Chapter 168 Chapter Thirty-Six

Chapter 36: Loyalty and Doubt (Part 1) In the twenty-fifth year of Rongsheng, the Northern Han Dynasty defeated Qinzhou, Princess Jiaping retreated to Jinyang, and the Yong army threatened to slaughter the city. The civilians all went north to avoid the disaster of war. The road was covered with smoke and dust. rear army.Yong's army was in urgent need of torture, but they were stopped by Wudi, and finally they were trapped by Yong's army because of exhaustion. Wudi took Yong general's prisoner Xuan Song as a hostage, threatened Yongshuai to rescue him, and he survived. However, before Wudi arrived in Jinyang, the roads were noisy, and everyone said that he had surrendered to the enemy army. The Northern Han Lord ignored him and issued an imperial edict to kill him. There were countless rumors and rumors. Wudi was irrefutable. avoid.

——"History of the Northern Han Dynasty.Duan Wudi Biography" Thirty miles east of Pingyao City, the deserted village is lonely and uninhabited. A group of Yong army scouts went northward along the main road like a whirlwind. There were still several miles away from the village. More than a dozen Yong soldiers rode out on horseback. Go to the team and report to the leading officer: "There is no one in the village, and the houses are in good condition, which can be used as a place to camp." The officer nodded and said: "Don't be careless. The Northern Han thieves have been raiding and harassing us many times in the past few days. Our army is quite tired. You follow me to search the village and never leave any hidden dangers. Although the Chinese army will shut down the defense, But if they find out that there is something wrong, I'm afraid we won't be able to afford it."

Those Yong soldiers suddenly agreed, except for a dozen or so people who were still on guard outside the village, the rest of them went into the village to search, not letting go of any suspicious things. He inspected it inside and out, and then sat down in person, waiting for the arrival of the Chinese army. After half an hour, the golden dragon flag fluttered in the wind under the setting sun. The central army of the Yong army arrived at the deserted village, and then the army began to camp outside the village. The commander of the Yong army, Qi Wang Li Xian, went into the village to rest. The guards had already cleaned the house , although it is only a temporary residence, but the bed is replaced with the splendid quilt used by Li Xian's marching army, all the utensils and utensils are carried by the army, and even the windows are covered with brocade curtains. Turned into a comfortable and luxurious hotel.

After Li Xian summoned all the generals to have a meal together, he gathered around the silver lamp to discuss the military plan. Hiding in the corner of the room was the evil shadow Li Shun. , so Li Xianchong was the guard, if not for this, he would have found a secluded place to practice meditation. Li Xian said a little angrily: "This Duan Wudi really doesn't get in the oily smoke. When I attack fiercely, he will choose danger and defend. If I am a little slack, he will come to steal the camp to attack the stronghold, or else he will come to seize the king. Luggage, these days, the king has suffered from being harassed by him. Tomorrow our army will be able to attack Pingyao. This is one of the most fortified cities in the Northern Han Dynasty. , do you have a plan to let him abandon the city earlier, hmph, as long as I get to the city of Jinyang, I can see what tricks he can come up with. Now General Changsun is going around to wipe out the sporadic rebel troops in various parts of the Northern Han Dynasty, and the progress is rapid. It would be really embarrassing if the king could attack Jinyang with his help."

Qi Wangai rubbed Xia Ning's hands and said: "Your Highness, although Duan Wudi is difficult to deal with, as long as he is willing to face the enemy head-on with us, what will happen to him? Your Highness, please let the last general attack the city. It won't take three days. It will definitely be done." Break the city." Fan Wencheng sneered: "If we attack the city with all our strength, will we still need you? None of us can command. Your Highness wants to reduce some losses. After all, our Zezhou Army has suffered a lot this time." All the generals came up with plans one after another, but Li Xian frowned more and more when he heard it. Duan Wudi had Pingyao Fortified City as his backing, and he had nearly ten thousand soldiers in his hands. If he wanted to attack by force, he would suffer heavy losses. It is possible to wrap up the people and attack the city, or use other means to force Duan Wudi to give up Pingyao. After all, Duan Wudi's purpose is only to delay the journey of the Yong army.But not to mention that the people of the Northern Han Dynasty who are passing by now have almost disappeared without a trace. Even if enough civilians can be caught, he is unwilling to deepen the hatred with the civilians of the Northern Han Dynasty when the Northern Han Dynasty is about to perish. Jing Chi's reputation for bloodthirsty forced the people along the way to flee wantonly, but Li Xian didn't want to really massacre cities and villages. He, Li Xian, was not murderous by nature, and if it wasn't necessary, he didn't want to implicate innocent civilians.

Standing in the shadow of the room, Li Shun couldn't help curling his lips slightly. If it wasn't for the young master's order to see Xuan Song's life and death, he would have gone to Qinyuan to serve the young master, so why bother? If he didn't leave here, he was regarded as hard labor by the King of Qi. Xuan Song was still in Duan Wudi's hands, but he couldn't find a chance to save people, so he had to stay by Li Xian's camera to save people.Seeing that everyone was discussing more and more heatedly, Li Shun started to figure out all sorts of crooked ways, so Li Shun quietly floated out of the room, wanting to breathe the cold air.The air outside was very fresh, and Li Shun felt much more relaxed. He couldn't help but walk in the dim starlight and flickering lights, immersing his mind in the space between heaven and earth, and Li Shun quietly savored the endless night.Suddenly, Li Shun felt a wave of palpitations, and he looked into the distance as if feeling something, across thousands of troops and iron walls, there was a faint murderous aura in the depths of the darkness, it was a familiar aura.

Li Shun has benefited a lot since the battle with the master of Fengyi Sect. Donghai's hard work has made his innate realm a step further. Except for a few people, he has no opponents in the world. Now he has mastered the "soul lock" skill. As long as a character who has reached a certain level of martial arts and martial arts, as long as he approaches him within a certain distance, he can be alert in his mind. This distance is not fixed and is closely related to the depth of martial arts of both parties. If the opponent is an ordinary person, unless Pay attention carefully, otherwise it will be difficult to form a warning sign in his mind. If the opponent is a master who has not entered the innate realm, even within ten miles, as long as the person's mood swings are slightly violent, he will be able to sense it.If the opponent is also a congenital extreme master, then there are many variables. If the opponent is better than him, or is good at restraint, it will be difficult to detect the existence of the opponent. For example, Duan Lingxiao assassinated Jiang Zhe that day. Arrangement, but before Duan Lingxiao made a move, Li Shun really didn't clearly feel Duan Lingxiao's existence. If the other party is like the person in the dark, who has not long been promoted to the innate realm, and his cultivation is still shallow, and he has not yet reached the soul-locking realm. It is said that this kind of innate master is more likely to leave marks on his heart lake than ordinary hostile masters.

Of course, if it is at the level of Fengyi Sect Master and Master Cizhen, there is no way to hide the existence of each other, so in Yongdu in the past, although the two had never met each other, their mood changes and actions towards each other were as if they had witnessed each other. Normally, in front of those two people, Li Shun knew that it would be impossible to hide his emotions. Fortunately, a person with the status of a master would not easily make a move. After Li Shunlue thought about it, he had already guessed from the familiar but slightly unfamiliar aura, and the man had murderous intent but not murderous intent, his identity was even more obvious. He smiled coldly, fled to the dark place, passed through the company camp in a blink of an eye, Arrived at a remote hill outside the camp.Under the waning moon and sparse stars, a young man in black robe was standing on the hill, his expression was indifferent and lonely.Standing beside him was a young man in black with a piano bag on his back, and his expression was a little gloomy.When Li Shun saw these two people, a faint smile appeared on his lips, and he said loudly: "It turns out that Young Master Qiu has returned. How is the scenery in the East China Sea?"

Qiu Yufei said indifferently: "Do you think I'm here to assassinate?" Li Shun shook his head and said, "You're a smart person, you should know that it's impossible, but why did the young master let you out so quickly? If it wasn't for the young master's handwriting, you wouldn't be able to escape from Jinghai Villa." Qiu Yufei took a deep look at Li Shun, and said: "Your young master has a far-reaching plan in his affairs. Letting me out is of course useful to me, but I may not let him do what he wants. I wanted to meet him this time." , and asked him a few words, but I heard that you are in Li Xian's camp, so I think I will go, and he will not see me. You don't have to worry that I will assassinate him. If I dare to attack, I am afraid that Sang Mister will not let me go. I dare not guess Mr. Sang's realm, but even the master may not be able to win. I have sent a message to Jinyang that no one from the Mozong will assassinate the Marquis of Chu Township. Mr. Sang will do it. As a backing, even the master is not willing to take the initiative to kill, not to mention, the situation in the Northern Han Dynasty has deteriorated to this point, even if the master takes action, nothing can be saved, and our Demon Sect will not do such a desperate thing."

Li Shunzhang said: "Young Master Qiu is right, if you had such intelligence and wisdom back then, I am afraid that it would be difficult for you to use your Excellency to create discord." Qiu Yufei's complexion changed, and he said after a while: "Sure enough, I was caught in a trick that day. A few days ago, I received a letter from the Marquis of Chu Xiang. There was so much apology in the letter. I already had suspicions, guessed repeatedly, and then Mr. Sang Only after giving advice did I realize that I was deceived in the past.” Li Shun smiled slightly. He knew Jiang Zhe's intentions, and he would definitely reveal the truth about Quartz's injustice at this time, and use it to attack Duan Wudi. When Qiu Yufei returned to Beihan suddenly, he expected that Jiang Zhe would let the truth out. He knew that under the temptation, it did not happen.

Qiu Yufei sighed softly, turned around and wanted to go, but stopped his steps and said: "Suiyun met me in the middle of the day. Although I had malicious intentions, I still regarded him as a confidant. I didn't know that he was always hypocritical. pretend?" Li Shun said solemnly: "Even though the young master is deeply scheming, if you are not talented and refined, how can you give me the Qingyuan piano score, which is the hard work of the dead father. If you still resent the young master because of the hostility, you can take it as you like, but you must not doubt the sincerity of the young master back then." Qiu Yufei was silent for a long time, and walked away. The young man was Ling Duan, and he followed behind him step by step. After a while, the two of them disappeared into the night. A chill flashed in Li Shun's eyes, as if he was looking through the darkness, looking at Pingyao City, Su Qing should have made arrangements by now, presumably from Pingyao to Jinyang, there must have been rumors that Long Tingfei was hit by a divorce plan and forced to die Quartz Now that Long Tingfei has died, the people involved in the past will be under greater pressure. Duan Wudi has played a lot in this matter, and he will inevitably be severely criticized by the upper echelons of the Northern Han Dynasty.Even if Princess Jiaping and others understand Duan Wudi's innocence, I'm afraid he will find it difficult to forgive his actions. Li Shun couldn't help but feel sad when he thought of the kit that the young master secretly gave him when he was ordered to hand over to Su Qing when King Qi entered the army. He took out a short card with a few lines written on it. "Let Su Qing spread rumors, mention the things that separated Quartz in the past, use the chaos to explain the invincible army's heart, the heart is kind, and he refuses to betray others. He must be ashamed to die. If there is a mistake in his actions, he will take advantage of the opportunity. People, in the autumn of life and death in the Northern Han Dynasty, are easy to take advantage of." Li Shun smiled lightly, rubbed his right hand lightly, and the short card was wiped out. On the second day, Li Xian began to attack Pingyao. It was a fairly standard way of fighting. With the strength of the Yong army and the continuous offensive, the progress was quite smooth. At the end of the day, Li Xian personally commanded the attacking side of the city wall The defense began to show some signs of collapse. Under the fierce attack of the trebuchet, a corner of the city wall suddenly collapsed. The Yong army immediately cheered loudly. The northern Han army resisted desperately, but they still couldn't stop the Yong army's offensive. At this time, Duan Wudi issued the military order calmly. The guards around him looked at him incredulously, but his usual majesty made him pass the order without hesitation. The Northern Han army guarding the gap heard The order immediately gave way to a passage, and when the pressure in front suddenly eased and the Yong army who attacked the top of the city cheered, the machine spring sounded, and the Northern Han army, which had already been waiting in full force, launched a strong crossbow, all of which were wrapped with black powder Fire igniters such as saltpeter were ignited and shot into the Yong army. The successive explosions caused chaos in the Yong army. In an instant, the Northern Han army dumped the kerosene, and then threw down the torches. Flames blazed below the city, and blood burst from the city. When the last Yong army was beheaded, Duan Wudi approached the city wall, pressed his hands on the blood-soaked walls on both sides, looked down, and saw the Yong army began to retreat, as quickly as the tide of the sea, The faint pressure and power in it made Duan Wudi's expression even colder.Looking back at the smoldering and dilapidated scene at the top of the city, and looking at the enemy camp stretching for tens of miles away, Duan Wudi felt a chill in his heart. Although he had forced the enemy back, he did not feel at ease in his heart.Although the Yong army only started attacking the city today, since the day before yesterday, there have been rumors in the city. Although no one in the city dared to discuss it face to face, Duan Wudi knew that the rumors were that he was accused by Quartz for smuggling and corruption, and he was in Longting. Flying noodles advanced the slander, framed Quartz as a criminal, and tortured Quartz to death.The guards around him were indignant and pleaded several times to find out and kill the person who spread the rumors, but Duan Wudi forcibly suppressed them.It's not that he doesn't know the importance of the stability of the army's morale to defend the city, but he can't strictly pursue the matter, because besides his own old army, 30% of the army in his hands is the old quartz army, and most of the rumors are spread by Old part of quartz.They didn't mean it that way, any soldier didn't want his general to love his soldiers like a son and fight bravely. If he was under the command of a stigmatized general, he might not be able to wash away the shame in his life.After the death of Quartz in the past, the reputation was completely ruined. These old ministries suffered so much humiliation. Now that they know that their general was persecuted to death, how can they not tell each other.For them, since the "deceived" coach General Long is dead, the one who needs to be responsible for this is naturally the "slandering" Duan Wudi.As a result, everyone in Quartz's old department harbored resentment, and even some of his own subordinates became suspicious.But for this situation, Duan Wudi is helpless. If he wants to clear up the rumors, he will inevitably affect many innocent soldiers. I am afraid that before the enemy troops attack the city, they will kill each other. In desperation, Duan Wudi Only by taking advantage of the current serious military situation to temporarily suppress the army, if he can return to Jinyang, there is still a chance to save the army's morale, he can only comfort himself in this way. At this time, under the "protection" of two Northern Han soldiers, Xuan Song walked up to the top of the city. His injuries have gradually healed. Although the scars on his face are intact, he can move freely. Afterwards, he was in Duan Wudi's army, and Duan Wudi was quite polite to him. As long as it was not at a critical time of marching or fighting, although the supervision was strict, it was not harsh, so he could come to the city at this time.Looking at the dilapidated scene at the top of the city, Xuan Song felt a little sad. He had already learned about the bloody battle just now from the Northern Han Army. He knew what the bloodstains on the top of the city represented, but he didn't show any sadness.As a general of Dayong, he should have the consciousness of dying in battle. What use is sadness and sympathy? Could he prevent the Yong army from attacking the city in order to reduce casualties? Could he persuade the Northern Han army to give up resistance.Only when the world is unified can this kind of bloody battle, which doesn't matter whether it's right or wrong, stop happening again. Seeing Duan Wudi's back, Xuan Song felt respectful in his heart. It was this man who had been fighting hard for many days, hindering the Yong army's attack and giving millions of Northern Han soldiers and civilians a chance to retreat and escape. Xuan Song knew that , although Dayong also has strict military discipline, but this does not guarantee that innocent civilians in the Northern Han Dynasty will not be harmed.This man is loyal and loves the people. If he can be persuaded to surrender, Dayong will win a good general and virtuous minister. Thinking of this, Xuan Song laughed loudly and said: "In terms of defending the city, no one in the world can beat General Duan. Your Excellency repulsed all the fierce attacks, but the Yong army is strong, there is no reinforcements outside the general, the army in the city is unstable, food and grass are scarce, how many days can we hold it?" Duan Wudi didn't look back, and said calmly: "It's enough to guard for two more days. Princess Jiaping sent a military order, and the people in Jinyang area can enter the city. By then, there will be millions of soldiers and civilians in Jinyang, and there will be no shortage of food, grass and military equipment. It is easy to keep it for a year or so.” Xuan Song sighed: "Even so, how long can the Northern Han Dynasty last? Although no one told me about it, I know how unfavorable the current situation is for you. Not to mention the martyrdom of General Long, but Seeing that Princess Jiaping ordered to shrink the line of defense to Jinyang, I know that you have no hope of winning. You can only rely on Jinyang's geographical advantage to defend to the last, and keep the last chance. Unless I, Dayong, have to withdraw in the end, the fall of the Northern Han Dynasty is a foregone conclusion General Duan, even if you don’t cherish your own life, don’t you also cherish the lives of the soldiers under your command? Now, the Yong Army has surrounded Pingyao, His Royal Highness Qi Wang is just worried that you will attack the food road from behind, and you have plenty of time. That's why we went all out to attack the city, otherwise, as long as tens of thousands of people are left to surround Pingyao, the army can continue to go north. If you want to stay for two more days, you may never have the chance to return to Jinyang." Duan Wudi did not refute. These days he and Xuan Song have talked in detail several times. Although both sides are wary and just want to get more information, they both respect each other's talents, and both are good at defense. He is a talented general, so Xuan Song only took a few glances to know the reality of the city.What Xuan Song said was true, and there were some things that Duan Wudi already knew, but did not disclose to Xuan Song, for example, the news that Emperor Yong and Li Zhi had personally conquered them, and the news that Li Zhi's army had cut off the Daizhou and Xinzhou roads.Regarding this matter, Duan Wudi felt extremely uneasy. Although the Daizhou Army had been forced to stay in Jinyang because the Daizhou Army had nowhere to go home, even Princess Jiaping had formally accepted the imperial edict of the king and became a member of the Northern Han Army. General Yang, but Duan Wudi felt vaguely that this might be a very important move for the Yong army, and it might cause the Northern Han Dynasty to collapse.It's a pity that he is a soldier, and he still doesn't know much about some things. For Emperor Yong's move, he just instinctively felt that it was dangerous, but he didn't know its true meaning. Seeing that Duan Wudi acquiesced in his words, Xuan Song said again: "Besides, General Duan's situation doesn't seem to be very good..." As soon as he said this, Duan Wudi raised his hand to stop him from continuing, and said in a deep voice: "Yi Yuxin He is so kind, even though he died nine times, he still has no regrets." Xuan Song shook his body, looked at Duan Wudi's resolute face, and finally sighed: "Since General Duan has no regrets, Xuan does not want to insult General Qing. Fame is only believed but doubted, loyal but slandered, this is the tragedy of the ages, although your king is not a fatuous lord, but at this time of peril, it is inevitable to be overly cautious, I hope that if it is irretrievable, the general will also Don't be foolish and loyal to the end." Duan Wudi finally turned around and said calmly: "If I let General Xuan go back, how can you repay him?" Xuan Song had already prepared, if it wasn't for using him, he would either kill him early, or hand him over to Princess Jiaping to take him to Jinyang, why bother to stay in the army, looking at Duan Wudi's haggard and calm face , he smiled and said: "A general who is trapped in the enemy has no right to be independent. If you have this intention, you might as well send an envoy to see His Royal Highness King Qi." Duan Wudi calmly said: "You have to wait another day before you have room to bargain." Xuan Song couldn't help but smile wryly, he didn't expect that he had become a commodity, his eyes met Duan Wudi, Xuan Song's wry smile gradually faded, he could see the deep sorrow in the eyes of the man opposite, he knew everything he said, In terms of talent, Duan Wudi is absolutely superior to himself, but he was lucky enough to be a minister of Yong, but unfortunately this man is a Han general, "Although he died nine times, he still has no regrets", being able to recite this famous sentence shows that his heart has long been With enlightenment.He gave a deep bow, and said: "If Xuanmou returns to Yongying, and His Highness does not blame him, he will definitely lead his army to fight the general. If the general is unfortunately trapped, I hope the general will not only wish for death, but Xuanmou will definitely ask for death." Your Highness begged for mercy, to save the general's life and face." Duan Wudi was a little annoyed at first, but when he saw Xuan Song's extremely serious expression, his expression became more relaxed, and he said: "In the past, Duan once heard that General Xuan deeply admired loyalty, and that he met the wild student Yang Can in the middle of Sichuan. Donate all the money to make his wife and children live in peace, Duan knows your kindness, although he can't accept it, he should be grateful." Although being rejected by Duan Wudi, Xuan Song didn't feel annoyed. He just added a bit of regret. Turning around and leaving, Xuan Song felt a pity in his heart. Sigh, even if the Northern Han Dynasty is destroyed, can it really win the hearts of the people here? For the first time, Xuan Song felt that attacking the Northern Han Dynasty might fall into a quagmire. In the next two days, Li Xian stopped attacking the city. Duan Wudi was very confused. Although Wudi delayed the time for the Yong army to attack Jinyang, he fell into a deadlock where he could not retreat.Standing at the top of the city, Duan Wudi thought, wondering if the envoys sent to the Yong army could accomplish the mission, although it would be embarrassing to use hostages to coerce them, but it would be worth it if they could rescue the soldiers under his command.He knew very well that although Xuan Song had an important position in the Yong army, he was not the chief general after all, so his request was not harsh. He only asked that the Yong army not pursue the retreating Northern Han army, and that Pingyao City would be handed over to the Yong army intact. He also promised not to burn the food and supplies in the city.He believes that this request may be successful, because for the Yong army, his own force is insignificant, and Xuan Song has always won the army's morale. If King Qi ignores Xuan Song's life, I am afraid that the Yong army's army will inevitably be resentful. There are not many cases, and he believes that King Qi will not do such a stupid thing. Li Xian laughed out loud when he received Duan Wudi's letter. He stopped the army for the past two days because of this letter. After the military meeting that day, he recruited Su Qing in private, and after asking about the situation of spreading rumors, He understood Jiang Zhe's intentions, and later received Jiang Zhe's letter, which made his heart like a mirror.In order to make the rumors more true, he simply stopped attacking. In this way, he could spread rumors that Duan Wudi saw the precarious situation and wanted to surrender. Li Xian believed that Duan Wudi would not last long.And even if there were no other benefits, it was worth saving Xuansong. Thinking of the farewell that day, Li Xian still felt pain in his heart, so he not only immediately agreed to Duan Wudi's conditions, but also sent envoys to Pingyao.This messenger is Su Qing.