Taiping rift 385 The city fell, King Ding returned

It was another hard battle. When it was already dark, they finally managed to repel the Xiling army again. Even Murong Shen had suffered some minor injuries. The two stood on the city wall, looking at the Xiling army gradually retreating, and finally revealed a tired but happy smile.

Before the smile faded, Nan Hou could not help but frowned and said in a deep voice: "General Murong, take a good rest tonight. I will take care of everything." Murong Shen had been tired for days and was injured. If he didn't rest, he would really fall down. Murong Shen frowned and looked at the Xiling camp in the distance and said: "I'm afraid that the Xiling army will attack again tonight." In the past two days, the attack of the Xiling army has been obviously fierce and impatient. And the defenders of Weicheng have been fighting hard for days, and the pressure they can bear has reached the limit. As long as the Xiling army attacks a few more times, I'm afraid Weicheng will not be able to bear it.

Nan Hou smiled calmly and said, "Don't worry. I am here to guard the place, right? General Murong, just rest assured."

Murong Shen also understood Nan Hou's good intentions, nodded and said, "In that case, then it's Lord Lao who will be here."

Nan Hou nodded, smiled faintly and said nothing.

In the Xiling army tent, Lei Tengfeng checked the wound on his arm and frowned, "I didn't expect that Nan Hou and Murong Shen were so good at fighting." In today's fierce battle, not only Murong Shen was injured, but Lei Tengfeng also suffered some minor injuries in the chaos. However, it was not a big deal.

Lei Zhenting was not surprised at all, and said calmly: "Nan Hou was also a famous general of Da Chu in his time, and was awarded the title of marquis for his military exploits. When Murong Shen was young, he was one of the most powerful generals under Mo Liufang. If the two of them join forces, with your ability, it will not be possible to break through Weicheng in a short time."

Lei Tengfeng felt a little uncomfortable when Lei Zhenting said this, and said, "Please give me some advice, father."

Looking at Lei Tengfeng, Lei Zhenting sighed helplessly. Although he only has Lei Tengfeng as his son, he is obviously not very good at teaching his son compared to Mo Liufang. It's not that Lei Tengfeng is not good, but he is not good enough compared to Mo Xiuyao. But it is precisely because of this that people feel more dissatisfied and depressed. Lei Tengfeng is also not easy. His age is similar to Mo Xiuyao, but few people in the world will compare him with Mo Xiuyao. Just because... he is not qualified yet.

Lei Zhenting said: "Nan Hou and Murong Shen are now at the end of their strength. As long as you intensify the siege, you will be able to capture Weicheng before Mo Xiuyao returns. You don't have to rush. But... do you want to subdue Nan Hou and Murong Shen?"

Lei Tengfeng's heart skipped a beat, and he lowered his head and said, "Son... I just think these two are rare talents..."

Lei Zhenting smiled helplessly and waved his hands, saying, "My father is not against you recruiting some capable people for your own use. But... we need to see what kind of people you want. You can't suppress Nan Hou and Murong Shen."

Lei Tengfeng raised his eyebrows, a look of dissatisfaction on his face. Lei Zhenting said calmly: "Both of them can be called famous generals who have fought in many battles. Murong Shen is arrogant and you can't suppress him unless you are absolutely stronger than him. He is also an old subordinate of Mo Liufang and has a natural affinity for the Mo family army. Now that he has rejoined the Mo family army, he will only be more loyal. What's more, Murong Shen's only daughter married Leng Huai's second son Leng Haoyu. And Leng Haoyu is Mo Xiuyao's confidant second only to Feng Zhiyao. Under such circumstances, do you think Murong Shen will be loyal to you? As for Nan Hou, he is more difficult to deal with than Murong Shen. Although he has been silent for many years and his reputation is not prominent, his arrogance when he was young is definitely not less than Murong Shen. Therefore, surrendering to the enemy in battle will never happen to them."

Lei Tengfeng clenched his uninjured hand tightly. In fact, he understood what his father said. But he heard another meaning: he was not capable enough, so he could not subdue Murong Shen and Nan Hou. Hearing his father say this, Lei Tengfeng felt that it was the same as his father telling him incompetent in person.

"I am incompetent, please forgive me, father." Lei Tengfeng lowered his eyes and said in a deep voice.

Seeing him like this, Lei Zhenting could only sigh. After a while, he said, "It's not your fault. Don't think too much. The most important thing right now is to take over Weicheng." Lei Tengfeng straightened his expression and nodded, "Don't worry, father. I know what to do."

Late at night, the Wei city stood in the empty field, looking somewhat lonely. In the night, the soldiers of the Mohist Army stood on the city tower, firmly guarding the small city. In the darkness, a group of people quietly approached the city wall. The man in black quietly climbed up the city tower.

"Swoosh!" An arrow shot out from the darkness, and the man in black who had climbed up the wall fell to the ground with a muffled groan. A bright light lit up on the top of the city wall, and the originally quiet town immediately became lively again. In a moment, the sound of fighting and the smell of blood filled the entire field.

This night attack lasted until dawn. After several days of hard fighting, the Mohist soldiers finally couldn't stand it anymore. The heavy wood knocked open the gate of the city. After a hard fight, both sides suffered heavy losses. At dawn, Nan Hou finally ordered the Mohist soldiers to withdraw from the city.

Lei Tengfeng, who led the troops into the city, looked at the sound of the Mohist army leaving in a cloud of dust, a cold light flashed in his eyes, and he ordered in a deep voice: "Chase! Get the heads of Nan Hou and Murong Shen, and you will be rewarded with ten thousand taels of gold."

"Sir, the prince has ordered..." The general following Lei Tengfeng hesitated for a moment and could not help but whispered. Lei Tengfeng's eyes were like knives, and he said coldly: "Now I am leading the army! I will naturally explain to my father later. The Mohist army is fleeing in panic, and our army should take advantage of their high morale and pursue them."

"But……"

Lei Tengfeng said sternly: "Shut up! This is my order!"

Helplessly, the general could only nod and say, "I will obey your orders."

Lei Tengfeng led the Xiling army through Weicheng and continued to pursue the retreating Mo army. Not long after, Lei Zhenting, who was following behind, arrived at Weicheng, but did not see Lei Tengfeng's men. His expression sank and he asked, "Where is the prince?"

The generals below looked at each other for a few times before one of them stepped out and reported, "Your Highness, the Crown Prince has led his troops to pursue Nan Hou and Murong Shen."

Upon hearing this, Lei Zhenting's face changed, and he slammed his palm heavily on the desk, angrily saying: "How dare you! I have ordered him not to act rashly!" The general said in embarrassment: "But the prince..."

Lei Zhenting looked at the generals who were a little helpless and sighed helplessly. Lei Tengfeng was the prince of Zhennan and the only heir to the Zhennan Palace. These generals naturally dared not disobey his orders. If he insisted on doing something, they naturally did not dare to really stop him. Lei Zhenting was a genius of his generation. He only needed to think about it to understand the reason why Lei Tengfeng suddenly became so impulsive. It was because of his previous advice to him. I am afraid that Lei Tengfeng did not listen to the advice at all, but thought that he, as a father, underestimated his ability.

"Your Majesty, what should we do now?" the general below asked in a low voice.

Lei Zhenting thought for a moment and said, "Right General, bring 50,000 troops to support the prince." After thinking for a moment, Lei Zhenting said, "If the prince wins, you don't have to worry about it. If the prince falls into a trap, you can rescue him."

The right general stepped out and said in a deep voice, "I obey your command!"

At this time, Lei Tengfeng was really trapped. On the narrow mountain road leading to Feihong Pass, tens of thousands of soldiers led by Lei Tengfeng were trapped in the mountain road and had no way to move forward or backward. Murong Shen and Nan Hou stood side by side on the hillside not far away. Murong Shen sneered at the inexplicably angry Lei Tengfeng below. Murong Shen took the bow and arrow from the soldier next to him and pointed it at Lei Tengfeng, saying with a smile: "We lost the city of Wei, but killed the prince of Xiling Zhennan. Isn't it a gain?" Zhennan King Lei Zhenting only had Lei Tengfeng as his son, and Lei Tengfeng's children were almost killed by Ding Wang more than a year ago. If Lei Tengfeng died, it would definitely be a fatal blow to Lei Zhenting.

Nan Hou held back his hand that was about to shoot the arrow, and shook his head, saying, "No, if we kill Lei Tengfeng now, Lei Zhenting will definitely go crazy."

"So what?" Murong Shen raised his eyebrows.

Nan Hou smiled helplessly and said, "Don't forget that there are still hundreds of thousands of ordinary people in Weicheng. Lei Zhenting is indeed not like Beirong who kills ordinary people, but it doesn't mean he won't kill." The pain of losing his son is enough to make Lei Zhenting do anything crazy. What's more, if they kill Lei Tengfeng now, they will have to face Lei Zhenting directly. Then they will only be defeated faster.

"What does Nan Hou mean?" Murong Shen was able to conquer the battlefield, so he certainly didn't rely on his martial arts alone. He quickly figured out Nan Hou's intentions. He smiled and said, "This mountain road is easy to defend but difficult to attack. Let's trap Lei Tengfeng inside and make Lei Zhenting afraid to act rashly. This will just delay the attack for a few more days." Nan Hou stroked his beautiful beard, nodded and smiled, "That's right."

"Nan Hou, Murong Shen! Come out and talk!" Lei Tengfeng, who was trapped on the mountain road, shouted in a deep voice. He really didn't expect that Nan Hou and Murong Shen still had some strength left when they retreated from Weicheng. He had rashly followed them with less than 100,000 soldiers and horses, and was actually tricked by these two. In fact, it was a mistake for him to rashly go to such a narrow mountain road. Lei Tengfeng, who had calmed down, secretly regretted his impulse.

Murong Shen laughed loudly and said, "Prince Zhennan, I didn't expect that we would meet again so soon."

Lei Tengfeng looked up at Murong Shen and Nan Hou who were looking down at him not far away, and said in a deep voice: "You can shave or kill me as you wish!"

Murong Shen snorted disdainfully, looked at Lei Tengfeng with a smile on his face and said, "It's interesting. The King of Zhennan has always been shrewd and calm, but I didn't expect him to have such a passionate son. Didn't the Prince of Zhennan ask me and the Marquis of Nan to surrender to Xiling yesterday? Now...does the Prince of Zhennan want to consider surrendering to my Dingwang Mansion?"

Lei Tengfeng's face turned pale and blue, and after a while he gritted his teeth and said, "Murong Shen, you dare to humiliate me!"

Nan Hou smiled gently and said, "Prince Lei, what you said yesterday was nothing short of an insult to me and General Murong. Since everyone knows it's impossible, why bother saying it?" Lei Tengfeng remained silent. Murong Shen smiled and said, "Isn't it because Prince Zhennan was so confident that he could beat us? But he didn't expect that things would change and he is now trapped. What a pity... Prince Zhennan of Xiling was a hero all his life, but he gave birth to such a fool of a son."

Murong Shen's words made Lei Tengfeng's face turn pale. In fact, with Lei Tengfeng's ability, he could not be called a fool. It's just that there are always people better than you in this world, and Lei Tengfeng grew up under the halo of his father, which can be said to be overshadowed by him. In this way, Murong Shen's unintentional ridicule became a burden that he could not bear.

Lei Tengfeng just laughed and said: "General Murong is right. My father was wise all his life...but I am the only son who is as stupid as a fool. I have really brought shame to my father...How can I face the soldiers of Xiling after such a defeat..." As he said that, he raised the long sword in his hand and wiped it across his neck.

"This..." Murong Shen was also stunned. He never thought that a casual word from him could make Lei Tengfeng determined to die. Is the son of the King of Zhennan so fragile? Leng Haoyu has been scolded as a dandy, a fool, and a playboy since he was a child, but he is still alive and kicking.

With a "bang", the guards beside Lei Tengfeng were frightened and quickly drew their swords to block Lei Tengfeng's sword, shouting: "Prince, why do you take Murong Shen's nonsense to heart? You lost your life so easily, how can you be worthy of the prince? You are the only heir to the Zhennan Palace!"

Lei Tengfeng was stunned for a moment, staring at the long sword in his hand. In fact, he had just drawn the sword and committed suicide out of impulse and grief, and now that he had come to his senses and looked at the sword in his hand, his heart was chilled.

Seeing that Lei Tengfeng was fine, Murong Shen heaved a sigh of relief and sneered, "I just realized now that the Prince of Zhennan is a coward who avoids failure?" Lei Tengfeng calmed down immediately after being shocked by this and said in a deep voice, "Thank you for your advice, General Murong. I was confused for a moment. I lost this time, but... I will never let it go. If I am allowed to leave here alive, I will definitely take revenge!"

Murong Shen looked at Lei Tengfeng who looked determined and said with a smile: "This kid is quite interesting."

Nan Hou smiled and said, "I was protected so well by King Zhennan. If I am still alive after this, I am sure I will have made great progress."

Soon, the general of the right wing of Xiling arrived with his troops, and naturally, the two sides had another fierce battle. Although the Mohist army was tired, they relied on the terrain to fight the Xiling army on equal terms, and persisted on this small mountain road for another day and night. The next morning, when Lei Tengfeng finally broke out of the Mohist army's encirclement with wounds and joined the Xiling reinforcements, when he was about to counterattack, the Mohist army's reinforcements also arrived.

The reinforcements of the Mo family army were not many, only four or five people. The two leading them were Mo Xiuyao and Ye Li, both dressed in white. Even Mo Xiaobao, who was drowsy, was sitting on Mo Xiuyao's horse. Following behind them were Feng Zhiyuan, Yun Ting and Zhuo Jing. Although he did not see the reinforcements, Lei Tengfeng did not dare to act rashly.

Seeing Mo Xiuyao and the others, Nan Hou and Murong Shen also breathed a sigh of relief, "Your Highness, I failed to defend the city, please forgive me!"

Mo Xiuyao flicked his sleeves, and with a force that was neither too strong nor too weak, he held up the two people who wanted to kneel down and apologize. "You two have done your best, don't blame yourselves." Mo Xiuyao smiled at Lei Tengfeng who was staring at him and said, "Master Lei, do you want to leave by yourself or stay and reminisce with me?"

Lei Tengfeng's eyes flashed, but his heart was in a fierce struggle. In this case, the Xiling army had an absolute advantage in terms of manpower. If they attacked forcefully, they would surely be able to wipe out Nan Hou and Murong Shen's troops in one fell swoop. But... Mo Xiuyao, Ye Li and others appeared here, would they not bring reinforcements? Lei Tengfeng didn't believe it. But if Mo Xiuyao really didn't bring reinforcements, he would have missed a great opportunity to avenge his past shame.

With all kinds of torment in his heart, Lei Tengfeng stared at Mo Xiuyao and was in a dilemma. After a long time, he finally didn't dare to gamble. He sighed and said in a deep voice: "I have met His Royal Highness Prince Ding. I didn't expect His Royal Highness Prince Ding to come in time."

Mo Xiuyao smiled and said, "Prince Lei, you are too kind. I was lucky. If I could arrive before you capture Weicheng, I would be just in time. Prince, now... are you planning to fight me?" Lei Tengfeng forced a smile and said, "I don't think I am your opponent. Besides, both sides are very tired at this moment. Why not fight another day?"

Mo Xiuyao hesitated for a moment, and finally nodded and said, "In that case, please go in, Prince."

Lei Tengfeng's face darkened slightly, and he nodded and said, "Little Wang, goodbye."

Watching Lei Tengfeng leading the army to retreat, Murong Shen raised his eyebrows and said, "How many reinforcements did the prince bring?" The current situation is very clear. The troops they have are definitely not as strong as Lei Tengfeng's. However, Lei Tengfeng left at this time, obviously jealous of the reinforcements brought by Prince Ding.

Mo Xiuyao said calmly: "The reinforcements are still a hundred miles away, so I will just take these few of us with me."

"That Lei Tengfeng..."

"He thought I brought a lot of people with me, but I deceived him into thinking I didn't." But he really didn't bring anyone with him, so it's not good for a general to be too impulsive, and it's also not good to be too cautious. However, it's good that Lei Tengfeng chose to leave at this time. Although Mo Xiuyao didn't bring any troops, it was still very easy to kill Lei Tengfeng in the chaos.

In Weicheng, in the study where King Zhennan is temporarily staying.

Lei Tengfeng knelt on the ground alone, silent. Lei Zhenting was concentrating on the memorial in his hand, as if he didn't see the person kneeling on the ground at all. After a long time, when Lei Zhenting had finished reading the thick stack of memorials in his hand, he raised his head, glanced at Lei Tengfeng and said, "Get up."

Lei Tengfeng lowered his eyes and said, "My son acted rashly, greedily pursued merit, and almost fell into the hands of Prince Ding's Mansion. Please punish me, father."

"Punish?" Lei Zhenting sneered and said, "I just said a few words to you and you rushed to die. How dare I punish you?" After hearing what Lei Zhenting said, Lei Tengfeng felt even more ashamed, "My son knows his fault."

"Bang!" Lei Zhenting slammed his palm on the desk, and said angrily: "You admit your mistakes! Your way of admitting your mistakes is to draw your sword and commit suicide? You are really heroic. I have given birth to a good son who is indomitable. I am really ashamed of myself! Since you are not afraid of death, why did you come back?" Lei Zhenting was furious. He waved his hand, and the precious sword hanging on the wall next to him flew out of the scabbard and fell in front of Lei Tengfeng. Lei Zhenting said: "Don't you want to commit suicide to atone for your sins? I will give you a chance!"

"Father, I know I was wrong. I was confused for a moment, please forgive me." Lei Tengfeng was really ashamed and embarrassed, and couldn't help but redden his eyes. He knelt on the ground, rubbed his knees in front of Lei Zhenting, hugged his thighs and cried.

Seeing his son, who was already over thirty, in such a state, Lei Zhenting's heart softened. He sighed helplessly and said, "Forget it, get up." Lei Tengfeng then looked at Lei Zhenting and stood up, "Thank you, father."

Seeing Lei Tengfeng's listless look, Lei Zhenting felt a little guilty. He knew that his son was already outstanding enough, and a genius like Mo Xiuyao was hard to come by. It was just that Lei Tengfeng had been strict with himself since he was a child because of his father, but he never got the praise he deserved. It was his duty to do well, because he was the son of King Zhennan, and a good father would have a good son. If he did something wrong, he would have lost the face of King Zhennan. Lei Tengfeng himself was not an impulsive person. If he had not been overwhelmed by the pressure he had put on himself, he would have absolutely not wanted to act so impulsively as he did in the past two days.

"Tengfeng... these years, it is your father who has let you down." Lei Zhenting sighed and said in a deep voice. Lei Tengfeng was stunned, staring at Lei Zhenting's guilty look, and was speechless for a while, so he could only mutter: "Father... son..."

Lei Tengfeng waved his hand and said, "Over the years, people have always talked about how great the son of the King of Zhennan is, but they have always forgotten that you are already an adult over thirty years old. It is also my father's fault. I have always thought that these pressures are a motivation for you to work hard, but I never thought that it would be so difficult for you to bear."

"Father, it's my son who can't do it." Lei Tengfeng whispered, "My son is about the same age as Prince Ding, but I can't even compare to Prince Ding's achievements. I've brought shame to you, father."

Lei Zhenting smiled bitterly and said, "Mo Xiuyao... Father has never compared you with Mo Xiuyao."

Lei Tengfeng's face turned pale, and he said, "My son... is not worthy of being mentioned in the same breath as Prince Ding."

Lei Zhenting sighed and said, "Tengfeng, father did envy Mo Liufang for having a son as capable as Mo Xiuyao. But you have to know that the reason why Prince Ding can achieve what he has today is not only because of his genius, but also because of the sufferings he has experienced. If there had not been the disaster nineteen years ago, Mo Xiuyao today might have been a famous general of the Great Chu, living a carefree life. But father never hoped that you would experience such a disaster, do you understand?"

Lei Tengfeng nodded, "Son understands. Father... has always been protecting his son." Before he was twenty, he really lived a carefree life, and could be said to be more noble than the princes of Xiling. Mo Xiuyao fought on the battlefield when he was fourteen or fifteen years old, was seriously injured and died frequently when he was seventeen or eighteen years old, and struggled to support the huge Dingwang Mansion. He had never experienced these. So he had no right to envy Mo Xiuyao's achievements and abilities. He could only be ashamed of his own incompetence.

Lei Zhenting sighed, "Perhaps it was father's protection that hurt you. But even so, father still doesn't want you to experience such pain and torture. Besides... Tengfeng, father has never been disappointed in you."

"Father..." Lei Tengfeng was stunned.

Lei Zhenting smiled and said, "You are my son. I think you are already very good."

"Father, I understand." Lei Tengfeng lowered his eyes, hiding the tears in his eyes, and said in a deep voice: "I will not let you down."