red cliff top

With a heart full of reluctance to bid farewell to Shen Si, King Jin led Gu Zhuozi, Tu Moer and others hurried down the mountain, counting the timing and rushed to the gate of the city. The crowd moved slowly outward.

The drivers are all familiar faces, and even the old butler of Zhang's mansion is sitting on the shaft in an orderly manner, no need to ask, the person sitting in the car must be a nobleman.As for why the carriage of the dignified fourth-rank conductor Shi Shijia is so shabby, the reason is quite intriguing.

The soldiers on duty at the city gate saw the King of Jin and hurriedly knelt down to salute. Ordinary people were even blocked by the guards on the street a few feet away.Seeing that there was no way to avoid it, the old butler of Zhang's mansion had to lead a group of people to get out of the car in a hurry, and trotted forward to greet the King of Jin and greet him.In a slightly larger carriage at the back, the maids and servants walked down with the help of two women, one old and one young. The older one was the wife of the Zhang family, and the younger one was the young lady of the Zhang family.Both of them only wore extremely simple clothes, without any jewels or emeralds on their bodies.

After Mrs. Zhang and Ms. Zhang said their blessings, King Jin pretended to meet unexpectedly, and asked with a smile on his face knowingly: "I haven't seen you for a long time. Why, are sister-in-law and Miss Zhang going away?"

When asked by him, Mrs. Zhang's expression immediately became tense, her face was lowered, and her eyes rolled back and forth erratically.And Ms. Zhang clutched her mother's cuffs tightly with both hands, wishing she could just hide behind her mother.

Not to mention that the war is imminent, even in ordinary days, Zhang Shijie, as a military general, holds a heavy army, and his family members left Jinyang without permission is already a violation of the rules. In punishing crimes, even a slight mistake may result in loss of life.That's why their master and servant acted in a low-key manner, for fear of being recognized by others and causing trouble. Who would have thought that it would be so unlucky that King Jin would bump into him before they even left the city.

The lady and lady on the other side were hesitant and speechless, so the old housekeeper had to bite the bullet and answer politely: "Respond to the prince's words, because my wife recently received a letter saying that the old lady in the country was not feeling well, so she took a break to go Take a look around to show your filial piety."

Mrs. Zhang lowered her eyebrows and said vaguely: "Yes, yes, my mother is sick and misses my grandson. I want to take my daughter to stay with the old mother for a few days. When the old mother recovers a little bit, she will turn around immediately." .”

"Oh...so that's the case..." King Jin nodded noncommittally, and turned his gaze to the carriages behind. From the degree of effort of the horses and the depth of the wheels sinking into the mud, it was not difficult to see that those carriages were loaded with heavy loads.Ordinarily, when a daughter visits her mother, she only brings some tonics and medicinal materials, or high-quality fabrics, or at most some rare toys that are not commonly seen. How heavy can it be?So he insinuated and said, "Sister-in-law is really good-natured, with a benevolent and filial heart, worthy of an example of women's virtue. This carriage has a lot of good things on it, right? Others don't know and think that sister-in-law has moved all the belongings into the carriage. "

His tone was meant to be joking, but Mrs. Zhang's mother and daughter didn't find it funny at all. The corners of Mrs. Zhang's mouth were twitching stiffly, and there were stains of sweat on her temples.

Observing the subtle expression changes on Mrs. Zhang's face secretly, King Jin was even more sure of his guess. He sighed silently and blamed himself: "The old man's health is not worrying, Zimu should have accompanied his wife to go to fulfill his filial piety Yes, it's a pity that he is in an important position, and my king relies on him everywhere, which makes him work day and night without time to look around. I really feel ashamed of my wife. I hereby apologize to my wife, and I ask my wife to take care of this king. Come on, don’t blame Zimu.”

The prince Qiansui spoke in a humble and polite manner, and Mrs. Zhang was flattered: "This...what is this, the prince has lost his concubine..."

King Jin smiled calmly, as if he had never noticed Mrs. Zhang's panic and panic at all: "It's late spring and early summer, the miasma is heavy, and the old family is weak, so it's better to take good care of it. If you need any precious supplements Madam sister-in-law, feel free to speak about medicinal materials, the king and Zimu love each other, there is no need to be polite. This time, I asked my wife to greet him on my behalf, and said that the situation in Jinyuan will stabilize in the future, and this king will find an opportunity to visit the old man in person."

Mrs. Zhang had a ghost in her heart. After hearing his sincere words, she couldn't help but repeat dully: "Thank you, my lord... Thank you, my lord..."

The old butler was afraid that if he continued to entangle, King Jin would find some flaws, so he had no choice but to apologize for his wife: "Please forgive me, the time is getting late, and I'm afraid that if we don't go on the road again, we won't be able to make it to the hotel before dark."

King Jin raised his eyebrows: "Well, it's true that I was negligent." He calmly said goodbye to Zhang's mother and daughter, "Sister-in-law, please go all the way, now that the war is in turmoil, it's time to be cautious at every step! "In the last two sentences, he emphasized his tone intentionally or unintentionally, and Madam Zhang staggered slightly, almost falling down.

When those cars were far away from the city, Gu Zhuozi lightly shook his feather fan and asked in a low voice, "Is the lord planning to just let people go like this? Without these two concerns, I'm afraid Mr. Zhang will really go to hell from now on." Gao Ren's bird is flying."

The smile on King Jin's face gradually faded, and his eyebrows gradually frowned: "If you can accept a person, you may not be able to accept his heart. If you really have evil thoughts, how can you keep it with just two women. After all, decades of affection , I don’t want to be too unfeeling, I just hope that Zimu can understand the painstaking efforts of this king. By the way..." His expression became more serious, "The identity of the mysterious person who haunted Zhang's mansion recently has been found out. ?"

Gu Zhuozi observed his words and deliberated, and replied: "According to the report from the person sent by his subordinates to monitor, that person speaks a Beijing accent, is about 40 years old, and is called 'Mr. Yang Yi'. I don't know if he is a pseudonym."

"Mr. Yang Yi? I've never heard of this character before. I don't know who is so sacred... and how is it related to the escaped bezoar..." King Jin narrowed his eyes and thought carefully. One could be from the little emperor, from the Gu family, or... from Wei You.If the three parties join forces out of interests, it will be even more difficult to deal with.From using the death of the imperial envoy to start a war, to using the death of the third son of Shen to frame Zhang Jinyu, and then to using the death of Zhang Jinyu to separate the relationship between the monarch and his ministers, now it seems that the calculations of this link are really wonderful. Not in the pool.

As the saying goes, it is easy to hide with a sharp spear but hard to defend against an arrow in the dark. When encountering such an insidious and vicious opponent, this level will be difficult...

In order to appease Zhang Shijie, Zhang Jinyu's affairs were handled according to princely etiquette. Because Zhang Jinyu had no heirs, the king of Jin found a newly born baby boy from a famous family in Jinyuan to adopt him. , To continue the incense for him in hemp and filial piety.

After the funeral was over, Jin Wang Tete held a banquet in the mansion for Zhang Shijie alone.Since the enfeoffment of Jinyuan, it has been customary to hold banquets in the mansion to entertain ministers and staff at the end of the festive season, but it is unprecedented to hold a banquet for someone alone like this.The King of Xiangfan County's army of one million is pressing down on the border, and the King of Jin wants to appoint Zhang Shijie as his commander regardless of previous suspicions. Therefore, this wine arrangement also implies two meanings of "repentance" and "motivation".

All kinds of delicacies, gold cups and silver dishes were put on the table, and the king of Jin waved Hu Buxi and several children who were accompanying him out, and then got up and filled a glass of wine for Zhang Shijie himself: "Zimu! I think your father, son, and brothers have made great contributions with me in the Southern and Northern Wars, and there is only one boy, Ayu, under my knees, but I failed to take good care of him and caused him to die as a young man. I really feel sorry for you and feel ashamed."

Zhang Shijie hurriedly got up and took the wine glass respectfully, but he was worried that the wine was poisonous so he didn't dare to drink it: "The prince is serious, Ayu is an infatuated child. He has only the prince in his heart and eyes in his life. If he can be with the prince for many years, he will be happy." It is already a blessing that he cultivated in his previous life." He changed hands and refilled a glass of wine for King Jin.

The King of Jin drank the wine glass and chatted with Zhang Shijie's parents: "A few days ago, I ran into my wife's wife outside the city gate, and I heard that she was returning home to visit relatives. "

Zhang Shijie was taken aback for a moment, and then he replied vaguely with haha: "It's okay, it's okay...Thank you, my lord, for your trouble..."

After drinking for three rounds, King Jin squinted his phoenix eyes and fell into memories: "I think back when your husband and wife got married, this king went to the bridal chamber with Brother Qing and Brother Bosheng. Who would have thought that it would not be long before the two of them Blood was spilled on the battlefield. In just a blink of an eye, your daughter and I have grown up to the age of leaving the cabinet. Alas, time only makes people grow old... If the king has a good memory, the wife of the sister-in-law is from Ningwu, right? I still remember that when I practiced soldiers and horses day and night in the school grounds, she often sent her family members to send home-cooked scallion pancakes to this day, and the King of Japan still clearly remembers the taste of chewing it, which is full of fragrance..."

After he reminded him, Zhang Shijie's memories of the past years were also evoked: "Yes, at that time, Chiuchizi was still young, and he liked to cook meals or sew clothes and quilts by himself, and his hands and feet were so nimble that he never tired. With a pair of children, her mind turned to the children, and she gradually neglected the housework. Even a few years ago, the child died of an illness, and she even lost half of her life. When it comes to authentic green onion pancakes, even I Haven't tasted it in a long time."

The two talked to each other, pushing cups and changing cups, from the first year of Tongle, Great Zhou Jianguo, to several battles in the Hongguang period, and to the siege of Ningcheng that was on the verge of extinction in the fifth year of Xuanzheng... In the end, the tongue became big, and when the eyes were drunk, no one could remember how much wine they had drunk or how many words they had said. They just scrambled to serve the other party with wine and vegetables. King Jin slapped the table and promised Zhang Shijie: " Zimu, there is no distinction between you and me. In the heart of this king, you will always be a friend who treats you wholeheartedly. Your daughter is just like this king's daughter. When she is betrothed to someone else in the future, she will marry her as soon as she receives the dowry. It's on me! Just rest assured! Just rest assured!"

Drinking until the third watch of Gu Da Qiao Lou, Jin Wang and Zhang Shijie both collapsed on the table as drunk as mud.King Jin's own Hu Buxi led someone to carefully support him back to the bedroom to rest, while Zhang Shijie walked out of the mansion door together with several of his entourage, got into the carriage crookedly, and then fell down on the seat unconscious up.

Thick felt curtains hung down to completely cover the interior of the carriage, and the carriage "Hulong Hulong" traveled a few streets. Zhang Shijie slowly opened his eyes, sat up straight, and his drunkenness was swept away.

Everyone knows that the King of Jin has always had a lot of eyes and ears and is very scheming. These days, he has been acting frequently in private, and sent his wife, daughter and others out of the city. The King of Jin will not find nothing.I thought that what I went to today was the Hongmen Banquet, which was specially set up to take his head, but now it seems that it was a false alarm.If he had been a few years younger, or had just gone back a few years, he might have been really moved by King Jin's hard-working performance and rhetoric.It's a pity that time has changed, time has changed, Jinyuan is no longer the former Jinyuan, the prince is no longer the former prince, and Zhang Shijie is no longer the old boy who is full of benevolence and righteousness, and is dedicated to making contributions.

Not to mention whether the king of Jin raised troops was loyal or treacherous, based on the strength of both sides alone, the defeat was already doomed, but it was only a matter of time.The area of ​​Jinyuan is only ten states and eighty counties in terms of territory, and hundreds of thousands of soldiers and horses. How can it compete with the imperial court's national power and millions of soldiers?Not to mention that there is a Tatar watching behind him.The victory of the king of Jin can only be won for a while, and the end of these loyal subordinates and courtiers who follow all the way is either to die generously or die in martyrdom.

As early as the beginning of the war, the little emperor had secretly sent people to buy and win him over, promising that if he was willing to join the imperial court, he would give King Jin a counterattack, and he would be promoted to a higher position, rich and powerful in the future.At that time, he politely declined the other party's consolation. After all, his family was in Jinyang, so he couldn't act rashly because the matter was too serious.Thinking of leaving a way out for himself, he did not report to King Jin about the court envoy's persuasion to surrender, but instead treated him with courtesy and worked hard.

Now that his nephew died of injustice, the most important relationship between him and King Jin also collapsed.He really wanted to investigate to the end to find out the real culprit, but how can there be any reason between the subject and the lord?As for the so-called "brotherhood," it is as feeble as it is touching.King Jin said that his nephew was poisoned, that he hanged himself to death, no matter what he felt in his heart, he could only let it go.Now that Wei You's army of millions has arrived, why does he have to cling to the word "loyalty"?

After many days of deliberation, Zhang Shijie decided to leave Jinyuan.He first sent his wife and daughter to a safe place in the name of visiting relatives, and then secretly transported away the money and belongings accumulated over the years in several batches, and then gradually mobilized his cronies and direct descendants to one place for the planned " Travel" is ready.

Didn't he never hesitate? At first, when King Jin ran into his wife and daughter at the gate of the city, he greeted his wife and daughter with care and caring, and later, when he was drinking at the banquet in the palace, he exchanged his heartfelt heartfelt conversations about the past, which had shaken his determination. But after thinking about it, people live in the world. Who is not for fame and fortune, since there is a bright future waiting there, why seek death?

On the eve of the expedition, everything was ready, Zhang Shijie led the team to march south in advance in the name of surveying the terrain and formulating a combat plan, preparing to meet the responders who had been waiting at the junction of the two places early.The accompanying lieutenant general, several generals and thousands of cavalry are all his confidantes, and they are also the absolute elite of the Jin army.

After running non-stop for a day and a night, he left Jinyang City for more than 200 miles and traveled to Yuzhou. Only then did Zhang Shijie explain to his soldiers the real purpose of his trip. Your honor, if you follow him, you will have the same blessings and hardships in the future, and your official career will be unlimited.Everyone looked at each other, and I looked at you, and finally knelt down in front of Zhang Shijie's horse: "The subordinates are willing to follow the adults around, filial piety, and hope that the adults will support you in the future!"

The trusted lieutenant general hesitated a little: "My lord, the King of Jin will wait for me after all... I remember that when we fought against the Tatars, it was on the border of Yuzhou that my lord was unable to walk due to a foot injury, and the prince once carried his lord on his back. A few miles of mountain roads... Now this farewell, I am afraid that when we meet again, we will be in front of the two armies..."

Although the deputy general's words were unintentional, they hit Zhang Shijie's sore spot, as if he was accusing him of being ungrateful, which made him quite displeased: "The ancients often said that people don't destroy the world for themselves, and everything the King of Jin does is nothing more than I just think that my throne and the country of my ancestors can be more stable. Do you think he really treats you as a brother?" He said with a cold snort, and urged the horse to leave.

Everyone rested for half a day, started on the road again, and ran to Qinzhou City in one breath. The deputy general brought up the old matter again: "My lord, whether you want to hear it or not, I still have to say something to my lord. Youdao is 'faithful advice', even if your lord wants to blame me. , can only be offended. The subordinates are loyal to the lord, not intending to offend, but just do not want the lord to be wronged in the future. Since ancient times, those who have encountered difficulties and cannot accept orders for their masters are called 'second ministers', because of the festival. It’s a shame, it’s uncomfortable to reuse, please think twice, my lord.”

Because the other party has worked so hard for many years, Zhang Shijie did not vent his anger on him: "What you said is not unreasonable, but what about following King Jin? If you don't want to die for the Lord, you have to bow your head and surrender. Isn't it better to be a 'surrender'?" How much is the honor of 'Second Minister'? Kuang Ayu's death, I have been thinking about it for a long time, and I am so indignant, do I still have to give my allegiance to the indiscriminate and arbitrary King Jin?"

In the final analysis, he was still angry, angry at his nephew's tragic death and nowhere to seek justice, and King Jin's favoritism and protection of Shen Si.

The lieutenant general nodded: "Since the lord has made up his mind, we will follow to the end, no matter what."

The team passed Lu'an Mansion and accelerated towards Zezhou. The lieutenant was silent all the way, and couldn't help but ask for the third time: "My lord, the Central Plains is ahead, maybe it's too late to turn back now."

Zhang Shijie couldn't bear it anymore, and slapped the lieutenant's face with a whip in his hand: "The matter has come to this point, and there are still many obstacles, what is your intention? You know that there is no reason to turn back the arrow!"

Although the deputy general was whipped, he still clasped his fists and bowed his head in a respectful manner: "My lord has taught me a lesson, and my subordinates have benefited a lot. I will take good care of my wife and miss for my lord in the future."

Zhang Shijie was a little confused: "What the hell are you talking about..."

Before he finished speaking, the deputy general made a sudden move, a cold light struck out from the air, and his head on the neck fell to the ground, rolling into the dust.The generals behind him were in an uproar, and they all drew out their swords and pointed at the lieutenant general: "Thief! What a dare!"

The deputy general calmly took out the letter from the king of Jin from his arms, and showed it in front of everyone: "Zhang Shijie rebelled against the superior, betrayed righteousness and collaborated with the enemy, and the prince ordered me to go with him to persuade him. First, if you refuse to obey the second persuasion, let him go, and if you don’t obey the third persuasion, cut him off.”

While speaking, several soldiers and horses suddenly rushed out from both sides of the official road, and surrounded Zhang Shijie's old troops. The lieutenant general then said: "If you are tired of the battlefield and want to return home, here is some silver from the prince. You can take it for yourself." Go. If you want to continue to follow King Jin, forget all the past."

After a moment of silence, the bold one went forward to take the bank ticket, and made a gesture to leave, but the soldiers on the periphery automatically made way for him to pass through unimpeded.Since some people tried their best, others would have no worries, and another hundred people received the bank notes, and rode away happily.The rest of the people felt that King Jin was kind and righteous, and a few who wanted to leave also temporarily changed their minds and stayed, and followed the deputy general back to the camp.A defection was thus quietly subsided.

From the moment Zhang Shijie left Jinyang City, every move was under the control of King Jin, but unfortunately the mysterious "Mr. Yang Yi" was still not caught.At first, they were afraid of scaring the snake, and Jin Wang's people didn't dare to deal with Yang surnamed lightly. When Zhang's people went to Loukong, they tried to arrest him, but it was a step too late.

From Jinyang to Zezhou, the mountains, rivers, rivers, ditches, forks, and forks on the way are well known to the king of Jin. When and where Zhang Shijie's team will travel, he can guess almost exactly when he closes his eyes. .

As the days passed, he became more and more restless, looking forward to a result as soon as possible, but afraid of hearing the result.I couldn't be more clear about the orders I gave. It is really heartbreaking to personally kill the subordinates who have followed for many years, but he really has no other way.Regardless of whether he is the Prince of Jin or the entire Jinyuan, Zhang Shijie knows everything well, because he must not make him join the court.

The king of Jin gave Zhang Shijie a chance again and again, hoping that Zhang Shijie would take the initiative to stay in spite of his old feelings, so that he could find a reasonable excuse for himself not to kill Zhang Shijie.

That night, I was closing my eyes and resting before the case late at night, when an attendant came outside to report: "My lord, Vice General Yu and others have returned."

King Jin opened his eyes, and there was an imperceptible urgency in his eyes, and the hand holding the teacup tightened instantly: "What did you bring?"

The attendant replied truthfully: "He also brought the head of Mr. Zhang Zimu."

King Jin's hand trembled slightly, and the tea in the cup splashed a little, and his tone remained calm as usual: "Got it, let's go down."

After the attendant left, he sat there for a long time, until the tea stains splashed on his sleeves slowly dried in the shade, and finally couldn't help muttering: "Nian Qing, I killed another brother..."

At the same time, on Lanyue Mountain, thousands of miles away, Shen Si was sitting in front of Xixin Temple listening to eminent monks recite scriptures.Outside the gable wall is the endless green hills and valleys. Looking up at the vast sea of ​​clouds, revisiting the old place and recalling the carefree days of the academy in the past can not help but make people feel a lot of emotion.

After burying the third brother's remains, Chen Liudao said goodbye and left.He has long since ceased to be greedy for official career and officialdom, and just wants to travel around freely.Fearing that after the farewell, there will be a huge crowd, and they will lose each other's news, so the two made an appointment to come here to burn incense and worship together every year on the anniversary of the third brother's death. If the other party did not show up, the agreement will continue until the next year's death.

After Chen Liudao left, Shen Si stayed with his mentor Mr. Masukura for a few days.The mentor is getting old and lacks energy, and he no longer teaches his disciples in person, but his habit of going up the mountain to find the old abbot to play chess has never changed.Supporting the master and walking slowly along the forest path, Shen Si couldn't help but think of the horse race that he accidentally saw when he climbed the wall many years ago. It was the first time he saw Wei You, and it was also the first time he saw King Jin Unfortunately, Wei You was so conspicuous at that time that he completely ignored the existence of King Jin.If he and King Jin had known each other since then, what would it be like now?Thinking about it, a smile appeared on the corner of Shen Si's mouth. You must know that when you were 12 years old, you were a dark-skinned wild boy who jumped up and down. Love at first sight, special liking...

The master and the disciple stood at the open place in the middle of the mountain, and the sound of chanting sutras could be heard loudly. The mountain gate of Xixin Temple was hidden in a school of greenery, and Master Mingguang had already been waiting there.Mr. Zeng Cang took a hard breath for a while, and he didn't forget to ask him with his pensive ears: "Xiao Wuer, you hozen have something on your mind!"

In the eyes of his mentor, Shen Si is still that mischievous child who gets into trouble everywhere, which makes Shen Si feel very relieved.Naturally, he couldn't say clearly that he was thinking about King Jin, so he pointed to the unknown wild flowers on the side of the road: "When I went up the mountain a few days ago, these flowers had just bloomed, and after only a few days, they were almost gone."

The old benefactor held his long beard in his hand and said with a loud smile: "Life is so fast, so you can't afford to be wasted. Since you have other distractions, Xiao Wu, you should go down the mountain earlier. My old man doesn't need anyone to accompany him."

Looking thoughtfully at Master Mingguang, the old abbot next to him who lost all his front teeth, he bowed reverently: "Master, why did someone kill my relatives? I can't wait to eat their flesh and drink their blood. Why did someone kill my relatives? But I don't have the slightest bit of hatred?"

The old abbot bowed back: "The benefactors and the grievances are all karmic obstacles in the previous life, let go of everything, and do whatever you like."

Shen Si asked the old abbot curiously: "If instead of hating that person, I fell in love with him, would it be a serious crime?"

The old abbot replied unhurriedly: "A person is in the world, in the midst of love and desire, he lives and dies alone, comes and goes alone, he should travel to the most interesting place, a place of joy and sorrow, he should take care of himself, and there is no substitute for him."

Seeing that he seemed to understand but didn't understand, the old abbot grinned, his teeth leaked, and he said in a mysterious way: "But Xiao Wu, you have to remember that a person who loves and desires is like a torch. If you go against the wind, you will burn your hands." ,Hahaha……"

Due to inconvenient transportation and no news, living in the mountains for more than a month, Shen Si was almost isolated from the world.It wasn't until the first day of the next month that a distant visitor came to the mountain to offer incense, that he heard all kinds of rumors about the war in Jinyuan from the other party.

This time going north, Weiyou, the king of Xiangfan County, first sent the Liu brothers who were the vanguards to attack Zezhou, and then headed straight for Shanzhou after a false shot.Shanzhou is the main commercial route connecting the Jinyuan and the hinterland of the Central Plains. It is based on Xiaoshan Pass in the east, Tongguan and Qinchuan in the west, two lakes in the south, and the Yellow River as a natural barrier. heavily armed.According to the normal law, it was supposed to pretend to attack Shanzhou, but Zezhou was actually set as the target. Wei You did the opposite, and caught the Jin army by surprise.It was heard that Wei You's army of one million crossed the Yellow River with lightning speed and stormed Jiezhou. The two armies fought fiercely outside the city of Jiezhou for days and nights, and suffered heavy losses.In the end, a fire broke out in the city, and the fire spread for dozens of miles, burning down several surrounding mountains and forests...

It was a night of contemplation, tossing and turning, and getting up with clothes on, one person crossed the Yupai River by moonlight, climbed to the top of the red cliff, stood on the edge of the rock and looked northwest, with thick clouds surging in his heart.He seemed to see thick smoke billowing, scorched earth everywhere, the sky was dark, he seemed to smell the pungent smell of blood and the smell of flesh being roasted by fire, he seemed to hear the startled neighing of war horses and the painful wailing of soldiers.

In the past, he liked to fight, eager to fight against powerful enemies face to face, even every time he galloped on the battlefield on horseback, he couldn't stop his blood boiling with excitement.But following the tragic death of his father and brother, and King Jin's rise of troops, he was gradually filled with confusion and hesitation.

At this very moment, the two most important people to him are fighting desperately, and they are likely to lose both. In the end, no matter who wins or loses in this war, those ordinary people who cannot even leave their names will always be sacrificed. soldiers.In front of him, in Jinyuan, which he couldn't see, there were countless unavoidable deaths about to happen.The emergence of this war is inseparable from him anyway. He is like a person holding a torch high and walking against the wind. He did not destroy himself, but caused all those innocent people to be burned.

Shen Si couldn't stay any longer, not even for a moment, he urgently needed to go to the battlefield thousands of miles away to do something...

It was the midsummer night in the seventh year of Xuanzheng. A light rain washed away the smoke and fog that had lingered on the battlefield for a long time. The dry and scorched tree trunks were washed moist and soft, exuding the unique strong aroma of old wood.

King Jin stepped out of the big tent alone, walked through the camp through the deep and shallow puddles, stood beside the wooden fence, raised his eyebrows and watched the brightly lit camp of officers and soldiers in the distance, thinking hard about the strategy to deal with the enemy.

The Jin army and the enemy have been in a stalemate for dozens of days at the border of Jiezhou, and they have already lost their troops and will be exhausted.There is a huge disparity in the strength of the two sides, and it is not easy to survive until now.The tens of thousands of soldiers and horses led by Zhan Shitai were still stationed in Zezhou City not far from here, but King Jin did not dare to mobilize them lightly. After all, Wei You's army was said to be in the millions. He is still rich enough to deal with himself, but once Zhan Shitai's soldiers and horses are withdrawn, Zezhou will be an empty city.

At first Wei You pretended to attack Zezhou, but the spearhead was directed at Shanzhou, and King Jin was not unaware.The Jin army was short of troops, and there was no chance of winning in a head-to-head confrontation with the opponent, so he used a series of tricks, preparing to repeat the old trick, first luring the enemy to go deep, and then waiting for work.

He first set up the first checkpoint on the bank of the Yellow River. The soldiers on the bank seemed to be numerous and brave, beating drums, shaking the sky and waving flags, but in fact they were all just bluffing and dispersed as soon as they charged.After the enemy's vanguard successfully crossed the river, he ordered people to launch a surprise attack from the waterway to disrupt the opponent's speed and prolong the front.

Because of the superiority in numbers, the king of Jin expected that the morale of the officers and soldiers would be better after they landed, and most likely he would attack Xiezhou City with all his might under the leadership of the vanguard officers.And Jiezhou is the second checkpoint laid down by King Jin.Zhuge Kongming could set fire to Xinye County to fight against Cao Jun, why couldn't he do the same to burn the state city?Just like the banks of the river, this place seems to be well-fortified and indestructible, but in fact, the people have already been evacuated. Several secret tunnels have been excavated in the city, and there are several red-clothed cannons hidden outside the city gate. The army immediately withdrew, and then came to catch the turtle in the urn and draw the salary from the bottom of the pot, teaching him to collapse without fighting if his vitality was seriously injured.

Everything was proceeding in an orderly manner as King Jin had expected. The officers and soldiers first forcibly crossed the Yellow River, and then led by two young generals from the Liu family to the city of Jiezhou non-stop. Perhaps because of the victory in the first battle, the morale of the whole army was like a rainbow. He didn't pay attention to this small city at all.After several days of fierce fighting, the south gate was broken, and the Jin army swarmed out from the north gate, while Liu's pioneers rushed in without any suspicion.

But when the Jin army was lying in ambush waiting for the main force of the officers and soldiers to enter the city, waiting for an opportunity to start the artillery fire, the city of Xiezhou suddenly ignited a fire in advance. Except for the thousands of vanguard battalions led by the Liu family brothers who were in deep flames, most of the remaining troops All are safe and sound.

The long-planned plan to defeat the enemy has just failed, and after all his hard work was wasted, King Jin was so furious that he immediately ordered the generals who were responsible for launching the fire attack to be tied up in front of the tent, and he wanted to deal with it according to the military law.But those generals swore to the sky one after another, claiming that they never disobeyed orders and acted rashly, let alone revealed that they were not the ones who set off the fire.

King Jin is not a violent and bloodthirsty person. His years of military service have made him a good habit. The more critical the situation is, the more he can think calmly.He has repeatedly interrogated the relevant people and confirmed that his subordinates have not committed any malfeasance, so the only one who has the opportunity to set fire is the enemy himself.

This time Wei You's army of one million is different from Gu Mingzhen's last time. Gu's army has lived in the capital for a long time, and they are pampered and neglected in battle.And Wei You's soldiers and horses are mostly the old troops of his father-in-law, General Liu. They have strict military discipline and experience in many battles. It is absolutely impossible for them to make stupid mistakes like misigniting the fire source.

After thinking about it, someone deliberately released a truth that was about to come out.

Somebody had already seen through his plot, took this opportunity to eradicate dissidents without anyone noticing, and then put the blame on King Jin. This person... can only be Wei You!Never go wrong!

Speaking of the reason, although Wei You has the name of the commander-in-chief, all the generals in the battalion are "surnamed" Liu. I am afraid that few people really believe in him. In terms of prestige and qualifications, he may even be two It's not as good as a young brother-in-law.Or maybe, the reason why Old General Liu put his two nephews in the army was because he was worried that his family would dominate, so he specially used people he trusted to supervise and control him. Now that both of the Liu family's pioneers are dead, he can take power and rest easy .Furthermore, there is a saying in the art of war, arrogant soldiers will be defeated, mourning soldiers will win, and millions of troops will pass through the state aggressively all the way, and they will never pay attention to Jinyuan, who is a tiny place, so why not give yourself a warning and polish it? With the vigor of these sergeants, it will be easier to give orders later.My brother died tragically, and this account was charged to King Jin and the Jin army. Who didn't have red eyes during the war and wanted revenge?Wei You's move is really beautiful, and he can kill three birds with one stone. He is worthy of being Mr. Zeng Cang's personal disciple.

I still remember that day when the fire burned half of the sky red, thick smoke billowed and covered the sky, and the air within a few feet of the city wall was scorched so hot that it was impossible to get close.Those soldiers trapped in the city with no way to escape were finally forced to the top of the city by the fire. They had no way to survive and had no hope of calling for help, so they had to jump down covered in flames. As a result, their brains were burst, or they rolled and struggled until they were caught. Burned alive into a mummy, wailing bursts inside and outside the city, all the spectators were terrified.

King Jin had to admit that he had underestimated this nephew before. Wei You was by no means a poor wretch who would only lower his brows and be pleasing to the eye in front of the emperor. The prerequisite is enough "ruthless".

The only good thing is that Shen Si is not here, nor does he know what happened here...

When King Jin was in awe, sparks suddenly flickered from the starting point on the originally dark road, and the flames gathered more and more, connecting them into one piece, like a speeding long snake, heading straight for the Jin army's camp.

There was a sharp whistling sound from the watchtower, and the sentry yelled loudly: "The enemy soldiers are attacking! The enemy soldiers are attacking!"

This is already the third raid launched today. The millions of officers and soldiers can take turns to rest in batches, but the Jin army can only go all out every time.The barriers that had been defeated by officers and soldiers during the day had not yet had time to be repaired, and it was at midnight that people were exhausted. No one knew whether they could survive this wave of attacks.

Fear is like a plague. Once it breeds, it will spread rapidly in everyone's heart and it is difficult to get rid of it.The assembled formation looked messy and impetuous, and the officer's lectures were no longer so crisp and forceful, replaced by obvious hoarseness and exhaustion.Faced with this situation, King Jin had no choice but to order his attendants loudly: "Change your clothes! Prepare your horse! Get my king's sword!"

At this moment, the best way to boost the morale of the army is for him to go into battle in person.The guards also knew that this move was a last resort, so no one spoke out to dissuade them, and they all followed Jin Wang's side with [-] points of energy, so as to keep their prince safe.

The sound of horseshoes from far to near is like a thunderclap rumbling through the air.