March 18 is the Thousand Autumn Holy Day of Queen Zhou, Queen Zhou does not want to be extravagant, and it is said that the wife of the Emperor will make a pilgrimage to celebrate her birthday, and only have a happy day with the palace dependents. Chongzhen accompanied Queen Zhou to watch the drama for a while, and the queen saw that he was distracted from time to time, and knew that he was thinking about political affairs, so she secretly pushed him and said softly: "The emperor is busy, you don't have to accompany your concubines all the time, just have fun with your two sisters, Youtian and Yuan." ”

Chongzhen said apologetically: "I'm afraid I've swept away the interest of all of you. ”

"The emperor can take a break for a while, which is also a blessing and dignity for his concubines. It's just that the emperor can't see Sister Tian swinging for a while, which is a pity. Empress Zhou secretly had a trace of resentment in her heart.

"The swing of Yongning Palace has been set up?" Chongzhen turned his head to look at Concubine Tian Li, and Concubine Tian Li said, "March 3, swing." I'm eighteen years old today, and I've been swinging for many days, and the emperor is busy! Concubine Yuan Shu also said: "The concubine's pigeons sing in the clouds every day, and the emperor can't hear it." ”

Chongzhen saw that the three of them looked sad, felt pity, and hurriedly comforted: "The spring is deep, and there are still some days to remove the swing frame, so there is no need to rush for a while." Pigeon whistle...... After a few busy days, I will accompany you to Xiyuan to visit the spring, where there are also swing racks, and pigeons are also released? Without waiting for the three of them to say more, he got up and went back to the Wenhua Palace, drank a bowl of white fungus bird's nest soup, and was busy reviewing the stack of high folds on the case, and saw that there were many folds of impeachment of Shi Fenglai and Zhang Ruitu, so he put them aside, left them in the middle, and ordered Wang Chengen to come in and said: "You go to Huijimen to pass on my message, and after the daily application time, all the transcripts that are not related to the border police war will not be allowed to be delivered." It doesn't matter if it's like this, it's a futile effort. He pointed to the folds that had been set aside and closed his eyes.

Wang Chengen agreed: "Long live the Lord is tired, it is better to rest and recuperate first." ”

"How can I rest, tomorrow it will be another stack. Go down! Chongzhen opened his eyes and straightened up.

Wang Chengen glanced at the thick folds on the case, and hesitated and said: "Long live the lord, there is a southern barbarian Yuan Chonghuan who handed over the sign and was anxious to meet him, and the slave was afraid of disturbing the rest of the long live lord, so teach him to wait!" ”

"It's only been a month, and he's not slow. Declare him in! Chongzhen's face was overjoyed, and he waved his hand to order Wang Chengen to go quickly.

Not long after, a thin man followed Wang Chengen to come in and bow, Chongzhen saw that he was in his forties, his face was dark, dusty, and the three locks of long hair under his chin were not messy, he felt very interesting, and asked, "You are Yuan Chonghuan?" I have heard that you Lian Kejian chieftain, what is Chang Siqing's family like, how can it be long and short? . ”

Yuan Chonghuan entered the Forbidden City for the first time, saw the royal weather, thought of the emperor's majesty, Rao is a long time on the battlefield, and couldn't help trembling, his heart was beating wildly, and when he entered the Wenhua Palace, he saw that Chongzhen was less than twenty years old, with a beautiful face and gentle speech, and gradually felt at ease. Seeing that he was straightforward and understood that it was quite taboo, he smiled and said: "Confucius said: Judging people by their appearance, they will lose their sons." You frightened Nurhachi to death with a red-coated cannon, and repelled Huang Taiji, and alone raised a brigade to defend the lonely city. ”

Yuan Chonghuan suddenly woke up to the loss of etiquette, and hurriedly argued: "The minister is reckless in the distance, half a life of horses, the first time he looks up to the sky, he is grateful, so that his words are speechless, it is really a loss of courtesy, and he asks the emperor to be extraordinarily gracious." ”

Chongzhen said with a smile: "Answer flatly." I also like you Gengjie. The officials reported your resume, and I know that you are a Jinshi in the forty-seventh year of Wanli, and you have served as a Shao Wuzhi County, and you are also from the right path! ”

"The minister has been fond of tactics and tactics since he was a child, and he had to dance Hanmo and gain fame, but after only half a year as a magistrate, he abandoned his civil service and went to the military department."

Chongzhen saw that he was still a little embarrassed, and comforted: "Speaking bluntly shows your temperament, I don't blame you." How many days have you been in Beijing? ”

"It only arrived yesterday."

Chongzhen said: "Guangdong is 5,000 miles away from Beijing, there are more than 70 post stations, and the deadline is 140 days. ”

Yuan Chonghuan said: "The minister knelt down to receive the holy decree, and immediately prepared to set off with his family, dedicating himself to the king's affairs, and did not dare to slack off." ”

Chongzhen was surprised: "What, the family came to Beijing?" Why bring your family? ”

Yuan Chonghuan said: "Since the ministers have used their own soldiers, they have all brought their families, and their lives and soldiers have coexisted and died, which can best stabilize the morale of the army." After receiving the order, he hired a ship to go north and arrived in Nanjing at the end of February. Unexpectedly, the snow in the north of the Yangtze River, the weather was cold, the river was frozen, the transportation was impassable, and the ministers were anxious, so they had to abandon the boat and land in Yangzhou, leave their families behind and slow down, ride a stagecoach alone, and enter Beijing alone. Unexpectedly, the wind and snow did not stop, the road was slippery and muddy, and it was almost late. ”

Chongzhen was secretly moved, made an exception, and said: "There is no need to bring your family to Liaodong this time, Wei Liangqing's house has been named Cexun's Mansion and has been empty, you can temporarily settle your family." ”

Yuan Chonghuan's heart was hot, tears came out of his eyes, and he knelt down and thanked: "The minister promised the country with his body, even if he died on the battlefield, it would be difficult to repay the emperor's holy grace." It's just that the minister's move has become a habit, and the emperor is about to entrust Liaodong to the micro-ministers, and the ministers should coexist with Liaodong. ”

Chongzhen said: "You don't have to say thank you, after Liaodong recovers, I will reward you with the house." After taking a sip of hot tea, he said, "I heard that you once wrote a banner describing your state of mind, how did you write it?" ”

Yuan Chonghuan was stunned: "The emperor actually knows?" Then he chanted, "To whom?" For ten years, parents were not allowed to be children, wives and children were not allowed to be husbands, siblings were not allowed to be brothers, and friends were not allowed to be friends. To whom? It is said that "an outlaw in the Ming Kingdom". I don't know what the emperor is referring to, but these few words? ”

Chongzhen nodded and said, "Exactly." These few words are loud and sound, first the country and then the private, the words are heartfelt, heroic and dry, Lu Chunru, the left attendant of the Ministry of War, recommends you only ten words: not afraid of death, not loving money, once fought, and your own words are in line with what you said, it seems that you deserve this statement. Only with this courage can you guard Liaodong, and it seems that the recommendation of the ministers can be described as winning people. ”

Yuan Chonghuan was enthusiastic when he heard this, got up and said: "The minister is not only grateful to the first emperor, but also has the emperor's knowledge, and he is called for thousands of miles, dare not be unsatisfied?" ”

Chongzhen raised his hand to call him to sit down and asked, "How was it all the way?" What do you see? ”

"This year, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Huguang, Nanzhili and Anhui Fengyang Longxing can be harvested, grain prices have fallen, and the people have no worries about rations. It is said that Huai'an, Xuzhou, Linqing, and Dezhou have stored more than 6 million stones of grain, which is full of eighty. It's just that there is a big drought in Sichuan, many state capitals in Nanzhili are flooded, Changzhou is seriously infested, and the Nanjing earthquake in October has damaged and destroyed the people and livestock in Lushe. The rain in 28 prefectures and counties in Shandong hurt the crops, and the autumn beams failed to harvest, but fortunately, the summer grain was abundant, and they did not starve. The minister did not see a few homeless people along the way. ”

Chongzhen praised: "After all, I have been a county magistrate, I have seen specific and subtle things, I see important things, and I know how to be sympathetic to the people's feelings." The way to govern the country is nothing more than the government to govern money and grain, and food is the most fundamental. After a while, he said: "Riding alone for thousands of miles, although I have heard of it, it is quite coherent and reasonable." I heard that a few years ago, you rode out of the customs on your own to visit the mountains and rivers of Liaodong, and you know the military situation and defense well. I have not been on the throne for a long time, and the war in Liaodong is always haunting in my heart, so you can talk to me and listen to it. ”

Yuan Chonghuan leaned on the stool, listening to the emperor mention the war in Liaodong, his expression was extremely excited, his eyes were burning and shining, and he talked slowly.

In the first month of the second year of the Apocalypse, it coincided with the six-year Beijing Chacha, and the seven county orders and above had to go to Beijing to report on their work, and the senior officials above the fourth rank had their own merits in front of the emperor, and the five grades below were given by the officials of the Ministry of Shangshu, Shilang, and the Examination of the Gong Shilang, and the officials were all given to the matter, and the Imperial History of the Metropolitan Procuratorate or the Deputy Imperial History, and the Imperial History of Henan Province and the Associate Imperial History Assessment. There are eight methods in the assessment, to check their greed, coolness, impetuousness, inadequacy, old age, illness, resignation, and impatience, to see whether their actions and plans protect the family and state, and whether their words and deeds are profitable. Yuan Chonghuan, who was not confused in his youth, braved the severe cold and left Shaowu County, Fujian Province to rush to Beijing. Yuan Chonghuan only took one entourage, She Yishi, and quickly entered Beijing and lived in the Guangdong Guild Hall.

The next day, dressed up early and went to the yamen of the ministry to wait for the number, dozens of people in the gatehouse have been chatting with each other, noisy and shouting, Yuan Chonghuan is an official, he doesn't know a person, he walked into the courtyard alone, and the captain on duty saw that he was dressed in a seven-grade civil official. Supplement, unhindered. Yuan Chonghuan passed through a small hanging flower door, and there was a courtyard inside, but he saw a thick ancient vine, with bent branches, like a screen blocking the front of the hall, and was whining by the wind. Yuan Chonghuan saw the rattan spread and grow, thinking that it was an old thing a hundred years ago, so he turned around the ancient vine, saw a faintly recorded carved stone under the vine, squatted down to take a closer look, it was densely engraved with walnut-like size letters, the penmanship was neat, it was actually a "Ancient Vine Record", indicating that the ancient vine was planted by Wu Kuan, a native of Changzhou, Jiangsu Province, in the sixth year of Hongzhi. The ancient vine is still there, but the tree planter doesn't know where to bury the bones, Yuan Chonghuan sighed for a long time, looked inside, saw that all around were the duty rooms of the Ministry of Cao, did not dare to enter again, turned back to return, but heard the voice of the north head of the department with the wind, faintly heard as if talking about the current situation, said that Nurha's pro-unification army went to the Liao River, had already captured Zhenwu Fort, Guangning was in danger, and couldn't help but be shocked and angry, wanted to rush in, ask the end, and knew that he was in the ministry, he didn't dare to make a mistake, and turned back to the gatehouse sullenly, not wanting the county commanders to also talk about the war in Guangning.

A black and fat man said angrily: "The Liaodong army is defeated in the light enemy, the so-called arrogant soldiers will be defeated, Lord Wang does not know the soldiers, and the Houjin soldiers and horses are regarded as nothing, so the use of soldiers is like child's play, how can it be undefeated!" Say that Liaoyang will soon be leveled in one fell swoop, and the emperor can sit back and listen to the good news on the night of mid-autumn, so happy, it's all fart! Now that the Zhenwu camp has collapsed, Guangning is in danger, Guangning does not follow the rules of the mountains and seas, and the mountains and seas are not solid, and the Beijing division is shaken. It's a pity that there are 130,000 male soldiers, and more than 1.2 million taels of silver are afraid that they will also be lost. ”

A thin and weak county magistrate next to him said: "Brother Nian can't help but be a little alarmist, but it's not necessarily true. Although Zhenwu Fort was lost, Xiping Fort was not defeated, and the main force of our army was still there, and it could still be fought, but how to fight still needs to be considered. ”

Yuan Chonghuan listened to it and arched his hand: "The two brothers are high-minded, which makes people feel uncomfortable. My brother has a word, and I hope to give advice. ”

The two county commanders said in unison: "Don't dare, don't dare, listen to you." ”

"My brother thinks that Guangning is lost in Jingfu and discord, Xiong Jingluo is in a word, and Wang Futai focuses on a battle word, so naturally the orders are different, and it is difficult to deploy troops, so how can you break the enemy and win?" Yuan Chonghuan's eyes were blazing, and in an instant, he talked about the world's major events, and faintly gave birth to an aggressive trend.

The Qing Thin County Commander was also very reasonable, but he was suddenly refuted in front of everyone, and he couldn't help but feel secretly embarrassed in his heart, and said with a dry laugh: "Brother Tai's words are wonderful and admirable. According to the meaning of Brother Tai, is it better to fight or to keep it? ”

"The truth of war, the strategy of guarding and defending, can not be forced, as long as it is used appropriately, you can hit Jianzhou and jump the beam, and recover my Daming rivers and mountains." Yuan Chonghuan said a few words arrogantly and impassionedly, and someone outside the door shouted: "I don't want Yue Wumu to be reborn." ”

When everyone followed the sound, a tall young man strode into the door, in his early thirties, with a white face and a slight beard. ”

Yuan Chonghuan saw that this person was wearing a hedgehog tonic suit, and he couldn't see the grade, but he knew that he was a speech official who supervised Fengxian, so he didn't dare to make a mistake, so he hurriedly returned the courtesy: "Chonghuan is wanton and doesn't want to alarm adults." Chonghuan thought that the war and the defense could be used interchangeably, and they could not be separated. Jianyu horses are fast and arrows are sharp, accustomed to wild wave warfare, galloping and cavalry shooting, suddenly coming, quickly retreating, this is its strength, if our army fights, when digging deep trenches, building high city walls, solid as gold, thinking that it is a barrier, waiting for him to attack, and then to the enemy with Fran machine artillery, rockets, wood and stone killing, must not easily go out of the city and fight, with my short than its strengths, Jianyu can not attack for a long time, naturally dare not go deep. If it is easier to talk about the code, dig deep holes, accumulate grain, and gather the country's financial resources and products in the cities of Guangning, Jinzhou, Da Ling River, Xiao Ling River, and Youtun Zhucheng, Tun Tian to raise war, revive business travel, and attract displaced people from all over the world in order to seek a long-term future. In the land of Liaodong, how can the property and financial resources be compared with the thousands of miles of rivers and mountains in our Ming Dynasty, the confrontation is consumed, and within a few years, the Jianyu will inevitably be exhausted and unable to go further south. ”

Everyone nodded secretly when they heard this, but the young man was noncommittal, pulled Yuan Chonghuan into the courtyard, and said in a low voice: "Student Henan Dao Yushi Hou Sui, this time he was ordered to plan the officials of the world, and the emperor's secret edict recommended the side talents that could be used by the soldiers. Just listening to your words is better than reading a book for ten years. When the old gentleman goes back, he can write what he said into a recital, and how about the student recommend it on his behalf? ”

Yuan Chonghuan bowed and thanked: "Although the humble post is sent to Shilin, but the sex is good at talking about soldiers, on weekdays, when I meet the old school retreat from the frontier back to my hometown, I will prepare some wine and food to consult the border guard war affairs, so I know some of the dangers of mountains, rivers, lakes and seas, and also understand a lot of marching strategies. If Lord Hou can teach Chonghuan to go to Liaodong, he is really grateful. Chonghuan must sacrifice his life to serve the country, and he will die. As he spoke, he bent his knees and fell to his knees.

Ten years later, Yuan Chonghuan was promoted to the head of the Ministry of War, with six official residences, and was allowed to return to his hometown to visit relatives. Thinking of entering the military department, Yuan Chonghuan felt that he would soon be able to go to the front enemy, and he was extremely excited, hugging the quilt alone, listening to the whistling wind outside the window, thinking about the battle situation in Liaodong, the geography of mountains and rivers, the scenery and people's feelings, his heart fluctuated, and he couldn't sleep. At the fourth watch, he got up quietly, did not alarm She Yishi, carried a sword, led the white stagecoach, went out of Desheng Gate, and galloped to the northwest. It was almost noon, out of the ancient pass of the north of Jinshanling and the pass of the Simatai Great Wall, and it was already outside the pass.

Yuan Chonghuan lived on the horse and looked back, the peaks and peaks are stacked everywhere, the mountain is precipitous, like a wall, only a few zhang gap can be passed, the brick city wall rises and falls along the ridge, more than 30 enemy towering peaks, the mountain is reckless, the feeling of leaving home is spontaneous, dismounted and gnawed some dry food, smashed ice at the stream at the foot of the mountain to get water, drank a few sips, led the horses, and walked slowly along the Great Wall to the northeast. For several days, during the day, he checked the terrain, took out the charcoal strips and silk silk drawings in his pocket, and slept around the fire at night, thinking about the march and arrangement.

Approaching March, the weather is getting warmer, the river stream is faintly covered with a trace of green, the mountains and forests in the distance are shrouded in a cloud of light blue mist, Yuan Chonghuan rode on a horse, looked at the sunset falling in the west, calculated the day out of the pass, suddenly heard a burst of singing from afar, the crowd outside the pass was scarce, Yuan Chonghuan walked more along the way is inaccessible, suddenly heard the voice, especially happy, listen carefully, but it is an ancient song:

The peaks and mountains are like gathering,

The waves are like fury,

Mountains and rivers surface Tongguan Road.

Wangxidu,

Hesitant.

Sad Qin and Han meridians,

The palace and all the rooms were made of soil.

Xing, the people suffer;

Death, the people suffer.

The meaning of the words is lofty, the realm is desolate, the melody is gloomy, and the mountains echo. Yuan Chonghuan couldn't help but feel sad, thinking about the past and reminiscing about the present, sighing, he stepped forward, turned a mountain bend, and saw a large flock of sheep in the depths of the mountain col, and an old man with gray hair waved a long whip to drive the sheep down the mountain.

Yuan Chonghuan dismounted and waited for the old man to come closer, and said with a high hand: "The old abbot just sang a song, and it sounds melancholy. The younger generation vaguely remembered that this song was composed by Zhang Yanghao, a native of the Yuan, and sighed for the rise and fall of the matter, which made people cry. My husband can sing this song, how can he live in seclusion and be with the sheep? ”

The old man looked Yuan Chonghuan up and down, and saw that his face was full of dust, his clothes had obviously not been washed for many days, and there were some small holes in the corners of his robe that were punctured by thorns on the mountain. "Implicit wit, like Buddhist Zen.

Yuan Chonghuan groaned slightly: "Come and go to the world from outside the world." ”

"All living beings are suffering, since you are in the Pure Land, why bother to provoke this red dust?"

"Out of the people, who will go to hell if I don't go to hell?"

"Hongchen learns Buddhism, you are really a big idiot. Cutting meat to feed eagles, sacrificing one's body to feed tigers, in the end is useless, the old saying that the skin does not have hair will be attached, and the merit may not be complete if the body is abandoned. A hint of sadness flashed on the old man's face.

Yuan Chonghuan said loudly: "It is also a merit to save the eagle to live for a while. ”

The old man stared at Yuan Chonghuan for a moment, and sighed: "The descendants are not deeply involved in the world, they don't know the difficulties, and they know that they can't do it, fortunately?" Isn't it? It seemed that the words were still unfinished, but he couldn't bear to say anything, hurried a few steps, waved the long whip in his hand, the whip snapped, and hit the head sheep on the turn accurately, turned around and said: "The old man has lived alone for many years, and it is also fate to meet you today. ”

Yuan Chonghuan arched his hand and said, "I was about to ask for advice." He led the horse and slowly followed.

Surrounded by mountains on three sides, with streams in the south, in an open col, there were three huts, in front of which a fence was made of branches and sticks for sheep, and in which a lot of hay was piled up. The twilight was already thick, the fire in the middle of the cottage had already lit a fire, the air-dried wood was crackling, a tin pot and a few pieces of roe deer meat were hanging on the fire, and the thick smell of wine and meat wafted all over the house. The old man set up a small wooden table, took two large porcelain bowls, and filled them with wine. Yuan Chonghuan watched the old man eat half a bowl of soju for a moment, tearing and munching on the roe deer meat with both hands, and became more and more curious in his heart, he couldn't think of what kind of character this was? Thinking that he was already very hungry, he only cared about eating and drinking and had no intention of talking, so he silently served wine and drank it.

The old man ate half of the roe deer leg and put a bowl of soju into his stomach before asking: "If the old man is not mistaken, you must have come from the capital and want to go to the enemy." ”

Yuan Chonghuan was secretly shocked: "What do you say? ”

The old man put down the wine bowl, smiled bitterly, there were a few tears in the corners of his eyes, and waved his sleeves and wiped it slightly: "More than forty years ago, the old man was just in his early twenties, and he went with the army to Jianzhouwei, Jingyuan, Yulin, Songshan, Xingshan and other places, and was promoted to deputy general because of his military achievements. At that time, the soldiers of the Ming border were well fed, the generals were single-minded, and there was no war in Liaodong for nearly 30 years. Unexpectedly, in the forty-seventh year of Wanli, Yang Hao, who likes to talk about soldiers on paper, passed through Liaodong, the generals were suspicious, divided the troops and advanced lightly, and were broken by the Houjin each, but it was a pity that Salhu was defeated in three battles, the bones were everywhere, the blood flowed like a river, there were more than 40,000 dead, and countless wounded. ”

"My husband has been fighting in Liaodong for many years? The younger generation is disrespectful. Yuan Chonghuan jumped up and saluted again.

The old man sighed, beckoned him to sit down, and said, "Those are all dreams of the past." The defeat of Salhu is still sad and angry when I think about it, and I pity the tens of thousands of brothers, most of whom were brought out by the old man...... Ay! The imperial court, the imperial court had no choice but to change the order of Xiong Tingbi through Liaodong, and the situation gradually recovered, who knew that a year later the Wanli Emperor died, but Xiong Tingbi was deposed for no reason. Liao affairs are becoming more and more corrupt, and the old man was born and died all his life to expand the territory, and it turned into nothing in a blink of an eye, which is so hateful! ”

Yuan Chonghuan clenched his teeth when he heard this, his face turned pale, and he said hoarsely: "Didn't the imperial court revive Lord Xiong again?" ”

The old man poured another big bowl of wine, took a deep sip and said, "What's the use of that?" Xiong Tingbi is a general, but there are many people who are restricted, what can he do? Since ancient times, there has never been a precedent for traitors to make meritorious contributions in the court and generals abroad. Look at it! Xiong Tingbi has a lot of hard days! It's better for the old man to look down on fame and fortune, stay away from the villagers and elders, wander alone in a foreign land, shepherd sheep and eat wine, and be at ease. ”

Yuan Chonghuan remembered the rumors of the discord between Xiong Tingbi and Wang Huazhen, and his mouth gurgled and said with hatred: "If the younger generation can raise the male division out of the customs, he will definitely recover the lost territory and capture Jianzhou and jump off the beam alive!" ”

The old man shook his head and said: "The young man is ambitious, and his spirit is dry, and no eight-foot-tall man is exempt, once he is tempered by the world, he often loses his sharpness, and his mood is very different from before." ”

"What's the difference?"

The old man glanced at him and said, "You can understand it then, but now you can't understand it" raised his head and dried the wine in the bowl, "How can I solve my worries, only Du Kang, the wine is really a good thing, it's dry!" He waved his sleeves to wipe away the wine marks at the corners of his mouth, and struck the wine bowl with the leg bone of the roe deer in his hand and sang:

"The boy listens to the rain song upstairs,

Red candle dim tent.

Listening to the rain in the middle of the boat,

Jiang Kuoyun is low and the geese are called the west wind.

Now listen to the rain monk's house,

Sideburns have stars also.

Joys and sorrows are always ruthless,

A step before the drip to the dawn.

Hahaha...... Happy! "Lie down and sleep, as if no one is around.

Yuan Chonghuan said sharply: "He will definitely smash Huanglong one day and drink with his father-in-law!" He drank a bowl of soju in a big gulp, got up and smashed the wine bowl to the ground, and was about to take a piece of sheepskin to cover the old man, when he suddenly heard a few terrible sheep cries outside, and the sheep couldn't help but stir, knowing that there was something abnormal, he drew his sword and went out, faintly heard a rapid sound of horses' hooves, and hurriedly retreated into the house, hiding behind the door. After a while, several fast horses galloped like a whirlwind, and immediately people shouted: "There seems to be a light ahead, and the wolf must have fled to the house." ”

"We've been chasing for a long time, and our stomachs are hungry, so we must catch the wine."

The fire in the house was still faintly red before it was extinguished, and the light of the stars and moon in the dark night was enough to see a few steps away. Yuan Chonghuan vaguely identified six people, all riding horses. They dismounted one after another, and each fanned around the grass with his sword. Suddenly, one of them exclaimed, "There is a sheepfold here, and the wolf is afraid that he will hide in the flock." "Polishing the fold and lighting the torch. Under the light of the fire, the six people were dressed in military uniforms, wearing the armor of the Ming army, waving to each other, and gathered around the sheepfold together. In the sheepfold was a stout wolf, who had bitten the throat of a sheep, and was tearing it to eat, when he saw the torch, he suddenly raised his head, and bared out his teeth, dripping with blood, and roared again and again.

A tall and mighty man said, "Be careful! The trapped beast is still fighting, and this evil wolf is afraid that he will be desperate. And the crowd shouted and hurried up carefully, and when they came near, the wolf leaped up and leaped into the house. Yuan Chonghuan was startled, thinking that the old man was lying on the ground drunk, afraid that it would hurt, he stepped forward, swung out a sword, cut off half of the wolf's head, and the wolf rolled on the ground, shook half of his body, howled a few times, and fell to the ground and died.

"Good swordsmanship!" A few people cheered and went to the front of the house to meet each other, Yuan Chonghuan saw that their robes were tattered, and there seemed to be blood stains on them, and asked, "How many of them are from Liaodong?" ”

The big man said in a rough voice: "Don't mention Liaodong anymore, it's all handed over to Houjin." He stooped down and took the wine and ate it, while the other five stood still. Yuan Chonghuan was secretly shocked: What, could it be that Guangning was defeated? The big man drank a bowl of wine, looked at the drunken old man on the ground, and seemed to say to himself: "What kind of battle is this called?" The 130,000 army was defeated by 50,000 soldiers and horses, what a discouragement! ”

"What the hell is going on in Quang Ninh?" Yuan Chonghuan was anxious.