Just after the first month of the fifth year of the auspicious reign of the Gale Dynasty, the situation in Jiangxia County in Chudi became extremely tense.

The relevant military and people's reports flew into the Chu Wang's Mansion on the shore of Junshan Lake like snowflakes.

Junshan City Zhanghuatai Yunmeng Pavilion.

The old Chu king ordered people to set up a seat in the pavilion, each table has a brewed Junshan tea, the mist is swirling, the tea fragrance is overflowing, floating all over the pavilion, if it is in ordinary times, it is a good atmosphere for talking about books and Taoism.

The people who are qualified to come to this Yunmeng Pavilion to taste tea today are either important officials of the Chu Palace, or representatives of the Chu Gaomen clan who live in Junshan City.

In addition to the military governance system that had been established, the local officials were also reformed, from the state minister to the local county order, the official system was sound, and it became an independent vassal state.

The old King of Chu, who was sitting on the throne in the pavilion, changed the color of the twilight of the past and looked quite energetic.

On the seats on both sides, sitting were the humerus ministers of the old King of Chu.

Minister Zhaoyong, Jinghu, the coach of the Shenfeng Infantry Army, Zhang Xiong, the coach of the Snapdragon Cavalry, Xie Guan of Canglang Academy, Fan Yang of Jingzhou Thorn History, and Liu Chang of Jiaozhou Thorn History.

Everyone's faces were solemn, and they all sat upright and looked at the old Chu king on the main throne, according to the past practice, if there was no particularly important matter, the old Chu king would not have summoned everyone to come to this Yunmeng Pavilion to drink tea.

At the beginning, the atmosphere in the pavilion was serious and dull, which was completely inconsistent with the atmosphere that tea should have.

The old King of Chu smiled slightly and said: "All of you are the right-hand men of the Lone King, the central pillar of my Chu land, I summoned everyone here today, and everyone knows the reason." ”

Xie Guan, who sat on the chief on the right, was a typical Shilin master, with a clear face, although he had reached the age of knowing the destiny of heaven, but his demeanor was still the same, he spoke first: "Lord Wang, the old man has a word, the matter of soldiers is a matter of life and death, until the last resort, if you can, you will not move, I have finally had peace for so many years, it is really the blessing of the people." ”

This Xie Guan is not only the head of the Xie family in Chudi, but also in charge of the Canglang Academy among the four major academies in the world, he loves books all his life, hunts scriptures and history, especially the study of the royal road, is the most famous scholar in Chu, and is also a saint of the Confucian sect in the world.

Some people commented that Chu Di Shilin's luck was very ten, and this Xie Guan had eight points, which shows that he has a high evaluation.

The old king of Chu bowed slightly, and was noncommittal to Xie Guan's words, but picked up the exquisite teacup with a divine phoenix pattern painted on the table, and said: "This is this year's Junshan new tea, everyone taste it, how does this year's new tea taste compared to previous years?"

Everyone didn't know why, so they all picked up the teacup on the table, lowered their heads and tasted it carefully, and then closed their eyes and savored it.

Xie Guan, who was the first to show his point of view just now, didn't take it to heart when the old King Chu didn't answer his words, and the appearance of seriously tasting tea was the most elegant and charming among everyone.

When the old king of Chu saw that everyone at the table looked like each other, he immediately laughed, he didn't look worried about the crisis ahead at all, but really seemed to invite them to taste, "How do you feel?"

Everyone at the table nodded and said yes, but in their hearts, the old king of Chu usually said directly when he had something, never as foggy as today, according to the snowflakes in front of him these days, indicating that things have reached a very dangerous point, but the old king of Chu is still a light and breezy look, and he can't see that he is in a hurry.

"The lonely king also thinks it's good, those who read books don't often say anything 'but the cloud dream is everything, please taste Jun camellia', poetry is not good poetry, tea is good tea. ”

The old king of Chu drank all the tea in the cup in one gulp, and added it to himself, which is discussing military affairs, but it is really like drinking tea and discussing.

Minister Zhaoyong seriously pondered the words of the old King of Chu, and he didn't know the essentials for a while, he was the minister of the Chu Palace, and he was the head of the subordinate officials of Chu. Zhaoyong followed the old King of Chu when he was a teenager, experienced a lot of ups and downs, and can be regarded as the oldest veteran minister in Chu, although his temples are white, but his spirit is still there.

Zhaoyong is an official, has been conscientious, not seeking merit, but seeking no fault, because of his gentle character, and being kind to others, but he is left and right, and the small officialdom of Chu is coordinated to be neutral and peaceful, and everything is smooth, so Zhaoyong is respected by a group of officialdom colleagues as "Ziyang Weng".

It's just that what the world doesn't know is that this gentle "Ziyang Weng" is actually a strategist who practices vertical and horizontal learning, but Zhaoyong has caught up with the good period of stability and prosperity of the Gale Dynasty, and there is no place for it.

Many nights when the wine was on the moon, Zhaoyong would raise a glass to invite the moon to comfort himself, and often said: "Although this is my Zhaoyong's misfortune, it is a great blessing for the people of the world." ”

Zhang Xiong, the commander of the Snapdragon Cavalry, is a fierce general who charges into battle, has a rough personality, and has never had the heart to savor it when he drinks and tea, how can he taste it. But he is coarse, but he is not stupid at all, today Lao Chu Wang Ming invited everyone to drink tea, and what he said was also a matter of tasting, Zhang Xiong's heart was open, this is the time to say things has not yet come.

Jinghu joined the army as a young man, just past the age of confusion at this time, with a calm and wise personality, in charge of the Shenfeng Army, brave and good at fighting, and quite strategic, good at reading military books, and having the talent of generals, he is the soul of the Chu army.

Jinghu had already obtained the will of the old king of Chu and reached a consensus with the old king of Chu, so he did not show too much at this time, and only watched quietly from the sidelines.

Fan Yang and Liu Chang are local officials in Jing and Jiao Prefectures, and the official system of the Gale Dynasty is different in that the state and county officials of Chu only have the right to govern the locality, not the right to command the army, and the garrisons of the state and county are all led by the captains who lead the army, which is also one of the official reforms made by the old Chu king.

Seeing that the few civil and military ministers around the old King Chu did not express their opinions, the two of them kept silent and pretended to listen carefully.

Just as everyone was guessing the meaning of the old Chu king's words in their hearts, they only heard the old Chu king's words turn around, and they no longer had the same relaxed tone as before: "However, such a good tea is going to be robbed, and the lonely king is unwilling!"

After listening to the words of the old Chu King, everyone at the table became silent, and in the Yunmeng Pavilion, time seemed to stop flowing.

Zhang Xiong looked around at everyone, the words in his heart were already uncontrollable, he straightened up, and said to the old king of Chu: "Lord Wang, the old boy of the king of the East China Sea has always had a heart higher than the sky, always thinking about swallowing my Chu land, stretching his neck is a knife, shrinking his neck is also a knife, in my opinion, we can't retreat, for the peace of the people of Chu, and for the foundation we have worked so hard to lay, we have to fight with the old boy of the king of the East China Sea to the end, doesn't he boast that he is the first in the world in martial arts, bird! ”

Zhang Xiong scolded and spoke impassionedly, breaking the gloomy atmosphere in Yunmeng Pavilion

The old king of Chu laughed and praised: "They all say that you Zhang Xiong is a rough person, but this account is quite clear!"

Being praised by the old King Chu in public, Zhang Xiong smiled heartily, and his face, which had been polished quite rough by the wind and rain, showed some embarrassed expressions.

"The courage of blood and qi for a while, in exchange for the eternal peace of my Chu land, we still have to estimate all aspects of the factors sufficiently, once the war starts, it will be a misery!" Xie Guan on the first case on the right said with a worried face.

Without waiting for the old King of Chu to speak, Jing Hu on the second seat on the left patted the case and said, "General Zhang said it well!"

"Dare to ask what General Jing said, what is the good? It is easy to fight with the king of the East China Sea, and the blessing and misfortune are unpredictable!" asked Minister Zhaoyong.

Jinghu smiled slightly, bowed his hand to the old King of Chu, and said: "There are three good, one good, my Chu country is located in the land of four wars, if the people of my Chu land do not have the same heart as General Zhang, then how can they survive surrounded by strong enemies?" First, the Rong State in the northwest is busy moving east into the Central Plains, second, we have secretly reached an agreement with the King of Langya to jointly fight against the King of the East China Sea, and third, the barbarian tribes in the south have no signs of going north, and we can spare most of our strength to resist the invasion of the King of the East China Sea in addition to guarding against the King of Chengdu in the west. ”

Zhaoyong nodded slightly, it can be regarded as a recognition of Jing Hu's point of view, and the old king of Chu smiled knowingly, in order to unify everyone's understanding as soon as possible and not to miss the opportunity, the old king of Chu specially analyzed the pros and cons with Jing Hu in detail, and Jing Hu's words were a reassuring pill for everyone.

"And the third best?" Xie Guan asked.

Jing Hu took a sip of tea unhurriedly before continuing: "This third best, through this battle, it is just right for all forces to see the strength of our Chu State, we dare to confront the King of the East China Sea, I believe that we can deter the King of Chengdu in the west." ”

"Haha, General Jing has a 'three good' wonderful theory, it's really wonderful, Lord Wang, the old man agrees to send troops. Xie Guan, who was sitting on the right chief, said with a laugh.

Old King Chu's eyes flashed, he glanced at Fan Yang and Liu Chang at the end of the table on the left and right, and asked in a deep voice: "What is the opinion of the two Assassins?" ”

Fan Yang and Liu Chang glanced at each other, and at the same time arched their hands and said, "My subordinates agree to send troops." ”

After hearing this, the old king of Chu laughed loudly and said loudly: "Okay, since everyone has reached a consensus, then let us be the monarch and the minister, and Chu will work together to face this catastrophe." ”

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Located in the Jingfu in the west of Junshan City, the identity of the door and the owner is very appropriate, there is a pair of stone tigers lying on the left and right of the gate, a pair of leopard head knockers are embedded in the dark red gate, there is a door plaque hanging above the gate, there are two words of "Jingfu" written on it, it is said that these two words are written by the old Chu King himself.

In the back garden of Jingfu, there is a garden called "Xiu Yuan", the garden is not big, but it is very characteristic of the landscape, the rockery in the pond is towering, the flowers and plants on the edge of the pond are shady, a peach tree that has been on the stage has been in full bloom at this time, extremely contending. On the other side of the pool, a few hibiscus trees, slim and elegant, such as a stunning beauty shining on the water, sparkling flowers and shadows, pleasing to the eye.

A stone corridor is connected to the pavilion and water pavilion in the pool, which is quite quiet and dark in a piece of water-colored flowers and trees.

Jing Hu, dressed in a wide robe, lay quietly on a wicker chair placed in the pavilion, closed his eyes and rested, holding a white tanuki in his arms, also squinting and sleeping. On the stone table next to it, there was a tea set and a few delicate snacks, and a handsome maid was quietly waiting.

Occasionally, a few birds stop in the trees, chirping, and the fish in the pond swim happily, competing for food.

The two figures walked into the garden one after the other, and the one who walked in front was a twenty-eight beauty, wearing a goose yellow embroidered cardigan skirt, combing the popular girl's head style in Chudi, with a gentle complexion and strong inside, it was Jinglan who was known as the "talented woman of the soldiers" in Chudi. Behind her is a man, steady, resolute and brave, a tall young man who is not angry and arrogant, he is the eldest son of the Jing family, Jing Song, and he also has an identity: the captain of the scout battalion of the Shenfeng Army.

The two walked into the pavilion and saluted Jinghu on the rattan chair: "Father." ”

Jing Hu on the rattan chair slowly opened his eyes, nodded slightly to the two of them, and waved his hand at the maid on the side, the handsome maid bowed and left, Jing Song and Jing Lan also stepped aside, looking at Jing Hu quietly, waiting for their father's instructions.

Jing Hu gently stroked the white tanuki in his arms with his hand, and said softly: "My Jing clan has been in charge of the main force of the Chu Wangfu Infantry Army, since my father swore to serve the old Chu King, and it has been two generations now, so it can be said that the fate of my Jing clan has been tightly tied to the Chu Wangfu, one glory and one loss." ”

Speaking of this, Jing Hu patted the white tanuki in his arms, and the tanuki opened his eyes suddenly, jumped off Jing Hu with his legs, and left the pavilion with a meow.

Jing Hu stood up from the rattan chair, put his hands behind his back, looked at the fish competing for food in the pond and said: "This time, the King of the East China Sea sent an army to invade Jiangxia County, the intention is obvious, it is to test the reaction of my Chu State, if we blindly retreat, it will definitely usher in the attack of the army of the King of the East China Sea." Therefore, the prince decided to send Song'er's scout battalion to secretly march north, together with the Jiangxia defenders, to resist the enemy, and to be sure to annihilate the enemy in a battle, so that the king of the East China Sea has concerns about my Chu state. ”

"Father let go, Song'er will definitely live up to his mission. Jing Song responded.

Jing Hu nodded, he was relieved of this son, and then said: "The prince means to incorporate that Zhao Yi into your scout camp as an ordinary soldier. ”

Jing Lan frowned and said, "I'm afraid that kid won't agree." ”

Jinghu said with his forehead: "We don't have to pay attention to this, and whether we agree or not is that he is voluntary, so there is no need to force it." ”

"Father, the prince ...... to that kid"

Jing Hu waved his hand and interrupted Jing Lan's words, "We don't have to guess the prince's thoughts, the prince has his own reasons for doing this." ”

"Yes, father. ”

Although Jinglan had a lot of doubts in her heart, since her father said it, she had to put it in her stomach.

"Song'er, you go and talk to Zhao Yi about this matter. Jing Hu instructed Jing Song.

"Yes, father. ”

Jing Song has also seen Zhao Yi, it was a chance that day, he was returning from a visit to friends, and met a group of sons on the street who were embarrassing a teenager, and the group of sons and brothers Jing Song all knew, they were all sons of powerful families in Chu, and they were idle all day long, not doing their jobs, and under the banner of gathering friends papers, they specialized in bullying men and women.

Jing Song watched the group of boys do something to the young man, but the young man kept smiling and apologizing, looking timid and afraid.

Later, Jing Song's entourage reminded him that the young man was a guest brought back by Jing Lan, and Jing Song came forward to relieve the young man's siege, but Jing Song looked down on the timid and spineless people in his heart, so he had no good impression of the young man, and just left a sentence of "It's okay to go out and go shopping", and turned around and left.

Since his father said that the prince wanted the kid to enter the scout camp, Jing Song didn't ask much and agreed.

Jing Hu suddenly looked at Jing Lan with a loving face, and said with a smile: "My baby daughter, a flower of the Jing family, it's time to get married." ”

Jing Lan is a daughter in the end, and she didn't have time to react to her father's sudden mention of her marriage, and she was so beautiful that she turned red with shame.

"Father!" Jing Lanjiao shouted.

After Jing Song and Jing Lan left, Jing Hu still stared at the fish in the pond and muttered to himself: "Under the calm water, the undercurrent has surged, there are Vermilion Birds riding the wind, but there are also Xuanwu in power, White Tiger holding power, Qinglong Tengxing, Gou Chen in place!"