Ning looked at the maps on the big case in the room, and was a little stunned: "Are these?" "Map of the Northwest." Tong Ying replied, took out a few bloodstained silk books and two letters from a box behind him, and showed them to Duan Ning, "I met people from the imperial court over there, and they gave this to me before they died. Duan Ning took a deep breath and said calmly, "Let's talk about things from beginning to end." ”

Tongying sat on the ground and talked about the whole story: "I received a letter from home, and I had already set off to go back, but before entering Gansu, I saved two people. One of them was a member of the imperial court's mission to Dzungar, and the other was a secret agent of the imperial court stationed there. Geldan killed the envoy Madi and sent people to arrest those who had escaped the net, but they were the only ones who escaped, and brought out several confidential letters and important information. However, the man of the mission was so badly wounded that he soon died, and we had to bury him. The spy was also seriously wounded, and he gave me all the information, and took out the maps for me to write down, and took them with him to lead away the pursuers, and then ...... Die by the swords of those men. ”

Tong Ying paused, a little sad: "He knew that I was good at memorizing maps, so he did this, thinking that when the pursuers saw the map on his body, they would not suspect that there were other people." I watched him be killed from afar, but there was nothing I could do......"

Duan Ning patted him on the shoulder, he felt better, and continued: "But the leader of the pursuers is a clever man, he found the place where we spent the night, and guessed that there were other people, so he secretly searched for him. Hate that local officials are stupid! It made him feel like no one! I couldn't get into the city at all. Walking on the path is also blocked by people! Later, I was ruthless, so I simply went to the west and north, went out of Yumen and Anxi, went north along Hami, crossed the desert and turned back to the east, and then came back through the Ulanchabu League. Let him chase! ”

Duan Ning was dumbfounded: "You...... No wonder he disappeared for half a year......"

Tong Ying smiled: "At that time, I was chased hard, hungry and cold, and I couldn't get rid of the chasing soldiers, I haven't suffered like this since I was a child!" At the time, I somehow did it on the spur of the moment, but in retrospect, it was a safe way to do it. Although there are still pursuers, they are not as miserable as before. You want to. They can't really send a large army to chase after them, two or three hundred people are up to the sky, but in the desert, what is the use of this idea? So we ate and drank, and although we suffered some flesh and skin, we finally escaped safely, and we had something else to gain. ”

"What's the catch?"

"I was not idle along the way, and inquired about the topography, climate, villages, wells, quicksand, plants, medicinal herbs, and places where food was produced. I estimate that sooner or later, the emperor will have to use troops against the northwest, and that area is likely to become a battlefield. This can be regarded as a thorough understanding in advance. How? Pretty remarkable, right? Tongying raised an eyebrow triumphantly.

Duan Ning snorted, "What's this?" It's not the first time that the emperor has fought there, it's only been a few years? Do you think the court doesn't know what's going on there? ”

"Don't tell me, they don't necessarily know what's going on there." Tong Ying narrowed her eyes, "I don't know who gave that Geldan the idea, but I was damaged, but fortunately I found out." At one point, they rested in a small herder tribe. After I had received water supplies and left, I went there to ask for some water, but found that all the men, women, and children had been killed, not even the livestock, and the wells were blocked with sand. Later, when I passed through other tribes or villages, most of them were destroyed, and the wellheads were buried, Yuan Zhou told me. Those villages were still occupied at least half a year ago. ”

"Yuanzhou? That entourage of you? Duan Ning asked, "Could it be that Geldan secretly sent people to destroy those villages and fill in the wells so that the imperial court could send troops in the future?" Can't find a water source? ”

Tongying nodded: "Not only that, but I also met a few safe and sound villages along the way, fortunately, I was used to being cautious along the way, Yuan Zhou and I hid near the entrance of the village and observed for a while, and actually found that those villagers behaved strangely, not like herdsmen and farmers, but more like soldiers, so they didn't crash into it." I'm afraid that those people got rid of the original villagers and then lurked in disguise, and it seems that it hasn't been a day or two. ”

Duan Ning gasped: "If you hadn't found out, the imperial army would have passed through those places in the future, maybe they would have caught the road......"

Tong Ying said again: "And the destruction of the land village and the surviving village seems to be faintly pointing in some direction." I kept an eye on it, regardless of Yuanzhou's objections, I touched along the road and found a small hill, although it was not high, but there were some trees on the mountain, and there was a small river. Judging by the art of war we have learned, the terrain there is very suitable for camping. But I ran around the hill, and found that there was a narrow passage in the back hill, and if the army really camped in front of the mountain, as long as Gerdan sent a few men through the passage and set a few fires in the back camp......"

Duan Ning shook his head and sighed: "It's really bad, this is a trap!" ”

Tong Ying nodded: "But now that I know, this trap is useless." As long as people are sent to guard the passage and people are optimistic about the water source, it is still a good camp. ”

He had a dry mouth, took a few sips of tea, and continued: "I have gained a lot along the way, but unfortunately I was too careless when I entered the customs, and I didn't find that the leader of the chasing army arranged a sentry nearby and leaked his whereabouts. I remember that your house was here, so I just ran in. After a few days, those people will be withdrawn, and I will go to the capital again, and the emperor will not send troops in the past two years. ”

Duan Ning breathed a sigh of relief, and found that his hands were unconsciously clenched into fists, and his palms were sweaty: "Your journey is really thrilling, I didn't expect that in the hinterland of the Qing Dynasty, you, a prince of the clan, would encounter such dangers." ”

Tong Ying snorted coldly: "I had the intention to find the garrison to escort me into Beijing, but the first general I met after entering the customs was actually the eldest brother's person." You also know that my brother and the eldest brother have a bit of a fight, and the general is so confused that he wants to trouble me. Fortunately, Yuan Zhou found out that something was wrong and took me to dodge, otherwise I would not be able to sit in front of you now. It's hard to say. ”

Duan Ning's eyes widened: "How can he be so bold?" Aren't you afraid that the emperor will blame you? ”

"Afraid of what? At that time, he already knew that there were pursuers, and if something happened to me, he would have to send what I had brought back and put the blame on Gerdan's men, and he would at most be guilty of poor guarding, compared to the credit for providing information. What's it? Tong Ying sneered, "So I haven't looked for the garrison anymore, and I haven't even gone to the yamen in various places, God knows who is who?" I've worked hard all the way here, but I'm planted in the hands of my own people, isn't that too wrong? ”

Duan Ning said angrily: "These people are so frustrated, when the emperor knows about it, he will definitely treat them severely!" ”

Tong Ying said a little gloomily: "Even if you cure them." It won't have any effect on the people above him. Read the full text of the Gates of Hell, don't mention it. He cheered up and said to his friend, "I've been busy memorizing maps and maps in my head these days

Come out. On the way, for the sake of insurance, I never wrote them down, again. While you still remember, write it down before you forget it. To be honest, I only remember about eighty or ninety percent of it now, but with what I've found along the way, it should be enough. ”

Duan Ning scrutinized his face. He sighed, "You look tired, it's too hard." If you can trust me, I'd love to help. ”

Tong Ying was stunned and smiled: "This is unfamiliar, I was worried that my uncle was an official of the imperial court, although he was idle at home." It's not good to have anything to do with me, and your sister is a little girl's family, so it's not good to get involved in such a thing. I've been waiting for you to come back, and if you don't help me, I won't do it. ”

Duan Ning smiled and said, "Then say, what do you want me to do?" ”

Tongying stood up and handed him the silk book: "You can copy the things on the ground again." It was stained with the blood of those two heroes. The words are too small, so for the convenience of reading, it is better to copy them again. I'm so busy getting things out of my head that I don't really have the time to do that. ”

Duan Ning took the silk book. He glanced at it and said with a smile: "Leave this matter on me." ”

Tongying patted him on the shoulder, looked at the sky, and said, "It's not early, your sister is still outside." Let's go out to dinner first. Then he put the silk book back in his hand and put it back in the box.

~~~~~~~~~~I'm pinching a sweat of the dividing line, the dividing line ~~~~~~~~====

—

Shuning had been waiting outside for a long time. She wasn't curious enough to eavesdrop outside the door. Since Tong Ying closed the door and only told Duan Ning alone, it means that he didn't want to let himself hear it. As the saying goes, curiosity kills cats, and it's better for her not to gossip. She stayed outside to clean the house a little, and by the way, stood guard for the two people in the house.

As soon as Tong Ying pulled Duan Ning out of the room, she found out what Shu Ning was doing and smiled at her. Duan Ning said to his sister, "I will live here from tonight, and I will ask my sister to bring two meals." Shuning looked at the looks on his and Tongying's faces, and said, "I don't ask the two elder brothers what they plan to do, it's just that the elder brother still has studies, if he really wants to stay here, he should tell his parents." Duan Ning nodded.

The brother and sister were about to report the matter to their parents, but Tongying stopped Duan Ning: "Yuanzhou and my soldiers are divided into two ways, in fact, it is to lead away the pursuers, and I don't know what happened now." With his skills, he should be able to escape, and please let the family keep an eye on him, and if he comes in, don't think of him as a thief. Duan Ning responded with a smile.

On the way back, Shuning asked his brother who the "Yuanzhou" was, and Duan Ning said: "That's your brother Tongying's entourage, called Ji Yuanzhou, excellent martial arts, I heard that he is a famous master in the rivers and lakes, but I don't know what the specific origin is, Tongying saved his life, and he stayed as a follower." He was in his forties with a long beard. Shuning silently wrote it down, and then slandered in her stomach: Jianghu, see Jianghu again!

After listening to his son's request, Zhang Baohe had different reactions. Zhang Bao pondered for a while and quickly agreed, and said that if it took a long time, he would report to the Guozi Supervisor for him. I don't know what's going on, but I heard that my son's friend Tongying reappeared after disappearing for half a year, and now he's hiding in his own home, and I don't know what he's doing, and now his son actually wants to put down his studies to accompany him?!

However, she knew that her husband would agree to such a thing, and she should have her own considerations, so she did not say anything against it, and asked privately what was going on later.

Zhang Bao also asked if he wanted to completely close the garden, Duan Ning was hesitating, but Shuning said: "Although I don't know what's going on, I expect that the two elder brothers want to avoid people's eyes, if the garden is completely closed, I'm afraid it will attract people's attention, it's better to let reliable people enter the garden, just don't let them approach the area of Pillow Xia Pavilion." ”

Zhang Bao thought about it, so he agreed, and asked Changgui to send all the excess pen, ink, paper and inkstones in the warehouse to the Pillow Xia Pavilion.

That night, when she learned the truth from her husband, she was a little worried. Zhang Bao comforted: "What are you afraid of? Who doesn't know that I'm an official within a radius of dozens of miles? No matter how vicious those Mongols were, they didn't dare to come to the door openly. As long as we don't leak stuffing, how can they be suspicious? Now that the court has long known about the murder of the envoy Ma Di, Tongying Xiaobeizi does not have to rush into Beijing to face the saint, those gangsters can't stay in the territory of Shuntianfu for too long, and after some time, they will naturally be able to enter the city safely. ”

Shi was a little relieved, and then remembered another thing: "My daughter told me something after dinner, there is a person named Wang Gui among the people who usually talk to Duan'er, do you remember?" is Wang Ruibao's son. He seems to regard Tongying and the fourth elder brother as a person, and wants to find out. It was mixed up by Shu'er before, but now even Duan'er has entered the Water Pavilion, if this Wang Gui leaks the news, it will be extremely bad. ”

"Won't it?" Zhang Bao groaned, "At most, this kind of person loves to chew his tongue, and he can't do anything to betray his master." He is also a family slave for several lifetimes. ”

Shi said: "If you are not afraid of 10,000, you are afraid of what if." I know that this man likes to drink every day, and when he gets drunk, he talks nonsense. I let him be here because he is now on an errand in the big house. Even if he didn't bring those Mongols here, it would be extremely troublesome to spread the news that the fourth elder brother was staying at our house to the mansion. ”

Zhang Bao thought for a while and said, "You have a point. The affairs of this world are often bad in the hands of some small people. I can't do cruel things, you find him a mistake in the past two days, send him to Baoding Zhuangzi, and ask someone to guard him, so that he will not cause any trouble. ”

Shi nodded: "That's good." Thursday Lin's brother is now in Baoding Zhuangzi, and when he heard that he will be promoted to manager next year, he went back and brought him a letter, asking him to take a good look at Wang Gui, so as not to send anything back to the mansion that should not be said. ”

At the moment, the two husbands and wives were all together, and the two brothers and sons, Xiang Duanning and Tong Ying, also talked.

Tongying asked Duan Ning to convey his thanks to Zhang Bao, but Duan Ning said, "You shouldn't say this." Although we are ignoring the affairs of the DPRK and China now, this matter is very important, and our family is also a generation of lords, so it is naturally our responsibility to help. If you say thank you again, I'll be angry. Tongying had no choice but to smile and say no more.

Duan Ning looked at his face and said, "I see that you are really tired, let it go tonight, and then do it tomorrow morning." There are two of us now, and we move much faster. Tongying also felt that she couldn't hold it anymore, so she agreed.

Since they didn't do anything, they went to bed too early, there was no one in the garden, and the nearest servant was at least sixty or seventy meters away, so the two of them simply put the chaise longue in the house in the open space in front of the pavilion, and put a few white water snacks next to it, and chatted.

The first thing Duan Ning asked was the reason why Tongying left home that day.