The Emperor ordered Zhao Tang

Chapter 275: Battle of Sekigahara (Part )

Outside the Great Wall, the sun is shining brightly at the Baiyanchi gap in the Qin Great Wall.

Dozens of Lingzhou horses rushed along the flood of the reverse slope, raising yellow sand all over the sky. The strong man in the lead wore a helmet with a face covering, a tiger-hair shirt, and held a straight-backed long sword in his hand.

The wind whistled in my ears, and the dim and scorching field made my sense of direction greatly reduced.

Suddenly, the sound of horse hooves came from the dust.

"Slow down!" Zhang Conghui raised his hand.

"#...%￥@#!" There was a burst of indistinct chattering from the other side, and it was obvious that they had also discovered them.

"Or maybe they can travel by another route." said a school officer.

"Swish!" Zhang Conghui drew out his sword, slowly slashed it across the leather armor, tested the blade, and prepared for the Iai Slash.

Da da da……

Da, da, da, da…

The sound of horses' hooves from both sides gradually became inaudible.

The knights lay on their horses, avoiding the dust and arrows in their eyes, while staring intently at the dust.

"Whoosh!" A strong wind rose from the north, overwhelming other competing winds, and the sand and dust were swirled away.

"Who are you!"

"What are you doing?!"

The vision became clear again, and they both saw the visitor walking towards them at the same time, and they shouted and cursed at each other. They were all panting and reining in their horses.

"Red clothes and white horse are the correct pronunciation!" Zhang Conghui shouted and flew out with his abdomen clamped.

Bring the knife, use the knife, and suppress the knife!
The sword was smooth and flowing, and it was done in one go. With only an afterimage visible, it struck a person directly on the head with a lightning strike.

Draw the sword!
In the battle of Mangshan, Li Shimin wanted to know the strength of Wang Shichong's army, so he led dozens of cavalrymen to break into the battle. Soon, all of them were killed, leaving only Qiu Xinggong by his side. After a while, Li Shimin's horse was hit by an arrow and fell to the ground! Several enemy generals rushed to kill him! At the critical moment, Qiu Xinggong jumped on his horse and drew his sword, standing in front of Li Er to block the cavalrymen, leaping and shouting, killing several cavalrymen, and then pulling Li Shimin up and breaking out with a single sword.

This shows how fast and skillful Qiu's knife skills are.

As for Zhang Conghui, judging from his technique alone, he has already reached perfection.

"Bang!" Sparks flew.

Draw the sword out of the sheath, break the sword——start blocking!
Zhang Conghui's knife was chopped down with the same precision as the wind, and was stopped three inches above the warrior's head.

"Haha!" Wu Xiong, who was as dark as a wriggling mass of flesh, sitting on the horse's back laughed.

The attacked warrior's heart was pounding. He held his breath and rode his horse to escape from the two crossed swords.

"You good thief!" Zhang Conghui's tried and tested move failed, and he immediately put away his sword and turned his horse.

"Hmph, you want to leave after offending me?" He passed the sword over his head and shoulders, and slashed it through his sleeve armor. Without even looking, he put the sword back into the scabbard with his backhand. A beautiful move of putting the sword back into the scabbard! Then he locked his feet in the stirrups, grabbed the scabbard with his left hand and the handle with his right hand, and Wu Xiong urged his horse to chase after him: "I am Wu Xiong of Bingzhou, and I specialize in killing generals!"

"Roar, roar, roar!" The knights lined up in a line cheered.

A strong wind suddenly arose, and on the dusty plain, the two men fought fiercely.

Fencing! Wu Xiong drew his sword with his right hand, pressed his horse with his left hand, and thrust his sword horizontally: "Kill!"

Zhang Conghui didn't even turn his head, and saw that he was in the same posture, drawing his sword with his right hand.

“Bang!” Launch a block—a mid-air slash!

The saber was chopped back, almost bouncing off his face. Anyone who knows how to fence or wield a knife knows that the direction and force of a straight stabbing knife will not increase from the moment it is thrown. Either you hit the target or you get chopped back.

"With the next cut, you'll see your own brains." Wu Xiong gritted his teeth as he sheathed the knife.

The horse's hooves thundered, and Zhang Conghui rode back.

"Gee!" Wu Xiong's eyes were bloodshot and he spurred his horse frantically.

The posture of holding the sword, the posture of drawing the sword, the posture of using the sword, the posture of passing by each other, the posture of launching moves - you and I are meeting!

There was a loud bang. In a dazzling moment, two people were head to head, knives were slashing, and two knives and forks were slanting and crossing each other, sparks were flying.

"Ah——!" Wu Xiong bared his teeth and yelled, pushing inwards, trying to knock him off the horse.

No fruit.

Passing by each other, the two men put away their swords at the same time. They turned their horses' heads again and stared at each other from a distance, as if nothing had happened.

"Damn it!" Zhang Conghui cursed and said with a fierce smile: "That's it, we were all taught by the same master, there is no way to break it."

"Kill!" Wu Xiong clapped his hands.

When they met by chance, they both used the same moves - you and I draw our swords!
"when!"

Start blocking!

Da da da, the two men panted, sheathed their swords, and drove their horses in circles.

"Then let's compare this!" Wu Xiong was about to turn around and say something, but at this moment, a cold arrow flew past his ear, and he didn't know where it was shot.

"Dou Jiang is playing a dirty trick on you, right?"

"Don't talk about martial ethics!"

"Boys, make some noise!"

The soldiers on both sides cursed each other and shot at each other with bows.

"Help me!" Amidst the hail of arrows, Wu Xiong took a horse lance and rushed straight towards Zhang Conghui.

"I'll chop you to death!" Zhang Conghui roared as he swung his axe. Behind them, the densely packed cavalrymen shouted and jumped off their horses, took off the shields beside the saddles, and cursed each other to form a battle array. Some people rode their horses around, pointing their lances forward to form a cone formation. Swords, bows, and spears all came out of their sheaths with a clang, and the sound of shouting and stomping hooves echoed in the strong wind.

"Bang!" With a muffled sound, Wu Erlang made a lightning-fast move, and took advantage of his long arms to hit Zhang Conghui on the top of his head. This was a powerful blow, and those who were not wearing a helmet would be killed on the spot. Zhang Conghui's eyes suddenly became full of stars! The two horses had already passed each other at this time, and Zhang Conghui chopped Wu Xiong's chest with an axe.

In the chaos, where was Wu Xiong able to hide? He threw away his horse spear and clamped his hands together, grabbing the axe handle with his two claws one in front and one behind: "Bastard! Guess why I'm the vanguard!"

With a roar like thunder, he rolled his wrist back!

He actually turned the axe upright, brushing against his chin and nose, and then struck Zhang Conghui on the top of his head in a curved line.

"Where is this person?!" Zhang Conghui cursed and threw away his axe, turning his horse to avoid the attack. Seeing that Wu Xiong had no time to stabilize his center of gravity, he punched Wu Xiong in the neck and threw him off his horse.

The huge body fell to the ground with a loud bang, splashing up smoke and dust.

"Come and die!" Zhang Conghui found a gun, raised it high and stabbed.

Wu Xiong rolled over and over to avoid Zhang Conghui's three consecutive stabs. Taking advantage of the distance, he locked Zhang Conghui's horse head with his two claws and pulled it down! With a "bang", he rushed forward.

The horse was dizzy and the man stood up.

Wu Xiong quickly flipped up and rushed forward with half of his body.

"Stop!" Realizing that continuing the fight would lead to nothing, Zhang Conghui turned around and said, "Retreat!"

Then, the group escaped from the dust.

"Don't chase them anymore." Wu Xiong wiped the sweat off his forehead and said, "Just drive them back and prevent them from scouting eastward."

Looking around, the sun was shining brightly, the men and horses were lying on the ground, the sand was stained with blood, and dozens of mounts were standing alone.

"General Wu, you are so brave." His subordinates praised him while cleaning the battlefield while panting.

"It's useless." Wu Xiong shrugged. "There are no more than this many people in the world who can withstand ten of my moves in a one-on-one fight, whether on horseback or off." He raised a palm. "But - if I lead an army to fight, I can probably only defeat this many people."

The sage once humiliated him in public: "Although you can draw two stone bows, capture dragons and fight tigers, you are only capable of leading 5,000 soldiers at best. Strengthen your studies and become like Fu Cunshen, Zha Zhu and Wang Congxun."

When Wu Xiong heard this, he was angry but dared not say anything.

After cleaning up the battlefield, Wu Xiong walked around the gap again. In the afternoon, a group of people climbed up the Great Wall and looked down. In the vast smoke and dust, they saw a large group of black-clad and black-armored infantry and cavalry marching slowly along the road. The team was very long, with more than ten columns, and many carriages, horses and flags. It looked like there were more than 10,000 people. There were also a large number of ragged and disorderly people following them, with an estimated number of 20,000 to 30,000. There was no doubt that this was the main force of the Shuofang Army coming to "serve the king".

"Okay." Wu Xiong originally thought that the Shuofang Army joined forces just to bargain for better treatment or to restore Lingfan. Who would have thought that this group of people really intended to take the opportunity to kill the saint to eliminate future troubles and become local emperors behind closed doors.

Well, let’s fight.

However, the rebellion is so huge, can the saint hold it together again?
Mr. Wu has no answer.

However, maybe he will be different, different from those who fight alone against the crowd and stand alone in the cold night.

After all, apart from your identity as emperor, you are also a strong man.

Since the Wei and Jin Dynasties, the emperor has been like that most of the time.

Especially since the difficult times, people have tacitly regarded saints as trash and rarely show them respect.

As soon as Wu Xiong saw Emperor Li as the emperor, he felt that he was a complete idiot. As a warlord, in terms of territory, military strength, influence, allies, talents, and authority, he was indeed a first-class force, and the most likely to dominate the world...

After all, you have led me, Wu Xiong, to create miracles time and time again!
You will win.

You will win!
**********
Jinyang.

The troops that had conquered Chengde and Wei Bo returned, and Li Keyong made a fortune again.

Several people hurried into the garden.

Li Keyong thought about it and talked with others again and again, but he still felt that if he didn't fight for the four towns of Datong, Zhenwu, Hedong and Zhaoyi, he would be unworthy of being a husband. Besides, if he didn't fight, he would be waiting for death. According to his son-in-law's style, he would definitely not allow his current land to join the hereditary sequence in the end. That would not be a vassal town, but a country, most of Jin.

This cannot be tolerated.

After he has dealt with the others, he will still use multiple methods to eliminate Hedong.

So, instead of sitting and worrying, it is better to take action. He will not rebel, but at least he wants to change an emperor who can ensure that Hedong joins the Heshuo system or an emperor who is unable to reduce the power of the vassal states.

With such a powerful emperor riding on their heads, I believe that except the three thieves Zhao, Wei and Yan, no one would be satisfied and no one would be the beneficiary.

In addition, I am also unwilling to accept it.

There are still many vassal states, and the struggle for hegemony is not over yet. As long as the son-in-law dies, the Jin vassal state has a great chance of winning the game, as the strongest competitor Zhu Wen has already collapsed.

By then, I will help my grandson to take the throne, and after a long time, it will be carried out... ahem.

What we should consider now is how to reduce the prestige of the saint and how to kill the saint.

As for my daughter's thoughts...

Everything is based on collective interests and family interests!
If the husband dies, then let him die! If Erzhu Ying'e could marry three times, so can my son.

They could even say that if Zhu Xiewusi’s interests were to come into irreconcilable conflict with theirs, they would not hesitate to deal with Zhu Xiewusi as well!
"Confirmed. The Saint has indeed arrived at Tongwan City, leading 70,000 troops. The capital is quite empty. The Shuofang Army has also really joined." In the study, Secretary Li Xiji whispered, "It's a rare opportunity, so it's better to do it sooner rather than later."

Li Keyong's face showed a trace of struggle, but he immediately became decisive and asked, "What are the details? There are troops deployed on the west bank of the Yellow River and Tongguan."

"There are two strategies." Li Xiji said, "One is to send Zhenwu Army from Dongshoujiang City to the north in the name of serving the king, and send troops from Shuo, Lan, and Shi to Yinzhou in the middle. In the south, the king will lead the main force to Hezhong and make a gesture of entering the pass. The saint will be frightened and will definitely return, and the danger of Ling and Xia will be resolved."

"The second is to announce that the saint was killed by a traitor and has passed away. Then, we will hold a funeral for him and rush to Tongwan City to fight against the rebellion. Once we arrive, we will join forces with the rebels and kill him!"

Li Keyong frowned and said, "The saint will definitely show up to dispel the rumors."

"No." Li Xiji said firmly: "Once the imperial edict was issued, most of the soldiers believed it. The saint can prove it himself and insist that he is a false emperor who was set up by traitors. Anyway, it is impossible for the saint to show himself to the army. Even if he did, 90% of the people in Hedong have never seen him, so there is no way to tell."

Seeing that Li Keyong did not refute, Li Xiji continued, "When the saint is killed in the chaos, Your Majesty will come out and weep over the corpse. We will take advantage of the situation to petition. Your Majesty is already one of the Three Dukes, and it is reasonable and legal for you to take over the court. After three refusals, lead the army to escort the saint's coffin south to Chang'an. When all the saint's sons and their followers are killed, support the King of Dai as emperor, then Qin and Jin can merge and rule the world! Lay the foundation for Cao Wei, Zhou Qi."

Li Keyong stood up suddenly and glared at Li Xiji: "My father and I have received the grace of the three dynasties. I feel guilty for doing this. It's not right!"

"What's wrong with that?" Li Xiji said, "You must know that Chen Ping and Zhou Bo established Emperor Wen, and they also killed the sons of Emperor Shao and Emperor Hui. How did the brothers of Emperor Shao betray Ping and Bo? How did they betray Liu Heng? They were exterminated by this clan!"

Li Keyong sat back on the cushion quietly, silent.

Seeing this, Li Xiji knew that he was trying to overcome his guilt and sense of betrayal, so he struck while the iron was hot: "You must know that in the political arena, only you plot against me and I plot against you. If the generals had more conscience, the Tang Dynasty would not have come to this. Let's talk about reality. If the king can't pay, how many soldiers and officials will talk about conscience and feelings with the king?"

"Conscience is something you must have when it is useful, but you must give it up when it is no longer useful. In the struggles between emperors and ministers and the struggle for power in ancient times, even Emperor Taizong did not have a conscience."

"This is too shameless." Li Keyong closed his eyes and said, "What's the difference with Zhu Laosan? What I hate most in my life is ungrateful people."

When Li Xiji heard this, he smiled in his heart, then -

"How did Duan Wenchu betray the king?" Li Xiji threw out the royal bomb.

"You!" Li Keyong was immediately furious and raised his hand to hit someone. But after a while of stalemate, he gave up.

There was a long silence.

"If this plan succeeds, then it will be successful, but what if the killing fails?" Li Keyong asked.

"Then, until the false king is killed." Li Xiji replied.

"If they can't kill him, the truth will be exposed, and they will be besieged, then?" Li Keyong asked again, somewhat uncertainly.

"Not true." Li Xiji asked back, "During the Xiang Wang Rebellion, the late emperor was declared dead. How many princes avenged him? Except for the king and Chongrong, the rest all sent letters of congratulations. When Zhu Wen attacked Guanzhong, how many princes went to save the emperor? Besides, the death of the saint is a good thing for most of the vassal states."

"Don't hesitate!" Li Xiji knelt on the ground and said in a trembling voice: "If you don't want others to know, then don't do it yourself. The Marshal has secretly supported Ling and Xia in their rebellion. When the Saint knows about it, he will be a thief in his heart."

Li Keyong moved his lips and said worriedly, "If we fail to kill him and we get into a stalemate, we will completely fall out and there will be no room for maneuver."

"Is there a difference?" Li Xiji sighed, "When they took control of the four towns and decided to pass it on to their descendants and never attend court again, the king and his subjects had already turned against each other. Neither side was willing to give in, and it was only a matter of time before you fought to the death."

Li Keyong was stunned and felt that these words were very familiar.

The last time this happened was during the time of Zhu Wen.

"Well." Li Keyong slammed the table and said, "Since the saint does not allow me to be a prince, then I will fight for it myself. No matter how much I talk, it will all come down to fists. Political power comes from the handle of the knife, and the status of the Three Feudatories of Hebei was also earned by themselves. No matter what, if the saint does not fall, no one will have a good ending. Take this opportunity and do it!"

Outside the door, Mrs. Liu was already crying profusely.

Aye, I thought... finally, we have come to this day.

In this life, it is difficult for someone to accompany you from beginning to end. Whether it is parents, siblings, friends, or most people, they are just with you for a while. We all need to have this awareness, so that we will not be too sad when we have no chance to meet again and are lonely.

Click, click. Li Miaowei took off the Shejiang hat on her head, held it in her hands, stared at it blankly, and let the tears fall.

"That's dirty too!"

"I washed it clean!"

"If Second Aunt says so, then the flower on Second Aunt's head is from the tree."

After so many years, the good times and beautiful scenery are nothing. Even if there are thousands of customs, who can I tell them to?

(End of this chapter)