across the Quartet

When the spring warmed and the ice thawed, the body of the maid Xiaohe floated up in the moat of Xinzheng.

The body had been soaked in water for so long that it had become so swollen and deformed that no one could identify her.The guard on the city wall blew his nose in disgust, and ordered someone to salvage it and bury it quickly.

Of course, this is just an extremely trivial matter.

Right now, the whole of South Korea is talking about an imminent war - King Han couldn't bear the increasing pressure from the west, and had made up his mind to follow Qin and Wei and send troops to Zhao.

It's just that in the selection of the commander-in-chief, the whole court has encountered difficulties again.Originally, Han Shen, the highly respected General of Wangcheng, should be the main general, but it is a pity that he was executed by Princess Honglian not long ago because of "colliding with the royal family".In addition, the Koreans also know well that attacking Zhao is of no benefit to South Korea. They are just pawns played by the state of Qin; Even more threatening the survival of South Korea.So the generals shied away from each other, and no one wanted to take on this dangerous and humiliating job.

At this time, someone recommended Wei Zhuang.

The King of Han knew that Wei Zhuang had come out of the Ghost Valley, and his swordsmanship and martial arts were not a problem. Only after my own defense did I know that everything was Han Shen's wolfish ambition, planting the blame.Young Master Cheng felt quite guilty about this matter, felt that he had misunderstood his friend, and wanted to let Wei Zhuang gain more power, so that he could support him to inherit the throne in the future, so this recommended person was actually specially arranged by him.

However, Wei Zhuang's shortcoming is that he has never had experience as a general before, so he is probably not very familiar with the details of dispatching troops.The King of Han considered it again and again, and finally decided to use Deng Armada, the general of the palace gate, as the main general, and Wei Zhuang as the deputy general. The two led the army to join the Qin and Wei armies, and then marched northward together.

On the eve of the expedition, Wei Zhuang hosted another banquet at the Luming Pavilion, and they left at midnight.Group after group of guests staggered down the small building with the help of the servants; the master was the last to leave, as was his usual habit, with no retinue or carriage, but a solitary white horse. , walking leisurely and alone in the silent street.A breeze from the north brought the aroma of pear blossoms.

Wei Zhuang stopped in his tracks and saluted far away towards the dark street corner.

"Your Highness, if you always act like this, it will be very difficult for the subordinates to protect your safety every time."

A slim figure walked out slowly.

"...Aren't you leaving tomorrow?"

"Yes."

"This battle... will we win?"

"Perhaps, winning or losing has nothing to do with our country."

Red Lotus was silent.She frowned, as if she was chewing on the meaning of this sentence.Wei Zhuang looked at her with great interest, and suddenly said: "Princess is waiting here just to ask the subordinates about the military situation?"

"I..." Honglian raised her head as if making up her mind, and said, "I have something to ask you."

"Please tell me, princess."

"Let me ask you, Han Shen, that villain...was it really me who killed it with my own hands?"

Wei Zhuang raised his eyebrows slightly, and said: "Of course it is. I have seen it with my own eyes. Doesn't the princess trust Wei?"

"I don't know, my memory is a little messed up..." Honglian put the back of her hand on her forehead, and said, "I remember that I seemed to have stabbed a dagger into his chest... But I also felt that I didn't want to take it out at that time." His life; I want to arrest him and send him to the king, and punish him according to Han Law..."

"It seems that the princess was impulsive. However, that old thief deserves to die. The princess doesn't have to worry about it."

"No, that's not the case." Honglian's tone suddenly became firm, "I asked my mother specifically, she said that there are some strange tribes in southern Xinjiang, and there is a terrible sorcery; Eyes, that person can't resist anything he says." She looked directly into Wei Zhuang's eyes and said, "I remember, at that time, I did look into your eyes."

"Princess suspects my servant, did you use this kind of magic on Your Highness?" Wei Zhuang smiled calmly. "However, I think that the so-called looking people in the eyes can manipulate others, which is a bit absurd. If Wei has such great powers, when he goes out to fight, he just needs to look at the enemy generals and make them surrender, and he will be invincible In the world?!"

"It's not absurd. My mother said that the name of the sorcery is 'fire charm'. To use this skill, many conditions need to be met, such as being within ten feet of the person being manipulated, and waiting for the person to be confused. , shaken, confused, or weak; the skill requirements for the caster are also very high, and one has to take great risks when practicing..."

"The princess was joking." Wei Zhuang interrupted her impatiently. "Since the princess suspects that the servant has practiced sorcery, why not report it to the king."

"No! I will never tell anyone about this." Hong Lian blurted out, suddenly feeling that her tone was too hasty, she couldn't help but blushed slightly, "I also want to thank you for not saying... about the snake. thing."

"Snake? What snake?" Wei Zhuang asked with a smile. "A young woman like Your Highness is not afraid of snakes?"

Honglian lowered her head and pursed her lips knowingly, "I want to ask you one thing - you must promise me."

"The princess's meaning, how dare the servants disobey."

"I want to learn fire charm."

Wei Zhuang suspected that something was wrong with his ears, "Your Highness, you mean—"

"I want to learn fire charm." Hong Lian stared at Wei Zhuang with eyes as clear as glass, "I heard that Han Shen dared to be so bold before because he was backed by Qin people. Now our country's In such a dangerous situation, I must become stronger to protect my mother and myself... I know that you are different from them, neither are you a traitor bought by Qin, nor are you weak and fearful like my third brother trash—”

Wei Zhuang lowered his head in thought.Indeed, since he arrived in Xinzheng with Huo Mei, he has been looking for successors of Huo Meiju; unfortunately, this illusion has too high requirements for practitioners, and most of the talents he finally found are not crazy after they have practiced to the second or third level Yes, just stupid.In desperation, he also learned some fur, but he was unwilling to try it himself and advance to a higher level.But no matter how anxious he was to find a successor, he never thought of such a special person.

"Your Highness, it is our duty as courtiers to protect you and the royal family. You don't have to think so much."

"There are not many courtiers like you in South Korea anymore." Honglian said, "I have heard my father and my third brother discuss that when my cousin Han Fei was on an envoy to the Qin State, he wrote to the King of Qin to ask the King of Qin to preserve South Korea, but I was rejected by the monarchs and ministers of the Qin State; my uncle was imprisoned by them, and finally passed away in prison. One day, the Qin State will send troops to attack Xinzheng; if that day comes, I don’t want to sit in the palace and wait to die, or be caught like a cargo taken captive, and turned into the lowest of slaves. I think, I think . . . "

I think, become someone who can help you——Guren didn't say that.She pinched the corner of her clothes nervously, but her face had an expression of certainty.

Wei Zhuang looked up at her for a long time.

"More than 300 years ago, there were still hundreds of vassal states in the world; now, there are only seven left. I don't know where the kings of those small countries and their descendants went. If Korea no longer exists, we Where else can I go?"

"I think, you must know." Honglian looked at him and said.

Wei Zhuang smiled slightly, and suddenly took off a ring from his finger, and handed it to Hong Lian.

"Wei will set off with the army tomorrow, and I'm afraid he won't be able to return within a few months... If the princess doesn't change her mind, take this to the Luming Pavilion in three days, and someone will meet you at that time."

Hong Lian rubbed the ring in her palm, and watched the man lead the horse away; there was a trace of ominousness in her heart that she didn't understand—as if the next time she saw that figure again, she would feel the same way. The familiar world will also be overturned.

Although South Korea has been weak for many years, it can barely cobble together an infantry force of less than 200. However, with the [-] soldiers of Wei State and the [-] armored soldiers of Qin State, the total is [-], which is called [-]. A mighty army.After the Three Kingdoms joined forces, they first stationed in Yecheng.Four years ago, this place was still the territory of Wei State. The legend of Ximen Bao governing Ye more than [-] years ago is still circulating in the Central Plains.Ximen Leopard dug the Twelve Canals of Yinzhang and turned the barren Ye County into fertile soil; but how could he have imagined that after a few years, the grain and wheat growing on this land would no longer support the monarchs and ministers of Wei State.

Today's Ye is one of the important supply places for Qin Guodong after leaving Hangu Pass.The city here is strong, the treasury is full, and the population is dense. During wartime, grain, livestock, weapons and ordnance can be continuously delivered to the front line.The army worshiped heaven and earth outside the city, and immediately ranked in the Chinese army's tent: Naturally, Qin general Li Xin was the commander of the three armies, and the generals of Wei and Han also obeyed his orders.Then General Li issued a military order, seven days later, with the troops of Han and Wei as the vanguard, attack the Great Wall of Zhao on the other side of the Zhangshui River.

"Brother Wei, General Buwei, why do you think the people of Qin made me wait here for seven days?" Deng Armada asked dazedly after taking a sip of Xinzheng's fine wine.He and Wei Zhuang have been drinking and drinking in Xinzheng all the year round, and they have already become life-and-death friends, but they don't shy away from the difference between master and vice.Wei Zhuang didn't know what tricks he used to find a charming little lady to hide in his private tent, which made him even more grateful.

Wei Zhuang smiled slightly, and raised his hands to order his soldiers to fill up the water again, saying: "Qin State plans to attack from two routes at the same time, so that Zhao State will lose sight of the other, and there must be one route that cannot resist. I heard that Zhao State's most elite cavalry are guarding Jingxing area, so it should not be very difficult for us to attack Handan from the south."

"That's, that's..." Deng Armada laughed and raised his glass to drink - he missed the ruthlessness in Wei Zhuang's eyes when he lowered his head in thought.

Seven days later, in the north of Jingxing, the [-] Qin soldiers who left Taiyuan to take down Langmeng and the main force of the Zhao army led by Li Mu met near Fanwu.

On the long and narrow plain, at one end is the cavalry formation of Zhao State, with countless red robes flying and curling in the wind and sand, like tongues of fire licking around; It's like a gloomy cold light.The silence of the two armies was unbelievable, as if two behemoths were carefully observing and testing each other; at this moment, only the tiniest movement was needed, and the attack would begin.

Suddenly hearing a sound of "唰", under the banner of "Li", the general of Zhao State drew his sword, and shouted: "My sons, follow me to kill!"

"kill--"

Amidst the loud shouts of killing, the cavalry started the first round of charging with dense arrows.In contrast, the two chief generals of the Qin State stood on a high-rise car specially used for observation behind the army, and had a panoramic view of the confrontation between the two armies.

"Li Mu... General, is that really Li Mu himself?" Yang Duanhe asked with a frown while supporting the crossbar in front of the car.

"That's right," Wang Jian said with a soft smile, "this old boy, who is about the same age as the old man, and has lost one hand, actually didn't sit firmly in the army, but went to the front line like young people. He's really getting better and better."

When he talked about his opponent, it didn't look like an old enemy who was regarded as a serious problem, but like an old friend who had known each other for many years.

"It's too rash for the general to lead the charge. The so-called Zhao Zhiwu Anjun is nothing more than that."

"I'm afraid Li Mu did this as a last resort." Wang Jian shook his head and said, "Our spies in Handan reported that there was another drought in Zhao this year. Judging from the men and horses we saw and the smoke and dust in the distance, I am afraid that the number of cavalry is no more than [-] to [-], which is less than half of our army."

"so--"

"So the shortage of troops can only be made up by morale." Wang Jian stared at Zhao's flag and said solemnly, "Li Mu's prestige among Zhao's army can be compared to that of our country's Wu'an 30 years ago. The old people of Qin I still talk about it so far. The proudest thing in my life is that I once followed Wu Anjun to conquer the four directions, swept the cities of the six countries, and cut off the heads of the enemies; That supreme honor."

"indeed so."

"In Zhao State today, Li Mu is also the same. He is a military god who can make soldiers crazy and risk their lives for it." Wang Jian pointed with his finger, and saw that Zhao State's cavalry was getting closer and closer to Qin State's crossbowmen formation. As it got closer, although people kept getting shot and fell, the speed of the whole army's attack did not decrease at all.

Li Mu was surrounded by a group of hundred-gold warriors with outstanding martial arts, Xia Qi and Lu Goujian were also among them, constantly swinging their swords to cut flying arrows in the air; and directly in front of them, a knight with a white feather on his helmet rode his horse While running wildly, he waved a long halberd, knocking down the arrows that were coming at him one by one, as if he was clearing the way for the people behind him.

"That man," Yang Duanhe pointed with his finger, "is a master."

"Not only a master, but also a 'target'." Wang Jian narrowed his eyes and observed it with great interest, "Look, he deliberately decorated his head with conspicuous white feathers, while Li Mu himself was dressed like other cavalrymen. and our crossbowmen, when aiming from a distance, must mistake him for the chief."

"This person does not hesitate to be a target for our army to protect Li Mu's safety. Either he has absolute confidence in his own skills, or he simply does not want to die."

"I'm afraid it's a bit of both."

At this moment among the Zhao army, Gai Nie, who "doesn't want to die", is using Qi to defend the halberd, and the sword Qi envelops himself and the people behind him like a net; even so, there are still several missed arrows flying past him, One of them was nailed into the shoulder socket, but luckily it was blocked by the iron armor, so it didn't go deep.

"Brother Ge!" Someone from behind exclaimed.

Gai Nie shook his head to show that he was fine, he kept moving the arrows in his hands, and the white feathers on the top of the helmet danced like a cluster of flames.They were less than a hundred steps away from Qin's crossbow array.

The reason why the Qin crossbow made the six kingdoms of Shandong frightened was not only because of the long range of the crossbow and the strong penetrating power of the arrow, but also because of the coordinated use of the battle formation; Retreat in an orderly manner, exposing the second phalanx behind him; the crossbowmen in the second phalanx immediately fired arrows, and retreated again after the arrows were shot, at this time, the soldiers in the first phalanx shot their arrows The arrows in it have also been loaded.In other words, they can shoot arrows without interruption, without giving the enemy a chance to breathe.

However, such a powerful crossbow formation is not without its nemesis.One of them is the Hufu riding and shooting that King Zhao Wuling spent decades in shocking reforms and single-handedly created.The cavalry of Zhao State had been trained by the barbarians, and their riding skills were excellent. They could rush out of the range of crossbow arrows in a very short time and break up the formation of Qin soldiers. Even if they paid some price, it was worth it.

"The crossbowmen retreat, the cavalry come out, and form a conical formation." Wang Jian gave an order from the building cart.

The herald immediately waved a blue command flag, and then raised a black command flag.By the time the Zhao cavalry broke into the first wave of crossbowmen, the infantry in the last few phalanxes had retreated safely, and the Qin cavalry who attacked from the rear had already met the Zhao army hand-to-hand.

The waves of red and black converge in one place.This is the most hearty fight between the two strongest cavalry in the Central Plains at this moment.

"Pass on my general order, whoever wins Li Mu's head will be rewarded with a thousand gold!" Wang Jian said loudly.

The general order spread level by level in the Qin army, and finally became a shout that resounded through the entire army: "... whoever wins Li Mu's head will be rewarded with a thousand gold!!"

"Hahahaha——" Li Mu laughed loudly, "Here is the old man's head, wait for you to get it!!" He held the rein in his left hand, and the wooden hand on his right arm clasped a strangely shaped crossbow, firing two bursts. Arrows, arrows sank into Qin Bing's breastplate.

"Since he became a vanguard, the general seems to be younger than before!" Xia Qi said with a big laugh as he knocked off a Qin soldier on horseback with a sword.This laughter mixed with the screams and screams around, seemed to arouse the madness in people's hearts even more.

Under the heavy reward, there must be a brave man. More and more Qin soldiers recognized the flag of the general and gathered here.Gai Nie abandoned his halberd and used his sword again; he clamped his legs around the horse's belly, and separated the sneak attack of one person with his sword. He didn't expect another Qin soldier from behind to stab him with a spear.

"Brother Ge, be careful!" Lu Goujian warned loudly.Qin Bing, who was meeting Gai Nie's sword, froze for a moment, and panic flashed across his eyes.

"Ge? Could it be..."

Before the words were finished, two heads covered with iron faces flew out at the same time.

"What a ruthless sword." Xia Qi praised inexplicably beside him.

"The time has come, send a signal." Li Mu said suddenly.Dozens of soldiers around him took out horns made of rhino horn from their pockets at the same time and blew them.

"Ugh-"

The low horns sounded together, and soon, drums echoed around the battlefield.The two new forces that had been preparing for a long time surrounded the flanks of the Qin army, and gradually shrank, like a giant pliers, cutting off the formation of Qin's infantry at the middle!

"Ambush!!" Wang Jian on the building car opened his eyes wide, and suddenly slapped the crossbar hard.

"Impossible!" Yang Duanhe also had an unbelievable expression on his face, "The subordinates have sent people to survey the terrain in this area several times before, and it is flat within a radius of ten miles.

There is absolutely no place to ambush soldiers! "

"...Don't forget that Li Mu has been fighting the Huns on the grassland for ten years, and his greatest skill is hiding soldiers in the field." Wang Jian said coldly, "It seems that the reason why he took the risk to lead the troops to charge himself is also to Let me make the judgment that 'the Zhao army is not strong enough, so we have to put all our eggs in one basket'. This person not only understands Zhao Jun, but also understands us."

"It's just a coincidence, how could he even guess the general's guess..." Yang Duan said softly.

"No, others won't be able to guess, but Li Mu will definitely be able to." Wang Jian took a deep breath, and his expression returned to his composure. "This person must be removed."

Although the Zhao army had the upper hand with the ambush, the Qin soldiers did not retreat, and the fierce fighting continued until dusk.Both sides have losses.Finally, Qin Jun retreated under the cover of night; Zhao Jun also got a moment of rest.

In Zhao's camp and the Chinese army's large tent, Li Mu summoned all the generals and gave instructions for the next step overnight.

"Yan Ju."

"The end is here!"

"Lead [-] knights to investigate the retreat route of the Qin army, and report back to me before dawn!"

"The last general takes orders!"

"Integrity."

"The end is here!"

"You led five thousand riders to help the Great Wall barrier in the south of Handan!"

"...General?"

"General, our army finally repelled the Qin soldiers today, why did we have to send troops away?"

There were stunned expressions on the faces of many people. Li Mu smiled slightly, pointed at the map behind him with his wooden prosthesis, and said: "The battlefield is unpredictable, and every moment of the war is different from before. With Wang Jian's treacherous and cunning, see After today's battle, it is impossible not to guess that our army has mobilized all the elite here, so the southern fortress of Handan is empty. Although according to their original plan, the operation on the southern front was just a feint attack, but the timing was different. It may not turn into reality.”

All the generals are amazed.Li Mu patted the shoulder of a soldier behind him again and said, "Gai Nie, you go with General Lian."

"General, subordinate—"

"I know, Sima specially asked you to protect me." Li Mu smiled, "But now he needs you more than I do. Your Mohist disciples' defensive skills are exactly the most urgently needed weapon to restrain the Qin army on the southern front. "

"This subordinate is not a Mohist disciple..."

Li Mu waved his hand, pointed to the table and said, "The wooden crossbow machine you modified for me is really useful, even my useless hand can shoot an arrow to kill the enemy."

"Although this subordinate has done this, it is true that he is not a Mohist child...and he does not know how to defend the city..." Gai Nie didn't know whether to cry or laugh.Li Mu didn't allow him to explain, and with a smile of "this general knows everything" on his face, he kicked him out together with Lian Ye.

Zonghengzhishu said that when lobbying others, one must grasp the other party's mind from the beginning of the conversation and control the direction of speech.Ge Nie thought dejectedly, this is really too difficult.

It was three days later when Gai Nie followed the reinforcements to the Great Wall of Zhao in the south of Handan.During these three days, the coalition forces launched countless attacks on this barrier.It is a pity that the Zhangshui River to the south of the Great Wall is a natural moat with a wide water surface. If the trebuchets placed on the other side of the river threw large stones, they would fall directly into the water; if they threw small stones, they would not be enough to damage the strong city wall.In desperation, soldiers from Han and Wei countries built several pontoon bridges on the Zhangshui River. After crossing the river by force, they set up ladders and climbed up the city wall like ants.There are actually only a thousand defenders on the inner side of the Great Wall, but the resistance is extremely tenacious. Countless arrows are aimed at the soldiers crossing the river, shooting down overwhelmingly; Layer after layer piled up.The soldiers of Qin State lined up on the south bank of the Zhangshui River, holding knives and axes, staring at the soldiers of the two countries on the opposite bank.

"Death to those who are cowardly! Death to those who retreat without permission!! Death to those who disobey orders!!"

Many Han and Wei soldiers died under their swords because they did not dare to charge, and their bodies were thrown into the river.The living soldiers were so frightened that they had no choice but to forcibly ascend the city again and again, causing heavy casualties.

The number of soldiers in our country is decreasing day by day, even a person like Wei Zhuang who claims to be hard-hearted, feels grief and anxiety in his heart, and feels restless.The chief general Li Xin's complexion was even worse, he often mocked the combat power of the two countries face to face, but he didn't mobilize a single soldier under his command.

In the evening of the same day, Wei Zhuang and Deng Armada were summoned to the tent at the same time, and Wei Bao, the general of Wei State, was also there.Li Xin held his saber and turned his back to them. Behind him was a row of people kneeling with their hands tied behind their backs.

"General Li, this is..." Deng Armada asked rashly, as if he was still drunk.

Li Xin turned around with a sneer, and said, "During my patrol just now, my soldiers found that some soldiers changed their clothes secretly, intending to escape from the camp secretly. These are either Korean or Wei." He kicked On the chest of one of them, "May I ask you generals, how do you deal with deserters in your country?"

The faces of the generals were either red or white, and they did not speak.After a while, someone finally answered in a low voice: "Kill without mercy."

"Very good." Li Xin snorted, "Take it down, and behead the flag tomorrow!"

"No!" The halberd guards on both sides replied in unison.

There were cries and begging for mercy from the ground.Li Xin walked out of the big tent without looking back, and when he passed by the generals of the Han and Wei armies, he smiled moderately:

"How come South Korea and Wei Guo have produced some cowards."

Deng Armada's face turned red all of a sudden, even redder than after drinking strong wine.Wei Bao's face turned pale, and his whole body was shaking with anger.Only Wei Zhuang looked expressionless.He calmly returned to his tent, ordered his soldiers to put out the torches, and lowered the curtain—there were muffled noises of unknown origin one after another in the darkness.

"My lord." Suddenly someone said from outside the tent, "We seized a spy who claimed to be the envoy of Zhao Guo, and asked to see the commander of the Han army."

——Because Deng Armada was addicted to alcohol and messed around with the woman he kept privately all day long, gradually everyone in the Han army knew that if there was any military situation, they only needed to report to the lieutenant general.

"...bring it in." There was a deep reply from inside the tent.When the torches were lit again, the guards found that there were sawdust all over the floor, but the original documents were gone.

Wei Zhuang turned around and saw a person walk in with the curtain lifted, followed by two South Korean soldiers.He suddenly felt dizzy.

This person is definitely not something they can "catch".

He imagined the reunion with this person countless times, and even thought carefully about every move he saw him about to make; but he had to admit that

Admittedly, this person, he never expected.

The only consolation was that the man seemed as surprised as he was.Through the flickering firelight, he looked as if he had just stepped out of a chaotic dream.I can't tell the difference between love and hate.Can't say goodbye.

"...Xiao Zhuang?"

TBC

The author has something to say: it is necessary to state again:

This article was written long before Xiaosi started broadcasting, and the setting does not fully refer to the mystery;

There are many differences and original characters, in order to ensure the integrity of the plot, the author himself made up and filled in.

The part involving historical events also incorporates a lot of the author's own imagination! ! ! !Don't take it seriously 【Key】! ! ! ! ! !

So please don’t correct me with things like “Chi Lian’s older brother is Han Fei”, “Wei Zhuang’s first love is Zi Nu”, “Ji Wu Ye is a Korean general” and so on; I was talking nonsense when I was in primary school, so it’s completely different. I’m sorry OTL

【Kneel】