The sky was gloomy, and the towering city walls stretched out, with mottled burn marks, traces of swords and guns, and in some places there was a dark red color left by dried blood. The soldiers patrolling the city walls looked vigilantly at the intertwining roads outside the city, where crowds gathered and dispersed.
On the official roads and the dirt roads in the countryside, people were shouting, carts were in a mess, the summer air was hot and dusty, and in the crowded crowd, a strong man was pushing a wheelbarrow with the whole family's food on it, his wife and daughter were following behind him in panic, pulling at his clothes. On one side, a well-off family was driving a bullock cart with food, yelling at their family to go faster. An old man with a cane fell down and sat on the side of the road with difficulty, watching the crowd leave in confusion...
Under the gloomy sky, people living outside the city began to leave the roads all over Fulin Prefecture one after another, heading to other states to seek refuge with their relatives and avoid the war.
The atmosphere of war gradually permeated the air.
"Open the gates!"
The gates of Wantong County were wide open, and a group of horsemen rushed out. The young man in the lead cracked his whip and shouted, "Go!"
The official road in the southwest seemed much more spacious because few people could leave the city due to the closed city gates. The cavalry rushed out and galloped southward smoothly. Occasionally, when they encountered a blocked road, a knight would urge his horse forward and wave his whip.
"Get out of the way!"
As the whip roared, an old man carrying a basket on his back was accidentally hit by the whip and fell to the ground. The old man's son cried out, "Dad!"
Grab the stone on the ground and rush forward to fight with all your might.
"Beat me to death, why are you beating my father? You guys are just eating too much, who cares if you sit on the throne? The crops are growing... You damned ghosts!!"
The knight tilted his horse's head and reached out to draw his sword.
"stop!"
Chen Jing sat on horseback, shouted loudly to stop his subordinate, brought his guards up, waved his hand and pushed the crying young man two meters away without hurting him.
Then, he raised his hands on horseback and shouted loudly to the panicked people around him:
"… Jing is also from Chen, and this place is also my homeland, but now it is occupied by the Sui people. I came back in the hope that you and I, the Chen people, can recover our homeland. I also ask all the fellow villagers to be patient for a while and repel the Sui army. Jing will definitely let you live a stable life!"
Words slowly spread, but the crowd on the road ahead just looked at him and no one spoke. Chen Jing pursed his lips, put down his hands, tilted his head and whispered to the left and right:
"Let's go, don't hurt them."
The cavalry slowly squeezed through the crowd and headed forward, only picking up speed again when they were far away. To the south, close to Hegu County, with the support of the three cities of Fulin Prefecture, Chen Fu decided to extend inward and deploy a deep strategy to fight against the oncoming Sui army.
At present, an army led by a former general of the Chen Dynasty has set out that way. Chen Fu is also in the army, serving as a chief priest.
Da da da da…
The horse caravan coming from afar passed through the roads and woods. Further south, the sky was overcast with low clouds, faint flashes of lightning, and dull thunder across the horizon.
The patrolling soldiers heard the sound of iron hooves and turned their sights away. The oncoming horsemen gradually slowed down.
"dismount!"
Chen Jing raised his hand and waved, then got off his horse. The soldiers patrolling nearby recognized who the young man in the lead was and hurried forward to take the reins.
The hundreds of knights who had followed over there came down one after another, and followed Chen Jing through the woods here. When they turned the corner of the trampled dirt road, their vision became wider.
A small river runs from north to south, and a military camp surrounded by fences is close to the river bank. Flags are flying, and soldiers are coming in and out, presenting a solemn and murderous scene.
At the rear gate of the camp where food and fodder were transported in and out, the guards saw a group of people coming with horses, and they lowered their weapons to stop them. The soldier who was patrolling and leading horses stepped forward and whispered in their ears, making way for them, and then asked after the other party had passed:
"Who was that person just now?"
"Brother, don't you know? Our Chen Dynasty's Emperor."
"Oh... I really can't recognize you without the dragon robe. I am a subordinate of General Cao. When General Cao started his army, I followed him. I have never met Your Majesty."
"Which General Cao? Cao Shouren?"
…
Chen Jing walked into the military camp, asked for the location of the chief priest Chen Fu, and the cavalrymen following him went to rest, and then went straight to the large tent in the center. The guards guarding the entrance of the tent had seen the young emperor before, and they retracted their weapons, immediately tightened their stomachs and straightened their chests, and held their heads high.
"Greetings, Your Majesty!"
"The chief priest and General Cao are inside?"
"exist!"
Chen Jing nodded, lifted the curtain and strode in. Inside, there was a simple long desk with some military documents piled on it. The flickering lights illuminated a map hanging on one side of the tent.
The old man with gray hair and beard was pointing at a map with a middle-aged general, drawing circles with his fingers, and talking in low voices about the upcoming war.
Hearing the footsteps, the two turned around. The old man laughed, stroked his beard, and came forward, holding up Chen Jing who was about to salute.
"Why did your majesty come here suddenly?"
On the other side, the general with thick eyebrows and a big beard strode forward, holding the hilt of the sword at his waist, and stood a little behind the old man. He clasped his hands and lowered his face: "Your Majesty, I, Cao Shouren, pay my respects to you!"
"General Cao, there's no need to be so polite."
Chen Jing supported the leader of the guards who had escorted him and his mother to Tianzhi. After the fall of the Chen Dynasty, he also became a prisoner and had been lurking in the army. He contacted his master when he came back and raised an army to respond without thinking. He then successfully captured Wantong County and gained a foothold.
"Master, I came here because I suddenly remembered that Hegu County is close to Mr. Lu's hometown. I also heard that Mr. Zhou from Hegu County had a close relationship with him. He could be considered a mentor. As for attacking the city, I think..."
Cough cough!
Chen Fu coughed, and his kind eyes suddenly turned dignified, "Your Majesty, you should change the way you call yourself."
"Uh... whatever."
On the other side, Chen Jing smiled uncomfortably, paused, and spoke again.
"For this siege, I think it would be better to send someone to contact the governor and ask him to persuade him to surrender. It would be best if there is no fighting. On the way here, I saw that the people left their homes to avoid the war..."
Without waiting for him to finish his words, Chen Fu stroked his long white beard and closed his eyes as if he was thinking. After a moment, he opened his eyes and a smile appeared on his face.
"The best strategy is to attack the enemy's enemy's enemy's enemy's enemy's enemy. Your Majesty, what a good plan! I have also heard of Mr. Zhou, who is very famous in this county. With his persuasion to the county governor, we can indeed capture this city without bloodshed. If the late emperor could see your Majesty's dedication, he would be pleased."
He looked at his disciple, Emperor Chen, and repeated, "Great."
Cao Shouren, who was sitting on the side, also agreed with this strategy. They were all from Chen, so there was no need to fight each other. However, he came from the military and was thoughtful.
"Your Majesty, Jijiu, if that scholar Zhou refuses, what should we do? I think we should send someone to contact him first, and at the same time, hurry up to build siege equipment. If he refuses, we can directly launch the siege."
The lamp on the table flickered and the big tent fell silent. Chen Jing frowned and was about to speak, but his master Chen Fu spoke first, stroking his long beard and shaking his head.
"Absolutely not. Zhou Zhen is a well-read and learned man from Dachen. He is nostalgic for his homeland. General Cao, send someone to sneak into the city and test it out first."
"yes!"
Cao Shouren stood up dragging his armor, bowed to Chen Jing, saluted to Chen Fu beside him, strode out of the military tent, and went to wait for him.
After the generals left, the atmosphere in the tent became much more relaxed. Chen Jing stood up and sat next to the old man and poured him a bowl of tea.
"Master, do you think Master Zhou will come with us?"
"meeting… "
The old man put down the tea bowl, with the bottom of the bowl falling on the table. He narrowed his eyes and spoke with dignity. He said that he came back here because he wanted to spend the rest of his life recovering his homeland, so that he could live up to the royal ancestors a hundred years later.
The old man couldn't help but exert force with his fingers on the edge of the bowl, and the bowl broke into pieces with a "crack", and he continued with the second half of the sentence he had just said.
“…I must be able to do that!”
boom-
Thunder finally exploded in the dark clouds, and heavy rain poured down.
The sky was covered with a leaden rain curtain, and the city in the distance was immersed in a sea of water vapor. People on the street held up their sleeves to cover their heads and ran to the eaves to take shelter.
In a house somewhere in the city, an ancient pine tree protrudes out of the courtyard wall, swaying gently in the wind and rain. In the front yard, a servant carries tea through the eaves of the corridor with pearl curtains and knocks on the door of a room in front.
Soon, he entered carrying a wooden tray. Opposite the open door, he saw three quaint bookshelves with books neatly arranged in an orderly manner. On the rosewood desk, a pen holder held brushes of different sizes. One of the brushes was missing, and was being written by an old man in a green robe, outlining two big words "Qian Kun".
The old man with white hair and beard sat down on a big chair, picked up the newly written calligraphy, and blew away the ink on it.
There is steam rising from the tea on the table.