"I, your Majesty, beg your grace to allow me to personally lead the Southern Army into Mingshui again to fight against the Southern Barbarians."

The light flickered slightly, and from outside came the sound of rain hitting the ground.

The young man leaned forward and did not get up. After a while, Emperor Wenxuan said slowly, "Do you know what you are talking about?"

"The barbarians in the south have bullied the people of the Central Plains. Now that my father has died in battle, the wolves are still there. I wish to carry on my father's legacy, reenter the barbarians, and take back Mingshui."

Emperor Wenxuan did not speak, Xu Jingfu spoke first, he said: "Second Master Xiao, General Guangwu has left. Although I can understand your grief and anger at the moment, leading troops to war is not a matter of a few words."

Seeing that Emperor Wenxuan had no intention of stopping him from speaking, Xu Jingfu continued, "In the Battle of Mingshui, General Guangwu acted stubbornly and missed the opportunity to fight, which resulted in tens of thousands of Wei soldiers being killed in Mingshui. This was a serious offense. Your Majesty is kind and will not pursue the matter. Now that you have come tonight, it turns out that you are not here to apologize, but for military power."

Xiao Jue said in a deep voice: "I am doing this for the people of Wei."

"The common people of Wei?" Xu Jingfu shook his head and said, "Second Master Xiao is only sixteen years old now, and he has never been on the battlefield before. There are many generals in the Wei court who dare not say that they can lead troops to war. You are just a little kid, and you are too arrogant to say such arrogant things."

"You can go back." Emperor Wenxuan said, "Don't mention this matter again."

The young man paused and looked at Emperor Wenxuan: "I am willing to issue a military warrant. If we lose the battle, I am willing to accept punishment."

Every word and sentence made a sound when it hit the ground.

The eyes of the second son of the Xiao family have always been very beautiful, as clear as autumn water, and always with a bit of laziness and inattention. Now that inattention in his eyes has disappeared, something has sunk, and something has gradually floated up, making people feel burning for a moment.

Hard to ignore.

"The military warrant is easy to talk about," Xu Jingfu said, "but if Second Young Master Xiao loses the battle, it's nothing more than a life. For the others, war is no joke. The Great Wei has been badly damaged by the defeat of General Guangwu at Mingshui. Now, do you want to bet tens of thousands of Southern Palace soldiers just because of your words?" He stroked his beard, shook his head and sighed, "The Great Wei can't afford to lose anymore."

Xiao Jue was silent for a moment: "I dare not."

Xu Jingfu's eyes sparkled.

Xiao Jue knelt down again. "The barbarians from the south have invaded our land and slaughtered the people. My father died in battle, and I do not want to live. I hope Your Majesty will allow me to lead the army to fight. I dare not speak without hearing the news of victory. I will lead as many soldiers as Your Majesty wishes to give me, even if I die on the battlefield, I will have no regrets."

He was stubborn and determined to fight to the death, as if he would kneel here and refuse to get up unless Emperor Wenxuan agreed.

Emperor Wenxuan rubbed his forehead and said, "I don't want to talk about this anymore."

"Your Majesty is benevolent." The young man's voice did not yield in the slightest.

"Your Majesty," Xu Jingfu said, "Second Master Xiao is determined to go to the Nanman to fight. He has a pure heart."

Emperor Wenxuan glanced at him and said, "Why, you want to speak for him too?"

Xu Jingfu said hurriedly: "I dare not, but... Mr. Xiao is so confident in himself, maybe there will be a miracle. But now the Wei Dynasty really does not dare to bet with tens of thousands of Southern Palace soldiers, so..."

"So what?" Emperor Wenxuan asked.

"Three thousand."

Xiao Jue raised his head.

The southern barbarians had hundreds of thousands of soldiers, 3,000 versus 100,000. No general would accept this proposal, as it was a losing battle.

Emperor Wenxuan drank a sip of tea and understood that Xu Jingfu's request was actually to make Xiao Jue give up. Leading 3,000 soldiers to fight the southern barbarians was not only asking someone to do something difficult, but also a fool's dream. Unless Xiao Jue wanted to die, he would not agree.

He put down the teacup in his hand and looked at the stubborn young man in the hall: "Xiao Huaijin, if you insist on going to the war, I will only give you 3,000 soldiers and horses. Are you still willing to go?"

Xu Jingfu put it in his sleeve and watched from the sidelines.

He won't agree to that.

The young man slowly lowered his head and kowtowed to Emperor Wenxuan: "Your Majesty, thank you for your grace."

Everyone in the hall was stunned.

When Xiao Jue raised his eyes again, his expression was calm, "Sir, I'm serious. Three thousand is three thousand."

…

The snow pressed heavily on the bare branches, breaking them with a "crack".

Lin Shuanghe was slightly distracted.

By the time he knew about Xiao Jue's march to Mingshui with 3,000 soldiers, it had been a long time. It had been so long that the Battle of Guocheng and Changgu had already taken place, so long that scholars and scholars had cursed Xiao Jue for being cruel and ruthless behind his back. It had been so long that Xiao Huaijin had become the Great Wei's god of war, General Fengyun, and so long that the two good friends had not seen each other for two years.

Things in the world are unpredictable and people have different opinions, but no one knows how the young man felt when he led 3,000 soldiers out of the city and found out that he was facing an army of 100,000.

Xiao Rubi didn't know that Xiao Jue had bewitched him and entered the palace in the middle of the night with only 3,000 soldiers. He thought that His Majesty had handed over the Southern Army to Xiao Jue, and Xiao Jue had temporarily gained military power.

Everyone was cursing Xiao Jue behind his back, scolding him for being obsessed with power and gain. He couldn't wait to go to the palace to report the situation before the seventh day after his mother's death. He used his eloquence to deceive the emperor and actually handed over 100,000 Southern Palace soldiers to a young boy. How ridiculous.

Who is the ridiculous one?

How absurd this world is.

It was midnight when Xiao Jue left the city. No one knew what he looked like before he left, and no one knew what he was thinking.

Countless interesting things happened in Shuojing every day. Some people sighed and lamented about the Xiao family's affairs, while others took pleasure in their misfortunes. However, the news was only new for a few days. After a month, few people mentioned it anymore, and after a few more months, it had long been forgotten.

Until the news of victory in the Battle of Hase came.

The second son of the Xiao family led the Southern Army to capture Guocheng, drowning 60,000 southern barbarians and shocking the whole country.

I was shocked at the young man's extraordinary military skills, and also shocked that he was so ruthless at such a young age.

Everyone thought that as he led 100,000 Southern Army soldiers, he could have used a gentler approach and at least left some prisoners alive. However, among the 60,000 people who drowned, there were also civilians.

But what can we do?

"Three thousand people against one hundred thousand people," He Yan stroked a small bump on the bamboo stick and pressed it gently, causing his hand to hurt. "He has no other way to go."

Lin Shuanghe smiled and said, "Not bad."

No one would resort to this method unless they were forced into a desperate situation.

The Nanman troops were stationed in Guocheng. Xiao Zhongwu had been unable to conquer it before, and now with only 3,000 troops, it was even more impossible for him to fight the enemy head-on. Xiao Jue ordered 3,000 men to secretly build a dike a hundred miles east of Guocheng to block the water flow from the long valley of Dongshan. When the water accumulated more and more and formed a vast ocean, he ordered the dike to be breached.

Fei Nu asked, "Master, please think carefully. If you go out like this, everyone will insult and scold you behind your back."

Even if we win by flooding Guocheng, it will be recorded in history as brutal. Soldiers have always hoped to be remembered in history and have a long-lasting reputation. Especially now that Your Majesty advocates "benevolent governance" and does not like indiscriminate killing. Such a victory will have to bear far more than what is gained.

The young man sat under the tree, looking towards the distant city of Guo. He stroked a weed growing out of the crack in front of him with his fingers and said to himself, "Do I have any other choice?"

Fei Nu didn't say anything.

"It doesn't matter what others say about me." He stood up, his black cape leaving a trail behind him, and said, "Open the gate."

Fei Nu said nothing and did not move.

The boy walked forward and said in a cold voice: "I said, open the gate."

The flood was thousands of feet high, rushing down.

Guocheng was submerged, with floodwaters pouring in from the east and out from the west. The Nanman soldiers and civilians in the city were unable to escape, and all 60,000 people were drowned.

The city fell and Xiao Jue won without fighting.

When the news reached the court, Emperor Wenxuan was also shocked.

After Xiao Zhongwu's death, officials who supported the Xiao family were suppressed by Xu Xiang's party. Now Xiao Jue's victory was a great honor for them. Xiao Jue took the opportunity to write a letter to Emperor Wenxuan, asking him to hand over the Southern Army to him, so that he could wipe out the southern barbarians in one fell swoop.

Emperor Wenxuan delegated power little by little.

Xiao Jue's victories were also won one battle at a time.

In the past few years, the southern barbarians were defeated by him and were ultimately unable to form an army. The young man who led 3,000 people out of the city alone at night finally became the feared General Feng Yun in the eyes of the world.

No one cares what the truth is. What people care about is that he was greedy for military achievements, regarded human lives as worthless, and slaughtered people at will. What people care about is that he was arrogant and domineering, looked down on others, and even killed the only son of the Minister of Finance without mercy.

But is he willing to do this?

When we were young, we studied together in Xianchang Hall, reading "Young people are naturally wild, they look down on Kunlun, laugh at Lu Liang, sharpen their swords for several years, and now they are sharp." How high-spirited, handsome and frank, but in the following years, they no longer have the brilliance of those years.

The handsome young man in a white robe and a silver crown turned into a jade-faced assassin in black clothes and black armor. This was not something worth celebrating.

He was alone from beginning to end.

The snow is falling harder.

It was so big that you could already feel the coldness when standing still. Your feet left clear footprints on the snow, but before long, they were covered by the heavy snow, leaving no trace.

"I didn't know that the governor only led 3,000 troops in the battle of Guocheng." He Yan said.

"Do you know how the Nine Flags Camp came about?" Lin Shuanghe asked.

He Yan shook his head.

"His Majesty asked Xiao Jue to select 3,000 soldiers from the Southern Army. This was his last act of kindness to Huai Jin. Huai Jin stood in front of the Southern Army and asked them to choose whether they were willing to follow him to Mingshui."

Before going, no one thought that this battle could be won. This was tantamount to going to die. Everyone who stood up was determined to die and follow this general's son.

"The first eight hundred people who stood up later became the Nine Flags Battalion," he said with a smile.

No wonder, He Yan knew in his heart that in all these years, Xiao Jue had never easily accepted anyone into the Nine Banners Camp. The love of supporting each other in times of trouble was something that could never be matched by anyone later, no matter how outstanding, loyal, brave, smart, or capable they were. Even if someone was injured in the Nine Banners Camp and could no longer fight on the battlefield, Xiao Jue would still find a good place to stay.

Because it's worth it.

"I didn't know about these things at the time." Lin Shuanghe reached out to brush off a piece of snow that had fallen on his body. Later, when my grandfather was treating the Empress Dowager, the Empress Dowager told me about it. My grandfather then told me that there were also bits and pieces of rumors from various places in the court over the years, and when they were pieced together, the original outline of the matter was revealed."

"Didn't Governor Xiao tell you this?" He Yan asked. She remembered that when Xiao Jue was studying at Xianchang Hall, he, Lin Shuanghe, and another young man were very close. When Xiao Jue was in trouble, he would explain the difficulties to his friends.

"To be honest, I've only met him a few times in the past few years." Lin Shuanghe shook his head, "Occasionally he wrote to me, but it was always to borrow money."

"Borrow money?"

"You didn't expect it." Lin Shuanghe said this with a more relaxed tone, "The original money of the Xiao family was confiscated when General Guangwu got into trouble. In the first two years when he led his troops to the southern barbarians, the supplies were not abundant, and the eldest brother of the Xiao family was an honest official. He was reluctant to oppress his eldest brother, so he came to me. Our Lin family's pharmacies are all over Wei, and we are loved by many noble women in the capital. We make a lot of money every day, so he treated me as his father and gave him pocket money."

He Yan: “…”

"Although he has won many battles in recent years and has received a lot of spoils and rewards, it is still not enough compared to what I lent him." Lin Shuanghe smiled, "Of course, I am very generous. If he can't pay it back, then forget it."

He Yan: "...It's great to have a friend like you."

I mean this from the bottom of my heart.

Lin Shuanghe waved his hands modestly: "Thank you very much. So I was also surprised when Xiao Jue took the initiative to write to me and asked me to come to Liangzhou this time."

"Did the governor take the initiative to ask Doctor Lin to come to Liangzhou?" He Yan asked curiously.

"Yes, the letter said that one of his confidants had an eye injury and wanted me to come and treat him. I thought it was Fei Nu Chi Wu who was injured. When I was halfway there, I received another letter saying that the man's eyes had recovered. Since I couldn't turn back halfway, I heard that he was in Qingnan, so I simply changed my route and went to Qingnan to meet him. By the way, I also followed him to Liangzhouwei to see where he lived now."

He Yan was a little surprised.

Xiao Jue's letter mentioned "a confidant with injured eyes", which must be her. She was injured by the assassin at Sun Xiangfu's banquet, but she soon realized that it was not serious. But she didn't know at that time that Xiao Jue had asked someone to invite Lin Shuanghe to come and see her.

Although Lin Shuanghe only cared about women, Lin Qingtan's grandson was a master of medicine and no one dared to look down on him.

This person is not as ruthless as he says.

While the two were talking, they had already arrived at He Yan's door.

"Here," Lin Shuanghe handed the cloak in his hand to He Yan, "This, give it to him."

He Yan: "...Why me?"

Lin Shuanghe thought for a moment: "Because Xiao Huaijin must be in a bad mood at the moment. If I go to join in the fun, I will be scolded. You are different." He approached He Yan and whispered: "If you are a cute and well-behaved girl, he will control his temper and won't embarrass you."

He Yan curled his lips: "Doctor Lin, do you think that Governor Xiao is a man who will be sympathetic to women?"

And it seems that in Xiao Jue's mind, the image of her has nothing to do with the word "cute and well-behaved".

"Yes, of course." Lin Shuanghe looked at her with a smile, and gently pushed her into the house. "He found out your identity, but he didn't kick you out of Liangzhou Guard right away, which proves that he is good to you. Go, be careful, don't fall."

He Yan: "Wait!"

"I'll come see you tomorrow."

He Yan was pushed into his room.

The door was closed behind him, and the room was empty. The food that Cheng Lisu and Song Taotao had brought over was still beside the bed. He Yan walked over with his stick and sat down on the couch.

The black cloak was right at hand. He Yan looked towards the other side of the Zhongxu Gate, wondering if Xiao Jue was there at the moment.

If he is, just send it to him like this... isn't it a bit awkward?

…

The window was open, and the snow, like salt grains, drifted into the house on the wind.

The young governor stood at the window, looking at the snow and wind outside.

In the dungeon, Lei Hou's words rang in his ears.

The snow was getting heavier, almost blinding the eyes, and the light in his eyes gradually dimmed.

When he was young, he studied martial arts with a great scholar in the mountains. Before he left the mountain, the master told him, "You are about to embark on a very difficult road. You must go on alone and cannot turn back."

He was young at the time and did not understand what this sentence meant. It was not until the huge wave of fate came crashing down and overturned the boat carrying the boy's hopes, and he was floating alone in the sea, that he suddenly realized.

so it is.

Xiao Zhongwu had only two sons. How could Xiao Jingru, who was flawless and bright as a jade, get involved in such a thing? If one of them had to take this path, bearing the guilt of murder, misunderstanding, abuse, and loneliness, it would be better to let him do it.

He doesn't care.

After so many years, he no longer cares about misunderstandings and is not afraid of questioning. How can he talk about losing something he has never owned?

only……

It's just too cold on a snowy day like this.

"squeak--"

There was a sound behind me.

Xiao Jue turned around and stuck his head out from behind the empty door in the room. He Yan walked in laboriously, leaning on a stick, holding his cloak in his hand.

"I'm sorry," the boy said sincerely, "I just knocked on the door and you didn't answer, so I..."

Xiao Jue: "So you just broke the lock and came in without permission?"

He Yan said embarrassedly: "Don't be angry, we are all neighbors." She sneezed, "A-choo - why didn't you close the window? It's so cold."

How could she say "We are all neighbors" so calmly? Xiao Jue was too lazy to pay attention to her and closed the window.

He Yan felt very aggrieved. She knocked on the door for a long time, but Xiao Jue ignored her. She thought Xiao Jue was not at home, so she thought it was a good opportunity to secretly pry open the door, sneak in, put the coat away, and leave, so that she would not have to think about how to comfort him when they met.

It turned out that this person was actually in the room, but he still ignored him. This is really disrespectful to others.

"Commander-in-chief, your cloak." He Yan handed the clothes to him.

Xiao Jue glanced at her and said, "Just put it on the bed."

He Yan said "Oh", put him on the couch, and sat down on the stool in the room. Seeing that this man was still standing there, he didn't know what he was thinking. He guessed that he was still upset about what Lei Hou said in the dungeon, and he couldn't help feeling a little sympathetic.

During the years she was in the Yue Army, she didn't know that Xiao Jue had such a hard time. If it was just her, He Yan would never think that she was special, but if this happened to Xiao Jue, she would think that God was too cruel.

It turns out that God is not Xiao Jue's biological father. He gives something and takes something in return. He is even a profiteer who never does business at a loss.

She started to make small talk: "Governor, I see your cloak is really beautiful! Where did you buy it? How much silver did you pay for it?"

Xiao Jue said: "It was given by the palace."

He Yan: “…”

This person clearly didn't want to talk to her anymore, so he deliberately said things that made it hard for her to respond. He Yan hesitated whether to leave or not, and thought of the medicine Xiao Jue gave her when she was injured, and sighed in her heart.

She is the kind of person who repays revenge when she has revenge, and repays kindness when she has kindness. Now that Xiao Jue is in a low mood, it would be disloyal for her to just leave like this.

"Commander, the wound on my waist hurts so much," He Yan changed the subject, trying to draw his attention to something else, "Will it not leave any sequelae in the future?"

"Hurt?" Xiao Jue sat down at the table and said in a neutral tone, "I see you can still get out of bed and walk around, so it shouldn't be a big problem."

He Yan: “…”

She said, "Commander-in-chief, you can't take out your dissatisfaction with Lord Lei on me."

This guy is like a firecracker now, he can't even talk properly.

Xiao Jue turned the page of the book in front of him without turning his head: "You think too much."

He Yan looked at him. It should be the report sent by Liangzhou Guards about the casualties of the guards during the Ridamuzi raid. He sat at the table and read it carefully.

It's not easy for Xiao Jue either.

He Yan thought to himself, he would go to Qingnan first, and then bring the Southern Army back without stopping, and lead the army to wipe out Ridamuzi's troops, and then settle the dead soldiers. Then he went to interrogate Lei Hou, and was stabbed by Lei Hou a few times. Now he came back to continue reading military articles, without stopping for a moment.

He Yan was injured, but at least he had a good sleep, but this guy didn't rest from beginning to end.

But when he was in Xianchang Hall, he loved to hide away. So even Xiao Jue couldn't hide away from him?

His back is always as straight as a tree, as if he will never get tired, but in fact he will get tired.

He Yan sat on the chair, looked at his back, and said, "Commander-in-chief, don't take Lei Hou's words to heart."

Without hearing Xiao Jue's answer, He Yan didn't care and continued to talk to himself, "He is an enemy, so of course he is happiest when he sees you angry. He said those things on purpose to irritate you. It's not like you are the only one being scolded, he also scolded me, uh, called me a sissy." He Yan started to talk nonsense again, "He also scolded me for having a hidden illness, my fiancée ran away with someone a long time ago, and I am alone, and I will be reduced to buying tofu in the east of the city and no one will buy it."

This consolation is really lame. After He Yan finished speaking, she felt that she was not attentive. But what could she do? She was rarely comforted by others, so she was not very good at comforting others.

Some things are not right or wrong. You make decisions based on your position. Outsiders cannot understand. It is not a good feeling to bear everything alone. She has experienced it deeply.

Therefore, I can understand Xiao Jue's feelings.

Xiao Jue was still too lazy to pay attention to her, and his eyes never left the military document in front of him.

He Yan stood up, leaning on his stick, and walked to his side with great effort. He clenched his right hand into a fist and placed it on his desk.

"I'll give you something." She said, "I'm leaving now."

She slowly walked back to her room and closed the middle door.

After He Yan left, Xiao Jue stopped and looked at the table.

Where her palm had just covered was a sesame candy.

Looks sweet.

——Digression——

The flooding of Guocheng has a prototype in history, the battle of Qin's Bai Qi to capture Yancheng. Of course, it has been slightly adapted. Friends who are interested can check it out. I am not whitewashing Xiao Jue, but there is no right or wrong in this matter, just different positions. If you want to say it is wrong, you can only say that war is wrong in the first place, and the rise and fall of the people are suffering. However, this article is just a fictional Mary Sue cool article, without any connotation. I wrote it randomly for you to read, as long as it is cool and sweet enough (running away with the lid on the pot