across the Quartet

Chapter Ten

The setting sun gradually crossed the vertical ridge of Pizhi Hall and disappeared outside the palace wall.Baifeng hid in the canopy of an old banyan tree, and looked down coldly at the four walls of the hall below where the light of the lights was shining.His ears are extremely sensitive, he can distinguish the singing of birds, and naturally he can also distinguish the noisy forces in the hall, the princes and envoys.

"...The Juggernaut escaped?" "Damn, what a missed opportunity..." "Is the prison here not strong enough?"—— These are the disciples of the Qi Guotian clan.

"Gai Nie is a close servant of the King of Qin, and his status is extraordinary; he has gone deep into our country and is familiar with the trend of Chu territory; once he escapes to Xianyang, the disaster will be serious."——This is Lord Changping. "Mr. Wei, how are you going to explain such a serious consequence to your allies?"

"If the Juggernaut hadn't pledged Lord Changping's life, how could my subordinates let him escape?"

Among the turbulent human speech, Wei Zhuang's voice was never the loudest.However, as long as he opens his mouth, it will definitely bring about an unusual quietness.All the disputes paused at the same time, as if they were afraid of something, but also seemed to rely on something.

"It's ridiculous, the Juggernaut escaped from the prison of Quicksand and threatened Qi, isn't it absurd in itself?"

Bai Feng sneered twice in his heart.It's an old trick.Given the current situation of Mr. Changping, how dare he deliberately provoke Wei Zhuang—unless he was instructed.The Juggernaut disappeared for no reason, and Wei Zhuang had to give an explanation to the nobles of Chu State and the Tian family of Qi State; instead of being questioned by those so-called allies, it is better to let Mr. Changping take the lead and use this well-designed dispute to throw everyone present. explain.

"The sword master seems to have mastered a kind of sorcery in Qin." Wei Zhuang spoke calmly, but with a rock-solid aura, "On the day he escaped, two of my subordinates died suddenly. But I couldn't find a sword wound, and there was no trace of poisoning. What is it if it's not a sorcery? Besides, I heard that the Sword Master once secretly exchanged Jing Ke's body without telling Qin Chaotang, and handed it over to the Mo family for burial——Qin You all know how strict the country’s laws are; it is even more impossible for the King of Qin to let go of an assassin who wanted to assassinate him. To be able to do such a bold thing under the eyes of the King of Qin, there must be some inhumane means .”

The Tian brothers of Qi State nodded their heads and said, "It's true."

Mr. Changping did not refute.The atmosphere in the hall eased slightly, and at this time, a noble retainer said: "Mr. Wei made a covenant with my master on behalf of Hengyang Lord, and we will assist Chu Lord to resist foreign aggression. My master has always treated each other with courtesy; why? The disciples of the Qu family were punished by the disabled body for no reason?"

Wei Zhuang sneered and said, "For no reason? In order to show the sincerity of the alliance, Lord Hengyang sent his own son to Shouying, but what about you? Those four fools? Zhuang previously said the so-called 'Four Heroes of the Thorn' It's just a way to cover people's eyes and ears, I didn't expect them to be so stupid, they were easily used by Wu Shen, and one of them died under witchcraft - Dr. Qu would not just send me the mediocre son that he wanted to abandon the most in the family as a proton Did you wait?"

A few small whimpers came from under the eaves.

Another person retorted: "They are indeed the sons of the Zong family...It is not a big mistake to be greedy for merit when they are young. It is Mr. Wei who treats the host too harshly, I am afraid it will chill people's hearts."

"These four people did not wait in the city as promised, but set up an ambush by the road outside the city, so that Zhuang did not know their intentions, this is one of them; I saw them holding the insect Gu used by Wu Shen, and I was afraid that their sanity would be harmed. , I had no choice but to make this bad move. This is the second." Wei Zhuang still said plainly.

"I don't know Mr. Wei's description and identity, and I don't know the meaning of the quicksand message that made my brother wait in the city for twenty days; at this time, when I heard that the sword master came to Chen, I naturally felt excited..." "Old Wu Shen The thief's sorcery is so powerful..." "Woooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooomo..." the four people mentioned by Wei Zhuang explained hoarsely.Wei Zhuang ignored him, and continued: "Exchanging hostages is an ancient ritual, and it is also the foundation for each family to win trust from each other. Don't you have a better candidate? This time the identities are mutual, Zhuang must treat the hostess as the guest of honour. , dare not be negligent."

There was a buzz of discussion in the hall, presumably the envoys from various families were discussing in low voices.After about a stick of incense, people came and went in the hall one after another.

Bai Feng walked away for a while, distracted.The "Sword Master" repeatedly mentioned by everyone in the hall made him feel a little funny.In Bai Feng's memory, that person was still a strange guy who secretly followed the quicksand convoy a few years ago and helped them get rid of the snares, but was thrown into a coffin by Wei Zhuang to hide when he met him.Sometimes this person is as cunning as a loach, and sometimes as stupid as a donkey, which is completely unpredictable.His swordsmanship is certainly good, but from Bai Feng's point of view, if Wei Zhuang uses the full strength of the Lord of Quicksand, it is still easy to kill this person.But Wei Zhuang, the leader of the assassins who bases himself on "unscrupulous means", unexpectedly changed when he encountered the same sect of his master, and became a gentleman who was even more pedantic than Wei Sheng.He claimed that Gai Nie could not be killed, but he had to do it himself, and he had to choose an auspicious day and a place where he would never be disturbed by others. It would be best to fast for three days before burning incense and bathing... Baifeng It is suspected that in Wei Zhuang's infallible mind, he confused "killing Gai Nie" with rituals such as "worshiping ancestors" and "asking divination" from the very beginning.

While listening further down, everyone in the hall changed their topic again.This time, their questions were sharper and more to the point.

"I heard that Qin's army went down the Ru River... Where does General Xiang plan to stop?"

"On the shore of Rushui, the small town of Pingyu has only a few thousand defenders. How long can it last?"

"General Jin ordered people to dig a trench near the sleeping hill, but the food and grass in the city cannot last for more than a year; can it be used as a barrier against the Qin army?"

"Where is General Xiang's main force stationed? If Chen, Xiang and other places are in danger, can Xiang's army come to rescue?"

Regarding the first few questions, Wei Zhuang remained silent.It wasn't until the nobles asked anxiously about the whereabouts of Xiang Yan's army that they slowly said: "The location of the Chinese army is the top secret of Chu State at the moment. I am afraid that only the king and General Xiang know the details. Mr. Zhuang, a guest, This kind of state secret is naturally not heard. However, if the retainers and retainers of the princes and lords cannot find the traces of the Chu army, then it means that it is difficult for the spies of the Qin army to find them. I know the enemy's situation but the enemy does not know me. Doesn't this just mean that Chu's army is taking the lead?"

There was another burst of noise at the seats of the nobles in the hall.Some people were appeased by Wei Zhuang's ingenious words, and they gave a voice of approval.But some people are still worried.

"Xiang is so proud of himself that he doesn't listen to other people's opinions. Now that the war is imminent, the army is hidden. What are they planning? Do they plan to let us lead the troops to fight with each other on the front line first, and wait for the Qin people to be exhausted? Lead an army to attack-"

When Baifeng heard the screeching sound of silk rubbing against each other, it should be Wei Zhuang who stood up, walked around and spoke to everyone. "When Zhuang Xi was in South Korea, he heard that Xiang Yan, a famous general in Chu, was a well-known general in rewards and punishments. .Now it’s time for a battle that will determine the survival of the Chu State. Apart from entrusting the army of the Chu State to General Xiang, can there be a better candidate?” He deliberately paused for a moment, then raised his dantian, and said loudly: “Sun Tzu said:’ Husband Wu people and Yue people are against each other. When they are in the same boat, when they are in the same boat, they are like right and left hands in helping each other.' Now the strong man is outside the house, and he is about to break in at any time; it is we who doubt and trust, A time of solidarity."

This day's banquet lasted until late at night.It was called a banquet, but in fact it was Wei Zhuang's mediation among these fearful and doubtful Chu nobles, persuading them to continue to unite with the Xiang family, support the king of Chu, and send troops to resist the Qin army.He is just a counselor of Lord Han in exile, and in terms of status, he cannot be compared with the clan nobles of such big countries as Qi and Chu.But at this moment, the prospect of this battle was pressing on his shoulders along with the eyes of the mob.

Bai Feng watched the nobles in all kinds of brocade clothes come out of the hall, and the white feather flicked with his fingertips several times, hitting certain people's crowns and buns accurately.The movement of these feather talismans passing through the lush branches and leaves is so small, under the cover of the night, it was not noticed by the people around the target.

He seemed to have nothing to do with his hands, and leaned on the branch to doze off.

The banquet was almost empty of guests.Wei Zhuang, Chi Lian and several Hengyang Jun's cronies stood side by side, as hosts respectfully saw off the guests outside the hall.When they turned back, the woman in red turned her head and glanced at the treetops obliquely above the main hall, showing an angry expression of gritted teeth.

Bai Feng pretended not to notice anything, continued to put his hands on his chest, closed his eyes and meditated.But he still felt that Chi Lian's usual chatter echoed in his ears involuntarily.

"... Quicksand has grown a lot now, and the daily affairs are so heavy that it is all up to the adults to manage; since you are talented, can't you help the adults with a little burden? This time, the adults were seriously injured——"

"Isn't it enough to have you?" He also had an absent-minded attitude at the time. "Those people are constantly calculating all day long, and they never forget to intrigue. It's tiring to watch-I'm not that material."

"No one is born to know the affairs of court. As long as you have the heart, you can learn it bit by bit." Chi Lian said angrily, "Why don't you read the military book that your lord gave you? My lord personally taught you martial arts, You never cared about—"

"Let's talk about it after you call me."

Since entering Chu, the personnel matters involved in quicksand have involved the dead or surviving six kingdoms of Shandong. Wei Zhuang's position as the leader is particularly important, and he seldom takes action in person.But it was Wei Zhuang who dealt with Yan's Crown Prince Pill himself.According to him, this matter is too secretive and important to allow the slightest mistake or omission.Wei Zhuang's figure and white hair are extremely conspicuous, but once he enters the role of assassin, he can be more careful than anyone else, better at ambush and concealment.Although Quicksand has recruited many good fighters, so far no one can match Wei Zhuang's skill in assassination.

In fact, although Wei Zhuang is a master of swordsmanship in the world, he is always busy with many trivial and boring "little things", and seldom has the time to mention one or two points about his subordinates' martial arts; Inside is a great honor.Except for Chi Lian, who is a descendant of the royal family, there are only two people who have the opportunity to be taught swordsmanship and archery by Wei Zhuang, and that is Bai Feng and Lin'er; Bai Feng has repeatedly made excuses to evade, no wonder Chi Lian hates it so much .

Wei Zhuang also tried to persuade Baifeng to give up such a weak hidden weapon as Lingyu and switch to a more practical crossbow. "This is a batch of hand crossbows made by the Gongshu class and the Gongshu family for the king of Chu. They are more accurate than Qin crossbows and can shoot farther. For example, your target is [-] steps away and you are wearing full armor. Are you going to How do you do it? With feathers?"

Bai Feng flipped his palms disapprovingly. "If this happens, I will rush to the enemy and kill them with my bare hands."

"...It's amazing. As the most powerful assassination organization in the Seven Kingdoms, I should really promote this brilliant tactic in quicksand."

Bai Fenghun rubbed his wrists nonchalantly, continuing to go his own way.He is very clear that although Wei Zhuang has a mean temperament and is surly and surly, he treats his subordinates who follow him all the way with great love, even to the point of connivance; The most suitable candidates, let them make the best use of their talents and resources, so as to reduce the casualties in the mission.

The night was as cold as water, and a bald owl suddenly landed on his shoulder, turned its head around, and let out two short strange calls.

Bai Feng suddenly opened his eyes, got up lightly, and quickly sneaked out of the city.He shuttled over the pavilions and trees, except for occasionally tapping the roof for strength, he was almost no different from a bird.Following the guidance of the bird, he came to a very secluded corner of the city.Someone held a torch here, illuminating a small piece of wall outside the abandoned county office.

Bai Feng carefully hid in the shadow of the high place, identifying the face under the light of the fire.Earlier tonight, among the nobles of the Chu Kingdom who came out of the Pizhi Hall, one of them put on a sneaky long cloak and was having a private meeting with three big men in sackcloth and straw sandals here.Of course he didn't notice a small feather talisman stuck in the bun.The three men had weathered faces, and their arms were wrapped in sackcloth—this is the etiquette of swearing with arms, showing the determination to achieve the goal.Judging from the clothes and the temperament of the whole body, Bai Feng guessed that they were disciples of the Mohist school.

Sure enough, only one of them saluted the Chu man and said: "... Forty disciples of the Mohist family came here at the invitation of the Qu family to help Chu strengthen the cities of Yingshou, Yingchen and other places. I heard that Liusha Weizhuang also Here. Even though they all came here to assist Chu and defend Qin, Wei Zhuang murdered the Mohist tycoon, if he does not avenge his revenge, the Mohist must not let it go."

"Thank you, thank you. It should be, it should be. It is only right and proper for all Mohists to avenge their revenge..."

"Please tell me, sir, where does Wei Zhuang usually live? How many followers protect him?"

"This person is temporarily staying in the side hall of the palace. This is the map of the inner city. I have marked it... There are no guards around him, but Wei Zhuang himself is a master with the same reputation as the sword master. Be careful..."

"It's okay. For the sake of the giant's blood feud, the three of us have made a solemn oath, and we will go through fire and water, and die without hesitation."

Bai Feng sneered. "Very good. You don't have to turn around, just die here."

The four suddenly raised their heads and looked around, a trace of fear appeared in their eyes at the same time.But the inkmen quickly drew out their sabers and stood ready.It's a pity that Bai Feng is much faster than them.He first inserted a white feather into the throat of the Chu man who was about to escape. At the same time, his left arm caught the wrist of one man holding a sword, and his right leg kicked the other man between the thighs.The third person's white blade almost brushed against his ear, but Bai Feng slipped out before the blade cut into his shoulder, and the five fingers of his right hand pinched the throat of the nearest person.The inkmen cooperated tacitly, and changed their moves to rescue their companions as quickly as possible; Baifeng stepped on one's arm and bounced up, and sent out several feather darts from mid-air, and several of them hit the inkhist's body—but all Not at the point.The three Mohists drew out their swords reluctantly, trying to kill him with one blow while he was unable to turn in the air.Baifeng landed first, and hit an opponent's chest with his toe like a spear, kicking him before the long sword pierced him; and then cut the neck vein of another opponent with the feather blade on the edge of his palm.He never admits it, but he has actually imitated the close combat techniques of Wei Zhuang, Wu Jiu, Huo Mei and others, and combined with his own advantage of speed, his lightning-like and dizzying moves made the opponent accidentally guard against him.

A sharp pain interrupted his flowing attack.Bai Feng frowned, but didn't even look at the place where he was hit, and then dealt with the injured No.3 Mozhe.Soon, the four plotters fell in a pool of blood one after another.The burning torch also fell to the ground, and a trace of blue smoke rose from the place soaked in blood.

Bai Feng leaned against the corner and waited silently for a moment.Suddenly, a chirping crow flew overhead.He clutched the wound on his thigh, and said in a deep voice behind him: "Bury it deeper, and don't leak a trace of blood."

Two black and thin men who looked like servants stepped out of the shadows, bowed respectfully, and then began to drag the corpse.Bai Feng wiped the blood off his hands, lightly jumped up the wall, and headed towards the inner city again.

In the evenings of the past few days, Wei Zhuang sent envoys from various families to the banquet, but they still could not sleep peacefully on the couch.He sat alone in the study room of the back hall, and on the table in front of him were stacks of bamboo slips and silk books, all of which were news sent back by quicksand spies everywhere; the movement of the Qin army, the soldiers, food, weapons, and luggage of the Chu army, All in the context of needing sorting out.A long-necked copper pot was placed on the ground a little farther away; Wei Zhuang needed instructions to be passed on, so he wrote them on bamboo slips and threw them out like arrows.When Baifeng came back, he just threw another arrow and made a "dong" sound; there was no "scattered arrow" on the ground that fell beyond the mouth of the pot.

"It's just in time. These are going to be sent to Shoudu." He heard a soft snort, knowing that Bai Feng always hated running errands, and added, "You don't have to go by yourself, but it must be delivered within three days .”

"Understood." Bai Feng replied casually. "People from the Mo family have arrived, and they were invited by the people of Chu to help defend the city."

Wei Zhuang raised his head, narrowed his eyes slightly, and looked him up and down. "I guess they're not too happy to see me."

"I guess they would still like to see you. Only the head, though."

Wei Zhuang erased a slight smile, "Is the injury not serious?"

Bai Feng took two steps back without any trace, "No."

Wei Zhuang looked down at the silk script on the case again, but threw a porcelain vase with one hand. "It's not shameful to be injured and bleed. The top assassins in ancient times could still kill for nothing even with serious injuries. In the end, they were successful and died. It's worth paying a little price."

"Those who are incompetent must trade their lives for their lives." Bai Feng snorted. "You almost shed blood in the inner city before, and what did you get in exchange?"

"If you understand this, I, Wei, can rest in peace."

"... What risky plan did you come up with?"

"Without him," Wei Zhuang tapped his finger, smiling, "It's just a big plan to keep Ying Chen."

Before recovering from his serious injury, Wei Zhuang discussed the strategy of defending the city with Chu General Jin Ran.Jin Ran himself is not a military genius, but he is familiar with the rules of dispatching troops and military chores after all; while Wei Zhuang has never been in charge of an army of tens of thousands of people, but he has bold ideas and is good at making strange plans. Odd cooperation, but it can barely be called suitable.Both of them knew very well that, compared to Li Xin's army, if they only relied on Jin Ran's [-] infantry and Wei Zhuang's efforts to win over and win over the aristocratic private soldiers, Chen Cheng would not be able to defend it no matter what. .However, they cannot give up easily, because the Qin army will continue to advance eastward and penetrate deep into the heart of Jingchu only when the Qin army is completely assured of capturing and controlling Chendi. This is the beginning of the war and the deployment of troops. Already agreed strategy.Therefore, resistance must be real, and "living and dying" with the city must also be real.This is related to the final direction of the first battle between Qin and Chu.

Tempting the Qin army to go deep alone is simple to say, but it is complicated to do, and many sacrifices are inevitable.Where exactly Xiang Yan's army is is a question that is difficult for anyone to answer right now.However, the power and military strength of the Chu State are too scattered. Although most of the new and old nobles showed a rare cooperative attitude when the country was in crisis, when it was their turn to hand over their private soldiers and supplies, it was inevitable that they would feel unhappy. Taboo, shirk in every possible way.Wei Zhuang had to do his best to persuade and persuade each family, one by one, and borrow the prestige of the king of Chu, in order to make room for Xiang Yan's unusual strategy of using troops.

After sending Bai Feng away, Wei Zhuang pondered over a rough map, but still couldn't sleep all night.The water and land transportation in the land of Jingchu is complicated, and this battle is a test of the coach's control and judgment of the overall situation.Regrettably, he is not a general in the army, but a "counselor" who advises the commander by spying on the enemy's situation and disturbing the opponent.Whether Quicksand's suggestions based on intelligence can be adopted depends on Xiang Yan's intentions.

Xiang has long been in contact with Quicksand.Ever since Wei Zhuang rescued the Xiang family's children at the banquet in Yidun four or five years ago, there has been a constant exchange of favors.However, since King You and King Ai died suddenly one after another, General Xiang Yan heard some rumors, and began to complain about Quicksand.In Xiang Yan's view, these exiled Koreans are a group of mercenary murderers who should not be entrusted with important tasks.Even though Wei Zhuang provided a lot of valuable information before the war between Qin and Chu, and then successively promoted the rebellion of Xinzheng and Yingchen, which attracted the attention of the Qin army and provided strong support for the Xiang army, but in some matters. In terms of major military affairs, he still suggested to the monarch not to rely too much on this person.

Wei Zhuang has been aware of the change in the attitude of the Xiang clan since a long time ago.In order to win Xiang Yan's trust, Wei Zhuang hurried to Shouchun just after receiving the secret report that Li Xin's army was marching from Xianyang, begging to see this veteran of the middle school.The two had a long talk in the secret room, and finally reached some agreement on the strategy of resisting the Qin army.Wei Zhuang accepted the great task of promoting the alliance between the lords and the Xiang family, and Xiang Yan also agreed to express his interests in front of the king of Chu, and he would definitely save the life of Lord Changping.In addition, Xiang Yan couldn't help but test whether Quicksand was involved in some plots and assassinations in the Chu Dynasty in recent years.Wei Zhuang blocked back without being humble, saying that the South Korean monarchs and ministers were able to settle down here because of the kindness of the King of Chu. Although they were guest ministers, they were absolutely loyal to the King; Inspired by King Chu.

The meeting ended up being an unhappy one.Both sides knew very well in their hearts that because of the pressure from the Qin people, they had become allies tied together by life and death, and no matter how dissatisfied they were, they could not abandon each other.

After the two talked about state affairs, in order to ease the atmosphere, Xiang Yan invited Wei Zhuang to relax in the backyard of Xiang's mansion.The land of Chu is warm and humid, and there are endless flowers in four seasons. The not-so-luxurious courtyard of a military general's home is also piled up with blooming flowers and plants, which are gorgeous and fragrant.A small river passes through the courtyard, and many fallen flowers float on the water, attracting swimming fish to peck them.

Wei Zhuang raised his head and looked around, his thoughts seemed to return to many years ago - a small courtyard full of pear blossoms, a lonely and serious chess player.

At this moment, there was a loud "bang" from the depths of the courtyard.Xiang Yan and Wei Zhuang looked up at the same time, and saw a boy with a long hair picked up a big rock on the river bank and threw it into the water, causing waves as high as ten feet.Even Wei Zhuang couldn't help being secretly surprised: the kid was slender and strong, and his head was about ten years old, but judging from his appearance and clothing, he was only seven or eight years old, but he could easily lift a stone that was bigger than a copper basin. Rare.A group of panting servants rushed out of the room, chasing him.

"Young master, it's time to practice calligraphy—"

The little boy curled his lips and picked up another stone. "Practice calligraphy, what's the use of calligraphy! Isn't it just to write your own name!"

"Then young master, the general hired a famous teacher to teach you swordsmanship—"

"What's so great about swordsmanship? No matter how good you learn it, you can only fight against one person." The boy threw the stone far away, this time across the river, and directly hit the opposite bank. "If you want to learn, learn how to be the enemy of thousands of people!"

"This baby!" Xiang Yan scolded, but unfortunately her face was flushed, unable to hide her love.In terms of human relations, there is no difference between this majestic general who has killed thousands of troops and a country old man who dotes on his grandson.

"Lingsun's bearing is extraordinary, and his future is limitless." Wei Zhuang said in a humble tone.But this time, there was a bit of sincerity in his words.Even with his extremely harsh eyes, this kid is a unique martial arts prodigy.If it was an ordinary farmer, Wei Zhuang would turn him back to Quicksand and carefully teach him to become a generation of masters; maybe he could become a vertical and horizontal heir to continue the line of Guigu.But he is the young master who is regarded as a treasure by the Xiang clan, so he has to do as he pleases and become a talent on his own.

Wei Zhuang never thought that it would be seven years later when he saw this talented young man again.

TBC

The author has something to say: the update is slow, thank you again for your understanding and support.