The sky that had been overcast for a long time finally showed signs of snow falling in mid-to-late December. Wang Laixing's army arrived at the predetermined stronghold one after another, and surrounded the western army in the narrow strip between Qianwei County and Muchuan Division in the south of Jiading Prefecture. For a time, Zhao Ying's morale from top to bottom was like a rainbow, and everyone was looking forward to completely defeating the Western Army that had been rampant in the world for more than ten years, and had the opportunity to capture the famous "King of the West" Zhang Xianzhong with his own hands.

Yesterday, the flying cavalry of Mahu Mansion came to report that Ma Wannian had led 5,000 stone soldiers to defend Mahu Mansion and repelled a small group of Western army rangers who came to test it. The military newspapers of Liu Jiayin's department in Jingyan County and Santan department in Rong County are also stable. All directions were decided, and Wang Laixing felt that the time had come to launch a full-scale attack on the Western Army.

"The offering thief has become a turtle in an urn, and if you want to destroy it, now there are two options for urgency and slowness." Everything was within Qin Qigong's expectations, and his voice became more and more firm, "In an emergency, Jiading Prefecture, Jingyan County, Rong County and Mahu Mansion will advance in parallel, and work together to kill thieves; Slow down, stick to the strongholds, and use the heavy snow and food to trap the thieves and destroy themselves. ”

Wang Laixing groaned for a while, and said: "The Sichuan affairs are divided into north and south, and the north affairs are more important than the south affairs. Destroy the thief, fight quickly, or you will end up dreaming a lot at night. ”

Qin Qigong nodded with a smile and said: "The commander is bold, the morale of the three armies is high, and this attack will definitely wipe out the thieves in one fell swoop." "However, two days ago, Deng Tijun and Sun Tiling of Chongqing Mansion wrote a letter, saying that there was some movement in Guizhou Pixiong and Wang Xiang's two departments, and it seems that they have the intention of going north to Chongqing Mansion after the meeting of the Banzhou Xuanwei Division. ”

Wang Laixing said: "Zeng Ying and I mentioned this stubble, at that time he and Liu Linchang, who participated in the politics of East Sichuan Province, retreated to Nanchuan County after being defeated by the Western Army in Fuzhou, Chongqing Prefecture, and then the two agreed to act separately, Zeng Ying retreated west to Luzhou Mansion, while Liu Linchang went south to seek the support of Wang Xiang, the general of Banzhou Town, and Pi Xiong, the general of Guizhou. ”

Zhang Dang listened to it first and said: "The battle in Chongqing Mansion is over, and Pi and Wang are moving, I am afraid that there are more bad intentions than good intentions." These two men have a lot of troops and cannot turn a blind eye. ”

Wang Laixing responded: "Exactly, so it is imminent to destroy the offering thief, and it must not be delayed." ”

Several people were discussing the matter of marching into the army, and there was a rumor outside that the envoy of the Western Army asked to see him.

Wang Laixing and the others looked at each other a few times, and Qin Qigong smiled: "Let him in, and see what he has to say." ”

Not long after, a middle-aged man was introduced into the tent, and when he saw Wang Laixing, he knelt down and said loudly: "Villain Lu Yue, see Mr. Wang, see everyone!" ”

Wang Laixing asked him to get up and asked him, "Zhang Xianzhong asked you to come?" ”

Lu Yue nodded heavily and said, "The King of the West asked the villain to sue for peace." ”

"Summation?" Wang Laixing was slightly surprised, and turned his head to look at Qin Qigong.

Lu Yue continued: "The king of the West knows that he is not the opponent of your army, and he is happy to submit to your army, and is willing to submit to the Ming Dynasty and obey the people, so that your army can drive and serve the emperor. ”

Wang Lai smiled and said, "The King of the West is waking up now, I'm afraid it's a little late, right?" ”

"Put down the butcher's knife and become a Buddha on the ground, knowing your mistakes can improve greatly. I hope that the manager will give King Xi a chance to mend his ways. Lu Yue's words were sincere, "Our soldiers and horses can fight habitually, and they are familiar with northern affairs, if they are appeased, they will be able to fight bravely for the country and kill thieves to redeem themselves!" ”

When Qin Qigong heard this, he interjected: "You are eloquent, you look familiar, you went to Fanhe City when you were in Huguang, right?" ”

Lu Yue immediately said: "Mr. Meng can afford it, and he still remembers the face of the villain." A few years ago, the villain had the honor to meet Mr. Fu of your army, took him to our army, and followed the head of our army Ma Yuan Lima to visit Fanhe City. ”

"No wonder." Qin Qigong's face was expressionless, "But now the situation is in our army, tens of thousands of troops are falling down in an instant, and your army is only in the snap of your fingers, and I am afraid it will be too late to seek peace." ”

Lu Yue Zhengse said: "Sir's words are wrong, don't you hear that 'people are in a hurry to burn incense, and dogs are in a hurry to burn the wall', although our army is weak, but the trapped beasts are still fighting, let alone people?" There are still thousands of athletes in our army, all of them are sharp, and they can be ten with one, and the king of the west is like a god with soldiers, and the real sword soldiers meet each other, your army, hehe...... "said with a dry smile.

Wang Laixing sneered: "Trapped beasts are still fighting? I think it's about a bluff. Since your army is so confident, it is okay to see the real chapter on the battlefield. ”

When Lu Yue heard this, his face turned pale, and Qin Qigong asked: "If your army is allowed to surrender, how is the King of the West going to surrender, is it still the same as when Gucheng was surrendered, and he chose a knife to plow?" ”

"Definitely." Lu Yue shook his head again and again, "The King of the West is sincerely surrendering this time, and he has no thoughts about repeating it." If he had the opportunity to return to the rule of the imperial court, he would disband the army first, leaving only a few guards. Don't want to land, just want to serve with the army, and rely on real skills to make contributions on the battlefield. ”

Qin Qigong smiled and said, "Oh? This kind of thing actually came out of Zhang Xianzhong's mouth, which was really sincere. ”

Lu Yue bowed down to Wang Laixing, Qin Qigong and the others and saluted again: "However, no matter what the King of the West says, after all, he is a dignified figure, and he doesn't want anything, but he asks for face." Therefore, I hope that your army can hold a surrender ceremony at that time, so that he can return to the Ming Dynasty with the grace and dignity of our brothers. ”

Qin Qigong put his hand behind him and said: "Surrender ceremony? Do you still want to build an altar to listen to the seal? ”

Lu Yue blushed and said, "That'...... That's for the best. But it's not extravagant. "Everyone knows that since the rebellion in Gucheng again, Emperor Chongzhen was furious, and the Ming court completely lost trust in Zhang Xianzhong, and clearly ordered Zhang Xianzhong to die. Zhang Xianzhong wanted to surrender at this time, but it was not as simple as before.

Qin Qigong said with a blank expression at this moment: "Zhang Xianzhong is capricious, and he has long been a death offender appointed by the imperial court. If our army accepts his surrender, it will be a slap in the face to the court and the saint. How can our army jump in such a fire pit? Then his voice was hard, "Zhang Xianzhong wants to live, there is only one way, that is, to disband all the troops and surrender to our army alone." From now on, change your name and surname, accept the protection of our army, and don't think about it again. Other than that, there is no alternative. ”

"This ......" Lu Yue listened and hesitated.

Wang Laixing said proudly: "If you want to live, you must be obedient, otherwise the axe will be ruthless." After waiting for a long time, he didn't see Lu Yue agree, waved his hand, turned around and ordered loudly, "Send off!" ”

Several soldiers were just about to step forward, but Lu Yue actually snorted and knelt down at this time.

Wang Laixing frowned and said: "This matter is not negotiable, even if you kneel down and knock your brain open, it will be useless." With that, he waved his hand again and motioned for the soldiers to continue.

Lu Yue, who was prostrate on the ground, shouted: "The chief manager is slow, and agreeing to Zhang Xianzhong's surrender is really beneficial to your army!" ”

Qin Qigong heard him suddenly call Zhang Xianzhong's name and gave Wang Laixing a look. Wang Laixing comprehended, raised his hand to let several soldiers retreat, and said solemnly: "Stand up and speak!" ”

Lu Yue stood up stupidly, bowed and didn't dare to raise his head, but said: "Zhang Xianzhong's surrender is really a fake surrender, in fact, he wants to take advantage of the surrender ceremony of your army's altar building group to divide his troops and rush out of the gap and escape!" ”

Qin Qigong said: "You say this, are you unwilling to follow Zhang Xianzhong?" ”

Lu Yue raised his head suddenly, his eyes were wet and red, and said: "Exactly, not only me, but also our army Liu Jinzhong, Jin Tongwu and others have this intention, and they all swore with the villain to fight against Zhang Xianzhong!" And gritted his teeth and said, "Zhang Xianzhong went against the grain, and there was no way to kill him, and I will suffer for a long time." Now your army is in ambush on all sides, and it is the will of heaven that wants to destroy Zhang Xianzhong. We don't want to follow him to help the abuse, I hope to be able to abandon the darkness and turn to the light, and make meritorious contributions! ”

Qin Qigong stroked his beard and said: "You can say it directly, but how can I believe you?" There are many tricks in offering thieves, and it is unknown whether you were sent here to play a bitter trick to earn our army. ”

Lu Yue thought about it, didn't know how to prove himself, anxiously reached out and felt the dagger on his waist, and the soldiers on the left and right hurriedly rushed up to guard when they saw this, but heard him shout: "The villain knows that he can't win the trust of you, so he will die." I just ask you to remember that at that time, the army will encircle and suppress Zhang Xianzhong, and Liu Jinzhong, Jin Tongwu and others will definitely raise troops to echo inside, hoping to save a life for these people anyway! Shengluo slammed his hand and plunged the dagger into his throat.

The blade is half an inch close to the skin, so as not to give people a horizontal blow. Lu Yue looked stunned, only to see Qin Qigong retracting his hand into his sleeve, he didn't expect the seemingly elegant Qin Qigong to have such skills, and nodded to Qin Qigong with a shy face.

Wang Laixing immediately beckoned: "Give me a seat!" "On time, a small stool was moved behind Lu Yue's buttocks," Brother Lu, please take a seat. ”

Lu Yue sat down in a daze, his hands and feet trembled slightly, Qin Qigong stood beside him, and said loudly: "If you make the thief surrender, what are your plans?" ”

Hearing this, Lu Yue came back to his senses, walked on the edge of life and death, and he didn't bother to wipe his two tears from his eyes, and hurriedly said: "The thief wants to use the altar to delay the surrender, but he will not go to the surrender in person, and he should send someone else to go." At that time, your army can directly lead the army from the north to the south, and Liu Jinzhong, Jin Tongwu and others will echo from the south to the north. Attack the thief on both sides, and it is difficult for the thief to fly with wings! ”

Wang Laixing pondered and said: "But the thief is cunning, if you see the clues in advance, you will inevitably leak." ”

Lu Yue resolutely said: "It's okay, the villain will be around the thief, and he must be persuaded to join him." ”

Wang Laixing was stunned for a moment and said, "But in this way, if things happen together, don't you just ......."

Lu Yue lowered his head and groaned for a moment, then shook his head lightly and said: "It's okay, it is worth it to kill the thief and give up the life of the villain." What's more, "The manager only cares about actions, don't care about villains." The villain is just a mustard in the world, fluttering with the wind for most of his life, the people he has seen and the things he has passed are enough, and it makes no difference where he goes. Thousands of soldiers of the Western Army are no longer driven by thieves in exchange for the lives of the villain, so that the catastrophe will never be recovered, and the villain is willing! ”

Wang Laixing listened to his words, his heart shook, his face was unbearable, Qin Qigong saw Wang Laixing's speech, and said first: "Okay, you have this heart, and it is not in vain to say that the previous sentence 'turning back is the shore'." Before you leave, leave your place of origin and the names and locations of your relatives, and if there is a case, our army will take care of the aftermath for you. ”

Lu Yue smiled bitterly: "The villain voted for Xiying more than ten years ago, and he has always been alone, and he has no relatives anymore. Xiying is the villain's home and the villain's root, and if Xiying is done, the villain will have no regrets. ”

Wang Laixing couldn't help but say: "The Xiying was established by the thieves, don't you regret it if you do this?" ”

Lu Yue was silent for a long time, breathed a sigh of relief, and said slowly: "Things are people, not everything. The eight kings in the villain's heart were already dead the moment he called the 'King of the West'. ”