On the wedding day, my wife was abnormal

Ever since he told Mao Mengji the news, he had been silent all the way. It was hard to tell whether his expression was speechless or embarrassed. He just felt like there was something stuck in his throat, but he didn't know what to say.

To him, his sister, at 25, was definitely older, a leftover woman. Getting married was already a real feat, let alone marrying into a top-tier family like the Lins, a blessing that had been cultivated for thousands of years.

But this is like when a father sees his beloved daughter find a good son-in-law. He is obviously very happy in his heart, but at the moment of the wedding he can't be happy at all, and even sheds a few tears.

Therefore, many things cannot be accepted with peace of mind just by preparing in advance. There always needs to be a process of digestion.

Lin Zhen allowed him to go through the process without urging him, and asked him to call him brother-in-law.

The two horses carried the three people and galloped around the city several times until the horses were so tired that they foamed at the mouth.

Peng Qi's voice stopped at some point. Lin Zhen looked back and saw that his hands were still tied to the rope, the skin on his face was rubbed off, his clothes were torn, and there were several wounds on his body so deep that the bones were visible. The bloodstains were like the circle drawn by Sun Wukong, tightly wrapping the city.

Okay, that's a good way to die.

After a night of tossing and turning, it was almost dawn.

The autumn breeze in the morning was a little chilly. Lin Zhen tightened his collar and untied the rope on the saddle.

He didn't intend to care about the dirty corpse. He tied his hair up with a ribbon and walked towards the government office in the morning sun.

He needs to rest for a while, as he has important things to do during the day.

......

I slept soundly and soundly.

Zhou Ze, He Mingyuan, Zheng Sanshan, and Mao Mengji sat in the main hall of the government office waiting, not daring to urge him, and waited until noon when Lin Zhen came out sleepily.

The bed in the government office was too soft, with a silk quilt and a goose feather mattress. It was not as comfortable to sleep on as the earthen kang in Old Sun's house. In Lin Zhen's mind, the meaning of the word "lying on the board" was still increasing.

"Sir!"

The four generals stood up and clasped their fists. Lin Zhen nodded and motioned for everyone to sit down.

"Everyone, please take a seat. I plan to temporarily designate Hejian County as our base camp for the attack on Southern Chu, with General He Mingyuan in charge of the command."

He Mingyuan stood up again: "I will obey your orders."

"Well, according to the intelligence sent back by our spies, General Xiang Ying is in command of the Southern Chu this time. He has sent Yan Wenbao and Yang Wenping as vanguards, and 150,000 troops are stationed in Linyi, stretching for a hundred miles. Their intention is clear: they want to use Qinghe County as a breakthrough point and launch a massive attack."

Before Lin Zhen could finish his words, he heard Zheng Sanshan say disdainfully, "Humph! A mere rat from Jiangdong dares to take over my great empire. Your Highness, I am willing to lead 30,000 troops and launch a surprise attack on Linyi! I will behead Xiang Ying and present him to you, Your Highness!"

"No! That's not the way you fight in a tough battle." Lin Zhen refused immediately.

Thirty thousand versus fifteen, he actually came up with that idea.

Zhou Ze said, "Prince, Old Zheng's soldiers are the bravest and most capable. They are more than capable of defeating those ragtag bunch of chickens and dogs from Nanchu!"

"Shut up! You idiot! Do you think Xiang Ying is just some ordinary guy? He was a great general who fought against the prince in the past. How could you be so careless?"

He Mingyuan, dressed as a scholar, pinched his beard and asked, "What do you think, my lord?"

"If the Gu family hadn't died, Xiang Ying would have conspired with Gu Yunting to surround Qinghe County with a large force, circling without attacking, waiting for our food supplies to be cut off, and then naturally winning without a fight. Now that the Gu family's plot has failed and their property has been ransacked, his plan with Nan Chu has completely come to nothing. As for Nan Chu, Chu Batian is in his twilight years and has only a few years left to live, so he's eager to occupy Daqian to pave the way for his descendants. So I doubt they will choose to take the initiative to attack."

Zhou Ze smiled and said, "Your Highness, you're worrying too much. Xiang Ying is just a fool. I've dealt with him before, and he's nothing but a rat."

Zheng Sanshan's face was full of contempt.

"Your Highness, rest assured. Xiang Ying has always been cautious. Even with the imperial decree from Chu Batian, it would take him a few days. We can first send a small force to raid the camp in the middle of the night and see if it works!"

"No." Lin Zhen still shook his head in denial. "Xiang Ying is indeed very cautious, but he will definitely attack."

"Why?" The two generals with strong limbs and simple minds asked almost at the same time.

Only Mao Mengji and He Mingyuan were thinking and guessing something with their heads down.

Lin Zhen pointed at himself and said, "Because of me."

"Prince?"

"Yes, Xiang Ying has never gotten the slightest advantage from the prince over the years. If the prince were to personally go to the front lines, he wouldn't dare to attack rashly. But now that His Majesty has ordered me to lead the charge, do you think he will attack?"

He Mingyuan said, "He will feel insulted, thinking that Daqian doesn't value him and sent a young boy."

Mao Mengji interrupted, "So he really wants to get an advantage from the prince so that he can slap the prince in the face."

"Yes! So we must have a contingency plan."

Zhou Ze rubbed the back of his head: "What's the solution?"

"ambush."

A hint of surprise flashed across He Mingyuan's face.

Most men of Lin Zhen's age are very impetuous. Since they are young and in command, they are anxious to make achievements. That's why Lin Zhenxian secretly sent a letter to He Mingyuan, asking him to stop Lin Zhen at the critical moment.

But I didn't expect that he had become so cunning.

Nan Chu's long axe was almost hitting his nose, but he remained unmoved, neither angry nor anxious. Instead, he thought about the situation bit by bit, from the overall situation to the details.

The future generations are terrible.

From this moment on, He Mingyuan finally looked at Lin Zhen differently.

Lin Zhen then said, "I infer that Southern Chu will launch a massive attack by September 15th at the latest. If they delay any further, the north will enter a severe winter, which will be disadvantageous for the southerners. Xiang Ying is a veteran general, and Chu Batian rose to power through rebellion. They both understand the importance of speed in war."

In fact, Lin Zhen didn't say half a sentence, that is, in the original book, Xiang Ying received the imperial edict from Chu Batian and chose to start the siege on September 15th.

Although the Gu family has fallen, a stubborn person like Chu Batian will never give up the attack just because of a small person like Gu Yunting.

Upon hearing this, He Mingyuan nodded in agreement.

Lin Zhen said, "Well, Meng Ji, you must return to Qinghe immediately and command the troops of the three counties to take strict precautions. However, you must act as if nothing has happened and not reveal any flaws. Otherwise, Xiang Ying, with his timid character, will not attack the city."

"The last general takes orders."

"Zhou Ze."

"The end will be here."

"I order you to lead all the cavalry of the Three Guards, sleep during the day and march at night, secretly camping at the foot of Mount Tai. Send out all the spies to closely monitor the movements of the Southern Chu army. I think given Xiang Ying's character, even if he attacks, he will never attack all at once. Instead, he will send a small force to test the waters first. So you must remain calm and not act rashly. When their main force approaches, split your forces into two groups, one to break through their formation and the other to cut off their retreat! Catch them off guard."

"The last general takes command!"

Zheng Sanshan saw that his two brothers had things to do but he was the only one who had nothing to do, so he was so anxious that he scratched his head.

"Sir, what should we do?"

"Why are you in such a hurry?" Lin Zhen rolled his eyes unhappily. "You stay behind for now."

"Oh! Don't worry, my Lord! You can't be partial to one person over another when it comes to such a great opportunity to make a contribution!" Zheng Sanshan became even more anxious. "My Lord, I beg you, seriously, even if you let me go to the front as a soldier, don't leave me behind! If this gets out, my old comrades will laugh at me to death!"

Lin Zhen and He Mingyuan smiled at each other.

It can be seen that he has seen through Lin Zhen's plan and is deliberately teasing Lao Zheng.

He coughed twice.

"Ahem, Old Zheng, don't be anxious. Good steel should be used on the blade. First, play chess with me and drink tea in the back."

"Don't try to sell me a fake plaster! I'm just waiting for this tough battle to turn the tide!"

"What are you turning over for?"

"Don't pretend to be ignorant! After the late emperor passed away, my son went to a brothel to listen to music and forced women to sing and dance. As a result, Wei Tao reported him. If it weren't for the prince's strong protection, do you think I would still be able to hold the position of general?"

He Mingyuan actually did it on purpose. A Confucian general like him likes to play tricks on his old comrades whenever he has time.

Fortunately, he was smart and always made fun of them.

He pretended to be provocative and said, "He's your son too. What does it have to do with you?"

"Don't talk without thinking! You're so powerful! The prince has spoiled you. You were made a General of the Central Army at twenty, a Priest at thirty, and a general and a marquis before you were forty. How could you possibly know the hard work we've put in to get to where we are now, starting from the bottom? If I'm not careful and you're demoted, how can I face our ancestors?"

"Aren't you an orphan? Do you know who your ancestors are?"

"Hahahahahaha!" Lin Zhen burst into laughter when he heard this, and Zhou Ze laughed so hard that he sat on the ground.

Because Mao Mengji was young and inexperienced, he suppressed his smile and turned his head away.

Zheng Sanshan was so embarrassed that he rushed over and grabbed He Mingyuan's neck.

"If you say another word, I'll strangle you to death!"

He Mingyuan immediately gave in: "No, no, no, Lao Zheng, Lao Zheng! Hey, you're in your forties or fifties, why are you making such a fuss!"

"You still think you're forty-five?" Zheng Sanshan let go of him unhappily and turned to look at Lin Zhen. "Prince, if you don't let me, Old Zheng, go to the front lines, I'll die in front of you today!"

"Excellent!" Lin Zhen stood up and said admiringly, "General Zheng has such courage. Why should he fear the rats of Southern Chu? However, our first battle will be a defensive battle combined with a surprise attack, and you are leading only infantry, so it is not appropriate for you to participate in the battle."

At this point, Zheng Sanshan wanted to interrupt again, but Lin Zhen waved his hand.

"Don't worry, listen to me. This is only our first battle against Nanchu. Once General Zhou's sneak attack succeeds, Nanchu will surely retreat. That will be the perfect time for you to make your plans come true! But let me tell you one thing, if you can't defeat them when it's your turn..."

"Just tear my head off and use it as a chamber pot!"

Seeing that there was a war, Zheng Sanshan was very happy.

Lin Zhen said, "This battle is different from the past. We must show the might of our Daqian army and make those rats from Nanchu feel pain and fear! Zheng Sanshan, listen to my orders!"

"The general is here!"

"I order you to lead all the infantry of the Three Guards. When they retreat, march south, cross the Yellow River, and reach the mouth of the Yangtze River within a year!"

"The last general takes command!"