"Today is the time when we really see the true appearance of Governor Chang." Shi Mana said in a slightly hoarse voice: "Chief Chang is younger than Shi Mou imagined."
Chang Sui Ning smiled and said reciprocally: "General Shi is also more decisive than I imagined."
This statement did not deny that she had inquired about Shi Man's temperament and style before. Even his wife was kidnapped, so there was nothing to deny.
Shi Man lowered his eyes for a moment and then said: "With the two generals Chang Jishi and Cui Dadu here, Shi is bound to lose this time, and he must be convinced of his defeat."
Chang Suining: "General Shi reined in his horse from the brink, and together with Xuance's army, he put down the rebellion in Kangding Mountain and drove out Mohe. There is no such thing as defeat. A great victory is what counts."
Shi Man was stunned for a moment, then smiled ashamedly: "In the final analysis, I have to thank Governor Chang for giving me a chance to survive."
Chang Sui Ning simply said: "It's just a coincidence. General Shi doesn't need to say thank you."
"Even though it was a chance, it was also done by Chang Jishi." Shi Man insisted: "The result is like this. It is true that we are able to survive because of this, and we should be grateful."
Chang Sui Ning will no longer "shirk" this gratitude.
Whether she deserves to be thanked or not, I believe Shi Man has his own judgment in his heart, and the other party took the initiative to invite her here today, obviously it was not just for a simple chat.
Owes and gratitude can quickly bring closer the relationship between two strangers. It doesn't matter whether you thank them or not. The important thing is that this is a very useful communication bridge.
Besides, even if Shi Man didn't invite him today, Chang Sui Ning would have planned to find an opportunity to meet him.
Seeing Shi Man's behavior, the generals also thanked Chang Sui Ning.
After doing this, the unfamiliarity between the two parties became much lighter.
Chang Suining asked at the right time: "I wonder what General Shi's plans are going to be next?"
This statement may sound like casual conversation, but it is the beginning of the real topic.
As Chang Suining asked, his eyes fell on Shi Man's severed hand for a moment.
Shi Man also looked at his hand and said: "Even if the emperor is still willing to reuse Shi, Shi is no longer qualified. When the decree is issued, he can only refuse it on the grounds of disability..."
In short, he can no longer stay in the military.
It is an indisputable fact that he and Kangdingshan started the rebellion together. Even if he turned back in time and the merits and demerits were equal, the thorn in the emperor's heart would not be truly removed... If he continues to serve in the army, wait until the new Jiedushi takes office.
It's not hard to predict what his will be.
Therefore, it was both an accident and a necessity for him to lose this hand.
If you really go all the way, that's it. Now that you've turned around, you have to make plans for the future.
Continuing to talk about the future, Shi Man's voice was low: "In the future, I may go back to the countryside with my mother and children to spend the day chatting."
As he said this, there was a trace of confusion in his eyes.
Chang Suining looked into his eyes and said: "General Shi has been based in Guandong for many years. I am afraid that the family members in the mansion will not easily adapt to rural life. Returning home in despair, there will be no shortage of criticism. Nowadays, wars are everywhere and the world is declining.
There is no shortage of evil thoughts in people's hearts, and General Shi has been marching for many years, so he should have no shortage of old enemies."
Shi Man had obviously thought about this and was silent at the moment.
Chang Sui Ning said: "If General Shi wants to really avoid disaster, he has to hide in the mountains and forests and take his family to escape from the world - is General Shi willing to do this?"
Are you willing?
The answer is obvious.
A person who has worked hard from the bottom for many years to reach this position may not necessarily have the ambition to serve the country, but he must have his own ambitions.
He was neither willing nor at ease to let him give up everything he had gained with great difficulty, fall back into the mud, and face a situation that was even worse than the starting point of his life.
He cut off his wrists and asked to retreat because he had to, not because he was willing to do so.
During these days, he repeatedly thought about whether there was any other way out, but he still had no answer.
Several times when he was confused, he thought of the person who was playing chess in this battle - he did not dare to easily conclude that the other party would be willing to help him, but if he could talk to him, his words would definitely be worth listening to.
At this time, Shi Man finally spoke to Chang Suining: "Shi is unwilling to give in, but there is no other way. I wonder if Chang Suining has any wise ideas?"
Chang Suining looked at the person in front of him who was seriously asking for advice.
According to her understanding, Shi Man was not the same person as Kang Dingshan. Although he had his own ambitions, he did not have Kang Dingshan's ambition to be the master of the world.
His nature may not be called kind, and he may not be very upright. When faced with the constraints of interests, he will choose to follow the crowd instead of sticking to his true heart - such people do not have much true heart to speak of, or in other words,
Their original intention is survival and profit, which is also the portrayal of most soldiers today.
They come from humble backgrounds and are mostly uneducated. All their consciousness and ambitions are randomly polished bit by bit by the surrounding environment.
Chang Suining can completely understand this kind of common human nature, and to her, if such people have the ability, as long as they are not heinous, there is room for use.
"What does General Shi think of Kang Cong?" Chang Suining asked, but he asked first.
"So strong, stubborn, courageous and reckless..." Shi Man thought of the situation when the other party killed his father that day with his hair disheveled, and reluctantly added: "But he does have some courage."
"But he was the greatest contributor to the pacification of the Kangdingshan Rebellion. He personally killed Kangdingshan. This act of righteousness and annihilation of relatives was exactly the political direction the court needed at the moment."
Chang Sui Ning said: "Besides, as General Shi said, he doesn't have many extraordinary qualities, and he doesn't have any prestige in the army. For this reason, the imperial court will not hesitate to give him a certain degree of 'love'."
"And precisely because he has nothing, his confusion and helplessness at this moment is only a little more than that of General Shi."
Facing the girl's calm eyes, Shi Man was thoughtful.
At the same time, in another tent, Kang Congzheng asked uneasily: "...Ani, do you really want to follow the governor Chang to Jiangdu?"
Kang Zhi rolled her eyes: "Nonsense, I will leave with the governor tomorrow."
Kang Zhi said, turning to ask Yuezhi beside her, letting Yuezhi make a choice: "Do you want to follow brother, or follow me?"
Yuezhi was a little at a loss. People always divided their children, so how could they divide their mothers?
It was a difficult choice, so she could only say: "Ani, you make the decision... I will listen to you."
"Then let me stay and watch over my brother." Kang Zhi said simply: "It's a long way to Jiangdu, so don't bother me."
"Why do we have to separate?" Kang Cong frowned and asked, "Ani, wouldn't it be good for you and I to stay together with Aniang?"
"Of course it's not good!" Kang Zhi also raised her eyebrows: "You just want me to stay and help you, but why should I give up the opportunity that I finally fought for for your own future?"
Kang Cong: "But..."
"It's nothing!" Kang Zhi said: "In today's world, if two eggs are put in the same basket, they will all be shattered if they are not kept together! It is better for you and me to work hard to make progress and make a name for ourselves. Once something happens,
, at least we can still take care of each other!”
"But……"
Kang Zhi was annoyed: "Who the hell are you!"
Kang Cong looked away and said in a low voice: "I'm alone, and I'm scared..."
He was not afraid to go directly to the battlefield, but once he received an official position, how on earth would he gain a foothold in this arrogant territory with the reputation of killing his father that no one knew about?
Kang Zhi snorted: "It's okay to be afraid. Only by being afraid can you grow your brain."
Kang Cong looked at her: "Aren't you afraid that my brain will be gone before it grows?"
"Look at your potential." Kang Zhi rolled her eyes again before saying, "Don't worry, the governor has said that someone may be able to stay and help you."
Kang Cong almost immediately began to look forward to it solemnly: "Who?"
A wisp of cool early spring breeze penetrated into the tent.
Shi Man's expression was equally solemn: "Chang Jishi's intention...is for Shi to stay and assist Kang Cong?"
Chang Suining nodded: "Kang Congzheng needs someone to help him, and General Shi has experience and brains, and is similar to his situation. If he can help him gain a foothold in Guandong, he can be interdependent with him.
"
Finally, Chang Suining glanced at the few generals of Shi Man: "General Shi's former power will definitely be suppressed and split up in the future, but after all, he is still in the army. With General Shi at Kang Cong's side, he can still more or less survive."
Take care of one or two."
Her words were reserved, but this was exactly what Shi Man wanted to retain.
Although Shi Man disliked Kang Cong, after repeated consideration, it was undeniable that Kang Cong was almost the safest choice for him to stay in Guandong.
But he still had some concerns: "...But if this happens, will the emperor be jealous?"
"Definitely." Chang Suining answered without hesitation.
Shi Man was startled.
Chang Suining looked at him and said: "But in such a situation, the emperor still needs to balance the forces in Guandong, and needs to use Kang Cong to warn everyone. As long as you and Kang Cong stay on your own terms and only support each other without showing any dissent, be careful.
If we deal with it, there will be no fatal disasters for at least three to five years."
Three to five years...
Shi Man's eyes moved slightly. Under such turmoil, who knows what the situation will be like in three to five years?
Three to five years is enough time for him to maintain his strength and wait and see about the future.
Seeing his expression, Chang Suining finally said: "A gentleman hides his weapons and waits until the time comes. If there is a way, he will see it, but if there is no way, he will hide it - General Shi might as well hide his weapons and wait."
The confusion in Shi Man's eyes completely dissipated, and he stood up and saluted Chang Suining: "Thank you very much, Governor Chang, for your guidance. I will keep what the Governor said today in mind!"
As he spoke, he lowered his figure a little lower and said: "If the governor Chang has any motivation in the future, I hope he will give orders to Shi!"
After this incident, he understood a truth - for people like them who are not good enough to succeed alone, choice is more important than anything else.
If he can follow the true "noble one", in these troubled times, he may not be able to make a comeback.
Before that, he had to learn to wait for the opportunity, endure the disgust, and stabilize Na Kang Bazi first.
Kang Bazi, who was disliked by Shi Man, did not dislike Shi Man, but was afraid of him.
In this way, two people who were reluctant but forced to come together had an in-depth conversation one night.
Returning from Shiman, Kang Cong's mood was particularly complicated. The man who was his father's brother in the past actually wanted to work for him now?
"What's so scary about an elder brother? He needs to rely on his elder brother, and the elder brother needs to show the master's demeanor in the future." Kang Zhi'er said: "But don't be harsh to others. Ask for advice when it's time to ask for advice. There's no harm in learning more."
"In addition, there are two things that I want my brother to remember and to recite silently in his heart at least three times every day -"
As parting was imminent, Kang Cong listened carefully to his sister's words.
"First, remember who you are and put your butt in jail. Don't just grow your wings and just think about things and commit your old self-righteous habit again!"
She will tell her grandma to keep an eye on this for her.
Kang Cong responded feebly: "I know..."
Who else could it belong to? That female Rakshasa.
"Second." Kang Zhi said seriously: "General Shi and Mrs. Shi need to be treated with courtesy, but that idiot Shi Wen, I will never allow you to give her any good looks."
She will also let her mother-in-law keep an eye on this!
Kang Cong continued to respond feebly: "...I know."
Although it was getting late now, but he was about to leave, Chang Suining's tent was crowded with many people, and there were also people outside the tent.
Almost all of Cui Jing's counselors and generals who had dealt with Chang Suining came.
Mr. Jiao even took out a few volumes of his private collection of art of war and gave them to Chang Sui Ning as a parting gift.
As soon as this gift was given, the generals suddenly felt that Mr. Jiao was unkind. Damn it, everyone came together, how come he was the only one who secretly prepared the gift without saying a word!
Unfortunately, their hands were empty, and they couldn't find anything decent in the military camp. They could only focus on the strength of their fists——
"The favor of the governor Chang for helping us this time will be remembered by all the Xuance troops!"
They don't think the word "en" is important.
This victory was so beautiful and easy that each of them will receive a reward, which is a real benefit.
But what was truly priceless was Chang Suining's timely intelligence and strategy, which saved them from a direct fight with the rebels. Otherwise, they probably wouldn't be able to stand here so completely at this moment.
"When he returns to the capital someday, Governor Chang will definitely come and sit in our Xuance Mansion!"
"In the future, if Governor Chang needs my help, I will do whatever I can to help. I will never hesitate to ask!"
The outspoken general raised his voice and said: "These are all words from the bottom of my heart, not for the sake of the Governor!"
The tent immediately erupted with good-natured laughter and echoes.
Chang Sui Ning couldn't help but smile and nod.
Yes, she could feel that the eyes of the people in front of her were completely different from when she came here.
Most of the attention people paid to her before was related to Cui Jing's previous marriage proposal, but now those people are looking at her only because she is Chang Sui Ning.
To put it more simply, the relationship between Chang Suining and them has been "de-jing-ized" to a large extent.
But Chang Suining knew that she was able to gain so much trust and admiration in such a short period of time precisely because of Cui Jing's "intentional intention."
From the very beginning, he put her in front of others, often choosing to retreat behind her. Even if he was the one on the battlefield, he would cleverly exaggerate her achievements, push her to the forefront, and let her stand before him.
established prestige in the military.
The prestige in the army is like a sharp sword, not to mention that this is the Xuance Army.
When Chang Suining mentioned this matter to Cui Jing, Cui Jing would only say that she needed it more and that all this was hers.
He said: "How can a person who abides by the Dao not have a sword in his hand?"
He also said: "Your Highness should hold the sharpest sword in the world and fight for the common people."
At this moment, the moonlight was clear. Changsui Ning looked at the moon and said with a smile, "Thank you very much, swordsmith."
"The one who made the sword is Your Highness." Cui Jing said: "I am just a charcoal in the furnace."
Chang Suining: "How about calling you Cui Yitan?"
Cui Jing smiled slightly and said: "...a good name."
The two people standing side by side under the moon looked at each other and smiled.
After talking about the current business and the general plans of the two of them, Cui Jing stared at the moon and said tentatively, "Tonight's moon seems to be brighter than last night."
"Really?" Chang Suining seemed to think about it for a moment and said with a little regret: "Ah, I forgot what the moon looked like last night."
