Chapter 139 Chapter Seven Clouds

The fifth part of the vertical and horizontal struggle, the seventh chapter is cloudy The continuous sound of the zither like flowing water came from a Huaxuan in Longting Fei Mansion. The sound of the zither was like the sound of heaven, echoing in the still cold breeze. Xiao Tong hurried over, seeing the black figure through the window lattice, he couldn't help but Sigh.More than a month ago, I inadvertently found some long-term and almost annihilated information, and found that Qing Dai had disappeared in the Northern Han Dynasty for a long time. Feeling uncomfortable, he came back immediately and prepared to detain Qing Dai.But it is learned that Duan Wudi has taken Qing Dai out, and the whereabouts of the two are unknown.When he was in a hurry, Ling Duan told the eavesdropping news, Xiao Tong felt uneasy, and asked Qiu Yufei to go with him to find Duan Wudi and Qingdai.In front of the quartz tomb, the two saw the killed guard and the unconscious Duan Wudi.Duan Wudi was poisoned by a special poison made by the Great Yong secret spy. Although this poison is not strong enough to cause immediate death, it is very difficult to cure, and it is difficult for people who have been poisoned to recover within a month or two. Healthy, often used by Yongmi spies to capture targets alive.After Duan Wudi woke up and told what Qing Dai had done.Xiao Tong was greatly stimulated, who made him not realize that Qing Dai was actually a secret spy of Da Yong?

In order to make up for his mistake, Xiao Tong asked Qiu Yufei to go after Qing Dai, after all, he could tell that Qiu Yufei had made great progress in martial arts.But Qiu Yufei actually declined his request.Xiao Tong has always known that this junior has no interest in war and power, and has almost never been involved in it, but this time Qiu Yufei went to Dayong to assassinate Jiang Zhe and the fact that he came forward to relieve Duan Wudi made Xiao Tong forget this. .So there was an unpleasant conflict between the two, but in the end, Qiu Yufei went out in person because of his brother's affection.Moreover, during the hundreds of miles of pursuit, Qiu Yufei personally killed and injured most of the secret spies. If Dayong's military had not responded in time, I am afraid that even Qing Dai, whose martial arts surpassed everyone's expectations, would not have returned alive.Qiu Yufei, who returned to Qinzhou, was very unhappy, and even wanted to return to Jinyang immediately. If Long Tingfei hadn't tried everything possible to persuade him to stay temporarily, Qiu Yufei might have left long ago.Xiao Tong faintly felt that apart from not wanting to get involved in military affairs, the younger brother might resent him for forcing him to hunt down Qingdai, because he learned from Lingkou that Qiu Yufei also seemed to be quite fond of Qingdai.

Thinking of Qingdai, Xiao Tong gritted his teeth with hatred. He hunted wild geese for many years, but was pecked by wild geese. This woman put on a posture of hating the Northern Han court, but he did not have any doubts that she was really a secret spy of the Great Yong Dynasty. Duan Wudi saw that this woman's identity was extremely important, she was able to take over hundreds of tricks from her junior brother, such a martial arts scheming, it was likely that Dayong was the general post of the Northern Han intelligence network, it was a pity to let her escape.Although Long Tingfei didn't blame himself, but Xiao Tong felt uneasy, so he wanted to find a way to keep Qiu Yufei, this junior martial art is advancing by leaps and bounds, if he helps him, he can let go and do it.

The sound of the piano finally stopped. Xiao Tong coughed lightly and walked into Huaxuan. Qiu Yufei stroked the strings of the piano, but did not get up to greet the seniors. There was no obvious status between them. , Martial arts and talent determine a lot of things, now Qiu Yufei who has advanced to the innate realm is fully qualified to snub Xiao Tong, even though Xiao Tong is his senior brother. Xiao Tong hesitated for a moment and said: "The general needs to go to the East China Sea alone to prevent the Marquis of the East China Sea from surrendering to Dayong in the near future."

Qiu Yufei said indifferently: "How to stop it, Donghai Hou is originally a relative of Dayong, and Jiang Zhe has been in Donghai for several years, I think it is only a matter of time before Donghai returns to Dayong." Xiao Tong said helplessly: "You are right, but we need supplies from the East China Sea. Although we have hoarded supplies as much as possible in the past few months, it is still not enough. If the East China Sea returns to Dayong, it will be a big blow to us. We I hope the East China Sea can still remain neutral." Qiu Yufei raised his eyebrows and said, "I'm afraid this will not be easy. Does the general have any countermeasures?"

Xiao Tong said coldly: "Back then, Donghai and Dayong were enemies. If there was no secret support from our country, they would have been finished. Now we don't ask him to help us, as long as he remains neutral. If they don't agree to this, then Jiang Father and son are ungrateful and deserve to be sent by heaven." Qiu Yufei said coldly: "Do you want me to threaten them with assassination? The East China Sea is their sphere of influence. Are you not afraid that I will die at sea?" Xiao Tong said: "With your current martial arts, at least you can escape from Donghai, and with Master as your backing, Donghai will never dare to make things difficult for you easily. Our request is not too much, I think they will agree."

Qiu Yufei caressed the strings, seemingly hesitant. Xiao Tong knew that Qiu Yufei was not worried about danger, but was hesitant to intervene in these matters.Xiao Tong was not sure how he would reply, feeling uneasy.At this moment, Ling Duan, who was standing by and serving, said in a low voice: "Fourth Master, under the nest, there are no eggs left. Does Dayong still regard Fourth Master as a harmless person?" Rin, thinking of the assassination at Wanfo Temple, and thinking of his pursuit of Qingdai, finally sighed and said, "Okay, I'll go." Xiao Tong rejoiced and said: "Thank you, Junior Brother, for understanding Brother Yu's difficulties. This is also Master's meaning, and I hope Junior Brother will put more effort into it."

Qiu Yufei was indifferent, looking at the music score next to the piano, he couldn't help but think of the great love that the man in the Ten Thousand Buddhas Temple had for him, and the grief and indignation on his face when he learned that he was an assassin.Thinking of the description of being delicate and elegant, but with gray hair and frosty temples, Qiu Yufei felt an indescribable sadness in his heart.It is rare to have a confidant in life, but I can only meet him life and death. On the festival hall of the commander's mansion, Long Tingfei turned to the generals under his command and said coldly: "You don't need to say any more, I know the morale of the army is not stable now, but now is not the time to be soft, King Dayong Qi is already eyeing him, even though he will raise troops to attack Qin State. The generals and soldiers under Quartz must be reorganized, and no hidden dangers can be left. Now that the Northern Han Dynasty is in danger, if we don’t use extraordinary measures, we will be finished before Dayong’s iron hooves enter Qinzhou. Pass my order, Qinzhou Men over the age of fifteen are all called into the army, after this battle, I will naturally reward and provide pensions, if this battle is defeated, the country will not survive, and there is no need to talk about living and working in peace."

After waving his hand to repel the generals under his command, Long Tingfei leaned wearily on the handsome chair. He had worked too hard these days.Quartz committed suicide, Duan Wudi was poisoned, he lost his arm, and the news of Quartz's betrayal and Duan Wudi's smuggling spread like wildfire. In order to appease the army and deal with the court, Long Tingfei almost exhausted all his efforts.Even so, Duan Wudi was downgraded by one rank, Quartz was also implicated in the old department of the army, Long Tingfei was forced to clean up, now facing the generals below, Long Tingfei always felt that their silence was full of dissatisfaction and resistance , but there is nothing to do.It takes an opportunity to reunite the scattered military spirit.

His eyes fell on a document on the Shuai case, which contained information about Hou Jiangzhe of Dayong Chu Township. Long Tingfei picked up the document and read it again. At the end of the reading, the hatred in Long Tingfei's heart gradually grew. Since he appeared in the East China Sea, all his plans have encountered setbacks, and he couldn't help tearing the papers to pieces. Long Tingfei sighed weakly. Could it be that this person is my nemesis? ?Feeling depressed, Long Tingfei returned to the back house, ordered his servants to fetch food and drink, and drank it alone. The wine became more and more worrying. Long Tingfei drank for a long time, although he had a good capacity for alcohol, he was also very drunk .

"Hey." When Long Tingfei woke up from the worsening headache, it was already noon, and the guards brought hot water face towels, and a guard said cautiously: "General, General Duan has been waiting outside for a long time. " Long Tingfei was startled, he didn't care about grooming, walked out of the bedroom, and saw Duan Wudi in military uniform standing at the bottom of the steps with a stern and pale face, Long Tingfei hurried forward a few steps and said eagerly: "Wudi, you What are you doing here, your injury hasn't healed yet." Then he scolded the guards and said, "You don't know that General Duan has poisonous wounds, why don't you invite him to rest in the nearby flower hall, what a waste." The guards were as cold as cicadas, na na dared not argue, but Duan Wudi said calmly: "General, don't blame them, it's the last general who insists on waiting here." Long Tingfei said guiltily: "Wudi, it's all because of my drunkenness. I'm sorry, come and sit in my room." A gleam flashed in Duan Wudi's eyes, and he said: "The last general has something to do with the general. discuss." Long Tingfei personally led Duan Wudi into the bedroom, drove the guards out, washed his face indiscriminately, and said: "Wudi, if you have anything to say, just say it." Duan Wudi stood up and said solemnly: "The general came to report military affairs to the general today, but the general did not show up. After the general asked, the guards found out that the general was drunk, so the general came to remonstrate. , Now that the Northern Han Dynasty is at stake, the general is in the heart of the army, how can he be greedy and make mistakes, if it spreads at this time, wouldn't it be chilling, the final general speaks arrogantly, please don't be offended by the general." Long Tingfei blushed, then sat down slumped, and said: "Wudi, you are my confidant, I will not hide it from you, I really feel helpless in the current situation, in terms of military strength, Dayong is several times mine, in terms of money and food Dayong can fight for many years and months. If we fight for a few months, I am afraid that we will run out of supplies. In terms of generals, Dayong will take out one who is a famous general, but the general I trust most is dead. Even you were poisoned, I really couldn't hold on anymore. Da Yong has a wise ruler like Li Zhi, a general like Li Xian, and a counselor like Jiang Zhe, do you understand the pressure on me?" Duan Wudi solemnly said: "The general is sincere to Wudi, so Wudi doesn't dare to hide it. Wudi is aware of our army's embarrassment, but no matter what, the general can't show such intentions. Now there is no one in the army except the general. No one can control the morale of the army. If the generals give up, how can we build confidence in the soldiers under his command? General, if you have this intention, then we might as well not fight, lest the soldiers die in vain." Long Tingfei's face was flushed by Duan Wudi's words, and he looked at Duan Wudi, who was pale and sweaty on his forehead. Now that Duan Wudi was charged with stigmatization, he was also in a difficult situation in the army. Quartz's subordinates did not understand him very much. , Many junior sergeants don't understand the sacrifice he made, but he is still so steadfast.Looking at Duan Wudi like this, Long Tingfei's heart gradually became more heroic, the Northern Han army is full of such heroes, so what if Dayong is even stronger?Long Tingfei bowed respectfully to Duan Wudi, Duan Wudi hurriedly avoided, Long Tingfei said loudly: "General Duan's loyal words, Ting Fei will remember, even if his body is broken to pieces, he can no longer be so discouraged." Duan Wudi saw that Long Tingfei had regained his former spirit, and he was pleased in his heart. He said: "The general is unparalleled in military strength. Our Qinzhou is easy to defend and difficult to attack. The general does not need to worry too much." Long Tingfei has regained his confidence, and said: " Don't worry, General Duan, unless Ting Fei dies in battle, he will never let the Dayong army capture Qinzhou." Looking at Long Tingfei who was in high spirits, Duan Wudi felt relieved and said: "General, please change your clothes first, the general will retire." Long Tingfei smiled and said: "Wait for me first, to see that you can get up, I have to discuss some things with you, if you can't hold on, you can rest in my house, it would be too much for you to lie down and recuperate." Pity." Duan Wudi warmed his heart and said, "The general obeys orders." At the same moment, in an ancient temple in the eastern suburbs of Nanzheng, Li Kang stood in the main hall, looking at the solemn Buddha statue, lost in thought. Although it's not yet February, Chang'an is still very cold, but Nanzheng is much warmer than Chang'an. In Dongchuan, a land of prosperity, Li Kang can be said to be able to cover the sky here, not to mention that he has now swept away the generals arranged by the court. Kong is even more unrestricted. It stands to reason that Li Kang should be very happy and proud, but Li Kang's heart is burning with raging anger. Just now, the imperial decree from Emperor Yongli and Li Zhi arrived, but it was not sent by the court envoy. Before the envoy entered Dongchuan, Li Kang sent his capable men to pretend to be bandits to kill the envoy, but he still took the imperial edict. Here comes.The imperial decree ordered him to strictly guard the Jiameng Pass and not slack off.After reading the imperial decree, Li Kang should have been happy, because it seemed that the imperial court didn't know that Dongchuan was under his complete control, but Li Kang was still very angry, why could Li Zhi bully him around. Li Kang always felt that he was unfortunate. He came from a humble background and was not favored by his father and emperor since he was a child. Apart from his mother, Li Kang never got any warmth.How many times he watched Li An, Li Zhi, and even Li Xian and Li Zhen wantonly invite favors in front of his father. He was clearly the third prince, but he dared not step forward because his mother was just a concubine of low status.If only this was the case, Li Kang might have tolerated it, but the only mother who loved him was killed by that bitch Ji Xia, and his father just chased him down, and Li Kang fled the palace in a rage. But after escaping from the palace, Li Kang realized that his life was already dreamed by many people. It is not easy for a prince who knows nothing to survive in troubled times. He was cruel and merciless, and he finally survived, but revenge was a thing in the foreseeable future.How many times he couldn't bear the suffering outside and wanted to give in and return to the palace, but the scene before his mother's death made him finally persevere.And it wasn't until he met the mysterious person who changed his destiny that Li Kang felt for the first time that God treated him well.Afterwards, he practiced advanced martial arts skills, went back to assassinate Ji Xia, but was defeated and captured. If it wasn't for Zheng Xia's righteous words, he, the prince, would have been charged with crimes and sent to prison. In Dongchuan, he was not allowed to return to the court without an imperial edict, but Li Kang was even more aggrieved by this act of belittling and secretly protecting.Even though he was a member of the Tian Family, he wanted to bow his head to the Fengyi Sect. Li Zhi was brazenly against the Fengyi Sect, but with his large army, who would dare to make things difficult for him.With this feeling in mind, Li Kang tried his best to organize the army in Dongchuan, and finally mastered a considerable force. But even so, Li Kang did not have the slightest chance to participate in the battle for the succession of Dayong Sheji. The crown prince, King Yong, and King Qi seemed to have the same opinion on this point, so Li Kang's influence could not gain a foothold in Yongdu. Even Li Zhi, who was the most gentle, wrote a letter to prevent himself from intervening in Chang'an affairs.Am I not a member of the royal family? This kind of humiliation made Li Kang determined that even if Dayong subverted him, he could not let others dominate and oppress him.So exceeding the expectations of the Northern Han Demon Sect, Li Kang decided to rebel, and the first step of rebellion was to eliminate the spies around him. For several years in Dongchuan, Li Kang has successfully gained his own strength, and the remnants of the Shu Kingdom have also boarded their own ship for the illusory restoration of the country. Coupled with the secret support of the Northern Han Demon Sect, they finally eradicated the spies around him in one fell swoop. And undercover, these people have been monitored by Li Kang for a long time, and now they have been captured, Li Kang finally feels unprecedented ease.Then replace the generals in the army and replace the officials. Li Kang's plan for many years has finally been put into practice. Dongchuan is already his own Dongchuan. The Yong court is in its own hands.Of course, the timing of dispatching troops should be chosen carefully. Only after the troops around Chang'an were dispatched by Li Zhi to rescue the Zezhou front line and the Jingxiang Yangtze River area, could he directly pierce Dayong's heart like a dagger.Li Kang knew in his heart that even though he had 100,000 soldiers and horses in his hands, these soldiers and horses were Dayong's army after all. If Dayong's court found out that he had rebelled, then this army would probably be split up and surrendered by the court, so Cutting off the connection between Chang'an and Dongchuan, and concealing the fact of his betrayal became the most important thing.However, to achieve one's own goal, relying on one's own strength is very difficult. If one cannot get the support of the original Shu kingdom's forces, one can only fail on the verge of success.Besides those old families who want to restore the glory of the past, the forces of the original Shu Kingdom, the Splendid Alliance that still secretly resists Dayong, has become the force he most wants to recruit. After many negotiations and negotiations, today is the leader of the Splendid Alliance to meet with him Li Kang was amazed by Huo Jicheng's caution in those days. He had tossed around many times before he finally learned that he met Huo Jicheng here. I believe that Huo Jicheng is also very sincere. The Jinxiu League recently assisted him in cutting off the road between Chang'an and Nanzheng. This is the proof of sincerity. At dusk, the door of the Daxiong Palace suddenly opened without any wind. Two men in black stood in front of the door. One of them was Chen Zhen who had met King Qing many times, while the other was wearing a sunshade hat. The gauze hangs low, and the shape is invisible.Li Kang stepped forward happily and said, "Vice President Chen, this is President Huo, right? Xiao Wang has been famous for a long time, and it is a great fortune to meet you today." The black-clothed masked man stepped forward and gave a salute: "Your Highness is a corporal, and Huo has been famous for a long time. Huo is not talented. He only wants to restore the country. He has been doing nothing for many years. I am ashamed. Hearing from Chen Zhen, His Highness's mansion The identity of the prince of Shu on the website has been verified correctly, and all the survivors of the Kingdom of Shu are grateful for His Highness's kindness, Huo came here today, in addition to expressing his gratitude, he also wanted to discuss cooperation with His Highness." Li Kangdao: "The lord is too modest. Back then, the lord assassinated the lord of Southern Chu, causing Li An's family affairs to be leaked. Even Fengyimen was severely beaten by the lord in the Jianghu. Such great achievements, Xiao Wang But don’t dare to forget, especially the Luoyang incident. The young Yingjie, a member of the alliance, almost turned the two great families in Luoyang upside down with his own strength, and the influence of Fengyimen in Luoyang was also weakened to the extreme. And sigh, I don't know if I will have the opportunity to meet this young hero." The man in black laughed softly: "The child's nonsense made the prince laugh. Huo Li is my confidant and my adopted son. I love him all the time. It's a pity that this son has a heavy responsibility and can't get away. If The lord likes young heroes, and my next adopted son, Huo Yi, is a master of martial arts, so he can handle things with confidence, if the lord does not give up, please allow him to work for the lord." Li Kang said with a smile: "Okay, there are so many talents in your alliance, this king is really envious, let Huo Yi come to my side as a personal guard, if the talent is extraordinary, this king will naturally reuse him, leader Huo, about us cooperation, I don’t know what the alliance plan is going to do?” The man in black was silent for a moment, and said: "My lord is right, this is the business, I am watching from the sidelines, but my lord is resolute, that's why Huo is not afraid of the possibility of a trap, and came to Nanzheng to meet my lord, but after all, my lord is Prince Dayong, how can I believe that the prince will restore the country of Shu? Although there is no problem with the identity of the prince of Shu, this kind of trick of using puppets is also very common. Didn’t the former overlord Xiang Yu support King Huai, but in the end King Huai He died at the hands of Xiang Yu. How can the lord convince my subordinates that the Kingdom of Shu will really restore the country?" Li Kang had been prepared for a long time, and said calmly: "Xiao Wang doesn't say anything grandiose. There will be no such good things in the world. This king raised troops to fight, but let Xiaoer take the throne, so the power must be in Xiao Wang's hands. The establishment of the King of Shu is just a cover to get the survivors of the Kingdom of Shu to support Xiao Wang's strategy, but this king can also guarantee that he will not cross the river and tear down the bridge. After all, without the support of the people of Shu, this king would not be able to separate one side. Therefore, I will definitely Guquan, even this king can be enshrined in the ancestral temple of the King of Shu, but if this king can achieve something, I will take the position of the King of Shu. What you all want is glory and wealth. Is there nothing I, Li Kang, can give to you? Well, the leader of the alliance is not a foolish and loyal person, and the throne of Shu king is not his family's property." Although the man in black couldn't see his expression clearly, he could tell that he was excited when he saw his body trembling slightly. After a long time, the man in black said: "My lord is right, the king of Shu is the one who is capable, and the lord needs to rely on the people of Shu." , So as long as you plan carefully, twenty years later, the people of Shu will regard the prince as their own. The prince is so confiding, Huo is very grateful, if the prince said that he has no second thoughts, Huo will look down upon him, well, if the prince If you agree to one more condition from Huo Mou, the covenant between you and me will be concluded today." Li Kang was overjoyed. After careful consideration, he found that the leader of the Splendid Alliance who was able to do such unimaginable things was by no means a man of old age, so he expected that Huo Jicheng would not pay close attention to the prince of Shu. As he expected, he felt a little relieved and said: " Leader, please tell me, as long as it is reasonable, I will definitely agree." The man in black said firmly: "What I want is power." Li Kang was a little strange, he wanted to form an alliance with the Splendid League, so the power and wealth would naturally be given to him, why did Huo Jicheng specifically propose it, and was about to ask.The man in black waved his hand to keep him silent, and said loudly: "There are many kinds of power, but there are only two kinds of power that cannot be easily taken away, namely military power and supervisory power. The reason why imperial power is supreme is because the royal family controls everything. Our Splendid League has no interest in the military power and spying of the inspectors, and we have no interest in military power, nor do we have the ability to master it, so I want the power of spying. The Splendid League can become the eyes and ears of the prince and the killer. Only in this way can the Splendid League and the prince form a stable alliance. Alliance. If the prince refuses to agree to this condition, then the Splendid Embroidery League will never cooperate with the prince." Li Kang's heart trembled, Huo Jicheng was really powerful. Although he intended to absorb the power of the Splendid League, if he let them take charge of the supervisory power, then it would be impossible for him to separate from them. Although he hesitated, Li Kang thought about it, Didn't I just fancy the ability of the Splendid League in this area? It's just that Huo Jicheng requires more power. After all, the military power is in his own hands. As long as he has the military power, the Splendid League is nothing to fear.And in this way, the covenant between the two parties will be indestructible. For me, it is possible to achieve the goal of completely controlling the survivors of the Shu Kingdom.So Li Kang stretched out his palm and said, "It's a deal." Excitement flashed in the eyes of the man in black, and the two clapped their hands together to make an oath.After high-fiving, the man in black was about to leave, saying: "I have a bad reputation, so it's safer not to show up publicly. The prince doesn't want to attract too many people's attention right now. Chen Zhen is my confidant, so let him discuss with the prince. Details of the cooperation." A cold light flashed in Li Kang's eyes, and he said: "That's fine, but I have an unfeeling request. I have long admired the lord. When we meet today, the lord refuses to reveal the true face of Lushan. I don't know if it is okay. How about taking off the bamboo hat and seeing each other frankly?" The man in black was silent, and Chen Zhen had been standing behind him. At this moment, his body seemed to be moving, and he felt a little uneasy, but there were unhurried footsteps outside the palace gate, and a faint murderous aura penetrated in, and Li Kang's body was even more disturbing. Standing like a mountain, the bloody murderous aura rose to the sky, showing that Li Kang was not just a general, but a master of the rivers and lakes with blood on his hands.The atmosphere in the hall became cold and solemn in an instant, with murderous intent lurking.