Chapter 76: Breaking the Formation (Part 3)
"Come on! Capture this man for me!"
Song Song waved his sleeves, and the soldiers guarding on both sides immediately went towards Xu Hexue. Seeing this, Qin Jixun raised his hand, and the Qin family soldiers behind him immediately surrounded Xu Hexue and Ni Su, preventing Song Song's men from getting any closer.
"Qin Jixun, do you want to rebel?"
Shen Tongchuan, who had been silent all this time, suddenly spoke.
Qin Jixun met Shen Tongchuan's gaze and said in a deep voice: "This man is my aide. Today, I want to protect him."
Shen Tongchuan raised his eyebrows upon hearing this, "You want to protect him? That means you agree with the rebellious words he just said?"
He stood up and walked to Song Song. "In the past ten years, the garrison commanders of all parties are not like you, Qin Jixun. Only you, Qin Wei of Yongzhou, can directly mobilize the garrison. This is the emperor's trust in you two, but now you, Qin Jixun, seem to have failed this grace. Not only have you repeatedly made things difficult for the military supervisor, but you also allowed your staff to slander the court officials. What did he mean by that? Isn't he saying that the military supervisor is a house dog that should be tied up with a rope?"
After these words were spoken, Song Song's eyes widened and his face turned even darker. Shen Tongchuan bowed to Song Song and said, "You are brave and fearless. You are all good men of Da Qi. But have you ever thought about the overall situation? If we start a war with Danqiu again at this time, then the military expenses and the war horses needed during the war will be a huge expense. The people support the court, and the court supports you. Now the country is still unstable. If we start a dispute with Danqiu again, it will only increase the burden on the country."
"The emperor asked the military supervisor to be here to appease your temporary arrogance. If you damage the foundation of the country because of your temporary bellicosity, you two Qin and Wei will be the sinners of the entire Great Qi!"
Shen Tongchuan raised his voice: "Especially you, Qin Jixun. I think we can no longer let you lead the three armies of Yongzhou! I also ask the military supervisor to put the overall situation first and report to the emperor to punish Qin Jixun!"
The soldiers of the Qin Army and the Wei Army looked at each other, and Wei Dechang suddenly raised his head and looked at the two people on the platform.
And Xu Hexue was in the crowd, looking at Shen Tongchuan intently.
"Shen Zhizhou, you..."
Song Song was very pleased to hear Shen Tongchuan's words, but the last sentence made Song Song's originally relaxed expression suddenly stiffen again.
"Mr. Ni."
Wei Dechang was blocked from the Qin Army. He waved away one man's arm and stared at Xu Hexue. "I heard every word you just said. How can you be sure that these men of the Wei Army did not die at the hands of Yang Tianzhe?"
"Yang Tianzhe is keeping his troops at Rushan, which means he has no intention of fighting to the death. He is taking the elderly, the weak, women and children with him, hoping to return them to their homeland. Your son Wei Zhan only has a hundred people, while Yang Tianzhe has thousands. Since they are surrounding him, how can he escape easily? If Yang Tianzhe let him go on purpose, then why didn't he send a message to you and General Qin?"
Xu Hexue met his gaze, "If Yang Tianzhe knew that Wei Zhan was your eldest son, why didn't he keep him and negotiate terms with you? If he was a fool who only knew how to kill himself, how could he raise an uprising army of thousands of people?"
Wei Dechang remained silent, but he looked into Qin Jixun's eyes. After a moment, he said loudly, "General Song, I, Wei Dechang, am straightforward and don't have so many calculations in my mind. Yongzhou has been free of war for so many years, and I have relied on my brother to achieve this. The strength of Yongzhou City is the result of the concerted efforts of my two brothers. I have never disobeyed my brother. Today, I am willing to put aside the pain of losing my son and be of one mind with my brother!"
Wei Dechang actually didn't know whether he should believe Song Song or that Master Ni. He would rather believe his sworn brother Qin Jixun. "If Military Supervisor Song wants to report to the government to punish my sworn brother, then I, Wei Dechang, should be punished as well!"
"The Wei Army cannot lose Commander Wei, nor can it lose General Qin!"
A soldier from the Wei family army shouted.
For a moment, the words "Qin" and "Wei" were shouted loudly by the soldiers, and soldiers from the Wei family army came forward to help Qin Jixun's personal soldiers force back Song Song's men.
A mutiny beyond Song Song's expectation was about to happen. He could not help but take two steps back. He heard Shen Tongchuan beside him exclaim, "Oh my!" "General Supervisor Song, they are really rebelling!"
Song Song's heart sank. Yongzhou was different from other places. The military and civilians here relied heavily on the two big families of Qin and Wei, and it was almost deeply rooted. It was difficult for the court to rashly divide the military power and people's hearts here. As a last resort, the emperor issued an edict to allow the Qin and Wei families to jointly guard Yongzhou. Song Song's previous statement of impeaching Qin Jixun was just a verbal threat, and he would never be stupid enough to really do that. If Qin Jixun died, he, Song Song, would not be able to leave Yongzhou safely.
"General Song, please say something about this situation!" Shen Tongchuan winked at him, "Say something softly to appease these soldiers. Taking a step back now will be good for everyone."
Song Song had been used to being high and mighty for more than a decade. Today, he was almost attacked by these soldiers with swords and spears. He was also a little afraid. After thinking for a while, he said loudly: "What I did before was just for the sake of the overall situation. General Qin has been stationed at Yongzhou Pass for many years. With such merits, how could I easily impeach him? If you are not here, who will guard Yongzhou?"
"Yes, General Qin,"
Shen Tongchuan cleared his throat and softened his tone. He looked across the crowd at the young man in the indigo round-necked robe. "Mr. Ni's words just now make some sense, but Song Jianjun is only in the rear of Yongzhou and has never even met Su Qile. As an official appointed by the court of Da Qi, how could he have private contact with Prince Danqiu? If General Qin and Commander Wei don't believe it, we can openly ask the Jianjun to confront Prince Su Qile face to face!"
Song Song suddenly turned to look at him.
Qin Jixun below also looked surprised.
Shen Tongchuan hurriedly asked Song Song to step back a few steps, and then lowered his voice and said to him, "General Song, you have to show up now. Commander Wei here is unwilling to send troops at this time. If Yang Tianzhe's rebels come and kill Prince Suchile, do you think Danqiu will go to war with Daqi? For now, the only way is for you to meet Prince Suchile and negotiate with him. Only with the peace promised by Prince Danqiu himself, will Qin and Wei send troops to encircle and suppress Yang Tianzhe..."
Song Song stroked his beard and thought carefully.
"You are the military supervisor of Yongzhou, the only one here who can represent the emperor's will. You should go to see Prince Suchile so that both sides can have peace."
Shen Tongchuan continued.
Song Song glanced at him, then turned back. The situation below was tense, with Qin and Wei surrounded by soldiers. Under such circumstances, he finally made a decision: "I, Song Song, am willing to go to Suchile's military tent and negotiate with him!"
"good!"
Qin Jixun immediately said in a loud voice, "Since Song Jianjun has this intention, I, Qin Jixun, and my sworn brother Dechang are willing to step back. If it wasn't Su Qile who killed Wei Zhan and the others, we will definitely kill Yang Tianzhe!"
The wind and sand were getting heavier, and the sun was scorching hot, making people's clothes hot. Song Song left quickly with his personal soldiers, while Wei Dechang knelt down in front of Qin Jixun.
"Dechang, what are you doing?" Qin Jixun leaned over.
Wei Dechang lowered his head and said, "I am sorry to my brother. We agreed that we would advance and retreat together..."
"Azhan was also my childhood friend. I was deeply saddened by his death," Qin Jixun said, looking at the corpse covered by the white cloth. "Dechang, you have to believe me. I will never let Azhan die in vain."
Wei Dechang's eyes were red and he was almost crying.
Qin Jixun helped his brother up, turned around and saw Shen Tongchuan leading several attendants slowly walking towards him, he immediately called out: "Shen Zhizhou."
"General Qin, you know that the emperor is most afraid of military commanders like you. The military and civilian support of Yongzhou is in your hands, and the power of this area is also in your hands."
Shen Tongchuan's words were harsh but also full of meaning.
Wei Dechang frowned tightly, "Shen Zhizhou, my brother and I have absolutely no intention of rebelling!"
"I know,"
Shen Tongchuan smiled and said, "If you really wanted to rebel, you wouldn't have been controlled by others for so many years. Today you are proud of yourself, but you also let Supervisor Song get hold of the handle, right? He will not let you go easily."
"Thank you, Shen Zhizhou, for your help today."
Qin Jixun clasped his fists towards him.
"Hey, I didn't help," Shen Tongchuan waved his hand, his eyes suddenly fell to the side, and saw a woman in a scarlet robe, with a man's bun, and beautiful eyebrows and eyes supporting the young man with a long scarf covering his face. "It's been many years, and I almost forgot my "War Horse Theory". Where did you get it?"
"Yunjing Bookstore."
Xu Hexue spoke briefly.
"Its destination can only be a bookstore," Shen Tongchuan laughed at himself, "but it's hard for you to find it and make an annotation for me."
"Shen Zhizhou loves horses and knows how to raise them. This article is even more beneficial to horse policy."
Shen Tongchuan laughed and shook his head. "I am a prefect, how can I manage horse affairs? But you, my lord, write well. Compared with my "On War Horses" back then, your article is more penetrating and to the point. It is concise and to the point. With such great talent, I really want to recommend you to the court..."
Xu Hexue half-closed his eyes, "Thank you for your kindness, Shen Zhizhou. My face is damaged and I am seriously ill. I have given up the idea of serving as an official in the court."
Shen Tongchuan was surprised when he heard this. He looked at the young man in front of him again and said after a while: "What a pity. "
Shen Tongchuan felt something strange in his heart. He always felt that this person's eyebrows and eyes were familiar, but he couldn't grasp that strange feeling. He simply restrained his thoughts and bowed to Xu Hexue: "Just looking at your writings, you will know that you and I have a lot in common. We can be considered as acquaintances in literature. If you have time, come to my house, and I will definitely have good tea for you."
"General Qin, Commander Wei,"
Shen Tongchuan turned to Qin and Wei and said, "Goodbye."
The sun in Yongzhou was at its highest point, and Ni Su and Xu Hexue rode a horse together, walking slowly on the mountain path. Qin Jixun stayed in the Wei family army camp to comfort his sworn brother Wei Dechang, and ordered Duan Rong to take his men and follow Xu Hexue and Ni Su back to the camp first.
"I never thought that you asked Uncle Fan to deliver a letter to the prefectural government last night, and today Prefect Shen really put that military supervisor Song on the fire..." Ni Su looked up at his jaw, incredulous, "Just because of an article 'On War Horses'?"
"Shen Tongchuan loves horses. When I was young, I went to visit the Meng residence with my teacher and saw the painting of a fine horse that he presented to his teacher, Mr. Meng. The article he wrote, "On War Horses," seemed to be praising the war horses that depended on the patriots at the border, but in fact it was satirizing the malpractices in horse policy."
Xu Hexue had not left Yunjing at that time. When Shen Tongchuan's "On War Horses" was published, it received mixed reviews. The most crucial thing was that it caused Meng Yunxian, who had already offended the royal family and high-ranking officials, to fall into a new round of turmoil. Some people said that Meng Yunxian took advantage of the new policy to interfere in the court's horse policy, which made the situation of Meng Yunxian and Zhang Jing in the court even more difficult.
Shen Tongchuan was unable to realize his ambitions in horse politics, and his "On War Horses" went through ups and downs, and ultimately no one was interested in it.
"The trend of land annexation in the Great Qi Dynasty continued, so that the rich had fields all over the country, while the poor had no place to live. The grassland that should have been used to raise horses was mostly used for farming and raising sheep. The officials who raised horses were not dedicated, and some officials sold horses privately. As a result, although the Great Qi Dynasty had horses, there were very few military horses that could be used for combat. It could only purchase them from the foreign countries in the Western Regions, but this was ultimately a drop in the bucket."
"I have fought against the Hu cavalry more than once. The quality of the horses in the Qi army was mixed, so I personally ordered the creation of pastures to raise horses and raised an elite cavalry."
As Xu Hexue spoke, he turned his head. The wind blew, ruffling his sleeves and scarf. His eyes reflected the mountains in the distance. "It's at Juhan Pass."
Ni Su couldn't help but follow his gaze.
Today, Juhan Pass has fallen into the hands of the Danqiu Hu people, and the cavalry that he carefully trained when he was General Yujie has long since disappeared.
"I've also heard that the government needs more than 300 sheep for a banquet. In a year, the palace probably uses more than 400,000 sheep..."
Ni Su looked at him and said, "I thought it was just a rumor at the time."
"The palace's expenses have always been like this, and the people's demand for sheep is equally huge, so the horse policy is not popular, and 'infantry to control cavalry', but infantry is ultimately inferior to cavalry," Xu Hexue said calmly, "Those who live in complacency are just using this to escape reality."
It is not that talent is difficult, but it is difficult to use one's own talents.
Shen Tongchuan has the skills of raising horses but is unable to put them into practice. If Song Song is not around, Meng Yunxian will have the opportunity to have his people intervene in the affairs of Yongzhou. In this way, Shen Tongchuan might be able to open up pastures in Yongzhou and raise war horses.
The wind seemed to become very light, and there was much less dust. Under the sunlight, Ni Su was held in Xu Hexue's arms. The coolness from his body just relieved the scorching heat of midsummer.
"Xu Ziling."
She suddenly called.
"Um?"
Xu Hexue lowered her eyes and looked at her. Perhaps because she had been exposed to the sun for too long when she was confronting Song Song in the Wei family army’s camp, her cheeks were a little red.
"How did you ride a horse before? Shall we go back to that later?"
She said.
Xu Hexue said nothing, but took off her scarf, revealing a pale face with a clear and handsome look. He just wrapped the scarf around her face, and she grabbed her wrist: "What are you doing to me? Captain Duan and the others are still behind..."
"Your face is red."
Xu Hexue straightened her scarf and said with pale lips, "Don't worry, they can't catch up with you and me."
Before Ni Su could react, he gripped the reins, and the horse neighed, raised its hooves, stamped the dust, and almost galloped away.
"Mr. Ni!"
Duan Rong and others were walking slowly behind, but the young couple suddenly galloped away. He hurriedly pulled the reins, "Where are you going?"
The wind was getting stronger and stronger. Ni Su vaguely heard Duan Rong's voice. She didn't look back, but her hand tightly grasped Xu Hexue's sleeve.
Gradually, Duan Rong's voice could no longer be heard.
The sun was bright and clear, and the indigo sleeves fluttered. Ni Su looked up at him and said, "You are so impressive, young Jinshi General."
Xu Hexue's eyelashes moved slightly, and when she lowered her head, the long scarf on her face fell off and flew in the wind. He immediately stretched out a hand to grab it, but her hand stretched out at the same time.
Fingers touched and long scarf flew.
As their eyes met, Ni Su curved her eyes towards him.
The corrupt political policies, the greed of the royal family, and the struggle for power led to the downfall of some people, but also the resistance of some others. The numerous problems in the Great Qi Dynasty were not caused by just one person or one ruler. It was the struggle of interests and the combination of interests.
He also died because of this.
"You have been in Youdu for a hundred years. When you returned, Da Qi is still the same Da Qi. Aren't you disappointed in your heart?" Ni Su suddenly asked him.
Xu Hexue covered her face with the scarf again:
"I still want to place my hope on those who dare to carry firewood for others. Even if I die, there will be successors who will come after me, not for the emperor or father, not for the Zhao family, but for the people of the world, not to give up the country, not to lose the hometown."
