Chapter 1040
: The Weather Inside the Pass Is Changing
Chapter 1040: The Weather Inside the Pass Is Changing
With a sigh,
Another night passed,
The originally peaceful Xihe County was now in a state of panic and a hurricane suddenly arose!
What happened in the three places of Xihe County has not yet been spread, but many martial arts sects have closed their mountain gates and sent people down the mountain to inquire. Some people said that the imperial army suffered a crushing defeat and lost the county city. Prince Beijing Shui Rong fled north in a hurry with His Royal Highness the Prince of Wei.
Others said that the main force of the White Lotus Sect was completely wiped out, and even the protector and the leader were killed. The imperial court hung the body of the leader of the White Lotus Sect on a flagpole and held a parade to show respect.
Others said that the imperial army was defeated at the gates of Shizhou City, and Marquis Luo Yun suffered heavy casualties and was forced to retreat. It was said that even His Royal Highness the Prince of Jin had no choice but to take over the imperial army.
Almost overnight, rumors spread.
Inside the Black Wind House,
The three brothers of the Xiang family had already closed their doors and withdrawn their troops back to the mountain. The scouts they had assigned had already gone down the mountain to investigate the county town and Yangping to see what had happened down the mountain.
Especially the third son of the Xiang family, Xiang Cheng, who was impatient and could not wait. He paced back and forth in the Juyi Hall.
"Third brother, please don't leave. You are so dizzy."
The second brother Xiang Ran reluctantly said that although he was anxious, the information would not be delivered in a short time, and it was not yet dawn, so he should not be impatient.
"Second brother, it's not me who's anxious, but the White Lotus Sect sent us a Jianghu Order yesterday, asking us to gather our troops and go down the mountain. Is it so easy to get down this mountain?"
Although he was impatient, he could still distinguish right from wrong. He also heard that the pirates and bandits in Xihe County had sent people to Yangping to plunder the area and bring back a lot of silver. They were so ostentatious in the martial arts world, and the White Lotus Sect was their guarantor. Seeing this, many brothers could not help but be tempted.
"Yes, Third Brother, you also said that the mountain is not so easy to walk. Some people walk fast, some walk slowly. So far, apart from the White Lotus Sect's visit last night, they only delivered a letter. The rest, let alone the incense master, hall master, even a small altar master has not been seen. I think the White Lotus Sect is now only concerned with attacking the county city and has no time to pay attention to us. It's getting late. Come on, have dinner."
The second son, Xiang Ran, waved to the waiter in the Juyi Hall. After a while, a personal soldier came in with a large jar of stewed meat and a jar of strong liquor. It was sold in Luo Yunhou Mansion outside the pass. It was authentic Dao Shaozi. As soon as he stretched out his hand to twist the mouth of the jar, the strong aroma of liquor began to spread, and then scattered in the Juyi Hall.
"Well, second brother, you are willing to open such a good Shaodaozi. Come, third brother, have a drink."
The eldest brother Xiang Hong laughed, took the bowl and filled it with wine, without showing any sign of embarrassment.
The third son of the Xiang family couldn't stand the aroma of the wine either, so he came over, picked up a bowl of wine, and drank it all in one gulp, as if he had quenched his thirst, with a refreshed expression on his face.
"Brother, second brother, this wine is like a woman, the stronger the better, it has that smell. I don't know what happened to the White Lotus Sect. I always feel that the witch is not normal, and there are so many rumors outside, ah!"
At the end of the words, they immediately became much quieter. It is said that the White Lotus spies are omnipresent, so it is better to be careful. The two people present heard this, their eyes condensed, put down the wine bowls in their hands, held their breath and thought about it, and then Xiang Hong opened his mouth and said;
"What the third brother said makes sense. There was a rumor today that something big happened in the county city, with corpses everywhere. In the end, no one knows who won. I sent someone to follow them, and I think they will be back soon."
Although he was anxious, he had to eat. He picked up the chopsticks, put a piece of stewed meat into his mouth, and felt much better. The other two brothers thought what the eldest brother said made sense, so they also started to enjoy the meal.
Not long after,
Outside the village, the sound of a fast horse's hooves was heard. Then, outside the Juyi Hall, a thin leader rushed into the hall in fear and trepidation, shouting in horror;
"Oh no, oh no, big boss, big boss, something terrible has happened!"
The extreme roar immediately made everyone in the Juyi Hall shudder. Xiang Cheng reacted the fastest and immediately started to curse;
"What the hell are you talking about? Come here and tell me what happened."
"Yes, Third Master, I was shocked. Down the mountain, down the mountain, uh,"
The leader's face suddenly turned red in anxiety, and his breath was stuck in his chest. When Xiang Ran saw this, his face changed, and he quickly came to his side, facing the back of his heart, and suddenly attacked. Only when he heard a heavy hiccup sound did the leader recover.
"Take your time, there's no rush. If the sky falls, it's not your turn to hold it up."
With the comfort of the second in command's words, the leader finally calmed down. His pale face showed a little fear and confusion.
"Three heads, I went down the mountain to investigate and went to the east of the county town. There is a small hill. I thought it would be safer to investigate there. I waited for two days in a row. The White Lotus Sect besieged the county town. The court officials and soldiers were in danger. The corpses under the city wall were already piled up in several layers."
"This is normal. The White Lotus Sect's people only rely on numbers. If the imperial court wants to defend the city, it can only recruit young and strong men. In this way, the casualties are quite high. Why are you afraid?"
The third brother Xiang Cheng didn't think there was anything strange. The White Lotus Sect had often taken refugees and set up slave camps to attack cities. How could they be so scared?
"The Third Master is right. This time, it's not about the White Lotus Sect, but the imperial court. At noon today, the White Lotus Sect attacked the city as usual, but who would have thought that the imperial court army suddenly rushed out from the city and attacked the White Lotus Sect at the South Gate by surprise. However, the White Lotus Sect had a large number of people, and the officers and soldiers could not move forward and were surrounded."
The little leader swallowed his saliva and continued;
"At this moment, suddenly, about 30,000 imperial soldiers came from the west gate and rushed directly to the main formation of the White Lotus Sect. They killed their way through the formation and the White Lotus Sect was defeated. Hundreds of thousands of people fled all over the mountains and plains. By the way, the flag they raised had the word 'Qi' on it."
After the little leader finished speaking, he was still a little frightened. He was thirsty and hungry. Seeing the meat on the table, he didn't care about anything else. He crawled over, took out a piece of meat and started to chew it. But these words made the three brothers of the Xiang family stunned. How could it be possible?
"Brother, is this true? They killed through the White Lotus Sect's main formation in one battle. Although those witches are arrogant, the White Lotus Sect's army is really elite. With the captured imperial court weapons and armor, how could they be killed? Even if they were killed, hundreds of thousands of people, even if they were pigs, could not be defeated like this."
Xiang Cheng absolutely didn't believe it. Not to mention that there were many masters in the White Lotus Sect, those sect soldiers were comparable to the elite of the imperial court. How could they be defeated in one battle? He turned around and looked at the leader who was still stuffing food at the table, and asked again;
"You know the White Lotus Sect, they didn't organize a counterattack and were defeated,"
"Uh, hiccup, yes, Third Master, at that time, I saw clearly from the hillside that after the imperial soldiers entered the main camp, the White Lotus Sect's flag moved to the rear camp. Then, the camp was set on fire to stop the soldiers from chasing. They couldn't win and then burn down the camp, right?"
"That's true,"
Several people looked hesitant. It seemed that the court or the Prince of Beijing had a trick up his sleeve. The general who came to kill them was named Qi. Who could it be? Suddenly, a trace of horror flashed through their minds. The former vanguard of the Prince of Beijing's Palace was named Qi. Wasn't he Qi Yun, the governor of Ping'an Province? As expected, the Prince of Beijing Shui Rong, the four kings and eight dukes, none of them were simple.
"Report, Boss, Boss, Yangping's spy is back, it's him, it's him,"
The voice came from far away.
Another altar master came here, calling out again and again until he came closer, then he spoke loudly;
"Boss, boss, those bandits in Yangping have all run away. The King of Dongping and the King of Chu in Jiangnan led an elite army to raid Yangping by water. In one battle, those water bandits and mountain bandits have already run away without a trace."
"What? The Yangping White Lotus Sect is also lost. Where are the members of the White Lotus Sect?"
Xiang Hong was puzzled. How could this be called a war? It was just a joke. Yangping was lost, and so was Shizhou and Runan City. It was said that Luo Yunhou, the killer, had led his troops to the city. At this point, the White Lotus Sect had no chance of recovery.
"When I returned to the boss's house, I didn't see any members of the White Lotus Sect, not even one."
"what?"
The turmoil in Xihe County continues.
The great victory during the day made the whole county city laugh and cheer. Except for some generals who were still leading troops outside to chase the bandits, the rest of the people were drinking and celebrating in the government office. Even the usually calm Prince Beijing Shui Rong and His Royal Highness Prince Wei got drunk at the banquet.
Before the banquet was over, everyone was drunk and went back to their rooms to rest. The master left, but the personal soldiers and imperial guards still surrounded the courtyard to prevent scoundrels from coming in.
The main hall of the government office,
Looking at the mess in the room, the prefect Li Chengliang suddenly slumped in his seat, looked at the officials who had been fighting for a long time, smiled sadly, and said;
"Everyone, from now on, the situation inside the pass will change. In the future, Xihe County will no longer have a place for people like us. No matter how powerful the martial arts sects are, they will surrender once the imperial army arrives."
"This, Magistrate Li, you can't say that. Who knew that the White Lotus Sect was so vulnerable? The governor of Ping'an Province, Qi Yun, led his troops to charge into the battle formation and actually broke through the main formation. Even if his vanguard troops were elite, they wouldn't be so absurd."
Yu Fei, the co-governor, didn't figure it out today. Even if Qi Yun's vanguard army shocked the north, the White Lotus Sect was not made of clay. Otherwise, how could the southern prefectures fall so quickly? Could it be that those officials were in collusion with the White Lotus Sect?
"We don't know whether they are panicking or not, but this is the fact. The spies we sent out reported that the White Lotus Sect offered almost no resistance, and countless of them surrendered. Moreover, the leaders of the White Lotus Sect have long disappeared, and countless other bandits have been killed. The White Lotus Sect is finished,"
Tongpan Liu Yunze also had a look of emotion on his face, but he felt that it was a little unreal. He still remembered that in the early morning, the enemy army attacked the city very urgently, and all the people went up to the top of the city. They were still worried. At noon, the attack and defense were changed, and they won a great victory. From this point of view, the situation inside the pass is really uncertain.
"My lords, Lord Tian from Jinzhou has sent troops to help us. He is a shrewd lord who will not do anything without profit. Since he is willing to help us with all his heart, it seems that he has surrendered to King Beijing. Let's be frank, what should we do now? We don't know if the weather inside the pass will change, but I'm afraid that the weather in Xihe County will change."
Li Chengliang was also somewhat helpless. It was not that he did not want to surrender, but the truth was that the people in Xihe County were all former subordinates of King Beijing. No matter what, they could not get over this hurdle.
"Hmph, what else can we do? As the saying goes, one has to bow his head under the eaves. Since the Prince of Beijing is showing signs of recovery, Xihe County will be a mess even if the imperial court withdraws its troops. It is better to be closer to the Prince of Beijing's mansion so that we can have someone to take care of us. The strength of the four princes and eight dukes is so great that they can overwhelm the inner city. Besides, I see that the Prince of Beijing is close to His Royal Highness the Prince of Wei. These are the merits of following the dragon."
Liu Tongpan narrowed his eyes and thought a lot. Since he couldn't avoid it, he might as well get close to him. Besides, it wouldn't be shameful to get close to him. Everyone has someone to back them up. Only those officials in Xihe County were like exiled officials, not loved by their grandmothers or uncles.
"The King of Wei, the King of Chu, and the King of Jin are fighting for the throne, and the battle for the throne is extremely dangerous. Ahem, I've spoken out of turn. In this case, go back and prepare two generous gifts. After all, we have some comradeship with the two princes."
Yu Tongzhi laughed. With this incense, it was an excuse.
"Okay, well said. Let's go and pay our respects to the two princes tomorrow."
Prefect Li also agreed. It was already dark outside, so they should go back and rest and continue tomorrow. After the three of them had discussed everything, they asked someone to clean up the main hall and went back to their houses to rest.
The moon and stars are scarce,
Another speechless night.
In the early morning, thousands of rays of sunlight penetrated the clouds, caressing the earth, and everything revived. Smoke was billowing from the camp outside Shizhou City, and many soldiers on guard duty changed their posts.
In the big tent,
Zhang Jinyu slept comfortably, and saw that there was no movement behind the curtain in the east. When Prince Jin had not yet gotten up, he simply took Lan Yue'er by his side and made love with her in the morning sun for almost half an hour. With a muffled groan from Zhang Jinyu, he finally felt relieved.
Yue Er, wrapped in the quilt, was sweating profusely and breathing heavily. She woke up a little late. The two of them did not make any sound. They simply rested for a while, got up, changed clothes, put on a tight suit, and straightened their hair.
As the sky gradually brightened, the soldiers in the camp woke up.
Hearing some movement behind the curtain in the east, he knew that His Highness had woken up, so he simply left the tent and saw Ning Bian already on duty outside. He gave him a warning,
"You don't have to do everything yourself. Take a break when you need to."
"My Lord, I just came here to patrol, and I didn't get up too early. But at midnight last night, there seemed to be hurried horse hoof sounds from Shizhou City. The scouts reported that many people came from the north, and some of them came to the camp along the western cliff. They were looking for those sect leaders. I don't know why they were in such a hurry."
Ning Bian stood beside him and briefly explained the important matters inside and outside the camp, especially the news coming from the north, which the Marquis should pay attention to.
Zhang Jinyu stretched himself and pondered the news from the north. This news from the north was from the hinterland of Xihe County, Yangping, or the county seat.
"What about the four gate masters?"
"My Lord, the four sect masters are having dinner with their disciples in the front camp. I think they will be back soon."
Zhang Jinyu looked back at the tents in the front camp. That was where the sect leaders lived. A group of people were sitting there, eating. So he went over to take a look.
Then he led Ning Bian and others and walked over. Not far away, they entered the front camp. The four sect masters were having dinner with their people. When they saw the Marquis coming, they all put down their bowls and chopsticks, stood up and bowed,
"I have seen you, Lord."
"Well, don't be polite, just keep eating."
Zhang Jinyu nodded, and saw that everyone's bowls were filled with thick porridge. At least Song Da had some understanding. The march was not easy, and the few people had no complaints. They were kind-hearted.
"Thank you, my Lord. I just went to the big tent, and the guard said that you have not gotten up yet, so I came back to have breakfast. There is an urgent report from the county town, but I don't know if it is true or not. Please investigate it carefully."
Qin Hao, the leader of the Tiger Roar Sect, hesitated a little before reporting the matter of the letter sent by the disciples. The other people also had strange expressions on their faces. Zhang Jinyu found this scene very interesting.
"Tell me, what news do you bring? Could it be that all the members of the White Lotus Sect have surrendered and the army can return to the capital now?"
Youyou made a joke, but some people looked incredulous. Qin Hao even looked like he had seen a ghost, and replied;
"My Lord, I can't hide anything from you. I thought the visitor was frightened and talking nonsense. Yesterday at noon, the Prince of Beijing in Xihe County led his army to defeat the main force of the White Lotus Sect. He led his army to break through the main formation, causing the White Lotus Sect's central army to be defeated. Moreover, the messenger who brought the message said that Yangping had been raided by the Prince of Dongping and His Royal Highness the Prince of Chu, who led the troops from Jiangnan, and was defeated in one battle."
Qin Hao finished speaking stumblingly, then looked at Shizhou City and said;
"My Lord, it seems that the White Lotus Sect only has some bandits in Shizhou City right in front of us. The rest have already been defeated."
After saying this, not only did Zhang Jinyu find it a bit absurd, but everyone around him also looked at him sideways, not believing it. There is an old saying that goes, when two armies face each other and are about to start fighting,
The house was robbed. Zhang Jinyu smiled. He was just being polite. What was the prediction? If the White Lotus Sect really collapsed at the first blow, then the previous Wei Taishou, as well as the officials of Yangping and Shizhou, were made of mud.
"You mean to say that the main force of the White Lotus Sect has been defeated, and the county city and Yangping are under the control of the court. Only the Shizhou City ahead still has the remnants of the White Lotus Sect, right?"
"Well, it seems so, Lord. I also heard reports from the disciples of the sect. I galloped all night, so it shouldn't be nonsense!"
Although Qin Hao was somewhat unconvinced, the person who delivered the message was his nephew, who had left a secret code long ago and it was impossible for him to come here and talk nonsense, so he should not be telling lies.
"In that case, gather the troops immediately and press forward. We will know whether it is true or not at a glance!"
(End of this chapter)