Chapter 5 The fourth quarter of heavy rain and swallows

Although it is late spring, Yanshan is still dry and cold.The winds from all directions are fluttering and competing here. The wind from the mountains in Liaodong, the sea in the southeast, the wind in the Yinshan grassland, the wind in the quicksand desert, the wind direction changes every three or two days, and the spring is faltering.In this full and long wind, a black cavalry team passed through Shangjun County of Qin State, crossed the great river in the north, flew eastward from Jiuyuan, entered the cloud, then went straight to Yanmen Pass in the southeast, and crossed Pingcheng in the northeast, and arrived at Yu in the northwest of Yan State. Yanshui River Valley stationed down.This is Bai Qi's Tie Ying Rui Shi Thousand Team.After flying for 20 days and trekking for more than 8,000 miles, they finally arrived secretly at the weakest side of Yan Kingdom.

As soon as the camp was set up, three Pegasus rode out of the camp, but the knights turned into Huns merchants in short suede jackets. A column of wolf smoke rushed up and stretched straight into the blue sky in the river valley.The leader of the Xiongnu merchant looked back at the direction of the wolf smoke, and pointed at the whip: "Follow me!" The Pegasus flew to the southeast, and after about an hour, Jicheng of Yan Kingdom was already in sight. Although it is the end of March, the plains of Jicheng are still pale and yellow, which is completely different from the green Qinchuan.The Xiongnu merchants flowed into Jicheng with the bustling crowd, and were neither questioned nor noticed.After all, there are too many of these Xiongnu merchants in sheepskin clothes and bearded beards here, and even the wine shops and inns in Jicheng waft the lingering smell of cattle and sheep.Entering the city gate, the leader of the Xiongnu merchants spoke blunt Xiongnu-style Yan Guo dialect and laughed like a bell: "Everyone buys each item, and they will return together in three days, and each will go its own way!" Among the city people went.

At this time, the world of Yan has been overthrown beyond the expectations of the people of the Central Plains. Su Qin was assassinated and died in Qi State, which brought a huge impact to the government and the people of Yan State: Zizhi, the regent, suddenly felt that he had lost his bondage, and immediately discussed secretly with Su Dai to force King Kui of Yan to hold a ceremony of abdication so that Zizhi He became the legitimate king of Yan Kingdom.Zizhi's promise to Su Dai was that he would be the prime minister of the mansion and be named Wu Chengjun.Unexpectedly, Su Qin's death was a blow to Su Dai. Seeing that Su Qin's blood flowed five steps because of his sincere reform, and seeing that Zizhi's grand reform plan that he swore at the beginning turned out to be empty words, Su Dai deeply felt that he had entrusted Zizhi with his reform ambitions. I am very sorry.After thinking about it, Su Dai pretended to agree to Zizhi, but secretly fled to Qi State that night, asking Qi Xuan King to send troops to calm the disaster and return the power to the Ji family!The monarch and ministers of Qi State were still hesitating, but Zizhi did not stop doing one thing, personally led the troops into the palace, forced King Yan to hold the abdication ceremony, ascended the throne of King Yan himself, and immediately announced to the world.

Who would have thought that the Crown Prince Ji Ping, Queen Yanyi, Queen Liyang, and the scattered royal nobles, who had been holding back for three days after the edict, would rise up together and vow to regain the royal power!More than 10,000 members of Ji Ping's coalition army took Shi as a general and besieged Zizhi's palace, but were killed by Zi's 20,000 elite Donghu army, and Shi was also taken prisoner.Ji Ping was about to join forces to fight again, but he didn't want to be killed, so he surrendered to Zizhi, and led Donghu Iron Cavalry to attack Ji Ping's coalition forces!Ji Ping's coalition army was originally a rabble of veterans of the Yan Kingdom and the private armed forces of the nobles of the family, and also a rebellion by the generals, how could they withstand the onslaught?I had no choice but to flee to the mountains of Liaodong.

As a result, Zizhi became even more arrogant. He personally led the army to pursue and suppress the royal forces, and expropriated and expanded troops in the Yan Kingdom to complete his hegemony. out. King Xuan of Qi finally couldn't bear it anymore, and felt that letting this son take power in Yan State was like squatting a tiger behind Qi State, which would cause endless troubles.After discussing with Lord Mengchang, he immediately sent the new general Zhang Zhijin to attack the Yan State with an army of 100,000 soldiers from the five capitals of Qi State.After Zizhi heard the news, he personally led 50,000 Donghu border troops to fight on the border of Yan State, determined to achieve supremacy in one battle!Who would have thought that most of Yan's East Hu frontier soldiers were poor and lowly hunters' sons, and they followed Zizhi in an attempt to reform Zizhi, get rid of their affiliation status, and actually give them a piece of land.Now that Zizhi is called king, he has completely forgotten the impassioned promise of the past. On the contrary, he exploited the people, hunters and farmers more harshly than the old royal family of Yan Kingdom. The fighting spirit of the frontier army has already quietly collapsed.As soon as the two armies fought, Qi's 100,000 troops broke through the Yan army's core camp like a bamboo shoot. The formerly elite Donghu border army was defeated like a mountain, and Zizhi only led five or six thousand remnants to escape from the encirclement.The Qi army went all out to pursue Jicheng, but no one in the huge capital of Yan State went to war, and even the gate of the city was opened by someone in advance.Zhang Zhi led the army to rush into the palace, killing and looting in three days, Zizhi and Yan Wangkui were killed by the rebels together, and Jicheng became a bloody city full of corpses!

The smug Zhang Zhi was about to sweep the country of Yan, but was stopped by Prince Tian Di who was ordered to come.The imperial edict of King Xuan of Qi said: "Su Qin warned in the past: the Qi army should not kill the people of Yan, so as not to accumulate hatred of the country and the family. After writing the chapter, he immediately returned to the Qi border to garrison, and the prince's field dealt with the aftermath of the Yan country." , but also had no choice but to resent the class teacher.Prince Tiandi was stationed in Jicheng, and immediately ordered to search for Prince Ji Ping of the Kingdom of Yan.After half a month, the remnants of Prince Ji Ping finally returned to the bloody capital and ascended to the throne amidst Xiao Shu's sadness. This was later the prestigious King Yan Zhao.

When Ji Ping ascended the throne, the treasury of Jicheng disappeared, and he ceded the five southern cities to Qi as a token of gratitude. Yan was so poor and weak that it trembled like a leaf in the autumn wind.At this time, a miraculous thing happened: On a dark and windy night, King Yanzhao suddenly dropped a cowhide bag on his desk. When he opened it, he saw a white silk and a large sheepskin picture in sight!The large characters on the white silk said: "According to the order of Wu Xinjun Su Qin: all the treasures of the royal family will be returned to Yan, and the country will be restored with capital. They can be transported back slowly according to the treasure map, so be careful!" King Yan Zhao hurried out without looking at the big sheepskin picture. The study looked into the sky and shouted: "The queen is back—! Collaborating on state affairs—!" But it was cold and windy from the ruins, the palace was silent, and there was no sound on all sides.King Yan Zhao choked with sobs, and prostrated himself in the desolate courtyard: "Su Qin Xiangguo, madam, you are the benefactors of the Yan Kingdom. If Ji Ping does not revitalize the Yan Kingdom, he will not be a human being!"

Relying on these treasures, King Yanzhao began a difficult recovery: subsidized business travel to transport leather horses, cattle and sheep from Donghu of the Xiongnu, and transported grain, ironware, raw salt, cloth, seeds and agricultural tools from the Central Plains; Supervising the farmland, personally inspecting the workshops, hanging himself and asking orphans, sharing the joys and sorrows with the people, just like Goujian, the king of Yue back then.Gradually, the country of Yan had a glimmer of life.At this time, King Yan Zhao thought of talents and recruiting talents, so he humbly went to the foot of Yan Mountain to invite Guo Wei, a hermit from Yan State, to come out of the mountain.This Guo Kai was over sixty years old. Although he was white-haired, he was a wise and wise man. He said to King Yan Zhao: "This old man is mediocre, and I can't bear the responsibility of governing the country. However, if the king sincerely seeks talents, please start with Guo Kai." In this way, there are so many people who are more worthy than Guo Kai, how dare they come from thousands of miles away to cast their votes!"

King Yanzhao was very knowledgeable and knowledgeable, so he immediately built a luxurious mansion in the dilapidated Jicheng, and built a golden pavilion with bronze in the courtyard. Taiwan, worship as the national teacher!As the news spread, scholars from all over the world suddenly remembered the precedent of Qin Xiaogong sincerely seeking talents when he was poor and weak, and couldn't help admiring them.Among them, the most famous ones are Leyi, a descendant of Leyang, a famous general of Wei State, Ju Xin, a famous scholar of Zhao State, and Zou Yan, Jixia Xuegong Ling of Qi State.Le Yi Bai Yaqing is in charge of military and political power.Ju Xin pays homage to the doctor and leads government affairs and governs the people.Zou Yan paid homage to Shangqing and took charge of state affairs.

In the past two or three years when King Wu of Qin flaunted his military power, King Yanzhao and his ministers worked together to carry out reforms in the country of Yan, abolishing the old system of sub-agriculture and the outdated well field system, and implementing the new field system in which all common people have soil.At the same time, Le Yi recruited Ding Zhuang and forged weapons, and trained an elite new army of more than 50,000 people in just two or three years.The farmland is reclaimed, all the workers are diligent, and the business travel is busy. The ancient country of Yan is as if the rain meets the rain after a long drought, and the whole country is full of steam.

Bai Qi didn't know all of this, but on the way north, he kept hearing grassland herdsmen's admiration for Yan Kingdom, so he keenly smelled something unusual.According to Gan Mao: Yan Guozi had an appointment with Zhang Yi in advance, and he would not be hostile to Qin State. Wei State, which has a deep grudge against Qin State, can't delay another month on the return journey and detour to Jiuyuan, but must go back to Qin State through Zhao Wei. If the two countries block it, it will be a big deal; The reason is that these two countries are likely to take advantage of the fire.Bai Qi was originally a low-ranking general, so Gan Mao made decisions on important matters of diplomatic relations.But along the way, Bai Qi became vigilant: the general situation of Yan Kingdom has changed, and Gan Mao may have made a mistake in his judgment!If this is the case, the matter will be greatly troubled. Whether the Yan Congress will let Ying Ji's mother and son go easily becomes the first problem!If they enter Jicheng rashly and openly, making Yan Guo aware of the future identities of Yingji's mother and son, it may backfire. What should we do?You have to find out before making a decision. Bai Qi thought calmly all the way, and chose to camp and investigate in the Yanshui River Valley, which is convenient for cavalry to maneuver and very concealed.He sent Wang Ling, the new commander-in-chief, and two Northern Qin disciples who were born in Yan.This royal mausoleum is also a descendant of the Northern Qin Dynasty. Not only does it look like a Hun knight, but it also has the same strengths: it is extremely alert and agile, illiterate but has an amazing memory. Every person in the mountains and rivers will never forget it once they have seen it. No matter how long the dictation is His military orders are also verbatim, and he was nicknamed "Eagle Eyes and Fox Heart" by the army, and he is also a rising star of the Qin Army.Bai Qi was completely relieved to send him. As soon as Wang Ling left, Baiqi's barracks changed camping locations every day, but the pillar of wolf smoke was always piercing the sky at the first camping place.No matter how reliable the military affairs are, no matter how good Wang Ling's memory is, he must be given a reliable sign.This day, the wolf smoke suddenly disappeared!The knights of the Qin Army who were ambushing in the nearby woods immediately flew to the wolf smoke and brought Wang Ling back to the new tent.Wang Ling made some detailed narrations, and Bai Qi realized that the world of Yan had indeed undergone great changes, and he couldn't help but fell into deep contemplation. "Report to the former general: I also met Princess Liyang and learned about the general situation of Xinjun's mother and son." Bai Qi suddenly clapped his hands, but there were only two crisp words: "Say it!" When Wang Ling finished speaking in one breath, Bai Qi became even more silent. In the years when the world of Yan Kingdom was upside down, special envoys and hostages from various countries were in danger. Because of Zizhi's extraordinary power expansion in Yan State, all countries were deeply disturbed at that time: if Zizhi succeeded in abdicating, the sanctity of royal power in the world would be greatly loosened, and a terrible phenomenon that could appear at any time would form. ——A person with outstanding intelligence can not only be a great minister, but also rule a country!Although it is a time of great contention, it is not uncommon for courtiers to gradually replace the original monarch according to fiefdoms. Not to mention far away, the three families of Han, Zhao and Wei are divided into Jin, and the Qi Guotian family replaces the Jiang family. An outdated trend in the Spring and Autumn Period for more than three hundred years.Entering the Warring States Period, there were many civilians whose foundations were far from comparable to those of the emerging landlords in the Spring and Autumn Period. There were many people who used their extraordinary talents to enter and control the world, but there was no precedent for a powerful minister to become a monarch.If the son's "abdication" is successful, it will pose an extremely serious challenge to the monarchs of the Warring States Period!In this era of "Ye Ye thunder and lightning, restlessness, high banks are valleys, and deep valleys are mausoleums", it is very common for crowns to fall one after another. Who dares to say that this tyrannical son will definitely not be a monarch?Who dares to say that this son will not trigger a trend of common people all over the world to seize the throne?This is the fundamental reason why all countries in the world are paying special attention to the situation of this old and weak Yan country.Because of this, Chu State, which could not even defeat Yan State, also sent a special envoy to live in Jicheng, and the small Jicheng became a place where diplomatic envoys gathered for a while. At that time, the three kingdoms of Qin, Qi and Zhao were most concerned about the situation in Yan.Qi State is the east neighbor of Yan State. It has been the backer of Yan State for many years, and it is trying to gain the maximum benefit from the changes of Yan State; Lian Heng broke the need for the six countries to join forces, and had the deepest alliance with Yan, and wanted to use Yan to contain Qi and Zhao.Zhang Yi planned to marry Princess Liyang to King Yanyi, and spared no effort to stabilize the son. In the final analysis, he wanted Yan to become Qin's loyal ally in the east.It was based on this long-term vision that King Hui of Qin sent his youngest son to the country of Yan as a hostage special envoy when Zizhi was actually in power.This decision is to tell Yan State: No matter how Yan State changes, Qin State will be friendly with Yan State.The actual meaning of the hostage is to use the prince as collateral to ensure that Qin will not lose Yan, and if Qin loses Yan, the prince will be at the disposal of Yan! As a special envoy, the mission is naturally single and clear: to monitor Zizhi, not to hear about Yan Zheng, and to inform the monarch of the news at any time.Although this kind of special envoy has great risks, it is very leisurely. Most of them live in high-end guest houses run by businessmen from their own countries.Prince Yingji of Qin has the status of a royal family and is the most powerful special envoy of the Qin State, so he has received the special care of Zizhi: he lives alone in a courtyard with three entrances, and all the servants are sent by the Yan State government. A soldier specializes in protection.After a few years, Ying Ji's mother and son, like these special envoys, lived in poverty, but they were safe and leisurely. When the son's abdication broke out in Yan's country, and then the Qi army attacked Yan, Yingji's mother and son and the special envoys of various countries were in great trouble.As soon as the prince Ji Ping sent troops, the generals of the son killed the special envoys of Qi, Wei, Han and Zhao, and then ordered the world to blame the prince's forces.Princess Liyang told Wang Ling: On the night when the special envoys of the Four Kingdoms were killed, the Ministry of Zizhi went to kill Yingji's mother and son again, but Yingji's mother and son suddenly disappeared, and none of the seven or eight servants in the huge courtyard knew about it!Later, Jicheng became half ruins and half corpses. Princess Liyang searched for Yingji's mother and son, but there was no trace.It wasn't until Wang Ling found the old princess who had lived in seclusion in Yanshan that he learned an uncertain news from Princess Liyang's recent investigation: Yingji's mother and son may still be in Jicheng, but they don't know where? "How can Princess Liyang have such a guess?" Bai Qi asked abruptly. Wang Ling said in a low voice: "The princess said that one of her old maids was by King Yan's side. King Yan had a secret business with Le Yi once, and the old maid heard Yingji's name. She guessed that the new king might be protected by King Yan." In a hidden place." Bai Qi glanced at Wang Ling: "What do you think we should do?" Wang Ling thought about it: "The general thought that the secret protection of the prince by Yan State was to make friends with Qin State. The general should have no difficulty in negotiating with the King of Yan as a dignified envoy." Bai Qi casually pointed at the Yan Kingdom on the map with a wooden branch in his hand, and shook his head: "At first, it may be a protection, but once something happened to my king in Luoyang, this matter may change. The new King Yan is ambitious, and he has Le Yi, Ju Xin assists, there may be other plans for this move, otherwise, how could even Princess Liyang be concealed? Now in the six kingdoms of Shandong, who doesn’t expect Qin’s internal chaos?” Wang Ling: "How about borrowing troops from Lin Hu and coercing Yan to release people?" Bai Qi waved his hand: "No way! One is delaying time, and the other is causing side issues, which may cause even greater trouble." Wang Ling: "But it depends on the general's decision." Bai Qi: "Only rely on yourself! Operate secretly..." It was a low-pitched order. Wang Ling clapped his palms together: "Wonderful! I'll take the lead!" As dusk fell, Jicheng suddenly fell into the boundless night.Although it has recovered, Jicheng is bleak for business travel after all, and it is far from the bustling night market like Xianyang, Daliang, Linzi. In addition, the spring is cold, and the people of the country have not turned back from the winter season, and they close their doors to rest as soon as it gets dark.Ordinary people want to save lamp oil, and even the occasional night work is in the dark, let alone sleep without lighting.In this way, Jicheng, which is full of people and bustling during the day, is completely silent at night, and is in the vast darkness, only the little lights of the palace embellish the warmth of the stars. Amidst the stars and lights of the palace, a little light on the side wall of the palace shone with a faint yellow light. Under the bright headlights of the palace in the distance and the erratic wind lanterns of the swimming servants, this dim yellow light was almost imperceptible.In this dim yellow light, a figure flew into the high wall in a flash.After a while, another figure flashed past, and two short croaks of dry frogs rang out inside the wall, followed by two croaks outside the wall, and everything fell into silence. With the faint light in the distance, it can be seen that the four earth walls about one person high form a small courtyard under the tall masonry palace wall, and the dim yellow light of the bean size flickers in the window of a low thatched hut beside the wall.A slender figure, a dagger and a slender arm wiping the dagger were reflected in the white cloth window. Light footsteps sounded in the courtyard, and a figure of a woman walked to the hut, tall and plump but graceful. A calm and clear voice came from inside the hut: "Mother? Just come in." The door opened silently, the woman floated into the room, and the clear Qin Yin came to the courtyard. "Does Ji'er wipe the sword every day? The sword that your father gave you is just three points thinner." "Mother, a good sword must be sharpened before it can be sharpened." "Ji'er, you have been struggling for six years, and my mother is worried about you." "Mother, don't worry, she will always return to Xianyang. Yingji killed the enemy and made meritorious service, and built a large courtyard for mother by the Wei River." "Ji'er, mother doesn't want you to make great achievements, but I hope that you don't die of old age in the country of Yan... If you can go back to Xianyang, this life is enough!" "Mother, I will ask Le Yi to hunt a wolf for you tomorrow!" At this moment, a sleeve arrow flew out from the thatch at the root of the wall, and pierced into the middle of the forehead of the thatched hut with a "bang"! The slender figure opened the door and came out, standing outside the door unhurriedly and looking at the courtyard: "For the sake of Yan, Yingji's mother and son have long put life and death aside. Where are the guests? Why don't you show yourself." Although the youthful voice, but It is steady and calm. There was no answer in the courtyard.The slender figure sneered slightly, turned around and pulled out the sleeve arrow on the forehead, then turned back and closed the door and entered the hut.After a while, the slender figure opened the door, went to the corridor and bowed his hands to the courtyard: "Since an old friend is here, please!" A voice came from behind him: "The prince invites you." Turning around with a slender figure, he saw a mighty Hu merchant in a suede short jacket standing in front of him, his eyes lit up, but there was a faint smile on his face: "No matter who you are, you are my guest for the long night, please Let’s talk about entering the hut.” Then he let the guests into the hut. The suede man entered the room and glanced around, then asked in a low voice, "Dare to ask the prince, are you speaking out here?" The slender boy still smiled calmly: "Business leads the world, why are you afraid of being exposed?" The suede sheepskin flicked his wrist, and something slipped out of the big sheepskin cuff and suddenly lit up: "Can the prince recognize this token?" The lights were flickering, and a bronze inlaid black jade tablet slightly larger than the palm stood out. A white-patterned goshawk with wings spread in the black jade tablet was particularly eye-catching!The slender young man's eyes suddenly became sharp, staring at the jade tablet, but with one right hand he skillfully picked up a string of pendants on his waist belt, took off a piece of jade with a bronze border, a white jade and a black eagle, and stretched it out in his hand. come over.When the black jade tablet of the suede sheepskin touched the white jade tool stretched out, there was only a soft "ding da!", and the jade card and jade tool became a token with a white base copper edge and a black jade white eagle. The suede man: "Mountains and rivers have fallen!" The slender boy responded, "Old Qin Dizhu!" The suede man bowed deeply: "I'm at the commander's tomb, see the prince!" "Chief Commander?" The slender boy's eyes flashed, and he was about to speak, but he heard the voice of a woman behind the tall bookshelf saying coldly: "Isn't this a barbarian businessman? What price do you want?" Following the voice, a tall and graceful commoner woman walked out, It was actually frosty. Wang Ling bowed his hands solemnly: "The princess is beyond doubt, the special envoy of King Qin is right behind you." The woman turned around suddenly, but she was shocked to see a stocky young man in commoner clothes without a crown coming out from behind the bookshelf!She was also behind the bookshelf just now, why didn't she notice it?When he was still in doubt, he saw the young man in common clothes bowing deeply: "The former general and leader of Lantian Daying temporarily took charge of the King Qin's military amulet and went north to the special envoy Bai Qi to see the prince and princess." "It's rare to be in charge of multiple parties." The thin boy smiled teasingly. "The princess and the prince suspect that the position of commander-in-chief cannot match the king's order, so Bai Qi reported to the full-time position, and there is no one for him." The slender young man was taken aback, and the teasing smile that often hangs on his mouth suddenly disappeared, and he couldn't help but bowed his hands solemnly: "The special envoy is upright, Yingji is so abrupt, please forgive me. This is Yingji's mother, Princess Mi." The identities of the two people, Shen and Shen, seemed extraordinarily solemn, but they didn't look like a young prince at all.Bai Qi was about to speak, but the commoner woman said indifferently: "The general is an envoy, why do you need to come here like this?" Bai Qi said calmly: "The overall situation of Yan State's diplomatic relations is in ambiguity, we have to make such a bad move, please forgive me, Princess." Then he took out a delicate leather bag from his bosom, and pulled out a slender one from the leather bag. The scroll reads, "Prince and concubine, after reading this king's order, they should be able to understand why they can't openly invite King Yan?" As he said, he handed over the sealed scroll with both hands. "I'll do it." Yingji was about to take it, but Princess Mi took the scroll with both hands with a flash of eyes, looked at it carefully, and then walked to the rough white wooden desk and opened it with a simple knife. Sealed with mud, opened the scroll and handed it to Yingji.Bai Qi watched carefully, knowing that Princess Mi's vigilance had not been relieved, he still admired her a lot.Often in a foreign country, as a hostage, without this unrelenting vigilance, it is probably impossible to survive in the turbulent Yan Kingdom. Seeing Ying Ji took the opened scroll, he just browsed through it once and then stood there in a daze.Princess Mi walked over in surprise, and took the parchment from Yingji's hand, only to see a few lines of dark red blood words that shocked: Concubine Mi's hands trembled slightly, and before putting down the imperial edict, she bowed deeply to Bai Qi: "The general shouldered the rise and fall of the Great Qin, and came here in danger, Mi Bazi will always remember it in his heart." Bai Qi cupped his hands generously: "Join the old Qin, let's go to the national calamity together! At this time, Wang Ling had already supported Ying Ji to sit in front of the case, and Bai Qi bowed solemnly: "The new king is here, Bai Qi sees you!" "General, where's the father? Brother Wang, he just let go..." Princess Mi also sighed and wiped her tears, her eyes asked Bai Qi.Ying Ji's mother and son had been in Yan State for five or six years, and the sudden changes in Qin State and the sudden war in Yan State were almost at the same time, and they were almost isolated from the outside world in their ups and downs, so they knew nothing about Qin State. Know. Bai Qi knew it in his heart, so he roughly talked about the sudden change of King Qin Hui's death in the past few years, Zhang Yi Sima's departure from the court, and King Qin Wu's eastward entry into Sanchuan and Luoyang.The mother and son of Princess Yingji and Mi were stunned when they heard it, and they cried silently, just weeping silently.After Bai Qi talked about the changes in the Qin Dynasty, he said: "The Yan Kingdom should know about the changes in the Qin Kingdom, but it has blocked the news from the princes and concubines, and moved the princes and concubines inside the palace walls. Obviously, there is nothing to worry about! The method of leaving the swallow." Concubine Mi nodded immediately: "It was Yaqing Leyi's idea to live in the palace, and I am very grateful. Well, let's not talk about it, just listen to the general's instructions." Ying Ji also wiped away tears: "General But how do you go?" Bai Qi then said, "I will lead a group of fine riders to secretly enter Yan and station in Yanshui River Valley. As long as the prince and princess can get out of Jicheng and enter the secret camp, I will leave Yan at night and then go back to Yan. Notify the King of Yan. The current difficulty is how to leave the city for the prince and concubine?" Yingji and Concubine Mi concubine pondered for a while, but couldn't think of a proper way. Wang Ling, who was watching the wind at the door, suddenly turned around and said in a low voice, "The prince mentioned hunting wolves, can we go hunting?" Ying Ji thought about it: "It's not difficult to go hunting, but Le Yi sends five hundred people to 'protect' me every time. I didn't know it before, but now it seems that I have already guarded against me." Bai Qi patted the case lightly: "As long as you can go hunting in Yanshan, there is a way!" Concubine Mi has been thinking silently, and at this moment she looked up at Bai Qi and said clearly and decisively: "The general can plan to take over the new king, but if he has the opportunity to leave immediately. Gu Gu and I will stay and cover the new king. This is so safe." "Mother!" Ying Ji was startled, "If you don't leave, I won't either!" Princess Mi smiled suddenly, but said solemnly: "Ji'er, don't be arrogant. You go back to Xianyang to inherit your father's and brother's royal career. It is the most important thing for Qin. You can't make mistakes. I stay in Yan, so you and the general can quickly and secretly get out of danger. The state of Yan will not kill me easily. The safer you leave, the safer I will be. Do you know?" "Mother..." Ying Ji cried while hugging Princess Mi. "Get up!" Concubine Mi sternly yelled in a low voice, and sighed heavily again, "Jiu is old Qin, and we will go to the national crisis together. Ji'er, the heavens have placed a great responsibility on you, straighten your spine, and don't shame the Ying family!" Ying Ji bowed deeply to his mother: "My child will remember mother's teachings." Seeing it in his eyes, Bai Qi couldn't help bowing deeply: "My concubine understands righteousness so well, and Bai Qi admires it so much!" Concubine Mi smiled brightly: "General, it's better to hurry up and discuss the matter of Yanshan's support." The sky is clear in spring, and it is the season when the southeast sea wind is blowing northward. The sky in Yanshan Mountain is as clear as blue, and the vast grassland under the mountains has already turned green with stars.The earth is revived, and the beasts who have been sheltering from the cold all winter have rushed out of their caves impatiently, looking for food in the mountains and grasslands.Although this is a busy time for farmers to start plowing, for the nobles who do not need to cultivate and the hunters who live by hunting, the end of March and the beginning of April are the golden season of spring hunting.In ordinary times, the valleys and grasslands between the peaks of the Yanshan Mountains are already a scene of galloping horses and hunting dogs.However, in the past few years when Yan State suffered catastrophic changes, the spring hunting in Yanshan almost disappeared.After King Yanzhao returned to the country and reformed, most of the slave hunters became ordinary farmers who owned a piece of land, and the nobles were left with nothing but their families for the rest of their lives, so they couldn't hunt majestically.As a result, the Yanshan hunting ground in spring felt empty and lonely. Today, the Yanshan hunting ground has become a little angry.A team of horses in red and a group of hounds galloped across the open pasture, driving wild sheep from all around to the center of the pasture. A thin boy in a black cloak held a longbow and a dagger at his waist, and rode his horse in the middle of the field. Shooting and killing in the hunting ground, although there are only a few hunters, they are full of excitement and shouting.Two women in common clothes and a group of knights in red were watching and pointing at the edge of the hunting ground, cheering or sighing from time to time. Suddenly, a gray wolf sprang out from the vast reed grass, and ran towards the valley between the two mountains like lightning! The knights of the cavalry shouted together: "Young master! Canglang!" Wolves are spirit creatures among beasts, cunning, ruthless and ferocious. They are the most exciting opponents for hunters.Especially the Yanshan Canglang, whose reputation almost rivals that of the Zhongshan Wolf, makes ordinary hunters daunted.At this time, the knights shouted excitedly, clearly reminding the boy in the black cloak that the wolf is dangerous and cannot be hunted down. The boy in the black cloak was flushed, "Okay! Let's see what the Qin people do!" He galloped after him.The knights in red uttered a cry and chased after him.As he was galloping, he saw the young man in the black cloak draw his bow and shoot vigorously, the long arrow flew out whistling, but there was something protruding from the grass in front of the horse.Hearing the frightened neighing and jumping of the war horse, the young man was immediately thrown off his horse.The red-clothed knights exclaimed, and the horse team arrived like lightning.The woman in the distance screamed and rushed over on her horse, and the knight behind her also rolled over at the same time. In the deep pale yellow and green spring grass, the legs of the boy in the black cloak were covered with blood, and his face was pale.The woman flew off the horse and rushed to the boy: "Quick! Military doctor!" The boy in the black cloak shook his hand and smiled, "Mother, don't worry. Another wolf is lying in ambush in the grass, and the horse is startled. It's all right." The military doctor with the red wound had already inspected it, and cupped his hands and said, "Don't worry, my lord, the son has injured his tibia, and he needs to rest on the spot for three days before he can ride in a chariot or a horse." "My son's life is miserable, mother don't want wolf skin!" The commoner woman hugged the boy and burst into tears. As dusk fell, several military tents were set up in the grassland at the foot of Yanshan Mountain, and several piles of bonfires were also blazing.Although the protagonist of the hunt was injured, it was nothing to the knights of the Yan army. As long as they did not die or escape, they did not need to worry.At the moment, they are drinking and barbeque in front of the bonfire outside the big tent, laughing loudly and talking about the anecdote and legend of the wolf in Yanshan. In the big tent, the candlelight was dim, and a girl in a short sheepskin dress stood watching from the tent opening. Under the dim light of the fire, one could see a large bright red mole under the corner of her mouth. She was so charming and vigilant.Hearing the faint cries coming from the tent, the girl couldn't help but cast a cold look at the laughing knights of Yan Kingdom. The night gradually deepened, and the spring breeze that was barely unbearable during the day became bitingly cold.The knights were a little bit drunk, and shouted to return to the tent to rest.A bearded man with a downcast beard stood up unsteadily, went to the tent and said loudly: "Princess, take care! I'll come back tomorrow to visit you son!" The girl with a red mole frowned and muttered: "Let's go, Got it, why is it so noisy?" The bearded beard giggled and lowered his voice with a smile: "Little girl is lovely! I'll go with my brother tomorrow, and I won't be a hostage anymore." The girl with the red mole flashed her eyes coldly, but her face was full of charm He smiled and said "Hey" lightly, but it was a unique voice unique to Chu people, and he actually had a gentle appearance of understanding.The bearded beard was overjoyed, and he waved his hand: "Go! Go back to sleep! Come tomorrow morning!" Then he staggered and shouted and laughed with the knights. The mountain wind howled coldly, and the night was as black as lacquer.The noise of the knights disappeared, and there were heavy snoring sounds from the surrounding tents.Only a military lamp flashed on the high pole in front of this big tent, under which three sentry knights were beating Diao Dou and swimming around the periphery of several tents, as they walked, Diao Dou fell silent. Then there was a heavy snoring. A shrill owl hooted from the mountain behind the tent, and a dull howl of a wolf sounded from the foot of the mountain. From the big tent came the faint weeping of the woman and the sleepy groans of the boy.The candlelight in the tent was suddenly extinguished, and almost at that moment, the girl with the red mole stretched out her hands and yawned long, the military lamp on the high pole was suddenly extinguished.Three black shadows floated out from behind the big tent without a sound, and disappeared into the vast Yanshan Mountains. It was just dawn, and the woman in the big tent suddenly cried: "Ji'er! Ji'er! Where are you..." Then the girl with the red mole also screamed in horror: "My lord! My lord! Where are you? Hurry up!" Come back—!" The knights rushed over after hearing the sound, and rushed into the big tent to have a look, and everyone was silent: there was blood on the army couch, but there was no black-clothed boy on the army couch. "Where did you go, son?" The bearded beard suddenly woke up and shouted angrily. The girl with red mole was sobbing with watery eyes: "I guarded the princess to urinate outside the tent, and I only had a moment to return to the tent, and the son was gone. Do you know where he went?" Then she began to cry. A knight whispered in horror: "Commander, could it be that it is the Yanshan Canglang?" The bearded man blushed and yelled: "Look at the bird! Get on your horse and go into the mountains! If you can't find the young master, you will die!" The five-hundred horse team rolled into Yanshan like a hurricane.The two women smiled coldly. But Bai Qi Wang Ling took Yingji into the Yanshan Valley, and the ten iron eagle warriors waiting there had already prepared three empty-saddle horses, and they galloped northward in the night wind, and entered Yuyanshui after more than an hour river valley.The horse team broke out of the camp immediately, wrapped in a gray cloth, without a flag or any sign, and went south to Daidi on the edge of Yanzhao.Bai Qi's plan is: leave the land of Dai and turn eastward, then go south along the Yishui River and enter the State of Zhao, bypass the Kingdom of Wei and Hanzhou, cross the Fenshui River directly from the mountains in the north of Shangdang, enter the Lishi Fortress in the west, and enter the Qin State as soon as possible. camp! A thousand knights galloped for two days, and they were about to reach the north bank of Yishui, but there were dark clouds and heavy rain.This is the April rain at the end of spring and the beginning of summer. It is neither a violent storm that comes and goes cleanly, nor is it a continuous drizzle in early spring.A soldier proverb goes: There are three fears in marching, and ambushes will continue to fall when food is cut off.The heavy rain continued and the roads were muddy, and the cavalry suffered the most. Not only could they not gallop, they even had to depend on the situation when riding.Most of the time, it is the knight who puts his clothes on the horse's back, and the man leads the rein, walking carefully, more tired than the pawns.The Baiqi cavalry were originally elite cavalry, and they were even more burdensome than ordinary knights.There are more armored weapons for people, and more masks and armor for horses. Whether it is carried by people or horses, it will be more than a hundred catties when it rains! When it rained heavily, Wang Ling yelled at the sky: "Bird! You god, catch the rain with your feet!" Bai Qi looked up for a while, and saw that the sky was dark and thick, obviously it was not a white rain in summer , Immediately ordered loudly: "Put on the rain cloth! Gallop for half an hour! Set up camp at the foot of Tucheng Mountain!" The horse team started after hearing the order, and everyone took out a piece of lacquered coarse-woven coarse cloth from the interlayer on the side of the saddle, and swished it out. Draped on the body.It should be said that this is also one of the special equipment of the new Qin army, a large lacquered rain cloth that can cover the back of knights and horses.三遍大漆刷过，布面光滑如油，水沾即滚，骤遇大雨，倒也真能解得一时之困。片刻间雨布上身，马队变成了一片黝黑的松林，便在大雨中从斜刺里插向西南土长城。 在于延水河谷等待的几日，十名斥候已经将回程路途打探清楚，白起早在军图上做了特殊标记，知道易水西南便是赵国修筑的依山土长城，扎营待晴不失为应急之策。这时大雨初起，地面尚硬，奔驰得一阵便翻过了一道山梁，赵国土长城已经遥遥在望。突然，却见雨雾中两面红色大旗从前面两侧山麓迎面包抄过来！没有战鼓声，也没有喊杀声，在大雨中竟保持着整齐的奔驰队列，显然，这绝不是一支散兵游勇。 “停——！”白起断喝一声，正在从半山坡向下冲来的黑色马队竟齐刷刷勒马，立即在马蹄沓沓间聚成了三个扇形小方阵，若鼓勇而下，正是两翼包抄中央突破的骑兵基本阵法。几乎就在同时，两面红旗在山坡下聚拢，红衣骑士横列成阵，大雨中立显一道刀枪鲜明的城墙！旗下大将冷冷高声道：“乐毅在此，谁敢越境？” 白起眼光一扫，便见百步之外的这个乐毅三十来岁，除了黝黑的脸上一部络腮大胡须，大红斗篷猩红甲胄火红战马，竟是一团雨中的火焰！白起镇静地扯下身上雨布，骤然露出秦将特有的黑铁甲黑骏马。身后骑士也一齐扯下雨布，黝黑的松林骤然变成了铁黑的方阵。白起单骑向前，遥遥拱手：“秦将白起，参见乐毅亚卿！” 乐毅扬鞭一指：“白起，以此等行径带走人质，邦交何在？作速交出公子稷，否则，乐毅断不会放你出境！” 白起沉稳答道：“亚卿既已知情，白起亦无须隐瞒：公子稷少年王子，留在燕国于燕无益，回秦则可保秦燕修好，正是两厢俱佳。若依邦交之道：公子稷本是特使，燕国安定后便当许其回秦复命。燕国却将特使软禁宫中仆役居所，又是何等行径？”竟是针锋相对却又不卑不亢。 乐毅目光一闪：“将军明告，公子稷回秦何事？” “为大秦惠王守陵。” “守陵？”乐毅微微一笑，“请出公子稷，我与他直接对答，以做国事交代。” 白起一拱手道：“亚卿鉴谅：公子稷已于两日前车骑出燕，此时当已进入河西了。” 乐毅一脸雨水，却是肃然正色：“既已如此，请将军转告秦王：燕国暂留芈王妃，请速派专命特使赴燕会商；若盟约可成，燕国恭送芈王妃回秦。” 白起慨然道：“秦燕本是盟邦，秦未负约，何须新约？” “新君当政，便当新约！将军记住了？” “亚卿之言，白起谨记在心！” “让开大路，恭送将军出燕！”乐毅长剑一挥，燕军哗然闪开中间山地。白起向后一招手，马队从空地中疾驰而过。最后的白起向乐毅一拱手：“敬佩亚卿！后会有期。”便纵马去了。乐毅望着雨雾中白起的背影，点点头又摇摇头，竟是愣怔良久方去。 白起马队进入赵国土长城下，找了一片地势较高的山林扎营避雨。这里正是燕、赵、中山三国交界的山地，山高林密，方圆百里没有驻军，原是异常的隐蔽。虽然如此，白起还是下令军中不得烟火起炊，一律冷食。铁鹰锐士们久经锤炼，只要有干肉舂饼，再有一袋雨水，便是甘之如饴了。可嬴稷就很难，一则他有伤，二则身躯瘦弱又正在少年。白起便给他了六个装凉开水的牛皮水袋与两个酒袋，包括白起自己与王陵的水袋酒袋，一起交给嬴稷解渴暖身。可嬴稷偏生不要，瘸着腿笑道：“逃兵乱时，我连死蛇都咥过了，怕甚？有肉有饼，足矣足矣！”硬是与骑士们一起雨水冷食，竟使得骑士们感慨不已。 三日后天气放晴，万里碧空如洗，正是初夏好天气。白起马队拔营出发，三日之间便向西出了中山国，越过晋阳、渡过汾水、横穿介山，便极为隐秘地过了离石要塞，进入了秦国的河西高原。