The Grandmaster Strategist

In August of the 14th year of Tongtai, the Duke was well trained in the army, so he made an agreement with Rong Yuan to jointly take Xiangyang. Rong Yuan was blocked by strong soldiers and could not advance. They were blocked in Jingling. The Duke left Yiyang and entered Wan and Deng. After breaking through Xiangyang, I heard that Chu State Marquis Jiang Zhe was guarding Gucheng, so he sent his troops to attack it. Zhe was playing the harp on the city wall. When the Duke heard about it, he retreated, sighing and saying, "My master must not offend lightly. Stay overnight."

Jingling's troops retreated, and Rong Yuan heard that the Duke had taken Xiangyang. He was so angry that he sent two reports to falsely accuse the Duke of supporting the troops. At that time, rumors arose among the people, and the song said: "The king of Lu issued a new order, and thousands of camps shouted together." I still believe that the public has the intention of self-reliance.

Unaware of changes occurring in the south of the Yangtze River, he attacked Gucheng for ten days. The general knew that Xiangyang was in danger, so he abandoned Gucheng and returned to his army. He defeated Yong's army outside the city. He was worried that Xiangyang would have no help, so he asked for reinforcements in the court. When Shang Xiang heard about it, he even suspected that he had secretly communicated with the Yong people, so he urged the king to issue an edict to summon him back. The king resigned and said that the general was outside. The king was angry after hearing this and issued seven edicts to retreat. There were no reinforcements outside the house, and there was no food and grass inside. Return as a last resort. Linfeng cried and said: "The great cause has not been accomplished, and the Middle Road has crossed south. From now on, there will be no hope of the Central Plains."

The father of the public division, Xiangyang, stopped the horse and said: "We will help the general to defend the city, and the Yong army will rule Xiangyang with military laws. They will not be pardoned."

When the Duke heard this, he wept and walked slowly, waiting for the people to move south. Yong's army heard the anger and attacked hard without retreating. They stayed on guard for seven days and burned Xiangyang before returning.

In September, the public division arrived in Anlu, and the imperial envoys went to the army to urge the Duke to go to the capital. The generals may persuade him to rebel, but the Duke said: "How can we betray our loyalty?" He went to the road despite being ill, and all the three armies wept.

——"The Biography of Duke Zhongwu, the History of Chu in the Southern Dynasties"

Wei Ying knew that at this time, Huaixi general Shi Guan was in command in Shouchun, while Lu Yun was commanding the flying cavalry battalion to fight against the Yong army in Zhongli. Over the years, Lu Yun had been traveling between Suzhou and Xiaoxian to avoid the sharp enemy and attack. The enemy's weak point is that he is already a very famous young general. Especially in the past two years, Lu Yun and Shi Yujin often went into battle together, looking at each other from the left and each other from the right, causing the enemy's soldiers to fall on their backs. If they could get Lu Yun's support , raise your arms, and at least the Huaixi Army will support you. The heart-to-heart relationship between father and son may force Lu Can to rebel. There is no need to raise a rebel flag, as long as he deliberately provokes a border provocation and starts a war with Dayong, Shang Weijun will definitely not dare to kill Lu Can easily. Thinking of this, Wei Ying ignored all the hard work and rushed to Zhongli overnight. He knew that once Lu Can was captured, the imperial envoy would also go to Huaixi, so he must hurry up and dare to get in front of the envoy.

On September 22nd, Wei Ying, who was dressed in dust, rushed to Shouchun. He was not planning to enter the city, but rushed directly to Zhongli to see Lu Yun. Unexpectedly, he saw a man in silver armor at the city gate. The young general wearing a blood-red cloak led more than ten personal guards to rush out from the city gate. The young general carried a silver gun. Where the gun flashed, the soldiers guarding the city fled away, allowing the young man and his group to rush out. city ​​gate.

Wei Ying took shelter by the roadside and looked around. He saw a person sitting in front of the young general, and he was tightly wrapped in a big cloak. His heroic appearance was heart-wrenching at first sight. But when Wei Ying saw it, he felt a chill in his heart. Even though the young general was wearing a military uniform, he recognized that it was Lu Yun's wife Shi Yujin. Shi Yujin is an unusual woman. She has been fighting side by side with Lu Yun in the past few years. She is the deputy general of the Flying Cavalry Battalion. She is more brave and fierce than men. When she goes into battle, she wears silver armor and looks like Lu Yun. Everyone in the Yong army knows that Lu Shi is name. She was a very famous young general in Southern Chu and the daughter of Shi Guan. How could she come out of Shouchun City to fight. When Wei Ying was hesitating, those people had already passed by him like lightning, and his cloak was blown up by the wind, revealing the face of the person in front of Shi Yujin, who turned out to be a beautiful and beautiful girl. What shocked Wei Ying was that the girl was Lu Can's only daughter, Lu Mei. Shi Yujin was already five months pregnant, otherwise she would not have left Zhongli and returned to Shouchun to recuperate. However, at this time, she rode her horse and ran wildly. Could it be that the imperial envoy had already taken action against Huaixi, or that Shi Guan had done something. Before Wei Ying could figure out the matter, he saw a group of sergeants wearing imperial uniforms pouring out of the city, chasing Shi Yujin and his party with great force.

Wei Ying almost fell off his horse. This team of forbidden troops must have been too arrogant. They actually chased and killed Shi Guan's daughter in Huaixi. Shi Guan only needed to give a hint.

Then someone would surround them and annihilate them, and the most they could do is throw the responsibility to Yong Jun. Doubts arose in his heart. Could it be that Shi Guan had defected to Shang Weijun so quickly, so he wanted to harm Lu Mei, and Shi Yujin violated his father's orders and rescued Mei? Son. Then, Wei Ying saw a group of Huaixi Army cavalry rushing out of the city gate, and his heart became more and more anxious. At this moment, Wei Ying did not want to go into the city to see Shi Guan. If Shi Guan had indeed surrendered to Shang Weijun, then he would Trying to rescue Shi Yujin was of no use. If not, then he wouldn't have to worry about anything. He might as well rush to Zhongli immediately so that Lu Yun could be somewhat prepared. It’s just that the shadow of failure has already loomed in Wei Ying’s heart. Could it be that someone as loyal as Mr. Lu couldn’t receive mercy from heaven, so he only allowed that insidious and cunning person to act cruelly? Could it be that he really had no chance at all?

Shi Yujinyin's face was already pale under the helmet. She had not been riding a horse for several months, and she felt a lot unfamiliar. Not to mention the vague feeling of discomfort that made her always feel a little dizzy. However, she still sat firmly on the horse, unwilling to show any signs of it. A hint of exhaustion. Holding Mei'er tightly, her heart was full of anger. More than ten days ago, she learned that her father-in-law Lu Can was slandered and harmed, and she felt uneasy. She urged her father to write a letter to defend her father-in-law, but nothing happened. What shocked her even more was that last night, her father's personal guards secretly came to tell him that Shang Weijun had sent an envoy, saying that the general had been captured and taken to Beijing, and that the three Lu brothers and sisters in Huaixi were to be secretly Capture Jianye back, but his father actually agreed, but only asked to keep himself alone.

Shi Yujin hated her father's betrayal, so she immediately went to find Lu Mei without delay, and rushed out of Shouchun City with only her bodyguards. She wanted to go to Zhongli to meet Lu Yun, and she didn't care about her physical discomfort. She didn't bother to explain the truth to Mei'er, but just rushed on her way. Fortunately, the soldiers guarding the city didn't dare to fight with her, so she could easily rush out of the city gate. Not long after she left the city, she realized that there were forbidden troops chasing behind her. She was heartbroken and simply led her bodyguard back to kill them.

Although those forbidden troops have been trained in recent years, they are just newborn calves compared to the elite cavalry of the Huaixi Army who have been fighting for many years. Although they came forward without fear, they were easily defeated by Shi Yujin and his party. Taking the lead, a gun shot into the chest of the leader of the Forbidden Army. Shi Yujin was about to lift the corpse away, but felt that his hand softened, the strength was gone, and blood spattered over her. Her silver armor was covered with blood. Fortunately, Lu Mei had already She covered her chest with a big cloak, so it wasn't stained with blood. Shi Yujin took a deep breath, pointed his silver spear at the several Forbidden Soldiers who were running away, and said loudly: "Leave no one behind."

At this moment, smoke and dust billowed in the distance, but a middle-aged general came over with more than a hundred Huaixi sergeants. Those Huaixi sergeants extended their wings like arms outstretched, protecting the imperial guards who fled towards them. The leading general said loudly: "Major General, the general has an order, please major general and Miss Lu return to Shouchun immediately. .”

Shi Yujin said angrily: "Chen Ming, how dare you come to take me. Have you forgotten who avenged you for killing your brother? You are worthy of Brother Yun and me."

The middle-aged general showed a look of shame on his face, but he said uneasily: "Young General, I dare not disobey the military orders. The general ordered me to tell the young general that the world is so big that there is nowhere to escape. Instead of lingering, it is better to fight for a loyal and loyal life." In addition, the general will definitely write a letter to guarantee the memorial, so it may not be without hope. I also ask the young general to understand the general's difficulties and not to bear the name of disloyalty and injustice."

Shi Yujin had a fiery nature. He pointed his silver gun at Chen Ming and cursed: "I don't care about loyalty. In terms of loyalty, who else can beat the general? But the king's decree can trap the father-in-law in prison." I will not let Yun Di, Er Di and Meier go to Jianye to die. Go back and tell my father that he was the one who facilitated this marriage in the first place. Our Shi family was promoted by the Lu family. If he is ungrateful and helps those If a traitor comes to make things difficult for us as a couple, I will not recognize him as my father even if I die."

When Chen Ming heard this, a strange look flashed in his eyes, and he said: "Since the Major General said this, then the junior general can only offend. Sir, the general has his life, and he is not allowed to hurt the Major General and Miss Mei."

Shi Yujin was furious when he heard this. He didn't expect that Chen Ming would actually dare to take action. Just as he was about to step forward with his gun, several personal guards rushed out and said loudly: "Young General, let's go first. Let's take the lead."

Shi Yujin was stunned. If it had been in the past, let alone letting his subordinates cut off the rear, he would have regretted it for a few days if he had been a step too late in charging. But thinking about his current situation and thinking about Mei'er in his arms, rather than being stuck here, it is better to leave first. , not to mention that they are not enemies. As long as she escapes, the soldiers can abandon their weapons and surrender. Chen Ming will not make it difficult for them. Thinking of this, she said sternly: "Chen Ming, if you kill them, you will die sooner or later." Under my gun." After saying that, he galloped away on horseback, followed by eight personal guards, half of whom took the initiative to stay behind to block the pursuers. After a moment, the backs of Shi Yujin and others had disappeared without a trace. The guards fought desperately to resist. Chen Ming was blocked for a moment, but he was already beyond pursuit. He sighed and said: "The young general has left, why don't you give up your weapons?" Surrender and follow me back to the general to apologize."

Those personal guards were all Shi Guan's old troops, but they were selected as personal guards by Shi Yujin. If it were not for the young general, they would not have fought against Chen Ming. When they heard this, they were all upset. Two of the personal guards were shot down first. When they got off their horses, several other guards also smiled bitterly and dropped their weapons, letting Chen Ming's sergeants tie them up.

Unexpectedly, at this time, a forbidden soldier came up with a steel knife and slashed down randomly. Chen Ming and others did not expect it. Seeing a personal guard falling in a pool of blood, the forbidden soldier was restrained by other Huaixi sergeants. The forbidden soldier was still He said resolutely: "These rebellious traitors should all be killed. If Captain Chen protects them, he will be guilty of the same crime."

A fierce light flashed in Chen Ming's eyes, and he thought about it, remembering the general's strict order, and finally suppressed his anger and said: "They have violated military law, and they will naturally be dealt with by the general, but you don't have to do anything. This is Huaixi, not Jianye. "The imperial guard finally noticed the anger in everyone's eyes, and thought that he was only a handful of people now. If he was killed and silenced, but he couldn't even say the word "unjust", he might as well go back and see the imperial envoy to be more jealous. Thinking of this, his arrogance immediately dropped, and there was even more fear in his eyes. Chen Ming glanced at him coldly and said loudly: "Go back to camp!" After that, he stepped forward and picked up the body of the killed bodyguard, mounted his horse and ran away. The other Huaixi sergeants looked at each other, cut off the ropes of the surrendering guards, and asked them to mount their horses and go back on their own, so as not to be killed by the forbidden troops again, and turned around and left without caring. Those Imperial Guards who survived were secretly angry, but they didn't care about the bodies of their companions. They just rode their horses and left with the Huaixi Army, so as not to die in unknown circumstances when they were left alone.

Shi Yujin rode his horse for a long time before he remembered to check on Lu Mei's condition. He ordered everyone to stop their mounts, raised their visors, opened their cloaks, and inspected her body. She saw that there were no wounds on Lu Mei's body. She was relieved, but heard something in her ears. Sobbing, she looked in surprise, only to see Lu Mei's fair and beautiful face covered with tears. Feeling Shi Yujin's nervous gaze, she raised her head and mustered up the courage to ask: "Sister-in-law, what happened? Why? They said daddy was imprisoned, why did Uncle Shi want to arrest us?"

Shi Yujin felt a pain in his heart and said: "Mei'er, you don't have to worry. Although my father is in some difficulties, there is probably no room for improvement. My father is unjust and I look down on him, but I don't think he will kill everyone." , we’d better go find your elder brother first, and then we’ll have the Flying Cavalry Battalion to protect us, so no one will dare to attack us.”

There were tears in Lu Meiming's eyes, and she whispered: "I know that no one is willing to tell me the truth. The Queen Mother wants me to enter the palace as a concubine, and I don't want to, but my second brother tricked me into coming to Shouchun, but If you don’t tell me the truth, my sister-in-law is like this now, because Mei’er is useless, she can’t help everyone, and she will be a drag on my sister-in-law.”

Shi Yujin became more and more sad and said in a low voice: "Silly girl, you are the apple of the eye of the Lu family. If you still have to worry about fighting on the battlefield, fighting in the court, and what else do you want us to do, don't worry, I will fight for it." My life will also protect your safety. At most, your eldest brother and I will go out of Huaixi with two guns."

When Lu Mei heard this, she burst into tears. She leaned on Shi Yujin's chest and choked up without saying a word. The eight personal guards also eclipsed their expressions. One of them said bitterly: "The general always values ​​his loyalty. How can he rely on the prime minister this time? Even the major general I don't care about it." As soon as the words came out, he felt that he had lost his words. He saw Shi Yujin's face getting paler and paler, and a mouthful of blood rushed out. Lu Mei couldn't help but exclaimed, reaching out to support Shi Yujin. Everyone knew that Shi Yujin had always been competitive, and now The hard work of escaping from Shouchun was not as painful as what her father did. The guard felt so regretful that he slapped himself hard. Shi Yujin opened his eyes and said calmly: "It's none of your business, that's all. Let's go to Zhongli first."

As soon as these words came out, everyone agreed in unison. At this moment, a cold voice came and said: "Zhongli Road is far away. I'm afraid you won't be able to go. It's better for me to send Major General Shi and Miss Lu to Huangquan Road." Bar."

Everyone heard the sound and went away, only to see a woman in green clothes walking more than a hundred feet away on the left path. She seemed to be moving very slowly, but she was already close in an instant. Her feet were not stained with dust, her green clothes were flying, and she was beautiful. Although there are traces of age on her brows and corners of her eyes, she is no less attractive than a twenty-eight-year-old girl. Except for a green-edged sword on her back, there is nothing else on her body, making her look even more plain and unpretentious.

Shi Yujin frowned and looked at the woman in green. She had also learned Emei martial arts. She was not just a martial artist who only knew how to fight on the battlefield. He could tell at a glance that this woman's eyes were gleaming with cold light and her sword aura was domineering. She was a rare master. , If it is a battlefield fight, I still have a few chances. If it is a rivers and lakes fight, I will definitely be completely defeated.

Gently patting Lu Mei, who was trembling slightly, Shi Yujin said loudly: "Who are you to dare to block my general's path?"

A trace of ridicule flashed in the eyes of the woman in green, and she said calmly: "I am Feng Feifei. I think the young general may not have heard of this name."

Shi Yujin was a little confused and felt a little familiar, but couldn't remember where he had heard this name. Somehow, Shi Yujin felt that the woman's sarcastic look was not directed at him, but more like a kind of self-deprecation. But at this moment, she didn't care to think about it. With a wink, a personal guard rode over and whispered: "I'm sorry." Then she stretched out her hands to hug Lu Mei and put her on his horse. Although Lu Mei was a little uneasy, the guard was already in his thirties and looked like her elder, and his movements were cautious. Lu Mei was worried about Shi Yujin, so she didn't show any strange expression.

Shi Yujin sent Lu Mei aside and felt relieved. He pointed his gun at the woman in green and said, "No matter who you are, if you want to take the life of this Major General, you still have to ask me if my silver gun will answer."

The woman in green, Feng Feifei, smiled coldly. Shi Yujin felt his eyes blurred. The shadow of the sword in the sky had already arrived in front of him. Shi Yujin didn't care to distinguish where the sword came from. A strong feeling of crisis arose in his heart. With a sharp shout, the silver spear was flat. Stab out, straight into the center of the sword shadow, this spear is full of the spirit of a bloody battle on the battlefield, it is a move that hurts both sides. There is a crisp sound, and a scream comes from the snow-like sword light, but the sword light shows no sign of weakening, just like It rushed over like a tidal wave. Shi Yujin felt that everything in front of her eyes was the shadow of the sword, and she couldn't even see the figure of the woman in green. She simply closed her eyes slightly and did not look at the dazzling sword light. Instead, she just shook the silver spear away with the insight in her heart. , the shadow of the gun is like pear blossoms, scattered like snow. With the spear skills of tens of millions of soldiers, he was able to block the sword light, but Shi Yujin knew that he was only relying on his disregard for life and death and the experience of bloody battles on the battlefield to fight to a draw. If the fight continued, he would only be able to draw thirty moves at most. , you will be injured by the sword. Shi Yujin was a brave general on the battlefield, not a woman from the world. Thinking of this, he ignored the rules and said loudly: "Everyone, come together, surround and kill this person."

All the guards were already ready. Upon hearing Shi Yujin's order, except for the two guards who stayed behind to protect Lu Mei, the rest of the guards had already raised their guns and raised their spears. The six of them formed a battle formation, echoing each other, and fired at the woman in green. Kill. Although the woman's swordsmanship was superb, under the siege of Shi Yujin and six personal guards, she fell into a situation where she was more defensive than offensive, not to mention that the six of them had horses to help.

Feng Feifei was a little angry and sneered: "Although I have always heard that the girl from Shiguan is young, she is a capable general on the battlefield, brave and good at fighting. Now it seems that she just relies on the strength of numbers." He kept talking, and the sword became more and more fierce. , within a radius of about ten feet, there are shadows of sword waves and snow, rolling like a tide.

Shi Yujin also ignored her. If she was fussing over anything on the battlefield, there would be no chance of winning. A silver spear became more and more divine, leaping and leaping in the waves of the sword, like a dragon playing in the water. She had reached the state of perfection with each move. At this moment, she Gradually forgetting the crisis-ridden situation, several years of bloody battles on the battlefield, the crisis of life and death, coupled with the discouragement and indifference to life and death, she miraculously advanced to the realm where the gun and man are one, and she only felt that the silver gun in her hand As if he had a life of his own, he automatically blocked the enemy's attack and stabbed the enemy's vitals. The crisp sound of swords and spears clashing could be heard endlessly. Although Feng Feifei was highly skilled in martial arts, after all, the sword was not as good as the spear in attacking far distances. He only felt that his insides were being hit repeatedly. Shocked, I couldn't help but feel a chill in my heart, and I had the idea of ​​​​escape.

But at this moment, Shi Yujin suddenly felt a pain in her abdomen. She was already having fetal gas from fighting so hard. She couldn't help but let out a soft cry, and the silver gun in her hand trembled, revealing a flaw. Feng Fei Fei was a top-notch swordsman in the world. He took the opportunity to shout loudly, shooting out silver light from his hand, causing blood to splash. He screamed several times, and several of his bodyguards already covered their throats and fell to the ground. Feng Fei Fei Fei Fei took advantage of the rare opportunity to kill the six personal guards who were assisting from behind. As soon as the sword light faded, Feng Fei Fei had already retreated a few feet, and her face looked a little pale. She also tried her best with this sword, The consumption is huge.

Shi Yujin just relaxed her hands, and several of her bodyguards who had accompanied her in the bloody battle died on the spot. She couldn't help but feel great grief in her heart, but the severe pain in her abdomen came again, and she couldn't help but be horrified. At this time, Feng Feifei had already jumped in. On top, Shi Yujin no longer dared to fight, and said miserably: "Quickly go." Before his voice fell, he had already galloped towards the wilderness. The personal guard protecting Lu Mei also raised his whip and chased after him. The personal guards protecting Lu Mei rode towards the woman in green. Before the three and two riders had run very far, they heard screams from behind. The remaining guard looked back and saw his brother's head flying up, and his body being kicked off the horse by the woman in green. , the woman had already landed on the saddle and was about to ride after her. On the horse in front, Shi Yujin was already lying on the horse's back and seemed to have fallen into a coma. If it weren't for habit and intuition that made her hug the horse's neck tightly, she might have fallen off the horse. The guard felt miserable in his heart, and a ferocious look appeared on his livid face. He said loudly: "Miss Mei, you protect the young general." After saying that, he jumped off the saddle, landed on the ground, stood in the middle of the road, and faced the flying man. The chase rider.

Lu Mei screamed in pain, but although she was young and inexperienced, she was also the daughter of a general. She knew that life and death were at stake at this moment, and the lives of both of them were in her hands. Fortunately, she also knew how to ride. Although she was not good at it, she had forgotten everything in her heart at this moment. , galloping on horseback, unexpectedly caught up with Shi Yujin. At this time, Shi Yujin had lost consciousness and his body was shaky. Lu Mei's heart skipped a beat and flew forward. Regardless of life and death, she actually jumped onto the saddle behind Shi Yujin, and her grip was already loose. of horse reins. She felt like she was breaking out in a cold sweat, and Lu Mei was secretly grateful. When she practiced this move with her second brother, she would fall off the horse nine times out of ten. Fortunately, she had a general to protect her, so she didn't break her neck. Later, she was killed by her mother. I will never practice such a dangerous trick again. Fortunately, I succeeded this time. After calming down a little, she was afraid that the woman in green was chasing her. She didn't have a riding whip in her hand. She felt cruel, pulled out the dagger from her waist for self-defense, and stabbed the horse's butt. The white horse neighed and ran forward like a madman. Lu Mei could only feel the sound of wind in her ears, and could no longer see clearly the scenery on both sides. She could only hug Shi Yujin tightly, tighten the reins and let the horse run wildly.

But she didn't know that behind her, Feng Feifei was gnashing her teeth and cursing. She couldn't catch up. The martial arts of the personal guards who blocked him in the end were insignificant in her opinion. Unexpectedly, the man let out whistles of different lengths, and the war horses listened. She was running in all directions, even the war horse under her was going crazy, trying its best to throw her off. She lost her mind and let go of the reins. Fortunately, she was extremely talented and flew up without being hurt by the frightened horse. Seeing that the horse that could be used to chase the enemy was lost, she could only stab the guard to death with a sword to vent her anger. Unexpectedly, the guard hugged her right leg desperately. Although she was in her thirties, she was still unmarried. She couldn't help but panic. She slashed several times with her sword before she cut off the guard's hands and escaped. . Seeing the wide-open blood-red eyes of the bodyguard, she felt a surge of anger in her heart. She swung her sword fiercely and cut the body of the bodyguard into seventeen or eight pieces before she finally lost her anger. Looking into the distance, she didn't know where the two targets had fled. She could only sigh softly and prepare to go to Zhongli and wait. As she moved her body, she felt a pain in her vest, and then a numb feeling spread from her back to her whole body. She struggled to lift the sword, but her hand let go and the sword fell to the ground. Then her body fell forward, and she felt When she lost consciousness, she shouted with all her strength: "Who is it? You are not a hero for sneak attack and assassination."

A cold voice came from behind: "The three girls of Fengyi Sect have now become assassins who hunt down the family members of loyal ministers and famous generals. Could it be that these are the disciples of the famous sect? In my opinion, they are not as good as these loyal soldiers who protect the Lord. It's a pity that I came a step late, these heroic men, Miss Feng, I don't know if you have the face to meet the revered master."

Feng Feifei could feel the passing of life. Her eyes gradually darkened and she hissed: "Who are you? I want to know who you are?"

The man behind him chanted: "Falling flowers and flowing water are two kinds of love. Hatred has no basis. Dreams are hard to come true. Leaning all over the railings, the wind is still clear. The dewdrops on the pine trees are still and people are still, opening the treasure seal script and reciting Huang Ting. (Note 1) ) A dying person, why do you need to know so many things? Do you still want to entrust your dreams to your fellow apprentices and sisters?"

Fuzzy images appeared in Feng Feifei's mind, the misery of her parents' death when she was a girl, the glory after becoming a master, the hard work of practicing swordsmanship to win the favor of the master, the scenes of the sisters chatting and laughing, recalling each scene. Getting up, gradually, everything turned into a passing cloud, her body gradually stopped struggling, and her eyes lost their luster.

The man turned Feng Feifei's body over, his eyes fell on her green-grey jade face, and sighed: "Although you only know what others say, you have been clean and self-sufficient over the years and have not humiliated the teacher too much. Now that you have Even if you die, I don't want you to suffer any more humiliation. I am a beautiful lady, but you have become a thief. Today, I will return to the loess, and I don't want to regret it again." After that, the man poured the medicine in the jade bottle in his hand onto Feng Feifei. , in just a moment, the pink lady turned into a puddle of clear water and seeped into the ground, leaving only a few scattered things. The person buried them all with loess, and then followed the horse's hoof prints, and soon she was submerged in the wilderness.

On September 23, in Zhongli City, Lu Yun, who had just returned from the battlefield in Suzhou, and Wei Ying, who had been waiting in Zhongli all night, learned about the disappearance of Shi Yujin and Lu Mei. Wei Ying regretted not protecting the two girls from going to Zhongli together. Lu Yun's expression was as calm as water, without any agitation, and he didn't seem to care, but Wei Ying could clearly detect the deep sadness in this young man. After comforting Lu Yun for a few words, Wei Ying opened his mouth to persuade Lu Yun to fight to save his father, but Lu Yun just shook his head and said nothing. Lu Feng, who was already in tears beside him, had a light in his eyes and said sternly: "Brother, you just don't hate me. They caused my sister-in-law and sister to disappear, so don’t they care about my father’s life?”

Lu Yun withdrew his indifferent gaze and said, "I have already sworn to serve the country as loyally as my father, and I will die without regrets. How can I ruin my father's reputation of loyalty even if my father is tied up and refuses to rebel?"

Lu Feng said angrily: "In the name of loyalty, can you ignore the life and death of your loved ones? They want to kill them all. Not only do they want to kill dad, I'm afraid they will also kill you, and even my sister-in-law and Mei'er. My mother and little brother can’t escape death, so why should we, the Lu family, have to fight to the death to be loyal and righteous, bullshit!”

An angry look flashed across Lu Yun's face, he waved his hand and knocked Lu Feng to the ground. He pointed at Lu Feng and cursed: "If you have such intentions, you are not a descendant of my Lu family. Have you forgotten my father's daily teachings?"

Lu Feng spat out the blood from his mouth and said sadly: "Dad always said that the children of the Lu family should not lose their loyalty even if they die, that they should not be afraid of their own lives for the sake of their family and country, and that they should not hesitate to honor and disgrace themselves for the sake of the people. But I am not willing to give in, and I will never give in."

Lu Yun said coldly: "Since you remember, how dare you make such arrogant remarks? If dad is willing to rebel, how can he tie himself up and go to Beijing? If dad is like this, how can I rebel? If I raise troops to fight back to Jianye, I'm afraid I will just do it." If the vanguard of the Yong army is defeated, then the treacherous prime minister can justifiably kill dad. As the son of a man, how can he be betrayed by his elders and be disloyal and unjust? What's more, if dad doesn't rebel, he doesn't want to see hundreds of millions of people in the south of the Yangtze River die in civil strife. , I think the same way, even if our whole family is dead, if we can avoid the disaster of civil strife, it will be a worthy death."

Tears of blood dripped from Lu Feng's eyes, and he hissed: "Does it mean that my eldest brother doesn't care about the lives of my mother, sister-in-law, Mei'er and my little brother at all?"

A flash of pain flashed in Lu Yun's eyes, and he said softly: "Second brother, mother and younger brother are now building a business. If I raise an army, I will definitely kill them first. Although Yu Jin and Mei'er are missing, they have not been seen yet. The body may still be alive. Dad and I died for the country without any regrets, but you can't stay here. Now you immediately change your name and surname, fly away, and leave a line of cigarettes for my Lu family. This will It’s your credit.”

Lu Feng cried when he heard this: "Brother, no, you come with me. Instead of being killed by them, why don't we leave together."

Lu Yun turned his back and said calmly: "In the Lu family, apart from my father, I am the only one in the army. If I escape, the traitor will definitely accuse my father. What's more, I will be out for one day, and the traitor will I can never feel at ease, and I will definitely not let my mother and little brother go. If I am behind bars, they will relax their pursuit of Yu Jin, you and Meier. Don't worry, dad and I may not have a chance to survive. "

Lu Feng cried loudly: "No, I also want to go to Jianye with my eldest brother. If we die, we will die together."

Lu Yun scolded: "Foolish, if you die too, who can Yu Jin, Mei'er, or even mother and younger brother rely on in the future?" After saying this, his expression softened slightly, and he said: "There is one more thing. , you have to remember that when I went to Yongdu to assassinate the master, I didn’t even have a chance to do it. I lost face, but I also made a few friends. Now most of them have gone to the battlefield, whether in public or private. , if you see them, they will definitely protect you. Even your master once said that if you are in danger in the future, you can take refuge with him. But how can I, a descendant of the Lu family, take refuge in the enemy country, so you must remember that even if you are trapped in In the desperate situation of life and death, you must not take refuge in Dayong, let alone be the enemy of Nanchu."

Lu Feng knew that his brother was true to his words and had a fatherly attitude, so he did not dare to disobey him anymore. He just nodded silently, and his blood and tears fell into the dust.

Lu Yun didn't look back, and his tone became a little more sad as he continued: "Go ahead. If the Huaixi Army hadn't been dispatched yet, I'm afraid the imperial envoy would have already arrived in Zhongli. If so, if we can still see Yujin, Tell her for me that she should not blame her father-in-law, she will eventually understand his hard work."

Lu Feng felt sad and angry, thinking that if Shi Guan had not taken refuge with Shang Weijun so quickly, he would not have put his family in such a situation. He was about to curse, but he heard the sound of water dripping to the ground, and saw his brother's shoulders trembling slightly, and he no longer wanted to let it go. The elder brother was heartbroken and ran outside crying.

After a long time, Lu Yun turned around, bowed his head to Wei Ying, who was standing silently aside, and said, "Father Weber, I disappoint you. I need you to pay more attention to what dad has entrusted to you."

Wei Ying felt a sharp pain in his heart, and he suppressed his sorrow and said: "Young General is indeed the direct eldest son of the Lu family. I think the General has already expected that even if Wei goes against his wishes, it will not help."

Lu Yun whispered: "Yun has failed my uncle's high expectations. If my uncle sees Zhuo Jing in the future, please tell him. My father-in-law has no choice but to do this. He just wants to force Zhuo Jing to fly away. Zhuo Jing has a strong temperament. If my father-in-law had not done this, Zhuo Jing would never have left Huaixi to seek refuge."

Wei Ying sighed and said, "Ying has nothing to say anymore. Let's go to Huaidong to see Yang Canjun and convey the general's orders." After that, he turned around and left sadly.

Leaving Zhongli, Wei Ying ran all the way to Guangling, where the Huaidong Army camp was located. As soon as he entered Huaidong territory, Wei Ying learned the news that Emperor Yong Emperor Li Zhi was furious because of the war in Xiangyang. King Li Xian of Qi and Prince Li Jun , Changsun Ji, the commander-in-chief of Xiangyang, was reprimanded, and Jiang Zhe, the instigator, was demoted and fined. Jiang Zhe, who was already a Marquis of the country, became a Marquis of the country again. It is said that if it were not for the sake of Princess Changle of Ningguo, he would not be a Marquis. Can't keep it either. Moreover, because of the unfavorable outcome of the war, Li Zhi had ordered the Yong army to withdraw its defense line, and some important ministers of Yong Dynasty even wrote a letter proposing a truce and peace negotiation. If this news had been placed a few months ago, it would have been absolutely good news, but now, it was a post from the King of Hell that was soul-stirring and life-threatening. When Wei Ying heard the news, he finally couldn't bear it anymore and spat out a mouthful of blood. At this moment, he was once again After understanding Jiang Zhe's ruthless and careful strategy, he will never leave anyone a chance.

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Note 1: "Jiang Shenzi" by Zhang Jixian of Song Dynasty