Ma Chao sneered and asked, "Can you really forget it?" National hatred and family hatred, this is the responsibility that Ma Chao will always bear, this revenge will not be avenged, I swear not to be a person. Since you don't give me soldiers and horses, I will train soldiers and horses by myself, and I pacified Xian Lingqiang, that is, with the help of Xian Lingqiang's power, I will kill Chang'an and kill Cao Cao's old thief with my own hands, this is the way for my Ma Chao to go. ”

"I can't eat hot tofu in a hurry, and I can't eat a fat man in one bite. Cao Cao was a fierce opponent and resourceful, and there were some objective reasons why he was expelled from the Central Plains by me. If the two armies really competed, Cao Cao could be said to be my strongest opponent, and I may not be able to know the victory or defeat. Therefore, to deal with Cao Cao, you have to take your time. Guanzhong is already ten rooms and nine empty, even if Cao Cao wants to restore Guanzhong, it will take a long time, plus he has insufficient troops, borrowing troops everywhere, he knows that he has no troops available. That's why I insisted on fighting this battle, taking the attack on the north as the first step to march into the northwest. ”

"The first step into the Northwest? So what's the second step? Ma Chao became interested and asked.

"Use Beidi County as a springboard to plot the entire Liangzhou. This is the second step. ”

"What about the third step?"

"Troops were sent from Liangzhou and Hongnong at the same time to attack Guanzhong. If you are lucky, you should be able to catch Cao Cao, and if you are not lucky enough, you can at least push Cao Mengde back to the Hanzhong area and let him stick to a corner, so that it will be easier to destroy Cao. The use of troops in the northwest will become the top priority of the Huaxia Kingdom in the next few years. Moreover, for the use of troops in the Northwest, I lack a general who can deter the entire Northwest. The real big war is still to come, and in the next few years, the northwest will become my second battlefield. If the northwest is not taken into hands, the Silk Road will not be unimpeded, and commercial trade will carry huge benefits. ”

Hearing this, Ma Chao roughly understood Lin Nan's intentions, and none of the five tiger generals were chosen. just let him go to the first Lingqiang, the intention is very obvious, that is, to give him a chance to make meritorious contributions. And he could also see that Lin Nan wanted him to stay in the northwest all the time and use troops against Wei as a sharp sword to pacify the entire northwest.

Ma Chao sighed heavily, stood up, and said slowly: "Your Majesty, minister...... The minister is willing to be a sharp blade in the hands of His Majesty. Cut away this thorn in the northwest for His Majesty! ”

After Lin Nan heard Ma Chao's answer, he was quite happy in his heart, and immediately said: "I have to get Meng, why worry about the northwest!" ”

Subsequently, Lin Nan and Ma Chao had a thorough and detailed discussion, and informed Ma Chao of how to use troops in the northwest and his plans in the next few years.

Ma Chao was bent on avenging his country's hatred, and Lin Nan's words undoubtedly gave him great motivation. Troops were used against the northwest and fought against Cao Cao. It will undoubtedly make him a generation of famous generals, and he is full of confidence in his future.

After a long talk, before I knew it, it was already twilight. Lin Nan asked people to treat Ma Chao's food well, and he left.

Leave the place where Ma Chao was held. Lin Nan went straight to the cave where Tai Shici was being held.

The lights in the cave were dim, and the faint light reflected the huge cave, and I saw a figure hiding in the corner, facing the wall, looking so desolate and lonely.

"Facing the wall, facing the wall. A wall, what's there to see? Tai Shi Ci was not angry, facing the wall, muttering non-stop.

After a while, Tai Shi Ci heard a sound of footsteps, and immediately said angrily: "How many times have I told you, I don't eat or drink, I will take them all!" ”

The footsteps stopped, and then a voice came out: "The general's anger is not small, dare to love the general to face the wall like this, not to think about it, but to complain about me!" ”

When Tai Shici heard this voice, he was shocked, and hurriedly turned his face to look over, but saw Lin Nan appear at the door of the cave alone. He consciously lost his speech, and hurriedly knelt down and bowed: "Please forgive the emperor, the minister just mistakenly thought that the emperor was a pawn who delivered food, and the minister was not hungry, but the pawn kept bothering me, and the minister was ......."

"Get up, actually, I'm here to bring you food. I heard Song Xian say, you haven't eaten since yesterday, and now it's a dark night again, others don't know you, don't I know you yet? ”

As he spoke, Lin Nan moved his hand behind his back to the front, carrying a jar of wine in his left hand and half a roasted sheep in his right hand, and walked straight to Tai Shici's side, instructing: "Go and wash your hands, they are dirty like this, how can you eat?" ”

"Minister...... Chancellor is really not hungry! Tai Shi Ci glanced at the roast sheep, and the smell of meat in his nose suddenly aroused the Five Organs Temple, but he kept his mouth stiff.

"Not hungry? Well, I'm eating, you watch. If you don't eat now, don't blame me for not giving you food for the next few days. People are iron, rice is steel, and if you don't eat a meal, you will be hungry. Besides, there are only two people here, you and me, there are no kings and ministers, only brothers. According to your age, you are a month older than me, so I should call you a brother-in-law. ”

"The emperor is the emperor, the minister is the minister, and the minister will never dare to do anything arrogant."

"You, how do you admit death? I have now put down the emperor's shelf and come to talk to you, but you don't appreciate it? Well, then I will order you with the emperor's shelf, and accompany me here to drink wine and eat meat! ”

"This ......"

"What is this? This is my holy decree, do you dare to disobey it? Lin Nan said angrily.

"The minister doesn't dare, the minister just obeys the order."

Lin Nan suddenly laughed, handed the meat to Tai Shici, and said, "That's right, this is my Tiger Wing General." Come, let's take a sip each, I'll drink first, you eat some meat to cushion your stomach first, it's not good to drink on an empty stomach. ”

"Obey the order!"

So, Tai Shici took the mutton from Lin Nan's hand, and he was already so hungry that his chest was close to his back, and when he saw the food in front of him, he immediately began to gobble it up.

Lin Nan drank wine and said with a smile: "Slow down, slow down, see that you are like a hungry wolf, and say that you are not hungry?" Are you angry with me by doing this? ”

"Wow!"

Tai Shi Ci ate too fast, choked all of a sudden, and immediately burped.

"What are you doing in such a hurry? Hurry up and drink some smooth. Lin Nan hurriedly handed over the wine and took the mutton from Tai Shici's hand.

Tai Shici hugged the wine jar and poured it down in a big gulp, so that he no longer hiccuped.

"Your Majesty. The minister is not angry with the emperor, the minister really doesn't understand, so Ma Chao obviously has signs of rebellion, why does the emperor still protect him? Tai Shi Ci relieved himself and opened his mouth to ask.

Lin Nan smiled and said, "I knew you were going to ask me this question. Ma Chao is burdened with family hatred and national hatred. Hell-bent on killing Cao Cao, Chen Qun, Yang Xiu and others to take revenge. For a person who is eager for revenge, after conquering Xian Lingqiang, and then using Xian Lingqiang, secretly training an army that belongs to him, and then attacking Chang'an, this should be what he wants to do the most. Conspiracy? Pure nonsense! Since I dare to use him, I must be on guard against him, so I asked Guo Jia to lead 20,000 Hun soldiers to attack the north, and I brought 30,000 Hun soldiers to follow from behind. said that it was a personal expedition, but in fact, it was also to prevent Ma Chao from rebelling. If he really rebelled, he would definitely be able to kill him in one fell swoop while his foothold was not stable, and the wolf cavalry led by Ma Chao might not be willing to rebel with Ma Chao. For Ma Chao, rebellion at this time is undoubtedly to cut off his life. ”

After hearing this, Tai Shici said: "The emperor is still prescient. It's been arranged, and it seems that I'm scared. ”

"Hmm. But. Your stirring up like this has given Ma Chao a wake-up call, in the next few days, I will lead troops to pacify the entire Beidi County, and when the time comes, I will set up Lingzhou City here. As a military town for the later attack on Liangzhou. Do you know what I'm bringing you here for? ”

Tai Shi Ci thought about it, his eyes lit up, and then he asked, "Could it be that the emperor wants me to defend the border here?" ”

"I just don't know if you agree or not."

"Agree, of course agree, to be able to face Cao Cao's old thief directly. Guarding the frontier for the emperor, this is something I can't ask for, my husband, I should carry a three-foot long sword and gallop across the field. To be honest, during that time in Yunzhou, I was tired of it. To be able to lead troops in this complex place in the northwest is inevitably to fight, and I like war the most! Tai Shi Ci said happily.

"Since you agreed, then it's decided, when the time comes, I will leave you to guard Lingzhou, and Ma Chao and Pang De will be your deputy generals......"

"Ma Chao? Majesty Xià asked Ma Chao to stay with him? Tai Shici's face showed a hint of displeasure.

"Questions?"

"Can you change someone? Wei Yan and Chu Yan are fine, but they really can't, and Zhang He can also do it, just don't leave Ma Chao. ”

"Hehe, aren't you and Zhang He not dealing with each other very much? Why did you name him again? Lin Nan said with a smile.

"That's super stronger than Ma, at least we've been together for a few years, we're familiar with each other, and now we're separated, I really feel a little lonely that no one is arguing......"

"Okay! Zhang He, Wei Yan, and Chu Yan will all be transferred to you. However, Ma Chao must stay! ”

"Why? Emperor? That Ma Chao has a backbone in the back of his head, and if he stays, the northwest will definitely be a mess! ”

"Don't ask why, in short, Ma Chao must stay. If you don't want to do it, I'll let Zhang He do it, and you go back to Yunzhou to guard it. ”

Tai Shi Ci sighed heavily and said, "Your Majesty! I do it, can't I do it? I am nominally the general of the Five Tigers, but I only let me guard Yunzhou, compared to Zhao Yun, Huang Zhong, Gan Ning, and Zhang Liao, I am far behind. Zhao Yun, Huang Zhong, and Zhang Liao are all in the Central Plains, and that Gan Ning also got a navy in Shangjing, and they went to sea every day for training, but they left me on the vast grassland, saying that it was a town guard, what enemies could there be in that circle, all of them were caravans, and there were few soldiers under him. Your Majesty, I don't want to go back to that ghost place in Yunzhou......"

"What the hell! Yunzhou is an important commercial base of China's financial revenue! ”

"The minister knows that he is wrong, and the minister says the wrong thing!" Tai Shici hurriedly admitted his mistake, "It's just, can the emperor sue me, why does Ma Chao have to stay in the northwest?" ”

"Ma Chao is known as the general of Shenweitian, which has a deterrent effect on the Qiang people, and with him, the Qiang people will not dare to invade Lingzhou. Now that the treasury is empty, it is not the time to use troops on a large scale, only after holding Lingzhou first, and waiting until a few years later, when the treasury is sufficient, and the people live and work in peace and contentment, can we launch a full-scale war. Otherwise, the soldiers will not be paid! ”

"I understand. The ministers will abide by the emperor's will, but I will definitely not give Ma Chao too many soldiers and horses, no more than ......" Tai Shici originally stretched out three fingers, but then seemed to feel that it was a bit much, so he hurriedly changed it to one, and then said, "It can't be more than a thousand horses!" ”

"Well, you can arrange this as you like. But don't go too far, after all, Ma Chao's self-esteem is very big, and it's not good to hurt him. ”

"I understand."

So, Lin Nan and Tai Shici drank wine and ate meat together, and talked like brothers until late at night.

The next day. Jia Xu and Gai Xun arrived at Lingwu Valley with all the follow-up troops, and when they learned that Ma Chao and Tai Shici were both imprisoned in the cave and thought about it, neither of them said anything.

The army rested in Lingwu Valley for three days, and on the fourth day, Lin Nan received the news that Guo Jia had taken the entire Beidi County, so he ordered Wuerde to lead 100,000 Qiang people to move to Beidi County, and the rest remained in Lingwu Valley and even Helan Mountain. After that, Lin Nan released Ma Chao and Tai Shici in advance, and renamed Lian County, where Helan Mountain is located, Helan County. Mobilize Pang De from Linrong City to garrison, and he took the army and Jia Xu, Gai Xun, Ma Chao, Tai Shici and others to the county seat of Beidi County.

The army marched slowly, and when they reached the county seat of Northland, it was already three days later.

At this time, Guo Jia and Calis lined up with Hun soldiers to welcome, and when they saw Lin Nan and others coming, Guo Jia greeted them.

After looking at each other twice, Lin Nan saw that Guo Jia's arm was injured. He hurriedly asked with concern: "Aiqing's injury ......?"

"It's not in the way, the emperor is too worried. It's just an extracutaneous injury, and you can recuperate for a while. Guo Jia hurriedly replied.

So, everyone entered the county town of Northland County together to discuss the plan.

In the Taishou Mansion of Beidi County, Jia Xu, Guo Jia, Gai Xun, Ma Chao, Tai Shici, Karis and others gathered together and saluted to Delin Nan, who was sitting in the top position.

After the ceremony. Lin Nan first said: "Our army took Beidi County without much effort, since the Wei army did not come to reinforce, that is to say, the Wei army has taken the initiative to give up Beidi County." However, if you want to move forward, it is estimated that it will be slightly difficult. According to the news found by the scouts, the great Sima Xiahoudun of the Wei army had already led his troops to settle down, and it was difficult for our army to supply food and grass, so it was not easy to fight again. I decided to change the name of Beidi County to Lingzhou, set up the post of government office, and the position of prefect was temporarily replaced by Tai Shici, and after I returned to Jicheng, I will appoint a prefect candidate. ”

After hearing this, Tai Shici showed a look of pride on his face.

"Guo Aiqing, I asked you to find out about things, how are you doing?" Lin Nan turned his face and glanced at Guo Jia.

Guo Jia replied: "Your Majesty, there are already eyebrows, according to reliable information, Zhong Cunqiang, the largest branch of the Qiang people, has openly supported the Wei army, and has now sent troops to defeat Baima Qiang, and is ready to attack the Wolf Qiang, Burning Dangqiang and other tribes, and there is a great tendency to unify the entire Qiang tribe." ”

After hearing this, Ma Chao couldn't help frowning, and said softly: "Zhong Cunqiang has always liked peace, and he has never seen any fighting for more than ten years, why did he suddenly give up his principles?" ”

Guo Jia explained: "I'm afraid this has something to do with the death of King Qiang. Zhong Cunqiang's Qiang King was unfortunately killed by traitors a few days ago, Zhong Cunqiang's clansmen according to the evidence left, directly aimed at Baimaqiang, sent 200,000 troops, completely defeated Baimaqiang, and kidnapped all Baimaqiang's clansmen. Now, the new Qiang king has changed Zhong Cunqiang's principle, openly declared his support for Wei, and is mobilizing troops and horses to prepare to attack the three counties of Wudu, Longxi, and Jincheng. Baimaqiang, Shenwolf Qiang, and Burning Dangqiang had all been hit hard before, but I was afraid that it would be difficult to resist Zhong Cunqiang's powerful offensive. ”

"It must be Cao Cao who provoked it, otherwise, Zhong Cunqiang would never act like this. This time, Zhong Cunqiang is afraid that he will dominate the entire Qiang tribe. Ma Chao sighed and said slowly.

"Judging from the current shape, even if Liangzhou is about to undergo great changes, we can't afford to go west, so it's better to take advantage of this time to build Lingzhou's defense measures with peace of mind. The Qiang people are greedy, Cao Cao uses the power of the Qiang people, and when the Qiang people's greed becomes stronger and stronger, he is afraid that he will backfire Cao Cao. The emperor and the ministers believe that the top priority is not external, but internal. The Huaxia State has been using troops for many years, and the soldiers are tired, and if there is no strong national strength as support, I am afraid that it will be difficult to maintain the military expenditure of the Huaxia State. The emperor should return to the dynasty and leave an army to garrison Lingzhou to build defensive measures. Jia Xu said loudly.

After Lin Nan heard this, he felt that Jia Xu was a little abnormal, and that day, he was arguing with Xun Chen in the court, and he was actively advocating the use of troops against Xian Lingqiang, but now he suddenly made a 180-degree turn, and actually dissuaded Lin Nan from using troops anymore. Lin Nan asked curiously, "Taiwei, why do you contradict each other in your opinions?" ”

Jia Xu replied: "This time, that time." At that time, Xian Lingqiang kept attacking the frontier of our Huaxia Kingdom, and if he didn't take the initiative to send troops to pacify Xian Lingqiang, he would only be passive. Now General Zhengxi has pacified Xian Lingqiang in one fell swoop, and the emperor has divided Xian Lingqiang into two. Coupled with the smoke in Liangzhou, Cao Cao was unable to regain the lost territory, and within five years, there would be no abnormalities in the northwest. However, just in case, it is better to slowly build a defense system in Lingzhou. With the strategy of building a dock fort, step by step, all the villages and villages can be transformed into dock forts, so that as long as the dock forts are all over the place, connected together, once they encounter even if the enemy comes to attack, they can also rescue each other, which is the best way to resist the Qiang people. The minister advocated sending troops. A lot of military spending has been spent, and although the emperor has issued national bonds, it has not been able to fundamentally solve the problem. Enriching the treasury and enabling the people to live and work in peace and contentment is the foundation of the country. ”

After hearing this, Lin Nan really admired Jia Xu's strategic vision, and his preservation was undoubtedly a huge help to him. The name "Poisoner". It's just the viciousness of the enemy, in the political policy. There is indeed something unique about him. However, from Jia Xu's iron-fisted ruling in the Central Plains and killing 20,000 people in one night, it is not difficult to see that this person is indeed a rare talent.

"Captain is right. I also have the intention of returning to the court, but I don't know how many soldiers and horses the captain thinks should be left behind? Lin Nan asked.

Jia Xu said: "This time, Taiwei Guo went to the Xiongnu and recruited 50,000 Xiongnu soldiers. The minister thought that he could leave them all. Since the emperor has plans to use troops in the northwest, he will not send more troops and horses here, and if he deploys them in the future, I am afraid that it will be a waste of time. As the old saying goes. The Yellow River is harmful, but only rich is one set. Now our army has occupied the six eastern places of Shuofang, Yunzhong, Dingxiang, Wuyuan, Shangjun and Xihe in the Hetao area, and now it has captured the Beidi County in the Xitao area, except for the Xitao area in Huangshui, Weishui, and Taoshui area, it has included two-thirds of the entire Hetao area, and the land here is fertile and suitable for farming. Therefore, the minister believes that in the next few years, we should continue to strengthen the importance of the northwest frontier and implement the strategy of common development of Jizhou, Liaodong, Central Plains and Northwest. Ten years later, the Chinese state was strong enough to launch a full-scale war of unification. ”

After listening to this, the people present felt extremely excited about the strategy proposed by Jia Xu, and they also admired Jia Xu very much. Even Guo Jia admired Jia Xu, but he didn't expect Jia Xu to think so far-reaching.

Lin Nan looked at Jia Xu, laughed, and took the initiative to clap his palms, expressing his appreciation for Jia Xu's wonderful remarks.

He looked at Guo Jia again, and thought slowly in his heart: "A ghost talent, a poison man, are all first-class strategists, but in real comparison, Guo Jia is slightly inferior to Jia Xu. Historically, Guo Jia came up with countermeasures at critical moments, and there were no great achievements at other times, but Jia Xu was different, this person was very active from the beginning, in order to protect himself, he had followed several masters in a row, and no matter who he followed, he relied on him a lot, this talent, when Zhuge , Sima, Pang Tong, Zhou Yu and others were not yet famous, he was indeed the first strategist in the late Eastern Han Dynasty. ”

He continued to ask, "Is there any suitable candidate for Lord Taiwei?" ”

"Tiger Wing General Tai Shi Ci is worthy of this position. In addition, the emperor can let Ma Chao, the general of Zhengxi, and Pang De, the general of Wei, serve as the deputy generals of the Tiger Wing General, and with these three people guarding Lingzhou together, even if Cao Cao personally leads hundreds of thousands of people to attack, Lingzhou will inevitably be impregnable. Jia Xu asserted.

After hearing this, Tai Shi Ci looked embarrassed, and hurriedly said: "Lord Taiwei, you are serious, where is Cao Cao so easy to deal with?" Besides, there is a troublemaker here, as long as he doesn't rebel, I'm very content. ”

"Who are you insinuating about?" Ma Chao heard the words, his eyes widened, and he shouted loudly.

"Who do you care who I say, who do you say knows in your heart, why are you so excited?" Tai Shi Ci crossed his arms and retorted.

When Gai Xun saw the relationship between Tai Shici and Ma Chao, he couldn't help but sweat, and he was also skeptical of Jia Xu's assertion. Pang De is loyal, brave in battle, and may be able to get along well with Ma Chao, but this Tai Shi Ci is a thorn in the Huaxia Kingdom. He has been following Lin Nan for a long time, so he naturally has a good understanding of Lin Nan's generals, not to mention that he is now in the position of a lieutenant, so he must take a look at all kinds of information about the generals, and he must be cautious when formulating battle plans.

At this time, seeing the state of Ma Chao and Tai Shici, he immediately clasped his fists and said, "Your Majesty, the ministers think." Lingzhou can be divided into three, and the three generals each command a part, and each other is a horn situation, if there is an invading enemy, they can also rescue each other. ”

Lin Nan was very aware of the current form and shook his head. didn't explain anything, just said lightly: "Gai Taiwei's construction is very good, but this construction is going to be postponed for a few years." Now, let's take Jia Taiwei's construction as a benchmark. In addition to the 50,000 Huns left behind and Pang De's 10,000 wolf cavalry, 40,000 elite warriors were recruited from Lingqiang first, and they were unified into an army and given the name Zhenrong Army. Tai Shici, the general of the tiger wing, served as the governor of the Zhenrong army, and Ma Chao, the general of Zhengxi, and Pang De, the general of Wei, were the deputy governors. All the salaries, grain and grass are supplied by the imperial court, and within five years, I will make this Zhenrong army composed of a mixture of Huns and Qiang people become the first army in the northwest! Tai Shici and Ma Chao, do you two have any opinions? ”

"Nope!" Ma Chao replied first.

"Neither do I!" Tai Shi Ci replied next.

"Since that's the case, it's so decided, besides, after I return to Jicheng, the former general Wei Yan and the Zhendong general Chu Yan. will be delegated to join the Zhenrong Army together. Become the deputy governor of the Zhenrong Army, so that the Zhenrong Army will be handed over to the five of you. How to make the Zhenrong Army the first army in the northwest depends on your ability, but don't let me change generals when the time comes. Otherwise, it will spread out, and it will be bad for your reputation. ”

"Although the emperor can rest assured, the minister will definitely lead the Zhenrong army into the first army in the northwest." Tai Shi Ci said categorically.

Lin Nan smiled: "Just have this confidence." As the saying goes, there is no feast in the world that will not be dispersed, so I will stay here for one more day today and early tomorrow morning. I returned to the court with the three captains. ”

Tai Shi Ci said: "The minister will let people arrange a banquet to send the emperor back to the court." ”

Lin Nan nodded, but he was secretly thinking in his heart: "Let Tai Shici and Ma Chao perform on the same stage, if this drama is good, the Zhenrong Army will inevitably become the first army in the northwest, if it is not good, I am afraid that I will come to clean up the mess at that time." ”

He glanced at Jia Xu and saw that Jia Xu was not worried about Tai Shici and Ma Chao, and he sometimes wondered if he was thinking too much.

After the meeting ended, Lin Nan left Jia Xu alone, put down the emperor's shelf, and like an old friend who had not seen him for many years, he grabbed Jia Xu's hand and asked, "I've been worried about Tai Shici and Ma Chao ......"

Jia Xu smiled and said, "Since the emperor has set up this chess game, he should know the truth that he has no regrets. No matter what the result of this game of chess is, the two chess pieces of Tai Shici and Ma Chao will become the two most important pieces in the hands of the emperor. ”

After Lin Nan heard this, he smiled with relief and stopped thinking about it.

Half a month later, Lin Nan returned to Jicheng, but heard two bad news, Lu Zhi, the Privy Councillor, and Cai Yong, the Prime Minister of the Senate, died of illness one after another, and even the two great doctors in Jicheng, Zhang Zhongjing and Hua Tuo, were helpless.

According to the kind of symptoms mentioned by Zhang Zhongjing and Hua Tuo, Lin Nan made a judgment in connection with modern medicine, Cai Yong died of cerebral thrombosis, and Lu Zhi died of myocardial infarction.

The successive deaths of the two major auxiliary ministers deeply pierced Lin Nan's heart, making him feel that the lack of ancient medical skills, the so-called miracle doctors, is not a cure for all diseases.

At the end of July 191, just ten months after the founding of the Chinese People's Republic of China, the founding heroes Cai Yong and Lu Zhi suddenly passed away. On July 28, Lin Nan buried Cai Yong and Lu Zhi with a national funeral ceremony to highlight the honor of these two.

On this day, the drizzle is floating in the weather, and the breeze blows the drizzle on people's faces, which makes people feel a little cool.

During the ceremony, Lin Nan felt a panic, a premonition for the future, and maybe one day, he would suddenly disappear from this world. He hugged the crying heartbroken Cai Yan, and didn't say anything, just a solemn face.

The funeral was held together, and Lin Nan separately carved out a large area fifty miles northeast of Jicheng, named it "Meritorious Tomb", with a radius of ten miles, and asked soldiers to guard the mausoleum. In the future, if there are any more founding heroes to go west, he will bury them all in this "Mausoleum of Heroes" to show their contributions to the Chinese country.

From Jicheng to the "Mausoleum of Meritorious Heroes", both sides of the official road of fifty miles are full of people, and the people are deeply saddened by the death of these two important ministers, Lu Zhi and Cai Yong are well-known Confucians in China. When they died, not only their students, but also the common people wept, and this scene was truly spectacular.

It was already late after the funeral, and it was already dark when I returned to Jicheng. The drizzle was like tears falling from the sky.

The sudden death of Lu Zhi and Cai Yong made Lin Nan very embarrassed, one is the prime minister of the Senate, and the other is the lieutenant of the Privy Council. But after thinking about it, Lin Nan didn't come up with a suitable candidate. In the end, it was decided that the Senate and the Privy Council remained the same. The situation of the coexistence of the five prime ministers and the five captains is gone forever, and it has become the current four captains and four prime ministers.

In addition, it is worth mentioning that the originally appointed prime minister, Zhong Xuan, and the head of the household department, Bing Yuan, were transferred to the position, with Zhong Xuan in charge of the household department, and Bing Yuan joined the cabinet as the prime minister. And it was replaced before Lu Zhi and Cai Yong died. The reason is simple, Bingyuan is not suitable to be in charge of a system as large as the household department. Just let Zhong Xuan replace him. Zhong Xuan seems to have been downgraded by a grade, but in fact, he has the real power, and he monopolizes the power of the household department, which is better and harder than being a prime minister in the Senate, and has become the actual big housekeeper of Huaxia Middle School.

In the palace, Cai Yan had just lulled one-year-old Lin Qi to sleep. Sitting alone in front of the bronze mirror, she was in a daze, with a burst of loss and hesitation on her face, the pain of losing her father, and now it occupied her entire senses, and she didn't even know that Lin Nan walked behind her.

Lin Nan looked at Cai Yan with a haggard face. sighed softly, stretched out his hands, put them on Cai Yan's shoulders, gently pinched Cai Yan's shoulders, and comforted: "People can't be resurrected after death, and the queen also asks for condolences." ”

Cai Yan turned his head, hugged Lin Nan's waist, and put his face on Lin Nan's abdomen, hugging it so tightly, but he didn't say anything.

Lin Nan also hugged Cai Yan, no longer spoke, and only replied with the crook of his arm, at this time silence is better than sound.

After a while, Lin Nan only felt that his clothes were wet, and when he looked down, he was soaked with Cai Yan's tears, he hurriedly squatted down, stretched out his hand to wipe away the tears on Cai Yan's face, and said comfortingly: "Queen, people are inherently dead, and the prime minister is gone, but he will be immortal, and he will also live in our hearts......"

Who knows, it's okay that Lin Nan doesn't speak, but as soon as he speaks, Cai Yan cries even more.

Originally, Lin Nan was not very good at pleasing women, and he had honed it in the past few years to march and fight, make suggestions, and customize national policies. But he himself has married several wives in a row, and each woman has not seriously pursued it, but everyone has seen the right eye and felt it, so he agreed. Some of them are even more so-called political zhì. Cai Yan is obviously a political product, and when Lin Nan needed to borrow Cai Yong's reputation to recruit talents for him, Cai Yong proposed to marry his daughter to him, and he had to agree.

Minchan was saved by him, and he made a personal promise, and it didn't take much effort. The newly married concubine Nalan, that is, Jia Wen, who was recognized by Jia Xu as a righteous daughter, was also out of political needs. Thinking back to his current four women, in Lin Nan's psychology, he only has a deeper affection for the public loss of the Fei. After all, the two of them have experienced a lot together, but unfortunately, Gong Yifei unfortunately passed away when she gave birth to Lin Lin.

Seeing Cai Yan crying even more, Lin Nan didn't know what to do, so he could only say, "Don't cry, don't cry, I'...... Ay! ”

Fortunately, Cai Yan is not the kind of person who cries, makes trouble and hangs herself, no matter what, she is also a talented woman who has received a good education since she was a child, and among the four women in Lin Nan, she is considered to have the highest level of education, and it is estimated that she has a doctorate. She has followed Lin Nan for so long, so she naturally knows Lin Nan's character and temper, and after crying for a while, she stopped sobbing, looked at Lin Nan with tears in her eyes, and said carefully: "Your Majesty, the concubines will have no relatives except for the emperor and Qi'er in the future......"

Of course, Lin Nan knew Cai Yan's family background, nodded, stretched out his hand to hold Cai Yan in his arms, glanced at Lin Qi who was sleeping, and said slowly: "It's enough for you to have us, I will treat you well in the future." ”

This night, Lin Nan stayed in Queen Cai Yan's bedroom, reclining on the side of the bed, hugging Cai Yan tightly, taking care of his eldest son Lin Qi, and the family spent the night peacefully.

The next day, Lin Nan issued a holy decree to let the former general Wei Yan and the Zhendong general Chu Yan rush to Lingzhou. After the decree was issued, Lin Nan went to Qingfeng Temple outside the city to visit Zuo Ci, who was injured in the last alchemy.

Qingfeng Temple is twenty miles northwest of Jicheng, since the last explosion, the people in Jicheng are very afraid of Zuo Ci, an old Taoist priest who does not want to die in alchemy, and know that he will build a Taoist temple for him again, so he will unanimously go to the yamen to ask for his life, let him stay away from Jicheng, so as not to happen again The last similar thing and injured people will be injured, and the gains outweigh the losses.

So, Qingfeng Temple was built in the northwest twenty miles outside Jicheng, the Taoist Temple is not big, there is a row of willows on both sides, a cement road in the middle, it extends to the grove, Qingfeng Temple can be seen.

Lin Nan was wearing a strong suit, riding a horse alone, and finally arrived at Qingfeng Temple, but seeing that the scenery of Qingfeng Temple was pleasant, and the surrounding birds and flowers were fragrant, there was a different kind of quiet, such a place seemed to be more suitable for cultivation.

The door of the Taoist temple is open, and you can see a qiē inside the Taoist temple. As soon as Lin Nan arrived at the door, when he turned over and dismounted, he saw a little Taoist boy passing by the Taoist temple with a bunch of things in his arms, thinking that Zuo Ci never accepted apprentices, but suddenly a little Taoist boy came, which was a bit surprising to him. However, when I remembered that Zuo Ci had an arm broken last time and had become a one-armed person, it was indeed a little inconvenient in life, so I didn't care.

He tied his horse to a tree outside the Taoist temple, walked in alone, and saw the little Taoist boy enter a room, from which a little white smoke came out, and through the open door you can see the furnishings inside, and what catches your eye is a huge alchemy furnace, and under the alchemy furnace is a very strong fire.

He walked over, stood by the door, and saw Zuo Ci sitting there quietly, with colorful and various items on the ground, including some extremely rare ores.

"Five parts of yellow phosphorus." Zuo Ci closed his eyes and sat cross-legged, his lips squirming slightly.

I saw Xiao Daotong walk to a pile of pale yellow, colored powder, scooped five small bowls with a small bowl, and added them into the alchemy furnace, and after a while, he heard the gurgling in the alchemy furnace began to bubble, Xiao Daotong hurriedly walked away and hid behind Zuo Ci.

"Afraid of what? And it won't explode? Zuo Ci didn't even open his eyes, so he said loudly.

"I've seen the power, and I'm really afraid that it will explode, and I can blow a person to pieces!" Xiao Daotong replied.

Lin Nan listened very carefully outside, the room was not big, because the alchemy furnace had been spitting out white mist, so the whole room was full of smoke, and the little Taoist boy had always had his back to Lin Nan, and at this time he was hiding behind Zuo Ci, but he was facing Lin Nan. Lin Nan vaguely saw the familiar face, coupled with the sound of the voice he heard, he couldn't help but be stunned in his heart, and shouted speechlessly: "Sima Zhongda? ”

That little Taoist boy is Sima Yi, after returning from Guanzhong, he saw with his own eyes the power of the heavenly thunder bullet, so as soon as he came back, he went to find Zuo Ci, it happened that Zuo Ci's injury was almost healed, but he couldn't do more activities, and he was short of manpower to help him refine the pill, so he took this opportunity to be a little Taoist boy by Zuo Ci's side.

Zuo Ci and Sima Yi both heard this familiar voice, and both of them were shocked in their hearts, and hurriedly shouted at the same time: "Your Majesty, it's dangerous here, get out quickly!" ”

As he spoke, Zuo Ci opened his eyes, stood up, and rushed out at the same time as Sima Yi, pulling Lin Nan away, and bringing Lin Nan to safety, only then did he let go of Lin Nan. (To be continued......)