Wei Xu was startled: "Fu Pei?"
"Fu Jun, Marquis of Pinghai, has his youngest son, Fu Wulang?"
Wei Xu suddenly turned his head and glanced at the thin boy in the cage with a cold and lightning-like gaze.
He smiled and said, "I didn't expect that the son of the Marquis's family would be imprisoned for so many years."
Wei Xu's voice was calm and unhurried, but it was a statement.
His eyes were so sharp that he could tell at a glance that Fu Pei was not imprisoned today.
Prince An walked forward slowly, stood in front of the cage, drew the sword from the waist of his personal guard, used the blade to push aside Fu Pei's messy hair, patted his face, lowered his eyes to see him shivering, and snorted softly.
"Only two years."
Prince An glanced at the empty cell next door, where two other people were originally imprisoned.
woman.
Meng and Fu Yun.
…
Prince An also discovered the traces of Meng and others in Yulin, Jiaozhou.
However, it was three years earlier than Wei Jing.
When Wei Jing fled with Shao Qing through the dense forest, they were forced to jump into the Qian River. The two disappeared without a trace, and a large-scale search was immediately launched downstream of the Qian River.
The emperor was far away, so the search mission was given to Prince An, who led the search overtly and covertly for a very long time, from Qianshui to Jingzhou, and even to Jiaozhou further down.
It was at that time that Prince An received the news about Meng's three daughters.
He had always suspected that Wei Jing was not dead, so naturally, he ordered people to follow the clues and search for him.
In the chaotic world, traces were vague and King An had to search for Wei Jing, and was unable to free up more manpower. It was not until a year later that the exact location of the three was tracked down.
At that time, Fu Pei had been robbed for three or four months, and Fu Yun had been sold to a private mine for a long time.
The private mine belonged to Prince An, so it was only a matter of a word to find the person; Meng had been wandering around the surrounding towns and villages, so it was not difficult to find him; the difficult one was Fu Pei, and after a lot of effort, Prince An's people finally found him in a secret brothel, Nanfeng Pavilion.
The mother and her two children were finally reunited, but they were in a dark cage. Fu Yun was dying, Fu Pei was cowering in panic, and Mrs. Meng looked emaciated.
It was not easy to find the person, and King An would certainly not let him die easily. The doctor gave him good medicine and kept him alive.
"At first, I felt uneasy and thought it was better to be prepared."
Prince An had kept this matter secret, and no one knew about it except for a few trusted confidants who were in charge. But I never expected that I would actually use it one day.
At the beginning of the year, Wei Jing went to Yi and the two sides fought their first battle. At that time, King An became suspicious. Therefore, he immediately ordered people to reveal some of the traces of the three Meng family members back then.
After arresting the three Meng family members, he ordered people to clean up or cover up all traces, including Jiaozhou Yulin, Heyi and the private miners and human traffickers.
He ordered people to uncover the traces again. If someone immediately followed the clues, there would be no doubt that this person must be Wei Jing.
The view from afar at the canyon and the eyeliner portrait actually served mostly as supporting evidence. What really made King An conclude that Wei Jing was not dead was because he also received a confirming report on the above matter.
"When it comes to commanding troops and fighting, I am far inferior to him."
In the silent cell, Prince An admitted this frankly.
In fact, it should be said that when it comes to military talent, it is probably difficult for anyone in this world to compete with him.
Therefore, King An had to make preparations for both scenarios.
On the one hand, he petitioned the emperor to order the imperial army to encircle and suppress Wei Jing; on the other hand, he secretly arranged for the mother and daughter of the Meng family to continue "wandering" and finally settle temporarily in the slums of Heyi.
"Once the imperial coalition forces are defeated, they will not have the strength to encircle and suppress the rebel king a second time. If the rebel king wants to send troops to take over the Central Plains for revenge, Jingzhou will be the first to bear the brunt."
Since Prince An was not sure of victory, he had to find another way.
Fortunately, he still has bargaining chips.
Under the candlelight, the sword in his hand glowed coldly, and Prince An frowned: "If you want to take Quyang, whether from south to north or from north to south, you can't avoid Dongluan Road and Daning Road."
There are iron mines in Daning Road, which is not suitable for deploying troops.
The Heyi section of the Dongluan Road is a natural and ideal ambush location, even better than outsiders think. Its advantages are not just the high mountains, dense forests and long roads.
On one section of the official road, there is a gourd-shaped canyon next to it. The gorge is narrow at both ends and wide and long in the middle, with dense thatched grass and low trees and is low-lying. Because it is dark and full of poisonous insects, and there is a government road next to it, no one passes through Hulu Gorge. Over time, it has been blocked and few people in the local area know about it.
After learning that Wei Jing was not dead, King An immediately spread out a map of the region, circled a number of strategic places, and ordered his confidants to survey them carefully in order to select the best one.
Dongluan Road was chosen because of Hulu Gorge.
Soon, on a night of heavy rain, a landslide occurred on Dongluan Road, and the original official road was blocked and difficult to clear. So the government first dug through Hulu Gorge, allowing the official road to bend slightly and use it first.
Naturally, the original passage would not be cleared. Instead, it became more and more congested, and even thatched grass and short trees grew there. After half a year, no traces of the original road could be seen.
"You want to attack with fire?"
Upon hearing about the special terrain of Huluxia, Wei Xu immediately understood.
“That’s right!”
Prince An narrowed his eyes and said, "As early as this spring and summer, Lingcheng has been stockpiling tung oil fire wires."
The number is huge.
It was arranged in the thatched roof of Hulu Gorge. Once Wei Jing led his army to break in, they would surely die.
“He must die!!”
Prince An shouted angrily.
He put a lot of thought into it, and his goal was not to defeat Wei Jing, but to kill him.
"It just so happens that the mother and daughter of the Meng family met with disaster in this area. God is helping me!"
He never doubted Wei Jingzhi's intelligence. When there are too many lies, it is easy to reveal the flaws. How can it compare to acting truly yourself?
"The iron mine had previously recruited local laborers to clean up the collapse, and now they are just right for use."
Find a suitable opportunity, send someone to silence them, and select one or two survivors to let go, and induce them to escape in the direction of the enemy's scouts, and leak the news that one of the two channels is close to the iron mine.
Wei Jing would certainly write to ask Meng's mother and daughter, and at this point, the plan would be complete.
"Once he takes one step forward, he will surely die!"
Prince An's eyes were grim.
"This plan is indeed a good one."
After unfolding the map of Hulu Valley and pondering for a moment, Wei Xu agreed with King An's opinion. If Wei Jing could be lured in, this plan would be perfect. Once Wei Jing dies, we may be able to take the opportunity to regain lost territory.
But before that, there is still a key question: "Are you sure about this Meng mother and daughter?"
If Wei Jing doesn't believe it, no matter how good the arrangements are, it will be useless.
Prince An smiled and said, "Jinzhi, you don't know that he has been sending people to look for this mother and her children for several years without stopping, and he has been sending more people."
They searched for several years and there was no news, but they never gave up. This shows how much they were hoping and eager to find the person.
Wei Jing attached great importance to this only remaining blood relative.
"He will believe it."
King An has not forgotten the incident of saving the dike in Yizhou.
Although Wei Jing was seriously injured and was full of vigilance, he was still a passionate man. Otherwise, when he was chasing He Xin in Yizhou, he would not have chosen to save the dam and saved tens of thousands of people.
He still has a soft spot in his heart.
The mother and daughter of the Meng family, his uncle's widow and daughter, were his only remaining blood relatives in the world, and their misery was almost the same as his own.
This was his solid defense, the only loophole he could exploit, there was no other.
Wei Xu's frown relaxed: "That's great, but this Meng mother and daughter, ..."
He looked at Fu Pei in the cage.
There is no need to say much about how Prince An controlled the mother and daughter of the Meng family. But on one side you are courting death, while on the other side there is peace and comfort. If the mother and daughter ever regret it, it would be a single mistake that would ruin the whole thing.
Prince An would naturally not miss this point. He smiled and said, "No."
As long as you have seen the way Mrs. Meng looks at her son, you won't have any doubts at all. Fu Yun was like a walking corpse, with no desire to live. Only when she looked at her mother and brother did she have a glimmer of light in her eyes.
"Besides, this Meng hates the rebellious king so much that she will never be inferior to me." The women in the inner house are short-sighted. When they encounter bloody changes, they always have to find an outlet for themselves.
Prince An took back the sword from Fu Pei's neck, took the handkerchief and wiped his hands: "Hulu Valley has been abandoned for many years, and the thatched grass and trees are overgrown, making it difficult to see the details. Even if Prince Ni is cautious and sends more scouts to explore the way, he will definitely not be able to find it."
The matter was of great importance, and Prince An had even anticipated that Wei Jing might still have some doubts, which was extremely thoughtful.
He threw down his handkerchief, his eyes grim: "This time, the Rebel King must die!"
…
Shao Qing was unaware of the ups and downs in Quyang County. She was currently more than three months pregnant.
The loss of appetite gradually disappeared, her appetite improved, she was not as sleepy, but her sleep quality was as good as before. Apart from some vomiting in the early stages, there were basically no other pregnancy reactions. In Sun's words, she is a person who will be blessed in the future.
I eat well and sleep well, and I feel energetic. I am not fat, but my lower abdomen is starting to feel solid and is slightly bulging.
After reading the official letter written by Wei Jing, she hurriedly ordered the clerk to go to the second gate to notify Nanny Ping to call Meng and Fu Yun. She took this opportunity to open the letter from home.
There were several large sheets of paper filled with his concern for her and the children, expressing his longing and reluctance to leave, and finally not forgetting to praise his children.
She boasted so much that even her own mother felt embarrassed.
Tsk, this guy.
Shao Qing could not help but smile slightly, and Zhuang Yan and Kou Xuan, who had done the job, also showed delight on their faces, but the two of them were happy after reading the official letter.
"We will finally take over Quyang County!"
Shao Qing folded the letter from home and carefully accepted it while smiling: "Yes, it's not easy."
It's been a full month.
Kou Xuan looked out the window. It was a bleak scene with cold wind blowing yellow leaves around. He said, "I'm afraid it will snow in ten days at the latest. It would be best if we can take Quyang in time."
Otherwise, subsequent campaigns will definitely be affected.
The battle at the front line is raging, which also concerns those who stay behind. Now there has been a major turn for the better, and everyone is delighted. But everyone was smart enough to know that since Wei Jing specifically asked Shao Qing to question Meng's mother and daughter, they would not sit in and listen.
After the joy, everyone left.
Shao Qing smiled and said a few words, watching everyone leave, then she sent someone to urge Meng's mother and daughter again.
Time is tight on the front line, so of course this may not be of much use for the time being, but they should always try their best in the rear.
"Hurry up, go and urge them."
…
When Nanny Ping hurried to Liuyunju, Meng's mother and daughter were taking a nap. Upon hearing this, their hearts immediately tensed up.
It's finally here.
Mrs. Meng had also been in the harem for many years, and she was very good at pretending, without any leaks. She quickly responded, "We'll come after we put on our clothes!"
Then he closed the door.
Since Fu Yun was reluctant to have her clothes taken off by strangers, the mother and daughter dressed and undressed themselves. Now is the perfect time for Mrs. Meng to take advantage of and remind her daughter again.
"As expected, you are here. Just say what you have memorized before."
Meng had received the news earlier. Her eyes were gloomy. She lowered her voice and gave quick instructions while shaking out her clothes and putting them on.
She saw Fu Yun didn't move out of the corner of her eye. She was stunned and looked up. She saw her daughter's expression was dazed and her brows were furrowed. "Fifth Mother?"
Recently, Fu Yun often appears to be in a daze. Not the dull look of a dead tree as before, but rather she seems to be thinking about something and has some emotional fluctuations.
Thinking about it carefully, this change started after she saw Fan Tian for the last time on the day the army set out.
Meng's brows turned cold: "Wu Niang, have you forgotten your brother?"
Fu Yun's heart was shocked.
She didn't forget, of course she didn't forget.
Having suffered such a disaster, she had no desire to live anymore and only wished to die to wash away the filth on her body. If she could sacrifice her broken body to buy a glimmer of hope for her only surviving brother, she would do it without hesitation.
She wanted to die but couldn't in Prince An's cage, but after being released, she was determined to die.
Her beliefs have always been so firm.
It’s just that…
For some reason, a pair of sparkling eyes suddenly flashed before Fu Yun's eyes, and the innocent young man hurriedly said to her: "I know!"
"No, you are very good. You are very good in my heart. I..."
The warm autumn sun, the sweet fragrance of osmanthus, the tall and handsome young man, and the hurried promises to comfort her.
Like a weak stream, it flowed through her dry heart, breaking the silence, as if something was stirring, wanting to revive.
She murmured, "Prince An is not a good man. Even if we do what he says, Ngapoi may not be able to survive."
"But if he didn't do it, Ngapoi would have died immediately."
Meng's cloudy eyes narrowed, and a fierce light suddenly appeared: "Are you going to put your brother to death?!"
"No, no I'm not!"
"snort!"
Meng lowered her voice and snorted coldly: "Your father is dead, your two brothers are dead, your sisters are dead, and your grandfather's family is dead. How can Wei Jing live well? His burial in Quyang is just the right time to pay tribute to the spirits of your father and his family in heaven!"
At the end of her speech, Meng clenched her teeth, and a deep resentment flashed in her eyes. It’s all because the mother and her two sons were too ostentatious, and it’s all because of that stupid woman who was as dumb as a pig. How could she not notice anything unusual after having been her bedmate for more than 20 years?
She lost her husband, children, parents, brothers and sisters, and their bodies were all torn into pieces.
The youngest daughter suffered a tragic disaster, and even the last youngest son was in danger!
"Your brother is the only bloodline of the Fu family. Are you going to watch him die?!"
If the youngest son died, what was the point of her living?
Mrs. Meng stared at her daughter and said coldly, "Don't think about Fan Tian anymore. Have you forgotten that you got the news about the delayed transportation of grain and grass and Anshan Pass from him?"
Fan Tian had no idea of the true or false strategy, and these were the only orders he received. The next day, Meng spread the news.
Fu Yun was shocked. When her mother asked her, she showed a hint of hesitation, but still told the truth.
Meng said gloomily: "No matter whether you said it or not, since you were arranged by Prince An, you will have no chance to be with him in this life."
Fu Yun's nostrils flared. Yes, yes!
Her heart was beating wildly, her chest ached, and she closed her eyes in agony.
The daughter was in a very bad state. It was definitely not okay for her to go to the front yamen like this. Meng suppressed her anger and whispered, "Fifth Lady, think about your brother. He was so young and he was locked up for so many years."
Speaking of her youngest son, Meng was filled with sorrow: "He is neither human nor ghost. You are his biological sister. If you don't save him, he will really die, just like your father and brothers."
"It's hard to say, it's even more miserable, Wu Niang..."
"Your brother is dead, and mother is no longer alive. Let us be together in the afterlife. He is weak, and I'm afraid he will be bullied..."
There was a real cry, and Meng suddenly knelt down: "Wu Niang, I beg you, please give your brother a chance to live!"
"Mother, mother, please don't do this!"
Fu Yun panicked and hurriedly helped her mother up. Her skinny brother flashed before her eyes. She gritted her teeth and said firmly, "Don't worry, mother!"
…
The mother and daughter talked in low voices in the inner room. It didn't take much time for them to quickly get dressed, apply cold water from the basin to their eyes, tidy up everything as usual, and then open the door and go out.
"Hey, Madam Meng, let's go."
Madam Ping was a little anxious, and Meng asked knowingly, "What's going on? Why do you suddenly want to go to the front yamen?"
Nanny Ping didn't know either. She just responded casually and quickly led the person over.
Shao Qing was unaware of the dispute between Meng's mother and daughter. In fact, she was not very close to the two of them. She only maintained superficial harmony and arranged their food and daily life according to Wei Jing's instructions.
When she saw someone coming, she came forward with a smile and asked Nanny Ping to bring tea. After they sat down, she told them the whole story.
"...I wonder which road the iron mine is on?"
It is indeed not nice to expose someone's scar. From the corner of her eye, she saw Fu Yun's body stiffen. She quickly apologized, "My husband knows that this is embarrassing for Wu Niang, but this matter is of great importance..."
Fu Yun actually doesn't need to pretend. When she mentions iron ore, she trembles all over and sweats. Meng was extremely distressed and hugged her daughter tightly, but the matter was really important, so she and Shao Qing could only comfort and persuade her.
"...I don't remember the clearing road very well. I wandered in the mountains for a long time, almost all night, before I saw the official road. That was the Dongluan Road..."
Fu Yun spoke intermittently, one by one, what Prince An's confidant had told her.
Prince An was very cautious. He did not let Fu Yun directly tell the Dongluan Road. Instead, he followed the most normal situation at the time and let Fu Yun crawl around in the mountains repeatedly before finally coming out.
She herself couldn't be sure, so she could only try to recall the direction, but it happened to be able to help people infer the desired result.
Shao Qing didn't know the terrain, so of course she couldn't make a guess. She quickly asked Wang Jing to bring paper and pen, and took careful notes. She also asked repeatedly until she was sure that Fu Yun could not say any more, and then she had her sent back.
Alas, it’s not easy for everyone.
She quickly copied the information twice to prevent it from being lost, then sealed them and handed them to Wang Jing.
"Quick, send it out immediately."
…
The Meng mother and daughter were carried back in a sedan chair. Fu Yun was soaked as if she had been fished out of water. She fell into a nightmare again, her teeth chattering.
Mrs. Meng helped her daughter get on the sedan chair with an anxious look on her face. At the last moment, she glanced at Shao Qing who was on duty.
The mother and daughter have made a lot of preparations for today. Fu Yun has been in the royal family for many years, and her performance was perfect without any mistakes.
Done.
I hope her son can finally survive.
…
Wang Jing handed the letter to the messenger, who immediately rode out on his horse, changing horses all the way, and arrived at Zhiwei Pass in the evening of the third day.
The letter was opened immediately.
Dongling Road.
But Fu Yun herself was not sure because she had been walking in the mountains for half a day and a night.
Ji Huan and others immediately took out the regional map and carefully deduced the direction according to her memory and the pace of a weak woman.
"Yes, it is Dongluan Road!"
Ji Huan looked up and said with certainty.
“Okay, great!”
Finally getting the answer, everyone in the meeting room showed joy and cheered.
Wei Jing ordered: "Pass the order, assemble the army at 5 a.m. tomorrow, march at dawn, and go straight to Lingcheng through Dongluan Road!"
"The order has been given!"
Everyone responded in unison and the order was immediately passed down.
Ji Huan did not forget to remind him, "My lord, although the deduction is undoubtedly the Dongluan Road, Miss Fu may have made some mistakes in her notes due to panic. We need to be more cautious when we march tomorrow."
Even though Ji Huan believed that there would be basically no mistakes, he still had to give the necessary instructions.
Wei Jing nodded: "This is inevitable."
Even though Fu Yun remembered it very clearly, he never neglected to be cautious.
…
The next day, the army set out, and everyone except the baggage soldiers marched rapidly. Wei Jing's first target was not Lingcheng, but to take a detour through Daning Road and encircle the ambush troops of Prince An.
The total length of the Dongluan Road is more than 200 miles, and the distance between Zhiwei Pass and Heyi is 170 to 180 miles. It can be reached in half a day by quickly marching.
Heyi section, the ambush should be set here if there is no iron mine.
In the distance, the mountains are obviously steep and the dark green ridges are like dormant giant beasts, winding and stretching out with no end in sight. The mountains are high and rugged, the forests are dense and gloomy, and the Longshui River, a tributary of the Jingshui River, winds through the mountains. Due to continuous rains for days and nights, the river water is extremely turbulent, rushing down with waves.
A cold wind blew by, bringing with it a strong smell of earth and water vapor. Wei Jing reined in his horse and said, "Scout!"
Even if it could be determined that there was an iron mine on Dongluan Road, Prince An would not set an ambush there. However, Wei Jing never took it lightly when he should be cautious, and he sent out a large number of scouts to explore the way first.
And he led the army slowly and steadily.
Wei Jing was very patient and walked slowly for more than an hour. When he approached the mountains, he even stopped his horse and ordered his men to rest on the spot. We waited until the scouts returned one after another and said that they had found nothing unusual ahead.
He immediately gave orders to organize his troops and march forward at full speed.
The soldiers were just resting on the spot, so it was easy for them to line up again. Soon, Zhang Yong came to report: "My lord, all three armies are safe."
Wei Jing nodded: "March at full speed!"
After giving the order, he kicked the horse's belly and was about to gallop away, but at this moment his eye inadvertently glanced at the river not far away.
His heart skipped a beat.
Wei Jing pulled the reins suddenly, and the horse, which was about to gallop, lifted its front hooves off the ground and neighed loudly.
“Stop!”
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