Chapter 248 Tiger Skin
No one was standing on the left. In fact, in the first period of time, the atmosphere was depressed and tense, and no one moved at all. The soldiers in other parts of the stockade found that there was an accident here, and did not dare to come and check without an order.
Zhao Mengli was not only their general, but also the strict father and the alpha wolf. He used swords and whips to tame the soldiers for many years. Suddenly, he fell down, but the swords and whips did not disappear immediately. They were still hanging above everyone's heads. .
Han Ruzi didn't think about it that much. He walked into a desperate situation step by step, and there was no other way out except to move on. He slowly pulled out his knife, then used the knife to gently push aside the guns in front of him, took two steps forward, stepped aside, exposed the corpse behind him, stared into the eyes of a general, and said, "You Is it a Great Chu soldier, or a lackey from the Zhao clan?"
The man was trembling and speechless.
"I'm a soldier of the Great Chu!" Cui Sheng shouted from the crowd. When Juan Hou started, everyone else rushed forward, and he was the only one who retreated. For him, the choice was easy to make, and he was already standing on the right side. , "Marquis Tien has an imperial decree, he was ordered to take over the Southern Army, Zhao Mengli will die!"
Cui Sheng was eager to do meritorious service in front of Marquis Juan, and pointed at the scout who had stopped halfway, "Do you think the Northern Army is heading south?"
As soon as the scout jumped off the horse, he saw General Zhao being killed, and was stunned. Hearing the question, he became even more frightened, "Ah?
Han Ruzi walked slowly towards the sword and spear. The officers and guards who were in front of him stepped aside, but did not put away their weapons.
When the crowd gave way to a passage and divided the stations left and right, Han Ruzi stopped and turned around, looking coldly at the seven or eight people on the left.
In the eyes of these few people, someone has already stood on the right and chose to be a "big Chu soldier", but they are "Zhao's lackey". They turned their heads and glanced at the fallen General Zhao, and they were sure that he would never stand again. After getting up, they all ran to the right and threw away the weapons in their hands.
Han Ruzi's dangling heart finally let go.
Zhao Mengli has a tiger leather chair, which he takes with him wherever he goes. It is placed in the conference hall at the moment. Apart from that, there are no other seats in the entire hall. The qualification to sit, if the boss comes, he will arrange it in advance.
Han Ruzi sat on the tiger leather chair. He felt neither comfortable nor imposing. Dead things were dead things. No matter how brutal and violent the tiger was, it was just a blanket now. Bug eyes.
Zhao Mengli was also a dead tiger, and Yu Wei was still there, but like the tiger's skin, it was just a symbol.
The subordinates who had been silent in front of him not long ago, at this time, strictly abide by the custom, and without waiting for the new master's order, they cut off Zhao Mengli's head with a knife, and passed it on to the whole village, announcing that Yingfeng Village was taken over by Marquis Juan.
No one stood up to refute, and no one tried to take revenge.
Cui Sheng and a group of generals took their heads out of the village, showed them to the soldiers of the Southern Army outside, and summoned the generals of each battalion to enter the village to meet Marquis Juan.
Han Ruzi sat on the tiger-skin chair, Meng E guarded by his side, and a dozen steps away from the opposite side was kneeling and trembling with a scout.
While there was still a little time, Han Ruzi had to solve a big or small flaw first.
"Tell me, what news did you bring back?"
"North Army...North Army..."
"What happened to the North Army?"
"We... caught a Northern Army spy."
It turned out that, Han Ruzi asked: "Did you come to inquire about the military situation?"
The scout shook his head and waited for a while before squeezing a few words out of his mouth, "I came from Baiqiao Town, and I'm going to Mancang to deliver a letter, and we...caught him."
This was the messenger sent by Cai Xinghai last night. It was unobstructed on the road and entered the boundary between the southern and northern armies, but was stopped by a hidden sentinel. This was a mistaken arrest, the handover of the two armies was improper, and the sentinel started to take action as soon as he saw the clothing of the Northern Army, no matter where he came from.
Han Ruzi was stunned for a moment. He also hoped that the North Army would go south as soon as possible to support him, but he did not expect the messenger to be arrested. He couldn't get angry, and couldn't tell the truth, "This person is here to greet the soldiers of the Northern Army, and he will be released immediately."
"Yes." The scout was dripping with sweat and got up to leave.
Han Ruzi was more familiar with the affairs of the military, and shouted: "I'm leaving now? There is no military order, why do you let people go?"
The scout was bewildered by the fright, and immediately knelt down again, "Yes."
"Call in all the military officials in the village."
Under Zhao Mengli's command, compared with the soldiers in armor and helmets, the literati with pen and paper were treated worse. They were all gray-faced, similar to prisoners, and their number was small. There were only a dozen or so people under the clerk, but they had to work for a team of ten thousand people. The military handles paperwork.
They were very respectful to the new owner, and there was probably a little secret joy in their hearts, and they quickly wrote down the release order. The official seal was in Zhao Mengli's arms, and Han Ruzi had obtained it before entering the hall.
After the seal was stamped, General Han Ruzi gave the order to Meng E next to him, "Let Chao Hua and all the northern troops take the scouts to give orders. After releasing the people, don't stay, go directly to Mancang, and come back when you see the messenger released."
Meng E raised her eyebrows slightly. Her duty was to protect Marquis Juan, especially now, when she was trapped in the southern army camp, when she left, Marquis Tien would be completely isolated and helpless.
The corners of Han Ruzi's mouth moved slightly, indicating that Meng E didn't have to worry, he was sure to control the southern army here.
Meng E took orders to leave, and Chao Hua and more than 200 soldiers of the Northern Army set out to release people and deliver letters. There were enough numbers that the Southern Army sentries would not dare to stop them even if they misunderstood.
The military officials found that Marquis Juan was not as inaccessible as Zhao Mengli, and began to make bold ideas. Most of the Han Ruzi accepted them. Soon after, the military orders bearing the seal of General Zuo were issued like snowflakes, and they were sent to the counties between Yingfengzhai and Baiqiao Town. Ten military camps, the content is very simple, affirming that the shogunate of the Southern Army has been transferred to the hands of Marquis Juan, and from now on, all documents will be sent to Marquis Juan.
Soldiers and soldiers are visible troops, while documents are less conspicuous nets that can overcome rigidity with softness and slowly gather the troops.
Half an hour later, Han Ruzi felt that it was almost time, and summoned the general who had been waiting outside for a long time.
More than a hundred generals filed in, and some of them had just arrived. A few hours ago, they were still sleeping soundly in the tent, but they were suddenly woken up and said that there was an imperial decree. The soldiers mounted their horses and galloped all the way. They didn't even know who they were following. They heard countless rumors on the way. This was the first time I saw Marquis Juan.
Zhao Mengli's head produced a great deterrent force. Even the half-hearted generals entered the village honestly, wanting to see what this tired marquis who dared to attack the Taifu's confidant looked like, and even more wanted to see the legendary imperial decree. .
The imperial decree is the key. After all, the Northern Army is the army of the imperial court. No matter how Taifu Cui and the empress dowager fight against each other, the 100,000 soldiers always remember the word "Great Chu". Like Zhao Mengli, the generals who are only loyal to Taifu Cui are in the minority, and most of them are killed. Cui Hong was with him.
The palace has not issued any decree for nearly half a year, and everyone understands the great significance of this first imperial decree.
Han Ruzi repeated the half-truth "lie" again, this time more concise, but also more realistic, the number of troops who went to the capital to escort was accurate to a thousand people, the failure of the champion Hou has become a reality, and Cui Hong is desperate. , there is only one ray of life left...
Han Ruzi took out the imperial edict at the right time and held it in his hand to show it to everyone, but he did not show it to anyone. From now on, this imperial edict will only stay on himself.
The generals of the Southern Army in Baiqiao Town had circulated the imperial edict. After several hours of running around and panic, most of them had forgotten the contents of the imperial edict. Naturally, the two parts of the memory were merged into one, so he also swore to assure the other generals that the imperial edict was indeed to let Marquis Juan take over the Southern Army and lead his division to rescue him.
The Cui brothers were more anxious than anyone else, rushing to persuade their father to surrender as soon as possible.
Han Ruzi chose Cui Sheng, and the eldest son of the Cui family was more trusted by his father.
"Please tell Taifu, if he wants to return to Baiqiao Town, yes, the 100,000 Northern Army and the 40,000 Southern Army will fight him decisively at Yingfeng Village."
"Decisive battle? No no? There will never be a decisive battle. My father is a smart man. As soon as I say it, he will understand. Hou Juan, brother-in-law...don't get angry. We are a family, and we can discuss anything..."
Cui Sheng left in a hurry, only brought two guards, and returned to Baiqiao Town without a break, his mind was full of the ideas that Juanhou had instilled in him.
Han Ruzi could not immediately go to reinforce Baiqiao Town, and the southern army was arriving one after another. He had to consolidate the victory he had won and let the 40,000 people support him with all his heart.
Because the departure was too hasty, there were actually only more than 30,000 southern troops who finally arrived at Yingfeng Village, and nearly 10,000 people stayed in place for various reasons.
Han Ruzi felt that this was enough, opened the gate of Yingfengzhai, and established a camp at the foot of the mountain to accommodate the new soldiers. If you don't fall, in short, let the soldiers see him, and see that Hou Wan is supported by many generals.
Cui Teng personally held the flag of the Southern Army Zuo General and followed the Marquis Juan with a serious face, showing unprecedented seriousness.
Until the middle of the night, Han Ruzi finally got free.
There was news from Baiqiao Town that Mrs. Cui had not yet led a counterattack, which made him feel a little relieved.
Han Ruzi was extremely sleepy, but he didn't dare to sleep. He sat alone on the tiger-skin chair in the council hall.
Mrs. Cui is not that easy to deceive. His choice will have an immeasurable impact on the future situation, as well as Shangguan Sheng and the Empress Dowager in the city. They will not easily admit defeat. If the situation develops to the point where a war is necessary, Han Ruzi has a very low chance of winning— Whether it was the 40,000 Southern Army who had just arrived, or the Northern Army who had a very good impression of him, it was unlikely that he would openly confront the imperial court for him.
The guard came in, stood far away at the door, and said respectfully, "Report to Sima, your personal accomplice has returned."
Han Ruzi nodded.
Soon after, Meng E came in and stopped ten paces away, "It will take three or four days for the Northern Army to arrive."
"Yeah." Han Ruzi is not surprised, that is, these three or four days will decide whether he will win or lose, whether he will live or die.
Meng E hesitated for a while, then took two steps forward, "Can I ask you one thing?"
"Of course." Han Ruzi showed a slight smile. After seeing Meng E, he felt a little relieved. The safety within ten steps was finally guaranteed, and he could concentrate on things beyond ten steps.
"Your strength is obviously worse than others, but you dare to fight for the throne. I am very puzzled, where does your confidence come from?"
Han Ruzi smiled more, "Do you think you can compete for the throne with strength?"
"Of course, everyone...most people think so."
"You are all wrong, the throne is power, you can't have 'strength' and then compete for 'strength'. If you have to wait until you have enough strength to fight, then Taizu will never be able to establish the Great Chu. Throughout the dynasties, the emperor Always the strongest, but he could still be killed, deposed, overthrown, why?"
Meng E shook her head.
"He has strength but doesn't know how to use it. It's like a sword that is unparalleled in the world. It can only be admired on the wall, and can't be held in his hand to stab. Naturally, it will give others an opportunity to take advantage of it."
Han Ruzi moved, "I once held the Emperor's Sword, but I lost it. Now I want to get it back, Meng E, I have learned how to carry the sword."