Chapter 168

The food and fodder arrived as promised.

Tang Yisu hurried as fast as he could and finally delivered the food and fodder safely.

The road was really slippery due to the rain, and a small cart of grain really overturned. The delay due to the rain was real, and the deliberate delay was also real.

The arrival of food and fodder quickly solved the border defenders' food problem.

The originally tense atmosphere instantly became relaxed and happy when the soldiers saw the food and fodder being safely transported into the city.

Qu Dubian also checked it and only after confirming that everything was correct did he have the food and fodder put away.

Seeing the soldiers' happy faces, he also felt better. He waved his hand cheerfully and said, "Additional meal tonight!"

I ate so frugally in the past few days, but now I can eat as much as I want for one meal.

The soldiers transporting the food cheered: "Thank you, General!"

"The general is generous!"

"Is that so generous?" Qu Dubian said happily, "Next time we go deep into the grassland, we will seize all the cattle and sheep from the people in northern Xinjiang and eat meat every meal."

The soldiers laughed.

Ye Lianyang ran over from the front, holding a small cloth bag in his hand, "Your Highness, there is also this, which Lord Tang gave you before he left, saying that it was sent by Bai from Xianghe County."

Qu Dubian opened the small cloth bag and took a look.

It is the seed of the Cangyan flower.

The little black ball looks round and cute.

Qu Dubian stroked the small cloth bag, recalling the memory of the people seeing him off when he was in Le'an County.

Ye Lianyang asked curiously: "Your Highness, what is this? Can I eat it?"

"What are you eating?" Qu Duanbian said speechlessly and tapped his forehead.

Behind this seed is the meaning of their fighting on the battlefield.

Cangyan did not require any special care. Qu Dubian rode out of the city, found a hill with water, and planted the seeds.

I don’t know if the scorching sun and cold wind at the border can make these flowers that only bloom in the Xianghe water town sprout.

He glanced back at the hill.

Maybe one day, the barren mountains on the northern border will be covered with vibrant blue flowers.

-

late at night.

Qu Dubian sat at the table, crossed his hands and rested them on his chin, staring at the brush on the table, and said:

"Liuliu, use the dark web to check these two people."

B12 appears: "Who?"

Qu Watanabe: "First, Tang Yisu, I want to know who he is loyal to. Second, Cui Rong, this... just find out as much as you can, don't force it."

He didn't want to be emperor, but he needed to know who was behind the war and who was holding him back.

The poison will not really hurt him, and he can endure it temporarily for the sake of his family. Although it is chilling to see brothers fighting for imperial power and killing each other, it is not difficult to understand since he is in the royal family.

However, a qualified crown prince can be ruthless and combative, but he should not threaten the lives of border soldiers.

The man who came up with the idea of ​​withholding the frontier troops' rations and forage to force him to take poison -

You must not ascend the throne.

Otherwise, even if he retired due to illness, he probably wouldn't be able to rest in peace.

Second brother, fourth brother, fifth brother, and sixth brother.

These people flashed through his mind, and Qu Dubian thought through all of them. Surprisingly, he found that his intuitive feeling was that only his fourth brother would ascend the throne would make him feel most at ease.

Unfortunately, Fourth Brother was just like him and had no idea.

After a while, Qu Dubian finally realized that his thoughts about calculating his own interests were no different from those of other princes' factions.

He sighed slightly in his heart.

B12: "Our dark web has not penetrated deeply into the official system. Tang Yisu is the deputy envoy of water transport, and his turnover is frequent. I'm afraid it's not easy to investigate."

He was somewhat confused.

Having been with His Highness for many years, he knew everyone His Highness knew very well and was certain that His Highness had never had any contact with Cui Rong before, let alone Tang Yisu.

We just met once, but suddenly they wanted to investigate. Was it because of the food and grass? But the food and grass had already been delivered.

Qu Duanbian thought: "Let's check his relationship with the Water Transport Commissioner and his background."

B12: "Understood. Cui Rong seems to have gone to the village of Shanming Pass. I will have someone track him down."

"Well, but this matter needs to be kept absolutely confidential to avoid alerting the enemy. The fewer people involved, the better." Qu Duan frowned for a few seconds and said, "...When I return to Beijing, I may have changed a little, causing unnecessary worry."

Yi Twelve was slightly stunned.

"change?"

"Then you will..."

Qu Dubian whispered in his ear for a while.

-

Yi Twelve went out of town to check news and he would go out from time to time, so he was often not seen.

While waiting for news from Zhennan Pass, Qu Du assembled the three-bow crossbow and installed movable wheels underneath.

Xia went to Yang to train the army and prepare gunpowder.

Half a month later.

The natural abyss connecting Nanning and northern Xinjiang ignited the smoke of attack.

Zhennan Pass.

The junction of Northern Xinjiang and Nanning.

Thousands of artificial transport chains were made of ropes and wires, and the flames clinging to them were madly devouring the ropes made of human lives.

The burning flames fell into the abyss like a rain of fire falling from the sky.

Xu Tingfeng shook off the blood beads on the sword and reined in his horse, standing at the edge of the cliff.

He stared at the other side of the river. It was actually very far away and he couldn't see clearly from here.

The sound of fighting behind me was deafening.

This destruction of the road is crucial to the battle situation.

As long as the war in the northern border can end quickly, Zhennan Pass will also calm down.

I hope everything goes well for my nephew and Xia Fuyang.

-

Northern Xinjiang Station.

"Your Majesty!"

The soldier who brought the message came running over, "Your Majesty, it's bad! The rope of the natural moat has broken!"

Jizhigla's eyelids twitched.

"The Great Zhou soldiers have already penetrated deep into the grassland and reached the natural moat?"

Soldier: "No, it was the Great Zhou soldiers from Zhennan Pass who cut off our weapons supply from Nanning! They were very fast, it seems they knew the location of the natural moat long ago."

Jizhigla couldn't help but said: "This is impossible!"

The location of the natural moat is very secretive. Even if the Great Zhou wants to cut it off from Zhennan Pass, it will have to take the trouble to find it.

Once they grope, they will be exposed and Nanning will definitely be on guard.

But, how could the Great Zhou know the location of the natural chasm so early? !

-

Near the natural chasm.

Because the rope connection was burned, the Northern Frontier soldiers originally stationed here quickly evacuated.

Zhiyi and others, who had made great contributions by revealing the location of the natural barrier, were afraid of being discovered, so they hid like little gophers for three whole days, becoming extremely embarrassed.

They came out only when they could no longer hear the soldiers' shouts and the sound of horses' hooves.

Very timid, but steady.

Zhiyi's eyes were solemn: "They have all gone back, the natural barrier has been destroyed, and the final battle between Northern Frontier and Great Zhou is about to begin."

A goshawk flew across the sky and dropped the feather it was holding in its beak to the ground.

Xie Lishan picked it up and looked at it. After a moment, he smiled and said, "This is written by His Highness for you."

Zhiyi came over instantly: "What did Xiaoqi write?"

Xie Lishan translated for her, and it was actually just one sentence.

"Be safe, sister, I'll pick you up when I come."

Zhiyi rubbed her eyes hard and put the feather away carefully.

"We can't stay here forever," she asked Agumuduo, "Where did you move Aunt Xiang's tomb to? Do you remember?"

Agumuda nodded and said, "We only had time to take the queen's body away. According to custom, we burned it to ashes and buried it in a remote place."

Zhiyi: "Let's go there."

-

Zhongyi City.

The troops are ready to go.

Qu Dubian was wearing armor and standing on the city wall with Xia Fuyang.

“It’s time.”

Xia Fuyang: "Finally here."

Qu Dubian: "We two killed the Right Wise King. Let's see who can catch the Left Wise King and Jirigela first."

"good."

Xia Fuyang raised his lips and smiled, gripping his spear tightly.

"Soldiers!"

"The cattle and sheep of the northern border are waiting for us. Are you willing to follow me and the Seventh Prince to make military achievements? Grab the cattle and sheep!"

The soldiers on the border have been gathering their strength and are ready to take action.

"Make military achievements! Steal cattle and sheep!"

The war between Northern Xinjiang and Great Zhou broke out in full swing.

After the stored gunpowder was blocked by the shield accumulated by Northern Frontier during this period, Northern Frontier's momentum grew.

When the two armies were fighting in the river valley, Jizhigla came out in person to challenge them.

He rode on the horse, controlled the reins, moved left and right, and shouted:

"You killed my Northern Frontier Right Sage King. Do you dare to charge into the battle line and kill me now?"

"You little boy who was raised on horse urine, are you afraid of me now? Come out!"

Qu Dubian was in the center of the army. He sighed when he heard the sound and felt pity for the ancient people's vocabulary for cursing.

Who would be stimulated by this level?

He showed his big white teeth and shouted back with a smile: "I'm not going out. If you have the guts, come and hit me!"

Xia Fuyang echoed, "Yes, if you have the guts, come here by yourself! Don't be like a pug who is anxious to see his master!"

The Great Zhou soldiers laughed.

Qu Watanabe: "But if you really miss me, I will reluctantly give you a gift."

He clapped his hands.

On the chariot, the drummer received the signal and began to beat the war drums rhythmically.

The Great Zhou army began to change instantly. The soldiers in the front made way and revealed the weapons behind them.

This is a three-bow crossbow.

The range of a large crossbow is one kilometer, and it requires the joint efforts of twenty to thirty people to launch it.

It can be a siege weapon, or a war booster in large-scale battles, a nightmare for shields.

Each three-bow crossbow was wrapped like an iron barrel, which protected both the weapon and the shooter inside.

At first glance, it looks like a moving monster.

Jizhigla squinted his eyes and looked into the distance, "What is that thing?"

He once again had a bad feeling in his heart.

Ye Lianyang, who was in charge of firing the crossbow, issued an order: "Get ready--"

The sound of gears turning was heard and the bowstring was tightened to the extreme.

Ye Lianyang: “Release!”

The sharp and cold arrow tip broke through the air. The arrow was about three meters long and as thick as an adult's fist. In a moment, it flew in front of the shield-holding soldiers in the northern border, and then -

Bang!

The first soldier's shield was shot through directly, and the force of the impact was so great that more than ten soldiers behind him were knocked away.

Jizhigla's pupils suddenly shrank, and he shouted sternly: "Hold on! Defend!"

The war drums of the Great Zhou Dynasty sound again.

The charge horn sounded.

Qu Dubian and Xia Fuyang looked at each other, and just before they separated to lead their troops, they punched each other at the same time.

"Come back and eat roast duck together."

"As you command, Your Highness."

…

In the summer of the twenty-fourth year of Chongzhao, early September.

The war between the Great Zhou and the Northern Frontier broke out in full swing. The Seventh Prince Qu Dubian and General Xia Fuyang of Anbei attacked the enemy together, besieged the river valley, and won.

In the summer of the twenty-fourth year of Chongzhao, at the end of September.

A cool breeze blows in the northern border and the weather turns cold.

In January, the northern frontier army retreated a hundred miles, and Jirigela submitted a letter of surrender, expressing his willingness to remarry the princess of the Great Zhou or send a hostage back to Zhou to form a hundred-year alliance.

The seventh prince tore up the letter of surrender in public. Three days later, Emperor Chongzhao also issued an imperial edict refusing to surrender, angrily scolding and denouncing Jirigela for his shamelessness.

October, autumn of the twenty-fourth year of Chongzhao.

The pro-war royal court in the northern border was in internal strife and fell apart. Jirigela and Zuoxian King led their troops to flee.

The two main generals of the Great Zhou Dynasty separated and pursued him, intending to capture the king.