First, the town was sealed off with medicine, then the jade box, the old wooden coffin, and the cooked copper coffin were sealed in three layers. Each layer was filled with mercury, and all the gaps in the coffin were filled with pine oil. Finally, it was buried ten feet deep underground... In fact, only
Proper use of medicine is enough to seal the source of the poison, but Song Yang was not sure, so he added a few more 'insurances'.
By the time I finished all this, it was already dusk, and all I could do next was pray, hoping that it would not rain within six hours.
The sky follows one's wishes. It's been a long night, suffocating and depressing. No matter how hard you breathe, there is always so little air pumped into the body, which makes people feel irritable and depressed, but the heavy rain will never come... until the next morning.
, so steep that a gust of wind swept across the world, and the dawn that had already appeared on the horizon was crushed by thick dark clouds in just the blink of an eye. There was a long purple arc, a roar of hot thunder, and heavy rain.
Calculating the time, from the time the body was buried to now, six hours have just passed.
The heavy rain has never been seen in the previous life, this life, cold and ferocious, as if the water of the underworld, controlled by Yama, transformed by the souls of endless injustice, pours into the world due to a big hole leaking out of the sky.
It was just heavy rain, no plague. The rain blurred the world, but in the heavy world, everything was safe and sound...except Song Yang.
He couldn't tell whether the roaring in his ears came from the pounding of rain or the boiling blood in his heart and brain. Song Yang was extremely distressed, extremely angry, and extremely sad. At his feet was the burial place of Imperial Physician You, only half of it.
Relatives.
That half of the group had been preparing to drink wine for a long time, but at this moment, they couldn't sing anyhow...
Suddenly, there was a loud roar, not a heroic song, but a hoarse cry of comfort. Song Yang shouted to the soil under his feet: Go ahead!
The shouts fell and thunder arose. Song Yang fell down in the mud and folded his arms, crying loudly.
Shi Xiaoxiao and Mr. Hu were not far away. They sat under an eaves and looked at Song Yang quietly in the rain. After a while, Mr. Hu slowly spoke: "Is the flood epidemic he mentioned true?"
If the plague never broke out, who would know if someone actually poisoned it?
Shi Xiaoxiao glanced at Prime Minister Zuo: "I believe it. Don't you believe it?"
Mr. Hu smiled: "I believe it too. But 'belief' is useless, you have to find real evidence." As he said, he sighed: "First check whether it is true, and if so, then check who it is."
Poisoning, what is the purpose, chasing the real culprit...someone is busy."
Shi Xiaoxiao was not interested in these official errands. He suddenly stood up and walked into the rain without taking an umbrella. Master Hu was slightly surprised: "Where are you going?"
"See that he is sad, stay with him." As he said this, Shi Xiaoxiao walked into the heavy rain and came to Song Yang, but he did not say a word to comfort him. He just stood aside and looked up at the sky silently.
Time is slow, but it is always flowing. There are no signs of floods in the Red City. Mr. Hu's high heart is relieved little by little. He does not care about celebrating happily, but turns around to call a group of officials. Notify the court, pursue the truth, and investigate strictly.
There are many important things waiting for him to do, such as recalling the princess and several strange warriors, etc...
The rain had not stopped till late at night, but the intensity of the rain had become much lighter. From the initial turbulent sky, it turned into a drizzling drizzle. Everything was fine in the Red City. The martial law in the city had been lifted long ago, but the four gates were still closed and no ordinary access was allowed. North
The door was no exception. Teams of officers and soldiers were patrolling back and forth. The chief officer on duty and a few close school lieutenants gathered together and secretly chatted about the strange situation in the city yesterday. They didn't know what happened, but they probably
You can also understand that no matter what happened, it should be fine now. At this time, there was a loud cry, and a white bird penetrated the rain curtain and flew from the north...
Prime Minister Zuo hadn't slept yet and was chatting with Shi Xiaoxiao in the post house. Song Yang was also in the room. He had changed into clean clothes and calmed down. Mr. Hu was worried about the change of the epidemic, so he sent him to the post office.
He stayed by his side. Suddenly there were footsteps outside the door, and the guards of the city guard hurried over. They didn't even have time to apologize for disturbing them, so they said directly: "Urgent military situation, the city guard invites you to come..."
The officialdom is very hierarchical and there are many etiquettes. If it is not a real emergency, the city guard will only wait for a visit and will never send someone to invite the high-ranking officials to meet him. Before the guard could finish speaking, Mr. Hu stood up and said
"Lead the way." At the same time, he waved his hand to Song Yang, gesturing for him to follow.
On the road from the post house to the garrison of the Red City Army, large groups of soldiers and horses could be seen everywhere marching forward under the leadership of the commander. Their armors were neatly guarded and swords and guns were heavily guarded. There was a murderous atmosphere, as if a big battle was approaching.
When they arrived at the military garrison, the city guard put on his crest and was distributing military affairs. When he saw Prime Minister Zuo coming, he was about to salute, but Prime Minister Zuo shook his head to stop him: "Military affairs are the most important thing. General, go ahead. I'll wait for a while."
As he said that, he found a seat in the corner and sat down.
The city guard was not polite and waved his hand to one of his lieutenants to explain the situation to the prime minister, while he continued to be busy with official duties.
The school captain walked up to Prime Minister Zuo and whispered: "I just received a message from the army bird that the Yan army has invaded." Then, he emphasized again: "It's the news from Zhezi whistle."
The first sentence surprised Mr. Hu, but the second sentence made Mr. Hu stunned. He frowned and confirmed: "It's not Zheqiao Pass, but Zhezishao?"
The captain nodded solemnly: "The mark on the letter is clear, and the whistle will never be wrong."
Between the border pass "Zheqiao Pass" and Hongcheng, there is a sentry post every five miles. There are a total of twelve sentry posts on the seventy-mile road, with the word "Zhe" as the head, and in the order of the earthly branches, "Zhezi Post" means Zheqiao Pass to the south
The first outpost in Wuli.
Zheqiao Pass is on the front line, and the Zhezi Post is behind it. It is unexpected for the Yan army to invade, but logically, the news of the enemy's attack should come from Zheqiao Pass. Who can get the Zhezi Post to release the army?
notify.
Prime Minister Zuo narrowed his eyes and took a slow breath.
Unless the Zheqiao Pass was destroyed by the Yan army without any sound, even the military sparrows would not have time to be released; and the military information coming from the Zhezi Post already showed that the Yan State's cavalry had broken through the border pass and was only sixty-five miles away from the Red City.
, is coming quickly...
There are strong troops stationed in Zheqiao Pass and the city walls are thick and well-supplied. No matter how powerful or unexpected the enemy is, there is still time to at least release a messenger bird... Then think of the area above your head that covers hundreds of miles.
Under the rain clouds and the flood epidemic that almost broke out in the Red City, Prime Minister Zuo felt like his scalp was exploding. The situation couldn't be clearer.
"Click", a soft sound came from the friction of the joints when clenching the fist. Song Yang also understood that the other half of the body of Imperial Physician You should be buried at Zheqiao Pass.
At this time, another military sparrow flew into the city, and the second military information came, which was very similar to the previous news. The Yan army was rushing through the night, and its target was Hongcheng. The only difference was that this military information came from 'Zhe Chou'
When the sentry came, the Yan army was still five miles away.
There is no need to doubt anything anymore, the important border town of Zheqiao has been closed.
Although the Red City where Song Yang is currently located is not a frontline in the strict sense, it is close to the border and occupies an important position in Nanli's "defense system". The army and horses in the city are excellent, and the city guard should also
With the word "good general", military orders were steadily passed down from his mouth, and the entire city was mobilized to prepare to fight against the powerful enemy.
Soon, the military arrangements were generally in place, and the city guard walked towards the Prime Minister. Before he could speak, Prime Minister Zuo said first: "I will never overstep my authority in military matters and the dispatch of troops and horses. The three hundred forbidden troops I brought from the imperial city belong to
They are under the general's command and are at your disposal. Although they are small in number, they are also soldiers, and it is their duty to protect their home and country."
After speaking, Prime Minister Zuo thought for a moment and then said: "Or... reveal the truth about yesterday's plague?"
The city guard was overjoyed and said: "The general has this intention and is just trying to ask for your approval."
"Because the Yan people are so vicious, they have boosted our morale in Hongcheng. This is how it should be." Prime Minister Zuo nodded: "I am a civil servant who wants to kill thieves but is unable to carry a knife. There is not much I can do... When the Yan people arrive, I will board
Go up to the city tower and share the honor and disgrace with the soldiers of the Red City."
This time, the city guard hesitated.
Seeing the hesitation on his face, Mr. Hu thought he was wrong and shook his head and said: "General, please don't misunderstand. Going to the city is not to supervise the battle, let alone give random orders. It is just to boost morale. There is no need for the general to worry about safety."
"My lord, you are too worried." The city guard shook his head and said, "What the general means is... should this battle be fought at the top of the city?"
Mr. Hu was puzzled and frowned at the city guard. The latter took him to the long desk in the center of the big room. On it was a huge military map, depicting the terrain shape of the border between the two countries, the passes, important towns and soldiers on both sides.
Ma Daying is clearly marked.
The two countries have been side by side for more than a hundred years. There is no need to hide the location of the heavy military gathering. The city guard pointed to the map: "Master Hu, please look at it. Within the limit of 150 miles north of Zheqiao Pass, there are seven camps stationed in Yan territory.
, echoing each other to guard the border. Each camp has between 10,000 and 20,000 people, totaling more than 100,000 troops. However, there is only one camp that can directly send troops to invade the border without being noticed by us."
Seven large camps, 100,000 troops, distributed within 150 miles. This is the border with Nanli. It is not difficult to see the strength of Yan State... Yan's defense layout is enough to intimidate the small country of Nanli, but normally
Under such circumstances, if Yan wants to invade in a large scale, he must first gather at least seven large camps.
On the border, both sides send spies to each other, and countless spies come and go. If one side makes major military maneuvers, it will never escape the eyes and ears of the other side.
"We have never received any information about the assembly of the seventh battalion of the Yan army or the departure of the army beforehand." The tone of the city guard was firm, and his meaning was very clear. The Yan army had never assembled troops, and only used the one closest to Zheqiao Pass.
Military camp.
Unable to help himself, Mr. Hu's expression became more relaxed: "The Yan army that invaded the country, at most 20,000 people?"
The city guard sped up his speech and no longer counted the number of enemies, but counted them one by one:
"The Yan people poisoned our two cities and wanted to destroy our two cities. They prepared for this battle without losing any blood. They didn't make many attack plans before. At this moment, they probably thought that the Red City would be taken away by the plague just like the Broken Bridge Pass.
Killed the whole city."
"Inadequate preparation, underestimating the enemy in mind... It's not that we underestimate the enemy, but we think that there is no enemy. Also, from the intervals between the sparrows released by Zhezi and Zhechou, we can calculate the enemy's advancing speed. The general has already calculated that such a speed is only possible
They are cavalry, cavalry running with all their strength."
"Yan moved a large camp and came out with perhaps 20,000 people, but what was rushing over was the cavalry. For a large camp of 20,000 people, it is incredible to have 6,000 cavalry."
"And seventy miles is enough for them to run away half of their strength. And the power of the cavalry lies in attacking in the open. They can't attack the city."
"Zheqiao Pass was destroyed by poisoning without a fight, but our Red City was not affected. We still have elite soldiers and strong generals, and the city is safe. You don't have to worry. And there is another key point... what cavalry is most afraid of is street fighting!"
"If the Yan cavalry were allowed to enter the city...it was getting late and dark clouds were covering the sky. The Yan army would only say that Hongcheng was 'dead', and the weather was mine; the Hongcheng garrison knew every street and lane in the city, and the location was mine;
The people of Yan are vicious, and the soldiers and people of Hongcheng are filled with righteous indignation. Qi Mo will have thirteen thousand brave warriors under his command, twice as many as the Yan cavalry, and Renhe is also with me!"
The city guard took a deep breath, clasped his fists and bowed: "Please tell me, Prime Minister, in this battle, should we close the gates and close the gates and fight 'defend' at the top of the city, or should we open the four gates and fight inside the city's 'attack'?"