Outside the window, early summer cicadas have begun to chirp in twos and threes. Their chirping seems a bit perfunctory and sounds more like the cry of a bird at first glance.
The atmosphere inside the wooden windows carved with cloud patterns instantly became depressing because of Chu Xianping's words.
This was the first time that Wei Changtian saw Chu Xianping looking so unstable since Yin Xiaomo died.
so......
"What's wrong?"
Wei Changtian frowned and gently put down the tea cup in his hand: "Did something happen in the capital?"
"no."
Chu Xianping shook his head slightly and glanced at Xu Qingwan.
"Changtian, Mr. Chu, please speak."
The latter understood what Chu Xianping meant, so he quickly turned around and walked out of the room without saying anything or asking any questions.
It wasn't until the footsteps completely disappeared that Chu Xianping took a deep breath and turned his attention to Wei Changtian again.
"Young Master, this is Mr. Liang."
"Liang Zhen?"
Wei Changtian's pupils shrank and he reacted instantly.
It seems that my previous worries have come true.
"What happened? Are Uncle Liang and Qin'er okay now?"
"Sir, Master Liang and Miss Liang are not in danger of their lives at the moment."
Chu Xianping lowered his head and reported the truth truthfully: "But the situation between the two of them is very dangerous..."
"..."
...
Half an hour later.
In the courtyard of the new house, Wei Changtian was standing upright in a pavilion, with several leafy ancient trees leaning sideways and a small pond in front of him.
In the clear waves, the dewdrops on the green leaves are crystal clear. More than a hundred koi fish swim slowly under the lotus leaves, their lips slightly open, as if they are waiting to snatch the crumbling dewdrops.
Two days ago, as the war in Yuanzhou became increasingly unfavorable, the leader of the battle, Wu Ding, decided to abandon the city and retreat. Five hundred miles behind Yuanzhou City, he repositioned his troops in Fengxian County, where the terrain was easier to defend and harder to attack.
Abandon Yuanzhou City and retreat five hundred miles.
At first glance, it sounds like you are preparing to "escape" after being defeated, but in fact this is indeed a "strategic shift."
Fengxian County is also within the territory of Yuanzhou. It is the only place that leads to the hinterland of Daning. Its strategic position is higher than that of Yuanzhou City. What's more, there are natural dangers to rely on, making it much easier to defend.
In fact, if it weren't for the greater "symbolic significance" of Yuanzhou City, we should have abandoned Yuanzhou City from the beginning and directly set up defenses in Feng County.
So there is nothing wrong with this strategic decision.
The real problem lies in the subsequent implementation level.
Hundreds of thousands of troops abandoned the city and retreated, while there was another Dafeng army watching eagerly outside the city.
You must know that this is a big project, and it cannot be simply walked away.
At the very least, if you want to evacuate as safely as possible, someone must come to the rear.
The Shuzhou Army and Liangzhou Army unfortunately took on this responsibility.
Military orders are like mountains.
No matter how reluctant Liang Zhen and the generals in Liangzhou were, since the commander-in-chief Wu Ding had arranged it this way, they had no choice but to carry it out.
And although the queen is indeed in danger, it does not mean that she will be "sacrificed".
If Dafeng doesn't respond in time, or doesn't want to take the risk of pursuing and intercepting him, then there's a high probability that he'll just lose a few more soldiers.
Unfortunately, the reality is not like this.
On April 14, after barely resisting Dafeng's offensive during the day, the Daning army came out from the east gate of Yuanzhou City late at night, and all the guards on the city wall were replaced by Shuzhou Army and Liangzhou Army.
Everything went very smoothly at first, but just when the Liangzhou Army was about to evacuate Yuanzhou City, a group of Dafeng cavalry appeared out of nowhere and suddenly cut them off from Daning who had previously withdrawn.
Military connections.
The Liangzhou Army had no choice but to turn back and defend the city with the Shuzhou Army, preparing to wait for Wu Ding to send people back to support them.
However, the army that had withdrawn had no intention of turning back.
in other words.
The Liangzhou Army and Shuzhou Army, with a total of 70,000 soldiers, were abandoned in Yuanzhou City.
Their only role was to block the attack of Dafeng's army and buy time for the army to build a defense line in Feng County.
In order to achieve this goal, they will defend an isolated city with 70,000 people.
What he faced was Dafeng's half a million elite soldiers and generals.
...
"According to the latest information from the boat meeting this morning, Dafeng completely surrounded Yuanzhou City yesterday, and Wu Ding indeed has no intention of returning to aid Yuanzhou City..."
The breeze blew slowly, and Chu Xianping, who was standing behind him, took a step forward, paused, and then asked:
"Sir, should we do something?"
do something...
Wei Changtian withdrew his eyes from looking into the distance and picked a cicada shell from the ancient tree nearby.
Empty has its shape, but not its content.
The cicada sheds this shell, but the former can only live for one summer, but the latter can live forever.
Wei Changtian didn't know which cicada on the tree this cicada shed belonged to, or what he could do for Liang Zhen and Liang Qin at this time.
He didn't even know whether all this was Ning Yongnian's plan or just an accident that happened from time to time on the battlefield.
In the battle between countries, on the battlefield surrounded by tens of millions of people, the power of one or a few people is too insignificant.
Just like this summer cicada, weak and unaware.
What's more... I don't seem to have any need to help Liang Zhen and his daughter.
Now that the Liu family has been destroyed, Yunlian is dead, Shuzhou is fully under control, and he even married Xu Qingwan as he wished.
As long as you are willing, the life of "a hot bed with a wife and children" that you have longed for is within your reach, and there is a high probability that it can continue for a long time.
And once it gets involved in the Wonju war...
Then all this comfort will cease to exist, and he will return to endless danger, conspiracy, running and killing.
So...do we really want to make a cicada slough that lasts forever?
"..."
After being silent for a long time, Wei Changtian suddenly walked slowly to the pavilion and stood on the side of the pond.
The koi fish in the pond immediately gathered around and looked at the young man in black, waiting for the latter to give them food.
"Crack..."
With a twist of his hands, the thin cicada sloughed off into countless debris, which fell on the water with the wind, but it did not make even a single ripple.
Looking at the fish scrambling for a ball under his feet, Wei Changtian finally answered Mr. Chu's question.
Although summer cicadas are small, they would rather sing to death than live in silence.
"Brother Chu, please make arrangements."
"We're leaving tonight."
"Go to Wonju."
...
...
That night, outside Shuzhou City.
Several torches illuminated everyone's faces, and also illuminated several dark carriages.
And under the moonlight not far from everyone, Wei Changtian was saying goodbye to Xu Qingwan.
His trip to Yuanzhou must be kept secret, but after all, he will not be able to come back in a short while, so he can no longer hide it from Comrade Xiao Xu.
"Wan'er, I know you don't want me to go, but this time..."
"Changtian, there's nothing I don't want to do."
Xu Qingwan forced herself to hold back the tears that were about to burst out of her eyes, and tried to keep her voice calm.
"Uncle Liang and Miss Liang are trapped in Yuanzhou City, you should rescue them."
"I, I just want to go with you..."
"..."
Sighing secretly in his heart, Wei Changtian gently took Xu Qingwan's hand without explaining anything.
Xu Qingwan must have understood why he didn't allow her to go with him.
"Put this away."
Placing a golden tiger talisman in the latter's palm, Wei Changtian smiled and said, "I'll be back soon after I rescue Uncle Liang and the others."
"Um."
Xu Qingwan clung to the tiger talisman tightly, but the next moment she suddenly let go of Wei Changtian's hand and turned her back suddenly, only her shoulders could not stop trembling slightly.
Just like the last time Wei Changtian left Beijing, Comrade Xiao Xu still couldn't bear the pain of parting.
The stream swells, the breeze blows on my face, the moon sets and the sky is filled with stars.
Wei Changtian looked at the thin figure close at hand and reached out his hand to gently brush the latter's hair.
Thousands of green silk threads poured down like a waterfall, and there was a red rope in his hand.
"Let's go, wait until I come back."
In the increasingly distant footsteps, the last words became ethereal.
The city of Shuzhou behind him was quiet. Although it had just suffered a flood that had not been seen in a thousand years, everything was now gradually getting back on track.
On such an ordinary summer night, people who had been busy all day had already gone to sleep.
Countless young cicadas will emerge from the ground at this time, they will climb high branches, struggle to break free of their wingless bodies, and then...
They will turn into tiny summer cicadas, and on this summer night when no one cares, they will make their first long cry in the world.
...
(Volume 3, end)
Please remember the first domain name of this book: ._