Jiuxi

Chapter 458 Chapter 456 [The beacon fire comes at night]

Shazhou, Heishui Village.

Luo Jiujiu specially prepared several adjacent courtyards for Lu Chen and his soldiers, which are in the core area of ​​Dazhai, not counting the Luo family's big house.

In a courtyard, Lu Chen looked at the dusty Yin Shangfu and asked without too many greetings, "Is there a response from the capital?"

Yin Shangfu quickly replied: "Your Majesty, there is no news from the capital yet. It is a military intelligence report from the Jiangbei border."

Lu Chen nodded and said, "Sit down and have a sip of tea. Don't be impatient and tell me more details."

Yin Shangfu then drank the warm tea in one gulp, and then said quickly: "According to an urgent report from the Dingzhou Governor's Office, on October 14, a large number of Yan troops, driven by Jing's army, launched a strong attack on the Fengqiu defense line in northern Dingzhou. Our Feiyun Army defended Dingfeng Road with the assistance of the Baotaishan Seven-Star Army. At the same time, another wave of Yanjing coalition forces launched an offensive against the Qingliuguan defense line in the west of Dingzhou, but it was not as fierce as the northern front. "

Lu Chen asked Qin Zilong to fetch the simple map he carried with him. After spreading it out on the table, he looked at the border defense line sign in Dingzhou and continued to ask: "Can the flag of Jingjun be determined at the moment?"

"can."

Yin Shangfu responded: "Except for a few old soldiers in the Yan army, the others should be newly recruited soldiers in the past two years. They are the subordinates of the Jing army. As for the main force of the Jing army, those who appeared at the Fengqiu defense line in the north of Dingzhou should be Dingbai. The infantry of the army, and those appearing on the Qingliu Pass defense line in the west should be the infantry of the city defense army under Qing Yugong. "

Yin Shangfu nodded and said, "Yes, Lord Marquis."

"It's possible."

Yin Shangfu said sternly: "What does the Marquis mean? Maybe the Jing army's advance on Dingzhou is just a feint attack?"

He has been lurking in Heluo City for many years, so he certainly knows how powerful the Marshal of the South Campus is.

Lu Chen returned to the table again and said in a deep voice: "The two governors, Xiao and Li, must be aware of this. I just don't know what Qing Yugong's real goal is."

Lu Chen had no time to continue thinking about the war situation in the north. Yin Shangfu had just left, and the people sent by Luo Yaozong showed up to greet him.

Yin Shangfu looked at Lu Chen, who was deep in thought, and said calmly: "Now Jingzhou Inspector Ye Qi of the Warp Weaving Department and the new Jiangbei Inspector Yang Jingxuan have both heightened their vigilance and tried their best to find out about Jing Jun's movements. The three governors' The reports have also been sent to the capital one after another. Your Majesty and the princes in the court will definitely make logistical arrangements, so the Marquis does not need to worry too much. "

"I'm not worried about my family's response."

As he stated, Lu Chen gradually outlined the complete battlefield situation in his mind.

Upon hearing the name Qing Yugong, Yin Shangfu's expression became solemn.

Lu Chen stopped, turned to look at him and said, "Compared to Jing Jun's previous strength, this time they clearly did not try their best. It seemed more like a false response. This is not Qing Yugong's style."

Less than half an hour later, Yin Shangfu left three secret letters sealed with fire paint in his arms, accompanied by two personal followers and the steward of the Yalong Department, and quickly left towards Yunling in the east.

Lu Chen frowned slightly and said: "They are using the lives of the Yan army to forcefully approach our border, while the Jing army is driving and suppressing them from behind. They don't care at all how many new recruits of the Yan army will die. Apart from these two routes, there will be no Is there any fighting in other parts of the state?”

Yin Shangfu shook his head and said: "Not yet, but in Teng County, northwest of Leize Plain, the Sutra Weaving Department found that there were more than 10,000 Jingjun cavalry waiting in formation. It seemed that they wanted to prevent our army from going north from this road, like before. Cut off their retreat."

For Da Qi, the most significant benefit of the Northern Expedition in the first two years was that with the recovery of Jiangbei and Dingzhou, Huaizhou became the real rear area. The only thing that could still be threatened by the Yanjing coalition was the iron wall. Panlong Pass. Under this situation, once Dingzhou and Jingzhou are threatened, Xiao Wangzhi can more calmly deploy troops and generals to support the two places.

Lu Chen looked at the map and thought for a moment, then asked, "What response has Governor Li taken so far?"

He looked at the various signs on the map, his eyes fixed on a certain place, and said slowly: "Shazhou has entered the middle stage, and the end is not too far away. I will definitely not be able to leave for the time being. So, I Revise one copy and let Qin Zilong copy two copies, and you can send them to Beijing, Huaizhou and Jingzhou as quickly as possible. "

Lu Chen withdrew his gaze from the map and walked slowly: "Jingjun was very well prepared this time. After annexing Zhao State, he rested for a full year and chose to launch an offensive in autumn and winter. It can be said that the time, place and people are all ready." . According to Emperor Jing’s consistent ability to make decisions, he will definitely not let ordinary Wu Xun lead the troops this time, and it will most likely be Qing Yugong himself.”

Yin Shangfu continued: "The Commander-in-Chief Xiao of Huaizhou sent the Pingshan Army into Dingzhou so that it could support the front line at any time. Although the Commander-in-Chief Li of Jingzhou did not send troops northward, he also ordered the troops everywhere to strengthen their vigilance to prevent Jing's army from attacking in the east and fishing in the troubled waters in the west. "

Yin Shangfu said: "Xu Zhongcheng is still in Dingzhou, and with His Majesty's repeated orders, Governor Li did not go out to fight without authorization. The two defense lines are all about defending. According to the arrangements of the Dingzhou Governor's Office, our army has some troops on the Fengqiu defense line. The Feiyun Army led by General Song and the Ningyuan Army led by General Liu were supporting Qingliuguan on the south side. General Duan's Lai'an Army was on the front line, and the newly formed Fengfu Army was dragging back the Dingbei Cavalry. It is stationed in the eastern part of Leize Plain and can support Ningling City in the southwest at any time."

In addition, Li Jingda behaved very calmly this time and did not make the careless advance that everyone was worried about. There should be no problems with the Dingzhou defense line in a short time.

When he came to the main hall of the Luo family's house, he saw Luo Yaozong and a group of elders from the Yalong tribe having a discussion, with Luo Jiujiu and Luo Hengshan standing nearby.

After Lu Chen sat down, Luo Yaozong said succinctly: "Marquis Lu, I just received news that Wei Wanjiang, the leader of the Huang tribe, and his two sons were suddenly poisoned. It is said that because of timely treatment, all three of them survived. Wei Wanjiang bluntly said that he suspected that this was The people of Qi have invited the leaders and stewards of various departments to go to Wufeng Village of Huangbu to discuss matters."

"Poisoned?" Lu Chen couldn't help but be slightly startled.

Luo Yaozong looked slightly solemn: "Yes, we don't know the specific situation yet."

He directly stated Wei Wanjiang's suspicion. The elders of the Yalong tribe in the hall looked at Lu Chen with nothing strange eyes. It can be seen that Luo Yaozong had already told them that this matter had nothing to do with Lu Chen.

Lu Chen shook his head calmly and said, "If you want to accuse me, there's no reason to hesitate."

Luo Yaozong said: "According to Wei Wanjiang, the reason why the Qi people wanted to poison the three of them, father and son, was to further sow discord, intensify the conflicts among the seven tribes of Shazhou, and plunge us into civil strife, so that Qi could take advantage of it. Come in and annex the territory of Shazhou in one fell swoop.”

Although the Luo family father and daughter and these clan elders had great trust in Lu Chen, he could not be too careless and said solemnly: "Big leader, dear clan elders, Lu will guarantee with his life that this matter has nothing to do with the Qi people."

Luo Yaozong nodded and said: "I believe that Marquis Lu is a wise man and will not add unnecessary trouble to himself. The problem now is that Wei Wanjiang used this matter to invite the heads of various tribes to Wufeng Village to discuss how to deal with his father and son. Revenge. In everyone’s opinion, should I go?”

An elder with white beard and hair shook his head and said: "After the discussion in the ancestral home, the differences between the seven tribes have become difficult to reconcile. Regardless of whether Wei Wanjiang's poisoning is true or false, you can't take risks easily. If it doesn't work, just let a few of us Just walking away as an old man means that you are enough, and no one else can make a fuss about it. "

Luo Yaozong said sincerely: "Thank you, Uncle Six."

Uncle Liu waved his hand and said: "I don't need to be polite. Yaozong, I'm a little worried now that Wei Wanjiang's poisoning is fake. Don't forget that this guy has been following Shen Min since he was a child. He treats Shen Min more respectfully than his own father. . If the news that he was poisoned is indeed false, then things will be even more troublesome."

Lu Chen glanced at the old man with some surprise.

Luo Yaozong was also slightly moved, and then said: "Sixth Uncle, uncles, you don't have to worry too much, Shazhou has Shazhou's rules. Regardless of whether Wei Wanjiang's poisoning is true or not, the discussions of the Seven Ministries must be held in the ancestral home, so you all No need to run around, I will arrange it.”

Only then did everyone feel relieved.

Lu Chen and Luo Yaozong looked at each other and said nothing.

As news spread that Wei Wanjiang and his second son were suddenly poisoned, the already tense situation in Shazhou instantly rose to several levels.

Now almost all Shazhou tribes know that the Qi envoy, with the support of Luo Yaozong and Yalong tribe, wanted to make the Shazhou people forgive them for the sins they committed nineteen years ago, and the envoy was even injured in the ancestral house Shen Min's eldest son Shen Tianyi.

Such arrogant and barbaric behavior naturally angered many Shazhou people, and some people tried to defend Luo Yaozong and Yalong tribe. After all, it was Shen Tianyi who took the initiative to provoke the war.

It's just that these voices are relatively weak and difficult to change the overall situation.

After Wei Wanjiang and his son were poisoned, the differences between the seven tribes in Shazhou further widened. Wei Wanjiang hoped that the heads and managers of all tribes would gather in Wufengzhai to stand up for him, while Luo Yaozong insisted that Shazhou's centuries-old rules should be followed, and in the underworld The ancestral house in Shuizhai discussed important matters.

The two sides are at loggerheads, and the trend of confrontation has been irreversible.

Only Hardy, the leader of the Jinchuan tribe, who just wanted to make money, was caught in the middle, and he could not make the two sides make any concessions even with all their talk.

A few days later, in Wufeng Village of Huangbu, Wei Wanjiang, who had been lying on the bed for several days, appeared in the main hall, and the sallow complexion that was originally used to disguise him disappeared.

Shen Min sat on the main seat, looked at Wei Wanjiang and Bai Chang who were slightly excited and said: "Brothers, I have said before that the old fox Luo Yaozong will not come over when the two sides are about to break up. . Now that the stalemate has been reached, this is the most dangerous moment for Shazhou in hundreds of years, and it is also the moment when we have the greatest opportunity."

Wei Wanjiang said impatiently: "Brother, what are you waiting for? Let's do it directly!"

Bai Chang also said: "Yes, it's better to strike first."

Shen Min glanced at the two of them and said calmly: "You have to think clearly. Once you make a decision, there is no turning back. But I can tell you in advance that Shuixi and Dashi will be overwhelmed by the time and will have no spare time. Support the Yalong tribe. Our only opponent is the Yalong tribe, and even Qi is not afraid."

He still didn't tell the reason for being so confident. Bai Chang originally wanted to ask about this, but noticed Shen Min's deep eyes looking at him, so he solemnly said: "We have become an alliance through blood, and naturally we will live and die together."

Wei Wanjiang said without hesitation: "As early as six years ago when you mentioned this idea, I have been waiting for this day to come."

Shen Min smiled happily and said with emotion: "Okay, I will follow the words of the two brothers."

Wei Wanjiang asked: "When will we start?"

Shen Min took a deep breath, and a strong murderous aura bloomed in his eyes: "Tomorrow night, our three families will join forces to capture the Yalong tribe!"

(End of this chapter)