Lord of the House

On the fifth day of June in the thirteenth year of Chongguan's 13th year, shortly after nightfall, the city of Yanjing was under curfew. Except for the piles of beggars that were flooded along the street, the entire street was silent and lifeless. The so-called curfew is only a ban on walking around freely.

A group of Ding soldiers who patrolled the streets were sitting weakly hiding in the corner of the alley with big guns. At the entrance of the alley, there was a faint light shining through, shining on their bodies and faces, full of hunger and despair. Their uniforms were all stained with blood. They had just suppressed a refugee from a grain shop and killed more than 100 people in the street before dispersing the mob. The corpses were dragged out of the city in exchange for other teams, and the pools of blood on the streets were ignored, and they hid here to rest.

Because this kind of thing happens dozens of times every day in Yanjing, and even after the crackdown, they are not busy returning to the military camp to rest - the city is full of hungry people, and the military camp is not full of food. Xie is almost unable to move.

"Ding Dutou, you said that apart from Chen Zhihu, why did King Qin's army in the south have not been seen until now?" A younger soldier came over, knelt on one foot and asked Dutou, who was wearing a dark red uniform. , but an old soldier next to him came over and said mysteriously, "The mouth is blocked, the second boy of my cousin's mother's family is the banner leader in Datong Town. He escaped a month ago and saved his life, saying that Datong is over, The Xuanfu side didn't move, it must have been playing. Donghu's cavalry was too many, standing at the head of the city and couldn't see the head, the day-not to mention that the south did not dare to send troops to rescue, even sending troops over, it was not enough to block teeth. sewn..."

"Ri, if you escaped, you would have taken your life?" A soldier with a scar on his face spat, and weakly spit out the thick yellow-green phlegm from his mouth to the root of his shoe, "It is serious to flee south, enter Yanjing City, half of my life will be handed over to the Palace of Hell..."

"Shut up, no matter how powerful the Donghu cavalry is, ask them to climb in from outside the four-zhang-high city wall?" The young soldier was dissatisfied and argued. On the other hand, the old soldiers next to him smiled softly. Even ordinary soldiers in the Jingying army were more knowledgeable and well-informed than the rich people in the countryside when they talked about state affairs.

The old soldier with the scar on his face spat: "Climb a fart! I will give half a catty of rough food a day, and drag it on for three or five months. The Donghu people climbed in from outside the city. Do you have the strength to kill them? The scar-faced old soldier climbed to the side of the chief of the army and said in a low voice, "It's not right to drag it down, even if the brothers can stand it, but the family will also starve to death - the Huji rice shop in Tongqian Lane has already stepped on it. After passing the plate, this wave of chaotic people has just dispersed, we have to start quickly, we can plant the matter on the chaotic people's head... This year, we still want clean things, but we can't live on!"

Although the Donghu people did not push their troops up, from the first ten days of March, Yanjing's contact with the outside world was indeed cut off. It has been almost three months since Yanjing was besieged. Back then, the Donghu people's vanguard cavalry came from the Taihang Mountains to Yannan, and more than 20,000 soldiers and horses from the Nanda Camp wanted to intercept them. In just three or four days, they were eaten clean and 60,000 Jingying troops were left behind. I don't have the courage to go out of town to fight.

Fortunately, Chen Zhihu's department and the Xuanfu army came in in time to form the King of Qin on the West Road. With 30,000 elites available, they entered Taihu, east of Yanjing, to be stationed, barely holding a space, and not allowing Yanjing to surround them. However, the Donghu people did not fight and did not withdraw their troops, and there were no troops from King Qin from the south.

In Yanjing City, apart from the inner court of the imperial palace and hundreds of bureaucrats, apart from civilians and the influx of refugees, the largest number of people were family members of the Beijing army and official craftsmen.

At the peak of the Jingying army, there were nearly 90,000 people, and nearly 300,000 military relatives were resettled in the counties of Gyeonggi. The Donghu people came in from several directions, and a large number of military dependents and military families poured into Yanjing City along with the refugees. In addition, there were nearly 40,000 official families and 167,000-70,000 artisans. Only this part of the people became a burden that Yanjing City could not bear at this time, turning the entire Yanjing City into a chaotic refugee camp.

Officials have always treated the Jingying troops preferentially, giving them six buckets of grain and six coins of silver every month.

After nine years of Chongguan, the price of food in Gyeonggi has soared, and six coins cannot buy a bucket of rice noodles, but even if the soldiers are exploited, they always squeeze some out of their rations to support their families, and they can barely starve to death. But in March, the Beijing Army only gave rations according to the rations, and no longer paid rations. The rations also dropped again and again. Today, the soldiers who are not on duty are only given half a catty of rough food every day. The situation has turned for the worse. When ordinary soldiers died, even the military attachés at the grass-roots level could not stand it. Since May, there have been several mutinies in a row. Although the town has been sent to the town, the morale of the entire Jingying army is even more unbearable and chaotic than before March.

In the city of Yanjing, dozens of murders, murders, and murders happen every day. The 20,000 soldiers and horses of the Jiucheng Division, which belonged to the Jingying Army, were directly responsible for the security of the city. The influx of refugees caused the disease to breed in the city. Every day, hundreds of corpses were killed, starved, sick or infected and dragged out of the city to throw their corpses in the wilderness.

Just as a patrolling soldier who had just suppressed the riots in the corner of the alley was secretly raising rice shops, the sound of hurried horse hooves came from the direction of Xinhuamen from the east, and the soldiers were watching the wind at the entrance of the alley. Looking through the probe, I saw dozens of black shadows approaching from afar. The cavalry on the periphery all wore black armor. They were the cavalry of the Imperial Guard of the North Park. They rushed to the palace city with seven or eight ragged people in the middle.

The time that the cavalry team passed through the alley was very short, but it also made it clear that the man who was surrounded by the cavalry team was tied to the saddle with a rope, almost lost his shape, and his body was stained with blood—for a while, it also made it clear. No one could guess whether the man in the middle was tied to a horse and brought back to Miyagi because he had committed an accident, or whether he was too thin and too injured to ride before he was brought back tied to a horse.

Listening to the sound of cavalry passing through the street, Chen Dingbang and two old guards who had followed the capital from Ji Town escaped to the low eaves of the street shop. In the night, Li Zhuo's cough became serious again, and the city was not peaceful. Chen Dingbang was brave and bold, and he didn't dare to walk across the streets and alleys to get medicines at the pharmacy, and asked two old guards to follow him to take care of him.

When the cavalry team passed, there was a lantern hanging from the eaves of the shop, which illuminated the almost emaciated face in the middle. Although the man's cheeks were as thin as bones, he turned into ashes, and Chen Dingbang recognized it, and he was shocked: Wasn't Hao Zongcheng captured by the Dong prisoners in Linyu? ?

He and Hao Zongcheng were given to another person in the middle. He subconsciously turned his head to look, his eyes fixed on Chen Dingbang's face for a moment - Chen Dingbang also recognized him instantly, even Zhang Xi, who was captured in Linyu at the same time as Hao Zongcheng. obliterate.

The cavalry team did not delay, they passed by in a blink of an eye, and rushed to Miyagi. Chen Dingbang did not delay either. He took two old soldiers to the shop he frequented, called the door, grabbed the medicine, and rushed back, taking what he saw on the street just now. The matter told Li Zhuo, who was bedridden after returning to Beijing.

"Hao Zongcheng and Zhang Ximin are back, and Hao Zongcheng has been reshaped into a human shape..." Li Zhuo responded softly, as if he sighed very lightly, not paying attention to the return of Hao Zongcheng and Zhang Xihuan. If you have any comments, just say to Chen Jiabang, "Bring your pen and ink, I will write a letter, you will find an opportunity to go out of the city to Jinhai today, and give the letter to the ancestral court..."

After returning to Beijing for more than two months, Li Zhuo's condition has not improved. His body is like withered wormwood, and he is thin and will lose his shape.

Chen Dingbang didn't know why the commander-in-chief suddenly wanted him to go to Jinhai to contact Gao Zongting and let the old soldier decoct medicine. He went to the study to pick up the pen and ink to Li Zhuo's sick bed, and helped Li Zhuo sit up from the sick bed.

Since Gao Zongting and Geng Quanshan went to Jinhai, the reinforcements from Jinhai have not been seen for a long time, and Li Zhuo did not ask any questions. He just wrote a note every three or five days and handed it to the palace to wait for an answer-Li Zhuo came back to Beijing, just in time As the news of Songshan's fiasco came back, there was a voice from the imperial court to discuss his sins. After the collapse of western Liaoning and the whole of Ji Town, the palace passed a decree to cut off the title of Duke Li Zhuoyan, and there was no other movement; Li Zhuo sent three or five letters to the palace. Naturally, there was no response.

Li Zhuo laboriously lay down on the desk to write a good letter, packed the envelope, and asked Chen Dingbang to hide it close to him - now that the old soldier has prepared the medicine and brought it, Li Zhuo took the medicine bowl, no matter how hot his mouth is. Drinking it, as if to reassure Chen Dingbang, he said to Chen Dingbang who had changed his attire, "It's not too late, you can go to Jinhai!"

Chen Dingbang originally wanted to say that he would go out of the city by taking the opportunity to send the firewood cart into the city after dawn, but seeing that Li Zhuo was so anxious, he wanted to go to Xicheng to find a city defender who he knew would slide down the city wall with ropes.

Chen Dingbang did not delay, left Li Zhuo's room, and called several old guards who were serving him to him and instructed: "This city is also in chaos, you have to guard the house, if there is any difficulty, don't worry about the commander's response. No, send someone to Chen Xiangye's mansion to notify..."

After Chen Dingbang left the mansion, he walked to the west city, looking for a familiar general, rushing that general to not be on duty, and then rushing to the general's mansion in the north city, only to find out that the man he was assigned was already on duty. Call up the sequence of defending the city.

Secretly let people out of the city, you can do it yourself, the general can also trust Chen Dingbang, who was born under Li Zhuo's family. But it is not convenient to transfer it to others. If the news leaks out and is accused of collaborating with the enemy, no one can afford it. The general refused to come forward and ask someone to help Chen Dingbang out of the city, leaving him to drink until dawn.

Although the Donghu people have not yet pressed their troops and horses, the nine city gates of Yanjing are also closed to martial law in broad daylight. Only by carrying corpses out of the city or transporting firewood and water into the city, will one or two city gates be opened occasionally, and there will be opportunities to enter and leave the city mixed. However, Chen Dingbang wandered for most of the day, but he still could not find a chance to leave the city. When it was almost dusk, he had to give up sullenly. He came back to see Li Zhuo first, thinking about taking Li Zhuo's famous post to the Governor's Mansion of the Five Armies and asking for a name to go to Taiwan tomorrow. Seeing Chen Zhihu at the Lake Camp, it would be no later than sneaking to Jinhai to deliver the letter after arriving at the Taihu Camp.

Since Li Zhuo went north, he has served in Yanjing alone. His family returned from Jiangxi to his hometown in Xiqin, compared with other important officials. Li Zhuo's mansion in Xihuaizi Lane was very poor, with only a dozen old guards waiting in the mansion.

There are several large locust trees in front of the house. In the past, when Li Zhuo was the Minister of War in Beijing, these locust trees were always full of mules and horses, and cars and sedans were parked under the shade. When Li Zhuo came back from this trip, he could be proud of him in the courtroom, and even Chen Xinbo and Chen Xiangye would visit him for a long time in the future.

Chen Dingbang rushed back to the house, and when he walked to the entrance of the alley, he saw several carriages parked under the trees in the distance, and there was a large team of soldiers guarding the house. The carriage is the carriage in the palace, and the soldiers are the guards of the North Park. Chen Dingbang's suspicions increased greatly, and he thought: The commander-in-chief handed the book to the palace every three days. When I came back inexplicably, the palace sent someone over?

Chen Dingbang rushed in with his head sullen.

When the janitor was not in front of him, Chen Dingbang reached out and untied the badge and said, "I live here, and I have to ask who you are..."

Although Chen Dingbang did not hold the post of general, he still had the rank of military attache from the third rank of the cavalry commander. The leading captain looked at Chen Dingbang's shabby clothes and had no weapons, and said, "Could it be that you picked it up?"

"Li Shuai is thrifty, and I'll have brocade clothes to exchange for food. How can you be despised here?" Chen Dingbang scolded. At this moment, someone came from inside, and Chen Dingbang called out, "God boy, how did you guard the gate, where did your soul go, how can there be any reason to let the people in the palace guard the gate for you?"

"General Chen, why are you back?" Gou Duzi didn't even know his eyesight, and when he saw Chen Dingbang returning, he asked incredulously.

Chen Dingbang frowned slightly, this **** just lacked in heart, ignored his question, and asked, "Where are the other people going, and who are the guests in the mansion?"

"Everyone else was sent away by the superintendent. I refused to leave. The superintendent had nothing to do with me. When someone came, I went inside to say hello." The lord Wang Qishan is here, and I am talking to the commander-in-chief in the West Side Courtyard, the commander-in-chief asked me to come out and greet the soldiers..."

Chen Dingbang's heart sank, and then he guessed that the commander-in-chief asked him to urgently go to Jinhai to deliver the letter, but he was actually sent away on purpose.

Chen Dingbang walked to the West Side Courtyard in a muffled voice, and did not take back the waist badge from the captain. The captain saw that Chen Dingbang was indeed from the mansion and did not block him. Didn't return the waist card to him.

Chen Dingbang was dressed and dressed as he sneaked out of the city. He was destitute and walked silently. Before, there were more than a dozen old guards in the house to take care of them. Today, they were all dismissed by Li Zhuo. Nuoda's yard was empty and seemed unusually lonely.

Chen Dingbang walked to the West Side Courtyard, but not only did he not see the people in the house, but also did not see that Chen Xinbo and Wang Qishan were waiting to follow up, as if they only brought a team of armored guards from the North Garden.

"Master Hao is back, and there is a decision on the defeat of Western Liaoning. This cup of wine was given to you by the emperor!" This was Chen Xinbo's voice.

Chen Dingbang wondered in his heart, what does it have to do with the gift of wine after the defeat of Western Liaoning has been decided? After hesitating in his heart, he slowed down.

"I can drink this glass of wine. It's not a pity for me to die, but Hao Zongcheng was captured in Linyu for more than two months, and he suddenly escaped last night. It's a conspiracy by the fake Yan!" Li Zhuo's voice was sad.

"You mean the Donghu people's bitter tactics?" Chen Xinbo asked back, "If there were brave soldiers who were not willing to be driven by the Donglu and risked their lives to save people, Hao Zongcheng would have died in the Dongjing prison. I heard that they came back at night/passed by Suzaku. Street, I met your subordinate Chen Dingbang. Hao Zongcheng's appearance is neither human nor ghost, you won't think it's a bitter plan! As for the defeat of Western Liaoning, I know you are unwilling, but it was Is it true that you made an empty promise to pacify the captives for five years? This expedition to western Liaoning is also your proposal, right? It is also true that you missed the opportunity by supporting Songshan not to go forward? If not, how can the captives escape from Datong? The defeat of Western Liaoning was all because Yuan Lishan led his troops to surrender first and the entire army collapsed. Yuan Lishan was your right-hand man when you ruled Ji Town, right? You can't blame all these crimes on the emperor, right?"

Chen Dingbang's chest seemed to be stuffed with a fire, and it was about to burst out. He suddenly realized that the so-called gift of wine was actually a glass of poisonous wine to take the life of the commander. Taking the blame for the defeat, Chen Xinbo and Wang Qishan came over to be accomplices - he gathered up his arches, turned around and went back to the house to get the sword, chopped Chen Xinbo and Wang Qishan into seven or eight pieces, and then led the commander-in-chief out of Yanjing City. Find Chen Zhihu! What's wrong with the commander-in-chief?

"The monarch wants the minister to die, and the minister has to die. This is also the duty of the minister. If Chen Zhihu wanted to ask, he would say that I committed suicide in fear of crime, and you must have arranged it in the same way. This is the suicide note I wrote to Chen Zhihu, without me Chen Zhihu will not believe your words - I have already drank this glass of wine, and Chen Xiang can go back to do business. Please also thank Chen Xiang on my behalf, please give me the last word to the emperor: Yanjing breaks through, After making Chen Zhihu Palace, there is still a chance for the southbound journey, so don't listen to Hao Zongcheng's words and go east to Jinhai! Yuan Lishan still has some bravery, his relatives are all in the capital, and it is impossible to surrender without a fight! All are given generous rewards, and when they can't break through, let the Jizhen army be used by the Donghu people! And..." Chen Liang's tragic words came to an abrupt end here, followed by the sound of the wine glass falling to the ground.

Chen Dingbang didn't care to get a weapon and broke into the door. Li Zhuo Kuhao's body was standing in front of the table, and it was already dead, but he was still holding the table to keep his body from falling down when he was dying...

"Commander!" Chen Dingbang burst into tears, feeling hatred, grief, pain and regret in his heart.

How unfair it is to hate the acting commander-in-chief of the world, hate that the commander regards Chen Xinbo as a teacher and a friend, but Chen Xinbo came to force the commander to death!

Sadness and pain, the situation of the commander and commander is bleak, and the ambition has not been paid, and he has to suffer it on behalf of the king.

Regret may not have reacted in time and snatched the poisonous wine from the commander-in-chief.

*********

Chen Dingbang broke in, and both Chen Xinbo and Wang Qishan were taken aback. Chen Xinbo didn't care that he had known Li Zhuo for decades. He took the letter that Li Zhuo wrote to Chen Zhihu on the table and left. He didn't have time to check it. Wang Qishan responded quickly. Pressing his voice, he said, "Who is this person, and is it possible for him to hear something?"

Chen Xinbo and Li Zhuo had known each other for decades, and Chen Dingbang naturally recognized him. He walked to the gate without saying a word, and when he saw the leader of the Beiyuan guards, he beckoned him to come forward, suppressed his voice, and said, "Li Bingbu is afraid of death. Suicide, two thieves broke into the house, ask Liang Xiaowei to kill them, don't let them go!"

Only then did Wang Qishan know that he underestimated Chen Xinbo, and he made a decision to cut down the roots of Li Zhuo's two disciples and make no aftermath. How could Chen Xinbo be lacking in terms of phase these years?

The captain waved his hands and led many soldiers to enter, and Chen Xinbo stood at the door, thinking to himself: "Li Zhuo, Li Zhuo, don't blame me for being ruthless towards your family, you are willing to take the blame for the king, you can't do it any more. Is there a branch outside the festival?"

Chen Xinbo didn't mean to kill him. Based on his understanding of Li Zhuo, it would not be difficult for him to take the place of the emperor and commit suicide. Furthermore, he never thought that Li Zhuo would dismiss the servants first, but The content of the secret conversation in the West Side Court just now is likely to be heard by Chen Dingbang. Chen Dingbang has a hot temper, and Chen Xinbo doesn't want too many accidents.

At this moment, the janitor Gou Duzi stuck his head out of the hall and asked Chen Xinbo who was under the eaves: "Chen Xiangye is leaving now!" It was really missing a tendon, and four or five soldiers on the left and right pulled out their knives. He didn't notice anything unusual, and when he raised his knife and stabbed at him, he turned pale and shouted, "Mum!" The sturdy body shrank sharply into the doorman, except for a stab in his left arm, he avoided the fatal a few hits.

The people serving in Li Zhuo's house are all the loyal old soldiers he brought out from the army over the years, and it is not surprising that the gatekeeper is highly skilled in martial arts.

A soldier was in front, and he was about to rush in with a knife. Chen Xinbo saw Gou Duzi punch out a pot as fast as lightning, and smashed the soldier's face with one punch. He died - who could be so brave with a single punch~www.wuxiaspot.com~ Who would have thought that the gatekeeper in Li Zhuo's house would have unstoppable bravery, and no one dared to go to him all of a sudden Hard break in.

Four armed guards with knives blocked the door, and those behind took off the bows on their backs. The leading captain asked the guards to protect Chen Xinbo and Wang Qishan. Before I was ready to rush in, there was a bang from the side, but it was a dog who broke through the wall abruptly from the side, holding a pair of black steel mace in his hand, and walked towards the west courtyard like a shooting star. run away.

Gou Duzi shouted as he walked: "Chen Gui'er, Chen Gui'er, Chen Xiangye wants to kill me!" Where is he a dog dude, he is clearly a bear dude! The walls of the house and the door are twists and turns, which are not good for archery, and the soldiers here are too late to chase.

Gou Duzi barged in full of blood, and Chen Dingbang woke up suddenly, knowing that Chen Xinbo had murderous intentions, and said to Gou Duzi: "The commander killed them, they want to kill us to silence..."

Seeing that Li Zhuo was still standing like that after his life was cut off, Gou Duzi forgot to kill him, and sat down on the ground and cried out to Tao. Chen Dingbang slapped him twice, made him sober, and said: "Lu Xiong, how the commander died, only you and I know, we run away separately, remember, we must escape, You must let yourself live, do you know that? You must not let the commander-in-chief die unjustly!"

There are not many people employed in Li Zhuo's mansion, but after all, it was the mansion arranged by him when he was the minister of war. , just let Chen Dingbang and Gou Duzi * Yuehu escape.

There are hundreds of thousands of refugees in Yanjing. Chen Xinbo regretted it in his heart. Apart from notifying the city guard to strengthen his guard, he could only go back to the palace to restore the decree. My QT room is open! More vulgar official QT room number [9167] Click to enter