The Red Mansions

Chapter 959 Emperor Chongping: God has treated him so favorably!

The next day, the sky was bright, and Ping'an Prefecture was shrouded in the morning glow. The sunlight shone through the window and shone on the shoes in front of the bed.

Jia Heng woke up and turned around, looked at the person next to her pillow, her white and greasy face could be broken, her facial features were delicate and small, her eyelashes were curved and thin, she scraped the bridge of her nose, and said softly: "Xiaoxiao, wake up. "

Chen Xiao let out a "squeak", got up, looked at the face of the young man who came into view, the cheeks of the fragrant skin and skin were blushing slightly, and said lazily, "When is it?"

Jia Heng took the girl's slender hand and said, "It seems to be the time of day."

Chen Xiao said: "Get up quickly, don't make the generals outside wait in a hurry."

Jia Heng smiled and said, got up on his feet, took the boots beside him and put them on.

After changing her clothes, she turned around and looked at the girl who was about to put on clothes with black hair, approached, stroked her shaved shoulders, and said softly: "Xiaoxiao, we will return to Datong later."

Chen Xiao asked, "What about Beiping Fu Town?"

Jia Heng said: "The Xuan Mansion has sent soldiers and horses there, and there should be flying pigeons to send letters in the past few days."

The two washed up, and while they were talking, they stepped into the hall, Jia Heng called people to gather all the generals above guerrilla.

The great victory on the battlefield last night, the joy has swept the entire Ping'an city, the morale of the Beijing cavalry at this moment is like a rainbow, and all the generals look excitedly at the boy in the python suit.

Jia Heng glanced at the excited young faces, and said, "General Qi, I ordered you to lead three thousand horses to guard and rectify Ping'an Prefecture, so as to prevent the Jurchens from making a comeback."

There were still some soldiers in Ping'an Prefecture, and they needed a competent general to rectify them.

Qi Jianhui's face turned serious, he cupped his hands and said, "I obey you."

Jia Heng turned to look at Jia Fang, and said, "Assemble the soldiers, finish breakfast, and head to Datong."

Yesterday, Huang Taiji's head was preserved by pickling, and it will be presented to the emperor on the day of the triumphant return of the army.

……

……

Shenjing, Daming Palace, Hanyuan Hall
The golden morning light shone on the glazed tiles under the blue rim of the palace, and the golden glow shone brightly. Beside the beams and pillars of the palace below, guards of Jinyifu in flying fish suits and embroidered spring knives stood in an array with vigilant expressions.

Today is another court meeting, and Emperor Chongping is now calling a group of ministers to discuss the political affairs from the next year.

As the northern border became more and more urgent, the political life of the entire Han Dynasty was inevitably affected by the war, and the focus of all work fell on the war.

First of all, the Spring Festival originally scheduled for February has been postponed again and again, and it has been postponed to April. Secondly, the purchase of spring grain for money, grain and taxation will inevitably be affected. Finally, the candidate for the governor of Liangjiang has not yet been discussed by the court.

At this moment, the whole class of the cabinet and military aircraft department in the palace, the seal officials of the five government departments and six departments, the capital censor and the head censor of the Metropolitan Procuratorate, and the six divisions, all the civil and military officials of the Imperial College are present.

The civil servants are headed by the chief assistant of the cabinet, Han Huang, and the cabinet minister Zhao Mo, while the military generals are headed by Yan Ye, the king of Nan'an County, with Shi Jie, the Minister of the Ministry of War, at his side.

Emperor Chongping glanced over the courtiers below, and said: "Shi Qing, can the latest military report from Beiping be delivered?"

At this time, Shi Jie, the servant of the Ministry of War, was holding an ivory jade wat, with a respectful expression, and went out to play: "Your Majesty, Mr. Li Ge delivered the military information the day before yesterday. A large number of Jurchen elites are attacking Beiping Fucheng more urgently. The Hebei Admiral Kang Hong who is stationed in Baoding has sent troops. With horses rushing to help, the defensive forces in Beiping Fucheng are not worrying for the time being, but due to the long journey in Shandong, the reinforcements are still in the rear and will arrive soon."

All the ministers below heard the words, and their hearts were still filled with gloom.

Shi Jie said: "In the past few days, the township brave groups in Hebei and other places have heard that the Jurchen invaded the bandits and actively resisted. Under the leadership of the prefects and county officials, they rushed to the aid of Beiping Prefecture."

Emperor Chongping pondered for a moment, then asked: "Can military supplies be affected by Jurchens' invasion?"

Shi Jie said: "Old Qi Ge said that people were originally sent to buy grain in Shandong to supply the army, but the price of grain in Shandong is so high that every day, the grain and fodder in Henan can support a batch."

As the logistics officer of the military supplies on the Eastern Front, Qi Kun first sent people to Shandong to buy grain and fodder. As a result, the price of grain in Qufu and other grain-producing places in Shandong rose sharply. At a time when Qi Kun was at a loss as to what to do, Shi Ding, the governor of Henan and Zhongjinghou Shi Ding proposed Luoyang There is still rice grain in Taicang, which can be sold to the center at a low price to relieve the people's hardship.

Emperor Chongping frowned, and his eyes were cold. He also knew something about this. The descendants of Yan Shenggong hoarded grain and fodder in Qufu, Shandong and other places, and demanded high prices from the court.

When Qi Kun reported this matter, the words in the memorial were quite sad, but for the sake of the court, fortunately, Henan generously donated money.

As for the food in Taicang, Henan, Jia Ziyu took it from Wei and Zheng when Jia Ziyu quelled the chaos in Henan.

At this time, a person came out from the official class of the Ke Dao, and said in a clear voice: "My lord, Xu Mi, the censor of Shanxi Dao, died in ignorance. The soldiers from the Beijing camp should be quickly sent to the rescue."

As soon as this remark was made, the censors of Ke Dao, who were waiting for the discussion below, came out one after another to echo his words.

Emperor Chongping's face was gloomy, and he said: "The Marquis of Yongning has made a report the day before yesterday, Xuanhua will send additional reinforcements as appropriate, and after Xie Zaiyi's troops defeated the Jurchen soldiers not long ago, when reinforcements are sent from the Xuanfu, you don't have to worry about it." .”

At this time, Hu Ke gave Hu Yiqing a cough, cupped his hands and said, "Your Majesty, the Marquis of Yongning has been confronting the Jurchen in Datong for a few days, and so far no military information has come."

"In terms of Datong, our Han army is facing off against the main force of Jurchen, and the battle should not be rushed." Emperor Chongping said in a deep voice.

Because Xie Zaiyi just won a big victory earlier, which slightly eased the unfavorable public opinion environment in Beijing, at this moment, the ministers did not dare to raise the words of urging troops.

The Prince of Nan'an had a gloomy complexion and heaved a sigh in his heart.

The emperor opened his mouth and shut his mouth, and he was the Marquis of Yongning. After two consecutive battles, not only the emperor, but also the civil and military officials of the whole dynasty were waiting for the boy's victory.

But in the previous two big victories, he secretly thought that it was due to luck, and it was Jurchen's turn to get serious, and the outcome of the battle was particularly obvious.

Just when the ministers in the palace were discussing with each other, bursts of cheers and bursts of firecrackers came from outside, passing through the palace gates for a while.

Emperor Chongping frowned slightly, with a look of surprise on his face, he asked Dai Quan beside him, and said, "Go and see, what's the commotion outside?"

Hearing this, Dai Quan quickly bowed and said, "Your Majesty, this slave will send someone to check."

At this moment, on Zhuque Avenue in Shenjing City, several armored horses galloped past on the bluestone road. Immediately, a red feather messenger carried a letter bag and held a cowhide shaft bag in his hand. He rushed through the bustling streets, shouting Said: "Great victory, great victory in Ping'an Prefecture!"

With that said, he went straight to Anshun Gate.

It was March, the weather was sunny and the spring was bright, and it was the time for the prince and grandson in the city of Shenjing to go outing. At this moment, seeing those messengers galloping on the street, there was a look of surprise on their faces.

Not long ago, a great victory was just achieved. Could it be that the northern border has won another battle?
At this moment, the people in Shenjing City were looking forward to it. In the shops on both sides of the street, the bosses and clerks poked their heads out and looked at the speeding horses, most of them tiptoeing in surprise.

"General Pinglu bombarded the Jurchen slave chieftain Huang Taiji in Ping'an Prefecture, annihilating nearly ten thousand enemies, and the slave chieftain died, great victory! Ping'an Prefecture great victory!" the Hongling messenger shouted hoarsely, his young and handsome face flushed red, and his crotch The speed of the horse couldn't help but slow down a little.

Victory in Ping'an Prefecture? !The slave chief died?
But a few short key words, like a boulder smashed into a calm lake, or a mushroom cloud from an atomic bomb explosion, the people of the entire city of Shenjing suddenly heard this letter and exclaimed one after another:

"Annihilated nearly ten thousand enemies again? This..."

"And the Jurchen slave chief died?"

Following the whispering and whispering, the entire city of Shenjing reacted, almost jubilant.

The wine shops and teahouses on both sides of the street were already bustling with joy and discussion, and the crowds were empty and elated.

At this moment, Wei Wang Chen Ran just came out of the official office of Wucheng Bingmasi, and was about to return to the palace. Seeing the noisy crowd gathered in front of him, his expression was slightly startled, and he asked the followers beside him, wondering: "Go and see what's going on. ? In broad daylight, what kind of firecrackers should be set off?"

Hearing the words, a servant hurriedly obeyed, drove the horse under his crotch, and galloped towards the bustling street with a sound of "drive". Immediately, the servant turned back with a happy face and said: " Your Highness, I am overjoyed, overjoyed, General Pinglu won a complete victory in Ping'an Prefecture, the slave chief Huang Taiji was killed, and nearly ten thousand enemies were wiped out!"

Wei Wang's young and handsome face was stunned for a moment, then he was dumbfounded, and asked anxiously: "What did you say? What happened to the slave chief?"

The servant was stunned for a moment, but he said: "My lord, the Marquis of Yongning won a big victory in Ping'an Prefecture, and the slave chief Huang Taiji was killed by the bombardment of Marquis of Yongning."

Hearing this, the King of Wei swayed as if he had been struck by lightning, his fair and heroic cheeks flushed with excitement, and said, "Is the slave chief dead?"

In the battle of the death of the slave chieftain, did the Marquis of Yongning win again?

In addition to King Wei, the people in Shenjing City also spread the word quickly. Almost instantly, the news of Jia Heng's victory in Ping'an Prefecture spread like wildfire, and gradually spread to the entire Shenjing.

Daming Palace, Hanyuan Hall

Sitting on the golden chair, Emperor Chongping listened to the sound of firecrackers gradually coming from outside, his eyes flickered, and he guessed something, the original Shen Yi's face was full of urgency and anticipation.

Is there a good news from the border?
Well, after all, after the baptism of the previous two great victories, the middle-aged emperor looked calm, but said to Dai Quan: "Send someone to ask."

The ministers below were mostly discussing in private, whispering to each other.

At this moment, an inner eunuch came back from the outer room, knelt down and said, "Your Majesty, Ping'an Province has won a great victory!"

A few guards supported a red-feathered messenger who was gasping for breath and had flushed cheeks, knelt down in front of the emperor, and said, "Great victory, great victory in Ping'an Prefecture!"

As soon as this remark came out, all the civil and military officials of the great Han Dynasty, who had been paying attention to it, followed the sound and were shocked inexplicably.

A few days ago, the Xuan Mansion only had a big victory. What happened to this Pingan Prefecture?
The news of success was reported so frequently that people almost thought it was a lie, but who would dare to lie about such a big event?Niu Jizong's lesson from the past is especially not far away.

Emperor Chongping stared closely at the Hongling messenger with his sharp and hidden eyes, and his voice trembled a little, he asked, "Where did the great victory come from in Ping'an Prefecture?"

Ping An Prefecture?Isn't Ziyu sitting in Datong?Could it be that Ping Anzhou has won another small victory?
At this moment, all the officials in the palace also frowned secretly, thinking about the reason.

The Hongling messenger took a breath, and said: "My lord, the general fought against the slave chieftain Huang Taiji who came in a surprise attack in Ping'an Prefecture. Huang Taiji was killed by my Hongyi cannon during the siege, and the Jurchen army was leaderless." , was defeated for a while, the general ordered all the troops to cover up and kill, and over ten thousand Jurchen soldiers were defeated."

After the messenger finished speaking, the huge Hanyuan Hall seemed to have been pressed the pause button, and there was an almost deathly silence.

Huang Taiji died in battle in Ping'an Prefecture, is this... true or not?
The King of Nan'an stood on the spot, only to feel that a basin of cold water was poured on his head, his face changed suddenly, and the tiger's eyes under the thick eyebrows were full of disbelief.

Emperor Chongping also stood on the spot in a daze, as if he had been hit by a surprise that fell from the sky, and he didn't react for a long time. There was only one thought in his mind, the slave chief was killed?

No, the Jurchen ruler killed the city?

Emperor Chongping was worried that he heard it wrong, so he stared anxiously and asked again: "What's wrong with the slave chief Huang Taiji?"

The Hongling messenger said loudly: "Your Majesty, the slave chief himself conquered Ping'an Prefecture and died in the city. This is a good news, and there is also the memorial presented by the general. Please read it."

This courier is a thousand households in the army, and he can be regarded as a sixth-rank military officer, not a big boss who doesn't understand anything.

As he spoke, he handed the red scroll in his hand to the inner eunuch at the side, and took out a memorial in a sealed box from the letter pouch.

Dai Quan hurriedly got down and took it from Bibi Dan, feeling both surprised and happy, then trotted all the way to the side of the imperial case, handed it over with both hands, and said, "Your Majesty, please have a look."

Emperor Chongping took the scroll, his hands were trembling a little at this moment, he took out the victory report from the waterproof leather scroll bag, and with the help of Dai Quan, he unfolded it slowly, impatiently reading the description of the battle report on it.

"My minister would like to recite the sage, my minister led the Beijing cavalry army to Datong, and held a stalemate with the enemy for ten months, knowing that the enemy intends to go around and attack our Ping'an Prefecture, spy on Taiyuan, cut off the food road, and make our army embarrassed in Xuanda. Therefore, on the evening of the [-]th, I led more than [-] cavalry to the aid of Ping'an Prefecture, set up cannons from Hongyi, and erected them on the city wall. On the morning of the [-]th, Huang Taijiguo led troops to attack Ping'an Prefecture, and the troops went to the city..."

Emperor Chongping looked at the text, and had already vaguely guessed the direction of some things, so he quickly looked down.

Finally, it fell on a line of words, "It is a slave, the slave chieftain Huang Taiji put the dragon flag of the Chinese army on the ground, in order to arouse the morale of the eastern captives, intending to go down in one go, but the red cannons on the top of our city were fired, destroying the dragon flag of the enemy's Chinese army." Fortunately, thanks to the divine power of the sage, the slave chieftains hated the city of Ping'an Prefecture. This campaign was a complete victory. I looked up to the southwest in Ping'an Prefecture, congratulated the great man, and congratulated the sage! On the day of triumph, the head of the slave chieftain was presented to the Your Majesty!"

Emperor Chongping read this, his heart was agitated, the military newspaper in his hand was trembling slightly, his thin cheeks were already flushed, and he said: "Slave Chief Huang Taiji died in Ping'an Prefecture, Yongning Hou won a big victory, slave The head of the chieftain will be dedicated to Shenjing in a few days, Zhu Qing, the Marquis of Yongning has won the Jurchen, great victory."

The officials below who were staring intently at the military report in Emperor Chongping's hand, heard this and got confirmation, and a turbulent storm arose in their hearts.

Huang Taiji really died?Died in Ping'an Prefecture?

This...don't be a lie, right?

But that Marquis of Yongning has always been targeted, so he should not deceive the emperor in such matters. Once he makes a mistake, it will be a catastrophe if he pursues it.

So Huang Taiji is really dead?Died at the hands of Marquis Yongning?

At this moment, the officials in the palace were almost in a daze. They suddenly heard the good news, and they didn't know what emotions they were in. Excitement, surprise, regret, doubt... all kinds of emotions were intertwined.

Shi Jie, the servant of the Ministry of War, looked excited, and cupped his hands and said, "My lord, please read the victory report."

At this moment, the officials of the big man also came back to their senses, and they all looked at Emperor Chongping on the imperial chair eagerly, with different thoughts.

You must take a look at the military newspaper to confirm the authenticity again.

It was all after the farce of the Central Plains Victory Report back then, and some courtiers who didn't want to believe it had a suspicious expectation in their hearts.

The ivory jade wat in Nan'an County King's hand was already trembling slightly, and both sides of his majestic face felt burning pain.

Impossible, absolutely impossible!
He must be dreaming!
How could that kid be able to kill slave chieftains? This is a fake, a fake military report!
But the rationality in my heart told me again, if it is false, then my son is the crime of deceiving the emperor, it is impossible at all.

The heart was tangled back and forth, making Nan'an County King at a loss, he just fixed his eyes on the military newspaper.

He wants to take a look at the military newspaper for himself!
Under the two thin and loose eyebrows of Emperor Chongping, his eyes were shining, his cheeks were already blushing strangely, he felt his emotions were agitated, he could hardly hold himself back, and he was in a dream like all the officials in the palace. Rao, the emperor who had been imperial for many years, at this moment With a trembling voice, he said, "Dai Quan, quickly report to Zhu Qing."

Ziyu, Ziyu, is really his son-in-law.

The pillar of the country, since the founding of the country, Gai has never been a good general. He is not in vain.

Who would have thought that the Jurchen chieftain would die in front of the two armies. The Jurchen ruler who once captured Liaodong was killed in Pingan Prefecture. This is simply...

God has treated him so favorably!

This is probably the destiny!

At this moment, Emperor Chongping's heart was filled with unspeakable ecstasy. He was so happy at this moment that he even wanted to laugh out loud, but after all, he was the Son of Heaven who ruled the world, majestic and reserved, so he laughed in this hall. How unseemly.

But the smile on his face couldn't be concealed, and his eyes overflowed with joy.

It can be said that this time the battle report was almost without any precautions. It gave Emperor Chongping a victory far beyond expectations. save.

Because the fall of Liaodong that year was the biggest mistake made by Emperor Longzhi when he was in power, and the army of more than 20 at that time was defeated by Huang Taiji.

It can be said that Huang Taiji's prestige once caused quite a stir among the ruling and opposition parties of the Han Dynasty. Emperor Chongping naturally knew the name of this Jurchen ruler, or his opponent.

But now he died tragically in Ping'an Prefecture, and according to the military newspaper, he was killed by Hongyi cannons, and even his head was delivered to Shenjing to celebrate his victory. This is simply dreamlike.

There is nothing wrong with being decapitated!
This battle is a shameful one, let China celebrate together!

At this moment, Dai Quan's fair face was also full of joy, he received the good news from the Hongling messenger, and headed towards the courtiers.

The look of surprise on Han Huang's face has not yet faded, and his heart is also filled with excitement, so he settles down, because he is the chief assistant of the great man and the chief of all officials, he took the military newspaper first, and couldn't wait to read the text on it.

As the text of the military newspaper came to life on the paper, all the causes, processes, and developments of the First World War in Ping'an Prefecture were presented in Han Huang's mind.

Huang Taiji was bombarded?Will the head be sent to Shenjing?

At this moment, Han Huang's heart was filled with joy and shock.

If it was just annihilating nearly ten thousand enemies and defeating the Jurchen Banner, it had already been experienced last time, and it hadn't been so shocking and inexplicable.

What kind of victory is this when the lord of the enemy country loses his life in the city?

But Nan'an County King had an ugly face, forced a smile, and his heart was filled with bitterness. This was really worse than killing me.

Emperor Chongping calmed down his breath, instead, he took a leisurely look at the big Han officials below, and his heart was filled with joy.

Let me ask, who was going to negotiate peace with the Jurchen at that time?

Thinking of this, his eyes flicked to the Nan'an County King and some scientific officials, and most of them had strange expressions on their faces at this moment.

After reading the military newspaper in his hand, Han Huang handed it to Zhao Mo who was beside him. After calming down, he cupped his hands and said, "I congratulate you for the saint, and congratulate the great man!"

In any case, the front line had won a big victory, and it was a victory after he was the chief assistant.

Zhao Mo also opened his eyes to read the words on it, the hand holding the good news trembled slightly, and his heart was complicated and inexplicable.

In the First World War, defeating more than ten thousand soldiers of the Jurchen Yellow Banner is not counted, and killing Huang Taiji, what kind of military exploits is this?

Wei Huo's posture?

Zhao Mo handed the memorandum to Yao Yu, Minister of the Ministry of Officials, and also cupped his hands to congratulate the emperor above him. At this moment, he was speechless.

Just like that, Emperor Chongping was not in a hurry at all, looking at the civil and military officials below, his heart was already filled with great pride.

Until the good news was delivered to the king of Nan'an County.

Yan Ye couldn't wait to read the military newspaper on it. There was no other reason. He was looking for loopholes. His eyes quickly flicked over the text. Word.

After a while, a smile uglier than crying appeared on his face, and he cupped his hands and said, "Congratulations for the saint, congratulations for the great man."

I don't know if Emperor Chongping misunderstood it, but he felt that the former King of Nan'an was a bit stooped.

Shi Guangzhu and the others behind the King of Nan'an were inexplicably shocked. They didn't know how they had read the military newspaper, so they glanced at it in a hurry, feeling complicated and inexplicable.

Qin Ye and Jia Zheng also read the military newspaper successively, and they couldn't hide the joy on their faces.

The beard under Qin Ye's jaw trembled slightly, and his old eyes were in a trance.

Ziyu won another big victory, and it was even more brilliant than last time.
This is a great achievement left in the history books.

After several civil and military ministers had read the military newspaper, the entire hall was terribly silent, but there was a wave of excited agitation.

Emperor Chongping also picked up the secret book written by Jia Heng, and read the words written by Chen Zuo on it.

Some officials of science and Taoism and civil servants of Qingliu below have already discussed a lot.

Probably one kind, although I knew that Jia Heng could fight, but I didn't expect Jia Heng to be able to fight like this.

The elite of the Jurchen headquarters was destroyed in World War I, and another elite banner was destroyed in World War II, and the Jurchen ruler was bombarded, and the head of the chieftain was dedicated to Danbi.

Aside from the joy on Zhao Mo's face, when he looked at Emperor Chongping with flickering eyes, his heart could not help but be covered with a thick layer of haze.

After this battle, the Marquis of Yongning, who returned with a big victory, was even more difficult to control.

Yao Yu, Minister of the Ministry of Officials, cupped his hands and said: "My lord, after this victory, the Jurchen's vitality has been seriously injured, and it is time to send troops to the north to seize the old land of Liaodong."

All the imperial censors of the Metropolitan Procuratorate also echoed.

Emperor Chongping looked at the officials below, and said loudly: "Ziyu mentioned this matter in the memorandum. Although the Jurchen elites of the two banners were lost successively, they did not hurt the root cause. , the confrontation with the Jurchen is over."

In fact, Jia Heng also mentioned in the memorandum that although he has won a great victory, he still needs to work hard and accumulate national power if he wants to wipe out Liaodong.

It can be said that Jia Heng's sober words after the big victory have been regarded as the standard by Emperor Chongping.

Shi Jie said: "Your Majesty, Jurchen has a deep foundation in Liaodong, and it will not take a day to get back. Although we had to wipe out the elite before, we have all the cavalry in the capital camp. Today's victory is also due to the fact that the slave chief gave the head, and the humble minister Thinking that the words of the Marquis of Yongning's Zuoshu, who are mature enough to seek the country, can be described as the theory of gold and stone."

Hearing the words, the officials below changed their expressions slightly at this moment, thinking of "Ping Lu Ce" written by Jia Heng.

Emperor Chongping nodded, and said: "After this battle, my great man needs to recuperate for a while. Since the spring of last year, our great man has been fighting continuously. Although the national treasury is still abundant, it should not be squandered."

This great victory is just an attempt to get rid of the long-standing abuses in internal affairs, and to seek the eternal foundation for the great man.

He wants to create his own prosperous world of Chongping!
At this moment, Emperor Chongping's heart was inexplicably excited, and he felt a surge of new energy in his limbs and bones.

When the ministers below heard the words, Zhao Mo cupped his hands and said: "My sage, after the victory of this battle, I will rest and recuperate, and I must not use force to damage the power of the people."

Let the Marquis of Yongning continue to fight, I am afraid that the greater the meritorious service, the greater the reputation will be. At that time, it will endanger the royal family, and it will be a disaster rather than a blessing for the country.

Emperor Chongping looked down at the group of officials and said, "Jia Ziyu has already made a plan in the direction of Beiping, and it will be just a few days to drive out the enemy."

All the civil and military officials below bowed their hands and said yes.

After the discussion was over, the officials in the hall dispersed, and Emperor Chongping also left the Hanyuan Hall of Daming Palace and returned to Kunning Palace.

Dai Quan and other inner eunuchs behind him were a little behind.

(End of this chapter)