Seeing Ji Chong's expression, Ji Zongzhou's heart couldn't help but sink, but he still smiled and said, "Chong'er, come and see, this is an order from the lord." Unfolded the order, and read softly the words that Deng She offered to send Ji Chong back first. , After reading it, he handed it to Ji Chong, asked him to look at it too, and then said: "The lord has already agreed to let you go back." Chong'er, what else do you think? ”

He knew that his father's authority was not big enough, so he moved out of Dunshe.

Ji Chong respectfully read the order, rolled it up again, put it on the case, pushed it back to Ji Zongzhou, and said, "Father, the lord just said that you can send the child back first, but he didn't say that the child must go back. ”

"What do you mean by that?"

"The lord made it very clear in his decree. My father has the heavy responsibility of being a 'patrol envoy', and when this great enemy is coming, it is best to guard Dizhou with Lord Luo and not go back to Yidu. The father, the child, thought that the lord's order was really right. Now it is just rumors that the Tartars are coming to take Dizhou, and whether they will come, or when the Tartars will come, is still unknown, and it is uncertain at the moment. Father, if you are willing to listen to your child, there is really no need to be impatient now. ”

Ji Zongzhou sank his face and said: "As a 'patrol envoy' for my father, I should have the responsibility of guarding the land. I don't need to say these words, I already know them. How? Do you think that the reason why I am telling you this is because of my weak heart and timidity? ......, haha, you underestimate you too much.

"Since the chaos in the world, you don't know how many wars you have experienced. Not to mention far away, let's just say that last year, tens of thousands of troops in Chahan surrounded Yidu, and his father was in the city, patrolling the city with the lord day and night, even if he was in battle to meet the enemy, he never had a trace of timidity! Now the Tartars, the crowd of 10,000 people, who have no famous generals and no elite soldiers, have come to attack my Dizhou. For you, it's just a small battle, and it's not a problem at all.

"......, Ji Chong! I called you here today, and I sent someone to look for you in the afternoon, but you delayed until the third watch, and actually asked your Lao Tzu to wait for you until now! Yes, you have military affairs, and you also said that you will have military affairs in a while. As a courtier, you should be loyal to your duties, you come late and leave early, come and go in a hurry, I won't say anything to you. But tonight, you have to listen to your son! ”

No matter how cowardly a father is, he wants to be brave in front of his children.

Although Ji Chong's words were just euphemisms, and he did not directly advise Ji Zongzhou not to be cowardly, how could Ji Zongzhou not hear the meaning of his words? He spoke a lot of words and gave the example of the Battle of Yidu to prove that he was not afraid. Then the topic changed, and brought the conversation back to the original topic, because seeing that Deng She's order did not seem to have any impact on Ji Chong, in anger, he couldn't help but come out of his old habits, and took out his father's tough style again, and wanted to force Ji Chong to be obedient.

Ji Chong didn't take it seriously and said, "Hehe." My father knew that he had a duty to defend the land, and of course it was the best. But Father, have you forgotten? Although the child is just a small deputy Qianhu, now he is also the courtier of the lord, and he is also the general of Lord Luo. The father has the duty to guard the land, but doesn't the child have the duty to obey the orders of the superiors? The great enemy is coming, but the child is deserted. Turning his head, he secretly glanced at Ji Zongzhou, pursed his lips, and said, "......, what kind of words does that look like!" ”

"Little brute!"

"Father, you forgot again. It's okay for you to scold the child, these three words are best not to mention again. ”

Ji Zongzhou couldn't bear it anymore, and got up with the case, pointed at Ji Chong with a halberd, trembling with anger, and said: "Little ......, rebel!" ”

Ji Chong saw that he was really angry, hurriedly left the seat, knelt straight on the ground, and said: "The child knows that the reason why the father wants to send the child back to Yidu first is all out of a love for the child. Adult, the child shouldn't have spoken back just now, the child was wrong. Please calm your anger and don't get angry. ”

Ji Zongzhou has been on his mind for the past two days, almost he doesn't eat much, he doesn't sleep much, how to say that he is also forty or fifty years old, and his body is inevitably a little unbearable. Although Ji Chong rarely met with him, he still knew all these things. Therefore, when he saw that Ji Zongzhou was really angry, he hurriedly admitted his mistake.

How many years have I seen Ji Chong admit his mistakes. Although Ji Zongzhou was furious, for a while, he was inevitably a little stunned. I was stunned, and I couldn't say the words below. He pointed at Ji Chong, and after a long while, he reacted, looking at his son kneeling on the ground, and his anger gradually dissipated unconsciously. He let out a fourth sigh, sat back in his chair feebly, and said, "Now that you know your mistakes, get up." ”

"Yes."

Ji Chong got up, clapped his hands, slapped the dust on his knees and placket twice, and sat back in the chair.

Ji Zongzhou said: "This matter is decided. However, what you just said is not bad, you are not only the courtier of the lord, but also the general of Lord Luo. Although there is an order from the lord to do this, if you go back to Yidu, Lord Luo really needs to go and say hello. In this way, didn't you say that the deputy Wanhu is looking for you to discuss military affairs? Wait a minute, should you go or go. Do things with a 'beginning and an end'.

"As for Lord Ruoluo, you don't have to worry about it. I have my father to help you say, there is the lord's decree, and it is expected that Lord Luo will still give his father a little bit of thin noodles. You see, that's good? ”

"Good is good,......。"

Ji Zong's face was relieved.

"But ,......。"

"But what?"

"But when did the child promise his father that he would return to Yidu first?"

"You just now!"

"The child just admitted his mistake. Father has been working very hard these days, and the child should not make you angry, so admit your mistake. However, the child never promised to return to Yidu first. ”

"The sky has no eyes! How did Lao Tzu give birth to you rebel! Ji Chong, you are young and ignorant. I know that you want to go to war, you want to make meritorious deeds. Before you left for Dadu, you said to your brothers, 'Wealth is in danger.' You are young and vigorous, you want to contribute to the family, you want to leave a name in history. Father understands you! To be honest, being a father is also very gratifying. But, Ji Chong, do you know? On the battlefield, there are no eyes for swords and guns. Don't think that you went to Dadu, you did a big thing, you got a word of praise from the lord, you are a hero, you are a great person!

"Ji Chong, my father knows that there are many people outside, and they all call my father 'tumbler'. I'm afraid that even if it's you, even you are a little dismissive of being a father. But Ji Chong, do you know? 'One will make ten thousand bones dry'! Is the lord a teenage hero? Is the lord a genius? The words 'wise and powerful' are well-deserved. But Ji Chong, do you know that behind the lord's name and behind the lord's majesty, how many bones of soldiers have been killed?

"Now it is the Anliao army that guards Dizhou. One of the five Ya in Haidong. You've been in this army for a few days, so you should be familiar with this army. For my father, I came to ask you, how many of the first veterans in the Anliao army are there now? The head of the battalion of 8,000 people has changed so far, how many soldiers have been replaced? ”

Ji Chong replied: "The Anliao army was almost 10,000 people at the earliest, and now, less than 5,000 of the old soldiers can survive until now. ”

"The Anliao Army has only been in a short period of one or two years since it was formed. Nearly 5,000 soldiers have been killed! Haidong Wuya. If you do the math, how many of the five elites will be killed in total? This does not include the city defense armies and various miscellaneous battalion heads. Ji Chong! If you are willing to listen to your father and go back to Yidu honestly, even though it may be difficult for our Ji family to become a powerful and wealthy family, at least it should be more than enough to be a rich man. Living in troubled times, it is enough to save a life! Isn't that enough?

"And if you insist on going your own way, you have to do it according to your ideas, Ji Chong! Do you want you and my father and son to die at the same time? ......, even if you don't care about your life, have you ever thought about your brothers? Didn't you keep saying that you wanted to be born and die for the Ji family? If you and I are both dead here, and your brothers are still young. For my father, I came to ask you, what should our Ji family do? Who will take care of your younger brothers, and who will raise them to adulthood? Who can guarantee that our Ji family can survive this troubled era? Ji Chong, do you want our Ji family's incense to be gone? ”

Ji Chong was silent for a long time and said: "My father obeyed the decree of the lord and stayed in Dizhou, which is loyal to the public; The father sent the child back to Yidu first, in order to take care of his younger brothers, and it was his son for selfishness. Father, if the child does what you say, you are indeed a public and private person. But father, the child also wants to ask you a question. ”

"What?"

"The child is naughty, and he has made you angry since he was a child. After a decade or two of hard work, you raised your child to adulthood. Although children usually talk back to you, but father, do you think that children are really hard-hearted and have no feelings? ”

"What do you mean by that?"

"The father stayed in Dizhou and sent the child back to Yidu, taking care of both public and private interests. However, if the child obeyed his father's instructions and went back to Yidu first, he was neither loyal to the Lord nor filial piety to his father. Since ancient times, has there ever been a lord at war, and a loyal courtier withering from battle? How can he be a father on the front line of the battle, but the son of man is at rear?

"Father, the child is not talented, but such disloyal and unfilial people also disdain it."

"Disloyalty or filial piety? The lord has decreed that you can return to Yidu first, if you don't obey, you will be disloyal! The father has orders, but the son does not obey, which is also unfilial piety! ”

Ji Chong left the seat, knelt on the ground for the second time, unfolded the sleeves of his robe, threw his body to the ground, and kowtowed to Ji Zongzhou three times respectfully, then stood up, no longer embarrassed, his expression was calm, and said, "Father, please don't say more." The child knows what he is doing, and the child knows what is the most important thing to do at this time. ......, the hour is not early, and the deputy Wanhu general is still waiting for the child. Father, the child is gone. In the past two days, you have eaten less food and slept much. There's something you shouldn't say to you, and the child wants to say it to you. Do you know that the lord admires Prime Minister Wen the most, and once gave you a handwritten sentence, which reads: 'Wen Tianxiang is also great with his ambition? ’

"Father, my lord, this is not only to express my admiration for Prime Minister Wen, but also to remind you." Since ancient times, no one has died, leaving Dan to take care of his sweat. That's enough. ”

"You, you,......。 Ji Chong! Don't be obsessed. Didn't you hear all that I just said to you? Be faithful to the Lord and have no opinion for the Father. But all your brothers in the family are young! ”

"Father, you are clever all your life, and you are foolish for a while. If the child escapes, even if he survives, will the lord still have a child in the future? Even if you get the shadow of your father and get some rewards from your lord, as you said, people in troubled times are cheap. Rich but not expensive, even if you have a lot of wealth, sooner or later it will be 'making wedding clothes for others'. However, if the child and the father stick to Dizhou together, even if the lord is unfortunately killed in battle, the lord is a person who cherishes the old feelings, and the brothers in the family will definitely be better taken care of because of this, isn't it a thousand times better than the child's return? ”

"Chong'er!"

"'The vicissitudes of the sea show the true character of the hero.'" The matter has come to this point, and it is useless to think too much. The child is in the military, and he can't stay longer. Father, please rest early. Ji Chong lifted his robe, turned around, and strode out of the room. Ji Zongzhou watched his figure disappear outside the door, dazed.

It was night, and Ji Zong didn't sleep all night.

……

But he said that the next day, Luo Guoqi finally opened the door, Ji Zongzhou came to visit, and the two greeted each other.

Ji Zongzhou asked: "A strong enemy is coming to the city, and the lord has closed the door for two days, I don't know if I can get anything?" How to defend my city, is it a success? ”

"After two days of hard thinking, I have gained a little, and I want to discuss with Ji Gong."

"Your Excellency, please speak."

"Yesterday, at the fourth watch, the messenger delivered the military document of the lord. In the military text, the lord clearly stated that if the Tartars really attacked, they demanded that our Dizhou must be defended. And he promised that reinforcements from Yidu would arrive within ten days of the start of the battle. ”

"In other words, that is: once the war starts, it may take ten days for reinforcements from Yidu to arrive?"

"The lord has the consideration of the lord, and now the war in Juye and Jining is tight, and the remaining mobile troops in Yidu City are only a few thousand people in the Liao army. It is indeed not allowed to move lightly unless it is absolutely necessary. This is one of them. Second, if the Tartars come to invade our city, they will be violent, and if they want to defeat them as soon as possible, the best strategy is to first use the strong city to frustrate their sharp spirit, and then use the elite to attack suddenly. Therefore, the Lord ordered us to hold Dizhou alone in the early stages of the war, and reinforcements would not be sent too soon. ”

Ji Zongzhou nodded and said, "So, may I ask your lordship, how do you plan to use four thousand men and horses to resist the Yuan army's big attack?" ”

"Needless to say, the fortifications in the city can highlight a 'tenacity'.

"In addition, in order to facilitate the command of the army in battle, I decided to move the command post of the former enemy from the marshal's mansion and set it up in the large camp in the city. In this way, it can be advantageous to control the whole army; Second, the camp was not far from the north and west gates, and if the Tartars attacked, they were most likely to attack these two gates, and at the same time, it was also advantageous to dispatch troops at the right time according to the battle situation.

"Besides, the defense is condescending, and I plan to increase the watchtowers at the four corners of the city gate after the moat is dredged, and build a few more to increase the power of the arrows of my defenders.

"In addition, for the defense outside the city, I plan to choose high ground and build two positions on the outside of the city. In this way, these two positions can compete with the city within our city. It can play the role of vigilance, so that the enemy is not easy to surround; It can also carry out mobile forces, no matter what direction the Tartars approach the city, it can encircle and counterattack. ”

"Choose the high ground outside the city and build two positions? Mo Ziyun: 'All the outer ways can be fortified to make it difficult; The most harmful person is to build three pavilions, three corners of the pavilion, and weaver girls, so that they can save each other. The so-called 'Weaver Girl' means that the pavilion is three corners, shaped like the corner of the Weaver Girl's three stars. This move of the adults is in line with the ancient people's technique of defending the city. ”

The three stars of the Weaver Girl form a triangle, and the "Weaver Girl" is often used as a metaphor for the triangle in ancient books. If the positions are connected in a straight line, it is too far to strike A and save C, or to hit C and save A. However, the position of the position is triangular in shape, and if the enemy is encountered in either place, the other two places can go to support at roughly the same distance.

Ji Zongzhou praised and asked, "It's just that there are not many soldiers and horses in our army, only about 4,000 people." I wonder how the adults plan to distribute the troops? ”

"Dizhou is the top priority, put 3,000 people to guard. The two positions outside do not need too many men and horses, and 500 men are enough for each. ”

"Five hundred? If the enemy attacks it, I am afraid it will be difficult to hold it for a long time. ”

"It doesn't matter. You can buy more trebuchets, artillery and other things, as well as dig traps, sprinkle more thistles, and reject horses. If there is a shortage of manpower, just make up for it with foreign objects. ”

"I understand what my lord means. The adults don't actually want to use the two positions outside to kill the enemy, but just want to use the two positions outside to contain the enemy! The enemy is like a man on his back, unable to let go of his hands and feet and concentrate on attacking my Dizhou city. ”

"Exactly."

"Your Excellency. Since the lord has promised that within ten days there will be troops and horses galloping to help, then our defenders only need to be able to contain the enemy for ten days, and this is enough. The focus of this battle is not to break the enemy; Instead, they stood by and waited for help. ”

"Not bad. Stick to the rescue, even if it consumes the enemy's strength. ”

Ji Zongzhou was amazed and said: "The army's combat is like flowing water, there is no fixed form, and it should be improvised. Looking at the formation of adults today, this is how it is! It's amazing. ”

"If Ji Gong has no opinion, will it be implemented according to this?"

"It's up to the adults to decide."

The two of them have finished their deliberations.

Luo Guoqi gave an order, and selected generals with combat experience and military academy students who were proficient in topography to go out of the city separately to find suitable highland building positions. To be selected, Ji Zongzhou was in charge, and a large number of people were dispatched to work day and night to expedite the construction.