Duan Ling looked at Zongzhen to ask, what did he mean
Zong Zhen shook his head, helpless, and made a mouth shape. After speaking the first half of the sentence, Duan Ling remembered the second half of the sentence he had read in the past, a Liao poet's pretence: Although you and I are close at hand, our hearts are separated. All over the world.
The snow in the middle of winter, the brilliance of the night, although you and I are in the same room, we don’t see each other in our hearts.
It was a poem about a woman’s husband’s change of heart. Duan Ling suddenly felt emotion in his heart, all kinds of anger, all kinds of disputes, from childhood to adult, those words that can’t be said, and the anger that can’t be understood, all turned into two words – I don’t understand .
"I don't understand him." Duan Ling said.
"You don't want to understand him either," Yelu Zongzhen reminded kindly.
Duan Ling had to admit that it was true.
He took off his robe, draped it over Batu's shoulders, and left with Yelu Zongzhen.
"Did he talk about me?" Duan Ling asked Chao Zongzhen as he walked under the moon.
"No." Yelu Zongzhen had a smile in his eyes, but Duan Ling knew that Batu must have talked about himself, and said a lot. But since Yelu Zongzhen chose not to tell him, Duan Ling did not ask any further questions.
"Then we may have to go the second way." Duan Ling stopped and said Chao Zongzhen.
"What is the second way?" Yelu Zongzhen asked.
"Accept what's coming." Duan Ling said, "Concentrate all military forces in Yecheng, ask for assistance from the south, and send you back to Liao as quickly as possible, waiting for you to send troops. If we can hold Yecheng, plus You came in time, maybe before the twelfth lunar month, you will be able to fight the Yuan army in Hebei County."
"It is extremely dangerous." Yelu Zongzhen replied, "Is there no other way?"
"No." Duan Ling replied.
"For example, take him as a hostage." Yelu Zongzhen said, "Forcing Chahan to retreat."
"This will only kill him." Duan Ling said, "We also won't get what we want. Chahan just sent troops to kill him, and the negotiation will only be a waste of time."
"It's not a waste of time, it's just that you can't do it." Yelu Zongzhen said with a smile, "Negotiations are subject to quid pro quo. If the negotiation fails, the vote will be torn up. Are you willing to start?"
"Reluctant." Duan Ling said helplessly, "So it's not a good idea to take him as a hostage. After all, even if Chahan doesn't agree to the conditions, we can't kill him."
"It's not us." Yelu Zongzhen said, "It's you."
"It's me." Duan Ling looked into Yelu Zongzhen's eyes.
"Wait for a few more days." Yelu Zongzhen said, "Zhahan is holding his ground, there must be a reason for him, and this reason is unlikely to be on Boer Chijin."
"Time is running out." Duan Ling said, "I can't wait any longer."
"Wait." Yelu Zongzhen said again, "You haven't had a good talk with Batu."
"How else can we talk?" Duan Ling sighed, but since Zong Zhen said so, he still decided to wait another day. The sky was already bright, winter was coming, the cold wind was howling, and they were involved in the courtyard. The two said goodbye in the courtyard and went back to their rooms.
When he returned to the room, Zheng Yan had already drank and left, leaving Wu Du sitting on the bed with the Lie Light Sword lying in front of his knees, and he was wiping the sword.
Duan Ling yawned and sat down beside Wu Du, leaning on his shoulder.
"Have you figured it out?" Wu Du turned his head and asked Duan Ling, put the Lieguang Sword back into its sheath, put it aside, put his arms around Duan Ling's waist, and pressed him to the bed.
"No." Duan Ling was annoying, but when he was with Wu Du, it always made him feel inexplicably relaxed.
"Let them come." Wu Du whispered, "Don't be afraid of Yuan Ren, you don't need to be sullen to that barbarian."
Duan Ling said "um" and looked at Wu Du's face. Wu Du said: "Go to sleep, don't bother you anymore, domestic affairs and foreign affairs are yours, marching and fighting are mine. If we can't agree, we are ready to fight. We are not easy to bully."
Duan Ling asked, "Are you really sure?"
"Yao Fu will send troops to help us." Wu Du replied, "I have already negotiated with Zheng Yan."
"Really? Will he come?" Duan Ling asked again.
Wu Du nodded and let Duan Ling rest on his chest.
"What conditions?" Duan Ling knew that although Wu Du and Zheng Yan were on good terms, Zheng Yan might not agree to such a big deal. Even if Zheng Yan fully assisted in turning around, Yao Fu would not completely listen to him.
There must be conditions.
"You don't have to worry about it." Wu Du said.
"Did you tell him my identity?" Duan Ling asked.
"Of course not." Wu Du replied.
Duan Ling really couldn't figure out how Wu Du persuaded Zheng Yan, and even more believed that Yao Fu would lead the army to come to aid. And even if Huaiyin gave him soldiers, when winter came, the weather would not be able to beat the Yuan army, which was really annoying.
"Go to sleep." Wu Du said, "If you go to him tomorrow, he may talk to you."
It was already dawn, and Duan Ling decided to temporarily forget about it, curled up in Wu Du's arms and fell asleep.
The next day, Duan Ling passed the hall and was just about to go to see the hangover Batu, but saw a messenger kneeling on one knee, reporting to Yelu Zongzhen, Wu Du, Zheng Yan, and Fei Hongde about the military situation in the north.
Duan Ling nodded towards Zheng Yan. For several days, he hadn't had a good word with him, and he was too busy to take care of it.
"General Wu Du said you slept late." Fei Hongde said, "I want you to sleep a little longer. Before you come, I called someone to discuss it."
"It's okay." Duan Ling sat down beside Wu Du after arriving at the case and asked, "How is the situation?"
The messenger was a detective from the Liao Kingdom sent by Yelu Zongzhen, who was in charge of investigations between the two sides of the Strait. He brought a very important piece of news - Batu was taken captive, and the order from Okuotai came first, letting him lead the army. Chagatai's military order came again, and asked Chahan not to hand over the army to Batu, and in one go, captured Yancheng, and turned to march in the direction of Zhongjing, waiting for the next order.
While listening, Duan Ling translated for Zheng Yan and Wu Du. The messenger listened to Yuan Bing's conversation and guessed the inside story. It was mixed with Yuan language and combined with the guesses of Yelu Zongzhen and Duan Ling. It was very complicated. . After everyone's discussion, there was an expression of "opportunity to take advantage of" on their faces.
"It's up to you." Yelu Zongzhen said, "I thought about it carefully last night. You are right. Time waits for no one. Today I will leave Yecheng and go back to Zhongjing."
Duan Ling knew that Yelu Zongzhen was worried not only about the war in Chen State, but also about his safety, so he stayed here for a long time, hoping to help him.
"Your Majesty delaying for a while is also a solution." Fei Hongde said, "After all, Han Weiyong's goal is you. As long as there is no news of your arrest, Prime Minister Han will not dare to make too many moves rashly."
"But if I don't go back." Yelu Zongzhen said, "I can't mobilize the army to relieve the predicament that Hebei is facing. The advantages and disadvantages are mixed."
"I'll try again for the last time." Duan Ling said finally with determination.
"Shall I accompany you?" Wu Du asked.
"No." Duan Ling replied, "Today we must give a way to deal with it, and we can't delay it any longer."
As soon as Duan Ling got up, Zheng Yan also got up. Duan Ling knew that he had something to say, so he came to the courtyard with him and looked at each other.
"Yaohou's army is coming soon." Zheng Yan took a rare serious look and said to Duan Ling, "Don't embarrass yourself too much."
Duan Ling breathed a sigh of relief and went forward and hugged Zheng Yan to show his gratitude.
"What conditions does he want?" Duan Ling asked.
"The conditions he wants have nothing to do with you." Zheng Yan said, "I have already repaired a book and sent it to Huaiyin. If he has something to say, I will deal with it."
"Why do you..." Duan Ling suddenly felt that it was too stupid to ask this question. He wanted to ask Zheng Yan why he helped him so much, but once Hebei fell, Huaiyin would become the northern gate of Chen State. At that time, whether to send troops? Yao Fu can no longer have the final say.
"Thank you, Zheng Yan." Duan Ling said, "I'll try again, maybe I don't have to go that far."
"It's over." Zheng Yan returned to his usual face and replied, "You have to give me something."
When Duan Ling heard this, he had a headache and said, "What benefits do you want?"
Zheng Yan said, "I haven't made up my mind yet. You promise me first."
Duan Ling: "..."
Duan Ling knew that although Zheng Yan was usually unruly, he still knew the general situation, and it was okay to take advantage of it, and he didn't dare to provoke Wu Du.
"You want to Zhenshanhe, right?" Duan Ling asked suddenly.
Zheng Yan was shocked, surprised that Duan Ling had guessed the truth straight-forward.
In fact, Duan Ling has been thinking since he woke up in the morning, why after Wu Du and Zheng Yan had a night of drinking last night, Zheng Yan agreed to help Wu Du to ask for help. If he didn't reveal his identity, what could Wu Unique be able to exchange with Zheng Yan or Yao Fu
The only thing that can be changed is Zhenshanhe.
Zheng Yan's mission is also to find this sword of inheritance. Whoever gets it is equivalent to the actual ruler of Baihumen. Giving it to Zheng Yan will have an influence on Wu Duo, but not Duan Ling himself. Because no matter who gets it, they need to be loyal to Emperor Nanchen and the crown prince.
Maybe it was Li Yanqiu's order, maybe it was Yao Fu's relationship, so it's very likely that Zheng Yan was looking for it for Yao Fu.
Duan Ling couldn't help but be alert, but since Wu Du had promised, he should have his own considerations.
"It's up to Wu Du to decide." Duan Ling replied, "It's time to decide."
Zheng Yan added: "The army hasn't come yet, and the war hasn't started yet. You still have a lot of time to go back and regret it."
Duan Ling smiled slightly, but Zheng Yan said, "I'm looking for Zhenshanhe for His Majesty's orders, not for Yaohou. As for why Yaohou agreed to my request, I'll tell you later."
Duan Ling walked out of the hall and couldn't help but turn around to observe Zheng Yan. Zheng Yan was standing long under the corridor, thoughtful, as if he was thinking about something.
After the night passed, Yecheng became much colder.
Duan Ling pushed open the door of Batu, seeing that the couch was empty, and Batu didn't know where he went.