The lady felt as if the world had suddenly turned upside down before her eyes, and everything around her seemed to become gloomy.
Her mind was filled with one thought: What sin had she committed? !
Jiang Minshan was her cousin from the next room, and her biological father was her cousin. In the past, she only saw her a few times during the Chinese New Year. Back then, Jiang Minshan lost her parents when she was young, and she had no brothers, leaving her alone in her family, helpless.
The lady also felt sorry for her niece who had a hard time living in her uncle's home, so when Jiang Minshan came to the capital to seek refuge with her, she took her in, thinking that the Marquis' Mansion would not be short of a pair of chopsticks.
She believed that she had done nothing wrong to her niece. She had thought of giving Jiang Minshan a dowry and marrying her off to a scholar, which would have fulfilled their relationship as aunt and niece. But one day, Jiang Minshan and Chu Lingxiao knelt in front of her and begged her to fulfill their wish...
Therefore, she could only fulfill their wish.
Ever since Jiang Minshan became Chu Lingxiao's concubine, everyone in the mansion knew that Chu Lingxiao's favorite woman was Aunt Jiang. Jiang Minshan even gave birth to a concubine's eldest son, so her position was secure.
In this life, Jiang Minshan not only does not have the status of the legitimate wife, but also cannot live a very happy life in the Chu family.
However, Jiang Minshan turned her kindness into hatred and harmed her two children! !
Thinking of this, the lady's heart ached again, as if something heavy was crushing her chest.
The lady's eyes were red and filled with tears.
She was already at an age with one foot in the coffin. She should have been enjoying her old age with her grandchildren, but at this time, she encountered a series of major changes. She lost her loved ones, and one of her two sons died and the other was disabled. If she did not have several grandchildren, she would have collapsed long ago.
The truth she just heard from Chu Qianhuang and Aunt Jiang was like a bolt of lightning that struck her hard, almost scaring her to death.
"Why?" the lady asked in a trembling voice. Her wrinkled, bloodless lips trembled constantly and she had lost all her spirit.
At this moment, she was like an old woman lying on the couch, about to die, her breath was so weak that it seemed as if she would run out of breath in the next moment.
"For Brother Yi." Aunt Jiang said as a matter of course, curling her lips at the lady and smiling sweetly.
At the same time, the bloody tip of the dagger was pointed at the old lady. At this moment, her body was also stained with some of Chu Qianhuang's blood, just like a red spider lily on the bank of the Wangchuan River, enchanting and gorgeous, making the onlookers shudder.
The lady was frightened, her legs went weak and she took a step back, feeling that the beautiful woman in front of her was a soul-eating evil ghost.
Aunt Jiang took two steps closer, her eyes as dark as two bottomless wells.
She brought the lady to Baiyun Temple to burn incense today, ostensibly to pray for Chu Lingxiao, but in reality she wanted to cripple the lady as well.
So, one stick of incense before, she left the room where the Madam was, under the pretext of coming to the Sutra Library to look for books, but secretly ordered her confidant to lead the people around the Madam away. Originally, she would quietly return to the room to attack the Madam, but who would have thought that she would run into Chu Qianhuang here...
Never mind, in fact, it was just a matter of changing the place to implement her plan.
As long as the last "stumbling block" of the Madam Tai falls, this old hag will no longer be able to take care of Chu Yunyi's affairs. Even if she dies today, she is the grandmother, and Chu Yunyi will only mourn for her for one year, which will not affect his future.
"You..." The lady staggered back a few steps, feeling that Jiang Minshan was too vicious and crazy.
She was so frightened that her legs were shaking. At this moment, she didn't know whether she was more shocked, angry, or afraid.
There was a gentle breeze, and before I knew it, the blazing sun in the sky was covered by snow-like clouds, and the surroundings became dark.
“Rustle, rustle…”
Another shower of pomegranate flowers fell with the wind, just like drops of blood.
There was a strong smell of blood in the air, which became stronger and stronger, as if a storm was about to come.
"It will definitely rain today!" Outside Baiyun Temple, a young man in blue clothes, biting a piece of grass, was lying on the branch of a big tree. He sniffed with his nose flaring and sighed, "Master Jiu really knows how to pick a day."
Under the tree, Chu Yunyi's mouth twitched slightly, and he looked up and said, "Brother Tang, you'd better come down. In case someone in the temple sees you..."
"What's wrong with being seen?" Tang Yuchu put his hands behind his head and leaned against the tree trunk leisurely, with one leg in black short boots swinging in the air, looking very comfortable. "Don't worry, nothing will go wrong."
"I'm telling you, you've been with Yunzhan for too long, and you've learned his rigidity."
Tang Yuchu was not being disrespectful. In fact, it was an overkill for him to lead such a small exercise.
There are not many people in the Baiyun Temple, and they are all ordinary civilians who are powerless. There are more than a hundred people on their side, and the other half are hiding in secret. Up to now, their task is only to surround the Baiyun Temple, guard the four gates and walls of the Baiyun Temple, prevent people inside from coming out, and prohibit outsiders from entering.
That's all, it couldn't be simpler.
To be honest, if the soldiers of the Black Armor Army can't even handle such a small exercise, they might as well just hit themselves to death with a piece of tofu.
Tang Yuchu was really bored and yawned lazily. The grass in his mouth almost fell down, but he caught it in time.
Chu Yunyi gripped the scabbard in his hand, and he couldn't be as calm as the battle-hardened Tang Yuchu. He knew that this was just a small exercise, but he also knew the principle of gradual progress. Only if he performed well this time, he would be able to participate in the next big event!
If he can't even handle small things, how can he have the face to enter the palace to see his sister and brother-in-law in the future!
Chu Yunyi's eyes were burning, he was already sharpening his sword in his heart, he was about to lose control.
Even though the young man didn't say anything, Tang Yuchu, with his sharp eyes, had already seen through the clues and said jokingly, "This young man is just hot-blooded and has a quick temper!"
He himself is only in his twenties, but his tone is like that of a middle-aged man in his forties or fifties.
Chu Yunyi has learned his lesson and will not respond to Tang Yuchu's words. If he argues with this guy, he will lose.
At this time, from the direction of the mountain, a square-faced young man dressed in cloth shorts and dressed like a bandit came quickly towards Tang Yuchu and Chu Yunyi. He clasped his fists at Tang Yuchu on the tree and said, "General Tang, the people from the Three Thousand Battalion are here. It looks like there are about 800 of them."
After Gu Jue ascended the throne, all of his capable generals were promoted, and Tang Yuchu was no exception. He was promoted from colonel to lieutenant general.
"Eight hundred people?" Tang Yuchu pulled the corner of his mouth with a half-smile and spat out the grass in his mouth, "You underestimate us too much."
When the Great Qi Dynasty was established, the Three Thousand Battalion already existed. It was the elite cavalry. Although it was called the Three Thousand Battalion, the number of people was actually far more than three thousand. Now the military register shows that there are a total of five to six thousand people in the Three Thousand Battalion.
Tang Yuchu jumped down from the tree easily, raised his right hand, patted Chu Yunyi on the shoulder and said, "I told you not to worry, look, it's alive!"
Just surrounding Baiyun Temple, that's not even a bowl of soup before the meal, what's next is the focus of this trip! Tang Yuchu swept away his previous laziness, his eyes were as bright as a leopard staring at its prey, and the whole person finally raised some energy.
“……” Chu Yunyi’s response was to pull out the long sword from his scabbard, with a cold light shining all over.
Tang Yuchu left more than thirty people to continue guarding the area around Baiyun Temple to avoid accidental injuries, and took more than two hundred other people, both openly and secretly, to go down the mountain.
The troops were divided into three groups, one group lay in ambush, one group walked in the open waiting for the enemy to come, and the other group encircled them from behind.
At this time, the 8,300 soldiers who were ordered to come and suppress the bandits had already arrived at the foot of the mountain on horseback. As it was inconvenient to ride horses up the mountain, they abandoned their horses one after another, and then lined up in two teams and hurried up the mountain path in a mighty manner.
They didn't take the "bandits" in the mountain seriously at all. They had 800 people, which was more than enough to deal with a group of bandits who were just a mob.
Little did they know that the "enemy" had been waiting for them.
There is really no suspense in the next battle.
Under the premise that the Three Thousand Battalion underestimated the enemy, more than two hundred Black Armor Army soldiers fought one against four, and taking advantage of the terrain and the harmony of the people, they easily captured all eight hundred people alive and confiscated their weapons.
This confrontation between the two armies, which could not even be called a war, ended in less than half an hour. It was so smooth that it seemed as if the opponent was made of paper and the victory was easy.
Even Chu Yunyi knocked down five or six people, and the results were quite fruitful.
In the confrontation between the Black Armor Army and the Three Thousand Battalion, he deeply realized that the soldiers of the Three Thousand Battalion were poorly trained. They were said to be elite cavalry, but in fact they were all just fancy moves, all good for show and useless.
This was the case with the Three Thousand Battalion and the Five Army Battalion as well. No wonder the sixty thousand soldiers of the Five Army Battalion were defeated by the swords and guns of the Black Armor Army and had no power to fight at all.
Chu Yunyi calmly wiped his blood-stained sword with a handkerchief and put the sword back into the sheath.
He also controlled the scale very well, only hurting people but not killing them. This was also an important lesson he learned in the Xuanjia Army.
While I was thinking, I heard a rough and angry shout from the direction of the mountain: "You bold traitors! This is under the feet of the emperor, and you dare to attack the soldiers here. This is rebellion and conspiracy. Do you want to punish your entire clan?!"
The person who came was the right deputy general who was leading the troops of the Three Thousand Battalion today. He had a curly beard and was about forty years old. His hair was a little loose, and his armor and clothes were a little messy, looking extremely dishevelled.
Even at this moment, the right deputy general was still somewhat incredulous.
He was actually captured by a mere gang of bandits. Although the strength of this gang of bandits did not seem to be a hastily assembled group, each of them was an elite group with strong skills...
Could it be that it is composed of the remnants of the soldiers who escaped from the previous five military camps?
The right deputy general was shouting and threatening in a weak manner, feeling uncertain and confused.
If it were in the past, as the right deputy general of the Three Thousand Battalions, he would naturally disdain to get to know an unknown person like Tang Yuchu. However, since the new emperor ascended the throne, his old subordinates have become the focus of everyone's attention, like Su Mubai, Pei Linye, Yun Zhan... and for example, Tang Yuchu, who had just been promoted to lieutenant general.
"Tang...Commander-in-Chief Tang." The right deputy general said stutteringly.
It was clearly the new emperor who ordered him to come here to suppress the bandits, but how could this "bandit leader" be Tang Yuchu! The back of the right deputy general's neck and back immediately broke out in a cold sweat, and the sweat soaked his shirt.
He didn't dare to think deeply about what was going on.
Tang Yuchu was still leaning against the tree trunk, looking as if he could lean on it instead of standing, with his arms folded across his chest, and he said in a leisurely and lazy manner: "Didn't they mobilize 5,000 people? Why are there only a few hundred people?"
Right Deputy General: “…”
Tang Yuchu didn't wait for him to speak, and continued to question: "The emperor was in danger, and you asked you to come to his aid, but you only mobilized a few hundred people. Do you intend to kill the emperor?"
Tang Yuchu said the last sentence with a smile, which was really heartbreaking.
“!!!” The right deputy general widened his eyes in horror.
According to Tang Yuchu, he deliberately saw the emperor in danger but did not rescue him, which is a serious crime that will lead to the confiscation of property and extermination of the clan.
The right deputy general's heartbeat quickened, and he quickly shook his head and said, "General Tang, you misunderstood! No, absolutely not!"
The right deputy general was telling the truth, he really wasn't being negligent on purpose.
Just now, someone took Gu Jue's token to the Three Thousand Camp to mobilize troops, saying that Gu Jue encountered bandits in Baiyun Temple. He was almost scared to death.
There are a total of 5,600 registered soldiers in the Three Thousand Battalion, but in reality there are only 2,500 of them. Moreover, not all of these 2,500 are in the barracks. Half of them have other jobs outside, and there are only 1,200 soldiers who are actually on standby in the barracks.
The new emperor was in danger at Baiyun Temple and was told that he had to temporarily mobilize troops, so he had no choice but to do so. He also sent someone to notify Deputy General Zuo to see if he could gather another group of soldiers over later so that he could at least have an explanation.
The right deputy general had originally thought well. This was the capital city. Even if there were bandits, they would definitely not be a big deal. He estimated that their number would not exceed two hundred. So even if he brought fewer people to rescue the emperor, these eight hundred people might not be powerless to fight.
As a result, they really had no power to fight, and besides, these were not bandits at all.
The right deputy general was about to cry, he knew the trouble was still to come. He was sweating more and more, even his forehead was covered with fine beads of sweat.
Tang Yuchu continued to ask: "Li You, the facts are here. Do you want to count how many people you brought with you? Where are the remaining 4,000 people?"
"If you refuse to send troops, then aren't you disobeying the Holy Order and intending to kill the king?!"
Tang Yuchu directly put the accusations of "disobeying the imperial order" and "regicide" on the other party one by one.
Li You's hair felt numb and his legs felt weak, but he didn't want to bear such a crime that could lead to the execution of his entire family. He said hesitantly, "Lieutenant General Tang, you misunderstood. I only have these few people..."
After saying this, Lieutenant General Li You could no longer look Tang Yuchu in the eye.
A sneer appeared on Chu Yunyi's face, and his eyes were cold.
Tang Yuchu was still smiling, as if he was wearing a mask of a smirk, and asked, "There are only so few people in the Three Thousand Battalion?"
Li You, deputy general: "..."
Deputy General Li You was like a mute, speechless, with sweat soaking his temples.
The mountain breeze blew in gusts, the weather was a little gloomy, and even there was a hint of moisture in the air.
Tang Yuchu didn't plan to say anything more to the other party. After all, his mission had been completed, and it was completed quite beautifully.
He cheered for himself in his heart, and at the same time stretched out his hand to Deputy General Li You to make a request: "Please, Deputy General Li You, come with me to see the emperor!"
Tang Yuchu did not forget to throw a coquettish glance at Chu Yunyi, meaning that once they handed the person over to Gu Jue, their mission would be accomplished.
Deputy General Li You had no room for refusal, and mechanically followed Tang Yuchu towards Baiyun Temple. His head was buzzing, and he had no idea what to say to Gu Jue when he met him later.
When they arrived at the gate of Baiyun Temple, Chu Yunyi walked forward and knocked on the door three times regularly, and then the door was opened from the inside.
The previous panic in Baiyun Temple was gone and peace had returned.
Just before an incense stick of time had passed, Tang Yuchu's side almost captured the eight hundred men of the Three Thousand Camp, and he sent someone to report to Gu Jue. Gu Jue immediately asked Jing Feng to tell the people in the temple that the people surrounding the temple outside were not real bandits, but an exercise of the officers and soldiers.
Most of these pilgrims did not know what the exercise was, but after Jingfeng explained it, they understood.
It turned out to be military training.
In other words, if we really encounter bandits, we will dispatch troops like we did today to eliminate the bandits and protect the people.
The people felt relieved and excited at the same time, especially when they learned that the emperor and empress would be burning incense at Baiyun Temple today, they were all overjoyed.
Their eyes were all shining as they looked at Gu Jue and Shen Qianchen outside the Great Hall, and they chattered non-stop:
"We can train with the emperor and the queen today, so isn't that the same as those officials?"
"Oh my, this is a once-in-a-lifetime fortune, a blessing from my ancestors."
"No wonder. I checked the almanac before leaving the house today. Today is an auspicious day for traveling and getting married."
"The Emperor and the Empress are truly a pair of immortal lovers. To me, they look like immortals who walked down from a painting."
“That’s it, that’s it…”
Those people were all very excited and had completely forgotten their previous anxiety and fear.
Although they were excited, no one dared to go up and talk to Gu Jue and Shen Qianchen.
Amidst the noise of laughter and chatter, they saw the gate of Baiyun Temple outside open, and a young man and a boy in cloth clothes walked towards Gu Jue with a soldier in bronze helmet and iron armor.
The thick and curly beard on Lieutenant General Li You's face could not hide his pale complexion, and his eyes were anxious.
As soon as he saw Gu Jue, Lieutenant General Li You knelt on one knee on the ground and saluted: "Your Majesty, I pay my respects to you." He didn't even dare to say those polite words about being late to save the emperor.
In comparison, Tang Yuchu was much more casual. He just bowed and reported that Li You, the deputy general, had brought 800 men to rescue the emperor, saying that that was the only number of men that could be mobilized from the 3,000-man camp.
Deputy General Li You only felt that the temperature around him dropped suddenly.
Gu Jue stood with his hands behind his back, his expression very cold, and asked: "Only 800 men can be mobilized, huh, how many people are there in the 3,000-man camp now?"
"Two thousand five hundred people." Deputy General Li You's eyes wandered, and he wanted to conceal something.
"Two thousand five hundred people?" Gu Jue raised his eyebrows, his eyes turning three points colder.
Li You, the deputy general, felt cold from his skin to his flesh and blood to his bones. He could only reply, "Half of them are not in the camp."
If the new emperor had deployed troops one day in advance, these more than a thousand people would still be able to appear in the camp. However, today, three thousand troops were killed unexpectedly.
Thinking of this, Li You, the deputy general, had a vague guess in his mind: Maybe the new emperor had long known that there were people in the army who were not paying the salaries, so today he took the three thousand battalions to start the fight...
If that is the case...
As he thought about it, two lines of sweat flowed down Lieutenant General Li You's temples, and his heart almost jumped out of his chest.
The next moment, he heard Gu Jue's cold voice coming from above his head: "Only three thousand camps?"
Gu Jue only asked these four words, but Li You, the deputy general, had already understood the hidden meaning of his words. He was asking himself, are the three thousand battalions the only ones who are eating empty salaries? Li You, the deputy general, was sweating profusely. Of course, he couldn't take all the blame for this matter.
In fact, the problem of ghost soldiers in the army has a long history. During the reign of Emperor Renzong, the Yongding Marquisate was involved in a ghost soldier case. After the late Emperor Gu Lang ascended the throne, the problem became even more serious.
Li You lowered his head a little more, took a deep breath, gritted his teeth and said, "All of them."
After he finished speaking, he couldn't help but look up at Gu Jue, and happened to see a faint smile on Gu Jue's lips, which was meaningful and made him feel uneasy.
Gu Jue didn't say anything more to Li You, and pulled Shen Qianchen away, leaving only two words: "Return to the palace!"
(End of this chapter)