Jiaohua

Chapter 420 Duke Zheng's Mansion (Part [-])
The cold wind roared, coming from all directions, without direction.

Zheng Guogong's mansion, like other noble mansions, was completely dark.

Frost and snow piled up in front of the gate, and several bright red lanterns that had been brightly lit in the past had been extinguished for two nights.

Zheng Guogong's mansion belongs to Zheng Bei, and its roots are also there, so this mansion in Beijing is far less spacious than Ding Guogong's mansion.

Unlike the ancestors of the Dingguo Gongfu who followed Emperor Hongde to fight in the south and north, and made great achievements, the ancestors of the Zhengguo Gongfu were relatives of Emperor Longzhang in the previous dynasty. Because they were not used to the tyranny of Emperor Longzhang, they refused to advise and pretended to be wrong, and indulged in sex. Therefore, he took refuge in Emperor Hongde and brought the twelve houses of Zhengbei together with the surname Li.

Now, in the violent snowstorm, Zheng Guogong's mansion is full of branches, but in the seemingly empty mansion, there are several groups of people walking silently in the mansion in the darkness, pushing open courtyards and doors one after another.

Xia Zhaoyi was lying on the eaves of a house, motionless, staring solemnly, and finally found that they were just inspecting the house... The leader was Zhao Lai, the old housekeeper who stayed in the mansion.

Xia Zhaoyi quietly got down from the eaves and followed from afar.

"Woof!" A dog barked suddenly sounded in the distance.

Xia Zhaoyi was taken aback for a moment, and the figure in the darkness also stopped, frowning, but she followed after all.

"Woof!" The puppy barked happily, standing on the ground with two hind legs, with a small belly sticking out, walking staggeringly, looking eagerly at the meat hanging in front of him.

"Woof..." The puppy couldn't eat it no matter what, and scratched with its front paws, but it was almost impossible to hook it.

"Hahaha..." The young man laughed heartily, stopped teasing it, and fed the meat from the chopsticks into its mouth.

The puppy swallowed it in one gulp, wagging its tail happily.

The wind and snow were too heavy, the night was too dark, and the branches of winter trees covered it. Xia Zhaoyi hadn't noticed the faint yellow lights in the southwest courtyard.

The heating overflows from the house, and the warm incense is wrapped in it. A beautiful south-facing wind chime is hung under the eaves, and a very soft and crisp sound can be heard faintly in the wind and snow.

After Xia Zhaoyi approached, he was surprised to find that Zhao Gong was there, and he was still awake at night, still playing with his pet dog.

However, she noticed that besides the serving servants, there were several men in the hall.

Looking around, she found a corner to hide.

Inside the house, Zhao Gong took another piece of meat and continued to tease the puppy.

The puppy stood up, his eyes followed the meat in front of him, and he stuck out his tongue.

Several men were talking, and some of them still had unmelted snow on their bodies.

The three things they talked about the most were that before the capital was completely in chaos, Shen Lie, the grandson of Zuilu Guo, sent a few relatives to Tiancheng Camp to borrow troops.

The second is that very advanced siege machines have appeared among the refugees outside the city. These siege machines are definitely not the equipment that the scattered and disorderly refugees should have. Haven't returned yet.

The third is the current order in the capital, which is dispatched and arranged by Zhu Xian, Shaoyin of Jingzhao Prefecture.

In addition to these three things, there are countless other things. For example, many small-scale organizations have emerged in the city, forming cliques and provoking troubles everywhere. They broke into several vacant mansions and looted Destroy everything.

Everyone in the room talked for a long time, and gradually stopped. A middle-aged man dressed as a counselor on the right side of Zhao Gong looked at Zhao Gong and said, "Your Majesty."

"Ok?"

"Should I borrow this soldier or not?" the counselor asked.

"Borrow," Zhao Gong said while teasing the dog, "why don't you borrow it?"

"But son, in this way, we won't have many soldiers on hand."

"Mr. Guo forgot about Peifeng?" Zhao Gong turned his eyes and said with a smile, "If it weren't for Shen Lie to send the supplies in time, we would not only lose the Hubenying camp, but also go from Peifeng to Panzhou and Shou Stone, even Lingnan Jiannan may be gone.”

"It's better...don't borrow it," said a man on the other side of the counselor. "My lord, I think the world is in chaos now, and we have to preserve our strength."

"Preserve strength," Zhao Gong laughed, threw the meat to the puppy, picked up another piece of meat, and said, "Why preserve this strength? For a nation and dynasty, the people live and work in peace and contentment is the real strength." .”

"But we only have Tiancheng Battalion left now..." the man said very lowly, "General Zhao Zi has been trapped to death, we really don't have any other soldiers on hand."

Zhao Gong didn't tease the puppy again this time, he just threw the meat to it, put down his chopsticks and said with a smile: "Xiao Pang, how many people did Zheng Beijun die on the Northwest battlefield?"

The room fell silent almost instantly, no one spoke, and all eyes were on the man in front of him.

"How many are left?" Zhao Gong said with a smile, raising his hand in a gesture, "There are only 8000 people left, and after the Battle of Shaoguang, only 2000 people were left alive. This is the last battle of our Zhengbei Army. "

Several people's eyes were red, and they lowered their heads to look at the Tianhua brocade carpet in front of them.

The floor heating is bubbling, and along with the floor heating, what evaporates into smoke is sadness, pain, and bloodiness.

"When I was young, I didn't understand. I asked my father, and my father said, soldiers are used to protect the family and the country," Zhao Gong said, "Besides, to be more polite now, Shen Lie borrowed soldiers , but did he really borrow it? Why did he come to borrow soldiers for no reason? Ha, he, a patient who has lived in the mansion for a long time, can think of using external forces to protect the capital. gone?"

After a long silence, several people nodded.

Xia Zhaoyi was stuck outside the most secluded window, and could not hear clearly, only occasionally hearing a few words.

They talked for a long time, and they stopped when it was almost Yinshi.

The door was pushed open, and several people came out one after another, and were led to sleep in the wing by the servants waiting outside.

It is not intentional to choose such a late time to come here. Now there is no one to be afraid of in the capital, no one to guard against, but from Xiangjuan Mountain outside the city to the inside of the city, coupled with the current wind and snow blocking the road and the chaotic streets, it is already very difficult to arrive here. into the night.

Guo Proud was still sitting there and did not leave.

Zhao Gong got up and was about to leave. Seeing that Guo Yaohao was still there, he said, "Mr. Guo, do you have anything to say?"

"Your Majesty," Guo Proud said solemnly, "Let me ask you seriously, what do you think of the current situation in the world?"

"Me?" Zhao Gong sat back and said with a smile, "I don't have any opinion, why did you say such a thing?"

Guo Haohao was silent for a while, and said in a low voice: "Nowadays, no one in Beijing is more powerful than the eldest son, and holds military power. At the same time, behind Zheng Guogong's mansion, there are powerful Zhengbei prefectures behind the mountains. Now, It's the best opportunity to..."

"Oh?" Zhao Gong raised his eyebrows.

"My son, don't you yearn for it?"

"You mean, to be the emperor?"

"Yes," Guo Proud looked into Zhao Gong's eyes tightly, and said slowly, "My son, the ruler of the world, the emperor of the ninety-five years, above ten thousand people, bowed down by all the people, shouted long live long live long live... You, really don't yearn for it?"

(End of this chapter)