red cliff top

Hearing and discovering something, except for the two guards who stayed on high alert, the rest of the people quickly surrounded them.

Among the knee-deep wormwood in the middle of the path, there are many artificially polished wooden thorns hidden, each root criss-crossing, with the tip facing upwards, and the roots are inserted in the soil, probably because they have been trampled on a large area. Some were overturned, and some were completely submerged in the ground, with crimson coagulated blood scattered dots around them.

Soon, someone searched a few feet ahead and found some broken ropes, as well as faintly visible strangle marks on the tree trunks on both sides.

Shen Si narrowed his eyes slightly, his expression became more and more severe, and this scene gradually emerged in his mind. "Trap", the horse was frightened by being stabbed in the calf and ankle, and rushed out suddenly. At this moment, someone saw the right time and quickly tightened the knot under the grass. The "catchers" in the dark swarmed up and subdued the riders who fell to the ground, and the horses ran away in fear...

In order to verify his deduction, Shen Si led the guards to continue groping forward.At the end of the road, there was a dirt slope with a big drop. Everyone stood on the top of the slope and held up the torches to look down. Among the dead branches, there was actually a stiff corpse of a horse lying there.They slid down the dirt slope carefully, and moved closer to carefully examine the dead body of the horse. The whole body of the horse was intact, but its head and neck were twisted strangely. In all likelihood, it slipped and fell to its death while running wildly.Then peel off the limbs and look, there are indeed several wooden thorns deep in the flesh above the soles of the feet.

"This...couldn't be something wrong with the princess? Could it be that he was robbed by a bandit?" The young guards who accompanied him were very anxious, trying to find some accessories from the horse that could prove its origin.

"Don't worry, this should not be the mount that the princess and others are riding." Shen Si frowned and observed the horse. From the perspective of size, it was a circle smaller than the Sanhe horse commonly used in Jindi. The horse's head was straight, It has a broad forehead, low armor, short back and waist, knife-shaped hind legs, and small but solid hooves, which are more like Lichuan horses commonly used by southwestern cavalry.It's just that, the situation is even more worrying...

If his guess is correct, does it prove that there have been enemy troops here?During the war, these cavalry were either dead soldiers who came to sneak attack, or spies in disguise. No matter what kind of purpose they had, they were extremely dangerous.And what is the background of the hands with it?Jin army?Impossible, if the Jin army finds traces of the enemy, they can take them down in an open and honest manner, so why bother to design a plot.Could it be the princess and his party?I hope it's not... Shen Si and the guards didn't dare to stop for the slightest bit, so they immediately cheered up and followed the clues along the way.

The sky is dry, the weeds are overgrown, and the night wind blows up dust and sand, eroding the secluded mountain paths.The imprints left by the horses could not withstand the heavy wind and sand, and became blurred and difficult to distinguish, adding great difficulty to tracking.The team passed through a dense forest and reached the mountain pass. The horseshoe prints suddenly disappeared, as if everyone had given birth to wings and flew away.

Looking at the flat road ahead, everyone looked at each other in blank dismay.Shensi got off his horse and lay down on the ground with a torch in his hand to identify the messy traces one by one. After a while, he suddenly realized: "Turn around, we have been deceived! These hoofprints are for suspicion, they didn't run so far at all."

If there is no ghost in mind, why did those guys resort to the method of diverting the tiger away from the mountain to avoid tracking?Regardless of whether the other party is an enemy or a friend, it is related to the safety of the princess, we must first find out the person before we talk about it.

The team turned around and headed towards the depths of the dense forest again. The surroundings were surprisingly quiet, revealing an indescribable strangeness. The horses passed by, but not even a bird was startled. No one knew about those invisible dark places What the hell is hiding.Shen Si exchanged glances with all the guards, pulled out their weapons one after another, adjusted their body shape, and got ready to face the enemy.

Before they could figure out what was going on, they only heard the whistling "swish, swish" of the wind, and several feathered arrows pierced through the air from the slanting stabs, directly hitting their chests, throats and other vital organs.Fortunately, all the guards were well-trained. First, they split the arrows in a calm manner, and then quickly assembled in one place. Their backs pressed against each other to form a ring formation that was most conducive to defense.

Before the sound of metal clashing had stopped, a group of ape-backed, wasp-waisted, black-veil-covered guys leaped out from behind the tree screaming "Yah Yah".Just as Shen Si was about to make a move, he suddenly realized that the long knife held by the leader on the opposite side looked very familiar...

"Wait a minute!"

"stop!"

At the critical moment, both sides stopped their subordinates with one voice, and the man on the opposite side tore off the cloth scarf on his face: "Young master, it's me!"

The guards took a closer look and found that it was the golden gourd that had followed the princess out of the mansion without permission.

The rest of the people recognized Shen Si and took off their black veils one after another. They turned out to be the princess's confidant maids dressed as men.It was possible to avoid a disaster of cannibalism, and those childish little girls not only lost their fear, but they pushed and shoved each other, giggling and laughing, and they couldn't help but feel contemplative, and shouted with a sullen face: "Everyone!" Shut up for me!"

The little girls were usually relying on the support of the princess, although they didn't pay much attention to Mr. Shen, but now seeing that his face was black to the bottom, and his brows were frowned, they were really annoyed, so they restrained themselves a little.

Jin Hulu timidly asked from the side: "Why did you appear here?" Before he finished speaking, he was stared dumb again by Shen Si's sharp eyes.I also know that Shen Si must have come to track down the princess, causing such a big mess, what face does he have to say more.

Shen Si originally planned to give him a serious lesson after meeting, but considering his situation, and looking at his drooping face that wished to wring out Coptis chinensis, he couldn't bear it, so he just suppressed his anger and asked : "Where is the princess now? Is it safe? Why are you lying in ambush here and pretending to be a ghost?"

Jin Gourd's lips trembled for a while, and he stammered and whispered back: "This, this matter is a long story, young master, come with me first." He led the crowd to the forest and walked a few more steps, facing those who were fluctuating with the wind. Artemisia called out, "Princess, you can come out now."

There were rustling noises, Princess Crimson came out with the rest of the maids, all of them were wearing camouflage made of branches, and their bodies were covered with vines and dead leaves.At their feet, there were several bloody men lying here and there. Their hands and feet were tightly bound, and their mouths were tightly blocked. Only their nostrils were gasping for breath.

When all the guards saw the princess, they all bowed and saluted: "The subordinates have seen the princess, please punish him for not protecting well."

Shen Si didn't bother to pay attention to her, and just reprimanded Jin Gourd angrily: "What are you dawdling about, why don't you tell the whole story in detail!"

Jin Gourd was about to speak, but the princess took a step ahead: "What happened today is so strange that even your well-informed Mr. Shen can't believe it. It is said that when we passed the Shili Bridge, our luggage accidentally fell into the stream. I lost my map, and I was looking for someone to ask someone for fear of going the wrong way, but I happened to meet these guys. I wanted to go up and have a chat, but those guys were not only indifferent and arrogant, but also guarded me like a thief. How dare you yell 'Get out' at this princess! How daring!" As she spoke, Princess Scarlet stepped forward and kicked a few times, "I saw that this pedestrian speaks with a Jin accent, but his tone is transparent. It was a bit weird, and I felt suspicious in my heart. When I asked about its origin, the result was even more outrageous. They actually took out the badge of the palace and said that they were working for the father, and ordered me not to make any more troubles, otherwise I will not be guilty! Ha, if someone else heard this, they must have been so frightened that their hands and feet were weak. It's a pity that they were so unlucky that they bumped into this princess. It's nothing more than being disrespectful to this princess, and they dare to bluff around under the banner of father and king. How can I tolerate it! Naturally, I will take him down for questioning!"

"It's just you?" Shen Si glanced at the princess in disbelief, then walked over and carefully looked at the few people on the ground. Those men were all of medium build and ordinary appearance. Their skin had become rough and dark due to the sun all year round. Strong but lean and powerful, there is a hint of perseverance under the slightly dull facial features, which is definitely different from the usual appearance of a swindler in the market.He opened the palms of a few people, and he became more certain. Those guys had rough palms, with thick calluses growing on the joints of their tiger's mouth and index finger. At a glance, they were martial arts practitioners, and they were used to using long spears.

"Hmph!" The princess raised her chin triumphantly, seeing that her tail was about to go up into the sky: "What's the meaning of 'the way to use troops is to adapt to the situation', this is what you taught me, Mr. Shen. Although I can't catch it when I wait for the strong attack After pretending to break up with them, we immediately waded up the water and overtook them. We set up an ambush at the mouth of the valley early. They all stumbled, and finally they all won. Hahaha, this princess's move can be described as a great victory, and it is really a beautiful win!"

Shen Si pursed his lips and nodded slightly, knowing that the consultant said: "There are many branch paths here, extending in all directions like cobwebs, and you don't know where they are going. How can you guess which way they will go?"

The princess smiled when she heard this: "Of course you can't guess by guessing, but you can find a way to lead them to the road with an ambush. A group of female soldiers under me disguised themselves as the Jin army and held high the banner Running wildly back and forth in the mountains, dragging bundles of branches behind them, stirring up the sky and the ground, the dust billowing, under the cover of trees and weeds, it looked like a large army passing through the border, they were so frightened that they did not dare to move forward, they had no choice but to We had no choice but to turn the horse's head and head towards Taniguchi."

Seeing Princess Crimson's haughty and arrogant expression, Shen Si couldn't help laughing and crying. Originally, she just wanted to play the princess' prestige, but she caught the imperial cavalry who sneaked into Jinyuan territory by mistake. Hitting made a great contribution.It's just that in this way, this wild girl may be even more difficult to discipline.

Shen Si sighed helplessly, then turned to Jin Gourd and asked, "Did you come up with the plan?" Without waiting for Jin Gourd to answer, he nodded with satisfaction, "Good job. Don't forget to look at you for three days, and your boy is no longer the same as before. Wu has descended to Amon."

Jin Hulu couldn't help boasting, his face was flushed with two good words, and he couldn't say anything, he just scratched his head "hehehe" and giggled.

Princess Crimson was happier when she heard that Shen Si praised Jin Gourd than she was being praised. She slapped Jin Gourd on the back of the head very rudely: "Hey, this papaya-brained gourd is very clever at critical moments. I just saw your strategy When the horse chased me, I also said that you were with those guys all the way, and I thought that there was probably no way to escape. Fortunately, he, a country bumpkin, came up with a good idea, saying that he would do the opposite, using horseshoe marks It confuses you to chase all the way forward, and then turn back in secret. It's a pity that you saw through it. It seems that a master is better than an apprentice after all. However, this princess is not inferior. In addition to the stupid gourd who gave advice and suggestions for today's action, he also Thanks to the command of this princess, we can finally win a big victory."

Those who are good at the top are bound to be bad at the bottom. The princess’s self-promotion has just come to an end, and the little girls beside her are already twittering to show their credit, "I stole the flag, and you all said it couldn’t be used before going out." Use it, now you know my foresight..."

"I chopped off the branches. I usually laugh at others for their big waists to compete with Li Kui. How is it now? The strength of this stick can save lives..."

"Wait, wait, I set up the trap. The thorn in my finger when I was chopping wood still hurts..."

Amidst the head-scratching quarrel, Shen Si silently directed the guards to re-tie the captives and prepare to separate them for overnight interrogation.A guard approached and asked for instructions: "My lord, now that the princess has been found, do you want to 'invite' him back to the manor as soon as possible?"

Princess Crimson became anxious as soon as she heard it, and rushed to Shen Si in two steps at a time, pulled her sleeves and begged softly: "Young Master Shen, Brother Shen, Brother Nianqing, please don't send me back...I've had a hard time. I just escaped, if I go back like this, my mother will definitely not let me go, and it will be even more difficult to think about it in the future." Seeing that Shen Si was still stern and refused to let go, she vowed to promise, "Next I will Listen to your words obediently, if you don't cause trouble, you can take me to the barracks."

Pensively looked at the captives who were tied up by the five flowers, then looked at the tearful Princess Crimson, pondered for a long time, and ordered all the guards: "Tonight, I will rest here tonight, and tomorrow morning I will escort the Princess and others to Zezhou Mansion and the army. confluence."

The princess stood in a daze for a while, then jumped up suddenly, dancing and shouting: "Great! This princess can finally see the real battlefield!"

The group of little girls also cheered happily: "Mr. Shen is wise! Mr. Shen is wise!"

Only the guards all showed embarrassment: "My lord, this...I'm afraid it's hard for the princess to explain to me..."

"I have a reason for this matter. If the prince and concubine blame me in the future, I will bear it all. Just rest assured." Shen Si raised his hand to beckon one of the most mature and prudent guards, "Brother Li, please take a walk , Go back to Jinyang to report the princess is safe. Said that Shen Si can save the princess with her life."

The guards had no choice but to obey the arrangement and act on their own.

Zezhou Prefecture, which is hundreds of miles away, is covered with dark clouds and rain is about to come.The 20 elite led by Gu Mingzhen came in a menacing manner, sweeping across the land of Jin as if entering no one's land.However, King Jin, who put on a fight in person, would only give in blindly. After several battles, he had no fighting spirit, and he repeatedly misconducted his command, which was a joke for others.

Rumors spread all over the outside world for a while, saying that because the prince of Jin is getting older and indulging in the gentleness of the country, he may have lost his glory long ago.King Jin himself turned a deaf ear to all this, and just huddled in the camp every day, gradually ignoring Gu Mingzhen's insults and screams.

On this day, the King of Jin was summoning all the generals to discuss matters in the main tent, when he saw a personal follower rushing forward, bowing down to report: "I want to report to the lord, the princess is asking to see you outside the tent."

King Jin didn't realize it for a while: "Princess? Which princess? You're talking about my son Crimson?"

The soldiers also knew that this move was a nonsense, and they were afraid of being angered, so they did not dare to raise their heads: "It is Princess Crimson...and dozens of guards and maids who escorted him here."

As soon as the words fell, the princess's clear voice like a silver bell came in through the felt curtain: "Which guard are you, you have the guts to block the princess's way, and you don't move away quickly!" Princess Scarlet He didn't know that King Jin was discussing something, and he also said that the gate guards would block her because they couldn't recognize her disguised as a man, so they rushed in, "Father, Scarlet sees you coming..."

King Jin knew that his daughter had sneaked out of the house without telling the princess, and he was very angry and anxious.What is angry is that Hong Hong has reached the age of marriage but still cannot be determined. She has repeatedly made her own decisions, acted in a disorganized manner, and never thought of her parents.What is urgent is that this road is full of dangers and dangers. If something happens to her, how will the princess deal with herself?How can I be worthy of brother Qing and old general Ji's family under Jiuquan?

The princess lifted the curtain and was shocked to see that there were no empty seats in the room. She blinked her big eyes, and quickly changed her tone and said with a smile: "How is the father's health recently? My daughter is really worried about the father. It must be hard for the father to lead the army to fight Incomparably, I couldn't resist coming to see my father..."

King Jin brushed off the foam from the tea leaves in the water with the lid of the teacup. No matter how the princess acted coquettishly, he didn't say a word, and he didn't even lift his eyelids.The generals present sensed that there was a difference in the atmosphere, so they hurriedly got up to say goodbye, and retreated one by one.

It was not until there were no outsiders in the tent that King Jin slapped the table and said angrily: "You are so courageous. Not only do you not know how to repent, but you also find many excuses. Do you want to praise your father for failing? Kneel outside for me. Go and think about your past, when you think about it and when you get up!"

The princess came here full of joy, but she intercepted several court cavalry on the way, and she was going to ask King Jin for credit and reward, but she didn't say a word of praise or condolences, but instead she was scolded One pass, and now you have to kneel as a punishment, how can you not be wronged?She squashed her small mouth, angrily rushed to the outside steps and knelt on the ground with a "plop", tears rolling in her eye sockets, looking very pitiful.

Seeing this, everyone outside the tent fell to their knees and said, "My lord, calm down!"

King Jin was only stern on the surface, but in fact he was reluctant to punish his daughter ruthlessly.Although there is no blood relationship between father and daughter, after all, they have been raised by their side since childhood, and they are inseparable from day to day.At this moment, he was full of evil and had nowhere to vent his anger. When he saw the guards and maids who followed the princess all kneeling down to beg for mercy, he couldn't help feeling even more annoyed, and immediately reprimanded: "What is the difference between a man who indulges the master's reckless behavior and a traitor? People, pull all the people outside the account and punish them with forty rods, so as to make an example to others!"

While speaking, he swept his eyes casually, and suddenly his eyes flashed. Among the blurred crowd, a dark and handsome face suddenly jumped out and jumped into his eyes... That's right, it was he who was thinking about it day and night. That face of thinking and thinking!

King Jin stood up "Teng", ran forward uncontrollably, but stopped after walking a few steps.With countless pairs of eyes staring at him, he must not lose the majesty of the prince and the coach.

The person was right in front of his eyes, and he couldn't get off the tiger. His face was half angry, half angry, and half forbearance. His hands couldn't be stretched out, and he couldn't help them when he wanted to. His whole body was stiff and strange...