News finally came from the northwest. When everyone thought it was a good news, Emperor Rong asked the eunuch to read out the battle report with a serious face.
The Lin army captured eight cities in the northwest, killing countless people and destroying hundreds of acres of fertile farmland. The 70,000 garrison led by Chen Songyan and the 50,000 soldiers led by Yan Zhen fought with all their might, but were beaten back and forth. Now they are hiding in Jiaocheng.
Our army has suffered numerous casualties and may not be able to last more than ten days.
Everyone in the court was shocked.
Someone raised doubts: "The border city is dangerous and there are 120,000 troops stationed there. How could it not be defended? General Chen and General Yan are brave and good at fighting. It is impossible!"
The Minister of War said: "I'm afraid that the traitor Mo Fei has figured out the terrain of the border city and our army's fighting methods. As the saying goes, know yourself and the enemy, and you will never be in danger in a hundred battles. How can we win this?"
Changsun Wuzheng also agreed with his point of view: "The Lin army's combat strength is comparable to our army, and I am afraid it is even better in surprise attacks. Now that Mo Fei is helping us, we are really even more powerful!"
"Okay, okay!" Emperor Rong slapped the desk angrily, "When did you let others' ambitions destroy your own prestige? Now the ministers should give more advice on how to repel the enemy!"
After the words were said, there was an instant silence in the court room. When Emperor Rong saw this scene, his heart was completely cold.
The war situation in the northwest was already at its worst, but on the tenth day another shocking change occurred. Many Lin people suddenly appeared in the Liangshan area, burning, killing, looting, and committing all kinds of evil. In just a few days, they actually occupied Liangshan. Almost at the same time, a group of people suddenly appeared in Liangshan.
A group of masked men in black clothes sneaked into Kyoto and killed the city gate guards. If the patrol army had not been vigilant and discovered these people, I am afraid that by daybreak, the masked men in black clothes would have killed all the people in Kyoto!
For a time, people were panicked, and the shops on the street were closed and deserted.
Zuo Qing recognized these black-clothed and masked soldiers at a glance as Mo Fei's dead soldiers, and thought to himself: Yan Zhen and the others won't be able to hold on for long.
The west building was covered with white cloth again, and people were ordered to carry these black-clothed and masked people down.
Zuo Qing stood under the eaves with his hands folded, looking at the stretcher being carried out, feeling unspeakable uneasiness in his heart. The border city was impregnable and could not survive for more than two months. There were only less than 50,000 imperial guards left in Kyoto, and he was afraid that they would not be able to survive for a day.
However, if the garrison troops from various places cannot arrive before the Lin army arrives, I am afraid that the fate of Rong country will be rewritten!
"You said, Yan Zhen and General Chen are considered veterans on the battlefield. Don't they have any way to change the situation?" Xilou always felt that this battle was very frustrating and he was being led by Linguo.
"Although Mo Fei is a civil servant, he has a deep understanding of military affairs. He has been doing business in the dark market for several years and has a clear understanding of the defense of the border town. When he enters the border town, it is like entering a home. The only way now is to let Yan
It’s really about being smart, not fighting hard.”
"How to outsmart him?"
"What Emperor Lin wants is nothing more than Ruoshui, and so does Mo Fei. In this case, it is better to fight and retreat and lead them outside the capital. Firstly, it gives our army a chance to breathe. Secondly, reinforcements have also arrived."
"You mean, the garrisons in various places?"
Zuo Qing nodded: "If there is a moat outside Shuicheng, we can delay it for a while. Even if the Lin army attacks, we can take advantage of the situation and use our terrain advantage to ambush in the dark. When the Lin army attacks, we can sneak attack.
Kill him and leave no trace behind!"
"Your method may be able to deal with the Zhao army. There are tens of thousands of Linguo troops. I'm afraid they won't be able to kill them all, right? By the time they react, they may have already demolished the city walls!"
"Of course it's just a delaying measure. The most important thing is to wait for reinforcements.
The Lin army has always had the upper hand, so it will inevitably be overconfident. The more it happens at this time, the more careless and underestimating the enemy will be. We can take the opportunity to encircle and turn defeat into victory."
Xilou felt that it was still unreliable, but Zuo Qing was so confident that he could only give it a try for the time being. After the two drank another pot of tea in the yard, they conveyed the plan to the prince, who immediately went there with this strategy.
Emperor Rong took credit. Such a dangerous move was obviously not what the prince could have thought of. After being pressed by Emperor Rong again and again, the prince finally let go and told him that it was Zuo Qing's idea. Emperor Rong became more and more fond of Zuo Qing and asked the prince a few more questions.
, and asked him to step back.
Emperor Rong shared Zuo Qing's plan with the officials. He wanted to discuss the details, but unexpectedly, he aroused opposition from the civil and military officials of the entire dynasty, who were worried that drawing the enemy troops outside the city gate would threaten their lives. Of course,
, the officials were talking nicely, and they were full of remarks such as thinking about His Majesty’s life and safety. Emperor Rong felt a headache hearing this, and even regretted asking them for their opinions. At this time, Ge Zheng cleared his throat and said: "Left
Qing's move is indeed a risky one, but Yan Zhen and General Chen can't last more than a few days before the battle. If you all here have a way to change the situation of the battle, or if any of you can come to support, I admire you!
"As he spoke, he drew his sword and pointed it at the ministers, "Rongguo has been established for more than 40 years, and he has never flinched or feared. There is nothing to be afraid of when the enemy is in front of you. Just draw your sword and deal with it! Although I, Ge Zheng, are old.
Even though he is faint, he can still hold a sword and kill the enemy. The more than 3,000 patrol troops under my command are not vegetarians!"
An old minister refuted him: "The prince said it is easy. If the Lin army really comes to the city, what's the point of us dying in battle? The city must be broken down! The old minister still feels that we shouldn't take risks. Ruoshui is the capital of a country and the city will be broken down."
The country will be destroyed in an instant!"
"Then what do you think we should do?" Emperor Rong asked him impatiently.
The old minister hurriedly bowed and saluted, and said: "Since the garrisons from various places are on their way, let them go to the border towns to support us. I believe that with the strength of hundreds of thousands of our troops, we can repel the enemy troops!"
"Then do you know how long it will take to support the garrison? How long can General Chen hold out?"
The old minister hesitated for a moment and hesitated for a long time, but he only said: "It is better to lose the border town than to destroy the capital. Then we will find another way..."
"You bastard!" Emperor Rong angrily threw the inkstone on the case. The old minister couldn't avoid it and was hit on the forehead. Blood immediately flowed out. The scene was very bloody. Emperor Rong pointed at the old minister's nose and cursed:
"Why did I raise a bastard like you? When the life and death of the country is at stake, you only think about protecting yourself. Who are those soldiers who are fighting on the front line? What are the tens of thousands of people in the border towns to you? You
You just want to protect Kyoto and yourself! What you say is high-sounding, why do you think about my safety? Fart! I finally see clearly, all of you are greedy people who are afraid of death, the worms of Rongguo!"
For a while, everyone in the court fell to their knees, and some of them were so frightened that they broke out in cold sweat. The old minister did not dare to say another word, so he knelt down tremblingly and disappeared into the darkness of the ministers.
In the end, Emperor Rong decided to use Zuo Qing's strategy, fight while retreating, and lead the Lin army outside Ruoshui City. The premise is that the people in the city must move to a safe area within a short time, leaving an empty city, and please enter the urn!
When Yan Zhen led the remaining 100,000 soldiers back to Ruoshui City, Linjun was already approaching. The plains outside Ruoshui City were hundreds of miles away, with an unobstructed view. Linjun did not dare to approach anymore, and just stopped far outside the city.
In the field, military camps and trenches began to be built.
Ge Zheng greeted him early at the gate of the city. He had not seen his son for several months. When they saw each other, both of them choked up and shed tears. Yan Zhen, who had always been famous for his appearance, now had a blue color on his chin and his black armor was covered with knives.
Mark, he was supposed to be a handsome young man, but now he is so vicissitudes of life that even his father can hardly recognize him.
Yan Zhen knelt down with a plop, held back tears, and apologized to his father: "My son has failed to live up to expectations and failed to save the border town. Now he has to flee back to Kyoto like a lost dog. If the people suffer because of me, and Your Majesty is in danger because of me,
I am absolutely responsible for my death!"
Ge Zheng helped him up and said, "Letting you come back is not asking you to escape for your life. This is His Majesty's will. Don't worry, the people in the city are moving away. Only the civil and military officials and the imperial guards are left. There is nothing in this city now."
It’s time to worry!”
"Your Majesty wants to stage an empty city strategy?"
"When Emperor Lin comes back, he wants nothing more than Ruoshui. If you lead him here, we will let him never come back!"
"How?"
"Take advantage of Ruoshui City. Son, you have been familiar with military science with me since you were a child. Why are you confused now?"
Yan Zhen looked at his father dully, and it took him a long time to understand: "If there is a moat outside the water city and a clamping city inside the city, the enemy troops can be drawn in. If we set up ambushes around it, the enemy troops will not be able to retreat completely, and the clamping city will
The city is closed, so we can pretend to be defeated and lure them in. Repeatedly, although we can't kill them all, we can weaken their numbers with the least casualties!"
Ge Zheng nodded with satisfaction: "The reinforcements are on their way. As long as we successfully delay the Lin army's attack, by the time the reinforcements arrive, they have been fighting for several months. The exhausted Lin army will be like a piece of loose sand, which will be broken with one blow!"
Yan Zhen seemed to see victory in sight, and his eyes rekindled his fighting spirit.
"What my father said is that my son will do his best to save the capital!"
For the first time, Ge Zheng looked at this son with admiration. He seemed to see himself in his youth, high-spirited and looking forward to death!
Ruoshui City was covered with banners, with black as the background and white words sewn on them, rustling in the strong wind. Zuo Qing climbed up the tower and looked at the Linjun camp from a distance. He saw Linguo for the first time.
Their army, both generals and soldiers, are all equipped with uniform gray battle armor with long contradiction cards, which is even more complete than Rong's. No wonder Rong's army suffered such heavy casualties in the battle at the border city.
Yan Zhen also walked onto the tower and stood side by side with him. Zuo Qing glanced sideways at Yan Zhen and was shocked. In his memory, Yan Zhen always paid attention to his appearance. In fact, he rejected him from the bottom of his heart, but seeing him again today
, he actually looked so haggard.
"I haven't seen you for several months, and you've lost a lot of weight. But have you gone to see Su Yan? If he sees you like this, he will probably be sad."
Yan Zhen smiled and said, "As long as we can save Ruoshui, we can meet him anytime."
"How sure are you?"
"Thirty percent, no more."
Zuo Qing thought he had heard wrong. Yan Zhen was not so confident before. Yan Zhen pointed at Lin Jun and said to him: "Look, even their soldiers are wearing armor and equipped with shields! The battle in the border city
, nearly 30,000 people died in our army, and half of the reason was because there was no armor, and our soldiers could only resist with their flesh and blood! Not so many returned to their hometowns with honors, but more were wrapped in horse leather and their souls were dead in a foreign country."
"The reason for today's situation is all due to our Majesty. He has valued civil service over military affairs for decades, forcing your father to retire, and the patrol army was reduced to a guard of the palace. All those veteran generals were disappointed, but it made Mo Fei
Such a treacherous minister covers the sky with only one hand! Oh, our Majesty really has a pair of discerning eyes!"
Yan Zhen looked at Zuo Qing in confusion and couldn't help but ask: "You used to be famous for being cautious in your words and deeds. Why do you let yourself and me go so freely now?"
Zuo Qing raised a sneer at the corner of his mouth: "I've been holding it in at Mo Fei's feet for so long, I'm pretending to be too tired."
"So, you are such a Zuo Qing." Yan Zhen leaned half of his body on the battlement and asked him: "Will you and Sister Su be together?"
Zuo Qing also leaned against the city wall, and after thinking for a long time, he said to him: "There are some things that I can't change, and I can't influence Ayan's mind. I can only let it continue, no matter what the outcome is."
I accept all development."
Yan Zhen frowned, confused: "Wen Zou Zou, I don't understand, just tell me whether you will be with Sister Su. If not, please let go as soon as possible so that I can find someone for her."
Home!"
"It seems that even though you didn't go to see her, you know everything about her!"
Yan Zhen shrugged his shoulders and said matter-of-factly: "She is my sister. Even if I go to the ends of the world, I still need to know news about her, so can you be with her?"
"Maybe... ok."
"If it works, it works. If it doesn't, it doesn't work. What is maybe?"
Zuo Qing was silent for a long time and said slowly: "I want to fly far away with her and leave this place of right and wrong, that's all."
Yan Zhen smiled and hugged his shoulders: "That's it, I recognize you as my brother-in-law!"
But can it really make it to the end? Zuo Qing is not sure, not even a little bit.
Linjun camp, watchtower.
Mo Fei's fingers holding on to the railing had turned white. He looked at Zuo Qing and Yan Zhen on the city wall a mile away. He felt unspeakable hatred in his heart. The reason why he was where he was today was all thanks to him.
Given!
Emperor Lin passed by the watchtower, looked up and saw Mo Fei gnashing his teeth, so he stepped back and climbed the tower alone.
"I've heard of Mo Aiqing, the adopted son, but it's a pity that he is an ungrateful person." Emperor Lin followed his gaze and defended him.
Mo Fei hurriedly knelt down and saluted: "See your Majesty!"
Emperor Lin held his arm and helped him up, "When our army has finished resting, we will attack Ruoshui. Within three days, Gu will definitely ask Emperor Rong to abdicate! Mo Aiqing only needs to wait three more days, Gu will definitely take the left
I will bring you before you and kowtow to you to admit my mistake!"
"Your Majesty's grace, I am so grateful!"
Emperor Lin didn't feel happy from his words, so he asked, "Mo Aiqing won't be reluctant to part with you, right?"
Mo Fei turned to look at Ruoshui Castle Tower again. It was not that he didn't remember the years of companionship, but the fact that Zuo Qing set up a trap to cut off his right-hand man was still fresh in his mind. He just hated, hated that he had misjudged the wrong person!
"The deep love between father and son is a sham. If this is the case, what can't I bear to do? I don't need Zuo Qing to apologize to me. What I want is Zuo Qing's life!"
Emperor Lin nodded with satisfaction. This was the Mo Fei he admired and who was useful to Lin Guo.
Linjun rested for two days, but did not remain motionless. Emperor Lin sent a group of elite troops to reach the bottom of Ruoshui City at night, found the weakest gap in defense, killed the sentries on the tower, disguised themselves as Rongjun, and marched in openly.
When they arrived at the city, they found that all the shops and houses in the city were empty, and the streets and alleys were empty and in a mess. Except for the guards who passed by on regular shifts, the city seemed to have been emptied overnight. Emperor Lin did not notice that the people were missing.
After struggling with the problem for too long, another team was sent out, and under the cover of sentries disguised as Rong Jun, they filled in the moat overnight.
As soon as the day broke, the war drums resounded throughout the sky. The commander of the Lin army mounted his war horse and bore the brunt of the attack. He raised his spear high and roared. Thousands of arrows shot out behind him, and the darkness filled the opposite tower like a dark cloud. He did not give Rong Jun a chance to breathe.
With the opportunity, the vanguard of the approaching army formed a team of four, separated into four teams, carried the ladders and swarmed up first. The soldiers who followed quickly stepped on the ladders and flew up. Rong Jun on the city did not react in time and was rained down like raindrops.
The spear struck him and he fell down the towering city wall. Wave after wave of attacks caught Rong Jun off guard. It was not until the third wave of attacks that the iron pot was heated. A pot of boiling soup poured down the city wall.
However, the attack was only postponed, and in the blink of an eye Lin's army pressed forward again. Not only that, Lin's army was already surrounded at the city gate, and they were carrying huge trees covered with iron and crashing into them again and again.
Inside the city, Yanzhen stood at the city gate with his sword in hand. The patrol troops behind him were waiting in full formation, and the Imperial Guards were already ambushing everywhere.
Impacts as loud as thunder came again and again, as if they hit the heart of every soldier, and the whole person was shaken. The city gate showed signs of loosening under the violent impact. Chen Songyan stared at the city.
He opened the door, his palms were sweaty, and he glanced at Yan Zhen from time to time, waiting for his orders.
Finally, Yan Zhen pulled out his long sword, pointed at the city gate, and roared: "Open the city gate and accept the challenge!"
The city gate opened, and the troops rushed in, instantly trampling the guards at the gate under their feet, and killing them like evil ghosts. Yan Zhen opened his arms and pushed back the patrol troops behind him.
More, more! Yan Zhen thought silently in his heart, and kept retreating to let more troops enter the city. When there were enough people, he immediately issued an order and closed the city gate.
As soon as the city gate was closed, the enemy's support was cut off. The Imperial Guards who were hiding in the dark appeared instantly and cooperated with the patrol forces to surround the enemy in the city. Only then did the trapped Linjun realize that they had been ambushed.
Now there is no way to retreat, so we can only fight hard. However, there is a huge disparity in numbers between the two sides. In just a cup of tea, the approaching army will be littered with corpses.
Yan Zhen followed the same method again, opening the city gate and introducing enemy troops to surround and kill him. However, this method failed only three times. Emperor Lin realized that he had been fooled, so he withdrew the attack, changed his method, replaced all artillery, and launched a fierce attack on the city wall.
The war intensified and entered a stalemate. Lin's army kept changing its attack methods, and Rong's army also adapted to the situation, constantly changing and improving the methods of defending the city. Ruoshui City, which had been riddled with holes by artillery, surprisingly did not break even a single hole.
After repeated attacks failed, the morale of the Lin army was damaged. It was almost midnight, so they had no choice but to withdraw their troops and make long-term plans.
Since the defeat in the border town, Rong's army achieved a staged victory for the first time, and the army was filled with excitement. Yan Zhen also showed off his appearance for the first time in several months.
Chen Songyan sat by the fire and laughed heartily. He patted Yan Zhen on the shoulder and said, "Young man is young, but he has learned the art of war well. He will be a formidable young man!"
"Thank you for your cooperation. However, this tactic can only be used a few times. Linjun will not be fooled anymore. Now it depends on whether the vanguard sent out can successfully cut off Linjun's backup food and grass.
If we succeed, we can still repel them without waiting for reinforcements!"
Chen Songyan nodded and said: "The Lin army pursued us in a hurry. They did not bring a heavy convoy with the army, but reinforcements were on the way. Now they should have very little gunpowder left, so they can only wait. If they can be stopped again,
We don’t have enough supplies, let alone siege the city, we can’t survive even ten days, so let’s just defend the city and see who can survive the other!”
Speaking of this, Chen Songyan expressed his admiration again and again: "Originally, His Majesty just asked us to delay the enemy's attack and wait for reinforcements to help. I didn't expect you to come up with the idea of cutting off food and grass. Why didn't I think of it?"
Yan Zhen said: "It's just a common method of fighting. General Chen led an army of 100,000 people and had too many worries, so he didn't think of this. I'm different. I don't like to fight openly, I like to make sneak attacks."
Chen Songyan patted his chest again and said, "Rong Guo is so lucky to have you!"
“Each other!”
Although the Linjun attack failed, they did not suffer too much loss. After resting for a day, they prepared to attack again. However, they did not expect that late at night, when they were exposed, a small team of Rongjun suddenly attacked the camp.
They were setting fires and killing horses. Everywhere they went, there was chaos. Because it was late at night, Emperor Lin had already fallen asleep. After being awakened, he dragged his rickety steps out of the tent to check the situation. He was frightened to death on the spot.
All over the place. I saw a lot of Rong Jun appearing in the camp. Most of them were riding war horses. They were running rampant and had trampled many tents. And wherever the fire could be seen, there were shadows of Rong Jun. I didn’t know exactly for a while.
Lin Jun actually forgot how to deal with the number of people. He just rushed to the perimeter of Emperor Lin's tent to form several encirclements for protection, allowing Rong Jun to run wild on his own territory. After Rong Jun was enjoying himself, he whistled and waved a torch and walked away.
go.
Everything returned to calm, but Emperor Lin couldn't calm down. The camp suffered heavy losses after the raid. What made Emperor Lin feel like he had fallen into an ice cave was that two days later, an emergency report came from the rear, and the heavy convoy also
Encountered a sneak attack, all food and grass were lost, and most of the soldiers were killed or injured. Without backup, the camp was attacked again. The camp was in a negative mood, and there was no chance of winning the war. In desperation, Emperor Lin ordered the withdrawal of the troops. In just a few days, the army just stood up.
The military camp was demolished again overnight. When Rong Guo's sentries climbed onto the tower to change their posts, they happened to see the large troops of the Lin army evacuating in an orderly manner.
The autumn wind rustled, the leaves withered, and Ruoshui City was desolate. However, the Rongguo soldiers in the city wept with joy and reveled around the bonfire all night long to celebrate this great victory.
Yan Zhen ordered the city gates to be opened to welcome back the people.
After receiving the news of the great victory, Zuo Qing immediately set off for Ruoshui Street. When he saw countless people returning from outside the city and Ruoshui City returned to its former glory, he finally breathed a sigh of relief, and a long-lost smile appeared on his face.
From the dark crowd, he discovered a familiar figure. This person was Yan Ling, who had disappeared for a long time. As he got closer and closer to him, Zuo Qing suddenly found that Yan Ling was holding his hands and tied with a rope.
The person turned out to be Mo Fei!
From a powerful minister who is under one person to a million people, to the loser now, from the deep love between father and son, to the ruthlessness, when Mo Fei saw Zuo Qing, a complex emotion arose in his heart. He hated him for his betrayal, but also loved him.
He had once been his son, used him, and trusted him, but now, Zuo Qing and him were on opposite sides, the opposite of life and death. Mo Fei felt sad again, and in the end, he was still defeated.
What a mess!
"Ten years ago, you harmed the entire Xuan family. Today, it's your turn to repay." Zuo Qing's cold voice sounded.
Mo Fei stopped and happened to be side by side with him. His face that had undergone tremendous changes had long lost its original aura. He turned his head slightly and looked at Zuo Qing, smiling sadly: "You are deliberately planning to become my adopted son and avenge your people.
Now that you have done it, my father is also happy for you!"
Zuo Qing looked at him angrily: "One hundred and thirty lives, don't you have the slightest remorse? Have you not been afraid in countless days and nights in the past ten years?"
"Fear?" Mo Fei laughed when he heard these two words: "If you want to stabilize your position and climb up, you have to be ruthless! But your people are really tough, and they are not willing to bow their heads even when they die. I admire them,
Especially your father Xuan Yuansheng! It’s a pity that he died young. If he were still alive, I, Mo Fei, would like to be his brother!”
"You are not qualified!" Zuo Qing was furious, and veins suddenly popped up on his forehead: "You forged evidence to frame my father for lying about military intelligence, and killed all my people. Isn't it just for the weapon manual? Now this weapon manual has been brought
King Zhao is gone, don’t worry, it will be your turn next!"
Mo Fei looked up at the gloomy sky, with a strange smile on his lips, and said to him: "As early as when His Majesty was still the prince, your family's weapons catalog had left Zhao State, and it has been in the country for the next few years.
Your Majesty, why did I frame your family? Zuo Qing, it has been ten years, and you have been kept in the dark for ten years!"
"What do you mean?"
"You have to check it out yourself, I'll stop here."
Zuo Qing grabbed him and said harshly: "If you are so stubborn when you are about to die, I will not let you off easily!"
"Some people take self-righteous revenge, but in the end, they even find the wrong enemy. How pitiful!"
Listening to Mo Fei's proud smile, Zuo Qing suddenly panicked. What did he mean? What does seeking revenge mean?
Zuo Qing grabbed his neck, almost using all his strength, "Tell me clearly, do you have any accomplices, and who is that person? Tell me!"
Mo Fei was choked so hard that he couldn't breathe, and his eyes were almost filled with blood. Yan Ling pulled Zuo Qing away in time and warned him: "This man is a traitor to the country and a traitor to the enemy. I have to hand him over to your majesty. Don't do it."
Causing trouble for me!"
Zuo Qing was so angry that he almost went crazy. He shouted at Yan Ling: "If you dare to block my way, I will kill you too!"
Yan Ling knew that he had lost his mind and was unwilling to argue with him. He protected Mo Fei on the other side and left quickly.
Zuo Qing wanted to catch up and ask for more information, but after two steps he found that his legs were not working properly and his whole body was stiff. He suddenly felt chest tightness and breathlessness, and his vision went dark.