Not long after Yang Zhen kicked Yang Zhan'ao out and waited, he heard Yang Zhan'ao running back with a lantern. Before he entered the house, he shouted out the window:

"Sir! Zhang Youyi and Li Dusi are back! General Zu Keyong and General Xu Changyong are also here!"

Hearing this, Yang Zhen walked quickly outside the house. Yang Zhan'ao held a lantern and led the way. Yang Zhen followed behind. As soon as he reached the gate, he saw Zhang Degui and Li Lu leading a group of people on horseback, surrounding them.

A general in his thirties and a general in his forties came to the gate of the small courtyard covered in dust.

The general in his thirties was none other than Zu Keyong, whom Yang Zhen had met at the military meeting today. The other middle-aged general in his forties was probably Xu Changyong.

When the group of people who came saw Yang Zhen coming out to greet him in person, they quickly got off their horses and came to meet him.

Yang Zhen took the lead, stepped forward to support Zu Keyong as he dismounted, and said to him: "I only invited you two here after dark, I'm really sorry, I'm sorry!"

Zu Keyong is an upright man. Seeing Yang Zhen's enthusiasm, he immediately said: "It's nothing! Zu should have come to visit earlier!"

The two of them finished the ceremony in a hurry. Yang Zhen turned around and found Xu Changyong who had dismounted. He took Xu Changyong's hand and said, "I have heard about Brother Xu for a long time, and I don't want to have to meet today! Brother Xu, please come quickly! Please come quickly!"

Xu Changyong is about forty years old, with a rough appearance and a full beard. He is not very tall, but extremely strong. It may be because he has been riding horses for many years. He walks a little bow-legged. At this time, he heard Yang Zhen's polite words.

, quickly opened his mouth and said with a smile: "Yang Xiezhen is too polite! Brother, I am ashamed of myself! I am ashamed of myself!"

When Yang Zhen saw that Xu Changyong was also an upright man who was easy to deal with, his previous worries were swept away.

At that moment, he took the lantern held by Yang Zhan'ao and took the lead to lead Zu Keyong and Xu Changyong to their residence in the courtyard.

Sergeant Yang Zhenying, who lived in the side rooms on both sides of the front yard, squeezed their heads against the door and broken windows one by one, trying to look at the scene outside. Zhang Degui was so angry that he cursed and whipped a window with his riding crop, scolding him.

They should stay in the room and don't come out looking for trouble.

It's not that Sergeant Yang Zhenying has never seen the world, it's just that there is no entertainment at this time of night.

The yard was not big, only a few steps away. Soon, Yang Zhen led Zu Keyong and Xu Changyong to their room.

At Yang Zhen's insistence, several people quickly took off their military boots and sat cross-legged on the Kang table around the wine and meat.

After a while, Zhang Degui and Li Lu arranged for the battalion to stand guard and patrol that night, and they came to Yang Zhen's house together.

Yang Zhen forced the two of them to get on the Kang, and they all ate meat and drank wine at the same table. Then he said to Yang Zhan'ao, the general of the soldiers standing at the door of the room: "Send someone out to keep an eye on it! No outsiders are allowed in my small courtyard!"

Yang Zhan'ao agreed and quickly went out to make arrangements.

After hearing what Yang Zhen said, several other people knew that what they were going to talk about must be a topic that they all cared about, so everyone looked at Yang Zhen and waited for him to speak.

Yang Zhen didn't say anything. He first picked up the wine jar, which weighed five or six kilograms, and filled several people's pottery bowls with wine. Then he picked up the wine bowls and said:

"Although Yang Zhen has been in the army for a long time, he has been withdrawn since he was a child and doesn't like to socialize. So he came to Ningyuan for more than a month, but he had little contact with the two generals! When I saw the two generals today, I realized that this was really wrong!

Come! Come! Come! Brother, please do it first!”

After speaking, Yang Zhen raised his neck and drank the contents of the pottery bowl, then turned the mouth of the bowl downward to show that he had drank all.

Both Yang Zhen in the past and Yang Zhen now have a good capacity for drinking. In addition, the Shaodaozi from the late Ming Dynasty is not the highly blended wine of later generations. After a bowl, there will be no problem at all.

Yang Zhen's bold performance won the great favor of two equally good drinkers, Zu Keyong and Xu Changyong. The two of them started drinking without saying a word.

Several people put down their wine bowls, and Li Lu, who was watching the opportunity, quickly picked up the wine jar and filled it up again for several people.

At this time, Zu Keyong picked up a piece of beef and said: "Yang Xiezhen called my brothers here overnight. I'm afraid it's not as simple as drinking and eating meat! Today, the commander asked my brothers to go north with you, that is, for the past two or three days.

Things are going wrong, we have to come up with an idea as soon as possible!"

Xu Changyong was also chewing on a cooked mutton chop, grunting and saying unclearly: "I heard that Brother Yang asked for military orders from the commander-in-chief today! When we leave the city, it's up to us how we go.

You decide - Xu is a rough man and can't do such delicate work as writing, drawing, and calculating! You have the final say on how to go! Xu, and the three hundred Mongolian soldiers, each has a horse.

, plus a spear, a knife, a hard bow and a pot of arrows! We can set off at any time as long as our brothers give the order!"

"Great! Brother Xu is really happy. Brother Yang Zhen offers you another bowl of wine!"

In fact, what Yang Zhen is most worried about privately is Xu Changyong.

He had never heard of this man, and the 300 Mongolian soldiers led by him were the largest force in the team going north this time. If Xu Chang never cooperated, then things would be much more difficult.

Although Yang Zhen himself had made up his mind, if Xu Changyong did not cooperate, he could kill Xu Changyong on the pretext of disobeying orders in front of the army according to the conditions agreed by Zu Dashou and Fang Yizao. However, in this way, Xu Changyong's subordinates

The three hundred Mongolian soldiers were difficult to command.

Moreover, once this is done, the team going north may soon be separated from each other.

Now, this Xu Changyong is so forthright and easy to get along with, and Yang Zhen is really happy from the bottom of his heart.

"Brother Yang, I have heard of many things about you before. Although we have never worked together, I trust you! This time I will go north with you. You make the decision. My life is in your hands.

!”

After Xu Changyong said this, he raised his neck and drank the second bowl of wine. He also turned the mouth of the bowl downward to show that he meant what he said.

Historically, Xu Changyong followed Yang Zhen north to rescue Songshan. Yang Zhen was injured and fell off his horse and was captured. He led his troops to break out, but was soon surrounded by another group of Jianlu cavalry.

In the end, Zu Keyong, who was trapped in the siege with him, was captured and chose to surrender, while Xu Changyong chose to resist to the end and died in the siege.

Yang Zhen knew that the rough man was not a hypocrite, so he next focused his persuasion on Zu Keyong.

Regarding the topic that Zu Keyong just raised, Yang Zhen was not in a hurry to express his thoughts, but asked him: "General Zu was born in Ningyuan and grew up in Ningyuan. He was stationed in Jinzhou for a long time before. How about Ningyuan to Jinzhou and Songshan?"

We should know the terrain between them very well! So in General Zu’s opinion, what should Yang do?”

Of course Zu Keyong already had his own ideas before he came, and Zu Dashou told him this idea.

He respected Zu Dashou and Zu Keyong very much.

This kind of respect is not just the respect that juniors have for their elders in a big family, nor is it just the respect that subordinates in the army have for their superiors. It is the respect that Zu Keyong, as a veteran soldier in the Liaodong army, has for his wise commander.

A kind of worship of wisdom.

Yes, Zu Keyong greatly admired Zu Dashou, who had brought infinite glory to the Zu family. Of course, he accepted everything Zu Dashou said without thinking.

At the same time, Zu Keyong was also an upright man. When he heard Yang Zhen asking him for advice, he immediately put down his wine bowl and said: "Yang Xiezhen! Going north to rescue Songshan and Jinzhou this time must be full of dangers! Even if you have a narrow escape, you will never survive.

That’s too much! Tens of thousands of Tatar troops have already spread across the mountains and seas north of Ningyuan, south of Jinzhou, and west of Songshan. They are ambushed and killed everywhere! If we are not careful, the six hundred of us will become Tatars.

Meat on the chopping board! Mr. Xiezhen, we have more than 600 people and more than 600 lives, all of which are in your hands, but you must not be careless!"

Of course, what Zu Keyong said was correct, and Yang Zhen completely agreed in his heart.

Therefore, as soon as Zu Keyong finished speaking, Yang Zhen immediately said: "General Zu is right! Yang completely agrees! I don't know how we can avoid falling into a Tatar ambush and siege in General Zu's opinion! If we can
Chapter completed!