Five-year enthronement three-year simulation

Chapter 103

The situation is extremely urgent and there is no room for delay.Ming Tan, Lin Shurong, and Ming Yao secretly set off from Yuanzhou the next day and rushed to Qugong Pass in the frontier.

Qugong Pass is bordered by grasslands and is the longest pass in the Tiancheng Dynasty. It is no exaggeration to say that General Shang Ding Yuan and his elite soldiers sit here.

Because they were afraid that the situation in the capital would change, under the haste of the three of them, the journey that originally took two days was greatly shortened to more than one day.It was just past noon when they arrived outside Qugong Pass.

"The pass is important, no trespassing!"

Before reaching the city gate, their steeds were stopped, and a few elite soldiers with serious faces came forward, looked them up a little, and said in a polite tone: "The three of you please leave quickly. Keep getting closer here!"

It's good that the military is disciplined and dedicated to their duties.

Ming Tan didn't feel displeased because he was stopped, on the contrary, he raised his eyebrows, and didn't say much nonsense, he just raised his hand and took out a token from his waist, threw it into the air, and said lightly: "I'm sorry. General Lao, let me know that I will meet General Hua immediately."

The leading general was stunned when he heard the words, he held the token firmly, frowned and looked down, only to see a large character "Yu" written on the front and a "Tan" on the back, both of which were in seal script, and immediately opened his eyes. With big eyes, he raised his head in disbelief, and Chi asked, "Could it be that you are Jiu..."

"Exactly." Ming Tan smiled and interrupted his unfinished words, "I'm waiting for something urgent, please pass it on quickly."

The general suddenly nodded, cupped his hands at them, and turned around to inform the inside; after a short wait, he stepped out again and said respectfully: "The general is already waiting inside, three please."

Ming Tan and the others got off their horses, handed the reins to a few soldiers, and quickly followed the general into Qugong Pass.

The city was very large, and the general knew that they were impatient, so he went straight to the inner road, turned around for quite a while, and after passing through a small gate, it suddenly became clear to him that he had arrived at a small courtyard with simple layout. middle.

The three of them walked into the front hall according to the guidance, and they saw an old man who was wrinkled but still in good spirits sitting in it.He was wearing heavy iron armor, with gray temples, but his movements were very agile. When he saw them coming in, he immediately fixed his eyes on Ming Tan who was leading the way, and simply knelt down on one knee and put his fists on the ground. With a military salute, he said with a smile: "See Princess Nine, the old minister has long admired her name!"

"General Hua is polite, Ming Tan would never dare to be that."

This is the most famous Dingyuan General in this dynasty. He has dedicated his life to the battlefield and has made countless achievements. What is even more valuable is that he has always been loyal to the court. Even if the emperor sees him, he should be polite. Receive this gift?

She hurried forward a few steps, helped him up with her own hands, and said with a warm smile: "Besides, if it's true, the general and I are half-old acquaintances, why do you still pay attention to these trivial etiquette?"

"Hahaha, yes! The old minister has indeed been friends with the princess for a long time, and they can be regarded as old acquaintances!" Hua Qin has a bright personality, which is exactly the same as his daughter Hua Rong. He reached out and patted Ming Tan's shoulder, like someone who cared for her Like the elders you added, with kind and friendly eyes, "I received a letter from the princess from Ayu before, asking about the method of military training... Since then, the old minister knows that I will meet you once in this life." machine!"

To be honest, as a courtier, it is quite inappropriate to treat a princess of a country with such actions and tone.But Mingtan didn't feel any dissatisfaction in his heart. On the contrary, he felt that he was really facing a kind grandfather, so he couldn't help showing a soft smile, and nodded slightly: "Yes. Do you think I'm here just now? "

The atmosphere of the old and the young was harmonious, but Ming Yao behind them was already dumbfounded.Originally thought that coming to Qu Gong Pass to borrow troops this time, not to mention all obstacles and difficulties, would definitely have a good fight with the general, but they did not expect such a peaceful situation to appear.

"Miss Lin, please forgive me for taking the liberty to ask, Ninth Emperor Sister and General Dingyuan...?"

"When Princess Nine took over the imperial army and reformed the training methods in the camp, she wrote a letter to ask General Hua what she meant." Lin Shurong turned to look at him, and replied simply, "Besides, the concubine Yi from the Yueyue Palace also I have always been on good terms with Kunning Palace..."

Ming Yao suddenly realized, "Thank you Miss Lin for clarifying the confusion."

No wonder, he forgot Concubine Yi's origin for a moment.

With this level of relationship, borrowing soldiers naturally does not need those probing games in the officialdom, not to mention that Hua Qin is a person who is sincere and measured to the court, and he can be frank about the changes in Beijing.

"——What? The king is really so bold?"

After Ming Tan finished telling the situation, Hua Qin was shocked and angry, and slammed the table hard. The iron armor collided with the wood and made a loud "bang", as if it was about to crack the table, It's a capital offense, then old Shen Kaiyi really doesn't want his head!"

Hua Qin and Cheng Guogong are both old ministers who helped Ming Yi to ascend the throne in the past, and they still have some feelings of common hatred. Now that they heard that the other party dared to commit treason, they felt sad, and sighed after drinking angrily: "I'm so confused...so confused..."

"Duke Cheng assisted his father to ascend the throne back then, just to protect the Shen family from being implicated by the concubine Shu." Ming Tan shook his head lightly, "He has long been blinded by power, and he would do such a thing. It's not surprising, the general doesn't need to feel sorry for such people."

"Oh, the old minister was rude."

Hua Qin sighed again, calmed down for a while, and then asked slowly: "The situation in the capital is urgent. Since according to the princess, the rebels have sealed off the city, are you planning to attack the city?"

"There are a lot of people in the capital, and a lot of powerful equipment, even gunpowder, is needed to attack the city, which is very likely to harm innocent people," Ming Tan pondered, tapping his fingertips unconsciously on his knees, "If someone can join forces inside and outside the city, Minimizing casualties as much as possible is the best strategy, but unfortunately..."

It's a pity that although the capital used to be the headquarters of the imperial army, since Minghui had already occupied the palace, he would definitely keep Lin Xun and the soldiers under his command under strict supervision, and he definitely couldn't count on them.

"It's easy to defend a city, but it's hard to attack it. It's useless to say that the capital is an important place." Hua Qin was also very worried, and said in a deep thought, "There are many stone cannons, ramming tools, etc. in Qugong Pass, as well as gunpowder, but if the princess doesn't want to If you use it lightly, you can only find another way.”

"... Logically speaking, the number of rebels should not be large, and the number of defenders will be relatively small." Lin Shurong, who had stood behind for a long time, took a step forward and thoughtfully suggested, "If it is possible, we might as well send a small number of generals. Night City?"

"This method can be tried, but the risk is too great." Hua Qin shook his head slightly. "In the battle of defending the city since ancient times, the top of the city is the most important. As long as the rebel generals have some brains, they will definitely defend here strictly. I would rather It is not hesitating to abandon the troops in other places."

Ming Tan also nodded hesitantly, agreeing with the General's statement: "Besides, our whereabouts to the capital must be kept secret. In order not to attract Ming Hui's attention, we must not bring too many soldiers and horses, and we must try our best to avoid wastage..."

The situation they are now facing is extremely special: the defenders have no scruples, but the attackers are holding back everywhere. They neither dare to bombard the city walls with strong means, nor can they easily send people to sneak into the city. It is really helpless.

Even Hua Qin, the experienced general, couldn't help but frowned at this moment and remained silent for a long time.

If there is really no other way, then we can only temporarily send artillery carts and other things, and first attack the city gates...

However, when the room was silent and no one spoke for a while, suddenly there were a few light knocks from outside the door, pulling their scattered thoughts back to the original place.

"Who is outside?" Hua Qin raised his voice.

Then, everyone heard the voice of the general from just now, reporting in a slightly hesitant tone: "General, someone is coming from outside the city." He paused, as if struggling in disbelief After a long while, he lowered his voice and continued, "And the man also said...the Ninth Princess must have arrived in the pass today, and please Your Highness, please go there and see me instead of taking the time."

"...!"

Ming Tan was startled in his heart, subconsciously turned his head and looked at Lin Shurong, cold sweat crept up his back in an instant.

Has her whereabouts been exposed?Is he from Minghui?

Seeing His Highness's expression changed, Lin Shurong immediately covered the cold back of his hand, tightened his fingertips, squeezed it lightly, and slowly shook his head at Chong Mingtan.

The calmness and consolation in the eyes of the lover, the heat and strength from the hand, all successfully made Ming Tan calm down again, took a deep breath, and vetoed his guess just now in his heart.

That's right, it can't be Minghui.If their whereabouts had already been exposed to the rebels, how could that person be so polite and claim to ask her to meet her?

But... at this delicate moment, who would be the one who approached Qu Gong Pass and said, "Princess Ninth Princess must have arrived inside the pass"?

Ming Tan patted his head in frustration, only felt that today his eyes seemed to be covered with a layer of fog, and he couldn't see anything clearly.

"That's all." She pondered for a while, then suddenly took Lin Shurong's hand, and said in a low voice, "Since this person sincerely invites me to do him a favor, why not go and see him?"

Ming Yao, who had been silent for a long time beside him, was taken aback when he heard the words, frowned slightly, and subconsciously wanted to stop him, "No! We still can't guess the other party's intentions, Jiuhuangmei should not take risks..."

"I have already come to the door to name and name, and there is no point in avoiding it." Ming Tan shook his head and smiled at Ming Yao, "Brother Wuhuang's kindness, Ming Tan appreciates it. But no matter what the risk is, you still have to go." Otherwise, how can we figure out the intention of this person?"

"..."

Such courage, such courage.How can his elder brother who is full of scheming and scheming match?

Ming Yao pursed his lips, feeling more and more how wise it was for him to risk his life to go out of Beijing and send a letter to Yuanzhou.

"The old minister is also going with the princess."

Hua Qin stood up, his eyes rested on the hands of the two girls clasped for a moment, his expression was subtle for a moment, then he suddenly returned to normal, and said with a smile, "I don't know this...Miss Lin?"

"The maid will naturally accompany His Highness."

Lin Shurong smiled gently, as if he didn't notice General Hua's strangeness at all, turned his head to look at Ming Tan, and said softly, "Your Highness, shall we go then?"

"Well. Brother Wuhuang, please stay here for a while, we will go back when we go." Ming Tan nodded lightly, stood up, and walked out the door first.

——And during the movement, she seemed to be drawing strength, and she did not let go of Lin Shurong's hand at all.

……

The person who asked to see Ming Tan stayed in the courtyard next to him, and the journey was not far, just a few steps away.

The door was wide open, obviously waiting for someone to enter the room.Therefore, Ming Tan didn't hesitate, and directly crossed the threshold under the care of General Hua, and saw a person wearing a black cloak standing in the hall, no matter his figure or appearance was tightly concealed, even his gender could not be distinguished.

"...Your Excellency is the one who wants to see this princess?"

Ming Tan raised his eyelids, looked at the other party slightly, "Please also report your name."

As soon as he finished speaking, under the vigilant gaze of Hua Qin and Lin Shurong, the man in black immediately moved, stretched out his hand, and pulled off the hood, revealing a delicate and familiar female face——

"Your Highness. Master. Miss Lin."

She cupped her hands, knelt down facing Ming Tan, and said in a deep voice: "Qi Xing, the maid of the Moon Palace, greets you all!"

... Inviting the Seven Stars of the Moon Palace?

Concubine Yi Hua Rong's eldest maid?

Ming Tan's eyes widened suddenly, obviously he didn't expect the other party to appear here.She looked at Lin Shurong who was equally astonished for a moment, but suddenly she heard Hua Qin's voice beside her. Although her tone was a bit puzzled, it was much calmer than the two of them, "Seven Stars? Aren't you supposed to protect Ayu in the palace? How could that be?" Came all the way to Qugong Pass?"

"Report to Master," Qi Xing bowed his head and said respectfully, "Qi Xing is ordered by the empress to deliver a message for His Royal Highness Ninth Princess."

"Signaling?"

Hua Qin was obviously a little surprised, and turned his head slightly to ask the ninth princess, but found that Rong Tan and the two looked strange, looking at Qi Xing frequently, and suddenly understood, he hurriedly explained to them: "Don't the princess know? Qi Xing This girl was A Yu's maid who was married to the palace by name, and she was originally a secret guard of the general's mansion.

"The empress did not tell His Royal Highness Yu Jiu before, please don't blame me." Qi Xing also kowtowed to Ming Tan, his tone sounded ashamed and innocent, so that the latter couldn't say a word.

"..."

Now, is there really Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon beside Concubine Yi?

To be praised by General Dingyuan as "superior in martial arts", he is very good at fighting alone... So, if you want to escape from the tightly guarded palace and capital, it is probably just a matter of suffering?

Mingtan and Lin Shurong were silent for a long while before reluctantly accepting this fact, and the former bluntly brought the topic back to business, "So, you ventured out of Beijing, what do you want to send me?"

"Please take a look, Your Highness."

Qixing pursed her lips, took out a letter from her sleeve, put it in front of Mingtan with both hands, and said slowly: "But... please forgive me for being rude, this is not a letter from my empress or empress .”

When the words fell to the ground, Ming Tan couldn't help but pause when he stretched out his hand to take it, and suddenly turned to look at Qixing, his brows furrowed even tighter.

"so--"

"This is the secret visit of Concubine Ying from Yide Palace, and she handed this letter to Concubine Yi herself. It is said that she happened to know that the servant girl has martial arts and has the opportunity to go out of Beijing, so she asked her to help me deliver this letter for her. Send it to Qugong Pass and hand it over to the Ninth Princess."

Qi Xing bowed his head, and relayed the truth: "Concubine Ying said... Her father and daughter Xu are willing to help His Royal Highness the Ninth Princess open the city gate and enter the capital to put an end to the rebellion of the king."