The city of Hengzhou in the early morning of winter is shrouded in a layer of milky white mist.

Before dawn, Zhao Ping went to the Chinese army to perform some ordinary military affairs. He was not embarrassed to stay in Xingyuan for a long time, and at this time he had already walked out of the courtyard where the Chinese army Xingyuan was. He walked over to the retinue of his own soldiers waiting outside the door and silently took the reins.

Zhao Ping's interest was not high, and he had been silent. On the day of the decisive battle in Baoqing Mansion, he knew that his performance was very poor.

Although some of them do not need to be killed, there are certain reasons; But Zhao Ping recalled many times and had to admit that the biggest problem was still him, the left-wing commander! He failed to judge the situation in various parts of the battlefield in time, let alone reinforce the Quan Yong team in time to the places where the troops were really needed. Zhao Ping looked back and thought that he had wasted a lot of troops that day, and the entire left wing was very chaotic.

The Battle of Huguang was a crucial battle in the entire "Battle of Crime"! King Han gave Zhao Ping a great opportunity and sent Chen Zhen and other veterans to assist, but Zhao Ping still did not seize the opportunity.

The battle was finally won and Zhao Ping's culpability was concealed. However, when he thinks about it, he still feels very scared and guilty...... Fortunately, the advantage of the right flank of the Han Wangjun was too obvious and the breakthrough was too fast, otherwise how could Zhao Ping bear the huge responsibility? That is related to the victory or defeat of hundreds of thousands of troops, and the lives of countless brothers under the Han Palace!

Zhao Ping was depressed, put his hand on the horse's back, and stepped on the stirrup with one foot.

At this moment, a woman's voice said, "General Zhao, I'm glad to meet you." ”

Zhao Ping turned his head and immediately recognized that the person who greeted him was Diao Ya.

Diao Ya is a native woman, and she is a member of the Diao clan of the Yunnan Tusi clan, and she can be regarded as Zhao Ping's old man.

I think back then, when Zhao Ping first met Diao Ya, he was still a hundred household officials, responsible for guarding the "Daming City" and the jade pit. The Yunnan government ordered Diao Ya's father to come to the "Daming City" to be responsible for interpreting and coordinating the relationship between the Ming army and the natives; But at that time, Diao Ya's father was not in good health, and she seemed to want to take on that position, so she went instead of her father.

Later, Diao Ya did not go home, and has been working as a local official in the Kunming and Han Palaces, replacing her father's position. After the outbreak of the "Battle of Crime", the Han Wangfu considered that there were a large number of Tusi Tu people in the southwestern provinces, so they brought the local officials of various ethnic groups with the army...... There must have been something wrong in it, so that Diao Ya, a local official, also came to Huguang; There are no of her people in Huguang Mountain, and she can't help.

Diao Ya's complexion is still dark, the color of the Yunnan sun; But if it weren't for climatic reasons, the appearance of the Diao natives should be not much different from the Han people. Her skin was smooth, and her face was not ugly. She looks pretty in colorful hometown clothes.

"Now you can be called Zhao Dashuai." Diao Ya waited for a moment and didn't hear Zhao Ping's reply, and said with a somewhat self-deprecating expression.

"Where, where?" Zhao Ping hurriedly clenched his fists and saluted back, "Don't you come here unharmed?" ”

Diao Ya smiled and said, "It's okay, I almost forgot that Zhao Dashuai is a talent." ”

"Child." Zhao Ping corrected.

Seeing Diao Ya, Zhao Ping couldn't help but think of the past when he was defeated in "Daming City...... He felt that he was not to blame for that defeat, the strength of the Si clan natives was dozens of times that of the Ming army, and that battle could not be fought. However, Zhao Ping recalled that he really didn't seem to have won many battles!

Fortunately, King Han still protected him very much. Zhao Ping couldn't help but sigh "sigh" at this time, quite emotional.

Zhao Ping led the horse to Diao Ya's side and said: "We haven't seen each other for a long time, today I met an old acquaintance in a foreign country, I will come to the east and find a wine shop to drink two cups." ”

Diao Ya said softly: "I'm a woman......"

Zhao Ping was stunned for a moment, remembering that she seemed to ignore these rituals before. He immediately said: "You are not a Han person, and you are an official of the Han Palace, so you don't have to stick to those vulgar etiquette." ”

Diao Ya no longer objected.

Zhao Ping led the horse and walked side by side with her. The guards followed from a distance, playfully.

When Diao Ya was silent, her black face was a little sad. Zhao Ping turned his head to look at her and asked, "Lord Diao is not happy?" ”

"What sir?" Diao Ya glanced at Zhao Ping.

After a while, she sighed softly and said, "After the battle not long ago, I went to help on the battlefield and saw corpses all over the field; I also saw a lot of Han wounded soldiers in the barracks...... It's hard to think about. ”

"Miss Diao is really a bodhisattva." Zhao Ping said casually. He didn't understand it a little, the Han people themselves fought each other, what did it matter to their natives?

Diao Ya said bitterly: "They are all such good men, and they are gone...... You Han people, why do you have to fight? ”..

Zhao Ping said simply: "Because the big thing has reached that point, either you die or I die!" No one wants to die, and the total score is right and wrong. ”

Diao Ya said worriedly: "I saw this beautiful and clean huge city, and I think that the people here are kind-hearted and well-behaved, and I really can't see you killing each other. The Ming soldiers are hard-working and never complain; The civil officials are polite and always so patient and elegant, this place is like heaven...... But you have been fighting back and forth, I am really afraid that such a place will decay, and I can't bear to see Han'er dead and injured. ”

For a while, Zhao Ping didn't know how to respond.

He observed Diao Ya's eyes as he looked at the pavilions and pavilions in the city with relish, and felt in his heart: Although this Hengzhou City is a relatively large city, it is really incomparable with the cities in Beijing, Suzhou, Hangzhou and other places.

But just looking at the outside scenery is not all of the Ming Dynasty; Or Diao Ya just chooses what she wants to see. Zhao Pingxin said: At least not all the soldiers of the Ming army abide by the rules, and some troops will be like thieves and bandits as soon as they arrive in other places!

However, Han Wangjun is really as Diao Ya said, and he is relatively well-behaved; Most of the 100 households in the Guy army were born in the Han King's own soldiers and obeyed the orders of the Han King, and those 100 household generals were very able to restrain the soldiers.

He thought for a while before saying, "The Han King is more capable than the puppet emperor and the other clan vassal kings!" ”

Diao Ya nodded and said, "I've seen King Han." When I saw him, I saw him as if I saw a god, as if I always felt that he had infinite divine power and kindness...... But it is really not a good thing for him to kill Han people on the battlefield. ”

Zhao Pingxin said: If you want to fight for the world and fight, can you still not kill people?

The two were silent for a while.

Diao Ya remembered something again, a faint smile gradually appeared on her face, and she said, "The scribe who helped me copy the documents is really interesting. Every time he spoke very politely and with a lot of courtesy, I looked at him with curiosity; But he's still blushing! Whatever is indecent and disrespectful, it's all the words I've read in books. ”

Zhao Ping shook his head lightly, noncommittal.

Diao Ya said again: "There is also the servant who sweeps the yard, who also knows how to be polite. When I passed there, he stopped at a distance, for fear that I would get dusty, and bowed with his hands in his hands to make way...... is a Han miscellaneous servant, so careful and polite, as if he knows a lot of things. Unlike the people in some places, except for those with status, ordinary people are like savages. ”

Zhao Ping was even more stunned, he said: "The Ming Dynasty has dignity and humility, and those miscellaneous servants, peddlers and pawns are the most humble. Miss Diao is an official of the Han Palace, of course they don't dare to offend you. You don't have to care about those people. ”

"I think they're all very nice." Diao Ya muttered, looking serious, it didn't look like a joke. She said softly, "My father is an official, but in the border areas of Yunnan, how dare I go out without a few slaves?" But in this Hengzhou City, I can go wherever I want, and everyone is well-behaved and will not provoke me. ”

Zhao Ping said casually: "There are official shops on every street, except for outlaws and ordinary people, who will easily trigger the law?" ”

After he said this, he didn't want to correct Diao Ya's insight anymore. Although Zhao Ping felt that Diao Ya's views were biased, it didn't seem to be a bad thing.

Zhao Ping pondered for a while, and suddenly said: "I have realized some truths, the imperial court can't just rely on force to pacify the frontier land; It must also have a rich and strong national strength to convince and admire the local people. ”

Diao Ya seemed to understand the sound, her face was a little embarrassed, and she said: "I'm not a person who forgets my roots, but seeing is believing." ”

Zhao Ping didn't speak for a while, frowning and thinking about something. The two of them walked silently down the street.

There are not many pedestrians on the streets of Hengzhou City, which seems to be a bit depressed. From time to time on the road, a group of foot cavalry marched by, and most of its generals would salute Zhao Ping, who had a higher status.

After the Han army occupied the city of Hengzhou, although it issued a list of people on the same day, promising the people not to attack, disturb and plunder; Obviously, many people do not believe in martial arts, and people are still closed in the streets and alleys everywhere.

However, there are also some bold people who have opened shops in business one after another; And most people will need time to wait and see.

As Zhao Ping knew, most of the hundreds of households in the Han Wang's army were Han Wang's own soldiers. They were able to change from military households to military generals, and they were very grateful and obedient, and those generals would not disobey the military order of the Han Palace's military order prohibiting the plundering of the people. Without the chaos of the army, the people will soon be able to trust An Minbang. (In the Daming Guard, ordinary military households and generals are completely different identities.) ）

At this time, Zhao Ping finally saw a restaurant with an open door. He turned to Diao Ya and said, "The restaurant doesn't seem to be open, let's just leave it here." ”

Diao Ya nodded.

The two of them walked to the door, and when the shopkeeper saw Zhao Ping's military armor, he was scared and attentive, for fear of offending them. Zhao Ping glanced at the store and said, "Don't be afraid, Ben will not be short of money, and you are indispensable!" First serve some fruit tea, and when it is almost noon, prepare two tables of wine and food. ”

"The grass people understand, please inside!"

Diao Ya looked at the shopkeeper and smiled: "Don't worry, shopkeeper, this general is a good person." ”