Reincarnation of the powerful minister

In the early morning of late autumn, the chill is refreshing, and the breath turns into fog.

The vegetation on both sides of the road shook frost, and the galloping horseshoes stepped across the road, shaking off the frost on the autumn leaves.

This northward team has been running day and night for more than ten days.The journey was very difficult, but the cavalry of the Xiaoling Guard had no complaints, because they had a mission to escort His Highness the Crown Prince back to the capital safely in the shortest possible time.

The road is not safe.Not long after they set off from Nanjing, the Jinyiwei spies at the back of the palace found someone following them.

Shen Qi speculated that the followers were those Qingzhou troops who were still ungrateful after being beaten back by him.There were few opponents, so they didn't dare to confront them head-on, so they followed behind stealthily like a mouse, looking for a chance to sneak attack.

Zhu Helin, Mei Changxi, Su Yan and Shen Qi's four-member leading group decided to invite you into the urn after deliberation.

So one night after several days of exhausting marching, they pretended to relax their vigilance when they set up camp, luring the other party to attack the camp.

As expected, the other party was fooled, and Kui Ye outflanked and attacked the main tent where the prince was, but was killed in the end, leaving three or four hundred corpses behind and became a bird and beast.

Su Yan was a little shocked: "The Qingzhou army was well-known in Weitu's hands back then. It has been in the northern desert for decades, but now it has this little fighting power? Why do you feel that it is not as good as... the thieves in Shaanxi?"

Shen Qi sneered: "In the hands of people who don't know the goods, no matter how fast a knife is, it will quickly become blunt. What's more, in the past 20 years, the Qingzhou army privately stored by the Wei family is the second or even third generation, and those sent to assassinate the prince Human beings are the elite, and the rest are at this level."

Zhu Helin touched the false imperial edict hidden in his bosom, and the small gold bottle with residual poisoned wine picked up by Shen Qi - he kept these two pieces of evidence all the time, and planned to seek justice from the wronged creditor after returning to Beijing - not only Not only the Wei family, but also the black hand behind the Wei family.

"Don't take it lightly." Mei Changxi reminded, "I'm worried that this group of people may not be the only ones trying to make up my mind."

Su Yan nodded: "That's right. There is a Caohe Ferry five hundred miles ahead. If you still find a follower, you might as well change your clothes and take a waterboat to walk a section of the waterway. After you get rid of the pursuers, you can join the big army."

As a result, the next few days were calm and the team moved quite smoothly. The weather was also beautiful and the weather was always sunny.At this speed, we will be able to reach the capital in another seven or eight days.

When he was about to leave the border of Shandong, a sudden torrential rain poured down from the nine heavens, and the rain whip whipped everything on the earth. Not to mention that people couldn't open their eyes, and even horses couldn't tell the direction.They had no choice but to go to a nearby small county to shelter from the rain.

This small county is located in Dongchang Prefecture in Shandong Province, not far from the prefecture, named Tangyi.

"Dongchang..."

A shoddy map spread out on the table of the teahouse.

Two brothers, Wang Wu and Wang Chen, sat with their legs bent and the other leaned over the edge of the table, burying their heads in studying the map of Shandong Division.

"Dongchang is about [-] miles to the northwest...here, Linqing!" Wang Wu pointed his thick finger on a city by the Caohe River on the map, "Take Linqing first and stop the water transportation. Linqing is along the Caohe River." One of the six major commercial ports in China, there are no less than a thousand grain ships parked there, and if we burn these grain ships, we will be able to deal a severe blow to the dog court's grain transportation and army morale!"

Wang Chen pondered for a while and said, "Brother, I think it's safer to fight Tangyi first, after all, it's a county seat, so it's easy to win. What's more, isn't King Gu's feudal land in Dongchang Prefecture? , You can hit Dongchang as soon as you turn around, and if we kill the emperor's brother, won't it hurt the morale of the dog court even more?"

Wang Wu mocked: "What kind of brother! Do you think the brothers of the royal family are as daring as us? I think the emperor would like to kill all his brothers with his own hands. If you cut down a vassal for him, he has to thank you!"

"...Impossible?" Wang Chen glared at his brother, "Then it's the son of the dragon and the grandson of the dragon, who was slaughtered by us mud legs, how can the emperor take it easy?"

"What muddy legs! We are the rebels, the rebels who do justice for the heavens!" Wang Wu scolded his brother.

This anti-government armed force, which was transformed from Shaanxi thieves and bandits, has close ties with the Liao Crazy Department in Henan, and under the banner of "walking for the sky and reopening chaos", let's not mention the nature of "righteousness" or "righteousness", at least The combat power is still quite strong.

From Henan to the north, after entering the border of Shandong, the rebel army led by the Wang brothers successively conquered Shouzhang, Yanggu and other counties, killing officials and gentry along the way, burning official food, robbing the military storehouse, releasing prisoners, and beating the local guards. Difficult to parry, it can be said that the limelight is in full swing.

When the imperial army came after hearing the news, they relied on their proficiency in riding and shooting, and fought mobile, coming and going suddenly, and once again escaped the encirclement and suppression.

The two brothers led their troops to flee to Dongchang Mansion in Shandong, and had a dispute over which city to attack first.

Not long after, the dispute was resolved with a secret letter bearing the eight-petalled red lotus symbol.

The letter was written by Mr. Crane, telling them a piece of good news that fell from the sky——

Prince Zhu Helin returned to the capital and had just passed Dongchangfu City. According to the route, he might be blocked near the Tangyi by the heavy rain.

"It turns out that the leader of the sect has also arrived in Shandong." Wang Wuxi was overjoyed, "Good! Holding a prince is worth eighty or ninety clan vassals and eight or nine million imperial troops."

Wang Chen wiped his nose triumphantly: "I'll just say it, Tangyi!"

"I wonder if this news is accurate?" Wang Wu calmed down from his overjoyed, "Don't mislead us, you will end up with nothing at all."

Wang Chen carefully identified the red lotus imprint in the corner of the letter paper, and after confirming that it was not a forgery, he said, "When did the leader's supernatural prediction make a mistake? Remember the ballad in the market last year, 'Thunderbolt is a sign of catastrophe', the result is in On the day that the second dragon raised its head in February, explosions occurred in several prefectures at night, and it is said that even an entire square in the capital was smashed into a big hole by the sky lightning. Didn’t the red lotus ballad come true?”

Wang Wu nodded: "Then go to Tangyi first and see if we can catch this prince!"

Overnight in Tangyi.After traveling long distances for many days, his bones were almost shaking, and he could finally sleep on a bed instead of the ground or on the back of a horse. It stands to reason that he should sleep comfortably, but Su Yan tossed and turned.

Unable to fall asleep, he simply put on his clothes and got up, walked through the rainy courtyard with an umbrella, boarded the Bell and Drum Tower next to him, and looked north through the rain curtain.

We will leave when the rain subsides, and we must reach the capital within seven days... Su Yan thought silently, one hand reached out to his chest involuntarily, and pinched the suet jade hanging under his neck through the fabric print.Hibiscus...you have to wait for me, you must wait for me!

"—can't sleep?"

A voice suddenly sounded behind him, mixed with the sound of rain.Su Yan turned her head vigilantly, seeing that it was Shen Qi, she was relieved.

Shen Qi walked over and wrapped the cloak in her hand around him: "It's useless to worry, but do your best and obey the destiny."

Su Yan was a little surprised: "It's really not like what you said."

Shen Qi said: "I will do my best, if the prince can succeed, it will be his fate."

Sure enough, the so-called "obedience to fate" refers to the fate of others.If he put it on himself, according to his temperament, he might not want to fight to the death with Tianming.

Su Yan said this idea with a smile, and Shen Qi also evoked a smile: "A husband is better than a wife."

Taking advantage of the height of the building and the heavy rain, the two couldn't help but want to get closer.Su Yan suddenly suppressed his smile and pointed to the city far away: "Look, Qilang, what is that?"

It was not clear under the rain curtain hanging down to the ground, but the faintly lit sparks on the official road outside the city were not completely extinguished by the rain, like will-o'-the-wisps emerging in the night in the wilderness.

Shen Qi squinted her eyes for a moment, then her expression changed slightly: "It looks like a night march! There are quite a few people."

"March at night? Whose army, it's just such a small broken county..." Su Yan suddenly grabbed Shen Qi's arm, "Warning first! It's better to be a soldier than to be careless."

Shen Qi slapped the bell and pestle behind her with her backhand, the wooden pillar struck the big bronze bell, and the sound shook the night sky——

"Clang! Clang! Clang!"

Mei Changxi woke up from her sleep, rushed out of the room and shouted: "The enemy attack——"

Xiaoling guards are well-trained, and even sleep at night with their clothes on their pillows.Amidst the continuous ringing of bells, the soldiers got on their horses and assembled one after another, waiting in formation.

"Thief your mother, these melon skins!" Outside the county town of Tangyi, a bell could be heard faintly, and Wang Wu couldn't hold back his foul language, "I told you not to light the torches, don't light the torches!"

Wang Chen looked back and said helplessly: "It's raining too much, you can't see your fingers. If the road is bad, don't light a few torches, for fear of falling into a pit."

Wang Wu thought about it, and said, "If you're shocked, you're going to be shocked. A small county town, let alone the Weng City, has uneven walls, so just bulldoze it!"

In the county seat, Prince Zhu Helin wore a waist-length black lacquered iron armor with a square leaf over a scarlet drape, a bright iron helmet with a round top and wide eaves on his head, and a long sword on his waist. Bows and arrows!"

Mei Changxi stopped him and said, "Master, you can't join the army to fight. Stay in the county office first, and wait until dawn to see the battle situation and road conditions."

Zhu Helin said: "Are you looking down on Young Master——"

Before he finished speaking, Su Yan, who was striding down the steps, grabbed the sleeve of his robe.

"Master, it's not fear of war." Su Yan looked up at the prince on horseback, without an umbrella, letting the rain drenched his head and face, "It's that there are priorities, and everyone has their own responsibilities. Xiaolingwei and Jinyiwei My responsibility is to escort and fight, and my responsibility is to rush back to the capital as soon as possible and safely. Young master, think about it!"

He thought that according to the prince's domineering temper, he would have to make a fuss again, but Zhu Helin was only taken aback for a moment, and soon figured it out: "You are right, the young master can only afford to fight for me if he protects himself now." Everyone who fights."

Zhu Helin got off his horse and grabbed Su Yan's wrist: "You also follow me to the county office."

Shen Qi took Jin Yiwei together with Mei Changxi's Xiaoling guard to meet the enemy.Zhu Helin and Su Yan were sitting in the lobby of the county government under the guard of the Eastern Palace guards, looking at the map and listening to the battle reports from outside from time to time.

With more military speculation, the enemy and the battle situation gradually became clear.

"Report—the enemy army is from Henan Liao Crazy."

"Report—correct the identity of the enemy. It is Liao's thief's East Route Army. The leaders, Wang Wu and Wang Chen, are the original Shaanxi bandits."

"After the Wang brothers went to Henan and merged with the Liao bandits, they split up and went north last year to go guerrilla in the Shandong border. At that time, the Ministry of War reported to the court and sent troops to encircle and suppress them." Zhu Helin explained to Su Yan, "Later when I went to Nanjing, I I don't know where they are going."

Some familiar names reminded Su Yan of the pair of thieve brothers he met in Shaanxi.

In the past, the high-five oaths were broken by accidents; now they meet on narrow roads, and it is difficult to tolerate life and death.The so-called fate is really embarrassing.

Su Yan sighed: "The Wang brothers attacked the hall at night, with such a clear goal, they must have come for the prince. It seems that they have finally become thugs of the Vacuum Sect."

...It may not be thugs, it is more likely that each takes what he wants.Su Yan couldn't help thinking of the rebel army led by Emperor Ming Taizu who overthrew the previous dynasty, and the Vacuum Sect who planned to use chickens to lay eggs a hundred years ago.

History is always showing strikingly similar scenes, however—there is a slight difference, but a thousand miles away.

The Wang brothers wanted to copy Taizu's success, but they didn't take advantage of the right time, place and people. They wanted to force the copy, and the final result could only be a complete failure.

Even if I, Su Qinghe, are here today, as long as the prince can arrive in Beijing safely, this country will not be easily overthrown, Su Yan thought firmly.

The sound of the rain outside gradually stopped, and the sound of fighting became clearer...

Its daybreak.

Shen Qi strode into the hall of the county yamen, and there was a lot of blood splattered on her robe when she killed the enemy, but she wasn't injured much.

"How's the battle going?" Zhu Helin asked eagerly, getting up to meet him.

Shen Qi said: "The battle situation is stalemate. The main reason is that the opponent has a large number of people, about 9000 to [-], all cavalry. Tangyi County is too small, and its defense force is meager. If the Xiaoling Guards cannot stop the enemy's attack, they will easily be outflanked .His Royal Highness, let's go!"

"Let's go? How? Leave Mei Zai and Xiaolingwei behind?" Zhu Helin obviously couldn't accept it.

Shen Qi frowned: "It's not that you left them, but that they would rather sacrifice their lives for righteousness in order to let you escape and return to the capital smoothly! This is not only my idea, but also Mei Changxi's!"

Zhu Helin was furious: "I'm not such a coward, use the flesh and blood of three thousand soldiers to pave the way for my return trip!"

Shen Qi replied sadly: "Three thousand flesh and blood are not used to pave the road, are they used to lay the foundation? The Xiaoling Guard is not afraid of death, nor is Jin Yiwei, but they are only afraid that death will be worthless."

Zhu Helin was furious, grabbed the teapot on the table and threw it at him in the air.

Su Yan was taken aback, and quickly stretched out his hand to hold Zhu Helin: "Master! Don't be angry, Mr. He has a murderous look on his face in the war right now. His words are not pleasant, but his intentions are good."

"Does he still see me as a prince in Shen Qi's eyes? Does he still have the dignity of monarchs and ministers?" Zhu Helin said angrily, "Does he dare to speak like that in front of my father? Ask him, do you dare?! Just bully the young master young, huh?"

While comforting him, Su Yan turned her head and gave Shen Qi a wink: "Shen Tongzhi, as a subject, you have nothing to say, why don't you apologize to His Highness the Crown Prince?"

Shen Qi lowered her eyes, clasped her fists in salute, and said in a cold tone: "...I have nothing to say, please forgive me, Your Highness the Crown Prince."

Su Yan said to Zhu Helin again: "Master, he and Mei Zai made this decision for you and for the overall situation. Let him finish his sentence and come up with a plan to see if it works. Stop wasting time on verbal arguments, okay?"

Zhu Helin snorted coldly, Shen Qi didn't speak any more words to provoke each other, at least it pulled both parties back, Su Yan secretly wiped the sweat from his forehead with his sleeve.

Shen Qi said: "Mei Changxi will lead the Xiaoling Guards to hold back the Wang brothers' army, and I will lead the five hundred brocade guards to escort the prince to the northwest to break out of the siege. After walking two hundred miles, we will arrive at Linqing, from there we will board a tank boat and arrive at Disembark after Cangzhou, and then go straight to the capital by land."

Su Yan thought for a while and asked, "Why did you turn overland in Cangzhou instead of going directly to the capital along the Cao River?"

Shen Qi replied: "Because if you continue to walk along the Caohe River, Cangzhou will go through Tianjin. I captured some Qingzhou army prisoners and tortured them before. They were secretly hoarded in Tianjin by the Wei family. Since it is an old nest, there is no guarantee that there will be no remnants. We Avoid it if you can.”

Su Yan suddenly realized, and admired Shen Qi for being thoughtful and sophisticated.

Zhu Helin also eased his anger, and frowned in thought.

Shen Qi added: "Mei Changxi said that after the Xiaoling Guard wins this battle, they will continue to go north to catch up with the Prince's team."

"'After winning this battle'..." Zhu Helin murmured, his eyebrows suddenly relaxed, "The general who fought fiercely and killed the enemy is full of confidence, how can I, as the prince, vent my anger? I have to Trust Xiao Lingwei, trust Mei Zai."

"Also, trust Jin Yiwei." Su Yan nodded to Zhu Helin, "Shen Qi is right, if the prince cannot return to Beijing smoothly, all sacrifices will become meaningless. Young master, you have told me several times that you You have grown up. But being an adult means not only being able to call the shots and fighting wars, but also being able to bear the sacrifices and sacrifices of others for you."

Zhu Helin took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and then opened them quickly—the expression at this moment made Su Yan feel exactly like the emperor, although the two of them didn't look much alike.

"Just go to Linqing and Caohe according to Shen Qi's plan." He made a decision in an instant, "Leave a message to Mei Tsai for me - he must lead his brothers back to the capital alive! Your life!"

Not long after the heavy rain stopped, it started to fall again. Fortunately, it was less rainy than last night.Five hundred royal guards escorted the prince, and they walked silently in the rain.

Two hundred miles away, if you don't spare your horsepower and gallop, you can get there in half a day.But the muddy and slippery road greatly reduced the marching speed.

When they broke out from Tangyi County, the Wang brothers seemed to have discovered their intentions and tried to pursue them, but were blocked by Xiaolingwei time and time again.

Mei Changxi's war robe was full of blood and rain, and wrapped it heavily around his body, but he still raised the tip of the knife again and again to charge into battle.

Under the command of the commanders and envoys who took the lead, in the face of enemies two or three times larger than themselves, none of the Xiaoling guards retreated timidly, and the more they fought, the more courageous they became.

As for the "Rebel Army" led by the Wang Brothers, they have always won the battles with the local guards easily recently, and it is inevitable that they are somewhat arrogant and contemptuous, but now they are getting more and more frightened as they fight.

A cold arrow flew from the side and shot into Mei Changxi's waist.

He hissed and took a breath, and pulled out the arrow with his left hand, bringing out a cloud of blood; his right hand kept moving, and swung the knife to cut another enemy soldier off the horse's back.

The soldiers persuaded: "My lord, go to the rear first to bandage and stop the bleeding. There are low-ranking people here."

Mei Changxi yelled: "What is this little injury? Stop talking nonsense and concentrate on killing the enemy!" While thinking silently in his heart, the crown prince is about to arrive in Linqing under the escort of Jin Yiwei?

The blood sprayed from the enemy's chest splashed on his face, as if covering his vision with a faint red.

Mei Changxi remembered the day when he saw the smoke rising from Zhongshan Mountain.

He dropped his hoe and went home, put on a suit of armor and left home in a hurry, and met Yuan Bin who was drying old sheets in the yard.

The old sheets were also red, like a bride's dowry from many years ago.Because I was afraid of mold in rainy days, I often took it out to wash and dry, so the more I washed it, the older it became, from bright red to light red.

"Captain." He gave a military salute to Yuan Bin, "...the monarch has a call, and I am going to do it now."

Yuan Bin shook the quilt flat with his back to him, and replied without turning his head, "Go."

Looking at the short and thin figure of the old man, his eyes gradually became moist: "Commander, what if... I never come back?"

Yuan Bin said coldly: "Raise soldiers for a thousand days, and use them for a short time. When it is time to sacrifice, you have to sacrifice."

"But if I don't come back, you—"

Yuan Bin was furious: "Then go away and never come back! A man is a real man, loyal and righteous, why are you so timid!"

Mei Changxi was speechless.He took a deep breath, held the handle of the knife, and walked out of the courtyard with his head held high.

After a few steps, he turned back again, walked up to Yuan Bin, knelt down suddenly, and kowtowed three times.Then he raised his face and said resolutely with tears in his eyes: "If I don't come back, you will be the only one left at home. Take care...Grandpa."

Yuan Bin turned around without looking at him, and said in a deep voice, "Let's go, Mei Tsai."

Mei Changxi left.

Yuan Bin turned to look at his back.The wind lifted the old quilt and slapped it on the old man's thin face.

This is the dowry of his daughter, Mei Changxi's mother.Yuan Bin touched the red quilt and murmured: "Amei, you know the truth, bless your son, and forgive your father..."

On the battlefield outside the city of Tangyi, Mei Changxi channeled his true energy, and suddenly roared at the entire army: "Xiaoling Guard—"

"Your Majesty has a call, and I'm going to do it now!" The whole army roared back, and they echoed from a distance, "The Sovereign is in trouble, and I'm going to do justice now!"

"—Xiao Lingwei!"