Opposite Caoqiao Pass, on the west bank of Danshui.
The weather in midsummer is extremely hot.
Fortunately, the army was stationed on the edge of Danshui River, and there were mountains on both sides, so the heat was not too severe.
The only thing to worry about is that there are a lot of mosquitoes in the mountains.
Even if you light mugwort and other things, there are still mosquitoes that are not afraid of death and rush to bite you.
If you are not careful, you will receive red envelopes one after another.
"Bah!"
Feng Duhu, who was sitting under the pergola fishing, reached out and slapped his neck, and a big mosquito was killed in the palm of his hand. The blood stains bloomed like a small red flower.
After scratching the bite on his neck, Feng Duhu continued to sit still.
How can a fisherman be put off by a mere mosquito?
However, today seemed destined to make Feng Duhu unable to fish with peace of mind. Soon, rapid footsteps came from behind him:
"Jun Hou, someone said that an urgent message was sent from Bingzhou!"
"Huh?" Feng Duhu was suddenly startled and immediately turned his head, "An urgent letter from Bingzhou?"
He glanced past the personal guards and looked outside the guard circle, only to see a man wearing leggings and a narrow-sleeved robe standing there.
A member of the Xinghan Society?
To be precise, it is Dongfeng Express.
Feng Duhu raised his eyebrows. It was not an official document, but a private message?
I used Dongfeng Express’s dedicated emergency channel to deliver the letter, and it was delivered to myself. The writer was very thoughtful!
Isn't this just adding Pony's QQ and then going to other people's farms to steal vegetables in the middle of the night?
Seeing that it was not an urgent official document sent from Bingzhou, Feng Duhu felt relaxed again.
Compared with the urgent official documents related to the military situation of Bingzhou, no matter how urgent the personal letters were, they were not considered urgent to Feng Duhu.
"Let him come over."
"Here!"
The man received permission, trotted up to Feng Duhu, bowed deeply and said respectfully:
"Zhu Liu pays homage to the prince."
Just from the name, you can tell that he was born into a poor man.
"Retired from the army?"
Hearing this, Zhu Liu, who had just stood up straight, immediately blushed:
"Your Majesty, it is true that the villain joined the army from Nanxiang in the seventh year of Jianxing."
"Over the years, villains have participated in major battles such as Xiaoguan, Liangzhou, and Bingzhou. The court changed the military system the year before last, and villains withdrew from the army."
Feng Duhu has many current identities.
This also leads to different people calling him different names.
It goes without saying that those who are called "mountain leaders" are all students from the college, and most of them are students from the early years.
Those who are called "junhou" are basically old people who follow Feng Duhu, and they are qualified to be called so.
Even someone like Meng Yan would be a little embarrassed.
This was all for the sake of his brother Meng Huo, or to be precise, it was for the sake of Huawan.
Only then did Meng Yan dare to call him Junhou in private.
As for outsiders, they are basically called "Zhongdu Hu".
As for those who publicly call him "General Youhussar", they are either seeking death or, like Wei Yan, they want to confront someone like Feng.
The position of the Central Protector is high and powerful. Compared with the Right Hussars General, I don't know how much more prestigious it is.
You called General You Hussar and deliberately placed Feng under Wei Yan. What if you weren't deliberately looking for trouble?
Of course, if you are in a formal occasion, or if you talk about business, people will naturally call you the Protector of the Central Capital.
So the man in front of him called Feng Duhu a very direct indication of his identity.
As soon as Feng Duhu heard the other party's self-report, he immediately became interested, "Oh? Then why did you retire?"
The army will basically not let go of such elite soldiers unless forced to do so.
Besides, the big man's finances are now in good shape, and his military salary is quite generous.
Moreover, with the current world situation, if you want to transcend social classes and serve in the military, it is the fastest way.
Even if you can't make any great achievements, if you stay in the army for a long time and accumulate some small achievements, you can still benefit your parents, wife and children at home.
Therefore, most veterans who have fought for many years are willing to stay in the military.
Not to mention that the person in front of him is a descendant of Nanxiang, who is the most loyal direct lineage among Feng Duhu's direct lineage.
Zhu Liu scratched his head, a little embarrassed:
"While following General Zhendong to forcefully cross the river, he was shot in the chest by a thief and fell into the water. He was eager to achieve success and refused to retreat. Unexpectedly, the thief opened a hole in his side again."
Having said this, Zhu Liu sighed:
"After the war, the medical staff said that I lost too much blood and almost lost my life. In addition, the wound was soaked in water when I fell into the water. They said it was infected or something."
"Anyway, although I saved my life in the end, my health was failing, so I had to retire from the army."
When Feng Duhu heard this, he quickly stood up in awe, walked up to him, and patted his shoulder:
"It's good to retire. After all, I have fought for the country for so many years and thank you for your hard work."
Hearing Feng Duhu's words and feeling the weight on his shoulders, the eyes of such a big man suddenly felt a little hot.
He stood up straight and said loudly:
"It's not hard to return to the throne! As long as my parents, wife and children can live a good life at home, no matter how hard I work, it's worth it!"
"When the villain was in the army, he was fortunate enough to receive the advice from the king: We kill thieves for the sake of our relatives and so that future generations will no longer be forced by thieves."
"It's so that they can always live a good life! Villains never dare to forget."
"Okay, okay!" Feng Duhu nodded, "So is your family living a good life now?"
"Junhou, they are living a good life, and the little people are also living a good life. They have enough food, warm clothes, and fields. Their children can still go to school. Little people, little people..."
I couldn't speak anymore and started wiping tears.
"This trip, I didn't need the villain to deliver it personally, but when I learned that it was a letter to the king, everyone wanted to rush over."
"The villain beat all those guys to the ground, and then he got this job, just because he wanted to meet the king."
The unpretentious words made Feng Duhu, who was just casually chatting with the veteran to show his approachability, suddenly feel a little heavy in his heart.
Simple and unpretentious people, they only want to have enough to eat, warm clothes, and some land at home.
If children can still learn knowledge, then it is something they have to protect even if they sacrifice their lives.
Any grand plans for hegemony and struggle for power and profit are too far away for them.
They just want to live their own little life.
But it is these people who want to live their own small lives who are the main force that constantly promotes the progress of history.
The great ambitions and hegemony of heroes are all forged by countless common people.
Feng Duhu took a deep breath, put his hand on Zhu Liu's shoulder again, pressed it hard, and said calmly:
"You go back and tell them that as long as I am here, I will do my best to make everyone's good life continue!"
When Zhu Liu heard this, his eyes shone with light, he nodded repeatedly, and was so excited that he could not speak.
But even so, he did not forget the purpose of his trip.
He untied his belt, took out a letter wrapped in oilcloth from his close-fitting clothes, and respectfully handed it to Feng Duhu with both hands:
"Your Majesty, this is your letter."
Feng Duhu nodded and took it with his own hands.
Zhu Liu fastened his clothes haphazardly, bowed deeply to Feng Duhu, and then withdrew.
The king is the pillar of the country, and there are many important national affairs to deal with.
The fact that he could talk so much to the prince was like smoke rising from his ancestral grave.
To be a human being, one must be content, but also know how to advance and retreat.
If you continue to waste your time like this, I'm afraid you will become a sinner.
After opening the oil-wrapped cloth and revealing the letter inside, Feng Duhu took one look at it and let out a sigh.
Why is it a letter from Brother Boson?
At this time, how could Bosong use Dongfeng Express to deliver a letter? And it was an urgent letter?
Feng Duhu's heart sank slightly, feeling that his initial idea seemed to be wrong.
Could it be that something really happened to Bingzhou?
After opening the letter and browsing it quickly, Feng Duhu's originally relaxed face turned a little gloomy.
He slowly sat back to his original position and read the letter again carefully.
Then he put away the letter and looked at the water, his face becoming gloomy.
After sitting blankly for a while, he suddenly said:
"Here comes someone."
"Junhou?"
"Bring a pen and paper over here."
"Here."
The personal guard quickly followed the instructions and brought in a small table, then laid out pens, inks, paper and inkstones.
Feng Duhu knelt down in front of the small bed, wrote the letter quickly, and sealed it with clay as quickly as possible.
Finally he said:
"Get the chicken feathers."
Chicken feather letters, or red chicken feather letters, represent the most urgent and important matters.
"You personally take your team and rush back to Chang'an immediately, and deliver this letter to Madam."
Feng Duhu handed the letter to the captain of the personal guard, with a serious look on his face, "Remember, you must hand it to Madam with your own hands."
The captain of the personal guard glanced at Feng Duhu and didn't hear the following instructions again, so he had to bite the bullet and ask one more question:
"Junhou, which lady is this?"
Feng Duhu twitched the corner of his mouth and said angrily: "Mrs. Zuo! General Zhendong!"
"Here!"
The guard captain agreed, wrapped it in the oilcloth he had just given, and hid it carefully before turning around and going out to greet the team he led.
After a while, the dozen or so horses rolled up smoke and dust and rode up the Dan River towards Chang'an.
Feng Duhu, on the other hand, sat there blankly, his eyes unfocused and he didn't know what he was thinking.
The fish float kept rising and falling, but the fishing rod in his hand didn't move at all.
Until the sound of footsteps came again from behind:
"Junhou?"
Feng Duhu finally came to his senses: "What's the matter?"
"General Ju and General Meng would like to see you."
"Let them come."
Jufu and Meng Yan came over excitedly: "Greetings to the lord."
"Well, what's the matter?"
"Your Majesty, everything in the army is ready and we can officially launch an attack at any time!"
"Crossing the water?"
"Exactly!"
Feng Duhu casually said "Hmm" again, was silent for a moment, and then said:
"Two generals, please wait for a while before crossing the water."
When Ju Fu and Meng Yan heard this, they looked at each other subconsciously, and then both looked at Feng Duhu:
"Junhou, why is this?"
The soldiers have been preparing for so long, isn't it just for this moment?
Why is it that when things come to an end, we have to take it slow?
"Things have changed."
Seeing that the fish float had not moved, Feng Duhu raised the fishing rod and found that the bait had long been eaten.
unlucky!
It’s actually an empty shot!
Slowly re-baiting the fishhook, Feng Duhu said slowly:
"I suspect someone wants to trick the big man, but I have no evidence..."
Jufu Mengyan:???
What pitfall?
Throwing out the fishing line, Feng Duhu did not explain, but continued:
"The built stone cannon can be smashed on the opposite side, and let them record the data. The rest of the things, except not to initiate the water crossing, everything will remain as planned."
Ju Fu and Meng Yan were confused and ordered to retreat.
After giving the instructions, Feng Duhu realized that another fish seemed to be biting the hook.
Unexpectedly, when I lifted it up, I found that it was empty again.
He threw the fishing rod away a little irritably, stood up, and looked steadily at Caoqiao Pass on the other side, his eyes dim and his face uncertain.
"Someone is coming!"
"Junhou?"
"Immediately send people to Shu to inform Jincheng, Jiangzhou, Yong'an and other places. As long as the news is related to Jingzhou, it must be sent to Chang'an as quickly as possible."
"Here!"
…
Bingzhou, Taiyuan.
Wang Ping, who led the army into the fortress from Pingcheng, had finished reorganizing his army in Jinyang City, and the dispatched front army had just arrived in Qixian County.
Who would have expected that Deng Zhi would chase after him again:
"General Wang, something happened to the Shangdang!"
Deng Zhi's face was panic-stricken and his clothes were a little messy. It was obvious that he was chasing after him on horseback in a hurry.
"Your Majesty, what is this?"
Wang Ping was shocked when he saw Deng Zhi looking like this, "Why does he look like this?"
"Something happened to Shangdang, something big happened. The Wei thieves have captured Huguan!"
Deng Zhi got off his horse and pulled Wang Ping's horse's head, feeling out of breath.
After chasing him all the way, he was risking Deng Zhi's life.
After all, he is already sixty-three years old, not in the prime of life.
"What?"
Wang Ping was shocked and quickly got off his horse:
"How could this happen? Huguan... isn't it said that Huguan is majestic and dangerous?"
Deng Zhi was panting, the weather was too hot, and his throat was already dry as he rode over wildly.
He held his waist and waved his hand:
"Ji He, tell me!"
Li Xi quickly stepped forward and explained:
"General Wang, Guo Xun, the Shangdang guard general, is a careful work of the Wei thieves. He has been in contact with Sima Yi for a long time, and it was he who led the people to open the switch at night to welcome the thieves."
"This made it easy for Sima Yi to knock on the pass and enter. I heard that after Sima Yi attacked Huguan, he sent people to attack the eldest son."
"The eldest son's troops are empty, and he surrendered without a fight. Most of the Shangdang has fallen into the hands of the thieves."
"According to a report from a tribesman who escaped from Shangdang, Sima Yi sent someone to lead the army north just as he captured his eldest son, most likely to attack Jinyang!"
When Wang Ping heard this, he was shocked: "Is this true!?"
“I would rather believe that it exists than believe that it doesn’t exist!”
Deng Zhi finally regained his breath and said:
"General Wang, we are stationing troops in Qixian County in case the Shangdang changes its plan. I'm afraid it won't work, so we have to make changes!"
Although they stationed troops in Qixian County, they were also prepared to guard against Wei thieves in case they invaded Shangdang.
But that's just in case. In fact, in everyone's heart, they don't really believe that Wei Thief can do this.
Therefore, the most important thing for taking this step is that Qixian County is closest to the entrance to Shangdang, where troops can be stationed and food is convenient.
After all, Wei Yan is a rare and powerful general in the army. He has led the army for many years, how could he be stupid?
Facts have proved that this person is not stupid, but stupid!
So stupid!
It was as if he was being manipulated by Sima Yi.
Although official news came from the Shangdang, Deng Zhi knew in his heart that even if this matter was only half true, it must be treated as very true.
As an old man who followed the Prime Minister in the First Northern Expedition, Deng Zhi knew very well:
Sima Yi was very good at leading troops and should never be taken lightly.
You thought he would arrive a month later, but maybe he would arrive in eight days.
"General Wang, we can no longer go to Qi County at this time. We should go directly to Dagu!"
Deng Zhi continued, "That is the main passage from Shangdang into Taiyuan. General Wang, please be sure to guard it!"
"Otherwise, once the Wei thieves enter Taiyuan, Bingzhou will no longer be owned by the Han Dynasty!"
The reason why Dagu is called Dagu is because there is a large valley connecting Taiyuan and Shangdang.
Qi County is only sixty miles away from Dagu. The march is faster and can be reached in one day.
Wang Ping did not dare to neglect:
"I will lead the army immediately!"
"Okay, then we have General Lao Wang." Deng Zhi clasped his fists, "I will immediately mobilize the food and grass from Jinyang and Qixian County to follow the army."
After saying that, Deng Zhi quickly sent Li Xi to Qixian County, and he hurried back to Jinyang.
He not only had to mobilize food and grass, but also mobilize county troops.
As soon as real news came from Shangdang, he would immediately recruit county soldiers to support them.
As the governor of Bingzhou, he not only had to support Wang Ping in the rear and prevent Wei thieves from entering Taiyuan.
At the same time, he also wanted to find a way to squeeze out some troops and go to Jingxing, east of Jinyang, to increase defense to prevent the thieves from coming from Changshan County.
