A bonfire was lit in the valley, stretching Xiao Dashan's shadow longer and shorter.
He knelt on the gravel and could almost hear the sound of his Adam's apple rolling.
"Sir, Hezhong Prefecture is still in the hands of the king's teacher."
Before he could finish his words, a sword was already placed at the side of his neck.
The cold air on the blade stung his skin, but Xiao Dashan slammed his forehead heavily to the ground: "General, I'm telling the truth!"
Song Shoujie's fingers paused on the map, and the campfire cast a shadow in his sunken eye sockets.
Is this Xiao Dashan reliable?
Song Shoujie looked at Xiao Dashan suspiciously.
"You didn't bring any dry food, so why is your belly so round? And there's still oil on your mouth?"
The more I look at him, the more suspicious Xiao Dashan seems.
Xiao Dashan's brain was full of money, and he kowtowed and confessed his guilt: "General, spare my life, General, forgive me! I went to Hezhong Prefecture and found out the situation. I was so hungry that I went to the county government to beg for money."
"Go on." He pulled the sword back half an inch.
Xiao Dashan stammered, "I said I was your personal guard, the general, and the officials at the county government immediately treated me well."
"Oh?" Song Shoujie's mouth curled up slightly, then he suppressed it, "And then?"
Xiao Dashan spoke the following words very smoothly: "They are very enthusiastic and admire you very much. They are looking forward to you leading the army to protect Hezhong Prefecture."
Song Shoujie was very satisfied and asked Xiao Dashan to go down and have a good rest for the night. At dawn tomorrow, the entire army would set out for Hezhong Prefecture!
In the morning mist, three hundred soldiers are gathering.
Song Shoujie stood on a stone and encouraged the morale: "Xiao Dashan has already found out that Hezhong Prefecture welcomes the royal division. If we hurry up, we may be able to catch up with breakfast!"
Upon learning that Duke Yun Gu Nanxi was not in Hezhong Prefecture, everyone's expressions relaxed and they quickened their pace, wanting to enter the city as quickly as possible.
By the time the sun had fully risen, Song Shoujie and others could already see the city gate of Hezhong Prefecture from afar.
With a creak, the city gate slowly opened.
The farmers who had been waiting outside the city lined up obediently and allowed themselves to be checked by the soldiers guarding the city.
Song Shoujie did not choose to enter the city rashly, but sent his personal guards to investigate first.
When Xiao Dashan saw this, his heart skipped a beat and a thin layer of cold sweat appeared on his back. He could only pray secretly, hoping that Duke Yun and the others would not be exposed.
The guards took off their armor, changed into brown long sleeves and trousers, chose a secluded place, and joined the team waiting to enter the city.
"Brother, I have a question for you." The guard was wearing ordinary linen clothes and spoke in a northern dialect in a low voice.
There were nine people in the group he stopped.
Two old men, three adult men, and two skinny women with pale faces, each holding a sleeping child in their arms.
There were men and women, young and old, they should be locals.
The leading man protected the old man and the woman behind him and asked cautiously, "What's the matter?"
The guard took a step back tactfully, and then said, "I am a merchant. The leader of the caravan asked me to find out who is in charge of Hezhong Prefecture now?"
Hearing that it was a businessman, the leading man relaxed a little: "Why do you care so much? Anyway, no matter who is in charge, it will not affect your sales."
The guard whispered, "This is different! If it was still the same governor, wouldn't the tribute we prepared be more generous?"
"That's not very clear. How can ordinary people like us care about these things?"
The guard asked, "Has there been any unusual movement in the city in the past few days?"
"No. There are just too many rumors. I heard that Duke Yun is coming to attack us. Alas, the flood has just passed and now we have to face the war. It's really unbearable!"
The people in front of them also sighed: "The price of grain changes every day. I heard that the river is blocked. I don't know when the grain ships will come! Will the price of grain go up to the sky?"
Everyone discussed the matter with sad faces, feeling that this world was too bitter.
The personal guards did not follow him into the city. While no one was paying attention, he left the waiting team and went back to report.
After listening to the report from his personal guards, Song Shoujie confirmed that Gu Nanxi had indeed not come to Hezhong Prefecture, and waved his hand: "Enter the city!"
The sudden arrival of more than 300 people scared the people who were still waiting in line to enter the city, and they scattered in a swarm, not daring to block their way into the city.
The city gate was just around the corner, and Song Shoujie was extremely excited.
As long as he entered Hezhong Prefecture and the city gate was closed, even the god of war Gu Nanxi would not be able to break through easily.
I will become the terminator of Gu Nanxi's undefeated myth!
"Get out of the way! This is General Song Shoujie from Jinghu North Road! We have been summoned to take over Hezhong Prefecture!"
The guards pushed aside the soldiers guarding the city and swaggered into the city.
Seeing this, passers-by on the road hid in the houses on both sides, opened the doors a crack, and secretly watched the group of people.
Song Shoujie held his chest high, and the supreme glory was beckoning at him!
When all three hundred people entered the city and walked about a hundred meters away, the city gate was suddenly closed!
Song Shoujie looked back in horror, only to see a dense group of people emerging from the city wall.
They were armed with bows and crossbows and had strong bodies.
The arrow with a cold glow was pointing at him. Behind the crossbowman, flags of the Duke of Yun were erected.
Song Shoujie's heart sank to the bottom.
He fell into the trap!
Gu Nanxi appeared on the top of the city wall in full armor and shouted, "General Song, it's our first meeting. Please give me your guidance!"
Song Shoujie calmed himself down and said, "I have heard of the great name of Duke Yun for a long time, but I have never had the chance to meet him! After meeting him today, I know that Duke Yun is worthy of his reputation. He sang a great song about the empty city plan!"
Xiao Dashan, who was hiding at the end of the team, quietly left the team and hid behind the house, for fear of being accidentally injured.
Gu Nanxi believed in talking rather than taking action, and advised: "General Song, the situation is hopeless, why not abandon the dark and join the light?"
Song Shoujie snorted coldly and said sarcastically, "Our Song family has been loyal for generations. I have been taught to be loyal to the emperor and love the country since I was a child. If I betray the court, I am afraid I will be speechless in front of my ancestors in the underworld! I think Duke Yun does not have this worry. After all, after you die, you will be buried in the Su family's ancestral tomb, and it will be the Su family that loses face."
After hearing this, Li Mingde was furious: "Where my godmother is buried is none of your business! My godmother gave you a chance to survive with good intentions, but you didn't appreciate it! You won't cry until you see the coffin."
Song Shoujie looked at the three hundred people behind him and waved his hand: "Brothers, are you men? Would you be scared by a woman?!"
"I'm not afraid of him!"
"She has no bird, haha!"
All kinds of obscene words appeared one after another, and the insults were extremely dirty.
Song Shoujie was waiting for Gu Nanxi to become enraged and make an impulsive decision.
When people are impulsive, they are likely to reveal their flaws, and this is exactly the flaw that Song Shoujie wants to expose.
Gu Nanxi was not angered at all, but shouted: "Shoot!" (End of this chapter)
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