It has been half a month since Yan Ling left Rongguo, and no news, good or bad, has been returned. At this time, the government and the public were talking a lot. Some said that Yan Ling had been bribed and joined the rebellion; others said that Yan Ling had been betrayed by Mo.
Fei was killed, and the bones may have been smashed to ashes! Anyway, no matter what kind of speculation reached the ears of Emperor Rong, it gave him a headache. What was even more troublesome was that an urgent report came from the front: King Zhao had rebelled! When the news
When it spread like wildfire, another urgent report came back, asking for help from several border states: King Zhao personally led the troops, had captured three border cities, annexed the garrison in the city, and was coming north...
In the solemn Changle Hall, all the civil and military officials lowered their heads, and the deadlock could be heard. This deadlock had lasted for an hour. Only the prince looked at Changsun Wuzheng from time to time, trying to get some information, but gave up with a cough.
.
Emperor Rong moved his body, his stiff back made a rattling sound, and he lamented in his heart: No one among the dignified Rongguo, civil and military officials, could share his worries...
At this time, the prince came out and after saluting, he said: "Mo Fei has obviously betrayed the country, and Yan Ling has also left and will never return. I am afraid that something unexpected has happened. I am willing to lead the troops to fight off the rebels!"
"You?" Emperor Rong narrowed his eyes and looked at him from a distance, "You have never led troops to fight, how can you go there?"
After receiving his father's attention, the prince instantly became energetic: "Although I have never practiced martial arts, I am the prince of Rongguo. I strive to set an example rationally and boost morale." There were a few vague doubts in the court, and Wei Zixu felt resentful in his heart.
, shouted at them angrily: "There are six countries in the world, and the Rong country is the most respected. Now that the Rong country has suffered a great humiliation, it's fine if you don't come up with any suggestions. I want to conquer it myself, how can you question it!"
"Your Highness, there is no need to be angry. I am just worried that the current situation may not be suitable for you to lead a personal expedition."
Wei Zixu looked back at the man and found that it was Ge Zheng. He quickly changed his expression and said to him in a gentle tone: "My lord, there is no need to worry. So what if King Zhao rebels? It's just the Kingdom of Zhao. I have 400,000 Imperial Guards, but I can't help you."
I’m afraid he won’t succeed!”
Ge Zheng said with a smile but not a smile: "An army of 400,000... It is true that Rong Guo has abundant military strength, let alone Zhao State. Even if Lin Guo is added, Chu State can still survive for several months, but His Highness the Crown Prince does not know something."
, among these 400,000 troops, more than 200,000 are stationed in batches in various places, including states, counties, borders, and other countries. The remaining more than 200,000 are stationed in Qishan Mountain, Siyu Mountain, and three camps outside Beijing.
, most of these garrisons cannot be recalled in full. Only the 50,000 troops outside Beijing can be mobilized at any time, and once a war breaks out, these 50,000 troops will not be enough! May I ask, Your Highness, how and why you lead the troops?"
"How is it possible," Wei Zixu said horrifiedly, "the states and counties can mobilize as many as they can, and Qishan Mountain is not far from Kyoto. As long as my father gives the order, I will be able to come back in less than half a month!"
Ge Zheng shook his head repeatedly: "Zhao's army has captured three states in the north, and Qishan is in the north. Could it be that King Zhao's army would be stupid enough to bypass the garrison in Qishan? Think about it, Qishan has fallen, and it will only take time for the news to come back.
It’s just a problem.”
Wei Zixu suddenly felt difficulty breathing, as if his chest was pressed by a huge stone. He felt dizzy and almost fainted.
"Are we really going to sit back and wait for death?" Wei Zixu looked helplessly at Emperor Rong. At this time, he was so ashamed that he was already sweating profusely.
Emperor Rong had no expectations for this son from beginning to end, and naturally he would not punish him. He just waved his hand and told him to step aside. After listening to Ge Zheng's remarks, Emperor Rong vaguely felt that he seemed to have a countermeasure.
, and asked for his opinion.
Ge Zhenghong bowed and saluted, saying: "Although it is difficult to mobilize the troops stationed in various places for the time being, we have more than 50,000 troops and horses outside Beijing available. The Imperial Guards in Beijing have more than 50,000 people, and the Imperial Guards in the palace have three.
There are more than 10,000 people. Although they have never fought on the battlefield, they have been trained like frontline soldiers! If we gather them together, they may be able to compete with Zhao!"
"Who will lead the troops?"
"I recommend Fu Yan as the commander-in-chief and Lanmiao as the deputy general. The strength of both of them cannot be underestimated. They will definitely defeat the enemy!"
Emperor Rong nodded and finally smiled happily.
Changsun Wuzheng thought of a crucial issue and asked: "Although our country's garrisons are scattered in various places, there are still tens of thousands of imperial guards in the capital that can be deployed and can still fight. This can we think of
, Did Mo Fei and King Zhao not think of it? Therefore, Wei Chen believes that Mo Fei is not only in alliance with King Zhao, but also has contact with Linguo. "
"But now half a month has passed. Only Zhao's army is heading north, and there is no movement in Linguo. I'm afraid Lord Changsun is overly worried."
As soon as the old minister finished speaking, there were several echoes.
Changsun Wuzheng explained: "Perhaps this is the cunningness of Mo Fei and King Zhao. They will attract all your attention to them, and then Linguo will take advantage of our unpreparedness and attack from the other side, so that we will be unprepared."
, I’m afraid it’s too late to regret it!”
Ge Zheng nodded repeatedly. Just now he was only focused on making plans to deal with Zhao Jun. At this time, Lord Changsun reminded him, and he suddenly realized.
"Master Changsun reminded you in time. It is absolutely impossible for Mo Fei to put all his hopes on King Zhao. Emperor Lin is the most powerful backer!"
Changsun Wuzheng said: "In the past half month, the Ministry of Punishment and Dali Temple have worked together to sort out the evidence submitted by Zuo Qing, thoroughly investigated the dark market, Liangshan, and past old cases, and found that Mo Fei has been working with the Linguo Army over the years.
We have maintained contact, especially in the case of privately forging weapons. The place where the weapons flowed was Linguo! From this, it seems that Mo Fei’s goal from the beginning was Linguo.”
Ge Zheng said eagerly to Emperor Rong: "It seems that the imperial guards in the middle of the capital are not enough. I also ask your majesty to issue an order as soon as possible to transfer the nearby garrison. If there is enough time, maybe we can turn things around."
Emperor Rong did not expect that the situation had become so serious that a mere Mo Fei would cause such a big storm and put Rong Guo into dire straits in just one month. The man who once pushed him to ascend to the throne
Now the people have suddenly changed and want to overthrow all this... Emperor Rong suddenly stood up and issued an order in an almost trembling voice: "Quickly, send me an oral order to summon Chen Songyan back to the capital and ask him to mobilize all the troops he can mobilize.
error!"
The eunuch who delivered the order hurriedly knelt down to receive the order, then immediately got up and ran out of the palace.
After Emperor Rong gave the instructions, he lay down on the dragon chair. His mind was filled with the shadow of Mo Fei, which was haunting him like a nightmare and could not be shaken away. When the prince saw this scene, he expected that his father was frightened.
He winked at the eunuch next to Emperor Rong. The eunuch understood what he meant. After asking the emperor softly, he informed the ministers of the emperor's will and retired from the court.
As soon as they left the Changle Palace, Changsun Wuzheng stopped Ge Zheng and said politely: "Why don't you ask for orders to lead the troops to fight? You are also a veteran who has been on the battlefield for a long time, and your strength is no worse than Fu Yan and the others."
Ge Zheng smiled kindly and said: "As I get older, I'll leave it to the young people to make contributions."
"I have been wondering, you haven't been to court for many years, why today..." Changsun Wuzheng wanted to say something else, but Ge Zheng suddenly stopped on the stairs, turned his head and looked at him intently, making Changsun Wuzheng panic.
God, said hurriedly: "The official is so rude, so rude!"
Ge Zheng shook his head with a smile but not a smile and said: "The internal worries have not been resolved yet, and now we are encountering external troubles. Naturally, I want to share your worries."
Changsun Wuzheng smiled awkwardly. Although Ge Zheng spoke harshly, he already knew the truth.
Changsun Wuzheng turned back and stared at the majestic Changchang Hall, feeling sad in his heart: after ten years, some old people will finally reappear in the world!
Chen Songyan was stationed in Siyu Mountain, training his troops. When he received the emperor's order and led the troops back to Kyoto, it was already a month later. As Changsun Wuzheng expected, the Lin army had been ambushing outside the northwest. On the day Chen Songyan just set off,
, a team suddenly rushed into the border town at night and captured the state capital without a single blow. The Lin army did not expect that the garrison and the people in the city fought hard and fought their way out. Although they still ended in a disastrous defeat, they also injured 800 enemies.
.The news spread back to Kyoto, and all the civil and military officials in the court shed tears.
The Lin army fought all the way, and their strength and morale could be described as invincible. It was only a matter of time before they captured Kyoto. On the other side, Fu Yan took command and fought hard with Zhao Jun for several days. Although he blocked Zhao Jun's progress,
But we didn't taste the sweetness. Our army lacked actual combat experience, so it suffered heavy losses. Almost every Zhao army head was exchanged for three or more imperial guards. Over the past few days, morale became increasingly sluggish.
Fu Yan was also seriously injured in the battle.
It has been raining heavily for three consecutive days in the north, so the army retreated three miles to rest and recuperate temporarily.
Under the gray sky, heavy rain washed away the blood on the muddy ground, flowing down the ravine into the nearby grass. The soldiers sat in groups of three or three in the shed, all of them were dejected, and their morale was completely gone.
Someone complained: "How can we fight in this damn weather? It keeps raining. The superiors know that they want us to fight, but they don't provide us with shoes or clothes. When the battle is over, I'm afraid I will be useless!"
Others echoed: "Those people in the court can just move their mouths. We are not the ones who suffer the hardships in the war. When the time comes, no matter whether we win or lose the war, the benefits will be taken by them! What can we gain?"
"
"What can you get?" Someone said with a wry smile: "They will say that it's just your job!"
After finishing speaking, several people shook their heads.
"This situation is so depressing!" Suddenly a voice came from above their heads. Several people hurriedly shut up, only to realize that the person was none other than Yan Zhen! They all turned pale with fright, thinking that they were about to
The head fell to the ground.
Yanzhen threw the reins to his followers and waved to a few people in military uniforms behind him, who immediately took the order and left.
Someone with sharp eyes recognized the origins of those people and exclaimed: "The people from the patrol army...are the subordinates of Prince Zheng, the leaders of the patrol army!" As he spoke, his eyes lit up, he stood up and shouted: "We are saved, patrol army."
The army is coming, we are saved!"
Some people were puzzled: "What's wrong with the patrol? Can they take you home?!"
"You are so generous, the patrol army doesn't even know that he is a veteran who has retired from the battlefield! He is a subordinate of Prince Zheng, and he is here to stand up to a hundred of us!"
The man was shocked. He never thought that those middle-aged men with unremarkable appearance could have such great abilities.
Yan Zhen patted his shoulder, helped him calm down his excitement, and then said: "Your Majesty didn't expect Zhao Jun to be so powerful. He was really careless! But it doesn't matter, I brought the patrol here.
You won’t lose this battle!”
After receiving the affirmation from the former general, everyone rekindled their fighting spirit and stood up one after another to cast warm glances at Yan Zhen.
When Fu Yan heard something moving outside, he immediately walked out of the tent and saw Yan Zhen's true form. He was so excited that he almost knelt down. He ran over three steps at a time, took his hand and said with tears in his nose: "
The general arrived just in time, but there was really nothing I could do. The Zhao army attacked continuously and was unstoppable. Our army lacks actual combat experience. If we continue to carry on like this, I am afraid I will disappoint His Majesty!"
Yan Zhen really couldn't adapt to the middle-aged general's enthusiasm, but he had to take into account his suppressed mood for a long time, so he had to resist slapping him and said to him with a smile: "General Fu Yan has worked hard..."
"
"..."
Fu Yan waited for a long time with his mouth open, and Yan Zhen pulled out his hand in embarrassment. He found that he really didn't know how to ask for help, so he had no choice but to give up and invite several leaders of the patrol army back to the camp with Fu Yan to discuss the war.
.
With Yan Zhen's personal visit and reorganizing the troops, the morale of the army immediately rose. Seeing this scene, Fu Yan couldn't help but feel ashamed. After all, the general is a general. He was born in the military camp since he was a child. He is young and has rich experience.
The appeal is also so powerful. I have wasted many years of hard work and am not as good as a young man!
Although I felt melancholy and envious in my heart, as a soldier of Rongguo, I naturally would not be depressed because of this. I cheered up and joined the ranks of other soldiers.
The Zhao army's march finally ended in the north, and Yan Zhen single-handedly captured the enemy's head, ending the war. King Zhao knew that he was about to die soon, so in order to save the royal family, he finally committed suicide before the war, leaving behind a legacy before his death.
The next letter was handed over to Yan Zhen.
The paper was full of blood words, a small part of which was remorseful, and a large part of it was scolding Mo Fei, which shows how much he hated this villain who had caused so much harm to the Zhao country. Yan Zhen put the blood letter in his bag and wanted to get it from Zhao Jun.
While searching for Mo Fei's whereabouts in the military camp, they accidentally discovered someone from Xuanting. After asking, they learned that Yan Ling was still alive. This is great news! For Emperor Rong, no one can compare with him.
No one can trust Xuan Ting's ability, let alone anyone else.
However, even he did not know the whereabouts of Yan Ling. He only said that Yan Ling followed Mo Fei and left the northern border. Fu Yan guessed that Mo Fei must have defected to Linjun, and Yan Ling followed him all the way, probably hoping to take the opportunity to capture him alive.
, to complete His Majesty’s mission.
Yan Zhen found it funny that even though he was like this, he was still thinking about His Majesty's order. He was really stupid.
Rongguo, Kyoto.
July was full of flames, and August was still young. Good news finally came from the Northern Territory. Yan Zhen ended the war with the State of Zhao and took the head of King Zhao. The Northern Territory finally returned to peace.
There were 130,000 Imperial Guards when they left, but only barely 100,000 soldiers returned. In the end, those 30,000 soldiers did not return to their hometown and stayed in the north.
Emperor Rong gave Yan Zhen the title of general again, and allocated 50,000 soldiers from the 100,000 Imperial Guards to support Chen Songan, who was fighting in the northwest.
Since the First World War, Linguo has retreated to the northwest desert and has endured it for forty-one years. Now it is back with almost all its troops, sweeping across the northwest border like a violent wind.
In just over a month, everything in and outside the northwest has fallen, causing suffering to the people and numerous casualties.
Before the urgent report was sent back to Emperor Rong's case, Emperor Rong almost fainted when he saw the word "Mo Fei". The eunuch hurriedly supported the emperor, and while he was comforting him, he accidentally saw the urgent report on the Long case and was also frightened.
He jumped and hurriedly winked at Ge Zheng, who had been waiting in the palace. Ge Zheng hurried over to receive the emergency report, and couldn't help but be horrified: "Mo Fei actually became the military advisor of the Lin army! It seems that the previous attack by Zhao was just a cover. If
Lord Changsun expected that he would use the help of Zhao State to disperse our military strength, so as to create opportunities for Lin State to launch a surprise attack from the northwest!"
Emperor Rong pushed the eunuch away, looked at the emergency report with disgust, grabbed it angrily and tore it into pieces.
The new Minister of War standing on the other side heard this and couldn't help but said: "Linguo has been entrenched on one side for more than forty years and has indeed accumulated a strong military force. However, many of our borders are surrounded by dangerous peaks, making it easy to defend and difficult to attack.
This is also the reason why Linguo has never dared to attack rashly. It's just... Now that Murphy is in charge, I just don't know how much he has discovered our military secrets in the past few years."
"Mo Fei, a veteran of the two dynasties, has been in charge of the Secretariat for more than 20 years. Naturally, he knows a lot, otherwise Emperor Lin would not have given him the title of military advisor!" Ge Zheng looked sideways at the military terrain map hanging in the hall, "Northwest
The territory is surrounded by dangerous peaks, but there are two gaps in the plain. In order to prevent Linguo's spies from sneaking in through this, the late emperor set up eleven border cities as barriers at these two places, guarding them with garrisons all year round. Under double protection, Linguo's
The country has been unable to attack for decades. Unexpectedly, Mo Fei, a traitor, actually defected to the enemy. I finally understand why Linjun easily captured the border town. It turns out that it was this traitor who was causing trouble!"
"The country of Rong has been peaceful for decades, but now it has been disturbed by him alone. It's hateful!" the Minister of War said, clenching his teeth and kneeling in front of Emperor Rong's case, "Your Majesty, please allow Wei Chen to go to war. Wei Chen is willing to be General Chen's vanguard.
!”
Emperor Rong didn't seem to hear his request. He looked at the topographical map with helpless eyes. The red mark was drawn by the late emperor himself. I remember that day was the first year of Dacheng. When the Rong Kingdom was first established, the late emperor decided to build a city and fortify it in that gap, and this
The decision took ten years to complete! Eleven cities and nearly 100,000 troops were stationed in the deserted northwest border, and gradually became the current border town. The extremely hard shell blocked the invasion of foreign enemies again and again.
In exchange for decades of peace and prosperity, the late emperor made such a generous move, but now because of his own connivance, that perfect red dot has almost disappeared.
Emperor Rong closed his eyes in pain, but the reality could not be changed by escaping.
Another half month passed, but no urgent news came from the northwest border. Whether it was good news or otherwise, it was as if the war had never happened at all, and Kyoto was still as bustling and lively as before.
In the blink of an eye, autumn came, and during this period Su Yan still ignored Xilou and Zuo Qing. He devoted himself to teaching knowledge and was completely different from before. The students in Shu Youtang probably knew what was on her mind and did not dare to explain it.
He just became more diligent than before, which made Su Yan happy for a long time. However, Qingpingtang and Leshengtang exploded, and they all speculated whether there was a crack in the relationship between Xilou and Su Yan. When they heard about the crack, Qingpingtang
The eyes of several people suddenly shone, thinking that their husbands had finally overcome all their hardships and could finally renew their relationship with the boss!
Because of this, the atmosphere in Qingpingtang has been particularly good these days, just like the New Year. Fo Zha realized it later, but was not happy when he heard about it. Instead, he hurried to find Su Yan and asked her about her stay in Liangshan.
encounter.
After two months, Su Yan couldn't help but feel melancholy when she heard someone mention Liangshan again. She wanted to say something to her, but the words came to her lips, but she didn't know how to say them. Whether it was Xilou or a singer, Su Yan seemed
I have never been able to mention these two things to Buddha. It is like a thorn in my heart. It hurts when I move it, but if I don't pull it out, it will always be stuck there. Every time I think about it, I feel uncomfortable all over.
For Xilou, she thought that the relationship between them was over. The already fragile relationship suddenly collapsed due to their concealment and deception. But for Singer, she still had no way to face it...
"When the war in the northwest is over and when Yan Zhen returns, everything here should be over soon. By then, our ending should be clear for me, Xi Lou, Zuo Qing, and you..." Su Yan's words had no end.
No brainer, Fo Zhen was confused after hearing this. He wanted to ask more questions, but was interrupted by someone.
Jinyun City came in all directions, stood behind them, and interrupted at an inappropriate time: "I have guessed a long time ago that Xilou is not your lover, Zuo Qing is. It's a pity that you are so stubborn that you have to fight with yourself.
I did the right thing in my heart, now it’s good, but I’ve suffered all the injuries, can I regret it?”
Fo Zhen looked at her with disgust and was about to drive her away when Su Yan held her back and said to Jinyuncheng: "There is no reason for love or love. If you are wrong or you are right, it is just experience. After you have experienced it, it is nothing."
Got it. If you, Yuncheng, stand aside and watch, you can naturally see it more clearly than we parties involved."
Hearing such self-pity and self-pity, Jinyuncheng put away his mocking attitude and comforted her, saying: "It's good that you know, it's not too late! Now Zuo Qing has changed, from Mo Fei's adopted son to
The loyal minister of Rongguo is favored by His Majesty. In the future, his official career will be smooth, and there will be countless glory and wealth waiting for him. It is the best thing for you to choose him!"
Su Yan couldn't help but frown: "Yuncheng, when did you start talking like those matchmakers?"
Jin Yuncheng said with a smile on his face: "If I don't say that, can you be happy?" Yuncheng sat next to her, held her hand, and continued: "I don't know what difficulties you have encountered, but no matter whether it is Xilou
It doesn't matter, Zuo Qing, just do whatever you think in your heart, and don't worry about the troubles outside your body! People live in this world for only a few decades, why should mediocre people look for troubles? Right, Buddha?"
Fo Zhen was a little overwhelmed when he was suddenly called by name. It took him a while to react and nodded numbly.
Whatever you think, just do it?
Su Yan chewed these words and tossed and turned all night.
Can she really ignore Zuo Qing's deception and use? However, she clearly hates deception. When her father deceived her into marrying her eldest son Pingle, she left home for ten years. Why now, she began to hesitate to forgive Zuo Qing?
Sir!
From Zuo Qing's point of view, he shoulders a mission. What he shoulders is the grievances of the entire clan and the decades of honor and disgrace of the Xuan family. It is reasonable to plan for this, but why did he include himself in it?
With no sleep at all, Su Yan simply lifted up the quilt and went to Nanhu to take a breath, only to see Xilou looking at her anxiously. Su Yan turned around and wanted to leave, but Xilou hurriedly caught up and stopped her.
Down.
"You don't have to hide from me, and I won't pester you anymore."
His eager voice sounded a little thin in the empty South Lake. Su Yan still couldn't bear to hate him, because he was Wei Zhen, his aunt's only son!
"Ayan, do you still remember what you said to me outside Fusang Palace when you were a child?"
Su Yan shook her head blankly. She only remembered that when she was a child, she always went to the palace and pestered Wei Zhen to take her to climb trees. Every time a dog fell and chewed poop, her aunt would always scold them and then hand it to her.
He held her on his lap lovingly with a piece of candy. She didn't remember what her aunt said, she only remembered that her aunt was beautiful at that time and her smile was gentle...
Xilou didn't care that she had completely forgotten what she had said before. He held her face lovingly and said to her: "You said that when you grow up, you want to marry me and be my crown princess!"
Su Yan hurriedly backed away, and this move almost broke Xilou's heart, which was already full of scars.
He put down his hands in embarrassment, the smile on his face had not faded, and he was very embarrassed.
Su Yan hurriedly explained: "How can I take what I said as a child seriously? It's just a child's words!"
"What about now?" Xilou asked her: "In the past year, who were you and me? Was it a shield you used to avoid Zuo Qing, or was it a joke?"
"West Tower..."
"I have selfish motives. My selfish motives are to fulfill the promise I made when I was a child. I promised you that I would give you everything, including the throne!"
"What about aunt?" After mentioning Yu, Su Yan couldn't help crying.
Xilou didn't expect that she would mention her mother, a past that was almost covered by dust.
Su Yan approached him again: "Are you doing all this for yourself or for your aunt?"
Xilou was silent for a long time. He seemed to have a revenge plan engraved in his mind from the beginning. He hated Emperor Rong and Mo Fei. They made him lose everything he originally had, including his mother, status, and glory! These are all in his mind.
He seems to have never been able to distinguish the importance in his heart. Sometimes he feels that they are all important, but more often, he only thinks about the throne...
Su Yan already knew the answer from his reaction. The Xilou in front of him was no longer the Wei Zhen he had been when he was a child!
This is exactly the difference between him and Zuo Qing.
"From the beginning to the end, you only love Zuo Qing. Regardless of whether I am Xilou or not, you will never love me, right?"
The night breeze was slightly cool, and the two people on the water bridge were speechless. Although they were only a punch apart, they seemed to be separated by thousands of mountains and rivers, on both sides of life and death. Just as Xilou said, Su Yan's heart was never there.
It was here before and it is now.
After Xilou left, Su Yan was lost in thought on the water bridge for a long time. She began to reflect on her own behavior, from Kuai Feng Town to Kyoto, from Zuo Qing to Xilou, from giving her sincerity to disappointment, from disappointment to escape.
, she did not feel sorry for Zuo Qing, but deeply hurt Xilou. If she had not agreed to Xilou at the hunting ground, perhaps, there would be no subsequent entanglements...