Chang'an, August.

Shengping Fang, Du House, osmanthus fragrance.

Tomorrow is the Mid-Autumn Festival, Lu Fengniang is taking the maidservants to prepare gifts for each family, but when she arrives at the gift list for Xue Zhai, she hesitates.

"It's difficult, Xue Bai and I are like mother and son, this gift to Sanniang is not light, and it looks like a raw weight when it is heavy."

Caiyun lowered her head silently, knowing that the housemother was not really in trouble, but couldn't help but take out the sentence "Mother and son with Xue Baiqing" again. Because every time I say it, I don't know how envious the nobles of Chang'an City are.

Over there, Du Youlin came out of the main room, straightened his beard, and was about to go to the study, Lu Fengniang saw it, and hurriedly robbed him, and said, "Ah Lang, slow down, help me look at the Mid-Autumn Festival gift list." ”

"Say it." Du Youlin stopped.

Lu Fengniang didn't talk about business, pulled him aside, and whispered: "I heard Caiyun chatting with Qinglan, and mentioned that Seventeen Niang from the Right Prime Minister's Mansion often went to Xue's house to talk to Sanniang recently. ”

"Xue Bai has rumors when he is here, and now he is not in Chang'an, and he still mutters this. The little lady of the Li family went to see Yan Sanniang for a doctor, chewing the root of her tongue? ”

"Aren't I just afraid that Sanniang will be closer to that side than to us?"

Hearing this reason, Du Youlin shook his head again and again, and said impatiently: "Do your best to worry about useless leisure." ”

"What about the Mid-Autumn Festival?"

"Hold a family banquet and invite Yan Sanniang and her mother's family."

"But Mrs. Qiuguo still lives in Xue's house, but I don't know what arrangements she has."

"Can you still manage Mrs. Qiuguo?" Du Youlin became more and more impatient, and walked away. In the end, he couldn't come up with a clear idea.

Now that Xue Bai is gone, there are many people who want to take care of Yan Yan, and how to coordinate with each other has become a difficult matter.

"That's right." Lu Fengniang asked again: "It's good that Ah Lang sent someone to Jinguangmen to take a look, why hasn't Gorou been home yet?" ”

"What is he going back to?"

"Ah Lang forgot, he is coming back for the Mid-Autumn Festival, said that today is coming, I have told you many times, are you listening?"

Du Youlin frowned instead: "The official of the imperial court, he left his post without permission, and he is not afraid of being impeached by the imperial history." ”

"In this Jingzhao County, if you come back from the Mid-Autumn Festival, who wants to impeach him? If you are reluctant to come back to your son, go outside the house during the Mid-Autumn Festival. ”

Lu Fengniang chattered endlessly, but the hard words in the back were only said by herself when Du Youlin was far away.

She was full of joy and looked forward to her son's return home, and after waiting for a long time, she finally heard the news that Gorou's carriage and horse had arrived.

The carriage slowly drove into the side door, Lu Fengniang stepped forward, and couldn't wait to lift the curtain, only to see Xue Yunniang sitting in the carriage holding her stomach.

After a pair of eyes, Xue Yunniang lowered her head, and stopped talking, Lu Fengniang immediately noticed something, stepped forward and asked in a low voice: "Good boy, don't you have it?" ”

"Auntie." Xue Yunniang nodded.

"Slow down." Lu Fengniang was overjoyed, and while holding it, she gave a thousand instructions, and when she entered the courtyard gate, she remembered to look back and asked, "What about Wulang?" He doesn't come to help you. ”

"Gorou and his friends are going to run some errands."

"Xue Bai is not in Chang'an, can he still have friends? Which one? ”

"It's the son of Uncle Yang's mansion."

Lu Fengniang was originally happy, but when she heard that her son was dating Yang Xuan, her smile became much more reluctant.

When she went to talk to Du Youlin, Du Youlin was first pleased, and then his face was flat, and he said unhappily: "The rebel son doesn't go home immediately, but runs to associate with those gentlemen, it's just not good to learn...... Jeonrui, you go and get Gorou back. ”

When the dusk drum began to sound, Quan Rui hurried home with Du Gorou.

They rushed to the study, and Du Youlin asked, "Where did you go?" If I don't send a steward to you, you're going to stay up all night?! ”

"Huh?" Du Wulang was wronged and explained: "The child originally planned to come back, but because the housekeeper came, he was delayed for a while. ”

"Dare to quibble? became an official and became flamboyant. Du Youlin said, "What did you do with that gentleman?" ”

Du Wulang didn't want to be this official, but he said all the good and bad things to his grandfather, he didn't want to make progress, but now he is flamboyant.

He was helpless, and answered honestly: "Grandpa, don't worry, we have done a good deed." ”

Du Youlin just asked, and without hearing the answer, he waved his hand impatiently to let his son retreat, his eyes had fallen back to the scroll, and he didn't want to pay attention to this matter, but the word "good deed" fell into his ears, but there were more doubts, you must know that those Chang'an rangers regard prostitution as a good deed to help weak women.

Looking at Du Wulang's retirement, Du Youlin thought for a while and asked Quan Rui, "Where did he go today?" ”

"When I went to the Yang family's other house, Gorou really did a good deed, and he ransomed a family."

"What family?"

"It's an old woman, a boy of seven or eight years old, and a little lady of fourteen or fifteen years old."

Du Youlin threw away the scroll in his hand and said, "It is forbidden for him to communicate with Yang Xuan again." ”

~~

"Me? Conquest? ”

The next day was the Mid-Autumn Festival, but Du Wulang was suddenly asked a few questions by his two sisters, and he quickly shook his head.

"Grandpa misunderstood me, that's not ...... That was Zheng Guiniang, her brother was mine in the same year, and was captured by Nanzhao in Xilu County. ”

Referring to Nanzhao, Du Yan couldn't help but pay attention and asked, "Surname Zheng?" What's the name? ”

"Zheng Hui."

Du Cheng thought for a while and thought, "Where do you seem to have seen this name?" ”

She vaguely remembered that she had seen it on a document that Xue Bai had sorted out before she set off, but she had cut off contact with Xue Bai for more than a month, and the last time he wrote was in Yizhou, saying that he was about to secretly attack with the army.

He also humorously said that the next time should be to break through Taihe City, and write a letter in the city.

But Du Cheng couldn't help but worry.

"If Sister sees this name, she must have noticed my same year when she looked at the list for me." Du Wulang said, "In short, I am in love with Yun Niang, and I must not have the intention of taking a concubine." ”

"I didn't see it when I looked at the list." Du Cheng shook her head.

She hadn't looked at Du Wulang's list of Ming Jing at that time, and after thinking for a while, she suddenly turned around and left.

"Sister, where are you going?" Du Wulang hurriedly asked, "It's about to be a family dinner, I'm ......"

Before the words were finished, Du Yan had already hurried with Du Yan.

"I rushed back to be reunited with my family." No one could hear the rest of Du Wulang's words, so he whispered to himself, "It's hard to take a break." ”

He already felt that the atmosphere of this year's Mid-Autumn Festival was a little deserted, because Xue Bai was not there.

Although Xue Bai was not originally a member of the Du family, he was now a vital existence.

~~

There are several libraries in the backyard of the Fengwei Building in Daozheng Fang, which hide the information collected.

In the evening, the Du sisters walked through the corridor and saw a candle in a house. They couldn't help but glance at each other, they were a little worried, and when they pushed the door, it turned out that Da Xi Yingying was still sitting at the desk sorting out the news.

"During the Mid-Autumn Festival, why are you here alone?"

"There's new news." Da Xi Yingying got up and said, "Li Linfu did not go to the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet. ”

"Really?"

As far as Du Yan knew, even when Li Linfu was the most sick, he had never been absent from several imperial banquets, and tonight's news was full of strangeness.

"On what grounds?"

"He said that he was building a tomb for his ancestors, and he was fasting, and he confessed to the saint on this ground."

"Nope." Du Yan shook her head and said, "I'm afraid he's seriously ill, and this matter must be confirmed." ”

Now that Nanzhao is at war, if Li Linfu is critically ill at this time, the situation will inevitably be turbulent. Xue Bai is not in Chang'an, and Du Yan still hopes that there will be fewer accidents.

After talking about this matter for a while, Du Cheng asked, "Have you ever seen the name Zheng Hui?" ”

Da Xi Yingying shook her head.

"It's the Xilu County Order who was captured by Nanzhao."

"Lang Jun does have a list of officials in the southwest......"

It is said that it is a list, but in fact there are many scrolls, which record the officials of the counties in the southwest, as well as various war reports during the Nanzhao rebellion.

But there is a problem, many of the battle reports are incomplete. The southwest is in turmoil, and it is impossible for all the news to be delivered to Chang'an.

To this end, Xue Bai drew another map, marked various unknown battle reports on it, and deduced which places had fallen and which places were still holding on.

Among them, Xilu County was drawn by him, with the word "trapped" written on one side, and in the list of officials, the word "trapped" was also written next to Zheng Hui's name. Of course, there is not only one Zheng Hui with these marks, but hundreds of officials.

Du Cheng remembered one thing at this time.

"When Xue Bai was in Chang'an, did he check these officials who were trapped in Nanzhao?"

"Yes." Du Yan took out a few documents and said, "But a lot of news only arrived after he left Chang'an." ”

"Why is he looking into this?"

Du Yan walked to the shelf and looked at it, took out a handful of scrolls, rummaged through them, and finally handed one of the papers to Du Yan.

That is Xue Bai's experience recorded after meeting Zhang Qiu and Qiong, the first sentence he wrote was "The strongest fortress is often breached from the inside", followed by the details of Zhang Qiu and Qiong's attack on Anrong City, and then compared the situation of Taihe City and Anrong City.

"He checked these because he wanted to find an internal response to attack Taihe City."

"Is it possible for Zheng Hui to become his internal response?"

Du Yan said: "It's hard to say, but we have to hand him the news and let him know about it." ”

"But we can't get in touch with him yet."

"Yang Guozhong can, you can use Yang Xuan to take our people to Yizhou for a trip in this matter."

After discussing these, it was too late for the two sisters to go back to Du's house for a family banquet, and Chang'an City was under curfew, making it difficult to move around.

During the Mid-Autumn Festival, they were trapped in this small courtyard, looking up at the sky, a bright moon in the sky, it was "a thousand miles of common Chanjuan".

~~

In the same night, the Great Meadow.

On the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival, Xue Bai was sitting on the grass, looking up at the moon, not thinking about anything.

He has always wanted too much, constantly busy in the world, and rarely has the opportunity to be in the world like this, feeling nature without distractions.

After a while, Wang Zhongsi walked over and sat down directly beside Xue Bai.

"I interrogated the Tibetan captives, and they are going to Langqiong."

"Where is the Wave Dome?"

Xue Bai first took out the map from his sleeve and spread it out in the bright moonlight.

Wang Zhongsi said: "Langqiong should be said to be a tribe, in the 'Langqiong Zhao', in the Kaiyuan Dynasty, Langqiong Zhao united the three edicts, attacking the Southern Zhao. Nanzhao defeated them with the support of our army, and Langqiong Zhao retreated to Jianchuan, which was later unified by Nanzhao. Their present chieftain, 'Duo Rawang', is very close to Tibet. ”

"Interesting." Xue Bai said: "It can be seen that Tubo can't trust Ge Luofeng, and I hope that the six edicts can be restored to a chaotic state?" ”

Tubo is obviously trying to win over Nanzhao while supporting Langqiong and dividing the power of Ge Luofeng.

Xue Bai was thinking that when the Tang army attacked Nanzhao, they might be able to take advantage of their differences, so that Tubo would not be able to support Nanzhao so quickly.

Wang Zhongsi said: "Tubo is relying on Xiangye Le, and now he is in the Langqiong, waiting for the team that was defeated by us to join him, because the Tubo princess is in this team." ”

Xue Baigang made a mark in Jianchuan, was a little surprised when he heard this, and asked, "Among our captives, is there a Tubo princess?" ”

"No, she led the remnants and escaped from the lower reaches of the Dadu River." Wang Zhongsi said, "The little girl and baby escaped very quickly. ”

"Is the festival marshal worried that she will rush to Nanzhao to report the news?"

Wang Zhongsi shook his head and said, "She only has more than twenty people left, and without guides, horses, and food, it is impossible for her to run in front of us." ”

Xue Bai immediately comprehended it and asked, "What does that section shuai mean?" Are we dressed as a send-off party? ”

"Yes, Xue Lang is good at planning, so this matter will be arranged by you, how about it?"

Wang Tianyun said not long ago that Wang Zhongsi was not as good as Gao Xianzhi and would deceive people, but he didn't expect that in the blink of an eye, Wang Zhongsi made arrangements.

Of course, it was very difficult for the entire Tang army to pretend to be the Fan army, so Xue Bai selected two regiments of nearly 500 people, changed into the clothes of the Fan army, and marched as the vanguard. There were no women in the army, only the mother and daughter, and he had the youngest daughter dressed in gorgeous clothes, while Deji Medo pretended to be a maid to take care of her.

In this regard, Luo Chai was very worried.

But he was no longer favored by the Tang army, and he confided in the princess of Tubo that the truth of the Tang army was supplied to the Tang army by a sergeant of the Tang army. Fortunately, the soldiers and soldiers of Nabo did not hear what they were talking about, and Luo Chai denied it in every possible way, only saying that he was misleading the Tibetan minister with false information.

Wang Zhongsi obviously saw through his thoughts, and finally said: "Your head is sent to me, if you can't capture Taihe City, their mother and daughter will be interest." ”

Luo Chai understood the word "interest" and was shocked in his heart.

He thought about it again, now that he escaped from the Tang Army, where could he be safe? Yak Ministry? He betrayed Tubo and could only follow the Tang army to the end.

Nothing else, at least he's still with his family.

This Mid-Autumn Festival, he is better than many people in the Tang Army.

……

The next day, the Mid-Autumn Festival had passed, and the Tang army continued to march.

Zhao Yuliang, as Xue Bai's personal guard, also walked in the ranks of the vanguard army.

But after the battle of Dashuzhai, the soldiers greeted him, but they all had to call for a sentence of "ten thousand enemies".

Zhao Yuliang was extremely unaccustomed to it, and every time he waved his hand, anxiously saying that he was not worthy of such a title.

"Captain Li shot the yak chief with an arrow, and was called 'ten thousand enemies', and you killed the minister of Tubo with one shot, why can't you call it?"

"That is, it doesn't seem that our Hedong soldiers are not as good as the Longyou soldiers."

"But I'm not a Hedong ......"

Zhao Yuliang's voice became smaller and quieter, and he couldn't explain it clearly in the end.

But one of the things that saddened him even more was that his arquebus was broken.

After shooting Lun Ruozan, he also hit a few guns, some hit and some missed, killing and wounding two Tibetan generals. At that time, it became more and more laborious to reload, and then it got stuck.

Zhao Yuliang showed the arquebus to Xue Bai, saying that the barrel of the gun had been deformed and useless, but fortunately it was not exploded.

"Lang Jun, can that be repaired?"

"If you can't fix it, bury it, and destroy it." Xue Bai said, actually dismantling the various parts of the arquebus.

Zhao Yuliang looked distressed, and said, "Lang Jun, repair it?" Without it, I can't kill the enemy. ”

A huge man stood there as if he was about to cry.

"Really?" Xue Bai asked rhetorically and said, "Without the weapon in your hand, you can't kill the enemy?" ”

Zhao Yuliang failed to comprehend the meaning of this sentence and was stunned.

"There will always be weapons, but weapons are just the icing on the cake, at least for now. Whether it can help you gain experience on the battlefield, confidence when shooting, and indomitable courage is what matters. ”

Xue Bai has dismantled the firearm in his hand, this is the first batch of firearms made, it is not easy to use, and if it is broken, it will be broken. But many of the first people who followed him from birth to death, he hoped that they would always be there, and that they would grow stronger and stronger.

At this time, Zhao Yuliang still didn't understand this expectation, but fortunately, Xue Bai promised to give him a better fire gun in the future.

On the same day, Zhao Yuliang also received a military order, he was ordered to take a small team of people to explore the road ahead, and the next Tubo fortress on the way of the Tang army was Meng Shucheng.

At first, he didn't have a fire gun on his body, and he felt very uneasy.

A soldier named Huang Dinghuo in the army asked, "Ten thousand enemies, why didn't you bring your fire stick to kill the enemy general?" ”

"I can't use it."

"You aim accurately, your archery skills must not be bad, use my bow, my bow is heavy."

"I can't pull it away, I don't have much strength."

"Then who are you going to shoot, just say it, my archery skills are not bad." Huang Dinghuo said with a smile.

Zhao Yuliang was much more settled, and he gradually became a veteran from a farmer who didn't know anything.

~~

Nanzhao, Taihe City.

Zheng Hui walked into the royal city, and soon felt the rapid changes in the royal city, Ge Luofeng was self-reliant, and the specifications of many carved ornaments in the royal city were changed, and they were much more majestic.

All the way to the main hall, there is a huge map in the hall, Ge Luofeng is sitting on the top, and the generals are deliberating.

"I've seen the king of Yunnan." Zheng replied with a salute, lowering his head and not daring to look.

He said that he was just a teacher of teaching, and if he saw too much, he would inevitably be used by Ge Luofeng.

"Mr. Zheng is here, quickly, give me a seat." Ge Luofeng was very enthusiastic and said, "Sir, wait for a while, and wait for me to finish discussing military affairs." ”

"Then I'll avoid ...... first"

"No, no, it's not confidential, sit down with peace of mind."

Ge Luofeng comforted Zheng Hui and continued to say to everyone: "Where did you just go?" Xian Yu Zhongtong had already led the Tang army to Shicheng. ”

Zheng Hui listened silently, thinking in his heart, he guessed that the saint was swept away by Tianwei, and it was likely to send troops to Nanzhao. But in his opinion, now that the Tibetan minister has led his troops to the Langqiong to watch the wall, the fight is the idea of the clam and the sandpiper competing and the fisherman profiting, and the most rational way for the Tang Dynasty is to negotiate peace with Nanzhao and solve it by means other than war.

Coincidentally, Ge Luofeng also thought the same, and sighed: "The letter written by Mr. Zheng on my behalf has been sent to Shicheng, and the words are sincere, and I also agree with Datang to restore Yaozhou and Anning City in Yunnan, but Xian Yu Zhongtong refuses to surrender, how is it good?" ”

These words were crepe, and they were obviously prepared, with the idea of wooing Zheng Hui.

Zheng Hui knew this, but he hoped that Nanzhao could return to the Tang Dynasty, so he said: "What is the dispatch of the king of Yunnan? ”

"Please sir write another letter of surrender for me, I will hand it to Xian Yu Zhongtong, and ask him to stop the war, how about it?"

Zheng Hui was puzzled at first, the secret Dao Xian Yu Zhongtong had sent troops to Shicheng, and it was impossible to return easily, so what did it mean to repeatedly surrender the book?

The next moment, he understood that the book he had written was beautiful, and it was definitely not something that the Nanzhao people could write. Xian Yu Zhongtong will definitely ask who ghostwrote for Ge Luofeng, so that he will never return to Datang again.

He couldn't help but feel confused, and when he raised his hand again, he saw that Ge Luofeng was looking at him with expectation.

So, he had some thoughts in his heart, and he couldn't help but let go.

~~

Stone City.

After Xian Yu Zhongtong crossed the Wuchi Road all the way south, he had to rest in Shicheng and wait for the follow-up troops.

In Shicheng, he received a letter from Ge Luofeng.

The letter seems to be humble and full of sincerity, but in fact, it is a threat.

One will say that Tubo will "watch the provocation of the waves" and "guide each other with profit", and the other will warn the Tang army to "live in existence and see death, and think about loss in gains", even if what he said is true, in the eyes of Xian Yu Zhongtong, it is also a villain's face.

He was originally fine, but after reading the surrender letter, he was eager to dismantle Ge Luofeng, so he decisively rejected Nanzhao's request to surrender and led his troops to continue to advance.

Facing the pressure of the Tang army, Nanzhao has cleared the field and concentrated his forces, so Xian Yu Zhongtong advanced quite smoothly in this section of the road.

By the time Chongyang approached, he had arrived at Dianchi Lake.

In Dianchi, he received the second letter of surrender from Ge Luofeng.

It was still that humble tone, but in the end, Ge Luofeng actually questioned Xian Yu Zhongtong with a word.

"From ancient times to the present, for the Han Dynasty does not invade and does not rebel against the ministers, today it is rare to be greedy for merit and good backing, and want to cause the supreme and unrequited king, dare to declare it to the emperor and the queen of heaven?"

Xian Yu Zhongtong couldn't help but be furious.

It is said that Nanban is simple-minded, but in his opinion, Ge Luofeng is cunning and abnormal.

Obviously, Ge Luofeng had a different heart, captured Yaozhou, killed Zhang Qiantuo, occupied 32 states, and colluded with Tibet, but in his mouth, he became a "non-rebellious minister"? !

On the contrary, he was rarely ordered by Zhongtong to beg for thieves, and became "greedy for merit", ashamed of the emperor and queen?

What's even more infuriating, he can't even argue with Ge Luofeng, and for no reason he lost the bearing of the Tang Festival, and he will be blamed by the imperial history.

Righteous to the point of dizziness, Xian Yu Zhongtong suddenly narrowed his eyes and noticed a small thing.

Although these two letters are stamped with the great seal of the king of Yunnan, they can only look at the style and handwriting to know that they were not written by Ge Luofeng, and someone must have written them for him. But I don't know which filthy villain it is.

"Go and ask the messenger sent by Nanzhao what he means by sending this filthy letter, and who wrote it?"

"Whoa."

It was not difficult to inquire about this matter, Tang Jun simply detained the envoy of Nanzhao, tortured him severely, and asked all the questions he could.

"Hui Jieshuai, the letter was written by Zheng Hui, the commander of Xilu County, who surrendered to Nanzhao. Zheng Hui is now the king of Nanzhao, and the official is an important position in Nanzhao. ”

"Zheng Hui?"

Xian Yu Zhongtong had some impressions of this person, knowing that his political performance in office was good, but he was even more annoyed by this.

He then added a note to the report he presented to the imperial court, telling the imperial court that the Xilu County Order was not just captured, but completely betrayed the Tang Dynasty.

(End of chapter)