"Who programmed you?" Princess Zhixin glared at Jiang Fan, "I'm telling your son how you are! You are brave and smart, and you are also familiar with the art of war. I told him to learn from you in the future, preferably three hundred a year. If you stay in the military camp for sixty days, you must not stay at home and be gentle with your wife. A man should be on the battlefield!"
The sarcastic words made Jiang Fan blush and the princess snickered.
"Madam." Jiang Fan walked up to Princess Xinyang, put his arm around her shoulders, and whispered, "There are others here, can't you save some face for me?"
"You still want to save face!" Princess Xinyang's eyes widened, "I'm telling you, Jiang Fan! If my sister-in-law hadn't been here, I would have slapped you! Your son has just turned 100, and you have to leave again! Do you still have something in your heart? Without me as my wife! Without this family!"
Jiang Fan smiled apologetically. The princess saw that something was not going well and she could not disturb other people's housework, so she quietly left.
"Madam, princess, my good wife, it's not like you don't know. I can't disobey His Majesty's orders. What's more, the Tatars have been eyeing the border for a long time. There has been no commander guarding the northern border for a long time, so I can't rest assured!"
"That guy named Wang, your lieutenant, isn't he in Northern Xinjiang? He'll be there to guard it for a while!"
"Wang Li has good qualifications. I'm afraid some people won't accept him taking charge of the army for me. Besides, I now hold the military power and can keep my family safe. If I retreat..." Although Jiang Fan hadn't finished speaking, how could the eldest princess not understand what he meant? Your Majesty has long been suspicious of the Jiang family. If Jiang Fan doesn't return to the army quickly, Your Majesty will definitely find a reason to keep Jiang Fan in the capital forever.
The eldest princess of Xinyang turned her head to hide the tears in her eyes. She couldn't say anything wrong about her father, so she could only say with tears: "If you want to go, just go. But you must be more careful in the army and don't forget me." He and Yun Guang are waiting for you at home."
"Princess, don't worry. I won't forget it for a moment." Jiang Fan took out half a bronze mirror from his arms, "The princess's heart has always been connected to mine, and Fan will never leave her."
Princess Xinyang never expected that this seemingly ordinary farewell would actually be a farewell. Three months later, an emergency military report came from northern Xinjiang. Dingyuan Hou Jiang Fan led an army of 30,000 deep into the enemy camp and was surrounded by four Tatar tribes. The entire army of 30,000 was annihilated. Jiang Fan himself was killed by random arrows. .
When the prince heard the news, he vomited blood and fell into coma on the spot in the court. Jiang Fan was not only his brother-in-law, but also his classmate and right-hand man. Their friendship was extraordinary. The eldest princess of Xinyang cried so hard that she went to the border to look for Jiang Fan's body, saying that she did not believe that Jiang Fan was dead without a body.
However, no matter how grieved his son and daughter were, the emperor's reaction was furious. He issued an edict to reprimand Jiang Fan for taking advantage of others, deprived him of his position as a powerful general and the title of Marquis of Dingyuan, confiscated his family property, and paid tribute to the eldest princess. As he is of royal blood, he is allowed to bring his son back to the eldest princess' mansion. No matter how much the prince and the eldest princess cried and begged, the emperor's heart was as hard as iron. The officials who interceded for Jiang Fan were all imprisoned. The prince was ordered to confine himself in the East Palace. The eldest princess was warned that if he interceded for Jiang Fan again, Jiang Fan's son Jiang Yunguang would also be held accountable. .
The emperor's anger could not stop the Tatar attack. Without the barrier of Jiang's army in northern Xinjiang, the Tatar coalition marched all the way, passed Hangu Pass, picked up glasses, and fought all the way to Xiangyang. Guo Zhou, the prefect of Xiangyang, built a strong wall and cleared the countryside to block the enemy outside the city. He led the city's less than 5,000 defenders to drag the 100,000 Tatar army here for three months.
But Guo Zhou never expected that he would not be able to wait for reinforcements for three months. The emperor in Beijing was suddenly assassinated and seriously injured. The princes were busy competing for the throne and could not spare any effort to send troops to assist. In addition, Huang Hao, the Tai Chang Shi at the time, had accepted Tatar bribes, but he actually withheld the information because of the general's emergency report. The capital did not learn of the news until Xiangyang was trapped for two months.
Guo Zhou's wife Qi Su was the only daughter of Qi Heng, the head of the Huashan sect. When the Tatar troops came to the city, it was the wedding day of Qi Su and Guo Zhou, and martial arts heroes from all walks of life gathered in Xiangyang.