Chapter 59 The Bringer of Bad News Has Arrived
A short while later, a middle-aged man, looking travel-worn, hurriedly entered from outside.
He wasn't wearing armor, but his long robe was soaked with sweat, and his head and face were covered in dust.
He was holding a wooden box wrapped in a white cloth in his arms.
As soon as he entered, the serving eunuch stepped forward to inspect the box.
"No need to check, this is General Huangfu's man, Deputy General Han! I recognize him," Emperor Xiao Jing hurriedly said.
The young eunuch then withdrew.
As soon as Deputy General Han saw Emperor Xiao Jing, he knelt down with a thud and then crawled on his knees to a spot five meters away from Emperor Xiao Jing, holding the wooden box in his hand.
"Your Majesty!" Vice General Han held the box above his head, his face filled with grief and indignation.
Everyone present felt a chill run down their spines.
This is getting...
It feels like our hometown has been wiped out! Could it be that the Northern Hu have attacked?
"What exactly happened! Speak!" Emperor Xiao Jing roared angrily.
"Tell me quickly, what exactly happened in the north!" Empress Dowager Zheng also looked anxious.
If something happens in the North, no amount of infighting here will help.
Even if we drive Emperor Xiao Jing off the throne, what difference will it make?
Is she really going to lead the entire royal family south?
Only then did Deputy General Han raise his head to look at Emperor Xiao Jing.
"Your Majesty! There's news about the Duke of Dingguo!" Deputy General Han said, choking back tears.
Everyone inside the pavilion...
After a moment of relief, everyone immediately realized what had happened.
The Duke of Dingguo has been missing for three years. Now there's news, reported by the deputy general of the Marquis of Changsheng...
That box...
"What news? Speak!" Emperor Xiao Jing immediately tensed up.
"Your Majesty! The Duke of Dingguo is gone! His body has vanished without a trace, leaving only his blood-stained clothes torn to shreds by wild beasts..." Vice General Han said, banging his head against the bluestone slab.
As soon as he finished speaking, there was a moment of silence in the pavilion, followed by an uproar.
"How could that be? The Duke of Dingguo is invincible..."
"Impossible! To identify the Duke of Dingguo based solely on two blood-stained garments? That's far too simplistic..."
"Sigh, three years have passed, and it's still the same one..."
......
Emperor Xiao Jing felt a chill run down his spine and then suddenly remembered what Shangguan Jin had said before.
"At worst, we'll just let Sister Yao observe mourning..."
impossible!
Although Marquis Changsheng was formerly the first deputy general of the Duke of Dingguo, the two families did not have close ties.
The Marquis of Everlasting Victory would never have made such a fuss over such trivial matters.
"How can you be so sure that this blood-stained garment belongs to the Duke of Dingguo?" Emperor Xiao Jing immediately pressed.
"Your Majesty, I dare not speak nonsense."
"These blood-stained clothes were brought out by... Shen Zhong, a follower of the Duke of Dingguo," Deputy General Han explained, weeping.
Seeing that Vice General Han, who was so old, was sobbing, everyone in the pavilion was probably convinced.
Emperor Xiao Jing felt a tightness in his chest, as if a hand was gripping his heart.
Could it be that Shen Huaichen really...
"Shen Zhong? Is that the Shen family attendant who followed the Duke of Dingguo and disappeared with him?" Empress Xu asked promptly.
Deputy General Han nodded.
Emperor Xiao Jing stumbled and almost lost his footing.
Fortunately, Empress Xu was there to help him up.
After helping Emperor Xiao Jing to sit down, Empress Xu then looked at Deputy General Han.
“Tell me everything you know, word by word, what exactly happened.”
Deputy General Han wiped his eyes with his sleeve before revealing everything he knew.
"Ten days ago, a group of people were patrolling the border. Just as they were about to return to camp, they saw a person rushing towards them."
The man was waving as he ran this way.
Upon closer inspection, everyone realized that the man who looked like a beggar was actually Shen Zhong, who had been serving in the military.
Because of his connection to the Duke of Dingguo, everyone was familiar with Shen Zhong.
Upon seeing it was him, they quickly took him back to camp.
Who knew, he kept insisting on seeing General Huangfu.
Only after meeting General Huangfu did he hand the box in his hand to General Huangfu.
When General Huangfu opened it, in addition to the two blood-stained garments, there was also a complete map of the military distribution of the northern Hu border.
Shen Zhong said, "This is information that the Duke of Dingguo has only been able to gather over the past three years through his deep exploration of the Northern Hu."
"And what about the Duke of Dingguo?" Empress Dowager Zheng immediately pressed.
"Duke Dingguo and Shen Zhong spent three years exploring the northern lands, and they were finally able to figure out the whole situation."
However, they were discovered by a scout squad from the Northern Hu during their retreat.
After a relentless pursuit, they strayed into the desert, encountered a strong wind, and lost track of each other.
When Shen Zhong found them, only these two blood-stained clothes, torn apart by wild beasts, remained…” Deputy General Han began to sob again as he spoke.
Emperor Xiao Jing was already nine-tenths convinced after hearing this.
His impression of Shen Huaichen had always been like this.
They appear and disappear unpredictably, and occasionally do some surprising things.
It's quite his style to explore the strategically important border region of the Northern Hu with only one attendant.
"Did Shen Zhong say why the Duke of Dingguo has been missing for three years? Why has there been no news of him for three years?" Empress Dowager Zheng asked immediately.
"Shen Zhong said that three years ago, the Duke led a small group of men on an inspection tour and suddenly encountered a small group of Northern Hu troops who were planning to launch a surprise attack on Dayu."
After the battle, the Duke of Dingguo took the opportunity to escape into the border city of the Northern Hu.
Knowing that Dayu had promptly dispatched Changsheng Marquis to take over Weiyuan Army, the Duke of Dingguo was not worried.
The Duke of Dingguo thought that he might as well take this opportunity to thoroughly understand the military situation of the Northern Hu.
This will clear the way for Dayu to wipe out the Northern Hu in one fell swoop in the future.
He stayed there for three years. During these three years, the Duke of Dingguo got to know all the border garrisons of the Northern Hu and the situation of troop rotations.
"Your Majesty, they're all here."
As Han Fujie spoke, he opened the wooden box he had brought.
As soon as the box was opened, a sour and foul smell wafted out.
Emperor Xiao Jing peeked out.
More than ten pieces of parchment, and some tattered strips of cloth whose color was no longer discernible.
"Your Majesty, this is a map of the Northern Hu's defenses. Every time the Duke of Dingguo finishes drawing one, he entrusts it to Shen Zhong for safekeeping."
There are thirteen sheets in total, showing the defense deployment of the thirteen border cities of the Northern Hu.
"What remains is... the blood-stained clothes of the Duke of Dingguo!" Vice General Han kowtowed his head on the bluestone slab again.
I took the parchment and looked at the familiar handwriting...
Emperor Xiao Jing felt a little short of breath.
But at the same time, he felt a sense of relief...
"Huaichen! You're going to break my heart!" Emperor Xiao Jing suddenly pounded his chest.
Then he collapsed onto Empress Dowager Zheng's chaise longue.
"emperor......"
"Your Majesty...summon the imperial physician!"
"emperor......"
The once tranquil and elegant garden was suddenly thrown into chaos.
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