Under the sky

Chapter 294: Not getting together by chance

The night is coming to an end, and there is a faint glow in the east. The only thing that can be seen clearly is the place where the light of the lantern reaches.Shen Yuqing tried his best to hurry up. People at the inn said that Shen Yongci left half an hour earlier than them. Considering the night and road conditions, the difference was estimated to be thirty to forty miles.But if he waits until dawn, the horse can gallop for half an hour, which can make the difference more than a hundred miles. From Ba County to Bozhou, it is about [-] miles. If Shen Yongci changes horses all the way without stopping, he may reach Bozhou before noon.

As soon as the sky dawned, Shen Yuqing and his party urged their horses with all their strength without stopping.

"Yu'er!" Mrs. Chu shouted, "There is an inn ahead, we have to change horses!"

Shen Yuqing said: "The horse power is still enough, let's run another twenty miles!"

Changing horses would waste time. He just hoped that Shen Yongci would be delayed by something on the way.

Shen Yongci was not delayed, but he was.

"That man asked for a horse with a token, and we gave him a horse. As soon as he got on the horse, he killed other horses." The inn owner said in a panic, "How could we let him commit murder? A group of people gathered around to stop him. His martial arts is so good. Neither of them could stop him until they were dead, so they killed a few horses and ran away.”

"How long has he been gone? How many horses are left?" Shen Yuqing asked.

"In less than half an hour, there are eight horses left."

"Chase!" Shen Yuqing got on his horse and said, "You two recruit people to follow you!"

Originally, he only led ten people to pursue him, but sent two to escort Shen Qingge back to Qingcheng, leaving six.If Shen Yongci followed the same pattern along the way, it can be said that he would not be able to catch up.

"Yu'er." Chu Jingtan said, "Should we go back to Qingcheng to discuss it again, or lead our troops to Bozhou to ask for people?"

Shen Yuqing shook his head.The fourth aunt is still in Bozhou. If father uses her to threaten the fourth uncle and deceive the fifth uncle into causing trouble, the situation will be difficult to deal with.

Dad can't kill people and horses along the way. It's too slow and prone to accidents.

Still four hundred miles away from Bozhou, Shen Yuqing came to a post station and found three more corpses on the ground.

"We thought this man was suspicious and asked him what his identity was and why he had the Qingcheng Token. He said he was the leader of the Tai Sect. We didn't believe it and said we would ask someone from the sect to verify his identity." The people at the post station were changing horses when Shen Yuqing In return, "He killed people and took horses and ran away in a rage. We couldn't stop him."

When there were still three hundred miles away from Bozhou, Shen Yuqing knew that Shen Yongci had not changed horses, because the local post station was near the sect, and Shen Yongci could not ask for horses for the time being, and he did not dare to snatch them.He estimated that he was still nearly a hundred miles away from his father, maybe closer. After more than thirty miles, he saw a dead horse on the road. Shen Yuqing only glanced at it and galloped past the horse corpse.That was the horse at the inn. It was most likely that Shen Yongci urged the horse too much, causing the horse to die suddenly.

Shen Yuqing was not happy.There was a horse's neigh, and he saw a team leader leaping off his horse in front of him. The horse was frothing at the mouth and turned around and fell dead. Shen Yuqing only shouted: "Follow me!" and then drove away.

When he was two hundred miles away from Bozhou, Shen Yuqing frowned. Shen Yongci was still a hundred miles away. Unless something unexpected happened, he would not be able to catch up. Should he pursue Bozhou or stop and wait for reinforcements?This will be an important decision. Once the judgment is wrong, it is very likely to fall into trouble.

Chu Jingtan also realized that she could not catch up, and shouted loudly: "Yu'er, wait for reinforcements!"

Shen Yuqing still shook his head: "Keep chasing!"

"You want to enter Bozhou?" Chu Jingtan was surprised, "If your father arrives first, it will be very dangerous!"

Shen Yuqing gritted his teeth and remained silent.

■

After seeing Bozhou City, Shen Yongci's heart finally dropped. He looked back and saw no pursuers. Although there was some delay on the way, Shen Yuqing failed to catch up after all.

He didn't know when Shen Yuqing would find out that he had escaped, nor when the pursuers would come, or how far away from him, but he knew his son was like a father, and he knew that Shen Yuqing would definitely come after him, because this son would not risk landing in Guizhou. risk in your own hands.This kid...even though he is called an embroidered pillow, he is indeed capable of breaking things off, but it's a pity that he is too soft-hearted.

Did he teach him too well, or was this his nature?
When the horse entered Bozhou City, Shen Yongci did not slow down. He knocked down the lanterns that had not been put away after the Lantern Festival, trampled over vendors, bumped into pedestrians, and rushed all the way to the Bozhou Governor's Mansion.When the guard saw someone coming on horseback from afar, he shouted loudly. After a while, 30 people gathered in front of and behind the door, each armed with swords, guns, bows and arrows. Seeing that the guards were heavily guarded, Shen Yongci gritted his teeth, drew his sword, and shouted Shouted: "Don't shoot the arrow, I am the leader!"

The guard paid no attention to him. He raised his bow and nocked an arrow from a distance of more than fifty feet, and fired dozens of sharp arrows at Shen Yongci.Shen Yongci reined in his horse hard, and the horse stood upright, pricked like arrows.

Shen Yongci jumped up from his horse, with the Soaring Dragon Sword circled in front of him to protect him. He grabbed more than ten feet closer and shouted loudly: "I want to see the fourth lady!" It was useless. The rain of arrows did not stop at all. Seven or eight more people came out from the eaves, and I don't know how many people were behind the door.

Shen Yongci stepped on the cloud step, left and right, his sword kept turning around, and then grabbed it for more than ten feet, stopped, raised his inner strength and shouted loudly: "Don't shoot the arrow, I have a token! Yes!" Report something important!"

The leading captain listened to his shouting and ordered to stop the arrows. The tips of the arrows were pointed at Shen Yongci and shouted: "Who are you? How dare you rush into the Governor's Mansion?"

At this time, there were hundreds of people in the alleys inside and outside the Governor's Mansion, tightly surrounding Shen Yongci. Shen Yongci raised Shen Qingge's token high and shouted: "I am the leader, and this is the token!"

The team leader stepped forward, took the token, looked at it, and said, "This is not the leader's token, it is the Qingcheng token. Where did you steal it? What do you want to do?"

Shen Yongci looked around, and suddenly a man walked out of the crowd and said in surprise: "Master Tai, why are you here?" He saw horse corpses and arrows on the ground, and shouted angrily, "Who doesn't have eyesight to oppose Tai Sect?" The leader shoots an arrow? Do you want to die?"

Shen Yongci recognized that the man was Zhuo Shiqun, the deputy head of the Liyang Sect, the largest local sect in Bozhou, and the chief guard of the Governor's Mansion. He immediately strode forward and shouted: "Mr. Zhuo, ask Chief Cheng to come see me!"

Zhuo Shiqun followed Shen Yongci and said respectfully: "Master Cheng followed the Fourth Master to Hengshan. How come Master Tai is here?"

Yu'er is likely to catch up soon, and Bozhou must be controlled as soon as possible. Shen Yongci walked into the hall, sat on the main seat, and asked: "Who is in charge here now?"

Zhuo Shiqun said respectfully: "My subordinates are temporarily taking photos of Mr. Bozhou."

Shen Yongci shouted: "I ask who is in charge here now!"

Zhuo Shiqun was taken aback and said hurriedly: "The master is the master!"

"Close the city gate immediately and seal the city!" Shen Yongci shouted, "Hand over the leader's seal and order all the disciples in the city to assemble in the school grounds!"

Zhuo Shiqun was shocked and doubtful, and Shen Yongci shouted: "Don't delay! Go quickly!"

Zhuo Shiqun hesitated for a long time and finally said: "The master's seal is in the study. Please wait a moment, the master."

The city gate suddenly closed, especially at this noon hour, the people in the city were in chaos, and the people had nowhere to inquire and did not know the root cause. Rumors spread everywhere, and it was suspected that Diancang was invading, and people were suddenly panicked.Shen Yongci breathed a sigh of relief, and then realized that his leather jacket had been scratched in several places by sharp arrows, and his left upper arm was also scratched.

A young woman walked in and exclaimed: "Third brother! Why are you here?"

It turned out that Tang Jingcai heard the noise in the room and came out. He saw the disciples rushing to the front yard in panic. He became suspicious. When he came to the front yard, he saw Zhuo Shiqun running away. When he entered the hall, he saw Shen Yongci. Sit in the main seat.

Shen Yong said: "Brothers and sisters, don't be alarmed. It's too complicated to go into detail. I'm not sick. It was Yu'er who was deceived by an adulterer and usurped the throne. I was put under house arrest. I managed to escape with the help of your second aunt. Yu'er came after me. I asked Mr. Zhuo to close the city gate."

Tang Jingcai was shocked and asked, "Is this happening?" She heard the big event and had no idea, so she asked, "Why is my nephew such a person? Is there some misunderstanding between father and son?"

Shen Yong said: "He has imprisoned me for more than half a year. What misunderstanding can't be resolved? My brothers and sisters don't need to panic. Bozhou has no worries."

Tang Jingcai paced back and forth, full of panic, and asked: "What should I do if Congfu is not here? Third brother, you... oh, what will happen next? Yu'er... what will Yu'er do? "

Shen Yong said: "Yu'er is chasing me. I expected him to retreat when he sees the difficulty. If he doesn't retreat, why won't he be captured?" He was relaxed for a moment and hesitated to say anything. He changed his words and said, "I will follow you well then." Talk to Yu'er and let him find his way back."

Tang Jingcai's eyes turned red, and he was so frightened that he lost his mind. He pulled his hands together and saluted, "But it's up to my third brother to make the decision. I will retire." After that, he quickly walked into the back hall.

Zhuo Shiqun happened to get back the leader's seal, and Shen Yongci took it.Although he had not slept all night, this was not the time to rest, so he asked: "How many disciples are there in Bozhou?" Zhuo Shiqun said: "The fourth master led most of the disciples out of the city, and there are less than three thousand disciples stationed in the city. If we mobilize nearby sects There should be five thousand disciples."

Shen Yongci said: "Send someone to inform all the ministries to come see me. Strictly guard the city gates and no one is allowed to go in or out. If anything unusual happens, report it to me immediately. If someone breaks in forcefully -" Shen Yongci paused, "Even if that person claims to be the leader, Kill without mercy."

Zhuo Shiqun led the order, and Shen Yongci thought about it. If Shen Yuqing found that he could not catch up, he would go back to Qingcheng to gather troops. It is about 3000 miles from Bazhong and can be reached in ten days. There are only 5000 people in the city. People must gather disciples from nearby sects as soon as possible, but they can only reach [-] people.It is six hundred miles from Bozhou to Ba County and eight hundred miles to Tongren. As long as the fifth brother is willing to send troops to assist, he can hold it, force Yu'er to negotiate peace, and stabilize the position. There is great potential.

Soon after, dignitaries from various ministries came to the Governor's Mansion.At this time, Bozhou was in chaos. These people looked at each other, not knowing what was going on.Shen Yongci took out the seal of the head and said only that Shen Yuqing disobeyed the rebels and managed to escape. He temporarily took over the head of the house and asked each department to keep their duties.

While they were talking, someone came to report that Wuqi was outside the door, claiming to be the head of Qingcheng, and wanted Shen Yongci to come forward and talk.Now it was Shen Yongci's turn to be surprised. Shen Yuqing actually pursued him to Bozhou?Busy climbing the city wall.

The city was empty. Looking from a distance, I saw a few horses about two miles away, only the size of rice grains.One of them rode forward and got a little closer. Shen Yongci tried his best to look around and could vaguely recognize Mrs. Chu. There was another person following behind her. From the look of her clothes, she must be Shen Yuqing.There were only two riders behind them. At the same time, a rider came running from the city and shouted loudly at the city wall: "The master has an order, please talk to the master or the fourth lady!"

Shen Yongci was overjoyed. With these few people, chasing him all the way to Bozhou was like a sheep entering a tiger's mouth.His mind raced, and he immediately understood. Did Shen Yuqing think she could still persuade him to turn back?

This kid... is really too kind.

The opportunity was not to be missed. Shen Yongci was about to order people to go out of the city to arrest people. Suddenly he had a plan in mind. He pointed at Shen Yuqing and shouted: "Tell Yu'er, if you have anything to say, go to the city and tell her!"

The person below replied: "The master please ask the master to come out of the city to speak!"

Shen Yong said: "Okay, let's talk it over, father and son, wait a moment!" After saying that, he walked down the tower and called Zhuo Shiqun: "Call a hundred masters, and follow me out of the city with light armor and fast horses!"

Zhuo Shiqun was surprised: "Only 100 people?"

Shen Yong said: "My son is not stupid. He will run away when he sees a crowd. These 100 people were waiting outside the city gate. I stepped forward to talk to Yu'er, waiting for an opportunity to take action. With my martial arts skills, I was able to entangle their mother and son for a while. When these 100 people saw my move, they immediately stepped forward to catch Yu'er. If he senses something is wrong and wants to escape, you can lead the soldiers in the city to chase with me. It can be decided in one fell swoop." He was still afraid that Zhuo Shiqun would not do his best, and continued. , "If this matter is settled, I will give you a generous gift and let you take up a position in Qingcheng."

Zhuo Shiqun hurriedly raised his hands and said, "I don't dare!"

Zhuo Shiqun went down to order troops, but saw Tang Jingcai coming to the city. Shen Yongci was surprised and said: "What are my brothers and sisters doing here?"

Tang Jingcai shed tears and said: "I heard that Yu'er is coming. Is he going to besiege Bozhou? I'm very panicked. Come and take a look."

Shen Yong said: "Brothers and sisters, there is no need to panic. There are only five of us and we cannot attack the city."

Tang Jingcai's eyes widened: "Really?"

Shen Yongci smiled and said, "Brothers and sisters, you can go up to the city wall and have a look."

Tang Jingcai heard that there were only five people, and he breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Since Yu'er only brought a few people, didn't the third brother say that he would persuade Yu'er well?"

Shen Yong said: "I was about to persuade him."

Tang Jingcai said: "Congfu is fighting outside. I don't know what happened. Third brother... Why don't you write a letter to recruit Congfu back so that we can discuss important matters. I... I heard that my eldest brother died in the battle. I... I'm very scared."

Shen Yongci thought to himself that it would be best to capture Madam and Yu'er alive this time. Xiaoxiao did not follow, so he must stay in Qingcheng. As long as Yu'er and Madam are here, it is not difficult to recruit Xiaoxiao, and she is a girl. , even General Wei Shu pointed out that it was difficult to trust him if he wanted to command the overall situation. He was afraid that Xie Gubai would cause trouble again. His foundation in the south was not stable, and he still needed Shen Congfu to come back.Then he said: "Wait until I talk to Yu'er, I will fix the book and recall my fourth brother, so that you and your wife can be reunited."

Tang Jingcai shed tears and grabbed Shen Yongci's sleeve and said: "It won't take long to write a letter. If the third brother doesn't write, I feel uneasy. Yu'er is only five people, are you still afraid of him attacking the city?"

Seeing her sad expression, Shen Yongci said that Tang Jingcai was worried about Shen Congfu. He also thought that it would be difficult to capture Ba County with only the troops in southern Guizhou. It would be best if he could get help from the Tang clan or mediate. He needed to try his best to please Tang Jingcai, so Said: "Okay, I'll write it now."

Tang Jingcai hurriedly wiped away his tears and said happily: "Thank you, third brother!"

Shen Yong resigned and ordered people to monitor Shen Yuqing. If he wanted to escape, he would immediately open the city gate and pursue him. He also ordered people to prepare a letter from the Four Treasures of the Study.In the letter, Shen Yuqing falsely accused him of being crazy and usurping the throne. Tang Jingcai looked on and suddenly said: "I heard about the death of my eldest brother. He was so good and had all the advantages. How could his eldest brother die in Bazhong? How could he die in Bazhong?" Fu and my eldest brother are the best, I must be very sad to hear this news."

Shen Yong said: "It is true." So he wrote Shen Yu a listening letter to thank Gubai for his slander, which put Shen Yayan in danger and caused the death of his brother. He hoped that Shen Congfu would lead his troops back as soon as possible to put things right.

Shen Congfu recognized his handwriting, but there was no seal on his hand, so he asked Tang Jingcai to get Shen Congfu's seal of the governor of Guizhou, stamped it with Shen Qingge's token, sealed it with red seal and fire lacquer, and gave it to Tang Jingcai: "I If you want to find Yu'er, please send someone to give it to your fourth brother." Tang Jing then took it, folded his hands and thanked him.

100 men and horses were already prepared, and they were delayed for a while because of this letter. Shen Yongci was worried that Shen Yuqing would escape. He felt relieved when he heard that Shen Yuqing was still there and had only retreated two miles away.

The city gate opened, and Shen Yongci led a hundred horses out of the city. Shen Yuqing saw it, turned his horse and left.Shen Yongci led Baiqi for more than ten feet, but Shen Yuqing retreated half a mile away. Shen Yongci ordered everyone to stop, thinking: "Yu'er still has some concerns." He rode forward.Shen Yuqing saw him riding alone, and the five of them suddenly turned their horses and fled.

Shen Yongci knew that the plan was seen through and shouted: "Chase!"

When Zhuo Shiqun saw Shen Yuqing escaping, he was about to follow Shen Yongci's instructions to chase him, but he saw the fourth lady guarding the city gate, grabbing his sleeve and worriedly saying: "Where is Deputy Commander Zhuo going? If you are not here, who will keep Bozhou safe?" ?”

Zhuo Shiqun said: "The master ordered me to catch the traitor."

Tang Jingcai shed tears and said: "What is going on here is unknown. They are father and son fighting. It is a dilemma for who to help. If you help the wrong person, why don't you confiscate your home and ask for execution? How can the fourth master be in such a dilemma?"

Zhuo Shiqun was shocked and asked, "What is the fourth lady's advice?"

Tang Jingcai shook his head: "I am a woman, so how can I have any high opinions? Ordinary Qingcheng disciples, why bother killing each other? I would rather not see or hear."

Zhuo Shiqun is in a dilemma. Whether he helps Shen Yongci or Shen Yuqing, if he helps the wrong person, he will be in disaster.Seeing that the Supreme Leader has the advantage, what if he can't catch him?The small area of ​​Bozhou is poorly defended. If the leader escapes by chance and leads an army to attack again, how will he resist?I don’t know who the fifth master is helping, and the fourth master is not here, so it’s really difficult to handle.

As soon as his thoughts changed, he looked at the Fourth Madam in front of him and suddenly had some concerns. He hurriedly asked: "Do you think the Fourth Madam should go out of the city to help the Supreme Leader or not?"

Tang Jingcai shook his head: "How can you ask a woman like me such a thing?"

Zhuo Shiqun knew that the question was wrong, so he asked again: "Does Madam need our protection?"

Tang Jingcai was surprised and said: "Is the deputy commander going to abandon me?"

This was what Zhuo Shiqun wanted, and he shouted loudly: "Close the city gate and defend the city!"

The Grand Master leads a hundred people to chase her. Whether we catch up or fail to catch up, the Fourth Madam wants us to stay and protect her. No matter who is responsible, it will be blamed on the Fourth Madam who is ignorant of the world. Just say that she stopped him from leaving the city.After all, the Fourth Madam is a member of the Qingcheng family. If it is her own family that embarrasses her own family, even if she is really accused, she will not sit idly by with her gentle and kind temperament if she pleads with the innocent Fourth Madam.

Tang Jing saw the city gate closed and said, "I'm flustered, so I'm going back to my room to rest." Zhuo Shiqun hurriedly sent someone to escort the fourth lady back to her room.

As far as Tang Jingcai was concerned, it didn't matter whether Shen Yongci could catch Shen Yuqing or not. Even if he helped Shen Yongci regain his position as the leader, Shen Congfu would only end up in Shen Yayan's position at most, and would have to be beaten by Shen Yongci day and night. Surveillance is not as good as Shen Yuqing being the leader.As for causing internal friction in Qingcheng, that will be the capital for him to challenge his sister in the future. Now is not the time.

She still lacked a child, she thought, and the Shen family's generation seemed to be suffering from a disease and the population was withering away.

She returned to the Governor's Mansion. The inner courtyard where she and Shen Congfu lived was a forbidden area. When Shen Congfu went to war, there was no one else except the Tang Clan guards brought by her mother's family.There are even fewer people in the Governor's Mansion today, and even the guard disciples who usually patrol have been called up to the city wall.

It was such a good day that Tang Jing returned to the door and looked back at Tang Ying, his eyes sad and touching.Tang Ying quickly followed into the room and closed the door skillfully. Tang Jing then threw herself into his arms and couldn't help but tremble.

"Don't be afraid. No matter what happens, I will protect you." Tang Ying whispered, full of pity.

(End of this chapter)