across the Quartet

Chapter Four

"...On Yishui, the crown prince and all the guests were seen off for several miles. The musicians beat the building, and the walkers sang in harmony. The voice was generous, and everyone burst into tears. About fourteen days later, the envoy of Yan will arrive at the capital of Qin."

Chi Lian's handsome font and beautiful diction make him worthy of being one of the most educated people in Quicksand.Wei Zhuang silently praised in his heart, and then threw the silk book into the brazier.

After all, the princess is still a girl with a delicate mind. Judging from the lines, when she witnessed Yi Shui's farewell scene, even though she was unmoved on the surface, she couldn't help being infected by the sad and heroic emotions around her.It's a pity that Wei Zhuang wants to know more practical things than those so-called chivalrous characters - such as how many cars the envoys have, how much they can carry, who the deputy envoys are, what abilities they have, how many Mohist disciples are in the entourage, etc. .

It seems that it is impossible to speculate on the specific actions of the mission.So what about Genie?What plans is he thinking of?

Although he always expresses disdain for his classmates in front of others, Wei Zhuang knows very well in his heart that his brother is an elusive opponent; his "stupidity" is just his courage. Things I dare not think about.Besides, Gai Nie is not without a city.He disdains to lie, but he naturally knows how to keep a secret, and then reveal a part at the most appropriate time, and bury the rest in silence forever.This skill of playing with the truth is actually quite brilliant, and it also has a charm that makes people have to believe him.

Wei Zhuang himself had to admit that he had been deceived in a similar way.About a year ago, he took Gai Nie's map and went to the west of Handan to intercept Guo Kai and his party. Later, he found that Gai Nie had dealt with them alone.That day quicksand emptied the belongings on the convoy; Wei Zhuang used his sword to cut open the clothes of the headless corpse, and found that the neck of the corpse had been strangled by a rope, and there was a large square bruise mark on the chest.At that time, he guessed that this person had hung some important things around his neck in his life, and hid them tightly against his flesh. Later, he was hit hard on his chest, and such a shape was printed; the things were then taken away.Considering the situation at the time, the only person who could take this thing away was Ge Nie.

Gai Nie handed over several carts of gold treasures, but took this one thing away, which shows that the value of this thing is too unusual.Wei Zhuang suddenly had a secret guess in his heart - besides Zhao Guo's national treasure, what else could make the senior brother who is not moved by money care so much?

Wei Zhuang was worried that Gai Nie would transfer what he got from Guo Kai to the Zhao family, so he went to Handan in person, tried words, and deliberately talked about the old relationship between Gongzi Jia and Prince Dan; He didn't trust his son Jia very much, and he didn't plan to leave Handan before the war.Wei Zhuang was relieved, thinking that it was impossible for He's Bi to be in Gai Nie's hands—otherwise, since he hadn't presented the Bi to the public office, and refused to escape from the dangerous city, how could he dispose of this treasure?From Ge Nie's point of view, the possibility of him surviving after the siege is very small. If he dies, no one in the world will know the whereabouts of He Shibi.However, after the city was broken, King Qin pardoned hundreds of Zhao people's capital crimes in Handan. Wei Zhuang finally heard the legendary story of "one jade for one city" from others; he realized Gai Nie's previous performance How tight it is, I can't help but feel annoyed at my miscalculation.

Knowing that he has only a chance of survival, he does not hesitate to gamble the national treasure on this tiniest chance of survival.Brother, you are really conceited.

Therefore, in the current situation, Gai Nie's ambition should not be underestimated again.

The most fearsome assassin in the world today is facing the most powerful king in the world above, just like two black tigers—not running towards each other, but walking towards each other—strike each other at the moment of approach.In such a thunderous moment, even for him, Wei Zhuang, killing one and saving one is already the limit.However, that person's stubbornness is a stubborn disease that even his mentor can't cure. Even if he yells in his ear a hundred times that you have done something wrong, failed, and you have to make a decision, he still refuses to give up.

"Things are as expected." Wujue knelt on the other side of the brazier, and reported in a low voice, "Yesterday at You, Gai Nie secretly sneaked into the imperial physician's order and begged the old man for one thing."

"Oh? What did he ask of you?"

"A thing. A drug, actually."

"—Seven Tribulations Scattered."

"My lord is as clever as a god." Wu Qi couldn't hide his admiration in his eyes.

Wei Zhuang shook his head, he roughly guessed Gai Nie's plan in his mind, but there was still something unsolved. "Relying on this medicine alone, planning to play ghosts in Xianyang Palace is too many omissions. He must definitely 'kill' the assassin in front of King Qin and cannot be killed by the other party, nor can he let the assassin die at the hands of others; he must Taking away the corpse in full view, and then trying to replace it, can hide from the Tingwei Mansion's thorough investigation and hold him accountable afterwards. Can he do it alone?"

Wu Ju hesitated and said, "Unless Ge Nie has other assistance in the palace..."

"But if Gai Nie still has a helper, who would that person be?" Wei Zhuang asked himself. "The Mo family lurking in the Qin palace? Impossible, the Mo family has a close relationship with Yandan, and Yandan will never join forces with Gai Nie, because Gai Nie really wants to save the life of King Qin, which is contrary to their purpose .And other forces—even more impossible. This is a fatal matter. Ge Nie has always been a loner, and he can't pay enough to lure or force others to use him."

Wu Qi said: "If there is no helper, the old man really can't think of any strategy he can use to exert the effect of Qijiesan."

"Leave this aside for now. On that day, once you see the Yan envoy acting differently, remember to behave in the same way as others, and don't act lightly, and don't act too hastily, so as to expose flaws."

"Your Excellency is right. However, if the old man is too late to act, the envoy Yan will really succeed—"

"With Ge Nie around, I believe he can't do it."

"However..." Wuju hesitated for a moment, and finally made up his mind: "Last night, the old man tossed and turned, thinking that if quicksand did not help Gai Nie but helped Yan envoys, would there be a little more chance for things to happen? If King Qin died and the son succeeded, Qin Although it will not lead to chaos, but the young master is still young, and his methods are not as strong and ruthless as King Qin. Perhaps the cooperation of the six countries can really take advantage of the danger? Although this matter has fulfilled Yan Dan's wish, we can also plan to restore Han first, and then Tu Qiang Han..."

"I'm afraid things won't go so smoothly. Qin seems to be strong and invincible. What makes it so? It's King Qin who inherits the sky, beyond human reach?" Wei Zhuang sneered and shook his head, "From the point of view of Wei, it's exactly The war created the state of Qin—the laws of farming and war made the soldiers die eagerly and conquered the city, and the land and wealth looted increased its strength; , such greed will not change just because of a change of monarch. Qin will not be weakened by the success of an assassin, but will only be stimulated to become more furious. The only way to weaken it is to make its Cracks have formed inside. Moreover, your position is very important, not only can you not follow Yan's plan, but you should go further to gain the trust of King Qin."

Wuju sincerely said: "My lord is right. I will act according to plan."

Half a month later, the envoys of the State of Yan appeared on the streets of Xianyang as scheduled; this time the envoy was very powerful, and the news that the King of Yan sent envoys to bring heavy gifts to seek peace because of fear of the State of Qin spread like wildfire, attracting all the people in the city to wait and see.Another three days, recommended by the concubine, King Qin held a court meeting in Xianyang Palace, set up nine guests of honor, and summoned the envoys.

Gai Nie didn't know that his younger brother was also hiding in Xianyang at this time, and he was racking his brains to guess his thoughts.With the help of Li Ji, the trick he was most worried about before was no longer a problem; however, the plan still encountered an unexpected obstacle from the very first step—the day when Yan envoy entered the palace, he was not in the palace. value.

Qin Fazhong stipulated that those ministers who served the palace were not allowed to hold soldiers of any size. Among the lords, His Royal Highness Chen held the soldiers, and they were not allowed to go to the palace unless they were summoned.However, since it was a matter of family and life, the King of Qin would not be so rigid: the 60 trusted guards he had carefully selected had the amnesty order to approach the monarch without being called upon in times of crisis and eliminate threats.In fact, it is impossible for these [-] people to be crowded around King Qin at the same time; they often hide out of the sight of ordinary people, and they are on duty in shifts, so as to maintain the highest vigilance at all times.This time, Gai Nie and nine other guards were assigned to patrol outside the royal city to prevent thieves from getting in.Gai Nie privately thought that this might be another deliberate arrangement by the commander of the guards to keep him away from the monarch.

Maoshi.Gai Nie paced back and forth outside the west gate of the palace city, sometimes stopping to look at the tall and majestic verandah inside the city wall.The embassy will enter the palace through the east gate, so from his position, even the carriages and horses will not be seen.The kissing beast on the vertical ridge of the tower seemed to be grinning at him: If even this outer wall cannot be broken through, then all plans will be in vain.

He had considered whether to take the risk, claiming to have noticed some suspicious person, so he followed him into the palace.But this excuse is too clumsy, I'm afraid it will be exposed as soon as he arrives in the palace.But what other reason can be found?

At this moment, muffled screams came from a few streets away, followed by the sound of gold and iron clanging, and the sound of a group of people running in formation.The guards guarding near the palace gate couldn't help becoming curious and tiptoeing to watch.Not long after, another group of soldiers hurried past, and the chaotic shouts not far away became louder and louder.Then a soldier came running out of breath, holding a small flag from the guard in his hand, and transferred the guards in front of the palace gate.

Gai Nie stood intently, listened carefully for a moment, and said to his companion: "It's a long distance, but you can hear the sound of swinging a sword and cracking the wind; you must be a master. I'm afraid it's not something the guards in the city can deal with."

Another guard shook his head and said, "That's the duty of the guard. We shouldn't leave our post without authorization."

"The envoy of the Yan Kingdom is about to enter the palace, and there is a commotion so close to the palace city, in case there is any secret connection between the two..." Gai Nie stared at the iron plate hanging on his companion's belt buckle while speaking; The word "Jia Mao" is engraved on the card, which indicates that this person is the head of their team of guards.If he took his token and pretended to report something urgent, he might be able to pass through the palace smoothly.

Shi Chang frowned and considered for a while, then nodded in agreement.Ge Nie followed him one after the other to the vicinity of Luanyuan, and saw four or five soldiers holding halberds in both hands, surrounding a dark man holding a huge sword.The man was as tall as a man and a half, muscular, clothed with an inch of hair, and half of his cheeks were covered with terrible tattoos.There were several dead bodies at his feet, and the thick pool of blood was still expanding.

The man said in a deep voice: "...I came to Xianyang to challenge a legendary master, but unfortunately this person lived up to his name and died under my sword. I planned to leave here, but it's a pity that you People are always in my way."

"Personally fighting with weapons, you should be executed according to the law; what's more, if you kill the guards of the royal city in the street, you will receive five punishments!" A guard with a halberd shouted, his voice was stern, and the weapon was shining coldly, but it was a pity that his calf trembled uncontrollably. he.

The man grinned, swiped the huge sword in his hand, and plunged into the soil. "If you have the ability, of course you can come up and kill me."

There was no sound on the street.Although there are dozens of steps away, there are many curious residents hiding behind the walls or peeping here through the gaps between doors and windows, but everyone holds their breath tightly for fear of being discovered by the monsters here.

Although the soldiers of the Qin State were brave, they were stunned by the cruel sword technique that this man had just killed several of his colleagues with a single move, so he hesitated for a while.The black man looked around, his eyes were mocking and regretful, the chain on his arm shook, and he pulled out the giant sword to hold it on his shoulder.Fang was about to stride out when a voice stopped him from behind.

"... wins seven."

"You are—" The man turned around suddenly, his eyes seemed to be burning, it was astonishingly hot. "guard--"

"Gai Nie." The speaker quickly interrupted him.

"Gai Nie, Gai Nie; well, I will remember this name." Sheng Qinian said, putting down the big sword in one hand, and clenched into a fist with the other hand, as if he was too excited to restrain himself. "I thought I came to Qin for nothing, but I met you—it was worth traveling thousands of miles. The last time we fought, even though I fell into a trick, I was defeated by you; I don't know if you have such luck this time?"

"My luck has always been bad."

Gai Nie replied tepidly; he was thinking about today's court meeting in his heart, and he just wanted to make a quick decision.

Sheng Qi thought for a while, feeling as if he was being ridiculed, so he opened his eyes wide and shouted, "Draw your sword!"

"Ah."

Sheng Qi roared, clenched the hilt of his sword with both hands, and rushed towards him like a tiger.Gai Nie couldn't help but feel strange: before this person's life was full of joy of meeting his opponent, but now it's all turned into fury; I thought it was only the younger brother who had an odd temper and got angry at every turn, but now it seems that he really has nothing to do. The talent to piss off others.

He opened his left arm, blocking several guards with halberds behind him. "...Everyone be careful."

Sheng Qi slashed his head with a sword, and before the blade touched Gai Nie's saber, the sword qi of the two were already strongly glued together.Gai Nie pushed back cleverly, the blade of the sword swam around the giant sword like a catfish, and suddenly exerted force tangentially, pushing the giant sword to the side of the body.The sword energy immediately smashed a terrible crack on a string of wooden buildings beside the road.Sawdust splash.With a twist of the body, Gai Nie's body somehow slipped out of the attack range of the giant sword, and stood obliquely behind the opponent.

Sheng Qi also calmed down at the moment, and smiled provocatively.

"I haven't seen you for a few years, and your speed has become faster."

"You too."

Gai Nie replied politely, and suddenly jumped up into the air, pointing the tip of the blade at the back of Sheng Qi's head, but was blocked by Ju Que.Taking advantage of the situation, he borrowed a vertical force from the sword, changed direction in the air, and stabbed downward several times with the sword obliquely, aiming at the eyes and ears of the opponent with cold stars, and seemed to cover the entire head and neck.But Sheng Qi was also unequivocal, half of his body retreated, and at the same time, he held up the sword body as thick as a sampan, and slapped the opponent standing in the air. change tricks.If Gai Nie's move is effective, he must be smashed by Juque at the same time.Gai Nie didn't want to die together, so he jumped up and flew far away in the direction from which the giant gate came.

He took a deep breath, straightened his sword and attacked again, switching between attack and defense several times in an instant.From the eyes of the other guards, the fight between the two was like clouds and mist in the mountains, so fast that their bodies and moves were blurred; but they could feel the raging storm in the battle circle, licking people back again and again like flame tongues.The guard Jiamao had thought of helping before, but seeing that the battle was getting more and more fierce, his intention to intervene was as clean as the cold sweat on his body.

After about forty or fifty moves, Gai Nie finally created a flaw in the opponent's sword move, and threw himself into the opponent's arms with the light and agile "Xingjiang Xing", using the sword like a dagger, to attack the opponent's chest and abdomen in three ways; Qibu didn't evade and refused to give way, relying on his tyrannical internal strength to catch it with his bare hands, and at the same time Juque swept back, it seemed that he was about to cut off Ge Nie's head.Unexpectedly, there was a huge "boom", Gai Nie did not turn around, crossed his sword with his left hand, and blocked Ju Que's path with a move of "Su Qin carrying the sword".

Gai Nie had repeatedly dodged and evaded before. Although his body was nimble, it gave all bystanders, including his opponents, the illusion that the sword of Shengqi was too powerful, and he would never confront this person head-on. to win.I don't want to think that at the critical moment, he defeated him with the strongest moves, as if to announce the difference in strength: he can catch the opponent's most rigid and fierce sword with his left hand with his back, how great is that! grasp?

Gai Nie restrained Shengqi, who was a head taller than him, with one hand, like Qicun pinching a snake, and forced the opponent to bend down gradually; at this moment, a soldier rushed forward, using a long halberd to hold this person the key.Sheng Qi's eyes were full of disbelief and unwillingness, but there was not much humiliation.After losing this battle, he was actually convinced.

"Gai Nie, remember, I will fight you again in the future!"

Gai Nie turned his head to look at the tattoo on his side face, his expression was unpredictable.At this time, several soldiers dragged their chains forward and bound the assailant's body from behind, even putting an iron rope around his neck.Only then did Gai Nie loosen his grip.Until he was dragged far away, Shengqi's hoarse cry continued to be heard.

"... definitely, let's fight again!"

"This criminal is very ferocious and a bit crazy. Thank you, sir, for arresting him." A small officer under Wei Wei stepped forward and saluted.Ge Nie cupped his fists in return, then turned to his companion and said, "However, I'm worried, this person is not just a lunatic."

"Oh? What's your opinion?"

"I don't dare to take it for a high opinion. But just now I have noticed that this person has been tattooed, and his face has tattoos from many countries, but there is no Qin country - he has committed serious crimes in all six countries, but he has been able to escape many times; Appearing so close to the palace at this time, could it be that there is some conspiracy in it?"

Shi Chang pondered: "Ding Mao, what are your plans?"

Gai Nie pointed in the direction of the king's city, and said in a low voice: "This person behaves suspiciously. If he colludes with the Yan people, I'm afraid things will change; we should go to the palace to inform the commander."

Jiamao hesitated for a moment, finally nodded, and took off the token from his waist.Gai Nie passed through the palace gate smoothly and entered Xianyang Palace.He found four personal guards hiding behind the screen at the back of the main hall, among them was the head of the guards, and described the incident in detail.Although the commander of the guards has always been suspicious of him, seeing that he is full of blood and has indeed experienced fierce battles, he is not sure.After thinking twice, he ordered Gai Nieli to wait outside the hall.

At this moment, the envoy of the Yan Kingdom is holding the wooden box with the head inside, and the deputy envoy is holding the gift box containing the map.Jing Ke was dressed in a fine attire and kept his gaze fixed, as if he couldn't see anything other than the figure of King Qin on the high ground.But the deputy envoy, Qin Wuyang, looked at the neat line of officials in the hall, staggered for no reason, and his cheeks suddenly turned pale.There was a strange murmur among the courtiers.

Jing Ke handed over the box to the servant, and when he heard the noise, he turned his head and glanced at the deputy envoy, and took a step forward deliberately to plead guilty: "The rough man from the barbarian land in the north has never seen the emperor. I am frightened and trembling. I also ask the king to be tolerant and wait for him to complete his mission."

King Qin inspected the head in the box and said with satisfaction: "Show me the map in the deputy's hand."

The map of the Dukang land in the Yan Kingdom slowly unfolded on the case: mountains and rivers, fertile fields and wild fields, all in one view.

TBC

The author has something to say: post-note:

Careful friends should have discovered that this chapter and the next chapter directly quote some content from "Historical Records: Biography of Assassins".

However, some plots will also be mixed with the author's mischievous fictions, which are inconsistent with Shiji, Warring States Policy or other reliable or unreliable historians' records. Please treat them differently and not confuse them.