The happy life of the devil and the devil

"You want to see me?"

On that day, Ling Yucheng closed the door silently, sitting from moonrise to moonset, and from midday to sunset.When the sun was slanting to the west, the guards on duty outside the room finally saw his commander stepping out slowly, his face was slightly pale, but his eyes were as clear as ever.

"Speak for me the Lord of Northern Liang—"

At the second watch that night, Yuan Shao came on the moon.

There was no candle in the study, Ling Yucheng sat neatly at the table and looked up at the sound.Yuan Shao had already pushed the door open by himself, and sat down across the room as usual, leisurely looking at the study room with nothing but words and papers.

When he returned Ling Yucheng's personal guards, he conveniently sent a team of Habayashi guards to station there, half to prevent Dayu's tampering and half to facilitate the transmission of messages.After waiting for a day and a night, the second Habayashi guard team came back after switching defenses and finally brought him the long-awaited news.

"I want to ask His Majesty face to face——Your Majesty is planning to bring me under his command, but how do you plan to use me?"

"That depends on how you choose." These days, Yuan Shao has also calculated countless times, and now he answers with confidence. "Up, middle and down are three paths, it's up to you to choose."

"If you don't say a word, don't make a plan, I will let you. In the palace and mansion, you will not lack the treatment you deserve. It's just that one day I send troops to the Southern Dynasty and take your head as a sacrifice to the flag. Don't say I don't have it." I said it in advance!"

"If you are willing to be a general, I will allow you to lead troops to fight in all directions. If your subordinates are willing to follow, I will reward you with military merits, and I will not treat you badly. As long as you don't want to rebel, you don't have to worry about such things as a master of high merit."

"What about the third way?"

"The third way——" Yuan Shao raised his eyebrows, a smile appeared on the corner of his mouth, and leaned back in his chair leisurely: "I see that what you have done in northern Xinjiang has its own hills and valleys in your chest, not just a leader of soldiers. The pattern of the commander. If you can act like a national scholar, why can't I treat you as a national scholar!"

"Where to go, it's up to you to choose!"

Ling Yucheng stared at him blankly.

I still remember the first time I met Emperor Jiayou, the middle-aged man with a yellow and haggard face seemed to be a faded copy of the late Emperor Ningzai, who was suffocated by Liu Mingxia, the powerful minister who had been in charge of the government for more than ten years.Even after Liu Mingxia was removed, seeing him holding up King Duan to restrain the crown prince, supporting Qingliu to check and balance King Duan, removing the minions of the two sons piecemeal, the magistrates were promoted or demoted, rewarded or punished, and even border military meritorious demotions would still have to be done. Taking the dispute between the two sons as the first, all kinds of methods are nothing more than the emperor's insidious tricks, and there is no trace of an upright and righteous emperor.

I still remember that after I burned Wuzhou, I was locked up and taken to the capital. I was isolated and helpless in the prison. Only the 12-year-old Ning Xiu ran to ask for help, but Emperor Jiayou never said a word—I still remember that after Liu Mingxia fell from power, he took the initiative to ask for help. The black-clothed army went out to station in the city, the relief flashed in the emperor's eyes, and the suspicion and worry that he tried his best to hide...

And the Northern Dynasty monarch in front of him, he is frank and condescending, without any coldness and hesitation in his eyes, he said, "What a countryman does, a countryman treats"...

Ling Yucheng lowered his eyes slowly.

He didn't speak, and Yuan Shao didn't speak either.The two sat silently across a desk, listening to the guards in the distance patrolling back and forth, exchanging passwords, listening to the delay of Gaoge Yulou, listening to the drums in Qiaolou from three to four, and Ling Yucheng finally raised his head to meet him. Yuan Shao's gaze.

"Your Majesty, I have three conditions."

"First, my subordinates are also His Majesty's subjects, please treat them equally."

"It's natural."

"Secondly, among the clan, only national rituals are discussed."

Raising his eyebrows slightly, Yuan Shao nodded without hesitation: "Yes."

"Third, after I die, I will not be buried in the imperial mausoleum, will not enter the ancestral temple, and will not be sacrificed."

"..." This condition finally caught Yuan Shao by surprise.After a moment of silence, he went through the various situations that might happen after recruiting Ling Yucheng, and then he calmed down and nodded cautiously:

"I promise you."

The moment he promised, he clearly saw some kind of intense emotion flashing across Ling Yucheng's eyes, as if he was relieved, but also seemed to laugh at himself with deep bitterness.However, this emotion disappeared in a flash. Ling Yucheng had already straightened his clothes and left his seat to pay respects:

"My lord—thank you for your grace."

After three years of painstaking planning, one month of exhaustive thinking, two night visits in five days, and finally this worship, the title of monarch and minister was determined.

At this point, Yuan Shao also assumed the status of the lord, and he did not get up to support him, but just sat still and nodded slightly.After Ling Yucheng paid his respects, without waiting for Yuan Shao's signal, he got up by himself, shook his clothes and went back to his seat.Yuan Shao saw how relaxed and free-spirited he was, as if he had let go of all his concerns, couldn't help it, and blurted out and asked:

"Are you asking for nothing else?"

"Only these three wishes, nothing else."

"Even - don't ask for things like not to attack the Southern Dynasty for a few years?"

Ling Yucheng had already sat down calmly. Hearing this question, he raised his head and smiled slightly.The moonlight slanted, and for a moment, that smile was filled with indescribable pride:

"Is this something you can ask for?"

The next day, Prince Duan Ningxiu came to persuade him, but failed.

On another day, Miao Zhen, the second son of Uncle Xiangcheng and the third guard general of Tie Yunqi, begged to see Ling Yucheng.

Miao Zhen's time with Ling Yucheng was no shorter than the other close subordinates, Ling Yucheng also treated him equally, he should be taught and scolded.A young man with thin skin and tender flesh has been trained in the army for several years, and he has become more and more powerful, daring to fight and rush. Those colleagues who were born in rough places also put away their contemptuous eyes and became closer to him.However, stepping into the Hou's mansion this day, those colleagues and subordinates who usually saw him being affectionate looked at him with strange and cold eyes.

Miao Zhen's mouth was also slightly bitter.Although he ran away from home to join the army in northern Xinjiang, after all he was a noble son, this time Ling Yucheng encountered a catastrophe, the family immediately arrested him and locked him in the back house for a full month.He wanted to resist, but the elderly father did not hesitate to beg for forgiveness, laugh and give gifts for him, and his mother pulled him to tears every day. Even though he did not hesitate to share honor and disgrace with his colleagues, how could he bear to hurt his family?

"Miao Zhen?...Come in."

In the study, a familiar voice greeted him, the voice was warm and indifferent, just like usual.Tears welled up in Miao Zhen's eyes, he pushed the door open, and before he had time to look at the seat, he fell to his knees:

"General!"

"stand up."

As soon as his knee touched the ground, he was pulled up involuntarily.Looking up, he saw that the general of his own family was tall and tall, his clothes were neat and tidy, his face was a little tired, but his spirit was extremely radiant, as if he was surrounded by subordinates and gave orders after every battle in the past. The eyes that looked over were dignified and gentle:

"You came at just the right time.——There is something I am going to entrust to you."

"How dare a subordinate be an adult with the word 'entrust'?"

"It's worth it." Ling Yucheng waved his hand, "I can't continue to watch this northern border... Luo Sha, Xi Jun and the others don't know if they can stay after going through this. You have the courage, With strategy, family background, and military exploits, if the chance is right, it will not be difficult to take charge of the northern border ten years later. I can rest assured that some things are in your hands."

It was ominous to hear that his words were loud, Miao Zhen opened his mouth and wanted to speak, but was forced back by Ling Yucheng's wink.The hand suddenly sank, but it was stuffed into a small booklet, with silver hooks and iron scratches on the cover, and the ink was still fresh.Flipping through the pages, every word and every word is Ling Yucheng's ten years of experience in northern Xinjiang, how to recruit, how to lead troops, how to attack, and how to deploy defenses. in a small booklet.

"You just read it here. After reading it, if you don't understand anything, just ask me. I only have one day today, and I can tell you about these things."

"Big, big man!"

Miao Zhen's eyes were already blurred with tears, and he tried hard to see the words in front of him clearly, but the more anxious he became, the more he couldn't see clearly.He took a deep breath, wiped away his tears, and barely settled down to read word by word.I saw that many of them were mentioned by the general when he explained the art of war on weekdays, and some of them were never heard of. However, some difficult points that he could vaguely think of but couldn't grasp, he suddenly understood after such a reading.Thinking of the adults saying "I can only tell you today", I couldn't help but feel sad for a while.

He stood on the ground, unknowingly fascinated by reading.A small booklet, no matter how slow it is, it won't take much time to read it through. However, before Miao Zhen turned to the last page, there were hurried footsteps outside, and a guard announced at the door: "My lord, Prince Duan is here!"

"Please!"

After a while, Ning Xiu walked in quickly, and first took a look at Ling Yucheng's face, seeing that he looked calm, not like a few days ago when he refused to keep people away from thousands of miles away, he was overjoyed at first.Just when he was about to speak, Ling Yucheng raised his hand to interrupt, turned his head and called Miao Zhen's expression: "Xianyun, come here to see His Highness Duan Wang."

Haven't you seen it usually? Miao Zhen murmured inwardly, but seeing his general's wink, he could only come over and salute honestly.Ning Xiu stretched out her hand to stop her while saying "don't be too polite", but Ling Yucheng also held her back.After Miao Zhen bowed honestly, Ling Yucheng called him up, turned to Ning Xiu and sighed: "Jing Hui, I'm not here in the future, so please protect them."

"Don't say that!" Upon hearing these words, Ning Xiu felt her heart beating rapidly, and she could hardly believe that Ling Yucheng entrusted his subordinates to him so soon.She rushed forward to hold his hand and wanted to speak, her lips moved for a long time, and she only called out in a trembling voice: "Wen Ze..." Regret and pain were beyond words, but she couldn't utter a single word.

"I can only entrust it to you." Ling Yucheng held his hand behind his back and took it away tightly: "Most of these guys are rough people who don't know anything except fighting. In the future... you Take care of them a little bit, just take it for my sake." His expression gradually dimmed: "I can only protect them so much."

Before Ning Xiu could answer, he smiled wryly again: "There are still a bunch of guys here... They say they will stop fighting and go back to their hometowns to farm, but I won't listen to them no matter how much they persuade them. Gentlemen, I don’t even have half a copper coin on hand. Let them go back to their hometown, I’m afraid they won’t be able to run a hundred miles away from the capital——Jinghui, help me protect them and let them go back to their hometown safely. good?"

On that day, most of Ling Yucheng's personal guards and subordinates dispersed, only the captain of the personal guard, He Liu, stayed with him with a dozen people, claiming that it would be a big deal to follow him underground to serve the general, and he refused to leave even if he died.The remaining [-] people, including Jin Bo who is in charge of many industries under the name of Ling Yucheng, and Xia Bai who is in charge of the secret spy, all changed into civilian clothes, lined up to kowtow to their generals, and went to Duanwang Mansion or Under the explicit or covert escort, they parted ways with Ling Yucheng's handwriting and rushed to the northern border.

On that day, everyone in the capital knew that the Yunyang Hou Mansion dispersed all its servants, and even the old housekeeper who had served the three generations of masters of the Hou Mansion, who was blind and had one leg broken, was sent away with a gift of money.

On that day, Prince Duan Ningxiu thought about the dozens of letters written by Ling Yucheng in front of him, and the middle and low-ranking generals in northern Xinjiang who received them. Emperor Jiayou reported: "My minister is incompetent, but the Marquis of Yunyang is very determined to die—I'm afraid..."

He lowered his head, big drops of tears wet the blue bricks of the hall in an instant.