Nagato has a thin waist

The betrayal of the three generals Han, Chu and Hu was an extremely shocking thing for the soldiers of the Northern Yong Army. They couldn't even figure out why these three people had any reason to betray the general...

But the main force of the Northern Yong Army is now in Xinzhou City. If they give up Xinzhou and rush to Bingzhou, the Qi army will definitely take Xinzhou directly, which will be a loss for the Jin army.

However, the Hu Ben and Long Ji armies closest to Xinzhou have been slow to send reinforcements.

Just this morning, there was news from Zhongjing.

The court forces headed by Li Zongxun wrote to the court on the grounds that General Pei was "greedy for merit and reckless", believing that the Great Jin should keep the fruits of victory at the moment and guard the five towns of Andu, Wanning and Ning to the north of the Huai River. It should not invest a lot of military and material resources for a Xinzhou. It should not advance into Bingzhou again, which is a risky move. If they win, Pei Cong will be the credit, and if they lose, the war between Jin and Qi will turn into a decline, which is really unacceptable...

This statement was agreed by most civil officials.

During the more than one year that Pei Cong led his troops to the war, Li Zongxun, in order to stabilize the status of his grandson and daughter in the Golden Palace, formed a clique for personal gain, eliminated dissidents, established the Imperial Guards to restrain officials, diluted and divided the opposition forces, and gradually controlled the government. Almost no one dared to oppose him.

But under his sincere heart, he gave up on Pei Cong and the Northern Yong Army.

Li Zongxun could get rid of Pei Cong, a great contributor who made him so afraid that he couldn't sleep or eat, without spending a single soldier, which was killing two birds with one stone...

Of course, Queen Mother Li didn't think so.

"Pei Lang is loyal to me and will never betray me. Father, only by keeping the generals and loyal ministers of the Great Jin can my son's country be stable."

Li Zongxun just thought she was confused.

"Pei Jue leads the elite troops of the Jin Dynasty, and they only obey him. He can conquer Qi, or he can rebel and stab Zhongjing. If he raises an army, how can you stop him? As long as Pei Jue is here, you and I can never really sleep peacefully. He is a thorn stuck in the throat. Only by pulling it out can we have peace."

Li Sangruo didn't want to give up Pei Jue, on the one hand.

On the other hand, she didn't want to become a puppet of her father completely.

That day, the father and daughter had a long argument in the Jiade Hall, and their faces were red when they were excited.

The next day, an imperial edict came down, ordering the Hu Ben and Long Ji armies to dispatch 50,000 elite troops each to rush to Xinzhou...

The men in the army knew how to fight, but they knew only a little about the court and politics.

The soldiers said that the queen mother was kind and righteous, and she didn't forget the Beiyong Army.

However, when the Hu Ben and Long Ji armies arrived in Xinzhou, the opportunity was gone.

The battle of Bingzhou must be fought by themselves.

In the central army camp, the generals expressed their opinions and argued fiercely.

Pei Zhuo sat at the head, expressionless, and listened motionlessly.

The wind in Bingzhou was very strong today, whistling over the rooftops, as if to engulf the world and sweep away the sky and earth.

Deng Guang of the Orange Crane Army stepped out of the line and clasped his hands.

"General, I am willing to lead the troops to break through. I will take advantage of the night to sneak attack the camp of the Qi army outside the city to build siege fortifications. The general will lead the troops from the north of the city to the Red Leaf Valley, where Qi has not sent heavy troops and is still under the actual control of the Han, Chu and Hu rebels. When the general arrives, many of his soldiers will be afraid and will not dare to stop the general with all their strength..."

His analysis was very clear.

Soon, the enthusiasm in the camp was ignited.

Everyone talked at once and expressed their opinions.

Pei Zhuo: "No hurry."

Everyone looked at him in a daze.

This was the most difficult battle since the Northern Yong Army went out to fight.

Bingzhou was surrounded, just like falling into the open mouth of a tiger, and the generals were so anxious that they were about to smoke.

The general was very calm from beginning to end.

He was the commander-in-chief, and he was always like this.

Even if the sky fell, he probably wouldn't frown.

But for the urgent matter, we must be prepared to deal with it no matter what?

Shi Yin also stepped out, stood beside Deng Guang, and said to Pei Jue:

"General, in the previous battles, the Qi army suffered heavy losses and was at the end of its road. Even if we had 50,000 troops, we didn't have to be afraid of him. But now it's different. This new emperor who came out halfway is on the momentum and has a lot of support from the whole country of Qi. I think we should fight our way out of the siege and return to Xinzhou, and then make plans later..."

Deng Guang said: "I second the motion."

Everyone said in unison: "I second the motion."

Pei Jue glanced at them coldly and said the same thing.

"No hurry. The main force of the Qi army is still at Hengqu Pass, and has not moved at all. Bingzhou is a strong city with sufficient food and grass, and a wide moat. What if he comes to attack?"

Wait...

If we wait any longer, we will lose the last chance to escape from Bingzhou.

The atmosphere in the camp was high, and suddenly there was a shout outside the door.

"Report..."

A soldier stood at the door and shouted:

"The envoy of the Qi army is asking for an audience outside the city."

The generals looked at each other, rubbing their hands, "Well, you dare to come to persuade us to surrender? Simply kill the envoy and then lead others to break through..."

Pei Cong gave a cold look to stop their indignation.

"Let him in."

The envoy of the Qi army was Yan Bushi, Xiao Cheng's aide, a white-haired old man with a kind face. He was a contemporary celebrity who was eloquent and had many disciples in the north and south, and was respected by scholars all over the world.

Yan Bushi bowed to Pei Cong and the generals as soon as he entered the camp. He did not mention the war between Jin and Qi. He only said that his ancestral home was Pingcheng. In the tenth year of Xifeng, his family crossed the Huai River and settled in Taicheng.

Xifeng was the reign title of Yuan Zhu, the first emperor of Jin.

He also said that he and General Pei were from the same hometown and were quite close.

During the 100 years of chaos in the world, many people lived together, so it was meaningless to talk about ancestral home.

In terms of ancestors and clans, who is not a relative?

Pei Ran listened patiently without saying a word.

The generals were also silent, looking at him eagerly.

Yan Buxixiao analyzed the advantages and disadvantages, and one person was frothing at the mouth, but the generals in the room were not moved, so he raised his sleeves, bowed, and smiled awkwardly.

"Forgive me, General. Seeing old friends in a foreign land, I can't help but talk too much."

Pei Ran said: "Mr. Yan, please tell me your intention."

Yan Buxi took out a document from his sleeve and held it in both hands.

"Emperor Qi is grateful for the hardships faced by the people, wishes to end this endless war as soon as possible, and sincerely requests peace talks with your army..."

When Bingzhou had the upper hand, he sent envoys to negotiate peace.

Obviously Xiao Cheng weighed the pros and cons.

Pei Madang motioned to Zuo Zhong to take the document and unfold it to take a look.

In addition to the situation on both sides and the desolation caused by the war, the only conditions are:

"After the general returns my wife, I will give your army half a day to withdraw from Bingzhou. Otherwise, we will fight to the death."

Pei Ran looked at the last line of words, his dark eyes filled with a hint of coldness.

Then, he tore the document in half in front of Yan Buqi.

"Come here, send all the envoys out of the city."

Yan Buji's expression changed, "General?"

He originally thought it was a sure thing, but Pei Madang refused without saying a word.

Could it be that General Pei didn't understand what Emperor Qi meant?

He thought for a moment and said loudly:

"General, Rong Laofu said bluntly, now is the opportunity for peace talks. Such a good thing is a once-in-a-lifetime event. As everyone knows, the return of Feng, the direct wife of Emperor Qi, is the sincerity of the peace talks between the two parties. And Emperor Qi promised the general the sincerity of the peace talks. We can leave Bingzhou safely, and even give away the Wanning, Andu and other places occupied by the Jin army. We can also discuss the city of Xinzhou. In my opinion, the Qi Emperor is sincere and the general missed the opportunity, which is really not advisable... "

Only then did the generals understand what was written in the letter.

They all looked at Pei Ran.

However, Pei Ran didn't give him another look.

"see a visitor out!"

When Yan Buxi saw this, he repeatedly raised his hands.

"General, a traveler will only know how high the mountain is when he climbs a high mountain, and he will know the depth of the earth when he faces the abyss. If you insist on going your own way and only look at the immediate benefits, you will suffer consequences..."

Pei Ran said: "Mr. Yan, don't persuade others to be kind to be a good minister. Tell Xiao Cheng, fight to the death."

Yan Buji's expression changed, staring at his indifferent face, he snorted heavily and walked away.

"The general is stubborn and does not accept advice. He does not have the magnanimity of a sage or the mind of a wise man. He will capsize the boat and not be able to go far. Just wait and see."

Pei Ran looked at the old man's back without saying a word, thought for a moment, and said in a deep voice:

"Go ahead with the order, intensify training, build camps and defend the city to avoid friction with the Qi army."

Deng Guang asked: "How can the general defend Bingzhou?"

Pei Ran said: "Xiao Cheng claimed to have an army of 500,000, but according to my judgment, Hengquguan has at most 200,000 troops. But he has support from Dongquan, Fujiang, Chunning and other places, and has a steady supply of food, grass and soldiers. , has an advantage, our army should avoid its edge..."

"General...won't you break out and leave?"

Pei Ran said: "Just wait for the opportunity."

The generals suddenly fell silent.

Beiyong's army totaled 200,000 people. They defeated the five towns of Wanning and Andu and divided their troops to garrison. Xinzhou left another 100,000 soldiers and horses, and Bingzhou City only had 50,000 people at most...

Moreover, there are currently many wounded soldiers in the camp and the lack of medical treatment is a serious problem.

Even more terrifying than this is the invisible black hand in the court.

As a leading general, Pei Madang, Huben and Long Ji openly disobeyed orders and refused to help. Who gave him the courage?

They have been fighting for more than a year, going through life and death, and have made great contributions to the Jin State. But now they are trapped in Bingzhou, and those people in the court who are well-dressed and well-fed can do it with just a few words from Li Zongxun. It is somewhat chilling to completely ignore them...

They also understand the principle of "when the birds are gone, the good bow is hidden".

Compared to Qi Jun, Li Zongxun's most serious problem was Pei Mang...

In the struggle for power in the court, those innocent soldiers are pitiful.

"Go down."

"I will obey my orders."

Everyone saluted in unison, and just as they left, Zuo Zhong hurried in.

"General, there is good news and bad news..."

Pei Madang was looking at a map and didn't even raise his head when he heard the sound.

"explain."

Zuo Zhongdao: "The good news is... the girl brought medicine to Xinzhou, and Qin Dajin has transported some of the medicine and grain to Bingzhou."

Pei Ran paused his fingers slightly and looked up at him.

Zuo Zhong hesitated and said: "The bad news is... the girl is also here, but she is not with Tan Dajin."

Pei Madang was silent for a moment. There was no surprise on his face that Zuo Zhong thought, but a slight frown on his brows.

"Where are the people?"

Zuo Zhong didn't know how to continue, his eyelids twitched, "The scouts came to report that the girl passed through Red Leaf Valley at dusk, suddenly changed course on the Ghost River, and her whereabouts were missing..."