Murong Fu, Lin Chaoying, and Azi came to the front hall of Lu Mansion together. The place was crowded with people in different costumes. It was the martial arts figures from various factions who came to Xiangyang to aid Xiangyang since the war began. Of course, most of them were not well-known.
There are only a few minor characters, real masters or people with prestige.
To Murong Fu's surprise, except for Ma Yu, six of the Quanzhen Seven Sons were here, and four of the Wudang Seven Sons came, Song Yuanqiao, Yu Lianzhou, Zhang Songxi, Mo Shenggu, etc., and the Shaolin Temple also had a few more familiar ones.
Faces, Xuanzi generation, Kongzi generation, basically everyone who was not lame or dead came, but Zhou Zhiruo of the Emei sect still stood out. I don't know whether he didn't come or didn't respond to Lu Wenhuan's call.
For some reason, Murong Fu suddenly thought of Yuan Ziyi. He had not seen that girl since the battle at Wan'an Temple. Could it be that she had really become a monk?
Suddenly there was a noise in the crowd, and everyone automatically separated into a lane. It was Guo Jing and Huang Rong who were walking in stride, followed by Lu Youjiao, Guo Fu, and several elders of the Beggar Clan.
"Master Guo."
"Gang Leader Huang."
"Leader Lu."
Everyone raised their hands to signal, and Guo Jing and Huang Rong returned the greetings one by one.
"Master Guo, I heard that there is some commotion in Mongolia. What is the commotion?" Qiu Chuji asked straight to the point.
Others fell silent, obviously very concerned about the news.
Guo Jing did not hide anything, nodded and said, "There is indeed some movement. The Mongolian side has regrouped and sent out troops again. They have marched nearly thirty miles and are approaching the city."
The atmosphere suddenly became solemn, and Song Yuanqiao sighed, "It seems that they have regained their strength again. This time they make a comeback, it will definitely be another hard fight."
Huang Rong smiled and said, "Don't be so discouraged. If we can stab him in the waist once, we can stab him a second time. The Mongolian labor expedition will definitely not be enough for us!"
Although these words were encouraging, no one was happy. Some people couldn't help but say, "No matter how much we waste, if the problem of food, grass and weapons is not solved, Xiangyang City will be a turtle in the urn sooner or later."
As a leader, he naturally could not let his morale be affected. After a moment of hesitation, he said, "Don't worry, everyone, Mr. Guo and Mr. Lu have already discussed countermeasures and have ways to ensure that Xiangyang City has sufficient food and grass."
"any solution?"
"Master Guo is not lying to us, is he?"
"What else can be done? With Mr. Nalu's stinginess, he will probably make us tighten our belts."
When Lu Wenhuan, who had just walked to the door, heard this, his face immediately darkened. The butler next to him coughed dryly and shouted, "Master Lu is here!"
Everyone immediately shut up and turned to look around. They couldn't help but be startled. Among the more than ten people behind Lu Wenhuan, there was a young general wearing the uniform of a Mongolian general. There were also two thin faces, black clothes and gray robes.
old man.
"Mongol?"
"I heard that a Mongolian envoy has arrived. Is it him?"
"What the hell, this Mongolian dares to run into Xiangyang City. Do you really think that my sword is made of clay?"
"Don't be impulsive, brother. When the two armies are fighting, the envoys will not be killed. This is a rule established since ancient times. We must not lose our dignity."
…
Murong Fu ignored everyone's words, his eyes rested on the face of the young Mongolian general, and he could no longer move his eyes away. He saw that his facial features were exquisite and unusual, his eyes were black and white, piercing, and his skin was whiter than snow. Because he was dressed as a man,
Adding to her heroic spirit, this person was none other than Zhao Min, whom she hadn't seen for several months. The two old men in black robes following her were none other than Xuan Ming.
In the past few months, he has sent people to Dadu many times to inquire about Zhao Min, but the result was that Zhao Min has not appeared in Dadu for a long time, and even the Ruyang Palace is declining, and there are only a few people around.
Seeing Zhao Min now, he couldn't help but think of the time on the Knight Island, when the two of them had put aside almost everything, talked to each other honestly, and talked to each other.
In the midst of his thoughts, Lu Wenhuan walked up to the crowd and raised his voice, "Heroes, I am calling everyone together today because there is a major matter concerning the life and death of Xiangyang City that I want to discuss with you heroes..."
"What is it?"
"Are the Mongol Tatars trying to pull off another conspiracy?"
"Master Lu, don't trust the enemy's envoys easily."
"It's just a bunch of rabble, with no military discipline at all..." Lu Wenhuan couldn't help but cursed secretly. Before he could finish his words, he was rushing to express his opinions. If this was left in his military camp, he would have been dragged out and chopped up long ago.
Seeing his ugly expression, Guo Jing hurriedly said, "Everyone, please be patient and wait until Master Lu has finished speaking. We will then decide how to proceed."
Everyone calmed down, and Lu Wenhuan continued, "A few days ago, Mongolian Khan Temujin sent an envoy here, intending to decide the future of Xiangyang City through a martial arts competition. I can't make the decision alone, so I invite everyone to discuss it."
As soon as these words came out, the crowd instantly exploded, "What, the competition will determine the future of Xiangyang City?"
"I think it's feasible. There are hidden dragons and crouching tigers in the martial arts of the Central Plains. Martial arts are our strengths. We have nothing to fear from the barbarians outside the Great Wall."
"Yes, it's just a good opportunity for our martial arts colleagues to show off their skills and let the Tatars see the breadth and depth of our Central Plains martial arts."
Of course, those who said these words were just minions. The leaders of Shaolin, Wudang and other sects, as well as Guo Jing and Huang Rong, looked puzzled and did not express any opinions.
Qiu Chuji suddenly shouted, "No matter how noisy you are, just leave it alone."
Everyone immediately shut up. Qiu Chuji looked at Zhao Min and asked Lu Wenhuan, "May I ask Mr. Lu, how is this competition conducted? How does it determine the future of Xiangyang City?"
Lu Wenhuan was about to speak when Zhao Min spoke at the right moment and said, "Master Lu, may I say a few words to clarify your doubts among the Central Plains heroes."
Naturally, Lu Wenhuan didn't want it, so he quickly stepped aside.
Zhao Min stepped forward and bowed his hands, "Heroes, please be polite."
When everyone saw that he was so polite, they didn't want to be too arrogant, so they returned a symbolic salute.
Zhao Min smiled and said, "Since ten years ago, my country and your country have been in constant disputes. Until today, the number of soldiers and civilians killed and injured has exceeded one million. My Majesty Genghis Khan, the Great Yuan Dynasty, is deeply worried about this. Now it is impossible to restart the war.
To avoid this, in order to reduce casualties, our Majesty is willing to decide the ownership of Xiangyang City through a martial arts competition, firstly to show respect for the martial arts in the Central Plains, and secondly to reduce the military and civilian casualties between you and ours, so as to avoid the loss of life."
His words were like a breath of spring breeze. Those who didn't know it thought that Genghis Khan was such a compassionate and kind man.
Huang Rong suddenly sneered and said, "Since His Majesty the Emperor of your country is so virtuous, why don't you just withdraw your troops and insist on attacking Xiangyang City?"
Zhao Min looked at Huang Rong slightly and said, "This must be the famous Madam Guo, the head of the Beggar Clan, right?"
Then he replied, "In the past hundred years, the land of the Central Plains has been torn apart and wars have continued. The people of the Central Plains have been living in dire straits. My Majesty, the Emperor of the Yuan Dynasty, has been thinking about the people and wants to restore a peaceful and prosperous age for the people of the world to live and work in peace and contentment. This is
What’s wrong?”
Before Huang Rong could speak, Guo Jing snorted coldly, "The Han people in the Central Plains are taken care of by the Song Dynasty court. If it weren't for the Great Khan, who was ambitious and wanted to dominate the world and sent troops to attack Xiangyang City, the people of the Song Dynasty would have lived a stable life in these years!"
Zhao Min pursed his lips and smiled, "This must be Daxia Guo. You are right. The Song Dynasty has indeed done a lot to appease the people in recent years, but what about the Han people in the Jin Kingdom? And what about the Qing Dynasty? Could it be that those
Are Han people not Han people?"
"This..." Guo Jing was speechless immediately.
Just as Huang Rong was about to speak, Lu Wenhuan said hurriedly, "Guys, I think it's time to get back to business and talk about how to compete in martial arts!"
"Brother-in-law, you...you...why are you staring at a man like that? Are you interested in men?" Among the crowd, Ah Zi leaned close to Murong Fu's ear and whispered softly.
Murong Fu quickly came to his senses, and a look of embarrassment flashed across his face, "Don't talk nonsense, she is a woman, can't you tell?"
"She's a woman!" Ah Zi was suddenly startled, and immediately pouted, "You have so many women, and you still have to eat from the bowl and look at the food from the pot."
Murong Fu shook his head and smiled, but did not explain. Zhao Min had been in his bowl for a long time, so how could he be counted as the one in the pot?
"Mr. Lu, this matter is of great importance. I think some irrelevant people, especially envoys from the enemy country, should be avoided first." Qiu Chuji said.
"Yes, we haven't decided whether to agree to the competition yet, so how can we let them watch here." Everyone agreed.
Zhao Min smiled nonchalantly and said, "Well, I'm here just to convey a message. Now that the message is here, it's your business how you discuss it. As long as the final result is the next one."
After saying that, he winked at Mr. Xuanming and left.
"Wait, you can't just walk around." Huang Rong suddenly spoke, and then said to Mr. Lu, "Mr. Lu, Xiangyang City is very chaotic now. I suggest that we should arrange a place for the Yuan envoy to live and send someone to protect his safety.
."
The implication is that Zhao Min should be placed under house arrest.
Before Lu Wenhuan could say anything, Hebiweng, the elder brother of Xuanming, sneered, "You still claim to be a heavenly kingdom and a land of etiquette. I think it's nothing more than that. We are just three people. Are you afraid that we can't destroy Xiangyang City?"
"
"Hey, Master He, don't talk like that," Zhao Min smiled slightly, "Maybe the three of us have the magic skills to dig up Xiangyang City?"
Everyone saw that this was a method of provoking generals, but they couldn't tell what was wrong. After all, the three of them really couldn't make any big waves. In terms of martial arts, there were so many martial arts masters in Xiangyang City. In terms of strategy, everyone knew that the three of them were from Mongolia.
Messenger, be on guard.
Lu Wenhuan made some calculations in his mind. Anyway, all the camps in the city were heavily guarded, and it was impossible for outsiders to spy on anything. The three of them could only observe the terrain of Xiangyang City, but this was completely useless in the battle of the army.
Speaking of which, I have to mention that in siege warfare, there is a strategy of digging tunnels. No matter whether foreign enemies invade or people in the city escape, tunnels are an excellent strategy, but Xiangyang City is special.
Surrounded by water, the moat is extremely deep, and digging tunnels is simply impractical. If one accidentally digs through the moat, all previous efforts will be wasted.