Chapter 615: Report to Your Majesty, the Second Prince Jianwen is Not Dead
Chapter 615: Report to Your Majesty, the Second Prince Jianwen is not dead...
Inside the military tent, Zhao Duan slowly put the blood-stained sword back into its sheath.
A feeling of fatigue surged through his body, and he used the remaining energy to kill Ye Xin cleanly and efficiently. He no longer had any extra strength to fight.
"Didn't this old man surrender to you? Maybe he knows he was wrong." Jin Jian held the staff and tilted his head to look at Jiang Wangsun who died on the chair.
Zhao Duan deliberately waited until Ye Xin killed Jiang Wangsun before he showed up.
In other words, it is a borrowed knife approach.
"No, he doesn't know he's wrong, he's just afraid." Zhao Duan shook his head. He had no good feelings towards people like Jiang Wangsun.
What's more, the original value has been lost. It was Ye Xin who killed him, so it can't be considered a breach of contract by the court.
At this time, footsteps were heard outside the tent, and it seemed that there were soldiers coming. Zhao Duan shook his head and said, "Go back."
It is unknown whether Xu Jianwen is alive or dead. Ye Xin, Jiang Wangsun and Bai Ying are already dead. Only one general is left whose life or death is unknown, but it does not affect the overall situation.
Without the top management, Huting is firmly in hand.
"Yeah." Jin Jian's magic power was almost exhausted at this time. The two did not choose to teleport, but traces of lilac appeared on their faces.
The effect of opening the [Two Life Gate] was achieved, and the figure gradually faded away.
Just as the two disappeared, an officer's voice was heard outside the tent:
"General? Do you have any instructions? I heard a voice..."
no respond.
A moment later, an officer carefully opened the tent and saw two corpses inside. He was stunned.
……
The rear residence of the temporary governor's office.
An old door frame stood in the house. Ji Yue, Yu Xiu and others had already returned through the Liang Sheng Gate, while Song Jinxi and other servants were still in Yan Suo Lake, transporting the captives.
A light suddenly appeared from the door frame. When the beam faded, Zhao Duan and Jin Jian also walked out.
"Crack!"
This ancient talisman broke into a thumb-sized crack, which quickly spread from the edge to the entire door.
The original spiritual energy on it quickly dried up, it lost its luster, and became an ordinary object.
[Liangsheng Gate] was finally broken after being used many times.
"What a pity..." Zhao Duan sighed in his heart. There are not many such practical talismans.
Well, he recalled the other treasure house left in the remaining memories of Guhuo Zhenren, and couldn't help thinking:
Are there any good things of this quality in that treasure house?
"Mo Chou just came to see if you would come back. She said that all the attacks on the city's defense lines have been blocked." Yu Xiu sat upright at the round table and glanced at him.
Zhao Duan nodded, quickly gathered his thoughts, walked out of the back house and arrived at the front hall.
Mo Chou, Ning Zechen and other senior executives are still waiting here anxiously.
Seeing him return safely, everyone looked relieved.
"I have killed Ye Xin, and Military Advisor Xu is no longer a concern. The rebels are leaderless. Pass the order and attack immediately to take back control of the entire Huting."
Zhao Duan went straight to the point and gave the order directly.
Everyone was stunned for a moment, and wanted to ask something, but was interrupted rudely by Zhao Duan:
"Time waits for no one. You are responsible for taking down the lake pavilion. I have important matters to deal with. Any questions?"
Mo Chou pursed her lips, as if she could see that Zhao Duan was eager to withdraw, and she said:
"No problem. The commander-in-chief will take care of the fighting. Just wait for the news."
Zhao Duan nodded with satisfaction, turned around and returned to the backyard, and told Yuxiu, Jinjian and Jiyue to help him protect the law.
He went into the main room next to the three women, swallowed a handful of pills first, then threw his body onto the bed, closed his eyes and entered a meditative state.
He didn't have to worry about what happened next.
He has more important things to do.
"Go back to Beijing!"
……
……
The capital city, the imperial palace.
The stone walls on the fourth floor of the old building were shining brightly.
Zhao Duan came out in a spiritual state, looked around, and did not find his own "puppet substitute".
"I almost forgot. The substitute was left at my home last time... Never mind. I won't use it for now."
Zhao Duan just remembered this and floated out of the room in a spiritual state. The bell hanging under the eaves vibrated, but the empress did not arrive soon.
"Oh, woman, your name is heartlessness!"
Zhao Duan curled his lips.
He knew that because he had returned to the capital too frequently in recent days, unless it was an emergency, even if the empress knew he was back, she would only treat it as a regular return to the capital and would not rush to greet him.
"What a shame, Zhenbao, you definitely can't imagine what I went through and who I met."
Thinking of the empress's surprised look later, Zhao Duan suddenly felt mischievous for no reason.
Shaking his head, Zhao Duan floated out in a spiritual state, passing through the deep red palace walls and the withered yellow weeping willows in winter.
A black palace raccoon was walking gracefully on the palace wall. Suddenly, it arched its back, raised its tail, and looked around vigilantly, but was unaware that anyone was passing by.
Zhao Duan floated into the Yangxin Palace and went to the imperial study first, but did not see Zhenbao.
He glanced at the sun hanging high in the sky at noon and went back to the cafeteria.
As expected, the empress was seen sitting alone at the dinner table, eating a chicken elegantly.
Xu Zhenguan was dressed in spotless casual clothes, his black hair was gathered up with a pearl headdress, and his sleeves were slightly rolled up, revealing two white arms.
When she ate, her posture was undoubtedly elegant and graceful, but her speed was frighteningly fast.
She used her slender fingers to cut a roast chicken into dozens of pieces of different sizes, and stuffed a chicken leg into her red mouth, but she couldn't keep it for more than two seconds before spitting out the smooth chicken bone.
Zhao Duan, like a ghost, floated in eerily.
Without even looking up, Xu Zhenguan pulled out his handkerchief, wiped his lips and fingers, and said calmly:
"You're back so soon this time? Xue Shence hasn't even arrived in Beijing yet. Is taking over Hu Ting going smoothly?"
As she spoke, she finally turned around and "talked to herself" in the confused eyes of the female officials outside.
Zhao Duan floated over the threshold and met those phoenix eyes. He felt a lot more at ease for no reason. He glanced at the dazzling array of items on the dining table and said with a smile:
"Your Majesty is still so vigorous when eating. I can't help but think back to the past..."
remember.
It was here that the emperor and his ministers dined together for the first time.
At that time, Zhao Duan had just escaped from a situation where he was sure to die, and was also here to accept the empress's questioning.
Xu Zhenguan rolled his eyes and waved his hand. A faint light spread out and enveloped the room.
To prevent the sound of conversation in the house from being heard.
Then she stared at him straight in the eyes, pretending to listen: "Go ahead."
We are old kings and ministers...there is no need to speak in such a roundabout way.
No... Baby, you are not gentle and cute at all... You will lose me, do you know that... Zhao Duan complained in his heart, "sat" down across the dining table, and said thoughtfully:
"Some things did go wrong when we took over Hu Ting."
Xu Zhenguan's beautiful face, with dark eyebrows like distant mountains, slightly frowned, and he said with concern:
"Is it that the three armies do not obey you? Or are the officers and soldiers below pretending to obey but secretly disobeying you?"
This is something that can easily happen when a commander is changed on the battlefield.
Zhao Duan shook his head and said:
"Neither. To be precise, Huting should be able to be recaptured today. Well, the rebels stationed there are being strangled."
Xu Zhenguan: ? ?
There was a brief silence in the room.
The empress couldn't help but pinch her brows with her fingers to calm her mind and said:
"You mean, you've taken down Huting in just a few days? Didn't you say that it's disadvantageous to mobilize troops in winter and that we should gain a firm foothold first?"
She was a little confused.
Zhao Duan felt very aggrieved:
"I also want to take it step by step, but the enemy is too cunning, so I can only do it..."
Then he began to narrate what happened after he arrived at Huting.
Well, it’s a reserved program.
From fighting while carrying a coffin at Baishiqiao to meeting with Jiang Wangsun and bribing spies.
Then the other party proposed to exchange prisoners, how to arrange and rush to Yansuo Lake...
The empress listened attentively at first, but she didn't feel any surprise. To her, what Zhao Duan did was just basic operation.
But when Zhao Duan got to the key point, he stopped.
"What happened after you went to Yansuo Lake? Did you find out that it was a trap set by the military advisor named Xu?"
The empress asked as she held a spoon and drank a bowl of soup.
"Well, that's about right. Then we had a fight and I won." Zhao Duan said vaguely. Xu Zhenguan's white neck moved and he swallowed the soup. He stared at him with a puzzled look as he hesitated to speak:
"What do you want to say?"
Zhao Duan asked carefully, "Your Majesty, aren't you curious about the identity of this military advisor named Xu?"
Xu Zhenguan stared at him suspiciously:
"Prince Jing has many descendants of the Xu family. After hundreds of years of division and enfeoffment, it is not uncommon for the royal family to have many branches and leaves..."
As she was talking, the empress paused. She finally realized something was wrong, slowly put down the soup, and her expression gradually became more serious:
"Is this person special?"
"Special." Zhao Duan did not keep the secret and said calmly:
"Your Majesty, do you remember that I and Your Majesty had guessed that some people were not completely dead in the Xuanmen coup? That's right, this military advisor is the King Wen who was supposed to be dead, Xu Jianwen."
Xu Jianwen.
There was a sudden silence in the dining room.
Xu Zhenguan stared at him expressionlessly, as if trying to catch some hint of a joke, but she failed.
Zhao Duan said softly: "Xu Jianwen is not dead. Not only that, he has also replaced Zhuang Xiaocheng and taken over the Kuangfu Society. He is waiting for me at Yansuo Lake with Guhuo Zhenren, Qi Yuchun and Ren Kun..."
Then, he finally recounted in detail everything that had happened after his encounter with Xu Jianwen.
Xu Zhenguan listened quietly.
Beneath her seemingly calm face, her heart was already filled with endless ripples and storms.
Second brother, Xu Jianwen...the name that should have been buried in history.
The key person who changed the history of the entire Yu State and also changed her destiny.
It can even be said that the source of the Eight Kings Rebellion today is the "Xuanmen Coup" by Xu Jianwen back then. If that had not happened, there would be no rare female emperor today, and no such turbulent "great changes that have not happened in six hundred years."
Is Xu Jianwen dead or not?
Once upon a time, this wasn't a problem.
But after Guhuo Zhenren was resurrected and came online, the seed that Xu Jianwen might not be dead took root in her heart, and until today, it was finally confirmed.
It was amazing...Xu Zhenguan actually felt relieved, like a boot that had been hanging in the air finally landed on the ground.
She instinctively sneered: "He is still alive."
Zhao Duan nodded and said:
“And he was alive and well… Well, not necessarily now.
Now I can finally explain why Zhuang Xiaocheng and others insisted on fighting the court even though they were clearly defeated. I'm afraid Xu Jianwen has been hiding behind the scenes, and Zhuang Xiaocheng is just his agent who was pushed to the front. "
Xu Zhenguan said quietly:
"And now he is mixed up with Prince Jing. Humph, he didn't show up earlier or later, but only showed up after Xu Jingtang died and the peace talks failed."
Zhao Duan analyzed:
"It's obvious. Xu Jianwen originally wanted to watch us fight the Eighth King while he sat back and reaped the benefits. But when the situation turned around, he was worried that the Eighth King would die, so he couldn't help but join forces with Xu Wen."
Xu Zhenguan's eyes were filled with a cold tone that was colder than winter:
"A habitual conspirator cannot change his habits even after death."
Her tone was completely cold.
He was filled with hatred for this traitorous brother who killed his brother and father and almost wiped out the entire royal family.
Zhao Duan was stunned. After spending so much time together, he rarely saw this kind of expression from Zhenbao:
"It's a pity that he jumped off a cliff and escaped. Although I seriously injured him, I have a hunch that he will never die so easily. But in the short term, he will definitely not be able to come out and cause trouble again."
Xu Zhenguan took a deep breath and nodded. She also realized that her emotions were unstable:
"It is a hidden danger. But they are still the remnants of a defeated army. The biggest enemy now is still Prince Jing and the Buddhist sect in the Western Regions."
Zhao Duan nodded, he also understood this logic.
Xu Jianwen must be killed, but in terms of importance, he should be ranked after Prince Jing and Xuan Yin.
"By the way, how is the Western Region these days?" Zhao Duan just remembered to ask.
The empress glanced at him and shook her head.
"The King of Hejian has been defeated. But the Western Regions countries broke through the border not long ago. The Duke of Zhenguo retreated strategically and abandoned the border because of his weak military strength.
My plan is to trade space for time, temporarily abandon part of the Xipingdao area, withdraw the defense line, and wait until the five military camps and the imperial guards of the capital are in place before confronting them head-on."
After a pause, she added with a gloomy look:
"Princess Wenzhu has been imprisoned."
Zhao Duan was silent.
This was the result he had anticipated.
Judging from the timing, the countries in the Western Regions took action earlier than expected. They could not even wait for the spring to come. They were impatient to mobilize troops as soon as the coldest season passed.
this means……
The time window left for him to eliminate Prince Jing and Prince Chen is even smaller.
……
After a short silence.
"You just said that Xu Jianwen used a secret technique to suppress the offering? But it stimulated the dragon soul in your body instead?"
The empress withdrew her thoughts, changed the subject, and became concerned about this more important information.
"Yes." Zhao Duan felt a little regretful when he mentioned this:
"Unfortunately, after that battle, the dragon soul slowly settled down again, as if it was going to fall asleep again. Moreover, I was unable to control the dragon soul at that time. It was more like it was fighting back instinctively."
Xu Zhenguan stood up, her snow-white long skirt dragging as she paced in the antique room.
"I really don't know this secret technique. It seems that just as he said, I ascended the throne too hastily, and I lost a lot of 'imperial knowledge' that I should have mastered."
"And...if you can control the dragon soul, you may be able to increase your chances of winning against Prince Jing."
As a descendant of royal blood, Xu Wen also practices the path of the God of War.
Zhao Duan said seriously:
"I came back in a hurry this time, one is to report on Xu Jianwen, the other is about Dragon Soul."
"Oh?"
"May I ask whether Your Majesty has found the unlocking code for the phone in "The World" recently?"
Xu Zhenguan choked and said in frustration:
"I have tried many times without success, but recently when I was looking through the daily records of Emperor Taizu, I found a few dates that might be the code, but I haven't tried them yet."
Zhao Duan stood up and said:
"Why not give it a try now? I want to take advantage of the changes in Dragon Soul to see if corresponding changes will occur in the Human World."
Well... although the dragon soul is sleeping in his body and has nothing to do with his soul, but... what if?
The decisive battle with Prince Jing is not far away, he must race against time and obtain all the means to improve his combat effectiveness.
"...That's fine."
The empress is a decisive person.
He stopped eating, threw down his chopsticks, and walked out of the room with Zhao Duan. Under the blank gazes of the female officials outside the door, he flew to the Martial Arts Hall.
……
Russian qing.
In "The World".
It was the familiar feeling of falling again, and Zhao Duan woke up again in the office in the early hours of the morning.
This time, he washed his face skillfully, pushed open the office door, ran out of the office building, and ran into the night under the surprised gaze of the security guard and the message room downstairs.
After a while, Zhao Duan, panting, arrived outside the Taoist temple "Taiqing Palace".
This is the agreed meeting place.
The Taiqing Palace was closed, with a big padlock on the door, looking like it had not been open for business for a long time.
The urban version of Xu Zhenguan, wearing a white shirt, trousers, high heels and long hair, was sitting on the steps, turning his cell phone on and off again.
"How is it?" Zhao Duan walked over and asked.
Xu Zhenguan shook his head, raised his phone in frustration, shook it at him, and said bitterly:
"Still wrong. The number of unlocks this time has been used up."
After a pause, he said, "What about you? Have you changed?"
Zhao Duan shook his head: "No, it seems that the changes in the dragon soul have not caused corresponding changes here."
The two looked at each other in silence.
It seemed like another, umpteenth failure.
Zhao Duan walked over dejectedly and sat on the steps with her. He subconsciously reached out to take the phone and fiddled with it:
"What went wrong?"
suddenly.
Just as the phone was turning over in his palm, Zhao Duan's hand suddenly stopped and his eyes caught a glimpse of the faint reflection of the phone card slot on the side of the phone.
"Wait...Have you ever opened the card slot on this phone?"
(End of this chapter)