Theoretically, even if Zhao Junchen knew that Ximen Sheng, Shi Cheng and others would soon take action to eradicate Li Zehe, he would not have the ability to rescue him.
First of all, since Zhao Junchen emerged from trouble, not only Zhao Junchen himself was under house arrest, but also hundreds of soldiers of the Imperial Army under Zhao Junchen were also restricted in their activities, and overt or covert surveillance was everywhere.
Secondly, although Zhao Junchen guessed that Ximen Sheng, Shi Cheng and others would take action to eradicate Li Zehe, he did not know the specific timing and method, so he could not find a specific strategy.
Thirdly, the actual combat power of the hundreds of Forbidden Army soldiers under Zhao Junchen was far from being the opponent of Liaodong's elite. Once Ximen Sheng, Shi Cheng and others adopted excessive and thunderous measures, these Forbidden Army soldiers would most likely be trying to rescue them.
Finally, Ximen Sheng, Li Zehe and others had made an agreement three chapters in advance that no one could meet Zhao Junchen alone or have private contact, so even if Zhao Junchen wanted to secretly report the news and warn Li Zehe, it would not be easy.
What's more, even if Zhao Junchen secretly warned Li Zehe, Li Zehe might not believe it, and might regard it as another means of alienation by Zhao Junchen. Moreover, even if Li Zehe believed Zhao Junchen's warning, he might not be able to resist.
The thunderous methods of Ximen Sheng, Shi Cheng and others.
Therefore, Zhao Junchen theoretically has no ability to keep Li Zehe.
But the world is complex, and theories always have flaws and are often inconsistent with reality.
But this time, Zhao Junchen, who seemed helpless, quickly found a way to break the situation.
During this period of time, the Forbidden Army soldiers under Zhao Junchen had been in frequent contact with the Liaodong border army, and naturally they took the opportunity to bribe some of them.
Therefore, although Zhao Junchen and the officers and soldiers of the Forbidden Army are currently restricted in their movements, they can still carry out limited activities using these bribed Liaodong border troops.
Because the time was still short, the number of these bribed Liaodong soldiers was small, their status was not high, and their abilities could not be guaranteed, so they were of no use.
But just because these people are useless, they are very suitable for executing Zhao Junchen's next plan.
As for Zhao Junchen's next plan, it is very simple to put it bluntly, that is to "snatch the enemy"!
In short, it was to "assassinate" Li Zehe first!
Of course, because the people who executed it were not reusable and Zhao Junchen allowed them to prioritize self-protection, this assassination operation was destined to fail.
But such a failed assassination operation was enough to warn Li Zehe, triggering a series of chain reactions, and then completely destroying the follow-up plans of Ximen Sheng, Shi Cheng and others.
*
That night, at 1:10 a.m., it became increasingly dark and quiet near the camp where Li Zehe lived. There were only a few bonfires dotted with bright colors, and occasionally a group of Liaodong border troops passed by on patrol.
But the tent where Li Zehe lived was still brightly lit.
At this tense moment when the situation is changing, smart people like Li Zehe always think too much and are always calculating the pros and cons. Naturally, they have no intention of falling asleep and are still secretly thinking about their follow-up plans.
"The top priority now is to try to get in touch with Zhao Junchen secretly. Unfortunately, Ximen Sheng and Shi Cheng are keeping an eye on this aspect too closely. And I came here this time with only a few close associates, so I wanted to hide it.
It was not easy for them to get in touch with Zhao Junchen...
Most of the nearby Liaodong frontier troops are soldiers from the Liaodong cavalry, and a small number are from the western frontier army... Because He Yu was kidnapped by thieves and could not take command personally, the Liaodong cavalry currently only listens to Shi Cheng and Li Shijie.
Ximen Sheng also has the nominal power to mobilize orders from his immediate superior, but as for the Western Route Army, they have to obey Huang Shenming's command...
Therefore, if they want to keep Ximen Sheng, Shi Cheng and the others in contact with Zhao Junchen, they must obtain more cooperation from Li Shijie and Huang Shenming..."
Thinking of this, Li Zehe felt a little hungry, so he turned to the outside of the tent and ordered: "Come here, go get some tea and cakes!"
Following Li Zehe's order, the confidants guarding outside the tent quickly took the order and then went to prepare tea and cakes.
However, when this personal guard received the order, his voice was a little weak and urgent, as if he was suppressing some kind of pain.
But Li Zehe didn't pay attention and just waited quietly for his supper.
After a while of burning incense, a pale-faced guard entered the tent. He was seen carrying a plate of pastries and a pot of tea. He held it in front of Li Zehe with staggering steps and said in a weak voice: "General Li Shen,
Tea and cakes have been brought."
This time, Li Zehe finally noticed that the guard's condition was abnormal and asked, "What's going on? Are you feeling unwell?"
The guard nodded and explained with a wry smile: "I am ashamed, I am probably suffering from the cold. I only feel nauseous, have abdominal pain, and have weakness in my legs and feet. Please forgive me, Sir General."
Li Zehe usually treats his cronies well, and immediately said: "In this case, you should go to rest in advance and let someone else stay outside the tent."
The guard said gratefully: "Thank you very much, General. I really can't bear it any longer... I'm going to find someone to keep watch on my behalf."
After saying that, the guard turned around and staggered away.
Li Zehe still regarded it as an accidental phenomenon and continued to think while picking up the cake and putting it in his mouth.
However, after another tea time, the guard rushed into the camp again in a panic. When he saw Li Zehe eating and drinking, his expression changed drastically, and he immediately stopped him loudly: "Sir, General"
, don’t eat it anymore, the tea might be poisonous!”
After hearing what the guard said, Li Zehe's expression changed and he quickly asked: "Poisonous? What's going on?"
The personal guard quickly explained: "The villain just went to find someone to take over the vigil for the villain, but found that all the guards under your command looked like the villain. They all suffered from abdominal pain, nausea, and weakness in their hands and feet... The villain suspected that we were being kidnapped.
It was poisoned, so I came to report it to the General."
Li Zehe's expression changed drastically again, and he asked: "Poisoning? How is it possible? The military camp is heavily guarded, and food and water are also inspected. Who can poison?"
As he spoke, Li Zehe's expression changed, because he also began to feel abdominal cramps.
Seeing the change in Li Zehe's expression, the personal guard quickly asked: "General, what should we do? Should we alert the entire army immediately? Then call in a military doctor for diagnosis?"
Li Zehe was about to agree immediately, but as soon as the words came to his lips, something suddenly moved in his heart. He endured the abdominal pain and shook his head and said: "Since everyone only has abdominal pain and nausea, but no more serious symptoms, it means that our poisoning is not serious."
Deep, I can hold on for a while...
In this case, don't publicize this matter yet. Just pick a few who are still able to move and find a reason to go to the nearby camps to inquire about it to see if everyone has similar symptoms or is it just us who have such symptoms...
If it's the former, issue a warning immediately and put the entire army under martial law. If it's the latter, then stay calm for the time being and don't go looking for military doctors, but return and report to the general immediately."
The guard's expression changed, then he nodded heavily, endured the physical pain, turned around and left for work, while Li Zehe sat there with a pale expression, waiting anxiously for the news.
Soon, the guard had found out the situation and rushed back to report the news to Li Zehe.
"I would like to report to the General, the villain has already figured out the situation. Among the frontier soldiers in the nearby camps, we are the only ones showing signs of poisoning. At the same time, the villain has also noticed another strange situation!
That is, the soldiers of the various battalions stationed around are completely different from the familiar faces seen two days ago, and these people seem to be in a state of preparation for war. Not only are most of them not asleep, but they are also wearing armor.
Have weapons at hand."
After hearing the report, Li Zehe's expression changed drastically, becoming more nervous and serious, and he quickly asked: "Where did the soldiers you saw come from? And whose subordinates are they?"
The guard replied: "They are all from Liaodong cavalry, but I don't know their details even though I am a low-ranking official. I only know that a few of them are under the command of Zhang Zhuang and Zheng Bolun, who are members of Liaodong cavalry."
Li Zehe gritted his teeth and said: "Zhang Zhuang, Zheng Bolun...these two people are Shi Cheng's life and death friends in the Liaodong Cavalry!"
The guard's expression changed drastically and he asked: "You mean..."
Li Zehe's expression was both angry and frightened, and he said: "Although I don't want to believe the current situation, there is only one possibility left. Shi Cheng wants to kill me! That's why he went first.
He poisoned me to weaken the guards around me, and then mobilized his own troops to station nearby, waiting for us to be surrounded and killed after the poison became deeper and unable to move!"
"He...how dare he?"
"It's useless to say anything else now. The key point is to try to save your life!" Li Zehe's face became increasingly pale, but he still made a decisive decision.
"Then what should we do? Should we fight to the death? Or send someone to ask for help? In the villain's opinion, there are only some Liaodong cavalry who are loyal to Shicheng, and some of the Liaodong cavalry only obey Li Shijie's orders. As long as we find
Li Qianhu, as well as General Gan Shen and General Xu Shen can ask for help, maybe..."
After Li Zehe hesitated for a moment, he waved his hand and said: "No... Since Shi Cheng dares to kill me, he must be on guard against this attack... In this case, I can only abandon the car to protect the commander! Now go and find me an ordinary suit immediately
There are only you and me in the armor of the soldiers. We should escape from here immediately under the cover of night! The two of us have a smaller target and are not easily detected. Before the other party takes action to seal off the nearby area, we have a chance to successfully save our lives!"
Upon hearing Li Zehe's decision, the guard's expression changed drastically.
If Shi Cheng and others really wanted to use drastic measures to eradicate Li Zehe, then Li Zehe escaping alone with only one bodyguard would mean that he had decided to abandon his remaining bodyguards.
But in the end, the guard gritted his teeth and obeyed Li Zehe's order, and just asked: "After we escape from here, where should we go for help?"