The fire in the fumigation cage was burning brightly, and Shao Qing felt hot all over. Her brows were furrowed, and her hair was wet with sweat. Finally, she couldn't bear it anymore and kicked him in the chest, asking him to hurry up.
Wei Jing grabbed the small and delicate white foot, kissed it, and increased the speed for a while, thus ending the fierce battle.
The two of them embraced each other and breathed heavily. Shao Qing soon passed out. Wei Jinggang called for water, and suddenly Zuo Shaoer let out a "Yeah" and started crying.
He was worried about his wife, so he covered her with a brocade quilt, jumped out of bed, hurriedly put on silk pants, and went out with his upper body naked, not afraid of the cold.
The wet nurse was coaxing the baby, and when she saw him coming, she hurriedly greeted him and handed the baby to him.
He took his daughter and rocked her skillfully, "Daddy's daughter, what's wrong with you? Are you hungry?"
"Your Highness, I just fed the young master."
Wei Jing was so powerful that the wet nurse and the night watch maid lowered their heads and held their breath, not daring to look at him.
This tall man of noble status and imposing manner was gently coaxing the little daughter in his arms. He was humming a nursery rhyme and pacing back and forth. Her father's breath made Xu'er feel particularly at ease. Soon she smacked her lips, stopped crying, and continued to sleep soundly.
Wei Jing smiled, and gently wiped away the remaining tears from the corners of his daughter's eyes with his thumb. He carefully put her back into the stroller, and told her to take good care of her and not to slack off, then returned to the inner room.
"Is Xu'er crying?"
Mother and daughter are connected by heart. Shao Qing woke up vaguely. She was very sleepy and tired, and her eyelids could hardly open.
"It's okay, she's asleep again."
The hot water was ready. Wei Jing leaned over, picked her up, and kissed her eyelids gently, "You should go to sleep too."
Afterwards, the cleaning was always his responsibility. Shao Qing felt relieved, hugged his neck, rubbed it, closed his eyes and fell asleep.
…
The spring boudoir is full of warmth, couples embrace each other, and raising children is a joy. Time flies, and in the blink of an eye, autumn is here and winter snow is everywhere.
At this time last year, Shao Qing snuggled in her husband's arms and listened to him describe the snow scene. This year, she saw the white snow falling with her own eyes.
Xu'er grew up day by day. She learned to roll over when she was four months old, and learned to sit up when she was five months old. When she was six months old, she could sit very steadily, raise her arms and kick her legs, and look around with her little head. She was very lively and active.
The growth of their little daughter has brought infinite surprises to the couple. At noon and in the evening, the main courtyard is filled with laughter.
Of course, while his private life became more and more colorful, his military and political duties were not neglected.
Wei Jing's ability to govern the country was also outstanding. He had many talented people under his command. Yizhou and Jingzhou, which had been under his control for a long time, were thriving, and the recently acquired Yangzhou and Jiaozhou were gradually becoming stable and peaceful. Although there were many government affairs, there were no major problems.
As for military affairs, it is worth mentioning that the reports from the investigation of the generals and officials in Yuzhou by Wei Jing have been coming back one after another.
As expected, the situation became complicated when there were too many people. It was better because Prince Ji had regular troops, but there were a lot of messy things happening under the command of Wang Ji, who came from a humble background.
Who has ever competed for credit with whom, resulting in a delicate relationship; who has ever offended whom after drinking; and who are the competitors. There are many situations, not just one.
But these messages may not be applicable. After all, the delicate relationship is not stationed together, and the competitors do not seem to be easy to incite. After choosing and picking, I haven't found anything that suits me yet.
In early December, Wei Jing finally received a very interesting piece of news.
"Wang Ji's eldest son, Wang Qiong, ..."
Ji Huan took the message from Wei Jing and unfolded it. Seeing that everyone was staring at him, he simply read it out loud. Wang Qiong, who followed his father to participate in the battle of Yangzhou, died in a breakout battle at the beginning of the year.
"Ren Shi, the younger brother of Wang Qiong's widow, is stationed at Nanping Pass; and the commander stationed at Xiyang Pass is Zheng He, a confidant of Wang Ji's second son Wang Luo."
Just as Ji Huang finished reading, Zhang Yong was surprised: "This Xiyang Pass commander is actually Wang Luo's confidant?!"
No wonder Zhang Yong reacted so strongly. With several months of detailed investigation, the people in Liling had a better understanding of the status of the Zhenquan Army. According to their previous analysis, the harmony between Wang Ji's second son and his elder brother's family was far from being as harmonious as it seemed.
Wang Ji valued his eldest son and regarded him as his successor. Wang Qiong had always been powerful, so the other brothers had to avoid his edge. However, among all the brothers, the second son Wang Luo had the most military achievements and was highly praised by his father.
Wang Luo was a man who always smiled and behaved gently. He was very obedient to his father and brother. Therefore, even though Wang Qiong was very afraid of his younger brother, it was difficult for her to make things difficult for him.
Then let’s ask Wang Luo if she has any idea about this?
Even if he didn't have it originally, he should have it after being betrayed by his brother twice and almost losing his life. However, he knew his father's thoughts and was well versed in the art of forbearance, so he behaved more respectfully towards his brother and sister-in-law, paid more attention to his nephew, and was obedient to him, which made Wang Ji very pleased.
Wang Ye could only grit his teeth and cooperate, showing more care for his younger brother.
Therefore, the deep brotherly love between these two brothers has always been praised. If it were not for the frequent small moves of both sides in the news reports, Li Ling and others who did not have a deep understanding of the Zhenquan Army in the past would not have known the trick.
It was a pity that Wang Qiong died in battle, but fortunately Wang Ji had a second son who was equally outstanding.
In such a war-torn period, generals and counselors are very important, and Wang Qiong's party members are not intolerant of Wang Luo. The only exceptions are those who almost got him killed in the past and those who naturally bore the mark of Wang Qiong and could not be washed away.
As Wang Qiong's brother-in-law and confidant, Ren Shi possesses both. There is no point in being afraid now that things have come to this. The Zhenquan Army does not belong to Wang Luo yet, so it is hard to say what will happen in the future. As they were all in high positions, they simply ganged up on each other and fought openly and secretly.
"I almost died. This hatred cannot be resolved."
In fact, the relationship between the two sides is extremely bad. Ji Huan and Wei Jing at the top looked at each other and saw the same thing in each other's eyes.
After going around in circles, we finally returned to the Nanping and Xiyang Second Pass.
"Last year, during the battle of Yanzhou, Ren Shi twice misjudged the snowstorm as an enemy attack, and the soldiers got up in the middle of the night and returned. Another month ago, during the battle of Chenliu, ..."
Han Xi was very careful in his work, and he came later with specific information that Ren Shi and Zheng He could find out.
Wei Jing looked through them one by one and said, "This person lacks courage."
Zheng He is famous for his bad temper.
The personalities of these two people can be properly utilized.
Wei Jing pondered for a long time, called Han Xi over, and gave him some instructions.
…
There have been several consecutive very cold winters, and this year is no exception. As we enter the twelfth lunar month, the roaring wind and snow have become more fierce.
The sky was covered with white, the snow was thick, people were shivering, and the grain carts were finding it increasingly difficult to move.
Every time they missed the inn, the soldiers transporting grain had a harder time. Wu Ping, the general of the Zhenquan Army, looked at the sky and turned back to shout, "Brothers, hurry up! We should be able to reach the inn by night!"
They separated from the main force yesterday to transport grain, oil and other military supplies to the Nanping and Xiyang passes, more than a hundred miles away. The road was difficult to travel on and the grain carts were heavy. Twenty miles a day was the limit. It was very hard and tiring, but the attraction of hot water and hot meals was still great. The soldiers worked together and finally saw the post station from You.
Who knew that the joy would turn into sorrow? There were several screams in succession. In the dark night, floating snow covered the damaged roadside. Suddenly, dozens of grain carts overturned, the sacks were damaged, and the grain was scattered all over the snow.
"Damn it!"
Chen Ping cursed angrily, but it was unclear whether he was cursing the person or the weather. However, this wasn't the first time an accident had occurred while pushing a grain cart in this weather. All we could do was curse as everyone hurriedly swept up the grain and packed it up.
The grain that fell on the snow was naturally mixed with snowflakes, but fortunately there was no mud. So it was packed in sacks and could still be delivered.
Normally, the grain mixed with snow would be shared equally by each family, but Ren Shi was a smart man. He ordered his men to meet the enemy dozens of miles away early, stuffed some silver and money into the men's pockets, and successfully obtained the good grain and grass.
This scene fell into the eyes of Zheng He's confidant who arrived a step late. He immediately said "Puh" and rushed forward to demand an equal division.
This is not the first time this has happened. Due to this bad weather, grain truck rollover accidents are much more frequent than last month. Sometimes, half of the grain is mixed with snow, which cannot be stored without being screened out. And even if it is sifted, it cannot be completely clean. Once the grain is stored in a warmer granary, it will always become damp.
Zheng He has suffered losses before, so how could he let it go? Unfortunately, after a while of pushing and shoving, Ren Shifang finally won.
First come, first served. Zheng He’s people didn’t dare to really fight.
Watching the other party walk away, Zheng He's confidant gnashed his teeth in hatred. He went back and exaggerated the matter and filed a fierce complaint.
Zheng He exploded at once, slamming the table in anger: "Damn you old dog Ren!"
It’s a pity, what can I do? I can only hold it in.
As the end of the year was approaching, a lot of supplies were needed to be replenished. Similar conflicts occurred several times and the conflict between the two sides escalated to a climax.
Wei Jing said calmly: "Almost done."
You can proceed to the second step.
…
At the beginning of the New Year, the snow finally stopped, but it was still falling. The wind was strong in the mountains, and the strong wind blew the snowflakes into the pass. It was still a tough job to guard the city.
It was cold and dark early. A bonfire was lit, and the red flames dispelled the darkness and cold. A soldier rubbed the itchy chilblains on his hands and said to his companions, "I heard that the kitchen butchered a sheep today..."
It was time to make mutton soup. Thinking of the hot and spicy broth, he swallowed and was about to say that it was almost time to change shifts, but out of the corner of his eye he saw some movement far below the checkpoint, and he was startled.
"Look, what is that?!"
Nanping Pass is on the mountainside. Looking down from the left, you can just see the hills at the southern foot of Yangshou Mountain. When the soldiers heard the sound, they looked and saw something huge shaking in the distance in the snowy night.
The distance was too far, there was no moon or stars, and it was pitch black and impossible to tell. Some said something moved, but some said nothing did. Is it always like this on snowy nights? .
But no one dared to take it lightly and reported it immediately, suspecting an enemy attack!
Ren Shi rushed out to take a look and gritted his teeth: "It must be an enemy attack! Pass the order, prepare to repel the enemy!"
He turned around and pointed to a confidant: "Hurry up and notify Zheng He to come for help!"
One of the great advantages of the Zimu Pass is that there is a shortcut between the two passes, which is fast and convenient, and they can reinforce each other at any time. Double the garrison can produce double the effect, and the difficulty brought to the attackers is not just one plus one equals two.
Nanping Pass was on high alert. Besides, Zheng He, who received the news, did not dare to be negligent here even though he was at odds with Ren Shi. After observing that there was nothing unusual at his own pass, he hastily selected half of the garrison and ordered his deputy general to lead them to rush to the rescue of Nanping Pass.
The King of Qi was so famous that all the soldiers were prepared for a fierce battle. However, after arriving at Nanping, they found the sea calm and the only sounds were the rustling of snow and the whistling of wind.
After waiting for an hour, the so-called surprise attack enemy was still nowhere to be seen. The deputy general endured his anger and embarrassment, and hurriedly ordered the sentry to go out and check.
After working hard for half the night, the results came out. After on-site investigation, no traces of large numbers of enemy troops were found.
The deputy general went back angrily.
Zheng He cursed: "Ren Shi, you cowardly old man!"
This is treating the wind and snow as an enemy attack again! !
If this didn't happen to me, it would be quite hilarious to hear about it, but if it really happened to me, I would be so angry that my lungs would explode. Zheng He cursed angrily, and the soldiers under his command also complained.
But who would have thought that this incident was not over yet. It happened again on the second day and the day after, both times at night. Especially the third time, it happened in the middle of the night, and both times he got fooled.
Xiyang Pass was in chaos, and the soldiers were exhausted. Zheng He, who received the report for the third time, was furious and threw off his quilt and shouted: "I will go there myself!!"
If it's false reporting again, I'll skin that person alive!
Zheng He and his party took the shortcut and arrived at Nanping Pass like a whirlwind. Even though they were filled with cold wind, the weather was still calm. Zheng He, who had not slept well for three days, had bloodshot eyes and stood on the top of the city wall, poking Ren Shi's face and cursing.
"You old bastard, you have repeatedly lied about military intelligence. If I believe you again, I will tear my head off and use it as your chamber pot!!"
This was scolding in front of the soldiers of both sides. Ren Shi's face was burning. Zheng He left angrily. He glanced at his own soldiers and said angrily: "What are you looking at? Go back to your positions!"
He walked away with a flick of his sleeves, and many people secretly spat at him.
"Alright, alright, those who are supposed to be on duty should be on duty, and those who are not on duty should go back to the barracks and rest."
Someone tried to smooth things over and everyone went back. They were tired, and it was not just Zheng He and his group who couldn't stand all this trouble.
After three times of complaining and sighing, even the soldiers who initially thought there was real movement felt that it was just the wind and snow blowing and causing the trees to sway, and that Ren Shi was being overly sensitive.
This night, just like the previous two nights, I should wait quietly for dawn.
All the soldiers thought so, even Ren Shi who had returned to the barracks.
But who knew that the enemy's surprise attack would really come in the next moment.
…
When Zheng He was scolding Ren Shi for turning back at the top of the city wall, a man in a silver cloak on the snow not far from the pass quietly withdrew his sight, stood up silently and ran back in the snow.
"General Chen, it's done."
This was the third time it had been accomplished, and the time was almost right.
“Brothers!”
Chen Qi, who had been ordered to lead the cavalry battalion on a forced march for half the night, had snowflakes on his thick eyebrows that he had not had time to wipe off. He raised his hand solemnly: "Hurry up and attack Nanping Pass! The lord will be here soon with the army!"
With rapid attack and fire attack, Wei Jing arrived with an army of 30,000.
Wei Jing stationed 30,000 elite troops in Lucheng, the city closest to the northern pass of Hanshou. Liling is his new base camp, so it is normal to station more troops at the northern pass. But in fact, these 30,000 garrison troops are not just for defense.
On the New Year's Day, he bid farewell to his wife and daughter and went to Lucheng silently.
Thirty thousand elite soldiers are enough to attack Nanping Pass. However, the difficulty in attacking Nanping Pass is not only due to its danger, but also because it forms a pincer attack with Xiyang Pass, and they can reinforce each other, so it is not difficult to hold out until the arrival of the main army.
Cutting off the reinforcements from Xiyang Pass, the difficulty of capturing Nanping Pass was reduced by more than half. Wei Jing led 30,000 elite troops from Lucheng and rushed over at lightning speed, while Chen Qi and others, as the vanguard, had already launched an attack on Nanping Pass.
"Quick! Quickly notify Zheng He to come for help!"
Because the first three times of deception were unsuccessful, the soldiers did not report it until Chen Qi got closer. Ren Shi quickly ordered his confidant to inform Zheng He.
Zheng He, who had just fallen asleep, was woken up again. This time he was really angry. "Again?!"
"Is it fun to play tricks on me? Am I a fool? I won't go!!"
He rushed out barefoot, grabbed the collar of the armor of the confidant who had reported the incident, and spit in his face: "Are you sure there is an enemy attack? Huh?!"
The confidant didn't see clearly, and hesitated for a moment before being thrown down by Zheng He, who shouted angrily, "Get out!"
In this way, Nanping Pass lost the best opportunity to receive reinforcements. When the confidant returned to Nanping Pass in disgrace, the pass was already engulfed in war. Wei Jing came with 30,000 elite troops, and he immediately gave orders to attack the pass as swiftly as possible.
Ren Shi was fully prepared, thinking that reinforcements had arrived, but to his surprise, his confidant was left with nothing behind him. He roared, "What's going on?!"
Cursing was useless, so he could only order his confidant to run again as quickly as possible. Ren Shi probably understood what was going on, and turned to look at the southern soldiers at the pass, gnashing his teeth, "Damn King Qi!"
Wei Jing's eyes were like lightning, and he glanced coldly at the top of Nanping Pass. Seeing that the number of defenders had not increased, he ordered in a deep voice: "Step up the attack, and we must take Nanping Pass before noon!"
Otherwise, reinforcements from Xiyang Pass would have arrived!
It is now about two hours away from noon.
Wei Jing's guess was correct. His confidant rode away on horseback again. After he arrived, the other side didn't believe it at first. After a while of arguing, they finally notified Zheng He, who hurriedly led his troops over.
But at this time in Nanping Pass, the battle had entered a fierce stage. The Nanping defenders, who had not been able to sleep for several days, were far less energetic than the enemy troops at the pass.
Rockets rained down, shouts of killing shook the sky, enemy troops kept climbing up the city walls, and the loud noises of wooden beams ramming into doors became louder and louder.
Finally, when Zheng He arrived, there was a loud "bang" and the door was knocked open.
Elite southern troops poured in like a tide. Zheng He felt a chill in his heart and looked up. He saw a heroic general in silver armor looking up at him from afar. His eyes were as cold as lightning and murderous. The golden saber in his hand reflected a blinding cold light in the morning light.
King of Qi? !
He was horrified.
The author has something to say: The gap has been opened and the Northern Expedition has officially begun! !
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