The Grandmaster Strategist

Just when I was forcing a confession in the secret room, Jianye City had already arranged its defense. Shang Weijun even issued an order to arrange the defense of the city. Although the news of the escape of the king was deliberately spread out, most of the forbidden troops in the city lost their fighting spirit. Shang Weijun Weijun ordered the killing of hundreds of "spies" who spread rumors, which barely stabilized the morale of the army. Shang Weijun had been in charge of the government for a long time, so the generals of the Forbidden Army were willing to obey orders, but 50,000 Forbidden Army was not enough to defend the city. , which made Shang Weijun very embarrassed. Later, he had to send the young and strong men in the city to fight in the city. By the time the Dayong outpost army arrived, Jianye City was ready for a battle.

The next day, when the rising sun in the east just broke through the clouds, in the dawn light, more than a thousand sturdy knights in black clothes and black armor walked from far to near. The leader, a general in black, stood on a hillside. Looking at the majestic Jianye City from a distance, the other knights dispersed and disappeared in a moment, leaving only the black-clothed general and a dozen personal guards. After a while, there was a message from all around. There was a faint sound of a horn. The general in black took the horn handed over by his bodyguard and blew it. The sound was shrill and passionate. The defenders on the city felt extremely nervous and wanted to scream. Although the defenders kept shouting, Scolding, there were still exclamations from time to time, but the Yongjun knights in the distance stood silently and silently. After a moment, the sound of violent shaking of the earth came from the distance, and tens of thousands of horse hooves trampled on the ground. The sound was so loud that it hurt people's ears. In a moment, thousands of black-armored knights poured out from the horizon. At first, they could be seen in small groups of skirmishers, but just as they rushed towards the building Within a few miles of Jianye City, you can clearly see the process of them gathering from hashes into a dense and orderly battle array. It was a process like flowing clouds and flowing water, and it stopped suddenly a thousand steps away from Jianye. Then the battle formation was divided, and a knight in golden armor slowly walked out. He was covered with a black cloak. Behind him, a knight of the bodyguard waved a banner with a line of blood-red characters on it: "Tiance General Li ". The moment the banners were unfurled, distant and heroic trumpet sounds rang out everywhere in the torrent of iron armor. The murderous intent soaring into the sky and the breathtaking majesty made the Jianye defenders feel chilled.

An illiterate Imperial Guard squinted his eyes at the banner and sighed: "Weiyuan General Li, it's really King Yong who is here. I heard that he is the most powerful prince in Dayong. We can really defend Jianye." Really?" A newly recruited sergeant next to him asked uneasily: "Didn't it say that King Yong was leading the army? Why is it General Weiyuan?" The Imperial Guard rolled his eyes at him and said: "What do you know, General Weiyuan? General is the official position of Prince Yong, and Prince Yong is his title. I heard that Prince Yong’s flag has always been the banner of the general. Some people say that it is because Prince Yong feels that he killed the general with one knife and one shot, so he is so Pay attention, there is also a golden dragon flag, which is only flown after setting up camp or winning a battle." The recruit said enviously: "Brother, you know so much." The imperial army said proudly: "Of course, I attacked Shu back then. I saw King Yong’s army when we were in the country, and we were friendly forces at that time.”

"Pah, pah." Two sounds of whips hitting flesh were heard, and the forbidden soldier screamed and fell to the ground. Everyone looked back and saw an officer in the supervising team looking at them eagerly. The officer said sternly: " You dare to disturb the morale of the army. If the enemy is not at hand, I will take your life first." The forbidden soldier quickly got up and said: "I don't dare, I don't dare." Seeing the supervising team walking away, that The Imperial Guard spat out the blood foam from his mouth, cursed a few viciously in a low voice, and turned his head to look down at the city.

Shang Weijun stood on the city wall, looking at the brave enemy troops below the city, thinking in his mind that although the enemy was brave, there were only 20,000. If he could go out of the city to meet the enemy and catch King Yong, wouldn't it be possible to solve the crisis? Thinking of this, he asked the deputy commander of the Forbidden Army beside him in a low voice: "There are only 20,000 enemies, can we go to battle?" The deputy commander replied: "We don't have cavalry, so it's better to defend the city." Shang Weijun frowned.

At this time, the enemy troops outside the city shouted for war. Shang Weijun ordered not to leave the city. Just prepare the wooden rolling stones and wait for the enemy to attack the city.

Looking at Jianye from a distance, Li Zhi smiled softly and said, "I don't think they dare to leave the city."

Sima Xiong, the commander of the personal guards beside him, asked: "Your Highness, we only brought cavalry, how should we attack the city?"

Li Zhi smiled and said: "Don't worry, I'm not planning to use cavalry to attack the city. Although Jianye is strong, it's a pity that the morale of the army is weak. I have already arranged the internal response. Let's just take a look here today. By the way, I think we will The troops sent out will gain something."

Sima Xiong smiled and said: "Yes, His Highness said that the monarchs and ministers of Southern Chu might escape in advance, so he arranged for General Chen and others to intercept and pursue them first. The secret agent came to report. Then Zhao Jia did escape first. If we kidnapped their king Under the city, I wonder if they will surrender obediently?"

Li Zhi said: "Whether we can capture their king depends mostly on luck. We cannot rely on it. It is more important to find a way to seize the city. If Shang Weijun is not familiar with military affairs, our spies will really not be able to arrange internal response. The generals of Nanchu are usually It is difficult for those who are brave and good at fighting to gain a foothold in Jianye. This is a legend through the ages. Our imperial army in Dayong are all warriors selected from the army."

Sima Xiong disagreed and said: "Although the Forbidden Army is elite, it is far inferior to His Highness's personal guards. Although it is because the Crown Prince excludes our people from joining the Forbidden Army, who doesn't know that those who become His Highness's personal guards are all selected from a thousand miles away?" Warrior of One.”

Li Zhi smiled slightly and did not refute. The three thousand cavalry of his bodyguard were all warriors who had experienced hundreds of battles. The 20,000 people he led this time were the Guards expanded on the basis of the bodyguard. They were far more elite. Far better than Dayong's imperial army, let alone Nanchu's army.

On this day, Li Zhi only ordered his troops to show off their power outside the city. Shang Weijun did not dare to fight, and the Southern Chu army was even more depressed. At dusk, Li Zhi ordered to rest at the camp that had been set up ten miles away from Jianye. Shang Weijun breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Li Zhi retreating. Returning to the Prime Minister's Mansion, he planned to let Shang Fei and the prince escape first. Was it too timid to get up? Thinking about whether to pick them back tomorrow, Shang Weijun ate some food randomly. Shang Weijun slept in the study with his clothes on, but his sleep was not stable and he woke up from nightmares several times. In his sleep, Shang Weijun suddenly woke up. He wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. Then, he heard shouts and curses coming from far and near. He sat up and the door was pushed open. A The family members rushed in and saw that he was awake. They shouted in horror: "Sir, it's no good, the forbidden troops in the city have rebelled." Shang Wei stood up abruptly and opened the window, and sure enough, there was a clearly audible sound coming from outside. There were shouts, some shouted "The enemy has entered the city", some shouted "The king has run away, what are we doing with our lives?", most of the words could not be heard clearly, but some were yelling and some were shouting inflammatory words. , Shang Weijun's heart was as cold as ice. At this moment, he saw fires starting to break out everywhere in the city, and the flames shot into the sky. Shang Weijun stared blankly at the fire, muttering not knowing what to say.

At this time, the defenders at the west gate of Jianye were attacked by surprise, the city gate was opened, and the Yong Army's cavalry broke through. Soon, the streets and alleys of Jianye were filled with cavalry in black clothes and black armor, in the light of the sky. , their arrival was as terrifying as ghosts, and the streets were full of people shouting and screaming. At first, the Nanchu army rushed to the west gate, trying to drive the enemy out, but they were quickly defeated under the brutal killing of the Yong army. , the remnants of the defeated soldiers all over the streets began to flee for their lives, and even the remnants of the army began to break into people's houses to kill and loot. Jianye City was trembling and groaning in the blood and fire.

After dawn, the Yong army who took control of Jianye City began to restore order in the city. All the surrendered Nanchu troops were driven to camps outside the city and imprisoned. The rebels who took advantage of the chaos to rob were killed and their heads were hung in public. All civilians were After receiving the order to stay behind closed doors, the fire was extinguished under the command of Yong Jun. Then Yong Jun, who controlled the city gates and key points in the city, began to interrogate the residents in the city. All officials from the Southern Chu royal family and third-rank or above were caught They were waiting to be dealt with in the sky jail. Others were ordered to close the door temporarily and were not allowed to go out. The streets and alleys were dead silent. Anyone who went out without permission would be punished. Shang Weijun originally wanted to take advantage of the chaos to escape, but was captured by Yong's army. He was now being imprisoned in the sky prison. All other Chu soldiers who dared to resist were killed.

At noon, Li Zhi entered the city. Looking at the blood-stained streets, Li Zhi smiled and said: "If the monarchs and ministers of Southern Chu were not too incompetent, there would be no reason to capture Jianye so easily." Sima Xiong looked around cautiously and replied Said: "Your Highness, I have been rewarded. There are only some maids and eunuchs left in the palace. The concubines sent by Dayong are still there, but the princes have been taken away. Concubine Shang and the prince are not in the palace. , after investigation, it was probably Shang Weijun who sent them away."

Li Zhi thought about it and said: "Send someone to ask those Yong girls. If they want to return to China, let them prepare. If Zhao Jia is caught, let them continue to serve Zhao Jia. If they are not caught, make arrangements." They went home separately. Shang Weijun is Shang Fei's father. He is very important. He must not be allowed to commit suicide. Watch him carefully and take him back. The other Nanchu officials don't need to worry about them. We will let them go when we leave. them."

The two of them were moving forward slowly, when a horse came galloping towards them. The knight came closer and reported: "General Chen's scout report, Zhao Jia has been captured."

Li Zhi said in surprise: "I caught it, where is it?"

The knight said: "General Chen personally led his men to pursue them. Based on the inside information, he captured them all. General Chen reported that the three thousand forbidden troops were dispersed and destroyed by us. All the royal families were captured. Zhao Jia was captured without any help. It is estimated that they will be captured tomorrow." Can be escorted to Jianye."

Li Zhi ordered: "Send an order to General Huang and ask him to bring people to support him. We must bring Zhao Jia safely back to Jianye."

After that, Li Zhi said with a smile: "Finally we have accomplished our mission. If we can't catch Zhao Jia, our trip will be in vain. Sima Xiong, do you remember what I told you? I'm a little worried. Please go there in person right away." , we must ensure the safety there.”

Sima Xiong only obeyed the order and ordered his deputies to protect King Yong, and then he rushed away with doubts. Before entering the city, King Yong had ordered him to send people to a place in the northern suburbs to protect it tightly. He vaguely knew that That person was an official from Nanchu, but I don’t know why His Highness regarded that person more important than anything else.

After arriving at the northern suburbs, Sima Xiong saw the small village in the distance. There were more than a hundred knights surrounding it, and it was suffocating. When Sima Xiong came closer, he saw the three words "Zangyun Village" written on the plaque of the village. , although Sima Xiong was only proficient in writing, he still felt that those words were very graceful and elegant. He rode up to the front, and Colonel Duan, who was guarding the gate, came up to him and waved his sword in salute. Sima Xiong asked: "How is the situation?"

Duan Xiaowei replied: "General, after we surrounded this place, only one child came out and asked what was going on. I only told him that this was King Yong's military order, and he went back. After that, there was no movement inside."

Sima Xiong shook his head in confusion. He didn't know why King Yong did this and asked him to come and deliver a message for him. He got off his horse and knocked on the door. Not long after, a handsome boy of fifteen or sixteen years old opened the door. He looked at him calmly and asked, "What are your orders, sir?"

Sima Xiong said: "The last general, Sima Xiong, has been ordered by His Highness King Yong to come to see Mr. Jiang Zhejiang."

The boy smiled slightly and said, "General, please come in."

As the boy walked into the village, Sima Xiong felt relaxed. Although the village was not big, there were several pavilions and pavilions. Between the pavilions were flowing springs or wisteria, pines and bamboos, which were fresh and elegant. The boy walked briskly and led Sima Xiong along the bluestone path. In a moment, he arrived at a small pavilion hidden in the green bamboo forest. Standing in front of the pavilion door was a young man with a handsome appearance and a bit of coldness. He looked at it with a smile. Looking at Sima Xiong, he said: "General, it turns out that my young master should have greeted me in person. However, he is a bachelor of Southern Chu, so it is inconvenient for him to lower his rank to greet me. Please forgive me, general."

When Sima Xiong heard this man's voice, he first felt chilled, then awe-inspiring, and immediately held the sword at his waist. This man had an elegant appearance, but his voice was soft and thin. Sima Xiong had been around King Yong all year round, and he knew that there was only one kind of person who could Such characteristics. He asked in surprise: "Who are you and why are you here?"

A cold light flashed in the man's eyes and he said: "Slave Li Shun used to be an errand in the Nanchu Palace. Because he was on good terms with Mr. Jiang and was impatient with the intrigues in the palace, he got away a few days ago and served at the young master's side. , which made the general suspicious."

Sima Xiong nodded doubtfully and said, "Please take me to see Mr. Jiang."

Li Shun turned around, opened the door of the pavilion, and asked Sima Xiong to come in. Sima Xiong looked at him again and walked into the small pavilion. At a glance, he saw a young man with a gentle and handsome appearance sitting behind a desk, looking at him indifferently. On the desk in front of him, there was an open book, some manuscripts, and a brush dipped in ink. On the pen stand, it seemed that he was writing something before he came.

When Sima Xiong saw this young man, he suddenly remembered that he had seen this man before. Three years ago, in Shuzhong, he had seen him in the camp. At that time, he came with Prince Nan Chude, and he had also met him His Highness King Yong had a secret talk for a while, and then at the farewell banquet, this young man sang "Broken Array" and forced the King of Shu to death. Unfortunately, he only remembered that this person was Counselor Jiang, but he did not know that the person he came to see today was Mr. Jiang. he.

He reflexively performed a military salute. This person was someone he admired privately, although he still didn't quite understand why the King of Shu committed suicide after listening to his music. He said respectfully: "Sima Xiong, the last general, is the commander of King Yong's personal bodyguard. On the order of His Highness Jun, he came to greet you. Your Highness said that he is busy with military affairs today and would like to come to visit you in the evening. I hope you will be willing to meet him." "

I said calmly: "Jiang is a commoner now, and he is under house arrest. What qualifications does he have to refuse the visit of His Highness King Yong, but he doesn't know what crime he committed in his lower body? Even when he was an official, Jiang was only a fourth-grade servant." Read, I heard that only people above the third rank will be imprisoned, why do I, a former fourth rank, also have to go to jail?"

Sima Xiong said awkwardly: "Lord Jiang, your words are serious. Your Highness is very caring for you. You are really worried that your husband will be disturbed by the rebels, so you sent someone to protect him. Please don't take it off, sir. If there is anything wrong, please take it for granted." Don’t blame us roughnecks.”

I smiled slightly and said, "Since the general is here, Xiao Shunzi, bring me a cup of tea and ask the general to sit here."

Sima Xiong said quickly: "Sir, there is no need to be polite. How dare I disturb you, sir? If it is convenient, please prepare a side room so that you can handle military affairs."

I glanced at him and said, "Tao Li, take this general to the guest house to rest." Tao Li walked out from behind me, saluted Sima Xiong, and said, "General, please follow me."

Sima Xiong glanced at the little book boy whom he had barely noticed before, said goodbye to me and left.

I smiled slightly and said to myself: "No wonder His Highness King Yong is famous in Yunei. A commander of personal guards is so aware of etiquette and knows how to advance and retreat."

Xiao Shunzi whispered: "I didn't expect King Yong to pay so much attention to you. Do you think we should leave now?"

I shook my head and said: "Sooner or later, the world belongs to Yong. If I leave like this, I will inevitably become a criminal. I'd better wait for him to make it clear."

Li Zhi came to the Chu Palace and ordered all the palaces to be closed. He only left a side hall for his office. While handling military affairs, he was waiting for news about Princess Changle. Fortunately, not long after, a personal guard came to report and said : "Your Highness, the princess has returned safely and is waiting outside the palace."

Li Zhi was overjoyed and walked towards the palace gate and said, "Changle, Changle, are you here?" As he shouted, a girl in plain clothes ran toward him from outside the palace. He hugged his sister's delicate body and said, She smiled and said: "Imperial sister, you are finally back with your second brother. From now on, you don't have to be afraid of anything. By the way, where is the person who escorted you, where is Liang Wan?" Princess Changle's eyes flashed with fear. With an expression on his face, he said: "Brother Emperor, Sister Liang is crazy, and everyone else is outside." Li Zhi frowned and said, "Send them to come in."

Following his voice, a dozen haggard men wearing commoners walked in. The two at the back dragged the crying Liang Wan. When they saw King Yong, a look of relief flashed in their eyes. Kneel down and prostrate yourself. Li Zhi asked them to get up and asked: "What happened? What happened to Liang Wan?"

The leading man said: "Your Highness, Liang Wan has taken refuge with His Highness the Crown Prince, and it was the decision of the Master of Fengyi Sect."

Li Zhi's expression turned cold. He had already guessed this, but he didn't expect the Fengyi Sect Master to be so arrogant. He asked, "How did you know, and what happened to Liang Wan."

The big man thought to himself that if he continued to speak, he might say something he shouldn't have said. If that terrible person really became His Highness's enemy, then the situation for His Highness, who was beleaguered on all sides, would be even more critical. He bowed again: "Your Highness. "My subordinates dare not forget His Highness's cultivation in the south of the Yangtze River. Today's matter is also a last resort. Please take care of the villain's family." After that, he pulled out his sword and killed himself with a knife. When he drew his sword, the guards in the palace thought they were going to commit an assassination, and were about to step forward to stop him. Unexpectedly, he would commit suicide. Li Zhi was horrified. When he was about to ask other people, they all said in unison: "Your Highness, please take care of your family. Your Highness, take care." After saying that, they both brandished their knives and committed suicide. Blood flowed across the hall for a while. Princess Changle screamed, hiding her face and not daring to look back.

Li Zhi was puzzled. He looked at this strange scene blankly and didn't know what to say. Asked Princess Changle, Princess Changle only knew that her people were kidnapped, but she was not harmed at all. Not long after, she and these spies were released, but Liang Wan was crazy. When she asked those spies, she found out They were all silent. After hearing Princess Changle's answer, Li Zhi became even more confused. What happened?