Chapter 71 The killing of the princess
When the frost fell in the early morning, the cold air slowly penetrated from the compacted corners around the tent. It was so cold that Wei Ji stretched his hand to the edge of the brazier to keep warm.
He stayed up all night.
The thin piece of bamboo was placed flat on the table. Wei Ji carefully considered the words. After writing, he felt something was wrong, so he picked it up impatiently and threw it into the brazier.
After the "cracking" sound of burning, there were ashes that turned from red to black.
He didn't know how to describe the horrors of the war to Jiang He, or how to explain why he agreed to peace talks.
One hundred thousand, two hundred thousand, tomorrow in the battle, 20 soldiers will die on the battlefield.
It's not that he is too cowardly to it were him who died, he would be willing to exchange it for 15 years for Wei to recuperate.
Among those who died, there were generals who lived with him day and night, but more of them were soldiers who lived like bid farewell to their wives, children, parents and went out with the army to defend their homes and country. Death should not be their fate.
It doesn’t have to be like this. Since we can make peace, why not keep their lives? That night, the Wei army was waiting for danger, while Mi Beichu secretly set out north with a carefully selected [-] Chu troops.
Because they planned to negotiate peace, the Wei army did not close the gap opened by the Chu army during the day.
As dawn approached, the land became flat. Through the poplar forest, one could see acres of green wheat seedlings, with a village behind it.
Bu Village, where Jiang He camped and was in charge of logistics, was a village more than two miles long and place is close to the Yellow River ferry, because troops were once stationed and camped, and a low wall more than one foot high was built outside the village.
To the north of the village is close to the Yellow River, and a beacon tower several feet high can be seen from a distance.
This beacon tower has two functions.
It is usually used to monitor the water conditions of the Yellow lookouts find that the water level of the Yellow River is rising and there is a possibility of bursting its banks, they will use beacons to warn the people around them to quickly escape to higher ground to escape.
During the battle, the beacon tower conveyed military the Zhou Dynasty was at its peak, King You lit a beacon to convey military information to please Baosi. There was a beacon that passed eastward from here to Qi.
Mi Fuchu frowned and looked at the beacon tower in the distance. His subordinates raised their heads and observed, "Sir, we will go around to the north of Bu Village first, seize the beacon tower, and then attack the village."
"No need." Mi Fuchu shook his head. He took out a crossbow from behind his back and pointed it at the Wei outpost on duty in the distance.
"Father," Mi Ningcuo said in a deep voice while aiming slowly, "Your son is unfilial and cannot rush back to mourn for you. Let Jiang He, who after Sun Wu and the seven countries compete for the first, be buried for you."
The arrows quickly pierced into the belly of the Wei soldiers like flying lightning. The outpost didn't even have time to shout before he bent down and fell into the wheat field.
The wheat seedlings were a foot tall and buried the soldiers' bodies.
The sky is still blue, the sun has not yet risen, and in the distance it seems vaguely like an official farmhouse.
"My lord, we have disembarked."
The planks protruding from the ferry were put on the boat, and the boatman carefully helped the master and servant pull the carriage off the boat.
The little girl took out some money, counted the number three times, and handed it to the boatman.
"Thank you." She said with a smile on her face.
Jiang Anqing said in the carriage: "Cailing, give this little brother an extra [-]% of the shipping fare, and thank him for taking care of me all the way."
They are not short of money.
When leaving Luoyang, Jiang Anqing asked Cai Ling to go into Jiang He's house to get a handful of pearls and exchange them for money. The little girl almost fainted with joy.
The boatman immediately beamed with joy, and while giving in, he still collected the coins. He suppressed his blush and reminded Jiang Anqing, "Where are you going, old man? There is a war outside Daliang City. We sent you here, but we hurried back. Old man If you are afraid, we will pull you back again."
The man selling tea by the ferry shook his head when he heard this. While setting up the tables, chairs and benches, he said: "Young man, you don't know, our young master will bring an army of 40 to fight against Chu's 30 army, and we will definitely win. Look. Bu Village, not far ahead, is where the young master stores food and weapons. My son's mother's second uncle lives in Bu Village, and Qian'er even came out to drink tea from me. He said that Princess Jiang of Anguo of Qi State was in charge. , he didn’t let the people come out, so he crawled out of the dog hole secretly.”
The boatman laughed and said, "Is it worth crawling through a dog hole to give you a sip of tea?"
The tea seller hurriedly delivered the boiled tea to the boatman's arms, but Cai Ling stopped talking and jumped onto the carriage happily.
"Sir, let's go."
"Let's go," Jiang Anqing nodded, "just go to the divination village where you can only get in and out by drilling a dog hole."
At the far ferry, another ship docked.
A man with no stubble on his face jumped out of the boat, drank the tea from the tea seller in one gulp, and asked: "Brother, has a blind man with a broken arm passed by in the past two days?"
This small village is used as a fortress because there is flat land for hundreds of miles outside Daliang City, and there are few places that can serve as a barrier.
The north of the village has convenient water transportation and facilities such as beacon towers and low He remembered that she had passed by with her father, so she set this place as Wei Jun's logistics warehouse.
At dawn, Jiang He woke up.
Last night I dreamed of Kunlun Mountain, and I dreamed that arrows flying from the top of the mountain pierced the ground under her of uprooted seedlings and scorching three-legged crows.
This dream made her worried, so she simply put on her clothes and got , he went through the accounts, calculated how many days the rations would be enough, and how many batches of ordnance would be sent to the Daliang battlefield today, and then walked outside the door.
It is cloudy.
The green and white clouds were a little gray and low, there were no birds in the sky as far as the eye could see, the atmosphere around was stagnant and restless, dry and cold air penetrated into the mouth and nose, and the fingers of the exposed sleeves instantly became cold.
"Here comes someone." Jiang He said.
Immediately, a general came forward to listen to the order.
Since Jiang He came here, since he didn't bring a maid with him, he had to pay for food and clothing by , as long as she calls someone, it is no small matter.
"Is there any news from Daliang City?" "No." said the general.
Jiang He's expression was slightly stagnant. He turned to look at the one-foot-high low wall outside the village and asked, "Has the sentry post been changed?"
"Yes," the general said, "it was just changed a quarter of an hour ago."
One quarter of an hour……
Jiang He quickly calculated in his mind the time it would take to return to the military camp from each sentry post.
"Have the night watchers come back last night?" Her voice suddenly became more serious, making the general who just answered the question respectfully become alert.
"The general has not yet..."
"Go and check." Jiang He said.
The general quickly ran out of the courtyard and ran towards the camp where the sentry soldiers stayed.
Jiang He subconsciously tightened his clothes and suddenly turned around to look at the beacon tower to the north of the village.
Like a shot bird that folded its wings and lost strength, a soldier fell from the beacon tower several feet high.
"The Chu army attacked the camp——"
Jiang He picked up his clothes and ran towards the camp, the sharp sound piercing the early morning sky.
The first snow this winter fell quickly, dancing in her fluttering skirt.
"be quick!"
Leaving aside the army, Zhao Zheng rushed towards Daliang City with only [-] cavalry. On the way, the soldiers were not even allowed to dismount to eat.
He tightened the reins with one hand and galloped forward, and put dry food into his mouth from time to time with the other hand to soldiers of Dayong were accustomed to doing this.
As for the night, as long as the road is slightly flat, there is no rest.
Everything is just to get to the battlefield quickly.
Since meeting Jiang Anqing, Meng Tian has realized that the old man seems to be something special, and Zhao Zheng has become even more nervous because of the old man's appearance.
At dawn, the army stopped at a fork in the road.
"Report!" The outpost, who was faster than them, rode up on horseback and shouted loudly, "According to the investigation, Wei Ji, the prince of Wei State, is confronting the Chu army in Daliang City, and Princess An Guo is in charge of military supplies and weapons at Bu Village, a hundred miles north of Daliang City. "
Here is a fork in the road.
Go south to Daliang City, where you can kill the Chu army and boost your authority.
Go north to Bu Village.
Going to Bu Village, even if you get nothing, is still worth it.
Zhao Zheng patted his horse and headed north, followed closely by his cavalry quickly passed the fork in the road, and the torch held by the outpost flickered and slowly extinguished.
A snowflake fell on the tarpaulin of the torch and melted quickly.
Snowing.
Bu Village was not unprepared.
After a brief panic, the soldiers quickly guarded the north and south exits of Bu Village in accordance with Jiang He's daily drill the same time, the city walls were heightened and crossbows were set up.
The armored soldiers stood ready and looked at the Chu army that was outflanking them from all directions.
Jiang He stood high in the village, her cheeks flushed by her red clothes, but her eyes were as cold as snow.
"General Chen," she asked her subordinates, "how many people do we estimate there are."
"One hundred thousand." The general responsible for assisting the Wei State in allocating grain and grass said, his voice trembling.
There are currently only [-] Wei troops left in Bu Village, and most of them are old and weak, not to mention there are thousands of civilians who need protection.
Twenty thousand versus one hundred thousand, how can there be any chance of winning?
"Impossible..." Jiang He shook his head slowly, his movements slow and anxious, "According to the plan I sent yesterday, we should attack the Chu army's camp at this time. The Chu army only has 20 soldiers left, how can we While resisting the Wei army, what about allocating [-] to attack the rear for food?"
The generals around him did not dare to speak.
In the distant fields, the Chu army gradually approached, their black armor shining with dazzling light, and they walked very slowly, as if they were teasing a group of lambs waiting to be slaughtered.
After a long time, Jiang He said hoarsely: "Unless the young master is defeated. Or..."
Or, he questioned his own arrangement and agreed to Chu's request for peace.
Jiang He looked in the direction of Daliang.
She didn't know if this glance was a farewell.
"Protect the people." Jiang He took the waist knife from his side and calmed down and said coldly, "I will follow you to kill the enemy."
(End of this chapter)