bastard returns

Empress Dowager Xia stood up from the phoenix chair with a bang, and said angrily, "What did you say!?"

"Li... General Li sent back the battle report that they were all besieged by the Zhou army. Those Zhou people actually cheated and pretended to retreat. In fact, they were in ambush. When General Li and the others relaxed their vigilance, they broke out and launched an attack... ...Even Major General Murong is trapped in the enemy camp..." The old eunuch held a battle report still stained with blood in his palm trembling.

"Absurd! Didn't the Ai family specifically instruct General Li to be careful, especially pay attention to the detection of whether there is an ambush in the territory of Yanzhou? Didn't he follow the Ai family's order? Otherwise, why would he be besieged!" Queen Mother Xia Pishou snatched it over, took a quick look, and her face immediately turned pale, "What? Such a thing happened!" She threw the battle report at her feet, gritted her teeth, and said, "Very good, it's really great! "

Perhaps it was because of the urgency of the situation and the rush of time, and there was not much content in the battle report, but a few strokes seemed to have made the Queen Mother understand the general idea. After Zhou Jun withdrew from Yanzhou, she did order General Zhao, who led the Xia army, paid more attention to see if the Zhou army had really retreated, but after some investigation by General Li, he found that the Zhou army was indeed withdrawing troops in a serious manner, so the Xia army went deep into the hinterland of Yanzhou , Set up camp.

But what they didn't expect was that although Zhou Jun retreated on the surface, he secretly sent many people to break up and disguise themselves as ordinary people to lie in ambush in several small towns in Yanzhou. Where did you get a batch of Xia Jun's equipment, and pretended to be Xia Jun in a big way, and then when those Xia Jun who were deep in the hinterland were not prepared, they suddenly broke out and attacked back and forth, encircling the entire forward led by General Li stand up.

In fact, with the original number and equipment of the striker, it is not that they are incapable of fighting, but because the border line of Yanzhou is too long, in order to take care of both left and right, the striker was divided into several small legions to camp, and the Zhou army suddenly launched an attack. There was no way for those small legions to reunite, so they could only fight on their own. In addition, the general led by the Zhou army was obviously experienced. While catching Xia army by surprise, he also intercepted most of their food and grass Well, as a striker, this Xia army originally didn't bring much supplies, but now they are not only separated and trapped, but also have no rations, and it will be a matter of time before the whole army is taken down.

This is also the loss of their greedy work. If they hadn't been alone, they wouldn't have fallen into such a dangerous situation so easily.

First, the refined iron ore that had been longing for all the time turned into bad iron ore, and a whole elite striker was folded in. It really made the Empress Dowager Xia very painful, because Yanzhou was a big deal, and the so-called fat and water did not flow to outsiders. Almost all of them are the direct descendants of her Empress Dowager Xia. Not only is General Li, who leads the army, one of his confidantes, but there are also many cadres in the army who are the children of her Murong family, and other family members who are close to their Murong family. In any case there is nothing to lose.

"Send the order, and immediately send troops to surround the entire posthouse, not even a single fly is allowed out, and Aijia must go and ask the Great Zhou Xi King himself what he means!" Empress Xia ordered with a flick of her sleeves.

The old eunuch immediately took orders and retreated.

Empress Dowager Xia's eyes fell on Si Kongxu again. Before she had time to send him off, the old eunuch barged in, so Sikong Xu was left in the palace with a pale face.

"Put this person in prison first, for the crime of defrauding Aijia, and try again at another day!"

Sikong Xu also seemed to understand that it was useless to distinguish any more, so he was dragged out of the palace limply.

The common people in Yanjing didn't know what happened. It seemed that the whole city suddenly became turbulent. Squads of imperial guards blocked the streets without any suspicion, squeezed away all idlers, and then resettled the city. The posthouses of foreign guests were surrounded.

Even though some passers-by knew that the King of Jincheng had ordered his own soldiers to surround the post house a few days ago, but that kind of petty fight could not be compared with the scene before him, and they couldn't help wondering whether something serious happened.

But after a while, when they saw a very gorgeous phoenix chariot approaching from the end of the street, they were shocked and knelt down on the ground in fear, shouting three thousand years.

After all, even a three-year-old child can recognize the car of the current Empress Dowager.

The speed of the phoenix chariot was extremely fast, and in the blink of an eye, it had already stopped in front of the post house. Immediately afterwards, the Empress Dowager Xia came down from the top in a fine attire. After Sikong Xuan and his party were still in the hall and did not leave, they walked in with their followers with a very ugly expression.

The civilians who were blocked by the soldiers looked at me and I looked at you, most of them showed curiosity. They couldn't figure out why the Queen Mother, who had always lived in the deep palace and pampered herself, would suddenly come to the post house in such a aggressive manner.

Just when this group of people were speculating about what had happened, about half an hour later, the Empress Dowager Xia came out of the post house again. Her face didn't change much, but she didn't say a word. The phoenix chariot swung away, and those soldiers also dispersed cleanly like a tide, coming and going quickly, leaving only a bunch of passers-by watching the excitement.

On an attic in the post house, Ning Yuan slowly closed the window when he saw Empress Dowager Xia's back disappearing from the gate.

Sikongxuan was sitting in the room, although his expression was normal, but there was still a look of lingering fear in his eyes, he smiled wryly: "This empress dowager is really menacing, she just forced me, if it weren't for the young master being by my side, I might Still can't stand it."

Ning Yuan said: "Your Highness, don't be timid. Since we can come up with this strategy, barefoot people are not afraid of wearing shoes. With the whole Xia army vanguard in our hands, the Empress Dowager Xia is afraid to throw a mouse. Will you really be killed?" Is it okay for the two of us to win the question?"

"That's right, otherwise she wouldn't have gone back so angrily." After Sikong Xuan finished speaking, he also showed a smile, "If the Empress Dowager Xia can really agree to our request for a truce, it would be worthwhile for us to take this risk. "

"She will definitely agree. After all, that vanguard army can't just be discarded." Ning Yuan raised the corner of his eyes, "Let's wait and see."

****

"Bastard!" The Empress Dowager Xia slapped the small mahogany table in front of her heavily, and she didn't feel any pain, as if the feeling of shame and anger had already occupied all her senses. Vanguard, can you come and negotiate terms with the Ai family!"

"Queen Dowager, be safe and don't be impatient." An old man in Chinese clothes stood not far from the Empress Dowager Xia. Facing the most honorable woman in Daxia, he was not at all cautious, and even said in a persuasive tone: "You Such a gaffe, if someone else sees it, how decent it is!"

"Father, the Ai family will never bear this tone, and it is impossible to compromise with this group of Zhou people who have turned their backs and tried their best to conspire!" Empress Xia gritted her teeth and called the old man. Unexpectedly, this old man was actually the biological father of Empress Xia. The Patriarch of the Murong family, "The Ai family must immediately order to send the three armies to Yanzhou to give those Zhou people a head-on blow!"

"This matter is absolutely impossible!" Patriarch Murong heard the words and said urgently: "If the queen mother is like this, it is tantamount to ignoring the soldiers who are besieged by the surrounding people. If this matter is spread, the army will only say that the palace has lost its virtue. At least, the Empress Dowager will break the trust of the generals, and at the most important, mutiny in the army is not impossible, the Empress Dowager must not lose the big because of small things!"

"Although what my father said is reasonable, is the Ai family really going to withdraw their troops in such a swallowed manner, and hand over Yanzhou again? If the Ai family does this, they will be ridiculed by the generals, and by then the Ai family's prestige will be reduced The dynasty is gone, so why talk about unifying the world!" The Empress Dowager Xia was very annoyed, "These Zhou people are really shameless, and they go back and forth as usual, and they are not afraid of being laughed at by the people of the world."

"It's just a verbal agreement. If the document is not signed, the matter will not be considered for a day. Even if they go back on their promises and have no proof, they are not afraid of gossip outside." Murong Patriarch saw that Queen Mother Xia was still indomitable. , couldn't help slowing down his tone and said in relief: "Even if you agree to their conditions for withdrawing troops, it doesn't mean that they are submissive. Leaving aside the ordinary soldiers who were besieged, General Li is the closest apprentice of my father and also one of your direct descendants. Do you want to give up even him? There are other generals who are close to us also in that branch In the vanguard army, if you give up, let alone other things, the family power behind them will definitely not give you any more support. When you are in the court, how can you suppress the emperor to death like you are now? "

Seeing that Empress Dowager Xia did not speak, Patriarch Murong continued: "Besides, even if you can't swallow this breath, you have to send another army to rescue that vanguard. Have you ever thought about the matter of money and grain reserves? My Da Xia's grain production is not as good as Da Zhou's." Richness, money and food have always been insufficient. Even after these years of reserves, you know whether you can support a large-scale war. Originally, this sudden attack on Dazhou was only for the purpose of plotting the refined iron mines in Yanzhou. Now that you have Knowing that the refined iron ore is nothing at all, why bother to act impulsively for a barren Yanzhou, it is better to take a step back, wait until Ruru has enough money and food reserves, and then make a big move to beat Da Zhou to bow his head and surrender, and the hammer is final."

"I don't know what my father said about Aijia, but I can't help but make Aijia so angry. Those despicable Zhou people only accounted for one of them. The one who annoyed Aijia the most was the emperor, who actually helped those Zhou people to plot Aijia. It's really hateful." The Empress Dowager Xia snorted heavily.

Patriarch Murong's expression changed, "You mean the emperor? But how do you know..."

"Didn't it be mentioned in the military newspaper sent by General Li that those Zhou soldiers not only disguised themselves as civilians to ambush, but also many of them dressed up like our Xia soldiers in groups. Father, do you think the Xia soldiers in their hands Where did the army's equipment come from? With such a large amount, the average person might not be able to handle it." The Empress Dowager Xia flicked her sleeves, "There will be no one else except the emperor."

Patriarch Murong nodded, "It is very likely that the emperor intervened in this matter, so what is the queen mother's plan? Even if she goes to question her, the emperor will not admit it, otherwise it will be an excellent excuse to help the enemy army To deal with our own army, just this is enough for us to pull Huyan from his dragon chair."

"The emperor has the same temperament as the first emperor. He was timid and fearful, and he did nothing. He didn't have the slightest demeanor of the emperor Gaozu." When mentioning her son, the Empress Dowager Xia's eyes were full of sarcasm. Emperor Gaozu's great talent and general plan made him marry the first emperor as the queen. As a result, the father of the tiger also gave birth to a dog. The men of Huyan's family are really useless from generation to generation, but now the emperor can actually help others to plot against Ai's family, which makes Ai's family think highly of him, he seems to be more useful than his own father."

"At this point, the Empress Dowager won't be soft-hearted again." Patriarch Murong saw the subtle expression of the Empress Dowager Xia, and said a little anxiously: "The Huyan family has ruled Daxia for hundreds of years since the generation of the Taizu, and now the population is not prosperous. It's already at the end of its strength, and I can no longer support such a huge imperial court, but my Murong family has the right time, place and people. The so-called feng shui turns, and it's my Murong family's turn to sit on this dragon chair. The queen mother must not Focusing on private affairs for the moment, forgetting about the overall situation.”

"The Ai family naturally understands what father said, so there is no need to remind them repeatedly." The Empress Dowager Xia seemed a little impatient with Patriarch Murong's words, and then said after a pause: "Forget it, just follow what father said, and the Ai family will take this step back for now. When the money and food are all ready in the future, the Ai family will have to get back from the Zhou people several times for this humiliation."

Patriarch Murong smiled sinisterly, "What the empress dowager said is very true. The so-called "restraining the outside world must first ensure peace at home". The emperor actually obstructed the empress dowager's plan for his own self-interest. You don't have to sit down anymore."

The Empress Dowager Xia nodded, "If he is willing to be a puppet in peace and contentment as before, the Ai family will naturally not treat him badly, and there is indeed no need to keep disobedient puppets, but the abolition of the emperor is no small matter, and it is very important. The Ai family can make their own decisions, and this matter needs to be discussed in the long term."

"Don't worry, I have a clever plan for my father. I don't believe it. When the time comes to face the officials and participate in the performance, such a young boy will not obediently hand over the throne to the Queen Mother." Patriarch Murong said with confidence, eyes Fang Guang seemed to have seen the day when their Murong clan completely replaced the Huyan clan and ruled the world.

****

Another letter from the Empress Dowager was sent to the post house. An eunuch yelled loudly in front of Sikong Xuan, Ning Yuan and others who were bowing and saluting for a full quarter of an hour. After reading the true content of this imperial decree, the Empress Dowager and Emperor Xia wanted to specially hold a grand banquet in the palace. Firstly, to celebrate the two dynasties turning wars into jade silk, they invited the envoys of the Great Zhou Dynasty to attend, and secondly, they also gave them a farewell party along the way— —Sikong Xuanhui came to Daxia originally for peace talks, now that the war between the two dynasties has subsided, there is no need for them to stay in Yanjing.

Just a few days ago, the Empress Dowager Xia finally agreed to Sikongxuan's conditions, and announced to the world that Xia Jun would withdraw from Yanzhou, which was not warmed up just now. , as if he was also afraid that the Xia people would return to their carbine guns, instead of sending vanguards to go deep, the whole army pressed forward and advanced steadily until they reached the national border and confirmed that the entire Yanzhou had returned to the control of the Great Zhou before releasing them back as agreed. The Great Xia Pioneer Army, which had been under the control of the Zhou Army, was captured.

Those vanguard troops were like eggplants beaten by frost. Once they returned to the territory of Daxia, they were led by generals and headed straight for Yanjing in desperation.

Sudden mobilization of troops to attack Da Zhou, but now it ends in such an embarrassing posture. The Empress Dowager Xia who led all this can be said to have lost face in this encounter. , also secretly muttered in my heart.

This is exactly what Emperor Xia wanted.

The whole strategy to make Empress Dowager Xia retreat is actually not complicated. After knowing that the purpose of Empress Dowager Xia's attempt to get involved in Yanzhou was only for the refined iron mine, Ning Yuan was not idle at all, although even in the previous life, Sikong Xu didn't even disclose any news about this refined iron ore to him, but Ning Yuan knew exactly who Sikong Xu had under his command. Discovered by accident, Ning Yuan took this as a breakthrough, listed all the Yanzhou horse bandits under Si Kongxu's command that he knew, and sent a letter to Zhao Mo, who led the Zhou army, to send troops to search for them. After a sweep by the soldiers, several horse bandit leaders who were still hiding in Yanzhou were indeed found out, and from one of them they asked the specific whereabouts of the refined iron ore.

Then Zhao Mo followed Ning Yuan's instructions and found the fine iron ore vein. Instead of mining it, he got a large amount of bad iron ore nearby and began to bury it on the fine iron ore.

Yanzhou had discovered a few iron mines before, but after the inspection, they were all worthless bad iron mines, and they were all abandoned. So Zhao Mo got thousands of catties of bad iron mines without any effort, densely packed It was buried on the fine iron ore, and the whole layout was laid out.

Immediately afterwards, they acted like a play, while pretending to retreat, while splitting into two groups, one of them disguised themselves as ordinary people to scatter and ambush, and the other changed into the Xia army equipment quietly sent by Emperor Xia, Qiao Zhuang Cheng Xia army waited for an opportunity to act.

What happened later became very logical. When the people sent by the Empress Dowager Xia to dig out the iron ore found that what they dug out was actually a pile of bad iron ore, they would definitely hurry up and spread the news instead of digging deeper. Empress Dowager Xia also took it for granted that Sikong Xu was deceiving her, and the lone vanguard army was trapped by the Zhou army that fell from the sky. All in all, when it is clear that there are no more attractive interests, and the Xia army does not have enough money and food, there is no need to continue this battle, so it will agree to Sikongxuan's request to withdraw troops, so as not to be trapped by the besieged vanguard army. Suffering immeasurable losses, after all, those are all her direct descendants, she cannot afford to lose.

The whole strategy killed three birds with one stone, and Yu Sikongxuan had perfectly fulfilled the entrustment of Emperor Zhou, without spending a single soldier to force the Empress Dowager Xia to retreat, bringing the entire Yanzhou back under the control of the Zhou army; Yu Ningyuan, He also plotted against Sikong Xu fiercely. When the Empress Dowager Xia found out that Sikong Xu had lied to her about the so-called fine iron ore, one can imagine what would happen to Sikong Xu; Returning in vain, hit the Empress Dowager Xia's reputation in the court, shaken her current situation of controlling the court, and laid the foundation for her to set things right and regain control of the court.

The only person who was not happy was the Empress Dowager Xia, who suffered such a big dumb loss, but had to smash her teeth and swallow it in her stomach, and had to force a smile on her face and hold a banquet in the palace to give Sikong Xuan these schemes against her. People farewell, this taste is not enough for outsiders.

A carriage, escorted by two rows of armored guards, slowly moved towards the gate of the palace.

On the carriage, Sikong Xuan gently raised the curtains, glanced at the soldiers who were tightly surrounding the carriage, turned his head and smiled at Ning Yuan, "I didn't expect His Majesty Xia Emperor to be so cautious that he would send his close confidant guards to escort him Let's go to the palace for a banquet."

Ning Yuan smiled and said: "Your Majesty is naturally also out of caution. After all, after the previous incident, the Empress Dowager Xia has long regarded us Zhou people as a thorn in the flesh. , dare not do anything to us, but now those trapped guys have all returned to the court, and the Empress Dowager Xia wants to deal with us, but there is no encouragement at all. If we stay in the posthouse, His Majesty Xia Emperor and Hu Yan will send us secretly People are guarding me, so I'm not afraid of anything. Once we leave the posthouse, there will be many people outside, so it's not certain what accidents will happen. There will be no foreign aid to snatch, and Da Xia will completely turn against Da Zhou, so no matter whether it is public or private, we must not have any accidents, otherwise, why would His Majesty send all the confidant guards around to escort us into the palace."