Chapter 17 Chapter Sixteen

Chapter 16 of the First Southern Chu Champion In the twenty-second year of Xiande, in the second month of Guiyou, King Yong and Li Zhi defeated the Northern Han Dynasty again. However, the Lord of the Northern Han Dynasty issued an edict ordering the general of Weiyuan, Long Tingfei, to regain his love. Li Zhi was defeated, but his troops were not greatly damaged. In March of the same year, Yong and the Northern Han Dynasty negotiated peace. At the beginning of April, Li Xian, the king of Qi, went south, and Chen Bing Xiangyang. At that time, Jue, Prince of Germany, attacked Xiangyang and was defeated.Then there were people in the court who said that Prince De had the military power in his hands, and he was always training troops to conquer the north. Therefore, Dayong raised troops to attack Chu. Regretted, he ordered Prince De to go to Xiangyang starry night.

- "The History of Chu in the Southern Dynasties.The Biography of Prince Jue of Germany I stood in front of the window with my hands behind my back, looking at the cold moonlight, Xiao Shunzi stood behind me, and Chen Zhen stood at the door.Xiao Shunzi said: "My lord, how do you plan to reply His Royal Highness King Yong's letter? The messenger is still waiting." I said lightly: "You wrote the reply letter for me, saying that King Qi will definitely not be able to win. With Prince De around, even if Prince Yong came, it would not be so easy to break through Jingxiang guarded by Prince De. I am a minister of Southern Chu. There is a reason to take refuge in Dayong. But it seems that Dayong is about to raise troops, Chen Zhen, you need to send someone to monitor Liang Wan, I think they will take action."

At this time, there was a knock on the door, I nodded, Chen Zhen stepped forward to open the door, a fourteen or fifteen-year-old boy came in, and said with one knee: "Young master, there is an urgent message, Da Yong Qi King Li Xian is attacking!" Xiangyang." I smiled lightly, Li Xian still knows the art of war, if Jing Xiang falls into Dayong's hands, then the connection between Shuzhong and Jiangnan will be severed, and then Dayong can gobble up Nanchu.But I believe in Prince De's ability, and Jingxiang's defense is very strict. In the next few days, there was a lot of discussion in the court. Dayong attacked Southern Chu, which made those ministers afraid and angry. Some people demanded to question Dayong, but more people were discussing how to offend Dayong. Some people even said that Dayong should be sent to the table immediately, expressing his apology, and asking Dayong to withdraw his troops.It was Shang Weijun, the prime minister, who stood firm and asked to send envoys to question Dayong why he committed the crime without reason. Although this proposal was unanimously agreed, the hearts of civil and military officials in the Manchu Dynasty were even more uneasy, so some people secretly visited Mingyue Tower for several days. Want to get some reassurance.I have not stopped these things, even the ministers of the court have lost confidence in Nanchu, what else can I do?

I asked Xiao Shunzi to take out the military deployment map of Xiangyang and study it carefully. Xiangyang is actually composed of Xiangcheng and Fancheng. The two cities face each other across the Han River and are connected by a pontoon bridge in the middle. The enemy's divisional attack will inevitably weaken the strength and cannot be broken. If the enemy attacks one city, soldiers from the two cities can come and go to support through the pontoon bridge, coupled with the protection of the water army, so Xiangyang is easy to defend but difficult to attack.When Prince De arrived in Xiangyang, he sent someone to send me a defense map for my advice. I did not give a clear answer, but gave Prince De the design of a pontoon bridge. If the original wooden bridge is damaged, it is difficult to repair. Instructed to set up two rows of wooden piles in the river, each wooden pile is hammered into the bottom of the river with a wooden pile several feet long, with iron chains on it, and wooden boards on it, which is a pontoon bridge that can be repaired at any time. Bell's fishing net brought samples to Prince De, and asked him to spread the fishing net under the water during the battle to prevent the water ghost from attacking and destroying the pontoon bridge.I just gave Prince De a picture and a fishing net. As for how to deploy the defense, it is Prince De's own idea and has nothing to do with me.Looking around, I still feel that if Prince De guards Xiangyang, he will not easily lose it, but doesn't King Qi know that Xiangyang is easy to defend but difficult to attack.

On April 14th, King Li Xian of Qi ordered to attack the city. The offensive was in full swing. The soldiers of Dayong were not afraid of casualties and attacked the city desperately. , People used trebuchets to force back the water army. The army took advantage of the situation to attack the city and attacked the north gate of Xiangyang day and night. Seeing that the situation was critical, Prince De personally led 3,000 cavalry from the south gate to attack the side of the Yong army. The army dared to go out of the city, and their ranks were in chaos. Li Xian, the king of Qi, ordered to send 5,000 elite cavalry to meet the enemy. They carried Zhao Jue on their backs and led them to the east gate to defeat them with rolling logs and stones.Li Xian was furious, and sent 20,000 troops to defend the two wings. He urged the 80,000 troops to attack the North Gate in turn. Sneak attack from behind, the two sides attacked, Li Xian saw heavy losses and had to retreat, Zhao Jue pursued for 30 miles, the Yong army was killed and wounded, Zhao Jue just retreated, the two sides fought for three days, the 150,000 troops of the Yong army killed more than 60,000 people , Southern Chu defended 70,000 troops, with 20,000 casualties. This was a miserable victory.After the Yong army retreated, Zhao Jue immediately sent people to the court to report victory and asked for reinforcements.

At this time in the court hall, Zhao Jia looked at Zhao Jue's victory sign with both joy and worry, and he said, "My dear family, although Uncle Wang won, but Dayong's army was ten times stronger than me, what should we do?" OK?" Shang Weijun said: "My lord, although Dayong won the alliance this time, our military strength is far inferior to Dayong's. Why don't we take this opportunity to send someone to ask Dayong for peace?" After hearing this, everyone said that it should be so. At this moment, someone reported that the envoy sent to Dayong had returned, and Zhao Jia hurriedly ordered him to go to the palace.This envoy, Fu Yulun, was Xiande's 16th year Tanhua, and now he works in the Ministry of Rites. He knelt down and said: "I was ordered to go to Dayong as an envoy. Before entering the territory of Dayong, I was stopped by King Li Xian of Qi. He claimed that This time, the reason for the invasion of Chu is for the side of the Qing emperor, this is a letter from the Qi king to the king."

Zhao Jia quickly asked the servant to pick it up, and after a closer look, the following content was written on it. "King Qi of Dayong paid homage to the Lord of Southern Chu. The reason for raising troops this time is nothing else. Prince De, Zhao Jue, is an ambitious man who sits in Xiangyang and prepares his troops. He keeps spying on the border of Dayong. What's more, he intends to seize the artifact. If this person is not removed, there will never be a peaceful day in Da Yong and Southern Chu. This king and the lord of the country are close relatives, and they are willing to do harm. If you don’t believe it, please order him to return to the court. He will definitely push back and refuse to accept. The old promise, this king will keep it in mind, but his ministers in power The power is great, once the lord restores his imperial fortune, and that person will start a war, it is inconvenient for me, Dayong, to intervene. If the lord takes over his military power, the peace between our two countries will be as good as before. If the lord believes his slander, the king will hunt Jiangnan with the lord Yea."

Zhao Jia looked at it and felt cold all over his body. If he believed it, he suspected that he had alienated the monarch and his ministers. If he didn't believe it, since Zhao Jue returned from attacking the Kingdom of Shu, he repeatedly asked for military money and food. On the contrary, thinking of Zhao Jue's reputation far surpassing his own, he couldn't help feeling jealous.He said lightly: "If Uncle Wang wins, he should also return to the court to be rewarded. Pass on the decree of the orphan, and order Prince De to return to the court." Zhao Jue, who was far away in Jingxiang, refused to return to the court after receiving the decree, saying that the military situation was urgent and he could not return to the court for the time being. Originally, Zhao Jia had only one suspicion of Zhao Jue. Seeing that Zhao Jue refused to come back, he could not help but Suspicious, he issued several edicts. At first, Zhao Jue refused to comply with the orders of the generals abroad, but Zhao Jia's edicts became more and more sharp. Suspicious, in desperation, Zhao Jue handed over Jingxiang's defense to Rong Yuan, and returned to Jianye with some personal guards.Tens of miles away from Jianye, an ordinary-looking man came to block the way and gave Zhao Jue a letter. Zhao Jue opened it, but it was a line of delicate and elegant handwriting.

"It was a big mistake for you not to return at the beginning, and it is a big mistake to come back today. But at this moment, you might as well turn back to Jingxiang and support yourself." Zhao Jue looked at it, sighed, folded the letter on the fire, and said, "Thank your master for me, and tell him that Zhao Jue is not a traitor." The man backed away silently. When he arrived in Jianye, Zhao Jue went to the palace gate to ask for an audience, but was imprisoned by Zhao Jia's edict. Although Zhao Jue explained the reason for his refusal to return, it was of no avail. , Zhao Jue had already been punished.While Zhao Jue was in prison, courtiers suddenly petitioned for Zhao Jue's death, but Zhao Jia finally didn't get confused about that, and instead released Zhao Jue from prison and put him under house arrest temporarily.

The above request to kill Zhao Jue was my idea. After I got the message from Chen Zhen that Zhao Jue refused to rebel, I thought of this way. Zhao Jue is a loyal minister and a stupid person. If he had come back immediately Zhao Jia will definitely know that he was wronged, so Zhao Jue will be able to return to Xiangyang soon. Since he didn't come back at first, it would be a guilty conscience to come back now. I don't think Zhao Jia is much smarter than an idiot.After Zhao Jue was placed under house arrest, I was really in a dilemma. According to my thinking, it would be better if Zhao Jue couldn’t come out, then the opportunity I needed would come soon. But thinking of Zhao Jue’s hard work supporting Nanchu, I really can't bear the unspeakable situation. Even if Nanchu is going to perish, it should be after those who love it do their best.So I wrote to Rong Yuan at that time, telling him to instigate officials to submit a request to execute Zhao Jue.The envoy I sent was very fast. Not long after Zhao Jue arrived in Jianye, the people sent by Rong Yuan arrived. He sent people around to provoke those who were afraid of Dayong to come forward. Sure enough, Zhao Jia was not confused yet. He still had general confidence in Zhao Jue, but when he saw so many people asking to kill Zhao Jue, he became suspicious. Zhao Jue's life was saved, and now it was up to him to return to Xiangyang, which depended on Dayong. helped.

Sure enough, not long after, the king of Qi invaded Jingxiang again. This king of Qi was really impatient. If it was the king of Yong, I'm afraid he would have to wait a little longer. Finally, Rong Yuan was able to do his job and stabilized the situation in Jingxiang. Xiangyang's 800 The arrival of Lijia's urgent document made the king wake up immediately, and quickly sent Zhao Jue back to Xiangyang.Zhao Jue didn't care about anything, and immediately brought his bodyguards on the road.Not long after arriving outside the city, Zhao Jue saw a handsome and elegant young man sitting in the Ten Mile Pavilion. There was a pot of wine and two wine cups on the stone table in the pavilion. Behind him stood an ordinary-looking middle-aged man. , in the four corners of the pavilion, there are two half-year-old servants of fifteen or sixteen standing in each place.Smiling, Zhao Jue kicked off the saddle, bowed deeply in front of the young man and said, "Thanks to Sui Yun for saving me, Zhao Jue is very grateful, and I am ashamed to be sent off by you again today." I stood up and said salutingly: "My lord has great fortune, those tricks of ghosts will not hurt my lord, my lord is going to Jingxiang, I have a long way to go, so I come with Yunte to see him off." A young servant came forward, poured two glasses of wine for us, and then backed away quietly. Zhao Jue saw the young servant's nimble hands and feet, and his handsome appearance, so he couldn't help feeling fond of him, and said, "Suiyun has been pampered these few years. These servants As soon as you see it, you know it's everyone's demeanor, and it's a little more bookish." I smiled lightly, raised my glass and said, "I advise you to have another glass of wine, and I wish Lu Ping in Jingxiang." Zhao Jue raised his glass and drank it down, saying: "It's a pity that Suiyun refuses to go to Jingxiang with me, if Suiyun is in town, Jingxiang will be safe." I chuckled lightly and said, "Didn't the lord underestimate Mr. Rong?" Zhao Jue stood up and said, "Okay, I'm going to send you off for thousands of miles. I need to say goodbye. Jingxiang's military affairs are urgent, and I'm in a hurry, so I'm leaving now. When the Yong army is defeated, you and I will have a drink together. If it's unlucky, please feel free Let's pay homage to my grave." Hearing this, the wine glass in my hand almost slipped. Today I taught him a lesson. In the past two years, I gradually gained experience in divination, but this morning after I bathed and burned incense, I taught him a lesson. An ominous hexagram, implying a premature death in the middle way, and now hearing Zhao Jue's words have ominous letters, it is even more chilling.Zhao Jue got on his horse and was about to leave when I suddenly said: "My lord, I have two attendants, although they are young, they are quite proficient in martial arts, so let them accompany the lord to Xiangyang on behalf of Suiyun, and I also talked about the fact that the officials can't go with me. Pie Li, Bai Yi, you have come to see the prince." Zhao Jue looked at the two children who came forward to salute, and said with a wry smile: "Suiyun, the journey is exhausting, why don't you embarrass the children?" I said lightly: "They are skilled at bowing horses, so they won't miss the prince's schedule." Zhao Jue wanted to persuade me again, but seeing that I was determined and time was running out, he could only wave his whip and leave, and galloped away. Zhao Jue hurried all the way, except for changing horses halfway, he even ate and slept on the saddle. He was worried that the two children Jiang Zhe sent by his side would not be able to support him, but every time he looked at them, he could see that the two children were in high spirits. So Zhao Jue didn't worry about them anymore.Seeing that there are still more than 300 miles to go, I should be able to reach Xiangyang by changing horses again.Zhao Jue stretched on the horse and said, "Okay, there is a tea shed in front, let's take a rest here, have lunch, and then rush to Xiangyang in one go, how about it?" Everyone was very happy. They were exhausted, and although they still had to hurry, it would be good to have a short rest. Robber Li and Bai Yi heard Zhao Jue's order, Robber Li got off the horse first, and arrived at the tea shed a few steps, and ordered to clean up the tables and put hot tea on them. Although the tea shed was small, it still had some side dishes like salted peanuts. Li also asked him to put it on, turned the boss's envoy around, and cleaned up the seat in a short while, but Bai Yi took the initiative to ask for a copper basin of boiling water, washed it clean, took out a square towel from the package, and waited for Zhao Jue to sit down. Next, come and serve him to wash his face and brush the dust. Although Zhao Jue belongs to the royal family, the enjoyment of these aristocratic families has long been out of reach.Seeing that this pair of young men are so capable, he couldn't help but feel happy. After he sat down, drank a cup of hot tea, and gorged himself on dry food with salted peanuts, he saw that Robo Li and Bai Yi had already finished eating early, and they were eating There urged the boss to feed the horses.Zhao Jue couldn't help saying: "What a pair of capable children, Jiang Zhuangyuan is really good, he has trained a pair of servants to such an extent." One of his personal guards laughed and said, "If your lord likes it, you can go back and tell lord Jiang and ask them to serve you." Although Zhao Jue knew that not to mention two servants, it is common for wealthy families to bring concubines and maidservants as gifts, but he still shook his head and said: "A gentleman does not take away people's love, these two children are not trained casually. " Everyone chatted and laughed for a while, Zhao Jue ordered to go on the road, at this moment, a guard suddenly screamed, everyone looked, but saw a silver arrow piercing his vest. Everyone was in the army, and they immediately looked for obstacles to avoid, but they heard a loud laugh, and a man in white came out slowly from the forest, and saw that this man was very handsome, and Xiu Wei's figure was outstanding under the wrapping of the white warrior robe Standing upright, a large silver-white bow with a nearly perfect arc hangs sideways on the left shoulder, and a quiver of the same color is tied obliquely around the waist. Both the clothes and the bow and arrow are extremely exquisite. It is obvious that their owner is a very sophisticated person.Zhao Jue said with a chill in his heart, "It's Duanmuqiu, the prodigal son of the silver bow, who came here." The man in white smiled and said: "The villain is right. I heard that Prince De is here, so I came here to pay my respects. If the prince does not give up, I invite the prince to take a rest in the humble house." Zhao Jue heard that his words were gentle, but the implication in them was extremely arrogant, and he said coldly: "I am busy with military affairs, I dare not delay, your Excellency sneaked a sneak attack, I think you are here to assassinate me." Duan Muqiu said disdainfully: "I have never been willing to sneak up and plot, otherwise the arrow just now would have killed the prince. As for the sergeant, I just said hello, I think the prince will not be offended." Zhao Jue said coldly: "This king has always treated his subordinates as brothers and sisters. Your Excellency is so contemptuous of soldiers, no wonder you didn't serve in the Yong army. Who in the world knows that the eldest grandson of Jin Gong and Duanmu of Yin Gong, the eldest grandson of General Yong, are under King Yong's command. , lead the army to fight, and you are invincible, but you, the silver bow Duanmu, can only be brave and ruthless in the rivers and lakes." Zhao Jue's words must have hurt Duanmuqiu's heart. A cold murderous look flashed in his eyes, and he said coldly: "I came here just to prevent the prince from escaping. Now it seems that I will not do anything. But I don't know how many arrows the prince can escape from me." A pampered voice came and said: "I dare to assure you, you can't kill him." Following the voice, a beautiful woman in red came out. But she is like a female Rakshasa.Zhao Jue couldn't help but smiled bitterly and said, "So you're here too, no wonder, you brothers and sisters are always inseparable." The woman said coldly: "It's a great honor that Prince De also recognizes this girl."