The face was very clean, not even a beard was visible, and it looked extra delicate after applying grease, but its complexion was already a frightening blue-white color, and blood overflowed from the corner of the mouth, dripping along the chin and in front of the body, soaking the moon-white gown red.
"My subordinate did not do his job well and failed to keep an eye on the second master. He deserves death."
A close attendant knelt down and apologized to Wu Chao: "My subordinates are always on guard, and I haven't seen the second master show any intention of committing suicide in recent days... but I didn't know that he had secretly taken poison."
Ming Ming spends his days tending flowers and plants, incense and practicing calligraphy, and there is nothing strange about it——
I came to sit in the garden tonight, and he followed me all the way. By the time he realized something was wrong, it was already too late.
Wu Chao looked at the person lying quietly in the chair for a while and then said: "Send someone to inform the elder brother."
The second uncle never remarried after losing his wife early in life. His eldest son, Wu An, is one year older than him. His wife just gave birth to a beautiful baby girl safely last year.
My second uncle is already a grandfather.
However, taking poison...
And it is such a poison that can kill people very quickly...
When did the second uncle hide this poison?
Or have you always been prepared and prepared for the worst case scenario?
King Dingnan, Princess Dingnan, and Wu Jingyi and his wife also came over soon after hearing the news.
When Wu An arrived, Wu Jinling's body had been carried back and temporarily placed in a wing room.
Wu An stood by the bed, staring blankly at the person on the bed, almost unable to believe that this was true.
How long has it been?
Not to mention the situation outside...
Since the accident happened to my grandfather, uncle, aunt's mother, and second brother, the family has almost been turned upside down...
Fortunately, there was no danger later and everyone came back safely.
But then someone suddenly told him that his father had conspired to kill his father and brother...!
He never knew his father had such thoughts!
In the past, when my grandfather was sick, my father would always stay by the bedside all night;
The uncle and his father have a deep brotherly relationship. They are both good-natured and have never had any disputes...
And the second brother...
Needless to say.
The second brother has been watched by his father since he was a child!
When the second brother was punished for being naughty when he was young, his father secretly climbed over the wall to deliver food. He even broke his arm because of this. Afterwards, he was punished by his grandfather with his injured arm hanging and kneeling in the ancestral hall. The uncle and nephew knelt side by side, staring at each other.
Small eyes.
When the second brother first learned to ride and shoot when he was five years old, his father personally led the second brother's horse, and he spent most of the day riding around the racecourse...
He simply didn't believe that his father could be so cruel as to do such a thing!
He ran to see his father and wanted to know the reason for all this, but his father no longer wanted to see him.
At this time, when father and son meet again, they are already separated by yin and yang, and there is a gap between life and death that can no longer be crossed by human power.
"Two letters were found in the second master's study..." Steward Yin led people in and said softly: "One is for the eldest son, and the other is for the grandson."
Wu An didn't know how he opened the letter and how he finished reading it.
His father has no face to see him...
Everything I want to say to him is contained in this letter.
The envelope in Wu Chao's hand contained the words "My nephew Ayuan personally writes -" but there were only two lines in it.
The first is to tell that the secrets about the Purple Star Sect are all in the Yingyue Tower.
The second is to ask Wu Chao to leave a chance of life for everyone in the Purple Star Sect in the future.
Apart from that, there is nothing else...
That night, Songqingyuan went from being noisy with footsteps to becoming quiet again.
Everyone left one after another.
Wu Chao and Wu An sat on the stone steps in the courtyard outside the hall until the sky showed signs of lightening.
There was fog in the night, and the square courtyard where we were was also filled with fog.
Looking at the thick fog that made it difficult to distinguish what was around him three steps away, Wu Chao, who had been sitting all night and his eyes were red, suddenly stood up.
Wu An, who was still immersed in the complicated emotions of losing his father, raised his head and looked at the boy who made sudden movements.
The tall and tall young man stepped down the stone steps in only two steps. As if he suddenly thought of something, he called out: "Suijiang!"
"My subordinate is here." Sui Jiang, who was guarding the corridor not far away, quickly stepped out.
Wu Chao explained: "Send people to each camp quickly to inquire if there is any unusual movement. We must not take it lightly——"
The fog is so heavy that something unexpected may happen early...
Sui Jiang took the order and left.
However, he had only left for a quarter of an hour when urgent news reached Wu Chao.
"Vice-General Gao came to report that the imperial troops suddenly attacked the city in large numbers! General Wen has personally led the troops to attack the enemy!"
When Wu An heard this, his expression changed and he stood up suddenly.
The imperial troops attacked the city?!
How could it be so fast!
Wu Chao had already expected it, but now there were not many surprises. He only asked immediately: "Where will the enemy attack?"
The soldier who reported the news felt that what Shisun asked was a bit strange. The imperial troops had always been stationed outside the south of the city, and the south gate was the main gate of Ningyang City——
But he still hurriedly replied: "Hui Shisun, it's the south! Now we have reached ten miles outside the military camp in the south of the city. While General Wen led the troops to fight, he also asked Vice General Gao to strengthen the defense at the south gate."
This means there are still two lines of defense.
Moreover, on such a foggy day and at night, the soldiers guarding the camp were still able to detect movement in time and block the enemy ten miles away. This shows that the camp did not relax its vigilance.
This is also due to the deployment and drills in recent days.
Wu An was quite surprised: "...their army was stationed a hundred miles away, but this time they made a surprise attack and marched nearly a hundred miles at night under the cover of heavy fog!"
Moreover, the sky was not yet completely bright at the moment, so such a marching speed was really rare.
"So there is nothing to be afraid of." Wu Chao said: "Such a rapid pace must be all-night marching with all one's strength. The soldiers and horses must be tired, and they will be defeated after a long battle——"
There is no god behind the amazing speed, which means that a lot of physical energy is spent.
The word "raid" stresses the importance of surprise, a sudden attack that can win with one strike and be discovered early ten miles away cannot be called a surprise attack.
"Yes, Vice General Gao also said that Shisun should not worry too much. If there is any progress ahead, he will report it in time." The soldier said.
Wu Chao nodded.
The fog around the body has not dispersed at all, making people feel like they are in a state of confusion.
Such an unreal environment will always give people a sense of uncertainty and unknown.
Looking at the diffuse fog, Wu Chao still felt a little uneasy.
"How many troops did the other side send out this time?"
It has been carefully investigated before, and this time the imperial court rushed to Ningyang with an army of 20,000 to "negotiate peace". After the army was stationed, it secretly deployed more than 40,000 troops from various places in Lincheng, making a total of less than 70,000 soldiers.
Seventy thousand——
If it were a war between one country, this cobbled-together army of 70,000 would be nothing.
But if used to besiege a city, it is already a dangerously large number.
"The fog was so heavy that it was difficult to see where the rear end of the opponent's army was. Moreover, the cavalry was at the forefront, and the number of backup forces could not be easily determined." The soldier said, "But the man who led the army was unable to easily determine the number."
They made false claims in front of the battle line, claiming that they would attack the South City Gate before dark, and also used the slogan "You can take the property in the city by yourself after entering the city" to boost the morale of the army! From this, Vice General Gao deduced that the opponent was probably sending out all their troops.
, want to attack the city with all their strength——"
Ningyang City is heavily defended. There are important military camps on the east, west, south and north sides. Due to the different terrain dangers, the distribution of troops is from heavy to light. The south camp, commanded by General Wen, has always been the most heavily defended.
Moreover, the imperial soldiers and horses have been stationed for many days, so how could the camp be unprepared? Under such circumstances, if the opponent wants to invade the city before dark, it is probably a fool's errand!
Since they had discovered in time that General Wen was now blocking the front, they had enough time to mobilize troops to the south of the city for support.
Everything he could think of, Wu Chao had naturally thought of.
Attack the city from the south with all your strength...
"Who is the leader of the other side?" he suddenly asked again.
How many soldiers and horses there are cannot be seen clearly for a while, but when the two armies are facing each other, the leading commander must be able to see clearly.
Knowing yourself and your enemy is the most basic thing. In the past few days, he has taken A Zhang to and from the military camp, and he has also learned all the details of this court army, from the commander to the military advisor.
"Hui Shisun, the leader of the army is the general surnamed Hu. This man has always been arrogant. The big words about entering the city before dark came from this man."
"Hu Kun?" Wu Chao frowned subconsciously: "Where is the deputy general Ma Duanlian?"
After getting to know each other for a long time, I found that the commander named Hu Kun was actually a brave man. On the other hand, the deputy general named Ma actually had some strategies. The peace documents sent to the city several times came from this person.
With his hands, every word and every sentence shows that he is a person who is very good at forbearing and caring about the overall situation - this is definitely not a stupid person.
"Ma Duanlian? Although the villain is not close to the front of the formation, I haven't heard that this person is there..." The soldier thought for a while and said: "Maybe he is among the backup."
Wu Chao thought for a few times and immediately ordered Sui Jiang to prepare his horse.
The matter is so important that there is no room for the word "maybe".
"The second brother wants to go to the army in person?!" Wu An quickly followed: "I will go with the second brother!"
He is also a person who is familiar with the art of war. Although he may not be able to help much, there are many people with many ideas - and it is related to the survival of Ningyang City. As a descendant of the Wu family, he has no reason to shrink back and hide behind.
Wu Chao nodded and hurriedly walked, asking some more questions about what happened before the battle on the way.
He got on his horse and headed west instead of south of the city.
Realizing the young man's intention, Wu An's heart dropped.
west……
To the west of Ningyang City, there are several counties outside the city, backed by mountains. Because of this natural barrier against enemies, Xiying's military strength is also the weakest...
A foggy night is conducive to raids and night travel, and naturally it is also conducive to confusing and blocking sight!
At the moment, I am afraid that the surprise attack will be false, and that I will attack from the east and attack from the west. I will transfer the troops of each battalion in Ningyang City to the south to defend the enemy, and then wait for the opportunity to attack from the west. It is real!
——Only the west side is passable. From the south to the east of the city, across the Ning River, the enemy can only go west!
Although the west side is blocked by mountains, in the early years of the Wu family, in order to facilitate the people in the nearby area to travel and do business, and to facilitate people's livelihood, they also opened several flat mountain roads. The entrance to the mountain road is easy to defend on weekdays, but now the heavy fog blocks the view, and it is also difficult for all parties.
All attention is on the south of the city, there is no guarantee that they will not be taken advantage of!
"Immediately hurry up and pass the order to Vice General Gao, and wait and see what happens. Don't rush to mobilize the troops of each battalion easily, so that you can mobilize them at any time when the military situation becomes clear!"
"While defending against the enemy in the south, quickly send out explorers to find out how many troops the opponent has sent out, and whether there are any troops left in the camp that haven't been moved—"
"If the defense in the camp is empty, you can send an elite cavalry to take the opportunity to destroy the camp and burn the food and grass to cut off its retreat!"
On the way to Xiying on horseback, Wu Chao explained everything he could think of.
There is no need to delay the current situation. If we wait until the fog clears to reveal our true colors before we deal with it, I'm afraid it will be too late.
Listening to this orderly arrangement, Wu An followed Wu Chao on horseback, and his mind became more settled. The more at this time, the less likely it is to be chaotic.
Once there is chaos, it will play into the enemy's hands and give the other party a chance to take advantage of the situation.
The group of people rode fast without stopping. When they arrived at Xiying, the guard was shocked when he heard the news and saw the young man who had dismounted.
Why did the grandson and the eldest son suddenly come in person?
And this is the moment!
Only half an hour ago, someone reported to him that there was a large imperial army attacking the city from the south, and the attack was extremely urgent. He had already ordered his troops and was waiting for the military order to be dispatched to support at any time!
"...The movement in the south of the city may be just a cover-up to attack the east. General Lao Xiao immediately sent people to the entrances of the mountain roads to check if there is anything unusual!" Wu An said anxiously.
General Xiao was startled when he heard this.
After he came to his senses, he quickly complied with the request and said comfortingly: "Don't worry, eldest son, there are people guarding each entrance. If there is any abnormality, they will report it!"
Wu Chao did not completely agree.
Doesn't it mean that there is no abnormality if you don't come to report?
There are not many guards. If he is the leader, in order to delay as much time as possible, he may first send a team of extremely skilled people to kill them with hidden arrows, and then send the army into the mountain after eliminating the possibility of reporting to the other side.
At this time, the people who went to investigate had been sent out, so he didn't say much else for the time being. He only said: "Get the defense map. Is there a sand table in the camp?"
"Yes, yes!" General Xiao hurriedly led the way: "Please come down with your grandson and the eldest son!"
Several people entered the general's camp and after discussing with each other, they quickly decided on a strategy to defend against the enemy.
Although it may not always turn out as expected, there is nothing wrong with preparing for the worst and taking the most comprehensive response.
"Report!"
At this time, the urgent call of soldiers suddenly sounded outside the camp.
The tent curtain was raised, and the soldier quickly stepped into the tent and said with a panic expression: "General, Shisun, several entrances to the Western Mountain have been breached by enemy troops! We have seen that the enemy troops are roughly estimated to number more than 30,000.
I don’t know if there are any enemy troops approaching in the mountains, and Qingsong County, which is close to Xishan Mountain, is almost undefendable!”
"What?!" Xiao Shou's eyes suddenly widened.
What a fucking trick!
Good guy, he is still here worrying about the situation in the south, and now everything is coming to him!
"...Shisun! It's my subordinate's lack of defense!" Xiao Shou general Su Rong cupped his fists and asked for orders: "Please allow me to lead the troops to defend against the enemy first, and then I will apologize later!"
Wu Chao looked at him and said: "General Xiao only needs to act according to the plan he just made. You must be careful when facing the enemy!"
"Yes! I obey my orders!" General Xiao immediately led his troops and set off.
When the army left the camp, the sound of horse hooves was as loud as the mountains falling, almost shaking away the layers of dense fog wherever they went.
Immediately afterwards, the cavalrymen who went to each camp to report the military situation did not delay for a moment, and immediately dispersed and galloped away.
