The eyes of everyone in the camp were fixed on their faces, and Deng Ming didn't figure out what kind of play Zhou Kaihuang was singing for a long time, he couldn't figure out which play Zhou Kaihuang was singing. Deng Ming didn't know how to follow Zhou Kaihuang's words and explain to everyone, and at the same time he was thinking about Zhou Kaihuang's intention of roasting himself on the stove like this, and he still thought in his heart from time to time: "What to make up?" Tell the truth, pour it all out! This thought kept coming back again and again after being pressed down again and again.

Although Deng Ming is angry, he is still sensible, although he travels through time and space, although it is a fact, he can't tell the truth, in everyone's ears, this matter will only seem more ridiculous than the biggest lie, once he tells it, it is not to solve the problem at all, but to break the jar. "Calm down, calm down, I know you are quick-witted, didn't you handle it well with Yuan Zongdi before? You've succeeded in gaining their trust. ”

Everyone had been waiting quietly for a long time, but Deng Ming still hadn't come up with any solution. Deng Ming comforted himself in his heart, and at the same time constantly suppressed the growing anger in his chest: "What does Zhou Kaihuang want to do? Does he think I'm a liar? Even if it's a nonsense, you must at least make a confession with me in advance! I'll tell you the truth if I'm in a hurry, and no one wants to step down! ”

Deng Ming's silence made Li Xinghan's suspicions more and more serious, he had listened to Zhou Kaihuang's words before, and he was still convinced of Deng Ming's identity as a disciple of the clan. Now Deng Ming did not give any answer to Zhou Kaihuang's remarks, and Li Xinghan felt that this was a bit unreasonable. Yes or no, this is a very simple and important question for a child of the clan, if so, naturally he cannot deny his ancestors; If not, he can't pretend to be - if this continues, it won't be long before Li Xinghan begins to doubt Deng Ming's clan identity.

"My life experience is really unspeakable," Deng Ming couldn't think of any way to help Zhou Kaihuang lie, and it wouldn't have any good effect if he said about his time and space travel, so Deng Ming had to continue to deal with it: "When it comes to Fengjie, I will naturally explain it to Inspector Wen." ”

This is actually Deng Ming's admission of defeat. On the other side are unambiguous soldiers, and if the lie is discovered, they will be beaten up angrily. Deng Ming felt that he still needed some time to get to Fengjie, and he could think about countermeasures calmly. Zhou Kaihuang is really a source of trouble, but Wen Anzhi is a literati, maybe a reasonable person, as long as he explains it to him clearly, he can probably understand his own distress - in order to boost the morale of the whole army, he had to pretend to be a member of the clan to Li Xinghan and his gang at a critical moment.

Li Xinghan remembered that the other party said this when he first met Deng Ming, and he could understand the other party's distress when he was in danger, but Zhou Kaihuang said this guy like this, it wouldn't be for no reason, right? Thinking of this, Li Xinghan no longer urged Deng Ming, but challenged Zhou Kaihuang: "Mr. Zhou Qian, is this making fun of the brothers?" ”

Zhou Kaihuang suddenly turned red-faced. Deng Ming had obviously agreed just now, but in a blink of an eye, he broke his promise and sold him, but Zhou Kaihuang felt that it was not good to have a seizure with Deng Ming, so he had to explain: "This is the ...... that the old man of our Jingguo Gong can see."

Zhou Kaihuang, who was already half-drunk, talked for a long time, his tongue was a little big, first the strange cotton jacket and boots, and then the pork leg bone that did not eat the bone marrow, and chattered for a long time, but most of the people present did not understand at all, and they were even more confused, and they didn't even know what he wanted to say.

Deng Ming finally confirmed that he didn't have any urgency, it turned out that the other party didn't believe that he was a scholar from the beginning. Zhou Kaihuang recounted that when the pork leg bone was not knocked open, Deng Ming felt very aggrieved - it was obvious that he had gnawed so much that he didn't even have meat residues, but people still thought that he was putting on a score!

“…… Especially the string of beads, which is a forbidden thing. Zhou Kaihuang was talking, suddenly his mind turned, in order to strengthen his persuasiveness, he ran over and pulled Zhao Tianba to testify for him: "Even the jewel given to the prince of Jin today is far from being compared with the treasure in the hands of His Royal Highness, this is what Zhao Qianhu said." ”

"I didn't say that." Hearing that he was asked to testify, Zhao Tianba shook his head and flatly denied it. His loyalty to the Ming court of the Yongli Emperor was mainly due to the loyalty of the King of Jin to the Ming Court, and he, Zhao Tianba, had always been loyal to the King of Jin. Today's Deng Ming's appearance made him feel a little uneasy, if this person is supported, maybe one day he will give the object of the Jin King's allegiance? Zhao Tianba had already made up his mind, and as soon as he returned to Fengjie, he would report his concerns to the Wen Inspector sent by the imperial court. For this reason, Zhao Tianba does not plan to help Deng Ming win over the army's heart now.

Unexpectedly, Zhao Tianba also reversed himself, Zhou Kaihuang was shocked and angry: "You said it!" Your Excellency Yasukuni heard it, and I heard it. ”

"I didn't say that!"

"You said it! You said it in the camp of Lord Yasukuni that day. ”

"I didn't say that!"

"You said it!"

"I didn't say that!"

The two of them turned over and over these two sentences, and they couldn't get any results, so Deng Ming asked for the meeting to break up under the pretext that it was not too early to march and hurry. Except for Zhou and Zhao, who were arguing more and more noblely, Deng Ming was probably the only one in the tent who knew what they were fighting for, and he decided to avoid the limelight while everyone didn't quite understand.

Deng Ming already knew that Zhou Kaihuang was not playing any strategy at all, but really mistook himself for a disciple of the clan. Deng Ming estimated that it was not a very light crime for ordinary people in the Ming Dynasty to impersonate the clan, and in his impression, impersonation could constitute a criminal offense.

After the meeting ended, Deng Ming quickly left the Chinese military tent, and as soon as he went out, he grabbed the guards standing guard at the door: "Trouble you, take me to Tan Hong's camp tent." ”

Seeing that the sect spoke so politely, several guards at the door were bluffed one by one, and the guard who faced Deng Ming hurriedly led the way, and the others also apologized one after another: "Your Highness killed the villain." ”

Zhou Kaihuang arranged Deng Ming to rest in Tan Hong's tent.

In the past, when he was in Yuan Zong's army, Deng Ming often used his solitude to think about his next move, especially in the dead of night. But most of the time, Deng Ming fell asleep without waiting to come up with anything, and his thoughts quickly turned into fantasies, and then he fell asleep with these boundless thoughts.

According to his experience, if he lay down, he would quickly become cranky until he fell into a dream. So after entering the tent, Deng Ming did not lie down but walked around the tent. I got a lot of information tonight, and it was very important, Deng Ming wanted to make sure that he could soberly analyze this information and then make a reasonable response.

"I've never told anyone that I'm a member of the clan, so I'm not impostoring." Deng Ming thought that if Daming's law also required the facts of the crime, then he should be safe: "I don't know what will happen to ordinary people pretending to be from the clan?" In a feudal dynasty, this is probably a great crime, right? This is all Yuan Zongdi and Zhou Kaihuang's speculation, and it has nothing to do with me. ”

Based on Deng Ming's understanding of Zhou Kaihuang and Zhao Tianba, he estimated that Zhou Kaihuang probably didn't lie, maybe Zhao Tianba said that his string of beads was a forbidden treasure or something. Thinking of this, Deng Ming couldn't help but touch the beads under his clothes: "I thought about exchanging it for food when I was hungry, but if it is so precious, I'm afraid no one will dare to accept it, huh...... Maybe I can take the beads apart and sell them one by one......"

After fantasizing about the plot of selling pearls for a while, Deng Ming found that he was a little off topic, and hurriedly pulled his thoughts back: "After meeting Wen Anzhi, how should I explain my identity?" I read and write, but almost no one in this era can read, and the reason for amnesia seems to be indefinite. How on earth do I explain where I came from? Although Deng Ming thought hard, he couldn't come up with a good solution because he didn't understand this era.

Suddenly, a bold idea came to me: "Or I just pretend to be the clan, and in the past two days, I have asked which clan relatives have been killed by the Manchu Qing Dynasty, and I will say that I am alone and out of danger, so that it is easy to explain how to read and write, and this string of pearls can also help me strengthen my persuasiveness." ”

However, this thought was just a flash, and Deng Ming understood after a little thought that it was more difficult to pretend to be a clan than ordinary nonsense: "If I pretend to be a passerby, others will not be able to find out my family background, and if I pretend to be a sect and still don't know, I will immediately reveal my stuff." I heard that the children of the clan in the Ming Dynasty still pay attention to what rank they are, I can't even know my own name and the name of the old prince of the palace, right? ”

Besides, that Wen Anzhi is a scholar, not as good as a military general like Yuan Zongdi, I heard that he was sent to Sichuan by the imperial court. has read books, seen the world, and served as an official in the court, even if it is not a fiery eye, it is almost the same, whether it is a clan or not, he can see at a glance, lying in front of this kind of person is obviously self-defeating.

Deng Ming felt that things had become more difficult, and after careful consideration, it seemed that he could only say that he had lost his memory. However, I only lost part of my memory, and I still remember some of the knowledge I learned in books: "It's just that how to handle this heat and proportion, you must think about it carefully, if you deal with it in a hurry like seeing Yuan Zongdi, it will definitely not work, it will be a joke with your own life." ”

When Deng Ming was circling around in the camp, there were intermittent sorrowful voices from outside, and he didn't pay attention to it at first, thinking that it was probably a soldier whose relatives and friends died in the battle to vent his grief. As the voices grew louder, it was clear that there were more people participating.

"Alas, the end of the First World War was so miserable, probably every soldier has some friends and relatives whose lives and deaths are unknown." Hearing these sorrows, Deng Ming's heart ached faintly, and he remembered the young Shuiying Qianzong who donated his life: "I don't know his name yet, the next time I see Zhou Kaihuang, I must ask." ”

The crying never stopped, and Deng Ming was also sad: "I used to hear that the military discipline of the feudal army was harsh and unkind, Yuan Zongdi told me that not only is noise strictly forbidden in the army, but also the punishment is even more severe, which can make the prisoners unable to survive or die." However, listening to the crying outside, the military law of the Ming Dynasty was also accommodating, and the officers sometimes had a human touch, and the soldiers must be too sad in their hearts, how could they strictly prohibit it again? The so-called law is nothing but human feelings, ancient and modern, Chinese and foreign, it is like this. ”

Some shouting and scolding came along with the crying, Deng Ming listened carefully, and there seemed to be the sound of whipping.

"This must be an officer who has begun to enforce the law, although the officers know that the soldiers are uncomfortable, but there will always be people who think that military law still needs to be upheld, right?" Deng Ming was a little unimpressed by this kind of treatment, Yuan Zongdi and Zhou Kaihuang had introduced him to all kinds of military laws, and when he thought of those punishments Deng Ming was cold hair, he immediately walked outside the camp tent: "Although I didn't pretend to be a clan, but I still have a bit of face, if someone really wants to strictly enforce military law, I will always ask for a favor for them." ”

After walking out of the camp tent, he saw that the torches at the edge of the camp were brightly illuminated, Deng Ming hurriedly walked over there, and the two guards at the camp gate also followed behind him. The farther I went, the clearer the shouting and whipping became. Although Deng Ming did not understand the habits of the Ming Dynasty, he also noticed something unusual.

In the firelight, Zhou Kaihuang stood majestically on a high place, and ran over when he saw Deng Ming coming. Without waiting for Zhou Kaihuang to speak, Deng Ming, who had made up his mind not to pretend to be the clan, preemptively said: "Mr. Zhou Qian, let's call me Mr. Deng in the future." ”

Although he didn't know what Deng Ming's plans were, Zhou Kaihuang thought that he had fully understood that Deng Ming was still unwilling to reveal his identity, so Zhou Kaihuang replied obediently: "Yes, Mr. Deng." ”

Hundreds of Ming soldiers in front of them held bright torches in a circle, and in the circle were nearly a thousand captured Tan Hongbu soldiers. The captives were each given a tool - the tools used by Tan Hong to build the camp and dig the protective ditch here were all removed from the storage place, and the captives were digging pits under the supervision of the Ming army. And there was more than just one pit, the prisoners were divided into groups and dug in the ground, some digging deeper, while others were very slow.

The cries were made by some of the captives. Most of the captives were working in despair, and the Ming soldiers on the side were all staring at them with cold eyes. There were also some Ming soldiers patrolling around with leather whips, and when they saw anyone deliberately grinding or moving slowly, they would whip them up fiercely. The person who was beaten was in pain and heartbroken, and while shedding tears, he hurriedly dug a few times. Others couldn't help but cry out, in exchange for angry scolding and new beatings.

Deng Ming saw a captive's face covered with snot and tears, perhaps because these things blocked his vision, he slipped and fell on the edge of the pit when he was digging a pit, and suddenly a leather whip flew to his head, and the blood that bloomed out was mixed with the liquid on his face before, but the captive did not wipe it with his hands, but struggled to get up reluctantly, and used the shovel in his hand to pry the hard cold soil and stones on the ground.

"What is this for?" Deng Ming was dumbfounded, and during this period, Li Xinghan also came over, and Deng Ming hurriedly asked him and Zhou Kaihuang questions.

Li Xinghan hesitated for a moment, as if he was still thinking about how to answer, Zhou Kaihuang rushed in front of him and replied: "So that Mr. Deng knows, after Mr. left just now, we discussed how to pit a few people." ”

Zhou Kaihuang's answer made Deng Ming stunned for a while, and when he understood, he couldn't help but raise his voice, pointing to the hundreds of captives and asking, "Is this a pit for a few people?" ”

"Shh Zhou Kaihuang hurriedly waved his hand and signaled Deng Ming to speak softly, the distance between the place where they were standing now and the captives was not far, and if they answered loudly, it would be easy for the captives to hear.

"Mr. Deng misunderstood, our army still needs to work now, and they are still needed for the time being, and they will not be slaughtered tonight because of a moment of anger."

With the beginning of Zhou Kaihuang, Li Xinghan explained: "Sir, don't worry, we still know how to focus on the overall situation, and our army also needs troops, and we won't kill a jīng light out of anger." ”

"And what the hell are they going to do tonight?" Deng Ming could hear that Li Xinghan's tone seemed to be settling accounts with these captives sooner or later, but not tonight. What Deng Ming wanted to know was why the captives were allowed to dig the pits, and why the captives were crying so sadly.

"Mr. Deng doesn't know," compared to Li Xinghan, Zhou Kaihuang already knew more about Deng Ming, he knew that Deng Ming didn't know anything about military affairs, so he pointed to the prisoners who were digging pits around him, and popularized Deng Ming's military knowledge in the seventeenth century: "We plan to pit Tan Hong's guards, those dozens of people are Tan Hong's henchmen, and it will definitely be a disaster to keep them." As for these guys...... If you don't give them food today, and let them work a hungry stomach, they will be honest, and they will have no strength even if they want to make trouble. ”

"They thought they were digging a hole for themselves, so they cried and shouted, and after a while they knew that it wasn't themselves, and they would be grateful to us." After hearing Zhou Kaihuang's words, Li Xinghan realized that this Deng Ming was a complete layman, so he hurriedly showed his tactical strategy: "This is the art of war that Marquis Fu taught to his humble position before. ”

Zhou Kaihuang looked around, and felt that the depth of the pit was almost the same, so he ordered it to stop.

Some of the captives felt that such a shallow pit could not fit a few hundred people, and seemed too small, and squinted and looked around uneasily. But the vast majority of people could no longer support themselves when they heard this order, thinking that death was imminent, and one by one their bodies went limp, or they fell to the ground, or knelt on the edge of the pit they had just dug. The people who made a sad voice just now cried loudly, and let the Ming army's leather whip fly on their heads, and they couldn't let these people move any more.

"Pull everyone out." Zhou Kaihuang gave an order, and the Ming army went to mention Tan Hong's personal guards, that is, the dozens of people who were still guarding Tan Hong's side in the end. These officers, pro-soldiers, and family members were all close friends of Tan Hong, and they were selected by Tan Hong to be a member of the jīng cadres, who had always enjoyed higher treatment than ordinary soldiers, and they were likely to look for opportunities to incite rebellion. At this critical juncture, Zhou Kaihuang and Li Xinghan do not intend to leave these hidden dangers.