Kangxi's army marched again. It was a cold autumn, and large areas of dead grass and dead leaves were undulating on the grassland. The white-haired wind made a whimpering sound. During the day, they marched without feeling anything, and at night it was cold.

It was so frosty that all the sergeants sleeping in the tents were so cold that their teeth were shaking, but it would take half a month for the winter clothes to be delivered. What was even more unbearable was that the food roads were getting further and further away, and there was no supply at all. The soldiers

He had no choice but to kill horses to satisfy his hunger. Kangxi sent people to strictly order Suo'etu several times to transport the grain as quickly as possible. Suo'etu always replied that he would try his best to supply it, but the food supplied was pitifully small and almost ran out as soon as it arrived. Feiyanggu knew that this was

During the Battle of Ulanbutong, General Suo'etu transferred all his supplies to the east. However, as the commander-in-chief, he did not dare to tell the truth, so he had to order the Northern Route Army to scrimp on food and clothing and hurry up.

By the beginning of September, Kangxi's central army had only three days of rations left, and was still ten days away from Tamir. At this time, he received a report from Feiyanggu Army that the North Route Army had run out of rations! Wu Dan and Su Lun, who were accompanying him,

Seeing that Kangxi was so anxious and haggard, they all advised him to suspend the march to wait for military pay.

"Today is the ninth day of the Lunar New Year," Kangxi seemed to be overwhelmed with emotion, and said with a wry smile, "It is the day in Beijing to climb high with a pot and enjoy the chrysanthemums to relieve the cold. How did they know that I am suffering here? The notes they sent were all about 'I respectfully invite the Holy Spirit'

An', who knows what they are thinking!"

Axiu and Su Lun looked at each other. They felt sad in their hearts, but they did not dare to reply to Kangxi's words. Wu Dan sighed: "This place is so close to Gansu and Shaanxi, but we have to get food from Horqin and Longhua. I really don't know what these uncles are saying."

How did we plan it in the first place!"

This sentence reminded Kangxi, thinking of the several halls he had secretly set up in Yan'an and Yulin. There was plenty of food there, so why did he choose to go far away? At this moment, Kangxi was really grateful to Zhou Peigong. He was refreshed and said: "Fei Qi went to Feiyang Ancient Army to deliver the decree."

"Order to send cadres to Yulin, Yan'an, and Yikezhao to take out all the food and supply it to the Northern Route Army!" "What should we do here?" Su Lun asked. Kangxi said: "The Northern Route Army wants to cut off Galdan's return to wealth.

On the road to eight cities, we have to conquer cities and capture territory. The journey is far away and we must not be without food. From today on, we will only have one meal a day from me to the groom, waiting for the food aid from Suo'etu!"

How can this be done? Wu Dan was stunned, opened his mouth, but could not speak. After a while, he kowtowed and said with a sob: "I obey... your order. I only ask your Majesty..."

"Don't persuade me." Kangxi's eyes were full of tears and he looked at the guard who had been with him for many years. "I am like everyone else. Only by maintaining my morale can I keep my morale. Otherwise, I will walk even slower..."

The emperor, like the grooms, only served one meal every day at noon! When the edict was passed, the soldiers all cried bitterly. But Kangxi didn't seem to care. On the same day, he summoned the officials from Jia Qianzong and above, ordered them all to sit on the ground, and spoke earnestly.

Said: "Although I have never tasted the feeling of hunger, I know how sad it is. Fortunately, we are marching on the grassland. We can occasionally see wild sheep, roe deer and the like, and we can also hunt while marching. From my soldiers

, I have asked you to remember your name, and I will never forget you. We share the same hardships today, and we will naturally share the blessings in the future. This is the first thing I think about right now." Kangxi looked into the distance with his deep eyes, and said

, "On the second level, the country is now at its most prosperous time since the founding of the country. Yesterday I read the newspaper, Shanzuo is ripe, Shanyou is ripe, Jiangnan is also ripe, and the national treasury has more food than can be used up in ten years!

Our army is short of food, it's just that it can't be transported temporarily. When Galdan is trapped in Tamir, his army is exhausted and there is no food source. Our army's food will be transported in a few days, so why should everyone be temporarily trapped?

Are you worried? This battle is for the unification of the world. The Central Plains of the Western Region will never be invaded again. The divisions will be famous and upright. I have to say that there is food behind me. Even if there is no food, I will just eat snow. I will pursue it to the end and cut off the chaos in China.

The bane of... I feel very sad to see you suffering and starving..." At this point, Kangxi lowered his head, and there was a sigh of relief in the audience.

"Cheer up!" Kangxi suddenly raised his voice and shouted, "The governor of Henan's memorial said that the Yellow River is clear, which is an auspicious sign from heaven. If the Yellow River is clear, the world will be unified. This is my long-cherished wish! It goes against the will of heaven, but it goes with heaven's will.

We are prosperous, and we are willing to work together with you!" Upon hearing this, the officers knelt down in unison, their sabers and spurs clinking against each other, and they thundered in agreement:

"twitter!"

... After marching hungry for eight days, the forward army was already at war with Galdan's army. It seemed that Galdan's army was also so hungry that it could only survive. The two sides fought briefly and ended in a draw before returning to their camps.

At this time, Kangxi's rear camp came to report that the grain had arrived. Although it was only four hundred stones, at this time, it was like a long drought followed by sweet rain. The soldiers immediately buried pots to make rice, preparing to attack Galdan's camp with all their strength in the afternoon.

Camp, destroy this last lair.

Unexpectedly, after lunch, the enemy camp set a fire in front of the formation. Because this place has been in war for a long time, no one has been grazing, the grass has grown waist-high, the autumn clouds are strong, the grass is dense, and in an instant, a boundless sea of ​​​​fire rolls over from south to north.

, flames soared into the sky, black smoke and burning grass blades rushed up from Laogao, and swept in on the west wind. The Qing camp was immediately in panic.

Kangxi had just returned from patrolling the camp when he heard people shouting for horses outside. He thought it was Galdan who risked his life and came to kick the camp. As soon as he stepped out of the tent, Wu Dan and Su Lun took him one by one and helped him onto the horse. Wu Dan pulled him

Reining the reins, his head covered with hot sweat, he shouted: "Your Majesty, hurry up, my servant is taking the Zhongying to put out the fire. Even if he dies, he has to wait for an hour to burn it again!" Su Lun pushed Wu Dan past and said: "Your Majesty

I can't live without you, you protect the master. This is my mission, hurry, hurry!" After saying that, he turned back and ordered his followers, "If you have the guts, get out of the way with me!"

"Slow down!" Axiu suddenly opened the curtain and came out, her face was extremely calm, "You don't know the fire on the grassland. As long as it doesn't rain, I can catch you even if you run to death!"

"Smelly bitch!" Wu Dan had already forgotten his etiquette and cursed angrily, "If you weren't a sinister person in the army, how could you have attracted this yang fire? If you don't leave, will you be burned here?"

Axiu smiled coldly and said: "I don't care if you, a rude person, speak in a hurry, but what I say is the truth!" After saying that, he took out the coal, shook it, threw it to the ground, and immediately wiped the grass under his feet.

It's burning.

Kangxi immediately realized, drew his sword on his horse and ordered: "Send the order to each camp to light a fire immediately, burn out the empty space, and move the big camp over!" In an instant, the Qing camp was also a sea of ​​​​fire, spreading to the east, waiting for the fierce fire in the west.

By then, Kangxi had already safely moved camp.

Night fell quietly on the burnt grassland. Without the grass, there was no more rustling sound every night, no more birds and beasts, no more howling wolves and jackals from time to time, it was completely silent.

When Kangxi came back from his inspection tour, he saw Wu Dan milling around the tent, so he asked, "Didn't I ask you to arrange the food that was brought in? What are you doing here?" Wu Dan blushed, lowered his head and kicked his feet.

He touched the root of the grass and said: "...I was rude today and wrongly scolded your master, minion..." Kangxi smiled heartily and cursed: "You stubborn donkey, who cares about you! Go and do your job!"

After saying that, he went straight into the tent and said to Axiu with a smile: "It's a good thing I brought you here, otherwise, I would have to go to see my ancestors! Wu Dan just went to plead guilty, and I sent him away."

Axiu frowned, and after a long while, she breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Master, have you ever thought about it? The fire we set will block the grain path behind..." Kangxi couldn't help but be startled after hearing this. After a long time, he smiled with relief.

He said: "The people transporting grain are all Mongols, it doesn't matter to them! But... I'm afraid it will be slower." While he was talking, Su Lun came in from outside and said: "Your Majesty, Nian Gengyao from the Northern Route Army is here and wants to see the Emperor.

!”

"Nian Gengyao?" Kangxi couldn't remember it for a moment, and after a long time he smiled and said, "It's the brave general in white! Tell him to come in!" As soon as he finished speaking, Nian Gengyao rushed in, kowtowed to the ground and said, "Slave Nian Gengyao

Yao, long live my prayers!"

Kangxi couldn't help being surprised and asked: "What crime are you asking for? Speak slowly, don't be hasty!"

"The Northern Route Army has joined forces with the Hui tribe, blocking Galdan's escape to the west and south. Galdan's nephew Alabutan submitted a declaration of submission to the court! Galdan led a hundred men and failed to break through. At Acha'a

Mutata committed suicide by swallowing gold. Slaves..."

"Wait!" Kangxi didn't believe his ears and stopped Nian Gengyao, "What did you say?!"

"The servant said that Galdan is dead." Nian Gengyao said, "The enemy army in front is commanded by Galdan's daughter. She originally wanted to block our army and let Galdan escape. She didn't know that our army had lost its way back.

…”

"Death requires a corpse?" Kangxi still didn't believe it.

Nian Gengyao shook his hands, took out a piece of paper from the pages of his boots, held it in both hands, and said: "This is Galdan's death letter. Feijunmen ordered his servants to pass it on to him, but he failed to capture this animal alive. He has failed to honor the precious trust of the Holy One."

…”

When Kangxi grabbed it and looked at it, it was written in Chinese characters crookedly:

The bow is broken, the wings are flying, relatives and friends are betrayed, and the soldiers are dispersed. God destroys me, and it is not a crime of war. Galdan's last work

After being stunned for a long time, Kangxi suddenly burst into laughter and said, "Are you going to plead guilty for this? I said that to capture Galdan alive, it was just a canonical punishment. Now that he is dead, it's too late for me to rejoice! Do you have any wine? Please pour it.

Bring me a bowl!"

"My slave killed Ge Li!" Nian Gengyao added abruptly, and after that, he hit his head heavily on the ground.

Everyone in the tent was shocked when they heard this. How could Nian Gengyao, a humble general, dare to do this? Everyone turned pale with fright. Axiu was crying with joy and could not help but stare in astonishment. For a moment, there was a dead silence in the tent.

"Why?" Kangxi asked after a while.

"He seized the military rations for the army transporting from Gansu and Shaanxi to the north!" Nian Gengyao replied stiffly, "The commander ordered me to supervise the rations. He said that all the rations had been distributed to the refugees, so he went to Yulin and Yan'an grain depots in person to see what was in the depots.

There were still more than one million stones of grain, and he was forced to send it out immediately, but he pushed back and forth, saying that without horses and chariots, it would be difficult to raise an army. It was also the servant who was anxious. He scolded him a few words, and he said that the servant below is guilty of the above, and he is evil.

Don't hesitate. I'll kill him in anger!"

This man was young and insignificant. No one would have believed that he was so powerful and vicious unless he said it himself. Kangxi stared at him for a while and said, "Which banner are you from?"

"The Han army is setting up a yellow flag." Nian Gengyao replied in a high voice, "Now the fourth master is on duty in the vassal office. I am a slave who is good at killing ministers. Please ask for orders to be killed!"

"Then Ge Li is the newly restored governor of Gansu and Shaanxi," Kangxi turned around and sat down and said, "There are so many followers and so many soldiers, so how can you kill him?" Nian Gengyao kowtowed and replied: "The army is hungry.

Nearly a thousand soldiers died, and the food supervision was not available several times. The slave borrowed the commander's Emperor's Sword, killed him, and asked for an order to punish him!" Kangxi was silent for a long time, and said noncommittally: "Let's not discuss this matter for now, you don't have to return to camp.

Just wait in the imperial camp, go!"

Kangxi dismissed everyone and wanted to think alone for a while. Before leaving Beijing, he repeatedly issued secret edicts to the northern provinces to fully support Feiyanggu. How dare Ge Li be so bold and openly defy the order? Horqin and Chahar provided six

Why are thousands of grain trucks not used, but horses are used to support the front line bit by bit? What is even more surprising is that no one except himself and Gao Shiqi knows the setup of Yulin and other departments. How did Ge Li find out the real information?

Did Gao Shiqi dare to leak it?... A series of doubts made Kangxi's forehead feel hot. He stood up and walked around for a few steps. Suddenly he heard a faint sound of flute in the distance outside, whimpering very sadly, and tilted his head.

After listening to it for a while, I felt that I had heard this song before, so I called Jin Su Lun and asked, "Who is playing the flute?"

"It's the Pearl." Su Lun replied, "Just now Wu Dan came back and Ming Pearl was wandering around the ridge over there with Zhi Xiao..." While Wu Dan was talking, Wu Dan had already entered the tent, and Kangxi asked: "Wu Dan,

Listen, when have you heard this song before?"

Wu Dan listened carefully for a long time and said with a smile: "I only heard the second half. It was played by Mingzhu at Wei Dongting's house in Weizi Hutong that year, but I didn't hear the first half!" "The first half was played by He Guizhu at Yuepeng Store that year.

Home, the pearl blows!" Kangxi listened for a while, and suddenly realized that the past of meeting Wu Ciyou for the first time twenty-six years ago, and the gathering of guards at Wei Dongting's house to plan the elimination of Obai came to mind. He took off the hanging on the wall of the tent.

He put on his cloak and walked out without saying a word. Wu Dan and Su Lun had no choice but to follow at a distance.

These days, the most difficult thing for the entire army is Mingzhu. Ever since the army was short of food, he had to have two meals a day. Kangxi ordered the entire army to have one meal a day, but they were deducted from it, and sometimes they just gave him two Wotou.

Mingzhu has experienced a lot in the world, but he doesn't care much about it. What's terrible is that the soldiers who follow him and monitor him become more and more cruel to him, and attack him at every turn: "Those who deserve to die should die on their own.

Why must the emperor speak?" This pearl is like a fallen phoenix. What can be done? I couldn't help but walk under the desolate autumn moon. I couldn't help but have a lot of thoughts, so I leaned against the ridge and played the flute for a while.

When I was drowsy, I heard someone say: "Mingzhu is in a good mood, is it you who plays the flute?"

"Long live!"

Mingzhu was startled, turned over and fell to the ground, saying: "Long live my servant Mingzhu, I don't want to disturb the Holy Master by playing the flute, I hope you can forgive me!"

"Get up!" Kangxi waved slightly. Under the moonlight, he saw Mingzhu, who was thin and emaciated, with a haggard face and hair that was more than two inches long. Thinking of a minister who went to the study to be in this situation, he couldn't help but feel pity, "I'm afraid there is no food these days.
To be continued...