On the afternoon of June 13th, Yu Hezhong was sitting in a private room facing the street on the third floor of the Xinquan Inn in Dadong City, Chengdu. He watched the middle-aged man in green shirt opposite him pouring tea for him, and quickly stood up and took the tea cup.

Passed: "Mr. Lao Yan."

"Sit down. Mr. Yu has been here for a few days. How are you resting?"

The middle-aged man in Qingshan who poured the tea had a dignified appearance, a warm smile, and a heart-warming Confucian attitude. This man's name was Yan Daolun, and he was a well-known squire leader in the Dongting area. He had been working under Liu Guangshi for many years.

He made suggestions and gained the trust of the "Wen Shuai". A few months ago, he summoned Yu Hezhong, who was the first swordsman and penman in Shi, to join the curtain, and then followed him to the southwest.

After the Southwest Chinese Army defeated the Jurchens, it announced that it would open its doors to the outside world. General Liu Guangshi, known as "Wen Shuai", responded the most quickly. Civil and military representatives each sent a team, and they immediately came to Chengdu. The inner statement was quite grand.

: "That Ning Li Heng has a way of governing the army, it doesn't hurt to take a look."

In the past, when the Wu Dynasty still paid great attention to orthodoxy, due to the blood feud between Ning Yi and Zhou Zhe, there were countless secret transactions between the two forces, but no one dared to come forward in the overt dealings. Nowadays, naturally they are not so particular. Liu Guangshi was the first to do so, and was

Some people think that he is "magnificent" and "smart". General Liu used to have the most friends and the widest connections among all the military generals. After the Jurchens withdrew, he and Dai Mengwei became the major forces closest to the Chinese army.

.

At this time, Dai Mengwei had made it clear that he was sworn in with the Chinese army. Liu Guangshi's body was soft, but it could be regarded as a necessary move to "know the current affairs." With his statement, even in June, all the forces in the world except Dai Mengwei

No one outside the country really stood up and condemned him. After all, the Chinese army had just defeated the Jurchens and declared that they were willing to open the door for business. As long as they were not stupid, there was no need to stand up at this time: who knows whether they would buy something from him in the future.

Woolen cloth?

Yu Hezhong was not in the official mission team. After he received the order, he came with the team of merchants. When he set out, Yan Daolun told him that the mission was to secretly collect real information about the Chinese army, but after he came over,

As you can probably guess, the situation will not be that simple.

He could probably speculate on a possibility, but he had only been here for a short period of time, and the literati he had come into contact with during the few days he lived in the inn were still hard to tell, and he couldn't get enough information for a while. He also mentioned various gossips in others

During the news, I took the initiative to talk about the woman next to Mr. Ning, but I didn't hear the expected name.

Today Yan Daolun contacted him and met him alone in this inn. Only then did Yu Hezhong feel that a certain message was about to appear.

"... I have heard people say it a long time ago that Mr. Yu of Shishou was a popular figure in Bianliang in his early years, and even had a close relationship with the teachers and teachers who were famous in the world at the time. In recent years, the world has been in chaos, and I don't know about Mr. Yu.

Do you still keep in touch with Shishi and everyone?"

Sure enough, after a few casual greetings and asking Yu Hezhong about his views on the Chinese Army, Yan Daolun on the other side mentioned this matter. Even though he was somewhat prepared, when he heard Li Shishi's name, Yu Hezhong suddenly felt

A shock.

Yes……

Then he remained calm and shook his head.

"In recent years, I have been reluctant to mention this matter to others. However, when Mr. Yan asked, I did not dare to hide it. Yu's ancestral home was in Jiangning. When he was a child, he had some childhood friendship with Miss Li. Later, he followed his father to Beijing and entered the

The Hu Bu filled the gap, and she became famous in Fanlou. When we met again, we had some... contacts between friends. It's not that Yu was a literary and romantic person who was able to be the oiran of Fanlou back then. I feel ashamed..."

He said this, admitting that he was not talented enough, but only had some private relationships. Yan Daolun's eyes lit up on the opposite side, and he nodded repeatedly: "Oh, oh, then... what happened next?"

"Oh, it's funny to say that later Mr. Ning rebelled against the emperor and kidnapped his master from the capital. Several friends and I were more or less implicated. Although we were not together, I couldn't stay in the household department any longer.

, Yu made some connections and left the capital to avoid disaster, thus avoiding the catastrophe during the Jingping period. After several years passed, he finally settled down in Shishou, and this is what Mr. Yan saw.

Already."

Yan Daolun smiled and sighed: "Over the years, there have been repeated wars, and countless people have been displaced. There are many talented people like Mr. Yu who have experience in the transfer department and have seen the world. But this time they entered the commander's account.

He will definitely be reused in the future... But having said that, I heard that Brother Yu had met Mr. Ning from the Huaxia Army back then?"

"Ning Liheng also lived in Jiangning in his early years, not far from the courtyard where we live. Mr. Yan may not believe it. He was dull when he was young, a dull-minded bookworm, and his family background was not very good. Later he married into the Su family.

Son-in-law. But later I didn’t know why. I returned to Jiangning with Shishi and others that year. When I met him again, he had already written several poems and gained the reputation of being the most talented man in Jiangning. It was just because of his status as a wife.

, others can't help but underestimate him... I waited for this reunion, and later he assisted the right minister to go to Beijing, and then we had many gatherings in Bianliang..."

Speaking of "I once talked and laughed with Ning Liheng", Yu Hezhong looked calm. Yan Daolun nodded from time to time and asked occasionally: "Later, Mr. Ning raised the rebel flag and built the black flag army. Didn't Mr. Yu ever rise up as a communist?"

What are you thinking about Xiang Shengju?"

"Mr. Yan is now regarded as inferior to Mr. Yu. Although Yu is now a small official, he grew up reading the books of sages in his early years. He has never forgotten the principles of Taoism and righteousness."

"It's Yan Menglang."

"Furthermore... Speaking of Ning Liheng, Mr. Yan may not know much about him because he has never dealt with him. He was poor in his early years and had no choice but to marry into his wife. Later he became famous, but his ideas were quite extreme and he was a bit aloof.

Master... She is the number one person in Fanlou. She associates with celebrities from all over the world. She is used to fame and fortune, but she values ​​old friendships very seriously. She often calls me to wait there. She wants to get together with old friends, but she would rather

Li Heng has not had much contact with us. Sometimes...he has expressed some ideas, but we don't quite agree..."

"That's it, that's it..."

"Of course, having said that, there is still some friendship. If Mr. Yan wants Yu to meet Ning Liheng again, there shouldn't be a big problem."

"In the future, I will have to rely more heavily on you, sir, but for now, Mr. Yu and all my teachers..."

"Ning Yi committed regicide and fled to Xiaocang River. Shishi was kidnapped by him. Speaking of which, at the time, he thought she would join the Ning family, but later I heard that the two had a falling out, and Shishi fled to Dali——

I heard this news confirmed by someone, but later... I didn't inquire deliberately. It seems that Shishi has returned to the Chinese Army and has been traveling abroad for several years. The specific situation is not clear. After all, we have not seen each other for more than ten years.

Yes." Yu Hezhong smiled and sighed sadly, "I came to Chengdu this time, but I don't know if I will have a chance to see him again."

Yan Daolun brought up the small teapot and filled some tea for Yu Hezhong. After a while, he smiled and said, "If you have a chance, this is actually why I met Brother Yu today."

"Oh, Brother Yan knows about Master's current situation?"

"Miss Shishi is still unmarried." Yan Daolun looked at him and smiled, "Now her relationship with Ning Liheng is unclear. She did travel around for the Chinese army in the early years, and now she is quite famous in this army.

Influence. Let’s just talk about last year. The Chinese Army and the Jurchen West Route Army went to war, and the Chengdu Plain was uneven. It was the sixth lady of the Ning family, the female marshal who dominated the sword, who led the army to clean up the rear. At that time, the teacher’s girl cooperated with her to handle diplomacy.

When it comes to affairs, everything is civil and military, black and white, and the cooperation is excellent."

Yan Daolun took a sip of tea: "Li Jingshen, Nie Shaotang, Yu Changqing... These are all officials with deep roots in the Fourth Sichuan Road. Thanks to Miss Shishi's mediation, they were able to avoid being killed in this war."

This caused a disaster. This time, the Chinese army was discussing meritorious service and was holding a representative meeting. Several people were on the list of representatives. Today, Miss Shishi came into the city, and Nie Shaotang immediately ran to see her..."

When Yan Daolun said this, the tea cup in Yu Hezhong's hand trembled, and he couldn't help but said: "Master, she...is in Chengdu?"

"I heard that we entered the city this morning. One of our friends has an old relationship with Nie Shaotang, so we got this news. Several representatives this time said that the relationship between Miss Shishi and Miss Shishi is tied to Miss Shishi."

We are together. In fact, Mr. Yu, maybe you don’t know yet, but your childhood sweetheart is already a great figure in the Chinese army."

"..." Yu Hezhong was silent for a moment, and then said, "She was good at dancing in the capital back then, and was very measured in her interactions with people. Now that she is responsible for this in the Chinese army, she can be regarded as making the best use of her talents. And... others said

Perhaps it was Ning Yi's idea to accept her affection. The outside world has long said that Shishi is Ning Yi's concubine. Although she does not have a name now, I'm afraid it's not easy to keep an eye on the speculators who rely on such claims.

It will be less."

"Brother Yu is wise and explains the mystery in just one sentence. Haha, in fact, I think Brother Yu knew the secrets of officialdom and the secret of human relations in the past, but he just didn't bother to resort to many tricks. For such a clean and honest character, Yan Mou here wants to

Let's take tea instead of wine and give a toast to my brother." Yan Daolun raised his glass and took the opportunity to praise Yu Hezhong. After putting down the tea cup, he said slowly, "Actually, from last year to now, there have been many details, and

I don’t know whether their bet is smart or stupid.”

Yu Hezhong frowned: "Brother Yan, what do you mean by this?"

Yan Daolun said: "The Chinese army has outstanding combat capabilities. When it comes to fighting, whether it is the front line or the logistics, or Miss Shishi was responsible for the envoys and lobbying last year, they are all extremely important and critical errands. Miss Shishi went on various envoys.

Fang, all the forces have also accepted her favor. If there is anything in the future, the first person to contact is Miss Shishi. However, at the end of April this year - when Ning Yi led his troops to the north,

During the time when Qin Shaoqian defeated Zong Han, there was suddenly a new round of job assignments for Miss Shishi in the rear of the Chinese Army."

Yan Daolun looked at Yu Hezhong, bent forward, and lowered his voice: "They transferred Miss Shishi back from the mission and asked her to write scripts and engage in cultural propaganda in the rear. Which of these two tasks is higher?

Which one is lower is self-evident."

Yu Hezhong thought for a while: "Perhaps... the Southwest War has been decided, and she is no longer needed as a woman to mediate external envoys and lobbying. After all, after defeating the Jurchens, the Chinese army will have a tougher attitude on the Fourth Sichuan Road.

, I’m afraid no one will dare to come forward to support it.”

"This is naturally a way of saying it, but no matter what, since Miss Shishi was responsible for the initial mission, leaving her in a familiar position can avoid many problems. Even if you step back ten thousand steps and huddle behind to write

What kind of important thing is the script? Is it necessary to suddenly pull Miss Shishi back from such an important position for such dirty things? So, there are a lot of speculations from outsiders."

He poured tea for himself with a smile: "What about the first one? They guessed that maybe Miss Shishi wanted to enter the Ning family. This place almost had its own mountain. The other ladies of the Ning family were very afraid, so they took advantage of Ning Yi

Going out and taking her away from foreign affairs. If this is possible, her current situation is very worrying... Of course, it is also possible that Miss Shishi has already been a member of the Ning family.

When there were too few manpower, it was a last resort to let her show up. After the manpower was free, it was not respectable for Mr. Ning's people to have relations with here and there all day long, so they pulled the people back..."

Yan Daolun talked slowly and eloquently. When Yu Hezhong heard what he said about the fight in the Ning family's harem, he felt inexplicably anxious and couldn't help but said: "I wonder what Mr. Yan's specific intention of summoning Yu was today..."

Yan Daolun paused, looked at him, and clasped his hands: "There are many things that I don't need to hide from my brother at the moment. The Chinese army has endured hardships for ten years and suddenly won a great victory. Everyone in the world is a little curious about things here. It's just curiosity, and

There is no malicious intention. General Liu ordered Yan to select people to come to Chengdu, also to see carefully what the current Chinese army is and what its quality is. Whether to fight or not is a matter of the future. The current purpose is

Just to see, Yan chose Brother Yu to come over now because of the friendship between Brother Yu and all the teachers and teachers, and even Mr. Ning in the past."

He reached over, patted the back of Yu Hezhong's hand, and then said with a smile: "Check out my heart and lungs. Please don't mind me, brother Yu."

Yu Hezhong was impressed and said, "I understand, little brother."

"It's a little late today. Miss Shishi went to the city in the morning and heard that she will stay at the guest house over the Maha Pond. Tomorrow you and I will go there together to pay a visit to Brother Yu, our childhood sweetheart. Yan wants to take advantage of Brother Yu's favor.

, get to know the masters and masters, and then Yan takes his leave. Brother Yu and the master’s daughter talk about old times casually, without any purpose. It’s just about the advantages of the Chinese army and how to deal with these problems. In the future, the commander-in-chief will need to rely on brother.

The places... that’s all.”

Yan Daolun looked at Yu Hezhong with a smile, and Yu Hezhong made a decision. The Huaxia Army claimed to be open to the public. He came to look for old friends, and he didn't have to do anything to directly become an enemy of the Huaxia Army. There would be no danger at all.

.And now that we have the relationship of master and master, after returning to Shishou, we will definitely be respected and used by General Liu. He said solemnly: "But it depends on Brother Yan's orders."
To be continued...