Willows are swaying and the breeze is gentle.
This is the deepest impression of hundreds of thousands of soldiers on Ganzhou's late spring, and it is also Ye Yunlu's deepest impression of Ganzhou.
Under the willow trees, he stared into the distance, as if he wanted to see it thoroughly.
In the distance is a country called Xia. Because it is located in the west, it is also customarily called Western Xia.
Ganzhou is located on the border between Song and Xia, and the main force of the Ye family army is stationed here. This time, he came to inspect the border.
He stared into the distance until someone arrived and he came to his senses: "Su Qing, don't think about it. You've been thinking about it for days."
Ye Yunlu just glanced at the man who walked to his side, remained silent, and looked into the distance with a serious expression.
The man who came was a man in his forties with a strong build and a broad back. He was a general under Ye Shiheng, named Zhou Fuqin.
Zhou Fuqin also looked in the direction where Ye Yunlu was staring, and said, "The Western Xia has become more and more arrogant in recent years, and has invaded our border from time to time. Although the battles are small, there have not been heavy casualties. I am worried that the Western Xia Tartars will make a big move. Thirty years ago, the old general defeated the Western Xia army, but in the past thirty years, the Western Xia has developed rapidly and its military strength has been continuously increasing. These constant small battles may be to test our army's strength. If the Song and Xia fight, our army has a high chance of winning, but the casualties will also be heavy, and the victory will be a pyrrhic victory."
After Zhou Fuqin finished speaking, Ye Yunlu withdrew his distant gaze. "Tuoba Zhao is a shrewd and calculating man. He would not rashly send troops if he was not sure of victory. The Western Xia has been planning to invade the Song Dynasty for a long time. With the current strength of the Western Xia, a battle with our army is likely to result in both sides suffering losses. The only way for Tuoba Zhao to be sure of victory is to form an alliance. I wonder who the Western Xia will ally with, Northern Liao or Tubo. Although Northern Liao and Tubo are not as powerful as the Western Xia, they should not be underestimated. If these three countries join forces, the Song Dynasty will be in danger."
Zhou Fuqin disagreed, saying, "It's very likely that Western Xia will ally with Northern Liao, but unlikely that they will ally with Tubo. If the Tubo King allies with Western Xia, it would be a betrayal of the Song Dynasty. Besides, doesn't he have Princess Pingting?"
Ye Yunlu asked, "The Grand Princess Anguo has been married to Northern Liao for fifty years. If they had kept their relationship, there wouldn't have been a conflict between Song and Liao two years ago. Brother Zhou, Princess Pingting is not a member of the royal family. Do you think the King of Tubo would consider Princess Pingting and not attack the Song Dynasty?"
Zhou Fuqin rubbed his head and chuckled, feeling a bit embarrassed. "I didn't think that far ahead."
Then he said, "But Mr. Su, this matter is still a long way off. We should focus on the important matters."
Ye Yunlu sighed, "Right now I have no idea who that person is, how long he has been infiltrating our army, is he from Xixia, Tibet, Liao, or the Duan clan of Nanli."
Zhou Fuqin said, "We were on high alert, and that person failed to pass on our important military intelligence. Yu Shi is very resourceful, and if he were here, he would definitely be able to catch all these foreign spies."
Hearing this, Ye Yunlu was silent for a moment. His second brother was very resourceful and could handle the matter with just a few spies.
Suddenly, his eyes gleamed, and he said, "That's right. I was so obsessed with who the spy was and which faction he belonged to that I forgot that catching him is the most important thing."
Zhou Fuqin smiled and said, "So you have an idea."
Ye Yunlu smiled and nodded, whispering a few words in Zhou Fuqin's ear, who praised it repeatedly.
As the sun sets in the west, the willows are the brides of the setting sun, and the gentle evening breeze is like a graceful dance.
The two men rode back to the camp. Not long after they started riding, Ye Yunlu suddenly stopped and looked at the open space in front of him. His brows were slightly furrowed, and he looked a little sad.
Zhou Fuqin said, "You remember, and I remember too. Lady Dugu was a good woman, as brave as a man. Let the past be the past. Thinking about it will only make you sadder."
Ye Yunlu felt quite guilty and said, "I shouldn't have brought her here. That incident is her regret, and it's also my regret."
Zhou Fuqin said, "Lady Dugu was lucky to have survived. That knife almost pierced her through."
Zhou Fuqin couldn't bear to see him look back on the past and add to his sadness, so he changed the subject, "I heard that Yu Shi got married. Whose daughter is worthy of our Second Young Master?"
Ye Yunlu said: "It's the girl from the Hua family."
Zhou Fu Qin Ming heard what he said and immediately laughed: "So Hua Mingqian's daughter is not bad, not bad. The girls of the Hua family are good. The daughter of the censor must be better than her father."
Ye Yunlu laughed and told Zhou Fuqin about the conspiracy between Ye Shiheng and Hua Mingqian. Zhou Fuqin laughed heartily, "The Second Young Master actually fell for the General's trick, and the General is still the same!"
Ye Yunlu thought about what his father had done and smiled faintly. The two of them returned to the camp in the sunset.
The next day, Zhou Fuqin followed Ye Yunlu's instructions and escorted two people into the main tent. Both of them had their heads covered, so their faces could not be seen clearly. Many curious people were whispering about them.
The main tent was empty, everyone had been sent away by Ye Yunlu.
Two soldiers with their heads covered entered the main tent and were forced to kneel in front of Ye Yunlu.
Ye Yunlu began to interrogate the two.
About an hour later, Ye Yunlu's face was filled with rage. He shouted, "Drag him out and execute him!"
The two soldiers begged for mercy again and again.
Zhou Fuqin ordered four soldiers to escort the two men out. As soon as they left the main tent, a captain named Xia Hanzhang came over and greeted Zhou Fuqin, "General Zhou."
He was surprised to see the two people with their faces covered. "What's going on?"
Zhou Fuqin took Xia Hanzhang aside and whispered, "These two are spies from Western Xia. They've confessed everything. The general has ordered their execution."
Xia Hanzhang was shocked. "What?"
Zhou Fuqin looked back and said to Xia Hanzhang, "Keep your voice down so no one can hear you."
Xia Hanzhang asked in a low voice, "Are those two spies?"
Zhou Fuqin looked around and saw no one else approaching. "There may be other spies in the army. I'm telling you this because we're familiar with each other. Please don't tell anyone else, or you might alert them."
Xia Hanzhang nodded repeatedly before leaving.
Zhou Fuqin smiled and took the two men to the mountains far away from the military camp for execution. After burying their bodies, he returned to the military camp and the main tent.
As soon as he entered the main tent, a soldier came to report that Xixia soldiers had invaded Yumen Pass. Ye Yun ordered Zhou Fuqindao to assemble a team of troops and head to Yumen Pass that day.
Dancing Yin.
Old Lady Gao asked someone to invite Hua Fushu to Rongxi Hall. Ye Zelin smiled faintly and went to Rongxi Hall with Hua Fushu.
In Rongxi Hall, Mrs. Gao sat upright. Ye Zelin bowed and took his seat with a normal expression. Hua Fushu was a little nervous but his expression was normal. He bowed and sat next to Ye Zelin.
Old Madam Gao gently fanned herself with a round fan with a cloud pattern and said, "Brother Lin, I've been thinking for a while. Your grandfather's skills are unparalleled in the world and should not be left without a successor. I can pass on all the Ouyang family's acupuncture techniques to you without breaking the rules of the Ouyang family."
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