The ministers in the big tent didn't know what happened. Seeing that King Qin was so sad and angry, but couldn't ask directly, they all looked at Meng Tian.
Meng Tian also explained with a look of resentment: "Yan Dan took advantage of the king's absence in Xianyang to instigate Chang Wenjun to defect. When he kidnapped Princess Nansu and her son, the princess was unfortunately killed."
"Ah!?" All the officials were shocked.
Wang Jian said: "I've only been out for a few days, why did such a big thing happen in Xianyang?"
"Then Mr. Chang Wen should have his car broken up and avenge Princess Nansu!" Meng Yi said angrily.
Xu Wandao: "The Jiayuguan Pass is already at peace. If we don't have so many soldiers, why don't we fight back together and directly solve the Chu and Yan countries."
Ying Zheng was speechless, obviously still immersed in grief.
The King of Xiqiang was calm and had a high status. He waved his hand to calm everyone down and comforted Ying Zheng, saying: "The matter has come to an end. There is no resurrection after death. You must express your condolences. The most important thing now is to return to Xianyang as soon as possible. I am here." , you should hurry back."
Ying Zheng finally calmed down a bit. He breathed a sigh of relief and began to make plans: "Xu Wan, I will leave you fifty thousand elite soldiers. You and the King of Xiqiang will go to take over Yumen Pass and Yang Pass, and help Chen Li rebuild it." Dunhuang City.”
"Meng Tian, you go first and go to Didao to inform Qiang Yu and Suolin to prepare to attack Zhao."
"Li Xin, you are relatively familiar with Yingcheng. You can bring some people to inquire about the whereabouts of Lord Changwen. I believe that after he escaped from Xianyang, he will most likely go to Yingcheng to find his brother Changping Lord."
"The rest of you, come back to Xianyang with me quickly!"
All the retainers received their orders and responded together.
Ying Zheng looked at King Xiqiang and said, "Uncle, this place is entrusted to you. Once Wu Chan has organized the people, you will send some people to escort them to Didao. I will arrange for people to take them to Beidi County." .”
"Don't worry, I will definitely make arrangements for Wuchan." King Xiqiang said, "But don't you say hello to her?"
"Time is running out, please tell her for me."
After everything was arranged, Ying Zheng quickly returned to Xianyang with the Huben army, and the other retainers also went their separate ways.
The marching speed of the Huben Army is not comparable to that of ordinary soldiers.
I remember that when "our army" was first formed, Ying Zheng brought them to the Western Regions. At that time, they spent half the time competing with their own horses, training and rushing on the road.
Although the current Tiger and Ben army has some new members, its combat effectiveness is even better than before.
In just one day, some of the teams led by Wang Jian were already far behind.
Not long after, Ying Zheng arrived at the bank of the Yellow River.
Meng Tian in front traveled day and night and had arrived at Didao. He told Shen Jun that King Qin had returned, and Shen Jun had already been waiting on the north bank with his merchant ships.
As soon as they boarded the ship, Ying Zheng said to Shen Jun: "Now that the construction of Jincheng has been completed, and Chen Li is watching over Liangzhou and Dunhuang, your next task is to welcome the entire clan of Jingjue Kingdom. Wait for Wu Chan When the queen arrives, she will first place them in Golden City, and then go to Beidi County from here.”
Shen Jun frowned, bowed and asked: "Your Majesty, I wonder what the eating habits of the Jingjue tribe are and what they need to pay attention to. The private houses are not enough at the moment. Can they live in a military tent?"
"They don't have any taboos. They can live in the military tent temporarily." Ying Zheng said, "I will ask Yiqu Gong to help you receive them. After taking them to Beidi County, you can be the county guard there and help They build several new cities, but they don’t need to be too big.”
It seems that King Qin took a fancy to his ability to transform the city, and of course he could accept this kind of transfer, so he happily accepted the order.
"By the way, there are a few more things." Ying Zheng added, "Right now Yang Duanhe is serving as the commander-in-chief of Beidi County. Please bring more military rations and tell him that we may attack Zhao in the near future. Let him Sharpen your sword, feed your horse, and wait for your will at any time."
Later, Ying Zheng wrote a letter to Yang Duanhe and handed it to Shen Jun.
When the fleet docked, Ying Zheng rushed directly to Didao without stopping.
This winter has passed, Thorin and Qiang Yu have each trained a new army. They conduct daily training according to the standards of the Tiger and Ben army, and their intensity is slightly higher than that of the Tiger and Ben army.
Thorin's team numbered 30,000, and most of them were his former Yiqu warriors. They were already brave and good at fighting. After arriving in Longxi, they did not slack off in training. They were only nominally the private soldiers of Yiqu Gong Yutu.
Qiang Yu's 20,000 troops are pure Western Qiang troops sent by the King of Western Qiang. After many days of training, their combat power has also improved by leaps and bounds.
Both teams are elites carefully selected from the Yiqu and Xiqiang tribes. They are very brave. They often practice formations with each other on weekdays. Coupled with special training methods and powerful weapons such as flying crossbows, this At that time, it was close to the level of Huben Army.
An army of 50,000 soldiers was prepared to welcome the King of Qin in triumph.
Ji Fa and Yu Tu sat on the carriage in front of the formation, waiting for Ying Zheng's return.
Ji Fa stayed in Didao for a whole winter and had completely determined the route and orientation of the Great Wall, and also found several locations of fire eyes. Some ghost hands from Xianyang had already begun the preliminary work of drilling holes.
"You two have worked hard. You were just waiting for me in the house. Why did you come out?" Ying Zheng bowed his hand in greeting.
Ji Fa smiled and said, "The weather is getting warmer. Let's go out for some activities. Why don't we see Wang Jian's team?"
"I rushed back quickly, something happened over there in Xianyang."
Immediately, Ying Zheng recounted the contents of Li Si's letter.
Ji Fa and Yu Tu were both shocked, and Qiang Yu and Solin behind them even frowned.
"If you put it that way, this matter is not trivial." Ji Fa said, "Nan Su is a good kid, so why did he suffer such a disaster? It's really heartbreaking."
"Yes, it is indeed a pity." Yu Tu sighed.
"So I have to go back quickly." Ying Zheng said, "Xianyang must be in chaos right now."
"We'll go back with you." Yu Tu said.
Ying Zheng shook his head: "Wuchan and the Jingjue tribe are still behind. They need to be settled well, so you have to settle them well and send them to Beidi County. After I finish handling the matters in Xianyang, I will go to Beidi County." The earth will join you.”
Yu Tu thought about it and had no choice but to nod in agreement.
Ying Zheng looked at Thorin and Qiang Yu and said, "The two worthy brothers have worked tirelessly to train a new army, and now it's time to put them to use."
"Brother Wang, please give me your orders." The two brothers said together.
Ying Zheng ordered: "You take the new army north and follow the route of the Great Wall we have planned. Cut down all the trees and smooth the roads until you reach Shangjun and station yourself."
"Then use those wood to build ships, ready to cross the Yellow River eastward and attack the northwest of Zhao State."
Shangjun is located on the west bank of the Yellow River dividing Qin and Jin. It is the land ceded by the Wei State to the Qin State. It is mostly loess, has strong wind and sand, and the population is not too large.
For many years, Qin and Zhao have used the Yellow River as their boundary. Because of this natural barrier, there is basically not much defensive power on both sides. It is not too difficult to cross the Yellow River secretly and enter the Zhao territory.
"Brother, I accept the order." The two brothers cupped their hands and said.
"Remember, don't cross the Yellow River without my order." Ying Zheng added, "You are a special force. You can only appear in the most critical position at the most critical moment."
Suolin and Qiang Yu kept what King Qin said in mind and did not dare to omit it.
Yu Tu wondered at the side: "Wait a minute, why did you confuse me? Nansu is dead. Logically speaking, whether the Chu State is looking after you or you want to capture Lord Chang Wen, you should use troops against the Chu State." Ah, Yan State should also be beaten hard, but why did you let them prepare to attack Zhao State first?"
Ying Zheng explained: "Chang Wenjun is just being used. Even if I don't go to take him, Chu State will not be able to tolerate him. Besides, the culprit is Yan Dan. As long as I don't take the initiative to use troops against Chu State, it will not cause any trouble." fighting."
"As for the Yan State, it is a country that I must kill! However, there is the Zhao State in the middle, so we can only destroy the Zhao State first, and then attack the Yan State." "Besides, I always feel that this matter is a bit strange. Just based on Yan Dan's own power cannot penetrate into the palace. There must be some mystery behind this. I have been deducing various possibilities in the past few days. If I am not wrong, there should be a mastermind behind the whole thing. He should be extremely familiar with Xianyang Palace."
Ying Zheng had vaguely guessed that Fan Yuqi was hiding in Zhao State and was involved in this plan.
"I see." Yu Tu turned to Thorin and Qiang He and said, "You must not be reckless in this expedition. I will select some craftsmen who are good at building ships for you. You can only cross the river when everything is ready."
Thorin said: "Grandpa, don't worry. This time I will wait for the best opportunity to kill King Zhao with one blow and get his head back."
"Okay, please take care of me, brothers. Let's go our separate ways." After Ying Zheng said this, he said goodbye to everyone and headed back home with the Tiger and Ben troops.
On this day, Xianyang City finally appeared in sight.
Facing the prosperous capital of his country, Ying Zheng felt desolate in his heart. Regardless of the fatigue of running around for days, he went straight to Li Si's Prime Minister's Mansion.
A lot of forbidden troops were patrolled outside the Li Mansion. Li Si, who had received the news in advance, went out to greet them.
Li Si's eyes were slightly bloodshot, presumably due to the hard work these days.
"Where is she?" Ying Zheng asked.
"Place it in the back hall. Your Majesty will follow me."
Li Si led the way, while Ying Zheng asked Zhang Yong and others to stay outside the house and followed him into the back hall alone.
A coffin is placed alone in the center of the back hall, with an incense stand in front of it. Because the death of Nan Su has not been made public, this place has not yet been decorated as a mourning hall.
Ying Zheng ran all the way so fast that he wanted to see Nan Su one last time, but now standing in front of the coffin, he couldn't take a step forward because he was afraid.
He was afraid that his former beloved concubine was no longer as charming, gentle and virtuous as before.
He was afraid that his first woman would complain that he didn't take good care of her.
He was afraid that this meeting would be an eternal parting and they would never be reunited again.
However, although he felt guilty, Ying Zheng still took his steps with difficulty and slowly came to the coffin.
Nan Su lay quietly in the coffin, her face pale and bloodless, but her face was still bright and her hair was not messed up at all.
Ying Zheng tremblingly took her hand and held it in his palm, while two lines of hot tears fell silently.
The thousands of words gathered along the way seemed to be stuck in his throat. At this time, he was unable to speak or utter a single word.
Li Si exited the room very wisely, but his brows were furrowed and he could not hide his sadness.
I don't know how long it took, but there was movement from the outer hall. Zhao Gao came with Zhang Yong to report something important.
Li Si took Zhao Gao into the inner hall. At this time, Ying Zheng had calmed down a lot, wiped away his tears, and put Nan Su's hand back.
"Your Majesty, the Queen Mother and the Queen Mother are critically ill. You'd better return to the palace as soon as possible." Zhao Gao said with cupped hands.
"What?!"
It’s like one wave after another.
Ying Zheng quickly followed Zhao Gao back to the palace.
Mrs. Huayang has not recovered since she was poisoned a few days ago. In the past few days, someone has leaked the news that something happened to Princess Nansu.
After Mrs. Huayang heard about it, her condition worsened. How could her already old body withstand such a series of blows?
Ying Zheng came to her bed and said softly: "Grandma Wang, I'm back. Are you feeling better?"
Looking at Ying Zheng's red and swollen eyes, Mrs. Huayang said weakly: "Grandson, I can't survive, but before you leave... you have to tell me... whether something really happened to Nan Su..."
When a person is about to die, his words are also good.
Ying Zheng was silent for a moment, and finally nodded.
Mrs. Huayang seemed to be in unbearable grief, and it seemed more like she had opened her heart. She only heard a growl in her throat, and then she lost her voice.
