After Hsieh Hyun-chen defeated Yelu Ji in Meng Mountains, Yelu Ji escaped with twenty thousand men. Hsieh Hyun-chen was not in a hurry to chase after him. Instead, he returned to En Province to replenish his army. After resting for two days, he set out with Mu Mingtang. Hsieh Hyun-chen stopped for two days. Of course, his army could not catch up with Yelu Ji. However, when he arrived at Zhending Prefecture, he easily captured Yelu Ji.
After the Sixteen Prefectures of the Serene Cloud were cut off, the Ye Dynasty could only rely on the three military towns in the north. Taiyuan was west of Taihang Mountains, while the other two were east of Taihang Mountains. They blocked Yelu Ji's escape route.
Therefore, Hsieh Hyun-chen was not in a hurry. Zhongshan and Hejian cities had been waiting for a long time. After receiving Hsieh Hyun-chen's letter, they all came out to fight for Yelu Ji's victory. Now, Yelu Ji was stopped by the garrison of Zhongshan City.
The general guarding Zhongshan was Old General Xu. Although Hsieh Hyun-chen had not worked directly with the Xu Family, the two families had a lot of common relations. They could be considered acquaintances. Hsieh Hyun-chen and Old General Xu wrote letters to discuss a pincer attack to destroy the Northern Tribes and capture Yelu Ji alive.
All the young men of the Xu Family were eager to join the battle after receiving the letter. They all wanted to give the Northern Tribes a good beating. They were shrinking the encirclement and were about to encircle Yelu Ji when they suddenly received an urgent order from the capital.
The Emperor ordered them to retreat, open the border, and let Yelu Ji return to the Northern Tribes.
Dongjing was surrounded by the Yelv Yan.
The Yelv Yan had been besieging Taiyuan for two months with only three thousand men. Later, the Yelv Yan received news of Yelu Ji's defeat. They left Taiyuan, which was about to fall, and went straight to Dongjing.
The Yelv Yan only brought fifty thousand men. The Emperor had a hundred thousand imperial guards and a hundred thousand reinforcements. He felt that victory was in his hands and boldly sent people to fight. In the end, because two civil officials fought for the credit, they changed orders all the time and lost the battle.
Twenty thousand soldiers of the Imperial Army were taken captive, and the rest either fled or ran away. The Yelv Yan killed five thousand prisoners of war in front of the city gate of Tokyo in front of the city guards. At that time, blood flowed like a river. The blood of the captured soldiers flowed into the city gate and dyed the main street red.
All the troops sent to rescue the emperor tried to rescue the capital, but they were all defeated by the Yelv Yan. The Yelv Yan surrounded Tokyo and forced the Emperor to surrender and submit to the Northern Tribes. At the same time, he also asked the Emperor to remove Hsieh Hyun-chen's military power and release the East Pill King immediately.
When the news of Dongjing being besieged reached Zhending Prefecture, everyone was shocked.
Mu Mingtang was eating white fungus soup in his residence. When he heard the news, he accidentally dropped his spoon. She didn't have time to tidy up her wet skirt and immediately asked the servant girl who delivered the message, "Is this true?"
"It's absolutely true. Right now, the envoys from the capital are still passing on a message to His Highness. "
Mu Mingtang felt dizzy. The servant girl was shocked and hurriedly helped Mu Mingtang to sit down. The servant girls were scared out of their wits. They surrounded Mu Mingtang and didn't know what to do. Mu Mingtang composed herself and asked after a pause, "What else did the envoys say?"
The servant girl timidly glanced at Mu Mingtang, as if she didn't dare to say, "The envoys also said … the Emperor asked His Highness to hand over his military power and release the East Pill King immediately."
Although Mu Mingtang didn't participate in the war, she knew that Hsieh Hyun-chen and Old General Xu of Zhongshan City were drawing in the net. They were about to capture Yelv Ji alive, but they suddenly received such an order.
Once Yelv Ji was released, all of Hsieh Hyun-chen's previous efforts would be in vain.
The servant girls also felt bad when they thought of this. Who would be willing to let Yelv Ji go when they were so close to capturing him?
The servant girls asked carefully, "Princess, what should we do next?"
What should we do? Mu Mingtang wanted to know as well. Letting Yelv Ji go wasn't the most fatal thing. The key was military power. If Hsieh Hyun-chen really did hand over his military power, would the Yelv Yan force the Emperor to summon Hsieh Hyun-chen back to the capital alone?
The Yelv Yan's intentions for making such a request were truly hateful.
Mu Mingtang's heart was heavy. She shook her head and said, "Let's take it one step at a time. His Highness will make arrangements."
At this moment, the yamen was indeed very chaotic.
Hsieh Hyun-chen slammed the table when he heard the news. It was unbelievable. How could a hundred thousand soldiers be beaten to a pulp by sixty thousand Yelv Yan soldiers? The Yelv Yan had only brought sixty thousand men. They were already exhausted after the battle at Taiyuan. Dongjing had a hundred thousand imperial soldiers, and they were sent to help the Emperor. How could they lose?
He was so focused on driving the Northern Tribes out of the country and taking back his lost land. He never expected such a huge mess to occur behind his back. That was the dignified capital.
But it was too late to say anything now. His subordinates watched as Hsieh Hyun-chen slammed the heavy table. They were all frightened and kept quiet out of fear. No one dared to speak. Seeing that Hsieh Hyun-chen had calmed down, one of them asked, "His Highness, what do you think we should do now?"
Should he let Yelv Ji go? Should he hand over his military power?
Hsieh Hyun-chen was very angry. He stood in front of the table for a while. When he felt that his reason had returned, he said, "Inform the Xu Family Army to let him go."
Hearing these words, the crowd was filled with righteous indignation, "His Highness, we clearly have him surrounded. We would have caught him in three days. Why …"
"Based on the fact that our capital is surrounded." Xie Xuanchen's voice was cold as he said, "Let them go. If we let Yelv Ji go, we can still catch him. But the Yelv Yan has twenty thousand prisoners of war. We can't joke about their lives. "
The young men were very angry. Many of them fought bravely and were promoted by Hsieh Hyun-chen. They fought with Hsieh Hyun-chen all the way. Of course, they knew that today's situation was not easy. In the end, they were unwilling to let him go on the eve of success.
But no matter how unwilling they were, they knew that Hsieh Hyun-chen was right. Dongjing was still surrounded by people. The Emperor, Empress, Empress Dowager, and all the central officials and nobles were inside. They could not gamble.
Hsieh Hyun-chen stood on the ground and thought for a while. When he spoke again, he had already made up his mind, "Come, bring me a brush and ink."
He glanced at the ground and said, "Also, bring a new table."
When the crowd heard Hsieh Hyun-chen's words, they immediately cupped their fists and complied. They were angry just now, but now that they had calmed down, they did not feel discouraged. Because they knew that Hsieh Hyun-chen would always have a way.
Hsieh Hyun-chen wrote a letter to Old General Xu. When Old General Xu received the letter, he let out a long sigh.
When his sons saw Old General Xu's expression, they knew that something was wrong. When they finished reading the letter, they were both angry and sad.
The seventh son of the Xu family was so angry that he pulled out his sword and chopped a tree. Old General Xu allowed his sons to vent their anger. In the end, he sighed deeply and said to his second son, "Erlang, go and call the sixth son back. Open the borders and let the East Elixir King leave. No one is to stop him. "
Xu Erlang was old and had a calm temperament. When he heard his father's words, he could only obey. Xu Qilang was young and hot-headed. He was not as calm as his brother. When he heard this, he said angrily, "Father, are we just going to watch him leave like this?"
"What else can we do?" Old General Xu looked at Xu Qilang seriously and said, "You are not allowed to secretly bring people to chase after him. Let the East Elixir King leave safely. If I find out that you are acting rashly, I will not forgive you. "
Xu Qilang was so angry that he could only look up at the sky and sigh. After being angry for a while, he asked, "Father, what about Prince Qiyang …"
"What Prince Qiyang?" Old General Xu stopped him. "You should call him Prince An."
Xu Qilang quickly changed his words. "What about Prince An? Is he really going to hand over his military power? "
Hsieh Hyun-chen was a well-known name. All the generals in the Xu family, Xu Qilang grew up hearing Hsieh Hyun-chen's name. The title Prince Qiyang was too famous. Xu Qilang was reminded several times, but he still couldn't change it in a short time.
If the imperial edict only asked them to let Yelu Ji go, it would be fine. They were at the border anyway. At worst, they could find another opportunity later. But the emperor wanted Hsieh Hyun-chen to hand over his military power … Wasn't this too much?
Xu Qilang was furious when he heard this, let alone Hsieh Hyun-chen's people. Old General Xu also sighed. There was no lack of worry in his voice. "I don't know either."
This kind of thing was sensitive, especially because Hsieh Hyun-chen's identity was involved in the struggle for the imperial power of two generations. The Xu family were just ordinary generals. They had to be respectful when they saw the civil officials, let alone something as sensitive as the imperial power succession. Old General Xu didn't dare to ask more. He suppressed his thoughts and warned his son again. "Prince An said in the letter that Princess An might come in a few days. Go home and restrain the bastards. Don't make a fuss. Don't let the princess see you as a joke. "
Xu Qilang was stunned. "Princess An is coming?"
Hsieh Hyun-chen risked being scolded for being disloyal and unfilial. He must bring the princess out of the Capital. After that, on the way to the North, he carefully protected the princess behind him. Everyone could see how much Hsieh Hyun-chen cared about his princess. Why did he suddenly send the princess to them?
What did he want to do?
Old General Xu shook his head and said, "Don't think too much about irrelevant things. What Prince An does is not something we can control. He is willing to send the princess to us, which means he has great trust in us. Go home and tell your mother and your sisters-in-law to tidy up the house for Princess An and prepare the necessary tools. Don't ask anything else. "
Xu Qilang accepted the order and left. Old General Xu thought about the situation outside and sighed.
Strong enemies were everywhere, and natural disasters were everywhere. However, the Imperial Court was still busy with internal strife and guarding against the usurpation of power. When would there be a truly stable Imperial Court?
In fact, when Hsieh Hyun-chen heard the messenger ask him to hand over his military power, he treated it like a fart.
Letting Hsieh Hyun-chen release his prey was already the bottom line. It was impossible to expect Hsieh Hyun-chen to obediently hand over his military power.
Zhending Prefecture was bustling with activity. Everyone was busy packing their luggage. Hsieh Hyun-chen had already ordered the troops to depart at dawn tomorrow to reinforce Dongjing.
The reason why they didn't depart immediately was actually because of Mu Mingtang. Hsieh Hyun-chen wanted to rush the troops, so it would be inappropriate to bring Mu Mingtang along. He was worried about leaving Mu Mingtang alone in Zhending Prefecture. After thinking about it, he finally decided to send Mu Mingtang to Zhongshan City.
Zhongshan City had been guarded by the Xu family for generations. The Xu family was full of generals and had a deep foundation in Zhongshan City. It could be said that they were the most powerful of the three military towns. Hsieh Hyun-chen had heard many stories about the Xu family and trusted their character. Now that Hsieh Hyun-chen had no choice but to leave, leaving Mu Mingtang in Zhongshan City was the safest way.
Hsieh Hyun-chen wrote a letter to Old General Xu yesterday. Today, he would personally send Mu Mingtang to Zhongshan City. Tomorrow, he would leave with the troops.
Old General Xu knew that Mu Mingtang was coming, but he didn't expect it to be so soon. At this moment, all the Xu family members were standing at the city gate to welcome Hsieh Hyun-chen and Mu Mingtang into the city.
Xu Qilang had been looking forward to it since he received the letter yesterday. He had been curious about Hsieh Hyun-chen's fame for a long time. He didn't expect to see him in person today.
Mu Mingtang's carriage drove through the city gate and stopped at the second gate of the Xu family. At this moment, the courtyard was full of people. When Mu Mingtang got out of the carriage, he was shocked by the scene in front of him.
He had heard that the Xu family had many sons, but … were there really so many of them?
Old General Xu had seven sons in total. The eldest and youngest son, Xu Qilang, were 20 years apart. Now, except for Xu Qilang, the other brothers were all married and had children. These married brothers had many nephews and nieces. Last year, even the eldest nephew got married.
The daughters-in-law and granddaughters-in-law stood together with their children. It was a shocking scene. When the Xu family's daughters-in-law saw Mu Mingtang, they all curiously gathered around to greet him.
"So this is An Wang Fei. She is indeed a top beauty."
"I have long heard of Wang Fei's great name. Today, I finally get to meet you. Wang Fei will be staying in our house for a few more days! "
Mu Mingtang was shocked by this scene. Old Madame Xu was afraid that the daughters-in-law would scare Mu Mingtang, so she lightly knocked her walking stick on the ground. After the daughters-in-law dispersed, Old Madame Xu slowly walked over and smiled at Mu Mingtang: "They have stayed in the wilderness for too long and have no manners. Wang Fei, please don't take offense."
Mu Mingtang recognized at a glance that this was Old General Xu's official wife, the Old Madame of the Xu family. She immediately gave a junior's greeting: "Old Madame Xu. I have long heard of Old Madame's great name. It is this junior who has caused trouble for Old Madame. "
Old Madame Xu quickly supported Mu Mingtang and said: "Wang Fei, please don't. This is too much for me."
The other daughters-in-law of the Xu family also gathered around to support Mu Mingtang. Mu Mingtang was no match for them in numbers, so he had to give up the greeting. The Xu family noisily pulled Mu Mingtang into the main hall to talk. Old General Xu and many of the Xu family's sons accompanied Hsieh Hyun-chen to the back residence: "Is Wang An returning to Zhending Prefecture soon?"
"Yes," Hsieh Hyun-chen nodded and said, "I will have to trouble Old General Xu to take care of Wang Fei for the next few days."
Old General Xu naturally agreed: "Your Royal Highness can rest assured. You sent your wife and children here because you trust me. I am in fear and trepidation, so I will not disappoint Wang An. There are many young people in our family. Dalang and the other daughters-in-law are bored at home all day long. Now that Wang Fei is here, she can talk with them and do needlework together. My granddaughters and granddaughters-in-law are about the same age as Wang Fei. They are young and have endless things to talk about. Your Royal Highness can rest assured. "
Hsieh Hyun-chen was indeed relieved. He walked into the main hall of the Xu family's backyard and was stunned as soon as he entered the door.
Hsieh Hyun-chen had to look around to see where Mu Mingtang was. He knew there were many people in the Xu family, but … were there this many people?
Mu Mingtang was the only daughter in the family. Although Hsieh Hyun-chen had an older brother, he died of a rash when he was very young. Hsieh Hyun-chen was also the only son. The two of them were used to small families as the only children. They were shocked when they suddenly saw such a large and prosperous family like the Xu family.
Mu Mingtang understood Hsieh Hyun-chen's current mood very well. She immediately stood up and walked towards Hsieh Hyun-chen: "Your Royal Highness."
Hsieh Hyun-chen came back to his senses and greeted Old Madame Xu: "Old Madame."
Old Madame Xu naturally declined. The Xu family could fill up the house with their own people alone. With so many women gathered together, one could imagine how lively it would be. But as soon as Hsieh Hyun-chen entered the door, all the noise stopped.
Hsieh Hyun-chen was surprised. In fact, the women of the Xu family were also very surprised when they saw Hsieh Hyun-chen.
It turned out that this was Prince Qiyang, Hsieh Hyun-chen. The famous god of war, Prince Qiyang's appearance … was a bit unexpected.
Xu Qilang knew what his sisters-in-law were thinking as soon as he saw their expressions. Because he had the same expression just now.
It wasn't that Hsieh Hyun-chen wasn't good-looking, but he was so good-looking that Xu Qilang couldn't help but wonder if such a person could deter the soldiers on the battlefield.
Fortunately, the other men of the Xu family were steady and introduced the two sides one by one. Although it was called an introduction, it was actually a one-sided introduction of the Xu family. There were only two people in total, Hsieh Hyun-chen and Mu Mingtang, so they finished the introductions in one sentence.
It took a long time just to introduce the daughters-in-law. Mu Mingtang was so confused that she couldn't remember who was ranked. Hsieh Hyun-chen completely gave up. He seemed to have a card up his sleeve, but in fact, he couldn't remember a single name.
After the introductions, Hsieh Hyun-chen had to leave after exchanging some pleasantries. The army would be deployed tomorrow. There were still many things that Hsieh Hyun-chen needed to arrange in Zhending Prefecture. He had already squeezed out some time to send Mu Mingtang off.
Mu Mingtang also knew that Hsieh Hyun-chen had to leave. She suddenly felt reluctant to part with him. It seemed that they hadn't really been separated since they got married. Now that Hsieh Hyun-chen had to leave for a long time, Mu Mingtang felt sad just thinking about it.
Hsieh Hyun-chen also didn't want to leave Mu Mingtang behind. However, he couldn't delay the matter in Dongjing, so he had no choice but to leave. Hsieh Hyun-chen knew that the time had passed, so he reluctantly said goodbye. The Xu family sent Hsieh Hyun-chen off with great momentum. When they reached the second gate, Hsieh Hyun-chen suddenly stopped in his tracks and turned to look at Mu Mingtang.
What else did the Xu family members not understand? They immediately tactfully retreated and gave the young couple space.
Hsieh Hyun-chen lowered his head to look at Mu Mingtang. He suddenly sighed and reached out to hug Mu Mingtang. Mu Mingtang also took the initiative to hug him. Hsieh Hyun-chen's voice floated in her ears. It sounded heavy. "I'm leaving."
"Okay. You must take care of your body. I raised you. I don't want you to get hurt. "
"Okay." After Hsieh Hyun-chen finished speaking, he hugged Mu Mingtang tightly and used all his self-control to let go of her. "You too. Wait for me to come back. "
Mu Mingtang nodded. Hsieh Hyun-chen looked up and nodded at Old General Xu and the others not far away. He finally touched Mu Mingtang's head reluctantly and turned to leave.
He was afraid that if he didn't leave now, he wouldn't be able to.
After Hsieh Hyun-chen walked for a long time, he suddenly turned back. Mu Mingtang was still standing in the same place. When she saw him turn back, she smiled at him.
Hsieh Hyun-chen understood Mu Mingtang's lips. She said, "I'll wait for you."
Hsieh Hyun-chen turned back and strode out without hesitation.
Mu Mingtang watched Hsieh Hyun-chen walk away. She watched as his figure disappeared behind the door. Her heart sank.
He had just left, but she was already missing him.
He had spent so much effort to leave the capital. Now that the capital was in danger, he led people to rescue them without hesitation.
She guessed right. Her savior was indeed a great hero. He was indomitable and unyielding. He knew that there was a trap in front of him, but he was still willing to take the risk to rescue the enemy.
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