turmoil

"...My family doesn't have much money, but it's not too poor. When I was young, my parents asked me what I wanted to study, and I said I wanted to study medicine." Zhang Jingche smiled. "The idea at the time was very simple. If I studied medicine, my parents would If you are injured or sick, you don’t have to bother to go to the hospital, I can help them take care of themselves.”

Yang Fan wanted to say, "Aren't you an orphan, you were brought up by your adoptive mother?" When the words came to his lips, he swallowed them back.

At that moment, Yang Fan vaguely realized that the door in Zhang Jingche's heart, which was strictly guarded against death, opened a wider and wider gap.Yang Fan, like a moth attracted by the fire, walked forward uncontrollably, tentatively stretched out his tentacles, to touch the strange halo.

"Only after I really studied medicine did I know that medical skills are not as sacred as I imagined." Zhang Jingche was tired from standing, so he simply sat on the floor, took out a dough pancake from his arms, tore half of it and handed it to Yang Fan, "Studying medicine is very boring and arduous. Practice steady hands, I even tried to fold out paper cranes with a scalpel blade, and bought a pig heart to practice suturing wounds..."

Yang Fan suppressed his doubts for a while, and asked in his voice, "Why do you want to buy pig hearts?"

Zhang Jingche smiled: "Because the structure of a pig's heart is the most similar to a human's heart."

Yang Fan: "..."

A creepy thought came to his mind, and he blurted out, "Could it be that you have been tempted by a knife?"

Zhang Jingche looked at him with a smile and blinked: "Guess?"

Yang Fan: "..."

"My school...academy at the time was dedicated to teaching medical skills," Zhang Jingche said. "Our school's medical skills are different from other schools. We must have a good understanding of the structure of the human body. There are human skeleton models in the room all the year round. Get some fresh or shriveled corpses from other places, and give us students anatomical research."

Yang Fan had goosebumps all over his body, and suddenly he couldn't eat the bread in his hand.

"You guys... your school of medicine is really, really unique," Dingbianhou swallowed back the word "evil nature" in Zhang Jingche's half-smile eyes, "to study corpses, you have to disembowel them." ...Can you do it?"

"It was awkward at first," Zhang Jingche said. "It's fine once you get used to it. Sometimes when there are assessments, we study in the dissecting room, eat in front of the corpse, and recite medical principles. When we are sleepy, we can take a nap and feel at ease." Incredible."

Marquis Dingbian finally understood how the former commander of the Jinyiwei practiced his cruelty.

"Once, I fell asleep in the room. The inspector didn't know it, so he turned off the light and locked the door. When I woke up, the room was pitch black, with only a few corpses and skeletons in the corner to accompany me. "" Zhang Jingche smiled, as if soaked in peach blossoms, "I didn't feel much at the time, so I put together a few chairs and slept in the room for a night, and was released when my husband came the next morning."

Yang Fan smiled a little stiffly, and saw Zhang Jingche tilting his head and squinting at him, and patted his folding fan on Hou Dingbian's face: "Why, Master Hou is scared?"

Dingbianhou is an iron-blooded man. In his life, he is most jealous of others saying that he is "not good" and "scared". Hearing this, the swollen face and fat man Yang Hou raised his chest and said sternly: "Who is afraid? Hou went to the battlefield at the age of 15 and slaughtered countless thieves, would you be afraid of this?"

Zhang Jingche couldn't help smiling.

Yang Fan's leg injury hadn't healed yet, so Zhang Jingche didn't stay outside for too long. Seeing the night wind picking up, he hurried the carriage back to the camp.Yang Fan held back his questions, but he didn't know where to ask, so he could only look at Zhang Jingche one after another.Zhang Jingche didn't shy away either, and looked at him with a smile: "What do you want to ask?"

Yang Fan actually had a bunch of questions he wanted to ask, but when he reached the point of his mouth, he subtly turned a corner: "You know all about the attacks on me on the way, right?"

Zhang Jingche calmed down.

The tent was brightly lit, Zhang Jingche ordered someone to deliver a pot of milk tea, and then turned away the entourage, leaving only himself and Yang Fan to sit in front of the case.

"I heard what happened to you when you came here." Zhang Jingche poured a bowl of milk tea, "There were two ambushes, the timing and the location were very precise, it was like putting eyeliner around you."

"Not only that!" Yang Fan said, "Have you ever seen people in the mountains beat rabbits? First line up the encirclement, then yell and drive the frightened rabbits into the trap, and then catch them all in one go...the same as the routine of these two groups of people Almost identical!"

Zhang Jingche pondered: "But according to what you said, these two groups of people are not from the same group?"

"That's right!" Yang Fan nodded, "The first group is the elders of Huihe Manichaeism, what kind of name is Mingli...the skills are not bad, but the young people under his command are very ordinary. The second group is completely different. He is ruthless, has a tacit understanding, and is obviously well-trained. He is definitely an elite among the elite on the battlefield. Among the people I have met, except for the soldiers of the Houfu, only the Beile Iron Cavalry has this combat power."

The two looked at each other, and the invisible turbulent waves rolled over their hearts.

"But these two groups of people are obviously driven by force," Zhang Jingche added, "The ambush of the Huihe people makes you know that the road ahead is difficult and dangerous. You can't rush back to the Northwest Camp in a short time, so you can only rush to Qida. Le—in this way, they fell right into their arms, and were caught by the Beile people who had been waiting near Zidal long ago."

"What's more frightening is that they have pinpointed my whereabouts." Yang Fan was a little frustrated, he couldn't help but feel lost, because it meant that the enemy had figured out himself, but he knew nothing about the enemy, "Damn... Now I feel that what you said about connecting with foreign countries and stealing military rations is likely to be true! Otherwise, how could these Beile barbarians know Lao Tzu's every move like the back of their hands?"

"To set up such a big game, it's not enough just to have an eyeliner around you, you must occupy a position with a high vision and an overall view." Zhang Jingche said, "My inference is whether the Beile people can make a move in the Northwest Camp Regardless, there is no doubt that they have someone in Beijing."

Yang Fan thought about it carefully, and felt that the presence of spies in Beijing was even more creepy than the infiltration of the Northwest camp: "You mean, there are people in Beijing colluding with Beile?"

He thought about it carefully, and the more he thought about it, the more he felt it was possible: "Yes, what a crime is it to resell military rations and smuggle Beile? If there is no high-ranking person to carry it, who would dare to risk his head to do these things?" Eating inside and out?"

"Then the next question is, who is this person?" Zhang Jingche wrote the word "Jane" on the chopping board, "The most convenient one is the Minister of the Household Department, Jian Sihui, but I personally don't think it is necessary for him to do so."

Yang Fan rested his chin on one hand, and looked at him with interest: "Why do you say that? The old man surnamed Jian is very lucrative, what can't he do?"

"Although he values ​​profits, he is not short-sighted," Zhang Jingche said. "He is the emperor's father-in-law and the head of the family. The future heir is likely to be his grandson. Even if he sticks to the old ways, he will be able to secure the honor and wealth of his life. There is no need to collude with the Beile people under the name of 'national thief'."

Yang Fan rubbed the bridge of his nose: "It sounds reasonable, but if it wasn't for him... in the household department, I can't think of anyone who has such courage and ability!"

"Maybe it's not the Ministry of Household Affairs," Zhang Jingche analyzed. "From the allocation of military rations to the delivery to leave Beijing, there are countless checkpoints on the way, and there is room for manipulation in each step... The premise is that this person must be able to pass through the checkpoints. Send the problematic grain trucks to Northwest Camp."

Yang Fan was silent for a moment, then sneered: "Beijing is really a hidden dragon and a crouching tiger. I don't know where Fang Sheng is so skillful that he dares to tamper with the military rations! I really underestimated these people before!"

Zhang Jingche poured some hot milk tea into Yang Fan's empty tea bowl: "It's fine if you don't understand, since this person has a plan, he will definitely do something later... Instead of looking for a needle in a haystack, let's think about it, he cut off the Northwest camp." What is the purpose of military rations?"

Yang Fan followed his words and thought about it deeply, his face became more and more serious: "If there is no food in the northwest, the morale of the army will be in chaos. If foreigners take advantage of it..."

After all, he has been through battles for a long time. After a brief shock, he quickly calmed down: "But the northwest garrison was sharpened by the old master, and it is comparable to an ordinary garrison. Even if there is no food for a while, it will stabilize the position in the shortest time. As long as Stay until Beijing receives the battle report and sends support..."

Zhang Jingche looked at him calmly: "What if the battle report can't reach the capital at all?"

Yang Fan understood his hint and took a slight breath.

Zhang Jingche has been away from Beijing for many years, and he still knows the situation in the DPRK and China very well. Yang Fan vaguely guessed that someone from You Yunwei who stayed in Beijing back then had been keeping in touch with Zhang Jingche.

Yang Fan couldn't stand it by nature, so he endured it in the tent for another three days, until the wound closed, and finally he couldn't bear it anymore.Zhang Jingche had nothing to do with him, so he had to change his face for Marquis Dingbian, and both of them were dressed as ordinary merchants, wandering around the Qidal Exchange Market.

"Salt and iron in the Central Plains are banned, but in Qidal, as long as you have connections and are willing to pay a price, you can buy as much as you want," Zhang Jingche said. "This is why Hu merchants like to come to Qidal to exchange goods." The reason for this is that the people who can come here to trade are all generous, and there are countless lines behind them... The reason why Yuanzhou ventured into the tiger's den is that he also wants to come here to try his luck and buy some food to go back?"

Yang Fan knew that he couldn't hide it from him, and he didn't plan to hide it at all: "It's not... I heard that Mr. Zhang is the leader of the chamber of commerce, and he wanted to hug your thigh, but Mr. Zhang was so stingy, he sent me away with a few Kongming lanterns. I can’t even give up one or two million pieces of silver.”

Zhang Jingche laughed angrily at him, looked at no one around, and scratched Dingbianhou's ear: "I don't know what to do, where do you think all the living money I have on hand has gone? The grain carts have already been bought in sevens and eighties." By the time Lord Hou returns to the Northwest Camp, the soldiers of the Northwest Camp should already be full."

Yang Fan is used to fighting alone. The lives and future of tens of thousands of soldiers in the Northwest Garrison rest on his shoulders. He must be tense all the time.But at this moment, he suddenly had the feeling of "fighting side by side". The grievances and pains that he had been unable to confide in these years were completely accepted by another person without any grievances.

Compared with the majestic and majestic city walls, Qidal is more like a settlement of grassland tribes. The scattered tents seem to be messy, but they are actually quite organized. The outermost part is the caravan camp, and the real trading place is inside.The tents lined up cover the sky and the sun, and the oncoming sandy wind carries the smell of horse manure and sweat. Hearing the sound of the rumbling carriage, the livestock and the merchants turn their heads at the same time, as if a wolf is staring at the same kind that strayed into the territory. Staring at the unexpected guest who suddenly appeared.

The door of the carriage opened, and Zhang Jingche and Yang Fan got out of the carriage one after another.Hearing the sound of the curtain, a blond and blue-eyed woman came out of the big trading tent. It was Mei Niya who presided over the treasure competition in the ancient city of Gaochang back then.She faced the two of them and bowed profusely: "Master, Boss He has arrived."

Yang Fan followed Zhang Jingche into the big tent, and first smelled a strong aroma of wine. He seldom drank alcohol in the army, so he couldn't help salivating at this moment: "Is this the scent of kumiss? Needless to say, give it to me first." I……"

Zhang Jingche interrupted him before he finished speaking: "You are injured, so you can't drink alcohol, at most you can have a bowl of milk tea."

Yang Fan stared into a pair of copper bells: "I have endured for so long, I still have to bear it? My mouth is fading out. If I bear it any more, I'll just become a monk!"

Zhang Jingche frowned, after all, he couldn't bear Dingbian Hou Sapo's ability to play tricks: "...I can only have one drink."

Yang Fan snapped his fingers at him.

The banquet had been prepared in the tent long ago, and the young man wrapped in fur stood up and bowed his hands to Zhang Jingche: "Mr. Zhang, I have heard such a famous name for a long time, and it is like thunder!"

The young man was not very old, and he looked not much older than Zhang Jingche. He was born with a handsome face, unlike a businessman covered in copper stink, but more like a handsome young man.

Holding the folding fan, Zhang Jingche bowed back to him: "Boss He, I have long admired you."

Boss He's name is He Ling, and his ancestral home is Baoji. He is also a well-known family in the local area.This Mr. He is not young, but his life experience is a bit rough. He is not a direct descendant of his family, but the son of Master He's concubine. He was not welcome at home.Unexpectedly, there will be unexpected events, when his brother who was three months older than him went to sea to do business, unfortunately, he encountered a storm and died.

This was a huge blow to Mr. He's first wife, who became ill and passed away within two years.Boss He has no choice but to hand over the huge family business to this bastard.I didn't expect him to do anything, as long as he can keep the current family business, who knows that this youngest son of a concubine not only takes over the He family's business, but also succeeds in making the family business more and more prosperous.

It can be seen from this that this Mr. He is also a capable person, but unfortunately he is too capable. A mere He family can't tolerate his inclusiveness, so he can only turn his eyes to the west.

"I've heard about Chief Zhang's deeds on the commercial roads in the Western Regions for a long time, and I've always wanted to see you," He Ling said with a smile, "It's fate to meet you. Put it on my He Mou's account, you just have fun."

Mei Niya picked up the jug, poured a glass for Zhang Jingche, and took the opportunity to whisper: "My servant has already inquired. This Boss He has made great contributions to Qidal's establishment of the mutual market... He has been coveting the business roads of the Western Regions for a long time. Master, be careful."

Zhang Jingche kept his composure, turned the folding fan lightly in his hand, and tapped the back of Dingbianhou's hand as he sneakily carried the wine bowl: "...a sip!"

Yang Fan's eyes widened: "Isn't it still a cup just now, why is it reduced again?"

Zhang Jingche had no expression on his face: "Don't think it's too little? Just half a mouthful."

Yang Fan remained silent, leaned to the edge of the wine bowl and took a sip, then quickly put it down after burning.

Zhang Jingche then turned to He Ling, raised the wine bowl and shook it: "So, thank you, Boss He, for your kind hospitality."