When Yue'er and Erya came to the front yard, Shang Chengzheng and Zhongshan were gossiping.

Zhongshan and the others came here today, in addition to visiting Shang Cheng, they also wanted to ask about some military matters. They also brought letters from Zhang Shao and Ximensheng. In the letter, Zhang Shao and Ximen Sheng both mentioned one thing, the Tuqi people in front of Yanshan were first destroyed in the old nest of Heishui City, and then attacked Yandong and were defeated, and there will inevitably be chaos in the grassland under the rule of the king of Donglu Valley; Coupled with the fact that the left wing of the Turges suffered losses of varying sizes throughout the war, while the Great Tengliang and Wannuer Sections remained unmoved, it is likely that the internal contradictions among the Turgists will intensify in the recent period. From this, they deduced that it was impossible for the Turks to take large-scale military retaliation until the internal disputes and contradictions were thoroughly resolved; Before the entire left flank of the Turks had received sufficient recuperation, the king of Donglu Valley did not have the strength to move south again. Zhang Shao further pointed out that now that the left wing of the Turks is in a state of weakness, and it is difficult for the right wing to enter a state of war in time under the long-term dormancy, Da Zhao is facing a great opportunity that is rare in a century! In his letters, he wrote in solemn words: "When the righteousness is in full swing, it is the time when the Tao is crippled, and the soldiers are united in their will to be excited, and they ride their horses to the north, and they will be like a torrent breaking through the embankment and pouring down; The thieves are newly defeated and weak, how can they be defeated? If so, then the homeland of the Han and Tang dynasties will eventually be restored! ”

However, most of the time, there is always a gap that is difficult to cross between beautiful ideals and cruel realities. "The Ministry of War has written several times, and the prime minister has also exchanged instructions, and the burning words are contained in it, and he has repeatedly said that the southern expedition is a big matter, and the guards and towns must not talk lightly about military affairs, let alone graze horses and grasslands without authorization. After the night candle repeatedly pondered, all kinds of thoughts are difficult to understand. The country of Tubo is in the north, and the southern Zhao is a small state, even if the two are the same evil, how can they be a blow to the 50,000 heavenly army? This is a must-win campaign, but it is enough to send one or two good ones, but with the instrument of the town, the deep meaning of the question, or it is not something that Shao can measure. ……”

Zhang Shao said very tactfully in the letter, but the meaning was very clear. He knew that he was in a humble position, and he was in Yanshan, which was far away from the center, and no matter how reasonable he said, not many people would pay attention to it, so he handed the message to Shang Cheng, wanting Shang Cheng to try to influence the decision-making of the imperial court. But this is obviously his wishful thinking. Not to mention that Shang Cheng doesn't have that much ability, even if he has so much appeal, it is impossible for the imperial court to change the established decision at will because of someone's insistence. At present, Da Zhao's conquest of Nanzhao has become a trend that has to be launched, not to mention that Shang Cheng is powerless to reverse it, even Zhang Pu has no ability to reverse this situation!

Shang Cheng could only ask Zhongshan to send them back, and he could help convey his views to the imperial court, but before the imperial court made changes, the Yanshan guards must not act rashly! As a soldier, the first thing is to resolutely obey the command; No matter what opinion or opinion you have in your heart, the orders of your superiors must be followed without discount; As for their opinions and ideas, they should also be responded to in accordance with the system. As for the military issues raised by Zhongshan, because he no longer holds a position in Yanshan and does not have direct jurisdiction over military affairs, it is inconvenient for him to make any suggestions, let alone any instructions. This answer must have taught Nakayama that they were disappointed. But he then said that he could write a reply letter to Zhang Shao and Ximensheng, in which he would talk about some of his personal thoughts and opinions. However, there were some questions that he still needed to think carefully, so it was best for them to come and get this reply before leaving.

For now, they have finished talking about military matters. Shang Cheng asked the guards to remove the guards, and he told Zhongshan and them some unimportant things.

Since it is gossip, the topic is inseparable from Yanshan; Since Yanshan is mentioned, it is inevitable to talk about the preface. Speaking of this current admiral of Yanshan, Zhong Shan and Shao Chuan's tone suddenly changed. Everyone knows that Zhuxu is going to Yanshan to grab credit and pick fruits, which is the most disgusting and hated villain's behavior! With this article alone, it is impossible for the order to live satisfactorily in Yanshan! Zhongshan is better, after all, he is a person who has read books, and he is somewhat self-contained, and his evaluation of Zhuxu can be regarded as a virtue in his mouth. Shao Chuan didn't care about any self-cultivation, opened his mouth and began to scold Zhu Xu, from leading troops to train and drill the army to deploying defense and heavy supplies, until Zhu Xuan was approved to the point that it was useless, so he almost took a piece of paper and wrote the word "stupid", and spat directly on Zhu Xu's head...... It wasn't until Shang Cheng really couldn't listen to it anymore and taught him a few words out loud that he reluctantly shut up.

When Shang Cheng and Zhongshan Shao Chuan were talking, Zheng Qi had been listening to him. He followed Guo Biao to fight on the grassland for several months, and he was very unclear about the various situations on the Yanshan side, so he didn't interject. When Shang Cheng and them spoke, he kept refilling tea and pouring tea soup for everyone, and started to do the work of "orderlies".

Now, Shang Cheng is asking Zhongshan about Wen Mu's current situation. This time, the imperial court rewarded Yanshan, Wen Mu was also promoted and knighted by virtue of his military exploits, and now he is the founder of the country and the general Ning Yuan under the fifth grade. He asked Zhongshan: "I read that the military newspaper said that Qi Wei was transferred to Yanshan Wei Mansion to work, how did Zhaoyuan get along with him?" ”

"Qi Wei's little ability, can he still be good at Zhaoyuan? The two files written by Qi Wei a few years ago were successively returned by the former Zhan Shisi of the Weifu Mansion; Just because of this, General Jixian also called Qi Wei to shoot the case and reprimanded him for a long time. Now there are rumors that Qi Wei is writing letters everywhere and wants to transfer out of Yanshan. Nakayama laughed as he spoke. This matter is obviously Wen Mu is making a mistake, and Zhang Shao is pulling his hand again, the purpose is to force Qi Wei to get out of the bed by himself. Although Qi Wei was treated unfairly, no one has stood up to cry out for Qi Wei's suffering. Like Zhu Xu, Qi Wei's reputation in Yanshan was completely ruined. Unless it's official business, absolutely no one will take the initiative to deal with these two guys.

"He's long overdue!" Shao Chuan interjected angrily and said, "It's all because Ximen Sheng is too merciful in doing things!" As early as September, when Qi Wei led his troops into the grassland without authorization, he should have cut down the sacrificial flag of this guy! The imperial court is also unclear about rewards and punishments. is like Qi Wei, even if he didn't cut off his head, he turned out to be his mother's founding marquis! As he spoke, he spat hard into the ground. Because he was so indignant, he completely forgot that this was not a military camp, but Shang Cheng's small study.

Shang Cheng asked, "Qi Wei wants to be transferred?" What is the saying of Jixian? ”

"General Jixian said that as long as there is an order, he will immediately release it with a seal."

Shang Cheng nodded in satisfaction. Rats like Qi Wei really can't stay in Yanshan. He could understand what Zhang Shao and Wen Mu were doing. They did this for the sake of Qi Weiyi, who was not suitable for leading troops to fight; If you continue to be in Yanshan, sooner or later you will lose your head. He also wanted to inquire about some other things, and Li Feng reported outside the door of the study that Yue'er and Erya had something to do with him.

Shang Cheng had no choice but to talk to Li Feng first: "I'll talk to General Sun and them." Go and tell them what to do tomorrow. ”

"Miss and Miss II said that it was a matter of urgency."

Shang Cheng was a little unhappy. What can the two little girls be in a hurry? Hiding his dissatisfaction, he asked, "What did they say they didn't say?" ”

What was the matter, Yue'er didn't tell Li Feng. However, the first few maids in front of him ran around again and again, and Li Feng still inquired a few words, so he said: "General Yu, it is the shopkeeper of the Gao family who has an accident." The shopkeeper of the Gao family took a boat to the south to go to sea, as if the boat capsized, so he entrusted his dream to his mother-in-law and sister, asking them to find a way to save their lives......"

Before he could finish his words, Shang Cheng's face changed color. He lowered his voice and asked, "Where did the news come from?" ”

"It seems that someone from the Gao family has arrived in the capital......"

Listening to Li Feng's ominous reply, Shang Cheng's clenched cheeks couldn't help but twitch twice, and endured it again and again, so that he didn't lose his temper in front of several old subordinates.

Zhong Shan, Shao Chuan and Zheng Qi, the three of them have followed him for two or three years, and they are all familiar with the situation at home. Just now I heard that Yue'er and Erya were looking for him, and the three of them were a little hesitant, not knowing whether to leave or stay. At this time, seeing him purse his lips and look deep, raise his hand and grope for the blindfold without saying a word, he knew that the thunder and anger were only in the moment. The scene of the general's anger, they have not only heard and seen it, but also experienced it themselves. Li Shen, can you be called unruly? Zhang Shao, it's not oil and salt, right? But these two well-known figures in the Yanshan Guard, the anger of being a general is also with both legs side by side, with a straight waist, and they are sprayed with spittle, but Xingzi doesn't even dare to frown, not to mention the three of them small fish and shrimp? Seeing that Shang Cheng was about to get angry, the three of them had a tacit understanding, and they didn't even look at each other, so they got up at the same time and saluted and said goodbye, there was still something in the barracks, and they didn't dare to delay more......

Shang Cheng was not in the mood to leave them talking, so he waved his hand upset, asked Li Feng to send them off, and called the two girls in by the way.

Yue'er and Erya entered the house hard, and squeezed into the corner one by one. They were still encouraging each other outside just now, saying that the monk brother is not terrible, no matter how fierce and evil he is, he must always be reasonable, right? is really facing Shang Cheng, but no one has the courage to speak, so he will only stand by the wall and bury his head and pick his fingers.

Shang Cheng's face was black. He didn't look at the two girls, nor did he speak, but just cracked the knuckles of his two hands.

As if sensing his anger, the outside of the room cleared up at once. At this time, it was the time when the guards took turns to eat dinner, and there was always a little sound in the past; But now I couldn't hear the slightest sound. Sang Xiu and Zhennu had already returned to the courtyard, but they avoided in the ear room when Yue'er and them came over, and they didn't even dare to take a breath of air right now. Yue'er and Erya, the two girls are naturally even more afraid to speak. They buried their heads lower, and shrank their bodies back desperately, hating to hide in the wall; At the same time, I hope that he will not look at himself.

"Tell me, what the hell is going on."

The two girls were silent.

Shang Cheng saw Erya from Yue'er, and then looked back at Yue'er from Erya, and asked with the corners of his mouth: "You two, who is coming?" ”

The two daughters remained silent.

In the end, Yue'er spoke. She is older than Erya and is an older sister; At the critical moment, she must stand up and "protect" her sister. But she was also afraid that Shang Cheng would get angry, and she didn't dare to mention anything about doing maritime business to find a lot of money, so she only dared to talk about the important things about Gao Xiaosan's dream.

After she finished speaking, Shang Chengwu's gloomy face softened slightly. He was a staunch materialist; In his opinion, all dreams and ghosts are nonsense. He estimated that this incident was probably because Gao Xiaosan's mother-in-law was in a trance under the long-term illness of her qi and blood, and she was worried that Gao Xiaosan was taking a boat to the sea this time and taking a strange road, and she kept worrying and worrying day and night, and finally she had an illusion and formed a self-psychological suggestion, and then it became a man's dream of holding a bathtub in the ocean and shouting for help one by one, which was obviously her subconscious self-deduction and processing. As for the dream of the little sister of the Gao family, he guessed that it was very likely that the girl made it up after listening to her sister-in-law's words. Little girls have this kind of problem, like to artificially amplify their fears, the more they feel afraid of the things they like to do, the more terrible things they have to try...... He retracted his thoughts, and didn't hurry to ask about Gao Xiaosan's trip to sea, and asked first: "How is the third sister-in-law now?" ”

Hearing that his tone was not so harsh, Yue'er and Erya were relieved. Erya hurriedly said, "I asked the two imperial doctors to see it, and they said it was okay." He also said with good news, "The two imperial doctors also prescribed a prescription for her, asking her to nourish her body for a period of time first, and then help her slowly tonify and recuperate." They also said that the third sister-in-law's ** disease can definitely be cured! When she spoke, her face was full of moving energy, as if the imperial doctor could cure the illness of the third sister-in-law of the Gao family, and she had a great merit in it.

Shang Cheng nodded. In fact, he didn't need to use needles to take medicine for his headache for a long time, but the two imperial doctors refused to report back to the hospital when he was here, and he didn't say anything. Some time ago, he also heard Duan Si say that the two imperial doctors had accidentally mentioned a matter in a casual conversation, and it was said that Yiyi was just a rumor that there was a rumor in the Tai Hospital that the prince's "illness" was extraordinary. As for what was "extraordinary" about the prince's "illness", Duan Si didn't inquire about it, but just said that the two imperial doctors had very bad faces when they spoke, their eyes were scattered, and their expressions were extremely nervous and flustered, and it seemed that the current Tai Hospital was even more terrifying than Dali Temple and Da Yu of the Criminal Department. He told Duan Si at that time that no matter what he heard or saw, this matter must rot in his belly; The guards were not allowed to inquire and discuss this matter in private, and those who violated the order were immediately repatriated to Yanshan to hand over the border army to the command yamen and punished as a "chaotic army"!

He said to Yue'er and Erya: "The third sister-in-law is sick, I can't go to visit, you will greet me when I go back." He also said, "Since the third sister-in-law's illness can be cured, then clean up a small courtyard for her to live in, and ask the imperial doctor to come over and slowly adjust the treatment." ”

It looked as if the rain had cleared up. The two girls put down a big stone hanging in their hearts, and there were smiles on their faces. Yue'er asked, "What about the little third brother......

"I'll write a document and go to Quanzhou, and ask Quanzhou City Bosi to help check it." Shang Cheng said. He also asked Yue'er to tell Gao Xiaosan's aunt that as the big shopkeeper, it was impossible for Gao Xiaosan to go to sea, at most he would dispatch and command on the shore. He didn't believe it, Gao Xiaosan would drown on the shore?

Yue'er said sneeringly: "...... Little third brother he, he ...... He did go to sea. ”

Shang Cheng was stunned, and hurriedly failed to wake up to what Yue'er said, and asked casually: "What is he doing at sea?" ”

Erya pinched her fingers and explained, "So, what's that...... Isn't that a map of the sea to the west? This is a new big business route, and the third brother is afraid that others will not do it properly, so he went to the ...... in person."

"Haiyu map? Zhenla to the west? Shang Cheng muttered. He remembered that when he was in Fangzhou, Er Ya dangled in front of him with a few rough nautical charts, and seemed to say that they were the charts of Zhenla to the west, and they were "stolen goods" from people who were eating or Daqin. At that time, he thought that Erya was "offering treasure" to him, who knew that since then, they have been planning with Gao Xiaosan to buy a boat and go to sea...... He suddenly realized the gravity of the problem. With the navigation technology of this era, there is no latitude and longitude, there is no sextant theodolite, and the compass is still called Sinan, which is a big spoon grinding with magnet stones; When you get to the sea, if you encounter a cloudy day, no sun, no moon and no stars, I am afraid that you can't even distinguish between the southeast and the northwest, so you can rely on a few sea maps that are difficult to distinguish between the authenticity and the fake. He really didn't know whether to admire their courage or laugh at their ignorance......

After a long time, he remembered Yue'er and Erya standing in front of him. It's very strange to look at the two girls who are hiding their heads and feet with a look of fear, and there is no anger in his heart. He insisted that they should not be trading in warehouses, because their fathers and brothers were middle and high-ranking officials, and the combination of money and power could easily breed something dark. However, no matter what, they, as well as Gao Xiaosan, as well as the adventurous and pioneering spirit of those who have broken into the sea one after another, made him feel emotional, and he couldn't help but admire!

He didn't know what to say to his two sisters. There were so many things he wanted to say that he didn't have a choice for a while, and he didn't know where to start. Finally, he said, "Go back first, and let me be quiet for a while." Then he said to Erya, "It's empty, send me a copy of your chart, and I'll take a closer look at ......."

The two younger sisters obediently left.

He sat alone, like a statue, quietly in his study. The two candles on the large desk cast his figure on the wall, and the dark shadow was both deep and heavy......