In the quiet backyard of the shogunate, neither Ying Zheng nor Zhao Gao spoke, they just looked at each other quietly.
In fact, Zhao Gao had discovered something strange about Zhao Hao a long time ago and planned to give Zhao Hao a fatal blow at the critical moment.
As a result, Zhao Hao made a "foolish move" in the South China Sea and actually used himself as bait to plot against Zhao Tuo and Ren Xiao.
The role that Ying Zheng plays in it is also very subtle. He seems to be aware of it, but he seems to be unaware of it.
Especially the actions of Zhao Tuo and Ren Xiao, Ying Zheng did not have much expectations.
This caused Zhao Gao's mentality to cooperate with Zhao Tuo to change.
If Ying Zheng no longer trusts Zhao Tuo, if he cooperates with Zhao Tuo again, he will be doomed.
Therefore, at the critical moment of King Zhao Tuoqin, Zhao Gao chose to draw fire from the bottom of the cauldron and expose Zhao Hao's secret.
His purpose in doing this was to make Ying Zheng doubt Zhao Hao, thus affecting Ying Zheng's judgment.
As expected by Zhao Gao, after listening to his story, Ying Zheng had already begun to recall some details between himself and Zhao Hao.
Although Zhao Hao once told him that it was all the advanced knowledge and unusual items imparted to him by the dreamer, he had never confirmed the dreamer's statement.
Therefore, Zhao Gao speculated that Zhao Hao was digging a tunnel in the palace, which gave him new ideas.
Those advanced knowledge and items are likely to come from underground
"I never expected that there is such a magical place underground in my palace!"
Ying Zheng narrowed his eyes slightly and couldn't help but murmured.
Zhao Gao's heart moved and he said cautiously: "Your Majesty, the top priority is not to stay in Nanhai, but to return the late Master Hao to Xianyang. If Your Majesty masters the secret underground of the palace, you may be able to gain hope of immortality!"
Immortality!
A word that the First Emperor had almost forgotten.
Ever since Zhao Hao emerged, he has gradually moved away from this term.
Now that Zhao Gao mentioned it again, the heart that wanted immortality in his chest began to beat loudly, as if it was about to wake up.
Impossible, absolutely impossible!
Immortality is a lie!
There's no way that boy could lie to me!
But since that kid can get those incredible things from the ground, is there really no elixir of immortality?
Ying Zheng was very conflicted at the moment. He didn't know whether to believe Zhao Gao or Zhao Hao, so he changed the subject and said, "Zhao Gao, I ask you, why are you telling me the truth now?"
"Back to Your Majesty, I don't want to hide anything from Your Majesty. It's just that Your Majesty trusts Young Master Hao too much. I'm afraid that if I tell the truth, my life will be in danger. By then, His Majesty will have been kept in the dark by him. I can only take advantage of him. Only when I’m away can I dare to tell the truth!”
Zhao Gao answered carefully with sweat on his face.
"So, you are the only one who knows about this matter?" Ying Zheng's eyes flashed suddenly.
"Your Majesty, forgive me!"
Zhao Gao blamed himself, fell to the ground and choked up: "Except for the old slave and Your Majesty, all the others who knew about it were secretly executed by the old slave, and no one in the palace knew about it. Your Majesty, the old slave is loyal to you, and heaven and earth can Take a look!"
When Ying Zheng heard this, he suddenly laughed and cursed: "You know it, just know it, cry like a bird, get up quickly!"
Zhao Gao got up with a sad face and said: "Your Majesty, you really scared this old slave to death!"
Obviously, he felt that Ying Zheng believed in him again.
But I heard Ying Zheng let out a long cry:
"Zhao Gao, I was imprisoned here by Zhao Hao. I have thought a lot. Do you think I should establish a prince?"
Establish a prince?
Is it so exciting? !
Zhao Gao was suddenly startled, and pretended to be calm on the surface: "Your Majesty is still in good health, why did you establish the crown prince so early?"
"Morning?"
Ying Zheng smiled and asked, "Have you never thought about what would happen to Xianyang if I was 'imprisoned' here for a long time by Zhao Hao?"
"However, Zhao Hao did not restrict His Majesty's freedom."
Zhao Gao said pretending to be puzzled.
Ying Zheng glanced at him and then at the moon in the sky. He put his hands behind his back and said, "I am like the sun in the sky. There is always a time when it sets. The prince is like the moon in the sky. When I am not around, it can still shine." World, do you understand?"
"understood."
Zhao Gao suddenly bowed: "What your Majesty means is that even if the situation in Xianyang is stable, without Your Majesty, it is difficult to say that there will be no unexpected events. Every move must be prepared for eventuality!"
"good."
Ying Zheng nodded happily, and then said solemnly: "I have two things to tell you. First, after the edict is written, you should seal it in a secret box and find an opportunity to send it to Xianyang. It must be handed over to Li Si. He has full authority to arrange;
Second, I want you to go back to Xianyang and investigate Chunan Pavilion carefully. If you really find a tunnel, don't alert the snake and wait for me to come back! "
"Old slave understands!"
Zhao Gao was extremely excited in his heart, but on the surface he said with great respect:
"This old slave will never let down His Majesty's mission. If he has second thoughts, he will be punished by heaven and earth!"
"Okay, prepare pens, cinnabar, and white silk."
Soon, Zhao Gao prepared everything neatly.
Ying Zheng returned to the study, sat in front of the desk, took a deep breath, then picked up the brush and wrote on the white silk——
The First Emperor of the Qin Dynasty issued an edict: Since I came to the throne, I have adopted the good etiquette of the six countries, followed the ancients, and updated them to become a standard. My country, myself, and all other civilizations will all implement them in order to enable the successors of the empire to succeed. To represent the people of the world, I am here to stand.
Suddenly, there was a roar outside. Ying Zheng shook the pen in his hand, stood up suddenly, and said angrily: "What happened!?"
"Your Majesty, something bad is going on. There are rebels fighting fiercely outside the city!"
Tang Sui soon appeared at the door of the study and reported anxiously to Ying Zheng.
When Ying Zheng heard this, he was furious. He threw away the pen in his hand and walked out. He saw flames outside and shouts of killing.
"That's unreasonable! I want to see who dares to be presumptuous in front of me?!"
After the words fell, Ying Zheng took Tang Sui out of the backyard without saying a word.
When Zhao Gao saw that Ying Zheng was about to leave, he wanted to remind him. The edict was not finished yet, but when he saw the general edict, he couldn't help but feel moved and subconsciously closed his mouth.
Ever since Zhao Hao "imprisoned" Ying Zheng, Zhao Gao has been extremely nervous every day.
He felt that if he hadn't had the extraordinary determination he had honed in the storm of power for more than thirty years, he might have fallen into Zhao Hao's trick and really got involved with Zhao Tuo, and he wouldn't have known how he would have died.
Ying Zheng was so smart that Zhao Hao was not far behind. Together, the two of them were like blocking out the sky and the sun, and no one dared to act rashly.
Only Zhao Gao, looking at the unfinished edict in front of him, seemed to see a glimmer of light in the darkness, and his heart was pounding.
However, what makes Zhao Gao even more nervous is that if he does not reach that position when the sun shines again, he may only be a eunuch for the rest of his life.
Every time he thought about this situation, Zhao Gao was so nervous that he couldn't breathe. In just a few moments, countless thoughts had flashed through his mind.
Fortunately, this time did not last long. After a period of inner struggle, he finally made up his mind and went straight to the edict.
On the other side, Nanhai Port.
Although the fire became more and more fierce, the scale of the battle was not large. The total number of both sides was less than 10,000.
When it comes to military strength, there are actually more naval forces in Nanhai Port.
But wars have never been decided by numbers. All the wars in history that can be passed down to the world and worthy of learning by future generations are all in which less defeats more.
Of course, the disparity in the number of people in this battle is not worthy of being remembered in history.
After experiencing the impact of the death squad "Godly Soldiers Falling from Heaven" led by Gao Yao, the Nanhai Navy fell into a situation of double-teaming from both front and rear, and the speed of collapse was a bit beyond Sima Chao's imagination.
In the wars he had experienced before, he had never encountered such a situation.
Therefore, at this time, he was extremely angry and wanted to vent all his anger on these rebels.
Every time he glanced at the battlefield, dozens of Nanhai troops would fall in front of Sima Chao. He knew that Nanhai Port might not be able to hold on.
As a general who is entrusted by the emperor to shoulder the responsibility of guarding the South China Sea, facing such a situation, the best destination is to die in battle.
However, Sima Chao was not willing to die at this time, because of the expectant looks in his eyes, the sergeants hoped that he would lead him out of this death port.
He fought his way out of the siege and returned to the land camp. After finding his mount, he returned to the battlefield again.
"Brothers, follow me and fight out!"
Sima Chao has completely given up on this port. Instead of making unnecessary sacrifices, it is better to try his best to take away every person he can.
He waved the halberd in his hand, and one man and one horse opened the way in front. The rebels blocking the front were picked off one by one by him.
Coupled with the collision and trampling of the war horses, he really fought his way through the narrow passage.
By the time he rushed out of the port, there were less than three thousand people around him.
There was a team of several hundred people chasing them behind them, but they always kept a certain distance.
Obviously, they just wanted to drive Sima Chao and others away from Nanhai Port, and they had no intention of killing them all.
"Hahaha, hurry up, move the artillery! Don't use fire, be careful!"
Gao Yao, covered in blood, laughed loudly.
For Zhao Hao, these stolen artillery may be his only chance to make a comeback. After all, he has to face the alliance of various tribes in Baiyue at the same time.
For them, these artillery pieces are even more powerful. Maybe they can use these artillery pieces to unify Baiyue.
Zhao Hao, no matter how you plot, in the face of absolute strength, you will eventually be defeated.
"Lieutenant Ren, what are you thinking about?"
Occupying Nanhai Port and seizing the latest weapons shipped by Zhao Hao should have been a fact worth clapping and celebrating. He didn't understand why Ren Xiao looked somber.
"General Gao, first pull these artillery pieces to the mountains and hide them, and then set the Nanhai Port on fire, including those warships that didn't have time to leave the port!"
Ren Xiao took a deep breath and said.
"no problem!"
Gao Yao readily nodded in agreement, but then he reacted quickly and said in surprise: "What did you say? You want to burn the remaining warships? Don't you plan to use these warships to conquer Baiyue in the future?!"
Ren Xiao, who was holding the bloody sword in his hand, frowned and shook his head:
"At this time, Zhao Tuo's initial idea was to drive Zhao Hao out of the South China Sea and then conquer Baiyue, but Zhao Hao actually 'imprisoned' His Majesty, which had to make Zhao Tuo change his mind and use the 'Qingjun side' In the name of killing Zhao Hao;
During the battle just now, I saw Sima Chao lighting a hot air balloon. This should be to convey a message to Zhao Hao! "
"so what?"
Although Gao Yao was a confidant whom Zhao Gao had cultivated privately, he himself had no education and was confused after hearing Ren Xiao's analysis.
Fortunately, Ren Xiao was very patient. Seeing Gao Yao's brave killing just now, he smiled and explained to him: "Think about it, normally, when in danger, you would send a message and ask for help, but now the situation has changed. The danger has come. , just delivered the news, Zhao Hao's city must be able to see the secret. Therefore, I guess Zhao Hao should be very far away from here, and he may not even have time to rescue;
So, at this time, Zhao Hao had two strategies. One was to send a nearby team to come to the rescue, and the other was to send someone to kidnap His Majesty and move him to a safe place. "
"this"
Ren Xiao's analysis was very targeted. Even the high-ranking officials at this stage reacted quickly and nodded with a horrified look on their faces: "The county lieutenant is really a wise and courageous person. He can discover such subtleties. If you hadn't pointed it out, We probably actually will."
Gao Yao did not continue. This army has already experienced a bloody battle. If it really encounters Zhao Hao's reinforcements, it is very likely that the entire army will be annihilated.
"But why should we burn the remaining warships? It would be a pity to burn these warships."
"We can still build warships if they are gone. Our purpose is to use these warships to expand the combat effect and make Zhao Hao's reinforcements mistakenly think that the fighting here is fierce, so they rush here desperately;
When they arrived, they saw the sea of fire here and would definitely guess that we had left, but we returned to the military camp with the artillery. The so-called most dangerous place is the safest! "
After hearing this, Gao Yao suddenly realized and said attentively: "Okay, then listen to the county captain!"
"Don't worry, there is one more thing. We need to send someone to notify Zhao Gao as soon as possible to prevent Zhao Hao from kidnapping His Majesty. In addition, I will also notify Zhao Tuo and let him attack Linchen City!"
"No problem, I'll send someone to inform Zhao Fuling!"
Soon, the Nanhai port became a sea of fire, and the artillery was carried away by the sergeants brought by Ren Xiao and his two men.
As for Sima Chao, who escaped from the Nanhai port, he ran for more than ten miles before meeting Han Xin who came to rescue him.
"General Sima, are you okay? How many brothers do you have?"
Han Xin jumped off his horse and ran to Sima Chao.
"General Han!"
After Zhao Hao reinforced his army, Sima Chao was overjoyed and said anxiously: "Now is not the time to talk about this. How many people did Young Master ask you to bring?"
"I originally planned to march into Fujian and Yue, but something went wrong on your side. The young master asked me to bring five thousand people to rescue you!"
"Okay, five thousand is enough. Follow me to the port. Those thieves must not have gone far at this time. They must rob the artillery back!"
Along the way, Sima Chen was heartbroken. As part of his transfer to Nanhai, he had lost such an important artillery piece. For him, it was worse than death.
Now, with Han Xin's five thousand men, we can definitely get those artillery back.
However, when they returned to the port, they only saw a sea of fire and not even the shadow of the enemy.
"These nasty thieves can run faster than dogs!"
Sima Chao was filled with anger and hit his left palm heavily with his right fist.
Han Xin turned to look at him, pondered for a moment, and said decisively: "They will definitely not be able to run far or fast with such a heavy artillery piece. If I guess correctly, they will definitely transport the artillery back to Zhao Tuo's camp."
"but."
As he spoke, he changed the topic and continued: "Zhao Tuo has an army of fifty thousand in his hands. With just a few of us, there is simply not enough to see. Moreover, there are also those Yue tribes assisting us. Otherwise, we should go back to the Young Master's Palace first." camp;
After all, the young master asked me to rescue you, as long as you go back, I'm worried that if we mess around, it will disrupt the young master's plan."
"No! I lost the cannon, I must get it back with my own hands!"
Sima Chao looked at the sea of fire in front of him, and his heart was bleeding, but compared to the artillery, these warships were nothing.
However, when he saw that Han Xin didn't want to act with him, he rolled his eyes again and quickly compromised with Han Xin: "Otherwise, let's chase a certain distance forward first. If there are no traces of those thieves, then we can meet up with the young master. You What do you think?"
Han Xin lowered his head and pondered for a while, and felt that this was a solution. If the artillery was really recovered, it would be really good, but if it touched Zhao Tuo's camp, it would be embarrassing.
However, Sima Chao was unwilling to cooperate with him, and he could not leave him alone.
Hey, what is the master’s plan? Why are you even guarding your own people?
How could such an important artillery piece be handed over to this guy so casually?
"Okay, then I'll listen to you, let's go!"
………
Ps: To reply, a reader asked today how Zhao Gao discovered Zhao Hao’s secret. This was actually laid during the free period. At that time, Yan Le was beaten back by Zhao Hao, and Zhao Gao quickly went to the palace to investigate Zhao Hao. , at that time, Zhao Hao thought that he had hidden it perfectly, but in the end, Zhao Gao discovered the clues. Coupled with the Chunan Pavilion phenomenon incident, it is not difficult to guess the secret...
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(End of chapter)
