The two soldiers looked at each other and stood there silently. The young flag officer gave them another cold look, turned and strode away. Behind him, there was a lot of discussion.

"Who is this person?" Shen Rong asked.

"He is the former Wupin Imperial Sword Officer of the former government army, and Yang Muyun, who also has the title of Jinyi Wei Qianhu." Zhu Yi said on the side.

"A fifth-rank person actually came to the army to be a flag officer?" Shen Rong felt incredible.

"This person has been offended by the emperor and the queen mother, and has been removed from his post and left at home, only retaining a vacant title," Zhu Yi explained: "If it weren't for this year's autumn exercises, this person would not have been reactivated." ”

"You know him so well, it must be under your command, right?" Shen Rong glanced at him and said, "It seems that your family has also contributed a lot to his reactivation. ”

Zhu Yi smiled and didn't speak.

"The brothers have been running on the grassland for ten days, and they will be happy today," Shen Rong said to him, "You can also relax, and tomorrow we will return to Beijing." ”

"My lord," Zhu Yi said in surprise, "Shall we return south?" We didn't fight ......."

"Why didn't you fight?" Shen Rong squeezed his eyes at him, "Didn't we just go through a big battle?" defeated the Tatars and beheaded more than a thousand people......"

"What?" Zhu Yi said in surprise: "This is just a raid on a small tribe, how can it be said that it is a big war?" ”

"The emperor just let us gain something, and he didn't really expect our five thousand people to fight a big battle," Shen Rong smiled and said: "Emperor Taizong's divine martial arts, leading an army of 500,000 to sweep Mobei, can't win it all, let alone our little people?" ”

"But my lord," Zhu Yi said, "the emperor asked us to find out the enemy's whereabouts, and we haven't found out exactly where the enemy's nest is, so how can we go back and tell the emperor?" ”

"The Tatars have no fixed residence, and even if we find out the location of their enemy chieftain at this moment, how can we know that they will not move elsewhere in a few months?" Shen Rong smiled and patted Zhu Yi's shoulder, "Brother, the emperor just thinks that the Tatars have disturbed my Daming several times, and I can't get over my face." And we have gone deep into Mobei, killed some of them, and saved some face for the emperor. If you see it, you can accept it, and you can't put your net worth and life here, you must know that Chengguo Gong is the only son of you, if you have a mistake, who will take over the title of Chengguo Duke? Besides, you have not been married long ago, and your new lady is still looking forward to your return! ”

Zhu Yi's face moved, and he was silent.

"Zhu Qianhu," Shen Rong said, "How many people did you behead in this battle?" ”

"Two ...... Two," Zhu Yi said after a moment's hesitation.

"Well," Shen Rong nodded, "It's okay, when the official goes back, he will write on the battle report submitted to the Ministry of War that you Zhu Qianhu have five people in your hands, and you have been captured by two heads, what do you think?" ”

"This, this ......" Zhu Yi's eyes widened, and she couldn't help but open her mouth, "This is not a lie about military exploits...... Really, really? ”

"The soldiers are sleeping in the open, climbing the ice and lying in the snow, and bathing in ......blood," Shen Rong's eyes looked into the distance, "Isn't this credit as good as those rotten Confucians who bow down to the court and talk about it?" Shen Rong retracted his gaze, looked at him and said, "The soldiers are working hard for you, you must not chill the hearts of the soldiers!" ”

Zhu Yi was excited, and hurriedly arched his hand and said, "What the lord said is that the humble duty understands. ”

"It's good to understand," Shen Rong bowed his head with satisfaction, "The first heroic name of Chengguo Gong needs you to inherit it, this is a soldier, the knowledge in it is very big!" ”

————————————

The sky gradually darkened, the earth lit a sparkling bonfire, the soldiers sat around the fire, the fire set up a large iron pot, some were brought with the army, some taken from the tribe that had just been slaughtered, hundreds of slaughtered, washed, peeled, cut into pieces of beef and mutton have been down to the pot, large pieces of meat in the soup pot rolling, the soldiers smiled, gulped meat, drank wine, vented the bitterness of the multi-day march to the grassland.

"It's a pity," said a slender soldier, unscrewing the cork from his leather pouch, taking a sip of wine, and sighing, "there is wine and meat, but there are no women." ”

"You kid," a stubble-covered veteran punched him in the shoulder, "all the women in this tribe have been killed by us, don't you kid kill one too, if you had mercy then, now."

You don't have to sleep with your horse in your arms at night. As soon as the words fell, everyone burst into laughter.

The slender soldier looked around, shook his head, and said, "I didn't think too much about it at the time, I couldn't hold the knife when I saw the blood, why didn't you leave a woman under the knife?" ”

"Why stay?" The old man with stubble on his face laughed and said, "Leaving one or two is not enough for so many of our brothers!" The laughter resumed.

"Brother Tao," the old soldier with stubble on his face picked up the leather bag containing wine and touched the other party's leather bag, "You don't have to be depressed, if you and I still have the life to return to the capital, I, as an elder brother, must invite you to visit the kiln, the ladies in the capital are not more intelligent than this Tartar woman who smells of sheep's flesh?" ”

"Is that true?" The lanky soldier said as he stared at him.

"When I Niu Dayong speaks, it's a mouthful of spit and a nail, and I don't count it at any time." The stubble-covered veteran said as he met his gaze.

"Well, you invite me to visit the kiln, I invite you to drink, and that's it. Dry—"

"—"

The two of them raised their leather pouches, leaned their necks, and drank to their heart's content......

There was a noisy scene in front of all the bonfires, but Yang Muyun stood up and walked to a secluded place. There was no moonlight on this night, and the snow reflected the dancing light of the campfire, making the whole land glow brightly.

At this time, a melodious flute sounded, and the music drifted in the vast grassland and was slightly desolate.

Yang Muyun's heart moved, and he walked along to the music, and on a hillside that was not high, there was a person sitting there playing the flute.

"It's Ma Liang." Yang Muyun's eyes were sharp, even though it was in the night, he could see at a glance who was sitting there.

When Ma Liang saw someone coming, he hurriedly put away the flute.

"Ma Zongqi is so interested," Yang Muyun greeted him from afar: "Everyone gathers together to drink wine and eat meat, and you are here to hide and relax." ”

"Lord Yang," Ma Liang stood up and arched his hand towards him, "Why are you also interested in coming here alone?" ”

"It seems that we are like-minded, and we don't like to be lively," Yang Muyun bowed his hand and saluted: "Ma Zongqi doesn't need to be polite, you and I have the same rank, don't be so polite." ”

The two stood opposite each other on the hillside, and Yang Muyun saw a trace of melancholy in his eyes, so he asked casually, "What, do you have something on your mind?" ”

"Oh no, no...... No. Ma Liang's eyes flickered, avoiding his gaze.

"I forgot, in fact, Ma Zongqi is also Mongolian," Yang Muyun looked at him and said, "You must be very reluctant to see what happened today, right?" ”

"Lord Yang's words are wrong," Ma Liang's face was a little unnatural, "Ma is now a courtier of the Ming Dynasty, and he should serve the Ming Dynasty loyally, how can he have two hearts?" ”

"Mr. Ma doesn't have to be nervous," Yang Muyun's voice slowed down: "Yang didn't kill anyone today, it's the same as Mr. Ma!" ”

"Oh?" Ma Liang's eyes moved, "Why is this?" "He and his men were in charge of pathfinding and did not take part in the battle.

"Going into battle to kill the enemy, Yang is unwilling to be left behind," Yang Muyun said lightly: "But if you want to raise a knife to the old and young women and children, Yang disdains it." ”

"The old and the young, women and children are also enemies, why does Lord Yang feel compassionate?" Ma Liang stared at him and asked.

"Not all enemies have to be solved with knives," Yang Muyun sighed softly, "It is the most stupid thing to kill them all without screening, and in this way, it will further arouse the hatred of all the tribes of the grassland, and there will be no peace in the future." ”

Ma Liang's eyes lit up, "Lord Yang knows that the Mongolian people are in the jam, but they burn, kill, loot, and do everything, and they will not let go of the elderly, women and children of the Han people." ”

"But I am not a Mongolian from the Ming Dynasty," Yang Muyun said: "The Ming Dynasty is powerful in all directions, and if you want to obey the four people, you can't be the same as a robber who robs a house." Then you said: "Killing can't stop killing, when is the time to repay grievances, if the Mongols and Han people give up their past suspicions and coexist peacefully, wouldn't it be good?" ”

"It's difficult," Ma Liang sighed, "You Han people have a saying that different things don't conspire with each other, and the Mongolian golden family is bent on revitalizing the Yuan family and returning it to Dadu." I'm afraid they won't surrender to the Ming Dynasty, many Mongolian people gather around the Golden Family, Fengyuan Zhengshuo, and the Ming Dynasty will never die......"

"No matter how difficult things are, people need to do them," Yang Muyun said: "Isn't it like Brother Ma to belong to me Daming?" ”

While the two were talking, they saw several more people coming this way.

Ma Liang's face changed, "Lord Yang, Ma still has something, farewell!" Saying that, he didn't wait for Yang Muyun to answer, turned around and left.

Yang Muyun was about to stop him, when a voice came from the other side, "Mr. Yang...... Is Mr. Yang there? ”

Yang Muyun turned around and saw that the person who came was wearing a red cloth armor and a light brown wide-brimmed military hat, so he knew that he was the commander of the personal soldiers, so he arched his hand and said: "This general flag is Yang Muyun, I don't know what the two of you are looking for me?" ”

"The commander wants to see you, so come with us!" The two pro-soldiers said with blank faces.

......

Shen Rong's command set up the tent in the largest felt bag, which was originally the residence of the chieftain of the tribe. Now that this tribe has been slaughtered, Shen Rong has honestly and unceremoniously moved in.

"Yang Muyun, the general banner under the command of the avant-garde left sentinel army of the government army, see the commander." As soon as he entered the felt bag, Yang Muyun bowed to Shen Rong and made a military salute with his fists.

"Yang Zongqi," Shen Rong looked at Yang Muyun and said, "Do you know why this official called you here?" ”

"My subordinates don't know." Yang Muyun said calmly.

"Except for Ma Liang, the rest of the hundred general flags under the command of this official rushed to the battlefield," Shen Rong's eyes stared at Yang Muyun without blinking, "They all have been killed, but why didn't you kill anyone?" ”

"Back to my lord," Yang Muyun said indifferently: "The subordinates rushed over and found that this is not a battlefield, but just a pasture for herdsmen to graze, except for the old man and woman, it is a child, and the subordinates don't know where to cut it?" ”

"Didn't you hear the military order from this officer?" Shen Rong's voice became stern, "You repeat this officer's military order again." ”

"Yes," Yang Muyun hesitated for a moment and said, "Your Excellency's military order is" Don't leave a single living mouth. ’”

"It turns out that you still know," the corners of Shen Rong's mouth curled slightly, "how did you carry out your officer's military orders?" ”

"The subordinates failed to carry out the military orders of the adults, please surrender the adults!" Yang Muyun lowered his head and said.

"Are you ignoring your official's military order because the other party is an old and young woman or child?" Shen Rong said sharply.

Yang Muyun was silent.

"If you don't answer, you're acquiescing?" Shen Rong's eyes flashed with a sharp light, and he said in an accentuated tone: "You must know that this is not the realm of the Ming Dynasty, all the people living on this grassland, including the infant baby, are the enemies of the Ming Dynasty, and it is not merciful to treat the enemy." When the child grows up, he will become a warrior, and he will take up a sword, a spear, a leaping horse, and raise a bow, and he will break through the pass and plunder my people...... This official has seen with his own eyes how the Tartars insult my Ming women, they will pick the newborn baby on the tip of the spear and let it wail and die......" Speaking of this, his eyes narrowed slightly, "They are a group of wolves, a group of wolves from the grassland, treat wolves, our Ming soldiers can't be merciful, kill them together with the wolf cubs to ensure that my Ming border is forever." ”

"Lord Commander," Yang Muyun raised his head and said after he finished speaking: "I have never been in trouble here since the Hongwu year for eighty years, so kill and kill in the past, even if it is another hundred years, my Ming border will not be forever." ”

"Oh?" Shen Rong didn't expect him to retort, "In your opinion, what should I do?" ”

"Be kind to the wives and children of these Tartars," Yang Muyun said, "bring them back to the Ming Dynasty and show them favor so that they can know where the heavenly power is, so that they can summon more people to descend." ”

"Whimsical," Shen Rong sneered, "Take them back to Daming, how to walk on the way?" You must know that we only have 5,000 men, and once the cavalry of the Tartar brigade knows where we are, you, me, and these 5,000 men and horses will all have to be buried in this steppe. ”

"You can let your subordinates raise the knife in their hands to those women and children," Yang Muyun said, "Your subordinates really can't get this hand." ”

"Yang Zongqi," Shen Rong said slowly, "I heard that you were originally the emperor's side of the emperor with a sword official and a brocade cloth Weibei Town Fusi Qianhu, right?" ”

Yang Muyun stared and did not answer.

"You've been reduced to a little flag now, do you know why?" Shen Rong glanced at him and said.