Standing at the top of the city, looking at the Liangshan military camp that had retreated five or six miles away, with smoke rising from the kitchen, Dong Ping's brows furrowed slightly. Since noon today, the Liangshan bandits have not launched another attack on Dongping City. This is naturally a good thing in the eyes of the people and the soldiers guarding the city, but to him, it feels strange and he is always worried about what the enemy may have planned.
After all, the Liangshan Army had been attacking all day long in the past five or six days. It had never been seen like this for half a day. Moreover, the Liangshan Army did not show any intention to retreat, and no reinforcements were seen arriving. So what was their plan for suddenly ending the war
Just when Dong Ping was thinking a lot but could not ask for justice, his general Pang Xu rushed over with a face full of joy: "Superintendent, it seems that the traitors will not attack again today. You should go down to the city and rest. It’s enough if there are menial positions here to keep an eye on.”
"No, I always feel that they have some conspiracy, and I will feel uneasy if I don't stay here." Dong Ping shook his head and refused. He not only protects this city and the tens of thousands of people in the city, but also protects his most beloved things. He must never let the Liangshan bandits enter the city!
"Captain, you must be exhausted from staying at the top of the city day and night these past few days. Since there is no war, you should rest quickly. Otherwise, when the traitors come again, who should we rely on? Besides, Governor Cheng sent someone just now , saying that I want to ask you to come to the government to discuss important matters. Presumably the eunuch has seen your merits in defending the city, and has changed some of his previous prejudices." Pang Xu continued to persuade.
Originally Dong Ping wanted to insist, but after hearing that he mentioned that Governor Cheng invited him, his expression changed, and after pondering for a moment he still said: "In that case, I will go to see the Governor right away, and you and your people will stay here. Remember, there must be no negligence at all, I always feel that they will not stop their troops for no reason, maybe this time the Liangshan bandits will sneak attack on my Dongping City at night."
After instructing several other subordinates to pay attention, Dong Fang hurriedly left the city, and then rode his horse quickly to the prefect's mansion in the city. At this time, Cheng Wanli had sent someone to wait outside the door. As soon as he saw him arriving, the Cheng family steward came up to greet him with a smile on his face. While saluting and saying hello, he welcomed Dong Ping with a strange look on his face. go.
Because in the past, although Dong Ping was also an official in the city, and even the head of the military attache, Cheng Wanli's attitude towards him was always cold, with a hint of contempt, and by the way, his subordinates were not very respectful to Dong Ping. But when he came to visit today, their attitude had changed 180 degrees, which really made him feel flattered.
Especially when he saw Cheng Taishou, who had specially lowered his rank to greet him and praised him for his hard work with a smile, Dong Ping almost mistakenly thought that this was in his dream. After a long while, he calmed down and hurriedly traveled thousands of miles to salute: "I am so virtuous and capable, but I dare to bother the prefect to greet you personally. I must be sincerely frightened."
Cheng Wanli was nearly fifty years old. He was usually very serious about his speech and was a very common man in the officialdom. But today, he was all smiles. Seeing Dong Ping like this, he quickly stepped forward to help him: "General Dong, there is no need to be so polite." , I did have some prejudice against military generals before, but after experiencing this incident, I have completely changed my mind. My Dongping Mansion has always been stable, thanks to you and the soldiers under my command. That’s why I went to the mansion today. When hosting a banquet, one is to reward you, and the other is to apologize to you. These three... Come on, go in first and talk while eating.
. "As he said that, he took Dong Ping's hand affectionately and walked to the nearby hall where a banquet had already been set up.
Dong Ping did not dare to struggle, and hurriedly thanked him again and again, and then walked into the hall, and then the guests and hosts took their seats. Accompanying him today was Cheng Wanli's close confidant Master Chen Cang.
As the food and wine kept being served, and after fighting all day long, Dong Ping was indeed hungry. Although he didn't drink, he still ate a lot of food. At this time, his anxious thoughts finally calmed down, and he sat in front of the prefect. He also behaved extremely steadily and appropriately.
Seeing that he had not touched any wine, Cheng Wanli felt a little strange: "Why, I heard that General Dong had a lot of wine, so I specially asked someone to find this ten-year-old wine, why didn't you drink it? "
"Forgive me, Grand Administrator, but I have already made a rule in the army. You must not drink alcohol during war. This is the case for ordinary soldiers. As a general, I should set an example. So today I can only put the wine away until the end." It won't be too late to drink after repelling the invading bandits." Dong Ping hurriedly bowed and explained.
"Oh? General Dong is really dedicated to Dongping City, I am really touched." Cheng Wanli had a drink himself, and then asked about the current city defense matters. In this regard, Dong Ping naturally answered all questions without making any concealment.
After hearing this, Cheng Wanli looked at Dong Ping with emotion: "The general is really my patron saint of Dongping. But after all, the general is not made of iron, and he also needs to rest. I wonder if you are away for something, can I, Dongping City, be able to defend it? ?" After raising this question seemingly casually, he lowered his eyes slightly and used the action of drinking to hide his emotions.
Chen Cang, who was sitting at the end of the table, even shook his hand guiltily, causing the wine in his glass to slosh out. However, Dong Ping didn't look there at this time, and didn't notice anything. He just frowned and said, "If the general is here, I can ensure that Dongping is safe. But there really needs to be something in case. With Pang Xu's ability, , it shouldn’t be a problem to defend for two or three days. In addition, according to the general’s prediction, reinforcements are coming soon, so even if I am really injured by them, I, Dongping, can still hold on.”
"That's good." Cheng Wanli was obviously relieved, and then he said with a smile: "General Dong, how expensive is Geng this year? If I remember correctly, you haven't married yet, have you?"
"The general is twenty-eight this year. As the prefect said, I don't have a wife yet." Dong Ping's expression changed slightly when he heard this question, and his heartbeat accelerated a little. Could it be...
The prefect looked at him with an expression of disbelief: "With your status as a general, you have wasted so much time. I am really surprised. Do you have a sweetheart?"
"This..." Dong Ping's heart beat faster, but for a moment he didn't know what to answer.
Seeing this, Cheng Wanli had already made a vague judgment in his heart. He took another sip of wine and said, "If the general has no one he loves, I would like to get married to the general. My daughter Yue'e is already twenty-three this year. Although I have been married before, my life has been difficult. Before I came to my husband's family, I... I have been with my husband for several years now, and it has always been a heartache. If the general does not dislike it, I am willing to marry my little girl to you. I don't know what the general wants. How about it?" After saying this, his eyes had settled on Dong Pingping, looking expectant.
Dong Ping was also a little stunned at this time. He simply couldn't believe this was true. What a surprise.
Will my long-cherished wish come true today? This allowed the two-gun general to remain calm and calm when facing hundreds of enemy troops at the top of the city. The body of the two-gun general trembled slightly unconsciously, and the food on the chopsticks fell without even noticing. .
This is real! Unexpectedly, the invasion by the Liangshan bandits would bring such benefits to him. This was something he had never thought of before. This made Dong Ping really excited.
Because he remembered very clearly that when he and Yue'e proposed marriage to the prefect, his sweetheart said this: "Dong Lang, I would not marry you unless it was the slave family. We will be together forever in this life. In fact, my father, he He won't agree to this... He values honor and integrity more than anything else. Since I am married and have lost my husband, it is impossible for me to get married again. I am afraid that we are destined to be destined for each other in this life."
At that time, Yue'e spoke so pitifully and pitifully that Dong Ping had already given up the idea. But today, things have taken such a big turn for the better. How can he not be overjoyed, or even be so ecstatic that he forgets everything
It was precisely because of this kind of ecstasy that Dong Ping never noticed Chen Cang's nervous expression, and even though Cheng Wanli was still smiling, there was strong anger in his eyes. Sure enough, just as Master Chen said, Dong Ping had already had a crush on his daughter, and he also had feelings for Yue'e... At this moment, Governor Cheng wanted to kill this bastard who ruined his daughter's reputation with his own hands. .
But he also knew how strong Dong Ping was in martial arts. Not to mention him, even everyone in the government office could not hurt Dong Ping in his normal state at all. So even though he was extremely angry, he still suppressed his murderous intention and said with a forced smile: "General Dong, how do you think about it?"
"Of course... of course, I really want it. Thank you, Grand Administrator..., no, thank you to my father-in-law for making the marriage between my son-in-law and Yue'e possible. From now on, my son-in-law will do his best to guard Dongping and protect the peace of my father-in-law and his family." Dong Ping was already a little excited. His words were incoherent, but the change of title showed how urgent his attitude was.
"Haha, in that case, should you make an exception and drink a few glasses of wine today? It would be unreasonable to celebrate such a happy event without wine." Cheng Wanlip raised his glass again with a smile.
This time, Dong Ping did not make any excuses, and hurriedly raised his glass and drank the wine in one gulp. Then, in order to show his respect for his father-in-law, he quickly poured two glasses of wine and drank them both. Then he stood up again and wanted to go forward to greet him again, so that the name could be completely decided.
But just when he stood up, he suddenly felt his eyes blurred and his movements froze. Dong Ping felt a little strange, but quickly put it aside. He thought it was due to the hard work at the top of the city these past few days, and he had just drank a lot of alcohol, and his body couldn't bear it anymore.
But when he staggered to the front of Governor Cheng, Dong Ping was shocked to realize that his body was already a little numb, and the Governor Cheng in front of him was constantly turning, as if he was drunk. But he only had three drinks, how could he be drunk
Then, he saw an astonishing scene. Cheng Wanli, who was still smiling, suddenly turned his face and shouted angrily: "Dong Ping, how dare you do this? Come on, get this little thief!" Before he could wait, As Dong Ping opened his mouth to argue, more than a dozen officers had already poured in outside the hall. They rushed towards him and pushed him down to the ground as his hands and feet were weak.