The last military report sent by the front-line battalion was still saying that the armies were attacking the city, and the secret letter written by Yang Xingjian was still saying that the generals were not in harmony. But I never expected that the victory would come so quickly.

Deng She was overjoyed, but he forcibly suppressed his joy. Those who are masters of the people, must not be happy and angry, especially in front of the courtiers, they must be steady. He was calm and composed, first praised Liu San a few words, commented on his performance in the battle, and said: "After encountering the Tartars unexpectedly, you first reacted to the situation and lured the enemy out of the city, which is wisdom; Later, with only more than 100 people, more than 1,000 Tartars were blocked in the county for several hours, which was brave. Both brave and resourceful. You did very well. If you can win this battle, you will be the first. ”

Liu San was humble and said: "This battle can be won, first, it is properly planned before His Highness, second, it is due to the proper command of the generals Li and Bi, and third, because the front-line soldiers are brave and good at fighting. The last general's small merit is not worth mentioning, and he does not dare to be praised by His Royal Highness. "Merit but not pride.

It was also Deng She who was happy, and the more he looked at him, the more happy he felt, and said with a smile: "What a Liu Saburo!" Not only is it wise and brave, but also not arrogant. It's even more rare! He praised Liu San again, and then said slowly, "You bring the military newspaper documents that won the front line and wait for me to watch." ”

Liu San admired it in his heart and thought: "What a surprise to win at the front!" His Highness was unhurried, as if everything had been expected by him. It's really the wind of the master. More and more respectful, he took out the military report and presented it to Deng She. Deng She opened it to watch, and saw that compared with the previous military reports, this one did not say much.

It reads: "In the seventh year of the dragon and phoenix, the twenty-fifth day of the second month of spring, the day of the second month. At noon, our army launched another siege. Therefore, it was known that the Tartar army in the city had no fighting spirit, and before the time, Bi Qianniu damaged the enemy's east city wall, so he used Pan Xian's two strategies to transfer Yang Wanhu, Guo Conglong, and Fu Youde generals to gather in Dongcheng.

"General Li personally came to the front, determined to take the city in a battle, and ordered: 'Those who look forward to it will be beheaded, and those who turn their steps will be beheaded!' The generals each led the elite and attacked each other. Close to hand, arrows and stones are like rain, soldiers are fighting to the death, and there is no one who retreats. Killed more than 1,000 Tartars. At the right time, the enemy general Guan Bao heard the news, and also went to the east city, rode a horse, wore silver armor, galloped through the city, and commanded back and forth. Guo Yun and Puxian slave generals also came to the aid one after another. The battle is in a stalemate.

"Yang Wanhu went down to the battle, foresighted Guan Bao, removed the armor, fleshed out, held the axe, walked, shouted, smoked, led the warriors, and returned to the battle. Straight into the city, want to capture it. Although the enemy army is numerous, there is no one who can be combined; Although there are few warriors, all of them are a hundred. The cry was earth-shattering. Guan Bao heard it, and it was also eye-catching. Guo Conglong led a hundred horsemen, suitable for the formation, took the opportunity to shoot arrows, and hit the door in his face. He was seriously wounded, and fell off his horse.

"The enemy lost the main general, and the remnants were defeated. With Pan Xian's second plan, our army fired grenades. The Tartars were all terrified, trampled on each other, and countless people died. 3,000 beheadings and more than 2,000 prisoners. Captured Guan Bao and his general Guo Yun. Fuxian slaves fled with a number of horses, and Hu Zhong, Wang Guoyi, and Fang Mihan generals were ordered to strictly prevent careful searches. ”

After reading the military newspaper, Deng She smiled and said: "General Li and Bi Zhu boasted to me, saying that within five days, Jinan will be recovered." Now, it's not just a big win in five days! Good, good, very good! ......, pass on my military order, and order the troops not to come back in a hurry. Although our army won, we need to be more vigilant against the Tartars in Gaotang Prefecture and other places. Li and Bi sent horses to patrol the riverbank day and night, and there must be no mistakes. Only Yang Wanhu and Wang Guoyi were called, and they led their headquarters to guard Guan Bao, Guo Yun and the prisoners, and sent Yidu on the same day. ”

The retinue receives orders. Deng She paused for a moment, and then said: "In this battle, the Dizhou army contributed a lot. Tell Li and Bi not to rush to let the Dizhou army go back. The generals who ordered the Dizhou Army to lead the army also came to Yidu with Yang Wanhu and Wang Guoyi. And he said, I will give them a reward to their faces, and I will reward them for their deeds. ”

Liu San frowned and glanced at Deng She.

Deng She's order for the generals of the Dizhou Army to come to Yidu is really just to reward him in person? Not necessarily. He vaguely guessed Deng She's intentions, secretly picked his thumb, and thought: "First use Dizhou to help the war and reduce the losses of our army." Then take advantage of the power of the great victory and take the opportunity to subdue. Kill two birds with one stone, it's powerful! ”

Jinan's victory is indeed a happy event. Dunshe rejoiced, but was not carried away by the victory.

He first lost his vigilance and ordered Monk Li and Bi Qianniu to strictly guard the river bank and pay attention to the movements of the Yuan army in Gaotang Prefecture and other places to prevent Chahan from counterattacking. Secondly, his brain turned quickly, and he immediately thought that the envoys from all over the country had not left yet, and they were still in Yidu, which was a good opportunity to promote the military might of Haidong.

Therefore, Yang Wanhu and Wang Guoyi were ordered to escort Guan Bao and Guo Yun back to the city. Guan Bao and Guo Yun are both powerful generals under Chahan. Especially Guan Bao, if Guo Yun's status in the Chahan army is similar to Yang Wanhu, Hu Zhong and others, then Guan Bao is almost the same as Wen, Chen, and Zhao generals. It can be called the arm of Chahan.

On that day, he used thousands of military horses to sweep across the southeast of Yidu, and the momentum shocked the north and south, and the world attracted attention in one move. If Guo Conglong hadn't taken the risk, he would have attacked Wendeng on a snowy night, opening up the way for the Haidong reinforcements to land, and I was afraid that Yidu would have been captured by Chahan. What a majesty! Now, he has become Haidong's prisoner.

It's really "30 years in Hedong, 30 years in Hexi".

Deng She sighed: "'If the crockpot does not break from the well, the general will inevitably die in battle. How many heroes and heroes are there because of carelessness, and even their reputations are not guaranteed. The herald and Yang Wanhu and Wang Guoyi, on the way to send Guan Bao to Yidu, should be treated well and give them courtesy. No insults or abuses are allowed. Isn't he wounded? Use the best doctor in the army, use the best gold sore medicine in the army, and heal carefully! ”

Somehow, after listening to Deng She's words, Liu San suddenly remembered Qing Qianxing, and couldn't help but guess, thinking in his heart: "Guan Bao is a major general for the enemy." His Royal Highness specially issued an order to order Yang and Wang to treat him well. Isn't it, like the example of Qing Qianxing, the customs protection was subdued? ”

Qing Qianxing is of a different race, and he was originally very loyal to the former Goryeo. Guan Bao is indeed very similar to him. With Deng She's means of encircling people, Liu San thought about it carefully, from Yao Haogu to Qing Qianxing, it is really very likely that Guan Bao will also be subdued. His guess seemed to be reasonable, but in fact, he didn't guess what Dun She really thought.

Deng She's real thoughts have nothing to do with the acceptance of customs insurance. What he thinks at this time is actually far more important than subduing the customs insurance. That is, to give Guan Bao a treatment that is in line with his identity.

Why?

On the one hand, treating Guan Bao well can show Haidong's benevolence, and on the other hand, it will not provoke greater anger among the Chahan army. Previously, Guo Conglong and others had gone too far, but it was to recover Jinan faster, which was understandable. Now, the city of Jinan has been obtained, if it is still barbaric and domineering, does not properly dispose of the prisoners, and still abuses them, it will be out of place.

With the strong against the weak, you can be arrogant, such as slaughtering the city, killing and surrendering, it will be like Mount Tai pressing the top, those who follow me will prosper, and those who oppose me will die, so as to threaten the enemy. However, if the enemy is weak and strong, it must not do the same, so it is necessary to raise the banner of "benevolence and righteousness", treat the captives and soldiers well, and be like a fine water soaking in a stone, unconsciously and silently, so as to divide the enemy. In fact, although the form of the two is different, the essence is still the same, and both can be called "potential". It's just that the former is domineering, and the latter is king.

That's all Deng She was thinking about at this time.

In short, he wanted to be kind to Guan Bao for two purposes. First, try to alleviate Chahan's anger and not fall into the trap. Jinan was originally owned by Yidu, and no one had anything to say to recover Jinan. This is a common thing in soldiers. Treating Guan Bao well shows Haidong's magnanimity, and makes Chahan unable to find an excuse to boost morale.

——, lest Chahan also have a few great hatreds, a few great hatreds or something.

Both, in fact, this is also Deng She's consistent trick. First of all, he didn't think that Ha Guangxiu was a Goryeo eunuch, and he was rewarded for his merits, and he was reused, "buying horse bones with a thousand gold". Nowadays, it is similar to treating Guan Bao well. Show the generals of the hostile forces that King Haidong Yan is by no means a brutal person.

——, this way, even if it can't soften the enemy's loyal subjects, it can also invisibly make some of the enemy's generals who are not firm in their position maybe have a little favor towards Haidong and will not be extremely disgusted.

If you add in the meaning that he ordered Yang Wanhu and Wang Guoyi to send Guan Bao to Yidu, wanting to show off the military might of Haidong to envoys from all over the world, just on the body of Guan Bao, he only made three layers of articles in succession in a short time. It is not a foresight. It's amazing.

As Deng She's status rose, his vision and insight gradually changed.

If you say that, his previous focus was mostly on the military; Now, then, his attention has shifted to politics. If you want to win the world, you can't do it without a strong army. But there is only a strong army, and it cannot be achieved without politics. There are many who rely on the military to be prominent for a while, but they are all short-lived. Far as Xiang Yu, as close as Anfeng. If you want to achieve great things, you have to have both. Although Liu San is both wise and brave, in the end he is limited to his status, and his political vision and insight are far from enough, so he can only ponder to the level where Deng She wants to subdue Guan Bao. He stood on one side, and after a moment's thought, heard Dunsher speak.

Deng She did not say it to him, but to his entourage, and said: "The great victory in Jinan is very important, and it is impossible to do without Lubu." Passed on my order, and ordered Jixian Yuan to immediately draft a cloth and present it to me. And invite Mr. Hong to come. In addition, Zhao Zuocheng, Wu Henian, Ji Zongzhou and others were also called. I'm going to take matters into account. ”

The retinue received the order, retired, and went to do their own errands. Liu San bowed and wanted to retreat. Deng She didn't let him go, and said with a smile: "You don't have to leave in a hurry. When the ministers arrive, someone will ask about the details of the recovery of Jinan. You've been through the whole war, and you're familiar with it. Stay, and answer. ”

Liu San responded.

Deng She turned his head, glanced at Luo Guannu's courtyard again, and saw that Yuewa was still at the gate of the courtyard, nodded to her slightly, and thought strangely: "Why does this girl like to run to the gate of the courtyard?" When he came, he saw her at the door. I've been out for a long time, and she's still not leaving. It's weird. Because he had something in his heart, he didn't have time to think about it, so he took Liu San and went straight to the front yard hall.

Walking into the hall, the sky will be twilight.

Hong Jixun and the others haven't arrived yet, the hall is very big, the brazier has just been raised, and the candles have not been lit yet, which is a little cold. Deng She didn't bother to be alone, so he turned out of the hall again, accompanied by Liu Sanxiang, and walked around the courtyard.

The sun sets, and the birds return to their nests. The evening breeze blows, although it is cool and warm. Looking at the city from afar, the smoke is everywhere. There was an indescribable smell wafting in the air, like the faint fragrance of flowers and plants nearby, and like the freshness of trees in the distance. Deng She took a few breaths greedily, listened attentively, and could vaguely hear the noise of people on the street, but in the huge Yanwang Mansion, under the twilight, it was almost silent. Movement and stillness, contrast.

He sighed heartily and said: "'The courtyard is a little deeper, the willows are full of smoke, and the curtain is not repeated. 'Liu San, you see that I live in the house all day now, and rarely go out, okay? Or is it bad? ”

Liu San didn't know what he meant, so he didn't dare to answer rashly, and said: "Your Highness lives in a simple house, and works hard every day. Haidong can have today, thanks to the wisdom of His Royal Highness. ”

Deng She smiled and said, "When I was a child, I also worked as a farmer in the township. Because of Meng Yuan*, he couldn't live, and in desperation, he joined the army with his father. Then he moved to the battlefield, from the Central Plains to Liaodong, which can also be regarded as full of ups and downs, and has tasted a lot of human flavors. It can also be called an understanding of the people's feelings. However, even so, for more than a year, because I rarely have time to go out, I sometimes feel estranged from what the people are thinking. What's so good about 'living in seclusion'? Liu San, do you know? I often wonder if I could do the doppelganger. Divided. one deals with military and political affairs in the palace of King Yan; The other rode lightly and went down to the people to observe the people's feelings. ”

In the Battle of Yidu a few years ago, Liu San, as a messenger, had traveled back and forth to Wendeng and Yidu many times, and although the relationship with Deng She was not as good as Guo Conglong and others, it could barely be called close. Rao was like this, and suddenly heard Deng She open his heart and talk to him about these words, he couldn't help but feel flattered, and replied respectfully: "Your Highness can always have this thought, with the people in mind, and sincerity is the blessing of Haidong and the blessing of the common people." ”

Deng She lingered in the courtyard, watching the twilight thicken little by little, thinking about the past, thinking about the present, and thinking about the victory from Jinan, guessing whether Chahan would fight back, I don't know if Polo will change his mind. All kinds of ideas are intertwined; There are thousands of threads, and the mood fluctuates. Don't say that outsiders, even himself, can't tell how to describe his mood at this time. There is apprehension, but there is also self-confidence; There is pride, but there is also encouragement. He didn't speak for a long time before he spoke again: "Liu San, the last time I saw you, it was during the Yidu War. I remember hearing you say that you were originally from a music worker? ”

"Yes."

"A good flute?"

"The last general is the ancestor, and the world is a happy household. In the former Song Dynasty, there were ancestors in the family who were palace musicians. This flute technique was passed down from that time. ”

"Plum blossom three lanes, can you blow?"

Liu San was stunned for a moment and replied: "This ancient famous song." The first set of songs that the last general learned when he was a teenager was this song. Deng She bowed his head slightly and said, "Have you brought your flute?" Liu San's flute has never left his body, that is, it is pulled out of his sleeve. It's a bamboo flute. Dunshe said, "Blow." ”

"Three Alleys of Plum Blossoms", first a flute song, and then changed to a guqin song, is very famous. The so-called "three lanes" are repeated three times on different emblems of the same tone, repeated arias. Quite similar to the "three stacks". For example, in "Yangguan Three Stacks", the poem is sung three times in a basic tone to deepen the expression of emotion. In the twilight, Liu San transverse flute. The sound of the flute was clear and resounded in the palace of King Yan.

Melodious with the wind, it also entered the courtyard where Luo Guannu lived. She was still packing up the gifts from her mother's family, but when she heard it from afar, she thought the flute was very cute, so she couldn't help but go to the window and play with it.

Li Baokou had just left, and when he was walking on the road, he also heard the sound of the flute, and he couldn't help but stop and look back. After a while, I suddenly heard the sound of the piano again. Although she doesn't know much about music, she can tell that this flute music and a qin music have different timbres, but their tunes are clearly similar.

She thought to herself: "One flute and one piano, although the syllables are different, their meanings are similar. ”

It seems that from the sound of the flute and the sound of the piano, I saw a tree of cold plums, in the ice and snow, proudly blooming. The stronger the wind and frost, the more fragrant the plum blossoms. Before she knew it, she was stupid. In a trance, it was as if she herself had incarnated into Mei, and the wind and frost sword naturally transformed into Deng She's cruelty.

A mother-in-law who was waiting for her said, "Miss? ”

"Don't speak!"

Thinking of the embarrassment when he saw Deng She, Li Baokou was ashamed and annoyed, and blamed himself. Inspired by the sound of the flute, she secretly made up her mind, encouraged herself, clenched her little fist, and thought: "Hua Mulan joined the army on behalf of her father, although I am for my daughter, I should also have the style of Hanmei!" If there is a next time, it must not be like this. ”

The twilight is deep, listening to the flute and the harp.

The person who plays the piano is none other than Yue Wa. When the flute sounded, she was in the courtyard, and suddenly felt something, so she went into the room and stroked the piano for Luo Guannu. The track played is also "Three Alleys of Plum Blossoms". On the day of Deng She's cave house, she once played a song "Phoenix Seeking Phoenix", which was just a work for the occasion at that time. Now I am playing "Three Alleys of Plum Blossoms", but because of the relationship between my life experience, I am engrossed in it and devote myself physically and mentally to it.

Under the wind, frost and snow, the corner of the wall is lonely. Although there is a faint fragrance, it is difficult to beat it in the evening. The flowers are falling all over the ground, and there is no sound. Haggard and damaged, who can pick it up now? The geese are also sad, but they are old acquaintances. Thinking about the past, resentment and sadness. She was ecstatic and sang in a manic voice: "Scattered into mud and dust, only fragrant as before." ”

The flute is high, and the music is low. Echoing each other from afar, there are two people, one is singing, the other is chanting. Singing to narrate, chanting to self-pity. Scattered into the house, for a while, whether it was the subordinates, the entourage, or the guards, they all turned their heads or stopped what they were doing, and they all listened quietly.

Liu Shijiu also heard it.

He pushed open the window, asked left and right, and said, "What kind of song is this?" Someone who knew replied, "Plum blossom three lanes." Liu Shijiu had never heard of it, snorted, and said, "King Yan is Yaxing." Then he said: "A few days ago, King Yan once said a word to the master, I don't know if the master still remembers?" ”

"What?"

"King Yan came to tell the lord that Chahan's Jinan army went out of the city to invade Yidu. Give the example of Xie An of the Eastern Jin Dynasty to show his composure. Liu 19 asked, "What?" The left and right replied: "This song "Plum Blossom Three Alleys" is said to be from the Eastern Jin Dynasty. Liu Shijiu became interested and said, "Let's hear it." ”

"The former Qin committed the Eastern Jin Dynasty, and the army reached one million, and the whip could be cut off. Xie An, the prime minister of the Eastern Jin Dynasty, sent Xie Xuan, Huan Yi and others to lead 80,000 troops to meet the battle. Fought with the former Qin army in the river and was defeated. This is the battle of the water. This Xie Xuan is Xie An's son and nephew, and that Huan Yi is the son of Huan Xuan, a famous general in the Eastern Jin Dynasty. Huan Yi is not only 'martial arts', but also good at music, 'doing his best for the moment, being the first in Jiangzuo'. ”

Liu Shijiu interjected and said, "Just like Zhou Yu? Although he couldn't read and write, he had heard three points, and knew that Zhou Yu was not only able to fight, but also good at music.

The left and right smiled: "Exactly." The topic changed and asked Liu Shijiu: "Does the master know Wang Xizhi?" Liu Shijiu was unhappy and said, "Great calligrapher." His name is known even to the yellow-mouthed child. Although I don't read, I'm not a rough person. What do you mean by that? Underestimating me? ”

The left and right hurriedly laughed and said, "The villain doesn't dare." Wang Xizhi has a son named Wang Huizhi, who is the same time as Huan Yi. However, the two did not know each other. Once, Wang Huizhi was edicted to enter Beijing and docked on the side of the boat stream. Huan Yi happened to pass from the shore. Some of the passengers in the ship knew him, called Huan Yi by his nickname, and said, "This King of Huan Ye is also." Wang Huizhi ordered someone to go ashore, catch up with Huan Yi, and said to him, "Wen Jun is good at playing the flute, try to play it for me." Huan Yi had heard of Wang Huizhi, although he was already noble at that time, but he still did not have the slightest pretentiousness, and he didn't care about Wang Huizhi's abruptness, so he got out of the car, sat on the bed, and wrote "Three Tunes". When he was done, he got into the car, and the guest didn't say a word. ’

The "Three Tones" he made at that time was "Three Alleys of Plum Blossoms". Borrowing things to praise the frost and arrogance of plum blossoms, and the real metaphor is noble and clean. ”

The left and right shook their heads, and they also said it. And the moral of this song is also explained. But the pretty eyes are made for the blind to see. Liu Shijiu was not interested in this, he said hesitantly: "So to speak. This song was deliberately blown to me by King Yan? Hey, what does he mean? ......, are you demonstrating to me? Or do you want to force me to change my mind and stop urging him to go south? ”

With his hands bowed, he walked around the room, pondering Deng She's intentions. Leave it at ease.

Just said Liu San, a flute, blowing really with the sound of cracking stones and clouds. The whole song is very long, and when he blows it, the night has come. Torches and lanterns were lit in the courtyard. Hong Jixun and others have also arrived. Everyone stood quietly to the side, admiring Deng She. At this time, seeing that it was blowing, Qi Qi praised it and said: "Liu Saburo is worthy of his name." This song may not be said to dominate the world, but it will also be the first to benefit the capital. ”

Liu San collected the flute and thanked him.

Deng She patted him on the shoulder and said: "In the Tang Dynasty, there was Lei Haiqing, a musician, who sacrificed his life and was loyal and went down in history. I heard that Xu Shouhui had an accident back then, and there was a strong general under his command, named Xiong Tianrui, who is now in Chen Youliang's account, and he is also from a music worker. All battles are invincible, and they have been officials to the pseudo-Han Pingzhang. In the war of Yidu before, you have done a great deal; This time, it was a great achievement. That's all good. I have two sentences for you: If it is not a cold bone, how can you get the fragrance of plum blossoms? ......, San Lang, reluctantly. ”

Legong is a lowly membership. Liu San's background is not good. Although the world is in turmoil, heroes don't ask about their origins. And he is a bit similar to Huan Yi in terms of casualness, and he doesn't seem to mind this. But human nature, deep in the heart, sometimes it is inevitable to feel inferior because of it.

Moreover, with the improvement of his military rank, there were gradually many Haidong magnates among the people he interacted with. Among these people, some of them are from higher backgrounds, such as scholars, eunuchs, etc., and from time to time, they will inadvertently reveal a little contempt and contempt for him in their daily contacts. Even if you are an open-minded person, it is difficult to turn a blind eye to this. There is a mustard. At this moment, after listening to Deng She's encouragement, on the surface, Liu San didn't seem to have much reaction, but from his subconsciously clenched fists, his suddenly bright eyes could clearly see his excitement.

He knelt on the ground and said, "Your Highness's words will never be forgotten." Not only excited, but also enthusiastic, thinking: "The one who is a confidant dies." Your Highness thinks so highly of me, how can you not repay the kindness of appreciation. Deng She smiled at him, lifted him up with his own hands, and said to everyone: "Everyone, please come at night, not for other reasons. Perhaps you already know that our army has recovered Jinan. ”

Hong Jixun and the others came in a hurry, and Deng She sent to invite their entourage, but because there was no order from Deng She, he did not tell them in detail what Deng She was looking for them. Therefore, it is only at this time that everyone does not know the reason. All of them were happy, and they all bowed down together, and they all shouted He Jie.

Deng She grabbed Liu San's hand and said with a smile: "After this battle, how should our army be arranged, and what corresponding changes should be made to our benefit." Tonight, I would like to invite you to speak freely. ......, everyone, please get up quickly. Everyone got up, because they were happy, and while they followed Deng She into the hall, they couldn't help but speak one after another. It was lively and noisy outside the hospital. Frightened to fly the branches and return to the birds, three or two spread their wings, and flew into the night sky.

The night is like a light veil, and the sound of the piano in the distance does not stop.