Monk Wanyan Chen hesitated for a while before saying, "Last year, my brother was promoted to chief, so I followed him to guard Fangcheng …"
Song Qingshu had been in the Jin for so long that he was familiar with the geography of the Jin. He knew that Fangcheng was located in Henan in the future, and it was a battleground for military strategists in ancient times.
During the Spring and Autumn Warring States Period, Chu from the Jianghan Plain went north and conquered many small countries in the Nanyang Basin. To the north of the Nanyang Basin was the Crouching Bull Mountains, to the west was the Qinling Mountains, and to the southeast was the Tongbai Mountains. They were all dangerous places. In the northeast, there were some hills between the Crouching Bull Mountains and the Tongbai Mountains. During the Xia Dynasty, this was the passageway between the Central Plains and the Nanyang Basin, so it was called the Xia Road. Later on, Chu often attacked the Central Plains, and the other countries of the Central Plains also attacked Chu from here. Chu built the Great Wall of Chu on these hills and called it Fangcheng.
Hence, this strategic place was called the Xia Road. Now that the Jin occupied the Nanyang Basin, they were confronting the Southern Song Dynasty's Xiangyang. The Deng and Tang Prefectures were the Jin's first line of defense. If the Southern Song Dynasty broke through the first line of defense and occupied the Nanyang Basin, the Xia Road would be the second line of defense.
"Is your brother Wanyan Xielie?" Song Qingshu was curious. He had been in charge of the Jin for so long, how could he not be familiar with such a strategic place?
Monk Wanyan Chen revealed a look of surprise and nodded. "Yes."
Song QingShu couldn't help but be in a good mood. Although Wanyan Xielie wasn't as capable as his younger brother, he was still a famous and valiant general in the army. He was really lucky today to be able to get this pair of famed brothers.
After some questioning, he found out why Monk Wanyan Chen had committed such a crime. It turned out that when Xielie was sick and his brother Monk Chen was in charge of military affairs, General Li Taihe and General Ge Yiweng of Fangcheng got into a quarrel. In the end, it developed into a fight and Ge Yiweng went to Monk Chen to complain.
Monk Chen asked about the whole story and found out that Ge Yiweng was in the wrong, so he ordered the soldiers to beat him. Who would have thought that Ge Yiweng was a hot-tempered and ferocious man; he was humiliated by the fact that he was beaten on the spot. He died of depression, and his last words were for his wife to avenge him.
His wife was also a valiant woman. She immediately filed a complaint against Monk Chen, saying that Monk Chen violated her duty due to personal grudges and intentionally killed her husband. She complained to the Censorate, the Minister of State, and the Chamberlain. She also piled up firewood at the south of Longjin Bridge, claiming that if Monk Chen was not punished, she would burn herself to apologize to her husband.
This matter caused a big commotion, and the impact was not good. Moreover, there were Ge Yiweng's friends among the remonstrant officials, so they concluded that Monk Chen held military power and acted arbitrarily, violating the country's law. In the end, he was sentenced to death.
After knowing the whole story, Song Qingshu secretly lamented that the ancient legal system was a joke. At the end of the day, it was still ruled by men. It all depended on who had the strongest backing and who would win.
Originally, he was worried that Monk Wanyan Chen would be sentenced to death because of his crimes. Now that his last doubts were gone, he no longer hesitated and said, "Although I am the Minister of State of the imperial court, it is not good for me to interfere with justice. However, the imperial court is facing internal and external troubles, and we are about to go to war with the Southern Song Dynasty. We are in need of manpower, so I will give you a chance. You will be removed from your official position in Fangcheng, and from now on, you can work under me from the bottom to make up for your crimes. How about it?"
Although Monk Wanyan Chen was righteous, he was not a fool. How could he miss such a good opportunity when the most powerful person in the imperial court offered him an olive branch? Moreover, he needed a higher platform to realize his ambitions. He hurriedly half-knelt and saluted, "Monk Chen pays his respects to the Lord!"
Song Qingshu was very satisfied. Previously, Monk Chen would rather die than kneel, but now he was willing to half-kneel. It was obvious that he was thanking Song Qingshu for saving his life. At the same time, Monk Chen did not address him as an official of the imperial court, but as his Lord. This had already expressed his loyalty.
"Quickly, please rise!" Song Qingshu personally stood up and helped him up. If the Lord treats me as a scholar of the nation, I will repay him as a scholar of the nation! If the Lord treats me as a passerby, I will repay him as a passerby! If the Lord treats me as grass, I will repay him as an enemy! Monk Wanyan Chen was worthy of such treatment. "Someone, bring my horse over."
A look of surprise flashed across the guard's face, but he still obediently brought a fine horse over. Song Qingshu took the reins and handed them to Monk Wanyan Chen, "This horse can travel a thousand miles in the day and eight hundred miles in the night. It should be galloping on the battlefield. It is a waste of its talent to be my mount. As the saying goes, a precious horse is given to a hero. I will give it to you in hopes that in the future, you will not disappoint me and make contributions to the imperial court."
Monk Wanyan Chen had been in the army for many years, so how could he not know whether a horse was good or bad? The horse's body was full and graceful, with well-developed muscles. Its entire body exuded a layer of dark and shiny luster. It did not look like a horse, but more like a ferocious beast. Even a blind man could tell that this was a divine steed that was one in a million.
"Thank you, my lord!" Monk Wanyan Chen took the reins under the envious gazes of the guards. Even though Monk Wanyan Chen had a firm will, he could not help but choke with sobs. Not long ago, he thought that he would definitely die and had nowhere to display his abilities. He did not expect that not only would he escape death, but he would also receive such attention from the number one person of the imperial court.
Actually, under normal circumstances, it would not be easy for Song Qingshu to win over Monk Wanyan Chen's heart. However, today was a special occasion. In addition, Song Qingshu treated Wanyan Chen with the courtesy of a scholar of the nation, just like the arrogant Han Xin of the past. Even though he had already divided the world into three parts and was on par with Liu Bang and Xiang Yu, he still could not forget the kindness that Liu Bang had shown him when he was at his lowest.
"That's right, I have a question for you," Song Qingshu suddenly said.
"My lord, feel free to ask. I will tell you everything I know." If this was a game, Monk Wanyan Chen's impression of Song Qingshu would have already been maxed out.
"Do you know Chen Ergou?" Song Qingshu asked as he stared at Monk Wanyan Chen.
"Chen Ergou?" Monk Wanyan Chen shook his head, and a trace of confusion flashed in his eyes.
"Fire Beacon Giant?" Song Qingshu asked immediately.
“？？？” Monk Wanyan Chen was dumbfounded. He suddenly felt that his lord was strange and a little unreliable.
"It's nothing, I was just asking casually." When Song Qingshu heard Monk Wanyan Chen say before his death, "How great must a man's achievements be in order to not be Nameless after death?", he couldn't help but think of a novel from his previous life. He thought that Fire Beacon Giant had also transmigrated, but it turned out that it was just a coincidence.
Song Qingshu originally wanted to invite Monk Wanyan Chen to sit in the carriage, but Monk Wanyan Chen refused. Instead, he rode his horse and followed closely behind like a personal guard.
Seeing that he couldn't persuade Monk Wanyan Chen, Song Qingshu didn't force him. In the carriage, Wanyan Zhongjie looked at him with a smile. "Congratulations on subduing a general."
Song Qingshu glanced at her and said, "I haven't settled the score with you about what happened just now."
"Aiya, you have already subdued such a fierce general. This is something worth being happy about. Why do you have to lower yourself to the level of a little girl like me?" Wanyan Zhongjie started to use her soft and sweet voice to act coquettishly again.
Song Qingshu's eyebrows twitched from being swayed by her. He could only wave his hand and say, "Alright, alright, I won't settle the score. Stop acting coquettishly."
"I knew you're the best." Wanyan Zhongjie's smile became even more radiant.
Not long after, they arrived at the Grand Preceptor's residence. When Pucha Alihu married in, her husband hadn't separated from the family yet. Later on, her husband and her father-in-law, Wanyan Zongpan, were killed in a failed political battle. However, the imperial court remembered Wanyan Zongpan's contributions and still retained his title as the Grand Preceptor. Thus, the plaque of the Grand Preceptor's residence was still hung at the entrance.
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