Chapter 731 I am in Datong, looking to the north
In a mansion in Datong City, although it is autumn now, there are still flowers blooming in the garden.
A man hurried into the mansion and asked, "Is Senior Brother here?"
"In the back garden." Menzi leaned out to take a look. "Has the master of divination been discovered by anyone?"
The man shook his head. "The whole city is celebrating right now, so no one is paying attention."
The man went to the backyard, walked around the master bedroom, and there was an archway at the back. After entering, he saw a man standing by the pool in the bleak autumn wind, reading a book in his hand.
"Senior brother." The man saluted.
Mr. Zhou turned around and it turned out to be Zhao Quan's third disciple Zhou Yuanshan.
"Junior Brother Yang?" Zhou Yuanshan frowned. "The situation has been tense lately. Why are you here?"
The person who came was Zhao Quan's second-generation disciple Yang Xun. He said excitedly: "The Altan army is coming. The people in the city are relaxed at the moment. Should we take action?"
"Too early." Zhou Yuanshan shook his head. "By the way, I heard earlier that the army was going to attack. What do you think?"
"I don't know either, let me ask." Yang Xun avoided crowded places when he came, so he didn't know why there was so much cheering outside.
He was preaching in the city, and if he was exposed to others and someone exclaimed in surprise, that would be the end of him.
Someone went to ask, and soon came back, "It is said that Jiang Qingzhi led his troops to threaten, and Altan retreated back to the camp. Now the city is celebrating."
Zhou Yuanshan walked to the side of the small pavilion, patted the wooden pillar, looked up at the top of the pavilion, and said: "The leader has ordered us to wait for an opportunity to help the army defeat Jiang Qingzhi. When the war begins... then we will start!"
Yang Xun heard the sigh in Zhou Yuanshan's tone, so he asked, "This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Once Jiang Qingzhi is defeated, our Holy Church will be able to sweep across the northwest... Brother, are you unhappy?"
"What happens after the sweep?" Zhou Yuanshan asked.
"The leader said that Altan would give the Holy Religion a piece of land, so that we can also become a country of our own." Yang Xun said with longing: "When that time comes, the country will be a pure land, a paradise."
"Where is the Pure Land in this world?" Zhou Yuanshan glanced at the Chinese medicine book in his hand. "Life is full of suffering, so where is the paradise?"
"Brother, please be careful with your words." Yang Xun said in a low voice.
Zhou Yuanshan patted the wooden pillar again. "Why not? I studied medicine, and later I felt that the Ming Dynasty was hopeless, so I followed the leader. The paradise the leader talked about... do you believe it?"
Yang Xun hesitated for a moment, "Of course... of course I believe it."
"If there is a paradise, if there are gods, why don't they save the world?" Zhou Yuanshan said: "Gods have great magical powers, why don't they take action? Instead, they just sit there and watch the world wander in the sea of suffering."
"I guess... it's a test!" Yang Xun said.
"Look, you don't believe it yourself." Zhou Yuanshan sighed, "I have been to many temples and seen many statues of gods and Buddhas. I have also begged the gods to come down to earth to save the world. But the gods have never responded to me."
"The gods are very busy, senior brother." Yang Xun looked around and fortunately there was no one there.
If these words were heard by the fanatics, Zhou Yuanshan would surely die.
"Yes! The gods are very busy, so mortals can only save themselves." Zhou Yuanshan's voice gradually became low, "Then why are we so busy? To the point of joining forces with alien races..."
"Brother, all people in the world are brothers and sisters. There is no such thing as a different race."
"Really? Then why did the brothers and sisters want to attack Ming?"
Uh!
Yang Xun smiled bitterly, "Brother, please stop saying such things from now on! If others hear it, they will probably be stabbed in the back."
"If you can die early, it will actually be a relief for the world. Fame, wealth and power may seem tempting, but in fact they are poison flowing with honey. The more you eat, the deeper the poison, and the more you sink into this sea of suffering."
"Brother, I still need to find out some information." Yang Xun felt that Zhou Yuanshan was not in a good condition.
"No need." Zhou Yuanshan said, "There is no need to choose the right time."
"When will it start?"
"One hour after the army leaves the city."
"Brother, what you mean is..."
"The war was in full swing at that time. If we started a rebellion at that time, it would make Jiang Qingzhi panic."
Yang Xun nodded, "Then I will go back. Once the army attacks, I will come back."
"Go!"
Yang Xun walked to the archway in the backyard and looked back, and saw Zhou Yuanshan standing by the pavilion, with his head lowered, chanting something softly...
"This Ming Dynasty! How can we save it? Destruction, or rebirth?"
……
Early morning of the second day.
Sun Chonglou shouted, "Master, get up!"
"get up!"
Jiang Qingzhi appeared behind Sun Chonglou. Sun Chonglou was startled and jumped up with his huge body. He even kicked back in mid-air. Fortunately, he stopped in time, otherwise, if his kick had hit Jiang Qingzhi, Altan would have declared a great victory in advance.
"Practice it."
Xu Wei and others came, Sun Chonglou said seriously.
"You must learn to relax before a big battle." Xu Wei and Hu Zongxian were in a corner of the yard. Xu Wei took out a wine gourd and Hu Zongxian took out an oil paper bag... Inside were the roasted chestnuts they bought on the street yesterday.
After a night, the roasted chestnuts were cold. I don’t know what tricks Hu Zongxian used to make them quite easy to peel.
With a glass of wine in hand, feeling the cool autumn breeze, eat a sweet and glutinous chestnut and wash it down with a sip of wine.
There is more warmth this morning.
"How can we kill the enemy if we don't train before the battle?" Sun Chonglou came over with a stern face and grabbed a handful of chestnuts. The three of them squatted there and muttered.
"Zhao Wenhua has been quite honest recently. He even smiled when he saw me yesterday." Hu Zongxian took a sip of wine, snatched a few chestnuts from Sun Chonglou, and peeled them slowly.
"If this battle is won, he will also have contributed to it." Xu Wei revealed Zhao Wenhua's thoughts in one sentence, "This guy is greedy by nature. Believe it or not, he will take credit one moment and stab you in the back the next." "Damn it, I'll kill him later!" Sun Chonglou slapped away Xu Wei's hand that was trying to steal his chestnuts.
"Don't." Xu Wei shook his head. Sun Chonglou was puzzled. "Why?"
"Do you think it's better for your opponent to be stupid or smart?" Xu Wei asked.
"It's better to be a little stupid, of course."
"Is Zhao Wenhua stupid?"
"Somewhat stupid."
"How about with Lao Hu?"
"Xu Wei!"
"Haha! Just saying. Hey! Look at Uncle... Ouch! The knife almost cut me."
Jiang Qingzhi is not in a good state today.
I often get distracted when practicing sword skills.
Hu Zongxian whispered, "I guess it's my wife's..."
Sun Chonglou nodded, "My wife is about to give birth, and the young master is a little worried."
In this era, giving birth is like going through the gates of hell for women, especially for their first child.
After breakfast, the scouts returned and brought news about the movements of Altan's army.
"Altan's army is resting today!"
Yan Song said: "This is the last peace, cherish it!"
Both armies are preparing for the coming war.
In the capital, Li Tian was also making preparations.
The delivery room was prepared by Jiang Qingzhi himself, and he instructed that it should be disinfected several times before delivery.
The imperial physician who had taken care of Prince Yu and Prince Jing was stationed in Xin'an Lane. The Taoist priest said: If the mother and child are safe, a generous reward will be given. If the mother and child are in trouble...
You tell the truth yourself!
The imperial physician did not dare to neglect it, and checked the delivery room every day, checking Li Tian's pulse in the morning, noon and evening, and asking about her condition. For this, the imperial physician laughed at himself, saying that he had never been so nervous in the palace.
Chang came to Xin'an Lane whenever she had nothing to do. In the eyes of outsiders, this mother-in-law was particularly gentle, but she became furious once she entered the backyard.
"Can't you just calm down?"
Li Tian supported her lower back with her right hand and leaned back slightly. Huang Yan'er and a strong maid supported her on the left and right.
"Mom, my husband said that we should move more before giving birth."
"My dear husband, your son-in-law is not a miracle doctor. Look at your belly, it's so big, I'm afraid..." Chang slapped the corner of her mouth lightly, "Pooh! Pooh! Good ones work, but bad ones don't."
"Where's Dad?" Li Tian asked.
"There have been a lot of things going on in the Taichang Temple these days, and your father has been busy all day. He was still talking about you this morning, saying that his son-in-law was not at home and there was no one to take care of the family, so he asked me to come over if I had time."
"Mom, what should we do at home?"
"Your sister has nothing to do recently so she can go back to her parents' home. Let her watch over her."
Li Tian thought of her sister Li Xuan and couldn't help but smile, "My eldest sister sent someone to deliver the amulet that I had prayed for yesterday. She said it was extremely effective."
"Don't think your elder sister is a little narrow-minded. In critical moments, sisters are more reliable." Chang carefully checked the ground and picked up any small stones. "Last time, that person... asked your elder sister for the amulet, and your elder sister rolled her eyes at her."
Li Tian nodded, "I know."
"Also, your eldest sister is very proud and has never asked Qingzhi for help for your brother-in-law." Chang sighed, "It's not a bad thing to be proud, but it's too proud... I'm afraid that she won't get what she wants, and she will feel very tormented when the time comes!"
The mother and daughter talked in low voices until Li Tian's forehead was slightly sweaty, and then they went into the house.
"Miss!"
A maid came in and said, "There is a letter from the Lord."
"Give it to me!" Li Tian happily took the letter. After opening it, the familiar handwriting made her calm down.
——My dear, I am writing to you.
——The autumn in Datong is very beautiful. From time to time, you can see wild geese flying south in a line. I thought of the wild geese I gave as a gift when I proposed marriage. Later, Shitou asked if the wild goose meat was delicious. I said it was delicious. Shitou then asked Huang Bing to shoot two, but they didn't taste very good.
Li Tian pursed her lips and smiled.
——Altan Khan's army is getting closer to Datong, but I am still confident. This confidence comes from you and the children. For you, this battle... must be won!
Chang saw her daughter's happy smile and asked, "What did the son-in-law say?"
"He said, if there is anything in this world that he cannot bear to part with, it must be me and the child!"
Chang curled her lips, thinking how corny it was. But then she stared at the autumn scenery outside, thinking about the sweetness of her marriage with Li Huan...
In the palace, Emperor Jiajing stood outside the hall with his hands behind his back, while Huang Jin was reading a letter from Jiang Qingzhi beside him.
That’s right, it wasn’t a memorial, but... a family letter.
——After being beaten up twice by me, Altan seemed a little confused. In order to boost morale, I thought he would lose his patience, and this was the moment I had been waiting for...
——Cousin!
Huang Jin looked up at Taoist Master.
Damn, is this name even acceptable?
Emperor Jiajing glanced at him, and Huang Jin hurriedly continued reading.
——I am in Datong, looking into the north!
(End of this chapter)
