readx;?readx; Chapter 585 There is no most scoundrel, only more scoundrels!

The appearance of Zhao Wuji made the situation in Tongguan City very complicated. Pen @ fun @ pavilion wWw. ｂｉｑUｇE。 ｉｎｆｏ

The capture of Emperor Zhaowu and the fall of Tiger Prison Pass and Hangu Pass made Tongguan City, which had been in disrepair for a long time, unprepared to become the forefront of the fight against the invaders.

Before the arrival of the Qi army, the soldiers and civilians were still able to listen to the orders of the captain, work hard to repair the city wall, accumulate supplies, and be full of enthusiasm to protect their homeland.

But when the Demon King Zhao came with the black oppressive army and set up a company camp dozens of miles long in front of the pass, panic inevitably appeared. For a while, the people in the city were panicked, and many people thought that even the strong pass of Hangu Pass could be breached, and it was impossible to defend Tongguan City, which was several grades behind.

However, Lieutenant Niu and Li Sihai were seriously incapable of handling defense affairs and stabilizing the morale of the army, and the situation tended to become more and more intense, and there were actually acts of smashing, looting, and storming the backdoor sentry.

When he received the report, Qin Lei was inspecting the defense of the city, and he smiled unexpectedly: "Go over and take a look." He already knew that the two of them couldn't cover the scene, but he said that the strong dragon didn't suppress the head snake, and he didn't want to deprive the two of them of their power as soon as they came, so it was better to follow the trend.

The back gate of the city was blazing, a piece of brightness, and the soldiers and civilians of Tongguan who carried their burdens and brought their families were crowded in front of the city gate, shouting loudly, and their emotions were very excited. The Shenwu army, who was in charge of the defense of the city, drew swords and bows, and was on strict guard, and the scene was very tense.

"Meet the prince!" Seeing Qin Lei riding his horse from the street under the support of the black-clothed guards, the Shenwu army fell to one knee in unison.

The soldiers and people of Tongguan in the field were taken aback, they only knew that the imperial court had sent reinforcements, but under Qin Lei's deliberate low-key, the soldiers and people in Guancheng did not know that the leader of the troops was actually a prince.

After a moment of stunned, the soldiers and civilians knelt down in an uproar and said, "Meet the prince." "Greetings to the prince......"

"Get up." Qin Lei turned over and dismounted with a smile, threw the horsewhip to the Shenwu captain who came up, and asked knowingly, "What's the matter?" Isn't the atmosphere harmonious? ”

The lieutenant hurriedly explained the situation briefly, Qin Lei's face gradually became serious, and after listening to it, he said in a deep voice: "Put away the blade first, the knife and gun can only point at the enemy" said and pointed to the soldiers and people in the field: "Are they enemies?" The soldiers of the Shenwu Army hurriedly loosened their bowstrings and put their swords into their sheaths.

Seeing that the young prince did not come up and shouted and killed, the vigilance on the faces of the people was greatly reduced, but they still knelt on the ground, as if begging to let them go.

"Hurry up," Qin Lei said with a smile: "Do you still want the Lone King to help him up one by one?" As he spoke, he took a step forward and helped an old man kneeling in the front row to his feet.

Only then did the people get up one after another, looking at the prince pitifully.

"Where is this old man going?" Qin Lei asked the old man with a smile.

"Oh...... Rajah. The old man trembled and saluted Qin Lei and said, "Seeing that there is about to be a war, we want to go out and hide for a while." ”

"Where can you hide?" Qin Lei's voice was calm and majestic, and he pointed to the east city wall and said: "This is the last line of defense of Great Qin, if this place is broken again, the entire Great Qin will be exposed to Zhao Wuji's claws, whether it is the rich southern country or the northern land, there is no safe place, where will you flee then?" ”

Everyone was silent, they knew that what this prince said was the truth, but the dead friends, not the poor people, everyone still hoped that it was not themselves who made the sacrifice, so they muttered one after another: "We are just some military households, and we are not real officers and soldiers, what's the use of staying here?" ”

The so-called military households are residents who live in military fortresses, and they also receive some military training on weekdays, but their main task is to provide labor services for the fortress and do some errands such as transportation and maintenance to support their families. Compared with ordinary people, they are more disciplined, but after all, they are not bound by military regulations, and they are not real soldiers.

In fact, Qin Lei encouraged them to stay, in addition to wanting them to contribute to the defense of the city, more importantly, for the 60,000 troops defending the city...... If these military households fled on a large scale, the blow to the morale of the military would be absolutely devastating. On the other hand, if the military households did not flee, then as a Great Qin soldier, they would never be embarrassed to flee first.

Therefore, Qin Lei was determined to do the work of getting through these military households, and only listened to him say loudly: "Why is it useless? These nearly 60,000 troops need to eat and be wounded if they want to fight, they need a steady stream of weapons to support, and after the battle every day, the broken city walls need to be repaired, the soldiers who died in battle need to be buried, and if the manpower is tight, someone needs to help patrol the city at night. ”

As he spoke, his gaze swept over the dense crowd, and he said with emotion: "Our officers and soldiers need to face the crazy attack of hundreds of thousands of enemies, can we bear to let them do these tasks again when they are bleeding and sacrificing, tired and painful?" A sentence made all the military households who were originally righteous and arrogant bow their heads.

Qin Lei struck while the iron was hot, and said in an excited voice: "Our soldiers traveled thousands of miles south from the Huguan Pass in the north, in order to enter the city before the Qi army, we didn't bring baggage, and we didn't even have complete winter clothes, so everyone knows the danger of marching!" But he still went on the road without hesitation, and it took only seven days to complete the 800-mile march......" As he spoke, he looked back at the soldiers around him, and said in a low voice: "The price paid is ...... More than 10,000 people were sacrificed! ”

The soldiers and civilians were stunned, they couldn't imagine what kind of march required more than 10,000 casualties to complete, and what kind of faith could support this army, and after bearing such sacrifices, they still started preparations for war as if nothing happened.

"What are they for?" Qin Lei roared: "It's not for money and status, it's not for the emperor and marshal, they're just trying to protect their homeland!" Facts have proven that if it were not for this huge sacrifice, Tongguan City would have changed hands, and the Great Qin Empire, which I had lost three levels in a row, would no longer have any barriers! Are there any of you who have experienced that time twenty years ago, and have you ever forgotten the sight of thousands of miles of red land and white bones? Would you like to experience the ravages of the enemy's iron cavalry again? ”

The old man had tears in his eyes as he said, and turned back to everyone: "Let's go back, the prince is right, for our own sake, we can't give Tongguan to Demon King Zhao!" ”

Many people nodded, but there were also those with ulterior motives, hiding in the crowd and whispering in a strange voice: "A noble person like the prince always has a way to save his life, even if the Qi State captures Tongguan and we all give our lives, he can still go back alive and continue to be his prince!" ”

Shi Dang's eyes narrowed, and he wanted the black-clothed guard to catch the man out, but was stopped by Qin Lei shaking his head slightly. It is indeed a fine work, otherwise how would you know that you are a prince and not a county king? But at this time, the scene was very delicate, and the people's trust in Qin Lei was not much more than that meticulous.

After a little groaning, he brushed out the treasure knife, looked at everyone with a stern expression, the scene suddenly quieted down, everyone looked at him in fear, not knowing what would happen, but listening to Qin Lei swear loudly: "Please rest assured, I swear to live and die with Tongguan, and I will not let the monarchs die alone!" As he spoke, he cut off the wooden stake on the side of the road with a knife, and said loudly: "If you violate this oath, the heavens and the earth will be destroyed!" ”

Everyone was moved, and finally said, "Then we won't leave......

Qin Lei smiled faintly and said, "Everyone, please go back, rest early, there is still a lot of work tomorrow." The soldiers and civilians kowtowed to Qin Leiqi, and then helped the old and the young to turn back.

Although there were those who were unwilling, they had no choice but to disperse in the crowd.

The old man saluted Qin Lei, and was about to turn around and leave, but was stretched out and grabbed and said, "Old man, how many years have you been in the city?" ”

"If you go back to the prince, you will grow up here in this life." The old man said respectfully.

"Then the old man should have some understanding of the population who has moved to the city in the past 20 years, right?" Qin Lei said kindly.

"How can so many people remember clearly," the old man said with a smile: "But we are in Guancheng, there are 3,730 households in the city, 27,500 people, and 7,400 strong men, and they can be remembered clearly in the household register, and the ins and outs are well documented." ”

"Good." Qin Lei laughed and said, "My husband is a person with a heart...... Shi Dare! ”

"What does the prince command?"

"Send someone to follow the old man to investigate, and take out the list as soon as possible." Qin Lei ordered in a deep voice.

"Yes." Shi Kang went down to arrange for the black-clothed guard to carry out this matter.

The old man was still a little confused, and whispered, "What did the prince let me do?" ”

"Hoe rape!" Qin Lei said mysteriously: "There are traitors in the city!" ”

"The mole is the most hateful!" When the old man heard this, he was furious, blew his beard and glared, and said, "I will definitely help you catch them all!" ”

Qin Lei nodded and smiled: "It's hard work." ”

The old man hurriedly saluted and said, "The prince is too polite. As he spoke, he raised his head and peeked at Qin Lei and said, "Little Lao'er dares to ask, don't blame the prince." ”

Qin Lei shook his head with a smile and said, "Ask." ”

"Which prince are you?" The old man asked in a low voice, "Why can't the old man be on the right number?" ”

Qin Lei couldn't help but say, "Who are you going to match me with?" ”

"......" pondered for a while, and the old man mustered up the courage to say: "His Royal Highness Prince Cheng." When he said these five words, his eyes lit up, and it was obvious that he admired that highness very much.

The surrounding officers and soldiers laughed in a low voice, and Qin Lei also couldn't help but laugh: "Why is it him?" ”

Seeing that everyone around him was laughing, the old man's face turned red and said: "Prince Cheng is young and mighty, loves the people, and more importantly, he can beat Zhao Wuyi, of course I want you to be him...... If he is here, we will not escape. Saying that, he couldn't hide his disappointment and said: "But I also know that Prince Cheng is still in Qi Kingdom, and I don't have time to come back." ”

"Thanks to my father-in-law's wrong love." Qin Lei stopped teasing him, and said in a deep voice: "Xiao Wang is Qin Lei." ”

As he spoke, he left the old man with a sluggish face, turned over and left.

Inspired by Qin Lei's courage, the army and the people finally united as one, fearlessly waiting for the challenge of the Qi State.

But Zhao Wuyi was addicted to pinching soft persimmons, and he hoped that as long as Emperor Zhaowu stood under the city and shouted, Tongguan City would be owned by him without blood...... It's just a good wish, but if you don't try it, how can it become a reality?

As soon as the morning dawned, he repeated his old tricks and took His Majesty Emperor Zhaowu hostage to the outside of the city.

Looking at the vast ancient city built on the mountain, Zhao Wuji felt his scalp tingle, and said in his heart: "This place is too difficult to attack, right?" He was even more determined to let Emperor Zhaowu knock on the door.

Take a look at the pale Emperor of Qin standing beside him...... Well, although it is already a bit expired, he is still the supreme of the Qin State in essence. Zhao Wuji's heart swelled with infinite pride, and he said secretly: "He***, he can actually hold the emperor of a country hostage, Lao Tzu is really unprecedented." ’

Restraining his smile, Zhao Wuyi said to Emperor Zhaowu: "Your Majesty, help shout, just like you have done before." ”

Emperor Zhaowu closed his eyes slightly and said nothing.

Only then did Zhao Wuji realize that he was too frivolous, and it seemed that in the face of the brilliant victory, no one could help but be proud. He quickly suppressed his smile and tried his best to return to his majesty: "Actually, it's the same whether you say it or not, it's just to take care of Your Majesty's decency." ”

"I've been out of decency for a long time." Emperor Zhaowu didn't look at him either, and said in a flat voice: "And I'm not Your Majesty anymore, they won't listen." ”

"Shame on the face." Zhao Wuji sneered: "Press him to take a turn under the city, so that the officers and soldiers in the city can see their emperor...... Oh no, the Emperor, how miserable it is. ”

Zhao Hu lifted Emperor Zhaowu up, tied his back to the sky on the back of a donkey, and led him down to Tongguan City.

The officers and soldiers in the city could see it clearly, one by one, their eyes were split, they were overwhelmed with grief and indignation, and some of them were so angry that they slammed their heads on the city wall, and the bleeding of their heads could not alleviate the humiliation in their hearts.

After being satisfied, Zhao Wuyi, who had been cautious all his life, finally made his first mistake, he should not insult the supreme of a country in public like this, which did no good except make the defenders angry.

But he didn't care, because the main force of the Qin State was stranded in the Taihang Mountains, and the country no longer had an army that could match him. At this time, the Qin State was a complete weak person in his heart, and on what basis did the weak ask to be respected?

After Zhao Hu led the donkey around for a while, he opened his voice and shouted to the city: "Your Majesty has given an order for you to open the city gate." ”

The defender of the city will reward Saiyang, and replied according to Qin Lei's instructions: "According to the regulations, there is an enemy country, and it is absolutely not allowed to open the door!" ”

Zhao Hu was stupid, so he had to look at his marshal, Zhao Wuyi rolled his eyes and said, "Tell them that we are not enemies, we are friendly troops escorting their emperor home." ”

Zhao Hu hurriedly shouted.

Bo Xian Saiyang was also stupid, he looked at Qin Lei, who was disguised as a small soldier, and said according to what Qin Lei said: "Then thank you, now that you have penetrated two hundred miles into my Great Qin country, there will be no danger." Please withdraw your troops for ten miles, and we will take Your Majesty back to the city!" ”

Zhao Wuyi suddenly smoked, and he didn't let Zhao Hu speak, so he opened his throat and said, "Tell you Captain Niu to come out and speak!" "He knows the situation of the various passes of the Qin State, which shows how much effort he has put in.

Just like what he did outside the Tiger Prison Pass, this is a lore kill, as long as he calls the city guard out, and then threatens the life of Emperor Zhaowu in front of him, he has the courage to surrender.

But the answer in the city almost caused Lao Zhao to have a cerebral hemorrhage.

I only listened to the tiger-headed general, and said slowly: "Our captain has gone to Beijing for a meeting!" ”

Resisting the urge to eat people, Zhao Wuyi gritted his teeth and said, "It's okay to find Li Sihai." ”

"Master Li fell last night and fell unconscious." Qin Lei's nonsense never had to blink, and with Shangbo Saiyang's honest tone, it was simply infuriating.