Zhang Xiangan couldn't help but be a little moved when he heard that his eldest brother was quite worried about his words, and stretched out his hand to hold Zhang Jingan's hand and said, "Thank you eldest brother for your concern, but this is also approved by the emperor, if I really can't come back, I will ask my eldest brother to do my filial piety in front of my father on my behalf." ”

Seeing that his brother insisted on negotiating with the Jurchens, Zhang Jingan picked up the wine bowl and took a sip of wine, then sighed and said: "Our brothers grew up together, you have been smart since you were a child, why are you stupid now?" Even if it's a negotiation, you can call someone else to go. ”

Zhang Xiangan got up and poured wine for the eldest brother and said: "Actually, the eldest brother is wrong, I was not smart when I was a child, but I was a little stupid." After speaking, he smiled slightly.

Zhang Jing'an asked puzzledly, "Why do you think so?" ”

Zhang Xiangan looked out the window and said, "Big brother, do you remember the incident when our brothers secretly drank imperial wine more than 20 years ago?" ”

Zhang Jing'an thought for a while and said, "Why don't you remember?" That time, the emperor gave my father two jars of imperial wine, as soon as I opened the lid the aroma was fragrant, my father feasted guests and friends to drink a jar that day, and the remaining jar was hidden in the cellar and half of it was stolen by our brother, when I was twelve years old, you were only eight or nine years old, and it was almost thirty years. ”

Zhang Xiangan said: "I still remember that when I returned home from class at the teacher's house in the afternoon, my eldest brother, you secretly told my father where the wine was hidden, and described how fragrant the imperial wine was. ”

At this time, Xiong Tingbi laughed beside him and said: "I can't imagine that General Zhang and Zhang Jianjun were so naughty when they were children, and they actually secretly drank the imperial wine given by the emperor, so is your father angry when he knows?" ”

Zhang Xiangan said: "Let Lord Xiong laugh, my father knew that I stole his wine and let our two brothers drink half of it, and pulled me to beat me a few times, if it weren't for my young age, I'm afraid I would have suffered a lot, but my eldest brother saw that the opportunity was not good, and ran to my grandmother's house to hide for a few days before coming back." ”

Speaking of this, everyone laughed, and after laughing for a while, Zhang Xiangan said faintly: "I didn't understand when I was a child, but after more than ten or twenty years, about one night when I was thirty years old, I couldn't sleep and remembered the old past, thinking about it, my heart suddenly moved, and I couldn't figure out why my eldest brother came over to tell me that the imperial wine was very fragrant that day, and why did he tell me where the imperial wine was hidden?" He, why didn't he take it out and take it apart and give it to me to drink? He's bigger than me, and it's not like he can't hold it! ”

After Zhang Xiangan finished speaking, he turned his head to look at Zhang Jingan, who had a slightly embarrassed look on his face, and asked again: "Big brother, tell me now, why didn't you steal wine at that time?" ”

Zhang Jingan smiled and said: "It's all old, brother, you still remember it, what you thought at the time, I can't remember it now, maybe you know that stealing wine will be beaten and you're not stupid?" Come on, come on, big brother respects you a bowl of apologies for what happened thirty years ago. ”

Zhang Xiangan said: "Yes, now the eldest brother is telling the truth, I was stupid when I was a child." ”

Zhang Jing'an said: "Fools have foolish blessings, didn't my father decide to give you the title?" What else are you not satisfied with? ”

Zhang Xiangan said with a straight face: "It was a joke at first, but when it comes to the eldest brother, you have to think about it, and of course you have to make it happen to Lord Xiong." ”

Xiong Tingbi said: "Zhang Jianjun has something to say, this official has been very good with your eldest brother in the past few months, although this official is a person who is at fault and has just been reinstated, but he will definitely not stand by when he can help." ”

Zhang Xiangan said: "So the lower official thanked Lord Xiong first, the lower official thinks that the eldest brother is not good at guarding the pass here, and should ask to take the initiative to lead the troops to attack, so there are more opportunities for meritorious service, I heard in the Military Affairs Yuan that the emperor asked the eldest brother to come to the front line, I don't know what Lord Xiong and the eldest brother think?" ”

Xiong Tingbi nodded and said: "Zhang Jianjun's words make sense, General Zhang may wish to think about it, He Kegang, who led the mountain infantry battalion, was deceived into Ningyuan to defend the city by Yuan Chonghuan this time, and now the enemy has retreated and he has not made an inch, and the reward will definitely not be much, if General Zhang is interested, he can fight for it, and then the official can help you speak, and as far as the official knows, the emperor will garrison troops on the Daling River Ancient Road, and the mountain infantry battalion will definitely be expanded at that time." ”

After listening to Xiong Tingbi's words, Zhang Jing's heart was hot, and he nodded and said, "Thank you Lord Xiong for your kindness, think about it first, and ask Lord Xiong to help when the time comes." ”

After speaking, he turned to Zhang Xiangan and said, "Now let's talk about your brother first, you must go to negotiate with the Jurchens in person, is there any way to ensure your safety?" ”

Zhang Xiangan smiled slightly, and said to the brocade guard outside: "Please come over that rib girl." ”

"Rib girl?" Xiong Tingbi and Zhang Jing'an were a little confused, but when the Jurchen county lord came in, they were both relieved, and it was really appropriate for the black and thin girl to call the rib girl.

Last time, the Jurchen county lord assassinated Ni Yuanlu but killed Ni Yuanlu's father-in-law by mistake, and after being caught, he asked Zhang Xiangan to take them to Ningyuan Pass and locked them up, Zhang Xiangan did not let anyone know about her existence, and now he wants to take her out as an introduction, so as to delay Nurhachi through negotiations, lest he return to the army to save Lushun, because before leaving Beijing, Tianqi called a rib girl, so everyone called away.

Zhang Xiangan asked the rib girl: "It's been cold these two days, is the county lord okay?" ”

The rib girl said: "I'm fine, the clothes you gave me can't be cold, and besides, I'm not afraid of the cold." What did you call me for today? Will you take me to the city and behead me? ”

Zhang Xiangan said: "Why do you think so? We are all Svens, not as savage as you Jurchens. The emperor said that he would let you go back when he considered it, and when he thought it was appropriate, he was ready to let you go back tomorrow, do you have anything to prepare? ”

When the rib girl heard this, she was overjoyed and asked, "Can you do the master?" ”

Zhang Xiangan nodded and said: "I can be the master, but you have to write a letter to Nurhachi first, let him believe that you are in our hands, he is in the lock now, he will leave when it is late, can you write?" After speaking, he asked someone to prepare pen and paper.

The rib girl looked at Zhang Xiangan contemptuously, walked over and picked up the pen and wrote a few rows of words. Zhang Xiangan saw that the words of this rib girl were still written well, and the beautiful and neat stroke showed that she had been instructed by the Master, nodded and said, "I don't see that I can write such good words for a woman, it's rare." ”

The rib girl snorted and said, "It's worse than you guys, and it's a little bit stronger than those martial artists at the door." ”

Zhang Xiangan took the letter and looked at it carefully, but he didn't see any hidden words, the letter just said that he was the county lord who was caught by the Ming army and asked the Great Khan to save her.

Early the next morning, the city gate in front of Ningyuan Pass opened, and there were three gates in the city, one large and two small, and only one small gate was left in order to let the soldiers guard at ease. Although it was a small door, it still took some courage to open it so generously in front of the enemy's eyes, and now the Ming army not only had courage, but also appeared to have too much courage, because they not only opened the door, but also sent a few soldiers out to clear the snow. That's not all, after clearing the snow, several soldiers became childlike for a while, and piled the snow together to make two snowmen.

At this time, the sun came out in the sky, and the sun was not very warm in winter, and the cold wind blowing in the air was still very biting. Hearing that the Ming army dared to go out of the pass to build a snowman, Dai Shan, who heard the news, was angry, he felt despised and insulted, and immediately went to see Nurhachi and asked to attack, so that the Ming army knew the power of the Jurchens.

Nurhachi was pondering the intentions of the Ming army's move, when the guard at the gate came in and reported that a Ming soldier had brought a letter asking to see him. Nurhachi ordered people to be brought in, and when the people came in, he took the letter and looked at it, and his heart was shocked, but he continued to read it silently and asked, "Where is the person who wrote the letter?" What are you going to do? ”

The soldier who delivered the letter said: "I am just a messenger, and my boss told me to say that if the Great Khan agrees, we will send envoys to negotiate with the Great Khan, and I don't know anything else." ”

Nurhachi asked for a reward of five taels of silver from the soldier who delivered the letter, and then said: "Go back and say that you can negotiate, and let your envoys come quickly, Ben Khan still has business." ”

After the Ming soldiers who delivered the letter left, Nurhachi showed the letter to Dai Shan, and Dai Shan was shocked when he looked at the handwriting: "Isn't this the character of the ninth sister?" Didn't she say that she went to play with someone in the Mongolian Khalkha tribe half a year ago? How did it fall into the hands of the Ming army? ”