across the Quartet

Broken Chapter Six

Ge Nie's answer was, of course, within his expectations.

It would be better to say that he was very clear from the beginning.The path Wei Zhuang wants to take, the goal he wants to achieve, will never be driven by others; this is the same for Gai Nie.Because of this, they are destined to stand side by side, and to confront each other.If one of them makes a wrong step, then this chess game that crosses the world will definitely lose a lot of fun.

What Wei Zhuang can't control is his own mood.It wasn't fury or ecstasy in his heart, he just felt something inside his body trembling with excitement, and he pressed the protrusion on the sword hilt tightly with his palm, as if wrapping his own bones.

"Do you think I really won't kill you?"

"If you want to kill me now, it will be harmful and useless." Gai Nie was not moved by it, "You are not a bloodthirsty person, why bother to do things that are not profitable."

"Who says I'm not a bloodthirsty person?" The shark's teeth lifted his face along the bones of the jaw, "If you want to kill, then kill, what's the regret? How valuable do you think your life is?"

"...It's worth it." Ge Nie replied seriously. "If you don't kill me, I can give you one hundred thousand gold."

Wei Zhuang froze for a moment, then burst out laughing, his anger seemed to be brushed away by an invisible hand.He put away his sword and sat down, while peeling the oranges, he said: "I didn't expect Senior Brother to be so rich, Wei had offended me a lot earlier. I don't know where the centurion of Zhao State collected so much money from? "

Gai Nie glanced at him and said: "I have heard that in the past two years, many important officials in South Korea died unexpectedly or their whereabouts were unknown. Such things are not unusual in troubled times; coincidentally, the names of these people, It just so happens that they all appear in one account book. And the people who have read this account book are very few in the Seven Kingdoms.”

"Oh, senior brother is well informed." Wei Zhuang pushed the peeled orange forward, "A few days ago I also heard that Guo Kai, King Zhao's most trusted minister, was seriously injured by an assassin and almost died. The strange thing is , none of the people present saw the face of the assassin. It would be fine if the assassin used a bow and crossbow, but the murder weapon was a sword—do you think it is strange?"

The two looked at each other for a moment, then smiled tacitly.

"The person I want to talk about is him." Gai Nie said, "You should also remember that the bribes received by Guo Kai are the highest in that account book. The [-] gold, not counting the bribes he has spent in Zhao It is not an exaggeration to describe the people’s wealth amassed by the country as rich as an enemy country. According to my speculation, after this serious injury, he must have been terrified; once Qin and Zhao fought, this person would have to flee Handan impatiently and enter Hangu Pass and go."

"It turns out that the tens of thousands of gold were not given to me, and I have to get it myself."

"But do you know when this person left Zhao? What is the terrain like in Taiyuan and Fenshui? Where is it easy to ambush? Where will the Qin people respond? Only by knowing this can the gold be obtained safely."

"So that's how it is..." Wei Zhuang tapped his finger on the table meaningfully, "Now that things are going on, brother, do you still want to say that you are just a little centurion in the army?"

Gai Nie avoided answering, lowered his head and stuffed the peeled orange petals into his mouth, and after swallowing, he said: "Xiao Zhuang, what you plan to do, I thought it over and over again, and finally felt something was wrong."

Wei Zhuang knew it well, so there was no need to ask any more, he just narrowed his eyes slightly.

"Oh? What's wrong?"

"No matter how much you have done in South Korea, after all, South Korea is your foundation, so there is always a way out; but now you are in exile abroad, as guests, meddling in the state affairs and family affairs of the master, not only is it not justified, but also more serious. vulnerable to catastrophe.”

"Of course I know the danger. However, right now, it is the master who is looking forward to outsiders like us. Whether it is killing the king or killing the relatives, ordinary people are not worthy of the crime. The law of war is to use justice to win by surprise. They need a surprise soldier, one who isn't afraid to get their hands dirty, or bear any nasty infamy."

"Since you know their intentions, aren't you afraid that they will separate themselves and kill people to silence them afterwards?"

"Wei is now considered an expert in this kind of thing. The danger here is obvious." Wei Zhuang said with a sneer, "If you say you are involved in a dangerous place, the elder brother is in charge of Zhao Guo's assassination and rape. , and I'm only fifty steps away, laughing at a hundred steps."

"...Xiao Zhuang, you have always been smart and scheming, but sometimes you tend to underestimate your opponents."

"Maybe I did have this problem in the past, but since Han Fei went to Qin, I have learned some lessons." Wei Zhuang suddenly approached, and changed the topic: "I have never looked down on anyone-but the world can really make people feel better." There is only one thing I can see. Brother, do you understand?"

Ge Nie's lips parted slightly, before he could make a sound, he had already stood up and walked away.

"No, you don't understand, you never understand."

The next day, Wei Zhuang packed lightly early in the morning and claimed to have gone hunting in the southern suburbs.At present, there are pursuers behind them, and the future is uncertain; in such an unpredictable situation, everyone in Quicksand is puzzled that the master can still have such a leisurely mind.But most of them have a kind of blind confidence in Wei Zhuang - countless past experiences have convinced them that with the leader's planning and clever changes, no matter how dangerous the situation is, they can open up a path for quicksand. The road to settle down.

It was mid-spring, and the new leaves in the forest were just beginning to bloom, and the forest was full of greenery; after a winter of dormancy, all kinds of wild beasts also went out to look for food and courtship, which was a good time for hunting.

With the sound of chaotic horseshoes, a group of horses slowly came out from the dense forest; most of them were short-footed horses produced in the southeast, which were hardworking and able to bear heavy loads, but unfortunately their feet were not fast; only the first two The horse is a rare Daijun horse, tall and long-legged, with strong muscles and bones, which is really pleasing to the eye.The person on the horse is naturally different. The person in the front is dressed in purple and has a beautiful beard hanging on his chest. Even if he is silent, his eyebrows naturally reveal a bit of majesty that is used to giving orders.Although the other person was far inferior in appearance, he was also gorgeously dressed, with a few magpies embroidered with gold thread on the blue-green satin robe, and the bright red beak was particularly eye-catching.Behind the two horses there is nothing but arrow pots, and there are some pheasants and hares hanging upside down from the human horses.But it is clear that the harvest so far is not satisfactory.

Suddenly, the man in purple made a gesture, and everyone reined in their horses and kept silent, fearing that they would scare away their prey.

About two or three hundred paces away, a black bear was clinging to a short tree.

As soon as the man in purple stretched out his hand, the man immediately handed over an oxhorn bow; he randomly took one from the quiver, and filled the bow without a sound - only heard the sound of the shocking string, and the feathered arrow flew away go out.Everyone was about to applaud loudly, but they heard a "dong", and the arrow was nailed to the branch of the tree impartially.

The black bear was alarmed and fell from the tree.This beast was so brave, not only did not run, but roared in the direction of the arrow, and rushed towards the ground with all four feet.

Its body was huge and heavy, but its speed was not slow at all, and it ran to less than a hundred steps in the blink of an eye.The hunter and his party were so frightened that they neighed, several armored guards hurriedly jumped off their horses, drew out their long swords, and made a posture of fighting; while some people behind were already planning to turn around and run back.

The leader of the purple-clothed man was quite calm, picked up a few more arrows, and shot at the black bear one after another.But probably there was fear in his heart after all, several arrows failed one by one, only one slipped out with the thick bear skin.

Fortunately, at this time, an arrow flew obliquely from the forest, and hit the bear's left eye.The brown bear suffered from pain and was so angry that it stood up. It threw its front paws in the air a few times and let out a few roars, but it received three arrows head-on - one in the jaw, one in the throat, and one in the middle of both breasts. .The force of these three arrows was so great that the bear fell back heavily, kicking up dust from the boss.

The man in purple put down his longbow, turned his horse's head and looked back - behind them, three riders walked out slowly;He was still holding a horn bow in his hand, so it could be seen that it was this person who sent arrows to help.

The fat man in green at his side quickly came to his ear and whispered a few words; as he stretched his limbs, the gorse on his clothes flew up and down as if they were coming to life, as if they really wanted to announce the good news.

The man in purple nodded knowingly, and bowed his hands to the person who came.

"The shooting skills of a strong man are really amazing! Can you get closer?"

"Don't dare."

The visitor returned the salute, then steered the horse forward, and stopped a horse away from the purple-clothed man.The man in purple ordered his subordinates to pack up the prey, and only then did he lower his voice and say, "Is the commander of King Han's guards here?"

"It's Wei."

"Please follow someone back to camp."

The two rode their horses one by one to a camp in the forest, and people dressed as government soldiers came out to greet them.This place is camped by water and grass, very shady; the big tent is luxuriously decorated, and the incense burner is lit with precious aloes brought from the land of Nanman Baiyue.The man in purple ordered his attendants to cut off the bear's paw, cooked it with wine, and graciously invited the newly met people to sit down and drink together.Wei Zhuang made some concessions, and then sat down next to him.

After drinking for two rounds, the purple-clothed man raised his glass to the brim, with a sad look on his face, and sighed: "Since Xun Qing resigned from office and went back to seclusion, this Lanling fine wine seems to have lost a lot of its old fragrance."

Wei Zhuang also accompanied him, saying: "Tigers and wolves are marching eastward, these well-educated people are probably also worried about the safety of their wealth, so they can only hide from the world to avoid disaster."

The man in purple said again: "Xinzheng fell, and all the people of insight in Shandong felt sorry for it. Unfortunately, in recent years, the situation in our country has become more and more difficult. All parts of the northwest have to beware of the Qin people's raids, and the soldiers and food are also very nervous. Whether to send troops is in a dilemma, and many veterans have written to dissuade them. After repeated repetitions, the timing of rescue has been delayed..."

He evaded the seriousness of his words, insisting that Chu State's "unrescue" was "belated", but Wei Zhuang absolutely could not argue with him, he could only follow along: "Hey, I'm afraid this is also God's will."

The man in purple nodded slowly, and continued: "Unexpectedly, Mr. Hengyang will not give up, and he is still willing to live in our country."

"My monarch and his subjects are in such a difficult situation, and rely on the son to take him in, Wei is extremely grateful."

"Where is there. I don't know where Lord Hengyang is at the moment? I have already prepared another banquet in the city, and I hope that Lord Hengyang and the commander of the guards will be able to appreciate it tonight."

"Hey, it's quite a coincidence," Wei Zhuang said, "My lord is in a little health because of the exhaustion of the boat and the car, and I'm not used to the climate here. I'm recuperating in the journey."

"So that's how it is." The purple-clothed man stroked his beard, "Indeed, most of the people who first came to our country from the Central Plains were not acclimatized to the environment, and it was a negligence. But the narrowness of the Nilv, I am afraid that Lord Hengyang will not be able to live for a long time. There is still a place in the city." Although the hall is simple and rudimentary, it is still quiet; how about asking Hengyang Lord to move to the hall to recuperate?"

"I thank you for my master's kindness." Wei Zhuang smiled and cupped his hands. "I'm going to the country in a hurry, and I don't know how to be courteous. I hope you will forgive me. There is only one small gift, and I hope you will accept it with a smile." He clapped his hands, and an attendant presented a brocade box.

The man in purple lifted the lid of the box, his expression froze suddenly, his eyes became colder; the smile widened even wider.

The box was covered with layers of brocade, but it was empty—except for a plum that was dripping bright red.

Today's reverse journey is much quieter than in the past.

Wei Zhuang went out and did not issue new orders. Most of the well-trained killers under Quicksand took this opportunity to recharge their batteries, and at the same time they did not relax their vigilance against this temporary residence.

Chi Lian visited outside the window for quite a while, seeing Gai Nie writing and drawing alone at the desk, sometimes standing up, fetching water and grinding ink with clanking shackles, it was really pitiful to watch; I have never seen the domineering appearance of this person at the moment when he stabbed the coffin with the sword, and I almost believe that he is as innocent and harmless as the legendary knee-deep soldier.

She took a deep breath and stepped into the room.Just as he was about to speak, a swift white figure suddenly descended from the sky.Who else but Baifeng.

"What are you doing here?"

"My lord told me to keep an eye on him, and if he behaves strangely, then," Bai Feng said as he wiped his neck with his right hand, showing a fierce expression.

"—no lunch for him."

"...Does your words and gestures not match at all?"

Gai Nie looked up and put down the brush. "The two of you are looking for me, do you have anything to ask?"

Chi Lian slightly raised his chin, and subconsciously assumed the posture he had when he was a princess: "That's right, I have something to ask you."

"Girl, please speak."

"Let me ask you, who is the 'that person' whom you discussed with Master Wei Zhuang for a long time yesterday? How much do you know about what Master Wei Zhuang is planning?"

Gai Nie's face was as deep as water, as if he was deep in thought; Chi Lian hated his appearance the most, and the fire charm art pays attention to observing the appearance and punishing the heart, but for an opponent like Gai Nie, it is really impossible to deduce his own strength from his expression. It can be described as cunning and cunning to guess whether it is correct.

"If you refuse to speak, don't blame us for extorting a confession by torture."

"Torture to extract a confession?" Bai Feng suddenly became interested, showing a few sharpened feathers between her fingers, and approached Gai Nie step by step, "Very good. I will use the torture right away, but you can't say anything—"

"...I know everything."

"You!" Bai Feng was extremely disappointed with Gai Nie's lack of integrity, and could only sit in a corner of the room and sulk.

"This matter is not confidential." Gai Nie said slowly in his tone of reading, "In ancient times, there was a son Chong'er who traveled to the princes, got the help of Chu, Qin and other monarchs, and returned to the country after 19 years to succeed; This time, Zhuang was protecting the Korean clan from fleeing. With the current state of Qin's strength, he can only be saved by going to the king of Chu. However, he did not go directly to the capital, but stayed in Chen for a while. It's about old things."

"Old things?"

"The current king of Chu is the son of King Kaolie of the former Chu. When King Chu Kaolie was in power, Lord Chunshen Huang Xie was his commander-in-chief. Lord Chunshen was good at political affairs and far-sighted, so he was highly relied on by the King of Chu. But Chunshen One thing Shen Jun has been worrying about is that the King of Chu has had no children for many years, so it is useless to offer many beauties. At this time, Li Yuan, a native of Zhao State, came to Chu State and presented his sister to Chun Shen. You are concubine Ji. I heard that this woman is a national beauty, and she was favored by Lord Chunshen very quickly. However, for some reason, a few months later, Lord Chunshen dedicated this girl to the King of Chu. The King of Chu also loved this girl very much. Madame, later made her son the crown prince. About seven or eight years ago, the king died, and the crown prince succeeded him, who is the current king of Chu."

"Could it be that..." Chi Lian grasped the most important part of this ambiguous statement at once, his eyes flickering.

"That's right. So far in Chu State, there are still people who doubt the blood of the monarch... If the current Queen Mother is pregnant before entering the palace, then the identity of the King of Chu will become a big joke. It's a pity that in Chu In the same year when Wang succeeded to the throne, Lord Chunshen was murdered by a group of assassins. Some people suspect that this matter was the mastermind of Li Yuan."

"Of course it's him! In this way, no one in the world will know the true identity of King Chu except the brothers and sisters of the Li family!" Chi Lian exclaimed.

"There is no conclusion on this matter. Moreover, in today's Chu State, the King of Chu is lingering in bed, the Empress Dowager is in court, and Li Yuan is in charge of state affairs. Not only the whole family of Chunshen Lord has been wiped out, but also the royal lineages like Qu, Jing, and Zhao. Suppression, no one in the country dares to speak out about this secret."

"It turns out that Chu State's state affairs are so sinister..." Chi Lian pondered, "Then what does this have to do with what Master Wei Zhuang is going to do?"

"The current king of Chu has been on the throne for many years and has no heirs. The throne will probably be passed on to his brother. If it is passed on to his mother and brother, the brothers and sisters of the Li family may continue to cover the sky with one hand, but this son is as sick and weak as his brother. It can last for a few years. Besides these two, King Kaolie also has a bastard son, the young master. I heard that this man is good at archery, and his ambition is not small. He is our yesterday Mentioned 'the man'."

Having said this, Chi Lian finally vaguely understood what Wei Zhuang was planning.She thought about it, and then asked another question.

"The Chu businessman who came here a few days ago, Master Wei Zhuang called him 'Yidun Gong', what is the origin?"

"Tao Zhu and Yidun were very rich in ancient times. It is said that Yidun was a disciple of Tao Zhugong and Fan Li. He started his business by raising animals and cooking salt in the Xihe area, and became a rich merchant and wealthy businessman. It is owned by the state of Qin, and when the Shang monarch reformed, he also emphasized the policy of suppressing business, stipulating that the profit at the end of the matter and those who are lazy and poor should be treated as children; in addition, customs duties were doubled, and the benefits of mountains and rivers were unified into the country. , Prohibiting private development for profit, so the children of the Yi clan moved away from their hometowns and changed their old businesses. Now they mainly operate jade business based on Jingshan. But they miss the glory of their ancestors, and the heads of each generation still regard "Yidun" as their core. Number."

Chi Lian nodded slightly, with such a background in his mind, it's no wonder that he became the bridge between Liusha and the prince of Chu.

"...Master Wei Zhuang's plan was not even mentioned in front of us; who are you and why do you seem to know everything?"

Gai Nie smiled very shallowly, so fast that Chi Lian suspected that it was her eyesight. "I'm just guessing. If you decide to stay in the south, you have only two options: If you go to the capital, you will be serving Li Yuan; this person is cunning and cunning, greedy for power, but short-sighted, and has no problem with Qin's pressing step by step. The meaning of preparing for war. But the young master is a staunch anti-Qin faction, and he is very popular among the Chu army. Moreover, the exiled Korean son does not vote for the king of Chu but votes for the young master, which can also greatly increase the prestige of the young master among the people. In comparison, it is obvious what choice Xiaozhuang will make."

"Then, the danger you speak of—"

"Yes." Gai Nie whispered, "I'm afraid of this young master, I can't wait."

That night, Wei Zhuang didn't return until the moon and stars were thinning; when he came back, he smelled of alcohol, was supported by his followers, and seemed to be unable to walk steadily.However, as soon as he entered his room, he immediately straightened his waist, his eyes were bright, and he could not see the slightest hint of drunkenness.

"Did you... see him today?" Gai Nie asked, still sitting on the couch in shackles.

"That's right." Wei Zhuang poured himself a glass of clear water, took a few sips, "Apart from what was planned today, there is also an unexpected harvest. It seems that Ling Chu deliberately revealed that he has a guest house in Chen, saying that it was when he went hunting here. His residence." He dipped his finger in the water, drew two converging lines on the case, representing Yingshui and Huai River, and placed an orange in the lower reaches of Yingshui, "This person's fiefdom is in Juyang," and Put an orange upstream, "Why are you running back and forth, often come to Chencheng to hunt?"

Gai Nie thought for a moment, and said clearly: "Thirty miles south of Chen is the fiefdom of the Xiang family. From this, it can be seen that he has a very close relationship with the Xiang family." He also took an orange and stuck it close to it. Put down the first orange.

"That's right. If the Xiang family joins him, then the strength of the young master will definitely increase greatly. Now the elite army of Chu is in the hands of the general Xiang Yan." Wei Zhuang bet another orange on the south bank of the Huai River , expressing Shouchun, "However, as a general, Xiang Yan has an upright nature. The only thing he can do for Lu Chu is to write a letter to the court to ask for a son to be his heir. This is precisely not what Lu Chu wants most at the moment."

"He really can't wait." Ge Nie sighed.

"Xiang Yan's army can only be used as an external force when supporting a new monarch. Although a family like Qu Jingzhao values ​​blood, they are also extremely cautious and cautious. They are not sure of victory, and they will not clearly identify their family. The bet is on one side. The most critical point is that the throne must be vacant."

"If... if the Qin army sent troops from Yingchuan to attack Chu and take down Chen and Shangcai, wouldn't it disrupt your entire pace?"

"That depends on how long Zhao Guo can hold Qin people in the north." Wei Zhuang took an orange in Zhengbei.

"Do you think King Qin will never fight on two fronts? But I heard that Qin State is planning to build a huge granary in Xingyang. Once it is completed, even if the army goes deep into the heart of Chu State, it will not worry about supplies. In this case, the north and the south will fight at the same time. , is not entirely impossible.”

"Xingyang... Do you think their next target is Liang or Chen?"

"...Ah, there are not enough oranges."

TBC