However, Zheng Miao and Qiu Yizhi wanted to leave the enemy's territory as soon as possible. Therefore, the troops traveled all day and night. Even when intercepted by the barbarians, they did not hesitate to fight. Therefore, it only took them five days to leave the Lingnan territory and return to the enemy's territory. Jiangnan Road, Wenzhou Prefecture.
This is where Cui Nan, the general of the left, travels.
Cui Nan led a hundred thousand imperial troops to guard Wenzhou at the junction of Lingnan Road, in order to always be on guard against rebellion by the King of Lingnan. Once the King of Lingnan rebels, Cui Nan will use his troops to block the way for the King of Lingnan to go north, or he will fight back and invade Lingnan Road.
With such an important mission, Cui Nan was quite worried when he heard that the emperor sent Zheng Miao to Lingnan to deliver the message for the funeral. He was worried that if the third son of the emperor was kidnapped by the King of Lingnan, things would be difficult to deal with.
But Cui Nan has always been a cautious person, and the emperor personally issued the order. Although he was full of worries, he did not dare to say it openly. He just calculated the date of Zheng Miao's departure and return day by day.
Therefore, when he suddenly heard that Zheng Miao was coming back from Lingnan Road under the protection of Qiu Yi, he was surprised and happy. What was surprising was that Zheng Miao had always been calm and measured, and had set a date for his return, maybe a day later or earlier. How could it be ten and a half days ahead of schedule? Fortunately, Zheng Miao came back safe and sound, and a stone that had been hanging in her heart for an unknown amount of time finally fell to the ground.
So Cui Nan ordered the guards around him, traveled ten miles from the main camp of the army, lined up on the only way, and made a special trip to welcome Zheng Miao.
But Zheng Miao and his entourage arrived in a very embarrassed state. Needless to say, their clothes were disheveled and had not been changed for several days. Even the royal chariot and honor guard were nowhere to be found.
Cui Nan was a well-known general who had experienced battles for a long time. He had already sensed that something was wrong. He quickly drove his horse forward, took the reins of Zheng Miao's horse, and asked: "Your Highness, what's the matter?" Although he didn't say much, his tone was clear. But it was full of anxiety and concern.
Zheng Miao felt extremely happy when she saw that it was an old friend who came to pick her up. However, she had important things to do and did not want to spend more time with him, so she said, "The King of Lingnan has rebelled. Now send someone to speed up the horse for eight hundred miles." This will be reported to the emperor." After that, Zheng Miao took out a carefully sealed memorial and handed it to Cui Nan.
This memorial was repeatedly reviewed and determined by Zheng Miao, Qiu Yizhi, and Lin Shuhan along the way. It not only clearly explained the causes and consequences of the Lingnan King's rebellion, but also described the terrain and defense situation of Lingnan Road. It was the most important thing for the court to suppress the rebellion. references and basis.
Therefore, Zheng Miao said to Cui Nan: "This memorial is very confidential and cannot fall into the hands of others. That's why I have to hand it over to you personally. You must also give it to the person who entrusted the secret. Make sure it is delivered to the emperor. Understand Yet?"
Cui Nan took the memorial, which was as thin as a cicada's wings but as heavy as a thousand pieces of gold. He tried his best to suppress the surprise and nervousness in his heart. He nodded and only said "yes".
Cui Nan has served as a general in Prince Youyan's Mansion since Zheng Miao became sensible. He has always known that although this general doesn't talk much, he always means what he says. As long as he promises something, he will definitely keep it.
So Zheng Miao said with great relief: "That's good, that's good! With your words, I feel relieved."
But I heard Qiu Yizhi beside me interrupt: "This is inappropriate!"
Zheng Miao and Cui Nan both turned to look at Qiu Yizhi and heard him continue: "No one is suitable to deliver this memorial. Only the third brother can deliver it in person to ensure it is safe!"
"No!" Zheng Miao immediately refused, "These are the two places that King Lingnan must pass through on his way north. I want to stay in the army and fight the enemy together with General Cui and my wise brother, so how can I deliver the message?"
Qiu Yizhi replied: "That's what I'm talking about. The third brother is right, a war here is inevitable. It is good for the third brother to take command in the army, but the war is fierce and dangerous. If there is any danger, It’s hard to tell if it’s a mistake. Don’t worry, third brother, with me and General Cui here, the King of Lingnan will not be able to step into Jiangnan Road!”
"I am a descendant of the Zheng family, and I was trained by Lao Youyan. How can I abandon the army when the army is approaching?" These few words could not convince Zheng Miao.
Zheng Miao added: "Where did the third brother's words go? Only by knowing yourself and the enemy can you be victorious in every battle. The third brother told the emperor the intelligence of the Lingnan Palace. This achievement is no less than killing the enemy on the battlefield. If the third brother returns to Beijing, After that, if you still want to go to the front line and share the joys and sorrows with me, you can naturally ask for orders to lead the troops. Do you think I am right?"
Zheng Miao thought for a while and finally agreed: "That makes sense. In this case, I will take the letter and return to the capital. Without further ado, I will set off right away. I hope my dear brother and General Cui will take care of themselves!"
With that said, Zheng Miao took back the memorial, lit up the guard of honor, and went north to Luoyang along the road without even eating a bite of food or drinking a bowl of water.
Qiu Yizhi watched Zheng Miao leave and said to Cui Nan: "General Cui, you have just heard that the prince of Lingnan has rebelled. This is a battleground for military strategists. We should prepare early."
Cui Nan thought for a moment and said only one word: "Okay."
In the past few days, Qiu Yizhi had been running around continuously and was frightened again. Now his nerves finally relaxed, and he suddenly felt sleepy. He said: "General Cui, I am very tired, and the soldiers under my command are also the same. I think I am tired." There is no need to go back to Shanyin County. Can you leave an open space for us to set up camp? How about I help General Cui when the King of Lingnan comes to attack?"
Cui Nan knew clearly in his heart: Although the two hundred or so people under Qiu Yi were not many in number, they were more elite and capable than the imperial army he led. Although he could not be used at will due to his status as the adopted son of the emperor, at critical moments, Whether as a final reserve or an assault arrow, they will play an irreplaceable role. Moreover, Qiu Yi's ability in leading an army in battle has been witnessed by himself. Let alone talking about him, he can lead an army to fight back and forth with Dai Luanxiang, the number one general in the world, on the frontal battlefield, with his assistance. , this is a desirable thing.
Although Cui Nan was overjoyed, he still didn't want to say anything. He just nodded his head in agreement, then stretched out his hand to call for an inspector and ordered: "Select a place next to the army for His Highness Yi to set up camp."
The inspector was obviously used to Cui Nan's orders. He didn't even ask a question, just gave a military salute and went off to do his business.
In this way, Qiu Yizhi set up the camp next to the main tent of Cui Nan's army. Since it was surrounded by imperial guards, Zhao Chengxiao thought about it and reduced the number of soldiers patrolling and garrisoning in the camp by half, so as to allow this group of soldiers to guard the camp. The tired soldiers should take a good rest.
Qiu Yizhi had always paid attention to the intelligence developments in Lingnan Road since he and Cui Nan had joined the army. He believed that Zhenggui, the king of Lingnan, was also a man who knew the military. Knowing the principle of "soldiers are valuable and quick", he was bound to immediately raise his troops to invade northward.
But after waiting for several days, Lingnan Road seemed to be a dark pool of stagnant water, with no news leaked out.
There was no information reported to the court, and the court had no response.
Emperor Zheng Rong sent several imperial edicts, all of which told Cui Nan to stay calm and wait for the King of Lingnan to take the initiative to attack. After he entered Jiangnan Road, he would then rely on the landlord's advantage to wait for an opportunity to annihilate his main force, leaving Lingnan Road empty before launching a large-scale attack. Destroy the enemy camp in one fell swoop.
Cui Nan is good at attacking, and passive defense does not suit his temperament. However, since the emperor had issued such a clear edict, Cui Nan did not dare to act rashly, so he had no choice but to tighten up the camp, spread his ears and eyes, and wait patiently for the King of Lingnan to attack.
However, the spies sent by Cui Nan to go deep into Lingnan Road to inquire for information were like kites with broken strings. Not only did they not bring back any information, but even the people they sent out were almost completely missing.
As a result, Cui Nan became even more anxious. General Zuo, who had been unable to speak a few words a day, became even more taciturn. When the generals below came over to report news, they would usually dismiss it in just a few words.
Cui Nan was melancholy in the tent when he heard two people coming from outside the tent and said, "General Cui, is there no news about Lingnan Road yet?"
Cui Nan looked up and saw Qiu Yizhi and Lin Shuhan coming. He quickly stood up and replied, "Your Highness, Mr. Lin. There is no news."
Qiu Yizhi took a breath of cold air, looked at Lin Shuhan and said, "What's going on with the King of Lingnan? He is someone who wants to fight against the imperial court. This kind of thing cannot be delayed. If the war is delayed for a long time, there is no guarantee that people's hearts will change. I don’t know what General Cui’s opinion is.”
Cui Nan participated in the "battle against rebellion" a few years ago.
Although this "battle against rebellion" is now said to be a crusade against a foolish king and treacherous ministers, from the perspective of the time, it was actually a rebellion against superiors, no different from the current Lingnan King Zheng Gui. Therefore, Cui Nan understood very well, but could not figure out why the King of Lingnan did not make any move for so many days, and seemed to be more peaceful and peaceful than usual.
Cui Nan has been thinking about this question for the past few days, but the more he thinks about it, the more confused and unclear he becomes. Now that Qiu Yizhi mentioned it, he could only sigh: "Oh, I don't know..."
Qiu Yizhi frowned and said: "The King of Lingnan has a sword in his belly, and he is resourceful and good at deceiving others. The calmer he is now, the more he cannot take it lightly. I am afraid that under the still water, there are more undercurrents surging!"
Cui Nan nodded: "His Highness Yi is right."
Qiu Yizhi asked again: "Is there any news from Liu Qing?"
Liu Qingnai was the governor of Jiangnan Province. Although he was named the highest military officer in Jiangnan, within the territory under his jurisdiction, there was stationed his immediate superior, General Zuo, and His Highness Qiu Yizhi, whom he could not afford to offend. In addition, his talents were mediocre, so his high position as a military governor was extremely awkward.
Liu Qing was originally a personal guard of Prince Youyan. He only started to lead troops in the "Battle of Rebellion". Although he made some achievements, he was far less outstanding than Cui Nan's outstanding achievements.
Therefore, Cui Nan sincerely looked down on Liu Qing, the governor. He shook his head when Qiu Yizhi asked, and said with a bit of contempt: "There is no news from Liu Qing."
Unexpectedly, as soon as he finished speaking, he saw a person rushing in outside the Chinese army's tent, holding a letter in his hand, shouting: "General Cui, Jiedushi Liu Qing has an urgent military situation! There is an urgent military situation." !”
Cui Nan saw from a distance three quivering chicken feathers inserted into the letter. Knowing that this was a sign of urgency, he hurriedly took a few steps forward, snatched the letter from the soldier's hand, tore off the three chicken feathers and threw them on the ground without having time to pick them up. With a paper knife, he tore open the envelope with both hands, took out the letter and started reading.
The letter was not long. After Cui Nan quickly read it twice, he quickly handed it to Qiu Yizhi.
Qiu Yi hurriedly took it, held it in her hand and read it. Even Lin Shuhan curiously turned his head to look at it, and saw the letter written:
General Cui Zuo Nan reported that he had recently heard that the Lingnan Road rebels had boarded a sea-going ship and landed on the north bank of Hangzhou Bay on September 10th. The rebels were so arrogant that the Jiangnan officers and soldiers were unable to resist, and were invincible along the way. The general ordered the officers and soldiers to gather in the city of Hangzhou, to fortify the walls and clear the fields, and only rely on the fortified city to hold on. We also hope that General Cui will send a large army to rescue him soon. When the time comes, he will be attacked from both inside and outside, and he will be able to defeat the enemy invaders in one fell swoop.