Zhu Lingxu, Zhu Yuheng and his son, together with ten personal guards, walked out of Xunyang City Gate under the watchful eyes of a pair of people at the top of the city.
The night is dim.
Zhu Yuheng glanced back at the towering city gate with drooped eyelids and bloodshot eyes.
The guards looked unhappy, and a horse-faced man muttered unhappily:
"Without the help of the governor and the young master, how can Jiangzhou Hall win? They are just as protective against us as they are against thieves. These bunch of dog civil servants talk so much that they really think they are the boss?"
The group of people fell silent.
Zhu Lingxu rode a horse and walked in the front without looking back, his back was as usual.
The horse-faced guard paused and whispered:
"It's better to go back to Li Zhengyan and Cai Qin. At least they can have free thoughts and are not restricted by the court. They can drink wine and eat meat in big bowls, and chop off all the heads of these polite civil servants...
"I think the imperial court of the Great Zhou Dynasty is just like that. Before the governor and the young master come forward, let's see how badly they were beaten by Li Zhengyan, Cai Qin and the others."
Cursing, the horse-faced guard turned back to look at Xunyang City, with a ruthless look flashing in his eyes:
A scar-faced guard suddenly stepped forward and kicked the horse-faced guard down. The latter immediately fell off his horse and fell into disgrace:
"Chen Laosan, why are you crazy? Your brain has been kicked by a donkey. You are talking nonsense. If that pretty boy surnamed Ouyang hears it, you won't have to chop off a hundred heads. Don't bring trouble to the governor and everyone, straight mother-in-law.
thief……"
The Scar-faced bodyguard cursed.
The horse-faced guard inhaled and rubbed his buttocks, glanced at the silent back of the governor in front of him, then lowered his head and remained silent.
Knowing that his personal friend was doing this was a help to him.
Zhu Lingxu stopped his horse, but his back remained motionless.
Everyone in the back looked at each other.
Upon seeing this, Zhu Yuheng stepped forward on his horse, came to the horse-faced guard who fell off his horse, pulled out a riding whip, and whipped the horse-faced guard in public.
The shadow of whips, the sound of breaking through the air, and the wails of the horse-faced guards echoed through the dark woods one after another.
The scar-faced man and the other nine guards watched silently, and no one interceded.
However, I also know that the young master's whips are just louder, but they can't actually damage the bones or roots. They will only open the skin and flesh, making the person being whipped look miserable.
The whip that can really take away half of a person's life is usually silent.
"Captain, Young Master, I was wrong, stop talking nonsense..."
Zhu Yuheng was silent and whipped twice more.
At this time, Zhu Lingxu's figure on the horse moved and continued to ride forward.
Zhu Yuheng immediately retracted his whip and turned to follow.
The horse-faced man buried his head, got on his horse, and returned to the team unsteadily.
Return to the military camp stationed on the outskirts of the city.
Because of the request of Jiang Governor Ouyang Lianghan, the Hongzhou rebels brought by Zhu Lingxu and Zhu Yuheng could only be stationed outside the city and could not enter the city.
An hour later.
In the center of the military camp, in a large tent, Zhu Lingxu was dressed in white and pacing with his hands behind his back after bathing and changing clothes.
At this time, the curtain at the door opened, and Zhu Yuheng walked in, holding a plate of used gold sore medicine, hot towels, and copper plates in his hands.
"Father."
He put down the plate in his hand and shouted something in a low voice.
Zhu Lingxu glanced at the eldest son among his many children, who looked most like him when he was young.
"My father sent the medicine that my father ordered and helped Chen Laosan apply it..."
Zhu Yuheng nodded:
"Actually, brothers can follow my father and come here. They are all loyal. What is happening in the Jiangzhou lobby right now is really too chilling. As a martial artist, it is normal to have a few curses and complaints. Don't worry, father, I will keep an eye on you all the time.
, I won’t let those words spread..."
Zhu Lingxu suddenly said: "What about you? What do you think? Are you unwilling to accept it and find it hard to understand why you surrendered to your father's defense?"
"Children don't dare."
"Don't you dare? I hung out with Li Lou, Wei Shaoqi, Yue Zi'ang and the others before. Wasn't it quite bold? They even joined forces to force Gong Qi to be his father and drag him into trouble."
Zhu Yuheng lowered his head:
"My child doesn't dare to do anything anymore. Now he only listens to my father's instructions."
"Huh." Zhu Lingxu asked, "I don't dare, but I'm still not convinced, right? Do you want to go back there?"
"No." Zhu Yuheng shook his head:
"In the past two days, I have taken a look at Xunyang City's defenses. This Ouyang Lianghan really has something. If he and Cai Qin really collided with each other and attacked the city with stupid methods, it would probably be difficult to capture it in ten and a half months. By the time
It’s hard to say when…”
Zhu Lingxu suddenly interrupted: "Li Zhengyan is hanging."
Zhu Yuheng was startled and looked at his father's tall back, standing with his hands behind his back.
The tall figure shook his head and said carefully:
"If the Kuangfu uprising had begun, it would have been in Jiangzhou, not Guizhou.
"Perhaps not long ago, Ouyang Lianghan and the Prince of Xunyang were persuaded by Wang Junzhi to surrender.
"Or maybe His Majesty can be suspicious and jealous, and grant death to Prince Xunyang's Mansion.
"Whenever one of the above happens, a father will not decide to take this path...
"Li Zhengyan and Cai Qin may not look at the strong military force sweeping across the southwest, but it is Jiangzhou that really affects the overall situation.
"It's hard to win in this current situation."
Zhu Lingxu sighed: "King Xunyang became the pacification ambassador of Jiangnan Road, and the people's support is difficult to use. And there is the difficult Ouyang Lianghan who strictly guards Xunyang City...
"Not to mention Zhou Ting's conquest army, which is about to be recruited."
After a pause, the Governor of Hongzhou turned around, stared at his eldest son Zhu Yuheng, and said in a meaningful tone:
"No matter how much the two parties in the Zhou Dynasty argue, what is the foundation of the Zhou Dynasty's inheritance of the Qian Dynasty? The troops and horses of the dynasty are not as simple as Chen Laosan and others think.
"Do you really think that people like Li Zhengyan and Cai Qin conquered cities and territories in the south and were very successful all the way? Are they the heroes of the world? Can they be regarded as one of the best?"
Zhu Lingxu patted Zhu Yuheng's shoulder with his big hand and said sincerely:
"When my father was young, he enlisted in the army in Hongzhou as a son of the Liang family. At that time, Prince Teng's palace had not yet been reduced. The old Prince Teng served as the governor of Hongzhou. My father's peers in the army were all proud to be the governor's personal guards.
"At that time, my father was the champion of the three-army competition in Zhechong Prefecture in Hongzhou. He was one of the best talents and was selected as the captain of the personal guard by King Lao Teng.
"At that time, my father, like you, and Chen Laosan, were proud and complacent. Looking around, they boasted that no one of their peers in Hongzhou could match him. Even looking at Jiangnan, he was one of the best. The heroes in the world were just like that."
Zhu Lingxu pointed at his own eyes with two fingers, then poked the eldest son's widened eyes in front of him, gestured, and said:
"But that day and night, Old Prince Teng looked at me with this look.
"He said that if you just want to achieve temporary success and make one person and a family rich, you can easily do it by staying in this peaceful place in the south.
"But if you want to become a famous general throughout the ages, achieve unparalleled achievements, and be a brave warrior who will shine in the annals of history, the south will never give you that, and you must go to the north!
"Go to Guanzhong, go to the desert, go to Liaodong, go to the Western Regions! Fight with the heroes and patriots all over the world, rob, and get bloody heads.
"Moreover, you will not only compete with the heroes of the world today, but also compete with Chinese and Yi men from the past five hundred years and the next five hundred years."
Zhu Lingxu said slowly, his old frowning face was surprisingly calm, staring at Zhu Yuheng who was shocked and speechless, and said lightly:
"So later on, my father gave up his position as chief of guard in the Governor's Mansion, took Old King Teng's letter, and went to the North to join a certain border army under the old British Duke, and worked as a low-level scout on the border of white mountains and black waters in northern Liaoning.
…
"It was also from that time that I realized that the Northern Border Army was really full of talented people. Not only the Han people, but also the Hu people outside the Great Wall also had high-spirited warriors. They were all in the Northern Territory, catching and killing each other like worms.
, to open up new territory and expand territory, to make achievements..."
Zhu Lingxu's eyes flashed as he recalled, and Zhu Yuheng swallowed:
"My child understands. What my father means is that as long as the imperial court reacts, frees up its hands and mobilizes troops from the northern pass, and the elite troops from outside the pass go south, Li Zhengyan, Cai Qin and the others will not be able to resist?
"So this war in the south of the Yangtze River, no matter how much it happens, is nothing more than loud thunder and light rain. Even in the eyes of His Majesty, it is just playing house?"
Zhu Lingxu nodded and shook his head:
"Yes and no.
"After all, Li Zhengyan is the grandson of a British prince, so he still has some foresight. There is no way to go to a dead end with no chance at all.
"If we can quickly occupy Jiangzhou, control the Xunyang Palace, and consolidate the great cause of restoration,
"Whether it is quickly going north to enter the Pass to restore Li Qian, support Li Xian's banner, win over the conservative forces of the old cadres, mobilize the world's heroes to rebel, and encourage restless uprisings in various places, it will increase Zhou Ting's counterinsurgency and governance costs.
"Or, let's say, plunge into the southeast, occupy the Jinling Kingdom, control the Yangtze and Huaihe Rivers, and then use the Yangtze River as a natural barrier to separate the north and south and confront Wei Zhou.
“Both of these paths can actually be taken, but it’s not completely impossible.
“It’s just that the most critical thing among them is Jiangzhou.
"Although Jiangzhou does not affect Li Zhengyan's way north to resume his army, the Xunyang Palace has a great influence on the legitimacy of Li Zhengyan's resumption of the army.
"We must capture Xunyang City and welcome back King Xunyang. Only in this way can the banner of Kuang Fu Li Gan be firmly established.
"To put it bluntly, even if the captured King Xunyang is just a corpse, it would be better than the prince turning his head to show his loyalty, helping Her Majesty the Queen, and siding with the Great Zhou.
"Only in this way can the road heading north with the flag be of achievable significance.
"If we settle for the next best thing and choose to march to the southeast and separate the north and the south, then Jiangzhou is equally important. We must break through this southeast gateway before we can open up the sea and the sky.
"The Lord of Luoyang may have seen through this, so he deliberately appointed King Xunyang as the Jiangnan Dao pacification ambassador, and asked him to continue to stay in Jiangzhou and serve as some kind of bait. Well, even if Li Zhengyan saw it, he would have to bite him. Hook, this is a conspiracy.
"As a result, the situation is a bit confusing. Of course, it is not ruled out that there is internal fighting in the Zhou court and the possibility of choosing a wine bag and rice bag to command the army, but in general, Li Zhengyan is still not good...
"Now that the opportunity has been delayed by more than half, Xunyang City has become increasingly solid and difficult to attack.
"With the death of Wang Jun and the news that King Xunyang served as Jiangnan Road's pacification ambassador, Li Zhengyan and Wei Shaoqi must be in a state of distress. Even if Kuang Fu's army is moving north from the southwest with overwhelming momentum, it may just be a raging fire cooking oil.
"Yu Heng, we are close, this is the last chance to switch, the last bet before closing the deal."
Zhu Lingxu sighed, walked to the door with his hands behind his back, stared at the blue-black night in the distance and said to himself:
"You said, it would have been great if Wang Junzhi had succeeded in persuading him to vote, but it's a pity. It's a pity.
"Occupy Jiangzhou, cause war in the southeast, and the world will be in chaos. Great things can be accomplished... It seems that this Wei Zhou Jiangshan still has enough energy, and the time of chaos has not yet arrived.
"Oh, when a country is about to perish, there must be evildoers in troubled times; when a country is about to perish, there must be capable people who can help the world..."
Zhu Lingxu turned his head and said to the eldest son with a blank expression:
"Just like when I made a choice for my father after Old King Teng's words, now, my father must make another choice.
"South or north."
Zhu Yuheng was silent.
Shaoqing, his lips were dry and he opened his mouth:
"But why did my father choose the Wei family instead of joining the Xunyang Palace or the Prime Minister's Palace? My son heard that the Wei family has been a little unstable recently due to the rebellion in Yingzhou, and there is a faint possibility of seizing the throne.
"Moreover, the Wei family also encouraged His Majesty to build the Great Zhou De Song Center and the Buddha statues in all directions. These things made the Wei family spurned by the world's heroes and scholars, and their reputation was extremely bad.
"There are also many of our soldiers who hate the Wei family and have strong opinions on this defection..."
"Is life more important, or black and white? Huh?"
Zhu Lingxu glanced at his young and energetic son and sighed:
"Yu Heng, please don't underestimate the Wei family.
"The Yingzhou Rebellion in Beidi was too complicated. At that time, even many people from the Baoli faction had difficulty escaping. It is estimated that only Di Fuzi could balance it. But looking at the world, Di Fuzi also There is only one, and the Wei family's descendants have finished well. They are by no means a loser.
"As for the matter of the Songde Center of the Great Zhou Dynasty and the Buddha statues in the four directions... Oh, it doesn't matter if it is despised by the people of the world. This move has steadily won the Sacred Heart and demoted it to Song Zhou. This is a matter of stabilizing the foundation of the Great Zhou Dynasty. Behind it is His Majesty's approval and support.
"I would like to ask, given Wei's original reputation among the scholars in the world, even if Wei does a few... well, good things, will the scholars turn around and praise them?
"As a former relative, Wei has her own original sin.
"The pen is in the hands of scholars, so scholars all over the world naturally side with Di Fuzi and other civil servant conservatives.
"Isn't it just some infamy? From ancient times to the present, every dynasty and generation has not suffered the common people, and they have to find someone to bear the infamy. Moreover, not everyone is qualified to bear the infamy. If you want to bear the infamy, you have to wait in line. Where is the team?
"Instead of seeking fame in vain, it is more practical to win the Sacred Heart and hold the handle of the sword in your hand.
"As for choosing a side, the Wei family has been at a disadvantage recently, so it is better to provide help in times of need than to add icing on the cake. Besides, I still owe a favor to Prince Wei's Mansion before. I guess in the eyes of the Liberation faction, if they can get Prince Wei to intercede, they will naturally be labeled as Wei. His lackey label cannot be washed off."
Zhu Lingxu pointed to himself and smiled.
Zhu Yuheng pursed his lips and nodded slowly.
At this moment, the curtain at the door was suddenly opened, and two torches were blown by the night wind and burned brightly.
I saw a Persian businessman, led by his own soldiers, bending down and walking into the big tent. His green eyes, as small as mung beans, were spinning around in circles.
Li Li is here.
Zhu Lingxu and Zhu Yuheng looked at each other.
The latter and his soldiers temporarily retreated.
Zhu Lingxu asked Li Li to take a seat, and the latter took out a letter and handed it out with a smile...
After a while, the Persian businessman left.
Zhu Yuheng returned to the main tent and found his father holding a letter, staring at the candlelight in a daze. The letter in his hand had the seal of Prince Wei's palace.
The thin letter paper twisted and turned black in the candle flame, turning into a handful of ash.
Zhu Lingxu suddenly said:
"The King of Wei has settled the matter. There is no need to endure it any longer. Bring me some pen and ink, and I will write a letter."
"What's the matter with father's letter?" Zhu Yuheng was curious.
"Oh, I remember when we were in Hongzhou, Wei Shaoqi, Cai Qin and the others praised Ouyang Lianghan a lot. For those who didn't know, they thought they were in the same group.
"This kid has been deliberately irritating me recently, trying to anger us and do something wrong again. His heart is really cruel."
Looking at his father who narrowed his eyes and kept his voice low, Zhu Yuheng nodded calmly.