"Master, take a rest! We have been on horseback for several days and nights. You must take care of yourself." Han Jing looked at Han Che, who was rushing in the front, sitting upright on horseback, and his posture was always upright. He couldn't help but feel distressed. Seeing that the sky was gradually getting darker, he hurriedly advised.
Hearing the sound, Han Che looked up at the sky and saw that the originally fiery red sunset had gradually faded and was quickly being shrouded by a dim light. Only then did he realize that it was getting late.
Han Che looked around and saw a simple teahouse not far away. He nodded to Han Jing and said, "Let's rest for a while in the teahouse ahead before continuing on our journey. We can also take this opportunity to get some food. It's wartime now, and there are few inns along the way. I'm afraid it won't be easy to find a teahouse next time."
After he finished speaking, Han Che raised his right hand slightly, whipped the horse with the whip in his hand, and the horse he was sitting on instantly rushed towards the teahouse.
Seeing this, Han Jing and others no longer hesitated and quickly caught up with Han Che as he accelerated.
The teahouse was extremely simple, with only a sunshade canopy and a few crudely made tables and chairs placed beneath it. A closer look revealed a thick layer of dust on the tabletops, which made Han Jing frown subtly. He was about to speak out to stop Han Che from entering the teahouse, but he noticed that Han Che had already stepped in and sat down.
Seeing Han Che sit down nonchalantly, everyone stopped talking and sat around him.
"Dear guests, please take a seat!" An old man was sitting behind the stove in the teahouse, lighting a fire. Upon seeing guests enter, he immediately stood up, took the teapot beside him, walked to the table, poured tea for everyone, and greeted them warmly, "What would you like to eat? Little Second Brother's teahouse only has some tea and steamed buns."
Hearing this, Han Jing frowned again, turned his gaze to Han Che, and advised: "Why don't we go a little further, maybe we can come across a post station."
Hearing the meaning behind Han Jing's words, the old man smiled nonchalantly and then said, "Your Excellency probably doesn't know that there are no post stations within a hundred miles. Now that the three kings have gathered in Jincheng in the north, all the city gates have been closed. The people inside can't leave, and the people outside can't enter. You won't be able to find another teahouse. If it weren't for the fact that the second son has been setting up a stall here all his life and couldn't bear to give up this piece of land, he would have fled long ago."
As he spoke, the old man poured hot tea for everyone, then turned around and took out the hot steamed buns from the steamer and placed them on the table.
Little did they know that the news he revealed in his casual chat shocked everyone. They all looked shocked. No one had expected such a big commotion to happen in such a short time.
"Old man, why are the three kings gathered in Jincheng? Could something serious have happened there?" A solemn expression crossed Han Che's handsome face, and his question was tinged with caution. Deep down, he was secretly annoyed that he had been so busy traveling that he hadn't had time to gather news from all over Western Chu. If he hadn't suddenly decided to stop by the teahouse today, he's afraid they wouldn't have known about this major event in Western Chu.
The old man saw the young man in front of him, dressed neatly and appropriately. While not particularly fancy, the fabric was certainly not something commoners could afford. He also saw Han Che's refined appearance, yet he exuded an air of inherent nobility, and his deep concern for national affairs. The old man's heart began to falter, and he could only shake his head. "I don't know. Master, please enjoy your meal. I'll go light the fire."
After saying that, the old man put the last plate of steamed buns on the table, then turned around and went back to the kitchen, no longer caring about what was happening outside.
"Master, what do you think about this?" Han Jing glanced at the old man who was seriously making a fire, then turned to look at Han Che and asked in a very low voice.
Han Che's brows furrowed slightly, his eyes solemn as he stared down at the steamed bun in his hand, only a bite taken, as if pondering the whole matter. Seeing this, Han Jing didn't dare to say anything more, fearing that he might mislead Han Che and ruin the whole thing.
"If it's really as the old man said, then we have to change our route." After a while, Han Che spoke in a low voice, his tone full of caution and care. It was obvious that he made the decision after careful consideration.
Hearing this, Han Jing didn't think twice and said, "But what if this is a trap?"
The world is in chaos right now. How could there even be a teahouse in this desolate wilderness? What if this is a trap set by Prince Chen or Prince Hai? Wouldn't the young master be walking into their own trap? Thinking of this, Han Jing couldn't help but break into a cold sweat. He quickly put down the teacup in his hand, not daring to drink from it.
Hearing the worry in Han Jing's words, Han Che smiled coldly, then took a long breath and spoke slowly, "Could the situation be worse than now? Marching and fighting are half strength and half luck. Let's take a gamble. Father, you lead half of the people to Chaocheng as planned, and the remaining half will follow me to Jincheng. I will also collect information along the way to distinguish true from false."
"No, if the three kings really gather in Jincheng, it will definitely be a place of trouble. It is too dangerous. Let me go. Master, you should go to Chaocheng according to the original plan. After all, there is the King of Chu's army there, which will definitely protect you." Han Jing did not expect Han Che to make such an arrangement. He immediately refuted it, and his words were full of care.
But Han Che was determined and didn't allow Han Jing to waste time arguing. He took out a silver ingot from his sleeve and placed it on the table. Then he stood up and said firmly, "Just do as I say. There are some things I must explain to the King of Chu in person. As for the matter of the imperial city, I'll leave it to my father!"
Seeing Han Che's firm attitude, Han Jing had to swallow the words that were about to come out of his throat. There was deep worry in his eyes, but he could only nod silently.
Jiangnan and Tongzhou city.
There was a solemn atmosphere in the Tongzhou government office at this time. All the generals sitting in the government office looked at Bai Wuhen who was sitting on the first seat, waiting for his words.
"General, we secretly supported Prince Hai with 100,000 troops, but they were all wiped out by Qi Jingyuan and Han Shaomian. Who will fill the vacancy of these 100,000 troops for us?" Thinking of the hundreds of thousands of troops stationed by Prince Chen in the Jiangnan area, a lieutenant general could not help but ask Bai Wuhen, with some anxiety in his voice.
Losing a hundred thousand elite soldiers and generals for no reason would be heartbreaking for anyone. Moreover, with powerful enemies surrounding them, they were truly unable to sleep or eat.
Bai Wuhen, who was sitting in the first seat, frowned slightly when he heard this, but his eyes remained calm, as if he was thinking of other solutions.
"Report!" At this moment, an urgent messenger carrying a letter from 800 miles away hurried into the yamen. He knelt on one knee in front of Bai Wuhen, who was sitting at the head of the table. At the same time, he took off the letter from his back, held it high in both hands, and said loudly: "General, an urgent letter from 800 miles away to the capital."
Bai Wuhen's personal guard was about to step forward to take the letter, but he found that Bai Wuhen stood up even faster. In the blink of an eye, he had walked in front of the messenger, took the letter wrapped in blue satin in his hand and began to examine it carefully.
Seeing this situation, everyone understood that Bai Wuhen was patiently waiting for Neptune's orders.
However, after reading the letter, Bai Wuhen's expression did not relax at all, but became even more solemn. He was afraid that the content of the letter was not optimistic.
"General..." The generals were unsure of what orders the prince had given, so they could only speak tentatively.
Bai Wuhen heard the worry in everyone's voices and sighed deeply in his heart, but his expression brightened slightly. He closed the letter with one hand and then spoke, "The prince has set off for Jincheng. Our mission is to defend all the cities in Jiangnan."
"General, let me be frank. We have lost 100,000 troops this time, which is really a heavy blow to our vitality. How to defend the cities in the south of the Yangtze River is probably a serious problem." The lieutenant general who had just spoken spoke again, and it was obvious that he was not optimistic about the current situation.
When the others heard him speak, they also spoke out to express their opinions, all expressing the difficulties they faced in dealing with King Chen's army.
"We occupy a prime geographical location, which is easy to defend but difficult to attack. It is not difficult to defend the city. Although the Sea King's army has deployed 400,000 troops in Jincheng, the King of Chen has deployed 500,000 troops. I'm afraid that the King of Chen has also withdrawn a lot of troops from the Jiangnan military camp to Jincheng. So don't panic, as long as we keep calm and defend the city gate, we will be invincible." Bai Wuhen analyzed the current deployment of the two armies, and at the same time encouraged the generals.
After he finished speaking, he looked away, raised his hand to let everyone leave, and led the messenger into the inner hall. He then asked in a deep voice, "Is this an order from the prince himself?"
The messenger naturally understood what Bai Wuhen was asking. He nodded carefully and replied, "The prince has ordered people to find the man's hiding place and ordered the general to deal with him secretly."
After hearing the messenger's reply, Bai Wuhen remained silent for a long time. Although he didn't know why the prince issued this order, Bai Wuhen had a vague feeling that this was closely related to the death of the prince and the capture of the prince.
"This is where that person is hiding. General, please arrange for manpower as soon as possible." Seeing that Bai Wuhen had not yet expressed his opinion, the messenger first stuffed the note hidden in his sleeve into Bai Wuhen's hand.
Bai Wuhen looked up at the messenger, then turned his gaze to the note in his hand, memorized the address written on it, and nodded after thinking for a while.
As night fell and the wind howled, the farmyard was completely silent, but from inside the house, a quarrel could be heard...
"No, I must go to Jincheng. She is trapped in Jincheng, how can I just sit there and watch?" Rong Yunhe slammed his hand on the table, his usually calm eyes filled with countless worries and anxieties, and he made this request without further explanation.
The secret guards heard this and became anxious. They hurriedly advised, "The prince has already rushed to Jincheng. He will definitely rescue the princess!"
Although they recognized Rong Yunhe's affection for the princess, Yun Qianmeng was still the Princess of Chu, a fact that could never be changed in a lifetime. The secret guards were unwilling to pierce this veil and let Rong Yunhe face embarrassment.
Rong Yunhe is also a very smart person. How could he not understand the meaning behind the secret guard's words?
He knew in his heart that Chu Feiyang was there, so he could rest assured. Even though he had been cold and indifferent in the past, he was still anxious when he heard that a million-strong army had besieged Yun Qianmeng in Jincheng for many days. Even though he knew his strength was limited, he still wanted to rush to Jincheng.
Thinking about all these things, Rong Yunhe gradually calmed down, with a hint of sadness in his half-closed eyes. He wanted to do something for her, but he was powerless.
"Huh!" At this moment, the secret guard quickly moved to the candlestick and blew out the candle. Then he quickly returned to Rong Yunhe's side and held the sword behind him to protect Rong Yunhe.
When Rong Yunhe saw this, he immediately realized that there was an intruder. He no longer cared about the issue they had just argued about. He drew his sword and concentrated his attention on the situation around him.
The two of them quietly moved to the back of the door and looked out through the crack. They saw a crowd of people outside the fence of the farmyard, as if they were looking at the situation inside the yard.
"Don't worry, Master Rong. There are secret guards guarding this courtyard inside and outside. We will definitely not let anything happen to you." The secret guard comforted Rong Yunhe in a very low voice.
However, as the crowd outside the courtyard grew larger and larger, the guards' brows furrowed. They feared the enemy was determined to kill them, otherwise why would they send so many? The farmyard was already completely surrounded. This would likely be another tough battle.
Just as he was thinking about how to help Rong Yunhe escape, he heard the sound of fighting outside...
"Clatter..." I thought the bungalow was safe for the time being, but someone had already secretly climbed onto the roof. I only heard the sound of rubble being trampled and falling into the house. Dozens of black figures floated down from the roof, swords raised, and attacked Rong Yunhe...
The secret guard immediately put his thoughts aside, protecting Rong Yunhe in a blind spot while raising his sword to meet the attacking killer. The two sides immediately engaged in a fight.
"Boom..." Unexpectedly, the other party was so determined that they smashed the walls on all four sides with huge rocks...
Rong Yunhe and the secret guard were unable to dodge and were hit by the collapsed wall. They escaped in the rubble and dust, but they were also covered in wounds.
Not only were the two men covered in dust and dirt, their clothes were all torn by the collapsed walls, their backs and arms were severely injured, and blood had soaked through their winter cotton robes and spilled on the yellow ground.
"Let's go..." The secret guard took a deep breath, reached out and grabbed Rong Yunhe's arm, and led him into the yard...
"Kill without mercy!" At this moment, a low voice sounded amid the sound of fighting.
'Swish, swish, swish...' Countless arrows shot towards the two of them the moment they escaped from the house.
"Mr. Rong, be careful!" The secret guard reacted quickly and took Rong Yunhe to hide beside a ruin that had not collapsed yet. He sandwiched Rong Yunhe between himself and the ruins, and raised his sword to shoot away the arrows.
The secret guards scattered around wanted to come to support, but they were shot to death by arrows before they could get close. For a moment, corpses were scattered all over the courtyard, and the smell of blood filled the air, making people sick.
"Puff..." Outnumbered, the secret guard gradually lost strength and slowed down his movements. In an instant, the shoulder was pierced by the sharp arrow, and blood gushed out instantly, splashing all over Rong Yunhe's head and body...
Rong Yunhe was furious. Seeing that the secret guard who had blocked his attack was seriously injured, he quickly reached out and pulled him behind him, then raised his sword to block in front of him...
"Mr. Rong, be careful!" The secret guard breathed heavily while warning Rong Yunhe of the enemy's attack. At the same time, he observed the situation on all sides, trying to help Rong Yunhe break through the situation surrounded by powerful enemies. Otherwise, the longer the time was delayed, the smaller the chance of their survival would be.
With a crisp sound of "Kacha...", Rong Yunhe's upright body suddenly swayed, and the speed of his sword swinging instantly slowed down...
But the opponent's arrow shooting speed not only did not slow down, but became even faster...
"Be careful..." Seeing this, the secret guard turned around and instantly exchanged places with Rong Yunhe...
'Puchi...' The sound of countless arrows piercing through the body echoed in the small courtyard where only arrows were flying through the air.
Rong Yunhe looked at the secret guard who swore to protect him, his heart turned cold, and his eyes were icy. Just as he was about to raise his sword to avenge the secret guard, a gloomy voice came to his ears, "Shoot!"
'Swish, swish, swish...' The sound of arrows became even stronger as they broke through the air, but it was the killer's body that was pierced through. Countless screams rang out one after another, and countless bodies fell before his eyes.
Rong Yunhe supported the body of the secret guard with one hand, endured the severe pain in his left arm and looked forward, and found that it was Qi Jingyuan on horseback leading the troops standing outside the courtyard...
"How are you doing now, sister?" After burying all the sacrificed secret guards, Rong Yunhe set off for the north with Qi Jingyuan. Stubbornly unwilling to ride in a carriage, Rong Yunhe held the reins with one hand and asked Qi Jingyuan beside her.
"Very good!" Qi Jingyuan's words were always concise and to the point, but when talking to Rong Rong's younger brother, his tone was a little softer, less impatient and sinister than before.
Rong Yunhe glanced sideways at Qi Jingyuan, who was always paying attention to the road ahead, and stopped talking. But thinking of the secret guards who died to protect him, Rong Yunhe's mood became a little depressed. After experiencing death firsthand, Rong Yunhe cherished the people around him even more.
Qi Jingyuan noticed Rong Yunhe's reluctance to show his depressed mood. He knew that he was Rong Rong's most concerned brother. After thinking for a while, he slowly said, "The reason I brought you to the north this time is..."
In the outermost camp of the King of Chu.
Qi Jingyuan led his army to Chu Feiyang's camp, threw the tied-up Hai Chenxi in front of Chu Feiyang, and said coldly, "Chu Feiyang, I hand him over to you. We are even now."
Chu Feiyang was discussing a battle plan with several generals when Qi Jingyuan suddenly barged in. Not only did he leave Hai Chenxi in front of him, but he also had the injured Rong Yunhe beside him. Chu Feiyang couldn't help but frown slightly and paused the discussion. He smiled at Qi Jingyuan and said, "Thank you very much, Your Highness. However, I have another matter that I would like to ask for your help."
As he spoke, Chu Feiyang nodded to Xi Lin, indicating that Xi Lin should take Hai Chenxi away and take care of him.
Xi Lin understood and immediately stepped forward to pull up Hai Chenxi who was lying on the ground and took him out.
Qi Jingyuan saw Chu Feiyang clear the room in an instant, knowing that he must have something important to say, so he sat down without any hesitation, poured himself a cup of tea, and then spoke, "What is it? I don't want to interfere in the affairs of Xi Chu. If it weren't for revenge for Rong'er, do you think I would wade into this mess?"
After hearing Qi Jingyuan's words, Chu Feiyang just smiled and said nothing. He placed the brush upside down on the table and tapped it a few times before saying, "For the Crown Prince, this is not a difficult task. You also know that the Sea King and the Chen King both have ambitions to become emperors. If I want to win this battle, I need time and I need to hide my weaknesses. Besides, the Crown Prince wants Miss Rong to live openly in Northern Qi, so I will probably need the help of Western Chu in the future. If the Crown Prince doesn't do something, I'm afraid Miss Rong will suffer in the future."
How could Qi Jingyuan, such a smart person, not understand the meaning of Chu Feiyang's words?
But after listening to Chu Feiyang's words, Qi Jingyuan's brows furrowed tightly. He looked at Chu Feiyang with a reluctant look in his eyes. After a while, he slowly spoke, "This weakness refers to Yun Qianmeng? You want me to take Yun Qianmeng back to Northern Qi temporarily so that you don't have to worry about the future? However, based on my understanding of Yun Qianmeng, she will definitely not agree to leave you at this time. Besides, what does this have to do with Rong'er?"
Hearing Qi Jingyuan's words, it seemed that he was trying to shirk his responsibility. Rong Yunhe, who was standing by, couldn't help but feel anxious and looked up at Chu Feiyang.
Chu Feiyang shook his head, his expression firm and his tone affirmative as he denied Qi Jingyuan's analysis, "No, Meng'er will agree."
"Chu Feiyang, when it comes to calculating people's hearts, I'm afraid there is no one in this world who is more powerful than you!" After a while, Qi Jingyuan said this with hatred.
Hearing this, Chu Feiyang just smiled helplessly...
After that, the two stopped talking, each thinking about their own things.
However, Qi Jingyuan didn't turn around and leave immediately. He had already told Chu Feiyang his answer. Qi Jingyuan would probably stay for a while, and after Chu Feiyang rescued Yun Qianmeng, he would take Yun Qianmeng back to Northern Qi.
Seeing this, Rong Yunhe knew that now was not the best time to ask about Yun Qianmeng's situation. After all, when it comes to anxiety, who in the world could be more anxious than Chu Feiyang?
Thinking of this, Rong Yunhe once again looked at Chu Feiyang who was analyzing the battle situation with his head down, then stood up and left the tent silently.
Chu Feiyang raised his head after everyone left, his eyes shimmering with deep emotion. He immediately called Xi Lin, who was guarding outside the tent, in and said, "Go check what Qi Jingyuan wants to do!"
But unexpectedly, that night, an unexpected person came to the military camp.
Chu Feiyang looked at Han Che who suddenly appeared in front of him, and couldn't help feeling a little surprised.
After all, Han Che has not appeared since he followed Prince Chen to the imperial mausoleum five months ago.
Being able to see him today was indeed beyond Chu Feiyang's expectation. He didn't expect that Han Che was not only alive, but could also find Jincheng and himself. He was really someone who should not be underestimated.
Now when I see Han Che again, there is a hint of depth in his appearance. His eyes are still clear, but with a sharper light.
Judging from Han Che's clothing and complexion, he has not been abused in the past few months.
Chu Feiyang withdrew his gaze from Han Che, a faint smile flickering in his obsidian-like eyes. He asked calmly, "At this point, Han Xiang still doesn't intend to reveal his true identity?"
As soon as these words came out, Han Che's originally calm face couldn't help but show a hint of surprise. But then he thought, I'm afraid there is nothing in this world that can be hidden from Chu Feiyang.
For a moment, Han Che's slightly impetuous mood suddenly calmed down. He looked at Chu Feiyang's eyes sincerely, which were full of wisdom, and slowly spoke...
－－－－－－Digression－－－－－－
Today is the last day of update. From February 22nd to February 28th, I will take a week off to code the finale!
On March 1st, Ning'er will upload the finale!
Thank you all for your support and encouragement over the years. Ning'er will give you the most perfect ending!