Zhou Bingqian said quickly: "This is already very good!"
Yang Peng looked at Zhou Bingqian and said with a smile: "You guys get in the car." Zhou Bingqian hummed and got into the carriage with the help of her maid. Then the maid also got on the carriage and lowered the curtain. Yang Peng and Zhong Yin got on their horses, and Yang Peng shouted: "Let's go." So dozens of riders gathered in a carriage and set off on the road, leaving the town and heading towards Tanzhou.
A group of people were walking on the official road. In the night, there were still pedestrians walking on the road, but there were much fewer pedestrians than during the day.
After walking for about half an hour, the group came to a forest. The woods next to it are not big, but the night wind blows, the branches and leaves are swaying, the shadows are heavy, and there is a rustling sound, which is quite eerie and frightening.
Swish, swish, swish..., a sharp sound of breaking through the air suddenly came from the air! Yang Peng and Zhongyingsha were both experienced in the battlefield. As soon as they heard this voice, their expressions changed immediately. They subconsciously rolled down the other side of the war horse, and at the same time used their body strength to pull the mount down. Almost at the same time, a hail of arrows flew over everyone's heads. Immediately, the sound of killing suddenly started, and more than a hundred masked men in black rushed out with swords and guns, as if a group of hungry wolves suddenly rushed out in the dark night.
The secret guards poked their heads out from behind the horse's body, quickly placed the repeating crossbow on the horse's body, and kept pulling the trigger at the howling and charging masked man in black. There was a continuous whooshing sound, crossbow arrows kept flying out, and the masked men in black rolled to the ground. The masked man in black didn't expect that the round of arrows he fired just now didn't hurt the opponent at all, and the opponent's attack was so fierce. He couldn't help being shocked, stopped charging and squatted down on the spot.
The leading masked man in black shouted loudly: "Use bows and arrows! Use bows and arrows!" Only then did the men in black react, hurriedly put down their swords and guns, and prepared to attack with bows and arrows.
At this moment, Yang Peng and all the hidden soldiers stood up on their war horses. They shouted loudly and urged their war horses to rush towards the men in black. Iron hooves rolled for a moment, and the loud rumbling sound was deafening. Although there was only There are dozens of horses, but it gives people the terrifying feeling of thousands of troops charging! All the men in black showed panic!
In the blink of an eye, Yang Peng and dozens of other horsemen rushed into the middle of the men in black, trampling them with iron hooves and slashing with swords. The corpses of the men in black were covered in blood and flew away, making them unable to resist! In an instant, the man in black was killed and dozens of others were injured! The leader in black was so frightened that he turned around and ran away, shouting as he ran: "Get out! Get out!" In fact, there was no need for him to shout, because all the men in black were already running for their lives.
Yang Peng's dozens of horses rushed down and killed many men in black. Seeing that they could not escape, more than a dozen men in black quickly threw away their weapons and knelt down to beg for mercy. Another twenty or so men in black luckily ran into the woods. Yang Peng was worried that there would be an ambush in the woods, so he ordered the pursuit to stop and led the secret guards to escort a dozen prisoners back to the carriage. Zhou Bingqian's frightened and nervous voice came from the carriage: "Who is outside?" Yang Peng smiled and said, "It's me."
The car curtain opened, revealing Zhou Bingqian's surprised face. Then Zhou Bingqian saw corpses lying on the ground not far away, her face suddenly changed, and she said tremblingly: "This, this..." Yang Peng smiled and said: "Don't be afraid, the matter has been solved." Zhou Bingqian calmed down and asked Yang Peng in fear. : "Brother, what on earth is going on?"
Yang Peng smiled and said: "It's just a small matter." Zhou Bingqian glanced at the men in black who were being escorted by the secret guards, and asked Yang Peng: "Are they assassins?" Yang Peng nodded and said apologetically: "I'm used to it. Yes, I surprised you!" Zhou Bingqian shook her head quickly, "It's nothing, little sister!" Although she said this, her face was pale and her eyes were trembling. It was obvious that the shock of what she saw in front of her had not passed. Zhou Bingqian glanced at Yang Peng and couldn't help but said: "What my little sister has experienced today is really more thrilling than what she has experienced in the past twenty years!" After a pause, she stared at Chen Xiao with shining eyes and said : "Brother, you must not be an ordinary Yanyun warrior, otherwise there would be no assassins to assassinate you!"
When Yang Peng saw what she said, he didn't hide it from her. He smiled and said, "My real name is not Yang Mu, but Yang Peng." Zhou Bingqian's master and maidservant changed their colors in shock. Zhou Bingqian said in disbelief: "Yan, King Yan ?!" Yang Peng smiled and nodded. Zhou Bingqian, the master and the maidservant, looked at a loss. Yang Peng smiled and said: "That's just an identity, it doesn't really matter. You can still regard me as your brother."
Zhou Bingqian didn't dare to look at Yang Peng and whispered: "I'm just afraid, I'm afraid that my little sister won't be able to reach a higher level!" Yang Peng waved his hand, "There's no such thing as trying too hard! Whether you want to recognize me as your brother or not depends entirely on your own wishes! "Zhou Bingqian quickly raised her head and saw Yang Peng looking at her. She lowered her head shyly and whispered: "Little sister, of course I am willing!" Yang Peng laughed loudly, "That's good!" Turning around Looking at the prisoners, he frowned and said: "It is not suitable to stay here for a long time. We have to return to Tanzhou as soon as possible." Then he said to Zhou Bingqian and his maidservant: "Just stay in the carriage! Don't worry about anything, anything will happen." I'll handle it!" The two women nodded, retracted the carriage, and lowered the curtain.
Yang Peng shouted: "Let's go!" The group continued on the road, traveling much faster than before. The dozen or so captives in black were dragged and ran behind the horses in a state of embarrassment.
About half an hour later, the group arrived at the East City Gate. Wang Kai took two steps forward and shouted: "King Yan is back in the city, open the city gate quickly!"
When the soldiers guarding the city heard that King Yan had returned to the city, they quickly opened the city gate. Yang Peng and his party went straight into the city and stopped. Chengmen School Captain led several officers to rush to Yang Peng's horse and bowed: "My subordinates pay their respects to King Yan!" Yang Peng nodded and said, "You do your own thing and don't pay attention to us." Chengmen School Captain The lieutenant responded and led his officers down.
Yang Peng rode up to the carriage and called: "Little sister." The curtain opened, revealing Zhou Bingqian's pretty face, and said with a smile: "Brother."
Yang Peng said: "It's getting late now. I'm afraid it's hard to find your relatives. I'll have someone take you to the inn to stay first." Zhou Bingqian was silent for a moment and sighed softly: "Hey!", with a sigh, like The complaint was like crying, and Yang Peng couldn't help but feel his heart tremble. Zhou Bingqian glanced at Yang Peng resentfully and said with a smile: "Thank you, brother, for taking care of me all the way!"
Yang Peng said with a smile: "It's nothing." Then he said to a secret guard: "Take Miss Zhou's maid to find a better inn to stay at, and tell the innkeeper that the rent will be recorded in the account of Prince Yan's Mansion." The secret guard said Hold your fist and promise. Zhou Bingqian's face was slightly red and she asked softly, "Brother, can we still meet?"
Yang Peng smiled and said: "Of course! Don't you recognize me as your eldest brother? Isn't that okay if a girl wants to see her brother? I will live in the post house during this period. If you miss your brother, you can come to him at any time. Me!" Zhou Bingqian nodded with a blushing face. Yang Peng said to the secret guard: "Go." The secret guard agreed and led the carriage away. Yang Peng looked at the back of the carriage and saw the curtains were lifted. Zhou Bingqian stuck her head out to look back and waved. Yang Peng smiled and waved to her. When the carriage turned the corner and was out of sight, Yang Peng rode towards the hotel, followed closely by the crowd.
Cao Hu heard that Yang Peng was back and hurried to the post house to meet him. When he saw Chen Xiao, he said angrily: "The safety of King Yan is related to the rise and fall of Yanyun. How can the people of the world be so negligent!"
Yang Peng apologized and said, "It's my fault for making you worry!" Cao Hu smiled bitterly and said, "I'm afraid that even though King Yan says so now, I'm afraid he will still be the same in the future!" Yang Peng smiled and said, "You too Don't worry too much! I will pay attention to safety! I care about my life very much!" Cao Hu laughed and sighed.
Yang Peng thought of what happened today, so he briefly said it. Cao Hu heard that King Yan actually met the assassin. Although he saw King Yan safe and sound in front of him, he still couldn't help but turn pale. Yang Peng waved his hand and said with a smile: "No problem! Don't be like this, it makes me nervous too!" Cao Hu said angrily: "How dare you assassinate the King of Yan? This matter is not trivial, and a comprehensive search must be carried out immediately! "
Yang Peng waved his hand and said: "Now that Jinghu South Road and Jiangnan West Road have just been conquered, don't make people panic over this trivial matter, because everyone will not be able to live in peace!"
Cao Hu frowned and said, "What King Yan said is true, but we cannot ignore this matter. My subordinates believe that it still needs to be investigated."
Yang Peng said: "I will leave this matter to 'Hua Xu'. You should concentrate on handling the internal affairs of Jinghu South Road." Seeing what Yang Peng said, Cao Hu had no choice but to agree. Yang Peng thought of something and said: "By the way, I captured a dozen assassins and handed them over to you to imprison. Before the people from 'Huaxu' arrive, you can interrogate them first and see if you can tell them anything." Some valuable information." "Yes." Yang Peng glanced at Cao Hu and said with a smile: "Okay, it's getting late, you should go down and rest." Cao Hu bowed and agreed and retreated.
Yang Peng couldn't help but smile as he thought of the sister he had just recognized.
Early the next morning, after Yang Peng washed and had his meal, he walked to the table and sat down, preparing to handle official duties. Seeing a red envelope on the table, it was very eye-catching. Yang Peng remembered that he didn't have this briefcase before going to bed yesterday, so he knew that it was brought to him after he fell asleep. He picked up the briefcase, opened it, took out the official document, and opened it to read. Yang Peng showed a thoughtful look and murmured with a smile: "The Khitans are really unstoppable! But the battle behind this may not be so easy!" It turned out that this official document was forwarded from Yanjing, and it was about the Khitans. and the current situation of the Japanese.
The Song people eagerly expected that the Khitans would launch an attack from the north to relieve the current critical situation. However, things went against their expectations. The Khitans were not fools. When they contacted the Song people, they only had the intention of taking advantage of them. Now the Song people are defeated. On the contrary, the Khitan people were even less likely to help the Song people. They simply took advantage of Yanyun's army being trapped in the south to invade Goryeo on a large scale and kicked off the prelude to the recovery of Goryeo.
When the Khitan army and the Goryeo exile army entered Goryeo, the Japanese army supporting Crown Prince Yongin and the army supporting Dazai Minister Ping Kiyomori were fighting in a melee. Naturally, they could not resist. Coupled with the support of the Goryeo people, the Japanese soldiers The defeat was overwhelming. During the period when Yanyun's army swept through Jinghu South Road and Jiangnan West Road, the Liao and Goryeo coalition forces were overwhelming and recovered all the land north of Kaijing. Immediately the troops arrived at the gate of Kaijing. However, I am afraid that the next battle will not be as easy as before. The Yanyun Army has taken back the navy that harassed the Japanese, and Yongin and Kiyomori, in view of the seriousness of the situation, have stopped the civil war and reached a unanimous external agreement. The armies of both sides are mobilizing, and the real battle is about to take place on the land of Goryeo.
Yang Peng put down the report and looked thoughtful.
In the palace in Guangzhou, Zhao Heng and the Manchu ministers were waiting all day long for the news that the Khitans were going south. However, what came was the news that the Khitans had invaded Goryeo and started a war with the Japanese. Zhao Heng and the ministers of the Manchu Dynasty were surprised and couldn't help but panic. In panic, they angrily cursed the Khitan people for betraying their trust and not keeping their promises. However, after the scolding, the court became silent. Zhao Heng and all the ministers were as wilted as eggplants that had been through the frost. They all looked pale and worried. They were worried that if Yan Yun's army continued What should we do if we go south?
Jiang Xiu, who wrote to the Ministry of Rites, walked out tremblingly. This Jiang Xiu was the most prestigious Confucian leader in the south of the Yangtze River. It was rumored that his understanding and interpretation of Confucian classics was almost comparable to that of Confucius and Mencius, so he was invited with a great gift to be the Minister of Rites. Jiang Xiu is over ninety years old. He has a pale face, a cane in his hand, a three-strand long beard, and an immortal spirit. He is definitely an old scholar in the world.
I saw Jiang Xiu coming to His Highness, holding a cane in both hands and bowing slightly to Zhao Heng, saying: "Your Majesty, at this critical moment, we can only endure the humiliation and bear the burden!"
Everyone was puzzled, and Zhao Heng asked: "What do you mean, sir?"
Jiang Xiu said feebly: "Now that Yanyun is powerful, if we fight against it, I am afraid that the remaining country will not be preserved! Therefore, it is better to lower our posture to preserve the roots of the Song Dynasty, and wait for the opportunity in the future to regroup and regain the world!" Zhao Heng felt that what Jiang Xiu said was very reasonable. In this situation, Yan Yun was obviously no match for him. Why would he do such a thankless thing? If we can show weakness to preserve our current glory and wealth without having to fight, that would be great! As soon as Zhao Heng thought about this, he thought he had a plan. As for the majesty of the Song Dynasty and the dignity of the Zhao family, he completely forgot about it. He hurriedly asked Jiang Xiudao: "What do you think we should do?"
Jiang Xiu said feebly: "Actually, it's very simple. In order for Zhao Song to continue, your majesty will be aggrieved and remove the title." The court hall immediately started buzzing with discussion. Many people thought this was a clever idea, but others thought it was too humiliating. What Jiang Xiu said about "removing the title" actually meant removing the title of emperor. In this way, the original emperor was demoted to the king, and even bowed to Yan Yun.
Everyone chatted for a while and then became quiet. They all looked at Zhao Heng to see what to say. Zhao Heng frowned and said: "If this move can get Yan Yun to stop fighting, I will remove the title of Emperor!"
Grand Master Huang Cong was so anxious that he clasped his fists and said, "You must not do it! If this happens, our country, China, will surely fall into a state of eternal disaster! That Yan Yun did not follow the way of the saints, did not practice the teachings of the saints, deviated from the scriptures, and acted against the will, we and others Now is the only hope for the world's scholars and the people of Li. If Your Majesty removes his title, he will surrender to Yan Yun, and the people and scholars will lose their only hope! At that time, the land of China will sink forever, and it will never be restored. Got it!"
Zhao Heng frowned and remained silent. In his heart, he was not very concerned about maintaining the way of being a saint. He only cared about whether his own glory and wealth could be continued, but these thoughts could not be spoken out.
Shen Yuqiu said: "What the Grand Master said is wrong! What Mr. Jiang just said is very clear. We succumbed to Yan Yun not to live in an ignoble existence, but to endure humiliation and bear the burden, and to pass on the way of the saint! Saint! Teach us: 'Don't show off the courage of an ordinary man!' Now that Yanyun is powerful, Yanyun's army is unstoppable. Under such circumstances, the result of showing off the courage of an ordinary man is nothing but destruction. At that time, the way of saints will be completely destroyed, and then China will truly fall into eternal decline. Start!" Huang Cong glared and shouted: "The dignity of the saint must not be shamed! We cannot give in! Only by smashing our bodies to pieces and defending our way to death can the world remember us forever!"
Shen Yuqiu shook his head and sighed: "Master is so impulsive! There is no benefit at all except losing your life in this way!" All the ministers agreed. Huang Cong glared at the ministers and shouted sternly: "You are all saints, how can you be so greedy for life and afraid of death!" Everyone lowered their heads, but they didn't agree with Huang Cong's words in their hearts, and they all felt that their lives were gone. , what else is there to say about the way of a saint?
Zhao Hengdao: "The Taishi's determination to defend the Tao with death is really admirable! But what Mr. Shen and Mr. Jiang said, I think is more correct! Even the saint said, 'Don't show off the courage of an ordinary man', I will wait for him to be useful. , to inherit the way of the saints and to continue the Great Song Dynasty, it is the way of the saints!"
Huang Cong was so anxious that he clasped his fists and said: "Your Majesty, don't think of rebelling and giving in! Otherwise, our Song Dynasty will lose its breath! Once this breath is let out, everything will be irreversible! We still have three provinces, and we still have three provinces. With the full support of millions of people, we can still save the situation by recruiting hundreds of thousands of troops!"
Zhao Heng felt a little impatient and frowned: "Grand Master, I have already decided that this is the most beneficial approach to the Song Dynasty and the people. Please stop obstructing it!" Huang Cong wanted to persuade him again. At this moment, an officer from the royal army rushed up to the hall, clasped his fists and bowed: "Your Majesty, there is an urgent military situation on Fujian Road!" Everyone's hearts skipped a beat when they heard this, subconsciously thinking that it might not be good news. Zhao Heng said hurriedly: "Hurry up!" The officer responded, turned around and shouted loudly outside the palace: "Your Majesty has a decree to announce that the Fujian Road herald is here to see you!" The guards shouted these words all the way, and after a while, only I saw a veteran military officer running up to the palace, kneeling down and saying: "I am the herald of Mr. Li, the Xuanfu envoy. Long live my emperor! Long live the emperor!"
Zhao Heng snorted and said, "Is there any urgent military situation on Fujian Road? Could it be that the Yanyun Army invaded Fujian Road?" The messenger quickly took off the baggage on his back, held it up with both hands, and said, "This is Li Your Majesty's personal letter, please see it personally!" The eunuch beside the emperor immediately came down, took the bundle, opened it, took out a letter, returned the bundle to the herald, walked to the emperor, and presented the letter with both hands.
Zhao Heng received the letter, opened it, and read it. His expression suddenly changed, and then he cursed angrily: "Traitor! Traitor!" All the ministers looked at each other, wondering what on earth made His Majesty so angry?
Shen Yuqiu clasped his fists and asked, "Your Majesty, I wonder what happened?" Zhao Heng said angrily: "The Eighth Prince's army took advantage of the fierce battle between our army and the Yanyun army and suddenly rushed into Fujian Road. Our army Caught off guard, half of the state and county has been lost! Now Zhang Jun and Li Mi are in the process of retreating south!"
The ministers were shocked when they heard this, and Huang Cong said angrily: "Why don't Zhang Jun and Li Mi resist desperately? They really deserve to be killed!" Zhao Heng glanced at the letter in his hand, frowned and said: "Zhang Jun's troops were in Jiangxi not long ago. Suffering a new defeat, heavy losses and low morale. Although Li Mi's men were large in number, they were all temporarily recruited troops and their combat strength was weak. The two adults had already fought against Liu Guangshi, but they had lost two games in a row, so they had no choice but to Back off!”
The ministers were silent and everyone was worried. Jiang Xiudao: "Your Majesty, at this time, we must quickly surrender to Yan Yun in exchange for Yan Yun's truce! Otherwise, if Yan Yun's army moves south in a large scale, we will be really in danger!"
Zhao Heng's heart trembled and he nodded and said: "What the boss said is absolutely true!" At this time, Grand Master Huang Cong, who had just been upright and determined to fight Yan Yun to the end, frowned and did not object.
Seeing no one objected, Zhao Heng said, "This matter is settled!" He looked at Shen Yuqiu and said, "Shen Aiqing has been in contact with Yanyun before, so let Shen Aiqing take the trip!" Shen Yuqiu came out. Lie Baoquan said: "I will definitely live up to your majesty's trust!" Zhao Heng smiled and nodded, and warned: "When Shen Aiqing gets there, we must show our sincerity. Tell King Yan that I am willing to revoke the title and serve as Yan." Yun is the master, and he will hand over half of the taxes from the three provinces to the King of Yan. I beg the King of Yan to stop the war for the sake of the common people!" Shen Yuqiu bowed and agreed.
His eyes turned back to Tanzhou. Accompanied by Cao Hu, I went to Tanzhou Commercial Street incognito to inspect this day. Tanzhou is where Jinghu South Road commerce gathers, so it is very prosperous and lively. Although it just experienced a war not long ago, looking at the current situation From the noisy and fierce bidding scene, it is obvious that Tanzhou has restored its previous prosperity. Yang Peng was very happy when he saw such a scene and said to Cao Hu: "You have done a good job. Tanzhou has restored prosperity so quickly!" Cao Hu bowed and smiled and said: "I don't dare to take credit! This is all because of King Yan." The policies are good! King Yan may not know that due to the incentives of many policies, many merchants are planning to expand their business scale!"
What happened after all, let’s see what happens next.
