Murong Fu smiled coquettishly, "I guess I have to lie in bed for two days before I can get out of bed."
Murong Xue rolled her eyes at him, "I mean about her injuries, you are too careless!"
Murong Fu suddenly misunderstood what she meant, and a flash of embarrassment flashed across his face, "Oh, it's all for that little money. By the way, have the Lingxiao Pavilion disciples brought the money back?"
Murong Xue nodded, "I brought it back, it's only two million taels, why do you need it?"
"You don't know that money is not easy to make when you are not a rich man. It's just..." Murong Fu was speechless. That's two million taels. You need a lot of money to bribe the martial arts people in Xiangyang City. Where can you get this money?
?
Murong Xue had to go to train the new army, so she didn't stay long. Before leaving, she said, "The woman named Huang wants to see you for something."
Murong Fu came to Huang Rong's room. It was still early and she had just finished washing. She was startled and asked, "What are you doing here?"
Murong Fu saw that her sketch was upturned, but her skin was smooth and charming, so he pulled her over casually, "Don't you want to see me if you have something to do?"
Huang Rong subconsciously glanced outside the house, struggled to close the door, and said helplessly, "There is a letter from Fan Cheng. Tian Dutong asked what happened in Xiangyang City. How should I reply?"
Murong Fu was stunned when he heard this, "How did Tian Dutong's letter reach you?"
Logically speaking, shouldn't it be sent to the Lu Mansion or the army?
Huang Rong rolled her eyes, "It has always been the Beggar Clan that serves as the messenger between Master Tian and Master Lu."
Murong Fu suddenly understood that there were disciples of the Beggar Clan all over the world, and they were not easily exposed, so it made sense. However, he was still a little strange, "Since you are just a messenger, how come you have the right to know the content of the letter?"
"This..." Huang Rong's face was slightly dull and she said casually, "Because superstition was brought into Xiangyang City in a rather special way, the disciples of the Beggar Clan must know the content."
Murong Fu stared at her with a half-smile, until her expression became extremely unnatural, then he smiled slightly and pinched her face gently, "Rong'er, you are dishonest."
Huang Rong slapped her hand away and said angrily, "So what, I just peeked, do you still want to deal with me?"
After thinking for a while, he added, "I'm also afraid that these big shots may have some shady conspiracy."
Murong Fu didn't say much. Lu Wenhuan and Tian Shizhong were indeed not very reliable. Especially Tian Shizhong, under the banner of supporting Xiangyang City, he refused to enter the city. He stayed in Fancheng and called it containment. In fact, he was not afraid.
die.
Of course, the existence of Tian Shizhong was also a worry for Murong Fu. He asked, "Where is the original letter? Bring it to me."
Huang Rong stood up and took out a superstitious letter from the table. Murong Fu opened it and read it a few times. The content of the letter was not much. It mainly asked about the recent changes in Xiangyang City. He also reminded Lu Wenhuan that the Mongolian army was stepping up the production of siege equipment, so that he could
He dealt with it carefully and was quite cautious in his words. He seemed not to know about the imperial edict coming from Yangcheng.
Murong Fu pondered for a long time, "Just say that there is a small disturbance in Xiangyang City, but there are no major changes and it will not affect the overall situation. In addition, let him detach a large army to enter Xiangyang to guard against the Great Yuan's invasion."
A strange look flashed across Huang Rong's face, "Tian Dutong might have spies in Xiangyang City. Will he believe it? There is also the matter of reinforcements entering the city. Mr. Lu asked for it more than once when he was here, but he didn't
Being rejected by Tian Dutong, I think your words are in vain."
"Don't worry about whether you say it in vain or not, just respond accordingly." Murong Fu sneered and said.
"what's your plan?"
"Plan?" Murong Fu's eyes flashed slightly. He certainly had a plan. There were 200,000 Ezhou troops stationed in Fancheng. Although the commander was greedy for life and afraid of death, this army was always a serious concern, not only for Mongolia, but also for Mongolia.
The same is true for him who controls Xiangyang City.
Because he sensed a hint of perfunctory, or resistance, in the emperor's imperial edict, which showed that the effect of telepathy was gradually diminishing, and Tian Shizhong's attitude was also very strange. Now that Xiangyang City changed hands, the whole city was aware of it.
Even Mongolia has received the news, but Tianshi Zhonghui doesn't know at all? This is probably unrealistic.
If he were the emperor, the Ezhou Army would definitely be the biggest bargaining chip to recapture Xiangyang City.
But in terms of plans, he really has no plans now. Of course, he is not too worried. After all, there is still a hundred thousand troops ambushing Wu Jingguan. Whether Tian Shizhong wants to make a profit or add insult to injury, the one hundred thousand troops are all.
A trump card, the most important thing now is to defend Xiangyang City.
However, Tian Shizhong mentioned in his letter that the Mongolian army stepped up the production of siege equipment, which aroused his idea. Remembering that in history, Temujin seemed to have captured Xiangyang City with a catapult, and then he thought of Zhao Min's mission to Xiangyang.
, it’s called a martial arts competition, but it’s actually an assassination, but there seems to be a deeper conspiracy hidden behind it?
"Is this Zhao Min's purpose? To delay the time for Temujin to build the catapult, and then find out the terrain of Xiangyang City for easier throwing? At the same time, he can assassinate several Xiangyang City generals and further weaken Xiangyang City's resistance.
?" The more Murong Fu thought about it, the more likely it seemed.
"Hey, what are you thinking about?" Huang Rong couldn't help but ask when she saw his expression change.
Murong Fu gathered his thoughts and asked instead, "Do you know about catapults?"
"I know." Huang Rong suddenly felt puzzled, "There is one in Xiangyang City, but it is too old, and it is not easy to use for city defense."
Murong Fu frowned slightly, "Generally, how do you deal with catapults during battle?"
Huang Rong shook her head, "I don't know about that. I haven't read any military books. Why are you asking?"
Murong Fu said with a solemn expression, "I suspect that Temujin is rushing to make a catapult to attack Xiangyang City."
Huang Rong was stunned for a moment, then subconsciously asked, "Do you have any evidence?"
Murong Fu rolled his eyes at her, "No, forget it, I'd better discuss it with someone else."
Soon, Murong Fu found Deng Baichuan.
Deng Baichuan had been very busy these two days and rushed into the Lu Mansion hall in a hurry, "Sir, what happened?"
Sitting in the hall were Murong Fu, Wu Wei, Huang Rong, and even Guo Jing.
Murong Fu got straight to the point, "I have received news that the Mongolian army is rushing to build siege equipment. This equipment is called a catapult. Once they are allowed to build it, Xiangyang City may be difficult to defend. I'm looking for you to see how to deal with it."
Deng Baichuan was stunned when he heard this, "Where did the young master get the news? Old and heavy things like catapults have not been used on the battlefield for a long time."
Murong Fu shook his head, "No, the catapult built by Temujin is different from the existing catapults. It is more powerful, more convenient and faster, and it is a weapon for siege."
After that, he briefly described the structural design of Temujin's catapult. In fact, he couldn't remember it clearly and could only give a rough outline.
Deng Baichuan's face immediately became solemn, "If there really is such a catapult, even if people hide through it, the city wall will not be able to hide away."
Wu Wei said calmly, "The best way to deal with this kind of siege weapon is to organize cavalry, as long as they can get close and destroy it in the shortest time."
"But there are no cavalry in Xiangyang City!" Huang Rong said.
Guo Jing pondered for a moment, "Perhaps we can let fellow martial artists replace the cavalry."
But after saying that, he immediately shut up and said nothing. In a sense, the quick skills of fellow martial artists could indeed replace the effectiveness of the cavalry's sharp knives, but this was tantamount to causing many martial arts practitioners to die.
Murong Fu's eyes lit up slightly, and he thought it was a good idea. At this time, Wu Wei said again, "I heard that the Mongolian army sent an envoy to propose a contest to determine Xiangyang. It must be to delay time. This shows that their catapults
It’s not easy to make either. We can take advantage of this period to strengthen the city wall and train the defenders to deal with stone throwing.”
This method is the right medicine. Although it is mediocre, it is very effective. The most effective threat of catapults is the city wall. As long as the city wall is broken, the defenders will lose their biggest support and will be defeated. If the city walls can be strengthened and the defenders' response can be improved,
Ability, or in other words, as long as it is delayed for a period of time and allows the martial arts people to go out of the city and destroy the catapult, the problem will be solved.
After figuring out the joints, Murong Fu was in a good mood and said, "You are all very intelligent people. Brother Deng, please make arrangements immediately. The city wall must be heightened and reinforced, and the soldiers must be trained in the skills of dodging and throwing stones."
"No problem, Deng said goodbye." Deng Baichuan agreed and left in a hurry.
Murong Fu turned his eyes and looked at Guo Jing, "Master Guo, my martial arts comrades and the Xiangyang garrison, I would like you to communicate with me. By the way, I have already made out the military merit reward table and will have it sent to you later.
At your house."
"It's simple. If such a catapult really appears, Guo will take the lead and be the first to lead the charge." Guo Jing said cheerfully.
After hearing the second half of the sentence, Huang Rong opened her mouth to speak, but finally swallowed it back and gave Murong Fu a faint look.
"By the way," Guo Jing changed the topic at this time, "I have something else to do when I come here today."
"What's up?"
Guo Jing hesitated, "This morning, Zhong Zhihui, a master of the Funiu Sect, was found dead in the inn."
"Oh?" Murong Fu was slightly surprised, and then asked, "What was the cause of death?"
Guo Jing shook his head, "I only know that he died from an extremely sharp blade. The specific technique used and how he died have not been found out yet."
Murong Fu's expression changed. If he remembered correctly, Zhong Zhihui was one of the people on Zhao Min's death list. Did Mongolia take action so quickly? How did they sneak in?
After pondering for a long time, he said, "Don't make any noise about this in advance. Find out the cause of death as soon as possible. Also, comfort his disciples. This is a critical period, so you must put the overall situation first."
Guo Jing was silent. The so-called overall situation was actually a word of stability. The implication was that he should not investigate, because this was most likely the work of Mongolian experts. Once word spread, it would easily cause panic and even unstable military morale.