Fenghou

Tang Shaoqing was very bitter in his heart, and he didn't expect that Chen Qing would pretend to retreat. Obviously, Chen Qing knew very well that Liu Yi wanted to transfer troops from Zheng County to enrich Jingzhao. Liu Yi's cowardly and weak character had already been seen through by the other party. .

"My lord, now is not the time to pursue responsibility. The humble official notified the lord in the middle of the night because he was worried about the three thousand brothers who came from Feng Yi County. They also didn't know about it and thought that Chen Qing's army had left. We must notify them immediately, otherwise the same will happen." Annihilated by Chen Qing's cavalry!"

"Then you still haven't sent someone to notify them?"

"His Royal Highness, I sent people to go to Tongzhou on two horses, but Chen Qing is also a cavalryman, I am worried that it will be too late."

Liu Yi was stunned, and his lips trembled, "Then... what should I do?"

"My lord, the only way now is for my lord to use a pigeon letter to send an order to Huazhou and Tongzhou, ordering the officials of these two states to notify the army and let the army enter the county."

Liu Yi turned around and asked the guard next to him, "What time is it?"

"Reporting to the prince, it's just two o'clock!"

Liu Yi was stunned for a moment, it was only two o'clock, and he had to wait until dawn to send the pigeon letter, was there still time?

Tang Shaoqing also knew that the situation was not good for them. Even if the pigeon letter was sent tomorrow, the local officials might not be able to find this army in time.

But no matter what, they had to do it, and with a glimmer of hope, they wanted to rescue the [-] troops from the same state.

Liu Yi's eyes rolled around. If the Tongzhou army was wiped out again, their total number of dead troops would be 3000, while the opponent was only a cavalry force of more than [-]. In any case, he could not tell the emperor brother He confessed that he had to put all the responsibility on this Tang Shaoqing.

……

Although Tang Shaoqing tried his best to save the Tongzhou Army, it was too late. On the evening of the third day, they received a pigeon letter from Huazhou to judge Miao Kuang. Annihilation, none of the three thousand soldiers survived.

This news dealt a heavy blow to Tang Shaoqing. He fell ill. On the sickbed, Tang Shaoqing asked Qin Wang Liu Yi to resign with guilt, but Liu Yi hypocritically refused to accept his resignation and only suspended him temporarily.

One month later, Liu Yu, the puppet emperor of Qi, issued an edict to remove Tang Shaoqing from the position of governor, and appointed Guo Zhen, a member of the Privy Council, as the envoy of Shaanxi Road, and added [-] troops to Shaanxi Road. At the same time, Liu Yu handed over the military power to Guo Liu Yu also knew that his brother was not capable enough to take on the important task of managing Shaanxi.

Xiaguo Village, Shaohua Township in the south of Zheng County, is a small mountain village at the foot of Huashan Mountain. There are about forty or fifty households in the village. They have lived on hunting for generations. Xiaguo Village is surrounded by mountains and rivers. The invasion didn't disturb the place, so it remained quiet, like a paradise.

But this is just an appearance. The Song Army War still has a huge impact on Xiaguo Village from the other side. More than 20 young people in the village joined the Song Army and participated in the battle between the Song and Jin Dynasties for Shaanxi Road.

This morning, a young man riding a mule came to the entrance of Xiaguo Village. The man was sent by Chen Qing to find the confidant of Chen Shangyuan's family. His name was Yan Jun.

Chen Qing didn't know many clues. It was a piece of cloth sewn from his underwear, which said 'Chen Shangyuan, Shaohua Township, Zheng County'. There are dozens of mountain villages in Shaohua Township. It is difficult to find the exact address with this piece of cloth.

Yan Jun inquired for two days without any news, so he returned to Zheng County and spent money to bribe the county magistrate. Only then did he find out Chen Shangyuan's name from the correction list of Zheng County soldiers. He was 20 years old and joined the army in the first year of Jianyan. Village, father Chen Tonggen.

Of course, Chen Qing would not tell Yan Jun the truth, he just told Yan Jun that Chen Shangyuan was his sworn brother, he had saved his life many times, unfortunately he was killed in the Battle of Fuping, and he must repay Chen Shangyuan for saving his life.

Yan Jun led the mule and walked into the village along a winding stone road. On both sides were courtyard walls and houses made of stone slabs, which were gray and white. He saw an old man burning a fire in the yard on the left, so he stepped forward. He smiled and asked, "Excuse me, old man, where does Uncle Chen Tonggen live?"

The old man glanced at him, and replied slowly: "The same root! He has passed away."

Yan Jun was startled, and quickly asked, "When did you die?"

"The year before last! In the third year of Jianyan, when he heard the news that his second son had died in battle, he couldn't bear the blow and died of illness not long after."

Yan Jun was stunned, and asked for a while, "What's the name of his second son?"

"He has two sons, the eldest son Chongyang, the second son is called Shangyuan, and the second son refers to Shangyuan."

Yan Jun scratched his head, he was a little confused, wasn't Chen Shangyuan killed in the Battle of Fuping last year?How did it become the year before last.

"Old man, I'm a good friend of Chen Shangyuan, and I'm here to visit his relatives. Where does he live?"

"Counting from here, the fourth house, the one with Zhong Kui's portrait on the door is his house, unfortunately! A pair of children have been left behind."

The old man sighed and went into the house.

Yan Jun continued to walk towards the village. Every house here had the same structure. When he counted to the fourth house, there was indeed a faded portrait of Zhong Kui pasted on the gate, and this was it.

He knocked hard on the door, there was a sound of fast footsteps coming, and a child's voice shouted: "Uncle, I'll open the door!"

The door opened, and there was a five or six-year-old boy inside. He was combing his horns. He was very handsome and well-behaved. His eyebrows and eyes looked a bit like a commander.

"Uncle, who are you looking for?"

"I'm from the south. My surname is Yan. Do you have any elders at home?"

The boy turned around and ran back, "Uncle, he's an uncle named Yan, he said he came from the south."

A man in his thirties came out of the room. He had thick eyebrows, heavy eyes, a tall figure, and a pair of strong arms. This man also looked like the commander, but his body was not the same. The commander was tall and straight, but his appearance was not so big and strong. The skin is not so dark, and the face is not so vicissitudes.

"What's the matter with you?" The man looked at Yan Jun warily and asked.

Yan Jun cupped his hands quickly and said: "My servant, Yan Jun, joined the army with his younger brother Chen Shangyuan, and my younger brother has some affairs behind him. I will explain it for him."

"Ah! Please come in."

The man was Chen Shangyuan's elder brother, Chen Chongyang. He hurriedly invited Yan Jun into the yard. Yan Jun took a look. Like the others, the eaves were covered with prey made of wax and some furs. This man should also be a hunter.

Although he is a hunter, his family background is not good, and the clothes of him and his children are very worn out.

They entered the house and walked down, only to see three children standing at the door, two boys and a little lady, the little lady was about seven or eight years old, wearing a double-snail bun and a gray sarong, a little older than the boy who opened the door , is also very handsome, and the other boy is about twelve or thirteen years old.

"they are……"

"The older one is my son, and the two younger ones are my nephew and niece. My niece's name is Chen Ying, and my nephew's name is Chen Xiong. Their father is Shangyuan."

"Where's their mother?"

Chen Chongyang sighed, "I remarried last year. She is from Shangluo County, Shangzhou. I heard that she gave birth to another son. I will take care of my brother's two children."

Yan Jun pondered for a while and said: "I have to make something clear. It may be that the military report was wrong. Chen Shangyuan was killed in the Battle of Fuping last year, not the year before last."

Chen Chongyang was startled for a moment, then his eyes darkened, so what's the difference?

"Does Brother Chongyang have a wife?"

"Yes! My wife went to the Wei family to help out and earn some money to subsidize the family. By the way, what does my brother have to say?"

Yan Jun took off the heavy cloth bag behind him and opened it. There were two cloth bags and a wooden box inside.

He pushed the small cloth pouch to Chen Chongyang, "This is 30 taels of silver, and it is Chen Shangyuan's compensation for his death."

Chen Chongyang was startled, "So many?"

"He is a capital and has military exploits, so there will be a little more."

Then Yan Jun pushed the big bag and box to Chen Chongyang, "This is Chen Shangyuan's military reward, 300 taels of gold, and inside the box is a set of gold jewelry, the dowry he left for his daughter."

Chen Chongyang was completely stunned, 300 taels of gold was worth five or six thousand guan, this was beyond what a hunter could imagine.

"What military exploits did my father make?" Chen Xiong suddenly stepped forward and asked beside him.

Yan Jun smiled and said: "He killed many, many golden soldiers, and even killed a golden soldier, the captain of ten thousand."

Chen Xiong clenched his small fists, and said with excitement in his eyes: "I want to be like my father when I grow up, and go to battle to kill Jin Bing."

Yan Jun rubbed his little head, "Your father hopes that both you and your sister are educated. Only with both civil and military skills can you lead an army to kill the golden soldiers and expel the Tartars."

"Uncle, I want to study!" Chen Xiong looked at his uncle with expectations in his eyes.

"Uncle, I want to study too!" The little lady Chen Ying also ran up.

Chen Chongyang nodded, if his brother had this last wish, he would fulfill it for him.

158 Chapter Zhongnan

In the first ten days of December, a strong cold current swept across the land of Guanzhong, and then the heavy snow hit.

Chen Qing's army is temporarily stationed in Zhongnan County. Zhongnan County is under the jurisdiction of Jingzhao Mansion. It is a small county at the foot of Zhongnan Mountain with a population of only a few thousand people. Nan County is completely isolated from the world.

Chen Qing chose Zhongnan County, on the one hand, because of its difficult and dangerous roads, easy to defend and difficult to attack, and on the other hand, because it is very close to Luotang Road. Withdraw to Hanzhong.

On the top of the city, Chen Qing watched the gray sky while listening to the report from Yan Jun who had just arrived.

"Before Beizhi left, he repeatedly asked that the money should not be revealed, and that he should not be peeped by thieves. His wife was very moved, and they must give Beizhi a piece of good fox fur. It is probably their treasure at the bottom of the box. Brought it back, on the Commander's table."

"And then? Did they say what to do in the future?"

"The humble official advised them to go to Zheng County to buy some land, but the couple said that Zheng County is not safe, and they still want to stay in the village. It seems that what they mean is to buy some land, and then ask a gentleman to teach their three children to read."

"What do you think of them?"

Yan Jun nodded, "It can be seen that the couple are very kind and honest, and the folk customs in that area are like this. The couple regards the two children as their own. It feels like a humble job. The woman seems to love the little lady more. The little lady brought back a small silk flower."

"Did they say, give some to the mother of the child?"

"Chen Chongyang has this idea, but his wife disagrees. She is very dissatisfied with the child's mother. It seems that she took away all of Chen Shangyuan's property and did not leave it to the child. I guess I will give some in the end, and share half of it with her. .”

"How do you feel about those two kids?"

"They are all well-behaved and sensible, especially the little boy. If he is educated well, he may have a bright future."

After a pause, Yan Jun said in a low voice: "If the commander is concerned, I will visit them from time to time after I am humbled."

Chen Qing shook his head, "They have their own lives, don't bother them."

The two children are Chen Shangyuan's children, not his Chen Qing's children. Chen Shangyuan is dead. He arranged for Chen Shangyuan's funeral and gave his children enough wealth. Even if he settled his own worries, boys will have good luck in the future No matter how much he helps in the dark, to achieve this step, he will be considered as benevolent and righteous.

As for letting a child into his life, that would be big trouble, impossible.

Chen Qing looked at the mountains that were gradually turning gray in the distance, and said lightly: "It's going to snow again!"

At this time, Chen Qing suddenly discovered that a caravan of camels loaded with medicinal materials was going out of the city, but was stopped by soldiers and was not allowed to leave. The proprietor jumped in anxiety.

Chen Qing leaned forward and asked, "What's going on?"

"Commander, this man said that there is an urgent matter at home, so he must leave."

The proprietor stepped forward and knelt down and kowtowed: "General Qi, my father is terminally ill, and the doctor said he won't survive this year. I must rush back to see my father for the last time."

Liu Cui stepped forward and pleaded with Chen Qing: "Although he cannot go out of the city in principle, this person is out of filial piety, so can he take special care of him?"

Chen Qing saw that the merchant had more than [-] camels, and each camel was packed full, so he looked like a merchant in the fur business.

Chen Qing said lightly: "People can go back to fulfill their filial piety, but the goods and staff will stay, and we will leave in the spring!"

The businessman was stunned for a while, and he didn't leave, so he had to lead the camel back to the city in dejection.

Liu Cui was stunned, scratched her head and asked in puzzlement, "How does the commander know that he is lying?"

Chen Qing smiled and said: "If his father really had a problem, he would not come to buy goods, he would definitely stay at home. No doctor can guarantee that he will die at the end of the year. Besides, other merchants transport goods by mules and donkeys. The fact that he is a camel alone means that he is prepared, and you see that his goods are all shipped, is this rushing back to show his filial piety? This is clearly because he wants to go back first and sell it for a good price."

Liu Cui was stunned, "The commander said that, it seems to be true!"

"Of course it may be true, businessman! Generally, it is not easy to separate people from goods, after all, there is so much capital."

Chen Qing thought about it and said: "Although we don't want to expose the hiding place, it's not that we don't care about human relations. If his father is really seriously ill, I can let him go back. In this way, you can send someone to the merchant's hometown to find out. The truth, if what he said is true, then let him go, if not, give him twenty sticks as a warning to other businessmen!"

"Humble job understands!"

Liu Cui left in a hurry, Chen Qing looked into the distance and said to himself, "The snowstorm is coming again!"

An hour later, the bitter cold wind howled, and the distance became hazy again. There was a gray snowstorm between the sky and the earth, and soon nothing could be seen.

……

This heavy snowfall did not last long, and it ended in a day. The sun shone into the county again, and the entire Zhongnan County became a world covered in silver.

Groups of children built snowmen and had snowball fights in the streets and alleys of the county, and the laughter resounded throughout the county.

Although the county seat is built on the hillside, it is not small. The city has a circumference of fifteen miles, which is considered a medium-sized county seat, but its permanent population is only a few thousand people. However, as winter comes, many people living outside the city also flock to Moving into the city for the winter, the county's population exceeded [-].

Relying on mountains to eat mountains, relying on water to eat water, Zhongnan County is backed by Zhongnan Mountain, naturally it is mainly made of mountain products, rich in various medicinal materials, fur, wood, mushrooms, game, especially medicinal materials and fur, and has always been the largest distribution center in Jingzhao Prefecture. Every autumn and winter, a large number of medicinal materials and fur traders gather in Zhongnan County, and they don't leave until spring.

Chen Qing's troops were stationed in Chenghuang Temple and Laojun Temple. These two temples were next to each other and occupied a large area. Two thousand cavalry were stationed there.

In the two ambush battles in Lintong County and Zheng County, although they wiped out [-] Qi troops, they also paid the price of more than [-] dead, and the number of troops dropped sharply to more than [-].

In the past few days, Chen Qing found that most of the men in Zhongnan County are powerful in martial arts and are very good at living in the mountains and forests. They also have a high level of bow and arrow.

Chen Qing had the idea of ​​recruiting soldiers in the county.

This morning, Zhang Xiao, a staff member, hurried into Chen Qing's temporary official room, bowed to Chen Qing, and said, "Commander, I have asked the magistrate about my humble position. Half of the men in Zhongnan County have served in the army. This place has always been a time of war between Song and Xia. There have long been rumors that the Qi army is going to recruit soldiers in the key areas where the Song army is recruiting soldiers, if we take the first step, we may have a good harvest."

Chen Qing turned around and asked Marquis Yu, Zhou Kuan and Zhang Miaodao, "How much money do we have?"

"Does the commander want to know about food and grass?"

"Let's talk about it together!"

"The supplies, grain and grass have been counted. Now there are [-] shi of grain, [-] shi of black beans, and [-] dan of forage. These are grain and grass brought from Zheng County, and the captured soldiers have not been counted yet..."

Chen Qing waved his hand, "Let's not talk about Bingjia for now, let's talk about money, it costs money to recruit soldiers."

"We seized a total of 18 taels of official silver, 7000 taels of gold, [-] boxes of jewels, [-] copper coins, and three carts from the five counties of Xianyang County, Zheng County, Fengyi County, Lintong County, and Weinan County. There are more than a hundred vehicles, and the property seized on the battlefield has been rewarded to the soldiers, and it is not counted among them."

Chen Qing nodded, and said to the deputy general Yang Yuanqing: "When we evacuate in the early spring, we must travel lightly. We can only take away silver, gold and jewelry. The rest of the food and supplies must be left to the people in the county. Recruitment is simply a higher compensation, and soldiers who are willing to join the army will be given double the settlement money, 1000 yuan per person, and one stone for food. The initial recruitment is [-] people, and riding horses is a priority."

"Humble post obeys orders!"