It is only more than 300 miles from the period to Ying, and it takes three days to sail. In the past three days, when the boat stopped at sunset every day, Xiang Yan always received more and more urgent information. On the first day, it was said that the northern city wall of Chen Yingbei had collapsed, and the two armies of the enemy and ours seemed to be fighting at the collapse of the city; The next day, it was said that the enemy army had invaded Chen Ying, and the outer city was lost; On the third day, the boat had arrived in Yingdu, and Xiang Yan, who had hurriedly entered the city, had just entered the palace, when he heard a heart-rending cry, it was the Queen Mother Zhao, she was crying, and Xiang Yan heard an even more terrible news: the king had died in battle.

Fortunately, this is not official news, it is a rumor in the market. Princess Xuan learned outside the palace and couldn't help but tell Concubine Zhao, so Concubine Zhao personally came to Ling Yin's Mansion to inquire about Chen Ying's situation. Nao cunning never told Concubine Zhao how the war was, he would only repeat that 'the king is unharmed', Zhao Huang was not, Zhao Huang hesitated when he answered, and he couldn't see that Concubine Zhao's tears were pouring down at that time, Zhao Huang was even more panicked when he saw this, and could only tell Chen Yingcheng the truth about the break, and then Concubine Zhao began to cry.

A cadre of important ministers and clan leaders were kneeling and bowing, and Xiang Yan and Peng Zong, who had just ascended the steps to enter the hall, also bowed to Concubine Zhao on one side. Zhao Huang tried his best to defend: "Queen Mother, there is no shortage of grain and straw in Chen Yingcheng, 50,000 armor soldiers, 10,000 sets of armor, everyone has iron blades, and there are more than 1,000 iron horses, more than 100 heavy horses, how can the king fall?" This rumor too! This rumor too! ”

"Queen Mother, there is still Marquis Qin in Yingdu, Marquis Qin made up rumors in order to disturb the hearts of our army, it is not credible!" Knowing that Pi Si Qu Kai also knelt forward, he couldn't figure out why the king didn't purge the Qin Hou spies in the country and let them do it. Those who know are just that, and those who don't know, such as the Queen Mother, are easily deceived by the rumors they unleash.

"Please let the Queen Mother rest down, Ling Yin has sent a message to summon the county officials from all over the country, General Xiang Bo has arrived, and the ministers are discussing the strategy to save Chen." Song Yu is a Taifu, with the highest status, and his words also carry the most weight.

Concubine Zhao looked at these courtiers in front of her with teary eyes, and stopped crying for a while, and when she heard Song Yu's words, she glanced at Xiang Yan who was standing outside the hall again. Seeing Concubine Zhao's view, Xiang Yan immediately stepped forward to salute and said, "Minister Xiang Yan pays a visit to the Queen Mother." Following him, the military Sima Peng Zong also admonished: "Minister Peng Zong pays a visit to the Queen Mother." ”

Among the courtiers, only Xiang Yan and Peng Zong were dressed in huge armor, the sky was dark, and the light reflected on the armor was the most conspicuous. Concubine Zhao raised her sleeves to wipe her tears, looked at Xiang Yan and asked, "The king is in danger...... When will Xiang Bo send troops to save the king? ”

"Empress Dowager, Qin Wei's army attacked me in three ways, and the existing army was contained, and it took a lot of time to recruit county soldiers from all over the country, and it should be at the end of the next month." As soon as she heard Xiang Yan say that she would not be able to send troops until the end of next month, Concubine Zhao's tears welled up again. Xiang Yan hurriedly said: "Don't worry, Queen Mother! Among Chen Ying's 50,000 soldiers, 30,000 county soldiers, 10,000 feudal monarchs, 5,000 kings, and 5,000 sanitation palace armor. Among them, 10,000 people are dressed in the huge armor on the minister's body, and this armor is not a bronze soldier, it is ......"

With a 'choking' sound, the sword in Xiang Yan's waist slashed at her left shoulder, and Concubine Zhao was immediately stunned, even forgetting to cry. Xiang Yan pointed to the place where it was cut and said, "Queen Mother, please see, the huge armor is a treasure knife, and it cannot be broken." The royal city is three miles long, and although the city is small, the number of troops required is also small. The food and straw in the city are worry-free, and the soldiers use their lives, how can the Qin people break the city in more than a month? ”

"Tell the Queen Mother that the royal city is four feet eight feet high, and there are many stone-throwing vessels in it, and the arrows have just been replenished. Not to mention the siege, even if you are 300 steps close to the city, you need to wait for the arrows and artillery shells in the city to run out. The minister asserted that the Qin people were not as good as breaking the city. Peng Zong also spoke. The Empress Dowager knew that Chen Ying's outer city had been guarded for more than three months, and the arrows and artillery shells in the city were exhausted, and the Qin army had not yet broken the city. The destruction of the city this time was the reason why the Qin army led the East Lake to flood the city, not because of the attack, and not because our Chu soldiers were defeated by the Qin soldiers.

The outer city was previously garrisoned by the general Shinhei-kun. Xin Pingjun guarded Handan for three years, and the Qin people were afraid. However, the general was a northerner, and he did not know the geography and soil of Huaishang, so he dug more secret doors in the city to facilitate the entry and exit of the defenders. The Qin army soaked the city, and the secret door seeped water, and the wall was broken and the city was broken. This is true of the outer city, but not of the royal city, and there is no secret door in the wall of the royal city, even if it is immersed in the city, it may be several months. ”

Peng Zong talked eloquently, explaining why the outer city was breached, what advantages our army had, and where the royal city was strong. Concubine Zhao had never been to Chen Ying, and she didn't know the situation between the enemy and us, and listening to him at this time, her broken hearts finally barely came together. Finally, she got up and saluted the ministers and said, "The old woman has lost her manners. ”

The queen mother saluted, the ministers hurriedly avoided it, and Zhao Huang took the opportunity to say: "Please return to the palace for the queen mother, and the ministers will discuss the strategy of saving Chen, and they will go to bed to the next day." ”

"Yes." Concubine Zhao looked at everyone again, and then moved out of Ling Yin's Mansion and went to bed.

"Hey!" Zhao Huang breathed a sigh of relief, he felt more and more that Ling Yin was not good to do. "Uncle Xiang has traveled all the way, okay?"

Uncle is Xiang Yan's title, Zhao Huang is so called respectful, Xiang Yan laughed when he heard this, he was not used to the title of Xiang Bo. "All the way is safe, Xie Lingyin is worried. Dare to ask......" Xiang Yan waved around the ministers, "Is there a plan to save Chen?" ”

It's okay not to mention saving Chen, but when it comes to saving Chen, Zhao Huang, Song Yu and others sighed, Zimo even scolded: "The county Gongyi Yin is all through Qin!" ”

"Why?" Xiang Yan was shocked. He also calculated the strength of troops on the road, and the reality was very cruel, even if he added the 50,000 people in Chen Yingcheng, the Chu army was only 310,000 - he didn't know the surprise attack plan on Aocang, the 50,000 elite soldiers in Yingdu could not be mobilized, and he didn't know that the soldiers of Jiangdong had not been recruited before because the assembly time was too long.

"Look!" Zi Mosse came over with a stack of flying telegrams. The first one above said: 'The county officials have been exhausted, and the soldiers have nothing to call, please order Yin to send the country's honorable soldiers to save them'; then look at the next one, the above words: 'In the spring planting season, Ding Nan does not enter the army, and the county soldiers are difficult to call'; and then look at the next one, and say: The reputation of the soldiers does not kill people, and the people think that the king is unkind and does not want to be saved......

There are dozens of flying messages, more than half of which directly replied that the county could not convene the county officials, and the other half deduced various reasons, using the excuse that the lack of grain in the high treasury was the most common. ’

"How so? How so?! Xiang Yan held these flying messages in both hands, and her whole body trembled with anger.

"I thought the general wouldn't be there." Song Yu smiled bitterly and said what everyone thought.

"I am a minister of the king, and I have also sued the temple. Now that the king is in trouble, how can he not save him? Of course, Xiang Yan understood why Song Yu said this, he should have stood on the side of the county princess Yin, this was the position he should stick to.

"Hey!" Xiang Yan's words made everyone sigh even more, they sat on the table, and everyone didn't say a word.

"Dare to ask Ling Yin, how many soldiers can the Great Sima Mansion mobilize?" Xiang Yan was silent for a while before asking.

"Coupled with the 30,000 soldiers under the command of the general, Yingdu has 15 to 60 people who have gone out of the city to fight, and there are only 100,000." Zhao Huang said that he had counted the 50,000 elite soldiers who attacked Ao Cang. "If you can wait for the division of Jiangdong, then there will be 150,000; Ruoqi ...... If the Qi State can send troops to help me, there should be 250,000. ”

"Does the county Gongyi Yin really dare not send a pawn?" Xiang Yan still thought about the county pawn. Although some of the county officials have been recruited, at least 100,000 people can be recruited. With these 100,000, the state of Chu should be able to gather an army of 350,000. "There is also the State of Qi, the State of Qi has never asked about the wars of various countries, why are you willing to send troops to help my State of Chu this time?"

"The country of Qi helped me, because he was greedy for my city." Xiang Yan had been leading the army outside, and Zhao Huang had to explain to him the negotiations between Yingdu and Qi during this time. "The king of Qi is afraid of the Qin State and is reluctant to send troops, but the Mo Dafu Tian He is willing to make the palace people steal the talisman and send 100,000 troops to help me, but I need the Chu State to cede Jucheng to the Qi State, and the Kejia princess who is hostage to the Yingdu has also set off to return to Qi.

Yin ...... of the county government, "Speaking of the county government, Yin Zhaohuang is sighing, as Ling Yin, of course he knows what these people want, but these are exactly what the new deal can't give." If you really agree to them, the new deal will inevitably exist in name only. "Ben Yin is still discussing with the counties about sending troops. 100,000 cannot be drafted, tens of thousands may be possible. ”

"Tens of thousands is tens of thousands?" Xiang Yan asked. "How geometry are the big armor and the big blade?"

"Tens of thousands? or twenty or thirty thousand, or forty or fifty thousand. "Zhao Huang has no land in his heart at all, he can only persuade from county to county." Jujia has been working day and night, and there will be 30,000 sets by the end of next month, and the number of huge blades is several times that of Jujia. ”

"If Qi saves me, I should fight." Xiang Yan no longer expects the county guards, but only hopes that Qi Guo can really send 100,000 troops to help.

"If the Qi State is unwilling to send troops...... Seeing that Xiang Yan began to look forward to the Qi State, Zhao Huang, who knew that the chances were slim, still smiled bitterly, and he resolutely said: "Regardless of whether the Qi State sends troops or not, my Zhao clan will go to Chen Ying with the general and fight to save the king." ”

"My Qu clan is also willing to go to it!" Qu Kai said loudly, he is the acting patriarch Qu Sui is in charge.

"Nao's too!" Naoxin, the cunning son, has a bearded face and speaks categorically, just like his father.

"Jing's is also going to it!" It was Jing's Jing Turtle who spoke, and Jing's was disgraced because of Jing Hua's rebellion, and this time he swore to be ashamed.

"The Song family is also going to do the same." Song Yu's voice was soft, but just as resolute.

"Montessori goes too!" Mengzheng Bird is not lagging behind, and Montessori is also a clan.

"I'm the Tang Clan!"

"I, Lu Yang's ...... too"

The people here are willing to go to Yingdu to rescue with their clans, these are all big clans, their children are already in the army, and many of them are still honored soldiers in the king's pawn. Whether Xiong Jing's new policy is to take power in his own hands or to divide power among his subordinates, everyone knows very well. Excluding the policy of emphasizing culture and education, the essence of the new policy was a blood exchange for nobles: replacing the county magistrate Yin from the Hakka with the sons of the Qing clan who dared to fight and had faith, as well as the county officials and the township officials from the common people.

The state of Chu does not have a complete clan like other countries, most of them are rooms, and they are naturally not as united as the clans, but at the end of the Warring States period, the intimacy between the same clans of the Chu State is even closer than those clans in other countries that have long been scattered and disintegrated. Now that the king is fighting for the country and is trapped in a lonely city, he does not disgrace the society and does not live up to the previous king, and the princess naturally wants to save the clan, otherwise, how to surname Mi in the future?

The clans swore to death one by one, Xiang Yan, who was still worried, kept nodding when he heard this, and Peng Zong, who was completely standing on the side of the county, couldn't help but change his color, he finally understood where the true power of the Chu State was: the huge clan that had multiplied for more than 800 years.