When we left Zhongshan Royal City, the sun had already set and the sky was getting dark. Zheng Mao got into the carriage feeling a little tired. Now the situation was much more complicated than he initially expected. King Zhongshan's attitude was even tougher than they thought.
Now it seems that the last line can only be used.
Zheng Mao turned back and glanced at the towering Zhongshan Palace wall for the last time, and then said to the groom outside the car: "Go back to the hotel."
"Here!"
The capital of Zhongshan, Nancheng.
The most prosperous business district in the past, perhaps due to the impact of the war, has become much deserted in recent times. On both sides of the spacious street, except for the knocking sounds of iron smelting from time to time, there was only the bleak whine of the wind.
Fengmingju is one of the few taverns that is still open. Just by the name, you can tell that it is a brothel. Except for a few private prostitutes in Zhongshan, most of the prostitutes were run by the Zhongshan court, that is, state-run.
Hundreds of years ago, Guan Zhong's father set up the "Nvlu" to collect his Yehe's capital to fund the state. Since then, princes from various countries have followed suit and recruited lowly women as state assets. At the same time, various countries have also officially controlled prostitutes and conducted hierarchical management of prostitutes in female households. Prostitutes of different grades also have different treatments.
Prostitution and prostitution are actually separate. Prostitutes refer to women of low status who mainly engage in sexual intercourse, while prostitutes refer to women with good figures and beauties who are good at singing and dancing. Of course, in this era, there is no such thing as selling one's art without selling one's body.
In addition to increasing national tax revenue, this move can also alleviate conflicts at the grassroots level of society.
In addition, women's houses are also divided into prostitutes and prostitutes.
Fengmingju is a prostitute's residence.
"I heard that at today's court meeting, the King of Zhongshan is determined to go to war with the State of Zhao?" said a middle-aged man.
Zhang Deng, who was sitting on his knees opposite him, took a sip of the bitter tea in his cup and replied leisurely: "I don't know what you mean, sir?"
Zhang Deng, who is in his thirties, is very tall, with a broad face and big ears. At this time, his eyes were half-closed, his expression was reflective, and his emotions were temporarily unpredictable.
The private room where these two people are located is on the second floor of Fengming Residence. It is located in the corner upstairs and usually does not entertain guests at all. The private room is also different from other rooms in that it is separated from the inside and outside by wooden walls.
The middle-aged man glanced at Zhang Deng and spoke again: "Zhao and Zhongshan are friendly neighbors. King Zhao often compares Zhongshan to a brotherly state. During peacetime, trade exchanges between the two countries are frequent. I thought, I'm afraid the people of the two countries are not the only people benefiting from trade...Now that the King of Zhongshan wants to use weapons, I can't bear to inflict the disaster of war on my brothers."
Zhang Deng curled his lips and replied calmly: "When I am in the court, I speak lightly and I really can't influence such major military and political affairs."
The middle-aged man waved his hand and said: "I don't mean this, doctor, there is no need to worry about it. I just want to know, what does Sima Xiang mean by this?"
"How do I know? I just entrusted the share to the prime minister's office as usual, and the prime minister did not refuse." Zhang Deng replied.
"Oh? I heard that Sima Xiang did not refuse to fight in court." The middle-aged man said quietly.
"The king wants to fight. The important ministers Gong Shujie and Qiu Sheng are taking charge of the battle. They are both assistant ministers left behind by the late emperor. I am afraid it will be difficult for the prime minister to refute the king's intention..." Zhang Deng explained.
After hearing this, the middle-aged man pondered for a while, took out a brocade bag from his arms and handed it to Zhang Deng, bowing and saying: "Please ask the doctor to give this to Sima Xiang. After that, whether the matter is successful or not, he will have nothing to do with the doctor." connection."
The middle-aged man thought for a while and then said: "My Lord promised the doctor, and he will definitely keep the promise after it is completed."
Zhang Deng's eyes lit up when he heard this, and he took the brocade bag and said nothing.
Then the two stood up and said goodbye, and Zhang Deng hurriedly walked out of the house.
…
Zhongshan Palace, inside the luxurious bedroom.
After Ji Cuo and his beloved concubine Yin Ji indulged in wanton indulgence, their bodies fell into a deep sleep from exhaustion.
Although Ambassador Zhao left, his words were deeply imprinted in Ji Cuo's heart. Even in his sleep, he was thinking about what Zheng Mao said.
Ji Cuo suddenly seemed to have arrived on the battlefield, facing Zhao's army.
He stood on the carriage, his eyes seemed to penetrate the battlefield, and he saw the heroic figure in the middle of the Zhao army, and the mocking smile on the corner of Zhao Wangyong's mouth.
The scene turned and the two armies started fighting. The Zhao army broke through the Zhongshan cavalry, which he was proud of. The Zhao army crossed the Hongshang Fortress and attacked southward to the Zhongshan City. The Zhongshan Kingdom was destroyed. Immediately, the complaints of his subjects came to his ears, "Dawang Hutu should not be an enemy of the State of Zhao, Dawang Hutu should not be an enemy of the State of Zhao...Dawang Hutu..."
"ah!"
Ji Cuo woke up suddenly.
"What's wrong, Madam? Why did you suddenly scream?" Ji Cuo gasped and turned to look at the naked beauty next to her. I don't know why she suddenly shouted so loudly that she woke up from that horrible dream.
Yin Ji's expression was dazed and her eyes were filled with fear. She threw herself into Ji Cuo's arms and said softly, "I have a nightmare! What a terrible nightmare!"
Hearing this, Ji Cuo's expression suddenly flashed with surprise, and he hurriedly asked: "What dream did Madam have? Please tell me about it."
Yin Ji cried and said: "I... I dreamed that a deer was drinking water by the river. Suddenly a ferocious tiger sprang out from the bank and bit the deer tightly. The blood stained the river water. Turned red. I suddenly found that I had turned into a deer. The hungry tiger was biting me hard and wouldn’t let go. No matter how hard I struggled, it was useless! I was afraid that I would never see the king again..."
After hearing this, Ji Cuo frowned deeply. What Yin Ji said, combined with what happened in his dream, made him vaguely feel that this was an ominous sign.
"Your Majesty, woo woo woo..."
The sobbing sound of Yin Ji in his ears disturbed him a little.
"Okay, okay, it's just a dream. Isn't Madam by my side now? It's okay, it's okay..." Ji Cuo gently stroked the beauty's shoulder and comforted her. Although he said so, the vigilance in Ji Cuo's heart kept hinting to him that this matter was not that simple.
*
Early on the next morning, Ji Cuo hurriedly summoned a fortune teller to interpret his dream.
Taidivination quoted scriptures and thought it was a serious disaster.
"What a serious disaster!" Ji Cuo said in surprise.
Taibu looked at the hexagrams and slowly explained to Ji Cuo: "Deer is an auspicious thing, and the deer in Mrs. Yinji's dream can be compared to our country of Zhongshan. The deer drinking water by the river means that it is our country of Zhongshan that is recuperating and recuperating." At that time. And the tiger..."
Speaking of this, Taibu paused and looked at Ji Cuo.
"What does the tiger mean? Once you say it's okay, I'll forgive you." Ji Cuo said.
Taibu bowed his head heavily and said: "The tiger is a foreign ferocious beast, symbolizing a powerful foreign enemy, comparable to the Zhao State. And the blood indicates the disaster of war! I boldly say that it is unwise for me, Zhongshan, to go to war with the Zhao State today. Swordsmen will only destroy the rare peace of Zhongshan Kingdom!"
…
…
The sky is desolate with cool wind and cold dew, and the desolate fields of astragalus and purple chrysanthemums are desolate.
The biggest feeling given by Wuzhou Fortress (near Zuoyun County) is loneliness. There is no obstruction around the castle and it is extremely empty.
The city wall is less than a hundred feet in circumference and is in the shape of an irregular quadrilateral. It is built entirely of rammed earth and is more than ten feet high. It is located on an important passage between the south and the north.
This is the northernmost part of the map of Zhao State. From here, you can go 20 miles north to kill the tiger's mouth and reach the hinterland of Loufan and Tabutoluohai (Hohhot). Go east for a hundred miles to reach Linhu Ancient Pingcheng (Datong). It connects to Shanwu City and leads to Yanmen Pass in the south.
If the Loufan and Linhu clans wanted to join forces, they would inevitably have to avoid Wuzhou Fortress.
Wuzhou Fortress is a military castle. Except for a small number of farmers, the city is full of military households. Originally, there was only a hundred-man team stationed here all year round. After Zhao Yong issued the policy of farming, Lou Huan moved hundreds of military households from the vicinity of Daiwang City for rotational farming.
After the war, Lou Huan realized the importance of Wuzhou, and successively transported a large amount of baggage to the city and dispatched an additional team of 500 people.
Now the largest official in the city is a soldier named Wu Ran.
It’s the eighth day of September, and it’s getting colder day by day. When Wu Bingwei woke up early in the morning, the first thing he said was: "Have you ever received a military order from Yanmen Pass?"
People on both sides shook their heads.
Wu Ran stopped talking, took the sword from the hardwood and hung it on his waist, turned around and walked out of the tent. Now he doesn't dare to disarm while sleeping, and traveling is much easier. As soon as he walked out of the big tent, a wave of cold, damp air rushed towards him, making him shiver.
It's foggy!
A few people walked out of the military camp, walked a few steps north, and reached the towering city wall.
Wu Ran moved his hands left and right to stir up the mist in front of him, but it was obviously to no avail.
Looking around, the sky and the earth were all hazy, and a thick fog filled the air, like a huge white curtain descending from the sky, blocking Wu Ran from seeing anything clearly.
"Have the scouts who went out to explore the city yesterday returned?" Wu Ran asked the deputy general behind him.
The deputy general beside him shook his head.
Wu Ran suddenly felt a chill in his heart, and a vague feeling of something bad came over him.
"Explore again! Now!"
"Here!" A soldier beside him responded immediately, then turned around and went down from the tower.
"General, everything should be fine. Lin and Hu's army just marched south and entered Guping City a few days ago. Now Lou Fanren is still in Guodi, so Erhu should have no plans to join forces." The deputy general said with relief.
Wu Ran shook his head and did not answer him.
Lin Hu has been stationed in Guping for several days now and neither goes east nor continues south.
Judging from Wu Ranxing's many years of experience on the battlefield, Lin Huren is obviously waiting for something...
The wind caressed the humid air, and Wu Ran could only see things like white smoke and catkins surging in the wind, drifting quickly and disorderly, like dancing ghostly.
All he wanted now was for the sun to rise quickly and clear the haze in front of him.
But what disappointed him was that the sky was actually drizzled with light rain at this time. The raindrops slowly fell from the sky, fell on his stomach, and splashed into his eyes.
"***" Wu Ran spat. Just as he was about to turn around and walk down the tower, a rapid rumbling sound suddenly came to his ears.
He subconsciously turned his head and looked outside the city. I don’t know how long it took, but it seemed like an instant, a black shadow suddenly appeared in the gray mist! Suddenly I finally saw the shadow, like a terrifying monster that had not yet arrived suddenly appeared.
Wu Ran took a breath of cold air, and the people next to him also trembled their shoulders.
The first thing that appeared was the three or four-story siege ladder, followed by countless infantry, and... densely packed barbarian cavalry!
"Bang the drum! The barbarians are attacking!" Wu Ran shouted at the soldiers nearby who were still in a daze.
'Winter, winter, winter! 'Everyone suddenly woke up.
Wu Ran turned to the deputy general and said: "You will lead a hundred-man team to break out. You must pass the news to the acting commander! The lives of the second and third sons will be in your hands."
"General!" the deputy general said in surprise.
"Lin Hu took advantage of the fog to attack the city. He must have come prepared. He intends to capture Wuzhou. There are only a thousand people in the city and he may not be able to defend it for long! Break out from the north city before the Lin Hu people surround them! Go quickly!" Wu Ran urged! road.
"Here!" the deputy general walked down the tower in tears.
Wu Ran immediately pulled out the long sword in his hand, wiped the rain off his face, and shouted to the nearby soldiers: "My sons, follow me to defend the dignity of Zhao and live or die with Wuzhou! Beat the drum! Defend the enemy!" "
…
In the past few days, various information has been continuously introduced into Daiwang City.
The main force of Loufan crossed the Yuanzi River, and the main force of Loufan fought with the Great Wall Army, led by King Loufan himself. The main force in the building is about 20,000 people.
Zhang Yuan, the captain of the Northern Camp, fought with the Loufan troops in Guodi. The leader of the Loufan army was seeking profit.
Lin Hu's army left Guping in the east and advanced towards Yundong Fortress (Huairen, Shanxi). Yundong Fortress was surrounded and Yundong Fortress was in danger. Lin Hu's army broke through Yundong Fortress. The Yundong defender died fighting, and Lin Hu's people plundered Yundong Fortress. For the common people of the east, the city of Yundong was burned down, and the fire burned day and night. Lin Hu's army continued to approach eastward. Lin Hu's main force numbered about 30,000 people.
Whenever Zhao Yong heard a piece of news, he would order someone to draw a red line on the map. Although the news is confusing, through the eye-catching blood-red lines, the advancing route of Lin Hu and Lou Fan Erhu can be clearly seen.
A line of reconciliation and a line of attack. Lin Hu's army took Yundong from the west and then attacked Wuzhou, intending to clear the obstacles behind them. Loufan went north along the river, trying to leave the mountains and then enter the basin. The two met at the Sanggan River.
The offensive route went all the way east, passed through Hundi, forced Pingshu (Guangling County), and attacked Weiwen.
With the clear illustration, Daiwang City is obviously not the main target this time, because there will definitely be heavy troops left at Yanmen Pass. Even if the Erhu troops attack together, it will probably be difficult to defeat them. All the way to the east are relatively gentle plains and basins. There is no danger for Zhao to defend, and he will definitely be able to get twice the result with half the effort.
Going straight to Wei Wen, the plan is not small! Weiwen (Yuxian County, Hebei Province) can go down to Zhongshan in the south and approach Daiwang City in the west. It is also the most prosperous city in Dai except Daiwang City. If Weiwen falls, the eastern part of Zhao will be wide open. The entire land will be undefeated.
After Zhao Yong ordered his people to outline the drawing, he placed it on a large table in the middle of the camp and pressed it with a stone inkstone. As soon as there was new news, he ordered his people to mark it.
The generals of Zhao State have never seen these new tactics and methods that are beyond this era, and Zhao Yong can command and arrange them.
With clear blueprints and plans, Zhao Yong didn't need to say anything. By this time, experienced generals such as Lou Huan and Fei Yi would definitely know how to face the next situation.
So the generals in the tent began a new round of heated discussions, even occasionally accompanied by a few quarrels. Zhao Yong sometimes nodded slightly, sometimes lowered his head to think.
