Wei Ni

In the tenth month of winter, Huainan is in spring.

The lotus has no rain cover, and the chrysanthemum still has proud frost branches.

Although early winter has quietly arrived under the thick fallen leaves, the frost has not yet frozen the grass on the roadside; the warm sunshine is still falling on the body, which always makes people feel lazy, and they are always thinking about going to meet old friends and have a drink. Fan, live up to your leisure time.

After a long and tiring journey, Xia Houhui, who had just arrived in Huainan, looked at Shouchun City where he had been away for several months. He also had the mood to catch up with old friends and have a good time over wine; and he also expected that the thief Wu Sunquan would definitely raise an army to invade this year, so that he could He also sighed with emotion, "You must remember the good times of the year, it is the time when oranges are yellow and oranges are green."

Of course, before drinking and talking, he had to go into the city to report to Man Chong at General Zhengdong's Mansion.

It was originally only two months for him to take leave for the wedding, but it took him more than half a year to return. He didn't know if Man Chong would transfer his original responsibilities to others.

Entering the city, we took a familiar road and arrived at General Zhengdong's Mansion.

After the soldier on duty reported the news, he was led to Li Changshi's department room.

"Zhi Quan is back!"

Li Changshi, who had sparse eyebrows and deep wrinkles, had a bright smile on his face. Before Xia Houhui could greet him, he took the lead and said, "Come on, Zhiquan, come and sit down."

"only."

After bowing respectfully, Xia Houhui followed his instructions and sat down. He also put on a smile and said, "After half a year, Chang Shi's spirit and demeanor are still the same. It is really very reassuring."

"Hahaha~"

Not surprisingly, Li Changshi smiled even more after hearing this, "Hearing Zhiquan's words, we know that Zhiquan has gained a lot from taking leave and returning to Luoyang. Not only the joy of welcoming the bride and the success of defeating Xianbei, but also his words are impressive. It’s like a spring breeze.”

"Ashamed, ashamed. I am so sophisticated that I made Chang Shi laugh."

"Haha~"

After the two exchanged a few words and got acquainted with each other, Li Changshi asked enthusiastically about the Northern Expedition to Xianbei.

Xia Houhui answered this carefully.

Although he felt a little strange in his heart: shouldn't Li Changshi let him meet Man Chong first and then chat with him about old times?

Therefore, after the war in Bingzhou was over, when Li Changshi asked about the wedding, Xia Houhui couldn't help but asked tactfully, "Um, Changshi, General Zhengdong is not in the government office now?"

"Ah~"

Hearing this, Li Changshi slapped his forehead with some annoyance, and then continued, "I forgot to inform Zhi Quan. General Man is in the office, but I will introduce Zhi Quan to see him later."

It turns out that Man Chong, who is over seventy years old, sleeps very little at night and often feels sleepy during the day. Therefore, when there is no urgent military affairs, he always drinks alone and then falls asleep at his desk while drunk.

Li Changshi has long been accustomed to this.

And knowing that the emperor Cao Rui always respected Man Chong, he was very sensible and tried not to disturb Man Chong with trivial matters when he was taking a nap.

After explaining the reason, Li Changshi said softly, "General Manchu was trusted by your majesty to be an important weapon against the bandit Wu, and he is already seventy years old. As soon as Zhiquan returned, there was nothing else going on, so he waited for the time being. Just for a while.”

Oh I got it.

Xia Houhui, who was suddenly stunned, nodded quickly and said yes.

He also relaxed his mind and chatted with Li Changshi, such as saying that Emperor Cao Rui was in good health, asking about trivial matters in Li Changshi's family, etc.

About half an hour later.

Accompanied by the sound of slight and slow footsteps, Man Chong, who was dressed in uniform and carrying a wine bag with sleepy eyes, walked into the department room. The two of them saw him and quickly got up to greet him.

Xia Houhui held up his hands and was about to speak out to greet him, but was overtaken by Man Chong.

He suddenly stopped, and after looking at Xia Houhui for a moment, he blurted out, "Huh? Why did Zhiquan come back to Huainan?"

uh~
How should I answer this?
Shouldn't I come back?
Xia Houhui, who felt a little weird in his heart, quickly bowed his hands and said loudly, "I've met General Man. The last general took leave and returned late, so he was sent by the emperor to accompany General Xiaoqi to conquer Bingzhou Xian."

"No need to mention it. I know about this matter, so there is no need to say more about it."

Before he could finish speaking, Man Chong waved his hand impatiently and asked as he walked over to sit down, "Zhiquan, where is he? Is he waiting in another room? Call him in." Him?
Who is he referring to?
Xia Houhui stood up straight, his face was confused, he didn't know why, and he was speechless for a moment.

Fortunately, Li Changshi, who was standing next to him, took over and solved the siege, "General, I just asked Zhiquan. It will take several days for the general and his five hundred cavalry to reach Huainan."

Oh, it refers to Leliang, who was sent out to serve as our general and led the general to fight against the prisoners!

When he heard about five hundred horses, Xia Houhui knew who Man Chong was asking about.

But he became more and more puzzled - why did Man Chong ask about Leliang as soon as he saw him? Is it possible that Leliang was sent to Huainan by the emperor and still had other responsibilities?

"Oh, he hasn't arrived yet."

Man Chong sighed with a hint of regret, and Man Chong's expression suddenly lost interest, and he muttered in a low voice before issuing an order to expel Xia Houhui, "Well, Chang Shi and I have something to discuss, so I'll return to camp first. Wait. General Le will arrive in a few days and will call you over for further discussion."

"Wei. I will retire at the end."

He agreed without thinking, and Xia Houhui immediately said goodbye and turned to leave.

Because people who are good at shooting also have keen hearing.

He was born with ape-like arms and was good at shooting. Although he did not have the magical ability to distinguish positions by listening to the wind, due to the short distance, he still vaguely heard Man Chong's low murmur just now, which seemed to be "The person who should hurry up has not yet arrived." Well, you, a greedy person, arrived first."

Yes, he was disliked by Man Chong.

But he was always shameless and had no idea about it, but the doubts in his heart became more and more intense.

What was it that made Man Chong so eager to come to Huainan to take up his post in Leliang?

With such doubts, Xia Houhui left the city and returned to his station, Biwu, which was sandwiched between Shoushan (Bagong Mountain) and Huai River.

At this time, Biwu was even more spectacular than before leaving.

Not only were ditches dug to divert water around the area, but stone walls were also built behind the original wooden fence, and watchtowers were built on all sides except the mountain side.

Although it is far from as strong as a real city, it is not inferior to ordinary military barriers.

I just wonder, after spending so much manpower and resources on building fortifications, would we neglect to dig more ditches and promote agriculture, leading to a reduction in this year's autumn harvest?
Also, wouldn't the soldiers' martial arts performances be delayed as well?

Riding his horse slowly toward Biwu, Xia Houhui, who kept looking left and right, was quickly recognized by the soldiers on duty.

Immediately, the drums beat loudly and the cheers roared.

The words "The general is back" rippled through the dock repeatedly, causing countless soldiers who heard the news to rush to the gate of the dock and wave excitedly to Xia Houhui. Yes, the general who redeemed their lives with military exploits, beheaded their heads to confer farmland, and invited his husband to enlighten their children has finally returned!
How not to please them?
It was a noisy scene for a while. After the three chief officers Gou Quan, Deng Ai and Jiao Yi arrived to restrain them, the soldiers lined up in neat lines along the road, allowing Xia Houhui, who had already led his horse on foot, to enter Biwu.

Make a smile, keep nodding, and occasionally call out a soldier's name
Xia Houhui, who was surrounded by Gou Quan and the other two men as he headed to the department room, suddenly felt like he was going home under the slightly fiery gazes of the soldiers. Therefore, after he sat down in the department house and learned that this year's autumn harvest in the fields would be enough for food and that there were many livestock, he waved his hand and planned to use two months' salary to buy wine and slaughter some chickens, dogs, sheep, and soldiers. When we eat together, it should be a farmer's festival to celebrate the autumn harvest.

However, as soon as he finished speaking, Jiao Yi beside him called out, "General."

Xia Houhui was slightly startled, and then nodded with a smile, "Zixu has something to do, but it doesn't matter."

Because among the three thousand-man governors under his command, Gou Quan was from his tribe and Deng Ai was promoted from the army by him, so they have always been close to him; only Jiao Yi, who previously belonged to the Yangzhou Governor's Department, was a little more reserved. , and has always been taciturn.

Now, he actually spoke out to dissuade him when he was in the mood, so he was holding back.

"only."

Jiao Yi nodded in response and said slowly, "As soon as the general returned, perhaps the commander of the scout camp was killed by the thief Wu more than a month ago. In a few days, Commander Zhang's old injury relapsed and he was in a daze. Therefore, I thought, if the general is not tired from the journey, and will have fun with his soldiers later, he will go to the Cavalry Song first."

Chen Ding actually died in battle? !
Hearing this, Xia Houhui was stunned.

He couldn't help but recall the old days in the scout camp, and the honest man who chased the thief Wu Sunbu alongside him.

It’s just that this is how the world is.

At the moment when you turn around inadvertently, there are always people quietly disappearing in the world of mortals.

Perhaps just after a farewell, in the blink of an eye, that familiar yet unfamiliar figure disappeared into the river of time, becoming an irreversible end. (End of chapter)