The second master was not ready to leave Chuzhou, and Qi Fu persuaded him for two hours, but he could not change his mind, and finally had to give up. However, Qi Fu didn't want the second master to live a poor life, so he borrowed five hundred taels of silver from Tang Ning and gave it to the second master.

There is no excuse for the second master of the silver, they are all straightforward heroes, so they naturally have to be straight.

In the afternoon, everyone got into a carriage hired from the town and went back to Yangzhou, and Tang Ning also went to lie down in his ancestral hall to take a look. There was nothing special, so he donated five hundred taels of silver to the ancestral hall keeper as a charity and used it on the ancestral hall.

The ancestral hall keeper was grateful, and if he had to know Tang Ning's name, Tang Ning made up nonsense and said that his name was He Yuyunyun......

When I arrived in Yangzhou, I took a boat back to Kaifeng Mansion by boat, and there was nothing to do all the way.

This trip even took the tour for more than half a month, and when I came back, I looked like a dusty man.

Wang Shi looked at Tang Yu, who had lost some weight, and was very distressed. Hurriedly asked the cook to get Tang Yu some delicious food, how cute she used to be white and chubby, but now she is about to lose weight into a bamboo pole.

Tang Ning, this bastard, will settle accounts with him later.

When he got home to wash up, Downing suddenly felt sleepy. Although safety is guaranteed along the way, it is a meal and a camping after all. I'm afraid that the shops I find on both sides of the official road are black shops, and I can't sleep well.

But when you get home, if you don't take this opportunity to get a good night's sleep, it's too inconsistent with Downing's style.

I felt a little sleepy, and I was woken up again. said that it was Zhao Xu's envoy, and Tang Ning immediately entered the palace to meet him.

Zhao Xu was in such a hurry, it was the first time. So Tang Ning attached great importance to it, immediately got dressed, and went straight to the palace.

Although the words of the envoy from the palace were quite serious, Zhao Xu saw that Tang Ning was still in the imperial study this time.

Before entering, Li Duzhi stopped Tang Ning and said solemnly: "I have to see the official family today, and everything I see and hear must not be leaked, otherwise even if you are the Marquis of Danyang, you will definitely be beheaded." ”

Tang Ning gasped and asked, "What happened?" How is it so serious? ”

"The official family hasn't seen anyone for six days, you are the first one, so you can do it yourself!" Li Duzhi did not answer Tang Ning's question positively, but gave an ambiguous answer.

Tang Ningxin said that this time the matter must be very big, just look at Li Duzhi's tight-lipped appearance.

Pushing open the door with apprehension, Tang Ning walked in and said, "Official, so eager to summon Weichen into the palace, but what's the urgency?" ”

At this time, Tang Ning was still lowering his head, and he heard Zhao Xu say weakly: "Come on, sit down." ”

Tang Ning looked up and couldn't help but be shocked. Zhao Xu's face no longer looks like a normal person. The whole person shrunk into a corner of the kang

Looking at Tang Ning, he pulled out a far-fetched smile and said, "Isn't my current appearance very embarrassing?" ”

Tang Ning was silent for a while and said, "The official family is seriously ill?" ”

Zhao Xu smiled, although his mouth didn't move, his curved eyes showed that he was laughing.

"You're finally not polite to me." Zhao Xu said, trying to straighten up. Seeing this, Tang Ning was about to step forward to help, but Zhao Xu stretched out a hand to stop him.

"I can do this level of work myself, and I don't need help from others." After speaking, he propped himself up, mouthed Tang Ning Nunu, and motioned Tang Ning to pour him a cup of tea to drink.

Tang Ning poured the tea and handed it over, Zhao Xu stretched out his slightly trembling hand to take it, and after drinking it in one gulp, he put down the teacup and said quietly: "What you said is right, my condition is serious."

Seven days ago, I was on official business in the Wende Hall. Suddenly, I felt a tightness in my chest and shortness of breath, and then I started coughing. This cough didn't stop for two hours, and a lot of blood came out.

Finally I coughed so much that I fainted, and when I opened my eyes again, I was already lying in bed and unable to move. ”

Tang Ning only knew that there was such a disease as tuberculosis, and Tang Ning really didn't know what the symptoms were. However, he had heard that a tuberculosis patient coughed up a piece of internal organs, so he looked at Zhao Xu distressedly and said, "Guanjia, you are too tired."

You are busy during the day and not idle at night, how can this work? People have to rest, and people like you, even if they come up with steel and iron bones, they can't bear it. ”

Zhao Xu shook his head and said, "Why don't I know? But ah, Tang Qing, I can't rest!

Every time I want to rest, I close my eyes and see the country of my holy pilgrimage. In the past few years, there have been signs of revival in my holy pilgrimage, how dare I rest easily?

I can't rest, I can't rest......"

Zhao Xu began to mumble to himself, he looked out the window, his eyes half dazed, half melancholy.

Tangning opened his mouth, but finally closed it. Zhao Xu's actions over the years are in his eyes, starting from the restoration of the new law in the Shaosheng period after the pro-government, until the recent recovery of Guangyuan Prefecture, this person is focused on the Zhongxing of the Great Song Dynasty.

He didn't seem to have much personal time, and every time Tang Ning saw him, he was either on official business or discussing things with other ministers. His five-year-old girl has never been seen with him.

Zhao Xu was stunned for a while, then turned his head to look at Tang Ning and said, "Tang Qing, the illness seven days ago almost killed me. Do you know how scared I was when I woke up?

I'm not afraid of death, I'm afraid that I won't see the day when the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun will be recovered. As long as the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun are still in the hands of the Liao people for a day, I don't dare to close my eyes.

I'm afraid that one night when I sleep soundly, the cavalry of the Liao people will be

It's already under the city of Tokyo......"

Speaking of this, Zhao Xu became excited. His whole person seemed to have strength, and he leaned over and grabbed Tang Ning's hand and said, "Tang Qing, I can't wait any longer!" Wait any longer, I'm really going to die before I can recover Yanyun!" ”

Tang Ning looked at the paranoid Zhao Xu, and didn't know what to say for a while.

Recovering Yanyun was an agreement that Zhao Xu had made with him many years ago, and he had made a lot of efforts for this agreement, both openly and secretly.

But after Zhao Xu's words today, although Tang Ning felt a little sorry for Zhao Xu, he still couldn't promise Zhao Xu, and immediately sent troops to attack the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun.

"Official, that's not how it happened. The battle of the sixteen states of Yanyun must be a battle between our Great Song State and the Liao State to gamble on the national fortunes, and we must not slack off.

However, it was not long before that, that is, three or five months, that we withdrew our troops from Cochin. The soldiers need to rest, and the people need to rest.

Moreover, to recover the sixteen states of Yanyun, Weichen had calculated with several generals. It is not advisable to have 300,000 troops, and our Great Song State also needs to attack several other routes of the Liao State at the same time.

In this way, according to the current reserves in the treasury, I am afraid that it will not be enough to support the army to go on the expedition.

After years of fighting, the people can't afford it.

Yanyun Sixteen Prefectures, Wechen promised you that you would definitely recover, so Wechen will definitely do it. Officials, you can't rush this time, otherwise if the army loses and returns, it won't be empty talk for the people to rise up......"

Tang Ning persuaded Zhao Xu bitterly, he was too anxious.

It's only been four months, and I'm starting to think about doing something to Liao. The two families have not fought for a hundred years, and the Liao State is not like the Great Song Dynasty, and they have not had a war in their country for many years, which is very obvious from the Song army that has been fighting for many years.

What's more, in order to levy Jiaozhi before, the local government forcibly levied a lot of strong men, as well as food and taxes, which were also a lot more than in previous years.

The landlord's family has no surplus food, let alone the common people? If the people are not given time to recuperate, isn't that tantamount to squeezing out the last vestige of their strength?

If the people can't live anymore, who will continue to swallow their anger? Since ancient times, it has been under endless oppression that rebels have raised the banner of resistance.

Zhao Xu listened to Tang Ning's persuasion and fell silent. He knew that what Tang Ning said made sense, and no matter how anxious he was, he would have to talk about it after this autumn.

But he really didn't want to wait for a moment, and the near-death experience had him put a lot of things on his agenda. He felt that his time was short, and in these last days, he really wanted to see Yan Yun recovered.

If Yan Yun can be taken back, even if Zhao Xu is allowed to die that day, Zhao Xu will be able to smile at Jiuquan......