Delong

Chapter 98 The Golden Cone Walk (9) (2 in 1)

"It's a simple thing to say, but it means a lot to me."

Chen Ling sat cross-legged among the seats, talking bitterly.

"About 20 years ago, when the first emperor was there, a dragon fell into the sea off the Huaihe River. My father, as a new general, was ordered by the emperor to go to sea to find the dragon's corpse. The dragon's corpse was found, but he also met the governor of Dongyi. At that time, although he was not a great master at that time, he was still a well-known figure among the masters, and there were enough Dongyi and Yaozu Erdao sailors around him... The Great Wei navy was naturally defeated in the first battle...

"Defeated, everyone fled in embarrassment, each looking for a way out, only the sole father, a new descendant, with the emperor's life in his body, was smashed by Dongyi's master, and still would rather die than retreat. It is the so-called blessing and misfortune Unexpectedly, this action actually attracted the great governor's praise for a while, he shouted to stop on the spot, not only died with my father, but also parted with the arm of the dragon corpse, asking my father to bring it to the late emperor to see.

"After returning, the first emperor appreciated my father's loyalty and bravery, and gave back one of the ferocious thorn keel bones. My father took it home, and it took half a year to find a craftsman to separate it. Then he got forty gold cones, which he thought would be handed down from generation to generation."

At this point, Chen Ling stretched out his finger and pointed at Zhang Xing: "Zhang Baishou, did you understand what I said?"

Zhang Xing nodded slowly: "If what I expected is not bad, your Excellency wants to say that the continuation of your Chen family is not easy. Your ancestors worked hard and were disabled to get the approval of the Great Wei Dynasty and continue to prosper, so you don't want to mix in the mess. Let the family take risks that shouldn't be taken."

"Not bad." Chen Ling clapped his hands immediately. "I knew you were someone who really understood me! What is a keel? What is a golden cone? Wang Zuojun's copybook, Metasequoia Forest's business, what are they? The point is, I am the continuation of the Zhongli Chen family! It’s not about my father’s arm. You must know that my ancestors built Wubao and made the Chen family flourish in Jianghuai for 200 years. It’s not just my father’s experience? Zhang Baishou, do you know what happened in the Jianghuai area 200 years ago?”

"Know a thing or two." Zhang Xing lowered his head and drank a glass of wine, feeling admiration and emotion in his heart.

It is really admiration and emotion.

You know, before the Great Wei Dynasty destroyed the Eastern Qi, swallowed the Southern Chen, descended to the Northern Wilderness, and divided the Wu Clan into three parts, the world was basically divided into the North and the South, and the East and West were divided. ... The north wants to invade the south, and the south wants to conquer the north, and it is indispensable to have troops in the Jianghuai area.

In the past 200 years, there have been no fewer than ten battles involving more than [-] fine armors.

Not to mention, both the north and the south are also unstable internally. The south has changed three or four times in 200 years, and the north has also changed two or three times. A low-level military organization like the Fort started, and it has been prosperous for 200 years. It is definitely not a luck that can be described.

"It's good that you know, it's the easiest way to talk to a smart person like you." Chen Ling answered with a sigh. "To tell you the truth, there are three family mottos in my family, and I dare not forget them for half a day... One is that when the world goes to war, take the lead bravely, be loyal and fearless! How does Zhang Baishou feel? Does he still have some courage?"

"It's a big white." Zhang Xing held the cups in both hands, and then drank it all in one gulp.

"Okay!" Chen Ling also drank it down, and then continued. "Secondly, when the world is in turmoil, it is not a pity to maintain courage without wealth..."

"This one is better than the first one." Zhang Xing said one by one. "I consider myself to be people-oriented, which is somewhat similar to Zunjia."

"What a people-oriented... People are the capital! No wealth or treasure can compare to people!" Chen Ling was obviously a little emotional. "I actually heard this kind of words from the mouth of a white hair... You can see how many wine bags and rice bags there are! Let's have another drink!"

Zhang Xing didn't bother to explain, he just raised his hand to accompany him with a glass.

"Three things in the world are peaceful, don't seek merit, but seek to be invincible..." Chen Ling drank another cup and continued, but couldn't help laughing to himself. "What do you think of the third one?"

"Something makes sense." Zhang Xing thought about it for a while, and was sincere... because it really made sense. "But it's just reasonable, not something I can take."

"I understand, I understand!" Chen Ling responded, laughing and sighing. "I understand people like you! I have to admit that people like you are the kind who can make a big deal and write a page in history...but to make a big deal, you have to die 99 people who fell on the way , and it is the one who made it happen. In his biography, people like our Chen family will come forward, use one sentence to maintain the place, and use three or five sentences to promote peace for the world. So Zhang Baishou, I will tonight Let me tell you clearly again, no matter how hard you decide, I will not go... The family motto is like this, I will never speculate and take risks lightly, no matter how big the opportunity is, no matter how little the risk is, I will not move! We are two kinds of people That's all! That's all!"

At this point, seeing that Zhang Xing still wanted to speak, Chen Lingfu smiled again:

"Don't talk about these big words and wine talk, just discuss the matter as it stands. Your biggest reliance this time is actually the Bai family and your Jing'antai officials. The army, mobilize the army at the request of the noble daughter of the Bai family, I don't want to be attached to any of them... Even if the Bai family is powerful, even if Uncle Cao of Jing'an Terrace is the golden pillar of the court, aren't there still saints? Saints are heaven, talents It can really determine the rise and fall of my family! Without an official document clearly asking me to send troops, I would never have acted!"

Zhang Xing thought for a moment, then lowered his head to drink a glass of wine again, then handed the glass to the maid beside him, and asked seriously: "So, General Chen means that the imperial documents have arrived?"

"It's here, just when you are making a big fuss in the Metasequoia forest, otherwise how can there be such a feast?"

Chen Ling lowered his head and fiddled with the chopsticks on the table, his speech returned to calm. "It may be difficult for the imperial court to understand your difficulties... In fact, this is the daily posture of the imperial court... In short, without the order of Nanya Jun, Jing'antai would never directly give me a general of Ying Yanglang. Issuing orders, that is a big taboo, right now there is only a general document from the Ministry of War, even you know the kind, let me be careful to maintain the surrounding law and order, to be an assistance...to be a ghost's assistance...Anyway, there is this official document, the two teams Three hundred fine armors, you can take them away."

Zhang Xing's heart sank completely.

Before they came, he and Bai Yousi could think of the best way to deal with this situation, which was to persuade Chen Ling to destroy Jishan before the bandits sent out their troops, and then cross the Huan River. Before they disperse, invite them to attack head-on and defeat them in one fell swoop, so as to avoid the most troublesome and worst multi-lose situation-the bandits swarm up and plunder the fleet at night.

After all, if it really ended up like that, the bandits would not be able to avoid casualties, nor would they be able to steal enough food, and the food transportation and planning tasks would all collapse.

Undoubtedly, the seven counties in the east of the Yangtze River are required to replenish food, and it is inevitable that the army will wipe out Dangshan afterwards.

Then again,

Three hundred fine armor, enough for what?Do you think you are Su Dingfang?Or do you mean that all of the 300 people have achieved Dzogchen Tongmai?

The so-called three hundred fine armors may have only one actual function, and that is to protect the personal belongings brought back by the Jinyi Patrollers in the possible turmoil... that's all, that's all.

After thinking up to this point, Zhang Xingfu held his wine glass again and said in a low voice: "Actually, there is another way."

"I appreciate Zhang Baishou even more." Chen Ling clapped his hands and sighed, then raised his head seriously, revealing his red face. "But it's useless...Although I'm not as good as General Zhao Lang with Moyun Golden Wings, as a general Ying Yang Lang who entered the room, I'm better than the Zuo You you saw today, otherwise why would you be in command of three thousand fine armor? One side of the formation? Zhang Baishou, although you have a unique talent, if you want to threaten me with a golden awl...heh...wouldn't you be asking for your own death?"

With that said, Chen Ling sat cross-legged in his seat proudly, just watching the other party's reaction calmly.

But Zhang Xing who was sitting opposite could only remain silent.

Seeing this appearance, Chen Ling came to comfort instead: "Why Zhang Sanlang is like this? Not to mention that my family has stood in Jianghuai for 200 years, I am higher than you, older than you, and more powerful than you... just say one thing , that is, as long as I sit still in this matter, I can win by myself. Although you have all kinds of strategies, you can't touch my heels and painful feet. Isn't it reasonable to suffer today's setbacks in front of me? What should I do? In short, I am used to being a hero, and it’s fine if I’m used to doing extraordinary things, but don’t underestimate others.”

Zhang Xing, who was sitting across from him, was silent for a moment, then nodded: "I am self-righteous."

"But is there anything else to say?" Chen Lingfu asked again with a smile.

"Yes." Zhang Xing answered seriously. "General Chen, please don't embarrass the woman in the Metasequoia Forest, because I will come back sooner or later... It will be hard for each of us to look bad."

Chen Ling froze for a moment, nodded, and raised his hand slightly.

Seeing this, Zhang Xing stood up and took the gold awl, bowed his hands, and walked out without saying a word.

The next morning, Zhang Baishou, who had come here aggressively and confidently, did not struggle anymore, but chose to leave in despair with two teams of [-] fine armor and the few bags of belongings...

It was a total defeat, a defeat without any room for excuse.

Although there were sufficient reasons for a failure, failure was failure—Zhang Xing was ordered to come here to persuade Ying Yanglang to send troops to Chen Ling to resolve the matter first, but he failed.

As for the entourage, Qin Bao and Zhou Xingfan also seemed to be frustrated. On the contrary, the other accompanying patrol cavalry didn't care. To them, they just came on a mission. Although Zhang Baishou had a dark face, it was good that he didn't anger them. .

Obviously, not everyone is willing to take on responsibilities outside of their own.

The journey back was much shorter, because the fleet didn't dare to stop at all, and it has been moving on time for the past few days. Now it has already passed Guyang and arrived in Qixian County, but even so, because of the existence of three hundred fine armors, it will not be possible to wait until it arrives. When Zhang Xing returned to the fleet, it was already halfway through the twelfth lunar month.

In other words, the Chinese New Year is getting closer and closer.

Back in the fleet, seeing Bai Yousi and the others was not unexpected. There was no ridicule, but a lot of comfort and encouragement, but for some reason, there seemed to be a trace of relief in these comfort and encouragement meaning.

"If that's what Chen Ling said, there's nothing he can do about it being the Immortal Da Luo."

Looking at the golden cone in front of him, Qian Tang simply shook his head in response. "I don't want gold, silver and treasures, I don't recognize the Bai family's reputation, and I can't scare the officials of Jing'an Terrace, so what else can I do? He is a general Yingyang who has entered the palace, a decent general! If you sit firmly, you will sit firmly." No, at most I can’t go up.”

"The problem is not with the official position, but with the subject and the guest... Now, people are sitting on the ground, and although we are dragons crossing the river, we are a dragon crossing the river that cannot get away or stop." Li Qingchen did not sneer, but just shook his head with his arms in his arms. . "Now that they are hiding far away, what can we do if we can't reach it with our paws? The only trouble is that those planners know about it, and I'm afraid they will risk their lives to make trouble."

"I only sweep the snow in front of the door, don't care about the frost on the roof of others." Hu Yan glanced at the tracker outside the window and shook his head in response. "Who is not like this in this world? It is his blessing that Chen Ling can put on the family motto and say one, two, three. Others often find out when they are involved in the bad things from above, and then they are close to death... This matter is just a matter of life." Thank you Zhang Sanlang."

Apparently, Hu Yan recalled the incident that Zhang Wenda, Minister of the Ministry of Punishments, thoroughly investigated Li Shu and almost killed him, and then realized that it would be embarrassing to say this at this time, so he turned around abruptly.But after saying this, people still can't help but think about it. For a while, even Bai Yousi couldn't make a sound, because no matter what happened, it was her full responsibility.

After being silent for a while, Zhang Xing continued to ask: "There is only the reply from the Ministry of War over there. How about our side? Can Taichung have an explanation?"

"Yes." Li Qingchen came forward with arms in his arms. "About the same day, Taichung Kuaima gave me an explanation, so that I don't have to worry too much and try to maintain it as much as possible, and then said that reinforcements will be sent over. However, I am afraid that whoever killed Zhang Sanlang will come..."

"Who?"

"Sima Erlong and Fu Longwei!" Li Qingchen sneered. "According to Sima Erlong's speed, I'm afraid they will fly here tonight or tomorrow night... They are here, at least they can stop Jishan from building a dam."

"Why Sima Zheng and Fu Longwei?" Zhang Xing was really surprised. "What does he have to do with us? He's not from the Zhenfu Department."

"It's hard to say..." Qian Tang sighed softly with a strange expression. "We all guessed that it might be that Sima was about to be transferred to the army as a general, and the inspector was going to Xizhen Fusi to be the leader of Fulongwei, so there was this support...but it's just a guess."

Zhang Xing didn't say anything, and Bai Yousi didn't say anything either. It could be seen that this kind of speculation was very marketable, and it was indeed reasonable.

It can only be said that no wonder everyone is so worried.

After all, if Bai Yousi goes to Fulongwei, how will the No. 30 members of the patrol team deal with themselves?That is, how many people can be brought there, and who can they be?Moreover, what will be the situation of Fulongwei?
There was no words for one night, and the fleet continued to sail the next day. Although several Shangji County officials noticed Zhang Xing's return and knew something was wrong, they were also put off by the news that the world-famous Sima Erlong was coming to help.

Another day and night passed, and on the morning of the [-]th day of the twelfth lunar month, Zhang Xing saw a stream of light flying from the northwest from a distance, and knew that it must be Sima leaving his headquarters and flying over to communicate in advance, so he also dropped three hundred soldiers , boarded the boat.

Sure enough, it was Sima Zheng who came.

When the two sides met in the cabin, Sima Zheng actually remembered that Zhang Xing, who had met on both sides that day, also returned a gift alone, which is really hard to get bored.

Next, the two groups of people sat down in the cabin and breathed a little, but Sima Zheng frowned immediately, obviously hesitating a little.

"Dare to ask Sima Zhushou, is there any difficulty?" Zhang Xing asked puzzled. "Jishan should be very simple."

"It's not Jishan." Sima Zheng explained sincerely. "It's okay to go to Jishan to build a dam... But I really didn't expect the overall situation here to be so bad. If it is really like what you said, tens of thousands of hungry bandits, young and strong, and women and children will be together at night If it surges up, even if the real dragon descends to the earth, it may not be able to stop some disasters... The officials in the strategist will be in trouble, and the women and children among the bandits will not be able to survive even if they rob food, and they will only add merit to the army."

From Bai Yousi onwards, everyone was silent, and no one added fuel to the fire and mentioned the matter of replenishing food in the southeast.

"Also, something seems wrong." Sima Zheng continued. "My side is the direct transfer order of Jing'antai. Our messengers are sent at a very fast speed. Are the documents from the Ministry of War as fast as ours? With the procrastination of the Ministry of War, how can such a 'small matter' happen so quickly?" Reply to Longgang? Even if it is fast, it will definitely not be as fast as our Jing'antai?"

Everyone almost sighed in unison.

Zhang Xing did the same, he sighed on the spot, and then he wanted to explain... But the next moment, several messages in his mind were gathered together, but the hair on his back exploded almost instantly, and the whole person suddenly jumped out of the cabin.

Everyone looked in amazement, but Zhang Xing stared straight at Bai Yousi, speaking with difficulty: "Inspector, please wait with Sima Changjian for a while, when I come back, can I go and see Zhou Xingfan?"

Bai Yousi didn't understand why, but he still nodded directly.

Zhang Xing's mind was mixed, and when he got out of the hatch, the third-rate expert who had opened up nine righteous veins staggered and almost fell, but when he jumped out of the boat and called out to Zhou Xingfan who was actually on the shore, he was more relaxed stand up:
"Xingfan, the Chen family started from Jianghuai Wubao?"

"That's right." Zhou Xingfan was puzzled, but he still answered correctly. "Everyone knows that the Chen family is the leader of the upper reaches of the Jianghuai Wubao forces."

"Then the foundation of his family is not the local power of Jianghuai? Is it the powerful Jianghuai and the heroes around?"

"Naturally, his family was the leader of many disturbances in the Jianghuai region."

"And his [-] armored soldiers are imperial court soldiers? It has nothing to do with his family's power, does it?"

"Naturally." Zhou Xingfan became more and more strange. "What happened to Brother Zhang?"

"It's okay." Zhang Xingqiang suppressed his discomfort and tried his best to order. "You go on board now, call Bai patrol inspector to come out, let her come to see me alone, and say that I have something important to discuss."

Zhou Xingfan didn't dare to be negligent, and hurriedly obeyed the order. After a while, Bai Yousi flew out easily by the collar of Mr. Zhou.

"What's wrong?" Bai Yousi hurriedly asked as soon as he landed on the shore of Huanshui. "I've never seen you lose your temper like this!"

Zhang Xing hesitated to speak, but led the other party to the side for dozens of steps, avoiding Zhou Xingfan and the others, before stopping: "I was tricked by Chen Ling! And I have some ideas, and I want to match up with the inspector. "

"How did you do it?" Bai Yousi asked in amazement while holding the long sword.

"Let's come a little bit... I'm also confused now." Zhang Xing said seriously. "First of all, Chen Ling claimed that he didn't want to cause trouble, so he obeyed the order and didn't move at all... But Sima Changjian came over, and what he said was right. Chen Ling was so fast and so coincidental. I happened to get it when I started to attack him. Is there a document from the Ministry of War?"

"Why did he pretend to accept the paperwork?" Bai Yousi asked in surprise. "If he pretends to coax you and doesn't want to cause trouble, isn't he afraid that the real document will come later and ask him to help us?"

"This can only show one thing. He doesn't want to send troops to fight the Dangshan bandits at this time anyway, even if the court orders it seriously."

"No, it doesn't make sense, because he will be ordered to send troops sooner or later, don't you forget... We also said just now that if these Dangshan bandits get food this time, and the court orders, he must send troops to suppress the Dangshan bandits .”

"It's different." Zhang Xing stared at Bai Yousi seriously. "That time he acted on his own, and this time he sent troops in front of us Jing'antai Jinyi patrol team... What he wants to hide is not the fact of the dispatch itself, but the fact that we are monitoring his dispatch of troops."

Bai Yousi became more and more confused: "I've been messed up by you."

"It's very simple." He Pan, Zhou Xingfan and the others were all probing their brains, watching curiously, while Zhang Xing couldn't help but lower his voice to answer. "Xiao Zhou told me just now that the Chen family started from Jianghuai Wubao. His fundamental power has never been the government soldiers and recruits assigned to him by the imperial court, but the Jianghuai tycoons and localities who have been inseparable from his family for several lifetimes. Haojie."

"You mean...the reason why Chen Ling didn't send troops is because the leaders of the Dangshan bandits, as well as the rangers, heroes, and criminals gathered recently, are his foundation. He wants to ensure that these people can escape from the imperial court's suppression." ?" Bai Yousi followed Zhang Xing's train of thought, but shook his head instinctively. "It's still not right...something is completely wrong."

"Of course not." Zhang Xing looked up to the sky and sighed. "Because we all thought that Chen Ling was doing things in accordance with the third family precept, and he wanted us to think so, but in fact he was doing things in accordance with the second family precept!"

Bai Yousi opened his mouth to speak, but then he froze on the spot.

"That night, the inspector asked me whether this big Wei is inevitable... In fact, it has already explained the problem." Zhang Xing looked at the other party's eyes, and his words were clear and unmistakable. "Even inspectors from your background started to discuss this issue after knowing Jiangdong's taxation, so why do you think that a local force like the Chen family who survived the troubled times would not make an analysis? And why? Do you think that people must regard this time as peace?"

Bai Yousi remained silent.

"Yang Shen's rebellion, I witnessed it with my own eyes; the Second Conquest of Dongyi failed, and Xuzhou, as the southern camp, was on the other side of Dangshan Mountain. It could be said that there were many heroes who avoided the Second Conquest of Dongyi and deserters from Xuzhou in Dangshan Mountain; and I don't believe that the taxes in Jiangdong are so difficult, and the taxes in the East are not low, so Jianghuai can be much better..." Zhang Xing finished speaking in one breath, his tone gradually becoming more and more intense. "Inspection, you think according to the second family motto, assuming that Chen Ling already feels that the world is going to be chaotic, and thinks that he needs to build up his courage and use people as capital. Wouldn't it be easy to understand?! Chen Ling's people-oriented 'The 'person' is not his army at all, but the Dangshan Bandits under Xuzhou! It may even include the Whale Gang!"

Bai Yousi pondered for a long time, and suddenly came to ask: "Then what should we do?"

"It depends on what the inspector wants to do?" Zhang Xing answered calmly. "It's agreed in advance that I didn't bring a compass on this trip, so we have to work hard on our own."

"Same as before, I want to reduce the death of the innocent and the weak... Even if I really want to fight, the strong should come first and win the battle for myself." Bai Yousi's eyes were clear, without hesitation. "Nothing has changed."

"Can Sima Changjian be trusted?" Zhang Xing continued to ask.

"Sima Zheng is often confined to his family and behaves stingily, but now he is away from home. According to my guess, he is still willing to be a frank man... Our thoughts are clear, and there is nothing we cannot tell him, and he has no reason not to." help."

"So, I have a plan, maybe it will work." Zhang Xing replied with a sigh. "Nowadays it's impossible to simply force Chen Ling to send troops, but Sima Changjian can be used to suppress him, and after he has to send troops, force him to send troops openly... and if the inspector can trust me If you have the ability, please give me that golden awl and let me go to Dangshan again."

Bai Yousi hugged the long sword and didn't say a word.

"I should have thought of it earlier." Zhang Xing quickly explained. "It's too difficult to deal with someone like Chen Ling who is old-fashioned and cunning and who knows what he wants, so instead of forcing him to send troops, it's better to do the opposite, to make a mess of Dangshan's countermeasures, and promote Dangshan to send troops Once Dangshan gathers their elite thieves to reach Jishan on the west side of Huanshui and approach Longgang, then Chen Ling will have to send troops to crusade under the watchful eyes of Sima Changjian... When they are defeated in one battle, they can be defeated at the least cost , It is also the most suitable way to solve the situation in line with the inspection and my mind."

"It's not that I don't understand your strategy." Bai Yousi hesitated for a moment, then answered in a deep voice. "I'm worried about your safety... Although Chen Ling from Longgang is a cunning and powerful person, he will not easily threaten your life. Dangshan is the opposite."

Zhang Xing laughed immediately: "So I have to be alone, so why don't I go?"

Bai Yousi also laughed.

"Please inspector trust me again, and give me the golden cone." Zhang Xing bowed his hands sternly. "It's only halfway through the twelfth lunar month, and there's still plenty of time. I'll go back as soon as I go."

PS: It's a holiday. Happy Chinese New Year everyone. Good night. It's really gone. See you tomorrow.

(End of this chapter)