After the second girl left, Shang Cheng asked people to send the letter written last night to the military department, and handed it over to the post station to pass it to the city department in Quanzhou, asking them to help inquire about the whereabouts of Gao Xiaosan. The reason why he delivered his private messages through the military post road of the Ministry of War was not to take advantage of the public, but to attract the attention of Quanzhou in this way, and to be more attentive when investigating the whereabouts of Gao Xiaosan. That's the only thing he can do right now.

However, he knew very well in his heart that it was impossible for Quanzhou to have a sound soon. In this era, ocean-going navigation mainly relied on sails to provide power, and most of the people who went to sea to the South Seas set off in November and December every year, taking advantage of the northerly winds and the near-shore currents from north to south, and the navigation was both time-saving and labor-saving; It will take time to return in June and July, when the wind direction turns southerly and the nearshore current also changes from south to north. So, he won't receive exact news about the senior until August.

The matter of the junior high school can only be like this for the time being. That's all he can do......

In the next two or three days, the Yanshan generals who entered Beijing came to pay respects to him one after another. Every day from morning to night, his big study is always filled with Yanshan accent of the Central Plains official dialect, which sounds very kind. These officers did not know the real reason why he was transferred out of Yanshan, and they all thought that it was because the imperial court valued him and loved him, so they specially transferred him back to the capital to recuperate. Therefore, one by two, they asked him to recuperate in peace; When the body is well, he must return to Yanshan and lead them to the grassland to fight the king of Donglu Valley to kill the dogs. They all said that only by following the general to the battlefield can they feel at peace in their hearts and have more strength to fight. These guys are really too explicit in filming Shang Cheng's sycophants. However, although the words were very rough, the deep comradeship was fully revealed, and Shang Cheng was also very moved. He promised them that he would definitely return to Yanshan and fight side by side with everyone again, and he would never give up until he captured the king of Donglu Valley and brought him to the capital to offer prisoners!

Everyone happily regarded this sentence as his promise, and said that when he returned to Yanshan, everyone would gather under the general's command, and they would definitely cut down a person on their backs and turn over the flowers and streams. When the time comes, Heishui City will be occupied, and in the future, it will be regarded as the grassland garrison yamen of the Yanshan Admiral's Mansion!

Listening to their lively conversations, Shang Cheng could only hide his melancholy and melancholy in his heart. He knew very well in his heart that it would be impossible for him to return to Yanshan for a long time to come. However, he will not say these words. At this time, he could not say such a bad thing......

After dawn on the seventh day of the Lunar New Year, he finished eating, turned a few pages of "Historical Records", and was about to lie on the kang and take a nap for a while, when Sun Zhongshan suddenly came to him.

He let Nakayama into the small study and sat down, and asked him in a joking tone, "Why do you want to come to see me again?" He remembered that someone had told him the day before yesterday that the down-to-earth Zhongshan was very favored by Emperor Dongyuan. It was only a few days of work, and Emperor Dongyuan summoned him twice in a row. Such a "high-standard treatment" made him a little "jealous". Isn't his appearance slightly worse than Zhongshan, and the result is that the encounter between the two of them is heaven and earth. Since he returned to Beijing, it has been more than two months, and Emperor Dongyuan has not summoned him separately once. Look at Zhongshan again, I saw the emperor twice in three days, and I didn't say anything, and I also gave money and silver, and even his second boy, who was less than half a year old, was wrapped in swaddling clothes and had the martial rank of Zhao Wuwei. Alas, what a man is more popular than a dead man! In other words, Emperor Dongyuan doesn't look like a faint monarch, how can he also make the mistake of "judging people by their appearance"?

Zhongshan is now General Huaiyuan under Zheng Sipin, and he also leads Zheng Guogong to be knighted, no matter where he goes, others treat him as a guest; In addition, he has a humble and reserved personality and is not ostentatious at all, so it has only been a few days since he arrived in Beijing, and he has been praised as a "generation of famous generals" in the government and the opposition. But in this small study, he still sat upright, and his body leaned forward slightly when he talked to Shang Cheng. Now, when he heard Shang Cheng ask him, he put down the teacup in his hand and said respectfully, "It's okay." They passed by you, and came in to ask for a drink. ”

When he was in Yanshan, Zhongshan returned to Yanzhou on business, and he always had to go to Shang Cheng under the guise of being thirsty, so Shang Cheng didn't think too much. He smiled and pointed to the tea cup on the table, and said, "Then what are you polite about?" ”

Zhong Shan picked up the lamp again, took a sip of tea soup, and asked aimlessly, "Has General Fengyi been here in the past two days?" ”

"Nope." Shang Cheng shook his head and said. He and Guo Biao only said a few words on the tower of the imperial city on the day of the military parade, and they have not met since then. It's commonplace, isn't it? As Xiao Jian's number one confidant, a famous general in Xiao Jian's strict family, Guo Biao will definitely not have any more dealings with him. This is determined by Guo Biao's position, and it has nothing to do with the personal relationship between the two people, Guo Biao's ass is sitting on Xiao Jian's strict chariot, and he must draw a line with himself! As for Guo Biao's seizure of the Admiral of Yanshan by Yan Gu and Zhu Xu, it belongs to their internal struggle, whether they quarrel behind closed doors or not, it is their own business, and they will definitely not teach others to see jokes.

Nakayama was silent. He lowered his head and took two sips of water, raised his head and said, "I just heard that the imperial court has a plan to transfer General Fengyi to Longxi as a governor. ”

"What's going on?" Shang Cheng frowned. The news was a bit sudden, and there was no news beforehand, which inevitably surprised him a little. Although he, the squire of the military department, is an ornament and does not participate in all kinds of practical affairs, such a big personnel change should always be notified in advance, right? Of course, that's not the point. The key point is that as Xiao Jian's number one confidant, Guo Biao went to Longxi to replace Yan Gu as the commander, under what background was this decision made, and does it have any profound meaning...... He frowned and thought for a while, feeling that he had no clue, so he asked, "Guo Biao was transferred to Longxi, what about the current Admiral Yan Gu?" ”

"An Guogong may be transferred back to the Liyuan camp and serve as the deputy head of the camp." Nakayama said. From his words, it can be heard that he has no good impression of Yan Gu. He was reluctant to call Yan Gu a general, so he directly called Yan Gu a knight; Anyway, both of them are national dukes, and no one can say that he is wrong when he calls him a strict knight. As for him calling Guo Biao General Fengyi in front of Shang Cheng, it can also be seen that the relationship between him and Guo Biao is very close.

As soon as he said this, Shang Chengcheng almost understood. In these two days, Xiao Jian was going to leave for Jiazhou to preside over the southern expedition. As soon as he left, the old Agni Yang Du was no longer contained, and his voice in the army would soon increase. In order not to make a situation of one family dominant, the imperial court had to transfer Yan Gu to Beijing. Although Yan Gu's ability is far inferior to that of Zhu Yang Du, with Shangguan Rui and other Xiao people, they can barely maintain the balance of power on both sides. In addition, transferring Guo Biao to Longxi is also a good move. On the one hand, he can use the admiral of Longxi, the largest guard town, to appease Guo Biao, a general who has just made great contributions; On the other hand, Guo Biao, like Yan Gu, is an important figure in Xiao Jian's family, and he took over Yan Gu's position with the three great merits of breaking Heishui City, Yandong's great victory, and stepping on the poor mountain, and the generals in Longxi will not be disgusted, let alone have any resistance; At the same time, they are certainly willing to help their former colleagues. This is also conducive to the stability of Longxi's military......

While thinking about the deep meaning behind Guo Biao and Yan Gu's job transfer, he sighed in his heart the hard work of Zhang Pu and other prime ministers. Suddenly, he remembered something. Even he, the squire of the military department, has not heard of the personnel changes, where did Zhongshan, the general of the border town, inquire about it, and he still talks about it as if it is serious?

Listening to Shang Cheng ask where the news came from, although Zhongshan tried his best to restrain himself, his face was still involuntarily filled with excitement. His eyes flashed with excitement and said, "I only heard Zhang Xiang say it a long time ago." ”

Zhang Xiang? Zhang Pu? Shang Cheng glared at Zhongshan suspiciously. Isn't Zhongshan in the "Holy Family", why did he get together with Zhang Pu again in the blink of an eye?

"It's Zhang Pu and Zhang Xiangguo." Zhongshan held the teacup, lowered his eyelids and looked at the green bricks under his feet, trying to make himself look solemn and serious. He said, "Deputy Minister Shang Shucen of the Ministry of War was also present. They told me that the Ministry of War proposed to appoint me as the deputy head of the Jiazhou camp to accompany General Xiao on his southern expedition. At yesterday's court meeting, my appointment was agreed. ”

Shang Cheng looked at him in surprise with his mouth open.

After a while, he said, "You agreed?" He knew right away that it was a stupid question. This is a decision of the imperial court, and it doesn't matter whether you agree or not. In Zhongshan District, a general of the Yanshan Left Army Sima and Sipin, can he agree? Does he dare to agree? Zhang Pu and the others called him over, firstly, to inform him in person, and secondly, to show their importance to him; Maybe it also has the meaning of beating, in it, who taught him to get so close to Emperor Dongyuan?

Nakayama smiled and nodded vigorously. Although more than an hour had passed since the conversation, he was still quite emotional when he thought of the situation at that time, so he didn't notice anything wrong in Shang Cheng's words at all.

Since he broke Blackwater City and returned to Yanshan, many people have called him a famous general in the world behind his back. Although he always humbly gave credit to others, it was always nice to hear praise and praise from others. However, these accolades made him proud and proud, but also made him very ashamed. He could have done things better and conquered Blackwater City at least a month in advance, but it was because of his suspicion and hesitation that he had been delayed with Mogan in Luhe for so long in vain...... On this basis, he would never dare to accept the reputation of "a famous general in the world". However, he hopes that one day, he can truly compare with famous generals like Xiao Jian and Yang Du with his many meritorious achievements, and he can mention himself a little when people in later generations count the generals in the army during the Eastern Yuan Dynasty. He knew that it must not be easy to get to such a point, like General Xiao and General Yang, as well as those generals who have been famous for a long time, which of them is not a figure who has repeatedly made meritorious contributions in battle? But he has the perseverance and determination to go on, even if he can't get to the same level as them in the end, he can rest assured that after all, manpower is endless, and success or failure sometimes does not depend only on his own efforts. So, when Zhang Pu told him that he was going to Jiazhou to participate in the Southern Expedition, he almost jumped for joy. Not to mention being the deputy head of the camp as the deputy general of General Xiao, even if he is asked to be a military horse, he definitely has no complaints! What he needs most now is military exploits, and the conquest of Nanzhao can just give him great military exploits. Moreover, he still participated in the southern expedition as a deputy marshal, and when the war is over, a pillar country is a stable thing......

However, when he had lunch with the two prime ministers in the prime minister's mansion, and then walked out of the imperial city, a hot heart gradually calmed down, and he soon found a little doubt. Now that the general is idle in the capital, why didn't the imperial court transfer him to Jiazhou? Although he thinks that he has some insignificant skills, he can also compare himself with whom, if he is unfortunate enough to face an opponent like the general...... A few days ago, Guo Biao once said, "Heavy troops defending the city may be able to hold each other, and there is absolutely no chance of winning in the field battle", at that time, everyone thought that he and Guo Biao, as well as Shao Chuan and Zheng Qi, tied the four of them together, and it was estimated that it was unlikely to have the upper hand of the general in the field front. However, he never had any delusions about being on par with the generals. If he can compete with Xiao Yang one day, he will truly walk in the world in vain in this life!

…… It took him most of the day to come out of his turbulent thoughts.

He immediately saw that Shang Cheng was still frowning and thinking. He immediately remembered the purpose of his visit. He asked, "General, do you think there is something wrong with this southern expedition?" ”

Shang Cheng raised his head, refilled the cups of the two of them with tea, and said with a smile: "I can't say whether it's proper or inappropriate, it's just that the terrain in the southwest region is very complicated, and if there are more ethnic minorities, and there are more bureaucratic tribes, it is easy to disrupt the predetermined military strategy." He put down the teapot and put together his various considerations about the Southern Expedition from the year before last to the present, and gave Zhongshan a general description. In the end, he said: "You are now a general, and you also have the experience of leading troops to fight, of course you know that fighting a war is actually a matter of logistics." I don't need to be reminded of this. However, the southwest is mountainous, river-like, and hilly, and the local ethnic minorities are not very friendly to us, so it is very difficult to transport grain by road. When you participate in or develop a strategy independently, you must consider this issue carefully. Remember one by one, in the southwest region, the grain route and the guide, both are indispensable. Especially in the complex geographical conditions of the local area, do not pursue any quick solutions. He originally wanted to remind Zhongshan that "the general will not be subject to the orders of foreign monarchs", especially if a military layman like Zhang Pu is concerned, he can even take it as a deaf ear. After thinking about it, I still forget it. In front of Nakayama, he must maintain the prestige and majesty of the Prime Minister's office.

Nakayama listened intently, keeping in mind the main points mentioned by Shang Cheng one by one. As soon as he was ready to go back, he wrote them down with a pen. Now, when he heard Shang Cheng once again mention the complex terrain in the southwest, he explained with a smile: "Both Zhang Xiang and General Xiao have repeatedly emphasized this point. The military headquarters also knew the situation in the southwest, and had decided to transfer two brigades from our Yanshan Left Army to the southwest. You know, our Yanshan soldiers are almost the first-class field army of our Dazhao, and with them, we will be more confident in fighting Nanzhao. He paused for a moment and said, "The two brigades that have been transferred are still in Yanshanwei, and they will return to Yanshan after the battle." In addition, as compensation, the Ministry of War gave three more cavalry battalions a new establishment. One by one, the two mountain infantry battalions that General Jixian built in Yanzhou will also be transferred to Jiazhou. They were mountain footmen, and they were just right for fighting in the southwest. ”

Shang Cheng glared at him again, speechless in surprise.

There is no doubt that it must be Zhang Pu's bastard idea of transferring troops from Yanshan to the southwest! Only a guy like Zhang Pu, who doesn't know anything about military affairs, will self-righteously think that the Yanshan soldiers are still the same brave when they reach the southwest! Damn it, Zhang Pu is also a jinshi, don't you know the truth of "not adapting to water and soil"? Those soldiers rushed from the arid and rainless Yanshan to the humid and sultry south, even if there was nothing wrong with the body, just a problem of eating habits alone was enough to give people a headache. There is also the problem of language exchange, the problem of tacit coordination with friendly forces, how to deal with the local government, and how to communicate with the local people...... Not to mention that there is still a period of psychological adaptation on the battlefield! Just adapting to the environment takes a long time to adjust to itself. At present, most of the battles experienced by this group of Yanshan soldiers are in the vast grasslands, and they are not in the relatively flat and vast Sichuan Valley, and the battlefield psychology of these soldiers is completely stuck in the vast space in which tens of thousands of people participate, and they have become accustomed to large-scale formation battles in battalions and brigades. Will they be able to adapt to the sudden deployment of them to the southwest, to be broken into pieces on a narrow battlefield, and to fight an enemy they have never encountered on a sentry basis? If they can't adapt, how can they ensure their combat effectiveness?

He rubbed his temples slowly, completely helpless by this sudden new question. He didn't know how to persuade and stop the military department from transferring troops from Yanshanwei. There is no doubt that the Yanshan army is a strong army, but they are used to deal with the Turpents, and the training they receive is also aimed at the cavalry charge of the Turpents, so how can they be sent to fight in the southwest? This is no longer a question of whether to kill chickens with a knife or not, but it is too whimsical. This decision is simply ridiculous!

However, he was powerless to overturn the decision that had already been made by the military department. The only thing he could do was to tell Zhongshan that he must take care of these soldiers and not let them make meaningless sacrifices. It can be seen that his mind is now confused, which is why he said these very hurtful words. Nakayama is also an excellent general, and he also loves the soldiers very much, so he doesn't need to ask him to tell him at all......

Nakayama could see that he was in a bad mood, and he didn't know how to comfort him, so he accompanied him to say something else.

After dinner, when saying goodbye, Zhongshan said to him that Guo Biaotuo had a message, hoping that he could go to the house and sit down.

That sounds a bit unconscionable. No matter what, Guo Biao is still a direct subordinate of Shangcheng in Yanshan; Guo Biao's Duke of Yue Guo is also somewhat related to Shang Cheng; The reason why Shang Cheng is staying in the capital now is inseparable from Guo Biao...... In short, Guo Biao is very rude in doing this.

But Shang Cheng still agreed.