Xie Guang sat motionless in the dim meeting hall.
The sunset, which was gradually setting, was no longer so dazzling. A few soft rays of light filtered through the cracks in the window and reflected on Xie Guang's cheek, making his face half-light and half-dark.
Compared with five years ago when he led his troops to the aid of Western Xinjiang and defeated the Turkic blood wolf army, he now looks much older and haggard.
The road to world domination is not going smoothly.
The reason why it was so rough and bumpy, Xie Guang believes, is because he was deceived. And the person who lied to him was Ashina Zhijin.
From the beginning, the Turks did not tell the truth.
They asked Lao Jianhua to be the middleman and came all the way to tell him: the Turkic Empire's goal was Western Xinjiang, and only Western Xinjiang. The purpose of capturing the Ghost Desert of the Thousand Miles of Western Frontier was to threaten the Persian Dynasty from the flanks and form a strategic advantage over it; and to obtain a buffer zone to prevent Shengtang from continuing to invade westward.
This statement seemed so logical and reasonable in Lao Jianhua's mouth, so he chose to believe it, and was pleasantly surprised to think that this was an excellent opportunity given to him by God.
Shengtang was too powerful, so powerful that no one had the chance to challenge the imperial throne, unless... an enemy as powerful as Shengtang could appear and completely contain the power of the dynasty.
The Turks are the most suitable candidates.
They invaded Western Xinjiang and caused chaos in the world. Xie Guang had the opportunity to check and balance the imperial court and support the bandits. At the same time, he could take advantage of the chaos to kill a group of veteran generals such as Nian Jinsong, He Jingming, and Xu Lie, and monopolize power.
When he was in power, he marched westward, drove away all the invading enemies, and slaughtered the rebellious vassal states one by one. He achieved a great reputation for thousands of years, and finally replaced the Li family and ascended to the throne of the Nine-Five-Five Supreme Being. throne.
But who could have expected that the Turks would come so quickly, and they did not waste any energy in Western Xinjiang, conquering two passes and heading straight to the imperial capital!
Although Xie Guang had considered such a situation, he still remained optimistic and full of luck: As long as the Xuanjia Army and Dongdu Luoyi are in my hands, sooner or later the world will still be mine!
It wasn't until Li Bing rose to prominence in Hebei and the imperial court gathered an army in Jingxiang that Xie Guang's dream was finally exposed.
He looked around blankly, and then suddenly realized that he had unknowingly reached the edge of eternal destruction!
"There should still be a chance!" Xie Guang looked at the map in ecstasy and murmured: "I am the number one general in Shengtang. In terms of fighting, who can be stronger than me?"
After being stunned for a moment, he suddenly straightened up and said to himself: "Yes, fight with them! Luoyi, Hulao, Chenliu, the army is lined up. As long as the road back to Yanzhou can be ensured to be smooth, then no matter what He Whether Lian Xiong leaves Tongguan or Li Bing's son crosses the Zhang River, I can advance and retreat freely! If they don't move for a day, I will firmly guard Luoyi. In a year and a half, the Xuanjia Army will be able to recover its strength. Then compete with them in the Central Plains!"
Xie Guang raised his head and shouted: "Come here! It is said that the leaders of all the ministries are gathering!"
A soldier pushed open the door, cupped his hands and said, "Master Lao, Master Lao is outside asking for an audience."
"Him?" Xie Guang was slightly startled: "Well, I'm here just in time. I'll talk to him about the new strategy first and ask Lao Jianhua to come in."
After a moment, Lao Jianhua, dressed in armor, strode into the meeting hall. Xie Guang had rarely seen him wearing military uniform before, and he couldn't help but be a little surprised: "Hey, why are you dressed like this? Are you going to the battlefield?"
Lao Jianhua smiled and gave a salute: "Master, the army is about to move, so you should be prepared for your humble duty."
Xie Guang laughed loudly when he heard this: "Sir, you are so clever, you actually guessed that I had a new plan. Come on, come on, you see, I am planning to dispatch troops and generals. In this way, I decided to send the main force of Zuoying to the Chenliu area. Build two lines of defense and rely on the original fortress passes to prevent Li Bing's attack. In this way, the road from Luoyi to Hulao Pass, from Hulao Pass to Chenliu, and then to Yanzhou will be smooth and smooth. Then, we Then you can guard Luoyi with peace of mind..."
Before he finished speaking, Lao Jianhua suddenly said lightly: "Zuoying can't go to Chenliu."
"Huh? Why?" Xie Guang was puzzled and looked up at Lao Jianhua: "What do you mean by this? What do you mean that Zuoying can't go to Chenliu?"
Lao Jianhua and Xie Guang looked at each other and responded calmly: "I don't know something, but just five days ago, all members of the left battalion of the Xuanjia Army set out from Yichuan County to Ruzhou."
Xie Guang was stunned on the spot. He took a closer look at Lao Jianhua who was standing in front of him. He was convinced that the other party was not joking. He suddenly said in shock: "Why?! Why did Ye Rongcheng's troops suddenly leave without my order? And why? Going to Ruzhou? What happened five days ago, why are you just coming to repay me now?!"
Lao Jianhua lowered his hands and stood in awe: "Master Taifu, it is your humble duty to ask Zuoying to clear the way for the large army and open the door to the Huaihe River and Jiangnan area."
With a bang, Xie Guang slapped his palms heavily on the table, with a murderous look in his eyes: "How reckless! Whose fucking idea was it to enter Lianghuai and Jiangnan? How come I don't know at all?"
"It's a humble idea," Lao Jianhua's tone was still very calm: "It is meaningless to defend the eastern capital now. Since the prince is unwilling to agree to the Turks' conditions, we have to take advantage of the prince's army to surround Luoyi as soon as possible. Pulled away.”
A vein popped up on Xie Guang's forehead: "Asshole! It's not your turn to make the decision on this matter! Lao Jianhua, Lao Jianhua, you are so brave, you dare to fake my military order and mobilize the Xuanjia Army without authorization, I bet you are impatient with life, right?"
Lao Jianhua was silent for a moment, and suddenly said quietly: "Master, I did not forge your military orders in my humble position. I gave the orders to General Ye Rongcheng in my own name."
As soon as these words came out, Xie Guang suddenly felt his heart sinking, but he remained calm on the surface and sneered: "Your name? How much is your name worth? Can you mobilize my trusted generals? It's ridiculous!"
"Not only General Ye," Lao Jianhua ignored Xie Guang's sarcasm: "There is also your adopted son General Xie Bao. His troops also set off just now, also under my order."
"Fart!" Xie Guang was furious: "Come here! Guards!"
However, no matter how much he shouted, there was silence outside the meeting hall, and no one responded.
Xie Guang felt as if he had fallen into an ice cave, and his eyes gradually became cold. He stared at Lao Jianhua for a moment and asked in a deep voice: "What exactly do you want to do? Where are my soldiers?"
Lao Jianhua said in a deep tone: "Master, the soldiers are always led by Sima and Zhonglang General Di Xian who joined the army. You should ask him."
Xie Guang knew that since the other party was so confident in front of him, he must have already secured victory, and today's situation would probably be difficult to improve. However, he really couldn't understand how Lao Jianhua did it? With so many rebellious actions, he had been completely concealed by the other party without realizing it. If Lao Jianhua hadn't stood up and pointed it out at this time, he might still be dreaming in confusion.
After all, Xie Guang has been on the battlefield for a long time and is used to big scenes. Faced with the disadvantage in front of him, he forced himself to quickly regain his composure. While thinking about countermeasures, he said with a smile: "Lao Jianhua, you are the real master." Man, Xie made a mistake before. Can you tell me what method you used to fool my direct generals?"
Lao Jianhua was fully armored and stood upright, as motionless as a stone sculpture. The way he looked at Xie Guang had an indescribable complex emotion. Regarding the question raised by Xie Guang, Lao Jianhua smiled slightly and replied loudly: "Master, the way Lao controlled them is the same as how he controlled you. There is no difference between the two."
"Control me?" Xie Guang couldn't help but laugh angrily: "You mean, you have been controlling me before?"
"Yes, I have been controlling you." Lao Jianhua's serious expression was like a teacher instructing a student: "Master, please think about it, you were originally one of the few famous generals in the Shengtang Dynasty, not only With great merits and high prestige in the military, even if you don't take the path of rebellion, you will still be able to achieve the official position and status you have today, and it will most likely end well. But in reality? You You didn't want to take a smooth road, but you chose to take risks and embarked on a road of no return that you can never turn back. The reason for this is because you have huge greed and deep fear in your heart! You are greedy for power. , and at the same time, I am always worried that one day my military power will be taken back by the court or replaced by others, so I was given the opportunity to control you."
Snapped! Xie Guang clapped his hands angrily again, smashing the armrests of the seats made of golden nanmu to pieces, while a terrifying light shone from his eyes.
Obviously, he was really angry because of Lao Jianhua's provocation, and his internal energy was constantly gathering and improving.
As a general of the Holy Tang Dynasty, Xie Guang's martial arts skills were strong enough to rank among the top three military masters, and he was not far behind He Jingming's Xingluo Divine Sword. If he goes berserk, Lao Jianhua may not be able to withstand him.
However, facing Xie Guang who was about to explode at any time, Lao Jianhua was not nervous at all and only smiled faintly: "Master, although these words may not sound good, the truth is indeed true. It doesn't matter whether you are happy or not. Anyway, if Lao hadn't come to your door in the first place, how could you have thought of using the Turks to distract the court, and then use the prince to launch a mutiny?"
Hearing the connotation in his words, Xie Guang temporarily restrained his skills and did not rush to take action. Instead, he asked sullenly: "What is your purpose of lurking beside me for so long and planning such a complicated and huge plan? Isn't it possible? Are you just interested in the soldiers and horses I have? Xie can't conquer the world with the help of the Xuanjia Army, so why should you?"
Lao Jianhua shook his head gently: "You will never understand what Lao wants, let alone understand it. Because we are not the same people at all. However, I might as well tell you, what Lao is really loyal to Who are you, so that you can give an explanation to all the previous emperors under the Nine Springs."
Xie Guang's face showed no expression, but his eyes became more gloomy. He looked at Lao Jianhua in silence, waiting for the other party to reveal the answer.
