Chapter 275: Cicadas chirping
"squeak~squeak~"
Outside the window, the early summer cicadas have begun to chirp in groups of three or two. The cicadas' chirping seems a bit perfunctory, and at first glance it sounds more like birds singing.
The atmosphere inside the wooden window carved with cloud patterns suddenly became depressing because of Chu Xianping's words.
This was the first time Wei Changtian saw Chu Xianping so uneasy since Yin Xiao'e's death.
So. "What's wrong?"
Frowning, Wei Changtian gently put down the teacup in his hand and asked, "Did something happen in the capital?"
"no."
Chu Xianping shook his head slightly and glanced at Xu Qingwan.
"Changtian, Master Chu, please speak."
The latter understood what Chu Xianping meant, so he didn't say or ask anything more, and quickly turned around and walked out of the room.
Only when the footsteps completely disappeared did Chu Xianping take a deep breath and turn his gaze back to Wei Changtian.
"Sir, it's Lord Liang."
"Liang Zhen?"
Wei Changtian's pupils shrank and he reacted instantly.
It seems that my previous worries have come true.
"What happened? Are Uncle Liang and Qin'er safe now?"
"Sir, Lord Liang and Miss Liang are not in danger of their lives for now."
Chu Xianping bowed his head and reported truthfully: "But the situation of the two is very dangerous."
“.”
Half an hour later.
In the courtyard of the new house, Wei Changtian was standing upright in a pavilion, with several ancient trees with lush branches and leaves leaning on his side and a small pond in front of him.
In the rippling water, the green leaves are covered with crystal dewdrops. More than a hundred koi fish are swimming slowly under the lotus leaves, their lips slightly open, as if waiting to grab the falling dewdrops.
Two days ago, as the battle in Yuanzhou became increasingly unfavorable, the commander-in-chief Wu Ding decided to abandon the city and retreat, and redeployed his troops to Feng County, 500 miles behind Yuanzhou City, where the terrain was easier to defend and more difficult to attack.
Abandoned Yuanzhou City and retreated five hundred miles.
At first glance, it seems like they are unable to win and are preparing to "escape", but in fact this is indeed a "strategic shift."
Feng County is also located in Yuanzhou. It is the only way to the hinterland of Daning. Its strategic position is higher than that of Yuanzhou City. What's more, it has natural barriers to rely on, making it much easier to defend.
In fact, if it weren’t for the greater “symbolic significance” of Yuanzhou City, we should have abandoned Yuanzhou City from the very beginning and set up defenses directly in Feng County.
So there is nothing wrong with this strategic decision.
The real problem lies in the subsequent execution.
Hundreds of thousands of troops abandoned the city and retreated, with the Dafeng army outside the city eyeing them covetously.
You have to know that this is a huge project and it is not something that can be done simply by saying goodbye.
At the very least, if you want to evacuate as safely as possible, someone must come to cover your back.
Unfortunately, the Shuzhou Army and the Liangzhou Army had to bear this responsibility.
Military orders are as heavy as mountains.
No matter how unwilling Liang Zhen and the generals of Liangzhou were, since the commander-in-chief Wu Ding had arranged it this way, they had no choice but to carry it out.
And although being the last one to leave is indeed dangerous, it does not mean being "sacrificed".
If Dafeng fails to react in time, or does not want to take the risk of pursuing and intercepting, then the probability is that they will just lose a few more soldiers.
Unfortunately, the reality is not like this.
On April 14, after barely holding off Dafeng's offensive during the day, the Daning army marched out from the east gate of Yuanzhou City late at night, and all the guards on the city walls were replaced by Shuzhou and Liangzhou troops.
Everything went smoothly at the beginning, but just as the Liangzhou army was preparing to evacuate Yuanzhou City, a group of Dafeng cavalry suddenly appeared out of nowhere and directly cut off their connection with the previously withdrawn Da Ning army.
The Liangzhou army had no choice but to turn back and defend the city together with the Shuzhou army, preparing to wait for Wu Ding to send people back to support them.
However, the army that had already withdrawn showed no intention of turning back.
in other words.
The Liangzhou Army and the Shuzhou Army, totaling 70,000 soldiers, were abandoned in Yuanzhou City.
Their only role was to slow down the offensive of the Dafeng Army and buy time for the army to build a defense line in Feng County.
In order to achieve this goal, they will defend an isolated city with 70,000 people.
What they were facing was the 500,000 elite soldiers of Dafeng.
"According to the latest intelligence from Tongzhouhui this morning, Dafeng completely surrounded Yuanzhou City yesterday, and Wu Ding has no plans to return to Yuanzhou City for support."
The breeze was blowing gently. Chu Xianping, who was standing behind him, took a step forward, paused, and asked:
"Sir, are we going to do something?"
Do something.
Wei Changtian withdrew his gaze from the distance and casually picked a cicada shell from the ancient tree next to him.
It has the form but not the substance.
The cicada sheds its skin in this shell, but the former can only live for one summer, while the latter can live forever.
Wei Changtian didn't know which cicada on the tree this cicada shell belonged to, nor did he know what he could do for Liang Zhen and Liang Qin at this moment.
He didn't even know whether all this was Ning Yongnian's plan or just an accident that happened from time to time on the battlefield.
In the struggle between countries, on the battlefield surrounded by millions of people, the power of one or a few people is really too insignificant.
Just like the summer cicada, weak and unaware.
What's more, it seems that there is no need for me to help Liang Zhen and his daughter.
Now that the Liu family is destroyed, Yunlian is dead, Shuzhou is under his control, and he even married Xu Qingwan as he wished.
As long as you are willing, the long-awaited life of "a wife, children and a warm bed" will be within your reach, and there is a high probability that it can continue for a long time.
Once involved in the Wonju War, all this peace and tranquility will cease to exist, and I will be back to the endless dangers, conspiracies, travels and killings.
So, do you really want to make a cicada shell that can last forever? "."
After a long silence, Wei Changtian suddenly walked slowly to the pavilion and stood beside the pond.
The koi in the pond immediately swarmed over, vying to look at the young man in black, waiting for him to sprinkle food.
“Crack.”
With a pinch of his hands, the thin cicada shell turned into countless fragments, which fell on the water with the wind, but did not create a single ripple.
Looking at the fish fighting for the fish under his feet, Wei Changtian finally answered Chu Xianping's question.
Although summer cicadas are small, they would rather die singing than live in silence.
"Brother Chu, please arrange it."
"We're leaving tonight."
“Go to Wonju.”
That night, outside Shuzhou City.
A few torches illuminated everyone's faces and also illuminated a few dark carriages.
And in the moonlight not far from the crowd, Wei Changtian was saying goodbye to Xu Qingwan.
His trip to Yuanzhou must be kept secret, but after all, he won't be able to come back in a short time, so he can't hide it from Comrade Xiao Xu anymore.
"Wan'er, I know you don't want me to go, but this time..."
"Changtian, I have nothing to be unwilling about."
Xu Qingwan forced herself to hold back the tears that were about to burst out and tried to make her voice calmer.
"Uncle Liang and Miss Liang are trapped in Yuanzhou City. You should go and rescue them."
"I, I just want to go with you."
“.”
Sighing inwardly, Wei Changtian gently pulled Xu Qingwan's hand without explaining anything.
Xu Qingwan must understand why I didn't allow her to go with me.
"Keep this."
Placing a golden tiger talisman in the latter's palm, Wei Changtian said with a smile: "I will be back soon after I rescue Uncle Liang and the others."
"Um."
Xu Qingwan tightly grasped the tiger talisman, but the next moment she suddenly let go of Wei Changtian's hand and turned her back abruptly, with only her shoulders shaking slightly uncontrollably.
Just like the last time Wei Changtian left Beijing, Comrade Xiao Xu still couldn't bear the pain of separation.
The creek rises and the breeze blows on your face, the moon sets and the sky is filled with stars.
Wei Changtian looked at the thin figure so close to him, and reached out his hand to gently touch the latter's hair.
Thousands of black hair cascaded down like a waterfall, and there was an extra red rope in her hand.
"Let's go, wait till I come back."
As the footsteps became increasingly distant, the last sentence became vague and intangible.
The Shuzhou City behind him was quiet. Although it had just suffered a flood that had not been seen in a thousand years, everything was gradually returning to normal.
On such an ordinary summer night, people who had been busy all day had already fallen asleep.
Countless young cicadas will break out of the soil at this time. They will climb up high branches and struggle to break free from their wingless bodies. Then, they will transform into tiny summer cicadas and make their first long cry between heaven and earth in this unnoticed summer night.
(Volume 3, End)
(End of this chapter)
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