a pillow in autumn

From Ji County to Quyang City, it would take ten days to travel on fast horses, and it would naturally take more time to march.Zhou Mubai was so anxious that he drove day and night, a party of [-] riders, and it took only [-] days to reach the outside of Quyang City.

When they were still ten miles away from the city, they met the Rui army's scouts. The two soldiers saw clearly that the person was from the Rui country costume. As usual, they went forward and questioned them.

Zhou Mubai stopped them, knowing that the prince had led an army into the city yesterday, he frowned again.

When they entered Quyang City, some people rushed to report to the prince, and some people led them into the government office.Although Quyang City is the territory of the Tu people, after all, the two countries have occupied it for a long time. The buildings are mostly influenced by the customs of the Rui country, and the government offices are also built according to the rules of the Rui country.

The staff of the Eastern Palace and the lieutenants of the Xuanyi Army were all in the mansion, and when they heard that Prince Rui was coming, they all showed uncertain expressions.Zhou Muchen only paused for a moment before inviting someone in.The prince's young teacher, Fan Shaoqin, persuaded him: "His Royal Highness broke into the city yesterday, and Quyang City will be completed soon. Prince Rui will arrive at this time. I'm afraid..." He didn't finish his words, but everyone already understood, Who would like to enjoy the feats that are at your fingertips with others, so they all agreed.

Zhou Muchen stopped them and said: "Prince Rui is such a person!" Then he asked the soldiers who came to report how many troops Prince Rui had brought, the soldiers replied that there were only seventeen horses, and everyone was speechless.

Outside the courtyard, Zhou Mubai kept pacing up and down, his robes were already stained with countless wind and dust along the way, as the severe westerly wind blew by, a jackdaw flew away from the tree branch flapping its wings and screaming, Zhou Mubai suddenly frowned and gritted his teeth , He stepped up and walked to the government office.

Zhou Muchen was coming out of the mansion hall, the two met in front of the hall, Zhou Muchen walked up to him with a smile on his face: "The third younger brother is here too. How do you know I'm here?"

Zhou Mubai knelt down on one knee and said, "Say hello to the emperor. My brother sent someone to deliver a letter to Ye County, and I knew that the emperor had brought the Xuanyi army to Quyang City. Fearing that there would be changes, I hurried to join the emperor. "

"Oh? What's the change?" Zhou Muchen helped her up.

Mu Bai said: "Half a month ago, there was a group of fine cavalry from the Tu tribe, about 2000 people, who wanted to offend Ji County with their horses. When they crossed the Sui River, they were wiped out by General Wei Jinpeng and no one was left behind."

"I already know about this matter." Zhou Muchen said with a smile, "Third brother has made meritorious service in the first battle, I'm gratified."

"Brother Emperor, General Wei told his ministers that most of the 2000 people are the vanguards of the Tu clan, and the army will definitely go there later. If the Red Wing Army fails to capture the vanguard, it will attract a large army to besiege the city. "Zhou Mubai looked at the prince with a serious expression: "Now that the vanguard army is defeated and cannot return, according to the emperor's opinion, where will the army go?"

Zhou Muchen frowned, and a look of balance quickly appeared in his eyes.Seeing Mu Bai continued, "Dare to ask Brother Emperor, why did you suddenly lead the army to Quyang?"

Zhou Muchen glanced at the young teacher Fan Shaoqin, Fan Shaoqin stepped forward and said: "A few days ago, I received a report from the spies that Atuolie, the leader of the Tu tribe, was dying, and the four major tribes seized power each. The eldest son, Erzhu, was fighting for the throne, His Royal Highness took advantage of the emptiness of Quyang City, and led the army to capture the city."

"Who are the defenders in the siege?" Zhou Mubai said calmly.

Fan Shaoqin was stunned for a moment, the prince said: "Our army rushed to attack, taking advantage of Quyang City's unpreparedness, beheaded more than [-] defenders, and more than [-] people fled."

"Brother Huang, do you know that there are at least [-] permanent troops in Quyang City."

"Xu Shi is recruiting people and horses from the tribe to help fight for the throne!" Fan Shaoqin interjected, and the words "seize the throne" have a more serious tone.

"Maybe?" Zhou Mubai looked at him coldly, "What if it's not?"

Fan Shaoqin still wanted to speak, Zhou Muchen said in shock: "Enough!"

Fan Shaoqin had no choice but to bow and take a step back, seeing the crown prince asked Prince Rui: "What do you think the third brother should do for the present?"

Zhou Mubai said: "My brother is afraid that this news is deliberately released by the Tu clan, leading me to come forward, and I hope that the emperor will temporarily abandon Quyang City and rush back to Ye County immediately."

"His Royal Highness!" A lieutenant general of the Xuanyi Army stepped forward and said, "I just captured Quyang yesterday, and the soldiers were exhausted from the haste and have not yet recuperated. If we rush back to Yejun at this time, I'm afraid we will get twice the result with half the effort."

"Besides Ye County, there is Kuohe mooring the city, and General Meng Xiang is stationed there, so it should be no problem." Fan Shaoqin also lowered his hand.

"Do you think I'm worried about Ye County?" Zhou Mubai sneered, "If the army of the Tu tribe attacks Ye County, it's just a delayed plan. If they attack Quyang directly from Suihe, I'm afraid they will reach the outside of the city in a few days! The crown prince is the leader of the country. Chu Jun, if Quyang is trapped, who of you can take the responsibility?!"

Everyone was speechless, the prince looked around at the generals, he still saw the look of anger, and he also understood that the soldiers must be unwilling to abandon the city at this time.While hesitating, one person from Prince Rui's residence came out ahead of the crowd, the crown prince looked, it was Shen Youtang, the son of the Grand Master of the Eastern Palace, Shen Youtang, the deputy commander of Prince Rui's residence.

Shen Youtang bowed his hands and made a salute without greeting, and immediately cut to the point: "Quyang City is the place where the Tu clan supplies. If His Royal Highness is having a hard time choosing, why don't you ask people to search the military barracks reserves in the city, or even the houses. If the reserves are sufficient, then more than 1 guards The army must have been attacked and fled, but on the contrary, if the warehouses are empty and the houses are idle, it must have been premeditated and retreated gradually."

Zhou Muchen accepted what he said, and immediately ordered several lieutenants to lead people to check.

Not long after, several lieutenants rushed back with ugly expressions on their faces. One of them took the lead and knelt down and said, "His Royal Highness, the reserves in the city are exhausted, and there is almost no food in the city. Although there are people coming and going in the houses, most of them are old, weak, women and children. There are very few males. It's because the humble officials didn't notice, so I beg His Highness to punish them."

"What's the use of punishing you at this time, let's leave it to kill the enemy before the battle!" Zhou Muchen said with a stern face, following the sword way: "Send the Gu Wang's order, immediately order troops out of the city, and return to Ye County to guard, there must be no mistakes!"

"Order!"

[-] cavalry in front, [-] infantry in the middle, and [-] fortification soldiers in the end, responsible for escorting heavy objects such as siege equipment, grain and grass.Fifty thousand troops pulled out their camps and left the city in mighty strength.He walked in a hurry, leaving a mess in the camp.

Zhou Muchen and Zhou Mubai rode side by side, surrounded by the 24 guards of the East Palace and the [-] guards of Prince Rui's Mansion. Not long after, they saw a rider galloping in front, it was Shen Lan who was sent by Zhou Mubai to inquire.

It was too late to get off the horse, Shen Lan hurriedly said on the horseback, there was an army marching towards Quyang thirty miles away, the smoke and dust billowed, it seemed that it should be the army of the Tu clan.

There are people who should return to Quyang immediately, and people who should set up an ambush to meet the enemy. They have not yet made up their minds, and spies and flying horses report back. It's almost here.

All the generals were shocked, the prince made a decisive decision, and the fortification soldiers immediately built the first line of defense. Everyone put on their upper body, and the soldiers lined up in the field.The cavalry is in the front, the infantry is in the back, and a thousand reserve soldiers are left to set up an ambush on the left and right. If the enemy has passed one-third of the way, immediately pull the bridle rope to restrain them back and forth.

"The enemy's troops are twice as strong as ours, and they are all elite cavalry. As a precautionary measure, I ask your Highnesses to retreat to Quyang for the time being. We will stick to this place." The lieutenant general advised.

A few miles ahead, countless war horses are galloping, and the sky is covered with dust.Zhou Muchen's eyes were flushed, and his face showed a murderous look, "The enemy is rushing, and our teacher is Yi Yi, the outcome is not yet known." He drew out his long sword, patted his horse forward, and said in a long voice: "Kuang Gu The king is the commander in chief, he should live and die with the soldiers!"

Zhou Mubai lashed the rear of the purple horse with a whip, and followed closely beside the prince.Seeing the two princes taking the lead, the generals of the Swiss Army cheered up and shouted loudly, moving the whole field.

The army of the Tu tribe arrived in a blink of an eye and stopped in the mountains. Two brave generals slashed their swords on their horses' backs, and behind them stood the banner of Yanyi, which was about ten feet high. Laughing, the posture is extremely arrogant.

Shen Lan was young and energetic, and couldn't bear it anymore. Relying on her skill and courage, she took a strong crossbow from the crossbowman next to her, put her fingers on the crossbow string, squinted her eyes and aimed at it, and shot it with full force. The faint whistling sound was fighting in the air, and they went straight to the enemy general's face.

The general of the Natu tribe never thought that the other party had such a strong hand, he was shocked and hurriedly swung his sword and arrow.Master Shen Lan came from a famous family, his arms and wrists are beyond the reach of ordinary soldiers, only to see that although the arrow stack was slightly pushed aside, it was still nailed into the flagpole of the commander-in-chief of the Tu clan with a "poof", and the force penetrated the pole.Everyone stared at the unfurled flag, and heard a soft "hula la", the flagpole was snapped in two and fell down.

The Ruiguo Xuanyi Army cheered thunderously.

The faces of the officers and men of the Tu tribe changed drastically, the general who had laughed wildly just now became angry with embarrassment, raised his sword and kicked the horse's belly violently, and led the crowd to kill the general from a hundred paces away.

The Xuanyi army shouted in unison, the cavalry urged their horses forward, followed by the infantry, and the two armies quickly fought together.

This battle was fought until the sun was westward, and later it became a hand-to-hand combat.Although the Xuanyi army was an elite division, the Tu clan army was also brave outside the Great Wall after all, and with a large number of people, they gradually gained the upper hand.

Zhou Mubai's eyes were blood red, and his armor was stained with blood, and he could no longer tell the enemy from himself.

As the setting sun fell to the west bit by bit, the army of the Tu tribe rushed to kill again. Although the guards of the East Palace and Prince Rui's Mansion tried their best to support them, they were still scattered.

A cold arrow came from nowhere, and it was flying like lightning, and it arrived at Zhou Muchen's side in the blink of an eye. Zhou Mubai yelled "Brother Emperor", and rushed towards Zhou Muchen. The two rolled off the horse together. On the yellow land.

The surrounding area was full of dust from running horses, Zhou Mubai supported Zhou Muchen, before he could straighten up, the general of the Tu clan had already killed him, and he raised his knife to chop.Zhou Mubai didn't even think about it, he immediately bowed down to protect the crown prince, at the moment of urgency, a painted halberd pierced in from the side and swung the sword, Zhou Mubai didn't need to look closely, he knew that it was Qiu Shude who came to rescue him in a hurry.

Guo heard Qiu Shude shout loudly: "Quickly escort the two Highnesses back to Quyang City."

Shen Yan and Shen Lan were driving the horse beside them, and when they heard the shout, they leaned over together, each grabbed the arms of Zhou Muchen and Zhou Mubai, and lifted them onto the horse's back fiercely.

Zhou Muchen asked Shen Yan to gallop to the commander's side, and ordered Ming Jin to withdraw the troops.Although the Xuanyi army was at a disadvantage, they did not lose their positions.The Tu tribe's army was blocked by the horse rope, and the offensive was slightly slowed down. The Xuanyi army retreated while fighting, and gradually retreated to the city gate.

Zhou Mubai looked back on the back of Shen Lan's horse, the sky was already dark, there were mountains of corpses on the battlefield, a gust of cold wind blew past, and a strong smell of blood permeated the surroundings.

The Xuanyi army had already entered the city more than halfway. Shen Yan and Shen Lan guarded the two highnesses and approached the city gate. The Tu clan army seemed to have seen that the two identities were different, and stepped up their offensive again. Countless soldiers and horses came from all over the place. The remaining ten or so guards of Prince Rui's Mansion gritted their teeth to support them.

The city gate was within easy reach, but the war horse was stopped by the tea soldiers. Two generals of the Tu clan rushed over bloody with swords in their hands. Shen Yan handed the reins to Zhou Muchen, and looked at Shen Lan. Shen Lan immediately put the reins on Entering Zhou Mubai's hands, jumped off the horseback together with Shen Yan, split several Tu soldiers, and went to kill Tu General.

But suddenly another person rushed out from the side, holding on to the halberd and yelling, "Protect Your Highness and enter the city!" After speaking, he pushed Shen Lan towards the prince, and rushed straight into the enemy camp.

Shen Yan saw Qiu Shude wielding a painted halberd to kill the enemy general, Shen Lan had already stood up straight, the two of them didn't answer any more, they ran to the two princes, beheaded the enemy soldiers, and escorted them into the city.

Reluctantly entering the city, Zhou Muchen felt dizzy, but still managed to hold on, Zhou Mubai climbed to the top of the city, only a small group of soldiers from the rear of the Xuanyi army guarded the city gate to resist.

The night was almost completely dark, and there was still an endless stream of soldiers from the Tu clan.The Swiss soldiers were killed one by one by the sword, and the circle of resistance continued to shrink.Zhou Mubai ordered to shoot arrows at the tea soldiers outside the defense circle at the top of the city. Shen Lan saw a figure wielding a painted halberd who was still fighting bravely, and couldn't help shouting: "Vice General Qiu, quickly enter the city!"

Qiu Shude was exhausted, relying entirely on the perseverance of the soldiers to support him.He glanced back at the city gate more than ten steps away, and then turned his head to look at the countless enemy soldiers rushing in front of him. A handful of donated blood hit him in the face, and he shouted loudly: "Close the city gate!!! Close the city gate!!!"

Standing at the top of the city, Zhou Mubai's heart was agitated. She knew that she should immediately order the city gate to be closed, but she stared at the small group of Rui Guo soldiers who could no longer see clearly in the night, her eyes were bloodshot, and she couldn't speak.

Qiu Shude brandished the painting halberd, no longer cared about the sword in front of him, and led the remaining dozens of people to fight desperately.

On the top of Quyang City, arrows rained down on the enemy soldiers. Qiu Shude chopped down the shoulder of the enemy general with a painted halberd.

Above and below the city, only a voice was heard screaming up to the sky: "I, Qiu Shude, swear, I will obey, my lord, yes!"

A drop of Zhou Mubai's tear fell in the night, and was quickly dried by the cold wind from the top of the city. With red eyes, she ordered: "Close, the city gate."