Jiang Suzhou was caught off guard. His body was thrown forward, and his head bumped into Huo Wujiu's abdomen.
It was a little hard, but it gave him an inexplicable sense of security, even though this was clearly the most critical moment for him.
This was the first time he had been so flustered. He was so flustered that his limbs were in a mess.
In the past, even if Pang Shao was advancing step by step and his future master was aggressive, he was not flustered. This was because he understood them. He knew what kind of bargaining chips they had in their hands. He knew how to deal with them. Everything was within his control.
But this time …
The butterfly flapped its wings and disrupted the course of history. No matter how much he planned, he could not stop Pang Shao, who no longer trusted his future master and wanted to destroy him.
He sniffled softly.
"But …" Huo Wujiu's warm palm pressed against the back of his head. His voice was a little muffled. "In less than half a month, Nanjing will be in chaos. Even if we besiege and kill Pang Shao now, it will be difficult to stop his plan."
Huo Wujiu muttered to himself for a moment, as if he had made a decision.
"I have a way to get troops," he said. "Do you trust me?"
Jiang Suzhou did not speak for a moment, nor did he move.
Huo Wujiu clicked his tongue impatiently. His tone was a little lighter, as if he was really not afraid of anything, "I'm asking you a question."
"But …"
"No buts," Huo Wujiu said. "Just say it. Do you believe me or not?"
He was completely threatening him.
Jiang Suzhou paused and said in a low voice unwillingly, "I believe you, okay? Then what do you plan to do next … "
"You don't have to worry about that," Huo Wujiu said.
As he spoke, he gently let go of Jiang Suzhou.
The heat from the side of his face and the back of his head suddenly disappeared. Jiang Suzhou felt an inexplicable sense of emptiness, as if he had no one to rely on.
He looked up at Huo Wujiu and saw that Huo Wujiu was also looking down at him.
"Since you trust me, then go back to sleep," Huo Wujiu said.
Jiang Suizhou said, "But you forced me to say it just now …"
"Go back to sleep," Huo Wujiu repeated. "I'm going out for a while. When I open my eyes tomorrow morning, I'll give you an answer, okay?"
— —
Huo Wujiu persuaded Jiang Suzhou in every possible way, then brought along Wei Kai and went straight to Lou Yue's General's Mansion.
He was not as calm and composed as he was in front of Jiang Suizhou.
He barged into Lou Yue's residence and went straight to his room. He dragged the sleeping Lou Yue out of bed. Lou Yue was in a daze when he saw Huo Wujiu standing in front of his bed and scolding him without any trace of politeness, "You're still sleeping? Pang Shao, that old scoundrel, has already destroyed your nest. Why are you still sleeping? "
Lou Yue felt like he was having a nightmare. It wasn't until Lou Wanjun, who had heard the commotion, hurriedly lit a lamp and illuminated the anxious Wei Kai and Huo Wujiu in the room. Only then did he realize that it was real.
"What's wrong? What's Pang Shao? "Lou Yue hurriedly sat up.
"Imperial Prince Jing just received a report. Fang Zhaohe, who he sent to Lingnan, has already turned the soldiers you left in Lingnan into a rebellion!" Huo Wujiu said. "In less than half a month, they'll be able to find a reason to attack Lin 'an."
Lou Yue felt like he was dreaming.
"What's Pang Shao after?" he asked anxiously. "Isn't he satisfied that the emperor is so obedient to him?"
Huo Wujiu didn't have time to explain the growing animosity between Pang Shao and the future emperor. He only said concisely, "It's just on the surface. I'm afraid he wants to kill two birds with one stone. First, he wants to eliminate his enemies. Second, he wants to change the dynasty. "
Lou Yue was scared out of his wits.
"Then what should we do?" he asked. "Even if you're here, your fifty thousand soldiers are just a drop in the bucket if they want to fight against my three hundred thousand soldiers! Moreover, Lingnan isn't far from Lin 'an. There are towns and counties along the way. It's not a place where we can fight! "
At that time, even if they won, the war would drag on for at least a year. How many people would die by then?
Lou Yue didn't dare to think about it.
"That's why we have to make the first move," Huo Wujiu said.
Lou Yue hurriedly asked, "You have a plan?"
Huo Wujiu pondered for a moment.
"It's just a risk," he said. "The only thing we can do now is to borrow the soldiers of Beiliang."
When Lou Yue heard this, he knew that he already had dealings with Beiliang. He immediately breathed a sigh of relief.
"That's good," he said.
However, he heard Huo Wujiu say, "However, I want to borrow some soldiers from you. I want light cavalry. The more, the better."
Lou Yue didn't understand. "Why?"
Huo Wujiu looked at him and said in a deep voice, "You can't trust the people of Beiliang completely."
Lou Yue was shocked. "You mean …"
He hesitated and didn't know what to say.
He didn't expect that with Huo Wujiu's abilities, he would be captured so easily. Either Nan Jing was prepared in advance, or someone behind Huo Wujiu betrayed him.
Since Huo Wujiu said so, it must be the second possibility.
Huo Wujiu nodded. "It's just a guess."
Lou Wanjun, who had been quietly listening to their conversation, couldn't help but frown. "Then if you go, won't you be sending yourself to death?"
"That's why I want to lead the soldiers," Huo Wujiu said. "I need you to suggest to Jiang Sunheng in the next few days that you find an excuse to send some soldiers to the riverbank. He won't stop you if you don't send a lot of soldiers. When the time comes, I'll lead the soldiers there and ambush them on the south bank. If they let their guard down, we can capture the bandit leader first. The rest of the soldiers will be at my disposal. "
Lou Yue said, "But how can you be sure that they'll bring soldiers across the river?"
Huo Wujiu looked up at him.
"They'll definitely come."
Lou Wanjun muttered to himself, "If they want to help you, they'll definitely come back. If they want to kill you … they won't let go of this opportunity, right?"
Huo Wujiu slowly nodded.
Lou Yue thought for a long time and took a deep breath. "I'll do as you say."
Huo Wujiu said, "There's one more thing that you must do well."
Lou Yue asked, "What is it?"
Huo Wujiu looked at him.
"I don't know if I'll survive this trip. The capital might not be peaceful either," he said. "Pang Shao is keeping a close eye on Prince Jing's estate. If there's a battle on the riverbank, the capital won't be quiet."
Lou Yue nodded.
"The remaining soldiers under your command must protect the imperial city. Don't let anyone important go," he said.
Lou Yue replied, "Don't worry about that. But you need to go and come back quickly. There are guards in the surrounding counties. If you rush to Lin 'an's aid, you won't be able to hold on for long. "
Huo Wujiu nodded and continued, "There's also Prince Jing."
Lou Yue didn't understand. "What about Prince Jing?"
Huo Wujiu looked at him with a heavy gaze. There was an unprecedented solemnity and seriousness in his eyes.
"Protect him well. If he's harmed in the slightest, I'll take your life. "
— —
The next morning, when the sun rose, Lin 'an was still peaceful and prosperous. There were no undercurrents in the city at all.
It was the same in the imperial court.
Lou Yue still liked to cause trouble, and he couldn't change his habit of pointing fingers. Two days ago, he impeached Pang Shao. Today, he wantonly criticized the lack of defense in the northern border of Dajing. He thought that he could sit back and relax by relying on the natural moat of the Yangtze River, but in reality, it was difficult to deal with external troubles. In the end, it was Pang Shao who was lazy in governance. He might even be suspected of embezzling national funds.
His successor always heard him scold Pang Shao. After a long time, he not only got tired of Pang Shao, but also of Lou Yue.
He had a headache from Lou Yue's loud voice, so he simply said, "So, what does Minister Lou want to do?"
Lou Yue straightened his back and said in a loud voice, "Of course it's to strengthen the defense in case of any unexpected incidents."
His successor felt a headache coming on.
Although he only cared about romance every day, he was also aware of how much money he had in his pocket. This money was used to support the beauties in his palace, to support his luxurious life, and to raise the rare birds and beasts in his enclosure. Where would he find the money to raise some useless troops?
He waved his hand and said, "Then let's send them out from your troops. Don't you have fifty thousand troops outside the city? Allocate five thousand and send them over first. "
Lou Yue looked unhappy. "But …"
"No buts." His successor didn't compromise at all. "I can't send out troops either. In any case, your troops will be sent to a useful place sooner or later. If you send them over now, you'll save some money on provisions. "
Lou Yue didn't say anything.
This matter was settled just like that.
The troops outside the city were in full swing. Meanwhile, in Prince Jing's Estate, Jiang Suzhou also knew about Huo Wujiu's plan.
However, Huo Wujiu didn't tell him everything.
He only said that he sent a messenger pigeon to Li Cheng, who was defending the north of the river. In a few days, Li Cheng would send a hundred and fifty thousand troops across the river.
This time, he would follow Lou Yue's troops to the north of the river and take the one hundred and fifty thousand troops into his hands. After that, Lou Yue would besiege the city, and he would lead the troops to reinforce the city. When the two hundred thousand troops surrounded Lin 'an, it would be the day that Pang Shao and Jiang Sunheng would die.
At that time, they could quickly take over Lin 'an and rush to Lingnan. They would block the three hundred thousand troops in Lingnan and kill Pang Shao's son and the rebel general. At that time, the whole of Nanjing would fall into their hands.
Jiang Suzhou thought about it and couldn't see any flaws in this plan, but …
He couldn't help but feel uneasy.
If it was so easy for Huo Wujiu to mobilize his troops, why didn't he think of such a simple plan before? Since he could move freely and no one could catch him, why did he still want to infiltrate Lou Yue's five thousand troops?
He had some doubts in his heart, and the closer he got to Huo Wujiu's departure date, the more uneasy he felt.
The day before he left, he returned from the yamen. It was already late at night.
He returned to Anyin Hall, but he didn't go to the main room. He stopped in the courtyard, and then he went to Huo Wujiu's room.
Huo Wujiu was sitting there, watching Wei Kai take inventory of their luggage.
They didn't have much to bring, so it was easy to pack. When he saw Jiang Suzhou come in, Huo Wujiu looked up at him and waved at him.
"Come," he said. "What's the matter?"
Jiang Suzhou said, "I'm just here to take a look …"
Huo Wujiu stood up to pour him a cup of tea, but Jiang Suzhou stopped him. He looked up at Huo Wujiu. After a moment of silence, he said, "I'm still a little worried …"
Huo Wujiu smiled and said casually, "What's there to be worried about? We're talking about two hundred thousand people. Even if Pang Shao has twice as many soldiers, there's nothing to be afraid of. "
"But I'm worried about …" Jiang Suzhou frowned. "I'm just guessing, but can we trust the Liang Dynasty's troops?"
Huo Wujiu paused for a moment, but it was fleeting.
He chuckled twice.
"Those soldiers are all from the Huo Family. What's there to doubt? Don't think too much about it, "he said.
"But …"
Huo Wujiu looked at him lazily, "Why? Are you thinking too much because you have nothing better to do?"
Jiang Suzhou opened his mouth and was about to refute.
However, Huo Wujiu raised his hand and pulled his wrist. Then, he waved his hand at Wei Kai as a signal.
"Alright, don't think too much about it. I'll take you to something to do," Huo Wujiu said.
Jiang Suzhou hurriedly asked, "What are we going to do?"
"Lou Yue is going to reward the troops outside the city tonight. I'll take you there."
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