The candlelight was weak, swaying gently with the wind in the dark night.
Helan Changan dragged his tired body back to the mansion. Most of the family members in the mansion rested, but Chao Nang's wife and three maids were still waiting for him to return home.
This has been a habit for many years. As long as he does not go out, no matter how late it is, Helan Changan knows that his wife will be waiting for him at the house.
Therefore, as long as he did not go out, no matter how late it was, he would eventually return to the mansion. Even if the military affairs are busy, someone will definitely be sent to the mansion to say hello.
"Master, let's have a bowl of porridge!" Madam said, taking a jade bowl from a maid's hand.
Usually, if you come back at this time, most of Helan Changan's meals have already been eaten out. Therefore, Helan Changan's wife will not prepare anything complicated to eat, usually just a simple bowl of porridge.
However, there was the sound of hurried footsteps, and Helan Changan glanced at the hurried figure impatiently and said, "What's going on with the housekeeper this evening!"
He Lanmu quickly knelt down, sweat beading on his forehead, but he didn't dare to wipe it away. He held his breath and kowtowed, saying, "I've disturbed the general, please forgive me."
He Lanmu expressed that he was very tired and was scared to death every time he saw the general. The general slept in his wife's yard most of the time at night, and was basically away from the house all day during the day. Every time he saw the general, his heart was in his throat, fearing that the general would take away his identity as a butler if he got angry.
Although he has been a slave of the Helan family for generations, he was not chosen by the general himself, but by the old lady, and the old lady didn't actually like her.
Therefore, the general did not like him, so he did not dare to handle the affairs of the house easily. He asked his wife for instructions on everything, which was really like walking on thin ice.
Fortunately, although Helan Mu was very afraid of the general, his wife was still very talkative. Helan Mu saluted Helan Chang'an, lowered his head and replied respectfully: "General, Mr. Yao said he wanted to see the general."
As for the so-called Mr. Yao, He Lanmu actually didn't know who he was. He only knew that he suddenly came to visit the general some time ago and seemed to have had a secret conversation with the general for a long time.
However, from then on, he was "entertained" by the general in his mansion. Although it is a treat of delicious food and drinks, it is actually no different from house arrest.
The general would also go to see Mr. Yao every few days, and the two of them would stay together for half a day each time.
Very few people in the mansion knew about this matter, and only people like him, who had been slaves of the Helan family for several generations, were qualified to know. And these people he worked with were also the people responsible for arranging to "protect" Mr. Yao.
Madam Leng Yueru saw that Butler He was trembling in fear and did not dare to look at Helan Changan, so she took the initiative and said to Helan Changan: "Some things should be decided. Since Mr. Yao is looking for the master, why not invite Mr. Yao over?" A narration."
Because of her origin, the relationship with Helan Changan's mother was very tense, and it remains so to this day.
It is precisely because of this that Helan Chang'an has always been unhappy with Helan Mu who was inserted by his mother. But Leng Yueru knew that Helan Mu's servant for generations was loyal to the Helan family itself, and that was enough, so he was treated quite leniently.
As for Mr. Yao, Leng Xinru knew the origin of this person clearly, but it was precisely because of this that they had to treat him with caution. Behind every successful man, there is a great woman. Few people know that Leng Xinru is the woman behind Helan Changan.
For half their life as husband and wife, many of the decisions Helan Changan made had the shadow of Leng Xinru behind them.
He Lanmu's figure headed towards the west courtyard, while Leng Yueru exited the screen behind the lobby. She was a person in the inner room, and she was in the middle of the night, so it was not convenient for her to receive outsiders.
However, Leng Yueru fell into deep thought at this time.
Today, Han Xin's troops have just arrived outside Zuozhen City, but tonight, when Helan Changan has just returned home, Mr. Yao is already eager to see Helan Changan.
Could this be a coincidence?
Leng Yueru didn't believe that there could be such a simple coincidence in the world. She believed even more that it was because there was a spy in the house.
No, Leng Yueru quickly thought about it again!
Although she, a member of the inner chamber, had never had direct contact with Mr. Yao, from Helan Changan's description, she knew that he was definitely not such a simple person.
There is a spy in the other party's house. This is probably the information that Mr. Yao deliberately exposed. As the Zuo Zhen guard general, Helan Chang'an's house has someone's inner ghost, but what about other places?
Mr. Yao wanted to tell them that Zuo Zhencheng could no longer be defended, and he wanted to further let go of their defenses!
"Mr. Yao, I don't know why you are asking to see me, General, this late at night!" Helan Changan said in a bad tone.
Most people would not have a good attitude towards such a person trying to persuade him to surrender. In the context of ancient times that emphasized filial piety and justice, the word "treason" was definitely much heavier.
"Didn't the general already know this?"
Yao Guangxiao did not wait for his host to entertain him, so he turned his back on the guests, sat on a chair, poured a cup of tea and began to sip it carefully.
"General Han Xin's army has arrived. I wonder if the general thinks this left town can be defended?" Yao Guangxiao asked proactively.
"Why not?" Helan Changan asked.
Negotiation is all about who has more chips and who has more confidence. The more confident the party, the greater the advantage it can gain. No matter whether you are really confident or not, you must at least look like this on the surface.
"Han Xin has 30,000 soldiers, but Wuzuo Town also has 20,000 strong soldiers. With this city here, why can't we defend it?" Helan Chang'an said with confidence.
"Yecheng has fallen, the Hebei Taoist army has lost its morale, and the various places have become a piece of scattered sand. Even if they have strong troops, they will never be heard!" Yao Guangxiao said with a smile.
Yecheng is the entire central hub of Hebei Province and the entire political center of Hebei Province. What's the use of just having military power without the political support behind it?
The important officials of Hebei Province are all in Yecheng. If there is no place here, apart from other things, who can direct the various places to deliver grain and grass to the front in an orderly manner?
Furthermore, there is no one to take charge of governing the place, and the situation behind is a mess. How can the battle on the front line not be affected in any way?
And so on, all aspects have a huge impact, and these will ultimately affect the frontline war either directly or indirectly.
(End of chapter)
