Yan country, Jicheng.

At this time, the news of Qin's invasion of Zhao had not yet reached Jicheng, and if Yan knew the news, he would not be flustered about Zhao's attack on Yan. Lian Po had 80,000 soldiers, and three days ago he conquered the important town of Fuyang, a hundred miles west of Jicheng, and his troops pointed directly at Jicheng. The western gateway of Jicheng was opened, which directly stimulated the nerves of Yan Guo, and the atmosphere in Jicheng suddenly became tense. In Yan Guo's view, Zhao Guoken asked Lian Po to give up the defense on the border and rush to Jicheng, which was already annoyed and angry. In the face of the angry Zhao State, if Zhao Guo did not regain his sanity with heavy casualties, Yan Guo's losses would inevitably be great.

King Yan urgently ordered to recruit 200,000 troops to gather in Jicheng and prepare to defeat the Zhao army in a battle. In order to be safe, Yan asked Qi for help at the same time, asking Qi to send troops to attack Zhao Hao and force Lian Po to return to his division.

The huge Yan Kingdom was in a commotion because of an edict from King Yan. The peasants, who were originally going to spring ploughing, put down the hoes in their hands, picked up the long and short halberds, and gathered from village to village. The air was dull as it was before the war. Jicheng is already under martial law, and the whole Yan country is waiting for Lian Po's army to attack and frustrate its edge. No one in the Yan country will think that they will lose, although Lian Po has great achievements, but it will not be long before the number of the Yan army will be three times that of the Zhao army, no matter how powerful the Zhao army is, it is impossible to defeat three with one.

Lian Po seemed to sense the risk of continuing to march, he should have been a fast soldier, but when the army of Yan was not assembled, he would be afraid of the enemy when he rushed to Jicheng, and stopped advancing in Fuyang. Although the scouts of the Zhao army who were sent to Jicheng to reconnoiter were still wave after wave, and more than a dozen battles of different sizes broke out between the two sides of Yan and Zhao every day, the main force of the Zhao army never appeared near Jicheng.

The Yan State was very puzzled by this, and even worried that this was Lian Po's conspiracy at first, but as the Zhao State stood still for longer and longer, the monarchs and ministers of the Yan State could only comfort themselves. Maybe. Lian Po was so arrogant that he thought that he could defeat the Yan army several times his size in one battle!

It wasn't until a few days ago that the news that the army that had just assembled was raided by the Zhao army came one after another, and the monarchs and ministers of Yan State reacted that Lian Po wanted to cut off the reinforcements of Jicheng and leave Jicheng alone. After the morale of all the Yan troops was low and they did not dare to rescue Jicheng. Zhao Guocai calmly besieged Jicheng.

Yan Guo reacted quickly, and the cities where the army had been assembled were strengthened and some new assembly points were getting farther and farther away from Jicheng. Zhao Guo wants to ambush Yan Guo's reinforcements to rescue Jicheng like before, which is tantamount to a fool's dream. Lian Po seemed to realize this, and there was less and less news of the Yan army being ambushed, which seemed to prove that the Zhao army had reluctantly accepted this reality and shrunk its forces to Fuyang.

It's just that. The monarchs and ministers of the Yan Kingdom could never have imagined that Lian Po, who they had never forgotten, did not command the army in Fuyang, but on the contrary, it was in Handan City, thousands of miles away.

As soon as Lian Po arrived in Handan City, he was quietly taken into an inconspicuous courtyard in Handan City by Lin Xiangru's henchman butler. Although Lian Po was puzzled in his heart, he did not speak out. Seven days ago, Lian Po received a secret order from King Zhao and was asked to rush to Handan as quickly as possible. The specific reasons were not explained. The wording of the king's decree was harsh, and Lian Po was not allowed to have any prevarication. Lian Po only had time to explain the battle to the next lieutenant general. I set off in a hurry. Six days and seven nights, a journey of more than 1,000 miles, Rao Shilian was quite a border general, skilled in arching horses, but at the age of sixty, galloping for so long, it was also a little unbearable.

Lian quite clear. He guarded the frontier because of his crimes, and he could not return to Handan without the will of King Zhao. Lin Xiangru even more simply told himself that because of the party struggle, he had no great merit, and he could not fight for himself to return to Handan to take up his post. This time, King Zhao actually ordered himself to return to Handan when the war was at its most intense. There must be something big about it. Lian Po couldn't figure out what happened all the way to make King Zhao so anxious to summon him. Because of his worries, when he entered Beijing this time, Lian Po didn't have any joy, but only a nervous mood.

After turning a few corners, Lian Po finally saw Lin Xiangru, whom he hadn't seen for several years. Lin Xiangru cast guilty and grateful eyes, and was not polite to Lian Po, so he directly ordered the attendants around him to retreat, and personally poured Lian Po a full cup of tea.

Lian Po was so anxious that he didn't wait to sit down, he stared at Lin Xiangru's eyes, and said eagerly: "What happened in Handan that the king asked me to put down everything and rush to Handan non-stop?" ”

Lin Xiangru looked around carefully, and then he sighed at Shang Lianpo's eyes, and said: "The Qin State has invaded my Hexi, and now only Shaoliang in Hexi has not fallen. ”

Lian Poteng, who had just sat down, stood up, stomped his foot vigorously, and scolded angrily: "Lao Tzu has long said that the people of Qin are unreliable. The king just didn't listen, look, now stab Lou Zi! ”

venting his grievances, Lian Po said again: "The leader of the Qin State is in vain? How many soldiers and horses are there? Did the imperial court come up with a charter? ”

Lin Xiangru's face flashed with a hint of embarrassment, and he said with a sad brow: "The leader is indeed Wu Anjun Bai Qi, and the deputy general is Wang Qian, the new favorite guard of King Qin, with an army of 100,000. As for the charter? Undecided! ”

Without waiting for Lin Xiangru to finish speaking, Lian Po shook his head again and again, and said, "The soldier is fast!" The Qin Kingdom has hit our doorstep, what is the king still hesitating about?! The Qin State tore up the covenant, if we let Hexi fall into the hands of the Qin State, how will the world view our Zhao State? All the countries in the world, who will still be convinced by our Zhao country? I will go to the king and speak directly about the pros and cons. The Qi State and the Yan State are just a mustard problem, and the Qin State is a big problem! It's better to make peace with Yan and Qi and defeat the Qin army! "After that, you need to go out and enter the palace.

Lin Xiangru hurriedly grabbed Lian Po and said worriedly: "The ministers of the court are naturally in favor of sending troops, everyone knows that Qin Shi will attack me, if we don't respond, Qin will definitely be able to advance inch by inch, step by step!" After this, I'm afraid that there will be no peace in the country. But the question now is that the king can't be the master? ”

"Can't be the master?" Lian Po said in surprise. How is this possible?! The whole world is not the king's land, and the shore of the land is not the king's minister. The major affairs of Zhao are all decided by King Zhao. How could King Zhao not be such a master? It is not possible unless King Zhao is imprisoned like the first king (King Wuling of Zhao)! But King Zhao obviously ordered himself to enter Handan not long ago!

Lin Xiangru nodded and sighed: "The king is seriously ill, and his body is getting poorer and weaker, I'm afraid it's ......" Although Lin Xiangru didn't finish speaking, anyone could hear it. King Zhao is afraid that he will die soon.

Lian Po was stunned for a moment, he had thought of countless possibilities, but he never thought that King Zhao would die! King Zhao is only forty-one years old this year, and when he left Handan a few years ago, King Zhao's body was still relatively strong, how could he die in a blink of an eye!

"What's going on?" Lian Po said with a look of disbelief.

Lin Xiangru knew what Lian Po was asking. explained: "The king has actually been hollowed out by wine all these years, and he is obsessed with pills, although it seems that there is no big problem on it, but in fact it is no longer something that can be made up for by medicinal stones. The doctor said that he had no surgery to return to heaven, but fortunately, Xin Pingjun came in time and could see the king for the last time. ”

"What about the king's secret decree to return to Handan?" Lian Po still refuses to accept this fact. Zhao State is currently in an eventful season, and King Zhao is the backbone of Zhao State. If King Zhao really dies at this time, the lord Shaoguo is suspicious, and Zhao Guo will inevitably have some turmoil! Can the sixteen-year-old Prince Dan shoulder the responsibility of Zhao State? Lian Po was very suspicious.

Lin Xiangru said: "It is indeed the king's order. Ten days ago. The king was in a coma in the back garden. Since then, most of the days have been drowsy, and the time spent awake has become shorter and shorter. The king also knew that time was short, so he took advantage of his sober time to order you to be recruited into Handan and explain the future. Now that the crown prince is in charge of the country, he lies to the outside world that the king has an accidental cold, and the harem has been under martial law, and I am afraid that this news will not be hidden for long. ”

"I see!" Lian Po nodded heavily. He said to Lin Xiangru: "How about I go and ask the king now?" ”

Lin Xiangru nodded with difficulty. said: "Now that the palace has been controlled by Pingyuan Jun's henchmen, ordinary people can't see the king, plus the prince is serving on the side, the general will be cautious later!" Zhao Guo's sky will change when it is said. Also, the king should not know the news of Qin's attack on Hexi at present. If the king wakes up and turns around, the general must keep the secret and not let the king worry. ”

For Lin Xiangru's instructions, Lian Po remembered them one by one. Then he went straight to the palace with Lin Xiangru. Today's Zhao Palace can be described as three steps, one post, five steps and one sentry. Heavily guarded. The crown prince lied to the outside world that King Zhao needed to recuperate, and refused most of the courtiers' requests to see him. Now, only a few important ministers such as Pingyuan Jun Zhao Sheng, Pingyang Jun Zhao Bao, and Shangqing Lin Xiangru can ask to see King Zhao. Seeing the solemn expressions of each of the important ministers, all the people became cautious. In particular, the prince opened the altar to pray for King Zhao, which seems to prove that King Zhao's condition is by no means optimistic. Handan City, the mountain rain is coming, and the wind is full of buildings.

The Praetorian Guards, who were in charge of guarding the palace gates, may have been informed in advance and did not stop Lin Xiangru and Lian Po, and the two were able to enter the palace without hindrance. As soon as they entered the palace, their own attendants brought Lin Xiangru and Lian Po to the palace where King Zhao stayed.

Lian Po had already felt the oppressive atmosphere of the palace, all the guards and chamberlains were all fresh faces, and Lian Po seemed to feel like an outsider. If it weren't for Lin Xiangru assuring him, King Zhao was by no means detained, but terminally ill, and Lian Po would have wondered if this was a mutiny that had been prepared for a long time!

In the side hall next door where King Zhao slept, the five most powerful people of Zhao State, the crown prince Zhao Dan, Pingyuan Jun Zhao Sheng, Pingyang Jun Zhao Bao, Shangqing Lin Xiangru, and Xinping Jun Lianpo finally gathered together at the head of the national disaster. Lian Po found that not only was he and Lin similar, but the eyes of the other three were also bloodshot, and it was not good to rest.

The prince smiled reluctantly, and said in an extremely tired tone: "It's really a sin to bother Xinping Jun to travel thousands of miles!" However, the country is in great trouble, the dragons have no leader, and this Zhao country has not encountered a great change for more than a hundred years! Xinping Jun is the important minister of the country, the elder of the court, and the prince can only be tired! ”

For the prince's flattery and politeness to himself, Lian Po is very useful, but now is not the time to be polite, Lian Po said solemnly and solemnly: "Eat the king's Lu, be loyal to the king!" The king is sick, and the courtiers do their duty! The minister does not dare to be arrogant, and is willing to use his seven-foot body for the prince to drive! ”

Zhao Sheng, the plain monarch on the side, nodded slightly, very satisfied with the attitude of Prince Dan and Lian Po. At a time when the country is in a difficult time, it is necessary for the ministers to work together to tide over the difficulties. Although the noble faction and the common people were at odds in the past, they were unambiguous in the face of national affairs. He built his own prince Dan to unite the important ministers, and the prince Dan did as he said. Lian Po is also very sensible, knowing that at such a moment, he recognizes the authority of the prince, rather than looking for an opportunity to change other princes as the prince. This is the fortunate thing of Zhao Guo!

Prince Dan nodded and asked with concern, "How is the war in the Yan Kingdom?" ”

"When the minister came, he had already conquered the important town of Fuyang, and the soldiers were only a hundred miles away from Jicheng! However, now that the country is in difficulty, the minister has ordered the deputy general to confuse the Yan army in accordance with the king's instructions. Go on the defensive! ”

The prince showed a rare smile and said, "Xinping Jun is really a famous general of the country, the blessing of the Zhao country!" With Xinpingjun here, the prince is a lot more stable! I don't know if Lin Shangqing told Xin Pingjun about today's shape on the way here? ”

Lian Po nodded and said: "The minister knows a little, the Qin State sent 100,000 troops to attack Hexi, and only Shaoliang is the city left in Hexi. However, the main forces of our Zhao State are all in the east of the (Taihang) Mountain, and they are fighting fiercely with Yan and Qi. The doppelganger lacks skills. ”

"Yes! According to the orders of the prince, Zhao (luxury) Guowei only maintained an undefeated and invincible balance with the Yan and Qi coalition forces. Although our Zhao State has not yet made a force, how can Yan and Qi do their best? If you continue to fight, you will only lose three times. Qin State has turned its back on Zhao, and there have been changes in Hexi, so it stands to reason that our Zhao State should immediately send troops to reinforce Hexi! But now the king is seriously ill. People are panicked, what can they do?! ”

Lian Po subconsciously glanced at Lin Xiangru. According to Lin Xiangru's intelligence, it should not be difficult to see that he persuaded Prince Dan to send troops! But why is there no sign of using troops now?! It's just that the excuse that King Zhao is seriously ill should not be enough to be the reason why Zhao allowed Qin to attack Hexi.

"The Qin State is greedy, if we don't send troops to rescue Shaoliang, I'm afraid that the Qin State will gain an inch, and Taiyuan County will not be able to suffer from military disasters. When the time comes. It's too late to regret! The king is now seriously ill, and His Royal Highness the Crown Prince should take on a great responsibility. The so-called constant judgment is chaotic, and the minister asks His Royal Highness the Crown Prince to think twice. ”

Lin Xiangru nodded secretly, at first. He built yì and sent troops, and Pingyuan Jun was already moved. But as King Zhao's illness became more and more serious, Pingyuan Jun changed his mind. According to their own speculation, the crown prince and Pingyuanjun probably thought that completing the transition to the throne smoothly was the most important thing. On the other hand, for the sake of prudence, if the Qin State sends 100,000 troops, the Zhao State will also send more than 100,000 troops. The general who led the troops of the Qin State was the resourceful Wu Anjun Bai Qi, and the Zhao State was able to compete with Bai Qi, but it was only Lian Po and Zhao Hao. Among them, in terms of prestige and experience, Lian Po is superior. But the prince and Pingyuan Jun were mostly worried that Lian Po would support his own troops, so they didn't make the trip. Now it is no longer possible to delay, otherwise the disaster will be great. If it really doesn't work, it's better to let Zhao Hao lead the troops to fight against the Bai Qi army than to do nothing now.

The prince was silent, still unable to make a decision, but looked at Zhao Sheng, the king of the plains, and expected him to have an idea. Just as Pingyuan Jun wanted to speak, the eunuch Ling stumbled in and said hurriedly: "His Royal Highness the Prince, ministers, Your Majesty, the king, he is awake!" ”

Everyone stood up with a bang, no longer bothering to discuss the current situation, and all hurried to the next door. At this time, etiquette seemed to be unimportant, because no one knew if this would be the last time King Zhao woke up.

The eunuch Ling didn't expect this to be the situation, so he hurriedly caught up and said to the prince Dan who was running in the lead: "Your Royal Highness the prince is slow, the queen is serving the king inside!" Confessed that without her instructions, don't make noise about the king's holy drive! ”

Prince Dan stopped his galloping footsteps, but he still walked towards the palace where King Zhao was located in small steps, and the Pingyuan Jun, Pingyang Jun and others behind him were also light and footed, and they followed the trend without losing speed.

After waiting at the door of the dormitory for a short while, the queen walked out with tears in her eyes, facing the ministers, she didn't care about maintaining the appearance of the royal family, nor did she wipe away the tears from the corners of her eyes, and said in a hoarse and low voice: "Prince, the king is waiting for you inside!" Go in and see your father for the last time! After saying that, he fainted.

Everyone was in a hurry, and the prince wanted to save the queen. Pingyuan Jun Zhao Sheng knew that this was not the moment for his mother-in-law, and instructed the eunuch to send someone to send the queen to the side hall quickly, and at the same time urgently recruit the imperial doctor to come for treatment, Pingyuan Jun came to the front of the prince Dan and said eagerly: "Your Royal Highness the prince, time is urgent!" Don't keep the king waiting too long! The queen is overly sad and nothing serious! His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, go quickly! ”

When Prince Dan had no idea, he heard this, but he didn't object, but walked to the door of the dormitory step by step, and it wasn't until he reached the door that he got down in his heart and walked in.

The whole dormitory was filled with the smell of medicinal herbs, and under the dim light, there was no figure around. Prince Danming knew that the most powerful man in Zhao Country was lying in front of the couch not far away, and it was his father, but for no reason he had a panicked feeling. After so many years, Prince Dan has become accustomed to King Zhao holding up a piece of the sky for him, as long as he doesn't do anything wrong, King Zhao will not teach him a lesson. Prince Dan originally thought that he could live a life like this for many years, and many things could be learned slowly and leisurely. But now, all of a sudden, the most powerful man is going to die, leaving him with many challenges. Prince Dan couldn't accept it for a while! A kind of burden on the shoulders of Zhao Guo's advancement, and the expectations of countless people, almost overwhelmed Prince Dan. (To be continued......)

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