Emperor's Grace

In the 21st year of Zhaoyang, spring.

After the beginning of spring, it became warmer day after day, the haze in Huyang City dissipated, and the bustle and bustle of the past, with singing and dancing, was restored.In Qiongguan, sixty miles away, there are more and more guards patrolling the city wall every day, and the atmosphere of killing is also getting stronger every day.

Three months ago, the garrison of the lonely pass reported the news of the change of the Cangrong Palace to the imperial court, and the imperial court immediately sent a letter to Cangrong, ordering them to give an explanation. I apologize, saying that the little Khan is not the blood of the old Khan at all, he did such a thing as a last resort for the sake of the country, this kind of lame excuse is naturally to deceive people, and the court now has no time to take care of them, and finally It's just a few words of reprimand and it's over.After the change of the Cangrong Palace, it seemed that there was no other action on the surface, but the news sent back by the spies was that they were secretly mobilizing troops and horses frequently, and there was a fear of a change.

The general's mansion is much more depressed than before, He Huailing is not there, Zhu Yunjing doesn't go out all day, just stays in his small courtyard, except for Jiang Yan who occasionally comes to report things to him, no outsiders are seen.

There is also good news. Two months ago, there was a censor who impeached Yanzhou officials for raising taxes privately. The imperial court immediately sent imperial envoys to investigate, but accidentally found it in warehouses in several counties in Yanzhou. It was said that it was intercepted by barbarians. The matter of the batch of rations was directed at King Yu Zhu Yunxun and the He family behind him.The whole court was in an uproar, and the emperor was even more frightened. He decreed that the case of collaborating with the king of Qi should be investigated together. Only He Huailing and Dingyuanhou's mansion, who had already separated from the He family and were still at the front line, were picked out.

It was not that Emperor Zhaoyang had no doubts about He Huailing, it was just that He Huailing was out fighting at the moment, so it was not easy to count him in, but anyway, Zhu Yunxun's good days finally came to an end.

In the middle of the night, just as Zhu Yunjing fell asleep, the steward hurried over to report the incident. He had no choice but to put on his coat again and got up, when the steward said anxiously: "Ma'am, something happened! General Jiang sent someone to report it just now. The Cangrong Kingdom has sent troops, and they are here for Qiongguan, and if there is no accident, they will arrive at the pass tomorrow!"

During this period of time, Zhu Yunjing has been restless and thinking a lot. Now that his premonition has come true, he is extraordinarily calm. There is no fear or panic on his face illuminated by the candlelight. He asked: "How many of them are there?" ?”

"General Jiang said at least fifty or sixty thousand."

But Qiongguan's current defenders are only 2.

Zhu Yunjing frowned slightly, and she didn't know what she was thinking. The steward reminded him hesitantly: "Madam, why don't you follow Master Hou's instructions before leaving, take the young master and leave first, it's really not safe here."

Zhu Yunjing didn't answer, his eyes fell on a certain place in the void, there seemed to be some bottomless emotion slipping through the deep pupils, he paused for a moment, and said: "He wrote today, say goodbye You can come back in a month at most."

"But ma'am, it may not be able to last a month here, if there is an emergency..."

"Let's do this first, it's not too late to leave when it's really critical." Zhu Yunjing made a final decision, he still wanted to stay here and wait for He Huailing to come back unless he had to.

That night, heavy troops had already been stationed at Qiongguan Pass. Jiang Yan immediately lined up his troops, commanded the offensive without panic, and then sent someone to Huyang City to pass the news, ordering the whole city to be under martial law and closing the city gates.The Cangrong people came to Qiongguan this time, and their purpose was obviously Huyang City. In the past, they coveted this Huyang City several times but failed to find a chance. Later, they were beaten by He Huailing and almost wiped out the country. It is not uncommon to see a prosperous border city of gold.

The town where the General Military Mansion is located is very close to the pass. From the first sound of gunfire, the faint sound of gunfire mixed with the charge horn and the muffled sound of horseshoes has not stopped, from noon to the end of the day. into the night.

Zhu Yunjing flipped through the book absently, and the people below would come to report to him about the situation outside every hour, but he didn't ask any more questions, but Yu Se couldn't let go of his tightly furrowed brows.On the other hand, Yuan Bao has been lying on the window, staring excitedly at the sound from outside, giggling from time to time.

Ordinary children, even if they don't cry out in fright when they hear these voices, are afraid that they won't be as interested as Yuan Bao. Zhu Yunjing touched his son's head and had to admit that it was indeed He Huailing's species.

The sound of cannon fire continued for ten days. The new Cangrong Khan personally led his troops, and when daylight came, he did not hesitate to attack violently at all costs. The number of guards in the lonely pass was at a disadvantage, and they could not take the initiative to attack. They could only passively defend the city and hold on to it. Waiting for reinforcements at the pass.

He Huailing should have received the news, but the battle is over and he might not be able to come back.There has been no response to the urgent report sent to Beijing, and it is not known when the reinforcements will arrive.

In the evening of that day, Zhang Liuren, the magistrate of Huyang City, came to the General Military Mansion in person, along with a long convoy to deliver food and grass to the army.Zhu Yunjing received him, and Zhang Liuren said with a smile that the merchants in Huyang City heard that Qiongguan was in trouble this time, so they spontaneously organized food donations, and they can donate more if they don't have enough.

"They also have a heart." Zhu Yunjing's tone was light. He Huailing didn't take all the rations he donated last time when he set out for the expedition. The army has enough rations, but since someone is willing to donate, Zhu Yunjing will naturally not push it away. .Zhang Liuren personally led the team here, and did not send the food directly to the army but to him. Obviously, he wanted to use him to please He Huailing in front of him, and it was just mutual understanding.

"It should be, it should be," Zhang Liuren said again and again, "If Qiongguan is really broken, Huyang City will be the first to suffer... They also want to save their lives."

Whether it was the previous food donation that gave those merchants a taste of the sweetness, or the enemy had already reached the door for their own safety, the only thing they could count on at this time was the lonely defender.

Zhu Yunjing didn't say anything, they all knew that the lonely pass could not be broken. In Huyang City, there were not only those merchants, but also tens of thousands of ordinary people in the border area who had migrated or fled to settle down one after another over the years. Once the pass is broken, the barbarians can point their swords at Gyeonggi when they enter the pass, and no one can afford the consequences.

After a while, Zhu Yunjing asked leisurely: "If the gate is really breached, Mr. Zhang, will you escape?"

Zhang Liuren was stunned, and said embarrassingly: "The lower official is the official ordered by the court, even if he really escapes now, he will still be unable to escape the court's censure later on, so let's not do it."

Zhu Yunjing glanced at him with a half-smile when he heard the words: "Master Zhang is a bit impressive today."

Zhang Liuren: "..."

After Zhang Liuren left, Zhu Yunjing asked the steward to arrange for people to send all the food and grass to the army. The steward came back half an hour later and brought back a news that Jiang Yan went to the city wall to meet the enemy in the afternoon. He was attacked and seriously injured. Can't move anymore.

Zhu Yunjing's pupils shrank slightly: "Dead?"

The steward said: "That's not true, but I won't be able to get up again in a short time."

Zhu Yunjing went to see Jiang Yan in person. Jiang Yan had a big gash in his abdomen and was shot in the shoulder by an arrow. His whole body was covered in blood. He was really seriously injured, so he could only lie down and talk to Zhu Yunjing.

"Master, you should hurry up and take the young master away. That Cangrong New Khan King is an out-and-out lunatic. We only have more than 1 people left now. If the gate is really broken, you ..."

Jiang Yan's voice was hoarse, Zhu Yunjing looked at his injuries, and asked: "The Cang Rong Kingdom was defeated two years ago, and almost all 30 elite soldiers and horses were wiped out. How did they recover in such a short period of time?" Yuan Qi, you dare to challenge me, Dayan again?"

"These 5 people are the last troops in their country. Almost all young and middle-aged men have been pushed to the battlefield, and tens of thousands of young men have been captured in the surrounding small countries. They have colluded with the Jade Master, and behind them are the Fanbang people from the far north. The support is menacing, and the idea is to grab as much as you can."

Zhu Yunjing frowned: "Why hasn't there been any movement since the military report was submitted to the court?"

Jiang Yan shook his head wearily, he didn't know what happened in Beijing, why there was no news for so many days.

Zhu Yunjing asked again: "If the imperial court's reinforcements are delayed, will the last 1 people survive until He Huailing's army returns?"

"...After ten days, our side suffered heavy casualties. The enemy army was the attacking side, and the casualties were only a lot more than ours. Their offensive has slowed down significantly in the past two days."

Zhu Yunjing said: "With the granary in Huyang City, as long as we can hold the pass, it will not be a problem even if we are besieged for a year and a half. What's more, He Huailing will come back in [-] days at most, and there are still two thousand people in Huyang City. Guards, if it doesn't work, we can still retreat to Huyang City."

"But……"

"Now that you are seriously injured and can't get up, can you still lead the army?" Zhu Yunjing asked Jiang Yan.

Jiang Yan was silent, and Zhu Yunjing said: "If you, the commander, fall, the army's morale will be broken. I am He Huailing's wife. If I stay, at least those soldiers who are still fighting bloody on the city wall will be more determined."

"But you too..."

Zhu Yunjing interrupted him: "It's not that I don't care about my life, it's just that the situation doesn't seem to be desperate at the moment, it's only 20 days, and soon, if it's really that bad luck, when it comes to a critical moment, I will put Yuanbao first send away."

After a pause, Zhu Yunjing lowered her voice and sighed: "I know what you want to say, I am no longer the crown prince, even if His Majesty abolishes me, I will kill me, but I still wish my family, this world is the world From the Zhu family, I have the blood of the Zhu family in my bones, and I can’t change my name and surname, I can’t stand and watch soldiers approaching the city without being moved, or even flee in a hurry.”

Jiang Yan's mouth moved, but in the end he couldn't say any more dissuading words: "I understand, I will order them to obey your instructions, Your Highness... Be careful in everything."