Chapter 261: Venomous Tongue, Excellent
Datong City.
"Has the scout returned?"
Zhang Da walked up to the top of the city wall and asked.
"Not back yet."
"Where is the uncle?" Zhang Da turned around.
"Five miles from here."
Zhang Da sighed and said to the generals, "Datong relied on Lord Bo to gain the upper hand in the two battles. I wanted to give Lord Bo a surprise today, but I didn't expect..."
The two great victories at Datong helped Zhang Da to successfully wash away his negative reputation of avoiding war, as well as the guilt of his previous defeat. These generals also gained a lot of benefits to varying degrees.
So when they learned that it was Jiang Qingzhi who was personally leading his troops out of the border to meet with Altan Khan, the generals of Datong were eager to show this lord the style of Datong's border troops.
"Here it comes, here it comes!" someone shouted.
Dozens of riders were galloping towards them.
They rushed into the city, and the general flag leader, without reining in his horse, jumped off his horse, rolled on the ground, stood up, and rushed to the top of the city wall.
"Good skills, worthy of being a Datong athlete."
Zhang Da praised.
The general flag saluted and said, "Reporting to the general, Altan has arrived at Guanshan with 10,000 cavalry."
"Guanshan?" Zhang Da closed his eyes, and the map that he had looked at countless times gradually emerged in his mind.
"Ninety-nine Springs!" Zhang Da opened his eyes, "Get ready to welcome Master Bo!"
……
"Is this Datong City?"
Zhou Xia accompanied him this time. Looking at the magnificent city, he could not help but say leisurely, "It is even more magnificent than the capital."
"The capital has been in disrepair for a long time, just like the brains of those people." Xu Wei's venomous tongue began to bloom.
Zhou Xia asked, "Then how do you think we should repair it, Mr. Xu?"
"Use an axe to split their heads open, and use a hook to hook out the selfish thoughts, petty schemes, greed, anger and shamelessness in their minds."
Zhou Xia smiled and said, "I think we should rinse it repeatedly with clean water until all the dirt is cleaned away."
"What is the clear water you are talking about?" Xu Wei asked.
"New knowledge." Zhou Xia said.
Xu Wei sighed, and Hu Zongxian smiled and said, "You and Zhou Xia have argued many times along the way. Although you have the upper hand, Zhou Xia has also made rapid progress. By the way, do you know why Lord Bo never interferes?"
Xu Wei sighed, "Master is treating me as a whetstone to sharpen his only disciple."
"The only disciple?" Zhou Xia was startled. "Aren't they Prince Yu and others?"
"They can't inherit the knowledge of the uncle, barely, but you can see how the uncle treats them, more like a junior." Xu Wei said: "You are lucky, but you have to be careful from now on."
"I have been waiting for the revenge of those scholars and officials."
"Not afraid of death?"
"hehe!"
"Since you are not afraid of death, do you dare to follow the scouts to the frontier?" Xu Wei said with a sly smile.
A team of scouts is ready to go, waiting for orders.
"That's what I want!" Zhou Xia said it was no problem, but he felt a little nervous in his heart.
"The defender of Datong is here." said Hu Zongxian.
The generals led by Zhang Da and several civil servants walked out of Datong City.
Jiang Qingzhi dismounted from his horse a few dozen steps away.
"Hello, uncle!"
Everyone salutes.
"No need to formality!" Jiang Qingzhi came over and looked at everyone with a smile.
"Our scouts have obtained the news," Zhang Da said, "Anda has just arrived at Guanshan with 10,000 cavalrymen."
"Guanshan..." Jiang Qingzhi thought about that place for a moment, "Who was able to get the news before Altan's elite troops?"
Zhang Da was very proud of this. He turned around and waved. A general came over. When he saw Jiang Qing, his face flushed with excitement. "Hello, Master!"
"Have you seen me?" Jiang Qingzhi asked.
"I was in the army when we fought the enemy last time." The general seemed a little too excited and his body trembled slightly.
"Where's your home?"
“It’s from Datong.”
"Did you encounter Altan's elite troops this time?"
"We encountered a group of cavalrymen from the enemy. I led my men to pretend to flee, then turned around at night and bypassed the enemy's camp, heading straight to Guanshan..."
"Aren't you worried that the enemy will outflank you from behind?" Jiang Qingzhi asked with a smile.
Once discovered by the enemy, the cavalry team would cut off their retreat, and none of the scouts would be able to return.
"I would have been afraid in the past. But after I defeated the enemy with my uncle last time, I felt that... they are also human beings, they don't have supernatural powers, and they can make mistakes. I thought, since they are all human beings, why should I be afraid of them?"
The general flag became more and more confident as he spoke. Jiang Qingzhi was delighted and patted him on the shoulder. "Why should we be afraid of them?"
He said to Zhang Da: "From this we can see that the morale of the army can only be improved temporarily by rewards. Only continuous victories can improve it."
"Yes."
Then everyone entered the city.
Just after a day's rest, Altan's envoy arrived.
"The Khan is waiting for the envoy at Guanshan."
The messenger looked at Jiang Qingzhi with deep eyes.
"Got it." Jiang Qingzhi said, "Please also tell Altan that I will arrive at Guanshan in three days to see the Ninety-Nine Springs!"
The messenger smiled and said, "Your Excellency... Chang Wei Bo, aren't you afraid that you won't be able to come back after you go there?"
"The Wolf King never disdains to use despicable means to gain the respect of his subordinates." Jiang Qingzhi said lightly: "Besides, you have dirty eyes. I see ambition in you. An ambitious envoy must have an unusual identity."
The messenger chuckled, "What I'm more curious about is why Chang Wei Bo is willing to offend the scholars and officials of the world? The greater the price, the greater the ambition. So, what is Chang Wei Bo's ambition? Is it the powerful officials? Or... maybe only Chang Wei Bo himself knows."
These words can be described as sharp.
"My Lord is thinking about his country and the world, but you... let me take a look." Xu Wei narrowed his eyes and suddenly sighed, "I have learned some physiognomy, and I see that you have a unique face, and you actually have the appearance of a king. But..."
Hey!
Jiang Qingzhi saw the messenger's face change, and then he bowed, "Three days later, Guanshan, I will respectfully wait for Chang Wei Bo."
"No problem." Jiang Qingzhi said, "Old Xu, please see us off."
"No problem." Xu Wei came over. "How old are you, Your Excellency? I see that your nose bridge is high, which is a sign of indescribable wealth..."
The messenger quickened his pace as if he had heard something extremely outrageous.
"Your Excellency's back is slightly raised. This is the image of a real dragon!"
Xu Wei fell behind by a few steps and then began to spit venom again.
The messenger left Jiang Qingzhi's residence as if he had seen a ghost, and turned around to curse: "That guy named Xu, I will definitely kill him when I get back!"
"Old Xu's mouth..." Hu Zongxian smiled bitterly.
Xu Wei's mouth can give advice and can also spit out venom. In the original history, only Hu Zongxian could tolerate and accept him. After Hu Zongxian's death, Xu Wei changed several bosses, but no one could tolerate this guy.
“It’s not a bad thing.”
Jiang Qingzhi pondered the possible identity of the envoy, "It's impossible for him to be a noble, so he must be someone close to Altan."
On the second day, Jiang Qingzhi led the team out.
"Take care, uncle!"
Zhang Da escorted him out of the city and said, "If things go wrong, I will lead the army to attack."
"Not afraid anymore?" Jiang Qingzhi teased.
Zhang Da's face turned red.
Jiang Qingzhi said softly, "That's the inner demon. I've said before that every victory is a comfort, and in fact it's also a process of getting rid of the inner demon. When the victories are increasing, the foreign races become nothing more than chickens and pottery dogs in the eyes of the soldiers."
"Yes."
Jiang Qingzhi rode away, Zhou Xia followed him, "Teacher said that we must first stabilize foreign forces before we can conquer the country, so why don't we clean up the border troops first?"
"Border troops!" Jiang Qingzhi said darkly, "The border troops have been corrupt for many years, and there are many shady plots. If they suddenly take action..."
He looked at Zhou Xia, wanting to test this student.
"Altan... Altan will wait for an opportunity to act." Zhou Xia's body suddenly trembled. "Teacher originally advocated communicating with Altan's tribe and opening up trade routes, not just to gain insight into Altan's tribe's true strengths..."
Jiang Qingzhi's mouth curled up slightly, "So, what else?"
Zhou Xia covered his forehead and suddenly said, "I've thought of this. When the teacher was rectifying the Tiger Guards, he was very ruthless. The border troops saw it. Those corrupt generals must be worried that this rectification trend will spread to them. If they are not careful, they will do something shocking to the world, such as rebellion...
So the teacher suggested opening up the trade route with Altan Khan. Once the trade route is opened, it will be difficult to discipline the border troops... As soon as we start, Altan Khan will be ready to make a move, and if the border troops mutinied again, the Ming Dynasty would be overthrown in an instant. This is a means to calm their hearts first!"
Jiang Qingzhi asked Xu Wei, "How is it?"
Xu Wei said calmly: "It's interesting."
Zhou Xia, who could make Xu Wei say something interesting, had now completely figured out the matter. "First, we should rectify the Beijing Guards, and use the Beijing Guards as the foundation, and then we can work slowly. This is the mature way to plan for the country!"
Zhou Xia clapped his hands, "Those people said that the teacher acted arrogantly and impulsively, and the rectification of the Beijing Guards is a clear proof. But if they knew what the teacher was thinking, I'm afraid they would be too ashamed to face others."
Turning back, Xu Wei said to Hu Zongxian: "This boy is not bad."
"Why not praise him directly?" Hu Zongxian asked.
"If I praise someone, Lao Hu, it means I am ready to dig a hole and bury that person." Xu Wei said.
"Why do I remember you praising my uncle?"
"grass!"
That afternoon, a team of scouts encountered enemy cavalry.
More than a hundred enemy cavalrymen shouted and circled around from both sides.
The Ming army had only twenty-one scouts, but they were calm and at ease.
"Dismount and drop your sword!" the enemy general shouted.
"Otherwise I'll kill you!"
The flag officer of the Ming army on the opposite side said coldly: "If you want to provoke, why don't you dare to dismount?"
The enemy general sneered and dismounted.
The same is true for small flag officers.
The outer enemy troops completed the encirclement, their horses neighing, long swords in hand, staring at the Ming army scouts with murderous intent.
The enemy general slowly came over and said, "Ming Gou, do you dare to fight me?"
The flag officer said coldly: "Fists, feet, swords, guns, it's up to you to choose!"
"Kill him! Captain, kill him!" the enemy troops outside shouted.
The enemy general took off his sword and said, "The Khan said we should treat you with courtesy, so let's use our fists and feet!"
The flag officer took off his long sword and was also left with bare hands.
"The Ming army is coming." Someone outside shouted, "Captain, it's Jiang Qingzhi who's here."
The enemy general looked up and saw the flag with the word "Jiang" getting closer and closer, and thought it would be a good idea to give Jiang Qingzhi a warning.
He roared like a tiger and rushed forward.
The two of them fought with fists and kicks, but after less than ten breaths, the flag officer suddenly retreated. The enemy general chased after him with a grim smile, grabbed the flag officer's shoulders with both hands, and said, "Kneel down!"
The big flag was moving towards this side, and the surrounding enemy troops had to retreat.
As a result, the two people who were fighting were exposed to everyone's sight.
The flag officer sank his body and broke away from the opponent's hands. Then he grabbed the opponent's leather armor straps around his waist with lightning speed and exerted force violently.
"Oh!"
Zhou Xia couldn't help but exclaimed when he saw the small flag officer lifting the enemy general.
Bang!
The flag officer threw the enemy general to the ground and knelt on one knee, "Ma Fang greets Lord Bo! There are no enemy troops lurking ahead."
Jiang Qingzhi's voice came from under the big flag, "Keep scouting!"
"Leader!"
After the cavalry came the large group of infantry.
The sound of footsteps came suddenly, and pairs of cold eyes stared at the enemy troops.
None of the hundreds of enemy soldiers spoke.
They all seem to have become sculptures.
(End of this chapter)
