The sun is gradually setting, and the afterglow is sprinkled on the earth, and a layer of pale yellow smudge fills the sky.

The woods outside Linzhuo Pass are sparse and scattered, and they have long lost their former prosperity.

The distant mountains, which have been hidden in the light mist, seem to have been there with laughter and laughter, but now they have become a lost distance.

Night fell, and it was quiet outside Linlian Pass.

Only the occasional rustle of leaves in the wind, and the grinding of the corpse, occasionally tore apart the bleak evening.

The Great War is over, leaving this bleak battlefield.

The Great Shang army retreated a hundred miles and returned to the camp.

The Linzhuan Pass did not send troops to pursue, and let them leave.

Each side sent soldiers to clean up the remnants of the battlefield, carrying the corpses and discarded weapons of their colleagues aside.

They were solemn and solemn, and there was no trace of joy on their faces, only heaviness and weariness.

Those comrades-in-arms who were once close have now fallen one by one, and they no longer breathe.

The remaining flames and smoke from the battlefield were still burning slowly, and there was a pungent smell in the air.

Broken bows and arrows, broken shields, and ruined walls were scattered on the ground, silently telling the cruelty and tragedy of the war.

The defenders dragged their tired bodies and carried the corpses of the fallen Shang soldiers outside the battlefield, and then welcomed back the bodies of their colleagues.

Although they managed to hold the walls, they did not have the slightest excitement after the victory.

There was only a heavy feeling of scarring, which permeated from the depths of my heart.

Not far away stood the lord of the city they loved.

At this moment, the expression on Wen Zhong's face was very heavy.

For him, isn't it the first time he has seen such a tragic battlefield?

Seeing the haggard appearance of the soldiers, he could only try his best to keep them going.

Only by persevering can we wait for victory.

Although today they repelled the enemy's attack, they did not take much advantage, and both sides paid a very heavy price, with heavy casualties.

Perhaps this is the cruelty of war.

However, Wen Zhong was still very happy.

At least the first time they rushed into battle, they won a battle!

Even if it's just a miserable victory, it's much better than a defeat.

After all, these soldiers in Linzhuan Pass were all newly recruited, not only were they scarce, but they had only undergone a short period of emergency training, and they were able to hold out to the end on the cruel battlefield, and they had been stubbornly defending, not giving the enemy any chance to take advantage of.

That's a pretty big deal.

Moreover, after experiencing this victory, these soldiers will have grown tremendously, from a rookie who has just stepped on the battlefield to a veteran who is accustomed to life and death!

These surviving soldiers will be an invaluable asset.

In the future, when recruiting new soldiers, you can use the old to bring the new, which greatly reduces the difficulty of training and shortens the formation time, which can be described as a cornerstone.

……

At this moment, in the merchant army camp more than 100 miles away from Linli Pass, there is also a lot of mourning.

A large number of wounded people were in urgent need of treatment, but when they came, in order to speed up, they only carried a small amount of baggage supplies, and at this time, they could not take out so many healing herbs.

In addition, some of them are even more panicked after suffering defeat.

In the handsome tent in the center of the camp, Huang Feihu, the king of Wucheng, a big businessman, was sitting behind the desk in a daze, and he didn't know what he was thinking about there.

Below, more than a dozen generals such as the four generals of the Demon Family and Zhou Ji quarreled.

Some of them proposed to withdraw their troops, first go back to prepare food and grass, treat the wounded, and then return to attack the city; Some suggested that all the troops should be sent out, and the city should be attacked in turns, day and night, even if it was piled up with human lives, it would be piled up at the head of the city to capture this Linli Pass!

Both proposals are extreme, one too conservative and the other too radical.

Most of them did not agree with it in the future, but expressed the hope that they would be able to hold their troops and then ask the court for help again, waiting for the will of the court to come......

To put it simply, it is to hand over this mess to the Shang king Emperor Xin and the ministers of the court and the central government to solve it.

All the generals have their own ideas, they don't give in to each other, they fight with reason, they quarrel so much that they are red-faced, and they look like they are about to fight, and they no longer see the joy they had when they first came.

Huang Feihu has long been surprised by such a scene.

On the battlefield, it has always been the result that speaks, and if you win, you can say anything, but once you lose, no one can really be better.

Except for Huang Feihu, who is the commander-in-chief, no one dares to accuse, and the rest of the generals will be more or less muttered openly and secretly.

There is no way, the army is already going straight to the front, and after the defeat, everyone is very angry, so naturally they will not be as polite as before.

Faced with such a situation, Huang Feihu knew that he had to make changes as soon as possible.

But what could he do?

If it was just a Linzhuo Pass, plus tens of thousands of defenders with little battlefield experience, he was confident that he would be able to take this majestic city with thick walls and strong walls within a month.

But this war is not only on the ground battlefield, but also on the battlefield in which the immortals and the like of the gods who come and go are involved.

He can still play a role in the battlefield on the ground, but he can't participate in the battlefield in the sky at all, so he can only rely on the four generals of the Demon Family.

But the four demons don't give them any strength!

If you lose at the beginning, that's it.

A group of masters were invited later.

As a result, these masters not only lost, but even lost people!

Yu Yixian, Liu Huan, and Qu Yang Immortal are all masters invited by the four generals of the Demon Family to help, and now they are all in battle against the water, and they have gone to serve in the face of Lianguan.

It can only be said that these guys are too unreliable!

And after he later reported to the imperial court, although the Kong Xuandao person personally invited by Wang Shu Bigan seemed very reliable at first, it was because the Yu Yuan Shangxian did not show up.

After that Yu Yuan Shangxian appeared, the preacher Kong immediately knocked out his head.

Later, there is no one in life, no body in death.

According to the four generals of the Demon Family, nine times out of ten, the preacher of Kong has fallen.

After all, that Yu Yuan Shangxian would still keep his hands on these sect interception disciples, but he didn't need to show mercy to people outside the sect like Kong Xuandao, and he would definitely die directly when he made a move!

"Ahh

Huang Feihu thought about it again and again, but still sighed, raised his head and looked at the generals in the handsome tent, and said with a solemn expression: "What the generals said makes sense, we were ordered to crusade against Linzhuan Pass this time, and we should have cut through the chaos quickly and take it down in one go, but we were not prepared enough, and it has been delayed until now."

It was the commander who decided to let the army rest in place, and sent a team of soldiers to collect herbs, grain and grass...... In addition, the battle situation here will also be reported to the court! ”

Hearing this order, most of the generals in the tent immediately breathed a sigh of relief in their hearts.

They were very afraid that this battle-hardened marshal would not be able to accept the fact that he had lost the battle, so he would make some more radical moves.

Deputy General Zhou Ji, as Huang Feihu's confidant, was the first to stand up and clasp his fists and said: "The last general will obey the marshal's order." ”

The rest of the generals also got up and clenched their fists, and then took the order and left.

Zhou Ji didn't rush to leave, until only he and Huang Feihu were left in the tent, and then he said in a low voice: "Marshal, I don't know how our battle report should be played?" ”

Huang Feihu glanced at him, naturally understood what he meant, and said lightly: "You just have to play it truthfully." ”

A hint of surprise flashed in Zhou Ji's eyes, and he said in a low voice: "Lord Marshal, think twice, if such a battle report reaches the court, I am afraid that the king and the ministers of the court will be dissatisfied with you, the marshal!" ”

He was clear about the situation on the battlefield, and naturally knew that the reason why he was the way he was now had nothing to do with the marshal and the generals.

But the kings and ministers in the court didn't know this, so it was hard to guarantee that they wouldn't think much about it.

After all, Huang Feihu led an army of 300,000 on this trip, not to mention that it was just a small Linjian Pass, and even the four princes couldn't resist it.

In fact, the reason why Emperor Xin, the king of Shang, ordered Huang Feihu to lead an army of 300,000 to go on the expedition was also because there were several different thoughts behind it.

One is to deter the princes of all sizes and show the force of the big merchants; The second is a test of the four princes, to see if they will take advantage of the emptiness of the Great Shang garrison to attack Chaoge.

As a close confidant of Huang Feihu, Zhou Ji is also aware of this.

Now that Huang Feihu led an army of 300,000 and failed to take a small Linli Pass, let alone play a role in deterring the princes, I am afraid that spreading it will inevitably become a joke immediately!

At that time, what will the Shang king and the ministers of the court think of Huang Feihu, who commanded the army?

At this time, Huang Feihu glanced slightly, looked at Zhou Ji and said coldly: "Victory is victory, defeat is defeat!" I, Huang Feihu, have gone through more than 100 battles and small battles, and I have always been above board, how could I ever do that deception?

It's not the first day you've been with me, how did you come up with such an idea?! ”

A trace of helplessness flashed in Zhou Ji's eyes, and he hurriedly explained: "The last general is also for the sake of Lord Marshal......

"You don't have to say it."

Huang Feihu waved his hand and said seriously: "What you just said can be regarded as if you didn't hear it, you can do it yourself!" ”

"The last general obeys!"

Zhou Ji hugged his fists and saluted, and retreated helplessly.

Huang Feihu pondered for a moment, then turned out a jade slip, personally engraved the battle situation into it, and then summoned Qingji, who specially sent a letter, and handed the jade slip to the other party.

However, after a few days, this jade piece came to Chaoge and was sent to the desk of the Shang Emperor Xin.

The next day, in the magnificent mountains and rivers, all the civil and military ministers of the Manchu Dynasty were present.

Standing at the forefront is Uncle Wang, who plays a pivotal role in the court of the Great Shang!

He is the son of the previous Shang king Wending, he was intelligent and studious at an early age, and when he became an adult, he assisted the previous Shang king Emperor Yi with a high position as a Taishi, and after the death of Emperor B, he was entrusted to assist Di Xin.

As one of the ministers of Tuogu and the uncle of Di Xin, Bigan did not control the government single-handedly, but served the king loyally, teaching Di Xin how to be a benevolent and loving monarch.

Shang Emperor Xin, and even the government and the opposition respected him very much.

At this moment, this loyal and courageous Uncle Wang had a solemn face, and there was a faint depression between his eyebrows.

He had already read the battle report sent by Huang Feihu, and after learning the news that Kong Xuandao had been defeated and was likely to have fallen, Rao was amazingly determined, and he couldn't help but be a little gloomy at the moment.

He personally invited the Confucian preachers out of the mountain.

He had sworn that he could easily solve the problem as long as he invited a preacher out of Kong.

I didn't expect that the problem has not been solved now, but the person who went to solve the problem is gone.

How can he not be depressed?

On the throne that symbolized the supreme authority of the human race at the top of the mountain and river hall, Di Xin was sitting upright, his eyes scanning the civil and military ministers at the bottom of the steps.

In the end, he didn't say anything, but ordered his attendants to take down the pre-recorded battle report and distribute it to the ministers.

"Everyone, take a good look."

A group of civil and military ministers took the bamboo slips for unknown reasons, unfolded them in groups of three or five to read, and suddenly their expressions changed, and from time to time someone let out an exclamation of disbelief.

"You've all finished reading it, right?" Emperor Xin of Shang looked around at the ministers and said quietly: "If you read it, then tell me how you think about this matter?" ”

"This ......"

The ministers of civil and military affairs looked at each other, and they were unwilling to take the lead in speaking.

In the end, it was Prime Minister Shang Rong who took the lead and said: "The old minister remembers that Linli Pass was originally an outpost of our great merchants to open up the border wasteland, but because of the Beihai Rebellion, a large army was dispatched from all over the country to the north to quell the rebellion, and then the Linli Pass was abandoned.

It stands to reason that the Linli Pass should be just a projectile land, and King Wucheng has many generals under his command, and he personally led 300,000 elite soldiers to go to the conquest, but he couldn't capture that small Linli Pass for a long time!

King Wucheng was afraid that he was suspected of dereliction of duty, and the old minister implored the king to order a thorough investigation of the matter! ”

"Your Excellency, Prime Minister, is wrong with that!"

Before Shang Rong's words fell, an old minister on the side stepped forward and said: "King Qiyu, the minister does not dare to agree with the words of the prime minister!" King Wucheng has been loyal for generations, has been in battle for a long time, and has always been loyal to the great merchants and the king, and will never do anything that disapproves the great merchants!

According to King Wucheng's battle report, the high walls of the Linlianguan City are thick, and there are the Sectarian Sect Immortals to help, and even the four generals of the Demon Family and others are not opponents, so it can be seen that this Linlianguan is indeed not an easy place!

Look at the king Mingjian! ”

Di Xin glanced at the person who spoke, it was the Qin Heavenly Supervisor Du Yuanmi, who was also a veteran of the Three Dynasties and a loyal minister.

After Du Yuanmian spoke, many civil and military ministers spoke one after another.

Some wanted to severely punish Huang Feihu, while others defended him.

Can't these guys tell the point?!

Di Xin frowned secretly.

What he wants to know is how to solve the current situation, not to hold him accountable!

However, after becoming the king of Shang, his personality has calmed down a lot, and he has not been angry because of this, his face is still as calm as ever, and he looked around at the ministers of civil and military affairs and said: "What you Aiqing said is very reasonable, but the top priority at the moment is to find a way to solve the disaster of Linzhuanguan!"

What can you do about this? ”

"This ......"

The ministers of civil and military affairs, who were arguing about whether to severely punish Huang Feihu just now, suddenly looked at each other, and the entire Shanhe Hall was silent for a moment.

Seeing this scene, Di Xin's brows furrowed even deeper.

"Isn't there anything you can do?"

Many ministers hurriedly lowered their heads, not daring to look at them.

However, Uncle Wang sighed, raised his teeth, bowed and said: "Don't blame the king, this matter really involves immortals, how can mortals like us go against the immortals?" ”

At this time, Prime Minister Shang Rong stood up again, bowed down and said: "Since the matter involves the immortals, it is better to let the immortals solve it!" ”

Di Xin's eyes lit up when he heard this, and he hurriedly asked, "Aiqing already has a way?" ”

Shang Rong bowed slightly, and said in a deep voice: "I heard that the sect immortal god is a saint, and ordinary immortal gods are naturally difficult to fight against, but my human race is guarded by three humane holy emperors!"

Now that there are immortals disturbing our human race, the king might as well go to the Huoyun Palace to worship in good faith, and respectfully ask the three Humane Holy Emperors to kill those sectarian immortals who are on the side of the disaster in Linli Pass. ”

"Three Holy Emperors?"

Di Xin frowned slightly, he had also heard of the legend of the Three Emperors, but he only regarded it as a legend.

However, seeing Shang Rongyan's chiseled appearance, he also nodded, and said with an attitude of believing it: "Aiqing, do you know where the Huoyun Palace is, and how long will this trip take?" ”

"This ......" Shang Rong shook his head and said in a low voice: "The minister doesn't know the location of the Huoyun Palace, but he only knows that if the Terrans encounter a catastrophe, the Huoyun Palace will reappear in the world, and the three Holy Emperors will continue to protect the Terrans until the crisis is resolved...... The king might as well send more people to scatter around to find the whereabouts of the Fire Cloud Palace. ”

Di Xin waved his hand in disappointment and turned his gaze to the other ministers, "Do you Aiqing have any other way?" ”

Still no one talked.

However, the prime minister Shang Rong stood up again, and said with some excitement: "The old minister remembered that there is a Wahuang Temple fifty miles south of Chaoge City, and it will be Nuwa Niangniang's birthday in a few days. ”

"Nuwa Niangniang?" Di Xin frowned slightly, "How come I don't remember this god?" In previous years, there had been no sacrifices. ”

"Returning to Your Majesty." Shang Rong replied respectfully: "Nuwa Niangniang is not my Great Shang Ancestor God, but the supreme saint!" This temple is also newly built, coinciding with the birthday of Nuwa Niangniang, and I also ask Your Majesty to go to the incense to express the reverence of our human race, so that Niangniang can protect my great business. ”

Di Xin frowned and looked at Bigan and asked, "What does Uncle Wang think?" ”

He has not been on the throne for a long time, and when he is undecided, he will still habitually ask the opinion of this minister.

Hearing Di Xin's question, Bigan didn't dare to slack off, and hurriedly stepped forward and said respectfully: "I heard that Nuwa Niangniang is a congenital god, who once pinched the soil to create people, refined stones to make up the sky, and was the mother of our human race, and was as kind as the sea to my human race.

If the king can be blessed by Nuwa Niangniang, the great merchant will inevitably be Kangtai at four o'clock, and the country will be long!

This is the virtue of blessing the country and protecting the people, and His Majesty should go to the incense now. ”

Di Xin nodded when he heard this, and said with a smile: "Sure enough, Uncle Wang is very knowledgeable and knows so many ancient anecdotes. Since Nuwa Niangniang is the Holy Mother of our human race, then go and incense from now on. ”

Speaking of this, he turned his head to look at Shang Rong, and said, "This matter will be handed over to Aiqing." In addition, Huang Feihu was ordered to temporarily withdraw his troops, and he did not have to return to Chaoge, so he was stationed in the southeast to strictly prevent the rebels from attacking! ”

Shang Rong hurriedly bowed: "Obey the king's orders!" ”

Di Xin stood up, shook his sleeve robe and said, "I'm lonely, retreat!" ”

With that, he turned and strode toward the apse.

All the civil and military ministers bowed: "Congratulations to the king!" ”

……

March 15, the Christmas day of Nuwa, which is passed down by word of mouth of the human race.

In the early morning of this day, the sun had just risen, and every house had already burned incense and set fire in the song city, and every household made colorful carpets.

The first is to celebrate Nuwa's Christmas, and the other is to prepare the etiquette for the king's travel.

Of course, this is not a spontaneous act of the people.

After breakfast, Di Xin burned incense and bathed before boarding Luan Yu and heading out of the city.

Accompanied by 3,000 elite soldiers and a number of civil and military ministers, his king came to the Wahuang Temple.

At this moment, this Wahuang Temple has already been surrounded by guards, and many ministers can't squeeze inside, so they can only wait anxiously outside.

Di Xin stepped down from the treasure and entered the temple, surrounded by a group of guards and ministers, and came to the main hall where the statue of the goddess Nuwa was enshrined.

This hall is built extremely spacious and bright, and there is only a statue of Nuwa in the main hall, except for a statue of a maid on the left and right, there is no other statue.

The ritual of the sacrifice was cumbersome.

However, Shang Rong had already prepared everything, and Di Xin only had to follow the prompts.

Even so, by the time the whole set of rituals such as burning incense and praying was completed, the sun had already begun to set in the west.

Fortunately, Di Xin was young and energetic, but he didn't feel tired at all, but he was still interested, and he didn't rush back to the palace, so he wandered around this temple.

Poor Shang Rong was old and frail, and he was tired enough after a set of rituals, but he still had to be patient, dragging his tired body to accompany Di Xin, and visit this Wahuang Temple together.

After walking around, Di Xin returned to the main hall, looked at the statue of Nuwa Niangniang, and suddenly laughed and said: "Come here, take pen and ink!" ”

A group of civil and military officials looked at each other, a little unclear.

But the king decreed that no one would dare to disobey even if they did not understand.

Soon someone came running with a tray with a wolf's hair and a polished inkstone on the tray, as well as a roll of white silk.

Di Xin didn't say a word, he directly picked up the wolf hair and sucked up the ink in the inkstone.

The attendant on the side hurriedly unfolded the silk and laid it out.

However, Di Xin didn't look at the silk when he held the wolf hair, but just stared directly at the statue of Nuwa in the main hall.

Seeing his appearance, Uncle Wang Bigan felt uneasy in his heart for no reason, and hurriedly persuaded him: "King, the incense is over, you should go back to the palace." ”

"No hurry, no hurry." Di Xin smiled and waved his hand, "It's rare to rise today, and I'll mention a poem alone." ”

After that, Di Xin picked up the wolf hair full of ink, and raised his eyes to look at the statue of Nuwa in the main hall, his eyes were becoming more and more blurred, as if he had wandered away.

The feeling of uneasiness in his heart was even worse than that of Gan, he frowned and took two steps forward, and said in a deep voice: "Great King! It's time to go back to the palace! ”

"Don't urge, don't urge, Lone has already thought about it!"

As if awakened from a dream, Di Xin laughed and walked to the wall, and with a big stroke of his pen, he wrote a poem without delay:

Fengluanbao's tent scene is very, full of gold and gold makeup.

Ququ distant mountains fly emerald color; Dancing sleeves reflect the sunset.

Pear blossoms with rain compete for beauty; Peony cage smoke and charming.

But he has to be enchanting to move and take back the king of Changle.

Only the beginning of the poem was written, and all the ministers present had a great change in their faces, and they all shouted: "The king must not! Never! ”

It's just that Di Xin turned a deaf ear to the dissuasion of the ministers, as if he was immersed in his own world, even if Uncle Wang Bigan stepped forward to pull him, he was taken out with a light flick.

When Di Xin was young, he was able to defeat tigers and leopards, and he changed pillars with joists, and his divine power was extremely amazing, and he was not able to pull it at all than such a Wenchen.

It wasn't until he finished writing the beautiful poem in one breath that Di Xin threw the wolf in his hand and laughed: "How do you Aiqing think of this poem?" ”

Bigan had a dark face and said in a deep voice: "King Qiyu, this poem has the meaning of blasphemy and sacredness, there is no piety, and it will only be sinned against the sacred, and I also ask the king to let people wash off the ink, and then make incense and pray, begging for forgiveness!" ”

Di Xin said unhappily when he heard this: "Lone just praises the beauty of the mother, how can it become a blasphemy?" ”

He turned his head to look at Prime Minister Shang Rong, and asked in a deep voice: "Aiqing, you say, this poem has become blasphemy?" ”

A look of hesitation flashed on Shang Rong's face, and finally he said solemnly: "Although your original intention was to praise Niangniang, the old minister thinks that Nuwa Niangniang is a congenital god, but I am afraid that I may not be able to understand the meaning of your poem......

He carefully considered the words and words, and said respectfully: "If Niangniang misunderstands what Your Majesty meant, I am afraid that boundless anger will fall!"

O king, thou hast come to pray for good fortune, so that all the people may be happy, and the rain will be in tune, and the war will be peaceful. ”

"Hmph, even you think it's wrong?"

Di Xin snorted coldly, shook off his robe, and turned around and walked outside.

Obviously, he was dismissed by Bigan and Shang Rong one after another, and he was already extremely unhappy.

The ministers of civil and military affairs present looked at each other, and their faces could not hide their panic.

Shang Rong sighed, didn't care about anything else, and hurriedly chased him out.

Bigan also wanted to follow, but remembered the poem on the wall, so he stopped again, and hurriedly called the guards to fetch water to clean the poem.

But the poems on the wall are written by Emperor Xin himself, where do the guards dare to do it?

Seeing this, Bigan had to do it himself, rolled up his sleeves and washed off the beautiful poem.

As for whether this move would offend Di Xin, he didn't care anymore.

Although he is a mortal, he also has a good relationship with many capable people in the court, and he has some understanding of the things of immortals and gods that are unimaginable to ordinary people.

He knew very well that Nuwa Niangniang was a saint in the desolate world.

Therefore, he agreed to Shang Rong's suggestion and came here to offer incense to Nuwa Niangniang, hoping to worship the whole country with great commerce to seek protection from Nuwa Niangniang.

What he never expected was that his own king seemed to be confused, and he actually wrote a beautiful poem despite his dissuasion.

Although this poem has been purged by him, that lady is a saint, who knows if she has already sensed that someone is disrespectful to her?

(End of chapter)