On the night of February 13th and the afternoon of February 14th, two battles broke out at both ends of the battlefield in Hebei, hundreds of miles apart. Both were caused by the end military strength of the coalition forces underestimating the enemy. However, this undoubtedly broke the invincibility of the main force of the coalition forces.

There is a concept, and whether it is the loss of troops or generals, it has reached a point that cannot be ignored.

In fact, if we only use the Taiyuan Army and the Dongdu Army as the main bodies to measure, this can almost be said to be a severe injury.

Not to mention, the battle at the source of the Qingzhang River, the arrival of the forces from Henan behind the scenes, the complete interruption of the food route, and the subsequent rumors in the direction of Dongdu that can no longer be concealed, each of these will have a huge impact on the coalition camp.

, so that it directly brings some inexplicable flavor to the final result of this battle.

However, one thing is that in the evening of the 14th, because almost all key figures in the entire battlefield had not received relevant messages, the atmosphere seemed to have not changed at all.

This is especially true for Cheng Zhili, the governor of Pingyuan County who is far away in Pingyuan County to govern Ande.

Before the evening of that day, he had only received one real battlefield news, which was that a group of field soldiers defeated the Qinghe County soldiers who had followed the Cui family in Liting and slaughtered Shi Huaiming... Yes, the camp had no information about the rear.

The transmission is not very serious and basically depends on the natural diffusion of the middle and lower classes.

Back here in Ande, it didn't rain that day, but it did get a bit gloomy from the afternoon.

Cheng Zhili quietly handled the matter in the county government... He was really handling the matter... A few days ago, Wei Xuanding, Chen Bin, and Dou Lide established a base camp in the west and unified the decision-making body. Pingyuan County is just around the corner.

There was no need to run away. Many military affairs and logistics were sent out and had to be done immediately without hiding it from Cheng Zhili. In addition, there were also the general affairs of the county, not to mention other matters such as spring plowing and the settlement of criminal lawsuits.

These daily affairs still pass through his hands.

However, all this did not delay the entire county government from responding to Cheng Zhili with a subtle attitude in just a few days.

"Who's here?"

Cheng Dalang returned to his residence. Before he could get off his horse, he saw a dozen horses scattered under the pillars in front of the door, and he couldn't help but frown.

"Reporting back to Da Lang, first a few relatives and old friends came from my wife's side. They have been here regularly these past few days, and then my own brothers from the village also came. There were more people, so it was chaotic." The old man who was waiting here was in charge.

He met him early, took the reins of the horse, and explained briefly. "The stable at the side door was actually not full, but it was not that the grumpy man Tengjin didn't know. He saw that the previous guest's horse was clean, so he threw the horse outside in a strange way.

, I still don’t want to go to the church and just make noise in the yard.”

Cheng Dalang suddenly felt enlightened, but he did not say a word, but bowed his head and entered the corridor room.

There is no way, if the "relatives" of my wife who was born in Qinghe Cui Shi can hit it off with the old brothers in my village, then Chen Bin and Dou Lide will not have to fight.

As for the noise being too loud and attracting attention, I can't even care about it now.

"Dalang!"

"Brother!"

"Uncle!"

Sure enough, as soon as he entered the door, many people crowded in from all over the front yard. They called him all kinds of names, but most of them could be recognized as old brothers from Dengzhou and Qijun. They later moved across the river, including to the current Wudi County.

It only lasted three years, but later the military merit field was moved to another place, and it lasted only one year, which did not affect Cheng Dalang's prestige among them.

"Why are you here?" After a brief exchange of greetings, Cheng Dalang asked with a smile as if nothing had happened. "Has the land at home been plowed? Are you here to enjoy the autumn breeze?"

"Dalang!" A middle-aged man with bright eyes but an obvious limp looked around him. After watching the courtyard door close, he came up to ask questions on the spot. "Let's just talk about the rumors in our village that he is helping us.

Is the boss going to take you? Yes or no?"

"What nonsense are you talking about?" Cheng Dalang waved his hands in fright. "Where did the rumor come from? I just came back from the county government. Where can I be taken? Let's go in and talk, and we can sit down in the hall before we talk."

"You can't help but think about it. My eldest brother had military power before..."

"Xiaowu, shut up." The same middle-aged man asked after stopping the others before. "Dalang, it's just a few words, just make it clear. What's the point of not going to the hall, sitting or not? I'll ask you again,

"There is no such thing!" Cheng Dalang helplessly stamped his feet. "This is also nonsense! I have a reputation and a position in the gang. If I rebel for no reason, how can I gain a foothold in this world?"

Many people crowded around and felt relieved.

"But what if there is a reason?" The lame middle-aged man asked with a straight face. "Xiao Wu also said just now that the gang took away your military power and made you a county guard. Do you have any resentment in your heart?

"

"Is being a county guard a bad thing?!" Cheng Dalang spread his hands with helplessness on his face. "Lao Teng, Xiaowu is not sensible and you are not sensible? What do people say? Three generations of my ancestors were military commanders in Daqi.

, it was only then that my father saved up his family wealth and became a county governor. Unfortunately, he was not lucky enough. Daqi was gone after only a few years. I have only been in this position for four years, and I suffered several defeats, but I still became a county governor.

To say the least, this is all Chief Zhang’s kindness, so why talk about any grievances?”

"So, Da Lang, you are not going to fight back? You are not being captured by the gang?" Teng Jin, the former head of Da Lang's bodyguard, frowned and continued to ask, without being intimidated by the other party at all.

"No!" Cheng Dalang had no choice but to point to the sky in the courtyard and said, "Three splendors and four emperors are watching, I am sure that there will be no disaster or chaos here."

"That means there is no disaster or chaos. Do you have any thoughts in your own mind?" The lame man continued to ask, but was still not gagged by the other party. Not only that, he even took another step closer with crippled feet.

Cheng Dalang was completely helpless. How could he not know that it was okay to fool others with some words, but it was pure nonsense to fool these old brothers who had been following him for decades?

Thinking of this, he finally said seriously: "Lao Teng, since you asked like this, I will tell you the truth, and you can tell it to the brothers in Zhuangzi when you go back... I, Cheng Zhili, have never thought about going against it.

I won’t fight back...but is there any trouble? Of course there is, but the trouble is that Chief Zhang is surrounded now."

At this point, Cheng Dalang took a breath, looked around, and then continued: "You guys, whether your surname is Cheng or not, are my closest relatives, uncles, brothers and nephews. Don't you know what I have experienced in the past half of my life?"

?It was Chief Zhang who dragged me into the gang, and he also gave me the big leader. After the defeat, the battalion head was assigned to me by Chief Zhang. Later, when military affairs became uninterested, Chief Zhang changed me.

I took my military post and became the county guard... In a word, the honor and disgrace of me, Cheng Dalang, are all tied to Chief Zhang. When he is here, I don't care, I am not afraid of anything, and I feel at ease; when he is gone, other people

I don’t know the relationship between me and Chief Zhang, and I don’t know the trust between me and Chief Zhang, but it leads to some unfounded doubts... So there is trouble, that is, people like Chen Bin and Dou Lide began to doubt me after they took power.

, which caused a lot of rumors. But think about it, as long as I settle down, do things when I have something to do, and go when I have the time, what can they do?"

From the lame man down, several backbones, including Lao Duguan who was following Cheng Dalang, finally relaxed after hearing what Cheng Dalang was saying.

"Da Lang, don't blame us." Teng Laizi just believed it at this time. "You have your ideas, and we also have ours. It's just that we are old brothers tied by the same rope. We swore an oath together back then.

, and have been through life and death, so if you really want to rebel, no matter whether we are willing or not, and no matter whether you have a good reputation or good results in the future, we will risk our lives and go with you. The worst is that we will die together without a burial place!

That’s why I came here to ask a few questions today.”

Cheng Dalang's old strength of Ningdan, but now he just felt dizzy. He took several breaths before nodding: "How can I not know your loyalty? It's just that in this situation, life and death are still at stake in the front, and you squeeze in and make it worse."

I'm at a loss as well, and I have to give the truth to those people who doubt me, causing trouble for nothing... Let's all go! I won't let you fight in the autumn wind today. When the situation calms down, we can drink together again."

Teng Laizi nodded without saying a word, but directly limped to his feet and prepared to go out and lead the horse back.

However, when he came to the side door that had just been opened, he leaned back on the steps and said, "Da Lang, what do those people in the hall say?"

"What can I say?" Cheng Zhili smiled bitterly again and again. "I'm just as crazy as you, but not as straightforward as you. But every day, I'm afraid that I won't take care of them and will be directly dealt with by the gang... Actually, I really want to deal with them.

It has been dealt with long ago, why is it happening today?"

Teng Jin smiled, stopped caring, and took the lead to go out. The others also saluted Cheng Zhili and left in a hurry.

Watching these old brothers leave, Cheng Dalang stood in silence for a long time in the courtyard, until the sky turned completely dark. When the old governor ordered people to light the fire and the brazier, he just set off... but he did not come up to the hall... but crossed over.

After entering the main hall where there were still guests waiting, he turned to the backyard, went directly into the flower hall, and then invited his newly married wife to come over.

Mrs. Cheng's natural surname is Cui. She is only in her early twenties this year, much younger than Cheng Dalang. However, unlike Cheng Dalang, who only died once when he was a real wife, Mrs. Cui is a widow who has been married three times... But this is really no one.

Careless, because in the past five or six years, when Mrs. Cui was at her best, too many men in the world died, too randomly.

Among them, Hebei is particularly exaggerated.

After hearing the message, Mrs. Cui rushed over quickly, and with just a bow, she sat down calmly and waited for her husband to speak.

Cheng Dalang was silent for a moment again, and then spoke slowly across half the table: "Madam, the current situation is critical, but as the saying goes, husband and wife are of the same mind. Since we are a couple, I should tell you my plans and thoughts!"

"Da Lang, please speak." Mrs. Cui's face remained as usual, as if she had expected it.

"Among the relatives of the Cui family in the hall, many of them often come with explanations. Overtly or secretly, they hope that I can rebel from behind and stab the front line, saying that they don't expect anything else, as long as the front line camp goes to

Take a step back, no matter the final result, there will be a middle man who will guarantee the bottom line." Cheng Dalang said. "But I will not agree to this in any case... Not only that, I will also detain them later and send them away.

Go to the county jail."

Mrs. Cui is still calm.

"The reason for not agreeing is very simple. It's not that I dislike the lieutenant general, or that I don't trust anyone. I haven't reached that point... I just feel that one is that people themselves cannot rebel easily, especially those who come forward to rebel, because once they rebel,

The reputation is ruined; the other is that if I want to rebel, those old brothers will inevitably be affected. But those brothers have worked hard for me and have lived a peaceful life for two years. I would rather die than let them die without a burial.

Earthly."

Mrs. Cui still didn't speak.

"Madam, do you understand what I mean? I can resist, but there are only two ways. One is that the coalition forces in front have won a big victory and pushed over. At that time, they may want to save those old brothers and those Zhuangzi who suffered from following me.

The situation has declined...but that is actually a surrender, not a rebellion; there is another way, which is to be really forced by Chen Bin, Dou Lide and others, and run to the front line alone, and rebel single-handedly, so as to tell the world that

It's Chen Dou and the others who are unkind and unjust, I was forced to do it, and it won't affect other people anyway."

Mrs. Cui nodded and finally spoke: "I understand your husband's intention, so how do you want to act now?"

"I want to go to the frontline camp." Cheng Dalang sighed. "I am under suspicion here. Not only Chen Bin and Dou Lide have been suspicious of me, but also my old brothers over there and your relatives here.

Old friends always think that I have ideas, or they always think that they can sway me... But now I don't want to involve anyone... I just follow Chen Dou's request and go to the front line, and get under the noses of them, and then make a decision."

"How can we make a decision when we get to the front line?" Mrs. Cui asked half a sentence.

"When we get to the front, if Chen Bin and Dou Lide can't control themselves and press too hard and really kill me, I won't just sit back and wait for death and run away instead. If they can control themselves, I will fight hard."

Cheng Dalang smiled and said, "Of course, if the overall situation collapses, then I will escape and take care of this place."

Mrs. Cui nodded, turned and left without saying a word. After a moment, she came out again and brought a pot of wine and two glasses. Then she put it down again, poured it on the table, took a glass for herself, and spoke calmly:
To be continued...