At this time, Situ Yu had already arrived at the Shuaifu, and the two soldiers standing guard in front of the door stood up when they saw Dazai coming. Situ Yu jumped off the horse, let a few entourages wait outside, and stepped forward and said, "Is Xue Shuai inside?" ”

One of the guards said: "The marshal practiced archery in the backyard and never went out today." ”

Xue Diji is only in his early twenties this year and is in his youth. Because he knew that his qualifications were shallow, he obeyed Situ Yu's arrangement in everything, and rarely cared about actual affairs. The heaviest hero in the Xiyuan area, he is the son of Jiangmen, so he is practicing bow and horse every day, although he is young, his spear and archery skills are extraordinary. The backyard of the Shuaifu is not a garden, but actually a martial arts field. When Situ Yu came in, Xue Diji was bending his bow and arrows, shooting at a target a hundred paces away.

An ordinary strong bow, shooting dozens of paces away is quite far. Xue Diji's ability to shoot a 100-step target is really extraordinary. Seeing Situ Yu coming, he put down his longbow and said, "Father Yu, you are here." ”

Situ Yu is his father's minister, and Xue Diji also regards him as his father, so he is usually called "Father Yu". Situ Yu saluted and said, "Xue Shuai, there is an envoy from the Sunflower King Army in the city just now. ”

Xue Diji was stunned: "Sunflower King? Is there really such a king? ”

Situ Yu talked to him about this legend last year, but Xue Diji also felt that this news was too illusory, and most of it was spread by false rumors in the Xiyuan area. Nishihara was not a stable place in the first place, and there were constant disputes between various tribes, maybe it was just a vendetta between a small clan of a few dozen people, and after being reported here, it became an invincible mysterious army, so it was not taken to heart. Now he was really surprised to hear Situ Yu say that the envoy of the Sunflower Dynasty had actually arrived.

"Yes. The envoy's letter was also attached to the letter of Ashinabu. ”

Xue Diji's brows furrowed: "Ashina? ”

Ashina is the maternal line of Xue Diji, and his other name is "Ashina Diji". Therefore, although the relationship between Ashina and the Wude Camp is not very good now, Xue Diji still has a good impression of them. Situ Yu said: "Yes." Ashina has subjugated the Sunflower Dynasty. ”

"What!"

Xue Diji almost couldn't believe his ears. He stepped forward and said, "Father Yu, is this true?" ”

Situ Yu nodded and said, "Really." In the letter, he asked us to surrender to the Sunflower Dynasty, saying that if we don't descend, the jade will be burned. ”

A hint of gloom flashed in Xue Diji's eyes. He has a heroic father, but when he is sensible, his father's glory is the past, and Chu Capital City can only be regarded as barely supporting. He is not very old, but in Xiyuan, he is really used to competing for power and profit, and the weak eat the strong. The powerful side has always been ruthless to the weak side. Among the three major forces in the Western Plains, the Fugu Department and the Chu Capital City are in danger of becoming fire and water. At that time, Xue Tingxuan assassinated the predecessor of the Fugu Department, Taiji Helian Tuli, with an iron fist, and brought the Fugu Department under his command. In the Eastern Crusade, this Fugu army suffered heavy losses, which increased the hatred of the Fugu Department for the Chu capital city by one point. The current servant Gu Department Taiji Helan Ruyu is Helian Tuli's son-in-law, and he hates Chu Capital City even more, if it weren't for Ashina's containment, Helan Ruyu is afraid that Chu Capital City would have been destroyed more than ten years earlier. It's just that now Ashina has surrendered to the Sunflower Dynasty, and the capital of Chu has really lost the last barrier, even if it does not die in the Sunflower Dynasty, it will eventually die in the Fugu Department. Even though Xue Diji is young, he can see this clearly. He muttered, "Is there only one way to subdue?" ”

A strange light flashed in Situ Yu's eyes, and he also lowered his voice and said: "The survival of Chu Capital City has been in Xue Shuai's thoughts, and I ask Xue Shuai to think about it in the long run." ”

Xue Diji was stunned for a moment, and then said slowly: "Father Yu, what kind of plan is this long-term plan?" ”

Situ Yu was also speechless. After a while, he said: "Xue Shuai, this matter is no longer something that can be decided by one's own thoughts, and when the bell is ringed at this time, it will be decided by all the people of Chu Capital City." ”

On the watchtower of the central square of Chudu City, there is a huge bronze bell. This bell is easy, once it rings, it is a matter of life and death, and the whole city will gather in the central square. Since the Wude Battalion came to Xiyuan, this bell has been rung three times in the past few decades, and now, it is bound to ring the fourth time. Xue Diji thought for a while, nodded heavily, and said, "What Father Yu said is extremely true. Set off for the central square at once, and the matter should be decided by all the citizens of the city. ”

He is still a young man who has not yet gotten rid of his childishness, and because he relies on Situ Yu for everything, he is not used to making any decisions. But once he made a decision, the blood inherited from his father in his veins seemed to burn all at once, and he matured a lot in an instant. Situ Yu saw that Xue Diji had made up his mind, and said, "That's fine. When the whole city decides what to do, we will write back to the envoy. ”

Situ Yu said this, but his heart was as painful as a knife. He can see far more clearly than Xue Diji that the Chu Capital City has been able to stand up in Xiyuan until now, relying on the tripartite containment of the Ashina Department, the Fugu Department and the Wude Battalion. These three forces are afraid of each other, and this is how a delicate balance has been struck. However, the emergence of the Sunflower Dynasty has broken this balance, which is like a three-legged tripod, one foot has been broken, and it is difficult to stand on the ground again. Even Ashina's department has been subdued, and Chu Ducheng is now under attack, and it is impossible to be alone. However, although Situ Yu is not a veteran who came from the Central Plains with the Wude Battalion, he also knows the pride of the Wude Battalion, which was once famous all over the world and known as the strongest soldier in the world. Although time has passed, and the current Wude Camp is basically the third generation, this pride has not diminished. Not long after the Wude battalion entered the Western Plains, the Central Plains dispatched an unprecedented 50,000 troops to crusade, and everyone felt that it was impossible to win, but almost everyone shouted the slogan of "Rather for the broken jade, not for the whole tile". In the hearts of all the soldiers and civilians in Chudu City, they would rather die than bend their knees, and this idea is deeply rooted and can no longer be moved. If he proposed to surrender, he was afraid that even if he was a Dazai who was entrusted by Xue Tingxuan, he would be scolded by the people of Chu Capital City to the point of being indecent. But if you let the people decide, it's like you have lost your life.

Xue Shuai, if you were still alive, how would you choose?

Situ Yu's eyes were a little dazed. It's just that he also knows that if Xue Tingxuan is still alive, he will not have any other choice. Instead of living on his knees, Wu Ning stood and died. The Wude Battalion retreated again and again, and now there is no way to retreat, and there is only one way to go.

Rather for broken jade, not for the tile! I don't know when, Situ Yu's eyes were already a little moist. Many years ago, when the capital city of Chu was facing almost the same desperate situation, the whole city shouted these eight words impassionedly.

Hopefully, this time, there will still be a miracle. Situ Yu thought. But for some reason, his heart still hurt as if it was dripping blood. Because he knew that this miracle was too slim and too unlikely. However, even if it is destined to end, this is the best ending.

He held his head high, and there was a strange light in his eyes in addition to sadness. He seemed to see the long-lasting glory of the Wude Camp,

At this time, Gambray was resting in the welcome pavilion of Chu Capital City. The Welcome Pavilion is the place to welcome the envoys from all sides, when Xue Tingxuan became the Khan of the Heavens, the Welcome Pavilion was full, so that some small tribes could only find another place to live temporarily, but now it is empty, and there is only one guest in the whole building.

This Chu Capital City was quite unexpected. Gambray thought. Along the way, there are more than 10 large and small countries and more than 100 cities. All in all, the further east you go, the closer you get to the wilderness. When he arrived in the Western Plains, they were all nomadic tribes, and they lived in some domes, which made him despise this land all the time. It's just that when I arrived in the city of Chudu, I found that there was a big difference here, the people's clothes were far cleaner than those of other tribes, and their manners were also very decent, so they really couldn't be classified as barbarians. As for the diet, it is not as rough as other tribes, and it is even more pure. At this time, what was placed in front of Gambleray was four plates of snacks and a bowl of porridge. The snack is two meat and two vegetarian, the vegetarian is dried fruits and fresh vegetables, and it is just that, the meat is a plate of bad horse meat, and a plate of white-cut mutton. The bad horse meat is as red as fire, but the white-cut mutton is as white as snow. The meat of the horse is very coarse, but the mutton has a bad smell, but these two dishes of meat have no peculiar smell and are delicate and delicious. Gambray thought to himself that the world can only pay attention to the appetite after having enough food and clothing, and the food in Chu Capital City is so fine, it seems that it is indeed extraordinary.

This should be the "Seris" country that the Holy Emperor said. Gambray thought. The word Seris means "silk" in his hometown. Legend has it that in the far east, there is a country of Seris, rich in silk, full of gold, and the people are extremely rich. This legend has been around for a long time, and when Gambray learned the original dialect, he heard it many times, and he was always envious, and even dreamed several times. It's just that it came to the east, and countless cities were broken, but it became more and more like a wilderness, and after arriving in the West Plains, I couldn't even see the city, where is there any trace of the legendary Ceris country? Just when he was a little suspicious that the legend was just a false rumor, the Chu capital city in front of him rekindled his confidence.

Even if this is not the country of Seris, it must be the western frontier of the country of Seris. Thinking of this, Gambray also breathed a sigh of relief. It's just that before this breath is finished, there is a loud noise in my ears.

It was a bell ringing. The bell tower is very close to the welcome pavilion, and it sounds like thunder here. Gambray was taken aback and exclaimed, "What's wrong?" ”

He also knew that he had come to a letter of persuasion. If Ashina Tiki Khan was angry and desperate to sacrifice his head to the flag, it was not completely impossible. But as soon as he asked, a handyman on the side also hurried to the window to look out, and said, "The bell is ringing!" ”

The handyman's tone was also a little excited. Gamble said, "Ring this bell, what happened?" ”

Although the handyman was doing some miscellaneous things, he was also quite knowledgeable, and knew what Gambray was worried about, and said: "This is the commander who has summoned the whole city to discuss the most important matters. Mr. Gan, please rest assured, even if there is bound to be a war, Mr. Gan does not have to worry about his safety. ”

Gamble was even more shocked and admired when he heard this miscellaneous servant say it, and said in his heart: "Even an ordinary miscellaneous servant in the capital of Chu is so generous, I am afraid that Marshal Tai Xili will gnaw hard bones." In fact, he didn't know that all the people in Chu Capital City were soldiers, and there would be no idlers in the guest house. The person who spoke to Gan Boli was actually a senior commander of the Renzi Battalion, and he was also a petty officer, so he naturally spoke very decently.

At this time, Xue Diji had already ascended the city and was speaking to the people about the time when the capital of Chu was facing. Although the guest house was very close to there, Xue Diji's voice was completely inaudible. After a few moments, there was a shout from the crowd. At first, the shouting was a little chaotic, and Gambery couldn't hear it clearly, but then the sound became more and more neat, and he could hear it clearly. However, Gamber didn't use much of the original words, and he couldn't hear what he was shouting, only two sentences. was about to ask the miscellaneous servant, but he heard the miscellaneous servant mutter: "I'd rather be broken than broken!" ”

These eight words were shouted by Xue Tingxuan when Chu Capital City was facing the 50,000 Central Plains crusading army. At that time, when these eight characters were spoken, the whole Wude camp actually felt that there was no physiology, but under the unity of the city, the capital city of Chu finally turned the danger into a disaster. Since that day, these eight characters have also become the belief of the Five Virtue Camp. Not only those who experienced the life-and-death battle back then, but even the newly grown generation in their twenties and thirties also empathize.

Gambley frowned. In fact, it was the first time he had heard this idiom, but there were coherent words like "rather for" and "not for", and nerds understood the meaning.

It seems that a war is inevitable. Gamble idealized. When he entered the Chu Capital City, he had a very good impression of this city, and he really didn't want to conflict with it, so he was also prepared to say some good things for the Chu Capital City in front of Marshal Tai Xili and try to treat them as favorably as possible. It's just that it seems that all this is useless, and the fangs of the war finally reached the capital of Chu. Soon, this city will be in ruins, just like the cities that held out in the past.

He thought, and there was already a tingling in his heart.

Chu Ducheng's decision has been made, and the return will be soon. Receiving the letter from the young Ashnadiki Khan, Gamberi saluted, jumped on his horse and went out of the city.

Under the banner of the city, watching this person's back gradually move away, Xue Diji whispered: "Father Yu, Chu Capital City is also going to the last moment, right?" ”

This sentence sounded extremely frustrating, and Situ Yu whispered: "Xue Shuai, I will immediately arrange people to protect you from the city." ”

Xue Diji smiled faintly and said, "Father Yu, you are wrong. In this life, Diji has not been able to do anything, and he thought that he would insult his father's reputation. How can you miss this opportunity to leave a name for future generations? I want future generations to say that Xue Diji of Chu Capital City, even if he died young, was a hero who never shamed his father! ”

He didn't speak loudly, but he was extremely calm. Situ Yu was taken aback, almost unable to believe his ears. After Xue Tingxuan's death, he single-handedly handled the affairs of the Chu capital city, and Xue Diji almost never interfered. In Situ Yu's eyes, although Xue Diji is not a gentleman, he also has some habits of a son-in-law. At this time, I realized that I was really too wrong, although Xue Diji was young, but in the heart of this young man, it was still the endless blood of the heroes of the Wude Battalion. In time, Xue Diji may really be able to regain his strength and make the Wude Battalion famous again.

It's just that it's all just a dream. Situ Yu thought. However, even if it is just a dream, it will radiate a scorching light, even if it is only a moment like a meteor piercing the sky. At this moment, the long-lost blood in Situ Yu's heart seemed to be boiling. He looked up at the banner with the word "Chu" above his head, and laughed loudly: "Yes, Xue Shuai, forgive the old minister for his miswords." ”

On the second day after the Chu capital city returned to the Sunflower King's army, the expeditionary force had led Ashina from the expeditionary army to the Chu capital city army. The expeditionary force had a total of 20,000 men, and Ashinabu sent 10,000 men to join the expedition.

Although it is more advantageous to defend the city, generally speaking, the attacker must have at least three to four times the strength of the defender to take it, but now the attacker has reached 30,000, and the full battle in the city of Chu is not more than 8,000. Even if these 8,000 soldiers, nearly half of them are over forty years old, and there are many small tribes from the Chu capital city, and their combat effectiveness is not strong. There are only more than 3,000 people who can really be called elite, which is basically the two battalions of honesty and courage among the five battalions of benevolence, righteousness, faithfulness, honesty and bravery. Therefore, these two battalions were placed at the main gate, and the other three battalions defended the other three.

Wei Huaizhen is the sentry officer of the Lianzi Battalion, responsible for the head of the city on the left side of the main gate. He stood behind the moat with a gun in his hand, watching the army surging below the city. The Sunflower Dynasty Expeditionary Force, this army from the extreme west, is so neat that it makes people feel frightened. He was born and raised in Nishihara, and to be honest, he had never seen such a well-organized army. Even if it is the Wude battalion, the military appearance looks quite inferior.

Just set it up, and the attack is about to begin. Wei Huaizhen's heart was strangely calm and more calm. If he had heard people shouting in the square before, "I'd rather be a broken jade than a complete tile", he also had a bit of the pride to turn the tide, but the moment he saw the military appearance of the expeditionary force, he already knew clearly that the Chu capital city could not be defended. In the art of war, there is the saying of "five victories", the so-called can fight and those who can't fight, those who know the few wins, those who want the same up and down win, those who treat those who are not safe win, and those who will be able to win but do not control. Among these five wins, probably only the "upper and lower have the same desire" is barely met. But this one alone is really far from it. Now the talents of the Wude Camp are withering, and as the generals grow old one by one, no one can take the lead. Including Xue Shuai himself, he is young and thin, and he really can't hold down the position. Although Dazai has prestige, he has never been a general.

Is life going to end now? He was thinking about it when someone on the side suddenly exclaimed, "Cannon! They have cannons! ”

According to military discipline, those who make noise at will should be dealt with by military law. But now, even if it is a cheap battalion, military discipline has been much relaxed, and it is really used to shouting like this. Wei Huaizhen looked at it when he heard the sound, and saw that the army under the city was separating from it, and slowly pushed five or six artillery carriages. Chu Capital City also had artillery at the beginning, which was also the foundation for Chu Capital City to stand here in the West Plains. It's just that these cannons have been old for a long time, and Nishihara's casting and refining skills are not very refined, and it is difficult to repair them after damage, and now there are only a dozen or so small cannons left. And these artillery carriages launched by the enemy, although the shape is not the same, it seems that the power is not small.

As he was looking at himself, a subordinate came over and whispered, "Sentinel Wei, Dazai will pass you over immediately." ”

Although Wei Huaizhen is only a petty officer, he is quite a dazai, and everyone else knows it. It's just that seeing that the enemy army is about to attack the city, this is a bit inexplicable when he is passed by mouth. But Dazai's order was really inviolable, Wei Huaizhen called his deputy to take care of him for a few words, and followed the comer. Fortunately, defending the city is not better than attacking, as long as they manage the defense line, they don't have to command more.

Dazaifu is not too far from the main entrance, and Wei Huaizhen has been to Dazaifu many times. As soon as I got inside, I saw that Dazaifu was heavily guarded, which was unusual. Situ Yu is usually not a very big person, Wei Huaizhen is even more familiar, he is very familiar with the guards of Dazaifu, and there are people to lead him, but now they are still checking behind him at a glance before letting them go. Although it is an extraordinary time for soldiers to come to the city, this is inevitably a bit unusual. The man brought Wei Huaizhen to the door of the council hall of Dazaifu and said, "General Wei, please come in." ”

Wei Huaizhen took a deep breath before pushing the door in. There were already two people sitting inside, and these two people heard the voice, turned their heads, and one of them said, "Wei Huaizhen!" ”

The name of the person who greeted Wei Huaizhen was Takziwende. The surname Tuokezi was originally a small tribe, because the clan was extremely talented in music, almost everyone could compose music and sing, and was also known as the "Heavenly Bell Bird Division", and later because the number was too small, it had been completely integrated into the capital of Chu. Because his parents are Hu people, he still has a complete Hu appearance, but his conversation is no different from that of the Central Plains people in Chu Capital. The people of the Takz tribe are famous for their musical talents, but he is famous for his bravery, Wei Huaizhen once tried with him, and tried his best to fight with him only to a draw. Because of admiring each other's skills, the two also have some friendship. There is another named Chen Sicang, who is also an outstanding brave man in the Wude camp, but he is not very familiar with Wei Huaizhen.

After saying hello, Wei Huaizhen sat down in front of Takzwende. Takzwende whispered, "Wei Huaizhen, do you know why Dazai summoned us here?" ”

Although Wei Huaizhen never got the exact news, when he saw the two of them, he had already guessed six or seven. It's just that before he could speak, the inner door opened, and Situ Yu walked in. As soon as they saw Dazai coming, the three of them quickly stood up, saluted in unison, and said, "Dazai." ”

Situ Yu nodded and said, "Please be seated." He looked solemn and didn't say much. As soon as he walked in, an old man in his fifties came in behind him. This person is not tall, and his appearance is extremely ordinary, if he hadn't walked behind Situ Yu, others would definitely miss him at a glance. As soon as she saw this person, Wei Huaizhen almost lost her voice and screamed.

This old man is Wei Huaizhen's master. His whereabouts are uncertain, and he has never had an official identity in the Wude Battalion, but since the previous generation of marshal Xue Tingxuan, he has relied heavily on this person. It's just that Wei Huaizhen is in front of him, and the old man still turns a blind eye, and he doesn't sit down when he stands behind Situ Yu. Situ Yu had already sat down, and seeing that Wei Huaizhen still didn't dare to sit down, he turned his head and said, "Brother Beidou, sit down and talk." ”

This old man's name is Beidou. This kind of name is naturally not a real name, but since he came to Chu Capital City, it has always been this name, and it is the name of Wei Huaizhen who only knows the master. Beidou sat down when he heard the sound, and Wei Huaizhen secretly breathed a sigh of relief and sat down.

After everyone sat down, Situ Yu glanced at the three people in front of him and said, "I don't think there is any need to say anything superfluous." Xue Shuai was determined to fight against the city, but the enemy army was so powerful that it was beyond the reach of our army. Although the strange plan cannot be trusted, but the matter is urgent, and at the moment, the only way to seek a victory is to use the strange plan. ”

When Wei Huaizhen heard the words "strange tricks cannot be feared", her heart moved. He grew up reading a book called "The Art of War", and these five words are the most talked about in this book. Defeating the outnumbered with the mysterious tricks and defeating the strong with the weak is an incomparably desirable thing for every soldier, but it is said in "The Art of War" that this kind of trick is actually unrealistic. Because the so-called tricks often become wishful thinking. Because the trick can't be straightforward, but the battlefield is changing rapidly, and if you take every variable into account, the result is a plan that is too big to be realized. But if you don't take into account the variables, there is basically no possibility of achieving it. Although Situ Yu is not a soldier, he also knows some of the art of war, so he should not have read this book "The Art of War" that almost all literate soldiers in the Chu capital city have to read, and now he says that he wants to use a miracle trick, and it should not be a military trick. When Wei Huaizhen saw Chen Sicang and Dekeziwende, he had already guessed six or seven percent, and now when he saw the master, he could almost conclude what the strange plan Dazai was talking about.

Assassination.

Sending Assassins is classified as a dead room in The Art of War. In the chapter "Usage" of "The Art of War", it is said that this kind of strategy is harmful to nature and reason, and the results are unpredictable, and the evaluation is quite low, but it does not mean that it is completely unusable. The magic trick that can be used now can be said to be the only way. He was thinking about it, but he heard Situ Yu say: "Today's crisis cannot be resolved without assassinating the head of the enemy army. The three of them are all leaders in the army, and serving the country is today, and if anyone is unwilling, they can put it forward first. ”

Since the assassination is classified as death, it means that the possibility of survival is very small. Wei Huaizhen didn't know what it was like in his heart, but he heard Tak Ziwende take the lead and said: "The last general Wende is willing to go." ”

Takzwende was also born in the city of Chu. He was originally a posthumous son, and his mother died in childbirth when he was born, and later grew up among the Central Plains people, although he was an out-and-out Hu people, in fact, the West Plains dialect was far less fluent than the Central Plains. Although his words were not too loud, they were extremely firm. As soon as the words fell, Chen Sicang also continued: "The same is true of the last general Chen Sicang. ”

At this time, even if Wei Huaizhen didn't want to go, she couldn't speak anymore. This assassination plan should have been proposed by the master, and he couldn't help but go no matter what. It's just that Wei Huaizhen was almost shocked to find that she really didn't want to go. Even if the battle was a sure loss, it was better to die on the battlefield than to die in the enemy's camp as an Assassin. However, he only hesitated slightly, and then said: "The last general Wei Huaizhen is willing to go." ”

Situ Yu sighed: "Strong! Needless to say, Situ Yu is here for you to do a great trip, I wish you a successful trip! He turned his head and said to Beidou: "Brother Beidou, please tell them the whole story of this plan." ”

Beidou kept his head hanging when he came in, and he only looked up for the first time at this time. As soon as he raised his head, two cold lights suddenly shot out of his eyes, and he said in a deep voice: "There is no other way to do this trip, only to kill!" ”