"The thieves on all fronts are retreating," Zhao Slowxiong did not hide his optimism at all, Zhejiang's Shun army discarded a large number of baggage and their heavy artillery and fortresses, and retreated in the direction of Nanjing to avoid being surrounded by the Ming army flanked on both sides, and not holding the fortress is enough to show that the enemy has lost confidence in the timely counterattack of his side to relieve the siege: "Throw away those miscellaneous fish at both ends of the first rat, and now the thieves in Jiangnan who still have combat effectiveness are 20,000 or 30,000 people, and our army is several times larger than them." ”

"It's time for Li Chuang to let Xu Ping out, maybe Li Chuang will count on him to regain his strength, at least boost his morale." Jin Qiude was not in a very good mood in the past two days, and the widowed daughter-in-law wanted to take the widow of her eldest son away to Nanyang, thousands of miles away. The identity of the other party is there, as long as the other party is completely unconstrained by women's morality, Jin Qiude is powerless to resist any decision of his daughter-in-law, and the daughter-in-law set for the second son is Li Yunrui's daughter, this will be much better: "Judging from the intelligence, Xu Ping seems to be disheartened, and he may not be willing to go out of the mountain again." ”

"It's hard to say," Zhao Slowxiong felt that although the intelligence from the spy showed that there was indeed such a possibility, Xu Parallel's style had always been strange, and ...... And Zhao Slowxiong remembered that the other party and his old comrade-in-arms still had an unresolved grudge, not long ago, after analyzing the confidential information in the north, the Military Intelligence Department even put forward the hypothesis that Xu Ping might defect, but Zhao Slowxiong had little confidence in the analysis of the Military Intelligence Department: "Xu Ping's work has always been unreasonable. Not to mention the distance, it is as close as when he tried his best to investigate the deployment of Xianxia Pass in Fujian, and the Military Intelligence Department called the police twice in three days, swearing that he would finish us first if the north was in chaos, but he turned around and left without saying a word. ”

"If Xu Ping really throws himself at us...... Huang Naiming felt that he should be treated with courtesy, which would bring a lot of political benefits to Nanming, and now the established policy of the Southern Army is also to give preferential treatment to the generals of the Immortal Army.

"Of course, that's a good hospitality, calling on more generals to defect." Jin Qiude said quickly: "But as long as Xu Ping is alive......"

"He's a threat," Zhao Slowxiong added the second half of Jin Qiude's sentence: "After we eliminate Li Chuang, as long as Xu Ping can still breathe, he will give us the illusion of potential enemies, and he will become the banner of a traitorous thief." ”

"Of course I understand this, I know it in my heart, you don't always need to remind you." Huang Naiming signaled that the two didn't have to continue, and the two important ministers always chattered about it: "There is a clear distinction between public and private, and I will not let personal grievances tie my hands and feet." ”

……

Today, Chen Zhe came to visit Xu Ping, and the Shandong defense envoy did not dare to treat Xu Ping, although he was under house arrest in Jinan these days, he had complete freedom of movement within the courtyard walls, except that he could not go out to guard him.

"Congratulations to the General." After looking around, Chen Zhe showed joy: "The battle situation in Jiangnan is unfavorable, the lord must let the general regain control of the army, maybe the envoy is already on the way." ”

"What is there to congratulate about this, our old brothers in Jiangnan must have suffered heavy casualties." Xu Ping didn't have the slightest expression of joy on his face.

"This ...... That's what the adults said. Today, Chen Zhe also brought a jar of good wine, intending to celebrate Xu Ping's imminent escape: "My lord, have you been bored these days?" Let's have a few drinks with the adults. ”

"Is it to celebrate the defeat of Wang Shi and lose Zhejiang?" Xu Ping asked unceremoniously.

"Hmm." Chen Zhe has nothing to say, he has been very weak since he stayed out of the country last time, and this is the first time he has come to visit Xu Ping, who is under house arrest: "Then the general will chat with the general." ”

Whether it was the situation in the DPRK or the war situation in the south, Xu Ping didn't seem to be interested, and when Chen Zhe said these things, Xu Ping hummed and looked absent-minded. Later, Chen Zhe found that Xu Ping was interested in anecdotes and gossip, and when he talked about these things, he was immediately energetic, especially when he recalled the interesting things in the past.

"I heard that the son-in-law of Duke Qi has remarried," Chen Zhe didn't know anything about Xu Ping and Huang Zijun, he said with a grin: "The military uniform of the Zhiwei is indeed very handsome, first Jin Shentong, and then General Xiao Yang, haha, I knew that I also managed to go to the Zhiwei back then, who knows that it won't be my daughter's favor?" ”

"Well, that's good," Xu Ping pondered, "Let's open the wine." ”

……

"Kim Qiude! I've seen a lot of people who are tired of life, but I didn't expect Lord Kim to be too. After the person took off the face covering, Xu Ping felt anger and murderous intent suddenly rise from his chest after the initial surprise, and his fingers had already touched the hilt of the sword, and he didn't call the guards in - he had been practicing swordsmanship for many years, wasn't it just for today?

"General Xu," Jin Qiude's face was a little pale, but there was no fear or panic in his tone: "The old man came here in the starry night to talk about peace with the general......

Xu Ping snorted lowly, his right hand was already tightly gripping the hilt of the sword, and he was slowly pulling the sword out of its scabbard - didn't this guy know that Gong Qi had seen me in private? Think I'm a good talker? Outside the battlefield, Qi Gong can't fight back even if he scolds me, and it's not even easy to parry, but you ......

"Wang Qinian and Jiang Hao rebelled, and at this moment, Datong and Taiyuan should also be out of order, and hundreds of thousands of sweaty iron horsemen poured into Shanxi like a flood." Jin Qiude hurriedly said: "If it weren't for the fear that General Xu wouldn't believe it, the old man wouldn't have to come in person, these two traitors had an affair with the northern captives, and they wanted to be Shi Jingjiao, and sent a secret envoy to discuss with the Duke of Qi to attack your army in the north and south," Jin Qiude spread his hands, and before entering the account, he had already taken all the weapons on his body by Xu Ping's guards: "General Xu killed the old man with a lot of effort, but I can't disbelieve the old man's words, if General Xu insists on attacking Fujian, it will be to trap your lord in danger, trap the people of the north in the sea of suffering, and General Xu will be forced to force each other, Don't you just want the old man's life? Today, the old man is killed by the neck, does General Xu have any reason why he has to fight Fujian? ”

The sword that had already been drawn was half-drawn and inserted back into the sheath, and Xu Ping said coldly: "I have never heard of such news. ”

"Within a few days, the general will surely receive an urgent report," replied Jin Qiude confidently, "The king and the two thieves sent envoys to discuss with us before they started, and your lord was still in the dark at that time." ”

"In the past few months, dozens of detailed works of your army have been captured on the Xianxia Pass defense line, all of them are Fujian people, and the general has spent a lot of effort to plot against them, right?" Jin Qiude asked, Xu Ping didn't answer and snorted softly, Jin Qiude continued: "There are spies of your army operating everywhere in the whole territory of eastern Fujian, and this kind of large-scale spying certainly caused heavy losses to the general's intelligence personnel, but the information obtained by the general must be extraordinary. Although the general has stopped his frontal assault on the Xianxia Pass area for a long time, the number of small-scale tentative attacks has increased, and after trying to remove the water of false reports, I estimate that your army has paid hundreds of casualties in these endless tentative attacks, and the loss is still the elite backbone of the army. How could the general pay such a price in vain? The old man guessed that the general did not dare to say anything about the deployment of our fortress and the combat strength of the army, and he knew it well, and it was not much worse. ”

Xu Ping sneered, he had never hoped that his actions would not arouse the vigilance of the other party.

"It's just that the general has no reason to attack Fujian," Jin Qiude suddenly broke the secret: "My child's nominal eldest son is actually the general's queen." ”

Xu Ping sneered again, and when he spoke, he was full of bitter hatred: "Do you think I didn't guess at all? Your father and son have taken everything from me, taken away my wife and my flesh and blood, and made me lose my fatherhood and cannot raise my own children with my own hands...... However, if you hadn't killed my comrades, I would have planned to retire to the mountains and forests. ”

"This is a misunderstanding, the general has misunderstood," Jin Qiude explained: "The first battle of Shandong was a mistake, not a conspiracy. ”

Xu Ping's hand on the hilt of the sword clenched again.

"Could it be that the general has never made a mistake when he commands the army?" Seeing this, Jin Qiude asked loudly: "Zhang Nanshan and the old man are like flesh and blood, how can the old man harm him?" ”

"Yes," Jin Qiude admitted, "the old man is selfish, and the old man needs a life talisman and a talisman, but isn't the general like this?" The general thinks the old man is despicable, but please ask the general, if the general doesn't know that she is the daughter of the Hou Mansion, will he be so reluctant? Since he knows that he is the concubine of the Duke of Qi, does the general care about anything else? ”

"This is the difference between me and you, I really judge people by their appearance!" Xu Ping's anger was like a river bursting its embankment, rushing out: "Don't say that you have love, if the young lady is not talented and beautiful, but looks like no salt and is not as wise as a middle-aged person, I won't take a second look at the daughter of the Hou Mansion." And you have turned my beloved woman into a thing in your hands, a talisman for your family! ”

"But the old man has not harmed the general's comrades, the matter in Shandong is indeed an accident, it is too easy to deal with the general, a glass of poisonous wine, a dark arrow, is enough." Jin Qiude calmly persuaded again: "The old man has the power of the army, if it is just to deal with the general alone, does it take so much effort?" ”

Xu Ping snorted, and suddenly had some doubts about the truth that he had been convinced of for many years, but then threw it away: "I have seen the information you handed over to General Dong, and it is the deployment, strength, and action plan of our Changqing Battalion and Shanlan Battalion. ”

"That's right," Jin Qiude actually admitted after a little thought: "But that's so that the detailed work of the Military Intelligence Department can win people's trust, if the Changqing Battalion and the Shanlan Battalion retreat as planned, then that information is useless at all......"

"Even if the general doesn't believe it, it's easy to take the old man's life now." After explaining for more than half an hour, Jin Qiude emphasized again: "The old man has been loyal to the old man all his life, and he must not watch the big man be implicated by the old man." The old man knew that most of the generals were also dissatisfied with the marshal, and felt that he did not avenge the Changqing battalion, but this grievance actually did not exist, the battle of Shandong was purely accidental, and the marshal did nothing wrong at all. ”

Xu Ping was silent, Jin Qiude gave him a few minutes to think, and then continued: "General, you owe so much to Duke Qi, and you won't invite him for the rest of your life, do you really want to attack his foundation?" ”

"The food of the king, the matter of loyalty to the king." Xu Ping said softly.

"But now that there is chaos in the north, how can the general act to be loyal?"

"If there is really chaos in the north, of course I have to go back to King Shiqin." Xu Ping pondered for a while and said, "When external insults hit, it was not the time to fight in the same room. ”

"General Takami."

"It's just that Qi Gong thinks the same way as I do?" Xu Ping asked, "Why didn't Duke Qi inform me immediately after learning about this?" ”

"Even if you tell the general, will the general believe it? Today, the old man came in person, is the general convinced now? Besides, how can we immediately know that this is not the general's intention to lure us into the trap? ”

Seeing that Xu Ping began to think about it again, Jin Qiude said to him: "In fact, Duke Qi is also between the general and the doubt, but Duke Qi has an order, if there is really chaos in the north, and the general resolutely returns to the division, then our army is strictly forbidden to pursue." ”

"Really?" Xu Ping asked, "Who knows about this?" ”

"Only the Duke of Qi and the old man, the order not to pursue is also explained to me by the Duke of Qi himself, and today there will be a third one with the general."

"Cover your face and go back to camp as soon as possible." Xu Ping thought for a long time, and finally said to Jin Qiude: "If there is no chaos in the north......

"I should have a duel with the general on the battlefield."

"I'll check again, if it's the battle of Shandong......"

"The old man's life is still in the hands of the general...... The general can rest assured that the old man will abide by the orders of the Duke of Qi and will never pursue the return of your army. ”

"You can chase after it," Xu Ping didn't appreciate the favor at all: "Just let the horse come." ”

"General, there was no conspiracy in the First World War in Shandong, and it was unreasonable for you to attack Fujian with all your might, why can't you spend money on it?" Kim reiterated before leaving.

……

"I stayed up all night." Xu Ping remembered that it was only half a day before he received the first urgent report from the north.

"What sleepless night?" Chen Zhe, who was already a little dazed, asked casually.

Xu Ping didn't answer, just drank the wine in the cup again.

……

"What's so suspicious about this?" Zhou Dongtian saw Xu Ping buried his head in the wolf's lair to check the documents of the Battle of Shandong, and shouted: "What else is suspicious about this? ”

"We all know that deductions are unreliable, and deductions will always mislead us and make us believe what we want to believe." Xu Ping read through all the copies of the orders issued from the wolf's den in the Battle of Shandong, word by word.

"Your Excellency, you see, this order was given by the Naoke." Zhou Dongtian spread out a file in front of Xu Ping: "The commander of the direct guard, Jin Shentong, ordered: The orders to the Changqing Battalion and the Shanlan Battalion will be issued by one!" Zhou Dongtian shouted in an accentuated tone: "It was 'a' Zhiwei carrying, which led to the serious consequences of the loss of the order, which directly led to the trapping of the Shanlan camp, and this order is clearly to create an opportunity for the messenger to be ambushed and the order to be lost, and I dare to say: Jin Shentong must have prepared an ambush team to ensure that the order cannot arrive." And my lord, what is the reason for summarizing him after the war - it is: because he was worried that the enemy's situation was complicated, and the brigade was too ostentatious to attract the attention of the rebels, so he decided to send elite riders to quickly convey the order, which is really unreasonable! ”

"You can't say that his reasons are completely unjustified, and in that kind of emergency, such an error of judgment is possible." Xu Ping shook his head and said.

"What do you want to say, sir?"

"I would say that maybe it was really a series of mistakes, not a conspiracy."

"My lord! Why do you have to convince yourself that there is no conspiracy in this? ”

……

"General Xu, please respect yourself." Huang Zijun has always rejected Xu Ping's request for a private meeting, but today he was unusually stubborn, and finally had to meet in order to avoid turmoil.

"Mrs. Kim." Xu Ping said sadly: "Tomorrow, Brother Zun will ask King Shun to send you to Fujian, if Mrs. Jin refuses to meet today, I will never see Mrs. Jin in the next worry." ”

"The general is too modest, the general can take troops to Fujian, just like the general brings troops to Beijing." Huang Naiming has already told his family that he will make such a request tomorrow, and has also hinted that Xu Ping has promised not to object.

"I didn't bring troops to Beijing...... Xu Ping sighed and suddenly asked, "If I ask Mrs. Jin to stay, will Mrs. Jin agree?" ”

"General Xu, please respect yourself," Huang Zijun said angrily: "I came out at the risk of ruining my reputation, and now I want to go back, and I ask the general for forgiveness." ”

After Huang Zijun finished speaking, he turned around and left, Xu Ping couldn't help but reach out to pull her sleeve, Huang Zijun turned his head and glared angrily, Xu Ping immediately withdrew his hand and begged: "Zijun, just let me see him, I am his father after all." ”

"You're not his father!" Huang Zijun categorically denied: "It was his father who picked him up from his infancy and gave him the first hug after coming to this world; It was his father who took him by the hand and taught him how to walk; It was his father who gave him his first wooden sword, put him in the saddle, and brought him endless laughter. And you-" Huang Zijun's eyes shot out two flames of hatred: "You killed his father!" ”

……

"I didn't hesitate a little, I didn't look back anymore," Xu Ping, who was drunk, didn't even understand his clothes and threw himself on the bed: "There was no pause, not even a side of the head." ”

……

The full white sails have been raised to the mast, and the huge sea ship is about to sail out of Quanzhou Port, and the entourage of the governor of Nanyang on board has thrown their attention to their hometowns before leaving.

Huang Zijun held the child in his arms, held the eldest son in his hand, and looked in the direction of Quanzhou like everyone else, and in the first few days after returning from Zhejiang, there was always a thought lingering: if Xu Ping died on the battlefield, the child would never worry about revealing his life experience, and would not encounter intolerable pointing and vicious comments - the fruit of unruly love.

This thought made Huang Zijun feel a sense of guilt, and now she breathed a sigh of relief: no one can live forever, and no one will ever know the secrets of their children, including himself.

"Mother, my uncle will definitely avenge my father, right?" The child suddenly asked this question again, his young mind seemed to be full of this obsession, the last time Huang Naiming went on the expedition, Huang Zijun heard his son make a loud request to his brother: Uncle, you must avenge my father!

Huang Zijun smiled bitterly and didn't make any answer, the last time she went to Zhejiang, she wanted to say to her brother, don't push Xu Ping too hard, the last thing she wanted at that time was that her brother would kill Xu Ping because of the eldest son's request.

It was the last day in Beijing, and the things had been packed, and the family would leave as soon as the brother asked Li Zicheng tomorrow and got permission. The house was in a hurry, Huang Zijun unknowingly and unconsciously met with Xu Ping, and after returning to the house, she did not immediately enter the house, but sneaked up the wall of the mansion, hiding behind the pillar and looking at the direction of the private meeting just now.

A lone man still stood there facing him, facing in the other direction—the gate of the mansion where Huang Zijun had just entered, letting the moving sun stretch his shadow longer and longer on the ground. Several times, Huang Zijun almost ran back to pick up the child out, but in the end she resisted the urge and hid behind the pillar to watch the man finally leave in despair.

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