The convoy marched through a curtain of snow that hung diagonally, the cavalry at the head leaned low on their horses, and the wind blew behind them, as if a pair of strong hands were pushing forward behind. The snow curtain obscured people's field of vision, and in the fluttering snowflakes, a black line on the distant horizon was faintly visible, which was the miracle that cut off the continent - the ancient giant mountain Guqi Mountains.

"It's great to meet Sister Shirakawa!" Since being rescued, Zi Chuanning has been in a state of excitement, and a layer of blush has been reflected on her white jade-like cheeks, and she squeaks and chatters: "Surrounded by that group, we are all worried that this time is over, but we didn't expect that Shirakawa you saved us! Where is Shirakawa going? What a coincidence!"

Bai Chuan said respectfully: "Xia Guan has just finished performing the task of the lord and is about to return to the Far East. I didn't expect to meet His Highness Ning on the road. May I ask you, Your Highness, who are the people who are besieging you? Some of them claim to be officers of the Inspectorate, is he really a member of the Inspectorate?"

"yes. ”

"It's just that bunch of people...... Very bad, not like the gendarmerie. ”

"The subordinates of the Ombudsman are not necessarily gendarmes. The person who answered was Li Qing: "Di Lin has snagged underworld heroes in various places for his own use. It may be that the local Inspectorate has not had time to deploy the military police, or it may be that the garrison is unreliable. Sometimes it is much more convenient to use gangsters than gendarmes. The bandits have never been subjected to the Zichuan family's fortune, and even if they know that it is the chief who is attacking, they will not waver. ”

"So, the rumors of Di Lin's rebellion are true?"

Zi Chuanning and Li Qing www.biquge.info the head of the Fun Pavilion. Li Qingyan said: "Your Excellency Bai Chuan, today you are not afraid of danger, and you have made a great contribution to the family. This is a rare opportunity, and I hope you will continue to work hard to save the survival of the family, and the future will be restored. ”

"Lord Qing is serious. As a courtier of the family, it is my duty to protect His Highness. Do what should be done, and the lower officials do not have the luxury of rewarding. ”

"Humility is certainly a virtue of a courtier, but it is also the duty of a monarch to reward loyalty and punish himān. ”

Shirakawa smiled, but there was a faint worry in his heart. She didn't know if she would cause any trouble to adults if she saved Zi Chuanning without authorization. The two people in front of him stared at him with blazing eyes, especially Li Qing, from the beginning of the meeting, this civil official looked at him with a little worry and vigilance in his eyes, and constantly emphasized that the chief executive would reward him. Although he felt that the other party's mind was ridiculously naïve, but in this situation, Bai Chuan also had some pity, and comforted softly: "Your Highness Ning, Lord Qing, although the traitor is arrogant, but Wei Chen and his subordinates are still good at fighting, you don't have to worry about it at all." ”

Zi Chuanning said softly: "Sister Bai Chuan, then please leave it to you." ”

"Your Highness, please rest assured. As long as Weichen still has a breath, the traitor will not want to hurt you. ”

It can be seen that the two fugitive women are obviously relieved, and their expressions are relaxed. Bai Chuan saw it in his eyes, and still sighed secretly in his heart: after all, they are all high-ranking officials and princesses in the deep palace, and they still don't know enough about the sinister rivers and lakes after all. She could imagine that for the two people in front of her, Di Lin would not hesitate to exchange the entire treasury. He only expressed his allegiance verbally, and the other party immediately believed it, which was also a little naïve and credulous. In the past few years, she has seen too many hypocrites with honey-bellied swords.

Looking up at the swarthy horizon outside the window, Zi Chuan Ning muttered, "It's almost dawn." ”

The three of them looked out, and they all felt that their eyelids were astringent and their brains were dizzy. Fierce battles, unexpected encounters, and a night full of shock and surprise passed, but everyone did not feel the slightest sleep, and worried about the same question: there is a fortress of Valen ahead, how to get through guò?

Pulling out a thick roster from his luggage, Li Qing flipped through it and said, "The guard of the Valen Fortress is ...... Lumas red-clothed banner, this person, Your Highness, do you have any impression?"

"I know him. Zi Chuan Ning replied, "He was originally my subordinate, the division commander of the zhōngyāng army. Later, after the Vahnstad incident, he was sent to guard the fortress of Varen. ”

"Your subordinates, do you know anything about them, my lord?"

"Understand?" Zi Chuanning smiled bitterly: "Have we ever known anyone? Before the incident, everyone was a loyal courtier of the family, and they were willing to go to the trouble for me. At that time, who could see the difference between loyalty?"

Zi Chuanning's words contain a sense of vicissitudes that do not match her age. Bai Chuan glanced at her, and a trace of tenderness and pity floated in his heart. But she could not speak out to comfort her, although her heart was full of sympathy. All she could do was protect her before she met with the adults.

In the midst of the sound of the car, Zi Chuanning was obviously tired, and a sleepy look appeared on his face.

Li Qing said: "Your Highness, you can rest here with peace of mind." Shimono and Shirakawa-sama went to the car in front. She made a slight, and Shirakawa said goodbye together. The two stopped the carriage and got into one of the carriages behind. Driving the carriage was a young Praetorian Guard officer, Li Qing just nodded to him, and he sat down in front of the carriage knowingly, closed the partition in the middle, and signaled that the two adults could talk with peace of mind.

Li Qing hesitated, his bright eyes looked at Bai Chuan from time to time, and he stopped talking.

Bai Chuan is a good girl who is empathetic, and she opened her mouth first: "Lord Qing, this is an extraordinary time. The pursuers could catch up at any time, so if you have anything to say, don't worry. ”

Li Qing nodded slowly: "Your Excellency Bai Chuan, we don't have much contact with each other, but I also know your name. Back then, Yang Minghua was arrogant and arrogant, and everyone was in danger, but at that conference, you were able to stand up and defend the royal power of the family, and your courage was admirable. It is our great fortune to meet you on the road, to meet a brave and upright family soldier, and it is also a great blessing for our family. This shows that God has not abandoned our Zichuan family, and the family's luck is still there. ”

Bai Chuan bowed politely, she knew that Li Qing was just foreshadowing when she said this, so she said very succinctly: "Lord Qing is serious, and the officials are just doing their duty." ”

"Shirakawa, you are an important minister at the side of the Far Eastern Commander, and you are familiar with him. I would like to ask you one thing, if we can reach the Far East in a smooth way, what will the Commander do with us?"

Shirakawa smiled: "It's too much to say that you want to deal with something." His Royal Highness Ning is not only the head of the family, but also a friend of Lord Xiuchuan when he was a child, and Lord Qing is also the widow of General Stirling. And General Stirling was a brother and sister to my family during his lifetime. My lord is a man who misses the old love, and I believe that in the Far East, the two of you will definitely receive the best hospitality and respect the guests. ”

Li Qing said softly: "What we want is not just hospitality. ”

Shirakawa was silent. She knew what the other party wanted, but that promise, now she couldn't give.

"I'm sorry, but that's an adult decision. But I vouch for one thing with the honor of being an officer of the family, in the Far East, there are absolutely no problems with the safety of His Highness. No matter how your Excellency decides, I am willing to do my best to protect His Highness Ning. If there is any need, you can just tell it. ”

After listening to Bai Chuan's answer, Li Qing had a smile on his face: "Thank you." Looking at the girl in front of her, looking at the other party's pure eyes like crystal, she sincerely repeated again: "Thank you, Shirakawa, on behalf of the Zichuan family, I thank you." Shirakawa, I don't like official promises, that's too vulgar. And we really can't come up with anything decent right now. I can only promise you one thing, the family will not forget those who remained steadfast in the most difficult times. I believe that in the 300 years since the founding of the family, although it has suffered a temporary setback, it will never decline. Your loyalty, he will be richly rewarded. ”

"Lord Qing is serious. I'm a soldier of the family, and that's my duty, and I don't need to mention anything in return. ”

From her tone, Li Qing heard sincerity. She realized that the female officer in front of her was not polite, and she really didn't care about what she promised. She saved Zi Chuanning completely out of public heart and compassion, not out of coveting future wealth and glory. There are indeed such people in the world. They are strong-willed, undemanding, unswayed by any money and material things, and only uphold their beliefs and beliefs. For them, the world is simply black and white. They act attentively and stubbornly, often in ways that ordinary people cannot.

"The subordinates of the Far Eastern Commander have gathered so many talents!" Li Qing secretly sighed. She asked, "Excuse me, Lord Shirakawa, what do you think he will do based on what you know about Lord Hidekawa?"

Bai Chuan glanced at Li Qing and said lightly: "My lord's decision, my subordinates don't dare to speculate. ”

Li Qing smiled: "My husband told me before his death that the Far East soldiers are in the world. With the current level of domestic combat power, as long as the Far Eastern Army leaves the Valen Pass, it will be easy to sweep them away. This is the best opportunity to protect the country's affairs and quell the rebellion. In one fell swoop, Lord Xiuchuan's brilliant deeds will go down in history! This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, shouldn't we seize it?"

As soon as Li Qing's impassioned words came down, Bai Chuan just looked at her calmly, seeing that her heart was furious. After a long time, Bai Chuan asked softly, "Lord Qing, you are also the person next to the first chief." I ask from my heart, how did my family treat my family back then?"

Li Qing's face turned red all of a sudden, and she said hesitantly: "Back then, there were quite villains by the side of the former chief. Although the ancestor is a saint, he has been deceived and provoked, and he may have some misunderstandings about Lord Hidekawa......"

"His Royal Highness the Chief of the Stars is most trusted by none other than Luo Minghai, Lord Di Lin and Master Sterling. I would like to ask, who among them is the villain who sows discord between His Highness and my family?"

Li Qing was speechless. Everyone understands people, and you can't hide it from talking nonsense with your eyes open. Di Lin is now rebellious, but he had an excellent relationship with Zichuan Xiu back then, and he has defended Zichuan Xiu openly and secretly many times, which everyone knows. Luo Minghai was at odds with Zi Chuanxiu back then, but he just acted impartially and did not make any trouble for Zi Chuanxiu in private, and he is now also martyred in a battle with Di Lin, and Li Qing does not want to arrange his rights and wrongs; the rest is only Stirling - but this is like a joke.

The facts are clearly in front of us, and the only one who was single-mindedly suspicious and suppressed Zichuan Xiu was Zichuan Sanxing himself.

Looking at Li Qing's embarrassed expression on his face, Bai Chuan sighed lightly: "Lord Qing, my family is a great man who is not born in the world, he has a broad mind, and he may not care about the things of the year. But as our subordinates, we are very upset about him and feel that it is not worth it. Lord Qing, I'm just a little woman, narrow-minded and short-sighted, I didn't say hello to this sentence, this is not what my family adults meant, please forgive me for being rude. ”

Although the other party did not say anything unpleasant, and also stated that he did not reply unofficially, this meaning has already been expressed: In the past, the Zichuan family treated our Far East as a thief and an enemy, and now when it is in trouble, it has come to ask the Far East to send troops.

Why?

On the one hand, it is the sworn brother who has silently given him support and care for many years, and on the other hand, it is the Zichuan family who suppresses and bullies him.

Li Qing nodded with a bitter face: "I'm sorry......" She really didn't know what to say.

Shirakawa bowed politely: "Where, the one who is rude is me." ”

Next, neither of them spoke, and with different thoughts, both of them looked out the window in a daze at the field flying by. Because he was tired, he leaned back on the seat of the carriage, and Shirakawa fell asleep dimly. In the bumps of the carriage, she woke up from time to time, and every time she dimly saw Li Qing sitting in front of her, holding her chin in her hand, staring at the scenery outside the window. In Shirakawa's hazy eyes, the woman's thin body was tired and haggard, and there was tiredness between her eyebrows.

Looking at her, a thought suddenly flashed through Bai Chuan's heart: The person in front of him was a woman who had just lost her favorite husband. Her heart tightened suddenly: no matter how she looked at it, she couldn't associate the resolute woman in front of her with the word "widow".

Sterling, no longer in this world!

Thinking of the heroic young general, who was once an idol he admired, such a flesh-and-blood person, he left forever and never appeared again. Thinking of the heroes withering like fallen leaves, Shirakawa couldn't suppress a burst of sadness. In the rhythmic shaking of the carriage, she fell asleep. In her sleep, a young man was smiling at her, and in a trance, the man was vaguely Zichuan Xiu, but his face became more and more blurred, and suddenly he became Stirling again, and suddenly became Dilin again...... His figure changed in the thick smoke, and finally suddenly solidified into a familiar and unfamiliar face of Shirakawa, and he smiled and spoke to Shirakawa, and those words seemed to be important...... Bai Chuan thought desperately, but couldn't remember who he was...... "Get up, get up!"

Shirakawa was woken up from her confused state, she opened her eyes, and the stout body of a half-orc soldier blocked the light from the door of the car, and he shouted in a rough voice: "Ladies, you have entered the patrol area of the Valen Fortress, this is the Far Eastern Military District!

When did the Valen fortress become the jurisdiction of the Far Eastern Army?

Bai Chuan came back to her senses, she straightened her clothes and jumped out of the carriage: "I am Bai Chuan, the red-clothed banner of the Far Eastern Army." Soldier, let your lead captain come to me. ”

The convoy arrived on the outskirts of the Valen Fortress, and in the distance, the walls of the Valen city were already in sight. At this time, in addition to Shirakawa's guards, there were also patrols and patrol posts of the Far Eastern Army encountered along the way, numbering hundreds of people.

The Valen Fortress is built on the side of the mountain, and it overlooks the Gucci Gorge, the only passage through the Gucci Mountains. On the flat ground, the whole fortress seems to be built on the edge of the sky, with white clouds floating on the side of the green city wall, countless arrow towers and city towers towering into the sky, especially the towering giant tower with the spire at the top of the fortress, so that people can't see the top even if they look up.

Zi Chuan Ning and his entourage were the first to see the Wallen Fortress, the strongest defense line in the east of the family, and they were all shocked by the majestic giant city embedded in the majestic mountains. Especially when they learned that in the past thousand years, it was this Valen Fortress that effectively blocked the thousands of troops and horses of the demon race, and the land under their feet, I don't know how many fierce battles had taken place on it, every inch of brown soil was full of absorbing plasma, and behind every piece of sand and gravel was hidden the unyielding soul of the dead in battle.

The carriage traveled up this wide avenue of brown sè, and the gates of the Valen fortress were halfway up the hill, and the carriage went up very slowly. But now that the fortress was close at hand, there was no need to worry about safety, so everyone put aside their worries and walked slowly along the canyon in the Gucci Mountains, enjoying the scenery on the side of the road.

Because the sentinels who went ahead had already informed the fortress that Bai Chuan was about to return, a simple welcome procession was already waiting outside the fortress gate, and Bai Chuan saw that Lin Bing, the deputy marshal of the Far East Army, and Du Yafeng, the deputy director of the Far East Intelligence Bureau, were in charge inside.

She jumped out of the carriage and walked briskly towards Lin Bing.

"Shirakawa, you've worked hard all the way. Lin Bing's expression was always calm and calm, and she smiled and said, "I heard that you are in some trouble on the way back? Someone dares to obstruct our convoy in the Far East? Who is so bold?"

Bai Chuan hurriedly saluted, and then whispered, "Lord Lin, the lower official has a confidential report!"

"Huh?"

Bai Chuan lowered his voice: "His Royal Highness Ning is in the carriage behind. ”

Lin Bingxiu's eyebrows furrowed suddenly, and her eyes widened. She immediately walked to the carriage behind, but Shirakawa stopped her: "My lord, it's a matter of confidentiality, and now there are many people, and I am afraid that there will be rebels." Xia Guan has already explained to His Royal Highness Ning, and he will see it later. ”

Lin Bing glanced at Bai Chuan and hesitated. But soon, she obviously made up her mind, and said in a deep voice: "Since Bai Chuan's You has been attacked, the rebels must know that His Highness Ning is in the hands of our army, and there is no point in concealing it. ”

"But ......"

Lin Bing no longer explained to Bai Chuan, she walked straight over and opened the door of the carriage. Seeing the people in the car, she showed a surprised expression, and slowly knelt down on one knee: "Weichen Lin Bing, see Your Highness! The incident happened in a hurry, Weichen can't escort His Highness out of trouble, he is really incompetent." Weichen has been worried about His Highness, and God is fortunate to see that His Highness is safe and sound, and the family will not be cut off from a glimmer of life. ”

In the shocked gaze of the audience, a girl with bright eyes and bright teeth jumped out of the carriage. Immediately, someone exclaimed: "Your Highness Ning, she is His Highness Zichuan Ning!"

"His Highness Zichuan Ning!"

The sound spread as quickly as ripples in the water, and at this time, even those present who had never seen Zichuan Ning understood this fact, and the head of the Zichuan family had been exiled to the Valen Fortress. At this moment, after the shock, everyone's first feeling was not surprise or disappointment, but helplessness.

Although the Far Eastern officers have long been "only aware of Zichuan Xiu, but not the Zichuan family", no matter how you say it, everyone is still nominally a subordinate of the Zichuan family, and many Xiuzi battalion officers were born in the family army in their early years.

The people who knelt down at the city gate shouted unevenly: "Weichen see His Highness Ning!"

"Get up!"

Zi Chuanning walked over quickly, took Lin Bing's hand, and hugged her in his arms with both hands. After hugging for a long time, she was so excited that she didn't say anything, but tears fell down her cheeks. Lin Bing in her arms is not a peerless general, and his endowment and intelligence are not necessarily outstanding, and he has made mistakes many times before, and has even been repeatedly suspected by the former chief, but this person has never wavered in his loyalty to the family. Since the beginning of the Dìdū Incident, Lin Bing has been running in many ways, trying to save his own life. Although he was on a remote frontier, Lin Bing's loyalty to his family was greater than that of any high-ranking official.

"Your Excellency Lin Bing doesn't have to feel guilty, it happened too suddenly, and the traitor was ruthless, no one expected it. Now the country is in ruins, and the rebels are in the center, using the name of my family to deceive all parties and oppress the good. Rather incompetent, endure humiliation and exile to this ......"

Speaking of this, Lin Bing immediately picked up: "Your Highness, please rest assured, the Far Eastern soldiers are fiercely loyal to the family. Here, you can be sure of your safety!"

"So, there is His Excellency Lau Linbing and your lords. Zi Chuanning nodded to everyone, in exchange for a chaotic response from everyone: "Your Highness is serious, please rest assured." ”

"Your Highness, please introduce it to you. Those here are all the elite figures of my Far Eastern Army, the sincere ministers of the Zichuan family. This is His Excellency Du Yafeng, Deputy Director of the Intelligence Department of the Far Eastern Army. ”

Lin Bing introduced diligently. Zi Chuanning smiled, but in his heart he was very grateful for Lin Bing's intentions, this deputy commander of the Far Eastern Army was indeed a loyal servant of the family, and she was creating opportunities for herself. The Far Eastern Commander is now ambiguous, and no one knows what he will do. Now, the more generals of the Far East Army that Zichuan Ning can win, the more her safety will be guaranteed.

After introducing the Far Eastern officers present, Zi Chuanning turned his head and asked Lin Bing: "Your Excellency Lin Bing, where is Commander Xiuchuan? I want to meet with him." ”

Lin Bing was slightly stunned, now Zi Chuanxiu's attitude was unclear, she really didn't want to let Zi Chuanning meet him immediately.

She said vaguely: "Your Highness has worked hard all the way, Weichen Jianyi, you better rest and settle down first." Please come with me, we have prepared a rest room, meals and hot water, Wechen will take you over to rest first. ”

Under her leadership, a group of Far Eastern officers surrounded Zichuan Ning and his attachés into the city, and the result was that Bai Chuan, the protagonist who was originally greeted today, became a bystander. Looking at Lin Bing, the deputy marshal of the Far East Army, who had always been known for his calmness and elegance, was so excited that his face flushed, Bai Chuan was thoughtful, his eyebrows gradually frowned, and his eyes also showed a cold glow.

Du Yafeng came over to greet Bai Chuan, his expression was a little embarrassed: "My lord." ”

"Huh?"

"Welcome back from afar. We originally prepared a room and meals for you, but now, Lord Lin has taken them to greet His Highness Ning. You'll have to wait a minute. Du Yafeng's expression was a little panicked, although he has now become the general directly under Zichuan Xiu, but his attitude towards his old boss Bai Chuan is still respectful, as if he is afraid that Bai Chuan will reproach him: "I'm really sorry, I'll arrange it right away, let them tidy up the room and meals." ”

He peeked at Bai Chuan's face with anxiety, but saw that Bai Chuan's face was calm, his eyebrows were slightly frowned, and he was obviously preoccupied. She asked, "Can you be in the fortress?"

"Exactly. ”

"So," Bai Chuan gritted his silver teeth slightly, and seemed determined: "Du Yafeng, I'm still the director of the Far Eastern Intelligence Bureau, right?"

Du Yafeng was taken aback, thinking that the former boss was suspicious of him, and hurriedly said: "Of course, the lower official is just temporarily presiding." Your Excellency, you are the head of the Far Eastern Intelligence Agency, there is no doubt about that!"

"Then, you immediately carry out my order!"

"Please make it clear!"

"You immediately send someone to monitor Chief Lin Bing for me! You have to report her every move to me!"

"Ahh Lin Bing is an important assistant to Zichuan Xiu and the most qualified veteran of the Far Eastern Army. She is usually fair, cares about her soldiers, and has a very high prestige in the Far Eastern Army, and her rank is even higher than that of Shirakawa, Ming Yu and other important ministers, and she can be called the second person in the Far East below Zichuan Xiu.

"My lord, although the Intelligence Bureau is a secret service department with very high authority, but if we want to monitor Chief Lin Bing, we must have an order from Lord Xiuchuan, otherwise it will ......."

"Hidekawa-sama, I'll talk about it. Bai Chuan interrupted him without saying anything: "I am the director of the intelligence bureau, and I will take responsibility for any responsibility! What you want now is action!"

Du Yafeng also wanted to defend a few words, wanting to say that this was not in accordance with the procedure. At this moment, Shirakawa glanced at him—a faint, unfathomable glance. Between the lightning and thunder, Du Yafeng came to his senses: even if he said one more word, he would be completely finished!

"Understood!" he bowed his head, "I'll do it right away!"

"Good! Send loyal and trustworthy men -- you know what I mean?

Du Yafeng broke out in a cold sweat: "Understood!"

Shirakawa nodded, and she said lightly, "Where is Hidekawa-sama?" I'm going to see him. ”