Chapter 821 Crying for Qin Ting?

Chapter 821 Crying for Qin Ting?

Chapter 821 Crying for Qin Ting?
After much clamor, Sheng Le finally reached a final decision: to send a second group of envoys to Pingyang to win the support of the Jin people.

The envoys, each with five horses, set out from Shengle. They rode at full speed without fear of the severe cold and arrived at Caochengchuan in a few days.

He was greatly surprised when he saw the people of Jin built a city on the plateau.

It seems that someone mentioned it before, but due to various reasons, it was forgotten in the end...

Naturally, they were stopped by patrolling cavalry.

Helan Nugen didn't say much. He just sent someone to negotiate. Then he was led outside Zhalu City and put under guard.

Helan Nugen was not impatient at all. When he was sent as an envoy to other tribes or countries, did he always get a good face? He was used to it.

He was more concerned with the existence of the city itself.

It may seem that they are not directly blocking the road, but they are right next to the road, looking down on you. Once a large group of people pass by, they can jump out and attack your vulnerable retreat.

There actually was a tribe here in the past, but Helanugen forgot which one it was because it was too far away.

He only knew that the tribe here had taken refuge with the Qi mother and son, and seemed to have been transferred away.

This is one of the direct consequences of the civil war.

If the army had been strong enough, the Jin people would have attacked us in force when they were building the city. Now that the city is built, it is too late to say anything.

"If I can threaten Pingcheng, I can also threaten Shengle!" In the biting cold wind, Helan Nugen stamped his feet and breathed out hot air, his heart seemed to be colder than his body.

One of the followers knocked on the wall with the handle of a knife, listened to the sound, and said, "It's quite thick."

Helan Nugen glanced at the loess wall and said nothing.

The people of Jin liked to build cities.

Wherever the city is built, we will advance there. If the soldiers in the city have the ability to fight in the field, then this piece of land will be truly occupied.

After the beginning of next spring, there is a high possibility that they will fight a major battle with the Qi mother and son. When everything is settled, the Jin people may have advanced to Pingcheng.

What should I do next? It seems that there is no good solution.

People only care about the present. They may consider long-term things, but sometimes they really can't do anything about it.

Helan Nugen once imagined that if after Qi killed Yulu, they stayed in Yixin Mountain and did not move, and Wang did not choose to escape back to Guangning, but hid Tuoba Shiyijian so that Qi could not find him, what would be the outcome?

Probably after He Li proclaimed himself king, he was unable to convince the people and felt frightened in Shengle, so he could not stay there and fled eastward to Pingcheng or Dongmugen Mountain.

But he would not cause trouble for the Guangning Wang family for the time being, nor would he go to the Helan tribe north of the Yinshan Mountains to cause trouble. At most, he would ask them to hand over Tuoba Yihuai.

This will not produce any results, and will most likely end with He Li's downfall - he will most likely not fall alive, but will be murdered, and then someone will find a reason, such as dying of worry, to make it seem more decent.

At that time, could Yihuai be supported as the leader without fighting?

The biggest advantage of doing this is that there will be no civil war and the country will not be divided.

But there are no ifs in the world.

Helanugen kicked the city wall angrily. The people who ordered the construction of this city had a lot of bad intentions.

In the evening, Nugen and his companions were allowed to enter the city to rest. After staying there for several days, they finally received news that they could continue on their journey, and the Zhalu City sent people to escort them along the way to Xiurong County.

******
Just when Helan Nugen and others arrived at Xiurong County and were waiting for the next group of people to escort them, he received a message: Xialuo City had been breached.

This news cannot be confirmed because it was mentioned by a county official who received him.

This is outrageous! Where did the county official hear this?

Uh, outside a house diagonally opposite, a large group of shaved-head Wuhuan soldiers squatted listlessly at the foot of the wall, basking in the sun on this rare sunny day.

Inside the courtyard, a voice could be heard faintly: "Cry! You must cry! Cry mournfully and weep blood, only then will it have a miraculous effect."

"cry?"

"Madam, have you heard the story of Shen Baoxu crying in the Qin court?"

"Yes. The Kou family in Changping is good at Zuo Zhuan. I have read their books."

"Shen Baoxu cried in the Qin court for seven days. Duke Ai was touched by his sincerity and finally decided to send troops to restore the State of Chu. Now Guangning has been lost, and only two or three counties in Dai are still struggling to maintain their existence. Tens of thousands of old, weak, women and children have fled to Jin, crying for food, while the officials of Youzhou and Jizhou have refused to release food. If Madam can ask for reinforcements during the New Year's Day celebration, the situation will surely be reversed."

There was silence inside the wall for a long time, and then a woman sighed and said, "Both counties have been defeated. Even if we beg for reinforcements, what can we do?"

"Madam, you are wrong. There are still many loyal and brave people in the two counties. They have surrendered to the enemy temporarily, but they are just enduring it. Once the situation changes drastically, such as the Jin army defeating the Qi family, they will rebel again and support Shi Yijian as their leader."

"What's the point of getting these fence-sitters to pledge allegiance..."

This sentence really killed the conversation.

A moment later, with a creaky sound, the gate was opened and a middle-aged man who looked like a scholar walked out of the door and headed straight for the county government office not far away.

A tall woman stood under a bare tree in the yard, her face full of sorrow.

After Yuwen Qiu stopped sending troops, most of the Jin people retreated.

The Wang family was unable to hold on alone and lost Luoyang. Now they only have Daixian and Pingshu left, the latter of which is still in the hands of the Wei family.

Now there are too many people who have fled to Fanyang, Changshan, Zhongshan, and Shanggu. There are both strong men who have suffered defeat and the elderly, weak, women and children. The cattle, sheep and food they brought with them can only help temporarily, but not forever.

The most important thing now is to protect these tens of thousands of soldiers and civilians and prevent them from freezing or starving to death.

Otherwise, the Wang family would be finished, and Shi Yijian would be finished too.

But, are people from Jin easy to talk to?

In the time of Duke Ai of Qin, people could still talk about justice and perhaps not ask for anything in return, but is that possible now?
But they, mother and son, and Wang Guangning had no other choice but to go to Pingyang to pay tribute as foreign vassal monarchs, hoping that the man would be a bit chivalrous and generous enough to send troops to help Shi Yijian restore his country. As for the price to be paid, she probably knew it, it was nothing more than making Shi Yijian his puppet.

But being a puppet is better than being a wandering ghost.

Furthermore, as long as the righteous cause is established, when Shiyijian grows up and gains the loyalty of more and more tribal leaders, he may not need to continue to be a puppet.

Everything has not reached the worst yet, there is still hope.

Wang collected her thoughts and sighed softly, subconsciously glancing out the courtyard gate. At first, it was nothing, but gradually, her eyes became focused.

Where did those bald-haired knights on the opposite side come from?

Wang quietly walked forward a few steps and looked from behind the door. Wasn't that Helan Aitou's nephew Nugen? He used to appear in Shengle frequently, helping the Helan tribe with everything.

Nugen even gave herself a gift and asked her to whisper in Yulu's ear and help them solve the issue of the ownership of the Nuzhen Branch (Tengger Nur Lake).

What is he here to do?
Wang didn’t dare to think further. In fact, the answer was obvious, wasn’t it?
The Guangning Wang family lost most of the land in the two counties, while Helan Aitou entered Shengle and became very powerful. If the King of Liang wanted to choose a gang, would he really lean towards Shiyijian?
Wang slowly covered her face.

Shi Yijian had no capital, and so did she.

Perhaps, the fate of Shi Yijian and the Guangning Wang family has already been determined.

******
The two delegations stopped and started, and arrived in Pingyang almost at the same time, near the end of the year.

The north of Pingyang is full of flat farmland, filled with lush wheat seedlings.

Some strong warriors called their friends, rode past with loud laughter, and returned from the mountains with a lot of prey hanging under their saddles.

On the surface of the Fen River, brave children were playing on the ice, having a lot of fun.

Outside the Daxia Gate, ox carts loaded with winter vegetables almost filled the city gate.

Everywhere there are people leisurely waiting for the New Year.

There is a strong festive atmosphere everywhere.

The air is filled with an atmosphere of abundance.

After waiting for a long time, the carriage that Wang was riding in finally entered the city.

The curtains of the carriage were closed, and Shi Yijian was crying in his arms. Wang was frantically trying to comfort him. They didn't know how long they had been traveling before they finally stopped.

What followed was endless negotiations and even quarrels.

Wang listened silently. It seemed that the guesthouse of the Honglu Temple of Liang State was already full, and the post stations inside and outside the city were also crowded with officials from other places who came to participate in the New Year's Day celebrations.

The negotiations were fruitless.

Not long after, the carriage started again.

An official from the Honglu Temple led the way, and after many twists and turns, they arrived at a relatively quiet mansion.

The guards who accompanied them were taken out of the city and settled there, and only a few maids were allowed to stay.

After the carriage stopped, Wang Chang, the household steward, reported outside: "Madam, you will have to live in this mansion for the next ten days."

"Where is this place?" Wang got off the carriage holding the child, looked up and asked.

"This is the residence of Cheng Xia, the military supervisor of the Jin general's shogunate." Wang Chang replied, "General Cheng has gone to Xuzhou on official business and will not be back until the New Year. Only the women of the Cheng family are in the mansion, so it is more convenient."

"Yes." Wang nodded and said, "Prepare a gift. Sorry to bother the Cheng family."

"What is the etiquette?"

"Pick up some rare mink and fox furs."

"As ordered."

After entering Cheng's house, Wang suddenly asked, "Will King Liang summon me in advance?"

Wang Chang pondered for a moment, looked at the official from the Honglu Temple who was talking to the mistress of the Cheng family, and whispered, "I just asked the guesthouse manager, and Prince Liang came to the Cheng residence before, so he might come here in person."

"What is King Liang doing here at Cheng Mansion?" Wang asked curiously.

Wang Chang shook his head and said, "I don't know about that."

After thinking for a while, he continued, "I heard that Cheng Xia was a demoted official of Shi Le. He is a flatterer and a sycophant. He is very shameless and has a bad reputation in Yecheng, Bianliang, and Pingyang. Cheng Xia's sister is Shi Le's concubine. She has been living alone at home for many years. I don't know why."

Wang blushed when she heard this.

Wang Chang's words were very explicit, he was almost pointing at Cheng Xia and saying that he was selling his sister for fame.

"Let's go check out the accommodation first." Wang said.

"Okay." Wang Chang responded, then took a few quick steps and caught up with the Director of the Guest House of the Honglu Temple.

Shi Yijian fluttered in Wang's arms.

Wang understood and let him go.

The child stared with his big eyes, stopped crying, and stared at the trees and houses in the yard, as if the scenery of the Central Plains particularly attracted him.

Seeing him like that, Wang didn't know what she was thinking about and her mood suddenly became very depressed.

Shi Yijian, Shi Yijian, if you are unlucky, you may have to live here forever.

(End of this chapter)