The Beacon of Kyushu

Chapter80

That night, Yun Zixiao slept deeply, and was awakened by a burst of noisy footsteps and crying until Chen Shi.He hurriedly put on his clothes, stepped out of the tent, and looked in the direction of the sound.In Jinyang City not far away, a burst of thick smoke rose into the sky, and the raging fire unscrupulously expanded its minions, trying to cover all the places under its rule.

Countless Song soldiers were threatening the people to leave the city with knives and guns. All the houses in the city were burned by the fire, and the people fled from the door. The city was in chaos.Countless people were killed by stampede or burnt to death for a while, and the scolding of the Song army and the cries of the people could be heard clearly everywhere. hell.

Yun Zixiao clenched his fists subconsciously, and let out a long sigh helplessly.He knew that he was humble, and even though he tried to persuade Zhao Guangyi not to burn Jinyang City yesterday, the ending would definitely be the same, but there was still a burst of deep regret in his heart.

At this time, a small school ran up to him and summoned him: "Yun Tongjuan, the officials have called all the generals to discuss the matter of the Northern Expedition. Although you are a civil official, you'd better go and make a point, otherwise no one will be blamed by the officials. I'm sorry!" Yun Zixiao hurriedly withdrew his mind when he heard the words, and followed the school quickly to Dianjiangtai.

Yun Zixiao soon came to Dianjiangtai, but saw that there were few soldiers in the audience, and many important generals and counselors did not come.I don't know if it was a rush and they didn't arrive in a while, or they were dissatisfied with the Northern Expedition, so they deliberately delayed their arrival.

While Yun Zixiao was thinking about it, a handsome and stalwart middle-aged general turned around and asked, "Yun Tongjuan, this time the officials are going to continue the northern expedition to the Liao Kingdom, and many people in the army have objections. Should we fight?"

Before Yun Zixiao could open his mouth, an imposing scribe said first: "General Cui, do you even need to ask? At this time, the Northern Han Dynasty has just been captured, the morale of the army is booming, and the Liao Kingdom is absolutely defenseless. At this time, take Youji It’s like boiling biscuits when it’s hot!”

Yun Zixiao saw that the general who spoke was Cui Han, Marquis of Yu in front of the palace, and the scribe was Tianxiong Jiedu envoy Liu Wenchang, both of them were popular in front of Zhao Guangyi.He knew that if he said a wrong word, it might bring disaster to himself, so he could only smile slightly.

Just as he was about to say a few more words of greeting, he suddenly heard someone beside him snort coldly, and said in a low voice: "Liu Wenchang, you are nothing more than a scholar's words, it is ridiculous! In my opinion, this cake is hard to turn over!"

Liu Wenchang turned his head to look at the speaker, saw that it was Hu Yanzan, and said with a smile: "Huyan Zan, you are just a brave and foolish man, and you are worthy of making fun of me? You really have no shame!"

Hu Yanzan was furious when he heard the words, raised his fist high, and shouted: "Liu Wenchang, I have spent half my life in the army, don't you think I have a scholar with knowledge? Either you go back to Tokyo for me, and read your poem Yunzi said, or Just shut up for me, if you dare to say one more word, be careful that I will cripple you with one punch!"

Cui Han hurriedly grabbed Huyan Zan's arm, and said with a smile: "General Huyan, the benevolent sees the benevolent and the wise sees wisdom. Everyone has different opinions on this matter, so why are you angry? As for whether we will really send troops to Yanyun, it is up to the officials." Just make an order yourself!"

Hu Yanzan glared at Liu Wenchang, put down his fist reluctantly, looked at Yun Zixiao and said, "Yun Tong judge, I used to think of me as a Song Dynasty, hidden dragon and crouching tiger, and there are countless heroes. But now, looking around, everyone in this battalion except Yun Tong Judgment really doesn't have any courageous and insightful heroes!"

Yun Zixiao smiled, "General Huyan, this statement is a bit exaggerated!"

While the few people were talking, Yang Ye, Gao Huaide, Shi Shouxin, Li Hanqiong and other talents arrived one after another, and stood in order in order according to their official ranks.Yun Zixiao and Hu Yanzan also walked quickly towards the crowd.

Everyone stood under the stage and waited for a while, then Zhao Guangyi and Zhao Dezhao's uncle and nephew came slowly, surrounded by many forbidden troops.Zhao Guangyi's face was full of spring breeze at the moment, as if he had a great happy event, and even Zhao Dezhao had a smile on his mouth.

Zhao Guangyi walked up to the general's stage slowly, looked at the audience and said: "Everyone, this morning, I received a report from Wang Yu, saying that Guo Jin had blocked all the reinforcements from the Liao Kingdom outside Shiling Pass, and beheaded the Liao army in the first battle. The five generals of the country defeated the mighty Liao army and fled! I was greatly encouraged, so I made up my mind to take advantage of the fall of the Northern Han Dynasty to recover Yanyun in one go, and I will never return!"

Zhao Guangyi on the stage spoke cheerfully, but the audience was dead. Except for a few officials who supported the Northern Expedition, such as Cui Han and Liu Wenchang, everyone else was silent, as if expressing concern about the conquest of Yanyun. Silent protest.

Zhao Guangyi glanced at the people present for a week, and then frowned, "Everyone, you are silent, are you against my decision? What's more, you haven't arrived yet. Could it be that you have become a deserter? After he finished speaking, he looked at Cui Han and said: "Cui Qing's family, you can check each tent for me to see who dares to be so bold, and whoever is found will definitely be executed!"

"Yes!" Cui Han gave a deep salute, and then quickly walked towards the camp with a few guards.Seeing this, everyone looked at each other, and after confirming that the person who secretly confronted was not their relatives, friends and old friends, they continued to remain silent.Although the huge school military field was full of people, it was almost silent, and the atmosphere in the field became extremely dignified in an instant.

Zhao Guangyi looked displeased, looked at Pan Mei and said, "Pan Qing's family, you are recruiting from the North Road, can you tell me whether you should continue the Northern Expedition?"

Pan Mei rubbed her ears, pretending not to hear Zhao Guangyi's words clearly, and remained silent.He knows that he must not speak casually at this time. If he agrees, not only will he be reprimanded by his colleagues in private, but once a war starts, it will not only consume the treasury, lose the lives of countless soldiers, but also cause innocent people to die tragically. Even the emperor lives may not be saved.But if he blatantly opposed it, he would have violated the holy will. Even if he was not beheaded, he would not be able to do anything good in front of the holy one.

Seeing that Pan Mei was silent, Zhao Guangyi looked at Cao Bin next to him, "Cao Qing's family, why didn't even you speak? Did you all become dumb overnight?"

Cao Bin had no choice but to say: "The official, the general thinks that at this time, being a teacher has the benefits of being a teacher, and that the Northern Expedition has its advantages, but it all depends on the officials, colleagues, and countless soldiers of the Great Song Dynasty. And it is definitely not the last general alone, so the last general did not speak."

Hearing this, Zhao Guangyi thought to himself, "Cao Bin, you old fox! You are really impeccable in what you say, and neither side can offend you!" He gave Cao Bin a hard look, and was about to continue asking questions one by one, when Cui Han walked quickly. Returning, several imperial guards pushed and shoved several tied-up generals followed closely behind.

Cui Han walked down the stage, bowed to Zhao Guangyi, and said, "Officials, the general has already found out that the person who took the lead in making mistakes was Niu Sijin, the envoy of the Pingding Jiedu. I wonder if the officials will behead them all as they said just now?"

When Zhao Guangyi saw these people, he became more and more annoyed. He waved his big hand and said, "Behead, don't leave anyone behind! I dare not even send someone to summon them. If they are allowed to continue to indulge, they will not be far from rebellion!"

"Yes!" Cui Han responded, raising his knife to cut off the heads of several people.Suddenly, someone in the crowd yelled: "Officials, you can't kill! Killing a general before a battle is a taboo in the army. At this moment, the morale of the army has already fluctuated. If you insist on going your own way, the army will definitely mutiny!"

Everyone looked for the voice and saw that the person who spoke was Yang Yanzhao.Following Yang Yanzhao's voice, Yang Ye, Zhe Saihua, Hu Yanzan, Cao Bin, Pan Mei and others also said in unison: "Officials, what General Yang said is very true, please think again!"

Zhao Guangyi's face sank like water, and he said in a clear voice: "I was discussing with you just now about the Northern Expedition, and you all pretended to be deaf and dumb, but now I want to kill these criminals who neglect their duties and have no eyes for the king, but you all stand up. I have spoken for them. In your eyes, is it not as important as the lives of a few criminals to open up the territory for our Great Song Dynasty!"

Cui Han hurriedly said: "What the officials say is true! These criminal officials should be beheaded. If they are not severely punished according to the law, the morale of the army will fluctuate and the soldiers will mutiny!"

Hu Yanzan glared at Cui Han, and said: "My surname is Cui, just now you and that little boy talked about such nonsense that taking the thistle is like boiling a pancake, I just put up with it. Now you are actually persuading the officials to kill the generals before the battle. If the military mind changes, I will kill you first!"

Not to be outdone, Cui Han said: "Hu Yanzan, you just wanted to fight with your colleagues, and now you are yelling in front of the officials, is it going to be the opposite?"

Hu Yanzan was furious, he raised his fist and was about to rush towards Cui Han, shouting: "Cui, are you speaking human words? Even if the officials execute me, I will abolish you today!"

Seeing this, Zhao Guangyi shouted loudly: "Hu Yanzan, you are so courageous! How dare you attack your colleagues in front of me, if I'm not here, would you still want to kill people?"

As he spoke, he looked at Cui Han and said, "Cui Qing's family, quickly take down Hu Yanzan and kill him together with Niu Sijin and others!"

Hu Yanzan pointed at Zhao Guangyi, and said angrily: "Zhao Guangyi, I, Hu Yanzan, still thought you were a wise gentleman, but now it seems that I made a mistake! I would rather be hacked by you, a foolish king today, than let me do it again. You are at the mercy of!"

Zhao Guangyi sneered, "Huyan Zan, you are so ungovernable in your eyes, then I will make it possible for you, come here! Take Hu Yanzan to me and behead him immediately!"

Hu Yanzan's dark face turned livid at this moment, as if he ignored Zhao Guangyi's words.He raised his fist and rushed towards Zhao Guangyi, shouting: "Fun Lord, I will kill you today to eliminate harm for the people!"

Everyone hastily stopped Hu Yanzan and advised: "General Hu Yan, what are you going to do? Are you crazy! If you kill the official, not only you will be executed by Ling Chi, but also your family's life will be in danger. You made a huge mistake on impulse!"

Yang Yanzhao also said: "General Hu Yan, just now the last general was the first to speak out against it. Even if the officials want to kill me, Yang Jing should be killed. How can I let you die in my place?"

Hu Yanzan stomped his feet, and sighed heavily, "Oh, what a bastard! Since you all stop me, then I will listen to you and just not kill this stupid king!"

Zhao Guangyi sneered, "Hu Yanzan, if you don't kill me, I will kill you! Cui Qing's family, quickly take him to me and behead him for public display!"

Cui Han bowed, and then led the forbidden army, quickly approaching Huyanzan.Seeing this, Hu Yanzan couldn't hold back any longer, and punched the nearest imperial soldier until he flew three or four feet horizontally, before he fell heavily to the ground.

Seeing that this incident happened because of Yang Yanzhao, Yang Ye felt a little sorry for Hu Yanzan being involved.He rushed forward to hold him back, but Hu Yanzan was already furious, and rushed towards Cui Han.Cui Han is also a person who has experienced many battles, how could he be afraid of Hu Yanzan, and then he opened his palms to greet him.The two came back and forth, wrestling in an instant, no matter how Yang Ye tried to pull them, they could not be separated.

Zhao Guangyi pointed at Huyanzan angrily, and said: "What are you doing in a daze? Take him down quickly! Take him down quickly!" As soon as all the forbidden soldiers heard the words, they rushed up and rushed to catch Huyanzan.Hu Yanzan hastily dismissed Cui Han, stood up, and hit the forbidden soldiers with both fists and strong wind.

Hu Yanzan punched hard, these forbidden soldiers were no match for him, he knocked over a dozen of them to the ground in the blink of an eye, and the rest of the soldiers were too frightened to step forward.At this time, Cui Han stood up from the ground, and slashed at Huyanzan's face with his palm.Hu Yanzan didn't panic, stretched out his big hand and grabbed Cui Han's wrist.

The two attacked and defended, and they were evenly matched, and they were at a stalemate again.Hu Yanzan's eyes widened, and he glared at Cui Han angrily, and Cui Han also glared at him, both of them wanted to restrain each other, but for a while, neither of them could do anything to the other.

Seeing this, Yun Zixiao tapped his toes lightly, and he was already approaching, "You two generals, you are offended!" He said with both palms, and slapped Cui Han and Hu Yanzan on the elbows of each of them. palm.His palm looked limp, as if he had no strength at all, but both Cui Han and Hu Yanzan let go of the pain.

Hu Yanzan hugged his right arm, and said in admiration: "Yun Tongpan, your martial arts skills are really good! You don't seem to use much force, but you hit my arm like a hammer Same, thanks to my rough skin and thick flesh, I'm afraid my arm would have been discounted by you!"

Cui Han also looked at Yun Zixiao in surprise, and said after a while: "Yun Tongjuan, I only think of you as a counselor who can speak well, but I didn't expect that martial arts are so superb, Cui admires it!"

Cao Bin, Pan Mei and the others had only met Yun Zixiao a few times before. In their minds, Yun Zixiao was the same as what Cui Han said, but he was a frail scholar who could speak well. Only when they saw him today did they realize how powerful he is. .

Zhao Guangyi laughed and said: "Yun Tong Judgment, well done! You will be the supervisor and beheader, and I will kill all the criminals who are lawless and despise the king!"

Yang Ye fell to his knees and said: "Officials, my son Yanzhao started today's incident. If you must kill General Huyan, please kill the last general together!"

Cao Bin, Pan Mei, Gao Huaide and other people present also fell to their knees one after another, pleading for Hu Yanzan: "Officials, although General Hu Yan's crime against Tianwei cannot be pardoned, but he is wholeheartedly for the sake of Song Dynasty. Come on, let's spare him this time."

Even Zhao Dezhao knelt down and said, "Officials, according to my nephew and minister, it's better for both sides to take a step back. You can spare General Huyan and others for the time being, and let them continue the Northern Expedition with you, and make meritorious deeds. Otherwise, you can only get a temporary pleasure." , but will completely lose the morale of the army!"

The generals also said after hearing the words: "What Qiantui said is very true. If the officials are willing to spare General Huyan and the others, we are willing to follow the officials to attack Yanyun in the north. Otherwise, please execute us together!"

Zhao Guangyi was shocked when he heard the words, he looked down the stage and saw all the generals kneeling on the ground, even Zhao Dezhao followed the crowd to plead for Hu Yanzan, he sighed helplessly, "Forget it, I will forgive you This time, if they dare to despise Tianwei like this again, I will definitely kill them for two crimes!"

When Hu Yanzan, Niu Sijin and others saw everyone knelt down to intercede for them, they were so moved that their eyes turned red, and tears almost came out of them.They walked to the stage, knelt down in front of Zhao Guangyi reluctantly, and said: "Thank you for the official's kindness, I am very grateful!"

Zhao Guangyi waved his hands impatiently, looking at Jinyang City which was being burned by the fire, and said in his heart: "The Fen River has dried up this year, and when the tide rises next year, I will flood Jinyang, otherwise it will be hard to calm my heart! "

Everyone didn't know what Zhao Guangyi was thinking, but seeing him spare Hu Yanzan and others, they all knelt down and kowtowed three times.Cui Han stood up first and asked, "Officials, when do you think we will send troops to Yanyun?"

Zhao Guangyi smiled slightly, "To prevent the night from having more dreams, send troops immediately!" Everyone instinctively wanted to object, but remembering what they said when they begged for mercy just now, they could only suppress their dissatisfaction and brace themselves to go back to camp and prepare.

Not long after, the camps on all sides of Jinyang City were dismantled, and all the generals led their soldiers to gather in the south of the city.With the sound of horns resounding across the sky, the army was divided into three teams, the front, the middle and the back, bypassing the burning Jinyang City, and marching slowly northward.

(End of this chapter)