At the beginning of the day, the clouds opened and the fog dispersed. After the sound of drums in the pass passed the three links, the yamen of the Shuai Mansion was wide open, and there was a solemn atmosphere.
There are seats in the left and right compartments, and a total of more than a dozen generals gathered here. These people are all veteran generals in the Daqian army. They are not only well versed in military tactics, but also have profound and unpredictable skills.
After the case of the Central Marshal, Xu Zheng was dressed in ordinary cloth, sitting upright, showing no pressure at all, but actually suppressing the generals of the army.
There was a saying in the court: "There are thousands of soldiers and horses in Yongzhou, but they only know Xu Zheng of Dazhu Kingdom but they don't know that there is a court of Daqian."
Because of this, the court officials continuously impeached Xu Zheng and ordered him to abandon his official position and go into seclusion. This time, officials from the Imperial College, the Imperial Academy, the Imperial Academy and other departments continued to impeach him.
The generals below communicated with each other and whispered. When Xu Zheng coughed lightly, everyone immediately stopped thinking and sat upright, not daring to make any mistakes.
Xu Zheng raised his eyes slightly and looked outside the court with an indescribable majesty. Exactly: "
The whole country was shaken when he sent an order to the camp, and he marched to the nine regions to praise his reputation.
Plan and control the army to show bravery, reward and punish strict officials for showing off their talents.
Capture and offer Yuan Rong to stop the foreign invaders, and show compassion to the suffering creatures.
Sacrifice one's life and end the worldly affairs, but peace will be achieved through peace and stability. "
After a long time, Xu Zheng withdrew his gaze and said to the generals: "The imperial court has written several times to accuse me of not being afraid of the enemy and respecting the bandits. I want to go to Taiyue City to calm the hearts of the people in the world."
As soon as this statement came out, everyone would be in an uproar. A young general stood up and said: "The general is out there, and your orders are not accepted. The country of Dazhu is strategizing, why bother with those poor literati?"
Another middle-aged wise general said in a deep voice: "The imperial court is in turmoil. The former has already forced Prime Minister Wang to death. Do they want to raise their swords against the general again?"
Yishuang, an old general on the temples, stroked his beard and said, "Dazhu Kingdom never pays attention to the juniors in the imperial court. Is there something hidden behind this return to the capital?"
Xu Zheng said nothing, just listened to everyone's discussion without answering.
A middle-aged scribe on the right raised his hand, indicating to the generals to be quiet, and then said: "Everyone, please be patient. Since Commander Xu has this intention, we will obey his orders. But regarding matters on the front line, please leave Xu Shuai decides."
Xu Zheng glanced at everyone and said: "Although I am returning to Beijing, Zhuge Ce will never take the opportunity to invade. As long as you and others guard the city passes, you will be safe."
"yes!"
"Han Shi!"
"The general is here!" Han Shi sat on the outermost side near the tent door. He never thought that Xu Zheng would call his name, so he hurriedly stood up to obey the order.
"I order you to lead your troops to guard Jiepai Mountain. If there is an emergency, send out smoke immediately."
Han Shi's face flushed slightly, and he was extremely excited. This Jiepai Mountain is the border area between the two dynasties, and the Han army must pass through it. It was never expected that Xu Zheng would hand over this place to him for guarding.
"The last general takes command!"
When Han Shi received the order and retreated, the veteran general Shuangyan frowned and said: "Jiepai Mountain is the gateway to our dynasty. Isn't it too childish for this yellow-mouthed boy to guard it?"
Xu Zheng waved his hand and said: "I joined the army at the age of fifteen, took charge of the three armies at the age of twenty-eight, and worshiped the Zhuguo. Isn't it more childish?"
As soon as these words came out, all the generals shook their heads and chuckled, speechless.
Xu Zheng slowly stood up and said: "The safety of the front line is left to you."
"Follow the order!"
…………
Above the city gate, Ye Ling stood by the wall facing the morning breeze. In the distance was Ning Changge, who was sitting cross-legged and meditating.
Not long after, Qin Qing walked up to the city wall, stood beside Ye Ling, and said, "Are you going back?"
Ye Ling nodded: "I still have some unfinished business, so of course I have to go back. Do you want to go back with me?"
Qin Qing shook his head and said, "The battle is not over yet. All the brothers under my command have gone to Jiepai Mountain. I want to find them and take them home with me."
"I will definitely do it." Ye Ling turned around and smiled: "We will definitely meet again."
Qin Qing hesitated to speak, but finally nodded.
Ye Ling added: "Next time we meet, can you let me see you without the mask?"
Qin Qing was silent, then turned around and walked down: "Then you have to come find me!"
Looking at Qin Qing's back, Ye Ling whispered: "It's a deal!"
After Qin left, Ning Changge woke up from his meditation, took a few steps to Ye Ling's side, and asked, "When will we set off?"
Ning Changge has now been expelled from the Piaomiao Sect and is now a casual cultivator with nowhere to go, so he plans to follow Ye Ling to visit Taiyue City.
Ye Ling said: "Brother, I still have some things to explain, and I will leave after that."
Ning Changge said: "As expected of the Dazhu Kingdom, even when facing Prime Minister Zhuge, he was so calm and unhurried, daring to leave arrogantly."
Ye Ling said: "Brother said that he can't remember things that others don't care about even if told to him. Things that others desperately want to know cannot be kept secret no matter how hard they are kept. What's more, there are people who care more about my eldest brother's every move than Zhuge Ce. .”
"Oh?" Ning Changge raised his eyebrows: "Who is it?"
Before Ye Ling could answer, Han Shi hurriedly walked up to them and said to the two of them: "Two immortals, I have offended you many times before. Please give me some thanks."
Ning Changge waved his hand, but Ye Ling apologized: "I promised to thank you girl for bringing you a letter, but I broke my promise. I'm really ashamed."
Han Shi smiled and said, "Don't worry, Taoist Master Ye. I can probably guess what Lian'er is going to say. This is the letter I sent to her. I hope Taoist Master will help me forward it to her. I will go back as soon as this battle is over." Meet her."
With that said, Han Shi took out the letter and handed it to Ye Ling.
Ye Ling put it away and said, "It will be delivered."
While talking, the city gate slowly opened, and a unicorn beast pulled a chariot and sped out, gradually climbed up the clouds, and flew away in the air.
After Ye Ling and Ning Changge said goodbye to Han Shi, they also activated their Taoist power, jumped into the air, and left with the chariot.
…………
Thousands of miles south of Jiepai Mountain, the Han army camped here. In the central military tent, Zhuge Ce was sitting at his desk, coughing slightly from time to time and looking haggard.
Outside the tent, Yang Li walked in quickly with joy on his eyebrows and said to Zhuge Ce: "Prime Minister, Xu Zheng has left the army this morning and returned to Taiyue City."
Zhuge Ce didn't even raise his head and said, "I understand."
Yang Li was puzzled and asked: "You have such a serious problem, which is an opportunity for our army to advance. Could the Prime Minister just ignore it?"
Zhuge Ce didn't answer, he reached out and picked up the feather fan on the desk, stood up slowly, and still stood at the tent door, looking at the soldiers who were practicing the formation.
"Prime Minister!" Yang Li said hurriedly from behind: "This is a God-given opportunity. If you give it up, it will be difficult to get it again! The Prime Minister came out of Qishan six times to rejuvenate my great man, why did he do it today..."
Before Yang Li finished speaking, Zhuge Ce waved his hand and said: "The late emperor was a benevolent and righteous king. He thought about the people in everything and governed the world with benevolence and virtue. Liang inherited the late emperor's legacy. Although he died nine times without regrets, I cannot ignore the common people in the world. The late emperor I will never want that big man with piles of bones!"
Hearing this, Yang Li was puzzled: "What does the Prime Minister mean by this?"
As soon as he finished speaking, a golden light flashed across the horizon, and a golden dragon shadow appeared in the sky above the camp. Then it turned into an imperial edict scroll and unfolded. The text was clearly visible, and a deep voice sounded: "I hereby order Prime Minister Zhuge Ce to go to war today. No one is allowed to go to war." It’s been a long time, thank you for this!”
After reading it, the imperial edict spread like a golden glow and disappeared without a trace.
Yang Li sighed: "This is the third time His Majesty has issued an order for the Prime Minister to march into the army. His Majesty previously ignored the Northern Expedition. Why is it so important this time?"
Zhuge Ce frowned slightly and said to Yang Li: "Yang Changshi, I want to meet with His Majesty. Please go and prepare immediately."
Yang Li was stunned for a moment, then hurriedly raised his hands and said, "I'll do it now!"
…………
Taiyue Imperial City was silent. Even the maids and eunuchs coming and going did not make a single sound, but they lacked too much life.
The Supervisor of Ceremonies is located just outside the second door of the emperor's monastery, so that he can report news at any time. However, an ordinary house holds all kinds of news about the entire dynasty, and the first person to know this news is the chief eunuch Gao He.
As usual, Gao He was sitting in the room of the Supervisor of Ceremonies, sorting out the memorials sent to him today.
At this time, Zhang Mo walked in and handed over a report: "Chasing the wind, this morning, Dazhu Kingdom left Qishan and returned to the capital."
"Oh?" Gao He was slightly surprised and hurriedly took the report. While reading, he asked: "Who is accompanying you?"
"His adopted brother Ye Ling and Ye Ling's Taoist friend, Ning Changge."
After Gao He read it, he closed the report and said to Zhang Mo: "Go and present it to the master quickly."
"yes."
Before Zhang Mo left the room, Wang Jin walked in. He looked at the report in Zhang Mo's hand and asked with a half-smile, "What's the urgent matter?"
Zhang Mo said nothing, and Gao He said: "This is the military information from the front line, and I want to present it to the master."
"But Qishan?" Wang Jin looked at Zhang Mo.
Gao He said, "It's Liangzhou's business, Mo'er, why don't you go quickly."
Zhang Mo nodded, passed Wang Jin, and went straight to the inner court.
Wang Jin looked at Zhang Mo for a long time, then turned around and smiled at Gao He: "Godfather, it's time to change the shift. You should go and have a rest first, and leave the rest to your son."
Gao He nodded, put on his hat and walked out, but when he reached the door, he suddenly said: "Jin'er, among the people in charge of the ceremony, you are the smartest. When things happen, Mo'er and the others are not as good as you. It's just that you are the smartest among us. This wisdom must be used in the right place, then it is really smart!”
After saying that, Gao He walked away.
Wang Jin looked at Gao He's back with a bit of sarcasm, a bit of ridicule, but more of a faint worry.
…………
In the Grand Master's Mansion, Liang Jingyi was holding an ancient book and reading. Zhou Qing, the left prime minister, sat beside him and said with a smile: "Recently, the people from the Yushitai, Hanlin Academy, and Imperial College have been making trouble all day long, impeaching Xu Zheng. Memorials can almost fill this room."
Liang Jing said without raising his head: "It's just a mad dog barking at the sun. If it were Xu Zheng, who among them could live with Zhuge Ce on the top of Qishan Mountain?"
Zhou Qing smiled when he heard this and said: "So what? After Liang Chen defeats Dayan, what use will Xu Zheng have?"
Liang Jingyi added: "Jia Chengdao, this old fox, has already begun to seize military power. He sent the fourth prince to Qiongzhou to ask him to take over the military affairs of Liang Chen. When the three princes seize the throne, he will be able to compete with me. "
Zhou Qing sneered: "Jia Chengdao alone, I'm afraid he won't be able to become a Taoist! Even Xu Zheng can't tolerate him, so why do we need to do anything?"
"You have been in the court for so many years, how come you are as naive as those Qingliu people?" Liang Jingyi slowly stood up and said to Zhou Qing: "Did you know that Xu Zheng has left Qishan this morning and is heading to the capital? .”
"Back to the capital?" Zhou Qing was slightly surprised and asked, "Does my mentor know why he wants to return to the capital at this time?"
Liang Jingyi stared at Zhou Qing for a long time, then shook his head, slowly stood up and walked forward: "Think for yourself, don't wait for me to tell you."
Zhou Qing's face darkened: "Is it because of Wang Yuanzhong and the deposed prince?"
Liang Jing didn't answer, just said: "The more incredible something seems, the simpler its purpose is sometimes. He is the same, and so is Chen Changying. They are both infatuated fools and useful chess pieces."
