When the news of the attack on Xizhou reached the capital, it was the day when Jiang Yanyi returned home.
After Feng Shuo received the urgent report from the Chu family, Chu Changping and his son immediately went back to the palace with him to discuss the battle situation with the rest of his subordinates.
When Jiang Yanyi learned that Xizhou was plunged into war, he thought of the dream he had that night and felt a chill down his spine.
The spy only brought back news of the attack on Xizhou, and the exact situation of the battle there is still unknown.
General An and his wife, Qiu Kui, the blacksmith, Zhao Touer, Chef Yao and Chef Li are all in Xizhou. If Xizhou was captured, Jiang Yanyi couldn't imagine what the situation would be like.
As soon as one wave of troubles subsided, another wave arose. Old Madam Chu and Old Master Chu sighed over the fate of the Great Xuan Dynasty: "Fortunately, the Great Xuan Dynasty has the support of the King of Liaonan, otherwise it would have been a prey to others long ago."
"The evils committed by several generations of emperors have all been paid for in this dynasty. It has been hard for the King of Liaonan."
During the reign of the fallen emperor of the Great Qi Dynasty, he was dissolute and immoral in his early years, and devoted himself to seeking immortality in his later years. Not only was he obsessed with refining elixirs and neglected state affairs, he also spent a lot of money and manpower to build an imperial mausoleum to help him ascend to heaven.
When the founding emperor of Daxuan Fengzuo usurped the throne, there was a chorus of outcry among the people.
It's a pity that he was full of suspicion in his later years. He knew very well that he was plotting to usurp the throne. He was always wary of his ministers and regarded power as more important than his life. Many loyal and good people died because of his suspicion.
If the emperor who destroyed the Great Qi Dynasty destroyed the people's livelihood, then the founding emperor of the Great Xuan Dynasty, Feng Zuo, destroyed the court with his own hands in his later years.
Now the Daxuan Dynasty is divided among various factions, and it is only because of Feng Shuo's suppression that they can unite and barely face the outside world. In this situation, it is more appropriate to say that there are internal and external troubles.
Madam Chu only kept Jiang Yanyi for lunch, and then urged her to return to the palace: "You are now a wife of the Feng family. The King of Liaonan has been fighting in the south and the north, and you have to take care of everything at home. The last time the Turks invaded, it took Daxuan seven years to beat back those barbarians on horseback. This time, who knows how many more years it will take. You are a new wife, and the affairs of the palace are complicated. You have to learn how to manage them. Grandmother will not keep you for long, so go back."
Jiang Yanyi also wanted to know more about the specific battle report of Xizhou from Feng Shuo, so she bowed and said goodbye: "Granddaughter will come back to see you another day."
After bidding farewell to Old Madam Chu, Xue sent Jiang Yanyi out. She seemed to be hesitant to speak all the way.
Jiang Yanyi asked, "Is sister-in-law worried about Ruyi Tower?"
Xue nodded somewhat ashamedly. She had just taken over the Ruyi Tower business in the capital when war broke out in Xizhou. You should know that Ruyi Tower was first established in Xizhou. Now that the old store was about to be lost, some wealthy businessmen in the capital changed their minds and wanted to withdraw their shares. This was the first time Xue encountered such a thing in her business and she didn't know how to deal with it for a while.
She said, "Shunde Building's Manager Huang is backed by the Loyal and Brave Marquis Mansion. He took the lead in shouting that he wanted to withdraw his shares, and the others followed suit. Manager Huang even brought people to the building to cause a commotion. I couldn't think of a way to stop him, so I had to avoid him for now."
At this critical moment, Jiang Yanyi did not focus on Jingcheng Ruyi Tower, and said directly: "Since he wants to withdraw his shares, just return his share to him."
“But…” Xue hesitated.
Jiang Yanyi looked into her eyes and said, "Sister-in-law, you only need to know that businessmen like to weigh the pros and cons the most. He is shouting about withdrawing his shares, and he may also want to judge whether this business is profitable through our attitude."
"The more we resist, the more wary those merchants will be. If we return the silver we have obtained openly, they will become confused, fearing that we have many people who will participate in this business and they will not need to take a few silver coins from us."
After this conversation, Xue suddenly understood and said with a wry smile: "Ayi, you are really smart."
Jiang Yanyi said: "Sister-in-law, don't be too polite when you return the shares of the Huang family. Behind Shunde Building is the Loyalty and Bravery Marquis Mansion, and behind Ruyi Building is the Chu family and me. We don't use power to oppress others, but if someone uses chicken feathers as a token of authority, sister-in-law doesn't need to save face."
To put it bluntly, you can withdraw your shares, but you also have to make the other party understand who you will offend by doing so.
Xue's worry turned into joy and she nodded repeatedly: "I remember it all."
***
When Jiang Yanyi returned to Feng Mansion, he saw a group of black armored guards gathered outside the gate, and guessed that Feng Shuo was most likely going to Xizhou in person again.
She walked quickly into the mansion, holding up her skirt. Just as she reached the front yard, she ran into Feng Shuo, who was dressed in armor and walking hurriedly from the inner courtyard.
Seeing her, Feng Shuo just paused and said, "The situation in Xizhou is urgent. I'm afraid it's not good. I will lead the troops there myself."
If Chi Qing is one of Feng Shuo's arms, then An Yongyuan is definitely the other arm of Feng Shuo. Jiang Yanyi knows that he must not lose a general as talented as An Yongyuan.
She looked at him, and no matter how many words came to her lips, they all turned into one sentence: "Swords have no eyes on the battlefield, so you must be careful."
Feng Shuo wanted to say something else, but a young general at the gate started to urge him: "My lord, the troops of the King of Beiqin and the Marquis of Wu are waiting outside the city."
Jiang Yanyi's eyes turned red unconsciously, and he said, "Go ahead."
Feng Shuo looked at her deeply and squeezed her palm hard: "You must take good care of yourself in the capital."
After saying this, he turned and walked away quickly.
Jiang Yanyi raised his hand to grab something, but all that passed through his fingers was the chilly north wind.
Feng Shuo walked all the way to the gate, climbed onto the Wuyun Horse and never looked back.
Seeing Jiang Yanyi's red eyes, Chenyu advised: "Dong...Princess, let's go out and see the prince off, shall we?"
Jiang Yanyi shook his head: "Going there would only increase the sadness of parting. He didn't want to see me sad, so he never looked back."
She turned around and prepared to go to the Grand Concubine's courtyard, but a servant suddenly ran in hurriedly: "Princess, there is a letter for you!"
"My letter?" Jiang Yanyi was a little confused.
The servant stopped in front of her and said with a gasp, "It was sent from Xizhou."
When Jiang Yanyi heard the word "Xizhou", his eyes changed.
She took the letter, opened it, glanced at it hastily, and her face became extremely solemn. She ordered the servant: "Go to Huo's Escort Agency and find their boss, and ask her to come to the palace."
After hearing what was said, the servant hurried out of the house and went to Huo's Escort Agency.
*****
Western state.
Heavy snow fell for several days in a row, covering the charred and bloody surface of the city gate.
The gate of Xizhou City was as dilapidated as a dead leaf in the wind. The back of the gate was supported by wood as thick as a bowl, and in front of it were corpses of Turkic soldiers piled up almost as high as the gate.
Heavy snow fell on the mountain of corpses, covering up the original hideous wounds on the bodies.
The soldiers defending the city randomly found a sheltered place, not caring whether the ground was ice or solidified blood, and sat down exhausted, temporarily able to catch their breath.
A muffled groan was heard from the simple room inside the tower where the night watch soldiers took a temporary rest.
There was a brazier in the room, but it was still so cold outside that people were shivering.
An Yongyuan was half naked with his upper body, his shoulders and back were muscular and strong, and he was as strong as a small mountain.
Although he had countless knife and sword scars of various kinds on his body, the most serious one was probably the arrow wound that was only half an inch away from his heart.
A lot of blood-soaked gauze was already piled on the table next to him. The military doctor's hands were shaking as he pulled out the arrow. "This is the last wound. We don't have Ma Fei San. General, please be patient."
An Yongyuan looked at the map on the table and said without raising his head, "Pull out."
The moment the doctor pulled out the arrow with force, An Yongyuan's tendons became as hard as stone and blood gushed out of the wound. The doctor hurriedly pressed the wound tightly with gauze, and waited until the bleeding stopped a little before quickly applying herbal bandage.
"The arrow wound on you was only half an inch away from injuring your heart. You must not lift any heavy objects in the near future. It's best for you to rest in bed," the doctor instructed.
An Yongyuan pulled up his shirt and took a look at the raging snow outside the city tower. He said, "As long as Xizhou can hold out for one more day, the people of Xizhou will be able to retreat to the back of Xingling. Only by stopping these jackals outside the city can the people inside the city survive."
He looked dazed for a moment. On the day of the Turkic night attack, Mrs. An Shao was about to give birth.
It snowed extremely heavily that night. When the deputy general came to his mansion in panic to inform him of the Turkic night attack, Madam An Shao's screams of agony could be heard in the delivery room, and outside the city gate were the Turkic barbarians who were about to trample the mountains and rivers of Daxuan.
He didn't even have time to hesitate, he led his troops and rushed to the city gate, leaving behind the mournful and helpless cries of "General" in the snowy night.
Now it is the third day, and he has been guarding the city gate without leaving. He has no idea whether Mrs. An's delivery was successful or whether she gave birth to a boy or a girl.
An Yongyuan was not able to be absent-minded for too long, as his personal guards soon came running over in panic, crouching down and saying, "General, the Turks are attacking the city again!"
The cannonballs thrown by the catapults hit the city wall, making a series of dull sounds.
An Yongyuan put on his armor, picked up the five-hook halberd leaning against the wall and walked out: "Fight!"
*****
The people of Xizhou who were forced to retreat towards Xingling encountered a surprise attack. The guards of the An Mansion who were responsible for protecting the An family fought with the Turkic troops who bypassed Xizhou and attacked them, and most of them were killed.
It snowed heavily for several days, and the carriage where Madam An was riding was sealed tightly. However, the carriage was still not as comfortable as home. The thin walls could not keep out the severe cold. Madam An was still in confinement, and even with several quilts on, she still felt very cold.
The wet nurse died under the hooves of the Turkic horses during the Turkic army's surprise attack. The child cried with hunger in his cradle. Mrs. An Shao was in the carriage, holding the child and could only cry helplessly.
Her delivery was difficult, and right after she gave birth she learned that An Yongyuan had gone to guard the city gate. She was too worried and her body was weak. She took several doses of milk-inducing medicine, but still had no milk.
On the road to escape, everyone was busy and busy. Even if the An family had great financial resources, they could not find a wet nurse at this time.
Madam An was afraid that her long-awaited grandson would starve to death, so she was furious and could only scold Madam An for being useless. However, it was Madam An who reprimanded her daughter-in-law and ordered her servants to look among the fleeing people to see which family had a milk-producing ewes and buy them from them.
The person who went to do the work was an old servant. When he went to find someone to buy sheep, he found a pregnant woman who was about to give birth. He thought that if the pregnant woman gave birth, she would have milk to help feed the young master, so he took the couple over as well.
It was also a coincidence that the old servant was looking for Qiu Kui and the blacksmith.
Qiu Kui was nine months pregnant and had difficulty moving. When she fled south out of the city, the blacksmith had prepared a carriage, but they encountered the Turkic army and the carriage was destroyed. In that cold weather, the blacksmith had to support Qiu Kui as she walked, taking one step forward and one step back.
Qiu Kui's belly was so big that the blacksmith couldn't carry her even if he wanted to.
There was frost on the ground this morning and Qiu Kui slipped and immediately started bleeding. Although she didn't have an attack on the spot, Qiu Kui kept saying that her stomach felt heavy.
The blacksmith cried secretly for several times. In this icy and snowy weather, if Qiu Kugui really gave birth prematurely on the road, he really didn't know what to do.
They met an old servant from the An Mansion who said he was willing to give them a ride, and the blacksmith was so grateful that he burst into tears.
What the An family lent them was just a simple carriage, which was neither shockproof nor very warm, but it was much better than walking in the snow with one foot deep and one foot shallow.
The blacksmith squatted down and rubbed Qiu Kui's calves to dredge the blood vessels, with his head buried low: "Qiu Kui, don't be afraid, I will definitely be able to bring you to the capital."
Qiu Kui gently touched the cloth wrapped around the blacksmith's head and said, "Brother Yong, don't cry. It doesn't hurt."
Because of what she said, the blacksmith could no longer try to hide his sobs. He hugged Qiu Kui's waist, which was thick due to pregnancy, and choked up and said, "You are fine, you must be fine. When we get to the capital, I will work hard to make money and buy a two-story house for you and the child..."
Qiu Kui nodded, her expression somewhat yearning, but also a sense of seriousness. She touched her bulging belly, with a pure smile on her lips: "Go to the capital to see Huahua, and show Xiaobao to Huahua as well."
Xiaobao was the nickname they gave to the child. Because they didn't know whether it was a boy or a girl, the blacksmith said to call him Xiaobao. It didn't matter whether it was a girl or a boy, they were both their treasures.
***
Lu Linyuan was also among the people who fled. After experiencing the raid this morning, he realized that the large Turkic army had to attack from Xizhou, but the small army could bypass Xizhou and attack along the border between Daxuan and its neighboring countries.
There were only a number of small countries surrounding Daxuan, which were poor and militarily weak. The Turks did not bother to rob them, and those small countries did not dare to stop them when they marched through their territory.
I'm afraid that the Turks have already found out that the An family's family is here during that wave of espionage this morning. They can't capture Xizhou City in a short time. If they capture An Yongyuan's family and use them as threats, it will be very bad.
Lu Linyuan gathered the fleeing civilians and young and middle-aged men to form a temporary guard team, led by the captain of the guards of the An Mansion.
"The Dayue Kingdom is adjacent to Daxuan. Although its army is not as strong as that of the Turks, it is more than enough to deal with a single Turkish cavalry. As long as we can persuade the Dayue Kingdom to send troops, we will be safe on this trip." Lu Linyuan drew a sketch on the snow.
The general of the An Mansion asked: "What if the Great Yue Kingdom refuses to send troops?"
Lu Linyuan said confidently: "They will send troops."
"Get out!" A loud shout suddenly came from the cage in the distance.
When the retainer of An Mansion saw it, he saw that it was the caged Turkic prince who had knocked over the bark porridge handed to him.
He drew his sword and pointed it at Oguzdan, saying, "Your father has appointed another son to inherit his throne. Do you think the Turks will care about your life or death? Believe it or not, I will chop you down with one sword!"
Ogusdan had blood on the corner of his mouth, and his androgynous face looked a bit charming: "You should kill me!"
The famous general was so provoked by him that he was about to take action, but Lu Linyuan stopped him and looked at Ogusdan and said, "His biological mother was hanged, the second prince took the throne, and his mother's tribe, which supported him, had all its cattle, sheep and women robbed by other tribes during the heavy snow on the grassland. He really wants to die now."
Lu Linyuan said this lightly, but Ogusdan clenched his palms tightly, and the warm blood flowing from his palms smashed the snow under the cage into small bloody holes.
The family general snorted and walked away. Lu Linyuan then walked into Ogusdan and said, "How about we make a deal?"
Ogusdan sneered, "I am a prisoner, and now I can't help you as a hostage to contain the Turkic army. What else do you want to do with me, Mr. Lu?"
Lu Linyuan took out a bunch of keys and said, "I will secretly help you open the iron shackles and cages. I will go to Dayue Country to ask for help. If the reinforcements don't arrive, the Turkish soldiers will come back this morning and they will definitely kidnap General An's family. If you catch Madam An and her children before they do, it should be a great achievement. When you return to the Turks, you will no longer be a prisoner who was rescued, but a meritorious official. What do you think of this deal?"
Ogustan sneered: "What are the conditions?"
Lu Linyuan said: "Protect Madam An and her son."
Ogusdan said sarcastically: "It sounds good. I seem to have taken advantage of you. Aren't you afraid that I will kill them and their son directly after returning to Turkic?"
Lu Linyuan smiled gently: "Then please swear by your grassland god, Your Highness."
Ogusdan said with disdain: "Don't even mention that you, Mr. Lu, can't bring reinforcements. Even if you do, the Turkic warriors will definitely kill all these people."
Lu Linyuan said calmly: "Whatever you Turks have done to my Daxuan, I will pay you back tenfold one day. Also, Your Highness, you might as well think about your mother clan. Should you go back with your merits to strengthen your mother clan, or go back as a prisoner and be ridiculed by others?"
He left after saying this. He hadn't taken a few steps when Ogusdan's voice came from the cage: "I promise you. I, Ogusdan, swear in the name of the grassland wolf god that I will protect An Yongyuan's wife and children after I regain my freedom."
Lu Linyuan smiled, called his attendant, and handed him the key: "Qingsong, you stay here at the prisoner's carriage. If the Turks come again and the An family guards can't hold them back, you open the prisoner's carriage."
Qingsong nodded: "Don't worry, Master."
Ugusdan's face was twisted with anger: "Are you kidding me?"
Lu Linyuan glanced at him and said, "I said I would let you out, but I didn't say when."
Ogusdan suffered a loss and secretly hated this Lu who looked gentle and polite but was actually full of tricks.
After solving the most worrying problem, Lu Linyuan immediately decided to set off for Dayue Kingdom.
The territory of Dayue Kingdom is small, and it is barely larger than the entire Western Province. If we ride at full speed, it will definitely be enough to go back and forth within a day.
But before going, you have to find a guide who can speak the language of Dayue.
Lu Linyuan asked the common people along the way, and finally only Xie Chuji stood up, "I can speak the Great Moon language, so I can go with Master Lu."
Lu Linyuan looked at Xie Chuji, hesitated for a moment, and then said: "Yes, but it would be more convenient for Second Miss Xie to disguise herself as a man and travel."
Xie Chuji didn't think too much about it. In this chaotic time, disguising himself as a man could indeed save a lot of trouble.
She and Lu Linyuan both taught in the school, so they were acquaintances.
On the way, Xie Chuji asked Lu Linyuan: "Mr. Lu, how likely do you think it is to go to Dayue Country to ask for help?"
Lu Linyuan looked ahead and said, "Ninety percent."
Xie Chuji couldn't help but frown. In the current situation, the Turks were coming with great force, and the power of Dayue Kingdom was only equivalent to that of Xizhou. How could they easily send troops to help
She originally thought it was only 30% at most, but Lu Linyuan said with certainty that it was 90%, which made her feel strange.
The author has something to say: Thank you to the little angels who voted for me or irrigated nutrient solution during 2021-03-25 01:20:21~2021-03-27 01:14:58~
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