To the west of Wancheng, the second battle between the Yulin Army and the Chu Xiang Army ended with Ge Cifeng's defeat. Ge Cifeng's remaining 80,000 soldiers and horses were killed and captured, and as many as 50,000 were scattered. Ge Cifeng himself took only 30,000 soldiers and horses and fled westward in a hurry. If he hadn't exerted pressure on the 30,000 North Chu and Hunan troops led by Liangyu, forcing Tang Xingchang to lead his troops to the north for reinforcements, leaving no time to catch up, Ge Cifeng would have been even worse.
On Xiang Liangyu's side, the Northern Route Army had previously killed Yulin Army general Zhang Yu. Although they did not completely defeat the Yulin Army's North Route troops, their morale was strong. Thirty thousand soldiers and horses faced Tang Xingchang's 50,000 soldiers and horses, and they did not lose at all. But Xiang Liangyu didn't understand why Ge Cifeng's 80,000 troops were instantly defeated, showing a overwhelming defeat. But being a good general, Ge Cifeng was defeated and immediately launched a fierce attack on Liangyu, forcing Tang Xingchang to lead his troops to rescue him.
Tang Xingchang arrived, and the pressure on Xiang Liangyu suddenly increased. The 30,000 soldiers and horses did not dare to resist the hundreds of thousands of Yu Lin's troops, and immediately decided to lead his troops to flee north. The speed was as fast as the victory.
The dust gradually settled on the smoke-filled battlefield. Not only Chen Congwei and his party were all injured, but the soldiers of Yu Lin were not in any good shape either. In this battle, nine out of ten of the soldiers led by Ge Cifeng were injured, while Tang Xingchang's hundreds of thousands of soldiers and horses were still intact and still had fighting strength.
"What is this? This..." When a Yulin sergeant was cleaning the battlefield, he discovered the head of Ge Wangong, King of Chu Xiang, and was inexplicably horrified.
"Quickly, send it to Prime Minister Zhou to have a look." The other soldiers came over and noticed something unusual about this head, and they all suggested submitting it to Prime Minister Zhou for his decision.
The soldiers who found it did not dare to neglect it. Together with the boxes scattered nearby, they packed it up and sent it to Zhou Ziru: "Prime Minister Zhou, while cleaning the battlefield, I found a head. There seems to be something unusual. Please make a decision, Prime Minister Zhou."
Zhou Ziru had not recovered from the joy of victory at this time. Although he had already expected it in his heart, it was really refreshing to see Ge Cifeng running away in embarrassment. The call of the soldiers called Zhou Ziru back from his wandering thoughts, and then he began to focus on the affairs on the battlefield.
"Head? What head? Open it and let me see." Zhou Ziru was a little interested. Ordinary heads would definitely not be sent to him. Moreover, the box was as big as a head, so he had already prepared it.
The soldier opened the box and handed it to Zhou Ziru. Zhou Ziru stepped forward and took a look, and was shocked: "King Chu Xiang is dead!" King Chu Xiang had come to the capital a few years ago, and Zhou Ziru had seen this before. A rebellious, arrogant and domineering prince.
"The incision on the neck of this head is smooth and flat, and the blood in the cavity has dried for a long time. It is unlike other heads on the battlefield. Prime Minister, how should I dispose of this thing?" the soldier asked.
Zhou Ziru calmed down slightly, looked at the slightly immature soldier in front of him, suddenly burst into laughter, and said: "You are also a lucky person, and you were able to pick up the head of the majestic King Xiang of Chu. Take note of this." , this person's official position has been promoted to three levels in a row, and he will be rewarded with a thousand taels, so go."
The soldier was immediately confused and a little at a loss. It wasn't until Zhou Ziru's left and right guards limped and pulled him to receive the reward that he believed it was true. He was so happy that he turned around and ran away with the box.
"Hey, put down the head!" Zhou Ziru shouted repeatedly.
Tang Xingchang rushed to Zhou Ziru's side, looked at Zhou Ziru carefully, and saw that he was unharmed, then he felt relieved: "Prime Minister Zhou, just be okay, just be okay!"
"I'm fine, Tang Shuai, come and take a look at this." Zhou Ziru pulled Tang Xingchang over to inspect the head of King Chu Xiang.
"King Chu Xiang! This... is not a new injury, it must have been for dozens of days... In such a hot weather, it is so lifelike that it requires special methods such as spices, lime, and air-drying to be planned in advance... Is this... done by Ge Cifeng? "Tang Xingchang not only recognized King Chu Xiang with just one glance, he even guessed that the person responsible had already made arrangements. There is no one else but Ge Cifeng who has such ability.
Zhou Ziru nodded: "Yes, I just realized it. If someone else had done it, Ge Cifeng would have had to go back to attend the funeral whether the murderer was caught or not. But he fought with us on the front line for several days and never stayed away. Unless I have already known what I personally did, so I will not leave."
"Tiger's poison will not eat its children, and humans are too poisonous to be kissed... This Ge Cifeng is so rebellious and dares to kill his father..." Tang Xingchang was extremely shocked by Ge Cifeng's ruthlessness.
"Ten days ago, when we had not yet fought, and counting the time to return to Jingcheng, Ge Cifeng must have arranged this matter long ago. But... why did he want to kill King Chu Xiang? Could it be that he was waiting for It's too late, you want to ascend the throne as King of Chu Xiang as soon as possible? But why do you want to deal with the leader like this and bring him to the battlefield?" Zhou Ziru analyzed it carefully.
Tang Xingchang did not speak at the side. He knew that Zhou Ziru had begun to think and just waited quietly.
"There is nothing more important than war in Chu Xiang now. Even if Ge Cifeng kills King Chu Xiang, he will not be able to ascend the throne immediately. Is it because there is still a grudge between father and son? It is not so urgent...then it can only be for war. ...The teacher is famous?!" Zhou Ziru suddenly had an idea and suddenly thought.
Thinking of the Chu Xiang army's defeat just now, Zhou Ziru became more and more sure of his guess: "In order to gain a reputation as a teacher, Ge Cifeng killed his own father, King Chu Xiang, and then framed him to the court, so that Chu Xiang's army Be famous!"
"If you want to accuse someone, why bother? How can you kill your own father just to gain a reputation as a teacher?" Tang Xingchang didn't believe it.
"What if father and son have a grudge? But I heard that King Ge Wangong of Chu Xiang is very concerned about his only son, so where is the grudge?"
Tang Xingchang dissuaded him and said: "Forget it, Prime Minister Zhou, don't think about it. What should we do with this head now? Send it to the capital and hand it over to His Majesty for disposal?"
Zhou Ziru nodded: "Well, it is King Xiang of Chu after all. We cannot make the decision without authorization."
After the head was sent away, Guan Chenzi came over and asked, "Could it be that Prime Minister Zhou already knew about this?"
Zhou Ziru shook his head: "No, our army previously sent a light cavalry of 3,000 people, which detoured from the north road and arrived at Chuxiang. I originally thought that the cavalry was discovered by Ge Cifeng, and they were eager to return to help, but that The retreat should not be so fast."
"Don't think about it if you can't figure it out. Ge Cifeng is about to escape. Should we chase him or not?" Guan Chenzi interrupted Zhou Ziru's thoughts and asked impatiently.
"Pursue! Although I don't understand why, it's such a God-given opportunity. If you don't take it, it would be against heaven!" Zhou Ziru really put the matter aside, stopped looking into it in detail, and ordered the pursuit.
Tang Xingchang accepted the order with clasped fists, and soon led 50,000 troops and horses in a mighty pursuit westward.
"Everyone, this battle is all due to the efforts of Laier and others. Please return to the capital temporarily so that you can recover from your injuries. I will report to your Majesty again. Given time, the battle between Chu and Xiang can be completely won. Your Majesty, please wait patiently." Zhou Ziru said to Qingtian and others. Zhongchen Congwei cupped their fists and saluted, bowing slightly to show their thanks.
"Prime Minister Zhou, your Majesty has an order for us to take you back to the capital. Please move on here." Jia Hai had a piece of white cloth covered in front of his eyes. After everyone helped him position himself, they cupped their hands in response.
Zhou Ziru smiled and said: "I know, don't worry, I will not put you in trouble. When I write a letter to your majesty, please bring it back. Your majesty will not blame you when he sees this letter."
"It's so helpful to Prime Minister Zhou." Everyone in Chen Congwei bowed their hands and thanked him.
…
In the ruined temple, Yi Xiaodao supported Li Dingxing and walked out of the temple.
"You've been resting for so long, why are you still looking so weak? You're not pretending on purpose to take advantage of me, are you?" The more Yi Xiaodao thought about it, the more something was wrong, and he grabbed Li Dingxing and asked.
"Come and try pulling this bow tomorrow!" Li Dingxing retorted.
"Okay, okay, it's my fault, it's my fault." Yi Xiaodao stopped quickly. Li Dingxing's archery skills were outstanding. If it hadn't been for that arrow in Donglu, Yi Xiaodao would have been killed by Dongfang Zhong.
Before the two of them left the temple, the young man with a high ponytail returned to the temple carrying two grilled fishes. Seeing that the two of them were supporting each other and trying to leave, he said expressionlessly: "The injury has not healed yet. Let’s rest for a few more days.”
When Yi Xiaodao saw the young man coming back, he frowned and asked, "Who are you? How do you know me? If you don't tell me, we won't feel safe eating this fish. Please take it away, sir."
Li Dingxing glanced sideways at Yi Xiaodao and muttered to himself: "You always eat less."
The young man threw the two grilled fishes out, turning around and leaving regardless of whether they could catch them.
"Hey, I don't want to eat. I really don't want to eat?" Yi Xiaodao's voice came from behind, but the young man didn't even look back.
The two of them devoured the two grilled fishes thoroughly. Just as they were about to speak, the young man rushed into the temple and said, "Shh, don't make any noise. There are soldiers coming outside."
"Whose soldiers and horses?" Yi Xiaodao was extremely concerned.
"Chu Xiang Army." The young man's answer was always concise.
Yi Xiaodao and Li Dingxing looked at each other, their eyebrows filled with joy. : "The Imperial Court's Yulin Army must have won a complete victory, otherwise how could the Chu Xiang Army have gone and returned?"
"No matter what, don't go out." The young man warned.
Yi Xiaodao nodded repeatedly and lowered his voice involuntarily: "I know... I won't go out..."
Soon, a large group of people passed by on the official road not far away. Many soldiers still held guns and wore armor, but more Chu Xiang soldiers lost all their armor and weapons in order to reduce their burden. From time to time, soldiers passed by on horseback with sad faces, and they were undoubtedly defeated.
The two of them lay in the ruined temple and watched for a long time. Fortunately, everyone in the Chu Xiang army just wanted to run for their lives, and no one came to the ruined temple to harm them.
After a while, this large wave of people had gone away, and the bustle returned to the outside of the ruined temple.
"Okay, everyone is gone, can we go out?" Yi Xiaodao looked at his "savior" and asked.
The young man was about to nod when suddenly the rotten wooden door of the ruined temple was smashed into pieces, and a figure crashed into the temple, bumping into the three of them.
"Zhou Linglong!" Yi Xiaodao and Li Dingxing recognized the person.
