The seventh year of King Longfeng of Xiaoming, the twenty-first year of Mengyuan Zhizheng, the second month of spring, the twenty-third day. That is, the year of Xin Chou, the month of Xin Mao, and the day of Yisi, calculated by the stars, it is the time when it is time for the auspicious god to be on duty, everything is appropriate, and he does not avoid the taboo. It is an "auspicious day for the zodiac". Appropriate: marry, make an alliance, accept the collection, break the ground, and migrate.

The day of Dunshe's wedding was set on this day.

According to etiquette, all the procedures that should have been done in advance had already been gone before this day. This etiquette was formulated by Meng Yuan according to the content of Zhu Xi's "Family Rites" about weddings. Further down, this Zhu Xi's "Family Rites" is actually based on the "Shi Dusk Ceremony" that has been formed since the Zhou Dynasty. It's just that "The Rite of Dawn" has six rites, and after the change, the current wedding has seven.

The first one, marriage proposal. It is necessary to first make the matchmaker communicate with each other, and then "accept" the woman's permission.

The next one, Nacai (i.e., decided). The master has a book, dreaming of it, and is dedicated to the ancestral hall. Tell the temple and then go, showing that you will not forget your ancestors. It is to make the children as messengers, such as the female clan, and the female master goes out to see the messenger, so he also reports to the ancestral hall. He gave a reply to the messenger and gave it a gift. The messenger returned to his life, and the master of the son-in-law replied to the ancestral hall. Or the owner of the marriage may go to the person who receives the collection in person, and the head of the marriage family can also go to the person who receives the collection.

One after another, Na Yuan (i.e., under the wealth). Mainly in the male family, hold a wine feast, invite the female relatives as guests, and the female relatives will sit first. The man's house is outside the door, and the currency is displayed. Ordered the media to report. The female owner went out to greet him. Mutual appreciation. The female owner enters first, and the male family enters with the coin. Raise wine, please pay coins; Drinking, in charge. The female owner returned the salute, and the son-in-law's family finished drinking. The host treated the guests as usual, and the women of the Xu son-in-law came out to see each other. The in-laws on both sides, including the woman's mother-in-law and the man's father-in-law, meet each other.

After these three salutes, the next step is to welcome you. The bridegroom and bride should be on the scene.

The day before the wedding, there is a custom in most places and other places, and it is popular to bathe the girl before getting married. The family sent their daughter to the hall to take a bath, and the man's family should have all the soup money, and those who served were rewarded poorly. The man's family recovers the wind shelter and the like, compared to going out, ten light letters, and there is shaving money and the like. Chi Ming got married. At the man's expense, the day before the wedding, the new daughter-in-law who is about to marry is invited to take a bath.

Yidu is not very far away from Dadu, and this wind is also quite popular. It's just that Deng She's identity is different, and Luo Guannu is also pregnant, so this article is exempted. But the other one is unavoidable. The night before going out, Luo Lilang needed to make Zhang Chen "his son-in-law's room" first. In other words, we must first send someone to tidy up the newlywed house, which is nothing more than sending some furniture, making some utensils, and so on.

It is also a long tradition for the man to buy a house and the woman to buy furniture. However, as the king of Yan, Deng She has nothing? In fact, he didn't need Luo Lilang to "Zhang Chen", he just adhered to the rules and let Luo Lilang prepare things and send some slightly.

On this night, the guests gathered.

There are Hong Jixun, Zhao Guo and other ministers of Haidong, as well as Liu Shijiu and other Anfeng distinguished guests, and there are also congratulatory envoys who will arrive from western Zhejiang and other places. When you see people at every turn, you are a celebrity. Deng She put wine and tea, shuttled among them, he had something in his heart, but at this time, he had to cheer up, greet everyone's congratulations, smile and be attentive, and he was really tired.

Fortunately, everyone also knows that he has to get up early tomorrow, and he didn't make a fuss for too long. Before and after the second watch, even if they dispersed.

Liu Shijiu is still living in the Yanwang Mansion now, don't worry, he is the last to go, before leaving, he smiled meaningfully at Deng She, and said: "His Royal Highness is famous in the Central Plains, then Zhexi Shicheng, Jiangdu friendship, and even as far as Taizhou, guests gathered." Such a grand occasion, even when I was in Bianliang back then, I had never seen it. It was an eye-opener. ”

Deng She pretended not to understand what he meant, and was humble again and again. Liu didn't say anything more at nineteen o'clock, he took a long look, laughed, and said, "Congratulations to Your Highness on your wedding tomorrow." Seeing that the guests had all left, he took two steps closer and asked in a low voice, "What about going south?" Dare to ask Your Highness, are all the ministries ready? ”

"It's all ready. According to the scheduled time, the whole army will be able to set off tomorrow afternoon, and at the same time move south. If all goes well, you will be able to pass through the cities of Chahan in one day. After staying for three days, you can arrive at the city of Xuzhou. Within five days, the first wave of the offensive will be able to be launched. It's just that I don't know if the 5,000 military horses left in the Xuzhou area have been prepared? ”

"Your Highness, rest assured. I sent them a secret letter ten days ago. Estimating the time, MeSign should have been delivered a long time ago. As expected, they must have been prepared. ”

"Very good! There are 20,000 people in Yidu and 5,000 people in Dizhou, a total of 25,000 people as the main attack, and responsible for containing the Chahan Department, and another 5,000 people from Anfeng as cover and responsible for containing the Shicheng Department. 30,000 people, attack a Xuzhou city, nine out of ten! Your Excellency, just wait and hear the good news. ”

"It's just that the messenger of Zhexi Shicheng also came yesterday. If the war starts, I wonder how His Highness plans to explain it to him? ”

"He's here to be my Yidu. Even if the war is going on and he hears about it, does he need me to explain it to him? "If the war starts, Zhang Shicheng's envoy will come to Yidu, and it will be a sheep into the mouth of a tiger. the timid, fearing for their lives; Even if you are bold, is it possible to dare to break into the Yan Wangfu and scold and scold?

Liu Shiyi jumped his thumb and said with a smile: "It is naturally very good that His Highness can have this determination." He bowed and said goodbye and went out.

Deng She personally sent him away, watching his figure gradually disappear into the night, and whispered two words to the guards, and after a while, Hong Jixun, Wu Henian, Li Shousheng and other ministers, as well as Zhao Guo, Li Monk, Bi Qianniu, Fu Youde, Guo Conglong, Hu Zhong, Wang Guoyi and other generals, all reappeared.

Deng She ordered the guards: "No one is allowed outside the martial law room, within a hundred steps." "Cover the doors and windows, and burn red candles. Discuss secretly with the ministers and generals. The details of this battle have long been known to those who came. I don't need to go into any more detail. Deng She's words were concise, but he repeated the tasks assigned to everyone again, looked at Li Shousheng first, and asked in a deep voice: "Is there any change in the situation of Jinan Tartar infestation in the near future?" ”

"Back to the lord, there is no change."

So everything went according to plan. Whether this can be done or not depends on the accuracy of the information provided by your chief executive. From tonight onwards, you won't have to go home. Eat and live in the yamen. Keep in close contact with the Privy Council at all times. ......, is the information sent from Jinan still three times a day? ”

"Since yesterday, the minister has changed it to once every half an hour." Once in half an hour, twenty-four times a day. For this matter, Li Shousheng sent almost all the personnel of the General Administration Department out. Deng She nodded with satisfaction and said, "Very good." Also, you have to remember that in terms of secrecy, you must be foolproof, and before our army is launched, you must not leak the slightest rumor! ”

Li Shousheng received the order awe-inspiring and said, "Yes!" ”

Deng She looked at Wu Henian again and asked, "What is the situation of military rations and other things?" ”

"By order of the Lord, he borrowed five hundred soldiers from the Privy Council, and now he is responsible for the care of the granary. And the list of people who need to transport grain has been set. Just wait for the war to start, if the front line is deadlocked, or if Chahan counterattacks, the minister can guarantee that within three or five days at most, food and everything can be sent to Jinan. ”

Before the soldiers and horses went, the grain and grass moved first. As long as the food and wages are prepared and there is no problem, Dunshe is much more relieved.

He nodded, asked Hong Jixun again, and said, "I will get married tomorrow morning, and the battle will start tomorrow afternoon." Once the battle started, the movements of Liu Shijiu and the others must be paid attention to. There are also 5,000 Anfeng imperial court troops in the Xuzhou area, which also need to be cautious. Are you ready for these two things? ”

"It's ready. Liu Shijiu and others, as well as the 5,000 Anfeng Imperial Court Military Department, have already sent people to monitor from afar. These two groups of people are now under the control of the ministers. No matter which place it is, as long as there is the slightest or any change, the minister will respond to it according to the previously set plan. ”

The so-called "any abnormality".

The five thousand Anfeng imperial court army, there is no need to talk about it. If it moves, there are only two possibilities, either go back to Anfeng, or break into Yidu. If he goes back to Anfeng, he doesn't need to pay attention to it; If he really has the courage to break into Yidu, then Deng She has prepared a reserve army in advance, and the military horses in the Tai'an area will not participate in this battle, and they will give the Anfeng imperial army a head-on volley. Actually, having said that, the latter is not very likely. But it's better to take precautions and make some preparations.

As for Liu Shijiu, if he makes any changes, the biggest possibility is nothing more than spreading rumors everywhere to shake the morale of Yidu and the people, or contact Shicheng's old generals in an attempt to take advantage of the opportunity to cause chaos. No matter what the situation is, Liu Shijiu and others are single-handed, and the number of people is very small, so it is easy to deal with.

At the same time, there is also another possibility, that is, Liu Shijiu was also deceived, thinking that the battle of Jinan was indeed an emergency. If he really thinks so, then it is naturally another kind of response, sending people who can speak the Tao and appease them.

In the investigation of these possibilities, according to Hong Jixun's speculation, it is the last one that is the most likely. At most, after the war is about to end, or it has already ended, Liu Shijiu may react, knowing that this is Yidu "hiding from the sky and crossing the sea". But by then, the dust had settled, and even if he reacted, it would be useless. Deng She bowed his head and asked about intelligence, food, and stability in the rear, and then asked about the preparation of the front line, and asked Zhao Guo, but the first question was not his own army, but Tianfeng of Dizhou.

He asked, "Is there anything strange in Tianfeng, Dizhou?" ”

"According to the report of the generals sent by our army, there is nothing unusual. The first batch of grain lent to him had been delivered more than ten days ago. After Tian Feng got the food, he began to fight hard, and sent a number of fierce generals as commanders to prepare to lead the army, and the 5,000 elite soldiers he selected also began to wait a few days earlier. Judging by its movements and behaviors, it should definitely be good to go out into the army. ”

"It is not important that he will definitely go to the army, the most important thing is to guard against him knowing that our army intends to take Jinan first, and suddenly change his mind and stand still. What happened to the preparations to prevent this from happening? ”

"In the southern coastal area, our army has concentrated thousands of elite soldiers. As long as Tian Fengguo has a change and really refuses to attack Jinan with our army, then these thousands of elite soldiers of our army will create momentum and move towards the periphery of Dizhou. Following the order of the lord will definitely create a false impression to Tian Feng that if he refuses to go with me, then our army will immediately use this as an excuse to turn around and take Dizhou again. ”

The last time Chahan came to attack, tens of thousands of troops besieged Yidu, and Tian Feng sat back and watched without help. This time, Deng She had already lent him food, and it was "against the enemy" Chahan, and there was also the holy decree of King Xiao Ming ordering Deng She to control Haidong and Yidu, if he still refused to send troops. That shows that he has no friendship with colleagues at all, let alone a loyal Song family. In this way, even if Deng She took the initiative to send troops to attack him in the name of crusading against "disloyalty", no one could say a word "no" to this.

While using grain as bait, and on the other hand, using the army to press the border as a threat. All in all, it is necessary to force Tian Feng to be honest and obedient. Therefore, if you want him to be honest and obedient, what you value is not the power that An Feng gave to Deng Shezhi to control the two places, but mainly to use his five thousand elite soldiers to reduce the casualties of the Haidong army.

"For Dizhou Tianfeng, it's good to be sure." It was only at this time that Deng She began to ask about the arrangement of the front line, and asked, "What are the preparations for the front line departments?" ”

Zhao Guo replied: "The 20,000 main forces are mostly transferred from the government. In accordance with the Lord's decree, all armies have been prepared so far. The propaganda for the soldiers is still about going south to fight Xuzhou. Only those who are above 10,000 households in the army know that the target that our army wants to take is actually Jinan. Tomorrow, when the battle begins, according to the predetermined strategy, it is guaranteed that within three hours, the new battle order will be transmitted. ”

Bi Qianniu, Monk Li, Hu Zhong, Guo Conglong, etc., all stepped forward and said one by one: "Several battalions of the headquarters of the last general have now moved to a certain place, and now they are stationed in a certain city. How many people there are, what kind of ordnance they are equipped with, what are the combat missions, and the commanders are such and so. It's all ready, just waiting for the battle to begin. ”

"War is about to break out, and there must be no heavy generals in the army. Tonight, folks, set out of the city. By noon tomorrow, be sure to ask for their place. According to the information of the General Administration Department, by tomorrow at the latest, the battalion heads of our army in the Hanshan area will 'encounter' the army of Tartars going out of the city to post food.

"Around the end of the war, the battle in Hanshan will end. The military report was sent to Yidu, and at the speed of 800 miles, it would be about midnight. When I received the military report, I immediately went to Liu 19 and informed him that our army was going to change its plan. Then, I will send fast horses to give you the order to attack Jinan.

"In other words, you will receive an official order to go to war around the end of the day. You must forward the order to the armies within three hours. At three o'clock the day after tomorrow, I want to hear you firing the cannon to capture Jinan! ......, Zhao Zuocheng, and the army of Tianfeng in Dizhou, I also hope to hear the news that they have left the city at three o'clock in the day after tomorrow! ......, ladies and gentlemen, do you have any questions? ”

Zhao Guo asked, "Earlier, the secret letter sent by the lord to Dizhou?" ”

Deng She smiled and replied, "One of them has been snatched by 'thieves'. It's just for the sake of secrecy and hasn't been announced yet. It will be announced to the public in about two days tomorrow. "If this secret letter is published too early, it will be a surprise. Until the war starts, it will definitely not be announced.

Zhao Guo asked again: "Laizhou?" ”

Laizhou Wing Marshal Chen Yutou. Deng She didn't think about it, and replied directly: "In this battle, there is no need for General Chen to go into battle." When the war starts, tell him that is. His task, as long as he is optimistic about Laizhou, if the war reaches a stalemate, he can ensure that Laizhou, which is the transit port between Yidu and Haidong, can be smooth and unimpeded. ”

"Yes."

"Gao Yanshi and other generals in the city?"

"You don't have to tell them. Wait for the battle to start, and then teach them to know. ”

Zhao Guo received the order.

"There is also a sailor Liu Yangbu. Liu Yang was far away, and he had already rushed to the boat. Zhao Zuocheng, the contact with the sailor must also be maintained at all times. Ladies and gentlemen, it will be tomorrow! I won't say anything more to you. Cheer up and cheer up! It's getting late, so get out of the city as quickly as possible. ”

The generals replied angrily: "Swear to die and not dishonor the king's life!" "Brush up, give a military salute, and turn out.

It is said that there are indispensable heavy generals in the army, but Yidu also needs heavy generals to sit in charge. The responsibility of Zhao Guo and Bi Qianniu is to be responsible for the stability of Yidu. The two of them didn't have to go to the front. Monk Li, Fu Youde and others went out of the Yanwang Mansion, first returned to their home, took the drape, and each brought more or less personal guards, that is, galloped out of the city.

The sound of horses' hooves galloping could be heard far away in the silent and deep night.

In the Yanwang Mansion, Liu Nineteen stayed awake late at night, and he also heard it. The house where he lived was an independent pavilion, and when he climbed to a high place, he pushed the window and looked into the distance, only to see that the night was vast and shrouded in the city. Far and near, with occasional lights. Occasionally, the wind is quiet, rolling the roads and trees. Other than that, there was silence.

On the street, which had long been quietly deserted, suddenly there were teams of knights, coming out from different directions, with torches, like one fiery snake after another, galloping away from it. Looking at its direction, it is mostly gathered at the west gate. The dogs that alarmed many people, and the dogs barked.

He knew that this must be the order of the generals of the city to go out of the city and go to the front. He looked up at the night, the sky was overcast, and muttered: "The ministers came to Yidu, worked hard, and finally said that King Yan would send an army to the south." The emperor, Taibao, now that King Yan moves, I, Anfeng, can be regarded as safe and sound for the time being! ”

Every man is his master. He tried his best to think about it, for the sake of An Feng's safety, and either openly or secretly persuaded, the means were repeated, and the schemes were one after another, and he wanted to move Deng She to the south. Now that the wood has become a boat, and the southeast of the sea seems to be a foregone conclusion, he is naturally relieved, and he thinks that he is worthy of the trust of King Xiaoming and Liu Futong.

At the same time, Dunshe unfolded the map indoors and spread it out on the ground.

He lifted his dagger upside down and walked on the map. Approaching the front of Jinan, press the waist with one hand and point with a short sword with the other. Here Jinan, here Hanshan, here Tai'an, here Laiwu, here Dizhou,......。 It's all about the war. As for tomorrow's wedding, he seems to have forgotten it long ago.

This is about to capture the Battle of Jinan, and it seems that all plans have been secured.

It's just that war has never been wishful thinking on one side. The plan of one side is not necessarily followed by the other side of the enemy. Plans can't keep up with the changes. Just when Deng She didn't go to bed until late at night, a small accident happened hundreds of miles away outside the city of Jinan.

——

1, Xin Chou year, Xin Mao month, Yi Si day.

There is a Yuan generation, "The date of the wedding should be chosen as the so-called 'ten auspicious days', that is, Renzi, Bingzi, Yichou, Dingchou, Guichou, Dingmao, Guimao, Jimao, Yimao, and Yisi." ”