On the evening of August 8, a reply letter written by King Lu Xi of Qi, or a letter commending his meritorious service, was also sent to Xiangcheng where Zhao Hongrun was located, and was delivered to the latter.
There is not much to say in the content. It is nothing more than a commendation for the bravery of the Wei army during the capture of Xiangcheng and a promise to attract the attention of the Fu Li Sai Chu army. They are all very written and official rhetoric and have little meaning.
Instead, it was by the way that he received a letter from Ji Zhao, brother of the Sixth Prince, and the content in it made Zhao Hongrun feel interesting.
Ji Zhao thanked his younger brother in the letter, saying that if Zhao Hongrun hadn't worked hard and delivered the good news to the King of Qi in time, I'm afraid that Ji Zhao, as the elder brother, would really be outcast by Tian Kuang, the right minister of Qi this time.
That's right.
"It seems that His Highness Prince Rui's life in Qi State is not entirely satisfactory..."
Zongwei Chief Wei Jiao also saw the words in his heart and couldn't help but sigh.
King Rui...?
Zhao Hongrun smiled bitterly and shook his head.
At this moment, King Su's guard outside the house came to report: "Your Highness, General Qu (Chong) and Vice General Yan (Mo) of the Yanling Army want to see you."
"Invite them in."
Zhao Hongrun said casually.
After a while, Qu Cheng and Yan Mo came to the house hand in hand and saluted with clasped fists.
"How is the situation with the reorganization?" Zhao Hongrun asked casually, and thrust the letter written by King Lu Xi of Qi into Yan Mo's hand, and said to him: "Keep it as a souvenir."
Qu Cheng glanced at the letter in Yan Mo's hand with some confusion, then clasped his fists and reported: "Reporting to Your Highness, the recruitment process has been basically completed. At present, our Yanling Army has more than 38,000 casualties."
"Hmm." Zhao Hongrun nodded, and then reminded: "Don't let the instillation of righteousness fall behind. Let every soldier understand that our army is not attacking Chu State, but liberating the people of Chu State. Wei
The two countries of Chu and Chu are not enemies."
"You will finally understand!" Qu Cheng said seriously.
At this time, Yan Mo had already read the letter from King Lu Xi of Qi, and guessed that His Royal Highness Prince Su was in front of him to commend Yan Mo for his contribution in seizing Xiangcheng, so he sent King Lu Xi of Qi to him.
A handwritten letter was sent to him as a souvenir.
The autographed letter of King Lu Xi of Qi is a treasure that can be regarded as a family heirloom. But the problem is that he, Yan Mo, was born in Chu and kept the letter of King Lu Xi of Qi, the most hated enemy of the Chu people. What is this thing?
?
But if he was told to destroy it afterwards, he would be reluctant to do so. After all, how many Chu people in the world would have the opportunity to collect the autographed letters of King Lu Xi of Qi?
So after struggling for a while, Yan Mo decided to keep it as a family heirloom. After all, King Lu Xi of Qi highly praised the Wei army's achievements in conquering Xiangcheng in the letter, and Yan Mo captured Xiangcheng. Although the letter did not
His name, Yan Mo, was not mentioned, but it was enough for Yan Mo to brag about his illustrious achievements to future generations when he grew old in the future.
Although the fact that a Chu native who defected to the Wei State helped the Qi State capture the Chu State's city sounds very inconsistent no matter how you hear it.
After putting the letter away in a tangled mood, Yan Mo clasped his fists and said: "Your Highness, we are attacking Zhi County. I hope that Your Highness will allow us, the Yanling Army, to serve as the vanguard."
Are you addicted to competing with the Shang Shui Army for credit?
Zhao Hongrun glanced at Yan Mo, but he could understand Yan Mo's eagerness. After all, he had just told the latter two days ago that as long as the latter could establish some more meritorious deeds, the Wei court would pay tribute to him for his meritorious deeds.
Grant him a noble status.
So, it's no wonder why Yan Mo is so interested.
After thinking about it, Zhao Hongrun said sternly: "There is no rush in advance. Please call Nanmen Huai for me. I want to ask about the situation in Zhi County."
Hearing what Zhao Hongrun said, Yan Mo had no choice but to ask, "Your Highness, I wonder when the grain, grass and baggage from Qi will arrive?"
In fact, in order to show his sincerity in surrendering to the Wei army, Nanmen Chi did not destroy the food and grass in Xiangcheng. It is no exaggeration to say that the food and grass in Xiangcheng is enough to support nearly 100,000 Wei troops for two months.
But having said that, about two months of food and grass is not enough for Zhao Hongrun and his army to march south with confidence. After all, it is common for such wars in the past dynasties to last for several months at a time.
That's why Yan Mo asked this question.
Hearing this, Zhao Hongrun nodded and said: "The King of Qi has agreed to send people to replenish our army with food and supplies... Speaking of this, has Nanmen returned late?"
The Nanmen Chi mentioned by Zhao Hongrun had left the city in disguise yesterday. Under the protection or surveillance of several Green Crows, he went to contact his biological brother Nanmen Yang in order to find a way to kill Nanmen Yang's subordinates.
The 50,000 Chu troops in Longji Mountain were also drawn into the Wei army's camp.
However, the Chu soldiers in Longji Mountain are not completely obedient to Nanmen Yang, so it is still somewhat difficult to operate this matter.
"Not yet." Yan Mo shook his head and replied.
Zhao Hongrun nodded and said: "We'll wait for Nanmen to come back first. By the way, how is Mengshan's Chu general Doulian... how is it?"
After hearing this, Qu Cheng clasped his fists and said: "According to reports from the scouts, Doulian has closed the camp and is repairing the barracks. It seems that he plans to defend Mengshan."
Zhao Hongrun frowned when he heard this and asked, "Have you ever sent someone to ask for surrender?"
"A general with three thousand men under Nanmen Chi was sent, and he had a good relationship with Doulian in the past, but..." Qu Cheng showed a slightly depressed look on his face, and said unhappily: "I didn't come back as scheduled.
"
That is to say, either you were caught or you were killed?
With a slight snort, Zhao Hongrun said lightly: "You have backbone. Hmm, but Xiangcheng has fallen into the hands of our army. He, Dou Lian, occupies a small Mengshan, and he still wants to save the situation?"
After hearing this, Qu Cheng clasped his fists and said, "Your Highness, would you like me, the Yanling Army, to pull out this nail for Your Highness first?"
"..." Zhao Hongrun pondered for a moment after hearing this.
As a patient with moderate obsessive-compulsive disorder, Zhao Hongrun always pays attention to perfection when doing things, so naturally he would not like to have the hostile force Doulian around him.
It's like a map in a game. A red dot appears in a green area that has been captured by one's own team. It looks awkward and makes you want to destroy this stronghold immediately.
But reason repeatedly warned Zhao Hongrun that Mengshan Chu Camp was impregnable and would not be easy to attack. If he attacked by force, although he would eventually be able to conquer it, he would suffer huge losses. More importantly, it would delay the Wei army's capture of Qi and Qi.
The Nanmen clan cooperated internally and externally, and the Qi and Lu allied forces led by King Lu Xi of Qi attacked Fu Lisi from front to back.
All in all, the gains and losses are not proportional.
"It doesn't matter, just keep it. I will leave some soldiers and horses in Xiangcheng when the time comes... With the way back being cut off, I'm afraid Dou Lian won't be able to play any tricks."
"yes!"
The few of them chatted for a while, and then Qu Cheng and Yan Mo said goodbye and left.
Not long after, Nanmenhuai came over after hearing Zhao Hongrun's summons. Zhao Hongrun asked him about the situation in Qi County.
At the same time, Nanmen Chi, the defender of Yuanxiang City who had recently surrendered to the Wei Dynasty, had found the place where his brother Nanmen Yang's army was stationed with the help of the Green Crows.
Using his identity as a member of the Nanmen clan as a guise, he successfully met his younger brother Nanmen Yang, so much so that the latter was shocked to see his own brother in the military tent in the military camp.
"Brother..."
However, before Nan Menyang shouted the word "brother" with a shocked look on his face, he saw Nan Menchi wink at him: back away!
Naturally, Nanmen Yang would not doubt his own brother. Seeing this, he ordered his close guards to retreat, including the guards outside the tent.
After that, Nanmen Yang couldn't help but look at the people and unfamiliar faces behind his brother Nanmen Chi.
"It doesn't matter, we are one of our own." Nanmen Chi explained.
The few unfamiliar faces behind him were members of the Green Crows, not one of his own.
"Oh." Nanmenyang nodded, without asking in detail. He walked up to his brother and asked solemnly: "Brother, aren't you in Xiangcheng? Why..."
Nanmenchi thought for a while, sighed slightly and said, "Doulian's plan to besiege the Wei army failed."
Nanmen Yang raised his eyebrows when he heard this. In fact, when he led his army to attack the Wei camp, but saw that there was no one in the camp, he already felt that something was wrong. However, the situation was not clear at the time, so he did not dare to act rashly.
No, he immediately sent people to inquire about the news in Xiangcheng and Mengshan. Unexpectedly, before the scouts he sent out returned, his brother who was in charge of Xiangcheng came here.
"Xiangcheng..."
"It has fallen into the hands of the Wei army." Nanmen Chi said calmly.
Hearing this, Nanmenyang took a breath of air. He didn't notice the calm look on his brother's face and said anxiously: "Brother, don't worry, I will immediately mobilize all the troops to help you take back Xiangcheng."
With that said, he was about to step out of the tent, but Nan Menchi grabbed his arm.
"Brother, you..." No matter how slow Nanmenyang was, he still noticed his brother's weirdness.
Think about it, if Xiangcheng is lost, how can your brother deal with it calmly and calmly?
At this time, I heard Nanmen Chi say in a low voice: "Xiangcheng was given to me for my brother... My brother, including your brothers from the Jue clan and your brother from the Huai clan, have all surrendered to His Highness King Su of Wei.
"
Nanmenyang took two steps back in horror, his right hand subconsciously touched the sword at his waist, and he looked at his brother with a look of uncertainty.
After a long while, he swallowed his saliva and then asked: "Brother, why is this?"
After hearing this, Nanmen Chi told Nanmen Yang exactly how he had abandoned Xiangcheng, including Yan Mo's words about surrendering him, but Nanmen Yang's scalp went numb.
After all, if the enemy's general is a formidable opponent who can discern opportunities, everyone will feel frightened.
"Brother, are you really sincere, or are you just talking about expediency?"
While saying this, Nanmen Yang put his right hand on the hilt of the sword at his waist, and looked at the unfamiliar faces behind Nanmen Chi from time to time.
However, Nanmen Chi moved a step, stood between Nanmen Yang and the Green Crows, and said in a low voice: "We have decided to defect to the Wei State. Therefore, I come to tell you personally."
After hearing this, Nan Menyang's face showed a hint of surprise and confusion.
And at this moment, I heard Nanmen Chi say in a complicated tone: "Design to the Kingdom of Wei, and King Su allows us to retain our noble status. Although we will definitely be subject to some restrictions during the period, it is better than being killed by Tian Dan..."
"Tian Dan?" Nan Menyang's eyes suddenly widened.
"Exactly!... This time the Eastern Route Army of the Qi, Lu, and Wei Allied Forces is Tian Dan of Qi State, and Qixian County is the place where Tian Dan must pass through to cross the Huihe River. If we escape, we will be attacked by Xiong.
One clan is implicated in the entire clan; if the city is destroyed, Tian Dan will definitely kill all the family members, young and old. Instead of doing this, why not defect to His Highness King Su of Wei?"
"..."
Nanmen Yang looked gloomy and uncertain when he heard this, and he paced back and forth in the tent and thought deeply.
Seeing this, Nanmen Chi struck while the iron was hot and said: "Within three days, the Wei army will capture Zhi County. During this period, we should cooperate with the inside and outside to help the Wei army capture Qixian County, so that the tragedy of Qixian County being captured by Tian Dan can be resolved."
, our Nanmen family moved to the territory of the Wei State, and from then on cut off ties with the Chu State... The Yanling, Shangshui, and Changping counties in the Wei State were all inhabited by Chu people, and His Highness King Su also promised not to
Thank you for waiting for me, Yang, why are you still hesitating?"
Nanmenyang thought for a moment, and finally gritted his teeth and said, "What do you want me to say?"
Hearing this, Nanmen Chi showed a slight smile on his face and lowered his voice and said: "Can you control this army?"
Nanmen Yang understood his brother's meaning, shook his head and said: "The army under my command is the army stationed in Longji Mountain. The leader is Zi Cheji. The younger brother has slightly less authority than him and serves as the deputy general... If the younger brother orders to defect to Wei,
I’m afraid it will be difficult to convince the public.”
Nanmen Chi heard the words and recalled Zhao Hongrun's instructions before leaving, and whispered: "Then you continue to stay here and don't move lightly. If anyone asks about it, you can prevaricate it by cutting off the Wei army's retreat...
If nothing unexpected happens, the talisman will be broken within ten days from leaving the fortress. At that time, I will introduce you to His Highness Prince Su..."
Nanmenyang thought for a while and nodded heavily.
At the same time, Nanmenjue, who quietly sneaked back to Qi County, also talked about the matter with the elders in the clan and persuaded them.
Perhaps it was because the reputation of the famous Daqi general Tian Dan was so loud that the elders of the Nanmen clan were shocked when they heard the news that General Tian Dan was attacking Qi County, and were finally persuaded by Nanmen Jue.
The next day, August 9, the Wei army officially went south to attack Qi County. (To be continued.)