Shi Guangying and the others walked back to the government office, and after sitting down, Zhu Xiaoping told Zhang Bin and Wu Xiujing in detail about the game and the assassins.

When it came to the highlights of the game, the two couldn't help but shake their fists excitedly in celebration, and they were also surprised by the presence of the assassin and the strange assassination.

After Zhu Xiaoping finished speaking, Wu Xiujing couldn't wait to speak: "Why would the assassin's target be Tian Zhiyu? ”

Shi Guangying nodded and said, "We were also very strange at the time, at first we thought that this Tian Zhiyu might really be a spy of the Beiyi Kingdom, and this time we took advantage of the competition to escape back." However, in the process of their fight, I found that Tian Zhiyu and the other party really didn't know each other, and they had no intention of escaping. Instead, he pursued the Assassin as he fled, and helped the guards capture one of the Assassins. If he is a spy of the Beiyi Kingdom, it is unreasonable. Later, I thought, could it be that Tian Zhiyu has some secrets of the Beiyi Kingdom, and they need to sacrifice four masters to arrest him back?"

......

After pondering, the four of them speculated and guessed, but they still couldn't figure out the cause and effect relationship during this period.

After some discussion, Shi Guangying continued: "As for the place where he buried General Feng, we haven't found it again and again, and this is a big doubt. It just so happens that the game is over, we can ask him carefully tomorrow, if he can't explain, we can only go with him Zhang Bin to see where the problem is. ”

Zhang Bin nodded, and Wu Xiujing hurriedly said: "I also want to go together, according to the command of your intentions, this Tian Zhiyu's martial arts progress is so fast, I am afraid that if Tian Zhiyu really has any problems, Brother Zhang will encounter danger with him, if the two of us join forces, any difficulties will be easier to deal with." ”

Shi Guangying thought about it, nodded in agreement, and then said: "This Tian Zhiyu is really a mystery. He just came to Cloud City, and he doesn't seem to know anything about internal strength, and these two months seem to have improved by leaps and bounds. Either he hid his strength at the beginning, or he was indeed a genius, and in either case, this person should not be underestimated. If there is no problem with his identity, then I hope that he can join my Yunzhong Army, which will be of great benefit to us. ”

Just as the four of them were discussing, they suddenly heard the sound of drums outside.

At first, one after another, sonorous and powerful, and after a while, the drums gradually intensified, and it was as rapid as raindrops.

Several people's faces changed, and they were about to go out to see what was going on, when a captain ran in, he pointed outside breathlessly and said to a few people: "My lord, there are eight wolf smoke burning on the top of the mountain outside, and the Beiyi army is coming." ”

......

The Dongyang Kingdom and the Beiyi Kingdom are divided by the continuous Tianshan Mountains, which are high and steep, and cover snow all year round, which is perfect as a natural barrier.

In order to monitor the enemy's situation, at the beginning of the founding of the People's Republic of China, Dongyang State built a beacon tower on the Tianshan Mountain, which has increased from one to the current eight.

Generally speaking, when a large-scale Beiyi army is attacked, there will be one or two beacon towers that will ignite the wolf smoke alarm, and now eight beacon towers are lit at the same time, and the four people have a very bad premonition in their hearts.

Shi Guangying walked out of the government office, looked in the direction of the Tianshan Mountain, and sure enough, he saw eight wolf smoke rolling up on the Tianshan Mountain, reaching the sky.

You must know that the farthest beacon tower is a hundred miles away from Cloud City, and if you are so far away and find traces of the enemy at the same time, you can guess how many Beiyi troops are attacking this time.

Several people walked quickly to the city gate, and the captain in charge of patrolling hurriedly came and bowed his head to report: "Your Excellency, according to the report from the spies ahead, there are 100,000 people in the Beiyi army attacking this time, there are Khan Heavenly Banner in the Chinese army, the scorching sun flag and the flame flag in the left army, and the black eagle flag and the wild wolf flag in the right army. The Third Route Army marched at 60 li intervals in each direction, and the distance at present was 50 li, and it was expected to arrive tomorrow morning. ”

......

All four gasped.

In recent years, the Beiyi army has repeatedly committed offenses, but most of them are only a few thousand, and there are very few more than 10,000.

Moreover, the Beiyi army has always liked blitzkrieg, with cavalry as the main force, coming and going like the wind.

This time, there were 100,000, which is almost all the troops of the Beiyi Kingdom.

......

Shi Guangying walked quickly towards the city gate, and Zhang Bin behind him said as he walked: "The Khan Heavenly Banner is a banner that only the Han of the Beiyi Kingdom will use, could it be that their Great Han Batu personally commanded the men and horses?"

Wu Xiu respectfully said: "And the four banners of Beiyi set out at the same time, which is also a rare situation in ancient times." Didn't you say that the owners of the four banners were not convinced by this Batu? Why did Hu Siba die, but they were united?"

Shi Guangying shook his head, did not speak, and his pace became faster and faster.

The people quickly walked to the city gate, climbed the tower, and looked into the distance.

At this time, the Beiyi army was still a little far away, and they couldn't see it very clearly, and they could only see a long line of dust rising up in the wilderness, rolling and rushing towards Cloud City.

In the cold wind of hunting, countless fluttering flags, countless sturdy war horses, and countless high-spirited Beiyi soldiers appeared more and more clearly in the sight of the soldiers of Cloud City.

Shi Guangying really saw that the Beiyi army was divided into three roads, and there was a long distance between each of them, and the east and west stretched out, and there was no end in sight.

He turned back to Zhang Bin and said, "Immediately call all the battalion divisions and deputy battalion divisions to come and gather." ”

Zhang Bin took the order and left, and not long after, the eight battalions and eight deputy battalions of Cloud City came to Shi Guangying.

Shi Guangying glanced at it quickly, with a resolute expression on his face, and said: "This time the Beiyi army is coming, and the momentum is violent, according to the intelligence of the spies, they have 100,000 people. We have no more than 80,000 defenders in Cloudsdale, and we are at a disadvantage in numbers. However, geographically we are in an advantageous position, with a risk in the Tianshan Mountains, which is enough to withstand a million male soldiers. The Beiyi soldiers have always been brave and good at fighting, and you have all dealt with them, so I don't need to go into details. Now give me the command, and all the soldiers cheer up, and carry all the arrows and oil in the city up to the head of the city and the beacon tower, and all the archers are in place. Engineers, prepare thistles, barbed ropes, and tripwires, and set traps for ten miles outside the gates. Go ahead and prepare. ”

Sixteen battalion commanders and deputy battalion commanders were ordered to leave.

Shi Guangying turned to Zhang Bin and said, "You quickly go to Taiyuan City to inform the King of Jin, explain the situation, and inform the King of Jin that if the enemy wants to fight a protracted war, we need the assistance of the defenders of Taiyuan City." ”

Zhang Bin took the order and left.

Shi Guangying said to Wu Xiu again: "Xiu Jing, you go to Pingyang City quickly, inform the Pingyang County Order, and be careful that the enemy crosses the Tianshan Mountain from there." Although they had 20,000 defenders, they were weaker in combat. ”

Wu Xiujing also took the order and left.

Shi Guangying carefully instructed the captains at all levels to inspect every post to ensure that there would be no omissions. They were busy until twilight, and then looked up at the Beiyi army in the distance, they were a little closer, and they could even hear the sound of horses' hooves when they listened carefully.

......

"Xiaoping, the Beiyi Army has not made any major moves all winter, why did almost all the soldiers and horses be dispatched at this time?"

Zhu Xiaoping shook his head and said, "I don't understand it either." Our spies in Beiyi said that the grasslands did not suffer serious wind and snow disasters this winter, and although they were not rich in food, there was still enough beef and mutton. And looking at this formation, they are definitely not just fighting the autumn wind as before. ”

Shi Guangying nodded and said, "Yes, the whole army will not be dispatched just for food, they must have a plan, but what are they trying to do? Attack the city? Could it be that their conspiracy is about to start now, right?"

The two remembered the letter that Tian Zhiyu brought back for Feng Sijing, which mentioned that the Beiyi people might have some kind of conspiracy, and thinking of this possibility, both of them fell into deep thought.

......

......

When the first drum sounded in the army, Tian Zhiyu and Wu Lihan were exchanging experiences, and Wu Lihan was about to introduce him to the origin and characteristics of a martial art in Dalantai, when the three of them heard the drums beating more and more urgently.

Tian Zhiyu and Wu Lihan did not know the meaning of this drum sound, but Ma Bencai knew very well.

He jerked to his feet, listening carefully to the rhythm of the drums, the expression on his face changing from surprise to fear.

"Brother Ma, why are you so scared when you hear the drums?" Tian Zhiyu asked.

Ma Bencai held the fence in his hand, turned around and sat down slowly, and said, "Brother Tian, you don't know, Dongyang Kingdom is very particular about the sound of war drums, and different rhythms represent different enemy situations. ”

"For example, if the whole process is unhurried, it means that there are not many enemies and the distance is far away, if the whole process is fast, it means that there are not many enemies but the distance is very close, if it is fast first and then slow, it means that there are many enemies but the distance is still relatively far, if it is like just now, it is very crisp at the beginning, and then it suddenly becomes very fast, indicating that the enemy is numerous, at least not less than your own strength, and it is not far away. ”

He sighed and continued: "There are 80,000 regular defenders in Cloud City, and the drum just now shows that the number of enemies coming this time is not less than 80,000, you must know that the total strength of the entire Beiyi Kingdom is only a little more than 100,000, which shows that the Beiyi Kingdom is pouring out this time." ”

Tian Zhiyu and Wu Lihan were shocked, they didn't expect so many enemies to come, no wonder the well-informed Ma Bencai was terrified.

"Although the number of troops in this cloud city is not as good as that of the enemy, there is the danger of the Tianshan Mountains, and with the support of Taiyuan City, there should be no big problems. Tian Zhiyu asked.

Ma Bencai shook his head and said, "The danger of the Tianshan Mountains can indeed be relied on, and the strong combat effectiveness of the Beiyi people cannot be underestimated. In the history of Dongyang Kingdom, the Beiyi people have captured Yunzhong City three times, and those three times were forcibly attacked by hundreds of thousands of troops. Although the defenders of the city fought bloodily, they were finally attacked by the enemy. ”

"How did they get into such a strong wall?"

"Although the walls are dangerous, the battle ultimately depends on the perseverance of the soldiers. The Beiyi soldiers have always been fearless of death, especially every time they capture a city, they will condone the soldiers to burn, kill and loot at will, which further arouses the determination of the soldiers. The first few times they captured Cloud City, they would immediately go to Taiyuan City, because the flower world in Taiyuan City was their favorite. Every time it fell in those few times, Taiyuan City would be sacked once, and the situation was terrible. ”

......

It turns out that the impregnable Cloud City has also been lost three times, but thinking of ancient history, those Xiongguan giant cities, which are known as natural dangers, have not been in a state of being captured and captured many times?

Tian Zhiyu is not worried about the loss of the city, he is not a native of Dongyang, he does not have such a strong patriotic heart, and he has no specific fear and hatred for the Beiyi people.

He thought that even if he was lost, he could escape from this prison, and when the time came, he would go south with Ullihan, and someone would clean up the mess here.

Who wins and who loses, it doesn't matter much to me, Tian Zhiyu thought.

"Brother Ma, you don't have to worry, if something really happens, Brother Ulihan and I can protect you from here, let's go south and go to a safe place. ”

Hearing Tian Zhiyu say this, Ma Bencai relaxed a little and said, "As long as I can escape from this Cloud City, I have a hundred ways to take you to a safe place." I have tools for both water and land routes, and I have contacts with all the officials and gentry along the way. Then you two will take me out of here. ”

Seeing Tian Zhiyu nodded, Wu Lihan was still expressionless, he immediately took Tian Zhiyu's hand and said, "Brother Tian, you must not leave me alone, when we go out, I will take you to eat, drink and have fun, I can satisfy you whatever you want." ”

Tian Zhiyu smiled helplessly, the richer a person is, the more timid he is, which is vividly shown in Ma Bencai.

......

It was not until the whole cell was whining that the head of the cell came with a bucket of rice and reprimanded the prisoners for keeping quiet.

When he arrived at Tian Zhiyu, the cell boss said apologetically: "Tian Gongzi is really sorry, the chefs are very busy today, and they can't cook for you alone, so you can eat some first." As he spoke, he served food to the three of them.

Tian Zhiyu didn't care about the food, he asked the cell leader: "I just heard the drums outside, it seems that the Beiyi army is coming, how is the situation?"

The cell boss hesitated for a moment, and then said: "Don't hide it from Tian Gongzi, you said, more than 100,000 people came to Beiyi this time, and it was their big man Batu who took the lead. Not only Batu is here, but the four banner masters of Beiyi are here, and the army is less than a hundred miles away from our Cloud City, and it will be able to get to the city tomorrow morning. Now that the whole city is busy with porridge, and all the cooks are cooking for the front line, I have to go over immediately. ”

After speaking, he hurriedly left with an empty rice bucket.

When Ma Bencai heard the words of the cell leader, he sat on the ground with a sad face: "It turned out that it was the Beiyi Great Han who led the four banner masters, and the entire Beiyi country was dispatched, and the enemy would definitely not give up if he didn't capture Yunzhong City." ”

Tian Zhiyu hurriedly helped him up, sat on the seat, and said, "I can't say that, if it wasn't for the big man, he would definitely be able to capture Yunzhong City." I feel that the guards here are very combative, and there should be no problem defending Cloudsdale. ”

Ma Bencai sighed and said, "Brother Tian, you don't know anything. This Batu man is only eighteen years old, but it has been three years since he succeeded to the throne. When he succeeded to the throne, his mother was in actual power. At that time, the four banner owners were not convinced, hoping that there would be an open election, and the strongest one would be the big man. Fortunately, Batu and his mother had the support of the great general Hu Siba behind them, so the four banner owners did not make trouble. ”

"But in private, they are still intriguing and trying to make Batu retreat, but this Batu, I heard my friends in Beiyi Country say that he is ruthless at a young age, does things neatly, and does not drag the mud and water, and is a hero who has never been met through the ages. In three years, he subdued the hearts of the ministers of the royal court, but the four banner masters were constantly isolated. This time, Batu was able to personally command the four banners to go out, indicating that the owners of the four banners must have been subdued by him. You must know that the united Beiyi Kingdom has a higher level of combat effectiveness. ”

Tian Zhiyu smacked his tongue when he heard it, he thought about it, and said to Ma Bencai: "But on my way to Yunzhong City this time, I heard that the great general Hu Siba died suddenly, so why did the four banner masters bow down to Batu and obey his orders?"

Ma Bencai and Wu Lihan were both shocked, and said in unison: "What, Hu Siba is dead?"

Tian Zhiyu nodded.

Ma Bencai thought for a while and said: "Then there is only one possibility, Batu has indeed conquered the Four Great Banners with his own strength, and this young man has really grown up." ”

After saying this, a vague smile suddenly appeared on his originally angry face, and said, "Brother Tian, do you know why Hu Siba supported Batu back then?"

Tian Zhiyu shook his head.

The ambiguous expression on Ma Bencai's face became more obvious, and he pretended to be mysterious: "It is said that Batu's mother was the first beauty in Beiyi when she was young, and Hu Siba loved it, but this Wulaqige finally married the big man, that is, Batu's father Su He." After Su He's death, Ulanqige secretly got along with Hu Siba in order to gain a firm foothold for himself and his son, and Hu Siba fully supported the two of them. ”

Tian Zhiyu was stunned, this plot seems familiar.

Could it be that this Ulanqige will be the Empress Dowager of Xiaozhuang on this planet, and that Batu is their Shunzhi Emperor?