Chapter 112
Coming out of the central army tent, a young general congratulated Fan Changyu: "The previous few battles have greatly dampened the rebels' morale. After the death of Prince Changxin and the fall of Kangcheng, the rebel prince Sui Yuanqing was also captured by the Marquis. There is no one left in Chongzhou City to fight. If Captain Fan can break through the city gate tomorrow and make this achievement, we will be even more far behind."
This may seem like a compliment, but it actually has a hint of sourness.
Fan Changyu had a shallow foundation in the army, but he was recognized by his superiors for a few remarkable achievements. Although many people did not say it openly, they were jealous of him secretly.
Fan Changyu said, "General Tang and Lord Li spent days and nights planning the battle plan. I just rushed into the battle line with my courage. How can I claim credit for the victory? General, you are embarrassing me."
As soon as she mentioned Tang Peiyi and Li Huaian, the young general didn't dare to say anything more and just answered with a wry smile.
Li Huaian came out of the central army tent, not knowing how much he had heard from the two men. He smiled and said, "Your Majesty and General Tang have seen and taken it to heart, and the peace of Dayin still depends on you generals."
The words "I've seen it and I've taken it to heart" made the young general's face change a little. He was afraid that his previous words had offended Li Huaian, so he clasped his fists and responded repeatedly.
Fan Changyu also clasped his fists and said "yes", with a neither humble nor arrogant look.
Li Huaian glanced at her and said nothing more, "The battle is imminent, all the generals should go down and rest, conserve their energy, and we will definitely take Chongzhou City tomorrow."
Fan Changyu followed everyone else and clasped his fists again before preparing to return to his own tent.
After walking for a while, she realized that Li Huaian had been following her not too far away, and it seemed like they were just walking casually and they just happened to be going the same way.
Matters were being discussed in the central military tent, and personal soldiers were not allowed to enter. Other generals came alone, and Fan Changyu couldn't bring Xiaowu with him and let him wait outside, as he was alone at this time.
She was a straightforward person. After frowning slightly, she stopped in her tracks and turned around to ask, "My Lord, is there anything you want to tell me?"
Li Huaian had not expected Fan Changyu to suddenly turn around and ask a question. He was stunned for a moment before shaking his head and laughing, "You are both an elder and a subordinate. You are becoming more and more distant each time."
Fan Changyu said: "Rituals cannot be abandoned."
Li Huaian's expression was slightly depressed, and he suddenly asked, "Did you also address him like this in front of the Marquis?"
Fan Changyu remained silent and did not answer.
Li Huaian realized that he had said something wrong, and his brows furrowed even more. He wondered if he was annoyed that he, who was always gentle and reserved, could have said such a thing. He said, "It was Li who said something wrong, Miss Fan, please don't mind..."
Fan Changyu raised his head at this time, and said calmly and firmly: "Your Majesty is of noble status, so I cannot be rude to you."
This time Li Huaian was stunned for a little longer.
Fan Changyu said, "If you have nothing else to do, I will withdraw first."
Li Huaian stopped her and said, "You are blaming me for what happened to Master He, right?"
Fan Changyu said: "I dare not."
Li Huaian looked at her for a long time. He was standing in the shadow of a military tent. Half of his robe was blown gently by the night breeze under the bright moonlight. His eyebrows and eyes were hidden in the darkness. The mask-like gentle smile on his face could not be seen. Instead, he felt more real.
He said: "The secret kept by Miss Fan's parents may be the key to overthrowing Wei Yan. Wei Yan has been undermining the imperial power for many years. Only by eliminating the Wei Party can the court of Dayin be clear. Lord He can conceal it for the sake of loyalty and righteousness, but Huai'an cannot. If Miss Fan blames him, Huai'an will have no other choice."
Fan Changyu pursed his lips and said, "Your Excellency is too kind. You are impartial in enforcing the law, and I have no right to comment. But you used me to find out the faults of Mr. He, causing my benefactor to fall into this situation, and you still want me to have no grudges in my heart. Your Excellency really makes it difficult for me."
Li Huaian seemed a little surprised to hear her say this, and said, "So you already know everything."
Fan Changyu did not answer.
The night wind blew his wide scholar's robe, wrapping up his bamboo-like figure. His voice was faint and sounded like a sigh: "Wei Yan's assassins all died in Miss Fan's home. Huai'an was ordered to go to Jizhou to investigate the matter. It was a lie that I met Miss Fan by chance on the mountain road, but today, I really want to make friends with Miss Fan. No matter how Wei Yan will deal with Miss Fan, the Li family will keep Miss Fan safe."
Fan Changyu only said: "I will repay the Li family for their kindness someday."
It was said to be a way of repaying a favor, but wasn't the Li family willing to protect her also to deal with Wei Yan?
Li Huaian felt ashamed and a little ridiculous when he heard this.
Seeing her being so distant and polite in drawing a line between herself and the Li family, Li Huaian couldn't tell what he felt in his heart, but it was not a good feeling anyway.
I don't know what he was thinking of, but he suddenly said, "Miss Fan, you should be more careful about the eunuch who came from the palace."
Fan Changyu asked: "Your Majesty, are you going to deal with me?"
Li Huaian said: "The fact that Lord He had been hiding your parents for seventeen years has not yet been reported to His Majesty, but His Majesty has already issued an imperial decree to arrange a marriage between the Marquis and the Princess. I heard that the Marquis and Miss Fan had been together through thick and thin when they were in trouble, and I am afraid that the Princess will mind..."
He didn't say anything else, but the meaning was obvious.
Fan Changyu suddenly asked: "If I were not a military officer holding an official position, but just an ordinary woman, would I be dead?"
Li Huaian didn't say anything, seeming to agree with her statement.
Fan Changyu seemed to be very confused and said in a very low voice: "Being born in the royal family means that the lives and deaths of common people are like those of ants?"
The moment she heard the news, in addition to the sadness of Xie Zheng being forced to marry, she also felt confused as to what the future held.
In the hearts of ordinary people, the emperor is the sky above their heads.
Fan Changyu had hoped to redress his grandfather's grievances in the past. He would make military achievements and then, like in those operas, state his grievances in front of the Golden Palace, and then his grievances would be redressed and the good and the evil would be judged.
But the reality before us seems to be very different from what is depicted in the opera. In the opera, the high officials or emperor who ultimately judges good and evil are all fair and selfless, but in reality, the emperor can also have selfish desires.
The emperor, who was thousands of miles away and sitting firmly on the throne, didn't even know her injustice. He just wanted her dead because she might hinder the princess's marriage.
Li Huaian saw that she looked very unhappy and wanted to comfort her, but he couldn't say those stupid words at this time. He only made a promise: "General Meng has been carrying the bad name for seventeen years. If it was Wei Yan who killed him, the Li family will definitely help General Meng get justice."
He didn't say much about her father, and seemed to tacitly acknowledge that her father was Wei Yan's man and had helped Wei Yan frame her grandfather.
Fan Changyu just thanked him numbly and said that he was a little tired and went back to the camp to rest first.
Li Huaian looked at her back as she walked away, lost in thought for a long time, and muttered to himself, "What a fool I was! Why did I tell her the news of the Emperor's marriage proposal at this time?"
Maybe... he really didn't like her polite yet distant attitude towards him.
But after telling her, seeing the sadness suddenly appearing in her eyes, he didn't seem to feel much better in his heart.
Li Huaian finally laughed at himself.
-
After Fan Changyu returned, he had never felt so tired before. His whole body felt heavy, as if all the fatigue of the past month had accumulated at this moment.
When she lay down on the military bed with all her clothes on, she felt that breathing was labored. A feeling of suffocation enveloped her, making her feel as if she had fallen into a swamp. Her hands and feet were being pulled to make her sink, and she could not break free no matter what she did.
She turned her head to glance at the deerskin wristband tied to her cuffs. After untying it, she wanted to throw it away but couldn't bear to. After putting it on the low stool beside the bed where clothes were placed, she endured the dull pain in her chest caused by her hard breathing, exhaled deeply, and fell asleep with one hand in front of her eyes.
There is another tough battle tomorrow, she needs a good rest.
But the shaking breathing in the dark night still revealed the owner's emotions, and the moisture that flowed from the corners of the eyes into the hair gathered so much that it wet the pillowcase.
When he left that day, he said it so clearly and decisively. The emperor had granted him the marriage, and if he married the princess he would gain more power to deal with Wei Yan. It was a good thing for him, and he probably would not refuse it.
I saw everything clearly, but I still couldn't control the sadness in my heart at this moment.
Fan Changyu kept her hands in front of her eyes. She silently told herself that she could only be sad for this one night. After tonight, that person's affairs would have nothing to do with her anymore.
In her eyes, the emperor is not a good emperor, but he should not let the people of the world endure more war. She will fight tomorrow's battle well.
Moreover, it was precisely because she became a military officer in the court that the emperor did not dare to take action against her openly. She had to be on guard against the eunuch that the emperor placed in the army in order to climb higher.
The invited aides told her about the current checks and balances in the court. Although the emperor wanted to get rid of Wei Yan so much, all state affairs still had to be consulted with Wei Yan because Wei Yan held great power.
Those who can be easily wiped out are simply because they do not have enough power.
Fan Changyu still doesn't like to fight for the so-called power, but if that thing concerns her own life and the lives of those around her, she will risk her life to fight for it.
-
When Fan Changyu woke up the next day, his eyes were swollen as expected.
Xie Wu was stunned when he saw her: "Captain, you are..."
Fan Changyu lied without blinking: "There are many mosquitoes at night, and someone bit me in the corner of my eye."
Xie Wu opened his mouth, but eventually closed it again, and only agreed, "There are quite a lot of mosquitoes."
Fan Changyu no longer wore the deerskin wrist guard that Xie Zheng had given her. She put on the fine iron arm guard that matched her armor with one hand and said, "Pick a few people from the dozens of people I brought up and put them next to Changning. Hand them over to Xiaoqi to take care of them and have them take Changning and Aunt Zhao back to Jizhou."
Xie Wu was quick to notice something: "Is the captain worried that Miss Changning is in danger?"
Fan Changyu did not hide this from Xie Wu, but he did not say much either. He only said, "It is better to take precautions before they happen."
Both Wei Yan and the emperor regarded her as a thorn in their eyes.
Fan Changyu was not afraid that they would deal with him, but he was afraid that they would do something despicable to Changning.
Once he goes to the battlefield, he will be unable to split himself. Right now, Hezhou is still He Jingyuan's territory. It would be relatively safer for Changning and Aunt Zhao to be transferred back to Hezhou.
After hearing what she said, Xie Wu didn't waste any time and went downstairs to make arrangements immediately.
Going to the battlefield again, and as the commander of the vanguard, Fan Changyu did not feel much fear in his heart, but more heaviness.
So many people have entrusted their lives to her, and she wants to win the battle while also ensuring that those soldiers whose names she can't even remember can return alive.
Tens of thousands of troops surrounded Chongzhou City tightly on all sides.
Fan Changyu was in charge of attacking the East Gate. After days of training and small-scale combat, the cavalry and infantry under her command had become very coordinated.
But when she led the vanguard towards the east gate and entered the range of the rebels' arrows, the Chongzhou soldiers on the city wall seemed to be in great panic. A few of them tried to shoot arrows, but they couldn't even pull the bow.
Behind those soldiers, there were several taller soldiers whipping them with whips. Some of the soldiers even knelt down and seemed to be begging.
Fan Changyu sat on the galloping warhorse, looking at the city tower opposite, with a hint of confusion in his eyes.
When the archers behind her saw that they were within range of the tower, the young general of the archery formation shouted, "Shoot!"
Arrows flew like locusts towards the rebel soldiers on the city wall. Wailing sounds were heard everywhere. A group of soldiers in Chongzhou military uniforms ran around in the narrow corridor of the city wall, not even using the parapet for temporary cover.
Someone on the city wall cried out at the top of his lungs: "Don't shoot, we are all civilians in the city..."
The next moment, the crying man had his head chopped off by the vicious Chongzhou soldiers behind him.
But the Chongzhou soldiers guarding those civilians seemed to be only a minority. More and more people on the city wall ignored the pressure from the Chongzhou soldiers and cried out that they were not Chongzhou soldiers, but just civilians who were captured to make up the numbers.
Fan Changyu pulled the reins hard, and the horse she was riding neighed and raised its front hooves high. She gestured backward to pause her arrows and shouted, "Shoot those Chongzhou soldiers standing in the back row!"
Xie Wu followed beside her, protecting her closely while also serving as the flag officer, and immediately waved flags on horseback.
The shouts on the battlefield were deafening, the orders and warnings were hard to hear, but the flag signals were clear.
The archers behind him no longer fired arrows on a large scale, but instead aimed their bows at the soldiers on the city wall who had become much stronger.
Since most of the people filling the battlements on the city walls were civilians with no combat experience, Fan Changyu and his elite troops crossed the most dangerous range of arrows with almost no effort.
After reaching the foot of the city wall and placing siege ladders on the battlements, the real Chongzhou troops seemed to panic and kept whipping the civilians, forcing them to pick up stones and throw them down.
Fan Changyu stuck to the wall and tried his best to avoid the rocks and logs. He shouted upwards: "Listen, the people of Chongzhou on the tower. You are all forced to do this. The court will not punish you after the city is captured. The rebellious bandits have run out of luck. If you help the army kill the enemy, you will be rewarded after the city is captured!"
The people who were forced to go up to the city walls were forced to do so at knifepoint. They did not dare to resist the Chongzhou soldiers. On the one hand, they were in awe of the officers and soldiers. On the other hand, there was a large army outside the city, and they did not know whether they would be treated as traitors and executed.
After hearing Fan Changyu's words, even though most civilians were still timid, there were some hot-blooded men who shouted and snatched the swords of the rebel soldiers and attacked them.
After the chaos on the tower, it became easier for the Jizhou troops below to attack using the ladders.
After Fan Changyu climbed up, he chopped down several Chongzhou soldiers like chopping melons and vegetables. Seeing that the number of people behind the city wall was also pitifully small, he realized that something was wrong. He looked around and saw a man who looked like a general in full armor trying to run. Fan Changyu chopped away the soldiers who were blocking the way. Before the man arrived, the eight-foot-long black iron sword had already flown over.
The general was stabbed in the calf and screamed in pain. He tried to push away the knife that was pressing on his leg, but when he touched the wound, the pain became even worse.
At this moment, Fan Changyu had caught up. She stepped on the general's injured leg with one foot, picked up the Mo Dao with one hand, and asked, "Where is the eldest son of Prince Changxin?"
The young general howled in pain: "Legs... my legs..."
Fan Changyu loosened his grip and shouted coldly, "Speak!"
Seeing that Chongzhou City had been breached, the young general could no longer care about anything else and confessed, "The eldest son left the city gate last night."
Fan Changyu's face changed drastically, the tip of his sword pointed directly at his neck, and he shouted, "You're lying!"
The young general begged for mercy: "Auntie, I'm not lying. Look at how many soldiers are left in the city. I can't be lying, right?"
This is the truth. The East Gate is the main gate of Chongzhou City. Soldiers and ordinary people in military uniforms can barely fill the entire wall. It doesn't look right no matter how you look at it.
Fan Changyu said with an unpleasant expression: "The four city gates are heavily guarded. How can the thieves in the city get out?"
The young general begged for mercy, saying, "The troops in the city withdrew from the West Gate last night. I don't know where the guards at the West Gate went last night!"
Fan Changyu knew that he could not get anything out of this young rebel general, so he had him tied up and quickly sent scouts to report the news to Tang Peiyi.
The thief escaped from the west city gate without making any noise last night. This is no small matter.
Five thousand soldiers were stationed outside the four major city gates, all out of the range of the bows and catapults on the city walls.
The eldest son of Prince Changxin wanted to run away with his troops, unless he could fly or evade the ground.
Fan Changyu's mind seemed to be in a mess. She asked Xie Wu to watch the city gate and strictly ordered the Jizhou army entering the city not to harass the people in the city. She captured a Chongzhou soldier and asked him to lead the way, and took people to the Changxin Palace.
When they arrived at Prince Changxin's Palace, they found that there were only a few servants left in the palace. Fan Changyu interrogated several people and they all said that Sui Yuanhuai had escaped last night.
Fan Changyu did not find Yu Qianqian and Yu Baoer, and interrogated some servants, only to learn that Sui Yuanhuai had brought back a mother and child a few months ago. The woman's surname was indeed Yu, but they did not know her specific name. They only knew that the woman was Sui Yuanhuai's concubine, and the child was born after she escaped.
After asking this question, Fan Changyu remained silent for a long time.
After he came to his senses, he asked his soldiers to escort the people in Prince Changxin's mansion first, and then he sat in the house in a daze for a long time.
She was too slow to react. After Changning said that she met Yu Baoer in Changxin Palace, she should have thought that Yu Qianqian's identity should not be simple.
Although she had known Yu Qianqian for only a short time, she could see that Yu Qianqian was a very opinionated person. Since she had escaped before, she probably did not volunteer to be Sui Yuanhuai's concubine.
The current problem is that she and Yu Baoer were both captured by Sui Yuanhuai, and the servants in Prince Changxin's mansion also know that he has a son.
Fan Changyu was worried that if Yuan Huai was finally arrested, Yu Baoer would also be implicated.
If you rebel, your entire clan will be exterminated.
There was a knock on the door, interrupting Fan Changyu's thoughts.
"Captain, General Tang has led a large army into the city and is urgently summoning you to discuss matters." It was Xie Wu's voice.
Fan Changyu said, "Okay, I'll go over right away."
-
When Fan Changyu arrived at the meeting hall, he found the atmosphere to be unusually solemn as expected.
Tang Peiyi sat at the top with a gloomy face, and the generals below all hung their heads. Fan Changyu also hung his head and stood in the last row.
But she arrived late, and Tang Peiyi noticed her when she entered the room. Tang Peiyi asked her directly: "Captain Fan, I heard that you went to search the Changxin Palace after the city was captured. Did you find anything?"
Fan Changyu stepped out of the line and clasped his fists, saying, "Reporting to the general, there are only a hundred or so servants left in the palace. They all said that the eldest son of Prince Changxin had left the city last night. I have ordered people to seal off Prince Changxin's palace and temporarily put all the servants in the palace under custody."
This news obviously did not make Tang Peiyi's expression better. He waved his hand to signal Fan Changyu to leave.
As soon as Fan Changyu retreated back to the line, Tang Peiyi overturned the table in front of him. The teacup on the low table and the low table fell heavily to the ground, and broken porcelain splattered everywhere. Everyone in the room was startled and held their breath even more.
Everyone knows this is ridiculous.
The rebels led tens of thousands of troops and horses, and after besieging the city, they openly abandoned the city and fled. I'm afraid I don't know how to write the battle report sent to the capital.
The emperor was angry, and it was hard to say whether Tang Peiyi, the newly appointed commander of the Jizhou Army, could keep his life.
Li Huaian walked into the hall and saw this scene. He said calmly, "General Tang, please don't be angry. We have already found out the details of how the rebels escaped from the west gate last night."
Tang Peiyi then raised his eyes and asked, "What's going on?"
Li Huaian replied, "Lu Dayi, the captain who surrounded the west gate, was an old friend of an aide under the command of King Changxin. The two had been communicating secretly. The military exploits that Lu Dayi had made in the past were all because the aide had secretly informed him of the deployment of troops against the enemy. Last night, after you, the general, decided to attack the city today, the aide wrote a letter of surrender overnight, tied it to an arrow along with the military defense map of Chongzhou City, and shot it outside Lu Dayi's camp. He used this as a token of his surrender, saying that he would open the city gate at midnight and help him capture Chongzhou City without a single soldier, thus making the first contribution."
Tang Pei was so angry that his eyes almost turned red. He shouted, "Did that idiot believe it?"
Li Huaian nodded slowly with a heavy heart: "In order to win the first merit, Lu Dayi was afraid that the movement of the army would attract the attention of the scouts, so he withdrew the scouts near the west gate, and secretly entered the city with the guards outside the west gate at night. He was shot to death by the rebels who were ambushed in the dark alleys in the city. The rebels took this opportunity to leave the city."
"There was a conspirator with Lu Dayi. When he saw the letter last night, he advised him not to take risks. Lu Dayi thought that the conspirator was cowardly and was afraid that the conspirator would ruin his plan, so he tied the man up and kept him in the tent. I just took people to the west gate to investigate the situation, and that's when I found him."
Tang Peiyi took the letter of surrender written by the staff member to Lu Dayi and scolded him: "Lu Dayi deserves to die! He is a man who is capable of failure but not success! Who can bear such a great disaster for him?"
Li Huaian raised his amber eyes slightly and said something ambiguous: "Lu Dayi is the person recommended by the Prime Minister."
Upon hearing this, Tang Pei slapped the top of the Grand Master's chair hard, and the chair, which was extremely sturdy, turned into a pile of broken wood. "Wei Yan is ambitious. Lord He handed over the military power of Jizhou to me. Lu Dayi is so eager to make achievements. Is he trying to take back the military power of Jizhou for Wei Yan?"
He turned back to his desk in anger, gritting his teeth and saying, "This general is willing to sacrifice his life, so Wei Yan should not think of staying out of this!"
Li Huaian lowered his eyes and said, "The most urgent task is to find the next stop of the counter-thieves."
Tang Peiyi blurted out: "Lucheng! If the rebels go north, they will be attacked by Xie's army under Marquis Wu'an. This is undoubtedly a dead end. Princess Changxin's hometown, Kangcheng, was also destroyed by Marquis Wu'an. The rebels can only go south now. In Taizhou and Jizhou, the troops of Taizhou have not moved, but the troops of Jizhou have all gone to Chongzhou. If they break into Lucheng, the gateway to Jizhou, the rebels can drive south!"
His teeth couldn't stop trembling: "Send troops immediately to Lucheng."
Li Huaian shook his head: "The rebels set out at midnight last night. Even if the army chased them at full speed, I'm afraid it would be impossible to catch up. We can only send scouts to report the news first, and then send cavalry to support them."
Tang Peiyi was so anxious that he said hurriedly, "Yes, yes, I'll do as you say."
Zheng Wenchang was from Jizhou and was trained by He Jingyuan. He immediately stepped out and said, "General, I beg you to lead the cavalry back to Lucheng for support!"
Fan Changyu knew that He Jingyuan was too injured to fight again. In addition, he had asked Xie Qi to take Changning and the others back to Jizhou in the morning, and he was also afraid that they might encounter an enemy army on the way and something might happen. So he stepped out and said, "I am also willing to go to Jizhou to help."
Tang Peiyi took a look at the two of them and knew that they were both skilled in martial arts and respected He Jingyuan the most. He immediately said, "You two lead 3,000 cavalrymen and go to Lucheng first!"
At this moment, a sharp voice came from outside the house: "Wait——"
The eunuch who had come to the military camp to announce the imperial decree was supported by a young eunuch and walked slowly over the threshold and in.
When Li Huaian saw the eunuch, his eyebrows jumped.
Tang Peiyi was in a state of panic at the moment, and he couldn't put on a good face when he saw the eunuch. "I wonder what advice you have for me, eunuch?"
The eunuch who announced the decree had wrinkles on his face covered with thick powder, and said with a fake smile: "When His Majesty asked me to come to comfort the soldiers in Ruzhou, he also gave me the title of military supervisor. I think General Tang should hear what I say here, right?"
This was already using his status to put pressure on others. The supervisory officers had the power to supervise the army. Tang Peiyi could only bite the bullet and say, "My Lord, don't say that. It's just that the military situation is urgent right now. I really am..."
"We came here specifically because of the military emergency." The eunuch interrupted Tang Peiyi.
When his eyes swept over Fan Changyu, Fan Changyu felt as if he was struck by the tail of a poisonous snake. The cold and sticky feeling made him feel disgusted and frightened.
Fan Changyu pondered over what Li Huaian had said to him last night, wondering if this damn eunuch was trying to set some trap for him at this very moment?
As expected, the next moment, the eunuch said slowly: "Tens of thousands of troops under General Tang's command have besieged Chongzhou City for many days and captured the rebels, but it is like catching a turtle in a jar, which has led to the current situation. It is hard to say whether these 3,000 cavalrymen sent to Lucheng can catch up with the rebels. Even if they catch up, can they kill nearly 20,000 rebel troops with only 3,000 troops?"
The back of his wrinkled eyelids drooped, and he spoke slowly, looking as if he was staying out of the matter: "We still have to report the war situation on the front line to His Majesty as soon as possible, so that the Ministry of War can dispatch troops and prepare defenses as soon as possible in the south of Jizhou."
When Tang Peiyi heard his words, he didn't think that Jizhou could be defended at all. His face was already full of anger, and he said coldly: "If the eunuch wants to go back to the capital to report to His Majesty, please go. I will take my subordinates and rush to support Lucheng at all costs."
The eunuch smiled as if he had heard a joke, "General Tang is loyal to his country and I will speak highly of him in front of Your Majesty. But if we set off like this, and if we encounter a traitor, I'm afraid I won't be able to bring this news back to Your Majesty."
He changed the subject and finally stated the purpose of his trip: "General Tang will assign two thousand cavalrymen to us to escort us back to the capital to report."
Tang Peiyi's eyes were red with anger: "Two thousand? If you take two thousand troops, what else can I use to rush to Lucheng to help?"
The eunuch said with his eyelids drooping: "General Tang, you are just deceiving yourself and others. You think that Hezhou has not been lost. Let me ask you, if Hezhou has been lost, what can your three thousand cavalrymen do when they arrive in Lucheng? Give us two thousand cavalrymen, and we can go back to the capital from Taizhou to report, and we can also send the news back first."
Tang Peiyi shouted, "If you want to go back and report the news, no one will stop you. You want my two thousand cavalrymen? I don't have them!"
The eunuch snorted coldly and put away the smile on his face: "Tang Peiyi, are you going to disobey the emperor's order?"
Tang Peiyi was already dizzy with anger, and he was unwilling to even say anything perfunctory to the greasy-haired eunuch in front of him. He shouted, "I will disobey the order today! You are a rootless coward. It's fine if you gossip in the palace, but you bring your tricks to me. I will kill you today and report to His Majesty that you died at the hands of the rebels. What can you do to me?"
The bandit spirit in him really frightened the eunuch.
Li Huai'an spoke up at the right time: "General Tang, don't be impulsive."
Tang Peiyi waved Li Huaian away and said to Fan Changyu and Zheng Wenchang: "You two, lead your troops to Lucheng as soon as possible!"
Fan Changyu knew that the current situation was not something she and Zheng Wenchang could handle. As long as they defended Lucheng, Tang Peiyi would not be punished, and the people in Luzhou City would be spared from war. She and Zheng Wenchang immediately clasped their fists and left.
The eunuch was still shouting behind him: "Tang Peiyi, how dare you treat the imperial eunuch like this..."
Tang Peiyi turned around to look at the eunuch and ordered his men, "Tie him up! Throw him into the pile of corpses. Let him see how many people died in this battle!"
He stared at the eunuch fiercely, tightened his jaw and said, "Believe me, I will send someone to send it back to the capital. You can stay here with these soldiers who died in the battle under my command!"
Yan Che shouted, "The army is marching!"
After he left the front hall, Li Huaian took a look at the eunuch who was tied up like a dumpling and dragged away. He looked puzzled. When he caught up with Tang Peiyi, he said, "Why did General Tang do this?"
Tang Peiyi, a man of eight feet tall, had tears in his eyes again because of what happened today. He said, "My dear nephew, you see, the peace that we have exchanged our lives for is nothing but gossips by those people around His Majesty."
He grinned: "It's not that I look down on scholars. Since ancient times, scholars have said beautiful words. I don't know whether they have integrity or not. But those bones on the battlefield, who have sacrificed their flesh and blood, can't even be remembered by future generations."
"That eunuch thinks that Jizhou cannot be defended, but I know Lord He. Even if he still has a breath left, he will hold out until reinforcements arrive."
"The two kids who led the cavalry to help were also very brave. The longer they can delay, the better their chances of winning."
Li Huaian thought of the grand plan of his grandfather and his grandson to overthrow Wei Yan, and suddenly he felt extremely guilty. He said, "If we lose Jizhou, the situation may not be that bad. We can always take it back."
Tang Peiyi looked at him and said sternly, "Marching and fighting is not something to be trifled with. When Jinzhou was lost to foreigners, how many years passed and how much blood of the Dayin men was shed before it was regained?"
Just then, a personal soldier hurried over and clasped his fists towards Tang Peiyi, saying, "General, the army has set out, and your warhorse is here too!"
Tang Peiyi then said to Li Huaian, "I will leave Chongzhou to my nephew."
Li Huaian looked at his back as he walked away with tiger steps, his heart filled with mixed emotions.
If nothing unexpected happened, Sui Yuanhuai would have taken over Luzhou by now.
He was not worried about the people in the city of Jizhou because he knew that Sui Yuanhuai was the emperor's grandson and he would not kill innocent people.
This was nothing more than a play. It was a battle that was originally sure to be won, but because of the mess made by Wei Yan's men, the rebels escaped from Chongzhou, which had run out of food and fodder, and occupied Lizhou.
Not only will the court be outraged, but people all over the world will also be enraged, and Wei Yan will become the target of public criticism.
Afterwards, Jizhou will be recaptured soon, and the "rebel" will be brought to justice and confess everything, explaining that the reason he was able to escape from Chongzhou was not because of the greed of Wei Yan's subordinates, but because he and Wei Yan reached a cooperation. Wei Yan helped him escape from the heavily blocked Chongzhou, and he helped Wei Yan delay the battle in Chongzhou so that the military power would not be taken back so quickly.
As for Lu Dayi's death, it was naturally Wei Yan who killed him to silence him.
In order to make this scene realistic enough, it is necessary to hide it from Tang Peiyi and other people on the chessboard. Only when enough people die can this matter ferment into a big enough problem.
Maybe it was because of what Tang Peiyi said, but Li Huaian suddenly felt particularly uneasy.
He kept asking himself a question in his heart: Was it right or wrong to design this incident in order to overthrow Wei Yan?
He once thought that the government of Dayin was controlled by Wei Yan, and as long as Wei Yan was not removed, Dayin would have no future.
In order to get rid of Wei Yan, the treacherous minister, the game in the court didn't matter. In recent years, their Li family has risen in power, and in order to compete with Wei Yan, countless people have been sent in. Why would they feel guilty today because of the death of those soldiers?
If they die, Wei Yan can be overthrown and people all over the world can live a good life.
Giving up the small self for the greater self, isn't this wrong?
Li Huaian closed his eyes, unwilling to think about it any further.
-
A horse-drawn carriage was moving forward on the winding mountain road, and a snow-white gyrfalcon was flapping its wings and circling in the sky.
The carriage stopped when passing by a river at the foot of the mountain. A young man went to the river to fetch water, but he stepped on empty air and fell head over heels.
The other young men who were guarding the carriage all laughed.
The young man got up with a grin on his face, and glimpsed the traces of cooking smoke hidden under the weeds. He muttered, "This beach is fine, where did you get a stove?"
He saw that there were still many places covered with weeds nearby, but there were places that were clearly different from the wild grass nearby. He walked over and kicked them open one by one, and found that there were stove pits underground. He touched the back of his head and said, "Strange, there are so many stove pits, how many people must have cooked here?"
A little head popped out of the carriage. Chang Ning was holding a fluffy little yellow duck and asked excitedly, "Are you going to cook?"
The young man was one of the personal soldiers sent by Fan Changyu to protect Changning and Aunt Zhao. He was the one who gave the money to Fan Changyu for safekeeping when he first went to the battlefield. His name was Qin Yong.
He glanced at the sun and said with a smile, "Cooking here saves the trouble of digging a hole."
Xie Qi was sitting at the rear of the carriage, still some distance from the beach, and had not seen any stove pits. When he heard Qin Yong say that there were many stove pits near the beach, he instinctively became alert, jumped off the carriage and asked, "How many stove pits are there?"
Qin Yong counted the stove pits on the beach and said, "There are seven or eight here alone, all covered with weeds."
Xie Qi had been a scout in the army, so he was more sensitive to the environment. He walked along the river valley for a while and found that there were many stove pits extending one or two miles on both sides of the river valley. He said in a tone of certainty: "At least tens of thousands of troops passed through here."
As soon as these words came out, the other soldiers who were traveling with him also became alert and asked hesitantly, "The rebels are trapped in Chongzhou City, and General Tang is leading the Jizhou Army to eliminate the rebels. Where did such a large army come from at this time?"
Xie Qi did not answer. He probed the remaining warmth of the ashes in the stove pit with his hand and murmured, "The ashes are already cold. It is almost noon now. The army will not light a fire to cook at night, so it can only be in the morning."
Qin Yong, the soldier fetching water, asked, "Could it be that after Lord Hou took Kangcheng, he led his army to Chongzhou?"
Xie Qi got up from the station at Luokeng and said, "If we go from Cannes to Chongzhou via here, we will be taking a detour."
He looked a little solemn. He went back to the carriage to find paper and pen, wrote something quickly, rolled it up into a small scroll, glanced at the Saker Falcon soaring in the sky, blew a long whistle, and the Saker Falcon swooped over.
After he put the letter into the iron letter box on the feet of the Falcon, he touched the Falcon's feathers and said, "Go find the master."
The Saker Falcon spread its wings and flew back into the sky.
Qin Yong looked at this scene with great envy. The white gyrfalcon that had been following them in the sky was extremely fierce. Except for the brother named Ah Qi, the rest of them did not dare to get close.
He asked: "Are you asking Hai Dongqing to go find the captain?"
Before Xie Qi could say anything, Chang Ning's mouth was already twitching, "Where did Uncle Xiao Qi let Falcon fly to?"
Xie Qi comforted Chang Ning and said, "Haidongqing will be back soon after delivering the message."
Qin Yong was even more excited at this moment, and his respect for Fan Changyu reached a new level: "Are you really going to find the captain? I didn't expect that the captain actually raised such a bird of prey."
Xie Qi heard from Xie Wu that Fan Changyu had paid special attention to this soldier on the battlefield and even gave him a heart-protecting goggles. His expression unconsciously turned cold and he said, "Let Hai Dongqing deliver the letter to our captain's husband."
All the young men pricked up their ears.
Qin Yong stammered, "Is the captain married?"
Xie Qi raised his eyelids and said, "Of course."
The soldier next to him asked curiously, "Who is the captain's husband? Is he also in our army?"
Another soldier grabbed it and said, "He is from our army. I heard from the brothers who went to support the Yixian Gorge that the captain came to look for her husband because his husband was captured by the conscripted soldiers."
The others hurriedly asked, "Is this true?"
Xie Qi nodded coldly and proudly, and said like Rong Yan: "It can't be fake."
Then the other soldiers urged the soldier who knew some inside information to tell more about Fan Changyu's husband.
The soldier said, "I heard that the captain's husband was seriously injured in the battle at Yixianxia and is now paralyzed on one side of his body."
The soldiers sighed for a while, secretly lamenting that Fan Changyu had a miserable life.
Xie Qi, who had just opened the kettle and taken a sip of water, was almost choked to death.
Aunt Zhao, who was sitting in the car, couldn't help but scold him: "What nonsense!"
Qin Yong and his companions had no idea who this old lady was to Fan Changyu, but seeing that Xie Qidu was very respectful to her, they all focused their attention on Ren Xun.
Although Changning was young, she knew that the husband of the elder sister they were talking about was her brother-in-law. She held on to the window sill of the carriage, looked up and asked Aunt Zhao: "Auntie, what does hemiplegia mean?"
Aunt Zhao pouted twice before saying, "You're talking about a paralytic."
Chang Ning also defended Xie Zheng by saying, "My brother-in-law is not a paralytic."
The soldier who had just spoken held his head and said awkwardly: "I... I also heard it from others in the army."
Aunt Zhao didn't know that so many things would happen between Fan Changyu and Xie Zheng later. She was afraid that Fan Changyu would become a high-ranking official and the people around him would have many ideas. She liked Xie Qi because she saw in him his honesty and ability to do things, and she didn't have any other thoughts.
To prevent Xie Zheng from becoming a widowed husband, she deliberately said in front of others: "The husband of Miss Changyu is a handsome man, can read and write, and has martial arts skills."
Qin Yong was a simple-minded man. He thought that since the captain was so capable, according to what the lady said, the captain's husband must be no bad either. He immediately said, "Then our captain's husband must be a lieutenant or a general?"
Aunt Zhao didn't know Xie Zheng's military rank, but when she saw him last time, he seemed to have a lower rank than Fan Changyu, a captain, so she didn't dare to be arrogant. She lowered her eyes and just teased Changning without answering.
Qin Yong didn't realize that he had said the wrong thing. Seeing that Aunt Zhao ignored him, he and his companions looked at each other in confusion.
Xie Qi said, "When you meet the captain's husband in the future, you will know who he is."
This topic is temporarily over.
They stayed there for a while to make some repairs, light a fire and cook. Xie Qi looked at the sky where the Saker Falcon flew away, his expression still not relaxing.
He wrote down what he had seen on the road and ordered Hai Dongqing to look for Xie Zheng.
Hai Dongqing recognized the flag of the Xie family army. If it was Xie Zheng who was passing by here, they could only walk a few dozen miles in half a day. Hai Dongqing would be able to fly back quickly with a reply letter from Xie Zheng.
If it weren't for Xie Zheng, he would have asked Hai Dongqing to deliver the letter to Xie Zheng, which would have been considered as delivering the military intelligence in a timely manner.
-
The black-armored army meandered among the rolling green hills like iron water, and the wolf flag with the word "Xie" on it was pulled straight by the mountain wind, making a loud sound.
A clear eagle cry was heard from the sky. The guards on both sides of the carriage that was following closely in the military formation raised their heads and looked at it. They said respectfully to the people in the carriage, "My Lord, it's a Gypsophila griffon."
The person who was resting with his eyes closed in the car opened his cold and sharp eyes.
Haidongqing stayed with her, and she would not use Haidongqing to send him any message, only Xie Qi or Xie Wu would.
Is there something wrong with her?
There was an itchy feeling in his throat, and he raised his lips and coughed softly, suppressing the coughing urge and lifting the thick brocade curtain.
The Saker Falcon spotted the people, circled and swooped over, firmly grasped the edge of the carriage with its hook-like claws, and lifted up the foot with the mailbox.
After Xie Zheng took out the letter and read it, his eyes turned cold and he ordered coldly: "Change the route, march at full speed, and go to Lucheng."
The guard outside the carriage took a look at the sky and said hesitantly, "My Lord, if we go to Lucheng now, I'm afraid we won't get there until dark."
From the car came a cold and indifferent voice that brooked no room for argument: "Bring my warhorse, and the cavalry will follow me first."
-
The golden crow sinks to the west, and the remaining sun is as red as blood.
The entire mountain and field outside the gate of Lucheng were covered with a layer of brilliant golden red.
She didn't know when it started, but Fan Changyu disliked the sunset. The color was too bright and always reminded her of the blood on the battlefield.
For example, at this time.
She led three thousand cavalrymen and rushed back to Lu City without stopping. When she saw the blood on the soil dyed into that gorgeous color, her heart sank.
The city of Lu was not breached, but the pile of dead bodies under the city gate had become so thick that it was almost higher than the city gate.
Today, when she was attacking Chongzhou City, she saw ordinary people being forced to go up to the city tower by the rebels with knives, but she also saw people on the city tower of Lucheng who voluntarily went up to the city tower to defend the city.
He Jingyuan, dressed in armor, stood in the center of the city tower of Lucheng, like a mountain, suppressing the attackers so much that they dared not cross.
Just by looking at the figure from a distance, Fan Changyu felt tears welling up in his eyes.
He actually led the people in the city to defend the city gate until this moment despite the shortage of troops in Lu City.
Zheng Wenchang roared hoarsely and led his cavalry to charge into the rear of the Chongzhou rebels, followed closely by Fan Changyu.
It was not known whether the rebels were tired after attacking the city for too long, or whether their cavalry was truly assisted by God, but they fought their way to the front of the army. The rebels had no generals capable of taking on important tasks except for the human wave tactics, and in the end they did not fight them head-on and retreated.
They successfully entered the city.
The guards on the city wall cheered and cried with joy. Fan Changyu followed Zheng Wenchang to the city wall to find He Jingyuan.
The deputy general looked at the old man with stern eyes and said excitedly: "Sir, Lucheng has been defended!"
The old man did not respond, and his facial expression did not change at all.
The deputy general was startled and reached out to touch the old man. The old man's body was stiff, but he still stood with his sword.
The deputy general cried out in grief: "Sir!"
Fan Changyu and others who had just climbed onto the city wall felt their hearts suddenly turn cold when they heard the cry.
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