers of the Jin Dynasty. meet them. Then formally negotiate the specific date for the attack. The strange thing is that although the Song Dynasty first proposed the idea of ​​flanking, when the other party agreed, when discussing specific issues, the Song Dynasty could not propose a definite date.Because Wang and Cai Erxiang were not sure that they could leave the army quickly, and they didn't want the other party to leave the army too early, so as not to fall behind, they adopted methods such as arranging banquets and accompanying tours, which delayed the negotiations for a long time.They never expected that during this period of time, Wanyan Aguda launched a lightning offensive against Liao. With lightning speed, he marched for more than 400 miles in one day and night, and attacked Zhongjing, the capital of Liao.Liao Tianzuo Emperor Yelu Yanxi fled south in a hurry. When he passed Yanjing, he only stayed for two days. He took a group of troops, officials, and palace family members and fled straight to Yinjia Mountain in the cloud. Dare to come out.

The current situation is: the Jin army blocked the way out of Emperor Tianzuo with all its strength, and hunted him down on three sides.Around Yanjing, the situation is turbulent, the anti-Liao rebels are rising, and the Liao government has no leader. In fact, it is in a dying state of collapse. Detective Ma Zheng, who was investigating on the border, heard these absolutely true news, and thought that this was a golden opportunity to regain Yanyun. At the same time, he was also afraid that the Jin army would strike first and divide its troops into the north and south, and take the land of Hebei and Hedong, which would pose a great threat to our defense line. Threat, so immediately flew to the capital to report.At this time, Wang and Cai Erxiang also saw the urgency of the situation, so they rushed to the quasi-officials and decided on countermeasures: on the one hand, Zhao Liangsi and Ma Kuo would continue to accompany the Jin envoys, and continue to have dinners and banquets with them. Ma Zheng, who knew everything about the situation, was sent to the Western Army under the orders of the imperial court, and strictly ordered Zhongshidao to gather the whole division immediately, and all of them were sent to Xiongzhou, the front line of Hebei, by the end of March, waiting for their progress.The scheduled Taiyuan meeting was cancelled.If there is a mistake, it will be judged as a crime against the decree.

This is not a subtle dredging, but a strict order.After all, officials are officials, and when Ma Zheng gave his speech, the officials gave verbal instructions to soften the harsh wording in the order.The officials asked Ma Zheng to go to Liu Kai first when he arrived in Weizhou, and after the two had a meeting, they would pass on the decree to Master Zhong.When explaining verbally, "we must pay attention to the wording, so that the generals and officials below Zhong Shi's way will be convinced and go to the order. Hugh's stern words will chill their hearts." At the same time, Ma Zheng was given a new task. After delivering the order, He stayed in the army to serve as a counselor, and supervised the departure of the army in the near future, so as not to make any mistakes.

Calculating the schedule with his fingers, Ma Zheng estimated that Liu Qi was in urgent need of returning, and he might have already set off for Beijing.The applied mathematics of the people in the Western Army is different from the applied mathematics in the general officialdom in Tokyo. The numerical value of the latter is expressed in oral and written words, while the former is expressed in a practical sense.So he followed the official road to the west all the way, carefully inquiring about Liu Sixiang's whereabouts.But he didn't expect to run into them all of a sudden in this small inn in the middle of the night, which really made him very happy.

Ma Zheng was eager to know the reaction of the generals of the Western Army to the war against Liao. Liu Kai briefly introduced his journey to the west, and the two studied the possibility and difficulties of executing the marching order together.Since Ma Zhengfu's imperial edict was so strict and clear, there is no other way to cultivate the teacher's way except to implement it quickly and earnestly.Liu Kai estimated that there was no major resistance to Ma Zheng's departure. He himself should return to Beijing earlier to pay the order and return to the post, waiting for the post-order. He also had to consider Zhao Long's mission in the capital, so he decided to part ways and each to complete their respective tasks. Task. When Ma Zheng and Liu Kai were talking at length, Zhao Long was uncharacteristically rarely interrupting the conversation. "So flustered! So panicky!" He had come to a preconceived conclusion and commented on their plan, "How could such a hasty and panicked decision have a good result?" He also analyzes their conversations.He admitted that the current situation has indeed undergone drastic changes, and precisely because the changes are so large and rapid, decision makers should consider calmly and deal with them calmly.Let a tank of silt-laden water be clarified before scooping it up, and don't rush to drink turbid water. This is the principle of how people in their military department handle things.It is better to lose slowly than to lose Meng Lang.He thinks that our side is usually lack of preparation, impromptu and careful planning, hastily make decisions, and always follow other people's buttocks, how can we fight this battle well?He also found a theoretical basis, "Those who seek profit from thousands of miles will fall to the general", this practice is a big taboo in the art of war.You have not seriously considered these unfavorable factors, and you only want to carry out the order of the imperial court. You are really blinded by profit.Zhao Long is a person who has a hard time hiding his feelings. When he had this idea, listening to their conversation, he couldn't help showing his dissatisfaction. On the side of Ma Zheng, he did not forget that his in-laws were present. He asked Zhao Long for advice several times, but he received a cold response, so he understood that the resistance Liu Qi talked about came from the core group of cultivating the way of teachers. And his in-law happened to be the central figure of this group.He had to admit this: their opinions had diverged.But he didn't have time to calmly explain to his in-laws, let alone argue with him.In the western army, they are more human than flesh and blood, sharing life and death together.No matter how big their differences are, in the end they will always be kneaded together by their common interests. He answered his indifference and dissatisfaction with kindness and enthusiasm, trying to dilute his anger, so that he can get along with them when they get along. prevailed in the relationship. It wasn't until they finished talking about serious matters that Zhao Long said that one of the important purposes of his eastward trip was to send his daughter to Tokyo to consummate her marriage.Then he called his daughter to meet his father-in-law. Only then did Ma Zheng realize that in addition to military affairs, there were also private affairs between them.He looked at the fully grown mother with satisfaction, and repeatedly praised: "Good girl, good girl!" to make up for the neglect of her just now.He turned his head to thank his old boss and his in-laws for their hospitality, but he didn't understand how his in-laws could leave the army to take care of their children's private affairs in such a moment of urgent military affairs. Obviously, their views, feelings, and priorities for grasping the opportunity for this war tend to be extreme. But on the premise of not hindering the official business, the children's private affairs have to be handled. He apologized before saying: "My son is currently in Beijing, and there are still a few months to stay. When the war breaks out, not only Yu father and son will go to the front line to work, but the in-laws, as the right and left hand of the commander, must also go to the front line in person to serve as military counselors. Therefore, the marriage has to be done before the war. Do it well." He especially apologized to Erniang, "The time is so short, and we both have military affairs, we can't settle down. The marriage must be done hastily, and the girl will be insulted, and I will feel even more uneasy. " "The prince of the Dujian is embarrassed, and he will not be able to return to Beijing to preside over the wedding," Liu Qi obliged to take on this burden. "Uncle Jian has never been used to mundane affairs. If you don't see outsiders, Zichong's marriage will be handed over to you." Nephew Yu has gone to take care of it. The matter in Tokyo is easy to handle, both of you can rest assured, it is only when both supervisors write a letter from home to Zichong that the matter will be settled." They both thanked each other. Ma Zheng was still a little worried and said: "Let Uncle Xin handle this matter, it is the most appropriate thing. I am afraid that after Uncle Xin returns to Beijing, the court will have other orders and he will not be free, so what can I do?" "Don't worry, the governor, there are always people to do things." Liu Kai smiled, remembering the official's promise, and expected to go to the front line too.It's just calculating the schedule, there is still a gap, and there is time to do big things for them. Besides, even if I have no time to spare, there is someone more capable, more reliable, and more secure than him waiting for me at home. What are you afraid of? ! He borrowed a pair of pens and inks from the postman, turned on the lamp, and went to the fireside to dry the nibs that had been frozen. He asked Ma Zheng to write a letter and put it in his bag. It was almost the end of the night, and there was nothing to use for this remaining night.Ma Zheng just fell asleep for a while, and immediately got busy again, ready to go on the road. Ma Zheng is a person who has the right to condemn others. According to common sense, it is almost impossible to persuade and help Zhong Shidao so that he can gather 100,000 troops scattered in various military regions and send them to the front line of Hebei thousands of miles away in a short period of three months. impossible things.His mission is to make the impossible possible.Ever since he was ordered—in fact, he had proposed this task to the court—he felt as if he was holding a ball of fire in his hand.He must cherish and cherish every moment.In order to buy time, he followed the order of the court and traveled west alone, even leaving his companions far away, and no one accompanied him.In order to buy time, in such a cold night, he ventured across the ice and stayed at the inn.He would rather shorten his ten years of life in exchange for the concentration of the army three days earlier, because he understands that every day's delay may have serious consequences for the entire war situation.He treated himself, demanded of himself, almost harshly and cruelly, without realizing it. Together they sent him out of the station. As soon as the door was opened, there was a biting chill, as if a group of howling beasts rushed towards people.At this time, the sky was still dark, only a large area of ​​ice and snow illuminated the earth.They looked up and saw the moon shrunk into a thin curved line, resting alone and unstable on a big tree.The branches shake off a little snow, and the moon shakes accordingly.Relying on this lonely clue, they suddenly realized that the coming dawn would be the first day of the new year. "The schedule is in a hurry," Liu Kai sighed, "I can't even remember New Year's Eve." "It's not the first day of the new year, the horse's teeth are too many, and nothing can be done." At this time, Ma Zhengzheng asked the postman for a handful of straw, and personally wrapped the four horseshoes tightly so that they would not step on the ice. Slipping, he turned his head and said to the mother who was seeing him off, "After one night, the girl grew one year older, and now she is a full twenty years old." The mother blushed for no reason, as if she had grown one year older , it was her fault, and it was like asking her to be responsible for it.Then she saw her father-in-law tightened his luggage, put on the burden, stepped on the mount as soon as he turned over, and started on the journey guided by the moonlight and snow reflected on the ice. Liu Kai and Zhao Long said together, "Treasure!" "My old horse!" He waved his hand, and had time to finish the sentence before he started his mount. "Once the cart is hitched, I have to go on a rampage and drive the traveler straight to the destination. I don't care about my own strength." Thin and fresh, it makes people sit in it, and it is uncomfortable to shake." Erniang felt that her father-in-law had said this humble word to her especially.It, together with the sound of the horse's hooves "Get, get..." and the sound of the ice being crushed by the horse's hoof, lingered in her memory for a long time.