Chapter 10 Chapter Ten Intrigue

Back to the city with the defeated army, it was already dark.Arriving at the gate of Marquis Wen's mansion, I happened to see Xie Xuan coming out of it.I greeted him, and he nodded to me indifferently and said, "I told Lord Wenhou about you, you go in." His arrogant look really made me uncomfortable.Although the wolf soldiers are powerful, I don't believe how much stronger they are than the previous Vanguard Battalion or Dragon Scale Army.The imperial army, no matter which one it is, seems to be somewhat self-respecting and looks down on others. I took the highest-ranking officer in this defeated army and went in to see Marquis Wen.After seeing us, Marquis Wen also comforted the officer, saying that the temporary barracks were full for the soldiers who had recently returned, so he wrote me a handbook, asking me to give the officers in charge of miscellaneous affairs of the military academy a temporary shelter tonight. Arrange in the vacant house of the military academy and wait until tomorrow to assemble.He has been busy these past few days, his eyes are bloodshot, he probably has to prepare for the Tianshou Festival, and he has to work hard to recruit recruits, he is really busy.

Just as I was about to go out, Marquis Wen suddenly stopped me and said, "General Chu, is the student you recommended as a sight really useful?" I knelt down and said, "My lord, this man was discovered by my colleague General Wu Wanling. The sight is indeed useful. I have seen it with my own eyes. After using the sight, the accuracy has been greatly improved." Marquis Wen thought for a while and said, "I'll go and see for myself tomorrow. If it's really effective, when I'm employing someone now, even if that person is young, he might as well be promoted."

I was overjoyed for a while, and said: "Marquis Wen knows people well, and the general will admire him." Although my flattery was a bit blunt, Marquis Wen also accepted it.He stroked his beard, and said again: "General Chu, you don't hide people, but it's rare. Go back and rest well, and I will meet with them at the military academy tomorrow. I have to meet two more people. General Chu, you can still do it now." Are you going to battle?" I said: "My lord, if the country employs me, the last general will die." The officer also bowed at the side and said: "Even though the general is defeated, he can still be cut with a lead knife. What is the order of the prince, the general will go through fire and water and will not back down."

Marquis Wen smiled and said: "The move to increase troops to Dongping City is just in the past few days. Two generals, there are only a few recruits left in the soldiers of the imperial capital. You old troops can only shoulder this burden. The survival of the empire , In this one action, on behalf of the emperor, I would like to thank a few of you." He spoke very emotionally, and we solemnly said: "Don't worry, my lord." It seems that Marquis Wen has already decided that the Second Prince's reinforcement of Dongping City will not be enough to repel the Snake Man, so we are about to set off.But will the prince lead the army this time?There are only more than 10,000 long-term soldiers left in the imperial capital. Among the more than 10,000 miles, there are 8,000 descendants of Marquis Wen. Most Marquis Wen will not personally command the army, so the most available soldiers are no more than 10,000. Hou Zai concentrated on mobilizing troops.There are still fifteen days before the Tianshou Festival. If we have to wait until the Tianshou Festival to set off, we will probably miss the military plane, so maybe the reinforcements will set off before the Tianshou Festival.That is to say, if I joined the Second Route Reinforcement Army, it would only take a few days before I set off.

Marquis Wen looked at us, and suddenly said with emotion: "Oh, it's a pity that Mingchen didn't come back, otherwise..." He didn't say anything else. At this moment, an officer of the Marquis Wen's mansion came in and hesitated a bit when he saw us inside.I knew that I was afraid that there were some confidential matters to be reported, so I bowed and said: "My lord, if there is nothing else, I will leave at the end of the day." Marquis Wen smiled and said, "Alright. Let's take a good rest these days, take a few lessons in the art of war, reduce the number of drills, and recharge your batteries."

That's really going to use me.I felt an inexplicable gratitude in my heart, and just said: "Thank you, sir." We walked out of the meeting room, and just as the door was closed, I heard the officer hurriedly say: "My lord, the two envoys don't want to stay here for a long time, and they said that they will leave immediately after reporting to your lord, what should we do?" He only spoke halfway, and when the door was closed, he couldn't hear it anymore, and he didn't know what made it happen. The officer who followed me in to meet Marquis Wen was named Cao Wendao, who was originally a school lieutenant under Lu Jingyu.When he walked out the door, he suddenly said: "General Chu, according to Lord Wenhou, it seems that we are going to set off again soon?"

I said: "I won't be in a hurry, I will always rest for a few days. Now the vanguard of the Snakeman is attacking Dongping City, and the military situation is very urgent. General Cao, in this very autumn, even if you are tired, you have to be tired." .” Cao Wendao said: "I don't think I'm too tired, Lord Wenhou really doesn't care that we are defeated?" I stopped and looked at him.Twilight was approaching, and in the twilight, I saw some tears glistening in Cao Wendao's eyes.Perhaps, for him, the defeat of Gaojiu City was a great shame and humiliation, and it was better than any reward for him to go into battle again.

Military spirit is still available. My heart is also hot.Although the number of these defeated soldiers was not large, all of them came back from Gaojiu and other places. It can be said that everyone must have something special.Being able to go into battle with them, maybe this time I can really wash away my shame.I stood still, and whispered: "General Cao, don't worry, Mr. Wenhou is far-sighted, rewards and punishments are clear, don't measure him with ordinary people's mind." Cao Wendao was startled, and said in a low voice, "Okay." He only said this one word, but I could already hear his gratitude to Marquis Wen, and his determination to fight the snake man to the death.I stretched out my hand, and he held my hand, still whispering: "General Chu, you were known as the two generals of Longfeng along with General Qianfengying Lu back then, and your ranking is still higher than General Lu. I am afraid that Lord Wenhou will let you lead us. General Chu, if we can fight the enemy side by side with you, Cao Wendao will die with no regrets."

His hand was firm and strong, and I shook his hand without saying anything, but I knew he thought the same as me.Although the Dragon Scale Army and the Qianfeng Battalion have disintegrated and become a thing of the past, but with this group of soldiers who have experienced many battles and rushed out of the dead, they will definitely be a stronger army than the Dragon Scale Army and the Qianfeng Battalion . Just as we were about to walk out the door, suddenly a person rushed past us in a hurry, and as soon as we got outside the door, he jumped on his horse and ran away. He was the officer who reported to Wenhou's mansion just now.Marquis Wen's government army originally had 10,000 soldiers, but Marquis Wu borrowed 2,000 to serve as the backbone of the Chinese Army's Tiebi Battalion.Fu Mingchen, the commander of the Tiebi Battalion, died in battle with Chai Shengxiang in the end. Probably none of the 2,000 Wenhou's soldiers came back. Now there are only 8,000 people under Wenhou's command.But these 8,000 people are all elite soldiers selected by Marquis Wen, and he personally trained them. They are known as the "Second Iron Blade Mountain". Fu Mingchen can imagine how strong they are.But this officer left in such a hurry that he greatly missed the standard of the Marquis Wen's army.Could it be that something big happened?As soon as the officer went out, I couldn't help but look back at the meeting hall. The plaque on the hall that reads "Writing to Convey Tao" can still be seen clearly, but there is nothing messy inside.

What happened?I was vaguely uneasy.At this moment, Cao Wendao had already walked in front of me. Seeing that I hadn't followed, he turned around and said, "General Chu, what's wrong?" I added two steps, followed him and said, "It's nothing, let's go, you and I will live in the military academy first." Qian Wenyi and the others were still waiting outside the door with the more than a hundred disabled soldiers. As soon as they saw us coming out, they greeted us and said, "What's the matter?" It is urgent.Cao Wendao said: "Lord Wenhou has an order. Let us go to the military academy to live temporarily. We will be incorporated into the army to reinforce Dongping City, which is currently besieged by snake men."

What he said was not without embellishment, but I also think that Wen Hou must have meant it.Those remnant soldiers cheered when they heard the words, the sound was too loud, and I saw several people walking towards the door of the conference hall of Marquis Wen's mansion also looked at the door, so that Si Yan of Marquis Wen's mansion came over and said: "You go, don't let me go!" Make a noise here!" Those remnant soldiers ignored him, surrounding Cao Wendao and still asking.Cao Wendao said: "Go back and say, don't make noise in front of your lord's mansion, you will lose the title of Lord Lu." As soon as Lu Jingyu was mentioned, the soldiers fell silent.Almost in the blink of an eye, the soldiers lined up in four rows. Cao Wendao bowed to me and said, "General Chu, the headquarters is ready for orders. Please lead the way." Most of their military uniforms are damaged, and it is hard to say that they are "completely equipped".But this small army, which was originally in a state of embarrassment, suddenly became as strong as iron, as if it had been completely reborn.I nodded and said, "Okay, please follow me." Neither of us had horses, so we had to walk all the way back.Before I left, I took another look at the Marquis Wen's mansion, that Si Yan was still stern, afraid that we would make a loud noise, the door of the meeting hall was opened, and those people were walking in.Those few people must be the "commissioners" that the officer said, they are far away, and there are shadows of trees, and I don't know who they are, but I glanced at them and seemed to think that two of them seemed to be me. I know it, but I can't remember who it is. Where did that come from?Why do I feel like I know them?I couldn't help thinking about this question. Cao Wendao and the others were already on their way, so I had no choice but to follow along. I was just thinking about it as I walked. Those two people are tall and short, the tall one is actually about the same as me, and the short one is half a head shorter than me. Although they look familiar from the back, I really can't remember them, I'm afraid even if I really know them , that is not familiar.I almost want to break my head, but I still can't figure out who they are, and there are too many people I have acquainted with. There is a row of school buildings in the military academy that is still empty.Because Marquis Wen intends to double the enrollment of the military academy next year and recruit more students from civilian backgrounds, now the school buildings have been built and everything is ready, even the wooden beds in each room have been made.Cao Wendao brought the group of soldiers to live in, half of them lived in Wuyun City, and they had already gone home to visit their parents to report their safety. Qian Wenyi and the others had already returned from their home in the imperial capital, and now they live in the military academy There were only fifty or so people inside. After everything was arranged, I sent the unhappy-looking military school chores away, and I said, "General Cao, you should be wronged for a night. I'm afraid you won't be able to stay for a few days, and you will be leaving soon." Cao Wendao said, "How many soldiers and horses are there in the imperial capital?" "Originally, there were 130,000 troops stationed in the imperial capital including the soldiers of the Second Marquis of Wen and Wu. After the second prince took away 20,000 to reinforce Dongping City, there were only more than 10,000 left in the city." "Including King Qin's army, I'm afraid there are only 30,000 people available." Cao Wendao sighed, and I knew what he was sighing about.The current garrison in the city is actually left over after two rounds of selection, and the combat effectiveness can be imagined.The troops that Marquis Wen dispatched from other places are indeed powerful, but Qingyue Gong stationed in Xijing City and Hongyue Gong stationed in Tiedang City can only send 10,000 people each, plus Xie Xuan's troops. Four thousand wolf soldiers, and deducting the soldiers who stayed in the imperial capital, I am afraid that we can only take 30,000 people out at most. Dongping City is rich, but its population is not too large. The entire Zhijiang Province used to have only one million people. Due to the impact of the war, there are now about 700,000 to 800,000 people. Half of them are in Dongping City. There are 10,000 people, and the impact on their food storage will not be too great.If you go to Dongping City, you won't be in danger of running out of food.I slowly said: "Fortunately, the grain and grass should be fine." As soon as I opened my mouth, Cao Wendao said with a smile: "General Chu, you seem to know what I'm thinking. I just wanted to say this. I was forced to eat people in Gaojiu City. I feel disgusted when I think about it." I really don't want to talk about the cannibalism in Gaojiu City again, and I never told Marquis Wen about it. When I reported it to the emperor, Lu Gongxing didn't say anything about it.No matter who it is, although it can only eat people in order to survive, it is a heartbreaking thing anyway.I interrupted: "You guys go to bed early, I have to go to bed early too." Walking out of their residence, I walked to my own residence.Along the way, for some reason, I always thought of Cao Wendao's words.When he said it just now, my eyes seemed to light up, reminding me of something, but I couldn't figure out what exactly it reminded me of. While walking, while thinking, my head hurts a little.I sighed and didn't want to think about it any more.But I didn't want to think about it, but I unconsciously remembered the two people I saw in Wenhou's mansion just now.Who are those two people? At this time, a flash of lightning suddenly flashed through my mind, and I stood still abruptly. I remembered who that tall guy was! No wonder I had a strange feeling when Cao Wendao said, "You seem to know my thoughts".It turned out that the tall man was Zheng Zhao who could read minds! Zheng Zhao is actually the messenger! I was shaking a little.Zheng Zhao may not have any other skills, but his mind reading skills are really amazing.He acted as an envoy, it must be because of his ability. In any case, I have to remind Marquis Wen. Thinking of this, I turned around and turned to the stable, and knocked on the door of the stable desperately. After a long time, a blind servant came out, saw me, and said, "What's the matter? It's so late to call the door." I didn't say much to him, I showed him my waist badge, and I rushed to the side of my horse, untied the rein and pulled it out.He said anxiously: "General, do you still want to go out so late?" I said, "It's urgent, you don't need to ask." As soon as the horse was led out, I jumped on it and ran towards Wenhou's mansion with whip. At the beginning, Zheng Zhao told me that after he found Bai Wei, he was going to live in seclusion.It is only now that I know that these words are just deceiving me, so the identity of this person is also a big problem.As an "envoy", Zheng Zhao must be an extremely important matter, and it may be related to the reinforcement of Dongping City. If this is to set up a trap for Wen Hou to take advantage of, even if Wen Hou is far-sighted and has nothing to lose, but He didn't know about Zheng Zhao's ability, so he might be fooled too. If there is any conspiracy in it, the consequences will be unimaginable.I still remember Cang Yuegong's bitter trick of sacrificing his life was only discovered because of Zheng Zhao's secret to Marquis Wu. I really don't want to see me end up like this. It was already dark, because the Tianshou Festival was coming soon, and people were still putting on lights and festoons these days. I was galloping on the street, and many people looked at me sideways. When I arrived at Wenhou's Mansion, I handed over my waist badge to Si Yan at the door.Nasi Yan also looked at me suspiciously, and said, "Wait for me to report." Now it's time for Marquis Wen to rest, and I just said "I have something to see", which is really suspicious.I was worried that Marquis Wen would refuse me with a sentence of "I will report tomorrow if I have something to do", but Si Yan came out and said, "General Chu, my lord, please come in." Marquis Wen was lighting candles in the conference hall. When I stumbled in and rushed in, I saw him frown.I still come to report at this time, probably he is also a little unhappy.He blew out a small wooden stick that ignited the fire in his hand, and said, "General Chu, what's the matter?" I ran in a hurry, gasping for breath.After breathing evenly, I said loudly, "My lord, one of the two envoys just now is Zheng Zhao?" Marquis Wen heard my words, turned his head and said, "Do you know him?" I said, "My lord, where is he?" This remark was a bit rash, and Marquis Wen said with a dark face: "General Chu, I don't care what grievances you have with him. But if you come to see me at this time, if there is only this thing, it is too rude." I knew that Marquis Wen had misunderstood me, and I was explaining that I was in such a hurry that I couldn't catch my breath, couldn't speak, and blushed, I'm afraid that Marquis Wen would feel that I regretted it even more.He opened his mouth and was about to say something, but I said loudly, "Sir, then Zheng Zhao can understand your thoughts, his words are very unbelievable!" Marquis Wen was still holding the wooden stick in his hand. Hearing what I said, the wooden stick in his hand fell to the ground. Looking at me, he said anxiously, "Speak carefully, and speak quickly." Seeing that I was still panting, he brought me a glass of water from the desk.I picked it up and drank it all down, and told the story of my acquaintance with Zheng Zhao.These words have been repeated in my mind many times, and I have spoken them in an orderly manner.Just in the middle of speaking, Marquis Wen stopped me and said, "Okay, I understand. No wonder, I feel that every word he said hits my heart. I only know that the Lord of Wuyang City has such talents, and he is so different from my strategy. Coincidentally." Zheng Zhao is the envoy of the Lord of Wuyang City!This surprised me again.At this time, what Zheng Zhao said to me at the beginning was turning around in my mind, without a clue.Zheng Zhao, the lord of Wuyang City, the Republican Army, and sisters Bai Wei and Zi Liao, what is the relationship between them? Marquis Wen was pacing in the conference hall with his hands behind his back. Suddenly, he stood still, took out a token from his side and said, "General Chu, I have something important for you to do." I knelt down on the ground, took the token, and said, "I will obey your lord's orders." "Go back to the military academy quickly, and take the remnants of Lu Jingyu to the west of the city. Make sure to capture Zheng Zhao back, no matter whether he lives or dies." I said, "How to get to the west of the city? They came from the south gate." Marquis Wen said a little annoyed: "I have already sent people to the east gate and the south gate. If these two people really have the ability to read minds, then they will definitely not go through the southeast gate again." I said, "Design." Standing up and about to leave, he said, "General Chu, remember, don't let them talk nonsense. If they talk too much, then..." I didn't say anything below, just put my hand on the neck Swipe a bit. Hearing what Marquis Wen said, I also felt a chill in my heart.Going to Wuyang City, walking from the west gate is a big circle, and it takes thousands of miles to walk. Generally, you don’t go there. Therefore, Marquis Wen only sent people to the southeast two gates, and he originally planned to prevent them from going back. up.Marquis Wen looks much more generous than Marquis Wu, but in fact he is far more gloomy than Marquis Wu, and Marquis Wu's scheming cannot be compared with him.Now that he entrusts me with a heavy responsibility, that means he trusts me, but who knows if one day behind his smile, there will be thoughts of killing me. Walking out of Marquis Wen's Mansion, I just felt a chill run down my back.Looking back, the candles in the conference hall were still on, and the words "Writing to carry the Tao" at the door were eerie. When Cao Wendao was called up by me, he was still taken aback, and said while putting on his clothes, "What happened?" I said: "Don't talk too much, immediately gather the strongest people here, and follow me out of the west gate, and we can talk about other things on the way." It was also dark, so going out at this time really baffled him.He called more than 20 people with good skills, and I took them to the stable to pull the horses out, and rushed out immediately.The military academy is in the west of the city, and it is very close to the west gate from here. Along the way, Cao Wendao said, "General Chu, what happened?" I said: "Marquis Wen ordered us to arrest two people, you don't need to ask about anything else." The east gate and the south gate are probably guarded by Deng Canglan and Bi Wei respectively, because Zheng Zhao insisted on leaving immediately, so when Cao Wendao and I went to report to Marquis Wen, the officer was so anxious to leave.Even if Zheng Zhao was just an envoy who had something important to report, he might not be able to return to Wuyang City alive.Marquis Wen didn't know that Zheng Zhao had the ability to read minds, and if there were loopholes in the arrangement, it couldn't be considered Marquis Wen's mistake. Once at Simon, I handed the token to Mending.The doorman had just closed the door, and opened it reluctantly, I said, "Brother, did you see someone leaving the city just now?" That Mending said: "It hasn't been long since we left, four or five people don't know whether they are going to the funeral or what, they are very anxious." That is Zheng Zhao.He knew that Marquis Wen had the intention of killing them, so he ran away quickly.I turned around and said, "Hurry up!" Cao Wendao also knew something, and he caught up and said, "General Chu, what did those people do?" I didn't look back, just stared at the front and said: "I don't know, I was ordered by Lord Wenhou." He didn't say anything more.Most of these fifty or so people were members of Lu Jingyu's 1,000 cavalry army, and they were all very good at riding horses. If the horses were fast and whipped, Zheng Zhao would definitely not be faster than us.After another chase, Cao Wendao suddenly said: "General Chu, look, there are lights ahead." On the road, about a mile away from us, there were indeed some lights.There is no one here at all, and the lights must be someone walking at night, probably Zheng Zhao and the others.I said: "Quick! When you see them, immediately attack them. Except for the two leaders, the others will be killed on the spot." Saying these words, I couldn't help trembling in my heart.It's not easy to be single-handedly.Up to now, I seem to feel the pain of Li Sijin when he carved the eight-character inscription on the knife.Now, am I not going against my will step by step, and when I get old, I am afraid I can only comfort myself with "it's not easy". The people in front were probably aware that someone was chasing after them. Suddenly, the lights at those points went out.Cao Wendao said in a low voice, "General Chu, what should we do now?" I didn't lead the horse, and said: "Go up first, let the brothers keep a distance, each person is about two feet apart." There were more than 50 people, each separated by two feet, which formed a long line that was nearly half a mile long.I don't believe that Zheng Zhao can be faster than us, he probably hid among the bushes next to him after the lights went off.In such a dark sky, without lights, he must not be able to walk fast. We arrived at the place where we found them just now, and we dismounted and searched, and we were able to find them. It will not take a while for the fast horse to travel this mile. When we arrived there, there was no one on the road.I ordered everyone to set up a torch, and half of them got off their horses. Cao Wendao led the search in a semicircle to the south. I stood on the road and guarded with the remaining twenty or so people, waiting for their reports. It was very dark, and even though this was the foot of Huabiao Mountain, I couldn't see anything clearly.Because of our row of people standing on this section of the road, it is brightly lit. There is a large open space on the south side of the road, and there are not too tall trees on the north side.It was spring, and those trees were very lush. If Zheng Zhao and the others hid in the trees, it would be really hard to find. At this time, Cao Wendao suddenly came out from the bushes, and he was still on the grass by the roadside, so he said loudly: "General Chu, I found some horses on the edge of the valley here, and there are traces of going down the valley, it seems that those people went down the valley escaped." Fall into the valley?I frowned and said, "I'll go and have a look." Cao Wendao said to the soldiers behind me: "You all come here." I was about to tell Cao Wendao that half of the people should stay on the road, but Cao Wendao gave me a wink, and my heart moved, and I also said loudly: "Come here." These twenty or so people got off their horses and came over.Cao Wendao walked up to me and said in a low voice: "General Chu, this mark is very hard, and I will definitely not go there for a while, I am afraid that those people are hiding on the north side of the road, and this is where they are suspicious. " When I saw his eyes, I understood most of it. Hearing what he said, I nodded and whispered: "Leave a dozen or so people with bows and arrows to put out the torches and follow us. The others let them come to us." Stay behind and wait for orders at any time." Cao Wendao nodded.In this night, it is extremely difficult to find Zheng Zhao and the others, although it is not necessarily impossible. The best way is to lure them out.I said loudly on purpose: "Leave someone alone and give the horse some night grass. We are going to chase down the valley." Cao Wendao and I walked south for a while, Cao Wendao had already ordered a dozen people in a low voice, and handed over the torches to others, and we returned to the side of the road again. There are not too many people walking on this road, and long grass grows on the road from time to time.Evening wind blowing, also a little chill.I opened my eyes wide and stared at the road. It was originally a brilliant idea for Zheng Zhao to abandon his horse, but he may not have experienced many actual battles. Compared with veterans like Cao Wendao who have experienced many battles, his tricks are naturally impossible to hide. Zheng Zhao, no matter what your purpose is, don't blame me.I grabbed some newly grown grass in front of me, thinking silently.I only met Zheng Zhao once, so I can't talk about friendship, but I still don't want to watch him being shot to death face to face. There was a sudden silence on the road, only the snorting of the horse on the right could be heard.In the bushes across the road, there was still no sound.Suddenly, a tree shook slightly and made a soft noise. In the darkness, I vaguely saw a few figures falling from the tree without a sound. They didn't go on the road, but just walked in the bushes on the north side of the road.But it seemed that they did not go to the west, but turned to the east.I looked at Cao Wendao. Cao Wendao took out a short bow from his bosom and put an arrow on it.I pressed his hand lightly and shook my head. Zheng Zhao has already abandoned the horse, and now he is afraid that he has the idea of ​​taking our horse.After he has captured the horses, he will drive off the rest of the horses, and we will not be able to catch up with him for a while. These few people walked on the road. It seemed that there were five of them in total.They walked lightly, but they were coming towards where we kept our horses.The soldier in charge of the horse didn't know that we were beside him, he was still riding on a horse and looking at the sky, and he didn't even know that five people were coming towards him. Those five people were almost at the side of the horse, when suddenly one of them stopped abruptly.It was at this moment that I shouted, "Do it!" The ten of us lying here shot arrows at the same time, and the ten arrows came out of nowhere. Two of the five people were walking beside us, the closest to us. Suddenly, these two people jumped, and fell down like some kind of dance. He was shot to a vital point and died on the spot, but suddenly one of them's hand lit up, only the sound of the arrow shaft being cut was heard incessantly, and the other arrows were all blocked by him. Great swordsmanship!At this moment, I seemed to see that strange swordsman I saw in Tianshui Province again.It was only at this moment that I suddenly remembered that the other familiar figure was exactly the same as the swordsman I had seen. I jumped out of the ambush and shouted: "Do it!" There are only three of them left, but we already have a dozen or so people beside him, and the others have already chased after hearing the sound. Even if Zheng Zhao is a hidden master, it is inevitable this time. We divided our troops into two groups. I led a few people and rushed eastward, while the other five went on the road and blocked their way.I rushed to the front and rushed five or six steps away from them. The three of them saw that their retreat was cut off. One of them was very short and suddenly jumped up. The sword light in his hand seemed to pour down tens of thousands of cold stars, and faced me. To stab. Great swordsmanship!I felt a chill in my heart, and I stopped abruptly, blocking the knife in my hand in front of my face, and I could only hear the sound of "ding ding" in my ears.I blocked and retreated, only to feel that the sword light seemed to be a whole piece of tangible and qualitative, and it was pervasive. Although it was only a short moment when the man jumped up in the air, in this short moment, he pierced a full body. Twenty or thirty swords, I originally wanted to rush forward in a hurry, but my spirit was greatly frustrated by his violent attack, and I retreated five or six steps. I knew that his sword could not reach far, but now I attack Not in front of me, but my heart was still beating wildly, as if I had just come down from a very high place. The swordsmanship of this swordsman is exactly the same as the one I saw in Tianshui Province.It wasn't until this moment that I realized that I saw this short man familiar, and it turned out that it was because he resembled that strange swordsman's back.This person is half a head shorter than me, and he is also a circle smaller than me, but his swordsmanship is really palpitating. As soon as I stepped back, several soldiers rushed over.They were following behind me, but now they were ahead of me.These men were all carrying long guns, and I shouted, "Beware!" Before he finished speaking, the short man jumped up again, and in the blink of an eye, a soldier screamed "ah", and he collapsed to the ground.The three of them stepped forward together, one of them fell to the ground, but the other two did not flinch. With a movement of the spear in their hands, the two spears crossed at one place, clamping the right hand of the man holding the sword. Good marksmanship!I admired inwardly, at this moment an arrow shot towards me quickly, it was Cao Wendao who fired it from the side.The arrow was shot at a short distance, the swordsman's right hand was locked, as if he was hanging on the spear, but his kick flew out, the arrow was fast, but he kicked it, The arrow turned and shot at another person behind him.He shook his right hand in mid-air, the sword had been handed over to his left hand, and his right hand was holding the intersection of the two long spears. The man rushed over close to the long spears, and pointed the sword point directly at a soldier's face. The long spear can't reach close, once he gets close, the two soldiers will be in danger.At this moment, I had stood firm, gritted my teeth, rushed forward again despite the fear still in my heart, Baipi Dao made another move, and with a sound of "ding", the man's sword was blocked by me. At this time, his feet hadn't touched the ground, and the strike was at a critical moment, so I could block his sword, otherwise, if I couldn't block the sword, I would be injured instead.But now no matter how scared I am in my heart, the arrow is on the string, I have to shoot, and I can't help but retreat.As soon as I gritted my teeth, the person took two steps forward, and the Baipi knife slashed straight down. I have experienced this kind of swordsmanship once, and I also know that this kind of swordsmanship is extremely clever, but before that swordsman was not strong enough, when the swords intersected, his sword was deflected by me at once, so I had to take advantage of the gap Attack, now this person's swordsmanship is exactly the same as that person's, and his strength is the same. With his lightning-fast swordsmanship, it is extremely difficult for me to defend. The only chance to win is to use offense as defense, and let him take the defensive position. The man had let go of the spear he was holding, fell to the ground, and jumped back another step.I didn't wait for him to stand still, he was already chasing him, and the Baipi knife slashed left and right.I thought that these two knives could at least make him take a few steps back, but the man's sword shook, and the tip of the sword suddenly pierced through the knife, and then retracted very quickly. My knife didn't even touch his crotch. I felt a pain in my shoulder, and his sword had stabbed my right shoulder. In the battle with that mysterious swordsman by the Yalong River, I was also stabbed in the shoulder by that man, but the sword did not penetrate deep into the flesh, it was only a flesh wound. The sword is still in his left hand. This sword is not the same as the spear stabbed by the snake man back then, but it is close to being stabbed by a needle, and it has little effect on the power of my sword.I also had no time to take care of the injury, Baipi Saber was still slashing horizontally. He didn't dare to block my saber, probably he also knew that his strength was too far behind mine, so he jumped up again, dodging my saber gesture, and the sword was handed over to his right hand. If he makes a move again, it will be regarded as insufficient strength, but the essence of swordsmanship is beyond my ability to block.But now that I have rushed in front of him, I can't back down anymore. I gritted my teeth fiercely, and Baipi Dao danced in front of me, the blade slashed the wind, and screamed. Even if both sides suffer, I will defeat him! Now this person has jumped about four feet in the air, I didn't expect such a short person like him to be able to jump so high.In the darkness, I only felt a blur in front of my eyes, and he stabbed at my face again with a sword.At this moment, I didn't even have time to retreat, I just stared at the tip of his sword desperately, and the Baipi Dao danced like water. But I didn't hear the expected sound of sword clashing, I felt cold, and thought that his sword pierced through the flaw in my sword technique again, but when I regained my composure, I saw two long spears separated from each other. I stabbed left and right, crossed each other again, pushing the man back a few steps.The man was still struggling, but the five people who had rushed over from the road had already rushed over. The spears in the hands of the two who were rushing forward shook, and the two spears also crossed. He couldn't move at all, and I could hear the voices of people behind me, and the soldiers who had sent them to the valley to pretend to go down to investigate had also returned. I was sure, but I heard Cao Wendao exclaimed: "General Chu, be careful!" His eyes were dark again, and when he looked up, he saw the man escaped from the grasp of the two long spears somehow, and he rose into the sky. Great swordsmanship.I couldn't help being amazed.Now I am still the closest to him, when this man got into the air, he jumped higher than my head, and he still struck down with a sword, I kicked my feet, and the man also jumped up suddenly.Although I didn't jump as high as him, I was still three or four feet off the ground. The Baipi Dao went up from the bottom and blocked it abruptly. That person probably didn't expect that I would face head-to-head in such a situation, when the swords collided, and when there was a sound of "dang", I only felt a sore arm.This sword is a volley, he has added weight, although it is still not that great, but it is much stronger than stabbing on the flat ground.But his sword is not as good as my Baipidao, his sword has already been cut off by the Baipidao. Now that there are many torches on the road, I can already see the man's face clearly.This man's face is also sharp-mouthed monkey cheeks, his skin color is very dark, his appearance is very ugly, he looks like the brother of the swordsman I have seen. In fact, they seem to have five or six points alike with Gao Tie Chong. As soon as I broke up, I heard screams from around again, the man stabbed with his half-cut sword.Although the sword is only half left, it looks more like a dagger, but the strike is heavier because of it.At this time, he was already falling, but I was still jumping upwards, Baipi Dao cut his sword, the sword was already out, and I couldn't take it back for a while, I couldn't stop this man's broken sword. At this moment, another sound of bow was heard, the man was shocked suddenly, an arrow hit his face, pierced through the bone, he couldn't get out with this sword, the man was thrown backwards by the arrow, He fell heavily to the ground.As soon as he landed, seven or eight soldiers stepped forward at the same time, with their spears pressing on him. Even if he had room to fight back after being hit by an arrow, it was useless now. I also fell to the ground, only to feel a throbbing in my heart.This person's swordsmanship is really amazing, even though it's the second time I've faced it, it's still difficult for me to deal with it.However, compared to the time I met on the Yalong River, although I was still at a disadvantage this time, I was able to attack and defend, which was much better. Cao Wendao came over with the short bow in his hand and said, "General Chu, are you alright?" 我按了按肩头，肩头中的那一剑，入肉不过一两分深，也只是流了一些血，不算如何。我道：“没事。” 这曹闻道的箭术果然了得啊。记得当初谭青跟我说过，军中有不少人箭术都相当厉害，这曹闻道与谭青、龙鳞军的江在轩、还有当初栾鹏的亲兵小九一样，都是顶尖的箭术好手。 还有从天水省回来时碰到的曾望谷。他也是个箭术的绝顶好手。不知为什么，我突然间又想起了鬼啸林中那个箭不虚发，声音稚嫩的“鬼头曾”来了。 这时，我听得郑昭尖声道：“楚……楚将军，是你啊！”他的声音很是惶急，却是赶过来的士兵已将他围在一起，刀枪齐对，似是马上要将他砍为肉泥。 我还不曾开口，曹闻道忽然惊叫道：“郑先生，是你！” 郑昭此时才看清站在一边的曹闻道，他不住口地叫道：“曹将军，你也在啊，快让他们走开点。” 我和曹闻道走了过去。他们一行五人，在最先的一轮箭袭中，有两个死了，另一个刚才被那剑士踢飞的箭射死，现在活着的只剩郑昭一个，我们这一趟是大获全胜。 我看了看天，今天是三月初八，离二十三日天寿节还有半个月。这半轮月亮不是很亮，象一把薄薄的小刀粘在天幕上。 我走了过去，冷笑道：“郑先生，别来无恙。你可是在隐居么？” 郑昭在高鹫城中跟我说，他找到白薇后将要隐居，这自然是在骗我。郑昭于我，虽然没什么交情，他在高鹫城也算帮了我一个大忙，但他这个人实在太神秘了，我根本不知道他哪句话是真，哪句话是假。 郑昭看着我，脸上乍白乍红，从腰间解下腰刀，双手捧着到我跟前，我哼了一声，一个士兵上前拿过腰刀，我道：“郑先生，你到底是什么人？” 郑昭看了看曹闻道。当初他随陆经渔回来，和曹闻道大概有一面之交，但现在曹闻道抿着嘴一声不吭，象是又不认识他了。郑昭脸上白了又红，道：“楚，你想把我怎么样？”忽然他惊叫道：“别把我带到文侯边上，求求你了！” 他又在对我用读心术！我有点恼怒，恨不得立刻下令将他杀死。若是他知道我对她这个帝君现在的宠妃有恋慕之情，只怕…… 我刚想到这儿便知不妙，但越想让自己不想，却偏偏想个不停，郑昭这时脸色平静了些，倒是微微露出些笑意，大概我想的他又都知道了。我恼羞成怒，张口便要说“杀了他”，这时曹闻道忽然道：“楚将军，此人知道不少内情，先问问他吧。” 他的语气有些怪异，我有点奇怪，不由看了看他，却见他一张脸也平平板板，毫无表情。我心头一动，只怕曹闻道真的知道郑昭有什么内情，转头对郑昭道：“郑先生，你可愿意实说么？” 如果他说的真是很重要的内情，那也不要杀他了。毕竟，他帮过我那么大的忙。我刚这么想，便听得郑昭道：“楚将军，我一定把我知道的倾囊以告，你相信我吧。” 他又在对我用读心术！我狠狠瞪了他一眼，他缩起脖子，看了看四周，道：“楚将军，是不是我们去那边，我单独跟你说？” 我看了看周围，这五十多个士兵现在已都在此处，谅他也逃不走。我点了点头，道：“好吧。” 曹闻道忽然又道：“楚将军，你骑马去。” 我不知曹闻道为什么要让我骑马，但见他一张脸仍是平平板板，毫无表情，如临大敌的样子，只怕这郑昭真的要有什么脱身之计。我骑在马上，自是如虎添翼，以防万一吧。 一个士兵牵过我的马来，我跳了上去，道：“走吧。” 郑昭点了点头，看了看曹闻道道：“曹将军，多谢你。” 我和郑昭沿路而行，走了一两百步，路已有一个转折，我停住了道：“郑先生，这儿可以了么？” 郑昭看看前面道：“转过去吧。” 我心下疑云大起，道：“这儿他们已听不到了，你有什么话就说吧。若有不实之言，我就在此地斩了你。” 郑昭忽然露齿一笑道：“楚将军，你就算装得如此凶狠，我还是知道你心里是在厌恶战争。” 他这话让我有点象被剥光了一样尴尬。我的确就算想杀他，但他这般毫不还手，也实在让我下不去手。郑昭好象没什么别的本领，但他看准了我这点，我反而束手束脚地无法动手。 我叹了口气，道：“郑先生，你实说吧，你到底是什么人？” 郑昭也正色道：“楚将军，以前我并没骗你，不过有些话不曾对你说。我是五羊城主三士之一的'说士'郑昭，但我也和你一样，厌恶战争。” 五羊城主的三士？我皱了皱眉，郑昭这回倒没用读心术，道：“五羊城主一向独立于帝国之中，五羊城向有'私兵两万，不及六人'之说，这六人里，我也算其中一个。” 郑昭竟然还有这等身份！我脑中已是乱成一片，千头万绪，也不知有多少问题要向他问来。我道：“当初你随陆经渔来高鹫城，可是五羊城主之计？那个跟你一起来的剑士又是什么来历？还有……白薇紫蓼可已脱险？” 我问得急，郑昭却只是微微笑着，听到我问题白薇时，他的脸色一肃，道：“楚将军，你放心，她们很好。那个剑士么，自是和我并称为'三士'之一的剑士了。” 听得白薇紫蓼她们安然无恙，我心中一宽，正想再问些什么，忽然只觉脑袋里“嗡”地一声响，好象有人照我脑后重重地敲了一记。但我是骑在马上的，自信就算有人要偷袭，也没那么容易。 正不知所以，我看见郑昭脸上已是如临大敌，汗水从额头不断滚下，嘴里还念念有词。随着他的声音，我又觉得好象有人在照我脑后狠狠打来。 是郑昭在搞鬼！ 我伸手到腰间去摸百辟刀，但指尖一碰到刀柄，便只觉身上一麻，一个身体象不归我所有一般，指尖虽然已经贴到了刀柄，却无法再弯曲起来。 我愕然地看着郑昭，郑昭紧盯着我，头上的汗水更多了，从鬓边流下，汇到颌下，又滴落在地，地上也湿了一小滩。看来，他虽然身体不动分毫，却也已用全力。那些士兵远远看来，大概只以为我们在谈什么机密要事，却不知我们两人实是在这等相抗。 我的身体虽不能动，但却依然能想。我咬紧牙关，拼命与那无形的巨力相抗，但这股力道象是不停打来，直如狂潮怒涛，我的手指刚弯得一弯，便又动不了了。 我的手指一点点弯拢，已半握住刀柄，但此时忽然象有一个滔天大浪涌来，我呼吸一滞，那握住刀柄的手猛地一松，本来人在这巨力下如遭重压，但一下子身体轻飘飘的象是一道烟气。 郑昭失败了么？但马上我便知道自己想错了。刚才身上象有重压，但手脚至少还是我的。现在这重压没了，但手脚却完全象是身外之物，我都感不到它们的存在。 郑昭本来已是神色隶穆，现在轻松下来，小声道：“楚将军，没想到你的意念比在高鹫城里又强了许多，我也差点失手。” I glared at him.现在我周身上下，除了心中所想，便只有眼睛还归自己。郑昭倒是一怔，看看我道：“奇怪，中了我的摄心术，你居然还能神智清明，楚将军，你当真了不起。” 不管我有多了不起，现在我是彻底败了。和那个剑士相抗，我虽落下风，却也有攻有守，没想到这郑昭看似手无缚鸡之力，竟有这等异术，这一场不动声色的比试，我是败得一塌糊涂。 郑昭的手指向我点了点，我看见自己从马上跳下。这等感觉当真十分怪异，我从马上下来，居然是从眼里看见，而不是感觉到的。 一下马，郑昭走到我身边，抽出了我的百辟刀，眼里忽然冒出了几分杀气。 他是要杀我吧。即使这时，我仍是毫无惧意，怒视着他。我一时大意，也心软了软，让郑昭得手，但我绝不会向他求饶的。 郑昭抓着我的百辟刀看着我，忽然脸上露出一丝痛苦之色，重又把百辟刀放回我的刀鞘内。我正有些不明所以，郑昭小声道：“楚将军，你是个好人，我实在不忍杀你，你所中的摄心术也马上便会好，你不必担心。有朝一日，我们也许真会成为对手，还望那一天你能念今日之情，对我网开一面。顺便对文侯大人说，我对他所言，句句是实，不必因噎废食。” 现在明明是我为俎上鱼肉，他随时都可杀我，但他这般放过我，说的倒象是告饶的话，我也不知他的话中有什么深意。 郑昭跳上了我的马，忽然一加鞭，我的马长嘶一声，绝尘而去。我这匹马是军校中的良马，郑昭大概刀枪击刺之术不精，但骑术却相当高明，一带马，人象粘在马背上一般，眨眼便不见了。我听得身后已有了马蹄声，想必那些人见情形有异，追上来看。但这时我只如石像般一动不动，那几个士兵一到我身后，大声道：“楚将军，曹将军好象突然生病了，一动也不能动。” 他们见我没回答，头也不回，有一个带马到我跟前，大声道：“楚将军！” 我的身体也不知有多重，仍是一动不能动。那士兵有点慌了，跳下马来走到我跟前，叫道：“楚将军，你出什么事了？怎么和曹将军一样？” 他看了看我周身上下，大概见我只有肩头有一处小伤，另外分毫无损，才大声道：“快过来，楚将军也生了病了！” 快去追！我心底叫着，但却说不出一个字。可是，在心底，我却也隐隐地有些不忍让人追上郑昭。郑昭不管如何，这次本可杀掉我，但他还是对我手下留情了，我也不得不领他的情。 希望我们不要成为敌手吧。我虽然不能说话，但心底默默地说着。 这时，我忽然觉得身体一重，本来一个人象轻飘飘地浮在空中，这时却一下又踩到地上。也正是这时，我听得曹闻道大叫道：“哇！这是怎么回事？我在哪儿？” 我的手脚已能动了。看来，曹闻道也中了郑昭的摄心术，刚才他对我说的话，其实都是郑昭要他说的，怪不得我见他神色怪怪的。郑昭这种本领，实在是神秘莫测。 那士兵见我已能动弹了，又惊又喜，道：“楚将军，你好了！到底出什么事了？你为什么放他走？” 我摇了摇头，道：“先回去再说吧。” 一走回去，曹闻道便走过来，大声道：“楚将军，到底出什么事了？刚才我眼前一黑，便什么也不知道了。” 我摇了摇头道：“郑昭跑了。算了，我们回去复命吧。” 曹闻道惊叫道：“跑了？” 他看了看那些士兵，那些士兵忽然齐齐跪下，道：“禀将军，此人夺路而逃，我们追之不及，若大人责罚，是我等之罪。” 我不禁一阵苦笑。这些士兵大概见我和曹闻道都认识郑昭，有故意放走他之心。郑昭这等神奇的本领，大概曹闻道也不知道，只有我才知其底细。我也不想多作解释，只是道：“曹将军，郑先生深藏不露，身手极强，我的马匹也被他夺走，这责由我来负。” 曹闻道看了看我，道：“这怎么行，不要这么说，只说他夺马而逃，追之不及就是了，我想文侯大人不会多加责罚的。” 不管如何，也只能暂且用此话来回禀吧。 我换了匹马。先前郑昭他们弃下五匹马，我们都夺来了，又割了四个人的首级，转而西归。此时月已西沉，回头望去，只见月光下，一道大路白得耀眼，郑昭也不知已逃出了多远。