In the night, under the waning moon, a secret battle continued.
Those who fought were not only the scouts of Pingjing Army and Zhao Wangjun, but also the martial arts masters who supported both sides.
King Zhao's revolt to quell the situation was also an opportunity for the martial arts sect.
Yang Qingyuan put too much pressure on the martial arts sects, but among the eight sects, Huashan, Emei, Kunlun, Qingcheng and the original Wudang were all considered to be cooperating with the imperial court.
Of course, the main one here is Wudang, and the remaining four are still not qualified to cooperate with the imperial court. They are more of a sign of submission to the imperial court.
But the rest of Shaolin and Kongtong are very uncomfortable.
Needless to say, Shaolin Temple is the ancestral hall of Zen Buddhism and the leader of the northern sect of Buddhism.
Originally, because of the dispute between Buddhism and Taoism, Shaolin was not welcomed in the country. Shaolin has always been aggrieved, thinking that he did not do a good enough job.
Therefore, during the Emperor Taizu's reign, he had been working hard to show his goodwill to the court in the hope of gaining support from the court. Even if there was no support, he hoped that he would not be suppressed too severely.
Later, Taizong became even more devoted to Taoism. It was not until the 10th year of Yong'an that Emperor Taizong Wen personally went to Wudang Mountain in Jingzhou to pay a visit to the real person Tongwei Xianhua, and Shaolin gave up completely. Start looking for other ways out.
Until the end, Shaolin thought that it was because he did not work hard enough, failed to express the sincerity of Buddhism, and failed to impress Taizu and Taizong.
In fact, the relationship between Wudang and the Zhou Dynasty royal family is there. Zhang Laodao is the elder brother of Emperor Taizu Gao and the uncle of Emperor Taizong Wen.
The close relatives of flesh and blood are naturally not something Shaolin can shake.
But Kongtong of the Eight Great Sects was on the wrong side.
Originally, the Kongtong sect was also famous in the world, but more than ten years ago, Xie Xun, the golden-haired lion king of the Ming sect, took advantage of the Kongtong sect’s elder Mu Lingzi to retreat and attacked the Kongtong sect, injuring the "Kongtong Five". Three of the "old men" took away the Kongtong Sect's "Seven Injury Boxing Manual".
Although the power of the Seven Injury Fist is mediocre in the hands of the five veterans of Kongtong, it is indeed a superb boxing technique from the Kongtong sect and Taoist lineage.
The Kongtong sect was also disgraced because of this incident.
If it were just that, that would be fine. After all, no matter how many people laugh at Kongtong secretly, there are only a few people who dare to expose it openly.
After Kongtong elder Mu Lingzi came out of seclusion, his martial arts improved to a higher level, and he killed the thirteen evil spirits in Liangzhou with his seven-injury fist.
Among the thirteen people, there was also a master of the Dongxuan Realm, who also died under Mu Lingzi's fist.
This greatly enhanced the reputation of the Kongtong Sect in the world.
What really put the Kongtong faction into its current predicament was a mistake in taking sides.
Emperor Xizongli committed regicide to seize the throne and inherit a great treasure. However, this was a secret of the royal family and almost no one outside knew about it. The Kongtong faction, as soon as Emperor Xizongli ascended the throne, became loyal to the new emperor, thinking that they had gained the merit of following the dragon.
Unexpectedly, I bet too early.
Emperor Xizongli was unjustly killed in Yanyi, which shocked the world. In the end, he forced Yang Qingyuan to rebel, causing Yang Qingyuan to launch a mutiny in Shendu and kill him.
In this mutiny, the Kongtong faction stood unswervingly on the side of Emperor Xizongli. Being in the wrong team is the most fatal thing.
After Emperor Linde succeeded to the throne, the Kongtong faction naturally became a rebel party participating in the riot.
Although the imperial court did not directly deal with the Kongtong faction in order to stabilize the situation, the owner of Hulong Villa, the iron courageous god Hou Zhuwu, went to Kongtong in person to question Mu Lingzi.
In thirty moves, he easily defeated Kongtong Elder Mu Lingzi, shocking the world.
The Kongtong faction could not withstand the pressure and was forced to expel Wang Beibei, the former head of Kongtong, from Kongtong.
Of course Zhu Wuwu and the court knew that this was done by the Kongtong Sect to show the court. Apart from Shaolin Wudang, which martial arts sect would easily deal with a warrior in the Dongxuan Realm? !
It’s just that this is the attitude the court wants!
After this incident, the Kongtong sect really fell into decline, so they also set their sights on King Zhao. Since they bet on the wrong treasure the first time, they would bet again.
Several martial arts masters were fighting in the night, including people from the Kongtong sect.
Among them, the two with the highest martial arts skills are already warriors in the Yuan Hua realm.
"The Kongtong faction is willing to be the rebellious lackeys of King Zhao. It's really disgusting!" Although the young hero leading the group is hiding his face with a scarf, you can still see the righteousness between his brows.
The warrior from the Kongtong sect opposite was called out and said angrily, "Zhuo Yihang, haven't you become the lackeys of the imperial court?! You are still a disciple of Master Ziyang, so what qualifications do you have to criticize me?!"
This young knight is Zhuo Yihang, a disciple of Master Ziyang.
He is a disciple of Ziyang Temple among the three Wudang Temples, and he is also outstanding. Together with Song Qingshu of Zhenwu Guan and Ye Lingfeng of Qingxu Guan, they are known as the "Three Heroes of Wudang" and are leaders among the younger generation of Wudang.
Although Yang can be considered a young man, he is senior and cannot be regarded as a master of the younger generation, and no one in the martial arts will regard him as a master of the younger generation.
When Zhuo Yihang heard this, there was no sign of guilt on his face. Instead, he said sternly, "Nowadays, the emperor is saintly and virtuous, the politics is clear, and the people live in peace. However, King Zhao is ambitious and intends to rebel. Who is righteous and who is evil, who is right and who is wrong, can't tell you at a glance You know! If you are helping the tyrants to do evil and still don’t want to repent, today I will do justice for heaven!”
The masters of the Kongtong sect obviously have no talent in debating. They choked after a few words from Zhuo Yihang and didn't know how to answer. They could only curse!
Enraged, the Kongtong sect master used the White Tiger Palm Technique.
This palm technique is extremely subtle and mysterious. It was created by the ancestors of the past dynasties to observe the psychic white-fronted tiger in Kongtong and imitate its body and mind. It was named after its pictogram. The moves are fierce and yet dexterous. Although it is not as good as the Seven Injury Fist recorded in "Secret Book of the Shangqing", it is still a first-class palm technique.
As for the Seven Injury Fist, it wasn't that he didn't want to use it, but that ordinary Kongtong masters simply didn't know how to use it.
Among the Kongtong Sect, only the leader Wang Beibei and the elder Mu Lingzi can truly bring out the power of the Seven Injury Fist.
Seven Injury Fist requires extremely high internal strength of the practitioner. When punching, it is powerful. Only when there are seven different forces in one punch can it reach the state of small success.
The Seven-Injury Fist like Kongtong Wulao is at best a shell, and it is difficult to bring out its essence at all.
And although this Kongtong sect member is a master of the Yuanhua realm, his internal strength is not enough to practice the Seven Injury Fist.
If you ignore it and practice forcefully, you may suffer serious internal injuries before you can master the boxing.
But this White Tiger Palm Technique is already astonishingly powerful. There is a roaring sound between the palms, which echoes in the night sky, making it difficult to distinguish the true from the false.
Zhuo Yihang had excellent swordsmanship, but after all, he was still young and vigorous. When he saw the opponent using his palm skills, he was unwilling to use his palm skills to fight against him, so he also used Wudang's palm skills - the Thirteen Snake and Crane Styles.
This skill was created when Zhang Sanfeng was young and passed through the wilderness by chance. He saw flying cranes and snakes entangled on them. They fought fiercely for ten miles and died together. He understood the thirteen postures of snake and crane, which are thirteen postures.
However, this sect's martial arts is extremely cruel and vicious, which may harm the laws of nature, and it would be a pity to abandon it. Therefore, Zhang Sanfeng hid it in the Taoist sect's classics high in the Wudang Sutra Pavilion, and sent it to God as a gift.
Those who can find Taoist scriptures in the Wudang Sutra Pavilion and regard other martial arts as nothing, must have realized the compassion of Taoism, and it does not matter even if they have learned this martial art.
This point is similar to that of the sweeping monk in Shaolin Temple.
But Zhuo Yihang's movements changed so much, like a snake soaring and a crane dancing. His body shape was like a dancing crane, sometimes walking like a snake, sometimes flying in the air, and sometimes touching the ground. The complex and rapid changes in his body shape were dazzling.
Although the Kongtong master's White Tiger Palm Technique is astonishingly powerful, it cannot do anything to Zhuo Yihang.
Not only the two of them, but other martial arts masters are also fighting against each other.
The army has not moved, but the scouts on both sides have begun to bayonet.
…
In the Pingjing Army camp, Zhao Tianlin has been in excellent mental condition these days.
Although he has martial arts skills and is in good health, Zhao Tianlin is over eighty years old after all. Continuous fighting, marching, arranging troops, and building forts have consumed Zhao Tianlin too much energy. He has been losing energy in the past few days. .
Fortunately, after being stationed on the south bank of Baigou River in the past few days, there wasn't much to do, and Zhao Tianlin gained good cultivation.
For such a veteran general, commanding nearly 300,000 troops in combat is a huge physical burden.
But the embarrassing thing is that the court can't find a suitable person to replace Zhao Tianlin.
The imperial court should have had many generals, and even if they were old, there would still be generals.
But Emperor Taizu Gao almost killed all the Huaixi nobles who could fight!
The rest are either just trash waiting to die.
There are only two people left who have the ability and qualifications to command an army of 300,000 and can fight against King Zhao.
One is the Marquis of Wuxiang, Yang Qingyuan. The victory in two battles established his status as the number one in the army. There will definitely be no problem for Yang Qingyuan to lead the army.
But some people in the court were still afraid of Yang Qingyuan.
This has nothing to do with personality or political opinions, but the difference in vision and times between the two parties.
Yang Qingyuan seemed to have no awe at all for the majestic imperial power.
Yi Yin and Huo Guang were questioned as powerful ministers when they abolished the throne.
As for Yang Qingyuan, who raised troops to kill the emperor, he should have been as famous as Dong Zhongying, Sima Shi and others. However, after he killed the emperor, he did not do anything beyond the standard. On the contrary, it made it difficult for people to evaluate what he did.
But no matter what, except for those who were on good terms with Yang Qingyuan, the remaining people in the DPRK were unwilling to get close to Yang Qingyuan, even if they were originally neutral parties.
The other one is Wu Keming, the current head of the Sixth Army Governor's Mansion and the commander-in-chief of the Royal Forest Army.
He had great military exploits in Liangzhou, and he was an excellent candidate as well as Tang Shengtan, Li Chengen and others.
But he is now in charge of the affairs of the capital and the military affairs of the world, and it is difficult to get away.
At that time, some people also proposed to recommend Cao Guogong Li Jiujiang, the son of King Zhongshan, as the commander-in-chief.
However, although this man was proficient in military tactics and strategies, he lacked actual combat experience, so he was ultimately not appointed as the head coach.
Fortunately, Zhao Tianlin's deputy general Zhao Wu has grown greatly during this period of time. With the cooperation of the generals, the Pingjing Army can operate smoothly.
In the past few days, the Pingjing Army, under the command of deputy general Zhao Wu, has begun preparing to cut wood and build boats to cross the river!
During the retreat of Li Yuan and Wang Cong, they basically captured all the ferries on the south bank of Baigou River.
Pingjing's army spent two whole days without finding a ferry, so they had no choice but to cut wood and build a boat by themselves.
"Zhao Wu, is there any movement in the camp opposite?!"
Zhao Wu on the side shook his head and said, "Grand Governor, the camp on the other side is still calm as usual. Although there is a small group of reinforcements, it still cannot change its decline."
Jinyiwei North Town Fusi provided intelligence for the Pingjing Army's operations, and the war was fought with twice the result with half the effort.
Zhao Wangjun's reaction was somewhat beyond Zhao Tianlin's expectations.
Although the defeat of Yanmen caused King Zhao's rebel army to lose nearly 100,000 people, it still did not leave King Zhao without any troops to use.
According to the previous intelligence from Jinyiwei North Town Fusi and Hulong Villa, King Zhao has at least 400,000 soldiers under his command.
The soldiers and horses here do not refer to the total force, but the mobile force available to King Zhao.
A few days ago, it seemed that Ning Wang Zhu Quan also intended to join Zhao Wang's camp.
As the King of Sai whose strength was second only to King Zhao in the Great Zhou Dynasty, the number of troops in the hands of King Ning Zhu Quan should not be underestimated, at least around 200,000.
Zhang Shimei and Zhu Shihong had no less than 150,000 soldiers and horses under their command, and nearly 100,000 soldiers and horses were lost at Yanmen Pass.
In addition to the 100,000 troops and horses currently in the hands of Li Yuan and Wang Cong.
There may not be many people left in King Zhao's headquarters, but King Ning Zhu Quan must still have a large number of troops in his hands.
At this time, Zhao Tianlin did not know that King Ning had been placed under house arrest by King Zhao, and thought that the two kings were in a cooperative relationship.
King Zhao had troops but did not move. Could it be that he had given up on Li Yuan and retreated to the front of Yancheng, hoping to have a showdown there? !
As a commander, every step of judgment will affect the direction of the entire battle situation. There are only a few people in the past who can accurately control the entire battlefield.
One is the Marquis of Huaiyin and the other is Duke Li Weigong.
This move of King Zhao is really against the common sense of the art of war. The natural geographical advantage of Baigou River is enough to defeat 100,000 soldiers. Giving up easily must be a fraud.
Just when Zhao Tianlin and Zhao Wu were inspecting the camp, a huge shout suddenly broke out in King Zhao's military camp on the other side of the river.
Even across the Baigou River, one can hear the excitement and joy.
In this case, there is only one possibility left to make the defeated troops on the opposite side so happy - reinforcements are coming!
Moreover, Zhao Tianlin had an even bolder guess. The leader of the reinforcements was Zhao Wang Zhu Kai.
The morale of King Zhao's defeated army had dropped to a low point, and ordinary reinforcements would never be able to make them feel so cheerful.
If King Zhao personally leads the troops, he can easily restore the morale that was about to collapse.
Moreover, King Zhao himself is also one of the famous generals in the world, so it is reasonable for him to lead the army himself.
"Zhao Wu, please ask the brothers of Jinyiwei to check the recent movements of Zhao Wang Zhu Kai."
Zhao Wu was stunned for a moment, then realized, "Grand Governor, do you mean that the reinforcements led by Li Yuan are King Zhao?!"
Zhao Wu's tone also contained disbelief and surprise.
King Zhao is the source of the Jingnan War. As long as King Zhao can be dealt with, the so-called Fengtian Jingnan will become a joke.
Zhao Tianlin nodded, and then looked towards the Zhao Wangjun camp on the other side of the Baigou River.
The eyes that were originally muddy suddenly became sharp and sharp, making people afraid to look directly into them.
"If King Zhao really brings troops to help in person, then our tactics will also have to change!"
You're here now, so don't leave!
…
(End of chapter)
