lonely king

In the seventh year of Da Jiang's subjugation, the king of Xizhao, Yue Wei, declared war on Nanming with the death of the old king of Xizhao.

30 troops marched into Nanming, and the soldiers and horses were strong. Because of the death of the old King Xizhao, the morale was unprecedentedly strong. In addition, the sudden dispatch of troops from Yueying caught Nanming by surprise. King Ming was furious.

"What's going on! Didn't you send envoys to appease you? Why did Yue Yue send troops so suddenly!"

Gongsun Zhi patted the chopping board with a very bad expression on his face. He still had the report that ten cities had been lost. He thought that Yue Ying would feel resentful, but he did not expect to send troops so suddenly.

"Back to the king, before the envoys entered Xizhao, Xizhao sent a letter of war first, and the army also entered Nanming. This posture does not seem to be due to the death of the old King Xizhao, and the soldiers were sent out in anger. That soldier seems to have practiced it long ago, and it has been planned for a long time."

Zhang You frowned, but he didn't realize that the situation became so tense all of a sudden.

"This king has already said it! The death of the old King Xizhao was most likely caused by Yue Ming himself! It was just to avoid being restrained and take the opportunity to escape from my king's jurisdiction. He even sent troops to me, Nanming at this time!"

Gongsun Zhi has always been suspicious and used to speculate about others with a dark heart. Now he has attributed the death of the old King Xi Zhao to Yue Ji, and he also hates Yue Ji.

But Zhang You frowned, "Why do I always feel that there is something wrong there? Over the years, Yue Ji has been respectful to me, Nan Ming, and has never had the heart to fight. Why did he suddenly send troops?"

Although Zhang You had only met Yue Wei a few times, he was the only one who received Xizhao's tribute and Xizhao's envoys before. Zhang You really didn't feel that Yue Wei was fighting. When did he think of training soldiers and horses to fight against Nanming?

Zhang You always felt that something was missing in this link, or that someone had provided assistance.

"It's useless to think about it now. Once Yue Ji sends troops, this king will never forgive him. He will immediately dispatch 50 troops to the border. Not only will this king take back ten cities, but he will also want to take back the entire Xizhao!"

Gongsun Zhi clenched his fists. He was used to sitting on the king whom everyone respected all these years, but Xi Zhao dared to send troops to Nanming. This provocation made him furious!

Zhang You, "The army has been ordered. The king gave an order, and the 50 troops immediately went to the border. It's just that these troops were originally under the command of General Cao. General Cao is dead, but General Cao has been in the army for many years, and now he is in prison. , I have the guts to ask the king to let General Xiao Cao out first, let him take the blame and make meritorious deeds, how about crusading Xizhao?"

General Cao's family is brave and good at fighting, and they are unrivaled in the world. Now only his nephew, General Cao, is left. However, General Cao was imprisoned on trumped-up charges because of a letter of treason that came out of nowhere. I didn't realize that General Cao had the intention of treason, but Gongsun Zhi didn't believe it. Gongsun Zhi was always too mean to General Cao's family.

Gongsun Zhi really frowned, "The Cao family is a chaotic family! This king is already benevolent before beheading him, and lead troops to go out?" He sneered, "Don't even think about touching a single soldier in the Cao family, this king will definitely not It will give them a chance."

Zhang You cupped his hands and knelt on the ground, "Your Majesty, General Xiao Cao has no intention of treason, and now that the Xizhao army has captured ten cities in our Southern Ming Dynasty, General Xiao Cao is good at leading troops, why, Your Majesty..."

"Zhang You!" Gongsun Zhi glared at him, "Did this king say that you are not allowed to mention the rebel Cao family in front of this king in the future! Are you playing tricks like this king's favorite?"

"Kings……"

Zhang You raised his eyes to look at Gongsun Zhi, his brows were tightly frowned, his eyes were full of persuasion, he really didn't want Gongsun Zhi to hold on to the Cao family at a time like this, and he knew that Gongsun Zhi was unhappy , but from Nanming's point of view, the Cao family is a loyal generation!

"Zhang You!"

Gongsun Zhi also said that his eyes were fiercer than his own. Although Zhang You's eyes were heavy, they were full of worry and concern, but in Gongsun Zhi's eyes, there was only fierceness and supreme authority.

After confronting each other for a long time, Zhang You sighed deeply in his heart, knelt on the ground, and kowtowed heavily, "I am convicted, I will keep it in my heart, and I will never mention it again... the minister who conspired."

Gongsun Zhi coldly glanced at Zhang You at his feet, and his tone was still bad, "You just need to know!"

Zhang You didn't say anything else, but just looked up at Gongsun Zhi, feeling a bit chilly in his heart.When did the king become so indifferent and suspicious?At this glance, Zhang You's heart was half dead.

……

Ten days after Xizhao sent troops, 30 troops captured ten cities in Nanming. Nanming dispatched 50 troops to reinforce them and fought with Xizhao's army in the border town. Xizhao's army could not enter, and Nanming's army could not take back the city. The scuffle entangled for several days.

Part of the Nanming reinforcement army was dispatched from the northern border to the western border. Once the troops were dispatched, the border between the north of Nanming and Beiyan Kingdom was besieged. They were immediately attacked by General Yu Wenyang of Beiyan. The 20 Beiyan strong army opened the gap from the border siege. , Attack Nanming.

Caught off guard and swiftly attacking, they actually took down five cities in a row in just one day.

Yu Wenyang is indeed Beiyan's invincible general!

And in the Qiangma Kingdom, in the Wangshu Pavilion.

Baili Nian looked at the Kuaima battle report from the southern border. The battle was already proceeding according to his ideas. His face was expressionless, but his eyes were as cold as a cold night. He threw the paper on the candle with a casual throw , instantly burned to ashes.

Looking at the ashes on the ground, Baili Lian's eyelashes trembled slightly.

"Is the king up and down?" Baili Nian asked the servant next to him.

The boy glanced at the sky outside the window, "Mr. Hui, at this time, the king should have just come down."

Baili Nian also raised his eyes and glanced out of the window, it was about half an hour's journey from Chaotang to Wangshu Pavilion. "Clean up here, and prepare a jug of wine, just... just take the bar I brought."

The wine was when Baili Nian went to the Southern Ming Dynasty to congratulate him. By the way, he asked Mo Yan to go to the Southern Forest to get a jar of wine. The wine had been buried under the bamboo pavilion in the Southern Forest seven years ago, when he had just escaped from Yeling. The wine buried full of indignation, it has been seven years in the blink of an eye, and the wine has not been touched for seven years, and now it is finally opened.

As soon as Sai Jian entered Wangshu Pavilion, he smelled the aroma of wine. The aroma of wine was overflowing and very strong, as if the wine contained strong emotions.Sai Jian likes wine, but the kumiss from the grassland is not strong enough, he prefers the strong wine from the Central Plains.

"Nian'er drinking?" Sai Jian casually asked Baili Nian when he saw the wine glass on the table.

There were two glasses on the table, the wine was already full, Baili Nian picked up one of them and took a sip. "I went to Nanming some time ago and brought back the spirits. Your Majesty, try it?"

"Okay."

It was rare for Baili Nian to have a drink with him, and it was Sai Jian's favorite strong wine, so he was naturally very satisfied, took a glass and drank it down, the strong wine entered his throat, it was so hot that Sai Jian's face turned red a little, It was burning pain and pleasure again.

"Ahem, what kind of wine is this, Nian'er? It's strong enough!"

"Scorching Yin Wine, when the wine enters the throat, it is like a thread of fire winding around the throat, leaving a black and red mark, so it is called Burning Yin Wine."

Baili Nian looked down at the jug as he spoke. The jug was made of porcelain, and Baili Nian's face could be reflected on it. He happened to see the red scar under the corner of his eye that had not been burned. The crescent-shaped mark was so red at the time, but it has turned black later.

Sai Jian didn't pay attention to the change in Baili Nian's eyes, he just picked up the jug and poured himself another glass of wine, "Did Nian make this wine himself? Why have I never heard of this kind of wine, but it's very enjoyable! "

Sai Jian laughed a few times.

Different people have different feelings when drinking the same wine. Baili Nian only tasted the burning taste.

"Your Majesty, did you hear about the war in the Central Plains today?" Baili Nian asked casually.

Hearing this, Sai Jian put down his wine glass and looked a little more serious, "I heard from Master Da Shu, how did the Central Plains become like this? Before, it was as peaceful as a lake, but in an instant it turned into a stormy sea. You are really upset." It’s right, this day will change at some point.”

Sai Jian frowned. He was born in the grassland and was bold and good at fighting. He loved to practice soldiers and horses, but it didn't mean that Sai Jian liked to fight. There would be bloodshed when there was war. He was different from Yu Wenyang. Yu Wenyang was obsessed with war, but Sai Jian was more painful Cherish the soldiers in your hands.

"Then what does the king think?" Baili Nian looked up at Sai Jian.

Sai Jian only cared about drinking the wine in front of him, with a casual expression on his face, "It's not the first time that the Central Plains has fought, so let them fight, I don't have any ideas."

"What if I want the king to step on it too?"

Baili Nian's sudden remark made Sai Jian startled, he turned to look at Baili Nian, "Nian'er wants Qiang Zhu to send troops?"

Baili Nian nodded without the slightest casualness, "Yes, I want the king to send troops to assist Xi Zhao and step on Nanming's land."

"So what!" Sai Jian put down his wine glass, and his casual eyes turned serious just now. He grabbed Baili Nian's hand, "Xizhao sent troops to Nanming because his father was killed by King Nanming. This king has no relationship with Nanming." It has nothing to do with Xi Zhao, why would you take the lives of the generals Qiang Zhu to help that kid Yue Ji!"

Sai Jian was not magnanimous to that point, nor did he have the idea of ​​helping Yue.

Baili Nian was not surprised by Sai Jian's attitude. He was different from the kings of other countries. After all, he did not have the heart to fight for the world, and he did not want to stain the land of other countries with the blood of Qiang Zhu soldiers.

"Enter the Central Plains from the official road at the foot of Cangyu Mountain, and once you leave Cangyu Mountain, you will see the cross borders of the four kingdoms. There are several cities there. Although they belong to Nanming, they are far away from Nanming's royal city, and even farther away from Beiyan. However, Xizhao would not take this official road when going east to the southern border, but would take the road to the south of Xizhao territory. Naturally, Xizhao would not notice these cities. These cities are actually the closest to Qiangzhu, only a few miles away. It leads to an official road between Cangyu Mountain, and the king can see it as soon as he comes out of Cangyu Mountain."

Baili Nian said softly, and raised his eyes to look at Sai Jian, but Sai Jian didn't understand the meaning of Baili Nian's words, he scratched his head, raised his brows, and asked tentatively: "Nian'er You don’t want this king to take these cities, do you?”

Baili curled his lips and smiled, "Your Majesty is getting smarter."

"Don't tell me!" Sai Jian said with a sad face, "I'm not smart at all. Anyway, I will follow your intentions no matter what you say. Maybe Nian'er is playing tricks on me now!"

Sai Jian pursed his lips and looked at Baili Nian with guard in his eyes, but this guard was not the suspicious guard of Gongsun Zhi, but he was worried that Bai Li Nian would say something, and he could not refute it, so he could only listen to it. .

Sai Jian's words made Baili Nian laugh again, his emotions and thoughts were all displayed on his face.

Baili Nian suppressed his smile, "These cities are on the border of the four countries. They were originally directly under the jurisdiction of the Great Jiang Kingdom. Zhi seized these cities first."

"There are very few people in these cities, but the land is not small, and they are at the cross borders of the four countries. Few people know that there are many towering beacon towers in these cities, and they are more gathering places than news. Gongsun Zhi took a fancy to this place, so he took these cities and used them to investigate Beiyan Xizhao and the news about the small country on the east side of Cangyu Mountain."

Speaking of this, Baili Nian paused for a moment, Qiangzhu Kingdom is on the west side of Cangyu Mountain, and Gongsun Zhi's secret envoys rarely come to the west of Cangyu Mountain. Why did Sai Jian have no reason to leave after he captured him into Qiang Zhuo.

"If the king takes these cities, he will be able to grasp the news of the western region and the traffic fortress, and pull out Nanming's eyes in the western region, besides..." Baili Nian looked at Sai Jian, his eyes moved slightly, "Besides, my lord Don’t you want to visit the Central Plains? If you win these cities, you will be able to set up a stronghold outside Cangyu Mountain, on the one hand, you will be able to defend the fortress on the official road to the Qiang River, and on the other hand, you can expand eastward to see the beauty of the Central Plains.”

Baili Nian's words were very convincing, and it touched the desire in Sai Jian's heart.Qiang Zhuo has existed on the west side of Cangyu Mountain for nearly a hundred years, and there is only this vast grassland in front of him. It is a nomadic people. From a few herdsmen Orion, to a tribe, and then Sai Jian's grandfather proclaimed himself king, Qiang Zhuo has become a prince. The country already has the ability to compete with the powerful countries in the Central Plains, but the father warned Sai Jian when he was alive, as long as he guards this grassland, he is not allowed to go out, and protect the paradise of Qiang.

However, although Xanadu is good, it is difficult to fill a curious heart. Ever since Sai Jian heard about the Central Plains outside Cangyu Mountain, he has yearned for it. The royal palace was Sai Jian who brought Qiang Zhu into a real country.

It was precisely because of his longing for the Central Plains that Baili Nian was taken captive at the beginning. He wanted to visit the Central Plains. Was there a grassland?Are there also cattle and sheep?

Baili Nian looked at the silent Sai Jian, and knew in his heart that his heart had already moved.

"Xizhao and Beiyan both sent troops to Nanming. This is the best time to march into the Central Plains. I hope the king will make a decision soon. Qiang Zhu is not the only one staring at the cities outside Cangyu Mountain. Don't forget, my lord. There are also a few small countries on Cangyu Mountain, and they are looking at the situation in the Central Plains, and they may be unable to bear it someday and send troops."

"This king will immediately..."

Sai Jian suddenly stood up, but stopped in the middle of speaking, Baili Yan looked up at his tangled expression, did not speak, just quietly waiting for his next words.

"This matter will be carefully considered by this king. Sending troops to the Central Plains is not a trivial matter. This king will discuss it with Dashu in detail."

Sai Jian changed from his previous recklessness, with a serious expression on his face, he turned and walked out, as if he was going to summon the chief minister, but stopped suddenly after taking two steps, he turned to look at Baili Nian, and held Baili Nian with his hand. Twist toward his face.

"Nian'er is the heart of Qiang Zhu's plan for this king. This king will never forget it. This king will treat you with the best in the world."

Baili Nian looked at Sai Jian's back, his eyes gradually deepened, and there seemed to be a touch of helplessness and entanglement in his eyes. He turned his head, picked up the scorching wine on the table, and drank it down in one gulp.

Pulling him into the vortex of the Central Plains, what will happen to him in the future?

Baili Nian didn't know, he used to think that Sai Jian was just a prairie man with a blunt knife, but now he felt that this knife was not as blunt as he imagined.