Shan Xiongxin took out the letter from his arms and handed it to Li Mi without saying a word. Li Mi glared at him bitterly and snatched the letter away...
He opened the letter and read it again, and couldn't help but sneered: "It's so disgusting, so affectionate. The majestic King of Chu, the Emperor of the Sui Dynasty who is about to ascend the throne, actually calls you second brother. You are moved to tears, aren't you?"
Shan Xiongxin sighed, "Your Majesty, when I went to Chang'an to participate in the martial arts competition, I met Yang Yuanqing. At that time, he always called me Brother Shan, but this doesn't prove anything. Didn't he have a very good relationship with Your Majesty back then?
I still remember that he was the one who brought His Majesty to Wagang Village for the first time, has His Majesty forgotten?"
"Huh! He didn't write a letter asking me to surrender."
Shan Xiongxin said in a deep voice: "Your Majesty, Yang Yuanqing wants me to surrender. This is actually human nature, because he and I have an old relationship, but it does not mean that I will surrender. He wrote to me twice before, but I ignored him.
, Your Majesty, I have no intention of demoting him to this humble position."
"Perhaps you feel that the time is not yet ripe." Uncle Wang next to him said coldly.
Shan Xiongxin was furious. He stood up and drew his sword and struck at Wang Bodang, "I'll kill you, you troublemaker!"
Wang Bodang dodged the sword and shouted: "Shan Xiongxin, do you dare to draw your sword and use force in front of His Majesty?"
Li Mi was so angry that he was trembling all over. He dared to draw his sword in front of him and kill people. Do you still take him seriously? He shouted repeatedly: "Come here, take it down for me!"
More than a dozen guards on both sides of the tent swarmed up, hugged Shan Xiongxin's arms and waist, pushed him to the ground, and took away the sword in his hand.
Li Mi pointed at Shan Xiongxin and cursed: "You ungrateful bastard, why don't you kill me with one sword and dedicate my head to Yang Yuanqing. Then you will have a high official position and a good salary, and your future will be worry-free."
Shan Xiongxin felt that all his thoughts were in despair. No matter how he explained, Li Mi did not believe it. He decided that he wanted to surrender to Yang Yuanqing. In the final analysis, it was his distrust of himself in his bones. Thinking that he had been loyal, but ended up like this, he
I couldn't help but burst into tears.
"I am single and have no shame in my heart. I am willing to die to thank Your Majesty for your kindness. Please grant me a death."
Shan Xiongxin's arms were tied, and he knelt on the ground and kowtowed twice, "I am willing to die for your majesty!"
Li Mi sneered continuously, "You are so loyal. If I kill you, your loyalty will be fulfilled. Then I will be a foolish king. Let me be infamy for eternity, right? Huh! I am not as good as you want."
Li Mi waved his hand, "Take him down and imprison him!"
More than a dozen guards pushed Shan Xiongxin outside the tent. Shan Xiongxin turned around and shouted: "Your Majesty, internal strife before battle will inevitably lead to defeat. Please trust me!"
How could Li Mi believe him again? He ordered: "Push it down!"
The guards forcibly pushed Shan Xiongxin down. Li Mi watched his back go away, then gritted his teeth and said, "Shan, do you think I don't want to kill you?"
Wang Bodang knew that Li Mi had actually wanted to kill Shan Xiongxin for a long time. He took a step forward and whispered: "If it is inconvenient for Your Majesty, let me do it."
Li Mi shook his head, "There can be no chaos now. If Shan Xiongxin is killed, his subordinates will definitely take advantage of the chaos to rebel. After this disaster is over, it will not be too late to kill him!"
As soon as he finished speaking, a guard rushed to the tent and reported loudly: "Your Majesty, the scouts have discovered that the main force of the Sui army of about 30,000 is heading here, only ten miles away from us."
Li Mi was stunned with shock. What he feared most finally came to pass. Wang Bodang also became anxious and said anxiously: "Your Majesty, the Sui army is good at fighting at night. We must strengthen our defense to prevent the Sui army from stealing camps at night."
Li Mi forced himself to calm down and nodded, "You must quickly lead 30,000 archers to defend the camp. Don't slack off at all."
"Follow the order!"
Wang Bodang hurriedly went to make arrangements. Li Mi took a few steps with his hands behind his back and then ordered: "Order Meng Rang to come see me."
Not long after, a general hurriedly walked in. This man was about forty years old, with a medium build and a gentle appearance. He looked quite like a Confucian general. He was Meng Rang, the leader of the rebellion in Changbai Mountain with Wang Bo.
, was defeated by Zhang Xutuo, and after being desperate, he defected to Wagang Village. He was highly regarded by Li Mi and is now the commander-in-chief of the rear army.
Meng Rang walked into the tent, knelt down on one knee and said, "See Your Majesty!"
Li Mi took out his emperor's sword, handed it to him and said: "Shan Xiong Xinyu rebelled and surrendered to the Sui Dynasty. I have captured him. It is up to you to lead his troops. If anyone dares to disobey your order, I will allow you to kill him first and then report him."
Meng Rang was stunned, was Shan Xiongxin going to rebel? He couldn't believe it, but at this time he had no room to express his opinion, so he had to take the Emperor's Sword with both hands, "As ordered!"
Meng Rang sighed secretly in his heart and walked down quickly with the Emperor's Sword.
After solving Shan Xiongxin's matter, Li Mi's mind turned back. He thought of Fang Xuanzao's plan to go north. Although this strategy once tempted him, it was meaningless now. Li Mi sighed helplessly and attacked from both sides.
The trend has been formed, what should he do?
At this time, Junyan, the ancestor of the army in the recording office, appeared outside the tent, bowed from a distance and asked: "Your Majesty, can you listen to me?"
At this time, anyone who is willing to give Li Mi advice is his life-saving straw. Li Mi quickly walked to the tent door and said: "Zu Junjun, please come in and talk."
Zu Junyan walked in and said, "Your Majesty, although the situation is critical now, maybe we still have a glimmer of hope."
"What hope do you have?"
Zu Junyan said calmly: "Your Majesty, hope lies in Xiao Mian."
"Xiao Mian?" Li Mi frowned, "How do you say this?"
"Your Majesty, I believe that Xiao Xian did not really want to surrender to Yang Yuanqing, he was just forced to do so. After all, he is the one who claims to be emperor. Even if he removes the title of emperor now and Yang Yuanqing does not kill him for the time being, will Yang Yuanqing let him go in the future?
?I think he should know it well."
Li Mi nodded. He understood the mentality of those who claim to be emperor. Zu Junyan's words made sense, "Keep talking!"
Zu Junyan continued: "As long as Your Majesty is willing to allow Xiao Mian to rule the south together and not invade each other, and as long as Xiao Mian no longer helps Yang Yuanqing, even if he withdraws his troops, our pressure will be much less. If he can help us, his army will
The enemy is in Du Fuwei, and then our 180,000 troops will face the 30,000 Sui troops. Your Majesty, we still have hope."
Li Mi walked a few steps with his hands behind his back. He was convinced that this was indeed his last hope. He turned around and said: "Please join the army to convince Xiao Mian. If he is willing to help me, I will not only give him the western part of Jiangnan."
.I am also willing to give him half of Jiangdu’s treasure, and I, Li Mi, swear to God.”
"Wei Chen will never disappoint His Majesty's expectations."
Zu Junyan bowed deeply and turned around to go down. Li Mi slowly walked to the tent and stared at the deep and dark night sky. Could he see a glimmer of hope in this dark night sky?
.......
The Sui army set up a temporary camp five miles away from the Wei army's camp. They were not in a hurry to attack the Wei army. The situation had reached the final moment, and Yang Yuanqing did not dare to be careless. After all, the opponent's strength was more than five times his. If he was in a hurry,
Attacking and arousing the opponent's common hatred will be detrimental to oneself.
In the big tent, Yang Yuanqing stood in front of the sand table, meditating on various countermeasures that Li Mi might take. Wei Yunqi stood aside silently. He also had some ideas in his mind, but he didn't want to interrupt Yang Yuanqing's train of thought. At this time, a man
The soldier said at the door: "Your Highness, Bing Yuanzhen has been brought here."
Yang Yuanqing nodded. "Let him in!"
Bing Yuanzhen was brought in, and he was not left out because he was Li Mi's first adviser. Yang Yuanqing wanted to listen to his advice when he finally attacked Li Mi.
"See His Royal Highness the King of Chu!" Bing Yuanzhen bowed respectfully.
"Thank you for letting Mr. Bing go with the army."
"I dare not. I am willing to serve His Highness despite my humble position." Bing Yuanzhen couldn't help but feel excited in his heart. He was not afraid of hard work, but was afraid of not having the opportunity to serve.
Yang Yuanqing smiled slightly, pointed to the sand table and asked: "I am considering Li Mi's various retreat options and would like to hear Mr. Bing's opinion."
Bing Yuanzhen pondered for a moment and said: "I once heard Fang Xuanzao say that separatist rule in the south of the Yangtze River might be a strategic mistake, and that staying in the Central Plains and joining forces with the Tang army would be the best option. I think he would definitely persuade Li Mi to go north to the Central Plains."
"Then do you think Li Mi will accept it?" Yang Yuanqing asked again.
Bing Yuanzhen shook his head, "Li Mi is actually indecisive. He has the ambition to do big things, but not the courage to do big things. In the face of a crisis, his first consideration is to protect himself. He thinks he will not go to the Central Plains and surrender to the Tang Dynasty.
Maybe the sex is bigger."
"But he can also surrender to the Tang Dynasty when he goes to the Central Plains, right?" Wei Yunqi next to him couldn't help but said.
Bing Yuanzhen bowed and said: "What I said about surrendering to the Tang Dynasty is different from what Wei Sima said about surrendering to the Tang Dynasty. When I said he surrendered to the Tang Dynasty, I meant that after his defeat, he had no way out and fled to the Tang Dynasty alone. He was a
A gambler will not be content until he loses all his money."
Yang Yuanqing understood what Bing Yuanzhen meant and said with a smile: "Then Mr. Bing thinks that if Li Mi were defeated, where would he flee to the Tang Dynasty?"
Bing Yuanzhen looked at the sand table and said: "With Li Mi's arrogance, he will not flee to the Central Plains. I think he should go south, cross the river first, and then flee to Bashu from the south."
After a pause, Bing Yuanzhen continued: "In addition, Shan Xiongxin and Wang Bodang have a deep conflict. Your Highness can take advantage of this to defeat the Wei army on the battlefield."
"I understand, thank you Mr. Bing for your opinion."
Yang Yuanqing ordered his soldiers to send Bing Yuanzhen down to rest. Then he glanced at Wei Yunqi and asked with a smile: "Wei Sima has been reluctant to talk. If you have any suggestions, just say it."
Wei Yunqi bowed slightly and said, "I am actually a little worried about Xiao Xian and Du Fuwei. Are you sure that they are willing to fight with us against Li Mi?"
Yang Yuanqing took a few steps with his hands behind his back, then turned around and said, "Judging from their current performance, I don't think the problem is big. Does Wei Sima think they will change their mind temporarily?"
"Your Highness, I am just worried because of my humble position. After all, people's hearts are unpredictable. Your Highness has not had formal contact with them since coming to Jiangnan. I am afraid that at the last moment, something unexpected will happen that will cause our success to fail. Your Highness, you should be more cautious."
Yang Yuanqing thought for a moment and nodded, "You are right, I was a little careless. I should be cautious. Du Fuwei's mother is still in Taiyuan. I don't think he will have any problems. I am worried about Xiao Xian.
They are heroes, cunning and deceitful, so we must guard against them."
Yang Yuanqing thought for a while and then said: "On Du Fuwei's side, I will send someone to confirm. On Xiao Mian's side, I would like to ask Wei Sima to go there in person."
"In this humble position, I am willing to share your worries for Your Highness, but what promise can Your Highness make to Xiao Mian?"
Yang Yuanqing looked up at the big tent, and finally he said calmly: "You can tell him that I promised to marry his daughter as a concubine, and I will make his daughter a concubine in the future. I will never break my promise."