In Kyoto, the news of the generalissimo Duan Lang's wedding in the west also spread to the court. Faced with the marriage of this general of the town, the court officials also had a lot of discussions. But in any case, if you don't get a courtesy, you have to send it.

In the palace, Emperor Delong thought twice and decided to send an envoy to attend Duan Lang's wedding. Before he completely turned his face, Duan Lang was still a first-class member of Daxia. As the emperor, Delong also has to make some gestures.

Zhang Zhao, the head of the Heavenly Prison Academy, was summoned to the palace as soon as he returned to Kyoto. In the Jing Pavilion, Emperor Delong, who was a little emaciated, finished drinking the decoction sent by the Tai Hospital, looked at Zhang Zhao and asked.

"I heard that you went to the Melan Mansion? Why, Yu Ban's disciples are a little restless again? ”

"Back to Your Majesty, the minister went to Molan Mansion this time, not for Jiang Zhuming." Zhang Zhao bowed and said.

"Oh? What's that for? Delong looked at Zhang Zhao suspiciously.

"Your Majesty, a few days ago, one of the minister's secret stations was attacked, and the minister went to inquire about some news. Of course, by the way, I also inspected the situation in Melan Mansion. ”

Zhang Zhao pondered in his heart whether he should tell Delong the news of Tingfeng Pavilion, but after hesitating, he decided not to say it for the time being. After all, it involves the relatives of the emperor and the country, and if you don't get it right, you will get into a commotion.

Delong was slightly stunned, "The secret station of the Heavenly Prison was attacked?" Who is so bold? ”

"Back to Your Majesty, the minister has found out that it was done by some Jianghu Xiao. These bandits are not long-sighted, and they actually dare to provoke the minister's prison court. The minister has sent men to kill him completely. Zhang Zhao said falsely, so as to show his strong execution ability.

Delong nodded with satisfaction, "Zhang Zhao, the Heavenly Prison is my face, and it must be shocked to the world." I summoned you to the palace to ask which courtier was suitable to go to the capital city to congratulate. In addition, it just so happened that you came back from Molan Mansion, so Jiang Zhuming had lived in Molan Mansion for many years, so it was time for Yu Ban to clean up these henchmen. ”

Zhang Zhao's heart was shocked, and he said that Jiang Zhuming had just given him a generous gift, and he had to help him speak.

"Your Majesty, I think that Yu Ban these disciples still has some effect."

DeLong frowned slightly, "Oh? Let's talk about it. ”

Zhang Zhao bowed down and said, "Your Majesty, General Ma Ruzheng personally led the army south, and the recovery of Xining is just around the corner. The minister felt that it was time for Kyoto to make preparations for both. It happened that Jiang Zhuming and others once again jointly prayed to His Majesty to take back the soldiers and horses of the capital city. Why didn't Your Majesty take advantage of this occasion to express the wishes of the ministers of the capital of the world to Duan Lang. In particular, bandits in Molan City, Chengyang Mansion and Xiadu Mansion were rampant, even in the name of borrowing, Duan Lang had to return some of them. In this way, at least part of the power of the capital city can be weakened. ”

Delong's heart moved, "What do you mean by borrowing troops from Duan Lang in the name of Jiang Zhuming and others?" ”

"Yes, this time the minister went to Molan City, Jiang Zhuming also said the same. He knew that if he wanted Duan Lang to return the soldiers and horses, he was afraid that it would be impossible. But borrowing troops in the name of suppressing bandits, I believe that Duan Lang will not be able to shirk it. As long as these soldiers and horses enter their capital, it is not up to Duan Lang to decide when they will be returned. ”

Delong's eyes lit up, "Yes, this is a very good plan. However, I must find the right person to make this trip for me. That Tantai Mingyue is very shrewd, even if he borrows soldiers, ordinary people go, I'm afraid they won't be able to borrow it. ”

Zhang Zhao thought for a while, "Your Majesty, the minister recommends two adults to you, and if they go out, they will definitely succeed." ”

"Which two?" Delong looked at Zhang Zhao and asked.

"He Lianjia, the squire of the military department, is the chief envoy, and Feng Zhun of Honglu Temple is the deputy envoy, and the two of them will definitely succeed."

Delong looked at Zhang Zhao with some surprise, "If you want to say that He Lianjia is out of the horse, I think it's okay, but Feng Zhun?" You actually let him go to the capital city? ”

"Your Majesty, among the courtiers, everyone knows that Helenga has had dealings with the capital city. He traveled to the capital on behalf of His Majesty, and should be the most suitable person. However, this time I went to the capital city, not only to congratulate him, but also to pay close attention to the layout and training of the soldiers and horses in the capital city. As a veteran in the army, Feng Zhun is very experienced in this area. What's more, with Feng Zhun urging He Lianjia, he didn't dare to deceive His Majesty for personal gain. ”

"Aren't you afraid, that Duan Lang killed Feng Zhun in a fit of anger?" Delong squinted at Zhang Zhao.

At present, Duan Lang does not dare to be so presumptuous. What's more, Feng Zhun was only a deputy envoy, and it was He Lianjia who raised any sharp questions. Even if Duan Lang was angry, he couldn't blame Feng Zhun on his head. ”

DeLong pondered for a moment, nodded and said, "Only by knowing yourself and knowing your opponent can you survive a hundred battles." In terms of the layout of the art of war, there is indeed no more suitable than Feng Zhun. I originally planned to kick Feng Zhun back to his hometown after cleaning up the forbidden disciples. Now it seems that he has some usefulness. By the way, Chen Zhanxuan's side, don't you know the situation of the soldiers and horses in Lidu City? ”

"Back to Your Majesty, Chen Zhanxuan is ranked last in the sequence of generals in the capital city. Moreover, after all, he is only from the general manager of the city defense team, and he cannot be compared with Feng Zhun in terms of the overall situation. Chen believed that Feng Zhun would be able to see the weaknesses of the capital city if he took this trip. ”

"Good! Then it's decided. Someone came, Feng Zhun of Xuanhonglu Temple, and entered the palace. ”

Delong decided to send He Lianjia and Feng Zhun to the capital city to congratulate him, but before leaving, he also had to explain separately. Delong's task to Feng Zhun was to find the weak link in the combat ability of the soldiers and horses in the capital city. Although Delong knew that the soldiers and horses in Lidu City were brave and good at fighting, he believed that no matter how powerful the soldiers and horses were, they also had their own weaknesses. Delong can't see it in this regard, and Feng Zhun, the former squire of the military department, should not be a problem.

After arranging Feng Zhun, Delong summoned He Lianjia, the squire of the military department, into the palace. His will to He Lianjia was very clear, that is, no matter what method was used, 60,000 soldiers and horses must be seconded from the capital city and sent to the three prefectures of Yangxiadu, Molan City, for the suppression of bandits.

In the capital, ordinary people are still busy with their livelihoods day after day. Duan Lang and others 'left' the capital city, and Yutai Mingyue went to the temple to pray for blessings and fasting, and the affairs in the city were all pressed on Li Jianshan. In the eyes of outsiders, Li Jianshan is an angry little daughter-in-law. is called Liangcheng Fu Yin, but in fact, he is just an errand runner. For this reason, Chen Zhanxuan, the general of urban defense, was also dissatisfied with Li Jianshan. And Li Jianshan has often been drunk recently, and he has complained to Chen Zhanxuan, and the friendship between the two has become deeper and deeper.

The palace is heavily guarded, and in the backyard of the family, Zhang Ruming is lying comfortably on the rocking chair, and Azhu Xiaoniao is waiting beside him.

"Zhu Zhu, do you think the old ghost Huai is here, I'm a little anxious to wait." Zhang Ruming shook his head and asked.

"Sir, it's very dangerous outside right now. You must not leave the house without my consent. ”

"What's the matter, the old ghost has arrived?" Zhang Ruming suddenly came to the spirit.

"According to the statistics of the city gate, there are no less than 500 strangers in the city in the past few days. Among them, there must be people who are old ghosts. It is even said that the old ghost will hide inside. This person is good at disguise, which is very troublesome. ”

Zhang Ruming's heart tightened, "Then what if he sneaks into the mansion?" ”

Ah Zhu Yanran smiled, "Although you can rest assured, no matter how powerful the disguise technique is, you will not pretend to be a familiar person." The backyard was full of soldiers and horses from the Guards Battalion. Everyone knows each other well, and Ah Wu personally leads it, and will never let strangers get in. What's more, this time, the main battlefield is the Blessing Temple, not our government. ”

"Zhu Zhu, if that old ghost comes to attack the west, we have to guard against it here. In addition, do you think it is possible for the old ghost Huai to go to Jingji Mountain to kill Duan Lang? If that's the case, the old ghost will pounce on us, and our plan will be wasted. ”

Ah Zhu shook his head, "No, according to the news we spread, the elites of Lidu City basically followed. With the shrewdness of that old ghost, he would definitely choose this place. Last time, he was injured when he killed Mingyue in Chengyang Mansion, so he shouldn't miss such a good opportunity for revenge. ”

Zhang Ruming pouted unconvinced, "This is not necessarily, if Lao Tzu is him, just find a place to be at ease, and I will not play with you in this life." As the saying goes, if you are not afraid of thieves, you are afraid of thieves, I will make you feel that Lao Tzu thinks about you every day, and you don't want to live in peace for the rest of your life. ”

Azhu smiled, "Which end of the hell are you?" Fortunately, you are not an old ghost, otherwise it would really make people depressed to death. ”

While the two were talking and laughing, a young man hurried in. When Ah Zhu saw it, he quickly put away his smile.

The young man saluted Zhang Ruming, hugged his fist at Ah Zhu and said, "Your Excellency, there is news from the Kyoto secret station." ”

The young man said, respectfully handing over a bamboo tube. Ah Zhu took it and nodded, and the young man retreated. Ah Zhu opened the bamboo tube and looked at the secret documents inside.

Zhang Ruming couldn't help but ask, "What's the matter in Kyoto, it can't be that Delong is dead." ”

Ah Zhu glanced at him and said softly, "It's He Lianjia and Feng Zhun who came to congratulate him in the name of the envoys. ”

Zhang Ruming was stunned for a moment, "Hmph, once this Feng Zhun comes, it will be no good thing." ”

"Well, the letter sent by Jiang Zhuming said that he borrowed troops from Delong according to Mingyue's arrangement. I guess that their congratulations are fake, and the withdrawal of soldiers and horses is real. ”

"This Lao He is not a thing, if it wasn't for Lao Tzu to carry him, he wouldn't even be a fart."

"Master, don't complain, everyone has their own ambitions. Okay, I'll go to Mingyue. If you feel bored, you can go to Brother Jianshan, but you must not leave the house. ”

Zhang Ruming waved his hand impatiently, "Got it." ”

Looking at the back of Azhu leaving, Zhang Ruming sighed slightly. In the past three years, Azhu has never conceived a child after losing a fetus. For this matter, Zhang Ruming is also very troubled.

In another very secret courtyard in the palace, Mingyue listened to Azhu's secret report every day. Although he stayed at home, he used Da Fei and Xiao Bai to pass on various instructions. Looking at the increasing number of strangers in the city every day, removing some of the normal merchants, the old ghost of Huai was almost about to start. Perhaps, they are also waiting for an opportunity.

"Ah Zhu, the person who went to pick up Uncle Zhang is almost here, right?" Yutai Mingyue asked.

Duan Lang and Mingyue are married, and they will definitely take their adoptive father Zhang Zongcheng over. In the past three years, Zhang Zongcheng has come to live for a while, but he still can't forget everything in Fengluan Mountain, and he can't rest assured that he can't get rid of the big bear. Therefore, Zhang Zongcheng did not live in the capital city for many years.

"You can enter the city by noon tomorrow." Azhu said.

"Okay, when the time comes, let Brother Zhang and Jianshan go out of the city to greet each other. And released the news, saying that Brother Zhang would pick up Uncle Zhang at night and wash the dust, and all generals and officials above the fifth rank in the city must participate. With the help of Uncle Zhang's name, give them a chance to do it. ”

"Mingyue, will it be a little early, what if the old ghost Huai hasn't arrived yet?" Azhu said worriedly.

"Listening to the Wind Pavilion is in Molan City, it has been more than ten days since the last letter sent by Jiang Zhuming, and the old ghost Huai should have arrived. Unless he wasn't fooled, so if he didn't do it tomorrow night, then I'm afraid he really wouldn't come. ”

"Okay, I'll arrange it right away."

After the two of them finished discussing, Azhu walked out alone. The courtyard was heavily guarded, and except for Ah Zhu, even Li Jianshan and Zhang Ruming were not allowed to enter if they had no important business.

In the capital city, in an inn not far from the Blessing Temple, the old ghost of Huai is condescendingly watching the Blessing Temple. He had already arrived for three days, but the old ghost was not in a hurry. He repeatedly observed the change of guard outside the temple, as well as the number of times and personnel who delivered meals. According to the number of meals delivered, Huai Lao Ghost can roughly estimate how many people and horses are hidden in the Blessing Temple. Fortunately, Mingyue had already taken precautions for this, and not only did she hoard food in the temple, but she also dug pits for storage and did not allow it to be transported out for the time being.

The next morning, after observing for three or four days in a row, the old ghost Huai generally had a concept in his heart. Judging from the number of meals delivered, there should be more than 100 people in the temple. If they attack with all their might, the battle will be over in less than half a pillar of incense. This place is not far from the city wall, and the kung fu of these sub-pavilion torture hall masters under the old ghost Huai is not weak, as long as they put on the hook and hanging rope, they can climb out. They had to retreat before the arrival of the city defense troops, so killing the guards was not the goal, as long as they killed the Mingyue of the city, they could evacuate immediately.

Just when the old ghost Huai was planning to do something, Wang Binghuai, the head of the sub-pavilion, sent another news that made him excited. Duan Lang's adoptive father came to Lidu City, and the flamboyant Shangguan Xuanwu actually wanted to hold a banquet to catch the wind for Duan Lang's adoptive father. The battalions in the city lacked the leading generals to dispatch soldiers and horses, and this time it was a good opportunity for the old ghost to do it.

"Shanhuai, pass the order, all the masters of the Punishment Hall of the Sub-Pavilion will come here to gather here at the end of Shen Shi tonight. After sunset, in this inn, as long as it is not our people, all of them will be killed. ”

Wang Binghuai's heart was shocked, "Pavilion Master, act tonight?" ”

Old Ghost Huai nodded, "God-given opportunity, act on the occasion tonight." However, none of your members are allowed to participate in the war. Kill the Mingyue of the Tai, and that section of Lang will be furious. You are still dormant here, and the Lord of this Pavilion has his own use. ”

"Subordinates obey." Wang Binghuai agreed and stood aside respectfully.

The old ghost opened the topographical sketch of the capital city and began to plan which personnel would be responsible for blocking and evacuating. Killing targets is important, but the old ghost doesn't want to lose many elites here. He needs to be able to not only fight, but also to be able to evacuate safely. Even if he loses a part, it must be within the range he can afford.

In the Blessing Temple, Duan Lang read the news brought by Da Fei, and immediately ordered all the people in the Temple of Blessing to eat in advance, and was on full alert after sunset. Duan Lang was looking forward to tonight he was going to give the Lord Huai, who had once dominated the court, a big surprise.

(On Chinese New Year's Eve, I would like to extend my greetings to all the readers and friends who support you.) I wish you all a healthy and happy family in the new year, all the best, and financial resources rolling in. ）