***
Yunduan, whose name is Daozheng, is 37 years old, has a square face and a medium build. The first impression he gives people is that he is upright and honest.
As soon as he saw Qin Mu, he eagerly asked about Yun Qiaoer.
When Qin Mu returned home that day, thousands of people lined the streets to welcome him. Qin Mu made no secret of his doting on Yun Qiao'er. He even let Yun Qiao'er ride on the same horse with him back to the city under the gaze of countless people. This was enough to show that the relationship between Qin Mu and Yun Qiao'er was extraordinary.
Qin Mu said indifferently: "How can you be sure that Qiao'er is your daughter?"
"I only have this one daughter, how could I have made a mistake? There is a faint red mole between her eyebrows. Although Qiao'er's appearance has changed over the years, if you look closely, the red mole is still faintly visible. Sir Qin, please let me see her."
"I'm sorry, it's not that I don't want you to see her, it's Qiao'er who said she doesn't know you and doesn't want to see you."
"This..." Yunduan's expression darkened, and he could not bow to Qin Mu. "I am sorry for Qiao'er and her mother. I sent people back to Yuezhou to pick her up, but Qiao'er's mother was unwilling to leave.
After the accident, I went back to Yuezhou to look for Qiao'er, but I couldn't find her whereabouts. I regretted it too late.
Thanks to you for taking me in, Qiao'er is finally safe. I will definitely repay you for your kindness. I hope you can understand my feelings as a father and let Qiao'er meet me."
"Qiao'er has been alone and helpless these years. When I met her in Jinling, she was begging on the street alone. You can imagine how much suffering she had endured. When I took her back to Yuezhou to bury her mother, she remained silent for a whole month, like a body without a soul.
As a husband and father, you have brought disaster to your wife and daughter... Forget it, I don't want to ask about these matters; I just want to ask you, was it Gao Guiying who sent you to Wuchang? What is your purpose in coming to Wuchang?"
Yunduan was probably eager to see his daughter. He hesitated for a moment and said, "I took the initiative to ask Queen Gao to come to Wuchang to inquire about the news. Fortunately, I met my daughter here. My lord, Qiao'er is now my only relative in the world. Please let me see her."
"Qiao'er doesn't want to see you. I've made that very clear."
Yunduan gritted his teeth and said, "As long as you can reunite my father and me, I will do my best for you."
Qin Mu was unmoved and said calmly: "I am indeed eager for talents, but I don't need you. Qiao'er is the only one for me. I won't trade her for anything."
"I saw outside the city that day that you are very caring towards Qiao'er. I am very grateful to you. I am not asking you to exchange Qiao'er for me. I just want to see her. If you can fulfill my wish, I am willing to tell you a huge secret."
"I have said that I will not exchange Qiao'er for anything. You should keep the secret to yourself. As for Qiao'er, if she wants to see you, I will not stop her. But since she does not want to see you, you should leave."
"Sir, Yun is the only relative he has left. Please, let me see her." Yun Duan actually knelt down in front of Qin Mu and kowtowed.
"Forget it. Get up. I'll help you persuade Qiao'er. If she's willing to see you, that's fine. If she's still not willing, it's useless for you to beg me."
"Thank you, sir."
When Qin Mu returned to the back garden, Qiao'er was lying on the bed alone, staring blankly at the ceiling with misty eyes. As soon as Qin Mu sat down on the edge of the bed, she rested her head on Qin Mu's legs and sobbed silently.
Qin Mu stroked her head and comforted her: "Qiao'er, don't be sad. Come, tell me what you think."
“I… I don’t know.”
"Qiao'er, he is your biological father after all. Although he did not listen to your mother's advice and brought disaster to the family, people always make mistakes. Even if you are unwilling to forgive him, as a child, meeting him once can be regarded as a little filial piety."
"But I really don't want to see him, sir. I miss my mother. Woo woo woo..."
"Well, when I have time, I will take you back to Yuezhou to pay respect to your mother. Now that you have decided not to see your father, I will have him sent away. Don't be sad about this."
Yun Qiao'er's heart was obviously filled with sadness and contradictions. After sobbing for a while, she said hesitantly: "Sir, can you go with me? I don't want to go to see him alone."
"Okay, I'll go with you."
When Qin Mu appeared in the side hall with Qiao'er, Yun Duan, who had been looking forward to it, immediately came to greet them and called out emotionally: "Qiao'er, it's daddy, it's me, do you still remember daddy?"
"Young Master!" Yun Qiaoer suddenly shrank behind Qin Mu and looked at him for help.
Qin Mu said to Yunduan: "Calm down and go back."
Yunduan stepped back step by step, and finally couldn't hold back his tears, "Qiao'er, Daddy is sorry for you and your mother, will you forgive Daddy? Qiao'er..."
Qiao'er was only nine years old when she fled from home, and four years have passed now. For a child, even if she has not experienced so much suffering, four years is enough for her to feel like a stranger to someone.
No matter what her father said, Qiao'er always huddled behind Qin Mu, as if only in this way could she feel safe.
Seeing this, Yun Duan, as a father, couldn't help but burst into tears.
*********
Macheng Guifeng Mountain is about 50 miles away from the county seat. It is named because its terrain resembles a divine turtle with its head raised to swallow the sun. It consists of nine peaks, including the **, the waist and the tail, and covers an area of more than 200 miles.
The peaks are surrounded by white clouds all day long, and ancient pines and thousand-year-old green vines block out the sun. There are dense patches of wild kiwis, hawthorns, chestnuts, and wild grapes. Clear mountain streams and creeks crisscross the area, and schools of fat fish swim in the streams.
The 20,000 Guanning troops are now hiding in Guifeng Mountain, and their food and grass are almost cut off. Fortunately, there are wild fruits, beasts and fish in the mountains to replenish their supplies, but for an army of 20,000, this is just a drop in the bucket.
Starting from the fourth day, they had to kill injured war horses in order to prevent the 20,000 troops from starving to death, but their morale inevitably became increasingly low.
Liu Meng's army of nearly 100,000 was stationed in Macheng, blocking their way. Guo Yunlong and Hu Shouliang had tried to break out twice, but both failed.
This was Wu Jimin's second time going up Guifeng Mountain, and this time he was not as polite as the first time.
When he saw Guo Yunlong and Hu Shouliang, he said directly: "General Guo, General Hu, don't harbor any illusions. You only have two choices now. One is to starve to death on Guifeng Mountain, and the other is to surrender to my master."
"Wu Jimin, don't push me too far. I have a third choice, which is to fight with you!" Hu Shouliang shouted angrily, pressing the hilt of the knife.
Hu Shouliang obviously lacked confidence when he said this.
Wu Jimin said nonchalantly: "The hair and skin of our bodies are given by our parents, and we dare not damage them. This is the beginning of filial piety. You are following the Tartars and shaving your hair. This is unfilial. Don't you feel ashamed of your ancestors
You are originally Han people, but you help the foreign race to kill us Han people, which is unjust; born as a human being, how can you stand in this world without filial piety and righteousness? "
Guo Yunlong could not help but get angry and shouted, "Hu, stop talking nonsense. Believe it or not, I will chop you to pieces."
"Is what Mr. Wu said just to make fun of you? Mr. Wu also knows your difficulties. Isn't it because you are worried that your family members are in the hands of the Tartars and you are afraid that they will be harmed
Think about it, even if you go back now, will the Tartars still believe you? By then, not to mention your family members, I'm afraid you won't be able to save your own lives either."
Guo Yunlong and Hu Shouliang were silent. One of the important reasons why they refused to surrender to Qin Mu was that they were afraid that their families' lives would be in danger.
But as Wu Jimin said, after this incident, even if we return to the arms of the Tartars, I'm afraid there will be no good ending.
In fact, Wu Jimin was far from being as calm as he appeared. If the 20,000 Guanning troops were not dealt with in one day, the 100,000 troops in Macheng would be delayed here for another day.
Wuchang is discussing the next strategic direction of the Qin army. No matter whether they choose to go east or north, they must first deal with the 20,000 Guanning troops and eliminate the threat.
In order to achieve the goal of surrender as soon as possible, Wu Jimin decided to throw out the last bargaining chip: "Two generals, as long as you sincerely surrender, my master promises to use some of the prisoners to exchange your family members from the Tartars."
"Are you serious?"
Guo Yunlong and Hu Shouliang stood up suddenly and stared at Wu Jimin with burning eyes.
.(To be continued..)
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