After a moment of silence, Zhu Quan stared at Zhu Di and said in a deep voice: "As the fourth brother said, right now, you and I are already dying of lips and teeth. The younger brother is a lazy generation, and has no intention of touching the throne, if the fourth brother can promise the younger brother, the foolish brother is willing to lead the military horses under his command to serve in front of the tent, and it is difficult to be in the sky. After these words were said in public, an indescribable sense of relief suddenly surged in his heart.

Zhu Di saw that he was losing like this today, Zhu Quan suddenly said that he had no intention of competing with him for the throne, and he couldn't help but be suspicious, frowned and asked, "What does Brother Quan want?" ”

"Daning is an important town in Liaodong, and there is no room for mistakes, so the younger brother dares to ask the fourth brother to leave 10,000 military horses to guard Daning to prevent the Tartars from attacking." Zhu Quan remembered the intention of Zhu Yuanzhang, the former Hongwu Emperor, to let himself command the army here, and said eloquently.

Zhu Di knew that Zhu Quan was also a character who said the same, if he refused to agree, he was afraid that the other party would turn his face on the spot, and he was forced to bow his head and say: "Foolish brother is as Brother Quan wishes." ”

Zhu Quan nodded and said: "If the fourth brother ascends to the throne one day, he must not forget what he said to the Oirat tribe after the Battle of the Fishing Sea in the past. ”

Thinking of the words that he used to sit on the sweaty and bloody horse, and his high-spirited words to the son of the self-proclaimed resourceful tribal barbarian chieftain, Zhu Di's chest surged with blood, Huo Ran stood up and said in a deep voice: "But the foolish brother still has a breath of air, and he will never sit back and watch the alien race invade my Ming territory, it is advisable to hang his head in the barbarian mansion to show that he is thousands of miles, and those who commit crimes against strong men will be punished even if they are far away!" What the foolish brother himself said to those barbarians, he will never forget in this life. ” ”“

Zhu Quan stood up, stared at the other party and said, "If this is the case, the foolish brother is willing to lead the army to follow the fourth brother and fight against the water." If he is the fourth brother to face the Tartars, the younger brother is also willing to follow the saddle and the horse, swearing to fight to the death. ”

In the bedroom in the back garden of King Ning's Mansion shrouded in night, Xu Ying listened to what Zhu Quan said, and knew that he would follow Zhu Di back to Beiping tomorrow, so he couldn't help but frown slightly, and asked: "Since you have no intention of taking the throne, why bother with his uncle and nephew to fight for the throne?" What is difficult to pounce on the heavens, and the punishment of traitors seems to be high-sounding, but in fact it is just a disaster. ”

Zhu Quan sighed lightly: "If Zhu Laosi is defeated, with the means of His Majesty the Emperor today, how can our family stay out of the matter?" ”

Xu Ying quietly approached Zhu Quan's arms, and said softly: "In the past, when we first met, you just had nothing, it's a big deal that you don't be this prince, I don't want to be this princess, but how about being a village husband and a woman who is a farmer and a weaver?" ”

Zhu Quan heard Xu Ying's soft voice of encouragement, and suddenly recalled the scene when he first came to this world and met Xu Ying in the long street, and his heart couldn't help but soften, and the words of promise were almost rushed out.

Xu Ying saw that Zhu Quan seemed to be quite moved, and her heart was extremely happy, and she said softly: "Master, Old Man Feng followed Brother Lan on an expedition to the desert in the past, but he was revenge for the Han people all over the world. Today** and Zhu Di are facing the imperial army led by Li Jinglong, but it is just for the battle for the throne of the uncle and nephew. ”

Zhu Quan heard Xu Ying mention Li Jinglong, who led the army to the north and put down the rebellion, he was slightly annoyed, and said in a deep voice: "Although the Northern Yuan Dynasty was destroyed by Blue Jade, Tatar Arutai and Warathuan are all cunning and ruthless people, and he will not come back in the future." If the Ming Dynasty is splendid, and tens of millions of Li people must have an emperor standing tall, then I would rather have a wicked emperor like Zhu Laosi, who is ruthless but can not avoid arrows and stones, and face the Tartars. Don't want an ignorant emperor like Zhu Yunwen, a group of rotten Confucians who talk on paper to face the cunning and vicious Tartars. ”

Xu Ying stared at Zhu Quan with a pair of starry eyes, and asked softly, "Do you really have to fight?" ”

Zhu Quan hardened his heart: "It is imperative to fight against the water." After a slight pause, he said softly: "What you said today about returning to the countryside, I really can't agree to it. If he is fortunate enough to stop fighting one day, I will do as you wish. ”

Xu Ying saw that Zhu Quan was bent on going his own way, she couldn't help but break her intestines, threw herself into Zhu Quan's arms and bit her husband's shoulder fiercely, tears in her autumn-like eyes were like springs, and she fluttered down, just because she was also on the battlefield, and knew that the danger of the two armies was abnormal, and tomorrow Zhu Quan led the army south, maybe it would be gone, and heaven and man were separated.

Although Zhu Quan had made up his mind, seeing his beloved wife in such a situation, a deep sense of indebtedness still surged in his heart.

At dawn on the second day, Zhu Quan walked forward slowly, turned his head sideways and said softly to Feng Xuan, who was holding his son Zhu Hanmin on his side: "If anything happens to me, you will take Hanmin and Ying Mei to follow my master and leave Daning quickly." ”

Feng Xuan nodded her head and said softly, "The concubine body will wait for you to come back in Daning." She naturally understood in her heart that Zhu Quan had no choice but to fight this battle, but she was really unwilling to sit still and fight for herself and her beloved son.

Zhu Quan stretched out his hand and patted her weak shoulder, he only felt that there were a thousand words in his heart, but he still wanted to speak, gritted his teeth, turned around and walked away, gradually moving away.

At dawn, the Yan army and the Ning army outside the city had already gathered in one place.

Zhu Di, the king of Yan, and Zhu Quan, the king of Ning, wore armor, standing high on the "sweat and blood horse" and "dark clouds covering snow", and rode horses.

Yang Ling, the white-haired general soldier, was a subordinate general under the command of Fu Youde, the former Duke of Yingguo, remembering that his former commander died unjustly in the hands of Emperor Hongwu, the intention of retreating in his heart had already gradually risen, and he really had no intention of participating in the battle of Jingyan Uncle and nephew, and bowed down in front of Zhu Quanma and hugged his fists and said: "The last general is old and faint, I am afraid that he will not be able to be reused, but he has missed the major affairs of His Royal Highness, and I dare to ask the prince to allow the last general to unload his armor and return to the sky, and end up in the field." ”

Zhu Quan shouted with a calm face: "The chief soldier Yang Ling listens to the order, this king orders you to lead five thousand foot soldiers and five thousand cavalry to guard Daning, if this city falls into the hands of foreign barbarians, you will use this sword to finish yourself." As he spoke, he stretched out his hand and pulled out a three-foot long sword at his waist and threw it down, submerging more than half a foot into the soil at Yang Ling's feet.

Yang Ling knelt on one knee, stretched out his hand and pulled out his long sword, clasped his fist in his hand and said, "The last general will obey His Highness's military orders." ”

Zhu Quan turned his head to Qin Zhuofeng, Feng Tieling, and Fang Jinsong, who were standing on the side, and said, "The safety of Daning is in danger, and you will have to work hard." ”

Feng Tieling and Fang Jinsong saw that Zhu Quan did not force himself and his brothers of the black-armored cavalry under his command to participate in this battle of Jingjing, and they couldn't help but be grateful in their hearts, and they all hugged their fists and bowed down to receive their orders.

Zhu Quan saw Jing Kun, who was wearing a green shirt, standing beside his master Qin Zhuofeng, and remembered that he had failed the other party's intentions at the most important moment, and couldn't help but feel ashamed, so he turned over and dismounted and approached.

Seeing Zhu Quan's complexion, Jing Kun guessed what he was thinking, and slowly shook his head and smiled: "Everyone has their own ambitions, if the will of heaven is like this, how can you force it." After a slight pause, he smiled bitterly and continued: "If His Royal Highness sees Dao Yan's old bald donkey, he will immediately tell him that the old man has already admitted defeat in the matter of gambling with him." ”

Qin Zhuofeng whispered to his lover: "If you see the wrong opportunity, you will smear oil on the soles of your feet." ”

Zhu Quan nodded, turned over and stepped onto the "dark clouds and snow" of his love horse, and secretly thought to himself in his heart: This battle of Jingjing that caused a disaster in Xiao Wall does not belong to the master, Old Man Fang, Old Man Feng, even if I have a thousand reasons, I am not qualified to let them fight with their own people. Thinking of this, he turned his horse head to lead Jing Jun, Sima Chao led his army, and followed Zhu Di, the king of Yan, on the journey south.

Ma Sanbao came to Zhu Quan's side and whispered to report that early this morning, Liu Chengzong, the magistrate of Daning City, heard that Zhu Quan, the king of Ning, had rebelled and joined the rebels of Zhu Di, the king of Yan.

Zhu Quan's face was silent, and he recalled in his mind that Liu Chengzong, the magistrate of the county who governed Daning well but was loyal to the imperial court, couldn't help but sigh in his heart: If Lord Liu has soldiers in his hands, I am afraid that he will never be polite to me, a chaotic minister and thief. When he rode his horse and led the army, he turned around and looked back at Daning City, which was getting farther and farther away on the horizon, and he couldn't help but feel a sense of loneliness in his heart, gritting his teeth and hating: Becoming a king or losing a villain, either life or death, that's it.

At the end of October, at dusk and sunset, outside a village called Zhengjiaba 20 miles outside the city of Beiping, the tents of the southern military camp were stretched out, and there was no end in sight.

Long before the arrival of the imperial army, the people within a radius of 100 miles outside the city of Beiping all fled from their homes in a hurry, either to avoid the city of Beiping or to leave the country, for fear of suffering from the fish in the pond.

The biting chill of the north wind swept in, blowing the handsome flag on the flagpole more than two feet high into the wind, and the hunting sounded.

Conquering the general, Li Jinglong, the Duke of Cao Guo, raised his eyes and looked at the handsome flag on the flagpole, which was sometimes rolled low, sometimes stretched, embroidered with the word "Li", and frowned and gave an order to the soldiers on his side: "Beat the drum and gather the generals." ”

A moment later, the heavy and distant sound of drums echoed through the endless barracks.

Li Jinglong tightened his cloak and turned around and walked towards the village. He used to be good friends with Zhu Di, the king of Yan, and knew that he was good at using cavalry, and he had Yanshan guards under his command whose combat power was not inferior to the cavalry of the Ming border army, an important town on the nine sides, so he set up his handsome camp in Zhengjiaba Village, and used a solid obstacle like a house as a means to prevent the Yan cavalry from raiding.

When night fell, in the wide tent, under the light of a large butter candle, stood two columns of armored generals.

Li Jinglong, who sat behind the handsome case, said in a deep voice: "Ning King Zhu Quan rebelled and rebelled, and joined forces with Yan King Zhu Di, what are the good strategies for the generals to break the enemy?" Although he does not have much talent, he is very self-aware, knowing that in front of him, Wu Jie, Marquis of Anlu, Wu Gao, Marquis of Jiangyin, and Geng Xuan, the governor of the army, are all generals in the army, and the experience of battlefield conquest is by no means comparable to himself. Since you don't know how to decide, you might as well listen to what they have to say, and if you have any high opinions, you can adopt them.

Sheng Yong, Ping'an and the others heard Li Jinglong's question, and they looked at each other with a sense of relief. They all know how many catties and taels the general of the emperor's majesty has enshrined him, and today he hurriedly came after hearing the drum and trumpet of the generals, and the most worrying thing in his heart is that this general imitates the former Liangguo Gong, Ying Guogong and others gave an order so that the generals dare not disobey. At this time, seeing him so humbly accepting advice made all the generals feel relaxed.

Du commanded Sheng Yong to go around the city for a week during the day, and check the Yan army guarding the city gates from afar, and when he was about to go out to speak, he heard a loud voice not far in front of him and said: "In the opinion of the last general, Yan Wei opened the city gates from time to time, not just to demonstrate to our army, but to induce us to divide up and attack the city gates. ”

Sheng Yong looked fixedly, but saw that this old man who was about fifty years old was Qu Neng, who was short and strong, with gray hair.

Qu Neng said in a deep voice: "There are many high gates in Beiping City, if my army divides troops to attack it, it may not be able to go down with a drum, Yan Wei led tens of thousands of elite cavalry to roam outside the city, if it is attacked while my siege army and the defenders of the city are fiercely fighting, then it is very easy for us to break it." ”

Sheng Yong saw that this rough old general saw through Zhu Di's sinister intentions, so he was silent.

All the generals are battle-hardened people, and they have been checking the terrain around Beiping for a few days, and they are also clear about Zhu Di's intention to lead the cavalry to cruise outside the city.

Originally, Beiping was the capital of the Yuan Dynasty in the past, the city wall was tall and strong, and it also covered a wide area, and there were many city gates. When attacking such a fortified city, the easiest place to break through is the city gate. Although the imperial army has 500,000 people, there are only 50,000 elite cavalry, if the regiments surround Beiping and attack each gate, the troops will inevitably be dispersed, and it is very easy to make good use of cavalry to raid Zhu Di, so when the imperial army occupies a huge advantage of three times that of the enemy, it is taboo to divide the troops.

Li Jinglong looked at Governor Qu Neng, who was clenching his fists not far away, frowned and asked, "Based on what the old general has seen, how should we attack it?" ”

Qu Neng looked up at Li Jinglong, and said categorically: "The last general is not talented, tomorrow I am willing to lead 50,000 foot soldiers to attack Zhangye Gate, and ask the marshal to send a general to lead the cavalry to guard on the flank, in case Yan Rebellion takes advantage of the situation to attack." ”

As soon as Qu Neng's voice fell, he saw a tall man beside Sheng Yong stepping out of the queue and bowing to his fists and said: "The last general is safe, and I am willing to lead the cavalry to be a barrier for the old general Qu." ”

Wu Jie, Marquis of Anlu, and Wu Gao, Marquis of Jiangyin, glanced at each other and stepped out of the ranks, agreeing in unison that this person led all the cavalry in the army to guard against Zhu Di's attack. Among the generals, in terms of titles and official positions, the two of them are only under Li Jinglong, the Duke of Cao, but they know very well that they and other southern generals are good at commanding foot soldiers, and this person is a powerful general under the command of Lan Yu, the Duke of Liangguo in the past, who is good at commanding cavalry, and can compete with Zhu Di, the king of Yan.

It turned out that this person who came out to ask for his life was the one who followed the Liangguo Gong Lanyu to conquer the Quartet, repeatedly made great contributions, and was promoted to the commander of the capital after sweeping away the Yuan Dynasty's subordinate general Yuelusi Timur's father and son.

Li Jinglong saw that the generals were in high spirits, and he couldn't help but feel relieved, and immediately stood up and passed down the military order in a deep voice, tomorrow morning by the governor Qu Neng, all commanded Sheng Yong to lead 50,000 foot soldiers to attack Zhangye Gate, and all commanded Ping'an to lead 50,000 cavalry to respond, and the rest of the generals led the army under his command to stick to the camp and not come out.