The winter counterattack, first proposed by Shang Cheng, repeatedly calculated and planned by Li Shen and Ximensheng, and finally implemented by Chen Pu, officially kicked off with the successful attack of Sun Zhongshan's army on Yandong Ruqizhai on the evening of October 29.

On the fourth day of November, Sun Zhongshan's troops occupied the county town of Beizheng, cutting off the passage for the movement of the Turks in both the west and north directions. On the sixth day of the first month, the four battalions of the third division of Qian Lao, who went north from Yi County, rushed to the periphery of Beizheng County as scheduled. The rendezvous of the three divisions of Qian Lao and the three divisions of Sun Zhongshan not only strengthened the defense of the first line from Northern Zheng to Guangping, but also indicated that the most important link in the battle arrangement of the Zhao army in the Yandong region had been achieved.

Due to bad weather and other reasons, it was not until November 10 that the army under the city of Duanzhou learned of the loss of Beizheng. The unprepared Turks were worried that the return route would be completely cut off, so they retreated from Duanzhou and nearby areas overnight before they had time to deploy, and as a result, the various tribes who were already worried were unrestrained, and in order to escape for their lives, they were intercepted and pursued by several Zhao troops for thirty miles, and countless camps, horses, grain, and grass were discarded along the way. On the 14th, the Tuqi people abandoned the defense of Chu County, and as the rear team, the Shanzuo Legle Division was attacked by two brigades of the Zhao Army, and almost no one of the 1,300 cavalry escaped the net; On the 16th, the Shanzuo Zashet division was defeated at Mengguan; On the 21st, the Tuqi took the big tent soldiers as the forerunner, repeatedly attacked the Yao village that had been occupied by the Zhao army, and at dusk, 800 Zhao troops were martyred, and the Tuqi people continued to break through along Baichuan in the direction of Beizheng; On the 27th, Li Shen, who personally went to the front line to command, concentrated more than 6,000 people in 17 battalions, and smashed the enemy army in the mountain temple 20 miles away from the county seat of Beizheng, and after three hours of fierce fighting, he beheaded more than 900 people, captured more than 1,700 people, and captured countless materials......

Because of the prudence of the new Yanshan Left Army, Sima Ximensheng, the battle in the Yanzhong direction was launched slightly later than that of Yandong, and it was not until November 14 that three battalions of the Zhao army crossed Yanshui and launched a tentative attack on the enemy besieging Chisheng Pass. On the 16th, the Tuqi people suddenly abandoned the camp outside the Chisheng Pass and retreated to the north, and on the 19th, the enemy took the initiative to abandon the captured Pingcheng, and on the 24th, he abandoned the Xiama Village, and then a series of forts to the north were abandoned by the Tujici. Ximen Sheng, who had been worried about being lured in by the enemy, suddenly realized at this time, and urgently ordered the three brigades that were still hovering on both sides of Yanshui to pursue, but the enemy had retreated for several days, how could the Zhao army, which was half-mounted on foot, catch up? It wasn't until the first day of December that the 2,000 Zhao cavalry, who were lightly armed and rushed forward, finally intercepted an enemy in Liuzhen, which could be regarded as a bit of gain. In addition, they also found the disabled Sun Zhongshan here. Poor Sun Zhongshan, who waited for Ximen Sheng for four days and five nights in Liuzhen, had to withdraw from the battle until the 1,400 men brought from Northern Zheng and Guangliang were almost exhausted......

…… This is a rare and good day in the lunar month. Washed by water, there are only a few tulle clouds in the sky. The warm sunshine with the warmth of the city is sprinkled in the streets and alleys of Yanzhou City. The ice strips hanging from the branches, the eaves, and the thatched firewood stacks are crystal clear, and the glittering brilliance shines directly to people's eyes. Because the weather is fine, and it is approaching the end of the year, coupled with the fact that the people of Yandong have withdrawn from Zhao Di and have no worries about border troubles, the pedestrians on the street have obviously increased, the decent people in long shirts and robes and the ordinary people in short jackets and brown clothes are in and out of all kinds of shops along the street, and the arms in their hands are all purchased New Year's goods, and the red paper wrapped on the mulberry linen paper is all over the street, and the red eyes are full of auspicious celebrations to welcome the New Year. The shops on both sides of the street are wide open, and the boss and the guys are newly cleaned up neatly, standing at the head of the door with a smile on their faces, please come in and out. The small snacks that have not been seen for many days also haunt the streets and alleys, and the shouts and drinks of "Sanhua Oil Cake", "Lao Lujia Fried Jelly Beans", and "Enema Burrito Hot Lung Soup" come and go, mixed with the sound of the drums of the merchants in the back alleys, rendering the city lively and prosperous. In particular, the two main streets that run through the east and west of the state city, north and south, are more lively than usual, the big wooden frame of several people is high and stands at a distance of half a mile, all of them are covered with red and hung green space and tied into a colorful archway, some of the plaques are written "the wind and rain are smooth", some write "the years are safe", and some write "longevity without borders". The archway not far from the Admiral's Mansion is the highest and largest, magnificent and majestic like a colorful mountain wrapped in brocade silk, the plaque is also the widest, and the black background is gold with four upright regular letters:

Wenzhi martial arts.

Obviously, it is to celebrate Yandong's victory and specially tied Huashan. The government has already issued a notice that the military parade in the 28th line camp of the 28th lunar month will be opened, the north campus will be opened to allow people to enter and leave to watch the ceremony, and the curfew will be lifted in the 2829th Chinese New Year's Eve, and fireworks will be set off for three days, and the officers, men, people, and businessmen will enjoy all night.

Walking a short distance to the south from Huashan Shun Street is the Wei Mu Mansion, the main door of the three open and tall inverted mansions is closed, and the two large bronze cast gluttonous rings on the black lacquered copper nail door are paved with a hideous face, looking down at the stone steps in front of the yaqian that are cleaned cleanly. Today is Mu Xiu's day, the yamen is not working, and the instrument gate, where people are constantly coming in and out, is also half-covered, and the eight guards on duty are all swordsmans and solemn without squinting. Since then, in the past, it is often said that the Wood Lane should be the Patriarch's Lane, because this is the private residence of the successive Wei Mu and got its name, but the Yanshan accent "head" and "head" are not clear, so it is "the head of the pastor", and it has evolved into the Wood Lane over time.

This is only six or seven households in the alley, all of them are official eunuchs, and the courtyard of the mansion is high and steep, so although the alley is deep and wide, ordinary pedestrians are very sparse. But today it's different. At the entrance of the alley, along the wall of the two streets, there was a slippery official sedan car, and one hundred and ten sedan chairmen and horsemen hugged each other, stretching their necks and looking on tiptoe. In the alley, the door of Wei Mu Lu Ji's house was lit up, eight four people held red lanterns high, red silk and red cloth almost wrapped the gatehouse, several people in bright robes surrounded a middle-aged man with a white face and black beard waiting at the bottom of the steps, with a roll call, the female and male guests at the door were dignified and proud.

"Tao Qitao Prefect of Yanzhou Mansion, congratulations on the birthday of the old lady!"

With the provocative chanting of the steward of the Lu Mansion, Lu Ji had already walked out of the main hall quickly, went down the steps and stood on the side of the bluestone path and bowed respectfully to the juniors: "Send one by one to welcome Meng Changgong." ”

Tao Qi is already an old man in his sixties, his eyebrows, beard and sideburns under the Confucian hat are all white and black, and his spirit is still strong, he took two quick steps to hold Lu Ji's arm, and said with a smile: "Old lady's birthday, how dare I ask for illness?" I can't say it, there is no ceremony, but I have to ask for a few glasses of wine. One by one, Bofu won't blame me for being disrespectful, right? ”

Lu Ji hugged Tao Qi and said: "Meng Changgong came to the house, that is the luck of the Lu family, how dare you be rude?" "He has great respect for Tao Qi. This is not only because Tao Qi is the capital of Yanshan, but also because Tao Qi is the literati leader of Yanshan, and this person is also a well-known calligrapher in the world. He carried Tao Qi up the steps and said with a smile, "Don't say that Meng Changgong is just asking for a few glasses of wine to drink, he just wants to eat a few more pieces of meat, and he doesn't dare to be disrespectful." Tao Qi laughed, paused for a moment and waited for his son to follow, pointed to his son holding a scroll of calligraphy and painting in his hand and said, "If I really come empty-handed, I'm afraid that Bo Fu won't say it, but in my heart I will complain that I am disrespectful to the old." One by one, this is a word I specially wrote for the old lady's birthday, the strokes are rough and hidden, and I hope that the old lady and Bo Fu will not be disgusted. ”

Lu Ji shook his head and smiled and said, "If Meng Changgong's words are not good, I'm afraid there are few people in the world who can read them." He nodded to the eldest prince of the Lu family, took the scroll, and then said two polite words modestly, beckoned to a nephew of the family who was entertaining guests, handed him the scroll, and advised: "This is Mr. Meng Chang's handwriting, you quickly send it to the back house to ask the old lady to take a look." ”

"Let's wait for the feast before sending it. If the old lady's eyes are dirty, I am afraid that Bo Fu will send off the guests on the spot. ”

Lu Ji laughed, didn't say anything, helped Tao Qi into the main hall and sat in the first place, waited for the maid to serve fragrant tea, and said a few words with him. Today is the big day of his Lu family, there are many guests coming, and he, the host, can't sit for a long time to talk, a few gossips have been said, and after a few words, he stood up and said a confession and prepared to go out to meet other guests. Tao Qi raised his arm and beckoned to him very covertly, and when Lu Ji bowed slightly, he asked quickly in a very low voice, "Is Inspector Chen here?" ”

Lu Ji paused for a moment before slowly shaking his head and saying, "The commander didn't come." As he spoke, he picked up his eyes and quietly glanced at the old prefect. In this case, how could Chen Pu come? Although she is a fake admiral, she has another identity as the princess of Changsha If she celebrates her birthday, then when she meets the birthday star, she is her own mother to salute, and her own mother has to salute her? Whoever salutes to whom is inconsistent with institutional etiquette.

Tao Qi asked again: "When will Inspector Chen return to Beijing?" ”

"I don't know yet. However, I think it will probably be in the middle of the new year. ”

“…… Yanshanwei is an important town, and Bo Fu should be brought to the court and carefully considered. ”

Lu Ji did not take a cavity. In the past few days, there have been a lot of people like Tao Qi who have come to him to inquire about this. With the end of the war, Chen Pu's camp manager and governor of Yanshan had no need to take a false post, and it was only a matter of time before he resigned and returned to Beijing. As soon as she leaves, the position of admiral will be vacant, and the imperial court will definitely re-appoint a candidate for Yan Shanwei. This is a major event related to everyone's career and future, and everyone has to care about it. It's himself, and he's been troubled by this matter lately. In particular, the two letters he received four days ago made him feel even more dilemma. One is Li Shen's letter, the content of which is naturally to hope that he can say something good for himself in front of the court and Chen Pu. The other one was written by a friend in Shangjing, and the letter mentioned that the two candidates considered by Shangshan Province were both guys who had always been on the wrong path with him......

From the bottom of his heart, he doesn't like Li Shen, this person's personality is too rigid and arrogant, and it is not easy to deal with. But the people selected by the imperial court made him even more uncomfortable...... Even now, when he thinks of those two people, his heart is still as disgusting as eating a fly. Compared with the two, Li Shen is better, at least Li Shen and himself have no contradictions, and they should be able to get along when they work together in the future.

But he couldn't tell Tao Qi these words, he just smiled and said, "Who can say clearly about the things in the court?" Several Xiangye still ...... from time to time Hehe, can Meng Changgong not know? ”

Of course, Tao Qi also knew that Lu Ji was perfunctory. In front of the public, it was impossible for Lu Ji to tell the truth, so he smiled, waved his hand and said, "You go and get busy, I'll drink tea here by myself and wait for the feast." ”

Lu Ji apologized again, made a gesture with a few other people in the room, and resigned with a smile. As soon as he stepped out of the threshold, he saw the nephew who had just been sent to deliver the scroll looking anxiously at him under the corridor. He felt strange in his heart, but his face did not show it at all, and while greeting and talking to people, he turned around quietly, seeing that no one was paying attention, and hurriedly asked, "What is the matter?" ”

The nephew's voice was so low that it was almost inaudible: "The princess is here." ”

Lu Ji's brows suddenly twisted together. There are a lot of people here, and there is not much defense, if something happens to Chen Changsha...... He didn't dare to look down and ask, "Where are the people?" How many people have seen it? ”

"She came in through the side door, and no one saw her. The person didn't stay, but gave a gift and left. ”

Lu Ji was relieved and said, "That's good, you can go and get busy." ”

He made up his mind to wait for today's affairs to pass, no matter what, he would take time to visit Chen Pu tomorrow, first, to make amends for today's faux pas, and secondly, to probe Chen Pu's tone to see if he could let her come out and say a few words for Li Shen.