Outside the city of Dizhou, the green fields are boundless.

The two horsemen came from a distance and came to the banner of Luo Guoqi. The knights rolled their saddles and dismounted, ignoring the dust on the ground, and hurriedly bowed down, and shouted, "My lord, there is a Tartar sentry sixty miles to the west!" The villain has already investigated and understood, but it is the vanguard of the Tartars, which is less than a hundred miles away from my Dizhou! ”

As soon as the words were spoken, everyone in the field was shocked.

Ji Zong didn't sit down well on Monday, and almost fell to the ground from his horse, so he hurriedly grabbed the bridle, stabilized his body, forced himself to calm down, and turned his eyes sharply to look at Luo Guoqi. I saw Luo Guoqi's face change slightly, but he quickly returned to normal, and he asked slowly: "How many people are the Tartar strikers?" Who is the commander of the army? ”

"The vanguard of the Tartars were all cavalry, and the villains did not dare to come too close, but everywhere they passed, they were covered with dust, and the troops were endless for ten miles. It is estimated that its strength is at least around 3,000. And I saw their horses and horses from afar, and they were dressed in armor, which looked very much like Huairou Hu Cavalry. There were two big flags before and after his army, on which the word 'Ren' was written and the word 'Li' was written. ”

Huairou is not far from Da.

Because the emperor of the Yuan Dynasty was a Mongol, there were many Mongols and Semu people in the capital city of Jingshi, and at the most, they accounted for almost half of the residents. "Huairou Hu Cavalry", is the requisition of the army formed by the people around the capital, Liu Futong three ways to the north, Mao Gui from the Hejian Mansion into the capital, also fought with them, each other won and lost. Since the rise of Chakhan Timur in Shenqiu, his power has gradually spread all over the north, especially after the death of Badulu, and for a while, there is no second person to compete with, and Huairou Huqi has also been controlled by him and included in his command.

The total number of Huairou Huqi is not large, about 5,000.

Luo Guoqi groaned and said: "Two flags, one is written 'Ren' and the other is written 'Li'? This official heard that one of the chief military officers of the current Hejian Mansion Tartars is named Li Er, and another is named Ren Liang, who has only been there for a short time. I think it should be these two people who lead the army. Li Er is okay, this Ren Liang is really brave, known as the 'silver medal' in the Chahan Army, he can be as famous as Guo Yun, and he is a strong opponent on a par with Han Zhaer. ”

The "silver medal" is as opposed to the "gold medal".

The atmosphere at that time was like to give people nicknames. Not only do ordinary people have nicknames for each other, but also the famous brave generals in the army are often given nicknames that can match them. For example, under Zhu Yuanzhang, Chang Yuchun was called "Chang 100,000" in the army because he claimed to "bring 100,000 people to run rampant in the world"; Hua Yun, who has been killed in battle, is called the "black general" because of his burly appearance and black face like iron.

Another example is Zhang Liangbi's army in Guanzhong, he has a younger brother named Zhang Liangchen, who is brave and good at fighting, and is called "Xiao Pingzhang" in the army. Deng She's army is similar, take Tong Shengyang as an example, because he is Deng She's righteous brother, and he is also brave and able to fight, don't many soldiers call him "Xiao Pingzhang" because of this?

Zhang Liangbi has another general in the army, who is extremely brave and is called "Gold Medal Zhang", which is similar to the "Silver Medal Ren Liang" in the Chahan Army. Ji Zongzhou said: "Ren Liang is good at fighting, can attack and defend, and can be a powerful general under Chakhan Timur. My lord, he is less than a hundred miles away from our city with his vanguard, and all of them are cavalry, and according to his footsteps, he will be able to come to my city at most tomorrow afternoon. ......, will the plan be released? ”

At dusk, the sun sets.

There are many villages scattered on the plain, dotted with smoke rising everywhere. Surrounded by cooking smoke and villages, there are patches of farmland. At this time, it looks like a quiet sunset and sunset.

Luo Guoqi watched according to the reins and looked, but what he saw was not farmland, nor villages, but the two camps on the high ground in the distance, where the red flag reflected the slanting sun, and they could be seen in the distance. A stream flows through it, looking like a belt from afar.

He watched for a while, and the camp was surrounded by farmland and villages, and a gust of evening wind blew, and the trees and grass were undulating, and it was inevitable that three or two peasants would return, or return with hoes, or drive cattle and sheep home, and the sound of laughter and driving would be scattered with the wind, and this quiet and leisurely scene also fell into his eyes one by one.

"Military order: order all the villagers outside the city of Dizhou to enter the city. All cattle, sheep, grain, and other things that have not been collected must be collected in the city. Strive to get it all done by tomorrow morning. Fortified Clear. Be sure not to leave half a grain or half a sheep for the tartars! ”

Some of the soldiers received the order in a loud voice, turned the horse's head, quickly whipped the horse, and hurried to the city to give the order.

"Military order: order the two battalions outside the city to enter a state of emergency alert. If there are any supplies and other deficiencies that need to be replenished, they should be reported to the military camp in the city immediately. Whatever you want, do your best to satisfy them! ”

Three of the soldiers received the order, urging their horses respectively, two went to the camp outside the city, and one went to the camp in the city.

"Military Order: Order all armies in the city to immediately prepare for battle. Give them two hours, and after two hours the officer will personally go to the city to inspect them. If you fail to prepare it on time, cut it! ”

"Military Order: Order the government officials at all levels in the city to quickly prepare to assist in the defense of the city. The people who had already prepared the plan demanded that they all be assembled by midnight at the latest. No name that has been written on the roster will be left unchecked! Violators, whether officials, gentlemen, or ordinary people, will be beheaded. ”

"Military order: When the villagers outside the city enter the city, close the city gate immediately. Without this official handwriting, anyone is forbidden to enter and exit without permission, and those who violate the order will be beheaded! ”

"Military order: erect the flag of the official and stand it above the city. The drums of war were sounded to inform the whole city that the Tartars were coming, and from this moment on, the city would act according to military law. There are those who disturb for no reason, those who spread rumors, those who take the opportunity to cause chaos, and those who do not obey military orders, starting from the officials themselves to the common people, etc., all of them will be beheaded! ”

As his stacks of military orders were passed down, there were people in the pro-soldier team who answered the orders loudly and rushed away.

"Lord Ji, please enter the city, right?"

After a short pause, Luo Guoqi's military order came to an end for the time being.

The group then marched on their horses, but the joy of the timely completion of the camp outside the city was now gone, and everyone's countenance was very serious. The city is majestic, and it is approaching closely. Before entering the city gate, Luo Guoqi and Ji Zongzhou turned their heads at the same time and glanced behind them from a distance.

At the end of the vast green field, a round of red sun is slowly sinking in the west.

The birds return to their nests and skim across the twilight sky, their chirping sounds that seem to be leisurely, but also seem to be desolate. The wind seemed to be getting stronger, a little wet, the clouds gathered, and it was like rain coming. Luo Guoqi and Ji Zongzhou glanced at each other, and from each other's eyes, they both read such a sentence: "Night, it's coming." ”

……

Not only did the night come, but so did the night rain.

Bursts of raindrops, fine and dense, quietly broke into the night of Mengxia, drenching the plane trees in the court, leaf by leaf, sound, bit by bit, falling on the empty staircase, like a murmuring whisper, and like a depressed and stubborn pour. From time to time, a cool breeze passed, making a "rustling" sound.

Jinling, the mansion of the Duke of Wu.

The huge mansion is bathed in the rain, and the lights are on. There is a small building on the west side of the house, and the pavilion is brightly lit. At this time, two people were talking. One is Chen Yu. The other is about 30 years old, burly and majestic, probably because of the perennial exposure to the sun, and his complexion is dark.

Although this person's appearance is not handsome, the bridge of his nose is straight, his chin is full, and he is very handsome. And according to the photo book, the chin is the "pavilion", and all the "pavilions" are full of official appearances, and this person's pavilion is particularly majestic, which is really "wonderful, unfathomable". He is none other than the current lord of Jinling, Zhu Yuanzhang, the "Duke of Wu" of the Anfeng Imperial Court.

"Mr. Bank of China has already met Fang Congzhe. Congzhe is known as the 'Haidong Debater', but I don't know what his true ability is? ”

"'There is no vanity under fame'. Although he is young, he has quick thinking and unparalleled eloquence. Alone in my Jinling, alone with the famous people in the south of the Yangtze River, he was able to be calm and comfortable, and he never looked afraid. The courage of the subordinated is greater than the sky. The snort rushes, and the sky is blowing. Real people are also heroes! ”

Zhu Yuanzhang moved his expression slightly, and said with a smile: "But a boy in his twenties can actually get such praise from Mr.!" In this way, this person is indeed a talent. His elder brother, Nozori, is now a member of the Shogunate. If you compare the two brothers, in the opinion of Mr., which is better or worse? ”

"So that Xi Zhe dwells in the temple, and can govern people and rejuvenate the country; So that Congzhe ran to the princes, and could use words to destroy the country. ”

Fang Xizhe's strength is to govern the people, and if his talents can be brought into play, he can make the country prosperous. Fang Congzhe's strength is "unparalleled in eloquence", if he is used to run between countries, he can destroy the enemy's country with just words. This compliment is even more than the one just now.

Zhu Yuanzhang was moved and asked, "How is it compared to Sun Borong?" ”

Sun Yan and Sun Borong, when debating with Fang Congzhe in the hall, Fan Chang once mentioned this person's name. Among the ministers of Jinling, if you talk about "eloquence", Sun Yan can be called a leader.

Chen Yu replied: "Bo Rong is eloquent, boastful, and the article is splendid, like a waterfall running down, making people dizzy and shaking, sweating like pulp, I don't know why to answer." From the philosophical point of view, the words are concise and to the point, like a storm, which makes people embarrassed, and they dare not sweat, and they don't know why they answer. For example, all the swords, Bo Rong is the cadre of the world, and the edge is exposed. From the genus of Zhe Ze Mo Evil, it is also enough to be called Qi.

"If the strength is shorter than the long, then from the philosophy or do not know the economy, this is not as good as Sun Borong; And Sun Borong's character is not strong, which is not as good as following the philosophy. ”

Zhu Yuanzhang was sitting on the chair, but when he heard the words, he got up unconsciously and said: "Being able to be on a par with Sun Borong, Congzhe can indeed be called a masterpiece!" ”

It must be known that Sun Yan is a very suitable person under Zhu Yuanzhang, and Zhu Yuanzhang values Sun Yan even more than Chen Yu and others. Xia Yu, a contemporary at the time, later described the relationship between Sun Yan and Zhu Yuanzhang, and wrote a poem saying: "When my emperor entered Jinling, he saw a thick color. Talking about the world's plans, ringing like a bell buckle. ”

Not only was he extremely eloquent, he spoke thousands of words, and in his presence everyone was afraid to talk to him; And he is "elegant and negative economy" and has the skill of governing the country and securing the country. After he invited Liu Ji out of the mountain, Liu Ji praised him like this: "I started to think that I was better than you, but after listening to your discussions, how dare I compare with you." Although there is an element of flattery in this remark, it can also be seen from Sun Yan's ability and his very close relationship with Zhu Yuanzhang. Otherwise, with Liu Ji's pride, he would not take the initiative to flatter him.

At this time, Chen Yu actually said that Fang Congzheineng and Sun Yan were on a par, how could Zhu Yuanzhang not be able to get up? He paced around the room with his hands in his hands, lowered his head and thought for a while, and asked, "Since Fang Congzhe has such talent, then the purpose of his coming to my Jinling, can Mr. ask out?" ”

Fan Chang, Yang Xian and the ministers tried again and again, and Fang Congzhe was very tight-lipped, only saying that King Yan had a letter to the lord, but he had refused to say clearly what he was here for. However, according to the previous analysis, coupled with the minister's observation and observation, based on the minister's expectations, he should have come to ask the lord to save the capital. ”

Before Zhu Yuanzhang turned back to the case, he took out a military report, handed it to Chen Yu, and said, "The urgent report just sent from Datong." A few days earlier, Richard had already forced peace with Polo Timur. The two of them had already made a peace treaty in private. The only patients in Chahan are Polo and King Yan. Now that Polo has surrendered his head and conceded defeat, presumably Richard Han will take the opportunity to concentrate all his strength and make a strategic profit. Chahan is ruthless, and if what I expect is right, there will be another military report within ten days at the most. If it weren't for Richard's rush to the aid of Juye, he would have been in Dizhou for Richard's soldiers! Either way, Yidu is bound to be in danger and in trouble. ”

"What do you mean?"

"I discussed with all the gentlemen before, including Liu Ji, most of you think that I should not go to the aid of Yidu in Jinling."

"Yes! I have Chen Youliang in the west of Jinling and Zhang Shicheng in the east, and there are strong enemies on both sides, and now I am still too busy to take care of myself. If it is because of King Yan, rashly going out to Henan at this moment will really do me a hundred harms and no benefits. The Chahan army is strong, and if Yidu is defeated, it will be a strong enemy in Jinling, and it will definitely fall into the embarrassment of being trapped on three sides. And even if Yidu wins, the biggest benefit is still Yidu, and I Jinling will get a little bit of small profit at most, which is not proportional to the risk taken by the lord. ”

"I think so. Today, however, the situation is different. ”

"What's the difference?"

"Chahan has his hands freed up and can deal with Yidu with all his might. Yan Wang is lonely, and it will be difficult to be an opponent. If Yidu is defeated now, it will no longer be just a matter of 'defeat', but it is very likely that Chahan will be driven back to Haidong. If King Yan goes to Haidong, Shandong will be rare. According to Shandong, Chahan can peek down into Huaisi and Jiangnan. At that time, what was the difference between my Jinling and the embarrassment of being caught in a strong enemy on three sides? ”

"Then, what does the lord mean?"

Zhu Yuanzhang frowned deeply, to be honest, he still hesitated, and did not make up his final decision. In the corner of the small building, the sound of rain is in full swing, and when I look out of the pavilion, I see the night rain outside the window is hazy. Behind the attic, there is a tall plane tree, the leaves are dense, covering the back window, shaken by the cool breeze, and the rain on the leaves is vibrated drippingly, mixed with the rain, and some fall into the pavilion, adding three points of coolness.

He muttered, "Lips and teeth are cold. ”

……

Everyone understands the truth that the lips are dead and the teeth are cold, and this night rain went straight from Jinling, through Yidu, and all the way down to South Goryeo.

The sound of night rain, in Yidu City, in the palace of King Yan, Deng She walked out of the study in a cloak and held a copy of "Sun Tzu" in his hand. He was reading by candle just now, when he suddenly heard the sound of rain, and his heart was moved, as if he had thought of something, but he couldn't grasp it, he couldn't remember it, and he suddenly lost it.

He vaguely remembered that it seemed that he had had a similar throbbing a long time ago, as if it was the day before Deng San died? Or maybe it was on the eve of the siege of the Twin Cities? He searched his memory with great difficulty, but because of the passage of time, he could not recall it clearly.

The rain soaked his clothes, and the house was quiet.

He looked up at the sky and was surprised to find that in the night rain, in the dark and dark night sky, through the clouds, there were still a few stars twinkling. Such a celestial phenomenon is really rare, and what does it symbolize or represent? The sound of drums on the street came from afar, and it was almost the third watch. He thought, "I don't know what happened to the defense of Dizhou? ”

A soft voice came from the study: "Your Highness, the wind and rain in the courtyard, don't stand for too long." Come back and warm up. "Red sleeves add fragrance to the night reading. The one who speaks is Sua Shui.

Deng She answered, but did not go back to the room, but walked to the side of a guard in the courtyard, patted him lightly on the shoulder, took off his coat, helped him put it on, and said with a smile: "The night rain is cold, don't catch a cold." I have ordered the dining room to boil ginger soup for you, and it will be served later. ......, drink more. ”

The guard burst into tears and said, "Thank you, Your Highness! ”

Dunshe smiled and nodded, didn't say anything more, and turned back into the room.

As he walked through the door, he casually looked back and glanced at the night sky to the east. There, it was the direction of the starlight. But Deng She may not have realized it at this time, and it is also the direction of South Goryeo.

……

South Goryeo, Hanyang Province.

According to what Ju Sheng accidentally heard on the road, it seems that there will be an abnormal movement in South Korea. Yao Haogu didn't dare to be careless, and on the day he heard the news, he secretly ordered the government office, and notified the General Administration Department, and mobilized a large number of people to start a secret investigation. Under his personal supervision, the General Administration Department got the first piece of information that night. For the next two days, information was sent one after another. Things are gradually coming to light.

All Ju Sheng heard on the road was a sentence, and it was heard by one of his subordinates when he went to the countryside to beg for water. At that time, it was two people who spoke, both Koreans, dressed as villagers, but they did not look like long-term farmers, but a little like the children of the nobles who were in distress.

The words that the subordinate heard were said by the elder to the younger ones, and they said, "After five days, I will enter Hanyang at night." Now, only two days have passed, and these short ten words have been expanded into tens of thousands of words of intelligence content.

"After a preliminary investigation, a conclusion can now be drawn. In recent days, many children of the former Goryeo dynasty have gathered inside and outside the city of Hanyang Province. Some of these people came from the southern coast, some came from the former Goryeo Wangjing, and some came from Pyongyang and other places. Roughly calculated, the number is about a hundred or dozens of people. They disguised themselves as villagers or businessmen, and some went in and out of Hanyang in an open-minded manner in the name of visiting relatives and friends. In Hanyang Province, there are also a few natives who keep in touch with them. Their specific boss and person in charge have not yet been identified, but there is one thing that should be confirmed. ”

"What is it?"

"More than 100 years ago, the noble sons of Goryeo gathered in Hanyang for no reason, their whereabouts were secretive, and they were not trying to make a living, so they were determined to be a conspiracy!"

Fang Buzhen Huo Ran got up, his face changed in shock, asked Yao Haogu, and said: "My lord, if these people really come to make trouble, although the number is not large, they are all children of nobles, and they have some influence in Hanyang. If you make the wrong response, it will inevitably become a big problem! How should we deal with it, my lord? ”

The fine night rain continued to fall.

Yao Haogu and the others listened to the report of the General Administration Secretary in a secret room. The candlelight is dim, and the candle shadow is flickering. From time to time, it was reflected on the face of Yao Haogu, who was sitting firmly on the throne, and Fang Buzhen saw that his face was sinking like water and unpleasant; From time to time, it was reflected on Ju Sheng's face standing on the side of the chair, and Fang Buzhen saw that he seemed to be smiling but not smiling, with a little contempt.