On New Year's Eve, it was windy and snowy.
During the festival celebrated by all the people, when the officers and soldiers were eating, drinking and chatting, the enemy horn suddenly sounded sharply. Everyone from top to bottom immediately took action and prepared to fight the enemy in an orderly manner with good training.
In the dark corner of the camp, three groups of people couldn't stop their momentum and crashed into each other.
Suddenly, screams and curses rang out, "Ouch—"
"Oh!"
"Who? What are you running for?" Tong Jing was running headfirst, unable to stop his momentum. After a heavy collision with the opponent, he covered his nose, doubled over in pain, gasped, and asked angrily, "Which bastard bumped into me? Hiss, my nose bridge is almost broken!"
"Captain Tong?" The commander's personal soldiers also covered their noses.
In the chaos, Guo Honglei instinctively threw his arm across to block the opponent, then took advantage of the situation to pull him back. He looked closely to identify the person and asked in surprise, "General?"
"General?" Tong Jing was stunned for a moment, then he trotted over, enthusiastically supported him, and asked with concern, "Weren't you at the banquet? Why are you out?"
If it weren't for the protection of his personal guards, Song Jikun would have been hit hard. He stumbled back a few steps, regaining his balance awkwardly. He raised his hand to adjust his helmet, and asked angrily, "Who is running around? Why are you so flustered? Have the enemy soldiers rushed into the camp?"
"Hehehe, how dare I let my guard down when I heard about the enemy situation? I quickly went to discuss countermeasures with the general." Tong Jing glanced around and found that he had almost knocked down the commander. He smiled ingratiatingly, "Don't worry, don't worry, the enemy soldiers have no ability to rush into our camp!"
Guo Honglei approached, clasped his fists, and asked directly: "According to the horn sound, the enemy soldiers are still in the distance, stopped by the sentries, and are engaged. I am willing to lead the troops to fight the enemy. Please allow me, General."
"General!" Tong Jing glanced at Guo Honglei from the corner of his eye, then approached the commander, clasped his fists, and said loudly, "I am also willing to lead my men to fight the enemy. Please allow me to do so."
Song Jikun smiled with relief, brushed off the falling snow from his shoulders, and asked sternly, "Are you all willing to go?"
"Yes!" Guo Honglei said without hesitation.
"General, please give the order. I will immediately take my troops and kill all the bandits who dare to invade Dagan!" Tong Jing rubbed his hands, full of murderous intent.
The next moment, the other generals came one after another, talking in a flurry, and expressed their willingness to go into battle.
Song Jikun, a veteran of half a century, was a seasoned warrior. With a single glance, he determined who was sincere and who was insincere. He ultimately chose his chosen subordinate. He glanced at Guo Honglei, then at Tong Jing, and knowingly asked, "Who led the charge during the last enemy attack?"
"Him!" Tong Jing pointed at Guo Honglei and moved closer, almost touching Song Jikun, pleading, "Honglei was injured last time. Should I be sent to you this time?"
Guo Honglei immediately stated, "General, I've recovered and will be alright."
The other generals asked for orders while watching from the sidelines, thinking to themselves: Tsk tsk, these two are facing off again!
Song Jikun pondered for a moment, then made a decisive move and issued a stern order: "Honglei worked hard last time. He should rest for a few more days and wait until he is fully recovered before going into battle. Tong Jing, take your men to support the sentries immediately. If anything happens, report it immediately. Be careful and don't underestimate the enemy!"
"I obey your command!" Tong Jing seized the opportunity, concealed his smug look, glanced at Guo Honglei, took the order to go into battle, and led his men away like a gust of wind.
The rest stayed where they were and waited for orders.
Song Jikun calmed himself down, took a few steps closer, raised his hand and patted Guo Honglei on the shoulder, and said soothingly: "Injuries heal slowly in the winter. You must rest patiently to avoid leaving a root cause of the disease."
Guo Honglei, who was a head taller than the commander, bowed his head slightly and replied respectfully, "Thank you for the reminder, General. I'll remember it."
"Well, that's good." Seeing that he didn't complain, Song Jikun nodded in satisfaction. He put his hands behind his back and asked loudly, "Now that we have the front line, we need to send a backup team to be ready to respond at any time. Who will go?"
The other generals responded one after another, "We are willing to go!"
"I am willing."
…
"I will go there!"
Every festive season brings a yearning for family. Rather than staying idle in the camp, missing them, it's better to go out and explore. Guo Honglei, accustomed to using busyness to dispel loneliness, immediately stepped forward and answered loudly, "I'm willing too!"
"you--"
Song Jikun tightened his face, raised his hand and nodded, and gave a conciliatory order: "Zuo Zhen, Guo Honglei, you two will lead a team to respond and act accordingly."
"Yes!" Guo Honglei took the order and, together with Zuo Zhen, led his men out of the camp on horseback to chase Tong Jing and set up defenses.
A moment later, the general's tent
Song Jikun stood before a large-scale battle map, surveying the borderlands. Without even turning his head, he demanded sternly, "Tell me the truth, everyone. Between Tong Jing and Guo Honglei, who is more suitable for the position of assistant commander?"
Several confidants looked at each other, pondered for a while, and then answered carefully: "To be honest, Captain Tong and Captain Guo are both loyal and brave, and can be regarded as the pillars of the Tu Ning Guard."
"The abilities are comparable."
"Whenever the enemy attacked, they always rushed to fight in the battle, boosting the morale of the entire battalion and making an indelible contribution."
"I think both of them are suitable, but unfortunately there is only one vacancy. Really, really... Sigh."
Song Jikun turned around, dropped his pen on the table, and paced back and forth with his hands behind his back, saying slowly, "Xiao Tong has served me for thirteen years, at my service, through thick and thin. And Hong Lei was a capable general of General Dou of the Heqin Guards. He was the first officer to ascend the ridge when Yongzhou was recaptured. He's a skilled soldier and a skilled general, and his strength is undeniable. They both have real talent."
"Indeed, they both have real abilities!" The confidants nodded in agreement.
The former was an old subordinate of his, a trusted and direct descendant, who had followed him from the south to the northwestern frontier and was devoted and devoted; the latter was a talent he had personally recruited, brave and skilled in battle, humble and reliable, and well-liked. Song Jikun was in a dilemma and had to be cautious.
Who should be promoted first?
If Tong Jing is promoted, he will inevitably be accused of being unfair and favoring old subordinates; if Hong Lei is promoted, it will surely chill the hearts of old subordinates.
When the time comes, after promoting one, how to appease the other?
Song Jikun racked his brains, clasping his left hand with his right. He sighed and said, "The palm and the back of the hand are both made of flesh! Recently, after much deliberation, I've decided to observe them for a while to see what they can do. Whoever is stronger will be promoted first, and then the best will be selected to fill the vacancies, so that everyone will be convinced."
The relatives had different thoughts, but they all replied respectfully, "Yes, that's very fair!"
“Good idea!”
"It's nothing, actually. As long as you have outstanding abilities, you will be promoted sooner or later."
Song Jikun smiled silently, turning back to studying the map. He thought to himself: The strong will eventually emerge, but in the officialdom, who wants to be a step behind? If everyone wants to be ahead, it will be difficult to arrange order.
When the enemy invaded the border, the soldiers stayed up all night waiting for news.
Around midnight, Tong Jing, his bloodstained uniform, returned to the camp to report. He strode with his head held high, knelt on one knee, and reported loudly, "General, this time only a small group of enemy soldiers attacked us by surprise. Fortunately, I have fulfilled my mission and defeated them, killing about two hundred of them. It's difficult to see at night, so I will lead my men to clean up the battlefield tomorrow morning."
"Good, you've worked hard!" Song Jikun praised happily and said, "You've been running around for half the night. Sit down and rest for a while."
Tong Jing felt relieved, thanked him and sat down, "Thank you, General."
Song Jikun waited for a moment, then asked in surprise, "Where are Zuo Zhen and Hong Lei? Why didn't they come back with you?"
Tong Jing answered truthfully, "We met after leaving the camp. I heard they were responsible for the support, so I left first. When I returned to the camp victorious, I only met Zuo Zhen. Zuo Zhen said Guo Honglei was nearby chasing down a few fleeing enemy remnants. He urged me to report back as soon as possible to avoid keeping the general waiting, so I returned first. I guess they will be here soon."
"Hmm." Song Jikun nodded and began to ask about the details.
At three o'clock in the morning, the wind stopped and the snow stopped.
Guo Honglei and his party hurried back, striding quickly, bringing with them a scent of blood.
Song Jikun sat at the head of the table and asked sternly, "Why did you come back just now? What delayed you?"
"Going after the enemy leader!"
Zuo Zhen and Guo Honglei reported side by side, excitedly reporting, "This general and I were in charge of the rescue. While we were waiting, several enemy soldiers defeated by Captain Tong escaped. They were looking for death, so we took advantage of the situation to wipe out the remaining enemies. Honglei was sharp-eyed and captured the enemy leader alive. The brothers were bored and interrogated him on the spot. As a result, we followed the clues and captured the young master of a small tribe in Beijiao!"
Guo Honglei continued, "That man was incredibly bold. He mistakenly thought we were busy celebrating the New Year and not on guard, so he risked coming to spy on us, intending to rob the grain that was about to be delivered."
"Hmph, a rabble, how dare you have such evil intentions to seize Ningwei's food and supplies? How ridiculous!" Song Jikun sneered, then raised his hand to support them and praised them, "Excellent! Stand up and sit down. Where are the prisoners?"
Zuo Zhen quenched his thirst with tea while Guo Honglei sat upright and replied, "He's been taken to jail. Please advise us on what to do with him, General."
Song Jikun turned sideways, looked at his two tired subordinates, and carefully asked for details.
The man surnamed Guo, he actually deliberately suppressed me to gain merit again? This is absurd! Tong Jing gritted his teeth and clenched his fists. The leisurely attitude just now disappeared without a trace. He sat stiffly opposite, his anger burning.
The enemy attack was stopped in time by the border guards, and the civilians were unaware of the situation. They reunited and celebrated the Spring Festival happily.
After New Year’s Eve, it’s Lantern Festival. After eating the sweet Lantern Festival dumplings, the festive atmosphere gradually fades away.
Early in the morning on the seventeenth day of the first lunar month, Jiang Yushu dressed neatly and planned to go to the county government office to handle the paperwork for her newly purchased house. She also visited a cloth shop to pick out some leather and make a set of clothes for her child as a birthday gift.
Unexpectedly, just as she led the maid out of the courtyard, she heard someone shouting behind her:
"cousin!"
Pei Wenfeng led his servants and quickly chased after him, "Where are you going?"
"I'm going to the government office to do some business." Jiang Yushu stopped and asked, "Cousin, are you going to the county government office too?"
Pei Wenfeng nodded. "The constable is staying in the back hall and reported that he found a new clue. I have to go take a look."
Jiang Yushu's mind moved, and she turned her head slightly, and sure enough, she found her father standing outside the door, looking at her silently, with an obviously unhappy expression.
"Let's go, let's go quickly." Pei Wenfeng urged.
Jiang Yushu came back to her senses, "Oh!" She raised her hand, signaling the other party to go first.
Pei Wenfeng strode forward, and only then did he sigh softly as he stepped out of the doorway, "My uncle was worried that I'd been blinded by women and mistakenly thought I was in love with Du Feiyan, so he gave me a lot of warnings and lectures. I feel really guilty for causing such worry to my elders."
"Father has always cared deeply about you. Don't worry, I believe in you."
Jiang Yushu walked towards the carriage, understanding the other person more and more clearly. She asked with certainty, "I know that you are working hard to solve the case not because you like Miss Du, but because you are 'persistent'. You are working hard to solve the case. In addition to fulfilling your duties, you are also working hard to firstly clear your own name, secondly, to recover the private seal, and thirdly, to justify punishing the Du family and relieve the anger of being harassed, right?"
"Sister Shu really understands me! You guessed everything right."
Pei Wenfeng said frankly, "However, I don't have the time to waste any more time. I will be returning to the capital with my uncle in two days. If the case is still not solved by then, I will have to hand it over to my subordinates to continue to monitor it."
"Do your best in everything, and you'll have a clear conscience." Jiang Yushu thought to herself: You are a person who is both grateful and filial, and also extremely persistent. That's why you stubbornly requested to be transferred to the frontier as an official. Only after you were sure that there was no way to redeem "Sister Shu" did you slowly let go.
Pei Wenfeng had no time for small talk. He hurried to the sedan chair and said, "When my uncle asks about the case later, remember to smooth things over."
"Okay!" Jiang Yushu agreed readily.
Just as the two were about to leave, the sound of horse hooves suddenly came from the alley. After a while, Guo Honglei, who had not been home for more than half a month, rode his horse over and reined in his horse with a "whoa".
Jiang Yushu's face lit up instantly, and she greeted him with joy, saying with a smile, "Oh, you're back just in time. My family has left a portion of Yuanxiao for you."
"Really? I'll definitely try it later." Guo Honglei smiled, dismounted, took out a broken seal from his bosom, gently threw it to Pei Wenfeng, and asked loudly:
"Brother Pei, is this your seal?"
"The property has been returned to its original owner!"
The author has something to say: The countdown to National Day is hot!
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