The pale yellow kerosene lamp kept swaying in the watchtower made of rammed earth. The wide and long map spread on the wooden table was being pointed by a few fingers. From time to time, slight discussions could be heard in the tower.
It was still raining heavily outside, but there was silence throughout the pass. Apart from the grunts of the soldiers, there was only the sound of the footsteps of the sergeants on duty stepping through the muddy water.
Liu Zhijun held the sword on his waist and looked around the watchtower, but did not see Li Jing. He pointed at the map with his finger, planned several marching routes for the generals, and walked down the towering watchtower with his sword in hand.
Sure enough, a slender figure was seen standing in the corridor with his hands behind his hands. Next to him stood the strange one-armed man he had seen during the day.
"Your Highness."
Liu Zhijun coughed and called in a lowered voice.
Li Jing turned around and saw Liu Zhijun, smiled softly, turned around and gave Kui Mu a few more instructions in a low voice, and then looked over again when Kui Mu nodded and left.
"It's so late, why hasn't Commander Ji taken a rest yet?"
Liu Zhijun strode over. The two of them were about the same height, on the same level.
"If His Highness hadn't been there, I'm afraid we would have lost a lot of soldiers in Qingni Ridge. Your Highness didn't want to mobilize troops during the day, and the general couldn't thank His Highness enough..."
Li Jing laughed quite familiarly.
"Do our military attaches in Daqi pay as much attention to etiquette as Jieshuai? King Qi has always been honored as Zhengshuo of the Tang Dynasty and used the reign title of the Tang Dynasty. I only made a small effort in doing this."
Liu Zhijun just said politely: "The last general was originally a surrendered general, but King Qi still reused him. As a minister, it is a blessing to meet the Lord of the Ming Dynasty. Your Highness, please don't be polite. In this way, we will be more sure of taking down Xingyuan." Added a point.”
Li Jing smiled softly and looked at the dark tents through the gradually decreasing rain curtain.
"Follow the old road out of the valley, but there is Xingzhou blocking Xingyuan. Does Commander Jie have any plans?"
Liu Zhijun nodded slowly and said in a deep voice: "With His Highness's move, Wang Zongkan will get the news a few days later. In the end, the general can ask his troops to cut down trees and build rafts, and go all the way down the Chongqing River to surprise Xingyuan!"
"Before that, the general can also send people to lead the army to besiege Xingzhou. After that, all the front lines of Xingyuan Prefecture will be captured by Daqi! Enter Kelizhou to capture Bazhou. If the Shu army comes to help, as long as Qingniling can hold it In my hands, we can occupy the city and defend it."
"Everyone in the north of Sichuan and Sichuan is controlled!"
Li Jing touched his palms and smiled lightly, nodding slightly: "When it comes to leading troops, ten thousand Lis are not as good as the Commander-in-Chief, but Li can also contribute a little more to the Commander-in-Chief."
Liu Zhijun stared: "Your Highness wants to..."
Li Jing put her hands behind her back and looked at the rainwater accumulated under the steps.
"It would be best if fewer people die."
…………
"How's it going? Has the messenger who went to Lizhou come back? Is there any military order to bring him back to the capital?"
In the Xingzhou government office, a middle-aged military general couldn't help but pace back and forth, looking at the attendants waiting outside the door from time to time with anxiety on his face.
The attendant outside the door could only bow and clasp his fists: "I would like to report to Wu Shijun that I have not received any news that the messenger has returned..."
The middle-aged military general who was called Wu Shijun just kept stroking his beard, stopped walking with one hand on his hips, and wanted to glare and yell.
At this moment, rapid footsteps suddenly came from outside, and a guard strode in.
"Your Majesty, I would like to see you, Qu Sima."
Wu Fansun, the governor of Yingzhou, immediately looked urgent: "Just let him in and don't search him!"
The guard just lowered his head and strode out across the courtyard in the rain.
Not long after, Wu Fansun saw a young scholar walking in despite the rain.
Wu Fansun put his hands on his hips and looked at the scholar eagerly: "Wen Xiu, how are you?"
The young scholar's face was a little gray and ugly. He didn't bother wiping the rain off his body and spoke first.
"Your Majesty, none of the four sentinels sent to Qingni Ridge have returned..."
Wu Fansun opened his mouth, then sat down next to the desk.
"It seems like the Qi army is really coming..."
The young scribe named Qu Wenxiu hesitated for a moment, and then said another piece of news with an ugly face.
"Not only that, the messenger sent to Xingyuan didn't come back either..."
Wu Fansun, who just sat down, felt dizzy instantly.
It was as if the large Xingzhou City had turned into an isolated city in just two days. First, the Qingniling spies who reported daily as usual were missing. Later, no one could come back as long as they were sent out. …
"Just look at this formation, the Qi army has no less than 200,000 troops!"
After listening to Wu Fansun's words, Qu Wenxiu hurriedly comforted him: "Your Majesty's words are exaggerated. There are only 200,000 string-controlling people in Qi State. How could they all leave Qinchuan..."
"It's also thanks to your Majesty that you took the opportunity to block the city gate the day before yesterday, otherwise the city must have been invaded by the enemy at this moment. The walls of Xingzhou City are thick and thick, and there are sufficient defensive equipment. The garrison in the city is enough to support the capital until reinforcements come. Please don't panic." …”
After listening to Qu Sima's words, Wu Fansun felt a little relieved. He stroked his cheek with his hand and spoke out tiredly.
"The commander-in-chief has nearly 100,000 troops in Lizhou. As long as he persists until he comes to help, the Qi soldiers will retreat... I just don't know who the leader of the Qi country will be, and he can actually have such a method..."
Qu Sima gave a quick laugh and bowed.
"In this case, I will resign first so that I can arrange many matters in the city."
Wu Fansun pondered for a moment, then waved his hands and spoke.
"After lunch later, call all the generals over. I want to discuss something."
Qu Sima bowed again and then withdrew.
…………
After exiting the government office, Qu Wenxiu patted the rain on his body and strode down the government office stairs.
The boy who had been waiting outside for a long time immediately came up to us holding an umbrella.
"My lord, it's raining so heavily. Why did Wu Shijun call you?"
Qu Wenxiu sighed: "This old bastard just relies on the Wu family to have a concubine beside the king. He treats me like a dog everywhere. Before, my Qu family would never look at him!"
The boy didn't dare to answer, but smiled and helped Qu Wenxiu get into the carriage that was also waiting next to him.
"Master, where are we going now?"
"Where else can we go! Go back home! I haven't even eaten breakfast!"
The boy responded, asked the groom to turn the carriage, and hurried back to the direction of Qu Mansion.
…
Yingzhou City has already been heavily guarded.
Although it was raining heavily, large groups of Shu troops wearing green armor robes just patrolled the city in the rain. Even Qu Wenxiu's carriage was stopped several times.
After an unknown amount of time, Qu Wenxiu, who was concentrating with his eyes closed, was gently awakened by the boy, who held an umbrella to welcome him out of the carriage.
Seeing the closed door under the plaque of "Qu Mansion", Qu Wenxiu instantly darkened his face and snorted coldly.
The boy's heart skipped a beat and he immediately asked the groom to knock on the door first.
My eldest son always pays attention to the meaning of opening the door to welcome the God of Wealth. Moreover, the young master has not returned home today, and someone who has no eyesight has closed the door tightly.
It just so happened that the eldest son was in a bad mood today...
After the groom knocked on the door, it took a while before the rather impressive brass-buttoned door was opened with a creak, and the face of the housekeeper Lao Qu was revealed.
Qu Wenxiu saw that the old housekeeper opened the door in person, so he didn't feel angry, so he just walked in.
"Uncle Qu, don't let people close the door in the future. What are you talking about!"
There was something wrong with Lao Qu's expression, but he just nodded calmly and turned sideways to let Qu Wenxiu and the boy in.
"Also, open the door so small..."
Qu Wenxiu's voice stopped suddenly, and he could only see the elegantly decorated courtyard corridor, where his father's favorite huanghuali Taishi chair was placed.
Sitting on it was a young man with a smile. His hands were folded and placed casually on his abdomen. Mr. Qu just stood aside in fear.
"Qu Sima, I've been waiting for a long time."
