Jiuxi

Chapter 216 214【Return with Honor】

It was late autumn, and the weather was serious.

Wisps of sunlight shine on the long-standing walls of Lai'an City, staining them with mottled traces of vicissitudes of life.

There was a constant flow of people entering and leaving the city gate, and the group of officials standing by the road looked quite eye-catching, attracting curious eyes.

Zheng Sichong, the captain of the North Gate City Guards, came to the side of the Qinghui civil servant and said respectfully: "Why is Lord Sima here in person today?"

Huang Xianfeng, Sima of the Governor's Office, looked at the official road to the north and said calmly: "I am here to pick someone up on the order of the Governor. What advice does Captain Zheng have?"

"I don't dare, I don't dare." Zheng Sichong became more humble. Hearing the tone of the other party's words, he did not dare to ask again, and instead said: "I will ask someone to get chairs and tea, and ask Lord Sima to sit and wait."

Huang Xianfeng shook his head and said, "No need."

When Zheng Sichong saw this, he stepped back knowingly.

After a while, several knights appeared in the distance, riding their horses forward slowly.

Zheng Sichong, who was standing nearby, noticed that Huang Xianfeng's eyes immediately lit up and he was subconsciously adjusting his official uniform. He couldn't help but become more curious.

This Huang Sima is a close confidant of Governor Xiao, and his status in the Governor's Mansion is not low. Who is worthy of his being so solemn? Could it be that he is a high-ranking official from the imperial court?
That's not right. How could someone from the imperial court come from the north?

At this moment, the group of knights approached, Huang Xianfeng stepped forward quickly and said in a medium voice: "Captain Lu has made another great contribution, and I am here to greet you on the orders of the Grand Governor!"

Lieutenant Lu?
Zheng Sichong looked up and saw that the young knight leading him had a handsome appearance and a concise demeanor, and he suddenly understood.

It turned out to be Lu Chen, the captain of the Ruishi Camp. Zheng Sichong naturally knew the name of this upstart in the military. He had met him from afar in the past. When he thought of the word "merit" in Huang Xianfeng's mouth, he suddenly remembered a major event.

Civil unrest in the north has been raging recently. It is said that a group of bandits in Baotai Mountain defeated [-] Yan troops, which shocked the whole world. Could this be Lu Chen's handiwork?

Thinking of this, Zheng Sichong did not care about being rude, and quickly led a group of soldiers forward, saluting respectfully: "Zheng Sichong, the last general of the North Gate School, has met Captain Lu!"

Lu Chen just got off the horse. Hearing this, he narrowed his eyes slightly, looked at the young captain for a few times, and said with a smile: "You don't have to be polite, Captain Zheng."

Huang Xianfeng looked at Zheng Sichong with a slightly strange look. He didn't know why this guy suddenly appeared to join in the fun, but it was inconvenient to scold him on such an occasion, so he said to Lu Chen: "Captain Lu, the Governor is waiting for you in the mansion."

Lu Chen nodded, then led Ma and Huang Xianfeng into the city, while Li Chengen and others followed behind.

Huang Xianfeng looked behind him and asked curiously: "Why don't you see Senior Yuchi?"

Lu Chen said: "After returning to Huaizhou, Senior Yuchi said that he was going to attend to some private matters and would be away for a while. Later, he would go directly to the Governor."

Huang Xianfeng nodded slightly, stopped asking any more questions, and praised sincerely: "Brother Lu's command of the battle in the north was amazing. After hearing the details from the Grand Governor, Brother Yu could only describe his mood at that time. More than 20 In one day, the more than [-] Yanjing coalition forces were like the puppets of Brother Lu, which is really amazing."

"Brother Huang is very impressed. This battle is mainly about taking advantage of local conditions and taking advantage of the situation, plus the gathering of masters from the Seven Star Gang, in order to achieve the final victory."

Lu Chen smiled and asked, "How have things been at home in the past six months?"

When Huang Xianfeng heard his words, he felt more confident in his heart, and replied: "Now the Zhenbei, Lai'an, and Feiyun armies are stationed at the Lai'an defense line, while the Pingshan, Taixing, and Guangling armies are preparing for war in the rear. Shuangfeng On the west side of Shanxi, the Jianghua and Xunyang armies are ready to march northward at any time. In addition to the Panlong Army guarding the pass, our Huaizhou Nine Armies are heavily armed and ready to raise their flags for the northern expedition as soon as the Governor gives the order."

Lu Chen knew in his heart that the other party should follow Xiao Wangzhi's instructions and inform him of the current situation of the Huaizhou Army so that he could have a very clear understanding of the situation in Huaizhou.

Huang Xianfeng continued: "In the past six months, His Majesty and the Right Prime Minister have overcome all difficulties and sent a large amount of grain, grass and ordnance to Huaizhou and Jingzhou, which is enough to support us in fighting a medium-sized battle."

Lu Chen recalled the promise the Emperor and Xue Nanting made to him when he was in the capital, and couldn't help but be touched: "In this way, the Northern Expedition is inevitable."

Huang Xianfeng nodded and said: "Yes, now we will wait for Captain Lu to come back. The Governor needs to refer to your opinion."

Lu Chen was not overly modest. He crossed the territory of Beiyan twice, went to Heluo City and forced Chen Jingtang to death, and defeated more than 2 Yanjing coalition forces with thousands of green forests and grass. If you include the several battles he experienced last year, apart from Xiao Wangzhi himself, there are very few people in the Huaizhou Army who are more familiar with Beiyan's hall, the army and the terrain than him.

After about a stick of incense, Lu Chen strode into the Governor's Mansion, while Li Chengen and others were waiting in the front yard.

In the study room of the back house, Xiao Wangzhi looked Lu Chen up and down, with a look of approval on his face: "Okay, I took a trip to the north. I have been sharpened and become more capable, and I have become a general."

Lu Chen raised his eyes and looked at the Governor of Huaizhou, who was nearly fifty years old, and found that he had aged a lot in the past six months, but his tiger eyes were shining brightly, as if he had the power to swallow up mountains and rivers.

Feeling something in his heart, he stepped forward and bowed meticulously, with a sincere tone: "Thank you, Uncle Xiao, for your support and care."

"The key is to live up to your own expectations."

Xiao Wangzhi helped him up and said with a smile, "Sit."

The two of them sat down, and the soldiers offered them tea and then left. Xiao Wangzhi said with emotion: "It's hard to travel through mountains and rivers. I should have given you a few days off and let you go back and have a good rest. However, the situation on the border is approaching, and I must ask you to persist."

Lu Chen said calmly: "Uncle Xiao, thanks to the proper arrangements of the Sutra Weaving Department, this journey was actually not very difficult. I didn't encounter any trouble. I feel that everything is fine. Regarding the Northern Expedition, I only know that Uncle Xiao and Where do you plan to start, Governor Li?"

Xiao Wangzhi glanced at him meaningfully and said calmly: "In the original plan, we planned to march on Moyang Road first, creating the illusion of attacking from the east to the west like last year, and then let you lead the Seven-Star Army to attack the northern part of Dongyang Road. , at the critical moment, the troops marched diagonally behind Yongquan Pass, and at the same time the main force of the Huaizhou Army attacked Yongquan Pass with all their strength. As long as Yongquan Pass is captured, Qingtian City will be at your fingertips."

Lu Chen listened calmly.

Xiao Wangzhi continued: "Later I received your urgent report. Since the Seven-Star Army was unable to leave the mountain for the time being, we revised the plan and started the Northern Expedition with a virtual and real strategy. Generally speaking, Qingtian City and Yongyang Road on the Puppet Yan Dongyang Road Quanguan, Yongqiu, Xinchang and Shiquan on Moyang Road are all within the scope of our strategy."

The specific locations of these place names appeared in Lu Chen's mind. They were all strategic points in Beiyan. Taking any one of them would cause a heavy blow to Beiyan.

He thought for a moment and said slowly: "The front line on Moyang Road is too long. It is best to focus on Qingtian City and Yongquan Pass. However, the Puppet Yan must also understand this. They chose to negotiate with the Seven-Star Army because they did not want to Spread your energy, and the defenses in these two places must be very strong.”

Xiao Wangzhi suddenly smiled softly, picked up a huge envelope from the big case, handed it to Lu Chen and said, "Take a look at this first."

Lu Chen took it and opened it. He first took out a piece of paper and knew it was a map.

He spread out the map and looked at it for a few times before his expression changed slightly.

"This...is this the topographic map of Pseudo-Yan Dongyang Road?"

"Yes, this picture is very detailed and a lot of effort has been put into it."

Lu Chen suppressed the surprise in his heart, looked at the map carefully, and murmured: "Uncle Xiao, did you instigate rebellion against the false Emperor Yan?"

Xiao Wangzhi laughed dumbly, shook his head and said, "This is your credit."

Lu Chen gradually calmed down. This topographic map must have been sent by a high-ranking official within Yan State, and his status must be quite high, otherwise he would not have the ability to draw such a detailed map.

He looked up at Xiao Wangzhi and asked tentatively: "Wang Shidao?"

Xiao Wangzhi did not pretend to be mysterious and directly revealed the answer: "This is a gift from Wang Zhai Lin."

Zhai Lin Wang family...

The name Wang Jun immediately came to Lu Chen's mind, and then he shook his head. Wang Jun was just a branch disciple of the side sect, and even his father Wang Shao did not have such great influence in the Zhai Lin Wang family.

Xiao Wangzhi understood his mood at this moment very well, because he was quite shocked when he received this gift before, so he smiled and said: "Wang An, the head of the Wang family in Zhai Lin, is now the fake prime minister of Yan. I can probably Guess the reason why he did this. A prosperous family like the Zhai Lin Wang family is good at playing both sides, and will not always be a loyal minister and filial son of the Puppet Yan or even the Jing Dynasty. Last year our frontier army won a great victory, this year you He has also made great achievements in the north. Wang An is obviously aware that the overall situation of the world is changing. Therefore, he cast stones to ask for directions this time to prepare for future turns."

Lu Chen also smiled and said: "These noble families really think they have the ability to control the chess game."

"At least in the current situation, Zhai Lin and Wang's choice is very important."

Xiao Wangzhi gently revised his idea and then said: "But this gift is not crucial enough. Compared with the entire Dongyang Road, what we need most now is the enemy's troop deployment on the border. If we can instigate one or two rebels, Key generals will definitely be able to get twice the result with half the effort, which is why I called you back in a hurry."

Lu Chen was so astute that he immediately understood the profound meaning of his words, so he looked up at the other party and asked curiously: "Uncle Xiao, what price does the Wang family want us to pay?"

For some reason, Xiao Wangzhi suddenly hesitated, and after a moment he said: "I have asked Huang Xianfeng to sort out the military information, and he will send it to your residence. After you go back, you should study the information first and try to make a complete report as soon as possible. Northern Expedition Strategy. There are some things that I really can’t say, but your father will tell you."

"My dad is here?"

Lu Chen looked surprised.

Xiao Wangzhi nodded and said, "He came ten days ago. He is waiting for you at your residence."

Lu Chen stood up and left. Of course he was curious about Xiao Wangzhi's unfinished words, but the other party had already made his words clear, so he had to go back and torment the old man.

At the same time, in the house in the north of the city, Lu Tong was pacing back and forth in the main hall, his face full of confusion.

"Master, the young master has entered the Governor's Mansion and will probably be back soon."

Steward Lu Shan came forward to report with a happy face.

"Oh, I see."

Lu Tong responded, then sighed melancholy, with a bit of unknown pride.

My son is so outstanding, what should I do?
(End of this chapter)