With a bang, the cell door was opened. Wang Zhu raised his hand to block the dazzling light. It took him a while to adapt to the bright light outside and lowered his palm.

He has been in jail for almost two months.

It was still early spring when I came in, but now it is already May.

After being taken into prison, Wang Zhu took all the blame, claiming that it was because of his order that the other twenty-five soldiers under his command fought with the opponent.

There were two people trying this case, one was from the Privy Council and was a seventh-rank official, and the other was from the Yushitai and was a seventh-rank censor.

Because of Wang Zhu's confession, the other twenty-five soldiers only stayed in prison for less than three days before being released.

As an ordinary soldier, it is natural to follow orders.

Whether it is the minister of the Privy Council or the censor of the Yushitai, they all agree on this matter. If the orders of the superiors in the army are not accepted by the subordinates, it will be a disaster!

Wang Zhu didn't know what kind of punishment he would receive. After entering the prison, in order to save his companions, he didn't care about anything. He couldn't trap everyone here. More importantly, he did it first.

of.

But when he was really the only one left in the prison, fear immediately struck him.

He knows that such things can be big or small, all depending on the boss's thoughts. The most serious thing is losing your head. If someone above you protects you, or if nothing happens, you will be let out.

In Wang Zhu's view, this is a very simple and clear matter.

He really didn't expect that this stage would only take several months.

Of course Wang Zhu didn't know that because of his incident, there was a huge turmoil in Bianliang City.

Compared with those things, Wang Zhu's fight is really something that cannot be picked on with chopsticks.

Chen Gui wanted to use this incident to rectify the Fourth Army, sweep out all the dead bodies, and rebuild a Fourth Army that could truly fight.

Since it is no longer feasible for frontier troops to rotate and quickly increase their combat effectiveness, they can only tap their own potential.

The first step, of course, is to deal with those bastard army leaders!

But there are people standing behind these guys, and the relationship is complicated. Chen Lu has never been able to find an opportunity. Once the stick goes down and the snake is not killed, the snake will definitely open its mouth and bite people.

And this time, it is an excellent opportunity.

Corruption!

What a great entry point.

How many of the generals commanding the troops of the Fourth Army can withstand investigation? As long as they can be investigated, they will be sure at first glance, and they can capture whoever they want!

The twenty-five-man border army picked up more than a hundred infantrymen from the Fourth Army. This was another person who slapped the official on the face after Xiao Ding.

The victory of the frontier soldiers demonstrated the contribution of King Zhao Zhe of Jing, which made the officials even more displeased. Therefore, the officials must also support it.

But Xia Jie, the first assistant, was opposed to it.

Because of the inspection in Beijing this year, the first thing Xia Jie had to do was to clean up the ranks of civilian officials and place his own people in key positions. In the dynasty, the importance of civilian officials far exceeded that of military generals.

Xia Jie wanted to slowly reorganize the four armies after gaining a firm foothold, instead of moving both civil and military forces at this time, which would inevitably cause greater turmoil.

Luo Song, the counselor of the Dongfu government, wanted to see Xia Jie's joke and supported the old rules and went to war.

Li Guang of the Western Prefecture felt that the imperial court needed stability now, and that whether it was matters involving the Beijing Inspection Bureau or the Fourth Army, he should be cautious and oppose the routine inspections.

In this matter, the Yushitai, which should have played a great role, remained silent. It was because Cui Ang did not want to investigate, and Cui Ang did not want to investigate, and it was because Zhao Jing, the king of Chu, did not want to investigate.

Although Cui Ang and the King of Chu did not have any contact that crossed the line, in fact, the two people were standing in the same trench. Cui Ang knew very well that he wanted to turn over, and his hope was with the King of Chu.

On the body. If King Jing comes to power, he will die without a burial place.

In this way, things seem extremely weird.

After the two sides competed, this matter finally became a blur!

Chen Gui failed to complete his plan to comprehensively reorganize the Fourth Army, but he still used this incident to remove the commander of the Tianwu Army An Wei, and Zhang Cheng, the son of Taiwei Zhang Chao, took over. The young Zhang Cheng, because this time with the

His father, Zhang Chao, was promoted to this position because of his meritorious service in resisting the Liao army on the way to Hebei.

Wang Zhu in prison naturally had no idea how much hair the top officials surrounding him had lost, how much effort they had put into, and how much turmoil had arisen in the entire Bianliang.

Now, all the dust has settled.

Wang Zhu put down his palm and saw a familiar figure.

"Control!" he shouted, took a few steps quickly, crossed his arms and bent his knees, and saluted the other party.

The person who came was Tao Dayong, the commander of the Dingwu Army. The man who had wielded the sword countless times and led them to attack the Liao Army was the person they trusted and admired the most.

"Get up!" Tao Dayong stretched out his hand to pull up Wang Zhu and looked at him. Tao Dayong was really feeling a little emotional. This little boy whom he didn't have much memory of was having a fight, just like being thrown into a calm pond.

A stone was struck, causing ripples one after another.

"I knew the ruler would not leave me alone!" Wang Zhu choked and wiped away his tears.

"You are very good and responsible! You are indeed a hero of our Dingwu Army!" Tao Dayong said: "None of the twenty-five brothers under your command have received any criticism."

Wang Zhu couldn't help but laugh: "Thank you, Commander, for the compliment."

Tears were still hanging on his face, but he was smiling again, making Tao Dayong also laugh. "Do you know that the general you beat was sent to the army for assassination? The entire Tianwu Army was affected by this incident.

, A total of seventy-three people were held accountable, starting from the commander An Wei. An Wei was sent to Lingnan, five people lost their heads, forty-eight people were assassinated and sent to the army, and the rest were kicked out of the army."

"This is what these corrupt officials should be like!" Wang Zhu was very happy: "A sage official can redress the injustice of a soldier like me."

Tao Dayong was silent for a moment and said, "Do you know why I came to pick you up today?"

Wang Zhu blinked and looked at Tao Dayong, not knowing what he meant.

"You were at fault for fighting in the army and beating up Shangguan, no matter what the reason was. Do you know that?" Tao Dayong said slowly.

Wang Zhu's heart sank.

"Controller, me, how will I be dealt with? Am I not being released?" he said.

"You can't stay in the army!" Tao Dayong said: "Wang Zhu, I can only save your life. There is really no other way. You have been kicked out of the army!"

Wang Zhu's eyes darkened and he said in a trembling voice: "Zhi, me, am I fired?"

Tao Dayong nodded.

"It doesn't matter if you can't join the army. A good man is worried about not having a career!" Tao Dayong patted him on the shoulder and encouraged him.

Wang Zhu swallowed his saliva and said, "Commander, I have a father and mother, and two nephews and nieces below me. They all rely on me to support them. If I leave the army, how will I support them? We can't even go back to our hometown.

, that place has been occupied by the Liao people. I heard that the imperial court signed a treaty with the Liao Kingdom, and all my land and houses in my hometown are gone. If I can't stay in the army, my family and I can't live in the house we have now.

It’s in.”

"I know!" Tao Dayong waved, and a soldier ran out from the shadow on one side. The soldier carried a package. Tao Dayong took the package and handed it to Wang Zhu: "This is mine.

A little kindness and twenty guan of money are not much. Take it and get through this difficulty. With your ability, it is not difficult to find a job in Bianliang to make a living. After this period of limelight is over, I will make a living for you.

You think of a way."

Carrying the package, Wang Zhu walked forward in a daze. One of Tao Dayong's soldiers led him towards the water gate of Dongcheng. While he was in jail, his family had long been driven away from their residence.

Looking at Wang Zhu's back, Tao Dayong's calmness was gradually replaced by anger.

Why?

Why should the Dingwu Army be treated like this, and why should I be treated like this? This time An Wei fell. Regardless of merit, responsibility, or seniority, shouldn't he be the one to take over as the commander of the Tianwu Army? Back then,

This is what the Privy Council promised themselves when they entered Beijing.

But in the end, it was Zhang Cheng, who was twenty years younger than himself, who took over as commander.

Why?

If it were Xiao Ding, Tao Dayong would have nothing to say. Of course, if Xiao Ding were to come back now, he would at least be in the position of being in charge of the Third Yamen Army.

But who is Zhang Cheng? Does his contribution compare with his own?

Just because he has a good father?

Tao Dayong felt uncomfortable holding back, and his chest seemed to explode. He stroked his chest, bent down, and coughed.

The house was smaller and more dilapidated than before. Standing in front of the door of this small mud house, Wang Zhu saw his parents, nephews and nieces.

He knelt down with a thud.

"Dad, Mom, I'm back!"

Lame on one leg, Wang Silang came over, held his son in his arms, and said with a smile: "It's good to be back, it's good to be back. It doesn't matter if I'm not a good soldier. You have the strength, and I have the skills, but I'm afraid I won't be able to support you."

Are we a family? There are many people here in Shuimen, and business is easy! In the past month or so, I have been able to earn dozens of pennies more per day than before! I didn’t find the right place before!”

Looking at his parents who had lost a lot of weight, Wang Zhu burst into tears.

"Second uncle!" Two little people came around, one holding Wang Zhu's arm, "Don't cry, don't cry!"

Wang Zhu wiped away his tears, stood up, held one by the other, and said: "Second uncle didn't cry. Second uncle is happy. Dahu, Erfeng, let's eat braised pork tonight!"

The two little people clapped their hands and laughed and jumped: "Second uncle is back, and there is braised pork again!"

"Oshima!" A voice shouted from behind.

Wang Zhu turned around and saw twenty-five of his men.

"I left the army and I am no longer your leader!" Wang Zhu said with a smile: "Are you okay now?"

"Okay, okay!" one person said, "The boss has made up for all the rice arrears."

"Okay, that's good!" Wang Zhu said, "Is anyone still bullying you?"

"After this fight, those little turtles will never dare to bully us again."

"Be careful. These people are not good at fighting, but their dirty tricks are very powerful. You have to keep your eyes open and don't fall for their tricks."

"I know it's true. It's true. This is the contribution of all of us!" A soldier handed over a baggage.

Wang Zhu took it and weighed it in his hands. He was afraid that there were dozens of coins.

"You also have a big family to support!" He wanted to stuff the package back.

"Zhengzheng, we get monthly salary, and you are asking for money now! The whole family needs to be resettled, so don't be polite to us. If it weren't for you, Zhengzheng, to take the blame, we would all be expelled now.

Changed."

"Since he is your leader, he naturally has to take care of things!" Wang Zhu smiled and waved his hand: "Okay, I won't be polite to you anymore. If you have time in the future, come to my place as a guest. I won't keep you here today.

.”

"Yes, Ozheng. If anything happens in the future, just call us! No matter what you do, we will follow you!" said the soldier.

At night, at midnight, Wang Zhu couldn't sleep, so he opened the door and walked out.

The house was very small, with only two rooms. His parents and nieces and nephews lived in the inner room, so he could only make a floor, a straw mat, and a quilt in the outer room.

Even for such a small house, the monthly rent in Bianliang is 5 guan.

The commander gave himself 20 guan, and his brothers have collected 50 guan. They don't have to worry about one year's rent, but they have to make careful calculations in the following days, and they can't just sit back and have nothing in vain.

My nieces and nephews are getting older, and we can't just make do with things like this forever.

My parents are also getting older, and there will always be a day when they can’t do anything anymore.

Tomorrow, I will go out to find a job.

The sound of footsteps sounded in his ears. It was already this time. Is there anyone else who couldn't sleep like himself? Wang Zhu raised his head and couldn't help but be surprised to see several big men walking towards him.

He suddenly stood up. This time, he had offended many people. I heard from the commander that even the commanders of the Tianwu Army had been exiled to Lingnan. These big men didn't recognize any of them. Maybe they were enemies looking for someone.

To take revenge on myself.

The knife is in the house, so you must not enter the house at this time.

Wang Zhu's eyes squinted back, and he saw his father's bamboo strip knife placed under the eaves. He calmly took a few steps to the left and stretched his toes under the blade. If he really wanted to use his hands, he would lift his foot and the bamboo strip knife would fly.

Get up and fall into your own hands.

"Brother Wang Zhu?" The big man in the lead tilted his head and looked at Wang Zhu.

"Who are you? I don't recognize you?"

The visitor laughed and said, "I don't recognize you either, but I recognize your eldest brother Wang Gan."

Wang Zhu said in shock: "My eldest brother died five years ago."

"I know he was a hero. Before he died in the battle, he killed more than a dozen Liao people with one knife!" The visitor said: "In that battle, I fought side by side with your brother, but I was luckier than your brother.

Better yet, come back alive."
Chapter completed!