Zhuoding County·Prefect’s Mansion
Light came from the study, and a man was reviewing military affairs in the room.
In the corridor outside the study room, there are soldiers walking three steps, one post, five steps and one sentry, and lanterns are hung in the courtyard, illuminating them brightly.
In the grass in the garden not far away, some crickets were chirping, and one or two frogs in the pond were "croaking" in response. Fireflies kept flying in the night, and hurried footsteps broke the tranquility of the night.
A Taoist official asked someone to go in and report: "Quickly, report, Master, I have something important to report."
Suddenly he said: "Call in."
"Master, Chen Ping is dead and the Navy has surrendered." The Taoist official said with a smile on his face as he entered. Pei Ziyun was not surprised and nodded: "Okay, I understand, this is the last line of the Marquis of Ji Bei." The vitality is also gone, and the hero is at his end!"
"Contact Song Zhi and order to urge the county chiefs to quickly invite the families of the thieves and soldiers to come over. Do you understand?" Pei Ziyun paced the ground, taking orders.
"Yes, Master." The Taoist officer turned around and went out. As the study room closed, Pei Ziyun took a few more steps and opened the window in front of him. In the night, the sounds of crickets and frogs became even more peaceful. Some cool breeze blew into the room, and his face But there is no joy or anger.
A few days·official road
The people are not an army. Thousands of people have been pulled out for several miles. There is a lot of green grass growing on some ground. Many people have stepped on the grass and come forward. Soldiers are supervising, arresting heads, and government officials. Each supervisor comes from various places. The county relatives did not beat or scold him, but only urged him.
A catcher walked in front with a piece of dogtail grass in his mouth, followed by the yamen servant. An old man came forward with a young man, approached the catcher and whispered: "Hu catcher, this is filial piety."
The old man stretched out his hand and handed over a piece of silver: "Hu Captou, why is the court recruiting us? Please tell us, otherwise we will feel uneasy."
After listening to the old man's words, the catcher looked around, and Yinliang took it: "Don't worry, the imperial court has issued an order, saying that you are invited to come, and I think it is necessary to persuade the rebels."
"Thank you Hu Captou." The old man breathed a sigh of relief. He was not afraid of anything else. He was just afraid that because someone in his family was serving as a rebel soldier in Jibei, he would be dragged away to punish or attack the city, and that would be the end of it.
Watching the old man leave, the catcher muttered in a low voice: "The imperial court wants you to go. I am a little catcher, I don't know what I want you to do. It is not impossible to drag you to attack the city."
"What is this?" Several people in one team looked at the speakers in their hands and couldn't understand.
"A simple amplification tool can amplify some sounds. Although it is not much, it is enough." A Taoist explained: "Quick, quick, these thousands of people must arrive at the city within three days. We must not If you miss the real person’s military order, you won’t be able to afford it.”
Listening to these words, and remembering the recent bloody examples, several arresting officers couldn't help but speed up their pace.
Zhoucheng
"The navy has surrendered, and Chen Ping has been killed?" Shen Zhi reported the news. After hearing the news, the Marquis of Jibei suddenly turned pale, his body trembled, and there was a roar. It seemed that something was completely lost, and a feeling of a hero's end suddenly appeared. emerge.
"Ah" The Marquis of Jibei felt like his heart was burning, and it was unbearable. He let out a low cry of pain, his face twisted, but he didn't shout out loud. He reached out and grabbed his clothes, holding on tightly.
After a long time, the Marquis of Jibei calmed down and leaned back on the chair. After a while, his eyes became bloodshot. Shen Zhi raised his head slightly and realized that the Marquis of Jibei in front of him seemed to be much older, and his hair was white. , a kind of sadness of the hero's death came to Shen Zhi's heart: "Master Marquis, you have to take care of yourself!"
After listening to the voice, the Marquis of Jibei raised his head and stared blankly. Several lamps were lit in the study, which illuminated everything brightly. His lips wriggled for a long time before he said to himself: "I was so hungry that I couldn't live at the age of fifteen, so... I followed people and rebelled. I followed the general at the age of twenty-three. I became the leader of the team at the age of twenty-five. I fought with the general all the way without victory. The general became the emperor, and I also became a marquis. There was also a great leader. If you lose, you can go back and pick things up again, and you will win again, and you will never end up like today.”
The Marquis of Jibei looked at the bright lantern and suddenly laughed miserably: "Being defeated like a mountain, is this what it feels like?"
Saying this, Shen looked straight at the Marquis of Jibei, choked with sobs and unable to speak. He held it back, wiped away his tears with his sleeves, and stepped forward to persuade in a low voice: "My lord, there may be a chance of improvement. As long as we stick to our guns, we will surely win." There is still a chance, and we will definitely be able to take the world by storm again."
"Haha, when it comes to this, don't comfort me." After hearing this, the Marquis of Jibei laughed suddenly. After laughing, his tone became very calm: "Since God has arranged this fate for me, I can only be calm. Accepted."
"I can't do it anymore, but some things have to be arranged." Seeing that Shen Zhi still wanted to speak, the Marquis of Jibei waved his hand: "We still have a Taoist priest, call him up. I want to communicate with Gong Badao immediately. If From now on, maybe even all the Taoists will escape."
Shen Zhi looked at the white-haired and blue-faced Marquis of Jibei in front of him, but he was calm and composed. His heart trembled. This was his lord, and he responded: "Yes!"
With that said, he turned around and went out, letting the Taoist come.
The Taoist came over and bowed without saying a word. The Marquis of Jibei said coldly: "Originally, you followed me and missed me a little. Now at this point, there is nothing left, but I will not let you work in vain."
The Marquis of Jibei took out a stack of silver notes, weighed them in his hands, smiled, and said, "You can't take away the money from the vassal treasury, but you can take the banknotes. These are five thousand taels, and they are all banknotes with the maximum limit of one hundred taels." , it’s not in my name, you can take it away.”
"Yes, Duke, if you have any questions, just ask." At this point, he was still so calm. The Taoist had to admire him. After listening to the words of the Marquis of Jibei, he understood. He took the banknote and knocked it a few times as a courtesy. Cheng, asked.
"Send me a message, Gong Yashima. I want to talk to San'er."
"Yes!" The Taoist took out the talisman and was about to contact him, but he just took it out and remembered something. He quickly looked at the Marquis of Jibei and his expression darkened. Most of the Marquis of Jibei's energy was gone, but he couldn't say it directly at this time, so he said politely: "My lord, the law does not include nobles, and nobles cannot communicate directly. But now I am going to get the magic weapon refined by my master, and I may be able to communicate for a while."
After hearing this, the Marquis of Jibei didn't say anything. He felt clear in his heart. He knew that he had been prosperous in the past, but now his luck had dissipated. He was afraid that the word "noble" was no longer in name only, so he smiled bitterly: "It's okay for a little while."
The Taoist hurriedly went to get it, accompanied by Shen Zhi. When he came back a while later, the Taoist showed a mirror in front of the Marquis of Jibei. It looked three inches, simple and inconspicuous. The Taoist took out the talisman and pressed it before putting it up. The mirror was It lit up, and a hint of spiritual light flashed through.
The light and shadow changed, and after a while, the third young master Wei Ang was revealed. The picture seemed to be a little fluctuating, but it was still clear.
This was the first time that the Marquis of Jibei saw Daofa with his own eyes, or the first time that Wei Ang saw his father in front of him clearly. His hair was white, his face was blue, and he looked extremely old: "Father, what's wrong with you? If it doesn't work, , Father, please hurry back to Gongyachi Island and make a comeback tomorrow."
Seeing Wei Ang worried, nervous, and offering suggestions in front of him, the Marquis of Jibei felt a lot relieved, waved his hands, and rarely showed a father's loving smile on his lips. He looked at Wei Ang blankly, as if he wanted to imprint him in his heart, and said: "I'm fine here, it's just a small defeat. I'm holding the state capital, and the imperial court won't be able to take it down for a while. As long as King Lu raises his troops to sweep across the north, the imperial court will naturally retreat."
"Okay, the communication is short, let's not talk about this, let's keep the story short, Wei Ang, are you quite stable in Gongpachi Island?"
Listening to his father's words, Wei Ang always felt that something was wrong, and responded: "Yes, father, I am basically stable. Now the island is being cultivated, and new routes have been opened. The government buildings and ancestral halls on the island have been built. Let's start now." It’s becoming increasingly stable.”
The Marquis of Jibei nodded with satisfaction. This is the foundation of the Wei family. As long as it develops well, it will surely be carried forward in the future.
"Are our Wei family members pretty good?"
Wei Ang said quickly: "Father, everything is fine with the clan. It's just that some people were dissatisfied with me taking the position of marquis. I dealt with them, but they all spared their lives."
"Huh, you handled it well." The Marquis of Jibei let out a long breath and felt much more relaxed. He took a few steps and said, "That's good, don't contact me again."
After a pause, the Marquis of Jibei realized that he had said too much, so he relaxed and smiled: "Wei Ang, you can manage with peace of mind. If there is no news from me, or there is news that I have been defeated, don't come near the land again. You are here." Life on Gongba Island. Although this island is not a top secret, the court does not know its specific whereabouts. Alas, if the king’s attempt to dominate the world comes to nothing, Gongba Island will be the last piece of pure land for our Wei family.”
As the Marquis of Jibei spoke, tears suddenly welled up and he couldn't hold them back no matter what. The mirror in front of him fluctuated and gradually became blurry.
"Father." Wei Ang responded, his eyes turned red, and he immediately understood that his father was arranging funeral arrangements. At this point, the picture collapsed, and only Wei Ang could be seen faintly kneeling on the ground and bowing: "Father!"
The sound of crying started to sound, and then went out. Everything was empty. The Marquis of Jibei stared at it blankly, and stretched out his hand to touch the air, as if he didn't believe it.
Seeing the appearance of Marquis Jibei, the Taoist sighed, bowed, and turned to leave.
"Lord!" After a long time, Shen Zhi shouted. The Marquis of Jibei came to his senses, wiped his tears, and took out a piece of paper from his arms. It was only the size of a palm. It was densely covered with tiny characters. He handed it to Shen Zhi and said, "This is He is following me, but his goal is not big and unknown to outsiders. According to the list, here is 10,000 taels. You can divide the silver taels and be dismissed immediately."
Then he said: "It's a pity that you have such a good reputation and have nowhere to go. If you have a reliable way, leave the house immediately. There must be a way to survive."
After saying that, tears rolled down.
Shen Zhi smiled slightly and said with a smile: "My lord, at this point, I have no plan to survive. My lord is lonely on the road to hell, how can I not follow him?"
"Speaking of a small family, I have two wives and concubines. The first brother went to Gongyachi Island, and the third son will always take care of me. The first brother arranged to go to other counties, have some land, and a shop. I will never starve to death."
After hearing this, the Marquis of Jibei just smiled and said, "Just arrange it."
At this moment, someone suddenly reported: "Duke, the imperial army is about to attack the city, and the army has arrived."
"Coming?" The Marquis of Jibei turned around and laughed: "It's good to come, just look at how many teeth of the imperial court I can break."
(End of chapter)