When it was almost dawn, there was a light rain. The rain trickled from the end of the hour to the beginning of the hour, until Shang Cheng was woken up, and he could hear the sound of droplets of water rolling down the eaves of the dripping eaves hitting the stone slabs in the courtyard. Looking out through the window screen, the rain-washed sky is as clear and blue as the sea. The air was also washed away by the rain, and it was fresh without the strange smell that made my throat dry. On the two pomegranate trees in the courtyard, the branches have picked out fruits the size of green apricots; A few small birds jumped from branch to leaf, chirping happily......

What a good weather, it's another rest day, he still wants to stare at it while it's cool for a while, who knows that someone doesn't want him to rest for a while!

Shang Cheng sat on the kang with his eyes open and sighed for a long time, but he still had to get up helplessly.

Seeing Shang Cheng wash his face, Su Zha handed over the thin linen shirt and said, "General Guo Biao, General Zhang Shao, and General Wang Yi, they are all here, waiting to see you in the front hall." ”

Wang Yi is also here? Shang Cheng was hanging a towel on the basin rack, and when he heard that Wang Yi was also here, he couldn't help but chuckle in his heart. Wang Yi is in charge of the Zhibing Division, what is he doing here? Could it be that the Zhibing Division has found something wrong? He hung up the towel and silently draped his shirt. Alas, even Guo Biao and Zhang Shao were also alarmed, it seems that the matter is not small!

When Suza saw that his face was full of gloom, he knew that he had thought things wrong, and hurriedly laughed; "They didn't come all the way. General Wang arrived first, followed by General Guo and General Zhang. I don't look at their expressions as if something is wrong. ”

"Really?"

Suza nodded affirmatively.

Shang Cheng's heart immediately fell. Since there was nothing major, he was not too busy to meet them. He only drank two bowls of millet porridge at dinner yesterday, and then talked with people until the fourth watch, and that little soup had already turned into sweat. Now his stomach is empty. He said, "Then leave them alone." You go to the stove and see if there's anything else to eat. He thought that Guo Biao and Zhang Shao must have come over to discuss several important personnel arrangements with him; This is a major event that needs to be cautious, and there is no hurry, and most of the time there will be no eyebrows. Although Wang Yi works in the Zhibing Division, his mind is all about leading the troops, and it is estimated that he either wants to talk to him about military affairs or wants to change his position. It's not a big deal, he might as well fill his belly first......

When he came to the hall after breakfast, only Guo Biao and Zhang Shao were drinking tea and chatting in the room. When they saw him come in, they both stood up.

He beckoned them to sit down and asked, "Where is Wang Yi?" ”

Zhang Shao explained with a smile: "Just now I said that there is still something to be done in the Zhibing Division, so I will go back first." ”

"Oh." Shang Cheng nodded. It seems that Wang Yi really doesn't have anything important, he just came to chat with him. He also sat down. But he didn't speak for the time being. He has been away from Yanzhou for more than a month, and although he has maintained correspondence with the Health Department almost every day, there are usually only a few dozen words on the concise documents of routine official duties, or it is the important items copied by his "confidential secretary" Jiang Jun, how can he record the rights and wrongs for such a long time? So he doesn't know much about Yanzhou City and Quanwei Town now, and he doesn't have anything to say, so he can only wait for Guo Biao and Zhang Shao to speak first.

Guo Biao and Zhang Shao are both old people who have been involved in accidents, seeing him smiling silently, looking at each other, Guo Biao said: "Originally, we planned to come over last night, but thinking that you just came back, there must be a lot of people looking for you, there are many people, and many things are not easy to say." Zhang Shao interjected next to him: "It was Brother Fengyi who said that it is best to come over at this hour today." If it's early, I'm afraid that it will delay your rest, and if it's late, I'm afraid that there will be more guests. In this way, Xiao Yigong is still ahead of us. Fortunately, he 'has something', otherwise we would have to hold up the prestige of Shangguan and chase him." ”

Guo Biao and Shang Cheng laughed together.

After laughing, Guo Biao continued: "Before talking about official business, let's talk about something happy. That's right, a friend of mine in the capital came with a letter before the summer solstice, and the letter mentioned Huo Gong's matter. Although the court has not yet made a final decision, the Ministry of War has already expressed its attitude, saying that if a general like Li Shen is killed, who will dare to lead troops out to fight in the future? The admirals of the three Wei towns of Bohai, Dingjin and Xilong also handed documents to the military department and the imperial court. They also believe that Huo Gong did the right thing; Li Shen disobeyed orders, broke contracts, violated deadlines, framed frames, and committed several crimes and gave conclusive evidence, if he couldn't kill such a person in front of his eyes, wouldn't it chill the hearts of the officers and men of the three armies? ”

Zhang Shao also said: "I also heard that the people of the Li family in the plains were very noisy at the beginning, and after the results of the investigation here were sent, they immediately died down, and even the letters handed to several yamen were quietly withdrawn. ”

Shang Cheng was speechless. Uncle Seventeen's case he has never been too worried. He also believed that the imperial court would handle the matter impartially. But he didn't expect that the other three admirals of Weizhen would actually stand up and support him clearly. You must know that a few months ago, he contacted the Dingjin and Liangwei through the military department and Bohai, hoping that they could make a feint attack when Yanshanwei entered the grassland, so as to contain the strength of the Tuqi people. However, from the beginning of the attack to the withdrawal of Liuzhen, from beginning to end, Bohaiwei only moved a cavalry battalion arranged in the front line from the east to the west and carried out a "long-distance training". Obviously, both Wei Zhen are waiting to see his "liveliness". This made him angry, but there was nothing he could do. No way, who made him a nouveau riche who suddenly rose up? The commanders of the two Weizhen were veteran generals with outstanding achievements and prestige, and with their status, status, and military seniority, it was impossible for them to listen to the dispatch and command of their juniors. They didn't beat the people they sent to contact with them out of a mess, they could be regarded as saving face for themselves......

He was silent for a while and asked, "Since Huo Shiqi's case has been investigated, why haven't the people from the imperial court gone back?" Because it was official business, he directly called Uncle Seventeen by his name. The affairs of the imperial court investigation team have been completed, but a scholar and three squires are still stranded in Yanzhou, which will inevitably make local officials have some ideas. With these court officials watching, there will inevitably be concerns in the local area, and it is easy for people to hold back from doing things.

They don't know much about this. They were not familiar with Zhu Xuan, a scholar of Wenyingdian University, who was the leader among the ministers, and they had met twice, but they were talking about official business, so they didn't have a chance to ask why they didn't leave Yanshan. The only thing that can be determined is that the imperial court is not very concerned about Huo Shiqi's "killing of generals". Among the four members, Zhengqin sent Zhu Xuan to be a great Confucian, but he has not participated in any practice, and in addition to reading and writing books in his life, he has served as a few agricultural envoys; The other three squires, the left squire of the military department came to Yanshan, basically didn't ask Huo Shiqi about it, and he watched the training of the Chinese army in the barracks every day; The Ministry of Labor is famous all over the world of poetry and literature, finally come to the border town, long admired its name to come to visit the people in an endless stream, the post house in the day and day high friends say the past and talk about the present, the song shop night and night feast feast indulge in singing and dancing, less than a month, the slightly surprising scenery around Yanzhou have traveled, it is said that many poetry articles have been written; The most serious person is Ye Xun, the left attendant of the household department, if he hadn't pulled Di Xu to find this conversation and that inquiry every day, maybe the survey has not yet found a clue.

Speaking of this, Guo Biao looked at Shang Cheng and smiled: "Does the general still remember this Ye Xun?" ”

Shang Cheng raised his face and thought about it, then laughed. He remembered who it was. A few years ago, in the Prime Minister's Office, he publicly accused Vice Minister Dong Quan of "the book business is closed to the door". Since it is him, it is easy to explain that he is so active in investigating, and it is thought that the "southward expansion faction" wants to take this opportunity to find out what is wrong with him. He smiled and asked, "Then did he find anything?" ”

Guo Biao and Zhang Shao both laughed. Ye Xun is a scholar, he doesn't understand anything about military affairs, what can he find? Not only did he not ask what he wanted, but there were several times when the people he asked for questioning were cross-examined.

Zhang Shao lowered his head and took a sip of tea, put down the teacup, and said: "Lao Guo and I are both martial artists, and the four Qincha are all civil officials. After they came to Yanzhou, they were mainly accompanied by Lu Ji. If the general wants to know the reason why they are stranded in Yanzhou, I think it is most suitable to find Pan Lian and Pan Governor. He was familiar with these people, and he was also close to Lu Ji and Di Xu, if Zhu Xuan had other intentions, he would definitely know. It doesn't hurt if you don't know. He is an old Beijing official, and he is a person who has just come out of the six departments, so he can guess seven, seven, eight or eight. ”

Shang Cheng actually asked casually, really let him inquire, and he was impatient with this.

He stood up, refilled Guo Biao and Zhang Shao's tea cups, poured most of them into his porcelain bowls, sat down, and asked, "I've been gone for more than a month, have you thought things through?" The Ministry of War has been delaying the assignment of Sima to the Right Army, obviously waiting for our recommendation. He bowed his head and took a sip of water, and continued, "And Captain Sima of the Left Army...... Old General Duan is gone, and the position has to be filled. Tell me, what do you guys think? ”

This is the beginning of serious military affairs. Guo Biao and Zhang Shao both smiled and sat upright in their seats. Guo Biao is the Great Sima, and although his position is similar to Zhang Shao, his rank is above Zhang Shao, so it is up to him to answer. He glanced at Zhang Shao, coughed lightly, straightened out his thoughts, and said, "We have discussed it a few times. At present, the three armies of Yanshan, the Chinese army is headed by Sun Huan as Sima, and Shao Chuan is appointed as Sima Governor, and the qualifications and abilities of both of them have been seen for many years, so there is no opposition in the army, and the military department and the official department have also confirmed it. The situation of the right army was more complicated, and the morale of the army was not very stable, and we thought about it for a long time, and felt that it was not appropriate to send anyone at this time. He glanced at Shang Cheng and saw that Shang Cheng didn't have any expression on his face, just listening to himself intently, so he continued, "We think that our Yanshan will not recommend Sima and Captain of the Right Army, and it is better to hand it over to the Ministry of War for direct assignment." In the left army of Fangzhou, we considered recommending Sun Zhongshan to be the commander of Sima. Sun Zhongshan is now a general under the five products, this is also approved by the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Officials, he is now a general of Huaihua, and in recent years, his exploits in the Middle East and the North are also remarkable, and his ability is also very prominent. We have exchanged views with Ximen Sheng in this matter in correspondence, and he is very happy that Sun Zhongshan can pass. After speaking, he looked at Shang Cheng and waited for him to speak.

But Shang Cheng didn't immediately give his opinion on their ideas. He asked, "Then you think about it, how does Wang Yi arrange it?" ”

Guo Biao and Zhang Shao were stunned. They really didn't think about Wang Yi.

"Wang Yi is the Duke of Yi Guo, from the fourth rank of General Mingwei, the family of the sect is not to say, you are very familiar with him. Wang Yi is knowledgeable, insightful, tenacious, decisive, and sensitive to changes on the battlefield, which are all prerequisites for becoming an excellent general. The only thing he lacks now is actual experience in leading troops. In the past few years, the fighting in the direction of Fangzhou has not been intensive, and the pressure on the left army is not great, which is a good place to learn and improve himself, and he can gradually transform the things in the books into his own ability. In addition, although Ximen Sheng is thoughtful, he is a little indecisive, Wang Yi went over and happened to partner with him, one soft and one rigid complement each other. After saying that, Shang Cheng himself smiled.

Guo Biao and Zhang Shao glanced at each other again. Listening to Shang Cheng's statement, they felt that it made sense. Although there are a few small flaws in Wang Yi's character, the flaws are not hidden, and they should be honed more; When he leads the troops for a long time, he is well integrated, and most of them are a pillar of Da Zhao. Moreover, the military department and the veterans are also very optimistic about Wang Yi...... Both of them are now feeling a little remorseful. When considering the candidate for Sima Lieutenant of the Left Army, they did not consider Wang Yi, let alone consult Wang Yi himself......

Guo Biao was embarrassed and regretful and said: "It's too late to say anything now......"

"What's wrong?" Shang Cheng asked in surprise.

Guo Biao bowed his head and did not speak. Zhang Shao said: "A few days ago, General Wang Yi said that he would probably leave Yanshan soon and go to Xilong to take up the post of assassin in Rongzhou and Lanzhen. He also bowed his head. No wonder Wang Yi has been very depressed for more than a month, and he has been listless all day long, it turns out that this is the reason. He couldn't help but blame himself in his heart, one by one, he was really incompetent as the head of the Wei Mansion! How did you make this mistake?

"Can you keep it?" Shang Cheng hurriedly said.

Zhang Shao was silent.

"I'm going to talk to him personally?"

Guo Biao shook his head. He knew very well what Wang Yi was like. This small prince is the most arrogant. When he was in Mogan, Shang Cheng did not mention him when he announced the order of command, and his mood was very depressed. This time the discussion recommended the three Sima and the Governor, and he was not mentioned, which made him even more devastating. With his character, no matter who he is now, no matter what he says, it will be too late for him to stay......

Shang Cheng stopped talking. Although Guo Biao and Zhang Shao both said that there was no hope, he still decided to talk to Wang Yi, maybe he could persuade him to change his mind?

He put down Wang Yi's advance, and said to Guo Biao and Zhang Shao: "On the side of the Right Army, I think it's better to let Sun Zhongshan be Sima." ”

They have also considered this matter. But they also have concerns. They felt that it was difficult for Sun Zhongshan to suppress the scene of the right army. The thing is clear, his qualifications in the military are not even comparable to Qian Laosan, and they are far inferior to Fan Quan and Ji Zheng, if he goes to be the Sima of the Right Army, will others be convinced? But they couldn't say this to Shang Cheng, so they had to move the military department out as a shield. Sun Zhongshan was promoted too quickly, and it was impossible for the military department to agree to him as the Sima of the Right Army.

"Then just draw someone and recommend it together with Sun Zhongshan, and let the military department choose a right army Sima from among them for us." Shang Cheng said without thinking about it.

Zhang Shao's brows furrowed together. Sima of the Right Army is such an important position, so he is thrown to the military department to make a decision like a child's play? If the military department chooses another one instead of Sun Zhongshan, what will Yan Dong and the Right Army do?

Guo Biao figured out the joints after a little thought, and couldn't help but stroke his palms and laugh: "Okay! That's a good idea! In this way, even if the Ministry of War is reluctant, it can only agree with Sun Zhongshan to be this Sima! Zhang Shao was reminded by his words, and Deng Shi also realized the mystery, and couldn't help but hehe Zhile, and added: "In order to prevent the military department from finding difficulties for us, simply, we will not recommend the candidate of Sima Lieutenant of the Left Army, and let the military department send one to us." But the governor of the right army still has to use our Yanshanwei people. ”

Shang Cheng smiled. He saw Zhang Shao's careful thoughts. Zhang Shao is the head of the Yanshan Wei Mansion, and at this time, he must fight for the Yanshan Wei Army, so he said: "The candidate for the right army governor is up to you." I don't have any other requirements, just one, no matter who is the governor, anyway, I must be able to partner with Sun Zhongshan. ”

Zhang Shao also smiled.

Shang Cheng said: "In addition, the personnel of the right army should also be transferred. The two cavalry brigades, Fan Quan and Qian Laosan, originally belonged to the Chinese army, and for the sake of this spring's campaign, they were temporarily transferred from the Chinese army to the command of the right army. Now that the Spring Campaign is over, it's time for them to return to the establishment. Wei Fu handed a document to the Ministry of War, explaining the situation, and let them come back with both brigades. In addition, Yandong is the center of gravity of our competition with the Tuqi people in recent years, and the lack of garrisons will not be successful, the cavalry brigade of Zheng Qi of the Chinese army will be rowed to the right army, and the second brigade of the Chinese army stationed in Chisheng Pass will also be rowed over. After speaking, he bowed his head and drank water.

Guo Biao and Zhang Shao nodded together. They didn't say anything on their lips, but they admired it in their hearts. They also thought that Shang Cheng hadn't seen through the deeper meaning of their failure to recommend Sun Zhongshan, who knew that Shang Cheng would naturally solve the problem that had plagued them for many days with a few words......