"Your Majesty, everything is ready!" the deputy general whispered.
"Very good!" Brother Zhong nodded. He leaned over and dipped his hand into some river water. He raised it high and confirmed the wind: "Yes, it's the west wind, which is good for us!"
"Blessed by gods and Buddhas!" The lieutenant lowered his head piously: "We will definitely win this time!"
"Let's go!" Brother Naka's voice was a little hoarse. He looked to the northwest. The swaying firelight was particularly conspicuous in the dark night. It was the camp of Saitama's army. Every night, he would stand on a high place and look at the enemy from a distance. The camp is getting bigger every day, which means that the number of enemy troops is increasing, which makes Brother Zhongda feel mixed in his heart.
At this moment, a thought suddenly flashed through his mind: The enemy soldiers who came to attack our camp that night must have seen this scene, right? Thinking of this, he pulled out the Budu Soul Control Sword hanging from his waist, raised it high above his head, knelt down in the direction of the Ishigami Shrine, and prayed devoutly.
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Shitennoji Temple, Sutra Hall.
Yawn!
Wang Wenzuo covered his mouth, stretched, and sat down cross-legged. Fatigue was like mercury, seeping into his bone marrow. He beat his aching waist twice. He was about to call a maid to massage him, and suddenly something came out of his sleeves. An object slipped down, and when he picked it up, it turned out to be a letter. It was the letter from Jin Renwen that He Bayong had given to him at the dock in the morning. He stuffed it into his sleeve to read it when he had time, but he didn't want to read it when he had time. If you are busy, forget about it.
"Come here, hold the lamp!"
Wang Wenzuo opened the envelope and ordered at the same time. The maid at the door came in quickly, turned the oil lamp brighter, and moved to Wang Wenzuo's side. He unfolded the letter and looked closely at the oil lamp.
"You bastard, how could this happen!" Wang Wenzuo threw the letter to the ground and said angrily: "Mr. Liu is a meritorious minister. Even if he violated the prophecy, he would just be dismissed from his post and become an official. Why is he still exiled to Yaozhou (now Yunnan) Yao An) has gone. How is it any different from killing him to send him to such a smoky place at his age?" He paced back and forth in the room for a while, and shouted: "Come here, take Cui Hongdu, He Bayong, Yuan When the three Ao Lie people are invited, I say that I have something to discuss with them!"
Soon, Cui, He Ba, and Yuan all arrived. It was easy to see that they were very sleepy. Wang Wenzuo said in a deep voice: "Are they all brothers? Come in and sit down. There is no need to be formal!"
The three of them heard something was wrong from Wang Wenzuo's voice, and they all sat down with bated breath. Wang Wenzuo asked the maid to step back. The oil lamp in the room was like a bean, shining on his face, making his expression even more cold and iron-like. When Cui Hongdu saw this, he whispered: "I summoned you late at night. What's the matter with Mr. Ming?"
"Hongdu, you guys should still call me Sanlang in private in the future, right? Ming Gongfu Jun sounds very angry!" Wang Wenzuo took out the letter from Jin Renwen from his sleeve and handed it to Cui Hongdu: "This letter you Let’s take a look at all three first!”
Cui Hongdu took the letter, read it for a moment by the light of the oil lamp, and then said in surprise: "Has Governor Liu been exiled to Yaozhou? Who wrote this letter? Is it true or false?"
Wang Wenzuo did not answer, but just motioned for him to continue reading. It turned out that letters at that time were usually divided into two parts: the first part would have a name and signature, but only some formatted content; and the important confidential content was placed in the second part. Some of them are not signed or raised, so even if they are shown to others, the source of the information will not be revealed, which is a good confidentiality measure. Jin Ren asked the same thing about this letter. Wang Wenzuo only gave Cui Hongdu the second part. Naturally, Cui Hongdu didn't know who wrote the letter.
Cui Hongdu finished reading the letter, handed it to Yuan Aolie who was standing aside, and asked Wang Wenzuo: "Where is this Yaozhou? How come Governor Liu was punished with such a serious crime as soon as he returned?"
"Yaozhou is located in Jiannan Road (the first year of Emperor Zhenguan of the Tang Dynasty when the state and county systems were abolished and Yizhou was renamed Jiannan Road). Its jurisdiction probably includes most of Sichuan Province, the Lancang River in Yunnan Province, the east of Ailao Mountain, northern Guizhou Province, and Gansu Province. The southwest area of a part of the province! As for why he was punished with such a serious crime!" When Wang Wenzuo said this, he stopped talking and just sneered a few times.
"Jiannan Road is already remote enough, and the southwest area is also needed!" Yuan Aolie had finished reading and handed the letter to He Bayong: "In my opinion, the imperial court wanted Governor Liu to die there!"
"Die there
Son? He Baoyong sneered while reading the letter: "When you leave Jianmen, there are mountains. That's the only decent area around Chengdu. Other places are full of smog. I think Governor Liu will die halfway through. Is this a good move by the imperial court?" It’s a shame, it’s better to die, at least you won’t have to endure the hardship of the journey!”
In the eyes of the Tang people at that time, Chang'an and Luoyang were the places where the heavenly people lived, followed by Sanfu in Guanzhong and the surrounding areas of Luoyang; and a little further away were Henan, Hebei, Bingzhou, Jianghuai, and the Chengdu Plain area; going to Jiangnan, Jiangxi, and Hubei were somewhat derogatory. It makes sense; Fujian and Guangdong are clearly telling you that there is little political hope, so concentrate on making money for retirement; if you are kicked to Hunan, Guangxi, Yunnan, Guizhou and other ghost places, most people in the court hope that you will die soon, but the hands There is no suitable handle. We can only hope that acclimatization, infectious diseases, and local barbarians will take care of it. If it's even more damaged, I might as well let you change places in three months to ensure that you are always on the road, wandering around, and die early. Liu Renyuan was old and had lived in the north all his life. He was suddenly kicked to a ghost place like Yaozhou. His ancestors had blessed him for not dying on the way.
"Sanlang!" Cui Hongdu said: "I know that Governor Liu is very kind to you, but what He Ba said is right. At Liu Gong's age, I'm afraid he is no longer alive! It's too late for you to do anything!"
"Yes!" He Baoyong said: "It would take at least half a year for this news to arrive here from Chang'an. How can Governor Liu's body survive in the smog for half a year?"
"Could it be that Sanlang called us here to avenge Governor Liu?" Yuan Aolie asked.
"Revenge?" Cui Hongdu said with a smile: "The one who asked Governor Liu to go to Yaozhou was the imperial court. Who are you seeking revenge from? The emperor or the queen?"
"Dudu Liu has made great contributions to the country, but the court does not reward him heavily but instead accuses him. There must be a female official who is slandering him in front of the emperor!" Yuan Aolie said.
"The female ministers are by the emperor's side, but we are thousands of miles away. It is obvious who is near and who is far, who is close and who is far away!" Cui Hongdu said: "Sanlang has elite soldiers and lives in a distant country. It is better to be cautious! "
"I called you here tonight with no intention of avenging Governor Liu!" Wang Wenzuo said, "It's just that Mr. Liu has a great kindness to me. If a man doesn't repay his kindness, how can he stand in the world?"
Hearing that Wang Wenzuo denied that he wanted to avenge Liu Renyuan, Cui Hongdu was obviously relieved and asked: "How does Sanlang plan to repay his kindness?"
"Although Mr. Liu was exiled to Yaozhou, he still has a family!" Wang Wenzuo said: "From what I have seen, if Mr. Liu died on the way or in Yaozhou, his family would not have stayed in Yaozhou for long. I plan to I will give a thousand pieces of gold to his descendants to repay his great kindness!"
"This -" Cui Hongdu hesitated for a moment: "According to the laws of the Tang Dynasty, unless there is an amnesty, Governor Liu's family may not be able to come back for a while!"
"Then ask Brother Jin or the prince to speak up and talk about it in front of the emperor!" Wang Wenzuo said. He knew very well that Liu Renyuan was exiled because of the prophecy, so as long as he himself dies, it will be a matter of time before his family is pardoned. Therefore, Wang Wenzuo was very sure that as long as someone could mention it in front of the emperor, the emperor would agree to it. Maybe he would also transfer Liu Renyuan's merits, official positions, and titles to his descendants to show his "kindness." But the problem is how long this time will be. If it takes three to five years, maybe a few more members of Liu Renyuan's family will die in the exile, which would be too tragic.
"What does Sanlang mean for one of us to return to Chang'an?" Cui Hongdu asked.
"Yes!" Wang Wenzuo nodded: "The decisive battle between Brother Zhong and us should be within ten days, otherwise there will be a famine in Feiniao Jing, and his army will collapse without a fight. After this battle is over, I We need to pick a trustworthy person to go to Chang'an and handle this matter well!"
Facing Wang Wenzuo, Cui Hongdu, He Bayong, and Yuan Aolie were silent. Deep down in their hearts, none of them wanted to go to Chang'an. The reason is very simple. At that time, heads were tied to the belt when sailing across the sea. Since the three of them took a big risk and came to the Japanese country, Yu Gong said that they wanted to make achievements and leave a name in history; privately, they wanted to get promoted and make a fortune. If you follow what Wang Wenzuo said and go to Chang'an after defeating Brother Zhongda, it will be equivalent to taking double risks (come and go), but miss the time to share the biggest cake. No one else would be willing to accept.
Wang Wenzuo saw the reactions of the three people. He was about to say something when suddenly the door opened.
After being roughly pushed away, Cao Wenzong rushed in: "It's not good, it's not good!"
"What's going on?" Wang Wenzuo stood up: "The thieves are coming to kill you?"
"I'm offended!" Cao Wenzong grabbed Wang Wenzuo's arm, turned around and ran outside. After leaving the door, he ran straight to the pagoda. The two climbed to the third floor. Cao Wenzong pulled Wang Wenzuo to the north-facing window: "Look !」
Wang Wenzuo stood in front of the window, as motionless as a stone statue. The ship mooring in the distance was blazing with flames. At least half of the ships were already on fire. The kiss of the fire turned the ship into a funeral pyre, and the air was filled with smoke, dust and fire. .
The people standing on the shore, whether they were Tang people or Japanese, watched helplessly as the boats filled with dry reeds came towards the dock along the Yamato River. When the distance shortened to a certain distance, flames started to rise on the boats. The long oar and bamboo pole on a sand boat were swinging wildly, like a giant centipede, trying to avoid the oncoming fire ship, but to no avail. A fire ship hit its side, and the flames climbed up the deck along the long oar. .
Wang Wenzuo looked at the sky. The clouds were very low tonight, and the firelight on the sea reflected the sky, showing a special red color, with a strange and terrifying beauty. Wang Wenzuo couldn't help but think of the day when he sent troops to attack the Japanese camp at night, and the fire was soaring into the sky. Brother Zhong watched the army collapse under the fire, would he feel the same as he does now?
The sea breeze lifted Wang Wenzuo's long sleeves and slapped him on the face. Wang Wenzuo could feel the heat in the wind. He vaguely heard the screams coming from the wind. The faint sound penetrated into his ears, like a thin steel needle. Tears the skin and eardrums, causing a sharp sting.
Do you hear these screams? Wang Wenzuo? Do you see these burning? It's all because of your carelessness and stupidity. These ships and the people who died are all because of you. Wang Wenzuo knew that Brother Zhong would be standing somewhere in the darkness, watching all this. He must be smiling happily, just like himself that night.
"Our ship!" Heba Yong's voice came from behind, his voice was hoarse and desperate: "Our ship has been burned, no matter how bad it is, how bad it is!"
"It's nothing bad!" Wang Wenzuo's voice was as cold and hard as black iron: "The men and horses have come down, and the ordnance has also been transported. At most, we will lose a little cloth and copper coins. As long as we can defeat Brother Zhong, no matter how much cloth and copper coins we lose, We can also get it from the Japanese! Send the order, don't save the ship, let everyone exit the dock, just save the people!"
"Yes!" Cui Hongdu responded and quickly ran towards the foot of the pagoda.
"Let's all take a look!" Wang Wenzuo turned around. He Bayong and Yuan Aolie, their faces pale and their cheeks twitching slightly, were looking at everything in front of them: "Remember it clearly! Never forget it! One day, you will also command a group of people. To build an army, don’t forget how much disaster it will bring to yourself and the country if your general is careless!”
Early next morning.
The dock was deserted, with only mud and ashes. The sea not far away was littered with shipwrecks, like the bones of giants. Teams of soldiers cleared the ruins. There were small boats floating on the sea, and they sawed off the keels sticking out of the sea to clear the channel. Wang Wenzuo and Qi Yu rode through the crowd side by side, and he could feel countless eyes falling on him: suspicion, coldness, and even disgust. But no one spoke, and no one dared to block his way - Cao Wenzong was dressed in iron armor and brought twenty armored guards to wrap the two of them.
"I can't see that you had a big defeat last night!" Saitama sighed: "Sometimes I think your heart is also wrapped in iron armor. No one can know what you are thinking at this time?"
"This is the first step to becoming a general!" Wang Wenzuo stared straight ahead: "As a general, you must be the last panicked person in the army!"
"The last panicked person?" Saitama laughed after hearing this: "It sounds interesting, what else?"
"Your Majesty, you can laugh louder. It's best if everyone around you can hear your laughter!" Wang Wenzuo said in a low voice.
"Oh? Why is that so?"
"It's very simple. If we win this battle for position, you will be the biggest beneficiary; if we lose, you will be the biggest loser. We suffered a big loss last night, and everyone was panicking. , what else can be better than you
Is laughter more able to calm down military morale? "
"That's true!" Saitama laughed, and the clear laughter was like a silver bell, which could be heard a hundred steps away: "No wonder you invited me out for a walk early in the morning. It turned out to be for this reason, which made me so happy. One game!"
