Section 6

In the jungle-covered Dusha Province, the Palace Guards Brigade commanded by Leo pressed forward, and nearly 300,000 elite demon troops began to search the entire province. It was from Dusha Province that Zichuan Xiu began to escape. Moreover, the upper echelons of the kingdom believed that he was injured and could not run very far. He should not have left the area of ​​the province. In addition, the province was also where the Demon God Emperor was stationed. For the safety of the emperor, the search was conducted It was extremely strict. The arrogant hooves of the demon soldiers almost overturned the entire province.

The Ghana Army is responsible for hunting down the two provinces of Deia and Ilia. These two provinces turned out to be the last strongholds of humans in the Far East. Many remote places still have many human residents who have not had time to retreat. The base camp believes: Zichuan Xiu may be hiding here. In order to completely eliminate the possibility of Zichuanxiu hiding, and to the demons, humans all look the same, so it is difficult to identify which one is Zichuanxiu. Governor Ross of Ghana ordered that human beings be seen Just kill until they are all gone.

The Pai Military Region is the most powerful army group in the kingdom, so they are responsible for the widest range: Wage, Gudisa, Volun, Xinga... and other ten provinces are their search scope. In order to solve the search scope Due to the problem of insufficient manpower, nearly half a million Far Eastern ethnic coalition forces will also coordinate with the regular demon army to participate in the hunt.

The Ling Buxu Legion, the vanguard group of the Demon Kingdom, is responsible for guarding the last line of defense of the kingdom. They will strictly block the east side of Wallen Fortress and the area of ​​Fumingke Province. Their mission is to never let Zi Chuanxiu enter Warren.

On the Far Eastern Highway, the main road across the Far East, the Eleventh Seneese Cavalry Brigade is responsible for blocking. The cavalry patrols day and night. On the thousand-mile journey from Dusha to Fumingk, the Infantry Brigade has established nearly three More than a hundred cavalrymen inspected the passers-by, and between the sentry posts, groups of cavalry patrolled back and forth. At night, the torches in the hands of the patrolling cavalry formed a long shining dragon, and this winding dragon went from head to head. The tail runs through the entire Far East Highway...

This was the largest manhunt in history, and the huge demon army was completely mobilized. Following the instructions of the Demon God Emperor, they blocked every road, intersection, and ferry, searched every village, forest, and hilltop, and interrogated every pedestrian. It stands to reason. He said that under such a rigorous search, there was no reason why a seriously injured human could not be found. The demon generals were confident: "Even if it is an embroidery needle, we can find it!"

In the afternoon of that day, the search operation made great progress. On the outskirts of the Gojicha Forest, the demon searchers discovered the kidnapped Princess Cardan - when she was found, the princess was sitting on a stone, bored. Counting on her fingers, she complained dissatisfiedly to the rescue team of demons: "Why are you here so late? Is there anything to eat? I'm starving to death."

According to the preliminary diagnosis by the military doctor at the scene, the princess was in good physical condition and safe and sound. When the news came back, the Demon Clan base camp erupted in joy, and the Demon Clan officer commanding the search squadron was immediately promoted to team leader.

Princess Cardan provided valuable information: "I saw Zichuanxiu running there with my own eyes!"

The base camp attached great importance to it. Based on Cardin's intelligence, they re-adjusted the focus areas of the search. A large number of demon soldiers were dispatched to an uninhabited desert area about a thousand kilometers away from Gojicha. They were told: "Zichuan Xiu Just in here, find him!" Looking at the endless desert and the scorching sun, the demon soldier was so desperate that he wanted to commit suicide.

A week passed and they were unable to find Zichuanxiu's whereabouts.

Two weeks have passed. Zi Chuanxiu, this mysterious human being, seems to have disappeared out of thin air. From being full of confidence at first, he became uneasy, and then from uneasy to complete despair. The generals had to accept such a cruel decision.

Fact: Zi Chuanxiu was not found in the past, is not found now, and is unlikely to be found by them in the future.

According to the search routine, if no one is caught within the first week, the possibility of success in the future is very small. After a week, the target of the search may have fled far away, and the scope of the search will be

It becomes difficult to determine, and the difficulty will increase exponentially. Moreover, even when Xiu Zichuan was seriously injured, he was able to escape such a strict pursuit. After the injury is healed, it will be even more impossible for him to be found.

Three weeks have passed, and various troops have sent the results to Maple Leaf Danlin: "I'm sorry, Your Majesty, no trace of Zichuan Xiu was found. You can be sure that he is definitely not within the area of ​​my troops..."

The Demon God Emperor smiled instead of being angry, and murmured: "Zichuan Xiu, I really admire you now. How did you do it?"

The ministers on the left and right did not dare to speak out for fear of offending the God Emperor who was in a bad mood. The Demon God Emperor looked around: "Tell me, what do you think? Where did Zichuan Xiu go?"

Everyone looked at each other. Finally, Heisha spoke up: "Your Majesty, the search has not found him. There are only three possibilities. First, he has died from his injuries, but our body has not been found yet."

The Demon God Emperor nodded and asked, "What about the other two possibilities?"

"The second possibility: he is still alive, hiding somewhere in the Far East, and is trying to return to the Zichuan family through Warren Fortress. The third possibility is: he has returned to the Zichuan family. One of the three possibilities must be one."

Everyone listened silently, a little confused: these analyzes seemed like nonsense and seemed to be of no use at all. Prince Caton was a little confused: "Strategic Advisor, what do you mean...?"

"Your Highness, if it is the first situation, we don't have to worry. What we have to prepare is how to deal with the second and third possibilities - especially the third possibility, because that is the worst possibility that may arise.

.”

"I understand what the military advisor means!" Prince Caton said immediately: "We immediately sent envoys to the Zichuan family and asked them to hand over Zichuan Xiu! Tell them that if they dare to protect Zichuan Xiu, we will go to war!

"

Heisha shook his head: "No." He said slowly: "In the past few days, I have been thinking about a question: Why did Zi Chuanxiu kill Lei Hong like that?"

"Ah? Leihong killed his brother Yingxing, and Zi Chuanxiu avenged his brother Yingxing, so she killed him..."

Heisha nodded: "Yes. But don't you think it's too strange that Zichuanxiu chose that way of action?" He looked around, and his voice came out lowly through the thick veil: "At that time, Zichuanxiu had already obtained

Having gained our trust, he can freely enter and leave our military camps. If he wants to kill Lei Hong, he has plenty of opportunities in private, so why would he choose such a dangerous method in public? And he also chooses to do it in a celebration meeting where our experts gather?

Doesn't he know that this is dangerous?"

No one had thought about this problem and were stunned.

"Think about it, a single human being, while we were celebrating the victory in the Far East War, single-handedly broke into the base camp of our Protoss, killed their traitors, and injured nearly a hundred of our senior officers, and in the end he was safe and sound. He left, but we can't do anything to him?" Heisha's tone became higher and higher: "Killing Leihong is just incidental. To destroy the prestige of my Demon God Kingdom and to show prestige to mankind, that is his main purpose! Your Majesty, We must not leak anything that happened on the night of March 19th. Otherwise, the prestige and dignity of our Protoss - as the strongest race on the continent - will be lost, and the consequences will be It will be catastrophic!"

"You are right, military advisor." The Demon God Emperor interjected: "The disaster that would be caused if such news leaked to the outside world - especially to humans, cannot be overestimated. On the other hand, , in our country, some people will also spread rumors - before long, it will become more than just rumors. As for the impact, I let you imagine for yourself."

All the senior officials and the royal family present, it is rare that they have such a unified opinion. They all know how closely the maintenance of domestic order and rule is closely linked to the belief in the power and invincibility of the Demon Kingdom's army. Once there are cracks in this glorious myth, the rule of the demon kingdom-especially the rule of the new territories in the Far East will fall into a very difficult situation. Recalling the terrible royal war that destroyed the family and the country, the eighty-year war During the terrifying Dark Age of Extinction, no one believed that the Demon God Emperor's estimate was exaggerated in the slightest.

Heisha said: "So, as the prince said just now, asking for people from the Zichuan family is impossible. If we do that, we will not be able to keep the secret of that night. Humans will treat Zichuanxiu as a hero and idol. Adored, this matter will only make us the laughing stock of them in vain."

Everyone nodded silently. What Heisha said was completely true. The Gods are now faced with a dilemma: if they want to take revenge on Zichuanxiu, it will be difficult to keep the secret, and thus it will be difficult to maintain their own dignity.

Governor Luo Jin shouted dissatisfied: "Are we just taking advantage of that mad dog?"

No one made a sound. Thinking of seeing their great enemy Zichuan Xiu carefree and unable to take revenge, the unbearable pain was like a bug biting everyone's hearts. The arrogant demon nobles really couldn't swallow this breath.

In the silence, Karan smiled sinisterly: "When we tested Zichuanxiu's loyalty, didn't we send him to speak to the Zichuan family's prisoners of war? These prisoners of war are still in our hands today. The Zichuan family has been asking to use them Money is needed to ransom them back. If we put them back, guess what the consequences will be?"

Governor Luo Jin was the first to express his admiration: "What a great plan, Your Highness! Then the Zichuan family will not be able to tolerate this traitor, and Zichuan Xiu will die at the hands of his own people!" Everyone also agreed: What a good plan! Even Prince Caton couldn't tolerate it. Don't nod to express agreement.

Heisha sighed: "It's a good plan, but..." He shook his head and said nothing further, "Leave it to His Majesty's judgment."

The Demon God Emperor muttered: "The strategy is very good...Karan, since you proposed it yourself, I will let you implement it yourself!" His face was expressionless when he spoke, and it was impossible to tell what he was thinking.

Karan solemnly said: "Yes, Father!"

As if a cold wave suddenly passed through her heart, Yun Qianxue trembled: Your Highness, your tactics are really terrible! The most loyal warrior was slandered as a traitor and died at the hands of his own people. The pain and torture must be beyond the imagination.

Human imagination.

Yun Qianxue understood the unspoken evaluation of Military Advisor Heisha: He was so sinister and unworthy of the dignity of an emperor. For some reason, when he looked at his familiar companion, he felt a strange and fearful feeling for the first time.

On April 5, 1980, the Demon Kingdom issued an official personnel announcement:

"The former Governor-General of the Far East Region, His Excellency Pingjing Hou, has returned to the Demon Kingdom to recuperate due to physical discomfort. The candidate for the new Governor-General has been determined, and he will be the Far East Governor. He will succeed the original Pingjing Hou and oversee the twenty-three Far East Regions.

Province, commanding 600,000 Far Eastern native troops. Duke Lu Di is appointed as his deputy. Because the Marquis of Far East has an urgent mission, Duke Lu Di is temporarily in charge of all affairs until he takes office."

There is a small note below the personnel announcement: "Marquis of Yuandong, formerly known as Zichuan Xiu. He was the deputy leader of the Zichuan family. He later abandoned the dark side and joined the bright side and joined our God Clan. His majesty, the Emperor, is generous and loves talents, and has bestowed the surname: Yuandong."

The next day, the demons announced that they agreed with the Zichuan family to redeem the human officers and soldiers captured in the Far East War. To the surprise of the human officials responsible for the negotiations, the ransom price offered by the demons was much lower than they expected.

…

In the next few days, a "secret" spread throughout the Far East. Orcs, snakes, dragons, elves, dwarves... they all whispered to each other: "I'm telling you something, but don't tell me

People say... In the past few days, a human traitor named Zi Chuanxiu has been working as an inside agent for the demon clan, preparing to work together inside and outside to take down Wallen Fortress!... The demon clan promised him to be the king of the Far East! It's absolutely true! This is me

My cousin's cousin's cousin told me personally... what? What does he do? Haha, I'll scare you to death! My cousin's cousin's cousin is a cook in the Habayashi Army! How about it?

Afraid?...Haha, he is well-informed, what doesn't he know?"

April 18th, Imperial Capital.

The meeting had not officially started yet, and the atmosphere was silent and depressing. There was uneasiness in the air. All the senior officials pursed their lips tightly and maintained a deadly silence. Even Luo Minghai and Luo Minghai, who had always been bitter enemies,

The two of them, Di Lin, also lost the interest in quarreling. One had a blank expression on his face, while the other dexterously turned the pencil in his hand and stared at the ceiling, as if there was a fairy dancing on it.

.

The family has just lost a quarter of its territory, lost more than one million troops, suffered heavy bloody losses, and is surrounded by powerful enemies. In the front, a million demonic troops came to Wallen City, and in the back, there were

The peerless general Liu Fengshuang is eyeing the tiger. The Zichuan family, which once had a glorious history of dominating the mainland for more than a hundred years, is facing an unprecedented crisis. She is going from her prime to decline step by step.

Now, after Lei Hong, the deputy commander of the Far East, Zichuan Xiu, one of the core figures of the family with the surname Zichuan, has openly betrayed him. This is a dangerous signal, clearly showing the family's weakness to the world.

It indicates that disintegration is just around the corner. Every step of this whole process from prosperity to decline is so clear for people to see clearly, but also so hopeless and helpless, as if there is some malicious intention from God.

Playing tricks on innocent people.

When Zi Chuan Ning entered the conference room accompanied by Li Qing, everyone noticed the girl's pale face and sympathetic eyes. Di Lin silently exchanged glances with Sterling, who stood up to greet Zi Chuan Ning. Arrival. In the room full of strange and suspicious eyes, only Sterling's familiar and firm figure made Zichuan Ning feel a sense of comfort. She saluted her uncle, Chief Zichuan Shenxing and said hello, and walked quickly When she came to Sterling, before she could say anything, her eyes were already filled with tears. Sterling couldn't help but secretly pray that she wouldn't cry in public or throw herself into his arms, no matter what else, just Luo Minghai's sneer was enough to make him feel better.

But fortunately not. Zichuanning asked Sterling calmly: "Commander of the Central Government, I heard that Mr. Xiuchuan has rebelled. Is there such a thing?"

Sterling admired Zichuan Ning's calmness and strength. He also replied formally: "Ms. Ning, there are rumors about this, but I haven't confirmed it yet." He whispered: "I don't believe it!" and sat next to him. Di Lin also nodded in agreement.

Zichuan Ning looked steadily at Sterling's resolute and thin face, with gratitude in her eyes. She sat down next to them silently, and her heart suddenly surged: There are only three of us in the world. I believe A Xiu. We are comrades in arms, comrades fighting side by side to protect A Xiu's innocence.

Seeing that the future president of the family had expressed his position so clearly, other people in the conference room exchanged uneasy glances. Luo Minghai snorted coldly, but did not make a sound. Minghui, the commander of the border guards, sat uneasily on his chair. He twisted around and didn't look at anyone. He looked at the paper in front of him and said expressionlessly: "Everyone is here - here's the thing. The prisoners of war we redeemed from the demons reported to us, saying I saw Zi Chuanxiu in the demon camp. The Waren Military Law Office asked me to bring some information and put it in front of everyone." His expression seemed to have nothing to do with what he said.

Minghui is a very cautious person, and the rebellion of Zi Chuanxiu obviously involves the struggle between two major forces. Regarding the civil service system headed by President Luo Minghai and the military and political system headed by military generals Di Lin and Sterling, how can he No one dared to offend anyone, so they just recorded the testimonies verbatim without making any comments.

Everyone looked at the thick stack of copies of information on the table with expressionless expressions. Except for Zichuan Ning, no one flipped through it, and no one made a sound. She only flipped through two pages with trembling fingers, and then lifted them up immediately. He tilted his head and looked at Minghui: "This is impossible! This witness is lying!"

Minghui trembled, but did not make a sound. At this time, Luo Minghai said: "Miss, I also think this is really hard to believe. However, they - the captured officers and soldiers of our Zichuan family - witnessed it with their own eyes. Zichuan Xiu wore demon costumes and appeared in the Demon Tribe's Dusha Demon Prisoner of War Camp. He announced that he had surrendered to the Demon Kingdom and called on the prisoners to follow him and not return to Zichuan's house." Luo Minghai Tablet There was a bit of schadenfreude in his tone of voice.

"Shi Chuanxiu had no reason or motive to do that! During the siege of Pai for more than a month, he fought side by side with me and killed the enemy bravely. He did not waver under such difficult circumstances, which proved that his loyalty to the family is unparalleled. It's doubtful. After relieving the siege, he ran to join the demons on his own. Is this possible?" Sterling, the commander of the Central Army, said calmly.

Luo Minghai asked back: "The witnesses—that is, the captured officers and soldiers present—a total of 32,753 people, are they all lying?"

Di Lin smiled slightly and said lightly: "Yes, they are all lying."

This time it was Luo Minghai's turn to be so angry that his face turned red and he was speechless. He pointed at Di Lin and shouted: "You--" He really regretted that he should not have let Di Lin go that night, even if he tried his best to connect Li Qing should be killed together, and Di Lin should also be killed.

Zichuan Shenxing scolded: "Di Lin, as the family supervisor in charge of criminal law, you should not be swayed by personal feelings on such a major matter. You said that all our tens of thousands of prisoners of war are lying. This is simply impossible. .”

"His Royal Highness, what I said is very serious." Di Lin said seriously, not joking at all: "I can list a few possibilities now."

"you say."

"The first possibility is that the demons are using countermeasures. They found someone who looked very much like A Xiu and pretended to be A Xiu. They used the words of our prisoners of war to confuse us and make us destroy the Great Wall."

Everyone in the conference room exchanged glances and nodded slightly. Di Lin's words are not unreasonable. Everyone here has dealt with Zichuan Xiu more or less. Whether they are enemies or friends, they have different views on his personality. level of understanding. Compared with believing that Zi Chuanxiu surrendered and rebelled, and that the demons pretended to frame Zi Chuanxiu, this was more acceptable to them.

But I heard Chief of Staff Ge Shan say: "I don't think this is possible. Not to mention how the demons just happened to find someone who looks so similar to Zichuan Xiu, I just want to say that if the demons' purpose is to make us If they want to destroy a famous general, then they should not choose Zi Chuanxiu as the target of their frame. There is a lot of contradiction here."

Sterling asked: "Why?"

Goshen bowed his head slightly and apologized to Sterling, but his words were still so straightforward: "At present, the people that the demons are most taboo on and want to get rid of most quickly should be you, Commander Sterling, and the Inspector General. Your Excellencies, because you two are the most famous first-class generals in our family and pose the greatest threat to the demons. If the demons want to frame you, the target should be you two. As for Mr. Zi Chuanxiu, although he is also good general, but—with all due respect, it’s not his turn yet.”

Zi Chuan Ning glared at Ge Shan, and Di Lin next to him handed over a note: "Don't worry, I will punish her to wash the toilet when the time comes." Although full of worries, Zi Chuan Ning couldn't help but laugh. She knew , Dilin’s so-called “by that time” means the time when she takes over as the chief executive.
To be continued...