She Yue’s peerless elegance was originally an advantage that everyone in the world coveted, but now it has become her weakness.
"Princess, the Cao Min thought about it, and now there is only one way to avoid being hunted by the Queen Mother Society." Yu Wen Chengchao said softly: "Zuo Shen will trust the Cao Min very much, and will hand over Huqiu County to the Cao Min. The Cao Min will take over.
There are now thousands of people, all of whom are commanded by grassroots, and are now stationed in Huqiu County. Many villages in Huqiu County have been attacked by Youshen General’s men, so in order to protect the safety of those people, grassroots
Huqiu County was temporarily opened, and many people from nearby areas ran to Huqiu County to seek refuge."
She Yue understood instantly: "Are you asking me and Qin Xiao to take refuge in Huqiu County?"
"Huqiu County is under the control of the grassroots, so it can be taken care of easily. Even if something happens, the grassroots can provide protection at any time." Yu Wencheng pointed toward the southeast: "It's less than a hundred miles to the southeast.
You can reach Huqiu County within a few miles. As long as you enter the city, the common people can make secret arrangements. At the moment, going to Huqiu County is much safer than going through Shuning County to Hangzhou."
She Yue pondered, her slender eyebrows like willow leaves slightly raised, thoughtfully.
After a while, She Yue looked at Yuwen Chengchao and asked: "Do you have a way for us to reach Shuning County safely?"
Yuwen Chengchao was startled and said in surprise: "Princess insists on going to Hangzhou?"
"You are right. With the current situation, going to Hangzhou is more difficult than climbing to the sky." She Yue said slowly: "I have temporarily given up the idea of going to Hangzhou, but I hope to reach Shuning City smoothly."
Qin Xiao was also a little surprised and asked softly: "Why did the princess choose Shuning City?"
"It is not easy for Yu Wen Chengchao to sneak into the Queen Mother Association and have his current status in the Queen Mother Association." She Yue said sternly: "Yu Wen Chengchao, you are a dagger buried in the heart of the Queen Mother Association by the imperial court.
At a critical juncture, we will be able to accomplish great things. How the situation in Jiangnan will develop is still uncertain. If we go to Huqiu County and are negligent, it is likely to implicate you and even expose you to suspicion. Queen Mother
Although the believers are a group of ignorant people, those leaders are not fools. They have been able to lay out their plans in Jiangnan for many years without being noticed by the court. This group of people should not be underestimated, so to ensure your safety, Qin Xiao and I cannot go to Huqiu County."
Yuwen Chengchao immediately said: "The safety of the princess is the most important thing, common people...!"
"I have made up my mind, no need to say more." She Yue was very decisive: "Do you know how many people there are in Shuning County and how many defenders there are?"
Yuwen Cheng nodded and said: "Shuning County ranks third among the seven counties in Suzhou. There are more than 6,000 households in the city and a population of less than 40,000. The princess also knows that after the saint ascended the throne, the local state camps shrank their staff.
, there are not many guards in each county. County towns are all guarded by yamen under the command of each county captain. The yamen under a county captain can only add up to forty or fifty people at most. Some of these yamen are responsible for
Guard the city gates, and the other part is to maintain order in the city."
Qin Xiao thought that there were 6,000 households in a county. This was considered to be an extremely prosperous population in Xiling. Among the counties under the three counties of Xiling, a county with a population of more than 5,000 households was already very rare.
Suzhou has three counties under its jurisdiction, but only seven counties. Compared with Xiling, the whole of Suzhou is not as large as Yuwen County. The land is vast, but this is a prosperous place in the south of the Yangtze River. It is not as vast as Xiling, but it is sparsely populated, has developed commerce, and is densely populated. It is owned by a county.
Five to six thousand households is extremely common.
"After the common people took control of Huqiu County, they saw the archives of Huqiu County's government offices." Yuwen Chengchao said: "There are 5,470 households in Huqiu County, and the total number of government officials under the county captain is fifty.
Two people, these fifty people take turns guarding and patrolling the city, and usually there are only about ten people guarding the county government office, so as long as they sneak into the city and make a surprise attack, it is not difficult to capture the county government office."
She Yue secretly sighed in her heart. When the saint came to the throne, because of the rebellion in three states and seven counties, the court was wary of having heavy troops stationed in the local area. Therefore, after the saint put down the rebellion, he mainly did two things. The first was to clear out all the opposition.
Forces, including the Li royal family, which was a threat to the throne, and another thing was that it took several years to shrink the local establishment.
Although this made it difficult for the feudal officials to have powerful soldiers and horses on hand, the threat to the imperial court was greatly reduced, but it also greatly weakened the defense of the local states. This time, the Queen Mother Association was able to easily seize the throne with careful planning.
There are several counties under the jurisdiction of Xia Suzhou, and the weak defense force of the county towns is naturally an important reason.
"But the common people think that Shuning County's military strength must be much more than this." Yuwen Chengchao said softly: "Before Ghost Golden Yang took action, the Queen Mother's congregation who entered Shuning County to lurk was about a hundred people, and they were all Ghost Golden Yang.
His men are brave and good at fighting." He hesitated before continuing: "After the grassroots sneaked into the Queen Mother Association, they initially spent a lot of time in the Yongzhou area. They were transferred to Suzhou more than two months ago and got the man.
In fact, Zuo Shenjiang recognized me more than a month ago, and then made me a star general. At first, he didn’t tell me anything. He just asked me to take more than a hundred people to train secretly in the mountains. It wasn’t until a few days ago that I
Knowing that I was asked to lead this group of people to seize Huqiu City according to the plan. From this, it can be inferred that before taking action, Ghost Golden Sheep should also have secretly trained with his group of people and practiced the action process countless times.
.”
Qin Xiao naturally knew what Yu Wenchengchao meant, and whispered: "The eldest son is saying that Gui Jinyang has more than a hundred people, and after training, even if Dong Guangxiao notices it in advance, all the yamen in the county will be ambushed in the yamen.
, but in a head-on fight, the Ghost Golden Sheep army won’t be wiped out?”
"That's exactly what I mean." Yuwen Chengchao said: "Actually, most of the government officials in the city have no ability and are just trying to make ends meet. If we really want to fight, those government officials are vulnerable...
!" Having said this, I felt a little offended to Her Royal Highness the Princess.
After all, the government officials were also soldiers of the Tang Dynasty. If you say to the face that the government officials of the Tang Dynasty are just drunkards, She Yue, as the princess of the Tang Dynasty, will inevitably look bad.
But She Yue didn't seem to care, and said calmly: "Jiangnan has been at peace for too long, and there are many incompetent people. It's natural. You just say it's okay!"
"What the grassroots mean is that Dong Guangxiao must have ambushed many people in Shuning City, and their combat power is definitely higher than that of Gui Jinyang's group, otherwise Gui Jinyang's group would not all have their heads chopped off and hung on the city walls.
." Yuwen Chengchao said seriously: "After this incident, the common people also asked about Dong Guangxiao's personality. It is said that before he became the magistrate of Shuning County, he liked to make friends and knew many people in the world. Moreover, Dong Guangxiao himself was a martial artist. It is said that
He also joined a certain sword sect and practiced swordsmanship."
Qin Xiao understood instantly and said with a smile: "I understand, the ghost golden sheep did not die in the hands of the government officials, but probably died in the hands of people in the Jianghu. Since Dong Guangxiao was aware of it in advance, he probably found some friends in the Jianghu to help him.
, Even if the followers of the Queen Mother are brave, in the final analysis they are just a mob. If they fall into an ambush by those martial arts masters, they will be like a sheep in the tiger's mouth."
Yuwen Chengchao nodded and said: "This is exactly what I thought. It may be because Dong Guangxiao has many friends in the world to help him out, so he has the confidence. Princess, how many defenders there are in Shuning City is not yet completely certain.
But after Dong Guangxiao killed the Ghost Golden Sheep, he quickly sealed the city. He must have thought about the next situation. If I guessed correctly, there must be enough money and food in Shuning City, and he was well prepared to defend the city.
I am confident that I will wait until the reinforcements from the imperial court arrive."
"I want you to do a favor." She Yue's beautiful eyes showed a hint of brilliance: "Shuning County is full of followers of the Queen Mother. If I and Qin Xiao rush over, it will be very bad, so will you
Can you find a road that can avoid the Queen Mother's congregation and reach Shuning City? No matter how many Queen Mother believers there are, it is impossible for Shuning County to be flooded with water and unable to be penetrated by needles. As long as we can find a safe road, let us
Entering Shuning City is a great achievement for you."
Qin Xiao thought that She Yue was going to Shuning City, and it seemed that he had thought about it carefully.
Since it is already difficult to go to Hangzhou, it is far better to go to Shuning City and get Dong Guangxiao's protection than to wander around Suzhou.
Although Yu Wen Chengchao was a star general and offered to protect the two of them when they went to Tiger Hill, She Yue's worries were not wrong. Yu Wen Chengchao's subordinates were all members of the Queen Mother's congregation, and they respected Yu Wen Chengchao just because in their hearts
If Yu Wen Chengchao is regarded as a brother of the Queen Mother Society, if he discovers that there is something suspicious about Yu Wen Chengchao, and may even be a thorn in the side of the imperial court lurking in the Queen Mother Society, then Yu Wen Chengchao will also be in trouble.
The most important thing is that when the officers and soldiers calm down the chaos, Yuwen Chengchao, who is lurking in the Queen Mother Association, will play a greater role and must not be easily exposed at this time.
Yuwen Chengchao thought for a while and then said: "Princess, give me two days. I will try my best to find a safe way to Shuning City in these two days." He frowned and said: "But in these two days...
!”
"Do the people in this village agree to go with you?" She Yue asked.
Yu Wen Cheng nodded and said: "They are worried that Kui Mulang will send people to retaliate and they dare not stay here anymore. They have promised to follow my people to Huqiu and I will take them away at dawn."
She Yue said: "That's very good. I and Qin Xiao have been waiting here for the past two days for your news. If we find a safe route, we will report it immediately."
"But it may not be safe to stay here."
"It doesn't matter." She Yue glanced at Qin Xiao and said softly: "Qin Xiao is by my side. With him here, I will be safe and sound."
Qin Xiao couldn't help but glance at She Yue, thinking when did the beautiful princess appreciate him so much?
Yuwen Chengchao thought about it for a while, and finally said: "Since the princess has made up her mind, the common people know what to do." He said to Qin Xiao: "Brother Qin, protect the princess well, and I will definitely send her to you within two days.