Chapter 728 Horseshoe Gold

Xingyang.

In the mansion, a group of civil servants and generals gathered in front of Zhao Shuang's bed without saying a word.

Duan Murong, the leader of the Mo family, sat beside the bed. After checking his pulse, he stood up.

Zhao Xin and other close followers of Zhao Shuang gathered around and asked.

"Miss Duanmu, how are you, Your Majesty?"

"The Qi pulse is not smooth. If you adjust it a little, you will wake up soon."

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

Duan Murong took out a box of silver needles, took out the thickest one, and returned to the bed.

Just when the needle was about to be administered, Zhao Shuang, who was on the bed, suddenly opened his eyes, widened his eyes, and roared.

"Your Majesty! Your Majesty!"

The words were full of sadness and sadness, and for a moment, everyone in the mansion knelt down.

Duan Murong stepped forward and helped Zhao Shuang up, but saw that his face was pale.

"How is your Majesty? How is your Majesty?"

With a bang, Zhao Shuang slapped the bed with his hand. Then, two more additions were made.

"Damn it, Zhao Gaoyu, Your Majesty is still so young..."

"I sincerely ask you to show your condolences!"

All the ministers bowed their heads and kowtowed to the ground. Then, Xin Zhao cupped his hands and said.

"In the land of Guandong, rebels are rampant. Please take heart, Your Majesty, and do not allow rebellion to succeed. The only way to make an early decision is to make an early decision regarding today's matters."

…

"Look!"

The sentinels of the Chu army were conducting reconnaissance outside Xingyang City, surrounded by a ruined battlefield.

The sparks were not extinguished, and the air was filled with the smell of blood and burning, which mixed together made people vomit.

With a sound, a group of coalition soldiers who were cleaning up on the battlefield raised their heads and saw that at the top of Xingyang City, white banners were hung, and a group of soldiers were wearing plain uniforms.

"Who is dead?"

"It's not necessarily Zhao Shuang!"

Everyone smiled and quickly turned around and brought the news back to the Chinese army camp.

The first battle did not go well, and the top leaders of the coalition were discussing the subsequent deployment. After hearing the news, everyone looked at each other.

This is wartime, keep things simple. Why is there such a big battle after someone dies?

"Maybe it's really Zhao Shuang!"

A joke-like remark caused laughter to ring out again in the already somewhat depressed camp.

But soon, everyone stopped laughing.

The people present were all smart people, and they quickly turned around. Among the imperial army, except for Zhao Shuang, there was only one person who needed such a large formation.

"Could it be..."

Everyone's eyes turned to Fan Zeng for a moment, and he looked solemn. For a long time, his hands beat heavily on the wooden edge of the sand table.

The aftermath of the force knocked down many of the military figurines used to deploy troops on the sand table.

"Very good!"

Fan Zeng's face showed joy.

Hundreds of thousands of troops jointly attacked Xingyang, but the first battle resulted in heavy losses. The soldiers' morale was shaken and their morale was low.

Fan Zengben wanted to find a way to boost morale, but now good news suddenly came.

"Zhao Shuang held the emperor hostage to order the old ministers of the empire. Now that the emperor is gone, what use does he have as a prime minister?"

"But what if Zhao Shuang supports another one?"

"Hu Hai killed all his brothers and sisters, how can there be any suitable candidates now?"

Fan Zeng held his hands, his words were filled with excitement, and his words were as fast as arrows.

"The emperor is the emperor after all. Many of the old ministers in the empire are generals who have led one side and have been favored by Qin for generations. Now that the emperor has been lost, people must be restless. This is a good opportunity for us to attack."

…

"Xin Zhao, what do you mean?"

The room was quiet, and as Zhao Shuang finished speaking, Zhao Xin's eyes became firmer.

"The emperor was killed by thieves, and the empire was horrified. At this time, the world has no master. I hope that your Majesty will consider the common people in the world and enter the royal title!"

"shut up!"

Zhao Shuang shouted, with a bit of harshness in his voice.

"I am also a minister of Qin, how can I usurp the throne?"

Xin Zhao listened and continued to explain.

"The emperor has no virtue, kills the virtuous, favors traitors, and causes trouble all over the world and chaos in the world. Your Majesty followed Yi Yin's example and established the country. Within a few years, his achievements have been seen. However, the emperor passed away suddenly, and the world was in chaos. Undecided. Outside there are tigers and wolves, and there are people waiting to be cared for inside. If you cherish your own reputation, where will the world live?"

Zhang Liang said something, and everyone leaned forward.

"I also hope that your Majesty will consider the common people of the world and enter the royal title!"

Zhao Shuang's words were very firm, with an extremely firm will.

"No matter how virtuous or capable I am, I can never do this!"

"There are huge bandits outside. When they hear this news, they will definitely move into action. At this time, besides the king, who else can take on the great responsibility of the country?"

"Your Majesty, if you are unwilling, how can the common people be saved, how can the world be saved!"

…

For a time, all the ministers in the room were in tears, feeling as if the sky would fall if Zhao Shuang didn't agree.

In the end, there was only a tired sound.

"Please step back first!"

…

"Yafu, are you saying that Zhao Shuang will become king?"

In the coalition tent, Xiang Shaoyu looked at Fan Zeng and his voice was very calm.

"Now that the war is urgent, Zhao Shuang has no time or effort to become another emperor. The only way to stabilize people's hearts is by calling himself king."

Fan Zeng's words made everyone in the camp nod.

"So our opportunity has come."

Fan Zengren took out the map and spread it on the table.

"The old ministers of the empire, such as Zhao Tuo, Wang Li and other generals, all have huge soldiers in their hands. Now that Hu Hai dies, they must be shocked. They are ministers of the empire and Hu Hai, not Zhao Shuang. Now if Zhao Shuang ascends the throne, they will be replaced Where? Moreover, there are many strong officials in various counties and counties in the empire. They will definitely be uneasy after hearing about this change."

As he spoke, Fan Zeng pointed to various locations on the map.

"Let the various places work carefully and spread rumors widely. It is said that Zhao Shuang killed Hu Hai in order to usurp the throne of the emperor. After he ascends the throne, he will definitely purge the old officials of the empire. If so, the empire will be in chaos. We can take this opportunity. , conquer Xingyang and seize Aocang."

After Fan Zeng finished speaking, he was very excited. But when he raised his head, except for a group of people from the Chu Kingdom, none of the other senior officials had any feeling of being touched on their faces.

This is a very simple truth.

It costs money to dispatch craftsmen to do work.

Moreover, the money cannot be reduced, it must be a huge sum.

The princes present now all want to invade Guanzhong and get the treasures and beauties in Xianyang.

It is really painful for all the princes to have to spend so much money before they get the money. What's more, each prince has his own detailed work, and to complete this task as soon as possible, it must be coordinated.

But if the work falls into the hands of others, can it still be called work?

For a time, there were very few responders.

Fan Zeng saw it, and Xiang Shaoyu on the side had an even cold face.

"We are working together to kill the Qin Dynasty. Don't you think what Yafu said is not a good policy?"

After hearing Xiang Shaoyu's words, all the princes frowned slightly.

Without him, these words sound too much like a superior admonishing a subordinate.

But in theory, Xiang Shaoyu is just a general of Chu State. In terms of status, many people in this tent are on the same level as him, or even above him.

Fan Zeng saw something was wrong and waved his hand.

"This old strategy still has some shortcomings and needs to be improved. You are also tired today, so go down and rest first!"

"Then I'll take my leave soon!"

Even after the last foreign minister who was not from Chu State left, Xiang Shaoyu's expression still did not soften.

"A bunch of rabble! With the current situation, it's either him or me. If this battle is lost, are they going to be buried with those gold and silver treasures on their backs?"

Fan Zeng shook his head, and at this time he also felt the shortcomings of the combined strategy.

Although the momentum was great, the people within the group were not united and could not form a joint force.

Xiang Shaoyu is right, the power of the world is already very clear at this time.

If they win, they can invade Hangu, occupy Guanzhong, and destroy Qin. At that time, it will be a different scene.

But if they lose, they will definitely not be able to escape the empire's counterattack, and they will truly become traitors.

"If they don't do it, we in Chu will do it."

Fan Zeng looked at Xiang Shaoyu and said.

"This is not the time to begrudge treasure."

"Father, I understand!"

…

The night is hanging high, and the hustle and bustle of the day is gradually fading away.

Zhao Shuang clasped his hands behind his back and stood on the high gate of the city gate, looking at the scene outside the city.

In the high palace, several damaged three-foot bat wings lay quietly, and the surroundings were quiet.

A figure came from outside, walked behind Zhao Shuang, and said something.

"Kings!"

Zhao Shuang turned his head, looked at the visitor, and smiled softly.

"Chen Ping, the king cannot shout this now."

"With all due respect, even if the king himself does not recognize it, in the hearts of the imperial subjects and the rebels outside Xingyang City, you are already the king."

"Then do you know what will happen next?"

Facing Zhao Shuang's questions, Chen Ping had already responded. The moonlight shone on Chen Ping's face, reflecting a wise and extremely handsome face.

"Rumors are spreading and the empire is uneasy. The Kwantung Allied Forces will definitely take this opportunity to attack Xingyang again and capture Aocang."

"The news I just received is that King Tian Rong of Qi's 100,000-strong army is less than fifty miles away from Xingyang. They will meet up with the armies of the princes tomorrow!"

Chen Ping's eyes wrinkled slightly, and he looked even more calmly at the figure in front of him.

"The enemy force is strong. Do you want to retreat to Luoyang?"

Luoyang City is large and strong, with many dangerous passes around it. Compared with Xingyang, it has great advantages.

"With the current situation, whoever takes a step back will lose everything."

"Then the king wants it?"

"There is a year's tax from Sanchuan County in this room. Take it and let the princes' troops start to stir up chaos."

There are more than a dozen large boxes in this room, which Chen Ping noticed when he first arrived. When I heard Zhao Shuang's words, I felt happy.

Chen Ping bowed his head and bowed, with a bit of confidence in his words.

"I understand!"

…

"What happened?"

In the early morning, Wei Bao walked out of his tent and heard a noise in his ears.

Wei Bao's soldiers came limping and staggering step by step, with blood still on their bodies.

"What's wrong with you?"

"Your Majesty, this morning I took my brothers to the rear military camp to ask for food, and ended up fighting with the Chu people."

"I told you not to have anything to do with the Chu people, why are you still fighting?"

Wei Bao's army is on the side of the Chinese army's tent, close to Yingchuan County, and has the important task of defending the Yangdi Tiger Army.

All grain and grass transportation for the Wei army had to be concentrated by water transport from the rear, and then distributed through the hands of the Chu people.

"It's true that those Chu people deceived others too much. They were not good at guarding the food and grass, and most of them were burned by the Qin army, but in the end they settled the account in our hands. My subordinates went to ask for food this morning, but the result was not even 30% of the food. Arrived. The subordinates were so angry that they started arguing with them."

"Is anyone hurt?"

Wei Bao was a little worried. It would be bad for either of the two parties to get hurt.

"More than a dozen brothers were injured, and one of the other party died. It is said that he was a relative of Xiang Shaoyu."

"What!"

Wei Bao was shocked when he heard this.

"If the king is worried, just leave his subordinates to the Chu people!"

"What did you say!"

Wei Bao shouted angrily.

Being born a king, what is most important?

I can protect the little brother below!

Otherwise, why would the younger brothers follow him as the king?

Now that Wei is weak and Chu is strong, Wei Bao tolerates everything. But he couldn't tolerate this kind of thing.

"This subordinate is guilty!"

The guard was about to kneel down, but Wei Bao felt disgusted when he saw him like this.

"Okay, okay, get up!"

At this moment, there was a sound of horse hooves outside the camp.

"Your Majesty, the general of Chu State is here."

"How many people came?"

"He's the only one."

Wei Bao thought that Xiang Shaoyu was here to ask for punishment, so he waved his hand.

"You go in and hide first!"

"If my subordinates don't leave, Xiang Shaoyu will be held accountable. I will bear the burden alone and have nothing to do with the king or the brothers."

Wei Bao persuaded him not to leave, but Xiang Shaoyu had already arrived here on horseback.

"General Xiang, what happened this morning was a misunderstanding."

Xiang Shaoyu rode his horse but did not get off. He looked at the lame guard and asked.

"You were the one who killed Xiang Liu?"

"That's me!"

The guard's words were full of refutation. Wei Bao was deeply afraid that the young and energetic young master Xiang would kill someone the next moment, and the situation would be out of control.

"Why?"

However, Xiang Shaoyu asked coldly.

"If he deprives me of my food and grass, he will kill me. Shouldn't he be killed?"

Xiang Shaoyu looked at the person in front of him and suddenly laughed.

"Good kill!"

Wei Bao was stunned for a moment, then saw Xiang Shaoyu's gaze.

"It is indeed the Six Nations' great fortune that King Wei has such a brave man."

With that said, Xiang Shaoyu took out a horseshoe-shaped gold nugget and threw it to the guard.

"Well done. I hate those people who rely on power the most in my life. If it were me, I would kill them too!"

The guard got the gold nugget and knelt down on one knee, his face full of gratitude.

"Thank you, General Xiang!"

Looking at the excited faces of his subordinates, Wei Bao's expression turned extremely ugly.

…

The Chinese military tent.

"Yu'er, how could you do this?"

When Fan Zeng heard about Xiang Shaoyu's incident in the Wei army camp, he was very dissatisfied.

"Yafu, didn't you tell me that when we sent Xizuo, Zhao Shuang might take advantage of the different sentiments of the coalition forces to send Xizuo too, and asked me to be careful not to arouse hidden worries within the coalition forces?"

Xiang Shaoyu put down the Flame God Spear, a little puzzled.

"I severely punished the officials in charge of grain and grass, and also appeased the dissatisfaction of the Wei army. Isn't it enough?"

"There's nothing wrong with what you did, but why did you do it in front of Wei Bao? Have you ever thought about what he would think?"

Xiang Shaoyu walked to the map and looked at the situation between the two armies without paying much attention.

"I rewarded his bravery in front of him, he will probably be unhappy!"

Seeing Xiang Shaoyu's understatement, Fan Zeng had a headache.

"Since you know, why do you do this? He is the king after all, but others are involved in the rewards and punishments of his men. Would he be happy?"

Xiang Shaoyu smiled softly.

"What I admire are warriors. I don't care what Wei Bao thinks. These princes are all cowards and will only hold them back. I don't like it."

"Yu'er, now is not the time for you to be willful."

"Okay, okay! Then Father Laura will help me deal with the aftermath!"

"You!"

…

"It's exactly what you said. Neither Wei Bao nor Xiang Shaoyu made things difficult for me!"

In the Wei army camp, the warrior who looked resolute not long ago was touching the piece of gold horseshoe with a smile on his face.

"Chen Ping, you are really a god."

Chen Ping stood in front of the guard of King Wei with a smile.

"You and I are both from Wei, and we are friends. How can we miss you when good things happen?"

"Then what should we do next?"

The profited bodyguard became more greedy and asked.

"In today's world, the only one who can achieve success is Lord Hanyang. He will soon be crowned king, and I will follow suit and be promoted to a higher rank. I'm fine, can I forget you? At this moment, you must speed up contacting the trustworthy people in the Wei army. People, let them obey orders."

"good!"

Seeing the lame guard walking out regardless of his injury, Chen Ping had disdain and confidence on his face.

"These so-called princes and generals are just actors on the stage, obeying the instructions of the people behind the scenes and dancing along with them!"