Chapter 616 The Imperial Seal

Chapter 616 The Imperial Seal

Today's Shouyang City has long lost its majestic appearance as an important town in Huainan.

The walls of Luocheng were severely damaged in previous wars and have not been systematically repaired so far. The city east of the city is dilapidated. There are few trees on the docks. The weirs were washed away and collapsed by the surge of water due to lack of maintenance. There are many tidal flats on both sides of the river.

In just one year, Shouyang went from the bustling and prosperous Huainan Dayi to the ruins. The devastation of the war on the world can be seen clearly.

Today's Shouyang Luocheng is completely disordered, but there are still many original residents and people living here. The reason why they still linger here is not because they have any deep attachment to this city, but because it is more dangerous outside the city. There are many powerful bandits who plunder people and rob property. Shouyang always had such a good reputation that bandits did not dare to attack, so it became a temporary shelter for the helpless people.

In today's Shouyang Jincheng, there are still Hou Jing's cousin Wang Xiangui and generals such as Tian Ying and Guo Luo who escaped from Liyang. Originally there were more than 3,000 soldiers left behind, most of whom were recruited from Huainan. However, as Wang Xiangui surrendered to the Eastern Wei Dynasty in order to protect himself, many of these soldiers fled for fear of being moved to Hebei. As of now, there are less than a thousand defenders in such a large city, and the power can be described as extremely poor.

It is precisely because of the dilapidation and poverty of Shouyang City that Li Bomu, the governor of West Yanzhou from the south, did not even bother to move to Shouyang after he took control of Hefei. He still left Shouyang Jincheng with Wang Xiangui and his troops.

Yang Zhong also had some understanding of the changes in the situation in Shouyang, but when he actually arrived here, he discovered that the ruin of Shouyang was much more serious than imagined. At the same time, he couldn't help but lament Li Tai's shrewd planning. He did not consider Shouyang city defense as the focus of the battle with Murong Shaozong. Now even if the city is ruined, it will not hinder the implementation of the next plan.

"Immediately tell the city guard that a certain general is newly appointed by the imperial court as the governor of Nansi Prefecture, Xiahou Shijun. He is here to visit the city lord. Please come out to greet him!"

When Yang Zhong led his troops to Luocheng, soldiers patrolling the city came after hearing the news. He reined up his horse and shouted loudly to the soldiers standing at the gap in the city wall and looking around.

After hearing this, these soldiers went back to the city in a noisy manner. No one even came to check the authenticity of the identities of Yang Zhong and his party, so they went into the city to report.

More than a quarter of an hour later, an armored general came on horseback with more than a dozen soldiers. Since the city gate had long been blocked and had not yet been penetrated, a group of people could only continue to communicate at the gap in the city wall.

The general first asked a few questions and examined the tokens handed over by Yang Zhong, but still cautiously asked them to stay outside the city for the time being.

"A certain group of people were persecuted by the Westerners, but they still rushed here to warn me. They were exhausted all the way. You and other soldiers did not want to be grateful and repay me, but you refused to leave the city!"

When Yang Zhong heard this, his eyes immediately widened, and then he raised his arms and shouted angrily: "My sons, follow me into the city! If there is no supply of beef and mutton today, we will kill people and drink blood!"

While he was talking, a group of people poured into the city from the damaged part of the city wall noisily. After seeing this, the guarding general naturally did not dare to stop him any more. He could only retreat hurriedly and ran into the golden city to report the news to the general Wang Xiangui.

Wang Xiangui was sitting in the trapped city, just drinking and having sex with prostitutes every day. When he heard that tens of thousands of troops from the Western Wei Dynasty were marching towards this place, he was so frightened that the wine glasses in his hands fell to the ground, and he screamed incessantly in his heart. He feels like crying but has no tears left. How come all the most unfortunate things in the world have happened to him?

He followed Hou Jingbei all the way to Shouyang. Since he was a die-hard member of his party, he was arranged to stay at the Shouyang base camp, which also showed Hou Jing's trust in him. But two bastards, Tian Ying and Guo Luo, escaped from Liyang and told him that the prince had disappeared from Jiangnan. Another envoy from Poyang King of Nanliang attacked Shouyang. When he saw that he could not defend him, he surrendered to the Eastern Wei Dynasty in order to protect himself.

But the news came again that Hou Jing had taken charge of Jiankang, which naturally made Wang Xiangui regretful. He wanted to flee south but was afraid that Hou Jing would ask him about his betrayal. He was trapped in Shouyang and didn't know which day he would be summoned to Yecheng and executed.

He himself was extremely worried about his situation, but he didn't expect that the Western Wei Dynasty would raise troops to attack again. With Shouyang's current dilapidated state, how could he defend it? This simply leaves no way for him to survive!

Wang Xiangui was so sad that he almost lost his breath, but then he heard shouts and curses coming from outside Jincheng, and his thoughts turned to the anxious Yiyang defeated army who entered the city.

After thinking about it, he led the Shouyang general into the city, intending to take a closer look at the enemy's situation.

Naturally, Yang Zhong would not attend the meeting alone. After arguing with each other for a long time, he was allowed to lead dozens of his elite soldiers into the front hall of the state capital to meet Wang Xiangui.

Although Wang Xiangui didn't know Yang Zhong, seeing his tall stature and impressive temperament, he still asked him a few questions to see if he was from the South. Yang Zhong was naturally not afraid of such a temptation. He talked about the personnel and customs of the Southern Dynasties in detail. Wang Xiangui was stunned for a moment and no longer dared to doubt his identity.

But when talking about the enemy's situation, Yang Zhong's words seemed to hit Wang Xiangui's heart with a heavy hammer. For example, the city of Yiyang was tall and wide, and his lord Xiahou Qiang had more than ten thousand people, but he was still defeated by the Western Army. The Western Wei army tore the city defense apart and massacred the city for several days, etc.

When Wang Xiangui heard the last part, he felt despair and his face was as pale as paper. When Yang Zhong saw this, he said solemnly: "My city is no longer defended, but I am not willing to surrender to the Westerners. The general is a hero from the north and the south. With the mighty city of Shouyang in hand, we should brace ourselves and fight for the city. Is it possible that we can't kill it even if we have to fight against it?"

After hearing this, Wang Xiangui opened his mouth but could not say anything. Although he was extremely desperate, he did not want to show his timidity in front of a stranger like Yang Zhong, so he just remained silent.

Yang Zhong still talked to himself: "My lord had surrendered to Yan Gong Murong Xingtai who was in charge of Xuanhu. However, it was difficult for the southerners to gain trust from Beitou, so Murong Xingtai was unable to come to the rescue. Now the general has already It is the right time for the northern celebrities to invite Murong Xingtai to rescue him. I am also willing to follow the general to defend this city and defeat the Western Army to avenge my lord!"

"You barbarian, what do you know!"

After Wang Xiangui heard this, his eyes lit up at first, and then he smiled bitterly and sighed. Now he is looking forward to the arrival of strong reinforcements from the Eastern Wei Dynasty, but he is also afraid that the Eastern Wei Dynasty will take him to Yedu to question him.

After hearing this, Yang Zhong sneered and said: "What the general fears is nothing more than the Eastern Dynasty pursuing and punishing the former rebels against the princes. But even I, an outsider, can see clearly that the princes have become more powerful than Jiangnan and hold the power of a country. Their party members It will definitely become more prosperous. If it fails in the coming year, its followers will never be able to tolerate it in the south of the Yangtze River. If the Eastern Dynasty severely punishes the general, it will block the people's road to Beitou. How can the tall general be so unwise? ? If the general is really not tolerated, why should the general continue to guard Shouyang? "

Hearing this, Wang Xiangui's face suddenly showed excitement. He pointed at Yang Zhong and laughed and said: "I have many mediocre people in my tent, and they can't help me share my worries. I hope you have the courage of Xiong Zhong, who can use his plans to make things happen." His wisdom is no less than that of Wang Wei, a disciple of Prince Hou!"

But after a while, he sighed again: "I really don't have any affectionate relationship with Murong Shaozong, and now Shouyang is in dilapidated state. Even if I write to ask for help, he may not be willing to come!"

"Shouyang is the capital of Huainan and the prosecutor. The general submitted a letter to Murong Xingtai. How could he not be moved?"

Yang Zhong's expression became a little weird when he said this. He took a deep breath before continuing: "If the general is afraid that Murong Xingtai cannot rescue him in time, he might as well write to tell him that the prince has been defeated by Jiankang. He is so poor that he has nowhere to go, but a few of his close associates have sent the imperial seal from Nanliang to the general. If Murong Xingtai hears this, he will rush to rescue him day and night. "

"The Imperial Seal, what is that?"

Yang Zhong originally thought that Wang Xiangui would be amazed by the clever idea when he told him such words that even his jaw dropped, but he didn't expect that Wang Xiangui looked at him blankly and asked: "Not to mention that the prince has not yet failed. , Even if this happened, why did Murong Shaozong have to come to rescue him? "

"This this……"

After Yang Zhong was stunned for a short time, he patiently explained the origin of the Chuanguo Jade Seal and its significance to a political power. He also said that General Gao Da was now plotting to usurp the country. If he could get the blessing of the Chuanguo Jade Seal, he would be popular. If Murong Shaozong knew this but didn't come to rescue him, he would definitely be severely punished by General Gao.

It is difficult for an ignorant person to understand the meaning of something beyond his cognitive scope in a short period of time. After listening to Yang Zhong's explanation, Wang Xiangui shook his head and sighed: "General Gao is of Xianbei descent, even if he wants to be emperor That is also the emperor of the Lu family. As you said, the late emperor of the Wei family can still command the world, but you and the idiots of the Han family believe in these false things! In my opinion, it is better to prepare more gold and silver gifts to bribe and plead."

"Be sure to add the matter of the imperial seal!"

Yang Zhong knew that only by adding this section could Murong Shaozong rush to Huainan impatiently. Without this, Wang Xiangui might not be able to do so even if he made a golden statue of himself and sent it there.

"Just spend more pen and ink!"

Wang Xiangui snorted coldly after hearing this, but seeing Yang Zhong's insistence, he said in a deep voice: "If Murong Shaozong enters the city and doesn't see this thing, you barbarian will never be able to escape the blame!"

"If Murong Xingtai does not come, the general and I will both wait for death. Only when reinforcements arrive in time can we hope to survive. But if I can defeat the enemy, I will die without regrets, so why should I fear Murong Xingtai will be punished!"

After Yang Zhong heard this, he said generously with a serious face.

Wang Xiangui was heartbroken when he saw such heroic spirit. He summoned the civil servants of the government to write a letter, and after Yang Zhong checked it, he arranged for an envoy to cross Huaibei with a lot of goods and go to Xuanhu. Please help.

After the messenger set off, Yang Zhong suddenly lost a lot of scruples. Taking advantage of the banquet hosted by Wang Xiangui, he directly controlled the people who gathered in the palace and summoned his subordinates from outside the city into the city to wait quietly for the arrival of Murong Shaozong. .