Jiuxi

Chapter 747: The Day the Reinforcements Arrive

Li Daoyan and Qin Zheng were not surprised that Lu Chen would ask someone to investigate the events before the death of the previous emperor. This was exactly what Lu Chen would do.

Although they were pleased with Lu Chen's loyalty to the late emperor, they also understood that the young Duke of the county had always been clear about gratitude and resentment, and if he really found out some secrets, he might not be forced to endure it.

Judging from the current situation, Da Qi cannot withstand such turmoil.

With this in mind, Li Daoyan said slowly: "Let's make a fair judgment and tell them not to continue investigating. Lu Chen should focus on the real business."

Qin Zheng understood and said, "Okay, I'll have someone remind Lu Chen's subordinates."

Li Daoyan felt a little uncomfortable, so he adjusted his sitting position slightly and asked, "Do you think Lu Shizhou's death was an accident?"

Qin Zheng has been stirring up trouble in the dark hell all his life and has seen too much blood, death, and conspiracy. Although he has never been to the imperial mausoleum in person, he can conclude that Lu Shizhou's death was not an accident just through the accounts of his trusted subordinates.

Looking at the old man's aged and tired face, he tried to speak calmly: "The night when Lü Shizhou died was a very ordinary day. It had nothing to do with the late emperor, and there had been no disturbances in the capital recently. Lü Shizhou had been very cautious for so many years. It was strange that he got drunk for no reason. He even climbed a high place in the middle of the night after getting drunk. This can explain a lot of problems. Although on the surface, his death was an accident, I think he must have met someone from the palace before he died, or before he deliberately got drunk."

At this point, Qin Zheng finally revealed the inside story of the matter.

The cruel truth has only revealed the tip of the iceberg.

Li Daoyan said faintly: "It's not easy for him."

Qin Zheng couldn't help but remain silent.

Li Daoyan raised his hand and rubbed his chest, and continued: "Lü Shizhou should have discovered some secrets before us, and realized that the worsening of the late emperor's condition was not only related to the death of the eldest prince, but also someone had done something behind it. He was too loyal to the late emperor and knew him too well. He knew that in the late emperor's heart, the stability of the Great Qi State was more important than anything else, even more important than his own life. After the late emperor's death, it was a fact that Li Zongben ascended the throne, and Lü Shizhou could not change anything even if he risked his life."

At this point, he paused slightly and sighed, "And for the sake of the overall situation of the court, he can't do anything and won't say a word."

Qin Zheng bowed his head and said, "That's why he took the initiative to ask to guard the tomb of the late emperor. He wanted to take those secrets into the tomb."

The face of the eunuch appeared in Li Daoyan's mind.

He has a fair face and no beard, his eyes are calm and he always has a smile that is just right and not overly flattering.

He seems insignificant, but like the shadow of the previous emperor, he has never left the core of power of Da Qi.

He was similar to Qin Zheng in that he had served as Junior Supervisor of the Ministry of Internal Affairs for fifteen years. However, even the most demanding censor in the court had to admit that this man abided by the rules and never overstepped the line.

Although he was an oddball, he was more upright than many officials who were legitimate Jinshi graduates.

But he still died, leaving this world in a very bizarre and depressing way.

"He thought the same as we did, knowing that some things cannot be determined by right or wrong. Li Zongben obviously realized that Lu Shizhou might discover his secret, but he didn't want to arouse our suspicion, so he went to great lengths to force Lu Shizhou to commit suicide."

Li Daoyan folded his arms and said with some self-mockery: "The ancient sages once said that private justice leads to chaos, while public justice leads to order. A gentleman overcomes his private desires with public justice, while a villain does not care about anything."

Qin Zheng just felt extremely depressed.

Why was Lü Shizhou willing to die? Why didn't he leave a single word before his death?

Didn't he feel grief and indignation for the late emperor? Didn't he want to lift the lid?

It was because he knew that the late emperor cared most about the safety of Da Qi. How could he let Da Qi fall into civil strife at a time when powerful enemies in the north were eyeing it covetously and wars were frequent on the border?
"That's all."

Li Daoyan raised his hand and pinched his brows, then slowly said, "Things have come to this point, and the world cannot be reversed. Even if we don't care about the dead, we must think about the living. I will have someone seal up all the information we have found, and maybe they will see the light of day in the future, but not now."

Qin Zheng looked at the old man's deep eyes and nodded, "Yes."

Li Daoyan forced a smile and said, "You must be tired of living here. Why don't you go back to your hometown to see your relatives and friends whom you haven't seen for many years. I have already written a memorial to the capital. This time you can go back without any worries. Besides, those people in the capital, including the one in the palace, still underestimate you."

Qin Zheng naturally understood the profound meaning of the old man's words.

Those past events cannot and will not be forgotten, but the country is more important, at least for the time being.

"Thank you for your hard work, old Prime Minister."

Qin Zheng stood up and bowed, then said, "We will part today and may not see each other again in this lifetime. I wish you a long and happy life."

Li Daoyan stood up slowly and said reluctantly but firmly: "Take care."

Qin Zheng bowed again, then said goodbye and left.

Li Daoyan personally sent him to the door and looked at Qin Zheng's departing back with a very complicated expression.

The old man stood there quietly for a long time until Li Gongxu came closer and asked with concern, "Grandfather?"

Li Daoyan leaned on his walking stick, turned his head and looked at the boy kindly, and asked meaningfully: "Zhi Yu'er, if you make a mistake, how should your grandfather deal with you?"

Li Gongxu said without hesitation: "If my grandson makes a mistake, I am willing to be punished."

Li Daoyan asked again: "What if your father made a mistake?"

Li Gongxu bowed his head and said, "A son should not speak of his father's faults."

Li Daoyan couldn't help but smile knowingly and continued to ask, "If your uncle made a mistake and your grandfather punished him, which side would you stand on?"

The boy seemed a little nervous, and it was obvious that he had been aware of what was happening at home.

Even though he was smart and talented, he didn't know how to answer this sharp question.

Li Daoyan didn't seem to force him to answer, and asked gently: "If your grandfather made a mistake, what would you do?"

This time the young man gradually understood the deeper meaning of the words. He mustered up the courage to look up, and saw the old man's eyes full of expectation. So he said calmly: "Everyone makes mistakes. It is the greatest virtue to be able to correct mistakes."

Li Daoyan showed approval and then asked the last question: "What if you refuse to change?"

The young man raised his head and said clearly, "Goodness should not be lost, and evil should not be allowed to grow. If evil is allowed to grow without repentance, it will be self-inflicted. For those who serve the country, seeing evil is like a farmer's duty to remove weeds. Cut off the roots and prevent them from growing. Then the good will be believed."

He spoke more and more fluently, and ended with a powerful statement: "Therefore, those who persist in doing evil should be punished as a warning to the future!"

After hearing these words, the old man looked up at the clear blue sky, closed his eyes slightly, and a relieved smile gradually appeared on his lips.

He stretched out his skinny hand, patted the boy's shoulder gently, and said earnestly: "No matter what kind of person you become in the future, you must remember what I said to your grandfather today." "Yes, grandfather."

Li Gongxu agreed seriously, then supported the old man's arm, and the grandfather and grandson walked into the room.

The young man did not notice that there was a hint of sharpness in the old man's weathered eyes.

It was like a tiger opening its eyes at dusk, and all the beasts were frightened away.

……

In the north of Jingzhou, there is Taikang City.

As the Jing army implemented a comprehensive encirclement, the main force of the Jingzhou army was completely cut off from the outside world.

In fact, at this time, from Liu Shouguang to the ordinary soldiers below, almost no one had the leisure to pay attention to other things, because the Jing army continued to intensify its offensive under the command of Wuyan Shu, and the pressure on the Qi army was increasing day by day.

Especially the auxiliary city located in the southeast of Taikang, which was the main attack place of Jing’s army.

The Jing army today is no longer the reckless men who relied on their bravery and flesh and blood to break through the barriers many years ago. Under the training of Qing Yugong and Wu Yanshu, they are as good at using various weapons as the Qi army, especially the flying stones covered with kerosene, which cause extremely efficient damage to the Qi army on the city walls.

Wu Yanshu had stayed in the north of Taikang for nearly two months to make detailed preparations for the siege.

Faced with such a difficult situation, the Qi army had to grit their teeth and hold on.

At dawn that day, Jing's army launched an attack on the auxiliary city as usual.

The continuous rain of flying stones and arrows forced the defending soldiers to hide behind the parapets and pray that the danger would stay away from them.

Zhang Zhan, the commander of the Heyang Army who was in charge of guarding the city, frowned. He clearly felt that the momentum of the Jing Army was more fierce today. Unlike the gradual improvement in the past half month, they went all out right from the start.

He had a bad feeling in his heart.

As Jing's army began to approach the city wall, extremely brutal hand-to-hand combat ensued.

There are less than 7,000 defenders in the city, and they have to face countless brutal enemies. What's more terrifying is that the enemy can constantly rotate the siege teams and continue to exert high pressure.

From early morning to noon, the Jing army's offensive was like a tide and never stopped.

Zhang Zhan has already taken to the battlefield himself, his robe stained with blood.

Kill until vision is blurred.

He didn't know how many injuries he had suffered, he only knew that even the pain was gradually becoming numb, and the subordinates around him kept falling down, as if foreshadowing their own end.

After stabbing a Jing army soldier who had come close to him to death with his spear, Zhang Zhan raised his hand to wipe his face. Looking at the soldiers around him who were equally exhausted and whose reactions were becoming increasingly slow, he could not help but smile sadly, and said with tears in his tiger eyes: "We will live and die together with the city!"

Even though they knew the fall of the city was inevitable, the soldiers still shouted with all their might.

"Live and die with the city!"

Crowds of people surged, and the Qi army soldiers burst out their last bit of physical strength and rushed towards the endless enemies.

However, at this moment, the sound of a horn suddenly rang out from the Jing army's position.

At this moment, Zhang Zhan even thought he was hallucinating, until he saw the enemies begin to retreat, and then he confirmed it in disbelief.

The Jing army was still well-organized at this time. In fact, they did not need to be so cautious because the defending soldiers were simply unable to stop them.

Zhang Zhan took the water bag handed to him by his personal soldier and took a few gulps to restore some of his strength. Then a light suddenly flashed through his mind, and he dragged his heavy legs towards the west city wall.

Soon, a magnificent scene appeared in the sight of him and the defending soldiers.

On the vast land in the southwest, the flags of the Qi army fluttered in the wind.

"That is……"

A young soldier opened his mouth, his face full of excitement.

"It's the flag of the Ningcheng Army!"

"And there are the Yangdi Army!"

"That's the fixed army!"

Under the sunlight, tens of thousands of Qi army soldiers in neat uniforms appeared in the distance, and a murderous atmosphere rose to the sky.

"Reinforcements! Reinforcements are coming!"

The exhausted defending soldiers cried and laughed, and couldn't help but hugged their comrades around them tightly.

Zhang Zhan's eyes became red, his legs went limp, and he collapsed to the ground.

At the same time, inside the commander's tent of the Jing army camp, Wu Yanshu frowned with a serious expression.

He just couldn't understand how Liu Shouguang dared to completely abandon the southern part of Jingzhou and transfer his only reserve forces to the Taikang area.

All the generals held their breath.

We could have captured that auxiliary city today, but the appearance of Qi army reinforcements made Wu Yanshu very alert, so he could only withdraw his troops temporarily and observe the situation.

After a long time, Wu Yanshu slammed the table with his palm.

All the generals were stunned. This was the first time that the coach lost his composure in front of them.

"What a great Liu Shouguang..."

Wu Yanshu looked stern and said in a cold voice: "Do you think this little trick can scare off our army?"

"Since you want to play tricks on me, I will make you completely wiped out!"

(End of this chapter)