"If I win the bet, Coach Xiao will agree to one of my requests. How about that?"
Hearing Chang Suining's words, Xiao Min subconsciously wanted to say, "Ms. Chang, if you need my help, just tell me. You can speak up without any gambling." But when the words came to his lips, he followed the girl's words and asked with a smile, "What do you want, Madam Chang?"
Chang Suining pretended to think for a moment and said, "I haven't thought about it yet. Can we wait until I think about it?"
Xiao Min nodded readily. As a girl who always acted with propriety, what tricky requests could she make?
Chang Kuo who was standing aside sighed in his heart - young, or too young.
Coach Xiao, who Chang Kuo considered "too young", smiled and asked, "What if Madam Chang loses the bet?"
"Same reason." Chang Suining said with a smile: "In addition to my official duties, I also agree to a request from Coach Xiao."
Xiao Min couldn't help but ask: "Madam Chang, aren't you afraid that Xiao will make excessive demands?"
After asking this question, Xiao Min was the first to realize the redundancy of this sentence when he saw the father and daughter looking at him with a smile: "..."
If he really dared to make random demands, the person who should be afraid would probably be himself.
Oftentimes, a person's safety and dignity have a lot to do with their sense of boundaries...
The girl's answer gave him a lot of respect: "Since I dare to bet with General Xiao, I believe that General Xiao is a man of principles and bottom line."
"Mrs. Chang, you are too kind..." Xiao Min bitterly crossed out the option "If I win the bet, I might as well ask Mrs. Chang to teach His Royal Highness the late Crown Prince how to use a spear"...
After all, this request was too greedy and too shameless... He couldn't let the girl down.
Alas, having too good an image can sometimes be a problem.
Well, even General Chang found it difficult to comprehend the essence of it, so I guess he doesn’t have the ability to do so.
General Xiao comforted himself and then took the next best option with a good attitude: "If I win the bet, can you please teach me a few sword techniques, Madam Chang?"
In the competition on New Year's Eve, Madam Chang not only displayed her superb spear skills, but her sword skills were also truly eye-catching.
In martial arts, the strong are always respected. Facing such a martial arts genius, Xiao Min has no burden at all.
Chang Suining nodded: "Of course."
Xiao Min was very happy, and he smiled and sighed: "Even if it is for the purpose of improving swordsmanship, I am afraid I will have to burn some incense in secret, hoping that Xu Zhengye will not change his route to Luoyang!"
After a few jokes, they continued to discuss their business matters.
After Xiao Min left, he went to inquire about the repair of the warship.
The deputy general named Dong, who had been following him since he took over the command, couldn't help but ask, "Why did the commander suddenly gather so many warships? Are you planning to attack Xu Zhengye by sea?"
Xiao Min did not comment: "Just be prepared."
Deputy General Dong then asked: "Commander-in-chief, when will we send out our troops to attack? The brothers below are all looking forward to a direct battle with Xu Zhengye and to recapture Yangzhou as soon as possible!"
Xiao Min nodded: "Yes, the morale is very high now, which shows that Madam Chang has done a good job in training and is worthy of the position of head coach."
Deputy General Dong was silent for a moment.
Xiao Min then said, "As for sending troops to attack Xu, we still have to see what General Chang thinks. There is no rush."
Deputy General Dong looked puzzled: "But now morale is high, it is clearly a good time to attack Xu... If we hold back for a while, won't we be giving Xu Zhengye and his men a chance to catch their breath and grow stronger?"
Xiao Min said in a serious tone: "General Chang and General Ning Yuan have repeatedly said that Yangzhou and Jiangning both have natural barriers and are easy to defend but difficult to attack. If we take the initiative to attack, there will be huge casualties... So this matter needs to be considered carefully."
Deputy General Dong said worriedly: "But the court is eager to recapture Yangzhou. If we miss this great opportunity and cause dissatisfaction and suspicion from the court, I'm afraid the saint will still blame you, the commander-in-chief..."
"Let's talk about it when the time comes." Xiao Min sighed, seemingly helpless.
At this moment, a soldier came forward to report, and Xiao Min continued to attend to his official duties. The deputy general Dong stood where he was, saluted, and saw Xiao Min off.
After Xiao Min took a few steps, a hint of vigilant thought flashed in his eyes.
…
On the other side, Yuan Xiang, Chang Ren, Lao Kang and others arrived at Chang Kuo's tent one after another.
All these people were found by Chang Suining.
"I wonder what instructions the lady has?" Chang Ren took the lead to ask.
Chang Suining had just put down the pen she was using to write replies. She had so many letters to write that she could only squeeze out time to do so.
At this moment, she looked at Yuan Xiang, Chang Ren and others and said, "I need you to find some people for me from the nearby states and counties."
The conditions were specified in detail: "There must be street vendors, merchants of all sizes, scholars, county officials, and wealthy people, as well as beggars, refugees, and people who have been left homeless by the war."
"Girl, how do you find it?" Chang Ren asked, "Is it still the old rules?"
Xier looked at her girl hesitantly. It sounded like there were a lot of people, and her sacks might not be enough. Could she use the public account and get some from the military camp warehouse?
"...Not this time." Chang Suining corrected, "You need to ask for it."
Chang Ren and others agreed.
"There is another point to be careful about in screening..." Chang Suining thought for a moment and added: "Among the people, if there are those who are extremely harsh in their temper or like to gossip..."
Yuan Xiang and the others listened very carefully - couldn't such people be wanted? "The more people who meet these conditions, the better." Chang Suining said.
"......?" Everyone reacted for a moment and then answered "yes" in unison.
Chang Suining also gave detailed instructions on some other matters that needed attention, and Chang Ren and others just went down to arrange this matter.
After leaving the tent, the studious Yuanxiang asked Chang Ren in a tone of inquiry: "...Brother Ren, what are the 'old rules' you mentioned just now?"
"Oh, that one." Chang Ren said frankly, "Knock him out, put him in a sack and carry him back."
Yuan Xiang: “…I see.”
Learned something again.
…
Soon, the news that Xu Zhengye had gathered troops from all directions to rush to Yangzhou spread quickly.
There are many rumors that Xu Zhengye's move is to gather all the troops to attack Huainan Road with all his strength. He has been recruiting soldiers all the time, and now has gathered more than 200,000 troops. This move is a sure win.
The news spread throughout the Jiangnan region, and the officials and people in Huainan became even more worried.
Xiao Min came back from outside and found Chang Kuo and his daughter. As soon as he mentioned this matter, he heard Chang Suining, who was writing something at the desk, say, "General Xiao, don't worry. Although it is true that Xu Zhengye has gathered troops, other statements are just rumors."
Xiao Min: "But what if it's true..."
"No." Chang Suining continued writing, "Because I was the one who spread the rumor."
"?" Xiao Min: "Why did Madam Chang do this?"
"To scare myself." Chang Suining paused for a moment, as if he was considering it, then felt dissatisfied and crossed out a line of words.
Xiao Min: ...Spreading rumors to scare yourself? He never questioned Mrs. Chang's mental state. Out of trust, he followed this seemingly absurd line of thought and thought - what are the benefits of doing this? After a moment, Xiao Min's eyes lit up.
"Xiao understands!"
Chang Kuo was standing nearby and saw it clearly.
His Highness speaks and acts in a half-hearted way, not to be mysterious, but to cultivate Xiao Min's sensitivity in dealing with the battle situation.
His Highness has always been very patient when it comes to promising talents. The reason why everyone in the Xuan Ce Mansion was united and loyal in the past was because the people they were loyal to not only loved talents, but also had the desire to cultivate talents.
Genius is born, but talent is cultivated. There have always been few geniuses, but with determination, there can be many talents.
Seeing that Xiao Min understood, Chang Suining said, "Then I'll have to trouble Commander Xiao to deploy defenses at all the important points and prepare for war with all our strength."
Xiao Min nodded seriously, and after confirming a few things with Chang Kuo, he immediately stepped up to arrange the matter.
Chang Suining's move was to create the illusion that he was frightened by the rumor that Xu Zhengye was going to attack Huainan Road with all his strength, so that Xu Zhengye would think that all their military forces would be deployed in various places to defend Huainan Road.
In this way, Huainan Road was like a solid wall of steel.
However, the completion of this iron wall will inevitably cause their 170,000 troops to be dispersed everywhere. Such a well-known large-scale formation will also draw attention from all places to Huainan Road.
At this time, if Xu Zhengye led his troops to attack Luoyang, he could really catch the imperial army off guard.
Xiao Min, who had figured out the key to this, couldn't help but sigh in his heart - Madam Chang really took great pains to allow Xu Zhengye to go to Luoyang with peace of mind.
His swordsmanship...is there still hope?
…
The war situation in the south of the Yangtze River is of utmost importance to the imperial court. Any news will be transmitted back to the capital as quickly as possible.
The news that Xu Zhengye had gathered his troops and was going to attack Huainan Road with all his might naturally spread quickly throughout the court and the country.
In the court, there were countless voices blaming Xiao Min and Chang Kuo.
In the eyes of many people, it was because they used their troops poorly and missed the opportunity to launch an offensive that Xu Zhengye was able to gather and expand his forces again, making the situation critical again.
"...Since Li Yi was executed, the 170,000-man army has only defended and not attacked. I wonder what General Xiao and General Chang are planning to do?"
The minister who asked the question placed special emphasis on the four words "General Chang", obviously thinking that these were all Chang Kuo's ideas.
After these words were spoken, more doubts arose.
Therefore, some people began to speculate that Chang Kuo's delay in taking action might be due to his "intention to betray Li Yi".
"General Chang is loyal and will not do anything rebellious!" The majestic voice of the Holy Ce Emperor sounded: "I believe in him."
At this critical juncture, there must be no news that the king is suspicious of his generals, otherwise it will only make the situation more difficult.
The emperor's protection temporarily silenced most of the questioning voices, but the voices of dissatisfaction could not be suppressed.
This dissatisfaction stems from anxiety.
If Xu Zhengye really gathered 200,000 troops to attack Huainan Road, could Chang Kuo and his men really stop him with their current attitude of only defending and not showing any flexibility?
The Emperor of the Holy Ceme was not as convinced of Chang Kuo as he appeared to be.
At her suggestion, a minister who was close to Xiao Min sent a secret letter to Jiangnan as fast as possible, urging Xiao Min to respond as soon as possible, otherwise disaster would come. In addition, he also asked in a veiled way whether Chang Kuo had any ulterior motives.
The court was extremely anxious because of the war situation in the south of the Yangtze River and the chaos that broke out in various places. Even on the day of the Lantern Festival, an early morning court session was held.
In fact, they had not had much rest since the winter of last year. Even in the twelfth month when the year was coming to an end, the government failed to close the year off as in previous years. There was even a morning court session in the palace on the day before New Year's Eve.
The officials were tired and tense and dared not relax at all.
Tutor Chu was also very busy, but his busyness revolved around the upcoming Spring Examination.
Emperor Shengce temporarily exempted Tutor Chu from attending the morning court considering his old age, and allowed him to concentrate on preparing for the imperial examinations in the Ministry of Rites. Of course, there was another consideration: this old Tutor had recently been very fond of quarreling with people, and nothing he heard pleased him, which often caused chaos during the morning court.
Wei Shuyi felt that this old tutor was most likely suffering from some kind of anxiety before the imperial examination, so he suggested that he be sent back to the Ministry of Rites to calm down.
It is not known whether Taifu Chu was calm or not, but everyone in the Ministry of Rites, from the Vice Minister to the eunuchs who swept the floor, was completely unable to remain calm and was trembling with fear all day long. When faced with the question of "Which foot should I use to step into the door of the Ministry of Rites first today to avoid bad luck for Taifu", they all wished they could tell the fortune in advance.
On the day of the Lantern Festival, the tense atmosphere was eased a lot because Tutor Chu only stayed in the Ministry of Rites for half a day before returning home.
To be precise, he returned home, changed out of his official uniform, and went to Dayun Temple to burn incense.
Recently, everyone in the Chu family could see that the Grand Tutor was somewhat keen on burning incense.
There was probably no way to go to the Imperial College to look for Qiao Jijiu to go fishing - the imperial examination was approaching, and a mature examiner knew how to take the initiative to avoid suspicion with the candidates in the Imperial College.
Since he couldn't fish, he decided to go to Dayun Temple to watch the cranes and talk about Buddhism to ease his mind.
In this regard, the Chu family's evaluation was that Qiao Jijiu was liberated, but the Buddha... no, Abbot Wu Jue was in trouble.
Wu Jue has indeed been having some headaches because of this recently, but today is an exception.
He knew very well that the reason the old tutor came to see him was just to ask for news.
He had promised again and again that if there was a letter, he would have someone secretly deliver it to the Grand Tutor's house, but the old Grand Tutor refused to believe him and insisted on coming in person to ask about it.
Fortunately, he had the letter in his hand today, so he was not panicked.
Avoiding some untrustworthy monks, Wu Jue handed the letter to Master Chu.
Master Chu was slightly shocked and quietly put the item into his sleeve without any change on his face.
In order not to appear strange, he remained patient and played two games of chess with Wu Jue, just like the previous times, before leaving Dayun Temple.
After getting into the carriage, he took out the letter hidden in his sleeve, wanted to open it, but paused.
The last time he got the painting, he couldn't wait to open it and look at it as soon as he got into the carriage.
But at this moment, even though he was more anxious than before, his fingers seemed to freeze for no reason and he did not dare to open it easily.
He remained in this stalemate for a long time until he returned home, locked himself in the study, and slowly sat down in the sandalwood armchair behind the desk. Then, his old, wrinkled but clean and slender hands slowly and tremblingly pulled out the letter.
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