The Great Wall is empty and I promise that my hair is already faded in the mirror. -------Lu You, Southern Song Dynasty, "One of Five Poems of Indignation"
The words were divided into two parts. Before the battle in Jizhou, Chen Long asked Zhao Yun to escort Liu Qian and Zhen Mi to Lingling. With Zhou Cang's assistance and the great master Tong Yuan accompanying them, Chen Long felt a little at ease. Although Liu Qian and Zhen Mi didn't want to be separated from Chen Long, they knew that Wen Long was busy with work, so they had to silently pray for a reunion in the future. Along the way, the two beauties Zhen Mi and Tong Feifei were fighting over each other overtly and covertly, which was quite interesting, and it's not obvious.
Chen Long, Zhou Buyi and Gao Lan, three of them and three on horseback, disguised as traveling merchants, rushed to Guangzong at high speed. After bypassing the imperial army and horse camp all night, we finally arrived at Guangzong City at noon the next day.
The guard patrolling the city gate was none other than Zhang Bao. When he saw Chen Long returning, he sent someone to notify Zhang Ning and open the door to welcome him in person. Chen Long dismounted and called his second uncle. Zhang Bao grabbed him and said, "Son-in-law, you are back! The saint talks about it every day and it is annoying me to death." When he saw Chen Long's steel gun hanging beside his horse, he He took it off and exclaimed: "What a gun! Where did you get it?"
Chen Long smiled and briefly talked about exploring the secret realm of Baishi, then asked Gao Lan to hold the gun and ride back to the city lord's palace with Zhang Bao. Halfway through Zhang Bao's arrival, he saw a white horse in front of him, riding a beautiful woman with beautiful eyebrows, a bright yellow body, and a graceful figure. Who could it be if it wasn't Zhang Ning?
When Zhang Ning saw Chen Long, he let out a sweet cry without reining in his horse. He flew forward and landed steadily in front of Chen Long's horse, with a smile as bright as a flower. When Chen Long saw Zhang Ning's Qing Gong progress again, he was overjoyed and dismounted. The two of them did not dare to be too affectionate in front of everyone, but their hands could not help but hold together.
Zhang Bao laughed loudly because he was old and disrespectful. Knowing that he was redundant, he led his subordinates back to the city. Gao Lan and Zhou Buyi hurriedly dismounted, took over their horses, and exchanged brief greetings with Lu Chang and Hu Ji who were following them. They did not dare to disturb the meeting between the princess and the princess.
Zhang Ning and Chen Long walked side by side, slowly walking towards the city lord's palace. Chen Long saw that although the beauty was as beautiful as before, her energy was a little low, and asked: "Mei Niang, how is the battle?"
Mei Niang did not answer, but her eyes gradually became moist and she said: "Brother, I have been waiting for you day and night, but you are back. My father's health is getting worse and worse, and he is very weak now. When he heard that you were back, he also struggled and was waiting for you in the hall. Let's go back Say it again."
In the hall of the city lord's palace, Chen Long saw Zhang Jue sitting upright with an ashen face, and tried his best to hold on. I lamented in my heart that this great sage and mentor, General Tiangong, who once raised his arms and made the people follow him, has reached the time when his oil and lamps are exhausted. It was not a holiday, and Chen Long could only sigh.
Zhang Jiaoping withdrew everyone, leaving only Zhang Ning and Chen Long. A smile appeared on his ashen face, and he said with great sadness: "My father is seriously ill, and there is no cure. The reason why I can't let go is because Mei Niang will live forever." Undecided. Wenlong, Mei Niang has had no mother since she was a child, and she has been dependent on me for life. Although she is a saint now, the yellow scarf is in danger. After I leave, Mei Niang will be helpless. I see that you two are a perfect match, and I want to marry you. Mei Niang will be entrusted to you for life, are you willing?" She said and held Mei Niang's hand with Chen Long's.
Mei Niang had already burst into tears. Chen Long knelt on his knees and said respectfully: "Mei Niang is the love of my life. I will swear an oath in front of my father-in-law today that I will live with Mei Niang until we grow old and we will depend on each other till death." As he said that, he kowtowed repeatedly. Ringed a few times.
Zhang Jiao said with joy: "In this case, I don't have much time, so I must attend my daughter's wedding and get married today. But my third uncle is still fighting in the plains, so he doesn't have much time to worry about." Chen Long kowtowed and shouted: " father in law!"
Zhang Jiao ordered people to prepare everything for the wedding. Although Chen Long and Zhang Ning were happy, Zhang Jiao was seriously ill and still felt like a heavy weight in his heart. Seeing that all the soldiers were going down to arrange the wedding, Zhang Jiao took Chen Long's hand and said, "My dear son-in-law, I have one more thing to say. I have already discussed it with Mei Niang. I hope you will consider it."
Seeing Chen Long nod, Zhang Jiao continued: "The Yellow Turbans were defined as thieves by the Han court, which made everyone in the world cry for beatings. Although Lu Zhi and Dong Zhuo were replaced successively, Bocai was defeated in a bitter battle, Zhang Mancheng died in Nanyang, and Bu Si They were defeated and killed, and the Yellow Turbans are already struggling. Now I want to hand over the military power of the Yellow Turbans to Wenlong. Can you think of a good strategy, how can you make it logical for me to surrender to you, the Lingling prefect, in the name of defeat? "
Zhang Ning frowned and said, "This is a difficult problem. If you want to surrender, you should surrender to Huangfu Song and Zhu Jun. Now, on the surface, Brother Chen has nothing to do with the Yellow Turbans. If you just accept the Yellow Turbans, it will only Let the court become suspicious and figure out our relationship with Big Brother. How can we surrender to Big Brother in a logical manner?"
This was the first time Chen Long heard that Zhang Mancheng had died in battle, and he asked about the situation. It turned out that Zhang Mancheng's army attacked Wancheng, the seat of Nanyang County, and killed Chu Gong, the prefect of Nanyang. Although they succeeded in one fell swoop, the losses were too great. Qin Jie, who was succeeded as the governor of Nanyang, joined forces with Xu Zhuan, the governor of Jingzhou, to launch a massive counterattack, successfully defeated the Yellow Turbans and killed Zhang Mancheng. The Nanyang Yellow Turbans now retreated to Wancheng and elected Zhao Hong as the new Qu Commander. They were besieged by the three troops of Qin Jie, Xu Qiu, and Zhu Jun who went south, and struggled to support the isolated city.
Chen Long lowered his head and thought. Zhang Jiao intended to hand over the Yellow Turban troops to him. There was no reason to refuse. It was just the right force needed to conquer the world in the future. But how to make the court less suspicious requires a lot of thinking. Nowadays, although Huangfu Song and Zhu Jun are not finished yet, they have achieved successive victories. How can we seize the fruits of their victory in a logical manner?
While he was thinking silently, Zhou Buji paid his respects, bringing someone with him. When Chen Long looked up, it was Hao Pu who was sent by himself to urge Chen Qun and Guo Jia to leave. He couldn't help but said with half surprise and half joy: "Hao Pu, didn't I ask you to follow Feng Xiao and the others back to Lingling?"
Hao Pu quickly made a military salute and said: "My lord, this subordinate is sent by Military Advisor Fengxiao. I'm relaying the Military Advisor's instructions. The matter involves the Yellow Turbans. I hope General Tiangong will not be surprised."
Zhang Jiao nodded and said, "But it doesn't hurt to talk."
"The military adviser has said that now the imperial troops have won a partial victory and defeated the Yellow Turbans, which is just around the corner. The fruits of victory can be snatched."
Chen Long said with great joy: "Fengxiao really has a far-sighted vision. But he doesn't know what the plan will be?"
"The military advisor learned that Dong Zhuo was unfavorable in the battle with Zhang Bao, so he asked Chen Shi to recommend the Lord to the throne and lead the army in Dong Zhuo's place. At the same time, he bribed Zhao Zhong and asked him to promote your military skills in front of the emperor. Now the holy will has been loosened. If the imperial court appoints him, the lord can lead the army in a majestic manner, collect the fruits of victory, and expand Lingling's strength. If the Holy Dragon Heart is delighted, he may be able to fight without bloodshed and obtain the position of governor of Jingzhou. "
Chen Long was overjoyed and couldn't help praising Guo Jia for his foresight. Zhang Jiao and Zhang Ning were also happy that Guo Jia had solved the difficult problem. Chen Long explained to Zhou Buyi that Zhang Jiao wanted to hand over the troops to him, but he had no suitable excuse. Zhou Buyi understood and said: "Fengxiao is really a good plan. However, Fengxiao doesn't know that we and General Tiangong are on this level. relationship, I thought we really wanted to lead troops to destroy the Yellow Turbans. To solve the problem of how the Yellow Turbans can surrender to the lord in a logical manner, it would be best if we get the emperor's order and make a fake show. But there are also shortcomings, which are the consequences of the imperial edict. The soldiers, I'm afraid, are all soldiers of the imperial court, which will have an impact on the master's reorganization of the Yellow Turban troops afterwards. If the imperial court sees that you have brought all the troops back to Lingling, I am afraid that your ambitions will be exposed."
Chen Long heard what Zhou Buyi said was reasonable and asked: "Then how can we quietly include these troops under the jurisdiction of Lingling after accepting the surrender of the Yellow Turban troops?"
Zhou Buyi's wise little eyes shone on his fat face and said: "First, after receiving the imperial edict, unite the army to conquer the Yellow Turbans in Jizhou. After surrendering, they disbanded all the Yellow Turban troops, broke them into pieces, and ordered them to transform into civilians. Small groups flowed into Lingling without arousing suspicion. All they told the court was that the Yellow Turban troops were all refugees, and most of them were unwilling to accept reorganization and just wanted to go home and work in the fields."
Zhang Jiao said with great joy: "Why wait until Wen Long surrenders? It can be done from now on. What about the other two?"
Zhou Bujie did not answer for now and continued his train of thought: "The imperial court does not know the strength of the Yellow Turbans, so General Tiangong only needs to leave two or three of his troops for show, and the role of surrendering to the lord must be sufficient. In this way, the lord will You can get the honor of annihilating the Yellow Turbans from the imperial court."
Seeing Zhang Jiao nodding, Zhou Buyi continued: "Second, the Yellow Turban troops immediately abandoned Jizhou and moved to fight. They only said that there was insufficient food and grass, so they had to abandon the city and flee. In fact, they fought with all their strength to reach the vicinity of Lingling and did not fight with them. The soldiers and horses along the road engage in battle to avoid losses. As long as the lord reaches Lingling and leads the Lingling garrison to perform a show and defeat the Yellow Turbans, he can naturally reorganize the Yellow Turbans and get rewards from the court without arousing suspicion. "
Zhang Jiao was overjoyed and stood up suddenly and said: "Wenlong, you have two military advisors, Guo Fengxiao and Zhou Buyi, so why worry about the world? It's true that heroes come from young, but it's a pity that I don't have such good luck!"
Chen Long looked at Zhou Buyi with a smile and said: "Yuan Zhi and Feng Xiao are indeed the best think tanks in the world. Now that the Yellow Turban troops are divided into three groups, I think Yuan Zhi's strategy is feasible. Nanyang's troops are close to Lingling, so they can Let them move to Lingling. As for the siege of Wancheng, a letter from his father-in-law can ask Bocai to abandon Runan and secretly rush to aid Wancheng. As long as the passage is opened and the two armies join together, they can move to Lingling together and perform a battle in Lingling. A scene.”
"Jizhou is too far away from Lingling. We can use the first strategy. We will break it up immediately and leave only two or three cents of our troops. As soon as the imperial edict arrives, we can take office and lead the troops to attack Guangzong. Hao Pu, Where is Hu Ji?"
Hao Pu and Hu Ji in the hall hurriedly raised their hands to listen. Chen Long ordered: "Hao Pu, you immediately return to Chen Qun and Feng Xiao and order them to do everything possible and use all resources to win over my appointment from the imperial court. . Then return to Lingling and ask Gongfu to prepare for the show with the Nanyang Yellow Turbans. Hu Ji, get up immediately and wait at Zhao Da's place in Luoyang. Ask him to use his connections as well. As soon as the imperial decree is issued, he can quickly return to Guangzong to inform me." Hao Pu and Hu Ji each took their orders.
Seeing Chen Long's explanation clearly, Zhang Jiao couldn't help but secretly rejoice that his daughter had been entrusted to the right person, and he also pinned his ambition to conquer the world on Chen Long. That night, the city lord's palace was filled with joy. Zhang Jiao shook off his illness and presided over the wedding in person. Together with Zhang Bao, who was drunk, he sent his daughter and son-in-law into the bridal chamber.
In the bridal chamber, the flowers and candles were bright, the quilt was fragrant, and the atmosphere was as warm as spring. Chen Long and his beloved wife Zhang Ning finally became one, and the pain of missing each other for many days was gone. The husband and wife were united, Zhang Ning was still a virgin, and he endured the pain happily without mentioning it.
In the early morning, there were sudden footsteps outside the bridal chamber door. A soldier said outside the door: "Holy girl, holy aunt, General Tiangong may not be able to survive." Chen Long and Zhang Ning quickly got up, put on their coats, and went straight to Zhangjiao without having time to wash up. bedroom. Zhang Bao also hurried over, all disheveled. Zhang Jiao, with a pale face, lay on the bed, picked up a letter and wrote to Zhang Bao: "Second brother, go to the third brother in person and persuade him to hand over the troops to Wenlong and act according to his plan." Zhang Bao accepted it with tears. Down.
Zhang Jiao took out another letter and handed it to Zhang Ning and said: "Daughter, this is the letter I wrote to Bo Cai, asking him to arrange the rescue of Zhao Hong and follow the plan." Zhang Ning had already burst into tears and accepted the letter. Letter.
Zhang Jiao took Chen Long's hand again and said: "Wen Long, you are a real person, and you will definitely take care of Mei Niang throughout your life. I attended your wedding, and my wish has been fulfilled. Even if I die, I will have no regrets. After my death, there will be no mourning secret. When you receive the imperial edict and lead the troops to Guangzong, announce my death and surrender the entire army. My body is at your disposal and can be sent to the imperial court to help you establish meritorious deeds." After saying this, he closed his eyes and Pass away peacefully and pass away forever.
Both Zhang Ning and Zhang Bao fainted from crying, while Chen Long remained silent. A great sage and mentor of a generation died of illness in a foreign land, but it was still a great success. As for the body, how could he bear to show it off to the court? He would only have to think of a solution then. Suddenly there was a thunderous sound in the air, and the soul of Zhang Jiao, the great virtuous teacher and Tiangong general, disappeared into the sky.
