Luo E was killed in battle, He Guan failed in the arrow fight, and Zhang Xian was captured. The morale of the Song army dropped sharply.
Zhao Ji came here to take advantage of the excitement, but now he was extremely disappointed. The fear that he had suppressed before suddenly flared up, and he immediately ordered the city gates to be closed tightly and drove back to the palace.
Not long after, two decrees came from the palace. First, He missed the opportunity before the formation and was demoted to two levels of official rank; second, Zhang Suo was old and resigned from the post of generalissimo, and the ninth prince Zhao Gou was appointed to the throne. The marshal of troops and horses directs the entire army in battle.
After Zhao Gou took office, he made Liu Lin deputy commander-in-chief and general. His five brothers, Zhang Yong, Ma You, Cao Cheng, Li Hong, and Kong Yanzhou, were all made generals.
He Guan accepted the order and smiled, not taking it seriously. He sent the angel away and poured wine alone to drink slowly. After drinking for a while, someone suddenly came from Tong Guan's house and invited him to come into the house for a chat.
He Guan was in the Western Army and followed Tong Guan in battles for many years. He was promoted many times and regarded Tong Guan as his general.
When they arrived at Tong's Mansion, a confidant led him into the study. He Guan stepped in and saw that there was no light in the study and Tong Guan was sitting alone in the darkness.
He Guan took advantage of the peripheral light outside the window, pulled out a chair and sat down, and said with a smile: "Thank you for your kindness. I wonder what you have to do?"
Tong Guan was silent for a while and then said slowly: "Zhong Yuan, I have learned about today's battle. Now everyone in the court knows that Wu Dalang is leading a tired army. What do you think?"
Zhongyuan is called He Guan.
He Guan said with a smile: "Why should I ask knowingly? Wu Zhi is an unparalleled hero, Aguda is such a hero, but he is a little less charming. Where such people are stationed, where the flag is pointed, the men are vying to die, how can we say that the army is exhausted?"
Tong Guanyi couldn't help but laugh, shook his head and said, "In this case, do you think the Song Dynasty will definitely lose?"
He Guan said: "We had a lucky victory over Fang La before. If a hero were in power, he would have ordered all the generals to chase him away and wipe out the remnant party in one fell swoop. Then he would purge the south of the Yangtze River, restore people's livelihood, arrange group training, and rely on the Yangtze River as a basis to reunite with the Wu family. They were fighting over each other. But what was the real situation? They only won a mere victory over Fangla. From top to bottom, everyone thought that the big thing was settled. You didn’t want to worry about it, and you would not fight hard. You just sat back and waited for Wu Zhi to come south, and made Du Chong, Wang Xiena and others useless. The people who guard the Yangtze River are in danger from the enemy in vain. If this court is undefeated, what is the law of heaven?"
After hearing this, Tong Guan applauded and laughed: "As expected of the 'Shenjian Inspection', he has good eyesight and insight! In that case..."
His smile suddenly faded and he stared at He Guan with bright eyes: "Why do you still work for Zhao?"
He Guan said calmly: "I am a soldier. I eat from which family and fight for which family. This is my duty as a soldier."
Tong Guan sighed: "You are a soldier and I am a slave of the emperor. Logically speaking, I am an old slave and I should not be afraid of death. It's just, it's just me..."
At this point, he suddenly started crying and said sadly: "I, an old slave, just want to live and die in peace in bed. What do you think I should do?"
He Guan chuckled, shook his head and said: "En Xiang, what will you do with me? I am today thanks to your promotion. If you want me to surrender to Wu Zhi, why not surrender? Back in Yuguan. , I would like to advise you not to kill Zhang Jue and Li Ying, just to leave a chance for you to meet each other."
Tong Guan thought about what happened before, and suddenly realized something. A pair of big cold hands held He Guan's hand tightly, and two lines of tears rolled down his eyes: "General He, you are determined, you are determined!"
In the dark room, two heads came close to each other, muttering that they were about to get up.
At the same moment, seven or eight miles away, in the study room of another Xuanhe mansion, no lamps or candles were lit. An old man and a young man were talking quietly to themselves.
The younger one said angrily: "This foolish king is getting more and more foolish. He passed the throne to my eldest brother and then took it back. It's a big joke in the world! Just take it back. Regardless of whether he is eldest, young, virtuous or mediocre, I should be made the crown prince." , but he fell in love with that warrior Lao Jiu! Lao Jiu was also hateful and ridiculous. He knew some bows and horses, and made friends with several generals. The emperor called him a lion, and he actually thought that he was Sun Ce. He was so arrogant. It’s rude, don’t put my brother in your eyes at all!”
He said something here and there, venting his dissatisfaction wantonly. The old man said nothing and slowly listened to him for a long time. Then he slowly said: "Your Highness, do you think there is hope for the continuation of the Zhao family?"
The young man was stunned for a moment. After a long time, he shook his head and said with a bitter smile: "Jinling City can be defended for a day or two, but it cannot be defended for a year or two. Wu Dalang's strong generals gathered together, which is even more terrifying than that of Jin Liao. Our country even has Jin Liao." Even if he is as fearful as a tiger, how can he resist Wu Dalang?"
As he spoke, he couldn't help but feel envious: "It's my brother's good fortune. He escaped somehow, abdicated the throne, and exchanged my family's wealth for his personal wealth. Wu Dalang was born in the world, and he values fidelity. My brother is regarded as the best in his life. Stable."
The old voice laughed and said: "Your Highness, why should you belittle yourself? In fact, in your hands, you also have the weight to exchange for wealth! And I want a better ending, and it all depends on this."
The young man wondered: "It's not that Xiao Wang looks down on the old master, it's just that the old prime minister has not been favored by his father since he returned to the south. How can he still have any chips in his hand?"
The old man laughed heartily: "Your Highness, my bargaining chip is the same as yours, it is your father!"
"Oh?" The young master perked up and said, "What does the old master mean by saying that we capture the father and give it to Wu Zhi?"
The old man shook his head and said fiercely: "How can I give him enough? Wu Zhi's soldiers and horses are strong, and he will be able to break into Jinling sooner or later. The officials will not be able to escape. What Cai means..."
A few words came out from between his teeth: "I will cut into pieces the official's body, and use his flesh and bones as an old man to advance to the next level!"
"Ah?" After hearing this, the young man turned pale with fright. He leaned back and fell to the ground with his chair: "Cai Jing! You have lost your mind and gone crazy! My father is so kind to you, you It’s okay to capture him and offer him as a prisoner, but how dare you do such a treasonous and unethical thing?”
The old man was stunned, and said with a smile: "Zhao Kai, I thought you were responsible, but you turned out to be so useless! Did you know that among the women in Wu Zhi, there was one named Shishi, who was the first in Bianliang back then? An oiran, Li Shishi? Li Shishi has been occupied by your father for a long time. No man, except Cao Mengde, would not taboo this matter. But he became the emperor, and it was okay to give Zhao Ji death. If he beheaded the previous emperor, wouldn't he be burdened in history? Notorious reputation? Now I am going to bear this eternal bad reputation for him, let him vent his bad breath, and exchange for a peaceful old age and rich descendants! As for you saying that Zhao Ji is kind to me..."
It turns out that the old and the young are actually Cai Jing and the third prince Zhao Kai!
But I heard old Cai Jing sneer and say: "Haha, you know, when Wang Jinggong was the prime minister in the past, he said that there are only three people in the world who can succeed in his career, and Cai is one of them! Cai started from a humble beginning and had no one to rely on. With no one to rely on, he relied solely on his own abilities and established himself in the officialdom. If a wise king were in court, how could it be difficult for Cai to become a famous official through the ages based on his talents? However, unfortunately, he met Zhao Ji, a frivolous emperor. If Cai wanted to If you want to be a good minister, you will not be tolerated in the court. If you want to be a high official, it will be difficult to keep your reputation! Do you think Zhao Ji is kind to me? He regards me as a hound and fish eagle, just fishing and hunting for him. If there is a slight change in the world, stop immediately. Expelled from each other, if Mr. Cai hadn't been so thick-skinned, he would have been stunned to death by this foolish king!"
As he spoke, his smile became even colder: "Yes, Mr. Cai, an old and thick-skinned man, gave up the word shame many years ago in order to become a high-ranking official and enjoy wealth. I, a shameless minister like me, serve this lawless king." , in such a situation, wouldn’t it fit in with the fate of the two of us as kings and ministers to kill the old master in order to invite the new king to favor him? Third prince, will you do this or not? "
Zhao Kai said in panic: "What the hell! You're crazy, Cai Jing, Grand Master Cai, you're crazy!" After saying that, he stood up in a panic, only to see a light flash, and a light suddenly lit up in the dark study. Zhao Kai looked at the oil lamp hastily and saw Cai Jing sitting on the Grand Master's chair with a gloomy face. Behind him stood a general quietly, it was Yang Cunzhong who had pretended to surrender to Fang La before!
Unexpectedly, there was a third person in the room. Zhao Kai screamed and turned around to run away. A sharp look flashed in Cai Jing's eyes and he shouted: "Kill!"
Yang Cunzhong strode forward, drew out his sword, and stabbed Zhao Kai with a sword from behind. Zhao Kai wanted to call for help, but Yang Cunzhong pinched his neck and struck him with several swords. The dignified third prince of the Song Dynasty settled the matter silently.
With a ferocious look on his face, Cai Jing stood up with his hands on the chair: "Okay! I am loyal and I am not in vain for promoting you. Now I will order the generals in the mansion to rush into the palace and behead the foolish king. You and I are both heroes of the Han Dynasty!"
At the same time, 20,000 troops from Maoshan bypassed the Qinhuai River and headed straight for Lao Cao's camp. When they passed the southeast corner of Jinling City, a fire flashed on the city, and an arrow flew headlessly, hitting Lu Zhishen's bald head. He exclaimed: "The Sa family is dead!"
This is exactly——
Each has its own ghostly fetus, each has its own ghostly womb, and each has its own grave. The heroes from the south of the Yangtze River come to meet each other, and a sharp arrow comes up to the city!
(End of chapter)
