long friend

As Xiao Qichen expected, when they arrived at the Tai Chi Hall, they didn't see him, and Shi Yu's voice could be heard from a long distance: "Your Majesty, is it still not allowed to transfer troops?"

As soon as the words fell, Su Yan entered the hall neatly dressed in court clothes, and he and Shi Yu had a tacit understanding, as if they had colluded.But Su Yan's expression was so serious that people didn't dare to question anything, so he said directly: "Lord Sima, can I borrow the battle report?"

Wang Di didn't dare to neglect, after all he was an expert, so he quickly took out the battle report from his sleeve and handed it to Su Yan.

After reading the battle report at one glance and ten lines, Su Yan turned directly to the gray and defeated emperor on the high dragon chair: "Your Majesty, it is not too late. Today, I will return to Xuzhou. Shen Chengjun will take the first step to reorganize the army, and he can send troops to Yuyang at night——It's just that I am alone." I can't mobilize the army of Yinzhou and Bingzhou, I hope His Majesty will return the tiger talisman."

He spoke out the contradiction between the imperial power and the military power so normally, Xiao Qichen stood among the civil servants, and was about to say something when suddenly someone pulled down his sleeves.

Turning his head to look, it was actually Xiao Qiyu, who was planning something gloomy.He clearly had something to discuss with Xiao Qichen, but under the eyes of the emperor, Xiao Qichen didn't dare to act rashly, so he could only throw Xiao Qiyu away with his backhand, and turned his head to warn him not to cause trouble with his eyes.

Su Yan asked for the tiger talisman, Xiao Yan frowned for a while, and finally let go: "This is a big matter, the foreign troops in the three counties of Hebei are at the mercy of the general, if possible, not only must take back the Yunmen pass, but also Completely drive Huyantu out of our country."

Su Yan said calmly: "If possible, I ask Your Majesty to allow you to chase him out of the customs and head straight for the royal court in Yinshan."

In the current situation where Nanliang is at a disadvantage, he said such arrogant words, and the prime minister Chen Youyou immediately retorted: "The general is still young and energetic. Now our army lacks fighting spirit, so the general wonders if there is something wrong after the great victory." Are your eyes high and your hands low?"

"The Great Victory Minister in the Northern Territory defeated the enemy's 8000 troops with 3000 men. I don't know why Chen Xiang thinks that the minister's eyes are superior and his abilities are inferior?"

Chen Youyou said: "Your Majesty clearly learned that I am not questioning the general, but that the most urgent thing is the Yunmen Pass in Youzhou, not the royal court of the Turkic Yinshan Mountain. The general will take one step at a time, so feel at ease."

Su Yan ignored his words and got off the donkey, and said directly to Xiao Yan: "Your Majesty, I would like to ask you something."

Xiao Yan got dizzy from their quarrel, waved his hand and said, "Say it."

"General Jin Yi died in battle, and all the generals in the army are young and inexperienced... Your Majesty, I beg your Majesty to grant Ping Yuanhou to go out with the army and make sure everything is safe."

Not to mention that Su Yan himself has been guarding the northern border for several years, and Shen Chengjun is a representative figure who is young and old enough. Su Yan's words are not convincing, and they have completely provoked Pingyuan Hou to annoy Xiao Xiao. Act out the contradictions of being under house arrest in Jinling for so many years.As soon as he said this, even Shi Yu, who was partial to him, frowned.

Xiao Yan's expression was unpredictable, and he was silent for a while, just when everyone thought he was still deliberating, Xiao Yan said: "The general's words are wrong, I think you can take on this important task, Ping Yuanhou doesn't have to go with the army Alright."

Su Yan knelt on one knee and said, "Your Majesty..."

Xiao Yan chuckled lightly, mocking unspeakably: "Marquis Pingyuan has fulfilled his obligation to raise such an excellent son for the country, not to mention that I heard that his physical condition has deteriorated in recent years—so Su Yan, you'd better not let me down. "

After he finished speaking, Xiao Qiyu suddenly took the opportunity to stand out and said: "Father, my son also wants to do his part to protect the family and the country. I hope that my father will allow my son to go to the northern border with the army!"

Xiao Qichen sneered secretly in his heart, and exchanged glances with Xie Hui who was not far away, tacitly thinking that they both had the same opinion: Xiao Qiyu had been left out in the cold for more than a year, and finally couldn't hold back, seeing that there seemed to be room for improvement in the matter, he couldn't wait to jump come out.At this time, Su Yan was leading the army on the battlefield, and Shen Chengjun was in charge. If he followed him, wouldn't he just want to make a military exploit so that he could finally usurp the throne in a grandiose manner?

Xiao Qichen suddenly became interested, and really wanted to know if his father would agree.Seeing Xie Hui's solemn expression, he thought to himself, "I'm afraid I still won't agree..."

Unexpectedly, the moment he just finished thinking like this, Xiao Yan pondered and said: "Qiyu has such a heart, it's very good. You haven't been on the battlefield for several years, so don't cause trouble for the general. If there is any violation of military discipline As for the matter, Su Yan, you should deal with it according to the military law, and you don't need to save face for me."

Su Yan nodded and said, "Yes."

But before the court meeting ended, Su Yan left early.The battle was imminent, he had a lot of things to do, and he didn't even have time to say goodbye to Xiao Qichen.

After the [-] cavalry guards in Nanyuan camp had been reorganized, Shen Chengjun had already taken the lead and headed towards Xuzhou.Xiao Qiyu also came very quickly, accompanied by several soldiers from his palace.

He was dressed in military uniform, and greeted Su Yan with a smile: "General, I need your attention when I go."

Su Yan has never had a good impression of him. Hearing the words, he said indifferently: "There is nothing to take care of. When you are on the battlefield, it is no better than Jinling. Your Highness Wanwang will follow the military orders. Otherwise, the prince will be guilty of the same crime as the common people when he breaks the law."

The impoliteness was ignored by Xiao Qiyu, and he still said gently and decently: "It must be."

As the saying goes, you don't hit a smiling face with your hand, even though Su Yan said something to each other, Xiao Qiyu acted as if he didn't hear him. He wasn't the one who took the initiative to find fault, so the back and forth hand-to-hand combat ended here.

Su Yan looked around, sighed indistinctly, pulled the messenger and said, "Go and check the luggage list again, and then report the news to the chief Sima. Why did Ashina commit suicide suddenly? Are all the guards in the prison dead? Also, has the letter sent by Feige to Yanmen Pass been delivered? Has General Yan gone to Yuyang?"

The messenger was so enraged by his question, he didn't know where to start, and was about to be angered by Su Yan for no reason, when he suddenly caught a glimpse of a person walking outside the school grounds, and stood up straight as if seeing a savior: "Your Highness the Sixth!"

Su Yan suddenly turned from cloudy to clear, and immediately ignored the messenger, and went straight to Xiao Qichen who had just arrived: "I thought you didn't want to come here."

"How could it be? Anyway, I have to come to say goodbye." Xiao Qichen looked as if he had just been bumped all the way from Taicheng by car, and for other reasons, his face was very ugly, so he forced a smile.

This time Xiao Qiyu joined the army, he was worried, the situation was special, he didn't have time to tell Su Yanduo, seeing the cavalry of the Xiao cavalry guards lined up behind him, Xiao Qichen had the idea of ​​"rushing for time" for the first time.His hand hooked Su Yan's little finger quickly, and he raised his head slightly, looking close but not too ambiguous.

"I'll be waiting for you to come back in Jinling. Swords have no eyes on the battlefield, so be careful." Xiao Qichen's eyebrows and eyes curved, "Don't get broken or injured when you come back, you have to have a whole tail."

Su Yan scratched Xiao Qichen's nose: "Just say bad things, don't worry, I have my sense of proportion."

Seeing that he was about to leave, Xiao Qichen quickly grabbed Su Yan's wrist, and finally couldn't help but said: "Xiao Qiyu...he...doesn't know what he's planning, you have to be more careful."

Su Yan nodded: "Yes."

He turned around and left, and after a few steps, he suddenly turned around and ran to Xiao Qichen's side again, as if he had forgotten to bring something important.Su Yan touched his waist, took out something and spread his hands towards Xiao Qichen: "Leave this for you to see things and think about people - in fact, purses are not that ugly."

Xiao Qichen glanced at him, and was about to tease him, Su Yan said affectionately: "Achen, I promise you. After this triumphant return, I... I won't go to the north."

A man who was born for the battlefield, gave him a handkerchief, and said he would never go to the front again, because Xiao Qichen once asked him, "Can you stay in Jinling for a little longer?" Amidst the dust flying in the school field and the bustling voices of soldiers, tears almost filled my eyes.

Xiao Qichen wiped the tip of his nose to suppress his sobs, took the handkerchief and kicked Su Yan with hatred: "It doesn't matter if I tell you where you are going - get out of here."

"Forget it!" Su Yan scratched his head, showed him a very hearty smile, left these nonsensical words, turned his head and ran away.He got on his horse, leaving Xiao Qichen with a sassy figure, and then galloped away into the distance.

It seems that what he is about to go to is not the battlefield of Iron Horse and Glacier, but the spring scenery full of flowers.

The square handkerchief in his hand was no longer what Xiao Qichen secretly took from the Chinese army tent outside Guangwu City. It was brand new and soft, and a small apricot flower quietly bloomed at the corner.

Su Yan left the entire Jiangnan in his hands.

Yuyang County is located in the northern part of Youzhou, five hundred miles away from Yunmen Pass, and is the first county after crossing the Great Wall. The importance of its strategic position is self-evident.Previously, the Turks attacked on New Year's Eve when Liang Jun's guards were weak, and forced to take down Yunmen Pass. Liang Jun was forced to retreat and suffered heavy losses.

The main force of the foreign army in Youzhou was almost completely wiped out in the previous great victory in the north. This time, more than half of the defenders defending against the invasion were lost, including the 2000 people who were left in Youzhou by Su Yan.

After Yan Nandu arrived, he first reorganized the remnant soldiers with Fang Zhi, and Jinling quickly sent back the battle report. Not long after, reinforcements from Bingzhou and Yinzhou foreign troops came back faster than Shen Chengjun.None of them had time to mourn the death of General Jin Yi, even Zhang Li, who had been guarding the Central Plains for several years, came with Su Yan.

Su Yan got off his horse, looked suspiciously at the soldiers in the circle behind, and asked the people beside him, "What's the matter over there?"

Zhang Li showed a very disdainful expression: "Master Zhao has never experienced such a rapid march. He was not acclimatized, so he vomited all the way." The contempt in his words could not be more obvious.

Su Yan pursed his lips when he heard the words, as if he had expected it: "I hope this prince will hold on, and don't become a drag."

Fortunately, the weak Xiao Qiyu didn't hear Su Yan's rebellious remarks, and was supported by several soldiers to rest, otherwise there might be another bloody outbreak.

Su Yan walked non-stop all the way to the government office of Yuyang County Governor.This place has been requisitioned by them as a temporary command point. The terrain around Yuyang is flat and not suitable for camping. Only trapped in this city, if the follow-up reinforcements cannot keep up, it will easily be surrounded and become an isolated city.

Su Yan pushed the door open and entered, and the people in the courtyard saw him and immediately stood up straight: "Young Master... No, Commander, you are here!"

"You're welcome." Su Yan didn't even bother to drink water, and called Shen Chengjun. They stood together, and he sighed, "I heard what happened along the way, so I'll do it for the generals and lieutenants. A brief report. Last July, our army defeated the Turks outside Yunmen Pass, captured Ashina alive, and then Huyantu sued for peace, everyone knows."

Shen Chengjun took over the conversation: "After escorting Ashina back to Jinling, we didn't torture him very harshly because he was a general of the enemy army—anyway, their military secrets were stolen from our beams, so it's not worth mentioning. Half a year Since then, the Turks have kept themselves safe. They offered a lot of jewelry, cattle and sheep years ago. Everyone thought that it was only a matter of time before Huyantu became a vassal. If he became a vassal, Ashina would definitely be sent back to the Turks...so the guards were not as strict as before. gone."

Su Yan frowned and said, "But how he committed suicide is still unknown. I suspect that there are Turkic spies in Jinling City. Fei Ge sent a letter to the Sixth Highness to investigate. He will send a letter immediately if there is any progress."

"It's better that the spy is not in the court." Fang Zhi said sadly, his expression seemed to be in imminent disaster, "Otherwise, military secrets may be leaked... Reminiscent of the fact that the Turks attacked Guangwu City fiercely just after the commander-in-chief was given the tiger talisman, carefully Thinking about it carefully, I’m about to break out in a cold sweat.”

Nanliang and Turks have been at odds for a long time, but the two sides have tacitly never used any subtle operations. Even if they did, it would be impossible to sneak into Jinling City.Su Yan suddenly thought as if he had just woken up from a dream, after a long time, he never thought that he could still be like this!

"Zhang Li!" Su Yan raised his voice, forgetting his usual honorific title, "Quickly write a letter to Lord Sikong... Tell him to secretly investigate every court official... Don't let any one go!"

Zhang Li got the order, turned around with great mobility and went to write a letter.The rest of the people looked at each other, as if they couldn't believe that the barbarians who drank blood on the grassland would play tricks—their impression of the Turks still remained in the past when the two armies provoked each other in front of the battle, and the other side only greeted the eighteenth generation of their ancestors.

Su Yan read the shock from their faces, squeezed the center of his brows, and said: "It was my negligence. I forgot what Huyantu said and stayed in Jinling for ten years. , Wang Ting must have changed a lot, and we can no longer use past experience to deal with him."

Shen Chengjun said: "This time Huyantu's personal conquest, do we need more reinforcements?"

"I now suspect that he was pretending to be defeated before... I hope I was thinking too much, and don't ask His Majesty for troops unless it is a last resort. This time I asked him to return the tiger talisman, and His Majesty's face will be worn to him with me. It's like a cuckold." Su Yan rarely complained about his personal emotions.

The whole room roared with laughter, and the serious atmosphere eased a bit, only Yan Nandu thought: "You got the old emperor's son, it seems similar to putting a green hat on him, right?"

As soon as Su Yan arrived, the remnants guarding Yuyang seemed to have suddenly found their backbone, and they moved extremely quickly.The governor of Yuyang gave his full support and provided the soldiers with a good meal at their own expense. The innocent people had already been notified that they would close their doors and never show up again. The entire city of Yuyang was under martial law, only waiting for Su Yan's order.

Three days later, the scouts reported: "The Turkic army has about 2 troops. Huyantu leads the army himself. Ashina's son Ashina Wushan also goes with him. The rest of the generals are all from our army who have dealt with them before."

After wearing the armor, Su Yan left the sheriff's mansion with his helmet in his arms: "How many siege engines and trebuchets are there?"

The scout said: "Ten siege engines, about twenty catapults, in addition to archers, cavalry and spearmen."

Su Yan raised his eyebrows: "It's very similar to the formation of our army. It seems that Huyantu is planning to head-to-head...Purge the three armies, change the formation, let General Yan be the vanguard, and take down their catapults first!"

The scout said "yes", turned and ran away.The county guard personally led Jingfan for Su Yan. As a good horse, Jingfan has followed Su Yan for almost ten years, and now he has traveled thousands of miles without showing signs of fatigue. He gently stroked Jingfan's cheek.

"Thanks to you all these years," Su Yan said softly, "This battle is won, let's go back to Jinling for the summer."

A few steps away, Yan Nandu was wearing iron armor, and said to Su Yan: "Commander, you are ready to send troops at any time."

Su Yan nodded at him, got on his horse and galloped away, walking at the forefront of the army.Shen Chengjun and Yan Nandu who were behind each exchanged a look, and the nervousness disappeared, as if this young man who was younger than them was very reliable, following him, no matter how difficult it was, he would always win in the end.

The gate of Yuyang city was opened, and outside the city was a vast expanse of yellow land. Before winter, the sky was full of flying sand and rocks, which seemed a bit of the vastness and danger of the Western Regions.

The two armies confronted each other, and Su Yan finally saw Huyantu from afar——

The last time we met was at the ceremony where the Turkic hostage entered Jinling, Huyantu was a prisoner, and Su Yan was also a boy with a short stature, and each of them had vague memories of each other; but this time, after 18 years, Su Yan has He grew up to be a young general capable of acting on his own, and finally saw the face of the enemy clearly.

He was not born viciously, there seemed to be a bit of Han blood between his brows, and he was born more gracefully than those subordinates with thick, tall nose and deep eyes, but he was very hostile, and he wished he could take form and directly pierce Su Yan's spine.

The north wind suddenly swayed violently, and the Su character flag made the sound of being about to be blown apart in the wind.

"Crane wings outflank." Su Yan confessed to Yan Nandu, "He must have saved a hand - this battle is not forced to win, the priority is to weaken his strength, we are at a disadvantage."

The military drums were played in unison, and the shouts of killing from both sides shook the world in an instant.