On the top of the city of Yanmen Pass, flags are fluttering, and every few steps there is an armored guard guarding the city with a long bow and iron spear, quietly watching the endless vast world outside Yanmen Pass.
Outside Yanmen Pass, there is a long and narrow road. On the left is the extended mountain tail of Yanmen Ridge, and on the right is a bottomless cliff. When the battle was fought, no one knew how many innocent ghosts were buried under it.
I'm afraid it's all broken bones now.
On top of the city tower, the general stood in the biting cold wind. The old man was like steel, upright and domineering. There were two people standing beside him, one on the left and one on the right.
On the left is Xue Poye, the minister of household affairs, and on the right is Ouyang Dexiu, the general of Yanmen Pass, General Long Meng.
Ouyang Dexiu has a broad face like an orthodox soldier. His skin is dark and rough, showing the harshness of the bitter cold borderland. The skin on his face is cracked one after another.
For the soldiers at the border, these inscriptions are medals, medals for guarding the territory and frontiers.
"Xue Poye, you should have seen the difficulty of the border pass." The general's eyes were stern, looking at the quiet and deserted gate under the torch. When the time comes, Yanmen Pass will be closed, and there will be no access to the inside and outside. He said slowly: "Kyoto
I don’t want to get involved too much with the colorful things inside. I was born in the army, and my life’s goal is to protect my territory of Dachu. As for the fight for power, I have no interest in taking care of it, and I don’t even want to listen.
listen."
The general spoke very frankly.
Xue Poye stood by and listened respectfully, and then the general continued: "But I don't care about the partisanship in the court. As the minister of household affairs, I need you for the food, grass and military pay."
I want it." He looked at Guanxia with a pair of tiger eyes and said in a deep voice: "No matter how hard and tired the Beizhen Army is, they will always guard our Heavenly Punishment Fortress in Dachu. But I have said ugly things in front of you, and you guys are suffering.
They don't ask for delicious food or spicy food, but the imperial court must ensure that they are well fed. They are guarding here to the death, and the military pay supports their families. Without military pay, the morale of the military will be unstable. I will also go to Kyoto to sue you at the Ministry of Household Affairs.
of."
Xue Poye pondered for a moment and said seriously: "General, Xue Poye does not dare to draw any conclusions on the affairs of the imperial court, but please rest assured that as long as Xue Poye is in his position, he will not be lazy in his duties.
You must do your best and do your job well, otherwise, Xue Poye is willing to come to the border in person to apologize to the general."
The general laughed loudly, patted Xue Poye's shoulder heavily, and said: "A man knows what he should do. This is a good thing." He stroked his beard and said: "I heard that this time the Hubu Bank
It was stolen and a large sum of official silver was missing. The food, fodder and military pay were almost impossible to provide, is this possible?"
Xue Poye knew that the general, as a powerful figure in the Chu Kingdom, would definitely know this kind of information even if he was at the border, so he said simply: "There is such a thing."
The general nodded and said: "I guess that's the case. Your Majesty has always been very kind to our Beizhen Army, but this time the food, fodder and military pay are belatedly coming. The soldiers are full of resentment."
Xue Poye said hurriedly: "It is our fault to let our brothers suffer."
The general waved his hand and said: "I'm not ignorant. Speaking of which, I don't blame you for this, but I should thank you. When the treasury silver was lost, you seemed to have not yet entered the household department, so the preparation of food, grass and military pay was also
It's not your responsibility anymore. I heard that it was you who advised me in front of the Holy One and came up with a countermeasure for merchants to raise donations, and then I prepared these grains and silver to solve the urgent need. I thank you on behalf of my sons and gentlemen."
Xue Poye hurriedly said: "Don't dare, don't dare, the general has given you the reward." He thought to himself: "It turns out that this old general is not an unreasonable person. He can still distinguish between good and evil."
"Xue Poye, I thank you today." The general said slowly: "But if there is any discrepancy in food, fodder, and military pay in the future, I will still have to report to the Holy One to deal with Wang Dezhao and you. Then don't blame me for being ruthless.
"
Xue Poye hurriedly said yes.
"Mr.
There are so many corpses floating around." Pointing to the narrow path, he slowly said: "Below here is the bloody road, which extends from here to the foot of Qilin Mountain."
Xue Poye looked at the deserted and quiet narrow road at this time. In the dark night, there was nothing special under the firelight of the tower, but he could understand the mood of the old general. Perhaps many years ago, the old general himself was at Yanmen Pass.
He fought against the Beihu army and even watched his close partners fall into a pool of blood one by one.
The cold wind is blowing, and the world is desolate.
The soldiers of the Beizhen Army on Yanmen Pass City Fortress still kept their eyes wide open, watching every move outside Yanmen Pass. Fifty miles outside Yanmen Pass, near the ancient ferry of Han River, there was an outpost of the Beizhen Army there. As long as there was an outpost there,
At the slightest movement, a signal will come, and the soldiers guarding the gate must pay attention to the transmission of the signal at all times.
Ouyang Dexiu, who had been silent next to him, finally said: "General, it's late at night. You haven't had a good rest in several days. Go and have a rest."
The general waved his hand and said with a smile: "When I was young, I didn't sleep for four days and four nights. When the barbarians came, I rushed ahead and killed several strong barbarians. Although I am older now, I can't compare with the young ones.
Time, but with this little physical strength, I still have it.”
Xue Poye smiled and touched his nose, and suddenly asked something he regretted saying: "General, are the barbarians really going to attack?"
The general glanced at Xue Poye, but did not seem to blame him for asking rashly. He pondered for a long time, and then slowly said: "Is there any day when the Hu people don't want to attack? They have the same thoughts as my great Chu, I
Since the founding of the Chu Kingdom, which generation of emperors has not wanted to wipe out the grassland?" After a pause, he continued: "It's just that our Dachu expedition to the north ended in failure several times. The whole country has a deep feeling for the grassland.
fear, so for so many years, we have only put defense first and did not conquer the north. Although the Northern Hu barbarians had the intention to go south, they have not made any move due to three reasons. This has also fulfilled the decades-long conflict between the two countries.
Peace.”
"Three reasons?" Xue Poye frowned.
"Not bad!" The general seemed to be in high spirits tonight, or maybe the Yanmen Pass in Cangliao reminded him a lot, and he said calmly: "First, for so many years, our country, Chu, has been peaceful and peaceful, prosperous, and its national power is far superior to that of Beihu.
Therefore, they are wary and do not dare to act rashly. Both of them are because of the existence of the ancient crossing of the Han River. Once there is an army, our Yanmen can always be on guard and be impregnable. In addition, for so many years, the Beizhen Army has trained diligently.
, their fighting power is extraordinary, which is one of the reasons why they dare not go south."
Although Xue Poye didn't understand Da Chu's military affairs, he understood that the two reasons stated by the general were absolutely correct.
"Three of them must be attributed to the Beihu people themselves." The general sneered: "They say that our Chu people are too narrow-minded and like to fight among themselves, but speaking of it, the Beihu people are not very capable of fighting among themselves.
They are bigger and weaker than me. They have dozens of ethnic groups, big or small. The strong bullies the weak, and the big bullies the small. The power dispute between the Kelie tribe and the Yingnaluo royal family has been going on for a long time. This time the leopards of the Kelie tribe
The Tu commander even wanted to stage a coup to replace the authority of the Inara royal family in one fell swoop. Who knew that in turn, he would be annihilated by the other three commanders? Now the aftermath of the grassland has not yet subsided. It was they who were fighting with each other.
, constraining each other and preventing unification, this is why we have no capital to go south. In the final analysis, this is also the biggest reason."
Xue Poye nodded and said: "The general is right. The reason for the failure of many things and people in this world is not other things but oneself. One's own shortcomings often lead to fatal results."
The general laughed and said: "I didn't expect that you are so knowledgeable at such a young age. No wonder the Holy One has favored you so much. It seems you are quite capable." Suddenly he frowned and said seriously: "Actually, Beihu
This coup is not a good thing for me, Dachu."
He turned around and said to Ouyang Dexiu: "Long Meng, you seem to know the Yingtu commander in this coup quite well!"
There are six dragon-named generals under the general. Except for General Longyi Liu Zizheng, for the other five, the general always calls them by their general title, either because such a title is more characteristic of a soldier, or because this
This kind of title can make the generals under his command feel the respect of the general.
Ouyang Dexiu's face has always been stern and tense, like a rock. After thinking for a while, he slowly said: "Ying Tushuai is the most ferocious eagle on the grassland, and he is also a rare hero in the grassland. He is known as the grassland
A warrior is not only skilled in bow and horse, but he also understands the art of war and is extremely cunning. This time the Leopard Commander launches a coup, if there is no sudden difficulty for the Eagle Commander, there is a high probability that it will succeed." After a pause, he slowly said
: "After wiping out the Leopard Tu Commander, the Eagle Tu Commander's prestige on the grasslands reached its peak. Genghis Khan, who had just ascended the throne, appointed him the Commander-in-Chief of the Beihu Supervisor, and his power reached its peak. Now he uses various
We united all the ministries, rectified the army and horses, drilled day and night, and even negotiated privately with the Khitan and Tibetans. The purpose was naturally to prepare to go south to attack Chu."
The general looked serious and said coldly: "No matter how powerful a person is in terms of force or wild temper, there is nothing to be afraid of, but this person is so ambitious that we have to be careful. He can make the Beihu Prairie where ethnic disputes arise
People's hearts are calm and they dare to send envoys to contact Khitan and Tubo privately. This kind of ambition is not ordinary." Hehe sneered and said: "I think back then, the Beihu people were just guerrillas and looting in our territory of Dachu.
After a while, he returned to the grassland, not daring to have any big delusions, but now the commander-in-chief of the Supervisory State is determined to destroy our great Chu, hehe... But if he wants to enter our great Chu territory, he must first
I had a fight with my husband."
Ouyang Dexiu said solemnly: "General, I despise my position and think that Commander Yingtu needs to reorganize his military equipment and coordinate the relations between all parties. He is not fully prepared. With his personality, he will never go south easily."
The general put his hands behind his back and nodded: "I have calculated this. If they want to go south, they will probably need at least two years of preparation, otherwise they will not even have a 10% chance of winning."
Ouyang Dexiu frowned and said: "But what I am most worried about is that Beihu will use a small force to harass our border lines in Dachu, so that we can't rest assured to prepare for war."
"We will discuss this matter later and come up with a perfect plan." The general clenched his fists lightly and suddenly asked: "Have any news come back recently from the spies stationed in Beihu?"
Ouyang Dexiu suddenly knelt down on one knee and said respectfully: "I am about to apologize to the general!"
The general said calmly: "Did something happen to the spies?"
Ouyang Dexiu said hurriedly: "Beizhi sent a total of three groups of eleven spies to Beihu. Half a month ago, all news was cut off instantly, and no news has been conveyed back. Later, Beizhi sent two more groups of spies, with a total of seven people.
, and there is still no news back."
The general looked stern and said coldly: "You mean, all our spies were discovered by Beihu and arrested?"
"Although I can't be certain about my humble position, I'm afraid that's what happened." Ouyang Dexiu was a little annoyed, but more angry. His two iron fists were clenched together, and the veins were bulging.
The general swung the cloak behind him and said in a cold voice: "Follow me back to the house." He glanced at Xue Poye and said calmly: "Master Xue, if there is nothing else to do, you go and rest first."
Xue Po Yegong claimed that it was true. When he saw the general taking Ouyang Dexiu and he was about to leave, he suddenly said: "General, I'm afraid there is a traitor." As soon as he said the words, he regretted it. This was a conditioned reflex.
When I heard that the spies were caught, I suddenly remembered the spy wars I saw on TV in my previous life. Many spies were caught because they were betrayed by traitors.
The general stopped slightly, and then said in a deep voice: "You will come with me." He strode down from the tower.
General Longmeng's barracks.
Naturally, the house of the border general cannot be compared with that of the officials in Kyoto. It is just an ordinary tile-roofed house, located directly north of the garrison camp. It cannot be said to be impressive, it is just an ordinary house. The houses of many ordinary merchants in Dachu are also larger.
Many times more impressive than this.
This place is heavily guarded. After all, it is the source of Yanmen Fortress' orders and is heavily defended.
There is a very secluded hut here. The general is sitting on a chair with a serious look on his face. In front of him, Xue Poye and Ouyang Dexiu stand quietly, with serious expressions on their faces.
"You said we have a traitor here?" The old general stared at Xue Poye with sharp eyes, like an eagle.
Xue Poye clasped his fists and said, "General, I made a mistake when I made a mistake. Please forgive me, General."
"There is no room for mistakes in military matters." The general was extremely stern at this time and his voice was cold: "Say your reasons, otherwise, you will be dragged out and receive thirty military sticks."
Xue Poye was stunned for a moment, then he smiled bitterly in his heart, secretly regretted it, and blamed himself: "***, how come you are so famous, why can't you shut up your own mouth?"
He regretted in his heart, but when he saw the general and Ouyang Dexiu looking at him, he frowned and asked Ouyang Dexiu: "General Longmeng, does anyone else know about these spies you sent?"
Ouyang Dexiu shook his head and said: "I sent this secretly, and no one else knows about it. These people have been carefully trained by me and are good at lurking to find out information. I wanted to find out the situation in Beihu at any time, but unexpectedly...!"
Shaked his head.
"Are these spies familiar with each other?" Xue Poye asked again.
Ouyang Dexiu frowned and said: "I sent out five groups of spies, with a total of eighteen people. The spies sent out in the same group are naturally familiar, but if they are not the same group, they will never be familiar. Yanmen Gate Guards
There are over 10,000 troops, and I have chosen them all secretly. Even if there are some who are familiar with each other, it is absolutely impossible for all five batches of spies to know each other."
Xue Po Yeqing couldn't help but touch his nose and frowned: "In other words, even if the same group of people are caught and tortured to extract confessions, it is impossible to know the whereabouts of other groups of people?"
Ouyang Dexiu looked at the general and saw that the general had a serious look on his face, so he nodded and said, "Not bad."
Xue Poye smiled bitterly and said: "But now the whereabouts of all five groups of spies are unknown. According to General Long Meng's speculation, it is very likely that they were arrested by the Beihu people. Based on this alone, doesn't it mean that there is a traitor here?
This traitor obviously investigated the whereabouts of five groups of spies, so he was able to inform the Beihu side and let the Beihu people catch the turtle in the jar, otherwise, how could five groups of people disappear at the same time."
The general pondered for a moment, then slowly said: "That makes some sense, but our border officers are all loyal and good men, so how could there be a despicable traitor?" He clenched his fists and said coldly.
He said: "If there really is such a person, I will let him be cut into pieces."
Ouyang Dexiu said sternly: "These spies are very clear about the defense of our Yanmen garrison, and they also know some unknown secrets. If they are caught by the Beihu people and forced to confess, it will be very harmful to our Yanmen garrison."
It’s bad.”
The general said simply and neatly: "Send more people!"
"But...!" Ouyang Dexiu hesitated, looked at the general, and finally said: "I think that if we send people there before the traitor is found, I'm afraid there will be great danger."
"Bang"!
There was a muffled sound, and the general's iron fist hit the table, his face turned livid: "Check, check for me, you must find out. I want to see who is so bold as to betray my sons."
Xue Poye thought to himself: "The general has a very bad temper."
"Evidence was found." There was silence in the room for a moment, and then the general regained his composure and said slowly: "There is no evidence, so don't blame any brother easily. I always thought that the soldiers of my Beizhen Army were all good men.
, there will be no such guy who betrays his country and seeks glory."
"Then... as for Beihu, should we not send spies there for the time being?" Ouyang Dexiu asked.
The general closed his eyes and tapped the edge of the table with his fingers. He seemed to be thinking about something. His face was calm. After a long time, he opened his eyes and said seriously: "That's it, you find the traitor. Once you find the traitor,
Whether I am here or not, I will examine the confession to see what he sold to the barbarians, and then engage in military law. At that time, we will send people to rescue...!" The old general sighed deeply: "I'm afraid that
By that time, it’s already too late.”
Ouyang Dexiu's face was also heavy and angry, and his fists were clenched tightly.
They are all generals on the battlefield. One can fight against a hundred. Even if there are thousands of people, they are not afraid. However, they disdain the dirty conspiracy behind it, or to put it bluntly, they are not proficient in it.
"General, you... can you think of me?"
Xue Poye, who was standing nearby, suddenly spoke.
"You?" The general looked directly at Xue Poye and frowned: "What do you mean?"
Xue Poye clasped his fists and said: "If we select people from the Beizhen Army to go to Beihu to inquire about information, there may be unexpected dangers, but if we are not from the Beizhen Army, is it possible to succeed?"
The general and Ouyang Dexiu looked at each other and frowned, showing some confusion, as if they still hadn't understood what Xue Poye meant.dd