April 10, 1625 (March of the fifth year of the Great Ming Dynasty)
Gaozhou (now Maoming City, Guangdong)
"Second Young Master! A letter from Liaodong!" Chang Erhu, the boy from next door, rushed into the courtyard excitedly holding a letter in his hand. Before he saw anyone, his voice had already spread far away.
Su Dingguo hurriedly ran out of the inner courtyard, took the letter from Chang Erhu and saw that it was indeed sent from Liaodong. He thought that this must be written by his cousin Yuan Chonghuan, so he stroked his bangs and smiled. He said: "Er Huzi, this is the Chinese document of the Liaodong Army written by Governor Yuan himself. It is no small matter. Today, your second son will record a meritorious service for you!" After saying this, he flicked his right hand, and a copper coin made a "ding" sound. Fly into the air.
Su Dingguo was several feet taller than ordinary people. He practiced martial arts all year round and had a tall and muscular figure. Erhuzi, who was already fifteen years old, had just reached the height of his chest. The copper coin flew for a while before falling. Chang Erhu reached out to catch it and went out happily. And go.
Su Dingguo opened the letter and saw that it was indeed his cousin's handwriting:
My nephew decides the country:
In October last year, our Ningyuan Army defeated 11 important towns in Nurhachi and won more than 30 victories. Jinzhou, Songshan, Xingshan, Youtun, Dalinghe, Xiaolinghe and other places are now garrisoned by our army, restoring more than 200 miles of territory to the country.
However, Duke Zhisheng returned to the capital according to the order, and the soldiers of Ningyuan were all grateful. However, we are stronger than others and our only intention is to serve the country.
In order to consolidate our mountains and rivers, Jinzhou and other towns had been recruiting troops for more than a month when my nephew received the letter. The responsibility of training troops is heavy and there is a long way to go. I have heard in detail that you are well versed in military strategy and are skilled in using force. You cannot enjoy being alone in the countryside and bury your talents in the fields.
I hope my nephew will leave immediately after hearing the letter and come to Ningyuan to help Yu garrison the border.
The element of uncle is as clear as face.
The spring month of the fifth year of Tianqi.
The letter is very short, but not a single word is redundant. Presumably, because my cousin is busy with military affairs all year round and has a vigorous and resolute manner, even one more word would be too wordy.
The "Zhisheng Gong" mentioned in the letter is Sun Chengzong, the Liaodong administrator who was the boss of his cousin Yuan Chonghuan, and Zhisheng is his given name. Mr. Sun was actually transferred back to Beijing? This must have been caused by that dog eunuch Wei Zhongxian! Although Mr. Sun's incident was heartbreaking, seeing his cousin asking him to immediately leave for Liaodong to help him train new soldiers to defend the border still made Su Dingguo excited.
Su's father is away from home all year round, and all matters in the house are decided by his mother. Su Dingguo told his mother about this, and her mother seemed to have expected it. She took the initiative to pack his clothes and pack his luggage, and then went to cook for him herself. It was getting late after dinner, so his mother ordered him to set off tomorrow morning, and Su Dingguo agreed.
In the early morning of the next day, his mother took care of him after breakfast and sent him to the palace. Finally, she asked him to send letters from time to time, and then she was followed back by two maids.
Su Dingguo watched his mother return and continued on the road until she disappeared.
The fastest way to get from Gaozhou to Liaodong was by boat, so Su Dingguo strode towards the largest shipping terminal in Gaozhou, intending to ask if there were any merchant or passenger ships going to and from Liaodong.
Su Dingguo had thick eyebrows, broad eyes, and a majestic figure, and his face was always filled with a confident smile. A man with such a strange appearance would attract passers-by's glances even if he walked on the road in the north, let alone in the south of Guangdong and Guangxi.
After walking for half a day, I finally arrived at the shipping pier along the official road. I saw a constant flow of people of all kinds on the pier, and the shouts and shouts of roadside vendors could be heard one after another.
A restaurant with a height of more than ten feet appeared at the end of the official road, with three large gilded characters on the plaque: Lu Hui Lou. Su Dingguo patted his belly that had just been growling and said to himself: "I just had breakfast, so let me call you mother! I know you saw the egret and went back upstairs, but I won't go in, so you can call me another one and try!"
Unexpectedly, his belly seemed to hear him and grumbled twice in protest.
Su Dingguo said: "That's it! I can't do anything to you!" He took a big step and walked into the Luhui Tower.
When the waiter saw a young official, about 10 feet tall, with a steady pace walking into the store, he did not dare to step forward carelessly and said, "Is the young master alone?"
Su Dingguo said: "I am one person."
The waiter said: "I want to tell you that the first and second floors are full now. If you want to have a meal, I can only trouble you and go to the third floor."
Su Dingguo said: "Okay! The third floor is the third floor!" After that, he walked towards the stairs without the waiter leading him.
Arriving on the third floor, perhaps because people were reluctant to climb the stairs, it turned out that there were much fewer diners on the third floor than downstairs. Su Dingguo picked up a table near the window and sat down to order a few drinks and dishes. The waiter took note of the dishes and was about to leave Su Dingguo when he asked: "Which ship on the pier is bound for Liaodong?"
The waiter smiled and said: "The place you want to go is quite far away. I still know a little about the ships that go to and from Fujian and Penghu. It's hard to get to Liaodong."
Su Dingguo nodded indifferently and said, "It's okay! You can go ahead."
The waiter bowed and went downstairs.
After lunch, Su Dingguo did not stop to go to the pier to inquire about the ship bound for Liaodong. He walked down the stairs, but when he reached the second floor, there was a sudden silence in the restaurant, and Su Dingguo was also shocked by the scene in front of him.
A silver-haired girl slowly walked into the restaurant and walked up the stairs from the first floor. I saw this girl wearing a fancy dress with silver hair and silver eyes. Her facial features were as beautiful as those in the painting, but she was neatly dressed like a warrior walking in the world. Her fairy-like beauty also reveals a bit of cheerfulness. The moment the girl walked into the restaurant, the whole restaurant seemed to be a little brighter. All the diners stopped and looked at her. The noise suddenly stopped and the building became quiet.
A gust of fragrant wind blew past Su Dingguo. The girl walked past Su Dingguo with gentle steps and walked to the second floor. Seeing that the second floor was also full of diners, she walked to the third floor.
"I'm afraid that the gods descending to earth are just like this!" Su Dingguo looked at the girl without caring about other people's opinions or whether the girl was disgusted or shy.
Su Dingguo was so bold that he turned around and followed the girl back to the third floor. When the girl sat down, he came to her and clasped his fists and said, "I am Su Dingguo, a native of Gaozhou. May I ask, can you tell me the girl's name?"
A burly man asked a strange woman her name in public. Even if it did not constitute teasing, it was extremely frivolous. Nine out of ten ordinary girls from good families would be frightened and run away. A few of the hot-tempered ones would probably pick up the dishes and let Su Dingguo have a taste of peace. But the silver-haired girl just raised her pretty face to look at Su Dingguo, then lowered her head to look at the menu.
Su Dingguo was left aside and did not feel dissatisfied at all. Instead, he stood there and recalled the girl's beautiful silver eyes.
"Master." The girl's red lips parted slightly, just two words, but her voice was as sweet and sweet as gold beads falling on a jade plate.
Ever since this young girl entered the building, all the shopkeepers had not taken their eyes away from her. Two or three of them had already followed her to the third floor but never dared to come forward. Listening to her greetings was like listening to fairy music. Immediately, someone ran over and said respectfully: "What are your orders, young lady?"
The girl ordered the food by herself. Su Dingguo waited for her to finish ordering, then stopped the waiter and said, "I will pay for this girl's meal."
The shopkeeper responded: "Okay!"
But the girl seemed not to hear, dragging her fragrant cheek with a jade hand and looking out the window.
Su Dingguo paid the bill and came to the pier. He saw a short and thin man wearing barefoot straw sandals standing on the roadside. Seeing his attire, Su Dingguo knew that he was a "gatekeeper" specializing in attracting customers, so he stepped forward to ask. After asking, it turned out that a large ship was bound for Weihaiwei tonight. Menzhuang told him: "When you arrive in Ningyuan, you can take this ship. When you get to Weihai, you can change ships. You can reach Ningyuan without going overland."
Su Dingguo paid the money, and the man quickly came back with a paper ticket and handed it to Su Dingguo. Su Dingguo saw that the official and private seals above were complete and there was no possibility of forgery, so he put them away and prepared to board the ship in the evening.
I was thinking about whether I should send Gaozhou local products to my cousin Yuan Chonghuan. I glanced around at the vendors setting up stalls. Suddenly, a pleasing figure flashed in the distance. It was the silver-haired girl I had just met at Luhuilou.
Su Dingguo thought on his feet and ran over to check. He saw the girl turning into an alley, and behind her was a handsome young man wearing a brocade gown.
An evil fire rose up in Su Dingguo's chest for no reason. He strode forward and got closer, but saw the girl stopped and turned around and said to the young man: "Gu Qianfeng! I told you that I don't need you to send me away!"
Na Gu Qianfeng said: "After your father's promotion, you have no one to rely on except my other sister. My master specially asked me to send you to the capital."
The girl said: "I haven't seen anyone! When did he tell you!"
Gu Qianfeng lowered his head and said nothing. It seemed that his lie was exposed by the girl.
The young girl said: "And I told you when I was on Jiandao that I just wanted to go to Beijing temporarily. It's inevitable that I would want to go somewhere else on the road. It would be very difficult for others to have you following me at that time!" After saying that, I turned around to leave.
Gu Qianfeng quickly followed and said, "Qingqing, it's true that I want to come here just to say a word to you. Can you listen to me?"
Qingqing twisted her delicate body and frowned: "Gu Qianfeng, it is right for me to focus on my cultivation after I have just eliminated my inner demons. I remember I told you these words!"
Gu Qianfeng was about to speak again, but heard a thunderous roar. They saw an upright young man walking towards the two of them angrily.
Su Dingguo listened to the conversation between these two people in the alley, and the more he listened, the more angry he became. He thought to himself that this girl obviously doesn't like you, but why are you still pestering her? Finally, he couldn't bear it anymore and walked towards the two of them with a loud shout, saying as he walked: "Hey! Isn't that girl's words clear enough? First, they don't want you to follow! Second, they don't like you! Third, you want If you still want others to leave a good impression on you, get out of here!"
The girl named Qingqing turned her head so that she could not see her expression, while Gu Qianfeng frowned and looked at Su Dingguo, his face full of unwillingness.
Su Dingguo walked up to Gu Qianfeng and said unceremoniously: "What! You are confused and can't understand it yourself, so you have to ask others to tell you. Now that others have told you, you can't even understand it!" Gu Qianfeng was tall and tall. Handsome, but still half a head shorter than Su Dingguo. He looked at Zhang Qingqing with a painful look on his face, then raised his fists at Su Dingguo and said, "I'm going to Qianfeng in the Jiandao Valley in the South China Sea. May I ask my brother Gao's name?"
Su Dingguo also clasped his fists and said, "Su Dingguo, Gaozhou. Huh? Where is Jiandao?"
Gu Qianfeng did not answer. He looked at the silver-haired girl and said, "Qingqing, take care." Then he turned to Su Dingguo and said, "Brother Su, farewell." After that, he turned and left the alley.
Su Dingguo scratched his head and said, "This man is quite open-minded. I thought I would have to fight with him."
At this time, the silver-haired girl named Qingqing walked towards the other end of the alley. When she moved, a gust of fragrant wind floated up, which made Su Dingguo feel excited.
"Su Dingguo. Didn't you ask me what my name is? My name is Zhang Qingqing." The girl said as she walked away.
Su Dingguo was overjoyed and hurriedly followed him and said, "Hello, Miss Qingqing. It's me, Su Dingguo, that's right..."
Zhang Qingqing said: "What does the matter between me and him have to do with you? Why do you care?"
Su Dingguo smiled and said: "My mother said that pretty boys usually have dark hearts. He was pestering you just now. I decided that he was a prodigal with evil intentions and wanted to help you. Hehe."
Zhang Qingqing just walked forward slowly, lowering her head and saying nothing.
Su Dingguo smiled and said: "Miss Qingqing doesn't need to pay attention to the pretty boy, and of course she doesn't need to pay attention to me! I just scolded people very righteously, but if I take it personally and pester the girl endlessly, wouldn't it be the ultimate bastard! I know the girl is annoying me, so I will do it now Get out!"
After Su Dingguo finished speaking, he turned around to leave but heard Zhang Qingqing chuckle. He suddenly turned his head and looked around. Although he could only see Zhang Qingqing's side face, the touching grace was enough to make him freeze in place. For the first time, he felt a woman. A smile can be so beautiful. It turns out that the storyteller’s saying that “a smile can conquer a country” is really not a joke!
Zhang Qingqing's sweet voice came again: "He is not a slut, nor a bad person. If there is a bad person... I might be the bad person."
When Su Dingguo heard that the fairy actually took the initiative to reveal her heart, he was not willing to let it go, so he hurriedly answered: "Miss Qingqing is a fairy, how can she be a bad person! Just now I heard you talk about practicing cultivation. Could it be that you are really a fairy?"
Zhang Qingqing did not answer but asked: "Aren't you from Gaozhou? Why do you speak so well in Mandarin?"
Su Dingguo laughed and said: "It is said that Master Lu from the county school once studied in Beijing. He only allowed us to speak Mandarin when he taught us. It has become a habit for me to speak Mandarin when I meet foreigners."
Zhang Qingqing said: "I see you carrying a big bag, where are you going?"
Su Dingguo said: "I am going to Liaodong to join my distant cousin."
Zhang Qingqing's beautiful silver eyes looked at him and said: "There is a war in Liaodong right now. Could it be that you want to join the army?"
Zhang Qingqing's eyes had a natural enchanting charm. Su Dingguo didn't dare to look into his eyes and said, "That's right! With my ability, at least give me a guerrilla boss Qian Dang!"
Su Dingguo's words sounded like a second-generation ancestor bragging about himself, but Zhang Qingqing had no reaction to his words and just looked away from his face.
Su Dingguo said: "I just heard from Miss Qingqing that you want to go to Beijing? I happen to be taking a boat to Weihaiwei, why don't you give me a ride? Then you can change ships in Weihaiwei to Tianjinwei, and then you can travel by land in less than two days. Arrived in Beijing!"
Zhang Qingqing said: "I have a way to get to Beijing faster, let's just say goodbye."
Su Dingguo was a little disappointed, but fortunately, he never imagined that he would have any development with such a charming woman, so when he heard that the separation was imminent, he took it for granted.
Su Dingguo smiled casually and said: "Okay! Then let's say goodbye! Take care, girl!"
Zhang Qingqing said: "Take care, thank you for the meal."
Su Dingguo was stunned for a moment, then laughed, waved to Zhang Qingqing, then turned and walked towards the dock.
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There was no words all the way, and that day Su Dingguo finally arrived at the Ming Army camp in Ningyuan Town. The flag officer standing guard at the gate of the camp wanted to drive him away, but when he heard that he was from Gaozhou, he immediately became much more respectful. It was obvious that he had long heard that Governor Yuan's distant nephew had come from Gaozhou to surrender, so he opened the camp gate to arrest him. put into a.
Su Dingguo was led by a soldier to the door of a large tent. There were two heavily armored sergeants guarding the door. Obviously this tent was extraordinary and must be Yuan Chonghuan's Chinese army tent.
"Su Dingguo of Gaozhou wants to see you." The soldier stood in front of the door and reported loudly.
A deep voice came from inside the tent: "Let him in!"
Su Dingguo walked into the tent and saw a huge sand table in the middle of the tent. The sand table was exactly the topography of Liaodong, with pocket-colored flags placed on it, dotted all over the place. There was a lot of people in the tent at this time. There were six or seven people in military uniforms standing solemnly and discussing the defense of Jinzhou. A middle-aged man wearing a commander's armor stood tall in the middle. The Qing Emperor Nurhaci was outside the country's Jiliao Governor Yuan Chonghuan.
Su Dingguo came to Yuan Chonghuan and bowed deeply. Yuan Chonghuan motioned for him to stand aside while the discussion among several generals continued. After about three sticks of incense, the Chinese Army meeting came to an end. Yuan Chonghuan finalized the final implementation plan and assigned several people to implement it.
After the generals left the tent, Yuan Chonghuan smiled and said: "Dingguo! I didn't expect you to be as born as a cow. How are your martial arts skills?"
Su Dingguo replied respectfully: "Although Dingguo is lazy in his studies, the truth is that the lights are on at the third watch and the chicken is at the fifth watch. In my case, it is the art of war at the third watch and the boxing at the fifth watch. Except for a few days when I am seasick, I am not lazy every day. "
Yuan Chonghuan said: "The level of one's own martial arts is a small thing, but whether the military strategy can be used like an arm and a finger is the big way. Are you in your twenties this year?"
Su Dingguo said: "I am twenty years old!"
Yuan Chonghuan said: "I have learned martial arts and become an emperor. I am in my prime, so be good!"
Then Yuan Chonghuan arranged a tent for Su Dingguo. Living with him were three people from the sixth grade of the trial hundred household. The three were similar in age to Su Dingguo. After chatting for a few words, the four of them felt that they were very close to each other. Then they heard that he was Gaozhou. When Su Dingguo came, he even called his friends to give him a rough cleaning with military rations.
