"That is, according to the news sent by Xianyang, Ying Zheng will arrive at Mianchi today and pass by Qiangcheng tomorrow. If he doesn't take action, he will have no chance!"
In a deep mountain and old forest.
In a village of about a hundred households, hundreds of young and middle-aged men wearing commoners gathered under the old trees at the head of the village. At the head of the crowd were several elderly men.
Not far away, some women, children, and some girls all watched silently.
hard to imagine.
In this village of about a hundred households, so many men gathered, and judging from the situation, they were obviously plotting something big.
"Is there any news from Gongcheng?"
At the head of the crowd was an old man with gray hair, but his wrinkled old face did not show the slightest ease, but instead gave off a fierce feeling.
His question fell into the ears of the crowd around him, and everyone couldn't help but fall silent.
Even the other old men were silent.
"It won't be that easy if it's up to us alone. In addition to the Xianyang garrison, there are also cavalry under Qin General Bai Yan's command to escort Ying Zheng."
Seeing this, the old man thought for a while and glanced at everyone.
As everyone fell silent, a young and burly man with two fingers cut off from his palm stood up.
"Uncle Dou Tang! Earlier, the Qin general Yang Duanhe led a hundred thousand Qin troops. We didn't hold back the logistics supplies of those Qin troops and killed more than two thousand Qin soldiers. What are we afraid of now? As long as we are within a hundred miles of Pengshan
No matter how many Qin soldiers there are to lay an ambush, they will not be able to use it!"
After the young and burly man finished speaking, he glanced at the other men around him, and then looked at Uncle Dou Tang.
"With so many of us, we will definitely be able to get close to Ying Zheng's carriage and kill Ying Zheng!"
The words of a young man.
Many men around him nodded. The lush forest and high mountain terrain of Pengshan was indeed conducive to an ambush. As long as the Qin army's numerical advantage could not be used, they would really have a chance to kill Ying Zheng.
but!
By then, it is estimated that no one will be able to leave alive!
Under the giant tree.
Along with this thought, many men couldn't help but look at each other.
In order to stop the Qin army before, we relied on the terrain, the advantage in the dark, and the help of the news sent by Xi Zuo to repeatedly stop the Qin army.
There is really no turning back now!
Think of this.
Many people couldn't help but feel their hearts jump, but fortunately, they calmed down quickly after a few breaths.
They are all Korean survivors and would rather die than become Qin people.
Even if I die this time, I have to do one last thing for South Korea. As long as Ying Zheng dies violently on the road, the Qin State will be shaken, and Qin General Bai Yan will be punished. By then, the Qin State Court will fall into civil strife and will no longer have time to take care of South Korea.
land.
Even if they die by then, many other forces will go to Yingchen to rescue the King of Han and regain the land of Han.
"Pengshan!"
When the old man surnamed Dou heard what the man said, he shook his head: "We can think of it, but I'm afraid Qin General Bai Yan can also think of it!"
The sigh of the old man surnamed Dou made several other old men look at each other, frowning, and then nodded.
Not to mention the other generals of the Qin State who were accompanying them, that is, the Qin General Bai Yan, who was a good fighter and a member of a famous family. Now that they could think of ambush in Pengshan, how could the Qin General Bai Yan not think of it.
"Then let Ying Zheng leave?"
The young man who had just spoken looked at the words of the elders with a look of unhappiness.
If you are not in Pengshan, there will be no opportunities elsewhere.
With the number of Xianyang defenders and the iron cavalry and war horses, it is estimated that all three hundred of them, who did not approach Ying Zheng's carriage, would be shot dead.
When I think about it, neither this nor that will work. Do we have to watch Ying Zheng leave?
As the man thought about it, his breathing became a little uncomfortable.
The appearance of the young man was naturally noticed by other old men, but none of them blamed the man.
After all, no matter which time he fought with the Qin people before, the man was always the one killed first, and he had high prestige in the hearts of others.
"Go to Rose City!"
The old man surnamed Dou thought for a while and then said.
After the words fell, other people around him expressed surprise. Even the man with an unhappy face turned to look at the old man surnamed Dou.
"Tonight you take people with you to Qiang City to threaten you."
The old man surnamed Dou had not yet had time to finish his words.
Suddenly, a restless voice came from outside the crowd, and then under the gaze of several old men, a man with a panicked look ran over.
"No, cavalry! Qin's cavalry is almost here!"
The man who came to report said.
Hear the words.
All the old men stood up one after another, with frightened expressions on their faces.
Qin’s cavalry!
At this moment, everyone realized that the news that they were here had been leaked.
"Fight them!"
"Yes, fight with the Qin people!!"
"Walk!!"
Under the giant tree, countless young men shouted one after another, and then went to the houses in the village to take out the sharp blades and bows that had been hidden.
The old man surnamed Dou stood there and saw this scene and did not speak to stop it.
Sigh.
The old man surnamed Dou, who had just shown a fierce expression, had a trace of sadness in his eyes. Now he knew very well that after the Qin army retreated to the Qin State, someone should have slacked off and accidentally leaked the news, and was investigated by the Qin State.
Now the Qin State's cavalry has arrived and is prepared.
This time, it’s already a disaster!
They were able to defeat the Qin army before because they were ambushing secretly and taking them by surprise. Even if they couldn't defeat them, they could still escape.
However, now he is surrounded by mountains and there is no way to retreat. What's more, unlike most other people, his whole family has already moved to this village.
"Brother Fang!"
The old man surnamed Dou turned his head and looked at an old man beside him, then showed a wry smile.
"When they come, you will take them to the entrance of the village first. I will give a few words to my family before leaving!"
The old man named Dou said with a smile.
The old man named Fang looked at his old friend, whom he had known for most of his life, and nodded.
The old man surnamed Fang also knew in his heart that this time, it might be difficult for them to survive.
Under the scorching sun.
Outside a small village among the lush forests in the mountains, cavalry officers wearing Qin armor were holding crossbows, wooden shields, and long swords, relying on each other, and marched slowly towards each other in groups of three to five.
After a while, when the village was about to be seen, in the dense forest not far away, many men with bows stood up.
The cavalry soldiers raised their crossbows and fired arrows at the men.
As for the arrows fired by the men, the cavalry soldiers holding wooden shields quickly protected the location where the arrows came from based on their experience and reaction.
"ah!"
"ah!!"
Screams continued to sound, mostly from men who were ambushing in the dense forest, and many cavalry soldiers fell to the ground after being hit by arrows. Most of them were injured, and some were shot to death.
However, this scene is not worth mentioning at all to the cavalry soldiers who wander around the battlefield all year round.
Even the men hiding in the trees were shot down by the cavalry soldiers.
"kill!!"
"kill!"
It seems that they found that the bending bow was not as good as the well-trained, brave and skilled cavalry, so other men who were ambushed around, as well as the men who were ambushed at the entrance of the village, came out one after another.
Within the alley.
Gui, who was wearing Qin armor, saw this scene and put his hand on the hilt of his sword, and drew out his waist sword.
As the cavalry soldiers at the front fired a wave of arrows, they saw that the men were about to kill them at the front.
"kill!"
With a simple sentence, Gui led all the cavalry soldiers to kill those men with an expressionless face.
Bai Yan is growing up, and Gui is no exception.
Compared with two years ago, Gui is no longer the young man who just left the village of ten households.
Having been to the battlefield and experiencing the prospect of death several times, Gui was not at all nervous when faced with the scene in front of her.
In the mountains and forests.
"Wha~!"
As the cavalry officers drew their swords, and with their well-trained cooperation, no matter how ferociously they shouted or how strong their bodies were, the men were still being killed and fell to the ground.
A famous cavalry officer used a crossbow and a long sword to kill the men before they got close.
Until this time, the men who had been so aggressive had clearly realized that these cavalry soldiers were far more elite than all the Qin soldiers they had encountered before.
"No wonder Ying Zheng asked this cavalry to return to Xianyang to escort!"
This is the thought in almost all men's minds.
However, at this time, there was no way out.
As arrows continued to fly in the forest, and with the sound of howling and killing, blood was constantly splashed on the leaves in the forest. Corpses fell to the ground one after another. Some men fell to the ground injured before they had time to get up.
, then a cavalry soldier holding a Qin sword stepped forward and pierced the commoner's clothes with the sword, entering his chest.
With nearly twice the numerical advantage.
The cavalry soldiers continued to advance, and soon the battlefield spread to the big trees at the entrance of the village. More and more men were killed and fell to the ground, and the blood stained the paths in the village red.
Gui held the sword in one hand, stood under the giant tree, and inserted the bloody Qin sword into the scabbard.
Wiped the blood on his face.
Compared with the initial battle with Zhao Bianqi, these men in common clothes in front of them had no strength, their cooperation was completely disorganized, and they were far inferior to Zhao Bianqi.
After a long time.
Two cavalry soldiers with blood splattered on their bodies dragged an injured old man to Gui's side.
Nightfall
Inside Mianchi City.
Driving all the way from Xianyang, nothing happened along the way, at least nothing that alarmed Ying Zheng and the Queen Mother Zhao Ji who were accompanying them.
Bai Yan stood in front of the door under the eaves, standing on the handrail, looking at the sky above in the middle of the night.
"General, there is news from the captain!"
A cavalry soldier came to Bai Yan and handed a roll of bamboo slips to Bai Yan.
After Bai Yan took the bamboo slip, he looked at the contents.
Gui has eliminated all the forces in Qiangcheng, leaving only the forces near Jingshi Mountain.
There were also some casualties among the soldiers.
"Go down and rest!"
Bai Yan said to his cronies.
"promise!"
After hearing Bai Yan's words, the confidants handed over their hands as a gift, then turned and left.
And then.
Bai Yan continued to stand alone, thinking about the future.
"General, this is the soup sent by the King!"
Two eunuchs and maids came over with a plate of chicken and some dishes.
Seeing this, Bai Yan nodded and ordered to put it in the study.
Bai Yan is already used to these things.
Among the guards accompanying this trip, there were those who went out to carry grain and millet, and there were also people in charge of chickens, sheep and other livestock. These were all responsible for providing delicious food for Ying Zheng to enjoy.
And he is a general. Although he is not in Xianyang, he can still ensure that every meal has a chicken and other delicious food.
Although Qin is not as good as Qi in this regard, Ying Zheng will never treat his ministers badly.
Compared with the hundreds of thousands of laborers and prisoners inside and outside the city who were barely clothed and underfed, as well as the tens of thousands of Qin soldiers and cavalry soldiers who were eating ordinary vegetarian dishes, Bai Yan's daily meal was really good.
Couldn't be better.
And all of this is taken for granted in the eyes of everyone, including all soldiers, laborers, and prisoners.
right.
It is the source of everything.
"Um?"
Bai Yan suddenly heard footsteps and turned to look at the courtyard in the distance. He saw several maids lighting candles and walking over with three people.
Since he had been practicing martial arts and swordplay in the dark all year round, Bai Yan's eyesight in the dark was very good, far better than ordinary people.
Therefore, Bai Yan could clearly see that the three people were Li Xin, Li Lu and Li Liang who came together on this trip and lived in the same mansion.
See the situation.
Bai Yan waited for the three people to slowly approach and then raised his hands to salute.
Li Xin and three others also came to Bai Yan to present their gifts.
Because of Li's previous actions in Xianyang, the four of them are already very close, so they don't need to worry about politeness or anything like that.
After Bai Yan finished the ceremony, he realized that Li Xin had come over and wanted to talk to him about something, so he invited the three of them into the room.
"please!"
After Bai Yan finished speaking, he waited for Li Xin and the others to return the greetings before taking the lead in walking into the room.
Li Xin followed.
When Li Lu and Li Liang followed Bai Yan and Li Xin into the room, they couldn't help but look at each other with emotion when they saw the delicacies on the wooden table.
Bai Yan called the maid and told her to get three more pairs of bowls and chopsticks.
As the four of them sat down, Bai Yan looked at Li Xin.
"Brother Youcheng, is there something wrong?"
Bai Yan asked softly.
There was night outside the window, and there were guards in the mansion at the moment. Bai Yan was not worried about the ears on the partition wall.
Li Xin, also known as Youcheng, can also see from the character that General Li Yao has very high expectations for Li Xin.
Bai Yan looked at Li Xin and was a little puzzled when he saw the sadness in Li Xin's eyebrows.
Because of the previous affairs of Zhao State, Bai Yan can still understand if this is the case, but now the arrival of Li Ji and Ying Zheng's great joy will naturally have an impact on Li Xin's attitude.
Under this.
Why is Li Xin still looking sad?
"There are some things that, of course, I'm a little embarrassed to talk about."
When Li Xin heard Bai Yan's words, he suddenly looked embarrassed and a little embarrassed.
Li Lu, who was slightly older on the side, was more diplomatic because he had been an official all year round. Seeing his cousin Li Xin's expression of silence for a long time, he looked at Bai Yan and thought for a while.
"I'm not afraid of jokes. I heard there are many thieves along the way and want to serve the king!"
Li Lu said.
Li Lu then told Bai Yan the reason. Because of Li Xin's defeat, although the king did not punish him, his cousin Li Yao directly removed all Li Xin's military power.
In other words, although Li Xin's title is still there, he has no real power in his hands, not even soldiers or horses.
Now that the king finally travels, Li Xin also thought that since he is traveling with him, he is idle, so why not do something for the king and do the work of a dog and horse.
As long as Bai Yan gives an order on this trip to Handan, Li Xin will definitely not refuse.
In the study room.
Bai Yan learned the cause and effect from Li Lu. Looking at Li Xin's embarrassed look, he realized that Li Xin wanted to recruit people from Bai Yan, even one or two hundred people. If there was danger along the way, he could be at the front.
"Please leave this matter to Yan!"
Li Xin's ears were a little red. After all, when he thought that he once led tens of thousands of troops, but now he has no military power under his command, the huge gap is really embarrassing.
"Brother Youcheng, if you believe in Bai Yan, then listen to what Bai Yan has to say."
Bai Yan looked at Li Xin's appearance, thought for a while, and finally raised his hands and said to Li Xin.
The voice fell.
Li Lu and Li Liang in the study looked surprised. Before they came, they thought that Bai Yan would definitely not refuse such a trivial matter, but now Bai Yan seemed to have something to say.
Li Xin was also a little at a loss at this moment and looked at Bai Yan in confusion.
"There is nothing wrong with the desire to achieve merit, but what I said tonight, if it falls in the eyes of others, is a bit eager for success!"
When Bai Yan said this, he looked at Li Xin.
This also reminds Li Xin that it is not difficult for Bai Yan to transfer these three to five hundred people. However, Li Xin will come over tonight and lead the troops early tomorrow morning.
When this news spread to Ying Zheng, even though it was well-intentioned, it still felt a little bad for Li Xin.
Think of this.
Under Li Xin's somewhat disappointed gaze, Bai Yan reached out and picked up a chopstick, tapped it on the tea cup, and then wrote on the wooden table.
"Yan, Wei!"
Li Liang looked at the words written by Bai Yan and thought to himself.
Li Lu also looked at Bai Yan at this time.
"Bai Yan believes that the king still values success in his heart!"
Bai Yan said to Li Xin.
Seeing Li Xin's unconfident look, Bai Yan couldn't explain clearly.
But Bai Yan knew very well that in history, after Li Xin was defeated in Zhao, the second stage was when Jing Ke failed to assassinate Qin and Qin attacked Yan.
The general leading the army at that time was Li Xin.
And the current appearance of Li Ji undoubtedly confirms this. Even if Ying Zheng looks at Li Ji and the Li family, he will continue to value young Li Xin.
After all, Li Xin's opponent was Wu'an Lord Li Mu.
There is no shame in losing to Li Mu.
Even General Wang Jian was not even sure of defeating Li Mu.
"Yan, Wei!"
Li Xin looked thoughtful when he heard Bai Yan's words.
Now that he has regained consciousness, Li Xin understands Bai Yan's meaning, which is to let him wait for the opportunity to attack Yan or Wei. At that time, he can only lead his troops and perform meritorious service after the king gives the order.
but.
At that time, would the king really let himself lead the army?
Thinking of this, Li Xin was full of worries. After all, in the Qin court today, not to mention the older generation of generals, not to mention the generals Wang Jian, Yang Duanhe and others, even among the younger generation, there are Qiang Xing and Meng Tian.
There is also Bai Yan, who is so young in front of him, even if he faced Han, Zhao, Yueshi, and Xiongnu, he still made great military exploits without losing a single victory.
Under such circumstances, even if he were to attack Wei and destroy Yan, would the king really lead his troops?
"It's successful, I believe in General Li Yao!"
Bai Yan said to Li Xin in a very low voice.
At this time, footsteps were heard outside the door.
"General, these are bowls and chopsticks!"
The three maids came to the door, entered the room with bowls and chopsticks, and then placed the bowls and chopsticks in front of Li Xin, Li Lu, and Li Liang.
Bai Yan looked at Li Xin who was a little worried, and then he could feel that although Li Lu and Li Liang were laughing and talking, there was obviously a little emotion in the atmosphere.
Obviously, in the eyes of these two people, the idea of waiting to defeat Yan and destroy Wei was just an excuse.
Bai Yan can't do anything about it, and it's not advisable to explain too much.
Human relationships are like this. Just like in Pingyang, many noble clans gave gifts to build relationships. They wanted to use Bai Zhong, Bai Bo and others to put the children of the clan into the cavalry, so that Bai Yan could take care of them and support them, so that they could become a cavalryman in the future.
general.
At that time, Bai Yan thought about the fact that there were countless nobles in the army who had to find connections to transfer them before going into battle, so he did not hesitate to delay. If he could not delay it with words, he would politely refuse.
Bai Yan's actions at that time made many elders of the noble clan look unhappy.
At present, Li Lu and Li Liang are confused and a little anxious when faced with concern.
Bai Yan did not ask the two of them to understand him. After all, in the eyes of Li Lu and Li Liang, neither of them knew what would happen in the future.
Bai Yan would not tell what he knew, and later Yan Dan asked Jing Ke to come to Qin to assassinate him but failed.