At the junction of Fangzhou and Jingzhao, a broad river meanders from the northwest and goes eastward. After nearly a hundred miles, it bypasses Huayuan and Sanyuan counties, turns south, and merges into Baiyuan County. canal.
There were many farmers working by the river, and there were pedestrians passing by on the roads and bridges. When they heard the thunderous sound of horse hooves, they all turned their heads to see more than a hundred cavalry galloping in like a whirlwind.
"Alang, Alang!"
Li Shan, who had no expression on his face but was extremely anxious in his heart, turned around and glanced coldly. Wang Junhao shuddered, but he still continued to shout: "With such a speed, it is difficult to beat Zhuangzi today."
Zhao Da on the side also shouted: "Alang, the war horse can't hold on."
Since setting off from Renzhi Palace, Li Shan has been driving his horse wildly without resting for a moment. And because he was afraid of trouble, the guards had to bring armor and ordnance with them. With such a heavy load and such a horse speed, Even if he could get to Zhuangzi... it would be the end of his battle, and Li Shan also understood this.
Li Shan gritted his teeth, suppressed the anxiety in his heart, gently tightened the reins, and shouted: "Rest for a quarter of an hour before driving on."
There was a sound of war horses neighing all around. The guards reined in their reins and jumped off their horses. They took out bean cakes from their bags and fed them. Some people went to the river to fetch water. Li Shan sat on a stone, thinking in his mind when he could rush back to Zhuangzi. .
The distance from Phoenix Valley to Chang'an is less than a hundred miles. It can be reached in one day by a fast horse. Starting at noon, we should be able to reach it tonight... What happened?
Fan Shiyi leaned closer and whispered: "I asked Zhu Ba and Zhao Da, Zhuangzi is not unusual, and the concubine is not anxious."
"Yeah." Li Shan responded casually. It didn't matter whether Zhuangzi looked strange or not. What mattered was why his mother called him back in advance. After thinking about it, he pointed at Jushui and said, "Tomorrow, send someone to arrange a few ships here." .”
Fan Shiyi glanced at the wide Ju Shui, nodded and said, "That's exactly what happened."
Li Shan had just arrived in Phoenix Valley more than half a month ago. He took his personal guards to look around inside and outside. There was a difficult mountain road in Phoenix Valley that led to the northwest, and Jushui was passing through there.
If something happens, the key people can be evacuated from there, at least the important ones should be saved, such as Ling Jing, Su Dingfang, Li Shimin and father-in-law Cui Xin.
An hour ago, Li Shan went to court and asked for leave to go home on the grounds that his wife was pregnant. Li Yuan agreed with a smile. Cui Xin, a member of the Zhongshushe who happened to be there, got wet because his daughter was pregnant just over three months after leaving the cabinet. You little brat.
Li Yuan was quite easy to talk to and asked Cui Xin to go with him... Unfortunately Cui Xin refused. Li Shan was on the verge of crying and it would be much safer if his father-in-law escaped together.
After all, there are many warriors around Li Shimin, and Ling Jing, as an important figure in Tiance Mansion, will definitely be protected. Su Dingfang is an unparalleled general, and Cui Xin... is not said to be incapable of tying a chicken, but he is not much better.
A quarter of an hour later, Li Shan was about to start again, and Fan Shiyi whispered: "Alang, do you want to leave some help here?"
Li Shan looked back at the distant Renzhi Palace and nodded slightly. Fan Shiyi's idea was very prophetic. Jushui flows south from Ningzhou, passes through Fangzhou, enters Jingzhao, and pours into Bai Canal.
Since the Western Wei Dynasty established the capital in Guanzhong, the Zhengguo Canal has almost ceased to function, so the Bai Canal is the main canal for irrigation in Guanzhong. Every year, the government recruits civilians for dredging, so there are not many Bai Canal and several important tributaries. bridge.
This also means that the bridge named Juyuan Bridge is the most direct passage from Phoenix Valley to Jingzhao.
It’s not that you can’t go to other places. For example, after coming out of Phoenix Valley and heading west, there is a bridge across Jushui. However, because of the mountains, you have to enter Binzhou and then take the road south near Sanshui County, or go southeast from Phoenix Valley and cross Tongguan County, crossing Jushui from Huayuan County.
But there is no doubt that Juyuan Bridge is the fastest way.
If King Qi really wants to cause trouble and block the news, it is impossible not to deploy manpower here.
Various thoughts flashed through Li Shan's mind. Now he really regrets it. If he had known this, he should have sent people to investigate near Fangzhou earlier. At least they should have a good understanding of the terrain and the importance of Juyuan Bridge... He heard Ling Jing mention it when he was driving north.
"You pick someone... no, let's go back to Zhuangzi." Li Shan whispered, "When you return to Zhuangzi, pick two suitable people. Don't be too close. Watch from a distance... bring a telescope."
"yes."
After all, war horses are not machines. They eat fodder and bean cakes, not gasoline. Although they are all carefully selected good horses, the journey of nearly a hundred miles, from noon to late at night, stopped five times, and the weather was already slightly cool. , finally approaching Sun Moon Lake.
Li Shan bent down and touched the hair of the mount under his crotch. This war horse was called a divine horse. It had made many generals such as Yu Chigong, Li Daoxuan and Cheng Yaojin jealous a few days ago, but now it was covered with sweat.
"came back."
Hearing Zhu Ba's reminder, Li Shan's spirit was shaken, and he could faintly see two black figures trotting over.
After a moment, Fan Shiyi, who was panting heavily, shook his head and said, "Nothing unusual was found."
After a pause, Fan Shiyi added: "I didn't dare to approach Zhuangzi."
It is true that you can't get close to Zhuangzi. If something happens, your whereabouts will only be revealed. Li Shan thought for a while with a cold face and ordered: "Wear armor."
Tiny sounds sounded one after another. Zhao Da took off the package from the horse and dressed Li Shan neatly. Nearly a hundred guards held their titles, the horse picked up the bell, and slowly headed towards Zhuangzi.
He always had to go back to see what happened. Li Shan came all the way, and his mixed emotions slowly calmed down. If the prince or Pei Shiju wanted to take action, his mother might have got the news from his uncle Er Zhuhuan. Since her mother asked Zhu Ba and Zhao Da sent letters stating that Zhuangzi was not blocked at that time.
Zhu Ba and Zhao Da set off yesterday afternoon, stayed in Sanyuan County for one night, and arrived at Phoenix Valley at noon today. It was only a little more than a day, and Pei Shiju probably hadn't taken action yet.
Moreover, Liu Hei'er, Qu Silang, Zhou Erlang and other bodyguard leaders are still there. Zhuangzili is trying his best to organize nearly a thousand soldiers. Even if Pei Shiju wants to take action, it will never be captured in one day.
The most important thing is that Li Shan doesn't really believe that the prince or Pei Shiju will take action under the current situation... If this is true, it will be a great blessing for Li Shimin, and he won't have to be so worried in the future.
As long as we can defend Sun Moon Lake and wait for King Qin to put down the rebellion, that's all.
Li Jiancheng would not be that stupid, and Pei Shiju would not be that stupid.
Turning from the main road into the path to Zhuangzi, Li Shan looked around carefully. There were no traces of the war, and he gradually felt relieved.
Suddenly there was a sharp whistling sound in their ears. Zhu Ba and Zhao Da reflexively raised their shields to protect Li Shan. Fan Shiyi in front smiled and said: "She is quite alert."
Li Shan also smiled. This was a secret sentry arranged outside the village. It communicated with sounding arrows. He turned a corner and found that it had been set up at the entrance of the village. All kinds of horses were piled at the entrance of the village. Dozens of young men were on guard with swords and guns. Looking outside, there were guards running towards the rear, and loud bamboo whistles sounded in the village.
"Alang?"
"It's Lang Jun who's back."
Li Shan breathed a long sigh of relief. He didn't care about this first and drove his horse back home. By this time, the entire Zhuangzi was alarmed.
Half a quarter of an hour later, the sleepy Zhu looked at her anxious son and said, "So fast?"
"What happened?"
Mrs. Zhu yawned, glanced at Wang Junhao not far away, then looked at the maids around her, and said with a smile: "I just received a letter from Mei County a few days ago. You have an uncle in Qizhou and he is going to go there." Visit one or two.”
Li Shan's face changed slightly. He was a relative from Mei County. That was nonsense. The uncle his mother mentioned was naturally referring to the prince's confidant Er Zhuhuan. Is it really the East Palace that wants to take action?
Taking a deep breath, Li Shan waved everyone away and helped his mother into the backyard.
