Tang Dynasty, my wife Wu Zetian

Chapter 83 Su Dingfang vs. Cheng Yaojin
Liangzhou, Daying.

Pei Xingjian walked quickly through the camp and soon arrived outside a rather large tent. He asked the soldiers outside, "Is General Su in the camp?"

The soldiers guarding the camp said, "General Pei, General Su is not in the tent."

Pei Xingjian smiled and said, "Are you going to the village in the north again?"

The soldiers guarding the camp said, "Yes."

Pei Xingjian said, "Then I'll go in and wait for him."

He had a close relationship with Su Dingfang, so the soldiers guarding the camp did not stop him and let him in.

Pei Xingjian was not in a hurry and waited slowly in the tent. It was not until the evening that he saw Su Dingfang return to the camp covered in mud.

Pei Xingjian seemed to have anticipated his behavior and had already prepared clothes and water. He smiled at him and said, "General, are you helping the people plow the fields again?"

Su Dingfang took the towel and wiped his face without saying anything.

This famous Tang Dynasty general was six feet five inches tall, with a majestic figure, white hair and beard, and a terrifying aura in his flashing eyes.

Su Dingfang was a very peculiar person. Pei Xingjian had known him for many years, and they were both teachers and friends, but he still couldn't understand his thoughts.

Su Dingfang became famous when he was young. He first worked for Dou Jiande and later followed Liu Heita to fight against the Tang Dynasty.

After Liu Heita's death, Su Dingfang retired to the mountains and did not serve the Tang Dynasty.

When Emperor Taizong attacked Goguryeo, Li Jing knew Su Dingfang's name and went to invite him in person. Su Dingfang then participated in the battle against Goguryeo.

Finally, he was promoted to General of the Central Army due to his military achievements.

However, after the war with Goguryeo, Su Dingfang retired and no one knew the reason.

It was not until the new emperor ascended the throne that Su Dingfang was invited out again by Li Ji, and later he shined in the battle against Goguryeo.

Pei Xingjian asked Su Dingfang many times why he retired, but Su Dingfang always smiled and did not answer.

Pei Xingjian secretly guessed that it might be related to the fact that Su Dingfang came from Dou Jiande's army and was not liked by the generals in the Tang army, so he retired.

During the more than 20 years of his seclusion, Su Dingfang had been farming in the countryside.

Perhaps out of remembrance, along the way, whenever the army stopped, Su Dingfang would run to the farmers' homes and help them with farming.

This kind of hobby was the first time Pei Xingjian had seen it.

By this time, Su Dingfang had changed into clean clothes and washed his face. He turned to Pei Xingjian and asked, "What do you want from me?"

Pei Xingjian said, "General, General Cheng has come here without any reason and has ordered the army to stay. Isn't this a waste of food and fodder?"

Su Dingfang glanced at him and said, "You've been transferred to the military camp for more than three months. In your opinion, what kind of person is Cheng Zhijie?"

Pei Xingjian pondered, "He appears simple and honest, but he is actually very shrewd. He is rough on the outside but delicate on the inside, and he is very cunning."

Su Dingfang said: "I don't see as deeply as you do, but I have fought him on the battlefield. He is cunning and very difficult to deal with."

Pei Xingjian quickly reminded him, "General, let's not talk about what happened back then."

If anyone mentioned the previous events of resisting the Tang army in the Tang army and someone with ulterior motives heard it and reported it to the emperor, he would most likely be punished.

Su Dingfang smiled and didn't take it seriously. He continued, "People like him have three or five thoughts even when eating. He suddenly ordered the stationing, so he must have his own purpose."

Pei Xingjian said, "But the army consumes so much military rations every day, and this rations are transported from Chang'an by a large number of laborers. They are wasting important spring plowing time to deliver food to the army. Isn't this a waste of manpower and food?"

Su Dingfang was silent for a while, then said, "If we want to change the current situation, we can only impeach him."

Pei Xingjian said, "It's useless. His Majesty needs Cheng Zhijie outside and will not agree to transfer him back to Chang'an."

Su Dingfang shook his head and said, "Then there's nothing I can do."

Pei Xingjian looked at him and said, "Can't you go and persuade him?"

Su Dingfang looked at him for a moment, nodded and said, "Okay, I'll go and persuade him."

Pei Xingjian was overjoyed and immediately followed Su Dingfang to Cheng Zhijie's tent.

As soon as they arrived outside the tent, they heard the sound of dancing and music coming from inside. After entering the tent, they were both stunned.

There was a banquet in the tent, and Cheng Zhijie and several generals were drinking and eating meat.

There were several musicians and dancers in the tent. I don’t know where Cheng Zhijie found them from, but they were singing and dancing!
Pei Xingjian was shocked and confused, and turned to look at Su Dingfang.

He is good at controlling his emotions. Although he is angry and confused, he knows that his words do not count.

Only Su Dingfang was qualified to speak in Cheng Zhijie's tent.

Su Dingfang didn't waste any words and said directly, "General Manager Cheng, I'm itching to spar with you today. I wonder if you would be so kind as to grant me the honor."

Pei Xingjian was startled and quickly winked at Su Dingfang.

Su Dingfang glanced at him and whispered, "This is the only way I know how to persuade people."

Pei Xingjian: “…”

As soon as Su Dingfang uttered the provocative words, the singing and dancing in the tent stopped.

No matter what Su Dingfang does, he will give it his all. When he said those words just now, a terrifying murderous aura emanated from his whole body.

The other generals in the tent were oppressed by his aura and did not dare to look at him. The musicians and dancers also instinctively felt a sense of fear and retreated to the corner.

Cheng Zhijie slowly stood up, looked at Su Dingfang, and said word by word: "Say it again?"

Cheng Zhijie was slightly shorter than Su Dingfang, but more robust, with a ruddy complexion and eyes as big as copper bells.

"I would like to ask General Manager Cheng for some advice. Please feel free to give me some." Su Dingfang repeated it again.

Pei Xingjian couldn't help but secretly groan at the sight of the two men on edge. He had only hoped that Su Dingfang would persuade Cheng Zhijie to rush to the front as soon as possible so that he could make achievements, but who knew the situation would turn out like this?

If this matter becomes a big deal, the aristocratic factions in Chang'an City will definitely take the opportunity to attack Su Dingfang.

The Tang army would also lose its fighting spirit due to internal discord.

Thinking of this, he hurriedly said: "General Manager Cheng..."

"You have no right to speak here!" Cheng Zhijie said viciously.

He strode up to Su Dingfang and said coldly, "Su Lie, I know you've always been dissatisfied with me and have been wanting to fight me for a long time, right?"

Su Dingfang said: "Yes."

Pei Xingjian could no longer bear to watch this. He placed his right hand on his forehead and said, "It's over. I should have gone to General Wang Wendu to persuade him earlier."

Just when he thought Cheng Zhijie was about to lose his temper, he unexpectedly burst into laughter, said "good" three times in a row, and shouted: "Give me my horse spear."

The moon has risen.

In Liangzhou in February, the air was a little warmer, and the fragrance of flowers drifted into the camp from the woods by the river.

Outside the big tent, Cheng Zhijie and Su Dingfang were three feet apart, and both of them were using horse lances.

This weapon is not only extremely powerful, but also has armor-piercing edges on the spear, which can easily penetrate armor. It is the favorite of the older generation of generals.

Pei Xingjian was not used to using a horse lance. Using this weapon required extremely strong strength. Otherwise, during a fight, the armor-piercing edge would get hooked on the enemy's armor and could not be pulled out, which would put him in danger.

At this point, Pei Xingjian was unable to stop it and could only hope that Su Dingfang would show mercy.

Among the people he had met, there were only two whose martial arts skills were better than his.

One is Xue Rengui and the other is Su Dingfang. Su Dingfang is younger than Cheng Zhijie, so he believes that Su Dingfang will definitely win.

With a roar of "Kill", Cheng Zhijie rushed towards Su Dingfang like a tiger.

Pei Xingjian's heart tightened, and he gripped the spear tightly in his hand and moved closer to the two men to prevent any accidents.

In the darkness, the two figures intertwined, and the sound of weapons clashing could be heard continuously.

Although Pei Xingjian believed that Su Dingfang would win, he did not dare to underestimate Cheng Zhijie. He thought that the two would fight for at least fifty rounds before the winner could be determined.

Unexpectedly, after just twenty rounds, Su Dingfang's spear technique became messed up.

After another three rounds, the lance in Su Dingfang's hand was knocked away, and Cheng Zhijie hit him in the chest, causing him to fly backwards and fall to the ground.

Pei Xingjian was startled and rushed forward to stand in front of Su Dingfang.

Cheng Zhijie put away his spear and stood up, his eyes like lightning, like a killing god.

Pei Xingjian was secretly puzzled.

Su Dingfang was such a skilled martial artist, but he could not last more than thirty rounds against Cheng Zhijie. Do these veterans become more powerful as they get older?

Cheng Zhijie was carefully observing Pei Xingjian's expression. He saw his eyes flickering with suspicion, and fearing that he might notice something, he shouted:

"Hurry up and help Su Lie recover from his injuries. Don't let Nai Gong kill him with a spear."

Pei Xingjian took a deep breath, turned around, helped Su Dingfang up, and asked in a low voice: "Mr. Su, how do you feel?"

Su Dingfang didn't say anything, just shook his head. When he was leaving, he suddenly staggered and almost fell.

Pei Xingjian hurriedly supported him and helped him back to the tent.

Not far away, another old general was watching all this silently. This man was the deputy commander-in-chief of the march, Wang Wendu.

Pei Xingjian helped Su Dingfang back to the tent and was about to help him sit down when Su Dingfang suddenly pushed him away, strode to the water tank, scooped a ladle of water, and drank it.

Pei Xingjian didn't seem surprised. He smiled and said, "You are not injured."

Su Dingfang glanced back at him and said with a smile, "I can't really hide it from you. I wonder if I can deceive Wang Wendu's eyes."

Pei Xingjian asked, "You had already discussed this with Chief Steward Cheng. Were you pretending to fight just now to put on a show for Wang Wendu?"

Su Dingfang walked over to the chair and sat down, saying, "I was indeed faking a fight, but it wasn't something we discussed in advance. Instead, we reached a tacit understanding with him in the camp."

Pei Xingjian asked, "In the main camp?"

Su Dingfang said: "Even though Cheng Zhijie is cunning, he is definitely not a drunkard or a womanizer. As soon as he entered the tent, I knew he did this on purpose."

Pei Xingjian suddenly realized, "I understand now. He deliberately made a mistake to show Wang Wendu so that he could hand the evidence to the Saint."

For a minister who is feared by the emperor, the best way is to put his handle in the emperor's hand and make the emperor feel at ease.

Su Dingfang said: "That's exactly it."

Pei Xingjian continued, "You deliberately challenged him to a duel to help him make more mistakes. This will make it easier for His Majesty to punish him."

Su Dingfang nodded.

Pei Xingjian sighed, "In order to help him, you got yourself involved. Even though you were injured, you can't escape the charge of treason."

Su Dingfang said, "I know."

Pei Xingjian was puzzled and asked, "You have no friendship with him, why are you helping him like this?"

Su Dingfang sighed and said, "Of the old generation who participated in the chaos in the Central Plains, there are only a few left now. I don't want to see him end up in a miserable state in his later years."

Pei Xingjian gazed at him and sighed, "Teacher, you are so righteous. I am grateful for your teaching."

(End of this chapter)