Twenty miles south of Baqiao is the Zuowuwei camp.
The weather has been very different in the past two years, with raging rain in summer, scorching heat in Guanzhong, heavy snowfall in winter, and severe freezing temperatures, unprecedented in decades. Such weather has caused frequent natural disasters, especially serious floods, which have frightened the government and the public.
Cheng Yaojin stood on the shore wearing a raincoat, looking at the rolling water and the rushing waves. He said with a solemn expression: "The Ba River is getting more and more raging. The water level has risen by more than three feet compared to a few years ago, although the dam has been reinforced and raised.
, but if the water continues to rise like this, there is a risk of the embankment bursting."
Throughout the ages, floods have been one of the most serious natural disasters. Whenever floods rage and rivers burst their banks, the river water will flood countless fertile fields, destroy countless houses, and cause countless people to be displaced. In the blink of an eye, good people can
They became refugees, and what was more serious was the destruction of fertile farmland and the loss of food harvests. Chang'an, which originally relied on water transportation to maintain its food supply, became increasingly short of food. If something happened, the consequences would be disastrous.
Niu Jinda tightened his coir raincoat tightly and looked around under the brim of his bamboo hat. It was already late, the twilight was deep, and the rain had blocked his sight. He couldn't see the situation on the other side. He said worriedly: "Don't be careless. This time
The river here is only about ten feet wide, and we can cross it just by looking at the wooden planks. If Yuchi surprises us and launches a surprise attack, we are not fully prepared, and we are afraid we will suffer big losses."
Cheng Yaojin didn't care. He watched a few shirtless soldiers using fishing nets to fish out a few big and lively fish from the turbid river water. He laughed and said, "It's just unfounded worries. That Yuchi always arrogant in front of me.
Everyone thinks that their merits are higher than mine, but they are just the ones who saved me! Mother, my merits are nothing more than my rescue. If this black man takes advantage of me, I will always be outclassed by him. But if you let me
Even he wouldn't dare to rush back and forth in the formation of my army!"
Qiu Xinggong was cruel, cold-blooded and unruly, but since he entered the Tang Dynasty, he had always been a holy family member and had high power. It was not until he faced Fang Jun that he was repeatedly attacked... It was His Majesty Li Er who was ignorant and ignorant, and was deceived by him.
What?
No, it's just because Qiu Xinggong once saved His Majesty Li Er's life.
Therefore, the expansion of territory and the confinement of a wolf are nothing compared to a rescue effort...
Of course, now that His Majesty Li Er has passed away, and his previous efforts in rescuing him have been wiped out, can we still expect Li Chengqian to remember those contributions?
"You should eat and sleep in a down-to-earth manner. Go back and stew these fish. I also have two jars of good wine hidden in my tent. Drink to your heart's content tonight."
Drinking is strictly prohibited in the military, but for these "old bastards" who are Zhenguan ministers, although they pretend to be in front of others, they never talk about these military regulations behind their backs.
Even His Majesty Li Er turned a blind eye to this, and now, looking at the court, who dares to punish them?
Niu Jinda was a little speechless, but we were all Zhenguan ministers and had been dealing with each other for decades. They were very familiar with each other's abilities and personalities. He also knew that what Cheng Yaojin said was true, and Yuchi Gong would definitely not choose the defense line guarded by Zuo Wuwei.
After a surprise attack, he nodded and returned to the tent with Cheng Yaojin.
Taking off their bamboo hats and raincoats, the two gathered in front of a small stove to drink tea and chat, waiting for the soldiers to stew the big fish they had just caught.
Niu Jinda poured a cup of tea for Cheng Yaojin and took a sip himself. He said with some worry: "Sanlang was defeated and captured. I wonder if that old guy Yuchi will care about the past love of Pao Ze and let him go. It's really worrying.
"
Cheng Yaojin waved his hand nonchalantly: "The earthen pot will inevitably break from the edge of the well, and the general will inevitably die in battle. Since he is a child of the Wuxun family, he naturally has his body wrapped in horse leather and is ready to serve his family and country. If he dies in battle, it will be the same."
Seek benevolence and you will get benevolence, this is how your destiny is, don’t worry about it.”
He knew that Niu Jinda was testing his mind, whether he would be timid because Cheng Chubi fell into the hands of the King of Jin, and completely surrender to the King of Jin, abandoning the "neutral" strategy previously formulated.
Niu Jinda agrees with "neutrality", where the two sides do not help each other and watch the fire from the other side, but if he chooses to rely on King Jin to fully rely on him, he will never agree.
Because no matter which side you choose, you may achieve the feat of following the dragon. On the feudal side, you will live with the country. However, on the same side, you may also become a rebellious thief and be infamy for thousands of years.
Niu Jinda can accept being ostracized in the future because of his "neutrality", but he absolutely cannot accept being a rebel.
That would be worse than letting him die.
When the smell of fish came, the two stopped talking. The soldier came into the tent with a small iron pot and placed it on the stove. Several large carps were slurping in the thick white fish soup.
The aroma is appetizing.
Cheng Yaojin repelled the soldiers, then got up and went under the bed to take out two wine jars. After thinking about it, he put one back, took one of them to sit down in front of the stove, patted open the mud seal, and a rich smell came out.
The aroma of wine spread out.
Niu Jinda sniffed and his eyes lit up: "Fangfu's fine wine!"
"Hey! That boy Fang Yiai has no other skills. He is really good at organizing these messy things to eat, drink and have fun. There are very few people in the world who can do it. Let's drink this jar tonight. We are on the march after all, so we can't drink too much.
, keep that jar and drink it another day."
"That's exactly what it should be."
Niu Jinda agreed, took the wine bowl, and watched Cheng Yaojin carrying the wine jar to fill the wine bowl. The two touched each other and drank half the bowl in one gulp.
"Phew...what a drink!"
Feeling the spicy alcohol smell going down his throat and straight into his stomach, as if a fire was burning, sweeping away the dampness and coolness in his body's meridians, Niu Jinda sighed in praise as he breathed in the alcohol smell.
Then he picked up the chopsticks and picked up half of the fish from the small pot, put it on a plate, and ate happily.
With delicacies and strong drinks, the two world-famous warriors ate and drank while listening to the surging river water in the heavy rain. The worries and depression of the past few days seemed to be swept away, and they talked about some old things.
Very comfortable.
While they were enjoying themselves with food and drink, the soldiers outside the tent shouted loudly: "Commander Qi, there are messengers coming, saying that there is a military order."
Niu Jinda put down the wine bowl and stood up, but Cheng Yaojin put his hand on his shoulder and looked at him in surprise.
Cheng Yaojin took a sip of wine and shouted outside: "Let people come in!"
Then he said to Niu Jinda: "Be calm and don't be impatient. I will not be able to accept your orders from the king outside. As a general, I should be as calm as a mountain."
Niu Jinda's eyes widened like a fool: "What kind of trouble do you want to make?"
His position has long been made clear, and the two of them have reached an agreement, that is, they would rather not have the merit of following the dragon than take the risk of becoming a traitor.
In this case, how can we wait for the person who gives the order at this moment?
Cheng Yaojin took a piece of fish meat with chopsticks and chewed it in his mouth. Without explaining immediately, someone strode in from outside the tent.
A very energetic looking captain, as soon as he came in and saw Cheng Yaojin sitting by the stove drinking wine and eating fish with a golden knife, the corners of his eyes twitched. This was unseemly and showed his contempt for military and imperial power.
Nothing left...
However, he, a mere school captain, naturally did not dare to say more. He first respectfully presented the seal representing coach Li Jing, and then said: "The Duke of Wei has issued an order, ordering Zuo Wuwei to cross the Ba River overnight, move north, and
Donggong Liu, who was near Baqiao, led his troops into a pincer attack, forcing Yuchi Gong to retreat."
Cheng Yaojin drank wine, ate meat, and ignored the commander's orders.
Niu Jinda didn't know what he was doing, so he could only eat and drink with his head down without saying a word...
After the captain conveyed the military order, he couldn't help but froze on the spot when he saw that Cheng Yaojin had no intention of accepting the order.
What is this for?
Refusing to accept military orders?
Is it possible that you old man wants to rebel...
The fish in the small pot was steaming under the fire, creating a tense and awkward atmosphere.
The captain's heart was pounding and he swallowed hard. He always felt that the next moment Cheng Yaojin would be taken out and beheaded and his head would be sacrificed to the flag...
Fortunately, the silence continued for a while, and Cheng Yaojin finally put down his bowl and chopsticks, wiped his mouth, and said calmly: "Please go back and inform Duke Wei that the water level in Ba River has surged tonight, and the water is turbulent. Our army seriously lacks the resources needed to cross the river."
It is difficult to take orders for boats and ships, so I ask Duke Wei to make long-term plans."
The captain who sent the order hurriedly said: "I will report back now and take my leave."
For fear that Cheng Yaojin would change his mind, he didn't dare to stay for a moment, so he turned around and left...
Cheng Yaojin broke off a piece of steamed bun and threw it into the pot to soak it in the fish soup. Then he picked it up with chopsticks and ate it in big mouthfuls. It was very sweet.
Niu Jinda couldn't help but ask: "What exactly are you planning?"
Cheng Yaojin lowered his head to eat steamed buns in fish soup and said vaguely: "Times have changed."
Niu Jinda frowned in confusion.
Cheng Yaojin said while eating: "His Majesty passed away, and the imperial power changed. Once the emperor, there were ministers. If we still treat ourselves as Zhenguan ministers and control the military power, it will only make the current Majesty sit on pins and needles and unable to sleep at night. Who lets the emperor sleep?
Without sleep, anyone may sleep forever... My previous plan was to watch the fire from the other side. If there is hope, I can go further. However, judging from the current situation, King Jin is bound to lose, so we can't just watch the fire from the other side. We must give
Your Majesty has no reason not to punish us."
Niu Jinda looked confused. He knew everything else, but why did he suddenly believe that King Jin would lose?
"Why do you think the King of Jin will be defeated?"
Cheng Yaojin swallowed the last mouthful of steamed buns, took another sip of wine, and then said: "Because Li Jing's order is for us to cross the river and join forces with the Sixth Army of the East Palace to force Yuchi Gong to retreat, instead of attacking from both sides to completely defeat Yuchi Gong."
Annihilate them in the open area east of Baqiao and under Lishan Mountain."
Niu Jinda was also a famous general in the world. After getting some advice from Cheng Yaojin, he thought about it carefully and said with a change of expression: "Could it be that Duke Wei has other plans?"
Cheng Yaojin burped, nodded and said, "He's fishing."
Then he sighed again: "At this critical moment, he is not thinking about how to annihilate the rebels and quell the crisis in Guanzhong. Instead, he is thinking about fishing... It can only be said that he must have something to hold on to, and he is not afraid of the possibility of causing trouble because of Yuchi Gong's march.