red cliff top

In September of the fifth year of Xuanzheng, Ningcheng Mansion was shrouded in haze.

Nearly [-] soldiers and horses from the north gathered under the city, and hundreds of camps were connected end to end, completely enclosing this small city.

The rebel army, as dense as an ant colony, took turns day and night, launching repeated fierce attacks on the city gate.Banners covered the sun, gongs and drums were like thunder, arrows poured down like a shower, engulfed in flaming fireballs, nails shot into trees, roofs and walls, clanging and clanging, dust and debris fell and scattered everywhere.The defenders of the city fought back the enemy's charge again and again, and the corpses and blood soaked the water of the moat into a dazzling crimson red.

Several batches of dead soldiers who went to move troops broke out one after another, but the reinforcements still hadn't arrived, a bloody truth lingered in everyone's heart that the reinforcements would not come, no matter if they lasted another day, a month, or a year, their The ending will not change in any way.

The city has already run out of ammunition and food, and the Changping warehouse where the grain was stored was burned down by a rocket attack. Now even the rats that steal food in the corners are almost extinct.The skinny people struggled with hunger and fear, had nowhere to go, and exchanged children for food.Every day, people end their lives out of desperation, and the suicides quickly become food for others to survive.

There are ruins, scorched earth and rubble everywhere on both sides of the street, and there is silence among the broken walls and ruins.The figure swaying in the dark alley is like a ghost, slow and weak, walking, maybe the next moment will suddenly fall down, and the soul will be scattered.The only difference between life and death is the remaining breath, but it is also gradually exhausting and may be interrupted at any time.

The original majestic Ningcheng government office also once suffered a fire, and the finely carved blue brick veneer was covered with scorched black marks.In order to withstand the rockets falling from the sky, the walls and roof were re-reinforced, and most of the doors and windows were sealed with wet wood boards. The interior was cold and depressing, filled with a musty smell that had not seen the sun.

In the middle of the devastated lobby, there is a long red lacquer table standing alone. The lamps and candles on the table are flickering, and the smell of wine is thick.Sitting in the shadows is a tall and straight man, about 35 years old, with phoenix eyes, black eyes and long eyebrows, wearing a pine yellow cloak, embroidered with golden silk dragons to show his noble status.Now this gorgeous attire has been covered with blood stains and charcoal dust, making it extremely filthy, but the man seems unaware of this, just holding up the wine glass and slowly dangling it under his nose, with his eyes slightly closed, as if he was already drunk without drinking three points.

This person is the uncle of the present emperor, the youngest younger brother of the first emperor, King Wei Lu of Jin who is known for his greed for good wine and good sex.

Before the encirclement by the rebels, the King of Jin had sent several teams of cavalry to Liaodong Dusi, Yifuwei and Beipingfu for help, but three months had passed and there was no news from any of these places.Gu Mingzhang, the governor of the Left Army, is a recalcitrant villain who is used to obeying others and disobeying others, so it is expected that he will be ignored at a critical moment.However, Shen Wei, the dragon and tiger general stationed in Yifuwei, has always been loyal and upright. Even the old general Shen refused to come to his aid. There is only one possibility.

King Jin took a sip of the wine in his glass, closed his eyes and savored it carefully.The hunger and lack of sleep in the past few days made him described as emaciated, his movements were sluggish, and even his sense of taste was numb. It took a long time for the aroma to emerge from the bottom of his tongue.This old flower carving really lived up to its reputation. It is refreshing to hear, and the sweetness remains on the cheeks after drinking.

Yesterday the attendants found a rat hole in the corner of the back hall, and they dug it down with a shovel, trying to find a few remaining grains, but by chance, they dug up this jar of rice wine.The owner of the house, surnamed Liu, was originally from Shaoxing.According to the customs in the south of the Yangtze River, this wine should have been buried by the youngest daughter of the Liu family when she was full moon. One day, when the daughter grew up and married another woman, she would take it out to entertain guests, so it was also called "Nuerhong".It's a pity that all nine members of Liu's family died in the fire a few days ago, and the smoke cleared away with no bones left.

Jin Wang poured himself the wine of the dead, with a calm posture and a relaxed expression, as if this place was not the precarious Ningcheng government office, but the Jinyang palace where he carved beams and painted buildings.What about the long history of meritorious deeds?What about height and weight?Ants and grass mustards cannot escape the trampling of the iron hooves of war, and Yuye Jinke also cannot escape the cruel fighting between brothers.Husband, Husband, chatting and laughing with Huangtu Domineering, I can't bear to be drunk in life.

The door squeaked open, and the sound of footsteps was so light that it was almost inaudible. King Jin knew without looking up that the person he was waiting for was coming.

Although the King of Jin has repeatedly instructed that everything should be kept simple during the war without too much red tape, the person who came here still respectfully and deeply saluted: "I have seen my uncle, and I was delayed for a while with Ah Sheng for patrolling and setting up defenses, so I came late. Please also invite uncle Forgive me."

The humble young man standing at the bottom of the hall to say hello, surnamed Wei, surnamed You, styled Bo Ling, was the son of the deceased elder brother of the King of Jin, and the young emperor personally proclaimed Xianghuai County King.Wei You was wearing a half-worn indigo robe, covered with a dark ruyi-pattern mink-collar cloak, and wore a suet jade ring around his waist.His head and neck were drooping, his face was hidden in the shadow, and his expression could not be seen clearly.

Jin Wang raised his eyes and waved to his nephew: "Bo Ling, come quickly, and accompany me to have a drink at the practice bar before going on the road. It's a pity that there are no side dishes to accompany the meal, which fails to live up to such fine wine."

Their uncles and nephews are trapped in a tight siege, besieged on all sides, the so-called "going on the road", there is only one way left in Huangquan.

"Uncle, rest assured, you are blessed with profound auspiciousness, you will be safe and sound." Wei You sat firmly under King Jin, his tone calm.

These words really can't fool anyone, I'm afraid even ghosts can't be fooled.Ning City is not a fortress, and the city wall has been in disrepair for a long time. If it weren't for the bloody battle of King Jin's three guards, it might have fallen already.Just yesterday morning, the north gate was bombarded by artillery and collapsed with a huge gap, and the city was broken in just a few days.

King Jin laughed loudly while twisting his wine glass: "Auspicious people? Hahaha, I'm afraid it's because of the anger of the heavens and the grievances of others. Back then, seven of my brothers and I followed our father to fight in the battlefield and conquered this beautiful country. Unfortunately, only me is the only one who is still alive and enjoying wealth. Yes. This king is in the Jinyuan Xiongba side, and the little emperor's golden palace is also not sitting securely. Now Ningcheng is a great opportunity. Externally, it can delay the rebels' footsteps, and internally can get rid of the serious troubles. Kill two birds with one stone, and reap the benefits. Instead of doing it."

Wei You sat upright, didn't look sideways, and didn't even leak his words: "Uncle, you are the most prominent prince in my Great Zhou Dynasty. You have made great contributions with the emperor Taizu since he was a child." In the southwest direction, he clasped his fists and clasped his hands to show his respect, "The sage is so benevolent today, and God's grace is mighty, how can he not tolerate his own uncle?"

King Jin filled his glass with wine, squinted his eyes and looked at his nephew with a half-smile, "It's okay, it's okay, if Ningcheng falls, the rebels will be able to drive straight in and press Beiping. I think my life, Wei Lv, can outweigh the little emperor's." It's worth it. It's a pity..." He looked at his face with the reflection of the wine in his glass, "It's a pity that such a good head should fall into the hands of that pariah Shuntian. The king is really unwilling! The rebels besieged the city for three months, and the city will be slaughtered to vent their anger on the day the city is broken. Bo Ling, now this king will give you the head of this item, and take it to surrender. Come on! It can save your life, and secondly, it can save the people in the city."

While speaking, he tapped a dagger on the table, and the scabbard flicked away, revealing a small section of the sword with a cold light, and murderous intentions circled between the two uncles and nephews.

The ghost messenger who had been waiting for a long time was probably sitting at the same table at this moment, and even the sound of panting could be clearly heard, and the breath of dying became more and more intense.

Wei You glanced at the hilt of the sword lightly, and flashes of thought were flying in his mind. He imagined how he would fly forward with lightning speed, draw out the sharp blade, and hit King Jin's neck with a backhand swing, and then white light flashed, thick Thick blood spewed out, the head gurgled to the ground, the mouth and eyes were wide open, and it was covered with dust and dirt... Thinking about it, he couldn't help but smile slightly, this smile was warm, amiable and generous: "Nephew As a descendant of the Wei family, my son has received the favor of the emperor, so he should advance and retreat together with my uncle. If my uncle is committed to death and dies in the city, my nephew will not live in a mere life."

How could he not want to kill King Jin!It was Jin Wang who conspired with the previous emperor who was still Qi Wang at that time, causing his father to be abolished as prince and repeatedly demoted, and finally had to kill himself.If his father hadn't died, the little emperor's dragon chair should have been his Wei You's!

But he couldn't touch the sword. Jin Wang was so scheming that he must have ambushed people behind the screen and curtains. If he showed any abnormal movements, he would be decapitated the next moment.The emperor's family is staging life-and-death fights every day. King Jin can live to the end, which naturally has his own merits.

Hearing what Wei You said, the King of Jin laughed loudly: "I was entrusted by the Emperor Taizu to guard the frontier town as a prince. If I die, I can win the name of loyalty. You are just awarding foreigners to pass here on behalf of the little emperor. Why bother?" Death in vain." He took an empty glass and filled it with wine, and handed it to Wei You, with three parts of hypocrisy and seven parts of hypocrisy in his intimacy, "Don't let these life and death spoil the wine, come on, Let's have a drink first."

The amber liquor swayed in the glass, causing ripples. Wei You slowly reached out to take it, but thoughts were racing in his mind.You must know that clear wine may also be a life-threatening poison, just as snakes, scorpions and monsters always like to turn into pretty women to suck blood.Don't look at how the king of Jin understands righteousness, he is in his prime and arrogant, and he will not accept humiliation and die honestly!At this time, Ningcheng was about to be broken, and there were no reinforcements outside, so it was time to fight to the death.The situation is that the enemy is strong and we are weak, so it is not suitable to confront each other head-on. What is the best way to make the opponent relax his guard before delivering a fatal blow?Naturally, it was not a "bitter trick" but Ruruo Jin Wang took the head of his own nephew out of the city to feign surrender. If you don't believe it, you won't be able to deceive the trust of the rebels.

Wei You picked up the wine glass with both hands, but did not put it to his lips.Just now King Jin took the initiative to send the short sword, there must be something strange behind it, either he was testing himself to see if he was on guard so as to determine the timing of the attack, or he didn't want to be told that he was cold-blooded and ruthless, so he let himself show his killing intent first, for him Find a good-sounding reason to execute your nephew.Then this wine... Wei You secretly glanced at the entrance of the lobby, where his bodyguard Wei Chisheng was guarding. Seeing that his master was in a dangerous situation, he unconsciously took half an inch, and Wei You hurriedly threw a "Be safe and don't be impatient" ", Yu Chisheng backed away quietly.

At a critical juncture, a series of hurried footsteps suddenly came from outside. Taking advantage of King Jin's distraction, Wei You covered his arm and poured the whole glass of wine into the sleeve of his robe. With a look of aftertaste.

"Report to the lord!" Several Jin princes followed and bowed in, holding several feathered arrows and a stack of letter paper in their hands, "At night, the soldiers found these arrows on the city wall, and they were shot from the northwest. Yes. There is a letter tied to the tail of the arrow, and I invite the two princes to read it."

"Oh?" King Jin raised his sleepy and drunken eyes, straightened his figure, and suspiciously took the letter from his entourage, only to see a line of small words on it: The reinforcements have arrived.

Expand the second and third envelopes, the content is similar.King Jin felt ecstasy at first, and then became vigilant again. The reinforcements arrived sooner or later, and they arrived when Ningcheng was about to be breached. Is this true, or is the enemy using tricks to lure him out of the city?He flipped through the pages while thinking, frowned suddenly, stared at the letter in his hand for a long time, then handed it to Wei You: "Bo Ling, come and see."

The words on this piece of paper are slightly different, it says: Bo Ling, the reinforcements have arrived, we will fight tomorrow and take care of ourselves.

The King of Jin observed the subtle changes in Wei You's expression, and raised his brows slightly: "I don't know which way the reinforcements came from, but they dare to call you the name of the dignified county king."

Wei You checked the handwriting cautiously, and replied with a smile: "The other party probably wrote this on purpose because he was afraid that we would get suspicious. If my guess is correct, the leader of the army should be Shen Si, the fifth son of Old General Shen. Shen Nianqing, he and I had been classmates for several years in Lanyue Academy."

King Jin repeated it softly thoughtfully: "Shen Nianqing?"

Wei You thought of something by chance: "Uncle, do you still remember that in the first year of Xuanzheng, you and I traveled with Shengshang Weifu, went to Lanyue Mountain to visit our teacher Mr. Zeng Cang, and when we went to the foot of the mountain to start a horse race, there was a bratty kid riding on the wall of the academy Watching the excitement, and applauding with high-fives, that guy is Xiao Wuer of the Shen family."

King Jin pondered for a moment with downcast eyes, and then smiled wryly.Five years have passed, and the memory has long been blurred. I only remember that the kid was about twelve or thirteen years old, with dark skin and slender hands and feet, scuttling around on the wall nimbly, like a wild monkey that has not yet been domesticated.Could it be that I was so wise in my life that I want to hand over my life to such a little hozen that didn't open up?

But when he thought of not having to hide in the city for humiliation and beatings, he could finally have a life-and-death duel with the rebels, and he couldn't stop the burning blood in his chest. Well, the little hozen is just the little hozen, this time we must fight hard... ...Tomorrow Maoshi, tomorrow Maoshi, this king can no longer hold back...