When Zu Qing left, his steps were slow and heavy, and he was holding a wooden box containing Wang An's head in his hand.

Zhang Jackal looked at the back, although he couldn't see it, he could imagine that it should be a face that was so angry that it was distorted, but he didn't have much of the pleasure of succeeding in his plan, just the pressure that he couldn't dispatch and the incomprehension and curiosity about Zu Qing's choice.

He couldn't understand why Zu Qing, a remnant of the criminal family who rebelled against the door in the southern country, was so obsessed with the Nantou Jin Kingdom? If it is only based on kindness and righteousness, can't the Lord Shihu treat him deeply? Even if he is weak and strong now, why is this kid determined that he will be treated fairly after joining the Jin Kingdom?

After thinking hard to no avail, Zhang Jackal could only guess that the Zu clan might still have connections left in the southern country, and once Zu Qing returned to the southern country with the merit of killing the karma, there would be someone to speak out for him.

As for whether this is the case, Zhang Jackal is not sure, he just sighs that the legacy of these ancestors of the old surname is really enviable. On the other hand, although they Zhang's family danced on his own and became the gateway of the powerful and powerful with deep roots in the country, they still did not have the kind of calmness that allowed the south and the north. In this life, he is destined to be tied to the kingdom of Karma and go to life and death together.

Finally regained control of Dongtai from Zu Qing, and Zhang Yu was faintly relieved in his heart. Now that the Lord's life is in his hands, many places that were previously unobstructed have become smooth, such as Zhang Ju in Fuliu City.

Although Zhang Juqi had tens of thousands of troops, most of the Youzhou army under his command were registered soldiers and Hu Zhongyi, and he could refuse to obey Zhang Ju's orders, but he still could not ignore the authority of the lord. After this strong minister's counterattack, although Shi Hu's deterrence fell to the bottom, it still has a lot of appeal and deterrence among ordinary soldiers.

Zhang Jackal had a lot of doubts in his heart, the reason why Zhang Ju dared to blatantly resist the order of the king of Xindu should be that Zu Qing secretly informed Zhang Ju that the life and death of the lord were not controlled by Zhang Jackal, which meant that Zhang Jackal did not have the most effective means to restrain him at all.

But now that the Lord has already started, Zhang Jackal can take certain tough measures against Zhang Ju, not afraid of the two sides breaking up. If Zhang Ju really dares to swing his way into the interior or lead the troops to the west, at such a critical moment, Zhang Ju will not rule out returning to the political lord again, and the lord will come forward again to clean up this mess.

In the final analysis, this industry and country are still the Shi family, no matter how much Shi Hu has a deep grudge against him, in the end he still has to bow to reality and work hard to survive in order to preserve the Shi family's lineage.

But in the end, Zhang Jackal still didn't choose to open the Dongtai ban to greet Shi Hu, and he didn't plan to see Shi Hu again until the moment of real life and death, after all, this lord was a huge shadow covering most of his fate.

Because shortly after seizing control of Dongtai, Zhang Ju first gave an ultimatum to Fuliucheng Zhang in strict terms, and then devoted himself to the busy work of lobbying the city's magnates and raising the city's defense forces.

As for Zu Qing, Zhang Jackal still didn't make up his mind to completely eradicate it. Although the gap between them is deeper, in the eyes of outsiders, they are still close to each other. Once he kills Zu Qing, it will mean that his own power is unstable, and those powerful people who still want to be able to protect themselves will not and dare not hand over their subordinates to Zhang Jackal's command.

Zu Qing left with the head of Wang An, and did not return to the West Hall to stay overnight, but returned to the temporary residence near the East Terrace. As soon as he stepped into the door, a mouthful of uncontrollable blood spurted out of his mouth.

"How could Ah Lang be like this?"

Seeing this scene, a group of generals who stayed at the door of the house came up one after another and supported him with his swaying body.

"Wang An is dead......

Zu Qing's tone was heavy, he pushed everyone away, walked into the main hall and put the wooden box on the bookcase, he knelt in front of him, bit his fingers and sprinkled blood to remember this rare righteous man in Huzhong, and introduced the cousin with severe demery into the hall, and thanked him for saying goodbye to this life-saving benefactor.

When Zu Daozhong saw the bloody head, he was so frightened that he shouted loudly, unwilling to approach, and buried his head deep in the arms of his servants, not daring to look at it. Seeing this, Zu Qing no longer forced him, and asked people to bring his cousin out. Soon, Zu Daozhong's unique and honest laughter sounded under the corridor again, and it seemed that he had turned his head and forgotten the terrifying picture.

Listening to his cousin's laughter, Zu Qing's expression became more and more complicated. He envied this cousin who was less than melancholy from the bottom of his heart, and it was difficult for him to have that carefree state of mind in his life.

The generals of the Zu family all poured into the hall, and they didn't ask questions, but just looked at Lord Lang with a solemn expression.

"Go to Dongtai, retrieve Wang An's body, and bury it in the temple."

Zu Qing took out his chariot and handed it to the general, and then ordered.

Accidentally losing all the games, Zu Qing knew that this time he was greedy and vainly wanted to be able to take care of things with a small one. But in fact, with a backward figure like him, how can he compare to Zhang Jackal, who has been in the middle of the country for a long time, and even when Shi Hu was still in power, he couldn't eradicate Zhang Jackal's power in one fell swoop.

Previously, because the lord was still in his hands, Zhang Jackal would still have scruples about him, but now his most important bargaining chip is gone, although Zhang Jackal has not killed him yet, but he is just worried about human feelings, and when Zhang Jackal really wields the butcher knife, he is powerless to resist.

The ministry of the West Palace, although Zhang Jackal did not directly state it, it was obvious that he would not let Zu Qing be in that position again. If we fight again at this moment, there will be no better results. Zhang Jackal was able to forcibly kill Wang An in Dongtai, and it was also not difficult to kill him in the West Palace.

is in a hurry to break with Zhang Jackal at the moment, that is the next strategy. He even needs to take the initiative to maintain the illusion of being close to Zhang Jackal's son-in-law, so as to seek development assistance from those in the city who still don't know the truth.

"Let's step aside."

Zu Qing waved his hand and asked the generals to withdraw, while he sat in the hall, seriously thinking about weighing his advantages and disadvantages, and what else he could do.

If he sits until the night, there will be a family in the middle to retrieve Wang An's body, and Dongtai has not left any difficulties, obviously Zhang Jackal also wants to convey that he does not plan to officially tear his face, and this embarrassing relationship between the two sides will still be maintained.

After nightfall, Zu Qing had a small meal, then stood up suddenly, and went straight to his newly married lady's house.

Hearing the door open, the haunting figure finally appeared at the door, but the lady who knelt behind the door did not have the intimacy and joy of seeing Ruyi Langjun in the past. Her delicate body trembled violently, she stepped forward on her knees and trembled and put her forehead on the instep of Zu Qing's feet, and whispered in a cry: "Since the concubine has entered the ancestral family's court, she dare not abandon her life, but she wants to die and return to ......."

Zu Qing originally wanted to kick this lady away with some disgust, but when he saw the lady's tearful eyes after raising her head, her iron-like heart trembled, and he clearly saw the shadow of his early years from the sad and helpless eyes.

After a little muttering, Zu Qing bent down to help the lady up, wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes with a stiff movement, and sighed in a rare gentle tone: "The lady and I are both poor people in this world, but there is always no one to show mercy. How difficult the world is, fortunately the lady has mercy on me, how can I, how can I abandon you? ”

"The concubine's house is under the grass, if it weren't for the husband, the father and brother wouldn't even know that there were such clumsy branches in the court...... Ah, grandpa said to me, husband, husband's heart...... The concubine really doesn't know how to deal with herself, but she is never willing to harm her husband in the slightest, and she would rather die than die! ”

Ah Dong Niangzi threw herself into Zu Qing's arms, poured out in a weak tone, and tears couldn't stop pouring out.

"My father-in-law is not wrong, I am indeed not a lover who can be trusted for life. The criminal family is against the door, the stink is not to be done, and the old things are no longer traceable, but this will force the innocence. I should no longer have the luxury of the warmth of the world, and I don't even dare to leave the blood of the heir to humiliate the world before the family restores its innocence. The lady paid me infatuatedly, but she was embarrassed by herself......"

"No, it's not! Since the concubine and the husband have formed an alliance, the clean will be the same, and the dirty will be the same...... I and my concubine are not afraid of death, the woman is narrow-minded, she only asks for the love of her husband and one person, and she can ask for this, the world scolds her, and the concubine and concubine are not afraid......"

Zu Qing hugged this lady in his arms, and when he heard the weak but resolute tone, guilt grew in his heart, and his long-dormant heart finally had a sense of fulfillment.

The whispering of the night did not change anything, but the estrangement between the newlyweds gradually disappeared. This harmonious atmosphere of Qin Se has gradually affected some other servant families, and they have created a small warm world in this gloomy Xiangguo City.

Soon after the Jin scouts appeared, most of the men and horses in the rear appeared. The soldiers of the Qiang army, who were scattered in the outskirts of the city, did not even dare to wait for the army to get close to see the details, so they hurriedly abandoned the fort and fled back to the city. As these soldiers fled back, the news of the Jin army's attack quickly spread throughout the city.

For a time, the surging human feelings in Xindu City broke the limit. In one night, dozens or hundreds of heads hung under the four city gates. These are the people in the city who planned to flee across the city after hearing that the Jin army was coming, and there were many children of powerful and wealthy families in Huzhong. In order to maintain the situation in the city, Zhang Jackal's iron-blooded ruthlessness at the moment chased after the lord Shihu: if you don't stick to it, you will die.

But these things have nothing to do with Zu Qing, who has been set aside. When he really let go of his heart and accepted the lady at home, he recently enjoyed the warm time hidden in the depths of his memory when he was young and played in front of his father's knees.

However, this warm moment did not last long, the Jin army Wang Shi approached Xindu step by step, standing on the head of the city, it was already clearly visible that the flags outside the city were waving, the war drums were roaring, the war was about to break out, and who could be spared in the city!

Although there are only a few thousand foot soldiers who appear outside the city at the moment, and more than 30,000 troops have been gathered in the city, everyone knows that the Jin army has nearly 100,000 troops stationed in Dongwu City alone, and these thousands of foot soldiers are just the vanguard of the Jin army, and the follow-up army will definitely come one after another.

In view of the discouragement of the people in the city, although tens of thousands of people are like a plate of scattered sand, in order to restore the morale a little and strengthen the heart of the defending army, Zhang Jackal planned to take advantage of the fact that most of the Jin army had not yet gathered outside the city, and rushed out of the city to attack first. Although the outcome is still unpredictable, once most of the Jin army enters here, the defending army will have no chance.

This time out of the city to fight, Zhang Jackal planned to personally sit in the town to supervise the battle, in order to defeat the Jin army first. On the eve of the war, the banquet in the Huguo Temple was flowing, maintaining the people's hearts and minds, and also swearing to win. And Zu Qing, the son-in-law, is also invited.

At the banquet, no matter what Zhang Jackal said, Zu Qing just looked at it coldly. waited until the feast was over, and did not say a word. After the banquet, Zhang Jackal led his family to the military camp at the city gate to stay overnight. And Zu Qing was just about to return with his wife, but was blocked.

"This time the victory is unpredictable, and the people in the city are also mixed, and the Huguo Temple cannot be outside. Sister-in-law, your upstart suddenly appeared, which will inevitably arouse the jealousy of the crowd, and at this time, you still have to stay in the house for the time being to be safe. ”

Zhang Chang, who was in charge of staying in the Guardian Temple, came forward to stay with Zu Qing, but looking at the crowd of scholars behind him, although his tone was still gentle, it was obvious that he did not mean to ask Zu Qing.

Zu Qing naturally knew that his heart was no longer a secret to the Zhang father and son, and he was not surprised by the fact that he was under house arrest, so he just smiled and nodded after hearing this: "It's late at night, I'm not a newcomer to the house, and my uncle doesn't have to care about my daily life anymore." After the father-in-law went on the expedition, the family and state affairs were all related to the uncle, so he still had to take care of himself. ”

The words sounded good, but Zu Qing said them in an almost ridiculous tone, which was similar to meaning that Zhang Jackal was more than lucky in this battle. Rao is Zhang Chang has always been steady, and after hearing this, he couldn't help but look at Zu Qing angrily, and watched him turn around and enter the house before he hated to leave.

This night was a long night for the residents of Xindu, and it was difficult to sleep, not only because of the constant sound of war drums in the night, but also because of the anxiety in their hearts. I don't know how many people are holding the fence and looking into the distance, and a few cold stars on the sky flickering and disappearing, which is even more disturbing.

In the second half of the night, some people couldn't stay up late at night and fell asleep, but suddenly the sound of Jin Ge Iron Horse suddenly fell asleep. The dream was shattered, the couch woke up, and listened in confusion, only to realize that it was not a dream, and the city was indeed in full swing, and the sound of killing shook the wilderness.

Although a strict curfew has been imposed in the city, once it is nightfall, no one is allowed to roam the streets and alleys, and even if there is a light in the room, there will be patrolmen rushing in to put an end to all the schemes of the dark room in private series!

However, when they realized that the fighting outside the city had begun, and their own safety and life were at stake, a large number of people rushed out of their houses and gathered in the streets and alleys, looking eagerly at the night outside the city, which had been set off by the flames of war, trying to distinguish from the chaotic sound of fighting.

In the Huguo Temple, the atmosphere was also solemn and tense, many houses were brightly lit, and everyone was sleepless, eager to know how the first battle would be won or lost for the first time, because it was very important to whether the people's hearts could be settled and whether the city could be defended!

Zu Qing, who was under house arrest in the Zhang's courtyard, was also sleepless, although he did not appear restless and panicked like others, but at the moment he was standing by the window, and the fingers holding on to the window were sometimes tightened and sometimes stretched, showing that his heart was also not very calm.

On the contrary, the Adong lady is as peaceful as she is inside and out. She got up from the room, slowly stepped forward and stood on tiptoe to drape a wind-resisting coat on her husband's body, and then hugged Zu Qing from behind. Zu Qing took the little woman into his arms with his backhand, and his eyes still had to stay in the night of the war.

The fighting outside the city lasted for nearly half an hour after it began, and then it came to an end, and the people in the streets and alleys who were looking forward to it seemed that they could not bear this almost dead silence, and shouted loudly to ask how the battle was going, and at the same time to vent their dissatisfaction in their hearts.

The confusion did not last long, and soon a large number of soldiers poured out of the city camp and began to drive away the people gathered in the long streets, and soon the streets were emptied. These armorers were still as rough as ever, but at this moment, in addition to being frightened, the people had a rare sense of relief.

The small people didn't know that the war was treacherous and dangerous, they just thought that it seemed that the war outside the city was going quite smoothly, otherwise these soldiers would have to go out of the city to help the war, and how could they be in the mood to continue to stay in the city and bully the small people. And as long as the city is not broken for a day, there is still hope for this kind of life, which is not comfortable, but at least survives.

However, these small people don't know that there is no staggering of alleys and military roads in the city. Even if there were indeed reinforcements on the battlefield outside the city, they would not be able to detect it.

Xiaomin was comforted a little and put his heart at ease, at least he could sleep peacefully this night. But for people who really have war experience such as Zu Qing, even if they are not on the battlefield, they can guess that the war outside the city is not going well.

Like at the beginning of the war, the sound of fighting that lasted for nearly an hour actually had a few very inconspicuous ups and downs. Ordinary people are inexperienced, so they naturally can't tell the difference, but when Zu Qing heard it, he was a little sure in his heart.

In fact, no matter how physically strong the army is, it is difficult to support the high-intensity battle for an hour. If Zhang Jackal can really succeed in one blow, with his prudence, he will definitely not continue to fight wantonly, but collect his troops and return to the city as soon as possible to publicize the results of the battle.

And although the Jin army is tired from afar, but the general trend is locked, the forward will be attacked at night as soon as it arrives on the battlefield, the normal tactics should be to stick to the camp, refuse not to fight, and not fight for a momentary victory. However, the battle outside the city just now was by no means a movement that could be caused by the strong attack of the Qiang army, and it can be imagined that the two sides were indeed fighting fiercely.

There is only one situation that can make the Jin army fight in the night regardless of the fatigue from afar, that is, the Jin army that goes out of the city to fight is really unbearable, and it is far from being able to suppress the deterrent power of the Jin army in the camp and unable to fight!

Based on all this, it can be analyzed that Zhang Jackal suffered a heavy setback in the first battle of this night attack. And how the outcome of this battle is very important to the country, Zhang Jackal is difficult to ride a tiger, and has to frequently send out troops in order to suppress the Jin army with the advantage of the people at home, so there is a fierce battle that lasts for nearly an hour!

If you want to verify your guess, it's very simple, let's see if the army will continue to draw the city's pawn force after that.

Sure enough, not long after, there was a chaotic sound of Jia Ge colliding and other soldiers in the Huguo Temple. At the same time, Zu Qing was in the house, and he could also hear the continuous sound of people coming and going in the Zhang hall not far away, and it was obvious that Zhang Chang was frequently meeting people and continuing to raise combat strength for his father.

After a long night, there were a few more fights at dawn, but they were not as violent as they had been at first. In the early morning, the city was revived again, and a group of knights of the Qiang Kingdom passed through the city through the city gate, all of whom carried long bamboo poles, on which hung the heads of the Jin army, the robes and other trophies, in order to boast of their strength and show their victories.

Behind this group of knights were thousands of foot soldiers, and when the people had been led out of their homes and gathered on both sides of the road by the boastful knights, the rear foot soldiers rushed into the crowd, seized the strong men and even the women, and invariably incorporated them into the army, and then drove them to all parts of the city wall to serve as laborers and help defend the city.

In the afternoon, Zhang Jackal hurried home, his face full of tiredness and dust. When he walked under the corridor, he turned his head to look at Zu Qing, who was observing him from a distance, made a meaningless gesture, and whispered a few words to Zhang Chang, and then hurried into the room. Half an hour later, Zhang Jackal changed into a new robe, and hurriedly left the residence surrounded by the soldiers in front and behind, and went straight to the direction of the west hall.

"The king is majestic, and he really lives up to his name!"

Although Zu Qing was full of expectations for Wang Shi very early, but when he saw that Wang Shi was only a striker in the city, he could beat the treacherous and cunning Zhang Jackal like a helpless trapped beast, Zu Qing had a deeper understanding of Wang Shi's courage and ability to fight, and at the same time, he was inevitably curious, who was the Wang Shi forward general outside the city, and was it a few famous generals who had already shocked Huayi?

For the next two days, Zu Qing was trapped in Zhang Jackal's house and could not go out. And the battle of the city defense seems to have entered a period of stalemate, except for the fierce night battle on the first night, there was no high-intensity battle after that.

The city has long been strictly controlled by the armor, and the people are not allowed to come within a few zhang of the city wall, and near the city wall, there are constantly flowing arrows, including some herald books, flying in from outside the city wall. In this way, even if it is difficult for ordinary people to get a glimpse of the battle situation, the decline of the Jin army defending the city is becoming more and more unable to hide it, and it is even impossible to force the Jin army soldiers to approach the city wall and throw arrows and flying books!

Whether the city is safe or not, it does not affect the Adong lady who is immersed in the sweet home, right now, her life can be said to have reached a perfect situation, the husband treats her affectionately and gently, and is no longer as deliberately cold and distant as before. Therefore, in addition to greeting my mother at a fixed time every day, I have to stay in the house to accompany my husband most of the day.

But on this day, when Adong Niangzi greeted her mother and returned to the house, her expression was a little trance, and as soon as she entered the room, she withdrew from a group of waiters and walked to the husband who was sitting and reading, and her face was even more solemn. She took out a talisman from her sleeve and pushed it in front of Zu Qing, and said in a solemn tone: "The husband may be hidden in the abyss or fly in the sky, but the only thing is not to go sideways outside the world, waste time, and live up to his ambition." Grandpa's order, the concubine has been stolen, and there is no prohibition on the husband entering and leaving......"

After Zu Qing heard this, his body shook suddenly, and when he verified that the talisman under the palm of the lady's hand was true, he couldn't control his smile, he raised his hand to hold the talisman, and then held the lady's soft hand, and whispered: "The good wife helps me, although the future is difficult, I can also go!" There is already strength at home to stand by, just waiting for me to return. It's just that the lady is afraid that she will hurt people's feelings after that, but I will definitely ......"

Ah Dong Niangzi raised her hand to cover her husband's mouth, and shook her head with a gloomy expression: "Husband doesn't need to say much, the concubine is fortunate to enjoy a good relationship for a while, and she has no regrets." But those who are blessed do not dare to ask for extravagance. If I leave with my husband, my brother will be alert, and it will be difficult for my husband to come out. What's more, after the husband defected to the south, he was innocent after returning to righteousness, and the concubine was just a thief in the north, how could he chase after him and involve his husband...... The concubine only hopes that her husband will return to the south safely, and the lord will always enjoy it, and the blessings will be long......"

When Zu Qing heard this, he struggled in his heart, and only after a moment did he raise his arm and hug the lady tightly into his arms. The lady was gentle for a moment, and then pushed away Zu Qing with great perseverance, just like she had sent her husband away from home earlier, she raised her hand and carefully smoothed her robe for her husband, but tears couldn't stop pouring out: "The sky lives up to the lovers, may the husband go here, go here ......"

The sobbing sound started, and he couldn't speak.

"The crippled body is still waiting for the family, and the lady cannot be lightly allowed. The lady is gracious, and she dare not forget the green oath! In this calamity, if you can survive, when the family affairs are over, the ends of the world will be over, and there will be a period to see each other! If you can't find your mother here, you will die and not be buried! Don't lose and don't forget! ”

After finishing speaking, Zu Qing took out the matching blade, cut off the tail finger, and put the severed finger in the palm of the lady. Seeing this, the lady was already discolored, and was about to find silk to bandage her husband's wound, but Zu Qing laughed, pulled out the lady's clothes, wrapped her blood-stained hand, and then strode away.