Zhou Ziru led the Yulin army of less than 20,000 people and camped outside the city. In the commander's tent, Guan Chenzi and Tong Weizi sat on both sides of Zhou Ziru's ground, temporarily acting as Zhou Ziru's personal bodyguards. Even if you can't defeat the Qilin Gong people, you can still resist for a while.
This was Guan Chenzi's request. Zhou Ziru did not refuse, and Tong Weizi had no choice but to accompany her.
"Prime Minister Zhou, there is Wancheng ahead of us, but there are only dozens of miles left. Why don't we go into Wancheng to take shelter temporarily?" Xie Ruizhen came to Zhou Ziru and asked.
"But there are only dozens of miles left. What difference does it make if we enter Wancheng or not?" Zhou Ziru lost the high-spirited spirit he had before the battle yesterday and was replaced by a calm and sophisticated one.
Xie Ruizhen knew that he could not persuade Zhou Ziru, so he bowed and said, "I hope Prime Minister Zhou will not forget your majesty's trust and put his own safety first." After saying that, he turned and left.
As soon as Xie Ruizhen left, Luo Dangdong came to the commander's tent and paid homage to Zhou Ziru: "Prime Minister Zhou, I have sent a message to Commander Tang. Commander Tang replied that he would be able to bring troops to respond within an hour."
"Who asked you to deliver the message?" After hearing this, Zhou Ziru changed his calm and sophisticated look and became a little angry.
"I..." Luo Dangdong was suddenly asked by Zhou Ziru, and looking at Zhou Ziru's face, he was immediately at a loss.
"It's up to you, are you the coach here or am I the coach!" Zhou Ziru suddenly slapped the coach, his anger uncontrollable.
Luo Dangdong quickly prostrated himself on the ground and said, "This subordinate has overstepped his bounds. Please forgive me, Prime Minister Zhou!"
Guan Chenzi stood up and walked between Zhou Ziru and Luo Dangdong. He took out his fly whisk and swept it twice in front of Zhou Ziru. After just these two blows, Zhou Ziru felt the refreshing energy, like the spring breeze blowing on his face, and the feeling of heat was reduced a little.
Zhou Ziru took a deep breath and suppressed the anger in his heart: "Get up, go down and get ready, and follow me to greet Tang Shuai later."
"I obey!" Luo Dangdong naturally understood that Zhou Ziru's sudden change of attitude was closely related to Guan Chenzi. The people in Zhenyang Mountain were all capable. Otherwise, how could they be made the state religion by the late emperor?
After Luo Dangdong left, Zhou Ziru said in a deep voice: "Thank you, Taoist Priest."
Guan Chenzi said softly: "The matter has been settled, Prime Minister Zhou need not be too concerned."
"Alas, it's a foregone conclusion..." Zhou Ziru sighed softly: "When Wu Dinggong left the capital, he brought back Nanhuai and Donglu for the imperial court. I have been preparing for half my life, and your Majesty has been fully supportive, but it ended up like this..."
"It is imperative that Nanhuai and Donglu return to the imperial court. Wu Dinggong has good luck, and although it depends on people, there is also God's help. When Zhou Xiang went to Chu and Xiang, the weather, time and place were not here, only people were harmonious. Zhou Xiang could do it It's extremely rare to get to this point." Guan Chenzi then comforted him.
"That's right. Besides, we haven't retreated yet. Doesn't that Tang Shuai still have a hundred thousand troops under his command? Prime Minister Zhou can regain his strength." Tong Weizi also stood up to persuade him, and the two of them followed the Yulin army through life and death. Naturally, some of the intelligence information was not kept secret from them.
Zhou Ziru was silent, but the unwillingness in his heart could still be seen from his clenched fists.
"If Prime Minister Zhou died here, I wonder... how the ancestors of the Zhou family would feel? Are they happy that the Zhou family has such a strong son and grandson, or are they angry that they have a poor mentality and it is difficult to achieve great things?" Guan Chenzi traveled around the world and saw He was well-informed and saw that good words and persuasion had little effect, so he deliberately said that the ancestors of the Zhou family were irritating each other.
Just these words, Zhou Ziru was like a wake-up call, enlightened, and was stunned for a long time. After a long time, he stood up and bowed: "Thank you, Taoist Master, for the advice."
Guan Chenzi returned the favor and returned to his seat to sit down. A smart person doesn't need to say too much. He only needs to say the key words to the point, and then just let him think about it slowly.
The three of them had just sat down when Xie Ruizhen hurriedly came in and reported: "Prime Minister Zhou, it's not good. Ge Cifeng is chasing after him with his troops, less than five miles away from our army! They will be here in a moment, please leave Commander Zhou... to withdraw into Anhui." city!"
"What a fast speed." Zhou Ziru praised, because after observing Chenzi's words, this time he actually followed the good advice. He stood up and ordered: "Send the order to break camp and withdraw to Wancheng. By the way, he quickly sent the order to Tang Shuai to send troops to respond. The navy on the south route sails back and forth on the river to act as a suspect, but the north route... is not necessary."
Zhang Yu died on the North Road, and Zhou Ziru had already learned the news. If he sent more people, morale would be lowered, which would be like fighting the fire with salary.
When Xie Ruizhen heard Zhou Ziru's order, he was overjoyed when he originally had no hope. If Zhou Ziru insisted not to leave, there was nothing they could do. When Ge Cifeng leads his troops to pursue them, everyone will have no choice but to die in battle. Otherwise, even if they were lucky enough to escape back to Wancheng and lose Zhou Ziru, their official fortune would definitely be over. As for their lives, it would depend on whether His Majesty the Emperor was in a good mood that day.
"Yes, my subordinates can go and do it!" Xie Ruizhen was quite happy and left the commander's tent.
After Xie Ruizhen left, the handsome tent was opened again, and this time a large group of people squeezed in. It turned out that Chen Congwei had arrived from behind.
"Thank you for your help!" Zhou Ziru thanked everyone with his hands raised.
Everyone hurriedly raised their hands and returned the greeting: "Your Majesty has ordered us to protect the safety of Prime Minister Zhou. We also ask Prime Minister Zhou to leave immediately and follow us back to Wancheng."
Zhou Ziru looked at everyone one by one. They had just gone through a bloody battle in the middle of the night, and almost everyone was defeated. Zangyun was extremely weak, and could only be supported by Qingtian Jiahai and others.
"I understand your good intentions. But as the commander-in-chief of an army, even if I lose the battle, how can I abandon my soldiers? Please go away, I will never escape alone!" Zhou Ziru bluntly refused. .
As the Minister of Literature of Daqi, Zhou Ziru's status was already lower than that of one person and more than ten thousand people. However, after all, the Chen Congwei belonged to the emperor's personal guards, and their status was still not as noble as that of the Minister of Literature. Although Zhou Ziru's words were firm, he was quite polite to Chen Congwei and others for saving his life.
"Prime Minister Zhou, I'm offended!" Fan Yu pushed Lin and Cai Cai no matter what the commander or deputy general was, the emperor's order was greater than heaven! The two of them were about to step forward at this moment, preparing to take Zhou Ziru away by force.
"What are you doing!" Guan Chenzi stepped in front of Zhou Ziru and stopped Fan Yu Tui and Lin. His eyebrows stood up: "As Chen Congwei, do you want to do the following?"
"We are also acting under His Majesty's orders. Please, Taoist Master, please don't embarrass us again!" Qingtian said first. When they captured Fang Qianlong in the capital before, it was Guan Chenzi and the two who hindered them. Now that they saw the two of them, everyone was a little angry.
Guan Chenzi refused to give in: "We are only a few dozen miles away from Wancheng, and we will arrive in the blink of an eye. So you can't protect Prime Minister Zhou? If you really can't protect him, you don't need to take action. My brothers and I will stop the pursuers." That’s it!”
Tong Weizi was speechless, no matter what you do, you have to drag me in! He walked up to Guan Chenzi and tugged at the corner of her clothes. Guan Chenzi gently broke away but refused to let go.
The two sides were about to clash. A junior high school officer broke into the commander's tent. He was shocked when he saw so many people. He quickly knelt on one knee and reported: "Prime Minister Zhou, the vanguard of the Chu Xiang Army has left our army." Less than three miles away, General Xie led his troops to stop him and ordered Mo to escort Prime Minister Zhou back to Wancheng!"
"Those who achieve great things don't stick to trivial matters. The matter is urgent. Prime Minister Zhou, please follow us and leave. In the past, the emperor of the Han Dynasty even abandoned his wife and children to achieve great success. I hope Prime Minister Zhou will learn from the past!" Jia Hai said in his belly. A little bit of ink and know how to quote scriptures.
Zhou Ziru was about to speak when a white pigeon suddenly flew in from outside the tent and landed on the handsome desk, calling out "coo".
"Here it comes!" Zhou Ziru grabbed the white pigeon and pulled it roughly on the pigeon's leg regardless of his style. He took off a bamboo tube and poured out a note: "We have arrived in Chuxiang, and the earth is covering the sky. turn!"
"Okay! Okay! Okay! Hahahaha!!!" Zhou Ziru saw the note and laughed wildly as if no one else was watching.
Everyone was puzzled: "What happened to Prime Minister Zhou?" Tui Lin and Fan Yu couldn't wait any longer, so they walked around Guan Chenzi and were about to take Zhou Ziru away.
"Who dares to touch Zhou Xiang!" Guan Chenzi and Tong Weizi had a clear understanding of each other. They drew their swords at the same time and stopped in front of Tui Lin and Fan Yu. Two ink shadows also appeared quietly behind them. In an instant, the two of them were surrounded.
"Stop fighting, Chu Xiang will retreat in less than a day!" Zhou Ziru said with a smile: "Our army has won a great victory in this battle! I hope you will follow me out of the camp to fight against Chu Xiang!" Zhou Ziru resumed his guidance. , with a high-spirited attitude, and his face became even more rosy after laughing wildly.
"Prime Minister Zhou, the other side still has an army of 70,000! Our army has less than 20,000 left..." Qingtian reminded from the side.
"So what about the 70,000-strong army? We only need to hold on for a moment, and the soldiers and horses of Wancheng will come to respond. By then, Chu and Xiang will retreat, and our army will win a complete victory!" Zhou Ziru was full of energy and his words became sonorous. powerful.
"Okay, stop talking. Follow me out of the camp." Zhou Ziru took the lead and walked out of the tent. The people who stayed in the tent looked at each other with concerns.
Qingtian looked at Jiahai: "What should we do?"
Jiahai thought for a moment and said slowly: "Prime Minister Zhou is the commander-in-chief of the army after all. He said he can win. Maybe there is a chance to turn defeat into victory. If we take him away by force at this time, we may save Prime Minister Zhou but not Wancheng." ... First, follow Prime Minister Zhou to see if the situation is not right, Zangyun, you take Prime Minister Zhou away, and we will cover you, and we will definitely live up to His Majesty’s orders!"
Zang Yun nodded and said: "Okay, let me rest for a moment." Among the Chen Cong Wei, only Zang Yun is the fastest in Qinggong. If he rushes with all his strength, not even Chen Cong Wei, not many people in the world can catch up. Fuck him.
Everyone had made a decision. Although they were injured, they still opened the curtain and followed Zhou Ziru.
"They can still be reasonable, why don't you be so fierce every time?" Tong Weizi looked at the Chen Congwei leaving the tent and said to Guan Chenzi.
Guan Chenzi changed his solemn expression in front of everyone, rolled his eyes at Tong Weizi, and dragged him out.
"And... can you please stop holding me back for everything..." Before Tong Weizi could finish his words, he was already dragged out of the tent...
…
"Where is this..." Yi Xiaodao woke up in a daze and looked around.
With the collapsed Buddha statues, dense cobwebs, and thick dust, this was clearly a ruined temple. Li Dingxing was lying next to him, and Yi Xiaodao quickly checked his injuries. Fortunately, except for some scratches, there were no serious injuries.
"Are you awake? Let's have something to eat." A young man walked in from outside the tent, holding several grilled fat fish, which were steaming hot, and handed them to Yi Xiaodao in a cold voice.
"Who are you?" Yi Xiaodao looked at this person and took the fish hesitantly, but did not take his mouthful.
"Huh, noble people forget things." The young man turned his head and said angrily.
