The refugees received the steamed buns and dispersed.

Lu Chen walked into the commander's tent holding a bowl of hot steamed buns and porridge.

He put the food on the table and then said, "Your Highness, the meal is ready."

Hearing this, Xiao Jingzhou put down the pen in his hand, walked aside to wash his hands, and then sat down.

He picked up the bowl, took a sip of porridge and asked, "How is it?"

Lu Chen said: "I found out."

"Two hundred thousand troops left in batches and moved around the outskirts of Beijing."

“The people near the capital originally had some surplus food, but it was also plundered by Uncle Zhang.

The euphemism is to pay taxes for the coming year. ”

When talking about this, he got angry: "It's really strange. I've never seen tax collection in advance. This is no different from robbery."

...

...

Xiao Jingzhou slowly raised his head, and Lu Chen realized that he had misspoken.

Lu Chen said: "I heard from the refugees that the garrison troops in the suburbs of Beijing have all gone to the valley 20 miles away from the capital."

"The refugees thought the garrison would not leave, so they bravely came to look for things. Unexpectedly, they met His Highness and his troops."

Xiao Jingzhou quickly finished his meal and summoned Lu Heng to discuss matters.

The three of them walked to the desk and looked through the large landscape map.

Soon, they found the location of the valley on the map.

Lu Heng: "Although it is a valley, the terrain is open and easy to defend but difficult to attack."

"Your Highness, I'm afraid this battle will be difficult to fight."

Thinking about the letter left by Master Lu, Lu Chen couldn't help but sigh, "It would be great if we could find the tiger talisman."

Lu Heng shook his head: "What if we find the tiger talisman? What if the generals who followed your majesty back then rebelled?"

Lu Chen's face froze. He had some vague idea in his mind, but he didn't dare to think about it too much, and kept hoping for luck.

Now that I think about it, what Lu Heng said is at least 80% close to the truth.

Otherwise, how can we explain that Zhang Guojiu was able to dispatch 200,000 garrison troops?

Xiao Jingzhou stared at the valley and said, "Make preparations for both situations."

He pointed to the valley drawn on the map and said, "Lu Heng, take a group of people and pretend to be refugees tonight to gather information nearby.

Chen Gan will arrive in the capital soon and will come to support you. ”

After receiving the order, Lu Heng left the tent.

It was a quiet night. Xiao Jingzhou sat in front of his desk, tapping it with his right hand, making a "da da da" sound.

He heard the movement coming from the wooden bowl and whispered:

"Yu'er, I want something."

Jiang Zhenyu was curious: "What?"

Xiao Jingzhou said softly: "Jade pendant."

Jade pendant?

Jiang Zhenyu held half a watermelon, curled up on the sofa for a while, and turned off the TV with the remote control.

She put the watermelon on the coffee table, put on her slippers and walked to the study.

"What kind of jade pendant?"

Xiao Jingzhou gave her so many things, and she didn't look at many of them carefully. She only kept the detailed list.

As soon as she closed the door of the study, she heard Xiao Jingzhou's muffled voice.

"When I was on the road to exile, I sent you a jade pendant with my name written on it."

The jade pendant was given to Jiang Zhenyu as a thank you, and he didn't know whether it had been sold.

Thinking of this, Xiao Jingzhou said anxiously: "Yu'er, please find the buyer of that jade pendant and buy it back at three or ten times the price."

Jiang Zhenyu sensed the urgency of the situation: "The jade pendant is still in my hand. What happened?"

Xiao Jingzhou told the letter left by Master Lu.

Jiang Zhenyu sat on the sofa in the study and asked, "Are you sure the jade pendant is the Jade Tiger Talisman?"

Tiger talismans are mostly made of bronze or gold. Jade tiger talismans have also appeared in history, but they are not easy to preserve.

She used her mind to find the jade pendant in space and rubbed the word "Jingzhou" with the tip of her thumb.

Jiang Zhenyu: "This jade pendant is a relic of the late queen, and you have been carrying it with you since you were a child.

It is also possible that it was lost along the way, after all, children just love to play.

What's more, this jade pendant has your name engraved on it.

Isn't this a personal identity? ”

Xiao Jingzhou understood her thoughts. If the jade pendant was not the tiger talisman, once the news got out, Uncle Zhang would probably lead the whole country to search for the whereabouts of the tiger talisman.

By then, he was passive.

Xiao Jingzhou said, "That jade pendant was carved with my father's name when he returned victorious from the battle. My mother had the craftsmen carve it with my name."

Jiang Zhenyu paused as he stroked his hand: "She already found out when the fake emperor brought his troops back to the capital?"

Xiao Jingzhou said in a deep voice: "If I'm not mistaken, this is the fact."

When he first saw his mother's desolate expression, he thought that she was tired of his father and was heartbroken.

Little did she know that she was remembering her lover while also worrying about her young son.

"My mother hid this matter from me, and even my uncle didn't know about it."

"I'm afraid only the Grand Master knows about this."

Jiang Zhenyu let out a short sigh in his heart.

Since Zhang Guojiu dared to bring the fake emperor into the capital, he must have made all the necessary preparations.

The late queen did not dare to tell the general's mansion as she was surrounded by hungry wolves. This was also to prevent Gu Zhenbei from being impulsive and falling into the trap of Uncle Zhang.

In the early days of the founding of Dajing, Uncle Zhang was in control of the political power. It was too easy for him to kill Gu Zhenbei and accuse the General's Mansion of rebellion.

If Gu Zhenbei had not guarded the north for many years and made numerous military achievements, which forced Uncle Zhang to be cautious, the Gu family would probably have ceased to exist long ago.

Jiang Zhenyu said: "Xiao Jingzhou, your mother is very powerful and loves you very much."

After saying that, she handed the jade pendant to Xiao Jingzhou.

When Xiao Jingzhou saw the jade pendant, he smiled knowingly: "I miss her too."

…

The next day, early morning.

Lu Chen brought water to Xiao Jingzhou to wash his face.

He said, "Your Highness, the river water outside the capital is smelly."

"The soldiers were afraid to drink it, fearing that their stomachs would get hurt."

Marching and fighting is no different from other things. If you are not careful, you will be seriously injured by the enemy.

It is not an easy task for 50,000 Zhiyi troops to attack 200,000 garrison troops, and there is no room for mistakes.

Xiao Jingzhou asked: "How is the refugee situation?"

Lu Chen said: "The imperial court has no relief food, and everyone is starving to the point of skin and bones."

"Your Highness, can't we provide disaster relief in advance?"

Xiao Jingzhou shook his head: "It's not the right time yet."

Fifty thousand troops are too few, and disaster relief cannot be accomplished in a short time.

If they infiltrate the garrison, the 50,000 troops will be in danger.

He still has to wait.

Wait until they join up with Chen Lan and take over the capital in one fell swoop.

Xiao Jingzhou finished a mouthful of porridge and said calmly: "Continue to deliver steamed buns to the refugee area at night these days.

Deliver steamed buns to different areas, one place every three days, so that no one can discover the pattern. ”

"Be careful."

Lu Chen responded.

He lowered his head to clean up the dishes and saw the jade pendant on Xiao Jingzhou's waist.

Lu Chen scratched his head and whispered, "I remember giving this jade pendant to the gods. Why is it hanging around your waist now?"

When Lu Chen was halfway through packing his things, he heard Xiao Jingzhou say, "Send someone to leave a mark under the roots of the old tree in Maolin, and ask Lu Heng to come back to the camp."

"yes!"

Before Lu Chen walked out of the tent carrying the tray, he saw Xiao Jingzhou picking up a pen and drawing.

He was a little surprised and thought: His Highness is in such a good mood today that he actually starts painting!