Xu Da's words in the backyard after drinking did not enter a third person's ears. Zhu Di even buried them deep in his heart. On one hand, he was his father-in-law, and on the other hand, he was his own father. He'd better just be honest and do his job as the King of Yan.

  On the other hand, Xu Sheng found Zhang Feng here

  "Zhang, tomorrow I'll be heading back to the capital. Are you really not going with me? If you just nod your head, I'll immediately go speak with General Yuan." Xu Sheng continued to persuade Zhang Feng.

  "No, big brother, you also saw that I have my sister, comrades and family feud here. If I become the national duke's house general again and head north, it will be a long time before I can return." Zhang Feng hugged the small bottle and smiled as he declined. He could see that Xu Sheng was genuinely inviting him, but things often don't go as smoothly as one wishes.

  The next morning, Xu Da set off southward with his reluctant grandsons Xu Xie and Xu Zengshou after a warm farewell with his own grandchildren. Tang He naturally followed them back to the capital. The two Dukes who were still mighty military commanders four months ago quietly left Beiping City with their personal guards...

  "General! The three-day rest order given by General Xu has not yet passed, are we to gather the soldiers back now?" The deputy general said with a bow.

  "No need, General Blue Jade has not arrived yet. Moreover, although the Duke of Wei has resigned as the commander-in-chief, his military order has already been issued, and I naturally will not withdraw the command. After three days, the soldiers will return to their camp." Fu Youde said with a smile from his seat.

  "Agreed!" The deputy general responded and retreated.

  Fu Youde sat alone in the tent, looking at the decorations of the four-way commander's tent, especially the position under the marshal's seat, where he had just been sitting as the vanguard of the Northern Expeditionary Army Eastern Route not long ago. Now, with a change of fate, he was sitting in the commander's seat that he had always dreamed of.

  Leading an army of 300,000, this honor was previously only available to a few national dukes, but now Fu Youde, the Marquis of Yingchuan, has also taken this seat. For this, he waited for many years and served as deputy general for many years before reaching his current position.

  He thought his own merits and achievements were slightly inferior to those of Xu Da, Chang Yuchun and others, but that was because heaven did not give him the opportunity. Being a deputy general could not compare with being the commander-in-chief in terms of merit. Now that the Emperor had given him this chance, how could he not be excited? The southern expedition to Yunnan and Guizhou to pacify Prince of Liang, Fu Youde clenched his fists, gathering momentum for the impending battle.

  This time he must let the world see that this great Ming dynasty is not only Xu Da who can fight, I Fu Yongde is also a famous general, when pacifying Yunnan and Guizhou, it was my day to be promoted and titled as Duke...

  On the official road fifty miles outside of Beijing City, a group of horsemen were galloping along.

  "General! The Beiping City is not far ahead, now the sky is getting dark, I think we should get off the horse and rest for a while, it won't make a difference in just a short moment. Besides, we've been rushing on horseback for three consecutive days, even if we can endure it, the horses are almost exhausted."

  "No! Speed up, I must reach the city of Beiping before tonight! I, Lan Yu, have never been late for a military appointment!" The one who spoke was none other than Lan Yu, who had rushed from the northwest border defense on horseback.

  He immediately took over the defense as soon as he received the order, leading his own guards from the northwest of the Great Wall to rush to the outside of Beiping City. Although they rushed overnight, they still delayed for a day. He sent a message saying that he would arrive before tonight, but now the moon is already out, and they are still 50 miles away from Beiping City. This made Lan Yu, who was always proud, unbearable, even if it meant rushing through the night, he had to arrive at Beiping City today.

  "General! It's getting late and the North Ping City gate has already closed. Even if we arrive now, they won't open the gate for us!" Blue Jade's personal guard, Song Qian, advised.

  "There's no need to say more, since we can't enter the city of Beiping, let's just go directly to the military camp. It will also save us from going through formalities with Zhu Di that little brat. Isn't it better for the army to set off immediately?"

  "This..." Song Qian smiled wryly and didn't try to dissuade him, the general's temperament was just so stubborn, once he made up his mind about something, no one could persuade him otherwise. In the past, General Chang had been able to talk some sense into him, but since General Chang passed away, apart from imperial decrees, he wouldn't listen to anyone else.

  "Drive!" Watching Blue Jade run faster and faster, Song Qian could only grit his teeth and chase after her.

  The three-day holiday had not yet passed, and more than half of the soldiers were still in the city and had not returned to their camps. The remaining soldiers who stayed behind were also lazy and chatting with each other, and since they were in the heartland of the Ming Dynasty, they relaxed as well.

  Just then, Lan Yu led his men to rush over. The soldiers on the watchtower suddenly discovered that a team of cavalry was approaching the camp. He hastily blew the horn, and the guards grabbed their weapons and waited in array. The bows and arrows on the wall were also ready to be fired. If there was a breach of the camp, these gatekeepers would lose their heads one by one.

  "Halt! Come no closer or we'll fire!" a sentry officer shouted loudly.

  Lan Yu stopped her horse and was just a hoof's breadth away from the designated boundary.

  "Marquis Yongchang Lan Yu has entered the camp with an imperial edict! The seal is here!" Song Qian, who was a step slower, hastily rushed over and shouted.

  After the verification, Lan Yu and others were allowed to enter the camp. Fu Youde even brought people to welcome him. After meeting, they didn't waste any words and confirmed the time for the Japanese army to set off southward the next day.

  At this time Zhang Feng was still with the Niu family accompanying Xiao Ping'er, these two days he took Xiao Ping'er to have a good time playing in Beijing, making Ping'er extremely happy.

  But Xiao Liu Zi was still in the boudoir with the little butterfly girl from Chun Feng Ge, and no one knew what they were doing inside. Even Chen Hua, who paid for Liu Zi's expenses, was confused, wondering if the two of them were really just eating mantou in Chun Feng Ge?

  Ma Cheng and the others drank for two days and returned to the camp early, sleeping soundly. Lao Gu, on the other hand, did not enter the city and instead sat alone in the horse shed, communicating with Meng Shan. Xu Sheng had originally planned to take Meng Shan back to heaven, but unfortunately, Meng Shan had promised Zhang Fen that he would send him a good horse, so he could only continue to stay in the army.

  Everyone has their own fun, everyone has their own tricks. Tens of thousands of soldiers poured into the city of Beiping, and the pleasure was for the brothels, wine shops, and merchants' stores everywhere. The bitterness was for the government offices of Beiping. Soldiers are fond of fighting and have a bad temper, conflicts and quarrels are inevitable, and maintaining law and order is a very difficult thing...

  Zhu Dian did not recall his Zhong Huwei, and Fu Youde also didn't mention stripping away the Zhong Huwei. The two sides had a tacit understanding and did not bring up this matter. Tang Yun naturally wouldn't raise any objections without receiving an order from his own king, so after the three-day period was over, Zhang Feng naturally returned to the main camp of the Northern Expedition Army. The Yan Shan Zhong Huwei still belonged to the army's formation, it just needed to change its name from Northern Expedition Army to Southern Expedition Army.

  After the number of soldiers was cleared, Fu Youde formally ordered the army to start marching south. This news came suddenly, but following orders is paramount. If you are told to go south, then you must go south. The 300,000-strong army set off immediately.

  Only Zhang Feng felt slightly uneasy, this command came so hastily, he thought that after the Northern Expedition would stop, but unexpectedly it was to continue fighting again, and before he could say goodbye to Ping'er, now he can only hope that Niu Yeye and his wife can comfort Ping'er...

  Complete works txt download, full text free, e-book, remember 77 reading books