Han Zuo Gaomen

Chapter 1427
While fighting fiercely outside the city of Xiangguo, the city was also not very peaceful.

Shi Kun, as one of the many princes of Jie Kingdom, has no backing from a powerful mother clan, and has never been loved and valued by his father Shi Hu. Now he is forced to stay in Xiang Kingdom due to the current situation. Zhang Hedu has two generals, but in fact, these two people treat him with contempt.

This feeling of being left out was no stranger to Shi Kun, he had come here in Jiande Palace for more than ten years.If he hadn't been taken away by the Fenwu army of the Jin State last autumn, he wouldn't even have known the nobleness of his status as a prince.

Although Ma and Zhang have a lot of contempt for Shi Kun, the prince and king, they dare not completely ignore Shi Kun, a cowardly young man, who has nothing to pay attention to, but since the lord has arranged this son in Xiangguo, then Shi Kun represents the majesty of the Lord.

Although the two of them had their own plans and would not ask Shi Kun for any plans or actions, the basic ritual offerings were not harsh.Although the entire city of Xiangguo was almost emptied, people and things could still be raised to satisfy the prince's food and living alone.

In fact, if you don't consider the precarious situation in Xiangguo, the life of staying in Xiangguo is not as terrible as Shi Kun feels.

Although the Shanyutai located in the north of the city has not been fully built, it already has some complete palaces and halls, which is much better than the remote palace where he lived in Jiande Palace in the old days.

Moreover, the second general searched the city for some servants and family members who were abandoned by the rich and powerful families in the country. There are hundreds of servants who serve Shi Kun every day, and everyone regards him as the center, which makes him feel a sense of being valued. The joy of caring.

But after experiencing the torture of the military disaster in the past year, Shi Kun knows that all these flowers are just the flowers in autumn, which seem to be beautiful and prosperous, and they will wither in a moment.

During the day, seeing the busy figures of waiters and guards coming in and out, he can still feel a little at ease, but once it gets dark, he will become palpitated and anxious, and as soon as he closes his eyes, he hears the sound of the night of the military disaster in Jiande Palace. Sound, in the cold night outside the door, there seemed to be countless fierce men ready to go. Once he fell asleep, he would show his hideous face, capture him like last year, and then run thousands of miles.

In order to dispel the heavy pressure in his heart, at night, he would let the envoys light up the interior and exterior of the palace as if it were daytime. Sleep with him.But even so, it was rare for him to be able to sleep until dawn, or to have constant nightmares, or to be awakened by a small sound and feel terrified.

As time went by, the Jin army gradually approached Xiangguo, and the city was also short of all kinds of expenses, and all kinds of expenses needed to be frugal.As Shan Yutai consumes a large amount of oil, wax and charcoal, it is naturally also greatly reduced. Although Shi Kun protested several times, Ma and Zhang Er generals are willing to support him. Sleeping peacefully would be unnecessary waste, so most of his protests did not respond, and this cold winter night turned into a long torture for Shi Kun.

It is not a bad thing for people to be prepared for danger in times of peace, but for Shi Kun, a prince who is under house arrest, even if he has a sense of crisis in his heart, he does not know what to do to turn the situation around and avoid disaster.

The only way his unintelligent mind could think of was to make good friends with the guards around Shan Yutai, not only generously rewarding the second general with many goods and utensils, similar to sending cases to share food, generous gifts to daughters The means are even more frequent, and the attitude is so considerate that it is even a little humble. I only hope that when the war comes, these soldiers will repay him with gratitude and protect him without risking their lives.

But with the same method, different people feel different when doing it.Shi Kun considered himself a virtuous and virtuous corporal, but in the eyes of those powerful soldiers around him, this prince was ridiculously cowardly, and all the respect he had due to his background and status was gone.

However, they regard guarding Shi Kun as a rare and good job. They not only avoid the hard work of killing the enemy in front of the battle and staying on guard at night, but also extract money from Shi Kun by exaggerating the enemy's situation and false threats. In the name of this King Wu'an, he was able to extort women in the city for sexual pleasure, and even some of the palace guards and concubines who were originally placed in Shanyutai before the Jiande Palace had time to move out were divided up by these daring soldiers Encroachment is forbidden.

Although Ma Qiu went out to the city for a decisive battle, although Shi Kun was not informed, Shi Kun of Shan Yutai soon learned of it because the fighting sound was too brutal.The already trembling young man became even more frightened and uneasy, and almost every once in a while he would send messengers to inquire about the situation of the battle.

After guarding for a period of time, these Jie soldiers also figured out Shi Kun's temperament. They only said that the war outside was horrific and they didn't want to put themselves in danger. .

It's not that they don't care about the situation of the battle, but each of them knows in their hearts that no matter the outcome, Ma Qiu will definitely take the initiative to report, and now that the fierce battle is in full swing, even if they really go to inquire, they really can't get any useful information.

Although Shi Kun was young and cowardly, he was not a fool. After getting along for such a long time, he was not unaware of the small tricks of these arrogant soldiers, but other than that, he had no way to suppress and drive these people.

Those extravagant wealth and women are of no use to him, and now the lord disregards his begging and puts him in Xiangguo, which also makes him dare not use his father's prestige to suppress the generals. Guarantee that these greedy and vicious generals will not harm him in turn?

The torment of waiting was the most tormenting, the battle in the south of the city continued day and night, and Shi Kun was in shock all day long, and he was not even in the mood to eat.As night fell, his mood broke down even more, and he gathered all the hundreds of guards assigned to him by Ma Qiu near the living room, including the waiters, who were also arranged around the living room.

Fear is contagious, especially in the past, the pressure of the slow approach of the Jin army has enveloped the city of Xiangguo.After nightfall, the two warring parties in the south of the city disturbed each other, and the news inevitably spread to this area. Even the experienced soldiers who Ma Qiu arranged in Shanyutai became a little nervous and began to actively search for news outside. Then use this energy to deceive Shi Kun.

In the middle of the night, Shi Kun was already drowsy under the guard of the surrounding waiters, when he suddenly heard a rather real cry of killing, he was startled suddenly, his sleepiness disappeared, and he shouted in panic: "The Jin army has already Break into this territory?"

The soldiers outside the palace were also very nervous at this time. They had already learned from the front that a troop of cavalry from the Jin army was going up around the city. The chief general Ma Qiu told them to protect King Wu'an.Originally surrounding Shan Yutai, part of the troops belonging to the guard general Zhang Hedu also withdrew and added to the city defense. Obviously, the battle that took place at this time should be the Jin army trying to attack the city.

"Where are the guards? Where is Marquis Ma? Tell them to come in and defend..."

After regaining consciousness, the shouts of killing around Shi Kun's ears became more and more real, and he could even see the flames flickering in the night in the southwest direction. Everything seemed to be a replay of the disaster of the night in Jiande Palace last year, which immediately pushed Shi Kun to the point of near collapse. On the edge, even the yelling had a hint of pleading and crying.

Although Shanyu and Taichung Jie soldiers were greedy and bold, they did not dare to ignore the military situation that related to their own safety. Taking advantage of Shi Kun's pretext, they sent envoys to Zhang Hedu's camp to inquire about the enemy's situation.

Zhang Hedu is busy responding to the enemy at the top of the city at the moment. After the disaster last year, the city of Xiangguo was severely damaged and had not undergone unified repairs. The so-called defense of the city today is just relying on the residences of the high-ranking officials and dignitaries left behind in the north of the city. It's just a line of defense pieced together in series.

Without a unified city wall as protection, Zhang Hedu was also very busy at this time, and he was not in the mood to respond to Shan Yutai's inquiries.

At this moment, he has no lack of resentment towards Ma Qiu in his heart, because according to his knowledge, there are not many southern cavalry, and the Jie army has an absolute advantage in field battles. Otherwise, why would the Jin army advance so slowly?

It must be that Ma Qiu was not resentful of his many persecutions before, so he deliberately let go of the restraint on the Jin army along the way, allowing the Jin army to attack the city itself in a roundabout way. Climb and bite him!

Although Xiangguo's city defense is not lacking in chaos, there are still nearly [-] soldiers on guard waiting for the battle. The Fenwu Army was able to break through the city easily last year, which was because Xiangguo itself fell into chaos and turmoil. luck.

The mansions of these dignitaries in the north of the city were not inferior to fortifications, and many soldiers stood by them. Even if the Fenwu army rode bravely, it would be difficult to break through the city defenses in night battles.However, Shen Yun led his troops so far, and he didn't intend to break through the city easily, but he just took the opportunity to create chaos and exhaust the defenders of Jie Kingdom.

After all, Master Wang's current military strength does not occupy an absolute advantage compared to the defenders of Jie Kingdom. These defenders in Xiangguo City are also a big hidden danger to Master Wang. Master Wang brought great pressure.Shen Yun's task is to go around the city to prevent these defenders from going out of the city at night.

With the experience of conquering Xiangguo last year, the Fenwu army's harassment of the enemy this night can be regarded as revisiting the old place, and they still have relatively vivid memories of Xiangguo's city defense system.

Shen Yun led his troops to wander west of Xiangguo City, deliberately creating chaos, throwing fire, and after alarming all the soldiers and rushing into the defense line, he led his troops to continue marching northward along the Xiangguo City area.

He also tried to find the old path of last year to see if there were any loopholes that could be exploited. He found that the hunting grounds on the northwest side of Jiande Palace had long been deserted. Horses and fences were erected, obviously some repairs were made.

There was no success here, but Shen Yun accidentally discovered that a building in the north of Xiangguo City, which he had not set foot in last year, was brightly lit, and the left and right were disturbing the enemy. All the soldiers were startled.

As the defender of the North City, Zhang Hedu was as busy as an ant on a hot pot at this time. Although Ma Qiu had previously reported that the Jin army had only [-] cavalry going north, he naturally would not believe Ma Qiu's nonsense.

If he judges others by himself, he will not believe that Ma Qiu will share his feelings with the general honestly, and only by being cautious can he not make big mistakes.Although Zhang Hedu himself doesn't care much about the gains and losses of the city of Xiangguo, the premise is to ensure his own safety. He also needs to bring the military power he has now back to Xindu as a bargaining chip for future power struggles. Before that, the Jin army is absolutely not allowed Break through the city and massacre his soldiers.

So as the Fenwu army moved, Zhang Hedu also led thousands of elite soldiers to wander within the defense line, and finally came to the north of the city outside Shanyutai.Shi Kun in Shanyu Taili sent people to summon him several times, but Zhang Hedu didn't have the mood to talk to that cowardly and useless prince right now, so he refused to respond, but was careful not to let the Jin army wandering outside the city break through the defense line.

If he panicked all night, he finally ensured that the city's defense line was not breached. As the sky grew brighter, the Jin army wandering outside the city also retreated and disappeared without a trace.

While Zhang Hedu sent scouts on horseback to track the retreating direction of the Jin army, he also sent people to the south of the city to express his dissatisfaction with Ma Qiu, and took advantage of the situation to stay in the camp outside Shanyutai for a small rest.

But Zhang Hedu hadn't rested here for long, when an urgent report suddenly came from the south of the city, saying that Ma Qiu led the army to attack the Jin army's formation, but fell into the formation and was surrounded by the Jin army instead.

After hearing the news, Zhang Hedu naturally couldn't calm down. Although he and Ma Qiu were at odds and had many disputes, they were grasshoppers on the rope when it came to fighting the Jin army. If Ma Qiu lost, he would naturally There is no escaping the benefits.

"The thief is stupid, and he is in vain!"

While scolding Ma Qiu for his incompetence, Zhang Hedu urgently adjusted his defense, gave up some insignificant strongholds on the periphery, focused on defending a few areas, and at the same time sent people to pay close attention to the battle situation in the south of the city.He didn't care much about Ma Qiu's life or death, but if he really lost, he would have to make another plan.

At this moment, Shan Yu Taichung's guards came again to inquire about the military situation. I don't know how many times this has been since last night. Zhang Hedu was also very annoyed. He was about to sternly repel him, but suddenly his heart moved, and he said: "Please wait a moment, Your Highness." After a while, I will personally report the situation of the battle after completing my tour of the camp."

It wasn't that he suddenly became concerned about Shi Kun's situation, but he realized that this was also a rare opportunity for him.

Although he divided tens of thousands of soldiers from Ma Qiu, there are still more than [-] elite cavalry soldiers under Ma Qiu's command, which makes him covetous.Before that, he had no chance to intervene in this part of the cavalry power, but now that Ma Qiu fell into the enemy's ranks, the cavalry soldiers in the south of the city were all leaderless, and as one of the two generals of Xiangguo, he was ordered to take over the responsibility of his army when he was in danger.

However, these cavalry troops were all brought back from Ye by Ma Qiu, and they have been in command for many years, and naturally there are many of them who are confidantes.The disagreement between Zhang Hedu and Ma Qiu was known throughout the city, and he did not dare to rush to seize military power, but Shi Kun, who hadn't paid much attention to it before, was now a very important bargaining chip.

No matter how unbearable the prince Shi Kun is, he is the lord's own son, and he is also the nominal highest officer of the Xiang Kingdom. If he can take Shi Kun to the south of the city, the cavalry soldiers in the south of the city will not dare to disobey the military order even if they are unwilling.

If Zhang Hedu could take over this part of the cavalry military power, there would be no need to continue to stay in Xiangguo. These cavalry forces could be used as a force to intercept and guard his guarding army back to Xindu.

As for the lord to pursue the responsibility for Xiangguo's fall, it was because Ma Qiu underestimated his opponent and was killed by the Jin army when he went out to fight in the city. Zhang Hedu gave up the city in order to keep the precious troops of Xiangguo in consideration of the overall situation, even if he was guilty Involved, it will not be too heavy!

With this thought in his mind, Zhang Hedu no longer had the intention of arranging a defensive line, but ordered the army to continue to shrink inward, and began to collect the remaining equipment in the city, in order to bring back as many as possible to Xindu.

At the same time, he sent people to contact the nails he had developed in Ma Qiu's army, so that these people were ready to cooperate, and then he entered Shanyutai under the guard of nearly a thousand soldiers.

As Shi Kun is a dispensable puppet prince, it was not difficult for Zhang Hedu to control him, but because Ma Qiu had sent many confidants around Shi Kun to guard him, things became a bit tricky.Zhang Hedu didn't dare to attack Shan Yutai, lest those cronies of Ma Qiu jump over the wall in a hurry and fight to the death.

Right now, he has a complete advantage. After all, Ma Qiu is trapped in the Jin army's formation, and his life and death are unknown at present. How many of the confidantes he arranged beside Shi Kun can die loyally?
However, at such a critical moment, Zhang Hedu did not dare to take risks lightly. He first let the soldiers around him rush into Shanyu Taichung to ensure that there was no danger. However, there were obstacles in the execution of the plan. Shi Kun was too cautious to save his life. All of them had been summoned to the surroundings of the living room and gathered together, and it was difficult for the soldiers sent by Zhang Hedu to get close to Shi Kun's side.

"You idiots, are you trying to hold the king hostage? Quickly retreat, I have important military information that I need to report to Your Highness!"

Surrounded by soldiers, Zhang Hedu walked outside Shi Kun's residence. He first scolded the guards who were still around, and then shouted at the palace door: "Your Highness, please hold back the guards for now. Reporting the situation of the army, the situation is urgent at present, and I am afraid that a catastrophe is imminent!"

Shi Kun was already terrified to the extreme, and now he heard Zhang Hedu yelling, so he couldn't help being even more frightened. However, although he is as timid as a frightened bird, he is not lacking in quick wit when it comes to matters related to his own life, so he just stood in front of the door and trembled. Said: "Since the military affairs are urgent, the guards please enter quickly. As for the guards around, they are all loyal warriors that I can trust with life and death. There is nothing to say!"

At the critical moment, he still believed in the guards around him who had already been bribed and raised by him with money, but he still had some reservations about Zhang Hedu.

Zhang Hedu naturally refused to enter these cronies left behind by Ma Qiu lightly, and the situation was somewhat stalemate for a while, and the guards who stayed behind at Shanyutai saw that Zhang Hedu said that the military situation was urgent but it was too late, so they also felt in their hearts. He became more vigilant, and even more unwilling to release Shi Kun easily, and the situation became stalemate for a while.

At this time Zhang Hedu was also very anxious, worried that if the situation dragged on, it would be even more unfavorable, he simply turned his heart and said loudly: "Ma Qiu is stupid, he went out of the city without authorization to fight with the Jin army, and now he has been trapped by the Jin army in the south of the city. His troops are lacking in command, their collapse is imminent, and the military situation is on fire, and the last general is appealing to His Highness to save the army and save the city, and it may be too late to save him!"

"what?"

"How could this be..."

When Ma Qiu's confidantes around the living room heard this military situation, their faces changed in panic for a moment, and they exclaimed again and again.

"You gangsters, do you still want to stop me from doing something important? Once Ma Qiu's army is defeated and the battle opportunity is delayed, you will not be able to redeem yourself after a hundred deaths!"

Taking advantage of the panic of Ma Qiu's cronies, Zhang Hedu led a dozen of his own soldiers to rush straight to the door of the living room, and those Ma Qiu's confidants were all panicked at this moment, worried about the safety of the master, and did not stop him , allowing Zhang Hedu and others to rush into the living room.

Shi Kun was even more unbearable at the moment, his face was already pale, if not for the help from the attendant nearby, he would have almost collapsed on the ground, seeing Zhang Hedu rushing in, he tremblingly said: "Ma, how could Hou Ma... Is it Jin?" The army has already broken the city? I, I don't want to stay in this place anymore, retreat to Xindu quickly! I, I am the Lord's son, if I die in this place, you, you will all die, you will all die..."

Zhang Hedu lowered his eyes to look at Shi Kun, who had already lost his body, and couldn't help but sigh in his heart, this kid is so cowardly, he doesn't even have the slightest charm of the Lord, he really doubts whether he is the Lord's seed.

But right now he still needs to rely on Shi Kun to gather the cavalry power in the south of the city. He stepped forward and picked up Shi Kun's arm, and said sharply: "Please follow me to the south of the city quickly, and rectify the remaining troops. There are still tens of thousands of elite soldiers in the city. , the Jin army is also difficult to shake, whether to fight or go, we will discuss later!"

"No, no... I, I want to go, I'm going to Xindu, I'm going to see the Lord..."

At this moment, Shi Kun's limbs were already limp, tears streaming down his face, one arm was held in Zhang Hedu's hand, his whole body was almost hanging on Zhang Hedu's lap, he just waved his hands and yelled to abandon the city and run away.

Seeing Shi Kun's unbearable situation, Zhang Hedu felt even more disdainful. If it wasn't for this son's special status, he would have drawn his sword and threatened him a long time ago, so he would not let him be fooled. Right now, he can only patiently say: "Even if you want to return to the country , now is not a good time. The Fenwu Army of the Jin Kingdom has already bypassed the front line and wandered around the back of the city. If the army is not repaired, there will be..."

"Fen, Fenwu Army? The Fenwu Army has already attacked the city?"

Shi Kun was on the verge of collapse at this time, but he still keenly grasped the key word, while Zhang Hedu was still frowning and patiently explained: "The Fenwu Army didn't enter the city, they just circled the city to harass..."

However, Shi Kun could no longer listen to Zhang Hedu's excuse, and the hideous voice that had woken him up from nightmares that had frequently appeared in his nightmares in the past year sounded in his mind again: "I'm going to cut you alive every inch!"

While Zhang Hedu was carrying Shi Kun, he was still patiently persuading him to follow him to the south of the city. Suddenly, a cold light flashed in his eyes, and he felt severe pain in his side and abdomen. When has there been a bloody dagger with a short blade, and the weak part of his side rib armor has been pierced by the short blade, and the blood is gushing!
"You, you... Shuzi hurt me?"

Zhang Hedu raised his hand to cover the wound in his ribs, with an unbelievable expression on his face, this cowardly prince, this poor boy who was so frightened by the enemy's situation that he couldn't stand still, dared to assassinate himself!

At this time, Zhang Hedu's soldiers rushed forward and separated the two of them. After Shi Kun took out the short blade that he had carried with him for many days and stabbed Zhang Hedu fiercely, he also took advantage of the situation to get rid of his control and rolled into the hall, still yelling: "Traitor, traitor! If you want to kill me, don't allow me to live...I will kill anyone who wants to kill me! Fen Wujun is coming, Shen Shi is coming! He wants to kill me, he wants to cut me alive..."

Zhang Hedu was stabbed suddenly, and Ma Qiu's cronies outside the door were also dumbfounded. After a moment of astonishment, one of them suddenly shouted: "Help, help! The traitor is going to kill His Highness..."

After that, there was a scuffle, and Shi Kun, who caused the commotion, had already got into the room among the terrified waiters, shouting mournfully: "Zhang Hedu wants to kill me...the traitor wants to kill you! Shen Shi is here, I'm going to kill you alive..."

Poor Zhang Hedu, who thought he was smart, was first stabbed by Shi Kun from Jesti, and then besieged by Ma Qiu's confidantes who poured in. Although there were dozens of guards around him, he died on the spot and was beheaded by chaotic swords !

Ma Qiu's confidants also reacted suddenly under stress. Shi Kun had bribed him for many days to gain a little. After killing Zhang Hedu, they were also extremely at a loss. It was a mess.

After the initial panic, the soldiers who were forced into the living room also had their own ideas in their hearts. They swung their knives and slashed in the living room to disperse the screaming waiters, and then grabbed Shi Kun in their hands. After standing up, the young man yelled to the outside of the bureau: "Zhang Hedu wants to harm the king, and he has already executed him. If any rebels dare to make trouble again, they will all be killed!"

On the way of shouting, they cut off the head of Zhang Hedu who was dying and threw it outside. Originally, Zhang Hedu planned to take Ma Qiu's life and death first, but he didn't expect that he died in front of Ma Qiu.As his head was thrown out, the soldiers who besieged the palace were also dumbfounded, and the master was dead, so why did they fight?

Such a melee in Shanyu was over. Shi Kun was held hostage by Ma Qiu's confidantes, and his mind was blurred and he completely collapsed.

And Ma Qiu's confidants are also caught in a dilemma at this moment. The general is trapped in the Jin army's formation, and his life and death are unknown, but they killed Zhang Hedu again, and both inside and outside the stage are Zhang Hedu's troops. Kun, how much protection can this prince, who has already been terrified into a puddle of mud, provide them?
"Vote to Jin! We, we have finally killed a major enemy of Jin, should it be considered a righteous act?"

Suddenly one person proposed, and then the atmosphere suddenly froze, the person who initiated the proposal was also taken aback, and then everyone present showed a thoughtful look, a guarding general of Jie Kingdom, a living prince Zongwang, maybe he can add The upper half of the dilapidated city, these should be able to save their lives, right?
As for Shi Kun still crying and shouting there, he would rather die than fall into the hands of Chen Shi from the Southern Kingdom, who cares?
　A big chapter, more late, sorry sorry. . .

　　
　
(End of this chapter)