across the Quartet

Chapter Six

Half a month later, Yan Xiadu.

Different from Jicheng, the upper capital, the lower capital is close to the Yishui River, the location is dangerous, and the city defense is strong. It was originally built to resist the attacks from Qi, Zhao, Zhongshan and other countries; The front line of close combat.These days, Prince Yan sat in the city, trained soldiers, mobilized food and grass, and made preparations for a decisive battle with the Qin army.

In the southeast of Wutai where the prince lives, there is a palace that has been abandoned for a long time, but it was the famous "Calling Talents Palace" back then.According to legend, decades ago, Zhao Wang respected Guo Kai as his teacher, built this palace for him, and placed a thousand pieces of gold on the stage, which attracted celebrities such as Le Yi, Zou Yan, Ju Xin, etc.Now when you climb up here and look far away, look at Yishui in the south and Taihang in the west, everything you see is a vast expanse of plain white, so deserted.

In the evening of that day, suddenly the candles in the ruined palace were brightly lit.Nearly a hundred Mohist disciples from all over the world gathered here.Among those who came, there were five or six commanders, and the rest were mostly masters of Feigong and Shangtong Second Academy.Unlike Confucianism, which pays attention to the strict hierarchy and perfect etiquette, most Mohist disciples are dressed plainly, have dark complexions, and have hard calluses on their hands; At the same time, no matter the leader or the beginner disciple, they can frankly express their own views, and can also refute the other party's views without any scruples.This kind of conference where people speak freely is also called "Mo Bian" by other disciples.However, at the same time, the Mohists are the most disciplined group. Once the giants make a decision, they will be strictly implemented immediately; every disciple can risk their life and death for the mission.

That night, there was a lot of noise in Zhaoxian Palace, but there was a layer of deep pain that couldn't be driven away.Like boiled snow.

They've just had dire news from the west.

"... Commander Jing failed?!!"

"... was killed by Gai Nie, the guard of King Qin's throne!!"

"...Dismember the limbs and hang them at the four gates of Xianyang..."

News spread among the crowd, like flying insects buzzing and flapping their wings.Some mourned, some sighed, and some were furious—they wished they could enter Hangu Pass immediately and kill the murderer with their hands.

Gao Jianli sat quietly on the side.His building and piano have been put away.Now he only has a sword in his hand.

A freshly cast, water cold.

His face was calm, and he did not shed a single tear.In fact, since Yi Shui said goodbye, he has been so quiet, there is no extra murderous aura on his body, but there is a chill that penetrates to the bone marrow; it is like the sudden cold before the approach of a blizzard.

The disorderly uproar continued for a moment.A commander suddenly struck with his two swords, making a crisp sound like gold, immediately stood up, raised his voice and said to all sides: "Since the assassination of Qin failed, then Qin Yan's battle is inevitable. Brothers think we should wait How do we deal with ourselves? Should we assist the Yan army to defend the lower capital? Or should we break up the whole army and lay dormant in various places to preserve the strength of the Mohist sect?"

Some of the disciples said: "I heard that the crown prince stationed all his troops outside the city, practicing day and night, maybe he wants to fight the Qin army on the shore of Yishui." Another said: "The Qin people are coming fiercely, and their numbers are far greater than those of Yan. Army, sticking to the city is the best strategy." "I heard that the king sent an envoy to join forces with Yan to attack Qin's army back and forth..."

At this time, another commander stood up and said, "Let's not talk about the war, are you going to forget Brother Jing's blood feud? The Mo family is famous for benevolence, righteousness and love. If you don't avenge this revenge, how will the Mo family gain a foothold in the world?"

"Revenge... I heard that Gai Nie is the number one bodyguard next to the King of Qin; since Big Brother Jing has failed, how can this revenge be easily avenged?"

Another disciple retorted: "It is difficult to assassinate King Qin, but it is still easy to kill a mere guard. Even if his swordsmanship is world-class, as long as our Mohist disciples follow him day and night by using the secret passages under Xianyang, we can always find him. When on guard."

At this moment, someone beside him patted him on the shoulder and said, "Xiao Gao, what do you think?"

Gao Jianli raised his eyes and looked around, his voice didn't rise, but it had a strange penetrating power. "Gai Nie is my enemy. That tyrant is big brother's enemy and the Mo family's mortal enemy. Gao Jianli can't take his own hatred more seriously than the hatred between big brother and the Mo family."

The people around him suddenly changed color and said: "You mean... Could it be that you still want to assassinate Qin?!"

"The tyrant will not be eliminated, and the suffering of the Yan Kingdom will never end. I just want to fulfill his wish for my elder brother."

"Brother Gao, you are too persistent—the plan to assassinate the Qin Dynasty is so difficult; the prince and the Mo family have been planning for three years, and with Brother Jing's unparalleled swordsmanship, it still falls short; now, it is really hard for us to think of a suitable strategy There is no way to get close to King Qin."

"Opportunities can be found again. But this goal, I will not give up."

"Then, are you going to give up on the plan of killing Gai thief to avenge elder brother?" asked the previous disciple.

Gao Jianli glanced at him, but did not answer.

The hall suddenly fell into an unexpected silence.Until a burst of crisp applause broke the silence.

"Wonderful, wonderful."

The disciples looked up and saw a person standing on the empty seat for the giant in the middle of the hall.This person was dressed in black, with a long cloak covering his head, and a bronze mask with strange patterns covering his face.But he is tall and has an extraordinary bearing. Even though he is covering his head and face, he doesn't feel guilty at all. On the contrary, he has the intention of watching a play frankly.

The leader of the Mohist school who presided over the "Mo Bian" shouted angrily: "Who are you? How did you sneak into the Zhaoxian Palace?" His hand tightly grasped the wooden pole hidden under the case, but he dared not pull it down——Mohist mechanism technique Although exquisite and unparalleled, but this person was standing among a group of disciples, if he rashly touched the [-] crossbows hidden in the four walls of the palace, he might hurt his own people instead.

The mysterious man seemed to have figured this out a long time ago, and said leisurely, "Naturally, he came in through the main entrance."

Several Mohist disciples beside him touched the sharp blades in their arms, exchanged winks, and suddenly rushed forward, intending to subdue him.Unexpectedly, this person flicked his robe sleeves, like dusting off, the wind from his palms blows several people away at the same time; but a soft force emerges from the palm of his hand, and lands on the heads of the two who are attacking from behind, like a tiger pressing down on it Prey in general.The two disciples who were restrained couldn't move for a moment, and their faces were pale and sweaty, as if they were in great pain.

A slight snort escaped from behind the mask.

"I heard that the disciples of the Mohist school always put "benevolence and righteousness" as the first priority in their actions, and there is also the Mohist Jing Ke who is willing to take risks, regardless of his life, and is willing to eliminate harm for the world and relieve the people. No matter Gai Nie is there or not, he will definitely die. If Yingzheng is killed, Jing Ke will naturally be chopped into powder by the warriors in the palace; if Yingzheng cannot be killed, he will be executed, and Yingzheng will send troops to attack Yan as revenge. Dan is a self-proclaimed hero, and all he does is such harmful, useless and foolish things. Afterwards, he makes a bodyguard be charged with crimes and becomes a target for the heroes of the world to vent their anger. The so-called "benevolence and righteousness" in the Mohists' mouth is to stab people and kill them. In other words, he said, 'It's not me, it's soldiers!' Then he clamored to break the murderous sword and avenge the dead—someone has gained some knowledge today."

As soon as these words came out, the disciples in the hall were filled with anger and made a noise.

"...Who the hell are you? Why did you disturb the Moh Debate Conference?" "It's all right for you to insult the Mohist family, and insulting the prince is absolutely unforgivable!" "Could it be that you are Ying Zheng's running dog?!"

The mysterious man smiled and said: "A certain one has always been a loner, just to say a few fair words, why should you get angry? But didn't the Mohists always claim to eliminate rape, suppress violence, and disrespect princes? When did they become the lackeys of the King Yan family? " While speaking, he seemed to have eyes on his back, and threw back the hostage in his hand, forcing back five or six sharp swords approaching him.When the Mohist disciple came back to his senses, this person had reached the exit of the main hall at some point.

No one can see how he got there.It was as if he hadn't moved from the beginning; it was also as if his legs hadn't moved, but the ground under his feet had shrunk a lot out of thin air.

What was even more strange was that there were still a group of Mohist disciples standing between the seat he had just set up and the exit of the hall; but no one caught his shadow passing through the crowd.

Is he human?Or a ghost?

The ruined palace, which was still noisy just now, gradually quieted down.Many people felt a chill run down their spines, even extinguishing some of their anger.

The mysterious man turned around to leave, when suddenly another sword, dazzling in brilliance and condensed in cold air, pointed straight at his vest.

The owner of the sword said, "I know you."

The water is cold, and it is said that after it is unsheathed, it will drink blood and return.

The mysterious man turned his head nonchalantly, and said with a low smile, "Oh? I don't remember meeting such a young master."

"I haven't seen your face, but I have heard your voice." Gao Jianli said in a deep voice. "Although I only heard it once; but I used to be a musician. In Jicheng, you and Brother Jing had a few words through the window."

"...It turns out that you were the other person in the tavern at that time." The mysterious person said, "Then you must be Jing Ke's friend? I don't know if you still remember what a certain person said at that time?"

"Remember." Gao Jianli said coldly. "You once said that someone wanted Brother Jing to be sent to the point of the sword. But the matter of assassinating Qin is the elder brother's own decision. Life and death have nothing to do with others."

"If you think so, you can be regarded as a half-smart person." The mysterious man chuckled; Er Er's laughter changed, adding a bit of coldness.

"But you're not smart enough to draw your sword against me."

In an instant, Gao Jianli only felt a murderous aura pouring out from his opponent like the top of a mountain; he didn't have time to judge the man's move, so he instinctively drew his sword to block - only heard three ding ding dings, which sounded like collapsing jade , and one shock was stronger than the other, as if even the pillars of the palace were shaken by it; however, after three beeps, Shuihan's ultimate move was completely defeated, and the person in front of him actually moved several feet away again.

Gao Jianli only felt that the right arm holding the sword was sore and numb, and his true energy was stagnant, but he couldn't even see clearly what the opponent's sword looked like.But it was obvious that the mysterious man had no real intention of fighting.The figure in black stood outside the hall for a moment as if saying goodbye, and then disappeared into the night.

"Damn it." He whispered to himself, putting his sword back into its sheath.

Contrary to what the Mohist disciples in the hall imagined, the mysterious person did not leave this place far away, but instead made a detour along the base of Zhaoxian Palace, and came to the back of the main hall.He didn't walk fast, even a little leisurely, as if he was enjoying the winter moonlight while walking.A black shadow looms behind him.The mysterious figure walked into a bamboo forest at the back of the hall as if he didn't realize it.

The two shadows walked deeper and deeper in the forest, one behind the other.From under the feet of the last black shadow, there was a soft rustling sound of stepping on dead leaves.

"Sir, please stay."

The mysterious man turned his head and saw a Mohist disciple wearing linen and straw sandals, but wearing a mask exactly like him.

"Your Excellency is the envoy of King Yan?"

The person dressed as a disciple of the Mohist school replied respectfully: "Exactly. My king sighed earlier, I never thought that a celebrity like Mr. Wei would go to great lengths to travel thousands of miles to come to our remote northern country as a guest—"

The mysterious man also cupped his hands and said, "Your Majesty's words are serious. King Yan is of the same clan as the Son of Heaven, a descendant of the surname Ji, and is the noblest and oldest prince in the world. How dare Liusha live up to His Majesty's trust."

While speaking, the mysterious man and the Mohist disciple took off their masks at the same time.The one with starry eyes and white hair, the light in his eyes like a knife, is unforgettable; the one with ordinary appearance is an unnoticed character among a group of disciples.

"Today I am fortunate to witness the true face of the Lord of Quicksand, and the villain is very moved."

The white-haired man smiled slightly. "Your Excellency has a great reputation. By the way, Wei did a trivial thing before meeting the envoy. I hope you don't care about Wei's self-assessment."

The envoy quickly complimented: "Sir, don't worry about it, the villain understands...Mr. deliberately appeared at the Moh Debate Conference to anger the Mohist disciples, in order to reveal the relationship between Prince Dan and the Mohism while they yelled at them. It is really a clever move."

The owner of Liusha pretended to be surprised and said: "Your Excellency is indeed very alert. You are indeed the talent His Royal Highness Yan is looking for. Do you know anything about the crown prince?"

"It's been a year since the villain was ordered to infiltrate the Mohist family and search for the prince's intentions." The messenger subconsciously lowered his voice. "As far as the villain knows, the prince has close contacts with many important leaders of the Mohist family, such as Ju Wu, Tian Guang and others. Jing Ke was also recommended to the prince by Tian Guang. But if we talk about how the prince firmly controls the power of the Mohist family, The villain has no answer yet."

Wei Zhuang nodded in thought.After a while, he said again: "Then His Royal Highness King Yan summoned Wei, but it is also related to the crown prince?"

The envoy said: "That's right. The crown prince is too stupid and arrogant. He forgot to weigh his own strength. He forgot who is the real king of Yan."

Wei Zhuang said with a smile: "It is said that His Royal Highness King Yan is old, so it can be seen that it is all rumors of ignorant and foolish people."

The envoy was worried, and said: "The offensive of the Qin people is too strong. They claim to have 20 armored soldiers. The army is led by the famous general Wang Jian who defeated the Zhao State last year; and the total strength of the whole country of Yan State is less than [-] to [-]. It can be confronted head-on. At present, the main force of the army has been transferred to Xiadu by the prince, but there are still [-] defenders and three years of food in Liaodong. My king does not want to waste all his life and food on the prince alone. above the war." As he spoke, the envoy presented a secret letter written on yellow silk with both hands. "The king of Qin has sent envoys to send their conditions. My king admires the deeds of Mr. Loyalty to seek the country and protect Hengyang Lord from the old capital; Yan State is as weak as South Korea, and it needs to cut off its edge and hide in hiding. Only then can there be a front line Vitality. Therefore, the most suitable person to do this is only Mr.

Wei Zhuang unfolded the silk book, looking at ten lines at a glance, deliberately showing a troubled look. "Although Prince Dan is stupid, there are still many loyal and powerful disciples around him, and even the Mo family secretly help. In order to achieve this, Liusha will make a huge sacrifice."

"My king assures my husband that the sacrifice of quicksand will never be in vain. I heard that the current King of Chu has promised to help Mr. Hengyang restore his country one day. Why not let my king make the same promise."

"His Royal Highness Chu's promise is not empty talk. He not only protects us in exile, but also generously rewards gold, weapons and armor, and promises to recruit and train a powerful army for our country in the future. However, Yan and Han are far away. His Royal Highness' assurances are of no use to our country."

The envoy said eagerly: "How could this be? If we can form an alliance with Quicksand, my king will never begrudge gold and iron supplies, and he can also send troops to help in the future. Do you still remember Su Qin? The ancestor Wen Hou used it highly, and then traveled around the world, and then wore the seals of the six countries; my king thinks that you are such a talented person who has been praised by the world, and I would like to dedicate the seal of Su Qin in the country of Yan to you as a token of the covenant."

Wei Zhuang still seemed unmoved. "His Royal Highness the King of Yan thinks too much of Gao Wei. Although Su Qin is a sage of the Guigu lineage, in today's world, Shandong has been in decline, and it is not easy to unite. The prince of your country has the intention to join forces, and he has also been in front of the envoys of various countries. Make a promise that Qin will be in chaos, and the six countries will be able to recover the land that was taken away. What will be the result?"

The messenger's smile became a little hesitant, then his expression became firm, and he took out a wooden box dyed with vanilla from his arms. "To show my sincerity, my king also ordered the villain to send something to Mr. I heard that a few days ago, Quicksand searched the secret gathering of the Mo family in many ways to find this thing."

Finally forced it out, this old fox.Wei Zhuang thought to himself.

He smiled warmly like a spring breeze, and took the gift with both hands.The lid of the box is opened, and the inside is full of brilliance, as if it can compete with the bright moon in the sky.

Sui Houzhu.

Since he handed the item to Yan Dan, he has been paying close attention to its whereabouts—soon, someone secretly reported to him that Yan Dan did not put the Suihou Pearl on the gift list dedicated to the King of Qin, but handed it over to the king of Qin. Mohists.Wei Zhuang continued to search for the secret stronghold of the Mo family, but unfortunately the organization of the Mo family was too strict, and the mechanism technique was the best in the world, and there was never a chance to steal it.He originally planned to cooperate with Gai Nie to rescue Jing Ke, in order to exchange Jing Ke's life with the Mo family; but God's will tricks people, Jing Ke has never been able to escape this disaster.However, at this moment, the envoy of King Yan took the initiative to find the contact person of Quicksand, claiming that King Yan had prepared a gift enough to impress him, and asked the Lord of Quicksand to come down for a while.

Usually Wei Zhuang dislikes being guessed by others, but this time, the joy of regaining his loss has diluted his dissatisfaction and hostility.He is very familiar with royal families like Yan Wangxi—they just put on a stupid appearance, but they are actually smarter and more ruthless than anyone else in their hearts; heavier than anything.Anyone can sacrifice to protect themselves.But Wei Zhuang doesn't mind having such a person as an ally.Their weaknesses are much easier to grasp than people like Yan Dan.

In the 29th year of Yan Wangxi, the Qin army defeated Yan, and the allied forces were in Yishui.Prince Yan was assassinated for the first time in Quicksand.King Yan's Xianzi Dan was first given to King Qin Yingzheng.

TBC