#496 - No return date
Two days later, Guanghan County.
From October 10th to October 15th, the imperial army only controlled this small city for five days before hastily abandoning it and retreating, with 60,000 defeated soldiers fleeing back into Anzhou.
The order to retreat to Anzhou naturally came from Ning Yongnian, and Han Zhao himself was about to return to the capital, with all military affairs temporarily handed over to a deputy general named Xue Zheng.
The army suffered a major defeat at Niutou Mountain, and Han Zhao, as the commander-in-chief, was of course primarily responsible, and the situation he would face upon returning to the capital would definitely not be optimistic.
Dismissal from office was the minimum, as for whether Ning Yongnian would kill him... Wei Changtian and Chu Xianping both felt it was unlikely.
Currently, Da Ning was in need of talent, and killing a General of the second rank at the later stage at this time would undoubtedly be too impulsive.
Therefore, Ning Yongnian would most likely send Han Zhao back to Anzhou again, or to Da Feng, so that the latter could "make up for his mistakes."
For Wei Changtian, no matter which situation it was, Han Zhao could continue to play an important role.
Even if Ning Yongnian really had a rush of blood to the head and wanted to kill Han Zhao, he could ask Wei Xianzhu to save the latter.
“...”
“Young Master, the Da Ning army on Fengyuan's side has not made any movements, presumably they will not return in the short term.”
The black carriage slowly drove into Guanghan City, and Chu Xianping said softly in the carriage: "Also, Wu Ding has escorted Li Qi to Jianchang Prefecture, it seems that he is still going to continue east, and it is still uncertain whether he will return to Da Ning."
“However, Tongzhou Association has news that their trip may be to Huailing Prefecture...”
“...”
The wheels rolled over the road, and the sun was shining brightly in the sky.
The dirt road outside the city was somewhat muddy, and the bumps of the carriage made Chu Xianping's voice slightly intermittent.
After the Battle of Niutou Mountain, all parties erupted in violent reactions, and various information gathered at Chu Xianping like snowflakes, and then he sorted and filtered it before reporting to Wei Changtian.
There was a lot involved, but what Wei Changtian was most concerned about should be whether Ning Yongnian would transfer the army from the Da Feng battlefield to Shuzhou.
Currently, Da Ning still has more than 300,000 troops stationed in Da Feng, and most of them are concentrated near Fengyuan.
If such an army was transferred back to deal with him, it would be hard to say whether he could defend it a second time.
After all, ambushes like the one at Niutou Mountain are difficult to replicate, and it would be a bit of a fantasy to do it again.
And if it was a head-on confrontation, it would still be difficult before the Tiangou Army grew stronger.
Fortunately, it seems that Ning Yongnian is not willing to give up such a piece of fat that has reached his mouth, Da Feng.
Once the army is transferred back, Da Feng will undoubtedly return to Li Qi's hands, even if Li Qi is killed in advance, there is still Li Wutong.
As long as there is royal blood, it is not too difficult to reassemble the fragmented Da Feng.
Therefore, Ning Yongnian must make a choice between Da Feng and Shuzhou.
If he wants to continue to attack Shuzhou fiercely, he must abandon Da Feng.
And Ning Yongnian did choose the former.
As for where he wants to take Li Qi, and what he wants to do... Wei Changtian is too lazy to think about it now.
“Understood.”
Nodding, Wei Changtian lifted the curtain of the carriage and glanced outside, then softly ordered:
“Stop the car.”
“Yes, Young Master.”
“Halt!”
The coachman tightened the reins, and the carriage quickly stopped slowly on the side of the road.
“Brother Chu, has the situation of that Zhang Shi been investigated?”
Wei Changtian rummaged through a few silver notes from the carriage and put them in his chest, and asked casually: "Have you found his body yet?"
“Found it.”
Chu Xianping nodded: "However, the body was cremated before the breakout, and the ashes are now placed in the Yizhuang of Guanghan County."
“Young Master, do you want someone to bring his ashes here?”
“...”
Wei Changtian hesitated for a moment, then shook his head: "No, just tell me about this person's situation."
“Yes.”
Chu Xianping took out a small booklet that he carried with him and introduced softly:
“Young Master, Zhang Shi is from Guanghan County. According to his good friends in the same camp, his family still has an old mother living in Guanghan City, and he has never been married...”
“...”
Half an hour later, that familiar alley.
From leaving to returning, only four days apart.
Everything, including the old woman who was waiting outside the courtyard gate, had not changed in any way.
“Granny!”
Shouting loudly from afar, a smile appeared on Wei Changtian's face.
The old woman's expression was a bit surprised and joyful.
This time, she didn't immediately turn around and go back to the house like before, but stood there somewhat at a loss, until Wei Changtian walked all the way closer.
“Granny, the army has won a great victory, I came back to see you.”
Smiling and standing in front of the old woman, Wei Changtian looked at the trace of anxiety that could not be hidden in the latter's eyes, and knew what she was worried about.
“By the way, I also inquired about your son Zhang Shi.”
“Don't worry, not only is he alive, but he has also made great contributions, and he was just promoted a few days ago!”
“It's just that the war hasn't ended yet, and according to military regulations, he can't come back to see you, but he asked me to bring you a message...”
Taking out a one-hundred-tael silver note from his arms, Wei Changtian gently put it into the smiling old woman's hand.
“He said that you must take care of your health and wait for him to become a high-ranking official before returning to serve you!”
“...”
Perhaps it was because there had been a heavy rain a few days ago, the sun today was particularly bright.
The warm sunlight fell on the two of them, and also made a cluster of smiles bloom on the old woman's weathered face, the wrinkled forehead gradually unfolded a little, and the narrowed eyes seemed to have light flashing.
She held up the silver note and looked at it over and over again, her wrinkled palms trembling as she stroked every small character on it, as if it was not a silver note, but some incredible treasure.
Obviously, she was definitely not happy because of this one hundred taels of silver.
However, seeing the old woman's current appearance, Wei Changtian felt an indescribable feeling in his heart.
“Granny, let's go inside and talk.”
Forcibly maintaining the smile on his face, Wei Changtian took the lead and walked into the small courtyard.
A big goose immediately flapped its wings and rushed over, shouting "Gah Gah Gah" very loudly, jumping up and down like it was not a goose, but a domestic dog guarding the house.
Huh?
Slightly stunned, Wei Changtian then remembered that he had bought this goose back and originally planned to have it for dinner.
“Granny, it's almost time for lunch.”
Smiling and turning his head back, Wei Changtian rolled up his sleeves and said: "Why don't we eat this goose for lunch today?"
“...”
The old woman paused, and although she nodded quickly, the trace of reluctance in her eyes was still captured by Wei Changtian.
Could it be that she has been living alone for too long, so she has feelings for this big goose?
Wei Changtian had a rough guess in his heart, so he didn't have the idea of eating the goose.
“Forget it, Granny, let's keep it.”
“You wait at home for a while, I'll go find a restaurant and buy some cooked food to bring back.”
Shaking his head, Wei Changtian knew that he probably wouldn't have the opportunity to visit the old woman again in the future, so he prepared to buy some good dishes and have a meal with the latter.
In the goose's constant cries, he quickly walked out of the small courtyard and to the end of the alley.
Stopping and looking back, the old woman was already standing outside the small courtyard gate again, looking at him from afar with a kind face.
Sigh...
Withdrawing his gaze, Wei Changtian sighed in his heart.
Some people can meet again after parting, but some people will be separated forever.
For him, meeting such an old woman who doesn't know that her son is dead is just a trivial matter, and perhaps in less than ten days and a half months, he will completely forget the old woman and that Zhang Shi.
But for the old woman, she will most likely keep waiting here.
Waiting for him to bring news of her son, waiting for the appearance of the person who will never appear again.
And this is also why Wei Changtian lied that Zhang Shi was not dead.
Perhaps.
Having something to wait for is always better than having nothing to wait for.
