red cliff top

"What else is there?" King Jin's tone was neither urgent nor slow, and his expression was calm, but the big hand on the edge of the tub unconsciously clenched a little bit.Today's Jinyuan is full of wars and wars, and every sudden news can never be good news.

The subordinate "Gulu" who was in charge of delivering the order swallowed and said, "It's... Princess Crimson..."

"Huh..." King Jin let out a long breath, his anxiety turned into helplessness, "Why, but that girl got into trouble again?"

Across a screen, the subordinates had no way of guessing the master's intentions, so they had no choice but to bite the bullet and report the truth: "I heard that Jiazhou was besieged, and the princess ordered Sun Changshi to dispatch a team of soldiers and horses to help. On the order, Master Chang Shi did not dare to act recklessly, and the princess was very annoyed after being rejected, so he said to Lord Chang Shi... said..."

The faltering and hemming of a sentence was really annoying, and he couldn't bear to meditate, and he couldn't enjoy the leisure, so he simply got up and pulled a plain white jacket, walked to the desk, opened the map and studied it carefully.Jiazhou is just a small county in the northwestern border of Jinyuan. The county has continuous hills, a population of less than [-] households, and only a thousand guards. Once Jiazhou falls, it will be difficult to preserve Wuzhou and Shenmu Fort on its north and south wings. Hulu is a determined person, for the sake of the overall situation, he will not retreat easily, with few soldiers and few generals, and besieged in a lonely city, he is afraid that bad luck will happen...

How could King Jin fail to see through Shen Si's thoughts? He picked up a dry cloth and walked behind Shen Si to help wipe his wet hair, while urging his subordinates: "Just keep talking!"

After a moment of silence, the man plucked up his courage and said: "The princess said...she and Jin Fulu have made a private decision for life, and they have lived together as husband and wife. If Mr. Chang Shi can't rescue Jin Fulu safely, she...she..." The man's voice became smaller and smaller, "The child in her womb will have no father when it is born... Lord Changshi is well aware of the importance of the matter, and he dare not lie to the prince, so he came here..."

"Nonsense!" King Jin slapped the table with his palm, shaking the cups and cups, "It's absolutely lawless!"

These words made Shen Si's frowning eyebrows to relax for a while, and he imagined in his mind the cute and naive appearance of the princess editor who thought he was shrewd but full of flaws when he was telling nonsense, he couldn't help but burst out laughing .

Seeing a little smile on Shen Si's face, most of King Jin's anger also vented, he first gave Shen Si a false look, and then ordered angrily: "Forget it, tell Sun Changshi immediately, and say The princess lost her mind due to hysteria, so she had to be confined in the mansion and strictly guarded. Also, that girl is very thief, in order to prevent her from sneaking out with tricks, even the doors and windows were sealed, and the cost of food and clothing was very high. Just send it in on a regular basis every day!"

After dismissing his subordinates, King Jin shook his head with a wry smile: "Oh... I really can't help it."

Pensive and mischievous: "Isn't it 'the fault of not raising the godfather'?"

King Jin continued to help Shen Si wipe away the dripping water stains on the tip of her hair: "You still have the guts to talk? If you hadn't picked up a golden gourd and a silver gourd on the street, you wouldn't have attracted Crazy Crazy to talk nonsense. It's true that being a father is at fault, but you, the 'yi brother', are also to blame!"

Speaking of the golden gourd, his pensive face gradually became serious again: "Shou Zhi, what are your plans?"

King Jin narrowed his phoenix eyes, and was silent for a while.For more than half a year, there have been constant turmoil at home and abroad. Not only the imperial army is aggressive, but now it is being invaded by Tatars. Destroyed, there is no chance of winning anyway.Even if there are three months that Shen Si painstakingly earned by risking his life, if he can't completely get rid of the predicament within these three months, it will still be a dead game in front of him.

Not long after, all the generals in the army gathered in the big tent for discussion. Yulin Guard has been broken, and Jiazhou has fallen. Everyone is aware of the critical situation.

Some people suggested simply helping the Tatars and allowing them to go south and invade the Central Plains smoothly, so that the court would be overwhelmed, and the Jin army could take this opportunity to recuperate. He promised that if the Tatars captured the Great Zhou Dynasty in the future, King Jin would share the East and West with the Tatar Khan.However, more people are not willing to serve the Tatars in a small way, bow their heads and ears, and the Great Zhou Dynasty is a state. Every city, pond, grass, and tree are the inheritance left by their ancestors. How can they do it as a child of the Han family? Is there such a thing as betraying the ancestors and abandoning the ancestors?

But these righteous indignations gathered in the bottom of my heart were crushed by reason. Everyone knows that for the Jin army today, unless the Tatar invasion can be defeated in one fell swoop, once the war falls into a stalemate, there is no need to wait for the court to take action. , they themselves will be dragged down by themselves first.These soldiers also have fathers, brothers, wives, daughters, sons and nephews. They are not afraid of bloody battlefields and corpses shrouded in horse leather.

The candles were brightly lit, illuminating the inside of the tent as if it were daytime, but everyone's faces were clearly shrouded in a layer of gloom.There are endless debates, angry, irritable, silent, clumsy, negative, numb, you come and I chatter, everyone is trying to convince others, but in fact they are convincing themselves.Occasionally, one or two barn owls' shrill calls came from behind the camp, echoing in the valleys on both sides, adding a lot of sadness for no reason.

Sitting under King Jin's head, Shen Si could see King Jin's side face just by raising his eyes. Through that expressionless, calm face, he could clearly guess what King Jin was thinking.After all, they all have the same pride and long-cherished ambitions, and they have all experienced the same military youth.Ride on my Dawan horse, caress my fragile bow, cross the nine fields with a long sword, and sweep the sky with a high crown... In the final analysis, this war started because of him. Already, in private, he is the brother of the golden gourd. If his brother is in trouble, he should go forward indomitable, not to mention being able to fight the Tatars on the battlefield is also a joy for him. There is a flame in his heart, never went out.

Shen Si gently closed her eyes and forced herself to calm down. Gradually, the noisy voices around her disappeared, as did the people with different attitudes.He seems to have returned to more than ten years ago, when he was still a child, he was led by his brothers to stand on the sidelines of the smoky school field to watch the Shen family army practice the battle formation. It was the clacking sound of armor colliding with each other.He vaguely heard his father teaching his brothers again: "In any battle, use force for a long time, use energy to win, unite the army and gather the crowd, the task is to stimulate the energy, if the energy is strong, fight, and if the energy is captured, go away..."

That's right, the soldiers in front of the two armies were able to sacrifice their lives and fight the enemy bravely, relying on this "morale". If the "morale" is gone, they will surely lose. It is the word "morale".

Through a void, he asked his father, "Dad, where does morale come from?"

My father followed the instructions carefully and said: "The period of being handsome is like climbing a height and leaving the ladder, burning the boat and breaking the cauldron, throwing it into danger, putting it in a dead place and then surviving, and being trapped in a dead place and then reborn."

Yes, it's time to burn the boat and break the cauldron, and there are some things that must be done by him.

Opening his eyes again, Shen Si had already made up his mind, he cleared his throat, and said loudly: "Everyone, Shen Si is taking the liberty..."

In an instant, everyone's gazes were cast on him. There were doubts, expectations, admiration, and resistance in those gazes. Of course, there was also a gaze full of affection and love, which fell on his face without any concealment. It was hot and straight. Warm to my heart.

Shen Si stood up and said calmly: "March and fight, fight at one blow, then decline again, and exhaust three times. Looking ahead and looking back will only delay the opportunity to destroy morale. For the current plan, we should send troops quickly by surprise, defeat the Tatars and take back Jiazhou in one fell swoop. Not only can it inspire the morale of the army, but it can also intimidate the whole court."

Before the words fell, someone murmured in a low voice: "Speaking lightly, it's easier said than done..."

Zhan Shitai, who has always been upright and frank, took advantage of the situation and said: "The general agrees with the young master's idea, but this move is too risky. Our soldiers are exhausted from fighting for several months, and they have no advantage against the elite Tatar cavalry. It’s all right if you can succeed in a rash attack, but if you fail, not to mention the loss of soldiers and generals, it will also lead to an even more frenzied counterattack by the Tatars.

The rest of the people echoed: "That's right, why don't we want to have a quick fight? However, there is no certainty of victory, who dares to take on such a heavy responsibility?"

"I dare!" Without waiting for others to raise doubts, Shen Si has already launched a heavy move, "I would like to issue a military order, written in black and white, and the military law is above. After thinking about it, I will take back Jiazhou within half a month. If you break your promise, come and see me!"

All of a sudden, there was silence in the big tent, and everyone was secretly peeping at King Jin's expression. Normally, King Jin was going to speak out to stop him, but after waiting for a long time, King Jin didn't respond at all.

How much weight Mr. Shen holds in the heart of the King of Jin is seen by everyone in the Jin army. Mr. Shen's words are the words of the prince, what Mr. Shen does is what the prince does, and Mr. Shen's life is the life of the prince. , Now that Shen Si is using his own head to issue a military order, it is tantamount to King Jin putting his life on this battle. Even if the monarch is like this, as a subject, how can there be any reason to shrink back?

After a while, all the generals present stood up and cupped their hands: "The last general is willing to help Mr. Shen! The last general is willing to listen to the command of the young master! The last general is willing to serve as the vanguard!"

Only then did Shen Si turn his head to look at King Jin, and it happened that King Jin was also looking at him, their eyes intersected, and the two smiled. At this moment, there is me in you, and you in me, so that you can rest easy and I will be safe and happy ...It's just that behind this smile, there are all kinds of difficulties, the ups and downs in it, which are not enough to explain to others...

The discussion didn't come to an end until early in the morning, and it was too late to be more tender, so he gathered his men and horses and hurried on the road after thinking about it.

After leaving Jiezhou, the team traveled day and night at high speed, and arrived at Fenyang Mansion in only three days. After making some corrections, they headed all the way to Yongning.They kept inquiring about Jiazhou along the way, but the results they got were the same as what they heard in Jiezhou. Everyone knew that the Tatars had come and Jiazhou had fallen, but from the beginning to the end, there was no news. People have seen every soldier who escaped from Jiazhou.

Shen Si is still unwilling to believe that the entire army of Jiazhou has been wiped out, and there is still a trace of luck in his heart. He remembers that he told Jin Hulu the story of the Han general Zhao Ponu.Zhao Ponu is Huo Qubing's Eagle Strike General. He was defeated and captured in an ambush against King Zuo Xian of the Huns. However, he did not commit suicide because of this. Instead, he spent three years and successfully escaped from the Huns. big man.He is a man who is able to bend and stretch, and does not judge a hero by momentary success or failure. He hopes that Jin Hulu will remember this story, and that Jin Hulu will also try his best to save his life like Zhao Puonu.

At night, when the team arrived in Lin County, the sergeant who opened the way ahead suddenly reported that they met a young man on the way, claiming to be the defender of Jiazhou, and wanted to see Mr. Shen.The guard beside him was suspicious of deceit, and was about to speak out to stop him, but Shen Si waved his hand to stop him.

Soon, a young man was brought to the pensive horse. He looked only fifteen or sixteen years old. His childish face was covered with dirt and blood, so dirty that he couldn't tell his true face. Behind the young man was carrying a gigantic His luggage looked so heavy that his back was bent all the time.Seeing Shen Si, the young man fell to his knees with a "plop", and asked timidly, "Dare to ask... Are you Mr. Shen Si Shen?" Defender Liu Xiaogou, pay your respects to Young Master."

"How did you know that there is Mr. Shen in this army?" Shen Si raised his eyelids slightly, and scanned the battle flags standing in front of the team, but his name was not printed on them.

The young man bravely looked at Shensi: "Yes... Brother Jin told the villain, he said that Mr. Shen has a handsome shoulder, a handsome appearance, long and powerful arms, and can draw a strong bow. The young master's mount is black and shiny. Treading snow with hooves is a good BMW horse that can't be found in the entire Jinyuan. According to the villain, it should be you... Brother Jin also said that if Jiazhou falls, the young master will personally lead the army to recover the lost land , so he ordered the villain to wait here."

"Brother Jin you are talking about is Jin Duoshou, the guard of Jiazhou?" Shen Si got off his horse with a "swish", and walked a few steps in front of a boy named Liu Xiaogou, pulling him up, "Then where is he?" Where? Is it safe?"

The young man pursed his lips tightly, tears streaming down his cheeks, and two muddy ditches formed on his cheeks: "Brother Jin and more than a thousand soldiers from Jiazhou died in the city, and I was the only one who escaped alive. That day the torrential rain poured down the mountains in the west of the city. Brother Jin decided to lead his men to raid the enemy camp and fight to the death. People, thousands of corpses were piled on the river beach outside the city, and they were set on fire for a day and a night."

Bursting with sadness, Shen Si scolded softly: "Confused! Since there is still a glimmer of life left, why don't we escape together!"

The young man choked with sobs: "Brother Jin said he can't leave, the city is alive and the people are there, and the city is destroyed. If he can last one more month, Jinyuan will be safe for one month. If he can last one more day, Jinyuan will be safe. One day, even if it's just for a moment, just for a moment, you must stick to it to the end, so that you can not insult the duty of a soldier, and live up to your son's teachings."

Hearing this, the crowd gradually heard the sound of sobbing.Shen Si frowned forcefully, holding back the moisture in his eyes: "Then he ordered you to come here..."

The young man hastily raised his sleeve and wiped his eyes, then unloaded the bag awkwardly, found a crumpled piece of paper and a sheepskin wine bag, and held it in front of Shensi with both hands: "Brother Jin said that he has lived in this life. The most admired and grateful person is Young Master, Young Master not only taught him the ability to save his life, but also taught him how to behave. He said he would like to thank Young Master for inviting him to drink, and thank Young Master for giving him a title."

Hesitation hesitantly took the things in his hand, the wine bag was old, and the pressed patterns on it had long been worn out, it was the first time Ning Cheng saw it at his feet, he was about to choke to death when he saw the golden gourd stealing dried meat, so he kindly lent it to him. The golden gourd, and in the end, because of this bond, the street reunion in Jinyang City was attracted.The piece of paper is mottled and mottled, it has turned yellow when unfolded, and two lines of small characters can be vaguely seen on it, Jin Fulu, Jin Duoshou, that is the name he specially helped to change when he knew that Jin Hulu was determined to be a general. Practicing calligraphy, so every stroke seems to be too hard and clumsy, even so, the golden gourd is still taken by my side like a treasure for many years.Princes and generals like Xiang Ning, Jin Hulu said that he would use such a famous name to make a career.

Shen Si sighed heavily, carefully put away the relics of the golden gourd, and asked the young man again: "Little brother, what are your plans for the future? If you want, I can write a letter to Mr. Chang Shisun to help you in Jin Dynasty." Some errand..."

"Young Master's kindness is appreciated." The young man bowed respectfully and deeply, and then carried his huge luggage again, "On the day Brother Jin ordered me to escape, all the soldiers in Jiazhou were ready to die. Those who could write left suicide notes to their families, and those who could not write also left tokens, such as a corner of their clothes, a lock of temple hair, or a few taels of silver. There are a total of 730 brothers. I want one One will send them all back to their hometown. People are dead, and their bones cannot be buried in the ground. This is everyone's last thought."

Shen Si patted the boy on the shoulder: "Don't worry, I will use the blood of the Tatars to honor the souls of all the dead brothers in Jiazhou!"