[Ying was favored by the generals, ran thousands of miles, and made outstanding military exploits. In the 24th year of his prosperity, Ying denounced Duan Wudi's crimes of corruption and collusion with the enemy's business trips. Ying is guilty.
—"The History of Northern Han Dynasty: Biography of Quartz"〗
In the General's Mansion, Long Tingfei stood in the hall with his hands behind his back, and his heart was furious. These days, while training his soldiers and rectifying his armour, he did not forget to monitor the generals under his command. In his heart, Duan Wudi and Quartz were the most suspicious. These two are his trusted generals. Quartz is good at combat, but not good at intrigue. Duan Wudi is good at defense. Although he is the most trusted backing of the Northern Han army, he inevitably lacks some opportunities to kill generals and make meritorious deeds. Come on, Duan Wudi's rewards and promotions are a little behind, and Duan Wudi's temperament is deep and cautious, Long Tingfei was a little suspicious of him, but Xiao Tong was monitoring the generals, but there was no evidence to prove that the two had been with Da. Yong colluded.
Since he returned to Qinzhou, Duan Wudi has been busy adjusting his defenses around, and Long Tingfei has been paying attention to all his movements. Quartz didn't care about everything except the war, and there was nothing special except that he fell in love with a famous singer recently.
The singer Xiao Tong had checked carefully, and she was the daughter of Su E, a former famous scholar in Jinyang. The Su family was originally a loyal minister of the Eastern Jin Dynasty, but refused to change his post to the Northern Han Dynasty. After the First Sovereign ascended the throne, there were many sarcastic remarks. In the end, the First Sovereign was angry and convicted the Su family by raiding his home. Su E died in prison. year thing. And Qingdai was Su E's only beloved daughter. After her father died, her family property was confiscated. She was helpless, and she lived in the dust. Even so, this woman was arrogant, innocent, and virtuous, and was respected by the world. It can be said that this woman harbors hatred for the Northern Han court, which can be seen from her usual behavior. She almost never pretends to be disrespectful to the powerful and wealthy family of the Northern Han Dynasty. Fortunately, there are many people who respect this woman's demeanor. She can't even perform in peace. Quartz fell in love with this woman, although it was a bit inappropriate, but just by looking at her behavior, she knew that she would not take refuge in Dayong, otherwise she would never give up the opportunity to get information from the powerful, so Long Tingfei did not interfere with Quartz and Qingdai. What's more, in Long Tingfei's opinion, quartz may not be able to impress this woman's heart.
However, neither of the two most suspected generals backtracked. Long Tingfei had already suspected whether he had fallen for the enemy's plan to alienate him. Who knew that things would suddenly break out, and Quartz suddenly accused Duan Wudi of colluding with business travelers and smuggling. This matter made Long Tingfei It is quite tricky, to tell the truth, although Duan Wudi smuggling is secret, if Long Tingfei knows nothing, it would be too incompetent, but what Duan Wudi does is exactly what Long Tingfei is inconvenient to do. What's more, all the proceeds were used by Duan Wudi to supplement the army's salaries, so Long Tingfei not only did not ask the guilt, but instead arranged for the quartermaster to cooperate with Duan Wudi, so that the money was quietly used for rations and pensions. It's just that Long Tingfei can't admit it, otherwise, the generals guarding one side blatantly violated the law, even if the later master understands this matter, those admonishing officials will not let him off easily. Most of Long Tingfei's generals know a little bit about it, only Quartz. First, he has a straightforward temperament, and everyone is worried about him accidentally leaking it out. Second, Quartz doesn't care about these things, so many people know things, but only Quartz is ignorant. Understand. Therefore, Quartz suddenly attacked Duan Wudi with a sharp edge, which made Long Tingfei unable to react for a while, and had no choice but to order Duan Wudi to be detained. Of course, Long Tingfei is also a little selfish. Before the traitor is unknown, he doesn't mind temporarily suppressing Duan Wudi. After all, if Duan Wudi rebels, the blow to the Northern Han army will be too great. Despite this, Long Tingfei was still very angry, because Duan Wudi's incident was revealed, so it would be difficult to clear his name. In this way, no matter whether Duan Wudi betrayed or not, Long Tingfei would be faced with the loss of a general. Dilemma, so he was very annoyed with quartz, and he couldn't help regretting that he was too fond of quartz in the past, and he indulged him so much.
Xiao Tong walked in, looked at Long Tingfei's straight back, hesitated for a moment, and stepped forward: "General, Yufei is back, he wants to see you immediately."
Long Tingfei was shocked. During this time, Dayong was heavily guarded, and it was difficult to spread information. He didn't know the result of Qiu Yu's flying assassination. He heard from Xiao Tong's tone that the assassination was unsuccessful. He sighed and said, "Forget it, assassinating a dignified superintendent is a difficult task. As long as Yufei comes back safely, let him in. Does he have any urgent matter to see me?"
Xiao Tong said: "It's better to ask him to tell the general. This matter concerns the generals of our army. Yufei has never had any entanglement with the generals. His words should be fair." Long Tingfei was shocked and said: "Quickly. Let him in." He had an ominous feeling in his heart.
Qiu Yufei walked into the lobby with Ling Duan. When Ling Duan saw Long Tingfei, his expression immediately became excited. He looked at Long Tingfei with excitement and admiration. In the hearts of the soldiers of the Northern Han Dynasty, Long Tingfei was the transcendence. all gods. He bowed respectfully and said, "Little man Ling Duan knocked down to see the general."
A trace of doubt flashed in Long Tingfei's eyes, and he asked, "Who are you?"
Ling Duan knew that Long Tingfei would not recognize him. After all, he wore a mask when he appeared in front of Long Tingfei. Thinking of this, he couldn't help thinking of Tan Ji again, and couldn't help bursting into tears, saying, "Little man It's the Ghost Rider Guards under General Tan."
Long Tingfei looked at Ling Duan in surprise for a long time, then stepped forward to pick him up, and said, "I didn't expect that General Tan still has guards alive, Ling Duan, your name is Ling Duan, alas, the ashes of your general have been sent by me. He was sent back to his hometown for burial, and the imperial court also issued a reward, but it was a pity that he could not go into battle to kill the enemy." After speaking, Long Tingfei's tone was also sad, but he quickly calmed down and asked: "How did you escape back? of."
Ling Duan looked at Qiu Yufei, and Qiu Yufei said lightly: "You should tell the general everything." Ling Duan nodded and shared what he had seen and heard, and then Qiu Yufei added himself. The scene on the day of the assassination. Long Tingfei frowned when he heard it. He was suspicious at first. Although what Qiu Yufei and Ling Duan said didn't seem to be anything special, in his and Xiao Tong's ears, the truth was revealed after the cocoon was drawn. It shocked the two of them. After all, compared to Duan Wudi, Long Tingfei believed in Quartz that he personally promoted, and Xiao Tong was more suspicious of the shrewd and cautious Duan Wudi.
They naturally have no doubts about Qiu Yufei, but they have no doubts about Ling Duan. Long Tingfei looked at Xiao Tong, Xiao Tong understood, and coughed: "Ling Duan, what do you think these things can prove?"
Ling Duan said blankly: "The villain doesn't know either, although General Shi has always been at odds with our generals, and often ridicules and embarrassed the general, but if you say that General Shi will give birth to a rebellious heart, the villain really can't believe it, but if not, why Li Hu and the others were all beheaded. Compared with them, the villain followed General Tan to kill people in Zezhou. Just to explain to the people of Zezhou, the villain should also be beheaded. Moreover, although Jiang Houye was not the commander, the villain saw the army. The Zhongzhong will all respect Jiang Houye very much. He said that he wanted to keep the two of us by his side, and no one dared to object. Even after King Qi knew about it, he only warned us a few words, so that we should not be ungrateful. Suddenly, Li Hu was forcibly taken away and beheaded, and Lord Jiang didn't stop it. I think if it wasn't for me who didn't know anything, I'm afraid I would be killed that day. Moreover, Lord Jiang was so generous, even Li Hu almost didn't blame him for killing him, if it weren't for the importance of the relationship, the villain really doesn't understand why he did this."
Long Tingfei and Xiao Tong exchanged glances. From Ling Duan's words, they could not hear a trace of falsehood, and Ling Duan's thoughts were a little messy, not like a pre-made lie, which showed that Ling Duan did not surrender to Yong Jun. , back to pass false information. Qiu Yufei saw what the two were thinking, and said coldly, "When I met Ling Duan, he was already dying. If he hadn't met me, I'm afraid he wouldn't come back alive."
Long Tingfei and Xiao Tong knew what he meant. If Ling Duan betrayed Beihan, it would be absolutely impossible to fall into that situation. There is a limit to the bitterness. Since Qiu Yufei said that Ling Duan had almost died, it is absolutely true. If Ling Duan can hide from Qiu Yufei's eyes, Qiu Yufei is not qualified to be the direct disciple of Jing Wuji. .
At this time, a guard came to report that Quartz was already waiting outside. Long Tingfei was a little hesitant. Originally, he recruited Quartz to come here to find out why Quartz suddenly attacked Duan Wudi, but now he has it in his heart. Suspicious, but worried about stunned snakes, he glanced at Xiao Tong, Xiao Tong's eyes flashed: "Let him come in, always ask, Junior Brother, you take Ling Duan to the back first."
Qiu Yufei nodded, but he said lightly: "I have seen General Duan on the road, General Duan, Senior Brother. Although General Duan violated the military law, he was also painstakingly read, and I asked the two to give him a chance."
Long Tingfei frowned slightly, sighed and said, "I don't know, but this matter is probably not so simple, although Quartz is reckless, but such a big event is publicized without asking me for instructions, I thought he was unintentional. , but now I think he is intentional, Yu Fei, I will take care of it properly, Ling Duan, Yufei, do you have an arrangement?" He could see that Qiu Yufei was very kind to Ling Duan, so he specifically asked.
Qiu Yufei said: "I really like this kid's aptitude and character, and I'm going to take him back to meet Master and Senior Brother. If Senior Brother also likes it, I want him to worship under Senior Brother's door, if not, I will reluctantly accept it. disciple."
Hearing his answer, both Long and Xiao's expressions changed. Xiao Tong stepped forward and looked at Ling Duan carefully for a while, and said with a smile: "Although the aptitude is only middle and high, this child has a persevering temperament, and It's not too stubborn and ignorant, and at a young age, he has become a ghost rider out of a thousand miles, and the senior brother should like it, well, the junior brother has a good vision."
Qiu Yufei smiled slightly, called Ling Duan, and led him back to the back.
Long Tingfei only ordered Quartz to come in. Not long after, Quartz walked in with big strides. He had already forced the smell of alcohol from his body. After entering, he respectfully saluted and said, "The general is here at the end. But what is your order?"
Long Tingfei took a deep look at Quartz and said, "Quartz, there is one thing I haven't asked you, and now Duan Wudi is about to be escorted, let me ask you, how did you know that Duan Wudi was the smuggler? Why didn't you discuss such a big event with me in advance, but said it in public when the generals were discussing the matter, fortunately Duan Wudi didn't flee in fear of the crime, if there was a mistake, wouldn't it be your fault?"
Quartz hesitated for a moment, then said, "It was Shi Jun, the vice general of the last general, who accidentally found out and told the last general. When the last general was angry, he didn't have time to think about it and said it during the discussion. This is the last general's guilt." Speaking of this, he showed a slight shame on his face. In order to retaliate against Duan Wudi, he never thought of reporting to Long Tingfei privately. Although he was straightforward, he was not stupid. Such a large-scale smuggling, his own The subordinates can find out, if Long Tingfei doesn't know anything about it, it would be strange. Only by doing this can he force Long Tingfei to kill Duan Wudi. Quartz knows that although the generals have always been very fond of him, he still relies more on Tan Ji and Duan Wudi. Besides, if it was in the past, Long Tingfei might have punished Duan Wudi severely. However, Duan Wudi lived one more day, Qingdai did not have a happy face for a day, these days, watching her look more and more haggard, Quartz is already heart-wrenching.
Although his expression changed slightly, Long Tingfei and Xiao Tong were both conscientious people. Both of them could see clearly. Long Tingfei sighed in his heart and said, "Wait for Duan Wudi to confront him in the hall." Quartz Promise to quit. Long Tingfei's expression turned cold and he said, "Xiao Tong, Quartz has a ghost in his heart. You go to his house and check if there is anything that shouldn't be there." Xiao Tong responded in a low voice and turned to go out. Long Tingfei felt great hatred in his heart, and slapped the table with his palm. The tea cups and other objects on the table jumped up, the tea splashed, and the guards rushed in immediately. Long Tingfei's expression calmed down and said, "You guys clean up. Now, after Duan Wudi is escorted, you go to his shackles, bring him to see me, and bring all the soldiers who escorted him to the back, so that they are not allowed to walk indiscriminately, Shi Jun is the escort general, so bring him Bring it together."
After half an hour, Duan Wudi was finally escorted there. Long Tingfei saw Duan Wudi, who looked calm but described as a little embarrassed. For a while, he didn't know what to say. No matter what Duan Wudi was smuggling for, whether he acquiesced or not, this matter has been exposed. If the truth is told, the dilemma faced by the Northern Han will be known to everyone. I am afraid that the military will not be stable, and the crime of violating the law of the country will not be so easy to be forgiven in the court and the opposition. Although the lord trusts and values himself, there are still some in the court. Many forces dissatisfied with him, Long Tingfei knew that he would probably be recalled to be blamed at that time. In the past, Long Tingfei didn't mind being questioned, as long as he could lead the army in battle, the title and official position were not important, but when is it now, Dayong may attack at any time, and he can't leave Qinzhou for a moment. If the lord of the country is obviously partial to himself, he will lose popular support, and it will also have a great impact on his reputation. The only solution is to let Duan Wudi take the blame. Although Duan Wudi will obey as long as he says a word, even if he dies, he will not be implicated. In fact, he did not intervene in this matter, but let Duan Wudi suffer on his behalf. Ting Fei couldn't do such a thing anyway.
Duan Wudi understood what Long Tingfei was thinking in his heart, and went up and down to worship: "The sinner will meet the general, and ask the general to deal with the sinner in accordance with the country's laws and military regulations. No matter what the punishment is, the sinner will be willing, but now the country is in When employing people, please ask the generals to save their lives and let them die on the battlefield, not on the execution ground."
Long Tingfei's body trembled slightly, and it took a long time before he stepped forward to help Duan Wudi up, and bowed deeply, "General Duan, this was originally Tingfei's fault, but let the general bear this stigma, and Tingfei is guilty."
A look of excitement flashed in Duan Wudi's eyes, and he said solemnly: "Why did the general say this, this is because the last general is greedy for profit, and he has nothing to do with the general."
Long Tingfei understands Duan Wudi's intentions. Since Duan Wudi has already taken the guilt, Long Tingfei cannot be involved. He straightened up sadly and said: "Invincible, you are waiting on the side now, there is one more important thing now, you listen by the side. Come, pass Shi Jun."
Shi Jun, who walked in, looked very uneasy. He was quite shrewd. Ever since he met Qiu Yufei on the road, he didn't dare to embarrass Duan Wudi again. In the last part of the road, he kept beating drums in his heart. Shi Jun was originally the younger brother of the Quartz family. When he was young, he was brave and ruthless. He was a famous scoundrel in the village. Later, after he joined Quartz, because of his dexterity and martial arts skills, he became Quartz's lieutenant from a pawn. Although Quartz is brave and good at fighting , but there are some cronyism in the personnel, but finally Shi Jun knew that his ability was insufficient, so he relied on Quartz's trust and used a small favor and Xiaohui to form a good army warrior, and it was barely a response.
A few days ago, Quartz told him to investigate Duan Wudi's shortcomings. Shi Jun was really in a dilemma, not because of Duan Wudi's prestige status, but because Duan Wudi was always strict, Shi Jun had no way to start, but Quartz's orders had to be followed. It happened that one of Duan Wudi's generals was demoted by Duan Wudi because he violated the military law. That general had resentment and looked for an opportunity to stay in Qinzhou City. After Shi Jun learned about it, he got acquainted with him and took him to drink and have fun. This The general was dissatisfied with Duan Wudi, and under Shi Jun's bribery, he revealed a hint of air and told Duan Wudi's smuggling. After Shi Jun learned about it, he reported the news to Quartz. Quartz is also a famous general. Since he knew about such a thing, he found the evidence soon after careful consideration. After all, Duan Wudi received the support and acquiescence of senior generals in the army, so he did not keep secrets too much. Thieves take stolen goods. The whole thing went very smoothly, but Shi Jun hid something from Quartz. During this process, Shi Jun "found" a lot of information about clues, but these information were not actually found by Shi Jun, but from Some mysterious people got it. Without this information, Quartz would not be able to grasp Duan Wudi's handle so smoothly.
But now Shi Jun deeply regrets his shortsightedness, thinking that those mysterious people came to the door with gold and silver, saying that they were at odds with the businessmen who colluded with Duan Wudi to smuggle, and the two sides were rivals in business, so he wanted to help Quartz fight Duan Wudi. , in order to eradicate the backstage of those businessmen, this is a very reasonable reason, and he also needs this information, but Shi Jun is disrespectful. But things on the road made Shi Jun realize that his boss may have stabbed a hornet's nest. If there is anything wrong with quartz, his glory and wealth will be empty, but it will be useless even if he regrets it. When Shi Jun escorted Duan Wudi to the General's Mansion, Duan Wudi was immediately removed from the shackles and invited in. Instead, Shi Jun himself and the sergeants were detained. Shi Jun was even more uneasy, thinking about how to deal with it. It didn't take long for Shi Jun to be called for questioning. Naturally, he had no way to refuse, so he could only bite the bullet and walked into the Baihu Jietang where Long Tingfei summoned the generals. As soon as he saw Long Tingfei, whose face was ashen and full of anger and murderous intent, Shi Jun only felt that he could hardly breathe. He took a few steps forward and fell to the ground.
Seeing this situation, Long Tingfei became more suspicious and asked coldly, "Shi Jun, did you discover Duan Wudi's smuggling?"
Shi Jun said cautiously, "It's the last general."
Long Tingfei said angrily, "How did you find out, do you dare to spy on the general?"
Shi Jun opened his mouth to say something, but he couldn't say it. Buying Duan Wudi's generals and accepting bribes from businessmen are not things that can be said clearly. If he said it himself, if he didn't say Duan Wudi was guilty, he was afraid that he would be pushed out and beheaded first. . Thinking of this, he couldn't help sweating from his forehead, knelt on the ground, and kowtowed again and again, but he didn't dare to speak.
Long Tingfei said angrily: "You still don't tell the truth. If there is half a lie, I will ask you for a crime of deceiving the coach, and I will cut you into pieces."
Shi Jun turned pale with fright, and quickly told how he got clues from the collar of the general, and how he got bribes and intelligence from the mysterious man.
Long Tingfei was furious, kicked out and kicked Shi Jun aside, Shi Jun vomited blood, but did not dare to wipe it, got up and fell to his knees, saying repeatedly: "I will convict the general at the end, and ask the general. Forgive me." Long Tingfei said coldly: "Take him down to Xiao Tong for torture and questioning." Several guards dragged Shi Jun down.
Long Tingfei sat back in command, closed his eyes tiredly, and thought carefully about Shi Jun's confession. Those who provided the information were suspicious. He asked Duan Wudi: "Wudi, do you know who would hold a grudge against you? And you can get detailed information on your smuggling."
Duan Wudi frowned and thought for a moment, then said: "The merchants who collude with the general are all big businessmen in the country, and only two or three are qualified to do this kind of business. Even if the merchants outside are greedy, but they do not have the financial resources to participate, and there is no way to get the information about the shipment. Only the East China Sea merchants who trade with those merchants can get the information about our shipments, but how can they be able to participate? Northern Han military affairs?"
Long Tingfei smiled bitterly for a moment, his eyes flashing cold light, and said, "How can we have the ability, we have forgotten that the person has been in the East China Sea for nearly three years, I am afraid this matter has already been under his control."
Duan Wudi's expression changed, he naturally understood who Long Tingfei was referring to as "that person", but he asked cautiously: "General, this may not be the case, the businessmen we cooperated with have all checked it out, it shouldn't be. The people from Dayong, and we deliberately excluded Hai's, just because Hai's and Donghai are too close. There is no problem with the identity of those businessmen, most of them are from Nanchu, behind the scenes should be the most mysterious Tianji Pavilion in Nanchu, No matter how clever that person is, he can't stretch his hands so long. And the information we got from Nanchu should not be a problem. Tianji Pavilion has damaged Dayong's interests many times over the years. We once suspected Tianji Pavilion. The backstage is the Nan Chu family, and now we and Nan Chu share the same hatred, they will not fall into trouble at this time."
Long Tingfei was quite convinced of Duan Wudi's judgment, but he still believed that Dayong must have intervened in this matter. Who would hope that the Northern Han military would be in chaos except Dayong. After thinking about it, he said: "You also said that Hai's and Donghai are very close. According to Princess Bi, Hai's and Jiang Zhe also colluded. The smuggled goods have to pass through Binzhou, and Hai's one-handed cover is there, I'm afraid it will be difficult to find clues. Escape from their eyes, if you have the will, you may not be able to collect this information, alas."
This time Duan Wudi was also silent. Long Tingfei’s judgment was very reasonable. The in and out of the goods really couldn’t be hidden from Hai Shi’s eyes and ears. Could it be that Jiang Zhe had already laid chess pieces in Binzhou, and Duan Wudi suddenly had a ridiculous idea in his heart. Zhe lives in seclusion in the East China Sea and supports the Jiang family and the Hai Clan in the East China Sea to develop Binzhou into the center of far-reaching trade. He also has the intention of enticing us to smuggle. If we cut off this route now, I am afraid that my Beihan will immediately fall into the predicament of insufficient supplies. Thinking of this, Duan Wudi suddenly felt cold all over his body, but he didn't dare to express his thoughts, so he could only comfort himself, no matter how shrewd Jiang Zhe was, he couldn't have thought so far. , he can't be like an arm.
At this time, Xiao Tong came in with a dignified expression. He handed a brocade box and opened the box, which contained two letters. Long Tingfei took a look and suddenly felt that all his thoughts were lost.
Neither letter was addressed or signed.
The first letter reads, "Your old ministries have all been silenced, the kindness of your subordinates has been repaid, and Long's Zezhou has suffered a tragic defeat. Don't you realize that, if you wait for the army to advance north, it will be too late for you to regret it. Abandoning darkness and turning to light, you may be granted the title of marquis, and the general will ponder it deeply."
The second letter reads, "You know the current situation, and it is a blessing to follow the sky. Please remove Duan Wudi first to show your sincerity, and I will secretly assist the general in his actions."
Long Tingfei said solemnly: "Have you asked his personal guard, but someone framed it?"
Xiao Tong said bitterly: "The subordinates carefully questioned, no one knows how Quartz is connected to Dayong, but this brocade box is placed in the cabinet of Quartz's bedroom. This cabinet only has Quartz keys. And some people noticed that Quartz every night Before going to bed, I will check the letters inside from the brocade box. If someone framed it, at least those letters before last night would not be in it."
Long Tingfei stroked his forehead without saying a word, his expression was cold and gloomy, and after a while, he said, "Come to see me with Quartz."
When Quartz walked into the hall, Long Tingfei could no longer contain his anger, and threw the brocade box and two letters on the quartz surface, Quartz's eyes flashed, and when he saw the letters, his face turned red, and said: "The last general How can the personal letter of the general be in the hands of the general."
Long Tingfei, who had the thought of what to do in his heart, was completely disappointed, and he said coldly, "So do you admit that these two letters are yours?"
Quartz's face flushed, and he said, "It's what the last commander has."
Long Tingfei laughed loudly, and his laughter was full of sadness and sadness, and said: "I have always regarded you highly, so you repay me like this, you can be worthy of the king and the generals of the three armies."
Quartz was confused and thought, why is there anything wrong with the poems that Qingdai personally wrote to me? He subconsciously picked up the letter and looked at it, and at a glance, he was stunned and could no longer speak.
Long Tingfei said coldly: "I originally believed that it was not an accident that you intercepted King Qi, and I also thought that you attacked Wudi because you couldn't stand such a greedy thing, but now how do you explain it, what happened to the Northern Han Dynasty? Because of you, you will betray your country and surrender to the enemy."
Quartz was anxious and wanted to explain, but the more anxious he became, the more difficult it became to distinguish. He was speechless with the two letters in hand. His injuries were not completely healed, and he couldn't help spitting out blood in his eagerness. came out.