In the blink of an eye, September came and the accident finally happened.

It was a clear morning. Three two-masted medium-sized cargo ships appeared in the waters east of Wulong Island from south to north.

The female warrior who was overlooking Longjian Mountain immediately lit the firewood she had prepared. Along with the pungent smell, a wisp of green smoke shot straight into the sky, and thick smoke also ignited from another viewing point next to the port.

As long as the smoke column is not obscured by the mirage and can be seen by people on the cargo ship, they may be rescued.

They are obviously lucky.

The leading cargo ship slowed down first and signaled to the two ships behind. Then the three ships turned together and headed towards the east coast of Wulong Island.

The female warriors cheered.

Lan Qiao and Feng Yeling stood side by side on the trestle of the port, looking at the cargo ship that gradually became larger and clearer in their field of vision, feeling both excited and a little nervous.

They were excited because they finally no longer had to be trapped on this isolated island. They were anxious because they were about to face the troubles of the world again.

A cargo ship docked, dropped its cable and set up a gangplank. The other two ships stopped about a hundred steps away and did not approach any further.

"They are quite vigilant." Lan Qiao laughed in a low voice. "Japanese pirates are rampant on this route. Ordinary business travelers would not dare to go there. Their captain must be a brave, decisive and meticulous person. Look at the two ships that did not come over.

, the side of the ship is facing us, and there may be gun barrels hidden on the deck, so that if something happens, it will be convenient for us to sail away quickly, and we can also fire cannons to attack."

Feng Yeling nodded in agreement, and without saying anything more, he saw a group of people walking off the boat. The leader was a young man who was dusty but could not hide his strength and shrewdness.

The young man carried a sword at his waist and looked at Lan and Feng, who were waiting by the trestle. The way he looked at Feng Yeling was not like a man looking at a beautiful woman, but more like a businessman looking at goods, a tailor looking at cloth, and a blacksmith looking at ore.

.

After a moment, he seemed to have confirmed what he was thinking. He suddenly stood still, bowed and said: "Miss Feng, Mr. Lan, you have suffered."

Feng Yeling and Lan Qiao looked at each other, feeling surprised.

"It seems like we've never met before, right?" Lan Qiao said in astonishment, "How come you recognize us?"

The young man smiled and was about to answer when he heard Chen Yuheng's surprised voice saying from behind: "Guard Ma, why are you here?"

"Horse guard? Which horse guard?" Feng Yeling was even more confused.

"It's Yu Heng. I haven't seen you for a year. You have grown stronger and your martial arts must have improved, right?" The young man laughed loudly, then suddenly suppressed his smile, cupped his hands and said, "My bodyguard, Ma He, serves under King Yan."

Feng Yeling had never heard of the name Ma He, but Lan Qiao suddenly realized: "It turned out to be the horse guard who fought against An Xiaohan outside Dongchang City to protect the Lord. Lan Feng told me about your deeds and I have admired him for a long time."

Ma He laughed at himself and said: "Wherever, the lesson is painful. We should know our shame and then be brave."

He then answered Lan Qiao's initial question: "I have the honor to read the beauty scrolls that have been exported to Peking, and I vaguely feel that Miss Feng's face is familiar. I also saw that the appearance of the first master Lan and the second master Lan are similar, so I boldly guessed it.

"

Lan Qiao thought that this was the case. While secretly praising Ma He for his carefulness, he said: "What is the situation in Peiping now? Why does Brother Ma appear near this small island in the southeast corner again?"

"Beiping is still the same as before. Before I left, the king was still confronting Sheng Yong's army. There were several small frictions, with each other winning and losing. No one could do anything to the other." Ma He explained, "I am going to sea this time.

, because the war has been going on for a long time, and the city of Peiping has been in a state of war for a long time. Both the soldiers and the people have their hearts tightened. Your Majesty asked me to go to Nanyang to purchase some spices and medicinal materials that are rare in the Central Plains to improve the daily life of the soldiers and people in Peiping.

, boosting their confidence in long-term struggle.”

Lan Qiao has never considered a problem from the perspective of managing a land and water, and admires Zhu Di's foresight: "The king has far-reaching thoughts. If he can succeed, he will become a wise master."

"My fleet set out from Shanhaiguan and sailed as far as Malacca. I used the gold you brought from Hexi to buy three ships of spices and medicinal materials. It is now on its way back." Ma He smiled and patted Lanqiao's hand.

Shoulder, "Young Master Lan contributes money and I contribute my efforts to serve the king. There is no need to be polite between us."

Feng Yeling had experience in fighting against Japanese pirates and asked curiously: "If you choose this route, aren't you afraid of encountering Japanese pirates on the way?"

"Little Japanese pirates are nothing to mention. One day, I will plow their holes and uproot them." Ma He straightened his upper body and said proudly, "Don't look at me as just three cargo ships. In fact, every ship has

It is equipped with four naval guns, all of which were built by the king with a lot of money. The Japanese pirates’ ship has not yet arrived, and it has been bombarded by the naval guns to ashes.”

So everyone packed up, boarded three cargo ships of the Mahe fleet, and returned to Dalu Island.

Ma He's boat had a deep draft and could not pass through the giant underwater trees of Dalu Island, so it had to stop outside the West Bay. He Jiuling from Dalu Island sent a small boat to take Feng Yeling, Shen Xinliu and the female warriors back to the island.

As for the girls rescued from Wulong Island, they are divided into two categories depending on the situation. The first category is those who still have relatives alive in Wentai Second Prefecture, and they were also taken to Dalu Island. In the future, He Jiuling will be responsible for helping them find their relatives.

.For the other group of people who were helpless and alone, Ma He was responsible for taking them to live in Peking.

Shen Xinliu retired for many years and was not interested in the dispute between Zhu Di and Zhu Yunwen. He decided to stay on Dalu Island and spend the rest of his life with Mrs. Fei. The little sparrow insisted on repaying his kindness and chose to follow Feng Yeling.

Feng Yeling said goodbye to He Jiuling, then said goodbye to Shen Xinliu and Mrs. Fei, and returned to Ma He's boat with the little sparrow.

She knew that if nothing unexpected happened, this would be the last time she and her grandparents would see each other.

Talking about the situation of Japanese pirates invading the border, Ma He sighed: "Now that the leader of the alliance is missing, Fujiwara Keihiro, the Japanese pirate forces on all sides are fighting each other for petty profits, and there will be no such big attack on Fucheng for the time being.

, Taizhou City will be recovered sooner or later, and Wenzhou City will definitely prosper again. But to completely eradicate the Japanese plague, we need the rise of a powerful Central Plains empire."

"What are your plans next?" Ma He sighed and asked Lan Qiao, "Do you want to go back to Peking with me?"

Lan Qiao thought of Li Jingshu and Bai Xueyin who were still waiting for him in the river valley, and said apologetically: "Can you send us ashore first? After finishing some chores, I will go to Peking to meet Brother Ma for a drink."

Although Wenzhou and Taizhou were devastated by Japanese pirates, they were still nominally the territory controlled by Emperor Jianwen. Ma He did not dare to stay too long, so he only let them off the boat at a shoal near Shamen and let them swim back to the shore on their own.

In addition to Little Sparrow, Shi Miaoer also asked to follow Feng Yeling because he had nowhere to go.

Feng Yeling thought that she was diligent in doing things on Evil Dragon Island, so she agreed, and together with Lan Qiao, Chen Yuheng and Little Sparrow, the five of them returned to Taizhou City.

I went to the city to inquire about news and found out that something big had happened in the north.

Sheng Yong gathered an army of 300,000 and headed north again. This time he did not choose to take Peiping directly, but marched to Shandong first, preparing to pull out a sharp tooth inserted by Zhu Di behind Jinan City. Wenchang Houfu and Feng Yueming's

Langya Iron Cavalry.

There are even rumors that Sheng Yong's Northern Expeditionary Army has a new team called the Chu Shui Army this time, led by Lan Daoxing and Lan Xiangzi, the adopted sons of the former general Lan Yu, with a total strength of about 4,000 people.

He also went to the front line.

Feng Yeling was shocked when he heard this, and decided to go north immediately to help his brother tide over the difficulties. Lan Qiao also knew that the situation was urgent, so he asked Chen Yuheng to go to Xiaogu to send a message to Li Jingshu and Bai Xueyin on his behalf. He took Feng Yeling, Shi Miaoer and Xiao

Sparrow, his wife and two maidservants went north and rushed back to Qingzhou day and night.

It was the end of September when he returned to Qingzhou. When Lan Qiao saw Feng Yueming in Houfu Mountain City, he realized that the situation was worse than he thought.

"Sheng Yong's troops were divided into three groups. The generals safely entered Muling Pass, He Fu entered Laizhou, and Chen Hui, who is closest to us, has already reached Linzi. No matter which one of these three groups of troops, the strength is more than 50,000.

Feng Yueming frowned and pointed to the mark on the map and added, "This Chen Hui is the brother of Chen Xi, the Minister of Justice. Chen Xi died in Yueyang last year. He came to take revenge."

Lan Qiao did not need Feng Yueming to further explain the origins of the Southern Army generals. Just from the direction of their advance, he knew that Sheng Yong had made up his mind to completely wipe out their Qingzhou Marquis Mansion.

Mulingguan is located at the foot of Mount Yi in the southeast of Qingzhou, blocking the only way for the Langya cavalry to retreat to the southeast. Laizhou is in the northeast of Qingzhou, and He Fu's presence in Laizhou is equivalent to cutting off their retreat eastward to Denglai and even to the sea.

And Linzi, where Chen Hui was located, was only a stone's throw away from Qingzhou. The army could attack from the northwest to the foot of the mountain city in an hour. It is not an exaggeration to say that black clouds were overwhelming the city.

"You shouldn't have come." Feng Yueming sighed, "Since we killed Zhang Boying, although we have tried our best to recruit and train new soldiers in the past two years, now we have only ten thousand troops available. When Sheng Yong's army comes to attack,

I am ready to live and die with the mountain city, there is no need for you to bury me with me."

"Do you know where Sheng Yong's Zhongjun stronghold is?" Lan Qiao asked persistently.

"We haven't found it yet." Feng Yueming smiled bitterly, "Not only that, but Lan Xiye in their formation is also unknown. I heard that your old friend Zhang Zhongjie has also joined Sheng Yong's command."

"Zhang Zhongjie?" Lan Qiao recalled that in the Goddess Building, Sun Xiu once called Zhang Zhongjie "General Zhang". He also asked Hua Yuxi afterwards, but the latter did not know about it.

Now it seems that Zhang Zhongjie probably became "General Zhang" by working in Sheng Yong's Northern Expeditionary Army.

"And Chu Shuijun and Lan Daoxing?" Lan Qiao recalled the rumors he heard in Taizhou and reminded Feng Yueming: "Are they here too?"

"They are here, but not in the area closest to us." Feng Yueming pointed to Magu Mountain in the upper left corner of the map, "Their position is here to prevent King Yan from sending troops to support."

He glanced at Lan Qiao and then smiled: "And your old sweetheart Hua Yuxi, she is also in Magushan."

Feng Yueming didn't know Hua Yuxi's identity yet, nor did she know that Lan Qiao and Hua Yuxi had turned enemies into friends. He deliberately said that her old enemy was Lan Qiao's "old friend", which was a kind of irony and humor. She told him that Zhang Zhongjie was

Like Lanqiao's "old friend".

Lan Qiao was secretly surprised and didn't understand why Hua Yuxi, who was supposed to stay with Bai Xueyin in a small valley outside Luzhou City, appeared in Shandong: "Is there a mistake?"

At the same time, he thought in his heart: "She told me that she didn't know about Zhang Zhongjie becoming a general, but now she has become a comrade-in-arms with Zhang Zhongjie, and they both work for Sheng Yong. Is she lying to me again? If that's true, Xue

Could it be that Yin is in danger again?"

Before Feng Yueming could answer, Bai Qin had already walked into the room with a teacup and teapot, and said with a smile: "My brother-in-law is here, so I don't invite anyone to drink tea first. Although the business is important, don't be too tired."

As she said this, she put down the tea set and began to pour tea for Lan Qiao and Feng Yueming.

Lan Qiao quickly thanked: "Thank you, Butler Bai."

"What do you call Butler Bai?" Feng Yueming corrected him: "You should call me sister-in-law." Then he briefly told Lan Qiao the story of how he and Bai Qin got married in the mountain city after returning to Qingzhou from Jiangpu.

Although Bai Qin and Feng Yueming had been married for several months, listening to him telling the past events in his own words, she was still so embarrassed that she poured a cup of tea over with a blushing face.

"This is a happy event." Lan Qiao changed his words with a smile after knowing the whole story, "Thank you, sister-in-law."

Feng Yueming sighed and said: "The situation is ever-changing. No one knows who will come first tomorrow or the accident. We should live in the present, do what we want and should do, and don't care about other people's opinions. Because of Xiao Hou, I

As a master, everyone thinks that I should marry a princess or princess, but in fact, I have never looked down on Bai Qin because of her humble background. On the contrary, she has worked conscientiously in running the house for so many years.

, I see everything she does to me well and remember it in my heart."

He paused and then added: "Life is short, wouldn't it be a pity if we waste our time on meaningless things?"

Bai Qin's eyes were moist, and a happy smile appeared on her face. It seemed that this moment lasted forever, and she didn't care that she and Feng Yueming might not survive more than a few days.

"In the current situation, if Sheng Yong attacks with all his strength, we will never be able to hold on. The only hope is King Yan's reinforcements." Feng Yueming cleared her throat, looked back at the map on the table, and said with deep thoughts: "I just don't know what Yan is doing."

Will the king come? If so, how many people will he send?"

"The King of Yan will definitely come to his aid with all his strength." Lan Qiao affirmed, "If the Hou Mansion is allowed to fall, he will not only lose our chess pieces, but also chill the hearts of the soldiers. King Yan is a talented man with great ambitions and has the ambition to create a hegemony. He will not

I didn’t expect this.”

"If King Yan comes, the most convenient way is to go to the Magu Mountain." Feng Yueming tapped the point marked Magu Mountain on the map with his finger, "At that time, there will definitely be a tough battle with Lan Daoxing. Although Lan Daoxing is good at training, but

I'm afraid I still can't defeat King Yan, I wonder if they have other plans."

"I'm going to Magushan to have a look." Lan Qiao said flatly, "I have to be aware of the terrain there and the strength of the Chu Shui Army."

Feng Yueming was slightly stunned. Although he didn't know why Lan Qiao insisted on going to Magushan to inquire about the information in person, he thought again that knowing more about the information there might be helpful in responding to King Yan's reinforcements in the future, so he nodded in agreement and said, "You can add more information there."

careful."

Lan Qiao informed Feng Yeling that he was going to Magu Mountain to inquire about the military situation, then he took out a horse from Wu Yi, looked at the bloody setting sun hanging on the top of Liu Chang Mountain, picked up his riding whip, and left Juechen.
Chapter completed!