Volume 1 Chapter 60: Lantern Festival (Part 2)
"But you are right about some things. It is hard for us civil officials to be as focused as you military officials in dealing with the enemy..." Zong Ze continued to support Yue Fei's arm and said, "For example, I don't respect anyone in the court, but I only respect Li Gang. However, Li Yanxian of Shanzhou impeached Li Gang for not being able to use troops and was wanted. Now he is almost turning the tide in Shanzhou to resist Wanyan Loushi's troops. Doesn't that prove that what he said is right? So, Li Xianggong and I, we don't know how to use troops."
"It's just that Pengju, if you don't know how to command troops, then you don't know how to command troops. Because of the national system and hundreds of years of tradition, we are indispensable for major events! The two of us are here to support you in commanding troops. If Li Boxi and I give in a little, those messy people will come to power, and the government will have no one to control them. No matter how outstanding you are at the front, how can you avoid the Jingkang Incident from happening again ?!"
Not only Yue Fei, but also Ma Kuo, Zong Ying, and even Tang Huai who was standing by were all in awe when they heard Zong Ze being so earnest.
"So Pengju, I called you now to tell you that you are right. Don't worry about us old men. Just follow your method of strict military discipline and sufficient food and supplies! In the future, the young people like you who know military skills will become the pillars of the sky! However, we will definitely not be here by then. If you want to succeed, you must know how to protect yourself and make friends with internal and external supporters..."
Zong Ze became more and more serious as he spoke.
"You said that your personality has changed a lot, which is a good thing, but you must change it again. Don't learn to be stubborn and stubborn like me. You are a warrior, how can you be as willful as me? Do you have my qualifications? Do you have my status as a Jinshi? Are you my age? Do you have the merit of supporting the throne as I have? So you must take care of yourself on this trip! Take care again!"
Yue Fei opened his mouth to speak, but didn't know what to say, so he could only open his eyes wide and nod reluctantly.
"Mr. Ma, I'm sorry for not treating you well these days." Seeing this, Zong Ze said nothing more. He pulled his fur robe and turned to speak slowly to Ma Kuo.
"Mr. Zong, you are joking!" Ma Kuo came back to his senses and couldn't help but smile bitterly.
"There's nothing to hide." Zong Ze sighed. "First, you and your son participated in the Maritime Alliance, and the people who stayed in Tokyo all had complaints. Although I don't agree with it, it's hard to control you, so you've been wronged. Second, I can't make the decision on what you're doing, and according to my guess, according to the character of the officials, they will naturally be filial and righteous on the surface after knowing it, but in fact, there may not be a good result. What's wrong is that you're doing a great cause in Wumashan, and I can't stop you, so I have to not deal with you."
"Mr. Zong, you don't need to say more. I understand all this." Ma Kuo smiled bitterly. "But Hebei is in turmoil now. It's time to fight against the Jin. We should put aside all unnecessary concerns..."
"That's why I called you." Zong Ze also stepped forward to hold the man's arm, and said earnestly. "Let's not talk about the imperial decrees issued recently. Some of the words are still right... At this time, a thousand and ten thousand things are not right, as long as we can contribute to the fight against the Jin, then it is a good thing... I am old, I only hope that you, Pengju, Li Yanxian and other younger people can be loyal to the country and support the overall situation in the future... In this way, if one day we can recover Hebei, or even attack Huanglong, I will be alive even in the underworld! What I said just now, are you talking to Yue Pengju alone?"
It is said that Ma Kuo went all the way south from Zhending and experienced many hardships. In the past few years, he had been imprisoned, captured, and suffered countless grievances. When he received Zong Ze's recognition and encouragement, he felt a lump in his throat. Although he did not cry, he felt that everything was worth it.
"Let's go! We have things to do tomorrow!"
Zong Ruolin was a straightforward person, and after giving a few words of instruction, he stopped dragging and turned around, walking into the mansion dragging his colorful fur robe.
As for Ma Kuo and Yue Fei, they watched each other enter the mansion before turning around in silence and mounting their horses to return.
Not to mention how Ma Kuo went back to prepare, on the other side, Yue Fei returned to his residence in the city and sent Tang Huai and others who were accompanying him out of the city overnight to the military camp to convey military orders and prepare for tomorrow's military operations. However, he was not sleepy . Instead, he looked at the moon and sighed, his heart was unsettled for a long time.
As it approached three o'clock in the morning, Yue Fei became more and more anxious. He always felt that he had to do something to calm his mood. After thinking about it, he called a servant and asked him to go to the garrison camp in the city to find someone. When the other party heard that it was Yue Pengju, the most popular person in front of Prime Minister Zong, who summoned him, he dared not be negligent and hurried here with a full set of tools following the servant.
"Are you the best skilled person in the city's garrison?" Yue Fei saw this man and said straight to the point without any nonsense. "I have to go to war tomorrow. Can I get ready overnight?"
"Don't worry, General!" The man raised his hand and pointed to the sky, promising that he was actually a soldier who was good at tattooing. "From Wuwei Army to Dongjing City, who doesn't know my skills as Dulong Beiyan? No matter what the pattern is or where it is, I can keep it safe overnight!"
" That's good."
Yue Pengju was also straightforward. He took off his clothes right in front of the empty room, revealing his white muscular body... Actually, think about it, although tattooing is a job that requires both strength and skill, and it is impossible to do a good tattoo without enough endurance and skills, but since tattooing is popular in the Song army, the best tattoo masters are naturally from the army. What reason does Yue Fei have not to trust this person?
"Commander Yue has never had a tattoo before?" The man with the one-handed and dragon tattoo was also surprised when he looked up and down.
"My body and hair are given by my parents. My mother was strict with me since I was young and didn't allow me to have tattoos. I joined the army as a brave soldier to avoid tattoos. How could I have an old tattoo?" Yue Fei continued to undress while not caring about it.
"If that's the case, why do you want to get a tattoo today? Aren't you afraid that the old lady will find out and punish you?" The man took out a needle, knife and other tools while continuing to ask curiously.
"The tattoo I want to get today is something my mother won't blame me for even if she knows about it. On the contrary, she might even praise me for it!"
"Yes... Then may I ask where you want the tattoo?"
"These four words are engraved on my back..."
"No matter how many patterns are tattooed there, no one will see it, so isn't it useless?"
"It's not for others to see, it's for yourself to remember!"
"Yes..." What kind of hand is this? Du Long's heart was moved, and he quickly became serious. "If that's the case, then it's fine. But I have to let the commander know that most people who get tattoos for the first time are afraid of pain..."
"You talk too much nonsense!"
"Yes, yes, yes! One last question." After taking out the liquor and the candle, the dulong hurriedly continued. "What kind of tattoo does the commander want?"
Yue Fei had already turned over and sat upright, tightening his belt and revealing his strong back, but when he heard this, he couldn't help but pause for a moment before answering slowly:
"Four words: serve the country with loyalty!"
The single-handed man who wanted to stop talking was slightly startled, but he couldn't help but say a few more words: "Wuwei Jun Beiyan, I am willing to serve the general!"
After saying that, Bei Yan held a mouthful of liquor in his mouth, sprayed it on Yue Fei's back, and then directly cut the roasted needle knife on him.
On the night of the full moon, the Lantern Festival, blood dripped onto the mat, and only then did Yue Fei calm down.
