Chen Yin was recalled to the capital, and naturally the army, which had just been named "Cang Lang", was taken over by a new general sent by the court in retreat to the south.
Emperor Chang was so anxious to recall his son who had survived the disaster and whom he had not seen for ten years. How much of this was out of longing for his son and how much of it was out of a desire to take over the army in a natural way? Only he himself knew.
Of course, the new commander-in-chief is not simple either. This kind of position, which is obviously about taking advantage of others' achievements, must be held by someone who is either Emperor Chang's confidant or someone who is extremely powerful in the court.
Chai Duo happened to have both of these qualities, and was given the title of General Fubei and sent north as an imperial envoy.
He originally thought that he could urge the army to continue northward until the six states of the Northern Prefecture were recovered, and he would be able to achieve great success and be promoted. However, after arriving, he discovered that the facts were far from what he expected.
According to his idea, the Sixteenth Prince was suddenly transferred away, and the Canglang Army suddenly lost its leader. It was a time when the army was leaderless and he could take advantage of the situation. At this time, he, the imperial envoy sent by the court, was justified.
Although this was just a ragtag army, Chai Duo did not expect to make them submit to him just by the imperial order. However, where there are people, there will be disputes. There must be various factions in such an army. He was proficient in how to use his status as an imperial envoy to divide and win over some and support some. Chai Duo also relied on this method to gain a firm foothold in the Chang army and was deeply trusted by the Chang emperor.
As for the army...it was the same everywhere. He was convinced that as long as he used a little tricks, he could quickly make this elite army his own.
However, when he arrived in the north, he found that the situation was not only different from what he had imagined, but completely the opposite!
How could this army look like it had lost its commander?
It is as solid as a fortress, and there is no way to start.
Chai Duo quickly realized the problem.
——They were deceived!
The leader of this army was not the Sixteenth Prince, but someone else.
After all, a kid who has not yet been crowned, even if he is the reincarnation of the God of War from heaven, cannot build an army with strict discipline and extraordinary combat effectiveness from scratch in such a short time.
After discovering this, Chai Duo also had a new question.
Is the "Sixteenth Prince" who went to the capital really the "Sixteenth Prince"? If so, why did they pretend to be the Sixteenth Prince? If not, what was their intention in letting such a person go to the capital?
As Chai Duo thought about this, he felt a chill running down his back.
No matter what, he had to send this news back to the capital as soon as possible.
…
After that, the next day.
There was some unusual movement outside the garrison. Chai Duo was on high alert and saw enemies everywhere. He quickly sent his subordinates to inquire. It turned out that he heard that a spy was caught in the army last night.
Chai Duo's face suddenly changed and he hurriedly asked about the spy's appearance.
The subordinate didn't understand what he meant and said hesitantly: "I didn't look closely."
Chai Duo was so angry that he kept calling him "waste" and kicked him hard. He then shouted, "Why don't you go and see it again?!"
The subordinate nodded in agreement and staggered away. Half a minute later, he returned with a pale face and reported in a trembling voice, "Sir, yes, yes... Xiaowu..."
As expected, Chai Duo felt his legs go weak and he fell to the ground.
After a short while, someone from the Canglang Army was informed. Before Chai Duo could even stand up and say "come in", he saw a burly man eight feet tall carrying a man into the tent as if he was carrying a chicken.
Before the man arrived, the voice like a bell came in first: "Our army caught a spy last night. This thief is very cunning. He even said he was a servant of Lord Chai... How can we believe him? Why don't we bring him here so that Lord Chai can identify him."
The visitor was not polite and used very crude words. Although Chai Duo was a military officer, he usually boasted of being a Confucian general. If he had heard such words in the past, he would have frowned in displeasure, but now...
He looked at the man in the coarse cloth shirt who was thrown to the ground. He was the messenger he sent to deliver a letter to the capital last night. Among the servants who came this time, he was also a brave man, but now in the hands of the newcomer, he was like a powerless child.
As soon as the servant was put down, he rushed forward with tears streaming down his face, begging, "Sir, save me! Sir, save me!"
Chai Duo was unwilling to agree.
The two men came in suddenly. He had not had time to stand up, and now he was backing away using his hands and feet until there was no way to avoid them, and then he kicked them away.
The kick was so fierce that the man rolled back several times and was unable to stand up for a long time. He curled up in a ball on the spot, crying out in pain.
Only then did Chai Duo calm down.
He stood up and straightened his clothes, as if to wipe off the embarrassment on his body. In the blink of an eye, he regained his authority. He pretended to be angry and shouted, "Who are you? How dare you insult an official appointed by the court!... This is a capital crime that will bring disaster to your family. I advise you to think it over carefully."
The man seemed to curl up after hearing this, and after a long time he stood up with difficulty, knelt and said: "I am confused! I am confused..."
Chai Duo then turned to the eight-foot tall man and said, "This villain is so evil, his heart is worthy of death. I think it's time for him to repent. General, why don't you give him a quick death?"
The military system of Canglang is different from that of Dachang. Chai Duo didn't have a thorough understanding of it when he first arrived, but this man in armor was obviously not an ordinary soldier, so it would not be wrong to call him "general".
Chai Duo just took into account that he had just arrived here and his foundation was not stable, so he resorted to this strategy of "sacrificing pawns to save the chariot". This is a way for both sides to take a step back, which can be considered as saving face, but the other party did not play by the rules at all.
The man put on a fake smile and said directly, "Since he is not Lord Chai's servant, then we are relieved. As for how to deal with him... the army has its own regulations, so Lord Chai doesn't need to worry about it."
After he said this, without waiting for Chai Duo to answer, he grabbed the man who was lying on the ground by his belt and walked out with big strides, just like when he came.
…
Being left behind, Chai Duo's face turned red with anger. When the people left the tent, he could not help but yell, "How rude! How rude! How dare you, a country bumpkin?!"
——Do these people really value him as the imperial envoy? !
Such people who have no respect for superiors and subordinates and no regard for the law can be called traitors... It is not an exaggeration...
When Chai Duo thought of this, his anger suddenly stagnated, as if a basin of ice water was poured over his head. His face suddenly turned pale, and his tightly clenched teeth loosened a little, trembling and hitting each other, making a sound.
If that's the case, then he...
The cold sweat on his back soaked his lining in an instant. He slumped down in the chair beside the table. He tried several times to drink some tea to calm his nerves, but his trembling hands could not even lift the teacup.
At the same time, Zhang Jiang, who had just walked out of the tent, suddenly turned cold, and he spat fiercely at the side, "Bah! Dog officer!!"
Before he had taken a few steps, he was surrounded by people.
A group of people came up to him with laughter, "What's wrong? Are you scared?"
Zhang Jiang sneered, "When I got there, he was still sitting on the ground!"
He pulled the belt and shook the "spy" in his hand. "When this guy barked, the dog official was so scared that he pissed and scrambled back."
The people around burst into laughter.
After laughing, someone else became worried, "If the general finds out when he comes back..."
Someone immediately retorted, "Calling you 'rat' really makes you a rat?"
A man with buck teeth next to him gave the person who spoke at the beginning a nudge and said, "The general has taken people to inspect Gujiao. This trip will take five days even if it is done quickly, and at least ten days if it is slow. By the time the general comes back, all the tricks will be dealt with. Besides... we didn't touch him..."
"That's right, that's right..." This was echoed by the people around him, "They are well-fed and well-nourished, so we can just go over and ask... Even if we find out, what can we do?"
"That's a dog official from the south. Do you really intend to keep him as a servant and work for him?!"
Powerful enemies invaded and their land and homes were trampled upon.
They waited patiently in silence, but what they finally got was being abandoned, abandoned by their country...
…
…………
Everyone talked at once to set the tone, but some people were still hesitant, "If we do this, will there be any trouble with the Major General?"
Chen Yin's identity did cause some waves in the army. Although he himself admitted it now, everyone still had a sense of unreality as if it were a demon.
Most people in the army are somewhat hostile to the Southern Court. This is actually a major event that could easily cause a mutiny if not handled properly. However, Chu Lu has been to many worlds and has even experienced the entertainment era of information explosion. Solving this kind of thing is not even an entry-level difficulty... However, this time it was Chen Yin who did it himself. When it comes to calculating people's hearts, even Chu Lu has to admit that the kid is truly a genius.
They were worried about Chen Yin who had already arrived in Beijing, but they finally convinced themselves that "the capital is so far away, as long as we don't let that dog official send the news back, it will be fine."
…
…………
Back in the tent, Chai Duo was as nervous as a frightened bird, and he couldn't sit still. But after thinking it over, he decided that he should send the situation here to the capital.
It’s not that he is so loyal, but he is now trapped in the enemy camp, isolated and helpless. If he wants to be rescued, he can only rely on the capital... But he can't tell everything. If the emperor really determines that they are traitors and sends troops to encircle and suppress them, then he will be killed as a sacrifice while in the enemy camp, right?
How to say it and what to say require careful consideration.
…
…………
Chai Duo endured a whole day and night before he put a note written in tiny calligraphy into a bamboo tube and gently tied it to the pigeon's leg.
He was much more careful now than when he sent the messenger to deliver the letter.
To him, this carrier pigeon worth thousands of gold coins was indeed much more valuable than a servant who could be abandoned at will.
After releasing the pigeon, Chai Duo waited anxiously for a reply from the capital.
But that night, it was said that extra cooking was done to comfort Lord Chai for his fatigue from the long journey. But when he saw the dish that was served, Chai Duo felt a black screen before his eyes, and his hands that held the chopsticks were shaking.
——Clear pigeon soup.
The deputy general who was in charge of the soldiers and came to deliver the soup picked up the chopsticks that Chai Duo had dropped on the ground with a smile, and stuffed them into Chai Duo's hand without allowing him to refuse, "Master Chai, why don't you eat? Is it not to your liking?"
He paused, his smile deepening, "Are you still worried that it might be poisonous?"
Chai Duo:! ! !
His face instantly turned paler than pigeon meat boiled in water, and the fat on his face trembled. It took him a long time to force out a smile that was uglier than crying, "General, you are joking."
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