She fell out after crying at the wrong grave

Kezhou, patrol camp.

"Master!" Early in the morning, Yun Cheng lifted the curtain of the patrol camp's tent and rushed in rashly, "We have found out the news about Yuanzhou."

Heng Zhiben was resting with his eyes closed, but he immediately opened his eyes when he heard the noise.

For several days in a row, he was busy without sleep because of the liquidation of the imperial court's spies and the collection of military supplies.

Originally, this was not a big deal. Which prefecture did not have the emperor's spies? But the war was imminent and the situation was becoming increasingly tense. Kezhou was on the border, and several defense facilities had gone wrong one after another. When human lives were at stake, drastic measures had to be taken to clean up the mess.

Although Hengzhi was busy with many things, he remembered that Ah-yi was supposed to write to him every three days. At most, he should have received news from her the day before yesterday. However, this letter had not arrived yet, so something must have happened.

Yun Cheng took a deep breath and continued to explain, "Something did happen in Yuanzhou. The magistrate of Qing County surrendered to the enemy. You Bei took over Qing County with a plan and closed the city gates to prevent anyone from entering or leaving. Even the sentries were removed, so the news could not be passed out. You Bei's soldiers disguised themselves in the clothes of Da Chong soldiers every day, pretending that nothing had happened and that the court was calm. They just treated it as calm."

The border between Qing County and Kezhou is separated by mountains, and the road is not easy to travel. The news, which was already difficult to spread, was even more blocked.

"I thought that was why the lady's letter was not delivered, so I went to inquire about it, but..."

Yun Cheng stopped talking halfway, looking hesitant.

"But she didn't send any message at all." Hengzhi's heart sank and even his voice became hoarse.

It didn't matter whether the court knew about it or not, but Qing County kept the news secret. If A'an hadn't been on the way, he wouldn't have wanted to get involved in the affairs of the court.

Thunder rumbled in the daytime and rain poured down. In an instant, the smell of earth filled the tent.

"If we want to investigate further, we have to go through Qing County. Our people didn't dare to alert the enemy, so we brought the news back first."

Hengzhi was silent for a long while before he raised his hand and slowly took off his armor. It seemed that by doing so, the thought that was pressing on his chest and making him almost breathless could dissipate.

Ah'an is not a careless person. If she suddenly stopped writing to me, it must be that something important had happened that prevented her from communicating.

The damp cool breeze blew on Hengzhi's shoulders, where he had taken off his armor and was only wearing a single layer of clothing. The dull pain from his old wounds was like a fire that grew stronger in the wind, forcing him to calm down.

"Master, is your old injury hurting again?" Yun Cheng saw that he unconsciously pressed his shoulder and asked immediately, "I'll go call a doctor right away!"

Rainy days are a good time for these old injuries to flare up. Hengzhi was training in the martial arts arena a few days ago, which injured his shoulder. He was restless and hadn't slept all night. If he looked like he was in pain, he must have been in pain for quite some time.

Yun Cheng blamed himself for not being careful enough and missing this point, and quickly retreated.

Hengzhi had no time to care about it.

Since leaving Kezhou, A'an has exchanged three letters with Hengzhi. Hengzhi can remember the contents of these letters after reading them only once.

If you want to calculate her exact location now, you need to start with these letters.

He quickly recalled every word of each letter. In the third letter, A'an wrote that they were temporarily staying in an inn in the wilderness, three days' journey from Wonju.

Three days.

He immediately stood up and looked at the map of the northern territory hanging behind him.

According to the route taken by Ah-yi and his companions, the places three days away from Yuanzhou are Qingxian and Longxian. Longxian is in the south and Qingxian is in the north. The former has undulating mountain roads, while the latter is flat and has many Gobi deserts.

When the letter was unfolded, there was a layer of dust on the inside of the envelope. From this, it can be seen that they must have taken the route to Qing County.

The inn in the wild must be outside the city. To the east of Qing County is the Wuling Mountain, with scattered forests, so there shouldn't be an inn. And to the west of Qing County is the Gobi Desert, which is exactly where the wind and sand are strong.

That means they have passed Qing County.

As long as you are not in Qing County, the chances of being safe and sound are always greater.

Hengzhi then breathed a sigh of relief, and his entire tense body relaxed.

The pain from the old wound came back almost instantly, forcing him to support his arms on the knife holder, half bend his body, close his eyes and breathe gently.

Before leaving, Ah-yi laughed at him and said he was like a young lady, and she tied a safety buckle solemnly around her waist. The pain radiating to the entire upper body kept torturing Heng-chi, making this scene replay in front of his eyes like a revolving lantern.

This day will come sooner or later, Hengzhi suddenly thought calmly.

The cold sweat on his back gradually soaked his clothes, and with the addition of the wind, the early summer of June suddenly turned into the depths of winter.

Sooner or later, there would be a day when he would go to the battlefield and Ah-yi would live in fear. Now it was just a few days earlier, and he had changed his position, so he had personally experienced the feeling of living in fear.

All night long, it was unsustainable.

Not long after, Yun Cheng and Chao Xu came into the tent with the doctor.

"Governor." Chao Xu saluted. Seeing Hengzhi's discomfort, he did not dare to ask more questions and directly reported his purpose. "Scouts report that the Youbei people are stationed in the northwest, and it seems that they are going to start from Yuanzhou." Chao Xu added, "In addition, there is a man who came from Yuanzhou to join the army. He is an acquaintance and is waiting outside the tent now." Chao Xu hesitated.

Kezhou and Yuanzhou had once jointly marched north during the Huishu era and repelled Youbei Baili. During this battle, there was a general under the command of Hengqi, who was in his prime and was extremely brave. Whether he was killing the enemy or arranging the battle array, he was famous in the north.

But after the war ended, Heng Qi gradually became indulgent and demented, and this man gradually disappeared. Occasionally, some people said that he died of an epidemic, but after a long time, no one cared about him anymore.

That's why Chao Xu was so shocked that he couldn't speak when he saw someone in front of the tent just now.

Hengzhi glanced at him. He came from Yuanzhou to Kezhou to join the army, so he was an acquaintance.

"Ask him in." He put on his half-removed clothes again. He endured the dull pain in his shoulder and couldn't help frowning. "Yun Cheng, ask the doctor to wait in the next tent and bring me a cup of strong tea."

After receiving the order, the few people all retreated quietly.

After a while, a ragged man came in through the curtain. The only thing on his body was a bunch of copper keys hanging around his waist, which made crisp sounds as he walked.

"I am Yuan Chengxin, a commoner, meeting the Governor." The stubble on his lips and jaw was growing wildly, and his bronze skin made him look strong. His sleeves were rolled up to his elbows, and his hands were clasped together, with a piece of cloth wrapped around his metacarpal bones, which was already very old.

Hengzhi looked at him and felt familiar, but he couldn't tell where he was familiar.

Yuan Chengxin smiled, throwing all his sense of propriety aside, "Young Master, I haven't seen you for many years. You have grown into such a handsome young man!"

"You are..." Heng Qi was not sure, "General Yuan Wei?"

"Yes, it's me!" Yuan Chengxin patted his chest, "I, Yuan, was once the deputy general under the late Lord. At that time, you were still a child. When I followed the army, I often held you in my arms."

He had just joined the army at that time, only fifteen years old, and was still a young man, with a foolish mind. When his wife was away, Heng Qi would often discuss matters with the military ministers for two or three hours, and there were no female officials around him. By accident, he learned a lot of skills in raising children.

But later on he had no time to get married, and he ran away in anger. He has been unemployed until now, and is still a country bumpkin.

Hengzhi looked at him, and memories of Yuan Chengxin emerged little by little in his mind.

Yuan Chengxin served as an adjutant beside Heng Qi for four years. Then he became famous in a breakout battle and was awarded the title of lieutenant. After that, he fought in several battles and became a general. Then he was never seen again.

Apart from standing guard with him in his arms, Hengzhi always remembered clearly the anecdotes about General Yuan Wei, who was said to have died young.

"I haven't heard of the general in these years. Rumor has it that he has died a long time ago. Seeing him again now seems like a lifetime ago."

It was even more sad to hear him introduce himself only as the deputy general of Hengqi. His former military achievements and glory were gone with the wind as he hid in the countryside.

Yuan Chengxin was a man who never coveted fame and fortune.

"I'm ashamed to say this." He lowered his head, his hands unconsciously clenched at his sides, "Back then, I didn't understand what the late Lord Marquis did, so I resigned in anger and left. If I had known that the Northern Barbarians were still ambitious, if I had stayed in the army, you wouldn't be without generals to use now, and you wouldn't have been dormant for several years."

While he was in the mountains of Yuanzhou, he often heard about Hengzhi's deeds.

After the previous marquis passed away, a group of old ministers relied on their seniority and the fact that they had followed Heng Qi for a long time, and they no longer took the young marquis who had just inherited the title seriously, and even had the intention of rebellion.

After that, they were in conflict with the imperial power, making it difficult for Kezhou to survive. After a few days of peace, Youbei people led their troops to invade again.

He watched Hengzhi grow up. Just now, he saw his followers come out and hurriedly call for a doctor, saying that an old injury had flared up and the pain was severe. It must have been a lot of suffering for him over the years.

He knew Heng Qi's character very well. He didn't love the late wife in the first place. If it weren't for this only son, he wouldn't care about the life or death of the young marquis.

Yuan Chengxin is a military commander and also a sharpened weapon. Now, it is time for him to unsheathe his weapon again.

Whether it's for the young marquis or for myself.

For the unfinished loyalty.

Yuan Chengxin's arrival solved the immediate problem, so it was natural to keep him.

"It is my honor to have General Wei's help."

Yuan Chengxin finally loosened his clenched hands, "It's just that I'm in a hurry. I sent a weapon to a young lady for self-defense on the way. I need to go to the city first to buy a suitable one. After repairing the appearance, come to the camp to report tomorrow!"

After he left, Chao Xu lifted the curtain and came in again.

Hengzhi's hand, which was taking off his clothes, paused again, "What's wrong now?" His tone was cold and impatient. He was physically and mentally exhausted, and his temper was even worse.

Chao Xu took a deep breath and said, "I forgot to report to the governor just now. Nine of the emperor's nails have been pulled out. There are only a few left in the city. They are all merchants. There was no time to arrest them. They set fire to East Street and ran away."

More than half of East Street was burned. There were shops made of wood all over, and they would catch fire at the slightest spark.

"East Street, uh, the madam's shop was right next to a tavern, and all of its items were paper-made and flammable, so it was also... burned." His voice became increasingly low as he spoke.

Chao Xu did not dare to look up. He could only hear his master at the table breathing heavily, and it took him a long time to catch his breath.

It took him a long while to raise his head. When he looked again, he saw the handsome man with his fist against his forehead, looking helpless. It actually looked more difficult than the difficult military affairs.

The lady was lost on the road, her shop was burned down, and her old injury recurred. Everyone knows to be alert and avoid the master's anger. "Don't worry, Governor, no one was injured. I will ask Zhang Hai, the head of the Chamber of Commerce in East Street, for the rest of the matter, and he will handle it properly."

What kind of trivial matters need to be decided by Laodong Zhaohou? There are none at all!

"I will call a doctor for you right away."

It is true that good fortune never comes alone, and misfortune never comes singly.

(End of this chapter)