The Grandmaster Strategist

Chapter 8 The Secret Helm of the Ancient Tomb

Just when the atmosphere in the main hall was about to explode, the man in black suddenly laughed and said: "What a good Prince Qing. I must have had doubts in my mind for a long time, but if I said it too early, I would worry that there would be resentment in Huo's heart. It's not good." Let’s talk, that’s fine, Huo just obeys.”

Li Kang smiled slightly. There was another reason why he did not make the request until now. If the agreement was reached, then as long as it was not too excessive, Huo Jicheng would not hold a grudge too much. However, this matter was very important. Huo Jicheng had not shown his face for many years and only heard about him. Not seeing his face, Li Kang always felt a little worried.

The man in black took off his bamboo hat with his right hand, and the green gauze was fluttering, revealing a thin and tall face. Although his sharp and eagle nose made people think that he was ruthless at first sight, his appearance was still extraordinary, especially his cold and cold hands. The eyes are frightening at first sight. Li Kang compared this man's appearance with the portraits preserved by Dayong's army, and confirmed that this man was Huo Jicheng. Fang Xinran said: "The leader Huo is indeed extraordinary. If I can cooperate with the leader, I will be able to achieve great things." "

Huo Jicheng smiled slightly and said: "Your Majesty's words are wrong. How dare we, the Jinxiu Alliance, say that we will form an alliance with your Majesty? His Majesty did not give up and took in Huo and his brothers to have a good meal. From now on, Jinxiu Alliance and your Majesty and your ministers will The name has been decided, Your Majesty, you don’t have to be polite, but there are inevitably some stubborn allies in our alliance, so I would like to ask Your Majesty not to leak this matter for the time being. When Huo Mou has cleaned up the alliance, Your Majesty must have raised troops by then, and Huo Mou will definitely Come and serve under the prince."

Li Kang smiled and said: "It doesn't matter, it doesn't matter. Deputy Alliance Leader Chen is here, just like Alliance Leader Huo is here."

The two sides chatted for a while, and the atmosphere in the palace gradually calmed down, and the murderous aura outside the palace disappeared. Only then did Huo Jicheng and Chen Zhen look for an opportunity to leave.

It wasn't until he was twenty miles away from the ancient temple that Chen Zhen whispered: "Manager Dong, thank you for your thoughtfulness and preparing this mask in advance, otherwise our plan will fail."

"Huo Jicheng" smiled and said: "Actually, it's not that Brother Chen didn't expect it, but the art of disguise has been lost long ago. It's no wonder that Brother Chen can't do anything about it. Fortunately, the young master and I have studied it carefully in the past few years. Although it cannot last long, it is lifelike. This After the first meeting, Huo Jicheng basically doesn't have to show up anymore, Brother Chen can rest assured." As he spoke, the man in black took off his bamboo hat, and then applied a medicine to his face. After a moment, the skin on his face seemed to be dry. The ground generally began to crack, but after a moment, some thin gray-white skin peeled off, revealing a handsome and fair face. The stars and moon were sinking, and the dim light shone on his face. It was the man who came to Dongchuan on Jiang Zhe's order. Dong Que. He put on the bamboo hat and said with a smile: "This mask is a bit airtight. Young master and I will study it carefully in the future and find ways to make a better and more durable mask."

Chen Zhen said: "Young Master is really good at it. The art of disguise that is occasionally spread in the world is just to change the appearance. The art of disguise like Master's method, which can imitate the appearance of another person, has been lost long ago."

Dong Que said: "Young Master is still regretting it. He said that it would have been much more convenient if he had peeled off Huo Jicheng's face and made it into a mask when he killed Huo Jicheng. Unfortunately, this method was only developed in recent years and is very immature. , Young Master only used the skins of a few prisoners to make it twice. Although the effect is better, the production method still needs to be studied carefully. Unfortunately, Young Master can't bear to continue the research."

Chen Zhen said jokingly: "Young master, I can't bear it. Can Mr. Dong study it carefully in the future? After all, Mr. Dong has put a lot of thought into this." He said it as a joke, but a trace of deep thought flashed in Dong Que's eyes.

The two of them chatted and walked slowly. They reached an agreement with Li Kang today and were very happy in their hearts. They were confident that no one could come within a hundred feet, but in order to be wary of someone following them from a distance, they still turned around a few times. Circle, it wasn't until midnight that the two of them came to an ancient tomb. The two of them walked around to make sure that no one was following them. Chen Zhen walked to the stone tablet in front of the tomb and gave a few slaps behind the stone tablet. The stone tablet moved away quietly.

A secret passage was revealed. After the two walked down, the stone tablet closed again. Chen Zhen learned about this ancient tomb from a tomb robber the year before last. This ancient tomb has dozens of tombs, connected by corridors, and is very tight. Shanzi, one of the Eight Horsemen who followed Chen Zhen, was very proficient in mechanisms. Everyone spent a lot of effort and several months to clean out this ancient tomb and became the chief helmsman of the Splendid Alliance. Anyone who can enter here Apart from Chen Zhen and everyone in the secret camp, there were only some important figures from the Jinxiu Alliance and a few of Chen Zhen's confidants in the Jinxiu Alliance.

The two of them walked down the secret room, and it was Bai Yi who was in charge of welcoming them. He was not tall, had a dark complexion, and had a somewhat simple look. However, he was the number one master in the secret camp, and his fighting skills were superior to anyone else. Assisting Chen Zhen in controlling the Jinxiu League has contributed a lot. Of course, his identity here is Huo Yi, the adopted son of Huo Jicheng. Dong Que took off his bamboo hat, took a ghost face mask handed over by Bai Yi, and put it on his face. Here, he was still Huo Jicheng. Although some Jinxiu League disciples here were Chen Zhen's confidants, they didn't know that Huo Jicheng had already died. thing, so Dong Que still had to appear as Huo Jicheng.

The two walked into the largest tomb, which was the meeting hall of the Jinxiu Alliance. There were more than a dozen people of different shapes standing on both sides. Dong Que sat proudly in the middle seat, and Chen Zhen sat beside him. Bai Yi stood behind Dong Que and acted as a guard. Dong Que said in a cold voice: "Everyone, please take a seat."

After those people saluted Dong Que, they sat down cautiously. Most of them were Shu people. "Huo Jicheng" rarely met them. Most of them conveyed various orders through Chen Zhen or messengers, and they were very fond of Leader Huo. Be wary of fear. Whether it was Huo Jicheng's previous viciousness or cruelty, or his current secretiveness, they did not dare to have a heart of betrayal.

Dong Que said coldly: "I have reached an agreement with King Qing. We will take over King Qing's spy supervision organization. In return, we will support King Qing in restoring Shu. What do you think?"

A middle-aged man with a heroic appearance stood up and said: "Alliance leader, this is not allowed. Li Kang is the Prince of Dayong, and it is not his turn to restore the Kingdom of Shu."

Dong Que snorted coldly and said: "Protector Luo, please think more clearly. With the power of our Splendid Alliance, is it possible to restore the Kingdom of Shu? Without King Qing's army, it would be nothing more than a mirror, as long as we help King Qing." Separately rule Dongchuan, and then look for opportunities to send troops to Guanzhong. When the power of our Shu Kingdom has the upper hand over King Qing's power, are we still afraid that he will have different opinions? "

The middle-aged man sat down in shock. He would not be worried because the alliance leader reprimanded him. Huo Jicheng's temperament had changed a lot in the past few years. When he asked everyone for their opinions, everyone could speak freely, but if he had already made a decision , that is, absolutely no one is allowed to disobey his orders.

Everyone discussed for a long time how to better control King Qing, and the atmosphere was very heated. After all, this was the best opportunity to restore the country in these years. Dong Que's eyes flashed, and he snickered in his heart. The master's strategy was really clever. He controlled these people who were eager to restore the country, eliminated the overly fanatical elements among them, and restrained the remaining people. Now he can use them to restore the country. Enthusiasm dispelled King Qing's suspicion. But when Dong Que's eyes fell on a silent middle-aged man, he frowned. The middle-aged man was called Gu Ning. He had a high reputation in the Splendid Alliance and was one of the founders of the alliance. The original Huo Jicheng was very different from him and almost framed him to death. After Chen Zhen took over the Jinxiu League, he released him. Because this man was very determined to restore the country, and he was very talented, and he was not a fanatic, so he still allowed him to be in a high position and used him to recruit those people. Of course, a true patriot for the restoration of the country will monitor him more closely. Fortunately, he and Huo Jicheng were not very close, so it was not difficult to hide it from him. Otherwise, he would have to be killed, which would be a heavy loss. Dong Que saw that he looked wrong and said coldly: "Gu Protector, do you have any opinions?"

Gu Ning was shocked. He almost died at the hands of Huo Jicheng back then. Fortunately, after Chen Zhen joined, he persuaded Huo Jicheng to pardon him. In the past few years, Huo Jicheng's temperament has matured a lot, and the strategies he arranged are very careful and thoughtful. The power of the Splendid Alliance There is nothing wrong with the steady rise, except that there is no hope of restoration for the time being. But Gu Ning couldn't express the pain in his heart. He was surrounded by people sent by Chen Zhen to monitor him. His wife, family and children were all under the control of these people. He had no other choice but to follow orders. Without Chen Zhen's permission, his orders would not be conveyed at all. Although his strategies were often adopted, the shadow of death that could happen at any time still made him breathless.

He did not agree with the cooperation with King Qing. If the Shu people wanted to restore their country, they should not rely on the power of others. In Gu Ning's heart, if they could not successfully restore their country, they would rather maintain this state. As long as the restoration of their country was successful, If the fire is passed on, then one day you can get what you want. He doesn't agree with this quick success approach. But he knew Huo Jicheng's attitude very well, so he couldn't actually resist this decision. But seeing the Shu people innocently caught in the flames of war, he was really reluctant. He turned his head to avoid the cold gaze and said in a deep voice: "King Qing's rebellion is their family affair in Dayong. No matter who wins or loses, we It is impossible to truly restore the country, so why go into this troubled waters, I am afraid that I will kill many allies in vain."

A cold light flashed in Chen Zhen's eyes. If Gu Ning had such thoughts, it would inevitably cause disunity among everyone in the alliance. After all, Gu Ning's reputation was here, and the Splendid Alliance could only have one thought from top to bottom. Chen Zhen didn't want to Leaving behind the consequences of the split of the Splendid Alliance. The Shu people who are committed to restoring their country cannot be allowed to leave the Jinxiu Alliance. This is an iron rule set by Jiang Zhe. He stood up and said coldly: "Leader, there is something that I have wanted to report for a long time, but before the time came, two disciples in our alliance had different ideas. They were tired of the restoration of the country and wanted to retreat. Alliance, please let the sect master decide how to deal with it."

Dong Que understood what Chen Zhen meant, pretended to be furious, and said sternly: "Isn't this reasonable? Jinxiu League is a place where you can come and go at will. Who are these two people? Send me an order to give these two disciples to me. If you are executed, your family members will sit together."

Chen Zhen looked at the people below one by one. Everyone who came into contact with his gaze couldn't help but lower their heads. The past few years in Shuzhong have been going smoothly. King Qing's governance adheres to the will of the Yong court and is quite successful. The people To live and work in peace and contentment, even some young disciples in the Jinxiu League have the idea of ​​not returning to their country. After all, they have a weak attachment to their homeland. They know in their hearts that Chen Zhen will take the opportunity to attack someone, and they also know that most of the targets are not themselves, but everyone is still uneasy. .

A cold light flashed in Chen Zhen's eyes, and he said respectfully: "It's Xiong Bao and Shangguan Yan who are under Protector Gu." As soon as he said these words, most people breathed a sigh of relief, but some people looked worried. The expression showed that Xiong Bao was Gu Ning's nephew and Shangguan Yan was Gu Ning's adopted son. Gu Ning had a high status in the hearts of everyone in the alliance, but everyone was more afraid of Huo Jicheng and Chen Zhen's tricks, so no one dared to support Gu Ning.

Gu Ning was shocked, and his face turned pale. These two people were his closest relatives, and they were young heroes. Gu Ning's first thought was that Chen Zhen wanted to take the opportunity to weaken his power, but when he thought about it, Gu Ning felt Feeling weak, Xiong Bao and Shangguan Yan did have some complaints these days. They pointed out that Dayong's tendency to dominate the world was irreversible. Instead of seeking to restore the country, it was better to let the common people live and work in peace and contentment. Gu Ning felt the same way, so he just warned them not to tell them, but he didn't expect that Chen Zhen still knew about it.

In any case, Gu Ning couldn't watch two young men being executed like this, not to mention that if his family members were sitting together, he would be affected, so he had to stand up and bow down and said: "Leader, these two juniors just talked a few random words. , they are loyal to this alliance and have absolutely no treason. I also ask the alliance leader to forgive them for being confused for a moment. Please spare their lives for the sake of their contribution to the Splendid Alliance. Gu is willing to bear the responsibility for them. "

Gu Ning begged in a low voice and glanced furtively, only to see the fingers of the alliance leader's right hand placed on the armrest of the Taishi chair trembling slightly. This was Huo Jicheng's habitual movement with murderous intent. Gu Ning became more and more nervous and his tone gradually became more urgent. At this time, the alliance leader raised his right hand to stop Gu Ning from continuing, and said: "Since Protector Gu is begging for mercy, I will be a little more generous. I have decided to send Huo Yi to serve King Qing, and let them follow Huo Yi. Let's go together with Yi, does Protector Gu have any objections to this matter?"

After hesitating for a while, Gu Ning finally said dejectedly: "I have no objection." Thinking of his family, he finally compromised. He could sacrifice everything for the great cause of restoring the country, but there was no need to sacrifice his family for such a thing. Huo Jicheng has exhausted all his plans in the past few years, so he should at least be able to escape unscathed, Gu Ning thought.

Chen Zhen and Dong Que exchanged a look and deliberately imitated Huo Jicheng's habitual actions, which made Gu Ning believe that the alliance had taken the initiative to kill. The silent threat made Gu Ning quickly give in. A man with a strong heart was forced to this point. Outsiders Everyone would sympathize with him when they saw him, but Chen Zhen and Dong Que were both hard-hearted and unmoved. Dong Que said loudly: "The matter has been decided like this, but the alliance cannot go out in full force, and we must be on guard against others. Deputy Alliance Leader Chen will lead a group of people to cooperate with King Qing, but I am still secretly manipulating the overall situation. "Everyone agreed in unison. Chen Zhen and Dong Que looked at each other again. They had already planned in their hearts. Arranging those allies who were eager to restore the country to the hands of King Qing and letting them die was the best solution. Gu Ning's calmness Indeed, the two of them admired each other very much, and Jiang Zhe's ultimate goal was to make the people in the Splendid Alliance forget about the idea of ​​restoring the country, so Gu Ning did not need to go. As for Xiong Bao and Shangguan Yan, they followed Bai Yi to serve under King Qing. Just look for an opportunity to control them and prevent Gu Ning from acting without permission.

After ordering everyone to disperse, Dong Que whispered: "How is that person?"

Chen Zhen knew that Dong Que was asking about the captured spy of Mingjian Division, so he also whispered: "He is still in custody. This man has been restless recently and has tried to escape many times. If he hadn't been from Mingjian Division, he would have died ten times. "Dong Que said: "This person should be let out. Master said that we should let Mingjian Division and Jinxiu League have a fight, so that we can eliminate some stubborn people who cannot be educated. As for the loss of Mingjian Division, Qing Qing will The king believes in our sincerity, but the young master said not to go too far, after all, Mingjian Division belongs to Dayong, although some people there are murderers and arsonists, and the young master does not want to offend Xiahou Yuanfeng, this person is not easy to mess with."

Chen Zhen sneered and said: "Xiahou Yuanfeng won't be heartbroken, but what you said makes sense. We still have to maintain a tacit understanding with him, but in this case, I'm afraid you will have to leave."

Dong Fang nodded and said: "I think so too, but I can't be too hasty. The young master wants to keep the Jinxiu Alliance in the future. First, let the man from the Mingjian Division go and let him go back to spread the news. Xiahou Yuanfeng also felt that It should count for something.”

Chen Zhen said: "Don't worry, even during the interrogation, I have to go there with my face covered. He will never know where this place is, and he has never heard the words Jinxiu Alliance." Dong Que smiled and said, "It's time to let go now." He knows something, this man is a good man, he has been trapped for so many days without any reason, and he has not yet given in. Since he is going to be let go, it is better to let him know something, Xiahou has also said this."

Dong Duo nodded and followed Chen Zhen to the depths of the ancient tomb. There were several tombs densely packed with mechanisms that served as prisons. Qiu Shan, the secret agent of the Mingjian Division who had been under house arrest for more than a month, was currently the only prisoner.

Qiu Shan sat on the stone couch with an expressionless face. This cell was very clean. The stone couch was covered with straw and all bedding was available. Although the mysterious people who imprisoned him initially tortured him to extract a confession, they stopped within a few days. He no longer forced him to give a confession, and even tried his best to treat his injuries, but this did not make Qiu Shan feel a trace of gratitude. Unable to see the light of the stars and the moon, he could only count the time based on three meals. More than a month was wasted. Thinking that he could not send the information out of Dongchuan, Qiu Shan was extremely angry. He tried to escape several times but failed. If he hadn't been strong-minded, he would have been driven crazy by this seemingly endless imprisonment. He couldn't help but touch the whip marks on his body. This was the last time he knocked out the guards and tried to escape. After he was captured, those mysterious people seemed to have ordered him to be whipped thirty times, but they were not heavy-handed, otherwise Qiu Shan would be afraid that now Don't even think about getting up.

The stone door opened, and Qiu Shan didn't even raise his eyes. Although according to his hunger level, it shouldn't be time to eat, but this kind of unclear imprisonment and strong feeling of powerlessness made him lose interest in many things. .

A clear voice came: "Why, brother Qiu doesn't want to leave here?"

Qiu Shanteng stood up suddenly, but his face turned red. He felt that he was acting too eagerly. He looked up and saw two men in black standing in front of him, both wearing devil masks. One stood with his hands behind his back, and the other But standing at the door, Qiu Shan felt a little strange when he heard this voice, and said in confusion: "What is your name?"

The man in black standing at the door said, "This is our elder Mr. Huo."

Qiu Shan was shocked. He was shrewd and well aware of the situation in Dongchuan. He had the ability to imprison himself for a month. There were not many organizations that didn't reveal anything. When he heard the word "Master Huo", he blurted out : "Splendid Alliance." A look of vigilance and doubt immediately flashed in his eyes. He was very clear about the hostility between the Splendid Alliance and Dayong. Some doubts could explain why these people neither wanted to release him nor handed him over to Qing. King, but another question arises, why do these people treat me so politely?

Dong Que smiled and said, "Brother Qiu has such a quick mind. He is worthy of being a member of the Mingjian Division. He is the leader of the Splendid Alliance in Huo Jicheng."

Qiu Shan said with a cold expression on his face: "So that's it. Today, the alliance leader came to meet me and exposed the fog. I already know my ending. Qiu Shan is grateful for the courtesy your alliance has given me over the past few days, but I don't. Whatever you can say, please ask the leader of the alliance to give you happiness next time."

Dong Que said playfully: "It seems that you think I am going to kill you?"

Qiu Shan sneered and said: "I know exactly where the Jinxiu Alliance is. The leader of the alliance is famous and I have heard about it for a long time. However, considering the care that your alliance has taken over the past few days, I might as well advise the leader that it is the general trend for Dayong to unify the world. , it is better to give up the hope of restoring the country."

Chen Zhen smiled and said: "You have good intentions, but King Qing has rebelled. I'm afraid Dayong's future is uncertain. How did you know that we had no chance?"

Qiu Shan heard that this was the man who had come to visit and interrogate him many times, and said coldly: "Your Majesty, the Holy Ming Shen Wu, I Dayong has millions of armors, and King Qing will definitely not succeed." He said categorically, Dong Que and Chen Zhen met each other. Looking at him and smiling, he thought that this person was really determined, so it would be most appropriate for him to go back.

"The building boat crosses Guazhou in the snow at night, and the iron horse disperses the pass in the autumn wind." Sanguan is one of the four famous passes in Guanzhong. It has been the silent throat of Qin and Shu since ancient times. It starts from Longshou in the east and goes to Zhongnan in the west. It is tall and majestic. Before the fall of Shu, this was Dayong's fortress to block Shu. Although since Yangping Pass and Jiameng Pass fell into the hands of Dayong, the status of Sanguan has been reduced a lot, but Dayong still stationed enough troops in Sanguan. Military strength, and both Li Yuan and Li Zhi were a little wary at first, so King Qing could not intervene at all in Sanguan. The general guarding Sanguan was called Li Zongxun, who was also a descendant of the Li family, but his bloodline was more remote. He was good at defending the city and loyal. There was no problem, so he was specially chosen to guard Sanguan. Xiahou Yuanfeng also came to Sanguan a few days ago to preside over the spying in Shuzhong. He brought the manpower of Si Wen Cao's Southwest County Division and Ming Jian Division to arrange the sneaking into Dongchuan, but Dongchuan was almost invincible. Jin, Xiahou Yuanfeng didn't know that this was the result of the Jinxiu Alliance secretly assisting King Qing. He took a high look at King Qing's ability and became more and more distressed. So when Xiahou Yuanfeng learned that Qiu Shan asked for an audience, he was almost stunned. The subordinate who he thought had been dead reappeared. This thing was enough to shock him. This time, Xiahou Yuanfeng brought him to help. However, his Hualiu knew it well. Although he no longer had the opportunity to contact Jiang Zhe's power in the past few years, he could still know some things. The Splendid Alliance was secretly controlled by Jiang Zhe. He knew this, so Qiu Shan suddenly came back alive, and Hualiu quickly thought of the possible reason. Xiahou Yuanfeng was thinking carefully, and when he saw the smile on Hualiu's lips, he immediately remembered what Li Zhi had said vaguely, and felt relieved, so he ordered Qiu Shan to be summoned.