Chapter 367

One hundred and one, My son is also a servant of three masters

Inside the main tent, the air was silent.

Only the breathing of Zhu Yuheng, who was holding the two tokens, grew heavier.

"Defect to Li Zhengyan, and gamble for something bigger..."

He muttered to himself after a while, swallowing his saliva.

Zhao Rushi looked at the night outside the tent with a panicked face, turned back, and urged:

"The fifteen hundred soldiers and horses brought out by the Young Master are mostly from Hongzhou, having surrendered with the Governor and the Young Master. It is easy to bring them back to Hongzhou City."

Lowering his voice to this point, the limping man stopped, and his eyes looked at the outside of the tent with worry again.

Zhu Yuheng reacted, walked over to lower the tent curtain, tried his best to maintain a calm tone, ordered the secret guards outside, and then returned, hurriedly pulling Zhao Rushi to the depths of the tent, behind the private curtain.

His lips were a bit dry, and he gripped the emerald jade ring his father loved so much and the felt hat tightly, asking in a hoarse voice:

"Do we really have to defect... Is Xunyang City not wanted anymore? Such a good opportunity, if we really want to defect, why doesn't Father offer the city..."

Zhao Rushi shook his head, his tone regretful:

"The situation on the Governor's side is different. In Xunyang City, there are many eyes and ears, and there are female official informants who get in the way. The news cannot be hidden. Most of the garrison troops forming the vanguard come from Jiangzhou and the Southeast Yang and Huai regions, making them difficult to incite to revolt.

"The commotion caused by Li Zhengyan and the Xie Xiao Niangzi of Yunmeng was too big, and the situation was urgent. The Governor had no choice but to take his personal guards and flee with him. The Governor only cared about the Young Master here and specifically ordered this subordinate to rush over to notify you, fearing that the Young Master would miss the window of opportunity.

"The Xunyang official ships were burned, a tragedy occurred at the Xunyang Prince's Mansion, and the Governor disappeared. It is hard to say if Jiangzhou City has reacted by now. At the latest by noon tomorrow, all counties in Jiangzhou will receive the news. The female official supervisors will definitely rush over with orders to take away the Young Master's fish tally. There is roughly half a day of the window left!

"The Governor's meaning is for the Young Master to go to Hongzhou to surrender first, and reorganize with Cai Qin. Later, take advantage of the chaos to see if we can capture Jiangzhou, or quietly wait for Li Zhengyan and the Governor to bring the main force to gather, and then discuss it from a long-term perspective.

"By the way, before this subordinate left, the Governor entrusted me with a sentence while muttering in a hurry: Li Gong wiped out the entire Xunyang Prince's Mansion and framed the imperial court and the Wei clan, which is stealing the righteousness of the Restoration. He might not necessarily want to capture Jiangzhou; he might want to cross the river and lead the army north... I don't know what that means."

Zhao Rushi's tone was slightly puzzled.

Zhu Yuheng, who was bowing his head in thought, couldn't help but have his eyes move. He opened his mouth to speak, but before he could, Zhao Rushi shook his head, patted the back of Zhu Yuheng's hand, which was tightly gripping the jade ring and felt hat, and said with worry:

"It's almost dawn. Young Master, prepare quickly. This subordinate still has important matters to handle. I must transfer the Governor's concubines and the families of some loyal personal guards. Just like the last defection, Young Master, we will see each other in Hongzhou City!"

The limping man did not stay too long, bypassed the night patrol soldiers, and left with a wide gait, his hurried figure disappearing into the ink-like night.

From passing the message to Zhu Yuheng to leaving in a hurry with a worried expression, the time did not exceed a quarter of an hour.

He came in a hurry and left in a hurry, not delaying for a moment, and did not give the latter a chance to ask more.

At the entrance of the main tent where the guards were dismissed, only Zhu Yuheng's figure, which was somewhat lost, remained.

A confidant ran over, winking and reporting that the delicate young woman had been waiting in the sleeping tent for a long time, but was soon dismissed by Zhu Yuheng.

At this moment, he had no interest in finding the young woman to change into autumn clothes.

The urgent news brought by his father's confidant Zhao Rushi and the two hot-potato tokens in his hand made Zhu Yuheng restless.

"How could such a big thing happen suddenly... Is it true or false... Li Zhengyan has a tripod sword... looks like a scroll... wait!"

He paced back and forth with his hands behind his back, muttering to himself in a trance:

"Is that Peach Blossom Spring painting actually a tripod sword? I heard Yue Ziyang mention it once when he was drunk, saying that what he brought was a Peach Blossom Spring painting. I didn't look into it in detail at the time, and I guess Yue Ziyang didn't know the details either. I didn't expect it to be hidden so deeply. No wonder Li Zhengyan dared to rebel...

"And the Yunmeng female cultivator. Li Zhengyan, Wei Shaoqi, and Du Shuqing seemed to have transferred from Longcheng to Yunmeng Marsh first, under the guise of sightseeing, before going to Hongzhou City... It's all connected, all connected... So that's it... Sure enough."

Thinking this through, Zhu Yuheng, who had been closely related to the rebels Yue Ziyang and Du Shuqing, was soaked in cold sweat.

The night wind blew cold, but his tense heartstrings suddenly relaxed a little.

Now at least it wasn't completely baseless. Sometimes people just need a reason to convince themselves.

Zhu Yuheng licked his dry lips, and Zhao Rushi's words echoed in his ears.

"Father said that Li Gong doesn't necessarily want to capture Jiangzhou... or cross the river north... Does it mean that the Restoration Army will no longer continue to advance east along the Yangtze River, consuming itself in the Southeast, and will not seek to occupy Jin Ling and divide the river to rule?

"Instead, like the other feasible path Father analyzed that night, cross the river directly north, advance with great fanfare, go straight to the Eastern Capital Luoyang, make a gesture of striking at the heart of the enemy, call for responses from all directions, and disturb Hebei and Shandong...

"Father once said that in the struggle between North and South, he would definitely choose the North. Li Zhengyan's move must fit Father's wishes. Plus, with the Xunyang Prince's Mansion gone, the Restoration Army can wantonly raise the banner of revenge, saying they are going to Luoyang to protect the only remaining bloodline of Emperor Gao Zong, the Prince of Xiang, and add a tripod sword like a painting...

"It seems that Father was not only held hostage by Li Zhengyan, but might also have been moved. It's also true. After all, the Restoration Army has a better ceiling. It is indeed better than being under others and eating the leftovers of the Wei clan. If it can be done..."

Zhu Yuheng lowered his head and murmured, his face somewhat dark and unclear for a time.

After a while, the armored youth stopped slowly and turned to look at the water clock in the corner.

It was almost dawn.

After the limping man left the vanguard garrison on the outskirts of Fushui County, he held his chin, took off a bronze mask, and calmly stuffed it into his sleeve.

His expression no longer had the anxiety he had in front of Zhu Yuheng before.

Ouyang Rong lowered his head and looked at his feet.

This wide-gait pace that didn't recognize anyone was the result of his serious study on the way here. The performance just now was not bad.

The Mirage Beast Mask can only disguise the appearance; the walking habit cannot be completely restored, so Ouyang Rong imitated it meticulously.

Strange, after getting used to walking, this wide gait seems to be a bit difficult to twist back. What's going on...

Ouyang Rong shook his head speechlessly.

After a while, he arrived at a reed field by the river under the stars and moon.

He boarded a boat hidden in it, went downstream, and sailed back to Jiangzhou.

Ouyang Rong rushed back without stopping. On the big river, he looked up at the fish-belly white sky.

From asking for leave to carry the qin into the Prince's Mansion to returning now, it took a total of one day and two nights.

At present, using their own methods to deal with them, the open plot has been completed. He could actually go back slowly.

The reason why he returned without stopping for a moment was just because he kept his promise:

Today the Jiangzhou vanguard army is setting out, and Ouyang Rong said he would personally send Zhu Lingxu on his way.

Returning to the cabin, he checked the merit points. That day, he set up a sword at the restaurant on the street in Longcheng, met the ritual conditions, and after collecting Zhao Rushi's fake body, he consumed 1,500 merit points.

Now in the Merit Tower, there are still more than 3,600 merit points left.

Ouyang Rong nodded gently.

When he sees his old friend Zhu Lingxu later, he won't need the tripod sword and the merit purple mist, which can save a sum.

The journey was silent. Finally, he arrived at Xunyang City before noon.

Just like when he left, the big Xunyang City was calm.

On the street, peddlers, merchants, monks, and Daoists were all doing their own things.

The duty garrison on the Xicheng Wall was changing shifts as usual.

Everything was as usual. Where was the aftermath of the tripod sword slaughtering the Xunyang Prince's Mansion?

Before Ouyang Rong entered the city, he put on the mask again and turned into a young woman with extremely thin lips.

This was the female worker fake body that Liu Zian sacrificed and left in the mask when he was in Longcheng. Ouyang Rong is now skillfully using it.

Sure enough, there are only zero and countless times for women's clothing.

He reluctantly wore women's clothing again, bought a pancake on the street, and waited quietly in a small alley while silently eating the pancake.

After a while, the luxurious motorcade of the Princess Consort Wei Mei passed through the marketplace, carrying the Prince's Mansion maids out to buy things in the East Market.

The figure of the thin-lipped woman mixed into it.

Returned to the Xunyang Prince's Mansion with the crowd.

Inside Xunyang City, it was peaceful.

Until the afternoon, an urgent message from the front line began to be transmitted to Xunyang City through various channels...

Inside the Jiangzhou Great Hall.

Zhu Lingxu was the first to receive the news.

Early this morning, Zhu Yuheng led 1,500 vanguard troops to defect and surrendered to Cai Qin's army in Hongzhou.

Looking at this latest military situation in his hand, his old face was a bit confused.

The first reaction was that it was an absurd joke.

"How is it possible? It's simply absurd! It's fake, it must be fake. Quickly go and catch the person who sent the letter. Clean it up from top to bottom. There must be a spy from the rebels mixed in, faking military intelligence!"

He sneered, threw away the military document, picked up the teacup, and took a sip of tea.

The officer next to him had a difficult face, stuttered, and provided more detailed witness testimony.

Zhu Lingxu still shook his head, sneering endlessly.

At this time, a guard suddenly ran in, leaned into Zhu Lingxu's ear, and lowered his voice:

"Governor, General Zhao is dead. On the way back to report on his duties, it happened yesterday at noon... on the street of Longcheng County..."

Zhu Lingxu's palm was unstable, and the teacup fell to the ground.

Clatter—!

The audience was silent, and a group of officers looked sideways.

Zhu Lingxu looked at the teacup fragments, suddenly raised his head, and said to the guard who reported the news:

"Regarding the murder of General Zhao, go and report it to Inspector Wang and Registrar Ouyang. This is a matter within their jurisdiction. Although this commander is filled with grief and indignation, my duty lies here, and I must focus on military affairs."

After speaking, he bent down to pick up the military intelligence document he had just thrown away, lowered his head and looked at it again, and was quiet for a moment. He smiled indifferently and said calmly to the generals in the hall:

"This Cai Qin is quite capable, military intelligence fraud. But does he really think he can deceive this commander? Heh, you all don't panic. The arrangements for today remain the same, and we will set out as usual in the afternoon.

"I don't know how to use my brain to think about it. Why did this news come at this time? It's too coincidental. Isn't it just to disturb our military morale, lead the imperial court's army supervisor to suspect this general, delay the departure, and strive for time for their reinforcements?

"Heh, just like our 8,000 troops claiming to be a 100,000-strong imperial army, Cai Qin and others are also playing the trick of 'the best military strategy is to attack the enemy's plans.' But it's just a petty trick."

Zhu Lingxu curled his lips and shook his head:

"Let's do this. Someone, go and call the female officials. This commander will wait here for them. Some things must be explained clearly, otherwise, the military morale will be unstable."

Zhu Lingxu raised his head and said righteously.

A group of soldiers looked at each other and retreated.

Zhu Lingxu was calm and composed, watched their backs leave one after another, drank tea patiently, and waited.

After a stick of incense, a military camp clerk ran into the hall with small steps, preparing to report military affairs, but his expression was stunned.

He saw that the hall was empty, and couldn't help but look around blankly.

Where is the General Manager?

A quarter of an hour later.

At the back door of Zhu Lingxu's new residence, the gate opened. The butler and servants watched a carriage of a beautiful concubine who was favored by the master leave the gate to go on an autumn outing in the suburbs.

The carriage was very low-key, traveling alone, driving through the marketplace, and driving towards the Xicheng Gate.

Inside the carriage, there was a burly "beautiful concubine" wearing a black veil hat.

The owner of the veil hat lowered his head tightly. On his knees, his sandbag-sized fists were clenched tightly.

This burly body hidden in women's clothes kept shivering and trembling.

"Could it be that Yuheng has returned to his old ways, refuses to repent, and defected to Li Zhengyan... Impossible, Yuheng cannot betray me, absolutely impossible...

"Zhao Rushi died yesterday, and Yuheng defected this morning. It's too coincidental. There must be a connection."

Zhu Lingxu was suspicious, and a voice squeezed out of his mouth:

"Yuheng will not betray me. It can only be that someone faked the news. It might be faking Zhao Rushi's mouth. But why would Yuheng believe it easily?!

"It's over, it's all over... Yuheng misled me... Yuheng misled me!"

Zhu Lingxu trembled all over, and his old face under the veil hat was sad and haggard.

The situation was urgent. Sensing the crisis, he had no time to think too much. He slipped out for the first time, changed into this set of women's clothes, and fled.

The carriage was a bit bumpy, driving towards the Xicheng Gate. Zhu Lingxu's heart in the carriage was beating very fast, as if it was about to jump out of his chest.

This was both panic and nervousness, and an extreme anger.

As the General Manager of the vanguard, before the General Manager of the Jiangzhou Circuit arrived, he was fully in charge of the military affairs of suppressing the rebellion on the front line. However, the eldest son who led the vanguard to set out actually defected halfway!

In the thousands of battles that have occurred since the founding of the Great Zhou and even the Great Gan, this is simply an unheard-of example!

Once the elderly female emperor sitting alone at the highest point of the Luoyang court knows, she will definitely be furious.

The two princes of the Wei clan who recommended him will also be implicated. So no matter how innocently Zhu Lingxu explains, even if he breaks off the father-son relationship with Zhu Yuheng, it is useless.

He cannot argue his case.

So if you don't run now, when will you run? At present, only the Restoration Army in the Southwest can barely take him in.

Zhu Lingxu was sweating profusely, his mouth was dry, and he carefully lifted the carriage curtain, aimed at the outside of the carriage, and looked at the Xicheng Gate that was getting bigger and bigger in the field of vision ahead. He breathed a sigh of relief as he was about to pass by, and put down the carriage curtain.

But the next moment, a curious and kind voice came from the city wall directly above:

"Where is General Manager Zhu going by carriage?"

I saw a young man in his twenties who happened to be on duty for city defense, holding a waist sword and walking down the city wall slowly, followed by a large group of onlookers:

"In broad daylight, why is General Manager Zhu wearing women's clothes? Could it be that you have a hobby of wearing women's clothes in public? Coincidentally, I also have a friend who has the same private hobby. If there is a chance, I will introduce him to General Manager Zhu.

"However, why choose to wear women's clothes at this time? It's strange. Isn't the army setting out in the afternoon? General Zhu, why don't you prepare military affairs properly, but change clothes and leave alone?"

Speaking of this, Ouyang Rong, who was walking down the city wall with his sword, had an admiring tone:

"Wait, could it be that you want to capture Hongzhou with your bare hands and alone? Uh, it shouldn't be that far."

He looked around and asked with an inquiring tone:

"Could it be that Cai Qin of Hongzhou has surrendered, so the General Manager is setting out alone without a single soldier? Uh, have you all received any news from the front line?"

Zhu Lingxu's body was stiff. After a while, he slowly lifted the carriage curtain and immediately met Ouyang Rong's calm gaze, as well as the strange eyes cast by Xie Lingjiang, Yan Liulang, Chen You, and others behind him.

Even Zhu Lingxu, who had been a servant of three masters several times and remained calm, suddenly felt his blood rush to his head, and his face flushed red.

It was like the pig liver on the chopping block of the pork seller on the street he had just passed, waiting to be slaughtered.

(End of chapter)