The Grandmaster Strategist

Duan Wudi's grandfather served in the army for several generations. When Wudi was young, he had a talent for military strategy. He joined the army at fifteen and became a guard of the imperial army at the age of twenty. At that time, there was a wealthy family in Jinyang, the He family. He was an important minister of the previous lord. He was domineering and invincible, but he offended his family and was demoted to Daizhou to guard the border. The He family did not give up and sent assassins to kill him. Fortunately, Duan escaped from the disaster. When he arrived at Daizhou, he was favored by Lin Yuanting and recommended to the Qinzhou Army. Later he became a famous general under Long Tingfei, named Panshi General. He was good at defense. Whenever Long Tingfei went on an expedition, he always guarded him with Duan Wudi.

——"The Biography of Duan Wudi in Northern Han Dynasty"

Qiu Yufei looked indifferent and stood with his hands behind his back. Ling Duan's eyes shone with admiration. Although Duan Wudi had not removed his shackles, he got out of the prison car. The three of them stood under the dead trees on the roadside. Shi Jun and others were driven out Don't get closer than a hundred steps away.

Duan Wudi looked calm, as if he didn't care about the shackles, but Qiu Yufei could faintly see the pain and grievance that he didn't want others to know from the depths of his eyes. He sighed softly and said: "General Duan has always been respected by everyone, and General Long also regards the general as his right-hand man. Why did he order the detention of the general? General, you might as well tell me frankly, and I will try to get justice for the general."

Ling Duan said quickly: "Yes, General Duan, General Tan respected you very much when he was alive. If the general were alive, he would definitely not sit back and watch you suffer injustice. Although the villain has little power, he will never watch you being framed. .”

Duan Wudi sighed softly and said: "Duan only treated General Tan fairly in the past, but I didn't expect that General Tan would be so respectful. Duan is ashamed and cannot deserve it."

Ling Duan said sternly: "The general was seriously injured that day, and our army was quite marginalized. General, you not only did not add insult to injury, but also sent extra money and food many times. The general once said, General Duan, you can be trusted with life and death. Ling Duan is the one who fights hard." Even if I risk my life, I don’t want to see the general suffer.”

Duan Wudi smiled bitterly and said: "General Tan is ridiculous. To be fair, Duan deserves it this time. Duan committed a serious crime of colluding with businessmen, smuggling goods, and making huge profits from it. He was caught by Flying Tiger General Shi Ying a few days ago. , so I requested a military order to take me to the Central Army for punishment."

Qiu Yufei's expression changed. He never expected that Duan Wudi, who was usually upright, respectful, innocent and upright, would commit such a crime of bribery. Such a crime, at the least, would be a violation of military regulations, and at the worst, it would be corruption and perversion of the law. It is said to be a grave sin of treason. The goods that need to be smuggled through Duan Wudi must come from Dayong or the East China Sea. The ruler of the Northern Han Dynasty has strict orders to control the border. Except for a few business travelers, others are not allowed to trade with the East China Sea without authorization. Trading with Dayong is the same as treason.

Qiu Yufei was angry and was about to reprimand Duan Wudi, but saw that his expression was calm and showed no trace of guilt. He couldn't help but asked, "Has General Duan been framed?" Duan Wudi said calmly: "No. Duan has been framed, and Duan doesn't have to admit it. Since three years ago, Duan has handled smuggling fourteen times and received 600,000 yuan in silver. The goods seized by General Shi this time are worth 300,000, and Duan can make a profit of 100,000. "

Qiu Yufei's heart was filled with rage, but strangely, when he saw Duan Wudi's eyes that were as clear as a mirror and as deep as a cold abyss, Qiu Yufei couldn't believe that this man would be a corrupt general who ignored national laws and military regulations. . He took a deep breath and said: "General Duan no longer needs to test Qiu. Qiu believes that what the general did must be out of necessity."

Duan Wudi's eyes flashed with light and he said with a smile: "The Fourth Young Master is a disciple of the Imperial Master. Although the Imperial Master's disciples are very strict and the Young Master has suffered a lot, how could the Young Master know the hardships of ordinary soldiers? Our army has fought with Dayong for many years. There have been countless casualties in battles. Although there have been more victories than defeats in recent years, Dayong's country has become increasingly prosperous, but our country has become more and more difficult. Young master must not know that since six years ago, our army's food and salary have been insufficient. We can get half of it. It is rare. After a soldier is seriously injured and disabled, it is difficult to get pension, so there is a saying in the army that it is better to die on the battlefield than to become a cripple."

Qiu Yufei was shocked. Although he was born in a humble background, he was adopted by the Demon Sect since he was a child. Compared with several senior brothers, he could be said to have not encountered too many hardships.

Later, several senior brothers either presided over the affairs of the Demon Sect or entered the military. Only he played the piano and practiced martial arts all day long and never involved in these important military and political affairs. How could he know that the national affairs of the Northern Han Dynasty had become so difficult. His eyes fell on Ling Duan, and he saw a faint sadness on his face, an expression of empathy.

Ling Duan saw Qiu Yufei's questioning eyes and whispered: "Fourth Master, what General Duan said is true. When my two brothers joined the army to serve the country, I was not allowed to join them. They all said they hoped that I could When you start a family and start a business, don't give up the Ling family cigarettes. However, after my two brothers died in the war, the pension was very small and the family had no food left. I relied on my martial arts skills to join the army. Although I joined the army to kill the enemy because I wanted to avenge my brothers, but I was really unable to make a living. If it weren’t for General Tan’s mercy, how could I have become the general’s personal guard at such a young age, and later he was promoted by the general and became a member of the Ghost Cavalry. Fourth Master, after fighting for so many years, who is not like this? So we are all looking forward to capturing Zezhou. Since Zezhou has continuous fertile soil, we can rely on military camps to support our families. Paoze, who was seriously injured and disabled, can also have a place to stay, and there is no need to commit suicide for fear of harming his family. Qinzhou, It’s so barren.”

Duan Wudi turned away, but when Qiu Yufei saw him turning back, his tears fell into the dust. Qiu Yufei was speechless. He had never thought that those soldiers who fought desperately without caring about their own lives would endure such suffering. , Compared to them, being free and lonely is nothing. He calmed down and said, "Is it possible that what General Duan did was just for these soldiers?"

Duan Wudi forced a smile and said: "In order to make up for the shortage of military pay, the general ordered the soldiers to plunder in Zezhou. However, Duan's troops have been defending in the rear all year round and cannot get such benefits. In addition, in the past two years, our army has been very It was difficult to gain anything, so as a last resort, I colluded with giant businessmen to smuggle goods, firstly to get cheap military supplies from them, and secondly to ask for heavy sums of money to make up for the gap in military pay. Although this matter violated national laws and military regulations, Duan couldn't care less."

Ling Duan suddenly trembled. He followed Tan Ji. He vaguely knew that Tan Ji was seriously injured and could not lead the army in the past two years. The army was short of food and pay. This was also an important reason for the rift between Tan Ji's subordinates and Quartz's subordinates who replaced Tan Ji on the expedition. , Ling Duan remembered that the general could always get some unexplained money in time to distribute to the soldiers, or to provide compensation for the disabled. Could it be that the general was also involved in Duan Wudi's smuggling? Duan Wudi looked at Duan Wudi with doubtful eyes. Duan Wudi understood it, but pretended not to see it. In fact, although Duan Wudi tried his best to conceal the smuggling, there were still people who knew about it. Tan Ji was one of them, and he had sent his cronies to help Duan Wudi. Because it is always difficult for Tan Ji's subordinates to get even 30% of their military pay. Even Long Tingfei may not be unaware of this smuggling matter, but they are just pretending to be deaf and dumb. Probably only Shi Ying, a straight-faced person, doesn't know about it. But now that the matter was over, Duan Wudi would not implicate anyone else, so he turned a blind eye to Ling Duan's suspicions.

Qiu Yufei also thought of this. His senior brother Xiao Tong is responsible for supervision in the military. If he didn't know anything about this kind of thing, wouldn't it be extremely incompetent? If Xiao Tong knew, Long Tingfei must also know, but this time Shi Ying When this matter was suddenly exposed, even Long Tingfei had no choice but to imprison Duan Wudi. This kind of thing can only be understood but cannot be explained. If it was spread that Long Tingfei supported smuggling, the upright ministers in the DPRK would definitely impeach and reprimand him. But if Long Tingfei wants to stay out of the matter, Duan Wudi needs to be the scapegoat. After thinking about this, Qiu Yufei looked at Duan Wudi, his eyes full of helplessness, and said: "General Duan, I'm afraid it's hard for me to plead for mercy on this matter. In fact, the general has no choice. If he explains his difficulties to the general, the general will also Understand, the general can also perform meritorious service for his crimes."

Duan Wudi understood the meaning of Qiu Yufei's words. Long Tingfei felt guilty, so naturally he would not commit more crimes. However, since Long Tingfei's reputation has been damaged, the morale of the Northern Han army must be shaken. He shook his head and said: "Four Young Master, the general only said this in front of you. When he reaches the middle army, the general can only admit that he is corrupt and bribery. When the time comes, the general will have no choice but to behead or imprison Invincible in order to strictly enforce military regulations. Invincible is not greed for life and fear of death. These few Over the past few years, General Su and General Tan have died for their country one after another. Being invincible is not arrogant. If I hadn't defended Qinzhou, the pressure on the general would have been too great. If the young master reported it to the imperial master and begged the general to spare the life of invincible, in this way, although Invincible will have to suffer some criticism, but firstly it does not harm the general's fairness and integrity, and secondly it does not harm the morale of the army. Even if the general is demoted to a soldier, Invincible will never complain."

Qiu Yufei felt a pain in his heart and said: "Yu Fei admires General Duan's loyalty. General, please rest assured. I will not embarrass the general, nor let General Duan bear such a crime. I will go to the court right away." Fei, save your life first, and then ask the master to come and plead for mercy. In fact, I think the general may also try to forgive your sins, he is not a ruthless person."

Duan Wudi sighed: "The general has always strictly enforced military laws. I don't want him to be stigmatized. Even if he is tortured to death, he will not complain."

Qiu Yufei felt sad, but then he thought about it and said, "What happened to Quartz? The military should be tacit about this kind of thing. How could he openly embarrass you and publicize this matter? Even the general would never Wouldn’t be happy if he did that.”

Duan Wudi said with a helpless smile: "The general doesn't understand this matter either. Although General Shi and I don't have a close relationship, we have been friends for many years and have no old grudges. A few days ago, I invited the general to have a drink at Feiyan Tower, but since then After that, General Shi suddenly made sarcastic remarks to the general, and this time he suddenly attacked again. He led his cronies to intercept the caravan and captured the bodyguards of the general. Then he complained directly to the general. The general sent an order to summon me to the center The army questioned the crime, and the general only brought a few personal guards to the camp. Unexpectedly, Shi Jun suddenly arrived and said that the general wanted to escape privately. He put the general in shackles and put him in a prison car. The general did not understand why General Shi Although General Shi is straightforward in doing this, isn't he such an unreasonable person?"

Qiu Yufei could tell that Duan Wudi's tone was a little weird when he mentioned Feiyan Tower. He wrote down this matter and thought to himself, I'll ask Senior Brother Xiao, he will definitely understand the connection. Thinking of this, he said: " In this case, General Duan, please hold off for now while I take Ling Duan to take a step forward to see if we can resolve this matter."

Duan Wudi said happily: "Whether it succeeds or not, I will always thank Fourth Young Master for his kindness."

Qiu Yufei turned around and left, mounted his horse and ran directly to Qinzhou City. His face was as cold as ice, and he was very confused in his heart. Why did Shi Ying and Duan Wudi suddenly have an internal conflict? He was vaguely aware that there must be a conspiracy. Maybe it was a Da Yong spy. ghost. Qiu Yufei's mind was spinning, and he carefully recalled what he saw and heard in Zezhou. At that time, he was focused on assassinating Jiang Zhe. Although he heard some things, Jiang Zhe and others' words were vague. Secondly, he had no idea about Qinzhou's military situation. It's not very clear, so it's just like the wind blowing through your ears, leaving no trace. Now that I think about it, there is something unusual. Before his assassination that day, King Li Xian of Qi had written a letter saying that there was an urgent military situation. But now that the two sides were facing each other in ice and snow, it was impossible to fight. What military situation could be so urgent? Suddenly, Qiu Yufei had a thought in his mind. According to the time calculation, around the time of his assassination, Shi Ying's attitude changed drastically. Could it be that the matter was investigated by Yong Jun, or maybe it was related to Yong Jun's instigation of discord.

As soon as this idea came up, it suddenly flourished like wildfire and could not be contained. Qiu Yufei recalled what Ling Duan had told him. Li Hu was taken away. It was said that all the captured sergeants who followed Shi Ying to intercept King Qi and Jiang Zhe were killed. Kill, Ling Duan once heard the saying of annihilating a mouth. What kind of mouth is this? Could it be that the quartz has changed? Thinking of this, Qiu Yufei could no longer hide the horror in his heart, and added another whip. He must rush to Long Tingfei. Explaining this matter, although he didn't understand it very well, it related to two generals and had to be handled with caution.

"The early morning wind blows away the snow in the middle of the night, and the beautiful soul is still in love with the peach blossom moon. Don't wake up from a good dream, let him do it for his own good. Listen to the corner painting for no reason, and the red ice is thin beside the pillow. The horse neighs, and the remaining stars flicker the banner."

In the Feiyan Tower, the most famous fireworks resort in Qinzhou City, there are many guests in the hall, including wealthy businessmen and nobles, as well as literati and warriors. The most common ones are military generals in casual clothes. Pipa, singing loudly, although she is just a weak woman, her voice is like gold and stone, and the sound is as clear as ice when it falls to the ground. Everyone was ecstatic after hearing this.

Qinzhou is where the generals garrison, and naturally there are many generals. Feiyan Tower is the most popular place in Qinzhou. Those who can enter this building are senior generals or other nobles. At this moment, the singing girl is playing and singing in the hall. Her name is Qing Dai. She came to Qinzhou a few months ago and chose Feiyan Tower as a resident singer. This Qingdai girl is already in her prime, with a pretty face and long eyebrows. Even when singing, her expression is as cold as ice. After the song ends, she never asks for rewards in many ways, and she always chats with others. After chatting for a few words, his temperament is even more aloof and noble, making people dare not commit blasphemy. She is a famous singer in the Northern Han Dynasty. She has a clear singing voice, is good at singing famous songs, and is famous for her pipa skills. She travels everywhere and moves the whole city wherever she goes. What makes this woman unique is that she is proficient in swordsmanship. She wears a long sword and carries a pipa on her back. She walks alone and does her art rather than selling her body. If a libertine or a powerful person wants to be frivolous, this woman is also proud and unyielding. She has injured several people with her sword. , many people in the government sympathized with her for her noble character, and there were many subordinates to care for her, so she was not convicted and imprisoned. Qingdai's life experience is unknown. Some people say that this girl was originally the daughter of a noble family. After the collapse of her family, she did not want to be a maid or concubine, but would rather make a living by singing, so people respected her.

When the song ended, there was thunderous applause in the hall. Qingdai bowed to everyone, hugged the pipa and left. She always left the hall after the song ended. After leaving the hall, Qingdai put the pipa in her bag. A maid sent by Feiyan Tower to serve Qingdai took the pipa and whispered: "Sister Dai, General Shi is waiting for you in the small hall. You can go over." Qingdai nodded. , said coldly: "I'll go there after taking off my makeup." The maid quickly ordered another little maid, and then served Qingdai back to her residence. Qingdai has an outstanding singing voice and is famous, so Feiyan Tower specially prepared a small building as her residence. Because Qingdai is a solitary person, the small building is located in a remote place to avoid being disturbed by others. After Qingdai went upstairs, she took off her heavy makeup in front of the bronze mirror. The maid had already prepared hot water. After taking a bath, she put on a green brocade fur coat, took out a golden walking stick from the jewelry box and put it on, wearing it for the first time. No more ornaments. She took the red cloak handed to her by the maid, put it on, and walked out. The maid quickly followed her with her lute in hand. After walking across a stone bridge, there is a gorgeous flower hall shaded by green pines and cypresses. There were four men standing in front of the hall. Although they were also wearing casual clothes, just looking at their posture and demeanor, you could tell that they were warriors in the army. Seeing Qingdai coming over, the four of them all nodded in courtesy, Qingdai also gently put on her clothes, then opened the door and walked into the flower hall.

This flower hall is about several feet in diameter and is very spacious and bright. As soon as you enter the door, you can see a heated kang covered with red felt. There is a mahogany kang table on the heated kang. There are wine and food on the table and a large table on the floor. The stove and the chimney lead to the outside of the hall. There is a copper pot filled with wine on the stove, and the bottom of the stove is connected to the heated Kang. While warming the wine, the heated Kang is heated. The room is as warm as spring. Quartz sits on the Kang and drinks. , two maids, one scalding wine, the other serving dishes, a cloak and a saber were thrown on the chair next to them. Probably because it was hotter indoors, Quartz had already taken off her outer shirt and was only wearing her middle coat, and her face smelled of alcohol.

Qingdai walked in and smelled the strong aroma of wine. She frowned slightly and said, "General Shi, you are still injured, so you should stop drinking." After saying that, she stepped forward to grab the wine glass and gave the two maids a cold look. , the two maids withdrew knowingly. Qingdai smelled the strong smell of alcohol in the room, and walked to the window and opened it. The cold wind blew in, and the smell of alcohol was immediately dispersed.

Quartz remained silent and allowed Qingdai to take the jug. His eyes looked at Qingdai with blazing light, remembering the scene of their first meeting. At that time, Long Tingfei was leading the army to fight in Zezhou and Duan Wudi was in charge of defense. He Because he was seriously injured and could not join the army, out of boredom, he went to Feiyan Tower to listen to music. He still remembered the first time he saw Qingdai, the beautiful woman sitting on the stage singing with concentration, with a stubborn expression in her beauty. Although she was in a prosperous and beautiful place, But he is as distant and cold as a person from outside the world. Although she was over thirty years old, Quartz, who had never thought about having a family, fell into those clear and deep eyes. He desperately proposed to Qingdai, willing to marry her, and vowed not to take concubines, but Qingdai just refused. He asked many times, and Qingdai finally told him the reason for the rejection. After hearing the reason, Qingdai immediately became furious and destroyed her. Gone is Quartz's sanity.

Qingdai just explained to him that a few years ago, she was kidnapped by a strong man and lost her virginity. The identity of that person was extraordinary. Qingdai fought hard to escape from that person, but even though she knew the identity of that person, But because she would not be believed by others, Qingdai never told the matter. Quartz asked about the man's identity, but Qingdai just sneered and said nothing. In desperation, Quartz had to come to visit often, hoping to win Qingdai's heart.

Drops of water penetrated the stone, and the deep emotions were felt. Qingdai seemed to have softened a little. Gradually, she would gather with Quartz for a drink. Although her expression was still aloof, she no longer seemed so distant from others. Until a few days ago, Quan Ying took Duan Wudi to Feiyan Tower for a drink. Unexpectedly, after seeing Qingdai, Duan Wudi's expression changed drastically and became uneasy. However, when Qingdai saw Duan Wudi, she was furious as never before and walked away. After going there, Shi Ying, who was suspicious in her heart, inquired openly and secretly, and then learned from Qingdai that Duan Wudi was the person who destroyed Qingdai's innocence that day. Quartz was furious and was about to question Duan Wudi, but Qingdai held him tight and cried bitterly: "I am just a humble singer. Don't say that there is no witness to this matter. Even if there is a witness, how can he be arrested?" "Whatever, it's good that others don't say that I am charming and entangled. Even if the general makes the decision, the most he can do is let him marry his concubine. Although I have lost my integrity, I am not willing to serve such a wicked person." Shi Ying heard this. , he just felt heartbroken. After thinking for a long time, he finally thought that if he managed to kill Duan Wudi, then Qingdai would definitely be grateful. Over the past few days, he could see that Qingdai was not merciless to him. If you ask, Qingdai will definitely be willing to marry him. Of course, before this, Quartz had tested Duan Wudi, but whenever he talked about Qingdai, Duan Wudi always talked about him. Quartz was so angry that she made up her mind to deal with Duan Wudi, and the opportunity was quickly found.

Looking at Qingdai, Shi Ying hesitated to speak. The matter had not been settled yet, so he decided to wait until Duan Wudi was punished before talking to Qingdai. The two of them had just said a few words when suddenly a guard came in and reported: "General, the great general calls you forward." The guard did not explain what he said, but secretly winked. Quartz's heart moved, knowing that Duan Wudi had indeed already After being captured, she felt happy and said: "Qingdai, there is something going on in the army, I will go back first."

Qingdai smiled slightly and said: "That's fine, but you drank so much wine, it's not appropriate to go to see the general. I just asked the maid to get the hangover soup. You have a bowl before you leave, and don't forget to take the wine." Angry." After hearing this, Shi Ying felt warm in her heart and promised again and again. So when he left with his head held high, he didn't see the cold light flashing in Qingdai's eyes. The net has been closed, and the trapped tiger can no longer escape.

After Quartz left, Qingdai summoned the maid, took the pipa, and moved her ten fingers. The sound was like gold and stone, but it was the sixth chapter of the famous song "Ambush from Flying Daggers". Although this song is widely rumored, the only one who can play it superbly is Chat. Several people played Qingdai for a while, and the surroundings were completely silent. Only the clear music could be heard echoing and circling. Qingdai played the sixth fold several times before she stopped playing. Sighing slightly, he stood up and left.

By coincidence, Qiu Yufei, who was flying into the city, passed by Feiyan Tower at this time. The sound of Qingdai's pipa stopped the moving clouds. Qiu Yufei couldn't help but listen carefully. He was unparalleled in musical talent. After listening for a moment, his eyes were filled with joy. Yiyi's divine light appeared, and he whispered: "What a piece of "Ambush", how many people in the world can play it, but there is a faint murderous aura, and it seems to have the intention of absolute determination." If he followed Qiu Yufei's original intention, he really wanted to go and see him immediately The master of playing the pipa, but Duan Wudi's matter had not been resolved yet. He hesitated for a moment, and finally galloped towards the general's residence.