Cars rattled, horses rustled, and pedestrians carried bows and arrows at their waists.
Han Xizai led 500 soldiers of the Forbidden Army to escort King Zheng Li Congjia's chariot and more than ten large vehicles from Langzhou, heading east along the official road.
The route decided by Han Xizai was to go east past Yuezhou, and then along the Han River to Ezhou, where there would be naval warships of the Wuchang Army. After that, they could take the waterway down the river and return to Jinling, the capital of the Southern Tang Dynasty.
For Li Congjia, Prince of Zheng, he was actually in no hurry. As long as he left Langzhou and Wuping, this was his biggest request. As for which route to choose and when to arrive in Jinling, Li Congjia was not that concerned. . In addition, as the north wind became stronger and the weather became freezing, the days on the road were not easy.
So Li Congjia's idea was to go slowly, and it didn't matter when he returned to the capital. He hadn't felt so comfortable for a long time, so he thought it was time to relax.
However, the official road from Langzhou to Yuezhou is a wide road that has been repaired in recent years. The place it passes is flat, wide and unobstructed. Even if Li Congjia didn't want to rush too much, starting from Langzhou, the large team could cover more than ninety miles in one day, and the speed was definitely not slow. Li Congjia could only let nature take its course.
At dusk two days later, Li Congjia arrived at the southern bank of Dongting Lake. This was the last resting place before arriving at Yuezhou. In this area, there were one of the few hills on the official road from Langzhou City to Yuezhou City. In order to rush to Yuezhou City to rest tomorrow, the large group of people set up camp at the foot of a low hillside in Dongting Hunan.
The Forbidden Army began to cook pots and prepare dinner, and some soldiers were busy surrounding fences and penning the horses inside to feed fodder. After Han Xizai settled Prince Zheng and Li Congjia in the largest tent to rest, he sat in his own room with the two generals leading the escort. Rest in the tent.
One of the older generals named Liao Yi seemed to be very eloquent. He was frothing at the mouth and bragging about his past military exploits to Han Xizai. At this time, he suddenly heard someone outside reporting loudly.
"Report! Minister Han, there are suspicious people on the east road, coming towards where I camp."
At first, Han Xizai subconsciously thought that Li Yuan was sending troops, but when he heard that they were coming from the east, he immediately rejected this idea. Then he hurriedly got up and left the tent, stood on the rocks at the foot of the hillside, and looked down. As expected, Seeing smoke and dust everywhere on the official road, it seemed that more than a dozen horsemen were rushing from the official road to the road next to the mountain stream, heading towards the camp.
"If anyone comes, please immediately order the crossbowmen to guard the camp gate and ask the visitor to identify himself, otherwise he will be killed within a hundred steps!" Liao Yi immediately ordered, and the soldiers hurriedly followed the order.
After a while, fifty archers quickly took their positions, lined up at the simple gate of the camp, bent their bows and nocked arrows, waiting for orders. But I saw a dozen or so unidentified riders running from the official road, crossing the wooden bridge over the mountain stream and heading straight for the camp gate, but they reined in their horses a hundred steps away.
"Who are you? This is an important area of the military camp. How can we allow anyone to spy on us? Anyone who violates this rule will be shot to death!" a soldier shouted loudly.
A knight in the opponent's column wearing a black piping cape rode forward, took off the hood on his head, revealing a handsome face, but his body was broad and round, and he wore a long sword on his waist. He looked like a leader. The general of the army.
"May I ask, is this where His Royal Highness Prince Zheng is stationed?" The general asked loudly without dismounting, straightening his body.
Prince Zheng and Li Congjia, who were hiding behind the crowd and trembling, heard what he heard clearly. Looking at the familiar face from a distance, he also recognized who the general was. It was Zhang Wenbiao who had not seen him for many days. Now for some reason he specifically Come here first.
"Servant Han, these are people I know well, please let them in." Li Congjia was extremely happy and hurried to the camp gate.
Seeing this, Han Xizai frowned, but still waved to Liao Yi. Liao Yi immediately gave the order and let Zhang Wenbiao and the dozen cavalry enter the military camp.
Zhang Wenbiao stood up neatly and dismounted and saluted Li Congjia. Li Congjia excitedly held Zhang Wenbiao's hands and said, "Wenbiao, why are you here? Are you here to pick me up?"
Zhang Wenbiao was running all the way, his face was red from the cold wind, his mouth was a little chapped, and his bun was a little messy.
"Your Highness, can you give the general some water to drink first? There are also the general's subordinates. They also need water and food. Please ask someone to entertain the troops."
Li Congjia hurriedly said: "Yes, yes, look at how impatient I am. Come, follow me into the tent to drink water and eat something. The people you brought will have someone to entertain them."
Zhang Wenbiao followed Li Congjia to his own tent. He had just opened the tent curtain and entered. He was bending down to pack his bed and cook tea. Zhang Zi, who had no time to care about the noise outside, recognized Zhang Wenbiao at a glance and shouted in surprise. got up.
"Zhang, General Zhang, why are you here?"
Zhang Wenbiao stepped forward, cupped his hands and said, "Zhang Sheren, you are well."
Li Congjia waved his hand quickly and said, "Zhang Zi, do you have hot tea? First, pour some hot tea to let Wen Biao warm up."
Hearing Li Congjia calling Zhang Wenbiao's name so affectionately, Zhang Zi felt a little uncomfortable, but he still agreed, took a futon for Zhang Wenbiao to sit on the carpet, and hurriedly made tea.
It was clear to the onlookers that Zhang Zi reacted naturally. Despite being jealous, he had to secretly admire Zhang Wenbiao's intentions. You must know that people's mood is always fragile and drifting after they escape from danger. How would it feel to see someone who cares about you at this time? Since Zhang Wenbiao was the first, then Zhang Wenbiao's importance in His Highness Prince Zheng's heart will probably be irreplaceable by anyone.
Everyone sat down, and Li Congjia suddenly showed a guilty look on his face and said: "Wen Biao, regarding the matter of Zhou Governor, I -"
Zhang Wenbiao immediately waved his hand to stop him, pointed in the direction outside the tent, tapped his ear, and then said in a deep voice: "Your Highness, I understand in my heart. But the past is in the past, and there is no need to say more. From now on, Your Highness will If there is an order, the general will follow the example of my second brother, and he will do whatever he wants without hesitation."
Li Congjia sighed softly, looking at Zhang Wenbiao with a determined expression, his heart was extremely complicated.
In the silence, Zhang Wenbiao picked up the tea and blew it a few times and took a few sips. He licked his chapped lips with his tongue. The color of his lips quickly recovered and he said, "Your Highness, what are your plans after returning to Beijing?"
Li Congjia shook his head and sighed: "I don't know. This time I made such a big mistake in Langzhou, which really undermines the power of the royal family. I'm afraid it will be difficult to go down this road in the future..."
"Your Highness, please return to the capital with peace of mind. There is no need to worry about what will happen next."
Li Congjia said in astonishment: "Why is Wen Biao so sure?"
"It's no wonder that His Highness has been away from the capital for a long time, and may not be aware of the major events in the court. Now Prime Minister Xu has been promoted to Left Prime Minister, the Privy Council's Chief and Deputy Privy Councilors, Wei Cen and Li Zhenggu are now willing to support His Highness, and as for the generals, they are also involved. Guang can be sent to Yuezhou, and there are 40,000 Yueshan troops under his command..."
"What?" Li Congjia was surprised and asked quickly: "How come this court has changed so much? Even you, Wen Biao? Isn't Yuezhou just ahead?"
Zhang Wenbiao nodded and said with a smile: "Yes, the Yuezhou City ahead is where the general is stationed. Your Highness, whenever the situation changes in the future, you only need to order people to deliver the message quickly. The 40,000 soldiers under the general will all follow your orders."
"Okay!" Li Congjia couldn't help but clapped his arms and stood up, and then said excitedly with his hands behind his back: "Wen Biao, from the moment I saw you, I was convinced that you are a loyal and courageous person! I, I saw you right, ! When I return to the court, I will try my best to promote you again!"
Zhang Wenbiao did not refuse, cupped his hands and said: "Thank you, Your Highness, General!"
Li Congjia suddenly whispered: "Wen Biao, since the city in front of us is Yuezhou City, why did you come here in person dressed in casual clothes?"
Zhang Wenbiao said in a deep voice: "Just in case. Your Highness, since that incident last time, no matter how arrogant and submissive Li Yuan was with the court, it is no longer difficult to reconcile between him and you. Since the last general is leading the army in Yuezhou , we must ensure that His Highness can return to the capital safely. Even if Li Yuan feels regretful and secretly sends troops to chase you after you leave, the general will be able to resist you here."
Li Congjia was greatly moved, and then gritted his teeth and said: "Wen Biao is really thoughtful! It is true that Li Yuan is not a good person. Who knows what his intentions are this time. This person has always been hypocritical and scheming, and he can always make some tricks. You tricked your father into making a fool of yourself, how hateful! You failed to get rid of him, but instead you harmed the governor of Zhou. If you don't avenge this, I will never be a human being!"
Zhang Wenbiao seemed to be touched in his heart. He closed his eyes and said calmly: "Your Highness, from now on, you will be like a dragon entering the sea and a roc emerging from the cage. Li Yuan is nothing more than a villager in the mountains. He is not worth mentioning. Sooner or later, he will have to pay for his debt with blood." . Your Highness, I will never put you in danger again in the future. Please rest assured!"
Li Congjia almost shed tears and choked with sobs: "A loyal minister is always seen in need! Wen Biao, with your words, I will definitely live up to you in the future!"
Zhang Wenbiao stood up, bent down and said, "Your Highness's kindness will never be repaid with death!"
"Wen Biao, get up quickly!" Li Congjia wiped his rosy eyes, and then hurriedly told Zhang Zi: "Prepare an extra quilt tonight. I want to sleep on the same bed as Wen Biao!"
Sleeping on the same bed? When has His Highness treated anyone with such courtesy before? Zhang Zi looked at the excited Li Congjia, and then at the extremely calm Zhang Wenbiao. He sighed secretly in his heart and had no choice but to cup his hands and reply: "Yes!"
.....
