Mountain and River Festival 298. Lure the Tiger Away from the Mountain

In the deep mountains that are shrouded in clouds all year round, it is difficult to see direct sunlight even on weekdays. Therefore, in Xiling, which is mostly dry, this mountain is a rare moist and green place.

At the gate of the courtyard, the slender and pale girl was stopped before she even reached the gate. "Who is it?"

Yang Xianya was startled and said in a panic, "I...I want to go see how badly A-Lin is injured..." The guard at the gate had a blank expression on his face, as if he was not moved at all by the weak girl in front of him. "The master told the girl to recuperate in the courtyard. When the guard Lin is well again, he will come to see her."

Yang Xianya bit her lips and whispered, "But... I'm worried. Wuwu... There's no one I know around me. Only, only him... Please, let me go see him." Seeing the girl crying pitifully, the two guards hesitated. After all, she was a distinguished guest brought back by the young master and they were ordered to take good care of her...

"Wait a minute, young lady. Let's go and report to the master." The guard could only compromise.

"What happened?" Yang Xianya was about to say thank you when she heard Zhu Ling's voice from outside the door. The guards saluted quickly and told Yang Xianya about his guards. Zhu Ling raised his eyebrows and looked at the pale girl in front of him, who was weak and a little panicked, thinking about something. Yang Xianya asked carefully: "Mr. Zhu... I don't know how serious A-Lin's injury is? When can we set off to return to Beijing? I also ask Mr. Zhu to send someone to escort us back to Beijing. When we return to Beijing, my daughter and the Ling family will be grateful to you."

Zhu Ling's eyes flickered slightly, and his expression became gentler when he looked at Yang Xianya. He smiled faintly and said, "Don't worry, Miss Yang. I will send someone to send you back to the capital after you have recovered. However, the guard Lin is seriously injured. I am afraid he will have to lie down for a few days." Yang Xianya breathed a sigh of relief and nodded, "Thank you so much, Master Zhu. I am glad that A Lin is okay. Can I...can I go see him?"

Zhu Ling smiled and said, "Miss Yang, just stand at the door and take a look. It's better not to look closely at his injuries. I have already sent someone to deliver a letter to Master Ling in Beijing. Maybe Master Ling will come to pick you up in person soon." Hearing this, Yang Xianya showed a trace of joy and relief, "That's great, thank you Master Zhu. Master Zhu is really a good person..."

Zhu Ling smiled faintly, "No, Miss Yang is the descendant of a loyal hero, and all these things can be stopped with just a wave of my hand."

After comforting Yang Xianya who was worried about the guards and sending her back to her room, Zhu Ling left the small courtyard and went to the outer courtyard. Although this courtyard built in the mountain jungle seemed particularly simple compared to other courtyards in the city, it still had two entrances, and the study was in a corner of the outer courtyard. After entering the study, the guards following behind him said, "Sir, it seems that this Miss Yang is indeed the daughter of General Huwei. Just now, you said that Master Ling was coming, and she didn't show any abnormal behavior."

Zhu Ling nodded, sat down behind the desk and said tiredly: "Now is an emergency, it's always better to be careful. Has the guard named A Lin woken up?"

The guard nodded and said, "He just woke up not long ago. He was badly injured. The knife in his back almost took his life. What he said is similar to what Miss Yang said. When the Mohist Army first entered Licheng, General Yang arranged a dozen people to escort Miss Yang back to the capital to seek refuge with the Ling family. But they didn't expect the Mohist Army to attack the city so quickly. Licheng was broken not long after they left. They were disguised as ordinary people and passed through the small county occupied by Zhang Qilan. They accidentally exposed their identities and were chased by the Mohist Army."

Zhu Ling frowned and nodded, saying, "It seems that Ah Lin is still a loyal man. Ask the doctor to use the best medicine to cure his injury as soon as possible."

"Yes, sir."

"Any news from Grandfather?" Zhu Ling changed the subject and asked about business. The guard's face also showed some worry, and he shook his head and said, "No, since Biancheng was besieged by the Mohist army, there has been no news from the old general. Zhang Qilan is guarding the county city, and everyone who comes in and out must undergo strict inspection. I'm afraid that the old general can't send a letter. Master, are we going to hide here forever? Let Zhang Qilan occupy the main roads in and out of Biancheng? Although Biancheng is well-stocked, if it is besieged for a month or two, I'm afraid it will still be a bit difficult."

Zhu Ling thought for a moment and shook his head, "No, Mo Xiuyao won't do that. He is in a hurry than us. If we delay for a month or two, the reinforcements from all over Xiling will be enough to reach Biancheng. By then, his army of only 400,000 will be like a dragon swimming in the shallows and a tiger falling into the plains even if it is the most powerful elite army."

"What you mean, sir..."

Zhu Ling frowned and said, "Mo Xiuyao's army is not large to begin with, and at this time he can still send tens of thousands of troops to occupy a small county. I suspect... he already knows of our existence." The guard was also surprised and said, "Prince Ding sent Zhang Qilan to guard Biancheng to prevent us from reinforcing Biancheng and outflanking him from the front and back?"

Zhu Ling raised his hand and pressed his forehead, saying: "I am more inclined to believe that he wants Zhang Qilan to destroy us."

"How is this possible?" The guard snorted in disbelief, "Not to mention that we are far more familiar with the terrain here than the Mohist Army, even in terms of military strength, Zhang Qilan's mere tens of thousands of troops are no match for us." Zhu Ling shook his head and sighed, "Mo Xiuyao will not do useless things. Send people down the mountain to explore the situation of Biancheng and the Mohist Army."

"Yes, sir."

Two days later, Zhu Ling was sitting in the study playing chess with Yang Xianya. After spending a few days together, the girl finally got rid of her initial fear and anxiety. Especially after knowing that Zhu Ling was the grandson of the old general Zhu Yan, she was completely relieved. Although she was still young and had never met the old general Zhu Yan, she had heard her grandfather and uncles mention him. The Zhu family and the Ling family also had some friendship. The girl, who had gotten rid of her fear and anxiety, gradually became cheerful. Zhu Ling then discovered that the girl was not like ordinary Xiling girls who were not good at music, chess, calligraphy and painting. On the contrary, she was good at calligraphy and painting. Although she had never heard of playing the piano, her chess skills were also very good. She didn't look like the so-called daughter of a general at all. But if you think about it again, General Yang's wife is the daughter of the former Grand Tutor of Xiling, which can be said to be one of the most famous and scholarly families in Xiling. This all makes sense.

Although Zhu Ling was born in a military family, he grew up in a place like Biancheng. Longshan Academy, one of the three major academies of the time, is located in Biancheng, and Zhu Ling was also taught by famous scholars of the time. However, due to many reasons, he could only stay in such a mountain forest all year round and be with these soldiers who could not read and write. It is rare to meet a talented person nowadays, even if it is a woman, it is enough for the two to have a good conversation.

"Sir, I have something to report." Someone outside the door reported loudly.

Zhu Ling glanced at the girl who was concentrating on the chess game and said calmly, "Come in."

The person outside the door came in and looked at Yang Xianya hesitantly. Yang Xianya stood up and said tactfully, "Young Master, you have something to do, so I'll take my leave first. We can continue the game later. I'll go see Ah Lin." Zhu Ling's eyes were gentle, and he nodded, "That's good. Guard Lin will be able to get out of bed in a few days, so you don't have to worry."

"I know, thank you, sir." Yang Xianya thanked Zhu Ling again before saying goodbye and leaving.

Watching the girl's slender figure disappear at the door, Zhu Ling lowered his head and looked at the unfinished chessboard in front of him in a daze.

"Young Master?" the guard in front of him called out in confusion. Zhu Ling came back to his senses and asked, "What happened?"

The guard said, "The Mohist army has been surrounding Biancheng these days, but they haven't launched a large-scale siege. Instead, they just sent a few young generals to yell and curse outside the city every day, and then they returned to the camp after a casual fight. From Mo Xiuyao onwards, there has not been a single capable general in the Mohist army. In addition, when the two armies were fighting yesterday, the old general led 70,000 troops out of the city and came to our side. I'm afraid he planned to deal with Zhang Qilan first."

Zhu Ling was startled, his brows knitted tightly as he asked, "The generals below Mo Xiuyao didn't show up on the battlefield? But... there's only one Zhang Qilan here. Where are the others?"

The guard said, "The Mohist army secretly withdrew its troops and left the camp. The old general suspected that the Mohist army had already known about our existence and planned to surround Biancheng openly, but concentrate most of its forces to deal with us. I'm afraid that the old general was worried, so he rushed here to help us."

Zhu Ling closed his eyes and asked, "Who will guard Biancheng?"

"General Longyang is also in Biancheng."

"That's good... No, that's not right. Mo Xiuyao doesn't want to deal with us. He wants to lure Grandfather out of the city!" Zhu Ling suddenly thought of something, his face changed drastically, and he stood up and said, "Mo Xiuyao didn't appear in the Mo family army camp, nor was he at Zhang Qilan's place. He must be hiding somewhere else! With his small number of troops, he won't be able to find us if we don't show up. He wants to lure Grandfather out of the city, and then slowly consume the troops in Biancheng!"

The guard's expression changed greatly when he heard this, "Then... Sir, what should we do?"

Zhu Ling said in a deep voice: "Send the order to attack Zhang Qilan's army! We must capture the county city before tomorrow morning so that we can support grandfather!"

"I will go right away!"

Late at night, the quiet mountains seemed especially silent tonight. In the courtyard hidden in the night, a slender figure swiftly emerged. Avoiding the night watchman, the figure nimbly and swiftly entered the secret study located in the corner of the front yard.

Even tonight, when most of the soldiers in the forest had already left, the study was still heavily guarded. The shadow approached silently, moving as swiftly as a phantom. By the time the four guards outside the door reacted, three of them had already fallen to the ground.

"It's you!? You…"

"Swoosh——" a dagger flew out and pierced the heart of the last person.

"Lin Han?" Shadow whispered. Under the eaves next to him, a tall and upright voice fell silently, walked over and looked at the four bodies on the ground, without any emotion in his eyes, "Princess." The person who came was A Lin, the guard of General Huwei's mansion who was supposed to be lying in bed and unable to get up.

"Is the injury okay?" Yang Xianya - Ye Li, asked softly.

Lin Han whispered, "It's not a big deal since it's avoided the vital parts. It just looks serious." Ye Li nodded and said, "It's good that you're fine. Watch me go in and take a look."

"yes."

Ye Li entered the study and came out soon. Soon the two figures disappeared in the courtyard. Not long after, a dazzling firework broke through the heavy fog and darkness, and bloomed in the night sky of the mountains...

As the sky was about to brighten, the battle in the small county town officially began. This small town was not as strong as Biancheng, and the height and thickness of the city walls were far less than those of Biancheng. There were even some places without city walls at all. It was much more difficult to defend such a small town than to enter the palace. So Zhu Ling led his men into the city without encountering much resistance. He started a fierce battle with the Mohist army generals in the city.

In a hidden corner of the city, Zhang Qilan and his subordinates stood on a high place and looked down at the fighting in the city. His subordinates whispered, "General, the enemy is expected to have nearly 100,000 troops. We should withdraw."

Zhang Qilan shook his head and said, "No, according to the information given to us by the princess, the enemy has at least 180,000 troops."

"But this county is too small. A hundred thousand troops cannot be deployed. The enemy cannot bring all their troops out." The general reminded him in a low voice. Zhang Qilan glanced at him unhappily and said, "Of course I know this. Don't you see that there are less than a hundred thousand troops and there is almost no room? Tell those guys on the periphery to retreat secretly, and those who have already joined the battle should be fought by me! Hold them back until Zhu Yan's troops arrive."

Hearing this, the general said with a bitter face: "If this is the case, we really have no way to survive." A few hundred thousand people are enough for them to bear, how can they survive with tens of thousands more people and a veteran general who has been on the battlefield for a long time? Zhang Qilan smiled and patted his subordinate's shoulder and said: "Are you scared? Don't be afraid, General, I will accompany you. Even if there is really no way to survive, we can also drag a famous general of Xiling to be buried with us, which is not a loss."

The general glared and shouted, "Who is afraid? I don't want to be buried with Zhu Yan! I still want to follow the prince to conquer the world!" Zhang Qilan smiled and said, "It's good that you have the courage. I'm counting on you. Haha..."

As they were talking, a fire appeared in the east of the city. Zhang Qilan took a deep breath and said, "It's coming..."

Zhu Yan came very fast. The torches had just been seen rushing to the city gate. The city gate of the small county city was vulnerable to attack, and the Mohist army did not have so many soldiers to defend the city towers and walls. Soon, the east city gate was breached by the Xiling soldiers. The Mohist soldiers were trapped in the middle by the enemy troops on the east and west. Zhang Qilan looked at the bright sky and said with some regret: "It's time to retreat!" The horn sounded, and the Mohist army left cleanly without any lingering battle. The soldiers of Xiling had been very frustrated these days. Seeing the Mohist army fleeing, they wanted to chase them. But they were stopped by Zhu Yan.

"Don't chase, there may be a trap ahead." Zhu Ling said.

Zhu Yan nodded and said, "Yes, the Mohist Army's retreat seems chaotic, but there is order in the chaos, and it is not a sign of a big defeat. This action is probably intended to lure us into a trap."

After ordering his soldiers to clean up the battlefield, Zhu Ling and Zhu Yan finally had time to talk alone. Because of Zhu Yan's status and the fact that Zhu Ling now shoulders an important responsibility and stays in the mountains all year round, the grandfather and grandson often don't see each other for a year or two. It was more than half a year ago since they last met. Looking at his grandson with an upright figure and a firm expression in front of him, Zhu Yan nodded with relief. At the same time, he felt extremely guilty towards this grandson. It was just to manage this army for him that this grandson had to stay in the mountains all year round without seeing the sun. This child is his only relative and the youngest he loves the most. Sometimes Zhu Yan even wondered if everything he insisted on was worth it?

"Good boy, thank you for your hard work." Looking at Zhu Ling for a long while, Zhu Yan said softly.

Zhu Ling smiled faintly and said, "Grandfather, you are too polite. This is what your grandson should do. By the way, why did Grandfather lead the troops out of the city? The defense of Biancheng..." Zhu Yan waved his hand and said, "I know that Mo Xiuyao wanted to lure me out. But with Long Yang in Biancheng, it doesn't matter whether I am there or not. As for you... I don't know why I am always a little worried. Especially in the past two days, every time I think about it, I always feel scared. Is there anything wrong with you?"

Zhu Ling shook his head and said, "It's good for grandson to come along. Grandfather is just too worried. Grandson will be careful about everything. Since grandpa is out, there are also benefits. We can stay here and coordinate with General Longyang to control the speed of the Mohist army's siege. What's more... our combined strength has exceeded 600,000. Do we still have to be afraid of Mo Xiuyao with less than 400,000 troops?" Zhu Ling would not take his grandfather's worries lightly. It was not just the suspicion of an ordinary old man, but the instinctive premonition of danger of an old general who had been in service for half his life.

Zhu Yan patted his grandson's shoulder with satisfaction and said, "Good boy, you have grown up." Facing his grandfather's praise, even a calm Zhu Ling couldn't help but smile happily. The grandfather and grandson sat down and exchanged their views on the current war situation. Zhu Yan was even more pleased with his grandson's growth. When Zhu Yan talked about how he saved Yang Xianya, Zhu Yan frowned and said, "You said she is the daughter of the late General Hu Wei? Are you sure?"

Zhu Ling was stunned and said, "Of course I am sure. She has all the tokens and badges of the guards around her. In addition, Sun'er asked her a lot about General Huwei and the Ling family, and there is nothing wrong with them." Zhu Ling suddenly had a bad feeling in his heart, and his face changed slightly. He looked at Zhu Yan with some uneasiness.

Zhu Yan frowned and said, "You are right. That girl's temperament and appearance are somewhat similar to General Hu Wei's daughter. But... two years ago, General Hu Wei brought his wife and daughter to visit me in Bian when they went to Licheng. The girl from the Yang family has been spoiled since she was young, and she has inherited General Hu Wei's temperament and doesn't like music, chess, calligraphy, and painting. She is a little bit good at needlework, and she knows a few words. She doesn't know how to play chess at all."

"Then..." Zhu Ling's face suddenly turned ugly. Although he was also on guard against Yang Xianya at the beginning, and even now he didn't let her know anything important. But after several attempts, he really recognized Yang Xianya's identity. Now that he suddenly knew that the other party's identity was a scam, the anger in his heart can be imagined.

"Grandfather... I want to go back immediately. I'm afraid..."

Zhu Yan's expression also became serious. How could he not feel uneasy when a woman of unknown origin who claimed to be the daughter of General Huwei suddenly appeared at this time? After thinking for a while, Zhu Yan nodded and said, "Okay, go ahead. Be careful."

"Yes, Grandfather, you too..."

"Old General, Young Master! We are surrounded by the Mohist Army!" The soldier outside the door hurried in to report. In fact, Zhu Yan and Zhu Ling also knew about it. Before he finished speaking, the sound of war drums rang out outside the city. The two hurried out and climbed up the city wall. They saw flags flying under the city, and the Mohist Army soldiers were waiting in a serious formation with weapons in hand. The formation was obviously not the same as the one that had fled an hour ago.

In front of the army, Zhang Qilan drew his sword and laughed loudly: "General Zhu! General Zhang Qilan, the chief general of the Eagle Army of the Mohist Army, has long admired the reputation of General Zhu. I hope you will be generous in teaching me!"

Zhu Yan looked around and saw that the black army in front of him had at least hundreds of thousands of troops. Zhang Qilan was not an inexperienced young general like Yun Ting and Chen Yun. He stood up and spread the black sword in his hand, and the soldiers of the Mohist Army scattered in all directions. It seemed chaotic, but if you look closely, you will find the mystery. If a general rashly inserted into this huge formation, he would not be able to rush out without a considerable number of troops.

Zhu Ling's expression slightly changed, and he obviously saw the beauty of this formation. He said to Zhu Yan, "Grandfather, let me go down and try it."

Zhu Yan nodded and instructed: "Zhang Qilan is a veteran of the Mohist Army, be careful."

"Sun'er understands."

The city gate was opened, and the Xiling soldiers rushed out. The young man in moon-white clothes didn't have time to change into a battle robe, and jumped down from the city tower directly onto the horse that rushed out of the city gate. He kicked the horse's belly and rushed towards the Mohist army. With Zhu Ling leading the way, the Xiling soldiers rushed through the Mohist army like a dragon. They were invincible. But they could not break out of the black net of the Mohist army. In the back, Zhang Qilan, who was watching the battle on horseback, touched his chin and smiled eagerly: "This kid is interesting."

Behind him, his subordinates reminded him, "General, you are no match for him."

Zhang Qilan's face darkened immediately. He was not a fool. Marching in war and fighting alone were two different things. So Zhang Qilan, who grew up in the military camp, naturally knew that there was always someone stronger than the strongest. It was not shameful to be defeated by a boy younger than himself, but it was not so pleasant to be said so openly by his subordinates. He glared at his subordinates and said, "You are the one who talks too much!"

The subordinate rolled his eyes helplessly. Didn't the prince ask me to remind you because he was afraid that you would rush forward in excitement? What did I do to offend anyone? It's hard to be a subordinate these days, and it's even harder to be a subordinate who cares about his superiors!

"General? What do you think? Do you want to take down this guy?"

Zhang Qilan turned around and looked at him, "Who's going? You?"

The general waved his hand and pointed at someone who was watching the battle nearby.

Zhang Qilan looked at Qin's expression and immediately frowned, "Commander Qin, are you going to tell me where the princess went? You know, if anything happens to the princess, you and I will be in trouble!"

Qin Feng glanced at him and said with a smile: "Don't worry, General. I have sent someone to pick up the princess. There will be no problem."