*

Zuo Ying gritted her teeth, her eyes lit up, and she was ready to get up and attack at any time.

Almost at the same time, she felt that there was something in front of her, and when she suddenly realized that it was Ashina who was indefinitely spreading his arms in front of her, this simple action suddenly made her feel mixed.

When Yongning Palace was besieged by the queen's guards, when he was chased and killed by the rebels in Yuanqiu, and when he was threatened by Helan Chu in the imperial study...... Until an hour or two ago, when she was chased and intercepted by thieves, the person who opened her arms to block her was a scarlet feather! But now, he's gone. When he was alone and besieged by thieves, did he feel deep despair and fear? When countless sharp blades pierced his body, was he in terrible pain? When he fell on the ground warmed by his own blood, the last thought that flashed through his mind was loneliness and pain? …… Thinking of this, Zuo Ying suddenly felt a pain in her heart, and in an instant, she seemed to have completely lost the strength to stand up to meet the enemy.

At this time, the voice of Mr. Xu suddenly came from outside.

"Oh, a few elders have worked hard." Old Master Xu's voice was full of courtesy, "My master has always believed in the Six Dust Sect, and he once listened to the opening of the altar of the Yiquan Master in the Lingquan Temple, and it can be said that he is a lay disciple of the Yiquan Master." The old man has some broken silver left by the master's family here, and he took this opportunity to give it to a few elders, which is a piece of the master's heart, and I ask a few to laugh at it. ”

"Old man, how can this be?"

Those who tried to move the Maitreya Buddha statue apparently stopped.

"I ask the elders not to dislike it, and to accept the heart of my master! Otherwise, the next time the owner comes back to save his relatives. The old man can't explain it. ”

Under the repeated insistence of Mr. Xu, the leader of the thieves accepted the silver taels, and then walked in the direction away from the study accompanied by Mr. Xu.

Before their voices faded away, the commanding man could be heard in a loud voice: "This family is honest to the Buddha." You will definitely not harbor the thieves, you will take care of it more in the future, and don't let others make trouble for the old man......"

Sure enough, "money can make ghosts grind". However, it is not enough to have money, but also to grasp the timing, occasion, and proportion, and Mr. Xu's investment at this time is obviously wise and accurate.

Zuo Ying and Ashina were only convinced that they were safe for the time being.

*

The sky was fine this night, and a round of disc-like autumn moon hung in the sky, and was reflected in the surging river, and a plate of broken jade was like a gathering of scattered jade. The once turbulent Yongding River has gradually calmed down when it reaches the middle and lower reaches of the river. There is no trace of the river swelling and flooding downstream, and it is difficult for anyone standing by the river to imagine the terrible flood that happened just over a month ago.

In the wilderness more than two hundred miles away from Ziyang City, a camp tent was set up for several miles, and torches and fences were erected outside the camp. Let the whole camp group be like a glowing golden dragon entrenched in the mountains. The 10,000 cavalry infantry who had arrived from Luoyang as the vanguard camped here tonight for a while, and in the two days before this, they had been marching hard day and night, reaching the limit of 100 miles a day, and now they were very tired. After tonight's rest, if you maintain that extreme speed and march for two more days, you will be able to reach Ziyang City and become the main force in battle.

Helan Chu, who was wearing armor, was returning from a patrol with his sergeants. He wore a black robe and gold armor, and stepped on a pair of rhino leather combat boots. He wore a long sword at his waist, and the cloak on his shoulders was gently lifted by the night wind. His expression was serious and cold, and there was a majestic aura on his body, which made all the soldiers who saw him pass by in awe.

After disbanding his sergeants, Helan Chu strode into a camp guarded by soldiers.

The tent was not large, and all that was placed in it was an unfolded cover and an oil lamp.

A man was sitting cross-legged with his back to the direction of the doorway. He wore a white garment without any ornamentation, and his hair was also tied in a white scarf. This one is dressed like a prisoner of sin.

"The one who wears the sin, this seat is in front of you, and you still don't salute?" Helan Chu said coldly.

The man sitting cross-legged slowly stood up after a while, turned around, and looked at Helan Chu with a pleasant expression. That person was Li Yunshen.

"Since you are guilty, why didn't the Taishi kill the palace?" This question of life and death was raised in Li Yunshen's mouth with a pleasant face, which seemed to be both a deliberate provocation and a sincere request for advice.

He knew why Helan Chu wanted him to join the army. Because he has a wide range of connections and excellent wrists, even if he is put in prison, he is very likely to open up the joints and turn the situation around, unless He Lanchu sees him in a different place, he may still become Helan Chu's worries. But the problem is that he had time to give them "guilty" and "execution" before the state capital arrived in Luoyang, and there was no need to spend such a week and let him die on the battlefield.

Helan Chu said indifferently: "This seat will not kill you for the time being, it's not that I don't want to kill you, and it's not that you won't die for your crimes." Rather, there are things that are more important than dealing with you. ”

"For the Taishi, there is something more important than excluding dissidents and monopolizing the government?" Li Yunshen smiled, his expression seemed to be joking with his old friend, "Did the Taishi point out the soldiers to save the driver?" ”

"Excluding dissidents" and "monopolizing government affairs" are more important than anything else? She must have thought so in her heart. Helan Chu's heart was gloomy.

"You just rely on 'helping the country and eliminating thieves', and you dare to claim to be loyal ministers if you are sycophants around Your Majesty every day?" Helan Chu's eyes lit up, "A sinner like you can die on the battlefield and be given the reputation of 'sacrificing his life for the country', even if it is a tribute to the elders of the country." ”

Just as Helan Chu turned around and was about to leave, a message came from outside the tent: "Taishi, there is an urgent report!" ”

"Biography!"

A person hurriedly came in from outside the tent, knelt on the ground and said, "Tell the master, the spies have come to report that Ziyang City has fallen!" The Taishou of Ziyang City, the county lieutenant, and the soldiers of the whole city were all slaughtered! ”

When Helan Chu and Li Yunshen heard this, they couldn't help but be shocked.

"And where is Your Majesty?" Helan Chu asked.

"Your Majesty and the Imperial Husband's whereabouts are now unknown!" The herald reported.

Helan Chu's heart tightened, and he pondered for a moment before he said, "This matter is silent." The summons ordered the investigation to continue, and the news came as soon as possible. ”

"Yes!" The soldier was ordered to leave.

There was a long silence in the tent. The only thing going around was the flickering fire on the oil lamp.

"Li Yunshen," Helan Chu's voice was low and cold, "Is this what you want to see?" Have you ever wondered what would happen if you had notified the Gyeonggi Sixth Guard to send troops on the same day that Your Majesty had been besieged? ”

Li Yunshen was silent. This is indeed not what he wants to see. Since Zuo Ying's ascension to the throne, his forces have been integrated with Zuo Ying, and before he was able to use Zuo Ying's appeal on behalf of orthodoxy and clan to severely damage or even eradicate the Helan Chu Group, he had to regard her safety as his own safety, and it was as important to maintain her as his most powerful magic weapon. If something happens to her, it will not be a heavy blow to his forces, but a prelude to annihilation.

But since falling into the trap of the thief, the situation has changed dramatically. In the current situation, he knew that it would be difficult for him to turn over, even if he relied on Zuo Ying's strength, the ideal situation would only be to spare his life; Several of the core ministers of the Li family were imprisoned and awaiting death, and the power of the Li family was hit hard, and he himself was ruined, and he was above the swords of others, and it was unattainable to turn the tables and start over.

Even if he is spared from death, but from now on, if he wants to live as humbly as a mustard ant, then what is the point of his hard work to survive and make a living? He has fallen from a high place and broken to pieces, even Zuo Ying can no longer be his support for his rise to the top, Zuo Ying has no value for him to exist and maintain.

So, he didn't care about her life or death anymore - he originally thought. However, what he didn't expect was that when he heard the soldier who reported just now saying that "Ziyang City has fallen, and the soldiers in the city have been slaughtered", his heart suddenly fell, and his entire torso seemed to be hollowed out in an instant, and then he heard that Zuo Ying's whereabouts were unknown, but a hope of gratitude surged in his heart.

This unprecedented feeling shook his heart, and he couldn't help but reflect on what he thought he had done smartly and decisively without regrets at this moment, and whether there was something wrong or wrong.

At this time, Helan Chu had already walked out of Li Yunshen's camp. Walk on the way back to your tent.

A green-robed and silver-armored general hurriedly stepped up to greet him, clasped his fists at Helan Chu and said, "Taishi." "That person is Xiahou Yuan.

Helan Chu nodded, and continued to walk forward without slowness or hurry.

Xiahou Yuan's face was overjoyed, and he said in Helan Chu's ear: "Taishi, the matter of Ziyang City, the last general has already heard about it. The soldiers marched in a hurry for several days, which had already been extremely hard, and the last general suggested that the army should rest for half a day, and set off again at noon tomorrow, and that they should not march to the limit again. ”

"No." Helan Chu said steadily: "If Your Majesty is still hiding in the city, only by conquering Ziyang City as soon as possible can you rescue Your Majesty." The fifth watch cooks, and the time is the hour, and there must be no mistakes. You should go back and get some rest, too. ”

"However, Taishi......" Xiahou Yuan showed a puzzled expression.

There's a godsend in front of us. If something happens to Your Majesty, it is because the city has fallen and she has been poisoned by thieves - it is not anyone's fault that the thieves are in trouble, and no one has forced her to stick to Ziyang City, even if she dies; The longer reinforcements arrived, the more likely it was that she would die. And when the time comes, they can take the righteous army, attack with a surplus, and form a flank attack with the army of the Sanyong military camp, annihilate the thieves in one fell swoop, and return to the court in triumph. At that time, the empress is dead, and the country cannot be without a king for a day, whether it is about bloodline, seniority, or people's hearts, there is only one candidate for support, and that is Taishi Helan Chu.

This couldn't be more straightforward, Xiahou Yuan didn't know why Helan Chu didn't agree with what he thought, he couldn't understand any profound mysteries.

*

*(To be continued.) If you like this work, you are welcome to vote for recommendation and monthly passes, and your support is my biggest motivation. )