The subordinate named Ding Xi took the torch and was about to set it on fire, but Ding Yu suddenly stopped him: "Slow! ”

Ding Xi looked at Ding Yu with a puzzled expression: "Rain girl, is there anything else?" ”

Ding Yu was silent for a moment and waved his hand at him: "Burn it!" ”

Shangguan Qian really couldn't stand it, but he still didn't hold back after all: "Mother-in-law, mother-in-law!" ”

Yuan Rui glanced at him: "Senior! ”

Shangguan Qian closed his mouth in amusement.

Ding Xi was ready to throw the torch again. "Rain girl, the Liang army looted the Qingyuling Fort, Ding Le and Ding Chou died in battle!" A pawn hurriedly came to report, "I guess I'll be here soon!" ”

Shangguan Qian snatched the torch from Ding Xi's hand and lit the fire around: "Without further ado, you can't take it away anyway, don't be cheap Liang Jun!" Everyone follow His Highness into the city! ”

The flames rose rapidly, and before long the living pasture was on fire, the houses were charred, the plants were burned to ashes, and the air was filled with the stench of burnt animal skins. Ding Yu's mind was empty, he was stunned by the fire, and was dragged away from the fire by Yuan Rui. When he turned around, a few crystal tears fell from the corners of his eyes, shining with a strange brilliance under the light of the fire.

With the example of Dingjiabao, the people who originally refused to return to the city followed suit and brought in everything that could be brought into the city, and everything that could not be taken away was burned. Looking at the black smoke rising one after another, Yuan Rui was also full of emotion in his heart, avoiding and not fighting like this time may be greater than the price spent by the two armies of real swords and guns, but in order to win, some costs have to be spent. This is the case with wars, once they start, whether they win or lose, they will be a huge drain on national strength.

In the following days, the Liang army outside the city continued to change their tricks to challenge, making appointments, insulting, seducing, feints, doing everything they could, and acting more and more recklessly, sometimes even riding under the city gate and shouting. Although the defenders were angry, they had to defend it because of the military order.

Early this morning, Tu Hong angrily led He Mengze, the commander of Yanling County, to find Yuan Rui: "Your Highness, no matter what, you have to let me go out of the city today to meet those turtle sons, and you can listen to such scolding every day?" And look at this city, it is crowded with people, and if it goes on like this, the food will soon be eaten, and then it will be a fart city! ”

Compared with Tu Hong, He Mengze seemed much more stable, but his eyebrows were still full of worry: "Your Highness, what General Tu said is very true!" Although the city of Yanling is full of warehouses, tens of thousands of troops came at once, plus many people who came empty-handed, I am afraid that it will not last long if it goes on like this......"

Yuan Rui said lightly: "He County Ling doesn't have to worry, this king knows it!" ”

This is equivalent to not saying this, He Mengze muttered in his heart, but since Yuan Rui had assured himself, as a county commander, could he still resist him: "In this case, then the lower official can only hope that His Highness's trick can work and force back the Liang thief!" ”

Yuan Rui nodded solemnly at him, and seeing that Tu Hong still looked unwilling, he warned him sharply: "General Tu, this king has repeatedly said that those who disobey this king's military orders will be executed according to the secret edict, and there will be no mercy!" ”

Tu Hong really didn't give up: "Tu still remembers the scene when His Royal Highness fought bravely to kill the enemy and repel Xing Feng, to be honest, Tu is quite impressed, you are different from those who grew up in the deep palace, in fact, we don't have to be afraid of them at all!" Don't you see that those turtle sons are now hanging their war boots on the horses' necks, and are cross-legged to provoke us under the city, you say you are angry? ”

Yuan Rui: "General Tu thinks Liang Jun is very arrogant, right?" This king tells you that the more arrogant they are, the more they can't hold on, and they are eager to fight. Rest assured, fight for consumption, they must fall first. ”

Tu Hong couldn't say that Yuan Rui was so anxious that he stomped his feet, but there was no way, Yuan Rui didn't agree to attack, so he had no choice but to leave.

Shangguan Qian looked really funny when he looked at him, and after he left, he asked Yuan Rui: "Your Highness, you have such a useful thing as the Queen Mother's secret edict, why didn't you take it out earlier, we won't suffer from Lin Tianyi's nest in vain, seeing that you scared them one by one when you mentioned the secret edict, it's really relieving!" ”

Yuan Rui waved his hand at him, motioned for him to come over with his ear, and said softly: "What kind of secret edict, this king deceives them." And the general will be outside, the king's order is not subject to it, if someone really disobeys the military order, he will be beheaded, why do you need a secret edict. ”

Shangguan Qian still didn't believe it: "Didn't Lin Tianyi say that he had also read the secret edict?" ”

Yuan Rui: "So General Lin puts the overall situation first, and does not mix personal feelings in his work, senior, you don't always target him in the future." ”

Shangguan Qian nodded perfunctorily: "Got it." ”

As Yuan Rui expected, the interior of the Liang army was not as beautiful as it was presented to the Wei army. Standing in the wilderness, looking at the deep ditch and high base, Xing Feng felt helpless in his heart for the first time since entering the Wei realm.

The adjutant general next to him approached: "The Wei army seems to have made up its mind and can't shrink, and our army's military rations can't last long, what should we do now?" ”

Xing Feng sighed and waved his hand weakly: "Withdraw the army!" ”

The adjutant general was still unwilling: "General! Although there is not much food and grass, it is not a problem for the soldiers to tighten their belts and hold on for more than ten or twenty days, is it too much of a pity to withdraw the army now, how many years have the soldiers been looking forward to it, and finally followed the general to this point, I am afraid that the opportunity to step on the Wei realm like today will not be there again in this life......" said with red eyes and choked up.

Xing Feng patted him on the shoulder: "General Ben didn't know that the opportunity was rare, but if he didn't leave at this time, he wouldn't be able to leave even if he wanted to leave after more than ten days." How many fathers, sons and brothers have we killed along the way, how can we survive if we fall into their hands? The soldiers entrusted their lives to the general, and the general could not ignore their safety. ”

Xing Feng turned around and returned to the camp, leaving the deputy general standing outside the tent alone, letting the mountain breeze from the Central Plains land dry the tears on his face.

Early the next morning, Yuan Rui was still asleep, and suddenly his own soldiers came to report: "The Liang army outside the city has all withdrawn overnight, and I don't know where to go." The Liang armies on the outskirts of the other cities also disappeared. ”

In order to prevent another trap set by Xing Feng, Yuan Rui sent people to continue to investigate. In the next few days, the snow flakes of war reports from all over the country seemed to fly, Xing Feng went all the way south, and in a few days he had returned to the territory of Nanliang, and the counties along the way had just been frightened by him, and no one dared to come out to stop him.

Yuan Rui found Lin Tianyi of the garrison Xu County: "Xing Feng has escaped south, the crisis is over, should we return to Beijing?" ”

Unexpectedly, Lin Tianyi did not answer, but took out a letter from his arms and handed it to Yuan Rui: "Your Highness will take the brothers back, this general wants to stay here for the time being, please ask Your Highness to present it to the Queen Mother on your behalf." ”

Yuan Rui took the fold and asked puzzledly, "What does this mean, general?" ”

Lin Tianyi explained: "Xing Feng with only 10,000 Liang troops acted recklessly and came and went freely in the territory of our Great Wei, and General Ben was deeply ashamed. If it weren't for His Royal Highness's seriousness this time, it would be difficult to say whether Luoyang would be able to hold it. Since the imperial court has appointed me as the general of the expedition to the south, this general wants to stay in the south to train soldiers to guard the frontier in case such things happen again. I have already written down the details of this letter, and whether the Queen Mother will accept my request or insist on summoning me back to Beijing after reading it, it will not be too late for General Ben to decide whether to go south or north according to the will of the Divine Will. ”

Five days later, in the Danyang Palace in Luoyang, the Queen Mother slowly closed the Lin Tianyi recital forwarded by Yuan Rui: "Just as he wishes, the country is in difficulty, I hope he can sit in Xu Yu for the imperial court and keep the peace of the party." ”

Yuan Rui: "The Queen Mother is wise! ”

The Queen Mother waved her hand: "Don't talk too much about flattery, Yuan Rui, you performed well this time, you will not be chaotic in the face of danger, turn the tide of the tide, I hope to continue to assist your imperial brother wholeheartedly in the future, as long as your brothers are harmonious, the mourning family will be relieved." ”

Yuan Rui hurriedly humbled: "It is the duty of a minister to be loyal to the country!" ”

The Queen Mother pondered for a moment, as if inadvertently asked: "Yuan Rui, you just came back from the front line, if the mourning family asks you to lead troops north again, are you willing?" ”

Yuan Rui agreed without hesitation: "As long as the Queen Mother gives an order, even if the minister is asked to set off immediately, the minister will never complain." ”

The Queen Mother smiled: "That's not so exaggerated, thanks to your strategy of taking troops from the Buddha, now the problem of insufficient follow-up of the imperial court has improved, but it will not be able to go into battle in a short time, and in another month, the mourning family will give you 100,000 troops, this time you are no longer anyone's deputy, 100,000 troops are all under your command, how?" ”

Yuan Rui hurriedly bowed his hand: "Thank you for the trust of the Queen Mother!" ”

The Queen Mother waved at him: "It's not too early, you haven't returned to the house yet, go back to meet the princess early!" ”

After Yuan Rui retreated, a person slowly walked out of the inner hall of the dormitory, it was Hu Shen, the second brother of the Queen Mother. It turned out that Hu Shen was discussing with the Queen Mother, Yuan Rui suddenly asked to see him, and Hu Shen didn't want to meet him, so he temporarily went to the inner hall to avoid it.