In the twenty-fourth year of Rongsheng, the Northern Han army was defeated in Qinzhou, Princess Jiaping retreated to Jinyang, the Yongjun army was threatened by the slaughter of the city, and the civilians all went north to avoid the scourge of war. The Yongjun army was very urgent, but it was blocked by the invincible, and finally because of the exhaustion, the Yongjun was trapped, and the invincible took the Yongjiang prisoner Xuansong as a hostage, and coerced Yongshuai to relieve the siege and survive.

However, the invincible did not arrive in Jinyang, the road was noisy, all said that it was submissive to the enemy, the lord of the Northern Han Dynasty did not notice, and gave the edict to death, when there were countless rumors, invincible and irrefutable, only Princess Jiaping knew her grievances, so that she went away to avoid.

――"History of the Northern Han Dynasty - Duan Invincible Biography"

Thirty miles east of Pingyao City, the deserted village is lonely, uninhabited, a team of Yongjun scouts is like a whirlwind along the road to the north, there are still a few miles away from the village, more than a dozen Yongjun horses out of the battle, into the village to turn around, back to the team, to the head of the officer Yu reported: "The village is no longer inhabited, the house is intact, can be used as a camping place." ”

The officer nodded and said: "Don't be careful, the Northern Han thieves have been sneaking attacks and harassment many times in the past few days, our army is already quite tired, you follow me to search the village, and you must not leave any hidden dangers, although the Chinese army will be closed, but if they find out that there is anything wrong, I am afraid that we will not be able to afford it." ”

Those Yongjun suddenly agreed, except for more than ten people who were still on guard outside the village, the rest of the people entered the village to search, and did not let go of anything suspicious, and the officers led by them first picked out a few relatively neat houses, inspected them inside and out, and then personally sat in the town, waiting for the arrival of the Chinese army.

After half an hour, the golden dragon flag was waved in the wind under the sunset, the Yongjun army arrived at the deserted village, and then the army began to camp outside the village, and the Yongjun commander Qi Wang Li Xian entered the village to rest, and there were already guards to clean the house, although it was only a temporary residence, but the bed was replaced with the splendid futon used by Li Xian's march, all the utensils and utensils were carried by the army, and even the windows were covered with brocade curtains.

After Li Xian summoned the generals to dine together, he discussed the military plane around the silver lantern, and it was the evil shadow Li Shun who was hidden in the corner of the house, he looked gloomy, and seemed to be very unhappy, just because he had to stay in the camp of the King of Qi, so he was Li Xianchong as a guard, if it weren't for this, he was afraid that he would have found a secluded place to practice and meditate.

Li Xian said with some annoyance: "This Duan is invincible, it is really not a smoke, the king is attacking, he will choose the danger and defend, the king is a little relaxed, he will come to the camp to attack the village, or he will come to take the king's baggage, these days, the king is harassed by him, tomorrow our army can attack Pingyao, this place is a number of strong cities in the Northern Han Dynasty, Duan is invincible according to the city and defended, I am afraid that it will delay the king for a few days, you can have a strategy, let him abandon the city earlier, hum, as long as the king arrives at the city of Jinyang, I see what tricks he can turn out." Now General Changsun is going around to exterminate the sporadic rebel armies in various parts of the Northern Han Dynasty, and the progress is rapid, if this king can only attack Jinyang with his help, it is really embarrassing. ”

Qi Wang Ai said to Xia Ning: "Your Highness, although Duan Invincible is difficult, as long as he is willing to face us head-on, I am still afraid that he will do anything, Your Highness, please let the last general attack the city, it will not take three days, and the city will definitely be broken." ”

Fan Wencheng sneered: "If we attack the city, do we still need you, none of us can command, Your Highness wants to reduce some losses, after all, the losses of our Zezhou army this time are not light." ”

The generals have made suggestions, but the more Li Xian listens, the tighter his brows are wrinkled, Duan Wushu has the backing of Pingyao Jiancheng, and there are nearly 10,000 troops in his hands, if he wants to attack strongly, he will inevitably suffer heavy losses, although he knows that Duan Wuving's weakness is to love the people, if he coerces the people to attack the city, or uses other means to force Duan Wushu to give up Pingyao, after all, Duan Wuving's purpose is just to delay the trip of the Yongjun. But not to mention that the people of the Northern Han Dynasty have almost fled without a trace of the places he is passing through now, even if he can catch enough civilians, he does not want to deepen the hatred between him and the civilians of the Northern Han Dynasty when he is about to destroy the Northern Han Dynasty, although he uses Jing Chi's reputation for murder to force the people along the way to flee, but Li Xian does not want to really slaughter the city and destroy the village, he Li Xian is not murderous, if it is not necessary, he does not want to implicate innocent civilians.

Li Shun stood in the shadow of the room, and couldn't help pouting lightly, if it weren't for the fact that Gongzi had given an order, for Xuan Song to see people in life and corpses in death, he would have gone to Qinyuan to serve Gongzi a long time ago, why should he stay here and not leave, and was treated as a hard labor by King Qi, who let Xuansong still be in Duan Wuxian's hands, but he couldn't find a chance to save people, so he could only stay by Li Xian's side to save people. Seeing that everyone's discussion was becoming more and more enthusiastic, and all the crooked ways began to be calculated, Li Shun quietly floated out of the room, wanting to breathe in the cold air. The air outside was very fresh, Li Shun felt much more comfortable, and couldn't help but stroll in the dim starlight and the bright lights, immersing his mind between heaven and earth, Li Shun quietly savored the endless night. Suddenly, Li Shun felt a palpitation, and he looked into the distance as if he had a sense of it, separated by thousands of troops and horses, copper walls and iron walls, and a faint murderous aura in the depths of the darkness, which was a familiar breath.

Since the battle with the master of Fengyi, Li Shun has benefited a lot, the East China Sea penance, so that his innate realm further, in addition to a few people in the world, there is no opponent, now he has mastered the "soul locking" technique, martial arts to a certain level of characters, as long as close to him within a certain distance, his soul can be alert, this distance is not fixed, and the depth of the martial arts of both sides is closely related, if the other party is an ordinary person, unless it is deliberately attentive, it is difficult to form an alarm in his heart, If the other party is a master who has not entered the innate realm, it is within more than ten miles, as long as that person's mood fluctuations are slightly violent, he can sense it. If the other party is also a master of the innate pole, then there are many variables, if the other party's cultivation is better than him, or he is proficient in the art of convergence, it will be difficult to discover the existence of the other party, for example, Duan Lingxiao assassinated Jiang Zhe on that day, although it was arranged in advance, but before Duan Lingxiao made a move, Li Shun did not clearly feel Duan Lingxiao's existence, if the other party was like the person in the dark, he had not been in the innate realm for a long time, his cultivation was still shallow, and he had not yet reached the soul locking realm, for Li Shun, This kind of innate master is more likely to leave traces on his heart lake than ordinary hostile masters.

Of course, if it reaches the level of Fengyi Sect Master and Master Cizhen, they can't hide their existence with each other no matter what, so in Yongdu in the past, although the two have never seen each other, they are like witnessing each other's mood changes and actions, if they are in front of those two, Li Shun knows that it is impossible to hide his mood and emotions, fortunately, that kind of character with the identity of a grandmaster will not make a move easily.

Li Shun thought for a while, and had already guessed from the familiar and slightly unfamiliar aura, and that person had a murderous aura but no killing intent, and his identity was even more obvious, he smiled coldly, swept into the shadows, and in the blink of an eye, he crossed the company camp and arrived at a deserted hill outside the camp. I saw that under the waning moon and stars, a black-robed young man stood on the hill, his expression indifferent and lonely. Beside him stood a young man in black, carrying a piano bag behind him, and his expression was a little bleak. When Li Shun saw these two people, a faint smile appeared on his lips, and he said loudly: "It turns out that Young Master Qiu is back, how is the scenery in the East China Sea?" ”

Qiu Yufei said indifferently: "Are you here to assassinate me?" ”

Li Shun shook his head and said, "You are a smart person, you should know that it is impossible, but why did Childe let you out so quickly?" If it weren't for Childe's edict, you wouldn't have wanted to get out of Jinghai Villa. ”

Qiu Yufei glanced at Li Shun deeply, and said: "Your son-in-law is acting with far-reaching layouts, and letting me out is naturally useful to me, but I may not let him get his wish." This time, I wanted to meet him and ask him a few words, but when I heard that you were in Li Xian's camp, I thought that I would go, and he would not see me. You don't have to worry that I will assassinate him, if I dare to make a move, I am afraid that Mr. Sang will not let me go, I dare not speculate on Mr. Sang's realm, but even if it is a master, he may not be able to win. I have already passed on the book to Jinyang, no one in the Demon Sect will assassinate the Marquis of Chu, with Mr. Sang as the backing, even the master does not want to kill without permission, not to mention, the situation in the Northern Han Dynasty has been eroded to this point, even if the master makes a move, it will not be able to save anything, and my Demon Sect will not do such a thing as a dog jumping off the wall. ”

Li Shun slapped his palm and said: "Young Master Qiu said it well, if you had such intelligence at the beginning, I am afraid that it will be difficult for Gongzi to take advantage of Your Excellency's divisive scheme." ”

Qiu Yufei's complexion changed several times, and he said after a while: "Sure enough, I fell for a trick that day, and I received a letter from the Marquis of Chu a few days ago, and there were many apologies in the letter, I already had suspicions, and I guessed repeatedly, and then after Mr. Sang's guidance, I knew that I was deceived in the past." ”

Li Shun smiled slightly, he knew Jiang Zhe's intentions, and he would inevitably reveal the truth about Quartz's wrongs at this time, and use it to fight Duan Invincible, and Qiu Yufei suddenly returned to the Northern Han Dynasty, he expected Jiang Zhe to let him know the truth, and under the temptation, it was true.

Qiu Yufei sighed lightly, turned around and wanted to walk, but paused and said: "When I met with the clouds in the middle of the road, although I had bad intentions, I still regarded him as a confidant, I don't know if he has always been hypocritical?" ”

Li Shun said solemnly: "Even though the son is scheming, if it weren't for your talent, good character, and the son could give it to Qingyuan piano scores, the piano scores were the hard work of the son's deceased father, if the son was hypocritical, how could he bear the pain of love, if your Excellency still resented the son because of hostile things, he would also listen to the respect, but he could not doubt the sincerity of the son that day." ”

Qiu Yufei was silent for a long time, and walked away, the young man was Ling Duan, following him step by step, and the two of them disappeared into the night in a short time.

A chill flashed in Li Shun's eyes, his eyes seemed to pass through the darkness, looking at Pingyao City, now Su Qing should have been arranged, and now from Pingyao to Jinyang, there must have been rumors that Long Tingfei had been forced to die by a discordant scheme, and now that Long Tingfei is dead, then the people concerned in the past will be under greater pressure, Duan Wushu has played a lot of roles in this matter, and he will inevitably be severely reprimanded by the upper echelons of the Northern Han Dynasty. Even if Princess Jiaping and the others understood Duan Wuyi's innocence, they were afraid that he would not be able to understand his actions.

Thinking of the secret bag that Gongzi God mysteriously stuffed to himself when he was ordered that day, and let him hand over to Su Qing when King Qi entered the army, Li Shun couldn't help but break his heart, and in the dim moonlight, he took out a short letter from the bag that had been opened, with a few lines written on it.

"Let Su Qing spread rumors, mentioning the matter of dividing quartz in the past, with the chaotic Duan invincible military heart, Duan is benevolent, unwilling to bear people, will inevitably be ashamed to die, if there is a bad move, then take the opportunity, there is no one in the court, it is the autumn of life and death of the Northern Han Dynasty, it is easy to take advantage of."

Li Shun smiled faintly, rubbed his right hand lightly, and the short card disappeared.

On the second day, Li Xian began to attack Pingyao, it was completely a decent way of fighting, with the strong strength of the Yong army and the continuous offensive, the progress was quite smooth, to the future, Li Xian personally commanded the siege of the side of the city wall defense began to have some signs of collapse, under the onslaught of the trebuchet, a corner of the city wall suddenly collapsed, the Yongjun immediately cheered loudly, along the gap of the city wall, countless Yongjun began to attack inward with the help of cloud ladders and other siege equipment, the Northern Han army near the gap resisted desperately, but still could not stop the offensive of the Yong army.

At this time, Duan Wushu calmly gave a military order, and the guards around him looked at him almost in disbelief, but the majesty of Su Ri made him pass the order without hesitation, and the Northern Han army guarding the gap heard the order, and immediately gave way to a passage, and when the pressure on the front was suddenly reduced and the Yong army who attacked the city cheered, the machine spring sounded, and the Northern Han army, which had been waiting for a long time, launched a strong crossbow, which was wrapped with black fire yao saltpeter and other fire-igniting things, and shot into the Yong army after ignition, and the successive explosions made the Yong army immediately chaotic, At this time, the Northern Han army that was originally avoiding the side swarmed up, defeated them and killed them, taking advantage of the moment when the Yongjun offensive was frustrated, the Northern Han army poured the fire oil down, and then dropped the torch, the flames under the city were blazing, and the blood on the city burst out.

When the last Yongjun was killed, Duan Wushu approached the city wall, pressed his hands on the blood-soaked walls on both sides, and looked down, only to see that the Yongjun army began to retreat, as fast as the ebb tide of the sea, and the faint pressure and power made Duan Wuving's face more and more cold. Looking back at the ruined scene of the smoke and fire at the head of the city, and looking at the enemy camp that stretched for dozens of miles from a distance of several miles, Duan Wudi's heart was cold.

Although he forced the enemy army back, he did not feel the slightest relaxation in his heart. Although the Yongjun army only began to attack the city today, but since the day before yesterday, rumors have spread in the city, although no one in this city dares to talk about it in person, but Duan Wushu knows that the rumor is that he was accused of smuggling and embezzlement by Quartz, and he entered the slander in front of Long Tingfei, framed Quartz for crime, and persecuted Quartz to death. The guards around him were angry, and they asked for orders several times to find out and kill the people who spread the rumors, but they were all forcibly suppressed by Duan Wuving. It's not that he doesn't know the importance of the stability of the army's heart to defend the city, but he can't seriously investigate this matter, just because in addition to his own old department, the army in his hand is also the old department of quartz, and most of the rumors are the old department of quartz. They don't mean to be like this, what soldier doesn't want his general to love his soldiers like a son and fight bravely, if he is under the command of a disgraced general, that shame will not be washed away for the rest of his life. In the past, after the death of Quartz, the reputation was ruined, and these old subordinates did not know how much humiliation they suffered because of this, and now they learned that their generals were persecuted to death, how could they not tell each other. For them, since the "blinded" commander General Long is dead, it is naturally Duan Wuving who "slanders" who needs to be held accountable for this. In this way, everyone in the old quartz department was resentful, and even some of their own subordinates were suspicious. But for this situation, Duan Invincible but powerless, if he wants to clear up the rumors, it will inevitably affect many innocent soldiers, I am afraid that before the enemy army attacks the city, his own side has already killed each other, in desperation, Duan Invincible can only temporarily suppress the army by taking advantage of the current severe military situation, if he can return to Jinyang, there is still a chance to save the army's heart, he can only comfort himself like this.

At this time, under the "protection" of the two Northern Han sergeants, Xuan Song walked up to the city, his injuries have gradually healed, although the scars on his face are like scars, but he can already move freely, since the Northern Han army withdrew from Qinyuan, he is in Duan Wu's army, Duan Wudi is quite polite to him, as long as it is not at the critical time of marching or fighting, although the supervision is strict, but it is not harsh, so he can come to the city at this time. Looking at the ruined scene of the city, Xuan Song's heart was a little gloomy, he had already learned about the bloody battle of Fang Cai from the mouth of the Northern Han army, of course, this was because those Northern Han army soldiers wanted to hit him, the general Dayong, he naturally knew what the bloodstains on the city head represented, but he did not show a sad look. As a Dayong soldier, he should have the consciousness of dying on the battlefield, what use can grief and sympathy be, can he prevent the Yong army from attacking the city in order to reduce casualties, can he persuade the Northern Han army to give up resistance. Only the unification of the world can prevent this kind of bloody war, which does not matter whether it is right or wrong, from happening again.

Seeing Duan Invincible's back, Xuan Song had respect in his heart, it was this person who had been fighting hard for many days, hindering the attack of the Yong army, and giving millions of Northern Han soldiers and civilians the opportunity to retreat and flee, Xuan Song knew that although Dayong was also strict in military discipline, this did not guarantee that innocent Northern Han civilians would not be harmed. This person is loyal and loves the people, if he can persuade him to surrender, Dayong can get good generals and virtuous ministers, thinking of this, Xuan Song laughed loudly: "If you talk about defending the city, no one in the world can defeat General Duan, His Royal Highness King Qi has attacked several times in a day, and you have been repelled by Your Excellency, but the Yong army is strong, there are no reinforcements outside the general, the army in the city is unstable, the food and grass are poor, I don't know how many days I can hold it?" ”

Duan Wushu didn't look back, and said calmly: "Just hold it for two more days, Princess Jiaping has sent a military order, and the people around Jinyang can enter the city, and there will be millions of soldiers and civilians in Jinyang, and there will be no shortage of food, grass and ordnance, even if it is guarded for a year and a half, it will be easy." ”

Xuan Song sighed: "Even so, how long can the Northern Han Dynasty last, although no one told me, but I know how unfavorable the current situation is for you, not to mention the martyrdom of General Long, I saw Princess Jiaping ordered to shrink the defense line to Jinyang, I know that you have no hope of winning, you can only rely on the geographical advantages of Jinyang to defend and retain the last chance of life, unless I Dayong finally has to withdraw the army, otherwise the fall of the Northern Han Dynasty is a foregone conclusion." General Duan, even if you don't cherish your own life, don't you also cherish the lives of the soldiers under your command, now, the Yong army has surrounded Pingyao, His Royal Highness the King of Qi is just worried that you are attacking the grain road behind, plus there is plenty of time, so he will attack the city, otherwise as long as tens of thousands of people are left around Pingyao, the army can continue to go north. If you want to stay for two more days, I'm afraid you won't have a chance to return to Jinyang again. ”

Duan Wushu did not refute, he and Xuan Song had several detailed discussions these days, although both sides were wary, but they just wanted to get more information, but they both respected each other's talents, and both of them were good at defending, so Xuan Song just looked at it a few times, and he knew that the city was real and false. What Xuan Song said was true, and there were some things that Duan Wushu already knew, but he did not disclose to Xuan Song, for example, the news of Emperor Yong's personal expedition, and the news that Li Zhen's army had cut off the roads between Daizhou and Xinzhou. For this matter, Duan Wushu was extremely uneasy, although because the Daizhou army had no way home, he had been forced to stay in Jinyang, and even Princess Jiaping had officially accepted the edict of the lord of the country and became the chief general of the Northern Han Army in Jinyang, but Duan Wushu faintly felt that this was probably a very important move for the Yongjun army, which might cause the Northern Han Dynasty to collapse. It's a pity that he is a soldier, and he still doesn't know much about some things, and he just instinctively feels dangerous about Emperor Yong's move, but he doesn't know his true meaning.

Xuan Song saw that Duan Wushu acquiesced in his words, and said: "Besides, General Duan's situation doesn't seem to be very good...... As soon as he said this, Duan Wushu raised his hand to stop him, and said in a deep voice: "I also give my heart what I want, although I still have no regrets after nine deaths." Xuan Song's body was shocked, looked at Duan Wu's resolute and dignified face, and finally sighed: "Since General Duan has no regrets, Xuan does not want to insult the general's name, but he believes and doubts, and is loyal and slandered, this is the sorrow of the ages, although your king is not a mediocre lord, but at this time of danger, it is inevitable to be overly cautious, I hope that if it is irretrievable, the general will not be foolish and loyal to the end." ”

Duan Wushu finally turned around and said lightly: "If I let General Xuan go back, how can Your Excellency repay you?" ”

Xuan Song had already prepared, if he hadn't used himself, he would have either killed him with a knife early, or handed himself over to Princess Jiaping to take to Jinyang, why bother to stay in the army, looking at Duan Wu's haggard and calm face, he smiled and said: "The general who traps the enemy has no autonomy, if your Excellency has this intention, you might as well send a messenger to meet His Royal Highness the King of Qi." ”

Duan Wushu said calmly: "You have to keep it for another day before you have room for bargaining." ”

Xuan Song couldn't help but smile bitterly, he didn't expect that he had become a commodity, and Duan Wuving's eyes were opposite, Xuan Song's wry smile gradually faded, he could see that the deep sadness in the eyes of the man opposite, everything he said, he knew very well, if it was about talent, Duan Wuving was definitely above himself, but he was fortunate to be Yongchen, and this person was unfortunately a Han general, "Although he died nine times, he still did not regret it", being able to chant this famous sentence, it can be seen that he has already had an understanding in his heart. He took a deep look and said: "If Xuan Mou returns to Yongying, and His Royal Highness does not blame him, he will inevitably lead the army to fight with the general, if the general is unfortunately trapped, I hope that the general will not be bent on death, but Xuan Mou will definitely intercede with His Highness to save the general's life and face." ”

Duan Wushu was a little annoyed at first, but when he saw Xuan Song's extremely serious expression, his expression became soothed, and said: "In the past, Duan Mou once heard that General Xuan admired loyalty and righteousness, and he had a relationship with Yang Can in Shuzhong, so he gave money to make his wife and children live in peace. ”

Although he was rejected by Duan Wuving, Xuan Song was not angry in his heart, but he was even more regretful, turned around and left, Xuan Song regretted in his heart, since the war with the Northern Han Army, he sighed deeply for these brave and loyal people, that is, the destruction of the Northern Han Dynasty, can he really get the hearts of the people here, Xuan Song felt for the first time that attacking the Northern Han might fall into a quagmire.

In the next two days, Li Xian stopped attacking the city, Duan Wushu was very confused, but he was busy appeasing the undercurrent in the army was already anxious, and he couldn't think about it, on the fourth day, the Yong army had gathered in Pingyao, although Duan Wushu delayed the time for the Yong army to attack Jinyang, but he fell into a stalemate that could not retreat. Standing at the head of the city, Duan Wushu thought, he didn't know that the envoy sent to the Yongjun army could accomplish the task, although it was a little embarrassing to coerce with hostages, but if he could rescue the soldiers under his command, it would be worth it. He knew very well that although Xuan Song had an important position in the Yong army, he was not the main general after all, so his requirements were not harsh, only asking the Yong army not to pursue the retreating Northern Han army, and Pingyao City would be handed over to the Yong army intact, and he also promised not to burn the grain and grass in the city. He believes that this request may succeed, because for the Yongjun, his own army is insignificant, and Xuansong has the heart of the army, if the king of Qi does not take Xuansong's life, I am afraid that the Yongjun army will inevitably resent, in the case of not paying much, he believes that the king of Qi will not do this kind of stupid thing that the relatives are through and the enemies are fast.

After receiving Duan Invincible's letter, Li Xian laughed, he stopped the army for the past two days, for the sake of this letter, after the Japanese military conference, he privately recruited Su Qing to come over, and after asking about the situation of spreading rumors, he understood Jiang Zhe's intentions, and then received Jiang Zhe's letter, which made his heart like a mirror. In order to make the rumors more realistic, he simply stopped attacking, so that he could release rumors that Duan Wushu saw the situation was dangerous and had the intention to surrender. And even if there are no other benefits, it is already worth it to be able to save Xuan Song, thinking of the farewell in the middle of the night, Li Xian still felt pain in his heart, so he not only immediately agreed to Duan Invincible's conditions, but also sent an envoy to Pingyao. This messenger is none other than Su Qing.