The devil is coming

Chapter 119
"Sit down and drink tea."
"Yes, Lord Hou."
Zheng Fan sat down on the chair, but did not pick up the tea cup.
"The Longjing produced in Qian Country is top quality."
Zheng Fan shook his head and said:
"Master Hou, drinking tea right after eating can easily hurt your stomach."
"Oh, is it?"
Marquis Jingnan put down the tea cup in his hand.
Road:
"Since you have joined the army, you still care about keeping fit?"
"Returning to the Marquis, I joined the army so that I, Dayan, can expand my territory and maintain my health. I want to see more of the prosperity of my country, Dayan, after I expand my territory."
"Printing ink for me."
"Honestly obey orders."
"I want to write a letter to Wei Zhonghe. The Chief of Ceremony lacks talents like you."
"..." Zheng Fan.
Seeing Zheng Fan's embarrassment, Marquis Jingnan waved his hand and said:
"Sit down, it's okay. Being able to speak nice words is also a skill. Besides, in terms of your horsemanship and your ability to lead troops, you, Zheng Shoubei, are no worse than others."
"Your Majesty, you are so complimentary. I still have a lot to learn from you, Your Majesty."
"Chen Daxia is a knight-errant swordsman in the Qian Kingdom. It is said in the world that he is a born swordsman. He taught himself how to practice swordsmanship. When he became an adult, he visited the Sword Pavilion of the Jin State and visited the Daze Sword Tomb of the Chu State.
His own cultivation level is probably above the sixth level. After this person took you hostage, he went straight to Cuiliu Fort, but was repulsed by the barbarian cavalry in your fort.
I am very curious, why does he want to go to Cuiliu Castle with you? "
"Master Marquis, my subordinates have investigated this matter thoroughly and reported it to the Secret Intelligence Department yesterday."
"I have seen it. What I don't understand is that he actually accompanied you to Cuiliu Castle without killing you."
Zheng Fan hesitated for a moment.
replied:
"As for the Marquis, he is stupid."
"Why?"
Zheng Fan pointed at his forehead,
Road:
"That hero, there is a problem here."
"You don't understand the ways of the world, are you naive?"
"Master Hou hit the nail on the head."
Zheng Fan, who learned the art of flattery from practice with the blind man and the others every day, was often so familiar with it in situations where he really needed to use it.
"It seems that he is really a sword fanatic."
"Yes, Lord Marquis, otherwise I would not be able to see Lord Marquis today."
"You must also know the identities of the other two groups of assassins?"
"I understand, the Sixth Prince has arranged a contact person in the Beizhibao Stronghold."
Marquis Jingnan was not very sensitive about this. Zheng Fan said it openly and Marquis Jingnan listened as if nothing happened.
"Isn't the relationship between you and Xu Wenzu the same in Hutou City?"
"We are strangers in a foreign land. When someone comes from my hometown, I just want to welcome them."
"We are strangers in a foreign land. This sounds good, but I don't believe it."
"The Marquis is wise. When Beizhi heard that Mr. Xu had become Beizhi's immediate boss, Beizhi was so frightened that he hurried to the inn in advance to wait to plead guilty."
"Haha, that's enough. You will go to the capital with me in three days. You can go back and recuperate."
"Follow your orders!"
"By the way, let me tell you something for Xu Wenzu. Three days later, on the day when I enter the capital, the Jingnan Army will withdraw from Nanwang City."
"I understand my humble position."
Zheng Fan walked out of the house, and Du Juan followed him and said to Zheng Fan:
"Master Zheng, just come at noon in three days."
"Thank you, Sister Dujuan, for reminding me."
The cuckoo returned to the house again,
"he's gone?"
"Let's go, Lord Marquis."
"Ah."
"Master Hou, this Lord Zheng Shoubei is really interesting and thoughtful."
"Are you giving him eye drops?"
"Sir, although the slave family has followed you, the slave family cannot be a female celebrity. The slave family can do it, and this is the only skill learned from the secret agent."
Marquis Jingnan picked up the tea cup.
took a sip of tea,
Slowly said:
"A pool of stagnant water is naturally pure and clear; a large river does not reject sediment."
……
After leaving the house where Marquis Jingnan lived, Zheng Fan and A Ming walked towards the General Military Mansion together.
The General Military Mansion was still the same General Military Mansion. Many people had died just over a month ago, but Xu Wenzu still checked in by name.
Perhaps what Xu Wenzu wanted was to convey his attitude in this way, but it was obvious from the deserted entrance to the General Military Mansion that
The real talker in this city now is the Marquis.
Xu Wenzu had been waiting for Zheng Fan for a long time, and also learned from Liang Cheng that Zheng Fan had come to see him today at the request of Marquis Jingnan.
After Zheng Fan arrived, Xu Wenzu immediately invited Zheng Fan into his study.
The study seemed a little empty, and the desk seemed a little messy.
Xu Wenzu did not call for tea, but slammed the door shut, then lifted the inkstone and other objects on the table and smashed it to the ground.
Roared three times:
"How can this not make sense! How can't this make sense! How can't this make sense!"
Zheng Fan stood aside silently, watching Xu Wenzu act.
After smashing things, Xu Wenzu went to the bookshelf and took out a box. After opening it, he took a piece of persimmon cake from it and handed it to Zheng Fan.
"Eat, I brought this from the north."
The persimmon cake is also spread with honey.
Zheng Fan reached out to take it, took a bite, and said while chewing:
"Jingnan Marquis asked me to bring you a message, Your Excellency."
"Tell me, Mr. Jingnan Marquis, what are your orders?"
"Cough cough..."
Zheng Fan coughed a few times, and without being polite, he found a chair and sat down. Xu Wenzu knew that he was injured, so he took the initiative to pull a chair over and sit down next to Zheng Fan.
"The Marquis of Jingnan said that he will enter the capital in three days, and on that day, the Jingnan army will also withdraw from Nanwang City."
"Huh..." Xu Wenzu breathed a long sigh of relief.
Obviously, these words relieved him of a lot of pressure.
The previous one died inexplicably, and there was an assassination incident at the funeral. He was also robbed and killed on his way to his post. After entering Nanwang City, everything in the city was decided by Jingnan Marquis. He, the commander-in-chief, was just a decoration. .
Now, after the Jingnan Army withdraws from Nanwang City, he can finally take back part of his own authority.
"Besides, the Marquis said he would take me to Beijing with him."
"Take you to Beijing with me?"
"Yes."
"Right now, the capital is a place of disputes. Above the court, there is war and peace, and there is a lot of trouble. You are just a guard, but you have caused so many troubles. After entering the capital, someone will definitely make trouble for you."
When Zaifu's alma mater was destroyed by him, could this be a big trouble?
"It's okay. Since Marquis Jingnan wants to take me to Beijing with him, there's no way he can watch me get killed by them."
"You boy."
Xu Wenzu reached out and patted Zheng Fan on the shoulder.
Yesterday, after Xu Wenzu learned about Zheng Fan's awakening, he went to Cuiliu Fort and knelt down to Zheng Fan. After kneeling down, the two agreed to call each other "brothers" from now on.
Therefore, Zheng Fan can now relax a little in front of Comrade Shenhai.
This is Nanwang City, not Hutou City after all.
To put it nicely, my revolutionary friendship with Comrade Shenhai has been further deepened. To put it more realistically, Xu Wenzu is no longer the requisitionist who can overpower the county magistrate in Hutou City with one word, even though he has a high official position. , but the right to speak is much smaller.
Furthermore, he, Zheng Fan, also boarded the Marquis of Jingnan's ship.
"Because Marquis Jingnan is not hereditary, his background is indeed much different from that of our Zhenbei Marquis Mansion. However, this generation of Marquis Jingnan is the empress's younger brother and the future prince's uncle. He himself is more appreciated by His Majesty. , if you can get his favor now, the future will be limitless."
"Brother, are you testing me?"
"Hey, this is not a temptation. I have nothing to hide from you. Come and see these."
Xu Wenzu took the initiative to pull Zheng Fan up to his desk.
"Look at these, these, and these."
"Are they all official documents for building the fort?"
"Yes, the Ministry of Works sent it to me, and the official documents from the Ministry of Personnel and the Ministry of War are below."
"Oh."
"It seems like I already knew this?"
Zheng Fan wanted to ask what he knew, but he still responded thoughtfully.
"That's right. You must have waited for me at the inn early that day just to tell me this."
Zheng Fan continued to ponder and nodded slightly.
Comrade Deep Sea, please continue your imagination.
"Brother, I came and went in a hurry yesterday. I saw that you had just woken up, and I was too embarrassed to talk to you about official matters. In fact, I was originally puzzled about the sudden transfer to the south as the chief military officer. I thought for a while that the imperial court saw through my disguise and deliberately Transfer me away from Beifeng County.
But it wasn’t until I saw these official documents that I realized that this battle would probably not be fought. "
Because the imperial court was not preparing to go to war with the Zhenbei Army, it instead began to waste materials and energy on building a new city in Xinbaozhai in southern Xinjiang.
Even if it is said that they are worried that the Qian people will make another northern expedition after the outbreak of the civil war in Yan, and they want to be cautious in advance, it is completely unreasonable, because the fortresses and cities of the Yan people are not used for defense.
The theme of the Yan army has always been offensive, relying on the iron cavalry that the Yan people are most proud of to defeat the enemy on the battlefield, instead of huddled in the fort and playing a war of attrition with the Qian people.
To be more realistic, Yan State really can't afford this kind of war of attrition.
"The construction of these forts and cities is preparation." Zheng Fan said.
"Yes, this is to prepare for receiving more armies and to reserve more food, grass, weapons and other supplies."
In fact, when Qin Shihuang first built something like the Great Wall, he intended to use it as an outpost to actively attack the Xiongnu. However, later generations were a bit useless and slowly turned the Great Wall into a turtle shell. .
"The official documents from the Ministry of Personnel and the Ministry of War have promised me ten garrison positions. Funds and civilians from the Ministry of Industry and the Ministry of Household Affairs will also come after the beginning of spring.
These cannot be faked, and they are not really perfunctory. The only problem is that these official documents are not clearly written. "
The lack of explicit intent means that these official documents seem to be issued by the Ministry of War and Household Affairs and other ministries and yamen, but in fact, these ministries and yamen may not know about it at all.
However, the official documents are signed with the official seal of the Director of Ceremonies and the seal of the Emperor Yan, and the channel for delivery is also the secret spy department. This proves that these official documents and instructions came from the Emperor Yan rather than through consultation with the court ministers. the final result.
How is this the posture of starting a civil war?
This guy is clearly preparing to go south!
Zheng Fan took a deep breath. Blind Beihe's guess was finally verified.
Zhenbeihou and Yanhuang were indeed acting.
Zheng Fan turned to look at Xu Wenzu and said:
"Brother, you should make preparations first, and then you can get down to business after spring begins."
"Do you still need to teach me? Although I, Xu Wenzu, have my heart set on Zhenbei Hou Mansion, I am also a Yan native."
Xu Wenzu was obviously dissatisfied with Zheng Fan's reminder.
Internally, he must be on the side of the Zhenbei Hou Mansion.
But externally,
He must be on Yan Guo's side.
This is the difference between a political stance and a national stance, and the former is inherently subordinate to the latter.
"Actually, to be honest with you, brother, when the princess sent me to the south, I was actually a little confused."
"Yes, at first I thought it was the princess who wanted to leave a way out for the Hou Mansion and let you run it first."
"Oh, I didn't expect that." Zheng Fan shook his head and sighed, "Our Lord Marquis is really broad-minded."
"That's natural. By the way, is that why you got close to Marquis Jingnan?"
"It was our Lord Marquis who greeted Marquis Jingnan."
"No wonder, no wonder."
Zheng Fan really feels that it is so easy to chat with Xu Pangpang. Xu Pangpang's brainstorming ability completely eliminates the need for him to think about anything and make up reasons. He can take the initiative to give it to you.
"Then you took the initiative to go to Qian Country a month ago, too?"
"It's to explore the road." Zheng Fan said seriously, "It's also to find out the reality of Qian Country. Just like what you are doing, brother, you are also preparing for going south.
We are both from the north, and now we have been deployed to the south. This is a signal. It may not take long, at most half a year, and our army to suppress the north will probably come here. "
"Haha, that must be something to cheer up."
Xu Wenzu seemed very excited after being beaten with the blood of his family and country's nationalism.
No matter how mature a bureaucrat or politician is, they cannot avoid the temptation to expand their territory.
Everyone wants to leave a mark in history, and everyone wants to be born in an era of pioneering.
If given the choice, who would want to play office politics with a sullen face all day long?
"By the way, the day I was assassinated...oh no, you know some details about the assassination of you, right?"
"I know, but I still can't figure out who wants to kill me."
"It's very possible that you're just a chess piece, or just a target to hit someone from afar."
"I don't really like that metaphor."
"I can't guess who wants to target you. I can be sure that those assassins really don't want to kill me."
"Ah."
"However, I still cooperated with the Jingnan Marquis to act out our feelings of disharmony. After entering Nanwang City, I have not yet met the Marquis."
"Jingnan Marquis must be aware of it."
"I hope so, but many times, people's minds will actually change, and Marquis Jingnan's position is naturally different from ours."
"Why?"
"Jingnan Hou Tian Wujing is from the Tian family. Although the Tian family is not among the top families in our country, it is still considered the leader among the second-rate families. Ranked among the five top families, it is estimated that the Tian family is not in the position, but if If there are ten people in line, then the Tian family will definitely have a seat at the table. Moreover, the current queen is originally a daughter of the Tian family, and the future prince also has half of the Tian family blood. It can be said that in terms of nobility, the Tian family is undoubtedly the first in the family.
Our Marquis Mansion in the North Town is not very populated, and we, the Marquis, only have one son and one daughter.But the Tian family is a big family and a real powerful family.
You said, His Majesty and our Marquis have engaged in such a big battle, but it doesn't look like they will really fight. So who is their target? "
Xu Pangpang's political sense shocked Zheng Fan.
On the one hand, he had advance spoilers about the Sixth Prince, and on the other hand, he had a blind man analyzing the bug to come to this conclusion, but Xu Wenzu had already begun to see clearly the future development trend.
At this time, the wind seemed to pick up outside, and the study door began to make a slight friction sound.
Xu Wenzu sighed and said:
"The door of my study is so broken. The first day I moved in, I wanted to tear it down."
"Sir, I don't think these are things we need to think about."
He used to call me brother, but now he calls me sir.
"Brother, I don't need to worry about anything. Anyway, I'm in the south, and my family has cut ties with our sect for three generations.
But you are different,
Marquis Jingnan comes to Beijing this time, he really has to..."
Zheng Fan suddenly felt that the weather had cooled down a bit again, probably because he was too weak after being injured.
"Not long ago, the old man of the Tian family celebrated his seventieth birthday, and the Marquis of Jingnan did not return to the capital to celebrate his birthday with him. This time it is the Queen's birthday, but the imperial court issued a decree to allow the Marquis of Jingnan to come to the capital to celebrate his birthday.
Although the empress has a noble status, in terms of human ethics, is there any saying that instead of congratulating one's own father on his birthday, one should specifically congratulate one's own sister on her birthday? "
"um, yes."
"But it's okay. Our Marquis is also in the capital. No matter what happens, our Marquis will protect his family. No matter how much trouble he makes with the Marquis of Jingnan and the Tian family, it has nothing to do with our Zhenbei Marquis Mansion. We Mr. Hou, it is the worst thing to protect your shortcomings."
"That is, that is."
The Marquis of Zhenbei has never seen me, how can he protect me?
"However, the Marquis of Jingnan is really good at managing the army. I checked the files and found no record of the Jingnan army harassing the people in the city after entering the city."
"Maybe it was erased?"
"Words can be erased, but the military discipline of the Jingnan Army is undoubtedly the best among the military disciplines I have seen in half my life."
"Can't even compare to our Zhenbei Army?"
"Our Zhenbei Army ranks first in the discipline of fighting in battle formations. As for the rest, it's not like you haven't seen how ruthlessly our Zhenbei Army plundered the desert barbarian tribes.
This Jingnan Army has seen less blood after all. "
"Too."
After chatting with Xu Wenzu, Zheng Fan walked out of his study with a box of persimmon cakes. After meeting Siniang and the others in the backyard, he got on the carriage and left the General Military Mansion.
On the way back, Zheng Fan told Siniang and the others that he was going to the capital with Marquis Jingnan.
It was different from the reaction Zheng Fan expected.
Siniang didn’t seem to care at all about the risks of entering Beijing.
Women's interests are always so strange.
Siniang actually asked directly:
"So, my lord, I will soon be able to see the little Liuzi you miss so much."
(End of this chapter)