Chapter 480 Parting ways
At the end of August in the ninth year of Jinghan in the Wu Dynasty, the city of Hangzhou was destroyed and 150,000 forbidden troops poured into the city.
Fang La's general Fang Qifu led the elite Zhili troops to fight in the city with the imperial army.
At the same time, Fang La and others led their troops to fight to the west. After a desperate battle, the remaining Yongle troops collapsed to the west and south.
The uprising started by Fang La actually swept across a large area. Hangzhou was only the capital where Fang La proclaimed himself an emperor and founded the country. The foundation of the uprising was still in the Qingxi County area.
After Fangla's army was defeated, the imperial troops coming from all over the country continued to hunt and encircle Fangla's remnants.
In just a few days, tens of thousands of corpses were laid out on the front line, which stretched for more than 200 miles from Hangzhou to Qingxi County, and rivers of blood flowed.
In the mountainous area a hundred miles northwest of Qingxi County, a defeated team led by the Ba Dao Camp was crossing the mountains.
When the city was broken, the Ba Dao Battalion that left the city from the south received the task of rearguard. They indeed completed their mission, holding back a large number of court pursuers and allowing many Yongle remnants to escape.
However, when the war paused and Liu Xigua wanted to lead the Ba Dao Battalion to catch up with Fang La's large army in the west, it was already the battlefield where Tong Guan was chasing him the most.
Taking into account the situation of Ba Dao Camp dragging his family with his family, Liu Xigua chose to turn around and leave the city from the south, bypassing Tong Guan's army, turning northwest, and joining Fang La's army in the second half.
"Fang La is dead..."
Ning Yi looked in the direction of Qingxi County and shook his head.
Ye Zixun said with emotion: "Yes, the momentum is too great, and now it is too big to lose. If Fang La can't cut off his wrists, and only takes more than a thousand elites to the mountains to fall into bandits, he will probably be played by Tong Guan until death."
Ning Yi turned his head and glanced at Ye Zixun without replying.
When the city was breached, Ning Yi considered that Su Tan'er was pregnant and would not be able to travel with the army, so he asked Lu Hongti to stay with Su Tan'er to take care of her. He also asked Li Yun and Zuo Yu to protect their personal safety.
As for himself, he and Ye Zixun followed the Ba Dao Camp army to break out south.
During this period, Ning Yi emptied two magazines and killed many court generals who wanted to hunt down the women and children of Ba Dao Camp.
On the other hand, Ye Zixun was taking advantage of things along the way. Apart from protecting Ning Yi, he basically didn't take any action.
This caused everyone in the Overbearing Camp to have extremely complicated views on the two brothers, but Liu Xigua still trusted Ning Yi as always, and the army's roundabout strategy was proposed by Ning Yi.
"Hey, look over there!"
Ye Zixun suddenly poked Ning Yi, pointed at the handsome young man standing next to the girl not far away, and said with a chuckle: "I guess that pretty boy is suing you again!"
The pretty boy in Ye Zixun's mouth is named Lu Jiang.
He was originally one of the orthodox counselors under Fang La, but when he broke the city, he was involved in the Ba Dao camp.
Liu Xigua knew that he had some abilities, so he took him into the army, which could be regarded as gathering the generals of the defeated army.
Ning Yi smiled and said: "Literary people look down on each other. He is a military advisor and I am also a military advisor. Xigua trusts me. He is worried that he will not have his own ecological niche, so he dislikes me. It is normal."
"...Are you sure he just doesn't like you?"
Ye Zixun said with a half-smile.
Ning Yi understood what Ye Zixun meant, but he just smiled slightly and seemed not to care.
In the evening of that day, Ba Dao Camp set up camp, the fire was lit, and Liu Xigua began to patrol everywhere.
Suddenly, Lu will walk out of the tent next to him and whisper something solemnly.
After a while, the two walked into the tent next to them. General Lu took out a small notebook and whispered.
Suddenly, the girl stretched out her hand and clamped the opponent's neck. Lu Jiang struggled desperately, but it was useless. It took a long time, until he was about to suffocate to death, and the girl let go of her hand.
"Everything I said...is true...it's all true..."
General Lu fell to the ground and breathed desperately. As he spoke, he handed over the small book.
Liu Xigua took it silently and began to read the contents on the paper by the light of the fire.
General Lu coughed twice, got up with difficulty, and said with a trembling voice: "On the day the city was defeated, in addition to the artillery, there was also the reason for Dong Fangyue, the guard of the north city gate... He allowed rumors to spread, causing the army to lose morale. The city gate was lost..."
"These days, I have been investigating and asked people in the team. Some people know that after Bao Daoyi's death, Ning Liheng was involved in Dong Fangyue's position transfer. Your Ba Dao camp's timber business is related to Leng Gong There are some connections there, and these operations are very clever... and they just pushed Dong Fangyue to replace the former guard general Leng Gong..."
"That's nonsense!"
Liu Xigua slammed the table and shouted angrily: "Aren't the imperial spies in the city taking advantage of our power to do things? You have to rely on others even though we have made eighteen twists and turns. A scoundrel like you, in my case, Ba Dao Camp requires three swords and six holes, there is no need to negotiate!"
As he spoke, Liu Xigua whipped out a steel knife.
General Lu didn't expect the girl in front of him to be so cruel. He was immediately frightened to the point of chattering and shouted in horror: "I have conclusive evidence... Look back... Look back!"
"..."
Seeing that General Lu looked panicked and didn't seem to be faking it, Liu Xigua couldn't help but fall silent.
She slowly lowered her head and looked through the small book in her hand. She looked at it quietly for a long time, and then slowly inserted the steel knife into the scabbard.
…
…
At night, Ning Yi sat on the grass outside the tent, making tea and laughing with Ye Zixun beside him.
Suddenly, Liu Xigua's figure appeared in front of the two of them.
Ning Yi was stunned for a moment, then said with a smile: "Would you like to sit down and have a drink?"
Liu Xigua did not reply, but turned to look at Ye Zixun: "Brother Ye, can we talk alone?"
Ye Zixun blinked and seemed to understand something. He turned his head and gave Ning Yi a wishful look, then stood up, patted his butt and left.
Liu Xigua sat in Ye Zixun's original position, looking at the jumping bonfire in a daze.
Ning Yi looked at her for a while and suddenly said: "I still insist that no matter how the situation develops, we can no longer go to Qingxi County."
Liu Xigua nodded and said, "Yes."
"There are too many people with families to take care of. We only have 800 elite soldiers left here, and the remaining 3,000 or so are women and children. We really don't have the capital to lose again... What I'm going to do with you is I have no friendship with my uncle, so these questions can be made more straightforward. The main thing is that everyone can see that the past is meaningless. They dare not say these things, but I can tell you."
Liu Xigua turned to look at the bright moon in the sky: "Why didn't you tell me a few days ago?"
"We just broke through the city, and you were thinking about it. Now that you've thought about it, I can say it."
"...Chen Fan and the others are going back."
"I have talked with him. Even if he wants to return to Qingxi County, he cannot take more than ten people with him, otherwise..."
"Otherwise, you want Brother Ye to kill him?"
Ning Yi shrugged: "That's not the case. At most, he won't be able to leave."
Liu Xigua smiled and said, "Then he will hate you for the rest of his life!"
Ning Yi saw Liu Xigua laughing, and he also laughed.
At the same time, above the two people's heads, Ye Zixun came back and quietly sat on the treetop, looking at Ning Yi and Liu Xigua sitting opposite each other below with a complicated expression.
As a time traveler who is familiar with the plot, he doesn't know what will happen next.
Liu Xigua discovered Ning Yi's identity as a spy and naturally wanted to confront him. However, after spending so many days together in Hangzhou, the two had already forged a lifelong friendship. Liu Xigua even developed an admiration for Ning Yi. .
Of course, it might not be accurate to say it's love.
Ye Zixun felt that using the word "comrade" to describe him would be more appropriate.
Liu Xigua's ambition was originally that everyone should be equal, until she met Ning Yi. Under the influence of the other party, intentionally or unintentionally, Liu Xigua began to have a deep understanding of the so-called democracy, freedom and equality.
In her eyes, Ning Yi is a close comrade who has the same ambition as her.
And this is a closer relationship than admiring and being admired.
It was difficult for her to accept the fact that Ning Yi was a spy, and it was also difficult for her to take action against such Ning Yi.
After a few brief chats, Ning Yi began to talk to himself, as if explaining the aftermath, telling all the plans for the future development of Ba Dao Camp.
Liu Xigua listened silently. It wasn't until Ning Yi finished speaking that she sang a breath and said with red eyes: "You know... you know what I'm going to come over to ask you tonight..."
Ning Yi glanced at her and smiled with a complicated expression.
The girl stood up suddenly, shouted angrily with red eyes: "You have been here for so long, have our Ba Dao Camp ever treated you badly?!"
"I, Liu Qianqian, have never confided in you?!"
"Are those things you said before, those freedoms and equality, all fake?!"
Voices mixed with anger and grievance came out, and dense black shadows appeared around the tent.
Ning Yi glanced at those figures and easily distinguished Chen Fan, Fang Shuchang, Liu Tiannan and other familiar friends.
Fang Shuchang sighed: "Brother Ning, I have known you for such a long time. I believe you have some difficulties. If you can prove your innocence or provide evidence that you have no choice, you can tell me."
Ning Yi smiled, put down the tea cup in his hand, and said softly: "The 1,200 people following us are not Tong Guan's Imperial Army. They are the elites of Kang Fangting's Martial Battalion. In half an hour, they will come from the southeast." Before launching a surprise attack, Uncle Nan had better prepare first."
Fang Shuchang, Liu Tiannan and others were stunned for a moment.
Liu Xigua tilted his head and said in a difficult tone: "Uncle Nan, go and confirm."
Liu Tiannan nodded and left quickly with a few scouts.
Ning Yi stood up at this moment and glanced at everyone, finally stopping at Liu Xigua, who had red eyes but a stubborn expression.
"Everyone has different things to do. I've been here for so long, and there are some things you don't know..."
"I don't have a big relationship with the imperial court, but there is an old man named Qin Siyuan who recently became the right prime minister. When I was still in Jiangning, I played a few games of chess with him, and we were considered old friends. So, after leaving here, I will go to Beijing and do my part to some extent..."
Having said this, Ning Yi smiled gently and cupped his hands towards Liu Xigua and others.
“‘Blood-Hand Human Slaughterer’ Ning Liheng, although his ways are different, I’m glad to meet you all!”
Chen Fan sneered and strode out: "Can you leave?"
"call out--"
The sword light came and was nailed to Chen Fan's feet.
Chen Fan stopped and everyone looked up, only to see Ye Zixun sitting on the treetop, holding a throwing knife and looking at them apologetically.
"Sorry, everyone."
"Although Ye really doesn't want to take action against you, but..."
Speaking of this, Ye Zixun paused and then sighed: "Anyway, please give Ye some face and don't embarrass Ye."