Under the sky

Chapter 322 Destroy the fort and gain ugliness

There was no peace in the Hengshan Sect. As early as more than a year ago, not long after the war started, many small sects submitted letters suggesting peace talks with the Diancang Beggar Clan. Especially after Diancang repeatedly sent messengers but were dismissed by Li Xuanxuan, Ren Bin Zhou Peiyun, the leader of the Hengnan Xinwu Sect who was the right envoy of the Tang Dynasty, once advised: "Deputy Zhuge can only write a letter. Even if the leader doesn't negotiate for peace, why not take a look?"

The Hengshan Bintang is similar to the Qingcheng Auditorium and the Shaolin Mindfulness Hall. It is in charge of external affairs. As the right envoy, Zhou Peiyun often communicates with various factions. He is very aware of the power of Zhuge Ran and Xu Fangge, so he is worried.

Li Xuanxuan said: "As long as the letter is opened, Zhuge Ran thinks we can talk."

"Can we talk about it?" Zhou Peiyun asked respectfully.

This is not what he means alone, it is also what many important people in Hengshan think. After 90 years of peace, no one wants to start another war.Negotiating peace with Dian Cang, reaffirming the rules of Kunlun's consensus, re-electing the alliance leader to avoid disputes are all ways. Some people even think that Dian Cang is understandable in sending troops. Such a big accident happened in Kunlun Palace, and three leaders died. The elected leader can count. ?
Li Xuanxuan just replied coldly: "Before the enemy is driven out, peace talks are tantamount to surrender."

As the war gradually became unfavorable, more and more people advocated peace talks. Although public opinion eased slightly as Qingcheng and Shaolin joined the war, the city of Changsha was destroyed and deputy head Ruan Qifeng, who was forced to the forefront by his staff, could only He bit the bullet and suggested again: "It's better to negotiate peace with the Beggar Clan. Even if we can't become the leader, Hengshan is still the Nine Families."

Li Xuanxuan summoned the two deputy heads, the heads of each hall, the left and right envoys, and other dignitaries to discuss in the main hall.

"Those who want peace talks should stand on the left, and those who want to resist the enemy should stand on the right." Li Xuanxuan said, "I want to hear the opinions of everyone in the audience."

Many people are thinking about peace talks, but several suggestions have been rejected by the leader. Now that the leader asks about it, he can't help but feel worried.Li Xuanxuan looked around the crowd with gentle eyes. Gao Yi, the head of the Huangshi Sect and the current left envoy of the Gongtang, hesitated for a while and stood to the left.

With the first one, there were the second and third ones. There was a noise in the main hall. The war faction and the peace faction used various reasons to accuse each other of being warlike or cowardly. Li Xuanxuan listened quietly to the arguments between the two sides.In the end, most of the important officials from Gongtang, Bintang, and Rendang, who were in charge, stood on the left, while almost all the people from Zhantang and Xingdang stood on the right.

Li Xuanxuan looked at Ruan Qifeng and Mao Yanxue: "Where are you?"

Mao Yanxue hesitated for a moment and stood to the left. Her husband and children were all in Hengyang. She was worried that her family would be in a miserable situation after Hengyang was breached.

When Ruan Qifeng also stood to the left, the two deputy heads discovered something important.According to Hengshan rules, the only ones who can overturn the leader's decision are the three deputy leaders who simultaneously veto the leader's opinion, and Lan Shengqing is still in Lengshuitan.

Ruan Qifeng didn't know if this was an arrangement made by the leader early in the morning.

Li Xuanxuan asked the people on the left: "Do you think Hengshan will definitely lose?"

"Perhaps there are other ways." Gao Yi replied cautiously, "For example, retreating to Guangdong and using the dangerous Shaoguan Pass to defend it can ensure safety."

Li Xuanxuan said: "Once we abandon Hengyang and leave, Qingcheng will retreat, and from now on, Xiangdi will no longer be owned by Hengshan."

This is the reason why Mao Yanxue wants to talk about peace. She supervises the management of grain and grass. With 90 years of accumulation, Hengshan can provide relief. However, losing Changsha, Lengshuitan and other grain storage areas and retreating to Guangdong is equivalent to handing over Hunan to others. , even if it can be stabilized for a while, Guangdong alone cannot support a longer-term war.

"The rules agreed upon by Kunlun are still useful." Zhou Peiyun advised, "After the peace negotiation, the leader of the alliance will be re-elected. If the Diancang Beggar Clan does not retreat, it will violate the territory."

"They have already invaded!" Su Ziyan, the right envoy of the war hall who was leading the battle, shouted loudly, "Except for Qingcheng, Shaolin only helped the beginning, and the Tang Sect wanted to end it. Who really helped Hengshan? Who else cared about Kunlun's joint discussion of the world's siege? rule?"

Zhou Peiyun argued: "That means breaking the rules. What Dian Cang wants is the position of alliance leader. If you don't follow the rules in the first place, there is no need to fight for the alliance leader."

"I don't want to hear the argument." Li Xuanxuan slowly raised his hand to stop the argument between the two.She put her whisk on her left shoulder and sat on the leader's seat, calm and natural, without any hint of panic.

"Those who feel Hengshan cannot hold it stand in the middle of the hall, and those who feel Hengshan can still hold up stay on the left."

The Lord and the people looked at each other, but Gao Yi still took the first step.He came to the middle, and then about half of the people on the left stood in the middle.Mao Yanxue and Ruan Qifeng did not move. Although they may not be confident, they did not conclude that Hengshan would be defeated.

Gao Yi said respectfully: "When troops are approaching the city, the leader must not act out of anger. Please put the welfare of the people first."

Li Xuanxuan was still gentle, and there was no hint of intimidation in her tone. She looked at the group of people in the middle who had lost confidence and said calmly: "If I were a cold-faced lady, you would be dead."

Gao Yi was surprised.

Li Xuanxuan looked at the people on the left again: "Since you think Hengshan Mountain can sustain it, why do you want peace?" Everyone looked at me and I looked at you, not daring to speak.

Li Xuanxuan said: "You hold important positions and are all rich and powerful. Suing for peace can preserve your wealth. You are all planning for your family, not for Hengshan."

Ruan Qifeng said: "The master's words are serious. My surname is Ruan, and I know that no eggs will be left intact after the nest is overturned."

He told a joke, but no one laughed, because he was not joking, but defending everyone.

Li Xuanxuan stood up with a whisk in hand: "I am calling everyone here not to show my righteousness, nor to boost morale, but to say a few simple truths." She came to the main hall and looked around everyone, "You think that by giving in, you can avoid war. Peace can lead to stability, but that is impossible.”

Li Xuanxuan said to the people on the left: "The choice you made will not only fail to protect your wife and children, but will leave a more difficult situation for your wife and children to face. The descendants of Hengshan and all the future leaders will give in because of this step. It’s hard to hold your head up.”

"Concession cannot avoid war. When Dian Cang wants Hengshan to give in, the war will be a matter of time." Li Xuanxuan raised his voice slightly, "When the tiger comes, you can't negotiate with it, you can only kill it, or Died by claws."

After saying this, she turned her eyes to the person standing in the middle of the hall.

"As for you." Li Xuanxuan shook his head, his tone still gentle, neither angry nor disgusted, as if he was dealing with a simple matter, "You are not the people I need now."

As soon as he finished speaking, more than two hundred guards poured in outside the door, each holding a sword and surrounding the group of people in the hall.

"Master!" Gao Yi exclaimed, "What is the master going to do?!"

"Hengshan needs unity now, so I can only temporarily wrong you." Li Xuanxuan ordered, "Take Gao Yi, the left envoy of the Gongtang, and others into prison together with their relatives!"

"Master! You can't do this!" Several people in the middle of the hall shouted, some with a violent temper even uttered vulgar words. Everyone present was shocked when they saw Li Xuanxuan acting so resolutely.Mao Yanxue was stunned on the spot, and Ruan Qifeng stepped forward to dissuade him: "Master, this is inappropriate." Mao Yanxue finally woke up and continued to argue, but Li Xuanxuan just lowered his eyebrows lovingly and said nothing, letting Wei The army dragged the people down.

Only two deputy heads cannot change the head's decision.

"We will defend Hengyang from now on." Li Xuanxuan said, "Please do your best."

The rest of the people were in panic and didn't know how to speak for a moment. Seeing that everyone was afraid to speak, Li Xuanxuan said: "Retreat first, we will hold a military meeting later." Everyone hurriedly dispersed, leaving only Ruan Qifeng and Mao Yanxue. .

Ruan Qifeng advised: "The war is coming. The leader must defend Hengyang. Without these important ministers, there will be chaos."

Mao Yanxue also said: "Sir, do you want to imitate the cold-faced lady?"

"Hengshan is not Qingcheng of the Tang Sect, it is not the world of the family, and I have no descendants." Li Xuanxuan said, "Just because we are not the Tang Sect, we must work together, otherwise Dian Cang and Shaolin will be Yin Jian." "Then you can't kill without permission. Minister!" Mao Yanxue was anxious, "They made no mistake! When Wei Wu went south, the war was hard to break, and Emperor Wu didn't kill the leader or ministers at that time!"

"I don't want to kill them, nor do I intend to punish them. I will deal with them after the beggar gang Dian Cang is defeated." Li Xuanxuan replied, "This is my order. Please Deputy Commander Ruan immediately promote the candidates in each department." She said. Emphasizing his tone, he said, "The beggar gang will come soon and try to appease people's hearts as soon as possible."

News of the arrest of the relatives of the leader and the important people spread quickly in Hengyang. People were suddenly panicked and many people fled. Li Xuanxuan ordered the city gates to be closed to appease the people. This move declared the leader's determination to defend Hengyang.

Defending to the death, there is no possibility of negotiating peace anymore, and the disciples of Hengshan know that taking up weapons is their only way.

Mrs. Lengmian spent 20 years purging the Tang Sect and suppressing any noise inside and outside the Tang Sect.The important people in the Tang Clan are almost all Tang clan members, and blood ties are what they rely on to maintain their power. Without the Tang Clan, they would have no power, so it is extremely difficult to betray them. This makes the Tang Clan extremely united and allows Madam Lengmian to speak the truth.

Power will not betray the source of power, Li Xuanxuan knew this very well.

But this was also the weakness of the Tang Sect. Li Xuanxuan knew that Mrs. Lengmian had also noticed this, so he would stay on the sidelines and not take action until the end.Talents are almost always held in high positions by the sect with the Tang surname. The promotion of talents is bound to be limited. Madam Lengmian's generation has produced several hall masters with mediocre talents.

This is also a reform that Mrs. Lengmian's generation cannot accomplish. She spent too much time dealing with hidden dangers and can only leave it to the next generation to complete her territory.

But the powerful people in Hengshan are different. Their power comes from the promotion of their current connections and their own abilities. The decline of Hengshan will not affect their power.They are not united enough and are taking chances, but unity is the most important thing at this moment.

Hengshan is not a Tang Sect, and cannot be cleaned up in the Tang Sect's way.

Li Xuanxuan stood by the study window, gazing at the red plum blossoms outside the window. The plum blossoms were sparse and fragrant, but she seemed to see a ball of fire in her eyes.

A fire from long ago, a fire that allowed her to transform and be reborn.

"You can become the most powerful woman in the world, a woman more legendary than Mrs. Cold Face."

"When you stand in front of me, you won't have to look up anymore."

■

No one knows how happy Xu Fangge is at this moment.He has always been a person who keeps his emotions and anger secret. Most of the people who can climb to high positions are this kind of people, such as Yan Feixi, Mrs. Lengmian and Juekong.There is also another kind of people who are accustomed to concealing their innermost thoughts quietly, such as Qi Zikang, Shen Yongci and Li Xuanshen.Of course, there are exceptions like Zhuge Yan and Xuanxu.

Only Xu Fangge himself knows how many years he has been preparing for this day.It was a long, long time. The Xu family learned from the Nanyue Tianwang Sect, which was the third sect in Pudi. In Grandpa Zeng’s generation, he was just a small local branch leader. He accumulated connections from generation to generation and relied on his extraordinary skills to fight with others. talent, and eventually succeeded him as gang leader.

Dian Cang has been preparing for three generations, so why is the Xu family not accumulating for four generations?

The power structure of the Beggar Gang is the loosest among the nine families, because the original Beggar Gang was not a martial arts sect, but a gang composed of people belonging to different sects, with people from all walks of life, three religions and nine factions.Although the Beggar Clan has gone through reforms after becoming the Nine Families, with sects controlling the local area and ruling the sects with separate rudders, the Beggar Clan is not a family world like Qingcheng and Diancang. It does not have such a stable core of power, and it is not as close to military control as Kongtong. Or it may be combined by a strict or loose religious belief like Shaolin and Wudang.Among the nine major families, apart from the Songshan Autonomous Region, there is no place where there is a local tyrant like Peng Xiaobei, and no sect can have such a large local power as the Peng family.

The fear of the Peng family has destined that two generations of Old Beggar Peng’s family will not be able to become gang leaders. Of course, Old Beggar Peng has never been a good candidate for gang leader. Such a willful person cannot manage a large sect.

Therefore, when the former gang leader Xu Cangyue was the leader of the Kunlun Palace, Xu Fangge was given the opportunity to form a gang and consolidate the party members as the acting gang leader.After Xu Cangyue returned from Kunlun Palace, it was not that he was unaware of his plot, but it was too late.Xu Cangyue died, and Xu Fangge caressed the back of his hand in the carriage. Even Xu Cangyue's son thought that his father died of illness.Xu's former gang leader died early, giving his successor Xu Fangge more power and time to arrange everything.

His determination to win this battle is even more determined than Dian Cang's.

From Changsha to Hengyang, there was almost no danger to defend. Bai Jili, the head of the Gujian Sect who was responsible for guarding Changsha, sent the remaining disciples south on a warship before the city was broken and died. He then burned the ships and granaries, but to no avail.Changsha has abundant grain reserves and is rich in rice. Xu Fangge only needs to scrape a crack in the ground, not to mention the grain team from Jiangxi.The remnants of the sects in Liancheng and Jianning all surrendered. Xu Fangge collected ships to transport food and sailed up the Xiang River. The sects along the way had already lost their ground in the battle of Changsha and had no power to resist, so they had to surrender one after another.

The first battle was a nuisance of a thousand Qingqi led by Su Ziyan in Hengdong, with little effect. Xu Fangge judged that this was just Li Xuanxuan delaying time to allow the defeated troops to escape back to Hengyang, so as to summon more Guangdong sects to come for reinforcements.The morale of the Beggar Gang was at its peak, and it only took two days to defeat this team. Less than fifteen days after the city of Changsha was broken, the sack flag of the Beggar Gang appeared outside Hengyang City.

Hengyang City is built on the Xiang River, with rivers on both sides of the east and north.Hengshan didn't seem to plan to go to war first and did not send troops to make a surprise attack before the Beggar Clan set up camp. Xu Fangge calculated that Hengyang's defenders were insufficient and Li Xuanxuan could no longer afford to gamble.He was not mistaken. Most of Hengyang's combat forces had already been assigned to the front line. Even if the defeated troops and troops recruited from Guangdong were collected, plus 8000 guards, the number would still be less than [-].

But Xu Fangge was not yet at ease. He was worried about the team from Qidong.Will the Tang Sect's dispatch of troops affect Dian Cang's offensive?The Qidong war zone was chaotic and unclear. He sent many spies, but it was difficult to send back information across the war zone.

Surrounded by the team, Xu Fangge came to Hengyang City and wanted to invite Li Xuanxuan to come out for a talk.There were no arrows fired on the city wall, so Ruan Qifeng came forward and said a few words to persuade the Beggar Gang to retreat as soon as possible.Before leaving, Xu Fangge looked back and glanced at Li Xuanxuan on the city wall.

Three days later.The Beggar Gang launched an offensive from the north. The crossbow bolts of the three-bow crossbow were firmly nailed to the city wall. The huge stones thrown by the catapults smashed the battlements. The shield army covered the fighting teams in the rear and quickly built a pontoon bridge. Top experts rushed to occupy the city tower.

Zhang Sui, the deputy commander of Guiyuan Fort from Zhejiang Province, did not wait for the support of stepping on the pegs and arrows. He only embedded a pair of Ziwu axes into the city wall and climbed up to the top of the city as fast as an ape.The city wall, which was only a few feet high, could not stop a man with skillful qinggong skills, so he immediately opened a small open space on the city wall to accommodate the Beggar Clan disciples on their way to the city.

"East!" Hengshan disciples shouted, "There are people attacking the city in the east!"

Xu Fangge didn't want to delay, so he was led by General Zhao Zhiwu and carried elite disciples on levied civilian ships along the moat to the east.The disciples held wooden mallets and drove steel nails that were more than two feet long and as thick as a pinky finger into the city wall, while other disciples used shields to protect them.

A nail body of more than a foot long is enough for a disciple with good Qinggong to gain a foothold. This nailing of the city army is an old method.During King Nu's uprising, the rebel army was too poor to build many three-bow crossbows and catapults, so they used this method to build some low-rise cities with only four rows of nails.Hengyang City is the stronghold of Hengshan. The city is five feet high. At least seven rows of steel nails are required to reach the city. However, as long as there are four rows of steel nails to gain a foothold, the city can be attacked with hooks and ropes.

Ruan Qifeng sent two generals to lead a team to resist to the east. Mao Yanxue directed the people to carry stones, firewood, bows and arrows and other defensive items to the city.Huge pelting stones collapsed the city battlements, and more and more Beggar Clan disciples responded. Zhang Sui lowered his body, and Ziwu Yue was like two whirlwinds, disembowelling the approaching Hengshan disciples.

Two spears stabbed him, but Ziwuyue was a short-soldier designed to restrain long soldiers. He drew the spear with his left hand and turned around to cut their throats.

A sword light flew in front of him. Zhang Sui didn't know who it was. Just by the power of the sword, he knew he was a general.Zhang Sui walked to Bagua, and Ziwu Yue hooked, captured, cut, pulled, and struck. The changes were unpredictable. The two of them fought seven or eight moves. A big man with an ax rushed up from across the way and struck the Hengshan master with an axe. The Hengshan master Bai While busy, he held the sword for a moment, and the long sword bent and deformed. Zhang Sui did not let his opponent escape, and threw the Ziwu Yue with his left hand, which was inserted into the man's chest.The wound was not fatal enough, so the man rolled on the ground. Zhang Sui cut off the man's calf with the Ziwu Yue in his right hand, and the big man with an ax cut off half of the man's head with a single blow.

Zhang Sui recognized the axe-wielding man as Hao Zhuxue, deputy master of the Shiyemen Battle Hall. He pulled out the weapon stuck in his opponent's chest, thanked him, and was about to kill to the left and right when he suddenly heard screams from people around him.Seven or eight Beggar Gang disciples fell down the city wall, and a blue and white figure with fluttering sleeves flew towards him. Zhang Sui looked up and saw that the figure was blurry in the sun, but the two sword lights in his hands were bright. He hurriedly raised his ax to greet him. Two clanging sounds made his arms numb.

"Ruan Qifeng, please teach me!" This man was actually polite on the battlefield. Zhang Sui was shocked by his name alone.Ruan Qifeng holds two swords with criss-crossing sword lights, which is his famous stunt "Fengyun Cross Sword".This sword technique seems simple, with only two attacks: sweeping and slashing, but what matters is one word: fast.

Zhang Sui only saw a sword light coming from the opponent's head. Fang held up Ziwu Yue to cross it. Another sword light swept from the right, and then another sword light struck from the left, then left, right, left, left, up, and down. , down, right, left, there were only straight slashes and sweeps, the moves were simple but full of truth and falsehood. With only five or six moves, Zhang Sui was beaten back seven or eight steps, and he saw that he had retreated to the city wall.

Hao Zhuxue hurriedly swung his ax to save him. Ruan Qifeng turned around and struck out with his sword. Although the ax struck first, the sword came first. Hao Zhuxue was startled and hurriedly retreated.Ruan Qifeng took a step forward and intertwined eight sword beams with his hands. Hao Zhuxue was struck on the shoulder and thigh one after another and fell to his knees.

Zhang Sui rolled on the spot, lowered his body and engaged Ruan Qifeng. Ruan Qifeng's swords split from top to bottom, but Zhang Sui raised his two axes and stood in the air.Swords of light came from the left and right, Zhang Sui tried his best to fight, but they were all feints, and he was so shocked that he broke out in cold sweat.

Xu Fangge looked down from the city and saw Zhang Sui fighting hard. The city head captured by Fang was about to be recaptured. He frowned and picked up an arrow from the side of the three-bow bed crossbow. He took the disciple's shield with his left hand and took the arrow and stone shot himself. The horse goes straight.

I saw a horseman rushing to the city with a giant arrow, throwing the giant arrow violently, as if shooting from a full bow, making a roaring sound in the wind, and flying diagonally towards the city wall like thunder.

Ruan Qifeng had the upper hand and was about to take down the two generals of the Beggar Clan when he suddenly heard a sharp sound in the wind. He thought it was an ordinary bow and arrow and turned around to block it with his sword. Unexpectedly, the arrow came with strong wind and penetrated In his lower abdomen, the powerful force actually carried him three feet off the ground, killing him on the spot.

"Kill!" Xu Fangge summoned his strength and shouted loudly, "Capture Hengyang!"

(End of this chapter)