Liu Zhenyuan sneered twice, then turned and walked into the city.
When Xu Di returned to the barracks, the warhorses were already tied up in the stables. Zheng Boyuan saw him return and quickly came over, saying, "Brother-in-law, why did you have these horses and their corpses brought back?"
Xu Di sneered twice and said, "Why? It's to curry favor with the Emperor and to exchange these warhorses for money. Have you cleaned everything off those corpses? Don't miss a single thing, clean it all up."
Zheng Boyuan nodded and said, "Not only were they wiped out, but I have also made a count. This time, more than 100 Japanese pirates were killed, and more than 30 were captured alive. As for the Jurchens, none of them were left alive; they all died."
Xu Di frowned upon hearing this and said, "So what if they're dead? They're the Jurchens in the capital, facing east. Bo Yuan, I have a very strange feeling right now. I think this whole thing is being orchestrated by an old rival."
Zheng Boyuan was puzzled by Xu Di's words and asked him, "Why do you say we're old rivals?"
Xu Di recalled the intelligence gathered after the great victory in Hexi. He had heard that a strategist had escaped. This strategist had always been a very mysterious figure in the Northern Di army. Not many people had seen him, but when the battlefield was cleaned up, no one had seen him at all. Xu Di only learned from some special channels that this person was a Han Chinese named Su Zhiguang. As for other information, he knew nothing. Even the name might be fake.
Xu Di became increasingly certain that this incident was very likely the work of Su Zhiguang. He just didn't know whose advisor Su Zhiguang was. It was probably just one of those princes. With a thorough investigation, he could surely find the culprit.
Standing on the beach, looking at the vast sea in the distance, Xu Di thought about Liaodong across the ocean. He wondered what the situation was like there. If the Jurchens attacked from both the north and south, could the defenses of the entire Liaodong region withstand the attack? This was Xu Di's first time fighting against the Jurchens. He found them to be agile and well-equipped. He wondered how long they had been preparing for this surprise attack.
Zheng Boyuan saw Xu Di gazing at the sea, sighed, and said, "I wonder how my father-in-law is doing now."
Xu Di looked at the sun, which was already high in the sky, and sighed, saying, "We can't go there; we can only wait for news."
The battle report from Dengzhou was quickly sent to the capital, but the battle report from Liaodong was delayed.
At that time, Chen Zhaoci had already returned to the Marquis's residence. While the Marquis of Yongning was delighted with the growth of his eldest grandson, he was also worried about the current situation of his son and granddaughter's family of three. He couldn't eat or sleep well for several days.
Chen Zhaoci only learned about the situation in Liaodong when he went to the street to buy medicine.
His Majesty has sent people to Liaodong to investigate the situation, but two days have passed and no news has been sent back. Now, the people of the capital are also paying close attention to the situation. The reason is simple: everyone knows that Liaodong is the northern gateway to the Great Liang. If the northern gateway is breached, the Jurchens' iron hooves will advance all the way south. At that time, the capital will be in danger, and the people of the Great Liang will be in danger.
Upon hearing this news, Chen Zhaoci forgot all about buying the medicinal herbs and turned his carriage around to return to the Marquis's residence.
Chen Zhaoci got off the carriage and hurried towards the Marquis's study. Qingfeng and Mingyue were standing at the entrance of the study's courtyard. When they saw Chen Zhaoci coming, they quickly bowed.
Ignoring everything else, Chen Zhaoci asked, "Is the Marquis here? I have something to ask him."
Qingfeng Mingyue said with some difficulty, "Third Madam, the Marquis is very busy and is talking to his advisors."
Upon hearing this, Chen Zhaoci lifted her skirt and walked inside, startling Qingfeng and Mingyue, who quickly tried to stop her. Chen Zhaoci continued walking without stopping, saying, "Our Third Master is in Liaodong, and our Eldest Young Master is in Dengzhou. There are battles in both places. I've come to ask the Marquis about the specific situation."
Qingfeng and Mingyue knew that the Marquis had been unable to eat or sleep these past few days because of the Third Master's matter. The Marquis had also been keeping his people at arm's length, not allowing them to talk to Chen Zhaoci and Li Yuexi's people, for fear that they would worry and be anxious.
Marquis Yongning had already heard the commotion outside from inside his study. Jingque came out and said to Chen Zhaoci, "Third Madam, the Marquis requests that you come inside to speak with me."
Chen Zhaoci lifted her skirt and went in. She saw that besides the Marquis of Yongning, there were two elderly people sitting inside, probably his advisors. She gave them a perfunctory bow and said to the Marquis of Yongning, "My lord, I've come to ask about the situation in Liaodong. Has our third master sent a message back?"
Marquis Yongning shook his head and said, "No news has been sent out from there, and the people His Majesty sent over have not returned."
Chen Zhaoci recalled what Xu Di had told him before he returned to the capital, and his heart sank. His face turned pale, and he said, "My lord, the Jurchens are attacking from both the north and south. Is Liaodong doomed?"
Marquis Yongning twitched his lips into an ugly smile and said, "Zhaoci, you must have faith in Rao'er. He has managed Liaodong for so many years and managed it so well. There is also General Zhou, who is Cheng Kai, and he is also a fierce general."
Chen Zhaoci said sadly, "When Di Ge'er told me this, I thought he was overthinking it. But now it seems that it wasn't Di Ge'er who was overthinking it. It's that they have been plotting against us for too long. Why can't the letters from Liaodong be sent back? It's because they don't want us to know the news from Liaodong. I wonder if Di Ge'er will take a boat from Dengzhou to Liaodong to check the situation."
Upon hearing Chen Zhaoci's words, the Marquis asked in surprise, "What did Di Ge'er say to you before you came back?"
Chen Zhaoci began by recounting the capture of prisoners, and continued on to Xu Di's arrangements for his group, leaving the Marquis of Yongning and his two advisors exchanging bewildered glances.
Marquis Yongning thought for a moment and asked Chen Zhaoci, "Zhaoci, do you think Di'er might go to Liaodong from Dengzhou?"
Chen Zhaoci shook his head and said, "I don't know about that. I don't know the situation in Dengzhou, let alone Liaodong. I do hope that Di Ge'er can go to Liaodong from Dengzhou."
Marquis Yongning had an idea in mind and said to Chen Zhaoci, "Zhaoci, you should go back first. As soon as I receive news from Liaodong, I will immediately send someone to tell you. Don't worry, Liaodong is the northern gateway of Daliang. His Majesty will not ignore it. He has already transferred troops from the northwest defense line to Liaodong and will definitely relieve the predicament of Liaodong."
Chen Zhaoci returned to his courtyard, feeling uneasy no matter how he thought about it. He was thinking about going to Liaodong right now, but the journey was long and he couldn't guarantee his safety along the way. Chen Zhaoci knew that Xu Di's guess had been confirmed, so he would become a target for some people. To avoid causing trouble for others, staying at home was the best choice.
Ma Pingting and her younger brother have settled in the capital. Chen Zhaoci took Ma Junchi to the Chen family to see his elder brother, Chen Zhaocheng. Chen Zhaocheng said that he had seen the poison that Ma Junchi had been poisoned with, and it was indeed a strange poison from the Western Regions. However, he had never seen the antidote for this poison, but he could concoct an antidote based on Ma Junchi's condition.
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