As expected, Zhang gonggong took out a letter from his sleeve and respectfully presented it with both hands. He said, "Duke, this is the Holy One's edict. He wants you to personally read it."
Yang Ling nodded and took the secret letter. He asked where Zhang gonggong was staying and had people prepare a few gifts and two ingots of pure gold. After sending Zhang gonggong out, he returned to the study.
Ma Lian 'er, with a fragrant scent, leaned against his side. Yang Ling opened the Emperor's secret letter and saw Emperor Zhengde write, "Beloved minister, there have been constant battles these past two years. With your help, zhen has been victorious in every battle. However, the treasury has been emptied. Jiao Fang, Yang Tinghe, Liang Chu, and the other officials have done their best to barely get by. The country has no money left, zhen is very worried.
Also, zhen wanted to marry an immortal last year, but first the Empress Dowager passed away, and then the White Clothes rebellion. Good things have been delayed again and again. The affairs of the country are complicated and zhen does not have the heart to make a grand affair. zhen wants to wait for you to return to Jing and do it simply according to the customs of the people. However, the taxes from Jiangnan have already been transported by sea to Tianjin. Most of this money comes from opening the sea to trade. Only now do I feel the taste of it.
The White Clothes rebels have to be eliminated for the great victory in Jiangnan, but it is not the most important task. Minister hopes that you will return to Jing soon. Zhen is very dependent on the affairs of the country and the economy. The situation beyond the Great Wall is treacherous and needs to be discussed with you. Very much! "
Yang Ling finished reading the letter and gave a long sigh. He leaned back in the chair and closed his eyes. Lian 'er docilely patted his shoulders and said in a soft voice, "What is it, the Emperor's secret letter didn't say anything. Also, he is relying on you more and more, why is husband unhappy?"
Yang Ling shook his head and gently hugged her waist, letting her fragrant and soft body sit in his arms. He gently rocked her shoulder and said, "Lian 'er, you don't understand. The Emperor is pure and easygoing, and is like a brother to me in private. His private letters to me are always casual and relaxed. This time, he pretends to be relaxed, but his tone is very heavy. It seems that the political situation in court is very difficult.
Alas, at the beginning of the reform, when the old system is gone and the new system is not complete, and when the old resistance forces still exist, we should be cautious and cautious, as if walking on thin ice, and the manpower and material resources needed to be paid the most. Only after this period of time can we see the superiority and results of the new policy. However, the reform that I facilitated has always been accompanied by endless wars. The court struggles, internal conflicts, and external conflicts are endless. The little savings that I had were all used up. I really don't know if I was too impatient and made a fool of myself by trying to be clever. "
"Silly husband." Lian 'er's sharp eyes were filled with tenderness and pity. She gently hugged Yang Ling and kissed his forehead. She said in a soft voice, "Now that things have reached this point, you can only grit your teeth and endure. No matter what method you use, how much sacrifice you have to make, you have to get through this most difficult period. Otherwise, not only will all your previous efforts be wasted, you might even regress.
Ah, you really think too much of the current Emperor as your little brother that you pamper and protect. When you see that he is also worried about the affairs of the country, you suspect that the situation is too serious, so that even this carefree urchin is unhappy. Assisting him, making him a wise ruler, making him care about the affairs of the country, isn't that what you hope for? For him to have such a demeanor, isn't it because the Emperor has grown up, that he is more sensible? "
Yang Ling gently kissed her and said in a light voice, "Good Lian 'er, understanding and understanding, you really are my soulmate."
Lian 'er laughed lightly and said, "Husband, it is often said that destruction is followed by creation. When a cocoon turns into a butterfly and is about to spread its wings, it is when the wings are at their weakest. If you want Ming Destiny to change, to be reborn, at this time, it is also when its wings are at their weakest. You, the instigator, if you doubt yourself and lose your courage, then how can you expect other people to firmly support you and follow you?
Husband, do not forget, our little Emperor is at a time when the cocoon is about to turn into a butterfly, and also when he is worried and doubtful. At this time, what should you, the person he trusts the most, do? Should I encourage him and turn him into an eagle who knows how difficult it is and fights against the wind and waves, or a sparrow who is afraid of heights? "
Yang Ling was silent, but his eyes held a hint of interest. He lightly pinched the tip of Lian 'er's nose and said with a smile, "So you are not just good at' singing, 'but also so moving."
Ma Lian 'er shook her butt and snorted. She said, "Are you serious? You can't stop talking about that kind of thing. Men are so bad."
"Hee hee, men are 'lustful.' Otherwise, where is the value of beautiful women?"
Lian 'er glanced at him and shook her butt again on his thigh. She said with a smile, "What, your leg is numb?"
"En!" Even though the beauty was light and her butt was soft, but after sitting for a long time, the good fortune became unbearable. Yang Ling hurriedly nodded.
Ma Lian 'er laughed. Her hands wrapped around his neck and did not let go. She twisted her body and said, "Then I'll switch to this side."
The two of them were still stuck together like Siamese twins. Lian 'er said softly, "Husband, your brother the Emperor has sent a letter for you to return to Jing. When do you plan on leaving?"
"Tomorrow!" Yang Ling decisively decided.
Supposedly, there was an author who, in order to make his words as concise as possible, wrote while standing. Because he was tired and wanted to finish quickly, he did not have the energy to waste words. Yang Ling felt that if there was a beautiful woman sitting next to the officials during a meeting to discuss government affairs, then no matter if she was like Lian 'er, pressing all her weight on the man's thigh, or like Lian' er, always touching places where her knees should not touch, it would have the same effect. The bureaucratic style of wrangling and shirking would be swept away.
"We cannot attend Little Wu's wedding. Prepare a generous gift and send someone to explain the reason. I will be reassured to leave Southern Zhili to Qian Ning, Xu Tai, Jiang Bin, Little Wu, Peng Sha, and your Eldest Brother. Tomorrow morning, we will depart for Jing. "
After making the decision, Yang Ling picked up Lian 'er's legs. He carried this seductive beauty who coiled around his body like a snake and went to work.
※ ※ ※
Yang Ling returned to Jing, and he openly took his wife and child with him. Now there were no strong political enemies in the court, and he had a title of nobility but no permanent position in the court. He was not afraid of being impeached by those old masters. Duke Wei put on a face like a dead pig not afraid of boiling water, and no one dared to do it.
The happiest person was Ma Ang. His sister had waited for nearly three years, and finally saw the light. As her brother, he was naturally happy for his sister. Besides, who was this brother-in-law? Ever since Yang Ling openly moved into the Ma residence, when he walked on the street, even the masters of the Six Ministries of Nanjing had to stop their sedan chair and greet him. If there was official business to go to the residences of the royal relatives, there was no need to wait outside the second door. At least they could sit in the hall, have a cup of hot tea, and call him Lord Ma instead of Little Ma.
But at that time, Yang Ling had not publicly announced Lian 'er's identity, and he was a little embarrassed. This time, Yang Ling did not avoid taking his sister away. Who did not know his background? Even though he was only promoted to a Brigadier General after the Imperial Edict was passed down, but after his sister entered the High Duke's Public House, he became the brother-in-law of High Duke Wei like a rocket.
As Yang Ling returned to the capital with his family, the people who went out of the city to see them off had to bring his wife along. Qian Ning's wife was ordinary looking, but because her father was a very senior official in the Imperial Bodyguard, Qian Ning's rapid rise in status was partly due to his father-in-law, so her position in the family was not shaken by those beautiful concubines.
Jiang Bin had been guarding the border for a long time, and had just moved to the mainland. He had been longing for women for a long time, so he saved some money to visit the lower class brothels. He had not married yet, so he brought Wang Mantang along.
When Qian Ning sent Wang Mantang back that day, he filled the mansion with archers and gunners. If Jiang Bin dared to break into the mansion with a knife, he would immediately find an excuse to kill him. No matter how shameless Wang Mantang was, she would not have the face to mention these things to others. Moreover, Jiang Bin was already dead, so how would she dare to accuse him? He could just bribe her and make up some excuses to push the blame to Jiang Bin.
If Jiang Bin didn't come, he would have to swallow his anger. Then he would have gotten his revenge. His servants and guards would slowly spread the news, and it would also help him save face. Even if Jiang Bin went back to the north, he would still be laughed at by the people in Jin Ling city for half a year.
For a man, this kind of thing was really a matter of face. No man would shamelessly drag a woman to court. Even if this matter was brought to Duke Wei, his concubine was his property, and he could do whatever he wanted with her. At most, Duke Wei would be unhappy, but he could not do anything to him. However, Jiang Bin would lose his face, and he would not have the face to lead an army in the future.
Qian Ning thought about it over and over again. He predicted that Jiang Bin's reaction would be to either go to his house and fight or swallow his anger. He wouldn't be like a sissy asking his fellow villagers to come and judge for him, so he played a trick on him. When Jiang Bin left with his knife, the news was already sent to him. Qian Ning was waiting for Jiang Bin to come and take his life, but he did not expect Jiang Bin to just stand there dumbly for a while, then turn around and walk back.
When Jiang Bin heard the news from the spy, he felt very strange. That day in the Confucius Temple, he had already revealed his identity, but this brute still dared to challenge him. How could he endure such a great humiliation today?
At first, Qian Ning was still a little uneasy, so he secretly sent the Imperial Bodyguard to follow Jiang Bin. Seeing that Jiang Bin often drank, Qian Ning specially asked someone to disguise as a waiter to follow him. They also saw a lot of expensive rouge and face powder in the corner of the courtyard. When Qian Ning heard the report, he sneered twice and said that Jiang Bin had become a spineless coward who only dared to vent his anger on women.
It was not until the Imperial Bodyguard spy system sent an imperial edict issued by the cabinet three days ago that Qian Ning knew that Jiang Bin had been appointed as the commander of the Nanjing Centre Guard that Qian Ning suddenly realized and couldn't help but laugh wildly. 'No matter how arrogant he is, when the time comes, I can't do anything to him. He already knows that he will be an official under my eyes, so he has scruples.'
But this was also human nature. Now that he was not a small official and had been promoted to Deputy General, for the sake of his future and face, he had to have scruples. People say that if you have no desire, then you have to first analyze the pros and cons before doing anything. For a concubine, of course, he would not give up a good future.
Today, when he came to send off Yang Ling, he saw that Jiang Bin's face was livid and didn't look at him. Wang Mantang's appearance was also very different from before. Wang Mantang's appearance was light and incomparably coquettish. He had light makeup and clean water on his face, like a well-behaved wife. Qian Ning couldn't help but laugh in his heart and feel proud of himself.
Yang Ling was still unaware of the secret struggle between the two of them. Looking at these brave generals standing among the crowd of Nanjing officials who had come to send them off, they looked mighty and fierce, like a crane among a flock of chickens. Yang Ling was delighted.
If he wanted to leave Nanjing smoothly, he had to go by water. However, this canal was not a straight river channel, but a series of different river channels. Using water and wind to travel, whether it was carrying cargo or people, the cost was far higher than that of a carriage or a horse. Moreover, there were more dynamic loads.
However, because of the crisscrossing river channels, the ships would sometimes turn left and sometimes right, so the speed was slower than the land route. Moreover, if Yang Ling's men and horses wanted to return to the capital, they would need at least dozens of large and small ships. Therefore, Yang Ling chose to return to the capital by land. From Zhili to Shandong, he would arrive at the capital.
On this journey, the happiest person was Yang Paner. Suddenly she saw mountains, suddenly she saw water. The scenery was beautiful, birds sang and flowers sang. The little girl was so happy that when she woke up, she would kneel on the carriage cushion, leaning against the window and looking out. Whenever she saw something rare, she would ask her mother about it.
This daughter of his had grown up, but as her father, Yang Ling had only seen her once when she was born. They were separated by mountains and rivers, and it was only now that they could meet again. Yang Ling was ashamed and doted on her, so he doted on her even more than Lian 'er on the journey. Yang Ling would often carry her on his knees and point to the mountains, rivers, and jagged rocks. He would tell her the stories she liked, such as "Journey to the West," "Nezha Wreaks Havoc in the Sea," and "Investiture of the Gods." Pan' er was intoxicated by his stories. Now, she was so close to her father that even Lian 'er felt a little jealous.
One day, when they passed by Shandong's Liangshan County, Yang Ling had just finished telling the story of Lin Chong going up the mountain and how Wang Lun had made things difficult for him to prove his loyalty. Pan 'er listened with relish, but Lian' er pouted coquettishly, "Look at you. Pan 'er is a girl, yet you tell her stories of beheadings, robberies, and fighting. As a father, you are telling her stories of beheadings, robberies, and fighting."
Yang Ling held his daughter's hand and said seriously, "Of course I have to tell her. The daughter of my family, Yang, will not be a pampered lady living in an ivory tower. There are all sorts of things in life and the world. It's good to know more. I want her to know that not everyone in this world is like her, living a good life and living a good life. The children of the Yang Family, regardless of gender, are treated equally. Not only are they literate, they are also skilled in martial arts. "
Ma Lian 'er grunted and ignored him. Yang Ling picked up his tea and took a sip. He then told his daughter the story of Song Jiang, "When Li Kui heard that, he exclaimed and immediately threw down his two axes and kowtowed."
"Why are they all prostrating themselves?"
"Uh … It's because he is Song Gongming. He often gives people food money, travel expenses, and helps poor brothers. To him, it's a small favor, but to those hot-blooded men, it's a drop of water that should be repaid with a gushing spring. Baby, you have to remember, one is one, two is two. We can never exchange a gushing spring for a drop of water. Once a girl has a gushing spring, all that's left is to repay him with her body. "
Pan 'er was confused when she heard that. All she could do was nod her head seriously. Ma Lian' er laughed so hard that she couldn't breathe. She held her stomach and punched him hard.
Yang Ling giggled and continued, "That Black Whirlwind Li Kui shouted, 'So it's Brother Gongming. Little brother Li Kui greets you.' Ha, the axe fell to the ground with a thud and almost hit his foot."
Yang Pan 'er laughed so hard that she was rocking back and forth. Yang Ling was happy to see that. Just as he was adding oil to the fire and continuing to talk nonsense, he suddenly heard someone shouting outside the carriage, "The carriage stop, the carriage stop! High Duke, High Duke Wei, please stop!"
The three thousand guards of honor turned around upon hearing the noise, and the guards guarded Yang Ling's carriage vigilantly. They saw a group of horses galloping over from the side of the road. There were about twenty people in the group, and they stopped beside the guards of honor. They hurriedly dismounted from their horses and looked around before running towards the carriage with the flag with the word "Yang".
Yang Ling had already walked out of the carriage. He stood on the shaft of the carriage and looked towards the source of the shout. Pan 'er also climbed out mischievously. She grabbed Yang Ling's hand and stood beside his leg, tiptoeing to look outside. Yang Ling saw that the person in front of the group of people was actually Miao Kui. He quickly waved his hand and said, "Quick, let them in. It's Eunuch Miao."
Liu Bangchao immediately shouted, "Get out of the way. It's Eunuch Miao. Let them in."
Pan 'er fearfully approached Yang Ling. She looked at the bearded Liu Bangchao and said in a low voice, "Daddy, bearded Li Kui."
Yang Ling smiled and patted her little head. He saw Miao Kui rushing to the front of the carriage with a face full of sweat. Yang Ling was just about to jump out of the carriage to greet him when Miao Kui bowed his head and said in a tragic voice, "Duke!"
Yang Ling was shocked and quickly jumped out of the carriage. He was also afraid that his daughter would fall out of the carriage, so he carried her down and placed her on the ground. Only then did he go forward to support Miao Kui. He repeatedly said, "Where did this come from? Why are you paying such great respects? Eunuch Miao, quick, quick … "
Yang Pan 'er also hobbled over. She said in a childish voice, "Where's your axe?"
"Eh?" Miao Kui raised his head and looked at this little person in bewilderment. Who was this?
Yang Ling laughed dryly and said, "This is … this is my daughter." As he said this, he helped Miao Kui up and carried his daughter over. He looked at the ashen-faced Miao Kui and more than twenty imperial bodyguards with a puzzled look and said, "Eunuch Miao, why are you here? Is there something important?"
"My Lord High Duke …"
"Isn't it Brother Gongming?"
Yang Ling hurriedly covered his daughter's mouth, "Don't pay attention to her. What happened?"
Miao Yu anxiously stomped her feet, she walked around on the same spot, and then with a sullen face she said, "Duke, Red Madame's troops created a diversion in the east, pretending to attack Shaanxi, luring our army to converge on the western front. But she suddenly turned her horse around and attacked my empty position. From Anyang, she safely crossed the river to the north, heading toward the dense mountains at the junction between Hebei and Shanxi."
Yang Ling's face was blank, but his heart suddenly relaxed, "My guess was right, she really has no intention of rebelling. She really … abandoned Taiyuan and returned north, heading toward the Taihang Mountains. Hong Niangzi, that dense forest, countless green mountains, is that the final destination of a wild and untamable woman like you? Ay, go, stay there, and never come out again … "
Seeing him in a daze, Miao Kui could not help but anxiously said, "Duke, you know that I, Old Miao, have always done my best for His Majesty. Who would have thought that in the battle against the Tartars in Datong, I even made several contributions? But when it came to suppressing the bandits, I made a series of stupid moves. Let's not talk about Mount Zhongtiao. We were in charge of the north bank of the Yangtze River, we were indeed careless. Who would have thought that Madwoman Zhao was so cunning that she left an ambush on the mountain?
In order to make amends for our mistake, this time we were really careful day and night, we used our troops cautiously. Ever since we received Duke's imperial edict, saying that she might attack Shaanxi … "
"(Cough, cough), that's right, according to Duke's intelligence analysis, they indeed have the intention to attack Shaanxi. Their attack on Shaanxi also proved this point. Seeing that things were not going well, they took the route to the north, but it was only a contingency plan. Adapting to the enemy's situation is the responsibility of the commanding general on the battlefield. Duke is not a living immortal, how can I predict everything? Besides, didn't I tell you to guard against their return to the north? "
As soon as Miao Kui heard Yang Ling's excuse, as if he did not have any responsibility, he felt like crying. "Yes, yes, yes," he repeatedly said, "Yes, yes, Duke did remind me. It's all my fault that I, Old Miao, was the first to remember, and thus I was eager to render meritorious service. I was worried that Hong Niangzi's cavalry would break out of the encirclement, and the infantry would not be able to pursue her.
In order to annihilate them, I … Now that things have come to this, I'm afraid that the Emperor will no longer tolerate me. In this world, the only one who can save me is Duke. I've been inquiring about Duke's itinerary and rushed here on horseback. I only hope that Duke can generously save me. "
"Hey, what's our relationship? You're treating me like an outsider by saying this." Yang Ling patted Miao Kui's shoulder, then turned around and sent Pan 'er back to the carriage. He patted her little butt and coaxed her, "Good girl, go in and play with your mother. Daddy has something to discuss with Uncle Li Kui."
"Okay!" Yang Pan 'er found it interesting, so she laughed and went into the carriage.
Yang Ling looked back at the distressed Miao Kui, feeling a little guilty. If it wasn't for the fact that he emphasized in the letter that they should pay more attention to the western front, constantly hinting that this was secret information obtained from Madman Zhao's army, and if it wasn't for the fact that Miao Kui was overly confident in his judgment as the ever-victorious general and the omnipotence of the Inner Faction, how could he have allowed the Red Lady's mere five thousand men to easily cross the river and escape into Taihang Mountains?
Speaking of which, he had used Miao Kui for a little intention that was not known to outsiders. Yang Ling felt a little ashamed: In the beginning, he had mentioned so many possibilities of wiping out the White Army. With Miao Kui's eagerness to make a great contribution and make amends for his mistakes, how could he have listened to those nonchalant words at the end, such as paying attention to the northern defense line, reserving maneuvers, assessing the situation, acting according to the situation, overseeing the overall situation, and not leaving any flaws?
But with these words, with the evidence in black and white, it was absolutely impossible for Miao Kui to implicate him. Otherwise, even though the two of them usually advanced and retreated together, now that Miao Kui had suffered consecutive defeats, the Emperor would certainly be furious. As soon as the Red Lady crossed the river, Miao Kui would not hesitate to immediately go to the capital to clear himself of all responsibility and push all the blame onto Yang Ling.
In Yang Ling's huge circle of influence, who was dependent, who was cooperating, who was a confidant, who was an ally, who could live and die together, who would stay together if it was beneficial, and who would leave if it was not beneficial, he still had a clear idea in his heart.
Yang Ling accompanied Miao Kui to a tree by the roadside. The two of them sat down on an oval stone sticking out of the soil and grass. Yang Ling carefully understood the process of the Red Lady and her party escaping to the Taihang Mountains. Then he propped his chin on his hand and pondered for a long time. Only then did he say in all seriousness: "Eunuch Miao, the White Army is different from ordinary bandits. They rebelled against the imperial court. Now that they have fled back to Hebei, hiding in the mountains, who can guarantee that they will not make a comeback and continue to rebel? Therefore, these bandits still have to be wiped out. "
As soon as Miao Kui heard this, his lips trembled. How could he not know that the rebels must be wiped out, they must be exterminated to the last man? But he was in charge of the West Factory and the Imperial Horse Supervisor. He knew better than anyone that the Emperor was short of money. Enter the Taihang Mountains to wipe out the bandits? It was easy to say, but could they grow wings and fly in there?
That unending primeval forest, crisscrossing ravines and mountain ranges, even if a hundred thousand soldiers were thrown in, they would not be able to hear a sound. Even if they had sufficient provisions and pay, it would take at least two or three years of effort to wipe them out. Moreover, how could the imperial court withstand such a torment?
If not for him passively preparing for war on the north bank of the Yangtze River, ignoring the military arrangement of concentrating on guarding the ships and using the Yangtze River as a natural moat to prevent the White Army from escaping, allowing the White Army to easily escape, he would not be in such a hurry to turn the tables. It was obvious that he had obtained the absolute advantage in military strength, but in order to wipe out the enemy in one fell swoop and achieve a beautiful victory, he had transferred his troops to the rear. What should he do now?
Seeing his miserable and anxious expression, Yang Ling smiled and said: "Gonggong chased me all the way here?"
"Ah? Oh, no, I led the troops back to Hebei. I heard that Minister Gongzheng was going to rebel against the capital, but that Red Madame hid deep in the mountains and did not come out. I could not do anything to her for the time being, so I rushed here on horseback to ask for a countermeasure. I will not hide it from Minister Gongzheng, I am very anxious. My troops have been left behind by me, and I am afraid that I will not be able to catch up with you. "
Yang Ling patted his shoulder and said: "This matter … has been reported to His Majesty?"
Hearing this, Miao Kui put on a bitter face and shook his head vigorously. How would he dare? Forget about reporting to His Majesty, let's talk about Yang Ling. It was obviously Yang Ling who proposed to focus on the Western Front. The token was still in his hands, but he did not dare to shed all pretense of cordiality and shirk his responsibility. What do you mean focus? The point is not to ask you to stake everything on one throw. Moreover, Red Madame did go, so the inference is correct.
As for her sudden change of mind, it is your deployment of troops that gave her the opportunity to take advantage of. At that time, you were in charge of the troops in Henan, what does it have to do with Duke Wei on the east side of the Great River?
Yang Ling laughed and said: "Haven't reported to His Majesty? Well, that is good! Eunuch Miao, in fact, you also know that the White Coat Army can no longer be called the White Coat Army today. Red Madame is leading the army, and she only has a mere five thousand troops. Returning to the north, which is not conducive to their development, is simply not ambitious, and they will become bandits again. Therefore, as long as the imminent crime of letting the enemy escape is solved, they will stay in the mountains obediently and not come out to cause trouble. Gradually, the matter will die down.
You see, they have more than five thousand people crossing the river, plus about one thousand people hiding in the mountains in advance. There are some family members of some important leaders here. As a matter of fact, Red Lady's Cui Family's Old Stronghold had already become a self-sufficient stronghold stationed in the depths of the mountains. There were a lot of men, women, old and young. These people were nowhere to be found when Red Lady's army was mobilized. So many family members must have stayed in Taihang Mountains to hide. When Red Madame went to look for them, she brought a big burden, can she still cause trouble? "
Miao Kui nodded repeatedly, and couldn't wait to ask: "But, our command is not good, and Red Madame easily escaped. If His Majesty investigates, what should we do?"
Yang Ling said in surprise: "Let the enemy escape? Where did this come from? The bandits did not give up, and wanted to sneak into the pass to accumulate strength in order to stage a comeback. Eunuch predicted the enemy's plan first, and gathered a large number of troops to thwart their plot, forcing the bandits to give up the big plan and escape into the mountains. How is this a bad command? "
"Ah?" Miao Kui was tongue-tied, and his face twitched like a cramp for a long time before he said: "This … this … ah! Is it … like this?? "
Yang Ling raised his head to look at the swaying shadows of the trees and the colorful sunlight between the leaves, and said unhurriedly: "In a distant dynasty, there were a few scholars who wantonly criticized the imperial court's maladministration. Because these people were very famous, the local high-ranking officials did not know how to deal with them, so they presented a memorial to the Emperor. The Emperor was furious, he issued an oral edict, there were only eight words: 'Pardonable, unforgivable'. Eunuch Miao, if you were the local high-ranking official who received the edict, what would you do? "
Miao Kui was baffled, he did not know why he suddenly brought up an unrelated anecdote, but he still replied cautiously: "From this tone, it is clear that the Emperor wants to punish them severely. If we were the local guards, naturally we would behead these ignorant scholars. At most, we would be a bit more generous, and allow their families to restrain themselves, and not hang their corpses in public."
Yang Ling smiled, he stretched out his hand to break a light yellow wild daisy, brought it to his nose and sniffed it, he said: "The person who passed the oral edict could not bear it, so when he passed the edict, he tampered with it a little, and as a result, saved the lives of those scholars."
Miao Kui said in surprise: "Purposely embellishing and easing the edict to distort the meaning of the Emperor, this is actually a common thing for internal officials to do. But this edict only has eight words, how could he tamper with it?"
Yang Ling said slowly: "Simple, the person who passed the edict said: 'Unforgivable, pardonable', he did not change a single word, he only reversed the two sentences. Eunuch Miao, if you heard such an edict, would you kill them, or would you let them go?"
Miao Kui 'ah, ah' for half a day, he seemed to have understood something.
Yang Ling laughed again and said: "There is another general, because he suffered consecutive defeats, it was difficult to cover up his defeat, and he was afraid that the Emperor would be angry, so he submitted a memorial to report the war. He had no choice but to report the truth. But when he mentioned the defeats, he did not say that he suffered repeated defeats, but said that he fought despite repeated defeats. When the Emperor saw this memorial, he was impressed by his bravery, so he did not punish him. Eunuch Miao, do you understand?"
"Then … what about the remnants of the Red Lady?"
"Fight! The remnants of the White Clothes did not have the power to fight back, they were forced to escape deep into the mountains. The once insufferably arrogant White Clothes Bandits, who roamed the world unhindered, were reduced to mountain bandits with food, clothing and land. However … the imperial court is short of resources, we cannot mobilize a large number of troops. In my opinion, we can only deploy the troops stationed at the foothills of Taihang Mountains, and use them as a military exercise to train the troops. We won't waste too much of our provisions. "
'Slap!' Miao Kui slapped his own forehead with the back of his hand. A smile had just appeared on his face when suddenly he nervously said, "Won't someone impeach me?"
Yang Ling spread out his hands and said, "There might be someone who doesn't know the situation. Besides, I am the commander-in-chief, you are the army supervisor. Other than you and me, who can say for sure what our original strategic intention was, whether we have achieved our objective or not?"
As soon as Miao Kui heard this, it was as if Sun Wukong had taken off his golden hoop cage; he was so happy that he nearly scratched his ears and cheeks. He thanked, nodded, bowed, and gratefully talked with Yang Ling for a long time. Only then did he realize that he had abandoned the main army and the light cavalry to pursue them; he had been away from the troops for too long. Only then did he hold hands and look at each other, with tears in his eyes, he reluctantly took his leave.
Yang Ling smiled as he watched Miao Kui leave happily. In his heart, he said, "Li Kui … uh, Brother Miao Kui, don't worry. Although I have used you once, I will never do something as filthy as Song Jiang poisoning you. If anything happens, I will try my best to take care of it for you."
Miao Kui spurred his horse on and rode away. He was in a light mood, which was very different from when he came. "It is still Duke Wei. With a turn of his hand, he can summon clouds and rain … Aiya, Duke's letter …"
When Miao Kui thought of this, he hurriedly took out the letter from his bosom, tore it into pieces and threw it into the clear stream under the horse's hooves. "If it is according to Duke's plan, this letter cannot be left. Otherwise, I will be considered to have lost. I still have to bear this heavy responsibility."
Looking at the shredded paper floating along the stream, Eunuch Miao let out a long sigh of relief. He lamented to himself, "I still have to be a scholar. When I return to the camp, I will borrow Manager Liu's' Romance of the Western Chamber '. Just knowing how to read is not enough. I have to read more."
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
