Listening to King Xiang's remarks, Shi Zitong kept nodding. He was also excited because King Xiang entrusted such a major matter to him. "Your Highness, don't worry, just leave this matter to your subordinates, and they will try their best to save the money in the bank." All the money was taken out."
Naturally, he was not optimistic about Shen Ao's future when he wanted to make money in the bank. And this was not only the opinion of King Xiang, but also Prince Qing had his thoughts and adopted the same method to make money in the bank.
There are those who are not optimistic about Shen Ao and want to add insult to injury. Naturally, there are those who are optimistic about Shen Ao and are worried about him.
In Juhe Palace, the fifth princess Tang Min also heard the news, and ran to her mother and concubine and cried, begging her mother and concubine to find a way to save Brother Ao. If it didn't work, she was willing to go to her father in person and ask him to send troops for assistance.
Most of the eunuchs and maids in the palace also know what kind of character the fifth princess is like. It is not an exaggeration to say that she has a weak character and is timid and afraid of getting into trouble.
The other princesses tried their best to see Emperor Qianwen and act coquettishly from time to time, but she always hid far away. Only when necessary and unable to hide would she go to see her father. This may be the same as her father's since childhood. It has nothing to do with not liking her.
Now, for Shen Ao's matter, the fifth princess actually took the initiative to see the emperor. One can imagine how much courage and perseverance this requires. It is even more obvious that the fifth princess really likes Shen Ao and is worried about him.
"Min'er, don't worry. Your father has already said that even if Ao'er is captured by the barbarians, he will find a way to save him even if he pays the price. Don't worry about this." Zhao The imperial concubine spoke leniently to her daughter.
It is impossible to say that Concubine Zhao is not anxious. Over the years, she has long regarded Shen Ao as a child. In her heart, there is no difference between this and her own son. Now that Shen Ao has something to do, how can she not be anxious?
However, Emperor Qianwen did make a promise to her. Whether it was because of her relationship or because of Aoxue's relationship is unknown.
Secondly, Caiyue sent people out of the palace to inquire about it. Whether it was Marquis Zhongcheng or the people in Zhongguo Duke's Mansion, they all acted like they should do whatever they should do and take their time. This was what she wanted most. Things that don't make sense.
If something happened to Shen Ao, how could these people hold back? Is there something they don't know about?
In view of these two points, Concubine Zhao decided to wait and see. Of course, if something happened to Shen Ao, she would never stand idly by and ask for Shen Ao's safe return even if she begged the emperor.
...
Xinzhou.
At the general camp, Fei Qingsong summoned his generals and announced a military order to send troops to seize the territory around Congling.
When the military order was issued, some generals looked puzzled. Didn't they just sign an armistice agreement with the barbarians not long ago? If they send troops now, wouldn't they be going back on their word, which is not what a gentleman would do?
Seeing that many generals had doubts on their faces, Fei Qingsong knew that there were some things that he couldn't say. He immediately said: "This time it is true that we broke the agreement first. But I want to ask everyone, this agreement is Is it really that important that it can be managed for tens of thousands of years?"
"I'm afraid that's not the case. It's not like we haven't signed such an agreement before. But when have the barbarians taken it seriously? They have always said that if they tear it up, they will tear it up. When have they ever thought about whether what they did was done by a gentleman? This time The barbarian soldiers are focusing their energy on the northern border, which is a good opportunity for us to seize the opportunity to regain the territory. If we don't do it now, and wait until the barbarians resolve the matter in the northern border, they may attack our new state again. Even so, Sooner or later there will be a fight, why not let us take the initiative?"
Fei Qingsong's decision was inseparable from the fact that Shen Ao sent someone to deliver the message. But more importantly, he also wanted to make military exploits, so the emperor had to give him another order.
Think about it, even Shen Ao, a young man who has not been crowned, can defeat the barbarians. As a commander-in-chief who has led the army for many years, he always encounters obstacles in front of the barbarians. How will this make others view himself?
If one day, he really disappoints the emperor and takes away his position as commander-in-chief, his life will be completely over. Even if he wants to show off, he will never have a chance.
It’s rare to win a fight in life!
Even if there is such a good opportunity, why not seize it?
After much deliberation, Fei Qingsong finally made a decision, that is, to tear up the agreement and take back what he lost. He wanted to see what choices the barbarians would make when fighting on two sides.
After some explanations, the generals were relieved, and they took the order one by one. Early the next morning, the Xinzhou soldiers who had prepared in advance attacked, attacking the unsuspecting barbarian soldiers near Congling. Kill them in the military camp.
The barbarian soldiers, who were unprepared and did not expect that the Xinzhou soldiers would have the courage to take the lead, soon suffered a loss. They left thousands of corpses of the barbarians behind and were forced to flee outside Xinzhou. At the same time, they asked for help. The battle report was also sent straight to Mandu.
The eldest prince Obike, who was supervising the country, was shocked when he saw the urgent report. He did not expect that the Xinzhou soldiers would be brave enough to dare to take the initiative to cause trouble for the barbarians. While he was angry, he sent someone to arrest him. Report the news to his father. He is only supervising the country and does not have the power to mobilize the army. If he insists on going his own way and angers his father, who knows whether he will think that he is going to rebel and punish himself instead. That would be more gain than loss.
...
The barbarian army camp ten miles outside Xiucheng.
The barbarian soldiers all looked listless. Even in broad daylight, many barbarians were still sleeping, looking like they were just eating and waiting to die.
It turns out that the purpose of coming here is to defeat the enemy with thunderous power, capture the city of Xiu, and rescue the clan. Who would have thought that not only can you not do anything here, but on the contrary, you have to send military rations to the opponent. This is something that no one can accept. , let alone the straightforward barbarians, the fact that they did not rise up in rebellion already proved that the authority of the barbarian king was very important.
Only authority can force the barbarians not to act rashly, but the resistance in their hearts cannot be resolved no matter what. This creates a negative trend in the military camp, and sleeping during the day has become the norm.
In this regard, many generals reported the problem to the ears of the Barbarian King, and the Barbarian King was at a loss. He could not make fun of the lives of more than ten thousand barbarians unless he had to.
Now, the inevitable result appeared. The eldest prince Obike, who was responsible for staying in the barbarian capital, sent someone to report that the Xinzhou soldiers suddenly tore up the armistice agreement and sent troops to the barbarians near Congling. They lost thousands of people and a large number of people they had just occupied. soil of.
When the news came, the barbarian king was furious.
Although the agreement was originally signed to be torn up, this right has always belonged to them barbarians. When did Ganren dare to have such courage?
The battle report did not state that the Xinzhou soldiers were about to advance towards Mandu, but Manwang knew that if he did not return here for a long time, what would Fei Qingsong do next, and any situation might arise.
The defeated general under his command actually became majestic and even wanted to step on his neck to shit. This was something the Barbarian King could not accept no matter what. He decided to return to the barbarian capital to teach Fei Qingsong a lesson.
Let others know that they barbarians are not that easy to bully. If you don't have good teeth, you have to be prepared to have your teeth broken.
We must go back to Mandu. The important thing is how to solve the problem at hand?
They came with great force and mobilized a large number of people, but left without doing anything. How did this make other people view the barbarians?
It's not like they didn't do anything. They transported a lot of food into Xiucheng, so they were undoubtedly enemies.
Thinking of leaving like this, I can't live with it. And if the problem in the north is not solved, the barbarian capital will not be safe. Who knows if their army retreats, this young Guild will continue to send troops to the south. If that happens,
The barbarians will face attacks from the north and east, and the situation will only become more complicated.
But what if we don’t retreat? Are we going to capture Xiucheng? Are we completely ignoring the lives of the tens of thousands of barbarians in the city?
Just when King Man felt a headache and didn't know how to make a decision, vanguard general Ran Chaoming and general Xiang Longqiang walked into the main tent together. Once inside, Xiang Longqiang looked excited.
He said, "Your Majesty, we have found the enemy's weakness."
"Oh? What's going on? Please tell me in detail." The Man King, who was worried about having no other choice, became excited when he heard this.
With excitement on his face, Xiang Longqiang told what he had gained in the past few days. According to what he said, he had been thinking about the safety of the Xiang family these days, and after much thought, he took advantage of the opportunity to deliver food to Xiucheng.
After dressing up in disguise, he entered it to see if there was a chance to meet the Xiang people and convey some news to them, such as to wait with peace of mind. He and the Barbarian King had been looking for opportunities to rescue them.
Unfortunately, all the barbarian prisoners were under centralized custody, and there was no chance to contact them. Under the difficult situation of finding no one, Xiang Longqiang, as a general, instinctively observed
Hugh city's defense comes.
It was through this careful observation that he found that the soldiers guarding Xiu City were extremely lazy. Even the patrols who were supposed to patrol just took a hasty stroll and then retreated. As for some other guards, there was no such thing.
A few people stuck to their posts, but everyone looked for a cool place to stay, giving people a very relaxed feeling.
When Xiang Longqiang discovered this situation on the first day of the new year, he still didn't believe it. He followed the grain delivery truck again and saw the same result. But he was still cautious and did not report the matter to the Man King. Instead, he called
Together with General Ran Chaoming, they pretended to be ordinary soldiers and went there again. This time, even General Ran got the same result.
While returning all the way, the two of them were still very excited. They were all talking about how likely it was that if they brought a surprise force, they could break through the defenses of Xiucheng and break into it.
The two of them talked to each other, and the result of the discussion turned out to be that things can be done. They are 80% sure that they can break through the other party's defense and rush into Xiucheng. Once they enter there, they may find those imprisoned.
