At dusk, the sun set in the west, leaving only the last trace of its afterglow. The prince, Liu Yu, Guo Huan, Qin Shao and others, with more than a thousand people left, broke out of the siege and ran out of the Tai Chi Palace. Going east, Zuo Prime Minister Cui Yan, who was old and frail, did not break out with them, but stayed in Taiji Palace and was captured.
Everyone dragged their exhausted bodies and fled towards Hedong County. They did not dare to stop in the surrounding counties along the way. The prince and others passed through Hedong County and tried to escape to the border of Zhongyue County to see if they could escape across the border. On Dong Yi Rao's territory, by virtue of his status as the prince, he might be able to save his life.
At this time, the prince's party members had become callous and were only focused on escaping. Along the way, some people kept getting separated or simply running away. This desperate struggle, with all the bets on it, failed after all. Everyone took a look at the road ahead and could only He buried his head and ran away...
Four, at this time, Zhou Jian, the Northern Army's garrison commander, led five thousand light cavalry and was chasing the prince's rebels non-stop.
This group of rebels is composed of some dead soldiers. They have sophisticated weapons and extraordinary combat effectiveness. They are also good at using terrain to ambush. Many of the vanguard scouts they sent have not been heard from. It seems that they must have been eaten. Now they can only follow Hold on to the prince's rebellious gang from behind until they are exhausted, and that's when Zhou Jian strikes out.
The surrounding counties and counties also received the emperor's order and sent county soldiers to pursue and intercept the prince's rebels. Zhou Jian's five thousand cavalry were like a black torrent, clinging to the traces of the prince's rebels.
At this time, a scout came to report: "Report! Captain, we have found traces of the prince rebelling against the party."
Zhou Jiandao: "Quick, where are the rebels?"
The scout said: "The rebels are in Huai'an County, dozens of miles ahead. They tricked the county gate into opening last night and are now hiding in the city."
Zhou Jian frowned and thought for a long time. He was a light cavalry and could not attack the city. He could only wait for reinforcements from surrounding counties to arrive here before he could attack the city. At the moment, he could only order to go to Huai'an County to surround the prince.
When Zhou Jian's troops chased him to the county seat, the prince's rebel party had already taken control of the county seat and closed the city gates tightly, as if they would fight to the end. Zhou Jian was unable to attack the city and had to order a rest on the spot.
In the early morning of the next day, Zhou Jian walked out of the camp, mounted his war horse, and led his subordinates around Huai'an County to inspect the city to see where the city could be breached.
When Zhou Jian was making plans with his subordinates, an officer rode up to Zhou Jian and reported: "Reporting to the general, the governor of Hedong County, Master Ding Sheng and Ding rushed to the military camp with 20,000 county soldiers."
Zhou Jiandao: "Well done, we'll go back to camp right away."
Zhou Jian returned to the army and saw Ding Sheng followed by a large group of people who had arrived at the gate of the county city.
Zhou Jian stepped forward to greet him and said: "Master Ding, you have come at the right time. The rebels are here in Huai'an County. We will step up the attack immediately and not let the rebels have a chance to breathe."
Hearing this, Ding Sheng turned his eyes and said, "General Zhou, look, something happened suddenly. I came all the way with my troops. We don't have enough food and supplies, and the soldiers are exhausted. We'd better set up camp first and rest for a while."
When Zhou Jian saw that Ding Sheng's troops did what he said, he had no choice but to nod in agreement. Three hours passed in this way, and Ding Sheng's troops just surrounded Huai'an County, but made no next move.
Seeing this, Zhou Jian was in a hurry. He had to go back to deliver the goods because of the emperor's orders. He couldn't afford it, so he had to go to Ding Sheng to discuss strategies.
When Ding Sheng saw Zhou Jian coming, he stood up and cupped his hands and said, "General Zhou, why are you here?"
Zhou Jian frowned and said: "Master Ding, I have the emperor's mandate to suppress the prince's rebellion as soon as possible. Isn't this delay a problem? Our army is all light cavalry and cannot attack the city. The prince's rebellion can't be defeated." Five or six hundred people, so Lord Ding needs to send troops as soon as possible to take down the rebels. I can go back and hand over the emperor's mission. But Lord Ding, don't worry. I will definitely give you credit for suppressing the prince's rebellion this time. I will commend you, Lord Ding. First merit."
When Ding Sheng heard this, he waved his hands and said: "General Zhou, I don't want this credit. After all, General Zhou pursued all the way and worked hard. I only sent troops to assist to ensure that General Zhou can successfully attack the city. I don't dare to Coveting the general's merits..."
Zhou Jian paced back and forth anxiously, trying to persuade Ding Sheng to attack the city quickly, but Ding Sheng refused to do anything. Ding Sheng opened his mouth and shut up, talking in an official tone, and gave a series of various excuses not to move. He was waiting for a few days to attack. After the city's weapons and equipment were ready, they attacked the city. Zhou Jian had no choice but to return to the camp.
Seeing this situation, Ding Sheng's chief officer, the assistant to the county guard, came over and asked Ding Sheng: "Sir, suppressing the prince's rebellion is a great achievement? Why don't you stand still, sir?"
Ding Sheng twitched the corner of his mouth, glanced at Chang Shi, and sneered: "Stupid! What a big achievement! If we really capture Huai'an County, if the prince has any good intentions, this is the way to die. You have been following me for so many years. , you can’t even understand this bit of knowledge?”
Chang Shi could only apologize humbly and said with a smile: "I am stupid and really can't understand. Please show me."
Ding Sheng said: "Listen carefully, now the imperial court has only issued an order to round up the prince's rebels, but the edict did not explicitly abolish the crown prince's position. Therefore, if the prince is still the king, he is still the master. If we If you send troops rashly, if the Crown Prince gets into trouble, he will conquer your superiors and commit regicide. How many heads do you have that your Majesty can chop off?"
"As long as the imperial court does not issue an edict and abolish the crown prince's position as crown prince, we must not use weapons for a day. What's more, His Royal Highness the crown prince has been in the position of crown prince for more than ten years and has a good reputation. If he dies on his own With the hands of officials, there will inevitably be court discussions between the government and the public. Do you understand the stakes involved?"
Chang Shi suddenly said: "Sir, I understand. Your Majesty wants to use our hands to get rid of the prince? And he doesn't want to bear the reputation of killing a wise man. If something happens to the prince in our place, he can just use our hands to kill him." , to calm public opinion in both the government and the public, can I do it right, sir?"
Ding Sheng nodded slightly and said: "At least you are not completely stupid. If the prince is really up to something, I will only be escorted back to the capital by the Tsing Yi envoy and take the blame for the prince's death. If I were like You are just as stupid, don't climb up to the high position of the county guard, the grass on the grave is already three feet high."
Chang Shi was busy for a while, patted the horse and presented it to him, saying: "Master Ding has a far-sighted vision, which is beyond the reach of his subordinates."
Ding Sheng stood up, turned around a few times and said: "It seems that General Zhou is a reckless man on the surface, but he is actually a sensible man. His five thousand elite men chased the prince's rebellious party and the hundreds of remnant soldiers were defeated for such a long time. Can’t take it off? It seems that he doesn’t want to be stained with His Highness the Crown Prince’s blood, and he also has a good plan to divert trouble to the east. It just depends on which idiot is willing to take the bait and take credit for it, huh!"
Chang Shi frowned and said, "Sir, now that the prince's rebel gang is in our jurisdiction, and he wants to stay like this forever, what should we do?"
Ding Sheng clasped his hands behind his back, thought for a while, and said: "Then we can only invite this god away. Zhou Jian wants to divert trouble to the east, so we can simply help him and lure the prince elsewhere. As long as he It has nothing to do with the flood outside my jurisdiction."
Chang Shi said: "Sir, my subordinates have a plan. The art of war is so comprehensive that one of them is missing. How about our army take the initiative to make a way out for the prince's rebellious party. When the time comes, he can go wherever he wants."
Ding Sheng nodded and said: "Yes! Just do it like this. By the way, our army will attack the city as usual in two days."
Chang Shi said doubtfully: "Sir, are you not..."
Ding Sheng said impatiently: "It's fake, just a show, for the higher-ups to see. Who told you to really attack the city? We accepted the imperial order, but at least we have to show off!"
Chang Shi suddenly said: "My lord, I will arrange it right now..."
"Well! Go ahead. Remember to restrain your soldiers and generals. The more realistic the acting is, the better. It's best to get injured and get some glory. When you go back, I will give you a generous reward..."
Chang Shi naturally understood and exited the camp...
Five days later, Zhou Jian watched as Ding Sheng commanded the siege of the city in a serious manner. With just a stick of incense, the county soldiers quickly dispersed. Ding Sheng personally stepped forward to supervise the battle, threatening to kill the deserters, but he was still a large group of officers and soldiers. Just as they were about to attack the city, they retreated inexplicably.
Zhou Jian was speechless. He knew that this old fox was just acting these days. He was a professional in fighting. How could he be trusted by a civilian imperial envoy sent by the imperial court? How could he be fooled by him? Isn't this a show of force in front of Guan Gong?
Zhou Jian was extremely bored watching Ding Darao's siege performance, so he simply turned his horse's head and returned to the military camp. He knew that this old cunning man was not fooled, but he was frozen here and he didn't want to really do it. Prince, why did Wang An, his immediate superior, the military captain Cheng Pu, push him around, and finally put the blame on him? He himself had done a great job in rescuing him and was made a marquis. What about me? I can only accept this thankless job.
never mind! Just wait, the people you meet along the way are all old fritters who are slipperier than loaches. When the superiors can't bear it anymore, they will naturally send people to deal with it. Even if they lose their official positions, it is better than losing their lives. .
Outside Huai'an County, the city has been surrounded for more than twenty years, and the siege battle is still in full swing. It seems that Huai'an County is impregnable. More than 20,000 people surround the city with hundreds of defeated soldiers, and they can't take it down.
The prince's rebels probably could also see that Ding Sheng was putting on a show, and the rebels did not take advantage of the chaos to break out. They fled far away and did not want to fight to the death. The two sides were deadlocked again.
This made Ding Sheng very worried. He couldn't let them go explicitly. This was true. Sometimes, both sides had to guess the other's intentions. They could only understand but not understand.
At this time, Ding Sheng was frowning in the Chinese army's tent, not knowing what to do. The guard outside came to report: "Master Ding, there are more than a hundred mysterious people riding outside the military camp. The leader is here to serve the army and encircle and suppress the rebellious party." .”
When Ding Sheng heard this, he was secretly happy. He was really sleepy and gave him a pillow. It seemed that the upright and upright scapegoat was here, so he immediately ordered someone to invite them in.
I saw only one person at the head, wearing a mask. When he saw Ding Sheng, he took off the mask on his own initiative, stepped forward and said: "I am Sumu, a good friend of His Highness the Crown Prince. I have observed that Lord Ding has been attacking the city for a long time in the past ten days, and there is no trace of it." Progress, but why?”
When Ding Sheng heard that he was a friend of the prince, he was shocked. Seeing that he had a strong build and tattoos on his face, he seemed to be a martial arts expert, and he was a prisoner in the past. Could he have come to assassinate him to save the prince? Ding Sheng was about to call the guards to capture him first.
Su Mu seemed to see his intention, and smiled slightly: "Don't panic, Lord Sheriff, I won't do anything to you. Besides, there are thousands of troops in this camp, wouldn't I be asking for death if I take action rashly? I'm here today I am asking to see you, Your Majesty, because I want to resolve the current impasse for you, Your Majesty. You must not want His Royal Highness to die within your jurisdiction, right?"
When Ding Sheng heard this, his heart moved and he said, "Does the knight have a way to solve this problem?"
