In May, the midsummer was just halfway through, and the trees were lush, but the number of Qi troops marching among the hills was comparable to that of the trees.

Even if half of the rear army was lost, the ranks of the Qi people still stretched for miles. The heel army in front was Gongzi Yangsheng, and the commander Guoxia walked with the army, a large number of heavily armed chariot soldiers, followed by a caravan of wagons, countless wagons laden with food, forage, supplies, booty, and wounded, protected by Gao Wupi and his Gao soldiers. They were followed by herds, including pack horses, goats, and scrawny cattle, as well as a small herd of traders. The defender at the end is no longer Gao Wupi, but Guoxia's cronies.

It was not far from their first destination, Yunyi, but Guoxia was still careful everywhere.

The area has entered the hilly area of northern Lubei, the mountains are undulating, the roads have become zigzag, and the flowing streams have cut the flat surface. The already slow march of the Qi army has become even slower, and the road that could have been completed in one day has been delayed for two days.

The bad news continued, Guoxia arranged for the heel army in front to report, and there was a broken bridge ahead, and it took two hours to repair it to the state where the army could walk.

"Two hours?" Guo Xia, the commander of the Qi army, frowned.

"Do you know what you can do in two hours? A force that marches quickly enough to walk forty miles is enough to end a battle of 10,000 people, of course, provided that the battlefield is one-sided. For the general, two hours is enough to kill, let the son speed up, after an hour, you must pass! ”

The herald hurriedly went, leaving Guoxia to continue frowning and thinking in the car.

Needless to say, this must have been a good thing done by those obnoxious Zhao light riders.

I don't know whose idea it was, after Guoxia rescued Gao Wupi, the Zhao cavalry took advantage of their speed advantage and actually ran to the front of the Qi army. In order to delay the movement speed of the Qi army, these people did everything they could, breaking bridges, cutting trees and blocking roads, as long as they could think of a way, they all tossed around on this road. This made Guoxia's heart angry, but he couldn't catch this group of road saboteurs at all.

The danger not only came from the front, but also from the rear, just more than ten miles behind the army, two Zhao divisions were following, they were the spear-wielding Lu soldiers narrated by Gao Wupi, and the lightly armed Zhao soldiers.

It's not a thing to be stared at behind by two pairs of unkind eyes all the time, Guoxia also goes sideways, since he can't catch those people when he turns back, he simply orders everyone to discard the loot he has obtained along the way, and while speeding up his own speed, he can also make the enemy unable to erase his footsteps.

At first, it was a large piece of Ming utensils, then a small piece of clothing and money, and finally a captured population, and the Qi people scolded their mothers in distress, while discarding the spoils they had plundered from the Lu country in the past few months. Kuniya hoped that these things would make the enemies behind him scramble, and thus lose the threat to him.

However, to Kunixia's surprise, apart from a slight pause in the enemy's encounter with the population, the other two barely lagged behind their speed.

"What a soldier...... If there are 350,000 such soldiers, why should they not succeed? Guo Xia didn't know that Zhao's extremely strict military law under the guidance of Deng Yi was also envious.

These people crippled half of Gao Wupi's rear army through night battles, which can be described as elite soldiers, but Guoxia is not afraid.

If they dare to come over to fight, Guoxia is sure to defeat them within half an hour, but the enemy has learned well, and will never fight hard, just hanging behind, as if sending the Qi army out of the country, out of the ten miles of the long pavilion is not willing to go back, and has to be sent out of the country before giving up.

What Guoxia is most worried about is where Zhao Wuxian has gone?

Once bitten by that person, a decisive battle between Qi and Zhao was about to happen. He didn't want to fight with Zhao Wuxian, not because he was afraid, but because he didn't know that he could lose and win, and because Guoxia felt that there was no need to fight to the death with the Zhao family, especially since he had the government and the army of the country and Gao in his hands, and the loss of a division was enough for him to feel distressed for a year.

However, all these worries are coming to an end, Guoxia's response is too perfect, let Yu Xi, Ran Qiu, Tian Ben and others do their best, and still don't let the Qi people stop, this evening, they finally arrived in Yuyi.

Yun, originally an independent Bo country, between Qi and Lu, was either under the control of Qi, or was vassalized by Lu, and later Jun Jun was reduced to Lu Dafu like Xu Ju and Zhen Yu. After that, the Xuan Bo family became the heir of the Meng family, and it became the Meng clan's fief, which was built by several generations of Meng family owners, and it was also the central fortress of the northern defense of the Lu country, and even Zhao Wuxian was not sure to force it to break through when he was at its peak.

It can be said that if the Yin is well, the people of the Lu State will be able to enjoy a sunny day, and if the Yin State is captured by the Qi State, the north gate of Qufu will be completely open in front of the enemy, just like what happened recently: because Meng Sun He Ji returned to the Yi Dynasty, causing the Meng family to fall to the Qi State, the Qi army rushed to Zhusi to drink horses in one go, and once the front was lost, the Qi people could also quickly return north through the Yi.

When he arrived here, Guoxia's heart was half relieved.

However, when it was ten miles away from the city, the heel army in front reported that the gate of the city was closed, and no one went out of the city to greet them, and even the banner at the head of the city had changed color!

Guo Xia chuckled in his heart, and suddenly had a bad premonition.

……

"Open the door!" Gongzi Yangsheng stared at the people in the city, and his eyes were about to fall out.

However, the guards just looked down and stopped paying attention to Yang Sheng. With the heel army he led, he could not pose any threat to the tall city walls, and even when he shouted, he only dared to shout with all his strength at a distance of an arrow.

Yang Sheng's voice was hoarse, and he was angry in his heart, this encounter made him recall the grievances he had suffered in the past few years......

He was originally a high-ranking prince of Qi State, and he was born noble, even though the Marquis of Qi did not like him as much as he did to the prince who had just been born for a few years. But so what? As the eldest son, Yang Sheng has always felt that he not only has a strong competitiveness for the throne, the ministers treat him respectfully, but also the name of the prince alone is enough for him to ask for everything in the Qi country, so that everyone will bow down to him.

But all this changed, he was accidentally captured and humiliated by Zhao Wuxian in the war for hegemony between Qi and Jin, and was brought back to the Jin Kingdom by Zhao Ying as the most worthy trophy.

From the hands of the Zhao family to the hands of the Marquis of Jin, his treatment did not improve much, and the four-year prisoner life spent in the Qi Palace and Tongqi Palace of the Jin Kingdom was the most difficult time in Yangsheng's life. Materially, of course, he can be clothed and fed, and he will not be abused, but mentally, he has suffered all kinds of humiliation!

During his time as a "guest" in the Qiqi Palace, he often attended the banquets he received foreign envoys as the chariot right and attendant of the Marquis of Jin. He sat obediently under the head of the Marquis of Jin, and when he was called, he came and went, and the Qin, Chu, and Wu people at the banquet were all looking at him and laughing, as if he was a small pet raised by the Marquis of Jin, a bird that could speak human words, and was used to show off the "martial arts" of the Jin State to the outside world.

The only one who had shown him kindness was that the Jin state was in power, and Zhibo at least seemed to have been campaigning for Yangsheng's return, and he eventually succeeded, although this was after the Zhao clan went to war with the Zhuqing and the Jin Qi had gone from being an enemy state to an ally of common needs.

Under the balance of forces, Gongzi Yangsheng was able to return to China as a friendly ambassador of Jin and Qi, but what greeted him at home was not enthusiasm, but Qi Hou's coldness, "There is only one son left in the widow", when Qi Hou first saw Yang Sheng, Gongzi Tu, who touched his knees, said indifferently, "That's Tu, as for the widow's eldest son Yangsheng?" He should have committed suicide and martyred when he was captured by the Zhao clan, Zhongqing, isn't that so!? ”

Yangsheng's career as a prisoner has added a layer of shame to the name of the son, the position of the monarch? Don't even think about it, he was abandoned and forgotten by his biological father, and now he is directly driven into the army and let him fight by himself......

As for the throne of the king? It has nothing to do with him at all, and the Qi State does not need a monarch who has been a prisoner.

Qi Hou's contempt for Yang Sheng determined the attitude of the outside world towards him, when Song Huayuan was captured by the Zheng people, he escaped from prison and fled back to China and would be openly ridiculed by the people, let alone Yang Sheng? He deeply understands those respectful and abusive eyes.

Therefore, Yang Sheng, who looked well-behaved in the Jin Kingdom, seemed to be a different person after following Guoxia into the Lu Kingdom. He came up with a set of tyrannical and cruel methods, and only when he destroyed Zhao Wuxian's territory and killed his servants could Yang Sheng make himself feel better.

Under Zhibo's guidance, he regarded the Zhao clan as the culprit who had put him in such a situation!

However, Yang Sheng was still afraid of the Zhao family like a tiger subconsciously, and after several months of rampant Lu State, he panicked when he learned the news that Zhao Wuxian was about to return. Gongzi Yangsheng was the first to go to Guoxia to ask him to be his heel army, so that he could be the first to return to Qi State!

Although Yang Sheng was not welcomed, after all, he was the prince of Qi State, and Guoxia didn't want to embarrass him too much, so he agreed, anyway, on the way back, it was a city that had fallen to the Qi army, and there would be no war.

Yang Sheng was naturally overjoyed, and ran all the way north with his heel army, if it weren't for Guoxia's order that he should not be separated from the army for more than fifty miles, he would probably have arrived at the border long ago. The rear army was attacked, and the army was slowed down, which could not stop Yangsheng's return to unity, and now he finally came to the last step, but the door of Yunyi was slammed shut against him.

"Let the head of the Meng family come out!" Yang was angry and angry, and asked to see Meng Sun He Ji by name to ask for a persuasion, and Meng made a choice when the Qi army went south. Mengsun He Ji, who had taken refuge in the Qi State, returned to Yuyi, drove away his younger brother Mengsun Shuo and the head of the family to serve He, and after regaining the position of head of the family, he immediately opened the gate and let the Qi people go south.

Yangsheng remembered that when he passed through here, Mengsun He Ji had a flattering look, this person had been under the fence of Qi for three years, and Yangsheng's experience was similar, there was a bit of sympathy between them, Mengsun He Ji also said conclusively, when the war is over, he will marry a sister to Yangsheng as his wife.

But now, his face has changed! Yang Sheng was uneasy, but he didn't believe the fact that Meng Shi had repeated it again.

This time his shout was answered, and after a while, a military general in armor stood at the top of the city, looked at it for a moment, and confirmed Yangsheng's identity.

"It turned out to be the prince of Qihou, and the head of the Meng family was rude here." The man was polite, although his body was similar to Meng Sun, his voice and demeanor were very different from Meng Sun He Ji, this was not him.

Yang Sheng was stunned for a while, and asked loudly: "I want to see the head of the Meng family, who are you?" ”

"I am the head of the Meng family."

"Isn't the head of the family Meng Sun Heji?" Yang Sheng was so anxious to enter the city that he even forgot the etiquette of not being able to call people by name.

The people on the city wall laughed: "Childe is talking about my brother?" He suddenly realized that it was wrong to surrender to the Qi people, and he had once again handed over the position of head of the family to me, and he himself fled to a foreign country. Now the head of the Meng family is still me, Meng Sun said, Yuyi has returned to Lu anyway, and Qi is not a friend or foe, Gongzi, please tell the country, or choose another way! ”

……

"The city gate has been closed, and the Qi people can only take a detour, the general believes in our innocence this time, right?"

At the same time, forty miles east of Zhongduyi and thirty miles west of Yuyi, outside a post station called "Fu Zhong", Zhao Wuxianji sat on a marching bench similar to Maza, looking at Zifu He who was "asking for merit" for the Meng clan with a smile.

This son has improved, at least his acting skills have almost reached the point of perfection.

"It was the fruit born on the same branch, and I also learned benevolence and etiquette with Confucius, who expected that one became a traitor who lured the wolf into the house, and the other killed his relatives with righteousness, expelled his brother and restored the territory of the Lu country. Zhao Wuxian is not a fool, he let others fool him, and he obeyed his words, but in his heart, he had already seen through Meng's tricks.

"It's not easy for Zifuzi to assist such two very different family heads at the same time."

After Zifu He heard this, his hand subconsciously trembled, and then returned to normal, pretending not to know.

Never put eggs in one basket, this is the usual method of the Shiqing clan doctors, for example, although nominally on the side of the Marquis of Jin and Zhibo, the Wei clan has always had secret contacts with the Zhao clan, and the lake salt transported from Anyi to the east has never been cut off. The same was true of the Shan clan, the secretary of the Zhou king, who secretly sent someone to see Zhao Wuxian, promising that as long as the Zhao clan guaranteed that the Shan clan had no losses in the cities and territories north of the Great River, he could guarantee that the Zhou family's declaration of war against the Zhao clan was only a written thing, and there would never be a single soldier against the Zhao clan.

Zhao Wuxian can understand this, but Meng's game this time is really a bit excessive.

In fact, the disaster was buried a few years ago, after the failure of the "Fallen Four Capitals", Meng Sun He Ji suddenly fled to Qi State, and handed over the family to Meng Sun Shuo, who was known to be famous and deposed by Zhao Wuxian without an excuse. Although this was the choice given to the Meng family by Zhao Wuxian and Zigong, the Meng family's think tank Fu He had an idea, and he pushed the boat down the river to let the Meng brothers divide the two countries and bet on both sides in the war.

When the Zhao clan was empty of troops in the Lu State and the Qi State exhausted its army to the south, in order to avoid harming the Yi, Mengsun He Ji easily sneaked back to the Yiyi and "seized" the military power of the Meng clan without much effort, and Mengsun said that he ran to Qufu as a victim to complain.

Now that the Zhao family has returned, the Qi people have retreated in a hurry, Zifu He saw that Zhao Wuxian had a better chance of winning, so he guided the plot to make a big reversal, a few days ago, Zifu He suddenly asked to see Zhang Mengtan, saying that he could make Yunyi change banners again, and he only needed to send someone to send him and Mengsun to Yiyi from the path.

Zhang Mengtan was also bold, he knew that there must be something strange in this, and risked the possibility of these two people absconding, and sent Mengsun to say that he would go out of the city. They also did it, and after entering the city, they easily "seized" the military power again, and there was a mutiny in Yuyi, and the 1,000 Qi people who stayed behind were killed or tied up by the servants, and Mengsun He Ji fled again afterwards.

To put it bluntly, this is a play directed by Zifu He, heroes, traitors, and the Meng brothers play different images, while also ensuring the maintenance of this family and being invincible in the war......

"Zifu Zizi has his own cleverness, but be cautious, these scheming of yours not only did not save the Meng family, but harmed them......" Zhao Wuxian suddenly got up and drew his sword and put it on Zifu He's shoulder, so that the skillful Meng family slaughter stopped the gushing prevarication.

"The living Lu people will only see that Meng Shi blocked the enemy army for the general...... It's a hero, at least, the merit is worth it! Zifu He is still arguing.

"Yes, but people are watching the sky, even if I believe your words, the soul of the Lu people who died repeatedly because of the Meng clan, and the Zhusi Ershui who was ravaged by the Qi army will not believe it! Not to forgive! Don't forget, Zifuzi, you and Meng are also from Lu! ”

Zifu didn't have anything to say, he just sneered and muttered: "The Lu State has already existed in name only, maybe it will become the Zhao State tomorrow, and the Meng family only has one idea left to protect itself, the righteousness of the country?" Forgive me for not thinking that far. He closed his eyes and waited for a while, but the sword still didn't come off.

But he heard Zhao Wuxian put his sword into the sheath: "Fortunately, fortunately, you can still restrain yourself from the precipice, but it is just a dangerous place that is easy for people to stumble, and the Meng family should not stay any longer." ”

After Zifu He was stunned for a while, he bowed down and paused: "General Xie's grace for preservation!" ”

The Meng clan still lost, Zhao Wuxian would not allow such a repeated force to exist in the northern part of the Lu State again, he could only guarantee that the Meng clan would not be destroyed immediately, that's all.

But that's all a matter of settling accounts slowly during the autumn harvest, and now what is more important is that the army is advancing quickly to intercept the retreat of the Qi army! (To be continued.) )