Not long after, the cavalry that went back to chase Jingniang returned and caught up with Zhao Kuangyin and others.
Shi Shouxin rode his horse forward and said: We didn't catch up with her. The woman and her men ran southward from the city edge. We didn't dare to chase her any further, so we had to come back first.
Zhao Kuangyin sighed, slapped his thigh and said in frustration: If I had known this would happen, I should have asked Zhao Pu to burn it quickly. Before, I had been busy with other things, so I didn't expect it to be lost, so I ignored it.
Brother, what's in that bundle? Shi Shouxin asked.
Zhao Kuangyin:
At this moment, they heard a thud. When everyone looked back, they saw Zhao Pu had fallen off his horse, screaming in pain and pressing his hand on his upper thigh. A large area of his trousers was soaked with blood.
Zhao Kuangyin and others hurriedly reined in their horses and turned around to Zhao Pu. He could not ride a horse. Zhao Pu was sweating profusely, raised his head and gritted his teeth and said: My Lord, give me a sword
What are you doing with the weapon? Zhao Kuangyin asked casually.
Zhao Pu said: I can't leave. If I continue to follow my lord, I will only become a burden. My lord has been very kind to me, so today I have no choice but to repay him with my life.
Zhao Kuangyin was very sad after hearing this, but he couldn't kill Zhao Pu in front of his brothers. It was not easy for everyone to be willing to run away with him, especially the personal soldiers who followed him. If he was too ruthless, he was afraid that it would chill people's hearts.
He was so sad that he wanted to cry. He took off his sword and threw it on the ground, sighing helplessly: Things have come to the point where you can't leave. If you are caught, it will be worse than death. This is the only way.
Zhao Pu nodded and said: "The success is at hand, I hope my lord will not forget the words of God who gave him a great mission. Brother, I will get ready and set off first."
Zhao Kuangyin clasped his fists and bowed on his horse, then rode away with tears in his eyes.
The group ran along the road and did not stop until dark. They did not dare to stay in an inn, and they did not happen to find an inn after dark. In order to run faster, they naturally did not bring tents and other sleeping baggage.
Fortunately, they found a dilapidated temple on the side of the road and everyone settled down inside.
The brothers lit a fire in a room that was drafty on all sides. There were spider webs everywhere, a clay Buddha statue that had long been abandoned and no one cared about it, and no incense. Zhao Kuangyin sat down and exhaled, as if he had had a nightmare for a moment.
Only one day had passed. In the morning he was still a prominent figure in the entire Zhou Dynasty, but now there was only a thick layer of fallen leaves in the courtyard outside the dilapidated temple, and there were still broken leaves floating in the air. The autumn wind was chilly, and the scene before his eyes was really indescribably desolate.
Zhao Kuangyin had been in the army since the Later Han Dynasty. Being a military commander was his livelihood. Although he was unknown in the early days, he accumulated fame and connections. After the Battle of Gaoping, this accumulation was finally sublimated, and he began to make a fortune. Then he worked hard for three or four years. He felt that he managed well, and his strength and status also expanded rapidly. This was due to the opportunity given to him by the Zhou Dynasty's continuous wars to the south and the north, which gave him the opportunity to make meritorious deeds.
Long-term operation is not worth a single failure
Alas. Zhao Kuangyin looked at the desolate scene outside, and was filled with despair in the bleak autumn wind. But he was unwilling to accept it. This failure could only be regarded as a mistake, not because of his inferior strength.
Everyone was in low spirits and very silent. Zhao Kuangyin recalled everything in front of the fire, and felt more and more that the great cause was already within reach. Zhang Yongde's connections and management were completely inferior to Zhao Kuangyin's, and Zhao Kuangyin's military rank was only slightly lower than Zhang Yongde's.
If nothing unexpected happened, he only needed to follow the plan and persevere to reach the top of the mountain. Who knew that two Cheng Yaojins would appear halfway and ruin everything
At this time, Shi Shouxin whispered: If the people in the court can't catch us, they dare not touch our families.
Zhao Kuangyin came back to his senses and nodded slightly: That's right. If we are still outside and they kill our families, since we can't cut the grass and eradicate it, it will only increase hatred and do nothing. It also shows that we have no tolerance. The king who lost the Later Han Dynasty slaughtered the entire family of our Taizu, but failed to get rid of Taizu and the official family. What was the result
After hearing this, Shi Shouxin said: That does make sense, but this is the only way to think about it now, there is no other way.
Wang Shenqi said: Let's go directly to the Eastern Han and Northern Han. What should we do next
It’s not over yet, Zhao Kuangyin said coldly.
If Zhao Kuangyin was alone at this moment of failure, he would definitely find it difficult to recover his emotions; but after chatting with his brothers, Zhao Kuangyin's attention was slightly diverted, and he did not feel miserable. He suddenly realized one thing: he was only thirty years old.
It has only been more than three years and less than four years since he became successful in the Zhou Dynasty, so there are still many opportunities at the age of thirty.
Zhao Pu's voice seemed to linger in his ears. When God wants to give a man a great responsibility, he must first make him suffer. Zhao Kuangyin looked around and said: From today on, we will regroup and
Several brothers turned around to look at him.
A gentleman's revenge is never too late. Zhao Kuangyin's eyes glowed with the brilliance of a bonfire. He clenched his fists and suddenly shouted: No one can make me admit defeat.
The cavalry that wanted to follow the route of Zhao Kuangyin's troops discovered Zhao Pu halfway and captured him.
Zhao Pu was not dead yet, and he used a cloth strip to tie his thigh to stop the bleeding. He originally wanted to punish him and apologize, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. Anyway, he would die anyway, and being killed by the opponent would be the same. What if they didn't kill him
Zhao Pu did not want to betray his lord, and he was very upset after his failure, but victory or defeat was decided by heaven and there was nothing he could do about it.
He had been working hard to come up with plans, and often imagined the scene after victory at night. During this time, he thought that Guo Shao's wife Fu Ermei was very beautiful, and maybe he could have a taste of her. By then, Zhao Kuangyin would definitely kill Guo Shao, but Fu Ermei, the widow left by the Guo family, was the daughter of the Hebei Wei King, and she must not be publicly humiliated; Zhao Pu had already thought of a way, saying that this woman harbored evil intentions and hatred, and then forced her to become a Taoist nun and put her under house arrest. After isolating her from the world, he could do it quietly, and when he had enough fun, he would let her die of illness and put it all behind him, and no one would know.
Alas, how could he not sincerely help Zhao Kuangyin
But all these dreams turned into daydreams as they failed, and the reality was that he became a prisoner. At this time, Zhao Pu had been taken to the imperial city and was detained in the military camp at Xuanyou Gate. It was already late, but soon he heard that Guo Shao had arrived overnight.
Guo Shao walked in, with an old man beside him. He glanced at Zhao Pu and turned back and said: "Imperial Physician Wang, please take a look at his injuries. He can't let him die."
Zhao Pu said nothing. Guo Shao was in a good mood. He stepped forward and patted his back, smiling and said, "Mr. Zhao, don't be afraid. Take care of your wound first."
Zhao Pu was stunned, but still looked scared. Perhaps Guo Shao's smile was not well done, and it looked a bit like a sly smile.
Guo Shao was in a good mood, and felt relieved. Once Zhao Kuangyin ran away, the situation in Tokyo would be settled quickly. It was a pity that he was not caught. At the beginning, he was not sure that he was going to run away, so he did not dare to transfer too many people. Besides, it would make too much noise. Zhao Kuangyin did not want to run away, which would cause more trouble. Fortunately, Zhao Pu was caught, which was a surprise given to him by Jingniang.
Zhao Pu was Zhao Kuangyin's confidant. He knew everything about the Zhao family. If he was used properly, he could play a big role. Zhao Kuangyin's body was gone, but his spirit could be killed. Guo Shao wanted to ruin his reputation and make him lose his chance to turn things around in the Zhou Dynasty. Zhao Pu was a key figure that could be tapped.
Guo Shao took the package from Jing Niang's hand, dismissed the people around him, took out a yellow thing from it, and suddenly shook it to reveal a dragon robe.
Zhao Pu was horrified.
Guo Shao stepped forward and put the dragon robe on Zhao Pu. Zhao Pu was very anxious and quickly stretched out his hand to refuse: "No, I won't wear it. What do you mean, General Guo?"
Guo Shao did not force him, but patted his back affectionately and said: This thing was taken from you in public. If you catch him red-handed, exterminating your entire family would be a piece of cake. Maybe you can kill all nine clans, and no one will speak for you; your mentor, classmates, neighbors, and distant relatives who taught you will all be killed.
Zhao Pu was shaking violently.
Of course, such an ending is not good for me either. Guo Shaodao.
Zhao Pu hurriedly said: General Guo, I will do whatever you want me to do within my ability.
Guo Shao was very satisfied after hearing this. He handed the yellow robe in his hand to Jingniang, put it away, sat down on a chair, and said: "Mr. Zhao often comes to Zhao Kuangyin's house. I heard that he often stays at Zhao's house. He is also his trusted adviser. He must know a lot about Zhao's house. So, you think about it first. I will send Jingniang over tomorrow. How about you talk to Jingniang?"
Zhao Pu looked pale and said helplessly: Let me think about it, and I will explain everything I can remember.
After hearing this, Guo Shao nodded with satisfaction, and went out with Jing Niang. When he saw the imperial physician, he said: "Please trouble Imperial Physician Wang to treat his injuries."
The imperial physician clasped his fists and said, "General Guo, don't worry. I heard that it was a sword wound, a sharp weapon wound on the thigh, the most important thing is to prevent excessive blood loss and death; just now I took a look, the man stopped bleeding and was able to speak, there is nothing serious.
After hearing this, Guo Shao was very happy, so he said goodbye, mounted his horse and left Xuanyou Gate.
Once Zhao Kuangyin ran away, he would be able to completely control the situation in Tokyo. The forces of the various armies of the Palace Guards and the Imperial Guards were divided. Apart from Zhao Kuangyin, no one else had the influence to organize too many troops to resist the central government. Only Zhang Yongde had the highest prestige, but he seemed to have no ambition. He had been in a high position in the Imperial Guards for many years and lacked management, so he did not specifically place confidants.
Guo Shao asked: Did the Privy Councilor Wang Pu write a letter to Zhang Yongde? Did Zhang Yongde enter the imperial city
The people around him were mainly Jingniang, Lu Chengyong and Luo Mengzi. They all said they had not heard of it. Luo Mengzi said: I have never seen any general enter the palace.
Guo Shao looked up at the night sky, which was full of stars when the sky was clear. He pondered for a moment and said: Wang Pu and Wei Renpu should live in the Privy Council and did not go home at night. Third brother, send someone to ask about that matter and see if Zhang Yongde has been here.
Luo Mengzi clasped his fists in response.