The group of people traveling north to take up their posts in the next few days went extremely smoothly.
Zhao Zhengli also didn't know whether it was Chen Xiaoyao who had a "good brother" who calmed down the situation, or whether Hedong Road General Yao Hanbei was closely guarded by armor.
In less than three days, the flower boat arrived safely in Yuci from the Tushui River, which is a branch of the Fenhe River, and the Fenhe River is a branch of the Yellow River.
Yuci, an ancient city that has existed since the Spring and Autumn Period, has dozens of large and small rivers like Tushui River passing through it. In addition, the terrain in the northwest is flat, so water and land connect all directions.
Tens and hundreds of miles to the west of Yuci City is Datongjianjiao City, and dozens of miles to the northwest is Taiyuan Prefecture. The "big and small prefectures" are within easy reach.
Therefore, before this group of people entered the city, the news had already spread to all the prefectures on Hedong Road.
.
Two groups of people came from outside Yuci City. One group was composed of five big and three thick soldiers with burly armors. The other group was elegant and elegant in long robes.
The armored soldiers were all hunky-backed, with dark butterfly-patterned sabers hung on their waists. The blade was slightly curved. This place is within the borders of Hedong Road. If you pinch your nose, you can think of it as the Hedong Road Army. As for which army in the Eighth Army it is? It is unknown, they did not reveal their identities, nor did they show the unique logo of each army.
Among the soldiers, there was a young man who was extraordinary in his movements. He had the appearance of a scholar and a simple demeanor. This man had met Zhao Zhengli once in Qingzhou. It was Ge Xiaojin who was with Prince Xiao that day.
The figures in the Confucian robes were middle-aged, with square cloth turbans tied up in their hair, long swords on their backs, and a horse on each hip. They looked like they were on an official career.
Judging from his accent, he probably came from the capital.
Two groups of uninvited guests outside the city made Yuci County's parents and officials feel like they were on pins and needles. It was okay if they passed by. If they started trouble, it would kill him. In the fifth or sixth year of the founding of Daqing, the northern frontier was already in turmoil. Yuci, as a The south gate of Taiyuan Prefecture is supposed to be protected at all levels and is a treasured defense area in a dangerous area. Now two groups of uninvited guests have gathered outside the city. How can the county magistrate not panic? The soldiers guarding the city reported that there was also a group of armored troops. Through the heated discussion in the past two days, it is most likely related to Zhao Zhengli, the captain of Shangqingche who went north to take up his post.
At that time, the spies came to report that the flower boat heading north to the Tushui River outside the city had arrived outside the city. Ma De, the master of the county where the flower boat came from, had a clear door and immediately understood the purpose of the two teams stopping outside the city.
He didn't want to wade into this muddy water. He knew that Zhao Zhengli, who was going to take office on the ship, was escorted by Yao Hanbei, the son of the deputy commander of Hedong Road. He also knew that deputy commander Yao Xuda had a deadlock with the orthodox commander Ge Hongliang.
It would not be appropriate to meet behind closed doors. After thinking about it, he summoned the Lord Bo and asked him to take the Yamen servants out of the city to greet Captain Shangqingche who was about to take office. His attitude should not be enthusiastic or indifferent. He should show his friendship as a landlord and be polite. In short, it is best to keep a distance so that the three parties do not offend.
There was no reason for the entire Yuci County government office to feel nervous. The boss Bo was an old man in his early forties or fifties. He knew how to observe people’s emotions best, and his words and deeds were also cautious. The boss Bo understood the intention of the county magistrate and led dozens of government officials in a mighty manner. Go out of the city gate.
On the flower boat, Zhao Zhengli and others looked at the crowds at the ferry from the bow on the second floor.
Chen Xiaoyao crossed his arms and touched Zhao Zhengli with his elbow: "Do you feel the murderous aura?"
Zhao Zhengli ignored his nonsense, looked around, and looked at General Zhong Ge Xiaojin among the armored soldiers, then withdrew his gaze and fell on Yao Hanbei, who was also the general brother next to him, and joked: "How dare you Then escort me?"
Yao Hanbei smiled brightly, still confident: "That's natural, Yao will do what he says, and besides, he doesn't dare to do anything to the Taoist priest. If his guess is correct, his big fanfare here should force the Taoist priest to go north to the front without stopping. .”
He paused and then added: "Having said that, even if he has evil intentions, I'm afraid he won't be able to keep the Taoist leader and the Taoist priest with dozens of soldiers in armor."
Zhao Zhengli glanced at the gentle man who seemed to have everything under control: "You don't have any worries about getting close to me?"
He looked at the beautiful man in green shirt very seriously: "If I say I have concerns, I am worried about whether the Taoist priest thinks I am sincere enough. If I tie up my hands and hide myself, I am afraid it will be difficult to have a heart-to-heart relationship with him. Since I have chosen the same Taoist priest to break the situation, then I am also prepared to risk my life."
He looked at the horizon and smiled: "Besides, the Ge family only accounts for half of this territory, so what if we make it clear?"
His calm tone exuded invincible confidence.
At that time, the group of middle-aged scholars in Confucian shirts carrying long swords on the shore handed over to the flower boat: "Dao Zhang Zhao, we are ordered to take Miss Yufu back to Beijing for investigation and interrogation."
After speaking, the leader handed over a letter: "Here is a handwritten letter that Yu Shangshu gave to the Taoist Priest before he was dismissed. Please have the Taoist Priest read it."
When Yu Xiaowei heard words such as "return to Beijing for investigation and interrogation, and be dismissed from office", her heart was in a state of shock, and her mind went blank for an instant.
Zhao Zhengli frowned and used his true energy to absorb the envelope from the air. Yu Xiaowei watched the changes in Zhao Zhengli's expression absent-mindedly. Biyu was also paying attention, but Biyu didn't know that Chen Xiaoyao's eyes were also paying attention to her as affectionately as hers.
At that time, Zhao Zhengli was pulling everyone's hearts invisibly.
Of course, except for the group of armored soldiers on the shore.
The scholar-looking young man among the troops was looking at the equally elegant young man on the second floor of the flower boat.
Yao Hanbei kept his eyes open and smiled politely.
The two generals just looked at each other from a distance.
Zhao Zhengli's eyes finally had waves, or to be precise, his heart was like a turbulent wave.
There was a huge earthquake in the temple recently. On July 18th, the sixth year of Xingtong Yuan, the old emperor's condition worsened, and the prince took over the affairs of the court.
On the 19th, two ministers of Lihu reported to Zhongshu Sheng, reporting that the minister of the Ministry of War had bribed and abused power for many years. The physical evidence was conclusive. Yu Bin was dismissed from his post and investigated. However, the person in charge of all this was his eldest son Yu He. Yu Xiaowei defected to the prince's eldest brother and took sides. King Cheng's second brother Yu Anqiu was also placed under house arrest on unfounded charges.
On the 20th, a mysterious reward order of two million gold appeared on the Changle Hall assassination list, pointing directly at Zhao Zhengli, who was going north to take office.
On the same day, the seventh prince Song Zhongliang, who had just returned to Beijing from private life for several months, left Beijing for the second time.
That night, Song Maoling, the unrivaled sixth prince of the Tianshi Mansion, left the capital that night and disappeared without a trace.
In the north, the Khitan, Tubo, and Xixia kingdoms were training their troops and horses, as if they were ready to send their troops southward.
The commander-in-chief of the Six Lions of Zhenbei followed closely and waited.
…
Zhao Zhengli handed the letter to Yu Xiaowei, who had been paying close attention nervously. The temple war began. It seemed that the prince had the right time and place. He did not expect that he would be the first to attack the Minister of War. It was not difficult to judge if he thought about his relationship with Yu Xiaowei. He scanned Glancing at the group of middle-aged men in Confucian shirts with swords on their backs, a hint of murderous intent flashed through their eyes. The group of middle-aged men in Confucian shirts felt like they were being glanced at by ferocious beasts, and an inexplicable chill ran down their spines.
Zhao Zhengli turned his attention to Ge Xiaojin's armored soldiers and said calmly: "They are here to pick up Miss Yu, so if I guess correctly, Major General Ge is here waiting for Zhao to go north to the front line to fight the enemy, right?"
Ge Xiaojin, who looked like a handsome young master, took out a folding fan from nowhere and shook it gently: "The war is urgent. My father has asked me to welcome the commander of Qingchao to support the front line. When the situation on the northern front stabilizes, we will give him some help." The official conferment of the title of Captain is a bit abrupt, so please don’t blame me."
Before Zhao Zhengli could speak, Yao Hanbei answered first: "The important logistics matters have been handled by the deputy commander-in-chief. Commander-in-Chief Ge is responsible for military affairs. Zhao Zhengli, the commander of the light carriage, has not been formally crowned and conferred, so he is not allowed to rush to the front line directly."
Ge Xiaojin stared at Yao Hanbei, who was speaking righteously, with a sullen face: "There is an emergency at the border. Isn't it the same when I come back after the war to grant a title?"
Yao Hanbei smiled: "Not being awarded a title means that you have no official title. How will you calculate your merits? Who will be responsible for any accidents?"
Then he said meaningfully: "The battlefield is changing rapidly. The captain is not yet familiar with the military situation. If he enters the battlefield rashly and is framed by someone with intentional intentions, wouldn't it be unfair?"
Ge Xiaojin knew that he could not win with his words, so he said with a stern face: "You are using the heart of a villain to judge the belly of a gentleman."
Seeing his anxious look, Yao Hanbei became calmer: "The border fortress only has iron military regulations and imperial decrees."
Zhao Zhengli also heard some of the ins and outs and followed the topic: "Then we will follow the normal procedures. The Northern Line is not in a hurry for a day or two."
Seeing that things had come to this, Ge Xiaojin unexpectedly showed a smile: "Two days later, the captain will be waiting for you at the north gate of Taiyuan Prefecture!"
Zhao Zhengli cupped his hands and said nothing, because he could see the hidden ruthlessness from that smile.
The group of middle-aged men in Confucian shirts carrying long swords looked at each other in confusion. For a moment, they didn't know how to speak. The main reason was that they were still frightened by Zhao Zhengli's look earlier. The middle-aged man in charge mustered up the courage to speak: "Captain... I'll wait..."
The handsome man in green shirt was surprisingly polite: "You are all following orders, Zhao certainly understands."
Just when Chen Xiaoyao was wondering why this guy was so easy to talk to, the handsome man in green shirt immediately frowned and said, "However, Zhao has made a private life-long commitment with this young lady from the Yu family. It will definitely not work if you take her away by force, and Zhao has no intention of doing so." We are against the imperial court, so let's see if we can compromise and let Xiaowei witness Zhao's conferment. On the day Zhao goes north to the front line, how about Xiaowei returning to Beijing with everyone? It will be a delay of two days. "
The middle-aged scholar-shirted group was in trouble, so they thought about it and agreed to a two-day grace period.
Chen Xiaoyao is still confused. Is this guy really relieved after two days?
Everyone dispersed, leaving only a dozen government servants led by the old master Bo at the gate of Yuci City. They were either entering or retreating. In the end, the old master Bo saluted the flower boat in a generous manner. Then he greeted these "plague gods" and entered the county government office to rest.
After entertaining them with delicious food and drinks, several people took a carriage and took the official road into Taiyuan Mansion in the afternoon.
The atmosphere was very depressing along the way, and everyone moved forward with their own agenda.
Entering Taiyuan Mansion was through the south gate. Yao Hanbei's guards had already opened the way in advance, so it was a matter of course. Yao Hanbei placed Zhao Zhengli and others in the south courtyard of the city and disappeared. The matter of conferring the title was handled by his accompanying soldiers.
Zhao Zheng stood on the attic of the courtyard and looked at the setting sun. The July sun dyed the endless northwest sky and earth red, like fertile soil soaked with blood, making people endlessly sad.
"Are you really going to defend the northern front for this imperial court?"
A voice came from behind Zhao Zhengli, and he knew it was Chen Xiaoyao without turning around.
Zhao Zhengli paused, but after all he did not express his inner thoughts: "Is there a better way?"
Then he asked without looking back: "Who are you, Chen Yin, the assistant minister to the right prime minister of Zhongshu Province?"
Chen Xiaoyao said very calmly: "It's my brother!"
Although Zhao Zhengli was mentally prepared, he was still surprised: "Is he the shadow man that day?"
"Um!"
"He also took refuge in the prince?"
"I don't know, but with his temperament, it is impossible to choose the prince or King Cheng! The assassination of you that day was just a reward for the reward money offered by Tu Chang Le Fang, because he is also a killer secretly."
"Now that the court battle has begun, how can he gain a foothold in the court if he doesn't take sides?"
Chen Xiaoyao did not answer directly, but smiled: "This is the difference between him and me. I can only kill indiscriminately in a chaotic situation, but he can pull out threads and find a place in the chaos."
Zhao Zhengli fell into deep thought.
Chen Xiaoyao probed again and asked: "So you choose Prince Cheng or the Crown Prince? After this conferment, do you really go north to the front to fight against the enemy? Do you really put down your unfinished friend and return to Beijing to be investigated? Logically speaking, she has no official position or position. , it’s not her turn to review her.”
Seeing that he didn't answer, Chen Xiaoyao said again: "Do you need me to help your father-in-law? I can't guarantee my official position, but my life can still be saved."
Zhao Zhengli slowly moved his eyes to his handsome face, who smiled brightly: "I'm going to edit a book right now!"
Zhao Zhengli looked at his handsome back as he left in a hurry and smiled knowingly. Is it really true that there are many friends and many paths?
