Nie Ze returned to his camp, and it didn't take long for Tang Yin's decree to arrive. The person who came to deliver the decree was Asan, one of Tang Yin's personal guards. He sang Tang Yin's original words and saw the kneeling man.
Nie Ze, who had been on the ground without responding for a long time, and the stoic Ah San were also happy. They stepped forward and whispered: "General Nie, Lord Nie, why don't you hurry up and accept the order to express your gratitude?"
As someone close to Tang Yin, Ah San naturally knew Tang Yin's preferences very well. It was obvious that the king still appreciated and valued Nie Ze's abilities. Moreover, he was granted the title of marquis this time, and he would definitely be of greater use to him in the future. He had great regard for Nie Ze.
His attitude was also a bit more polite.
Nie Ze came back to his senses and realized that Chen Xiu and the others had indeed not lied to him. The king had really made him a marquis. He cheered up, kowtowed forward respectfully, raised his hands, accepted Tang Yin's order, and then stood up.
.
Asan smiled and said: "Since the title of Marquis was a temporary decision of the King, the seal and official uniform have not been prepared yet. After returning to the country, the King will arrange everything for the Lord."
"Ah, thank you so much for your kindness, Your Majesty!" Nie Ze first bowed his hands to the side, then saluted Asan, and said, "I feel sorry for bothering General Three to come all the way here at such a late hour.
!”
Even though Asan's military rank and official position were not high, he was a close minister around Tang Yin. Even Nie Ze, who was awarded the title of Marquis, did not dare to show any slight to him.
Ah San laughed when he heard this and said: "Master Nie is too polite. Master Nie is my hero for Dafeng. The general is just running an errand, so what does it matter?"
Nie Ze smiled, pondered for a moment, and asked cautiously: "Your Majesty is so kind to me, wouldn't it be more appropriate for me to thank you face to face?"
Ah San said seriously: "Your Majesty has already rested. It won't be too late for the Marquis to go back tomorrow to express his gratitude."
"Okay, okay, just as the third general sees it!" Nie Ze sent Ah San away, then took out Tang Yin's decree, read it carefully from beginning to end, and then slowly put it down, stunned.
Until now, he felt that all of this was too unreal. He was originally a subordinate of the Zhen Kingdom, and he took refuge in the Feng Kingdom. It was not easy to become the commander-in-chief of an army. But after the Changdu Battle, he unexpectedly suddenly
Becoming the Marquis of Feng Country was so incredible that he could not adapt to such a change for a while.
After hearing the news that Nie Ze was awarded the title of Marquis, the generals of the Baizhan Army rushed over to congratulate Nie Ze immediately. Even Zongbo Li Tang also came. Nie Ze absentmindedly exchanged a few words with everyone, and then dismissed them hastily.
He left, leaving only Li Tang alone.
From the bottom of his heart, he admired Li Tang's mind very much, and since they were both honest, he trusted him even more.
There was no one else in the tent, so Nie Ze asked bluntly: "Mr. Li, do you think it is a good thing or a bad thing that the king made me a marquis this time?"
Unexpectedly, he would ask such a question. Li Tang was stunned and hesitated for a moment. He smiled and said: "General, is there any need to ask? Of course it is a good thing!"
Nie Ze shook his head and said faintly: "The king sent Chen Xiu, Tao Yuanfeng, Zhang Cheng, and Guan Daisi to serve as deputy generals under my account. They are called assistants, but they are actually surveillance. It can be seen from this that the king does not care about me.
Trust. It's too abnormal to suddenly make a person who you don't trust a marquis. I'm worried that the king wants to stabilize me first, and then secretly wait until he has the opportunity."
Here, he raised his palm and made a downward cutting motion.
Li Tang's expression suddenly changed. He subconsciously looked around and saw that there was no one else around, so he relaxed a little. He said urgently: "General, don't say this nonsense. Once it spreads, it will be a big deal."
We are really in fear of our lives!”
Nie Ze stood up, walked up to Li Tang, bowed to the ground, and said, "I regard you as my confidant, so there are some things I only dare to say to you."
Li Tang is smart on the one hand, but the most important point is that he is Liang Feiyun's apprentice, and now that Liang Feiyun is the master of the Feng Kingdom, he is naturally well-informed. Through Li Tang, he may also learn something he doesn't know.
Inside story.
Seeing Nie Ze treating him so deeply, Li Tang was also very moved. He rolled his eyes, then smiled slightly and said: "I think the general is worrying too much. If the king just wants to stabilize the general, he can make the general count.
It is enough. There is no need to pursue the title of marquis. What’s more, the higher the general’s title, the higher his status and reputation, and the harder it will be to attack the general in the future. The king is so smart, how can he tie his own hands and feet? I think the king
I still admire the general very much and want to win the general tightly to the Feng Kingdom and to the king's side."
After listening to Li Tang's analysis, Nie Ze felt like he had cleared the clouds and saw the moonlight. He secretly thought that it made sense. If the king really wanted to get rid of him, then the move of making him a marquis would be superfluous and unnecessary.
He thought for a while and then said solemnly: "However, the people who asked the king for the title on my behalf are Chen Xiu, Tao Yuanfeng, Zhang Cheng and Guan Dai. Sir, you should understand that the four of them have different ideas and different styles from me.
No, it’s okay for them to impeach me to the king, but asking for a seal for me is really unbelievable.”
Li Tang was very clear about the relationship between Nie Ze and Chen Xiu. After listening to Nie Ze's words, Li Tang also frowned and murmured: "Yes, if it is really the four of them who speak for the general in front of the king,
, it’s really hard for people to understand”
"That's exactly what I'm worried about." Nie Ze frowned with worry. People are like this, always full of fear about things they don't understand, and Nie Ze is no exception.
Li Tang pondered for another moment, shook his head and smiled, and said: "I can't guess what General Chen and others are thinking, but I can still tell the general for sure that the king has absolutely no malice in conferring the title on the general. Maybe.
, General Chen and others also saw that the general had made great contributions in the Battle of Changdu, and intended to repair the relationship between the two parties. The king was also happy to be a favor that facilitated the situation, so he placed the issue of conferring the title of general on General Chen and others.
"
This is not impossible! Nie Ze nodded while thinking.
Anyway, as long as the king's conferment on him is out of love for his talents and not for other purposes, it is a good thing. If Chen Xiu and the other two really want to take this opportunity to repair their relationship, he is also willing to accept it.
Nie Ze thanked Li Tang profusely for his analysis. The next day, early in the morning, Nie Ze went to the county capital where Tang Yin lived to thank him in person. Soon, the guards sent by Tang Yin took Nie Ze away.
Ze invited him to Tang Yin's bedroom.
In the past few days, Tang Yin was also very tired from traveling and fighting, so he got up late today. When Nie Ze entered Tang Yin's bedroom, the latter had just gotten up, was wearing middle clothes, and was washing his face.
Logically speaking, his current image is not suitable for meeting guests, but Tang Yin doesn't have so many rules, and he has always been used to being casual.
Seeing Tang Yin just getting up, Nie Ze was a little surprised and a little embarrassed, but invisibly he felt a little closer to the king.
He first knelt down and kowtowed to greet Tang Yin, and then kowtowed again to thank Tang Yin for his support.
Tang Yin wiped the water off his hands, then pulled Nie Ze up with a smile and said: "Rewards for merit and punishment for mistakes. This has always been the rule of our Feng Army. The reward I gave to General Nie is also what General Nie should do."
It’s worth it.”
"Being able to serve the king is a blessing for a general." Nie Ze bowed and handed over his hand.
"In the army, we are all brothers who fight side by side and share life and death. There is no need to be so indifferent, and there are not so many red tapes." Tang Yin waved his hand casually.
His understatement made Nie Ze very moved and appreciated.
Fengren's combat power may not be stronger than Zhenren's, but he can defeat Zhenjun openly on the battlefield. It can be said that the cohesion possessed by Fengjun is what Zhenjun lacks, and this strong cohesion is precisely caused by Tang Yin.
Inspired by a monarch.
"Have you had breakfast?" Tang Yin asked casually while getting dressed.
"I've eaten." Nie Ze replied subconsciously without thinking.
"Huh?" Tang Yin raised his eyebrows and turned to look at him in confusion. It was so early, the army probably hadn't eaten yet. Where did he eat?
Meeting Tang Yin's questioning gaze, Nie Ze quickly lowered his head and whispered, "Not yet."
"Haha!" Seeing Nie Ze's restraint, Tang Yin burst out laughing and said, "I happen to be eating too, so let's have a meal together!"
"The general will not dare." Nie Ze and Li Hong had dined together before, but it was at a formal banquet with many ministers and generals present, but in private, he had never dined with the monarch.
The experience, in his mind, was also unbelievable, and it was even more contrary to the etiquette of a monarch and his ministers.
"We're just having a meal together. What's wrong with you?" Tang Yin put on his clothes, tied his jade belt, and picked up his shoes. When he walked past Nie Ze, he patted his shoulder and said, "Let's go.
!”
"Yes, Your Majesty!" Nie Ze followed Tang Yin out of the bedroom with a blank look on his face and went to the hall outside. The maids had already prepared a meal, which was not sumptuous, even very light, consisting of a bowl of gruel and a few dishes of side dishes.
, and a plate of bacon.
Since they didn't know that Tang Yin was going to dine with Nie Ze, the maids didn't prepare Nie Ze's table. Tang Yin asked the maids to bring another pair of bowls and chopsticks, and then asked Nie Ze to sit next to him.
He smiled and said: "I only have some simple food here. You can try it and see if you can get used to it."
As the king of a country, and a big country at that, Tang Yin ate these things for breakfast. Nie Ze was very surprised. He held up his hands and said, "Your Majesty, you're welcome. This is what the general eats in the army."
"Yes!" Tang Yin nodded and said: "Breakfast should be light, but lunch should be rich. The army is no better than elsewhere. You can't treat your stomach badly. Otherwise, you will be in big trouble when you go to the battlefield and are unable to fight.
."
Nie Ze was amused by his words, and his tense mood was relieved a lot. He smiled and said: "Don't worry, Your Majesty, I will not treat the soldiers' stomachs badly even if I treat my own stomach badly!"