Chapter 149
"Brother, why are you in such a hurry to find me?" Xie Chen rushed over here, thinking that something big had happened.
"Zhongxuan, news has come from the county magistrate's office that the Huns have made unusual movements. Taran reminded us when he left, but we didn't expect it to happen so soon." Lin Shuge said anxiously.
"Don't worry, brother. Commander Zhao has fought against the Huns for many years and is very experienced. Besides, Chanyu Muxie killed his father to ascend to the throne, and his position is unstable. He will not take any action immediately." Xie Chen was not in a hurry at all. He was in a good mood to pick up the letter from the table and read it again.
"Why did Envoy Wei send Wei Huan here?" Xie Chen put the letter heavily on the table with dissatisfaction in his eyes.
"The gunpowder issue is of great importance, and Master Wei must be present in person." Lu Yuechuan leaned forward and replied.
"Didn't the county governor's office already know about the gunpowder incident? Why did they send people over again?" Xie Chen looked at Lin Shuge.
"Of course seeing is believing. I explained the power of gunpowder to Envoy Wei in my letter, but who would dare to take it seriously if they haven't seen it? At this critical moment, we must send someone we can trust. And you have sent a lot of gunpowder to the Duwei Mansion in the past few days. If Envoy Wei knew that I got the new stuff and sent it to the Duwei instead of him, wouldn't it be my fault?" Lin Shuge said with a smile, "And if we really want to fight the Huns, the more gunpowder the better. The County Magistrate's Mansion is full of talents, naturally not like my small Qingquan County. Maybe we can make the musket go a step further."
After Xie Chen heard what he said, he knew he was right and kept silent.
After returning to the room after his shift, Lin Shuge asked what he had been wanting to ask today, "Zhongxuan, have you received the transfer order?"
Xie Chen shook his head. "This matter involves too many things. The Xiongnu have always been a major threat to the Central Plains since the previous dynasty. For all the forces in Yandu, I am a rookie and naturally not qualified to lead the army to fight the Xiongnu. Moreover, in my opinion, whether to fight or not, whether to take the initiative to attack or passively defend are all problems."
"Zhongxuan, do you mean that Yandu may not send a large army to fight?" A trace of worry flashed across Lin Shuge's brow.
"Brother, in recent years, the court has been vying for power, and various forces have appeared one by one. It has long lost the momentum of swallowing wolves and driving away tigers. In the war against the Huns, the previous dynasty took the initiative to attack the Huns with the whole country's strength, which cost so much manpower and material resources, and almost caused the entire dynasty to fall apart. This is serious, and those in power must consider it carefully. The little emperor is ambitious, but he has not even solved the Ding family. Before he holds power, it is difficult for him to integrate all his forces. Watch, brother, whether to fight or make peace, they will have to argue for many times."
The Ding family is very powerful in the court, and the new emperor certainly does not want the Ding party to have any more military achievements. If they really have the merit of defeating the Huns, then he might have to learn from those powerful ministers and directly change the name of Dayan.
“So even if we have to fight, it will be a big problem who to use.” Lin Shuge sat down gloomily.
"A wise ruler and a good general are the key to victory in a war. Both are indispensable. In addition, this wise ruler must have absolute say, otherwise everything will be in vain."
Xie Chen looked at Lin Shuge's angry face and said, "But brother, don't worry too much. Great Yan was founded on military power, and wise ministers and generals were promoted based on their military achievements. Fighting against the Xiongnu is a matter that will go down in history. Whether it is the new emperor or the Ding family, they will at least want this unprecedented achievement."
"A blacksmith must be strong himself. Zhongxuan, how is your training going?" Lin Shuge asked after a long silence.
Xie Chen nodded, "We train every day, and we dare not slack off. The soldiers are equipped with new armor, and there is also a musket battalion, which is different from the past."
He walked over and put his hand on Lin Shuge's shoulder, smiling and saying, "Mu Xie Shan Yu is a smart man. He won't act rashly if the time is not right. Captain Zhao is also keeping an eye on the Xiongnu's movements at the border. If there is any disturbance, with Captain Zhao's ability, he can solve it without a word from Yandu. Unless the Xiongnu army approaches the border, the situation you and I are worried about will happen. Brother, we just need to do what we want to do now."
Lin Shuge tilted his head and held his hand, "Zhongxuan, I'm worried about you..."
"Brother, have you forgotten what I am going to do?" Xie Chen put his strong arms around his neck, tilted his head and kissed his neck, his laughter clear and bewitching.
Lin Shuge was surprised and looked at him and said, "According to what you said, there is nothing we can do. We might as well eat and drink."
"Isn't my brother doing what he can do? Increasing the variety of grain, repairing the city, developing new weapons, and improving the soldiers' combat capability step by step." Xie Chen simply picked him up and sat on the chair himself.
Lin Shuge was forced to sit on his lap, a face-to-face position. The warmth from under his legs gradually came up, and his face seemed to be stained with heat as well. "Let's talk business, don't mess around."
"Who is messing around? Brother, are you thinking of something bad and trying to frame me?" Xie Chen had an innocent look on his face, with one hand around Lin Shuge's waist.
Lin Shuge felt uneasy, but there were some people who were shameless. They said they were innocent, but their hands were doing "dirty" things. A hand reached in along his waistline and rubbed it gently. The palm was warm. Lin Shuge felt a little unbearable and raised his long neck.
Xie Chen breathed warmly into his ear, and he put his arms around his long legs and lifted him up, shaking his whole body up. Her two soft buttocks pressed tightly against his hands, and Lin Shuge was so excited that he felt like smoking.
"You... I have something to do tomorrow." Lin Shuge said angrily.
"It won't interfere with my brother's work, just let me have a taste." Xie Chen said shamelessly with a gentle smile.
Lin Shuge was frightened by his laughter and coaxed him softly, "Good Zhongxuan, if you torment me again, I won't be able to stand up tomorrow, how can I do anything? Young Master Wei is coming to Qingquan, and I have to arrange everything."
Xie Chen was originally very happy when listening to his previous words, but who knew there would be the next sentence. He snorted in his heart and thought that he could come or not, but it would be better if he didn't come.
Seeing his expression change, Lin Shuge suddenly remembered that Xie Chen seemed to have some problems with Wei Huan, and hurriedly said, "Achuan can also take care of the reception of Master Wei, but I have to go in person for the gunpowder matter."
Seeing that Xie Chen's face was the same as before, Lin Shuge coaxed him into his ear again: "Do you have anything to do tomorrow? If you have time, would you like to go with me?"
Xie Chen lifted his eyelids and glanced at him, then put him on the bed. Lin Shuge had been tortured half to death by him in bed a few days ago, so he felt a little stressed when he touched the bed. He hurriedly asked, "Zhongxuan, has the cotton in the army's field been harvested? Feel this quilt, is it comfortable?"
Xie Chen looked at him with amusement as he tried to find a topic to talk about. "It's done. I feel very comfortable. I'll go with you tomorrow." After saying that, he stared at Lin Shuge with a half-smile.
Lin Shuge was a little excited when talking about cotton. "Mu Yuanzhou sent a piece of cotton cloth which is just right for making autumn clothes. I asked someone to make a few pieces for you and Axuan. They are light and warm to wear. When winter comes, you can try cotton coats and cotton boots. They are no worse than fox fur."
Xie Chen really liked to see him happy about getting something good. "Brother, if you are short of cotton seeds, I have collected a lot. Feel free to send someone to get them."
"That's what you said." Lin Shuge said happily.
Now many people want to buy cotton seeds for trial planting next year, and the current batch is not enough. Xie Chen's move solved the urgent problem.
"Of course, the soldiers in the army have not reclaimed much land for farming. This year we planted cotton and potatoes, as well as various grains. There is no place to plant more. But next year when the army purchases cotton, brother, you must give me priority." Xie Chen reached out and poked Lin Shuge's cheek.
"Of course, but I promised Zhou Du that I would leave a copy for him whenever I had something new. If Xu Yu knew about this, he would definitely write to argue with me. I still planted too few plants." He sighed, holding his chin in his hand while sitting on the edge of the bed.
"There are so many people who make my brother worried." Xie Chen also sighed in a fake manner.
As soon as Lin Shuge heard this, he knew that his old habit had come back. "You just like to be jealous. I might as well call you a jealous person."
"It's all because of my brother. That scholar, that prince, and that young master, they are all restless. There are always people coveting my brother." Xie Chen got on the bed, pulled him into his arms, and hugged him with both hands.
Lin Shuge listened to him listing them one by one, "Young Master? What Young Master? I think I only provoked Young Master Xie, right? I can't even handle this one, how dare I provoke others?"
"Hmph, isn't a certain young master coming? Don't let him take over my heart then." Xie Chen thought about the jealousy he had felt in Ganzhou. At that time, he had no name or status, only the title of a younger brother, so he could only rely on his feelings to make him lose the initiative, but he always felt that Wei Huan had bad intentions.
"So that's how it is. That's why I was wondering why you and Young Master Wei are at odds. Young Master Xie, you are very scheming." Lin Shuge poked his chest.
Xie Chen: "He provoked me first, and he behaved frivolously. It's obvious at first glance that he's not a good person."
Lin Shuge turned around and faced him. "I've been thinking about this all day. Young Master Wei got engaged two years ago and had already picked a date for the wedding, but the woman he was engaged to suddenly fell seriously ill and died. Young Master Wei told the public that he would not marry in the next few years because he missed his deceased wife. I'm from a humble background and I'm a man, but he chose me over a noble lady from a rich family. Why are you jealous?"
Xie Chen obviously didn't believe it, but he didn't want to point it out. "Brother is better than anyone else, so what does family background matter?"
Lin Shuge chuckled when he heard this, "Master Xie, if we met in Yandu, what do you think would happen?"
"I must have fallen in love with brother, and then I snatched him away without regard to his wishes." Xie Chen said nonsense in a serious manner.
Lin Shuge burst into laughter. "Then I would rather die than surrender. I will curse you as a pervert and ask you to let me go."
Xie Chen felt wronged: "Why didn't my brother see that I was handsome and suave, and forget about love for a moment, and just gave in to me?"
Lin Shuge laughed so hard that he fell backwards. "Handsome and suave Mr. Xie, you are lucky not to be beaten for such a dandy behavior. Who would obey you?"
"Brother always will, right? No matter who I am."
"Mr. Xie may not, but Mr. Xie will." Lin Shuge raised his head and kissed the corner of his mouth, then whispered softly in his ear, "Isn't that right, Mr. Xie?"
Xie Chen's throat tightened, his eyes suddenly darkened, and he turned the tables and approached him, "It was my brother who provoked me first, you can't blame me." His action was forceful, blocking the resistance that Lin Shuge wanted to say.
The moonlight was hazy, the candlelight was flickering, a magnolia was in full bloom in front of the window, and the room was filled with beautiful spring scenery.
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