"The expeditionary force is at war with the zhōngyāng army? I didn't see it. At least, when I left, the situation was still in the hands of Di Lin, but no one knows how long this situation can last...... It's complicated, and I can't explain it to you. Where is the Lord now? Are you still on the side of the Demon Kingdom? I'll report to him directly, Ming Yu, you help me arrange the carriage and horses, I'll rest here for the night, and continue to set off tomorrow morning. ”

"My lord, if you're looking for a Commander, you don't have to go any further. Ming Yu said: "We have been informed, and the Lord is rushing here from the Demon Kingdom. At this time, it is estimated that it is almost in Minsk. Just rest here and wait for him to come. ”

Ming Yu estimated that it would only take three or two days, but as a result, Lin Bing waited in Valen for five days. Early in the morning of the sixth day, the Outpost Ranger finally arrived, announcing the long-awaited news: "The Lord Archon will arrive in Valen in the afternoon!"

In order to welcome Zichuan Xiu, led by Lin Bing and Ming Yu, the soldiers and civilians in the city poured out of the city and waited on both sides of the city gate.

At dusk, the army of black sè appeared on the horizon.

Banner after banner appeared on the horizon, and endless armor glittered under the falling rì. The endless torrent of people and horses, the endless swords, guns and spears, before the army arrived, people could already feel the fierce breath. Teams of humans, orcs, and demons appeared one after another, as if there was no end.

What is shocking is that the entire army is dressed in black armor, black clothes, and black flags, and the soldiers are all black from head to toe, except for the white ribbon tied around their right arm. The soldiers looked solemn and solemn, and as the army marched, there was no sound except the rustling of footsteps, like a great river of black sè flowing.

Lin Bing then remembered that the chief minister's mourning period was less than a month, and the Zichuan family was still in the state mourning period, and according to custom, the family subjects should mourn Dai Xiao for the death of the chief minister. But in the inland provinces, Di Lin tried to downplay the traditional sè color of the Zichuan regime, and he tried to create a feeling that the dead were just an insignificant old fellow, and that the Zhan Nčngyāng Square symbolized the lowering of the Eagle Banner in the sky—the only sign of silence. There was no memorial service, no silent mourning, no one came out to call for a mass rally to commemorate the chief, and no one held candles in the streets in the middle of the night to pray for the soul of the purple river and the stars - as if it was not the chief of the ruling family who had died for more than ten years, but a master kitchen master.

Lin Bing did not expect that in the Far East, a place that had always been regarded by the Zichuan family as unruly and full of rebellion, she could witness such a massive silent procession, and the entire army mourned in silence for the commander-in-chief who had been killed by his subordinates. A tragic and mournful atmosphere enveloped the audience, and everyone present involuntarily lowered their heads.

Although he does not have a deep affection for the chief, he has been his boss for nearly fifteen years after all. People are not grass and trees, who can be ruthless, recalling the voice and smile of the chief, as well as the elites of the Zichuan family who died in this rebellion, those young or old faces, Stirling, Luo Minghai, Qin Lu, Pigu...... They are all comrades-in-arms who have fought side by side with him, sharing life and death, and they have left him one by one and never returned.

The long suona sound sounded slowly, and a tragic and sad feeling filled Lin Bing's heart, her nose was sour, and she burst into tears.

Under the fluttering Far East Flying Eagle Black Flag, Lin Bing saw Zichuan Xiu. The tall young man was wrapped in dense armor, with a steel helmet on his head and a white ribbon of cloth fluttering behind his head. His face was blocked by the armor, and Lin Bing couldn't see his expression. But she knew that he had seen her too, for he bowed his head slightly to her, and he was surrounded by a group of stout orc officers into the city.

Lin Bing stood in place, watching Zi Chuanxiu's figure disappear into the city gate. In the gaze that Zi Chuanxiu cast just now, she felt a deep sadness, a deep tiredness and water-like eyes, which should not be the eyes of a twenty-six-year-old young man.

An officer of the Xiuzi battalion walked over: "Lord Lin Bing." He said respectfully, "Lord Commander wants to see you—oh, Lord Mingyu, you're here too." Come with me, and the Commander will see you as well. ”

Following the officer, Lin Bing and Ming Yu walked through the dense corridors and stairs, and walked for more than ten minutes before they came to the tower compartment of the Valen Fortress. This is the highest point of the entire fortress and offers a panoramic view of the entire fortress and the surrounding area.

When Lin Bing and Ming Yu pushed the door in, Zi Chuanxiu, who was dressed in armor, was facing away from them, looking out from the attic window.

In addition to Shikawa Xiu, there were several other people in the house. They were all known to Lin Bing, the half-orc general Bran, the deputy chief of staff of the First Army in the Far East and the deputy director of the Far East Intelligence Bureau, Du Yafeng, a red-clothed banner, and a young woman with bright eyes and clean teeth sitting next to Zi Chuanxiu, she was the former Demon God Emperor Cardin of the Demon Kingdom.

The generals nodded to each other, and everyone was silent, for fear of disturbing Zichuan Xiu, who was meditating by the window.

Lin Bing stared intently at the person by the window. His back is still straight, and compared to last year, Zichuan Xiu has lost weight significantly. The armor that was originally close to the body is now obviously wider, and it is loosely draped on him, but the strange thing is that in the emaciated back, there is less flying, more dignified, and he is young, but he also has the momentum of not moving like a mountain.

After a long while, Zichuan Xiu let out a long sigh, he took off the helmet in his hand and turned around.

Seeing his face, Lin Bing and Ming Yu both let out an exclamation of "ah" and stood up at the same time. On Zichuan Xiu's head, the snow-white silver hair stung their eyes.

The high-spirited teenager in the past is now white-headed overnight!

"My lord, ...... you" Lin Bing's voice trembled slightly, she had a lot of things she wanted to say, but looking at Zi Chuanxiu's shocking silver and bright white hair, for some reason, the words were choked in her throat, and she could only say dryly: "My lord, you are concerned about big things, please mourn." ”

Zi Chuanxiu waved his hand, his white hair shook like mercury, and his smile was still as warm as Rì: "Chief Lin, I'm fine." We can all rest assured that you will come back safely. I was ready to rescue you if they were going to detain you, even if they turned around and used force - we have already suffered terrible losses in this catastrophe, and if we lose you again, I really don't know what to do. ”

In his clear eyes, Lin Bing saw sincere care. Her heart was hot, she got up and bowed and said, "My lord values it so much, it is difficult to repay the officials." Lord Qiyu, we did not suffer any difficulties in dìdū. On the contrary, we have been very tolerant and preferential to us. To have such treatment, it is not that there is anything outstanding about the lower officials, but because all parties are afraid of your invincible prestige and the strength of the Far Eastern Army, and we are all protected by your prestige. ”

"Chief Lin, you have worked very hard to go deep into the dangerous place and retrieve valuable first-hand information for us. Dìdū over there, what's the situation? Zi Chuanning, have you found it?"

Zi Chuanxiu's first sentence was to ask about Zi Chuanning's whereabouts, which made Lin Bing slightly surprised. She didn't know, was he concerned about the whereabouts of the family heir, or was he selfishly concerned about the safety of his first love?

"The Supervision Department claimed that His Royal Highness Ning was under their control, but in the past ten days, except for the people from the Supervision Department, no family official has been able to see His Highness Ning. Many people believe that His Royal Highness Ning is probably not under the control of the Supervision Office. Otherwise, even if Her Royal Highness Ning wants to recuperate from her injuries, the Supervision Office will at least let her appear in some public places, or arrange for some centrist officials to meet with her, so as to calm the people's minds, instead of letting rumors spread all over the sky as they are now. The lower officials thought that if she hadn't escaped that night, she would have ......"

Lin Bing didn't say it, but everyone knew what she wanted to say. Everyone's eyes were on Shikawa Xiu.

The King of Light raised his eyebrows: "The whereabouts are unknown, is life and death uncertain?" ”

Lin Bing had a feeling that after experiencing the great tribulation, Zichuan Xiu was deeper, more mature and calm. Now, it was impossible to perceive his true thoughts from his eyes and expressions. However, this is also normal. At the age of twenty-six, he is not only the general of the Zhenguo who is responsible for one party, but now, the hope of the entire Zichuan family is in him.

"Now, the official announcement is that Luo Minghai killed the lord, is this true?"

"It's a lie. ”

"This matter is very important, are you sure?"

"My lord, when the incident happened, the lower officials sent people to investigate everywhere as soon as possible. They visited many witnesses who had witnessed the incident, including residents of Zhōngyāng Street, deserters from the Praetorian Guard, veterans who witnessed the battle, the wife of Lord Qin Lu, the guards of His Highness Ning's mansion, and even officers and soldiers of the Supervision Office. Our investigators secretly took notes of these and asked them to sign them. The testimony is here, and I would like to ask you and your colleagues to review it when you have time. ”

She took out a thick stack of transcripts of testimony, and Zi Chuanxiu nodded, but didn't take it.

Lin Bing said: "Actually, I have also met with Di Lin himself. He confessed that he was responsible for the rebellion. ”

Ming Yu exclaimed, "Chief Lin, have you met Di Lin, what did he say?"

Lin Bing retold the conversation between the two. The lieutenant commander of the Far Eastern Army has a superhuman memory, and she not only recounts the conversation between the two word for word, but even imitates the tone and demeanor vividly. After hearing less than half of it, Zi Chuanxiu could be sure that this was indeed Di Lin's original words - his unique tone and diction were difficult to fake, especially the arrogance revealed in his words, which was unique and had no other semicolon.

From Lin Bing's mouth, everyone learned about the Dìdū incident, especially the reason for the Dilin Mutiny, and everyone sighed.

"I didn't expect it to be like this. Ming Yu Hongyi Qiben sighed: "In this way, Di Lin is not ......"

"It's all unforgivable" Before he could say anything, Ming Yu had already discovered his gaffe, and he hurriedly stopped.

No one paid attention to Ming Yu's gaffes. The generals of the Far East had a heavy heart. They couldn't have imagined that Zichuan Shenxing's inexplicable conjecture and Luo Minghai's hatred would have such a tragic consequence, and the elite generals of the Zichuan family were swept away.

Shikawa Xiu was silent, and his heart fluctuated. After knowing the reason for the incident, his mood became even more sad and angry.

Sterling, his loyal and courageous brother, he was born and died countless times for the family. For such a ridiculous incident, he died at the hands of his most trusted brother! There is no greater injustice than this!

But if you put yourself in Dillin's shoes and put yourself in Dillin's place, what can you do except rebel and mutiny like him?

At this time, Shikawa Xiu clearly recalled the scene when they were young, when they played under the apple trees in Zichuanning Manor. He could even smell the cool scent of autumn apples. The ground was covered with a layer of yellow leaves sprinkled with dewdrops, and the tall apple trees had a slightly bitter green smoke rising from the leaves, and the autumn wind that drifted around the orchard stirred the boy's clothes and the girl's green silk......

The sky outside the window was gray, and Shikawa Xiu's mood was even more gray than the sky. Who would have thought that teenagers and girls who were brothers and sisters back then are now faced with such a cruel choice and cannibalism.

"Let's talk about what everyone thinks. ”

The room was surprisingly quiet, and the generals were all looking at Zichuan Xiu, everyone had all kinds of thoughts, and their eyes were complicated, but no one spoke.

Shikawa Xiu said it again.

After a long time, as if she had made up her mind, Lin Bing stood up and gave a straight military salute, she said solemnly: "My lord, the lower officials know that you have a deep friendship with His Excellency Di Lin, but you are an important minister who has been favored by the three generations of chiefs of His Royal Highness Yuanxing, His Highness Sanxing and His Highness Ning, you must know that national hatred is more important than personal feelings!"

Nowadays, the chaotic parties steal national politics, reverse right and wrong, confuse black and white, blaspheme orthodoxy, rule the country with power and violence, and fool the people. Although the world is big, those who can turn the tide will have no one else!

The lower officials have the courage to beg your lords to immediately send troops to rebel against King Qin, restore the state government, and save the society! This is also the hope of the heroes of the world and the expectation of all loyal and virtuous ministers. If you don't come out, there will be no right way in the world!

If the adults march to rebel, the rebels from all over the country will inevitably swarm to respond, and the lower officials are also willing to serve as the vanguard of the dare to die, and swear to serve!"

It was as if a cold wind had suddenly blown into the room, and everyone's expressions froze.

Shikawa Xiu was nothing, but his hands were trembling slightly. He smiled reluctantly at the inquiring gaze of the crowd, his lips trembling, trying to say something—but in the end, he couldn't say anything.

As if not daring to face everyone's gaze, he got up without saying a word, and then left the room.

Everyone looked at each other. After a long while, Lin Bing let out a long sigh, her sigh was full of helplessness and disappointment.

"The Zichuan family is really going to die!"

The cold winter at the beginning of 786 was particularly cold in people's impressions. The snow was heavy and dense, and there were snowstorms in the four provinces southeast of the family. The people's discussion is boiling, and they all say that this is because the boss died unjustly and was angry, which led to this catastrophe in several provinces.

The "Military National Salvation Committee" represented by Di Lin has already regarded itself as the ruling body of the Zichuan family. The committee issued an order to all localities that because of the unfortunate death of His Highness Samxing, the family should hold a solemn mourning event for this purpose, and the governors and governors of all provinces, as well as the officers of all military districts above the flag level, must be present. To do this, they had to arrive in Dìdū by February 5 of 786. Except for the Far Eastern Military Region, which is exempt from participating because of the long distance and the tight situation of the war, officials from all other military regions and provinces are not allowed to be absent.

The order came very harshly: "All officials who do not arrive at Dìdū before the fifth day of February will be regarded as disrespectful to His Highness Counselor and great contempt for His Highness the new Governor-General, His Highness Ning, and the family will never tolerate this." ”

It is not uncommon for the Zichuan family to gather such a large number of towns and military officers from all over the country, but those who know the history of Jīng remember that this kind of action is often a precursor to various "purges" and "rectifications". From these simple words, those family officials with sharp noses can smell blood. At this time, the provincial governors were still in awe of the authority of zhōngyāng and obeyed, and although they were reluctant, the governors slowly packed up their small baggage, said goodbye to their families, and walked towards dìdū.

But in the northwest, the decree of the military council was resisted. The main obstacle is a heavyweight from the northwest, Lord Minghui, the commander of the border guards. At a luncheon, Commander Minghui publicly said that he was very busy with his affairs this year, and it was estimated that he would not be able to go to Dìdū. Moreover, his subordinates are also busy.

"This official believes that as a general guarding the border, guarding the land well and completing his duties is the best condolences to His Highness Sanxing and the highest respect to His Highness Ning. ”

As for the order of the Military Salvation Committee......

Lord Minghui said: "I am a general of the border guards, I obey the orders of His Royal Highness the Commander-in-General, I obey the dispatch of the command, I obey the orders of the Military Affairs Department, and as for the Military Salvation Committee, what kind of organization is it? ”

"But Lord Dilin said......"

"Lord Dilin is the Inspector General, and it is enough for him to take care of the military judges and the gendarmerie. Ordered the generals of the border guards to abandon their duties and go back to Dìdū - I don't believe that Lord Dilin would do such a stupid thing, it must be the fools who gave the order a mistake!"

Although they were thousands of miles apart, the smell of gunpowder between the two important ministers was so strong that even a blind man could feel it, and only one spark was needed to explode.

The Supervision Office knows very well that Minghui, a powerful town marquis who is in charge of one party, has his own intelligence channels, and it is impossible to expect those foolish propaganda to deceive them. They must have known the truth about the Dìdū incident. Originally, Di Lin didn't think about it, with the gendarmes of the Supervision Department as the main force, supplemented by the expeditionary force, to carry out a crusade against Minghui, in order to make an example and deter the entire family. But considering that the Northwest Frontier Army is a strong force and the Northwest Plain is vast, if Minghui comes up with his old tricks and runs away if he can't fight, then I don't know when this chase will last. If the main force of the Supervision Office is caught in a stalemate with the border guards and cannot be withdrawn, Dìdū will become an empty city, and it will be difficult to ensure that the Senate or other forces loyal to the Zichuan family will not take the opportunity to seize it. At that time, the Ombudsman was really on the verge of collapse.

Moreover, the staff of the Supervision Office also analyzed an even more terrifying possibility: even if the Supervision Office could win the long bloody battle and force Minghui to a dead end, then he could simply surrender to Liufeng Shuang and borrow troops from the Liufeng family to deal with Di Lin - this is not impossible, Lei Hong, the deputy commander of the Far East, and Lu Dìdū, the Great Governor of the Far East of the Demon Kingdom, walked such a road, and compared to them, Minghui was more justified: he was not treasonous, but "borrowed troops to rebel and avenge the chief of the stars!"

Therefore, for the Northwest Frontier Army, the Supervision Department only stayed on the lips and put a few cruel words, and did not dare to really fight. The majesty lies in the prohibition of the order, but now that Dìdū has made it clear that he does not dare to provoke Zichuan Xiu in the Far East, and he cannot subdue Minghui in the northwest, then this summoning order seems very funny.

The governors were whispering and watching as events unfolded. To stand up alone against dìdū, they don't have the guts. But now that a big man like Minghui has come out, it's still okay to hide behind him and play Tai Chi.

For a while, the snowflake-like official documents flew to Dìdū, and the governors reported to them that they were seriously ill and could not bear the toil of the long journey, and begged His Royal Highness the Governor for mercy and approval of his resignation.

The think tank of the Supervision Office, Commander Imaishi, was so angry that his teeth hurt. Of course, he knew that the governors did not really want to resign, they were just using it to blackmail and test Dìdū's bottom line. As long as Dìdū agrees that they will not come to the memorial service, it will be ensured that the officials who are sick to death will be alive and well in the blink of an eye.

There were also differences of opinion at the top of the Office. Officials such as Gopra, Bai Xia, and Lu Zhen all believed that the power of the Supervision Office was not stable, and it was not appropriate to exert too much pressure on the local authorities, and that it was better to appease the governors first, calm down the situation, and then slowly clean them up. They advocate the use of heavy-handed measures, severe repression, and an example of what to do.

In fact, personally, Dilin also tends to use tough measures. But as the ruler of the country, he could not fail to think about its consequences. He was worried that if he was too tough and pushed the governors of all places to Minghui or Zichuan Xiu, it would be tantamount to doing the enemy a favor. But to accede to the demands of the governors seemed too weak for him to accept.

To that end, the Office of the Inspector General Inspectorate held five high-level meetings in three days. At the meeting, officials from both factions were arguing endlessly, trying to expound their views, hoping to give Di Lin more influence. Because the arguments were so heated that no decision could be reached at several meetings, officials had to decide again and again to postpone the meeting.

In the early morning of January 20, 786, the Zichuan family border.

Under the dazzling blue sky, a cold wind was blowing. On the horizon, the sun has risen, warming this land of chūn all year rounds.

Although it was only early in the morning, the winter frost-stained avenue was already boiling with people. A steady stream of convoys is advancing, both east and west. The caravan continued, and the horseman's cheerful shouting resounded on the road: "De'er~Rack~" During the march, from time to time, familiar businessmen shouted and greeted each other: "× shopkeeper, you are early~", "Boss ×, hello!" The children of the breakfast shop on the roadside are also shouting hard: "Freshly baked meat buns, one bite at a time!"

"Delicious and fragrant tea!"

The restaurants are also one after another, and the banners and signboards on display are waving in the wind. This avenue was the main trade route between the two countries, and what was once a wilderness road has long since become a lively street. The bustling flow of people, the lively noise, the sound of cars and horses and the shouting of people converged into one, and a vivid atmosphere full of vitality and vitality came to the face.

There is a two-hundred-year peace between Heqiu and the Zichuan family, and since the head of the Lin family and the head of the Zichuan family signed a peace agreement one hundred and twenty years ago, the successive heads of state of the two countries have well observed this agreement, and the southwest has not suffered from war for more than a hundred years. Tens of millions of people live and work in peace and contentment on this land. During the War to Resist the Demon Clan, the southwest region, as the strategic rear of the Zichuan family, provided more than two million soldiers and laborers for the Zichuan family, and contributed more than 30 billion in taxes. It is precisely because of the southwest that the Zichuan family can regroup and regain its vitality from repeated failures.

But in the early morning of January 21, 786, everything changed.

When the cavalryman of the Guard Hall in a white snow cloak came from the road, it did not attract everyone's attention at first. The businessmen even greeted him in a friendly manner: "Master Jun, it's really hard to come out to inspect so early!"

The young cavalry officer did not answer with a smile as usual, but responded with silence. Riding on a tall horse, he pursed his lips and looked down coldly at the busy crowd in front of him, contemptuous as if he were looking at a swarm of ants. He sat calmly on his horse, and walked slowly and calmly, along the avenue. He didn't stop until he was in front of the green squire.

At this time, a businessman kindly reminded him: "Master Jun, you can't go forward anymore." If you go any further, you'll be punished!"

On the stele of green sè, there are several big characters in red sè written uprightly: "Zichuan family border".

A mocking smile appeared on the officer's lips. At this time, passers-by and merchants nearby had a faint feeling that something unusual was about to happen in front of them, and they held their breath and looked at them in unison.

In the stunned gaze of everyone, the officer jerked the reins, the war horse neighed, and the wind rushed over the border monument. The arrogant young Zhuang officer jumped on his horse and galloped, raised his hat high, and let out a long whistling: "Woo~woo~" The wind howled and thundered, he galloped like the wind, and the white cloak hunted and flew in the cold wind, like the wings of a giant eagle, fiercely trying to swallow everything in front of him!

"Oh my God, is he crazy?" Looking at the back of the officer, everyone was surprised, and shouted one after another: "It's such a big fuss, if it alarms the Zichuan family and causes a diplomatic dispute, I'm afraid he won't be able to eat a military stick when he goes back!"

A loud rumbling sound was heard in the distance. From the way where the cavalry officer appeared, an army appeared at this moment, and the blue sè banner painted with the hibiscus flower pattern danced desperately on the horizon, and under the guidance of this flag, thousands of soldiers wearing the hibiscus flower emblem appeared one after another, and they crossed the caravan like water, crossed the convoy and shop pù on the side of the road, and crossed the border between the Zichuan family and the Lin family.

The high-ranking generals in uniform on white horses shouted: "Go, soldiers, Danya is ahead! Take the city, and the thousand-year-old glory of the Empire of Light will be revived in your hands!"

He was greeted with a thunderous roar: "Long live the Empire!" the soldiers shouted and strode forward, the offensive unstoppable.

Seeing this scene, merchants, passers-by, shopkeepers, coachmen...... The people on the side of the road were all reduced to stone sculptures, and they watched in despair as the army roared past them, unable to believe their eyes.

"God, what's going on today?" someone cried out in pain, "Am I dreaming?"

In the early morning of January 20, 786, the Lin family security department suddenly launched a large-scale invasion of the southwest of the Zichuan family. An army of 200,000 poured out of the nest without encountering organized resistance, including Danya, Trisia, Valin, and other six provinces adjacent to the Lin family, all of which were planted with the banner of the golden hibiscus.