The skin under the dagger tip was so soft. The dagger in his hand was so sharp.
As long as he moved his hand forward and exerted a little bit of strength, he could easily pierce her throat and kill the woman who had seduced him from a shrewd soldier to a deserter who was addicted to the pleasures of life.
However, the dagger tip could not penetrate even a little bit.
The palm of his hand holding the dagger seemed to still retain the warmth from last night's soft skin.
He put away the dagger, released her, and hissed her out of his sight.
She opened her eyes and stared at him, wanting to say something but stopping herself. However, in the end, she said nothing. She just walked out with red eyes and head lowered.
The man stood there for a long time, motionless, looking at this simple room that was tidy every day. On the bedside, there was a set of neatly folded new clothes and a pair of new shoes.
His eyes also turned red.
In fact, later on, his years of experience and his instincts as sharp as those of a wild animal made him doubt her presence more than once. However, every time he returned home at dusk and faced her smiling face, all his doubts would be covered up.
He could no longer be the resolute soldier he once was. He deceived himself and became a peddler who walked the streets day after day.
Dreams must eventually end with wakefulness. This moment has finally arrived.
The news here no longer needed him to deliver. Everyone in the world knew it, not to mention his superiors.
A shadow who has failed in his duty to this extent has no right to live.
He knelt on the ground, kowtowed to the sky to apologize, raised the dagger in his hand, and stabbed it towards his throat.
…
Changping is located deep in the south of Taihang Mountain. For a long time before, it was just an ordinary fortress with dangerous terrain, connecting the east and the west, and it was not very eye-catching. But after the King of Qi proclaimed himself emperor in the Eastern Capital and challenged the imperial court, the advantages of the terrain here suddenly became prominent. Not only did it become the boundary between the forces of the East and the West, but the King of Qi also repaired the fortifications and strengthened the city defenses, making it the first barrier against threats from the west.
After Xie Changgeng returned, the first thing he did was to send troops eastward as soon as the situation was settled.
However, Xie Changgeng did not attack immediately, but temporarily stationed his troops in Jinzhou, which was only a few hundred miles away from Changping.
The sky above Changping was shrouded in the dark clouds of war.
Once the war breaks out, it will be destined to be a war like a storm, although now is not the best time to start a war for both sides.
The Hexi Army had just experienced a bloody battle that lasted for half a year and suffered heavy losses. At this time, what they needed most was a proper rest, rather than immediately embarking on a long expedition and engaging in the next major battle.
It is a taboo for soldiers to send exhausted troops on a long expedition. Facing an enemy that is fully equipped, even if Changping is captured, a terrible price will be paid. Moreover, Changping is only the first hurdle. This battle is meaningless except for venting anger.
As an experienced commander who had commanded hundreds of battles of varying sizes, Xie Changgeng was well aware of this.
Although the King of Qi's troops were well-rested, there was little hope that Changping Pass would be able to prepare fully in such a short period of time to withstand the attack of the elite troops from Hexi.
Judging from the situations of both sides, although no one is sure of victory, for the King of Qi who has not yet established a firm foothold, what he wants most now is definitely not a head-on battle.
Xie Changgeng's mother was in his hands, which was a big bargaining chip.
Normally, he should take action at this time.
But what puzzled Xie Changgeng was that he had not received any news related to this so far.
His intuition told him that the reason for this abnormal behavior was that the King of Qi was either planning a bigger conspiracy, or some accident had happened that he was not aware of.
Even though he was extremely anxious and worried about his mother's safety day and night, Xie Changgeng was still patiently waiting for news.
He would not fight a battle that he was not sure of winning, and he would not show off his bravery at the cost of meaningless sacrifice.
The purpose of sending troops here was not to fight immediately.
The sudden involvement of Changsha State had completely disrupted his original plan.
The power of the King of Qi was expanding rapidly, but he had suffered heavy losses in the bloody battle in Hexi. It was a gain and a loss, so now was not a good time to attack.
He's not in that hurry.
His real purpose was to force the King of Qi to negotiate the conditions for the hostages with him, and then formulate a rescue plan after finding out the other party's intentions.
After stationing troops in Guanxi for several days, Xie Changgeng soon got the answer to his doubts about the abnormal behavior of King Qi.
The spy who sneaked into the Eastern Capital reported back. Through the information bought, it was learned that the old lady fell ill late one night while in custody. The King of Qi urgently summoned all the doctors in the city to treat her, but then those doctors disappeared. After a few days, it was learned that the old lady had died that night.
Xie's mother was captured by Zhao Xitai, and because of this great achievement, Zhao Xitai made the Qi Wang's subordinates look at her with new eyes. At that time, he was not in the Eastern Capital, but went to Changsha to pay condolences. Due to the fatigue of the journey, his old illness recurred and delayed his return.
A hostage who was supposed to be of great use was killed in his hands. The King of Qi was shocked, angry and disappointed. He knew that if the news got out, it would surely lead to Xie Changgeng's full revenge. So he ordered the news to be concealed and had the body disposed of quietly overnight. He then summoned his men and busy themselves with planning countermeasures.
That night, the night sky west of Changping Pass was covered with dark clouds, and the stars and the moon were hidden. From afar, there were only countless fire sticks between heaven and earth, like sparks, illuminating the night sky of the entire military camp.
Tens of thousands of soldiers, each with a white scarf wrapped around their arms, held weapons in their hands, and lined up in neat rows. The atmosphere was extremely solemn.
Xie Changgeng, dressed in heavy mourning, walked out of the big tent.
Liu An and other generals had been waiting outside for a long time. When they saw him appear, they surrounded him and loudly petitioned: "The soldiers are ready. Please give the order immediately. We will follow you to the death, capture Changping, and attack the Eastern Capital to avenge the old lady!"
Qin, Jin, Qi and Chu are the four most honorable titles of kings. Among the four kings, the King of Qin is the highest.
"Please King Qin give the order!"
In the wilderness, the voices of loyalty from the soldiers were like thunder, rising from the ground and echoing through the night sky.
From the moment he learned of his mother's death yesterday until this moment, Xie Changgeng has been alone in his tent all night.
His face was blue, his eyes were red, and his eyes were bloodshot.
He stood in the wilderness, looking towards the distant Kansai.
At the end of the horizon, the undulating and winding mountain peaks are like a barrier rising from the ground.
The hatred for his mother's murder is as deep as the sea. As long as he lives, he must avenge it. Not only that, he must return it tenfold and kill the entire family.
But not now.
He swallowed the sudden sweet taste in his throat, retracted his gaze, and said slowly: "I will go to Dongdu to see if I can collect my mother's body. The funeral here should be cancelled and everything should be kept as it is. Without my order, not a single soldier may move."
Liu An and the others were all filled with admiration and knelt before him without any prior agreement: "Take care, King Qin!"
The fire sticks in the camp went out, and silence gradually fell.
Xie Changgeng selected a group of followers including Liang Tuan in the big tent and was about to set out overnight to secretly go to Dongdu when he suddenly heard the sound of running footsteps outside the tent.
Xie Changgeng turned around and saw Liu An rushing in with an ecstatic look on his face. He waved the letter in his hand and shouted, "King Qin! Good news! The old lady is not dead! She was rescued by the princess of Changsha! Zhu Liuhu sent a message saying that he is protecting the old lady and is on his way back!"
Xie Changgeng paused, his eyes suddenly lit up, he turned around abruptly and snatched the letter from Liu An's hand.
The people around saw him looking at the letter without moving for a long time, and they all waited with bated breath.
After a long time, he raised his eyes.
"I'm going to go out for a while. Here, do as I say!"
…
Xie Changgeng traveled day and night, rushing south. In just ten days, he arrived at Yingcheng Taiping Posthouse, adjacent to Fuzhou.
At the inn, he finally saw his mother.
His mother seemed to be getting better. She was not as weak as he had imagined, but plump and white. When he arrived, Yingcheng Ling was also in the post station, respectfully inviting the mother of the King of Qin to rest in his mansion.
When the mother and son met, with no one else around, Xie's mother told them about the sufferings she had endured in the past six months, and scolded Qi for being evil-minded. When she talked about the sad parts, she kept wiping away tears.
Xie Changgeng knelt on the ground and kowtowed to his mother. He did not get up for a long time and choked up, saying, "My son is useless and caused me to be so frightened. Please rest assured, such an accident will never happen again in the future!"
After Xie's mother finished her complaint, she saw that her son was exhausted, dark and thin. She knew that he must have had a hard time in the past few days. She felt distressed and went over to help him up: "Mom is fine. Mom is lucky. You don't have to worry. After you get out, you will have good food and drink all the way, and there will be people to take care of you."
Xie Changgeng helped his mother sit down, calmed himself down, and asked her how she got to Changsha.
Mother Xie shook her head, "I don't know what happened. I only remember that at first, I was locked in a room. Except for being watched day and night and not allowed to move, I didn't suffer any serious punishment. Then one day, a bowl of food was delivered to me. I ate it and felt sleepy at the time, so I fell asleep. When I woke up, I was put in a black car again. It was driven day and night, and I didn't know where it was going. When I was released again, I was in Changsha State and met the Mu family."
"Mother gave in to her and told her to come back and live a good life with you, and that she would still be the daughter-in-law of the Xie family in the future. But she refused to listen..."
Xie's mother wiped her tears and grabbed her son's hand.
"It was only on the way back that mother found out that the King of Qi had rebelled and became the emperor. Her country Changsha is also in the same camp as the King of Qi. I heard that not long after you divorced her, that prince came to propose marriage! Before her brother died, that prince came again! Well, if she wants to marry someone else and doesn't come back, that's fine, but she can't give up the child she is raising! Chang Geng, mother remembers it clearly, you told me that it was clearly your child, but Mu insisted that it was not yours! And the child she coaxed was also convinced! You must bring my grandson back to me quickly, and don't let him suffer in the future!"
Xie Changgeng was silent for a long time, and whispered: "Mom, it's my fault. I shouldn't have bullied you. That child is indeed not my own flesh and blood, but before..."
"Don't lie to me!"
Before he could finish his words, he was interrupted by Xie's mother and started wiping her tears again.
"I didn't mind if you didn't listen to me and didn't marry Qi, but I can't let you do anything about my grandson! The more I look at that child, the more he looks like you when you were a child!"
"It's not yours. Are you crazy? Why are you so nice to him?"
Thank you Chang Geng for a while.
"Mother, I heard that Changsha is now very powerful, and that they entered the capital together with the King of Qi. Are you afraid of the King of Qi? Aren't you also a king? Mother is alone, and I couldn't do anything that day, so I came back first. Go and bring my grandson back!"
Xie Changgeng looked at his excited mother and was speechless for a moment.
He hesitated for a moment, said a few soothing words, asked someone to come in and serve her so that she could rest, then left and sent away Ying Chengling and his entourage who were still waiting outside with great respect.
He looked coldly at Zhu Liuhu who was kneeling at his feet. This was the man he had arranged in Changsha two years ago, but who ended up ruining his plans.
The author has something to say: Xie and Wang have completely different ways of dealing with the hatred towards their relatives. To be honest, as a storyteller, I can’t really say who is right and who is wrong between the two of them.