Under the sky

Chapter 201 The situation is declining ([-])

When the carriage arrived at Wudang Mountain, Yu Jien went to visit him first, and Xing Zhouzi hosted a banquet in the reception hall.When Hua Yangzi saw Zhu Menshang, he took the opportunity to pull him aside and asked in a low voice: "Doctor Zhu, your prescription for dispelling filth and immortality has not worked for me for a long time. What's going on?"

Zhu Menshang frowned: "Isn't it said that immortals also need to have immortality? It seems that the Taoist master's immortality is not enough."

Hua Yangzi said: "I asked the doctor to read it, and he said it is just a prescription for clearing away heat and detoxifying. Isn't Dr. Zhu tricking us?"

Zhu Menshang said sternly: "There are so many Wudang masters, and they don't dare to deceive me even if they lend me ten courages. I want to cheat, but I dare to go to Wudang openly. Do I think I have a long life? Besides, who am I? Qingcheng Royal Physician! The eldest lady, Master Shen, always takes me with her to ensure safety when she comes in and out. Why should I defraud you of 500 taels to ruin the harmony between the two families?"

Hua Yangzi heard that it made sense, and Zhu Menshang said again: "Ordinary doctors will treat this prescription as an ordinary prescription, just like refining elixirs. You will see that alchemy, cinnabar, agate, and marble are just some stuff, and then you can refine it into an elixir." It's very different. How can it be so easy for mortals to see through the subtleties?"

Hua Yangzi felt more justified. When he saw the leader of Xingzhou arriving, he kept silent and said respectfully: "See the leader." Xie Gubai, Yu Jien, Shen Weichen and Gu Qingshang also stood up and bowed: "I have seen the leader of Xingzhou. "

Xing Zhouzi nodded, drove away Hua Yangzi, looked at Yu Jien, frowned and said: "Since I am the envoy of Qingcheng, I just send you a greeting card. What is Gang Leader Yu doing here?"

Yu Jien said respectfully: "Sir, this matter has something to do with the Xiangyang Gang..."

"That is also under Wudang's control." Xing Zhouzi said, "You should step back first. I will give you orders if necessary."

Yu Jien's face suddenly turned red and white. He was so embarrassed that he had to bow his hands and salute: "Please..."

Xing Zhouzi said to Zhu Menshang, "Doctor Zhu, are there any patients here? Or do you think 500 taels is not enough?"

Zhu Menshang raised his eyebrows and was about to say something. When he saw Shen Weichen frowning and shaking his head, he had to swallow the insults and said respectfully: "Mr. .”

Xing Zhouzi looked at Xie Gubai, and seeing the sick look on his face, he nodded and said, "Please step aside first." Then he walked to the table and held his hands in his hands, "I am a poor man, Xing Zhouzi."

Everyone discussed their seats.Xing Zhouzi met Gu Qingshang for the first time. He wrote his name on the greeting card and found out that he was the eldest disciple of Head Li of Hengshan.Xing Zhouzi was not in a hurry to speak, and he didn't ask the people why they were here. He sat down and said nothing.Xie Gubai said: "I came here to discuss something with the boat master about the Qingcheng boats on the Han River..."

Xingzhouzi said: "These boats are here to clear out boat bandits on the Han River. According to the rules agreed upon by Kunlun, if a woman is raped, the whole world will punish her. If the bandits on the Han River break the rules, everyone will punish them. Huashan does not care, Qingcheng does not care. It's great to be righteous. Now that the bandits have been cleared, it's time for the fleet to retire. Qingcheng's righteous deed is admired by everyone in the world."

Gu Qingshang saw that Xing Zhouzi explained the matter carefully in one breath, and was polite but tough at the same time. He knew that it was difficult to deal with, and thought about how Xie Gubai would deal with it.Xie Gubai looked at Xing Zhouzi and said, "The fleet can't retreat, we have to add more people."

Xing Zhouzi asked, "Why?" His tone was so strong that he was almost merciless.

"Because the world needs it." Xie Gubai said, "The Dian Cang Beggar Clan refused to accept Heng Shan as the leader of the alliance, which led to the weapons of the world. Qingcheng abided by Kunlun and jointly agreed to assist Heng Shan, which attracted Huashan's intrusion. The fleet guarded the Han River so that Huashan did not dare to move rashly. "

"Pindao has received news that Huashan has invaded Qingcheng."

"As long as the fleet sails to Hanzhong and cuts off its food routes, Huashan will automatically retreat. Chief Shen has sent people to help defend Hengshan. If Qingcheng is lost, Hengshan will be unable to sing, and the 90 years of peace will be lost in one day." Xie Gubai said.

"This is a dispute between the Qingcheng, Hengshan, Diancang, Huashan and Beggar Clan factions. What does it have to do with Wudang?" Xing Zhouzi asked.

Gu Qingshang said: "Master Xingzhou, the former master Xuanxu also supports Master Li as the leader. We should unite and fight against the Dian Cang Beggar Clan."

"Headmaster Xuanxu took the immortal body, Pindao confiscated it." Xing Zhouzi said.

"So Master Xingzhou doesn't support Hengshan?" Gu Qingshang asked, "Hengshan has always been on good terms with Wudang. Master Xingzhou, if Hengshan is defeated, not only will he hand over his position as the leader of the alliance, but also the preparations for Cang Jin to force the Nine Families. "

"If Master Li needs it, please send a letter and Wudang will do its best to help." Xing Zhouzi said, "Qingcheng's fleet still has to withdraw from the Han River."

Gu Qingshang said: "If we can force Huashan back, Qingcheng can slow down and help Hengshan fight against Dian Cang. If Wudang can contain the Beggar Clan, why are we afraid of their arrogance? The leader of Xingzhou knows this, so why is he deliberately making things difficult?"

"Because this is Wudang, not Qingcheng." Xing Zhouzi said calmly.

Shen Weichen said: "But I don't know why the leader of Xingzhou is making things difficult for Qingcheng?" Although she was dressed in a smart outfit, her speech was still gentle and gentle, and she looked like a lady. Just listening to her voice, it was difficult to imagine that she was the chief commander of Qingcheng Weishu. , "Back then, I was injured by Huashan in Wudang. The leader wanted to avenge his sister, so he took advantage of Wudang to retaliate against Huashan. This was indeed out of consideration. In the future, my brother will apologize to the leader of Xingzhou."

She bowed and saluted, and then said: "We only need to force them to retreat from Huashan. When the war is over, the Qingcheng fleet will be disbanded on the spot. When people return to Qingcheng, all the ships will be given to Wudang as a reward."

With more than a hundred large and small ships, this gift cannot be said to be rich.

"As long as our ship goes around the Han River and you send a message saying Wudang gives way to Qingcheng, Huashan will be afraid."

"Huashan will not be afraid of more than a hundred ships." Xing Zhouzi said, "You still have to borrow some ships from the Xiangyang Gang, right?"

"It would be best if we can stop them. If we really start a war..." Xie Gubai said, "We need to borrow some ships."

"It's too repetitive to say that you want to give it away and then borrow it." Xing Zhouzi shook his head, "The Xiangyang Gang can build ships, so they don't need Qingcheng to give them as gifts."

Having said this, Xing Zhouzi still refused to give in.Xie Gubai's face was pale and he couldn't help coughing. Shen Weichen said with concern: "Mr.

Xie Gubai said: "Master Xingzhou, can you lend me a moment to speak?"

Xing Zhouzi raised his eyebrows slightly and asked, "What else can I do?"

Xie Gubai looked at Shen Weichen, and Shen Weichen understood and said, "Sister, let's go for a walk." Gu Qingshang and Shen Weichen got up and left, leaving only Xie Gubai and Xing Zhouzi in the reception hall.

Xing Zhouzi asked, "Master Xie, what advice do you have?"

Xie Gubai said: "Dian Cang Heng Mountain is fighting. How can Wudang and Wudang stay out of it if they don't help each other? The world is in chaos. They are both from the Taoist lineage. Wudang wants to inherit the middle way of Qingcheng? The leader of Xingzhou hopes to revive and decline, but his ambition It's touching, but Dian Cang will not let the leader get his wish. If Dian Cang wins, Dian Cang will definitely do something before Wudang is revived."

How could Xing Zhouzi not know Dian Cang's intention?But for him, it’s not just Dian Cang who is ready to eat Wudang?Qingcheng and Xiangyang were flirting with each other, how could he not see it?
Xie Gubai shook his head: "I guess the leader also has some concerns, but he just can't trust Qingcheng."

"I cannot trust Qingcheng, a poor Taoist." Xing Zhouzi stood up and walked to Xie Gubai's side, "You and Xiangyang gangsters have been flirting with each other, how can you trust a poor Taoist?"

"Headmaster Shen had a chat with Headmaster Xuanxu in the Kunlun Palace. When it came to the succession of the leader, Headmaster Xuanxu once revealed some clues." Master the machine."

Xing Zhouzi's expression changed.

"I heard that Shaolin disciples visited the master for unknown reasons." Xie Gubai asked, "Does the master of Xingzhou think Qingcheng can be trusted now?"

Xing Zhouzi was silent for a long time. After a long time, he walked around the table, looked at Xie Gubai, and slowly raised his palms and pressed them on the table. There was a "pop" sound, and something fell. Xie Gubai didn't have to lower his head to see. When Xing Zhouzi raised his palm, there was an empty palm print on the table, as if it had been cut with a knife.

"I pressed you like this on your shoulder," Xing Zhouzi asked, "Can Mr. Xie still return to Qingcheng?"

Xie Gubai shook his head: "This is too reckless."

Xing Zhouzi said: "This is not reckless. It is reckless if you think you can threaten me."

Xie Gubai remained silent.

Xing Zhouzi said: "Please ask the Qingcheng fleet to leave Xiangyang within three days. If you leave one ship behind, I will scuttle the other one." After finishing the whole robe, "Thank you, Master, please."

Shen Weichen and others stood guard outside the door. When they saw Xing Zhouzi walking out, they bowed briefly and left without knowing where they were.Xie Gubai then walked out, and Gu Qingshang was the most concerned. He stepped forward and asked, "Mr. Xie, how are you doing?"

Xie Gubai looked at Xing Zhouzi's back and shook his head.

Shen Weichen and Gu Qingshang were surprised, and Gu Qingshang asked anxiously: "What should we do?"

■

Peng Tiancong kept pacing in the meeting hall.In the past few days, he sent people to fight several times to disrupt Huashan, but they were just small troubles and did not help.Seeing that the front, rear, left and right were dug with trenches, the trenches would hinder the siege of the city, making it difficult for troops, catapults, and rams to approach. It seemed that Huashan really planned to trap Bazhong and take a detour.

If this is the case, they have to rush out. If they win, they can trap the Huashan troops entering Guang'an and catch turtles in a jar.But if this is a tactic to lure the enemy, he may be ambushed if he rushes out of the city.

Fighting or not fighting doesn't make him so anxious. He can't fight to the death without giving up. He still has this awareness, but it's just not knowing whether to fight or not that makes him feel more anxious.

Li Xiangbo looked anxious and said, "Commander Peng, please take a break. You can walk through the floor."

Peng Tiancong said angrily: "You are my fucking wife, and you don't even care about me walking?"

Li Xiangbo said: "Trying it out is not an option. You have to fight a tough battle to know the reality. Let's fight."

At this moment, everyone had decided that Li Xiangbo would lead Wang Ning as the vanguard, Peng Tiancong and his son Peng Nanying would lead [-] disciples as the rear army, and Liang Shen and Liu Yuchun would lead the remaining disciples and the people to defend the city.

Li Xiangbo saw that the trench near the west gate was narrow, so he led his troops to fight from the west gate, charging and killing all the way. The Huashan disciples rushed to report.Li Xiangbo built a bridge and crossed the ditch to attack the Huashan camp. The two sides fought fiercely. Li Xiangbo was worried about Du Yinsong, so he immediately hung up a hammer, but he didn't encounter it. He lost his scruples and led the crowd to attack. Several captains were killed by him tidy.

Huashan would not be without masters without Du Yinsong. When Li Xiangbo met one, he didn't know which sect he came from. The two of them tried more than twenty moves and still couldn't kill him.When the man saw that there were fewer people around him, he fled, but Li Xiangbo was unable to stop him.

There are countless unknown masters on this battlefield who are yet to become famous.The two sides fought fiercely for more than an hour, with Qingcheng taking the upper hand and Huashan retreating steadily. Peng Tiancong asked his son to send an order to Li Xiangbo to slow down, but Li Xiangbo said: "If they really bypass Bazhong and go south, don't eradicate them in one fell swoop. Wait for their reinforcements." That is to give the enemy an opportunity; if we fail to advance, we will trap the troops heading south."

Peng Nanying told the truth, and Peng Tiancong could not leave Li Xiangbo alone, so he had to follow up.

Li Xiangbo broke through the front army, removed the antlers and entered the camp, cut down the flag, and was about to set fire to the camp. Suddenly, there was a sound of killing in the camp, which was several times louder than before.Li Xiangbo was astonished. With this quantity, it turned out that trenches were dug and antlers were set up to lure the enemy, just to lure him into battle.

There were tens of thousands of enemy troops, and they could not see how many were behind them. Li Xiangbo fought desperately, and Peng Tiancong led the rear troops to support them, and ordered them to fight and retreat to the ditch.Some Qingcheng disciples simply jumped into the trench to escape. Li Xiangbo killed several people in a row before stopping the chaos.

The trench also restricted the offensive of the Huashan disciples. Seeing this, Liang Shen in the city sent his archery team out into battle, covering the trench with arrow rain, and barely managed to hold back the enemy.Peng Tiancong led his troops to attack the cover. The two sides fought straight to Shenshi, and then each retreated its troops. After the war, an inventory count showed that both sides had more than a thousand casualties each, and each sent people to clean up the battlefield.

Peng Tiancong said: "Their main force is still there, they just want to lure us into fighting."

Li Xiangbo was hit by two arrows and suffered several large and small stab wounds. He gritted his teeth and said, "You are really cunning!"

That night, the Huashan camp returned to light, and the lights were brighter than before. Peng Tian saw it from a distance and was secretly shocked.On the second day, the disciples of Huashan dug trenches again and blocked the horses. Peng Tian never dared to make any mistakes and only sent people to disturb them.

In the next few days, I saw reinforcements from disciples in Huashan, and more and more camps were built. Peng Tiancong nodded, fearing that there were already 3 people surrounding Bazhong.

It seems that we can only hold on and wait for news from Qingcheng before making plans...

■

Jinzhumen was originally a local sect, and Mi Zhiwei stayed in Nanchong.As one of the generals of Qingcheng, he escorted the master to Kunlun for discussion. Not mentioning the matter of Kunlun Palace, when he came back, the master became the supreme master. He was also taken away by the execution hall to uncover an old case.

Shen Lianyun did not investigate further. He only asked him a few questions and then let him go. However, he asked him in detail about the Kunlun Palace.

After all, he returned to Nanchong safely, but he knew that he had something in the hands of the execution hall, and he would have to work harder to be loyal in the future.In the past, his master was Shen Yongci, but now Shen Yuqing is his master, and he has to make some achievements in front of the new leader.

However, when the Huashan army appeared outside Nanchong City, he was shocked. In less than a month, could it be that Bazhong, which was defending from danger, had been defeated by Huashan?

Perhaps he was too shocked and lost his courage, or perhaps the Huashan offensive was really fierce. Nanchong fell in less than ten days. Mi Zhiwei burned the warehouse and led the remaining army to retreat to Guang'an.

When the news reached Ba County, the whole city was shocked. Unexpectedly, Bazhong and Nanchong fell one after another in such a short period of time.

Shen Yuqing sent heavy troops to Guangyuan to garrison and fight, which was Qingcheng's last line of defense...

■

When the Huashan troops entered Nanchong, Yan Zhaochou held a banquet to celebrate. He rewarded the three armies and said with a smile: "If you don't hit me in the chin, it won't hinder our march."

He dug trenches outside the city and set up defensive horses to make the defenders think that he was going to take a detour. When Li Xiangbo came out of the city to fight, he repelled the Bazhong defenders and then led his troops to Nanchong in a detour, catching him off guard. , and also asked his men to set up more camps to serve as suspects, so as not to be discovered by the Bazhong defenders.

On the other hand, he could get supplies and grain reserves by taking Nanchong. Although Mi Zhiwei burned down the warehouse and fled, he still saved a lot of money, so there was no urgent need for military supplies. As long as he took Guang'an again, Qingcheng would be right in front of him.

Yan Xangcheng still had doubts and advised: "If the Bazhong defenders find that the army is detouring south and break out, won't it cut off our retreat?"

Yan Zhaochou said: "I have concerns."

He first said to Yan Xuting who looked dissatisfied: "Third brother, it's one thing for us to fight for the leadership. If you want to fight with me, I am the commander of the army here. It's difficult for you to achieve your ambition. You might as well go back to Hanzhong to help your uncle supervise food. Gong can still be ranked second.”

Yan Xuting said: "Let you take all the credit?"

Yan Zhaochou said: "Food and grass are the most important thing. How can you take the sole credit for supervising the food? If you stay here, even if Qingcheng is conquered, you will still be at the bottom in terms of merit. Don't bother to go against me and give up what you can do." forget."

Yan Xuting snorted coldly. Although he was dissatisfied, what Yan Zhaochou said was indeed reasonable.

Yan Zhaochou continued: "There is one more important thing. You have to send your eldest brother back to Bazhong safely."

Yan Xuancheng was stunned: "Me?"

Yan Zhaochou said: "After Nanchong is Guang'an, and after that we will attack Yuzhong. The soldiers are fierce and the battle is dangerous. I can't take care of you."

Yan Xuancheng said: "I can take care of myself."

Yan Zhaochou smiled and said: "On the battlefield, I can't even take care of myself. Brother, you haven't liked to show off your strength since you were a child, and you have offered advice as a staff member. You are too hesitant to do your best. Instead of being so awkward, it's better to make good use of your ability."

Yan Xuancheng smiled and said, "So my brother still has some ability?"

Yan Zhaochou said: "If you don't like fighting, then guard Bazhong and try every means to prevent the Bazhong defenders from retreating. The first thing is to cut off the spies on both sides. Don't let even a single carrier pigeon go. If the news from Bazhong is blocked, then Don’t dare to act rashly.”

"The next step is to set up more suspicious soldiers to make them think that they have contained the Huashan army, so they will not attack recklessly. Bazhong will be useless, and it doesn't matter whether it is captured or not. You don't need to hurt people. It suits your wishes."

"There are still five thousand besieging troops in Bazhong. I have left a lot of strong generals. You try your best to stop them. If they charge out, don't fight to the death. You have to break out and come to me. I can stop them with my troops, so as not to be attacked by enemies on both sides and trap Shuzhong to death. I don’t know how to retreat yet.”

Yan Xuancheng knew that his younger brother was worried about him and would not let him fight to the death. He used the excuse of notifying him of the news and let him escape. He sighed: "As a brother, I feel ashamed to have to be taken care of by you all the time."

Yan Zhaochou smiled and said, "You can't say that. It's my eldest brother who takes the blame in front of me."

The three brothers laughed together.

The next day, Yan Xuting and Yan Xuangcheng led the troops to retreat to Bazhong. Yan Zhaochou led the horse for his eldest brother and sent him a ride, telling Yan Xuangcheng to be careful.Yan Xuancheng said: "Second brother, I see you are getting carried away with your winning streak. Be careful and don't make any mistakes."

When Yan Zhaochou heard what his eldest brother said, he suddenly felt that he had indeed lost his composure in the past few days. He immediately straightened his face and said, "Brother is worried, I will remember it."

On the way back, Yan Xuting said to Yan Xuancheng: "My second brother and I have been fighting each other for a long time. We don't take any brotherhood seriously. It's best to be with the eldest brother."

Yan Xuancheng said: "Second brother treats you well, but you have a tough temper and like to compete with him. He is also stubborn. You both want to be the leader, but you are brothers after all."

Yan Xuting sighed: "If it weren't for the interference of the elder brother, there is no guarantee that our family would not be like the Tang clan, brothers fighting to the death. I finally understand, sister Yinzheng is right, you are the best in our family, second brother Better than me."

Yan Xuancheng smiled and said, "You also believe in Miss Yinzheng?"

Yan Xuting suddenly reined in his horse and said: "In Jiangxi, I let Peng Xiaobei escape, and his father was stabbed and seriously injured in Kunlun Palace. He went to Gansu to propose marriage, but Qi Zigai refused to marry. On the way back, he was robbed by horse bandits and lost a lot of money. Treasure. The second brother captured Nanchong. As long as Qingcheng is captured, the position of the leader has nothing to do with me. I accept it. According to what the eldest brother said, we are brothers after all, and the friendship is still there. In the future, when the second brother is the leader, I can still Just like the uncle, we should be on guard. This is all because the elder brother has been talking slowly between us brothers over the years."

Yan Xuangcheng was very happy when he saw that Yan Xuting gave up the fight with his second brother and said, "It would be best if you could reconcile with your second brother." He then sighed, "It's a pity that Qingfeng is gone. Otherwise, the four brothers could live in harmony. Wouldn’t it be great…”

Yan Xuting said: "Fourth brother always has to seek revenge from the Tang Sect."

Yan Xuancheng said: "It may not really be the Tang Sect's doing."

Yan Xuting shook his head: "Brother is not good at this. He always thinks good things about people. In the Tang Sect, brothers can kill themselves and bleed like rivers. How can they let outsiders go? Brother, the second brother is smarter and has better methods than me. , I am convinced that I lost the battles from Bazhong to Nanchong, but since you were a child, you have been the best-read and smartest among the brothers, so you have to be careful, the second brother is no match for you."

Yan Xuancheng hurriedly waved his hand: "Don't instigate me and your second brother to compete for the leadership."

"No." Yan Xuting said, "If you become the leader, Huashan will be in dire straits."

Yan Xuancheng blushed: "That's right..."

Yan Xuting said: "You are just too weak and afraid of getting into trouble. Just say that Uncle Fang has already caught you and the girl from the Shen family. Either you force the girl, or you use force to force Fang from the beginning." Uncle Master, you don’t dare to ask for his release, and you’re afraid of being scolded by your father. You wait until the girl is seriously injured before you come to help. It’s all in vain. As long as you are more ruthless, your brother won’t end up having to help you steal women. .”

Yan Xuancheng muttered: "I didn't ask you to rob me."

Yan Xuting said: "The reason why dad hates you is because he regrets that you are wasting your cleverness. Sister Yinzheng said that you are too weak. If it were a peaceful and prosperous time, you would still be able to help your second brother with this temperament. In these troubled times, you really can't help dad and me. Second brother. You have to be tougher and act like a man."

Yan Xuancheng said: "If you really don't want to compete with your second brother for the leadership, you should tell him clearly as soon as possible, so that the brothers can get along harmoniously."

Yan Xuting said: "When I tell you one thing, you just tell the other thing. You don't even think about it. Maybe I am lying to you. Wait until you tell the second brother to let him relax his guard and then seek the position of leader."

Yan Xuancheng was shocked: "Do you really think so?"

Yan Xuting shook his head and smiled bitterly: "Okay... I'm really convinced, but I don't want to bow to my second brother and admit defeat with a salivating look on his face, just to see how proud he looks. Anyway, if I don't argue with him, he will understand it over time."

Yan Xuancheng knew that his third brother was stubborn and couldn't help laughing.

(End of this chapter)