Changan.

There was already a faint sense of depression in the vegetable garden outside the thatched house, although it was only August, but no matter how I looked at it, I felt that the vegetable leaves were not so green, and the soil seemed very dry, and there were not too many irritating voices, but I felt that this silence was so irritating.

The emperor knew, just because he was in a bad mood.

Can't be still.

The letter was still on the table, and the old dean had already read it, so the old dean also fell silent.

"He's still thinking that I should thank him."

The Emperor's gaze returned from the window, and he swept the pages of the letter again.

"Don't I know that Pingyue Dao is actually not suppressed at all? Don't I understand that there is a problem with the Jiangnan Weaving Mansion? ”

The old dean sighed softly.

Mu Zhaotong knows this, doesn't His Majesty know?

Your Majesty naturally knows, but why doesn't Your Majesty move those people in Jiangnan Weaving Mansion? Why don't you move the Yue people who seem to be docile but are secretly plotting rebellion? In fact, the reason is very simple, first, Your Majesty has to deal with the battle of the Northern Expedition with all its might, now is the best time for the Northern Expedition, the black military has been in civil strife to the point of great loss of national strength, and the contradictions between the Khan Emperor and the national teacher have long been tense, when will the Northern Expedition not be done at this time? Second, Your Majesty can't do everything...... His Majesty wants to leave the matter of Jiangnan Weaving Mansion and Peace to his successor, at that time, Daning will not easily start a war with the outside world, how can the new emperor establish his authority?

Mu Zhaotong only saw one side, and couldn't see the other side, or he saw it, so he deliberately let this contradiction come out, he just wanted to make His Majesty uncomfortable, as written in the letter, the more uncomfortable Your Majesty is, the happier Mu Zhaotong is.

"The soldiers of Pingyue Road are seeking to stand, the wolf ape has gone to the country of Qiao, Pingyue Road is empty, and the number of soldiers adds up to more than thousands, thousands...... It's a blessing to be able to protect yourself. ”

The Emperor's tone was low as he tried his best to suppress his anger.

"Pass the decree, let Shi Podang lead the soldiers of Xishu Road into Pingyue."

The emperor glanced at Lai Cheng, who was standing next to him, and Lai Cheng hurriedly lowered his head: "Yes." ”

The old dean was silent for a while and then said: "Even if you use the fastest speed to mobilize the soldiers to go over, the will will take a while on the road, and it is already two months later when Shi Po receives the order, and the Pingyue Road is already full of corpses, so ...... Since this is already the case, Your Majesty should not be too angry, since it has happened, it can only be dealt with in the most correct way. ”

What else can the old dean say? He could only say something innocuous to comfort His Majesty, and even he felt that it was really stupid.

Your Majesty's age is not young, if you are angry, then the civil strife in Daning will come more violently.

"It's like starting all over again."

The emperor let out a long breath: "But in this way, the Northern Expedition will be postponed again, and it will take three months for the soldiers of Xishu Road to enter Pingyue Road at the earliest, and it will take two months to send my order over...... In these three months, I may have entered the Black Martial Arts. ”

The old dean was silent again.

At this moment, it seems that there is no other way, and we cannot expect a natural disaster to take away all the rebellious Yue people.

In this world, there are not so many miracles.

At the same time, Xishu Road.

Mu Zhaotong walked out of the house with the door frame, he hadn't been out of the room for a day and a night, it was dark again, it was moonlight, and it was time to miss others, but Mu Zhaotong felt that he missed enough to make himself relaxed, no longer missed, and it was time to reunite.

The Wuwei Taoist who was practicing in the courtyard saw him come out and hurriedly ran over to help him, Mu Zhaotong walked down the steps tremblingly, he could still walk calmly a day and a night ago, at this moment, it seemed to be walking

It's a bit difficult for him, some people say that people live a breath, this is not unreasonable, launched the rebellion of Pingyue Road, Mu Zhaotong, who is thousands of miles away, seems to have exhausted his life's work, and it seems to have loosened the breath that has been tense, so he is old in an instant.

"It's so nice outside."

Mu Zhaotong sat down on the stone bench in the courtyard, looking at the nineteen-way chessboard carved out of the stone table by the moonlight, he subconsciously raised his hand and touched the chessboard: "I have been playing chess all my life, and I regard everyone as an opponent." ”

Wuwei said: "Elder Ge, you can rest now." ”

"yes, now it's time to rest."

Mu Zhaotong's fingers rubbed along the traces of the chessboard: "Many people say that life is like a chess game, in fact, where is the same, no matter how dangerous and complicated the chess game is, it is also in this horizontal and vertical chessboard, vertical and horizontal are straight, there are not so many twists and turns, what bends is people's hearts, people have ups and downs, and they will take a lot of detours, playing chess is a matter within the rules, people...... How many are well-behaved? ”

Wuwei Daoist didn't speak, he knew that he didn't need to talk, because it was just an old man's nonsense, a feeling of nonsense, and the old man's feelings were often without warning and without order.

He felt that Mu Zhaotong was a little pitiful.

Mu Zhaotong's fingers left the chessboard: "It's strange that people don't follow the rules but set so many rules." ”

He looked at Wuwei Daoist: "You say, how many people will die on Pingyue Road?" ”

"I don't know, and I don't dare to think about it."

"Yes, you are a Taoist after all, and you have compassion."

Mu Zhaotong smiled: "I'm a wicked person...... But I didn't dare to ask, I arranged everything, and then told them that no matter what happened in Pingyue Road and how many people died, they were not allowed to tell me, and I also told them that they would not have to see me anymore, and the time after that would be my own, and I had to go back. ”

Wuwei Daoist was shocked: "Where is the elder going to go?" ”

"There are still worries in the world, my wife is still there, I will go back to her and take her with me."

Mu Zhaotong glanced at Wuwei Daoren: "So please arrange it for me, and I will leave here early tomorrow morning." ”

"Far away?"

Wuwei Taoist asked.

"Not far."

Mu Zhaotong's gaze drifted outward: "I didn't dare to let her stay too far away from me, I just lied to her and made her think that I was far away from her, I didn't dare, I was afraid that I would be too far away to go by myself." ”

Wuwei Daoist asked again: "Where are you going to take your wife when you leave?" ”

"I don't want to tell you, and I don't want to tell anyone, but I think that if there is anyone in the world who knows where I am going, it should be Your Majesty."

Pingyue Road.

Many people are waiting for the dawn, because the last few days have been too difficult, thinking that when the night comes, they can hide in it and be alone, but they find that it is better to be afraid in the sun, because the night cannot see clearly.

The soldiers of the Ning army on this small branch of Sushan have been staying up for half a day and a night, and at night the Yue people have rushed in three times, and the three times have been beaten, and the fighting in the dark is even more tragic, when the sun rises, I see the dead corpses in that place to know that the experience last night was more dangerous than imagined, three times, the Yue people rushed to the top of the mountain, and there were corpses less than a foot away from the low wall piled up with stones.

Shen Zhaocheng slapped his face vigorously to make himself more sober, and then swept his gaze to the brothers next to him: "How many arrows are there?" ”

"Mine is gone."

"Mine is gone, too."

"I ran out of arrows when the Yue people rushed up for the second time last night."

"I only have a crossbow box, but ...... There are also up to three crossbow arrows. ”

Shin Zhaocheng looked at them with tired faces.

"Mr. Shang will definitely come back."

He said

。

The soldiers nodded at the same time, none of them doubted, everyone told themselves countless times that Mr. Shang would definitely come back, because when they went up the mountain, they said to Mr. Shang, we will wait for you at the top of the mountain.

"If the arrow is gone, then the knife."

Shin Zhaocheng pulled out the knife and slowly lifted it, the sunlight made the knife look bright.

"Where's the flag?"

Shen Zhaocheng turned his head violently, and then saw that Daning's battle flag was still fluttering not far away, and on the body of his own soldiers, he grinned at his own soldiers: "I know that you kid is fine." ”

The pro-soldier did not answer, not even react.

Then everyone saw that the young man who was only twenty-six years old was dead, standing dead, one hand supporting the stone, the other hand supporting his waist, he just insisted on not falling, he had an arrow stuck in his heart, an arrow on his waist, the blood had dried up, he did not fall because he tied Daning's battle flag to himself, and the wooden stick wearing the battle flag was tied to his back.

The lieutenant said that the flag could not fall.

Shen Zhaocheng slowly took off the iron helmet, held it with his left hand, and raised his right hand and put it on his chest.

Someone wanted to put his comrades down in the past, but Shen Zhaocheng roared and wiped the tears from his eyes: "Let him stand!" ”

The horn sounded again at the foot of the mountain, and the attack of the Yue people was about to come.

When the sun finally showed a red face, Mr. Shen and Hong Shi Niang finally arrived in Tuohai County, the dark night always makes people disoriented, and they are the same, they are not familiar with the road, and they can't even determine where the direction they are facing in the night like splashing ink, so they ran the wrong road, at least two hours of time were wasted, and it took two turns back to return to the right road It seems that they once passed by less than five miles from the Tuohai County barracks, and when they came back, it was already dawn.

Not everything will go smoothly and smoothly.

Mr. Shen rushed all the way to the outside of the barracks, and was ordered to stop by the soldiers at the gate before he jumped off his horse: "Quick, mobilize people and horses to go to Sushan County, the soldiers in Tuntian, Sushan County are besieged by the Yue, hurry up!" ”

Mr. Shen shouted hoarsely, stumbling, he hadn't rested for two days and two nights, where did he still have any strength.

The soldier's face that was holding him turned a little pale: "No...... There are no more soldiers. ”

Mr. Shen's eyes widened suddenly, and bloodshot eyes filled his eyes in an instant, and he pinched the soldier's shoulders with both hands: "What about people?" What about people? What about our soldiers! ”

"A rebellion broke out in Tuohai County, the rebels stormed the county seat, killed the county commander, and robbed the arsenal granary, and the general rushed over with people yesterday, and now ..... Now there are less than 50 people left in the battalion, we don't dare to rest or stop, 50 people are always patrolling to make a false appearance, so that the Yue people think that there are still a lot of soldiers and horses in the camp, but there are no more, only us. ”

Mr. Shen's hand slowly slid down, and for a moment, it seemed as if all his strength had been drained.

The soldier glanced at Mr. Shen, and then looked at the nine-year-old Shang who was carrying Mr. Shen's back: "Put him down first, people can't be resurrected after death, please mourn ......"

Mr. Shen raised his head violently and turned his head again, but he couldn't see it, he hurriedly put down the nine-year-old Shang who was tied behind his back, but the person was already stiff, he fell asleep quietly on his back, and he would never open his eyes again, but there was a relieved smile on the corner of his mouth.

Last night, when Mr. Shen was galloping on his horse, he felt that Shang Jiu had woken up for a while and scratched his back.

In fact, he just wrote three words with his finger on Mr. Shen's back.

I'm sorry.

......

......