After sending off the magistrate, Chen Qingzhi and others returned to the camp. Before he could speak, Song Jingxiu pounced and knelt in front of Chen Qingzhi.

"Song Zhuangshi, why are you doing this?" Chen Qingzhi hurriedly helped him up.

"Song Mou for these dozens of people, thank you Chen Zhushu!"

"Why do you need such a big gift! I just did what I could. Song Zhuangshi has the heart to help the weak and the poor, and he is by no means a ruthless person. ”

"Song did what he said, in this way, my life will be handed over to Master Chen for disposal!"

"How dare you say disposition." Chen Qingzhi held Song Jingxiu's hand, "Song Zhuangshi is strong and has experienced a hundred battles, I hope that you can stay in our army, what?" ”

"That is, Chen Zhushu's wishes, Song must obey his orders, and he is willing to serve the work of dogs and horses."

"Great! Now our army is like a tiger with wings! Chen Qingzhi said happily, "However, since you have joined our army, everyone is commensurate with brothers, and there is no distinction between high and low; If you don't give up, you will be called Brother Song below, please be right below, and also be commensurate with your name. ”

"How can this be made," Song Jingxiu hurriedly postponed, "I can't help it." ”

"I said Brother Song," Yu Tianshu said, "Don't look at Ziyun's high position, in fact, like us, they are all from cloth clothes; It is really commendable that he can keep this original intention and never be pretentious, which is why we are willing to follow him. As long as you enter this barracks, everyone is a brother who shares life and death, and you can follow the customs of the villagers and do what Ziyun says. ”

"Brother Yu, I can't imagine that you can say such a reasonable thing, it really impresses the little monk!" Hui Ze admired, then turned to Song Jingxiu, "Brother Song, we are all very happy that you can stay; What Brother Chen said is indeed from the bottom of his heart, do you think which of us will call him the main book? ”

Hui Ze pulled Xu Jin, who was silent, "Jin, you also say a few words to express it." ”

Xu Jin moved a few steps towards Song Jingxiu, buried his head and said, "Brother Song, if you are willing to be brothers with us, I still want to follow you and hone my martial arts......"

"Everyone, ......" Song Jingxiu was speechless for a while, and couldn't say anything else. After wandering alone for so many years, a strong sense of belonging suddenly sprouted in that lonely and helpless heart, which filled his whole body.

"Okay, Brother Song, let's settle it." Chen Qingzhi patted Song Jingxiu's arm, "I still have something to discuss with you." ”

"Whatever you ask." Song Jingxiu replied.

"The matter of displaced people is by no means an exception in the Northern Wei Dynasty. Can Brother Song pick a few shrewd and capable people among these people, take in other displaced people, and summon them to Yixing. Chen Qingzhi went on to explain the purpose of this, "This will not only prosper the production and population of Yixing and save them from the suffering of displacement, but also these people will inevitably have a grudge against the Northern Wei Dynasty when they leave their homes, and if they can recruit brave men from among them, once they start a war with the Northern Wei Dynasty in the future, they will definitely have amazing combat effectiveness!" ”

Yu Tianchou patted his thigh and exclaimed, "Ziyun, you are still smart!" It not only helped those homeless people, but also increased the source of soldiers, wonderful! Wonderful! ”

"In this case, Song will do it immediately!"

During this time, Chen Qingzhi was so busy that he was dizzy - the idea of recruiting displaced people achieved excellent results, and in just a few months, Yixing resettled thousands of northerners; And the military camp also recruited more than 100 brave people from these people.

Seeing that the number of troops is gradually increasing, but at the same time, there is also an increase in the expenditure of military rations and salaries; The armor, weapons, and war horses, which were already overstretched, are now extremely lacking.

Chen Qingzhi kept going back and forth between Yixing and Jiankang - not only did he have to do his job as the chief secretary and not delay political affairs, but also constantly coordinated with Chen Sibao to ensure the supply of military food and salaries, as well as the dispatch of ordnance materials.

Chen Sibao, as the financial support behind Chen Qingzhi, gave full play to his talents in business. He took advantage of the fact that the Vermilion Bird Stack was the largest store in Jiankang to collect information on the price of materials from all parties, buy low and sell high, and made a lot of profits. These funds, in exchange for various military supplies, were continuously sent to the Yixing military camp, so that Chen Qingzhi could have no worries.

When he was in Jiankang, there was a slight break, and Chen Qingzhi had to visit Wei Rui. The Marquis of Yongchang is getting weaker and weaker now, and every time he goes to visit, he can't talk a few words, so he has to rest.

Looking at the Yongchang Marquis, who was once high-spirited and powerful in the world, and was feared by the northerners as Wei Hu, but now he was lying on the sickbed with a withered appearance, Chen Qing's heart was inevitably filled with sadness.

Wei Fang said worriedly, "Father is getting thinner and thinner now, and he can barely eat anything, I'm worried, I'm afraid I won't be able to survive this time......"

"Let Mr. rest, let's go out and talk." Chen Qingzhi said in a low voice.

Out of the room, the two walked in the Hou Mansion and talked.

"A few days ago, His Majesty brought several imperial doctors to treat my father. Perhaps it was the reason for His Majesty's arrival, that day my father was in good spirits, but he refused the imperial doctor, and told His Majesty that he knew that his end was approaching, and that he did not need to bother anymore. After that, my father and His Majesty have been holding hands and talking, and my father suggested to His Majesty that we must pay close attention to the situation in the north, and once the opportunity arises, we must go all out to the north and go straight to Luoyang. ”

"The Northern Wei Dynasty has indeed begun to unfold." Chen Qingzhi said thoughtfully, "There are more and more displaced people from the north, which shows that the foundation of the Northern Wei Dynasty has been shaken. ”

"Your Majesty praised the idea of taking in the homeless people, and when Your Majesty talked about it with your father, His Majesty thought that this was to take the water of your neighbors, and Ze's own pond, one of which was the best of the other, and was ready to let all places follow suit."

"But there are also new troubles...... Chen Qingzhi sighed, "The newly recruited soldiers from the homeless people can't be assigned ordnance at all, and they are overstretched." ”

"Father also raised this issue with His Majesty, asking you to purchase a large amount of ordnance, or allocate a little from the arsenal to equip your troops."

"Why would Sir make such a request to Your Majesty? Your Majesty will never agree! Chen Qingzhi said in surprise.

"Your Majesty really didn't agree. His Majesty said that the recruitment of soldiers acquiesced because he knew that you were dedicated to serving the country and would never do anything unfavorable to Daliang. After all, you don't have a military position now, and if you are armed again, I am afraid that you will provoke more criticism. ”

"Your Majesty's concerns are not wrong. He has no military position, and he can't justifiably purchase weapons and armor in large quantities, so he has always relied on Chen Sange to buy them privately, but after all, the quantity is limited, so that although the number of soldiers is not large, it is still not enough. ”

"Sir should understand the reasoning, why do you rashly make such a request to Your Majesty?" Chen Qingzhi asked puzzledly.

"How can my father not know!" Wei Fang let out a long sigh, "Privately, my father said that he can no longer fight for Daliang, although I have expectations for you, but your troops are obviously not strong enough; And now that the situation is becoming more and more urgent, my father must be anxious in his heart, so he has the mentality of gambling and proposes it to His Majesty. ”

"It's really embarrassing for Mr., I'm really ashamed to be here."

"Actually, I have an idea, it depends on Ziyun whether you are willing or not."

"Brother Yuan, please speak!"

"I can help you buy ordnance! After you have all the preparations, let Wei Xun send it to you privately. ”

"The solution is good, but after purchasing thousands of sets of equipment, I am afraid that I will not be able to come up with so much money in the next hour and a half."

"So I said see if you want to. Don't you still have two boxes of gold from Zhu Yi, which is enough for you to prepare the insufficient parts! ”

"But I really don't want to use this gold......"

"Isn't this an extraordinary time, do you want your soldiers to wear cloth clothes and carry bamboo guns to the battlefield?"

"What Brother Yuan said is reasonable, even Mr. knows that he can't do it, so why be pedantic in the future."

"That's right!" Wei Fang patted Chen Qingzhi on the shoulder, "Don't worry, I will definitely urge you to prepare everything you need as soon as possible!" I'm still looking forward to our brothers fighting side by side! ”

On Yanran's side, although King Ye sent maids, servants and guards, etc., and Wei Xun would accompany her every once in a while, Chen Qingzhi would still take the time to visit. This is also the time when Yanran is the happiest, listening to Chen Qingzhi talk about the situation of Xu Jin and Hui Ze, the sadness and melancholy in her eyes will temporarily dissipate, and it will be replaced by a light of gentle joy.

"Actually, Wei Xun said several times, let's go to Yixing to visit you together. But His Royal Highness King Ye is too worried about my safety, and he always sends people to guard him, and he can't leave Jiankang for half a step; The little woman understood King Ye's painstaking efforts, so she had no choice but to give up. ”

Chen Qingzhi was full of apologies, "These days, everything in the army is complicated, Xu Jin and they are also busy stepping up the training of newly recruited sergeants, and they haven't let them come back to see you for so long, it is negligence, Miss Yang forgiveness." ”

"Brother Chen's words are serious, let them practice with peace of mind, there is King Ye to take care of here, and Wei Xun often comes to accompany me, so don't worry about it."

"Miss Yang, don't worry, when you have a little free, you will definitely arrange for them to come back for a reunion."

"The little girl has one more thing, I want to ask Brother Chen."

"Miss Yang, please speak."

"A few days ago, I asked Wei Xun for help, and at the armor master's place, I customized two pairs of armor for Xu Jin and Hui Ze, which should be made in a few days, and I want to ask Brother Chen to help bring them when he returns to the camp."

"Miss Yang is really hearted, please rest assured, I will definitely bring it next."

"When the armor is delivered, I will ask Wei Xun to inform Brother Chen. The little woman thanked her here, and she was tired. ”

A few days later, still in the morning, Chen Qingzhi was handling government affairs in the official office, and Wei Xun hurriedly broke in.

"Is Miss Yang's armor ready?" Chen Qingzhi glanced at Wei Xun, who was in a panic, continued to write the folds in front of him, and said with a smile, "You don't have to be in such a hurry." ”

"Brother Ziyun, it's not good!" Wei Xun's words were filled with heavy crying.

Chen Qingzhi hurriedly raised his head, only to see Wei Xun's eyes red and swollen, tears streaming down his face, and his heart suddenly tightened, he threw away the pen in his hand, and grabbed Wei Xun's arms in the past, "What happened?" ”

"Uncle has passed away, and my eldest brother asked me to come and inform you quickly."

Wei Xun's words were like a thunderbolt in the clear sky, exploding above Chen Qingzhi's head, making him dizzy and his eyes black. He staggered back a few steps, and hurriedly supported the bookcase with his hands, so that his weak legs could barely support his body and did not fall.

"Brother Chen, hold steady!" Wei Xun hurriedly came over to help.

Chen Qingzhi tried to calm down, gasping and said, "Quick, quick, let's hurry over!" ”