"Xu Anmo, the commander of the Qingli Army?" Meng Zhi's pupils shrank slightly as he looked at King Jing, "That's the one... Xu Anmo, who was almost out of time due to being in battle for no reason, was almost engaged in military law by Your Highness? But he is the prince's cousin, I remember that for the sake of Bao this person, the Crown Prince and His Highness are in a stalemate, how can he get involved with Prince Yu?"
"Where is the crown prince now?" Mei Changsu sneered, "The world is bustling, all for the benefit; the world is turbulent, all for the benefit. A person like Xu Anmo can persuade him with just one eloquent person. already."
"So, do you believe what Tong Lu said?"
Mei Changsu sighed softly, "It's not so much that I believe in Tong Lu's words, it is better to say that I believe that the King of Credit has a reason to choose to take the risk. In ten years, let him overthrow His Royal Highness Prince Jing like he overthrew the crown prince. Losing Xia Jiang, losing his cronies, and losing His Majesty's favor, Prince Yu has always been pushed too hard, when his will is not enough He's either decadent or crazy when he takes it all, and there's no third way."
"Mr. Su thinks that King Yu will definitely choose to be crazy?" Xiao Jingyan asked dubiously.
"It would be fine if he had been in the mansion. If he really couldn't bear to see Xia Jiang, the first lord would have a way to drive him crazy. After all, Xia Jiang was the one who had no way out. Of course he hoped that Prince Yu would break the cauldron and sink the boat. ." Mei Changsu turned his gaze to Tong Lu and said coldly, "Tong Lu, you want to avenge Junniang, don't you?"
Tong Lu kowtowed heavily, blood dripping from his forehead.
"But you betrayed me once, so how can I trust you? If this time you were coerced by King Yu, and His Highness listened to your words and went to sue the King for treason. In the end, he found out that he didn't have one at all. Wouldn't His Highness also Become a person who constitutes a trap?"
Tong Lu's neck was full of blue veins, but he was speechless. Suddenly, he jumped towards the saber hanging on the tent wall, pulled it out and wiped it on his neck. It was snatched by Meng Zhi.
"It's useless to show your ambition with death." Mei Changsu's voice was still cold, "If you really value Jun Niang so much, would you rather die than die?"
"Junniang is already dead..." Tong Lu finally couldn't hold back and burst into tears, "She, her body is still buried in Wufeng Slope... The sect master can... send someone to see..."
Mei Changsu quietly looked at his former subordinate for a moment. Fang slowly stepped forward to help him, and said warmly: "Okay, we will verify the news you said, but you still have to be imprisoned, can't have contact with other people, and don't talk nonsense, understand?"
"Tong Lu understands that as long as he can avenge Jun Niang, Tong Lu doesn't care about anything..." Tong Lu knelt down and refused to get up. Still crouching at the feet of Mei Changsu, weeping.
King Jing received the look from Mei Changsu, and immediately summoned two confidants. They ordered Tong Lu to take them down to change clothes and eat, and monitor them carefully. Wait for the tent door to close again. Meng Zhi looked around. Asked, "What's next? Do we believe it or not?"
"I think it is necessary to take precautions by believing his words." King Jing said succinctly.
"I agree with His Highness's opinion." Mei Changsu nodded and said, "This is both an accident and an opportunity. How to deal with it and how to use it should be carefully considered."
"Could it be that King Yu's actions were also unexpected to Mr. Jing?" King Jing raised his eyebrows.
"Your Highness, do I really know what to expect? Although I thought that King Yu might find a way to meet Xia Jiang, I didn't expect that the Imperial Army would be controlled, and I didn't expect Xu Anmo to get in." Mei Changsu's face was a little dignified. , "If what Tong Lu said is true, then I really underestimated King Yu this time."
"When a person is in a desperate situation, the power that bursts out is always more terrifying." Meng Zhi frowned, "It seems that King Yu is going to gamble..."
Mei Changsu was about to speak, but suddenly stopped, looked at King Jing and said, "Does your Highness have any thoughts?"
"Let's analyze the situation first," King Jing pulled out his waist knife and drew on the sandy ground, "This is the capital city, this is Jiu'an Mountain, the Qingli Camp is stationed in the west, three days away from the capital, and five days away from Jiu'an Mountain. But there is one point: Qingli is not an army marching in Taiwan, and not in wartime, the governor has no right to specialize in it. If there are more than ten cavalry and horses, and there is no sign of soldiers, what is Xu Anmo's way of mobilizing these 50,000 people?"
Mei Changsu looked at the marks on the ground, frowning slightly: "Probably can only fake edicts or fake military talismans... The person who checked the talismans is Xu Anmo, he can do anything.
"But the five commanders of Qingli also have the right to re-examine. If Xu Anmo refuses to re-examine, then the commander has the right to refuse to send troops. I don't believe that these five commanders are all reversed." Meng Zhi objected.
"Two or three are enough, and those who are disobedient can be killed." Mei Changsu glanced at Prince Jing, "Your Highness is more aware of the situation in the army, right?"
Prince Jing's face was sinking like water, and he silently returned the knife to the sheath. He knew that what Mei Changsu had said was true, and the military today is indeed not as good as it used to be. Except for the Taiwanese troops on the front lines of the four borders, which still retain a little bit of stubbornness, the Tuentian troops raised in various places have long lost the loyalty of the soldiers due to the deduction of military pay and the corruption of military discipline. . It is not impossible to bribe a few officers if they are lured by heavy profits.
"His Royal Highness's staff in the capital will not be ignorant of the changes in King Yu's land. Maybe tomorrow or the day after tomorrow, there will be news. We can confirm with Tong Lu's words." Mei Changsu's eyes slowly narrowed. It became a seam, and his fingers touched his chin lightly, "But... all of this may just be the deception of King Yu. Once we act rashly, but in the end, the fact that we did not force a treason to happen, the trust that His Highness has just obtained from the emperor will be lost. The smoke disappeared, and he was in the same situation as King Yu."
"In this case, even if we get the news in advance, even if we can believe that what Tong Lu said is true, it's the same as not getting it," Meng Zhi said, "Anyway, we don't dare to tell His Majesty now. …”
"It's not the same. We can predict in advance that it is better to formulate multiple sets of plans to prepare for prevention. It is better than being caught off guard." Because Mei Changsu was thinking quickly, he also unknowingly took out King Jing's waist knife. It was painted on the ground, and the movements were so skillful and natural that Meng Zhi, who was watching, was dripping with cold sweat, and King Jing couldn't help but stay for a while.
"Look." Mei Changsu continued without noticing, "Sacred car travel, there are police posts in all directions. There are two police posts between the capital and Jiu'an Mountain, and one is closer to the capital. It will definitely be famous. Wang pulls it out, and one is near Jiu'an Mountain. The forbidden army accompanying him goes to check from time to time, and King Yu can't move. The Qingli army must pass through several large towns in this attack. A quick word, in order to grab time, it is impossible for them to bypass this police post and take other paths."
"What do you mean, once the police report from this outpost comes, you will be completely sure that King Yu is really going to rebel instead of cheating?" Meng Zhi calculated a little, "but at this time it is already It's too late! This post is only fifty miles away from the foot of Jiu'an Mountain. After we receive the call, we will escort us down the mountain, and we will definitely bump into it head-on!"
Mei Changsu did not answer, but glanced at Prince Jing again.
"Jiu'an Mountain is easy to defend and difficult to attack. When the warning comes, I would rather defend the mountain than go down the mountain." Xiao Jingyan had already understood what Mei Changsu meant, and was calculating with a frown. "Assume that Xu Anmo can bring all the 50,000 Qingli troops. The guards of the forbidden army are 3,000, so we can resist it. It will take two or three days to resist, right?"
"You underestimate our Imperial Army," Commander Meng said dissatisfiedly, "Since now you know that they are coming, you must be prepared in advance, and it's no problem to hold on for five days. It's just... three days and five days, what's the use? "
"The access to Jiu'an Mountain is limited. It doesn't make much difference if the Qingli Army comes with 50,000 or 30,000. But five days is indeed the limit of the limit." Mei Changsu looked at King Jing deeply, "Can Your Highness come back?"
Xiao Jingyan raised a firm smile on his lips, "Mother and you are both on the mountain, and I will come back when I die."
Meng Zhi stared at the sketch map on the ground for a long time, and gradually realized, "His Royal Highness is going to transfer the Jicheng army to the north?"
"This is also the reason why I have to wait for the police report to come." Mei Changsu sighed, "Your Majesty is indecisive, even if we take the risk and report to him now, he may not always believe it, only after confirming it. When the rebellion is approaching, and the situation is certain, he will hand over the military talisman to the Royal Highness to dispatch troops. Speaking of which, we are here to sit quietly and wait, but we have to do it.”
Meng Zhi always felt that there was something wrong with this countermeasure, he thought about it for a long time before he came up with it, and hurriedly asked: "Mr. Su, you only ask His Highness whether he will come back in five days, and why don't you think that he will not be able to come out? Go? Wait for the police report to come, report it to Your Majesty, and then ask for the order to get the military talisman. It will take a little time. The rebels used surprise attack tactics, and the speed must not be slow. Lu, I'm afraid it's not easy to rush out!"
Mei Changsu was speechless when asked by him, but it wasn't because he couldn't answer, but because he couldn't answer at all, so he had to say, "This is my negligence. To break out of the siege to ask for help, perhaps only by relying on His Highness's bravery. pissed."
Meng Zhi hurriedly said: "His Royal Highness King Jing rushed to the battlefield and was invincible. I know this. But... I don't have complete confidence to rush out, right? Sending reinforcements is our last solution. Wouldn't everyone just sit back and wait?"
Mei Changsu lowered his head and seemed to be thinking, but the end of his eyes quietly swept Prince Jing.
Fortunately, King Jing quickly took the initiative to answer Meng Zhi's question: "Don't worry about the commander, I can go down from the north slope."
"The north slope is a cliff, there is no road!"
"Yes, there is a very dangerous and steep path completely covered by weeds. When Xiaoshu and I were running around on Jiu'an Mountain, we found it. No one else knew about it except the two of us."
"Really?" Meng Zhi was overjoyed, "This is simply God's help!"
"Then it's settled," King Jing also smiled and made a final decision, "Don't tell your Majesty first, Meng Qing will reorganize the defense of Jiu'an Mountains, and be sure to keep calm in the face of danger. No matter how difficult the future situation is, Your Majesty There must be nothing wrong with your concubine."
"Yes!" Meng Zhi solemnly agreed, but then he couldn't help but glance at Mei Changsu. The latter didn't notice at this time that he wasn't included among the people who "must have nothing to do with it", because he just found out that Prince Jing's waist knife was in his hands, and his expression was a little embarrassed.
King Jing followed Meng Zhi's line of sight and found something wrong, and hurriedly added: "Although Mr. Su is guarded by his entourage, you still have to take care of his safety."
"Yes!" "Your Highness, please forgive me, I didn't pay attention just now..." Mei Changsu shyly handed the waist knife with both hands and bowed in humility.
"It doesn't matter, everyone is discussing important matters. You don't need to care about these false rituals." King Jing said lightly, and took the waist knife and put it back into the sheath.
Meng Zhi remembered his defense and immediately got up to leave. Mei Changsu did not want to stay in the tent alone with King Jing, for fear that he would find a way to question him again. So they retire together.
Buddha Tooth was just outside the tent, and when they met, he threw himself at him, wanting to lick a couple of bites, Meng Zhi chuckled, and Mei Changsu was a little helpless. Fortunately, the back tent door was tightly closed, and King Jing couldn't see it.
"I heard Zhan Ying say that you are living in a secluded place. I thought you were uncomfortable again. It turned out that you were hiding from the Buddha's tooth." Meng Zhi came over and said, "Why don't you just kill the Buddha's tooth?"
Although Buddha Ya couldn't understand human speech, he immediately let out a cry in protest. Mei Changsu was worried that King Jing would be led out when he heard its cry, and he didn't care anymore, so he hurriedly dragged the gray wolf to hide behind him. in the account.
On the second day, King Jing received a secret report from Beijing. Although there is no inside story mentioned by Tong Lu, it is still reported that the Imperial Guard is too quiet, the shift is abnormal, and that King Yu has entered the prison many times to watch Xia Jiang's affairs. According to the secret report. Every time he was ordered by Empress Yi, he stayed for half a day. Even Cai Quan, the minister of punishment, could not stop him. But other than that, the capital is pretty quiet. The patrol battalion is still guarding the four gates, and no major fluctuations have been found.
Because of real volatility. It didn't happen in the capital.
The emperor had already moved into the hunting palace, but apart from the prince and the prince, the rest of the clan and the accompanying courtiers were still camped out, retaining the scene of the hunting sacrifice. Meng Zhi is the busiest and most nervous person in the past two days. On the one hand, he has to adjust the defense of Jiu'an Mountain. On the other hand, he can't make people feel that there is anything strange about his adjustment.
Fortunately, only four days have passed since the crisis was approaching, and the shocking news had already arrived.
The soldier who came to the police was covered in blood, and when he was brought to Emperor Liang, he was hoarse and speechless. From his embarrassed appearance, it could be seen that the sound of the rebels' hooves should be approaching.
The entire Jiu'an Mountain shook, and Meng Zhi narrowed the range of the imperial guards according to the plan he had planned, and quickly arranged several peripheral lines of defense along the mountain roads and ravines. Fortunately, this place was originally a royal hunting ground, and all the walkable paths outside the mountain road were blocked. There were natural mountain streams outside the grasslands around the hunting palace. The slope was suitable, there were many mountains and trees, and quarrying was also convenient. Climbing up the cliff and attacking, they couldn't stand some of the wood and rolling stones, so they could shrink the line of defense tightly and tightly to offset some of the disadvantage of being outnumbered by the enemy.
"What? What are these traitors clamoring for?" Listening to the police officer's report, Emperor Liang didn't know whether he was angry or frightened, and his whole body kept shaking, "You... you say it again!"
King Jing stood by his father calmly, and said, "The rebels are playing the ground to say that the sons and ministers have threatened the father and the emperor, so they came to Qin Wang to protect him."
"When did you coerce me?"
"There is always a reason for the rebels to rebel. In the future, they can say that when they came to rescue the car, the scene was chaotic. Although the son was killed, the father was also killed by the son. There was no prince at that time. The Empress ordered the establishment of a new heir."
"Delusion!" Emperor Liang roared, and then forced himself to stabilize his mind again, looking at the son beside him, "Jingyan, the rebels are approaching, what can you do?"
"My son thinks that moving away from Jiu'an Mountain at this time is tantamount to suicide. You can only prepare to hold on before the rebels can close the siege, while sending someone to mobilize reinforcements."
"Good! Good! I will write an edict for you..."
"Father, there is no military talisman that cannot move Jicheng's military base."
"Why do you want to adjust Jicheng's army? The nearest reinforcements should be the imperial guards!"
"Father, the rebels are coming from the west. Do you still think that going to the imperial capital for help is effective?"
Emperor Liang put his hand on his cold sweaty forehead and slumped in the chair weakly. Concubine Jing, who had been sitting beside him, interjected at the right time: "Jicheng Army and the Imperial Capital are both asking for help. Wouldn't it be better to see who comes sooner?"
"That's true." King Jing nodded, "In order to avoid suspicion, my son can't go to the imperial capital. Please ask the emperor to give him a military talisman, and the son will lead troops to protect his father and mother and concubine within five days. As for the imperial capital, please ask my father The emperor sent his confidant ministers to ask for help, if reinforcements arrive, the servants will treat the gentleman's belly with the heart of a villain, if not, the father and emperor can see the truth more clearly."
The situation was critical, and there was no room for hesitation at this time. Besides, Concubine Jing was by his side. Emperor Liang was not worried that King Jing would not return as quickly as possible, so he only pondered for a while, and then he personally went into the inner tent to get half a military talisman. Solemnly handed over to King Jing: "Jingyan, Jiangshan Sheji is now on you alone, don't make any mistakes along the way!"
"Yes! My son will not be humiliated." King Jing knelt down and gave a big salute, got up and grabbed the cloak from the attendant's hand, shaking it in the wind, while tying his shoulders, he strode out of the hall.
At this time, there was panic outside the palace, and many people ran around at a loss, as if they couldn't escape, and they couldn't hide. Prince Jing's face was as cold as iron, and his walking was like the wind. He was not moved by this panic at all. After his straight and firm figure passed through, the people on both sides of him were inexplicably calm.
Going around the huge platform in front of the hunting palace, at a glance, I saw Mei Changsu and Meng Zhi standing side by side on the mountain road, one pointed at the terrain ahead and seemed to be saying something, and the other nodded in agreement. After sensing that someone was approaching, Meng Zhi turned back first, and then Mei Changsu also turned around, seeing that it was King Jing, and the two hurriedly saluted.
"I'm going to leave immediately," King Jing said solemnly, "I will ask the commander on the mountain."
"Don't worry, Your Highness!" Meng Zhi clenched his fists and answered these four words very simply.
King Jing gave Mei Changsu another deep look, and said, "Although Mr. Su said that the way of military affairs he understands is that of veterans who have been retired from service, but I see that you just pointed out the deployment of troops and defense, even the great commander is like that. Obedience, I think there must be another famous teacher. I will ask for advice after I come back, sir, please take care of yourself."
"We weren't..." Mei Changsu wanted to deny it, but King Jing guessed it right, and since the situation was so dangerous, it was inappropriate for the two to stand by the mountain road and talk about any topic, so he had to keep silent.
Fortunately, there was something in King Jing's heart, and he didn't want to think about it at the moment, he turned his head and strode toward the north slope. At the foot of the mountain, drinking water for the horses had already been prepared, and the five powerful accompanying knights descended the mountain the day before and were waiting at the intersection. When they met, they didn’t even need to say a word, they all got on their horses and walked away.