Xie Ming

Continuing from the previous article
Xiao Jiang had already entrusted Huang Degong with his mission.

Firstly, this matter is thorny, and at present, there are no troops to send north, so we are really stretched thin and difficult to deal with.

Secondly, he intended to use this opportunity to probe the attitude of the Fujian side, select those who were not involved in Xiao Jun's affairs, and force Zheng Zhilong's navy to be mobilized.

If this matter is accomplished, then subsequent contacts with Fujian will be much easier to resolve.

Moreover, his son Zheng Sen is clearly more capable in character.

Therefore, Xiao treated him kindly, hoping for a future successor.

Of course, Zheng Sen readily agreed to the task assigned by the decree, readily taking on all the responsibility.

Hearing the boy's sincere words, which did not seem like empty talk, Xiao Ye felt quite gratified and smiled kindly.

"Okay, okay."

"This is exactly what I've been waiting for, brother."

"Come on, a banquet is prepared inside the cabin. Let's eat and chat as we go."

Overwhelmed by enthusiasm and eloquence, Xiao Lang put his arm around Zheng Sen and headed towards the ship's cabin.

After all, the deck was covered in snow.

The cold wind is biting; standing there for too long is not in accordance with hospitality.

Unexpectedly, seeing Xiao Lang's warm greeting, Zheng Sen felt embarrassed and flustered, blurting out words of apology.

"My lord, I'm not in a hurry to drink the wine."

After speaking, he immediately stopped, clasped his hands in a fist and palm salute again, setting aside the differences in rank and status.

"This matter of ferrying people here must be extremely urgent, and we must act quickly."

"You can imagine that since General Huang sent this letter south, his situation at this moment must be extremely difficult and dangerous, and he may even be trapped in a desperate situation."

"Since you have entrusted such an urgent matter to me, how can I not take it on as soon as possible?"

"There is no time to lose. I, Zheng Sen, will not linger any longer and will lead the ships back south."

"Rest assured, Your Excellency, I know the difference between public and private matters, and I understand the advantages and disadvantages of this matter."

"We will do everything we can to accomplish this."

After speaking, Zheng Sen bowed, his demeanor resolute and his manner strictly adhering to official business.

Upon seeing this, Xiao was taken aback.

However, since I am the host, I should give way a little at the welcoming banquet.

Ah, this.

“My dear brother, you have come from afar, and you are still covered in dust. How can you leave without having a drink?”

"Even though the situation is tense, this moment is not too much of a difference."

"Come on, the wine is warm and the dishes are ready," she said to herself, expressing her tenderness.

"Your Excellency is kind and righteous, I accept your kindness."

"There's no need to rush the wine. We can wait until things are settled before Zheng Sen comes to ask for it again. It won't be too late."

However, Zheng Sen did not follow his own intentions.

Frankly, those words, once uttered, were already somewhat abrupt and likely to offend people.

It is unclear whether Zheng Sen was truly acting out of genuine concern or simply trying to extricate himself from Xiao's clutches, showing a lack of magnanimity.

Anyway, the matter has been settled, and Xiao seems to have no way to refute it now.

"Uh"

"Since you insist on this, then... alright."

"I'm entrusting General Huang's matter to you, brother."

Before you depart, take a few of my garrison officers with you; you may consult them for details.

"The nation and its people are above us, and the hundreds of millions of ordinary people are below us."

"As the saying goes, a scholar dies for his remonstrance, and a warrior dies in battle."

"We are both soldiers, and we have nothing else to do but fight for our country in the north."

"Go all out, success depends on human effort!"

"When my worthy brother returns in triumph, I, Xiao, will celebrate your success." Xiao Jieyi went along with the idea.

"Yes, this humble general will do his utmost to live up to the expectations of the court and the Duke's great kindness and favor!"

After exchanging pleasantries, Zheng Sen bowed and appeared ready to leave.

"That"

"Zheng Sen will go ahead first. If there is any progress later, I will send a message by fast horse to inform the Duke."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Ye had no choice but to think of a solution for Guo'er.

"Alright, take care, my dear brother. Until we meet again."

Originally, having said this much, it would have been time for both of them to say goodbye.

However, unexpectedly, Zheng Sen had only taken two steps to the side when he suddenly stopped, turned around, and seemed to have forgotten something. He was extremely ashamed, and his face and the area around his tiger-like eyes turned red. "Uh, right, there's also... there's more."

"Lord Duke, before I came, I heard that your household had a new addition, and that you were blessed with a son."

"The father asked Zheng Sen to convey his congratulations."

“My father said that the Duke is a peerless hero, a great hero who appears in an era.”

"Now that the young master has been born, he is truly a gift from heaven."

"As the saying goes, the student surpasses the teacher; this young man will surely become a pillar of the nation in the future."

"I have also prepared a small gift for you."

"We hope that the Duke will not refuse, as this is a token of our father and son's heartfelt congratulations."

So that's why.

Upon hearing this, Xiao Yi was surprised and found it rather comical, making the situation even more awkward.

Presumably, Zheng Sen must have forgotten what he said in his haste to leave, and only remembered it when he was about to depart.

"Uh, this..."

"Hehehe, thank you for your hard work and thoughtfulness."

"Right now, if it weren't for the current situation in Huaibei, given General Zheng's kindness, we should have made a trip to Fujian to thank him in person."

"But look at our current situation, alas, I am truly unable to be in two places at once."

“My dear brother, on this trip back south, you must convey my intentions to your father no matter what.”

"If General Zheng moves his troops north another day, I, Xiao, will go out twenty li to welcome him. At that time, I will hold a banquet to express my gratitude."

Unfortunately, it was too late to finish the conversation, so Xiao had no choice but to reiterate his plan.

"Yes, I've got it."

After he finished speaking, Zheng Sen felt as if he had been granted a pardon and hurriedly tried to escape from this awkward situation.

Only after the major general from the Zheng family stepped onto the ramp and completely left the lead ship behind, and his gaze swept to the side, fixing on the harbinger of doom in the distance, did Xiao Jingchuan wave his hand, signaling him to come closer.

The wind and snow continued, so taking advantage of the brief respite, Xiao tightened his fur robe around his chest and tucked it in to close the gap.

"Hey, Commander, what's going on here?"

"You...you just left like that?"

creak—

When the jinx saw the governor summon him, he strode forward, pressed his hand on the hilt of his sword, and muttered this sentence as he got closer.

He glanced furtively in the direction of Zheng's large warship, which was about to set sail.

Upon hearing this, Xiao Lang smiled bitterly, lowered his guard, shed his dukely airs, let out a long sigh, and expressed his deep regret.

"Ha, I don't want to stay even a moment longer."

"Take advantage of the situation and get away quickly."

"It seems that moving this huge rock in Fujian will not be a task that can be accomplished in a day."

"Fine, I'll go then."

"I saw you board the ship, standing far behind for ages."

Something must have happened.

"Speak, what is the urgent matter?"

In fact, just as Zheng Sen disembarked and boarded the ship, another small boat followed closely behind.

However, with foreign guests present, it wouldn't be appropriate to rush to report something at this time, even if something were to happen.

Therefore, he waited on the other side of the deck.

Xiao Jingchuan had taken in all of this without even glancing at it.

So he waited until the person left before asking this question.

"Uh, hehe, the warlord has a good eye."

"That's right, there are indeed two matters."

"One good and one bad."

"Yes, it's Li Huchen's unit. They just sent a junior officer north to report their victory."

"They say that last night, after several days of setting up a net in the Pingling area north of Guangde County, they finally managed to corner the enemy leader, Bahana."

"In the battle, Brother Huchen took the lead, his long spear aimed straight for the old thief Bahana's head."

"The remaining Jurchen remnants that had been harassing the heart of Jiangnan in recent months have now been completely wiped out."

"His troops were overjoyed and immediately sent a messenger to report the good news."

"I suppose there's also an element of seeking reward based on merit."

The jinx is not one to hold back; when he gets close to Xiao Lang, he will speak his mind without reservation.

Moreover, the Duke usually made his own judgments in his dealings with others, and he would blurt out all of this at once. (End of this chapter)