the enlightener says

So he doesn't need to speak, because his actions are the best proof, more powerful than any words.

Chapter 734 The Prisoner

When Zhang Mingqi opened his eyes again, he could hear the clink of the shackles on his feet, and the figure in front of him stood quietly, like a mountain guarding the fields, hardly audible breathing.

He glanced at it briefly, and didn't pay much attention to it. He just stretched out on the straw and smiled: "It's not a good habit to peek at other people's sleep, let alone a dirty and smelly death row prisoner. Let's take a look."

The fight last night had left his body covered in dark red blood, with some withered straw mixed in between his messy hair, and a lump of blood was also hardened on his forehead, making him look messy and embarrassed.

Sun Qing, who was standing upright, frowned slightly when he heard such words, and then said softly to the jailer outside the prison door: "Boil some hot water and wash him."

There is no temporary prison in the army, but this prison in Kangzhou has been established for a long time, and it has everything you need.

It was just a plain sentence, and the jailers who were eager to please the young master of the Sun family quickly got busy. With the sound of panting, several jailers carried hot water into the cell door, and then retreated respectfully. .

Zhang Mingqi just sat up at this moment, looked at Sun Qing, smiled lightly, and was not polite, directly picked up the water ladle, took the snow-white towel, and began to wash the blood on his body seriously.

The cold well water and scalding hot water mixed and slid across the skin, taking away the coagulated blood clots, and at the same time brushed over the wound on his back cut by the knife, and he felt a little pain.

But Zhang Mingqi didn't blink, just scooped one scoop after another, washing his body seriously, as if he regarded these two buckets of water as the last precious gift in his life.

After changing into dirty and torn clothes, Zhang Mingqi, who felt dry and clean, let out a sigh of relief, took a sip of well water with a ladle, and nodded with satisfaction.

"Come out, let's have a drink together." Seeing that Zhang Mingqi had prepared himself, Sun Qing turned around, let the door of the cage open, and walked straight to the table that the jailer usually used.

He didn't do any guards, and didn't send jailers to escort him. Naturally, it was because Sun Qing was so confident that even if Zhang Mingqi wanted to escape, he could guarantee that Gao Changgong's most valued student would be killed in one breath.

Zhang Mingqi naturally also knows this truth. In the big battle last night, he saw Sun Qing fighting three young masters and killing them one by one. monster.

Perhaps, he can really break the speed of Gao Changgong and become the youngest master in the world?

So he followed Sun Qing generously, but with the shackles on his feet, he walked a little slowly, pulling down a few positions.

On the table were roast chicken, pork knuckle, and a few green side dishes. Zhang Mingqi sat down and saw that Sun Qing was about to pour wine for him, and shook his head: "No need, I quit."

"Quit?" Sun Qing's hands stopped in mid-air so steady that they didn't tremble at all.

"Quit." Zhang Mingqi nodded affirmatively, stretched out his hands to tear the roast chicken, and said with a smile: "You know, I got married recently, and my wife is always in charge of me and won't let me drink, lest I delay my business. "

"I remember you used to like to drink the most, especially Du Kang from Yulinju." Sun Qing still slowly filled the white porcelain wine glass, filled it up for himself, and raised the wine glass, "I respect you."

Now that he mentioned the past, even Zhang Mingqi had to sell Sun Qing's face, so he also toasted and drank this glass with Sun Qing, and found that the drink in this glass was actually Du Kang from Yulinju, he was a little surprised , and a little moved.

Yulin lived far away in Jianye, so naturally it was impossible to transport them here overnight, presumably Sun Qing had prepared some in Kangzhou in advance.

Although he had visited Kangzhou when the Zhang and Sun families got along well, and Sun Qing had even hunted wild bears and roasted rabbits in the mountains with him. Good wine can be regarded as a heart.

In fact, anyone who has really gotten along with Sun Qing will know that although this person is very cold on the surface, he is also a kind and righteous person.

It's just that his temperament is too proud, and he is always unwilling to show his tender and weak side to others, which gives him a feeling of being rejected thousands of miles away.

Those who gathered around him were either to make friends with this young talent who represented the future of the Sun family, or to get some benefits from the Sun family.

These people may be able to wave the flag for Sun Qing on weekdays, but when it comes to life and death, I am afraid none of them will be willing to stab him in the ribs.

Zhang Mingqi sighed slightly when he thought of this, and said: "I can probably guess why you did this, but I still want to say that it is really not wise to drag the entire Jingwu just to fight against your father." Act of."

Sun Qing didn't rush to answer, but continued to pour himself wine, this time he was drinking alone, and there seemed to be some thought in his eyes.

Zhang Mingqi saw that Sun Qing seemed to be a little loose, and continued: "What's more, so what if you hijacked the general? Paper can't contain the fire. Sooner or later, the [-] troops will realize the problem. Your uncle Sun Tong really He's an idiot, the banner of "Qingjun side" he played is a joke. Few people in Jingwu care about that young little king, but he wants to let his own people beat his own people with such a name, and the only one who fails in the end is It could be him."

Although this statement is somewhat disrespectful, it is indeed the truth.

Anyone who really knows Jingwu Chaotang knows that the reason why Zhuge Wanling chose the Liu family child who has the blood of King Ye as the lord was actually the result of mutual concessions with the gentry.

It is absolutely impossible for the gentry to accept Zhuge Wanling as the king himself, because it means that Zhuge Wanling is the "lord" and they become "subjects", and the cooperation between the two becomes unequal cooperation. When Zhuge Wanling listed them as rebels in the name of his father, how would they deal with themselves?

Carrying out the child can serve as a buffer, allowing the Jingchu Gang and the gentry to check and balance each other, so that neither party can easily become bigger.

Although a somewhat innocent child would be sacrificed in this way, these things are obviously not within the scope of consideration of both parties.

"Are you finished, let me talk about it." Sun Qing heard the end, the eyes in the pupils condensed again, and said with a bit of sarcasm: "Do you know why you were defeated by me last night? Because from the beginning , you got one thing wrong, I have never hijacked the general, and I don’t need to hijack the general, because this is what the general himself is willing to do.”

Zhang Mingqi was startled for a moment, and then immediately asserted: "Impossible, how could the general make such a decision."

"Believe it or not." Sun Qing still had that indifferent expression, gently shaking the wine glass with one hand to make waves in it, "I just want to ask you now, are you going to surrender or not?"

"So what if you surrender, so what if you don't surrender?" Zhang Mingqi showed a bleak smile, knowing that this was the reason for Sun Qing's visit, but could he give a satisfactory answer?

"Surrender, we can still be brothers, and I will even help you regain everything your father lost in the future." Sun Qing's eyes were deep, "I remember you once swore that you would take back everything that your family lost. When you come back, you will even have to recover the price from those who betrayed your father one by one, and now the opportunity is in front of you, isn’t it exactly what you want?”

Everything lost... Zhang Mingqi was a little absent-minded for a moment.

He still remembers his father's helplessness when he was imprisoned in the prison. Although his hands mechanically knocked on the heavy vermilion doors, the response he got was either silence or "powerless" persuasion, and even evaded him. Not as frightened and maliciously driven.

Those uncles and uncles who were very kind and chatting and laughing seem to have changed their faces overnight, showing their original green faces and fangs, which really made him feel the coldness of the world and the sinister heart.

In that heavy rain, facing the closed gate of Sun's residence, he finally complained angrily to the sky.

He said that if he regains power one day, he must take back everything in the Zhang family and punish everyone who betrays the Zhang family.

Originally, it was just a roar from his anger and despair, but he didn't expect that Sun Qing could still remember it, and said it in this situation.

However, Sun Qing never showed up at that time, nor did he say a word of comfort to him. Instead, Gao Changgong took him in again, and Qin Ke, Abu and others put aside their prejudices and accepted him. So these words can still be said today. Is it the same as saying in that rain?

Chapter 735 Take Me Back to Jianye

Zhang Mingqi lowered his head, smiled bitterly, and young faces began to appear in his mind, some of them were fat and some were thin, some smiled boldly, some smiled shyly, but No matter which one, they are all so kind and real, as if with a reassuring temperature.

Two years ago, he thought he had lost his home and had nothing, but now, he found that he already had a home, a wife, and surrounded by partners who sincerely associate with him.

That being the case, how could he turn his back on them, turn his back on this Jing Wu who gave him back home again?

"No." He said slowly.

It is not easy for everyone to make a major decision, especially when the decision is about life and death, even the most carefree people on weekdays will become hesitant, but Zhang Mingqi answered firmly, and even his eyes did not tremble in the slightest.

"Why?" Sun Qing frowned and looked at Zhang Mingqi carefully, as if observing a complete stranger to him.

He didn't understand, could it be that a person would degenerate so thoroughly just because he lost his family property and title?Didn't the pride in his heart remain at all?

Zhang Mingqi didn't care how Sun Qing looked at him at this time, he just laughed at himself, poured himself a glass of wine, and drank it down: "I will not drag the whole of Jingwu into the quagmire for my own selfish desires. A stupid pig thinks he can take advantage of the Tang Kingdom, but can a hungry wolf smelling meat be coaxed away with just a few words? With the war together, there will be no peaceful place in the land of Jingwu, and how many people will turn into dry bones in the fields ?”

Sun Qing raised his brows, disapproving of Zhang Mingqi's statement, and said: "When will the merits of this world not need dead people? The general led 3 Qingzhou ghost riders to sweep across the territory of the Tang Kingdom, and buried 30 corpses. How many people died in the First World War? Nearly [-] people! Since the founding of Jing and Wu, it has only been more than seven years, but the total number of casualties is nearly [-], and throwing them into the river is enough to stop the flow. But even so, who remembers those who died soldiers?"

It was precisely because of the mention of this popular battle that Sun Qing's eyes seemed to shine: "Of course they will only remember the scene of the general riding the red fire horse through the street and the crowd cheering. In this way, the strong can stand at the top of everyone holding a knife and enjoy all the good things, while the weak are trampled under their feet, facing the sword and gun, they can only obediently give everything they have, and they will find reasons to explain their incompetence afterwards , in order to seek a false comfort... Oh, don’t you think it’s a pity that you have to give up your own way of life for these cowards?”

Speaking of this, Sun Qing looked at Zhang Mingqi with downcast eyes, restrained his voice, and said calmly: "As for the affairs of the Tang Kingdom, there is no need to worry too much. We have a promise from someone. The people of the Tang Kingdom will not stay for long. As long as we control After Jing Wu, they will retreat soon, at most they will just cede some land and take it back later, it is nothing more than that.”

"It's nothing to cede some land?" Zhang Mingqi repeated Sun Qing's words in a low voice, but the corners of his mouth showed a bit of teasing, "Yes, for you, the future Phoenix of the Sun family, 1 deaths are just a number. 10 people is just a number. Maybe you are used to it, many people are used to it, even in the early years I thought there was nothing wrong with it, but..."

After a pause, he firmly held the edge of the table with one hand, and said in a heavy tone: "I have seen with my own eyes the people who were displaced by the case of destroying embankments and flooding fields. It is clear that they did nothing wrong, and even They are very diligent and never dare to slack off, but their families are ruined because of some people's selfish desires. Do you think this is normal?"

"Don't forget, these people are like this because of your father." Sun Qing sneered.

"Yeah. It's all because of my father." Zhang Mingqi replied softly, "So I feel that I have no right to blame anything. On that day two years ago, when I looked at them, I kept saying to myself, these It's all my father's fault, it's a debt owed by the Zhang family, and one day I have to pay it back."

"But I didn't say this to persuade you, because I know you are not someone who can be persuaded by just a few words." Zhang Mingqi smiled lightly. He was clearly still talking, but he had already stretched out his hand and started to tear the burnt animal. chicken.

The skin of the roasted chicken is very crispy and covered with a thin layer of sugar. It seems that there is no heat, but the inside is still warm. When it is torn apart, the tender white chicken immediately emits a strong aroma of pepper. Obviously the person who made this roast chicken is a good chef.

Zhang Mingqi had tasted a few mouthfuls just now, but until now, he really let go of all pretensions, put half of the chicken to his mouth, and ate it until the half of the chicken was completely eaten, before continuing: "I just want to tell you , In the past two years, I have learned many things that I never knew before. For example, the first time I lived in that leaky and old shabby house, I realized for the first time that there are still such dirty and messy places in this world. It was the first time I went to the field to plant seedlings and felt the scorching sun, so I knew the hard work of the people every day. But even so hard, they did not complain, but worked day after day to feed their families. mouth. If they are cowards, where in this world is there anyone braver than them?"

Sun Qing was silent, his eyes were indifferent, his waist was still straight.

"So I don't think you will win. Even if I lose to you, someone will stand up and become your opponent. Because from the beginning, the people's hearts are not on your side. Don't forget, to lay the foundation of this thorn Wu is the prime minister, although I do have a grudge against him, but this does not affect my admiration for him. A scholar, who entered the rivers and lakes alone, established the current Jingwu with great wisdom and strategy. How many people in the world have such courage ?”

After that, the two of them didn't have any more words, and Sun Qing didn't try to persuade him any more, probably because he could see that Zhang Mingqi's mind had been made up, so he just watched him swallow all the roast chicken and elbows on the plate into his belly little by little.

A quarter of an hour later, Zhang Mingqi wiped his greasy hands on his clothes, then stood up and said with a smile, "Tell me, what are you preparing for me? Guillotine? Or five horses?"

But all this was just the way he thought he would die. When Zhang Mingqi was led to the top of the city, he didn't see any guillotine, nor did he see any executioner, nor did he see the rope loops around his hands, ankles and necks. Instead, he looked up. You can see a row of archers standing silently on the wall, like wooden figures.

"It's much more merciful than I thought. At least I left the whole body." Zhang Mingqi smiled and asked, "Where will you bury me after I die?"

"If you want, I can send you back to Jianye, which can be regarded as the end of our relationship." Sun Qing still said indifferently.

Zhang Mingqi nodded: "Very well, the people lying on the grounds of your Sun's family are not fellow travelers, I can't get used to sleeping. I'd better go back to Jianye and be buried with my father."

As he spoke, he raised his head again, glanced at the bright sun hanging high in the sky at noon, and narrowed his eyes.

The outer wall of the city was too high, of course he couldn't see what was going on inside, but at this moment he suddenly had a strange feeling that there seemed to be a pair of familiar eyes on the top of the city looking at him.

In fact, his feeling was not wrong, because at this time there were more than a pair of familiar eyes looking at him from the top of the city. Li Zhu, the captain of the Qingzhou Ghost Rider, was standing beside Gao Changgong who had not seen him for many days. He firmly grasped the handle of the knife at his waist.

"General, although Zhang Mingqi rebelled, it was out of loyalty, and he only cared about the safety of the general. The crime does not deserve death. Please take back his life and spare his life."

However, no matter how Li Zhu interceded, Gao Changgong, who hadn't seen him for many days, was still indifferent, and even raised a hand, lightly, but carrying the weight of a human life.

Then he swung it down, and amidst the sound of the bowstring cracking, a cloud covered the sky, and the sky dimmed...

Chapter 736 Friends Return

At the end of this spring day, Jianye City ushered in another heavy rain. There was no lightning and thunder, only a diffuse mist and the sound of rain.

The people in the south are used to the rainy season, so they are happy to put down their work and rest at this moment. Except for some people who are braving the rain while dredging the congested drains and complaining a few times that God does not give face, some children are just open. With big eyes, they were strictly forbidden by their elders to go out to play in the water. They looked at the sky innocently, wondering why the gods in the sky cried so hard today.

"Cai Yan." Qin Ke stood in the room, staring blankly at the slender figure. She sat on the threshold, resting her chin with her hands, watching the rain fall into the water tank quietly.

The water lilies are blooming, the pure white color is smudged with some pink, and there is a bit of charm in the plainness.

Qin Ke opened the umbrella and glanced at the gloomy sky when he crossed the threshold, but felt a little depressed.

Hearing Qin Ke's voice, Cai Yan stood up gracefully, put her shoulders on Qin Ke's shoulders, and walked down the street side by side. The movements were not in a hurry. Compared with the pedestrians rushing to hide from the rain all over the street, the two It's like a visitor on a tour.

But Cai Yan knew that Qin Ke's heart was heavy at the moment, and the reason why he walked slowly was actually fear, fear of handing a cruel news to the very young widow.

She didn't talk much, just accompanied quietly, even though the shoes were getting wet from the splashing rain, she still didn't complain at all.

"General Huang's army has been confronting Gao Changgong for more than a month, right?" Qin Ke said suddenly, with a complicated light in his eyes, "Then Zhang Mingqi has been gone for a month."

Go, in fact, this word is not very accurate, because Zhang Mingqi did not leave, but returned to Jianye, but this time he came back not riding a horse and wearing armor, but a coffin, even though it was filled with antiseptic spices, But the long transportation and days of rain still caused the corpse to rot.

Standing next to the coffin, Zhang Mingqi could be seen wearing a thin silk shirt, and a gold silk kerchief covering his face covered his relieved eyes.

But when Qin Ke closes his eyes now, that face is vaguely still in front of his eyes, even like a street corner, he will suddenly appear at a certain moment, bring his beloved girl, greet the two with a smile, and then Sitting together drinking until slightly drunk, whispering about things since joining the army, and then going back to each other after having fun.

It turns out that this is what it feels like to hear the news of a good friend's death. It's hard to cry, and you can't scream and go crazy. It's just that your chest is panicking, as if there is a scared little wolf hiding in it, scratching restlessly .

You actually know exactly where this fear comes from.

Because from then on, you can no longer see that familiar face or hear that familiar voice, as if a piece of the puzzle that should have been complete is missing and can never be found again.

The raindrops dripped down the bluestone-paved street along the edge of the umbrella, and the sound of ticking was drowned in the heavy rain.

When he arrived at Zhang's house, Qin Ke found that Abu was waiting outside the door before him.

Over the past few days, Abu has proven his ability in handling military affairs, so much so that even Zhu Ran appreciates him very much, and he never forgets to bring him by his side when discussing military affairs, which shows his trust.

However, at this moment, Abu doesn't have the valor that a popular man in the army should have. Not only is his black cowhide armor completely soaked, but the ends of his eyebrows are still dripping with rain, and his eyes are red and swollen. Obviously, he has been crying in the barracks. Have a game.

Beside him, the war horse being held by the rein was shaking its head boredly, and the rain was dripping from its mane.

After receiving the news from the school affairs office, he rushed here almost non-stop, but when he reached the door of Zhang's house, he was a little afraid to knock on the door, even though he knew there must be a slight fire inside, and even There will be hot tea and towels, but how can the coldness in my heart be dispelled by these?

But things have to be done, especially after Zhang Mingqi passed away, as his best friends in Jianye, Qin Ke and Abu could only bite the bullet and knock on the door.

Almost at the moment of the knock on the door, the door was opened without any psychological preparation, and all three of them saw the young girl, whose bun made her look more like a bride.

She bit her lower lip, her eyes were full of sadness, as if she had expected something, and the vegetable basket in her arms was squeezed out of shape.

Sometimes things are like a layer of window paper, just to see who dares to pierce first.

School Affairs Office.

"It seems that General Huang has also met a difficult opponent." When the latest military report was submitted, Zhou Gongjin looked it up and down three times, and did not print the bamboo slip until the entire military report was printed in his mind. Putting it aside, he let out a long breath.

In fact, this situation is also expected.

Gao Changgong is good at using soldiers, he is good at picking chestnuts from the fire, he often does not move, but moves like a thunderbolt, even if there is a small loophole, he will accurately grasp it and turn it into an arrow and shoot it directly into the heart.

Even though Huang Hansheng is a veteran who has been on the battlefield for many years and has enough experience to write a book of war, facing Gao Changgong, a rising star, he still has to deal with it carefully.

What's more, this battle is even more difficult for Huang Hansheng because both sides are Jingwu's army. No matter which side loses, it is actually Jingwu's loss. It is really a loss of elites, and it will be easy for Tang Guo to go south in the future.

"It's difficult." Zhou Gongjin glanced at Shen Dao who was resting with his eyes closed due to the exhaustion of official duties, and sighed, "If I were put in the position of an old general, I'm afraid it would be better to just roll my eyes and fall asleep. Got it."

Listening to Zhou Gongjin's words, Shen Dao laughed suddenly, and said, "Sleeping is not enough to kill a person, but I think that if you don't sleep for a few days, my lord, even with the care of that female doctor, you will die sooner or later in school affairs." in the mansion."

Although there is no lack of teasing elements, it is also from the heart. At this moment, Zhou Gongjin is simply disgraced, with deep dark circles on his eyes, and he does not look like a pampered school official.

However, being ridiculed by his subordinates like this, Zhou Gongjin, the boss, still felt a little uncomfortable, and after glancing at Shen Dao, he laughed to himself.