Four hundred and thirtieth chapters flickering candle
Many yamen in Daming County are relatively shabby. As long as the houses are not broken down, they will never be renovated. Because the yamen are public-owned, the county magistrate who will leave in a few years will not pay for the repairs himself, and the shabby buildings will make him honest. Zhang Ning today
Dehua County Government, who settled in late, was no exception. He lived in an old and dilapidated back room. The windows in this room were loose, and they creaked when the wind blew. Because the prince was staying, the windows in the room were
The cost was also relatively "expensive". Three or four candles were lit at once for lighting. Even so, the dirt and faded spots on the wall furnishings also made the place look dim and gloomy.
Xin Wei sat quietly on a wooden chair at the door, watching him do trivial things in the room for a long time, such as dazing in front of the desk, or picking up a pen to write a few words and then crumpling them, then standing up and pacing back and forth.
Step, then sit down again.
Zhang Ning didn't talk to her, so she kept silent so as not to disturb him. At this time, she seemed to see another side behind this glamorous man, and also felt his crisis.
Xin Wei remembered what it was like when he first arrived in Jiujiang. He was surrounded by thousands of people shouting and admiring him, and there were huge crowds of people along the way. It seemed to be the same in other places, symbols of wealth, respect, power, etc., and they were bright and upright, as brilliant as the sun.
Now, in this dilapidated wing, which is cold, damp, and dimly lit, Xin Wei is alone with him... He looks depressed and upset, decadent and weak.
In the past, Xin Wei was just envious and yearned for everything he had, but now she suddenly felt it was more real. She had lived in a poor hut under a wealthy family; she had lived in a brothel where people spent money to have fun but despised it;
Having survived the mountain god sect with no regard for others, she is the one who can best understand the feeling of being ashamed to see others and wanting to escape. People tend to show off their good sides, but they can only hide them when they are frustrated. Perhaps this
Is this the reason why she always feels that others are living well but she is miserable?
At this moment, Zhang Ning suddenly noticed Xin Wei, who was sitting at the door as quietly as a piece of furniture, and said: "It's so late, why are you sitting here? You can go to bed if you have nothing to do today."
This was almost the only thing he said to Xin Wei in this room tonight.
Xin Wei said: "I am not familiar with this place. I will be with the prince tonight."
After hearing this, Zhang Ning showed a self-deprecating smile: "Who can harm me? Now even if Zhang Fu has a chance, he is not willing to use deceitful means to gain disgrace."
Xin Wei didn't answer, but still had no intention of leaving.
Zhang Ning got angry for no reason: "I'm too lazy to care about you. If you're not afraid of freezing to death, just sit there all night! I'm going to sleep." After saying that, he undressed and took off his coat.
Go to bed with your boots and pull the quilt over you.
There was another long silence, but the various sounds in the room continued uninterrupted. In the flickering candlelight, the loose window crackled, and the bed creaked and rocked from time to time as Zhang Ning turned over. He turned over and over on the bed.
Yeah, it didn’t stop.
At this time, he spoke again: "I can't shut down the wind in this room. Aren't you cold if you sit still?"
Xin Wei said: "It's nothing."
"Come here." Zhang Ning ordered. Xin Wei got up and walked to the bed obediently, then lay beside him. She supported her head with her arms and stared at his face boldly. Zhang Ning
Looking at her like this, this girl has a symmetrical face, good facial features, and is young and lively. She is indeed a beautiful girl. However, her forehead is very flat and has no full shape at all. According to facial features, such a face
It seems quite accurate to think that one is not lucky in half his life. If Xin Wei had been lucky as a child, he would not have been in an anti-evil cult.
"She's quite beautiful." Zhang Ning was always stingy with compliments in front of women, even when he was in a bad mood.
Xin Wei pursed his lips, looked away deliberately, and said softly and calmly: "If the prince likes it, I will take off my clothes first..."
"That's all." Zhang Ning pulled the quilt over her body and continued, "If I lose, the Ministry of Internal Affairs will no longer have the strength to control you. What are you going to do?"
There seemed to be something in this sentence. Xin Wei remembered that she had tried to escape and was almost caught and killed. Zhang Ning also knew about this. She was immediately stopped by the question and didn't know how to answer.
Zhang Ning said: "Go to bed, I have something to do tomorrow."
After hearing this, Xin Wei felt anxious, and a vague thought became clearer and clearer: He finally saw a little hope, and just let him go? Zhang Ning has encountered a setback, but he is not necessarily doomed. And this kind of crisis
, for her, Xin Weilai, it may not be bad timing, and providing help in times of need has always been rarer than icing on the cake; the opportunity to be alone by his side has always been easier than competing with a group of women for favor.
But how do you say it, saying that you will accompany him through life and death? If you express your loyalty like this, King Xiang may have listened to the people below you a lot, and it will not have any effect and it will appear false.
Xin Wei blurted out: "Even if the prince really loses the battle, I will always follow you, as long as you think I am still useful."
"Oh?" Zhang Ning turned over. There was no one else in the room, so he didn't hesitate to say directly, "You may not understand what it means to lose this battle. It's like a rich man. You thought he had a strong family and lost money in business.
The remaining amount is also considerable, but if you mess up any business that blocks your wealth, you will only end up in debt, leaving no room for action."
Xin Wei's voice was very soft, but his words were clear: "The prince naturally values status and power, but in the eyes of the little girl, they are just external things. If the external things are gone, your appearance will not change, and your talents will not be stolen. And
You did that to me... Oh, no more."
This confession was so sincere that Zhang Ning felt a lot better after hearing it. He couldn't help but put his arms around her waist. Xin Wei took advantage of the situation and gently leaned his head over, gently rubbing his neck with her smooth face.
…
The next day, the group did not return to Jiujiang City immediately. Zhang Ning learned last night that the government troops in Hukou County were leaving the city for a decisive battle, so he prepared to stay one more day. He even led the guards to the lakeshore again, regardless of the risk of Poyang Lake being controlled by the government troops.
Watching from a mountain.
However, I saw nothing until noon. I vaguely heard the rumble of cannons from the other side, but that was it.
Zhang Ning withdrew, leaving Yu Qian alone to watch the scenery on the edge of the cliff. After a while, he said in a very sincere tone: "If you and I are still old friends, what kind of unfaithful advice can Ting Yi give to old friends? You can say anything.
Yes, even if you scold me in person."
Yu Qian raised his head and looked at Zhang Ning, then turned to look at the lake, as if ignoring him. But Zhang Ning suddenly felt that he would speak his mind, otherwise Yu Qian would have a lot of respectful but useless words without even thinking about it.
The clichés came out perfunctorily.
In such a predicament, Zhang Ning really wanted to hear Yu Qian's true opinion. After all, in Zhang Ning's heart, this famous official who would be remembered throughout the ages should be quite capable. He valued Yu Qian more than the world at this time.
"Your Majesty, please look at the waves by the lake." Yu Qian finally said, "When the wind blows towards the lake, the water from behind squeezes the prodigal in front, and it surges over... To this day, I have nothing to say. There is really nothing we can do to advance, or to look forward and backward, otherwise we would have advanced a long time ago, so why wait until today?"
Zhang Ning nodded in agreement, his attitude was extremely generous.
Yu Qian added: "But the prince asked me what my views were, and I did have some. The imperial government deployed hundreds of thousands of troops to encircle and suppress us, and the various land and sea troops that invaded Jiujiang also had no less than a hundred thousand troops. Our troops in Jiangxi alone are definitely no match for us." In less than half a day yesterday, the Jiujiang Army lost more than 10,000 people. From this point of view, the only place we can really hope for is the more than 10,000 troops of the Yongding Battalion, which is only one-tenth of the number of troops advancing in several directions. How can we win? I once thought about it. To put it bluntly, give up on Jiujiang; but this place is related to the overall situation, and after careful consideration, there is still one hope, and that is the Wuchang New Army."
Zhang Ning pondered, the new army in Wuchang is quite large, with no less than 60,000 on the roster. Unfortunately, it was formed in a short period of time, with insufficient training and no actual combat experience. It would be very difficult for them to fight against the elite officers and soldiers. of.
Yu Qian said: "If we only rely on the Yongding Battalion to fight the official army in Jiujiang, or retreat and wait for the official army to advance to Huguang and fight again, the strength will not change, and the result will not be any different. If it is the soldiers of Lizhou and Yuezhou, If we also call back and shrink, then we will not face one hundred thousand officers and soldiers, but four hundred thousand, which has disadvantages but not advantages. Therefore, I believe that the only way at present is the newly trained troops and horses in Wuchang; this is why the prince has long planned for today's decisive battle. Started preparations.
There are two ways. One is to rely on the large city fortifications in Jiujiang City, hoard food and grass and wait for reinforcements, so that the war can be resolved in Jiangxi. The disadvantages of this approach are obvious. Once the encirclement between the government and the army is formed, we will have no way out in Jiujiang. It is a stupid idea to leave and be surrounded. The second is to abandon Jiujiang and Jiangxi, slowly retreat to Huguang, and delay the time until the new army is ready to join forces and strengthen their strength to fight again...
However, the latter is not foolproof. After abandoning Jiujiang, there is no strong wall in the direction of Huguang. I am afraid that I can only retreat under the pursuit of the army. I will soon be forced to Wuchang, and there is still no way out. Let's go. Besides, although we took the initiative to give up Jiangxi and retreat, it is like a defeat, which will create an unfavorable situation." Yu Qian looked at the lake again, "Just like the wave, the wind is blowing and the water is crowded, and the momentum cannot be controlled. Especially especially In the new army in Wuchang, the morale of a large number of soldiers is not yet stable. With a large number of people and strength, it is easy to fight with favorable conditions, but it is difficult to fight hard when the situation is not good. Only the prince can decide where to go."
After hearing this, Zhang Ning felt that what he said was reasonable, so he bowed to Yu Qian. Yu Qian hurriedly bent down and said: "I don't dare to take this position, I don't dare to take it." After a while, he said again: "I will advance and retreat with the prince."
Zhang Ningxin said that if Yu Qian was defeated and caught by the court, his fate would probably not be much better than his own.