Huan Rong

In Shouchun in August, the sun is scorching hot like a furnace.

Since Yuan Zhen died of illness, Yuan Jin proclaimed himself the Inspector of Youzhou and took over the power of the Yuan family in Huainan.

After gaining power, Yuan Jin quickly cut off contact with Huan Rong, and did not allow the Wubao of the Qin family to continue to make excuses. Instead, he sent envoys to Chang'an, sent a letter to Fu Jian, and promised gold and silver cities, determined to completely rebel against Jin In the dynasty, he took Yuan's servants and took refuge in the Di people.

Yuan Zhen died too quickly, and many things could not be arranged in advance, which gave Yuan Jin a chance to take advantage of the loopholes.The counselors and generals under his command were not on the same page, and most of them were not optimistic about Yuan Jin.

Watching Yuan Jin's many actions, it really came true to everyone's speculation.

With the Yuan family in his hands, not to mention restoring the past glory, it will be very difficult to maintain the current situation before the world is re-established, and it will even get worse.

A few days ago, a counselor had good intentions and tried to persuade Yuan Jin that even if he wanted to defend the city, he should not use the villagers as a shield. Doing this kind of evil is really harmful to the peace of heaven, and it may cause a bad reputation in future generations.

How is the result?

The love of serving the Yuan clan for two generations is not worth the "fault" of persuading.

Not following Yuan Jin's wishes, the counselor was imprisoned, the whole family was taken to the top of the city, and they served as human shields with the people who were threatening to enter the city, all of his love for the people.

Such a perverse action naturally aroused the indignation of everyone.

Especially after the counselor was unwilling to be humiliated and committed suicide in prison, his anger escalated into raging anger, which could be ignited just by waiting for an opportunity, and could start a prairie fire in an instant.

And this opportunity is coming, in the blink of an eye.

In late August, Shouchun City is already overcrowded.

Yuan Jin ordered that only the north gate should be kept, and the rest of the city gates should be closed and sealed.At the same time, troops were dispatched and generals were ordered to patrol the city day and night, not to miss any suspicious signs.

"Send out scouts to find out where Huan Rong is stationed. Set up rejection horses outside the city to block the south and east gates."

Yuan Jin sat at the head, glanced at the silent advisers and generals, smiled coldly, and said, "Everyone, Huan Rong is the son of Huan Wen, and Huan Wen is the chief culprit for the Yuan family's downfall!"

"Being good friends with Huan Rong is tantamount to seeking skin from a tiger. When the first king made a decision when he was ill, it was inevitable that there would be dangers of ambiguity. Jin's actions today are just to set things right and reverse the situation."

Everyone promised in their mouths, but secretly scoffed.

What does it mean to set things right?

Only when there is chaos can there be justice!

When Yuan Zhen was seriously ill, he was still able to eradicate the Zhu family resolutely, eliminate hidden dangers in the city, and joined forces with Huan Rong to preserve Yuan's power in Huainan. This is what is considered for the family!

Nowadays, Yuan Jin doesn't think about it in detail, and he just asks everyone's opinions. He abandons Yuan Zhen's layout, tears up the covenant with Huan Rong, and turns to the barbarians. What a short-sightedness!

How chilling it is to not listen to persuasion, insist on going your own way, and even throw the persuaded person into prison!

The room fell into silence, no one, no matter the counselor or the military commander, spoke out to refute.

Yuan Jin didn't know the inside story, and thought that her majesty was growing day by day, and she was very complacent about convincing the old people left behind by Yuan Zhen, and she was a little bit complacent.

In the eyes of others, I don't know whether it is ridiculous or hateful.

"I need to trouble you all about the city defense." Yuan Zhen said.

"promise!"

"Follow your son's orders."

Hearing this title, Yuan Jin subconsciously frowned.

Since he took over the family, the counselors and generals in the city have rarely changed their minds, and most of them are still called "Young Master".This made him extremely dissatisfied, and he was not easy to find fault.

After all, Yuan Zhen passed away not long ago, so he should be in mourning, and it would be inappropriate for him to proclaim himself at this time.

Therefore, Yuan Jin could only grit his teeth secretly, suppressing his sullen breath for the time being, and only discuss it later.

Little did he know that he was dissatisfied with the manpower left behind by Yuan Zhen, and the latter was even more chilling towards him, even disheartened.

After leaving the "Assassin's Mansion", everyone did not disperse immediately, but looked at each other, shook their heads and sighed together.

"Brother Wang, can Shouchun hold on?"

"Hard to say."

"Then, the young master sent someone to Chang'an..."

"It's not appropriate to talk too much about it."

A counselor stopped the conversation and said to his colleagues: "Emissary Huan is still on his way. In the next two days, Shouchun should be fine. It's rare to be free today, why don't you all go down to the house for a drink?"

The counselor's words were a bit abrupt, given Shouchun's current situation, let alone a drink, it would be difficult to eat a meal with peace of mind.The strange thing is that when they heard these words, instead of refusing, everyone nodded one after another, saying that they would definitely visit, and no one was left behind.

After the matter was agreed upon, the two generals first went to the city gate to arrange defenses, and the counselors boarded the bullock carts one after another and returned to the temporary residence.

The ox cart left the assassin's mansion, and within a hundred steps, the roadside was filled with villagers and refugees.

There was an unpleasant smell in the air, and sometimes the cries of children and the sighs of old people could be heard.

The counselor lifted the curtain of the car and saw a group of servants holding spears, forcing several men to separate from their families, he couldn't help feeling sad secretly.

"If you hurt the people like this, you will attract resentment in the world, and you will leave a bad name for the rest of your life. How can you have a good end?"

If Yuan Shijun is still there, Shouchun will never be reduced to this point.It is a pity that Yuan Shijun was seriously ill in bed and left too quickly.

too fast?

A thought flashed through his mind, and the counselor shuddered suddenly.

Although Yuan Shijun was seriously ill, he was always accompanied by doctors to take care of him.Not long ago, a doctor once said that if you live and recuperate, you still have half a year to live.Unexpectedly, he died suddenly in less than half a month.

After Yuan Zhen's death, Yuan Jin killed all the doctors in the mansion in the name of "not dedicated" and "incompetent", and his family members failed to survive.

At that time, everyone thought that Yuan Jin's grief was excessive and his mind was disturbed, which is why he acted so cruelly.

Looking at it now, things are really strange.

The more he thought about it, the more frightened he became, the counselor couldn't help shivering, and broke out in a cold sweat.

"Master?" The servant noticed something was wrong, turned his head and asked concerned, "But what's wrong?"

"No problem, return home quickly." The counselor said hoarsely.

If the guess is true, you must plan for the future as early as possible.Not only is Yuan Jin not worthy of support, but she must try to get rid of or even get rid of her!

"promise!"

The healthy servant promised, raised his long whip, and the bullock cart rushed past the crowd on the side of the road, passing the man tied up with ropes.

The servants yelled to disperse the villagers and kicked away the begging woman, with a mocking voice and a face like a murderous ghost.

"Yuan Shijun personally ordered, how dare you disobey?! Go away, if you don't go away, your life will be killed immediately!"

The bullock carts passed through the long street, and the shouts of the servants gradually faded away.

Shouchun City is no longer as peaceful as it used to be. In the steaming heat, the houses and crowds on both sides of the road seem to be covered with a layer of gray fog, which suddenly turns into distorted light and shadow, deeply imprinted in the picture scroll called "Troubled Times". .

There was a wail of mourning in the city, and the servants were all vicious.

On the top of the city, the patrolling generals and soldiers were listless, looking at the villagers curled up behind the city wall with indifferent expressions, as if they were looking at a group of dead things.

The purpose of these people was clear to the servants.

At first, there was a bit of pity, but as the days went by, the pity became numb, and even a bit of distorted pleasure.

Rumors spread in Linhuai that Huan Rong led five hundred private soldiers and three thousand prefectural soldiers to fight for rebellion.There are also healthy servants sent by the nobles in Youzhou, plus the civilian husbands conscripted, the number exceeds [-].

When such an army attacks, Shouchun will most likely be unable to defend it.

I will definitely die, and with a few more unlucky ghosts, I will not be lonely on the way to the Palace of the King of Hell.

Yuan Jin thought Beitou was not a secret, and everyone noticed that Buqu came back from Chang'an and left in a hurry.Not only counselors and generals, ordinary soldiers are not optimistic, and there is deep resentment.

"First let Junben and Huan envoy make an alliance. The matter has been discussed and can give everyone a way to survive. Whether it is good or not, they can continue to stay in the land of the Han family. As a result, as soon as Jun passed away, the son immediately turned back and said no. The covenant made by Li Shijun, but what kind of Di people do you want to rely on!"

"I bother!"

"If the Han family doesn't stay, if they don't follow their father's order, if they don't behave like a good person, they will bow down and be a dog in front of the Hu thieves!"

"What are you talking about, a gentry gentleman, even a rascal! At least a rascal knows how to be filial, knowing that his father hasn't changed his ways in three years!"

"Shut up!"

Seeing that Wu Chang's words became more and more unreasonable, Shi Chang's expression changed and he quickly stopped talking.At the same time, he looked around, glared warningly at the servants present, and said forcefully: "Don't spread a word about what happened today, otherwise everyone will die!"

The servant kept making promises, but the corporal leader didn't appreciate it. He waved his long hand and said in a hoarse voice, "Brother Cong, when the matter has come to this point, what else is there to worry about?"

"Shut up, are you dying?!" Shi Chang's voice trembled slightly.

"Fate? Trapped in this city, how can we survive?" The corporal slid along the wall and sat on the ground, his eyes were red.

"As soon as Xuyi's army arrives, we will all die in this city. I can see that what is defending the city is to put Yuan Jin on the back!"

Rubbing his face vigorously, the corporal raised his head, fixedly looked at the speechless Shichang, and said viciously: "Look, when the day the city is broken, Yuan Jin will definitely put oil on the soles of his feet and bring his gold and silver family members with him." Fleeing north. Leave us short-lived ghosts to hold back the army and let him escape to Chang'an!"

The corporal leader almost yelled out the last half sentence.

There was a dead silence all around.

Everyone's expressions were mixed with astonishment and disbelief, and more deeply panic and worry.

The team leader who was patrolling the city came to fetch people in person.

According to the usual practice, if you slander the Lord like this and disturb the morale of the army, you must kill him as an example.Surprisingly, the team leader only detained people and did not report them as usual.The owner of the building learned that he also did not order to deal with it, but let it go.

At the moment, people's hearts are even more chaotic, and rumors are rampant in the city.

Wu Zhang's words were misrepresented. From Yuan Jin's intention to flee north to Yuan Jin's escape to Chang'an, the person in the city was just a stand-in, almost changing every day.

The defenders were in panic, from the generals to the infantry, they were all in a state of mind, how could they even think about defending the city.

Under such circumstances, a gray-black pigeon flew into the city, avoided the hungry villagers, and flew into Qin Lei's hiding place.

Untiing the bamboo tube from the pigeon's leg, knowing Huan Rong's order, Qin Lei immediately changed into Qiao Zhuang, and with the help of the nail buried in Yuan's mansion, sneaked into the mansion quietly, looking for opportunities to strike.

In the process of lurking, Qin Lei accidentally discovered that Yuan Jin's legitimate son avoided the crowd and quietly hid under the window of the main room.

At first, he thought it was a child's admiration, and it was just because he hadn't seen his father for many days.After a few times, the speculation was overturned.Yuan Feng looked at Yuan Jin with envious eyes, it was clear that he had a deep hatred, and he wanted to get rid of it quickly!

"interesting."

Hiding in the dark, Qin Lei licked his dry and chapped lips.

If Yuan Feng was older, the drama of killing his father would definitely be staged.It's a pity that the other party is only a five-year-old child, no matter how much he hates him, he can't kill his father.

However, it can be used to some advantage.

Thinking of this, Qin Lei didn't rush to start, but left quietly, tore off the silk cloth and wrote a line, and tied it to the leg of the pigeon that hadn't left yet.

"Go."

With two cuckoos, the dove fluttered its wings and flew away. Before leaving, it did not forget to peck Qin Lei.

Seeing the inch-long bloodstains on the back of his hand, Qin Lei could only smile wryly.

Five miles outside the city, Huan Rong ordered the troops to set up camp.

Without ordering, the health servants and the private soldiers worked together to dismantle the carts and set up the tents in an orderly manner.

The cook was busy lighting the fire, handling the dried meat brought with the army, and burying the pot for cooking.

The newly recruited state soldiers were also not idle. Some felled trees to build camps, and the rest patrolled to protect the safety of the camp.

Wei Qi, Ma Liang, Zhou Yan, and Jiang Yi were all promoted to captains. This time they joined the army to fight against rebellion, and all four of them were very enthusiastic. They hoped to make a contribution and take the opportunity to make further progress.

Wei Qi has physical strength, is favored by Dian Kui, and is fortunate to show his face in front of Huan Rong.

"My ancestor is from Yiyang, and my ancestor was a general of the Shu Han Dynasty. Later, because of his crimes, the three clans were wiped out, and this servant escaped by chance."

After hearing this narration, Huan Rong's brows were furrowed, and he didn't speak for a while.

Wei Qi was full of apprehension, for fear that his performance would make Mr. Huan look down on him.

It wasn't until the people left that Huan Rong suddenly slapped the table.No wonder he felt familiar, he was born in Yiyang, a general of Shu Han, three clans were destroyed, Wei Yan!

Xun You heard the sound, put down the map in his hand, and gave him a strange look: "Ming Gong?"

"Ah? What's the matter with Zhong Ren?" Huan Rong turned his head, the corners of his mouth were grinning, his face was full of smiles, as if he had picked up gold suddenly.

"..." He is fine, but Minggong's behavior is really weird, and he is afraid that something is wrong.

Ignoring Xun You's strange expression, Huan Rong coughed, patted his red palm, ordered someone to deliver the military book, and began to look through it carefully.

It's a pity that there is only basic information such as my name, place of origin, and proficiency in weapons in the military book, and there is no mention of my ancestors.Just looking for it like this, it is really impossible to determine whether there is any "big leak" to pick up.

After half a book, Huan Rong knew that it was impossible to do anything, and it was even more unfeasible to call people one by one, so he simply put it aside for the time being, and wait until Shouchun and Yuan Jin are beaten.

Huan Rong believes that gold will always shine.

As long as the big leak is on the side, it will not be too late to start, so there is no need to be too impatient.

Suppressing the sudden excitement, Huan Rong put down the military book and turned to discuss the war with Xun You.

"The villages along the way are empty, and Yuan Jin will definitely use people as shields. Duke Ming ordered the attack on the city to be cautious in order to prevent people from attacking him in the future."

If Huan Rong is only content with one side and intends to be a powerful minister for the rest of his life, then it doesn't matter if his reputation is flawed.But he intends to be big, and for future consideration, the matter of Shouchun cannot be done rashly.

The vicious reputation was spread before, and the targets were either thieves or liars. It was spread among the people and recorded in the history books, and it was always praised more than derogatory.

Not this time.

On the top of the city are the people of the Han family. If they blindly attack and cause too many casualties, the world will certainly accuse Yuan Jin of cruelty, and Huan Rong will also be splashed with dirty water.

"Yuan Jin intends to invest in Beitou, but he doesn't care about the common people. Minggong really can't do it."

The translation means that Yuan Jin is shameless and blindly committing suicide, Huan Rong absolutely can't do that.

To break up with people with brain defects, you must keep a clear head, so as not to be led into the ditch and do the same thing with brain defects.

"I know." Huan Rong nodded and said, "I have sent a letter to Qin Lei, there must be news within two days."

"That……"

Before Xun You could finish speaking, a gray-black pigeon suddenly flew into the tent, circled for a circle, landed on Huan Rong's shoulder, and obediently rubbed his face.

"came back?"

Huan Rong tapped the pigeon's little head, which elicited a "cuckoo" cry.Then he took off the silk cloth from the pigeon's legs, unfolded it and looked at it, his expression changed slightly.

After a long time, Huan Rong handed the silk cloth to Xun You, tapped lightly on the table, and suddenly said, "Zhong Ren, after taking Shou Chun, I want to see this Yuan Feng."

"Duke Ming, to cut weeds you need to get rid of the roots!"

"I know." Huan Rong said in a deep voice, "the two are not in conflict."

Xun You stared at Huan Rong, making sure that the other party would not change his mind, and could only repress the advice that was on his lips, and wait until Shou Chun was taken down for discussion.

Taihe five years, August Dingyou

As the night darkened, a black figure silently passed through the corridor, evaded the patrolling servants and guards, and sneaked into Yuan Jin's residence.

The lights in the room were dim, the glass of wine rolled in front of the screen, and Yuan Jin lay on the couch and fell asleep soundly.A beautiful woman was by his side, judging from her age, she was several years older than Yuan Jin.

Obviously, Mr. Yuan's filial piety is very questionable.

After three years of losing, he didn't even persist for three months.

The black shadow walked up to the couch, and the cold light in his hand shone slightly.

Yuan Jin woke up suddenly, her mouth was covered before she could make a sound.He wanted to draw out the sword beside the couch, but his arm was firmly held down.Looking sideways, the beautiful woman was looking at him coldly, with hatred all over her face.

The dagger stabbed into the chest, and Yuan Jin made a muffled gurgling sound in his throat, with a grim expression and bloodshot eyes.

To prevent the blood from splashing, Qin Lei waited for five breaths before pulling back the dagger.

Yuan Jin was so angry that she died, and she died with regret.

The beautiful woman holding him still couldn't understand her hatred, she spontaneously pulled out the silver hairpin, raised her arm and stabbed it down fiercely.

Unlike Qin Lei, the beautiful woman didn't care about being stained with blood at all, and the cyan bed curtain was splashed with blood, like red plum blossoms.

The smell of blood permeated the inner room, gradually overpowering the strong smell of alcohol.

Qin Lei walked around the screen, uncovered the incense cauldron, and poured in a new injection of incense.

Just as he turned around, a small figure walked into the door, neither barking nor crying, just staring at him steadily.

"Aren't you afraid I'll kill you?"

Yuan Feng shook his head, glanced at the murder weapon in Qin Lei's hand, then at the screen, and asked, "Is he dead?"

"died."

"Can I see it?"

Qin Lei stepped aside, Yuan Feng walked quickly into the screen, saw Yuan Jin lying in a pool of blood, and looked at the beautiful woman holding the silver hairpin, his expression finally changed.

"Nanny..."

"Lang Jun, I can no longer protect you."

The beautiful woman put down the silver hairpin, wiped away the blood on her face, and said softly, "If he dies, there will be chaos in the city. I have arranged for someone to take Lang Jun out of the city. Lang Jun's uncle's house cannot go. Xi Shijun in Jingkou is the first Your old friend, no matter what, can save your life."

Yuan Feng didn't nod, but looked at Qin Lei who was standing outside the screen.

"Who is he?"

The beautiful woman didn't answer, Qin Lei said: "My servant is under the envoy Huan's tent."

"Emissary Huan?"

"The new Inspector of Youzhou is the son of Huanwen, the great Sima of the current dynasty."

"I know, my father once told me." Yuan Feng was too precocious, not at all as innocent as a child should be.

After thinking for a while, he said to the beautiful woman, "I won't go to Jingkou."

"Lang Jun?"

"I'm going to see Envoy Huan." Yuan Feng said quietly, "Eldest Father was murdered by His Majesty, Abo is not dead, he knows where the gold is hidden in the mansion."

Having said that, Yuan Feng raised his head, looked at Qin Lei whose expression changed slightly, and said, "I will give all of these to Envoy Huan and the servants in the city. I only hope that Envoy Huan can agree to one condition and leave me and the nanny's life."

"Lang Jun..." The beautiful woman had tears in her eyes, she wanted to hug Yuan Feng, but she was afraid that the blood on her body would stain him.

Qin Lei said in a deep voice: "The servant cannot be the master of this matter, but he can deliver the letter on behalf of the gentleman."

"it is good."

"The servant has a question."

"can."

"Does the gentleman hate the envoy?"

"Don't hate."

"Why?"

"I will explain it to Mr. Huan in person." Yuan Feng lowered his eyes and said, "The majesty is gone. If I die too, there will be chaos in the city and Shouchun will lose control. Troops and refugees are everywhere, Huainan and Linhuai will suffer.”

Dingding glanced at Yuan Feng to confirm that the other party was indeed "threatening" him, Qin Lei raised his eyebrows, turned around and left quickly without asking any further questions.

The sound of footsteps disappeared behind the door, Yuan Feng walked to the couch, looked at Yuan Jin for a while, grabbed the silver hairpin that the nanny had thrown aside, raised it high, and stabbed it hard at the cold corpse.

His eyes were fierce, like a wolf cub biting its prey.