Zheng Chao thought about it and felt that three thousand soldiers were not a lot to bring after the negotiation between the two leaders, so he did not refuse. When the day was set, he got up early to wash up, ate something, and then took Zheng Ke to lead the three soldiers.
Thousands of elite soldiers came to Lihuating. In the past few days, Li Yi and his men had searched the area of Lihuating several times like plowing the ground. They were sure that there were not even any hard-haired insects, let alone people with weapons.
.
It took less than an hour to walk ten miles. It was the coldest time in early February, and the sun came out not much earlier than in previous days. When we arrived at Lihuating, the sun had not risen very high. Zheng Chao expressed his thoughts on this negotiation
He paid great attention to it, changed into a clean robe, wore leather armor underneath, and hid a dagger in the cuff.
In fact, he was very uneasy on the way here. Although he was followed by three thousand soldiers from Zuo Zhen Guard, almost the most elite soldiers, he still didn't have much confidence in his heart. He regretted a little that what he brought was not the three thousand heavy armor that he was best at.
Infantry. However, the arrogance in his bones made him conflicted. After he regretted not bringing the heavy infantry, he began to regret listening to Zheng Ke and Li Yi. If he had only brought thirty or fifty guards,
, what kind of style will that be?
I also thought about what kind of conditions Liu Ling would offer to surrender him? To make him a marquis? He was already the Jiading Marquis of the Great Zhou Dynasty, with a settlement of 1,000 households, and he still had the false post of a Yinqing Guanglu doctor. Even though he was not a high-ranking minister, he was
Among the military generals, he is already one of the dozen or so people at the top. The Twelve Guards Generals are just above him. After all, he is the only Great Protector of the Great Zhou Dynasty, Luo Xu, the leader of Tiger Ben Jingjia. There is nothing to be jealous of. Because Zheng Chao
He knew that even if his entire army of 60,000 Zuo Zhen guards went out, they might not be able to defeat Luo Xu's 10,000 tiger soldiers.
The distance of ten miles was quickly covered, and Lihua Pavilion was still in a dilapidated state. The paint on the pillars had long since peeled off, revealing dense cracks. It looked like the face of an old man who had gone through many vicissitudes of life, which made people feel pain for no reason. The cold wind was blowing.
In the middle, three thousand elite soldiers of Zuo Zhenwei stood about a hundred meters away from the north side of Huating, with a chilling air.
The soldiers arranged the tables and chairs they had brought, and Zheng Chao asked someone to warm a pot of wine. He sat down and waited quietly. He said he was quiet, but that was just an appearance on the surface. After all, he was also the general of Zuo Zhenwei.
In front of the elite soldiers under his command, they must always act as if they are impervious to all winds.
After waiting for less than half an hour, Zheng Chao's heart began to become impatient. He wanted to stand up and look far away several times, but finally held back. As he waited, he saw that the sun had quietly moved to the south, and it was almost noon.
At that moment, a string of black dots appeared on the horizon in the distance.
Zheng Chao stood up subconsciously, put up an awning with his hands and looked into the distance. He wanted to see how many people Liu Ling had brought this time.
It's a pair of cavalry. They don't seem to be many in number?
Zheng Chao was shocked because he finally saw clearly that the number of cavalry galloping on the opposite side was definitely no more than thirty. He felt a little bitter in his heart. He turned around and looked at the three thousand elite soldiers behind him, and suddenly felt that he was a
Sheep in wolf's skin, so cowardly. When the cavalry team arrived, Zheng Ke leaned close to Zheng Chao and whispered: "Twenty-one cavalry, how come so many people are here?"
Zheng Chao shook his head, tried his best to put a smile on his face, and walked out of Lihua Pavilion to greet him.
Shura, who was fully armored, only showed a pair of cold and chilling eyes. The tall and mighty war horse breathed hot air, and a smell of blood began to fill the air. The face of the one in the front was handsome and delicate, and there was even a faint trace of blood between his eyebrows.
A bookish young man with a gentle smile on his face, like the spring breeze blowing away ice and snow.
Is he Liu Ling?
Zheng Chao couldn't help but admired in his heart, what a handsome man with an iconic mark!
Liu Ling wore a black uniform and a large cloak with a sable fur collar. Her straight black hair was tied back casually, fluttering gently in the wind. Her clean and beautiful eyes were slightly raised.
The gentle smile on the corner of his mouth and face reminded Zheng Chao of four words, like a spring breeze.
"I'm sorry. General Zheng arrived early and waited in the cold wind. I feel very guilty."
Liu Ling jumped off the horse and said as he walked: "It's just that since Lihua Pavilion is assigned to General Zheng, if I come too early and it seems disrespectful, it seems like I don't trust the general."
He seemed to inadvertently glance at the three thousand standing soldiers a hundred meters away to the north of the pavilion. The curve of the corners of his mouth widened slightly, and even the corners of his eyes showed a smile. His expression made Zheng Chao blush.
, unknowingly, it seemed as if Liu Ling had been slapped on the head.
In front of the three thousand elite soldiers, Liu Ling, the loyal king of the Han Dynasty, who only brought twenty Asuras, had a calm expression on his face, as if he didn't take the murderous three thousand elite soldiers into consideration at all. From the beginning to the end, he only looked at the three thousand troops.
After one glance, he never took a second look. It seemed that in his eyes, those elite soldiers were not as interesting as this dilapidated pavilion.
"Zheng Chao, the great general of Zuo Zhenwei of the Great Zhou Dynasty, met His Royal Highness King Zhong of the Han Dynasty."
Although they did not belong to the same country, out of respect for the royal family, Zheng Chao still performed a military salute.
"General Zheng doesn't need to meet outsiders. Although this is the first time for me to see the general, I have always admired the general. I always want to find an opportunity to meet the general and have a drink and talk. However, there are too many mundane things in life.
Do whatever you want."
Zheng Chao took advantage of Liu Ling's seat and took a sneak peek at the cavalryman who was sitting on horseback dozens of meters away to the south of the pavilion, as motionless as a stone statue. They were all covered in black armor, and the face armor was not pushed up.
Everyone's hands were placed on the horseshoes hanging on the victory hooks, their backs straightened, and they remained motionless despite the howling cold wind.
Looking at the war horses, each one is almost as strong as a lion. It is one head taller than ordinary war horses, and its whole body is covered with heavy armor. There is also armor in front of the horse, and the sharp blades on the armor can easily cut.
Breaking people's throats. If there were ten thousand such heavy armored cavalry, where else in the world could they go? Zheng Chao inevitably compared the twenty cavalry soldiers under Liu Ling's command with Luo Xu's tiger and sharp cavalry.
, he found that regardless of their body shape, riding skills, or their strong murderous aura, these twenty cavalrymen were probably a bit stronger than the Great Zhou Tigers.
Fortunately, he only brought twenty cavalry with him for such a domineering cavalry. If he had brought five hundred cavalry, no, three hundred cavalry, the three thousand fine armored infantry on his side would definitely not be able to stop them.
Zheng Chao forced himself to calm down, and said to Liu Ling with a smile: "Your Majesty is from the north, so he doesn't know much about Lihuating. Lihuating, it is said that Li Taibai, the poet of the Tang Dynasty, once visited here, and he lay drunk with this place.
In the pavilion. Later, when Li Bai woke up, he named the pavilion Lihua Pavilion, but the specific meaning has not been passed down."
Liu Ling said with a smile: "I have long heard that General Zheng is a master of both civil and military skills. He is capable of bringing peace to the country with his literature and able to rule the country with his military skills. There are generals like General Zheng in the Zhou Dynasty. No wonder he is as powerful as a tiger."
"Your Majesty is joking. Even if I were a tiger, I wouldn't get any advantage in front of His Majesty's elite soldiers. On the contrary, His Majesty's elite cavalry are so powerful."
"Why did the prince want to meet me this time? Although Zheng admires the prince very much, after all, the two countries are at war. But he does not dare to be accused of collaborating with the enemy."
Liu Ling smiled and said: "The letter is clear, but I don't know what the general is thinking about it?"
Zheng Chao cupped his hands in the direction of Kaifeng and said: "Zheng Chao was deeply favored by the emperor. He was worshiped as the third-rank general Zuo Zhenwei and was given the title of Marquis of Jiading. He has 60,000 troops under his command. Although I dare not say that he is an extremely popular minister, he is favored by your majesty.
It can be considered grand. The Twelve Guards soldiers are the most elite division of our Great Zhou Dynasty. The generals of each guard have a very high status in the army. I really can't think of any reason for me to surrender to the enemy and treason and be reviled by the world.
It will be infamy for eternity.”
Liu Ling chuckled: "I just want to ask the general, is this Great Zhou still Chai Rong's Great Zhou?"
Zheng Chao's face changed and he said: "Your Majesty, the Great Zhou is naturally my Majesty's Great Zhou. The territory of the ninety-eight states is still there, millions of soldiers are mighty, and the world is surrendered. With my Majesty's wisdom, sooner or later, I will dominate the world. Where is your Majesty coming from?
Such a question?"
Liu Ling shook his head and smiled without saying a word.
Zheng Chao said a little impatiently: "Your Majesty is here, and it seems he will return disappointed."
Liu Ling laughed heartily: "General Zheng, you are impatient and have a heavy breath. You have already confused your mood. I have already gained the upper hand with just one question."
Zheng Chao was even more confused, his face changed color and he said: "This general is not here to listen to the prince's teasing!"
Zheng Ke, who was behind him, suddenly took a step forward, holding the hilt of the sword in his hand and shouted loudly: "Can't you see the three thousand soldiers in front of me, sir?"
Liu Ling glanced at Zheng Ke lightly and said with a smile: "What do you call this general? He looks a bit like Fan Kuai."
"A certain person's surname is Zheng, his given name is Xian, General Zuo Zhenwei sits down on horseback and stands in front of him. The prince is not hosting the Hongmen Banquet, and I am not that fake Fan Kuai."
Liu Ling picked up the wine glass, looked at it, and asked with a smile: "This Hongmen Banquet is indeed not organized by me."
Zheng Chao's face turned red, and he turned around and scolded: "There is no place for you to speak in front of the prince, why don't you step back quickly!"
Liu Ling said: "No problem, I respect the brave warriors the most. This wine was prepared by General Zheng, so I will borrow flowers to offer to the Buddha and give a drink to General Zheng Ke!"
Zheng Ke didn't refuse, but ended up draining his glass in one gulp: "Your Majesty, Zheng also admired it very much, and came with only twenty cavalry. Does your Majesty think that the three thousand elites under my command are made of clay?"
Liu Ling said: "These three thousand elites you talk about are not in my eyes."
He suddenly asked Zheng Chao: "If one day the general is no longer the Zuowuwei general of the Zhou Dynasty, and all the troops and horses under his command will be transferred to others. The imperial court of the Zhou Dynasty will remove your official position and deprive you of your title. General
, is it to obey orders or to disobey orders?”
"Your Majesty! Zheng is deeply affected by..."
Liu Ling waved his hand to stop Zheng Chao's words: "Let's go back to Kaifeng and tell Chai Rong. I won't be moved after hearing this. Of course, the premise is that you can see your Majesty the Emperor."
He held the wine glass and twirled it gently and slowly: "Although I am a Han Chinese, I know as much about the affairs of your Zhou Dynasty court as the general. Moreover, I got some news much earlier than the general."
.I am not going to lie to you, the imperial edict to abolish all your positions and escort you back to Kaifeng for trial is already on the way, and will be delivered to the general in less than five days."
Zheng Chao was shocked!
Liu Ling stood up: "That's all for today. The reason why I made an appointment to meet with the general is just to say hello to the general in advance. I can't bear to see such a heroic figure like the general, but he was deceived by those monsters in the Zhou court.
It controls life and death, so I feel compassion for you. What I have given the general is not a bright future, but a way back. Your way back, the way back for the tens of thousands of soldiers under your command."
"General, you can take care of yourself."
Liu Ling stood up and said with a smile: "General, there is no need to rush to answer, and I am not in a hurry either."
After saying that, Liu Ling turned around and was about to leave. Zheng Ke suddenly drew his sword and said, "If the prince is allowed to just leave in front of the three thousand elite men under my command, Zheng will probably be ridiculed by everyone in the world!"
Liu Ling glanced at him and walked out of the pavilion.
