Minister

176 [The second year of Zhenglong]

All Wei Chi's painful and sad memories are gathered in the snowy season, from her abandoned baby to all the loneliest time in her youth.When she saw the snow-covered land, she couldn't help feeling that this kind of affection was an inescapable entanglement.

The wrong decision is not a simple mistake, and the capital is almost about to fall.Looking at the snow falling outside the window, Wei Chi stood in the shadow of the tall walls of the imperial palace, his heart was frozen as hard as a city wall.Even if Yu Mian tried his best to defend it, Lin Yanhu would explain it for himself, but this is an inescapable responsibility.The brilliance of Feng Yi seems to be gone, what he showed is the judgment ability of an incompetent general.who's that person?He is orderly deploying troops in the trenches outside the city?These questions made me exhausted.Wei Chi let out a breath with difficulty, and the white mist floated mockingly in front of him, always refusing to dissipate.Wei Chi fanned them away impatiently, the chaotic breath did not dissipate, but he saw Mao Yixuan standing in front of him.

Mao Yixuan's expression was also very ugly.

The two of them faced each other in silence, and the atmosphere was extremely quiet.

"Go back first," Wei Chi said after staying for a long time.

Mao Yixuan nodded with difficulty: "What about you?"

"I'll stay for a while." Wei Chi folded his arms and forced a smile: "I still have to find a way."

Mao Yixuan went back, watching his background gradually disappear into the distance, blending with the palace wall of Fengxue.Wei Chi stomped her feet, she didn't believe that she could figure out a way at this moment, but she had no home to return to, her home was just a house.She could only wander aimlessly along the long palace wall, the icy wind and snow hit her face, frustration, panic, and anxiety made Wei Chi exhausted.The roar of those artillery fires is still in my ears, and it is even more piercing in this silent surrounding.

If Wang Yunyi was in front of him at this moment, Wei Chi felt that he would collapse and admit that he was just a general who could guard a small city in the palm of his hand, without great talent.

Everyone thinks too much, and I also think too much.

But if there is no if, no matter how I know myself, there is no one to clean up the current mess, no Wang Yunyi, no Geng Zhuqiu, and no Du Ran.

I want to go home.

Wei Chi, who was cold and tired, raised his head with a wry smile, and the long snowfall seemed to stop melting on his cold face.

"Wei... my lord?"

"Ok?"

"Master Wei!"

"En!" Wei Chi shook his head and tried to wake up.

"Master Wei!"

Before he knew it, it was already night, and the light of the lantern in front of him made Wei Chi unable to open his eyes.

"you are?"

This is the corridor connecting the outer dynasty and the inner court. On that day, Chen Yuxiang sent Wei Chi away from the back, and waited in the small garden where Wei Chi had experienced that thrilling experience until the crown prince ascended the throne.Today, the capital is in danger, and the previous court's discussions were in a mess. Chen Yuxiang was restless and came here again.She wanted to seek a little peace of mind, but saw the person who made her feel at ease leaning against the wall decadently, buried by heavy snow into a snowman.

"Help Master Wei up!" Chen Yuxiang thought Wei Chi had frozen to death.

Wuliu, the eunuch at the side, rushed to help.

"Princess," Wei Chi hurriedly took two steps: "Don't worry too much, I just got obsessed with thinking about things."

This is obviously not an over worry, Chen Yuxiang temporarily forgot about the crisis in the capital: "Hurry up and help Mr. Wei to the room, and order some warm soup by the way."

It was the same garden, and the gallery could be seen from the window. The room was not big, because the palace was saving money, so they could only ask people to use a brazier to keep warm.Wei Chi held the ginger soup and took a sip. It wasn't warm, but the hot feeling made her want to cry.

"I lost my temper." Wei Chi tried hard to stabilize his emotions, and smiled apologetically.

Seeing that Wei Chi's face was gradually flushing, Chen Yuxiang breathed a sigh of relief: "Master Wei, I'm too tired."

"The princess should be called Master Chen Wei."

Although he is no longer Master Wei.

"it is good."

I really hope nothing has changed.

"What books has the princess been reading recently?"

Chen Yuxiang looked at the reddish flame lightly: "Master Wei still remembers "Miscellaneous Notes on Daqingshan"?"

This is the book that I promised to write together with Chen Yuxiang many years ago. Although the two people have different status and are thousands of miles apart, they both encountered this book and used this little note to fill up the missing fun of childhood. One person read half of it.When Wei Chi heard the name of this book from Chen Yuxiang for the first time, Wei Chi almost wanted to become friends with her.Time has passed, and Wei Chi couldn't help but feel warm when he heard the name of this book at this moment.

"The princess is still thinking about this book."

Ever since he was dismissed from the position of giving lectures to the prince, it was basically impossible for the two to meet each other, so Wei Chi could only put the manuscripts he had sorted out at the bottom of the box.

"What kind of mountain is Daqingshan? The stories inside and outside the mountain are so different. The same person is like two different worlds. I can't let go of the half you know."

In fact, "Miscellaneous Notes on Daqingshan" has only two stories, one outside the mountain and one inside the mountain.Wei Chiwo accompanied the protagonist through the thrills and changes outside the mountain in the corner of the academy, while Chen Yuxiang read the grievances and hatreds in the mountain before her book case.This is a fragmented volume, part of which was lost in the countryside of Shu, and part of which went from Nanjing to the capital after the war of the previous dynasty.

The only memory they have in common is the story of the protagonist climbing from the outside to the inside of the mountain.

"If he hadn't met that fox at that fork, he should have gone to the capital to take the exam and become an official."

It's not a vixen-like character, but a real fox that acts as a symbol that splits the book in two.And the person who left him didn't know what kind of coincidence separated the book from here, so that the world of Daqingshan was on one side.

The protagonist is a wise man who has experienced such adventures outside the mountains and seen all the cunning in the world. How could he be deceived by a fox?

However, Chen Yuxiang saw that he had deceived the fox and sneaked into the world inside the mountain with the insidiousness of a human being.

But as to whether to leave or stay, the author of this book did not give a clear ending.

The heavy snow stopped, and the Forbidden City came to a standstill in extreme silence.Chen Yuxiang pushed open the window, and a gust of cold wind came in.

There was a bright moon in the sky, Wei Chi looked at the bright moon and her back outside the window.

Chen Yuxiang was not as heavy-hearted as she was: "I think Master Wei will be able to defend the capital. Others may not believe it, but I believe it."

"A person who believes that he will leave Daqingshan will definitely be able to persist to the end."

"War is not like what the princess thinks, you can succeed by believing." Wei Chi felt that it was difficult for him to be infected by her emotions. Although he was very grateful for her relief, he could only tell the truth.

"I know," Chen Yuxiang leaned against the window, smiling lightly, "If the capital really falls, I will still support Master Wei, and I will never regret it."

"I actually don't deserve your trust like this."

"Today the cabinet proposed to me, asking if the inner court would like to retreat to Nanzhili."

Wei Chi looked at Chen Yuxiang in surprise, she didn't expect the cabinet to make a decision so quickly.

"I refused, I believe in you." Chen Yuxiang sighed unknowingly: "I have spent so many years inside this high wall, and even my own mother has never truly believed in it. It is really sad. Very sad. Fortunately, I am really lucky to have met Master Wei."

The harsh accusations in the quarrel just now seemed to be warmed by these words, and Wei Chi felt his eye circles turn red: "I am actually very cowardly sometimes."

"Yes!" Chen Yuxiang smiled: "Master Wei is very weak now, not at all like he was on the horse..."

Immediately... like?

Seeing Wei Chi's dazed expression, although Chen Yuxiang expected it, there was still a tingle in his heart.

That smile is too extravagant, did you squander yourself too much?

After many days of exhaustion, Wei Chi dozed off unpreparedly in a chair, the flickering charcoal fire in the room couldn't reflect the exquisite and gorgeous decoration.Chen Yuxiang watched him from the window, and suddenly felt that he was far away from the palace, like in a small town in the south of the Yangtze River, or in a remote mountain village.And the cloak in my hand seems to wrap him up so naturally. If there is a peaceful morning, I can watch him wake up yawning here. Is this the future I want?

early morning.

The Monan people outside the city had already deployed their troops, but the people in the capital didn't know all of this, and they were still operating in an orderly manner.All the members of the cabinet were present. Facing such a critical situation, they had no choice but to rationally ask the royal family to prepare for the southward move as soon as possible.

At this moment Yu Mian hesitated, he did not approve of moving south, because the only outcome of such a high-risk move would be a disastrous defeat for the capital, but if he did not agree, the capital would still be doomed.

As a representative of the royal family, Chen Yuxiang faced the ministers face to face for the first time. In this situation, she could only obey the opinions of the majority.

"I have an idea." Wei Chi stood up calmly.

you?

As the focus of criticism the day before, everyone looked at Wei Chi in surprise.

"Okay, Master Wei, needless to say." Faced with this situation, Yang Shenyun was furious. He really didn't want to hear Wei Chi's other suggestions.

Yu Mian was also surprised, but he still tried his best to comfort Elder Yang Ge: "It's not the time to care about gains and losses, so we should ask Mr. Wei to explain."

"I don't recommend moving to the south," Wei Chi said half a sentence, and Yang Ge beat the case.

"Wait," the eldest princess who had been sitting in the curtain was not loud but firm: "Master Wei, please speak."

Wei Chi suppressed the cold sweat on his palms, and briefly stated his thoughts.

After hearing Wei Chi's strategy, Lin Yanhu couldn't help feeling doubts in his heart—this was too desperate!Wei Chi's military achievements in Fengyi and his abilities are indeed true, but from his wrong judgment before, it can be seen that he does not have the ability to lead such a large-scale war.In other words, his age and qualifications are not enough to help him respond quickly in such a complex and changeable situation.What's more, the opponent this time is quite powerful!

Everyone present did not speak, and almost everyone thought the same.

This young man in his 20s, this academician, this person who has only fought one tough battle, can he really become the protagonist of this war?

No one could believe it.

"I agree with Lord Wei's idea." Chen Yuxiang replied calmly, as if deciding on a trivial matter.

"His Royal Highness!" Elder Yang Ge almost forgot to understand: "Your Highness cannot put the entire dynasty in danger! Even if it is,"

"You don't need to say more, Mr. Yang Ge," Chen Yuxiang interrupted him: "I can't give orders on military and state affairs, but the affairs in the palace are indeed under the jurisdiction of my palace. When the enemy army besieged the city, the officials and people in the capital did not abandon the Chen family. , now that a catastrophe is approaching, the Chen family has absolutely no reason to abandon it in order to survive."

"But!"

"Is there any other way now?"

I couldn't see the expression of the person behind the gauze curtain, but it didn't seem like a 21-year-old girl could say anything.

After careful consideration, Yu Mian decided to support the eldest princess' decision.

When the sun was setting, Yu Mian stood on the city wall, looked at the various siege equipment erected outside the north gate, and solemnly handed the soldier talisman into Wei Chi's hands: "Go ahead and do it."

The cold cast copper is heavy, and the safety of hundreds of thousands of people is on its shoulders.Wei Chi wanted to let go and do it, but he couldn't relax.She hid in a corner, took out her pocket watch, and watched the hands go by little by little.The tick-tock made her fingers tremble.

Confidence, come back soon!

When the pointer overlapped the number, Wei Chi closed his eyes and stood up—come on!Monan!

At this moment, Zuzi was not in the Liutong trench. He restrained his joy and quickly regained his composure.Before launching a full-scale attack, he had one more thing to confirm: Is there any other way to prevent his army from fighting this huge city head-on?

Faced with such a war situation, how many royal families would choose to escape from the palace?At least the royal family in Monan had such a plan.Back then when the Qi army was still far away from the capital, wasn't the eldest princess planning to flee?What's more, the situation in the Central Plains is so similar to the situation in Monan back then!The former King of Monan wanted to escape because he was afraid of Votore, leaving a way out.Is it possible that today's little emperor will not be afraid of King Qin and save his own life?

So Chiefs immediately asked the troops to start installing huge siege vehicles at the north gate to put enough pressure on the defenders at the head of the city.But his true strength is lurking in the four corners of the capital, observing every move of the capital.If he could catch the escaped little emperor, use it to threaten the capital to surrender, and even use this to restrain Qi King Qin and that Wang Yunyi, wouldn't this be the sweetest ending?

But the cunning defenders will use all their wisdom to cover the royal family's escape from the capital. All they have to do is raise a hundred cautions and give them a heavy blow in a more cunning way.Now he is facing the same difficulties as the Qi army. The city wall stretching for hundreds of miles not only brought a huge burden to the defenders, but also brought great trouble to the Monan army who was patrolling outside.In order to prevent the Qi army from raiding the north gate to recapture the Liutong trench, Zuzi deployed almost all his infantry in it.As for the 10,000+ cavalry, some of them have to return to Fang Pingjin, and the soldiers he can really deploy are only tens of thousands.Facing the four gates of the capital city and the countless villages outside the city, he had to make an accurate judgment as soon as possible.

In the evening, the artillery deployed by the Qi army began to fire from the north gate to the Liutong trench.The six-way trench had excellent cover and did not cause any real damage, but Zuzi smelled something strange. He deployed all the people in his hand to pay close attention to the movements of the four gates.

The south gate directly leads to Nanzhili, which can be said to be the best choice, but this choice is too direct.The east gate is a waterway. Basically, if you walk by the waterway, it is difficult to have a support person and it is easy to be found.Beimen is too risky, and Ximen seems to be lacking in character.

Less than an hour after the shelling started, it was gradually getting dark. As expected by Muzi, a group of people ran out of the south gate. The number may be twenty or thirty, and they were quickly dispersed by the patrolling soldiers. No one was caught, but Zuzi felt that this was just a temptation by the Qi army.Because there were not many valuable things found in the intercepted carriage, the preparation of the carriage was sloppy, and it did not look like a deliberate escape.Zuzi painted a stroke on the south gate, and when he was secretly happy, an urgent report was sent from the waterway at the east gate, saying that a small boat had been intercepted. When the water boat from Monan approached, the boat caught fire.Before Muzi came, he was in a hurry to draw a line on the east gate. The west gate and the north gate had almost the same situation. Hundreds of people ran out, and they were quickly dispersed. His own people intercepted the empty carriage. .

Dukaer was also very puzzled: "Isn't it cheating? Are you so sure that they will assist the royal family to escape?"

"They have no other choice," Emirates frowned. "The royal family is of no benefit to guarding the city, and if the royal family is captured, the whole situation will tend to be passive. Qi is powerful, not in a state of subjugation, and they will not Taking such a big risk to risk the life of the emperor. Even if the royal family flees, they can still hide the situation from the people in the city. According to their deployment in previous wars, their commanders should have this ability. Now we have to think What they want is to block the little emperor of Qi in front of them, don't be confused by their tricks."

After four weird attempts, the four gates of the capital returned to tranquility, as if they were just playing around, and the entire battlefield seemed to be taking a short break.

Until Shen Shi, a group of light cavalry with tens of thousands of people suddenly rushed out of the south gate.

A full 1 people!This is something Kuzi never thought of!The thousands of people he deployed were all defeated in an instant, and the mighty cavalry group surged towards the south!

Dukaer was surprised and shouted: "Their total strength is only tens of thousands, and they will use 1 to escort the royal family to escape!"

Qi State is ready to give up the capital!

If you dare not enter to block the 1 cavalry, with their combat effectiveness, they can break out of the encirclement and directly reach the corresponding city.

"Wait!" Zuzi spread out the map: "Don't worry! Although the south gate is the nearest road, the terrain is flat. It will take at least a full day's journey for them to reach the outer periphery. If we arrange a pursuit, we are fully capable of annihilating these people. "

The Monan Army quickly assembled 5 of the 3 people stationed outside the city. These people were also light cavalry, but although the cavalry equipment of Monan was not good, the speed was first-class, and they could catch up with these people.

In the flat southern suburbs, Muzi had already sent someone to conduct a comprehensive investigation. He was confident that this was a pursuit, a very pure pursuit. When his light cavalry set off, what he had to do was to sit in the camp and watch closely. Other doors to ensure that Qi Bing will not come up with new tricks to make another surprise attack.

When this team of 3 people pursued the Qi army to a place called Liuqiao Town, they were surprised to find that the 1 people disappeared, disappeared on this plain.

The leader of the army instinctively felt uneasy—ambush?Impossible, a whole 1 people, how to ambush here?

This is an ambush!

When everyone was still wondering, the gun rang out, and the lights of countless firecrackers flickered in the dark field.The loud noise and flames made the horses panic and bewildered, and the leader of the army felt that there was a more important thing to do before finding out where these people were lying in ambush.

"Send someone to inform the general quickly!!! Quick!"

Plains, plains occupied by the enemy, an impossible ambush, yes, this is Wei Chi's strategy.

The few raids in the evening were not a temptation to pretend to flee at all. Those who bravely left the city were selected Jinyiwei and Hebeiwei. What they had to do was to bring tools and run out of the city together with engineers who were proficient in fortifications. , meet at the pre-selected Liuqiao Town, and according to the established arrangement, use three hours to build a temporary ambush for Mao Yixuan's [-] cavalry.

If Zuzi still remembered the number of people who fled here and there, he would find that it was 500 people after a simple addition.

500 people happened to be an establishment of Qi Gongbing.

And Mao Yixuan's team does not have his imaginary little emperor. What these 1 people have to do is not to flee, but to attack!

Standing on the wall of the south gate in full armor, Wei Chi saw artillery fire from the direction of Liuqiao Town in the distance. Wei Chi raised the corner of his mouth slightly: This is just the beginning.