In the confusion, a person quietly walked to Zhao Bohu's side, and woke up Kui Duoyou with just one sentence: "Grandpa Guo, the king summoned you to enter the palace quickly to discuss the plan to conquer the lynx." ”

At this moment, whether it is Zhao Bohu or Kui Duoyou, they are all confused: Lynx? Where is this? Why is it that there is another war?

It was normal for Zhao Bohu to feel strange. Since the Zhou Dynasty and the Lynx became mortal enemies since the time of King Mu, there would be a major war almost every three or five years, but that was usually in the spring. In the spring, the grasslands have just thawed, and the stored grain and belongings have been exhausted after a cold winter. The herdsmen had to come out to loot in order to continue to survive, and the Zhou Dynasty had to defend itself with halberds in order to protect itself.

But it's spring! Now it is autumn, the grassland is rich in water and grass, cattle and sheep are growing fat, and the nomads are fat and strong. If the war is unfavorable, it will be winter if it drags on, and then the weather will be cold, the logistics and supplies will not be able to keep up, and the army will be trapped in the ice and snow and unable to move, what can be done?

Everyone knows that autumn is not conducive to fighting against the lynx, but King Zhou Yi was so hard-hearted that he didn't listen to anyone's advice. Zhou Gongding presented the head of the anti-prince Hui, felt that his waist was a little stiffer, and came out to advise confidently: "If the fierce wall does not fight, and makes up your mind to drag it until winter, then our army will be in a dilemma." At that time, it will be difficult to withdraw from the army! ”

Ji Xie's eyes swept over the wooden letter on the desk, where there was a head of his cousin Ji Hui, and he slanted at Zhou Gongding and said: "Guogong has made such a great contribution to my Zhou royal family, this expedition will go with Gu, Qing has always been a blessed person, my army will be able to borrow the power of Qing, turn evil into good fortune, and return to the dynasty with a big victory!" ”

"What, is the king going to go on a personal expedition again?" At this time, Zhao Bohu was also surprised: "Last year, the king just went on a personal expedition and returned with a great victory, but now the palace has suffered a big change, and the king is exhausted, how can he suffer from the expedition?" If the king insists on going to the army, please be the commander and lead the army to the battle! ”

A trace of warmth flashed in Ji Xie's eyes, and he breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Zimu, I know that you are compassionate to Lonely. It's just that this expedition is not trivial, and if it doesn't succeed, it will be a benevolent. You need to stay behind to assist the prince in supervising the country, guarding the two capitals of Fenghao, the country is the most important, and the prince can't do without you! ”

Seeing that Zhao Bohu wanted to argue again, Ji Xie made up his mind not to let him speak again, he stood up and said: "Lone went out this time, the whole army of the Western Sixth Division was dispatched, supplemented by the eldest father of Duke Yu, Qin Jun responded, and Duke Zhou participated in the expedition. The soldiers were very fast, and they started three days later, and asked Gongzi Mu to assist in the expedition to fight for grain and grass. You don't have to say anything more! ”

Zhou Gongding secretly complained in his heart: Every time he goes on an expedition, he takes me with him, because he is afraid that he will hinder the prince! I don't know if it's so good this time.

When the ministers saw that the matter had come to this, they could only shake their heads and sigh and withdraw from the main hall. King Zhou Yi left Zhao Bohu behind, and instructed alone: "If you can't break the battle of Taiyuan this time, you will swear not to return to Beijing." If something happens, you must take care of the crown prince's accession to the throne, and the emperor father ------ queen have entrusted their two sons to you and his wife! ”

Zhao Bohu couldn't help but feel sad, knelt on the ground and wept: "King, before you set out on the expedition, don't say such bad luck, the minister must assist the prince to supervise the country, and wait for the king to return victorious!" ”

Because he wanted to take Kui Duoyou to the East Palace to send a letter to Wei Gongzi and send a letter to his family, he kept circling until the moon rose in the east, and then summoned Bohu out of the palace. Although it is autumn, the capital feels extremely cold at night, as if it is winter in an instant. The wind walked quickly among the trees, like a poisonous snake lurking in the shadows, sizzling and spitting its core.

Zhao Bohu looked up at the sky, the night was as dark as ink, the moon was dark and the stars were scarce, and the boundless darkness shrouded the sky. The market is under curfew, and the surrounding area is so quiet that you can hear a pin dropping.

Just as he was about to get into the car, he suddenly heard a voice: "Zimu is slow!" ”

Seeing the comer, Zhao Bohu was stunned: "Grandpa Guo?!" He looked around and hesitated, "Have you been waiting for me here since you dispersed?" ”

Zhou Gongding nodded with a wry smile, Zhao Bohu was quite frightened, and immediately calmed down: "Grandpa Guo must have something important, but it doesn't hurt to talk about it, if the tiger really has something to do, he will not shirk." ”

Zhou Gongding arched his hand and solemnly gave a salute to Zhao Bohu, and Zhao Bohu returned the courtesy: "You and I are both royal ministers, and your generation is still above the tiger, so you don't have to be like this, torture me!" ”

"Zimu is a smart man, you should know that the king is going with the will to die on this trip, right?" Zhou Gongding had a sad face. The subtext is that the dead wife doesn't want to live, don't drag the West Sixth Division to be buried with him, he still wants to live!

Although Zhao Bohu also felt the same way, he couldn't pronounce it, and instinctively retorted: "The king is the son of heaven, and he will be able to turn evil into good fortune and be blessed by heaven; In addition, all the soldiers are brave and take the lead, and the battlefield is unpredictable, and they can often survive in desperate situations and turn defeat into victory. Why is Grandpa Guo so pessimistic? ”

Zhou Gongding waved his hand: "Sad or not pessimistic, and say otherwise." Zimu asked me to eradicate the waste prince Hui, and now that I have done it, it is Zimu's turn to fulfill the contract. ”

Zhao Bohu frowned: "Could it be that ------ you want me to come forward and keep you in Haojing?" "I'm afraid this is difficult.

"No, no, no." Zhou Gongding stroked his beard and said: "The king has made up his mind, and he wants to get rid of the old man with the help of the fox to relieve the hatred in his heart." Others still have life, but only the old man will never survive. I only hope that Zimu can keep my children and grandchildren safe, I don't know if it is possible? ”

His tone was almost begging, and Zhao Bohu couldn't bear it for a while: "The Zhou family has been a prince for generations, and his status in the dynasty is respected, not to mention that the old prince has already established a suitable son." Don't worry, if there is an accident, I will definitely make a statement to the prince to ensure the safety of all ages in the Zhou Mansion. ”

"Thank you, Zimu." Zhou Gongding was obviously relieved.

Zhao Bohu got into the car, and his heart was very blocked, as if he was asking him to entrust the future, which was really unlucky. Why is it him? was the queen before, and now it is King Yi and Zhou Gongding, does he really look so reliable?

In early November, King Zhou Yi ordered Taishi Bu to be an auspicious day, and the royal driver personally came to the parade platform outside the pickaxe capital, ordered the generals, and sacrificed blood to the sky, and then led most of the people and horses of the West Sixth Division to go west. The army is mighty, with flags covering the sky, swords and armor, and murderous aura soaring into the sky.

The crown prince Ji Hu stood on the wall of the pickaxe capital and looked straight at the grand scene under the city, and was very angry: "My father never took me on the expedition, and it has been several years since the attack on Jingchu, and I have never been out of this pickaxe capital, and I am suffocated to death!" ”

"Come on!" Wei He joked: "Have you ever seen a king go out with a prince?" The crown prince is the foundation of the country and cannot be shaken. He shook his head in an old-fashioned manner, which made everyone laugh.

"That's right!" Ji Hu tilted his head and asked Kui Duoyou, who was leaning against the wall, "Brother Duoyou, why don't you go with you?" With your ability, you can make a contribution to the account before listening. Wouldn't it be happy for a man to make meritorious contributions on the battlefield, and to be crowned a wife and son in the future? ”

"Companion is like a tiger, I won't go!" Kui Duoyou threw away the wine gourd in his hand: "Besides, I have no wife and no children, and I am relaxed, and I have no worries in this world, isn't it comfortable?" ”

Zhao Bohu seemed to be aroused by this remark: "Duoyou, you are nineteen, and it is almost time to start a family." Since you and I have already bowed, I should take care of your family affairs for you, and if you start a family earlier, you can have a concern, right? ”

I don't want Kui Duoyou to hear this, but it seems that he is really angry, his face is red, he stomps his feet and "hums", and he hates and leaves.

Sometimes God plays tricks on people, and there is no bottom line. Ji Xie, the king of Zhouyi, was indeed as Zhao Bohu expected, and he was committed to conquering the lynx with the ambition of death. The middle route army led by him was full of banners, strong soldiers and strong horses, and came all the way to the upper reaches of the Jing River, for fear that people would not know that this was the main force of the Chinese army conscripted by King Zhou.

But such a swagger really frightened the Rong people, not to mention that the lynx did not dare to plunder its edge, and even the mountain bandits and bandits who had been operating on both sides of the Jing River for decades temporarily closed their businesses and avoided them, so naturally there was no harvest except for the loss of grain and grass along the way.

If you lose the east, you will gain the mulberry. On the contrary, the side road of the eldest father of Yu Gong gained a lot, and somehow he touched the rampant military horse farm and captured thousands of good horses in one fell swoop. You must know that in the Western Zhou Dynasty, Marco was a precious strategic asset. These thousands of horses are enough to equip a cavalry regiment, or a chariot of 300 rides. Not to mention the fact that it was captured from the enemy, the losses of the lynx were huge, and it was impossible to launch a large-scale and effective attack on Liangjing for at least two or three years.

He set out in early October in autumn and returned in less than a month. Zhao Bohu received the military report, counted the days, and the king of Zhou was going to return to Beijing in three or five days, so he had to hurry up to prepare for the triumph of the king. He was making preparations here, not wanting another group of people to arrive from the south first.

As soon as he entered the East Palace and saw the prince, he bowed down with tears in his eyes: "The minister is disloyal and disrespectful, and he didn't catch up with the queen's funeral ceremony in a hurry, and the minister is guilty!" ”

Ji Hu recalled his deceased mother, and he was also sad, so he quickly helped Fanzi up and said: "Uncle doesn't have to blame himself, Fanguo and Haojing are thousands of miles apart, the road is impassable, and it is normal for uncle to not be able to catch up, why should I blame myself so much?" ”

Fanzi wiped the tears from the corners of his eyes, and sighed to himself: "If you don't have to wait for the young girl and Lu, you won't leave so late, if only you could come earlier!" ”

"What? Uncle came this time, did he bring his cousin? Didn't you come to find their in-laws' house for them? Perhaps the atmosphere just now was too sad, and Ji Hu wanted to change the topic to a lighter one.

"Uh-huh." Fanzi's expression was a little unnatural: "I heard that the king is about to return to Beijing in triumph?" ”

"yes. His father's expedition this time was very rich, and Taifu Yu was the leader, and Qin Jun was flanked as the auxiliary, and his father had ordered him to be promoted to the title of viscount------"

The nephew and uncle gossiped for a while, and then Fanzi returned and went to Zhaoguo Mansion to visit his daughter. Ji Hu leaned on the door to see him off, and was a little puzzled: "You said that your uncle brought his cousins to Hojing, why did you say that?" ”