Chapter 284 Chapter 6: Clouds of War

When they returned to Wufu, they found out that Qin Qing had arrived, and was whispering to Ji Yanran in the living room, both women looked suspicious, and when they saw Xiang Shaolong coming back, they forced a smile on their faces. Xiang Shaolong sat down and wondered, "What is it that makes you look so nervous?" Ji Yanran said: "The Crown Prince officially issued an edict to accompany Sister Qing to Yongdu to deal with the big and small matters of the crown ceremony. Sister Qing is worrying about this matter. It's okay to go, and it's impossible not to go." Xiang Shaolong was shocked and said: "No one knows me better than Yingzheng, this move hits the nail on the back of my neck."

Qin Qing said quietly with a sad face: "Don't bother with me, isn't it enough? Forgive him for not having the guts to vent his anger on me. I will see you outside the Great Wall later depending on the situation!" Xiang Shaolong regained his composure, shook his head resolutely and said, "No! If we want to leave, we must go together, otherwise just the worrying feeling is enough to torture me half to death." Hearing Xiang Shaolong's affectionate words, Qin Qing was so moved that her eyes turned red. Ji Yanran: "Yanran can pretend to be Sister Qing's personal maid, so she can deal with any accidents."

Xiang Shaolong was stunned for a long time before responding: "This is indeed a feasible method, and it is unimaginable for others. If necessary, I can also ask Jing Jun to come to Yongdu to meet you. When it comes to the technique of flying over eaves and walls, there are Who can compare to him?" Qin Qing shyly said: "I also want to learn Xiang Lang's method of climbing over walls, are you willing to teach him?" Xiang Shaolong and Ji Yanran looked at each other in dismay when they heard this, what would happen if Qin Qing, such a delicate and gentle beauty, could climb high and low like the elite soldiers?

◇◇◇◇◇◇ At night, Xiao Yuetan came back Shi Shiran. Everyone hurriedly gathered in the secret room to discuss. Xiao Yuetan said: "If Tugong hadn't been silently monitoring Lu Thief, we might have reached the Underworld and still be foolish ghosts." Everyone's expression changed at the same time, and they asked why. Xiao Yuetan said: "Lu Buwei is increasingly short of available people, so he has to reuse the old people headed by Tu Gong again, which also enables Tu Gong to clearly grasp Lu Thief's conspiracy." Ji Yanran said: "Recently Lu Buwei has been very low-key, and he looks like he is powerless to turn the tide, so it turns out he is just pretending."

Jing Jun cursed fiercely: "Today we will definitely smash his body into thousands of pieces." Xiao Yuetan said with a smile: "We have all neglected that Lu Buwei's last assassin was the help of the six eastern countries; now the monarchs and ministers of the six countries do not regard Yingzheng as a scourge, as long as they can bring down Yingzheng, they are willing to do anything, it is best It is more in line with their wishes that Lao Ai ascends the throne." Xiang Shaolong's countenance changed: "Could it be that he dares to open up the border defenses and allow the coalition troops to enter?"

Xiao Yuetan said with a smile: "It's useless for him to have the guts. Qin's soldiers are loyal and patriotic, so how can they obey it? Besides, the Three Jins, Chu, and Yan were severely injured by Shaolong's killing. I'm sorry they haven't made the same move after opening the door." However, the six countries sent four batches of dead soldiers, each of whom is a master against a hundred, preparing to carry out a well-planned assassination operation at the right time. The four goals that have been set are Yingzheng, Shaolong, Lord Changping and Li Si." Ying Zheng and Xiang Shaolong became the targets of the Six Nations, so of course it was no problem.Lord Changping and Li Si are both civil and military ministers who accompanied Yingzheng. If something unexpected happened, all the civil and military officials would be left unattended, giving Lu Buwei a chance.

Xiang Shaolong thought to himself that the person he wanted to kill the most was Wang Jian, but maybe Lu Buwei still didn't know that Wang Jian had sneaked back to Xianyang.The state of Qin is at a critical moment in the transformation of the great era. As long as Xiao Pan ascends to the throne, both parties of Lu Lai will die without a place to die. Tao Fang asked in a deep voice, "Are these people in Xianyang now?" Xiao Yuetan said: "In order to hide their whereabouts, they are currently hiding in the dense forest on the nearby mountain tops. Tugong is responsible for providing food and beverages. Everyone should understand that this is somewhat beneficial to us."

Ji Yanran said, "Does Director Tu know the details of their actions?" Xiao Yuetan said: "This matter is under the responsibility of Xu Shang, the commander of the capital. As long as this person can be captured alive, Xiao has his own means to teach him to confess obediently." Teng Yi said: "As long as Xu Shang is willing to walk out of the city gate, we are sure to capture him alive, and then hand him over to the master to force a confession. But if he stays in the nephew, unless we confront him head-on, we will have nothing to do with him." Xu Shang himself is a top-notch swordsman, living in Zhongfu's mansion, there are a large number of personal guards coming in and out, and the city is also his sphere of influence.There might still be a chance to kill him, but if he were to be captured alive, it would be impossible.

Xiao Yuetan took out a scroll of pictures from his arms, spread them out on several sides, and said, "This is the whole picture of Zhongfu's mansion, including all the defensive facilities and secret rooms, but if you only use your wisdom to win and not use your strength to fight, you won't be able to capture everything alive." Xu Shang even had the possibility of assassinating Lu Buwei." After a pause, he continued: "Tugong has prepared a strong anesthetic, as long as it is poured into several wells in Zhongfu's mansion, those who drink it will never wake up within three days."

Jing Jun said happily: "The result is wonderful!" Xiang Shaolong asked: "Since Tu Lao participated in the secret discussion with Lu Buwei, did he find out his overall plan?" Xiao Yuetan sneered and said, "Even if Tugong didn't hear about it, how can you hide Lu thief's news from Tugong? Lu thief's plan must be two-pronged. Kill those who oppose him." After a pause, he continued: "The key point is whether Yingzheng can be killed. As long as Yingzheng is dead, he can claim Lao's name and hold the military power of the Great Qin in his hands."

Tao Fang frowned and said, "If Lai Ai fails, wouldn't Lu thief's dreams come to naught? He would also end up with the notoriety of rebellion." Xiao Yuetan said: "That's why Lu Zei specially ordered Guan Zhongxie to go to Yongdu and cooperate with the masters from the six kingdoms to preside over the assassination. With this person's superb archery skills, it is not impossible. After all, Yongdu is not Yingdu. The land of government." Everyone's heart trembled, if they didn't get rid of this person first, it would indeed be the most terrible threat. Xiang Shaolong sighed: "Unfortunately, we guessed this matter correctly, is there a way to know his whereabouts?" Xiao Yuetan shook his head and said: "This can be said to be the last powerful chess piece of the old thief, so I am afraid that no one will know his whereabouts except him. Lu thief's success or failure depends entirely on whether he can assassinate Yingzheng. He's not without a chance of success." Ji Yanran said: "Wouldn't Wu Guo be more dangerous than dangerous?" Wu Guo's face turned pale, but as long as he thought about Guan Zhongxie's unrivaled archery skills, no one would blame him for being timid. Xiao Yuetan caressed Xu and said with a smile: "Everyone, this is called caring and chaos. In fact, there are no traces of Guan Zhongxie. First of all, the first person he wants to assassinate must be Yingzheng, or the four assassinations must be carried out at the same time. Otherwise, it will startle the snake." Next, the assassination operation will not work well." Wu Guo immediately breathed a sigh of relief. Ji Yanran said: "Then the assassination should be concentrated in Yongdu. Only then can the responsibility be pushed to Lai Ai." Then he smiled and said: "For those who are good at fighting, the battle of wits is not the battle of strength. The biggest problem between Lu Lai and the two parties is mutual distrust and plotting against each other. According to Yan Ran's guess, Lu Buwei decided to hide the assassination from Lai Ai, and the guards next to the prince , there should be Lu thief's traitor, as long as we leak the news to Lai Ai, maybe it will be effective." Xiang Shaolong is absolutely not worried about Xiao Pan's fate, otherwise there would be no such person as Qin Shihuang in history, nor is he worried about Lord Changping and Li Si, the reason is the same. Teng Yi said at this time: "The most reliable thing is to kill Guan Zhongxie first, and we also have to take care of our own safety, because if something happens to Xiaojun and I, Lu Thief can openly take over the Du Cavalry. .” Guan Zhongxie is a man of wisdom and bravery, with him secretly presiding over the coalition of assassins from the six nations, no one would dare to take it lightly. Xiao Yuetan suddenly said: "Wuguo pretends to be a little dragon, and the little dragon can pretend to be Wuguo, so it's even more foolproof." Everyone applauded in unison. Tao Fang doubted: "Is it in time?" Xiao Yuetan smiled happily: "As early as when making the mask, Xiao already had this idea in mind, so the two masks were made together, otherwise why would it take so many days?" Everyone praised Xiao Yuetan one after another, and they were all overwhelmed with admiration for Xiao Yuetan's wisdom. After discussing the details of the action, it was decided that tracing the whereabouts of Guan Zhongxie should be the top priority, and various contingency plans were made. ◇◇◇◇◇◇ Xiang Shaolong had a good night's sleep that night, and deliberately appeared in the morning the next morning, so that Lu Buwei and the others could see his sick face and hear his hoarse voice. Discussions that day centered on the upcoming coronation.Lu Buwei offered to stay in Xianyang, Xiao Pan pretended to be overwhelmed and reluctantly accepted. After the morning court, Xiao Pan discussed with Xiang Shaolong, Chang Ping Jun, Chang Wen Jun and Li Si in the study. Mr. Changping and Li Si made reports successively, both of which were about the procedures of going to Yongdu and crown ceremony. After listening to Xiao Pan, he said: "All the ministers know that this is the last chance for Lu Lai and the two parties to overthrow the widow. What countermeasures do you have in this regard?" Chang Wenjun said: "I have already planned this matter. First of all, the fleet going to Yongdu this time is not only in the same style, but also hangs the king's flag, so that it is difficult for the enemy to know which one is the prince's seat. It is equipped with light and small warships to open the way, and elite soldiers are stationed at strategic points along the coast to ensure the safety of the journey.” Xiao Pan nodded approvingly, and then said: "But the most dangerous thing is that after arriving in Yongdu, the thieves have arranged for many years, and what they are waiting for is this moment. You must not be careless." Lord Changping said: "Gu Xihui will first lead ten thousand elite soldiers to Yongdu and take over Guanfang completely, so I don't believe that Lai Ai dares to disobey orders at this time." Xiang Shaolong frowned and said, "When did General An come back?" Xiao Pan coughed dryly and said, "Because the general is sick at home, the widows dare not disturb, so I didn't tell the general about it." Li Si and the three of them lowered their heads and remained silent. Xiang Shaolong said angrily: "Chujun already has a plan in mind, why should I have to make plans, if I stay in Xianyang to recuperate." The heads of the three of Li Si lowered even lower. Xiao Pan said calmly: "General, don't misunderstand, now I want to ask the general for advice." Xiang Shaolong said decisively: "If I don't let my subordinates know all the arrangements and available soldiers earlier, this battle will definitely be defeated." The four of Xiao Pan were stunned at the same time. Xiang Shaolong thought to himself that this is not surprising.With the precious information from Tuxian, he will be more confident in dealing with this two-sided war where there are two parties, Lu Lai at the front door, and Xiao Pan, a ruthless kid at the back. Xiao Pan said solemnly: "Why did the general make such a statement?" Xiang Shaolong knew well the reason why Xiao Pan valued his own words, it was because Xiao Pan regarded himself as a heavenly being since he was a child, and he never fell down.And I have helped him overcome difficulties many times, and I have established an incomparable image in his heart.If it were other people, even if it was Wang Jian, Li Si, etc., it would be impossible to frighten the future Qin Shihuang. Xiang Shaolong didn't answer the question instead, and said flatly: "How many people did General An transfer from the state of Chu this time?" Xiao Pan hesitated for a moment, then said helplessly, "50,000 people have been transferred back." Looking at the expressions of other people, Xiang Shaolong knew that Xiao Pan was not lying about this matter, so he said leisurely, "Where are the other 40,000 soldiers stationed? Who will lead them?" Why didn't he understand that besides Lu Buwei, this group of troops had to deal with soldiers from the Teng, Jing and Wu clans, but he deliberately forced Xiao Pan to speak out. Xiao Pan seemed a little afraid to look at Xiang Shaolong, pretended to look through a few documents, and said nonchalantly, "This is a reserve force for emergencies, under the command of Wei Liao, and can quickly reinforce Yongdu or Xianyang from the river." Then he said impatiently: "The general has not answered the question just now?" Xiang Shaolong is the only one in the world who dares to talk to Xiao Pan like this. Li Si and the others didn't dare to interrupt. Xiang Shaolong said indifferently: "No matter how rampant Ren Lvlao and the two parties are, they dare not openly rebel against each other, so they must use the method of assassination first. As long as the assassination of the prince is successful, the world will be in chaos, and the treacherous party will be able to fish in troubled waters and get the maximum benefit .” Chang Wenjun couldn't help but said: "We thought of this a long time ago, and we have a way to deal with it." Xiang Shaolong said in a deep voice: "Assuming that the assassination operation is secretly presided over by Guan Zhongxie, the person involved in the operation is one of thousands of top-ranking assassins sent by the six countries who have undergone rigorous training, and the crown prince has to appear at the crowning ceremony, What's more, the imperial guards and servants have internal support, is your majesty still so confident?" Including Xiaopan, everyone's expressions changed. Back then, Xiaopan was attacked by foreign assassins on his way to the Deshuichun Festival. Fortunately, he missed the auxiliary car, which is still fresh in his memory.Now that there is Guan Zhongxie with amazing arrow skills, who dares to pat his chest to guarantee that nothing will happen. Lord Changping said in astonishment: "But according to the news, Guan Zhongxie should still be in a stalemate with the Koreans in the Korean territory." Xiang Shaolong said: "That's just a cover-up. At this critical juncture, how could Lu Buwei not call his beloved son-in-law back? This is raising soldiers for a thousand days and using them for a while." His words have great persuasive power, and he is not afraid that everyone will not believe him. Xiao Panlong's eyes flickered coldly, he stared at Xiang Shaolong and said, "Where did the news come from, General?" Xiang Shaolong knew that Xiao Pan would have to ask this question, and said with a smile: "Lu Buwei has friends in the six countries, why not my humble minister." After staring at him blankly for a while, Xiao Pan nodded and said, "What countermeasures can the General have?" Xiang Shaolong beat the snake and went up with the stick: "The prince must first give the tiger talisman to the humble minister, so that the humble minister has the ability to dispatch troops and generals, so that the humble minister can handle this matter." This was Xiang Shaolong's most powerful move, and Xiao Pan couldn't help but disagree. In the state of Qin, all general-level figures, such as Xiang Shaolong, Wang Jian, An Guxi, Lord Changping, etc., were given half of the Tiger Talisman, while the other half was controlled by Xiao Pan.In the event of a leader going out, the leading general will be given the other half of the tiger talisman. Only in this way can he be legally granted military power. Generals of different ranks hold tiger charms that reflect their identities and limit the number of troops they lead.Generals above the general level not only have no limit on the number of soldiers, but can also mobilize and recruit recruits from various places. Once the war returns to the court, the other half of the tiger talisman will return to the court, and the soldiers will also return to various places. Each general can only have his own soldiers according to his rank, and the military power will return to the monarch. Xiang Shaolong was one of the only two generals, if he held the complete Tiger Talisman, he would be the supreme commander of the military, at that time no one could take back his Tiger Talisman except Xiao Pan. So if Xiang Shaolong holds the complete Tiger Talisman in his hand, then if Xiao Pan holds the power of the general in his hand, if Xiao Pan wants to deal with him at that time, he must not send out a low-level new general like Wei Liao, the only way is for Xiao Pan to kiss him to deal with him. It can be seen that the matter of the tiger talisman is of great importance. But Xiang Shaolong was not afraid of Xiaopan's refusal, because of three reasons. First of all, Xiao Pan will think that Xiang Shaolong will accompany him, and when he arrives in Yongdu, he can calmly plot against him, not afraid that some generals will be away, and the king's order will not be accepted. The second is that Xiang Shaolong deliberately created a situation so that Xiao Pan could not use it to deceive him and appease him. The last reason is more subtle, because Xiaopan's confidence in his talents is deeply rooted, and he is sure that it will benefit him and not hurt him. That's why Xiang Shaolong didn't worry that he wouldn't respond, and he couldn't get to the bottom of it, showing his distrust towards Xiang Shaolong. Sure enough, Xiao Pan was stunned for a moment, then he nodded his head slightly and agreed: "Just as the general asked!" Xiang Shaolong suppressed the ecstasy in his heart, and said lightly: "The day of the crown prince's coronation ceremony is the time when I present the head of Guan Zhongxie, otherwise the prince can punish me with military law." A look of extreme complexity flashed across Xiao Pan's eyes. Xiang Shaolong sighed inwardly, took the opportunity to dismiss him.