Chapter 99: General Humiliated (2)
2
Although Zhu Qingchen does not know martial arts, he does know some military tactics.
When he was alive, Li Yue was in charge of the "military" and he was in charge of the "law", and they were invincible!
Zhu Qingchen asked Chu Yunyang to take out the "Taibai Yinjing", turn to the part where he had not finished last time, and continue explaining it to him, inserting some allusions from time to time.
Chu Yunyang sat nearby, propped up his head, and listened intently.
When other soldiers came back from patrol and heard Zhu Qingchen telling a story, they couldn't help but stop and surround Zhu Qingchen.
"As the saying goes, 'Water has no constant state, soldiers have no constant shape', the Shu general Guan Yu..." Zhu Qingchen picked up the tea bowl on the table, Chu Yunyang immediately understood and poured tea for the teacher.
Everyone's eyes followed Zhu Qingchen.
I saw him holding the tea bowl, I saw him take a sip of tea, I saw him wipe the corners of his mouth, and finally I heard him say leisurely: "If you want to know what happened next, please listen to the next chapter."
I quit!
Chu Yunyang quits!
Everybody quit!
"Teacher, why don't you say anything? Please finish it. Please."
"Young Master, tell me! What happened to Guan Yu later?"
Just at this time, the servant of the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion came to invite him.
"Young Master, the Duke of Zhenguo and his wife invite you to have dinner at their house."
"Okay." Zhu Qingchen put down the tea bowl and spread his hands helplessly to Chu Yunyang and his group.
There's no way out, he has to leave.
He stood up and tried to leave, but a group of people held his legs tightly: "Young Master!"
Chu Yunyang waved his hand to the attendant: "Let my father and mother wait for a while, Teacher Zhu is giving me a lesson."
The next second, he also lay down and hugged the teacher's legs: "Teacher!"
Zhu Qingchen was unable to move, so he could only ask his attendants to wait for a while, sit down again in his seat, and tell them a story.
"Guan Yu climbed up to a high place and looked north. He saw the turbulent water of Xiangjiang River, and he had a plan in mind..."
Zhu Qingchen spent another stick of incense time telling them the story, and now they could finally leave.
As a result, a group of people surrounded him again: "Young Master, tell me another story, another story!"
"I really can't do it! We'll talk about it next time, tomorrow, tomorrow! I have to go!"
Zhu Qingchen pulled Chu Yunyang and finally squeezed out of the crowd. The servants of the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion hurriedly helped him lead the horse over.
Zhu Qingchen jumped on his horse, patted his horse's butt, and rode away. The military camp was stationed at the border between Daxia and the grasslands. Liangcheng was less than a few miles to the east. The two Duke's Mansions were both in Liangcheng, and they stood together with the people.
Zhu Qingchen dismounted in front of the gate of the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion, handed the reins to the servant, and took Chu Yunyang into the mansion.
In the main hall, the Duke of Zhenguo and his family were already waiting at the dining table.
The Duke of Zhenguo stroked his beard and said, "It must be that little bastard who is pestering the teacher again."
The wife of the Duke of Zhenguo, who was sitting next to him, snorted coldly: "It's time to relax your temper."
Chu Yunyang's brother and sister-in-law were sitting next to him, but they just smiled and said nothing.
The little bastard Chu Yunyang subconsciously hid behind the teacher.
Zhu Qingchen smiled, protected him, and clasped his fists towards the others: "Sorry, sorry, I kept you waiting for so long."
The group quickly stood up and saluted.
He was young, and the Duke Zhenguo and his wife looked at him like a child. They smiled and said, "It's okay, come and sit down. It must be Chu Yunyang who is causing trouble, don't pay any attention to him."
Zhu Qingchen sat down at his seat. The Duke of Zhenguo and his wife added more food to his plate while they kicked Chu Yunyang, "Get lost."
"Oh." Chu Yunyang picked up his bowl and chopsticks, and sat down at the outer edge of the round table to eat with a wronged look on his face.
The Duke of Zhenguo poured a glass of sake for Zhu Qingchen and said shyly, "Young Master, as you know, His Majesty summoned Yun Yang to the capital, and the family prepared some gifts for him to take to the capital."
"But we haven't been back to Beijing for a long time. We don't know the situation in Beijing, and I'm afraid it would be impolite. So after dinner, if you are free, can you help me take a look?"
Seeing his sincerity, Zhu Qingchen quickly responded, "I was just about to talk to you about this."
"oh?"
"I will accompany Yun Yang to Beijing this time." Zhu Qingchen put down his wine glass and said in a firm tone.
The Duke of Zhenguo and his family were a little surprised.
"How can I do this? I have to travel all the way here, and His Majesty hasn't summoned me. What if His Majesty blames me..."
"I have already made up my mind."
Zhu Qingchen turned and looked at the attendant beside him.
The Duke of Zhenguo understood and dismissed everyone else, leaving only his family and Zhu Qingchen behind.
After confirming that there were no outsiders present, Zhu Qingchen said, "You haven't been back to Beijing for many years, so you don't know much about the situation in Beijing. This time Yun Yang was summoned, so I wrote a letter to ask my friends in Beijing."
Zhu Qingchen frowned, shook his head, and said in a heavy tone: "I advise you not to have too much hope in the emperor." "This... this, this, this..." The Duke of Zhenguo was shocked and whispered, "Young Master, don't say this casually."
Zhu Qingchen continued, "The emperor is incompetent and handles state affairs at will."
"Three months ago, I reprimanded Minister Liu, forcing him to retire and return home; two months ago, I beat General Wei with a stick, so that General Wei could no longer ride a horse; a month ago, I went to court and smashed the head of Censor Chen with my seal."
These are the original plots told to him by the system.
Probably to show the emperor's decisiveness in attacking and killing.
Zhu Qingchen just felt a headache. After all, not everyone could become an emperor, but everyone could be beheaded by the emperor.
It was a disaster to meet such a moody emperor.
Zhu Qingchen only told them these things and did not say that the emperor would be attracted to Chu Yunyang.
After all, the thing hasn't happened yet, and no one will believe it if you tell them something that is too unbelievable.
Directing their thoughts toward the emperor's bullying of his courtiers was enough to arouse their vigilance.
Zhu Qingchen continued, "There is already a Zhenguo Duke in the northwest, why did the emperor send me here? The Zhenguo Duke submits memorials every month, why does the emperor want me to submit a memorial every month to explain the situation in the northwest? The emperor has long been wary of the Zhenguo Duke's Mansion."
"Besides, the victory at the beginning of the year was not won by Yun Yang alone. The Duke of Zhenguo and General Chu were the main forces. Why did Your Majesty summon Yun Yang? Is it just to praise him? If it was to praise him, why didn't you summon others as well?"
“The Zhenguo Mansion already has a Zhenguo Duke and a General Chu. His Majesty is afraid. He is afraid that the Zhenguo Mansion will be full of generals, so he deliberately wants to test Yun Yang’s strength, or…”
Zhu Qingchen didn't say anything else.
According to this line of thinking, the emperor would not allow the Zhenguogong Mansion to be filled with heroes and warriors. What Chu Yunyang might face is...
No one dared to think further, but their expressions changed.
Although their family is composed of military commanders, they are not stupid.
Either what Zhu Qingchen said was true, and His Majesty was indeed suspicious, mean, and difficult to get along with, and Chu Yunyang's trip to the capital this time was likely to be dangerous.
Either what Zhu Qingchen said was false, but what was he trying to do?
Is he trying to sow discord between the Zhenguo Mansion and the Emperor? What good would that do him?
Zhu Qingchen saw their concerns and said, "I am the only one in the Duke of Ying's mansion. I am just a civil official who inherited the title by chance. I am powerless. My departure will not have any impact on the military power and war situation in the northwest." "Yun Yang is my student. I will accompany him to the capital out of love. I just hope that you will be more cautious about the capital and don't trust His Majesty's will, especially His Majesty's excuses for delaying Yun Yang's return to the northwest."
"I only need a ten-man personal guard and three reliable goshawks to protect Yun Yang and me and keep us in touch at all times."
The Duke of Zhenguo thought about it carefully and realized that this was indeed the truth.
The young master didn't want much, just ten people and three eagles.
You can't say that he wants to use these things to rebel, right?
The only possibility is that what he said is true.
The emperor really had ill intentions towards their family.
Chu Yunqing slammed the table and said, "If that's the case, Yun Yang might as well not go."
"How can that be possible?" The wife of the Duke of Zhenguo said sternly, "His Majesty summoned me several months ago. If I had found an excuse to decline, it would have been fine. But I will be leaving in the next few days. If I don't go now, it would be a crime of deceiving the emperor."
"Let's say Yun Yang suddenly got seriously ill and was dying. The emperor wouldn't force him to go, would he?"
"This is also a crime of deceiving the emperor. If you are going to act, you have to do it in full. Once Yun Yang starts to pretend to be sick, he has to stay down all the time. When he recovers, he still has to go to the capital."
"Then I'll go for Yun Yang."
"This is still a crime of deceiving the emperor."
At this time, the Duke of Zhenguo said, "We must go. If His Majesty is determined to test our family, if we don't go this time, we will have to go some other time. We can't avoid it even if we go on the first day."
Chu Yunqing said anxiously: "But Yun Yang is so young and his mind is so simple, how can he handle all those twists and turns?"
The Duke of Zhenguo asked back, "If Yun Yang can't handle it, then you can handle it?"
Chu Yunqing choked.
Of course he couldn't do it either, as these two brothers were almost cut from the same mold.
He only knows how to fight wars, but is not good at scheming.
Chu Yunyang, who had been sitting next to him in silence, put down his bowl and chopsticks, stood up, and walked to Zhu Qingchen: "Dad, Mom, brother, I'll go, I'm not afraid!"
The Duke of Zhenguo raised his head and saw that his youngest son was fearless, and also saw that Zhu Qingchen had a frank expression. Although he was unwilling to admit it, he already believed it a little in his heart.
He stood up and bowed deeply to Zhu Qingchen: "Thank you, young master."
"I dare not." Zhu Qingchen quickly stood up and gave him a firm hand.
The Duke of Zhenguo said solemnly: "Don't worry, young master. If it is really as you said, and the emperor holds you and Yun Yang captive, I will definitely..."
He seemed unable to make up his mind.
Yes, he has served the court and the people all his life. How could he open his mouth to say such words if he was suddenly asked to do so?
The Duke of Zhenguo was silent for a long time, and finally said firmly: "I will definitely lead the troops to rescue!"
The Duke of Zhenguo held his hand tightly and said, "The young master risked his life for my son, how can I stay out of it? If...if Your Majesty really...I will!"
He was already incoherent, but his meaning and resolve were clear.
Zhu Qingchen sighed and shook his hand: "I also hope that I am overthinking it."
The Duke of Zhenguo turned around and said to his family, "Young Master kindly reminded me that this concerns the lives of our entire family. Once we get off the table, we will keep today's events to ourselves."
The whole family responded, “Yes.”
Born into a family of military generals, they know the importance of keeping secrets.
If you don't keep your mouth shut, you might lose your head in the next moment.
The Duke of Zhenguo extended his hand to Zhu Qingchen and said, "The gifts are all in the courtyard. I'd like to trouble you to take a look at them for us."
"good."
They were a very honest family. Before Zhu Qingchen exposed their true intentions, they wholeheartedly regarded the emperor as a wise ruler and served him. The gifts they prepared for him piled up into a small mountain.
Gems that are unique to the Northwest, shiny and smooth wolf skins, and various local specialties.
Zhu Qingchen patted a large box of gems and said calmly, "Change it to a smaller wooden box, inlay it with gems on the outside, and you don't have to fill it up with gems inside. Just pick medium-quality gems."
"And we must specifically point out that these are spoils of war seized from the grassland tribes, not specially collected by the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion."
Everyone understood.
It was a sensitive period, and if such a large box of jewels was sent up, the emperor might become suspicious and suspect that their family was amassing wealth. This would increase his suspicion, and Zhu Qingchen and Chu Yunyang would be in greater danger in the capital.
They changed it into an exquisite box and said it was a trophy. This was not only polite, but also showed that the Duke of Zhenguo was loyal to the emperor and patriotic. No matter what they got, they dared not keep it for themselves and presented it all to the emperor.
The wife of the Duke of Zhenguo immediately responded, "Yes, I will arrange for someone to do it right away... Forget it, I will do it myself."
Zhu Qingchen looked at the remaining items again and picked out the good ones.
The dog emperor doesn't deserve such a good thing.
There are some local specialties left, which are not conspicuous and very safe.
"That's all." "Young Master is really meticulous. Thank you very much." Duke Zhenguo breathed a sigh of relief and bowed to him repeatedly. He turned around and kicked his two sons again, "Learn from this."
The family was talking when they suddenly heard the sound of horse hooves outside.
The Duke of Zhenguo fell silent. The brothers Chu Yunqing and Chu Yunyang covered their kicked buttocks and cried out "Ouch, ouch!" There was no flaw at all, just like a family gathered together to play around.
The soldier dismounted in front of the mansion gate and ran quickly to the Duke of Zhenguo and Zhu Qingchen.
"My lords, the spies in Dadu have sent a secret letter."
"Bring it up quickly."
There were thirty-six small tribes on the grassland, most of which surrendered to Yuwen Xianbei and named their country Zhou.
Most of them are their capitals.
Daxia and Northern Zhou had been in conflict for a hundred years, so naturally both countries had spies planted in each other's camps.
The Duke of Zhenguo took the secret letter stuffed in the small bamboo tube. He first confirmed that the bamboo tube was intact and had not been opened by anyone during the journey. Then he took out a dagger and pried open the yellow mud that tightly sealed the bamboo tube.
There was a neatly folded piece of silk in the bamboo tube. The Duke of Zhenguo opened the silk, and the others turned their backs consciously.
Zhu Qingchen didn't need to be shy and just went over to take a look.
There were four small characters on the silk:
The regent inspects the troops.
The Duke of Zhenguo's face changed, and he turned to look at Zhu Qingchen with a shocked look: "The Regent of Northern Zhou..."
Zhu Qingchen didn't quite understand, so he quickly called the system: "System, what's going on? The original book shouldn't have said that when Chu Yunyang went to the capital, the grasslands launched a massive invasion, right?"
If this is true, with powerful enemies outside and a tyrant inside, and being attacked from all sides, how can he fight?
The system flew to his side and introduced: "The old emperor on the grassland died a few years ago, and the princes were still young, so a regent was appointed. It was this regent who later took advantage of the fact that there was no one in the northwest and launched an invasion."
"But the original book did not say that the regent began to recruit troops at this time. At this point in time, the grassland government should be unable to take care of itself."
Zhu Qingchen pondered: "What is the name of this regent?"
The system said: "Yuwen Shu."
Zhu Qingchen seemed to be thinking about something, and said to the Duke of Zhenguo, "It's okay, it shouldn't be a big deal. Burn the silk and strengthen the guard. Don't let outsiders know about it, so as to avoid panic."
*
It would take at least ten days to recruit troops from Dadu and travel day and night to the northwest border.
Zhu Qingchen was teaching Chu Yunyang a lesson on military strategy while waiting for the regent to arrive.
That afternoon, Zhu Qingchen sat under a tree and told stories to the soldiers as usual.
Chu Yunyang added tea for him, another soldier fanned him, and another soldier helped him drive away insects.
The story was just about "The Burning of Red Cliff", and everyone was fascinated.
Suddenly, a burst of urgent trumpet sounds came from the military camp.
Chu Yunyang was the first to react, put down the teapot and stood up.
Then the other soldiers also hurriedly stood up, put on their armor in a hurry, and prepared to assemble.
Chu Yunyang picked up his weapon and said, "Quick, two people will escort Teacher Zhu back to the city. Make sure Teacher Zhu is safe. The rest of you will follow me to check."
But when he turned around, Teacher Zhu had already rushed out.
He found his white horse in the stable, pulled the reins, and jumped on the horse nimbly.
"No..." Chu Yunyang was stunned for a moment, then quickly chased after him, "Teacher!"
Zhu Qingchen hurried to the front line.
The Duke of Zhenguo and Chu Yunqing were dressed in full armor, riding on war horses, leading more than a thousand soldiers, ready to fight at any time.
In front of us is a river formed by the melted snow from the mountains, as well as defensive fortifications such as wooden spikes and tripwires.
On the opposite side were the grassland cavalry, ready to go, numbering about a thousand.
They all rode tall horses, held weapons in their hands, and looked murderous.
Zhu Qingchen rode his horse through the crowd and came to the front.
The Duke of Zhenguo was surprised: "Young Master, why are you here too?"
Zhu Qingchen said: "I came to see someone."
The Duke of Zhenguo reminded him: "If a fight really breaks out later, you should go back quickly. You are not even wearing armor. What if something happens?"
"I know, I'll go back after I finish reading it."
"good."
Soon, the grassland cavalry on the opposite side cut a path in the middle.
A tall man, riding a warhorse, holding the reins, slowly walked up from behind.
Because they were quite far away, Zhu Qingchen couldn't see his face clearly. He could only see his typical nomadic attire.
He was not wearing armor either, but rather his civilian clothes.
Her black hair was loose and slightly curly like a large dog's.
The black wolf skin was completely peeled off and draped over his shoulders. The wolf's head was still on his shoulders, with sharp fangs and a fierce look, as if it were alive.
When it was too hot during the day, he would expose one shoulder and tie the cloak around his waist. When the weather turned cold at night, he would cover himself with the wolfskin completely.
Across the glacier river, Zhu Qingchen met his gaze.
Fierce and vicious, more terrifying than any wild wolves on the grassland.
The Duke of Zhenguo introduced in a low voice: "The Regent of Northern Zhou, Yuwen Shu."
Zhu Qingchen frowned, turned around and waved at Chu Yunyang, wanting him to use the horn to shout to the other side, "I killed pigs in my previous life."
That’s right, it was the secret code he and the villain had agreed upon.
He had some suspicion that the regent was the villain.
But before he could raise his hand, the next moment, the person opposite him made a move.
The Regent also raised his hand.
The Duke of Zhenguo thought that he was going to lead the troops to charge, and his heart was in his throat. He quickly raised his hand to protect Zhu Qingchen behind him, while he himself was ready to lead the troops to fight at any time.
But the next moment, the vicious regent raised his hand and put his fingers to the corner of his lips.
He raised his hand and blew a kiss to Zhu Qingchen. !
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