The original young soldiers were sent to Liaodong in batches four or five times in the past ten years. They learned to read, learned the art of war, and learned to survive on the battlefield where swords, swords, shadows, and flesh were flying.
In the past ten years, Qin Kan felt that he had given them too little. When he saw Song Jie today and saw the unfailing gratitude in his eyes, Qin Kan suddenly felt emotional.
They gave so little, but they sacrificed their lives in return. Human nature is kind after all, and a little favor can be remembered for a lifetime. Unfortunately, kind human nature can only appear at the bottom of this society. The higher one's status is, the filthy his heart becomes. No matter how much favor he gives to others, he will always be rewarded with suspicion and conspiracy.
Looking at Song Jie¡¯s no longer childish face and the long healed scar at the corner of his eye, one can imagine how he had a brush with death when he was in Liaodong.
Qin Kan's smile was filled with endless emotion: "Song Jie, I remember when you followed my horse to guard me. You were just a teenager at that time. Ten years later, you have aged a lot and you look like you are already three years old." You are more than ten years old, and you have all suffered over the years"
Song Jie choked up and said: "My father-in-law picked us out from the refugee camps and gave us food and clothes. Without my father-in-law's kindness back then, our general and brothers might have turned into a handful of loess. It was us who fought on the battlefield for your father-in-law." How can a general dare to speak of suffering if he is not responsible for his duty?"
"You're not fighting for me, you're fighting for your country." Qin Kan had to correct him.
Song Jie grinned: "I have read a lot in recent years, but I am a little confused about the word 'loyalty'. I keep talking about serving the country with loyalty. But back then, when we had no food to eat and no clothes to wear, how did the country treat us?" Me? The general and the brothers all have the same idea. Whoever gives us food to eat will be our reborn parents. As for serving the country and so on, just shouting twice as a slogan is enough."
Qin Kan smiled. Although these young soldiers have grown up and gone through countless ups and downs, they still have the stubborn and stubborn temper of young people in their bones, just like donkeys. If you are sure of Li'er, you will never look back.
After exchanging a few words with Song Jie about life in the military camp and the situation outside the customs, Qin Kan looked calm and got to the point.
"Ye Jinquan sent you to the capital. What important things do you want to say?"
Song Jie subconsciously turned his head and looked at the closed door. He saw Ding Shun and Li Er standing outside the door with their swords pressed. He finally felt relieved and lowered his voice and said: "Governor Ye has ordered from the cabinet. He has led 50,000 Liaodong frontier troops. Enter Juyong Pass and station troops inside Juyong Pass"
Qin Kan wondered: "The order given to him by the cabinet is to lead troops to Beijing to take over the defense of the capital. What does he mean by stationing the border troops at Juyongguan?"
Song Jie opened his mouth. He originally planned to tell the story about Du Yan riding out of the border alone to meet Ye Jinquan, but when he thought of Du Yan's instructions before leaving, he finally stopped talking. He only said: "Governor Ye said that His Majesty drowned and fell into a coma. The situation in the capital is treacherous and the situation in the court is unpredictable. It is no small matter for 50,000 border troops to enter the capital. Therefore"
Qin Kan frowned and interrupted him: "Don't tell me these lies, just tell me the important points."
Song Jie hesitated for a moment. Said: "My lord, forgive me. Governor Ye said In the Spring and Autumn Period, King Chuzhuang sent troops to Luoshui. The Emperor of Zhou sent envoys to comfort the troops. King Chuzhuang asked: 'After Dayu controlled the flood, he built nine tripods and spread them to the Xia, Shang and Zhou dynasties. For three generations, the weight of the cauldron was unknown. Now, Governor Ye has sent troops to Juyong Pass and sent his generals to the capital to meet with the Duke. Governor Ye wants to ask the Lord how heavy the tripod of the Ming Dynasty is. "
Qin Kan was shocked and looked at Song Jie with wide eyes.
Song Jie stood respectfully with his eyelids lowered, neither sad nor happy, his expression even revealed a harmless and honest temperament.
Qin Kan was silent for a long time and said slowly: "Did Ye Jinquan really say this?"
Song Jie said respectfully: "The last general is Governor Ye's secret envoy, and every word he said is Governor Ye's original words."
"So, after Ye Jinquan entered the customs, he set up camp and stopped moving forward just to ask me about my attitude first?"
"yes."
Qin Kan sneered: "Am I very familiar with Ye Jinquan? I just promoted him to the position of governor of Liaodong. Why should he help me aspire to the throne?"
Song Jie looked directly at him without fear and said word by word: "Governor Ye was born in the Duke's Mansion, and he will always have the mark of the Duke's Mansion on his body. Has the Lord forgotten Governor Ye's original intention of defecting to you? Governor Ye was originally the deputy Qianhu of the Ningxia border army. He was angry and killed Shangguan's brother-in-law because he could not see him massacring innocent civilians. From then on, he lived among the people incognito. He had long hated the world. For more than ten years, Governor Ye had managed Liaodong works conscientiously and does not dare to slack off at all. This is all for the sake of the father-in-law"
Qin Kan's smile became even colder: "For me? Training troops is for me, killing enemies is for me. Does he want to rebel also for me?"
Song Jie said solemnly: "My father-in-law once said something when he appointed Governor Ye to be the deputy commander-in-chief of Liaodong Army.Forgot? "
"What are you talking about?"
"You said, 'Run Liaodong well. Liaodong will not only belong to Ming Dynasty, but also to Qin Kan in the next few years!'"
Qin Kan's body was shaken violently.
Song Jie continued: "Your Majesty is drowning, and the current situation is strange. Seeing that the new monarch is about to ascend the throne, they say that once the emperor comes to the throne, his courtiers will follow. After the new monarch ascends the throne, will the father-in-law's holy family relationship continue over the years? Maybe the father-in-law does not care about personal honor and disgrace. , but my father-in-law, you have devoted all your efforts to develop your ambitions over the years, and you have spent countless financial, material, and human resources to gradually change the world. After the new king came to the throne, the government was abolished because of people. Will these things that you have changed over the years still exist? ? Will it turn into a castle in the air and collapse in an instant? If so, what is the meaning of everything you have done over the years? "
Qin Kan stared at Song Jie, suddenly feeling strange.
"Does this also mean what Ye Jinquan meant?"
Song Jie scratched his head shyly and said with a smile: "Yes, the general can't say so many great truths. They were all told by Governor Ye to the general before leaving."
Qin Kan suddenly changed the subject and said: "I have sent many batches of young soldiers to Liaodong in the past ten years. What position do you hold in the Liaodong frontier army now?"
Song Jie puffed up his chest and said with a proud expression: "We did not embarrass you. Half of the brothers sent to Liaodong have been killed in the battlefield, and there is not a single coward. Except for the disabled who have retired to Liaoyang, the rest All of them were promoted due to their military exploits. For example, they were promoted to the post of general, and they were already promoted to the rank of general of the frontline army. Some of the guys who killed the Tatars at the risk of their lives were promoted to commanders of the capital, leading an army to gallop through Liaodong. The last one also became the commander of the capital. Among the thousands of households and hundreds of frontier army generals in Liaodong, most of them are our brothers. When Governor Ye governs the Liaodong frontier army, we are the ones he relies on the most."
Qin Kan nodded and murmured: "No wonder Ye Jinquan is so confident. It turns out that the Liaodong Frontier Army has almost become Ye Jinquan's private army"
Song Jie¡¯s ears were sharp and he hurriedly corrected him: ¡°They are the Duke¡¯s private soldiers. Governor Ye said that he was also a servant of the Duke¡¯s mansion.¡±