The only honor of the water cut off

nine knots

All internal and external troubles were eliminated by Pang Tong's thunderous methods. The method was simple, quick and even a little rough, which was quite different from Pang Tong's usual style. I didn't understand it, and kept fooling around in silence.

At this time, there were still 10,000 forbidden troops hiding in the dark, but compared to Pang Jiaer's 72+ regular army, it was no longer a big threat, not to mention the majestic and ever-victorious general and [-] Feiyun cavalry.

The morale of the army has stabilized at the beginning, and the overall situation has been settled.

However, thousands of miles away, the capital city is gloomy and panic-stricken, and the front-line military situation that comes flying like snowflakes is not a good news.

Prime Minister Zuo's Mansion is located in the northwest corner of the capital, not too far from the imperial palace.When a new official takes office, it is natural that there is a lot of crowds, but the prime minister doesn't give face, he just closes the door to thank the guests, and all the princes and nobles don't see you.

The vermilion high walls and glazed tiles cannot hide the sweet fragrance of osmanthus in early bloom. Ripe persimmons hang on the branches of persimmon trees stretching out of the courtyard wall, bending the branches heavily.There was a group of children padding stones to climb the golden fruit. The gate of the prime minister's mansion opened with a creak. You eat the fruit."

The sporadic noise outside the door made Gongsun Ce's tense nerves relax a little.

Seven days ago, the emperor promoted Gongsun Ce, the general judge of Qinzhou from the sixth rank, to the first rank Yushi Taipingzhangshi in front of all civil and military officials when he was in the court, ranking first among the hundred officials.The imperial court has always been a noisy place. The emperor first promoted Bao Zheng, a plain-headed commoner, to be the Yin of Kaifeng. Dissatisfaction is evident.

Zhao Zhen listened to the sharp words of the old officials with a sullen face. Gongsun Ce stood in the middle of the court very embarrassed. Looking at his increasingly scarlet cheeks.Although it was Gongsun Ce's long-cherished wish to be a prime minister, at this moment he felt that he had neither achievements nor qualifications, and he was really unworthy of being a prime minister in the arms of this country.But no matter how Gongsun Ce tried to persuade him, Zhao Zhen still insisted on going his own way, and the situation where he was spitting was as expected.

More than half an hour passed, and the officials seemed to be tired of talking, or maybe they finally realized that Zhao Zhen just listened and didn't say a word from the beginning to the end, and the court finally became quiet.Zhao Zhen rested his fingertips on his temples, squinted his eyes slightly, and with a slight twitch of the corner of his mouth, he named the officials who had just remonstrated one by one, and each rewarded [-] big boards.

All the officials were shocked, and no one dared to say a word. Gongsun Ce received the prime minister's seal in such an embarrassing situation.

Rumors will always grow and circulate rapidly, not to mention the gossip about the young emperor and the young prime minister, and some people are saddened to say that there must be evildoers when the country is about to perish, and the hat of this evildoer is firmly held by Gongsun Ce on the head.

Gongsun Ce couldn't figure out what the emperor's stubbornness was for, and he didn't have the energy to deal with those ugly words.He served as prime minister for seven days, and wrote 32 letters: seven about the deployment of military forces and border defenses, five about the construction of the Hunan Army's forbidden army, five about corvee farming and mulberry, five about water conservancy roads, three about the exclusive salt and grain tax of the three divisions, and another Seven of them are about the analysis of the current Ponzi civil strife and the situation in Liaoxia: peace is the best strategy, war is the middle strategy, and escape is the worst strategy.

Zhao Zhen flipped through the memorial, and a word overflowed from the corner of his mouth: "And?" Then he closed the memorial and put it on the imperial case.

"How?" Zhao Zhen looked at Gongsun Ce who stood in front of him and nodded respectfully.

"Show the emperor, the minister is willing to be the minister of peace talks." Gongsun Ce's voice was as calm as his expression, and Zhao Zhen's eyes lingered on his face, thinking about it playfully. Gongsun Ce was very uncomfortable and buried his head He said in a low voice, "I would like to issue a military order."

The corner of Zhao Zhen's mouth twitched into a contemptuous smile, and he said coldly, "He's not worthy of negotiating conditions with me."

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At night, there was a faint sound of angry shouting and teacups breaking in the big tent. However, Pang Tong's military tent is often a place for discussing important military affairs. Except for Feiyunqi, the general guards are far away, so these strange sounds are not No one else heard it.

"What? You lost that life-saving blood pill!" Pang Ji looked at Pang Tong's empty neck, and he froze on the spot as if hit by a thunderbolt.

Just like every parent who loves their children, Changshou Jinsuo hopes that Pang Tong will live a safe and happy life.

And under the golden lock of longevity hung on Pang Tong's neck since birth, there is also a golden ball the size of a fingertip. There is a snap button in the middle of the golden ball that can be opened, and there is a elixir called blood in it. , This is made from the umbilical cord blood of Pang Tong when he was born, and it has been refined for 81 days. As long as the owner of the umbilical cord blood has a breath, taking it can produce muscle and cast bones.For Pang Tong, this pill has the effect of bringing the dead back to life, which is no different from a second life.

When Pang Tong joined the army at the age of 20, Pang Ji was worried that the sword had no eyes, so he inlaid a golden ball under the golden lock and put the blood pill in it. He used this chain to fight north and south, but at this moment, he was seriously poisoned, and when he was saving his life with the blood pill, the chain disappeared together with the pill.

Pang Tong's face turned pale, and the sword wound on his chest was still oozing blood. He took out a pill from the white porcelain bottle and swallowed it, took a deep breath, and said lightly, "Perhaps it was lost."

"Bastard!" Pang Ji was half angry and half distressed, trembling with anger at Pang Tong's indifferent attitude: "This is your own life, how can you be so indifferent!"

Pang Tong shook the white porcelain bottle in his hand, and said with an indifferent expression: "There are still six days before the poison will come out, so I still have a chance to find an antidote, so Dad doesn't have to worry so much."

"You bastard!" Pang Ji hated his tongue so much that his tongue was numb: "Tong'er, I don't believe that you are always cautious, and you would lose such an important thing!" He stumbled and sat on the tiger leather chair.

Pang Feiyan hurried forward to support Pang Ji, turned her head and said anxiously to Pang Tong: "Second brother, how can you be joking about such a matter of life and death, you should think about it carefully, is it under any special circumstances that you took off your long life?" Or did Jin Suo put the Blood Pill elsewhere?"

After taking the pill, Pang Tong's complexion improved slightly, and he said softly, "If you don't see it, you're gone. For the present plan, I can only go back to Bianjing quickly and ask Yao Jiuyi for the antidote."

Bianjing?Pang Ji's throbbing forehead suddenly gave him a flash of inspiration. He stood up, jumped over Feiyan, grabbed Pang Tong's collar, and said angrily, "Pang Tong, tell the truth, did you give the medicine to someone else?"

Pang Tong's eyes flickered, and he looked at his father's red eyes, lowered his eyelids and said nothing.Pang Ji exhaled heavily and said, "Okay, very good, the rumors I heard in Beijing seem to be true."

Pang Tong looked up to the sky and laughed: "Father, how can you take rumors seriously."

"Then do you know what kind of rumors it is?" Pang Ji was so angry that he pointed directly at the tip of Pang Tong's nose, and said in a bad tone, "It is said that you are not entangled with that talented man from Luzhou, Bao Zheng's friend, and the emperor's confidant Gongsun Ce. clear!"

The veins on Pang Tong's forehead twitched, and he could no longer haha, he said stiffly, "I'll go and pick off their heads."

"Can you stop the mouth of the people of the world!" Pang Ji shouted angrily, startling Pang Feiyan who was in shock, Pang Ji felt exhausted in his rage, and fell down on the tiger leather chair again, saying : "Then Gongsun Ce was seriously ill and almost died in Huangquan, but he was rescued by you, right?"

The father's fury prevented Pang Tong from making jokes anymore, he paused, and nodded honestly: "Yes."

"Then, did you use the Blood Pill?" Pang Ji's voice trembled, and Pang Tong remained silent noncommittally. The more Pang Ji looked at it, the more annoyed he became, and he shouted, "Kneel down!"

A majestic general like Pang Tong had nothing to do in the face of his father's anger, so he could only obediently knelt down on his knees and said with a smile on his face, "Don't be angry, Daddy. My son is going to find an antidote. There is a fortune teller for him. Fushou hundred years will definitely not die young."

"Don't be sloppy with me! Did the Blood Pill go to Gongsun Ce?" Pang Ji refused to let go, so Pang Tong had no choice but to put away his smiling face and said embarrassingly, "Yes."

Pang Feiyan suddenly remembered that day when Pang Tong drank in a daze by the Yellow River, saying that lovesickness was better than lovesickness.

"The blood pill is connected to you by blood, and it can bring the dead back to life, but to others, it can only be a great tonic pill to restore vitality. If you want to save him, you have to sacrifice your own life!"

(Students who have forgotten this magic pill, please read Section 20 of No.[-].)

Pang Tong lowered his head, and said softly: "Father, the boy knows his mistake, but if I do it all over again, I will do it again. The Blood Pill can save his life, it's worth it."

Pang Ji took out a piece of information from his sleeve and threw it on the ground: "The worthy person you mentioned is very proud of his success, and he is on the rise. Zhao Zhen is even willing to give him the position of Prime Minister Zuo, but I don't know if he sells you or sells him. own!"

"With his talent, it's not unusual to be Prime Minister Zuo."

"You! You! You!" Pang Ji repeatedly said three of you, with the appearance of smoke from seven orifices. He could understand his son's nature well. In the middle, what he wants to do is no longer something that he, a father, can interfere with. Pang Ji helplessly supported his forehead, and said straightly about his injustice.

Pang Tong respectfully kowtowed three times to Pang Ji, and said: "Father, the battle has been decided. It is up to you to defend the imperial court as the overlord of the north or to send troops south to take Bianjing when the time is ripe. You will also dispatch Feiyunqi, my son." Tonight we are leaving for Bianjing, and we can no longer serve daddy around."

"Hey." Pang Ji sighed, "Let Mo Xian and Mo Ping go with you."

"Going back to Beijing this time, it's not good to have too many people. The boy alone is enough to handle it. Besides, the two of them still have military affairs, so don't neglect them."

Pang Ji, who had been cultivated for half his life, couldn't help showing a sad expression. He fixedly looked at Pang Tong: "Are you going to leave the country you have conquered to your old father?" His lonely tone was mixed with sadness. , Pang Tong's heart was blocked.

"It's not too late, you go, you are injured, even if you have a magic soldier by your side, you must be careful."

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At three o'clock, Bao Zheng brought an ephedra chicken and a large bag of duck fat soup dumplings to look for Gongsun Ce. It was the first serious meeting between the two since Qinzhou.

When he was a child, Gongsun Ce loved the stewed ephedra chicken with Gastrodia elata, a Luzhou specialty. He thought he knew Bao Zheng, and he also ate his favorite soup dumplings.As soon as the familiar and intimate scent of the food entered his nostrils, Gongsun Ce smiled knowingly and put down his pen.

"The Prime Minister is diligent, and it's time to eat now, why don't you just slaughter this fat chicken, and ask the Prime Minister to condescend to eat with the lower officials." Bao Zheng said in a formal and half-official tone, and Gongsun Ce walked away. Go forward and pat him on the shoulder.

"Gongsun Ce, stay safe." Bao Zheng also gave him a slap on the shoulder in return. The two stood like this, looking at each other and smiling. The so-called confidant means that every word, deed, and look can give and absorb strength.

"It's okay." Gongsun Ce shook his head and smiled wryly, let Bao Zheng into the inner hall, and added some tea to talk.

"How can it be okay? General Liao's northern army has almost been wiped out." Bao Zheng paid attention to Gongsun Ce's expression, and there was a frozen sadness in his delicate eyebrows.After a long time, Gongsun Ce said: "No, the northern army was not wiped out, most of them became prisoners of the Pang family."

"Is there a difference?" Bao Zheng couldn't bear to look at his expression, and turned his head: "What do you think Pang Tong will do next? He has already killed Zhou Jinxiao and Yang Zhiyong, and the Eastern Army and the Southern Army have all been brought under his command. The power of the family is unprecedentedly strong. Will he go straight to the imperial city?"

"No, there are still [-] forbidden troops. Pang Tong will not fight an uncertain battle. Besides, the Eastern Army and the Southern Army are large in number. It will not take a day for them to fully return to their hearts."

Bao Zheng patted him on the shoulder and sighed: "Gongsun Ce, he really turned his back this time. You should understand that you are now the prime minister of the Song Dynasty, and your words and deeds can influence the political situation. Should mess with your mind."

"Thank you, I will. From the moment he raises the anti-flag, we are enemies." Gongsun Ce showed a pale smile, "Why, didn't you see Zhan Zhao?"

"Zhan Zhao, huh." Mentioning Zhan Zhao, the dignified atmosphere eased, and Bao Zheng smiled and said, "It's not like something happened to the court, and they couldn't take care of themselves, and chaos followed in the rivers and lakes, so someone came to invite Nan Xia to stop it." To be fair, guess who this Nan Xia is talking about, isn’t it our little Zhan Zhao?”

"Oh? Nan Xia? This title is quite new, and I don't know when it came into existence." Gongsun Ce also laughed: "Little Zhan Zhao is getting more and more capable."

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It's night, the second watch.

Autumn is crisp and the moon is bright.The oil lamp was still lit in the prime minister's study, and Gongsun Ce flipped through the battle reports from July one by one, like looking at a scroll starring Pang Tong. The gentle and domineering man in the impression cannot be overlapped.

The wind picked up, and there were rustling insects in the shadows of the trees. Gongsun Ce got up to close the window, his eyes flicked to the shadow, and he froze on the spot.Out of nowhere, Gongsun Ce asked, "You're here."

There are some shadows in the shadows, like a large swaying piece of dark gray, gradually swaying out the outline of the shoulders, the soldier's military boots and the sideline of the face that is almost unimaginable.

"Ce." With a soft call, Gongsun Ce could not stop the trembling of his body, but also couldn't stop the long-suppressed tears from rolling down quietly.

Pang Tong came out from the shadow of the moon in a strong outfit, with bright eyebrows and starry eyes, and a calm smile, forcing back the darkness around him.

"Ce, are your injuries healed?"

Gongsun Ce, who seemed to have never heard of it, clenched his fists, frowned, and almost gritted his teeth and called out: "Pang Tong!"

Before the words were finished, many figures suddenly appeared in the originally empty and quiet small courtyard, like ghosts growing in the dark, holding sharp and bright weapons.

"The traitor, Pang Tong, will be captured without a fight."

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