Royal road

What is it like for a hundred thousand troops to flee?Sima Yue stood outside the big tent, feeling his teeth trembling.As far as the eye can see, the mountains and plains are full of rout soldiers, throwing away their helmets and armor, and wolves rushing forward.Instead of meeting the King of Chengdu's army, the reinforcements from all over the country rushed to escape, breaking up the already vulnerable formation.

"Stop it! Send troops to resist the enemy!" Surprised and frightened, Sima Yue finally gave a sharp order.

Following the order, the imperial guards who guarded the emperor went up and tried their best to block the enemy's iron cavalry.There are not only the imperial chariot of the emperor, but also countless retinue ministers including the king of the East China Sea.Even if it's for yourself, you have to resist with all your might!

However, these forbidden troops who have been pampered all the year round and commanded by the sons of Xun Qi can't stop the menacing enemy soldiers at all.The momentum was like a broken bamboo, the army rushed up, more and more guards fell off the horse, and those enemy soldiers with fierce eyes were still pressing on.

"Great governor, the right army has retreated!" Another bad news came.

Sima Yue only felt a buzzing in his head.Chen Min escaped?The right army under him is the main force of the forbidden army. If even he escapes, who else can resist the army in front of him?

"The remnants of General Shangguan have also retreated!" A confidant hurried forward, "General Governor, I'm afraid we can't hold this place anymore!"

"Back! Back quickly!" Sima Yue didn't care about anything else, and got on his horse.

"But, what about the imperial chariot..." The confidant was a little hesitant, looking at the huge golden frame not far away.

In order to demonstrate the majesty of the emperor, the emperor needs to take a golden root chariot, prepare six horses, install chariots with five colors, gold tin, and yellow house left flags.The entire imperial chariot is like a golden hill, majestic and eye-catching.

If you retreat with your imperial chariot, you may be trapped by the enemy within half a mile.But if I don't bring... Is it possible to abandon His Majesty? !

Sima Yue's face was ferocious, and he said loudly: "Chengdu Wang An dares to offend His Majesty?! Retreat first, wait for the soldiers and horses to gather, and then come to rescue him!"

Without even the slightest hesitation, under the cover of his confidants, Sima Yue abandoned the imperial chariot and fled outwards.

All those who could lead the troops scattered and fled in all directions.The remaining soldiers were even more vulnerable.Soon, the guard of honor around the imperial chariot collapsed, and the arrows passed through the yellow cover and came towards the throne!

"Ah!" Sitting in the car, the Son of Heaven exclaimed in surprise.Staring blankly at the swaying Chang Yu above his arm, he felt a sharp pain in his heart.

He was shot.

"Escort... who will escort..." After realizing it, the dull emperor realized that before his own driver, there was no guarding army.

However, this faint cry did not spread.On the contrary, more arrows were nailed to the extremely large and magnificent chariot.

A few steps away, the shouts became louder and louder.The loyal soldiers had fallen under the enemy's front, turned into mutilated corpses, and died in front of the imperial court.He was hit by two more arrows, and the bleeding continued. The emperor couldn't bear it anymore, and shrank his body, trying to hide himself in the imperial chariot.The crown fell to the side, and the clothes were also stained with blood, but it was like a rain of locust arrows, but it didn't mean to stop at all.

"Your Majesty!" Someone jumped onto the imperial chariot from the side, unfolded his sleeves, and blocked the emperor with his body. "Don't panic, Your Majesty, thieves are not allowed to overstep your ministers and hurt Your Majesty!"

This person is Ji Shao, the servant, and the son of Ji Kang.A few days ago, he was demoted to a commoner by Sima Ying, and he was reinstated as an official during his personal conquest.

"Ji Shizhong..." The Son of Heaven seemed to say something, but no one could hear clearly amidst the screams.

Soon, the rain of arrows disappeared, and the seemingly endless killing cries also fell silent.A murderous voice exploded in my ears: "Your Majesty is here!"

With several arrows in his body, Ji Shao, who was dying, was dragged up, and one of them had already raised the blade in his hand.

The Son of Heaven seemed to wake up suddenly, and regardless of the pain on his body, he said loudly: "Loyal ministers, don't kill me!"

However, the red-eyed soldier just sneered: "By the order of Taidi, only His Majesty will not be offended!"

Following these words, the man raised his knife and cut off Ji Shao's head.

A cloud of hot blood flew high and splashed on the emperor.As if terrified, he crooked and fell out of the car.

■

In the palace of Ye City, a handsome man in a fine attire clapped his hands and laughed loudly: "Donghai kid, how dare you compete with Gu?!"

This person is the Lord of Ye City, Sima Ying, King of Chengdu.As the son of Emperor Wu, he also inherited his father's "very handsome appearance", with a tall stature and outstanding appearance.In the early years, he also used talents and skills, and his fame was in full swing.However, after taking power, he quickly became extravagant and arrogant just like his own father.

These days, he was terrified by the imperial conquest, how could he not be overjoyed when he heard the news of the defeat of Sima Yue's army?Still think about it yourself!If he had listened to the advice of those cowardly people, abandoned Yecheng, and fled to other places, he would have lost everything long ago.But now, he is still the emperor's younger brother, the prime minister of the Great Jin Dynasty, and the only winner of this Northern Expedition!

"Is the emperor all right?" After laughing, Sima Ying remembered more important things.It's good to win, but if Yu Jia went to the conquest, he led his troops to kill the emperor himself. Wouldn't he be charged with eternal crimes?As the emperor's younger brother, even if he wants to succeed to the throne, he should abdicate or wait for his stupid brother to die of illness and old age.Die in arms is clearly not an option.

The following officials immediately replied: "The emperor is fine, but he was injured."

Sima Ying immediately let out a long sigh of relief: "That's good. Well, first let the emperor's imperial chariot stop in General Shi's camp. Wait until the guard of honor is assembled, and then welcome the emperor into the city!"

As a courtier, you must never "capture" the emperor.Before he resisted all opinions and ordered troops to be dispatched, he used the idea of ​​saving the emperor from the hands of the rebellious ministers.Now it is natural to welcome the emperor into Ye, which is just right.

And after ushering in the emperor this time, it's time to prepare for the succession ceremony.Sima Ying has now made up her mind not to waste time with that silly brother.In any case, he must become emperor as soon as possible!

Orders were passed down immediately.After exhausting countless scheming efforts, the emperor, who was barely prepared, entered Yedu mighty and mightily.

■

"What did you say? The six armies were defeated, and the emperor entered Yecheng?"

After finally leading the army out of Baixing, he was about to join his elder brother when he heard the news.Sima Teng couldn't help being furious: "Didn't you say that there is an army of [-], how could it be defeated so quickly?! Where is my brother now?"

The scout below said: "The rout is too chaotic, the king of the East China Sea seems to have returned to the fief directly..."

Hearing that Sima Yue had returned to the East China Sea, Sima Teng was so angry that he couldn't speak.After a long while, he said angrily: "The king of Chengdu is a thief! Quickly order the army to go north and attack Yecheng. I want to fight against the rebels with Wang Pengzu!"

Yes, as long as the emperor can be regained and the king of Chengdu can be eradicated, this dispatch of troops will not be in vain.Even if elder brother is defeated, there are still [-] elite soldiers under his command, and tens of thousands of cavalry from Wang Jun.There was just a big battle, and the King of Chengdu's troops should have been depleted.If you don't fight at this time, when will you wait?If that traitor really usurps the throne, things will be troublesome!

Obeying the order, Sima Teng's army accelerated the marching speed and attacked Yecheng!

Sima Ying was still dreaming of succeeding to the throne.Amnesty first, then Yuan Yuan, and then behead King Anton who was a surrender faction.Since then, Yecheng has been silent like a cicada, and no one dares to insist on his actions.However, just after the sacrifice to heaven in the southern suburbs, the news of Sima Teng and Wang Jun's attack reached his ears.

Now, Yecheng was in an uproar again.The emperor's personal conquest is just a famous name, but the troops of Duke Dongying and the governor of Youzhou are really strong troops!Especially the Xianbei cavalry under Wang Jun, not to mention the Jin army, even the Hun cavalry would avoid them if they saw them.What should I do if I let them call?

In desperation, Sima Ying had no choice but to send three more troops to intercept the two.

■

"The army is coming, what should I do?! Do you have any suggestions?" A white-faced and beardless man paced back and forth in the room and asked the people beside him.

He is Meng Jiu, the most trusted eunuch of the King of Chengdu.A few days ago, he was still worrying about the succession of the King of Chengdu. Unexpectedly, a few days later, the city of Ye would be in danger.No one can bear such ups and downs, let alone a eunuch like him.

Different from others, his glory and wealth are closely tied to the king of Chengdu.If the king of Chengdu proclaims himself emperor, he will be the number one celebrity beside the emperor; and if the king of Chengdu loses, he will also flee with the other party.Such a situation in the sky and the earth, how could he not make him feel anxious.He had to recruit his subordinates to discuss what to do.

However, even Meng Jiu knew that it would be useless to rely on these staff.Those who can rely on him as an eunuch must not be some talented and capable celebrities.And those ghost tricks may not have any impact on the battle situation.

Unexpectedly, however, a young man hesitated for a moment, and said: "Dongying is in Bingzhou, and no matter whether he sends troops or transports food, he must go through Shangdang. If you can send someone to sneak into Shangdang County and kill the county guard , to capture Baixing. Even if Duke Dongying cannot be defeated, he can return to aid immediately..."

"Huh?" Meng Jiu's eyes lit up, she turned her head and asked, "What's your name?"

Seeing that Meng Jiu was interested, the man hurriedly took a step forward, knelt down and said, "Boy Li Lang and Li Zhongming. He used to be a member of General Meng's staff, but later he joined the mansion."

General Meng, of course, refers to Meng Chao, Meng Jiu's younger brother who died in the Battle of Luoyang.Thinking of his dead brother, Meng Jiu's face flashed hatred, even if brother Lu Ji died, it would not bring back his precious brother's life.

But only for a moment, the ferocious look on his face faded away, walked to Li Lang's side, leaned over and asked: "This method is good, but the Shangdang has always been dangerous for the world. How can we kill the county guard and seize the pass?" ?”

"The boy is a member of the Shangdang, and there are brothers in the family who are officials in the county. As long as you send a team of brave soldiers, you will be able to attack the county by surprise! Then, in the name of the county guard, open the switch and enter the city. Naturally, you can easily change the city. , cut off Dongying Gong's back road!" Li Lang's heart was pounding, and he said his plan.

Warriors?Meng Jiu's eyes lit up, and suddenly remembered another matter.Liu Yuan, the captain of the Xiongnu, also said that he was old and weak, and wanted to return to his hometown in Bingzhou, so he gave him a lot of gold and silver, and asked him to speak well in front of the King of Chengdu.It just so happens that the five tribes of the Huns are not in Bingzhou?If we take this opportunity and ask the Huns to send some soldiers to assist in the capture of Shangdang County, wouldn't it be the best of both worlds?

With a laugh, Meng Jiu patted Li Lang's shoulder: "This plan is very good, I'll report it to the Lord right now. Li Binke, this is a good opportunity for you to make contributions!"

Being patted on the shoulder by the eunuch, Li Lang trembled with excitement, and knelt down on the ground: "I will live up to the Lord's trust!"

The author has something to say: There are two people involved in the background of this chapter, one is Ji Shao.After Ji Shao was killed, Emperor Hui cried, and Sima Ying wanted to change his clothes so that he could enter the city the next day, but he refused to take off his clothes, and said: "This Ji Shi is bloody, don't go." famous sentence.Since then, "Ji Shi Zhongxue" has become synonymous with the blood of loyal ministers, and Ji Shao himself is also ranked No. 1 in "Book of Jin · Zhongyi Biography".

But Ji Shao is still very contradictory in nature.Because his father Ji Kang died under the sword of Sima Zhao.All the emperors of the Sima Dynasty should be the blood of his father-killing enemies.There was another one who had the same experience as him, named Wang Po.His father, Wang Yi, was also killed by Sima Zhao. He refused to submit to the Western Jin Dynasty, and failed to succeed in three campaigns and seven campaigns. He is known as a model of filial piety.

It can be said that Wang Po chose filial piety, but Ji Shao, the child of Princess Cao Wei, chose to be loyal to the Sima family.It is estimated that this has something to do with Ji Kang's Tuogu. Ji Shao was brought up by his father's friend Shan Tao since he was a child, and became an official under his recommendation when he was an adult.Zhao Wang rebelled and promoted him to be a servant. Later, Emperor Hui returned and he was still a servant.Even if the King of Qi rebelled again, he would also be loyal and abide by it, admonishing the King of Qi directly.It can be said that it is the duty of a loyal minister to abide by a courtier from beginning to end.

Maybe there is also the effect of Ji Kang's famous sentence here: "Do not be ashamed inside, live up to the vulgar outside, make friends for profit, and do not seek salary in office. Learn from the past and the present, and purify your emotions and desires. Why worry about the grievances in the world?"

The other person was Sima Rui, the nephew of King Anton who was killed by Sima Ying.Because Anton King Sima Yao was killed innocently, Sima Rui was terrified and fled Ye City overnight, returning to his fief Langya Kingdom.Later, he joined the camp of the king of the East China Sea and was sent to manage Jiangnan.This man was later the first emperor of the Eastern Jin Dynasty, Emperor Jin Yuan, and also the source of "the king and the horse share the world".