My brother Ying Zheng, who dares to kill me?.

Chapter 743: Personal loyalty has nothing to do with family loyalty! Ambush and kill Wu Anjun in the forest!
Two quarters of an hour ago.

Wu'an City Government Office.

Sima Shang stood in front of the Kunyu map of Wu'an City, staring at the surrounding terrain inch by inch.

While he was observing, Li Kuo, the magistrate of Wu'an City and Li Mu's cousin, pushed open the door and walked in. He said in a gentle voice, "Captain Sima has been on a long raid, so let's take a break first."

Sima Shang asked without even raising his head: "Have you found any trace of Wu Anjun?"

Li Kuo was silent for a few breaths, then sighed softly, "The scouts haven't brought back any news yet."

Sima Shang murmured, "Yesterday morning, Wu'an Jun just left Wu'an City and continued to move eastward."

"Logically speaking, the scouts shouldn't have been able to find Wu Anjun's whereabouts for so long!"

A terrifying guess emerged in their minds at the same time.

Wu'an Jun may have met with an unexpected accident!
But no one dared to speak out this guess.

Because this news is a heavy blow to the entire State of Zhao!
After a long silence, Sima Shang raised his head to stop the sparkling eyes from shining, and said in a deep voice: "Investigate again!"

"We must find out where Wu An-jun is!"

"The Qin army is coming with a great victory, only Wu Anjun can resist!"

Li Kuo immediately cupped his hands and said, "All the scouts in the county have already moved eastward."

"Wu'an County, we must do our utmost to search for the whereabouts of our Lord!"

Sima Shang had no doubts about this, and asked, "Have the inspections of the identities of the fleeing soldiers at each city gate been fully implemented?"

Li Kuo said solemnly: "Don't worry, Commander Sima. I have already sent 3,000 soldiers to execute this order."

"Two thousand soldiers are stationed at the four city gates to strictly check all soldiers and horses entering the city."

"Another thousand soldiers will lead the friendly forces to line up at the city gates to suppress the chaos."

"These three thousand soldiers are all the elite troops of Wu'an City. We will not allow even one uninspected soldier to enter Wu'an City!"

Sima Shang was relieved and said seriously: "Qin Chang'an is good at strong attacks and even better at surprise attacks."

"When Qin attacked Chu, the Qin Chang'an Jun once rushed thousands of miles and captured dozens of cities in succession, most of which were taken by sending soldiers disguised as Chu troops into the city during the chaos."

"The inspection at the city gate must not be..."

Just as Sima Shang was giving the order, a loud noise penetrated half of Wu'an City and pierced Sima Shang's eardrums.

Sima Shang suddenly looked up to the west and rushed out without even saying a word.

Li Kuo was about to go out with Sima Shang when he heard a familiar drum sound.

"Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!"

Li Kuo's face turned pale instantly, he fell to the ground, and muttered incoherently: "Qin Army's victory drum?!"

"Qin army, are you ready for a decisive battle!!!"

Every general knows the famous military saying from Zuo Zhuan: 'The first attack is powerful, the second is weak, and the third is exhausted'.

It is a basic rule that every general knows that the drum of victory must not be sounded lightly.

Now the sound of Qin army's victory drums resounded throughout Wu'an City, which meant that Qin army had not only arrived outside Wu'an City, but was also ready for a battle to defeat Wu'an!
Li Kuo, who was well aware of the defensive strength of Wu'an City, did not think that Wu'an City could hold out under Ying Chengjiao's decisive offensive.

Li Kuo also didn't know that if Wu'an City fell, after Le Cheng fought at Jingxing, Le Jian fought at the Zhangshui Great Wall, Li Mu was missing, Pang Nuan, Hu Zhe and other veteran generals had all passed away, and even Zhao Cong had died in battle, who in Handan City could withstand Ying Chengjiao's attack!
After more than ten breaths, Li Kuo finally stood up, slowly sat down in front of the desk, spread out a piece of silk and wrote quickly:
[From Madam Jun (Li Mu’s legal wife)! ]

[On the day when the Lord was replaced in battle, the commander-in-chief, General Cong, died in battle, and our army was defeated. The remaining soldiers fled to Wu'an City.]

[All the generals and soldiers in the army wanted to find the king to regain the tiger talisman, but after the king left Wu'an City in the east, there was no news. ]

[Today, Wu'an City is in imminent danger. Even our great Zhao State may be in turmoil! ]

[The current situation is so difficult, Madam Jun should have been thinking about the future of our Bairen Li family. ]

[Now the Longxi Li family is growing stronger and stronger. My cousin Li Yao is the governor of Qin State, and my nephew Li Xin is also the commander of Qin State. They can help our Bairen Li family lobby the King of Qin.]

[Kuo knows that your Majesty's eldest son, Li Bo, is proficient in military strategy, has great literary talent, and has a noble character. Kuo begs your Madam to send your Majesty's eldest son, Li Bo, to Qin to leave a bloodline for our Bairen Li family! ]

[Kuo, I am willing to send my family to Qin to protect you along the way! ]

[My cousin Kuo, in Wu'an City, weeps and pays respect to your wife! ]

Li Mu was indeed loyal to Zhao.

But personal loyalty does not represent the loyalty of the Bairen Li family!

After blowing the ink dry, putting the silk into a bamboo tube and covering it with sealing mud, Li Kuo strode out of the room.

"Send this letter back to Bairen's old house immediately at all costs!"

After handing the bamboo tube to the younger generation of the clan to pass on, Li Kuo slowly exhaled, his heart free of worries.

Taking the long halberd from his family soldier, Li Kuo rode out of the county government office and headed west, and finally found Sima Shang who was commanding the battle at the front line.

"Hold on, all of you!"

"My soldiers, line up! Even if I die in battle, don't worry, fight to the death! Never retreat!"

Looking at the lost West Gate and the large number of Zhao army soldiers wearing Zhao army armor but stabbing their comrades with spears, Li Kuo approached Sima Shang and said solemnly: "Captain Sima, we can't hold on any longer!"

"If we continue to fight here, my entire army will be buried with Wu'an City!"

Sima Shang looked at Li Kuo and asked in surprise, "Is Magistrate Li still not running away?"

Sima Shang didn't believe that Li Kuo didn't hear the Qin army's war drums.

Therefore, when Sima Shang turned around and did not see Li Kuo, he assumed that Li Kuo had already escaped.

Who would have thought that Li Kuo would catch up again!
Li Kuo smiled calmly: "As the magistrate of Wu'an County, I shall live and die with Wu'an City!"

"It's Captain Sima, it's time to go!"

The Li clan of Bairen will not be loyal to the State of Zhao, and Li Kuo will take the initiative to seek a way out for his clansmen in order to preserve the clan's power.

But it does not mean that Li Kuo is not loyal to Zhao State!
Pulling Sima Shang behind him, Li Kuo said in a deep voice: "Now the troops of Wuxiang Jun and Changguo Jun have not returned to help."

"Handan City is empty!"

"If all of Sima Duwei's troops are defeated here, Handan will be in danger!"

"Please Commander Sima lead your troops to Handan City immediately and help Handan City resist Qin after reorganizing the army there!"

"My troops will fight to the death in Wu'an City to gain an opportunity to fight for Handan City!"

Sima Shang was stunned.

This is already the second time.

After Zhao Cong chose to cover the rear of the army, Li Kuo also chose to cover the rear of the army.

What the two wanted was to leave as many living forces as possible for the State of Zhao so that they could fight again!
Taking a deep breath, Sima Shang bowed solemnly and said, "Thank you, Magistrate Li."

"I will rush back to Handan City and ask the king to reinforce Wu'an City!"

Li Kuo smiled and bowed: "Captain Sima, have a safe journey!"

Reinforcements?

It's just a joke.

Li Kuo knew very well that the military strength of Wu'an City was not enough to hold out until the day when Zhao State would gather its army again and reinforce Wu'an City!
After watching Sima Shang ride away on his horse, Li Kuo turned around and shouted loudly: "Wu'an County comrades, listen to my orders!"

"We are all from your clan and we must not bring disgrace upon the name of Lord Wu'an."

"Array up!"

"Stop the enemy!"
-
at the same time.

In the dense forest forty miles northeast of Wuan City.

Zhao Liao patted the tree trunk beside him with his right hand, looked around, and said with a smile: "There are mountains in front and water behind. It's still early spring and the grass and trees are lush."

"It's really a treasure land!" Li Mu panted and said casually: "To think this place is a treasure land, it seems that you have not traveled many rivers and mountains in your life."

"After this battle, remember to go out more often and broaden your horizons."

"It also saves us from being embarrassed in the future."

Although Li Mu was carrying a shackle weighing twenty kilograms, the shackle could only bind Li Mu's hands and neck, but could not bind Li Mu's mouth!

Even though they had been traveling together for several days, Zhao Liao's face still turned black because of Li Mu's casual words.

Zhao Liao snorted coldly and drew his sword: "After this battle, I will have plenty of time to visit the beautiful mountains and rivers of our Great Zhao."

"Mr. Wu'an, please take a closer look at this place."

"Even if Wu Anjun no longer pays attention to this place, from now on, Wu Anjun will have to watch this scene day and night!"

Li Mu's eyes suddenly focused: "What are you saying, Minister Zhao..."

Before he could finish his words, Li Mu subconsciously pulled back.

"Dah!"

A long sword pierced through the air where Li Mu had just stood, and finally stabbed into the tree trunk!
Li Mu pulled away and retreated, shouting angrily: "I am the Lord Wu'an of the Great Zhao, how dare you kill me!"

Zhao Liao called on the other ministers to surround Li Mu, drew his sword, and said coldly: "When Wu'an Jun insulted the Queen Mother and the King in the past, why didn't he take into account the status of the Queen Mother and the King?"

"Now the king has ordered me to die, how dare Lord Wu An not die!"

Li Mu's voice was cold and desperate: "The Prime Minister ordered you to kill me?!"

"The Qin army is coming with great momentum and fighting spirit. Qin Chang'an Jun is personally in charge and orders the earth dragons!"

"Although I have suffered a minor defeat and disobeyed the king's order, I am devoted to the Great Zhao and am willing to go to Handan City to be questioned."

"My Great Zhao is in need of talents, how dare the Prime Minister kill me without asking!"

"How could the king allow the prime minister to kill me?"

"Are you not afraid of the king's punishment?"

Guo Kai had no intention of killing Li Mu.

At least he was not prepared to kill Li Mu as long as Li Mu was still valuable to Guo Kai.

King Qian of Zhao had no intention of killing Li Mu.

At least he was not prepared to kill Li Mu until he was sure that Li Mu was in collusion with Zhao Jia.

But the Queen Mother of Zhao had long wanted to kill Li Mu!
At every important moment in the life of the Queen Mother Zhao, Li Mu would jump out and openly accuse the Queen Mother Zhao of being not only a prostitute but also a widow, and she was also determined to obstruct the Queen Mother Zhao's son from becoming the crown prince and succeeding to the throne. The Queen Mother Zhao wished she could eat Li Mu's flesh and drink Li Mu's blood to relieve her hatred!

Before King Qian of Zhao took power, the will of the Queen Mother of Zhao could represent the will of King Qian of Zhao.

Zhao Liao shouted coldly: "Don't be so rebellious!"

"Will my Great Zhao be defeated without you, Lord Wu'an?"

"Traitor, suffer death!"

However, before Zhao Liao could thrust out the sword in his hand, a cry of surprise suddenly sounded from not far away.

"Coach!"

Li Mu: ???
Zhao Liao:!!!
Li Mu and a group of assistant ministers turned around together and saw more than a dozen Zhao soldiers wearing leather armor running towards them from the southwest!
Li Mu subconsciously shouted angrily: "There is a fierce battle on the front line, how could you appear here!"

The soldiers cried out in grief: "Lord Wu'an! The front line has been defeated! General Cong was defeated and died!"

"Commander! The Qin army has entered Wu'an City. Wu'an City is in danger!"

"Although we are fleeing, the reason we are fleeing is because our group has been dispersed. We have nowhere to go and can only return to Handan City on our own!"

"Comrades, come quickly! Wu Anjun is here!"

Hearing the soldiers' cries, Li Mu was struck by lightning: "What?!"

"It has only been a few days since I left the army."

"Why did the front line suffer such a huge defeat?"

The soldiers' voices became more and more sad: "The day the commander left the army, our army was already badly defeated!!!"

Li Mu's body swayed and he almost fell, his eyes filled with despair and sadness.

Even when Zhao Liao drew his sword against him, Li Mu had never been so sad!

It was because Zhao Liao drew his sword that he only killed Li Mu.

But Zhao Cong's defeat means that countless comrades in the army will die on the battlefield!

Zhao Liao was also stunned.

It turns out that without Li Mu, the State of Zhao would really be defeated!
If Zhao State was really defeated, would Zhao Liao still be able to enjoy the wealth and glory he has now?
It would be fine if Zhao was defeated quickly, but if Zhao was killed by a blunt knife, would King Qian of Zhao let go of the minister who killed Li Mu!

Zhao Liao hurriedly sheathed his sword and stepped forward with a flattering smile, "Hahaha~ Lord Wu'an! We were just playing around just now!"

"Don't blame me! Don't blame me!"

Li Mu said coldly: "Are you playing with my life?"

Zhao Liao slapped his thigh and said, "How can Wu Anjun say that?"

"I have absolutely no intention of harming Wu Anjun!"

"Come, come, come, I will take off the shackles for Wu Anjun first to show my appreciation!"

After Zhao Liao removed the shackles for him, Li Mu stretched his wrists and said in a deep voice, "I will not pursue today's matter any further."

"The most urgent task now is the war on the front line!"

"Please ask Minister Zhao to take me back to Handan as soon as possible to meet the king!"

Zhao Liao was silent.

If Li Mu returned to Handan, he would not necessarily die.

If what these defeated soldiers said was true, then Li Mu would not only not die, but would be reused by King Zhao Qian.

But Zhao Liao would definitely die - because he missed the opportunity to kill Li Mu and was killed by the Queen Mother of Zhao!

For the sake of his own life, Zhao Liao sighed softly: "Since Wu Anjun has realized that I am not joking, I will not hide it."

"Yes, the king wants to kill Wu Anjun!"

Li Mu's pupils trembled suddenly.

The soldiers around him were all shocked and looked at each other.

Zhao Liao said seriously: "Wu'an Jun has been away from the court for a long time, so he doesn't know what's going on in the court, let alone the king's tyranny."

"I respect Wu Anjun as a person, and I really can't bear to see him go to hell on his own initiative."

"So you can't go to Handan City!"

Li Mu asked in a hoarse voice: "Could it be that Minister Zhao is trying to persuade me to surrender to Qin?"

"I will never betray the Great Zhao until my death!"

Zhao Liao said sincerely, "As the Minister of Zhao, how can I persuade Wu'an Jun to surrender to Qin?"

"I just thought that instead of returning to Handan City, it would be better for Wu'an Jun to go north to Dai County!"

Li Mu looked puzzled: "Go north to Dai County?"

"The ancestral temple of our Great Zhao is in Handan, and the king of our Great Zhao is also in Handan!"

"Even if I defend Dai County, what can I do?"

Zhao Liao said softly: "Maybe Wu'an Jun doesn't know that Prince Jia has entered Dai County!"

(End of this chapter)