Deep ice

The bandits retreated for three hundred miles, returned to Fengcheng, and planned a counterattack.

The next day, Tian Chongguang led an army of [-] to return to Beijing.

He Yan stayed in the southeast and recruited soldiers on the spot with a military salary of one million.

It was July, and the city was full of armor and swords, and the green shade outside the city was far away.

Ning Yueguan was full of melancholy all day long.

Every day, I have to go up the city wall and look to the southeast, for fear that the bandits will come back again.

This day was no exception. Ning Yueguan looked at it for a long time to no avail, then turned around and leaned over to look into the city.

The black iron bow bursts out under the scorching sun, its blunt light is like a blade.

A soldier picked it up with all his strength, his face flushed, and the veins on his forehead bulged.

Ten feet away, there are many arrow targets, but there are only a few feathered arrows here and there.

The soldiers next to them folded their arms and whispered to each other,

"This bow is quite exquisitely crafted. I don't know who captured it from the thief. It seems that it should be the leader's item."

"You and I have been stationed here for more than half a year. Although these bandits come from the mountains, they are not lacking in brave generals. This bow weighs about thirty catties. How can everyone hold it with one hand?"

"I can't complain that the court has been defeated for many years. Just look at those of us who are officials. Apart from corruption and tax collection, how many of us put our minds on this war."

The soldiers next to him nodded repeatedly, "That's right, the victory this time was not because of the northern Xinjiang cavalry. The 30 cavalry under Governor Lin are the essence of Daping's military strength. After years of sharpening their swords, most of the country's military pay is The money is spent on raising them, so naturally they cannot be compared with those bandit troops in the southeast, the disparity in strength is so great, how can there be no reason not to win?"

The other sighed, "This time the northern Xinjiang cavalry is also gone, the thief will definitely not let it go, but the Ping army only has such a small amount. Thinking about it, I feel that the chances of victory are slim."

"A little bit of soldiers? Didn't Master Ning already recruit soldiers?"

"I think you are stupid, don't you see what those recruits are like, street hooligans, this group of people bullying the common people is a top two, they can be used on the battlefield, they will only gather crowds to fight, it is absolutely impossible. "

"It makes sense."

"Didn't you see how worried General Ning's face is?"

"In this way, Daping really... has no cure"

"Hey hey hey...he's here...keep down..."

The soldier who drew the bow was about to release the arrow, when suddenly there was no noise behind him, and there was complete silence.

This flash, the arrow actually came out of two fingers and pierced the ground three feet away.

Turning around, the person standing in front of a group of smiling faces was Master Fei Du.

He Yan handed the whip in his hand to the guard behind him, stretched out a hand,

"give me."

The soldier's face became hot, and he hurriedly put the bow into He Yan's hand with both hands.

Ning Yueguan on the city wall was looking for He Yan, and seeing him there, was about to pass.

But when he saw that the situation had changed, he hurriedly stopped and stretched his head to look down, the creases at the corners of his eyes gradually deepened.

The general under the city stands in one place, with a handsome figure.

The fingers are strong and slender, nocking the arrow and going up the bow, the horns are strong and the strings are ringing, and the arrow hits the red heart.

The soldiers next to him were stunned for a moment, then cheered loudly.

When the bow was dropped, He Yan casually threw the bow to the soldier who spoke just now, and the bow receiver took two steps back, "This bow is nothing special, just practice it a few more times and it will be ready, so as not to overwhelm the enemy's prestige and destroy one's morale. "

The faces of those two people were cold and pale, and they immediately knelt on the ground, "Master, please forgive me."

Seeing that the task was over, Ning Yueguan hurried down the city wall,

"General, I am looking for you."

He Yan walked slowly towards the new barracks, "What's the matter?"

Ning Yue was imprisoned in a hurry. Although she was not wearing soft armor and was only wearing a light shirt, she was still hot and sweaty. "General, I want to discuss with you about the recruits."

Paused, the worry in his eyes was unbearable, "Currently the recruits are disobedient and difficult to control."

Although He Yan had heard about the recruits for a long time, when Ning Yueguan mentioned it himself, his face was full of annoyance, "Isn't this a good thing you did?"

Ning Yueguan looked ashamed, "There is nothing you can do about a lowly position. In recent years, the war in the southeast has expanded, and the Ping army has suffered heavy casualties, which has led to more frequent recruitment of soldiers. The prisoners who were exiled into the army, they were able to recruit these people in just a few months, thanks to the emperor's approval of a lot of money, otherwise..."

He Yan interrupted him and said, "This is the end of the matter, there is no need to say more."

Then he said: "How did you practice this month?"

Ning Yueguan lowered her head and sighed, "The effect is minimal."

He Yan frowned, "The imperial court received news that Lin Chang had lost a fortress, and the border town was tight. He told me to go over and have a look."

When Ning Yueguan heard this, his complexion changed drastically, "The general can't leave! Although the southeast has been peaceful these days, Fengcheng, where the bandits are stationed, is only a hundred miles away from here, and it will only take a few days to counterattack."

He Yan said coldly: "The battle situation in northern Xinjiang is tense, I have already returned the paper to the imperial court, and I will leave in a few days."

Seeing that He Yan had made up his mind, Ning Yueguan didn't dare to say anything, so he could only follow him to the recruit camp.

Under the scorching sun, I saw a group of people gathered together, shouting loudly.

Ning Yueguan turned to look at the lieutenant beside her, "Send someone to check, isn't there a fight?"

The lieutenant said in a low voice, and gave the soldier next to him a wink, and the soldier hurried forward and squeezed into the crowd.

Many people around were squatting on the ground and nibbling dry food. Seeing the gorgeously dressed generals here, they only looked at them curiously, and no one saluted.

Ning Yueguan scolded viciously, "No military discipline! Find the instructor!"

He Yan's face was dark, and he watched the soldiers who had just gone out to check on the letter come back, bowed his waist and cupped his fists, "My lord, they are...gambling"

Ning Yueguan was furious: "It's just the opposite of the sky!"

Just in time for the instructor to come over, there was a burst of scolding,

"According to my Daping law, gambling is strictly prohibited in the military. How did you teach these people? It's so presumptuous in broad daylight!"

He Yan stood quietly on one side, looking at the group of people not far away, and suddenly had other thoughts.

The instructor scolded Ning Yueguan with a face as pale as death, and he couldn't get in a word for a long time. When Ning Yueguan was tired of talking, he said aggrievedly, "My lord, these people don't listen to discipline. The little ones really can't do anything about it." No."

He Yan suddenly raised his eyebrows slightly, "Go to the market to find some money."

Ning Yueguan couldn't believe it, "General, won't you encourage gambling if you find a cheater here?"

He Yan said: "Exactly."

The instructor stood up slowly, although he couldn't explain it, but seeing that Ning Yueguan's inquiry was fruitless, he didn't dare to say any more, so he got up and went to work.

He Yan turned a blind eye to the group of gamblers in front and left the camp instead.

Ning Yueguan followed behind He Yan,

"General, I don't know what's the purpose of doing this?"

He Yanruo was thoughtful, "If you can't discipline properly, you can only rely on crooked methods. I called these old men over, and naturally I used it to defraud them of their money."

Ning Yueguan was taken aback, "If the gambler loses everything, he may not stop gambling."

He Yan glanced at Ning Yueguan, "If you lose everything, you have to pay off your gambling debt?"

Seeing his cunning black pupils, Ning Yueguan probed in a low voice, "So... what does the general mean?"

He Yan said: "When they have lost all their money, you encourage them to fight bravely, saying that there will be rewards for winning battles. When the time comes and you really win the battle, you will return the money collected by the old money to them."

Ning Yueguan was enlightened, "The general is wise, and he is ashamed of his humble position."

He Yan said again: "Although most of these people are gangsters and robbers, I think most of them are tall and strong. In this way, even if there is no orthodox training, they will not be much worse on the battlefield."

Ning Yueguan breathed a sigh of relief, "In this way, I also understand the important matter on Beizhi's mind, and the general can go north with peace of mind."

-

July in the capital is cloudy and rainy.

After the morning court, all officials withdrew to pay homage.

But after a while, Yuan Jing was the only one left in the huge Fushou Hall.

Xi Lian stood far away, raised his eyes to look at Yuan Jing, but dared not make a sound.

Just now, even a servant like me can clearly understand what happened in the early court.

For several days in a row, the battle reports were all about the defeat of Northern Xinjiang and the loss of soldiers and generals.

It’s just that the war has been going on for years, and famine broke out again this spring, but the house leaked and it rained all night, and only half a year later, the Huai River flooded, and the hungry people were everywhere, and because it was midsummer, the plague broke out. It is even more difficult in the prosperous age, not to mention that it is the time when Daping is in trouble both internally and externally.

Yuan Jing sat quietly on the dragon chair for a long time, watching the rain on the glazed tiles slanting into the hall.

The water drops to the ground, like beads falling on a jade plate, crisp and jingling.

The trifles of the world of mortals are gone like water.

The phoenix's eyes seemed to be covered with a layer of dense water vapor, Yuan Jing got up, his voice was indifferent,

"Xilian--"

Xi Liangong echoed, "The servant is here."

"Come out with me for a walk."

Xi Lian respectfully said: "The emperor has been tired for many days, so he should take a rest, why not accompany the emperor to visit Concubine Ning."

Yuan Jing turned his head slightly, "Concubine Ning?"

Xi Lian nodded, "Going back to the emperor, it is the empress who has been grounded in the Jingxuan Palace. The slave got a word from the guard at the gate of the Jingxuan Palace a few days ago, saying that Concubine Ning is looking at the full moon and giving birth is imminent."

There was a dark tide between Yuan Jing's brows and eyes, and he was silent for a long time before he said, "Okay."

Xi Lian responded, bowed and took a few steps back to get ready.

As soon as Xi Lian turned around, he saw the little eunuch from outside the hall running in with his head bowed, holding up the battle report, kneeling on his knees, "Report to the emperor, the northern Xinjiang battle report."

Xi quickly turned back, took the origami from the eunuch's hand, and handed it to Yuan Jing.

Yuan Jing's body was visibly shaken, but he couldn't avoid it, so he had to take it over and look through it with bated breath.

Xi Lian stood far away, meditating in his heart as if possessed by a demon, only hoping it was good news.

After waiting for a while, seeing Yuan Jing's hostility growing, he also guessed one or two.

Yuan Jing threw the booklet back on the eunuch, "A bunch of trash!"

The eunuch kowtowed in fright, "This servant deserves to die, the emperor spares his life, this servant deserves to die, and the emperor spares his life..."

Yuan Jing sighed heavily, "Tell me Tian Chongguang to go to the imperial study."

The eunuch stood on both sides, "I obey the order."

Then he got up from the ground again, his legs and feet were a little awkward, and he trembled towards the outside of the hall.

Hearing this, Xi Lian went out to make preparations and went back to the imperial study, and just as Yuan Jing came out, she was stopped by two people again.

The little eunuch and guard who were kneeling on the ground glanced at each other, but no one said anything.

Seeing that Yuan Jing didn't respond, Xi Lian turned to the little eunuch and said, "What's the matter with you? Tell me."

The little eunuch was stunned for a moment, and quickly said: "My Majesty, Governor Fei arrived in the capital today, and is now asking to see you outside the imperial study."

Xi Lian paused, and stole a glance at Yuan Jing.

Yuan Jing twitched the corners of his lips, a little at a loss.

At this time, the guard spoke again, "Reporting to the emperor, the palace servants in the Jingxuan Palace came out and shouted, saying that the empress gave birth and there was a lot of bleeding, please the emperor go over and have a look."