Han Lin thought that if Cai Nan did not die from this disaster, even if he had to bear the risk of being suspected by the court, he would still drink and chat merrily with this former general of Gu Jiantang's. However, Han Lin quickly felt desolate. How could Cai Nan, as the main general, not die under the charge of such a powerful cavalry?
Han Lin sighed softly, and then his gaze became determined. He decided that as long as he was an official in the Huai River, he would take care of Cai Nan's family.
However, the Administrator certainly would not have thought that Cai Nan had not actually died in battle. Instead, he had been seriously ill and unconscious for many days. That bed was not in the Cai family's residence, but in the army's tent. From this, one could see the severity of his injuries, to the point where he could not withstand even the slightest jolt of the carriage.
So much so that when the eunuchs of the Ceremony Directorate who had "rushed" all the way from the capital to Hezhou to announce the imperial edict entered the tent with the rhinoceros horn shaft, they also smelled the strong smell of medicine and the unconcealable smell of blood. In reality, before lifting the curtain, the eunuch had already seen the wives and children of the Regional Commanders. All of them were in a state of panic. They were worried that the life and death of the backbone of their families was unknown, and they were also worried that the court would be furious and punish them. Along the way, although most of the big military tents were just fleeting glimpses, the mournful scene of everyone being in a daze could not be faked. It was the kind of mournful army that had suffered a great defeat, and it must have been a crushing defeat.
As one of the eight eunuchs of the Ceremony Directorate, whose seniority could not be considered the oldest in the Imperial Palace of Great Peace City, it was far from his turn to announce the edicts of a major second-rank border official. However, this time, the announcement of the edict was clearly an evil task that all the important figures in red python robes had tacitly agreed upon. The Head of the Ceremony Directorate, Song Tanglu, could not leave the Son of Heaven's side. As the second-in-command eunuch, according to the law, he could only hold up the white jade scroll edicts. Otherwise, it would be too shameful. Next was the official eunuch. Of the eight eunuchs, he was the one with the least seniority and backing. If he did not come, who would? The self-pitying middle-aged eunuch had a stern face and narrowed his eyes. He first looked around, and then slowly cast his gaze on the sickbed. Beside the bed stood a pale-faced young general. He could not even stand straight and leaned on a cane. The eunuch frowned. Before he came, Zhao Gou had given a general description of the situation of Cai Nan's army. Some of the main generals had described it in detail. The tall and sturdy young man in front of him should be Cai Nan's only adopted son. He was the orphan of a comrade who had died in Southern Tang early on. He had taken Cai Nan's surname from a long time ago and was called Cai Bai. In the Cai family, Cai Bai's status was not lower than Cai Nan's three sons. It was said that Cai Bai had personally taken care of many matters that could not be shown in public. Zhao Gou, who was responsible for keeping an eye on Cai Nan, had also given some good comments. He believed that Cai Nan was worth the Imperial Court trying to rope him in and nurture him. Once he succeeded, the tens of thousands of troops trained by Cai Nan in the future would naturally become soldiers that the Imperial Court could use.
Originally, the middle-aged eunuch would have absolutely no access to this kind of inside information. However, on this journey of a thousand li to announce the edict, there were just too many things outside the imperial edict. From the very beginning, there were many mysteries. First, the powerful eunuch who held the writing brush found him and had a heart-to-heart talk. He repeatedly warned him that this trip to the Lianghuai Path to announce the imperial edict had to be done in secret. Even stranger was that the edict that was handed to him was not one, but two! Only the boxes were slightly different. When the writing brush eunuch handed over the two boxes, he used his fingernail to scratch a hidden mark on one of the boxes. He said that if Cai Nan's army stopped the Beiliang cavalry, he would announce the imperial edict in this box. If they lost, and it had to be a crushing defeat, then the other box would be opened. If they dealt with it carelessly and put on a show of great battle array, but in reality, they were secretly allowing the Beiliang cavalry to swagger across the border, then there was no need to open either of the boxes. You could just take it as you had left the capital to patrol the border. You could return as you went, say nothing, and see no one. But it was important to remember that no matter which imperial edict it was, it had to be announced after the dust had settled and the situation was clear. It could not be too late, and it could even be delayed by a few days! If the timing was not right, then there would be someone to help advise.
Therefore, after this eunuch from the Ceremony Directorate received a hint from Zhao Gou, he came to Cai Nan's tent in a daze.
Cai Bai limped forward a few steps and bowed with cupped fists. He said in a low voice, "General Cai Bai greets eunuch."
The eunuch nodded and said in a shrill voice, "General Cai, has the Regional Commander not woken up yet? If so, then it will be difficult to receive the imperial edict. "
Cai Bai did his best to hide his sadness and said softly, "Reporting to eunuch, foster father woke up once yesterday, but he quickly fell unconscious again. A few of the military doctors and the Divine Doctor Ma, who we invited from Liuzhi County in River Province, all said that foster father's internal organs were injured this time. Even if he woke up one day, he might not be able to charge and break through the enemy lines again."
The eunuch asked calmly, "Divine Doctor Ma from Liuzhi County? Is that the Ma family that produced six or seven imperial physicians? "
Cai Bai nodded and said, "Yes."
The middle-aged eunuch nodded. In fact, after the divine doctor left Cai Nan's tent, Zhao Gou had secretly found him and confirmed Cai Nan's injuries. It was indeed very serious, injuring his internal organs. Normal people would have to lie in bed for a hundred days to recover from their injuries, let alone this case.
He finally revealed a sorrowful expression and said emotionally, "I never thought that the Regional Commander would be so seriously injured. Forget it, just treat it as the Regional Commander receiving the imperial edict while lying down. I believe that His Majesty will not blame us. Even if there is some punishment, it is our family's matter. No matter what, even if we have to risk our lives, we will not let the loyal Regional Commander suffer any grievances."
After hearing this, Cai Bai, who was a tough man who bled on the battlefield but did not shed tears, actually knelt down without waiting for the eunuch to announce the imperial edict. He just sobbed silently as if he had suffered a great grievance and did not say anything.
At this time, the middle-aged eunuch was truly moved. If this young man showed the slightest sign of gratitude, then he would be suspicious. Cai Bai's personality was clearly recorded in Zhao Gou's secret files. He was definitely not the kind of person who would flatter others.
After probing, the eunuch moistened his throat and began to read the imperial edict.
The handwriting was naturally good. It did not look like the handwriting of any of the Hanlin Academy's Huangmen. It was rather similar to the handwriting of his own eunuch.
The contents of the imperial edict were very shocking. Even the eunuch himself was stunned. However, he hid it very well. The general idea was that Beiliang's ten thousand cavalry had left their territory and rushed to Guangling Road to carry out the imperial edict. The imperial court originally wanted the Beiliang cavalry to secretly leave the border at the end of spring and join forces with the general of the Southern Expedition, Lu Shengxiang, and the Minister of War, Wu Zhongxuan, to deal a heavy blow to the Guangling rebel army. Therefore, when they heard that Beiliang had sent out troops early for no reason, the imperial court had no time to inform the Huai and Huai, resulting in this disaster.
Cai Bai suddenly raised his head. His face was full of tears. There was shock, bewilderment, unwillingness, and a resentment that should not be shown on his face as an official of Liyang.
The middle-aged eunuch was very satisfied with this young man's performance. This was the emotion of a normal person.
The eunuch, who had received Zhao Gou's secret instructions, was not in a hurry to reveal the truth. Instead, he frowned and said gloomily, "What is it? Is the general dissatisfied?"
Cai Bai's expression was pained. In the end, he slammed his fists on the hard ground. "I am not the least bit dissatisfied with the imperial court! I only hate that King of Beiliang. Why did he send out troops early? Taking ten thousand steps back, since you, Hsu Fengnian, have received the imperial edict, why didn't you talk to my adoptive father about the Huai and Huai border army? Could it be that he wants to use the Huai and Huai soldiers as stepping stones just so he can make a name for himself in the imperial court? It is clear that Hsu Fengnian has held a grudge against my adoptive father for many years. I, Cai Bai, refuse to accept this! If I can command an army alone in the future, I will definitely fight to the death for my adoptive father and my brothers … "
Having said this, Cai Bai suddenly closed his mouth and lowered his head even more.
One was a half-dead man lying on the ground, and the other was a man kneeling and staring at the ground. There was no one in the tent looking at him, so the middle-aged eunuch curled the corners of his mouth slightly. He slowly said, "Young general, I see that your Cai family is full of loyalty and bravery. That is why I am willing to tell you these things that should not be spread. Some things should not be said, but kept in the heart. After all, not everyone is as tight-lipped as I am."
Cai Bai raised his head and used his arm to rub his face carelessly. He nodded vigorously.
He was a smart man who had been enlightened.
The middle-aged eunuch laughed, but when he thought of the shady business that Zhao Gou wanted him to do, his expression became somewhat serious. However, since the eunuch had already laid the groundwork, compared to the surprise of the imperial edict just now, the secret edict that could not be written on the tip of the pen was somewhat reasonable.
He quickly stepped forward, holding the edict in one hand and supporting the young general with the other. His expression was amiable as he said, "I will also be bold enough to make an exception. I will not say the words' receive the edict '. Young general, just take it."
After Cai Bai solemnly received the imperial edict with both hands, the eunuch lowered his voice and said, "Young General, in addition to the imperial edict in your hands, there is actually another imperial edict from His Majesty's mouth. Although there are not many words, you must listen carefully!"
After a moment of surprise, Cai Bai immediately knelt again.
The middle-aged eunuch said in a low voice, "The Huai Jiedushi Cai Nan is granted the title of Count Zhongyi!"
This time, Cai Bai raised his head. His expression was completely different, one of surprise and gratitude.
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