Chapter 184

Three drum sounds were heard in Guiyang City. The flag of the Yuzhang Army was placed on the high wall of the city gate, and soldiers were waving two flags on the city gate.

Seeing the two flags, Zhou Yi immediately ordered: "The Cavalry Battalion will escort the military doctor into the city immediately."

When two armies are fighting, military doctors are on standby at all times.

The fighting in the city has just ended, so there is still danger.

Yu Ying entered the city with the people from the Cavalry Battalion.

Outside the city, the military doctor was not far away, and she recognized Fu Wei.

Just now she saw Fu Wei and a few others riding into the city, and her heart was moved as time passed.

This book is extremely biased, and she doesn't remember it completely. This battle doesn't seem to be very dangerous, but she is still worried about the brothers Fu Wei and Fu Zhen.

She scanned the area and found Fu Wei, who was helping a soldier stop bleeding. He asked loudly, "Where's the military doctor?"

There was a slight tremor in the voice.

Yu Ying ran over quickly with the medical box. When she saw that the soldier who was stopping the bleeding by Fu Wei was her elder brother, her pupils suddenly shrank and her heart trembled, but she did not stop. She squatted down beside Fu Wei for a long time.

Fu Wei also saw Yu Ying and said, "Brother, you've been wounded in the chest. I've checked and there's no damage to your internal organs, but the wound is too large and the bleeding won't stop."

Yu Ying didn't dare to delay. Following Fu Wei's words, she quickly opened the medical box.

There is no blood transfusion equipment now. If the amount of bleeding is too heavy, even if the wound is sutured, the patient cannot be saved.

Fortunately, Fuwei stopped the bleeding in time. Although the effect was not very good, it avoided a large amount of blood loss.

Other military doctors also immediately went to the seriously injured soldiers, their movements were quick but calm and orderly.

The Yuzhang army entered the city, and some people cleaned up the battlefield and were on guard against the surrendered soldiers.

Another group of people followed Zhou Yi to the government office to deal with matters concerning the common people and the surrendered soldiers.

Fu Wei did not move and was helping Yu Ying.

Two people are always faster than one.

Fu Zhen had many wounds on his body, but fortunately none of them were fatal, just a little difficult to treat.

After bandaging Fu Zhen's wounds, Fu Wei and the soldiers carried his elder brother on a stretcher to a makeshift tent, and then went to the government office.

Yu Ying stayed behind to bandage the other wounded.

This time, the city gate of Guiyang County was opened by the officials. Later, Xing Zhengrong arrived with his men. Not long after the two sides fought, Xing Zhengrong became so crazy that he could not distinguish between friend and foe, so his soldiers naturally turned against him.

Therefore, the casualties were not too heavy and there were enough military doctors.

Zhou Yi kept his promise. After arriving at the government office, he immediately asked someone to cook porridge. Then he went from street to street, beating drums and gongs, saying that he was distributing porridge at the government office.

The people were so hungry that they had to eat dirt. When they heard about the porridge distribution, they didn't care about the enemy or friend army. They just wanted to fill their stomachs, and no one cared about the army.

It was busy until night when things finally quieted down outside.

Fu Wei negotiated with the Guiyang officials for half an hour before going to Zhou Yi to report.

"They put hallucinogenic herbs in Xing Zhengrong's food. The dosage was so small it wouldn't be noticed. They kept doing this for half a month. They also fumigated his clothes with ephedra. The accumulation of this, day and night, would cause him to hallucinate if he became overly excited, unable to distinguish friend from foe."

The most likely thing that could make Xing Zhengrong overly excited is that he would go crazy and kill his own people on the battlefield.

The purpose of drugging Xing Zhengrong was to drive him crazy and kill his own people, so that Guiyang County would surrender without a fight.

But such a strategy, to put it nicely, is to sacrifice a few to preserve the overall situation. But to put it bluntly, it is to wield the knife against one's own people.

After hearing Fu Wei's words, Zhou Yi's face became gloomy, and no one knew what he was thinking.

Fu Wei had followed Zhou Yi for two years and had some understanding of his personality. He also had some idea of ​​what Zhou Yi was thinking at the moment.

He said, "This man's actions were cruel and not entirely fair, but we have to admit that they minimized casualties. With war raging everywhere, the Lang Jiang lacks such talent."

Zhou Yi stood up, walked to the window, looked out at the yard, and said helplessly: "How could I not have thought of what you said?"

In a war-torn situation, it is useless to insist on seeing things in black and white.

Just like when he was exiled to Yu County as the magistrate, he could not be considered upright.

These local clerks are hereditary, and if they turn a blind eye, they will make some money. I am afraid that they will just do their job in a perfunctory manner and just get by.

Thinking of this, Zhou Yi sighed and asked, "What is this person's identity?"

Fu Wei: "I used to be Xing Zhengrong's staff."

Zhou Yi: "Where are they?"

Fu Wei: "Outside."

"Call him in."

After a while, Captain Gu and a middle-aged man in his thirties came in from outside the hall. The man was dressed in a Confucian robe and a black gauze hat, looking like a scholar.

This person's name is Lu Changming.

Unlike Fu Wei who was proficient in both civil and military affairs, this man was purely a scholar.

After paying their respects, Zhou Yi asked, "Why did you give Xing Zhengrong the mad drug?"

Lu Changming bowed his head and replied, "To answer the general, it is for the people and soldiers of Guiyang County."

Zhou Yi's expression was serious: "What do you mean?"

"About half a month ago, General Xing sent a letter to Wuling. The letter said he had hidden a batch of food and supplies. If Wuling County could send reinforcements, he would bring the entire Guiyang army and the food and supplies to surrender to Wuling and offer his services."

"He's so focused on his own selfish desires, completely disregarding the lives of the people in the city. Yet, a group of soldiers are determined to follow him to the death. To prevent further casualties, I have no choice but to resort to this last resort."

Upon hearing this, Captain Gu sneered, "I thought Xing Zhengrong was a loyal general, but in the end, he's just a fraud."

Fu Wei looked at Lu Changming and raised a question: "Why did Xing Zhengrong choose to go to the governor of Wuling County, thousands of miles away, instead of seeking refuge in Yuzhang, outside the city?"

Lu Changming said, "I don't understand this either, but what is certain is that the Wuling County Magistrate and General Xing had previously exchanged letters."

Zhou Yi and Captain Ji both looked at Fu Wei. After all, they were once father and son, so he should know something.

Even Lu Changming followed their gaze and looked at Fu Wei.

On the surface, Yuzhang did not find any relationship between Xing Zhengrong and Huo Shanrong.

Under the gazes of several people, Fu Wei lowered his eyes and thought about the previous interactions between the two.

After a moment, Fu Wei raised his eyes and said, "Huo Shanrong was a soldier in Yuexi County. He was a soldier under my biological father. My father seemed to be a captain at that time. After my father made military achievements, he has been following him ever since."

Even though Huo Shanrong did not allow others to mention the former prefect of Wuling County, Fu Wei still heard some of it.

Later, after learning that his biological father was someone else, he secretly investigated his biological father before being kicked out of the Huo family.

Lu Changming suddenly realized, "Yuexi County has fought against the various tribes of the Western Qiang. Although General Xing did not serve in Yuexi County, he did provide assistance to Yuexi County."

Everyone in the house knew about the rebellion of the Western Qiang tribes.

Several decades ago, the Western Qiang tribes were dissatisfied with being ruled and invaded the border, and were later driven back to Western Qiang.

It was because of this that the prefect Fu made great military achievements and was appointed as the county governor of Wuling.

If the two had met in this battle, it would not be surprising that they knew each other, but the depth of their relationship was unknown.

Zhou Yi pondered for a while and asked, "Who else knows about the drugging?"

Lu Changming lowered his head: "Except for the three adults, there is only me."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Yi looked around at the others with a sullen expression, "You must keep this drugging incident a secret and not reveal a single word to anyone."

The three of them clasped their fists one after another.

"I obey your orders."

"I obey your orders."

After giving the order, Zhou Yi looked at Lu Changming and said, "You have served as an aide in Guiyang for many years and you know the city well. I will let you take charge of the affairs of Guiyang temporarily. The other officials will be under your command."

Lu Changming lowered his head, but without any empty talk, he responded directly: "I obey your command."

Zhou Yi continued, "An hour later, all the officials from Guiyang will come to this main hall to discuss matters."

Captain Ji and Lu Changming left. Zhou Yi breathed a sigh of relief, stood up, and said to Fu Wei, "Take me to see Fu Zhen."

Although Fu Zhen is older, he is only a few years younger than him and is not as easy to train as a teenager, but Zhou Yi still really treats him as a good seedling.

It takes a long time for a teenager to grow up, and in today's turbulent times, we can't wait.

However, Fu Zhen was born with the strength of an ox and a high level of comprehension, so it didn't take long for him to become a powerful general.

Such a brave general is rare. Even if Yuzhang really sits in that position in the future, it will still take some time to pacify the four directions, and naturally he still needs talented people to quell the rebellion.

Fu Wei and Zhou Yi went to the city gate and to Fu Zhen's tent.

At this time, all the wounded in the city have been stitched up. Their injuries are too serious and there is nothing we can do. We can only do our best and leave the rest to fate.

Yu Ying also happened to come over from another tent. The three of them entered the tent together and saw that Fu Zhen was seriously injured and had already woken up.

After checking her eldest brother's injuries, Yu Ying let them talk and left the tent.

The cold wind was howling in Guiyang County, just like Nankang County a few months ago, the bonfire shone on the faces of every soldier.

The joy after today's siege is gone.

Yu Ying gathered the military doctors together and arranged them into three groups to take turns on night watch, with a new group every half an hour.

It was a moment later when Fu Wei came out of Fu Zhen's tent.

Zhou Yi returned to the government office first, and the couple went up to the city wall to talk.

Fu Wei briefly mentioned the matter of Xing Zhengrong and Huo Shanrong.

Upon hearing this, Yu Ying frowned, her face solemn, and she lowered her voice and said, "This Huo Shanrong is even more lingering than I thought. Some things are completely beyond my knowledge, and I have no idea what to do."

This was what she was afraid of at first.

Fu Wei remained silent for a long time, walked to the stone wall of the city, leaned his hands on the wall, and looked into the distance in the direction of Wuling County.

His expression was slightly gloomy, and he said slowly, "Don't worry, sooner or later I will personally pull him down from that high position, bring him to ruin, and then kill him with my own hands."

Yu Ying didn't know where Wuling County was, but she followed his gaze and looked in that direction, remaining silent.

*

The Zhou clan leader of Yuzhang sent a letter asking Zhou Yi's army to rest in Lingnan for a month and then march north after the cold winter in the north.

At the same time, the letter also mentioned the situation in various places.

□□In the past year, forces in various places have gradually taken shape.

Three major forces were formed, led by Yuzhang County, Longxi County, and Pengcheng.

The people of Pengcheng supported a slave who was forced to work as their king and captured Pengcheng, which was the closest to the Eastern Capital among the three major forces away from the imperial city.

I am afraid that after the harsh winter, if there is an alliance between the two sides, one side will withdraw from the competition.

After reading the letter, Zhou Yi called Fu Wei and told him about it.

Fu Wei vaguely guessed something: "The Duke wants to win over Prince Pengcheng?"

Zhou Yi raised his eyebrows and looked at him: "Why do you think it's the Prince of Pengcheng who is being won over, rather than the Duke of Longxi?"

Fu Wei analyzed, "Longxi and Yuzhang are evenly matched in power. If they form an alliance, one side will inevitably compromise. Whoever yields first will eventually depose the King of Pengcheng, and the other factions will align themselves with the one in higher position. At this point, the situation will no longer be evenly matched, but rather a clear winner."

Zhou Yi smiled and said, "What you said does make sense. My father also thinks so. I guess Longxi County also thinks so. So whether it's Yuzhang or Longxi, they all want Pengcheng to submit."

"But King Pengcheng was born a slave and hates the nobles and powerful people. He may not trust us." Zhou Yi said this with a helpless sigh.

Fu Wei pondered for a long time before saying, "Although that's true, the Eastern Capital is now in disarray. If the King of Pengcheng were determined, he could have taken it. But now he's stubbornly defending Pengcheng and hasn't launched his troops towards the Eastern Capital. Is he cautiously taking the Eastern Capital so it's weak and vulnerable to attack from Longxi and Yuzhang? Or does he have no intention of becoming emperor at all?"

Zhou Yi also fell into deep thought, unable to grasp what King Pengcheng was thinking for a moment.

After the two of them pondered for a long time, Zhou Yi spoke first, "Let's not worry about King Pengcheng's intentions for now. Now my father has received a letter, wanting someone to go and find out about King Pengcheng's background."

Fu Wei had vaguely guessed something since Zhou Yi started discussing with him. Now, when he heard him say that he wanted to send someone to investigate, he roughly guessed what Sect Leader Zhou meant.

"Does the Duke want me to go to Pengcheng?"

Zhou Yi nodded. "Father thinks highly of Mr. Fu. He also knows that Fu Zhen previously labored in a quarry for many years, sharing a similar experience with King Peng Cheng. Therefore, he wants you two brothers to join the delegation and go together."

Fu Wei frowned slightly and said, "Brother, given your current health, I'm afraid you'll need to rest for a while."

"Five days." Zhou Yi looked at him and said.

"You can only rest for another five days. Father has given the order, and there is no room for negotiation."

"You can promise everything except that position. Even if he wants to establish himself as king and occupy Pengcheng as a small country, this is the negotiation right given to you by your father."

"If this succeeds, you and your brother will have the power to rival Huo Shanrong in the future."

After hearing Zhou Yi's last words, Fu Wei raised his gaze and looked at him, wondering, "Has Huo Shanrong defected to Yuzhang?"

Zhou Yi nodded with a heavy expression.

This news was unexpected to Fu Wei, but also within his expectations.

Huo Shanrong is such a cunning person.

If he has enough strength, he will become king. If he does not have this strength, he will choose a strong leader to follow, bide his time, and then stab the other side in the back when he has the strength.

"Huo Shanrong has betrayed his master more than once. How can the Duke still trust him?"

Zhou Yi sneered, "But he has the strength. He also knows that if Yuzhang succeeds in the future, he will be guarded against. So when he defected this time, he asked for a life-saving talisman, saying that if the success is achieved, he is willing to hand over military power and serve as an official in the Eastern Capital."

Fu Wei lowered his eyes and remained silent for a while before he bowed and said, "In five days, my brother and I will leave for Pengcheng. I'll leave Liu Niang to you, sir, to take care of her."

Zhou Yi sighed, "Mr. Fu doesn't need to tell me that I also value Madam Yu. Not only me, but even my father repeatedly urged us to protect Madam Yu in his letters."

At this point, Zhou Yi added, "There was also fighting in Yuzhang. Fortunately, thanks to the suturing techniques taught by Madam Yu, the number of soldiers killed from wounds was less than expected. When meritorious service is awarded in the future, Madam Yu will also be credited with a great contribution."

Merit and reward are not what Fu Wei cares about most.

What he cared about was whether he could defeat Huo Shanrong to eliminate future troubles.

He cared more about the safety of his family and Aying.

After leaving the main hall, Fu Wei returned to the courtyard where he was temporarily living.

Lingnan and the other three counties had many things to discuss, so Fu Wei also lived in the government office so that he could be at their disposal at any time.

When I returned to the room, Yu Ying was standing in front of the slightly open window, wondering what she was thinking about.

She vaguely heard some news tonight.

Huo Shanrong of Wuling Commandery seemed to have defected to Yuzhang.

Huo Shanrong, who would have participated in the struggle for supremacy and died in it, actually defected to Yuzhang.

Perhaps, after the Fu family safely survived all the disasters, or perhaps after Fu Wei's legs were healed, the trajectory had already shifted.

Or perhaps it is easier to seize Lingnan and the three counties now than in the novel, and Huo Shanrong's idea of ​​becoming king has also changed accordingly.

No matter which one it is, as long as Yuzhang has established the world, Huo Shanrong will be a meritorious official who has followed the emperor, and it will probably be even more difficult to kill him.

While she was thinking, she was suddenly embraced by someone from behind. She was startled and came to her senses.

When the delicate scent of cedar hit her, she knew it was a hidden danger.

"What are you thinking about?" Fu Wei hugged her, resting his chin on her shoulder, and asked in a low voice.

"I heard that Huo Shanrong went to Yuzhang." She relaxed and leaned against him, her tone slightly solemn.

"I know."

"It will be more difficult to take revenge in the future." Yu Ying became worried.

Fu Wei whispered, "It's not difficult."

"Um?"

Fu Wei explained to her, "I stand on Lord Zhou's side, so Huo Shanrong will definitely support Prince Zhou in the end. We are hostile."

"Prince Zhou and the Duke's wife have always been wary of Lord Zhou, especially now that he has taken over Lingnan, Guiyang, Nankang, and Lingling counties. His achievements are remarkable and command respect. Unless Prince Zhou leads his troops into battle, he will achieve nothing in Yuzhang City. He may not receive the sincere support of the officials in the future. To secure the position of crown prince, they will try every possible means to eliminate Lord Zhou."

Yu Ying understood what he meant and continued, "To protect himself, Lord Zhou will definitely fight with Crown Prince Zhou for that position. The winner will be king, and the loser will be a bandit. If Crown Prince Zhou loses, Huo Shanrong will have nothing to rely on."

But after thinking for a moment, he added, "But that old man is used to doing shameless things. What if he abandons his master and joins Lord Zhou on the way?"

Fu Wei smiled: "He just thinks that even Lord Zhou might not be interested in him."

"A treacherous minister will not serve a wise ruler, and a wise ruler will not serve a treacherous minister. Lord Zhou has the virtue of a wise ruler, and I trust Lord Zhou."

"Indeed, Lord Zhou is a wise leader." Although the novel has gradually deviated from the original, it now seems that the main points have not changed.

If Lord Zhou becomes king, he will definitely be a wise ruler.

Fu Wei understood the hidden meaning in her words, as if she was certain that Lord Zhou could become the king.

He didn't test her on purpose and just pretended not to know.

After hugging each other for a while, and the embrace behind her gradually warming up, Yu Ying asked, "Master Zhou suddenly sent someone to look for you just now. What's the urgent matter?"

Fu Wei was silent for a moment, then slowly said, "I'm going to Pengcheng."

Yu Ying was stunned for a moment, then asked, "When are we going?"

"Five days later, I'll go with my elder brother."

Yu Ying thought of Fu Zhen’s injury and wanted to say something, but then she realized that if there was room for maneuver, Fu Wei would have dealt with it long ago, so why would he let Fu Zhen go with him?

She thought for a moment and said, "After five days of rest, you should be able to recover better. Just make sure you don't get hurt again on the way there. I'll also prepare some medicine for you in case of emergency."

Fu Wei responded softly, "Okay."

She didn't ask too many questions, didn't persuade too much, and didn't feel too sad about the passing of time. She was neither arrogant nor impatient, and always made people feel calm.

"Ah Ying." He called slowly and softly.

Yu Ying turned around, climbed onto his neck, hugged him, and responded softly: "Hmm?"

When they looked into each other's eyes, they both understood what the tenderness and sweetness in each other's eyes meant.

They hadn't had sex for about half a year. Although they had been in the same army for the past few months, it was not the right place or the right time.

Although this is not their home now, they are about to part ways, so they don't have so many taboos.

Fu Wei pushed her against the window, and the kiss with a faint scent of cedar fell upon her, lingering and sad.

Fu Wei put one arm around his wife's waist and closed the slightly open window with the other. He then picked her up and walked towards the bed with steady steps.

The clothes gradually fell to the ground.

They both fell onto the bed, inseparable.