Zhao Dangshi picked up a broken arrow, saw the small characters carved on the handle of the arrow, and said with a smile: "This is made by Ah Lu." ”

Wang Laixing nodded, Zhao Dangshi looked at the arrows up and down, and said: "These three arrows are so well-made, presumably Ah Lu has put a lot of thought into it, how can it be said that it is folded?" He added, "Could it be that your little two quarreled and complained to me?" ”

"No, quite the opposite." Although Wang Laixing's face was red, he was full of smiles, and his thoughts couldn't help but drift back to yesterday as he spoke.

At that time, after he finished taking care of Zhang Xianzhong and the rest of the Western Army, he was relieved of the heavy pressure of many days, and he felt a little tired, so he withdrew all the people on the left and right and rested alone, but his eyes inadvertently swept to the three eagle arrows that Qin Shilu gave him on the table.

It is valuable to make the best use of it, although Qin Shilu did not say it explicitly, but Wang Laixing thought that she must have hoped that she could use these three arrows to personally finish off her old opponent for many years, Zhang Xianzhong's Western Army, but now that the Western Army has been destroyed, Zhang Xianzhong is also in a different place, but these three arrows are still "pampered" and lying on the table, Wang Laixing can't help but feel a little ashamed. Then he remembered the words that Qin Shilu had promised him that night, which made him even more cramped.

"Come to brother, you look at the porcelain horse on weekdays, but you actually have very high requirements for yourself. As an elder brother, sometimes he is ashamed of himself in his eyes. When Zhao Dangshi heard him say this, he shook his head with a wry smile, "Although it was not your own work to destroy the Xiying and capture Zhang Xianzhong, as the commander, commanding all the departments to work together and work together, how can this credit be comparable to others." If you want me to say, on the surface, this operation seems to be Zhang Dang's first meritorious service, but in fact, when you look closely, you are the one who has made the greatest contribution. He continued, "It is commendable to be humble and self-aware, but don't be presumptuous. Otherwise, it is inevitable that the emperor will be weak and soft. ”

Wang Laixing said with a little shame: "When my brother said that the younger brother is sometimes very axed, it is easy to run into a dead end. He laughed self-deprecatingly twice, "Ah Lu, she also said the same thing about me, with her enlightenment, the little brother should be enlightened." ”

Zhao Dangshi smiled dumbly and said: "She is a little girl, how can she enlighten you as a big man?" ”

Wang Laixing responded: "She walked in front of me, picked up an arrow first, broke it hard, and said, 'This arrow, outside Hejiang County, broke the thief, and beheaded its general Wang Shangli'." I stood up in surprise at that time, she stretched out her hand and folded another arrow, and said, 'This arrow, Mangxi broke the thief, and beheaded its general Ma Yuanli'. ”

Zhao Dangshi clapped his hands and said: "It turns out that there is this one, then I guess the third arrow is ......"

"Not bad." Wang Lai was full of relief.

"This arrow, capture the thief alive."

On that day, a crisp sound was heard, and Qin Shilu cleanly broke the third arrow.

"Ah Lu ......" Wang Laixing saw it in his eyes, and his mood fluctuated like waves.

"Wang Shangli and Ma Yuanli are the best in Xiying, and Zhang Xianzhong is the head of the thief. If you don't have the right scheduling in the middle, how can you be ambushed in a short period of time. Qin Shilu said concisely and forcefully, then turned a few steps and approached Wang Laixing, "Brother Lai, you used these three arrows just right and fulfilled your promise, and I ...... it."

Wang Laixing looked at it in a daze, and Qin Shilu's cheeks were crimson and irrepressible.

"Alright, alright, I got it." Zhao Dangshi suddenly interrupted Wang Laixing's narration, "If you don't say the following things, I can guess it." Mr. Qin wrote to me earlier to match you and Ah Lu. ”

Wang Laixing's face changed sharply, and he resolutely bowed his hand solemnly and said: "When you are a brother, Ah Lu and I are sincere and sincere, and I hope that the lord can be fulfilled." ”

Zhao Dangshi smiled and said: "The lord has come out, you are my brother, and Ah Lu is my sister." One is young and promising, the other is talented and beautiful, if you two are not worthy of being a pair, look around me Zhao Ying, who can be right? ”

When Wang Laixing heard this, he immediately bowed down and said loudly: "Thank you for being a brother!" ”

Zhao Dangshi helped him up and said, "What is there to thank, it's not your own reason that this matter has dragged on for so long." We all looked at it in a hurry. Then he said, "I keep your affairs in mind, and the marriage between you and Ah Lu must be handled well, but the situation is still unstable, and there are many affairs in the army. How about holding it down for the time being and waiting for everything to settle down? ”

Wang Laixing nodded vigorously and said, "It's all up to Brother Dang'er's orders." ”

Zhao Dangshi said: "You go back today to arrange the division of troops, and in three days at most, I will see people." And said, "As for Pi Xiong and Wang Xiang, I estimate that these two people should have their own proportions, you should discuss with Mr. Qin and deal with them carefully." If you can not use a knife soldier, it is better not to use a knife soldier. ”

Wang Laixing replied: "Little brother knows. Just when he was leaving, he was still a little worried, "Brother, what are you going to do with the gang in northern Sichuan." Jianzhou is a strong place, and it is advisable to attack it by force. ”

Even though Zhao Dangshi had 25,000 troops, once Cao Xun, Zhu Hualong, Long Fuhuang, and Zhao Guangyuan gathered in Jianzhou, the northern Sichuan soldiers in Jianzhou could reach 12,300. Frontal assault on Jianzhou, which is "one man is the pass, ten thousand people are not open", Zhao Dangshi may not be able to please him, even if he can win, it is expected that he will inevitably lose more troops and take more time. In addition, with the geography of the generals of northern Sichuan, such as the Yinping Ancient Road and the Qingqiangdian Road that Zhao Ying took from Jianzhou when he first entered Sichuan, they will inevitably be strictly controlled by them, and it will be difficult to win Jianzhou by surprise. Wang Laixing couldn't think of what method Zhao Dangshi would use to solve this dilemma.

"You just have to do a good job in the south, and in the north, you have your own eyes as a brother." Zhao Dangshi didn't say it explicitly, but smiled slightly and patted him on the shoulder.

"Okay." Wang Laixing smiled back. He had worried about his brother more than once, but every time he saw that confident face, he felt relieved for no reason.

The river flows gently in the cold winter.

A lonely boat, rowing across the water, gently rocking to the shore. Two sturdy middle-aged men jumped out of the boat, one wearing a robe made of bamboo and silk satin under the fur, and the other wearing a beige silk silk troll. Both of them are dressed luxuriously and elegantly, but their bodies exude the toughness of a military person who can't be hidden.

The two of them walked in unison towards a piece of Zhangyu Rock on the bank of the river, and the slightly undulating waves of the river gently lapped the rock wall, leaving tiny and countless bubbles on it. Behind the rock, there are two people in the clothes, each fishing quietly with a long bamboo pole.

"Lonely boat, fishing alone in the cold river and snow."

The middle-aged man dressed in beige and white trolling over there shouted from afar, and the little boy standing next to him saw them and whispered to the two clothed guests: "Lord He, Lord Du, Li Guoying and Xu Yong have arrived." ”

"Hmm." Hearing this, the two robbers glanced at each other, put down the bamboo fishing rod and stood up. The one on the left with a thin face and narrow shoulders and a goatee is He Tengjiao, the new governor of Huguang, and the one on the right with a slightly plump body and sparse beard is the current Wuchang Bingbei Road and Sub-patrol Road Plug Yinxi, Li Guoying and Xu Yong are the guests they invited today.

"Why don't you two fish, but our steps are too big and disturb the fish." Li Guoying bowed with a big grin, turned around and beckoned to Xu Yong, "Old Xu, the old boss is right in front of you, why don't you say it?" ”

"Uh-oh." Xu Yong, who was originally a little distracted, hurriedly stepped forward and bowed down to clench his fists, "Xu Yong has seen Lord He, and he has seen Lord Du." Although he is now serving as a guerrilla in the inner right battalion under the command of Zuo Menggeng, the general of the Ping thief, his initial career was promoted by He Tengjiao, who was the magistrate of Nanyang County at the time. He Tengjiao held a large group exercise, and selected the township Yong to set up the 24th battalion, and Xu Yong was the battalion general, which was appreciated by He Tengjiao. Later, He Tengjiao was transferred to the Beijing Division due to merit, and the 24th Battalion of Nanyang was abolished, and Xu Yong switched to the Zuojia Army. But no matter what you say, He Tengjiao has the grace of rewarding Xu Yong.

Compared with the calm Li Guoying, Xu Yong's attitude is slightly awkward and stiff, and there is a reason for this.

He Tengjiao was appointed as the governor of Huguang and came to Wuchang Mansion, what is the purpose, and most discerning people can see the clues. Since Zuo Mengeng is under the control of Zhao Dangshi, Xu Yong and others in the department naturally need to have the consciousness of avoiding suspicion. And the reason why Xu Yong came here at the moment was that he really had no face to save the face of his former benefactor, and secondly, because Li Guoying came forward to persuade him.

Li Guoying is also a veteran general of the Zuo family's army, but after Zuo Liangyu was annihilated by the Chuang army in Henan, Li Guoying, who followed him, was poor and white, and even fled to Huguang half a month later than Zhang Yingyuan and Wang Yuncheng, who also escaped from death. Zuo Mengeng succeeded his deceased father as the new leader of the Zuo Family Army, and around him, the power reorganization within the Zuo Family Army followed.

The result of the reorganization is very simple, Jin Shenghuan, Gao Jinku, Lu Guangzu and Xu Yong, who have preserved most of their strength, have become the most powerful bosses around Zuo Mengeng, and the light pole commanders Zhang Yingyuan, Wang Yuncheng, Li Guoying and others who escaped from Henan still maintain a high status on the surface, but they are gradually excluded from the inner circle.

He Tengjiao didn't have any soldiers in his hands, so he asked Zuo Mengeng for someone. Anyway, working under the same roof, Zuo Mengeng didn't want to have a stiff relationship with He Tengjiao, and Jin Shenghuan and others also had the idea of kicking Zhang Yingyuan and others out completely, so they tried their best to pry them out. The final result was that Zhang Yingyuan and Wang Yuncheng followed Zhao Dangshi into Sichuan, and Li Guoying was assigned to He Tengjiao to serve as a guerrilla in the battalion.

Li Guoying couldn't get along with Zuo Mengeng, and he had to go all out to win his trust when he changed his court, so as soon as He Tengjiao proposed to talk to Xu Yong, he volunteered to be a pioneer and brought Xu Yong here.

"In General Zuo's army, the four pillars of Jin, Gao, Lu, and Xu are famous on both sides of the town. After the Zuo family army entered Wuchang Mansion, the group of thieves fled far away, and the territory was ruined, and Lord Xu really made great contributions. "Du Yinxi served in Wuchang Mansion earlier than He Tengjiao, and he is more familiar with the situation.

"Master Blockade has said it, if you want to talk about the scene of suppressing Wuchang Mansion, Jin and Gao will contribute more, and Xu is just a fighter." Xu Yong's words are not modest, Jin Shenghuan and Gao Jinku's strength far exceeds that of himself and Lu Guangzu, if something big happens, it depends on Jin Shenghuan and Gao Jinku to help Zuo Mengeng get the idea in the end.

The four of them walked as they talked, and came to the small pavilion by the river and sat down. Several children took out a few plates of side dishes from the food box and set the table with the wine bureau, He Tengjiao, Du Yinxi and Li Guoying talked and laughed, while Xu Yong sat silently without saying a word.

He Tengjiao chatted a few more words, then shook his sleeves, and deliberately raised his voice and said: "To tell the truth, this official is in his early fifties this year, and he has been in his early fifties for decades, and his ambition when he was young has long been worn out by the years. The original intention was to find an opportunity to return to his hometown to retire for the rest of his life, but the governor backfired, but he received the envoy of the governor of Huguang. ”

Li Guoying laughed and said: "He Lao is the giant of the country, and the state affairs are in trouble, and the emperor has to count on He Lao when he looks at it." ”

He Tengjiao sighed: "You can't say that, my dynasty is like a grand palace, and this official is at most a small tenon on the beam." But as long as he can serve the country and the saints, even if there are thousands of difficulties and dangers, this official is duty-bound. ”

Plug Yinxi said: "Although the tenon is small, it is indispensable to connect the upper and lower levels. Now Shaanxi and Henan have changed, only our lake is rich and strong, and it is really the mainstay of the country. He Lao was ordered in danger, which shows the court's dependence. ”

Li Guoying stroked his palms and said: "Yes, He Lao is a person who can go directly to the sky, and it is very suitable to come to Huguang to take charge of military and political affairs." ”

A few people, you and I, all glanced at Xu Yong when they spoke, trying to pull him into the topic, but Xu Yong was motionless, like an old monk, but occasionally smiled perfunctorily.

He Tengjiao saw that Xu Yong was still unmoved, so he coughed lightly and said to him directly: "Xu Guerrilla, you are a general in Chudi, and you have been galloping in Chudi for many years, so you are very familiar with the situation here. I invite you to gather today, firstly, to reminisce about the old feelings, and secondly, to hear your views on the new policies that the imperial court is preparing to implement. ”

When Xu Yong heard the word "New Deal", he asked, "What is the 'New Deal'?" ”

He Tengjiao replied: "This is the policy that the Holy Lord discussed with the cabinet not long ago. The lake is vast and vast, the water and land transportation is vertical and horizontal, from south to north, the fast horse whips and does not sleep endlessly, but also runs for more than ten days, during which more toasts are divided, each of them is domineering and does not obey discipline. Shaanxi and Henan are now suffering from thieves, and only our lake is left as a counteroffensive position, but with the current situation, one official and one official are in charge of such a vast and complex area, and it is difficult to take care of one or the other, and it is difficult to govern, especially the military, which is easier to be top-heavy and unable to take care of each other. It was from this point of view that the imperial court planned to take the river as the boundary, divide the lake into Hubei and Hunan, and place the Hubei Admiral Yamen and the Hunan Admiral Yamen in charge of the two military areas respectively. ”

"Hubei, Hunan...... Admiral's Yamen? Xu Yong couldn't help but be stunned.

At this time, Du Yinxi said solemnly: "Divide Huguang into rivers and govern them, the imperial court has discussed it before, but in the end, it is still believed that the current government affairs of the province should not be divided too quickly, but the military can go first." Therefore, two admirals were first set up to manage the military, and the military and government were still under the coordination of the Huguang governor yamen. ”

When Xu Yong heard this, he understood He Tengjiao's intentions, and he felt cold all over his body.