In the carriage, Zhao Ya curled up in Xiang Shaolong's arms, feeling extremely sad.
Xiang Shaolong caressed her shoulders and said softly: "You can't resurrect yourself if you cheer up. We can only turn our grief and anger into strength to cope with the many crises before us."
Zhao Ya twitched and said, "They died so miserably that they couldn't even recognize their faces. Who colluded with these murderers, and why did they know how to sneak into the palace through secret passages?"
Xiang Shaolong was stunned. If this matter was investigated, Queen Jing might be implicated. However, if he did not explain it clearly to Zhao Ya, with her intelligence, she might feel that he was deceiving her in the future, so he told Han
Chuang's role in this matter.
Zhao Ya was filled with hatred and said dissatisfiedly: "How can you let Han Chuang go?"
Seeing the hatred and anger in her beautiful eyes, Xiang Shaolong felt a headache and sighed: "I am helpless. This matter will inevitably involve Queen Jing. Under the current situation, it will be harmful to Zhao."
.If Han and Zhao are at odds, and Tian Dan and Li Yuan are all in vain, can Ya'er understand my painstaking efforts? Don't forget that I promised to help you, Brother Wang, overcome this difficulty."
The big truth was brought out. No matter how difficult it was for Zhao Ya to pursue it, she fell back into his arms and whispered: "Shaolong, I hate Brother Wang. Apart from himself and his immediate interests, he has nothing that he really cares about.
Already."
Xiang Shaolong secretly sighed that people who became emperor would probably end up like this.
Absolute power can corrupt anyone absolutely.
Thinking of this, I couldn't help but think of Xiaopan, the future Qin Shihuang, and felt an inexplicable strong fear in my heart.
Handan had an absolutely peaceful morning.
The execution of all of Lord Xinling's subordinates shocked the whole city, pushing Xiang Shaolong's reputation as a city guard to a new peak.
Xiang Shaolong and others were extremely busy in the next few days, taking various necessary measures to defend the city. In fact, they secretly made detailed arrangements to capture Zhao Mu back to Xianyang and complete the mission of this trip.
Under Guo Kai's advice, Cheng Xu was reinstated to his original position. The two of them were extremely jealous of Xiang Shaolong. At the same time, they also wondered why Zhao Mu still did not take any action after knowing Xiang Shaolong's "conspiracy".
Tian Dan and Li Yuan both became low-key due to the Xinlingjun incident, making people wonder what their intentions were.
Han Chuang avoided suspicion and seldom went out for activities. He even dared not ask Shaolong for Tian Zhen and Tian Feng to serve as night attendants, thus saving Xiang Shaolong a worry.
Longyang Jun decided to return to Daliang. Xiaocheng set a date and held a big banquet in the palace to see off Longyang Jun.
Three days before the farewell banquet was held in the morning, Zhao Mu sent someone to find Xiang Shaolong.
Xiang Shaolong knew what was going on, so he dropped everything and went to the Hou Mansion to see Zhao Mu.
The traitor led Xiang Shaolong into the secret room and said excitedly: "Your method of loyalty is really amazing. You can immediately find out who is loyal to me and who is wavering. It depends on the wind."
Xiang Shaolong: "Master Hou, please give me the names of those people who seem unwilling to sign allegiance, so that I can deal with Xiaocheng and rectify them."
Zhao Mu took out the list from his pocket, spread it out on the table, and said with a hearty smile: "Your idea coincides with my own. I've already prepared it."
Xiang Shaolong took a closer look and saw more than a dozen names written on it. Cheng Xu was among them, and the others were all high-status ministers and generals in the city.
Xiang Shaolong wondered: "Isn't Cheng Xu a member of Guo Kai? Why does he appear on the list? Could it be...hey?"
Zhao Mu's eyes flashed fiercely and he said: "This kid is ungrateful. If it weren't for me, how could he be qualified to sit as the leader of the Imperial Army? You'd better emphasize your tone and take advantage of Xiaocheng's dissatisfaction with him now to add insult to injury.
"
When he said this, Xiang Shaolong immediately understood that Cheng Xu was not his at all, he just wanted to use his power to kill people so that his people could have the opportunity to take Cheng Xu's place.
Based on this, whoever has the best chance of becoming Xiaocheng's palace guard commander may be Zhao Mu's accomplice.
Zhao Mu smiled and said: "Even if we can't hurt him, we still have no loss."
Then his face darkened and he said: "Xiao Chengzhen summoned Li Mu back. A brigade of more than 20,000 elite soldiers led by him is on the way and will reach Handan in seven days. But he will only die if he comes back, because Xiao Cheng doesn't have many more days.
It’s alive.”
Xiang Shaolong was secretly happy, knowing that Zhao Mu had made the whole plan to usurp the throne, so he pretended to be excited and said: "I have everything prepared, when will Lord Hou plan to take action?"
Zhao Mu's facial muscles trembled for a while, and the ugly scar looked like a little poisonous snake that wanted to devour someone. His eyes flashed fiercely and he said coldly: "When the farewell banquet of Lord Long Yang is held in three days, all the ministers and generals will gather together.
Once you get to the palace, it's a good time to take action."
This time, even Xiang Shaolong was puzzled and said in astonishment: "But that will also be the moment when the security in the palace is the tightest and the vigilance is highest. Where will we get the chance?"
There was a sinister smile on Zhao Mu's lips, and he said fiercely: "As long as you can manage to transfer the city defense generals who are loyal to Xiaocheng to the palace, and then replace them with my people and yours, then the entire city defense will fall to us.
In our hands, under those circumstances, Handan has become meat on the chopping block, allowing us to slaughter it."
Xiang Shaolong said in a deep voice: "Master Hou, can you make it clearer?"
Zhao Mu nodded and said: "Our good helper is still the little thief Xiang Shaolong. I will lay out traces of his arrival in the city. At that time, you don't need to ask. Xiao Cheng, who is already frightened, will force you to search for the thief's traces. You can
They made all arrangements and took advantage of the situation to blockade the palace. On the other hand, they opened the city gate wide and allowed Tian Dan's army to march into the city. At that time, they were not afraid of the mere 10,000 imperial guards, not to mention the number of imperial guards.
Are there people of mine too?"
Xiang Shaolong frowned and said, "Isn't this just forceful? It seems to be a little different from the original intention of the Marquis?" Then he lowered his voice and said, "Does the Marquis really trust Qi Ren that much?"
Zhao Mu was a little displeased and said: "This prince has his own sense of proportion. As long as you can hold on to the military power of Handan City and obey my instructions, it will be time for you to return to work in three days. You don't need to worry about anything else.
After you succeed, I guarantee that you will become the commander-in-chief of the three armies of Zhao State, and you will enjoy endless glory and wealth."
Xiang Shaolong knew that things would never be as simple as he said, but he also knew that if he continued to ask questions, he would be suspicious, so he only agreed, said goodbye and left, and immediately joined the official to meet King Zhao.
Xiaocheng meets him in the inner palace." Xiang Shaolong was afraid that there was someone from Zhao Mu among the guards, so he winked and Xiaocheng understood and led him to walk in the imperial garden. The guards only guarded him from a distance. Xiaocheng listened to Xiang Shaolong's report.
After that, he couldn't help but sigh: "Today, few people know how loyal and important Li Mu and Lian Po are to our great Zhao. After wiping out Zhao Mu and his remnants, our great Zhao has Guo Kai and Dong Qing.
With Li Mu and Lian Po, I am afraid that we will not be able to revitalize the national destiny. In addition, with Lu Gong's secret records in hand, we can predict that we can unify the world. Dong Qing will definitely work hard, and I will never forget your contribution."
Considering Xiaocheng's character, these words were already spoken to him sincerely. If Xiaocheng could truly realize that what is right now is what was wrong yesterday, the Zhao Kingdom would indeed be revitalized. But after hearing these heartfelt words, Xiang Shaolong
, there was an unreasonable ominous feeling in his heart, which made him feel very uncomfortable. Perhaps it was inconsistent with Xiaocheng's always mean and unkind behavior, which made him feel strange.
Looking at Xiao Cheng's pale face, Xiang Shaolong said solemnly: "If General Cheng is dismissed, which general will your Majesty appoint?"
Xiaocheng couldn't understand it for a moment and frowned: "Why is General Dong so anxious to know?"
Xiang Shaolong said: "Zhao Mu has never trusted me that much. He hides many things from me. I think he is so sure that he must be someone loyal to him among the generals of the imperial guard. If General Cheng is dismissed, this Zhao Mu
His comrades are very likely to take the position of General Cheng."
Xiaocheng shook his head and smiled: "This is just Zhao Mu's wishful thinking. In fact, I can't think of that person for the moment. There are several candidates. I don't believe that he has all defected to the traitor party."
Xiang Shaolong's heart moved and he said: "Suppose General Cheng suddenly has an accident. Under the current situation, the king will definitely appoint someone to temporarily lead the forbidden army to avoid command imbalance. Then who will the person in the king's mind be?"
The Imperial Guards of the Zhao Palace are under the command of ten imperial guards, who are responsible for the ten armies of the Imperial Palace. Each army has a strength of between 1,000 and 1,500 people. This group of troops dedicated to protecting Zhao Wangan has undergone rigorous training.
They are well-selected and well-trained, and are far superior to the soldiers who defend the city and the outside world.
Under normal circumstances, if the commander of the guards is unable to perform his duties, he should choose the top one from among the guards who serve as his deputies. Since they are familiar with the security and operation of the palace, problems will not arise.
Xiaocheng thought seriously for a while, sighed and said, "It's really difficult to decide this matter at the moment."
Xiang Shaolong understood his indecisive character and stopped asking further questions, saying, "It seems that if we can't get those batches of allegiance, we won't be able to figure out Zhao Mu's true plan. I'll leave this matter to you, so don't worry, Your Majesty."
Xiaocheng was full of confidence in him and said: "Tomorrow I will hand over the other half of the tiger talisman to you, and you will have full authority to mobilize the troops..." After a pause, he said: "If Tian Dan really participated in this rebellion with the intention of overthrowing me,
, I want to take the opportunity to kill him, is Dong Qing sure that he can do it?"
Xiang Shaolong said in a deep voice: "Has your Majesty thought about the consequences?"
Xiaocheng sighed: "I have been thinking about this for many days. If Qi State does not have Tian Dan, it will be like a tiger without minions. The problem is that this person is not easy to deal with, so I asked Dong Qing's family for their opinion."
Seeing his troubled expression, Xiang Shaolong gritted his teeth and said, "I'll take care of this. Hey, I have a request, and I hope your Majesty will grant it."
Xiaocheng said: "Dong Qing, please tell me"
Xiang Shaolong said: "Your Majesty will not tell anyone about dealing with Zhao Mu, including Dr. Guo."
Xiaocheng was shocked and said displeasedly: "Does Dong Qing doubt Doctor Guo?"
Xiang Shaolong said: "We can't be sure who the traitor is until we get those loyal people for a day. Maybe Doctor Guo has Zhao Mu's people. At this critical moment, one mistake will lead to everyone missing. Be careful."
It’s always good.”
Xiaocheng thought for a long time and nodded in agreement. After discussing some details of the operation, Xiang Shaolong left the palace and returned to the command post, found Teng Yi and told him the matter.
Teng Yi's face hardened, and he finally said decisively after a while: "Zhao Mu is starting to worry about you. Alas, your performance is too great, especially when you took back Lu Gong's secret records. If I were Zhao Mu, I would also be wary of you.
.”
Xiang Shaolong said distressedly: "Not only is Zhao Mu worried about me because of this matter, but in my opinion the biggest problem is that I unintentionally became the biggest beneficiary of Le Cheng's death, and Guo Kai is behind it. Now I
The situation has changed from bad to worse, and it is very unfavorable.”
Teng Yi was stunned and said: "What is unintentional insertion?"
After Xiang Shaolong explained with a wry smile, he said: "Now we have to try to get those loyalists in order to understand Zhao Mu's arrangement. I think this old thief who is as cunning as a fox will definitely teach me to be the vanguard, and he
But I am just sitting back and enjoying the success. Alas, I have to talk to Tian Dan."
Teng Yi said: "Don't do this. I think Tian Dan is also doubting you. If you send it to the door like this, you might expose some flaws. Suppose he asks about Lu Gong's secret records, how will you answer him? He
It's not that Xiaocheng won't believe you easily. Besides, genius knows the relationship between Han Chuang and them. There is also Li Yuan, we have been neglecting him recently."
When Xiang Shaolong heard this, his heart was so confused and his head was as big as a bucket, his men came to report, and Lord Long Yang came to find him.
Xiang Shaolong smiled bitterly and said: "The only person you can trust now may be this guy who is neither male nor female." After saying that, he went to the main hall to meet Lord Long Yang.
After waving away and following the others, the two sat in a corner and talked in low voices.
Long Yangjun was in much better spirits, his expression was not much different from before, and he had regained his former self-confidence. After looking at him "affectionately" for a while, he said softly: "Li Yuan came to me this morning and said that as long as I am willing to join forces,
Xiaocheng withdrew his troops from the Yan State and agreed to join forces. Otherwise, Qi and Chu would use troops against Zhao State. Hmm, his tone is really loud. He has only been the uncle of the state for a few days, so he is already the representative of Chu Xiaolie."
Xiang Shaolong said: "If Qi and Chu unite to deal with us, will the Wei State send troops to help?"
A smile appeared on the corner of Long Yangjun's lips and he said: "Although Brother Dong is as wise as the ocean, he is still straightforward by nature. He doesn't understand that a treacherous villain like Li Yuan says one thing but does another. He
This is just to cover up a bigger conspiracy. You'd better teach Xiaocheng to be careful. Alas, the Nu family is really worried about you, Brother Dong."
Xiang Shaolong said in astonishment: "Why would your Majesty say this?"
Long Yangjun sighed: "I know you can ascend to the position of city guard. Queen Jing has done a lot of hard work behind the scenes. I will remind Brother Dong that this woman is very powerful. She can play with people without making a sound."
You can also put people in a place of eternal destruction without any effort. When Lord Xinling lived in Handan before, he had a fierce fight with her. Now that you are useful to her, she will win over you; when you are no longer useful, see how she will
How to deal with you?"
Xiang Shaolong secretly broke out in a cold sweat. He really didn't take Queen Jing very seriously. Now that he thought about it, she was indeed not simple. In this fight, no matter which side wins, she is still the one who benefits.
.
The problem is that no one dares to touch her while Li Mu, Lian Po and Li are still alive.
Xiang Shaolong put himself in Queen Jing's shoes and wished that someone would get rid of her husband in name only so that her son could ascend the throne, while he would control everything behind the scenes and listen to politics behind the curtain. At that time, Li Mu and Lian Po would have to focus on each other.
A loyal minister and a famous general will have a stable status.
Suddenly he understood the importance of his city guard. Only he could allow her to control Zhao Mu and resist the external forces of Qi and Chu.
Thinking of this, a soft "jade hand" touched the back of his hand.
Xiang Shaolong was startled and looked at Lord Long Yang, only to see his tender eyes staring at him, sincerely saying: "Leave Handan or Brother Dong will die without a burial place, no matter who wins the Zhao Kingdom
throne, I will eventually kill you."
Xiang Shaolong endured the skin-to-skin contact that was still acceptable to him, and shook his head decisively: "Dong never puts life and death in his heart, especially when our country's life and death are at stake, he is even more unwilling to ignore it, otherwise he will be depressed for the rest of his life.
An, I am ashamed to show my late father’s spirit in heaven.”
Seeing his resolute expression, Long Yangjun retracted his "jade hand", sighed deeply, and said softly: "Brother Dong is a real hero, and I won't force you. But one day, if Brother Dong can't hold on, please remember that our family is in Daliang."
Waiting for you." After a pause, he continued: "Although Queen Jing and Guo Kai have different opinions on the position of city guard, they end up colluding with each other because of their interests. You have to be careful."
Xiang Shaolong was stunned for a long while, and thoughts of no gain flashed through his heart. At the same time, he secretly blamed himself for his negligence, for not realizing as early as possible Queen Jing's method of finding love everywhere.
Lord Long Yang was speechless and stood up to leave.
Xiang Shaolong was a little moved, and Yin Yin sent him to the carriage outside the command post and watched him leave.
Suddenly he knew that he had to redeploy his strategy, otherwise he would never be able to leave Handan, let alone capture Zhao Mu alive.