Seiwa

Outside the city of Huailai, tens of thousands of officers and soldiers of the Yan army set up camp, buried pots and cooked rice.

Although the defenders in the city were angered by Song Zhong's lies and had good morale, they were defeated first and then fled all the way. The shadow of being chased and killed by the Yan army still lingers. Jun, instinctively panicked.

After the news that Juyongguan was broken, the situation became more serious.

I don't know whether to say Yu Zhen was lucky or lucky. The Yan army captured Juyongguan, and none of the [-] defenders survived.

Seeing Yu Zhen, Song Zhong's complexion was very bad.

Yu Zhen also knew that if he was sensible, he should have died in the battle at Juyongguan. Who knew that the Yan soldiers attacked so fiercely that the [-] defenders were defeated in less than two days.He wanted to serve the imperial court with his death, but the soldiers were too powerful, before Yu Zhen rushed to the battlefield with a long knife, he was mounted on a horse by several soldiers and ran all the way to Huailai.

Yan Jun did not stop these defeated troops.

First of all, the number of defeated troops is not large, so there is no threat at all.Second, the entry of defeated troops into the city can damage the morale of the defenders.Why bother to stop it, wouldn't it be better to have it all in one pot?

Song Zhong could guess what King Yan was planning.Knowing that it was King Yan himself who led the troops to attack Huailai, Song Dudu knew that his time had come, and he had no other choice but to fight to the death.

Surrender is absolutely impossible. Song Dudu has many shortcomings, but there is one thing, his loyalty to the court and Emperor Jianwen is not compromised at all.

It is also impossible to escape, the nine vassal kings in the north are all bad.Except for King Zhou who was abolished by Emperor Jianwen, King Gu who ran to Nanjing at night, and King Yan who rebelled, the remaining Kings Liao, Ning, Qin, Qing, and Su all dealt with neighbors on the grassland all the year round, and they always returned Who can deal with it personally?

While the imperial court focused its main firepower on King Yan, it also made troubles for these vassal kings. Who knows what these vassals are thinking.In case he also thought of pacifying the disaster with King Yan and rebelling together, he would not only escape death, but also be charged with running away.

Fight to the death, fight to the death.

This is Song Zhong's only and best choice.

Yu Zhen knelt in front of Song Zhong, originally he didn't have to do this, but he was guilty, when Song Zhong looked at him without saying a word, his knees immediately softened.

Song Zhong didn't blame Yu Zhen, he didn't even have the strength to be angry.For Yu Zhen, Song Dudu was only deeply disappointed.He had given the other party a chance to die for the country and be loyal to the court, but Yu Zhen was blindly greedy for life and afraid of death, how could he not be disappointed?

"Yu Zhen."

"Yes, Governor."

"One last time." Song Zhong looked away. Outside the window, the sun was rising and the night was receding. It was a new day, and it was also a day that would determine everyone's fate. "Don't let me down again."

"Yes!"

Yu Zhen didn't say much, he knew that the "final" Song Zhong said was not only his, but also Song Zhong himself.

Surrounding but not attacking is only temporary, and sooner or later the Yan army will launch an attack on Huailai City, just like capturing the Nine Gates of Beiping and capturing Juyongguan.

Unlike Song Zhong, Yan Wang Zhu Di is in a very good mood at the moment.

After he raised his troops, Fang Sheng, the commander of Tongzhou, immediately sent someone to surrender, and he won Tongzhou without a single soldier.

As soon as Tongzhou was in his hands, Zhu Di immediately ordered Zhang Yu to lead the army to attack Jizhou.

Jizhou is an important town in the north, if you don't decide Jizhou, it will definitely become a trouble in the future!

Outside the city of Jizhou, Zhang Yu was not in a hurry to attack the city. He sent envoys to show respect first and then soldiers. I hope everyone can sit down and have a good talk. It hurts feelings too much to use swords and guns without seeing each other.

I don't want Jizhou to command Ma Xuan to be a die-hard guy, he doesn't give any face, and directly says: "Let XX surrender to the rebels, don't even think about it!"

Zhang Yu sneered when the envoy scolded Ma Xuan for being unreasonable and ignorant of current affairs.

Order immediately, attack the city!

The Yan army began to attack the city, and Ma Xuan went out to fight in person.

It's a pity that Commander Ma's skill with his hands is not as good as his skill with his mouth, and he was captured alive by Yan Jun within a few rounds.When brought in front of Zhang Yu, he still cursed and refused to surrender.Zhang Yu didn't talk too much nonsense, just clicked the knife, and it was over.

Commander Mao Sui was a smart man, and immediately surrendered after Ma Xuan's death.Zhang Yu ordered the soldiers not to kill indiscriminately, which relieved Mao Sui and the remaining defenders in the city.

Now that he has become a rebel, he must contribute to King Yan's rebellion cause.

Mao Sui suggested to Zhang Yu that it is not enough to take Jizhou alone. If he wants to completely avoid future troubles, he must also take Zunhua.He has internal support in Zunhua and can help Zhang Yu succeed.

Zhang Yu pondered for a while, but neither agreed nor disagreed.

Aware of Zhang Yu's concerns, Mao Sui handed over the defense of Jizhou City to Zhang Yu's subordinates, and led part of the defenders to attack Zunhua at night with Zhang Yu.

Compared with the surrender of Kaesong, helping the Yan army to take down Zunhua is the real certificate of surrender.

After prior arrangements, the Yan army took advantage of the inner response from the city to climb up the tower at night and open the city gate.

The Zunhua garrison didn't know that the Yan army had entered the city until the sound of killing was everywhere in the city and the flames were soaring into the sky.Commander of the Zunhua Guards made Jiang Yu not as stubborn as Ma Xuan. He could not do anything when he saw things, so he simply took refuge in the Yan Army, tied up a commander who swore to be loyal to the imperial court and two commanders, and handed them over to the Yan Army. Lost.

Don't forget to cover your mouth when handing over.Tie it up and gag it, calm down, and figure it out if you can't say it.We have worked together for such a long time anyway, it is always good to be active.

Both Mao Sui and Jiang Yu are smart people, but there are others who are smarter than them.

Zheng Heng, the commander of the Miyun Guard, had a personal relationship with Fang Kuan, the commander of the Tongzhou Guard. When he received a letter from Fang Kuan, he ordered the city gates to be opened before the Yan army arrived, and he went out of the city for five miles to respond.

Seeing Zhang Yu, Zheng Heng looked very excited, and held Zhang Yu's big hand, "Commander Zhang, I finally saw you! Miyunwei has been looking forward to this day for a long time!"

The corners of Zhang Yu's eyes twitched. Fang Kuan said that Zheng Heng was good at fighting. Now it seems that this man is not only good at fighting.

Future facts have proved that Zhang Yu's idea is correct.After Zheng Heng took refuge in King Yan, he made many military exploits.After the king of Yan ascended the throne, he was appointed an official and worshiped a noble.Emperor Yong Le went out of the fort five times, Zheng Heng was always in the team.Being reused by Zhu Di, his status is second only to Zhu Neng and Shen Xuan.

After going down to Tongzhou, Jizhou, and Zunhua, Zhang Yubing pointed at Yongping, and the battle reports kept being sent to King Yan. It's no wonder that King Yan was in a bad mood.

"Shimei is the lonely champion!"

Shimei is Zhang Yu's character. Emperor Hong Wu once compared Lan Yu to Li Jing and Zhang Liang in excitement after Lan Yu defeated the royal court of the Northern Yuan Dynasty. As a result, Lan Yu's entire family was wiped out.Emperor Yongle compared Zhang Yu to Huo Qubing, and before Jing Nan won, Zhang Yu died at the hands of the Southern Army.

It can be seen from this that it may not be a good thing to be praised by others, especially by the father and son of the Zhu family.

Zhang Yu led the army to attack Yongping, and Meng Qinghe also led the team to Huailai.

It was midsummer in July at this time, and when entering the barracks, in addition to the smell of gunpowder and killing in the air, there was also a lingering masculinity.

All kinds of masculinity.

Standing in front of Zhu Di's tent, Meng Qinghe took a deep breath, and walked into the tent after reporting, "I have seen the prince!"

Although there is a lot of space in the tent, the smell is really not very good.

More than 30 strong and masculine men are gathered together so densely... It is impossible to take a bath, and it is probably impossible to wash their feet.

Compared with Yan Wang's big camp, the team that the prince entered and returned to Beijing is simply fresh.

In order to go out early, Meng Qinghe reported to King Yan in the shortest and most concise words possible.Even if Shen Xuan was also standing in the tent, he didn't want to stay longer.Such a strong masculinity, Meng Shierang said, no matter how much he likes a beautiful woman, he can't bear it.

"Meng Chen has worked hard."

When dealing with his own people, King Yan is very easy-going most of the time, although only relatively speaking.

Seeing that Zhu Di was in a good mood, Meng Qinghe boldly begged for orders. Can he participate in the work of these people shouting in the city?If you can't be responsible for the main work, it's good to participate.

King Yan was holding the tin horn presented by Meng Qinghe. It was quite crudely made, like two funnels connected together, one big and one small, but the effect was not bad when used.

"This matter has been handed over to Commander Shen, you can participate yourself." Putting down the horn, King Yan said solemnly, "Shen Xuan."

"I'm humble."

"Take people to the city tomorrow morning."

"Yes!"

Shen Xuan cupped his fists to accept the order, Meng Qinghe rolled his eyes and said, "My lord, instead of waiting until tomorrow, it's better to act according to plan this evening, the effect should be better."

"Why?"

King Yan sat upright, and both he and Dao Yan believed that Meng Qinghe was a talent.It's just that he is too young to act safely and needs to be tempered.However, compared to Emperor Hongwu polishing Fang Xiaoru, Meng Twelve Lang's treatment is already quite good.

"Go back to the prince, it's suitable for running at night."

King Yan: "..."

Shen Xuan: "..."

Everyone in the tent: "..."

"Bizhi suggested that you can set up a few more cauldrons while shouting. This time, Beizhi brought a lot of dried meat and boiled it into a thick soup. The taste is quite good. Huailai City was besieged for several days, and an army of [-] suddenly rushed in. There is not much food in the city, and the feeling of being hungry is very uncomfortable. Coupled with the call of relatives, maybe the defenders in the city will tie up Song Zhong and send it to the prince himself."

There was silence again in the tent.

In other words, did Song Zhong offend him?

Sure enough, don't provoke scholars, especially those who hold grudges.

Zhu Neng, a general with a Chinese character face, patted Shen Xuan's shoulder with a big hand like a cattail fan, "Ziyu, this person is not bad. Brother Wei's subordinates are all reckless. We just need someone who can give us some ideas. How about letting Brother Wei?"

Shen Xuan tilted his head, and took away Zhu Neng's big hand on his shoulder, "No way."

"Really?"

"No way."

"I exchange fifty cavalry?"

"Five hundred will not work."

"..."

Although the two lowered their voices, Zhu Neng's loud voice was like thunder no matter how loud it was.King Yan coughed and glared at the two of them, Zhu Neng stopped talking, and Shen Xuan remained expressionless.

As the protagonist in the topic, Meng Twelve Lang told himself, calm down, must be calm!

Commander Shen had no other intentions.

But it's really hard for him not to turn his head around!

After being interrupted by Zhu Neng, King Yan agreed to Meng Qinghe's suggestion.

In the evening of that day, the Yan army opened the camp and set up several large pots under the city. Into the pot, according to Meng Qinghe's request, a large amount of sorghum noodles and dried vegetables were added.

A gust of wind blew by, and the fragrance wafted ten miles away.

It is not a delicacy, but it is really fragrant, especially for people who can't eat enough all day long, it is an irresistible temptation.

The defenders on the top of the city couldn't stand anymore. They knew that there was not much food in the city and they did this. Is this bullying or bullying?

The big pot of boiled meat was just an appetizer. After the broth was rolled twice, some people in cloth shirts walked a few miles away from the city. There was a big sign made of linen, with many people's names written on it. At the same time, someone lifted a strange-looking thing and put it to his mouth. The sound was transmitted very far, all the way to the city.

"Zhang San, your father is here!"

"Li Si, I am your mother!"

"Zhao Wu, I am your mother-in-law, and my two children!"

"Zhuzi, I'm the eldest brother, are you in the city?"

Everyone lined up, felt the sign, and passed the horn in turn, shouting over and over again.

The morale of the army in the city immediately fluctuated. Didn't the superiors tell them that the family members were killed by King Yan and the corpses were piled up on the street?

What's going on now?Aren't their families still alive and well, is the coach lying to them? !

Song Zhong heard the situation and knew that things were going to be bad. Before he could figure out a way, there was another wave of curses from the city. The leader who scolded the most and the loudest was Meng Twelve Lang.

"Brothers in the city, don't be fooled by the old man Song Zhong! Everyone's relatives are living well! The prince is the son of Emperor Gao of Taizu and Empress Xiaoci Gao. He is kind and kind. How could he do anything to the people under his rule? Brothers But keep your eyes open, don’t listen to lies, be deceived by a shameless old man, die for him, and make his reputation, but you will get nothing! The prince is kind, let the past go, brothers, don’t do wrong things , One misstep will cause eternal hatred!"

"Baby!"

"Home!"

"Dad!"

The voices in the city revived, and the people in the city became even more chaotic.

When Song Zhong heard the report, he sat down in the hall, and had no other choice but to order the southern army he brought to guard the city gate strictly.

The situation is gone, and there is no way to return to the sky.

Song Zhong sighed, and slowly drew out his long knife, the Yan army will attack the city tomorrow!

Under the city, Meng Qinghe handed the trumpet to the people around him, and let out a bad breath, it's so cool!

"Meng Qian thing." Shen Xuan walked to Meng Qinghe's side, looked at him sideways, his black eyes clearly reflected the shadow of the other party, "Follow me tomorrow."

"Yes!" Meng Qinghe couldn't ask for more, then frowned, "Commander, Song Zhong, what does the prince plan to do?"

Kill or stay?

"The lord has his own calculations." Shen Xuan did not get angry because of Meng Qinghe's a little rude words, but lowered his voice, whispered something in Meng Qinghe's ear, turned and left.

Meng Qinghe stood where he was, covering his ears, would he make him happy?

He narrowed his eyes and smiled.

Shen Xuan, sure enough, held grudges like him.

Night fell, and those who shouted were called back to the camp to rest.

Patrols were also stepped up in the city. In the first half of the night, both sides were safe and sound.

Just after the ugly time, there was a sudden movement at the east gate of Huailai City. The Nanjun guarding the gate was attacked by the frontier army who touched behind him. His big hands with a smell of mud tightly grabbed Nanjun's throat, and the Nanjun struggled twice. , and soon there was no movement.

"Successful, tell Zhuzi and them, let's go!"

The east gate was opened, and the frontier soldiers in the city fled one after another under the leadership of several hundred households.

The movement of leaving the city alarmed the patrolling defenders. They were about to warn them, but they were surrounded by another team of frontier troops. Their sharp knives came out, and their voices carried murderous intent, "Everyone killed the Tartars together, and now only If you want to find a way to survive, don't force your brother to do it!"

The expressions of the patrolling soldiers changed, and the leader of the general flag simply said: "Brother's family is also outside the city, so let's go together!"

Being trapped in the city is death, so what if you take refuge in King Yan?Didn't the ancestors also rebel with Emperor Taizu?

At the third quarter of the ugly hour, the defenders in the city were completely in chaos.Needless to say, those who planned to escape, those who were still hesitant, saw so many people running out, but they also bravely followed, and there were quite a few of them from the Southern Army.

Song Zhong sent people to suppress him, but he couldn't suppress it at all.

The lights in the Yan army camp were brightly lit, and the soldiers' armor was bright. Seeing the chaos in the city, they did not take the opportunity to attack the city.

King Yan stood in the camp with his long knife in his hand, stroking his short mustache with one hand, "Gu is Emperor Gao, Emperor Xiaoci, the son of Empress Xiaoci Gao, who is merciful and does not want to commit more killings. Vote for me, Gu will not treat you badly."

"Yes!"

Everyone looked at King Yan with a "detached" expression, and then turned their eyes to Meng Qinghe, who could make King Yan itch when he cursed. He was indeed a talent. No wonder Commander Shen valued it so much!

The ugly time has passed, and there are still defenders rushing out of the city. King Yan ordered Shen Xuan and Zhu Neng to gather the soldiers together. Meng Qinghe reminded Commander Shen to beware of Song Zhong's spies among them.

Shen Xuan understood, and after careful investigation, he really caught a big fish, and it turned out that he was instructing Yu Zhen!

Looking at Yu Zhen who was tied up by five flowers, Meng Qinghe smiled.Just thinking about revenge, the opportunity came right away.

Yu Zhen did not come to surrender, but waited for an opportunity to sneak into the Yan army and assassinate the king of Yan.Being captured by Shen Xuan, knowing that there must be no way out, he showed a tough guy style and scolded King Yan for being a traitor.

King Yan didn't have much interest in him. If Song Zhong was replaced, he might recruit one or two, but he was only a commanding envoy, and he was still not good at fighting, so it didn't take much effort.

With an order, Commander Yu was beheaded and hung on a wooden pole in front of the battalion together with several other spies who were taken out.

At sunrise, Song Zhong in the city summoned his own soldiers and the defenders who had not left the city, and said in front of everyone: "The Yan bandits are powerful, Zhong only has to fight to the death! Once the king's army arrives, the bandits will be ordered Crushed to pieces! Follow me out of the city and kill the thief!"

"Kill the thief!"

The garrison of less than [-] soldiers, under the leadership of Governor Song Zhong, Commander Peng Ju and Sun Tai, beat the drums and went out of the city to meet the enemy.

Just like the defenders at Xizhimen in Beiping City, what they ask for is not success or failure, but a word of loyalty.

In the midsummer of July, the north wind blowing from the grasslands in the north is still cool.

The Yan army set up a formation and waited for it. This is a tribute to the brave men.

"kill!"

They all commanded Peng Ju to take the lead, and flew a Yan army infantry with a spear in his hand, but another Yan army cut off the horse's leg under his crotch.The horse groaned, Peng Ju fell off the horse, and several Yan soldiers rushed forward together. They fired their spears, but were blocked by Peng Ju one by one. After Peng Ju killed several more Yan soldiers, a long spear suddenly shot from behind him. He entered, blood gushed out of his mouth, and several spears pierced into his body at the same time. Peng Ju roared, and swung the spear out for the last time, killing one of the Yan soldiers who attacked him, and died of exhaustion.

Blood dripped down the spear and armor, forming streams and staining the ground beneath his feet.

After Peng Ju's death, Shen Xuan cut off his arm and fell off his horse. Unwilling to be captured, Sun Tai killed himself by slaying his own throat.

Most of Song Zhong's subordinates died in battle, only a few were injured and captured, and few voluntarily surrendered.Song Zhong was captured alive, and when he was brought before King Yan, he was already in a state of distress and covered in blood.

"Is the governor of the Song Dynasty safe and sound?"

"Traitor!" Song Zhong struggled to stand up, but was ruthlessly pressed down by two soldiers kneeling on the ground, "I wish I could kill you! When Master Wang arrives, you, a traitor, will die!"

King Yan didn't get angry, since he raised his troops, he had heard such insults a lot.

If he doesn't rebel, can he live in peace?

Zhu Yunxuan's knife was up to his neck, and he still had to wait honestly!

Zhou Wang's acting as a king is a lesson from the past. Zhu Di does not want to sit still and will not do so!

He obeys his father and respects his elder brother, but why should he be convinced by that yellow-mouthed kid who talks to rotten scholars all day long?Why make him kneel down? !

He is the son of Zhu Yuanzhang, who was born in troubled times and grew up in the army.What he is most familiar with is not the way of Confucius and Mencius, but fighting on the battlefield.For Zhu Di, strength means everything!

It is this kind of life experience and this kind of character that made Emperor Yongle and the prosperity of the early Ming Dynasty.

There are many enemies in front of him, Song Zhong is not the first, let alone the last.

Zhu Di smiled, with the heroism of a king in his smile, he will not look back, nor can he turn back when he walks on this road!

"Gao Yi, Governor of the Song Dynasty, I will complete you alone!"

"Rebel!"

Song Zhong was still yelling and cursing loudly, but Zhu Di stopped looking at him, "Xuan'er, you personally send Song Dudu a ride."

"Follow the order!"

Song Zhong was dragged out of the tent, in front of the gate of the camp, Shen Xuan held the knife with his own hands, Song Zhong hated: "At the beginning, the old man should have killed you with his own hands!"

The knife flashed, and the headless body fell to the ground, with blood still gushing from the broken neck.

Meng Qinghe looked at the dead Song Zhong, not as happy as he imagined, not even as cheerful as when he was cursing people in the city.

He didn't want to think about why, and he couldn't think about it.

Just looking at Shen Xuan and meeting those black eyes, my heart suddenly became quiet.

It was his own choice to take this path.

Now that you have chosen, you cannot regret it!

The news of Song Zhong's defeat spread to Nanjing, and the court was shocked again.

No one thought that Song Zhong could defeat King Yan, but they didn't expect him to lose so quickly.

Along with the news of Song Zhong's death, there was news that Tongzhou, Jizhou, Zunhua, and Yongping had fallen one after another.

Emperor Jianwen immediately ordered that the army to conquer King Yan set out immediately.I can't wait anymore, the fire is imminent, and the King of Yan is about to hit Nanjing.

The army has not yet assembled, and the concentration of food, grass, mules and horses is limited, but the emperor ordered that Geng Bingwen, Marquis of Changxing, who wears the seal of the general, should not say anything.

In order to boost morale, Emperor Jianwen personally sent Geng Bingwen to the expedition.But for Geng Bingwen and the generals in the army, since he came, it would be better not to come!

In front of everyone, the emperor actually said, "Don't let me be accused of killing relatives."

Listen, what is this called?

If you don't kill relatives, you don't kill King Yan.

The emperor personally ordered not to hurt the opponent's coach, how can this battle be fought?

Geng Bingwen was speechless, he began to regret, why didn't he retire earlier, and he had to take such a thing on!

But the emperor's golden words, he had to listen.

Marquis Changxing could only let out a long sigh. In the ardent expectation of Emperor Jianwen, he led the imperial army, which was said to be 30, but actually only 13, and set off full of thoughts.