"General, it has been ten days! There is still no movement from the Chu army. Could it be that Xiang Yan has secretly left and led his troops to fight General Wang Ben?"
In the study, not to mention Zhong Lihao, but also Zhang and other generals, all came to Bai Yan with worries.
This is not the first time that military generals have arrived. Not only these generals, but also the generals from other cities are waiting uneasily. Even more than ten scouts came to Zhongwu City one day.
However, to the surprise of all the Qin generals, after receiving the news that Wang Ben was leading his troops south to attack Chu, as the day passed, Bai Yan had no intention of sending troops.
This time.
Not to mention that Zhongli Hao couldn't sit still, even Zhang was a little panicked. You must know that the Qin army under General Wang Ben was attacking the Chu State. If he was not careful, he would be trapped in the Chu State and make the same mistake as Li Xin.
Next to wooden table.
In the increasingly cold weather, Bai Yan felt the warmth coming from the stove full of charcoal. He looked at it with the bamboo slips in his hand and listened to the words of these generals.
"Not in a hurry!"
Bai Yan looked at the bamboo slips and said without raising his head.
At first, Bai Yan patiently told them the reason, but as the days passed, these burly generals who only knew how to lead troops in battle and draw swords to kill people became restless when they thought of Wang Bi and Xiang Yan, whether they were sleeping or not doing anything else. Doing it seems to be filled with anxiety.
Gradually, Bai Yan didn't bother to explain anymore.
The words are still those words, and the person who should be anxious will still be anxious whether he listens or not.
"General..."
With a wry smile on his face, Zhang looked at Bai Yan's unfazed look, and then looked at Zhong Lihao, both of whom felt helpless.
The other generals also sighed at this moment, with uneasy expressions on their faces in the silence.
"promise!"
"promise!!"
In the end, when the generals saw that Bai Yan still had no intention of sending troops, they could only salute Bai Yan, then turned and left.
"General, it's been ten days!"
After Zhonglihao saw all the generals leaving, he looked at Bai Yan, hesitated for a moment, and then said worriedly.
"Not to mention ten days, even one month or two months, before we are sure, we cannot send troops to fight against Chu!"
When Bai Yan heard Zhonglihao's words, he raised his head and glanced at Zhonglihao.
Sighing, Bai Yan put down the bamboo slips, looked sideways out of the window, and frowned slightly.
"In one month, even if Xiang Yan is not around, Wang Ben will not dare to attack Shouchun rashly. In two months, even if the Qin State sends troops from Wuguan again, the Chu State can rely on the Huaihe River and even Shouchun can resist..."
When Bai Yan said this, he turned to look at Zhong Lihao and raised a finger in front of him.
"But Xiang Yan only needs to seize our chance! Then it is possible to solve Chudong's troubles and turn around to fight the Qin army elsewhere."
After Bai Yan finished speaking, he stood up slowly and looked down at the bamboo slips on the wooden table in front of him.
At this time, whether it was the news sent by the scouts or the traces of the Chu army in other cities, Bai Yan no longer dared to believe it easily. Even Bai Yan could not judge whether the news was true or false, or it was all deliberately revealed by the Chu army. Illusion.
At the moment, Bai Yan had a vague hunch in his mind that Xiang Yan must still be in Chudong, and had been waiting for him to lead the Qin army to take the initiative to attack.
This premonition is very strong.
Bai Yan thought about how he would make the decision if he were Xiang Yan. On one side, the Qin army led by Wang Ben had gone south to attack Chu, and on the other side was the Qin army in the east of Chu.
After thinking about countless possibilities, he looked at the map again and again, reviewing the confrontation between the Chu army and the Qin army, and the consequences of all the Qin army's actions. In the end, Bai Yan had a premonition that Xiang Yan would choose to ambush The Qin army in the east of Chu.
In the study room.
Under the gaze of Zhonglihao and Master Xu, Bai Yan walked step by step to the door and stood under the corridor, staring at the sky.
"The one Xiang Yan wants to get rid of most must be Chu Dong's Qin army!"
Bai Yan thought in his heart.
It's not that he Bai Yan is here, but that the grain and millet in many places in Chu State have been burned, and Chudong is a vital territory leading from Chu State to Qufu and Qi State. Only those who can encircle and destroy Chudong Only the Qin army can open up the road between Chu and Qi.
Moreover, with the Chu State's countless grain and grass burned down, it was a certainty that the Qin State would once again recruit troops to attack the Chu State after the cold winter passed.
At this time, the Chudong Qin army in the far east was a sharp sword hanging behind the Chu State.
After getting rid of the Qin army in the east of Chu, whether the Qin State needs to divide its troops to defend Wei, or open up the Qi State's channel, or even if the Qin State sends troops again in the future, Xiang Yan will no longer have to worry about the hinterland of the east of Chu.
"General!"
There was a sudden sound. Bai Yan turned around and saw Xun Shuo and the leader of the prisoner camp, Qiu, walking towards him.
"The general will pay homage to the general!"
Qiu was wearing Qin army uniform and bowed his hands in salute to Bai Yan. Compared with before, Qiu's expression and demeanor were greatly changed now. However, it was still the same as before. When he looked at Bai Yan, his eyes changed. Unchanged.
"Where is the prisoner camp?"
Bai Yan saw Qi and asked.
"I have disguised myself as a watchman and transported grain and grass into the city!"
Qiu said to Bai Yan, glanced at Xun Shuo beside him, and then continued to look at Bai Yan.
"General, before setting off, I have followed the general's instructions and told the Chu soldiers that they are in the Chu country. Their wives, children, and children have been robbed of grain and grain. At this time, they are all in the Chu army camp, and they are being yelled at by the Chu soldiers."
When he said this, the corner of his mouth was full of smiles, recalling the gloomy faces of the Chu soldiers and their eyes full of murderous intent.
I dare not say anything else, but during the battle with the Chu army, the prisoner camp must have killed the enemy the most among all the soldiers.
Down the corridor.
When Bai Yan heard Qiu's words, he felt relieved. Many of the wives, children, and children of those who had been surrendered had already come to Chudong. Now there was no food and grain. Those Chu soldiers knew this. If their wives, children, and children wanted to avoid starvation, they had to defeat the Chu army. Steal the Chu army's food and grass.
"When will the general prepare to send troops?"
Xun Shuo looked at Bai Yan and asked. Xun Shuo also didn't expect that Bai Yan could control his temper so well that he had no plans to send troops for ten consecutive days.
It was unexpected before that he mentioned that Bai Yan went to the prisoner camp in person. Although he was not in Zhongwu City, it didn't mean that Xun Shuo didn't know how anxious the other generals were. There were dozens of volumes of scout letters alone.
Xun Shuo could imagine how many letters Bai Yan received from other generals in Zhongwu City.
"Xiang Yan is like a poisonous snake now..."
Bai Yan didn't explain anything, but his short sentence revealed the fear in his heart.
Hearing this, Xun Shuo looked at Zhong Lihao who came out of the study. He didn't know what Bai Yan meant. He looked deep in thought. Then he thought of something and looked at Bai Yan.
"No matter how venomous the snake is, it still has a weak point; no matter how hidden the snake is, it still has seven inches!"
Xun Shuo said.
Bai Yan heard Xun Shuo's words and turned to look at Xun Shuo. Xiang Yan's weakness?
In the eyes of Zhongli, Hao and Qiu, Xun Shuo looked at Bai Yan.
"Shuchun!"
Xun Shuo said.
After Xun Shuo finished speaking, Bai Yan's pupils froze, and then he looked at Xun Shuo with a look of amazement. Unlike Xun Shuo, Bai Yan remembered countless allusions, such as the general was fierce, but the court was mediocre, and the treacherous ministers were in power, which ultimately led to the defeat of the army. There are many things about dying.
But Xun Shuo is different!
At this time, it was Xun Shuo who reminded Bai Yan, yes! Xiang Yan wants to stay, but Shouchun's aristocratic family and the Chu State's court may not...
"Snowing!"
Not far away from the corridor, the faint voices of two maids caught Bai Yan's attention. Bai Yan turned his head and looked towards the yard. Sure enough, he saw that within a few breaths, snowflakes fell from the sky again.
Looking at the increasingly dense falling, it seems that this is the second heavy snow.
"Xiang Yan is leaving!"
Bai Yan suddenly spoke.
Xun Shuo, Zhong Lihao, and Qi, who were originally looking at the falling snow in the yard, all looked at Bai Yan in surprise when they heard Bai Yan's sudden words.
Xun Shuo was stunned. He was the first to react. After understanding, Xun Shuo turned his head and looked at the yard gradually covered with thin white snow. Xun Shuo knew clearly that Bai Yan was right. Xiang Yan would definitely take advantage of this. It snowed heavily and led the troops to leave Chudong.
This also means that Bai Yan will soon lead the Qin army and have to fight the Chu army who stayed in the east of Chu. If the Chu army wins, Bai Yan will die. If Bai Yan wins, the Chu country will be destroyed soon.
Half an hour later.
As the snow fell, at the gate of the city guard's mansion, more than ten cavalry soldiers, each holding bamboo slips and riding horses, braved the heavy snow and rushed towards the city gate.
……………………
"Have you heard, Zitai, Bai Yan led the Qin army, defeated the Chu army, killed 70,000 Chu soldiers, broke the Chu army's camp, and fought against the Chu general Jing Qi and Lord Chang Wen who had betrayed Qin before."
"What? Bai Yan was surrounded, but he defeated the Chu army?"
"That's still false. The whole Linzi City has already spread the news. Everyone knows that Bai Yan, a native of Qi State, is a famous general! You will know when you get to Linzi City, Zitai!"
On the forest path, under a simple wooden shed, three middle-aged men were chatting. In addition to a woman, there were two pairs of carrying poles placed aside.
Different from the other two middle-aged men who were wearing patchwork cloth, the faded clothes of the man named Zitai were the clothes worn by students in the Jixia Academy of Qi seven or eight years ago. All the students in those years respected this the most. The style was imitated by countless scholars.
Although the clothes that scholars admire have changed over the years, it does not prevent others from seeing at a glance that this man was once a student.
"That Tian Ding is really a sinner of Qi! If it weren't for Tian Ding, then Bai Yan would be one of our fierce generals of Qi! How could he serve Qin? Alas..."
A middle-aged man in civilian clothes was talking with an indignant look on his face and full of complaints. The villagers around him grabbed his hand and shook his head to stop talking. The middle-aged man still looked aggrieved.
"Don't stop me. I'm going to scold Tian Ding today. There are a lot of people scolding Tian Ding. Go to Linzi City and see how many people are beating their chests because of this! Tian Ding's reputation is, well, worse than Zhong Yan's. generally……"
The middle-aged man's name was Zhuan, and the man who pulled him was named Fei. They were both from the same village. Next to him, Zitai, as well as Zitai's wife, brother and sister-in-law, were all from the same village.
When Zhong Yan instinctively mentioned Zhong Yan, Zhong's elder brother, and his second son Shui Yan, Zhen realized that at the moment, Zi Tai needed to rely on the support of his Zhong brothers and his family.
It's all old habits. Back then, the boy smelled bad. Everyone said that if he had no future, he shouldn't do such smelly work at such a young age. He would feel sick when he smelled it. Not to mention that they didn't live in the water village. Even in other villages, adults and children alike like to compare him with that boy when it comes to smell, let alone the people in the water village.
If it were in the past, they would laugh at Shui Yan in front of Zi Tai because he smelled bad and was disgusting. Not only would Zi Tai not blame him, but he would also interject a few words and chat with them without caring.
Pity!
Thinking of this, Zhuan looked at Zitai and Zitai's wife with some doubts.
"Do you have a letter from Zihuai telling you when you will be back?"
Zhuan asked with a curious look on his face. At first, Zhijia was a big family in the village. Unfortunately, most of the land was sold later. As a result, now he can't even afford grain and millet, and he still needs help from brother Zitai Zhong and his family.
But everyone knows that even though the Zitai family is not doing well now, when Zihuai and Zilu come back, the Zitai family will be able to survive and maybe even buy a small house in Linzi City.
"Yes! Zihuai has been away from home for so long, why hasn't he come back yet?"
Gai was also on the side and asked curiously. Although Zitai's family was once a bit arrogant, considering that there were so many scholars in the family, it was indeed that way. At least for now, it was much more pleasing to the eyes of his brother Zhong's family.
Although Gai did not have any serious enmity with Zitai Zhongxiong, he was once looked down upon by Duozitai's family in daily life. But now his relationship with Zitai has improved, and now he looks down on Zitai Zhongxiong's family who were originally very poor. Life suddenly It was much better than him. This feeling made him feel uncomfortable. Anyway, it was just unpleasant to his eyes. He was looking forward to it day and night, that his family would live the poor life they once had.
Fortunately, now that he thinks about the family's second son Shui Yan, who has not returned for several years and has no idea whether he is alive or dead, and the eldest son is now a disabled person, it makes him feel more balanced.
"It's almost time, elder brother should be back soon!"
Zitai smiled when he heard what the two villagers said.
On the side, Zitai's wife also followed suit, saying that her elder brother, Huaiyuan, should be back soon.
While taking a break and chatting.
On the path, several slaves and two maids suddenly appeared. These people followed a woman. When they saw the woman, Zitai was stunned.
Brother and sister-in-law?
It turned out that the woman leading the way was Zitai's brother-in-law and Zihuai's wife Yingshi.
However, when Zitai followed Ying's gaze and looked behind him, he couldn't move his eyes away for a moment.
What a beautiful woman!
This was the first thought in Zitai's mind, but he immediately noticed the clothes on the woman and did not dare to look at them any more for fear of getting into trouble. Zitai, who had stayed in Jixia Academy, could tell at a glance that those clothes were The woman must have a history.
But how could that woman come to this remote place, and why are her brother and sister-in-law here?
After a while.
Seeing that Yingshi didn't dare to say hello and looked at each other, Zitai could still clearly see that some traces of whipping had not completely dissipated on Yingshi's somewhat dirty face.
See this.
Zitai was not able to say hello either. Seeing Mrs. Ying leading the people over, Zitai and his wife did not dare to say anything. When the woman left with her maids and servants, Zitai looked at her back for a long time before she came back to her senses.
"Where are you going, Ying?"
"I do not know!"
Zhuan and Fei looked at the direction Ying was walking in, full of curiosity.
"It's getting late, keep on going!"
Zitai stood up and said to the two villagers, and then looked at his wife. There was no food in the house and they could not open the pot. Several children at home said they were hungry every day. The grain and millet brought by Brother Zhong were almost finished.
At the moment, Zitai can only listen to his mother's words. Like his brother and sister-in-law, he first takes his wife to the city to find a job that can provide enough food to survive the winter. He will wait until his brother and Zilu come back, whether it is his wife or his wife. Brother, you can survive and redeem yourself when the time comes.
As for whether his brother and Zilu would come back, Zitai was also worried. After all, regarding his brother's temperament, he might not even remember his family even if he became famous. But for now, he could only see if there was any news about Zilu. When the time came, he would look for it himself. Go see your brother.
the other side.
Several servants and maids followed the Ying family and walked for a long time before arriving at a dense forest.
"Are you sure this is here?"
Beiji looked at Yingshi and asked.
If the woman hadn't claimed to know the place mentioned on the bamboo slip and saw that she was beaten half to death, Monument Lady would not have felt pity and bought her.
"Here it is!"
Yingshi said quietly, her pale and weak face, with every word she spoke at this moment, she was bending down and bowing her head in front of Lady Bei, as if she was afraid that Lady Bei would blame her.
"Look for it!"
Monument Princess said to the other slaves and maids.
Looking at the dense forest around her, Beiji looked confused. She didn't understand why Bai Yan asked her to come here. How could Bai Yan bury his old friend here in such a remote place?
You know, she found dozens of people in Linzi City, but they all only knew the village, not the specific place. Fortunately, she met this woman who seemed to have lived in a nearby village, and she knew this place.
"My lord! Found it!"
Not long after, there was an exclamation.
After hearing this, Stele Lady hurriedly walked along the dense forest. The branches along the way made Stele Lady's long hair a little messy, but fortunately, she finally saw that there was a small grave soil under a pile of towering dense bushes.
"Finally found!"
Monument Ji breathed a sigh of relief.
To this day, Bei Ji clearly remembers Bai Yan's words and every move when he promised to help her take revenge that day, although she doesn't know why Bai Yan helped her.
But at least finding the small grave in front of her proved that Bai Yan didn't seem to be lying to her.
Under the dense forest.
The Stele Lady ordered her servants to pull out the weeds on the small tomb according to Bai Yan's instructions, then turned around and took out a pot of wine from the wooden tray in the maid's hand.
After a long time, while watching the slaves work hard to clear away all the weeds, Stele Lady noticed that there seemed to be not only a small tomb here, but also a wooden stele that was about to decay in front of each tomb.
Seeing the wooden monument, Monument Girl was a little surprised in her beautiful eyes. After all, it usually takes three to five years for wood to completely rot, but some good trees can last longer.
Looking at the wooden tablets, the tablet queen finally understood why Bai Yan gave her the slaves and specifically told her in the cloth that no one who went with her could be literate, let alone anyone who could read the Chinese character Qin. If there are any, they are not allowed to come near, and they must be taken away when leaving Qi.
"You stay away!"
Monument Ji turned to face Yingshi and said.
Previously, the Ying family was afraid that she would not buy it, so she bluntly said that she had followed her husband, the eldest son, and knew the character "Qi". Thinking of Bai Yan's instructions, the tablet queen asked the Ying family to leave.
"Yes, little master!"
Yingshi nodded and quickly backed away.
Upon seeing this, Stele Lady slowly came to the first small grave with wine in hand. The faint carvings on it, Stele Lady could see, were in Chu State characters and seemed to be named Gong Yefeng.
After the second small grave was finished, I went to the second small grave and poured wine on it. This one seemed to be the word Qin, I didn’t recognize it...
Each small tomb, pouring wine, stood up to worship.
For Bei Ji, this is really very simple. Even the weeding is done by slaves, so what Bei Ji needs to do is extremely easy, which makes Bei Ji full of doubts.
Why would Bai Yan help her take revenge?
Just do such a simple thing, and then help her kill a prime minister of Qi who has a high position in Qi and is the uncle of the King of Qi?
No matter what Monument Lady thinks, she finds it ridiculous.
How could there be such a person in this world, being nice to her for no reason!
While Stele Lady was thinking about it, she poured wine and worshiped in front of each tomb. She didn't recognize many of the characters, so she didn't understand why there were so many small tombs with different characters here. Why did Bai Yan ask her to pay tribute to each little tomb? Pour wine and worship.
"The old friend Bai Yan mentioned should be this one!"
After a long time, they finally came to a small grave in the middle. Bei Ji remembered that Bai Yan should have asked her to come specially to worship this small grave.
Thinking of this, Beiji naturally cheered up, but when Beiji knelt down and waited for the maid to place the porcelain bowl in front of the tomb, she held the wine flask in both hands and was about to pour the wine. Suddenly she noticed that the wood of this small tomb The stele seems to have the character Chu.
Are they from Chu State again?
In doubt, when she saw clearly the two words engraved on the wooden sign that was about to decay, Bei Ji froze on the spot, her pretty face stared blankly, and her beautiful eyes were full of disbelief.
Yin monument! ! !
Yin... monument! ! !
Looking blankly at the inscriptions on the wooden monument, at this moment, Bei Ji's hands were trembling slightly, and the wine bottle in her hands instantly rolled to the ground. At this moment, Bei Ji only saw the inscriptions on the tombstone in front of her.
Father!
This is impossible! ! !
At this moment, the monument queen raised her hand in disbelief and touched the inscription on the tombstone tremblingly.
Touch the scratches on it to make sure there are no hallucinations!
This is not fake! ! !
Monument Girl's eyes were overflowing with tears. At this moment, she suddenly woke up, and then she was stunned.
Monument Ji recalled that when the assassins attacked the carriage that day in Zhongwu City, Bai Yan's sword-holding moves made her feel vaguely familiar.
Recalling that day outside Zhongwu City, she looked at Bai Yan's side face and saw Bai Yan personally saying that he would avenge her and telling her to come here to pay homage to an old friend.
Recalling that before Bai Yan left the carriage, he told her to live well and not to assassinate her for revenge without authorization.
"Bai Yan~!"
Monument Ji finally understood.
Bai Yan, why did you treat her like that! ! !
When Bei Ji came back to her senses, she looked at the tombstone in front of her with the word "Yin Bei" engraved on it, and at the small grave in front of her, her tears could no longer be controlled and kept flowing.
So many years of grievance, so many years of hatred, all poured out at this moment.
"Father! Wuwuwu~!!!"
Monument Girl hugged the wooden monument, tears running down her cheeks and falling on the wooden monument, regardless of the fact that the wooden monument was somewhat rotten and would make her brand new clothes dirty.
At this moment, whether it was the Ying family or other servants and maids in the distance, looking at so many small tombs around, and looking at Monument Lady holding a piece of rotten wood and crying, they were a little at a loss, but at the moment, although Monument Lady could feel Sad, but they didn't dare to comfort her rashly, after all, Monument Lady didn't let them pass.
(End of chapter)
