Chapter 170
"My Lord, you just..." The personal guard spoke softly when he saw that Marquis Jingyuan looked dazed with tears in his eyes, as if he was lost in memories.
"It's okay. I just saw the General Wei and thought of the child from the Xie family. If nothing happened to the Xie family, the child would have grown up by now." Marquis Jingyuan's voice was desolate and sad, with nostalgia for his old friend and a hint of imperceptible joy.
"Yes, if Young Master Xie grows up, he will be as heroic and brave as General Wei. He may even be able to expand the territory and establish immortal merits like Mr. Xie." The guards sighed a few times, "But General Wei is really capable. At such a young age, he has not only conquered the Qiang people, but now he has led his troops to defeat the Xiongnu Chanyu and forced him to flee in panic. No wonder the Marquis and Lord Ruan strongly recommended him to be the commander of a large army in the court. Young talents are nothing more than this."
Marquis Jingyuan thought about the young man he had just met. He was calm and reserved. He had achieved such great achievements at such a young age and did not show any arrogance at all. The spirit of his old friend in heaven could now rest in peace.
It's just that the child doesn't want to admit it. That's all. Since he has fled here from Yandu and hidden his real name, he must not want to be recognized. He should cover up for him and come to recognize him after everything is revealed and his old friend is cleared of all charges.
As dusk fell, Xie Chen rode past on his horse, startling the flocks of birds on the water. Countless birds flapped their wings and flew over the water, creating ripples on the water, which contrasted with the reflection of the reeds on the shore and created tiny golden lights.
Xie Chen got off the horse and led the horse to the shore to eat grass. He found a place to lie down and looked at the sky quietly. Judging from the expression of Jingyuan Hou just now, he should have recognized him.
Marquis Jingyuan was familiar with my grandfather in the past, so even though his appearance had changed over the years, he would definitely recognize him. He didn't know what he felt at the moment. Seeing his old friend again, long-lost memories surged up again and again. The conflicting feelings of wanting to recognize his old friend but being afraid of causing trouble were intertwined, making him very upset. He urgently wanted to see Lin Shuge at this moment, but he was in the Duwei Mansion, and Lin Shuge was far away in Qingquan, so they could not meet.
"Coo." The sound of a bird caught Xie Chen's attention. He looked closely and saw a snow-white pigeon on the horse that was grazing next to him, staring at him intently.
It was the pigeon he gave to Lin Shuge.
He stood up quickly and patted the grass debris on his body. The pigeon cooed twice again. Xie Chen reached out and took the letter tied to the pigeon's leg. "Why are you here?"
The cry of an eagle overhead told him the answer, "Following Xiao Hei?"
The letter from Lin Shuge was asking him about the imperial edict from Yandu. The letter also said that the Wei envoy asked all counties to prepare food and fodder, and asked Xie Chen whether there was another war. If there was really a war with the Huns, he asked Xie Chen to send someone to receive the weapons.
At the end of the letter, Xie Chen finally saw a few heartfelt words, all of which expressed his longing. A smile appeared on Xie Chen's lips. He put the letter away and walked back leisurely, leading the horse.
The Duwei Mansion prepared a courtyard for him to live in. With nothing to do at the moment, Xie Chen just wanted to go back and reply to Lin Shuge's letter.
Before entering, I saw He Xin and Lao Zhang guarding the door. They were holding food boxes in their hands, and Lao Zhang was holding a jar of wine.
"General, I've been waiting for you for a long time." Lao Zhang spoke first.
"Are you guys free?" Xie Chen tied up the horse and opened the door, and the two people behind him followed in happily.
"Hasn't we just won the battle and haven't had time to celebrate? Today, the Marquis just gave out rewards, so we decided to have a drink with the general to celebrate." He Xin arranged the food he brought one by one in a very familiar manner, and took out bowls from the kitchen and poured a bowl of wine for each person.
"This is a dish from the most famous restaurant in the Commandant's Mansion. Although it's not as good as what Lord Lin cooks, it's pretty good." He Xin picked up the dish and took a bite, then tilted his head back and took a big gulp of wine.
"Don't mention it. I haven't tasted Lord Lin's cooking for a long time. I miss it." Lao Zhang also muttered a few words. When he looked up and saw Xie Chen staring at him with an expression on his face, he coughed quickly and said, "Eat the food quickly, eat the food quickly."
He Xin burst out laughing, "The general is still the same as before."
His words were a bit presumptuous, but everyone present knew what he meant. Xie Chen was young and serious when he joined the army, Lao Zhang liked to flirt, and He Xin was not a serious person either, so when they first met, they always liked to tease Xie Chen, and then were scared by Xie Chen's eyes and shut their mouths.
"When the general first arrived at Zhonggusui, he won a great victory in the first battle and repelled the Huns who had invaded the border. Many experienced soldiers were dissatisfied because they saw that the general looked young and fresh, but after that battle, no one had such an idea anymore." He Xin said with some nostalgia.
"I was there that time too. I saw with my own eyes the general charging into the Hun army with a gun. He was definitely the bravest man among the three armies." Old Zhang also said.
Xie Chen raised his eyelids and glanced at the two of them, "You came here today to flatter me?"
"You're wrongly blaming us. We're speaking from our hearts." He Xin put down his chopsticks and poured Xie Chen a glass of wine.
Old Zhang laughed loudly: "I still remember the general's youthful thoughts. If I hadn't hinted at him, who would have known..."
He Xin started coughing violently and winked at Lao Zhang, "Are you drunk and want to die?"
In the blink of an eye, Xie Chen stared at him coldly and said with a grin, "I shut up, shut up."
The moonlight was flowing, and the whole courtyard was covered with a layer of light and clear light. Xie Chen took a sip of wine, raised the bowl and said, "Thank you both for these years."
"General, you are so polite. If it weren't for you, Lao Zhang and I would probably still be unknown in the Zhonggu Tunnel, or die on the battlefield. How could we have achieved our current achievements?" He Xin bumped his lips with him, his eyes sincere.
Xie Chen promoted two people from the soldiers in Zhonggu Tunnel that day. Later, the two people followed Xie Chen through life and death, and their names were included in every reward. Therefore, although they did not say it out loud, they were always grateful for his kindness. Today, under the influence of alcohol, He Xin said such disgusting words. If it were any other time, he would never say it even if he was beaten to death.
"It's you two who have the ability, not me. There will always be others who have a keen eye for talent." Xie Chen drank the wine in the bowl.
"I don't deserve the title of Mingzhu, but throughout history, countless people have had difficulty meeting wise leaders. Not everyone is like the general." He Xin said with his head down.
Xie Chen didn't know what He Xin had encountered in the past, but seeing that he had a far-reaching gaze, he patted his shoulder and said, "As long as the Xiongnu is not destroyed, there will always be opportunities to achieve success."
Before He Xin could say anything, Old Zhang said, "You saw Han Jue today. When Marquis Jingyuan read out the imperial edict, he was really as if he had lost his parents. This guy usually relies on the prestige of Captain Zhao to act arrogantly. He even dared to plot against the general during the autumn shooting. Now that he has no backer, let's see how he can plot to harm others."
He Xin also said: "Captain Zhao was a wise man all his life, how could he have such a nephew?"
The dead are the greatest. He Xin swallowed the words on his lips and said, "But General, Jingyuan Hou has been famous for a long time. The court has appointed him as the General of the Western Expedition this time, and also appointed you and Wei Shijun. Do you want to attack the Xiongnu together with three armies like the previous dynasty?"
Old Zhang was surprised and said, "No wonder so many people have come to the Duwei Mansion to escort food and fodder recently. Three armies, how much manpower and material resources must be consumed to transport food and fodder? My goodness, this is really going to crush the Xiongnu to death."
The two looked at Xie Chen at the same time, and Xie Chen nodded, "Not only the Duwei Mansion, my brother wrote to say that the counties of Dingyuan County are also actively preparing food and grass. Since Jingyuan Marquis has arrived here, the war should not be far away."
Old Zhang asked cautiously, "Is this what Marquis Jingyuan said when he kept the general here today?"
Xie Chen put the bowl in his hand heavily on the table, his eyes were like weapons. Old Zhang was so scared that he swallowed his saliva and said quickly: "We are also worried about the general. When Jingyuan Hou saw the general, his expression was unusual. When the general came out, his face was also very ugly. We didn't dare to ask you directly, for fear that you and Jingyuan Hou had some misunderstanding, so...but no one noticed these, it was Old He who saw them, so we..."
"You just came to me to ask questions?" Xie Chen completed the question in a cold voice.
"General, don't be angry. We have been troubled by the people in the Duwei Mansion these days. We are afraid that there will be some conflicts between the new superior and the general..." He Xin joined in.
Xie Chen was really tired. These two usually had rough personalities, but he didn't know what was going on today. His mind was in a state of confusion, but he knew that they really cared about him, so he could only say, "No, there is no misunderstanding."
"That's good, that's good, then we can rest assured." He Xin said, touching his chest.
Xie Chen's clenched fist loosened, then clenched again, "You...if one day you find out that I'm not the person you know, what will you do?"
His expression was a little unnatural. Xie Chen was a man of strong character. Apart from acting like a spoiled child in front of Lin Shuge, he didn't care at all. He had drunk some wine today and was a little tipsy. In addition, meeting an old friend today inevitably reminded him of his life experience. The two of them had been through thick and thin together for so many years, so he couldn't help but ask.
Lao Zhang: "What's right or wrong? As long as the general doesn't surrender to the enemy and sell out his country, I will follow the general with my life."
He Xin also said, "He doesn't know what kind of person the general is, but don't we know?" He seemed to remember something after he finished speaking, "No, Lord Lin also knows."
"Old Zhang, no matter how hard we work for the general, the general still only has Lord Lin in his heart. We are just that..." Old Zhang said while drinking, "Raised by a stepmother."
What nonsense! Seeing that the two were already drunk and started talking nonsense, Xie Chen stood up, pulled them up, and kicked them one by one into the side room.
Then he returned to the yard and drank by himself in the moonlight. The wind was clear and the moon was bright. In the distance, there were the sounds of insects and the cooing of pigeons under the eaves. Xie Chen had a smile on his face, but he forgot to write back to his brother when he was interrupted by these two people.
He got up, fed the pigeons with millet, added water, and went back to the house to write a letter in a happy mood.
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