It Starts With A Mountain

Chapter 223

Cheng Dalei was startled suddenly, looking at the old man's age, and the cheeks that were somewhat similar to Li Wan'er...

Shouldn't, shouldn't have...

Think of Li Xingzai, who was in micro-clothing, Li Waner, who likes to dress up as a woman, and the old man in front of her...

I wipe, it turns out that your family passed down this.

Cheng Dalei took a deep breath, took a deep breath, calmed his pounding heart, and treated it as if nothing had happened. If what he just said was a little too cruel, he just pretended that he didn't recognize it.

"Old man..." The old man's face was obviously not good-looking.

"Yeah, that's what we call him."

"It's still called that?" His face was even more ugly.

"Ten thousand years of longevity means old age, and the head of the world is the head. What's wrong with addressing His Majesty Emperor Ming so respectfully?" Cheng Dalei looked confused.

"Uh, okay." The old man's expression turned slightly, and he stretched out his hand to help Cheng Dalei wipe the sweat: "Why do you keep sweating on your face, is it uncomfortable?"

"It's hot, it's too hot." Cheng Dalei's heart was pounding, and the dignified emperor even wiped my sweat, but don't wipe my beard off.

Fortunately, the old man just gave a symbolic expression, and then put down the handkerchief.

"You have done a good job in saving the car this time, and the old man will definitely reward you."

"Old man?"

"His Majesty Emperor Ming, isn't that what you all call it?"

"Uh, hehe." Cheng Dalei laughed dryly: It's quite a vengeance.

"This time you will definitely be promoted to an official or a noble, have you thought about what reward you want?"

"Rewards!" Cheng Dalei sighed softly: "Isn't it what you should do as a courtier to sacrifice your life to protect the car? If you say rewards, what kind of rewards are more important than your life and family."

"Hehe, it looks like you are going to refuse the reward?"

"No, I won't refuse." Cheng Dalei firmly said: "I want Emperor Ming to send me to the most dangerous place, the most difficult place to fight, as a soldier, being wrapped in horse leather and dying in battle is the biggest reward for me. "

"Hey..." The old man obviously paused: "I didn't expect you to be quite loyal."

"I can't talk about loyalty. I think this is just what a soldier should do. It's just that there are too few people who can do this, which makes me seem a little loyal."

The old man paused again and sighed: "The battle in the northwest should be difficult to fight, right?"

"It's hard to fight." Cheng Dalei subconsciously remembered the battle at Qingniu Mountain.

"Yeah, it's hard to fight, and it's been defeated after many battles. It's such a big empire that it can't stop a group of barbarians."

Cheng Dalei sometimes pondered these things after the Battle of Qingniu Mountain, and he said casually: "Dawu established the country with agriculture, and the Rong tribe was born from grass. As long as the empire is defeated once, it will be broken. The attack cannot be attacked, so it has to defend the city, but a long line of defense from east to west is a huge drain on the empire's national strength. more guard."

"The more you defend, the weaker you are. The weaker you are, the more you defend. You have some truth in what you said." The old man said: "Then the empire can only go on like this?"

"It's not that there is no law..." Cheng Dalei suddenly remembered that the emperor of the empire was sitting in front of him, and he was not a nonsense keyboard warrior. If he said a word wrong, he would lose his head.

"Say, why don't you go on, what can you do?"

"Invite an elite army to attack Huanglong and completely defeat the Rong tribe."

"The empire does not have such elite soldiers, nor can it support such a northern expedition." The old man was a little disappointed, but that was all.

"There is a strong way, a weak way, and a weak way, but there is still a way, but I dare not say it."

"Why don't you say it, I... just say it."

As expected of the ruler of a country who manipulated the lives of tens of millions of people, Cheng Dalei felt a mountain of pressure as soon as he looked up.

"This method is a bit crazy." Cheng Dalei said: "Open a hole in the northwest, lead the army deeper, use the complex landscape of the empire as the battlefield, close the doors to beat the dogs, surround the points for reinforcements, and gradually swallow the invading Rong clan, and re-emerge. Destroy the vitality of the Rong people."

"Close the door and beat the dog? You mean to take the initiative to bring in the Rong people at the cost of the lives of millions of people, and even give up Chang'an."

Cheng Dalei nodded slightly.

"No, it's crazy, it's cruel."

Emperor Ming was a little lost. At this moment, he probably had already judged that Cheng Dalei should already know who he was.

"Other than that, there is no other way."

Emperor Ming was silent for a while, looked at Cheng Dalei, and said slowly: "You are stronger than I thought. I don't think that old man of Emperor Ming will let you be a junior captain again. Finally, I have another question."

"Please tell me?" Cheng Dalei felt that he had gotten over it, and Emperor Ming was obviously not angry.

"When people are sick, medicine can be used to cure them. If a state is sick, there are medicines and doctors. Do you think there is still medicine to save the empire?"

Cheng Dalei was stunned. Is this what an imperial doctor should talk about with a patient? I'm afraid that Emperor Ming has already understood that he can see through the identity of the other party.

The Rong clan is surrounded by servants, and the imperial power is declining. At a glance, the wealthy family is fighting for power, and the princes are obedient to the yin... This situation can be seen even by a fool, but Emperor Ming himself will not understand.

The answer is so simple that it only needs one word, but when it comes to lip-smacking, do you dare to tell the truth in the face of the emperor?

Cheng Dalei raised his head to meet the bright eyes of Emperor Ming. At this moment, their eyes collided, and their hearts were like mirrors.

Cheng Dalei waved his hand pretending not to know anything.

"It doesn't help."

When Emperor Ming left the room, his old body seemed to be hunched a bit again. Looking at his back, Cheng Dalei suddenly felt a hint of compassion in his heart.

This is naturally a very ridiculous thing, but at that moment, Cheng Dalei really felt that he was actually quite pitiful.

Outside the courtyard, Liu Aji hurriedly greeted him, stretched out his hand to support the old man, and the two walked along the street, passing through the mottled tree shadows, followed by a sedan chair.

"Your Majesty, let me help you into the sedan chair."

"No, I want to walk."

"Did he say something that made you unhappy?"

"No, no, it's well said, and it's also quite right in some places."

"Then Your Majesty, do you think this person is available?"

Emperor Ming was silent and did not speak.

"Or drive him out of Chang'an and go back to where he came from."

"Available, not only to use, but also to use it greatly, use it ruthlessly."

...

Weiyang Palace, Imperial Study Room.

A sneaky little eunuch poked his head inside, and the other eunuchs saw it and pretended not to see it.

"Since you're here, why don't you come in and do something sneaky outside?" Emperor Ming snorted softly.

The little eunuch walked into the study only then, and saw a few sheets of paper spread out in front of Emperor Ming's case, but he didn't look at it at this time, but looked at the iron gun on the case.

Emperor Ming glanced at her and said slightly angrily, "Why do you dress like this again, what does it sound like?"

"What's wrong with me dressing like this, I didn't learn it from my father."