The Grandmaster Strategist

The king was assassinated on the way, and when he arrived at Xiangyang, he was wounded and fought hard. When the king of Qi saw Prince De's return, he was greatly upset and retreated. Before ten months passed, the king issued an edict, blaming the king for his ineffectiveness in fighting, and allowed Yong's army to retreat. The king was in great mourning, weeping with blood in his heart, and passed away in the middle of the night. . The three armies were decorated with plain materials to offer sacrifices to the virtuous king.

--"History of Chu in the Southern Dynasties: Biography of Prince De Jue"

Zhao Jue said calmly: "The eldest grandson of Jin Gong, the green robe of Emei's eyebrows, the silver bow of Duanmu, and the red makeup Rakshasa. When I saw the silver bow here, I knew that the fire Rakshasa Qiao Yan'er must be here too. I didn't expect that you all sneaked into our Nanchu." .”

Duanmuqiu gently stroked his bowstring and said, "Who in the world doesn't know that Dayong will dominate the world sooner or later. Even your martial arts heroes in Southern Chu have basically taken refuge in me, Dayong."

Zhao Jue said angrily: "Shut up." This was the thing he hated most in his heart. Dayong admired military merit and did not care about his origin, so many people in the world of Southern Chu voted for Dayong. If you want to be a high-ranking official in Nanchu, you must Because he had an innocent life experience, the military force of the Southern Chu army was not as good as that of Dayongyuan.

Qiao Yan'er raised her eyebrows and said, "You are so brave, you dare to scold us, Senior Brother Duanmu, plunder the formation for me." As he spoke, he pulled out the long sword on his back and rushed towards it like a ball of flame. Zhao Jue's The personal guards drew their swords to meet them. These personal guards were all masters who were good at fighting in battle formations, but Qiao Yan'er was a top-notch expert, so he was not afraid even if he was one to six. Moreover, Qiao Yan'er's offensive was in full swing, and was no better than these personal guards. The might of the guards was inferior. Duanmuqiu's eyes were fixed on the battlefield. For a moment, he suddenly drew his bow and shot an arrow. A silver shadow penetrated the throat of a personal guard like a ghost.

Zhao Jue frowned. One of these two people was good at close combat and the other was good at long-range attacks. They cooperated tacitly. He only brought eight personal guards. I was afraid they would kill them one by one. He looked at the personal guards behind him. He whispered: "Let's deal with Duanmu Qiu."

The guard nodded, and the two of them ran towards Duanmuqiu at the same time. Duanmuqiu saw from a distance, the silver bow was strung, and he shot two arrows with one bow, killing two more guards. At this time, Zhao Jue had arrived in front of him and stabbed him with the long sword. Duanmu Qiu deployed his light kung fu skills to avoid Zhao Jue's attack. His light kung fu was very mysterious. Zhao Jue and the bodyguard could never hurt him, but Duanmu Qiu Qiu Ye had no time to fire arrows, so he could only use his silver bow to block it. His silver bow was specially made, and Zhao Jue's sword could not hurt it at all. Everyone was fighting in two places, but Duanmu Qiu's martial arts skills were actually not as good as Zhao Jue's. He thought several times. He was trapped by Zhao Jue even if he wanted to escape, but Zhao Jue couldn't kill him even if he wanted to. But Qiao Yan'er's side has a huge advantage. If she waits for her to kill all the personal guards and come to support Duan Muqiu, then Zhao Jue will no longer have the possibility of escaping. When Zhao Jue was worried, the rest of his eyes appeared. Guang saw two figures, but they were Tuan Li and Bai Yi. One of them was holding a short sword, and the other was holding a small crossbow. They were quietly approaching Qiao Yan'er. When Zhao Jue noticed the two of them, Suddenly, the crossbow in Thief Li's hand shot out five cold rays. Qiao Yan'er reacted quickly and tried her best to get out of the way. At this moment, the dagger in Bai Yi's hand struck with lightning, piercing Qiao Yan'er's delicate body. Qiao Yan'er's eyes flashed. After passing through the fierce flames, the long sword in his hand turned into a copper wall like a divine aid. The white blades clashed with each other. Bai Yi staggered back, his hands were stained with blood. Qiao Yaner was hit by a sword in the lower abdomen. She had a sinister look on her face, and she hurriedly tapped her acupoints to stop the bleeding. He shouted: "Senior brother." Then he fired his long sword at Zhao Jue, who dodged to avoid it. Duanmuqiu took advantage of the situation and rushed out. He fired five arrows from the silver bow in his hand and stopped the bodyguard who wanted to kill Qiao Yan'er. He turned around and forced Zhao Jue away with an arrow. Then he had reached Qiao Yan'er's side, picked up his junior sister and ran away.

Zhao Jue breathed a sigh of relief, looked at Tuan Li and Bai Yi, and said with a smile, "Thanks to you." At this moment, Zhao Jue suddenly saw the horrified looks on everyone's faces. Zhao Jue was quick-thinking and immediately asked He rushed forward, but it was already too late. He only felt a sharp blade piercing the soft armor and piercing deeply into the waist. This was because Zhao Jue dodged in time. Zhao Jue saw those personal guards running towards him. The fastest ones were Tuan Li and Bai Yi. Bai Yi passed by him and heard a scream from behind, while Tuan Li held on to him.

He took out a wax pill from his arms, crushed it, and stuffed the pill inside into his mouth. Zhao Jue felt a sharp pain just now, and he screamed in pain and passed out.

When Zhao Jue woke up, he found himself lying on the table in the tea shed. Tao Li, Bai Yi and other personal guards looked at him with sad faces. The body of the personal guard who had teamed up with him to deal with Duan Muqiu was not far away. He smiled bitterly and said: "I didn't expect that there is a spy from Dayong beside me. He has been following me for more than a year."

Pirates Li stepped forward and said: "Your Majesty, I have bandaged the prince's bleeding temporarily and taken the elixir. Within a month, as long as the prince is calm, he should be alive. However, the prince's injury is too serious. If he can return to Jianye Let my young master diagnose and treat him personally, I believe he can recover within half a year."

Zhao Jue thought for a while and said: "They assassinated me halfway, so they must not want me to go back to Xiangyang. If I can't go back, I'm afraid Xiangyang is in danger, so I'd better go to Xiangyang."

One of the guards said bitterly: "The prince is so seriously injured, how can he go into battle? He should go back to Jianye to recuperate."

Zhao Jue said calmly: "No need to say more, it is a pity that I, the king, neglect the country and set off immediately to Xiangyang." Everyone had no choice but to obey the order. Tao Li and Bai Yi looked at each other with helplessness and admiration in their eyes. Everyone tried to persuade him, but Zhao Jue refused to listen. Thief Li had to re-bandage Zhao Jue's stab wound tightly, fearing that Zhao Jue would be overworked. Everyone did not dare to hurry up, but Zhao Jue was worried about the safety of Xiangyang and rushed on regardless of his injury. Everyone was helpless. , Moreover, if we don’t return to the military camp, we will inevitably encounter assassins, so we can only speed up. When Zhao Jue finally entered Xiangyang City, it was already dusk the next day. Taking advantage of the darkness and the support sent by Rongyuan, Zhao Jue successfully entered Xiangyang City. Tuan Li and Bai Yi discussed it, and Tuan Li continued to stay to take care of Zhao Jue's injuries. The main thing he learned from Jiang Zhe was medical skills. Although it was not advanced enough, it was definitely better than the military doctors in Xiangyang. Bai Yi returned to Jianye to return to Jiang Zhe.

When I learned from Bai Yi that Zhao Jue was injured, I couldn't help but sigh. As early as when Zhao Jue went to war, I had a premonition of uneasiness. Now that Zhao Jue is injured and goes to war, will my premonition become a reality? Think about Zhao Jue's response to the war. Although I had some suspicions, he was still a good boss, so I hesitated for a long time and finally decided to go to Xiangyang.

For the sake of perfection, I took seven of them, Chen Zhen and Chi Ji, with me. After we met outside the city, we rushed to Xiangyang as quickly as possible. Because I was not good at riding horses, I got a carriage. Although it was a little bumpy, it was still It's more comfortable than riding a horse. Along the way, I got information from the secret camp that Qi King Li Xian launched a large-scale attack on the city, but Zhao Jue personally sat on the city, so the Yong army lost troops and was unable to win. Although it was unable to get close to the battlefield, I still learned the general situation. In the past few days, , Yong's army has lost 40,000 soldiers and generals in Xiangyang. I think it has reached the limit of King Qi.

Sure enough, when I was more than two hundred miles away from Xiangyang, I learned about the Yong Army's retreat, and according to the reports from the secret camp, the Yong Army should have retreated from Nanchu territory. In other words, I would encounter the Yong Army head-on. , in order to force them away, I ordered them to stay in a small village and wait. As far as I know, Yong's army made no mistakes all the way to Qiu, so they should not come here to plunder. That afternoon, Yong's army passed by outside the village. Beforehand, Yong's army's outpost came to the village and ordered every household not to go out. I had already changed into a green shirt, and Chi Ji and the others had also changed into farmers' clothes, so It didn't attract any attention. In fact, they didn't plan to go to the village, so they just needed to control the road outside the village. But while I was waiting, I suddenly heard chaos outside, and then someone knocked on the door and said: "People in the house, come out, our army has requisitioned this place."

Chen Zhen walked up to me quietly and asked me with his eyes. I thought about it and shook my head slightly. Chen Zhen pretended to be panicked, went to the door, opened the door, and begged: "Master, please spare my life, Master, please spare your life."

The person who knocked on the door was a sergeant wearing black armor. He saw that he was not an ordinary soldier wearing a uniform and carrying a sword. He took a look at the room and said, "Don't panic. Let's use the room for a while. You go to the wing and stay there. You are not allowed to move around. You are not allowed to move around." Speak up."

I stood up and walked out with Chi Ji. The sergeant suddenly stopped me and said, "What is your name? Do you have any merit?"

I said calmly: "Jiang Suiyun, who was born late, is a poor scholar and has no fame. What advice can you give me, Master Jun?"

A trace of doubt flashed in the soldier's eyes, and then he suddenly woke up and shouted: "Come here, arrest them, they are spies." Following his shout, a group of soldiers rushed in and surrounded us with swords and guns. Stop, Chen Zhen took a step back and stood in front of me without making a move. He knew not to be impulsive at this time.

I asked with a puzzled expression: "Why did the military master say that Wansheng was a spy?"

An inexplicable cold light flashed in the soldier's eyes, and he said: "I don't think you shed tears until you see the coffin. Judging from your demeanor, you are definitely a person who has always been pampered and pampered. You also have a temperament that is superior to others. If it weren't for it, You are a spy, why do you say you have no fame?"

I didn't expect this sergeant to be so shrewd. I couldn't help but look him up and down for a long time. Just as I was thinking about how to deal with the current situation, a cavalry galloped over. Immediately the man shouted: "The house is not ready yet? Your Highness is in urgent need of treatment." Where." The sergeant said quickly: "General, I see something suspicious about this family..."

Before I finished speaking, the general saw me at a glance, was stunned for a moment, and said with a smile: "Who do I think it is? It turns out to be Mr. Jiang Hanlin. I didn't expect that we would meet here." With a wry smile, he could only say: "It turns out to be the Huang guard beside His Highness King Qi. I didn't expect to see each other like this today."

The general said solemnly: "His Royal Highness was sent as an envoy to Southern Chu in the past, and your Excellency was ordered to accompany you. He was very polite and courteous. Huang was also very grateful. Now that the two countries are at war, your Excellency is a high-ranking official of Southern Chu. Why do you appear in this remote village?"

I felt something in my heart. He had just said that Your Highness needed healing, so he said, "To be honest, an old friend of Xiaguan is seriously ill, and the medicine and stone are ineffective. Xiaguan is quite familiar with Qihuang, so he went to treat him."

As expected, General Huang showed a look of surprise on his face and said: "It turns out that Mr. Jiang is good at Qihuang. His Highness King Qi was wounded by an arrow. The military doctors could not treat him, so he had to rush back to Dayong. Now that his illness has worsened on the way, I asked Mr. Jiang to be your highness. Let's see."

I happily said: "The doctors are willing to cut their own legs, so I dare not obey my orders." General Huang immediately ordered people to invite His Highness King Qi to come here. The sergeants had a strange look on their faces. I heard him ask General Huang in a low voice: "He is a Nanchu official. Will he sincerely diagnose and treat His Highness?" General Huang also whispered: "When we met this Mr. Jiang in Jianye, he was easy-going and free-spirited and would not stick to his status. His Highness said This man has a beautiful heart and should not be underestimated. I take great care of him. I don’t think he will miss his old friendship. What’s more, now that he is in the hands of our army, I don’t dare to do anything wrong.”

Not long after, His Royal Highness King Qi's car arrived. General Huang and others carried King Qi to the room. I saw that his face was red and unconscious. After I stepped forward to check his pulse, he muttered: "Your Highness has been hit by Nan Chu." The poisonous arrow was poisonous snake sap obtained from the southern barbarians. If His Highness had not had strong internal strength and strong body, and had taken some antidote drugs in time, he would have died long ago. Now it is a symptom of aggravated toxicity. If not treated, within three days It will definitely not be cured.”

Everyone was shocked, and a middle-aged general said coldly: "In that case, do you have a way to treat me?"

I looked at him with questioning eyes, and the general said: "This general, Fan Wencheng, is the general of the Guards under the command of King Qi."

I smiled slightly and said, "Don't worry, General. I arrived just in time. As long as I do acupuncture for His Highness and write a prescription, I will definitely save King Qi's life, but His Highness will need to rest for half a year from now on."

General Fan and General Huang both showed joy on their faces. Under their supervision, I performed acupuncture for King Qi, with Chi Ji as my assistant. It took me an hour to complete the complicated process of passing the gold needle through the acupuncture points, and then prescribed the detoxification medicine. The prescription they have in the army is actually very complete, and my prescription doesn’t have any special medicine. Soon after taking the medicine, King Qi's complexion became normal and he slept much more peacefully. General Huang sent me to the wing to rest with great gratitude. When Chen Zhen saw them going out, he asked in a low voice: "Sir, will they let us go tomorrow?"

I said calmly: "It doesn't matter. I think King Qi is a smart man. If he doesn't let me go, I will have my own way to take his life."

Early the next morning, King Qi woke up, and General Huang immediately summoned me to diagnose King Qi's pulse. Li Xian was lying on the bed and looking at me with a smile. After I announced that the poison in his body was gone and the remaining poison could be eliminated as long as he continued to take my prescription, Li Xian smiled and said: "Unexpectedly, we met by strangers today and Lord Meng saved me." Mr. Jiang might as well just go back with me and forget about the king’s life.”

I said calmly: "Your Highness, King Qi, is wrong. Your Highness is a minister of Southern Chu. How can you surrender to Dayong? If His Highness doesn't want to save his life, just kill him."

Li Xian said hurriedly: "Sir, there is no need to be angry. How dare you forget the grace of saving your life. If you don't want to, I won't force you."

I was overjoyed. I had known for a long time that Li Xian admired King Yong in his heart. King Yong was a man of great affection and righteousness. He would not embarrass me in this situation. So as long as I say this, King Qi will not do anything ungrateful. That's why I treated King Qi's injuries without any conditions.

Seeing that I had calmed down, Li Xian asked again: "I heard that Mr. Jiang went to treat a friend. Do you know me?" I saw the confusion in King Qi's eyes and said calmly: "This man Your Highness naturally recognizes me, Prince Zhao Jue of Nanchu De."

Li Xian said angrily: "So you went to treat him. How unreasonable? Do you think I will let you cure him?"

I said coldly: "In the battle between Dayong and Nanchu, Prince De was assassinated on the way, and His Highness was wounded on the battlefield. Since I treated His Highness, I don't worry about His Highness coming to do harm again in the future. I didn't know that His Highness was so afraid of Prince De that he actually wanted him to die." The hand of an assassin." Li Xian was speechless and said after a long time: "I don't think Zhao Jue can stop my Dayong Iron Cavalry even after his injury is healed. That's all. You go treat his injury and tell him that I will definitely let him die in my life. In your hand." I bowed slightly to show my compliance.

Three days later, King Qi's injury basically improved, and he let me go. It wasn't until he parted with me on the carriage that he said: "Master Jiang, Nanchu will die in my hands sooner or later. Then Master Jiang can Come to me, and I will definitely protect Mr. Jiang's wealth and life." I just remained silent. As for whether he thought I was acquiescing or dissatisfied, I just let him.

After breaking up with King Qi, I traveled all night and finally arrived at Xiangyang. I was recognized by Bai Yi and the general guarding the city gate. Soon I entered the city and went straight to Prince De's residence. But as soon as I got to the door, I heard the sound of crying from inside. I froze, and then rushed in like crazy. The sergeants guarding the door basically recognized me. When I rushed into Prince De's bedroom, I saw Rong Yuan lying on the ground crying, and on the bed was Zhao Jue, whose face was as white as paper. Tao Li stood aside with a sad look on his face. When they saw me coming in, Rong Yuan choked and said, "Suiyun, you're late."

I shouted out of control: "Tao Li, how could this happen? How could you not save his life?"

Robber Li crept forward and said: "Sir, I gave the prince some medicine, and the effect was obvious. Although the prince came to the city for several days to supervise the battle, his injury did not get too bad. Who knew that today the king issued an edict to reprimand the prince, and the prince was furious after seeing the edict. He was so angry that he vomited blood, and within half an hour, he was gone."

Rong Yuan stepped forward with tears in his eyes and said, "Suiyun, don't blame him, he has done his best."

I said coldly: "Where is the edict?"

Rong Yuan let out a long sigh and pointed to the table next to him. I stepped forward and picked up Huang Ling's edict and looked at it. I felt a depression in my chest, a sweet taste in my mouth, and I spit out a mouthful of blood. I saw cold words written on the edict.

"Uncle Wang is well versed in the art of war. He has commanded hundreds of thousands of elite troops, and he is also based on the natural dangers of Xiangyang. Why has he fought for so long without success, and allowed Yong's army to move freely? Could it be that he is collaborating with the enemy? I hope the governor will understand this age of weakening national strength and fight for a quick victory."

I put down the edict, pushed away Chi Ji and Tao Li who were trying to support me, and looked at the table. There was a watch and seal on it. I opened the watch and seal. Rong Yuan wanted to come over and stop me, but stopped. I looked down. Go, the handwriting on it is neat, but there are splatters of blood in several places.

"With the honor of the royal family and mediocre talent, Jue was informed by the late emperor, appointed his confidants, and commanded the troops. He dared not to do his best. However, he was weak and sick, and his ambitions were not fulfilled. He died in the middle. What a regret. Today, Dayong is wreaking havoc. , Southern Chu is exhausted, this is the autumn of sincerity, Jue is about to die now, dare to be disloyal and speak out directly. Since our marriage in Southern Chu, the courtiers of Southern Chu have looked up to the Great Yong and asked for peace in fear of war. However, with the heart of a tiger and wolf, how can they be willing to do so? Take a break, the ruler of the country should be close to virtuous ministers, stay away from villains, sparse harems, be diligent in government affairs, and concentrate on military affairs. Connect with the Northern Han Dynasty as far away as possible, and reject Dayong as close as possible. Which one can ensure the peace of the Southern Chu community? The defense of Xiangyang is crucial. Rong Yuan is a confidant of the ministers, has many talents, is good at military affairs, and Jue's old department can be put under the command of this person. Please ask the king for orders to order this person to guard Xiangyang, so that Xiangyang can be protected without incident. Lu Xin, the Marquis of Zhenyuan, is a loyal man and meticulous in handling affairs. In my capacity as the Grand Governor, Jue was in tears and didn't know what to say. If I had learned from him, Jue would have died."

I put down my watch and thought of the scene when Zhao Jue was filled with grief and crying while writing this watch. Tears fell like rain and I said: "Why is the prince so stubborn? If he had listened to my words and respected his troops, how could he be where he is today?" .”

Rong Yuan stepped forward and said: "On his deathbed, the prince thought of you and wanted to recommend you to guard Xiangyang. However, he thought about it again and again and said: 'Sui Yun's magnanimity and magnanimity are unparalleled in the world. However, no matter how wise he is to protect himself, he will not sacrifice himself. Rong Yuan Sir, tell Suiyun on my behalf that if Nanchu becomes extinct in the future, I hope that for Jue's sake, sir, you will leave a line of cigarettes for me in Nanchu.'"

I was silent for a long time and said calmly: "Mr. Rong, I would like to express my condolences. The king of the country is not a heartless person. He will definitely regret it after seeing the prince's seal. Mr. Rong should be able to guard Xiangyang. Suiyun is disheartened and will soon I will resign and travel far away, and we will see each other someday and talk about our farewells."

After that, I turned around and left. When I got to the door, I opened the curtain and got into the car, I heard the sound of cannons in the distance, shaking the sky. Twelve cannons fired, and the commander died in the army. Putting down the curtain, I said calmly: "Let's set off." The carriage started running. After a long time, I opened the window and looked at the gloomy sky outside. For the first time, I truly felt that Nanchu was over.