Sui and Tang Dynasty Generals

Chapter 48 Cold Night

Late at night.

In the Fu family's house, Aweng, Old Liu, Fu Rui, Zhang, Tao and others gathered around the stove, listening to the whistling cold wind outside and eating hot meals in their hands.

"I heard that before dark, all the prisoners in Xin County were taken out of the city, apparently to be sent to Qinghe County. I don't know who is so bold. If a mutiny among the prisoners occurs, I'm afraid they will lose their heads..."

Zhang drank the hot soup and said to Tao and Tai.

"Fortunately, the Li Mansion has been busy these days and has no time for lectures, so Zhier and his grandson's wife don't have to go to the Li Mansion!"

Aong nodded.

Tao and Fu Rui also heard about the conscription of prisoners in the city, but fortunately it had nothing to do with civilians like them. Zihou was taking care of his good friend at Li's house, and their family was warming themselves by the fire and eating hot meals in their bowls.

Inside Li's Mansion in Xin County.

In the main hall, under the candlelight, behind the wooden tables.

The five elders of the Cui family, Cui Hebo, Cui Jingong, Cui Xiwen, Cui Yunying, and Cui Yunzhong, were all discussing with each other how to talk to Zhang Jincheng.

The Qinghe Cui clan's members were spread all over the world, and the five of them were all members of the Cui clan who stayed in Bohai County and Pingyuan County in Hebei.

Upon learning that Zhang Jin planned to attack Qinghe County, he hurried to Xin County to discuss the matter.

"The news should have spread to the north. Yang Yichen, the Left Guanglu Doctor, has led the Sui army southward. But now, Qinghe County is likely to be lost..."

"Zhang Jincheng is a crazy man. Since he wants to kill Yang Shanhui, I'm afraid he no longer takes the Hongnong Yang family seriously. If we, the Qinghe Cui family, don't find a way to protect ourselves, I'm afraid we will also be killed by Zhang Jincheng..."

Amid the discussions, maids from the Li residence quickly brought up plates of food. However, the elders like the Cui family had no appetite at all.

In the guest room, Li Qiong brought food to Cui Wenjin and looked at Cui Wenjin who looked haggard.

"Wenjin, eat some!"

Li Qiong advised, taking the hot food out of the wooden tray and placing it on the table.

"I can't eat. Is there any news from outside?"

Cui Wenjin raised her tired face and looked at Li Qiong.

"I heard that the prisoners in Xin County have been recruited and divided into two groups to rush to Qinghe to help overnight!"

Li Qiong said to Cui Wenjin.

This incident caused quite a stir in the yard. Everyone was curious about who had the courage to send prisoners to the battlefield like they did decades ago.

Li Qiong had also read some superficial military books and knew that using prisoners, and using them well, could make famous generals invincible, just like Zhang Han of the Qin Dynasty, but...

The vast majority of them were a loose and disorganized group. From the records Li Qiong had read, they basically collapsed at the first touch.

However, Li Qiong would naturally not tell Cui Wenjin about these recorded things.

"prisoner?"

When Cui Wenjin heard what Li Qiong said, he did not expect that prisoners would be used in Xin County. Looking at his unconscious brother, Cui Wenjin sighed.

At this moment, Cui Wenjin suddenly thought of the liar and quickly looked at Li Qiong.

"Do you know who the leader is?"

Cui Wenjin asked.

"I heard that they are both Zhou Zhubu's confidants, one is called Zhang Wen, the other is called Ji Li!"

Li Qiong looked at Cui Wenjin and told him everything she knew.

"Don't worry, Wen Jin, you must have seen that Zhou Zhubu! I heard that Zhou Zhubu had received a favor from Cui, so since Qinghe County was besieged, Zhou Zhubu has been recruiting men day and night, running around. Even the order to call up prisoners was not given by County Magistrate Wang, but by Zhou Zhubu himself!"

Li Qiong assured Cui Wenjin.

"Ok!"

Cui Wenjin naturally knew Zhou Zhubu. Because of her impulsive temper, she had often beaten up shrews or ignorant scoundrels she encountered in Xin County, and even drew her sword to injure them. And every time, it was her brother who took her to see Zhou Zhubu.

However, unlike what Li Qiong thought, Cui Wenjin seemed relieved when he heard Li Qiong's words, but there was a hint of disappointment and self-mockery in his eyes.

Liar, it’s indeed a liar!

It's a pity that she is still worried about the liar and has been regretting and blaming herself.

Thinking about how the swindler had taken his sword and even his brother's ID card, Cui Wenjin thought that he was going to Zhou Zhubu to ask for people and was preparing to go to Qinghe County to lift the siege of Qinghe County.

He really is still as fond of lying as before. Perhaps when the news of Qinghe County's fall comes tomorrow, he will come back to him and act out a sad drama, revealing a look of regret or remorse in front of him and the elders of the Cui family.

"Wenjin, what's wrong?"

Li Qiong noticed Cui Wenjin's strangeness and asked with a frown.

"fine!"

Cui Wenjin shook his head and said nothing.

Thinking about how many people had died outside Qinghe County, she did not resent Fu Zihou for deceiving her.

As for the matter of Fu Zihou, Cui Wenjin didn't want to tell Li Qiong about it. At least Fu Zihou gave her a moment of deep emotion.

As for the sword and his brother's ID card, Cui Wenjin was not worried because he was Li Cha's fiancé and the grandson-in-law of the Li family.

Although he likes to lie, it can be seen from his first scam that he still has a bottom line and is not so bad that he is hopeless.

While Cui Wenjin was thinking, he suddenly heard a cough beside him. He turned around and saw his brother coughing and slowly opening his eyes.

Seeing this scene, Cui Wenjin cried with joy, and quickly stood up and came to his brother's side.

"Brother, you finally woke up, brother, wuwuwu, brother!!" Cui Wenjin looked at his brother excitedly, and seeing that his brother's lips were dry, he hurried to the side to get water for his brother.

In the room, Li Qiong saw that Cui Yuzhe had woken up, so he turned and left, and told the servant to call a doctor.

the other side.

In the city of Xin County, in a small house, Gao Shining stood in front of the door with an angry look on his face.

Behind Gao Shining, Gao Shining's wife Xiao, and Changsun Wuji and his mother and daughter, all dared not say a word.

"The Li family is too bullying! Let a lowly person…"

Gao Shining said angrily.

Gao Jin and Gao Luxing also fell silent at this moment. They did not expect that the young man they met today was actually the son of a merchant.

Merchants had the same low status as slaves, pariahs, and prostitutes, but the Li family actually betrothed Li Cha to the son of a merchant. Moreover, Li Jingjie had been hiding this matter for all these years.

If they hadn't heard those scholars talking today, they would probably have been kept in the dark forever.

"Uncle, but Cai'er doesn't mind. What's more, the Fu family's son treats Cai'er..."

Guanyinbi thought about it and couldn't help but speak. After all, she could see today that when Li Cai mentioned the young man of the Fu family, the look in her eyes showed that she liked the young man.

And the young man obviously treated Li Cha sincerely and did not mind Li Cha's disability.

"Shut up, I!"

Gao Shining looked at Guanyinbi angrily.

Guanyinbi was frightened. She rarely saw her uncle so angry and glaring at her.

Gao Shining's sister Gao quickly grabbed her daughter's hand, and Changsun Wuji on the side quickly looked at his sister and signaled her not to speak anymore.

"You are not allowed to have any dealings with the Li family in the future, and no one from the Li family is allowed to step into the threshold of my Gao family! And Li Cai, that bastard from the Fu family!"

Gao Shining looked at everyone and shouted angrily, his old eyes had a scary look in them.

Seeing Guanyinbi's calm expression, as if she was holding back, and her expression clearly opposing him, Gao Shining's old face was full of anger. If he didn't respect her deceased father Changsun Sheng, and also took into consideration her husband's family, the Li family, Gao Shining would have wanted to teach this niece a lesson himself.

At the moment, Gao Shining has also strictly ordered that no one else is allowed to have any contact with the Li family in the future.

"Sir, there is someone outside the door claiming to be Lord Dou, and he wants to see you!"

At this time, the servant came hurriedly and reported to Gao Shining.

When Gao Shining heard this and learned that it was Dou Jiande who wanted to see him, his expression quickly relaxed. He then looked at his son Gao Jin and asked Gao Jin to go with him to meet Dou Jiande.

"Little sister, why are you talking? Uncle is obviously angry. Not to mention you, even if Li Cha's mother were still alive, I'm afraid that if Uncle knew about it, he would cut off all ties with his own daughter! So as not to bring disgrace to the family!"

Changsun Wuji watched his uncle and cousin leave before he breathed a sigh of relief and looked at his younger sister helplessly. His younger sister was good in every way except that she was too stubborn. Once she made up her mind, no one could stop her.

Don’t be fooled by her amiable and easy-going appearance in the past. Once she gets angry, even Shimin says that his younger sister is more stubborn than him.

What's more, it is a fact that Fu Zihou was indeed the son of a merchant.

My uncle was born into a prominent Bohai family, the Gao family. When he was young, he experienced the Northern Qi and Northern Zhou dynasties, and then the Sui Dynasty. Now he is almost sixty years old, and he attaches great importance to family background. After all, Li Cai is my uncle's granddaughter.

It would be strange if the uncle wasn't angry when Gao's granddaughter married the son of a merchant!
If he had not been concerned about the Cui family members in Li's house and was afraid of being embarrassed, he would probably have smashed the cup and turned against Li Jingjie in person.

"But Li Cha likes the young master of the Fu family, and the young master of the Fu family doesn't mind Li Cha's disability! You are afraid of your uncle, but I am not."

After Guanyinbi finished speaking, she looked at her brother and left the house.

Changsun Wuji and Gao Luxing looked at each other and sighed helplessly. They both knew that Guanyinbi's stubborn temper had come out and no one could persuade her!
They didn't dare to go to Li's house, but they dared to guarantee that Guanyinbi would definitely go to see Li Cha again.

.....................

On a cold winter night.

On the cold surface of the river, dark shadows were walking forward in the darkness.

A biting cold wind blew, and there was not a single torch on the entire river surface. All figures relied on the moonlight reflected on the ice to identify the direction and walked forward silently.

Along the way, many soldiers wearing wooden feet fell down, but apart from faint groans, the soldiers would continue to move forward after getting up, and no one stopped.

Most of the soldiers are people with concerns. For them, the concerns and obsessions in their hearts are the driving force that supports them to move forward, no matter how cold the weather is or how long the road is.

Among the remaining small number of soldiers, most of them have families in Qinghe County, which is why even if they were defeated and saved their lives, they still wanted to return to Qinghe County.

"Sir, Qinghe County is not far ahead!"

Xiong Ruixiang quickly came to Fu Zihou to report.

Because he worked as a boatman when he was young, he was very familiar with the river passing through Qinghe County. Even in the dark, he could judge roughly how far it was.

"Go to the other side of the river to rest! Let everyone get some rest!"

Fu Zihou gave the order softly. They had already bypassed Zhangnan and Wucheng under the cover of night. What remained was to raid Qinghe County at daybreak. Before that, the army had to rest for a while.

"Yes!"

Hearing Fu Zihou's words, Xiong Ruixiang, who was familiar with the terrain, hurriedly led his soldiers to find a place.

Fu Zihou looked back at the endless stream of soldiers, and then looked back in the direction of Qinghe County. Thinking of the surprise attack on Qinghe County at dawn, his eyes were full of solemnity.

What Fu Zihou can do now is the best. He recalls that his teacher once used insect meat to continuously lure and separate the troops of his own ants, thus leaving vacancies in the troops of his own ants on the battlefield.

Now that the insect meat has been put away, what remains is to test my vision in selecting people and my ability to lead troops on the battlefield tomorrow.

　Note: The Pre-Qin, Three Kingdoms, and Jin books all have records that on the ice, not only do people have wooden feet that allow them to move quickly on the ice, but horses also have wooden feet to prevent collapse. The Sui book also records riding on wood on the ice, and in the north there are even bamboo horses walking on the ice.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)