Chen Gong, the second assistant of Dajing, the deputy head of the Qilin Pavilion.

The nominal status is second only to Xiao Yuanzheng, the original Zhongshu Ling, and the second place in the 100 civil and military officials of Dongjing, Weilong for ten years.

During the time of Taizong, on the occasion of a certain recital, he was famous both inside and outside the country with the words of "the subordinate is the king of goods, the middle minister is the king of the body, and the minister is the king of personnel", and then he worshiped the official Qilin Pavilion scholar.

This old man, who had resigned as the left minister and the secretary of the Ministry of Rites for the crown prince Xiahou Chun, did not act as a prestige after coming to Shuozhou City, let alone a trace of oppression and arbitrary power.

The noisy and noisy Shuozhou city back camp, the grain and grass raised from all sides are constantly moving into the camp, the soldiers are in a hurry when moving the grain, and an old man takes two personal guards to inspect the military rations to prevent the merchants from shoddy, the military rations are mostly corn, supplemented by domestic animal jerky, wild beast bacon and horse meat and donkey meat killed in battle, etc., but as a last resort, the soldiers will not eat horse meat.

From time to time, the old man checked whether the grain was spoiled, damp, moldy, rotten, and lacking catties, and after confirming that there was no major problem, he continued to move forward, and from time to time he helped the soldiers and pushed the cart that transported the grain.

From time to time, a soldier bumped into the old man, and he didn't mind, but helped the other party to prevent him from falling.

As he walked, he instructed Yan Dao, a part-time grain officer: "The storage of military grain is a matter of great importance, remember to prevent moisture, and not to expose it to the outside. ”

Yan Dao's experience became more and more stable, and he immediately hugged his fists and said: "Rest assured, there will be no mistakes in the humble position." ”

The old man's face softened, and he glanced at him, "The soldiers on duty must patrol day and night to prevent spies from destroying grain, burning grain, or stealing grain. ”

"In addition, the forage of the war horses should not be negligent, if something goes wrong, not only the horses will starve, but the cavalry will not be useful, and when the time comes, they will go to the battlefield and lose their mobility, and our soldiers can only be beaten passively and become live targets."

"Whoa! The lowly duty is written! ”

"Well, I am relieved that you will do things, but if you are not afraid of 10,000, you are afraid of what happens, you can control the rice bags of our tens of thousands of troops, and if there is any mistake, this pavilion will take your sacrifice flag." The old man nodded lightly, glanced at the grain official, and after seeing his pale face, he changed his tone, "Of course, after this battle, this pavilion will also reward meritorious deeds, and naturally you are indispensable." ”

The man's face softened, and a smile appeared on his face, "Humble duty understands!" ”

The old man waved his hand, "Well, let's get busy." ”

After the grain officer left, he seemed to be aware of it and subconsciously turned around.

I saw a handsome young man walking slowly with a few people.

After the young man approached, he looked at the hurried soldiers around him, and saw that they were dressed in thin winter clothes, although the cold winter was gone, but the cool breeze hit, there was still a slight chill.

The ground is muddy, people are screaming, noisy in the noise, and from time to time people shouting and screaming, but more is orderly and orderly in chaos.

Chen Gong glanced the young man up and down, a smile of relief appeared on his tired face, and he said, "The spirit is a little full." ”

The young man is Xiahou Chun.

His eyes were complicated, and he said softly: "The grievance pavilion is old." ”

Murong Yan looked at the old man silently, and couldn't help but feel respect.

Even the arrogant Tianxin fell silent, carefully looking at the former elder of the Great Jing Central Pavilion.

Zhicicada clasped his hands together and said to the old man: "Changguo Temple has seen Master Chen. ”

The old man's face was flat, and he bowed his head slightly.

During the dispute between Buddhism and Taoism, Dajing chose to stand in the camp of Taoism and joined forces to drive Buddhism back to the Western Regions.

Now that the time has passed, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has led the Buddha Gate into the game to contend with the Daomen, he sighed secretly, and he can only say that there is a destiny for every drink and peck.

Chen Gong patted Xiahou Chun's shoulder, rolled up his sleeves, picked up a bundle of alfalfa that fell on the ground, put it on the passing cart, and said with a smile: "Before the first emperor left, he took the hand of the old minister and asked me what is the matter?" Your Highness knows how the old minister answered? ”

Xiahou Chun shook his head, indicating that he didn't know.

The old man patted the dust on his hands, looked away, and said softly: "I said, the emperor serves all the people with his body, and the ministers serve the emperor with orders." ”

Xiahou Chun helped the old man, thinking of the scene of the monarch and the minister playing right by the dragon couch, his eyes couldn't help but be in a trance, and he blurted out: "I must be very pleased to think of the Tai Sect Master." ”

The old man laughed and scolded, "Bullshit! The old man was so angry that he sat up directly, pointed at the old minister's nose and scolded: Get out of your mother, your Chen Gong is my Xiahou clan's Yulu, and it is not the people of the world, you remember to me, your loyal emperor, not the people of the world, will die in office in the future. ”

Behind the two of them, Tianxin was stunned when he heard this, and a blank look appeared for the first time in his cold eyes.

Murong Yan blinked her small eyes, thought about it, or automatically filter out this passage, and must not affect the glorious image of Emperor Taizong as a god and martial artist in her mind.

However, he thought so, and obviously knew a lot about the culprit who expelled Buddhism, what kind of bullshit wisdom and martial arts, the emperor is always the most selfish in the world.

Especially a stubborn and self-serving existence like Emperor Taizong, he is a monster among monsters, if he really takes the people of the world as the center, he is not afraid of going south to compete for the throne, so that more than ten states and counties will fall into the flames of war, causing the spirit of the Central Plains to be devastated.

Xiahou Chun smiled bitterly, this kind of arrogant attitude may really be the tone of that Taizong, after all, after the departure from the Daomen, he dared to pull Dajing and the Daomen to die together, but it was also this kind of momentum of 'the king of heaven and Laozi had to be stepped on under his feet', so that the former head of Xuanzong had to shrink to Tiandu Peak, and he did not dare to go down the mountain for decades, for fear of being ambushed by Taizong.

Of course, perhaps it was this attitude of contempt for the world's heroes that made Xuanzong have to kill Taizong Ye by despicable means.

The cool breeze suddenly came, the clouds suddenly gathered, the old man immediately changed color, and said sharply to the sentry: "The heavy rain is coming, let them hurry up, if they let the grain and grass get a drop of water, this pavilion will kill them alive!" ”

Once the army rations are soaked, tens of thousands of troops will be starved to death.

The consequences are unimaginable.

Hearing this, the soldiers trembled in unison, and hurriedly buried their heads in pushing the cart.

Chen Gong rubbed his old waist and frowned slightly.

Xiahou Chun hurriedly asked, "What is the discomfort of Elder Chen Ge?" ”

The old man waved his hand and asked casually, "You came from Qinzhou, can you see Old Man Yan?" ”

Old man Yan?

That Luguo Gong Yan Ji Dao in Qinzhou?

Xiahou Chun was stunned when he heard this, and opened his mouth, a little at a loss.

Seeing the prince like this, the old man frowned lightly and remained silent.

Xiahou Chun hung his head and was silent, as if he had made a big mistake.

The cicada lowered his eyebrows and subconsciously held his breath.

Tianxin glanced at Xiahou Chun, and finally felt a trace of humanity in him.

In the past, he was always holding a shelf, or His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, or the prince of a country who controlled the local military and political power, or the Qing Dan master who was holding a sword and killing himself.

But today, it was the first time she saw him 'fall from the altar', and he was reprimanded by an old man who was powerless and did not dare to speak.

Murong Yan hesitated, as if she wanted to defend Xiahou Chun, but after the old man turned his head to look at her expressionlessly, she didn't dare to speak again.

After a long time, the old man spoke.

His voice was flat, and he looked at the joy and sorrow, and asked, "What is wrong with him?" ”

Xiahou Chun showed guilt and a bitter face.

The old man suddenly said sharply: "What are you doing in a daze, talking!" ”

There was a moment of silence all around, and all the soldiers quietly turned their heads.

It was the first time they had seen Chen Ge Lao so angry.

Even General Li went out of the city without permission and disobeyed military orders, which did not make him so angry.

"Boom!!"

In an instant, lightning and thunder were intertwined in the haze of the sky, like silver snakes and fire dragons shuttling through the dark clouds.

It seemed to feel the anger of the old man, and suddenly a thunderbolt fell.

Just to shock the charm of the world.

A thunderclap exploded in the cloudy sky.

In this quiet back camp, the thunder became more and more deafening.

But no one dared to speak loudly, and after looking at each other, they all silently bowed their heads to carry grain and grass.

Even walking cautiously, for fear of touching the mold.

Xiahou Chun seemed to have fine sweat on his forehead, his voice was hoarse, and he said astringently: "Lu Guogong has been dead for two years. ”

He hurriedly told the changes in Qinzhou one by one, including his killing of Song Yanqing.

As he spoke, he clearly noticed that the old man's strong tired body was gradually weakening a little, and the wrinkles on his face like old bark were several layers deeper.

What made Xiahou Chun's heart even more chuckle was that he actually felt a trace of death from this old man.

There is no greater mourning than death.

The old man, at this moment, seemed disappointed.

Maybe it's someone, or it's a force, or maybe it's a country.

He slowly raised his head, looked at the south from afar, there was no sadness or joy on his face, and he said to himself: "Lao Yan is very stubborn, how stubborn he is, I remember that when the first emperor opened Enke, he entered the Shike three middle schools and taught three editions, but he still didn't want to give in, so he had to take the top prize, saying that this was his father's wish." ”

"But only I know that his father and mother died a long time ago, and it was the first emperor who gave him a bite to eat and saved his life.

"Finally, for the fourth time, he got his wish and was edited by the official Hanlin as the champion of the new department, and on that day, he was as happy as a child as a twenty-five or sixteen person." The old man muttered to himself as if he were crying and laughing.

"Then he supervised the imperial history, the official Langzhong, the state assassin history and the servant of the ministry, and finally at the age of fifty, he moved into the Qilin Pavilion, but the stool was not hot, and he heard that the Taixing bandits were rampant, and the military disasters continued.

A sneer crossed Chen Gong's eyes, and he said disdainfully: "Guess what, the first thing he thinks about is not suppression, but probation, claiming that he can use the way of a saint to promote the chaos and thieves in Hedong, so as not to make a big move in the imperial court, after all, soldiers, big murderers." ”

He turned his head to look at Xiahou Chun, and said with a smile: "Do you think he is stupid, and he has been gone for fifteen years, fifteen years, how many fifteen years can a person have in this life, but this idiot has been nesting in Hedong Dao for a whole fifteen years." ”

Xiahou Chun gritted his teeth and pursed his lips without saying a word, he watched the old man scold the deceased old man for being stupid, and at the same time he burst into tears and talked to himself.

The more the old man spoke, the more excited he became, and he scolded hatefully: "He's just a fool, can't he just suppress it directly when he encounters a rebel, he can't beat a cultivator, don't you know how to ask His Majesty for help, the beaten nose and swollen face are still silent, hey, it's really an honest man who swallows his anger, are you afraid that those masters who worship the metaphysics are tired?" Or are you afraid that the first emperor will be disappointed? ”

"And those bullshit families, don't you know to ask us for help? Lao Tzu doesn't believe that their fists can be harder than 100,000 forbidden troops? If you had told Lao Tzu earlier, I helped you level Hedong Road, you still wanted to tell them the truth of the sage, and open a academy like a fool. ”

"Straight lady thief, open a fart academy, some people don't hurt him, will patiently listen to your reasoning? Even the saints know that they can reason with you after the fight, why are you so pedantic? ”

"You idiot! Silly presumption! Reckless! ”

The old man kept scolding and scolding, and he scolded so much that he burst into tears.

He staggered and trembled towards the main tent.

Xiahou Chun subconsciously helped, but was thrown away by the old man.

As he walked, he heard a pop.

The old man fell to the ground.

Xiahou Chun's heart was broken, and he exclaimed: "Old Ge!! ”

The barracks were immediately thrown into chaos.

Chen Ge Lao fainted.

The news from this side quickly spread throughout Shuozhou City, and everyone's faces changed, and they all rushed to the main tent.

All the brigade commanders, captains, and generals came.

Li Daoyan also came, and Shi Yandao, the new governor of Shuozhou, who was in charge of food, taxation, and government affairs, came.

After resisting the 20,000 iron horsemen in the clouds, Yan Dao really did not enter the political arena of Dajing and entered the ranks of the six products.

is different from Li Daoyan, a general of the military department who is recorded in the official department, Yan Dao's official identity comes from the support of the old man in the tent, and it can be said that his future and fate of Yan Dao have been tightly tied to the old man's body.

There was a look of worry on their faces, and they looked into the tent from time to time, and walked anxiously to and fro.

Yan Dao paced back and forth restlessly, seeing that Li Daoyan frowned, he turned his head and asked the sentinel, "What's going on, it's so decent, why did Chen Ge Lao faint?" ”

The sentry replied tremblingly: "I don't know the specific situation, but Chen Ge Lao was with His Royal Highness the Crown Prince when he was unconscious. ”

Everyone was silent for a moment, and some looked at each other.

Yan Dao frowned and asked, "When did the prince come to the border?" Why don't we know at all? ”

He looked displeased, and snorted coldly: "He didn't come when he was fighting, but now that the war is over, he is running upside down, and Chen Ge Lao is faint as soon as he comes, what does he want to do?" It's too ugly, isn't it? ”

Li Daoyan frowned and shouted, "Shut up!" His Royal Highness the Crown Prince's daughter can patrol the border and comfort the border soldiers, it is enough to know that he will be a Ming Jun in the future, how can he do anything to hurt the elder of the pavilion? Besides, how does the prince act, how can we put our beaks in mind? They all said a few words, and they were caused trouble by the soldiers. ”

The lieutenants on his side were also a little dissatisfied when they heard this, but after hearing Li Daoyan's reprimand, they restrained a little.

Yan Dao seemed to have anger in his eyes, but he finally endured it and walked to the side with his sleeves.

At this moment, the big account was opened, and a young man walked out from within.

The generals' eyes were fixed, only to see that his plump spirit was handsome, his face was like a crown of jade, and the April day in the north was still a little cold, but his thin robe covered his body, and his complexion was ruddy, and he was not affected at all, as if he was a person in cultivation.

Li Daoyan immediately stepped forward, clenched his fists and asked, "His Royal Highness the Prince, how is the Pavilion Elder?" ”

His Royal Highness the Crown Prince?

This is the crown prince?

The faces of the lieutenants and brigade commanders changed, and they suddenly stirred.

Many people's faces were hot, they were still talking about the prince behind their backs just now, how could they expect to be arrested by him now.

The captains and brigade commanders were a little restrained, and saluted to Xiahou Chun respectfully.

Xiahou Chun nodded lightly, as if he didn't mind at all, and after he nodded lightly at Li Daoyan, he said to the generals gently: "Everyone go in, the pavilion elder has a call." ”

As soon as the lieutenants entered, they saw the calm and deep eyes of the old man, and they panicked in their hearts and hurriedly bowed their heads.

The old man's complexion was calm, his breathing was even, and he couldn't see the previous anger and sorrow at all, he patted the side of the bed, closed his eyes slightly, and then opened them again, and said softly: "Since they are all here, this pavilion will nag a few words, and listen carefully." ”

Li Daoyan squatted silently beside the bed, the corners of Yan Dao's eyes were slightly moist, "Elder Ge, ...... you?" ”

The old man waved his hand, stopped his words, and said softly: "When you suddenly hear that your old friend has died unjustly, you can't help but lose your temper, don't complain about the prince." ”

Everyone nodded slightly, and their hearts were concerned.

Chen Gong raised his head, looked at the people in front of him, and smiled with relief: "Two months ago, when the old man first arrived, you don't think I'm old and frail, and I want to look at the old man with the head of the horse. ”

He said angrily: "After a long time, I have seen a lot of deceit, and I have also seen a lot of conspiracy and trickery, I don't know how many great Confucians are well-dressed on the surface, but behind the scenes, they are roosters and dog thieves, and they are holy on the outside and dirty on the inside. ”

"Once, I was even disappointed in the people of the world, the court, and Your Majesty, but it wasn't until I came here with self-depreciation, met you, and saw the soldiers who fought bloodily for my Dajing, swore to defend the frontier to the death, and protected all the people in the world, I knew that there was still hope for our Dajing, and it would not be able to die for a while!"

"Thinking about it this way, even if I, Chen, am content, I haven't lived this life in vain, which also shows that we old immortals still have some use in the end."

He laughed at himself: "You also know that when people are old, what they are most afraid of is that they feel like a waste. ”

Li Daoyan's face was solemn, and his right fist hammered into a fist, making a dull sound.

Yan Dao's eyes were moist, and he choked up, "Elder Ge." ”

The generals bit their thick lips and their eyes were red.

The old man patted his palm lightly, and said slowly: "The major events in the army can be as usual, there is no need for the old man to say more, listen to General Li and Lord Yan more if there is something." ”

He smiled and said, "The rest, I don't have anything to say, remember, you have to fucking go back alive, don't die here." ”

The captains and brigade commanders nodded their heads like garlic.

Then the old man waved his hand, "General Li, Yan Changshi, and Du Senjun will stay for a while, and the rest will disperse." ”

After wiping the corners of his eyes, the lieutenants turned back with some hesitation.

Chen Gong immediately laughed and scolded: "Hurry up, one by one, like a girl." ”

As soon as they heard this, these struggling captains and brigade commanders left the big tent.

After they left, Chen Gong beckoned to Xiahou Chun and the others.

Xiahou Chun stepped forward and said softly, "What do you always command?" ”

The old man pointed to the remaining three, "General Li doesn't need me to say more, you have known each other for many years, this is Yan Dao, who was mentioned by me as the governor of Shuo, and this is the son of Du Laoer, you two know each other." ”

Xiahou Chun immediately looked at Yan Dao in the old man's mouth, only to see that he was dressed in coarse cloth clothes, under the erosion and sharpening of the wind and sand, he was a little gray-headed, from his wide cheekbones and cheeks, it can be known that this fat man who must have been fat and heavy before, his figure was a little thin, and the dark circles were a little deep, as if he was overworked.

Yan Dao smiled reluctantly and saluted respectfully: "See His Royal Highness the Prince." ”

Xiahou Chun helped him weakly and said softly: "It's hard." ”

The other party smiled abruptly and didn't say much.

Xiahou Chun didn't care, and then looked at the person next to him.

The other party is a young man, almost twenty-five or sixteen, pursed his lips without saying a word, his face is resolute, the brocade robe on his body has long been eroded by the wind and sand, and the appearance of sewing can be seen in many places, and the unruly scorn between the eyebrows is vaguely visible.

It is conceivable that this young handsome man from the Du family, the top ten high-ranking lords, was also an unruly and fierce horse.

Duch, the Du of 'Weidu'.

It used to be the second highest gate in Dajing.

The family of the founding hero Du Ge Lao.

Xiahou Chun's eyes were warm, and he said softly: "My 'Evergreen Family' in Dajing, this palace has been famous for a long time, I don't want to see it today, but I am slightly disappointed." ”

"Huh?"