"According to Mr. Wei's information, the Xiliang army seems to be withdrawing." The Liu Rong who spoke was the elder brother Liu whom Wen Yulan mentioned before, a neighbor of the Wen family, and the junior of Wen Yaozi's private school teacher. He has been serving as Wen Yaozi's personal bodyguard since Wen Yaozi's uprising, but after Wen Yaozi rescued Wei Xinyong and his party and evacuated to this Qishan Fort, he stayed there all day long, so he was temporarily unavailable.
At this time, Wei Xinyong proposed that he needed a smart and reliable person to monitor the movements of the Xiliang army - this kind of job was not something that Mo Binwei and the only remaining subordinates of Captain Zhao, who was still half-dead, could do. If they were discovered, it would be very difficult. It is easy to be followed and found. What's more, those people probably have other loyalties, and now they are all under house arrest to avoid spreading any news that shouldn't be spread. He was really let out, maybe he didn't find out the information, but he went to lead the way first.
So after hearing about Yaozi, he sent Liu Rong.
He did not disappoint Wen Yaozi, and he came back with news this time, "Now that the imperial capital is in Chuan, the Rong people invaded the border again. The Liu family thought that they could not hold on, and asked the Shen and Su families for help. But the two families received After the letter, although the generals were summoned for discussion, no reply has been given yet. However, while I was lying in wait outside the Xiliang military camp outside the city for several nights, I saw with my own eyes a group of people leaving the camp at night and heading west in a hurry! "
He looked at Wei Xinyong without concealing the admiration in his eyes, "Mr. Wei once said that if the Xiliang army wanted to withdraw, they would find a reason. But now, due to the deaths of Yongding Marquis and Xiangning Bo in Mingpei Hall, Ding is The Duke was quite suspicious and would not want Duke Ding to go back before they were ready. Therefore, if Duke Ding wanted to return to Xiliang in a legitimate way, he had to set up his own reasons, so he could only send his confidants from Gyeonggi. Hands and feet. Now it seems that he is the pedestrian."
Hearing this, Yaozi and others mostly showed admiration, but a few people still looked at Wei Xinyong with wary eyes. At this moment, one of these people said: "We dare not doubt that Mr. Wei is a great talent. But before, Shen and Su suspected each other about Su Yuliang, and they almost went to war. Now Xiliang wants to retreat. , in the future, if the Qingzhou Army loses control, won't they try their best to hunt for us? Although Qishan Fort is hidden and there is a basement in the fort to hide people, but the Qingzhou Army will not be able to hide from their eyes if they search repeatedly. "
Wei Xinyong glanced at him indifferently and said: "Zheng Zhuangzi is overly worried. Is it so easy for Shen Su to start a war? Even if Su Xiu Ming fainted, the rest of the Su family were still very conscious. They had ordered people to spread the news The rumors are just a gamble on luck, for one thing; secondly, who said that with the Xiliang Army gone, the Qingzhou Army will be free to go all out to search for us? "
"Brother Sanya, please be patient. Let's listen to what Mr. Wei has to say in detail." Wen Yaozi saw Zheng Sanya's expression change and seemed to be very dissatisfied with Wei Xinyong's lukewarm answer, so he hurried up. comfort before.
Liu Rong, Zheng Sanya and others were all neighbors of Wenyaozi. When there was no trouble earlier, they admired Wenyaozi very much. Nowadays, Wei Xinyong, a disciple of Wenyue, and his entourage have been added to Qishan Castle. They realize that they are from poor backgrounds and are separated from people like Wei Xinyong. They are afraid that Wei Xinyong and others will take away their power, so they pay more attention to maintaining the prestige of Wen Yaozi. .
Although Zheng Sanya was dissatisfied with Wei Xinyong at this moment, when Yazi spoke, he snorted and finally stopped talking.
Wei Xinyong knew his thoughts well, but did not show it at all on his face. He only continued calmly: "The consequences of Shen Su's war would be too serious, and neither side of the two families would start a war lightly. However, the Liu family's uncle-nephew dispute The commotion has caused the Ranli Hall to be torn apart, and now it is absolutely unable to withstand the invasion of the Rong people... Once the Xiliang Army leaves, the Qingzhou Army may not be able to leave! "
Zheng Sanya snorted: "They won't leave even if they can! Aren't they searching for you? I really don't know what Yazi thinks. I saved you properly, otherwise it has nothing to do with us..."
Before he finished speaking, he heard that Yaozi had already said coldly: "Sanya, if you have any objections to me, you can just say it directly. There is no need to use Mr. Wei as a raft!"
The word "old brother" was removed, which shows that Wen Yaozi was not happy.
Liu Rong and others hurriedly smoothed things over: "Yaozi, please don't be angry. Uncle Sanya means what he says but doesn't mean it. He definitely doesn't mean to be dissatisfied with you."
"Brother Sanya, you are really confused. The second brother died in the hands of the Qingzhou Army, but what does it have to do with Mr. Yaozi and Mr. Wei? How can you talk like this... Please make amends with Mr. Yaozi and Mr. Wei!"
Everyone was talking about building the ladder, but although Zheng Sanya was frozen on the spot by Wen Yaozi, he glared at Wei Xinyong, but he couldn't say anything to apologize!
Seeing that the atmosphere was about to reach a stalemate again, Wei Xinyong suddenly spoke. His expression was so calm that there was no hint of emotion or anger. He neither asked for guilt nor pleaded for mercy. Instead, he continued what he had said before: "The Qingzhou Army not only wants to hunt us down, but also wants to go north." Aid the Liu family.”
"Will the Qingzhou Army really do this?" After hearing this, Liu Rong and others hurriedly asked him questions, regardless of the situation, in an attempt to get over the embarrassing situation. "I am stupid, please ask Mr. Wei for details. explain!"
Wei Xinyong said calmly: "They won't do it, then help them do it!"
"Speaking of you, you are just a descendant of the Wei family. Even in Fengzhou Wei, you are an adopted heir from Zhiben Hall to Ruiyu Hall. How much can you say?" Zheng Sanya was very angry and felt caught at this moment. Without thinking, he said sarcastically, "Is it possible that you can still command the Qingzhou Army?! Don't you want to sell us in exchange for your own livelihood?"
He said these words happily, but before the livid-faced Wen Yaozi spoke, Liu Rong and others had already hurriedly pulled him out: "Uncle Sanyao, calm down, Mr. Wei is with us now , how could it harm us?"
"Brother Sanya, let's go out and talk. Don't disturb Mr. Wei and Yazi."
"Third uncle, my third aunt asked you to go back early today..."
After Zheng Sanya was pushed out and the door was closed again, Wen Yaozi, whose expression changed several times but did not have an attack on the spot, sighed, cupped his hands to Wei Xinyong and said, "Mr. Wei is made to laugh because I am not strict in my discipline." ! I’m here to apologize to you, Mr. Wanwang, don’t take his words to heart—please ask him again, I promise not to call him again!”
Liu Rong, the only one who had returned, was slightly startled when he heard this - although Wen Yaozi was the leader of their rebellion, the fellow villagers in the village knew just by hearing them call each other that they usually did not distinguish between superior and inferior. Now that Yaozi said this, he was already very dissatisfied with Zheng Sanyao.
When he looked at Wen Yaozi again, his expression was solemn, not like retreating in order to advance. When he looked at Wei Xinyong, his eyes became awe-inspiring.
Wei Xinyong's eyes changed, and he didn't know what he was thinking. After a moment, he said calmly: "Let's continue talking about business."
Wen Yaozi was obviously relieved.
"The Xiliang army doesn't want to sacrifice for the defense of Donghu, and the Qingzhou army may not be more generous." Wei Xinyong said, "I guess the Xiliang army will make a fuss about the Di people, so as to prevent Shen Zangfeng from fleeing in fear and not repaying the enemy. Of course, the Qingzhou Army can use Siam as a reason, but in this case, they will have no time to search for us. Even if they leave us, they will definitely not have too many people, otherwise they will not be able to withdraw all the troops. "
After a pause, Wei Xinyong said: "I don't think the Qingzhou Army will return to Qingzhou."
Liu Rong blurted out: "Why?"
"Because of the terrain." Wei Xinyong said calmly, "and the situation."
"The terrain in Qingzhou is not suitable for sending troops, but Xiliang is not."
"There were uprisings everywhere near Qingzhou, especially when Su Yuwu flooded Zezhou and moved people from fifteen counties. Although the Su family spent a lot of money to resettle them, it was only a drop in the bucket for these people. And in the south The climate is humid and rainy except in winter. Even if the water recedes, many people in the fifteen counties have their homes destroyed and have taken part in the uprising because of their livelihood."
"Once the Qingzhou Army goes back and wants to come out again, without the good deeds of the nobles uniting together and frightening those who made trouble along the way to give in, they can only fight out."
Wei Xinyong smiled sarcastically, "Calculate, how many battles will they have to fight before they can return to the imperial capital? The most important thing is that Qingzhou is surrounded by mountains and ridges, which is easy to defend but difficult to attack. It would be good for a place like that to protect itself. , when it comes to getting involved in the world..."
He shook his head, "There is no climate in a cramped place!"
"On the other hand, in Xiliang, in order to concentrate on dealing with the Di people, they kept a close eye on nearby bandits. Once there was an uprising, they were immediately wiped out by the army. Moreover, the Shen family in Xiliang frequently asked the court for military supplies, and the Shen family needed local soldiers. , the oppression of them is measured, the life goes on, and the people who are in trouble are also unified... "
"And Shen Zangfeng has previously beaten the foreign invader Di Ren to a great extent, and has been unable to cause him any trouble in the past few years. After he returns, he only needs to subdue the clansmen, stabilize his position in the clan, and officially take over the Ming Dynasty. After Peitang, we can use Xiliang as a solid foundation to gradually encroach on the nearby territory... and thus covet the Central Plains!"
When Wei Xinyong said this, a flush suddenly appeared on his face. He hurriedly went to pick up the warm ginseng tea at his hand, but before he even touched the tea bowl, he started coughing violently!
Wen Yaozi quickly ordered Liu Rong: "Go and get a bowl of hot tea!"
"No need." Wei Xinyong's cough came and went quickly, and stopped after a few breaths, but his eyes were obviously much darker. He stopped Liu Rong, who was already walking to the door with half-warm ginseng tea, " It’s still a little hot, just let me finish it.”
In the end, Wen Yaozi asked Liu Rong to exchange for ginseng tea. When Liu Rong came back, the two of them had finished talking. Wei Xinyong closed his eyes to rest, while Wen Yaozi said solemnly: "... I will certainly live up to my expectations. Mr. Hope!”
Ever since Wen Yaozi's incident, nothing had been hidden from Liu Rong. At this time, his mood was naturally very complicated, but he was not as grumpy as Zheng Sanya, and there was also a brother, Zheng Erya, who was saved by Wen Yaozi. Wei Xinyong died during the trip, so he put the tea in Wei Xinyong's hand without saying a word.
When he stood up, he saw in a blink of an eye that Wen Yaozi's hands were tightly clenched into fists and half retracted into his sleeves, but he could still be seen shaking slightly. His face was serious, but his eyes were shining with a frightening light - that The trembling and shining are not fear, but excitement.
Even, ecstatic.
Liu Rong couldn't help but be stunned... (To be continued)